Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Najib: The Indians have forgiven Zulkifli
- Why Ronnie Liu was dropped from DAP list
- Only PAS can lead Malaysia to Islam, declares Mat Taib
- PAS-PKR seat clashes from fear of defections, says Hadi
- Rebel DAP duo refuse to withdraw from GE13
- Islam is beyond just headscarves, Mat Taib
- Opposition parties singing same tune
- Anwar's 'clone': Is he for real or merely a phantom?
- Selangor govt should not be too surprised with voter increase: EC
- Kit Siang: People prefer Hadi to Najib as PM
- Drug dealers as candidates?
- Insight: Malaysia opposition sees state model guiding path to power
| Najib: The Indians have forgiven Zulkifli Posted: 21 Apr 2013 10:48 PM PDT
(fz.com) - "The Indians have forgiven him," said BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak of Perkasa vice-president Zulkifli Noordin, who is contesting the Shah Alam parliamentary seat under BN's ticket. "He has changed. He has apologised for making certain remarks. All that is in the past. There are Indians who kissed Zulkifli already. This is history," said the caretaker prime minister, in reference to a video which showed Zulkifli ridiculing the Hindu faith that went viral. During a visit to BN's election centre in Section 18 this evening, Najib reiterated his support for Zulkifli, praising the controversial Malay rights movement leader. "He knows the inner workings and weaknesses of the opposition, which is good for us," he added, referring to Zulkifli's short stint as a PKR member. Belying allegations that the Shah Alam BN division grass root members will shun Zulkifli during his election campaign, the machinery was seen heavily supporting Zulkifli as Shah Alam BN division members turned up in full force at events held on his campaign trail. Even Najib noticed the enthusiasm shown by the division members. "The support from the Shah Alam division members are high. Congratulations. I am confident BN can win all seats in Shah Alam," he added.
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| Why Ronnie Liu was dropped from DAP list Posted: 21 Apr 2013 05:31 PM PDT
(NST) - Ronnie Liu was dropped from Selangor DAP candidate list because he had become a liability to the party, his former aide, Jafrei Nordin said. He said complaints from the people in Pandamaran and his expose about Liu's activities caught DAP's attention, causing them to drop him to avoid further damage to the party's image. Liu was the assemblyman for Pandamaran and the state exco in charge of local government. "There were growing complaints from the people about vice activities but he did not take any action, although the local government issues were under his purview," he said in a ceramah here on Sunday. Jafrei added that Liu had even instructed the local councils not to take any action on the entertainment centers operating illegally. "This shows Liu's greediness to make money out of these businesses," he said, adding that the money was also chan neled to DAP for the party activities. He said Ronnie Liu is not the only problematic member in Pakatan Rakyat. He also mentioned Elizabeth Wong's love triangle with Hilmi Hazimin Abdul Malek and Tian Chua as examples. "There are a lot of moral issues surrounding the Pakatan Rakyat leadership. People have started to realise this and I am sure this would be reflected when they are casting their votes this time around," he said.
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| Only PAS can lead Malaysia to Islam, declares Mat Taib Posted: 21 Apr 2013 05:13 PM PDT
(Free Malaysiakini) - Former Umno vice-president Muhammad Muhammad Taib has joined PAS, saying he believes that it is the only party that can lead Malaysia towards Islam.
"I have to support the party that can bring true guidance." Muhammad said the BN has developed Malaysia but that this has been "development without soul", leading to a morally problematic if wealthy urban society. "Islamic values should be spreading from the cities, just like Mekah and Madinah became focal point of Islam during the Prophet's time," he said. "By right, the cities in the Klang Valley, which is the metropolis, should become the beacons of Islam, to lead the way for the hinterland." Hadi, who welcomed Mat Taib – as he is better known – said the latter's membership had long been mooted. He reiterated that PAS had opted to wait until after the nomination process for the 13th general election to show that Muhammad is sincere and did not join the party to become a candidate or because he wants power.
Asked about developments regarding PAS and PKR seat-overlaps in one parliamentary and six state seats, Salahuddin said this is pending discussion and that a statement would be made in the next few days. "Hopefully, with wisdom, we will resolve it," he said. Salahuddin labelled the overlaps as isolated incidents which do not affect the cooperation and harmony between the Pakatan Rakyat parties. However, PAS organ HarakahDaily reported this afternoon, quoting Hadi, that the Islamic party had already decided to cede the Labuan parliamentary seat and the two state seats to PKR; Sungai Acheh in Penang, Panti in Johor. While PKR will give the three Terengganu state seats in Bukit Besi, Senerang Takir and Kota Putera to PAS. As for the Kota Damansara state seat which is being contested by Dr Nasir Hashim from PSM under the PKR banner, this will be resolved in a triparte discussion between the Pakatan allies.
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| PAS-PKR seat clashes from fear of defections, says Hadi Posted: 21 Apr 2013 04:46 PM PDT
Boo Su-Lyn, TMI PAS is contesting against PKR in seven seats in Election 2013 out of fear that PKR candidates would defect once elected, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said yesterday. On Nomination Day last Saturday, PAS and its ally PKR both fielded candidates in one federal seat and six state seats although seat negotiations in the opposition pact were said to have been concluded. "There were clashes because we want to save Pakatan Rakyat (PR)," Abdul Hadi was recorded as saying yesterday on a YouTube clip titled "Kenapa berlaku pertindihan calon PAS & PKR?" (Why were there clashes between PAS and PKR candidates?). "We don't want our government to fall like Perak," he added. Two PKR and one DAP assemblymen in Perak defected after Election 2008 to become Barisan Nasional (BN)-friendly independents, causing the collapse of the PR state government. PKR suffered a string of high-profile defections since Election 2008, where six federal lawmakers quit the party within a year. Abdul Hadi also said the PKR candidate in one of the contentious seats was a drug dealer who sold methamphetamine, while another was a Marxist. "We also know of one candidate who subscribes to Marxism and has posters of Karl Marx, Stalin and Lenin at his operations centre. I will not mention who it is but PAS cannot work with people like this," he said, referring to infamous Russian communist leaders Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. The PAS syura council reportedly vetoed several candidates last February proposed for the 13th general election by the Islamist party's leadership over concerns of defections. Abdul Hadi refused to name the candidates whose loyalty was suspect, but stressed that PAS had no problems co-operating with the DAP and PKR.
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| Rebel DAP duo refuse to withdraw from GE13 Posted: 21 Apr 2013 04:39 PM PDT
Clara Chooi, TMI DAP's two rebel incumbents Jenice Lee and Sim Tong Him have turned down their party's ultimatum to withdraw from the polls contest, saying today that they were prepared to be sacked from the party. Both leaders, however, maintained that their loyalties still lie with the DAP and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and said if they won their respective seats, they would reapply to be party members again. "Jenice apologises to Karpal Singh and other respective leaders. However, a decision has been made and she will continue to stand in Teratai as she believes it is in the best interests of the people to be served by her, as was the case for the past seven years," her campaign manager Lee Kin Hing told The Malaysian Insider, reading from a statement approved by Jenice. "The party should pander to the will of the Teratai people… unless the majority decide differently in the coming election. "In any event, she will appeal and will reapply to rejoin the DAP as she still believes and upholds the principles and spirit of the DAP," the aide said. Jenice filed her nomination papers to defend her Teratai seat last Saturday, earning herself the boot from the DAP leadership for defying the party's decision to drop her as a candidate. The first-term assemblyman insisted that it was the will of her constituents that she re-contest the seat, saying she would even willingly return the seat to the DAP by rejoining as a member after her victory. Yesterday, however, a large group of Pandan DAP members, including branch chairmen, local councillors and committee members, came out to rat on Jenice, accusing her of power abuse, arrogance and poor service as an assemblyman. Elswhere in Malacca today, news portal Malaysiakini quoted Kota Melaka incumbent Sim as saying that he too would not back down from his bid for the Kota Laksamana state seat.
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| Islam is beyond just headscarves, Mat Taib Posted: 21 Apr 2013 04:28 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib finally joined PAS in what was the biggest open political secret these past few weeks. And what was the first thing the ex-Umno strongman had to mouth off to show his fundamentalist Islamic credentials upon joining PAS? "Say Islam, but look, there are schoolkids who wear skirts, they also wear baju kurung, they also wear tudung (headscarves), so it's not clear," Muhammad said at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today. First, the man known popularly as Mat Tyson is not qualified to preach on Islam. Wasn't he the one caught with RM3.8 million in an Australian airport in December 1996 and forced to quit his job as Selangor mentri besar in 1997? Wasn't he the one who concealed his marriage to a Selangor princess in the late 1980s but later divorced her? He seems to subscribe to a superficial brand of Islam where the outlook is far more important than the intent. Where form is more important than substance. And where wearing a headscarf is a lot more important than what a person is. Isn't mercy, kindness and justice important as well? Or are appearances even more important? Does wearing a skullcap and robes make a man more Muslim than his peers? PAS will do well to consider what message they are giving to Malaysians when they admit members with such a shallow outlook. As it is, their president's reasons for putting up candidates against allies reflects his mindset and distrust for those with other ideologies. It surely doesn't show that PAS is for all.
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| Opposition parties singing same tune Posted: 21 Apr 2013 04:21 PM PDT
Chinese voters getting the PAS symbol painted on their faces in Kluang, Johor, on Saturday morning. The Islamist party's willingness to allow its ally DAP to use the PAS logo represents a shift in Malaysian politics. (ST) - The matter showed how quickly the Chinese-based DAP and its Islamist partner PAS had closed ranks, despite big differences in ideologies. TERESA Teng's song - The Moon Represents My Heart - is a perennial favourite of Malaysia's Democratic Action Party (DAP). The evergreen hit took on a deeper meaning last week when the DAP declared that it was prepared to run in the general election using the full moon logo of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), its partner in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance. Even though the rejection of nomination papers filed by DAP candidates using the party's own rocket symbol did not happen on Nomination Day on Saturday, the Islamist party's willingness to quickly allow its ally to use the PAS logo represents a big shift in Malaysian politics, akin to, well, sending a rocket to the moon. There were scenes of Chinese men whose cheeks were painted with PAS' flag of a white moon on a green background in Johor on Saturday. And Malays in Muslim skull caps holding up DAP flags. "This is an unexpected twist in the general election which is certainly benefiting the opposition. But it will also be a positive development for Malaysian politics overall," said Mr Yang Razali Kassim, senior fellow with the S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. "The opposition has been energised as a more cohesive and unified coalition, driving Malaysian politics further down the road of a two-coalition system," he added. For the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN), what is happening might hurt the ruling coalition. It had been easy in the past to use DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang as a "Chinese chauvinist" bogeyman to scare off Malay voters, and the turbaned PAS president Hadi Awang to stop Chinese voters from backing a party with plans to implement strict Islamic laws. "This could be bad for Umno because how do you attack Lim Kit Siang as anti-Islam if he is using the PAS logo?" said Mr Ramli Yunus, an Umno division secretary in Kedah.
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| Anwar's 'clone': Is he for real or merely a phantom? Posted: 21 Apr 2013 04:18 PM PDT
(ST) - The challenge with covering Malaysian politics is that sometimes it's hard to judge whether something is too bizarre to be true THE note in the media notice was explosive. "Friday 9pm: Exclusive expose!" it screamed. "Anwar Ibrahim Thailand clone." The notice arrived last Thursday. Just prior to this, the opposition had been gushing about how they had found a lookalike of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. This person from Thailand, they claimed, had been used by Umno and the ruling Barisan Nasional to shoot fake sex videos. The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader had in recent years been "exposed" in numerous such videos by Umno-associated personalities and bloggers, to suggest that he is immoral. Just last month, a pro-Umno blog uploaded still pictures from what it claimed was a sex video of Mr Anwar. The pictures showed two men - one of whom resembled Mr Anwar - kissing and groping each other. In 2011, former Malacca chief minister Rahim Thamby Chik, businessman Shazryl Eskay and pro-Malay group Perkasa leader Shuib Lazim released a video showing a man they claimed was Mr Anwar having sex with a young woman. Mr Anwar has denied all the accusations. His case would be strengthened of course if the opposition can produce his "clone". The plot thickened when, in what seemed like an attempt to pre-empt this move, Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia published interviews with former PKR members last Friday. One said Mr Anwar would do anything to create the perception that the man in the sex videos is not him. Another accused him of using Umno and the ruling Barisan Nasional as his "punching bag". The Umno-linked New Straits Times quoted another insider who claimed that PKR had gotten an imposter to undergo plastic surgery to look like Mr Anwar. "Begun, the Clone Wars have," joked a fellow journalist, referencing an episode from the Star Wars storyline in Yoda's voice. Still, I was doubtful. If this was as big a deal as they said it was, why were they parading him for the first time in a semi-rural kampung in Penang? And if "Anwar" did not stand up to public scrutiny, this stunt would backfire, terribly. But if there's anything I've learnt from covering Malaysian politics, it's that its twists and turns sometimes defy even fiction. |
| Selangor govt should not be too surprised with voter increase: EC Posted: 21 Apr 2013 04:13 PM PDT
(NST) - The Selangor state government should not be too surprised with the increase in the number of voters in the state. Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the increase was principally due to the activities of assistant registrars belonging to Pakatan Rakyat parties. ''The biggest contributor to the increase is Pakatan Rakyat, followed by Barisan Nasional. ''But the increase has led to the state government complaining. ''PR has been working so hard to register new voters so don't pretend to be surprised. ''It tickles me when they pretend to be surprised as every political party was working hard to register new voters. They know their workers are working very hard to register voters,'' said Wan Ahmad in Damansara Perdana. Wan Ahmad said this in response to a question about Malaysians finding themselves on the electoral role without registering. He was at the launch of the National Institute for Electoral Integrity's Click-Your-Vote public election participation initiative today. |
| Kit Siang: People prefer Hadi to Najib as PM Posted: 21 Apr 2013 02:44 PM PDT
DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang also says DAP has been consistent in support of Anwar Ibrahim as the new prime minister. Anything else is just BN propaganda. Leven Woon, FMT Who do you want as the prime minister? The resounding answer was Abdul Hadi Awang of PAS. At least, that's what the gathering at the Pakatan Rakyat ceremahs in Gelang Patah and Muar indicated. This question was posed by DAP advisor Lim KIt Siang at the ceremahs. "I asked the thousands of Malaysians of all races in Muar and Gelang Patah in separate ceramahs last night whom they would choose, if they had to choose between Najib, Muhyiddin Yassin or the return of Mahathir as the prime minister, on the one hand, and Hadi on the other. "The response was a thunderous, categorical, and unequivocal declaration of support for Hadi to become PM rather than to see Najib, Muhyiddin or Mahathir as the man in Seri Perdana," he said. Lim told a press conference that he posed the question after BN leader such as Abdul Ghani Othman sounded the alarm bell that Hadi may be the prime minister should Pakatan Rakyat win power. Ghani reportedly warned the Chinese constituents in Gelang Patah yesterday that a vote for his opponent Lim is a vote for Hadi to be the prime minister. "If it is true what they said today that DAP has agreed that Hadi Awang would be our future prime minister, ladies and gentlemen, Johor and I will be worried. What will he be going to do to us… correct or not?" he was quoted of saying. Lim mocked that Ghani's remarks was an indirect admission that should DAP emerge victor in the Gelang Patah, Pakatan would win Putrajaya. However, he added that DAP has been consistent in support of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim as the new prime minister should they take over federal administration.
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| Posted: 21 Apr 2013 02:40 PM PDT
PAS president makes an 'outrageous' claim insinuating that some candidates picked by the opposition coalition even sold drugs. (FMT) - PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang yesterday revealed that the Islamic-based party had information that several candidates picked to contest by other Pakatan Rakyat component parties had ideologies that were different to the opposition coalition. Abdul Hadi alleged that he also received information on candidates who had an understanding that was different from the coalition. "There are some candidates who we fear are involved in selling methamphetamine. How can they be candidates?" "There are even some who put up pictures of (Vladimir) Lenin, (Joseph) Stalin and Karl Marx at the headquarters. PAS cannot work with such candidates," he said referring to candidates who hold the communist ideology, but did not reveal the individual. He said this at a PAS ceramah at Kampung Tebakang, Mukim Alor Limbat, here last night, Bernama reported. Hadi had said this while explaining the seat clashes between PAS and other Pakatan Rakyat components. Pakatan, the opposition pact made up of PKR, PAS and DAP, will be going against each other in at least seven seats in the coming general election, which will see polling on May 5. PAS will fight with its component party PKR and Barisan Nasional candidates in the Labuan parliamentary seat, state seats of Panti, Sungai Acheh (Penang), Kota Damansara (Selangor), Bukit Besi, Kota Putera and Seberang Takir (Terengganu). Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is another opposition party which has been asking for entry into Pakatan Rakyat. Although the opposition coalition have yet to accept PSM as a member, both parties had agreed to work together in the polls. The party is contesting four seats — one parliament and three state. It will use the PKR logo for the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in Perak and Kota Damansara state seat in Selangor. It will use its own logo for the Semenyih (Selangor) and Jelapang (Perak) state seats as it was not able to reach a consensus on the issue with Pakatan Rakyat component parties. In the last two seats, it also faces PKR and DAP candidates.
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| Insight: Malaysia opposition sees state model guiding path to power Posted: 21 Apr 2013 11:34 AM PDT
(Reuters) - "It would be a model to say that if we are financially prudent, with a little money we can do a lot of things," said Tony Pua, a leading opposition parliament member. "There's a lot more we can do with the federal budget." Lim Guan Eng, the hyperactive chief minister of Malaysia's Penang state, is not the type to miss a good photo-opportunity, so there were plenty of witnesses when he handed over the keys to his government Mercedes ahead of a May 5 general election. Integrity is a central battle cry for Malaysia's disparate three-party opposition as it pursues its best chance of ending 56 years of rule by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. "The official cars should not be misused for our own personal use," Lim, a 52-year-old ethnic Chinese, told reporters as his administration shifted to caretaker status this month. "This is the integrity held by the state administration." Five years after the opposition took control of four state governments, northwestern Penang will be Exhibit A in its case that it can make Southeast Asia's third-largest economy cleaner and more competitive. Malaysia's second-smallest state topped the state investment league for the first time in 2010 and again in 2011, bolstering its position as a hub for high-tech manufacturers such as Intel and Honeywell. Overall investment doubled in 2008-12 compared with the previous four years, a powerful rejoinder to the BN's claims that the opposition cannot be trusted to run the economy. The BN, or National Front, led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, points to a 73 percent slump in Penang's investment last year and mounting traffic congestion in the state, which also draws tourists to its beaches and the colonial elegance of its capital Georgetown, as evidence Lim's touch is wearing thin. But the opposition hopes Lim's reforms to tackle corruption linked to laws favoring majority ethnic Malays will resonate with a bulging younger generation of voters angry at graft and less attached to race-based politics. Polls suggest a narrow win for the BN, which lost the two-thirds parliamentary majority that allowed it to change the constitution for the first time in 2008. POTENTIAL SHAKE-UP The "Penang model" also highlights risks to investors from an opposition victory, which promises to unravel five decades of cozy relations between the government and business in what would be the biggest shake-up since independence from Britain. Led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, it says it will review suspicious contracts and cancel some, including a controversial $800 million rare-earths plant built by Australia's Lynas Corp. Its manifesto also pledges to break up "monopolies" in certain sectors. "We wouldn't want to take any action that would destabilize the market, but at the same time it doesn't mean they can get off scot-free, no," Lim, who will campaign nationwide, told Reuters in an interview. "The imperative should be there are no crony-driven contracts." Major firms and tycoons seen as having close ties with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party in the ruling coalition, could suffer. "On individual stocks, (it would be) disastrous, I should think," said Gerald Ambrose, managing director at Aberdeen Asset Management in Kuala Lumpur, adding that the overall stock market had likely priced in some risk of an opposition win. Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/21/us-malaysia-election-opposition-insight-idUSBRE93K0D920130421 |
"Only PAS can bring enlightenment," he told a press conference after handing over his membership form to president Abdul Hadi Awang at party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
Also present were PAS leaders deputy murshidul am Harun Din, and vice-presidents Salahuddin Ayub(right) and Mahfuz Omar.
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