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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Pakatan can win 12 more federal seats in Election 2013, says Kit Siang
• Dompok adamant, wants to surrender IC
• `Battlegrounds will be in Dayak areas'
• Kelantan after dark
• Beware the evil plans on polling day
• Johor PKR pacifies chief
• Karpal urges Waytha to end fast
• Jui Meng’s deputy takes over Johor PKR
• GE13: Parliament dissolution likely only after mid-April
• GE13: Group claims Opposition trained to cause trouble
• Pakatan eyes 33 federal seats in 3 states for GE13
• Rafizi slammed for ‘false’ information
• ‘Pakatan not ready to form government’
• ‘Enough proof to reopen Altantuya case’
• Star readers all for booting out FAM’s Article 88
• "Watermelon" and "Sympathizer" Effect
• Divisions back Wan Azizah to contest in S’gor
• Anwar’s hidden agenda in Sabah?
• Photos show PKR leader in lewd act
• Pakatan undecided over Negeri MB candidate
• Gwo Burne on the chopping block?
• I am eligible to contest, says Wan Azizah
• Chua still sulking over Kit Siang’s move?
• Anti-gay musical tours Malaysian schools and universities
• Malaysia's ethnic Indians to abstain from voting in general elections
• Ben Fogle accused of fronting propaganda ignoring Sarawak 'environmental destruction and ...
• Malay heartland holds key to Perak
• GE13: Pakatan’s hopes in Perak dimming
• Pakatan Rakyat is Hot, Flat, and Crowded (WITH CHINESE TRANSLATION)
• Sg Siput: Will handouts win back seat for BN?
• Defence Ministry preparing case against retired generals
• Ambiga: Four ‘good’ reasons, my foot!
• ‘Malaysia is afraid’
• GE13: PAS and PKR leaders don’t see eye to eye over seat allocation
• Anwar to contest in Ipoh Timor?
• ‘Lawyer in video was SUPP advisor’
• Malaysia's Najib says economy at risk from weak election result
• Halal Easter eggs and cat food: where big money meets religion

Pakatan can win 12 more federal seats in Election 2013, says Kit Siang Posted: 30 Mar 2013 04:30 PM PDT Debra Chong, TMI Pakatan Rakyat (PR) believes it can bag a dozen more federal seats in Peninsula Malaysia to add to the 125 it needs to trump the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) at the coming national polls. The DAP's parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said today the opposition bloc is eyeing 12 seats from "non-BN fixed deposit states" where his party and political allies PAS and PKR had lost by a narrow vote margin in Election 2008. "There is at least one of these BN marginal seats in every one of the non-BN fixed deposit seats," he said in a statement, and added, "Pakatan will target to win half of these seats." He named 14 seats in seven states as "realistic wins" for PR. They are Arau in Perlis; Alor Setar in Kedah; Kuala Nerus in Terengganu; Larut, Kuala Kangsar, Kampar and Lumut in Perak; Bentong, Raub and Jerantut in Pahang, Sabak Bernam and Pandan in Selangor, Rembau in Negri Sembilan; and Bukit Katil in Malacca. The veteran lawmaker said the pact was gunning for 11 other federal seats where the BN had won the popular vote by fewer than 55 per cent.  The include Dungun in Terengganu; Jerlun in Kedah; Padang Rengas, Tambun, Parit, Tapah, Pasir Salak and Bagan Datok in Perak; Temerloh in Pahang; Sepang in Selangor; and Jempol in Negeri Sembilan. Lim said many of the seats he named had seen a significant jump in the number of first-time voters, whom he believed come from the younger generation and were likely to be drawn to PR's policies compared to "BN's scaremongering references to the past". He said that given more time before polls are called, PR's chances of nabbing 12 out of the 25 marginal seats would be boosted.  He said the pact would also be able to defend all 83 parliamentary seats it has in hand now. Lim had previously identified Johor, Sarawak and Sabah as the BN's three "fixed deposit states". The Ipoh Timor MP, who has confirmed he will be moving to his Johor home state and stand in Gelang Patah for polls, also said previously that PR could wrest seven states in Election 2013, after taking five in Election 2008. READ MORE HERE

Dompok adamant, wants to surrender IC Posted: 30 Mar 2013 02:05 PM PDT   (FMT) - Nazri Aziz's rejection of calls to revoke and re-issue ICs to genuine Sabahans has again raised suspicions over the current RCI hearing and the government's sincerity.  If not for the invasion of a small village on the east coast of Sabah a few weeks ago by a group of armed Filipinos calling themselves the Royal Army of Sulu, the fate of over a million new immigrants – legal and illegal – would have been settled. They would have all been so thoroughly embedded in Sabah's social fabric that any change to their status would have caused economic and political upheaval in the state that would never be permitted. Even an ongoing inquiry into how hundreds of thousands of them had acquired citizenship during the Barisan Nasional coalition government's rule of the state and how the state's population had exploded as a result, would have had little scope to remedy the lack of harmony. But all that has changed in the past few weeks. It has put two federal cabinet ministers at odds. The trio of Kadazandusun and Murut-based coalition members, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), have united to demand that all citizenship papers granted to those in the state be revoked and reissued to only those qualified to be citizens. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has rejected the demand on the grounds that it would be difficult for the federal government to issue new MyKad for those in Sabah, as demanded by the three KadazanDusunMurut-based BN parties. "It is just a suggestion by the parties, but I feel it is difficult to be implemented …  there are legal implications," he said a week ago. His comments have again raised suspicions about the direction of the current Royal Commission of Inquiry into the issue and the federal government's intentions. But his cabinet colleague, Bernard Dompok, the leader of Upko, is sticking to his guns, knowing that it is an issue that has widespread support among ordinary citizens in the state and perhaps the country. Repeating his call yesterday for the recall and review of all Malaysian identity cards that were issued in Sabah, the Penampang MP said he would take the lead to surrender his identity card or MyKad to the relevant authority. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/03/31/dompok-adamant-wants-to-surrender-ic/

`Battlegrounds will be in Dayak areas' Posted: 30 Mar 2013 02:04 PM PDT   (The Sun Daily) - The battlegrounds in Sarawak in the upcoming 13th general election are the Dayak-majority seats, both Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders agreed today. The Dayaks are forming the majority voters in 13 out of 31 parliamentary constituencies. PRS president and Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Dr James Masing agreed that the battlegrounds in Sarawak will be the Dayak majority areas. "There are 13 Dayak majority seats which are up for grabs," he said, adding that the Dayak areas are perceived to be "grey areas" for both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "This means that both BN and PR can win the Dayak seats," he said, adding that there is no clear indication where the Dayak votes will go to in the GE13. "Thus, the Dayak seats will be the focus of fight between BN and PR," he said, adding that the BN component parties, PRS, PBB, Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) must unite to repel the Opposition parties in whatever guise they appear. Masing, however, expressed his confidence that PRS will retain all its six Dayak-majority seats – Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Kanowit, Ulu Rajang, Selangau and Julau – in the GE13. See Chee How, Sarawak PKR vice chairman, admitted that PBB is still the dominance force in the Mala/Melanau areas due to Taib's strong grip on them. "The battlegrounds are the Dayak seats," the Batu Lintang state assemblyman concurred with Masing. He said PR is gaining grounds in these seats because of the BN's policies on land. "The blatant grabs on the native customary rights (NCR) land by the BN government have remained unabated, despite the numerous court cases in favour of the NCR landowners, " See, who represented the landowners in many of these cases, added. He said the London-based Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) has been effective in disseminating information on the "unfair" land polices of the government. PR, especially PKR, has distributed thousands of China-made radio sets to the longhouses and villages so the rural population can hear the "message" conveyed by RFS, he added. "Now the landowners, who are mostly the Dayaks, have awakened up and they are rethinking their support for the BN," commented See, who as a human rights activist and lawyer, has helping the landowners over the last 15 years. He also claimed the Dayaks have been marginalised by the government in terms of allocation of development funds, thus a high percentage of them are living well below the poverty line. He said that the Dayaks can change the political landscape in Sarawak and even Malaysia, given that they are the largest ethnic group in Sarawak. An analysis of the 2011 state election results showed that the Chinese or urban voters were more towards PR while the Malay/Melanau voters, on the other hand, were strong supporters of the BN parties, particularly Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) led by Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud. If the 2011 state election results are anything to go by, it is very clear where the urban votes will go to PR in the GE13, and it is almost certain that the majority of the Malay/Melanau votes will go to the BN, particularly PBB. There are six seats where the Chinese form the majority while the Malay/Melanau form the majority in seven seats. Another four seats are considered mixed where the racial compositions of the voters are almost equal. An analysis by the Election Commission showed that the BN in Sarawak suffered a decline in popularity votes from 64.2 % in the 2008 general election to 55.4 % in the 2011 state election. On the other hand, PR's popularity votes increased from 29.2 % in 2008 to 38.9 % in 2011. According to analysis by the DAP, there was a general decline in support among the Dayaks to the BN, with the Iban dropped by 14.1 % and the Bidayuh by 13 %. The DAP said that there was a major shift in support among the non-Chinese, especially the Dayaks towards the Opposition in 2011. It is obvious that the party won in six out of 12 seats in 2011 due to the shift in support of the non-Chinese from BN to PR. The party received increased support from non-Chinese voters in Kidurong (48 %), Kota Sentosa (35 %), Repok (30 %), Piasau (39%), Pujut (35%) and Batu Kawah (30%). If the decline in popularity votes is again registered in the GE13, the BN will lose at least 10 seats to the Opposition. BN leaders like Taib and Masing have both felt that the BN could win two-thirds of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak.

Kelantan after dark Posted: 30 Mar 2013 02:03 PM PDT   (NST) - A SHAM: Kelantan's social fabric is being ripped apart by state govt's apathy KELANTAN Pas' carefully managed image of an Islamic state, free of vice, is nothing more than a sham. In a three-day tour of several main districts, including the state capital Kota Baru, the New Straits Times' Special Probes Team uncovered a thriving vice industry involving prostitution, drugs and illegal gambling. This begs the question: how is it that the team found out about this in three days, when the state government, which rejects everything that is unIslamic, couldn't get a handle on the problem even after administering the state for 23 years? In many of these cases, the activities were conducted right under the noses of the state authorities and local councils. The problem is so deeply rooted in the culture and psyche of the state that children as young as 15 know where to look for drugs and prostitutes. Within half an hour of reaching Kota Baru, the team was shown by a local fixer how to procure pil kuda, the locals' drug of choice. The transaction went off without a hitch, in broad daylight, and along one of the busiest roads in town. (See accompanying story and video.) Under the Pas administration, any form of open entertainment is illegal. Minutes away from Bazar Tok Guru, however, the team found a disco. We heard the throbbing bass of techno beat from inside our car long before we got to the spot. At first glance, it could have been mistaken for a simple shoplot. There was no sign. The only giveaway was the dim green-hued lighting and a sign on the doorway that read "Makanan dan minuman untuk orang bukan Islam". Opening the door, the disco was packed to the rafters. It was almost like one of the countless, third-rate discos mushrooming in Selangor. Multicoloured-lights and the mind-numbing, pounding drone of techno music assaulted our senses. Ladyboys dressed in miniskirts and revealing tops came over to take our orders, almost invariably, they offered us beer. Some of the transexual "waitresses" were gyrating to the music with some of the guests. Several Muslim patrons could be seen swaying to the music while sipping cold beer and revelling in the attention of the ladyboys. The team spent the rest of the night bar-hopping. Tucked away in some faraway corner of Tumpat, a 30-minute drive from Kota Baru, kilometres from civilisation and surrounded by jungle, was a sundry shop with huge wire-mesh doors, a small beat-up table, stacks of eggs and other provisions on one side, a cooler on the other. A small alleyway leads out to the back section where round tables dot the garden and where liquor is served by scantily clad waitresses. If you're looking for more than drinks, a quick chat with the proprietor will get you a massage. Anything extra would depend on how smooth a talker you are and the thickness of your wallet. A short hop down the same stretch of road and we pulled up at another establishment. The owner, a medium-built Chinese man met the team at the gate. He had seen us pull up and park along the main road, along with a sizeable number of vehicles. He immediately said that they could not accept any more customers because they did not have enough waitresses. The demand for this kind of service was evidently high. We got back in the car and headed for Tanjung Mas, where the team had heard about an open air karaoke joint that was popular among locals and was open until 5am. As we rounded the bend, we could hear the strains of a poorly executed goyang Inul made popular by Indonesian dangdut queen, Inul. In the state where the checkout counters of a supermarket are segregated by gender, ostensibly to prevent sexual temptation, the singer's Goyang Gerudi moves sent temperatures and heart rates right through the roof. The patrons, most of whom were middle-aged men, were lapping it up, cheering the singer on. Several elderly women joined in the fun, dancing cheek-to-cheek and mingling freely with other male guests. The team also discovered the growing subculture of black metal and punk rock in a conservative state that already frowns upon traditional forms of entertainment including dikir barat. At an underground gathering of local bands, the common refrain was clearly anti-state government, with The Sex Pistols and Nirvana delivered in heavily Kelantanese-accented English. The second day, the team trolled the streets looking for information on where to find prostitutes. The odds, we thought, would not be in our favour. However, early on, we were told by petrol station attendants, burger sellers, bell boys and 24-hour convenience store clerks that our best bet would be in Jalan Limau Manis and Jalan Gajah Mati, in the heart of Kota Baru. Several hotels, from budget to the more reputable ones, were known to be the favourites of locals looking for sexual gratification. At 3am, as the team cruised along Jalan Limau Manis, we saw a tudung-wearing prostitute together with her ladyboy friend. Both approached our car and initial negotiations began. Keeping an eye on them were two minders positioned near a petrol station, including one stationed across the road in an overwatch position. Their rate was RM150 for a full, 12-hour service. Our talks broke down with the appearance of three cops on motorcycles. Moving on to Jalan Gajah Mati, the team managed to convince two prostitutes, a college student and a high-school dropout who wanted to supplement their income, to come back to our hotel for a tell-all. This came as we failed to get several Thai prostitutes we met in the area to talk to us. (See video and accompanying story.) Initially hesitant, they both agreed, in return for RM300 to be split between them. Our negotiations took place under the faint glow of sodium lighting. Everywhere around us were bunting and posters with the face of spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, an omnipresent reminder of Pas' supposed Islamic credentials. No choice but to sell body "HOK mudo ado, tua ado, oghe gome ado, hok napok ale ado gok... Ingak nok keno igak, tapi dok, dio gelenya nok maen" (There's the old, government servant, the pious looking... I thought he was going to turn me in but he wanted sex). To Nabilla, 17, her prospects are bleak. Dropping out of school at 15, the fourth child in a family of eight was tired of her existence. Meals were never a regular affair, as farmers, her parents struggled to make ends meet and feed her seven siblings. In a show of selflessness, Nabilla decided to quit school. In the early part, she tried to look for jobs to help her parents out but in her village in the district of Kuala Krai, jobs, if any, were hard to come by. She hung out with her friends for a while -- mostly dropouts, too -- before trying her luck in Kota Baru, at the insistence of a friend. She bunked in, rent-free at the friend's place and tried to look for jobs, A waitressing opening paid RM400 a month but the schedule was gruelling, the work back-breaking. Another offer was at the local supermarket, it paid RM50 more but Nabilla decided to go with the waitressing job. It provided free meals. Being young and vivacious, the male customers tried to get her attention, offering a good time, fun and money. She didn't take the bait but noticed that her housemates were bringing home strangers. They would disappear behind closed doors. These girls were well dressed and could afford to pamper themselves once in a while. Nabilla wanted in, too. A chance meet with a middle-aged man at the restaurant where she worked, led her to the world of prostitution. In just a few short months, she was making RM1,200 a month, a sum which a school dropout could only dream of. "I am young and pretty, I still have many more years ahead of me. If those in their 20s, 30s and even 40s can be in demand, I think my prospects are good. "I have been doing this for less than a year. Many I know can earn up to RM2,000," her tone at mentioning the amount, indicating that this was her target. Julia's story echoes Nabilla's. Driven to vice by economics, the 19-year-old began to offer her services as soon as she entered a private skills-training college. Her parents made it clear that they could not fund her college education after she barely made it through her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia. Julia's steely determination masks the pain she goes through every time she turns a trick. Her ultimate goal is to break free from the shackles of poverty and change her life -- for herself, her sisters and parents. "If by doing this, I can change my life, then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

Beware the evil plans on polling day Posted: 30 Mar 2013 02:00 PM PDT   (NST) - PROVOCATIVE: Should it lose, the opposition may resort to instigating chaos ONE should not take lightly the threat by certain members of the opposition that there would be trouble come the general election. Already, circulars have been making their rounds, purportedly asking voters to challenge the authorities. The media was shown statements said to be from an opposition party asking voters to register their unhappiness with the Election Commission. This is to undermine the EC and later will be used by the opposition to announce that the election is not fair and free. A silat group with a vast network gave a press conference on Friday to warn the public of this possible menace and danger. The silat group even suggested that the opposition party has sought the help of foreign individuals and experts in teaching locals how to cause trouble during the election. It won't be a surprise that the opposition strategists would have a plan to provoke the policemen on duty on election day, not to mention other officers engaged by the EC to manage the election. It's not difficult to see their game. Should they lose the election, they would go to town declaring the election was not free and fair, a claim they would broadcast worldwide. Mind you, the EC is still led by the very same people who managed the 2008 general election, which saw the opposition winning in Kelantan, Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Penang. This recent piece of news comes soon after a self-confessed plot by a lifetime member of Pas that he was out to kill then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Zainon Ismail, a former teacher who goes by the name C.N. Afghani, is no longer a member of Pas and has written a book exposing Pas' wrong ways in politics. Looking at C.N. Afghani's confession, I'm not surprised that certain members of the opposition would resort to reckless and irresponsible ways to face the election. What I'm saying is this: it's not beyond them to think, plan and execute a devious means to meet their political dreams. Before openly apologising to Dr Mahathir, C.N. Afghani a.k.a. Zainon Ismail wrote a book -- Kafirkah Aku? -- that exposed the hypocrisy in Pas. If people in the opposition then like C.N. Afghani could hatch such an evil plot, thus sending provocative notices and circulars asking voters to openly challenge EC officials on duty on polling day is a no-brainer, actually. Pak Non, a legacy of excellence ONE way of measuring a man is through his children,  and that's where the late Zainon Ahmad a.k.a. Pak Non excelled. And that's besides the many young reporters whom he had patiently and painstakingly guided. When I went to his house in Kota Baru for the funeral on Thursday morning, I met Kak Hasnah, Pak Non's wife, and his children. They were all waiting for Zalinda, Pak Non's daughter, who is in the United States for a company meeting. His children did everything to make the funeral arrangements smooth. I learned that the funeral would take place after subuh prayers, that is, just after 6am. I got hold of a couple of colleagues and we drove all night long. We reached Kota Baru in time for subuh prayers. The funeral was rescheduled to 10am to enable Zalinda to fly in from the US to pay her last respects to her doting father. She arrived at 9.30am, in time to kiss the father one last time, as did the rest of the children and grandchildren. He has 14 of them, each of them the apple of his eye. If Pak Non was still with us today, and if he had remained healthy, he would have taken the first flight to Lahad Datu to be as near as possible to the battle station. Pak Non, as some of us recalled, did reporting in conflict zones well before others did. I recall his room on the fourth floor of Balai Berita in Jalan Bangsar. One of the walls was decorated with pictures and newspaper cuttings of some of his travels as a journalist. He was envied and admired by many. In the Malaysian newspaper industry, Pak Non had left an indelible mark of his own. His brand of journalism would remain with many of us -- simple and precise, clear and free-flowing, and professional. May you rest in peace, Pak Non. Moga-moga rohnya disemadikan bersama para aulia dan solihin. Al-Fatehah.

Johor PKR pacifies chief Posted: 30 Mar 2013 09:19 AM PDT State leaders say party will contest Segamat, Johor Jaya seats (NST) - JOHOR BARU : IN what is seen as an attempt to pacify their sulking chairman Datuk Chua Jui Meng, Johor Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) yesterday announced it would contest both the Segamat parliamentary seat and Johor Jaya state seat. It is learnt that the announcement was made without the approval of the Pakatan Rakyat presidential council. It was also made in the absence of Chua, who has gone missing after opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently declared that DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang would contest the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat which Chua had been eyeing. Johor PKR deputy chairman Dr Ahmad Faidhi Saidi said yesterday the Johor PKR liaison committee, which he chaired, made the decision after a meeting at the Air Hitam branch on Friday. The meeting was attended by about 90 per cent of the committee members. Asked about Chua's whereabouts, Dr Ahmad said he was taking a rest and the party was still in contact with him. "We also agreed during the meeting that Chua's case be referred to the PKR supreme council. "However, we would like to stress that Chua is still our Johor chairman and the PKR national vice-chairman. "During his absence, I am assuming his role in coordinating party work. "We have also proposed that PKR deputy chairman Azmin Ali lead the party's election machinery in Johor." Immediately after Dr Ahmad's announcement, Johor PKR vice-chairman Hassan Abdul Karim reaffirmed that Johor PKR was firm about contesting the Segamat and Johor Jaya seats after a Grade A seat like Gelang Patah was given to the DAP. "The committee has decided that the Segamat parliamentary seat, the Johor Jaya and Tangkak state seats are ours. "Segamat is a Grade B seat. Exchanging our Grade A seat with DAP's Grade B seat is already a good offer for DAP. "We hope Johor DAP will reciprocate by giving us the Johor Jaya seat. "I hereby announce that PKR Johor Jaya branch chairman Jimmy Puah will contest the Johor Jaya seat. I am taking full responsibility for this announcement. "We will not let any PKR seat be arbitrarily taken away without a valid reason. We have served the people in Johor Jaya and have strong grassroots support." DAP contested the Segamat seat while the former Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) contested the Johor Jaya seat in 2008. Following the merger of PRM with PKR in 2003, the understanding was that all previous seats contested by PRM would now be contested by PKR, which explains why PKR is persistent in contesting in Johor Jaya. Hassan was a former PRM president who quit the party to join PKR. Anwar is expected to be in Johor Baru on Tuesday to discuss matters related to Johor PKR. Meanwhile, Lim announced on Friday that Johor DAP Pengkalan Rinting division election committee coordinator, Yeo Tung Seong, would contest the Pengkalan Rinting state seat.

Karpal urges Waytha to end fast Posted: 29 Mar 2013 06:39 PM PDT Karpal also urges the Pakatan Rakyat leadership, led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, to resume talks with the Hindraf leadership Athi Shankar, FMT DAP supremo Karpal Singh has urged Hindraf Makkal Sakti supremo P Waythamoorthy to end his hunger strike which will complete its 21 days on Sunday. Karpal said Waythamoothy should not put his life in danger that would jeopardise his and Hindraf's ethnic Indian cause. Karpal also called on the Pakatan Rakyat leadership, led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, to resume talks with the Hindraf leadership and find an amicable solution to end the Hindraf blueprint stalemate. "Waythamoorthy should not risk his life. He has made his point. "He should end his fast before it endangers his health," a visibly moved Karpal told a press conference in Air Itam here today. In the wake of Waythamoorthy's hunger strike that began on March 10, the Bukit Gelugor two-term parliamentarian called on all parties to look into the predicament of Indians in the country in the light of Hindraf's blueprint. Karpal noted that Hindraf had presented the blueprint, designed to find a permanent solution to marginalised ethnic Indian issues, to both the Barisan Nasional federal government and Pakatan. Hinting that gratitude must be shown, Karpal said that there was no doubt that Pakatan owed its victory in the 2008 general election to Hindraf's political activities. "I call upon in particular Pakatan leader Anwar to carefully consider the position and have a relook at the blueprint in a view to come into some consensus," said the DAP national chairman. READ MORE HERE

Jui Meng’s deputy takes over Johor PKR Posted: 29 Mar 2013 06:34 PM PDT State PKR leaders have requested Ahmad Faidhi Saidi to become acting chairman because Chua may not return to work immediately after his two-week leave ends tomorrow. Leven Woon, FMT PKR deputy president Dr Ahmad Faidhi Saidi has been asked to assume the role of state PKR acting chairman after Chua Jui Meng's continuous absence from public. According to Johor PKR election director Steven Choong, the state leadership met on Thursday night in which division chiefs requested Ahmad Faidhi to fill the role of Chua until he returned to work. "Although Ahmad Faidhi was constitutionally the state acting chairman in Chua's absence, he was initially very reluctant to assume the post. "But many state party leaders felt that we need someone to lead the party machinery, especially when election is just around the corner. So we decided that Ahmad Faidhi will be the acting chairman," he told FMT when contacted today. Chua has been out of the public eye and PKR ceramahs since DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang was made the Pakatan Rakyat candidate in Gelang Patah, Johor, a seat which Chua was keen to contest. Choong said it was true that Chua appeared upset when he was informed about the decision by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim hours before the announcement was made on March 18. "During the meeting with state leaders when Anwar announced the decision, he was already unhappy. The state leaders then appealed to Anwar to resolve this as quickly as possible. "As far as I am aware, Chua is still in communication with several key leaders. Obviously he would lay down certain conditions for giving out the Gelang Patah seat," he said. Since then, Chua was reported to have gone on a two-week leave, while PKR mulls to offer him the Segamat parliamentary seat in exchange for Gelang Patah. FMT learnt that although Chua's leave is about to expire tomorrow, there are doubts that he will return to work immediately. Should his absence prolong, the state PKR would definitely suffer a setback by facing the fast-approaching general election without full force.

GE13: Parliament dissolution likely only after mid-April Posted: 29 Mar 2013 06:09 PM PDT (The Star) - The dissolution of Parliament to pave the way for the general election looks likely to take place only after the second week of April as Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to perform the umrah or minor haj next week. Sources said the Prime Minister is expected to depart for Saudi Arabia on April 3 after chairing the next Cabinet meeting and taking part in a cycling event in Putra-jaya. He is expected to return two days later. For Muslims, the umrah is sometimes performed to seek guidance before making major decisions and for Najib, it has been an annual ritual. Speculation has been growing that the Prime Minister, who would mark his fourth year in office next Wednesday, may stretch close to the full five-year term of the current Parliament, which expires on April 30, before calling for polls. "We are ready but Barisan component parties and machinery can always use any extra time available to ensure that we are as prepared as possible for the general election," said Barisan Nasional information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan. The Negri Sembilan state legislative assembly expired on Thurs-day and all but three states would follow if the Prime Minister decides to allow Parliament to run its full term. They are Penang whose term expires on May 2, as well as Kedah and Terengganu, with both expiring on May 6. Over the past few days, the Prime Minister has been chairing a series of meetings with Barisan component party leaders and the coalition's state leaders to finalise the candidate list. In addition to performing the umrah, it is understood that Najib could also make a quick trip to Brunei on April 24 to attend the Asean Summit. No Malaysian Prime Minister has ever given the meeting a miss, as Asean is the cornerstone of the country's foreign policy.

GE13: Group claims Opposition trained to cause trouble Posted: 29 Mar 2013 05:47 PM PDT (The Star) - A Malay martial arts group has accused the Opposition of receiving foreign training and funding on how to disrupt the coming general election. The Pertubuhan Silat Seni Gayong Malaysia (PSSGM) said they had received information that the Opposition parties were planning to influence the rakyat into believing that the elections would not be handled fairly. "We found that foreign parties have trained the Opposition on how to provoke and stir up trouble during the elections. "We also heard that these groups had even issued a circular to its members, explaining how to provoke and influence people at gatherings into stirring up trouble," said PSSGM president Datuk Adiwijaya Abdullah yesterday. When asked how the association had found out about the matter, Adiwijaya said the information was given by its members from all over the country. He said PSSGM believed that some people might intentionally try to cause trouble and be arrested, so that they could claim that the Opposition was being treated unfairly during the elections. Adiwijaya urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to look into claims that the Opposition had received foreign funding for such acts. Police ready to act against groups planning to disrupt polls, says Hishammuddin Police are taking necessary to steps to carry out surveillance and take appropriate action against any group planning to disrupt the upcoming general election. To ensure that the process of a free and fair election is conducted smoothly, steps would be taken to enlist the help of Rela to act as the ears and eyes of the police said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. He said discussions have already been held with the Inspector-General of Police and that he has also directed his state police chiefs to tackle immediately any possible groups planning to disrupt the elections. He said this when responding to reports that certain groups were distributing leaflets containing information on how to create trouble at polling stations in 10 parliamentary constituencies including Gombak, Lembah Pantai, Permatang Pauh, Setiawangsa, Wangsa Maju, Bagan Serai, Bukit Katil, Muar, Pandan dan Sabak Bernam. "Police are not just looking at the 10 constituencies named in the leaflets but the whole country," he said on Saturday, adding that people behind such acts were not confident of winning. On the security situation in Lahad Datu, he said the current mop up operations against Sulu gunmen at a few villages would not affect the election process in Sabah. "The security situation in Lahad Datu is improving and only a few affected kampungs are being mopped up for remnant gunmen,'' he said.

Pakatan eyes 33 federal seats in 3 states for GE13 Posted: 29 Mar 2013 05:34 PM PDT Debra Chong, TMI Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has set its sights on scooping up 33 out of a total 83 federal seats in three states the opposition pact regards as crucial to taking Putrajaya in Election 2013, the DAP's Lim Kit Siang said today. Johor, Sarawak and Sabah are known to be Barisan Nasional (BN) "fixed deposit states" and are key to PR breaking down the ruling coalition's five-decade-long hold on federal power, said the veteran opposition lawmaker who has confirmed he will run for elections in the Gelang Patah MCA fortress.  "The third objective of the Battle of Gelang Patah is to target to win 33 Parliamentary seats for Pakatan Rakyat in the three BN 'fixed-deposit states' of Johor, Sabah and Sarawak," the Johor-born MP said in a statement today, in explaining why he was leaving his Ipoh Timor seat in Perak.  Lim (picture) said his personal battle for Gelang Patah was really a battle for Johor, to see if the southern state can become a "kingmaker" in the 13th general elections that would spark another political tsunami and trigger a "peaceful and democratic transfer of federal power from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat".  The DAP parliamentary leader said PR needs to nab 125 seats out of 222 to put a "comfortable" 28-seat gap between it and BN in Parliament.  He suggested that the Chinese-dominant opposition party could win 40 seats while its political partners, the urban PKR could take the lion's share of 45 seats and Islamist PAS sweep the remaining 40 seats.  Lim said he is expecting to hit more than 50 per cent of PR's target of 19 parliamentary seats and 30 state seats in Johor but also made clear that he was not claiming PR could score a "bullseye".  "The question is whether PR can win another 10 ― 12 parliamentary seats from Barisan Nasional's total of 140 seats won in 2008 from states other than the three 'fixed deposit states' of Johore, Sabah and Sarawak," he said.  Ahead of Election 2013, both sides have talked up their chances of securing a win in the hotly anticipated general election, with PR sources saying that it is confident of gaining nearly 140 parliamentary seats.  The Malaysian Insider had previously reported that surveys by BN showed that it could win up to 145 federal seats, above the 112 seats required for a simple majority but below 148 seats for a two-thirds majority.  But independent surveys show that BN could scrape through with 117 seats to PR's 105.  Election 2013 would see politicians fighting for 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats.

Rafizi slammed for ‘false’ information Posted: 29 Mar 2013 04:56 PM PDT PKR insiders claim that party candidates for the GE are chosen not based on service rendered or popularity. B Nantha Kumar, FMT A PKR division chairman today took party strategy director Rafizi Ramli to task for saying that PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was heading the party's candidate selection committee. The leader, who did not want to be named, said while it was commendable for Rafizi to defend the party's candidate selection, the latter's argument that Anwar was leading the committee was false. "Rafizi should be brought to the party disciplinary committee as he tried to manipulate facts. It is not Anwar who is heading the committee but Azmin Ali (PKR deputy president)," he told FMT. "It is also not true that the candidates list goes through a filter process. Anwar or Azmin select the candidates. Those they dislike are at the mercy of their 'veto' power," he added. The party insider claimed that Rafizi was not fit to answer issues pertaining to candidates selection because he was not a member of the party's political bureau. "Furthermore, Rafizi himself is Anwar's 'blue-eyed boy'. He is a parachute candidate for the Pandan parliamentary constituency… but he has lost touch with the Pandan PKR division ," he said. Earlier this week, Rafizi rejected allegations that party boss Anwar was making unilateral decisions in selecting PKR candidates for the general election. He claimed that the selection committee headed by Anwar and the decision of the committee was preceded by "consultations at every level" of the party. Meanwhile, anothr leader from Negri Sembilan challenged Rafizi to explain why Kamarul Baharin Abbas was selected to defend the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat when he was defeated at the PKR divisional elections. At the party elections two year ago, Kamarul Baharin, who is a close ally of Anwar, lost the division chairman post to Port Dickson assemblyman M Ravi. "So by right, Ravi should be given the first priority to contest in Teluk Kemang. He is more visible in the constituency compared to Kamarul Baharin," said the source.

‘Pakatan not ready to form government’ Posted: 29 Mar 2013 04:52 PM PDT Dr Chandra Muzaffar feels Pakatan Rakyat needs to undergo a major change before it takes over the federal administration.  Priscilla Prasena and Alyaa Azhar, FMT Pakatan Rakyat is not ready to form the next federal government and has to undergo a major transformation before it can take over Putrajaya. In an exclusive interview with FMT, political scientist Dr Chandra Muzaffar said while Pakatan spoke of change, it does not realise that it is the opposition pact that needs to change its style of politicking. On his reasons why Pakatan should not form the next federal government, he said: "PAS is a party that is linked largely with one part of society and it is only confined to Muslims." "It does not bring different religions together. PAS is very much preoccupied with its Muslim identity and in preserving it. PAS is very similar to the Muslim movement in Sudan where its major concerns are women issues and prohibiting mingling with other sexes. They strongly impose a particular interpretation of Islam on the nation," he said. Chandra said the party had attempted to woo various other ethnic groups to join PAS but this had failed to materialise. It won Kelantan in the past elections because of the majority Muslims in the state, he argued. DAP on the other hand, he said, does not champion Malay issues in fear of losing Chinese support. "DAP is suppose to be a multiethnic party, but in reality it is otherwise. It is alienated from the Malay majority. The party has no interest in the Malays and it is often voted out in constituencies with Malay majority," he added. He said the party had also put Indian interest in the backburner. "PKR meanwhile is unique. It was established in 1999, and its major concern in reality was to bring Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister who was charged with sexual misconduct and misuse of power out of the prison. "Once he completed his sentence, the party's objective was for people to vote him into power. Hence, the party revolves around one particular individual and has nothing much to offer to the people "His wife and daughter are the key people of the party and this clearly portrays that it is within a family circle who have their own agenda," he added. It must be noted that Chandra was one of the key figures involved in the formation of PKR in 1999 but left the party claiming that it did no serve the interest of the nation.

‘Enough proof to reopen Altantuya case’ Posted: 29 Mar 2013 04:42 PM PDT Recent revelations by businessman Deepak Jaikishan, lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu, and private investigator P Balasubramniam constitute as 'new evidence', says the Bar Council. Anisah Shukry, FMT The Malaysian Bar Council today established there was sufficient new evidence for the attorney-general to reopen investigations in the 2006 murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu. "The revelations by Deepak Jaikishan, the late P Balasubramaniam, and Americk Singh Sidhu raised sufficient concern to warrant further investigations by the authorities," Bar Council president Christopher Leong said in a statement today. "Such further investigations may or may not lead to anything new, but we would only know if additional investigations are in fact undertaken," he added. Leong was responding to the Attorney-General's Chambers statement on Wednesday that it would consider reopening investigations into Altantuya's gruesome murder only if there was new evidence. Attorney-General G Abdul Gani Patail said this after the Bar Council urged him to reopen the murder case following revelations from the late Balasubramaniam's lawyer, Americk, at the council's annual general meeting. Americk had claimed that senior lawyer Cecil Abraham was responsible for drafting the private investigator's second statutory declaration (SD) in 2008. The second SD had reversed all claims made in Balasubramaniam's first SD, which had implicated Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Altantuya's murder. "Thus, the issue presently is not whether the AG has the discretion [to reopen investigations], but whether there is sufficient cause for him to do so," Leong said. Leong pointed out that businessman Deepak's reaffirmation to the media that Balasubramaniam's second SD was written to recant the first SD, as well as his role in the matter, was already considered as new evidence. Deepak had claimed late last year that Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the prime minister, had requested him to persuade Balasubramaniam to write the second SD. While Rosmah had not refuted Deepak's allegation, she wrote in her biography that she played no direct role in Altantuya's murder. READ MORE HERE

Star readers all for booting out FAM’s Article 88 Posted: 29 Mar 2013 01:15 PM PDT On Wednesday, the FAM charged national coach Datuk K. Rajagopal(pic) under Article 88 which is aimed at preventing anyone, including coaches and players, from criticising the governing body.  Readers of The Star Online have spoken and they say that the controversial Article 88 of FAM Statutes should be abolished.  Results of the online poll conducted on the website showed that 91.74% or 3,677 readers said that the rule must go.   Only 1.5% or 60 readers felt that the rule should be maintained, while 6.76% or 271 readers said it should be amended.  Article 88 states – except for routine releases to the press by the President or the General Secretary, no official, coaches of FAM or referee or any Member or Associate Member, or player registered or employed with any Member or Associate Member, unless sanctioned by the Congress shall contribute any article on the management of affairs of FAM, vent grievances, supposed or real or right criticisms hostile to FAM (Member or Associate Member).  On Wednesday, the FAM charged national coach Datuk K. Rajagopal under Article 88 which is aimed at preventing anyone, including coaches and players, from criticising the governing body.  Rajagopal had bemoaned the lack of local strikers in the M-League but his statement was construed as criticism of the national league. He now faces the wrath of the FAM disciplinary committee.  Eight people have so far fallen victim to the article over the last few years – B. Sathianathan (pic)(former national and Kelantan coach, twice), Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim (Johor FA president), Che Ku Marzuki (former T-Team coach), Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (Perlis FA president), Tan Sri Annuar Musa (FAM deputy president and Kelantan FA president), Abdul Rahman Ibrahim (PKNS coach), Wan Jamak Wan Hassan (former Kedah coach) and Reduan Abdullah (former Felda United coach).  Readers in their comments on the poll, criticised Article 88, calling it a "backward" and "primitive" rule.   "As football is a national affair, critics and opinions by officials should be in the media for public interest," said reader Mac, while Megat Ibrahim said all those who had been penalised under the ruling had done a lot for Malaysian football.  Vincent-Johor argued that "not all bosses know best" while Tan called for "more credible and talented people to head the body".  Another reader Syed, said FAM should be more open to criticism as it "helps to build character and innovate new ideas for a better future for Malaysian football."  As of 6.30pm yesterday, more than 4,000 people had participated in the poll.

"Watermelon" and "Sympathizer" Effect Posted: 29 Mar 2013 12:10 PM PDT In politics, you never appear weak if you are indeed weak  Original text by Tay Tian Yan, Asst. Chief Editor, SinChew Daily Translated text by Gilbert Yeoh-Tan Something to test your intelligence: Najib said that if Barisan National wins only by a narrow margin in the coming election he may lose his job. That being, his job as the Prime Minister. Do you believe him? Similarly, Lim Kit Siang said that Pakatan Rakyat will win in 7 states, 5 that they won in the past election, plus Perlis and Negeri Sembilan. Do you believe him? As for me, I remain reserved on these 2 statements. Uncle Lim's declaration on winning the 7 states may stem from his overconfidence, but it could as well be the tool used to boost confidence. In politics, you never appear weak if you are indeed weak; instead, you should boast to appear 'more beefed'. If you have only 3,000 troops, you should create an illusion to let others think that you have 30,000 under your command. Many voters suffer from the so-called 'watermelon effect'. When one watermelon is cut into two and are asked to pick only one, they tend to pick the halve that seems bigger. This reaction can be viewed as 'steering towards feeling safer'. This is especially apparent among non-die-hard voters and swing voters who have yet to make up their minds, they tend vote for the party that seems more likely to win, but not the ones deemed 'yang akan kalah'. If PR appears to be losing 'gas' even before the election starts, then surely they are doomed right from the beginning. It may be more tactically sound for PR to actually concentrate their resources on the states they currently control. They should put their star candidates and election resources to defend their strongholds instead of fighting the wars of unknown winning-chances. Penang and Kelantan are PR's strongholds. They need to put a steadfast defense in Selangor and Kedah, and they have to recapture Perak. PR may as well be already exhausted to achieve their goals in the above 5 states as they have used up considerable amount of resources and manpower there. They may expect certain rewards in Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak; but their hopes in Perlis and NS should remain doubtful. Should PR decide that they want to go all-out, there is a possibility that they leave their strongholds unguarded and the consequences may be harmful. As the party in power, BN, despite having the advantage, should remain low-profile. If they hit too hard they risk provoking antipathy among the voters (remember how the voters treated Abdulah Badawi 5 years ago?) Hence, if BN insists that they will win handsomely in the coming election, the swing voters may think of voting for PR to 'balance' the situation since BN is going to win anyway. This thought, at first sown in individual minds, may gradually grow to be a collective trend that leaves unforeseeable impacts. This is the reason Najib does not want to appear too aggressive. He has tied his personal political goals with the nation's economy and politics transformation in hope to convince the voters to let him stay for at least one more term to finish what he started. Furthermore, he has announced that, if he does not win marginally, he may lose his job. It seems to me he is trying to harness the 'sympathizers' votes. All in all, with his personal image and political achievement, Najib still has the chance to fight for more votes. And now may yet be his best time to further foster his relationship with the Rakyat.   郑丁贤‧西瓜和悲情效应 考一考大家的眼光： 纳吉说，如果国阵只是险胜，他可能会失去工作。所谓的工作，当然是首相的位子。 问题是，你相信吗？ 同样的，林吉祥说，民联可以赢得7个州政权；就是上届赢的5州，再加上玻璃市和森美兰。 你相信吗？ 这两者，我都保留。 林伯伯声称可以拿下7州，或许出自他过人的信心，然而，更可能只是一种信心喊话。 政治上，如果形势比人弱，千万不能漏馅，而必须把自己催谷得又肥又壮，兵马只有3千，也要制造假象，让人以为兵马3万。 多数选民有所谓的"西瓜效应＂，就是西瓜切开来，当然是挑大边的，那是寻求一种安全感。 特别是中间选民，以及游离选民，他们往往倾向于更有机会获胜的政党，而不是投给一个没有胜算的政党。 如果民联开战前，就已经泄气，那就没有甚么大戏可以唱了。 在实际策略上，或许民联领导人应该把资源集中在现有执政的州属，把最有胜算的候选人，以及竞选资源和机器，用在捍卫本身的大后方，而不是用于自己没有把握的战场。 民联的堡垒是槟城和吉兰丹；它要坚守的是雪兰莪和吉打，另外要收复的是霹雳。 要捍卫这5个州属，已经让它陷入苦战，资源和人力都不足。 至于玻璃市和森美兰，恐怕已经力有不逮；至于柔佛、沙巴和砂拉越，只能期望能有若干斩获，取得一些突破。 一旦民联走得太远，去得太尽，只怕大后方空洞化，反而出现危机。 至于国阵，作为执政党，它拥有较大的优势，反而要采取低姿态的策略。 太过强势的出击，会引起选民的反感，这是5年前许多大马选民留给阿都拉的一个注脚。 如果国阵强调它会大胜，那么，中间和游离选民会认为，既然国阵如此稳固，不如把票投给民联，制造平衡效果。 一旦这种个别想法累积成为集体心理，就会造成意想不到的冲击。 纳吉不敢表现太强势，他把自己的政治前途，和经济转型和政治转型挂勾，要说服选民给他至少多一个任期，让他完成工作。 而且，他声称如果战绩不佳，赢得不多，还会"工作不保＂。 这就有点悲情牌的味道了。 毕竟，阿吉哥凭个人形象和政绩，还可以争取选票，这是向人民博感情的时候。

Divisions back Wan Azizah to contest in S’gor Posted: 28 Mar 2013 08:56 PM PDT A division chief says the arrival of the PKR chief in Selangor will unite the party in the face of a strong BN challenge.  Leven Woon, FMT Selangor PKR grassroots leaders have responded positively to party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's intention of contesting a state seat here, with six PKR division chiefs expected to hold a joint press conference tomorrow in support of her. A source told FMT today, the division heads of Klang, Kapar, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat, Hulu Selangor and Sungai Besar would meet tomorrow in Klang to show their support for Wan Azizah. He said the grassroots leaders opined that Wan Azizah's arrival would raise party members' morale and enhance unity in the face of a crucial general election battle. He said some division chiefs have offered Wan Azizah the seats of Sementa or Pelabuhan Klang to contest. PKR lost control of Pelabuhan Klang following the defection of its elected assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah to Umno in 2010. Whereas in Sementa, the PKR candidate did not show up on the nomination day in 2008 GE, making BN the winner of the seat by default. "Both seats are made up of Malay majority voters. We need a party heavyweight like Wan Azizah to convince them to vote for Pakatan," he said. There were also talks that Wan Azizah would stand in one of the state seats in the Shah Alam parliamentary constituency. News about Wan Azizah's return to active politics surfaced after she said she was eligible to contest in a state seat when asked yesterday. New Straits Times reported that the wife of Anwar Ibrahim may be eyeing the Selangor Menteri Besar post. Originally elected as Permatang Pauh parliamentarian in the 2008 general election, Wan Azizah resigned a few months later to make way for her husband's return to politics. Following that, she has been banned from contesting any parliamentary seats for five years. READ MORE HERE

Anwar’s hidden agenda in Sabah? Posted: 28 Mar 2013 08:40 PM PDT Why is Anwar Ibrahim insisting that Pakatan Rakyat contest in both state and parliament seats when the coalition had made known that it cannot win Sabah? (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim's abrupt dismissal of local parties in the coalition's bid to "push BN out of power" in Sabah in the coming general election has left many unanswered questions. Local opposition Sabah Progressive Peoples Party (SAPP) for one is puzzled since DAP national advisor Lim Kit Siang had not too long ago said that the coalition did not expect to win in Sabah. "(So) if Pakatan do not expect to win in Sabah as mentioned by Lim Kit Siang then why are they obstructing Sabah parties such as SAPP from fighting for state rights? "Are they having some hidden agenda which is more important than toppling BN in Sabah?" asked SAPP secretary-general Richard Yong. Yong also recalled that Pakatan had already made known that they had a good chance of retaining Penang, Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah and winning Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Perlis. With so much going for Pakatan in Peninsula, Yong thinks its "over-confidence" that is driving Pakatan's decision to single-handedly take on the mighty Barisan Nasional. "They hold themselves so high that therefore there is no need for cooperation from Sabah parties to campaign against the Barisan Nasional. "They have ignored the people's aspiration for the opposition to go one-to-one against the BN at the coming elections," he said. Anwar had earlier this week said that the coalition will not engage in any more talk with local parties and will focus on solidifying its agenda in Sabah together with its newfound allies Pertubuhan Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPPS) and Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS). Both PPPS and APS are not registered parties and their candidates will be fielded under PKR, PAS or DAP. PPPS is led by BN defectors Laim Ukin (Beaufort MP ) and Wilfred Bumburing (Tuaran MP). Both were tasked by Anwar to 'draw-in' the Muslim and Kadazandusun voters respectively. He obviously now believes that this is a done deal. The decision had sidelined SAPP and the Sabah chapter of the State Reform Party (STAR). Both parties, like everyone else, had hoped to see a straight fights in majority of the seats in the coming election. READ MORE HERE

Photos show PKR leader in lewd act Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:57 PM PDT (The Star) - KULIM: A PKR division leader in Kedah allegedly performed an indecent act while chatting with a woman online. Badan Bertindak Anti-Penye­lewengan Kedah president Khairul Anuar Ramli said video grab photographs of the leader performing the act were posted on several blogs. He said the leader could have used a PKR office computer to chat with the woman as a party flag could be seen in the background. "We urge the leader to immediately deny this and initiate legal action against the bloggers if he is not the person in the video," Khairul said at a press conference here yesterday. "The Kedah Government should also investigate and take appropriate action as the leader holds a state-appointed position." Khairul also urged Kedah PKR chief Datuk Wan Salleh Wan Isa to explain if there was any truth to allegations that 15 divisions in the state had not received their RM10,000 allocation for last year. "We understand that the PKR headquarters had allocated RM10,000 to each of the divisions but the money had not reached them," he said. "Many of the division leaders claim they had to use their own money to carry out programmes and activities." Khairul also claimed that local PKR leaders were unhappy that party vice-president N. Surendran and secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution would be fielded as parachute candidates in Kedah in the general election. Khairul quit as Kedah PKR Youth chief after the general election. ************************************* PKR to investigate Kedah division leader's alleged online lewd act PKR will investigate allegations that a Kedah division leader supposedly performed an indecent act online. "If there is misconduct, then action will be taken. I have not seen it, but we'll have to investigate it," said PKR vice-president N Surendran. Several screen-capture images of the leader engaging in a solo sexual act were posted on various blogs. Some images show the man without his shirt on, while some clearly display a portion of the party flag in the background. There were also a few explicit images of the man handling his genitals. The Star previously reported that the man could have been using a PKR office computer to chat with a woman while performing the deed. Some of the images were collected and uploaded as a YouTube video. Previously, Badan Bertindak Anti-Penyelewengan Kedah challenged the alleged leader to deny performing the act.

Pakatan undecided over Negeri MB candidate Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:41 PM PDT While the state PKR chief, Teluk Kemang MP Kamarul Baharin Abbas was touted to take the MB post, he says he has not been given "any hint" to contest in a state seat. Leven Woon, FMT Negeri Sembilan Pakatan Rakyat has not made up its mind on the menteri besar candidate should it take over the state in the next polls. The state opposition pact, having won 15 out of 36 seats in the 2008 general election, is a serious contender to Barisan Nasional as it only needs another four seats to form the state government. Various Pakatan Rakyat leaders such as DAP parliamentary chief Lim Kit Siang have expressed confidence that the Minangkabau state would fall into the hands of the opposition in the next polls. But notwithstanding the grand plan, the coalition of PKR, PAS and DAP have yet to discuss or outline the choice of menteri besar should they come into power. The state PKR chief and Teluk Kemang MP Kamarul Baharin Abbas, who was touted by the media to be a MB candidate, denied that he plans to contest a state seat to clinch the state top executive post. "There are always rumours," he told FMT. "No one has asked me to start working in any state seat, I personally have not been given the hint to work in any state seat." Asked whether he is interested in the post, Kamarul said he was contented with the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat. "I am not in a position to ask for anything more. I got one seat that I have to defend," he said. He said the state Pakatan has yet to discuss about the MB candidate because none of the coalition parties have its candidate list finalised by their respective national leaders at the moment. Kamarul is widely seen as a qualified MB material due to his seniority as the former PKR secretary-general and his corporate background. Besides, the state constitution requires a Malay Muslim to be the MB, thus eliminating DAP's 11 assemblypersons who are all non-Muslims and providing the second largest opposition party, PKR, a chance to get the post. PKR won four seats in 2008 while PAS has only one. DAP is expected to maintain its status quo in the coming polls by contesting 11 seats, while PKR will contest 13 and 12 seats. Sultan's decision When asked about the MB candidate, Negeri Sembilan PAS commissioner Mohd Taufek Abdul Gani said Pakatan has never discussed about the matter. He also said Kamarul was touted to be MB because he was always given the chance to chair the state Pakatan press conferences or meetings in respect of his seniority. He also said Pakatan should focus on winning the state first. READ MORE HERE

Gwo Burne on the chopping block? Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:15 PM PDT Sources say PKR will choose either Tan Yee Kew or Wong Chen for Kelana Jaya. Leven Woon, FMT PKR is set to drop Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne from its list of election candidates, according to insiders. A source at PKR headquarters told FMT today that the party was determined to present the best lineup of parliamentary candidates in Selangor to face a fierce Barisan Nasional challenge and Loh did not fit in because of his lacklustre performance as an MP. Loh rose to prominence in 2007 for capturing a video showing controversial lawyer VK Lingam in a telephone conversation that many believed was proof that he used his influence to manipulate judicial appointments. Loh was one of the surprise winners in the 2008 election. However, the PKR source said, opinion polls conducted by the party showed that his constituents were disappointed that he had not served them well. They had expected him to be vocal in Parliament, he added. "But what has he done in the past five years?" A PKR grassroots leader in Kelana Jaya said Loh had only "a 40% chance" of being re-nominated by his party. He said Loh "got very lucky" in 2008 but had not repaid those who voted for him by adequately representing them. "Basically, his contribution stopped with his exposure of the Lingam video," he added. "It's only recently that he started working very hard all of a sudden." Sources said PKR would choose between two candidates for Kelana Jaya—Wong Chen, who heads the party's Trade and Investment Bureau, and Tan Yee Kew, who defected from MCA in 2008 and now sits in the PKR central committee. "They each stand a 50-50 chance," said one source, adding that Wong had lately been meeting grassroots leaders in Kelana Jaya. Until 2008, Kelana Jaya was an MCA stronghold. Chinese voters there make up more than 40% of the electorate. Malays account for 39% and Indians 18%. Loh defeated MCA's Lee Hwa Beng by 5,031 votes in 2008. There are 22 parliament seats in Selangor. In 2008, PKR won eight seats and DAP took five and PAS four. The sources also said PKR would field new candidates for the Selangor seats that it failed to capture in 2008. These would include law scholar Abdul Aziz Bari for Sabak Bernam and party strategist Rafizi Ramli for Pandan. Khalid Jaafar, a long time associate of Anwar Ibrahim, is expected to contest in Hulu Selangor, a seat that the party won in 2008 but lost to MIC's P Kamalanathan in a by-election in 2010.

I am eligible to contest, says Wan Azizah Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:13 PM PDT Speculations are rife that she will be fielded in either Shah Alam parliamentary or Sementa state constituencies. (FMT) - SHAH ALAM: PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who ruled herself out of contesting a parliamentary seat for five years from July 2008 said that she is now eligible to contest a state seat in the 13th general election. Wan Azizah had resigned as Permatang Pauh MP to give way to her husband Anwar Ibrahim's return to active politics. She said the matter had been discussed informally, but added that she was focusing more now on campaigning for the party. Wan Azizah was asked about talk that she would contest one of the state seats in the Shah Alam parliamentary constituency or the Sementa state seat in Selangor in the soon to be called general election. She had won the Permatang Pauh seat in Penang in the 2008 general election but resigned as the MP on July 31, 2008, to enable Anwar to contest and win the seat in a by-election on Aug 26 of that year. Wan Azizah spoke to reporters yesterday after handing over a Selangor government donation of RM20,000 to each of the families of the security forces personnel slain during the terrorist intrusion in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Earlier, Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim denied that the state legislative assembly had not been dissolved for elections thus far because certain quarters did not concur in the matter. It was a party strategy, he said after launching an application system at the Selangor Land and Mines Office. Last Tuesday, Abdul Khalid had announced that the Selangor legislative assembly would be dissolved on April 22. He had earlier said that the dissolution would be after the "Chap Goh Meh" celebration at the end of last February.

Chua still sulking over Kit Siang’s move? Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:11 PM PDT Johor PKR legal bureau chief Jimmy Phuah says Chua Jui Meng was still Johor PKR chairman despite the overwhelming speculation that he would quit the post. (Bernama) - JOHOR BAHRU: Johor PKR chairman Chua Jui Meng was nowhere to be seen when DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang was announced as the opposition's candidate for Gelang Patah parliamentary seat at the DAP's 47th anniversary celebration in Skudai two weeks ago. Chua was said to be 'sulking' when his high hopes to contest for the seat in the 13th general election was crushed after Johor DAP decided to field its candidate in the constituency where Chinese community made the majority of voters. Since then, Chua seemed to have disappeared from Johor political spotlight, and hence strengthened the speculation that the former health minister was actually sulking and giving everyone the silent treatment. Media attempts to contact Chua also failed since the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim announced Lim's nomination. Johor PKR legal bureau chief Jimmy Phuah, when contacted by Bernama said Chua was still Johor PKR chairman despite the overwhelming speculation that he would give the post up as he was very upset with the decision. "He is away for a holiday and he will be around by next week. I'm not sure (whether Chua sulks), but he is still Johor PKR chairman and will definitely get back to work," he said. The PKR-DAP disputes over the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat had existed long before the announcement on Lim's nomination. The disputes had gotten out of control when Johor DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau also showed keen interest in contesting the seat. Since 1999, Gelang Patah parliamentary seat was contested by PKR's candidate and, before that, by Parti Rakyat Malaysia's candidate, in a fight against Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate. In the 2008 general election, BN's candidate Tan Ah Heng defeated PKR's candidate Dr Zaliha Mustafa with over 8,000-vote majority.

Anti-gay musical tours Malaysian schools and universities Posted: 28 Mar 2013 12:27 PM PDT   Human-rights groups fear increase in violence towards LGBT community after latest state-backed propaganda (The Guardian) - A government-backed musical in Malaysia that aims to warn young people about the perils of being lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in this Muslim-majority country has sparked controversy over its "state-sponsored bigotry" and potential to incite hatred. Asmara Songsang (Abnormal Desire) follows the lives of three LGBT friends who throw loud parties, take drugs and have casual sex, thereby incurring the wrath of their religious neighbours, who attempt to reintroduce them to the teachings of Islam. Those who repent are spared, while those who don't are killed in a lightning storm. Rahman Adam, 73, who wrote and directed the musical, said his aim was "to educate the youngsters and their parents [on] the bad things about LGBT". "Nowadays in Malaysia you read so many things in newspaper articles or write-ups about LGBT … because [LGBT] are going into schools and influencing the children," he said. "Children need to recognise that men are for women, and women are for men. They [LGBT] are all out to have homosexual and lesbian sex, and although right now it is not so serious [in Malaysia], we need to act, to do something, to say something, to say that this is bad and not to follow it." The musical features some of Malaysia's most famous TV actors and opened this month at the national theatre in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. It has since toured schools, universities and teacher-training colleges – with free tickets provided. Read more at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/28/anti-gay-lgbt-musical-malaysia

Malaysia's ethnic Indians to abstain from voting in general elections Posted: 28 Mar 2013 11:55 AM PDT   (PressTV) - Waythamoorthy Ponnusamy has been on a hunger strike for nearly three weeks. [Watch the video at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/03/28/295547/malaysias-ethnic-indians-to-abstain-from-voting-in-general-elections/] He is trying to get the ruling coalition and political Opposition to accept the demands of his Indian rights organisation Hindraf, which aims to improve the rights and living conditions of Malaysian Indians in their blueprint for change.  Indians make up about eight percent of the total population of 28 million.  The British brought them into the country mainly as indentured labourers.  Although there's now a sizeable Indian middle class, there is also a large number of hardcore poor, and Hindraf activists say that Indians are discriminated against.  Analysts say Indian votes will be crucial in many constituencies at the next general election, which is shaping up to be the most tightly contested ever.  Neither the ruling coalition nor the Opposition paid much attention to the grievances of the Indian community until Hindraf called for a massive protest in 2007. It was the first time that thousands of Indians took to the streets here, to protest.  Months later, in the 2008 general election, the Indians largely desserted the ruling coalition and voted for the Oppostion.  Hindraf leaders say they can, once again, rally the Indians to whichever side that agrees to its demands.  Analysts say it's not that simple.  But Waythamoorthy vows to continue his hunger strike until his demands are met.

Ben Fogle accused of fronting propaganda ignoring Sarawak 'environmental destruction and ... Posted: 28 Mar 2013 11:40 AM PDT   (The Independent) - Fogle told The Independent he has "postponed" the champagne event after being "horrified" by recent revelations, including an undercover investigation by the NGO Global Witness. He said he would not be making any more films for the Sarawak Tourism Board until he received answers to "many questions" that he now had. The television presenter Ben Fogle has been accused of taking part in an environmental propaganda campaign for a regime with one of the world's worst records in deforestation. Fogle, known to millions of BBC viewers as a face of travel documentaries, has become the poster boy for tourism to the controversial state of Sarawak in Borneo, where vast amounts of industrial logging have left only five per cent of forests that have not been either logged or converted to palm oil plantations. The presenter has made a series of films for the Sarawak Tourism Board under the title "Ben Fogle's Sarawak Adventures" in which he is pictured playing with orang-utans and swimming in waterfalls. Fogle wrote about his trip to Sarawak, which is part of Malaysia, in his "Ben Fogle, The Adventurer" column for the Daily Telegraph and in a large article in Hello! Fogle's material has been widely promoted to a network of "mummy bloggers" encouraged to share the films and invited to meet the presenter at a champagne reception this week in London. Some believed they would be offered the chance to join a "Sarawak Blogger Ambassador Club" and go on a trip to Borneo. Sarawak has the fastest rate of deforestation in Asia and exports more tropical logs than Africa and Latin America combined. It has only 0.5 per cent of the world's tropical forest but accounted for 25 per cent of tropical log exports in 2010. Fogle's involvement in the PR campaign has shocked critics of the Sarawak government and its appalling record on conservation. "It seems Ben Fogle may have been made a pawn," said Clare Rewcastle, founder of the Sarawak Report blog. "Anyone with the slightest knowledge of environmental matters should know the issues around Malaysian oil palm destruction and the culpability of the Sarawak state government. "He should not be promoting them for responsible eco-tourism or pretending that they are protecting the jungle habitat of the orang-utan. The only place you can find orang-utan in Sarawak is in caged enclosures or in a few remaining patches of jungle where the state government is at loggerheads with the local tribes because it has issued licences to cut it down." Read more at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ben-fogle-accused-of-fronting-propaganda-ignoring-sarawak-environmental-destruction-and-exploitation-8552339.html

Malay heartland holds key to Perak Posted: 28 Mar 2013 11:37 AM PDT   (fz.com) - The party had to fight against the perception sowed, through the Malay mainstream media, in the minds of the Malays that PAS is no longer championing Islam and defending Muslims after joining Pakatan Rakyat.   The battle for Perak in the next general election is certain to be a grudge match for the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which lost the state to the Barisan Nasional just 11 months after it was swept into power in an unexpected electoral outcome in 2008.   And the leadership of Perak PAS, which led the short-lived Pakatan state government, believes it has grasped the formula it needs to clinch victory in the next round.   The key is to win the Malay votes, as PAS Perak election director Asmuni Alwi revealed in an interview with fz.com in Ipoh recently. If the party can win at least 40% of the Malay support across the board, in rural and urban areas, Pakatan will form the next government.    "If we manage to secure a minimum of 40% (of Malay votes), we can form the government," Asmuni said.   Of the 59 state seats in Perak, 19 seats have more than 70% Malays; 17 seats have 50-70% Malays; and 12 seats have more than 70% Chinese, while the rest of the 11 seats have mixed constituents.   Another noteworthy fact is that there were 15 seats won by both coalitions with slim majorities in 2008, where more than 60% of the constituents were Malays.   The Chinese voters are seen to have turned their backs on the BN, and there is only a slight improvement in the sentiment of Indians towards BN, so it is the Malays who will decide whether BN or Pakatan will be the new government of Perak, Asmuni said.   He pointed out that in the 2008 polls, PAS secured more than 50% of the Malay votes in several seats, namely: Pasir Panjang (63%); Gunong Semaggol (55%) and Titi Serong (52%). The party also won about 49% of the Malay support in Kubu Gajah, which PAS lost by 66 votes.   "We are certain that if we win not less than 45% of the Malay votes across the board, we will take more than 10 seats out of the 21 seats we will contest," he said.   However, Asmuni would not disclose which seats he saw the party winning.   PAS contested 21 seats in 2008 general election, winning 6 seats and losing 15.   "Out of these 15 seats, 10 seats we lost with a slim majority below 1,000 votes, and out of these 10 seats, 5 of them (were lost by) below 500 votes,"Asmuni said.   The latest development that PAS had announced was that former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin would stand in Changkat Jering, which increases to 22 the number of seats contested by the party.   Asmuni was confident that PAS would improve on its performance in 2008 as the party had identified "very positively" the numbers of seats it would wrestle back from the BN.   "We are certain that the number of seats we would be able to win in the election will increase. In other words, we will contribute effectively to the formation of the next Pakatan Rakyat government. It's more than six seats," he predicted.   This confidence was based on the way the PAS machinery works, Asmuni said. The party knows exactly how Umno labels voters - supporters or otherwise.   "We have made good inroads actually. For example, in Larut, we would say that our performance in the parliamentary seat is getting better, and so too in the other state seats – Selama and Kubu Gajah.   We know what sort of labels Umno uses to indicate where their support is strong or weak – white, black, we know for certain," said Asmuni. PAS lost Selama by 355 votes and won Kubu Gajah by 66 votes. PAS contest against Umno in both seats. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/malay-heartland-holds-key-perak

GE13: Pakatan’s hopes in Perak dimming Posted: 28 Mar 2013 11:36 AM PDT   (The Star) - Lim Kit Siang's departure from Perak is the clearest sign that Pakatan Rakyat has given up hope of recapturing the state in the general election. SOMETHING quite unforgettable happened at the recent appreciation gathering that Perak DAP held to send off Lim Kit Siang to Johor. Two of the party's sworn enemies in Perak, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and M. Kulasegaran, posed with their arms around each other and sported big smiles. The press photographers almost went crazy because they knew just how rare a scene it was two arch rivals acting like best friends. All of them could still remember the scene after the contentious party elections in Perak a couple of years ago when the pair would not even look at each other. Ngeh, the powerful state DAP chairman, had earlier delivered a rather conciliatory speech at the dinner function during which he spoke about unity, forgiveness and starting afresh. He is an active Methodist church leader and he told the gathering that pastors counselling those about to get married would tell them that quarrels are normal in a marriage, that couples who quarrel also stay married forever. Everyone laughed but Lim's expression was quite inscrutable. He has been Ipoh Timur MP for almost 10 years, he has seen the politicking escalate between the Ngeh and Kulasegaran factions and some suspect he is quite relieved that he will soon be far away from it all. So, is it going to be sugar and spice and everything nice between the two old enemies? Not exactly. Even Lim has been no match for the powerful cousins of Perak. Ngeh and his younger cousin Nga Kor Ming have continued to dominate and control Perak politics and Lim has not been able to do anything to loosen their grip. The elder politician's body and soul is already in Johor where he has caused ripples. On Tuesday, a fashionable middle-aged lady with orange hair was so thrilled to see him in Skudai that she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big kiss, leaving a vivid lipstick print on his cheek. Lim's departure from Perak politics basically means that Pakatan Rakyat has given up all hopes of recapturing Perak from Barisan Nasional. Lim would not be taking flight if he thought that Pakatan was about to wrest back Perak. He would be at the centre of the action, lending his weight to the campaign. Another sign that Pakatan has given up on Perak has to do with all the rumours circulating about Kulasegaran and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan joining Lim in Johor. A coalition that is fighting its way back into the seat of government would not be trying to export its heavyweights elsewhere. It would want as many big names as possible around to create a momentum and make up the numbers. "I don't know why there are rumours in the last two months. But I am not going to Johor," said Fong. Fong is a well-regarded face in Batu Gajah whereas Kulasegaran is synonymous with Ipoh Barat. The latter pretty much handles the running of Ipoh Timur for Lim because the senior man is not the sort to sit in a service centre listening to the everyday woes of the local folk. Lately, the speculation about Fong has built up to her being dropped. Some alleged that the talk is coming from the cousins' camp and that it is their way of telling the top leadership to get Kulasegaran and Fong out of Perak. Party insiders said the cousins want to replace the pair with candidates who are aligned to them. The cousins have openly crossed swords with Kulasegaran and his belligerent tweets warning the cousins not to be funny with him was the talk of the party. Earlier this week, Ngeh held a ceramah in Sitiawan at Kampung Koh where Kulasegaran was born. Someone tweeted to ask why Kulasegaran was not invited as a speaker and said that a good Christian would have accommodated him in his own kampung. The tweet was obviously aimed at Ngeh. The cousins also dislike Fong whom they claim is not a team player; what it means is that she is not in their team. They are also said to have rocked her political base by taking over control of the branches in Batu Gajah. That is why some have described Lim's departure as the "great escape" he is now free of the intense politicking in Perak. His inability to temper the ambitions of the cousins has disappointed people in the party but as some have pointed out, Ngeh and Lim go back a long way. They are party comrades as well as family friends. "Kit Siang had a minimal role in Perak or else things would not be so chaotic," said a Pakatan insider. The cousins are now king of the hill in every sense of the word. They are expected to continue to contest dual seats. Ngeh is expected to defend his parliamentary and state seats in Bruas and Sitiawan respectively. Nga will defend his Taiping parliamentary seat but is said to be moving to a state seat nearer Ipoh because he plans to put a new face to contest in Pantai Remis. PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also been talking about contesting in Perak. The Pakatan side said he wants to do for Perak what Lim is doing in Johor. But some think it is because Permatang Pauh is not looking as secure as before. Pakatan in Penang is struggling with the Malay vote the way Barisan Nasional is struggling with the Chinese vote and that may explain why Anwar is keeping his options open. Few believe that he will risk it in Perak. They think he is playing mind-games because he would want to be in Penang which Pakatan is assured of winning rather than go to Perak where Pakatan has lost hope.

Pakatan Rakyat is Hot, Flat, and Crowded (WITH CHINESE TRANSLATION) Posted: 28 Mar 2013 11:25 AM PDT   (Sinchew-I.com) - Anwar today, compared to Anwar in 2008, has witnessed drastic changes. He seems to have less determination, and less charm. It has only been 5 years, but it seems that Anwar has lost more than 5 years in these 5 years.  Original Text by Zheng Ding Xian (郑丁贤), Assistant Chief Editor, Sin Chew Daily Translated by Gilbert Yeoh-Tan, No-Body It has been over a week, and Dato' Chua Jui Meng has become the most talked-about MIA (Missing In Action) politician Malaysia has ever known. Since 18th March, the date Lim Kit Siang announced he would contest in the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat, the reporters have not been able to locate Dato' Chua. It would appear that he has 'vanished' from the political circles. Being the PKR's Johor Branch Chairman, he, as a Chinese, holds the highest position in the party. And as Pakatan Rakyat has made Johor the frontal battle field, Mr Chua should have been very busy. Although PR has been touring Johor, the Branch Chairman appears nowhere to be seen. Of course, if I were Chua, I would have been devastated. At first he has set his heart at contesting in Gelang Patah, but the seat was eventually given to Lim Kit Siang. And to make matters worse, it was his boss, Anwar Ibrahim, that made the announcement. He wanted to go back to Bali to contest, but DAP has told him: "No fucking way." Even though PKR has been trying to hand him a relatively unsafe seat, such as Sekayang, DAP still said: "Why should we let him?" If Chua were forced to a corner, he may, as others would predict, resign from PKR. But the question remains: Where can he go? He can't even go back to MCA. To be frank, I am not really concerned about how Mr Chua's political advancement would end up. Once, during our encounter, I found that it was very hard for me to synchronize him with Pakatan Rakyat; his idea of PR's core belief was just like how Google would translate the English language into Mandarin: totally out of tone. What really touched me was, Dato Chua's story was just like Anwar's and PKR's. Over the years, PKR has been regarded as the "party that will not win' that even its alliances look down upon. Hence, it has been thought as only it will let others down but never the reverse. Also, Anwar today, compared to Anwar in 2008, has witnessed drastic changes. He seems to have less determination, and less charm. It has only been 5 years, but it seems that Anwar has lost more than 5 years in these 5 years. I haven't heard of his new opinions in a long time; I have also not heard of his new political inspirations. Even in Parliament, he lacks vigor as the opposition leader. It is indeed a pity. Whether you like him or not, he had been brilliant, especially when he preached about cross-racial politics, economical evolution, and religious tolerance. Nevertheless, just as fireworks in New Year's Eve, it vanishes as soon as it lightens up the sky. Many reasons contribute to that. First of all, he is afraid that the Malays may not be in-sync with the above ideas and of losing common ground with the Malay community. He needs the Malay votes. And as he hesitates, his opponents catch up and puts his aura into shadow. Secondly, his performance in his past political career gains him little support from the Chinese. As an ex-Umno, PAS supporters find it hard to accept him as well. Also, his cross-racial ideas make the "Ketuanan Melayu" Malays abandon him. Thirdly, he is trapped in his PKR's internal politics that makes him lose his focus. PKR is the weakest link in the PR. It is the easiest target, and it has been squeezed between DAP and PAS, rendering it to lose more and more ground. In his book "(The World is) Hot, Flat, and Crowded" US writer Thomas L. Friedman talks about the fierce competition among different nations. Here, I would theme it as "Pakatan Rakyat is Hot, Flat and Crowded;" If PKR were to slip during the election, it will be swallowed whole and alive. And here is something to think about: without PKR, what really is PR?   郑丁贤‧民联很热，不平，又很挤 已经超过了一个星期，蔡锐明先生是全国最知名的失联人物。 从3月18日，林吉祥宣布要出战振林山开始，记者就再也找不到蔡先生，他彷佛已在政坛 蒸发。 他是公正党的柔佛州主席，也是公正党内职位最高的华人代表，而民联将柔佛列为大选的 前线州……，现在应该是蔡先生最忙的时候。 民联如火如荼的在柔州各地造势，不过，这位公正党州主席不见踪影。 当然，任何人若是蔡锐明，心里肯定很难受。他想在振林山上阵，但是，这个议席却给了林吉祥，而且还是他的顶头上司安华宣布。 他想回老巢峇吉里竞选，行动党告诉他："门儿都没有。＂即使党内想替他找个不怎么安全的位子，譬如昔加末，但是，行动党说："凭甚么？＂ 蔡先生一旦被逼得走投无路，大有可能如外界所言，要退出公正党；不过，他又能去哪儿？ 连马华都回不去了。 其实，我并不怎么关心蔡先生的政治前途。有回遇见他，下意识的，我发觉自己竟然很难把他和民联接合在一起；从他口中说出民联的语言，如同用谷歌把英文翻译成中文，很不搭调。 我感受更深的是，蔡先生的遭遇，也是安华和公正党的写照。 几年来，公正党积弱不振，被认为是"缺乏胜算的政党＂，连友党都看不起它；于是，落入只有它让人，没有人让它的窘境。 而今天的安华，和2008年前后，差很大；少了当年的魄力，也失去不少魅力；5年时间，他何止老了5岁。 很久没听过他有新的论述，也没有发表政治愿景，即使在国会，也缺乏反对党领袖应有的强势表现。 毕竟是一种遗憾。不管人们喜不喜欢他，都不能忽视他曾经放射光芒，特别是他提出跨越族群政治的论述，对经济改革作出建议，也提倡宗教包容的思维等等。 然而，这些光芒如同元旦的烟花，射得很高，照亮了天际，不过，瞬间就消失了。 原因多方面。一是他担心马来社会还跟不上这些思维，害怕和马来社会脱节，而他最需要的是马来人选票。 就在他犹疑和放慢步伐当儿，他的对手赶了上来，把他的光芒盖下去了。 其次，他过去在政府的经历，让华人社会不怎么信任他；而他的巫统背景，让伊斯兰党支持者难以接受他；他的多元论述，又让马来民族主义者摒弃他。 第三，他受困于党内的派系和人事斗争，失去方向。 公正党是民联最弱的一环，最容易成为攻击的目标；而它又夹在行动党和伊斯兰党的中间，不断的被两党压缩，空间愈来愈小。 美国作家佛里曼写过一本书〈世界很热，很平，又很挤〉，道出各国剧烈竞争下的局面。 用在这里，可换成"民联很热，不平，又很挤＂；一旦公正党在大选表现失色，就要面对被鲸吞蚕食的下场。 后果是，没有了公正党，又何来民联！

Sg Siput: Will handouts win back seat for BN? Posted: 28 Mar 2013 11:22 AM PDT   (fz.com) - Since the opposition took over, there has hardly been any development and the town has been stagnant  Will handouts and development promises help Barisan Nasional (BN) recapture the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat?    The seat was won by Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj in an unexpected victory against former MIC strongman Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu in the 2008 polls, but it is unclear if this feat can be repeated in the upcoming election.   One reason for a possible voter swing against the activist doctor is the perceived lack of physical development in the area.    "Just look around," said Diana (not real name), a Sungai Siput native and a mother of three.    "Since the opposition took over, there has hardly been any development and the town has been stagnant," said the social worker. "Last time, during Samy Vellu's time, you can visually see the changes to this small town.    "You look at the road, it's like highway. Which other small town has this kind of road," she asked.    And the residents don't just see such four-lane, well maintained road as a pride of the town; they are also being reminded that it as a symbol of the development that BN is capable of delivering – instantly.   No one is more aware of this than Samy, the former works minister who served as the local MP for 34 years.    While he won't be a candidate this time around, the man who is credited with bringing a lot of development to Sungai Siput has been named by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the BN coordinator for the constituency.  And Samy is wasting no time in trying to regain lost support. He has been there four days a week since last October with non-stop engagements throughout the day.  Read more at: http://fz.com/content/sg-siput-will-handouts-win-back-seat-bn

Defence Ministry preparing case against retired generals Posted: 28 Mar 2013 11:20 AM PDT (The Star) - The Defence Ministry plans to take legal action against retired armed forces generals for their negative comments on the security operations against terrorists in Lahad Datu, says Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He added that such comments by the former senior general staff were malicious and intended to destroy the morale of the Malaysian security forces. "These retired generals have poisoned the minds of politicians. "We are looking into the possibility of taking action against this group. "They (the retired generals) are past their time, but they think they are smarter than our troops today. We will consult the Attorney-General's Chambers and refer to the Armed Forces' rules and regulations to see if any action can be taken against them. "But, we must act cautiously as we do not want to be accused of being undemocratic or of acting maliciously towards them," he told reporters at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre here yesterday. He was commenting on the criticisms by several former army generals of the military intelligence over its alleged failure to detect and pre-empt the Lahad Datu incursion. The former generals had reportedly ridiculed the tactics and strategies taken by authorities in Ops Daulat. On a separate matter, Dr Zahid Hamidi said that asset procurements would be increased following the creation of the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone.

Ambiga: Four ‘good’ reasons, my foot! Posted: 28 Mar 2013 11:16 AM PDT (Free Malaysia Today) - The Bersih chief dismisses the four reasons given by the Star's group editor-in-chief for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's delay in dissolving Parliament. In a comment piece published on the front-page of the Star today, the MCA-owned daily's group editor-in-chief Wong Chun Wai stated four reasons for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's feet-dragging on the dissolution of Parliament. However, Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga is not convinced with the four "good" reasons, which were: A caretaker government cannot enter into agreements at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima). Finishing touches to some projects and programmes. Barisan Nasional's candidates' list not finalised. Impossible at the moment for politicians to campaign freely in Lahad Datu. Commenting on the first reason cited, Ambiga told FMT that it is not a licence to dig into the public coffers to embark on a spending spree. "Lima contracts were all foreseeable. If this was an aim, then why lead the public on a merry ride and threaten to dissolve Parliament for more than a year?" she asked. Ambiga stressed that it is morally wrong to extend the dissolution date on this premise, adding that the move smacked of utter desperation. "The way they [the incumbent government] are spending suggests that they are not certain of returning to power. And that is the whole point of a caretaker government: they should not make any contracts which the next incoming government would be bound by; you must uphold the status quo. "It is wrong to rush into contracts when it is very close to the caretaker period," she added. As for Wong's second point, Ambiga argued that putting the final touches on projects and programmes is also something that was foreseeable in the past. "This once again suggests that they are not confident. It seems that for the first time, there is a confidence crisis [in BN] with regard to retaining Putrajaya. "However, your nervousness does not justify spending the rakyat's money so close to the election and for keeping us on hold regarding the election date," she said. 'Automatic dissolution is shameful' On BN still finalising its list of candidates, the Bersih chairperson dismissed this as the weakest possible excuse. Ambiga said the list has to be finalised before any general election, and since Najib has been toying with the people over the election date for more than a year, BN should have worked on the list a long time ago. "This is a pathetic excuse for delaying the dissolution of Parliament," she added. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/03/28/ambiga-four-good-reasons-my-foot/

‘Malaysia is afraid’ Posted: 27 Mar 2013 08:47 PM PDT Sabah's population of 3.2 million includes 1.5 million documented and undocumented Filipinos and the backlash of the recent invasion has 'united' the Filipinos in Sabah and in Sulu. (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Sulu sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani today slammed the Malaysian security forces for restricting the movements of Filipino residents in Sabah to such an extent that these frightened individuals now want to return to the Philippines. "It is a psy-war by Malaysia to force the Filipinos to leave," Idjirani said, adding that with the end of the standoff a new reality had emerged for Malaysia. He said the Sulu sultanate was adamant on its claim for Sabah and this was seen as a threat to Malaysia. Idjirani said Sabah's population of 3.2 million included the 1.5 million documented and undocumented Filipinos and the "war" waged between the sultanate's army and the Malaysian securities forces had "united" the Filipinos. "Malaysia is now afraid. It knows that with the standoff now, the Filipinos are being united by the Sabah issue," Idjirani said. He said the sultanate through Manila will push for a United Nations-sanctioned referendum to be called on Sabah. "Malaysia is afraid that it might lose Sabah in a referendum should the UN call for one," he added. Thousands leaving Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia said thousands of Sulus who had entered Sabah illegally are taking up its offer to return home and "re-enter" Malaysia legally. The embassy, which has been monitoring the situation here following the shootout between armed Sulu insurgents and local securities forces on 1 March, said that it has been distributing the legal documents since March 12. Philippine ambassador Abdulhan U Jaujan said the Philippine government was offering the Sulus "a ticket home". "The offer is for those who had entered the state illegally or [residing] Suluks as well as Filipino nationals who were born in Sabah but have yet to obtain documents. "We are providing them with the legal travel documents, such as passports. We are also helping settle any fines imposed by the Malaysian Immigration Department including their transport costs," he said. Abdulhan said the offer was also extended to Sulus who were married to locals in Sabah. He said thus far more than 300 Suluks had left Sabah via Sandakan, the key entry and exit point for Filipinos living in Tawi-Tawi and Jolo in southern Mindanao. The Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), meanwhile, said its relief teams have been on standby in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu to give aid to the Filipinos fleeing from the tension and recent violence in Sabah. Thus far, the teams have assisted more than 3,000 evacuees from Sabah. READ MORE HERE

GE13: PAS and PKR leaders don’t see eye to eye over seat allocation Posted: 27 Mar 2013 05:17 PM PDT (The Star) - Rivalry between the Kelantan Pakatan Rakyat has surfaced as PAS and PKR leaders here jostle for seats in defiance of the agreed allocations decided by their respective party leaders. Guchil Hulu PAS branch head Muhamad Bustamam Yaacob is contesting as an independent against Guchil state seat incumbent, PKR assemblyman Tuan Zamri Ariff Tuan Zakaria. Muhamad Bustamam claimed he is challenging Tuan Zamri Ariff as he is going against the spirit of Pakatan. Sinar Online, quoting Bernama, had reported that Muhamad Bustamam also said grassroots members had urged him to take on Tuan Zamri Ariff. PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat criticised his decision, saying it would create a split in the Opposition coalition. The Kelantan Mentri Besar also said such a move by a PAS member was in violation of the pact on seat allocation. In the 2008 general election, Tuan Zamri Ariff defeated Barisan Nasional candidate Dr Shamsul Ikhwan Ashaari Azmi. Guchil, within the Tanah Merah parliamentary constituency, is the only seat won by PKR of the five it contested in 2008. Over in Bachok, incumbent MP Nasharuddin Mat Isa will not be defending the seat and the division is having trouble finding the right candidate. They need a strong opponent to contest against Barisan's Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussain, who is tipped to contest. Although Bachok PAS chief Datuk Omar Mohammed, 70, is the clear choice, former Bachok Umno youth chief Zaiyadi Awang Noh, who is a PKR member now, is lobbying too. Also in the fray is Bachok PAS Youth chief Ahmad Marzukh. Party insiders said that about 70% of grassroots members support Omar, a five-term assemblyman, to contest the seat. Sources added that grassroots members feel uncomfortable with Zaiyadi as many of his family members are still in Umno.

Anwar to contest in Ipoh Timor? Posted: 27 Mar 2013 04:15 PM PDT Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia also says Anwar Ibrahim's proposed move to Perak is not well received by the state DAP K Pragalath, FMT It is speculated that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim will be contesting in the Ipoh Timor parliamentary seat, vacated by DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang. However, Utusan Malaysia reported that Perak DAP does not appear to support the move. Perak DAP chairman and Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham had declined to comment. Kit Siang would be contesting in Gelang Patah, Johor. Anwar, who is currently Permatang Pauh MP and PKR de facto leader, had announced last Wednesday that he is mulling over the options to contest in Perak or Selangor. Ipoh Timor is considered a safe seat for Anwar. Lim has been the MP for the majority Chinese seat since 2004. With over 80% Chinese voters in the constituency, Lim defeated Thong Fah Chong of MCA by polling 28,851 votes against Thong's 19,077 votes in the 11th general election. In 2008, Lim beat Liew Mun Hon of the MCA by polling 37,364 votes to Liew's 15,422 votes. Since Anwar's announcement, various PAS divisions have invited Anwar to contest in seats contested by PAS. The seats are Tambun, Lumut and Bagan Datoh. Meanwhile, Sinar Harian said Anwar's political career would end in Perak due to his indecisiveness. Sinar's columnist Yusof Harun said that Anwar's political end looms in the horizon as he is abandoning the Malay support that he enjoyed ever since his student days. The article noted Anwar was close with the Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) and PAS prior to joining Umno and had been contesting in Permatang Pauh since 1982. Yusof also quoted former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as saying: "It is okay if he wants to run away from Permatang Pauh. It clearly shows that his confidence in that seat is reducing." The columnist also speculated that Anwar may not have an easy ride if he contested the Lumut parliamentary seat, currently held by Transport Minister and MCA secretary-general Kong Cho Ha.

‘Lawyer in video was SUPP advisor’ Posted: 27 Mar 2013 04:11 PM PDT The video exposé by London based Global Witness has turned public focus from Sarawak DAP's internal strive to SUPP once again. Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Sarawak DAP has taken its nemesis Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) to task over its 'deafening silence' regarding the 'candid' and 'explicit' interview given by SUPP "legal advisor" Alvin Chong in the covertly recorded Global Witness video which has garnered over 695,110 viewers on YouTube. The video, which was released two weeks ago and excerpts of which was aired over Al Jazeera, has given the state opposition additional leverage. Embattled SUPP, which is seeking to redeem itself in the upcoming parliamentary elections has in recent months gained better ground as a result of DAP's own internal strife. DAP had earlier this month incurred the wrath of the its grassroots when it sacked six of its 'influencial' branch officers in Miri and Senadian. But observers here said the Global Witness video interview with the Kuching-based lawyer Alvin, in which he arrogantly described how deals were inked, funds siphoned out of the country and the extend of Taib's crony practice, was enough to distract attention from DAP's issues. It has long been rumoured that SUPP's 'top leadership' were deeply involved in Taib's 'land development' policies and alleged corrupt dealings. In fact this was the premise on which the opposition built their strategy during the 2011 state elections which led to DAP and PKR winning an unprecedented 15 seats collectively. Several top SUPP personalities including its president George Chan, whose daughter was married to Taib's son Sulaiman – the Kota Samarahan MP – lost their seats. Chan, who had held the Piasau state seat for six terms lost it a 28-year old political greenhorn Ling Sie Kiong. Speaking to reporters here, Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen said: "The corruption issue raided by Global Witness has serious implications on the whole government administration. "It is putting Sarawak in a very bad light in the international community, and SUPP being part of the government should make its stand," said Chong who is tipped to contest in Stampin. Will SUPP sue Global Witness? He said that if the allegations are true, it meant that Sarawakians had lost out in the billions of ringgit through malpractice. READ MORE HERE

Malaysia's Najib says economy at risk from weak election result Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:29 PM PDT   (Reuters) - Najib's reformist ambitions are widely seen as having been curbed by conservative interests within UMNO. He has announced few major steps to roll back ethnic privileges that distort the economy and are seen as favoring the elite. Malaysian leader Najib Razak has warned that nascent reforms can't be done "overnight" and that Southeast Asia's third-largest economy risks slipping backwards if he does not win a strong majority in an election he must call within weeks. Prime minister Najib said a reduced parliamentary majority could weaken his drive to curb Malaysia's budget deficit and raise investment, and even cost him his job. "A strong government is necessary for us to accelerate the process of transformation in this country," Najib, who is also finance minister, told Reuters. The election, shaping as the closest in more than 50 years of post-colonial history, must be called by the end of April. "A weak government means instability and uncertainty and a country can ill afford that kind of scenario for the next five years given the external economic situation that's going to be between weak and rather uncertain." Convincing Malaysians that his government is "transformational", as 59-year-old Najib puts it, is crucial to the ruling coalition's chances. The ruling National Front is facing a confident opposition alliance led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who says Najib's reforms have stalled and who is tapping into a potent desire for change after 56 years of rule by a coalition led by the dominant United Malays National Party (UMNO). Najib's coalition, helped by economic growth that hit 5.6 percent last year and its own deep financial pockets, is favored to win against a fractious three-party opposition. But there is uncertainty over the outcome, helping make Kuala Lumpur's stock index Asia's worst performer this year. Najib has delayed potentially painful reforms to wean the country off dominant oil revenues and stem rising debt. He signaled that those steps would not be rushed through even if he formed a stronger government than the one that emerged from the 2008 election, when the National Front lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time. "If you try to do it overnight like some countries are doing, there's a massive contraction of the economy," he said. "We cannot afford that. We have to be mildly expansionary in our policies but fiscally responsible," Najib said. ARAB SPRING COMPARISON Malaysia's budget deficit fell to 4.5 percent last year from more than 6 percent when Najib took office. Its debt has crept up to around 53 percent of GDP -- close to a self-imposed limit of 55 percent -- from 43 percent in 2008. Najib has overseen a deluge of handouts to poorer Malaysians in what opposition politicians call thinly disguised vote-buying. Najib counters that the opposition's plans, including free university education, would send the deficit soaring. "The word 'change' has been abused so many times. As you know with the Arab Spring, there were no dividends," Najib said. Taking power in 2009, Najib staked his fortunes on reforms aimed at spurring growth, increasing transparency and dismantling policies that favor majority ethnic Malays but which have alienated minority ethnic Chinese and Indians. His flagship policy is the $444 billion Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), which aims to double per capita incomes to $15,000 by 2020. The ETP has won initial praise from investors, although it remains to be seen if private investment can play as bigger role as hoped. Najib's reformist ambitions are widely seen as having been curbed by conservative interests within UMNO. He has announced few major steps to roll back ethnic privileges that distort the economy and are seen as favoring the elite. Najib said that a "vast majority" of government contracts were now awarded through open tenders and that government spending was increasingly based on needs rather than race. Political pundits expect that an unconvincing election win for Najib will result in a leadership challenge later this year from within UMNO, possibly from his own deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, who is seen by markets as less reform-minded.

Halal Easter eggs and cat food: where big money meets religion Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:02 PM PDT   (Sydney Morning Herald) - Halal mainly involves meat. Much of the non-meat food supply is intrinsically halal, and thus does not require certification, including milk, honey, fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and grains. Yet many producers and suppliers of such products pay for halal certification.  Cadbury will sell a mountain of chocolates this Easter, as it does every Easter. It has been careful to make sure that its products are certified as halal, even though it is not necessary. Hundreds of companies in Australia do the same. Halal certification has become a big business. The essence of halal is that any food is forbidden to Muslims if it includes blood, pork, alcohol, the flesh of carnivores or carrion, or comes from an animal which has not been slaughtered in the correct manner, which includes having its throat slit. Food labelled as halal invariably involves the payment of a fee. It does not extend to chocolate but Cadbury lists 71 products which are halal, ranging from Dairy Milk to Freddo frogs to Red Tulip chocolates. The website also states: ''We do not have any kosher-certified products.'' ''Cadbury also pay for halal certification on the Easter product range, even though Easter is a Christian celebration and nothing to do with Islam,'' says Kirralie Smith, who runs a website called Halal Choices. The website lists 340 companies in Australia that pay for halal certification, including Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, Franklins, Kellogg's, MasterFoods, Nestle and even Kraft's Vegemite. Halal Choices has received more than 250,000 visits since Smith, a Christian activist, created the website two years ago to draw attention to the incremental extension of sharia into Australian culture. ''[Cadbury has] a standard letter to people who complain about their halal certification which says they have been assured the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils [which issues halal certifications] are not involved in any illegal activity,'' Smith said. ''They might want to explain the $9 million in fraud involving the Malek Fahd school.'' (Last year the Malek Fahd Islamic School in Sydney was ordered to repay $9 million in state funding which the state and federal governments said had been illegally transferred to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils. A federal government audit also questioned numerous payments made to AFIC by Islamic colleges in Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide.)  Read more at: http://m.smh.com.au/comment/halal-easter-eggs-and-cat-food-where-big-money-meets-religion-20130327-2gujc.html

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