Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- DAP agrees to no concurrent polls in Pakatan states if snap election this year
- Shazryl defends ties with Thai Malay militants
- Anger grows against ‘selfish’ Gerakan boss
- Fighting shadows, stoking fire
- Time to Curb Malaysia's Racial Attack Dogs
- Federal bailout of S'gor water companies means no chance of state deal
- Utusan warns of DAP entrapment
- Putrajaya doesn’t believe in deficit hell or surplus heaven
| DAP agrees to no concurrent polls in Pakatan states if snap election this year Posted: 23 May 2011 06:25 PM PDT (The Star) - The DAP has agreed not to hold concurrent elections in Pakatan Rakyat-led states if the Prime Minister announces snap polls this year, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Tuesday. He said during a meeting of the party's central executive committee, they agreed that the party preferred if the four Pakatan state governments - Kedah, Kelantan, Selangor and Penang - completed the full five-year term. "However, if snap polls are called next year, then it is likely that we will hold concurrent elections," he told a press conference at the party's headquarters here. He added that general discussions have been held with other component parties about the elections but the final decision would be made following the Prime Minister's announcement.
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| Shazryl defends ties with Thai Malay militants Posted: 23 May 2011 05:23 PM PDT (The Star) - Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah has defended his "connection" with Thai Malay militants as exposed by Wikileaks, adding that this was to facilitate peace in the southern part of the country. Shazryl said that along with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he had initiated the Langkawi Peace Talk with the consent of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2006. "The peace talk culminated in a peace road map. We have handed over the findings to the Thai and Malaysian governments. The Thai government had implemented most of the action plan proposed in the peace road map," he said. Shazryl, who was part of the Datuk T trio that exposed a sex video implicating Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was responding to details of his meeting with United States Embassy political counsellor Mark D. Clark on Feb 5, 2006. Wikileaks had exposed the meeting from a leaked US Embassy cable, which was then uploaded onto an online portal. In the report, Clark revealed that Shazryl, who was former Thai consul in Langkawi, had in-depth knowledge of the separatist movement, including the role played by the older generation insurgency leaders in providing support to the younger leaders. Clark also noted that Shazryl had informed the US officials that he saw no evidence linking the Thai Malay separatist to external terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah. Clark said Shazryl believed that the Thai Malay separatists accounted for only 30% of attacks in south Thailand while the rest were linked to criminal gangs and factions within the army, intelligence and police. It was also revealed that the insurgents received financial assistance via Singapore from unknown sources. Clark had noted that Shazryl's information on the insurgents were the most detailed the US team had received. However, Shazryl denied Clark's claim that veteran insurgent Abdullah Idris, the vice-president of National Revolutionary Front, was responsible for ordering some of the ongoing attacks in southern Thailand. Shazryl also denied sharing with the US officials a 12-page "confidential" paper on the insurgency and views of the Thai Malays.
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| Anger grows against ‘selfish’ Gerakan boss Posted: 23 May 2011 04:59 PM PDT As anger mounts, there is a possibility that an EGM may be called to knock out Koh Tsu Koon from the top post. (Free Malaysia Today) - There is growing resentment among Gerakan members towards their president Koh Tsu Koon and an emergency general meeting may be called to remove him. Former party youth vice-chief S Paranjothy said several party leaders told him that Koh must be axed to save the sinking Gerakan. The Taman Ehsan branch chief claimed that the president was more interested in safeguarding his own political position in the federal government and had ignored the problems in the party. Paranjothi recalled how former party chief Dr Lim Keng Yaik had advised Koh to concentrate on building the party at the state level in Penang. "But Koh was too ambitious and went for the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat to shine at the federal level. He lost the seat to DAP's P Ramasamy in the 2008 general election," he said. Paranjothy also accused Koh of failing to live up to expectations during his tenure as chief minister of Penang and warned that if not reformed, Gerakan would become irrelevant in Malaysian politics. 'Yes man and self-centred' He listed the president's shortcomings as:
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| Fighting shadows, stoking fire Posted: 23 May 2011 02:38 PM PDT By Free Malaysia Today The band of brothers – Perkasa and Umno foot soldiers – who pledged to defend Utusan at all costs has set the stage for a future conflict. An attack on Utusan Malaysia is an attack on the Malays. If the newspaper goes to town with screaming headlines about more unverified dark plots hatched by "infidels", no one can squeak a word of criticism against the sacrosanct daily. To do so would risk a full-blown crusade. The enemies are fellow citizens who also called Malaysia their one and only home. They are threatened with another round of bloodshed which would probably be the final solution – no more Chinese, Indians, Christians. The country will be swept clean of all these irksome "guests" and only the Malays will remain intact. It will be a celebration of fanaticism, narrow-mindedness, insanity, intolerance. But what good would all this do? What purpose would it serve the country when the social fabric is torn asunder? It is well-nigh impossible to rebuild the country when the soil is soaked with the blood of innocent people. Utusan is fighting shadows. No one is questioning the supreme position of Islam or trampling on the inalienable rights of the Malays. The Malays are in the majority and following age-old tradition, the majority always calls the shots. The minority has little choice but to swim with the tide. It is universally recognised that Islam occupies a pre-eminent status and people of other faiths have no problem living with that unalterable fact. It is also an indelible historical record that the Malays were at the forefront in the fight for independence and we all salute these brave fighters. With the passage of time, all these historic events should have been the cement to build the country on a stronger foundation. Unfortunately, as the world moves in step with the Internet age, Malaysia is still caught in the rut of ancient animosity and unbridled religious fervour. Its foundation is not made of rock but sand. Now, the country is moving dangerously close to the edge. The scene gets darker by the day with the repeated strident martial calls to defend the Malays against home-made enemies lurking in the shadows. Utusan never fails to rouse the ire of the Malays with its provocative breaking news on non-Malay conspiracies or anything to do with the other races. It does not matter these sensational stories will not help boost declining circulation. The point is to get out the bodyguards and the stormtroopers to create a climate of fear. Utusan has succeeded in portraying itself as a defenceless victim slayed for uncovering numerous intrigues. It has evoked pity, sympathy, compassion. Defenders are now ready to die for their "persecuted" mouthpiece. The battle against the other races and creeds will largely be fought in the pages of Utusan. The danger is, it might leap out of the pages and onto the streets. Utusan is a warhorse for Umno. It is as old as Umno. It is a venerable institution. Utusan is Umno and Umno is Utusan. They are inseparable. They are twins. No one can drive a wedge. When Utusan shouted hoarse over the "Christian plot", it had the implicit backing of Umno. It works to Umno's advantage that, thanks to the daily, a national crisis has hit the country giving Umno a golden opportunity to flex its shrivelled muscles. This will be the rallying call – and a pretext – for Umno to all Malays to unite under the Umno, and not PAS, banner. Utusan has given Umno a lift to its sagging spirit in playing up a sensitive issue. Umno can depend on Utusan to come up with more reports of conspiracies to save the party, not from the non-Malays, but from the Malays. Not all Malays stand shoulder to shoulder with Umno. Not all Malays identify themselves with a party born in a palace. Not all Malays would want to associate with a ruling elite that has grown fat and grubby through long years in power. Utusan may do its political bigshots a favour with its partisan news but it will not heal the wounds of a divided nation.
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| Time to Curb Malaysia's Racial Attack Dogs Posted: 23 May 2011 02:34 PM PDT By Salim Osman, Straits Times Indonesia There are thus grounds for the Najib administration to review its policy towards Perkasa and rein in the group before it causes more damage to already fragile ethnic ties. As racial tensions rise in Malaysia, one organization causing ripples in the country is Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa).
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| Federal bailout of S'gor water companies means no chance of state deal Posted: 23 May 2011 01:29 PM PDT (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: The federal government's proposed RM6.5bil bailout of Selangor's privatised water companies has killed off any remaining possibility of the state government striking a deal with these companies to restructure and take over the water industry in Selangor. "The debts of these water companies were at risk of default after they were unable to meet their installment earlier this year. "The failure of these companies to service their debts, had no bailout been offered, would have necessitated these companies to come to the table and negotiate the terms of restructuring with the Selangor state government or other parties which has made offers to acquire the businesses and assets," said Petaling Jaya MP Tony Pua in a statement Tuesday. He said the state government has made a third offer amounting to RM6.3bil into acquire these water companies, and taking over their debts obligations. In addition, the state government was able to ensure that there would be no water tariff hikes post restructuring. "However as a result of the Federal Government bailing out the massive debts, they have relieved these companies of their cash flow problems. This will mean that there is now no urgency for these companies to agree to any form of restructuring as desired under the Water Services Industry Act (2006) as they now have the upper hand at the negotiating table at the expense of the rakyat," Pua added. "The result is clearly a loss for the people of Selangor, for they have lost an opportunity for the privatised water industry to be truly restructured to ensure quality water prices are to be provided at the lowest possible prices," he said. Pua also urged Energy, Water and Green Technologies Minister Datuk Peter Chin to immediately provide clarification for the move to bail out the debts of the water concessionaires before a restructuring deal was finalised, and to fully disclose the means and terms of repayment to the Government by these concessionaires with the Government taking over these debts. |
| Utusan warns of DAP entrapment Posted: 23 May 2011 01:18 PM PDT By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — Umno's Utusan Malaysia warned today the Malay community against falling for the DAP's Malay spiel, saying it was an election ruse for the party to capture Putrajaya. In its editorial today titled "Jangan terperangkap 'hajat besar' DAP" ("Don't be trapped by DAP's 'grand intent'"), the Malay daily said the Chinese-majority party had grand ambitions that stretched all the way to ruling Malaysia. The paper was riding on Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's reported "expose" yesterday of a presumed systematic movement to capture Perak, Malacca amd Negri Sembilan in the coming 13th general election. It noted some might find the allegation hard to believe because it sounds illogical as the DAP is not widely received by the majority and has been publicly rejected especially among the Malays. But it insisted the reality remained as the DAP was planning a systematic move to "capture Malaysia as was carried out by its 'big brother', the PAP, in Singapore". "It's not only the Malays in the three states but the entire country who must be careful with that DAP move. "The DAP is looking for Malays as candidates only to ensure if it wins, a mentri besar or chief minister in a Malay-majority state hails from the party," Utusan said in its opinion piece that seemed for all intents and purposes to rouse racial sentiments among its readers. It claimed the Chinese-led opposition party has never been comfortable nor honest with the Malays and Muslims in Malaysia. "In the name of democracy and equal rights, the DAP has frequently and openly questioned the special rights of the Malays," it said, adding in order to achieve its goal to capture even more state governments and ultimately the federal government, the party was "willing to do anything including pretending to champion the Malays". It stressed that whoever from the Malay race was willing to stand on a DAP ticket in GE 13 will become a tool that will betray his own race only to fulfil the DAP's political goal.
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| Putrajaya doesn’t believe in deficit hell or surplus heaven Posted: 23 May 2011 12:54 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — The Najib administration does not believe in "deficit means you go to hell and surplus means you go to heaven", with a minister insisting today a plan to slash subsidies despite rising prices is well timed during a growing economy. The government is to decide this week on stopping the subsidy bill from growing to RM21 billion, which could raise the prices of fuel, electricity and other goods, prompting dismay among people who complain their wages cannot keep up with inflation. The cuts could also delay Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's decision to call a snap election. "The government does not hold to the ideology that a deficit means you go to hell and surplus means you go to heaven," Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (picture) told reporters here today. He said the government was being pragmatic by spending during a financial crisis to restore confidence while cutting back when the economy has recovered.
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