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• A matter of dignity
• Blogger warns Chinese away from Bersih
• Bersih 2.0- to protest or not?
• Cuti2 or Curi2 Malaysia? A PR failure, nothing more
• EC’s stance fundamentally flawed
• Amaran pada Perkasa, Pemuda PAS jadi perisai
• BREAKING NEWS: AG Gani Patail Loses Appeal VS Dato Ramli Yusuff!!
• Malaysia’s oil drying up, Petronas told US envoys
• Sini-sana news on the planned 9th July BERSIH rally
• Bagloads of money to buy Iranian gas, oil
• Join us! Ambiga tells BN parties
• Hackers now target PM Dept’s website
• Shameless Umno drags Agong into its politics
• Anwar clarifies Bersih rally remark
• DATUK DOUGLAS CHENG MARRIED CHARLENE YEO ON 11 JUNE 2011 AT SHANGRILA HOTEL
• Give me one reason why I should march on 9th July 2011
• Stop the lies and allow Bersih to rally
• Now Putrajaya hands LRT deal to UK firm ahead of Najib visit
• PAS may reconsider flotilla mission due to UMNO 'hijacking'
• Malay Nationalism and Development
• On ministerial responsibility
• Hutang RM6 bilion: Anak masih tunggu penjelasan Felda
• Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #70
• Time to Mobilize the 45%!
• Anwar: No Bersih Demo If PM Can Guarantee Fair Elections
• Part II shadow national debts and other obligations
• Petition for Truth Behind Jobs Commissioned and Cost Breakdown for the Tourism Malaysia fan page
• Bersih rally go-ahead not up to Anwar, says Ambiga
• Home Is Where My Heart Can Be At Ease To Serve
• BERSIH Must March On
• Equality before the Law: The Case of Khir Toyo and Others less fortunate
• Anwar jangan kacau Bersih!
• The Way Forward That Ibrahim Ali Doesn't Faham
• Perkasa bakar gambar Ambiga, amaran kepada kaum Cina, pembunuhan beramai ramai
• WIKILEAKS: In Iran they weigh and not count the cash
• PERKASA given police permit to assemble
• Stop bitching
• Feudalism rules
• Your Friday sermon
• Here We Go Again
• WIKILEAKS: US concerns regarding Malaysian companies suspected of illegal transshipment activities
• How it all began
• Understanding the Malay mind
• Banyak cakap hot air just like fart
• WIKILEAKS: Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary's foray into Iran
• Why Najib must hold the 13th GE this year instead of 2012
• Ruslan Kassim: another Munafiq identified
• WIKILEAKS: Anwar's second sodomy trial begins
• Saya sokong Najib
• The Munafiq named Zul Noordin

A matter of dignity Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:42 AM PDT In conducting themselves as they do, the government and the police have sent a strong signal to Malaysians that they do not consider the right to express themselves on the subject as being of any importance. In doing so, they have effectively told Malaysians who support the cause that their dignity is of no relevance. That they should just stomach the system as it is. By Malik Imtiaz Everyone has his or her idea of what a perfect world is. Some might say that society should be less regulated and more space given for personal freedoms. Others might argue in favour of more regulation and control. Some might expound a more racialist perspective while others may be happy with just a modicum of fairness. Whatever the case, the realities of a societal existence compel us to find middle ground, a state of being where one has as much freedom to be human and to do all things vital to dignified existence as such while respecting the next person's right to do the same. This calls for compromise on the part of everyone who chooses to co-exist in a given society. This compromise necessitates relinquishing the right to 'self-help' to those tasked with administering that society. In Malaysia, that compact is entrenched as an essential feature of Malaysian existence by Constitutional guarantees of fundamental liberties. Though the administering of a society would necessarily involve some measure of regulation, the power of the state to regulate is not an absolute one. Its responsibility to do so is to be balanced against its responsibility to protect those freedoms that define that society. Any intervention by the state, and the character of such intervention, is to be determined by reference to both these considerations. There is however an unfortunate tendency on the part of our government to focus only on the need to protect public order. This often obscures the equally important responsibility of the government to protect the dignity of its citizens. The question that is more often than not overlooked is what is it that gives us dignity. The right to express, either as individuals or as a collective, is a crucial element in what it is that defines us as who we are. In most cases, the power to express ourselves is really all that those of us without access to the corridors of power have. Individuals may be stripped of their belongings and status, they may be constrained in a number of ways, but they do not stop being human as long as they have the ability to express who it is that they are to the world around them. The HINDRAF rally of 2007 illustrates that point clearly. For some, the need to express may be satisfied by their choice of the colour or design of their car, or outfit. For others, the need may be greater. They may wish to say that they are not happy with the state of government or that they are frustrated at the lack of response from agencies charged with administering elections. As much as some may disagree with their view, it is not for anyone to say that they have no right to think or feel what it is they are feeling. In the case of those seeking reform, their right to speak up is reinforced by the fact that Malaysia is a democracy. We elect our governments. For them to have the continued confidence of the rakyat, the integrity of the process by which they have been elected must be seen as being unimpeachable. That does not appear to be case though. Going by what BERSIH 2.0 is saying, a significant number of Malaysians believe that the process cannot be seen as being unimpeachable. This is not just about whether there is electoral corruption or whether there has been ballot stuffing, it goes deeper into the question of whether the system of elections as it is allows us to achieve the aim underlying general elections. Issues have been raised about re-delineation exercises, campaign periods, equal access to mainstream media by all political parties, amongst others. These are undoubtedly significant features of the process that all Malaysians ought be concerned with. BERSIH says that it has attempted to raise these matters with the relevant agencies but thus far its efforts have not got it anywhere and no resolution has been achieved. For this reason, BERSIH says it needs to express itself as a last resort through a rally. Judging by the studied silence or avoidance of those charged with responsibility over elections, it appears to be all that BERSIH, and Malaysians who support its cause, can do. In any modern nation state describing itself as one established on the Rule of Law, there would be no difficulty. BERSIH organizers would be told that they would have to march along a particular route, with a sufficient number of wardens at a particular time. The police would go to great lengths to ensure that those marching in the rally would be safe and would be able to go about their business uninterrupted. And if there were a group of individuals opposed to the BERSIH rally, and wished to march in protest, then the police would direct them to march along a different route. Our government however opposes it and says that the need to preserve public order is more a priority than allowing Malaysians to express themselves on the subject. With impunity PERKASA puts a spin on the matter and asserts that its supporters are happy with the way things are and will endeavour to thwart the BERSIH rally with a counter-rally. Read more at: http://malikimtiaz.blogspot.com/2011/06/matter-of-dignity.html

Blogger warns Chinese away from Bersih Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:29 AM PDT (TMI) After a similar threat from Perkasa's Datuk Ibrahim Ali Sunday, the Chinese community was yesterday warned against participating in next month's Bersih rally via an email thread making its rounds to several media organisations here. [Watch video at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/blogger-warns-chinese-away-from-bersih/ - MTadmin] The email, sent by a self-proclaimed nationalist and blogger with the pseudonym "Panglima Perang Cyber" (cyber war commander), came with an attached video found on Youtube.com of the infamous May 1998 racial riots in Indonesia that caused the deaths of hundreds. "Are the Chinese in Malaysia willing to accept the same fate as their brethren in Indonesia if our country goes into chaos? "So let us 1 Malaysia Malay, Chinese and Indians reject the Bersih demonstration for the good of our grandchildren. Watch the video below," the email read. The email was delivered to the inboxes of 18 pro-Malay and pro-BN Facebook groups and carbon copied to media organisations like The Malaysian Insider, Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia, Kosmo! and PAS organ Harakah. The Malaysian Insider traced the writer to a blog site at http://penembak-tepat.blogspot.com/ where he/she described his/herself as a "defender of the country" who fights wholeheartedly for religion, race and the nation in the cyber world". Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/blogger-warns-chinese-away-from-bersih/

Bersih 2.0- to protest or not? Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:18 AM PDT The ballot box, through the people, may do its talking every four years. However, many things happen between elections. Many of them have been threats to democracy and the right to have a fair election. It is the peoples' action in between the four years that makes sure the country stays its democratic course. By Resident Wangsa Maju Bersih 2.0- to go or not to go? That must the question popping in everyone's minds especially those who have not attended street demos of that kind before. It's daunting, especially when the Home Minister promises to use the ISA on the Bersih participants caught on 9th July 2011. Not to mention the water canons, smoke-grenades, riot shields and batons awaiting. Some say let the ballot box do the talking, and street protests are not the way. Wangsa Maju had some fair experience in a street demo back in 2008. The demo was held at the DBKL HQ at Jalan Raja Laut and not in Wangsa Maju though. You see, somewhere in May 2008, after the 14th General Election, the DBKL saw fit to demolish about 8 major hawker areas in Desa Setapak and few other areas in Wangsa Maju. The reason for doing so was well, not a new reason- it was over a permit issue which spanned over more than a decade (I think). Yes, the hawkers, who had been operating a long time there, right on Government 'land', did not have the proper permits to build permanent structures. Some of the hawkers alleged that they had tried applying for permits for years but  DBKL never approved them. So on the fateful day of 21st May 2008, while the Wangsa Maju MP was still at a Parliament session, the DBKL came with heavyweight equipment and ran the stalls to the ground. The machinery was so heavy that it left potholes on the tarred road of Desa Setapak. Watch video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J4B3YwRUKI Such operations may be valid from the Town Council's viewpoint especially when it is a permit issue, but it causes more anguish when the demolishing of the illegal stalls are race-selected- ie Chinese stalls demolished but not the illegal stalls own by Malays sitting next to the Chinese-owned stalls. Many people were were saying- 'what the hell is this, DBKL?' Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2011/06/bersih-20-to-protest-or-not.html

Cuti2 or Curi2 Malaysia? A PR failure, nothing more Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:09 AM PDT When your branding sucks, even when you do good things, people will flog you to death. If your branding is awesome, you can spend trillions of dollars invading the Middle East, and they'll still vote you back into office.   By Aizuddin Danian The latest little outrage hitting Malaysian shores involves something i deal with professionally on a daily basis -- Facebook pages. The Malaysian Tourism Ministry recently admitted that it had committed RM1.8 million on the development and maintenance of 6 Facebook pages.  KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 -- A whopping RM1,758,432 was spent on developing six Facebook pages to promote Malaysian tourism, the Tourism Ministry said today. Deputy Tourism Minister James Dawos Mamit said this today in reply to a question from Anthony Loke (Rasah-DAP). Each Facebook page cost RM293,072 -- Cuti-Cuti 1 Malaysia, Citrawarna 1Malaysia, Karnival Jualan Mega 1 Malaysia, Festival Pelancongan Seni Kontemporari 1 Malaysia, Kempen 1 Malaysia Bersih and Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia. Predictably, this prompted an uproar from the Opposition and much of the online community. In an attempt to prove how stupid the expenditure was, a satirical page named "Curi-Curi Wang Malaysia" was setup (for free) and practically overnight, attracted 120,000 followers, at least 3 times the number the main Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia page. RM1.8 million for 6 Facebook pages. To the layperson, it seems like an exorbitant sum, especially since setting up a page is free. So where did all the money go to? Another prime example of corruption, kickbacks and Government wastage? Perhaps not, at least if you speak to people who are actually familiar with the media and branding industry.  Don't take my word for it. Listen to what others in the industry have to say. Roberto Cumaraswamy, country head (Malaysia) of digital agency Vocanic: "It always worries me when clients resort to social media marketing because they see it as a cheap alternative, because that is the wrong reason to use it. The reality is that building the page is just the first baby step in the journey of successful user engagement." It isn't free, and it certainly isn't cheap. Pepsi spent US$20 million on a social media campaign. Yup, that includes ONE Facebook page. Closer to home, AirAsia spends nearly ALL of its marketing budget online. Yup, that includes a handful of Facebook pages too. Millions of ringgit, easily. Kelvin Lim, digital strategist at Burson-Marsteller noted that with no clear visibility into the exact scope of work and length of engagement, no one is in any position at this point to say whether the figures are reasonable or otherwise.  However, the amount stated is certainly possible, depending on project complexity, consultant management requirements and marketing spread. "Let's be clear, creating a Facebook page is not the same thing as managing a Facebook campaign," he said.  "When you consider that designers, coders, marketers and engagement crews (all of which contribute to a good Facebook campaign success formula) need to be hired, the appropriate budget has to be allocated," he added. (David) Lian agreed, adding people assume that social media is "free" because the tools appear to be "free", but this discounts the time creatives need to put in to design assets, the technical work needed to ensure proper tracking is done (though Facebook Insights is free), monitoring and community management, advertising, and other costs such as contest prizes which can sometimes go up to RM 1 million. So where does RM1.8 million go? Contrary to popular belief (i.e. a 6 year old kid can setup a Facebook page that will attract tens of thousands of visitors and can turn social engagements into millions of ringgit of tourism revenue and forex), to setup a successful campaign that INCLUDES (though certainly does not end with) an active and well-moderated Facebook page costs big marketing dollars, as Kelvin Lim and David Lian allude to. There is just so many things to do as part of the media pie -- enterprise strategists, media planners, coders, traffic analysts, moderators, designers, IT hardware setup (yes, FB is free, but the scalability of the page for games and other apps require independent hardware setups), project managers, etc. The list is a very long one. And none of it comes free, and in most cases, is quite expensive, relatively speaking. Senior media planners easily make as much as high-end fund managers.   Read more at: http://www.aizuddindanian.com/voi/2011/06/cuti2-or-curi2-malaysia-a-pr-f.html

EC’s stance fundamentally flawed Posted: 20 Jun 2011 10:07 AM PDT As it is, the quarters that threw all kinds of accusations, allegations, threats and what have you at the citizens have already created a deeper suspicion in the hearts and minds of a wider cross-section of the rakyat. By J. D. Lovrenciear   Are Malaysians being overly inundated with conditions and conditioning that they are beginning to break under that very yoke that goes against human nature? In the wake of the citizens' announcement that they will hold their Bersih 2.0 rally, there were threats, intimidation and challenges thrown at the rakyat. At the extreme we had two quarters hinging on sedition and extremism. One quarter screamed to spill blood. Another is raising the element of fear and pre-empting danger by asking people to stay away and stockpile food. And of course the PDRM are prepared to steam-roll the Constitutional right to peaceful assembly under the claim that it is in the interest of national security. Despite such perils thrown at the rakyat, the citizens have met and made a resolute will to go ahead with their peaceful assembly come what may to demand for the fundamental right of humanity to a fair, just and clean election. Now in response to the citizens' will and determination, we get another boulder thrown into the pathway of true democracy. The mother of all atrocities to date would be the Election Commission's categorical demand that it would only sit down and talk with Bersih organizers provided that Bersih first cancels its plan. One would have expected the EC to immediately put democracy and nation building as a top most priority and in so doing would have invited Bersih to sit and talk first a long time ago. The least it could have done was to act sensitively and call for dialogues even before the anti-Bersih quarters had any chance to make things more uglier for BN and UMNO. In addition to being already so late in the day, EC now rebuts with a categorical condition that citizens should abort their march for democracy plan before they can sit down with EC for discussions. If that is not un-democratic and high-handed what else could it be? And add insult to injury, EC piles a barrage of allegations. All that is only going to make the impasse even wider and it is of no benefit to EC or even to BN / UMNO. Now why is it so difficult to lead with solutions instead of taking on intimidating stances? EC's stand and response is indeed baffling. As it is, the quarters that threw all kinds of accusations, allegations, threats and what have you at the citizens have already created a deeper suspicion in the hearts and minds of a wider cross-section of the rakyat. The EC should have been wiser and seized the opportunity to step forward to convince the rakyat that it is indeed their white-knight for greater democracy. It could have, a long time ago, behaved proactively and forced its way to a sit-down dialogue to help the nation move forward. But today, by its very hostile stance to the Bersih organizers and supporters, it has only further compounded nation building consistent with the fundamentals that are shaping the new world.

Amaran pada Perkasa, Pemuda PAS jadi perisai Posted: 19 Jun 2011 07:31 PM PDT   (Harakah Daily) - Dewan Pemuda PAS Pusat (DPPP) memberi amaran kepada Presiden Perkasa, Datuk Ibrahim Ali dan ahli-ahli pertubuhan itu agar menghentikan tindakan samseng mereka dan ugutan kepada rakyat Malaysia khususnya kalangan bukan Melayu yang mahu menyertai Himpunan Bersih 2.0. Ketua penerangannya, Riduan Mohd Nor menegaskan, Pemuda PAS bersedia menjadi perisai kepada rakyat pelbagai kaum yang hadir dalam perhimpunan Bersih 2.0 sekaligus menolak sebarang tindakan provokatif yang cuba diadakan oleh Perkasa untuk menimbulkan suasana tegang dan huru-hara. DPPP, katanya kesal dengan risalah perkauman yang diedarkan Perkasa yang menyebut "Awas!!! Ambiga Wanita Hindu yang Merbahaya". "Ini sudah melampau dan jelas satu penghinaan kepada Pengerusi Bersih, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan dan kaum lain," tegasnya dalam kenyataan kepada Harakahdaily. DPPP juga, ujarnya kesal kerana Ibrahim dalam ucapannya di Kelab Sultan Sulaiman turut memberikan amaran kepada Kaum Tionghua supaya membeli makanan tambahan untuk disimpan di rumah jika Himpunan Bersih 2.0 tidak dihentikan kerana Perkasa akan lakukan apa sahaja bagi menghentikannya. "Mereka mahu lakukan apa? Pukul orang India, pecah rumah dan kedai orang Cina? Bakar rumah ibadat? Atau pijak kepala babi dan lembu di Dataran Merdeka?" soalnya. Soalnya lagi, siapa Perkasa yang mahu melawan kebangkitan rakyat. Tambahnya, apa tujuan mereka membuat ugutan kepada kaum bukan Melayu kerana negara ini milik semua dan rakyat berhak turun ke jalan raya untuk menyatakan tuntutan mereka secara aman. Katanya, DPPP yakin bahawa Perkasa bekerja untuk Umno yang kini terdesak untuk menahan asakan Bersih 2.0. Mereka, ujarnya memperkudakan Ibrahim dan ahli mereka dalam Perkasa untuk mewujudkan suasana huru hara. Menurutnya, Perkasa cuba mengumpan supaya pihak polis membuat tangkap awal termasuk mengunakan akta ISA, malah mereka cuba mencabar polis untuk menangkap pemimpin mereka sendiri sebagai korban untuk menunjukkan keadilan polis dalam bertindak, walhal yang mahu membuat huru hara adalah pelampau Perkasa sendiri. Beliau berkata, DPPP melihat Perkasa cuba untuk mewujudkan 13 Mei kedua, mereka mahu Operasi Lalang berulang. Tambahnya, ugutan-ugutan ekstrim mereka menunjukan bahawa mereka memang kumpulan pelampau yang wajar diambil tindakan oleh pihak polis. "Kenapa pihak polis berdiam bila Perkasa membuat ugutan?" tanya beliau. Beliau mengharapkan polis tidak menutup mata dan telinga hanya kerana Perkasa melaungkan slogan yang kononnya mahu membantu Menteri Dalam Negeri di dalam menghadapi Bersih 2.0. Pemuda PAS, katanya memberikan jaminan kepada orang-orang Melayu dan bukan Melayu bahawa Himpunan Bersih 2.0 akan berjalan dengan aman dan selamat. Beliau mengingatkan semua peserta dilarang membawa sebarang senjata atau melakukan kerosakan dan provokasi. Menurutnya, peserta Bersih 2.0 yang akan hadir diminta menghormati peniaga dan penduduk Kuala Lumpur serta menjaga kebersihan sepanjang himpunan berlangsung. "Ayuh semua rakyat, semua anak muda. Jangan hirau, jangan takut pada pelampau Perkasa. "Tunjukan kuasa rakyat, bersama kita perkukuhkan desakan rakyat untuk memastikan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil dilaksanakan di negara ini," katanya.

BREAKING NEWS: AG Gani Patail Loses Appeal VS Dato Ramli Yusuff!! Posted: 19 Jun 2011 07:13 PM PDT   Din Merican Yesterday, I posted an article about the despicable conduct of MACC officers who tried to inflict a last minute humiliation on Dato' Ramli Yusuff and his family by visiting his house and making the whole neighborhood know that the MACC have unfinished business with Dato' Ramli. Just an hour ago, the Court of Appeal sitting in Kota Kinabalu made it clear and in no uncertain terms that it would not condone AG Gani Patail's malicious conduct against Dato Ramli and dismissed AG Gani Patail's appeal. These are the judges of the august Court of Appeal: The Honourable Dato' Haji Datuk David Wong Dak The Honourable Judge Dato' Mohamed Apandi bin Haji Ali The Honourable Judge Datuk Sulong bin Matjeraie (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah) Appearing for the AG's office was DPP Ahmad Bache while Dato' Seri Shafiee Abdullah represented Dato' Ramli. Readers would remember that IGP Musa Hassan and AG Gani Patail had used the MACC to fix-up Dato' Ramli Yusuff  who was then the Director CCID in order cover up for their involvement in the release of a gambling syndicate operator, Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh and the MAS Scandal. Instead of charging the real crooks, they charged the Dato Ramli! With that they managed to close both cases. READ MORE HERE

Malaysia’s oil drying up, Petronas told US envoys Posted: 19 Jun 2011 07:05 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Malaysia's limited oil and gas reserves are running dry, spelling trouble for the government as it relies on national oil company Petronas for nearly half its revenue, said a leaked United States diplomatic cable. According to the cable released by whistleblower website WikiLeaks, a Petronas board member admitted to US embassy officers here in 2008 that the company "feels tremendous pressure to grow its business in order to maintain Malaysia's political status quo." "Petronas wants to stay insulated from politics but must comply with GOM (the government of Malaysia) policy," Datuk Mohd Azhar Osman Khairuddin, now a vice president at Petronas, was quoted as saying in the cable published in full by the Malaysia Today news portal today. "Azhar told us that Malaysian O&G reserves are not large and are running out soon.  (Note: Conoco Philips Malaysia confirmed that without new discoveries, Malaysian oil production will decline at approximately 10 per cent per year, from 550,000 bpd in 2008 to roughly 490,000 bpd in 2009 and 450,000 bpd in 2010.) "Azhar noted that revenues from Petronas accounted for 45 per cent of the GOM budget last year and stated that the GOM is over-reliant on Petronas to fund its operations," said the document classified by the embassy's then economic counsellor, Matt Matthews. Petronas made a pre-tax profit of RM90.5 billion for the year ending March 31, 2011. On top of taxes, Petronas has been paying the government a dividend of RM30 billion since 2009, up from RM24 billion in 2008, RM20 billion in 2007, RM13 billion in 2006 and just RM9.1 billion in 2005. However, a new proposal expected to take effect in 2013 will see dividends paid by the state-owned oil company fixed at 30 per cent of net profit. According to the cable, Azhar said that Petronas wanted to invest in productive O&G assets to "promote future profitability rather than be spent now on domestic programmes for political gain." READ MORE HERE

Sini-sana news on the planned 9th July BERSIH rally Posted: 19 Jun 2011 06:42 PM PDT MCA hammers Perkasa for race riot insinuations Despite warning its members away from the Bersih 2.0 rally next month, MCA leaders have flayed Perkasa's Datuk Ibrahim Ali for leading the public into believing the gathering could turn into a racial riot. When contacted today, the leaders expressed disgust at the Malay rights leader's sudden warning to the Chinese to "stay home" on July 9 and "stock up on food as anything could happen". "This is unnecessary, what Perkasa said. Why do you have to make it a racial thing?" MCA Youth chief Datuk Wee Ka Siong told The Malaysian Insider when approached in Parliament. He agreed that Bersih, a bipartisan electoral reform group made up of civil society organisations, was comprised of a variety of races. MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu said it was no surprise that Ibrahim, known for his pro-Malay race rhetoric in his work for Perkasa, the NGO he founded, had come up with such a statement. "Whatever he does is racial so it is quite natural for him. We do not agree with him of course... he should not be disrupting public peace. For him to turn it into a racial issue... it is just nonsense," he said. READ MORE HERE 80 groups renew support as countdown begins for July 9 rally In what appears to be the launching of a countdown to the much anticipated Bersih rally on July 9, some 80 organisations yesterday renewed their support for the coalition and listed eight demands on reforming the electoral system. Topping the list is a call for a cleansing of the electoral roll which it said was "marred with irregularities such as deceased persons and multiple persons registered under a single address or non-existent addresses". "The rakyat have a right to an electoral roll that is an accurate reflection of the voting population," said the steering committee of Bersih 2.0, a follow up to the much leaner Bersih which held a massive rally in 2007 attended by more than 50,000 people in Kuala Lumpur. This year, rallies would also be held in London and Taipei as part of its campaign to highlight concerns by Malaysian citizens living abroad. Berish 2.0 steering committee is chaired by former Bar Council head Ambiga Sreenevasan, and comprises of activists and NGOs leaders Andrew Khoo, Arumugam K., Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, Haris Ibrahim, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Yeo Yang Poh, Zaid Kamaruddin, Dr Subramaniam Pillay and Arul Prakkash. It called for a rethink on the controversial postal votes, the use of indelible ink, a minimum campaign period of 21 days, an open-minded mainstream and broadcast media, reform of public institutions including the police and Attorney General's Chambers, eradication of corruption and vote buying practices, and a stop on "gutter politics". READ MORE HERE Khairy wants action against Ibrahim Ali for 'racist' statement Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin urged the authorities to take action against Malay rights group Perkasa's president Datuk Ibrahim Ali for 'threatening' the Chinese community. "It is a racist and seditious statement that is dangerous. "Action should be taken against him as his statement is a clear threat," he told reporters at Parliament's lobby here on Monday. He added that the authorities should use the Sedition Act to investigate Ibrahim over his statement. READ MORE HERE Bersih rally tainted, claims Khairy Khairy Jamaluddin today claimed the Bersih rally has been compromised, following Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's attempt to exert his influence by claiming he could stop the rally next month. Yesterday, the PKR de facto leader said he would ask Bersih chairman, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, to call off the July 9 rally if the prime minister could guarantee free and fair elections. However, Ambiga dismissed the statement, stressing that the decision to continue with the planned Bersih 2.0 rally will be made by civil society groups and not any political party Today, the Umno Youth chief said Anwar's actions showed that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has its own political agenda behind its support for the massive rally. "It shows that the opposition has its own agenda behind Bersih even though Ambiga has said that no party can direct her. "He (Anwar) thinks that Bersih is an agenda and platform of the opposition. That shows Bersih is compromised, because if Anwar can think that it (Bersih) belongs to the opposition then Bersih's objectives are jeopardised. They (Bersih) are being used by the opposition," he told reporters during a press conference here today. READ MORE HERE DAP faults Umno for Perkasa threats DAP's Lim Guan Eng pronounced Umno guilty today of fanning racial and religious strife for its tacit support of Perkasa's "Nazi-like" threat against ethnic Chinese ahead of three massive — and conflicting — marches on July 9. The DAP secretary-general further accused the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin of being "politically bankrupt" for resorting to provocation to cover its own shortcomings.  Lim pointed out Umno and the BN government have been deflecting questions on health and environmental safety over Australian miner Lynas Corp's RM700 million rare earths project in Pahang and the Tourism Ministry's RM1.8million Facebook scandal. READ MORE HERE Nurul Izzah: Ibrahim Ali a coward Nurul Izzah Anwar today called Datuk Ibrahim Ali a coward for threatening the Chinese community and warning them against showing up for the Bersih rally on July 9. "Threats like that are only issued by cowards. It's mind-boggling that the authorities have failed to reprimand him accordingly. "While I believe that we should respect the right of all Malaysians to speak freely, this freedom is not something to be abused or to be used irresponsibly. As such, I am truly disappointed by the insinuations and veiled language used by Datuk Ibrahim Ali, with regards to the Bersih 2.0 rally happening this July 9," the PKR vice-president told The Malaysian Insider. Malay rights group Perkasa kicked off its Bersih 2.0 counter-protest in Kampung Baru yesterday by burning images of Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and issuing a warning to the Chinese to stay indoors as "anything could happen". Ibrahim, who had appointed himself "war general", said if electoral reform coalition Bersih goes through with its July 9 rally, he will not be held responsible for any untoward incidents which may occur. "Imagine if chaos erupts. If the Bersih rally is not cancelled... I believe the Chinese community will have to stock up on food," he had said. READ MORE HERE Kit Siang slams inaction over Ibrahim's veiled threats Calling it the most "bloodcurdling and incendiary" statement made in public, DAP's Lim Kit Siang questioned today Putrajaya's silence against Perkasa's warning to ethnic Chinese to "stay home" and "stock up on food" on July 9. Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who founded the grassroots Malay nationalist group, had yesterday launched a counter-strike to the July 9 public rally organised by electoral reform group Bersih 2.0. There, he declared "If the Bersih rally is not cancelled... I believe the Chinese community will have to stock up on food". "If an emergency declared, will the Agong be able to appoint a caretaker leader? Maybe they (the opposition) will take to the streets and demand that they take over the government," the Independent Pasir Mas MP added. Lim, who is Ipoh-Timur MP, said he was shocked by his parliamentary colleague's provocative remarks, highlighting that the Bersih campaign is about free and fair elections and had nothing to do with race. He demanded the federal government explain why no action has been taken against Ibrahim. "The question is not about the tirade from Ibrahim Ali but why has he been given the immunity and impunity to make such provocation. "Why is the home minister, the prime minister and the IGP closing their eyes to such provocation and strengthening the impression they are complicit or conspiring with such a threat?" the seasoned DAP politician asked. READ MORE HERE Bersih 2.0: Pemuda PAS dakwa polis restu tindakan Perkasa Dewan Pemuda PAS pusat mendakwa pendekatan Presiden Perkasa Datuk Ibrahim Ali sengaja menggunakan sentimen perkauman dalam satu perhimpunan semalam dalam menggagalkan Himpunan Bersih 2.0 bulan depan. Malah sayap PAS itu juga mendakwa Perkasa menjadikan sasaran barunya dengan bertindak membakar gambar Pengerusi Bersih Datuk S. Ambiga dan melaungkan sentiemen agama  dengan melabelnya "perempuan hindu yang bahaya", satu tindakan yang boleh mencetuskan suasana buruk walaupun ia langsung tidak berkaitan terhadap himpunan yang bakal berlangsung. "Malah Datuk Ibrahim juga mengukapkan "orang Cina elok duduk dalam rumah sebelum sesuatu yang buruk berlaku" sebagai pendekatan amaran yang sengaja membakar kaum Cina dalam negara," kata Naib Ketua Pemuda PAS Raja Ahmad Al-Hiss dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan hari ini. READ MORE HERE Bersih 2.0: Kerajaan guna taktik takutkan rakyat, kata Pemuda PAS Dewan Pemuda PAS pusat mendakwa kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) menggunakan taktik menakut-nakutkan rakyat bagi menghalang orang ramai daripada menyertai Himpunan Bersih 2.0 bulan depan. Ketuanya Nasrudin Hasan berkata, hasrat aspirasi rakyat untuk memastikan proses pelantikan pemimpin negara menerusi lunas demokrasi dan pilihan raya yang adil serta telus sukar diterima oleh sebuah kerajaan yang angkuh. "PAS bersama semua parti politik pembangkang serta pertubuhan bukan kerajaan  yang menganggotai koalisi Bersih, bersiap sedia untuk berhimpun secara aman tanpa senjata untuk menyerahkan memorandum khas kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong," kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan hari ini. READ MORE HERE

Bagloads of money to buy Iranian gas, oil Posted: 19 Jun 2011 06:09 PM PDT A high level Petronas official revealed to US diplomats that the oil company felt tremendous pressure to grow its business in order to maintain Malaysia's political status quo. The cable stated that he had a meeting with the US diplomats on Jan 12 and revealed the information on Malaysian firms investing in Iran. The leaked cable did not state in which year the meeting took place but a series of cables on the same issue indicated that it must be after Najib Tun Razak took over as prime minister in 2009. K Kabilan, Free Malaysia Today Malaysian firms were overly keen to invest in oil and gas in Iran, to the extent of carrying "suitcases of money" to the Islamic republic to buy concessions, revealed a confidential US cable. Quoting a Malaysia Foreign Ministry official, the US cable stated that "Malaysian firms go to Iran with suitcases of money to purchase oil and gas concessions from the Iranians". The Malaysian official, Muhammad Radzi Jamaludin, was quoted in the cable as telling US diplomats that the Malaysian firms bring "too much cash to count the money, so they weigh it to determine if the amount is correct". "Radzi did not offer why Malaysian firms would purchase an O&G concession from the Iranians for a project they are unable to finance," added the cable. Radzi is the principal assistant secretary and America desk officer at the Foreign Ministry. The cable stated that he had a meeting with the US diplomats on Jan 12 and revealed the information on Malaysian firms investing in Iran. The leaked cable did not state in which year the meeting took place but a series of cables on the same issue indicated that it must be after Najib Tun Razak took over as prime minister in 2009. Details of the cable were leaked by WikiLeaks to popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin who had reproduced the cable in his Malaysia Today website today. Earlier cables stated that national oil company Petronas and two local Bumiputera companies, Amona and SKS Ventures, had interests in Iranian oil and gas fields. Their interest in Iran was due to Malaysia's support for trade cooperation with Iran. A previous cable also noted that SKS Ventures, backed by billionaire businessman Syed Mokhtar Al-Buhkary, was eager to pull out from the deal after discovering that the prospect of developing two gas fields in Iran has "no commercial value at this time". SKS Ventures CEO Abang Iskandar Muas had informed US diplomats during a meeting on Jan 19 that the company had "no money in the ground" in Iran, because the firm did not pay an initial "signing bonus" as the buyback service contract did not carry any vested rights to the gas. Radzi also confirmed this in this latest cable, stating that both SKS Ventures and Amona had claimed to the Malaysian Trade Ministry (MITI) that they had no financing sources for their projects in Iran. Petronas, meanwhile, had informed MITI that it did not have any investments in Iran. The same message was also conveyed by the national oil company to the US diplomats. "Petronas told us Jan 11 that it has no active investments in Iran, no commitment has been made to invest in South Pars Phase 11 and its contractual obligations in the Munir block are complete, with no further investment under consideration. "Petronas officials noted that Petronas is concerned about investing in Iran due to current political uncertainties there. "Amona told us via telephone they sold their oil and gas (O&G) business, including any interest in the redevelopment of the Resalat Oilfield," stated the US diplomats in the cable. The Petronas position The US diplomats stated that their meeting with Petronas was at "a surprisingly high level and the information offered was unusually frank and forthcoming for such a sensitive topic". The US diplomats had met with a member of the Petronas board of directors and corporate secretary Mohd Azhar Osman Khairuddin. Also present at the meeting was Azhar's assistant, the head of Legal Research, Planning and Issues Management, Abdul Rahim Mydin. READ MORE HERE

Join us! Ambiga tells BN parties Posted: 19 Jun 2011 06:01 PM PDT   Walking with us on July 9 for a level playing field will help salvage ruling government's dented credibility, says Bersih 2.0 chairperson. (Free Malaysia Today) - Coalition for Free And Fair Election (Bersih) 2.0 chairperson S Ambiga extended her invitation to BN component parties to join the 'Walk For Democracy' on July 9. "We have extended invitations to all parties and the opposition has responded," she said. "The invitation is still open for BN component parties." Ambiga said this when addressing an audience of 700 activists, civil society and NGOs members at the launch of the Bersih 2.0 rally at the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall last night. She added that it would be good for BN to join the assembly on July 9 as it would raise BN's credibility to win on a free and fair election. Ambiga who is former Bar Council president also had a message for the police force. "We will give full cooperation to the police on July 9. We know that the police are planning to take action under Police Act but you cannot bar my right to assemble and walk as enshrined under the Federal Constitution," said Ambiga. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim meanwhile threw a gauntlet to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that if he can assure free and fair elections, he would ask Ambiga to call off the Bersih rally. Ambiga, in a swift retort, said the rally was "not about me" and it was not in Anwar's place to make such a call to halt the people's demand for a fair and free electoral process. The July 9 rally is the second such rally by Bersih, the election watchdog. Up to 50,000 took part in the first one in 2007 in Kuala Lumpur. Police armed with tear gas and water cannons dispersed the crowd at several locations in the city then. The rally has been credited for the Pakatan Rakyat's record gains in the 2008 general election. The opposition pact swept to power in five states and won 82 parliamentary seats. PAS has promised to bring about 300,000 protesters this year in hopes that it will galvanise support for the opposition in the next general election, expected to be called within a year. Perkasa and 164 other NGOs as well as Umno Youth have said they will march on July 9 to counter the Bersih rally. Perkasa earlier yesterday kicked off its counter-protest to Bersih 2.0 by burning images of Ambiga and warning the Chinese to stay indoors as "anything could happen". READ MORE HERE

Hackers now target PM Dept’s website Posted: 19 Jun 2011 05:56 PM PDT   After crippling over 41 websites in its first attack, hackers now have set their eyes on Prime Minister's Department's official website on July 4. (Free Malaysia Today) - After crippling over 41 Malaysian government's websites on June 16, computer hackers now threaten to hack the Prime Minister's Department's official website next month. In a Youtube posting titled Ops2.mov, the hackers, known as 'Anonymous' said the attack targetted at www.pmo.gov.my would take place on July 4, at 1.37pm. The video was uploaded to Youtube on Friday. Alleging that the Malaysian government was abusing human rights by blocking sites such as Wikileaks and The Pirate Bay, Anonymous warned the Malaysian authorities that it would make July 4 a day to be remembered by crippling the nation's infrastructure. "We are Anonymous, We are Legion, We do not forgive, We do not forget. Expect us," the posting said. Last week, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said Anonymous hacked 51 government websites and crippled 41 out of it but no official data were compromised. READ MORE HERE

Shameless Umno drags Agong into its politics Posted: 19 Jun 2011 05:47 PM PDT   The Agong should not allow his August office to be drawn into Umno's infighting and acts of subversion to undermine the Penang state government. To drag the Agong into such a mundane affair as choosing mosque committee members which can be easily handled by ordinary citizens will expose the office of the Agong into disrepute. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today A few days ago Umno people in Penang celebrated  a 'victory' of sorts. The 'victory' I refer to is the royal command to stop the elections of mosque officials. A 'victory' which I'm afraid will be a 'pyrrhic victory' and achieved at the cost of staggering losses. It is ironic that Umno has to turn to the very symbol representing the institution which it wanted to downsize in the 1980s. Our Agong has now been dragged into the murky and directionless politics of Umno. Why do Umno people worry if elections are held for choosing mosque officials? The answer is that Umno would be routed out. Positions as mosque office bearers represent the last bastion of power that Umno people have to gain direct access to people. If free elections are held, all those positions held by Umno and which they are now precariously clinging on to will be lost. People will find out that Umno mosque committee members are just seat warmers. They occupy positions but do no activities. To drag the Agong into such a mundane affair as choosing mosque committee members which can be easily handled by ordinary citizens will expose the office of the Agong into disrepute. The Agong will be seen as a willing accomplice in the furtherance of a desperate act by Umno people. No credibility We all know that when Umno dominate the committees, the mosques and suraus are practically dead and deserted. You (Umno representatives) would rather spend time at organising borias, karaokes and futsals. Your assemblymen never carry put activities there. You were not interested to do tazkirah, mussabaqah, berzanji, nasyids and all that were you? What could Umno people lose more terribly? They have lost Penang and no other losses can be worse than that? Penang Umno has lost whatever credibility it has. With this latest incident, it will be seen as an organization that wants victory by resorting to abundantly clear underhanded tactics. It is now using the office of our Agong in furtherance of some parochial objectives. The objective is to save what could be the last avenue with which Umno people can reach conservative Malays to prevent them from becoming converts to the pragmatic management of the state by Lim Guan Eng. In Penang, 4,485 people have offered themselves to fill the 4,530 vacancies in 151 of 200 mosques in six districts in the state to enhance the preservation of the mosque institution. Desperate Umno people are fighting for their last turf. But what they are actually doing now is just delaying the inevitable. Bid to undermine People don't want Umno to be the government; people don't want you to head the masjid and suraus. I know from personal experience what Umno will do the masjid and suraus. Unless you have an assemblyman who is committed in the belief that masjid and suraus are places of religious activism, then the masjid and suraus will just be a means to hold some positions. It doesn't take any serious effort to know that Umno people are behind the petitions. It's the last means whereby Umno can undermine the legitimacy of an elected state government that's opposed to it. The Agong should not allow his August office to be drawn into the infighting and acts of subversion conducted on the ground by discredited elements. This is the last means actually to undermine the Penang government. There must be reason why the government in Penang has agreed to the election process. The basic reason is obvious – to remove absentee office bearers who don't really go to mosques and suraus but who want to gallivant around with the title of pengerusi surau X and pengerusi masjid Y. No courage So we come to the jackpot question – will the BN government hold elections this year? No, they won't. If they don't have the courage even to allow elections of mosque office bearers, they will never have the nerves to conduct general election. The move by the Penang state to have mosque and surau officials elected instead of discretionary appointments is a revolutionary idea. It will help ensure only those who are committed to 'mengemarakkan dan memakmurkan masjid dan surau' will be elected. Those who are not interested will not be attending mosque and suraus anyway. Umno should support the election of mosque committees because that will help ensure the removal of laggards and layabouts. Getting positions by being given them is part of the bigger rent seeking culture that Umno has inculcated into Malays in general. READ MORE HERE

Anwar clarifies Bersih rally remark Posted: 19 Jun 2011 05:39 PM PDT   Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said he was misquoted earlier and that he supports Bersih's march for a free and fair election. (Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim will join Bersih 2.0 and chairperson S.Ambiga and march in the July 9 mass rally calling for a clean and fair election. Anwar was yesterday reported as saying that he would call off the Bersih rally if the government guaranteed free and fair election. But Ambiga reiterated that it was not for Anwar to decide to call it off. Today Anwar clarified his statement. "What I said which was taken out of context was clearly this, had the electoral process be fair, just and clean there is clearly no need for Bersih (to organize a rally)". "I agree with her. There has been some misunderstanding. I support Ambiga's position that the Bersih rally should continue," he told reporters at a press conference in Parliament. "But it reflects utter failure of the administration because they (are) continuing the fraudulent act and procedure," he said. Yesterday Anwar, in his winding up speech at the PKR election convention, was reported to have said: "I will call Ambiga and tell her to call off Bersih, if Najib can promise free and fair elections tomorrow." Anwar added today that he was a democrat and was able to face some disagreement. "I am a democrat, in a way it is good to disagree with me and I can agree with her. I am not an Umno leader," he said.   READ MORE HERE

DATUK DOUGLAS CHENG MARRIED CHARLENE YEO ON 11 JUNE 2011 AT SHANGRILA HOTEL Posted: 19 Jun 2011 05:25 PM PDT   A precious picture to remember From left, Maira Nazarbayev from Kazakhstan whose son Daniyar will marry Datuk Seri Najib's daughter Nooryana Najwa, her son Khanbolat Nazarbayev, mother of the bride Tan Ai Lee, mother of the groom Datin Chee Mae Cheng, First Lady Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, radiant bride Datin Charlene Cheng, handsome groom Datuk Douglas Cheng, the Honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, host and father of groom Datuk David Cheng, his younger son Andrew Cheng, father of the bride Datuk Yeo Lai Teck and Mark Yeo. READ MORE HERE

Give me one reason why I should march on 9th July 2011 Posted: 19 Jun 2011 04:39 PM PDT Actually I can give you more than one reason. But knowing that many Malaysia Today readers tend to focus on the 'wrong' part of the article rather than what they should be focusing on (just read the comments to see what I mean) maybe I should focus on just one reason. That is easier for most of the smaller brains. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Now, look at the chart above and tell me what you see. Yes, that's right, Malaysian elections are won through gerrymandering. Okay, in case you are not sure what you should be looking at, look at the figures under the column 'GOVERNMENT' and compare the % seats and % votes columns. Can you see that in terms of votes the Alliance Party of 1959, 1964 and 1969 and Barisan Nasional since 1974 till 2008 never really did that well? The best was in fact during Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's rule in 2004 when Barisan Nasional garnered 63.9% of the votes and again in 1995 (65.2%) just before the 1997 financial crisis and the 1998 political crisis that followed. Nevertheless, even this did not give them two-thirds of the votes (66.67%). The rest of the time, Barisan Nasional (or the Alliance Party) won only 50% to 60% of the votes (except in 1969 when they won less than 50%). However, as you can see, it is seats and not votes which has been giving them the government time and time again. And, as I said, this is because of gerrymandering. The Parliament seats vary from a mere 5,000 voters to over 100,000 voters. Invariably, all those 'smaller' seats are Barisan Nasional seats, in particular Umno, while the 'bigger' seats are those which Barisan Nasional has no hope of winning and which will certainly fall to the opposition. Okay, to make you understand the issue better, it works like this. The opposition can win 100,000 votes and it will be just one seat. Barisan Nasional, on the other hand, also wins 100,000 votes but it will be two or three seats. Now, that is why the opposition wins 50% of the votes but only 40% of the seats while Barisan Nasional's 50% of the votes gives them 60% of the seats. In short, dear readers, this means, based on the present system, the opposition will NEVER form the federal government because it will NEVER win more than 50% of the seats in Parliament (unless it can win more than 60% of the votes, which is quite impossible with that many phantom and postal votes floating around). And this also means we need electoral reforms. We need a law passed that says the variance in Parliament seats should be plus-minus 20%. This means, if the benchmark for Parliament seats is, say, 50,000 voters, then the variance of 20% translates to 40,000-60,000 voters per seat (not 5,000-120,000 like now). Only when this happens would the opposition have a fair shot at forming the next federal government. If not it will never happen (unless the opposition can garner more than 60% of the votes). In some countries this is the law. Some countries make it law that the seats must be plus-minus 15%. In others it is plus-minus 20%. (In fact, in some countries the law says that not less than 30% of the candidates must be women). Only in Malaysia it is plus-minus 95% (gila babi sungguh). So now you know why we need electoral reforms. And now you know why we need to march on 9th July 2011. And this is not about the opposition. It is not about Anwar Ibrahim either. It is about the rights of the people of one-man-one-vote. If Malaysia had direct elections (like in the United States) to elect our Prime Minister, then Najib Tun Razak would never become the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Then, like in America, a non-white (in Malaysia's case a non-Bumiputera) could become the Prime Minister. Alas, in Malaysia we have a system that ensures the Prime Minister will always be someone from Umno and the government will always be an Umno-led coalition. The next question would be: why bother to vote then? Good question. I would urge you to vote so that we can see a strong opposition in Parliament and the emergence of a two-party system in Malaysia. That in itself is reason enough to vote. However, if we can see electoral reforms, then that is another matter. Then we can vote to see a change in federal government. And that is why we need BERSIH and also why we need to support Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan. Electoral reforms will never happen unless the people make it happen. And 'the people' are you and I. We can't depend on just the politicians. Don't forget, at one point of time many now in the opposition were once in the government (and many now in the government were once in the opposition). And when they were in the government did they push for electoral reforms? Or did they take advantage of the unfair system to hold on to power and only now that they are in the opposition they make so much noise about electoral reforms? Trust me, if the opposition takes over the federal government they too would not want to change the system. They will maintain the present system to ensure they remain in power. Why change the present system to one that allows an easy change of government? And many in the opposition who were once in the government exploited the present system and did not utter a word of protest until they found themselves in the opposition. Then only they bising tak habis-habis.

Stop the lies and allow Bersih to rally Posted: 19 Jun 2011 01:34 PM PDT By Charles Santiago, Free Malaysia Today Sometimes it suffices to say that the Malaysian government wants to organize the Malaysian body politic in a manner that it serves the interests of the ruling elite and their cronies. But it's this same ambition or rather greed which triggered massive protests across Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Now, why am I saying this? In Malaysia, we have an array of preventive laws including the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for detention without trial, to silence dissidents. Media organizations have to toe editorial lines blatantly dictated by Umno leaders. Any journalist who dares to push the boundaries faces the sack or is subjected to internal investigations. We are said to be a democratic nation but clearly with reservations. For example, the police could use violence to break up peaceful rallies as more than four people constitute an illegal assembly. Furthermore, they enjoy absolute power or we would not have mounting cases of trigger happy by the force or deaths in police custody. Clearly, government institutions and preventive laws are used to keep the society under the grips of the ruling elite. No one is allowed to question them and those who were brave enough to do would be severely disciplined. Precisely for these reasons do we need a clean electoral system which enables the rakyat to exercise their voting rights to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the government and make durable changes. Free and fair elections are the fundamental aspects of a vibrant democracy. The people are entitled to vote in a system which is based on integrity as opposed to one open to abuses, including vote buying, gerrymandering, vote rigging and phantom voting. The recent elections in Sarawak caricatured rampant vote buying, particularly in rural and poor areas. In short, there must be no manipulation from the ruling government to ensure their longevity in politics. And election results must tally with the will of the people. In Malaysia, this is hardly the case. Stop the lies With this in mind, I pledge my support for Bersih 2.0, a coalition of 62 non-governmental organizations which focuses on meaningful electoral reforms to ensure that peoples' voting rights are not marred by unscrupulous politicians and an unequal system. Bersih has lobbied the Election Commission to reform postal voting, use indelible ink, clean up the electoral roll, allow all parties access to the media and introduce a minimum 21-day campaign period. The commission has strongly resisted any idea for reforms. In fact, recent media reports indicate that they have closed the doors to Bersih 2.0 permanently. Complaints lodged against vote buying during the Sarawak state elections were also dismissed in a nonchalant fashion. This entrenches the public notion that government institutions are structured in a way to back the rich and powerful and ensure they are able to maintain their dominant position in society. Weeks before the scheduled protest on July 9, we have seen responses from Umno Youth and Perkasa leader, Ibrahim Ali, who doesn't miss any opportunity for self-promotion. Both organizations have condemned the Bersih rally and planned simultaneous protests to pledge loyalty to the existing electoral process. We welcome their rallies as freedom of assembly and expression form the crux of any democratic nation. What we denounce are the lies they go on spreading about Bersih 2.0. The propaganda is cleverly tailored to tarnish the credible effort by the coalition. It's about time that Umno and Perkasa understand that criticizing government policies does not, mind you, in any way project disloyalty to the country. Bully-boy tactics The deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, has gone on a verbal tirade to allege that the Bersih 2.0 rally is an attempt to topple the government. Information, Communications and Culture minister Rais Yatim has expressed belief that the recent attacks on local and government websites were inadvertently linked to the planned rally. These are false and unproven allegations aimed at confusing the public.   READ MORE HERE.

Now Putrajaya hands LRT deal to UK firm ahead of Najib visit Posted: 19 Jun 2011 01:32 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — A Finance Ministry committee has changed its mind by awarding the contract for the Kelana Jaya light rail transit (LRT) extension to a consortium led by British firm Colas, after controversially ordering a deal last week with another joint-venture. But the committee's latest decision continues to ignore the recommendation of LRT operator Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad for the contract to be awarded to a third company in the frame. The Singapore Straits Times reported today that the joint-venture between Colas and CMC Engineering Sdn Bhd would be awarded the project, citing senior industry executives and government officials close to the tender as its source. Last week The Malaysian Insider reported that a finance ministry committee ordered Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd to award the deal to the Hartasuma Sdn Bhd-Bombardier joint-venture, whose RM890 million bid is nearly 50 per cent higher than the RM610 million quoted by the LRT operator's choice, Ingress Corp Bhd-Balfour Beatty Rail Sdn Bhd. This new about-turn, if confirmed, comes ahead of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's official visit to London next month where he is hoping to meet his British counterpart David Cameron. The Singapore Straits Times quoted political analysts and industry executives as saying that the "behind-the-scenes intrigue shows how opaque and non-transparent practices that have long characterised large public-sector contract awards remain the order of the day in Malaysia." Calling the LRT deal "a strong test case" for Najib's administration, the ST said that the decision to override Prasarana would "likely to dull Kuala Lumpur's efforts to attract much-needed foreign investment." The project will extend and upgrade of electronic and mechanical systems for the Kelana Jaya line that will now stretch another 17km to Subang Jaya. Prasarana is spending some RM7 billion for the extension of both the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT rail networks. The Ampang network will be extended by another 17.7km.   READ MORE HERE.

PAS may reconsider flotilla mission due to UMNO 'hijacking' Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:24 AM PDT (Harakah Daily) - KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 20: A last minute decision to remove a speaking slot for PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu during the launching of the Malaysian chapter of the multinational aid flotilla seeking to break Israeli blockade on Gaza has led to questions over the mission's domestic political intentions. CENSORED ... The banner at the launching event on June 18 showing a change of mind by organisers Speaking to reporters, Mohamad Sabu said he decided to skip the launching ceremony of the Lifeline4Gaza (LL4G) aid team to Occupied Palestine on June 18 after organisers removed him as one of the speakers. Mat Sabu lamented that the LL4G, which plans to send Malaysian participants to join the second flotilla, was being hijacked by UMNO and its NGO Aman Malaysia. RARE HANDSHAKE ... Then PAS president Fadzil Noor and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at an event to voice support for Palestine, 2002 The programme on Saturday night in Cheras was to feature him alongside prime minister Najib Razak and UMNO Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin, in what was seen as an effort to symbolise Malaysian political unity when it comes to supporting the Palestinian cause, as was demonstrated in 2002 when the late PAS president Fadzil Noor and then UMNO president Dr Mahathir Mohamad shared a stage to condemn Israeli atrocities. Mat Sabu said the organisers had initially wanted PAS Murshidul Am Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat to represent the Islamic party, but the Kelantan Menteri Besar could not make it. Shah Alam member of parliament Khalid Samad had then suggested Mat Sabu to represent the party. He said he was initially allocated 20 minutes to give a speech on the Palestinian issue, but his slot was halved to 10 minutes, before being taken off altogether. In his trademark cynicism, Mat Sabu (left) recalled his joy at being seated "on the same stage as the prime minister". "Of course I was so happy to be on the same stage with the prime minister," he said. "But when my name was dropped, I was disappointed, because it was supposed to be a joint event." On Saturday, many in the audience were disappointed by Mat Sabu's absence. As if to add salt to the wound, organisers covered a piece of cloth on part the backdrop banner on the stage where the names of the PAS deputy president and Khairy were mentioned. 'Second thoughts' Mat Sabu, however explained that he was not disheartened at being denied the chance to speak. "But I did not go there because it seems UMNO was hijacking the programme," he said. Meanwhile, Khalid (right) who would represent PAS when the humanitarian mission departs on Jun 26, said he was having second thoughts. When contacted, the PAS central committee member, who agreed to Mat Sabu's view that the programme was being hijacked by UMNO, said he was considering his options.     READ MORE HERE.

Malay Nationalism and Development Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:23 AM PDT Internal unity is therefore extremely important if not crucial. UMNO admits this fact and sincerely believes that foreign investment will not flow in if Malaysia does not have peace and political stability. Yet it indulges in Malay nationalism. By batsman The western countries have already gone through their own phases of nationalism. Some have already adopted great power chauvinism while others have settled for civilized power chauvinism after having tried and failed to be great powers (Belgium, Germany, Spain and Portugal among these). Still it was the nationalistic phase that allowed western countries to grow rich and become civilized and "free". Having become rich, they are now touting "globalization" in various degrees to become even richer. Where it benefits them they champion "human-rights, democracy, free speech, globalization and free-enterprise" but where it is disadvantageous, they have no qualms about imposing barriers to protect themselves. (eg. burqa bans, Patriot Acts, bombing and murdering others in the name of human rights and making useless apologies when their bombs kill innocents, stopping ex-Gurkhas from becoming citizens, invading others in the name of freedom, protecting the world from fanatics and tin-pot dictators or using the excuse of searching for WMD, etc.) Malaysia has set targets for joining this glorious club and becoming a developed nation (by implication – civilized) by 2020. In the meantime, it is still free to be uncivilized and abusive towards its own citizens just like many other 3rd world countries while playing generous hosts to others in international conferences such as the Langkawi initiative and making nauseating speeches about good governance and being people-friendly. Of all the countries which are struggling to be developed, some have succeed, some are still struggling and many others still seemed to have failed. Their cases need to be studied seriously, but this is beyond the scope of this write-up. For our purpose, it is sufficient to make some crude observations. Of the countries which have succeeded are Japan and S. Korea. These countries are characterized by their homogeneity (Japan more so than S. Korea). Their citizens are united and have a strong sense of purpose. Domestic capital accumulation accompanied by foreign capital injections (investments) provided the final necessary conditions for their success. Brazil, India, Russia and China are showing great promise. These countries have more or less settled their domestic conflicts, domestic capital accumulation is proceeding rapidly and foreign investments are flowing in (some countries have advanced more rapidly in these directions than others). Still some doubts remain. China for example in spite of it being the richest country in the world in terms of spare cash, is still not accepted as a civilized country and excluded from the civilized countries club. This is because many of it domestic conflicts have not been properly resolved. In fact in some famous cases eg. Tibet and Inner Mongolia, there are forces that try to guarantee that it cannot be resolved. Besides, even the Han Chinese, in spite of their great reputation for chauvinism, are hardly united in nationalism (their communist history may have something to do with this, but check out this link, Huge scale of corruption among Chinese government officials, for good measure). It would seem that the mainland Chinese, like Malaysians are ever ready to take out money (whether theirs or belonging to others) and emigrate at the drop of a penny. Otherwise, if they have no money then they either willingly or allow themselves to be hoodwinked into being trafficked abroad, just to get out of the country. This disunity and lack of mutual respect and maybe even lack of self-respect causes obstacles on the road to becoming a civilized and developed nation even if one has great wealth. Internal unity is therefore extremely important if not crucial. UMNO admits this fact and sincerely believes that foreign investment will not flow in if Malaysia does not have peace and political stability. Yet it indulges in Malay nationalism. As a governing party, which believes that internal unity, peace and political stability is crucial to development, why is it not championing true Malaysian nationalism but instead promotes divisive Malay nationalism? After all it is not an external colonial power ruling the country by divide and rule tactics. I guess Malaysians of all races have to answer this question correctly if they are to develop as a truly united nation. In the west, they have united their countries in competition against the rest of the world. Their internal political systems are characterized by sportsmanship and mutual respect even if they are using drones to murder innocents in poor countries (with apologies no doubt). Unfortunately, our political system is characterized by abuse of power and dirty tricks while we are quarrelling amongst each other without any limits in the hostility. There is no mutual respect and sportsmanship, yet we dream of becoming civilized and developed in 9 short years time. Yet there are promising signs. Since the tsunami of 2008, the government has become more responsive and has come up with initiatives like 1 Malaysia, Government Transformation, Economic Transformation, Key Performance Indices, etc. There is a small relaxation of opportunities made available to minorities (even if the scholarship recipient lists are still kept government secrets). One could say that all these improvements are the consequence of the opposition achieving healthy gains. If the opposition were not strong and the rakyat did not show that they wanted a healthy and clean 2 party political system, it would be safe to say that government ministers would still be waving kerises and threatening genocide to protect Malay nationalism. Still, all is not yet well. The Prime Minister arrogantly and without bothering to offer any explanation takes advantage of government paid trips to advance a personal agenda such as the marriage of his daughter. Some Malaysians may want to close one eye, but this is dangerous and short sighted. Even top government servants now perform expense-paid hajj by offering some miserable receipts to counter accusations without anyone digging deeper than referring to a miserable minion. If politicians can get away with taking advantage of small things, who is going to stop them from taking advantage of big things? There are no longer any institutional guarantees and not much of any checks and balances. If Malaysian institutions are shoddy, how can it become a civilized nation? How can a nation be civilized if senior government servants are bonking their juniors and getting away with it without even bothering to answer the accusations? There are no longer any checks and balances nor any institutions of any strength and integrity and if there are none, the road is surely down the road to ruin, not to developed civilized nationhood. Bersih 2.0 is just demanding that we have clean elections. This is trying to strengthen our institutions and not destroy them. They are trying to make a complacent and unresponsive government more accountable. They have no choice but to take their demands public since the government ignores all calls for improvement and clean up of the electoral system. Is Bersih 2.0 bad or is the government bad? Or is it just that our own values, thinking and culture are bad and selfish and corrupt politicians are taking advantage of our weaknesses? Do we deserve to be civilized and developed or are we just trying to become rich – like the Chinese?

On ministerial responsibility Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:20 AM PDT   By R Nadeswaran, The Sun DEPENDING on which newspaper you read, Chris Huhne is the best secretary of state for environment and climate change the UK ever has had. But when he left his wife Vicky Pryce of 27 years for his aide Carina Trimingham, things seem to have gone awry. Hell, they say, has no fury like a woman scorned. Huhne, his estranged wife claimed, asked her to accept the penalty for a speeding ticket he collected in 2003. There has been no prosecution yet but the police have passed on their investigations to the director of public prosecutions. In the past, ministers by convention have submitted their resignations if they had broken the law or had put the government in an embarrassing situation for failings within departments under their portfolios. Under the Westminster system, this is seen to guarantee that an elected official is answerable for every single government decision. It is also important to motivate ministers to scrutinise the activities within their departments. One rule coming from this principle is that each cabinet member answers for his or her own ministry in parliament. The reverse of ministerial responsibility is that civil servants are not supposed to take credit for the successes of their department, allowing the government to claim them. Although it may sound unfair, this doctrine demands that if waste, corruption, or any other misbehaviour is found to have occurred within a ministry, the minister is responsible even if the minister had no knowledge of the actions. A research paper from the House of Commons states: "A minister is ultimately responsible for all actions by a ministry. Even without knowledge of an infraction by subordinates the minister approved the hiring and continued employment of those civil servants. If misdeeds are found to have occurred in a ministry the minister is expected to resign. It is also possible for a minister to face criminal charges for malfeasance under their watch." The archives in parliament are full of episodes, articles, stories and accounts of a string of ministers who had to send their resignation letters to the prime minister for failing to account for their conduct or that of a subordinate. One of the most talked about case is that of junior education minister, Estelle Morris in 2002. She quit not because of personal scandal or personal agreement but she pledged to do so if the government failed to meet its targets for literacy and numeracy. From the Hansard, this is the exchange that took place in the house: Conservative shadow education secretary, (David) Willetts: Will the minister commit herself to the secretary of state's pledge to resign if the government do not reach their literacy and numeracy targets by 2002? Morris: Of course I will; I have already done so. Indeed, I generously commit the under-secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr Clarke) too. We speak with one voice. The Hon. Gentleman's question is a reflection of what life was like under teams of Conservative ministers, when a secretary of state would promise to resign but the rest of the team would not go. The material on Reginald Maudling who resigned in 1972 makes interesting reading. Not in the cabinet (yet) six years earlier, he was made director in a company owned by architect John Poulson. Maudling helped obtain lucrative contracts. When Poulson was subject to a bankruptcy hearing, bribe payments and his connections to Maudling became public knowledge. He quit and said: "As home secretary I was officially police authority for the metropolis, and was responsible for the Metropolitan Police. It seemed to me quite clear that I could not continue to hold that responsibility while the Met were investigating, with a view to possible prosecution, the activities of a man with whom I had had a business association. I had no option but to resign, which I did." In later years, Tony Blair's one-time spin doctor Peter Mandelson resigned on two occasions. In late 1998, he resigned after it emerged that he got a loan from the paymaster general, Geoffrey Robinson, to buy a house. The media dug up several stories concerning the financial conduct of Robinson and oversight of these by Mandelson. In his letter of resignation, Mandelson accepted that "it was necessary for ministers not only to uphold high standards in public life but also to be 'seen to do so'." He returned to the cabinet a year later but had to resign again two years later for alleged improprieties. The Observer charged that he had called the immigration minister to assist an Indian businessman, Srichand Hinduja to obtain British citizenship. Srichand and his brother had donated £1 million to sponsor part of the Millennium Dome when Mandelson was in charge of the project in 1998. In 2001, an official inquiry exonerated Mandelson by which time he declared he would not want to be in the cabinet again. In Malaysia, one of the earliest cases of a minister having to resign in unusual circumstances was in the sixties when the then Education Minister Abdul Rahman Talib submitted his resignation letter after he was unsuccessful in a defamation suit. PPP leader D. R. Seenivasagam had brought up in Parliament, where he enjoyed privilege, improprieties committed by the minister. Seenivasagam accepted the challenge to repeat the remarks outside and was unsuccessfully sued by Abdul Rahman. The other minister who resigned was Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek who quit as health minister in 2008 over a sex video featuring him. While we embrace the Westminster system, history may have forgotten some doctrines and the saga of Abdul Rahman Talib v D. R. Seenivasagam and Chua. R. Nadeswaran concedes that since it is a doctrine and not a law, it would be difficult to compel individuals to do the honourable thing. He is theSun's UK correspondent based in London and can be reached at:citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

Hutang RM6 bilion: Anak masih tunggu penjelasan Felda Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:11 AM PDT By Zainal Abidin Nor, FMT PETALING JAYA: Para peneroka Felda di seluruh negara masih menunggu penjelasan yang lengkap daripada Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Ahmad Maslan berhubung hutang agensi kerajaan itu yang berjumlah RM6 bilion dari Kumpulan Simpanan Wang Pekerja (KWSP). Pengerusi Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan (Anak) Mazlan Aliman berkata, tidak cukup sekadar mendakwa kedudukan kewangan Felda adalah stabil dan para peneroka tidak perlu bimbang. Beliau berkata demikian kepada FMT berhubung kenyataan Datuk Ahmad Maslan yang mengakui Felda ada membuat pinjaman RM6 bilion dari KWSP dan menyatakan bahawa kedudukan kewangan agensi itu adalah stabil dan para peneroka tidak perlu risau. Tegas Mazlan, "sehingga hari ini kita masih menunggu penjelasan yang lengkap dari Ahmad Maslan mengenai butiran pinjaman dan untuk apa pinjaman RM6 bilion itu dibuat. Kalau dulu, Ahmad Maslan mendakwa salah satu sebab Felda mengalami susut rezab tunai lebih RM1.3 bilion dalam tempoh lima tahun adalah disebabkan perbelanjaan tanaman semula. "Baru-baru ini, Ahmad Maslan mendakwa sebahagian pinjaman RM6 bilion itu juga digunakan untuk membiayai kos penanaman semula pokok kelapa sawit," terang beliau yang juga Ahli Jawatankuasa Kerja PAS Pusat dan Pengerusi Lajnah Tanah dan Pembangunan Wilayah parti itu. Mazlan menjelaskan, sekiranya Felda membelanjakan sebanyak RM4 bilion untuk menjalankan kerja-kerja penanaman semula maka ini bermakna kos seekar menelan belanja sebanyak RM100,000. Tidak masuk akal "Ini suatu jumlah yang tidak masuk akal kerana sekiranya para peneroka sendiri yang mengerjakan tanaman semula, ia hanya menelan belanja sebanyak RM10,000 sahaja untuk seekar," jelas beliau. Beliau menegaskan bahawa banyak keraguan yang timbul di mana Ahmad Maslan perlu memberi penjelasan yang memuaskan kerana pengurusan kewangan Felda tidak dijalankan dengan telus. "Keadaan ini juga menunjukkan komitmen kerajaan yang langsung tidak peduli akan nasib para peneroka dan kerajaan dilihat seolah- oleh lebih cenderong untuk menutup segala kelemahan dan penyelewengan yang berlaku dalam agensi itu. Oleh sebab itu katanya, Anak menggesa satu suruhanjaya bebas ditubuhkan untuk menyiasat pengurusan kewangan Felda yang didakwa mengalami kerugian yang teruk.   READ MORE HERE.

Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #70 Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:07 AM PDT   The chief minister, apart from being the chief executive of the state, is also the state leader of the party, mayor of the capital city, and chairman of various state corporations. Any of those jobs would have consumed the full attention of a skilled executive, yet we have these politicians, many with no formal training in management or special executive skills, who think they can credibly perform all those functions at the same time. No wonder nothing gets done. By M. Bakri Musa Chapter 8: Culture, Institutions, and Leadership Lack of Checks and Balances in Malaysian Leadership One unhealthy trend in the Malaysian leadership is the increasing concentration of power and the consequent absence of checks and balances. Invariably this leads to the lack of accountability and potential abuse. It is not so much that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as Lord Acton had put it, rather we do not have a system that prevents the inherently corrupt from becoming powerful. Consider that Mahathir is not only the chief executive (Prime Minister) of the country; he is also the leader of his party, chairman of a number of government corporations, as well as being the finance minister! With the lack of an effective system of checks and balances, such a structure is a set up for either spectacular achievement given a competent, honest and humble leader, or the destruction of the country given a lesser mortal. A system with effective checks and balances could handle even the most evil and corrupt. America survived Richard Nixon; he was forced to resign. The American system could also deal with the personal moral turpitude of a president, as when Clinton was impeached, albeit unsuccessfully. In Malaysia even at the state level we see this same pattern of concentration of power and lack of checks and balances. The chief minister, apart from being the chief executive of the state, is also the state leader of the party, mayor of the capital city, and chairman of various state corporations. Any of those jobs would have consumed the full attention of a skilled executive, yet we have these politicians, many with no formal training in management or special executive skills, who think they can credibly perform all those functions at the same time. No wonder nothing gets done. If we distribute the power, not only would we ensure the jobs would get done, but there would also be greater accountability. I see no reason why the head of the ruling party should be the same person as the prime minister, or that cabinet positions be reserved for top party officials. The prime minister should be able to select the best person to be in his cabinet and not be hamstrung with whether that person has been elected to a top position in UMNO. The skills to run for a party position are not necessarily the same skills needed to manage a ministry or agency. Similarly if the state UMNO leader and the chief minister were different persons, they would both keep each other on their toes. Again reverting to the American example, George W. Bush may be the President, but he is not the head of his Republican Party. Although he has the sole power to appoint his Cabinet Secretaries and other senior officials, nonetheless those too are subject to Senate confirmation – a check on presidential power. Even if the president's party were to control both houses of Congress, there is no guarantee that the president would get a free ride from the Speaker of the House and the Leader of the Senate. Another unhealthy trend in Malaysia is the lack of regular challenges to the senior leadership. Such challenges are important even when the leaders are strong and popular as such exercises then effectively become an evaluation of the leaders. Earlier leaders of UMNO right down to Mahathir's immediate predecessor, Hussein Onn, were all routinely challenged at their party's leadership conventions. Those challengers all had no realistic hope of winning, nonetheless the number of votes they garnered became a surrogate evaluation of the leader. Such exercises would also prevent leaders from becoming another Saddam Hussein. He routinely would get reelected with over 99 percent of the votes. And if he could determine who those 1 per cent of voters who did not vote for him, the next election would see Saddam returned with a 100 percent approval! Since the debacle of 1987 UMNO leadership crisis where Mahathir was challenged and nearly toppled by Tengku Razaleigh, a new culture has developed within the party, that of not challenging the senior leaders. All in the name of party unity! This is a retrogressive step. Such regular challenges and open competitions are important not only to keep a check on the leaders but also to encourage the emergence of new talent. What Malaysia needs today is a fresh generation of leaders with new vision, or to pursue my wings analogy, a new set of backswept or delta wings to go with its turbocharged engines. Unfortunately, the very nature of the political structure generally and UMNO in particular, does not encourage new talent. Apart from the emerging tradition of not challenging the senior leaders, the rules for candidates vying for party positions in UMNO are skewed to favor incumbents heavily. Candidates have to have the backing of at least 10 percent of the divisions before they could be nominated. I am surprised that they did not make that 50 percent and then do away completely with the election! As with the party, so it is with the country. In the general election of 1999 there was much hype about Mahathir fielding fresh candidates. Alas that was mere hype as in the end they were the same old tired faces being reshuffled. In striking contrast, Singapore had an election in November 2001 that saw over a third of the candidates from the ruling PAP being new faces. Their leaders knew they needed a new set of wings. I do not see that the political line up in Malaysia to change much in the foreseeable future. The country seems stuck, with minimal influx of fresh talent. UMNO made a tepid attempt at attracting young women professionals with its new Puteri (princess) wing, but that met with considerable resistance from the established order. The party that is successful at drawing in new talent is PAS. But if that party ever hope to rule the country, these new leaders must replace the rigid set in the ulama council and make that supreme body directly elected by and accountable to the members. Malaysia's present senior political leaders do not appreciate the serious need to attract fresh candidates. They simply assume that politics and public service will continue to attract the best and talented. These leaders are in a dream world. With opportunities in the private sector so much more challenging and enticing, Malaysians no longer value public service, and in particular, politics. The marked discrepancy in pay between the public and private sector only aggravates the situation. The next Malaysian leader will need the IQ (Intelligence Quotient) of a Tun Razak and the EQ (Emotional Quotient) of a Tunku Abdul Rahman. Thanks to the successes of Mahathir's policies, Malaysia now does not lack for such individuals. The challenge is to entice them into public service. The Malaysian leaders of tomorrow will not be those who simply bark out orders a la the drill sergeant. Rather they will be individuals with proven personal and professional achievements who can share their vision for the country's future with their followers. They will be more like the symphony conductor, cajoling and encouraging in order to bring out the best from the citizens. These leaders will lead through personal examples of competence, integrity and excellence, and not merely by manipulating personnel, information, and institutions. In addition to the political leadership, there is also the leadership of the hereditary class, principally the sultans and territorial chiefs. These hereditary leaders are found only in the nine sultanates; the remaining four states of Sabah, Sarawak, Penang, and Melaka are fortunately spared this additional burden. These hereditary leaders add another layer of inertia to change. The royalty and nobility classes have never provided much leadership to Malays either in their official or personal capacity. Unlike European kings and dukes who through their patronage provided for the development and nurturing of talented artists, musicians, and scholars, Malaysian royalty and aristocrats feel no similar obligation. A new development among members of the royalty is their increasing involvement in business. To the extent that they are now contributing to the economy, that is good. But if they are using their royal clout to secure unfair advantages over their competitors, that would be dangerous. We must also be mindful of Ibn Khaldun's admonition about the ruinous effect of rulers' involvement in commerce. There would be less criticisms if members of the royal family were well qualified and competent to run their businesses, but if they were content in being merely silent partners and figureheads or sultans of their enterprises, then that would easily evoke the hostilities of not only their competitors but also their subjects. Another trend that I view with increasing concern is the current vogue of installing sultans or their consorts to important bodies such as chancellors of universities. I do not mind them becoming chairman of the Malaysian Society of Orchid Lovers, but for them to be directly involved with important organizations would be unhealthy. Given the typical Malaysian obsequiousness in the presence of members of the royalty, I cannot imagine any substantive discussions taking place in such meetings chaired by these sultans. The government is doing these bodies a great disservice by appointing these royal luminaries. If the government were to honor these bodies, than by all means appoint the sultans in an honorary capacity. Malaysian sultans and nobilities are akin to bulkheads on a ship rather than propellers. Not only do they not help in pushing the ship of state forward, on the contrary they effect a significant drag. They are an expensive burden to boot. They also set a very poor example to the masses. They sit at the apex of the privileged heap and do not contribute. The sultans also disproportionately influence Malays by being not only the secular leader but also as head of the Muslim faith. This latter function protects the sultans from criticisms from the masses, for doing so would be tantamount to criticizing the faith itself. And because the citizens are discouraged from criticizing the sultans, this habit is carried over to all the other leaders, including political leaders and also their superiors at work. In short Malaysia has all the makings of a compliant and robotic society – a flock of sheep. There is one other important factor that accelerates this trend. That is the attitude towards and the influence of Islam, especially in Malay life and culture. This is such a significant bearing that I have a devoted the entire next chapter to it. Next: Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life

Time to Mobilize the 45%! Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:07 AM PDT By Sarawak Report PKR Sarawak Leader, Baru Bian, enters the State Parliament for the first time today with a new rallying cry.  He has told Sarawak Report in an exclusive interview that it is time to mobilize grass roots support and to form an army of volunteers to build on the opposition's progress at the State Election. In a clear appeal to the frustrated 45% of the electorate who voted for the opposition, but were rewarded with just a relative handful of seats, he said Sarawak must develop a new 'culture of volunteerism' to counter the corruption of money politics and passive voters.  He told Sarawak Report: "Mobilization of the 45% support is crucial..Volunteerism is not a common culture in this part of the world. So we need to explain the need to mobilize people on the ground together to bring the change we all desire. It needs conviction from within to a cause, or else people would always expect to be rewarded or paid for whatever they do. We need therefore to do our best to convince people that we are doing all these for the good of all and the generations after us". The PKR leader, who enters the DUN for the first time as one of 3 rural representatives who succeeded in wresting seats from BN's grasp, also makes a clear play for more practical support from urban voters. The opposition, represented by DAP, triumphed in nearly all the city seats, because the towns have a far greater awareness of political issues and a more developed political machinery.  However, with so many rural seats in the hands of BN's traditional power-brokers, Baru Bian asserts that it is in the interests of town activists to do more to help PKR's efforts to win more seats in the upcoming Federal Election.  Many of the rural seats delivered strong votes for the opposition, narrowly missing victory - with more support they could win next time round. "DAP can assist PKR or PAS to win by providing financial support and personnel to assist in the campaign and perhaps also on logistics", he explains. The PKR leader carefully talks up the unity between the opposition parties in this interview, despite recent reports of spats and conflicts. He accepts the reasoning behind DAP's overtures towards SNAP and focusses on his own appeal to the young people of Sarawak to unite to behind his dream of ending corruption and bringing back a fair deal for Sarawak under the 20 point agreement.  Should the opposition take power, he says that the first moves would be to restore the wealth stolen by current BN leaders and to work:   READ MORE HERE.

Anwar: No Bersih Demo If PM Can Guarantee Fair Elections Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:04 AM PDT   (Bernama) - SHAH ALAM -- The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) will be asked to call off its planned illegal street demonstration for July 9 if the prime minister can guarantee free and fair elections in the country. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said he was willing to ask Bersih chairman S.Ambiga to cancel the plan right away if Najib Tun Razak could give the assurance. "If the prime minister can guarantee this and a clean electoral roll as well, we don't need to hold a mass procession," said the Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader when winding up his speech at the party's General Election Convention, here, yesterday. Bersih plans to hold an illegal demonstration to demand for free and fair elections, the electoral roll to be cleaned up, postal voting to be reformed, using of undelible ink for voters, and free and fair access to the media. Anwar, in his speech, also expressed regret over accusations by some quarters that he was behind the planned demonstration. He also reminded party members dissatisfied with the choice of candidates for the general election to bring up the matter through the right channels and not to lobby him to determine the candidates.

Part II shadow national debts and other obligations Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:01 AM PDT In the extreme case of Plus, in 2009, the dividend it paid shareholders amounted to some RM800 million, equal to the amount of "compensation" paid by the Barisan Nasional administration on our behalf. By Lee Wee Tak Last week, after pointing out the relatively obvious Hutang Dalam Negeri Kerajaan Persekutuan that was not commented in PM's trumpet blowing, the trick is to identify where else our liabilities are hidden. Firstly, some economics 101: Public goods – goods and services that should preferably be provided by public sector rather than private entrepreneurs at no profit. It is a social responsibility to ensure equity (fairness) in a free economy market. Traditionally these items are provided by the state from tax payers' contribution for the common good where the rich subsidise the poor and not at a profit. Examples of such goods and services are public roads, utilities, postal services, health and education services. Another reason is that it is not practical for private sector to provide such services e.g. police and security forces. (Although Malaysian defense contracts have famous ways – all the way to France - of going about such things) In Malaysia, Mahathir administration started an irreversible tsunami of privatization like Indah Water, Tenaga, Telekon, Alam Flora etc. One argument is that corporate taxes is lowered by such privatization because the government is relieved of its duty to provide them. Fine, then how come successive Badawi and Najib administrations have tried so hard to widen tax collection via GST, raised the service tax percentages and introduced credit card taxes? I have taken a cursory examination of hidden national debts as a result of the above mentioned privatization trend. If a good or service was and still can be provided by the state at no profit, and this function has been taken over by private sector, then borrowings incurred by these companies are repaid by consumers who have no choice but continue to purchase these goods and services. Base on the limited research I could do with published audited accounts and common knowledge, I have identified some well known private companies who took over various state functions at a profit and incurred borrowings. Some of them are self explanatory and obvious like Pos Malaysia, Tenaga and Telekom. Proton is something that Mahathir should never tried in the first place but we have to pay for it while Ahmad Zaki Berhad gets most of their revenue from JKR projects, Faber Group are steep in health care, facilities management of LRT while KUB's role is revealed further below. Base on my previous articles, PAAB and MyEG are probably going to increase their borrowings very significantly to RM20 billion and RM100 million respectively. My very crude calculation is that every Malaysian is saddled with RM1,750 worth of national debt hosted by private companies which are basically more costly government function. This debt can increase up to RM2,228 per person, excluding interest and related professional charges associated with huge syndicated borrowings such as legal fees, consultancy fees and bank charges. I have barely scratched the surface. Further hidden from the public are examples like Indah Water Konsortium, Puspakom (which is consolidated under MRCB), Pharmaniaga etc as well as those sendirian berhads functioning as custodian of UMNO's business interest like Temasek Padu Sdn Bhd. Maybe readers out there can add onto the list like UEM, Peremba, Gamuda, Prasana, Alam Flora etc. It is endless and quite frightening to think about it. Without a change of federal government, there is no way to get most of the picture out for public scrutiny and examination. Price of goods and services the man and woman in the street have to pay for needs to cover the fat executive salaries*, principal and interest of the hidden nation debts, compliance cost of a listed company, market-base salaries with no retrenchment, advertisement costs, rent seekers (like the IPPs) so that the companies will have enough money to pay dividends and re-invest. * example of Tenaga's director remuneration (click on the pix for a better view & see how much a director can get and see how many directors they have...do we need so many of them?) : Privatisation also means the profits of the companies are taxed so in fact Malaysians are actually being taxed at a higher level as these companies have to factor in corporate taxes in their pricing structure. All the above would actually more than offset cost of the previous structure where civil servants who are entitled to pensions but considerably less salaried and there is no profit and no corporate tax. To illustrate what I am trying to say, see below: In the extreme case of Plus, in 2009, the dividend it paid shareholders amounted to some RM800 million, equal to the amount of "compensation" paid by the Barisan Nasional administration on our behalf. Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2011/06/part-ii-shadow-national-debts-and-other.html

Petition for Truth Behind Jobs Commissioned and Cost Breakdown for the Tourism Malaysia fan page Posted: 19 Jun 2011 10:57 AM PDT We request Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen to present the details of jobs commissioned and the breakdown of costs for the fan page and campaigns. The time given to Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen to prepare the report is 72 hours, starting at 12 midnight, 20th June 2011 and expiring at 12 midnight of 23rd June 2011. By Curi-curi Wang Malaysia   YAB Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Cabinet Ministers and Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), YAB/YB                                                                                                         19 June 2011 We are writing on behalf of the undersigned Malaysians to ask that YAB raise with the Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, the case of the Ministry of Tourism's expenditure of RM1,758,432 to start and maintain their Tourim Malaysia ~ Cuti-cuti 1Malaysia Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/CutiCuti1Malaysia. According to the answer provided by the Deputy Tourism Minister, James Dawos Mamit in Parliament, each of the 6 Facebook applications cost RM293,072 — Cuti-Cuti 1 Malaysia, Citrawarna 1Malaysia, Karnival Jualan Mega 1 Malaysia, Festival Pelancongan Seni Kontemporari 1 Malaysia, Kempen 1 Malaysia Bersih and Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia. James Dawos Mamit explained that the almost RM1.8 million included costs for designing, flash programming and coding, testing and debugging, uploading and launching the application, system server deployment and campaign management. Nevertheless, a Facebook fan page does not need most of the above. The cost for testing and debugging, uploading and launching of application and system server deployment is negligible since these are processes done by Facebook itself. So the amount may account for the non-Facebook sites that the ministry had commissioned for. Until and unless the Tourism Minister releases the details of jobs commissioned and completed, we will never know how the expenditure was allocated for work done on the fan page. We request Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen to present the details of jobs commissioned and the breakdown of costs for the fan page and campaigns. The time given to Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen to prepare the report is 72 hours, starting at 12 midnight, 20th June 2011 and expiring at 12 midnight of 23rd June 2011. If Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen fails to present a satisfactory written report on her personal website (http://www.drngyenyen.com/) within the abovementioned period, we strongly request her to step down from her position as Tourism Minister immediately. For this reason, we urge the Prime Minister, Cabinet members and MACC to investigate if there is any mismanagement of funds or corruption involved. If it is found that the expenses cannot be justified for the work to be done, we strongly request for suspension of the contract and an immediate refund from the beneficial company, Impact Creations Sdn Bhd. And we strongly request the Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen to accept responsibility and resign from her position as Tourism Minister immediately. We trust and hope that the Prime Minister, Cabinet members and MACC will take these actions through liberalistic, transparent, accountable and professional procedures. "SEMOGA MALAYSIA MAJU JAYA"   (English version) http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=161146723951078 (Malay version) http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=161143110618106   Update: We reached 120k fans at 23:17pm 19 June 2011. Letter sent to PM 1malaysia email account. Link: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=161190490613368

Bersih rally go-ahead not up to Anwar, says Ambiga Posted: 19 Jun 2011 10:49 AM PDT   By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — The decision to continue with the planned Bersih 2.0 rally will be made by civil society groups and not any political party, its chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan declared last night. The Bersih chairman distanced herself from a comment made earlier by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who said he would ask Ambiga to call off the July 9 rally if the prime minister could guarantee free and fair elections. "With due respect, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, this decision is not yours," Ambiga said to applause from nearly 600 supporters at the launch of Bersih 2.0 here. "Sorry, PKR, civil society will lead the assembly." Utusan Malaysia and Malay rights group Perkasa have accused Bersih of being an opposition tool to bring down the Barisan Nasional (BN) government through undemocratic means. They allege that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will use the rally to trigger an uprising similar to the popular protests that toppled Egypt's Mubarak regime and now threaten governments in Libya, Syria and Yemen. PR component parties and activists are gearing up to march on July 9 in the second such rally by election watchdog Bersih. The first rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the capital's street, before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannons. The 2007 rally has been credited for the PR's record gains in Election 2008, where the opposition pact was swept to power in five states and won 82 parliamentary seats. PAS has promised to bring some 300,000 protestors this year in hopes that it will galvanise support for the opposition in the next general election, expected to be called within a year. Perkasa and 164 other non-governmental organisations as well as Umno Youth have said they will march on July 9 to counter the Bersih rally.   READ MORE HERE.

Home Is Where My Heart Can Be At Ease To Serve Posted: 19 Jun 2011 10:48 AM PDT I came from a poor and dysfunctional family. My father was a rubber tapper and my mother was a homemaker. Despite the challenges to survive in a family of 9 siblings, all of us were able to finish tertiary education with 3 holding doctoral degrees. We helped one another and the last 5 siblings were able to attend the same universities in the United States. By Kang Ho In the 1980s, I received 8A's for SRP. Thereafter, I transferred to a technical school and received 3A's for SPM with Grade 1. My Malay schoolmates who received Grade 1 were sent overseas for further study and those who received Grade 2 were placed in local universities. My other Malay schoolmates who received Grade 3 were left behind in the same class as I in Form 6. Back then, I knew something was not right and I lost focus to invest in studies in Malaysia. My teachers told me that the reason I was not treated the same as my Malay schoolmates was because of "kulitfication." I decided to try my luck in Singapore by enrolling in a parochial college and providing tutoring to support myself. Meanwhile, I saved enough money to go to the United States to finish my university education. I was also fortunate to have opportunities to receive my master and doctoral degrees. To sustain myself in universities, I worked in janitorial jobs, farmlands, cafeterias, restaurants, and libraries. I came from a poor and dysfunctional family. My father was a rubber tapper and my mother was a homemaker. Despite the challenges to survive in a family of 9 siblings, all of us were able to finish tertiary education with 3 holding doctoral degrees. We helped one another and the last 5 siblings were able to attend the same universities in the United States. Life in the United States is not without struggles. I encountered various hurdles during the process — family (divorced but happily married now), career (change of profession due to unethical politics), and health (I have 3 kidneys, the original 2 are dysfunctional and 1 belonged to a White friend!). I am currently a clinical psychotherapist counseling a variety of individuals who need guidance and support to put their lives back together. These individuals include former inmates/ex-criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics, domestic violence offenders, marital couples, as well as mental health patients. I enjoy my career through empowering these individuals to change their lives and bolstering them into good citizenship. My school education, career training, and life experiences are able to equip me to assist people who are less fortunate than I am regardless of their race, religion, socio-economic status, and lifestyle. Coincidentally, most of my clients are Whites and Hispanics and I have no qualms accepting and treating them as one of my fellow human beings by providing them with hope and pointing them to a better future. My wife is internationally recognized for her exquisite concerto performances in Asia and North American and has received numerous prizes and scholarships. She has a doctorate degree and teaches at a local university. She was from Hong Kong and used to play masterpieces with the orchestra on the National Day of China in Hong Kong. She performs at many concerts on university campuses and community festivals. She frequently receives rapturous acclaim and standing ovations for the performances. In spite of our culture, language, and country of origin, we are well accepted and respected in our White majority community. We are able to contribute to our local community and live a meaningful and productive life. We are also able to own a big house with over 2 dozen fruit trees and a vegetable garden in our yard. Where is home? Home is where my heart can be at ease to serve without being discriminated or sidelined due to my parental heritage, spiritual value, and lack of opportunities to attain my dreams.

BERSIH Must March On Posted: 19 Jun 2011 10:44 AM PDT   Since the 2008 election, BN's election bribery has gone from covert to overt, famously dramatized by none other than Prime Minister Najib Razak himself when he publicly attempted to buy votes by offering instant cash aid to the tune of millions of ringgit subject to a BN win in two successive by-elections (Hulu Selangor and Sibu).  By Kim Quek A peaceful rally calling for electoral reform would have gone down as almost a non-event in any democracy, but not in Malaysia. Here, the news of such an impending rally has virtually caused the incumbent ruling power to go into a state of panic. Ever since the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections – a civil society movement known as BERSIH – calls for a peaceful rally on July 9 to press for electoral reform, hardly a day goes by without some bigwigs pressing the panic button, as if calamities will befall the nation if such a rally were to take place. Home minister has warned of dire consequences to political and economic stability, Umno's ultra-racist wing Perkasa has called for a rally of its own to crush the BERSIH rally, police chief has warned BERSIH of preventive arrest, and hundreds of reports have been lodged with the police by Umno and its associated bodies to oppose such a rally. And now, the latest, Deputy Prime Minister Muyhiddin Yassin called the BERSIH rally an opposition plot to topple the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government when he officiated a local Umno annual meeting in Beaufort, Sabah on June 18. (BERSIH had earlier extended invitation to all political parties including ruling BN and opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR), as well as NGOs and activists to participate in this mass movement to restore integrity to the Malaysian electoral system, which has been hopelessly corrupted to favour the incumbent ruling coalition. While PR component parties have accepted the invitation, BN has not.) BN'S RATIONALE ABSURD Muhyiddin debunked BERSIH's agitation for reform by citing opposition's impressive electoral gain in the 2008 general election as proof of the electoral system's fairness. He asked: "If it is not free and fair, how could they make such electoral gains? If they win they keep quiet, and if they lose, they claim unfairness. I think their motive is to have a short cut to Putrajaya." Equating opposition's electoral win as proof of the system's fairness has become BN's standard answer to fence off rising condemnation of BN's massive abuses that have gone from bad to worse. But such argument is as illogical as it is laughable. Whether an election is fair should be determined by the conditions under which the election is conducted, factors such as the presence or absence of an impartial the election commission and the existence or non-existence of a level playing field. It should never be determined by whether a contestant has won or lost. Malaysian elections are so notoriously unleveled that one should have no hesitation to conclude that PR would have been swept to power in the 2008 election if there was free and fair election, considering the fact that the popular vote was virtually split at 50-50. ELECTORAL SYSTEM HOPELESSLY FLAWED How can anyone consider Malaysian elections fair when the election commission is unabashedly acting as ruling coalition BN's virtual agent, and the entire mass media of the country (with the exception of the Internet) serve as BN's propaganda machines to the complete exclusion of PR? Since the 2008 election, BN's election bribery has gone from covert to overt, famously dramatized by none other than Prime Minister Najib Razak himself when he publicly attempted to buy votes by offering instant cash aid to the tune of millions of ringgit subject to a BN win in two successive by-elections (Hulu Selangor and Sibu).  Strangely, or rather shockingly, while the video clip of this drama had been watched by a worldwide audience via Youtube, the presiding judge (Azahar Mohamed) threw out a subsequent election petition to nullify the Hulu Selangor by-election result on the ground of "lack of evidence". When even the court sanctioned such open bribery committed by the top leader of the ruling coalition, the floodgate for all kinds of corruption, intimation and abuse of authority was virtually thrown wide open to work in BN's overwhelming advantage. And this is exactly what happened in the recently concluded Sarawak state elections, where BN swept to a landslide victory on the twin strategy of bribery and intimidation. BERSIH'S MOVE COMMENDABLE Under these circumstances, BERSIH ought to be commended for its gallant and timely move to call for a mass rally whereby a petition will be delivered to the King to put a stop to the election system that has been turned into a complete mockery of democracy.  Among BERSIH's reform proposals are: prohibition of vote-buying of any form, restoration of independence and impartiality to enforcing bodies on election offences, fair media access to all contesting parties, reform of the current dubious postal voting system and cleanse the electoral roll that is fraught with irregularities and phantom voters. It will be seen from these proposals that the current BERSIH move is not only not a threat to national interests, but a most reasonable and logical proposition to save democracy and restore justice and decency to a country where the state institutions have been pervasively perverted by BN's prolong autocratic misrule.  With regards to police's avowed refusal to grant permit to the rally, we have to respectfully advice the police that they have no authority to obstruct such a peaceful rally. Freedom of assembly is a constitutional right guaranteed to all citizens, and the role of the police in such an event is to ensure that peace prevails throughout the rally. Any attempt by police or any quarter to disrupt a peaceful rally of such noble intention will be construed as a serious breach of the Constitution and will not be taken kindly by peace-loving Malaysians. Be assured that Malaysians will not back down or compromise on such important principles as the right to have free and fair election and the right to have freedom of assembly.

Equality before the Law: The Case of Khir Toyo and Others less fortunate Posted: 19 Jun 2011 03:00 AM PDT Din Merican When Dato' Seri Mohd Khir Toyo became Menteri Besar of Selangor, he wanted to show that he was not just a "new broom sweeps clean" type of MB. So, he spoke of change and chided the state government agencies for sloppiness. He would even publicly humiliate heads of departments of state agencies, and awarded one head of department with a broom (ala' the wooden spoon awarded to very bad golfers during tournaments). From Kampong Boy to Menteri Besar Khir Toyo was riding high then. After all, this was a rags to riches story – of a kampong boy who rose to become MB Selangor, the most prosperous and advanced state in Peninsular Malaysia. He became MB at a blink of an eye. He was an "Anak Wak Jawa Totok" (a Javanese country mouse's son) who made good. He was the epitome of the New Economic Policy (NEP) which had enabled him to enter University of Malaya, graduate a 3rd grade dentist and move on to become MB of Selangor. His transformation from an ugly duckling into a handsome swan was very fairy tale like, although he insisted it was due to his tempe eating habits (soya bean cake eaten by Javanese ethnic). I do not have a problem with Khir Toyo's new good looks as my concern is about good governance. Just like watching movies about Werewolf, Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde and The Incredible Hulk, it would be incomplete if we do not also see the special effects of visual transformation to understand how a man becomes a wolf or how mild mannered Dr Bruce Banner can become a green monster in The Incredible Hulk. So also, it would help to understand how Khir Toyo's internal transformation is also related to his external appearances, as can be seen from this picture montage of him: Lord Acton said: "Power Corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". That is what happens to the holder of the MB Selangor post. From the time of Dato' Harun Idris and even before that, the MB Selangor is a very powerful post because   Selangor is a very rich state. The richer the state, the more there is to plunder, and the more one plunders, the more powerful one becomes! That is power law in operation. Also the Story of CM Pehin Sri in Sarawak Thus, the rags to riches part also seems to be true in Khir Toyo's story. That is not just the story of Selangor but also of Sarawak. Despite all that have been said of the plundering by CM Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud, every Sarawak citizen knows that the MACC would not dare move against him. Taib Mahmud would only be hauled up if he continues to fund opponents who wish to topple PM Najib as retaliation for the humiliation that PM Najib inflicted on him during the recent Sarawak State Elections. Khir Toyo's Excesses known before GE12 Khir Toyo's excesses were already exposed even before GE 12 in 2008. However, either due to sheer arrogance or because it was not politically expedient to remove him, UMNO tolerated him. That proved to be very costly when  on  March 8, 2008, Selangor fell to Pakatan Rakyat . The Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (SELCAT) probe exposed that Khir Toyo treated the state's finances like his own personal coffers. His excesses of using state funds were just amazing and included expensive trips overseas to Paris, Tokyo, Morocco and Hong Kong and the infamous RM 1.8 million trip to Disneyland. Khir Toyo was adamant that SELCAT was politically motivated by Pakatan Rakyat's new MB Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, and that SELCAT did not get the approval from the A-G to be set  up. Khir is on record as saying that "Any law that involves enforcement must be done by the Federal government first of all. They have said they want to jail people and stated that they can jail up to two years and fine RM2,000. Who is going to jail the person? Does the state have the authority to do this?" Very brave of a man already shown to be plundering state coffers. Was it because AG Gani Patail was behind him and had advised him to say all that? Khir Toyo must have enjoyed a certain immunity. How else do you explain his arrogance when confronted with all these excesses including his RM 24million Bali Palace. It was so laughable when he explained that his wealth came from his dental practice! Despite all the information available in public domain medium, the MACC was reluctant to take action against Khir Toyo. This seems to be the case whenever a VVIP aligned to the political powers or to A-G Gani Patail is involved. We saw that happening in the MAS Scandal. In Tun Dr Mahathir's memoirs "A Doctor In The House", Dr Mahathir made fun of Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli's claim that he was doing National Service when he plundered MAS. Tajudin is still a free man today because he has a strong cable with AG Gani Patail through one Shahidan Shafie, an ex-Police Inspector once charged for accepting bribes in releasing some Johor secret societies gang members. There are just too many allegations of selective prosecution by the MACC and A-G Gani Patail. It seems A-G Gani Patail even takes sides in corporate tussles involving his friends like what happened in the case of Ho Hup Bhd. A-G Gani Patail and Friend at Ho Hup Khir Toyo's immunity with the MACC and A-G Gani Patail, even caused Marina Mahathir to comment: "I'm just wondering why the MACC hasn't pulled him up for questioning yet. Or do they actually find his explanations plausible?" It seems that a deal has been cut and Khir Toyo will walk away. This makes a mockery of PM Najib's Government Transformation Plan (GTP) which made eradication of corruption as one of the NKRA. Under severe criticisms, PM Najib Tun Razak had to deny that the decision to charge Khir Toyo was a gimmick by UMNO-BN. PM Najib said that it was an independent decision by the MACC and A-G Gani Patail. So, this was an independent decision by A-G Gani Patail? If so, why did A-G Gani charge Khir Toyo under Section 165 of the Penal Code? Why not charge Khir Toyo under the MACC Act? My lawyer friends explained that a charge under Section 165 of the Penal Code provides for only two 2 years maximum penalty. A deal has been cut, that's why. Section 165 Penal Code states: "Whoever, being a public servant, accepts or obtains, or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain, for himself or for any other person, any valuable thing, without consideration, or for a consideration which he knows to be inadequate, from any person whom he knows to have been, or to be, or to be likely to be concerned in any proceedings or business transacted, or about to be transacted, by such public servant, or having any connection with the official functions of himself or of any public servant to whom he is subordinate, or from any person whom he knows to be interested in or related to the person so concerned, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with both." If Khir Toyo was charged under Section 16 of the MACC Act, he can be punished under Section 24 and would face a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or whichever is higher. This means that they can put him away for good and seize all his ill gotten assets. But MACC did not do that because Khir Toyo had cut a deal with A-G Gani Patail. That was why he was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code and not under Section 16 of the MACC Act. The deal would involve Ditamas Sdn Bhd director, Shamsuddin Hayroni. With public pressure mounting, A-G Gani Patail finally charged Khir Toyo with buying two plots of land in Section 7, Shah Alam lower than its market value.   Hang on! The charge is for buying property cheap? Not for corruption? The Razak Baginda Case It was the same thing that A-G Gani Patail did in the Altantuya murder case. Originally, Razak Baginda was supposed to be released upon representation being made by another former DPP turned lawyer, Wong Khian Kheong. But when things got too heated up, A-G Gani proceeded with the case and organised it in such a way that Razak Baginda would be acquitted without his defence being called. Upon acquittal, Razak quickly left the country and A-G Gani Patail said that there would be no appeal because it was a finding of fact by the Court. Khir Toyo's on-going trial also revealed something more significant. It revealed about Khir Toyo's using proxies and nominees to do things and hide assets. It is common knowledge that Khir Toyo uses Shamsuddin Hayroni and Datuk Sumadi Ismail to hold his assets in return for them getting projects in Selangor. And yet the MACC does not know? Did A-G Gani Patail and MACC make Khir Toyo declare his wealth? If they did, how did they not discover evidence of all his wealth? If they did discover this evidence, why was Khir Toyo not charged for amassing extraordinary wealth? That would have been the foundation for making various charges under the MACC Act against Khir Toyo. Did the MACC freeze Khir Toyo's banking accounts and those of his spouse, relatives and associates? After all, that is the modus operandi of the MACC and A-G Gani Patail when they take action against the many Customs, Immigration and Police officers including the late Ahmad Sarbaini. READ MORE HERE

Anwar jangan kacau Bersih! Posted: 19 Jun 2011 02:36 AM PDT Penarik Beca Dalam berita bertajuk "Ibrahim: Apa saja boleh berlaku pada 9 Julai" (komen-komen di sini dan di sini), Malaysiakini semalam melaporkan: Ibrahim turut membayangkan jika perhimpunan itu tidak dibatalkan, maka akan berlaku huru-hara. "Tuan-tuan bayangkan perhimpunan BERSIH tidak dibatalkan, mereka teruskan juga, (mereka) tidak umum bahawa mereka akan batal pada 7 atau 8 Julai, saya percaya masyarakat Tiong Hua mungkin ramai-ramai, semua sekali, belilah bekalan makanan tambahan simpan di rumah. "Apa sahaja boleh berlaku," katanya. Dalam posting bertajuk "Tangkaplah! Bunuhlah!" 15 Jun lalu, saya ulang tulis: Kalau benar tak kotor dan tak zalim, kenapa menggelabah sangat bila orang mahukan pilihan raya yang bersih dan adil? Mengapa sampai ke peringkat memberi isyarat bahawa puaknya hendak membakar kereta dan membaling batu untuk menghalang perhimpunan Bersih? Bila batu dibaling dan kereta terbakar, mungkin ada yang terbunuh. Takkan hampa nak bunuh diri sendiri. Nak bunuh kami yang berhimpunlah tu. Bunuhlah! Apa nak kisah, kalau puak Umno dan Perkasa bunuh aku kerana aku hadiri perhimpunan Bersih, bukannya depa nak kena apa-apa tindakan. Dah jenuh Presiden Perkasa, Datuk Ibrahim Ali ugut nak berbunuh-bunuh sana-sini, dia tetap bebas dan bermaharajalela. Sila baca "Home Minister, isn't Ibrahim Ali above the law?" dalam Malaysiakini 18/6/11. READ MORE HERE

The Way Forward That Ibrahim Ali Doesn't Faham Posted: 19 Jun 2011 02:28 AM PDT A Little Taffer's Room Ibrahim Ali was trying to talk as if he is a military leader or something whereas he is actually trying to play hero to show everyone in Malaysia that he's a somewhat a big ace in the hole. However, if he tries to play head to head of maybe vs Obama or Putin, he'd be a good laughing stock of Malaysia in the eyes of the world because the foreigners can hardly understand things that are "jaguh kampung". He wants to wipeout Bersih but whatever he says has proven that Perkasa is thumbing with their chests so high and mighty in contrast in Bersih that never talks big and does thing in a very professional manner. Of course, in the way of today's Perkasa launch, Ibrahim was playing bomoh telling other races to stay home to avoid another May 13. But May 13 incident was already 42 years ago. Of course at that time it happened because people are poorly informed, but today's game is different because there is Internet to thank for. One of my Malay friends, did pointed out that Ibrahim and Perkasa are like salt in the soup. Too much, soup, and it will be too salty, in metaphor speaking, damaging the image of BN along the way if he goes too deep. I told some people that I think that if Ibrahim Ali wants to march out to the streets, then fine by me, but he better watch out for himself because having done a heart surgery last year, he better not overstressed himself on that day including hollering that loud on a bullhorn, if Perkasa happens to carry it, lest he could find himself in a physical precarious situation.  The one thing that Braheng doesn't get it is that the May 13 scenario will never happen. Simple. PAS has pledged at least 100000 of their own people to come down on 9 July to help things out for BERSIH, voluntary and no money required. Just like the first edition. They would be the first line of protection indeed. Back in October 2010, RPK wrote about something which mentions that May 13 version 2 will not be Non-Malays vs Malays, but it will be two groups of Malays fighting one another. I reproduce below second half of the article - The Confused Way Forward just to refresh our minds and as to point out that the way going forward that Braheng Ali doesn't get it at all. READ MORE HERE

Perkasa bakar gambar Ambiga, amaran kepada kaum Cina, pembunuhan beramai ramai Posted: 19 Jun 2011 02:08 AM PDT Penyokong Perkasa membakar poster Pengerusi Bersih 2.0 Datuk Ambiga di pekarangan Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kuala Lumpur petang tadi. — Foto oleh Jack Ooi   (The Malaysian Insider) — Perkasa bersama 164 badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) hari ini melancarkan "perang" terhadap Himpunan Bersih 2.0 dengan membakar gambar Pengerusi Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih) Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan dan memberi amaran kepada kaum Cina agar jangan keluar pada 9 Julai ini kerana "apa sahaja boleh berlaku." Presiden Perkasa Datuk Ibrahim Ali menegaskan perhimpunan anti-Bersih 2.0 yang bakal diadakan serentak akan diteruskan dan beliau tidak akan bertanggungjawab atas sebarang insiden tidak diingini. "Cuba bayangkan jika berlaku huru-hara... jika himpunan Bersih 2.0 tidak dibatalkan, saya percaya kaum Cina perlu simpan bekalan makanan. "Ya, apa sahaja boleh berlaku. Dan saya minta agar polis mengambil apa sahaja tindakan dan gunakan kuasa mereka untuk bertindak," katanya pada pelancaran perhimpunan Gerak Aman di Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung Baru di sini. Bersih bersama Pakatan Rakyat dan aktivis parti bersedia menggerakan Himpunan Bersih 2.0 menuntut pilihan raya adil dan bebas sebagai kesinambungan himpunan yang kali pertama diadakan pada November 2007. PAS telah berjanji akan menggerakkan 300,000 peserta untuk menyokong perhimpunan itu untuk mendesak Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) mengadakan pilihan raya adil dan bebas pada pilihan raya umum ke-13 tidak lama lagi. Dalam ucapan di hadapan penyokongnya termasuk kalangan Cina dan India, Ibrahim berkata Himpunan Bersih 2.0 diadakan kerana gerakan itu mempunyai agenda untuk menumbangkan kerajaan sedia ada dengan mengambil inspirasi daripada apa yang berlaku di Timur Tengah. "Kita tahu tujuan mereka turun ke jalanan, kumpulan ini mahu menimbulkan huru-hara dalam negara, kalau dulu peristiwa 13 Mei (1969) negara diisytiharkan darurat dan Tun Abdul Razak (Hussein) dilantik sebagai ketua negara sementara dan jika ia berlaku nanti adakah perkara sama akan berlaku? "Sebab itu kita tidak boleh berdiam diri, kita tahu orang Cina mengutamakan perniagaan... kita tidak mahu himpunan 9 Julai yang mereka buat ini menunjukkan mereka dapat restu daripada rakyat, kita bertegas dalam perkara ini dan kita bukan mahu melakukan provokasi," katanya. Malah dalam ucapan pelancaran, Ibrahim yang juga Ahli Parlimen Pasir Mas mendakwa Ambiga sebagai ejen Yahudi. "Kita tentang Ambiga bukan sebab dia India tapi sebab dia jahat, Melayu jahat pun ada... Melayu yang jahat juga kita marah. "Siapa Ambiga? Saya percaya dia adalah ejen Yahudi... siapa dia puan guru Ambiga ini," katanya. Selain mengecam penganjuran himpunan Bersih 2.0, turut diedarkan risalah yang berbentuk serangan peribadi terhadap Ambiga dengan perkataan "Awas!!! Ambiga, wanita Hindu yang merbahaya. "Kita sedang berhadapan dengan seorang wanita Hindu bernama Datuk Ambiga Sreevanesan (cehh... anti Islam ini pun boleh dapat Datuk) yang sangat anti kepada Melayu dan Islam yang akan mengetuai perhimpunan Bersih yang kotor sebenarnya. Penyokong Perkasa mengambil bahagian dalam majlis pelancaran Gerakan Aman 9 Julai di Kuala Lumpur hari ini. — Foto oleh Jack Ooi "Wanita Hindu ini adalah pembela kepada kes Lina Joy yang ingin murtad. Beliau selalu membabitkan diri dalam isu-isu murtad kalangan orang Islam, malah beliau semasa menjadi presiden Majlis Peguam sangat agresif menyerang kerajaan BN (Barisan Nasional) kerana diterajui oleh orang Melayu," kata risalah itu. Kata Ibrahim, pihaknya akan menggerakkan 20 bas dari setiap negeri pada 9 Julai ini untuk membantah Himpunan Bersih 2.0. "Percayalah hanya segelintir orang Cina dan India akan sertai Himpunan Bersih 2.0 itu nanti, yang ramai ialah orang-orang Melayu... agenda himpunan ini bukan hendak menuntut satu pilihan raya yang bersih tapi agenda utama untuk menghuru-harakan negara seperti mana yang berlaku di Mesir, Tunisia, Libya dan beberapa negara lain. "Mereka kata pilihan raya tidak adil tapi pada 2008 mereka tawan empat negeri, menang 82 kerusi Parlimen, kalau mereka kata ini tidak adil saya cabar mereka letak jawatan masing-masing dan kita adakan semula pilihan raya," katanya. Selain Perkasa dan Bersih, Pemuda Umno turut akan mengadakan perhimpunan pada hari tersebut. Tegas Ibrahim, himpunan anti-Bersih tidak akan bergabung dengan Pemuda Umno sambil berkata "tidak mahu digelar sebagai himpunan parti politik." "Kita tidak akan bergabung dengan Pemuda Umno, kita ini adalah NGO bukan parti politik dan kita mahu bergerak atas tiket NGO. "Ini keputusan kita, kita hanya bergerak atas NGO bukan parti politik," katanya sambil menambah tindakan Bersih turun ke jalanan bukan kebebasan bersuara yang sebenar. Turut hadir dalam pelancaran itu Ahli Parlimen Kulim-Bandar Baru Datuk Zulkefli Noordin dan bekas timbalan menteri penerangan Datuk Khalid Yunus. Ditanya soal permit, Ibrahim menegaskan jika Himpunan Bersih 2.0 diadakan tanpa permit, maka pihaknya juga akan berhimpun tanpa permit. "Jika Bersih tidak memohon permit kita juga akan lakukan perkara sama, kalau Bersih mempunyai permit kita juga akan mohon permit," katanya.

WIKILEAKS: In Iran they weigh and not count the cash Posted: 19 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT Radzi said that Petronas told MITI it does not have any investment in Iran now and that the private companies (SKS and Amona) claimed they had no financing sources for their projects in Iran. Radzi also described how Malaysian firms go to Iran with suitcases of money to purchase oil and gas concessions from the Iranians. He said that they bring too much cash to count the money, so they weigh it to determine if the amount is correct. Radzi did not offer why Malaysian firms would purchase an O&G concession from the Iranians for a project they are unable to finance. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000037   SIPDIS   E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2020 TAGS: ECON, EFIN, ENIV, ETRD, ETTC, IR, KNNP, MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA: ISA UPDATE - PETRONAS MOVING AWAY FROM IRAN INVESTMENT   REF: 09 STATE 121808   Classified By: Econ Counselor Matt Matthews for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)   1.  (C) Summary: Post approached the three Malaysian companies listed in Ref A that are reportedly doing business or contemplating doing business in Iran.  Petronas told us January 11 that it has no active investments in Iran, no commitment has been made to invest in South Pars Phase 11 and its contractual obligations in the Munir block are complete, with no further investment under consideration.  Petronas officials noted that Petronas is concerned about investing in Iran due to current political uncertainties there.  Amona told us via telephone they sold their oil and gas (O&G) business, including any interest in the redevelopment of the Resalat Oilfield.  Post has made contact with representatives from SKS Ventures, which will be reported septel.  Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Principal Assistant Secretary and America Desk Officer Muhammad Radzi Jamaludin (Radzi) told post that the Ministry of International Trade and Investment (MITI) held a meeting with Petronas, Amona, and SKS Ventures and told them to cooperate with embassy inquiries on Iran investments.  End Summary. 2.  (C) Comment: Our meeting with Petronas was at a surprisingly high level and the information offered was unusually frank and forthcoming for such a sensitive topic. As a Petronas Board member, Azhar is well positioned to provide accurate information on Petronas' Iran investment plans.  Post will continue to press for additional details on Petronas South Pars Phase 11 activity.  End Comment. Petronas 3.  (C) Deputy Econcouns Salin and econoff Williams met January 11 with Petronas Board of Directors Member and Corporate Secretary Mohd Azhar Osman Khairuddin (Azhar) and his assistant, Head of Legal Research, Planning and Issues Management, Abdul Rahim Mydin (Rahim) to query Petronas about existing and planned investments in Iran,s oil and gas sector (O&G) and awareness of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). Deputy Econcouns delivered ref A points and provided additional background on our information request. 4.  (C) Azhar said that Petronas does not have any investments in Iran at this time.  Azhar explained that Petronas aspires to be a global company and desires a positive relationship with the USG.  However, he related that Petronas was a relatively late entrant to the O&G business and was not competitive with international oil companies (IOCs) in most development areas.  Petronas made the conscious decision in the mid 1990,s, with the blessing of the GOM, to compete in countries where Western sanctions precluded the largest IOCs from competing such as Iran, Sudan, Myanmar, and Mauritania, according to Azhar.  He claimed that in 1996 the Petronas president met with Clinton Administration officials informing the USG of Petronas, plans to invest in Iran and that Secretary Albright gave Total, Gazprom, and Petronas ISA exemptions on South Pars Phases 2 and 3.  Azhar said that Petronas developed the Siri field without an exemption and that both of Petronas, prior Iran projects are now finished.  He mentioned that Petronas does have an ongoing trading relationship with Iran, exporting lubricants to Iran. 5.  (C) Azhar told us that Malaysian O&G reserves are not large and are running out soon.  (Note: Conoco Philips Malaysia confirmed that without new discoveries, Malaysian oil production will decline at approximately 10% per year, from 550,000 bpd in 2008 to roughly 490,000 bpd in 2009 and 450,000 bpd in 2010.)  Azhar noted that revenues from Petronas accounted for 45% of the GOM budget last year and stated that the GOM is over-reliant on Petronas to fund its operations.  He said Petronas feels tremendous pressure to grow its business in order to maintain Malaysia's political status quo and added that Petronas wants to stay insulated from politics, but must comply with GOM policy.  He acknowledged the large amount of liquid assets on Petronas, balance sheet and Petronas, concerns that those funds be invested in productive O&G assets to promote future profitability rather than be spent now on domestic programs for political gain.  He described Petronas as a stabilizing force in Malaysia and in ASEAN regionally and his desire that the USG recognize the important role Petronas plays in maintaining political stability in the region. 6.  (C) Azhar was not aware of press accounts of Petronas investment plans in the South Pars Phase 11 gas field and was noticeably irritated that Petronas gas subsidiary Carigali had not mentioned Phase 11 when it briefed Azhar on its Iran activities.  He was quite clear, from his position as a member of the Petronas Board of Directors, that no final investment decision had been made on any new project in Iran. Azhar added that Petronas is closely following the political situation in Iran between President Ahmadinejad and the opposition and stated that Petronas is very concerned about investing in Iran at this point due to political uncertainties and the possibility of "disruptive changes." 7.  (C) (Note: In a follow-up telephone call January 14, Rahim told econoff that investment in South Pars Phase 11 is still under consideration, but that Petronas has not committed to the investment.  Econoff asked follow-up questions on the status, timing, and cost of due diligence, contract status with Iran/CNPC, and when a final decision could be reached.  Rahim asked econoff to forward the follow-up questions via email and that he would try to respond. End Note.) 8.  (C) Azhar was excited about Petronas successful bid with Shell to develop the Majnoon oilfield in Iraq.  He praised the open and transparent competitive bidding process and said that Iraq's opening is putting a lot of pressure on Iran. Petronas is bullish on the political situation in Iraq and plans to compete for additional business in Iraq, according to Azhar. Amona Claims O&G Business Sold 9.  (C) Econoff and LES Tang Loon Lian contacted Amona December 9 via telephone regarding its announced investment in the Resalat Oilfield.  An Amona representative told us Amona had sold its entire oil and gas business to Oil Corp., a publicly traded Malaysian company.  Local news databases did not report announcement of a sale.  A search of Bursa Malaysia publicly listed companies showed that Oil Corp. is losing significant amounts of money and appears near bankruptcy.  Post will continue to check for additional details on the status of Malaysian participation in the Resalat transaction. MFA and Trade Ministry Authorize Cooperation 10.  (C) During a January 12 meeting, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Principal Assistant Secretary and America Desk Officer Muhammad Radzi Jamaludin (Radzi) told econoff that he had recently attended a MITI-led meeting, in which MITI called in Petronas, SKS Ventures and Amona and told them to cooperate with the embassy in our ISA inquiry.  Radzi said that Petronas told MITI it does not have any investment in Iran now and that the private companies (SKS and Amona) claimed they had no financing sources for their projects in Iran.  Radzi also described how Malaysian firms go to Iran with suitcases of money to purchase oil and gas concessions from the Iranians.  He said that they bring too much cash to count the money, so they weigh it to determine if the amount is correct.  Radzi did not offer why Malaysian firms would purchase an O&G concession from the Iranians for a project they are unable to finance. KEITH

PERKASA given police permit to assemble Posted: 18 Jun 2011 03:46 PM PDT On 17th June 2011, the police issued a permit for PERKASA to organise a rally. The permit was issued merely one day after PERKASA applied for it (on 16th June 2011). The assembly, expected to attract 2,000 participants, will be held at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman on 19th June 2011 (where Pakatan Rakyat once tried to organise a rally but was rejected on grounds of 'security'). Normally, you need to apply for the permit 14 days before the planned rally.

Stop bitching Posted: 18 Jun 2011 12:35 AM PDT This is my response to the Penang mosque committee fiasco where the opposition was forced to do a 'U-turn' after adamantly stating that it would go ahead with the elections of the mosque committees. This is also my response to HINDRAF's announcement that it is boycotting the BERSIH rally to punish Pakatan Rakyat. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Aziz Bari is grumbling because Umno has dragged the Monarchy into politics and is using the Palace against the opposition (read his article in Bahasa Malaysia below). My response to that is: so what? Isn't this what Umno normally does? Isn't this what Umno always does? So, what else is new? It's the same old story. You mean the opposition did not suspect this would happen? You mean this is the first time this has happened and the opposition was caught off guard? How come the opposition was caught off guard? You mean Umno is cleverer than the opposition? The opposition always seems to get caught off guard when it comes to issues concerning the Monarchy or the Palace. There must be some very stupid people in the opposition if they can get caught on the same issue again and again. There is saying: once bitten twice shy. Only fools get bitten 25 times and are still not shy. Next time plan your strategy. Use preemptive strikes. Don't get into a situation half-cocked like you always do. And stop complaining about Umno this and Umno that, especially when it comes to the Monarchy or Palace. And to those Chinese and Indian readers, stop falling into Umno's trap. Umno wants you to whack the Monarchy and Palace so that it can prove to the Malays that Pakatan Rakyat, in particular the non-Malays in Pakatan Rakyat, are anti-royalty. That will ensure Umno can win back Malay support. And you are doing exactly what Umno wants you to do. Now, to the issue of HINDRAF. They want to boycott the BERSIH march because they are angry with Pakatan Rakyat. Why boycott BERSIH when it is Pakatan Rakyat you are angry with? I do not get that logic. BERSIH is about the rakyat, not about Pakatan Rakyat. So, are you trying to punish the rakyat or punish Pakatan Rakyat? The signal that HINDRAF is sending to the rakyat is that Pakatan Rakyat is behind BERSIH. Since Pakatan Rakyat and not the rakyat is behind BERSIH then this gives the government the justification to ban the BERSIH rally. The government is saying that the opposition is the one really behind BERSIH. Now HINDRAF is confirming this. This means the government can legitimately clamp down on BERSIH and arrest or detain its leaders. Maybe, after this, HINDRAF can proudly announce that it was they who made it possible for the government to take action against BERSIH and ban its planned march on 9th July 2011. It would be good if the HINDRAF people can look at the two videos below. This is what I would call a quality Tamil leader. These are the kind of Tamil leaders that we want to see. Can you just visualise some of the HINDRAF leaders acting like this and demonstrating this type of class and quality? ************************************** P'raya masjid: Nama Agong diheret, kata Aziz Bari Meskipun mengakui Yang di-Pertuan Agong mempunyai kuasa dalam hal-hal berkaitan agama Islam di negeri-negeri yang tidak mempunyai Raja-raja Melayu, namun pakar perlembagaan Profesor Abdul Aziz Bari mempertikaikan cara nama Seri Paduka diheret setiap kali bagi membidas dasar-dasar kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang. NONE"Hanya selepas Pakatan Rakyat mengambil-alih Pulau Pinang, tiba-tiba peranan Agong menjadi tokoh yang signifikan. "Nama Baginda digunakan bagi menghalang sebarang tindakan yang diambil oleh kerajaan negeri," kata pensyarah Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIAM) itu kepada Malaysiakini. Abdul Aziz berkata prosedur atau peraturan yang betul mengikut perlembagaan adalah bagi pihak Istana Negara atau setiausaha sulit Yang di-Pertuan Agong bagi mengeluarkan kenyataan berhubung kedudukannya sebagai ketua agama dan bukannya oleh pihak-pihak yang lain. "Pastinya bukan Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, yang merupakan sebahagian daripada kerajaan. "Jadi beliau harus diam. Biarkan Baginda melaksanakan tanggungjawab yang diperuntukkan oleh perlembagaan - bebas daripada kerajaan sama ada peringkat persekutuan mahupun negeri," kata Abdul Aziz. Beliau juga membidas dakwaan 'mengarut' oleh kumpulan pendesak Melayu, PERKASA yang berkata adalah salah bagi mengadakan pemilihan jawatankuasa kariah masjid diadakan. "Pertama, tidak ada fatwa mengatakan pemilihan itu adalah haram mengikut Islam," katanya.Fatwa Lagipun menurut profesor itu lagi, umat Islam, sama ada dari Umno, PAS dan PKR, semuanya pernah terbabit dalam pemilihan parti masing-masing. azlan"Jika ini tidak mengikut Islam, majlis fatwa sepatutnya mengeluarkan hukum berhubung perkara itu," katanya. Semalam, hasrat Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang (MAIPP) bagi mengadakan pemilihan jawatankuasa kariah masjid bagi sesi 2012-2013 dengan kaedah pilihan raya terpaksa dibatalkan. Keputusan itu dibuat di Istana Negara di Kuala Lumpur apabila Yang di-Pertua Negri Abdul Rahman Abbas dan Yang Dipertua MAIPP Ellias Zakaria menghadap Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin. Mesyuarat agung masjid-masjid di Pulau Pinang yang dijadualkan hari ini dan esok itu sepatutnya memilih jawatankuasa kariah di 151 daripada 200 masjid tetapi kini ditangguhkan sehingga notis lanjut. Pemilihan ala pilihan raya yang dicadangkan itu bagi membolehkan anak kariah mengundi secara sulit untuk memilih pemimpin kariah yang sebelum ini dipilih oleh MAIPP. Bantahan pelbagai pihak yang didalangi Umno begitu lantang kerana gusar pilihan raya kariah masjid akan menghakis sokongan kepada parti itu yang kini gagal menguasai kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang setelah ditumbangkan pada pilihan raya umum 2008. Umno mendakwa pemilihan secara demokrasi itu akan hanya membawa perpecahan di kalangan umat Islam selain mengheret masjid ke kancah politik kepartian. THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY A TAMIL LEADER HAS BEEN ELECTED INTO THE CANADIAN PARLIAMENT K9yqU37MhT4 SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9yqU37MhT4 6TjlgBs_k0U SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TjlgBs_k0U

Feudalism rules Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:11 PM PDT But if you want to retain the Monarchy and continue with Malaysia's system of Constitutional Monarchy then learn how to work with the Rulers. Talk to them. Dialogue with them. Learn how to get their blessing before you embark on anything. Don't act first and make announcements before you get the blessing of the Rulers. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Penang to go ahead with mosque polls (Bernama) - The Penang government will not budge from its decision to carry out the election of mosque officials as it is accordance with the laws, said its Religious Affairs, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim. He said the proposed election adhered to Section 104(a)(b) of the State of Penang Enactment 2004 and 4(1) Congregation Committee and Mosque Officials Requirements (Penang). "The new procedure introduced by the Penang Islamic Religious Council is an improvement of existing regulatory procedures adopted by the previous state government," he told reporters Monday. Commenting on calls for the state government to get the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before holding the mosque polls, Abdul Malik, said the new procedure accorded congregators the right to nominate candidates through mosque committees to the council before getting the consent of the king. Abdul Malik said the mosque congregation committees would decide whether the congregators were eligible to vote and the state government would set up the congregators' database after the election. After nomination was closed last Tuesday, 193 out of 200 mosques had sent the nomination lists, he said, adding that this showed the proposed election had received an overwhelming response from congregators. Meanwhile, Penang Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman said the state Umno had sent an appeal letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong through Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, to oppose the move. "I hope the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the head of Islam will prevent the mosque polls from taking place as it could divide the Muslims," said Zainal. ************************************* King orders halt to Penang mosque polls (The Malaysian Insider) - Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has ordered Penang to call off its controversial mosque elections, the state government said today. Penang religious affairs, domestic trade and consumer affairs committee chairman Abdul Malik Kassim said the decision was relayed to him by Penang Islamic Council (MAIPP) head Ellias Zakaria earlier today. "The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has ordered the state mosque elections to be postponed," Abdul Malik said in a statement. The mosque elections were supposed to be held this weekend. Abdul Malik said an official statement would be made after a meeting with the MAIPP. Penang announced earlier this month that the selection of mosque committees in the state would be made through elections this year, in place of the previous method. Malay rights groups like Perkasa has opposed the move, saying it would only divide the Muslim community in the state. ************************************* Itulah, jangan cakap besar. Kan dah kena tarik balek kenyataan awal? When the Penang State Government, or more accurately EXCO Member Abdul Malik Abul Kassim, made his announcement earlier this week, I was quite amused. I said to myself: let us watch what happens. I bet he will be made to eat his words and would have to 'tarik balek' what he initially announced. We may think that Malaysia is a Constitutional Monarchy. We may think that the Agong acts on the advise of the Prime Minister and the State Rulers on the advice of the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister). The truth is, the State Rulers and Agong do have certain powers that the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, or even Umno cannot take away from them. Okay, you may say that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is using the Agong. You may say that the Agong is just doing what Umno wants him to do. You may say that this is not really what the Agong wants but what Umno wants. Well, in that case, if this is Umno talking and not the Agong talking, then defy His Majesty. Refuse to comply with what the Agong wants and just go ahead with the mosque elections. The bottom line is, the opposition should stop cakap besar. Don't think that all this sabre-rattling can frighten the Monarchy. The opposition needs to learn how to engage the Monarchy instead of trying to threaten it. Take Selangor as an example. I told some of the DAP Selangor leaders that they should stop acting like 'Communists' by demonstrating anti-Monarchy tendencies. I even introduced them to some members of the Selangor Royal Family and arranged a few dinners so that they could develop some fellowship. This anti-songkok thing is stupid, I told them. If the dress code when entering the palace is to use a songkok then what is so wrong in using it? A songkok has nothing to do with Islam. Christians in Indonesia also use songkoks, as do some Hindus in India (which was where the songkok came from in the first place). DAP must learn to accommodate the palace. They must not be too antagonistic towards the palace. If the palace offers DAP leaders awards (pingat and gelaran) or even datukships just accept them. Don't decline them because you are opposed to symbols of the Monarchy. That would be like telling the Rulers to go to hell. And that is not how you develop a good relationship with the Rulers. I hope this Penang mosque election fiasco has taught the opposition a lesson. If you wish to defy the Agong by going ahead with the Penang mosque elections then go ahead. No problem. You can even declare that if Pakatan Rakyat takes over the federal government the Monarchy will be abolished and Malaysia will be turned into a Republic. But if you want to retain the Monarchy and continue with Malaysia's system of Constitutional Monarchy then learn how to work with the Rulers. Talk to them. Dialogue with them. Learn how to get their blessing before you embark on anything. Don't act first and make announcements before you get the blessing of the Rulers. This piece is not about me being pro-royalty. Yes, I know, many are going to say I am talking this way because I am also a member of the royal family. But it is not that at all. It is about what I wrote earlier with regards to politics being about perception. The perception being created is that the opposition has no respect for the Monarchy and is defying the Rulers. The perception being created is that the opposition is at odds and is in conflict with the Rulers. Considering that the majority of the voters are Malays and the majority of the seats are Malay seats and without Malay support the opposition can't form the next federal government, this is a perception that does not help the opposition cause. That is the bottom line. That is the message I am trying to send to the opposition. Don't give Umno ammunition to use against the opposition. Don't allow Umno to swing the Malays on the basis that the opposition is anti-Monarchy and pro-Republic. Don't allow Umno to capitalise on this perception. In Perak, the Malays already think that the opposition is anti-Sultan. And that may hurt the opposition in the next general election.

Your Friday sermon Posted: 16 Jun 2011 05:52 PM PDT The government is worried that the BERSIH march of 9th July may end up like the historical Tahrir Square of Cairo incident. I doubt it. The Egyptian government of Hosni Mubarak was evil. The Malaysian government of Najib Razak is not. Only evil governments can fall through street action. Just governments do not fall that way. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Himpunan Bersih bercanggah nilai, etika Islam Menurut Yadim, usaha untuk mengadakan perhimpunan itu adalah percubaan untuk mengheret rakyat ke kancah kemelut politik yang lebih besar. (Free Malaysia Today) - Yang Dipertua Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM) Datuk Aziz Jamaludin Mohd Tahir mendakwa perhimpunan Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2.0) pada 9 Julai ini merupakan sesuatu yang bertentangan dengan nilai dan etika Islam. Read more here: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/06/17/himpunan-bersih-suburkan-anarkisme-bercanggah-nilai-etika-islam/ ************************************ YADIM, an Islamic missionary movement, said that the planned BERSIH march of 9th July 2011 violates Islamic values and ethics. But then what are Islamic values and ethics? In chapter Ali Imran, verse 104 of the Quran, it says: "Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity." Datuk Aziz Jamaludin Mohd Tahir of YADIM just gave his personal opinion and view. And this personal opinion and view echoes that of Umno and the government. Incidentally, 500 to 600 police reports have already been made against BERSIH with regards to the 9th July rally. Aziz Jamaludin, however, did not offer proof or quote any verses from the Quran to support his opinion. And, as they say, opinions are like arseholes -- everybody has one. Well, I have quoted a verse from the Quran -- chapter Ali Imran, verse 104 above -- and it appears that what the Quran says is opposed to what Aziz Jamaludin says. So, is the Quran wrong or is Aziz Jamaludin wrong? If Aziz Jamaludin is right then definitely the Quran must be wrong. The Quran, in the verse above, has clearly defined what are Islamic values and ethics. And these values and ethics are amar makruf, nahi munkar. This means a group of us must arise to uphold what is right and oppose what is wrong. This is our duty as Muslims. Anywhere that we may see violations, transgressions, evil, fraud, abuse of power, corruption, persecution, racism, or whatever, we must expose it, shun it, avoid it, oppose it, fight it, eradicate it, etc. There is no compromise on the matter. There are no two ways about it. We must become an enemy of the enemy of the people. Denying the people their right to free, clean and fair elections is a violation of Islamic values and ethics. Denying the people their right to a government of their choice is a violation of Islamic values and ethics. Denying the people their right to a just and corrupt-free government is a violation of Islamic values and ethics. Violating the Federal Constitution of Malaysia is a violation of Islamic values and ethics. Imposing Rule by Law instead of Rule of Law is a violation of Islamic values and ethics. Persecution, selective-prosecution, racism, cronyism and nepotism are a violation of Islamic values and ethics. Manipulation of the judicial system is a violation of Islamic values and ethics. And the list goes on and on. Is Aziz Jamaludin saying that all those Muslims who rose up to oppose their governments in the Middle East are un-Islamic? Is Malaysia going to now declare that all those new governments in the Middle East are tahud governments and Malaysia will not recognise them and will not enter into any diplomatic relations with them? Will the Ambassadors of the these countries be summoned to Wisma Putra to be told that they will have to close their embassies and their staff given 24 hours to leave Malaysia? Will Malaysia close all its embassies in these countries and recall its diplomatic staff? Will Malaysians be banned from travelling to these countries just like they are banned from travelling to Israel? Note that these Muslim countries also had their own 'BERSIH marches' when they realised that the election system had failed and change can no longer come through the ballot box but only through taking to the streets. The government is worried that the BERSIH march of 9th July may end up like the historical Tahrir Square of Cairo incident. I doubt it. The Egyptian government of Hosni Mubarak was evil. The Malaysian government of Najib Razak is not. Only evil governments can fall through street action. Just governments do not fall that way.

Here We Go Again Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:14 PM PDT THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Hakim Joe Malaysia possesses submarines that cannot dive but are able to sail faster than a sampan going upstream. Likewise, we are also buying super expensive helicopters that can possibly out-fly and out-maneuver Superman in flight (in theory only). Now we are looking at fighter jets to replace the ageing MIG-29N Fulcrum in 2015 and the budget could be in excess of RM6 billion. Here we go again. French aerospace company Dassault Aviation is planning to set up an office in Kuala Lumpur within the next few months with the intention of winning this lucrative contract from the Malaysian Government. On offer is their Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) Rafale at an estimated cost of 100 million Euro a pop (depending on who you ask). A squadron of a 12 aircrafts will cost in excess of 1.2 billion Euros (RM5.2 billion without optional extras like Krell Sound System, Liebherr fridge, Bosch reverse sensor or Prometheus dashboard cigar lighter). Not to be out done, British defense company BAE Systems (who already has a large office in Kuala Lumpur) is offering a better deal. For an estimated RM5.5 billion, BAE Systems will sell to RMAF 10 units of their Tranche 3 Typhoon fighter/interceptor. Now, how is this a better deal as compared to the Rafale? The Frenchies are offering 12 units whilst the Pommies are offering 10 units. The Frenchies deal cost RM5.2 billion whilst the Pommies deal cost RM5.5 billion. The Rafale is a MRCA whilst the Typhoon is NOT a MRCA. What BAE Systems is also offering are another 20 units of Tranche 1 Typhoon FOC (gratis, as is basis) that the Royal Air Force is retiring from active service, kind of a "Buy 1 Free 2" offer. Technically, these aircrafts are not entirely free, as the RMAF will need to pay to fit specific items like the communication systems and other support items to be compatible to its existing ground control systems. Boeing is also in the picture with its offer of the FA-18F Super Hornet (5th Generation) at USD57 million a piece. Cheap? Oops…the USD57 million is only for the chassis alone, not even the paint job. The real cost per unit after installation of the engine, avionics, pylons, radar, etc. approaches USD125 million a unit (without ordnance, training or support) minimum. However, Boeing is the most optimistic that they are capable of securing this contract as RMAF is already using the FA-18E (4th Generation) and the Malaysian pilots are familiar with the aircraft (hence less training required) plus the important fact that they have appointed three (yes, three) Malaysian companies to do the lobbying for them - Composites Technology Research Malaysia Aero Composites (CTRM AC), SME Aerospace (SMEA), and Spirit AeroSystems. Likewise, of the four potential suppliers, only Boeing has made an official visit to Putrajaya this year to promote their latest aircraft to the former Defense Minister. The other three haven't even applied for their visas. Composites Technology Research Malaysia Aero Composites is a wholly owned subsidiary of Composites Technology Research Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Based in Batu Berendam, Melaka, CTRM AC is a government-linked company with the Ministry of Finance Incorporated as its major shareholder. SME Aerospace, based in Sungai Buloh, manufactures aircraft parts, components and assemblies for customers worldwide and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Aerospace & Defence Industries Berhad. Spirit AeroSystems Malaysia Sdn Bhd, based in Kuala Lumpur, is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. [NYSE: SPR] The fourth and final offer is from Sweden's SAAB with its JAS 39 Gripen MRCA aircraft at USD60 million a pop even though this offer is considered to be the least successful of the entire lot and the cheapest. For those detractors that think that the purchase of military aircrafts is not viable due to Malaysia's economic outlook and that we are still financing the current fleet, think again. As of April 2011, a Request For Quotation (RFQ) has been issued to the four manufacturers. But then again, when and what has economy and cost to do with the purchase of military hardware here in BolehLand? BTW, the submarines still refuse to submerge underwater.

WIKILEAKS: US concerns regarding Malaysian companies suspected of illegal transshipment activities Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT Following up on PM PDAS Countryman's January 14 meeting with the Malaysian Ambassador to Washington about the missing F-5 engines case (ref E), DCM reiterated to Zainol the seriousness with which we view this issue and that we look forward to a full report/accounting by the GOM. This was necessary to ensure the US has the "fullest confidence" in Malaysia's ability to handle and account for sensitive defense equipment.  THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000049   SIPDIS   FOR EAP/MTS, ISN, PM AND INR   E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/20/2030 TAGS: PREL, KNNP, PARM, IAEA, MNUC, PGOV, IR, MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA: MFA VIEWS ON NON-PRO, IAEA, AND EXPORT CONTROL LAW   REF: A. 09 STATE 126209 -- U.S. APPROACH TO NPT CONFERENCE      B. 09 STATE 128736 -- NEXT STEPS WITH MALAYSIAN ON         PROLIFERATION      C. 09 KL 917 -- EINHORN MEETINGS IN KUALA LUMPUR      D. 09 KL 977 -- GOM STATEMENT ON IAEA VOTE      E. STATE 5003 -- PM A/S MEETING WITH MALAYSIAN         AMBASSADOR   Classified By: Political Counselor Brian D. McFeeters for reasons 1.4 b and d.   Summary 1. (S) The DCM met with MFA Deputy Secretary General Zainol Abidin Omar on January 15 to convey Ref A talking points and to discuss a range of other counter-proliferation and export control-related issues (refs A and B).  Referencing special information that was provided to the GOM in early-November by S/SANAC Einhorn, Zainol said that the GOM was still looking into Malaysian companies suspected of illegal transshipment activities involving Iran, but otherwise no concrete actions had been taken.  DCM urged the GOM to "redouble" its efforts in this area.  Zainol advised that his government was still deliberating internally the disposition of dual-use components and equipment that were seized by Malaysian authorities on December 25 from a Middle East-bound vessel. Regarding a new Export Control law, Zainol said that it was now under near-final review at the Attorney General's office, but he offered no timeline on when the bill might be presented to parliament.  On the fate of their Ambassador (Arshad) to the IAEA, Zainol indicated that naming of a successor was a sensitive issue and that it may take several weeks (or longer) for a final decision.  Zainol did state that, in the interim, Arshad was still Chairman of the IAEA Board of Governors.  DCM encouraged the GOM to move quickly on a replacement to clear up the "confusion" at the IAEA on Arshad's status.  Zainol welcomed the Jan 28 visit by ISN acting Assistant Secretary Van Diepen and delegation.  He confirmed that the GOM would participate in EXBS-sponsored training in March and expressed interest in sending officials for additional export control-related training at the University of Georgia in April.  DCM briefly raised the missing F-5 engines case.  End Summary. 2. (C) DCM Rapson and Poloff Nathan met with Ambassador Zainol Abidin Omar, the Deputy Secretary General in charge of multilateral affairs at MFA on January 15.  (Note: Zainol is the no. 5 ranking officer in the MFA after the Foreign Minister, two Deputy Ministers and the Secretary General. End Note).  Also in attendance from the MFA were Under Secretary for non-proliferation Bala Chandra Tharman, Principal Assistant Secretary for non-proliferation Shazryll Zahiran, and Principal Assistant Secretary for United States affairs Muhammad Radzi bin Jamaluddin.  The discussion was cordial and went for an hour-plus. 3. (S) The DCM recalled Special Advisor for Non-Proliferation Einhorn's November 4 meeting with MFA Secretary General Rastam (ref C), during which Einhorn provided the MFA a special list of companies of concern that were engaging in transshipment activities with Iran, and asked for a status update on any GOM decisions or actions with respect to the listed companies.  Zainol replied "We have requested security agencies to initiate their investigations," but added that, thus far, "the investigation has not been able to unearth any activities that are in contravention to UN resolutions."  The DCM emphasized that the U.S. has "strong concerns" about the companies listed and their activities, and urged the GOM to "redouble" its efforts in this area.  Zainol acknowledged this request and said the GOM would "welcome any additional information on those companies."  He noted that the Foreign Ministry has the inter-agency lead on non-proliferation issues, and that bilateral requests for cooperation and assistance on these types of issues should be "funneled through the MFA." Update on the Christmas Day Seizure 4. (S) DCM thanked and briefly queried about the status of the shipment of dual-usage parts and equipment seized by the GOM from a middle east-bound vessel over the Christmas day holiday.  Zainol replied that all the information they can share has been separately channeled to the relevant U.S. agencies.   Zainol did note that they (the GOM) are still conducting their internal investigation on whether or not the equipment and parts seized were of dual-use concern as the USG is alleging.  (Comment: Zainol declined to offer any info on current disposition of the seized shipment, although his comments clearly implied that the consignment was still under GOM control.  Moreover, he provided no indication that the GOM would be reaching out to the UN Security Council for guidance on evaluation and analysis and handling of the seized shipment as had been indicated to us through liaison channels.  End comment.) Export Control Law in Final Stages, but... 5. (C) Zainol confirmed that the GOM "is in the final stages" of drafting the export control law bill, and said that the draft is currently with the Attorney General's office. Zainol did not want to speculate when the AG's office would finish its review and when the bill would be presented to parliament, given, he said, that there are a range of other "urgent" issues on the PM, AG's, and Parliament's plate such as review and revision of the  controversial Internal Security Act (ISA).  Zainol opined that the process could "take some time" as the AG's office needs to consider how an export control law would tie into and affect existing laws. Zainol concluded by noting that once the proposed bill was finalized, it "would be introduced to parliament at the appropriate time."  DCM thanked Zainol for this update and recalled the high priority both the PM and Foreign Minister placed late last year on early passage of the export control law.  He noted that the USG stands ready to assist the GOM, including through the provision of training and technical assistance (see para 8, below). Van Diepen Delegation Visit 6. (SBU) The DCM previewed the January 28th visit of ISN acting Assistant Secretary Van Diepen and delegation, thanking Zainol for agreeing to meet with the A/S and for assembling an interagency team on the Malaysian side for that meeting at MFA.  The DCM confirmed that we are also seeking separate appointments for the delegation at MITI, the Attorney General's offices and the PM's office. Zainol said he look forward to the discussions with A/S Van Diepen and welcomed further engagement with the U.S. on non-proliferation and export control issues. IAEA and the Status of Ambassador Arshad 7. (C) The DCM  asked Zainol for clarification on the status of Malaysia's Ambassador to the IAEA (and co-current Chairman of the IAEA Board of Governors) Arshad  (Ref D), noting that there have been some confusing signals of late emanating from various sources about his recall and the naming of a successor.  Zainol was coy on providing a direct answer, and would only say that "at the moment, we are unable to say anything," other than that he (Arshad) "is still chair of the IAEA Board of Governors" until a new Ambassador is identified.  Zainol explained that there is a delay because "the nomination of a new ambassador is very sensitive," adding that "the process takes a few weeks." The DCM recalled the Foreign Minister's public comments on this subject last month and recent senior level communications we have received from the GOM. Training and Enhancing Engagement 8. (SBU) Zainol welcomed increased interaction and engagement between the USG and GOM on the non-proliferation front. He confirmed that the GOM planned to participate in an EXBS-sponsored non-proliferation workshop in March 2010, and was interested in sending two candidates to the University of Georgia within the next few months for more specialized and extensive export control-related training.  Zainol commented that the MFA has been preparing for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington this April, which PM Najib will attend. DCM Rapson noted USG interest in having Malaysia's Attorney General visit Washington for discussions on a range of bilateral issues, including the export control law. Missing F-5 Engines 9. (C) Following up on PM PDAS Countryman's January 14 meeting with the Malaysian Ambassador to Washington about the missing F-5 engines case (ref E), DCM reiterated to Zainol the seriousness with which we view this issue and that we look forward to a full report/accounting by the GOM.  This was necessary to ensure the US has the "fullest confidence" in Malaysia's ability to handle and account for sensitive defense equipment.  Zainol replied that "we are seriously concerned" and that the GOM "fully understands that this is an obligation we have to undertake," but also added that "my department is only concerned with nuclear non-proliferation" and that "we (MFA) are not the lead on the issue."  When asked about those arrested for their alleged involvement with the F-5 engines, Zainol replied that the issue "is now before the court, so it's difficult to offer any further comment." KEITH

How it all began Posted: 15 Jun 2011 07:30 PM PDT Is demonstrating part of Malay culture? Umno says no. Maybe it used to be no 500 years ago. But it became Malay culture back in 1946 when they opposed the Malay Union. And if not because of this demonstration there would not be an Umno around today. Umno was born against the backdrop of the 1946 demonstration. So a demonstration is the father of Umno. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin SCENE ONE: British Malaya. Kampong Baharu, Kuala Lumpur. 1946. Said: Assalamuailakum! Rahman: Mualaikumsalam. Ah, Said, what brings you here? Come in. Said: Ay Rahman, are you going to the demonstration tomorrow? Rahman: Demonstration? What demonstration? Said: We are getting together to demonstrate against the government. We are going to oppose the plan to set up the Malayan Union. Rahman: But I thought the Malayan Union is a fait accompli. Haven't the Rulers already endorsed it? Said: Yes, but the Rulers were tricked by Sir Harold MacMichael. They did not know that the setting up of the Malayan Union will not only erode the powers of the Rulers but that of the Rakyat as well. So we are going to oppose it. Rahman: But won't that mean we shall also be demonstrating against the Rulers? Said: No, we shall in fact be defending the powers of the Rulers. We are not trying to accuse the Rulers of selling out the Rakyat. We are taking the position that MacMichael tricked the Rulers. So the Rulers are as much victims as the Rakyat. Raja Uda, Datuk Panglima Gantang, Nik Kamil and Datuk Kamaruddin have already spoken to the Rulers and Their Highnesses have sanctioned the demonstration. The Istana is also sending representatives to join the demonstration. The Rulers are with us, Rahman. Rahman: I'm not sure, Said. Demonstrating is not our Malay culture. And I am wary about opposing the government. Said: Alamak, Rahman, we can no longer be feudalistic. All over the world the people are opposing their governments. Our neighbours Indonesia and the Philippines have already gained independence. India is soon going to be independent. And they are gaining independence because the Rakyat dared oppose the government. Malaya will never gain independence unless we dare oppose the government. Rahman: But still, Said, demonstrations are a show of defiance and dissent. We Malays are not like that. Malays are a tolerant and subservient race. We never oppose the powers-that-be even if they are evil and unjust. That is not what Hang Tuah taught us. Said: Rahman, Hang Tuah is outdated. That is something that is 500 years old. Today Malays must be like Hang Jebat. Rahman: I am shocked that you say this, Said. Are you saying that Hang Jebat is the hero and not Hang Tuah? Said: Exactly! Look, Rahman, tomorrow is going to be the beginning of the New Malay, the Melayu Baharu. Don't you want to be a part of history? We are going to see history being made tomorrow. Do you want to just be a spectator and watch history being made rather than be a participant in the making of history? Rahman: Said, I work for the government. You sell nasi lemak. You have nothing to worry about. I have to think of my job and my family. Said: If we all just think of ourselves and not of the nation when is Malaya ever going to see self-rule? We all need to make sacrifices. I sell nasi lemak because I refuse to work for the government. I don't recognise this government so how can I work for it? I choose to sell nasi lemak although I can take the easy way out and work for the government like you. Rahman: You are different Said. Said: What is so different between you and me? I also have a family to feed just like you. But I refuse to collaborate with the government. If I work for the government that means I agree with what the government is doing. I will never work for the government unless we first see a change of government. I would rather suffer and earn pittance by selling nasi lemak than live a comfortable life on a salary earned from a government I am opposed to. Rahman: (sighs)…You are always the dissident, Said. Said: That is because I am a Muslim, Rahman. But I follow the true principles of Islam. In Islam if we collaborate with evil then we are also evil. We must oppose evil, Rahman. That is what Islam asks us to do. If you are a true Muslim at least join us for the demonstration tomorrow. Maybe you are not yet ready to resign from your government post. Never mind. But at least oppose the government by joining us tomorrow. Be a true Muslim. Rahman: Okaylah Said. You have convinced me. I will be there. And let whatever happens happen. If I get sacked from my post I will accept that as God's will. Said: Rahman, you will not regret it. Tomorrow is the beginning of Malay Nationalism. After this we need to talk to the Chinese and Indians to ask them to join us in the fight for Merdeka. We can't do it on our own. We need the support of the Chinese and Indians as well. That has to come. SCENE TWO: British Malaya. In front of the Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. 1946. AND AS A DIGRESSION: TO REMIND YOU HOW IT ALL BEGAN IN AMERICA CRNciryImqg SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRNciryImqg

Understanding the Malay mind Posted: 14 Jun 2011 10:49 PM PDT In the minds of these people, if you whack the government then you are taking money from Anwar and if you whack the opposition then you are taking money from Najib and if you whack both sides: WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TAKING MONEY FROM? I'M CONFUSED! NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Back in the 1960s life was simpler and less complicated. That was of course in the days before May 13, the infamous Umno-engineered race riot of 1969. I was then in the Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, a mixed-race school. Honestly, I can't remember whether there were more Malays or non-Malays in that school. It is not because my memory is bad but because we did not stop to think about it. We did not care a damn. That is why I can't remember whether we had more Malays or non-Malays in that school.   Our jokes back then were very racial. But that did not bother anyone. Never mind whether we were Malay, Chinese or Indian. We would roar with laughter at the jokes even though the brunt of that joke was our own race. I remember one joke about someone needing a brain transplant and he was asked what brain he wants -- Malay, Chinese or Indian. He was told that the Chinese brain is the cheapest because it was overused -- banyak guna otak memikir macam mana nak tipu orang. The Indian brain was a bit twisted so they would not recommend it. The Malay brain is the most expensive because Malays seldom use their brains. Back then, in the 1960s, we thought that was very funny. Today, they would make a police report against you if you told that joke in public. But don't they say that many a true word is said in jest? Is it really a joke or for real? If you read and hear what Malays say you would imagine that it is not really a joke after all but very true. I get pro-government Malays asking me how much Anwar Ibrahim is paying me to whack the government. Then I get anti-government Malays asking me how much Najib Razak is paying me to whack the opposition. Then a third group of Malays tell me that they are confused because I whack BOTH the government and the opposition. So which side am I taking money from? You see, to most Malays, it is all about money. Whatever you are doing in life must be about money and cannot be for any other reason. So they want to know how much you are being paid and who is actually paying you. Most Malays scream "Allah Akbar!" But that is only what is on their lips. In their hearts it is something else. Their hearts are not synchronised with their lips. In their hearts they scream "Ringgit Akhbar!" They sujud (prostrate) to money. That is why they always look at things from the aspect of money. And that is why they ask you how much you are being paid. The Umno Malays will ask you how much Anwar is paying you. The opposition Malays will ask how much Najib is paying you. Most Malays are not capable of looking beyond money. To look beyond money is too complicating and sakit otak nak memikir (it hurts the brain to think). So they simplify it. They conclude that it must be about money and that solves the problem. No need to sakit otak to think beyond that. That is why the otak Melayu is more expensive than the otak Cina or otak India. The otak Melayu is very seldom used. So goes the joke from the 1960s. What went wrong with the Malays? In the 1960s and earlier, if you study history and research the Malays of that era, many sacrificed and contributed to society without being motivated by money. They fought for the good of society and died poor. Many could not even afford a tombstone (batu nisan) when they died. That was how poor they were. And these were people who did so much for their race and country. No one asked them how much they were being paid. The British never asked those Malays who fought for Merdeka how much Umno was paying them. People like Tunku Abdul Rahman, Bapa Merdeka (the Father of Independence), could not even afford to pay his income tax when he retired. Being a member of the Kedah Royal Family, he was reasonably wealthy in the beginning. But he sold most of his property to finance Umno. So he died a poor man. No one asked the Tunku how much he was being paid. No one asked him how much money Umno was giving him. In fact, not only was Umno not giving him any money, he was the one who gave Umno money. And he spent all his money in the struggle for independence for his country. But that has since changed. Today, no Malay would do what Tunku Rahman did. They will only do something if they get paid. They would only act if they were rewarded with money. And that is why most Malays just can't believe that you are not motivated by money. If you do something it must be for money. If you whack the government then Anwar must be paying you. If you whack the opposition then Najib must be paying you. And if you whack both the government and the opposition then these Malays would get very confused because they are not sure who is paying you. To be fair, however, it is not just the Malays who think this way. Even the Chinese and Indians (and 'lain-lain') have caught this very contagious Malay disease. I have friends (or those who used to be my friends) in England who also think like Malays. One-time friends of mine (Chinese, Indians and 'lain-lain' included) in Malaysia, Australia and many other places have also caught this Malay disease. In the minds of these people, if you whack the government then you are taking money from Anwar and if you whack the opposition then you are taking money from Najib and if you whack both sides: WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TAKING MONEY FROM? I'M CONFUSED!

Banyak cakap hot air just like fart Posted: 14 Jun 2011 07:44 PM PDT Sad to say, however, Malaysians banyak cakap (talk a lot). Like fart, Malaysians are just a load of hot air. And, like fart, the hot air is noisy and smelly. If talking were an Olympic event, Malaysians would sweep all three medals -- gold, silver and bronze. Because that's all Malaysians do -- talk a lot or banyak cakap. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Hishammuddin Hussein wants to stay neutral. He is not going to get involved in the tussle between BERSIH and PERKASA. One is organising the march on 9th July 2011 while the other opposes the march and has indicated it may organise a 'counter-march'. The Police, however, have threatened to take action. The Police, which comes under Hishammuddin, are not going to stay neutral. They are going to embark on 'preventive detention'. This means they may detain some people, probably those involved in organising the march, before the march to thwart the attempt. The government realises how dangerous it is to allow the march to go on. To a certain extent the November 2007 march, BERSIH 1.0, had an affect on the March 2008 general election. They are worried that the BERSIH 2.0 march may also affect the next general election, whenever that may be held -- probably on 11 November 2011 or 11-11-11 according to some estimates. Whatever it is, developments in the Middle East have shown that when people take to the streets this can be bad news for the ruling elite. Those who walk in the corridors of power fear people's power. They know that when the people unite that spells doom for the powers-that-be. And BERSIH 1.0 united the people as will BERSIH 2.0 if it is allowed to go on. All through history it is proven that 1% of the people rule over 99% of the people. This is true anywhere in the world and whichever era you may look at. That is what power is all about. It is about 1% of the people dominating the other 99%. And when the 99% rise up and unite then that is the end for the rule of the 1%. Analyse any country and any era, the most recent to the farthest in history. Whether it is the French Revolution, The American Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, the Cuban Revolution, the Iranian Revolution, or whatever, when the 99% revolt the 1% is in deep shit. So the people must never be allowed to take to the streets. Taking to the streets unites the people like what we saw in Egypt recently. Jews, Christians and Muslims, who may be sworn enemies for more than 1,000 years, suddenly become comrades-in-arms when they are on the streets. So they must be kept off the streets. And this is why BERSIH 2.0 is dangerous and must be thwarted. BERSIH 1.0 has shown us that. So the government is in a panic. Malaysians must never unite. A united Malaysian will end the rule of the 1% over the 99%. History has taught us that. Our Lords (Tuan) and one-time Colonialist masters taught us well. Were we not a British colony and the recipients of a British education? And did the British not prove that 1% could rule over 99% all over the world as long as the 99% remain divided? When the 99% in India united, the British had to beat a hasty retreat back to England. When the Malays, Chinese and Indians of Malaya united under the Alliance Party, the British had to concede to independence or Merdeka for Malaya. That is a fact of history. And we have learned well from the British. We know that the British divide-and-rule strategy perpetuates the rule of the 1% over the 99%. Only when the 99% unite and cease being divided will the 99% become a danger to the 1%. 191 Malaysians rule over the 28 million Malaysians. That is even less than 1%. The 191 Malaysians are all Umno division leaders, the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his Deputy Muhyiddin Yassin being two of those 191. These 191 Umno division leaders choose their party President and Deputy President. And the President and Deputy President are elected into office uncontested (menang tanpa tanding) in an annual general assembly attended by less than 3,000 people. So, 191 people choose the top two leaders of this country and just over 2,500 confirm them into office. Which means, these 191 division leaders and 2,500 delegates decide the future of the entire nation of 28 million Malaysians. But this can only continue as long as the 28 million Malaysians do not unite and do not take to the streets. Only then can the 191 Umno division leaders and 2,500 Umno delegates continue to rule this country of 28 million. The British Colonial masters have taught us this. And the Indians in India have taught us this. So Malaysians must never be allowed to unite and must never be allowed to take to the streets in a show of unity. Or else this will end the rule of the 1% over the 99%. In November 2007, during BERSIH 1.0, the government failed to prevent the march and that resulted in the March 2008 'disaster' for the ruling elite. If the BERSIH 2.0 is not stopped, and if the people take to the streets and unite, then assume that the next general election will be a repeat of the March 2008 'disaster' for Barisan Nasional. Sad to say, however, Malaysians banyak cakap (talk a lot). Like fart, Malaysians are just a load of hot air. And, like fart, the hot air is noisy and smelly. If talking were an Olympic event, Malaysians would sweep all three medals -- gold, silver and bronze. Because that's all Malaysians do -- talk a lot or banyak cakap. Let's see how many Malaysians take to the streets on 9th July 2011. Let's see how many of those banyak cakap Malaysia Today readers take to the streets on 9th July 2011. The BERSIH 2.0 organisers are aiming for a crowd of 300,000. I dare bet that less than 100,000 will be there. In fact, even 100,000 can be considered too high. If they can get 50,000 on the streets that in itself can be regarded as a success. And because of this nothing will change. The next elections will be called and Barisan Nasional will still win and will still be the federal government. Can Pakatan Rakyat retain the four states now under its control? Can it get back Perak? Can it add Negeri Sembilan to its list? Can it win back the 82 seats it won in the last general election? Can it increase its one seat in Sabah and one seat in Sarawak to 20 out of a total of 57 for the two states? Can we see Pakatan Rakyat win at least 100 Parliament seats leaving Barisan Nasional with just 120 or so? In short, will the next general election see the emergence of a two-party system and a strong opposition? Or will Pakatan Rakyat see only Kelantan and Penang still under its rule? And will the 82 seats it won in March 2008 be reduced to 50? And will Barisan Nasional sweep East Malaysia like it did in March 2008? In short, will the next general election see the opposition fortunes turn and our dream of a two-party system and a strong opposition dashed? Yes, that is what BERSIH 2.0 is all about. So, jangan banyak cakap. As Nike says: JUST DO IT! Not what Umno says: JUST DUIT! I am tired of reading all your comments in Malaysia Today, which are merely lepas geram and maki hamun. That is mere verbal diarrhoea. It is mainly masturbating or 'syiok sendiri'. Get off your arse and do something. Stop shouting and start acting. And if we do not see 300,000 on the streets on 9th July 2011 then we might as well call it a day. I might as well stop wasting my time and close down Malaysia Today. Clearly Malaysia Today's readers are just a bunch of hot air and no action. That is what fart is: bising dan busuk tapi tak berguna satu sen.

WIKILEAKS: Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary's foray into Iran Posted: 14 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT SKS is small operation controlled by Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary, one of Malaysia's wealthiest industrialists with a Forbes Magazine estimated net worth of $2 billion. Much of Syed Mokhtar's personal wealth has been acquired in dealings with the GOM and GOM-linked corporations. He controls Malaysia Mining Corporation, DRB Hicom, Malakoff, and Gas Malaysia among other significant Malaysian operations. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000059   SIPDIS   STATE FOR EEB/ESC THAMMANG STATE FOR EEB/TFS CBACKEMEYER STATE FOR NEA/IR RWADHWANI   E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2020 TAGS: ECON, EFIN, ENIV, ENRG, EPET, ETTC, IR, KNNP, MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA: SKS VENTURES EXPLAINS ITS IRAN INVESTMENTS   REF: A. 09 STATE 121808      B. KUALA LUMPUR 0037   Classified By: Econ Counselor Matt Matthews for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)   1.  (C) Summary: SKS Ventures (SKS) CEO Abang Iskandar Muas (Iskandar) met with Econoff January 19 to discuss SKS plans to develop the Golshan and Ferdowsi gas fields (G&F) in Iran. Iskandar said that the GOM had initially negotiated the deal with the GOI and handed the project to SKS just prior to signing.  Iskandar told us that development of the G&F fields is going slowly because sanctions impeded National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) ability to perform basic due diligence functions.  He also stated that NIOC has been extremely difficult to work with and that the initial buyback service contract signed in Dec. 2007 is the only commercial agreement between SKS and NIOC.  SKS's only investment over the past two years since the announcement was limited to staff time from their 15 employees and air tickets for meetings with a total value under $1 million, according to Iskandar.  He was pessimistic on prospects for the deal and said that SKS is considering pulling out altogether.  However, he emphasized SKS would need GOM approval prior to exiting the transaction because Malaysian Trade Ministry and Foreign Ministry officials had encouraged SKS to enter into the deal in the first place and had reconfirmed GOM support for trade cooperation with Iran at a recent meeting.  Iskandar also denied reports of SKS participation with NIOC in a refinery projects in Syria and Indonesia and downplayed its deal with NIOC which is under review in Malaysia.  End Summary. 2.  (C) Comment:  SKS is small operation controlled by Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary, one of Malaysia's wealthiest industrialists with a Forbes Magazine estimated net worth of $2 billion.  Much of Syed Mokhtar's personal wealth has been acquired in dealings with the GOM and GOM-linked corporations.  He controls Malaysia Mining Corporation, DRB Hicom, Malakoff, and Gas Malaysia among other significant Malaysian operations.  Post believes Iskandar is a credible interlocutor that provided an important window on the GOM's role in the deal and SKS current thinking on the transaction. Iskandar seemed genuinely frustrated that the G&F deal turned out to be an empty business proposition due to NIOC incompetence and Iran sanctions.  Other oil and gas industry contacts have confirmed the small size and scope of the SKS operation.    End Comment. SKS Ventures 3.  (C) Econoff met January 19 with SKS Ventures (SKS) CEO Abang Iskandar Muas (Iskandar) to discuss the SKS intentions to develop the Golshan and Ferdowsi gas fields (G&F) in Iran and implications under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). Iskandar mentioned early in our conversation that Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Senior Director Wong had called him January 15 informing him that the embassy had been trying to contact him and he needed to meet with us. Econoff delivered ref A points and offered additional background on our information request.  According to Iskandar, SKS has 15 full time employees and works on projects outside of Malaysia for Syed Mokhtar.  Iskandar is an experienced O&G industry professional, having worked for Shell Oil USA (based in Houston) for fifteen years in Sarawak, Saudi Arabia (where he was VP for Finance and Human Resources), and Kuala Lumpur prior to assuming his current position with SKS two and one half years ago.  Iskandar fondly reminisced of his frequent travel to the U.S. for business and family vacations prior to assuming his position at SKS. Golshan and Ferdowsi: G2G Agreement 4.  (C) Iskandar said the G&F deal grew out of government-to-government negotiations between Malaysia and Iran during 2007.  The GOM brought SKS to the table late in the negotiations, according to Iskandar, finalizing a buyback service contract between SKS and National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in December 2007.  He added that SKS entered into the agreement based on the GOM's policy of expanding trade cooperation with Iran and the belief that the business climate for oil and gas (O&G) in Iran was improving during 2005-6.  Iskandar said that the initial business strategy was for SKS to plan the project, NIOC to perform physical due diligence (appraisals, seismic analysis, feasibility studies, etc.), and, once the project was ready to start, sell controlling interest, at a profit, to an international oil company that could bring resources to develop the fields. Iskandar commented, "We have no wells, no drilling rigs, no facilities, no experts, and no technology" to implement a project the size of G&F.  His explanation as to why the Iranians would enter in to a transaction the size of G&F with such a small entity was, "in order to be friendly to the government (of Malaysia)." NIOC Difficulties 5.  (C) Working with NIOC, according to Iskandar had been "extremely difficult."  He added, "we should have taken a lesson from Petronas" claiming that Petronas will not deal with NIOC any longer because NIOC still owed a substantial amount of money to Petronas from its buyback service contract for South Pars Phases 2 and 3.  Iskandar said that NIOC has made no progress on its due diligence obligations at G&F due to international contractors refusing to work in Iran because of sanctions.  He complained that SKS and NIOC also have not reached any commercial agreements on the project in the last two years.  Iskandar stated, "We have no idea how we would be paid.  NIOC has not agreed to LNG and we have no interest in selling gas domestically.  Iran uses most of their gas to inject into their oil fields to get more oil or to produce heavily subsidized electricity."  He listed numerous other problems plaguing the project related to Iran sanctions such as the inability to import LNG technology or hire expat expertise, a low likelihood that Iranian LNG could be consistently sold on the open market, and NIOC's lack of access to financing. SKS Ready to Walk Away 6.  (C) Iskandar described the SKS agreement with NIOC on G&F as "barely hanging on" and that SKS is currently deciding whether to stay in or pull out, and added, "The decision will come sooner rather than later."  He viewed the buyback service contract as having "no commercial value" at this time.  He noted though that Syed Mokhtar's close connections to the Malaysian government mean SKS will not move on a G&F decision without policy direction from the GOM.  "We do not want to be on the wrong side of the government and we have not heard from PM Najib", according to Iskandar.  However, he added that SKS has "no money in the ground" in Iran, because the firm did not pay an initial "signing bonus" as the buyback service contract did not carry any vested rights to the gas.  He also stated that SKS management is aware of the change in the international political environment with regard to Iran and is "not entrenched," implying SKS would quickly drop the transaction if permitted by the GOM. Another View of the MITI Meeting 7.  (C) Iskandar offered a different account of the recent meeting between MITI and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials and officers from the three Malaysian companies listed in ref A.  Iskandar said that after the companies answered MITI queries on their Iran investments, the companies, especially Petronas, pushed back at MITI and MFA asking "What is the government's stance on trade cooperation with Iran?" and "Should we adjust our investment strategies?" MITI responded that the GOM still supports trade cooperation with Iran, according to Iskandar.  (Comment: The MFA account of the meeting (ref B) was similar to Iskandar's but omitted the companies' questions and MITI's response.  End Comment.) Other Announcements Inaccurate 8.  (C) Toward the close of the meeting, Iskandar addressed recent Iranian and Malaysian press announcements of SKS participation in other transactions with NIOC.  He stated that the GOM asked SKS to commission a feasibility study on a project with NIOC. It involved a refinery project in Kedah with a pipeline across the Malaysian Peninsula to Terengganu. Iskandar commented that the pipeline is economically unwarranted and an Iranian partner likely makes the refinery unfeasible.  He added that recent announcements of SKS participation in a refinery project in Syria with Iranian and Venezuelan partners and SKS participation in an Indonesian refinery project with Pertamina and NIOC are blatantly false. He said that the first SKS had heard of either project was in press reports.  He explained that SKS never issued denials of participation in the deals in order to avoid embarrassment in case the government was involved. KEITH

Why Najib must hold the 13th GE this year instead of 2012 Posted: 13 Jun 2011 06:50 AM PDT One does not hold an election in a recession year. And we know that it takes some time to recover from a recession. Some economists believe that 2012 is going to be a recession year. The UK is already seeing a decline in property sales and house prices have come down. This means Najib must hold the 13th General Election this year, maybe sometime in October or November after the Budget, or else Barisan Nasional is going to be kicked out. Is Najib prepared to place a bet that my assumption is wrong? THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Rosenberg Says 99% Chance of Another Recession by 2012 In a Bloomberg video David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates, says there is a 99% Chance of Another Recession by 2012. Rosenberg also talks about the outlook for the U.S. economy. Selected Quotes Bloomberg: How Certain are you that we may be headed for a recession Rosenberg: I think that by 2012, I would give it a 99% chance. I say that because as an economist, you have to be part historian. When you have a manufacturing inventory cycle recession, they are usually separated 5 years apart. But when you have a balance sheet recession, credit contraction, asset deflation (for example residential real estate), the downturn tends to be separated every 2 to 2.5 years. ... Economists call this a soft patch. It's not like this is a soft patch. Basically, when all the stimulus is gone, you get to see what the emperor looks like disrobed. It's not a pretty picture. No Double Dip Rosenberg goes on to say it's a second recession, not a "double dip" and more stimulus is coming once the "Fed sees the white eyes of the economy". Given that there is no incentive in Congress for more stimulus (nor should there be), Bernanke will have a tougher time, this time, unless there is a significant drop in oil and food prices. David Rosenberg Interview on U.S. Economic Outlook David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates, talks about the outlook for the U.S. economy. Rosenberg, speaking with Betty Liu, Jon Erlichman and Michael McKee on Bloomberg Television's "In the Loop," also discusses fiscal policy and banking regulation. Bloomberg's Ian Katz also speaks. (Source: Bloomberg) SEE THE VIDEO HERE: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/70808782/ http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/06/rosenberg-says-99-chance-of-another.html

Ruslan Kassim: another Munafiq identified Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:59 PM PDT So you see, Islam has already established the system of consensus and elections of leaders and committees and so on. So what the Penang government is doing is extremely Islamic. The people decide on their leaders and committees. And this is done through consensus and elections. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Perkasa tells Penang Malays to say no to mosque polls Perkasa wants the Malays in Penang to oppose the state government's plan of electing mosque committees, as the right-wing group believes that it will only divide the Muslim community here. Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim said elections would adversely affect the sanctity of the mosques and unity among the Muslims due to power struggles, the creation of factions, and animosity. "The action of the state government to have mosque committee elections is unwise and is only politically motivated," Bernama quoted him as saying in a statement Monday. The Penang government announced last week that the selection of mosque committees in the state would be made through elections this year to replace the previous method. Ruslan said elections were implemented in Kelantan in the 1960s and 1970s, but were subsequently stopped as they had caused friction and divided the Muslim community there. This report is dated 13th June 2011 ****************************************** Now read this report on Ruslan Kassim dated September 1998 The days before the Umno general assembly of June 1998, a book-length poison pen letter entitled '50 reasons why Anwar cannot become the next prime minister' (50 Dalil mengapa Anwar Tidak Boleh Jadi PM), made its debut in the Malaysian political scene. But unlike most previous poison-pen letters, the 50 Dalil had an author as well as a publisher. It carried a by-line Khalid Jafri, ex-sports editor of Utusan Malaysia, editor-in-chief of the now defunct Harian National tabloid newspaper, an undischarged bankrupt. Delegates arriving at the Umno general assembly had a copy of the poison book included in the party documentation handed over to them in the complimentary bag. This happened despite the passing of an interlocutory injunction by a high court judge only a day earlier, against the distribution and dissemination of the defamatory book. It was something quite odd and many at the assembly were trying to put two and two together. The Umno Youth leader from Negri Sembilan, Ruslan Kassim, had done a little checking with the Registrar of Companies, which linked the book's publishers with the disgraced former Chief Minister of Malacca, Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik and his wife, Zabedah Abdullah. Ruslan Kassim had also heard from the Federal Territory Umno that the party secretariat had been used to distribute the book. This pointed at the party secretary general, Sabaruddin Chik. Who is actually behind this drama, asked Negri Sembilan Umno Youth leader (Ruslan Kassim). But none of the two Chiks were willing to admit to anything. Impact International, Vol. 28 No. 9 (September 1998) *********************************** Ruslan Kassim was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for this expose. Yes, he was punished by detention without trial for his allegation against the two Chiks -- the big Thambi whose small thambi got him into trouble, and Sabaruddin 'tukang kasut' (Malays would know why 'tukang kasut' so go ask a Malay what it means). Ruslan Kassim swore that Anwar Ibrahim was a victim of fitnah. And when Parti Keadilan Nasional (now PKR) was launched he joined the party and became its Information Chief (Ketua Penerangan). Yes, before he became the Information Chief of Perkasa, Ruslan Kassim was the Information Chief of what is now called PKR. But when he was the PKR Information Chief he sang a different tune and now, as the Information Chief of Perkasa, he sings a different tune. And that, ladies and gentlemen, my dear readers, is what Islam calls a Munafiq. Is Ruslan Kassim now telling us that he lied back in 1998 and that Anwar Ibrahim was not a victim of fitnah and that the '50 Dahlil' book was true? Or is he telling us that he did not lie back in 1998 but he can now accept that Anwar Ibrahim was a victim of fitnah and it no longer troubles him like it did back in 1998? Either way, whichever the case may be, that makes Ruslan Kassim a Munafiq. He is opposed to the election of mosque committees because he just has the interest of Islam at heart, or so he tells us. But then, if he is motivated purely by Islam and for no other reason, especially not for political reasons, how come what he is doing and saying does not demonstrate this? From the Islam perspective, a Muslim who runs with the hare and hunts with the hounds is clearly a Munafiq. And this is what Ruslan Kassim is doing. He accuses Umno of defaming or fitnah Anwar. And he was detained for this allegation. But yet he is prepared to work with Umno in spite of what he thinks of Umno. Anyway, Ruslan Kassim is either ignorant about Islam or is trying to misrepresent Islam. He is trying to suggest that electing mosque officials is counterproductive to Islam. Actually the reverse is true. It was reported that it took three days for the people of Medina to bury Prophet Muhammad's body after he died. And the reason is because the Medina people were locked in three days of debate (some like the Shiah say dispute) to decide on the successor or Khalif to the Prophet. Finally it as agreed that Abu Bakar would be the successor and only then could they bury the Prophet's body. No, they did not have Umno or Jabatan Agama (religious department) then in Medina. And it was not Umno or the religious department who decided on the successor. It was the people. And the people voted on the matter to decide who should be the successor to the Prophet. So you see, Islam has already established the system of consensus and elections of leaders and committees and so on. So what the Penang government is doing is extremely Islamic. The people decide on their leaders and committees. And this is done through consensus and elections. To suggest that the Islamic system of consensus and elections is un-Islamic makes those who say so un-Islamic themselves. And if they propose something un-Islamic and pretend that it is Islamic this makes them into Munafiqs. That is the bottom line.

WIKILEAKS: Anwar's second sodomy trial begins Posted: 12 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT Anwar's second sodomy trial is extremely controversial in Malaysia, seen by many as a political ploy to derail him and the opposition, and as a repeat of the 1998 sodomy trial.  In launching the trial -- and there were doubts there would be a trial --  the GOM appears to determined to pursue the charge notwithstanding the potential costs domestically and internationally.  THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin UNCLAS KUALA LUMPUR 000064   SENSITIVE SIPDIS   E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, MY SUBJECT: OPPOSITION LEADER ANWAR'S "SODOMY II" TRIAL BEGINS    1. (SBU) Summary:  After months of delay while his defense team submitted motion after motion ranging from a request to see all the evidence to outright dismissal, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's trial for alleged consensual sodomy with a former aide began in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on February 3.  The prosecution immediately called to the stand the alleged victim, 25-year-old former Anwar aide Saiful Bahari, who described his relationship with Anwar and began a detailed account of the events of June 26, 2008 when the alleged sodomy occurred.  At the defense's request, the judge stopped the testimony when Saiful was on the verge of describing sexual contact.  The testimony will resume in camera (without the public present) on February 4.  Among the 70 members of the public observing the trial from the small gallery were opposition politicians, local and international Journalists, and diplomats from several embassies.  Polcouns and Pol staff attended the February 2 and 3 sessions. 2. (SBU) Comment: Anwar's second sodomy trial is extremely controversial in Malaysia, seen by many as a political ploy to derail him and the opposition, and as a repeat of the 1998 sodomy trial.  In launching the trial -- and there were doubts there would be a trial --  the GOM appears to determined to pursue the charge notwithstanding the potential costs domestically and internationally.  While there may be many days and weeks to go before this case concludes, and there is potential for further delays, the GOM has so far allowed Malaysians and foreigners access to the proceedings. Observers from the International Bar Association and International Council of Justice were seated alongside the attorneys in the front of the courtroom. The proceedings are being prominently covered in both the mainstream government-influenced media and the blogosphere, as well as in the international press.  End Summary and Comment. 3. (SBU) Anwar Ibrahim's trial began at 3:30 pm on February 3 after High Court judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah rejected lead Anwar attorney (and fellow opposition Parliamentarian) Karpal Singh's request for a stay to allow the Appeals Court to rule on a request to obtain the government's evidence before the trial.  A clerk read the charges concerning the alleged incident aloud in front of Anwar, standing toward the rear of the courtroom, who said that the charges were "frivolous" and ordered by the prosecution's "political masters" before pleading not guilty. 4. (SBU) The prosecution immediately called 25-year-old former Anwar aide Saiful Bahari to testify, walking methodically through questions about his educational background, first association with Anwar (March 2008), and his job description.  Saiful, testifying in Malaysian, said he was paid RM 1,000 per month (about USD 270) to help with Anwar's schedule, carry his private cellphone, and manage his finances.  At that point, Anwar leaned over to his wife, PKR politician Wan Azizah, and said "liar" in Malaysian.  The prosecution had Saiful describe in detail how he arrived at Anwar's condominium on June 26, 2008, and what happened next, presenting as evidence a one-page statement that Saiful had signed in front of police when he reported the alleged sodomy.  The defense succeeded in having a reference to previous sexual contact between Anwar and Saiful expunged from the statement.  When Saiful had described how Anwar had allegedly asked him to have sex and then ordered him to undress in the bathroom, the defense requested that the remainder of Saiful's testimony be heard in camera.  The judge agreed to do so starting at 9:30 a.m. on February 4. 5. (SBU) In parallel with trial, Anwar's legal team continues to pursue motions to have the charges dismissed or to gain reviews of earlier decisions denying the defense access to the government's evidence.  If accepted, those motions could lead to renewed delays in the trial.  6. (SBU) In the months before the trial, Anwar was careful to keep in touch both with prominent foreigners and Malaysian supporters.  On January 25, his People's Justice Party (PKR) International Bureau held a closed door briefing for diplomats about the trial, arguing that the GOM was determined to convict "the Prime Minister in waiting" to remove him from the political scene.  They also argued that there was clear medical evidence refuting the charges, and that the judiciary was being manipulated to ensure a conviction. KEITH

Saya sokong Najib Posted: 12 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT So you see, Najib, what you said is true. Politics is about perception, not reality. And you need to be good at perception management. But your people are not. They are too arrogant and they think they are smart. I alone can makan all your people. Yes, Raja Petra Kamarudin alone can take on your entire team. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Dear Najib, I sokong you. Well, to be exact, I sokong your statement below as reported by Bernama. Yes, politics is about perception, not reality, as you said. I am glad you now understand this. In fact, your people have been using this tactic themselves. You see, recently I gave an interview on TV3 and they very cleverly presented it as if I am now endorsing you and supporting you and that you have bought me off and I am now an Umno Trojan horse. That may be just the perception created by Umno or TV3. But many believed this because, as you said, politics is about perception, not reality. Let me give you another example. Many believe you are somehow, directly or indirectly, involved in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder. Whether this is true or not does not matter. That is the perception and, as you said, politics is about perception, not reality. Many also believe that Anwar is innocent of both the Sodomy 1 and Sodomy 2 allegations plus he is not the man in the porn video. Again, whether this is true or not does not matter. That is the perception and, as you said, politics is about perception, not reality. So you see, just on these two issues alone you and Umno lose. And I am yet to go into other issues like your wife's handbags that run into millions of Ringgit. And I have not even gone into her shoes, clothes and overseas shopping expenses yet. Your wife makes Imelda Marcos look tame by comparison. That, again, is the perception and can never be erased as much as it may be denied. If I really wanted to get you, Najib, there are hundreds of issues I can raise. However, to be fair to me, I have picked and chosen only a few issues here and there. I have not really launched a crusade against you. If I did, you would suffer what Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suffered and you would go the way of the last Prime Minister -- into forced retirement. The fact I have not attacked you enough is the reason why many say you have bought me off. But then these people are political novices who think they know politics but actually know nuts. That is why we need not bother with these dim-witted people. I call them bodoh sombong. Dah lah bodoh, sombong pulak. Let me tell you why I do not wish for you to be forced out of office like Pak Lah before you. No, it's not because I love you. It is because I know that you are surrounded by stupid people. And I personally know many of these people. We used to hang out together in the days of the pre-March 2008 GE. If you were to be forced out, then Muhyddin Yassin would take over as Prime Minister. And this would be more dangerous for the opposition. I would rather you remain as Prime Minister until the next general election. Then the opposition has a better chance. If Muyhiddin takes over as Prime Minister before the next election then the opposition may suffer. So you see, Najib, what you said is true. Politics is about perception, not reality. And you need to be good at perception management. But your people are not. They are too arrogant and they think they are smart. I alone can makan all your people. Yes, Raja Petra Kamarudin alone can take on your entire team. So please don't flatter yourself when your people tell you that I am now your supporter because I no longer attack you too much. I don't attack you too much because I don't want you to fall and for Muhyiddin to take over as Prime Minister. I personally know Muyhiddin's people. They are clever. I also personally know your people. They are not. So better we deal with you than with Muyhiddin. Tell me, Najib, what is the best your people can do? So far they only know how to shout BABI. That's all, BABI -- Brother Anwar Bin Ibrahim. You think just by shouting BABI the opposition is going to fall? Dear Najib, if you want to survive then you had better sack all your so-called advisers. Semua ego besar. Kepala bapak dia orang. Find better people or else you are finished. Remember, you said it: it's all about perception. By the way, the answer is no! I do not wish to work for you if you sack all the idiots around you, not even if I come directly under Rosmah….if you know what I mean (pun intended). ******************************************* Umno and BN need to work hard to raise public perception: Najib (Bernama) - The Umno machinery needs to work hard and draw up new strategies to raise the perception and aspiration of the people concerning the Barisan Nasional (BN) government. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said in line with the current development in the mass communication technology such as the short messaging service (SMS), the social websites Twitter and Facebook, what was more important in politics was the perception and not reality. "Politics is all about perception. Not the question of reality...the opposition knows how to play up perception and deny what is the truth. Even to get the DNA is turned down, the question on the Omega wristwatch has yet to be answered." "That is why Umno and the BN must know how to influence the mind and aspiration of the people so that they will perceive Umno and BN as effective parties, the best and can champion the cause of the people compared to others who only know how to make promises but don't fulfill them," he said when opening the Ampang Umno delegates meeting, here. Also present were the Selangor Umno Liaison deputy chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar and Ampang Umno division head Datuk Ismail Kijo. Najib said that as such, UMNO and the BN must strive for something that was more effective to show that it understood the aspiration of the people better so that the reality, perception and the people's sentiment favoured the party. "The government had drawn up the Government Transformation Plan (GTP), we have a more detailed plan, a clearer road map unlike the opposition who only know how to make promises, the play up the promises but we cannot do so because we are the ruling party." "We must be better than they (are), let the public perception be better than the others, if the people like the BN, then they will vote for it, but if they hate (the BN), then they will vote the other people to represent their constituency," he said. Najib, who is also the Selangor Umno Liaison chairman, said Umno must always be prepared to face the coming general election, which could be held at any time this year, or next year or even 2013. "We must be ready not only for the (election) dry run but must be ready for a better public perception and sentiment, this must be given priority," he said. He said the party machinery should also pay attention to the party supporters as well as those who had yet to become supporters because Umno and the BN championed the welfare of all races.

The Munafiq named Zul Noordin Posted: 11 Jun 2011 08:46 PM PDT Zulkifli Noordin, the Kulim Bandar Baharu Member of Parliament, said, "Some Malays are willing to be used by this illegal gathering that is led by former Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreevanasan. This is despite knowing the organisation has fought strongly against Islam." NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Islam has a word for Muslims who talk about defending Islam and yet go against Islamic teachings. Datuk Ambiga is in fact upholding Islamic teachings. She is opposed to election fraud. Zul, on the other hand, wants to uphold election fraud. In this sense Ambiga is more Islamic than Zul. Zul, according to Islamic teachings, is a hypocrite or Munafiq. For those Muslims and non-Muslims who may not understand the concept of Munafiq in Islam, allow me to deliver my Sunday sermon. Munāfiq (n., in Arabic: منافق, plural munāfiqūn) is an Islamic Arabic term used to describe a religious hypocrite, who outwardly practices Islam, while inwardly concealing his disbelief (kafir), perhaps even unknowingly. The term munāfiq in Arabic, Bengali and Urdu is primarily a non-religious term that refers to a person whose actions are different from and opposite to his thoughts, which he conceals. In the Qur'anic sense the term refers to a person who does not have faith, but pretends to.  The Qur'an has hundreds of ayāt (verses) discussing munāfiqūn, referring to them as more dangerous to Muslims than the worst non-Muslim enemies of Islam. The Qur'an states: The Hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire: no helper wilt thou find for them;-     —Sura 4 (An-Nisa), ayah 145, Qur'an[2] According to the Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari, narrated by 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: The Prophet said, "Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up. 1. Whenever he is entrusted, he betrays. 2. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie. 3. Whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous. 4. Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent, evil and insulting manner." According to the Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari Book 1 : Volume 2 : Hadith 32, narrated by Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "The signs of a hypocrite are three: 1. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie. 2. Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise ). 3. If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest. (If you keep something as a trust with him, he will not return it.)" And this is the Quran's word on hypocrites:   Surat Al-Munāfiqūn (Arabic: سورة المنافقون‎) (The Hypocrites) is the 63rd sura of the Qur'an with 11 ayat. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 001 When the Hypocrites come to thee, they say, "We bear witness that thou art indeed the Apostle of God." Yea, God knoweth that thou art indeed His Apostle, and God beareth witness that the Hypocrites are indeed liars. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 002 They have made their oaths a screen (for their misdeeds): thus they obstruct (men) from the Path of God: truly evil are their deeds. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 003 That is because they believed, then they rejected Faith: So a seal was set on their hearts: therefore they understand not. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 004 When thou lookest at them, their exteriors please thee; and when they speak, thou listenest to their words. They are as (worthless as hollow) pieces of timber propped up, (unable to stand on their own). They think that every cry is against them. They are the enemies; so beware of them. The curse of God be on them! How are they deluded (away from the Truth)! Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 005 And when it is said to them, "Come, the Apostle of God will pray for your forgiveness", they turn aside their heads, and thou wouldst see them turning away their faces in arrogance. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 006 It is equal to them whether thou pray for their forgiveness or not. God will not forgive them. Truly God guides not rebellious transgressors. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 007 They are the ones who say, "Spend nothing on those who are with God's Apostle, to the end that they may disperse (and quit Medina)." But to God belong the treasures of the heavens and the earth; but the Hypocrites understand not. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 008 They say, "If we return to Medina, surely the more honourable (element) will expel therefrom the meaner." But honour belongs to God and His Apostle, and to the Believers; but the Hypocrites know not. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 009 O ye who believe! Let not your riches or your children divert you from the remembrance of God. If any act thus, the loss is their own. Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 010 and spend something (in charity) out of the substance which We have bestowed on you, before Death should come to any of you and he should say, "O my Lord! why didst Thou not give me respite for a little while? I should then have given (largely) in charity, and I should have been one of the doers of good". Surah 63 - Al Munafiqun - Ayat - 011 But to no soul will God grant respite when the time appointed (for it) has come; and God is well acquainted with (all) that ye do. XPGU-AxwfHk

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