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The ‘five-year hitch’

Posted: 31 May 2013 12:18 PM PDT

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If we want to restore our authority and make this nation great again, GE-14 is not the answer.

Mariam Mokhtar, FMT

Many couples go through a seven year itch; a "rough patch" in their marriage, caused by boredom, when some spouses desire the freedom of being single again.

In Malaysia, one can recognise the least productive and incapable BN politician by his "Five-Year Hitch"; the time frame needed to implement the tasks they promised to complete if they were to win GE-13.

Interestingly, these politicians have chosen an interval of five years, which is when the GE-14 would be called. The rakyat can see through the politicians' tricks and yet, the Election Commission (EC) has denied claims that the electoral system would mean BN would rule in perpetuity.

These politicians have not shown evidence that they are capable of carrying out their tasks, but they are already canvassing for re-election in five years time, in GE-14.

Despite the promises they made when campaigning for GE-13, they have already come up with excuses. They have learnt from their mentor, the leader of Umno-Baru, Najib Tun Razak, that words speak louder than actions and the best phrase is "You help me, I help you."

This year has yet to see the usual Malaysian election phenomenon, when turncoat politicians – "frogs" cross over to the 'other' side. They will probably make their moves soon.

Men who have lied to the rakyat, now have very senior roles in the Cabinet. Some of these men were not elected by the rakyat but secured a place in the Cabinet through deceit. Others who were once guilty of money politics, now draw a salary which is paid for by the taxpayer.

Both these sorts of men, have one thing in common; they are in charge of policies which will affect the rakyat.

The first to make his debut performance, barely two weeks after GE-13, was Hindraf's P Waythamoorthy, a deputy minister in the Prime minister's Department (PMD).

After his hunger strike, which he used to embarrass and weaken the opposition, Waythamoorthy announced that he would need five years to resolve the issue of stateless Indians. He made it clear that Hindraf had a mechanism to solve the problem and yet declined to give details. Does a plan even exist?

Is Waythamoorthy's time to be spent resolving only the issue of the stateless Indian? In the five years that Waythamoorthy claims he will need to resolve the problem of the 300,000 stateless Indian, a few hundred thousand people from Bangladesh, the Philippines, Pakistan, Myanmar or Indonesia will have become fully fledged Malaysian citizens, without any problems.

Does Waythamoorthy realise that many Orang Asli, Penan and other indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak are also stateless? These people cannot afford the long and expensive journey to town to register the births of their children. These people are also denied education, health and other benefits.

Illegitimate children of Muslim parents are also disenfranchised and might as well be considered stateless. They cannot attend school, or have a passport or enjoy the benefits all children should be entitled to.

Read more at: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/06/01/the-five-year-hitch/ 

Unity: Moving Forward

Posted: 31 May 2013 12:05 PM PDT

http://site.yayasan1malaysia.org/clients/yayasan1malaysia/images/photos/3416201225939PM_O.jpg 

When political polarisation conceals deeper ethnic-cum-religious polarisation, it is important to create opportunities for citizens with divergent ethnic perspectives to meet and share their innermost feelings in an atmosphere that allows for honest, sober reflection. 

Chandra Muzaffar

One of the most positive developments in the wake of the 13th General Election is the willingness of a number of Ministers in the Federal Cabinet to invite Opposition politicians to join them in policy formulation and planning at the ministerial level.

Hopefully, cooperation of this sort --- if it works out --- will reduce the antagonism and animosity between the Barisan Nasional and the Pakatan Rakyat which has poisoned the political atmosphere in the last five years or so. Adversarial politics upon which our political system is built often undermines the etiquette and respect that should govern relations between actors with different perspectives on society.

If the Federal Government and the Federal Opposition demonstrate that they can work together on certain matters, the Centre and the Opposition states should also aim to achieve a higher level of understanding especially on issues that have divided them in the recent past. Since there is always the possibility of a State and the Centre being ruled by different political parties, it is imperative that the rulers at both levels transcend partisan loyalties and focus upon the well-being of the people. Opposition leaders at the State level should perhaps initiate moves in that direction, since some Federal Ministers have already reached out to the Opposition.  

In the spirit of reaching out to each other, the BN and the PR should also give serious attention to a proposal that has re-emerged in the post-election scenario.

I had first mooted the idea of a Consultative Council on National Unity in 1987 when I was heading a local NGO. Later, when I joined the Opposition, then known as Barisan Alternatif (BA), I revived the proposal and developed it further. The BA accepted it and the concept of a Majlis Perundingan Perpaduan Nasional (MPPN) was presented to the public at a media conference on the 2nd of April 2001.   

I had suggested then --- and I remain convinced --- that the MPPN should be established through an Act of Parliament. It would be independent of the Executive and would be answerable to Parliament to which it would submit half-yearly reports to be debated by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara. These reports would also contain recommendations which if adopted by Parliament would be implemented by the Executive.

Since the proposed MPPN would be answerable to Parliament, its members would also be appointed by the same body. What is envisaged is a membership of about 40 to 50 persons comprising representatives of citizens' groups and individuals who have researched and written on ethnic relations in Malaysia. The membership should reflect the wide spectrum of ethnic concerns that characterise our society and should be as inclusive as possible. Political parties and serving politicians will not be part of the MPPN. This is to ensure that the consultative council will not be subjected to the pulls and pressures of partisan politics. It will also help to elevate issues pertaining to national unity above politics which in some ways has been a bane to the quest for national unity.

The MPPN would meet behind closed doors. There would be no media coverage of its deliberations. The media and the public would have access to its work through its half-yearly reports presented to Parliament. It is through Parliament that the MPPN would be accountable to the people.

It is crucial that a platform like MPPN be established expeditiously, given the situation we are in. When political polarisation conceals deeper ethnic-cum-religious polarisation, it is important to create opportunities for citizens with divergent ethnic perspectives to meet and share their innermost feelings in an atmosphere that allows for honest, sober reflection. If anything, the 13th General Election and its outcome has revealed that a substantial segment of the Malay and Chinese populace subscribes to notions of the character and identity of the Malaysian nation which are diametrically different. It is partly because many Malays felt in the week leading to the polls that the idea of the nation that they were comfortable with was being challenged by a view of Malaysia that ignored its historical foundation that they rallied around UMNO. The election also showed how 'equality' and 'justice' are increasingly seen through a communal prism that has little or no empathy for the other and how it understands its own situation.   The impact of young voters who mirror some of these communal tendencies and yet are different in their political orientation from the older generation is yet another development that merits serious thought. Add to this the role of the new media in fostering and reinforcing both communal and non-communal attitudes. Among these attitudes are those related to religion and its role in the public sphere which in the election generated responses from a segment of both the Muslim majority and the Christian minority.

What this shows is that there are issues of great magnitude that should be addressed outside the arena of electoral politics through sincere and continuous engagement and interaction with the diverse citizens' groups that constitute our multi-ethnic nation. Hence the case for MPPN.


Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Yayasan 1Malaysia.

 


 

More than meets the eye

Posted: 31 May 2013 11:58 AM PDT

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Sabah: Ground Zero 

There is more to Nurul Izzah's visit to Sabah than meets the eyes.

Contrary to reports, Nurul Izzah was not just planning to celebrate Pesta Kaamatan with the Kadazandusun community in Penampang, Sabah.

The state immigration department, based on tip off from the police special branch, denied entry to Nurul Izzah because she was slated to meet 2 individuals (trusted East Malaysian lieutenants of Anwar, one of them from DAP) to help facilitate the inflow of funds for the party in Sabah.

One of these two individuals had previously worked closely with sacked Alliance Bank CEO Bridget Lai.

(Bridget Lai is claimed to have played an important role in helping PKR convert millions of US dollars into Ringgit to be channelled for the 2008 General Elections but was subsequently removed over office renovation issues in 2010).
Now, these funds will play a crucial role in helping Pakatan Rakyat stage several rounds of rallies and conduct other activities similar to the Black 505 rallies in Semenanjung.

Why Anwar sent in Nurul? Because she has the image of a sweet, young and honest politician and no one will doubt her motives.
Two set of envelopes were carried by Nurul when she arrived at the KK International airport via Air Asia AK5118 at around 7.00pm on Thursday.

Based on information received by the special branch, the sealed envelopes contained, among others, payment & transaction details and a set of instructions assigned for this 2 trusted lieutenants.

She was supposed to meet these two lieutenants at a hotel in KK on Friday to pass them the envelopes.
In simple terms, Nurul's presence in Sabah was as to act as a 'facilitator' between Anwar and the party's operatives in Sabah for the staging of an uprising. 

After all, Anwar knows better that he can't sent in any other senior party officials such as Azmin, Sivarasa, Surendran or Tian Chua, because they would have been barred immediately.

Read more at: http://sabahgroundzero.blogspot.com/2013/05/more-than-meets-eyes.html 

 

Why not a "4 heads roll in 1" rally

Posted: 31 May 2013 11:52 AM PDT

http://globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/penang-rally-375x245.jpg 

Holding more rallies is a great way to empower the masses and encourage the growth of the people's movement in shaping a healthy democracy. As an overall strategy to win the hearts and minds of the other 48 percent who voted for the BN, it might not be a good idea.

Kuo Yong Kooi 

The opposition has wowed to continue with more Blackout 505 rallies that focus on making 'three key demands'. They are; the top heads of the Election Commission (EC) to resign from their posts; for fresh elections to be conducted in 30 parliamentary seats; and to postpone any amendment to the election law and the constituency re delineation exercise.

Holding more rallies is a great way to empower the masses and encourage the growth of the people's movement in shaping a healthy democracy. As an overall strategy to win the hearts and minds of the other 48 percent who voted for the BN, it might not be a good idea.

The pro-Umno media have been creating the perception that the opposition under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim are sore losers, "crying over spilt milk" and not willing to move on for the good of the nation. The arguments they put forward, like the opposition have accepted the results of the three states that they have won, but disputed the others that they have lost; and the Blackout 505 rallies have to end soon for the nation to move on. 

These are reasonable points of argument in the eyes of those who voted for BN.

Art Harun pointed out another valid argument that the 'gerrymandering' was never an issue at all and Pakatan never challenged the legality of the delineation prior to the 2008 elections in his article 'Is BN a validly elected government?
 
Within the opposition ranks there are also dissenters for more rallies. The salient point that the opposition must consider is that will this 'more rallies strategy to highlight the fraudulent GE13 adding the latest three point demands' be able to win the hearts and minds of the other 48 percent who voted for BN?

If it doesn't, it will only serve to divide our nation further and intensifies the current stalemate. Bear in mind we might also lose more Pakatan supporters along the way as people might be 'rally fatigued' and bored with the same points of argument in all the Blackout 505 rallies. The reality is we can never replicate the initial Blackout 505 rally at the Kelana Jaya stadium on May 8. Any further rallies will only draw smaller crowds and dampen more spirits or hopes for change.

Hishamuddin Rais and Anything But Umno (ABU) head Haris Ibrahim have always pointed out that 'Pilihan Jalan Raya' is the only way to change the government. If we are prepared to take the path of more rallies, we might as well go all the way. 

Asking the EC to resign is not all the way. Asking the inspector-general of police (IGP), attorney-general (AG) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) head to resign to me is a more 'wholistic' approach to this problem.

We are not asking for the toppling of the current 'so-called' legitimately elected government. We are only asking for the installation of neutral/independent or non-partisan heads of these four crucial government departments so that they can facilitate and mitigate our current 'stalemate' situation.

The point that can gain universal approval is that if the police are charging the opposition figures under the Sedition Act, they also need to charge the head of Utusan Malaysia, Ibrahim Ali, Zul Noordin, Mahathir Mohamad and others that have made seditious statements, too, as Haris Ibrahim had said after he was released and charged.

Cutting four carrots instead of one
 
If we are to hold more rallies and make great strife to cut one carrot (the EC chiefs' resignation), we might as well cut the other three carrots along the way (which is the IGP, AG and head of the MACC's resignations). Changing the EC head might give us hope of a free and fair election in five years time, but what about remedies for now till before GE14?

We were told that the courts might take up to six months to settle all the petitions that the opposition had filed on the 13th general election. The second of the three-point demand for fresh elections to be conducted in 30 parliamentary seats is a waste of 'chi' like shouting slogans in a rally when the courts have not even started to look at the petitions filed. 

We cannot file petitions and at the same time ask for fresh elections on the 30 parliamentary seats. The settlement of the petitions filed in court precedes the demand for a fresh election.

Let's say hypothetically we managed to pressure the Najib Abdul Razak administration to change the heads of the EC through the rallies in the near future. That does not weed out the same 'shifty clown politicians' that have been running wild on the floors of our parliament for the last three or four decades. 

On the other hand if we managed to push for an independent AG, IGP and head of MACC after holding a series of rallies, we might have a total new breed of politicians on the floors of our parliament after GE14. Those 'shifty' politicians who are corrupt would have either ended up in jail or migrated overseas with our nation's loot long before the next general election commences.

Cutting four carrots with one knife will most likely not dampen the spirits of the future rally-goers. It might also attract more supporters from the other 48 percent who voted for BN. More than 51 percent of the electorate believed that Pakatan can be a more accountable and transparent administration. Over 48 percent believed otherwise. The majority would like a more transparent, accountable and independent government departments.

If the rally themes focus only on electioneering and post GE13 matters, the onus seems to be on the Pakatan side to stop the rallies so that our country can move on. Furthermore, it looks like Pakatan is only concerned with winning elections. That is a psychological negative. However if the rallies focus on changing the heads of EC, IGP, MACC and AG, the onus is on the Umno side to change this so that our country can move on. After all 51% of the rakyat wanted something positive changed here. 
 
We must note that not all who voted against BN like Pakatan. It is because they hate Umno for stifling our democracy through installing pro-Umno IGPs, AGs, and heads of the EC and MACC that landed our nation in this current state. Some voted for PSM, Star and many other independent candidates because they were thumbing their noses at the arrogance of the Pakatan leaders that had by-passed their years of hard and arduous grassroots work.

Further rallies that demand the new appointments of independent or non-partisan 'heads' of these crucial four government departments is a 'unifying' theme. Don't you agree?

Malaysians have tried beverages like '3-in-1' instant coffee mix and Kopi Jantan (coffee + tongkat Ali). Why not try out a new rally theme like '4-heads-rolling-in-1 rally'?

Pakatan Rakyat Perlu Berubah

Posted: 31 May 2013 11:41 AM PDT

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Pelbagai ikhtiar rakyat seperti berkali-kali berhimpun, berjalan kaki dari Kuantan ke Kuala Lumpur, petisyen demi petisyen, mogok lapar, dan aduan ke mahkamah telah dilakukan. Kerajaan buat tidak tahu sahaja.

A. Faizal Rahman  

Disebabkan kongkongan suara di negara ini, pihak Pakatan Rakyat (PR) terpaksa mengadakan perhimpunan di serata negara bagi menyuarakan kekesalannya terhadap proses pilihan raya (PRU) yang lepas. Sambutan masyarakat terhadap perhimpunan-perhimpunan ini amat 'luar biasa', hingga ada yang melibatkan penyertaan ratusan ribu manusia.

Kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) pula menggerakkan media massa untuk memburuk-burukkan himpunan ini. Ia digelar 'Malaysia Spring' dan 'Anwar Spring' bagi menyamakannya dengan 'Arab Spring'. Perhimpunan rakyat ini dikatakan bertujuan untuk menggangu ketenteraman dan merosakkan harta benda. Hakikatnya, perhimpunan-perhimpunan ini menjadi bukti betapa teraturnya dan 'civil'-nya rakyat Malaysia. Tiada kerosakkan satu harta atau benda pun yang dilaporkan setakat ini. Malaysian Book of Records sepatutnya melakarkan perihal ini sebagai satu rekod nasional.

Pihak polis pula menjalankan operasi menangkap dan mendakwa aktivis-aktivis masyarakat. Polis sebenarnya sudah jemu dengan operasi-operasi sebegini. Bagi mereka, operasi-operasi ini membazir masa, sumber dan anggota; yang sepatutnya dikerah untuk menangkap penjenayah sebenar. Yang paling dikesali pihak polis adalah cemuhan masyarakat akibat tindakan mereka yang hanya 'menurut perintah'.

 

Ubahlah pendekatan

Kitaran PR berhimpun kerana tiada ruang bersuara, kerajaan BN memburukkan PR dan polis menzalimi rakyat – berulang terlalu banyak kali. Antara contoh yang boleh diambil iktibar adalah skandal Lynas. Pelbagai ikhtiar rakyat seperti berkali-kali berhimpun, berjalan kaki dari Kuantan ke Kuala Lumpur, petisyen demi petisyen, mogok lapar, dan aduan ke mahkamah telah dilakukan. Kerajaan buat tidak tahu sahaja. Sedar-sedar, kilang Lynas telah pun siap dan sudah beroperasi sekarang. Oleh itu, buat PR, janganlah bergantung harap dengan usaha berhimpun, petisyen dan aduan mahkamah. Besar kemungkinan, usaha-usaha tersebut akan diabaikan kerajaan. Keputusan PRU-13 akan kekal begitu sahaja.

Lainlah jika institusi Agong, penaung sebenar Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR), ingin menyiasat ketelusan proses PRU-13 (melalui Suruhanjaya DiRaja),  peluang untuk aduan PR didengari dengan adil nampak suram. Lebih-lebih lagi, apabila SPR dilihat 'berteduh' dibawah payung tuan 'de fecto'-nya, iaitu kerajaan BN.

PR hendaklah menerima hakikat bahawa negara ini adalah negara dunia ketiga yang diperintah oleh golongan yang mementingkan diri sendiri. Perjuangan menetang kezaliman memanglah mengujakan. Tetapi, berdasarkan pengalaman yang lalu, peluang untuk menukar keputusan kerajaan dengan cara ini, amatlah tipis.

Bagi penulis, pendekatan yang lebih bermanafaat adalah dengan melaksanakan dasar-dasar yang mampu menguatkan keyakinan rakyat kepada PR. Halu tuju PR dan momentum sokongan rakyat kepadanya sudah cukup memberansangkan. Dengan sedikit tambahan sokongan dari golongan atas pagar, moderat dan penyokong BN, ia pasti dapat membentuk kerajaan pusat di PRU akan datang. Kini, apa yang PR perlu adalah sedikit kesabaran dan ketabahan.

 

Biarkan Barisan Nasional

Mengapa PR sahaja yang perlu berubah? Jawapannya mudah. BN terbukti tidak mampu berubah. Lihat bagaimana ia sentiasa mendahulukan pemimpin-pemimpin korup daripada kepentingan rakyat. Taib Mahmud, Shahrizat Jalil, Raja Ropiah, Isa Samad dan rakan-rakan. Lihat bagaimana ia lebih mementingkan kepentingan 'perompak' kapitalis seperti tauke-tauke IPP (Independent Power Producers), konsensioner Lebuh Raya, syarikat air swasta, kontraktor pengangkutan awam (dan lain-lain) daripada kelansungan hidup rakyat. Lihatlah bagaimana tender-tender kerajaan dibaham ahli-ahli keluarga yang tidak berkebolehan. Banyak lagi, dan berkali-kali. Ia terlalu banyak dan berkali-kali hinggakan kebarangkalian skandal-skandal umpamanya berulang adalah satu kepastian. Bukan tidak ditegur. Bukan tidak dibongkar. Bukan tidak dibantah. Masalahnya adalah kepimpinan; tiada azam(will) atau kesediaan untuk berubah dan membela rakyat.

Read more at: http://secebiswaras.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/pakatan-rakyat-perlu-berubah/ 

 

BN information chiefs play pivotal roles

Posted: 31 May 2013 11:25 AM PDT

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(NST) - An endless stream of farcical allegations against the coalition of rigging the electoral system had stifled BN's proactive efforts to generate trust among the public, including those who are not even old enough to vote but young enough to rally. 

IMPROVE: They must revise and do more in their approach to be more effective

AS he carefully realigned his side-parted hairstyle before meeting journalists for interviews, Datuk Ahmad Maslan would often straighten his shirt's crisp collars with the tips of his fingers.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) information chief probably does not own a round-neck T-shirt or at least, does not want to be seen wearing one judging from a casual observation of him habitually caressing those starched flaps; he favours formal clothing.

It is not wrong to say that the 49 year old is always prepared to look good before the media. Perhaps, Ahmad was just doing his job as an information chief, whose capacity has often been perceived to include the role of a public relations officer.

Undoubtedly, information chiefs are leaders in the front line when it comes to providing a respectable image for their respective parties.

And now the aftermath of the recently-concluded general election has brought forth a herculean task for BN information heads as they journey into another term with a slightly reduced majority.

An endless stream of farcical allegations against the coalition of rigging the electoral system had stifled BN's proactive efforts to generate trust among the public, including those who are not even old enough to vote but young enough to rally.

But have the information chiefs been significantly effective in their tasks?

One of the points raised by Universiti Utara Malaysia's Dr Muhammad Fuad Othman was that some information chiefs have yet to master the tailoring of messages to suit their targeted demographic, which could make thin of the political endorsement sought.

Muhammad explained that in relaying information, one must take into consideration the audience's level of intellect, age, creed and to a certain extent the timing of the message being made public.

He stressed that the main task of any information chief was to disseminate information and knowledge to the masses.

"For example, the reality on the ground is that (some) from the middle-income group felt detached from the government following the disbursement of the 1Malaysia People's Aid financial assistance.

"This can, or has resulted in a vote swing. In hindering such perception, the information chiefs can play a larger role by creating awareness on the other benefits enjoyed by this middle-income group," said the political scientist.

This writer opines that fresh substance in their speeches can definitely boost the effectiveness of the propaganda -- sans the shady connotation of the term -- spread. Repetitive contents can be a chore for even a diehard supporter to listen to during a ceramah.

What the people want to know are issues relatable to their daily goings-on; national issues can be sensational but at the end of the day, one may wonder whether the potholes have been filled or the clogged drains cleared.

In the same context, information chiefs must be on the ground to better understand the people's sentiments as the cliched battle "to win the hearts and minds of the people" is very real, and covers each and every aspect of their demands.

Touching base with political issues in certain localities for instance could provide better inputfor information chiefs on the people's needs.

As of now it seems that immaculately ironed shirts and diplomatic dispositions just do not cut it anymore, if the messages were not effectively relayed to or inculcated among the masses.

Associate Professor Dr Mohd Adnan Hashim concurred that such an approach must be carried out as the task ahead was certainly daunting due to the political landscape.

"The information chiefs must make full engagement with the people (pro-opposition included), whether by meeting them (face to face) or in the social media. They must spend more time on the ground (for a long-term benefit)."

The specific approach to the younger generation especially, must be refined to make the party acceptable at all levels of the youth segment. In the long run, it is possible to create a sense of attachment, belonging and ultimately loyalty.

Adnan described the youth as a crucial reservoir in ensuring a continuity of support for any party. In listing out his suggestions, Adnan however noted at the same time, it was a job not to be solely assigned to the information chiefs.

The communications and media studies expert said other than having the rank and file to act as "party representatives" to help spread information, a credible and capable team must be set up to assist their respective information chiefs.

"A case in point is the fabricated information being circulated on the social media such as Facebook and Twitter. People nowadays are somehow inclined to believe in unverified facts.

"A team of 'gatekeepers' must be quick in their response the counter any allegations and come out with the right facts and figures or maybe, take a leaf from the strategy employed by their rivals (and beat them at their own game)," said Adnan who is also the Malacca Universiti Teknologi Mara rector.

This is one of the toughest terms yet for the BN, as the ruling coalition is also embarking on another five-year campaign since 2008 when it first experienced a bittersweet victory following the unprecedented losses of states.

With Pakatan Rakyat rousing its supporters for rallies to kick-start an early campaigning period for the 14th general election, the information chiefs should be one step further to offset the opposition's advance.

Their involvement to ensure the coalition's political survival and dominance will be pivotal in mitigating the opposition pact's onslaught.


 

Menteri Indonesia: Anwar mungkir janji

Posted: 31 May 2013 12:49 AM PDT

Anwar tahu Najib tidak menandatangani perjanjian itu, "tapi Najib memberi jaminan beliau akan mematuhi perjanjian itu."

(FMT) - Penasihat PKR Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim telah meminta satu perjanjian diadakan untuk memastikan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menyerahkan kuasa sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat memenangi pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13), kata seorang saksi pertemuan yang diadakan oleh orang tengah dari Indonesia dengan kedua-dua pemimpin itu.

Hamid Awaludin, bekas menteri undang-undang dan hak asasi manusia Indonesia, berkata "oleh kerana tidak terdapat sebarang perkara yang boleh membatalkan perjanjian itu, yang dibuat menjelang PRU13 atau pada hari pengundian, maka perjanjian berkenaan terus terpakai".

Bagaimanapun, "keadaan berubah apabila Najib diisytihar sebagai pemenang" katanya sambil menjelaskan bahawa Anwar meminta perjanjian itu diadakan kerana beliau "yakin akan mencapai kemenangan pada pilihan raya itu berdasarkan hasil pungutan pendapat yang sering menyebelahinya dan jumlah hadirin pada majlis ceramah anjuran Pakatan Rakyat".

Hamid, yang pernah berkhidmat sebagai duta besar Indonesia ke Russia dan Belarus dari 2008 hingga 2011, memberitahu Bernama beliau turut hadir pada perbincangan yang diadakan antara bekas naib presiden Indonesia Jusuf Kalla dengan Anwar dan Najib.

Jusuf Kalla orang tengah

"Jusuf Kalla sekadar memenuhi permintaan Anwar supaya beliau menjadi orang tengah. Bukan beliau (Jusuf) yang mengambil daya usaha agar perjanjian itu diadakan atau pergi berjumpa Anwar," katanya.

Laporan media baru-baru ini menyebut Anwar menafikan beliau memungkiri perjanjian damai yang diatur Jusuf dan mendakwa bekas naib presiden Indonesia itu menemuinya untuk menawarkan bantuan bagi memastikan urusan selepas PRU13 berjalan secara teratur.

Bagaimanapun, satu laporan lain pula menyebut Anwar mengaku beliau ada membuat perjanjian dengan Najib, yang menyaksikan Jusuf sebagai orang tengahnya, tetapi mendakwa Barisan Nasional (BN) menjadikan perjanjian itu terbatal berikutan cara parti gabungan itu melancarkan kempennya.

PRU13 menyaksikan BN, yang diterajui Najib, kembali berkuasa apabila memenangi 133 daripada 222 kerusi parlimen. Oleh kerana tidak berpuas hati dengan keputusan itu, Anwar dan Pakatan Rakyat mengadakan perhimpunan di seluruh negara sejak 8 Mei dengan mendakwa berlaku penipuan pilihan raya.

Hamid berkata Anwar tahu Najib tidak menandatangani perjanjian itu, "tapi Najib memberi jaminan beliau akan mematuhi perjanjian itu."

"Beliau menerima perjanjian itu," kata Hamid dan menambah bahawa Najib mengotakan janjinya serta menyeru ke arah penyatuan nasional ketika berucap apabila BN diisytiharkan kembali berkuasa.

"Tindakan Najib ini menepati apa yang telah beliau ucapkan," katanya.

Malah, kata Hamid, sehari selepas kemenangan Najib, beliau tetap optimistik perjanjian itu akan terus terpakai dan kedua-dua pihak akan mematuhinya. Tetapi, Anwar memungkirinya," kata beliau.

"Saya rasa Anwar masih tidak dapat menerima hakikat politik," katanya.

Berikut adalah soal jawab dengan Hamid:

READ MORE HERE

 

It was Marina's birthday today....

Posted: 31 May 2013 12:37 AM PDT

.....so I took her for lunch at the highest pub in England

 

The problem with '1Malaysia': A musical-historical perspective

Posted: 30 May 2013 04:50 PM PDT

 A fiction, not a fact

The concept of a pure Malay culture is non-existent because cultures, essentially, are complex, and this is why the notion of ONE Malaysia is a myth, says Adil Johan.

By Aliran

Definition:

'majmuk': terdiri daripada beberapa bahagian yang bersatu; terdiri atau terbentuk daripada beberapa bahagian dan sebagainya tetapi merupakan kesatuan

'pluralism': composed of many parts that are united; inclusive or formed from many parts but of a unified whole

(translated from Kamus Dewan Online)

Music, history and pluralism in the Malay Peninsula

In my studies of Malay music history, I have observed that it is impossible to define a specific 'Malay' musical tradition. This is not due to an 'absence' of culture or a precedent of 'stealing' or 'borrowing' of other musical cultures as some falsely believe. Malay musical tradition is undefinable because it is so immensely diverse and varied. In short, Malay musical tradition is a majmuk tradition.

Like our pluralistic society, Malay music culture is a sum composed of many intertwining parts. Some of the styles of music include the inang, joget, zapin, asli, dondang sayang, and even the Javanese keroncong. Of course, local university syllabi on traditional music would include all of these styles under a general 'umbrella' of Malay traditional music, but I strongly reject this gross simplification.

This is because throughout history and across education systems, there is a myth of subsuming unity in culture or ethnicity. The truth is, all our cultures are complex and interwoven through complex processes of change throughout space and time. The Malaysian Archipelago or Nusantara is a beautiful example of pluralistic exchange across and within diverse cultures.

Prior to the colonisation of European Empires, Melaka was a centre of cultural interaction between Chinese, Indian, Arabic and Southeast Asian peoples. Aside from precious spices, technologies such as musical instruments were traded while languages and religious ideas were shared. Skilled traders spoke in many tongues; while Malay was a dominant lingua franca across the Indian Ocean.

In short, our rich cultural history indicates that it is impossible to pin down one specific or pure Malaysian 'tradition'. Our cultural history is rich and pluralistic and the character of the Malay Peninsula should be understood as such.

So, what is my problem with '1Malaysia'?

This is a concept that completely ignores our rich and diverse history in the region while undermining the unique balance of differences that we share in contemporary Malaysian society. The '1 Malaysia' slogan is merely a corporate branding exercise that desperately tried to fit all Malaysians into an artifical 'box' of national identity.

I don't even need to talk about non-Malays to discuss cultural diversity in our country.

Let us focus on the 'ethnic' group that I come from: 'The Malays'. In my study of Malay culture and history, I have found our understanding of Malay ethnicity to be very misguided.

First, the Malay community is a post-colonial construct. Prior to colonial rule, the Malays identified themselves in relation to the numerous Sultanates (eg. Perak, Johor, Pahang). You were either an 'orang Johor' or 'orang Perak'; not an 'orang Melayu'. There wasn't any concept of 'bangsa' or 'race' the way we experience it today. You would have been asked what kampung or community you came from rather than your 'race' or 'nationality'.

Second, people considered 'Malay' today can trace their ancestry to many ethnic groups across the Malay Archipelago, eg. Bugis, Minangkabau, Java, Aceh, Orang Laut and some can even be traced to Arab communities like the Hadramaut. One shining example is Parameswara, the founder of the glorious Malay sultanate of Melaka who came from the kingdom of Palembang in Sumatra.

Third, for current-day Malays; aren't we all individuals with different cultural lifestyles and political beliefs? Let us not even talk about the supposed 'urban-rural' divide. In the cities, there are Malays who are devout and there are some who are moderately religious. There are Malays who support Umno and some who support DAP. Some believe in a neoliberal free market economy and some believe in an Islamic-welfare state. Some like tempoyak and some like 'chicken chop'. Some absolutely love durian but some absolutely, hands-down, hate durian. Historically, I can say the same about music taste; some preferred keroncong over joget, while some loved both equally.

If we all ate nasi lemak three times a day, 365-days a year, we would be absolutely bored of nasi lemak. So, as Malaysians, we are blessed with a plethora of choices such as roti canai, chicken chop, char koay teow – and for our health, the occasional ulam!

So, that is my problem with '1Malaysia'. It is so far from the truth and so far from right. We, as a pluralistic or majmuk society, must embrace the differences and diversity of views and cultures that we have. This is something that is deeply embedded in the rich cultural history of this amazing peninsula. Malay musical 'tradition' is in fact, a direct reflection of this pluralism.

As a Malaysian youth, I hope to see a political future of not one but 'Many Malaysias' converging in a harmonious symphony of flavours and voices. In order to see that, we need to overhaul our deeply flawed electoral process to ensure a healthy democracy and a fair political system that doesn't reward a minority '1Malaysia government'. I know that most of us youth are sick and tired of the same old song. 

Read more here http://aliran.com/14128.html

 

Yes, let us demystify the majority popular votes

Posted: 30 May 2013 04:34 PM PDT

How many Malay voters came out to vote? 7.8million. What does this mean? It means 5 million Malays did not vote UMNO on the 5th of May.

By Sakmongkol AK47

Here are some interesting figures.

Political parties, votes, vote distribution

party

votes

No of seats

Voters/seat

UMNO

3,241,286

88

36,831

PAS

1.633,389

21

77,780

PKR

2,254,328

30

75,144

DAP

1,736,267

38

45,691

Source: SPR

We have been told that UMNO has 3.2 million members. So how come it got only 3.2 million votes? Assuming all its members voted for their glorious party, then UMNO's votes came from its own members. It can't speak on behalf of the Malaysian people. It can't even speak on behalf of the 7.8 million Malays who voted on the 5th May 2013 election.

So where did the Perkasa guy get his figures when he declared that the UMNO government should be thankful to the Malays for voting in UMNO and keeping it in power. 4.6 million Malays chose not to vote for UMNO. Unless 4.6million is smaller than 3.2million.
We don't want to erase UMNO. UMNO can remain as it is- irrelevant and attracting the crass, crude and myopic leaders and adherents. The rest of the Malay race want to move forward. They only want to do so without UMNO.  

BN vs PR and vote distribution

party

votes

%votes

seats

%seats

BN

5,237,699

47.38

133

59.91

PR

5,623,984

50.87

89

40.09

Source SPR

BN has more than 7 million members. It got only 5.24 million votes. 2 million BN members did not vote for BN. BN can't even speak for the Malaysian people.

It is clear PR got more popular votes but that success is negated by gerrymandering and the uneven distribution of voters per seat. PR has to contest in bigger populated areas which could accommodate more parliamentary and state seats. UMNO and BN represent seats which have less voice than the seats represented by PR. 1 seat contested by PR is equivalent to 2 seats won by BN.

But let us take on the Perkasa man on his declaration of Malay support to UMNO. UMNO got 3.2 million votes. While its candidates were all Malays, its voters were not. How many non-Malay voters voted for UMNO candidates on that 5th of May? Let's assume only 15%. That means 85% of the 3.2 million or 2.75 million voters who crossed X on the ballot papers were Malays. So, the non-Malays who voted for UMNO candidates amounted to nothing and instead were branded ingrates. So next time, don't vote for UMNO.

How many Malay voters came out to vote? 7.8million. what does this mean? It means 5 million Malays did not vote UMNO on the 5th of May.

Read more here:  http://sakmongkol.blogspot.de/2013/05/yes-let-us-demystify-majority-popular.html

 

That’s what we promised them (UPDATED with Chinese translation)

Posted: 30 May 2013 03:53 PM PDT

In fact, if you look at 'Point 1' of the Agreement, Sabah does not have any State religion. This would mean Islam is not the official religion of Sabah. And this would also mean, if a Muslim lives in Sabah, he or she can leave Islam and become a Christian or Atheist or whatever and there is nothing the government can do about it (unlike in West Malaysia where they can).

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The PKR vice president is in discussions with her lawyers to haul the Sabah government to court for barring her entry into the state

(FMT, 31 May 2013) - PKR vice president, Nurul Izzah Anwar, is planning legal action against the Sabah government for barring her for entering the state.

"I'm in consultation with my lawyers on the possible action to be taken against them," said Nurul, who is also the MP for Lembah Pantai.

Nurul headed for Sabah yesterday on the invitation of PKR deputy secretary general and Penampang MP, Darrell Leiking, invitation to celebrate the Pesta Kaamatan in Penampang.

However on arrival, she was detained by the immigration officials allegedly under the instructions of the Sabah Chief Minister's Department before being forcibly deported to KL.

It is learnt that the Immigration Department also informed Nurul that the Chief Minister's department had also instructed them to not only bar her but many more personalities from Peninsula from entering Sabah henceforth.

"It's a sad situation where Sabah is actually politicising security, and vengeance should not be practiced in security," said Nurul. "Pakatan still welcomes everyone into PR governed states such as Penang and Selangor."

Leiking, meanwhile condemned the Sabah Immigration Department and those who instructed them to bar her, saying that they should be ashamed of themselves.

"I challenge the Sabah Chief Minister and state's cabinet to explain to the people of Sabah and Malaysia why this act transpired," said Leiking.

**********************************************

Today, Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai Nurul Izzah Anwar was barred from entering Sabah. This is not the first time something like this has happened and will certainly not be the last time.

While this is most unfortunate and definitely violates one's fundamental liberties -- something I have been arguing in support of for a very long time indeed (including the fundamental liberties of apostates and gays) we need to discuss this incident against the backdrop of what the opposition Pakatan Rakyat promised the Sabah people in the run-up to the recent general election less than a month ago. 

If you can remember, Pakatan Rakyat promised Sabah and Sarawak full-autonomy plus it promised to respect the terms and spirit of the 18- and 20-Point Agreements (plus it promised them an increase of the Oil Royalty from 5% to 20%). So we need to discuss the 'deportation' of Nurul Izzah against this backdrop -- a promise made by Pakatan Rakyat.

In short, this is what the opposition promised them and what happened is merely a fulfillment of this election promise.

According to 'Point 6' of the Agreement, Sabah has the absolute right to determine who can and cannot be allowed into Sabah. And no reason needs to be given in denying anyone entry into Sabah.

Is this fair? It may not be fair but this is what we promised them and they are just doing what we promised them and what is within their rights to do. According to the Agreement, they do have a right to do this. And according to what we promised them, we will honour and respect this right.

In fact, if you look at 'Point 1' of the Agreement, Sabah does not have any State religion. This would mean Islam is not the official religion of Sabah. And this would also mean, if a Muslim lives in Sabah, he or she can leave Islam and become a Christian or Atheist or whatever and there is nothing the government can do about it (unlike in West Malaysia where they can).

Furthermore, English is the official language of the state and all communications should be in English plus the government can close down Malay, Chinese and Tamil schools and force everyone to go to just English-medium schools.

Another point, and a very important point to note, is that the Federal Constitution of Malaya is no longer valid. And you cannot amend the Federal Constitution of Malaya and turn it into the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. You need to discard the current Federal Constitution and come out with a brand new Constitution.

That is what the opposition promised Sabah (and Sarawak). Hence Islam and Bahasa Malaysia should not be the official religion and language respectively for Sabah plus Sabah can decide on who can and cannot enter that state.

Hence can we therefore protest when they merely do what we promised them they could do? So we need to be careful about making election promises just so that we can win votes. Now we need to honour those promises and not protest when they act on those promises.

Have we painted ourselves into a corner? That may appear so.

**********************************************

The 20-point Agreement between the Federation of Malaya and Sabah

Point 1: Religion 

While there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no State religion in North Borneo, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to North Borneo.

Point 2: Language

a. Malay should be the national language of the Federation.

b. English should continue to be used for a period of 10 years after Malaysia Day.

c. English should be an official language of North Borneo for all purposes, State or Federal, without limitation of time.

Point 3: Constitution

Whilst accepting that the present Constitution of the Federation of Malaya should form the basis of the Constitution of Malaysia, the Constitution of Malaysia should be a completely new document drafted and agreed in the light of a free association of states and should not be a series of amendments to a Constitution drafted and agreed by different states in totally different circumstances. A new Constitution for North Borneo was of course essential.

Point 6: Immigration

Control over immigration into any part of Malaysia from outside should rest with the Central Government but entry into North Borneo should also require the approval of the State Government. The Federal Government should not be able to veto the entry of persons into North Borneo for State Government purposes except on strictly security grounds. North Borneo should have unfettered control over the movements of persons other than those in Federal Government employ from other parts of Malaysia into North Borneo.

 

                                    **********************************************

這就是我們答應他們的

 

事實上,如果你去讀協議的第一點,你會發現沙巴根本就沒有任何官方宗教,這也表示回教根本就不是沙巴州的州屬宗教。這進而也表示,如果一個住在那兒的回教徒想要離教去信奉基督教或成爲無宗教主義者的話,政府是拿他沒辦法的(不像在西馬政府可以對他做出相對的懲罰)。

 

公正黨副主席正和她的律師商討就沙巴政府禁止她入境沙巴一事起訴該州政府。

(FMT, 2013531) - 公正黨副主席努魯伊莎打算採取法律行動對付沙巴政府。沙巴政府早前禁止她入境該地

(下文省略)

**********************************************

Lembah Pantai國會議員努魯伊莎于今天早前被禁止入境沙巴州。這已不是第一次發生類似事件了,而這次也決不會成爲最後一次。

當然這是件很令人遺憾且很侵犯人權的事----我之前不止一次爭論此事的正確性(包括離教和同性自主等基本人權)----但我們還是要把這件事情和一個月前大選時反對黨對沙巴人民做出的承諾一併討論。

如果你還記得的話, 民聯曾答應要給予沙砂兩州完全的自主權以示他們對20點協議的尊重(他們也答應要把石油稅增加至20%)。所以我們必須把努魯被'驅逐'一事和民聯作出的承諾連在一起討論。

簡短一點來講,以上所發生的正是民聯所答應的,而沙巴政府只是執行他們在大選時被承諾的諾言而已。

根據協議的第六點,沙巴擁有決對的權利來定奪某個人可不可以入境。他們可以拒絕任何人入境而不需給出任何理由。

這公平嗎?這可能很不公平,但這是我們之前承諾他們的,他們只是執行我們答應給他們的權利而已。根據協議所提,他們確實擁有這個權力,而根據我們所答應他們的,我們必須尊重他們的使用權。

事實上,如果你去讀協議的第一點,你會發現沙巴根本就沒有任何官方宗教,這也表示回教根本就不是沙巴州的州屬宗教。這進而也表示,如果一個住在那兒的回教徒想要離教去信奉基督教或成爲無宗教主義者的話,政府是拿他沒辦法的(不像在西馬政府可以對他做出相對的懲罰)。

不止如此,協議裏還提到英文是該州的官方語言,(州)政府還有權利迫令關閉馬來文,華文和淡米爾文學校和把所有人都送進英文學校。

還有一個很重要的重點,那就是馬來亞聯邦憲法是無效的,而你也不能把馬來亞聯邦憲改成馬來西亞聯邦憲法。你必須把現在的聯邦憲法給摒棄掉然後編寫一個全新的憲法。

這就是民聯答應沙巴(和砂勞越)的東西。所以說伊斯蘭教和馬來文不能成爲沙巴州的官方宗教和語言,還有就是沙巴政府決定讓不讓某個人進入沙巴州。

儅他們只是執行我們承諾他們的權力時,我們有立場反對他們嗎?所以說我們必須很小心地來給出選舉諾言,即使我們的目的只是要贏得選票。現在儅他們執行他們的使用權時,我們只能尊重我們的諾言而不是去反對他們。

我們是否已把我們自己逼進了死胡同裏了呢?我恐怕答案是'是的'。

**********************************************

馬來亞聯邦和沙巴州的20點協議

第一點:宗教

在回教是馬來西亞國家官方宗教的同時,北婆儸洲是沒有州屬宗教的。而在馬來亞憲法内任何有關回教的條約在北婆儸洲是使無效的。

第二點:語言

a. 馬來文是聯邦的官方語言。

b. 在馬來西亞日後的十年裏,英文還是應該繼續被使用。

c. 在任何用途上,無論是有關州屬或是聯邦,英語將無限期地成爲北婆儸洲的官方語言。

第三點:憲法

雖然(雙方)都接受目前馬來亞聯邦憲法馬來西亞憲法的根基,馬來西亞憲法應該是一個全新並且所有州屬都同意接受的起草,而不是一系列不同州屬在不同情況下修改的憲法的。(給予)北婆羅洲一個新憲法是必不可少的

第六點:移民

在馬來西亞任何地方,控制外來移民是國家政府的責任,但(要)入境北婆儸洲則必須先得到州政府的同意。聯邦政府無法否決任何人因州政府理由而入境北婆儸洲,除了治安安全課題以外。除了馬來西亞聯邦政府從馬來西亞其他地方把人雇用進來北婆儸洲以外北婆儸洲將不受約束地全權控制人口的移動。

 

Soon, Reformasi will fade

Posted: 30 May 2013 02:46 PM PDT

Hafiz Noor Shams, TMI

The wisdom of our age has it that young adults are more likely than not to vote against Barisan Nasional. A survey carried out by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research backs this up. In a report it published on May 3, the poll agency found out that Malaysians in their twenties and thirties preferred Pakatan Rakyat to BN by a significant margin. In contrast, support for BN was the strongest among those aged 50 or older. In a country where the median age is younger than 30 years old, that offers some hints about the political future of the country.

While that is so, nothing guarantees that wisdom will last for too long.

The generational divergence Malaysia is witnessing now has a lot to do with the political turmoil of the late 1990s. The sacking of Anwar Ibrahim as the deputy prime minister and the subsequent events that followed made a lasting impression on the minds of these young Malaysians who then were still in school, in university or new to the labour market. Whether it was about Anwar or about a larger sense of justice — that something was extremely wrong — they were moved by the event.

These Malaysians are also the largest age cohorts that Malaysia has ever seen yet. It is not merely a coincident that BN comes under intense political pressure exactly when these generations are maturing and exercising their political muscles.

Each generation has an episode which defines their political belief and partly, their worldview. Those above 50 years old now remember the old Umno and hold dearly onto those nostalgias. Future young Malaysians, those in their teenage years and even younger, will no doubt have their very own episode.

Unlike the others however, these new young Malaysians have their book wide opened and its pages unwritten yet. There has not been any big wake-me-up moment for them so far.

One thing is certain though. Time has the power to make society forget the past. The old old generation will disappear into the background, hopefully bringing with them the ghost of May 13, among others. The old new generation — the young adults of today — will have their political views at the new bedrock of Malaysian society. The new new generations will challenge the prevailing views, as youth always do all around the world.

These new young Malaysians will not remember the events of 1998 because they will never experience it. It is much like how young adults today do not remember the events of 1988 when the old Umno was disbanded and the judiciary came under assault by the Mahathir administration. It is the exact reason why many young Malaysians today are not swayed by May 13 and scaremongering opportunists who fuel their sad career on racist politics.

READ MORE HERE

 

Azmin's ambition thwarted

Posted: 30 May 2013 02:14 PM PDT

 

But now that Azmin's ambitions of being MB have been thwarted, what next?

Tashny Sukumaran, The Star

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has chosen his exco list - an all-female cast from PKR, three DAP men and four representatives from PAS. Unsurprisingly, PKR deputy president and Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman Azmin Ali was not on the list.

Following his thinly-veiled attacks on Khalid and comments on Selangor not needing a "lame duck" MB, Azmin would never have been considered for a position close to what is PKR's seat of power - Selangor.

But now that Azmin's ambitions of being MB have been thwarted, what next? The Gombak MP has never been subtle about his grabs for power - from spats with PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, to sly comments about Opposition leader and party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's "nepotism".

The 48-year-old Azmin even has a separate Twitter account for his office - @AzminAliOffice is the Twitter handle for "Pejabat Timbalan Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat" (Office of the PKR Deputy President). Even Wan Azizah, who reluctantly leads the party, doesn't indulge in such demonstrations of "power".

The new exco list is also devoid of Azmin's supporters, and word on the ground is that Azmin is rapidly losing them following his recent complaints and contrivances regarding the position of Selangor MB.

"Before, maybe some of the new exco members would support him," said a source close to the MB.

"But after Azmin showed his true colours in the MB appointment fiasco - to the extent of calling another leader a lame duck - I doubt any true reformist would want to be aligned with him anymore. He's a lost leader," he said.

A PKR party insider said that now the real concern was that of party elections.

Azmin has already begun his campaigning, claiming nepotism was at work within Selangor's political ranks and that PKR "does not belong to a family".

This is a far cry from the Azmin of yesteryear, who would even risk jail for his boss.

His loyalty took him to the extent of being convicted for lying in court during Anwar's trial. He was later acquitted.

Azmin has been close to Anwar since the age of 23, serving as his special officer in 1987 when the Permatang Pauh MP was Education Minister.

When Anwar was convicted of sodomy and corruption, Azmin was one of PKR's founding members.

But now the gloves are off.

The party insider is confident that Azmin's days are numbered, despite having Anwar's ear and commanding healthy respect from other PKR members like women's wing leader Zuraida Kamarudin.

Azmin is a strong politician, and the obvious horse to back for his experience and ruthlessness.

"Everyone knows Wan Azizah is a reluctant politician, and that Nurul Izzah fought very hard during the party elections in 2010. If there's any nepotism, it's between Anwar and his ex-staff when he was in government, like Penang's Mansor Othman (Nibong Tebal MP, Anwar's officer when he was deputy prime minister).

"His time is coming to an end. There's a limit to everything, and he's pushing it by condemning the family."

 

Anwar has thrown his support firmly behind Khalid because supporting his man Azmin would anger the public. A source has said Anwar bowed to Khalid's wishes regarding the state exco line-up, even angering members of his own party who he had promised would be rewarded for their loyalty.

But the former Umno politician trusted the wrong man, and now has to lie in the bed he made with Azmin.

 

ROS: Many DAP members did not get notice on national congress

Posted: 30 May 2013 02:10 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Investigations by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) found that many DAP members who were eligible to attend its national congress on Dec 15 last year did not receive notice on it, said ROS director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman.

He said this was found after investigations were made on complaints by DAP members on not being given the notice.

"DAP members who did not receive the notice were denied the right to vote and choose the leaders they wanted at the congress," Abdul Rahman said in a statement here yesterday.

He said that the ROS would continue investigations on other issues raised by complainants, and go through all documents submitted before arriving at a decision on the validity of the congress based on the Societies Act 1966.

The election of DAP's Central Executive Committee at the congress became an issue after complaints were lodged by various members that the party did not give notice on it to 753 delegates who were valid voters.

 

Reverse takeover of Scope will not benefit Matang shareholders, says firm

Posted: 30 May 2013 02:04 PM PDT

(The Star) - Holding company Lau Chek Min Sdn Bhd, which is the second largest shareholder of Matang Holdings Bhd, is against the reverse takeover of Scope Industries Bhd by Matang.

Chairman Lau Liang Fook, whose company owned 1.1% or 1.472,500 million shares in Matang, said it was against the exercise as the shareholders would be at the losing end.

"This is because there are four main issues that need to be addressed by the Matang board of directors (BOD).

"One is that if the reverse takeover is approved, RM200mil cash should be returned to the shareholders but BOD failed to explain to us if this will take place," he told The Star before the start of an extra-ordinary general meeting at the Grand Paragon Hotel here.

The EGM is held to decide on the reverse takeover of Scope Industries Bhd by Matang Holdings.

Lau added that another issue was that Matang was valued below market price at RM48mil while their own valuation found that the company is valued at RM200mil.

"Matang shareholders are on the losing side because they do not get their value of investment in Matang.

"We also have a problem with a term which states that Matang shareholders cannot dispose of their shares in the next four years if the takeover is approved whereas this ruling is not imposed on Scope shareholders," he said.

He added that even though Matang would emerge as the major stakeholder after the takeover, only three Matang directors would be appointed on the new board whereas Scope, the minority shareholder, can appoint five directors.

About 500 shareholders are attending the EGM under tight security.

They were greeted upon arrival by a banner which reads "MCA please protect 19,982 minority shareholders. Our voices must be heard."

Groups of shareholders we heard talking in loud angry tones while others did not mingle outside but walked straight into the hall to wait for the meeting to start.

 

Shareholders stop reverse takeover of Scope Industries

Posted: 30 May 2013 02:01 PM PDT

(The Star) - The reverse takeover of Scope Industries Bhd by Matang Holdings Bhd has been called off after shareholders voted against the proposal.

The proposal was tabled and passed by a majority of the shareholders who attended an extraordinary general meeting here on Friday.

One of the shareholders, former MCA vice-president Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai (picture), said:

"Their main concern is that no valuation is being done on Matang and the four years ruling which prevents them from disposing their shares.

"Anything can happen in the next four years and we don't want to take any risks," he said.

He added there could be a possible tender offer for Matang. "This depends on the results of a meeting which will be held by the Matang directors soon," he said.

 

Stop being a ‘BN apologist’, Paul Low told

Posted: 30 May 2013 01:52 PM PDT

(TMI) - Minister Datuk Paul Low was today ticked off for being an "apologist" for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and told to provide solutions that ensure greater government transparency for the country's future.

Days after being named to the Cabinet, the new minister in charge of integrity and corruption continues to draw flak for his defence of the BN government, the latest over the country's poor scores and low ranking in the 2013 Revenue Governance Index (RGI) published earlier this month by the New York-based Revenue Watch Institute (RWI), a non-profit organisation which monitors policies in resource-rich countries in addressing poverty, corruption and violent conflict. 

"We call upon Datuk Paul Low not to become an apologist for the BN administration. 

"He should study the RGI report in detail, review all criticisms and propose all necessary transparency reforms needed for the Petronas Development Act to make Malaysia a shining example of good governance in the world," said the DAP's Damansara Utama assemblyman Yeo Bee Yin, in a statement.

Low had reportedly said that Malaysia's weak result was because the disclosures of overseas agreements makes up a "big item" in the index, pointing out state oil firm Petronas must respect the host government's requests for non-disclosure while carrying out its operation abroad.

Yeo, the DAP's social media strategist, lashed out at Low, noting the latter's excuse was contrary to the RGI report that evaluates a country's quality of governance in resources based on four areas and that Malaysia had scored zero in several checklists, highlighting that most were related to the disclosure of operations and business activities within Malaysia. 

Yeo reminded the minister that Petronas was not the only state oil company with operations overseas, listing as an example Brazil's Petrobras which, she said, has operations in 24 countries, nearly similar to Petronas' operations in 22 nations.

She pointed too that Brazil was like Malaysia, an emerging market in the world economy but the Latin American country had managed to rank 5th globally.

"We do not expect Datuk Paul Low to be responsible for the past mistakes done by the BN government. 

"We do expect him to give solutions for greater transparency for the future," the Selangor state lawmaker said.

READ MORE HERE

 

GST: Opposition playing it up to the hilt

Posted: 30 May 2013 01:42 PM PDT

The opposition is merely scoring political points in their tooth and nail bashing of the goods and services tax (GST). 

By Habhajan Singh, FMT

This is a real taxing issue. We are talking about the goods and services tax (GST).

On the government side, there is some level of paralysis. It seems to lack clarity and the gumption to take this tax plan to the rakyat.

It has been sitting on the drawing board for years, almost on the verge of festering. Members of the federal opposition, on the other hand, have been having a field day with the GST, playing up the issue to the hilt. It was a hot potato during the just concluded 13th General Election (GE13).

The opposition lawmakers seem ever on the lookout for opportunities to pounce on the political leaders from the other side of the Parliament divide.

The latest incident came less than a fortnight after the nation went to the polls on May 5.

The spark came from a mere citing of an example by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Idris Jala.

Speaking at a post-election forum on May 17, Idris was driving home the point on revenue collection. GST is basically a consumption tax that would generate revenue for the national coffers.

In doing so, he cited, for discussion purposes, the current Singapore GST rate of 7%.

Not that the government is about to slap a 7% GST rate for our long-delayed GST plan. At that rate, the government's revenue would be somewhere in the range of RM27 billion, he estimated.

Jala's "latest revelation" was supposed to have let the cat out of the bag, according to DAP political education director and Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong.

"Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had repeatedly warned that Barisan Nasional's (BN) return to government in the GE13 would mean a higher tax burden for the man on the street, especially through the introduction of the GST, seen as BN's method to balance the subsidy heavy budget," he wrote in a statement dated May 18, the very day after Jala's session.

The previous administration had been dithering on GST simply because they feared its impact as they move into the polls. As it was, BN was preparing for a tough battle. So, they would have argued, why add to their woes by implementing an unpopular GST plan before the polls.

During GE13, many of us would have received text messages and emails opposing the GST. When I received a Whatsapp message on GST from a former banker, I decided to check his views on GST.

"Are you suggesting that Malaysia does not implement the GST? As you know, we are about the few nations in the world which have yet to do it," I shot back an enquiry.

READ MORE HERE

 

Restricted residence for politicians

Posted: 30 May 2013 01:38 PM PDT

The swift action to bar Nurul Izzah from Sabah shows Musa Aman has kept his promise and taken the first steps to put Sabah on the right footing. 

(FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Kudos to Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman as he's finally got his priorities right. Politicians, particularly women opposition MPs, are a dangerous lot and all should be barred from entering the state.

Nurul Izzah Anwar, that hulking, terrifyingly homicidal MP for Lembah Pantai, is the first one to feel his righteous rage and rightly so. The audacity of the woman. What was she thinking? That she could just waltz into Sabah to celebrate Kaamatan with the locals in the spirit of 1Malaysia? Where did she get such ideas?

We completely agree with Musa here insofar as his thoughts about politicians go. Now if he could only take that extra step and apply the same thinking to himself and his colleagues in his Umno-led Barisan Nasional government too, paradise would be at hand.

But let's not begrudge him his first kill. First things first; start with the opposition MPs and then move on to the millions of Malaysians, those troublemakers, who voted for them.

And while he's at it, he should suspend the landing rights of AirAsia and any airline that has abused the privilege of being allowed to fly to Sabah by permitting any of the over 51% of opposition voters and sympathisers to travel on their aircraft.

That will teach them to mess with us.

Later perhaps Musa could follow up by welcoming as true Malaysians those who entered Sabah illegally … whoops, done that already. Perhaps the land set aside at the waterfront for an over-a-billion ringgit convention centre could be used instead for a squatter colony to house them.

Nurul, the daughter of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, could never have known when she was stopped by Immigration Department officials at the arrival gate of the Kota Kinabalu low-cost terminal and deported that she was opening up a whole new vista for Sabah.

The surprised look on her face when she was given her marching orders at the terminal gave her away. Apparently she didn't know she was on a secret list of people who are to be given the VIP-quick-turnaround treatment by the state government.

Yes, yes, the state authorities were on their toes all right as the flight carrying this subversive extremist landed. Like a crack team of commandos, they turned her around and sent her back to where she came from on the next available aircraft.

Talk about prompt, efficient government service – here's an example for all you naysayers.

Lead the way, Musa

No, she wasn't frog-marched to the aircraft – a method of carrying a resisting person in which each limb is held by one person and the victim is carried horizontally and face downwards – which would have been quite a sight, but rather left calmly still wearing her most dangerous weapon – her smile.

READ MORE HERE

 

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Mahu Rakyat Akur Keputusan PRU-13

Posted: 30 May 2013 01:00 AM PDT

(Bernama) - Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah mahu rakyat di negara ini akur dengan keputusan pilihan raya umum ke-13 yang telah ditentukan oleh mereka sendiri.

Sambil merakamkan tahniah kepada anggota Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri yang dipilih, Seri Paduka berharap semua pihak di negara ini memelihara keutuhan sistem demokrasi berparlimen yang diamalkan sejak merdeka.

"Jika ada perbezaan pendapat, gunakanlah kaedah penyelesaian seperti mana yang telah digariskan oleh Perlembagaan Persekutuan dan undang-undang negara," titah baginda sempena ulang tahun keputeraan rasmi Yang di-Pertuan Agong esok yang disiarkan secara langsung menerusi RTM di Kuala Lumpur, malam Jumaat.

Baginda bertitah: "Tindakan menanam kesangsian kepada institusi yang telah diamanahkan Perlembagaan Persekutuan untuk mengelolakan pilihan raya di negara ini ialah perbuatan yang amat berbahaya dan hanya bakal menuai badai pertelingkahan yang tidak berkesudahan."

"Janganlah kita sekali-kali melemah dan merosakkan sistem Raja Berperlembagaan, Demokrasi Berparlimen dan Falsafah Persekutuan yang selama ini mendasari ramuan kejayaan Malaysia," titah Seri Paduka.

Tuanku Abdul Halim bertitah sebarang perubahan politik di negara ini perlulah dilakukan secara aman dan menerusi peti undi berpandukan prinsip Keluhuran Perlembagaan dan Kedaulatan Undang-undang.

"Apakah kita sanggup melihat Malaysia yang tercinta ini hancur dan lumpuh disebabkan oleh perbuatan kita sendiri. Merosakkan sebuah kejayaan amat mudah, namun untuk membinanya kembali amatlah sukar.

"Oleh itu, janganlah benarkan ia terjadi, wariskanlah Malaysia yang bersatu dan berjaya, kepada generasi Malaysia yang mendatang. Bak kata pepatah, sudah terhantuk baru terngadah, seribu penyesalan sudah tidak berguna," titah Seri Paduka.

Baginda mengingatkan anggota Parlimen dan Dewan Undangan Negeri yang dipilih supaya berkhidmat dengan jujur, ikhlas dan terbaik untuk rakyat tanpa mengira bangsa dan agama.

Tuanku Abdul Halim turut mengajak rakyat bersama-sama meneruskan usaha mencapai matlamat nasional untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebuah negara maju berpendapatan tinggi.

Baginda mengingatkan semua pihak bahawa keamanan dan kemakmuran yang dinikmati saat ini bukannya datang bergolek, sebaliknya hasil daripada pelaksanaan yang teliti dan rapi oleh para pemimpin terdahulu.

"Menjelang tanggal 31 Ogos ini genaplah 56 tahun kita mencapai kemerdekaan, manakala pada 16 Sept pula kita akan meraikan 50 tahun pembentukan Malaysia.

"Hakikatnya, walaupun secara relatifnya Malaysia merupakan sebuah negara yang masih muda, namun kita telah berjaya meletakkan kedudukan negara pada tempat yang membanggakan seperti yang ada pada hari ini.

"Namun, walau sempurna mana pun strategi yang telah dirangka oleh kerajaan, walau secekap mana pun pelaksanaannya, jika tidak wujud keamanan dalam negara, mana mungkin semua hasrat yang diimpikan mampu dizahirkan," titah Seri Paduka.

Tuanku Abdul Halim turut mengingatkan semua rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira kaum dan anutan agama dipersatukan dengan lima prinsip Rukun Negara yang merupakan ideologi kebangsaan dan Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang merupakan undang-undang tertinggi negara.

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

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