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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Lip Service Laced with poison
Student denies praising PM's speech in Australia
“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity”
Najib’s warped understanding of extremism
Taib Backs Off Baram!
Umno attacks fuelled by fear of true history, says Mat Sabu
Kalimullah's friend, Leslie Lopez keen on GO
So you want to teach us history, is it?
Samplings of Malay reactions to the Emergency in 1948
The issue is: Chin Peng is Chinese and not Malay
Shafie: BN Has Recipe to Capture Kedah in General Election
Demands for seats increase not as rational as they sound
Anything But Umno
The New Wave Is Here to Stay
More On Sime Darby
Najib’s tea with judges
Mat Sabu to sue Utusan this Monday

Posted: 10 Sep 2011 12:49 PM PDT

I believe that once you enter into politics, you should know that the truth always catches up on you, and when you begin to flip-flop, people will hold it against you.

By Douglas Tan

Ever since I was young, my father has taught me that when you tell lies, it is far more difficult to remain consistent. You have to tell a lie to cover up the original lie, and you also have to remember what the original lie was in the first place. I believe that once you enter into politics, you should know that the truth always catches up on you, and when you begin to flip-flop, people will hold it against you.

Right now, consumers across the nation using pre paid mobiles will experience a 6% government tax now charged directly to them. The BN government cried out that the telcos should absorb the cost, but as a government supposedly committed to putting the people first, passing the buck back to the finance ministry agreement places their sincerity to actively manage our cost of living into serious question.

During the whole Bersih fiasco, Najib had promised a stadium for the rally to be held, despite the fact that Bersih is an outlawed entity that happened to have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Without going into the legality of authorising an illegal organisation to have a rally at all, Najib went on to claim that he intended for Shah Alam stadium to be used AFTER the rally had taken place in Kuala Lumpur, defies all logic. If you wanted Bersih to hold the rally at Shah Alam stadium in the first place, would you not have announced this BEFORE the date of the rally?

Following Bersih, our Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai, comes out with the absurd statement that Tung Shin Hospital was not hit by tear gas or chemical laced water because he had ''confirmed'' with the hospital board that the said incident did not transpire. The pile of evidence contrary to his statement failed to shake his stand, even to the point where he told reporters not to show him photos or footage to the contrary, as he trusted the board rather than his instincts.

When the doctors of Tung Shin came out to condemn his statement, he was left with a red face after being exposed. His promised enquiry never came about with a finding, and he has to live in the humiliation of being called a bare-faced liar for the rest of his political career.

Another issue which is still ongoing is to do with the reform of the electoral roll. Our Election Commission is guilty of saying that they are powerless to do anything, whilst their subsequent actions behind the scenes shows clearly that they do.

Out of everything they said they could not do, one of their major flip-flops was when they claimed that without parliamentary legislation, they were unable to extend postal voting to Malaysian citizens living abroad. Only a few weeks later, they announced that from the next elections, all Malaysians living overseas shall be able to cast their vote at the respective embassies.

The mainstream media screamed this from their front page headlines and there was mumbled praise from several factions. What happened to the requirement for parliamentary reform? How are they suddenly able to take their own initiative to make changes when parliament only reconvenes in October?

I believe the members of the public are tired of the constant stream of misinformation being published online, on blogs and in the mainstream media coming from the government and at times the opposition. Right now, the Rakyat are hungry for real leadership.

The incompetence and lack of integrity which is exhibited by some of our so-called leaders is beginning to strain the trust of even their staunchest followers. Pakatan would do well to remember this if they ever go into power that saying one thing and doing another would spell doom for their political future.

We would all do well to remember the saying "Trust is difficult to gain but easily lost".

Student denies praising PM's speech in Australia

Posted: 10 Sep 2011 12:45 PM PDT

A Malaysian student, who was at a dinner held for Najib Abdul Razak in Perth, has denied praising the premier's speech, as reported by national news agency Bernama.

Malaysiakini managed to track down the student through a social networking website, and found that he had already posted a complaint that the report had distorted his words.

When contacted, he expressed surprise over the report, as he had made the comments prior to Najib's speech.

Requesting anonymity as he is a government scholar, the student expressed genuine excitement about meeting the prime minister but did not praise the speech as he had not listened to it yet.

"They totally changed and added stuff that we never said. And the whole thing was done before the speech ... I feel it is rather silly and unnecessary," he said.

"They... put in quotes that we actually did not say and altered our words. We did not say anything bad so I don't see why they needed to do that."

Malaysiakini learnt that the students were asked to write their comments on a piece of paper prior to the speech, which was subsequently used to process the Bernama report.

Asked what the student had really thought of the speech, he described it as it as "formal" and "nothing special".

"It was a formal event, there was nothing special and the speech was pretty much formulated, promoting 1Malaysia. It was the usual speech," he said.

Another of the nine students quoted in the report, when contacted through the social networking website, also confirmed that additions were made to the quotes in a tone that praised the speech, but she declined to elaborate.

The dinner, announced via the Malaysian Students' Council of Australia's Facebook page, was held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth last Saturday.

According to MASCA's Facebook invitation, the dinner was open to students sponsored by the Public Service Department, Mara and Petronas.

Also present at the event was Najib's wife, Rosmah Mansor, and officials from the Malaysian mission.

“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity”

Posted: 10 Sep 2011 12:42 PM PDT

If I hear a Chinese say that he is a Chinese first and a Malaysian second then I will tell him to go back to where he and his ancestors had come from (even if he was from Batu Pahat!).

By steadyaku47

I think the above line says a lot about the state of things in Malaysia today. Most of what they say are, for lack of a better word, simply stupid. There is no malice intended towards other races or religion.

Muhyiddin meant no malice towards anyone when he said he is a Malay first and a Malaysian second. He just does not get it. If you believe in 1Malaysia, then common sense will tell you that you are Malaysian first. We Malays expect the Chinese, the Indians, the Dayaks, the Ibans and all other people who call Malaysia home to think the same way. If I hear a Chinese say that he is a Chinese first and a Malaysian second then I will tell him to go back to where he and his ancestors had come from (even if he was from Batu Pahat!). So this Malay Deputy Prime Minister of ours simply does not have the mental capacity to understand where he is coming from. It sound good in his head and he thought it would win him some points with the Malays – that is how idiots think – only for the moment – no capability to understand the damage his words can do.

Pemuda UMNO has a lot of idiots. They seem to hold the license for stupidity or as we say, God broke the mould after he cast Pemuda UMNO! Don't get me started on that Din and that extension of his masculinity – the Keris! Din is in a class of his own. He thinks that having a cousin who is PM allows him that leeway to be an idiot. Well I have news for you Din. You do not have to try or act like an idiot, you are one!

Din left Pemuda in the hands of like minded idiots! The latest episode is too tragic to make light of because of the death of a cameraman ……..but here is the bottom line. This Bumiputra Mamak call Azzeeeeez saw what he thought would be a sure fire way of propelling him up the ladder of UMNO's leaders and he went headlong into something that was way above his head and ended up with a dead cameraman and with egg on his face. How he will be able to extricate himself from this mess is to be seen but in UMNO you can never know.

I told myself that with Mahathir gone that would be the end of his line in UMNO politics because he had ensured his children would have enough money to last many lifetimes – and lo and behold Mukriz is in the cabinet. So you can expect Mukriz and this Azeeez to be up there in the tree tops with the other monkeys of UMNO swinging on the roof tops of PWTC.

Everywhere I turn I see myself surrounded by idiots who happens to be politicians. Maybe I am doing idiots an injustice by putting then together with politicians but can anyone suggest whom else we could lump these politicians with? If you want to deliver our country into the hands of thieves then go vote for most of the current herd of BN politicians.

Let us start with MCA. If there is one thing you can say about the Chinese in MCA it is this – they really believe in what Nietzsche said " That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger." How else do you explain their preoccupation in voting for leaders who routinely f#*k them up? Look at the list of MCA past president post Tun Tan Siew Sin-a veritable list of rogues that could rival PDRM list of Malaysia's most wanted!

We have the spectacle of this TUN who was former President of MCA who is not only bringing ill repute to all the Tuns before and after him, but what is more amazing is his out and out attempts to garner all the wealth he could possible get for himself while President of MCA! Using MCA as his personal jump board for the acquisition of material wealth. His exploits reads like a tale of Bernard Madoff in the US who is already in jail for life (well 150 years is almost life!). Madoff is responsible for USD$65 billion missing from his clients account.

At least Madoff son's were the one who turned him in to the authorities…..…would Liong Sik son do that to him? The problem with Malaysia is that even if ANYBODY wants to turn him in who could they turn to? MACC? MCA? PDRM or even the Prime Minister himself? Huh! Would you expect BN to censure their own?

Inga Dey …before the Indians starts pointing fingers at the Chinese please see how many of those fingers are pointing back at you! All the past MIC President from 1946 to 1979 cannot eclipse what Samy Velu did from 1979 to 2010. By any definition or criteria this Samy wins hands down. The longest serving, the most corrupt, the most petulant prima donna, the most "I will retire when I have made MIC stronger" …..…and the list goes on. In the end it was his own constituency that told him to "GO" just GO, do not pass GO, do not collect $200 just GO!

Najib’s warped understanding of extremism

Posted: 10 Sep 2011 10:48 AM PDT

By Mariam Mokhtar

Can Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak gauge the subtle distinctions (or should I say, 'the glaring differences'?) between extremists and the excrescence of society?

In a letter to The Times, UK, Najib thanked the British for helping Ashraf Haziq, the Malaysian student who was caught up in the London riots and set upon by thugs, who then robbed him on the pretext of helping him.

Najib said: "Thank you for helping a young Malaysian in his hour of need, and thank you for proving once again, that London is a city where outsiders are welcome but extremists are not".

According to the official report by Bernama, Najib described the incident as senseless, callous and brutal which had 'shocked Malaysians to the core'.

He said: "Many of us have spent time in your city and have a great affection for it, but this was a side to London that none of us had seen before and we began to wonder if it had changed, if our memories had become tinted with nostalgia, or even if we were mistaken in the first place."

He then praised the British for condemning the people who had attacked Ashraf and said: "This wave of anger was followed by a huge outpouring of concern, assistance and support. In an age where some still try to drive wedges between races and religions, the ordinary people of Britain did not hesitate to open their hearts to a young Malaysian Muslim".

Najib then compared the attack on Ashraf with the fight against extremism and made reference to the speech which he had made at the 65th session at the UN headquarters in New York in September 2010.

In his letter, Najib recalled how he had urged world leaders to fight extremism of all kinds by establishing a global 'Movement of the Moderates' whereby the ordinary people of all races, religions and political persuasions were prepared to stand up to the extremists and defend the values they believed in.

He said, "It is those values, an acceptance of others, a strong sense of right and wrong and above all, a rejection of extreme and violent behaviour, that have been defended so vigorously by the people of Britain in recent weeks".

Last year at the UN, he had said: "We must urgently reclaim the centre and the moral high ground that has been usurped from us. We must choose negotiations over confrontation. We must choose to work together and not against each other. And we must give this effort utmost priority for time is not on our side."

Politics of distraction

However, Malaysians will also remember that prior to his speech at the UN, he had lectured us about extremism but his message then, was vague and non-committal.

He was afraid to name the extremists in Malaysia and had shown no resolve to punish them either. He was fearful of the political backlash that would ensue if he were to censure the extremists, and he lacked political will to stand behind the people.

He said, we must 'defend the values we believe in, we must choose negotiations over confrontation and we should work together, not against each other'.

So how does he explain what happened in the run-up to July 9 this year, the day of the Bersih 2.0 rally, when scores of people were arrested, and intimidated?

Can Najib explain why thousands of people, who supported true democracy and clean elections, were set upon by the police, on his orders?

Doesn't he know that Malaysians have a strong sense of right and wrong and it is Najib's brand of politics, which encompasses the politics of distraction and the politics of division, which is destroying us?

In reality, whose definition of 'values' is he trying to defend? He still has not said why he dodged all attempts to negotiate with the Bersih organisers, for an amicable compromise?

READ MORE HERE.

Taib Backs Off Baram!

Posted: 10 Sep 2011 09:47 AM PDT

By Sarawak Report

The climb down over the Baram Dam is very significant and everyone who has stood up in protest should accept credit. Others should take note that legitimate protest works!

In the face of the growing outrage at the planned destruction of one of Sarawak's most unspoilt regions and the displacement of tens of thousands of people, even the greedy Chief Minister came to the conclusion that it would be utterly foolhardy to try to fight the upcoming federal election while trying to defend the indefensible.

Now the acquisitive old tyrant hopes that he can brush aside all questions on the subject by saying that the project is "on hold"!

But don't be fooled

However, this is not a time to heave a sigh of relief. For Taib and his diminishing gang this is just a tactical retreat. They had realised that his reckless plans were threatening to break his control over some key seats in the area in the face of the growing strength of the opposition.

They calculate that if BN can win the next election then they will have a full five years to come back and push through their plans for SCORE. Baram will be back on the agenda in no time.

So, at every point in this election campaign Taib should be asked why the Baram Dam has not been CANCELLED instead of postponed!

Posted: 10 Sep 2011 09:43 AM PDT

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Umno's attacks on PAS for allegedly backing communists are fuelled by fear their version of history will need to be rewritten once the truth surfaces, Mohamad Sabu charged last night.

The PAS deputy president said Umno's smear campaign against him through Utusan Malaysia — by accusing him of supporting communists was aimed at preserving Barisan Nasional's (BN) own version of history and how Malaysia achieved its independence.

"They (Umno) are worried that history will need to be rewritten if we push matters further," Mohamad told a ceramah in Gombak near here last night.

The PAS leader, popularly known as Mat Sabu, lamented how other leaders who fought for independence were not properly recognised for their efforts, and reiterated his support for Mat Indera, a Malay leader who was part of the infamous attack on Bukit Kepong police station in the 1950s.

"When I said Merdeka celebrations, it is always an Umno celebration of Merdeka in Malaysia... if it's not Tunku Abdul Rahman, or Tun Hussein Onn, what about other leaders like Ishak Haji Muhammad (Pak Sako) or Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmi?

"When Merdeka comes, it is only Umno leaders who are featured," said the PAS deputy chief.

He claimed that Malaysians no longer celebrated Merdeka, and that proof of this was the lack of the display of national flags in homes or vehicles.

Mohamad also moved to deny claims of him supporting communism, and stressed that he practiced and embraced Islamic principles and loved his country "very much."

"I push for Islamic principles, not support communism. These allegations are not new, our leaders have faced all sorts of allegations before.

"I love our country very much," he said.

Mohamad reiterated his intention to have a debate on the Bukit Kepong incident with Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and said that he would not debate the party's youth chief Khairy Jamaludddin because the latter had not attacked him publicly.

"Khairy is a good boy, he has the potential to become a future PAS leader...I'm serious. Why should I debate him when the one who has been attacking me is the Umno deputy president," Mohamad said to squeals of laughter from the audience.

Utusan had quoted Mohamad on August 27 as saying that the communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the communist insurgency were heroes.

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 10:09 PM PDT

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL

Our posting, "GO or no GO, Zarinah and SC under scrutiny" attracted Raja Petra's attention and he gave us a link.

For those newcomers in blogging i.e. post 2008 bloggers, something important to learn. There is no permanent "enemy" or permanent "friend"in the blogosphere. It all depend on the issues. Yesterday's "enemy" could be a "friend" today.

Remember that we are moving the country forward. Again, we are moving it issues by issues. Off course, ignore those twisted and lying portals. They will eventually face the consequences.

Returning back to the issue, in that posting, we said Sime Darby may be facing the possibility of doing a GO together with the 30% shares vendors, Datuk Tham Ka Hon or known as Terry Tam, Tan Sri Wan Azmi, and GK Goh Ltd.

We raised the issue of SC Chairperson's husband, Dato Azizan Abdul Rahman purchased shares before the deal announcement. SC's response is that they will look at all E&O transaction in relation to the Sime deal.

Something is strange. Why is Dato Kalimullah's man in Singapore Straits Times, Leslie Lopez echoing us? Scary to have Kalimullah agree with us. It's looking rooting for some sleepy devil.

Below is Leslie's article:

READ MORE HERE

So you want to teach us history, is it?

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 09:05 PM PDT

Gerakan is offering Mat Sabu a scholarship so that he can go and learn history. Actually, they need not do that. Even I can teach history, real history. To start off, let's read the Colonial Office report dated 1st July 1948 about what really happened in Malaysia, which eventually led to the declaration of The Malayan Emergency. Read this report to the British Cabinet properly and you will know the truth. It all started as a class struggle between the haves and the haves-not, just like all over the world at that time during the post-WWII era.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Gerakan 'offers' scholarship to Mat Sabu to study history

(Bernama) - Gerakan says it is ready to offer a scholarship to PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu to study history at a local university since "he seems to still lack knowledge of the country's past."

Gerakan president Dr Koh Tsu Koon said today that Mohamad Sabu could be regarded as a "history illiterate" after his statement that Communist Party of Malaya member Mat Indera was the real hero in the Bukit Kepong tragedy in Johor in 1950 where policemen and their families were killed.

"It is obvious that he is history illiterate. Hence we are ready to offer him a scholarship for him to learn historical facts at a local university from historians such as Prof Dr Khoo Khay Kim," he told reporters at the Gerakan Aidilfitri open house at the party HQ in Cheras.

Koh said the PAS leader, better known as Mat Sabu, should heed history and not "label" things as he liked

Samplings of Malay reactions to the Emergency in 1948

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 08:30 PM PDT

Written by Abdul Rahman Ismail, CPI

This paper is a preliminary report of an ongoing research on the reactions of the Malays in Malaya to the coming of the Cold War to the region, with particular reference to the importance of the year 1948. For the majority of the Malays, the Cold War was most popularly associated with the Emergency, which British authorities had declared in the effort to quell the armed uprising mounted by the MCP. The vast majority of Malays in Malaya were not interested in the on-going Cold War between the Western bloc led by the United States on the side the Eastern bloc led by the Soviet Union on the other.

The preoccupations of the Malays during the immediate post-Pacific War period was nationalism and the concomitant effort to gain independence for Malaya from Britain. In particular, they had been rather anxious that the Malays, who were the native of the land, were not robbed of the custodianship over Malaya and political privileges of the Malays in independent Malaya. Consumed with these issues, the Malays had little interests in external affairs. It was perhaps the lack of Malay support that foredoomed the fate of communism in Malaya.

The year 1948

In the political history of Malaysia, and particularly Malaya, the year 1948 is significant in a number of ways:

To the administrators and the Malays, it marked the official formation of the Federation of Malaya beginning in February, which partly fulfilled the British scheme of a better coordinated and more uniform administration for the whole of Malaya (excluding Singapore), though not as centralised as envisaged under the Malayan Union (MU) scheme introduced immediately after the Pacific War.

It also signified the official annulment of the MU and Britain's failure to recolonise the "protected" Malay States and the whole of Malaya as planned during the War. Although starkly incongruent with the spirit of the Atlantic Charter of 1941 and in order to camouflage their imperialistic design to exercise complete control over Malaya (and Singapore), the British embellished the MU with the anomalous pronouncement of preparing the peoples of the colony for self-rule in the near future.¹

Conceived some time in 1943, the MU was officially inaugurated on 1 April 1946 amidst non-violent but intense and thunderous protest by the Malays throughout the Peninsula. In fact, all of the Sultans and Malay members of the Councils boycotted the inauguration ceremony. Politically, the introduction of the MU had, in a way, momentarily stalled the split between the Malays into the "Left" and the "Right", the "Upper Stream" and the "Lower Stream" in Malay leadership², and between the Rakyat and the Raja.

Faced with the threatening fate of being relinquished of their role and status as the determinant people in the new "political nation" (bangsa politik) imposed by the British, for the first time the Malays of all walks of life and shades of political inclinations throughout Malaya came together as a unified force to reject the MU.

But as was to be proven later, Malay "unity", as manifested during the early phase of the pan-Malaya Malay congresses from March to May 1946, was not to last very long. In June, Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM / Malay Nationalist Party of Malaysia) and two other organisations left the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which they had helped to officially set up in May. As claimed by leaders of PKMM, the basic difference that set them apart was Umno's unwillingness to gear the struggle towards independence from the British.

To many, in the context of the Cold War, 1948 is usually associated with the "Emergency" declared by the British Malayan authorities of the Malayan Union in June in their efforts to confront and quell what they claimed was an armed uprising led by the Communist Party of Malaya (MCP). Paradoxically, it was the Japanese invasion and British collaboration and assistance on the eve of the Pacific War and during the Japanese Occupation that had contributed to the burgeoning of MCP military strength, which was seen as the security threat that led to the declaration of the Emergency.

Another significant aspect of 1948 that is generally neglected in previous studies is the growing and increasingly forceful involvement and radicalisation of the Malay (and non-Malay groups, especially the Chinese) masses (rakyat) in political movements in Malaya during the few years prior to the declaration of the "Emergency".

Malay political leadership, which had generally been the preserve of the upper echelon of a community that consisted of aristocrats and emerging English-educated bureaucrats, had, since the period of the Japanese Occupation, been rivalled, if not challenged, by a new breed of "leadership from below".

This new leadership was composed of Malay-educated and moderately English-educated youth as well as religiously inclined intellectuals. The beginnings of this phenomenon are traceable to the formation and activities of Kesatuan Malaya Merdeka, KMM (more popularly known as Kesatuan Melayu Muda) before and on the eve of the war, Pembela Tanah air and Kesatuan Rakyat Istimewa Semenanjung (KRIS) during the war, and Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya in 1945, and it reached its climax with frequent gatherings and seminars on serious issues pertaining to the Malays, especially centring around the madrasah Ihya-As-Syarif, Gunung Semanggol, Perak in 1947 and 1948.

These rakyat-initiated gatherings involved peoples from all walks of life and political orientations from all over Malaya, including some members of UMNO who attended as individuals.³

Leftists and even communists, such as Rashid Maidin, Abdullah Cek Dat and Musa Ahmad, and occasionally even non-Malay members of the Malayan Democratic Union (MDU), such as Gerald de Cruz and John Eber, attended the gatherings together with respected Islamic religious personalities, such as Fadhlullah Suhaimi, Abdullah Fahim, and Burhanuddin Al-Helmi.

The dynamic Islamic scholar (ulama) and principal of Il-Ihya, Abu Bakar Al-Bakir (also al-Baqir), who hosted the gatherings was no doubt among the busiest and most active catalysts.

It was from these gatherings that various working committees such as Lembaga Pendidikan Rakyat/Council for the People's Education (LEPIR), Pusat Perekonomian Melayu Se-Malaya/ Pan-Malaya Malay Economic Centre (PERMAS), and Majlis Agama Tertinggi Se-Malaya/Pan-Malaya Supreme Religious Council (MATA), etc., were formed to enhance efforts towards uplifting the Malays in all aspects of life. The gatherings even proposed the establishment of a Malay Bank and Malay University and, on 14 March 1948, established the first Islamic-based political party, the Hizbul Muslimim (Party of Muslims), which vowed to struggle for independence and turn Malaya into Darul-Islam (Islamic state).

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 07:05 PM PDT

What's all this brouhaha about? It's about the fact that Chin Peng is Chinese and not Malay. If he is Malay like Datuk Maharajalela, Mat Kilau, Datuk Bahaman, Tok Janggut, etc., then he would be a national hero, not only if he opposed the government or police but even if he opposed the Sultan. Invariably, its all about race and yet the Cina bodoh in BN can't see this.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Perkasa Asks Mat Sabu to Retract Statement

(Bernama) - The Malay right-wing group Perkasa has asked PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu to retract his alleged statement glorifying communist terrorists and running down the security forces.

Its president, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, said the speech delivered by Mohamad Sabu, popularly known as Mat Sabu, in Tasek Gelugor, Penang, on Aug 21 was confusing and seen as an attempt to change the country's history.

"Mohamad Sabu need not be afraid or feel ashamed to retract his speech as that would not jeopardise his image as a leader," he said after the opening of the annual general meeting of Perkasa Terengganu, here today.

Mohamad Sabu had allegedly praised the communist terrorists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station in 1950 and killed the 25 policemen and their families.

He had also allegedly belittled the struggles of freedom fighters Datuk Onn Jaafar and Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Chin Peng in London after WWII receiving the Burma Star award for supporting the British against the Japanese

The late Raja Aziz Addruse, one-time Malaysian Bar Council President, meets Chin Peng in Thailand

The all-Malay UTM visits Communist China, the country that backed Chin Peng and the CPM

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak visits Communist China, the country that backed Chin Peng and the CPM

The Second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Razak Hussein, visits Communist China in 1974, the country that backed Chin Peng and the CPM (the Peace Treaty between the CPM and the Malaysian Government was not signed until December 1989)

Shafie: BN Has Recipe to Capture Kedah in General Election

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:50 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal set two conditions for Barisan Nasional (BN) if it to capture states lost to the opposition in the 2008 general election.

He said Umno and BN component parties should strengthen unity by abandoning negative traits by giving party interests priority and fielding winnable candidates.

"With this recipe, it is not impossible for BN to do well at 13th general elections," he said when closing Kedah BN information programme at Dewan Wawasan here today.

The event participated by over 5,000 people was opened by Kedah Umno liaison chairman Datuk Paduka Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah. It was held to explain current issues to committee members of BN component parties.

Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan and Kedah BN publicity and information bureau chief Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom were also present.

Shafie said the conditions were necessary so that Umno members did not sabotage BN candidates if they were not chosen to contest.

He cited decision not to put up then MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel as BN candidate at Hulu Selangor by-election last year as a good example.

"We want support for BN candidates chosen. If I don't say this, those not chosen will sabotage the election machinery.

"PAS and PKR are not strong. We have to cooperate and strengthen unity, especially among the Malays."

The Rural and Regional Development Minister said when the Malays are united, others like Chinese, Indians and Siamese will benefit as their rights are protected.

Demands for seats increase not as rational as they sound

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:23 PM PDT

DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN

We have noticed that for a while now there has been a lot of proposal to increase the number of parliamentary and state seats, with most of the opposition as well as the ruling coalition members supporting the move. Only Datuk Lajim Ukin has so far expressed disagreement with his colleagues' proposal. He said this doesn't make sense because the number of voters in some seats are too small, e.g. his Beaufort parliamentary constituency is only about 28,000 while the Sipitang and Kimanis parliamentary constituencies have only about 22,000 each.

I agree with Lajim. What we Sabahans should be thinking about now is not more seats, but a fairer share of the parliamentary seats among the Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak regions, as was originally agreed during the formation of Malaysia. In the original arrangement out of the total number of 222 parliamentary seats, 25 percent was allotted EACH for Sabah and Sarawak. Meaning, the Peninsular got 50 percent and the Borneo states had 50 percent, in consideration for the Peninsular having a much larger population, and despite the larger geographical areas of the Borneo states.

Unfortunately, this is no longer reflected in the balance of seat in the Malaysian Parliament today, where the number of seats allotted to the Borneo states stands at 57 including the one held by the Federal Territory of Labuan. Peninsular Malaysia now has 165 seats, i.e. more than two-thirds of the total (two third would be 148 seats), and thereby depriving Sabah and Sarawak any possible veto power in cases of legislations which would derail their interests in the federation. It must be understood however that 18 of the seats held by Peninsular Malaysia in fact should belong to Sabah and Sarawak as the balance due to us after the departure of Singapore. The rot set in when Singapore's exit from Malaysia saw Peninsular Malaysia taking half of the 15 seats held by the island in Parliament. This altered the previous balance in Parliament between Peninsular Malaysia on the one hand and, on the other hand, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak collectively. If we had our fair share of seats the Peninsular would be having 147 seats, i.e. one short of the two-thirds of the total.

Johnny Mositun, as a senior leader in PBS, should rethink his priority in this matter, and fight for a fairer share of seats for Sabah, and not more seats for the whole of Malaysia. For all we know, if there is an increase in seats, there will be even a bigger percentage share of seats for the Peninsular than it already enjoys now. We can believe that this strategy is already in the minds of many Peninsular leaders this very moment! And in that case, how will an increase in seats benefit Sabah and Sarawak? PBS should look at the interests of Sabah (and Sarawak) in the whole scheme and not have the shortsighted view of just increasing seats for the sake of increasing, and supposedly getting more development allocations.

Also, an increase of parliamentary seats in Malaysia will most likely lead to a repeat and worsening of another famous problem – gerrymandering! The federal leaders would definitely want to work in cahoots with the Election Commission to ensure the redelineation will maximise the Barisan Nasional's prospect to hold on to power and reduce as much as possible the opposition's chances of taking over the government. The PBS should realize that it is in a classic dilemma over this prospect – it will help the BN (and PBS) remain in power, but it will also further reduce the position of the KDMs in the BN coalition. So in reality, by proposing an increase in seats, the PBS, Upko and PBRS are actually putting the KDMs in worse political situation than they already are!

And imagine this: What if the federal leaders say that since the Peninsular has five times more population than Sabah and Sarawak combined, then the Peninsular, "to be fair", should have five times more seats than the two Borneo states (combined)?

It doesn't make sense to increase our number of parliamentary seats, also because if we look at India, a sub-continent with a total population of 1.189 billion (of which 714 million are voting citizens), and yet it only has 545 Members of Parliament! Compare this to Malaysia with a population of only 28 million people and having 222 MPs (0.0008% of the population)! Are we saying that if we had a population of one billion (like India) we should have 8,000 parliamentary seats (0.0008% of the population)? In such a scenario we will need a parliament hall 36 times the present size!

What we also need to realize is that Sabah has a population of 3.2 million while Sarawak has around 2.5 million, but Sabah, disproportionately, has only 25 seats while Sarawak has 31 seats. Maybe this needs to be rectified first. But then again, Sabah's population has been increased artificially with a purposeful injection of illegals, many of whom could be voting as phantoms voters. Therefore, an increase in seats could also mean an increase in the opportunity to use phantom voters, which is not good for Sabah?

As such the issue should not be to increase parliamentary seats, but to clean up the electoral rolls. And next to that it the cleaning up of the election process as envisaged by Bersih's eight-point demand for electoral reform. These are the most rational and necessary things to seek and ask for at this point in time. Unfortunately, the KDM-based BN component parties have no courage to support Bersih's demand because they would be seen as going against the government. Almost anything to do with yellow is now taboo, no matter how good it is for the people! Some day, maybe eating rice will also be taboo because some idiots out there made rice a symbol of a perfectly rational, pro-people, struggle!

The KDM BN leaders are making a lot of noise about increasing parliamentary seats just because they want to be seen to be doing something positive, as if they are using their brains, whereas they in reality fail to see the negative possibilities of what they are asking for.

Anything But Umno

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:12 PM PDT

We can only surmise that Gani Patail has enough to sink Umno dulu, kini dan selamanya. Just like probably VK Lingam knew too much that he could not be charged with subverting justice by trying to influence in the appointing of judges and just like how Tajudin Ramli knows enough about the backroom deals to warrant the government asking GLCs to stop litigation against him.

Ali Kadir, The Malaysian Insider

Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), the blogger, is right. We don't know if Pakatan Rakyat will be able to govern our beloved country responsibly or walk the talk.

But we do know that they will not be worse than the plundering and blundering hordes of Umno. I say Umno and not BN because in reality the BN component parties such as the MCA, MIC, etc are subsidiaries of Umno. They may have a different flag, motto and even president but their mission statement is to be subservient to Umno.

The elections are around the corner. How do we know that? Simple, the clamour for allocations and funds is getting louder in Umno. Soon, we will be asked to make a choice and by my reckoning the choice is clear: Anything But Umno.

Just let us examine what these Umno types have done to our country. I have no doubt that the likes of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Dr Ismail, Hussein Onn, Tan Siew Sin were men of integrity and served the rakyat.

But from the Mahathir era onwards it has been looting, corruption and using race and religion to divide Malaysians. We are sliding down a slippery slope in this country and we have a choice to either go with the flow and do nothing or change the direction of this country.

Please don't expect Najib Razak and Umno to do anything. Najib is too weak-willed to ever be a reformer, and plus he seems to be caught by institutional paralysis. What he or any Umno president of late is doing is governing the country for the party and its crony capitalists.

It is an open secret that the biometric scanning system deal benefited an Umno minister, the son-in-law of a top Umno leader and businessmen close to Putrajaya.

And now we are told of the secret plan to privatise IWK by 1MDB and Puncak Niaga. So secret that even the minister in charge did not know about it.

As reported in The Malaysian Insider, this deal was given the greenlight by the Economic Council. Then you have the PM saying that a good portion of MRT contracts will be set aside for Bumiputera contractors.

This is an euphemism for Umno warlords and contractors connected to the party.

The plundering does not stop there. National Service camps are given to Umno politicians and their supporters and smaller contracts are farmed out to Class F contractors, nearly 90 per cent of them Umno members.

The government-sanctioned looting has reached such a crazy stage that members of the inner circle of PM and supporters linked to Muhyiddin Yassin are fighting over the economic largesse.

I have not even touched on the notoriety of the First Family and their friends and hangers-on. Some people may think that excesses are okay as long as the economy is growing.

Well, it is not and nothing can justify expensive shopping trips or diamond rings in a country where many still find it hard to make ends meet.

Malaysia must be the only country in the world besides Zimbabwe where a top government official can remain in his job despite facing countless allegations which strike at the core of the man's honesty. The man in question is the Attorney-General Gani Patail.

He has been accused of fabricating evidence, of hiding corruption cases involving Umno politicians and every dastardly act by a former senior police officer.

The correct thing for the government to do would be to set up an inquiry and examine if the allegations are true. This man is after all the top legal officer. Instead the Najib administration just keeps silent and ignores all this incriminating evidence.

READ MORE HERE

The New Wave Is Here to Stay

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:00 PM PDT

MASTERWORDSMITH-UNPLUGGED

When former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad established the Multimedia Super Corridor in 1996, he had given the undertaking that the government would not censor the Internet. I am sure that he did not anticipate that his stand would lead to proliferation of news portals such as TMI, FMT, TNG, MT which have been publishing critical stories and commentaries which one seldom see in the MSM. Whereas in the past Malaysians had to depend on foreign newspapers for more vocal coverage of news, all they need to do now is to log on to homegrown sites.

Such a development has made it difficult for the government to control the volume/type of information available to netizens. Indirectly, with more exposes, public figures and politicians are now under the scrutiny of the public.

According to the International Communication Union, there are 16,902,600 Internet users in Malaysia as of June, 2009, 64.6% of the population.

"They have lost the monopoly on truth," said Steven Gan, editor in chief of Malaysiakini told NYT. "For a long time, the government had complete control over the news agenda through the control of the mainstream media. That is gone. They can continue to tell the mainstream media what to report, but that doesn't stop Malaysians from knowing that there's another version of the truth out there, and they get it from the Internet."

NYT reported that during the Bersih rally, Malaysiakini received 5.2 million hits, making the day one of the site's busiest since it was established in 1999.

On August 15th, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government would review its current media censorship laws, stressing that it was no longer an "effective" method in the current era. He cited the example of an article by British weekly The Economist on the July 9 Bersih rally, which was censored by his administration but readily available online, and admitted that the act of censorship brought about negative publicity.

Following that disclosure, Jahabar Sadiq, Editor of TMI, said that move was a sign of the PM returning to the centre "to put some space between himself and hardliners in government, especially Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein".

DPM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin clarified that the government would implement a special system to "monitor" the media, and that this mechanism will eventually replace censorship laws saying that it was becoming increasingly difficult to exercise censorship control in a "world without borders."

"We will not filter (the media), but a monitoring system will be put in place.

"A person's individual freedom cannot outweigh the freedom of the general public. As an elected government, we have to be careful about the freedom in cyberspace," he told reporters on August 16th.

When asked how the government planned to monitor various media in the country, Muhyiddin said that there was "no one answer to it", but did not elaborate further.

The Home Minister said HERE that the Home Ministry will review the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) but will stand firm on issues involving race and religion.

Pakatan leaders who responded HERE raised the familiar issues of concern shared by many who believe in freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Lestor Kong's (The Singapore Straits Times) analytical review HERE is worth a read and has been widely carried by other news portals, including The Jakarta Globe.

Extract from that article:

READ MORE HERE

Sabtu, 10 September 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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