Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Pakatan: Game changers without a game plan?
- Bar Council Must First Discuss SD1 at AGM 16 March 2013
- Pakatan Rakyat and DAP Supporters Cannot Accept The Freedom and Democracy of Political Choice
- Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack told to quit
- TPM dakwa pembangkang rancang wujud porak peranda pada PRU13... ...
- Is It Part Of Our Culture?
- Sabah stand-off shakes up Malaysian politics
- Sulu Princess battles Malaysians online
- Pope Francis divides opinion in Argentina
- Misuari-Anwar link reported in leaked US diplomatic cable
- Chameleon-like policies
- It’s war – mostly online
- Philippines detains "militants" trying to flee Malaysia
- Malaysia at the crossroads
- Ex-army general slams govt's handling, demands apology
- CM takes police to task over remarks on threats
- Azizah: Divine Will made Saiful's father come to his senses
- 'Anwar gave okay for DAP to contest Bentong'
- Face to Face with Dzulkefly Ahmad: PAS will stand by its principles
- Sabah: Malaysia blocks Philippines access to clan members
- Lahad Datu: Jamalul Kiram Rules Out Disengagement From Sabah
- Sabah – the question that won’t go away
- Mengapa sumpah jawatan PM Najib secara rahsia?
- My political thoughts during the Hunger Viratham Day Three 13th March 2013
- Najib’s ‘C’ word designed to insult Indians, Others
- Review of Malaysian musical reveals shocking anti-LGBT propaganda
- The Perfect Malaysian Leader
- One Pope Does Not a Summer Make
- WikiLeaks reveals MNLF wants to regain Sabah
- Azmin bidas WikiLeaks, gesa jangan salahkan Anwar
- BN the underdog? But is the maths correct?
- Malaysia's goosey goosey gander story
- PKR: Anwar may be arrested over Lahad Datu
| Pakatan: Game changers without a game plan? Posted: 13 Mar 2013 12:56 PM PDT
Yes, Indians could be king makers in crucial constituencies, come GE-13. But the big question is: Where should they place their trust? Should it be in a person or persons who have a proven track record of helping Indians or in a person or persons who have repeatedly shown their disdain for Indians and their causes? In the latter category are Anwar Ibrahim, leaders in DAP and the Indian leaders in Pakatan. pm.sivalingam Paraman Subramaniam makes some interesting suggestions about how Indians, a minority community in Malaysia, can leverage their vote in the next GE (MT letter, 13 March 2013). Although Paraman did not suggest it, the Indians could take a cue from last year's US Presidential elections in which President Obama's second term was largely secured by record numbers of votes from ethnic minorities. The Hispanics accounted for ten per cent of all voters in the election. Of these, 71 per cent voted for Obama. A record number of Asian voters - three per cent of the electorate - also turned out, with nearly three-quarters backing Obama. He also won a staggering 93 per cent of African-American votes, according to some polls. Paraman estimates that Malaysian Indian voter's number 950,000 and they reside in two thirds of the Parliamentary seats in the peninsula. They could make up 10% – 45% of the total voter makeup of these constituencies. Also, he says Indians in Malaysia have recorded the highest percentage rise in new voters from 2008 to 2012, compared with all other races. Malacca recorded a 46% rise in new Indian voters, Selangor 22% and Perak and Negeri Sembilan 16% each. Yes, Indians could be king makers in crucial constituencies, come GE-13. But the big question is: Where should they place their trust? Should it be in a person or persons who have a proven track record of helping Indians or in a person or persons who have repeatedly shown their disdain for Indians and their causes? In the latter category are Anwar Ibrahim, leaders in DAP and the Indian leaders in Pakatan. The Indian leaders in Pakatan especially have to answer: • Why they didn't come up with a blueprint to bring about permanent solutions for the Indian poor, and • Why they were quiet when PR failed to include 'Indian' issues in the PR manifesto although other races were included Pakatan pretends to be a game changer for Indians, but it does not have a credible game plan. On the other hand, what has BN's record been, especially in the last four years since Najib Tun Razak took over as Prime Minister? Najib has been quick to publicly acknowledge the role played by the Indian community in the development of the nation. In a special media interview published today, he acknowledged the aspirations of the new generation of Indians who wish to leave the estates and move to urban centres in search of new and better opportunities. The Najib's government has, in just four years, rolled out more programmes for the upliftment of Indians than any other administration in the nation's history. That's a fact. Najib has given Indians hope and a brighter future by addressing many longstanding issues of the community and improving opportunities and access for the Indian community in various major sectors such as education, higher education, economic and equity development. And rest assured, this will continue even after the general election should the Indian community gives Najib a new mandate. Indians do not trust dubious game changers. They only trust those who won't play games with them.
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| Bar Council Must First Discuss SD1 at AGM 16 March 2013 Posted: 13 Mar 2013 12:53 PM PDT
TRUTH SEEKER Before SD 2 is discussed at the coming AGM, SD 1 must be discussed. It is now crystal clear that SD1 was not signed voluntarily. Recent events that have unfolded since the return of P Balasubramaniam from India or wherever he was, clearly indicates Bala did not hire the prominent senior lawyer, Americk Singh who verifies information provided to him painstakingly for months, before putting pen to paper. Bala did not seek out Americk Singh on his own volition for the national good. He was propelled there by Pakatan and their promise of RM700,000 and what other inducements is yet to be known. Should Americk Singh have prepared SD 1, knowing monetary inducements have been received and more to be received after the signing of SD 1. Has there been any wrong doing or worse still, professional misconduct on the part of the lawyer who drafted SD 1. Pakatan's complicity in SD1 is clearly borne out the fact that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim flanked Bala at the SD 1 Press Conference. Were the contents of SD 1 the truth? Was concrete evidence given of the alleged part of the First Couple. Or was it a ploy by Pakatan to bring down the Prime Minister and the ruling government. This must be seen against the background of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's grand September 16 plan to topple the government by winning over the elected Barisan Representatives in Sabah and Sarawak. As everyone knows the plan flopped dismally. The 14 brave (or rash?) lawyers should have called for a discussion of both SD 1 and SD 2. Are not lawyers trained to be objective, impartial and to consider all aspects of an issue; particularly when proposing a motion? Discussing SD 2 without discussing SD 1 would not only be lop sided but a travesty of justice. Bar Council, please do the right thing, discuss both SD 1 and SD 2.
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| Pakatan Rakyat and DAP Supporters Cannot Accept The Freedom and Democracy of Political Choice Posted: 13 Mar 2013 12:40 PM PDT
For them Pakatan Rakyat can never ever be wrong and Barisan Nasional will never ever be right. They are no longer matured enough to accept both flaws and strength of both side of the political entities. They are no longer talking about contrast of idea and policy. For them is all about political of hatred and emotions. Shen Yee Aun For Pakatan Rakyat/DAP as long as anybody that supported Pakatan Rakyat and DAP then no matter how wrong or bad they are then they are actually good people and for them anybody that supported Barisan Nasional then no matter how right then will also be painted as bad and wrong. A good example will be whoever that crossover to Pakatan Rakyat then they will be worship as Hero and Saint and whoever that do not belief in Pakatan Rakyat/DAP causes or abandon them then they will become a traitor, bad and evil person. Just look at how Anwar Ibrahim, Azmin Ali, Zaid Ibrahim, Chua Jui Meng and a list of BN leaders be it from UMNO or MCA cross over to Pakatan Rakyat then overnight they can wash over their sins and all wrong doing. Overnight they will be good and clean. Overnight the will be worship as Saint, Hero and God. This even include the Ibrahim Ali that Pakatan Rakyat hated him so much now but it was UMNO who had sacked him way earlier and it was no other than Pakatan Rakyat who gave him to contest under their banner in Pasir Mas during Mac 2008. A good, matured and healthy democratic country should never be in such a way where people are being forced to support Pakatan Rakyat to be label as good, kind, angel, hero and etc. In any democratic country political preferences is a freedom of choice. Is Pakatan Rakyat/DAP is trying to say that every single person and individual in Pakatan Rakyat are all 100% good, clean, angelic while every single person in Barisan Nasional are all bad, dirty and devil? This type of false political perception and views is very dangerous for our country to progress further. While Pakatan Rakyat are talking about freedom , rights , democracy and 2 party system but the way they are operating are as if the people do not have a choice but to support Pakatan Rakyat/DAP. What is even more dangerous will be nobody is ever allowed to ever exposed any of their wrongdoings , flaws , fraud , problems and weakness. Whoever that try to mention or expose it then they will start to paint and attack that particular individual or entity with all sorts of names , labeling and vulgarity. For them Pakatan Rakyat can never ever be wrong and Barisan Nasional will never ever be right. They are no longer matured enough to accept both flaws and strength of both side of the political entities. They are no longer talking about contrast of idea and policy. For them is all about political of hatred and emotions . Why do such political atmosphere , situation , culture and environment should ever happen in Malaysia political arena ? Most Pakatan Rakyat/DAP Cyber Troopers are no longer fighting ideas with ideas , points with points , policy with policy and what they are currently capable of is to fight it will vulgarity , emotion , personal attack and name calling. Worst is most of this troopers can act as if they are so holy and innocent that they are not being paid by any political party and yet accusing others of being paid whenever people write or mention anything that they do not like to read or hear. If such is our current political atmosphere , situation , culture and environment then it will actually be more dangerous for Pakatan Rakyat to come into power. This is because we have reach a situation where all Pakatan Rakyat leaders are free ,Invincible , bulletproof from all weakness , fraud , wrongdoing and flaws. People will just tend to ignore , close their eyes or shut down their eyes whoever or whenever anybody exposes or mention about their (Pakatan Rakyat/DAP) problems. That time it will be very hard for BN leaders or supporter to play a counter balance towards Pakatan Rakyat and they will be even more dictator than Hitler . We can even forget for a real 2 party system by that time. At least now in such situation if BN still remains in power then Pakatan Rakyat can still play an active role to counter check and balance BN power in the government . A good example or indication will be after 5 years Pakatan Rakyat took over 4 states in Malaysia ( Kedah, Selangor, Penang and Kelantan ) and for every single flaws, promises unfulfilled, corruption, problems, flaws and weaknesses Pakatan Rakyat leaders are very capable of coming out with reasons and excuses to make all the wrong seem to be right. Even their most famous defensive will be putting all their entire blame into Barisan Nasional for most of their wrongdoing. The supporters, paid troopers, bloggers and online media will end up trying to destroy, assassinate, defame and attack whoever that mention about it. Recently, what is shocking will be a young Malaysian girl became their latest victim in the cyber world. DAP instructed all their entire FB Pages and Troopers to ambush her so badly that her life, safety and security is currently at threat. (http://1sya.com/?p=5180) Easily thousands of comments scolding all sorts and types of vulgar words, urging people to rape, harm and kill her and the list just goes on and on and many Malaysian enjoying sharing it and cursing her just because she recorded a video advertisement for Barisan Nasional? But when DAP recorded the same video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGrcrVDY6y0) is Barisan Nasional that dirty to do the same thing to the lady in the video like how they victimized this young Malaysian girl? Their hungry of power had reached a level where they no longer bother about the emotion , safety and security of the people in our country. For them as long as anybody help or supported BN is as if they must die or be punished. Read more at: http://1sya.com/?p=5188
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| Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack told to quit Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:32 AM PDT
(The Star) - Newly-minted general election candidate Wong Tack is feeling the heat as a key member of his Himpunan Hijau movement insists he resigns as chairman if he intends to pursue a political career. In making the call, Clement Chin, a steering committee member of the movement, said Wong had originally promised not to bring the group down the political path, but has now made a sudden U-turn. "If he wants to enter politics, then by all means go ahead and we will support him but do not do it by dragging the whole group under a political party. "We are an environmental NGO and he has to respect our original objectives," Chin said when contacted. On Tuesday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced that Wong would be contesting the Bentong parliamentary seat under the party's ticket. Chin warned that the group's foray into the political arena means treading in dangerous waters, saying that it must be made clear that Himpunan Hijau was not a political party and it should maintain the people's trust and confidence as a non-political NGO. "We have to respect those supporters nationwide who wish to remain apolitical in their fight for environmental justice. "The environmental issues will end up so politicised and muddled up that they lose their essence and truth with all the mud-slinging thrown at it," he said. "As such, Wong should step down as the chairperson of Himpunan Hijau and a new leader be elected. "I hope that the new chairperson will keep the green issues from being overly politicised by the politicians," Chin said. A Facebook user, Chatur Ranga, who posted on the Himpunan Hijau 2.0 Facebook fanpage, said: "If he is truly a Green Warrior, he should stand as an Independent especially now that the PR/DAP are saying they may reconsider allowing Lynas to operate! "They have already broken a promise in their manifesto! This is a betrayal of all the good people who fought against Lynas," he said.
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| TPM dakwa pembangkang rancang wujud porak peranda pada PRU13... ... Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:23 AM PDT
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mendakwa hari ini bahawa daripada maklumat beberapa dokumen yang boleh dipercayai, pembangkang dipercayai merancang untuk menggagalkan pilihan raya umum ke-13 dengan mewujudkan keadaan porak peranda kerana gementar dengan sokongan rakyat kepada BN yang sudah mula meningkat. wargamarhaen "Macam (penasihat PKR Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim sebut, kalau dalam pilihan raya ini dia kalah maka tentulah kekalahan itu (mengikut dakwaannya) disebabkan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) buat kerja kotor, tipu rakyat. "Bila dia menang, dia tak pernah kata SPR tipu rakyat, tapi bila nak kalah, nampak-nampak nak tumbang dan impian untuk jadi perdana menteri tak akan menjadi, maka dia dah mula buat telahan," katanya ketika berucap di majlis sepetang bersama masyarakat di kawasan Parlimen Hulu Selangor, di Bandar Bukit Sentosa dekat Kuala Kubu Baru. "Tidak kira siapa.. calon hitam, putih, biru kita akan pilih sahaja... dan saya pergi ke tempat-tempat lain... gelombang biru menandakan sikongan rakyat sudah mula meningkat," katanya. Read more at: http://wargamarhaen.blogspot.com/2013/03/tpm-dakwa-pembangkang-rancang-wujud.html?m=1
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| Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:18 AM PDT
In the first place, is it part of our culture to use physical force rather than rational argument to get our messages across? And if the assailants happen to be pro-BN, is it part of our culture for the police to not take strong action? Kee Thuan Chye Last week, I was speaking to students of a higher institution of learning about a play of mine that they are studying called We Could **** You, Mr Birch. When I got to the issue of getting Malaysians to discuss so-called sensitive issues openly, one of the students commented, "It's not part of our culture." I asked her if she was being ironic. The bright lass nodded.
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| Sabah stand-off shakes up Malaysian politics Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:07 AM PDT
"These claims from the sultanate of Sulu have been there for a very long time and the timing does seem either suspicious or odd at least and raise questions especially because his poll showings are quite bad and the opposition has worked very hard since already shaking up the establishment in 2008" (The Voice of Russia) - Dr. Gerhard Hoffstaedter of the University of Queensland, Australia, shares his take on the armed conflict in the Malaysian state of Sabah, where a ragtag band of fighters from the so-called Royal Army of the Sultan of Sulu clashed with Malaysian troops. Sabah, what is today the state of Sabah in Malaysia used to be a dominion of the Sultanate of Brunei until the British came and essentially split up that Sultanate, which remains till this day but the territory it controls is very small. At one stage it controlled vast parts of Borneo and parts of what is now the Philippines. A subsequent sultanate, the sultanate of Sulu, which still lays claim to Sabah, over which we've read a lot in news lately, because they sent a detachment of over 200 armed guards or militants to state that claim, currently claimed to have a power over this territory or parts of this territory and that claim has never really been resolved, so until this day the Malaysian state actually pays what some people call session money, what other people call rental money to the heirs of the sultan of Sulu, which was agreed a long time ago between the British and the sultan of Sulu. And so there is this ongoing discrepancy of histories if you like, the discrepancy of the heirs or decedents of the sultan of Sulu, the state of Sabah is still part of their inheritance if you like, although long time ago they've given up sovereignty to the Philippines state, so they are not a sovereign sultanate or sovereign state in any way, they can't make claims, only the Philippines can make claims over Sabah, and they have tried to take it to the international court of justice but Malaysia would not entertain that for obvious reasons, Sabah is home to large oil reserves, forestry, palm oil and has been an integral part of the Malaysian state since 1960s and indeed it's been instrumental in maintaining the current ruling coalition in Malaysian government since 1957 since the authorities of Sabah joined the federation in 60s because they've managed to get substantially more votes in east Malaysia than in west Malaysia and had east Malaysia voted similar to west Malaysia in the last election, we wouldn't have seen a change in government already in Malaysia. So, the current government is quite dependant on both Sarawak and Sabah as a voting block. Do ethnic differences play a serious role in the domestic policies? It is a very difficult and complex issue and there is actually a big difference in terms of the ethnic question in west Malaysia and east Malaysia. In west Malaysia it is really about Indian, Chinese and Malay identity politics around that, whereas in east Malaysia it is quite different because there is a vast or much larger proportion of indigenous people and a lot of them are not Muslims so the issue of Islam does not arise as it does in west Malaysia and so especially Sabah has much more of a cosmopolitan history and ethic than, say, west Malaysia where identity politics that has been imbued with religious politics or the identity politics around religion is much more pronounced. So, in fact one of the biggest minorities in Sabah is Philippines and in a way the makeup of Sabah is much more diverse than the makeup of west Malaysia, that has a very different ethnic politics that happens over there. Read more at:http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_03_12/Sabah-stand-off-shakes-up-Malaysian-politics/
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| Sulu Princess battles Malaysians online Posted: 13 Mar 2013 11:01 AM PDT
(Al Jazeera) - Southeast Asian land dispute enters the Twittersphere. The ongoing conflict between Malaysian security forces and an armed Filipino group entered cyberspace on Wednesday, when Princess Jacel Kiram, the daughter of the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, opened aTwitter account. The conflict began last month when the Sultan arrived in the Malaysian state of Sabah to stake what he says is his family's ancient claim to the region. OK. Bro @tankengliang, the invading faux princess@jacelkiram is now on twitter. Unleash your unending tweets & end this conflict. Read more at: http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201303132017-0022609 | ||
| Pope Francis divides opinion in Argentina Posted: 13 Mar 2013 10:57 AM PDT
(BBC) - Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio - now Pope Francis - is a figure who attracts great admiration or strong criticism, depending on who you speak to in his home country of Argentina. Even before his election, the 76-year-old was a deeply influential leader of the Roman Catholic Church. His Sunday sermons often ended up in the papers and for a certain sector of Argentine society, his opinions were formative. He was praised for his social work and austere way of life. Despite holding a prominent position he would often travel on public transport and when travelling to the Vatican he would often fly economy class. He is said to be a person who mostly keeps to himself, rarely giving interviews and keeping a very low profile. Those who have met him say that he always refuses dinner invitations at restaurants, preferring to eat alone in small dining places for the homeless. The new Pope was known to have two passions outside religion: classical music and his football club, San Lorenzo de Almagro. Left-wing fearsAs the first Latin American to be named pope, it is likely that many in Argentina will celebrate one of their own at the helm of the biggest church in the country. But for some in Argentina, Cardinal Bergoglio is an extremely conservative character - a stance which has alienated him among some sectors of society. His staunch opposition to gay marriage - legalised in Argentina in 2010 - made him a hate figure for supporters of civil partnerships. Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21780828
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| Misuari-Anwar link reported in leaked US diplomatic cable Posted: 13 Mar 2013 09:51 AM PDT
(The Star) - Links between Philippine rebel chieftain Nur Misuari and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim were reported in a leaked United States diplomatic cable from the American embassy in Manila. The 2007 report to the State Department described Misuari, the founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, as someone who apparently still harboured aspirations to "re-gain" Sabah from Malaysia. It said Malaysian authorities were concerned about Misuari's contacts with Anwar, who was described as the MNLF leader's old friend. "MG Dolorfino (Armed Forces of the Philippines National Capital Region Commander Major General Ben Dolorfino) commented that Malaysia is not only concerned about Misuari's intentions toward Sabah... but also about his recent contacts with Anwar," the cable stated. The cable was among over 250,000 documents leaked by the WikiLeaks website in 2010 and can be read atwikileaks.org/cable/2007/05/07MANILA1534.html The cable said Misuari was a strong advocate for the recovery of Sabah from Malaysia and was still bitter towards Malaysia for arresting him and turning him over to the Philippine authorities in January 2002. "Misuari once commented to MG Dolorfino that when the timing was right, the MNLF could invade Sabah at 5am and control it by 7am," it added. The cable reported Dolorfino telling the embassy's political officer that a special envoy from then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had met Misuari and told him not to meddle in Malaysia's domestic affairs. One of Anwar's aides, when contacted on Tuesday evening, said he would notify Anwar about the report but the Opposition Leader has yet to respond. PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, when asked about the WikiLeaks report yesterday, blamed Barisan Nasional's political leadership for trying to link Anwar's association with Misuari to the Sabah intrusion, which he said was a "wild allegation". "Anwar has made his position (on his association with Misuari) clear. At that point of time (of the WikiLeaks report) Nur Misuari was the governor of Mindanao, so many leaders met Misuari. "To try and connect this to what is happening in Lahad Datu is too much and I think the people should give a stern warning to the Government against making such allegations," added Azmin. Anwar's daughter and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar said it was unacceptable to only highlight Anwar's association with Misuari while ignoring the ties between government leaders with Misuari and other players linked to the Sabah incursion. Misuari told The Star on Monday that he was close to Anwar and that the two last met several months ago in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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| Posted: 13 Mar 2013 09:38 AM PDT
TRY and Google for images of a chameleon, and the results are mostly photos of the reptile in green. M Hamzah Jamakudin, NST The unique animal is famous for its ability to change colours to blend into the surroundings and trick its predators. Some species can change to different combinations of colours, including green, red, light blue and yellow. Interestingly, there are also people who can change their 'colours' when the need arises, as being demonstrated by Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack. Since the inception of the green movement two years ago, Wong has always stressed its main aim was to fight against harmful projects such as the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Kuantan and Raub Australian Gold Mining (RAGM) which uses cyanide at its facility in Bukit Koman, Raub. As green is Himpunan Hijau's favourite colour, it is no surprise to find on Google search various photos of Wong in a green T-shirt. Soon, we can expect to see more colours of Wong's shirts after he announced his candidacy for the Bentong parliamentary seat under the DAP ticket. He may don DAP's white-and-red T-shirt, or even the light-blue and darker shade of green preferred by PKR and Pas respectively. It is not the colour of his shirts that matter most but his shifting stands, particularly on the issues he had been championing before. Acting more like a politician nowadays, Wong has made an about-turn on his opposition towards the Lynas rare earth refinery - agreeing with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's statement that the plant would be allowed to operate should a new public inquiry prove it to be safe. His latest statement came as a total surprise to many as Wong made headlines last month after he threatened to burn down Lamp if the newly-elected government failed to shut it down after the 13th general election. This will also apply if Pakatan Rakyat managed to wrest control of Putrajaya but did not fulfil its promise to close LAMP. In a statement posted on the movement's Facebook on Monday, Wong claimed that he had no choice but to utilise the political platform to make way for Pakatan to fulfil its promise to the people. In its manifesto, Pakatan has pledged to close LAMP if it took over Putrajaya. The anti-Lynas groups have always pressed for the closure of LAMP. Kuantan member of parliament and PKR vice-president Fuziah Salleh, for example, has told reporters that her main aim was to ensure that Lamp would never operate in the country. The sudden change in Pakatan's stand however, is expected as on March 8, Anwar was quoted by Australia's Sydney Morning Herald as saying that he would fast-track an inquiry into the safety of Lynas' operations should the opposition take over as government in the coming general election. "If Lynas can come out with a convincing argument that there is no risk to public safety and security, I will be the first to champion the plant there," said Anwar. The latest development proves that both the anti-Lynas and anti-RAGM campaigns are actually a political ploy to make the people hate the government and therefore, vote for the opposition. For those who care to learn about LAMP, they will know that both local and international experts have endorsed its operation. Some have even said that it is the safest rare earth plant in the world. United States government rare earth adviser Jack Lifton, after visiting LAMP recently, said the plant became operational behind schedule not because of technical issues but rather because of political ones. "An environmental activist group claimed first that LAMP would release too much radioactivity, and would not be able to manage this waste. This argument has been overcome by multiple expert panels and site surveys and finally by the Malaysian courts and government, so the anti-Lynas group has now switched to the cry that the plant will emit toxic chemical wastes (as well as radioactive ones)," he wrote. The latest turn of events involving Wong may not go down well with all Himpunan Hijau supporters. In an immediate reaction, Himpunan Hijau steering committee member Clement Chin suggested that Wong relinquish his post to allow the committee to re-elect a new chairman to run the movement as a formidable people and not political-centred non-governmental organisation (NGO). "Himpunan Hijau supporters will be put off with the dragging of the NGO into the political arena. The environmental issues will end up so politicised and muddled up that it loses its essence and truth with all the mud-slinging thrown at it," he commented in the movement's Facebook account. Like Chin, most Malaysians have also had enough with all these chameleons who will change their colours for political expediency. Most Malaysians would rather have the real reptile although some may find its look quite disgusting. Unfortunately, half of the world's chameleon population lives on the island of Madagascar and not Malaysia.
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| Posted: 13 Mar 2013 09:35 AM PDT
We should be grateful that the war of words doesn't actually spill blood because otherwise the cyber sphere would be strewn with dead bodies by now. Still, there must be a lot of wounded. Marina Mahathir, The Star IN 1982, two largish nations went to war over a tiny group of islands. One of them, Argentina, decided to assert a long-standing claim over the islands they call the Malvinas. Unfortunately, the islands had long been a British "dependent territory". One country saw it as a "re-occupation" while the other saw it as an invasion. And so the Falklands War began, ending only 72 days later with 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland islanders dead. I don't want to go into the politics of that war but it was between two countries trying to protect their sovereignty. Unlike the Iraq-Kuwait war in 1990, the war between Great Britain and Argentina remained between just those two countries. Eleven years later, a group of people representing no country "attacked" the United States and set off wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and basically changed the world for the worst, with many deaths, mostly of innocent civilians. All of this to me seems to point to one thing, which is that war doesn't make sense. Which is why we should be careful when declaring war on anyone. In the last few weeks, a ragtag band of people have occupied a bit of our territory mostly to draw attention to their alleged claims to that piece of land. We took a while to realise that they were serious, and seriously armed, and once we did, suddenly it was war. Now I use the word "war" loosely here, meaning that our authorities finally decided that they had to deal with this group aggressively. We could not actually declare war on another country because no country had invaded us, only the delusional citizens of a neighbouring one. This fine point seems to have been lost on some. All at once, "war" broke out, mostly online. We should be grateful that the war of words doesn't actually spill blood because otherwise the cyber sphere would be strewn with dead bodies by now. Still, there must be a lot of wounded. Suddenly, otherwise mild and liberal people turned belligerent and the baying for blood abounded. Patriotism morphed into nationalism, then into plain old-fashioned jingoism. Flags flew high and fervent prayers for victory were said. Those of us who were shocked by the gall of these people scrambled around to get more information. The appalling lack of it on our side pointed to one obvious deficit in our country: there is hardly anyone here who can explain what this is all about. This invariably led us to scour the news sites in the Philippines for some explanation of these people and their claims. While some of the Philippine media are just as sensationalist as ours, the more serious ones published several articles by academics with a good grasp of the historical background of those islands where the invaders come from. On our side, we have only one academic who, at this time of writing, has done 26 interviews on the subject. Unfortunately, not everybody is interested in nuance and historical background. Suddenly because it is "war", everything becomes acceptable, including violent name-calling. I began to understand the real effect and relevance of Bush's "war on terror", how it made jingoism in the United States acceptable and how democracy could be so easily suspended. Already we are possibly seeing some "collateral damage". In times like these, talking about peace becomes politically incorrect. To be properly patriotic, one must shake one's spears and not hold out bouquets of flowers. Yet this was what a group of young people did last Friday in a project called Ops Bunga. They went to the Philippine embassy to place bunches of flowers as a gesture of peace towards our neighbours. A tiny gesture but a much needed calming one, a moment of solidarity among Malaysians and a hand extended in friendship. It is instructive that in moments of tension, it is almost always young people who think up positive ideas to smooth the waters. Resolutely apolitical, these young ones refuse to allow any hijacking of the issue by politicians. Indeed, they could be said to be a response to the political grandstanding that often accompanies these events. Meanwhile, I have to wonder where our usual rabble rousers are, the ones who are ever ready to pick fights with their fellow citizens, yet who have become strangely silent. Confused maybe?
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| Philippines detains "militants" trying to flee Malaysia Posted: 13 Mar 2013 08:04 AM PDT
Filipino evacuees fleeing the Malaysian state of Sabah arrive on a Philippine Navy boat in Bongao town, Tawi-Tawi province, southern Philippines yesterday. (AFP) - The Philippines Navy said it had detained 35 suspected Filipino militants on Wednesday as they sought to sail home from a military offensive against them in the Malaysian state of Sabah. They are believed to be remnants of a band of up to 300 followers of a self-proclaimed Filipino sultan who entered Sabah a month ago to stake a territorial claim to the area, regional military chief Rey Ardo said. "They were coming back (home)... they are armed," Lieutenant-General Ardo said on ABS-CBN television, confirming less detailed reports of their arrest by the Philippine Navy. The self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, whose ancestors ruled over parts of the what is now the southern Philippines and Sabah centuries ago, vowed his men would not leave until Malaysia recognised their territorial claims. However after a stand-off that lasted more than two weeks, Malaysian security forces launched a major operation against the gunmen. Malaysian authorities have reported that 64 people have been killed, mostly militants, and 97 followers of the sultan have been arrested in Sabah. Security operations are continuing. The 35 people seized on Wednesday were on two small boats that were intercepted by two navy patrol vessels on the Philippine side of the sea border with Malaysia, navy spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Gregory Fabic told AFP. They were sailing to a Philippine island about 60 kilometres (35 miles) from the area of Sabah at the heart of the security offensive, according to Ardo, the regional military commander. Fabic and Ardo said there were 34 men and one woman aboard the boats, both of which carried guns. Ardo said one of the men was wounded, possibly from the Sabah clashes.
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| Posted: 13 Mar 2013 07:41 AM PDT
Those who forget history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. So Umno ensures that the Malays never forget history and that once upon a time Malay territory was colonised for 446 years before it saw independence again mainly because the Malays were not united and that it is possible this can happen again if the Malays do not remain united. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Why do we need to learn history? One reason would be because those who do not know or forget history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. My usual example would be Hitler. He repeated Napoleon's mistake and thus suffered Napoleon's fate. Nevertheless, looking at things on hindsight is always easy. Everyone can be an expert on hindsight. It is whether one has foresight that matters. The second reason for learning history would be so that one can develop analytical skills. Are you able to look at history from an unbiased and critical eye and analyse the events for what they were at that particular time and place? Most times we would judge history from our own point of view. And our own point of view would be influenced by our value system. And this value system would, in turn, be influenced by society's norms depending on era and region. For example, how would you view the Conquistadors of the 1500s -- soldiers, explorers and adventurers in the service of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires? They were initially set up to recapture the Iberian Peninsula that was under Muslim control known as Al Andalus. Over the next 200 years they sailed through most of the world to conquer new territories on behalf of Spain and Portugal. For all intents and purposes, the Conquistadors were professionally trained soldiers or mercenaries who were very ruthless. The Conquistadors were motivated by just two things -- religion and wealth -- and their objective was to spread Christianity at the point of the sword and to colonise new territories and rob those territories of its wealth. Today, we would probably call these people pirates and terrorists. However, 500 years ago, they were considered Christian warriors and patriots who plundered the world and eradicated the anti-Christ with the blessing of the Pope in Rome. But how would you, the student of history, judge the Conquistadors? Would you apply today's value system and call them pirates and terrorists or the value system of those days and call them warriors and patriots in the service of God? You would most likely say, who cares? What relevance is the Conquistador of the 1500s to Malaysia of 2013 where our concern is the coming general election and what the outcome of it is going to be? Well, it may have more relevance than you suspected and it may have more bearing on the coming general election than you had imagined. First of all, the Conquistadors would not have existed had the Muslim army not occupied part of Christian Europe. Had the Muslims stayed in the Middle East then Christian pride would not have suffered and there would have been no reason to form a mercenary army to retake conquered Christian land. Then, once this Christian army had fulfilled its task of driving the Muslims out of Europe, it embarked on its own conquest of the world and ventured into Africa, South America, China, India and South East Asia. In April 1511, Afonso de Albuquerque set sail for Melaka with a force of 1,200 men and a dozen and a half ships. On 24th August 1511, they conquered Melaka and it became a strategic base for Portuguese expansion in the East Indies. The Portuguese, however, did not conquer Thailand. Instead, in that same year, the Portuguese established diplomatic relations with Thailand by sending an ambassador, Duarte Fernandes, to the court of King Ramathibodi. Why did the Portuguese conquer Melaka but not Thailand? Well, mainly because Thailand was united and had a strong king while Melaka was divided and the other Sultans in Perak, Kedah, Riau, etc., did not come to the aid of the Sultan of Melaka. In short, as Umno always tells the Malays, the disunity of the Malays resulted in the fall of Melaka and eventually the entire Malay Archipelago was colonised by the western powers -- starting with the Portuguese then followed by the Dutch and finally the British. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. So Umno ensures that the Malays never forget history and that once upon a time Malay territory was colonised for 446 years before it saw independence again mainly because the Malays were not united and that it is possible this can happen again if the Malays do not remain united. To the non-Malays this may not be a significant point. To the Malays, however, this point is very relevant. Malay disunity resulted in the Malays becoming an occupied race. It was not until Umno was formed in 1946 did the fortunes of the Malays change for the better. So, as far as the Malays are concerned, history is very clear about the issue. No Malay unity and the Malays become second-class citizens in their own country. Malays unite under the umbrella of Umno and the Malays retake the country that they lost. Now, how do you address this belief? Umno is constantly reminding the Malays about what happened in August 1511 and why it happened. Umno is also constantly reminding the Malays about what happened in August 1957 and why it happened. And to the Malays this makes sense. You may argue that what happened in 1511 is so long ago and is no longer relevant. Try telling the Irish that what happened in 1641 is so long ago and is no longer relevant. It is still relevant as far as the Irish are concerned and they can never forgive nor forget the events of 1641 when the English 'colonialists' led by Oliver Cromwell invaded Irish land. Hence, if the Malays are being silly then so are the Irish. History may, over time, be forgiven but it can never be forgotten. This is a very difficult subject to broach mainly because it involves emotions and sentiments. And you can never rationalise emotions and sentiments. You must also never challenge emotions and sentiments head on. You need to carefully navigate around them. And the Malays are very emotional and sentimental, with feudalistic to boot. And Umno has mastered the skill of playing on the emotions and sentiments of the Malays. No, this is not a non-Malay-bashing article. This is not an article bashing anyone for that matter. This is about what Sun Tzu said: know your enemy. And the 'enemy' here is the heart and minds of the Malays. You can't fight this type of 'enemy'. You have to win over this 'enemy'. The question is: do you know how? The coming general election is going to be one of the most crucial general elections in Malaysian history. If Umno gets kicked out this may be the end of Umno for a long time to come. Hence Umno cannot afford to lose this election. But how do we convince the Malay voters that the defeat of Umno does not translate to Melaka falling to the Portuguese in 1511? Well, this is the job for the politicians and I am not a politician. | ||
| Ex-army general slams govt's handling, demands apology Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:58 AM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Failure of Malaysia's military intelligence is the main reason behind the current conflict in Lahad Datu which has so far claimed the lives of 10 Malaysian security personnel including two soldiers, said retired army deputy chief Lt-Gen (Rtd) Abdul Ghafir Abdul Hamid (pic). Ghafir told a forum yesterday that this happened because the military had been used for political purposes and thus lost its focus.
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| CM takes police to task over remarks on threats Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:56 AM PDT
(The Star) - Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is not satisfied with police reaction to threats made against him. Commenting on the latest protest against him last Friday, Lim said he was disappointed with the remarks made by police on the matter. He said the state government could not accept police explanation that security at the Komtar building was solely the management's responsibility. It was reported that the protesters had hurled abuses at Lim and banged on the locked glass doors on Komtar Level 3. The group from the Penang Muslim Network staged a demonstration over the Allah issue and had wanted to present Lim with a wall clock. They dispersed 20 minutes later, leaving the clock at the door. George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng was subsequently reported as saying that the incident was being investigated under Section 9 (1) of the Peaceful Assembly Act and that a few of the protesters would be called up for questioning. ACP Gan said police were there to maintain public order and had advised the protesters to disperse peacefully. He also said the security at the Komtar building was solely the management's responsibility. Lim claimed that there was no attempt by the police present to stop the protesters whom he claimed were trying to destroy public property. ACP Gan declined to comment on Lim's statement.
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| Azizah: Divine Will made Saiful's father come to his senses Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:53 AM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, said it was Divine will which has made the father of sodomy accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan to now say that his son's accusation is baseless. The PKR president, saying the statement last week by Azlan Mohd Lazim had vindicated her husband, said it was meaningful although the admission came a little late. "I am grateful to God, I never expected this... On Allah can move a man's heart," she was quoted as saying by PKR organ Keadilandaily.
The High Court acquitted Anwar of the charge early last year, but the attorney general's chambers has appealed against the verdict with the case fixed for hearing in July.
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| 'Anwar gave okay for DAP to contest Bentong' Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:42 AM PDT
by Pathma Subramaniam, fz.com DAP says its announcement of Himpunan Hijau chairperson Wong Tack as the party's candidate for the Bentong parliamentary constituency was made with the blessings of PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng had made the announcement at a press conference yesterday, saying Wong will contest under the DAP banner. This is despite the fact that PKR had contested the seat in the 2008 polls. Contacted today, DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke, who is privy to talks on seats negotiation among Pakatan Rakyat parties, insisted that DAP only called for the press conference after confirming the matter with Anwar, who is also the Opposition Leader. The announcement has caused discord among Pahang Pakatan leaders, with state PKR chief Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman claiming that he was not aware of the decision. He told fz.com that "as far as Pahang PKR is concerned, we will put up our own candidate." Loke, however, said this could be because the decision had probably not been relayed to the state PKR yet. "When Wong had expressed his interest, they (PKR) found out about it and insisted that Wong contest under PKR's ticket. But we had already made the offer earlier," he told fz.com. Pahang DAP chief Leong Ngah Ngah, meanwhile, pointed out that the Bentong seat - currently represented by Health Minister and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai - had traditionally been contested by the DAP prior to the 2008 election. In 2008, Pakatan fielded candidates in all 14 parliamentary constituencies in the state, with PKR contesting six seats and winning two - Indera Mahkota and Kuantan. The DAP contested in the Cameron Highlands and Raub parliamentary constituencies but lost in both. It just managed to win two - Traing and Tras - of the seven state seats it contested. Although DAP had traditionally contested in Bentong and Raub, it gave up Bentong and went for Cameron Highlands in 2008. Leong refused to comment on the switch, saying these are "internal party matters". The DAP veteran also refused to divulge if the party would give up a seat now that it is contesting in Bentong again. "Nevertheless, I don't think there will be a three-cornered fight for the (Bentong) seat. It will be one against another," he said. PKR deputy president Azmin Ali told fz.com that Bentong is among the seats still being discussed by a Pakatan committee which oversees seats negotiations. He noted that PKR's G Ponusamy had lost there in 2008 and DAP was keen to contest there this time. "I can't share what was discussed at our last meeting on Feb 27 but if they are now gunning for Bentong, what are the seats they are willing to swap with us?," he said. He added that in principle Pakatan partners only discussed about areas where their contenders had previously lost, and the choice of candidates is solely the prerogative of the respective parties.
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| Face to Face with Dzulkefly Ahmad: PAS will stand by its principles Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:35 AM PDT
by Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, fz.com PAS must remain consistent and not flip flop on issues that may hurt its electoral support among the Malay community, says Kuala Selangor MP and PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said his party. "When we argue, we argue from the Quran and what it says. We argue from the tradition of the Prophet and what it says. It is not whether we are going to be winning or losing votes... It is making it clear first principally, where does it (the argument) stand," he said during an interview on fz.com's Face to Face programme today. During the 40-minute session, Dzulkefly answered questions and offered his views about PAS' direction, the party's image and its relationship within Pakatan Rakyat. He spoke at length on the party's stand on the use of the word of "Allah" and also admitted that there was still confusion between the concept of Malay-Islam and Islam-Islam. Dzulkefly stressed that the party has moved on from its aim to establish an Islamic state but now is bringing the agenda of a "benevolent state". "If anything, it is an evolution and progression... I am not quite sure what the people mean by an Islamic state but I think if a truly democratic functional state is in place, you have as well in that situation Islam being the Islamic state," he said. On Islamic law, he said PAS would not force it unto non-Muslims and emphasised that the party will only implement syariah laws if given mandate through the ballot box. "We are truly a bona fide Islamist political party and we will not have any of our policies implemented through the back door," he said. When asked if PAS will support PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister should Pakatan comes to power despite party conservatives who are not in favour of the former DPM, he didn't see any reason not to. "It is the opinion of some. You have to respect the opinion of some section. Isn't that freedom? To be able express your liking and disliking... you must be allowed to express your opinion. If you pin them down the minute they express (their opinion) ... people would not be brave enough to express their opinion," he said. "In a democracy, you don't have 100 per cent support in anything. In democracy, it's about managing differences," he added.
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| Sabah: Malaysia blocks Philippines access to clan members Posted: 12 Mar 2013 09:07 PM PDT
(AP) - Kiram told The Associated Press in Manila on Wednesday that personally meeting his younger brother, who is leading the Filipinos in Sabah, would be crucial in ending the standoff without further casualties. "It will be difficult if we can't get Malaysia's cooperation," Kiram said in response to Anifah's comments. Malaysian authorities will not let armed members of a Filipino royal clan who are being hunted in Borneo meet with Philippine officials or family members who might seek to negotiate their safety, the foreign minister said Wednesday. Clashes sparked by the clansmen's intrusion into Malaysia's Sabah state have killed 56 Filipinos and nine Malaysian police and army personnel this month, according to Malaysian government estimates. The clan wants to reassert a decades-old territorial claim to the eastern Borneo state, which is a short boat ride from the southern Philippines. One of the clan's Philippine-based leaders, Esmail Kiram II, said earlier this week that a group of Filipinos could try entering the area to meet the clansmen and discuss how to resolve the crisis if a cease-fire is declared. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said Wednesday that authorities could not guarantee the safety of any negotiators. "This is not the right time, this is not the right place for any outsiders apart from the security personnel to be in the area," Anifah told reporters after briefing more than 80 foreign diplomats about the crisis. Anifah reiterated Malaysia's stance that the Filipino gunmen must surrender unconditionally and face prosecution. Kiram told The Associated Press in Manila on Wednesday that personally meeting his younger brother, who is leading the Filipinos in Sabah, would be crucial in ending the standoff without further casualties. "It will be difficult if we can't get Malaysia's cooperation," Kiram said in response to Anifah's comments. Malaysian and Philippine authorities had tried to convince the clansmen to leave peacefully after they began occupying a remote village on Sabah's eastern seaboard last month. The crisis turned violent when the Filipinos killed two policemen March 1, leading to military airstrikes and mortar attacks last week that drove the clansmen out of the village into hiding in palm oil plantations nearby. Anifah said Malaysian authorities would also not grant legal access for now to dozens of Filipinos detained in Sabah on suspicion of providing help or information to the clansmen. They are being held under a national security law that allows detention without trial for up to 28 days before they must be freed or brought to court. Kiram's younger brother, Agbimuddin, has said he would rather die than surrender his Philippine sultanate's rights to Sabah, which he said has belonged to his clan and its followers for centuries. Sabah, which is rich in timber and oil, has been part of Malaysia since 1963. On Wednesday, two Philippine navy gunboats intercepted 35 suspected followers of Agbimuddin who apparently fled Sabah aboard two motor boats and were traveling back to the southern Philippines, regional military commander Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo said. The men were carrying 11 firearms and at least one was wounded and treated on a Philippine navy ship off Tawi Tawi, the country's southernmost province, he said. Navy officials said the men would be turned over to local police for investigation. Philippine navy vessels patrolling the sea border with Malaysia have also intercepted Filipino settlers who were leaving following the violence amid concerns about a Malaysian crackdown on Filipino suspects. | ||
| Lahad Datu: Jamalul Kiram Rules Out Disengagement From Sabah Posted: 12 Mar 2013 09:02 PM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - "The truth is I don't like him to talk to anybody. If possible, I told him to stay with me," Kiram said. "There is no (negotiation on disengagement). I don't like that. It's like playing baseball. I'm already on the third base, why would I leave? Why would I go out? Sultan Jamalul Kiram III today ruled out the possibility of his armed followers leaving Sabah soon, saying he did not authorize his younger brother to negotiate with the government about the "disengagement" of the sultanate's "royal army" from the east Malaysian state the sultanate claims to own. Speaking to reporters at his residence in Taguig City, Kiram maintained that while he allowed his brother, Sultan Bantilan Esmail Kiram II, to meet with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, he did not give the green light to negotiate on behalf of the sultanate.
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| Sabah – the question that won’t go away Posted: 12 Mar 2013 08:55 PM PDT
All stakeholders including the various heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, the Malaysian Government and the Republic of the Philippines will have to sit down and resolve the claim once and for all. They cannot simply sweep the Sabah incursion under the rug and forget about it. Failing to settle the Sabah issue will create a mirage of peace and security that is waiting to be shattered. New Mandala In 1967, Operation Merdeka was initiated by the late President Ferdinand Marcos. The main objective was to annex Sabah for the Philippines. The legal basis of the operation was the claim of the Sultan of Sulu and his heirs to Sabah. The Sultan's heirs insist that the resource-rich land still belonged to them. They believe that it was simply leased (pajak) to the British East India Company in 1878 and was illegally transferred by the British in 1963, when it became part of the Federation of Malaysia (watch this video to get one view of the complexities). The heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, being citizens of the Philippines, gave then President Marcos the mandate to reclaim Sabah as part of the country. The standing policy of the Philippines on Sabah is articulated in the Republic Act 5546 of 1968, which provides in Section 2: "The definition of the baselines of the territorial sea of the Philippine Archipelago as provided in this Act is without prejudice to the delineation of the baselines of the territorial sea around the territory of Sabah, situated in North Borneo, over which the Republic of the Philippines has acquired dominion and sovereignty." To achieve the objective of the Operation Merdeka, Tausug (Suluk among Malaysians and Tausug among Filipinos, literally meaning 'People of the Current') and Sama Muslims (Moros) were recruited and trained by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Corregidor Island for specialised training in covert operations. The number of recruits differs ranging from 60, according to the Government of Philippines to more than 200 according to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Their order was to sabotage military installations and key infrastructures in Sabah for the subsequent invasion by the Philippines. At first, the recruits were unaware of their true mission. When they realised that their order was to infiltrate Sabah and fight fellow Muslims, they become mutinous. This prompted their military handlers to execute all of them and cover up the entire operation. Against all odds one of the recruit, Jibin Arula, survived to recount what happened. As fate would have it, the late Philippine senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. (husband to the late President Corazon Aquino, and the father of the current President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III) exposed Operation Merdeka and the killing of the recruits. Although, the late senator condemned the massacre he never denounce the historical claim of the Sultanate of Sulu on Sabah. The incident generally referred to as theJabidah Massacre has wide ranging implications. Now President Benigno Aquino III is condemning the armed incursion of the followers of the Sultan of Sulu. On the Malaysian side three things happened: first it created the impression that Malaysia can count on Moros in case of a military conflict with the Philippines as the Moros were willing to disobey orders and risk being killed just to avoid fighting in Malaysia. Second, the Malaysia realised that their best lines of defence against the Philippine annexation of Sabah were the Moros. Thus, training and equipping them to fight for a separate homeland became an implied state policy. In 1969, Tun Mustapha, a Tausug descent and the chief minister of Sabah at that time, facilitated the military training of Moros. With the help of Libya, who provided the financial assistance and military equipment, 90 Moros were trained in Pulau Pangkor, Malaysia. These Malaysian trained Moros called the Top 90 later become the core of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Third, the annexation of Sabah was only a distant possibility as long as the Moros will not cooperate with the Philippine Government. This thinking is reflected in the deployment of military bases within Malaysia. Most military personnel and bases are stationed in peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak with almost negligible numbers stationed in Sabah, reflecting the lack of threat coming from the area. These beliefs also created a porous border between Sabah and northern islands of the Philippines such as Tawi-Tawi and Sulu. On the Philippine side, it crystallised the long simmering discontent among the Muslims in Mindanao (or Moros as they call themselves) into a secessionist movement. The Muslim Independence Movement (MIM) was organised in 1968 by Datu Udtog Matalam demanding the outright secession of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan regions from Philippine control. Leaders of MIM subsequently formed the Moro National Liberation Front in 1969 – the military wing of the secessionist movement headed by Nur Misuari. Then in 1977 due to ideological difference, the late Hashim Salamat formed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) a break-away group from the MNLF. The ensuing conflict between the secessionist groups and the Philippine Government cost the lives of more than 100,000 people and massive destruction to the economy and development outcomes, not only in the conflict areas but in the whole Mindanao region as well. It also tied the meagre resources of the Philippines into fighting the secessionist groups. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were unable to modernise (among several reasons) as most of the military budget were used in containing and fighting the secessionist threat. As a result, the military superiority of the AFP of the late 1960s over the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) is no longer the case these days. By far, the MAF is more advanced and modern than the AFP. In a way, Malaysia managed to achieve its entire objective of neutralising the threat of Sabah annexation and ensure that the AFP is weakened, and that the AFP will not pose considerable threat in the event of future conflict – all of it by simply supporting the Moro secessionist movements from 1968 to 1972. However, the cozy relationship between Malaysia and the Moros was shaken on 12 February 2013, when a group numbering around 300 claiming to be the Royal Sulu Sultanate Army lands in Lahad Datu village in Sabah, declaring they will not leave Sabah because it is their own homeland. What had changed in the last 46 years? What pushed the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu to launch an armed incursion into Sabah? Who and what is working behind the scenes? And what is the ultimate implication of the Sabah incursion? Read more at: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/03/13/sabah-the-question-that-wont-go-away/
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| Mengapa sumpah jawatan PM Najib secara rahsia? Posted: 12 Mar 2013 08:50 PM PDT
(Free Malaysia Today) - Dalam sepucuk surat terbuka kepada Ali, Mat Zain menjelaskan tiga perkara tersebut iaitu kesahihan sumpah jawatan Najib sebagai Perdana Menteri yang dibuat secara rahsia, nama Najib yang berlainan dan status kerajaan yang memerintah selepas 8 Mac 2013. Selain itu kekeliruan berhubung nama Najib dan status kerajaan turut dipersoal bekas Ketua Bahagian Siasatan Jenayah Perdagangan Bukit Aman, Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim. Bekas Ketua Bahagian Siasatan Jenayah Perdagangan Bukit Aman, Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim meggesa Ketua Setiausaha Negara, Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa menjelaskan tiga perkara yang menyebabkan beliau menyoal sama ada Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak bersungguh-sungguh untuk mempertahankan kedaulatan negara. Dalam sepucuk surat terbuka kepada Ali, Mat Zain menjelaskan tiga perkara tersebut iaitu kesahihan sumpah jawatan Najib sebagai Perdana Menteri yang dibuat secara rahsia, nama Najib yang berlainan dan status kerajaan yang memerintah selepas 8 Mac 2013. "Najib telah mengangkat sumpah jawatan,taat setia dan sumpah simpan rahsia menggunakan bentuk sumpah yang lain daripada yang ditetapkan dalam Jadual Ke-6 Perlembagaan. "Di sinilah timbul persoalan sama ada Najib layak menjalankan fungsi-fungsi jawatan Perdana Menteri memandangkan sumpah beliau tidak mengikut perlembagaan. "Jika dalam lain-lain perkara, Najib bertegas untuk mengikut perlembagaan, mengapakah pula dalam perkara penting, iaitu mengangkat sumpah jawatan dan sumpah simpan rahsia beliau enggan mengikut bentuk sumpah yang telah ditetapkan semenjak wujudnya perlembagaan itu? "Jika semua Menteri dan Timbalan Menteri boleh lakukan,mengapa tidak beliau?. "Secara peribadi saya menyatakan bahawa sumpah jawatan dan sumpah simpan rahsia yang diikrarkan oleh Najib pada April 2009 tidak memenuhi ketetapan perlembagaan. Oleh demikian beliau tidak layak atau berkuasa menjalankan apa-apa fungsi jawatan Perdana Menteri atau melaksanakan kuasa yang diperuntukkan oleh perlembagaan dan undang-undang lain kepada seorang Perdana Menteri," kata Mat Zain dalam surat tersebut. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/03/13/mengapa-sumpah-jawatan-pm-najib-secara-rahsia/ | ||
| My political thoughts during the Hunger Viratham Day Three 13th March 2013 Posted: 12 Mar 2013 08:44 PM PDT
Why do the politicians want to kill off Hindraf's 5 year Blueprint? Before I get into discussing the whys of this question, I need to clarify that indeed politicians on both sides of the divide do want to kill off the Blueprint.
P. Waythamoorthy
This is the third day of my Hunger Viratham. I have begun limiting my physical movement so I can conserve the energy for what lies ahead. The Viratham feeds me with spiritual strength that no food can substitute. That is the nourishment I truly need. This period of Viratham is going to be a creative period.
Yesterday in part 1, I addressed the immediate plans for the way forward for the minority Indian poor. Today I wish to discuss why I think the political class wants to kill off Hindraf's 5 year blueprint to bring the Indian poor into the mainstream of national development.
PART 2
Why do the politicians want to kill off Hindraf's 5 year Blueprint?
Before I get into discussing the whys of this question, I need to clarify that indeed politicians on both sides of the divide do want to kill off the Blueprint.
UMNO's first approach has been to completely ignore that any such initiative exists. This is the typical first response. They have not responded to our overtures to them for a discussion on the Blueprint for a good six months now. The next approach (and we are beginning to see traces of that) is to hijack portions of the Blueprint and maybe also the tone of the Blueprint and hope to render Hindraf's Blueprint document redundant in the process. The proof will be in their Election manifesto when comes out. They are hoping to skirt the issue altogether for now and hope to sail through these elections and then in the post election period hope for a natural death to the document. Their pretending is their biggest initiative to kill off the document.
As for Pakatan the situation is a little bit more complex as we have been in discussion with them these last six months. First when the discussions started we were given verbal agreements by the very top and they hoped we would accept that as sufficient commitment and then they take over. But when we insisted on a binding endorsement, then gears began to shift.
Delay tactics of engaging us in meeting after wasted meetings and hoping to drag this process on for as long, to minimize any impact of a breakdown of the talks was attempted. But that has not worked either.
If they could not kill the document, then kill the messenger was what they tried next – so they began to hit at our moral grounds, by insinuating that we were only interested in seats to contest in the elections, attempting to make us out into greedy cheating politicians. Trying to make us look like wolves in sheepskin. They did not have much more to go on, on that count as we made it clear our priorities are the blueprint then the seats. But they persist with this approach.
The next thing they tried was using argument that the Blueprint demand were inconsistent with that sacrosanct Pakatan principle of "beyond racial boundaries". They backtracked on that too because of the backlash. They then resorted to hijacking a clear portion of the Blueprint for inclusion in their election manifesto to get by that difficulty .
Now, the latest attempt has been to cleverly use the Indian leaders within their party to hit out at us - to further divide n rule, something that has been practiced by UMNO all these years.
There probably will be more attempts as they have not succeeded in killing off the Blueprint.
Now let me get to why both parties are so earnest about achieving this goal.
Our theory is that both BN and Pakatan are just puppets. The real power lies with the puppet masters at the back. The puppet masters are the political and economic elite of the country. They are the people who own this country – all the major assets of the country are owned by them. They call the policy shots as far as the allocation of the resources of the country is concerned and they use various devices, methods and processes to achieve this. BN or Pakatan, they are just tools to create an illusion. Of course what I say is advanced political theory. But hold these thoughts and ruminate over them. This is a central theme all common people must become well aware of. This is central to our understanding of how things work in our universe.
Hindraf's political platform is entirely about correcting the historical injustices and gross and serious violation of human rights of the Indian poor since the time the Indian coolie was brought in by the white colonialists into Malaya. The injustice and violations of the rights of the poor continue till today. Our firm belief is that none of this happened as if in a fit of absent mind. They were all results of conscious decisions by the political and economic elite of the country. That is still true today.
So, Hindraf is meeting the elite eye to eye in their Blueprint demands. Hindraf is effectively demanding that the elite accept that they committed these atrocities and demand they atone for it by implementing comprehensive programs of correction. The proposals in the Blueprint are entirely justifiable, no matter which way you look at it. The issue of racism does not arise at all. Only the defenders of the elite –the puppets use this as a convenient argument. We are actually engaging in this conversation with the elite through the political party puppets. And look at how vehemently the political party puppets use convenient and self serving arguments to defend the position of the elite .
The puppets may be two political coalitions, but the puppet master is only one. So, the fundamental policies will be one. In the contention between these political parties one-upmanship becomes their real policy. Remove the chaff and what you get is the same set of policies at the end of the day from the two parties. We got a glimpse of that with Anwar's response to the Australian media when questioned about Lynas the other day. The same policy comes through. You can give any number of reasons to justify and once you are in power a lot more comes into play for you.
Hindraf operates with this model – a model , in our opinion that is devoid of the illusions that the elite want to create to control us and everything else.
That briefly is my analysis of the reasons why both sides of the political divide want to see the Blueprint killed off. They do not think any such transgression has occurred as we insist. In their worldview this is normal. So what we ask is "terlalu".
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| Najib’s ‘C’ word designed to insult Indians, Others Posted: 12 Mar 2013 08:33 PM PDT
How competitive can one be if lacking, for example, in Malaysian personal documents? Joe Fernandez The various "initiatives" for the Indian Nation in Malaysia announced by Prime Minister Najib Mohd Razak was, according to him, designed to make the community "competitive". He wants Indians to place their continued Nambikkei (Trust in Tamil) in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) so that it can carry out even more "initiatives" that will benefit the community. If that's the case, why is Hindraf Makkal Sakthi Supremo, P. Waythamoorthy, on an indefinite fast since Sun 10 Mar to draw the world's attention to the need to dismantle Umno's sick ketuanan Melayuism (Malay political dominance and supremacy)? Ketuanan Melayuism is a combination of Apartheid, Nazism, Fascism, Communism, Political Islam and the evil Caste System of Ancient India which was kept going by superstitious beliefs like Samsara (suffering), Karma (Law of Cause and Effect), Reincarnation (endless re-Births) and Nirvana (Heaven or Eternal Bliss through the end of Existence). Malaysia has been able to get away with the vile philosophy of ketuanan Melayuism for over half a century because the world has no time for countries which aren't considered interesting enough or important by the international media and/or are insignificant in other ways. Tiny Palestine, by comparison, hogs the world headlines because of the perceived Muslim fight over the Holy Land with Judaism and Christianity. The Palestinians will say that they merely want the Jews to stop stealing the land which they had tilled for centuries even before the Jews of Palestine were dispersed into the Diaspora by the Roman Empire in the decades following the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Stateless a permanent pool of slave labour in the Twilight Zone Indians, if they are thinking right, should feel rightly insulted and humiliated by Najib's usage of the word "competitive" since it implies that it wasn't the fault of the Government, the establishment or the System that the community had been lagging since the British administrators left Malaya in 1957. How competitive can one be if lacking, for example, in Malaysian personal documents? About 350,000 ethnic Indians alone are stateless in Malaysia under a deliberate policy of the Umno Government to ensure a readily available domestic pool of slave labour in the Twilight Zone. Indians aside, many Orang Asal and pockets in other communities are stateless and dare not venture too far from their homes or places where they slave away lest they be arrested by the authorities and remanded in prison for years on end. Keeping such a large number of Indians stateless also keeps them out of the electoral rolls and thereby further marginalizes and disenfranchises the Indian community who don't have even one ethnic-Indian majority seat in any legislature despite having one million voters.
Deviations, distortion of Article 153 must be ended The Director-General of the National registration department (NRD) can exercise his prerogative and discretionary powers to issue Malaysian personal documents to the stateless in Malaysia. He has failed to do so because he, like his predecessors since 1957, has always been from the Malay-speaking communities and probably a secret hardcore card-carrying member of the racist Umno determined to continue violating the Human Rights of several hundred thousand people in Malaysia. The Indian Community, in fact, doesn't need hand-outs from the Government. The 800,000 estate Indians in Malaya may be a class by themselves as defragmentation of the estates has driven these landless people into the shantytowns with no skills to cope with life in urban Malaysia. The Umno Government was not willing to give them land for cultivation or absorbing them into the Felda (Federal Land Development Authority) run plantations in Malaysia which continued to be reserved for the Malay-speaking communities as Umno vote banks. The estate Indians, in contrast, are largely stateless. For starters, what Indians need in general is for the Government to dismantle the deviations and distortions in the implementation of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution. This is what Waytha's fast is all about. The 1st Prong of Article 153 gives a Special Position to the Orang Asal in Malaysia and the Malay-speaking communities – Bugis, Javanese, Minang, Acehnese, Arab Muslims, and Indian Muslims etc – in Malaya, through the King, by way of a reasonable proportion in four areas viz. intake into the civil service; intake into institutions of higher learning owned by the Government; scholarships from Government; and opportunities from the Government to do business.
Non-Muslim Orang Asal bear brunt of discrimination This 1st prong has been observed more often than not in the breach and unilaterally extended to every facet of life in Malaysia by Umno who usurped the power of the King over Article 153 to Sapu Bersih (Clean sweep) anything that it eyes. This usurpation, and subsequent deviations and distortions, contradicts the 2nd Prong of Article 153 which enshrines the legitimate interests of the non-Malays who are not Orang Asal. To add insult to injury, The Government's policy initiatives and directives – administrative laws – are pro 55 per cent Malay majority at the expense of the 45 per cent non-Malay minorities. The result can be seen all around. The Government, Teaching sector and Judiciary is 90 per cent Malay. In the Federal sector in Sabah and Sarawak even the Orang Asal who are non-Muslims are largely left out when it comes to recruitment, increments and promotions.
Racism has crept even into sports None of the vice-chancellors of the 20-odd Government universities is a non-Malay or Orang Asal. If an Orang Asal or two had one time been the vice chancellor anywhere, they had always been Muslim, not Christian, like the overwhelming majority of Orang Asal. The same situation applies in the Police and Armed Forces where except for Admiral Thanabalasingam, the first Malaysian to head the Navy in the early years after 1957, no non- Malay or Orang Asal has ever headed these services. The reason is not due to their lacking in the competitive spirit but due to institutionalized discrimination fuelled by politics, racism, prejudice and opportunism. The system has been deliberately designed to keep the non-Malays out by means fair and foul. Racism has crept even into sports. No longer do we see Indians in any great numbers in various athletic and sporting events.
No salvation for Indians, Others in Nambikkei At one time, except for a Chinese, a Malay and a Eurasian, the rest of the Malaysian Hockey Team was composed of Indians. Then, the present Sultan of Perak Azlan Shah took charge of the Malaysian Hockey Federation in the mid-1970s and Indians were systematically removed from the National Hockey Team. Indians dominated in many other sporting fields too until institutionalized discrimination crept in over the years since 1957. The ultimate in ketuanan Melayuism has been the abolishment of Local Government elections, and the Federal Government chipping away at the powers of the state governments, especially Sabah and Sarawak which are the lands of the great majority of Orang Asal, for the emergence of a unitary state with all political powers vested in the Prime Minister in particular and the Prime Minister's Department in general. The PM's Department, a misnomer, is in fact a Hyper Ministry which dwarfs all Ministries. The Ministers are reduced to being Menteri Jalan Jalan or puppets with no powers. The Federal Cabinet has become a rubber stamp institution under Umno, just like Parliament and the Judiciary which has degenerated into yet another Government Department of glorified clerks. Salvation for the Indian Nation in Malaysia, others too especially the Orang Asal, will not come through placing their continued Nambikkei in the Umno Government. It will only come through them not allowing anyone including their so-called leaders to dictate to them and by taking their destiny in their hands.
Joe Fernandez is a mature student of law and an educationist, among others, wholoves to write especially Submissions for Clients wishing to Act in Person. He feels compelled, as a semi-retired journalist, to put pen to paper -- or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.
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| Review of Malaysian musical reveals shocking anti-LGBT propaganda Posted: 12 Mar 2013 08:28 PM PDT
(Gay Star News) - Asmara Songsang (Abnormal Desire) is 'as narrow-minded and bigoted a view as one could get' A review of an anti-LGBT propaganda musical shown in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month has revealed the shockingly stereotyped and homophobic aspects of a piece of Malaysian government-funded theatre. Last month Gay Star News reported that a musical called Asmara Songsang (Abnormal Desire) would be staged at the national theatre in Kuala Lumpurand then tour the country, with tickets available for free. The show was at Kuala Lumpur's Palace of Culture (Istana Budaya) from 28 February to 2 March. Blogger Alia Ali saw the show and wrote a detailed review. The plot centers on three friends who lead a gang of 'queer delinquents', wrote Ali. The gang arouse the wrath of local religious leaders for loud parties featuring drug abuse and casual sex. At the end, the gang is all struck by lightening, apart from the three friends who see the error of their ways. If that all wasn't ridiculous enough, the play ends with a spontaneous display of patriotism. 'After a brief lecture on the hideous wrongs of not being heterosexual, everybody joins them on stage with Malaysian flags, singing a rousing rendition of a song dedicated to 1Malaysia,' surmises Ali, who said the audience were mostly teenagers. 'The part that gets to me the most is that according to the playwright, all non-heterosexuals seem to belong to a club,' wrote Ali. Read more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/review-malaysian-musical-reveals-shocking-anti-lgbt-propaganda130313 | ||
| Posted: 12 Mar 2013 07:22 PM PDT
Unwittingly enough, when we talk about politics and government, there is an underlying issue that invariably becomes the focus of debate, i.e. leadership qualities. But have you ever thought of who might be your role model as the "perfect" Malaysian leader? Jaikol Situn, Barrister-at-Law (Gray's Inn), LLM, LLB, BA (Hons) As the 13th Malaysian General Election looms ever closer on the horizon, party activists, supporters, political sympathisers and ordinary citizens alike are increasingly fixated with the burning question: would BN win again, or would the opposition win enough seats to form a government? Unwittingly enough, when we talk about politics and government, there is an underlying issue that invariably becomes the focus of debate, i.e. leadership qualities. But have you ever thought of who might be your role model as the "perfect" Malaysian leader? If you are an UMNO supporter, quite understandably that leader might be Najib Tun Razak, the current Malaysian Prime Minister; but if you are for PKR, you are forgiven for insisting that Anwar deserves that accolade. Whoever is your choice, do you honestly believe that he or she has ALL the crucial leadership qualities that a leader should possess? If you are in doubt, then let me offer you some personal insight as to what might be your "perfect" Malaysian leader that appeals to most if not all. Past, present and future leaders have never failed to amaze or disappoint us for they have their own strengths and weaknesses. In no particular order, I have listed down several leaders who deserve praise and recognition for their own unique qualities notwithstanding their political allegiance and ideology.
The Vision of Tunku Abdul Rahman As the "Father of Independence", nobody can deny the fact that all Malaysians owe it all to Tunku. Taking over the leadership from Onn Bin Jaffar after the Second World War, he led UMNO (United Malays National Organisation) to greater heights as it later became the main component party of Barisan Nasional (BN), the present ruling coalition. Tunku dreamt of a united nation regardless of religious beliefs, ethnicity and cultural background and for the first few decades since independence, his dreams may have come true, the only blemish being the racial riots in 1969. On balance, he achieved so much. He not only made Malaysia an independent nation but also a respected country paving the way for its modernisation that even Sukarno, the first Indonesian president, was envious of. His vision for Malaysia as a prosperous and harmonious multi-racial society is being craved by all Malaysians until this day whilst the man is still being held in high esteem by many of his subjects.
The Man-Management and Ambitions of Dr Mahathir Mohamed I think it is fair to say that Dr Mahathir never fails to surprise everybody. He still commands credible clout in UMNO despite having retired from active government service or politics. However, during his tenure as Prime Minister, foes, critics and supporters fear him. He would have made a great emperor or general in ancient Rome. If you are to find a leader with sheer man-management quality (or man-nipulation, to his critics), find no further. He "reinforced" or "redefined" the supremacy of the Parliament, "reviewed" the independence of the judiciary and even made royalties eat humble pies. What about his ambitions? He wanted to outdo every country in the Asia Pacific Region by building the tallest, biggest or by being the first in everything. So he built KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) twin towers, the tallest building in the world in the late 1980s, the sprawling futuristic city and new capital of Putrajaya, the F1 racing track, to mention a few. Dr Mahathir man-management skills and ambitions are unrivalled.
The Resolve and Patience of Joseph Pairin Kitingan Across the South China Sea hails a Kadazandusun-Murut leader from Tambunan in the State of Sabah. He is the "Huguan Siou" or Paramount Leader of his community and the current Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah as well as leader of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Indeed, his resolve and remarkable patience befits the title of Paramount Leader. He has withstood all forms of challenges and adversities in his political and personal life. Castigated by his allies, and belittled and abandoned by some of his own people, he is a man who is like a bullet proof punching bag that no matter what amount of force you throw at him, he is as serene and calm as the Pagalan River in his hometown. He is not easily drawn into a tit-for-tat tirade over trivial differences. Have you heard him comment or say anything disrespectful or harsh to anybody lately?
The Wealth and People's Loyalty of Taib Mahmud Taib Mahmud is allegedly richer than even the Sultan of Brunei and probably the richest in Malaysia thanks to his more than 40 years in power in the oil and timber rich State of Sarawak. This could only be hearsay as we do not have any concrete evidence to support this allegation but in his case you probably would not need any convincing. His stature speaks for itself. For whatever reasons, support for him seems unwavering. His Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) returns at least or about half of the State and Federal constituencies in every election. This may be about to change, but we are not certain. What makes him so popular amongst his supporters I do not have the foggiest of idea. The only possible explanation is perhaps a love potion that he sprinkles daily upon his people to ensure their love affair is as passionate as ever.
The Tact and Diplomacy of Lim Keng Yaik When PBS pulled out of BN in 1986, UMNO leaders were so incensed that they branded PBS a traitor alleging "PBS pengecut kerana sanggup menikam UMNO dari belakang"(PBS was a coward for stabbing UMNO in the back). Appearing on prime time TV, the late Lim Keng Yaik said, "Walaupun kena tikam dari belakang, PBS boleh cabut balik itu pisau" (Even if PBS had stabbed UMNO in the back, and if the knife is still stuck in the back, PBS can pull it out). He endeavoured to pacify the ruling coalition as well as cherish the healthy relations between the Gerakan party, of which he was the leader, and PBS. He achieved both. Without him paving the way, PBS would probably not have been re-admitted into BN. On the foreign front, as Minister of Primary Industries in the 1986-2004, amongst others, he successfully promoted and marketed Malaysian oil palm and wood-based products in the face of fierce competitions from soya bean producers and opposition from environmental groups in Europe and the US. Current and would-be Malaysian leaders are well advised to take a leaf from Keng Yaik in the art of tact and diplomacy.
The Charisma of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah When he was the Malaysian Finance Minister in 1976–1984, he used to take centre stage for more than two hours in tabling the Annual Budget in Parliament. I for one was so spellbound by his eloquence, confidence and panache that although the text of his speech was dry and heavy going, I was glued to the TV for the entire live coverage. Dan Reiland defines charisma as a personal quality that is "more concerned about making others feel good about themselves that you are making them feel good about you". Tengku Razaleigh is pretty close to being such a person. Then again, what can you say, he comes from the royal blood of Kelantan and that is how people view him, in awe of his royal highness, which was both a blessing and a curse. He had a tough act to follow in the form of another royalty, Tunku Abdul Rahman, who succeeded in becoming PM. But who would have thought that he would take the UMNO leadership by storm in 1987 and actually "won" and almost became PM himself, but for a vote count "technicality" or something.
The Business Acumen of Daim Zainuddin Daim was the real brain behind the economic success and prosperity of Malaysia during the tenure of Mahathir. As Finance Minister during the period 1984-1991 he regularised the bank and financial institutions and steered the nation's economy out of trouble during the world recession in the 1980s, amongst others. For long spells, the Malaysian coffers were as sound and solid as one would possibly expect. Due partly to his alleged involvement in various business ventures, corporate leaders and ordinary businessmen look up to him for clues as to the prospects of the nation's economy. He was a quiet and shrewd man yet there was one incident when traders misjudged his casual banter as an indication of what the KLSE trend was likely to be heading. Convinced that he was advising them to take up positions, some bought huge volumes of certain stocks that failed to pick up. When confronted by the media, he clarified: "I said bye, not buy". Hence, if you are looking for a role model as a successful politician and a businessman, Daim should be your man.
The Rhetoric and Boldness of Anwar Ibrahim Some people are resigned to the fact that Anwar may never become the Malaysian Prime Minister. They could be wrong come this forthcoming general election. When I was at college, my friends and I used to mimic his oratory skills. His rather wide range of terminology often makes his speeches sound more prosaic and sometimes bombastic, still, to the common man or those who are melancholic about the era of Martin Luther King, Churchill, and even Hitler, no insinuation, Anwar's speeches are so powerful and awe-inspiring that could wake up the dead from the graves, so to speak. On his other quality, he has always been bold and vocal with his principles and ideology as evidenced during by his early years as a university student and as president of ABIM (Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia). Ibrahim Ali, eat your heart out. Take it from the guru himself.
The Humbleness and Principles of Niz Abdul Aziz While other leaders adorn themselves with expensive designer or specially tailored attire, Nik Aziz is just happy to put on his modest religious slacks and headgear. While others spend a fortune building a palatial mansion, Nik Aziz is just content with a kampong-style residence. He must be that down-to-earth that if he walks around the city of Kota Bharu, he is not instantly recognisable even by his supporters unless they actually bump into him. True to his religious principles, he seems to lead a frugal and mediocre lifestyle in accordance with what his Creator has commanded him. His humbleness and strong principles bring forth his integrity as both a political and religious leader. If there is anybody whom you can call a wise and noble man, he is not far off from that description.
The Public Relations of Najib Tun Razak I cannot remember any Malaysian leader who has gone to great lengths to woo his people by recruiting artists, sportsmen and ordinary people to promote his cause. Najib has been in various adverts, posters and commercials in different roles and attires. His pictures decorate almost every government building and public place. Politics and critics aside, Najib is in fact an amiable gentleman. His acts have not come easy for him though. For instance, a few weeks ago during the performance of the Korean star, Psy, in Penang, a whole crowd disappointed him by saying no to BN, but he carried on with his acts and pretended nothing untoward happened. He must get a lot of support and encouragement from his wife, Rosmah Mansor, who is equally as enthusiastic in aggressive public-relations campaigns to show that they truly care. Do not be surprised that other leaders would try to copy this trendy style. It has been reported that Anwar has also adopted this strategy.
The Wits and Tenacity of Lim Kit Siang Lim Kit Siang's political career as an opposition leader spans over four decades. Always a controversial figure, ridiculed and derided by his foes and critics, he stood by his motto of speaking up without fear or favour in Parliament and in public in the fight for justice and equality. His ISA detention would have broken the will to live of a lesser man, but he persevered and won many of his scoffers. Where he failed, he has more than made up by nurturing his own flesh and blood, Lim Guan Eng, his son, to carry on with the family struggle and becoming Chief Minister of Penang, a feat that may never be replicated, well at least in Penang that is. This father and son partnership epitomises the Malay saying, "Patah tumbuh hilang berganti" (Even if the plant withers, the shoot grows in its place). This makes him top billing ahead of his closest challenger, Karpal Singh. However, it is both of them that make Malaysia more democratic.
The Intelligence and Brain of Dr Jeffrey Kitingan Crossing the great watery divide again, Mahathir confirmed in his book "Doctor in the House" that Jeffrey, the younger brother of Pairin Kitingan, is a clever man or something like that. This is the highest complement you can ever have; from your erstwhile adversary and ISA jailor. Then again, despite spending two years in ISA detention, Jeffrey's brain has never stopped ticking. He may have "wandered in the wilderness" for many years in search of his own dreams, and he seems to have finally found them at long last in what he calls the "Borneo Agenda" (Ask him what it is). I have reliably been informed that he has strings of degrees including a PhD from Harvard University (J F Kennedy, School of Government), a couple of MBAs, a couple of degrees and a diploma. Do you know any Malaysian leader who has got more credible paper qualification than him?
The Style and Looks of Musa Aman You may now be thinking that I am biased in my role models as the perfect Malaysian leader as I appear to be promoting another Sabahan, as I am a Sabahan myself. But can you tell me a Malaysian leader past or present who has got the style and Bollywood looks of Musa Aman, the current Chief Minister of Sabah? I honestly do not think so. If you are looking for someone who "has all the luck", do not go past him. If I were the producer or director of a movie, he would do nicely as the double of Sarukh Khan, anytime. His perfectly trimmed moustache and suave pan-Asian looks are lethal enough to disarm and attract any unsuspecting lady out there. With due respect gents, look after your missus.
The Humour of Samy Vellu What can you say about our old Samy? We not only laugh at him, but laugh with him, with all due respect. His harmless irreverence, honesty and heavy Tamil accent are effective icebreaker for any potentially sticky and tense situation. He could have made a successful career as a stand-up comedian by being himself. Just mention his name, and you cannot help feeling amused and relaxed. Would you want a leader as serious and boring as Kim Jong Ill, the late President of North Korea? I am sure you would not. You would like your leader to be more human and somewhat IMPERFECT after all. No doubt there are so many leaders that deserve some recognition but in my view, the above stand out among the rest on the basis of the era and environment they were or are in as well as the challenges they were or are facing. You may have you own perception as to what makes a great leader but I am sure you would agree with me that no single leader possesses every desirable quality that we can think of. That actually explains why leaders come and go as we constantly search for the mythical and elusive "perfect" Malaysian Leader.
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| One Pope Does Not a Summer Make Posted: 12 Mar 2013 07:17 PM PDT
When the faithful's voice is silenced and the people's rights curtailed, it provides ideal and fertile ground for eruption of scandals and abuse of power which will then be followed by the 'Tradition' of protecting the church's reputation through cover-ups and denials of any wrongdoing or simply by turning a blind eye to these scandals.
Anthony Joseph
The Catholic Church now waits in anticipation for the election of its new Pope. Some pray and believe that the new Pope will inject new life into the Church. Some say there is going to be a revival.
Unfortunately, I, a Catholic of 67 years do not share this optimism. One has to be living in a world of fantasy to believe that daily stories of priestly misconduct, debauchery or corruption at the center of the papal household, as proven by the Vatileaks revelation, will subside with the election of a new pontiff.
Let's assume the conclave picks a historic leader, with courage, charisma and conviction to lead the Church. But what can he alone do if the same casts - Cardinals, Bishops and Priests – continue to occupy the positions all down the line of the Catholic hierarchy? Can we have the same people doing the same thing over and over but expect different results. Scandals have been a part of the Catholic Church for centuries and writers have pointed out the Roman Church has throughout time been a source of sin and scandal for the faithful.
I have been taught that the Catholic Church is not a democracy, and the authority of the Catholic Church should never be questioned. Herein lies the problem. When the faithful's voice is silenced and the people's rights curtailed, it provides ideal and fertile ground for eruption of scandals and abuse of power which will then be followed by the 'Tradition' of protecting the church's reputation through cover-ups and denials of any wrongdoing or simply by turning a blind eye to these scandals.
Until these underlying rules are drastically altered and the Church chooses to join the modern democratic world, nothing will change and the horrific headlines will keep coming.
The Catholic clergy enjoys an aura of invincibility because Church rules are drafted by them to favor them. Thus, we hear the refrain, "Don't question the Church". "Obey your priests".
But then, how can a Catholic remain silent when its leadership advocates a stance that counters basic human rights and tolerates corruption and abuse of power? I was taught to stand up for those who lacked the strength and ability to do so. To stand up for Truth and Justice. But the lay Catholic is shackled. He is silenced. It's seems ironical I find myself speaking out against my own Church today.
A lay Catholic needs to sum up tremendous courage to report a priest's shenanigans, transgressions, misconduct, skullduggery, subterfuge, devilment or chicanery to his superior. Why courage? Because he risks being admonished, humiliated and even ostracized as being a Devil's Advocate. One has to be reminded as to what happened to the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele. He was charged with stealing and leaking papal correspondence revealing how the Vatican was a centre of intrigue and infighting. Paola said he wanted to expose the many wolves in sheep's clothing in the Church. But instead he was found guilty and jailed but nothing happened to the "God's Chosen Ones".
I have also learned from personal experience that church leaders will turn a stone-deaf-ear to any complaints, no matter how serious, against the clergy. Complaining to the Church leaders is an exercise in futility. Today I see the Catholic Church as a "Church of the clergy, by the clergy and for the clergy."
There also seems to be an unwritten law within the Church which forbids one priest from reporting to his superior about his brother priests.
Calculated hypocrisy and broken trust are at the core of these scandals confronting the Church. Priests who publicly presented themselves as holy men were secretly abusing children or misusing church funds. Bishops who publicly presented themselves as shepherds of the people were covertly covering up the abuse. Priestly misconduct are viewed by the Church in terms of sin and repentance more than crime and punishment.
The Church seems a hypocrite. Though it preaches holiness, it lives in sin. Though it claims access to divine truths, it wallows in wanton debauchery.
We cannot forget about that secret Papal Dossier called the "Relationem", requested by his Holiness which was presented to him on Dec. 17, 2011. It reportedly names cabals of corrupt power in the Vatican using sex and blackmail to secure and gain control. The Italian papers say he resigned the day he read the report.
If the Pope himself could throw up his arms in surrender, how, then, is the scandalized Christian to respond to a church so clearly comprised of the vilest sinners? What should our reactions be to the rumors of sex and greed and lies and power-mongering and cover-ups?
The wolves in sheep's clothing Jesus Christ warned us of are still alive and active in the Church. And yet, we are expected to accept them as agents of our Salvation?
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| WikiLeaks reveals MNLF wants to regain Sabah Posted: 12 Mar 2013 06:15 PM PDT
The cable noted that the Malaysian government at the time, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was wary of the close relationship between Misuari and Anwar. (NST) - Anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks had revealed in 2007 that Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari harboured a strong desire to "regain" Sabah and that he had close ties with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. According to a secret cable from the United States' Embassy in Manila to the office of US Secretary of State in Washington titled 07MANILA1534, MNLF attorney Ombra Jainal had described Misuari as "a strong advocate for the recovery of Sabah". Jainal was also quoted as saying that Misuari detested the Malaysian government for arresting and turning him over to the Philippine authorities in 2002. WikiLeaks had published the confidential cable dated May 11 2007 on its website after it obtained the document from the US Embassy in Manila. Article Six of the classified cable also disclosed information that Misuari's forces could invade and occupy Sabah within a span of just two hours. "Misuari once commented to (Philippine Major General) Ben Dolorfino that when the timing was right, the MNLF could invade Sabah at 5am and control it by 7am. "Dolorfino commented that Malaysia is not only concerned about Misuari's intentions towards Sabah, where he apparently still has hundreds of followers, but also about his recent contacts with Malaysian opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim," the cable mentioned. The cable noted that the Malaysian government at the time, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was wary of the close relationship between Misuari and Anwar. "Anwar is described as an "old friend" of Misuari's… Over the past several months, Malaysian officials have held at least three meetings with Misuari and his wives," the cable surmised, based on statements collected from both Jainal and Dolorfino. Dolorfino was described by the cable as the Armed Forces of the Philipines (AFP) National Capital Regional Commander and the most senior AFP muslim officer as well as the chief of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group with the MNLF. It is understood that a special envoy from the Malaysian government told Misuari, during an April 10. 2007 meeting, not to meddle in Malaysia's domestic politics. The meeting supposedly ended with Misuari giving an assurance to the Malaysian officials that he would not get involved with the country's internal affairs. "(However), Malaysia would likely seek stronger assurances that Misuari would not pursue the Sabah claim," the cable concluded. The full contents of the cable can be viewed at http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/05/07MANILA1534.html. Last week, President Benigno Aquino III had said that there are signs of a conspiracy that led to the bloody intrusion of Sulu terrorists in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Two Filipino news organisations, Inquirer News and The Manila Times, recently published articles quoting unnamed Philippine intelligence sources claiming that the intrusion by the terrorists, calling themselves the Royal Sulu Sultanate Army, was instigated by a leader from the Malaysian opposition. On March 5, Philippine paper Manila Bulletin quoted an MNLF official as saying that thousands of its fighters would be heading to Sabah to reinforce the Sultanate of Sulu's forces currently battling the Malaysian Armed Forces. The standoff, which is in its fourth week, has so far left 10 Malaysian security personnel and at least 60 of the Sulu gunmen dead. | ||
| Azmin bidas WikiLeaks, gesa jangan salahkan Anwar Posted: 12 Mar 2013 06:13 PM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - Menjawab mengenai spekulasi bahawa Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akan ditahan tidak lama lagi ekoran dakwaan pembabitannya dalam insiden di Lahad Datu, Timbalan Presiden PKR, Azmin Ali yang turut membidas WikiLeaks menegaskan, ia perkara lumrah apabila Ketua Pembangkang itu sering dikaitkan dengan pelbagai masalah dan isu negara. "Sudah berbelas-belas tahun semua masalah diletakkan ke atas Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
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| BN the underdog? But is the maths correct? Posted: 12 Mar 2013 05:52 PM PDT
There are so many discrepancies about the outcome of the 13th general election. By Syed Nadzri Syed Harun Dossier 1: Anwar Ibrahim, says Pakatan Rakyat which he leads, will win the election, beating the ruling Barisan Nasional by at least 10 parliamentary seats. Dossier 2: Leading think-tank The Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI) says BN is expected to win 123 to 135 of the 222 parliamentary seats but could reach as high as 150 if Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak could attract Indian and undecided Chinese voters as well. Dossier 3: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which is part of the respected London-based magazine, The Economist, predicts that BN will win the election and that Pakatan will finish a "distant second". Dossier 4: Many independent observers say there are actually about 60 parliamentary seats considered very much in the air still, and these are key to detemining the overall outcome as they could fall either way. Anwar's bold declaration, made during an interview with international business news site Bloomberg, is very interesting, not only because it came five years to the day when BN lost much ground in the last election, which had then led him to try a shot at power through defections, but more so since it now actually shows that he considers the tripartite alliance of PKR, PAS and DAP to be the favourites this time around. So does that mean, as far as he is concerned, BN is the underdog? It appears so because he had told Bloomberg: "I don't want to sound over-confident, but I believe looking into the trend now it will be a comfortable majority. Beyond 10 is comfortable." He also said Pakatan could take six states, up from four now. So that explains why, unlike the last round when PKR had to scrounge for suitable candidates, there is now a mad scramble among those who want to stand, causing serious bickering in its ranks. But Anwar, as a former Umno deputy president, should be reminded that Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who had led an opposition foray through the Semangat 46 splinter party, was supremely confident as well in the 1990 general election. Tengku Razaleigh, when asked by reporters not long before that election whether the opposition group could give a good challenge to BN, his immortal reply was: "What good challenge? You are out of date, we are forming the government." He was serious because he was barking at the poor reporter. And we all know the outcome of that vote. Some people think that even if Pakatan does not win, its "Malaysian Spring" strategy could be activated. They say it would even live up to its name since the polls would come by next month, "springtime" in the West. As for the ASLI prediction, it is based on its latest research and reported about a fortnight ago, which said much of the support among rural Malays, which was absent in 2008, has returned to Umno and BN.
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| Malaysia's goosey goosey gander story Posted: 12 Mar 2013 02:53 PM PDT
KTemoc Konsiders Najib has been regularly if not constantly accused of (sometimes) murdering Altantuyaa Shaariibuu, or (sometimes) being complicit in the murder of Altantuyaa, or (sometimes) having a wife who was involved in the murder of Altantuyaa, or (sometimes) having a wife who was at the murder scene to supervise the demolition of Altantuyaa's corpse, or (sometimes) the father of Altantuyaa's unborn baby ... so on so forth.  Initially his guilt was by grapevine accusative allusions, but which become more firm with the statutory declaration of a private investigator Perumal Balasubramaniam (Bala). Bala made the accusation against Najib and even included a salacious titbit about Altantuyaa being partial to sex in her behind, this puerile information during a period when someone was accused again of sodomy (who knows whether the salacious titbit was to serve as some form of equalizing and/or compensating morality?). It was a declaration based on he was allegedly told by Razak Baginda, who Bala said was in turn allegedly told by Najib, who Bala said was in turn allegedly told by Altantuyaa herself (the enjoyable 'in her behind' bit) - all these from a chain of information told by and known only by Bala.
And that's why Najib is guilty as hell, until he can be proven innocent. Furthermore, his guilt is 'confirmed' by his own silence on the allegations ... though I distinctively saw on TV Najib telling a western reporter (Australian, I believe) that there was no truth in the murder allegations. But then, if we admit he wasn't silent about the accusations, it would f* up the desired depth of 'guilt' that we want people to see in him. So I suppose it's best we continue with the urban legend that Najib kept silent despite all the allegations and accusations. Incidentally, is it true Najib had also sworn on the Qu'ran that he didn't have anything to do with Altantuyaa? I can't be sure about this because I am a bit careful about touching on Muslim politicians swearing on Qu'ran as some politicians and a very new political party member have shown they have been leery of and possessed very distinctive disquiet dislike about swearing on the Qu'ran. It's sad and also unfortunate for us that Indonesian former president (Gus Dur), who came to Malaysia during the Permatang Pauh by-election to enlighten us about swearing on the Qu'ran, had passed away, or you would be able to confirm with him if you don't believe me.
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| PKR: Anwar may be arrested over Lahad Datu Posted: 12 Mar 2013 02:24 PM PDT
PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said that the opposition leader may be arrested soon to divert public attention from the government's failure in handling the intrusion into Lahad Datu. G Vinod, FMT It is highly probable that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim may be arrested soon for supposedly being involved in the Lahad Datu intrusion, said PKR deputy president Azmin Ali. He said this was the government's way of trying to divert public attention from its mistakes in handling the Lahad Datu issue. "For the past 15 years, they [government] have tried blaming Anwar for everything wrong in the country. "But to link him to the Lahad Datu incident is highly preposterous," said the Gombak MP. Lately, pro-Umno dailies have played up a report by Filipino media, the Philippines Daily Inquirer, which claimed that a politician linked to Anwar had invited the Sulu intruders to Sabah. Despite denials by Anwar and Sulu leader, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, many have lodged police reports against the former deputy prime minister. Yesterday, online media, Malaysia Chronicles, quoted PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli as saying that there were speculations that Anwar would be arrested soon over the alleged "invitation".
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