Isnin, 14 Januari 2013

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As varsity video goes viral, Umno leaders move to head off storm

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:31 AM PST

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/mugshots/saifuddinabdullah400px2.jpg 

(The Malaysian Insider)A video of a pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) speaker publicly chewing out a university student at a forum that has gone viral is embarrassing the authorities and has forced both a deputy minister and the Umno Youth chief to engage in damage control to prevent its fallout from impacting the ruling coalition ahead of Election 2013.

The speaker, identified as Sharifah Zohra Jabeen, president of little-known organisation Suara Wanita 1 Malaysia (SW1M) that is seen to be aligned to the ruling BN, was caught on video berating the student — who had stood up to voice her views on the Bersih electoral rally and free education — with remarks such as "when this is our programme, we allow you to speak" and "when I speak, you listen".

Higher Education Deputy Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah took to Twitter last night and posted his personal mobile phone number with a message urging the student, identified only as Bawani K.S., to contact him after another Twitter user remarked that she had an account on the microblogging site.

A few hours later, he tweeted: "Just spoken to Bawani on d phone. She is in high spirits."

Bawani's feelings on the issue remain closed off. Her Twitter account, @Bawani_ks, was inaccessible as she had locked it to only her followers.

However, the matter appeared far from over as other Twitter users plied the deputy minister with questions for his view on the lopsided exchange between the speaker and Bawani.

 

"Patutny benarkn Bawani habis brcakap,lps tu jawab dgn bijaksana [Should have let Bawani finish speaking, then reply wisely]," the media-savvy Saifuddin answered to the Twitter user, @Mr_Nurislam.

His Umno party mate, Khairy Jamaluddin, also took to Twitter to distance the ruling coalition from Sharifah Zohra Jabeen after the video row sparked outrage from Netizens, some who have started several hashtag discussions on the microblogging site, including #SharifahZohra and #listen. 

"And on UUM issue. Please #listen to me: this Jabeen lady DOES NOT represent BN. Sekian," the Umno Youth chief tweeted several hours ago on his account, @Khairykj.

He added, "Siapa2 pun boleh salah guna 1Msia. Takde siapa dlm BN yg kenal Sharipah Jabeen ni [Anyone can misuse 1Malaysia. Nobody in BN knows this Sharipah Jabeen]" in reply to a Twitter user who pointed out that the speaker had worn a button badge with the 1 Malaysia logo commonly identified with the BN coalition. 

Khairy's attempt at damage control, however, was greeeted with disdain by some Netizens, including one Don Iznan who remarked over Twitter: "By saying #SharifahZohra not representing BN, KJ actually means that sharifah is from Umno.See?Hahaha."

Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/as-varsity-video-goes-viral-umno-leaders-move-to-head-off-storm/ 

Rep turns ‘independent’

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:17 AM PST

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(The Star) - Pulau Tikus assemblyman Koay Teng Hai, slapped with a six-month suspension by the DAP for missing a crucial state assembly meeting, said he will now serve his constituents as an "independent" representative.

He is, however, adamant that he had not broken any party rules.

"I did not break any party rules as I did not receive any official notification from the party on the date and state assembly agenda," he said.

Despite his claim of innocence, Koay, who was chairman of the backbenchers club in the state assembly, said he would file an appeal soon and called on his supporters to "calm down and don't act out against the party".

He said he will serve as an "independent" assemblyman unless his appeal against the suspension is accepted.

Koay was absent from the state assembly when the House met on Nov 1 last year to pass the Penang Constitutional Enactment (Amendment) Bill 2012, aimed at preventing elected representatives from party-hopping.

The DAP disciplinary committee issued a show-cause letter to Koay last month for allegedly skipping the sitting.

He was given 14 days to appeal to the party's central executive committee.

Koay had gone to the United States for a holiday despite having his leave rejected twice by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also DAP secretary-general.

"I expect to receive the official suspension letter today and will respond accordingly," Koay said here yesterday.

"I hope the CEC will take into account that I've been a loyal party member and DAP Socialist Youth leader for 13 years.

"Furthermore, my leave was approved by the state legislative assembly Speaker and the Bill was successfully passed," he said.

On the prospects of contesting in the general election, he said: "If the suspension stays, I will not be eligible to contest as a DAP candidate and I will not stand as an independent.

He said all DAP logos would be removed from his service centre in line with the suspension ruling.

"I am truly sorry to the party and my supporters," said Koay.

 

SMM menentang Brainwash di UUM

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:05 AM PST

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Tindakan moderator tersebut boleh dianggap sebagai biadap, mengelirukan, serta memperbodohkan mahasiswa yang turut ikut serta dalam majlis tersebut. Seorang pengampu dan penyamar seperti moderator tersebut ternyata tidak sesuai dan tidak layak menjadi pengemudi majlis ilmu seperti itu. 

Adam Adli Bin Abd Halim, Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia. 

Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia dengan ini mengucapkan tahniah, dan menyatakan sokongan dan dokongan penuh kepada mahasiswi Universiti Utara Malaysia, Saudari Bawani yang telah menzahirkan suatu keberanian luar biasa dalam mempertahankan kebenaran, keadilan berhujah, dan prinsip tegas beliau berkaitan hak mahasiswa dan perjuangan rakyat.

Seharusnya, tindakan matang yang dipamerkan oleh Bawani ini dicontohi oleh seluruh mahasiswa. Kesedaran tinggi dalam memahami isu berkaitan mahasiswa, masyarakat, dan negara adalah asas penting yang seharusnya dimiliki oleh lebih ramai lagi mahasiswa, sesuai dengan takrifan sosial yang melihat mahasiswa sebagai golongan berilmu dan kritis. Fungsi dan sifat mahasiswa sebagai golongan berilmu dan kritis dalam kalangan masyarakat berjaya ditampilkan dengan cemerlang oleh mahasiswi bernama Bawani ini.

Tindakan Saudari Bawani telah memberikan suatu harapan baru dalam usaha mengembalikan kewibawaan mahasiswa dewasa ini. Tanpa menghiraukan sebarang risiko, beliau telah bangkit untuk bersuara bukan sahaja bagi diri beliau, sebaliknya juga buat mahasiswa dan rakyat kebanyakan.

Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia pada masa yang sama turut ingin menyatakan kejengkelan terhadap aksi kurang matang, tidak profesional, dan tidak cerdik yang ditunjukkan oleh moderator dalam majlis forum yang dianjurkan UUM tersebut. Tindakan moderator tersebut boleh dianggap sebagai biadap, mengelirukan, serta memperbodohkan mahasiswa yang turut ikut serta dalam majlis tersebut. Seorang pengampu dan penyamar seperti moderator tersebut ternyata tidak sesuai dan tidak layak menjadi pengemudi majlis ilmu seperti itu.

Sekali lagi, kami menyatakan pujian, dan tahniah kepada Bawani yang berani. Semoga keberanian beliau menjadi contoh dan pedoman kepada golongan mahasiswa lain.

Salut untuk mahasiswa yang berani!
Hentikan pembodohan mahasiswa!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

[MTadmin - On a different note, see Namewee's take at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qcd6GkPM-k ]

Hasan cabar Anwar buat kenyataan rasmi terima keputusan Majlis Syura Ulama PAS

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:54 AM PST

(Agenda Daily) - Presiden Jalur Tiga (JATI), Datuk Dr Hasan Ali mencabar ketua pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan pemimpin DAP supaya membuat kenyataan rasmi menerima keputusan Majlis Syura Ulama PAS berkenaan larangan penggunaan kalimah Allah untuk orang bukan Islam.

Dalam kenyataannya Isnin, Hasan berkata kenyataan pemimpin-pemimpin pembangkang itu boleh menghilangkan sebarang keraguan mengenai penerimaan Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) dan DAP terhadap PAS dalam meneruskan perjuangannya.

"Ketegasan Majlis Syura itu menjadi tamparan yang hebat sekaligus menyanggah dan membidas (setiausaha agung DAP) Lim Guan Eng, Anwar Ibrahim dan golongan parasit dalam PAS.

"Sekali lagi dalam isu kalimah Allah golongan parasit bertindak sebagai juru mengiakan permintaan dan desakan DAP," katanya.

Mesyuarat Majlis Syura Pas malam semalam memutuskan kalimah Allah tidak boleh digunakan dalam Bible versi Bahasa Melayu kerana ia tidak menepati kehendak sebenar kalimah ini.

Mesyuarat yang dipengerusikan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat itu menegaskan tindakan menterjemahkan kalimah 'God' atau 'Lord' dari mana-mana kitab agama bukan Islam kepada perkataan Allah tidak dibenarkan kerana ia salah dari segi makna.

 

Making our journey as a nation less arduous

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 10:37 PM PST

http://www.bfm.my/assets/images/events/eb12speakers/Malek_Ali2.jpg 

On a daily basis, the staff members of my radio station want to debate issues that really matter to the country on a rational, analytical and non-partisan basis. We want to bring representatives of both sides of the political divide to the table (or rather our studios) to see where their fault lines lie, and whether there is room for agreement or compromise. We want Malaysians to call in to our talk shows and put forth any question to their elected representatives and their opponents so that we can all benefit from their explanations. But we cannot do these things freely.

Malek Ali, founder of BFM 89.9 in fz.com 

FIFTY-FIVE years since Merdeka. Forty-nine years since the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. "At the crossroads" aptly describes our country. And some decisions we make today as citizens will set the tone for our journey as a nation for years to come. Here are some of our choices:

Ethnic diversity: Strength or weakness?
 
Do we see our multi-ethnicity as an advantage or disadvantage? History is laden with examples of ethnic strife, so that seems to be the natural order of the human condition. But where ethnic diversity is accepted, enduring civilisations appear to emerge.
 
In our context, shall we use ethnicity to forever argue one's ethnic share of the Malaysian pie and play off one ethnic group against another for expedient political purposes? Or do we take advantage of our multi-ethnicity to become the trade fulcrum between the current and future economic giants of China, India and Indonesia, as we did 600 years ago, and expand our economic and human potential?
 
It boils down to choosing between leaders who see strength in our ethnic and cultural diversity versus those who view it as a zero-sum game.
 
Leadership: Populist or principled?
 
In the context of political leadership, it's easy to be a populist. Goodies for the public are easy to grant. And it is even easier to be a populist in the opposition as promises can be made without needing to be directly accountable for them, at least not for a while.
 
Principled leadership is a much rarer commodity. The principled leader accepts that an unpopular policy might hurt his chances at the polls, but he still goes through with it because it is the right thing to do.
 
I wish there were a leader that said to me: "I will have to reduce petrol subsidies and here's the three-year subsidy reduction plan. I will have to introduce the goods and services tax (GST) because we need to widen our tax base. But in return, I promise you the eradication of wastage and corruption and within five years we will have the first phase of the MRT system completed, start to give great education, provide decent public housing and come close to running a budget surplus.
 
Do we have a deal? I can't see any politician today who is brave enough to tell me what my options truly are.
 
Religion: Public or personal domain?
 
As citizens, we really need to address the elephant in the room by asking ourselves to what extent we want religion to play a part in our public lives. To me, religion is an intensely private matter and I resent the state playing the role of moral guardian and enforcer, especially when hypocrisy abounds. This could be a minority view, but regardless, let's put this discussion on the table.
 
Let's truly debate the issue of the constitutional circumscription of the powers of the state in matters of religion. Let's also discuss the areas where civil law and Islamic law collide and which should take precedence in such an event.
 
Do we want leaders who fudge the role of religion in Malaysia or do we want those who are brave enough to table it for rational debate?
 

 

Selangor siar maklumat bekalan air mulai esok

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 10:29 PM PST

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Pejabat Menteri Besar Selangor 

Kerajaan Selangor akan menyiarkan maklumat terkini khususnya yang melibatkan usaha-usaha yang dilakukan kerajaan negeri untuk membantu memulihkan bekalan air di Lembah Klang di beberapa akhbar utama pelbagai bahasa bermula esok.

Maklumat yang disiarkan itu adalah hasil pemantauan dan pertemuan harian Jawatankuasa Pemantauan Bekalan Air Negeri Selangor dengan Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas), pihak berkuasa tempatan di Selangor dan pihak-pihak lain yang terlibat.

Maklumat ini bagi membolehkan orang ramai terutamanya di Lembah Klang mengetahui perkembangan terkini melibatkan usaha-usaha yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan Selangor untuk memulihkan bekalan air kepada lebih 28,000 pengguna di Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur yang terjejas sejak awal tahun ini.

Langkah menyiarkan maklumat di akhbar ini untuk memastikan semua pihak yang terlibat bekerjasama dalam memastikan bekalan air kembali pulih demi menjaga kepentingan dan kebajikan rakyat yang menderita akibat kegagalan pihak tertentu melaksanakan tanggungjawab yang telah diamanahkan.

 

Gripped by water issues

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 10:25 PM PST

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It's public knowledge that from day one of coming to power, the Selangor government, led by Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, was bent on making life difficult for Syabas. Among other things, it refuses to approve the much-needed capital expenditure (capex) for Syabas to implement projects under the agreement and has stopped the company from imposing a tariff increase on water from January 2009 as provided under the agreement. 

Azman Ujang, The Sun 

I HAVE a confession to make. Since I started this column almost one and a half years ago, I have been obsessed with writing about Selangor's water politics. The issue threatens to hold the water security of the state, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya to ransom amid warnings of a critical water crisis by next year.This is my seventh column on water.

Although 2014 has been singled out by Syabas, the Selangor water services concessionaire, and the federal government as the year when the crisis would set in if the Selangor government continues to stall granting a development order for the Langat 2 treatment plant, I always believed that it would happen earlier.

I'm not an alarmist or a pessimist, just a realist because having lived in Selangor for the last 30 years, it's obvious that this is one state where the pace of development has been uncontrolled and unstoppable.

Added to this is the massive transformation of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya in terms of construction development and population increase, for which the most basic need is water.

Thousands of people from all over the country are settling down in the Klang Valley daily because this is where the hub of the economy is, providing jobs and business opportunities in a nation experiencing a population boom.

Malaysia has also become one of the world's top tourist destinations with Kuala Lumpur being the main gateway, thus adding even greater pressure on water demand.

The harsh realities of an earlier-than-anticipated water crisis were driven home with the onset of the New Year when some 500,000 people in 90 areas in Ampang, Cheras and Gombak had their taps running dry and had to make do with supply from Syabas tankers.

The disruptions were due to a drastic decline in the water pumping level at the Wangsa Maju pump-house by 30 million litres a day (MLD). It used to pump 210MLD but had to be scaled down to avoid damage due to over-pressure.

Now Syabas is working round the clock to instal bypass pipes, and supplies are due to be restored in two days if all goes well.

As of the weekend, Syabas had deployed nearly 2,900 tankers at great cost to deliver water to affected areas.

Well, this is just a harbinger, or even a preview, of what could be a bigger crisis if partisan politics is still the weapon or trump card used by Selangor in its game of brinkmanship with the federal government over a critical issue.

Dr Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri, an academician and water expert, is disgusted with Selangor and Pakatan Rakyat politicians for putting the blame on Syabas for the crisis, while failing to carry out its responsibilities under the water concession agreement.

He has a point. Under the Selangor water concession agreement signed in 2004 that led to the privatisation of the state's water industry, river cleaning and water catchment areas, giving approval to operators of water treatment/supply for construction of new pump stations and the upgrading of plants and pump stations fall under the jurisdiction of the state government.

Ahmad Zaharuddin said the state government owned a 30% stake in Syabas and is represented on its board by two directors, Noorusa'adah Othman and Suhaimi Kamaralzaman, but the way it keeps blaming Syabas is as if it wants to conceal its stake or that the company has no link to the Selangor government.

"Why blame others? Why not discuss during a board of directors meeting what is wrong and what needs to be rectified," he told Bernama, while saying that he found it amusing that the state government even planned to sue Syabas for the water disruption. This is akin to suing itself, as it owns 30% of Syabas.

It's public knowledge that from day one of coming to power, the Selangor government, led by Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, was bent on making life difficult for Syabas. Among other things, it refuses to approve the much-needed capital expenditure (capex) for Syabas to implement projects under the agreement and has stopped the company from imposing a tariff increase on water from January 2009 as provided under the agreement.

This non-approval for a tariff increase had led Syabas to file a legal suit two years ago against the state government for a compensation worth over RM1 billion.

All this is done because Khalid has come out with his plans to take over the state's water assets and restructure the water business, an issue he keeps harping on as the reason why he's stalling the development order for the Langat 2 plant, a federal government project to prevent a water crisis in the long term.

He is not only adamant about rejecting the construction of the new plant, but has dug deeper into his bag of water politics, when he said he would wait even for 100 years to implement the restructuring plan.

In another twist to the state government's water politics, Parti Keadilan Rakyat director of strategy Rafizi Ramli accused Syabas of making the people suffer in the hope of trying to topple the Selangor government.

Rafizi said he was even convinced that this was Umno's political game that "had received the consent of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak".

Najib quickly rubbished Rafizi's allegation. He made it clear that the Barisan Nasional government does not play politics over water which is everyone's fundamental right.

"The opposition should not play politics when it involves the survival of the people," Najib said over the weekend.

He said the situation would be "disastrous" if the Langat 2 plant, now over 30 months behind schedule, was not built.

The federal government, however, is going ahead with building the plant and is ready to fight in court.

Tenders for the RM1.2 billion project were closed last month.

A highly placed legal source said that Selangor could only reject the application for the development order within the law. This means that political consideration won't stand in court.

In the meantime, to prevent dry taps crippling more areas in densely populated parts, I think Syabas needs to rationalise the flow of water based on its capacity to produce treated water and not based on the seemingly unlimited demands of consumers, especially households.

Given the constraints pending the Langat 2 plant coming into operation, would it not be more sensible to ration the flow if it's technically possible and if this is the reality?

According to news reports, tempers flared among consumers who had to wait in long queues for water tankers. Certainly, rationing enables consumers to store water for their needs in their homes during specified hours and is better than collecting from tankers.

As the prime minister said: "It is sad to see scenes of people carrying buckets of water in the affected areas, especially those who live in flats.

"Some have to carry the buckets up 10 floors. The young can manage, but what about the elderly?"

If Khalid and the state government are unmoved, Najib has offered the people of Selangor a way out.

"All these problems will be a thing of the past if Barisan Nasional is returned to power in Selangor," he said in Semenyih on Saturday.

With the general election expected within the next two months, and water being a matter of personal survival, Najib's pledge should be taken seriously to solve the water woes once and for all.

Azman Ujang is a former editor-in-chief of Bernama.

 

Action against Bank Islam chief economist on the cards?

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 10:20 PM PST

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(Harakah Daily) - A prediction about the outcome of the next general election has landed Bank Islam Malaysia's chief economist in trouble, with a possible disciplinary action on the cards.

On January 11, Singapore's Straits Times reportedly quoted Bank Islam's Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajuddin (pic) as telling a forum in the city-state that Barisan Nasional may win only between 97 and 107 seats in the coming polls, not enough to form the next government.

Presenting his views at the Regional Outlook Forum, Azrul warned that Pakatan Rakyat's slim win could spell some "instability", and even said there was a possibility of "economic sabotage" by businesses aligned with BN.

BIMB managing director Zukri Samat immediately wrote a disclaimer to the daily, saying it had nothing to do with Azrul's views.

"The views expressed by Mr Azrul are entirely his personal view and should not be linked or attributed to Bank Islam whatsoever," he added.

According to news portal The Malaysian Insider, the BIMB's management would meet over Azrul's statement.

Deputy Finance minister Awang Adek Hussin meanwhile criticised Azrul for his views, saying he should not be talking about politics "in view of his influential position in a bank that is based on the Islamic concept in Malaysia".

Awang also added that he would let BIMB decide on the "type of action" against Azrul.

"True, Azrul Azwar expressed his personal view, but does that show his professionalism?" asked Awang as quoted by UMNO mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia. The right-wing paper has however claimed that Azrul had predicted a "narrow win" for BN.

 

 

Video of forum speaker insulting student goes viral

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 10:11 PM PST

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(Yahoo! News) - A video of a public university forum speaker insulting a student has gone viral on online forums and  Facebook. (http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/letterssurat/53851-mahasiswa-standard-malaysia

 

The 24-minute video showed the speaker - Sharifah Zohra Jabeen, president of little-known women's organisation called  Suara Wanita 1Malaysia or SW1M - dismissing a student who stood up to highlight points on Bersih and free education with remarks including "when this is our programme, we allow you to speak' and 'when I speak, you listen". 

 

(*All quotes are verbatim)

The forum entitled "Seiringkah mahasiswa dan politik?' (Are graduates and politics aligned?) was held at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in Sintok, Kedah on Dec 8.

The video began with students taking an oath to go against 'deviant culture', 'destroyers of peace', 'street demonstrations' and  support 'peace and harmony among multi-racial Malaysians without the interference of third parties'.

It then cuts to the student, Bawani KS, who stood up to highlight a court ruling about Bersih and question why Malaysia was not able to  offer free education like other countries.

Halfway through, Sharifah cuts her off by incessantly repeating "Listen, listen, listen, listen..." before thanking her for 'having the guts'.

She then asked the crowd: "Students in the hall, 2,300 students everywhere. Did I give her respect? Did I give her respect? I came up to her, shook hands with her and gave her respect as another woman? Do you think I need to answer her question with this attitude?"

Accusing Bersih leader Ambiga Sreenevasan of being an 'anarchist', Sharifah slammed the student for highlighting the need for free education in the country as is done in other nations.

She told the student that "if you equate Malaysia to other countries, what are you doing in Malaysia?".

"Go to Cuba, go to Argentina, go to Libya, go everywhere. Because all the students in this hall are happy with whatever the government does for them," she said.

She then berated the student for having the 'very least of education'.

"Today each person here has education and today, I'm very sorry that simultaneously, you have proven that you have a very least of pendidikan (education). You know what pendidikan you need? Respect the adults. Always have a differentiation gap between age. That's why you have a mother, grandmother,daughter, child, babies."

"Do you think humans have problems? Animals have problems too," she stressed, citing an example of cats that do not get leftovers in restaurants, along with dogs, cows and fish.

'The difference between you and me is a degree and a O'Level. That's all.

A Facebook profile said to belong to Sharifah Zohra Jabeen.

"Whatever you say, you are still in UUM. If you are not happy, you are very much suitable to go to another university," she said.

Another panelist stood up to interject and she cut him off saying "You know what Peter, I think all these people are tired. Who wants a Galaxy Note (Prizes had been up for grabs at the forum)?" she said.

Angry Netizens began sharing links to a Facebook page said to belong to Sharifah while SW1M's fan page was flooded with angry comments from the public. Some of  them are as follows:

Khai Hokage: I think ur president Sharifah should change her field coz she talk about animal better then she talk about democracy. hahaha.. 

Mohd Syukri Sulaiman: You got degree meh?when you die you also become dust lorh,for God sake,respect other people please?

Jo Ven Teh: Listen listen listen..lights,tv,lifts,leaves and air cond all have problem 2... Listen listen listen ..

SyedAdie Al-idrus: aku rasa esok tutup page nih! (I think it is best to close this page) hahahaha!

James Gan: After watching your speech in the forum suara Mahasiswa, other than the fact that you are older than me, I am not sure what else is worth respecting. 

Darren Sim Chee Hui: Hey you racist !!! You better make apologize to the Indian girl...!!! Give you an advice: If you don't respect all races, we won't respect you either !!!!

Akram Ahmar: Presiden paling banggang.... shame on U...u want a respect??? respect others first!!!

Shakir Ameer: and you wonder why your page has very little 'likes' despite the publicity. Shame on you people. 

Sunil Rendawa: If this Sharifah Zohra Jabeen character is the head of Suara 1 wanita, You people have a very sad organisation indeed.  Headed by an idiot, where do you lot think you are going ?

Abd Hanif Rahmat: sharifah zohra jabeen listen.. listen.. listen.. u degree i no have pmr.. i dont know speak english, but i want u apologise to bavani infront all student uum and must take a video for the apologise.. tell them u wrong that time.. u follow perasaan bila bercakap.. and tak mo listen bavani speak.. take note.. :)

Nicholas Cheng Yee Shen: Dear Shafirah, For an individual who is supposed to have possessed a degree and university education, your command of English is rather poor to begin with. I've seen high school students with better command of English than you. If you believe that you are entitled to respect from me, think again. May I remind you, it is because of people like you that this country, this great country of Malaysia, is going downhill. Precisely that.

What do you think of Sharifah's comments towards Bawani? Post your thoughts in the comments section below. 

 

Nik Aziz makes u-turn over word "Allah"

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 07:58 PM PST

(Bernama) - Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who previously agreed that "Allah" could be used in Bibles, has made a U-turn in his stand by clarifying why the word cannot be used by non-Muslims.

The PAS Syura Council last night decided that non-Muslims should not use the word in translation of their religious texts, but are free to use it orally following outcry from the Muslim community over Nik Abdul Aziz and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's stand.

Nik Abdul Aziz, who attended the council's meeting, said the council's decision was made out of fear that if "Allah" was used in Bibles, the meaning would run contrary to the actual meaning understood by Muslims.

"There is only one God. The Almighty. If other religions have one or more God, that's ridiculous. If they want to use it, it is wrong," he told reporters on his return from Kuala Lumpur at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Pengkalan Chepa here, today.

The controversy erupted after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in his Christmas message, urged the federal government to allow Christians to use 'Allah' in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang drew the flak when he said Islam did not restrict non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" as long they did not misuse it to the extent of confusing Muslims.

Nik Abdul Aziz, who is PAS spiritual leader, said the Christians, who believed in the Trinity, could not use the word at all for it was against the actual meaning.

In its decision, the PAS Syura Council said the Arabic word cannot be translated into or translated from other languages for it is a specific word used to refer the Muslims' God.

 

DAP slams PAS over Kedah CNY guidelines

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 07:47 PM PST

Syed Jaymal Zahiid, The Malaysian Insider

The DAP has lashed out against its allies PAS over the controversial guidelines issued by the Kedah government, calling its ban on adult females from appearing for Chinese New Year stage performances as ridiculous, unacceptable and unwise.

"Not only does the guideline not respect the right of non-Muslims, but it also discriminates against women. The PAS-led Kedah State Government must immediately review and abolish this guideline," its assistant national public secretary Teo Nie Ching said in a statement.

The PAS-led Kedah administration again saw itself mired in controversy when it recently issued guidelines for the organisers of the 1 Malaysia Chinese New Year Celebration 2013 scheduled for February 15 at the Star Walk Alor Setar in Kedah. 

The guidelines included, among other things, the appropriate attire for officers and singers involved. It also stated that performers are encouraged to sing motivational songs and that if extreme singing and dancing activities were to take place, the state government has the right to shut down the programme. 

In the past, the Kedah government under Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak (picture) has faced severe criticism, including from fellow Pakatan Rakyat leaders, who deemed his conservative policies as insensitive to non-Muslim rights.

Some had described his administration as a liability to the bloc's polls preparation while a few had admitted that the controversies could see PR facing an uphill task in defending the rice-bowl state at the 13th general elections.

Teo raised this prospect again, saying that the Kedah PAS government was alienating supporters just months before the bloc takes on its rivals in what will be the keenest polls to date. 

"As a matter of fact, it is not the first time that the PR Kedah Government has found itself in this type of controversy. 

"It has not only resulted in PR coming under heavy criticism from BN component parties, therefore weakening PR's chances during GE13, but moves such as these distance the rakyat further away from the administration," she said.

READ MORE HERE

 

Mahasiswa standard Malaysia

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 05:24 PM PST

o_YEKBkUmLw 

Adakah ini hasil dari kelemahan sistem pendidikan Malaysia? Mahasiswa yang anti-kerajaan dijadikan pengkhianat negara?
Or watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_YEKBkUmLw 
 
Inilah standard piawaian mahasiswa di Malaysia. Mereka ingin berjuang untuk akademik tanpa memperdulikan perkembangan atau pergolakan politik Malaysia. Mereka ini masih tidak memahami masa depan mereka adalah di tentukan oleh politik. 
 
Kemungkinan mereka rasa terjamin lepas graduan mereka dapat di sektor kerajaan, mereka dapat berkhimat untuk rakyat dan hidup aman dan selesa seumur hidup. 
 
Mereka amat takut dan gentar, bahawa politik itu permainan kotor, mereka tidak memahami ratusan pemimpin dunia ini adalah mahasiswa yang giat dalam politik ketika di bangku universiti. Cohn-Bendit dari French,di India ada student parliament mereka tidak mengenal Thaksin Shinawatra  ..... 

Adakah ini hasil dari kelemahan sistem pendidikan Malaysia? Mahasiswa  yang anti-kerajaan dijadikan pengkhianat negara? Adakah ini satu strategi parti pemerintah untuk membasmikan cerdikiawan-cerdikiawan di bangku universiti. 

 

Rosli Dahlan magnanimous in victory against The Star

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 05:22 PM PST

Rosli Dahlan

BREAKING NEWS!!!! THE STAR DEFEATED AND HUMBLED

by Din Merican

This morning I prepared myself to go to the Jalan Duta Court Complex to observe the trial where Lawyer Rosli Dahlan is suing The Star newspaper for defaming him in 2007. While I was on the way, I was told that it's over and I can turn back home.

Over? What do you mean it's over. The trial hasn't even started, so how can it be over?

Is Rosli being prevented again from telling his story in court? Or is this another ploy to prevent me from reporting on Rosli's trials and tribulations to bring accountability to those "Rogues in Government" and the mainstream media which worked hand in glove with these rogues to destroy his career and reputation?

In 2007, the mainstream media conspired with the Unholy Trinity consisting of former IGP Musa Hassan, A-G GaniPatail and rogue elements in the MACC to discredit Dato Ramli Yusuff's investigation into Musa Hassan's link with the underworld Along loan shark syndicate of Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh. When A-G Gani Patail abdicated his constitutional duty by refusing to prepare affidavits for the Police CCID, Rosli thought that it would be his patriotic duty to act for the Deputy Home Minister Dato Johari Baharom, CCID Director Dato Ramli Yusuff and six rank and file Policemen. So, he prepared their affidavits, which was a fatal mistake. This angered A-G Gani Patail who wanted to release Tengku Goh.

A-G Gani Patail was already angry with Rosli for helping the CCID's investigation against Malaysia Airlines former Chairman Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli whereas AG Gani Patail wanted to NFA that case. Unknown to Rosli, A-G Gani Patailhad a covert relationship with Tajudidn's proxy, Shahidan Shafie. This only came to light in 2011 when A-G Gani Patailwent to hajj with Shahidan Shafie like one big happy family, and they even shared their rooms! Yet, A-G Gani Patail was cleared by the MACC.

A-G Gani Patail

On the other hand, for helping the Police and MAS against these crooks, A-G Gani Patail made use of the MACC to fix Rosli. So, on the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2007, Rosli was brutally arrested, dragged in handcuffs, kept in the MACC underground dungeon overnight deprived of food and sleep to disorientate him. The next day, they paraded him like a circus animal along the Jalan Duta Court's corridors in handcuffs and then charged him in court.

The mainstream media had a field day. Here was a senior Malay lawyer with an unblemished record and good standing in society that will be taught a lesson for going against the establishment. They were intent on making him an example so that others will never ever dare to go against those in the corridors of power. So they sensationalised the " RM27 Million Cop Story and said that Rosli is a Singapore lawyer implying that he had hidden that money in Singapore.

They knew that was untrue. They knew that was false. But they didn't care. This was a demolition exercise and they will make minced meat out of Rosli. That was what that was supposed to happen.

READ MORE HERE

 

Anwar, Chandra told to settle out of court

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 05:13 PM PST

(NST) - The High Court today advised parties in the RM10 million defamation suit by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim against academician Dr Chandra Muzaffar (above) to settle the matter out of court.

Counsel Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin who acted for Chandra told the Press that judge Datuk Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad set April 3 for mediation.

 "If the parties fail to mediate, the suit will go for trial on the same day," he said.

 Yesterday, Nik Hasmat also allowed Anwar's application to amend his statement of claim.  Anwar was represented by lawyers N. Surendran and Latheefa Koya.

 Anwar is suing Chandra over his alleged defamatory statements made at a forum at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya on March 3, 2008, which were subsequently published in newspapers.

 He claimed that Chandra spoke the offending words to disparage him in both his private and official capacities.

 In his statement of defence, Chandra denied uttering maliciously and falsely any defamatory comment concerning Anwar.

 Alternatively, he claimed that if the words were defamatory, which he denied, then they were published on an occasion of qualified privilege without malice.


What are BN's and PR's Fiscal Policies?

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 05:03 PM PST

http://malaysia.jbdirectory.com/images/thumb/c/c8/Kua_Kia_Soong.jpg/210px-Kua_Kia_Soong.jpg 

The 13th general election is just weeks away and the two opposing coalitions do not feel the need to show the electorate their fiscal policies. All we get are populist freebies being handed out by both coalitions which are superficial and unsustainable. These are not fiscal policies to redistribute wealth, never mind fundamental changes in economic policies, including nationalization of utilities. 

Dr Kua Kia Soong, Suaram Adviser

We look at the Republicans and Democrats in the US, Conservatives and Labour in the UK and we say that their general election is like choosing between Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola because mutatis mutandis, they all stand for the same neo-liberal capitalist policies. Nevertheless, we notice that for at least a year of electoral campaigning before their general elections, these Cola parties are expected to put forward their respective fiscal policies before the people. The Democrats, for example, want to tax the super-rich a bit more and have more public spending while the Republicans want spending cuts and tax cuts for the rich.

Surprisingly in Malaysia, the 13th general election is just weeks away and the two opposing coalitions do not feel the need to show the electorate their fiscal policies. All we get are populist freebies being handed out by both coalitions which are superficial and unsustainable. These are not fiscal policies to redistribute wealth, never mind fundamental changes in economic policies, including nationalization of utilities.

Well, the ruling BN coalition will just carry on as they have for the last 55 years waiting to be dumped by the rakyat but what are PR's fiscal and public spending policies? Do we have to wait for the election to be called and all the manifestoes to be printed in small print and these important policies submerged by the usual campaign rhetoric?

 

Financing the Welfare State

One of the most transformational makeovers by PAS is their proposal for a welfare state instead of their erstwhile insistence on an Islamic state as the end-all and be-all of politics. Is there a consensus within the PR coalition for such a proposal? We don't hear DAP or PKR echoing this. Will this be in PR's last-minute manifesto and how will it be financed? Why can't we hear it now or are they going to give the excuse that BN may steal their idea?

PR claims that "good governance" will save so much money that it will allow us to do wonders. Without fundamental changes in policy from that of BN's, this is a mere pipe dream. Take PKR's stand on guaranteed minimum wage for example…

 

Guaranteed Minimum Wage Policy

The Selangor GLCs have successfully implemented such a policy with RM1,500 as the base line but the PKR director of strategy, Rafizi Ramli has been quoted as saying a minimum wage beyond RM1,100 in the other sectors would have an adverse effect on industries. He says this is according to a classified World Bank report.

Since when has the World Bank been concerned about the plight of the lowest paid? So, does this mean that PR will not have a RM1,500 guaranteed minimum wage policy as demanded by the workers' network? We are unlikely to achieve the objective of a high-income society if we continually depend on low-wage labour and use the same excuse about the adverse effect on industry. When Singapore implemented such a policy with its National Wages Council in the 1970s, it was met with the same objections from those who were not prepared to up wages for their workers. It looks like they are now forced to face another round of reality check after the recent revolt by their foreign workers.

With a guaranteed minimum wage policy acceptable to the labour organisations, our small and medium industries can be supported by other means of revenue and government incentives. That is why we need to have a debate about fiscal policies.

So where will the money come from? Since the existence of the first human societies, taxes have been a means of financing public works and other expenditure. The question is whether the burden should be on the bottom 90 per cent or the top 10 per cent income earners. This is where a progressive fiscal policy is expected of any coalition that is contesting the general election.

 

Taxing the Rich

The rich pay a substantial share of taxes across the developed world, and this share has risen in recent decades. According to the OECD, the top 10% of earners contribute about a third of total tax revenues—28% in France, 31% in Germany, 39% in Britain and 42% in Italy. America's wealthiest households contribute a larger share to government than in any other OECD country, at 45%. In Europe, they certainly have more to show for it – social services, unemployment benefits, a national health system and other social benefits. Despite this, William Buffett, one of America's richest men recently criticized the US tax system as manifestly unfair since he is taxed at a lower rate than his secretary!

Malaysia's income tax system grants greater tax savings for the rich as well as encourages tax evasion. We rank among the world's top countries for illicit outflow of money. In addition, the limited coverage has resulted in poor revenue generation. Without sufficient revenue, individual income tax cannot provide substantial funds for poverty lifting projects.

In recent years, the oil boom has provided the bulk of Malaysia's revenue. These windfall gains should have been scrupulously invested for our future generations. Instead, they have been blown on populist mega projects and financing the annual budgets. Oil's share of revenue is above 30% while nearly 50% come from direct taxes.

 

Review Fiscal Incentives and Tax Exemptions to Multinationals

The granting of fiscal incentives to companies like Lynas is a trend that has existed for many years under the BN government which has offered generous tax holidays to such foreign investors. Some of these foreign investors have the effect of displacing existing investments that paid taxes. Thus, the country not only faces a reduction in tax revenue, there is no net increase in employment. The energy guzzlers in Sarawak (foreign-owned aluminium smelters, mining companies, etc) are not only expecting the same kind of fiscal incentives including tax holidays, they are opportunistically waiting for the tariff rates of the Bakun and Murum dams to fall further before they commit their investments.

So what is PR's policy toward the granting of such fiscal incentives in general and these toxic, energy guzzling industries in particular if they come into federal power?

These are some pointers for a progressive fiscal policy in the Malaysian civil society 13th general election demands:

1. Impose a higher marginal tax rate on high income earners and a correspondingly lower tax rate for lower income earners;

2. An incremental Capital Gains Tax on property;

3. A progressive inheritance tax;

4. Implement regular review and monitoring of the tax laws and implementation to ensure there are no tax loopholes;

5. Review capital allowances and tax holidays for foreign firms;

6. Regulate and impose a tax on all international financial transactions and hedge funds;

7. A progressive tax on all luxury goods.

 

Defence Cuts and a Progressive Economic Policy

While we are agonizing over giving our lowest paid workers a guaranteed minimum wage of RM1,500, the government is coolly shopping for the next generation Multi-Role Combat Aircraft to replace the MIGs. British Aerospace (BAE) is trying to flog their Typhoons and other special offers in a RM10 billion arms deal!

Is it also time for PR to tell us their defence policy or will they merely be interested in exposing the commissions that will be creamed from this next big arms deal? The Scorpene deal (costing RM7 billion) has been the biggest single deal so far and we still haven't got to the end of that story!

This plus a progressive economic policy including nationalizing all utilities and essential services including water resources, health, public transport, energy, ensuring they are owned and controlled by the Malaysian peoples at federal, state and local levels, will bring respite to our lowest paid workers who deserve a decent standard of living and not populist crumbs.

 

KDEB explains Selangor gov't stake in Syabas

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 04:34 PM PST

(Bernama) -- Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad (KDEB), the investment arm of the Selangor government, said today the Selangor government only had a minority share limited to board representation in Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas).

Its president, Suhaimi Kamaralzaman, said the state government only owned 30 per cent equity and had two directors in Syabas.

He said Syabas was still the key player in handling the operations and maintenance of water facilities.

"The day-to-day operations and maintenance of the water facilities are carried out by the management of Syabas who are appointed by the majority shareholder of Puncak Niaga Holdings Berhad," he said in a statement to Bernama.

Suhaimi was referring to comments made by Universiti Utara Malaysia academician and senior lecturer Dr Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri on Saturday.

Ahmad Zaharudin Sani had said that under the Selangor water concessionaire agreement, river cleaning and water catchment, giving approval to operators of water treatment or supply for construction of new pump stations and upgrading plants and pump stations were under the jurisdiction of the state government.

Suhaimi said the State Water Monitoring Committee (SWMC), chaired by the Selangor state secretary, had been monitoring Syabas, particularly its action and recovery plans, on a daily basis.

"KDEB representatives, who are also members of the SWMC, are responsible for constant liaison with the Syabas management to ensure that all action plans are implemented expeditiously and efficiently," he said.

 

Religion, Politics and Business

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 04:23 PM PST

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in a desperate bid to divert attention away from what he knew would come to be alleged as party polls manipulation and fraud, saw it fit to raise the "Allah" issue. That it raised religious temperatures is an understatement that needs no further elaboration. 

Freedom Come Freedom Go

I have always maintained religion and politics is an explosive mix which should never be considered by any justification.

It is not a question of being secular in thought and expression.

The younger Christian generation may not be aware of past (and present) Catholic and Protestant acrimony, violence and bloodshed in Northern Ireland.

One of the most violent terrorist group at the times were the Catholic IRA, the Irish Republican Army. Presently, the Northern Irish political party Sinn Fein is closely associated with the once militant IRA.

There can be no denying turmoil around the world have arrived out of religious representation and misrepresentations, religious interpretation and misinterpretations, for political expediency.

In predominantly Muslim Malaysia, religion is a highly sensitve issue even though the country is hailed as a model and moderate Muslim country.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in a desperate bid to divert attention away from what he knew would come to be alleged as party polls manipulation and fraud, saw it fit to raise the "Allah" issue.

That it raised religious temperatures is an understatement that needs no further elaboration.

It is a fact that the taboo word for the Pakatan Rakyat is "Hudud" and for the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, the word "Allah".

But Lim Guan Eng's plot is lost when even it's own coalition partner has come out to declare that 'Non-Muslims can't use Allah'.

Pakatan Rakyat can now lay claim to fame of having two religious parties in Malaysia, PAS and the fast rising powerful Christian influenced DAP, led by Brother Lim Guan Eng and his "Allah" exploits.

Even the party of Prime Minister hopeful and hopeless Anwar Ibrahim, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, has a staunch proponent of Christian evangelism, Jimmy Chua Jui Meng.

From "Voice of Hope",

"Datuk Chua shared with us of how God has been gracious to him and his family. As a youth he had accepted Christ into his life, but through the years of studies, law practice and politics he drifted far from God. At the peak of his career, when he simply did not have time for God, he became greatly oppressed by demonic spirits. Unknown to him at that time, He had been subtly charmed and had 'voodoo' planted into his body. It was through fervent prayers and fasting by church leaders that he was delivered and had seven needles taken out of his body in the name of Jesus. This ordeal became the turning point in his life. Since then, his faith has been renewed and he has decided to follow his faithful Master, Jesus, doing just what a disciple of the Lord should do - preach the gospel to the nations."
Ask Jimmy Chua and I am more then certain he will tell you the reason he joined PKR, revelation from God.

From Fantastic Christian Testimony Of Datuk Chua Jui Meng,
"But when I prayed, this is only the fourth testimony I've given because I was very reluctant earlier on to give testimonies, you know when I prayed in the spirit, the Lord told me to give a testimony, it's the duty of a Christian but testify wisely. Therefore the secrets don't leak out. [audience laughs and claps] Testify wisely. And then again, before last night's meeting, I was praying, you know what the Spirit of the Lord said to me? "Speak from the heart. Speak from the heart." And that is the absolute wisdom of God. But the story just now I told you, what I want to conclude with, God and Christ are absolutely fantastic, awesome, and glorious. Glory be to God."
I cannot, however, see how Jimmy Chua can justify the above statement in his delusion filled political exhortation, "Who hijacked the Death Railway money?"
"The revelation by the Japanese Embassy that it had paid compensation to the Malaysian government for families of victims of the so called "Death Railway" project in the 1940s is shocking.

The sum of RM207 billion or whatever the amount must be revealed by Mahathir. He was close to the Japanese government and corporate sector when he promoted his Look East Policy aimed at enhancing trade with Japan."
It came to pass his own coalition partner, PAS, had in it's online portal Harakahdaily carried a clarification from the Japanese embassy denying any such sum compensated and occassion to have been disbursed.

READ MORE HERE

 

The Price of Politicizing the Word "Allah"

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 03:45 PM PST

Khoo Kay Peng

By now, Dap leader Lim Guan Eng should have regretted publishing his Christmas message which called on Putrajaya to allow the use of the term "Allah" in the Malay language Bible. It is so unnecessary because the matter is still on trial in the Malaysian court.

The second mistake, realizing that his party may actually cause some anger amongst Muslim voters in Peninsula Malaysia his party clarified that the use should only be permitted in Sabah and Sarawak. If the use of "Allah" is allowed in Malay Bible, why should it be only confined to both Sabah and Sarawak only? It should be consistently applied throughout the whole country.

Dap should learn never to politicize religion or race for its own political benefit. Race and religion are double-edged swords. They cut both ways. Lim Guan Eng should start to accept and admit that he is not immune to silly mistakes like this one which has been blown out of proportion by his political nemesis. The bad thing is the impact may be felt by all innocent Muslims and Christians if religious tension build up.

A number of leaders in Pas, an ally of Dap in Pakatan Rakyat, supported the use of "Allah" by non-Muslims. Now, its syura council (the party's highest decision making body) says that it is forbidden to use the term as a direct translation to God.

What appears to Lim as an easy point scoring opportunity is now turning into a nightmare for him and his party's continuous liaison with Pas. Malay speaking Christians are not going to be happy with Pas' u-turn and some non-Malay speaking Christians may be unhappy too because they may see it as a direct opposition to the religion. Non-Christians may see it as a constitutional issue which contravenes the right to freedom of religion.

READ MORE HERE

 

Where were the Indians during Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat?

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 03:30 PM PST

Deepak Jaikishan keeping the Indian flag flying

(Malaysian Digest) - The Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (HKR112) assembly on Saturday may have been considered a success, questions have been raised regarding the low turnout by the Indian community.

The minimal involvement of the Indian community in HKR112 could be due to the perception that the event is skewed more towards PAS members and does not encompass all races, Universiti Sains Malaysia's deputy dean of the Social Sciences Faculty, Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said.

"This can serve as a lesson to the organizers to make sure that the issues raised are balanced out for everyone.

"It could also be due to the Indian community adopting a cautious approach. Some of them may feel that they have been used in previous rallies," the political analyst told Malaysian Digest today.

Underneath the cautious approach, Dr Sivamurugan said the Indian community's support towards the government has shown positive development, although not as a whole.

His opinion was echoed by another political analyst and economist, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnman, who said the Indian community could have "changed their mind" and have adopted a wait-and-see approach in the run-up to the 13th General Election.

"The Indian community feels that the steps adopted by the government could resolve their woes. For now, they are adopting a wait-and-see method; they are being patient as there are only a few months away till elections.

"They are smart, they will rise if any quarter does not provide equal treatment to them," said Ramon, who is also former Transparency International Malaysia president.

However, Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president, N. Surendran, begged to differ.

Surendran maintained that the Indian community is angry with the government for its failure to resolve their problems despite the country's comparatively small Indian population.

"It's absolutely untrue to say that the Indian community did not go down to the ground to support the assembly. Indians make up only seven per cent of the country's population.

"I personally observed many friends from the Indian community who showed up, and they are angry over issues such as lack of MyKad and birth certificates," he said.

Surendran's views, however, were challenged by MIC's P. Kamalanathan, who said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is sincere in helping the Indians in the country.

"MIC has also acted to meet the needs and resolve the Indian community's problems; we've fulfilled our responsibilities."

He believed that the low Indian turnout was due to distaste over the Opposition's overwhelmingly skewed perspective on issues.

Kamalanathan, who is also Hulu Selangor Member of Parliament, added that the assembly wasn't even necessary to begin with, as the assembly's list of demands has already been answered by the government, such as in the case of the abolishment of the Internal Security Act (ISA).

"All they wanted to do was to organize a show of strength and support," he said.

Despite the differences in opinion, all however agreed that the assembly was a win-win situation for all parties, be it the organizers or the government.

They believed that it was proof that political transformation was alive, and that Malaysia is indeed able to hold demonstrations under peaceful conditions.

 

Himpunan rally: Taib’s men ‘shocked’ and divided

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 03:22 PM PST

A federal-leaning Sarawak MP has warned Pakatan Rakyat that it is playing with fire with such rallies. 

Joseph Tawie, FMT

KUCHING: Chef Minister Taib Mahmud's Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) party is divided in its view of the mammoth Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat rally in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

Whilst some see the rally as the people rising to demand change, others have condemned it outright.

The divided views are perhaps indicative of aging Taib's personal struggles to keep in check his federal-leaning party leaders.

PBB deputy information chief Peter Minos, when contacted, described the rally as a "wakeup call".

"It is a wake-up call for us. Do not underestimate the strength of the opposition.

"We should be wary of the threat from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact in the coming general election.

"I was surprised the organisers could draw a big crowd which I could see from a distance, and they are mostly Pakatan supporters."

Minos went on to add that the rally turnout showed that the opposition alliance was a force to be reckoned with.

Another PBB insider, who declined to be named, said peninsular-based Umno and BN reports had in the past given the impression that the "situation was under control".

"But I am shocked at the crowd. The blogs are full of ground reports and they all cannot be lying.

"Umno intelligence have been downplaying the opposition's strength. Najib (Tun Razak) must take note of this," the insider said.

Pakatan playing with fire

Meanwhile three other PBB leaders, rumoured to be Umno-leaning, have condemned the rally organisers.

PBB secretary-general Stephen Rundi said street demonstrations did not augur well for the country's prevailing peace, political stability and economic prosperity.

"I don't agree with the trend of politics as we have law and order as well as proven system to safeguard the nation and its sovereignty.

"We have full confidence in the system which also protects the opposition.

"Hence, going to the street and staging demonstrations will only cause chaos and disorder or even worse, ruin our harmony and the future of our beloved country, especially our economy, deterring foreign investors from coming," he said.

READ MORE HERE

 

Constitution gives no licence to expand syariah jurisdiction, says ex-CJ

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 03:18 PM PST

Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider

An amendment to Article 121 of the Federal Constitution does not empower syariah courts to take over the jurisdiction of civil courts, former Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad said today, giving heft to the protracted conflict arising from Malaysia's dual-track judicial system.

He said the amendment was "not a licence to expand the jurisdiction of Shari'ah Courts and to oust the jurisdiction of the civil courts."

The Muslim-dominant country, which provides for syariah courts to run alongside civil courts, has created several grey areas due to an overlap of powers. 

The retired top judge noted that many people, especially syarie law experts, have been mistaken in the belief that clause (1A) in Article 121, which lays out the extent of judicial power, absolutely excludes civil courts from trying disputes that touch on Muslim rights.

Abdul Hamid (picture) said that many arguments have been put forward in legal conflicts that if an offence is within the jurisdiction of the syariah court, it is no longer to be tried in a civil court any more by virtue of Article 121(1A). 

"What about cases in which one party is a Muslim and the other is not?" he asked in his speech at a law conference in the city.

"Secondly, the amendment is not a licence to expand the jurisdiction of Shari'ah Courts and to oust the jurisdiction of the civil courts," he said.

Abdul Hamid, who was chief justice between 2007 and 2008, recounted that the question had cropped up before the Court of Appeal nearly a decade ago in a sodomy conviction, saying that the courts had failed to address the issue of constitutionality of section 25 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997. 

"To me, that section is unconstitutional and void," he said today.

Disputes of jurisdiction between the Islamic courts and the civil courts have been increasing of late especially in matters dealing with religious conversion and child custody as well as the latest ongoing storm over the right of non-Muslims to call their gods "Allah", a word conservative Islamic scholars insist be reserved for their god.

Civil liberty activists and lawyers have noticed a trend that the judiciary has been putting Islamic law above all other laws in Malaysia, signalling an erosion of the Federal Constitution.

READ MORE HERE

 

Shadow Budget doesn’t add up

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 02:35 PM PST

(The Star) - The Opposition's shadow Budget failed to consider that Petronas' profits are shared with, among others, the petroleum service contractors, says International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

He said a certain amount of profit should be apportioned to petroleum companies as agreed upon earlier.

"The Pakatan Rakyat's Budget aims to increase oil royalties to the states from 5% to 20%. This means that less profits will be shared between Petronas and the petroleum service contractors like Shell and Esso.

"Hence, Petronas will give lower annual dividends to the Government," he said at his ministry's office in Jalan Duta here.

Mustapa said if the Opposition were to form the Federal Government and went ahead with its own Budget, it would not have enough funds to fulfil their general election pledges.

"They will lack funds to make foreign investments and yet, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says he wants to offer free education to the people," he said, adding that the shadow Budget was "reckless, irresponsible and foolish".

Mustapa said the National Higher Education Loan Fund (PTPTN) had disbursed RM46.8bil in loans, of which RM25.7bil was borrowed from various finance agencies.

"If the Opposition wants to offer free education, how are they going to pay off these loans? The Pakatan Budget also includes its pledge to abolish tolls, which would require an expenditure of RM6bil to compensate concessionaires," he said.

"We are saddened by such populist moves. The Opposition is hiding facts while the people are tricked into believing that it is workable."

Mustapa claimed that "not a single sen" was incorporated into the Pakatan Budget to fulfil their promises to the public and likened it to "cheating people in broad daylight".

Pakatan also claimed that it could reduce the country's deficit from 4.0% to 3.5%.

However, Barisan Nasional leaders have countered this, alleging that the Opposition Budget would cause the country to have a deficit of 7.2%.

 

PAS-led government takes the bang out of CNY stage performances

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 02:32 PM PST

Unreasonable rules: Dr Chua showing a copy of the directive to reporters. With him are MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha (left) and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
Dr Chua showing a copy of the directive to reporters. With him are MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha (left) and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

(The Star) - In yet another controversial decision, the PAS-led Kedah government has enforced new rulings for stage performances during Chinese New Year.

The state government will stop Chinese New Year stage performances on the spot if they failed to meet the guidelines.

The state has banned professional female singers in shopping malls and other open public places.

Only male performers are now permitted to sing and dance in shows held in such places. As for female performers, only secondary schoolgirls will be allowed to do so.

But with bands providing live music also barred from open entertainment events, performers can only use recorded music accompaniment or minus-one recordings (pre-recorded music).

Malls and shopping centres have been told that only songs with religious themes or those with positive messages will be allowed to be performed, effectively excluding pop songs.

Besides submitting lists of performers and songs, the organisers must ensure the artistes are not carried away or do not go overboard.

Kedah Health, Youth and Sports, Culture, Art, Heritage and Biotechnology Committee chairman Datuk Dr Hamdan Mohamed Khalib issued the directive to Kota Setar district officer Datuk Haji Bakar Din on Jan 9.

First in the four-point guidelines list is a rule that artistes as well as those in charge of the shows must be dressed conservatively and not menjolok mata (indecently).

A copy of the directive was given to MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek in Sungei Petani on Friday.

He showed it to reporters after the Perak MCA anniversary celebrations here yesterday.

Dr Chua said the guidelines violated the rights and freedom of non-Muslims.

He said the DAP, as part of Pakatan Rakyat and being an ally of PAS, owed non-Muslims an answer to this latest violation.

"This is because DAP helped PAS take over Kedah. Is the DAP saying again that this is a small matter?" he asked.

He said non-Muslims had their rights and freedom over food, attire, music, entertainment and leisure.

MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said non-Muslims could lose their identity under such policies.

"If non-Muslims continue to accept these, then all things Chinese and Indian, including their culture, could be lost if Pakatan continues to run the state," said the Alor Setar MP.

Chor said an agreement to such regulations would spell the end of a pluralistic society.

He added that such guidelines were never imposed in Kedah until the Pakatan government took over.

Gerakan also slammed the Kedah government for its "restrictive" policy on Chinese New Year entertainment activities.

State party chairman Dr Cheah Soon Hai said the directive eroded the rights and interests of non-Muslims, adding that the state government was insensitive and disrespectful to the Chinese community.

"Female artistes are being discriminated against as singing and dancing are their sources of income. The guidelines will have far-reaching effects on celebrations like Chap Goh Meh, the Hungry Ghost Festival, the Lantern Festival and Deepavali," he said.

 

PAS Syura Council: Prevent translation of ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 02:14 PM PST

PAS leaders said the word 'Allah' is a universal word and can be spoken by those who are not Muslims. – File pic

Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider

The PAS Syura Council yesterday decided that non-Muslims should prevent the use of the word "Allah" in translations of their religious texts, but are free to use it orally.

Following weeks of controversy over the usage of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims, the party's religious council said that the Arabic word cannot be translated into or translated from other languages.

The council explained that the word "Allah" is a specific and holy word used to refer to the Muslims' god.

"Therefore, translating the word God or Lord from any non-Muslim kitab agama (religious texts) to the word Allah tidak dibolehkan (cannot be allowed) because it is wrong from the aspect of meaning and wrong usage, does not fulfill the actual purpose and can bring about an obvious confusion.

"Therefore, it has to be prevented," PAS' spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and his deputy Datuk Dr Haron Din wrote in a statement yesterday.

But the PAS leaders said that the word "Allah" is a universal word and can be spoken by those who are not Muslims.

They said that this statement clarifies the meaning of the statement by the PAS spiritual adviser, the party's president and the whole party leadership.

Political allies PAS and DAP had recently appeared to send mixed messages over the use of the word "Allah" by Christians in their Bahasa Malaysia bible, before the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leadership made their stand clear last week.

Last Tuesday, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang explained PR's position, saying that non-Muslim communities should not abuse the word to spread confusion among Muslims, but said that this did not mean they were not allowed to use the word.

"Islam does not stop those of other faiths from using kallimah 'Allah' in their practice, although [in the usage of the word by non-Muslims] it does not refer to the original meaning of the word as according to the al-Quran," he read from a statement.

READ MORE HERE

 

PAS: Bukan Islam boleh guna ‘Allah’ tetapi tak boleh terjemah

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 02:10 PM PST

Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider

Kalimah Allah boleh digunakan oleh sesiapapun kerana ianya adalah alami (universal), kata Majlis Syura Ulamak PAS dalam satu kenyataan yang ditandatangani oleh Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz dan Datuk Dr Haron Din.

Semalam, Majlis Syura bermesyuarat bagi membincangkan kemelut dan kontroversi terbaru yang melibatkan kalimah Allah hingga mewujudkan polemik serta pelbagai pertikaian oleh banyak pihak.

"Kalimah Allah adalah alami (universal) kerana Allah Tuhan sekalian alam," kata Majlis Syura.

"Siapa pun boleh menyebut kalimah Allah seperti mana orang Arab Jahiliyah yang tidak Islam menyebut Allah lah yang menjadikan alam ini."

Dalam mesyuarat semalam juga menyaksikan PAS mengambil pendirian membenarkan bukan Islam menggunakan kalimah tersebut tetapi melarang mana-mana kalimah asing yang hendak diterjemah kepada kalimah Allah.

"Menterjemah kalimah God atau Lord dari mana-mana kitab agama bukan Islam kepada perkataan Allah tidak dibolehkan," kata satu kenyataan Majlis Syura.

"Ini kerana ianya salah dari segi makna dan salah guna, tidak menepati kehendak sebenar yang boleh membawa kekeliruan yang nyata."

Dalam kenyataan itu lagi, Majlis Syura berharap ia dapat menjelaskan maksud kenyataan oleh Presiden PAS tersebut dan seluruh kepimpinan PAS.

Nik Abdul Aziz (gambar) yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan pada 8 Januari lalu dilaporkan bersetuju orang bukan Islam termasuk pemimpin mereka dibenarkan menggunakan kalimah Allah walaupun perkataan itu merupakan hak eksklusif bagi orang Islam.

Menurutnya langkah itu sebagai memberi ruang kepada orang bukan Islam mengenali ajaran agama Islam sebenarnya.

"Bagi (pendapat) saya, orang bukan Islam perlu diberi ruang menggunakan perkataan itu kerana ia merupakan gerakan dakwah untuk mendekatkan orang bukan Islam kepada agama Islam," katanya.

Pendapat Nik Abdul Aziz itu sekali gus menimbulkan percanggahan dengan Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan dan ulama serta kalangan pemimpin PAS.

 

People’s rally in Sabah a ‘fiasco’

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST

A political pressure group in Sabah has taken to task local oposition leaders' misplaced priorities. 

Queville To, FMT

KOTA KINABALU: While more than a 100,000 are said to have attended the Himpunan Kebagkitan Rakyat rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (photo), the affair in Sabah proved to be a flop.

Just a couple of hundred youths turned up for the event at the Chong Thien Vun Park here on Saturday.

The blame was placed on the organisers and the lack of charismatic leaders to motivate would-be attendees in the run-up to the event.

Blogger and activist Ronnie Klassen described the rally as a fiasco with an estimated 300 participants at the park.

Klassen believes that the event here was poorly organised and reflected the discord and disunity among the organisers comprising youths aligned to the various opposition parties such as Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), DAP, PKR and PAS.

"Instead of showing solidarity among themselves, these youths were literally elbowing each other in order to steal the limelight. But, I don't blame them; I blame their so-called leaders for they themselves were fighting with each other most of the time.

"With such an attitude, they (the opposition) must be dreaming or hallucinating if they really think they can defeat the BN in the coming general election. Anyway, I wish them good luck," he said.

The confusion was demonstrated at the press conference held at the end of the rally with speakers merely shouting slogans such as "Jatuhkan Umno/BN" and "Tenggelam BN".

Klassen, who is also the deputy chairman of Demokrasi Sabah (Desah), a Sabah-based political pressure group who are pushing for a 'one-to-one' fight between the opposition and BN, also pointed to the conspicuous absence of state opposition leaders at Saturday's rally here.

READ MORE HERE

 

PAS tetap larang guna ‘Allah’

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 01:57 PM PST

Keputusan mesyuarat Majlis Syura Ulama malam tadi yang dipengerusikan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat serta dihadiri Timbalannya Datuk Dr Haron Din.

(FMT) - Majlis Syura Ulama PAS Pusat sebulat suara bersetuju memutuskan penggunaan kalimah Allah tetap dilarang dalam mana-mana kitab agama bukan Islam.

Majlis Syura yang bermesyuarat malam tadi dan dipengerusikan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat serta dihadiri Timbalannya Datuk Dr Haron Din menegaskan penterjemahannya tidak  dibolehkan kerana bimbang ia membawa kekeliruan yang nyata.

"Kalimah Allah adalah kalimah khusus yang Allah menamakan diri-Nya Allah. Kalimah itu tidak boleh diterjemahkan kedalam mana-mana bahasa dunia kerana tidak menepati kehendak sebenar dari kalimah ini.

"Demikian juga kalimah asing hendak diterjemahkan kepada kalimah Allah.

"Oleh kerana itu menterjemahkan kalimah 'God' atau 'Lord' dari mana-mana kitab agama bukan Islam kepada perkataan Allah tidak dibolehkan kerana ianya salah dari segi makna dan salah guna tidak menepati kehendak sebenar yang boleh membawa kepada kekeliruan yang nyata. Oleh itu ia hendaklah dicegah," katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

Keputusan Majlis Syura ini  bercanggah dengan Majlis Tertinggi Pakatan Rakyat Selasa  lalu yang sepakat menyatakan bahawa penganut agama lain tidak dihalang daripada menggunakan perkataan tersebut dalam amalan mereka, dengan syarat ianya "tidak disalahgunakan."

Sementara itu, Nik Aziz berkata Majlis Syura Ulama juga telah membincangkan isu sedutan amanat Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dan memutuskan untuk mendesak kerajaan supaya membenarkan Presiden memperjelas isu tersebut sekurang-kurangnya satu jam secara langsung menerusi TV1 dan TV3.

 

PBS founder-president Pairin to retire?

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 01:51 PM PST

Rumours of leaders aiming to retire is affecting morale in an embattled Parti Bersatu sabah (PBS).

Luke Rintod, FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Sabah Chief Minister-cum president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Joseph Pairin Kitingan may be having seconds thoughts about contesting in the coming elections.

PBS insiders said Pairin, 73, is finally "convinced" of the opposition's strength in his Keningau and Tambunan constituencies and is worried about the growing threat.

Pairin has been Tambunan assemblyman uninterruptedly for almost four decades, since 1976. He has been Keningau MP for almost 30 years from 1986.

He first won Tambunan at the age of 36 under Berjaya, the party he ousted from power in 1985 after a prolonged skirmish with Berjaya president Harris Salleh.

Pairin, who is PBS founder president, is also the only chief the party has seen since its inception in 1985 (28 years ago).

Pairin is the Huguan Siou or Paramount Chief of the Kadazandusuns in Sabah.

But that too may soon be history.

According to a senior PBS leader who spoke to FMT, Pairin is aware of his own precarious position in Keningau and Tambunan.

Requesting anonymity, the PBS leader said: "Pairin may not even contest at all at the coming poll because it would be humiliating if he is defeated.

"But I think he will still win in Tambunan if he decides to go for only one seat.."

Not healthy

The leader, who is a PBS supreme council member and has helped Pairin in previous elections, hastened to add that Pairin could decide to stay away from the 13th GE.

"(But) Pairin not contesting at all cannot be ruled out from now onwards…" said the leader.

Pairin, who is far from healthy, has taken pains to calm growing worry among his PBS members upset by rumours that he was leaving the scene.

At the party general meeting last year, he repeatedly reassured them that he was ready to be renominated and was in fact prepared to defend his Tambunan and Keningau seats.

According to the leader, Pairin's choice of words – "prepared", "ready" – lacked the affirmative "wanting" or "wanted".

"Even then he only spoke about it as a reaction when it is no longer tenable to keep silent amid rumours and whispers," observed the leader.

According to the PBS leader, there is a strong likelihood that other PBS assemblymen too would refuse renomination if Pairin is to leave politics altogether at this election, contributing to more worries and intrigues that would choke and plague PBS in the end.

"Even deputy president Dr Maximus Ongkili has been texting his friends that he foresees the coming election could be his last term in active politics.

"Other PBS leaders including its assemblymen, in return had started whispering to friends what would become of PBS without a strong presence of the once charismatic Pairin," the leader said.

READ MORE HERE

 

Where is Malaysia’s imam Mazhar Shaheen?

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 01:26 PM PST

CxTAOEkzUCs 

uppercaise 

A standing ovation and thunderous applause greeted the preacher of Egypt's Tahrir Square, Dr. Mazhar Shaheen, when he joined Coptic Christians in celebrating Christmas last Monday at the nearby Qasr al-Dobara Church, and delivered a stirring message of brotherhood and unity in the face of Islamist pressures threatening Christian-Muslim relations. [VIDEO]

(Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan 7, following the calendar of the Eastern churches.)

Addressing the congregation at the invitation of Samih Morees, his friend and confidante and pastor of the church, imam Mazhar Shaheen spoke of how all Egyptians carried out the Tahrir Square revolution of 2011, and the 18 days from Jan 25 to Feb 11 when millions of Egyptians rose in a people's revolution to overthrow the dictatorship of Hosni Mobarak.

But the revolution led to the rise of an Islamist president (who did not attend Christmas celebrations) and of the hardline Muslim Brotherhood movement, and to declarations that wishing Christians a Merry Christmas was haram and forbidden, and Christians were condemned for protests against the president.

PAS  Non-Muslims can't use 'Allah' for 'God' - Malaysiakini-121405

Post-revolution politics and Islamist pressures have placed the centuries-old tolerance and understanding between Muslims and Christians under great strain and imam Mazhar's message of love comes in sharp contrast to the rising voices of hate. (» Christmas Confusion as Copts Experience "Other" Egypt — commentary by the Brookings Insitution.

Mazhar Shaheen's message is bound to resonate with Malaysian Christians and other non-Muslim communities feeling marginalised by the campaign for racial and Islamic superiority and domination.

In Malaysia, official Christmas festivities have become a political gimmick, celebrating Santa Claus, reindeer and snow and not the Nativity, with a political leadership afraid to be seen next to crosses and other signs of Christian worship — and also accompanied by devout declarations that it is haram to wish Christians a Merry Christmas.

And then there is the racist campaign for superiority and domination by claiming exclusive ownership of the word for God.

Read more at: http://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/where-is-malaysias-mazhar-shaheen/ 

 

Bumburing: A Prisoner of Conscience?

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 01:05 PM PST

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-soiFf8zNkYBATEZfmWMuGtOk24G7jXPP3YpKS8v9jrSFU73tJXbY12V55S1a24Urc4CKLqbXze-eqVX7bv7GWfIitRjD0taIhCtbO_FVkCzR96MCBTWdQsJJnwVQL2DpwOmom1vUbkVH/s1600/Jeffrey+Kitingan_+STAR.jpg 

The people of Sabah have suffered long enough for all these years because people like Bumburing are prepared to sell their soul to secure a position with those who are responsible for colonizing Sabah in the name of national politics.

Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan 

"Wilfred Bumburing, leader of the so-called APS, is a prisoner of his own conscience because he is unable to distinguish between the right to fight/defend Sabah's inalienable rights and the politics of nationalism. He seems pre-occupied with the politics of "cari makan" rather than fighting for regaining Sabah's rights and correcting the wrongs committed by Malayan political leaders on Sabah" said Datuk Dr.Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman of STAR SABAH in response to Bumburing's statement that STAR is "Anti-Malaya".

The people of Sabah have suffered long enough for all these years because people like Bumburing are prepared to sell their soul to secure a position with those who are responsible for colonizing Sabah in the name of national politics.

We are against the domination, political interference and the intrusion of Malayan political parties in Sabah because that is how Sabah have been colonized by Malaya against all thaose promises and assurances agreed at the formation of Malaysia.

No doubt we belong to one Federation but with three nationalities – the Malayan nationality, the Sarawak nationality and the Sabah (North Borneo) nationality. That is why non-Sabahans and non-Sarawakians cannot simply enter these two Borneo States and do what Malayans do in their States.

We have laws based on our agreement and pre-conditions when we formed Malaysia. We also have three national anthems – one at the Federal level and one each for Sabah and Sarawak.

We have autonomous rights which have been eroded because leaders like Bumburing who prefer to work under and become proxies and stooges of Malayan political parties with their Malayan Agenda.

Is Bumburing against the Borneo Agenda? We, in STAR do not reject Malayan political parties. We prefer to work with them as partners not as their sub-servience.

When asked why Bumburing refused to cooperate with STAR, Bumburing (in a meeting with Dr. Jeffrey) replied that he doesn't agree with the concept of "Kingmaker". When asked what he understands about the concept, Bumburing said, "You can go here or you can go there" – meaning BN or PR… "I said, "Well, "kingmaker" means you have a choice and you have the power of a leverage. You must have leverage to restore over lost rights. Without this leverage you are not in a position to demand".

I then asked Bumburing how he will restore Sabah's rights if he joins PKR? He said, "We are not joining PKR, only borrowing their symbol." I said "Ok ….. no matter but how are you going to get our rights back? He answered – "when we win, we shall make our demands. If don't get it, we leave ….."

I was shocked for three reasons – one, what leverage do you have to demand when you belong to them (PKR). Two, where will you go if you leave? …. BN? Third, are you not a potential traitor to PR/PKR and to the rakyat who elected you? I rest my case.

"SELAMATKAN SABAH TANAH AIRKU"

 

Disorganized Opposition Will Give UMNO/BN Victory

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 12:56 PM PST

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ronnie2.jpg 

If there is any conclusion that one can draw from the Perhimpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (Peoples Uprising Rally) at the Chong Thien Vun Park here on Saturday, it would be that the Barisan Nasional (BN) would still be ruling Sabah after the 13th general election.

Ronnie Klassen 

Drawing such a conclusion was outspoken blogger cum activist Ronnie Klassen, who commented that his observation of the said rally, could best be described as a fiasco – worse than a 'boy scouts outing'.

As compared to the historical huge turnout at a similar rally held in the Stadium Merdeka, Klassen estimated that only about 300 participants were present at the Chong Thien Vun Park.

He observed that not only it was poorly organized, but it also reflected the discord and disunity among the organizers, comprising mainly youths aligned to the various opposition parties like SAPP, DAP, PKR and PAS.

"Instead of showing solidarity, these youths were literally elbowing each other in order to steal the limelight. But, I don't blame them; I blame their so-called leaders for they themselves are fighting each other most of the time, and it is still going on.

"With such an attitude, they (the opposition) must be dreaming or hallucinating if they think they can defeat the BN in the coming general election. Anyway, I wish them good luck," he said.

He went on to note that the disarray among the so-called organizers was further demonstrated at the press conference held at the end of the rally, with each and every one speaking for themselves, rather than in unison.

He further noted that the organizers failed miserably to drive home their message, except for shouting some outdated, hollow-sounding rhetorical slogans, such as "Jatuhkan UMNO/BN", "Tenggelam BN" etc.

Klassen who is also the deputy chairman of Demokrasi Sabah (Desah), a Sabah-based political pressure group pushing for a 'one-to-one' fight between the opposition and BN, also questioned the conspicuous absence of the state opposition leaders at Saturday's rally.

Noting that majority of the so-called opposition leaders were attending the rally in Stadium Merdeka, he questioned:

"Have they forgotten that their presence in Sabah was more important than in Kuala Lumpur, so as to be seen with the national opposition leaders like Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang or Awang Hadi? Or have they decided to stand as candidates in Petaling Jaya, Kepong or Kampong Baru?"

He quipped that this clearly demonstrated their desire to be seen among their national leaders was much greater than to be with fellow Sabahans, who they wished, would vote for them in the coming general election.

"Have they (the opposition leaders) forgotten who will be voting for them come the 13th General Election?" he asked.

 

Sabahans must learn from previous mistakes

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 12:39 PM PST

http://www.freewebs.com/amdesidik/AMDE%20BLOG.bmp 

Hj Amdee Sidik

BARISAN NASIONAL can't form Federal Government after this 13 General Election if they rely on winning Malaya's seats unless there is miracle. They are now breathing via a support machine from Sabah and Sarawak; plug it out, the red UMNO would turn purple.

Fifty years ago, Sabah and Sarawak were depending on Malaya but now there is a little breathing space, foreseeable to get what we deserve but whether the people of Sabah are serious or a mere aramiti or again only in as far as Sabahans are sober, if they aren't then more pilaks and more Mykads distribution on the offing designed for underserved holders - this time, the end of Sabah's dream of autonomy.

Some Sabahans still think that things go swinging like olden days. Let's hope the younger group can help reach out to those who think UMNO is the party of God that never dies.

Let us be reminded there is no other better time to change the government than today, meaning a vote today is many times its worth because it helps to kick out UMNO after the GE13; if people in Malaya want so badly to bury UMNO, why are Sabahans still dreaming to die with it?

But let also thank the Internet for its role, without it we wouldn't get as far as this in imparting information. Big hiccups are still there - National Media - TV, Astro alike are mouthpieces of UMNO to confuse people. I say confuse as that's the most the government's media can do as they are no longer considered a reliable information provider.

Let's divert a bit - Anwar Ibrahim made a grand mistake immediately after the 2008 General Election to many of us, even without the so called project of buying candidates to jump ship, which was so ridiculous an idea, in the end turned out a mockery to honourable profession, when it is only a matter of buying time to fight against BN.

Next, let ponder out this intricacy of politics, there is one thing we must learn quickly otherwise we may miss the chance.

As of now, every leader is prone to making promises but remember how Malaysia was formed and how our forefathers intended to mean what they agreed, and what are the results today?

To put it simply, once these people get what they want, what guarantee is there that they don't forget what they promised?

I agree to support the fight – my fight is for the people and my State first. The rest say you what may.

If the above is (I'm) still roaming around the bush, I would say this, for Sabah - there is no better person than Sabah people to look after Sabah. We have made it very clear we support the PR de facto leader to become Prime Minister. Let the PR group handle the Federal Government, we support them to conquer Putrajaya but let Sabah's politicians and Sabah local political parties handle Sabah as what Kelantense to Kelantan or Pinangites to Penang except, they are using national opposition political parties as vehicles.

Don't tell me Sabahan aren't capable of governing the State. We need no push button from federal leaders to handle autonomy issues as this was promised in the agreement made out in 1963.

Federal matters are federal, whilst states are state; reinstate Sabah's rights, that is all we ask for.

Some of you may be thinking, by pinpointing to one Sabah's experience, that is none other than the era of the PBS government, where Federal leaders created all sorts of trouble to paralyse the PBS government almost in every conceivable way - for example, court cases after court cases and leaders were detained under ISA. This was a demonstration on the street of Kota Kinabalu where our State mosque was painted and crucified to make it look like it was created by non-Muslims when the real culprits were the Muslim leaders themselves. Sabah had its own style of living harmoniously long before the Korean Gangnam style was even created, so to speak.

A few things I must also say now, the PBS President was naive, and insincere or perhaps big headed in a wrong way among others.

The PBS Government was branded as a Christian Government, Malay leaders were allergic to this and still are, an example is the use of the word ALLAH today. Insincere in the way they treated the Muslims - no intellectual Muslim were recruited into the party machinery, if any a mere window dressing. Other examples, the appointments of important departmental heads in the government and how State scholarship was distributed among others - that what people said in that days - those were the mistakes.

Should PBS be partnered with USNO, that would make Kuala Lumpur think twice before they wallop Sabah's leaders and the progress of divide and rule would at least be hindered.

The world wasn't as flat as today (Thomas Freidman) and spotlights are everywhere. If for instance Sabah is to be punished for opposing the Federal government and the world is watching more closely than ever, this would be a ready weapon if ever Sabahans and Sabah leaders are victimised.

Considering all these, let not be belittle Sabahans - Sabah local political parties are just as capable as anyone else to administer the State.

Throw away the Tidak Boleh mentality, which was handed down by the British to Malayan leaders and to me only an idiot would keep it.

Last but not least, assuming PR Government does this to Sabah Government in the future, they too will have a problem.

 

Hj Amdee Sidik is Citizen Journalist Malaysia, Deputy President of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) & Director of Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis.

 

In which direction is Proton driving?

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 12:33 PM PST

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(Free Malaysia Today) Proton has only one viable engine in production, and another unproven design bought from Petronas recently. It has dubious research and development capabilities and proven unreliability in quality control.

Proton wants to play a starring role in Southeast Asia, but there are many road bumps ahead.

With the flurry of news and rumours surrounding Proton Holdings Bhd and its owner DRB-Hicom Bhd last week, Malaysians had a reason to revisit their love-hate relationship with the national car company, contemplate its chequered past and ponder its future.

On Wednesday, we were told that DRB-Hicom was to spearhead the development of an "Asean" car in which Proton would be playing a starring role, and that DRB-Hicom may be taken private for as much as RM4 per share, besides listing what used to be Proton and DRB-Hicom distribution outfits.

Last Thursday, the DRB-Hicom management denied the delisting part, which burst the balloon that sent its shares to a 10-month high of RM2.78, to as low as RM2.65.

After a long silence about Proton since Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary-controlled DRB-Hicom bought its controlling stake from Khazanah Nasional Bhd more than a year ago, the sudden news flap is interesting.

If you believe that there's no smoke without fire, Syed Mokhtar's financial advisers must be talking about something more substantial than the weather around the water cooler.

But that is the trouble with trying to fathom anything about Proton, because literally anything can happen at the last minute, like the collaboration with Volkswagen AG (VW) that was called off the night before it was supposed to be signed.

Frayed analysts, after seeing countless analyses on Proton disproved by what seemed to be random acts, have kept their sanity remembering one important thing: Proton is not so much of a car company as the centrepiece of government policy, and therefore normal commercial considerations may not apply.

People of a certain age (that is, older people) will remember the day in 1985 when the Proton Saga was unveiled to great expectations. Though boxy, and decidedly dated because it was based on the 1983 Mitsubishi Lancer, the Saga caught our imagination and carried our hopes for a while.

Since then, due to many unfortunate issues with quality control and the fact that to make the Proton cheaper by comparison, the government raised taxes on other cars to make them more expensive. Malaysians love to hate the Proton – whether deservedly or not.

To us, it is a national icon, but to somebody else, let's say a foreign car company of immense size with aspirations of world dominance, Proton is not a viable car company and should be brought under the wing of the said car company with world domination in mind.

Dubious R&D capabilities

From their clinical perspective, Proton has only one viable engine in production, and another unproven design bought from Petronas recently. It has dubious research and development capabilities and proven unreliability in quality control.

It is also not selling enough cars and being overtaken at home by foreign-backed rivals even at competitive pricing.

However, it has two things going for it. Its underutilised production capacity and its favoured position in Malaysia, which is an important member of Asean.

DRB-Hicom, being an automotive and property development conglomerate, has several partners that can make full use of these assets. Chief among them are Honda Motor Co and Volkswagen AG (VW) of Germany.

While Honda has stated that it wants Malaysia to be the regional production hub for its hybrid cars, only VW has designs on being No 1 in the world with a target to sell 10 million cars a year by 2018.

That VW is really keen on owning Proton, or at least its assets, is obvious because it fits into its global design to tap into a major slice of Southeast Asia's appetite for two million cars a year.

Also any Malaysian-produced car, if local content is at 40% or more, would enjoy duty-free status to all Asean member-countries under the Asean Free Trade Agreement.

This is a huge a leg-up on rivals such as Toyota and other Japanese pretenders. Furthermore, Malaysian-made VWs could also be exported to other markets where they drive on the left side of the road, like India for example.

The Wolfsburg, Germany-based company had previously made an offer to tie up with the then public-listed Proton in 2007 but discussions eventually foundered because of opposition from parties that wanted the company to remain Malaysian-owned.

Crucial market

In July last year, VW was also reported to have considered making a bid for Proton's share that Khazanah Nasional was divesting, which a German magazine said might include a full-scale acquisition in the long run.

The German carmaker wants a foothold in Southeast Asia after its surpassed Toyota in 2011 as the world's second-largest manufacturer behind General Motors because it is a crucial market for increased sales as part of its ambition to become No 1.

Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/top-news/2013/01/14/in-which-direction-is-proton-driving/ 

New Year resolutions for Pakatan Rakyat

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 12:29 PM PST

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THE Pakatan Rakyat (PR)'s People's Uprising Rally, dubbed KL112 by some, passed without any major incidents last Saturday. Is the PR any closer to winning power federally? What New Year resolutions do PR parties need to make to stand a real chance at becoming the next federal government and retaining the states they hold?

Wong Chin Huat, The Nut Graph 

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)

Challenges

This Malay-dominated multi-ethnic party has prided itself as being centrist, not so much economically, but as a party between the religious PAS and the secular DAP. It likes to believe it is a party of tomorrow embraced by the middle ground. However, the sad truth is, it is less attractive than both PAS and the DAP. It is not Islamic enough compared with PAS, not Malay enough compared with Umno, and not liberal enough compared with the DAP. It, therefore, risks being seen as an inferior good in the eyes of communal voters on both ends.

What about the middle ground? The fact is, there may not be a simply defined and unquestionable middle ground. Because we are a bipolar society, the middle ground in one community may be considered radical in another. Take the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims. What view would the "middle ground" hold? And if PKR does markedly worse than PAS and the DAP in the next elections, PKR may be more torn between the differently defined middle grounds, not knowing which one it should fall back to.

Suggested resolutions

PKR certainly needs to think more non-communally. More than that, it should recognise that its real niche is not to bridge the divide between PAS and the DAP but to enable the articulation of so-called communal issues by the "ethnic others", as PAS did two years ago. PAS's support of non-Muslims' right to use "Allah" two years ago was a major coup against Umno's communal game. It was a powerful political statement when an Islamist party defended non-Muslim rights and spoke against the zealots in its own community.

PKR should strive to offer real reconciliation and solidarity in a similar way. Instead of having less extreme Malay leaders talking about Malay issues, bold non-Malay leaders should take up issues close to Malay interests and vice versa. For example, PKR non-Malay leaders could advocate measures to prohibit private sector discrimination, while its Malay leaders talk about about inclusive recruitment of civil service. So, instead of offering moderation in a form inferior to PAS and the DAP, can PKR offer exchanges of role and build trust, which PAS and DAP cannot do as credibly?

PAS

Challenges

PAS's contradictory stand on whether non-Muslims can use "Allah" shows that it is in an identity crisis. Some party leaders are apparently anxious over the attacks of Datuk Dr Hasan Ali and Nasharudin Mat Isa that the party is betraying its Islamist ideals in moving to the middle.

PAS's anxiety is due to its own success in transforming its image. It is now more successful in its secondary market – the non-Muslims – than its primary market – the Muslims. Support for PAS among Chinese Malaysians has risen from between 10% and 20% to possibly beyond 50-60%. This should not come as a surprise, thanks to its mainstreaming efforts and also Umno's extremism, especially after 2008. However, among Malay Malaysians, it is still second to Umno. PAS's support can hope to rise beyond 50% only after winning federal power, which would accord it more resources.

PAS's Nasharudin Mat Isa

How can PAS return to its comfort zone by winning higher support among Muslim Malaysians? The quickest way is to simply chase away some non-Muslim votes in the hope of gaining some Muslim votes. The manner in which a non-Muslim unisex salon in Kota Baru was fined and the temporary about-turn on Allah both signify this trend to restore PAS's psychological balance. But the trade-off may not pay off as they risk chasing off more votes than they can win back.

If PAS loses some mixed constituencies in the next elections without winning back more Muslim heartland seats in compensation, this would certainly make the hardliners more relevant in the party. So the party's loss may actually benefit some individuals within the party.

The opposition made significant inroads in the 1990 and 1990 general elections, but due to PAS's zeal in Islamisation, this contributed to the disintegration and decline of the opposition fronts in the subsequent 1995 and 2004 general elections. If it is not careful, PAS may again save Umno and Barisan Nasional thanks to its own fear of success.

Suggested resolutions

PAS should just live with the fact that it will continue to be more popular among non-Muslim Malaysians than Muslim Malaysians, at least until it enters Putrajaya with its partners. Playing to its gallery at the communal flank risks shooting itself in its foot, and damaging the PR's electoral chances in the process.

To console itself, PAS should ask a simple question: Is it Islamic banking's fault that it is more popular among the non-Muslims than the Muslims? If higher non-Muslim support has not made Islamic banking less Islamic, similarly PAS shouldn't feel less Islamic due to non-Muslim support.

Read more at: http://www.thenutgraph.com/uncommon-sense-with-wong-chin-huat-new-year-resolutions-for-pakatan-rakyat/ 

 

PAS Kedah larang artis wanita buat persembahan terbuka

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 12:25 PM PST

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(mStar) - Menjelang sambutan Tahun Baru Cina bulan depan, kerajaan PAS Kedah menguatkuasakan peraturan baru berhubung acara persembahan pentas pada perayaan itu nanti.

Berdasarkan peraturan berkenaan, kerajaan negeri akan menghentikan persembahan pentas sempena Tahun Baru Cina pada bila-bila masa sekiranya didapati melanggar garis panduan tersebut.

Kerajaan negeri mengharamkan persembahan penyanyi wanita profesional membuat persembahan di pusat membeli belas dan lain-lain tempat awam terbuka.

Hanya penghibur lelaki dibenarkan untuk menyanyi dan menari dalam pertunjukan yang diadakan di tempat-tempat tersebut.

Sementara itu bagi wanita, hanya pelajar sekolah menengah dibenarkan untuk berbuat demikian.

Selain itu persembahan muzik secara langsung juga dihalang daripada membuat persembahan terbuka, sebaliknya penyanyi hanya dibenarkan menggunakan muzik iringan yang direkodkan (minus-one).

Pusat membeli-belah turut dimaklumkan bahawa hanya lagu-lagu berunsur ketuhanan dan mengandungi mesej positif dibenarkan untuk dimainkan.

Selain perlu mengemukakan senarai penghibur dan lagu-lagu yang akan dipersembahkan, penganjur juga harus memastikan artis yang terlibat supaya berkelakuan sopan.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Belia dan Sukan, Kesenian dan Warisan, Kebudayaan, Datuk Dr Hamdan Mohamed Khalib mengeluarkan arahan tersebut kepada Pegawai Daerah Kota Setar, Datuk Bakar Din pada 9 Januari lepas.

Menerusi garis panduan itu itu juga dinyatakan kumpulan artis dan orang yang terlibat dalam sesuatu persembahan perlu berpakaian sopan dan tidak mencolok mata.

Salinan peraturan berkenaan kemudiannya diberikan kepada Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek di Sungai Petani pada Jumaat.

Beliau kemudiannya menunjukkan kepada pemberita selepas majlis sambutan ulang tahun MCA di sini, Ahad.

Menurut Dr Chua, garis panduan berkenaan dianggap melanggar hak dan kebebasan orang bukan Islam.

Katanya lagi, DAP sebagai sekutu PAS di Kedah perlu menjelaskan mengenai pelaksanaan peraturan baru berkenaan.

"Ini adalah kerana DAP membantu PAS mengambil alih Kedah. Adakah DAP sekali lagi akan berkata bahawa ini adalah satu perkara kecil?" soal beliau.

Tambah beliau orang bukan Islam mempunyai hak dan kebebasan ke atas makanan, pakaian, muzik, hiburan, dan masa lapang.

Sementara itu Naib Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung berkata orang bukan Islam boleh kehilangan identiti mereka di bawah dasar itu.

"Jika bukan Islam terus diperlakukan begini, maka semua perkara termasuk budaya masyarakat Cina dan India boleh hilang jika Pakatan Rakyat terus mentadbir Kedah," katanya.

 

Guidelines for CNY celebration in Kedah threaten rights of non-Muslims - Chua

Posted: 13 Jan 2013 12:22 PM PST

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He said the guidelines, issued by the Kedah state executive council on Jan 9, involved among others, the aspects of attire, singing and dancing.

(Bernama) - MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has described the guidelines issued by the PAS-led Kedah government to organisers of Chinese New Year celebrations in Kedah as threatening and eroding the rights of the non-Muslims which are provided for in the Federal Constitution.

He said the guidelines, issued by the Kedah state executive council on Jan 9, involved among others, the aspects of attire, singing and dancing.

Dr Chua said MCA was of the opinion that the issue was not a petty one because it involved respect for matters clearly stated in the Federal Constitution and the rights of the non-Muslims.

"The DAP will say that this is just a petty issue...when we say it's a political eunuch and it's right and apt, they (DAP) will keep quiet and will raise other issues to confuse the people," he told reporters after opening the 64th anniversary of Perak MCA, here today.

He was commenting on the guidelines for the organising of the 1Malaysia Chinese New Year Celebration 2013 scheduled to be held at the Star Walk Alor Setar, Kedah on Feb 15.

The guidelines prescribed, among others, appropriate attire for officers and singers involved and that the singers are encouraged to sing motivational songs and that if extreme singing and dancing activities were to take place, the state government has the right to put an immediate stop to the programme.

Dr Chua also expressed hope that the Chinese community would not give their support to the DAP as the party had repeatedly caused them to fight among themselves and influenced them to vote for PAS and support the guidelines that denied the rights of the non-Muslims.

He said the opposition pact did not have any future as they were willing to use the people just to achieve their own political agenda and that they did not have any strategy to further develop the country besides raising issues and organising demonstrations.

"If we vote for Barisan Nasional (BN), we have the assurance that the Prime Minister is Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and we have the assurance of political, social, economic and religious stability.

"We have the assurance of development every year, of satisfactory growth rate, of the fact that the country's heading towards becoming high-income nation and of our freedom intact," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Chua also reminded farmers in the state not to fall for the opposition's sweet talk to solve their land issues because only the ruling government could do so.

"The opposition does not even understand the issues. We will help the 1,500 farmers to solve the issues," he said, adding that MCA had so far helped 1,150 farmers in the state to solve their land applications involving approximately 4,000 hectares of land.


Malay Chamber to hand over 20 resolutions to PM

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 06:17 PM PST

(Bernama) - The Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (DPMM) will hand over 20 resolutions passed at the Malay Economic Congress last year to Datuk Seri Najib Razak in March.

Its vice-president, Rizal Faris Mohidden Abdul Kadir said the resolutions,which had been discussed at the grassroots level, would serve as guidelines forthe future direction of Malay entrepreneurs in the march towards Vision 2020.   

He said the resolutions were passed at the congress, which was attended byformer prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in October last year.     

Rizal said the resolutions would be deliberated at the national-levelroundtable for dissemination at the zone and district levels before they were fine-tuned for submission to the prime minister.  

"We do not want the Malays to lag behind and miss the economic opportunitieswhen the country is developed by 2020," Rizal told reporters after the opening of the East Zone Malay Congress 2013 by Kelantan State Secretary Datuk DrZainuddin Ibrahim at Bandar Baharu Tunjung here today.   

The congress is organised by the DPMM Research and Development Foundation,the Kelantan DPMM and the Malaysian Economic Action Council.     

He said two more zones - Putrajaya and Penang - had yet to hold the Malay Congress this year. 


Kudos to Peaceful Assembly Act

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 06:07 PM PST

NAJIB'S PROMISE: Yesterday's gathering at Stadium Merdeka indicates improved civil liberties

Azmi Anshar, NST

THEY came, they screamed, they mouthed, they preened, all in good spirits and in no worse shape than when they first arrived at the Stadium Merdeka since mid-morning yesterday for the hyped-up "Perhimpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat", where only a miniscule fraction of the touted one million crowd turned up.

Large peaceful assemblies previously untenable are, to the surprise of Pakatan Rakyat diehards, possible but they would rather lose their manhood than admit that yesterday's gathering was somewhat prim, proper and... dull.

So what if it was tedious, not to the Malay-dominated Pakatan faithful of course, but to other ordinary Malaysians making their way against the congested city streets commandeered by protesters. But by convoking the big crowd to the historical venue of national independence, Pakatan unwittingly magnified Datuk Seri Najib Razak's fulfilled promise for improved civil liberties.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, bless him, was still the centre of attention in this humdrum affair -- by his high standards of instigation.

There was no sleight of hands instructing supplicants to break police barriers, no overturned vehicles carjacked by humans resembling raging monkeys, no bloody altercations with police and, startlingly, no drama queen antics of feigned injuries. Not very Anwarish.

Instead, the assembly was addled with political chinwag purposely designed to bedevil government leaders, especially the prime minister, and selected government-linked companies where the opposition failed to rattle into corporate submission.

What the crowd had to endure was a series of chest-thumping but debunked allegations by Pakatan leaders eager to downplay scurrilous events of past weeks that made them look like chumps: Pas and its paradoxically confusing edicts on the demand to apply "Allah" in the ecclesiastical context, DAP and its bizarre party elections where a loser can be a winner after 19 days of mulling and PKR and, well, whatever latest scandal roiling around Anwar.

Moreover, the destructive elements in Pakatan couldn't muster a plausible pretense to provoke a fight with the police because the security people -- leery of the ways of certain anarchists and their propensity to rustle up street chaos on the call of a not-so-subtle hand signal -- kept a polite distance and simply made sure traffic flowed smoothly.

So subtle was the police presence that they didn't even need to construct a protective shield for mainstream media reporters previously the brunt of vicious gangs. Which can only mean that the Peaceful Assembly Act envisioned by the government when it was enacted last year is now a resounding success: implementable once politicians organising the event follow the rules permitting their right to free expression but respect the authorities' right to fix the location for sensible crowd control.

Otherwise, Pakatan leaders could have easily mobilised their people to congregate at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil (recommended by police for bigger crowd accommodation and better public transport) or the PKR-controlled Shah Alam Stadium but the choice of the two venues wouldn't be as "cool and photogenic" as Stadium Merdeka.

Pakatan apologists will continue to contest the fact that Malaysia has advanced the ideal that free association and assembly is steadily becoming the norm.

That's the rub: the more "civilised and dull" assemblies they summon in the event Anwar feels threatened by fresh scandals, the better cemented are Malaysians' civil liberties. And that can't be happening.

One fine day, Anwar and his ilk will realise that the mass public assemblies that served him artfully in the past, from his dodgy 1974 Baling demonstrations over farmers' hunger that didn't exist to his ugly street riots in 1998 after he was fired as deputy prime minister, will actually be banal and quaint, as it was yesterday.

But that doesn't mean yesterday's serenity will repeat: with general election just a quarter away, Anwar will be desperate to figure out a way to incite an Arab Spring moment using typically fishy anti-government allegations under the intense glare of western media astigmatism. Just watch.


 

BN optimistic but no polls till March

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 05:59 PM PST

Federal Minister Peter Chin recalled that similar rallies in 1998 after the DPM Anwar Ibrahim's sacking, had not dented support for BN.

(Bernama) - The Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat rally organised by opposition parties at Stadium Merdeka  yesterday will not influence support for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming 13th general election.

Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Peter Chin Fah Kui said the estimated crowd turnout of between 50,000 to 60,000 should not be a yardstick of the support towards the opposition.

"BN should not be afraid, when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked from the cabinet in 1998, there were similar rallies with 50,000 to 60,000 attending but support towards BN remained intact," he told reporters after visiting a Miri Home for the Aged, a privately run senior citizen care centre, in conjunction with the coming Chinese New Year celebration here today.

Chin, who is Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, said rather than resorting to street demonstrations, Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) should try to go to the ground always and explain to the people of their ability.

"I hope PR (Pakatan) can stop street demonstrations. It's not the Malaysian way, what kind of message they are trying to pass or the result they want to achieve. Go to the ground and tell the people who will be the Prime Minister if PR (Pakatan) win the general election, they can't even tell people that," he said.

Asked whether he had any indication of when the parliament would be dissolved, Chin who is also Miri Member of Parliament (MP) said it is unlikely to be this month or next month.

"The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister are now actively going to the ground to assess the political situation and with Chinese New Year around the corner it would not be possible to hold an election," he said.

He said the date for the election was an open secret to the public since the current term of the government would expire on April 28 this year.

With Chinese New Year to be celebrated on Feb 10 and 11, as well as many financial assistance to be handed out between now and March, many had speculated that the Prime Minister would likely dissolve parliament in March, one month ahead of the expiry term.

Political observers have speculated that parliament would be dissolved in the first week of March with voting expected to be held by end of the month.

 

KL112: Anwar mimicks Tunku’s “Merdeka”

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 05:51 PM PST

Anwar at Stadium Merdeka

If it wasn't enough to stage a massive anti-UMNO and anti-BN rally at the venue which played a major role in UMNO's legacy, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim capped off the event by chanting "Merdeka" seven times, mimicking Tunku not only in frequency but in mannerism as well.

Din Merican

Fifty-six years ago, UMNO was etched into the history books as the party which helped free Malaysia from British colonialists, a feat which it has hitherto never stopped reminding Malaysians about.

The declaration of Independence was made by UMNO's second president Tunku Abdul Rahman at Stadium Merdeka, which grew even more famous over the years by playing host to premier entertainment, sporting and national events.

Today, the ageing stadium hosted yet another historical milestone. It was the site of the biggest ever rally organised by Opposition parties, which no doubt helped set a new record for the 30,000 capacity stadium.

If it wasn't enough to stage a massive anti-UMNO and anti-BN rally at the venue which played a major role in UMNO's legacy, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim capped off the event by chanting "Merdeka" seven times, mimicking Tunku not only in frequency but in mannerism as well.

"Like how our forefathers cried out (Merdeka!), today we repeat that oath and this time, we will achieve genuine independence for the people," he said. To stress this point further, each time Anwar said "Merdeka", the crowd responded emphatically with "Rakyat".

How will UMNO react?

Pakatan Rakyat's antics in Stadium Merdeka is unlikely to bode well for UMNO diehards, who are likely to question the sudden and unexpected liberal approach. Until today, any major rally with a hint of anti-UMNO and anti-BN sentiments would have faced the full brunt of the law, with tear gas, batons and water cannons to boot.

Instead, the Federal government went out of its way to make sure that the rally proceeded without incident, to the extent of having the police say that their aim was to have "zero casualties" during the event.

In essence, Pakatan came out looking like its support base is growing, despite the intensifying negative press about them coming from the government-controlled media organisations since the last general election.

Such media organisations are going to be hard-pressed to claim that 100,000 people were paid to attend the rally, whereas Pakatan supporters will claim they braved the heat and congestion, unlike BN's less organic approach in drawing a crowd.

Looking beyond race

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's predecessors have never faced an opposition show of force on this scale before and his party will face a challenge to explain why opposition rally numbers are on the rise under his watch.

READ MORE HERE

 

Fixed deposits? What interests?

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 05:40 PM PST

KTemoc Konsiders

Free Malaysia Today - Three vital states for Pakatan

Apparently, according to Chua Jui Meng and many others, the pivotal states for GE 13 are Johor, Sabah and Sarawak.

Najib Razak had previously declared the latter two, Sabah and Sarawak, as the BN's electoral 'fixed deposits', which ensure a solid bank of votes to see the UMNO-led coalition to victory in another federal election. Johor, the birth place of UMNO has hitherto been considered as also another 'fixed deposit'.

But after the March 2008 election, we saw a run on UMNO-BN's banks in these three UMNO blue ribbon strongholds, with the account holders possibly withdrawing the 'fixed deposits'. No doubt such a possibility and its likely consequences have sent UMNO into panic mode.

Before I get into the meat of this post (non-halal of course, otherwise how can I convince you to read it to the end, wakakaka), let me give you my personal take on the author of the FMT article mentioned above, CJM, wakakaka.

I can't find fault with his criticism of BN where he warned of UMNO-BN becoming even more corrupt, greedier and bolder if the 55-year old ruling coalition were to win again. Being a cultured person he of course didn't say stuff that kaytee would say, such as the BN leaders quipping "Look, those idiots are quite happy with us screwing them kau kau! Let's not disappoint them" (wakakaka).

However, I am reminded he was once in MCA, and while we shouldn't hold that against him as we shouldn't hold an UMNO past against Anwar, there are conditions for excusing his MCA background, equally as there would be for Anwar Ibrahim's UMNO lamentable track record.

Chua Jui Meng (CJM)

For CJM, his move to Pakatan would have been more credible (like Zaid Ibrahim's) if he had left when he was still in power, such as in a party or/and ministerial position, thus indicating his preparedness to sacrifice his power, position and privilege because of his repentance in being a part of an ineffectual MCA leadership or recognizing the BN's general poor performance in governance, transparency and accountability.

He only joined PKR after he lost his bid to be a deputy president of MCA, very much like another sour grape, Anwar Ibrahim, who crooned reformasi only after he was kicked out of UMNO but not while he was in that party for 16 years, ...

... unlike Zaid Ibrahim who voluntarily resigned from his ministerial post under the AAB government to leave UMNO so as to come over to Pakatan.

Zaid Ibrahim

Unfortunately for Zaid and us, he was manoeuvred out by a political pygmy who was terrified of his leadership potential in PKR.

OTOH, I respect Ong Tee Keat because despite losing to the Chua Soi Lek-Liow Tiong Lie team, he stayed true to the party he joined. Though I don't respect today's MCA, I still respect Ong TK, the man.

Thus I couldn't help chuckling when I read CJM's article in FMT titled Give MCA the boot wakakaka. Anyway, let's not dwell too long on CJM as we are stuck with him in Pakatan, though I would advise that he won't be MB of Johor even if Pakatan wins the state, because Salahuddin Ayub of PAS has been anointed for that post, wakakaka.

Salahuddin is currently MP for Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. But he has been instructed by the 2 Pak Hajis to return to his birthplace in Johor for 'higher duties', wakakaka. And DAP is no doubt backing PAS on this as it knows Johoreans are not ready yet, no, not even for a DAP Malay politician to politically head the state.

Salahuddin Ayub

One year ago I discussed the survey by Zentrum Future Studies think-tank which showed Chinese approval of Pakatan in Johor rose to 68% after the last election, and climbed further to 79% in 2010. These staggering stats, if they come about in GE-13, would effectively enable Pakatan to pick up 15 federal and 30 state seats in Johor, compared to 1 and 6 respectively on 08 March 2008. 

And Salahuddin Ayob will become the new Pakatan MB of Johor.

Could it be confirming the reliability of the Zentrum survey when rumours have it that our dearest Hishamuddin Hussein is likely to shift from his current seat of Sembrong to Kota Tinggi? And why should he consider such a move, assuming the rumours have been reliable?

Well, stats again, those damn stats, because 40% of the registered voters in the Sembrong federal constituency are Chinese, wakakaka.

And to make the forecast even shittier for our dearest Hisham, Professor Abu Hassan Hasbullah of Zentrum revealed that "… its end-of-year surveys [end of 2011] have seen Johor Chinese catch up with and possibly overtake their northern kin in terms of backing PR. Opposition leaders in the state estimate that they won 55 per cent of Chinese votes in the last election but ….. support from the community has surged to close to 90 per cent."

90%! Oh, those bloody Chinese - no wonder Hisham likes to wave his keris and can you blame him, wakakaka.

Hishamuddin Hussein & his keris, Panca Warisan

The Prof described the massive political swing as a 'silent Tionghua revolution'.

The only smear on the beautiful Johor portrait for Pakatan is the innate rivalry between DAP and PKR where some sabotaging cannot be ruled out. There has been some very 'robust discussions' (wakakaka) between PKR and DAP over some seats, namely, Gelang Patah and Johor Jaya, both currently held by wakakaka, MCA. Alas, I'm not sure of the outcome of those 'robust discussions'.

Basically, PKR wants a monopoly on mixed ethnic constituencies (based on whatever nebulous basis it has claimed) while at the same has been avariciously eyeing the attractive DAP blue ribbon seats with Chinese majority. DAP which has traditionally contested in the latter type also wants a share of the far more numerous mixed constituencies, especially those  which Pakatan hasn't hitherto contested.

We saw a perverted version of this in the last Sarawak state election where sore loser PKR groused about DAP staying safe in urban areas instead of venturing forth into rural constituencies, conveniently forgetting that it was PKR itself which unilaterally and preemptively grabbed 52 (subsequently 49) seats out of an available 71 in the Sarawak State election.

I wrote about the Sarawak debacle for PKR in May 2011 in a post PKR's green-eyed monster where I commented:

….. a disgraceful petulant sour grapes merajuking Baru Bian … told The Malaysian Insider PKR wants DAP and PAS to prove they're multiracial, but obviously targeting the DAP.

He claimed that PKR "...wants its Pakatan Rakyat PR partners to contest in 'black seats' in the next general election and dismiss the notion that they cannot cross the racial divide."

He also told reporters that PKR "... could not continue shouldering the burden of contesting in BN strongholds alone."

Shouldering the burden of contesting in BN strongholds alone? My bloody foot, don't make my toes laugh!

This is the state head of a party who pre-emptively grabbed 52 seats without even a thought for its coalition allies in an unrealistic expectation PKR could be the winning PR member with the majority of seats, with him as CM wakakaka.

Here's a case of a greedy gluttonous grabbing beast which had refused to share and ate more than it could practically swallow, and now blames DAP for its tummy ache. Padan muka.

Baru Bian

Of course I would not be surprised if PKR has been singing a different tune in Johor where it sure as hell doesn't want DAP to contest in the so-called 'black seats', wakakaka.

Okay, let's move back to Sarawak. I wasn't surprised by CT Ali's article in FMT titled What comes first for Anwar? because I can easily answer Ali's titled question, wakakaka.

Anyway Ali, pissed off with Anwar's wheeling and dealing with super-frog Lajim Ukin in Sabah, has been super pissed off with Anwar and Taib (yes, the Sarawak peh moh) 'holding each others' hands', wakakaka.

Anwar Ibrahim (l), Taib Mahmud (r)

Guess CJM has been right about Johor, Sabah and Sarawak representing the 3 vital states in GE-13 where principles, let alone the bullsh*t reforms, have been trampled upon virtually everyday.

Poor frustrated CT Ali wrote:

READ MORE HERE

 

KL rally makes GE13 a keener battle, say analysts

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 04:38 PM PST

Pakatan Rakyat have estimated that close to 500,000 turned up for the rally yesterday while police said the crowd was, at the most, 45,000.

By Clara Chooi and Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider

Kuala Lumpur's mammoth rally yesterday has revived Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) push to capture Putrajaya from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) which has used a combination of policy and handouts to claw back support, say political analysts.

The analysts told The Malaysian Insider that PR's ability to organise up to 100,000 for the Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat gathering and the crowd's interest in the issues being discussed will make the general election a close battle for both coalitions. PR have estimated that close to 500,000 turned up for the rally at the iconic Stadium Merdeka but police said the crowd was, at the most, 45,000.

"Regardless of the actual crowd numbers, aerial photographs emerging from the event show a very large crowd, which reflects on the opposition and civil society's ability to mobilise the public," Merdeka Center's Ibrahim Suffian noted.

"But apart from showcasing the capability of organisers, it also shows the enthusiasm and energy of the forces opposing the government, underlining the fact that the coming polls contest will no doubt be the toughest that the ruling coalition will face in its history," he added.

Centre for Policy Initiatives director Dr Lim Teck Ghee said the rally was a "clear-cut victory" for both the opposition and civil society, citing the massive turnout, the disciplined behaviour of participants and the "formidable" consensus shown by all parties in opposing Barisan Nasional's (BN) rule.

"All these indicators will strike dismay in BN," he said.

But Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) political analyst Professor Datuk Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff expressed a slightly different view.

"When such a big rally is not disturbed and goes on so peacefully, why then did it not attract the one-million supporters as promised by Pakatan?" he asked.

In the run-up to the event, rally organisers had estimated attendance at a whopping one million people, although the seating capacity at Stadium Merdeka is only 30,000.

The gathering, which saw people dressed in T-shirts in a rainbow of colours to denote various causes, was organised by both political leaders from PR and non-partisan members of various civil society groups as a final showcase of their demands before the 13th general election is called by June.

"So one impact from this event is that we cannot always believe what these parties tell us. They always boast figures.

"Sometimes, they should just be realistic. You cannot promise something that is beyond your reach... you will just give false hope," Agus said.

But on a more positive note, the professor said the smooth running of the rally, possibly the largest public gathering yet in years, should be marked as a milestone in the growth of democracy in Malaysia.

He said scenes of the carnival-like atmosphere as rally-goers of all race and backgrounds came together for a cause was enough to reduce a person to tears.

"It made everyone so happy to get the permit. It shows that we, Malaysians, can now express our rights in a peaceful way. This is what democracy is," he said.

Agus added that one of the biggest takeaways from the rally was that it helped voters make up their minds for the polls by placing them in the "best position to assess which party is the best".

PR's de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made several election pledges that appeared to strike a chord with the predominantly Malay crowd at Stadium Merdeka.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider after the event, many rally participants appeared enthused and determined to make sure there will be a change of guard in Putrajaya after the 13th general election.

"This is the climax before PRU13," despatch rider Md Isa Ishak said, referring to the polls. "We are angry at cronyism. They are robbing us. We are angry at our leaders now."

"I feel positive after this event. I always feel angry at BN," said 36-year-old videgrapher David Lim, adding that he would get all his friends to vote in the polls.

READ MORE HERE

 

Winning by popularity: Can Umno rely on the prime minister’s personal standing?

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 04:31 PM PST

What panic? The panic that Islam is in danger, and that only Malays acting together as Malays can save it. The panic that Malays and their place in the country are imperilled, and that only by coming and acting together in the name and on the basis of Islam can their stake in the nation be safeguarded.

Clive Kessler, The Malaysian Insider

"BN needs to milk Najib's popularity harder, say analysts" reads a recent headline (The Malaysian Insider, 12 January 2013).

Sorry, but this is just delusional.

A strategy that seeks to use Najib's supposed popularity to save Umno/BN, to pull its chestnuts from the fire at the last moment, will fail miserably.

Umno has been around, and in charge (though in recent times unconvincingly), for over half a century.

Najib has been PM for less than five years.

So, with reason, he is less unpopular than his now increasingly unpopular party.

He has not had a sufficient chance yet to make himself as unpopular as Umno itself, by its own doing over recent years, has become.

And because he is widely seen as weak and vacillating, many people tend to be indifferent to him, unmoved by him, rather than to hate him.

They just don't feel strongly about him in any way: love, admire, sympathise or hate.

He does not inspire political passions of any kind.

Rather, he comes across politically as simply a "cold fish."

Nothing blood-stirring there about him.

And when he tries, such as at the conclusion of Umno General Assemblies, to display political passion, it tends to fall flat, embarrassingly.

That lack of powerful personal feeling or emotional "valence", positive or negative, towards the prime minister shows up in the polls as "popularity."

Where what you are being measured against — here a suddenly and surprisingly quite unpopular party — is a negative, mere indifference comes over as a plus, a positive.

Or that is how some people see things, how many people feel about what the government is now offering.

But any notion that PM Najib's supposed personal popularity can possibly rescue Umno/BN is just fantasy.

How might Umno/BN win the election?

It's pretty late in the day now to try to work out a compelling strategy.

But it would have to go beyond personalities, including Najib's.

All else aside, that is the only way to neutralize the "negative" side of popular feelings about Najib.

It would require Umno/BN to devise and promote a positive, coherent and principled agenda.

Principled?

Principled in the sense that it was unifying, that it united people and massed popular support from all directions.

By practising the politics of convergence, and seeking to draw in its supporters and allies on all sides, from all quarters.

Not a strategy, in other words, that divided, that sought to prevail at the polls by building up a numerical majority amassed from one side of the field only.

Not a strategy that seeks "traction" by appealing to, by driving and even frightening together in an anxious and fearful huddle, the majority — or as many of them as can possibly be made to feel beleaguered — against all the various minorities.

Can Umno/BN do that?

Can it rise above the politics — well-known for its tactical popularity among the cattle rustlers in old cowboy Western movies — of the stampede, the politics of unleashing and seeking to control panic?

READ MORE HERE

 

The ultimate Malaysian victory speech -- April 2013

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 04:26 PM PST

In an imperfect world such as Malaysia, in which imperfection has gotten worse and making us slaves to the policies created out of our prejudices and arrogance, out of our greed and lust for power, and out of our ill-conceived idea of human liberation and economic development - this imperfect world needed more than just incremental changes and compromise.

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Dr Azly Rahman

The great gathering of thousands, the new leaders emerging from the elections of 2013 speak.

        Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe, Just God of Humanity, Universal God of Humankind that knows even what is whispered in our hearts. Praise be to Lord of the Day of Judgment; one that made possible the change and transformation we are seeing now and we will continue to see in future.

        Allow me to talk about our victory, our vision of a "Constitutional State" and our vehicle of social, cultural, and economic progress beyond the NEP: of a new economic agenda.

        I stand here by His Grace, with humility, thanking you Malaysians who have come to celebrate and to give us the strength, the resolve, and the will to continue to march towards victory.

        This victory is already ours. We cannot underestimate our struggle – the struggle of Malaysians of regardless of race, class, gender, creed, religious background, and national origin. This victory will be a gift for our children. This will be the best gift we can leave the next generation with in a country in which "justice" is put in its proper place. This is the concept of Adil and is what we base out struggle on. This is the concept of bersih, cekap, amanah in the truest sense of the word. We are winning.

        We live in an imperfect world. We live in maya, in the shadow of Plato's cave. We constantly need to make changes to our institutions, so that democracy will have its breathing space, will evolve, and will flourish in accordance to the laws of Nature. As the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau once said "Everything in good in the hands of the Author of things, everything degenerates in the Hands of Man…"

        We have allowed totalitarianism, corruption, repression, and hedonism to take root in our democratic institutions.

        In an imperfect world such as Malaysia, in which imperfection has gotten worse and making us slaves to the policies created out of our prejudices and arrogance, out of our greed and lust for power, and out of our ill-conceived idea of human liberation and economic development - this imperfect world needed more than just incremental changes and compromise.

        It needed radical changes and no-compromises. We have shown that we through Fate conspiring, through the Will of God, we made that change, sudden yet peaceful and civil, on March 8 2008. It is our Velvet revolution, inspired by our own sense of non-violence, aided by technologies of cybernetics.

        The "revolution" - our own Malaysian styled-revolution - that ought to now be studied alongside the nature and structure of revolutions worldwide is not without its causes.

        Voices of change

        Those hard long years of battling injustices, the sacrifices of those imprisoned without trial, of those humiliated beyond recognition stripped off their dignity, those brutally beaten beyond mercy, those hunted down on the streets of our major cities, those silenced and stupefied in our universities, those sprayed with chemicals, and the voice of the little girl – a child of the Hindraf revolution who brought roses to ask for pity for his father's release - all these violent images of oppression we do not deserve have taught us to be stronger.


        We shall overcome

        We shall overcome.

        We shall overcome the tyranny of an arrogant, ineffective, incompetent, corrupt and lazy government that

        does not have any more respect for the rule of law

        does not have any shame in showing its greed and lust

        does not have any mercy in using brutal force to silent the voices of change

        does not have much respect for the principles of human rights

        does not have much intelligence when it comes to parliamentary debates

        does not have a clue of what good governance means

        does not have any regard for the plight of the poor and their livelihood

        does not have any respect for the intelligence of the faculty and students in our universities

        does not have any shame in overstaying their welcome

        does not have any interest in controlling crime

        does not have any will to fight corruption

        and does not have leaders that are wide awake,

        and does not have any idea that spoiled brats and greedy ones are running the country and finally destroying not only the party but also the nation.

 

        That's the price of arrogance. That's the price of corruption. That' s the price of losing touch with reality and a government losing its mind as well. That is what it is paying for – big time!

        It has been our remarkable years of living dangerously, swept by the tsunami of a yellow wave, under the moonlight of a blood red sky. It has been remarkable for us and the world to witness battles being fought by the rakyat against the machinery of oppression— a corrupted machine run by corrupted minds of lesser morals.

        By God's grace we shall win this war against the unjust. We shall win, by the will of the people.

        We shall put justice in its proper place.

        Hold on fast to your dreams

        A few days before the Malaysian tsunami that swept away the powerful machinery of the ruling regime, sweeping it to the backyard of our national history, we were battling with this feeling that the regime would still be holding power and will continue to use it to oppress, intimidate, and to rob the rakyat – for another fifty years.

        The African-American poet of hope, Langston Hughes once said:

        "Hold on fast to your dreams. For when dreams die, life is but a broken-wing"

        W.S. Rendra the great poet of the Nusantara once said the "world within.. the world outside must unite" in order for meaningful change to happen; in order for leaders to be true to his or her conscience and to answer to God.

        We are at an exciting historical juncture. No longer are we being objects of history, but we have become makers of history. Time awaits no man or woman. History marches on; history crafted by those oppressed by their own people intoxicated with power.

        No colours or barriers

        Who would believe that we could have achieve such victory in a time when skepticism still reigns. Who would believe that we would, in our rage against the machine, overturned it and send those who owned it scrambling in all directions bruised and still unwilling to accept the defeat orchestrated by the rakyat. Yes, the power of the rakyat, or suara keramat rakyat, the sacred voice of the people, that made victory possible. From the silent and scared voices of the rakyat we now have a sacred voice that has spoken loud and clear and will continue to speak louder.

        Onwards to the march of the power of the people that have begun to know no colors and barriers of religion, class, creed, and national origin. You are the reason why I am still standing here and not looking outward from some prison cell in Perak or Selangor – two states tsunamied by the yellow wave.

        What next after the revolution? The celebrations are over. We need a GPS – a geo-positioning system – to help us create a better society.

        We are all economic beings who need to see a better plan that will promise us a better life after what we have accomplished in this General Election. We do not have faith anymore in the New Economic Policy that has reared its ugly head in its 50 years of implementation.

        We cannot have faith in the NEP that is creating robber barons out of the hard work of the poor. We can no longer be fooled by the argument that the NEP protects the rights of the Bumiputeras when only a few "sons and daughters of the soil" are plundering the wealth of this land and gradually but surely selling off our country to other robber barons from outside of this country. Is this the kind of Bumiputera hiding behind the mask of the NEP we want to have running this country?

        These are the Bumiputeras who make different races mistrust each other, masking the real issue of oppression and distributive injustices that know no race, ethnicity, color, creed. These are the culprits that were created out of our own lack of understanding of what a "good society" is and what "radical multiculturalism" means and how these can offer us a sound philosophy of human development that prioritizes needs versus wants, virtue over greed, and peaceful solution versus structural violence. It is a matter of time we depose these "traitors" who call themselves defenders of this or that race, hiding behind the crumbling walls of the NEP.

        Who is still speaking for the New Economic Policy – one that is used for fifty years first as a programme to help the poor but no has matured as a tool of the powerful to plunder the nation and to rape the environment?. Who would have thought that the NEP once designed as a strategy to alleviate poverty and restructure society has now become an instrument to make the poor poorer and the rich filthier.

        A new dawn

        You have entrusted us to fight for a better future. You have given us the trust to chart a new Malaysia. We owe you a dawn of a new Malaysia.

        Our central economic principle is that "the right opportunities must be made available to every single Malaysian—opportunities to learn, opportunities to make an honest living, and opportunities to achieve our dreams". We will defend the rights of all Malaysians as guaranteed under our constitution.

        Let us go forth in the direction of change, with our brand new economic agenda. Let us leave the abused and outdated New Economic Policy behind. How do we do this? You and I must take charge.

        Courageous Malaysian who have known truth and justice, to fight for these, and to see how these are becoming a reality,

        You continue to be the reason why this revolution is happening. I stand before you, with humility asking you to continue to support our struggles to be free;

        You have answered the call to freedom.

        You have risked your lives on the streets in order to demand for freedom.

        You have not given up.

 

        You will be free from the shackles of domination

        Free from being harassed by the government the moment you want to speak up

        Free from having to bear the burden of this regime's incompetence and corrupt practices,

        Free from the being treated like second and third class citizens even though grandfather and great grandfather arrived here earlier that the fathers and mother of many of the Cabinet Ministers

        Free at last we shall be

        Free at last by God's Grace

        Thank you. Thank you.

 

        We shall work together to make our society better.

        Thank God Almighty. We shall march on. We shall be free!

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

OUR USUAL REMINDER, FOLKS:
While the opinion in the article/writing is mine,
the comments are strictly, respectfully, and responsibly yours;
present them rationally, clearly,  politely, and ethically.

 

AND - VOTE WISELY!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/azly.rahman

http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

 

Malaysia opposition holds mass election rally (WITH PHOTOGRAPHS)

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 03:57 PM PST

Anwar Ibrahim's three-party alliance taps into anti-government sentiment ahead of key general elections in March.

(AL JAZEERA) - At least 45,000 people have joined a massive opposition rally in Malaysia's largest city in a show of force ahead of key general elections due in months.

Police sealed off main roads in downtown Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, allowing protesters to march peacefully to a nearby stadium for the rally by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's three-party alliance.

The rally focused on demanding further transparency in elections that must be held by June. The polls are seen a major test for Prime Minister Najib Razak's ruling coalition after its dismal performance in 2008 elections.

The National Front coalition, which has governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957, lost more than a third of its seats in parliament to a resurgent opposition in 2008 amid public discontent over problems such as corruption and racial discrimination.

Anwar on Saturday appealed to the public to oust the National Front and vote in his opposition alliance in this year's elections.

"We ask for a chance so that the people's voice will become the sacred voice in ruling this country," he told the crowd.

"Our government is so corrupt. The government should listen to us. They need to reform. For more than 50 years they have ruled Malaysia," said Azlan Abu Bakar, 29, a rally participant who travelled from the eastern state of Terengganu for the gathering.

Peaceful gathering

The rally tested Najib's tolerance for public dissent after police used tear gas to quell two similar protests over the past year.

The protests have helped pressure the government to agree to new regulations to prevent people from voting multiple times and ensure fairer elections, but activists insist voter registration lists remain tainted.

Police estimated Saturday's crowd at around 45,000, but organisers said more than 100,000 people showed up. The rally ended peacefully after more than three hours.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin reacted to the rally by saying the ruling coalition has brought peace and prosperity for all Malaysians.

"We have a good government and a good economy, so why do we need a change?" he was quoted as saying by the national Bernama news agency.

In a statement, the government said that it was "pleased" that the rally passed off peacefully.

"Today's events underline the government's commitment to freedom of assembly, and the strength of Malaysia's democracy. The rally was facilitated by the Prime Minister's political reforms, including the introduction of the Peaceful Assembly Act," the statement said.

The government has intensified efforts to win back support over the past year with measures such as channeling more funds to the poor and abolishing security laws that were widely considered repressive. But the opposition insists that only a change of government will resolve problems such as corruption and racial discrimination.

Most analysts believe Najib's ruling coalition will still have the upper hand in the elections because of its entrenched support in predominantly rural constituencies.

 

End days for the Great Survivor?

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 03:48 PM PST

Dr Chua Soi Lek's failure to unite his party may prove to be his downfall.

Stanley Koh, FMT

However much you may hate Dr Chua Soi Lek, you have to admire his ability to survive in the harsh and sordid world of Malaysian politics. His victory in the 2010 MCA presidential election will remain as one of the great comeback stories in our political history.

That victory came barely two years after he had confessed to a sexual indiscretion and resigned all party and government posts. It was no mean victory. His rivals were formidable; one was the incumbent president and the other a former president.

However, according to some pundits inside his own party, Chua may have used up all the dirty tricks in his survival kit and is facing his end days in politics.

They say his failure to fulfil a promise to unite the various factions in MCA and to regain voter support for the party will prove to be his final undoing.

The promise to heal rifts in the party was particularly important. If he had worked hard at it and been even half successful, he might not have become the lonely and desperate party chief that his detractors say he is today.

According to insiders, Chua hands are sore from gripping the rein of leadership tightly for fear of losing it to some scheming faction leader who has wised up to his tricks, including those he used as part of the psychological war strategy to clinch the 2010 victory.

They say he can now trust only a small circle of supporters. Ironically, that is what he used to say about his predecessor.

Chua knows well enough that in his campaign for the presidency, he made enough internal enemies to last him a lifetime. And since then he has added to the list through his decisions in party appointments and recommendations for government positions.

Now, with the general election looming, the time bomb of vengeance is ticking away. Many are the disgruntled warlords waiting to settle old scores. Will they sabotage the election just to prove that Chua is an unworthy president?

But then again, they may not have to do anything. Everyone knows that MCA is facing the darkest hour it its history and many think it will be wiped out in the coming election.

The fact is glaringly clear: Chua has failed to win back the Chinese community's support for MCA and BN in nearly three years of helming the party.

He has made blunder upon blunder in his public statements on issues that the new generation of voters care about, such as human rights and environmental concerns. When not blundering, he would resort to glittering rhetoric about BN's claimed culture of consensus or, in classic BN style, skim over the issues.

Frogs in a well shaft

In the eyes of the public, MCA leaders are like frogs in a well shaft. They see only the sky above. They are no longer feeling the pulse on the ground, having lost the plot set by the party's founding fathers in their aspiration for a democratic and united Malaysia.

Critics among party insiders privately acknowledge that today's MCA has neither a ideology nor any semblance of unity.

"Party unity is, at best, an illusion," said a veteran who served as a party official during Lee San Choon's presidency.

One would be naive to think that Chua is unaware of disunity in his party despite the rhetoric he uses to convince his political masters in Umno that the situation is otherwise.

It is out of his awareness of disunity that he has exercised extreme care in selecting candidates for the 13th GE. Foremost in his mind is his own political survival, which depends partly on MCA winning back a decent number of seats.

It is anybody's guess how many rival factions there are in MCA, but insiders agree that one of the most dangerous to Chua is the faction led by Ong Ka Chuan. He is a brother of Ong Ka Ting, whose presidency was undermined by the Save MCA Campaign launched in 2006 and the Snoop Squad controversy that Chua allegedly had a hand in.

Another faction is linked to the party's former youth chief in Penang, Eng Boon Hiap. Eng is a staunch supporter of Chua's predecessor, Ong Tee Keat. In December 2011, he led 400 others in a resignation that shut down two MCA branches.

However, the biggest threat to Chua's future comes from the fact that the "collective leadership" he put together after winning the presidency was based on a betrayal of trust and selfish interests.

Both Liow Tiong Lai and Wee Ka Siong were staunch supporters of Ong Tee Keat and were, during a factional split under Ling Liong Sik's tenure, aligned to a faction that was at odds with the faction Chua supported.

MCA leadership is indeed trapped in history with political personalities and characters void of principles and non-ideological.

READ MORE HERE

 

‘Bersih was Anwar’s baby, Ambiga his shield’

Posted: 12 Jan 2013 03:41 PM PST

According to an ex-PKR official, Bersih 1 rally had proved to be a "wheel of fortune" for PKR and the party transformed from rags to riches

Athi Shankar, FMT

BUTTERWORTH: A former PKR official, who was once involved in organising party demonstrations, has alleged that the idea of Bersih was mooted by Anwar Ibrahim way back in 2007.

Syamsul Hidayat Mohd Sharif, PKR's ex-Youth information chief, claimed said Bersih was not an independent, non-political movement championing free, fair and clean elections.

He said Anwar, the party's de facto leader, mooted the idea to  revive his waning 1998 'reformasi' call, bolster PKR's finances and fuel public hostility against the Barisan Nasional government.

"Truth is Bersih was never independent.  It's a political movement to vilify BN.

"Bersih is Anwar's baby and he uses (S) Ambiga as a shield," said Syamsul, who recently joined Umno.

Speaking at a political gathering in Raja Uda here last night, he further mocked  Bersih claims that it is purely seeking electoral reform under the current leadership of Ambiga.

"Anwar first wanted to hold the Bersih 1 mammoth rally in Nov 2007 to stir up opposition against the government prior to the last general election.

"He mooted the idea to cry for electoral reforms after receiving inside information that (then premier) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would hold the 12th general election in early 2008.

"Anwar wanted to clone his reformasi rallies of 1998," said Syamsul.

He said Anwar was convinced the Bersih rally would be an effective political vehicle given the success of previous 'refomasi' rallies in galvanising Malay voters against Umno and BN, and in toppling the Terengganu state government in the 1999 general election.

Bersih, a windfall for PKR?

He said Anwar also needed to 'recharge batteries' of his weary party members.

"Hence he organised the Bersih rally to capture public imagination by accusing the nation's electoral process was dirty," said Syamsul.

READ MORE HERE

 

Pakatan makes 10-point demand

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 06:54 PM PST

Ensuring free and fair elections tops the list.

G Vinod, FMT

The opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, made up of PAS, PKR and DAP, has made a 10-point demand to the government and topping the list is for the government to ensure free and fair elections.

Pakatan made its demands known at the Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat, attended by some 100,000 opposition supporters, at the historic Stadium Merdeka here today.

The list of demands was announced by PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution at the rally.

"If we come to power we would change the course of the government, away from corruption and race-based policies and politics. No Malaysian would be pushed aside. We will also move in tandem with each other for a better life," he said when presenting the demands.

Apart from wanting free and fair elections, Pakatan also wants the administration of Felda to be reviewed.

"We also demand that all Malaysians including those from Sabah and Sarawak be given equal treatment. We demand that all oil-producing states are given 20% of the oil royalty.

"We also want all government servants to be professional in the administration of the country," he added.

Pakatan also wants the government to provide a healthy living environment to all Malaysians.

"The government should preserve Bahasa Malaysia while the usage of English should be upgraded. The government should also provide free education for all Malaysians," said Saifuddin.

Pakatan also wants all political prisoners freed.

"We also want the government to preserve our tradition, culture and heritage. We demand a better life for all Malaysians," he said.

 

Just say NO to party party Malaya

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 03:48 PM PST

Wilfred Gaban, Wikisabah

We Sabahans must stop acting like little kids.  Stop worrying how big daddy will cut off your allowance, or change his will and not give you any property such as land or house.  We must step up to the plate and declare that we are self-reliant.  We have to take responsibility for our actions and our future.  Inevitably, we are on our own and we ought to learn to stand on our own two feet without relying on mommy and daddy to bail us out.

Many among us have become naive in mind and spirit.  Allowing fear to create a philosophy of no can do.  Where others see opportunity, we see hardship.  When push to a corner we capitulate and succumbed to appeasement.  When confronted, we find excuses for timidity.  When described as cowards we justify our behaviour as preserving life and use God to justify our weakness.  Such traits have gotten us a raw deal with Malaya.

However, such traits are good if appreciated.  The problem was, we were never appreciated in a respectable manner.  Instead, we were marked for marginalization.  Being innocent in worldly affairs, our people always wears a pleasant smile because our natural world is beautiful and naturally peaceful.  Indeed, living in a "Land below the wind" does have its advantages.

People tend to expect a longer life expectancy, build a larger family, and take a laid back attitude for there is no rush to undertake or overtake anything.  The land is rich with eatable wild plants, healing herbs, one of a kind creature, and filled with valuable sources of energy such as oil and gas.  Life is great, so it seems!

In our slumber, we become complacent.  When other societies around the world had to learn and adapt to their harsh environment, they also learnt to improve their human condition and ingenuity.  Thus, they became more sophisticated and advanced than those that seldom went through catastrophic trials in life.  In short, Sabahans had to be content with the status quo for a long time because we were programmed to feel contented within our narrow sphere of existence.

That explains how little have changed in our society and our communities over 20 years.  We were never progressive because we were excluded from the executive planning committee.  We were controlled by a political bundestag that spouts supremacy of race and religion, while foolishly ignoring nature's common sense.

The ultimate puzzle lies with us.  We are a people who have become reliant on government to feed us.  Not that we wanted to be fed by government, but because we are living in poverty, therefore, we have no choice but to rely on government.  Hand outs are common place in our society.  Hand outs are a welcome gesture, but a hand out is also a tool of the devil that may be.  Living in poverty makes us an easy target for hand outs.  If use by the dark forces for unscrupulous intent then we are doomed.

The trick is to not put ourselves within the confines of poverty.  This is the challenge of a leader.  A leader who cares for the people must find a solution that would elevate the standard of living of the people.  A good leader will guarantee that the people are well cared for.

Too many of our past leaders did not meet these standards of leadership.  Being of poor disposition, a position of leadership put them in a frenzy to enrich themselves instead of finding a solution that is good for everyone.  These are the quality of leaderships we have had for so many years.  The cycle of bad leadership could not be broken because the yoke of poverty continues to elude us.  People vote for the same leadership repeatedly because they have been program by the poverty mind-set to expect better things for so little.

It is not uncommon to meet a person in the kampong who tells you that he or she is satisfied with what they have.  That, although, life was hard, he or she is thankful that they have something to eat.  That if there were no foods at the pantry they can always rely on the jungle to provide food (makes me wonder what will they do if the jungle is gone.).  So whenever a wealthy personality comes along and give hard cash they see it a treasure worthy of their votes.  This ignorant programming is bolstered by a government whose agenda are bias and bigoted for a selfish ambition.

Therefore, here comes the story of the good versus the evil.  For those of us who understand the matrix involved and wishes to change for the better, we will stand and struggle for the good side.  Those that served a selfish and bigoted agenda stand on the evil side.  Evil somehow tends to be stronger because they have no qualms in using whatever means to achieve their agenda.  So the good had to struggle to the brink of exhaustion just to get even.  The evil side always have the upper hand, whiles the good side has to rely on the people's sense of justice and integrity to build a strong foundation.  For the good, it is a hazardous journey, but for the evil it is a game of chance and slight of hand.  The good does not gamble, whilst the evil is a gambler with a gun.

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Nooh Gadut: Murtad jika benar Bible guna kalimah ALLAH

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 03:12 PM PST

(Bernama) - Penasihat Majlis Agama Islam Johor, Datuk Nooh Gadut berkata, mereka yang membenarkan penyelewengan penggunaan kalimah ALLAH boleh jadi murtad dan perlu bertaubat dengan segera.

Menurutnya, kalimah ALLAH adalah hak mutlak agama Islam serta mereka yang mengucap dua kalimah syahadah iaitu kalimah penyaksian, sumpah setia dan akujanji terhadap keEsaan ALLAH S.W.T.

"Apabila sesuatu hukum telah tercatat di dalam al-Quran dan Hadis, selain ijmak ulama, maka ia tiada kompromi.

"Daripada segi hukum kalau seseorang itu melanggarnya, dia boleh jadi murtad dan kafir sekiranya perbuatan itu dilakukannya dengan keadaan sengaja dan waras," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Seminar Wakaf dan Perancangan Harta Pusaka Islam, di sini hari ini.

Katanya, di dalam al-Quran jelas menerangkan kalimah ALLAH merupakan kalimah eksklusif untuk orang Islam sepertimana dalam Surah Thaha ayat 14 maksudnya, "Sesungguhnya Akulah ALLAH; tiada Tuhan melainkan Aku; oleh itu, sembahlah akan Aku dan dirikanlah sembahyang untuk mengingati Aku".

"Jadi jelas barang siapa yang mengatakan agama semua sama, hukumnya murtad.

"Kerana itu apabila bercerita tentang akidah dan hukum, ia tidak boleh ditafsirkan mengikut politik sama ada politik pembangkang atau politik kerajaan," katanya.

Nooh berkata, jika penggunaan kalimah ALLAH dibenarkan dalam Bible versi bahasa Melayu ia akan menimbulkan kekeliruan kerana menurutnya di dalam agama Kristian itu sendiri terdapat tiga nama tuhan.

Beliau turut menegur sikap pihak tertentu yang seolah-olah sengaja menguji keharmonian negara dengan menganggu kontrak sosial yang selama ini menjadi tunggak kepada keamanan negara.

"Jika permasalahan ini tidak diselesaikan dengan segera ia boleh menyebabkan huru hara dan kepada mereka yang berkenaan, jangan melampau kerana saya bimbang akan sampai ketika umat Islam tidak akan dapat menahan sabar demi mempertahankan akidah, nanti  'yang menang jadi arang yang kalah jadi abu'.

"Nasihat saya kepada yang Islam itu, betulkanlah segera akidah mereka dan yang bukan Islam, berjaga-jaga, jangan sampai umat Islam hilang sabar," katanya.

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net
 

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