Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Rumblings of rebellion in MIC Youth may spoil Palanivel’s party
- Doubts about the "unity plan"
- IGP, What is Seditious in Mariam’s Article?
- Debunking the Myth of a Revolution and the Gen-Y Mindset
- All abuzz over salary hike
- PAS-Umno ‘akad nikah’
- Illegitimacy of elections since 1984
| Rumblings of rebellion in MIC Youth may spoil Palanivel’s party Posted: 01 Dec 2013 08:15 PM PST
So will Najib's united MIC be just a pipe dream? Sonia Ramachandran, The Ant Daily MIC president Datuk Seri G Palanivel must be heaving a huge sigh of relief with the new line-up of vice-presidents and central working committee (CWC) members voted in at the party's annual general assembly on Nov 30. After all, two of the vice-presidents and 17 of the 23 elected CWC members are believed to be the president's men. He has yet to appoint another seven CWC members, which will surely be his men, effectively putting decision-making control in his hands. But Palanivel might not want to be overly jubilant just yet for he might have underestimated the power of the Youth wing in the party. A party insider, who spoke to theantdaily on condition of anonymity, said the Youth wing is not going to keep quiet about its former leader Datuk T Mohan being ousted in his bid for the vice-presidency. Mohan was one of eight candidates who vied for the vice-presidency in the election, which saw former vice-president Datuk S Sothinathan, incumbent Datuk M Saravanan and Johor Baru division chairman Datuk S Balakrishnan elected as the three vice-presidents. The other candidates were Perak State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk SK Devamany, former Youth chief Datuk SA Vigneswaran, MIC treasurer-general Datuk Jaspal Singh and Bukit Bintang division vice-chairman James Selvarajah. The elections drew the ire of many delegates as a Tamil daily, regarded as Palanivel's "mouthpiece", had splashed photographs of Sothinathan, Jaspal, Vigneswaran and Balakrishnan as the president's preferred choice of candidates a week before polling. "It's no longer fighting behind closed doors and presenting a united front to the public, it's now outright war. The fight is now personal and public," said the party insider. This is also due to the fact that newly elected MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh is closely aligned to Mohan. The party insider said MIC elections had always been determined by two factors, namely the party president and the caste-based system. "This is the reason factions are created within the party. Sothinathan's win is proof of this. Usually the whole contest will be determined by the combination of the above two factors," he said. Saravanan and Mohan are believed to be in Team B who are said to be aligned with former MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu and who also happens to command huge support within the party. Those aligned to Palanivel's camp are said to be in Team A. How will the election results affect party unity? |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2013 08:02 PM PST
Many people believe that if they really have a "unity plan", it is because both the factions have no full confidence in winning the election and thus, they can only compromise. Lim Mun Fah, Sin Chew Daily While everyone is waiting for the three-corner fight for the MCA president post, there are some inside voices claiming a sharp turn for the situation as the Chua and Liow factions have reached a preliminary "unity plan" to avoid an internecine outcome. Indeed, there is neither permanent enemy in politics, nor permanent friend. In politics, outsiders can never see through the situation before it is finalised. Therefore, whether the saying is true or not, I can only say that truth can never be falsified. Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is still the wily party president who neither admits or denies the rumour. He said that he is willing to negotiate and it is now neither too early nor too late to negotiate. However, he also said that no MCA leader has talked about "unity plan" with him so far. With a sloven and noncommittal attitude, he leaves it to the people to continuously guessing. The only thing he said is, the MCA has no condition for infighting. However, the rumour has even included a preliminary lineup. It seems to indicate that it is, after all, not totally groundless. There must be negotiations but it is a different matter whether it brings a positive or negative outcome. At first glance, the "unity plan" seems to have involved equal numbers of leaders from both factions, leading towards a check and balance situation. However, if Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong are to become the party president and deputy president, and two more from the Liow faction are going to fill two of the four vice-president posts, isn't it mean that the Liow faction will be in complete control? Would the Chua faction compromise so easily? I really doubt it. And I believe that even if they are having a negotiation over compromises, the possibility of changes is still great. It is noteworthy that if the "unity plan" can really be implemented, would the MCA be more united, continue the fight or become more chaotic? What are the differences between a new team with equal numbers from two factions who check and balance each other and the existing chaotic team? Many people believe that if they really have a "unity plan", it is because both the factions have no full confidence in winning the election and thus, they can only compromise. Although the extraordinary general meeting has proven that Chua has nearly 900 of iron votes, the Chua faction is still facing a dilemma of lacking in suitable candidates in the evenly matched battle. Although they have roped in Gan Ping Sieu, many in the Chua faction are still worried as he used to be a follower of Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat. The lack in experience is another weakness. In other words, fielding Gan made the Chua faction have no full confidence to win and they are worried that it might end up in another failure, just like the motion to censure Liow. However, they cannot just throw Gan out of the new leadership lineup either, could they? |
| IGP, What is Seditious in Mariam’s Article? Posted: 01 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST
What makes his remark deserving of censure is what he added: "She had better watch out or we will go after her." That comes across, undoubtedly, like a threat. And it's inappropriate coming from someone like the IGP. Kee Thuan Chye I cannot see a fellow writer being threatened by someone in public authority for what she writes and not stand up for her. I'm therefore saying that the recent warning issued by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to political commentator Mariam Mokhtar against writing articles that could be deemed seditious is highly unwarranted and deserves to be censured. Now, if the IGP was giving her friendly advice in saying she should not write articles that were seditious, he might have good cause to do so. Even if the articles she has written so far have not proven to be so. But that does not seem to be the tone and tenor of what he said a few days ago. What makes his remark deserving of censure is what he added: "She had better watch out or we will go after her." That comes across, undoubtedly, like a threat. And it's inappropriate coming from someone like the IGP. I don't know Mariam personally and have never met her. (Sorry for sounding like Najib Razak talking about a different person – I think you know who.) I also can't say I've read every article she's written. But those I have do not strike me as being seditious - certainly not as is spelt out in the Sedition Act. In fact, her writing impresses me as that of someone who cares about her country and wants it to be better. She criticises wrongdoing by people in power, exposes their foibles and points out the contradictions between what they say and what they do in order to make Malaysians aware of right and wrong. She provides a much-needed public service by highlighting issues of pressing and immediate concern to Malaysians, giving voice to thoughts that many of her fellow countrymen and women may share but are unable to articulate. She has written about racial discrimination, social injustice, domestic violence, child abuse, the rise in crime, political scandals, the 'Allah' issue, the ineptness of Najib as prime minister, the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the illegal immigrants in Sabah, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's attempt to muzzle the media, the disservice to the Malaysian electorate done by the Election Commission … and many, many more topics of public interest. She should not be intimidated for creating awareness and putting issues in perspective. She should not be shut up. IGP Khalid Abu Bakar is reportedly displeased with her article 'One ideology, two reactions' that appeared on the online news website Free Malaysia Today on November 29. In it, she asked why the Government was willing to welcome home Siti Aishah Abdul Wahab from London when it had been dead against allowing even the ashes of the late Malayan Communist Party leader Chin Peng to be brought back from Thailand. After all, Siti Aishah was also a left-winger. She was on the Malaysian police's 'wanted' list in the 1970s for being considered an extremist. When she went to study at the London School of Economics, the police kept her under surveillance. Subsequently, she was allegedly held as a "slave" in London by a Maoist sect for 30 years, until she escaped several weeks ago. Khalid said Mariam's article was "highly seditious". I have since read it a few times, but I cannot in all honesty find anything in it that is seditious. Mariam states the facts about Siti Aishah and Chin Peng. She asks a pertinent question: "Malaysians must wonder why Aishah is considered safe but Chin Peng's ashes are deemed a national threat." Indeed, that has been in the minds of many people this past week. Read more at: http://news.malaysia.msn.com/community/blogs/blog-igp-what-is-seditious-in-mariam%E2%80%99s-article#page=0 |
| Debunking the Myth of a Revolution and the Gen-Y Mindset Posted: 01 Dec 2013 12:04 PM PST
The point is, 1) Revolution doesn't have to be aggressive, 2) It takes a whole lot of time to do, 3) A movement leader is not actually needed, and 4) All these examples are actually reformations happen throughout the time, where we could say it's more like hundreds of reformations pilling up to be a revolution. But what do these have to do with Gen-Y? Abdul Rahman Shah
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| Posted: 01 Dec 2013 11:35 AM PST
I was under the impression that the Opposition was more interested in putting more money into the rakyat's wallet than their own. Then came the salary increase for assemblymen in Selangor. My perception of Opposition politicians is that they are a bunch of frugal people who take buses, fly economy class and stay in three-star hotels when they go out of town for a ceramah. That's the impression I got when I read some of their tweets. Moreover, whenever I attended their ceramah, they were always asking for donations. Philip Golingai, The Star If I was given the opportunity to have my salary increased to RM11,250, I would – in the blink of an eye – shout "sokong" (support). That, according to a report in The Star, will put me (and anyone earning above RM10,000 a month) among the top 4% of Malaysian households and I would have reached the highest 26% tax bracket. That would put me in the same group as the country's CEOs, millionaires and billionaires.  Last Wednesday, Selangor YBs (Yang Berhomat) approved a salary increase that saw the Mentri Besar earning RM29,250 a month from RM14,175 while an assemblyman's pay rose from RM6,000 to RM11,250 a month. My first thought on the issue is that the salaries of assemblymen (except those in the Sarawak assembly) and MPs are too low. A few years ago, I was shocked to discover that an MP's basic salary was RM6,508.59. (With allowances, an MP's salary come up to about RM13,000, including the allowance to hire a driver.) If you are an elected representative of a semi-urban constituency like Penampang, RM6,508.59 is not enough to pay for a wedding, funeral, baby's first month of life celebration ang pows and "emergencies" your constituents encounter. In Penampang, which is my parliamentary constituency in Sabah, a YB is expected to attend all these events, otherwise he'll be branded "sombong" (proud). With that in mind, I'm supportive of a pay hike for elected representative. That's why I was not too excited when Sarawak assemblymen voted in May to increase their salary from RM4,500 to RM15,000. Still, the Selangor move came as a big surprise. My perception of Opposition politicians is that they are a bunch of frugal people who take buses, fly economy class and stay in three-star hotels when they go out of town for a ceramah. That's the impression I got when I read some of their tweets. Moreover, whenever I attended their ceramah, they were always asking for donations. To be fair, there are Opposition politicians who are into luxury such as those who Instagrammed themselves on board of a private jet for a frog hunting expedition in Sabah and Sarawak before GE13. In general, except for the ultra-rich Opposition politicians who smoke RM300 cigars as one would with keretek cigarettes, I thought the Opposition was more interested in putting more money into the rakyat's wallet than their own. It was also a big surprise because I always thought that the Opposition was against salary hikes for elected representatives. Perhaps I had this false impression when the Barisan Nasional government had to withdraw its proposal to increase MPs' salaries and allowances in October 2011. The then Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said he had to withdraw his proposal in Budget 2012 after it was shot down by Opposition bigwigs like PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub. In his typical sarcasm, Nazri said the Opposition leaders should be considerate to their junior MPs who were not as financially independent as them. "Anwar, Azmin, Lim Guan Eng are wealthy men, but they are not taking into consideration their junior MPs who are struggling to pour petrol to visit their areas," he said. This flip-flop is best summarised by Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan's tweet. On Thursday, @mpkotabelud tweeted: "Mdm Speaker, point is your own MPs criticising BN in parliament for proposing the same idea. The stench of hypocrisy is nauseating." His tweet was in reference to the rather "defensive" tweets by Selangor Speaker Hannah Yeoh a day after the salary hike (including hers which was increased from RM6,109.29 to RM22,500). It was quite funny to see a rather uncommon situation on Twitter where the Opposition was in the defence. My favourite tweet was from Stephen Doss. @stephendoss tweeted: "was raising the salaries of PR assemblymen one of the promises in its election manifesto presented before GE13?" Interestingly, I'm not sure whether it was the spillover of the Team Azmin vs Team Khalid fight, when Azmin told Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to reduce the salary hike to a more reasonable quantum. "We do not reject the need for a salary increase, but what was decided on is too high," said Azmin, who is Selangor Pakatan Rakyat Backbenchers Club chairman. A poll survey conducted by The Star Online revealed that most respondents echoed Azmin's opinion. It asked people if the salary should be increased and 44% of the 726 respondents said "it should be but at a reasonable quantum". This was followed by 18.7% who claimed "the representatives were already getting paid enough" while 18.6% said, "yes they deserve every cent they get". The remaining 18.1% said, "the pay did not matter as long as the representatives carried out the tasks assigned to them". The Star Online also received about 215 mostly intelligent comments. My favourite is: "They are there to serve the people. While you do not muzzle the oxen's mouth, you should not allow it to guzzle the owner's (rakyat's) corn either."
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| Posted: 01 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST
The time is ripe for Umno and PAS to close ranks and 'marry' for the sake of Islam and in the name of Muslim brotherhood; it will be a union made in the heavens. Narinder Singh, FMT The mating game is played by birds, bees and many others from the animal kingdom. Some go to extreme lengths to execute bizarre courtships, exhibiting rare moves and character to attract the opposing mate. In similarity, political parties are not far off the mark of playing mating games; and the best analogue is Umno and PAS. There has been bad blood between the two leading Malay centric parties and representative of the majority Muslims collectively, but there have been some dancing opportunities explored lately. PAS has always claimed to be more Islam than Umno as their core values have been for long gyrating around the religious nucleus. They have vehemently championed hudud laws and syariah way of lifestyle. According to PAS, those who oppose them may well be ticketing themselves to the gates of hell come judgment day. Since the divorce between PAS and Umno decades ago, reconciliation has taken a back seat until the recent two past general elections. Wings have flared and the great walls between PAS and Umno are witnessing some porosity on the lines of Islam. In the just concluded PAS polls, there was a sudden change of hearts and tone in the closing remarks by their leaders. They extended an olive branch to Umno, something not extremely extraordinary in the name of Islamic brotherhood but could be construed as giving a small jolt to their other allies in Pakatan Rakyat. There is no doubt that Umno and PAS have only one thing common and that is Islam. There cannot be two types of Islam in a country that has only about 18 million Muslim who are citizens. Can a common aspiration to uphold Islam be the binding factor between PAS and Umno soon? Lately there have been clarion calls from both that it is time to close ranks and bury the hatchet that has caused a prolonged and continuous rift between them. The trend is indeed leaning quite significantly towards a 'muzakarah', thus fueling speculations that soon Malaysia will have syariah laws implemented since the majority are Muslims. And rightfully too in the eye of many Muslim scholars and experts that since the government has declared Malaysia as an Islamic nation, there is no big deal in stamping it further. Though the Federal Constitution states Islam as the official religion currently, whilst others can practice their own faiths, there is no prohibition to amend it to "Malaysia is an Islamic country" if there are two thirds majority agreeing for it in Parliament.
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| Illegitimacy of elections since 1984 Posted: 01 Dec 2013 07:53 AM PST
The three delineation exercises were carried out in 1984, 1994 and 2003. As these were carried out in violation of the direction of law as contained in schedule 13 of the Constitution, it follows that all the seven (7) General Elections since 1984, i.e. in 1986, 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2013 which were conducted based on the three unconstitutional delineation exercises, are also unlawful and as such void. Ravinder Singh, The Malay Mail In his speech at the 26th convocation of Universiti Utara Malaysia His Royal Highness the Yang Di Pertuan Agung expressed his concern about people challenging the laws of the country, including the Federal Constitution. He is reported to have said "The people should always respect and uphold the law."
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