| Whither Dr M? Posted: 18 May 2013 01:06 PM PDT 
Dr Mahathir, despite being the hard man that he was, would never abandon the component parties. He was always loyal to his allies even if he knew some of them to be corrupt or were no longer useful to the coalition. Friendships mattered to Dr Mahathir. He did not use people and then forget them later. Zaid Ibrahim, TMI We know that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had little say in the naming of the new Cabinet. This wasn't because he didn't try. Indeed, he was rebuffed by the prime minister who suddenly felt strong and energised by his so-called new mandate after the election. Barisan Nasional (BN) likened Datuk Seri Najib Razak to a rock star, and put posters of him in all constituencies during the campaign period as if he were the most popular politician to ever grace this country. Now he is continuing on the same path with his list of new ministers. It matters little what Umno or the Barisan Nasional (BN) think because it's a list who will keep him at the helm for the next five years. This is why I think Dr Mahathir has lost his influence, or at least the will to fight back. He must be disappointed with this turn of events, for, in his 22 years in power, he never once dispensed with Umno or BN during a general election as if they didn't matter. He never traded on his personal popularity or put up posters of himself as Najib has gleefully done. To Dr Mahathir, it was always about Umno and the Barisan, and not the personality of individual leaders. Dr Mahathir, despite being the hard man that he was, would never abandon the component parties. He was always loyal to his allies even if he knew some of them to be corrupt or were no longer useful to the coalition. Friendships mattered to Dr Mahathir. He did not use people and then forget them later. It must be painful for him to see Najib embracing people like Datuk Paul Low and P. Waythamoorthy, whom Najib met just three weeks before election, practically abandoning the MCA and MIC who have been steadfastly loyal for over 55 years. This is not the Alliance or the Barisan spirit. This is a massive ego trip on a temporary high. So it's up to Dr Mahathir's son, Datuk Paduka Mukhriz Mahathir, and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to redeem the glorious past and remove Najib at the forthcoming Umno general assembly (that is, if they still have the Umno-BN spirit in them). Many Umno members think Najib is due for some payback at the November assembly, even though members are not normally very demanding. They are easily satisfied if the leaders take care of them, making them feel important and making sure their opinions count in the big decisions of the party. Najib, however, abandoned the counsel of the members during the election and chose instead to trust Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis and the "war room operators". READ MORE HERE |
| Umno’s unpardonable sins against the Malays Posted: 18 May 2013 12:59 PM PDT 
Over a long period of 56 years, Umno has played havoc with the Malay mind through crippling political and religious propaganda. In this election, the educated, intelligent and well-informed Malay in the urban and semi-urban areas have toppled the proverbial coconut shell that Umno kept them trapped under and come out to realise that there is a wondrous political world outside! FMT LETTER: From Tota, via e-mail The general election is over. An allegedly fraudulent electoral system and a highly tainted electoral roll has once again ensured a BN victory, albeit a hollow one with less than 48% of the popular vote. Over a long period of 56 years, Umno has played havoc with the Malay mind through crippling political and religious propaganda. In this election, the educated, intelligent and well-informed Malay in the urban and semi-urban areas have toppled the proverbial coconut shell that Umno kept them trapped under and come out to realise that there is a wondrous political world outside! As predicted by well-known surgeon and writer Dr M Bakri Musa in his book 'Liberating the Malay mind', Umno needs a scapegoat. The "hantu" pendatang, the Chinese bogeyman, has been resurrected once again to serve their purpose. No one has analysed the Malay dilemma more clearly and expressed it more succinctly than Dr M Bakri Musa. I quote below a few excepts from his book about what Umno has done to the Malay mind: 1 Malays have been addicted to the comfort of life underneath the coconut shell for far too long. Now with the shell breached by globalisation and the digital waves, it is dawning upon us that our "comfort" is anything but. There is a far greater, more open, and definitely wondrous universe out there that we have been missing. Life under the coconut shell is no longer sustainable; for many it is already intolerable. We can either topple this shell ourselves or risk having it done by external forces. With the former we would be in command of our destiny; we could purposely choose the timing, manner, and consequently the outcome. With the latter, we would be at the mercy of events and circumstances beyond our control; we would effectively become victims. 2 The metaphorical Malay coconut shell – our closed minds – cannot be destroyed physically. Besides, with the huge pores already created by globalisation and the digital revolution, many have already successfully emerged from underneath it, with only the mushrooms to sustain us.
This would be the fate that awaits those with a closed mind. Perhaps we could rationalise that by adopting a "leave us alone" philosophy. Such an option, however, is not for us to choose but for others to impose. The colonials imposed upon the world and us their narrative of "the lazy native". With our closed minds we readily accepted that and then lived up to it. Only centuries later did we manage to escape (though). 3 In an ironic twist, we have now substituted our own equally fictional narrative of ourselves. This one, not surprisingly, puts us at the opposite end of the scale, that of the privileged "son of the soil" (Bumiputra). With that we declare our inherent superiority, taking a leaf from the colonials. The latest incarnation of this new narrative is Ketuanan Melayu. Alas, while we may have changed our story, the reality remains the same; we are merely trading one mental coconut shell for another. That is no liberation. 4 In this capitalistic world we would not be far wrong if we were to, as the pundits put it, follow the money. Just as those divine novels and soap operas make tons of money for their publishers and producers, so too our narrative of Ketuanan Melayu for its perpetrators. Thus it is not a surprise that those who shouted the loudest and shrillest about it are also among the most privileged of Malays – the Umnoputras. They live in palatial bungalows, have children attend expensive English schools, acquire multiple trophy wives, and own fleets of luxury cars, all made possible through political patronage, "Approved Permits" and outright corruption. 5 The perpetrators of Ketuanan Melayu already sense this impending implosion; hence their preoccupation with creating new myths. We are now led to believe that our problems are the results of the conspiracies of various hantus (ghost or devils). First there is the hantu of globalisation with its associated hantu of capitalism and secularism, and then hantu pendatang (of immigrants). If those were not enough, there is also the added hantu of religious extremism. We are currently totally bewitched, if one is to believe this new narrative. Again, the majority with their trapped minds have willingly accepted this new version of reality. 6 There is another feature of the brain that rivals its ability to edit non-conforming information, and that is its tendency to see the whole instead of the parts. This gives rise to the dominance of "framing." 7 Society too can be imprisoned by this framing effect. We Malays, or specically our leaders, have framed our dilemmas as one of Ketuanan Melayu instead of our lack of competitiveness, as it should be. All of our actions are thus "framed" by our mindset. This preoccupation with Ketuanan Melayu and obsession with the various hantus distract us from recognising the real existential threats we face. We are all familiar with our laggardness in economics, education and other arenas, as our leaders never tire of reminding us. Those are bad enough, but there are other far greater and indeed more immediate threats we are oblivious to because of all these other distractions. One immediate threat is the deepening polarisation and increasing inequities within our Malay community. This is a far greater threat than the more familiar inter-racial variety. I worry less about another interracial conflict ala May 1969 and fear more a Malay civil war. 8 The other threat is that we risk being left behind by emerging global trends. 9 Finally, our increasing obsession with religion puts us right in the target of its extremist elements. Once they get hold of our institutions and power structure, it would be very difficult to dislodge them. Iran and Afghanistan are ready examples, soon to be joined by Pakistan and, if we are not careful, Malaysia. READ MORE HERE |
| Meet the Malaysian Neo-Nazis Fighting for a Pure Malay Race Posted: 18 May 2013 12:08 PM PDT 
(Vice.com) - We start off with restraint and a zero tolerance stance, but we won't keep up this position if the Malays in Malaysia are threatened. A couple of years ago, my friend moved out to Malaysia in search of a life where a winter wardrobe isn't a thing and you don't have to worry about stuff like moronic bro culture or seeing Kim K's face on television. What he found was a job as a bar manager in an establishment frequented by Malay punks covered in swastikas, wearing Combat 18 (a neo-Nazi terrorist organization) T-shirts and harping on about "Malay power." Turns out they're a group of far-right nationalists who want to rid Malaysia of any non-ethnic Malays and stop immigration into the country. Which, although pretty backwards and reductive, isn't all that surprising in the current world climate. What was surprising, and kind of confusing, is that they identify themselves as neo-Nazis, are fond of sieg-heiling and listen to Nazi bands like Skrewdriver and Angry Aryan, yet definitely aren't Aryan themselves. And adopting a worldview that specifically discriminates against your race seems a very odd thing to do. I was told that one of the most popular Malay power bands is an act named Boot Axe, so I got in touch with band member Mr. Slay to find out why exactly a group of Malaysians are going through this bizarre, neo-Nazi identity crisis. 
VICE: Hi Slay. So what's the deal with all this "Malay power" stuff then? Slay: Malay power is important because we're concerned about keeping a pure Malay community all over the Malay Archipelago [the archipelago between Australia and Southeast Asia, believed by some to be the homeland of the Malay race]. I'm a second generation fighter for Malay power. The first generation, who founded the Malay power movement, have been less active recently. Malay power stems from a point in history—the 13th of May, 1969—where the Chinese and Malay communities fought each other. However, the punk and skinhead Malay power movement started in Kuala Lumpur in the early 90s. As far as I understand it, the idea that there's a "Malay race"—which is supposedly indigenous to the Malay Archipelago—was proposed by German scientist Johann Blumenbach. There's a lot of contention over whether or not such a race actually exists. For a start, Blumenbach's theory hinged around the idea that there were only five different races in the world, which is clearly pretty flawed. I take it racism features pretty heavily in your ideology?
We're extremists in regards to the Malay race, but that doesn't mean that we're extreme racists. It's not about racism. It's all about being Malay. OK. How exactly is Nazism culturally relevant to Malaysians? Malaysia isn't a country that most people would associate with Hitler and his Third Reich buddies.
Malaysia is home to people from China, India, and foreign immigrants from Bangladesh, Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Burma. The government can't control the entry of immigrants and we get so many of them. There are so many protests against the government about this issue, but they haven't done anything tangible to improve the situation. Race has become a focus because of the inclusion of uncontrolled numbers of these people in our society. How has immigration affected you?
Malay people have been affected in socio-economic terms. Ethnic Malays also fall prey to criminals who come from abroad and sell drugs and commit murder, rape, robbery, and so on. The lesson that we can learn from Nazism is that we can take extreme racist action if the position of the Malays is affected by these factors. We won't practice overt racism if the Malay race isn't compromised, but, if threatened, we will take action. 
So you aren't openly hostile to minorities at the moment? We don't like minorities in Malaysia if they can't co-exist with the Malay race. If they are good, then we are good. Read more at: http://www.vice.com/read/the-malaysian-nazis-fighting-for-a-pure-race |
| Bring back English schools Posted: 18 May 2013 12:05 PM PDT 
There are many good reasons for English-medium schools to be reintroduced, chief of which must surely be the language's neutral status whereby no one can claim ownership to it. Wong Chun Wai, The Star It is unhealthy for race relations when the student population in Chinese schools is 99.9% Chinese, Tamil schools is 100% Indian and national schools, dubbed Malay schools, is 80% to 90% Malay. SERIOUSLY, the government should allow the use of English as a medium of instruction in schools again. If there are Chinese and Tamil primary schools alongside national schools, there is no reason for Malaysians not to have other options. At present, the other option for better English proficiency is in private schools, which allocate more time for the teaching of English despite following the national school syllabus. However, it is an expensive option that only a few can afford. Why should the right of Malaysians to study in English-medium schools be enjoyed only by those who can afford to study at international schools? There are many good reasons for English-medium schools to be reintroduced, chief of which must surely be the language's neutral status whereby no one can claim ownership to it. Older Malaysians who went to English-medium schools can testify that it was in such an environment that they made many friends of all ethnic backgrounds. The English schools, as they were popularly referred to, were neutral grounds and were real cultural melting pots. Friendship cultivated at primary school level among Malaysians of different races and religions would always be strong and deep. Our current primary school system basically does not provide such opportunities for our young ones to mix. We do get to mix with one another later on in life, but working relationships that are untested or superficial are not true friendships. Older Malaysians can narrate long stories of how they used to sleep over at their friends' homes, eating with their friends' families and parents of their friends treating them like their own children. These friendships continued even after they went to university, entered working life, and got married. These are the kinds of friends who would be part of the wedding entourage, either on the side of the bride or bridegroom. I am now 52 years old. I believe I was among the last batch of Malaysians who had the privilege of being taught in English. While some may dismiss what I have said as elitist or an attempt to glorify English at the expense of the national language, let me set the record straight. In Form 6, I opted to study Malay Literature and sat for the exam in Upper Six, which was then called Higher School Certificate and is the equivalent of the STPM today. It was also the entrance exam into local universities. I also studied Islamic History. During my first year at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, I also chose Malay Letters as one of my three majors. At UKM, it is also compulsory to pass the Islamic Civilisation course, which was a basic course on Islam. I have also amassed a huge collection of books on Islam in my private library, and the works of Malay artists like Yusuf Ghani and Ismail Latiff continue to inspire me. I dare say many of our politicians and leaders of so-called non-governmental organisations, who loudly make statements with racial overtones, do not even have such credentials. But the point I am making is that more and more Chinese parents are sending their children to Chinese primary schools because they believe the standard of teaching and discipline in these schools is better. For the same reason, the number of Malay students at such schools has also increased. But most Malay parents send their children to national schools where they form the bulk of the student population. Over the years, the national schools have been seen by many Chinese as becoming more religious in nature. It's a Catch 22 situation. If the Chinese are shunning national schools, then the students in these schools would be predominantly Malay. The Federal Constitution guarantees the position of Chinese and Tamil schools. No politician, whether in Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, would dare to make any statement against these vernacular schools. But the reality is that it is unhealthy when the student population in Chinese schools is 99.9% Chinese, Tamil schools is 100% Indian and national schools, dubbed Malay schools, is 80% to 90% Malay! It is meaningless to talk about 1Malaysia when our children have no friends of other races in their formative years! Many Malaysians in their 30s and 40s now are already in this situation. Just ask Malaysians at random how many real friends of other races, not colleagues, customers or bosses, they have. Be honest. Is it any wonder then that the Malays are incredulous when they see Chinese Malaysians who can't speak Bahasa Malaysia well or even refuse to speak Bahasa among themselves? The Chinese, on the other hand, still wonder why some Malay quarters continue to ask what else the Chinese want when they find that some policies are working against them and make them feel discriminated. This is happening because race relations have taken a beating. The various races are not talking or trying to understand one another. Each side only sees its own viewpoint without appreciating that in a complex and plural society like ours, no one group can have its way completely. We have churned out bigots in our schools. It also doesn't help that the various races are only watching channels in their own languages on Astro. The only time they probably watch the same channel is when an English Premier League football match is on. If we are serious about restoring the standard of English in schools and improving race relations in this country, bring back the English-medium schools. Let Malaysians choose. |
| 4 Things We Should Remember When Arguing About Politics Posted: 18 May 2013 12:01 PM PDT 
(Cracked.com) - When we have a strong opinion on an issue and have researched and validated that opinion, it can be exceptionally difficult to see why anyone would have the opposite viewpoint. Here's the thing: The person who holds the opposite viewpoint is thinking the exact same thing. Political discourse in America has reached levels of douchebaggery previously only theorized about but never observed, like conversational dark matter. We're in a whole new world of hating people based solely on their opinions on a few key issues, and since this is unexplored territory, our conversations about politics are usually only a couple notches beyond the "hold your breath until the other person agrees with you and/or you die" technique. But it's the 21st century. We have access to the entirety of collective human knowledge in our back pockets at all times. We have taken pictures of the deepest corners of space. We have three different goddamn TV shows about bidding on abandoned storage units. We as a society should have moved beyond figuratively (and literally, probably, knowing you assholes) shitting in our hands and throwing it at each other whenever someone brings up the deficit.
So, let's lay down some ground rules for this new interpersonal landscape. Keep these four things in mind and elevate your level of discourse, educate yourself and the people around you, and find simple harmony through honest, open conversation. Or, you know, keep calling each other Dildo Hitlers. It's up to you.
#4. There Are Intelligent, Well-Thought-Out Arguments on Every Side of (Almost) Any Issue
This is both the most obvious and the most easily overlooked point on this list. When we have a strong opinion on an issue and have researched and validated that opinion, it can be exceptionally difficult to see why anyone would have the opposite viewpoint. Here's the thing: The person who holds the opposite viewpoint is thinking the exact same thing.
Read more at: http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-things-we-should-remember-when-arguing-about-politics/#ixzz2ThhmaNCD |
| Borang Aduan PACABA PRU13 (Online) Posted: 18 May 2013 11:58 AM PDT 
BERSIH 2.0 sedang mengumpul laporan, data dan bukti untuk Tribunal Rakyat yang bertujuan untuk menyiasat penyelewangan pilihan raya. Bagi PACABA yang telah menyaksikan penyelewangan atau penipuan, kami mengalukan anda untuk menghantar laporan anda secepat mungkin sebelum 22/5/2013. Sila kongsi dan sebarkan maklumat ini dengan rakan-rakan! http://pru13.info/2013/05/13/borang-aduan-pacaba-pru13-bersih-2-0/ |
| Student activist arrested under Sedition Act Posted: 17 May 2013 08:45 PM PDT 
Boo Su-Lyn, TMI Student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim was arrested this afternoon under the Sedition Act that his lawyer believes is due to his remarks at a forum on May 13. Adam Adli, 24 (picture), had apparently told a forum at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this week that Malaysians "cannot wait for five years to overthrow Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN)". "It looks like it's a crackdown," Adam Adli's lawyer Latheefa Koya told The Malaysian Insider today. She said that Adam Adli was being brought to IPD Jinjang, which is a remand centre, adding that she feared the police would detain him until tomorrow. Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported by Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia today as saying that the government would take stern action against those who intended to foment chaos on the streets. Adam Adli's friend Mandeep Singh told The Malaysian Insider today that the former was arrested outside his home in Bangsar here. "As soon as he came out from the building, he was arrested immediately," said Mandeep, 27. At the May 13 forum, Adam Adli reportedly called for street demonstrations, saying: "Elections won't overthrow the government; the people's power will". Anything But Umno (ABU) movement leader Haris Ibrahim said at the same forum that the BN government would be toppled through a street rally. Several authoritarian regimes in the Middle East have been overthrown through mass demonstrations in the Arab Spring revolution. Pakatan Rakyat (PR), however, has distanced itself from calls for street protests to overturn the results of Election 2013 that was tainted with widespread reports of electoral fraud. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said last Wednesday that the federal opposition pact would stick to indoor rallies to "voice their disgust" at alleged vote-rigging in the May 5 general polls. READ MORE HERE |
| Yong wants Zahid to disclose names of opposition politicians in LD intrusion Posted: 17 May 2013 08:40 PM PDT 
(Borneo Insider) - SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee has called on the Home Affairs Minister, Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to disclose the names of the three opposition leaders, one of whom is from Sabah, whom Zahid had alleged to have been involved in the Philippine Sulu incursion at Lahad Datu. Yong stressed that this is only fair to all Malaysians and to anybody who has been cast in a negative light by the damaging "disclosures" of the defence minister in the midst of an election campaign. "Instead of making even more irresponsible statements like asking Malaysians to leave the country if they do not like Malaysia's political system, the new Home Affairs Minister, Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, should without any further delay fulfil his promise to disclose the names of the three opposition leaders, one of whom is in Sabah, whom Zahid had alleged to have been involved in the Philippine Sulu incursion at Lahad Datu," he said. Yong reminded that Zahid, who was the Defence Minister in the last cabinet before the May 5 elections, had on April 27 said that the defence ministry had identified the culprits behind the armed intrusion by Sulu terrorists in Lahad Datu. He claimed that two of the three suspects are from the opposition parties based in the Peninsula while the other one is in Sabah. Zahid has said that actions would be taken against the three opposition leaders after the general elections. Yong who lost in the last elections, had at a ceramah at Foh Sang in Kota Kinabalu on May 1 challenged Zahid to name the "suspects" immediately as he (Yong) was actually hauled up by the police from Bukit Aman (Police Headquarters) for questioning in connection with allegations that Yong had met the leaders of the Sulu intrusion at a five-star hotel in Kota KInabalu last October. Noting that the alleged involvement is a treason against the country and waging war against the Agong and is punishable by death, Yong said Zahid's claim has cast a heavy psychological burden on all possible suspects, including him who was hauled up for question by the police. Yong also recalled that Zahid's startling "disclosures" coincidently came after he (Yong) had during the campaign, spoken extensively on the Philippine Sulu claim on Sabah and displayed Philippine maps with Sabah (North Borneo) being visible. Yong had vehemently denied the allegation of his involvement and has called on the authorities to clear his name. |
| Candlelight vigil for arrested student activist Posted: 17 May 2013 08:34 PM PDT 
An overnight candlelight vigil will be held tonight in front of the Jinjang police remand centre, in protest against the arrest of student activist Adam Adli Abd Halim earlier today. Adam, 24, was picked up by the police outside his Bangsar home at around 4pm and taken straight to Jinjang where he is being charged under the Sedition Act 1948. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to three years, fined not more than RM5,000 or both. His arrest is believed to be linked to his remarks at a post-election forum organised by Suara Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) on May 13 where he told the audience that Malaysians "cannot wait for five years to overthrow Umno and BN". According to fellow activist Mandeep Singh, tonight's vigil is being organised by Adam's friends and supporters who will be camping overnight in front of the remand centre. "We call on those who are joining us in solidarity tonight to arrive at 8pm, wear black and bring a tent along," Mandeep said when contacted this evening. "We will know by tonight which court Adam will be taken to tomorrow for the remand process." Mandeep added that he was with Adam until the latter was taken into the lock-up, and that Adam was "strong, fine and smiling". Adam's lawyer Latheefa Koya meanwhile said the authorities had yet to take an official statement from Adam and were unlikely to do so tonight. "What concerns us is that he was picked up and taken straight to Jinjang which is a remand centre, instead of being questioned and having his statement taken," she told fz.com. Latheefa called Adam's arrest a "crackdown" but said she does not know if any of the other speakers at the forum would be picked up. Adam's arrest has ignited a string of protests on Twitter with prominent Opposition and civil society leaders expressing outrage over the incident. Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson S Ambiga tweeted "Arresting @AdamAdli, Home Minister? Seriously" and "This is rule BY law not rule OF law. You think this is the way to go? Shocking!!!" DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng tweeted that the incident marked a "new darkness in Malaysia". Lawyers for Liberty meanwhile questioned in its tweet whether it was the way how Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak plans to attract young and urban voters. The suspended Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) student made headlines last year when he was investigated for removing a flag bearing Najib's image outside the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. |
| Shaping the mind of the Malay Posted: 17 May 2013 07:13 PM PDT 
You can see the Malay swing in 1946. Then they swung back and took another swing in 1959. Then they swung back and took another swing in 1969. Then they swung back and took another swing in 1990. Then there was another swing in 1999 after swinging back in 1995 (and then swung back in 2004). In 2008, we saw another swing and a slight swing back this time around in 2013. Will the Malay 'pattern' prove true and will we see yet a bigger and maybe a 'terminal swing' (for Barisan Nasional, that is) in the 2018 general election? NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Basically, Malays live by the principles of rukun. And the fact that Malays, by definition as well as according to the law, also means Muslims, then the Islamic rukun plays a big part in shaping the mind of the Malay. We must understand that Malay kids are sent for Qur'an recital classes and religious lectures (kitab/scripture classes) before they learn how to read and write (at least the Malays in the rural heartland are). Hence the ustaz shapes the mind of the Malay before the teacher in primary school does. Hence, also, don't be too fast in labelling Malays as stupid, as some of you love doing. Any society that has been subjected to indoctrination would turn out the same. It is not about whether the Malay mind is stupid or not. It is about how the Malay mind has been shaped. Remember this: there is no such thing as a bad student -- or someone who is born ignorant or stupid. It is only because there are bad teachers that we have bad students. Hence, how the student turns out depends a lot on the teacher. The first rukun the Malays have to follow is Rukun Islam. According to the 'Jakarta Charter', Rukun Islam is 'the five pillars of Islam', also called 'Sharia Islam' (or Shariat Islam in Bahasa Malaysia). This has nothing to do with the Islamic laws, also called Sharia laws. The five pillars of Islam are: 1. Belief (that there is only one God (Allah) and that Muhammad is God's messenger). 2. Worship (the five daily prayers). 3. Giving charity (paying Zakat and Fitrah). 4. Fasting (during the month of Ramadan). 5. And embarking on the pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj, to be done at least once in a lifetime). Then we have 'Rukun Iman' or the commandments. Iman generally means faith. The six pillars of faith are: 1. To believe in Allah, in His Existence, His right to be worshipped, His Oneness, His Attributes, and His right to legislate. 2. To believe in God's angels. 3. To believe in the Holy Qur'an and the other Holy Books, (the Torah, the Gospel of Jesus, and the Psalms of David). 4. To believe in God's Messengers (of whom Adam was the first and Prophet Muhammad the last). 5. To believe in the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment. 6. To believe in Divine Preordainment. The above two rukun makes a person a Muslim and, by extension, a Malay. A Malay is not a Malay unless he or she subscribes to the above. Finally, we have the Rukun Negara. And as follows is what the Rukun Negara is all about, basically the doctrine of what makes you a Malaysian. 
A rejection of even one part of the Rukun Islam or Rukun Imam causes you to cease to be a Muslim. And a rejection of even one part of the Rukun Negara causes you to cease to be a loyal Malaysian. You may still be a Malaysian citizen by operation of law but you will be regarded as a treacherous or treasonous Malaysian and therefore can be tried for treason as far as the government is concerned. And the Malay-in-the-street would not deviate too far from the thinking of the government regarding what makes a Malaysian a treacherous or treasonous Malaysian. 
Remember the Al Maunah episode 13 years ago back in 2000 (photograph above)? These people were arrested and charged for the crime of waging war against the King and were subsequently found guilty of treason and then executed by hanging. This may sound ridiculous (it did to me at least), but when the Rukun Negara says 'loyalty to King and Country', waging war against the King, therefore, would be considered treason and punishable by death. Those hung (and jailed for life) were all Malays. But did the Malays express outrage? They did not, and neither did the non-Malays for that matter. Malaysians never questioned this charge and never protested the hanging of those alleged to have committed treason by waging war against the King. Now study the rest of the Rukun Negara. When the government classifies someone as a traitor to the country, they are basically referring to the Rukun Negara as this yardstick. Of course this is mainly a political ploy. I do not need to tell you that nor do you need to tell me. However, to the 'conditioned' mind of the Malay, this may not sound too silly or preposterous. To demonstrate disloyalty to the King (Agong or the State Rulers) constitutes treason. And the same would apply if you dispute the Constitution, God, the rule of law, and so on. We need to slowly and carefully un-indoctrinate the Malay mind. We need, as they would say in the IT world, to reformat the hard disk and reinstall the updated version of the operation system because the old operation system has been corrupted or is just outdated like hell. But you do not do this by taking a hammer and by beating the computer. That will just damage the hardware and no amount of new software can make the machine run better. Two weeks after I started Malaysia Today, I told BBC during the interview they did with me outside the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya on 2nd September 2004 that it was a long six-year battle to free Anwar Ibrahim from jail (referring to the Free Anwar Campaign, of course). Now that Anwar is free, I need to go into phase two of my job, the Free Malaysia Campaign. BBC asked me what I meant by the Free Malaysia Campaign and I replied, "We need to free the minds of Malaysians. The minds of Malaysians, in particular the Malays, have been shackled due to indoctrination. We need to recondition the thinking of Malaysians and drag them screaming and kicking into the modern world." And you may have noticed that in the beginning (in the early stages of Malaysia Today) I targeted the Malays. I insulted them. I whacked them. I called them Melayu bodoh (stupid Malays). I criticised the Muslims and the ulama' (religious scholars). And that, of course, resulted in me getting detained for the 'crime' of 'insulting Islam'. I admit that I lost many Malay-Muslim friends as well as Malaysia Today lost many Malay-Muslim readers. However, against that backdrop, many Malays also started thinking and started rationalising. Some Malays began opening their minds. Then I eased up on the Malays. The seed had been planted. We must now allow the seed to germinate. In time the Malays would be able to see that just because DAP opposes the Islamic State or DAP leaders such as Karpal Singh says 'over my dead body' (in reference to the Islamic State), this does not make them the enemy of Islam. Malays must begin to accept 'modern' values such as freedom of speech and allow others to disagree with Islam if they so wish based on the principle of freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of choice, freedom of association, etc. Malays must accept the doctrine of agreeing to disagree and live and let live. In the past, that would have been a resounding "no way!" Today, the Malays can accept this. For all intents and purposes, the Malays have come a long way. The Malays can now allow you to disagree with Islam or reject the Islamic State and still call you friend (when before they would have called you enemy). I have always been telling you: leave the Malays to the Malays. Let us Malays slowly coax the Malays out of the old feudal era into a new era of tolerance and moderation. It is not easy for the Malays. This is a paradigm shift in doctrine. It took the Chinese 5,000 years to reach where the Chinese are today. It took the Europeans 2,000 years. How long are you prepared to give the Malays? Just 56 years? I know many of you are puzzled as to what I am trying to do, my Malay ex-friends in particular. However, as they say, there is a method in the madness however mad it may appear to you. Do you think March 2008 could have happened had the Malays remained the Malays of 1957? More importantly, do you think 5th May 2013 could have happened had not the seed of change been planted in 1946, 1959, 1969, 1990, 1999, and finally in March 2008? Some societies took thousands of years to change. Some took just a few hundred years. Nevertheless, whatever time it took, it still took time to see that change. And someone must always be the one to bell the cat. We must also remember one thing. The non-Malays suddenly swung only in 2008. Before that the non-Malays were living in ignorance as well. The Malays have been swinging back and forth since before Merdeka. The Malays swung this way and then that way from time to time. However, each swing the Malays make, it is always larger than the last time. You can see the Malay swing in 1946. Then they swung back and took another swing in 1959. Then they swung back and took another swing in 1969. Then they swung back and took another swing in 1990. Then there was another swing in 1999 after swinging back in 1995 (and then swung back in 2004). In 2008, we saw another swing and a slight swing back this time around in 2013. Will the Malay 'pattern' prove true and will we see yet a bigger and maybe a 'terminal swing' (for Barisan Nasional, that is) in the 2018 general election? That is all up to you. If you know how to handle the Malays you are going to see that. But how do you handle the Malays? I think I have written about that so many times in the past I really do not need to repeat myself. So you see, Malaysia Today is not just about exposing corruption. It is also not about kicking out Umno. And for sure it is not about campaigning for Pakatan Rakyat or helping Anwar Ibrahim to become Prime Minister. Malaysia Today has a much bigger fish to fry. This goes beyond just the general elections, which is merely a means to an end. And if by this point of my article you are very confused, then this just means you are not the type of reader that I want and you are welcome to leave us and never come back. Good-bye! |
| BINGO! Photos show payouts linked to BN winning seats Posted: 17 May 2013 05:21 PM PDT 
Aliran Continuing our expose, we present compelling photographic evidence that the post-polls payouts in Penang were linked to state seats which the BN had won. Study the numbers in the pale yellow notice stuck on the shutter of a shoplot off Jalan Sungai Dua in Penang, where the payouts were being made over three days last weekend. How many numbers in the two columns of the notice? Ten, right. The BN won ten state seats in Penang out of 40. Coincidence? Now compare each number (N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N21, N38, N39 and N40) with the election results of the state seats bearing the same numbers, which can be found on the Election Commission website. Go on, check it out yourself. Select "Pulau Pinang" under "Sila Pilih DUN untuk negeri". You will see that all 10 seats were won by Umno-BN! Still a coincidence? Moreover, a few of those who had turned up hoping to collect their money confirmed that the payments were only meant for those in areas where the BN had won. READ MORE HERE |
| Anwar: I may be arrested Posted: 17 May 2013 05:04 PM PDT 
The opposition leader tells a crowd of 20,000 at a Black 505 rally in Seremban that he may be branded a traitor Zefry Dahalan, FMT Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim last night told of about 20,000 at a Black 505 rally in Seremban last night that he may be arrested soon and charged. "I want to tell you…let (them) record this and hand it over to the Home Minister and the Prime Minister. Whatever your plan…to arrest me and to charge me because Anwar is a traitor to the… "I'm not at all bothered. I don't know what their plan is," he told his audience, most of them youths who braved a heavy downpour to hear him. "But I have one satisfaction that really touched me," said Anwar. "I'm happy that the future of the country is guaranteed with youths. "This is the spirit of the new Malaysia. Those present here tonight are the ones who have dignity, who love freedom and justice. They don't bother about BR1M. "We must throw the BN government out," he told the cheering crowd. Anwar has been on a nationwide tour holding rallies at major cities, wanting the BN government, to step down and allow Pakatan to assume power because of irregularities in the just concluded polls.
So what if the Chinese voted Pakatan? Anwar also kept up his firing of salvos at Umno, the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional.
"Umno asked why I'm not stepping down…I have not stepped down because you cheated (in the elections). READ MORE HERE |
| NGOs: Najib and Anwar reconciliation is futile Posted: 17 May 2013 03:35 PM PDT 
Sean Augustin, fz.com Efforts by Indonesia to negotiate a political truce between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been described as "futile" and a "waste of time". Non-governmental organisation Muafakat said such efforts were ridiculous as it is generally known that Indonesia's former vice president Jusuf Kalla - who wants to play peacemaker - was a close ally of the PKR de-facto leader. Muafakat president Ismail Mina Ahmad believes that the peace talks Jusuf wanted to initiate has been mooted by Anwar himself, as the nation is talking about Umno-PAS unity. "This means PKR is left out of the picture as it is evident that it cannot represent the Malays and Islam as well, and no one cared about uniting with PKR," he was quoted saying in Utusan Malaysia today. PKR, he added, felt marginalised and looked to Jusuf for help. Ismail Mina said since such efforts were fruitless, it would be better for Najib to focus on the country's development. "It is more important to intensify efforts to unite Umno and PAS rather than calling for a truce between Najib and Anwar. We are all for the former," he added. Utusan reported yesterday that Jusuf has stated that he had met with both leaders and stressed that a compromise was needed to ensure stability and continuous development in the country. Meanwhile, Mubarak president Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman said Anwar was so obsessed with power till the point he could not accept the opposition's defeat in the 13th general election (GE13). Because of this, he said, any effort to come to a truce would be a dead end. "Cooperation among any political parties can take place in the name of national unity. "It is a pragmatic effort to lessen the politicking that would only widen the gap between the people and result in conflicts," he said. Meanwhile, the PKR candidate for the Sabak Bernam parliamentary seat said he lost in the GE13 to Barisan Nasional (BN) because certain quarters twisted the Sungai Air Tawar land issue. Dr Abdul Aziz Bari claimed voters had been duped by "lies and provocation", adding the land in question had been "stolen" by three individuals from the "other side". The former International Islamic University Malaysia law lecturer was defeated by former Sabak Bernam district assistant education officer Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh. Sinar Harian today reported Abdul Aziz saying Pakatan had resolved the land issue but the impression given was that Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had "overlooked" the matter and rejected the applications. "Our rivals used this as political ammunition against us. It is sad that many believed the lies and did not make the effort to get the real picture," he said. Abdul Aziz said manipulating the issue only proved that there were those who were feeling more threatened by the opposition coalition. "I believe, come the 14th general election, Pakatan will win this seat," he was quoted saying. |
| Hindraf is the Indian version of Perkasa Posted: 17 May 2013 03:19 PM PDT 
(Asia News Network) - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has criticised the new Cabinet line-up, questioning the decision to pick Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. "Waythamoorthy has previously rejected some of the core points of the country's Constitution and his party is basically the Indian version of Perkasa," the Opposition Leader said, pointing out that both Perkasa and Hindraf were "extremist parties". Anwar said that instead of Waythamoorthy, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should have appointed "a Bangladeshi deputy minister instead" in reference to claims by the Opposition that groups of Bangladeshis and other foreigners were brought in to vote for Barisan Nasional during the general election. Anwar was speaking to a crowd who had gathered for the Blackout 505 rally at Puteri Wangsa here on Wednesday night. At the rally, Anwar urged the Election Commission to declare that Pakatan Rakyat was the rightful winner of GE13. "I have had a meeting with the Pakatan coalition leaders and we have decided to claim our rights and protest the elections results," he said, adding that the Opposition had evidence to prove there were discrepancies involved. "We will not give Barisan five more years," he said. DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who also spoke at the event, said he felt sorry for Umno Youth chief and Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin who was appointed Youth and Sports Minister. "I am no friend of Khairy's but it is unfair to him that he is put in charge of one of the most minor posts in the Cabinet," he said, adding that Khairy was an Oxford University graduate and deserved better. Lim also labelled the new Cabinet line-up as "the most unimpressive in history", expressing disappointment that some non-perfoming ministers were retained. He urged Najib and the Election Commission to provide answers to alleged irregularities during the polls and urged for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to be set up to address the concerns raised. |
| No permit needed for Ceramah – Karpal Posted: 17 May 2013 03:11 PM PDT 
(The Star) - DAP national chairman Karpal Singh said the state's 'thanksgiving mega ceramah' on Saturday night did not need a permit as it is a state function. "It is a gathering to introduce the new exco lineup. That is the purpose of the assembly. "I have had a word with chief minister Lim Guan Eng who wrote a letter this morning informing the police of the purpose of the gathering. "I hope the police will not be trigger-happy and try to interfere with the gathering," he told a press conference in Air Itam Saturday. The Bukit Gelugor MP added that the state has every right, particularly now after the victory of Pakatan Rakyat in the state, to introduce everyone in the line-up to the public. "The state government has the right to organise a rally like this at the Penang Esplanade which is under the jurisdiction of the Penang Municipal Council. "It is a government function which does not require a permit," he said. |
| There is no need for senate, says Karpal Posted: 17 May 2013 03:08 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - The DAP chairman, Karpal Singh today said the federal constitution should be amended to abolish the senate. "There is no need for the senate. It is an unnecessary expense required to be borne by the people. It does not serve a useful purpose. "It only encourages those who have been rejected by the people or others to be brought into Parliament through the back door via the senate as in law Parliament also includes the senate," he told a press conference, here. He said a unicameral house with a single legislative chamber, as is the position in Singapore, would be best suited in the public interest. Karpal, who is also the Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament, said the inclusion of Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Datuk Idris Jala, Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, Datuk Dr J. Loga Bala Mohan, Datuk Ahmad Bashar Md Hanipah and Watha Moorthy in the cabinet was a mockery. He said such personalities, who do not hold a single seat either in the Dewan Rakyat or in any of the state assemblies, should be shown the door and not allowed entry through the back door via the senate. "Any cabinet worth its name must, of necessity, include personalities of integrity and high public standing and that assessment can only be through direct election by the people and not by appointment," he added. |
| Penang Government and cops headed for showdown Posted: 17 May 2013 02:31 PM PDT 
(The Star) - GEORGE TOWN: The police and the state government are heading for a showdown as the state is planning to proceed with its "thanksgiving mega ceramah" in the Esplanade tonight although the police have not approved the permit application for the gathering. Deputy Chief Minister I Mohd Rashid Hasnon said the state notified the police yesterday that the event was an official state function and was not being organised by Pakatan Rakyat. Furthermore, he said the venue for the gathering was not at any of the places stipulated under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 as prohibited areas, such as the airport, dams, hospital or places used for religious ceremonies. The police said the permit application was rejected because the organiser failed to comply with certain requirements, including giving a 10-day notice prior to the event. George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said the proposed location for the gathering was also unsuitable due to concerns over public safety as the Esplanade was a popular spot for tourists especially on weekends. Mohd Rashid told a press conference here yesterday that even if the police continued to refuse to issue a permit for the gathering, the state would proceed as planned. State Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang, who was also present at the press conference, clarified that he had on Wednesday applied for a police permit under the name of Pakatan. He said police had approved the permit, provided it was moved to the City Stadium. "We felt it was too small to accommodate the expected crowd of 60,000 and would cause a massive traffic jam. "To make it easier, we felt that the event was best organised under the state." |
| No compromise with opposition on street protests, says Zahid Posted: 17 May 2013 02:21 PM PDT 
Boo Su-Lyn, TMI Putrajaya will not compromise but will take stern action against Pakatan Rakyat (PR) if it foments chaos on the streets, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia reported Ahmad Zahid today as saying that prevention was better than cure, after tens of thousands of Malaysians thronged six PR rallies across the country to protest against alleged vote-rigging in Election 2013. "I will not give warning, but just wait for stern action," Ahmad Zahid (picture) was quoted as saying by the Malay-language daily. The Malay broadsheet's front page today was headlined "KDN: Tiada kompromi (KDN: No compromise)" and the newly-minted home minister was quoted as saying: "Prevention is better than cure, and the price of early prevention is cheaper than solving problems after." More than 100 people were arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1987 in an operation dubbed Ops Lalang that was carried out amid rising political tensions, the second-largest ISA swoop in Malaysian history since the May 13, 1969 race riots. But the ISA, which allows for detention without trial, was abolished in 2012 and replaced with the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA) that removes the government's option to detain without trial. Human rights activists, however, have criticised the new law for giving the government broad powers to deem any form of opposition a threat and to prosecute them. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has rallied against the legitimacy of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, saying that the May 5 general election was tainted with electoral fraud. BN won just 133 federal seats, ceding an additional seven seats to PR, and lost the popular vote for the first time since 1969 when it contested as the Alliance party then. Ahmad Zahid wrote in Utusan Malaysia last Thursday that Malaysians who were unhappy with the country's first-past-the-post voting system should migrate to other countries that had different voting systems. READ MORE HERE |
| Headache for Najib; PRS rejects cabinet posts Posted: 17 May 2013 02:10 PM PDT 
PRS and SPDP remind Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that the rural vote bank is with them and if not taken care of, 'somebody will come by and withdraw it'. Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Bitter Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) supreme council members today unanimously agreed to reject all ministerial posts in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's cabinet. This means that Joseph Entulu who was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Joseph Salang Gandum, a deputy minister, will not accept their posts. A miffed Salang had in fact already earlier rejected the position. Parti president James Masing said majority of the party's supreme council members had agreed to reject Najib's offer and felt that they were "sidelined" and "deserved to be treated better." PRS had delivered six parliamentary seats to Barisan Nasional's 133 seat tally. They did better than some BN parties in peninsular who were suitably rewarded. Without mincing his words Masing warned Najib not to toy with PRS and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) which had been totally ignored despite delivering four parliamentary seats. "Don't try to sideline us because we have the support of the rural people. It is not a warning. "It is a fact, in case they don't understand that we have six seats and four from Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP). "PRS and SPDP which are rural-based parties are not properly treated by the present government. "The rural areas in Sarawak are Barisan Nasional 'fixed deposit'. If you don't take care of it, somebody will come by and withdraw it," warned Masing. 'Give us appropriate portfolio'
Masing, who chaired the emergency supreme council meeting, said majority of the members felt that a ministerial post in the PM Department was inappropriate for PRS which was a rural based party. "Joseph Entulu who was offered a post of Minister in the Prime Minister's Department sought the advice of the meeting which agreed that the president would discuss with the Prime Minister where Entulu should be. "All the members of the supreme council are not happy that Entulu is a mere Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. "We want the Prime Minister to give us an appropriate portfolio, the one that could be of assistance to the rural people, portfolios such as Infrastructure and Agriculture," he said. He said the council felt the same way about Salang's new position which was deputy minister of tourism. "Such post is not of any assistance to the rural people. We just want a portfolio that is of assistance to the rural people, and not just any position" said Masing. Masing revealed that the party was initially offered two deputy ministers' posts which they felt was an insult because the party had delivered on its pledge to BN. But it wasn't until Masing informed Najib that PRS felt they were being sidelined and would not attend the swearing in ceremony that the PM tweaked his list before announcing it on Wednesday. In the new list, he named Entulu a full minister. But even this move by Najib has not appeased the party. READ MORE HERE |
| What Tsunami? It was a political awakening Posted: 17 May 2013 02:02 PM PDT 
Umno is up its tricks to ensure that future generations remain firmly in its grasp by keeping them intellectually challenged and incapable of thinking The DAP would not have won in many of its 38 seats had it not been for the support that it had from the Indians and the Malays as well. Many of the educated and the open minded Malays from the working class voted for the DAP but did not shout about it to their kampung kin. The figures would not have crossed the winning mark had it not been for the large number of Malaysians who returned home just to vote. by P Dev Anand Pillai, FMT I had always participated in the workings of general elections since the time I was a staff in the Suruhanjaya PilihanRaya Selangor in the early 90s. Being a Polling and Counting Agent (PACA) in 1999 and 2004 general elections gave me the insight as to how it all worked at the end of the day. But this time, it was different, what I witnessed was a coming together of the whole country with a motive to change the federal government for the first time in history, friends from overseas whom had almost given up on their country of birth had made time to return to try to make the change happen. It would have, had it not been for massive fraud by the custodians of the elections themselves, the Election Commission, who were in cahoots with the police. We had prepared ourselves after being alerted that there could be a high number of foreign voters trying their luck at our voting centres and true enough they came in buses, vans, jeeps and even police vans with police protection to vote in our elections. Most of these workers had dubious looking NRICs, some with very pale looking old versions of our identity card and they seemed so confident of knowing what to do. Some even had their "saluran" numbers ready at hand with them as they alighted from their vehicles. The police and the Election Commission officials welcomed them as though they were old friends knowing very well that this regime can only be saved by foreigners who will one day rule this country through the loophole in the constitution which will allow them to be Malays constitutionally. It is indeed a sad state of events for us the citizens of this beloved land of ours.
DAP's victorious outing The Democratic Action Party had sowed the fruits of labour which they had been diligently working on for the past five years since 2008. The Ubah and Ini Kalilah theme caught on with the people of both East and West Malaysia and made the people ready to see for the first time in 56 years a change of government at the Federal level and a change which many in their heart of hearts thought will bring about a more just and fairer Malaysia. Winning 38 parliamentary seats was indeed a record for the DAP which brings about the question of why was this called a "Chinese Tsunami" and why did the regime allow the Utusan Melayu headlines to read" Apa lagi Cina Mahu?" It was more of a Urban political awakening by the masses who were exposed to the other side of the coin and whom had given up on the one sided state propaganda that the pay TV stations portray of the ruling BN regime. The DAP would not have won in many of its 38 seats had it not been for the support that it had from the Indians and the Malays as well. Many of the educated and the open minded Malays from the working class voted for the DAP but did not shout about it to their kampung kin. The figures would not have crossed the winning mark had it not been for the large number of Malaysians who returned home just to vote. Some of them were coming back to their old housing estates after nearly 20 years to just vote. There were a vast number of Malays who attended ceramahs by the DAP and were well aware of the facts when it came to the state of the national debt, the level of money siphoning from federal projects by cronies, the state of corruption and simply a show of arrogance and lavishness by the ruling elite. These were not lies and fairy tales it was there for all to see in the social media. The Chinese had for decades hoped that they could level the playing field but had to always content with an openly biased system which appoints referees (civil servants at management level or also known as little napoleans) whom are always partial and openly biased towards the Malays. But then when they saw for the first time in 2008, the joined effort of the three main opposition parties of DAP, PAS and PKR which caused a huge dent on the armour of the BN, they realised that there is a new dawn if a two coalition system is firmly entrenched in our system. They witnessed how Lim Guan Eng turned a lacklustre performing economy in Penang to one that was worthy of praise by the many international bodies and institutions whom are watchdogs of economies. With a prudent way of management and a open tender system, the people found that the delivery system and the effective leadership of the Chief Executive of the State was admirable and most of all, he does not keep quite when Umno tries to bully him. Candidate choice by the DAP Though it still has the tag that it is a Chinese chauvinistic party, but in reality in many areas where the constituents were mostly Chinese, non-Chinese candidates were accepted and fared well for eg in constituencies like Klang, Kota Alam Shah, Raub, Labis, Ipoh Barat, Batu Gajah and Cameron Highlands, the people voted because of their believe in the party, hope that the PR coalition brought and a chance at unseating the federal government. Most of all, the people have now become very conscious about who the candidate is and what is the candidate's ability. Therefore a lot of effort must be put in to nurture the next generation in the respective constituencies that have been won. Care must be taken not to just appoint political secretaries and assistants but people of ability who have the positive draw of the people. If a candidate is to be parachuted in, then the parachuting must take place earlier and the candidate must be able to adjust themselves to the people and their aspirations. PKR's good showing PKR is slowly but surely becoming a party that is being accepted by the masses and this is where new talent can be nurtured. New parliamentarians like N Surendran and G Manivanan, who will never be accepted in parties like the MIC have proven that in a multi-racial party like the PKR, if the right strategy is used and the right approach of reaching the people with issues of national concern, a difference can be made. If not for the rampant, open and blatant cheating that took place, there would have been more seats to PKR's tally of 30. The people are ready and have already accepted a two party coalition and have given their trust to PR to administer states after seeing what the PR is capable of and the people, whilst being receptive to the governance of the PR, have also shown that they can boot out a PR government like what we saw in Kedah, signs of which we already being seen when a weak Chief Executive was appointed. As the revered leader of the Malays had said, only the smart, highly educated Malays will vote for the DAP, which means that Umno accepts and acknowledges that its main voter and support base are made of the uneducated and the ill-informed masses who flock to the Sheppard when monetary handouts are given. It can be safely said that despite a vast number of Malays seen lining up to collect the BR1M handouts, not much turned into votes. It goes to show that the people have matured and this group is definitely not what Umno would like to see. The more educated the people get, the more Umno has to be worried. Thus by making the education system very inept to deal with current global demands, Umno is making sure that the future generations remain firmly in its grasp by keeping them intellectually challenged and incapable of thinking. But a vast number of Malays have seen how this destroys the younger generation and have learnt to reject this handout culture and are beginning to brave it out on their own, knowing that handouts keeps them eternally enslaved to Umno. READ MORE HERE |
| Why Anwar Ibrahim is not Prime Minister Material – Part 1 Posted: 17 May 2013 12:41 PM PDT 
I have since the first time I heard him speak found him to be a person who delivers grandiose entertaining lectures with little meaning. I found his speeches lack depth. Anas Zubedy Dr. Chandra Muzaffar will attest that there are two people who have been consistent about Anwar Ibrahim since his days in UMNO; a chap in USM Penang and myself. I have since the first time I heard him speak found him to be a person who delivers grandiose entertaining lectures with little meaning. I found his speeches lack depth. (Unfortunately, we can find many of these folks in the training and development business too).
I am not saying that Anwar has no outstanding talent. On the contrary he has some really outstanding competencies which I will elaborate in part 2 of this article. However, his strength does not match the capacity and skills needed for general management. This is especially for the number one position of a CEO or PM. As early as 1990, I predicted that he was unlikely to become Malaysia's Prime Minister – and if he did, he will not last for long. Events over the last two decades have proven me correct.
If you are an Anwar fan, or from Pakatan, or a supporter of the political coalition, before you go into conniption, spewing angry words, accusations, and going mad with this article, kindly note that I would have written this article even if Anwar Ibrahim is still in UMNO. I suggest you lend me your ear, and listen to my rationale. Thank you.
For a start, let me explain with three simple examples.
1) When he was the Minister of Education he introduced Bahasa Baku – a more difficult way to pronounce words where we were told to pronounce BM words as they are spelt. For example 'teknologi' is pronounced as technolo-'ghee' and 'universiti' is pronounced as 'oo'-niversity – articulating the 'u' as per the pronunciation of the first syllable for oolong (tea). Historically, language especially the spoken variety does not evolve that way. You cannot force it on the population. In fact spoken words evolved from the more difficult to pronounce to one that is easier to vocalize. For example, in the English language we have the silent 'k' in knife, know, knight etc.
These are remnants of Old English, and wasn't silent at all but was pronounced along with the 'n'. This change is believed to have transpired sometime around the 16th to 17th centuries. Basically, "kn" was considered to be difficult to pronounce and it is much easier and comfortable to follow the "new" pronunciation "n". (Others: gn, hn, hl, hr, hw -to know more please Google phonotactics constraints). In modern day Indonesia when one says, "Ori", it is understood it means 'Original" as the language has evolved to make words simpler.
While we do not expect Anwar to know this as he is not a graduate of linguistic studies but top management must be equipped with the ability to ask the right questions to get to the right answers in order not to end up with such blunders.
2) During his budget speech as the Finance Minister, analysts were made to pay attention to language rather than economics, the Dewan Bahasa Dictionary rather than to the calculator. That was Anwar's biggest contribution to the budget speech. Big Bahasa Malaysia words. Unfortunately, bombastic words cannot make an economy fly let alone help us out of the 1997 Financial Crisis.
As a young man I was rather worried when most Malaysians were debating the meaning of BM words rather than the budget allocation and plan. I felt that perhaps as Anwar is not that confident with economics, he focuses on showing off language instead. It ended with Anwar not truly explaining the budget and the nation not really understanding his speech. Sigh!
3) A more recent example is the push to abolish the PTPTN. Accordingly, the loan scheme was approved during Anwar's time. Some say it was him who approved it too. Events today made it obvious that Anwar did not really understand the economics of the loan then when he sanctioned it. I am convinced that he has no idea on the repercussions of abolishing it in favor of free education for all. Loan schemes like PTPTN are not just good noble platform to help people; but rather it is also good economics and therefore good for business. Let me explain.
The purpose of business is to create customers. Only when a business creates customers, do they add value to society. When a business creates a customer, it sets a chain reaction of interconnected, interrelated, and correlated businesses from raw materials to end products coupled with service needs like distribution and communications that is required for delivery and information. IN SHORT, BY CREATING CUSTOMERS, BUSINESSES CREATE JOBS. As such each time a business sells to one customer they touch the lives of thousands if not millions of people. Read more at: http://letusaddvalue.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-anwar-ibrahim-is-not-prime-minister.html |
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