Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- DAP pushes for optional PPSMI
- Don’t let the sun go down on our rights
- English language policy still salvageable
- DPM: ‘Teaching Maths and Science in dual languages not feasible’
- English for all - not for select few
- In Kelantan, coming polls a referendum on Nik Aziz, Mustapa
- PM: Human rights cause split
- English given a shove
- The Battle of Three Prime Ministers
- Media Statement on PPSMI
- Pakatan will reward ‘bright Malays’, Anwar pledges
- WIKILEAKS: MALAYSIA'S NEW CABINET - STATUS QUO WITH ONLY HINTS OF REFORM
- Mahathir remarks on second DPM proposal nauseating
- Kit Siang: Najib’s failure to support CHOGM view on human rights is ‘shocking’
- Isn’t it puzzling?
- Butt out of Sabah, Koh and Gerakan told
- WIKILEAKS: POST-ELECTION VIEWS FROM EAST MALAYSIA
- Attack!
- Perkasa spewing new venom
- Rotate CM post among communities
- The Najibs’ pilgrimage and GE
- Syariah law vs Sabah ‘adat’
- Ahmadiyya decry JAIS attacks
- Kuantan residents threaten sit-in if rare earth ore arrives
- Racial politics hindrance to solving issues, say groups
- Aziz Bari receives bullet, death threat
- Assunta Hospital Dilemma
- No English option for maths and science, says Muhyiddin
- Why the fuss over the 2010 AG Report
- Salahuddin: Foreign consultants can't turn a frog into prince
- Living From Hand To Mouth
- You want it, you got it
- The court and the PM’s Department
- ‘Sick’ projects, sick nation
- Paid to shine Najib’s government, UK firm goes under
- Two views on BN's premature optimism
- Will PAS be able to transform itself?
- Barking up the wrong tree for Malay unity
- Winning the mind, not the heart
- Proxy war in the battle of three PMs
- Yen Yen denies overpaying RM270m
- Don’t legalize discrimination at work place
- The history of Kuala Lumpur
- Lawyers For Liberty Condemns Najib's Continued Support for the Illegal Refugee Deal With Australia
- Lawyers For Liberty Condemns Irresponsible Statement on Human Rights by Rahim Noor and Tun Mahathir
- SMSL press release on the press conference held on the 28th Oct 2011
- KDM Malaysia a desperate attempt to entice KDMs to Umno
- Compulsion in Islam?
- What Occupy Wall Street Can Learn from Occupy Tel Aviv
- Beng Hock’s family demands criminal charges against MACC trio
| Posted: 29 Oct 2011 01:04 PM PDT By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — The Education Ministry must be more flexible and give students the option to learn maths and science in English, the DAP urged today, saying such a policy can help the country retain its best talents. The party threw its weight today behind a pro-English group in the tug-of-war over Putrajaya's decision to abandon the 10-year-old policy of teaching science and maths in English at national schools — better known by its Malay abbreviation, PPSMI. The growing row over the education policy has split the country along racial, political lines ahead of national polls likely to be called early next year. Vocal fundamental groups are using the issue to champion their version of nationalism. Several non-partisan civil societies have recently banded together to counter this tide but the powerful Malay-dominant political parties appear to be reluctant to commit to this hot potato issue ahead of the 13th general election. "The important principle that the Ministry of Education (MoE) must adopt is that advanced students should not be held back because of students who lagged behind academically," DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said today in a statement. "Secondly, and more importantly, every effort should be made to ensure that our schools are able to produce the best human capital for Malaysia as we seek to be part of the knowledge economy, to become a high-income nation," the Petaling Jaya Utara MP said. He was replying to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's insistence yesterday to replace PPSMI with a new policy designed to raise the position of Bahasa Malaysia, to be implemented in January next year with the start of the new school term. Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said yesterday the education system will turn chaotic if parents were allowed to freely choose the medium of instruction for their children.
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| Don’t let the sun go down on our rights Posted: 29 Oct 2011 12:38 PM PDT By Wong Chun Wai, The Star Any secular party would be a better pick than one whose politicians masquerade as religious leaders. IT'S becoming boringly predictable with PAS as it again plays its self-appointed role of custodian of morality by telling Malaysians what they can watch – mostly cannot watch, unfortunately. Just a few months ago, the Islamist party had attempted to project a somewhat liberal image, possibly believing that Putrajaya was within its grasp. That short flirtation has ended and it has now decided to return to its conservative image, rudely awakened by the reality that it was more important to try to hold on to its jewels – Kelantan and Kedah – and that hardcore supporters were loudly voicing their dissatisfaction. It now wants to be recognised for its main objectives – setting up an Islamic state and implementing hudud laws – and will surely have no tolerance for rock concerts, which it has dismissed as hedonistic. PAS surely does not want to see its Malay votes, the deciding factor, slipping away for non-Muslim votes. So it is now back to making the wearing of headscarves compulsory for women and punishing those who disobey the rule in Kelantan, and banning the setting up of cinemas in Bangi, Selangor, simply because a PAS state assemblyman objected. And the party is not even the dominant player in the Selangor government. No one can deny that, except for that brief experiment, PAS has always been consistent with its Islamist objectives and has never strayed from its purpose of wanting to set up a religious and puritanical society. For many, due to their anger with the Barisan Nasional as well as for political expediency, they are prepared to pretend decisions made by PAS will not affect them, brushing them off as minor matters or merely distractions for a larger interest. That was what the Iranians thought when they dumped their Western-backed but corrupt monarch for the ayatollahs. Thirty-two years later, however, many are wondering whether they gave up their human rights and secular lifestyles too. There is an elected government in Iran but it is the theologians who call the shots, invoking laws in the name of religion and according to their interpretations, which not many of the faithful are prepared to challenge. In the case of the minorities, their voices are easily suppressed and they are dismissed curtly for their religious ignorance. Even in Tunisia, after the euphoria of its recent first elections, secular Tunisians are wary about the Islamist-dominated assembly and fear that their civil rights legislation will be reversed. In Malaysia, we could head down that dangerous road if we are not careful because some of us are being convinced that PAS alone cannot redraw our legal systems. PAS has decided to go ahead with the implementation of hudud laws in Kelantan, claiming that non-Muslims would not be affected. One does not need a doctorate in law to know that there can never be two kinds of laws, particularly in civil and criminal matters. So there is no such thing as hudud laws would not affect non-Muslims. The PAS Supporters Club has been jolted and it is finally realising that this was not part of the bargain. Better late than never, it can be said, but then the PAS Supporters Club had organised tours to Kelantan and persuaded voters to elect more PAS candidates by claiming non-Muslims would not be affected, thank you very much. Any objection to PAS' agenda these days risk being rubbished as propaganda, abused, rebutted or named-called as abuses involving the Barisan. Objecting is surely not for those wanting to seek popularity. The point is any secular party, whether Umno, the MCA, the DAP, PKR or PPP, would be a better pick than one whose politicians masquerade as religious leaders, insinuating that their words cannot be questioned because they are "men of God". Malaysia may not have the best system but we have one that works and functions. There are politicians who claim we are already an Islamic country but the Federal Constitution is pretty clear about the fact that we are still secular. Our legal system is also pretty clear and intact. For sure, I cannot take seriously those who think Elton John's song Can You Feel The Love Tonight, soundtrack for the film The Lion King, could be a gay anthem. By the way, one of his hit songs is Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me – it's sun, not son. |
| English language policy still salvageable Posted: 29 Oct 2011 12:22 PM PDT By Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, The Star All education stakeholders are urged to lend their support to the campaign to make the Government allow for the PPSMI to be retained in schools that want it. THE Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) is on its last leg in appealing for the visionary policy of the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) to be given as an option in national primary and secondary schools where parents wish it. The Education Act 1996 stipulates that "pupils are to be educated according to the wishes of their parents", not teachers, not principals, not PTAs and, most definitely, not politicians or deluded national language linguists. Prior to the Sarawak polls, the Prime Minister said: "Let us consider the option" and this was immediately backed by the Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister, although rather awkwardly for the Government, it was not echoed by the Deputy Education Minister II. However, six months have passed and the Education Ministry continues to drag its feet, knowing full well that time is running out for us, parents, taxpayers, voters, we who pay their salaries. When PPSMI was conceived in 2002, its objective was to address the poor employability of graduates, in particular the Malays. It was vital for young Malaysians to acquire scientific knowledge, and be renowned in the field, before we could even envision Bahasa Malaysia as an international language, let alone a language of scientific knowledge. Fortunately, the language of knowledge is English, which we have been exposed to for half a century, unlike many other countries that continue to struggle. The then Cabinet endorsed the decision for students to be taught these two constantly evolving subjects in its lingua franca. Many of the same Cabinet ministers who agreed with PPSMI then continue to sit on the same Cabinet that abolished it. The Academy of Sciences Malaysia was sought by the Government for their professional advice. While sourcing for scientific material in Indonesia, the largest Malay-speaking country in the world, the scientists there suggested that we should just stick to the English references, as they did not have any to show themselves. The academy still stands by its opinion that PPSMI should continue. The president, in a column in May, wrote: "Much of the scientific references are in English. A recent announcement to review the policy is welcome." The then Education Minister, the only technocrat ever to lead the Education Ministry and who holds seven honorary doctorates in science to date, was adamant that the policy would succeed. He set in place an implementation committee, which he headed as chairman, encapsulating a strict regime of controls and intervention programmes, which, if conformed to, could have made a tremendous success of the policy. The PPSMI unit in the ministry was the place to be and the envy of many. Knowing full well the challenges, such as teacher competency and proficiency, coupled with poor computer literacy, ICT was introduced on a large scale and relied upon to bridge the shortfall between resources available and needed. The latest in hardware and carefully designed software which were pedagogically correct were acquired, and numerous short courses in English were embarked upon. On top of that, a cash allowance was offered to the science and mathematics teachers to use the money to further improve their English proficiency. Sadly, in 2004, the technocrat minister completed his term, and PPSMI was abandoned without the leadership it so badly needed. Come late 2007, rumblings were heard. These were not from the rural folk but from self-acclaimed clerics, linguists and politicians. In 2008, the not-so-new Education Minister sought views from stakeholders on the policy. In 2009, the policy was abolished by the Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister, three months into his portfolio and well before a government and an education blueprint was put in place. Now the Government is talking of an education transformation. The transformation was already taking place before their very eyes, initiated by the Government itself, before it was prematurely decapitated – a case of self-infliction. Yet the students continue to perform in Science, Mathematics and English without relegating Bahasa Malaysia. The rural students even outperform their urban friends in science, as has been pointed out by the director-general. As we understand it, a government policy is to be carried out by the minister and his/her respective ministry. As far as the Education Ministry is concerned, the teachers should have been prepared and required to ensure the policy succeeds, as is stated in their code of ethics. Instead, the ministry faulted its teachers for being incompetent when the ministry itself had failed to ensure the controls which were already in place were strictly adhered to. Naturally, by the time studies were conducted to review the success of the policy, it had reached a stage of declination. PAGE believes PPSMI is still salvageable. And we are not alone. Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM), which represents rural parents, also feels the same. JMM has an incredible online Malay base that is not to be underestimated. The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), Malaysia's second leading think tank, has fallen in line too with its founder president, giving the much needed royal endorsement. Together, we believe that the option must be given to parents to represent their children, and no one else. Parents in Penang and Malacca are very restless. Parents in Selangor are gathering themselves together again. So are those in Kuala Lumpur. Do not underestimate the parents in Perak and Johor either. We urge all education stakeholders to e-mail us your support as we want to collaborate with groups of influence to show to the Government that we are not all urban and neither are we isolated. Let us put the past behind us and begin afresh. Let us instead start small, with the schools that parents want PPSMI to be retained, but allow the option to other schools to be able to do the same in the future. Double the cash allowance for the Science and Mathematics teachers who enjoy and want to continue teaching these subjects in English. Visit www.pagemalaysia.org to vote for the "Yes to PPSMI Option" and send the link to everyone you know, students included. Also look out for the Facebook poll "1M Malaysians Say Yes to PPSMI as an Option", add your friends to the group, and get your friends to do the same. Make it viral. Let us turn this into a success story for our children, for Malaysia and for many under-developed and developing countries to emulate. PAGE is a national education watchdog. Kudos to our past Education Ministers for enlightening us on the benefits of a good education which we have enjoyed and now want for our children. |
| DPM: ‘Teaching Maths and Science in dual languages not feasible’ Posted: 29 Oct 2011 11:44 AM PDT By Florence A Samy, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: The situation will be kucar-kacir (chaotic) if parents are given the option to decide if they want their children taught in Bahasa Malaysia or English in the learning of Science and Mathematics in schools, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said. "It will be hard for the Education Ministry to plan. How are we going to do it if one school wants it in English and another in Bahasa Malaysia? |
| English for all - not for select few Posted: 29 Oct 2011 11:24 AM PDT By Feizrul Nor Nurbi Dear Parents, There has been an audible cry made by the supporters of PPSMI for the policy to be reinstated as an option in the national education system. An option here means schools are able to choose whether to continue teaching Mathematics and Science in English or revert back to pre-PPSMI medium of instruction, being Bahasa Melayu in national schools or Tamil/Mandarin in vernacular schools. Firstly, succumbing to this demand will open the proverbial floodgates of never-ending demands from irrational parents acting on the pretense that their demands are just for the good of their children. Perhaps once the floodgates are open, we will see demands for subjects taught in dialects instead of the 3 languages implemented now. The parents in Kelantan might want their children to learn in Kelantanese, Kedahan wanting to learn in 'loghat utara', and those from Penang wanting to learn in Hokkien. Even the current system of having 3 different school streams creates a set of complicated problems, but I shall leave that topic for another day. If that is not ridiculous enough then perhaps we are going to see parents clamoring for advance subjects being made available in schools - there will be Advance Math for the 'Math genius' and Basic Math for the 'normal' students. Or Advance Physics for those inspiring to be astrophysicists and Basic Physics for the not-so-gifted amongst them. Most ridiculous of all when parents make the demand for the 'gifted' sons or daughters be given extra attention by means of better teachers and better facilities at the expenses of the weaker learners. But wait - this is already happening. We call this 'class streaming' where the idea of segregating the talented from the academically-challenged often results in the best teacher being allocated to the best minds, while those unfortunate to sit in 'kelas corot' will be left to rot without extra effort to bring them at par with the gifted ones. It is rather clear that the notion of a national education system being the great equalizer is lost on these parents. A national education system should serve the role of academic-democratizer - where quality education is made available to all students regardless of background, where access to quality is made available to all at no extra cost and the opportunity to excel are given as a right and not only for the select few. Sadly, when talking about 'democratization of education', it has been misconstrued as the right to pick and choose whatever suit their irrational whims and wants. The reality is, in Malaysia, education has degenerated into a class war - the battle between the haves and the have-nots. The haves are those with the resources to pay for that good preschool, that Grolier encyclopedia set sitting in the home library, that crisp pearly white school uniforms, that Kumon classes, that subscription to Astro's Playhouse Disney, that private tutor 5 times a week, that piano class and violin lessons, the weekend ballet class and perhaps the most basic of all - a proper meal for your loved ones. On the opposite spectrum we have the 'have-nots' - those parents struggling to provide for their family, where an adequate preschool is already priced beyond their reach, where there are no money put aside for their child's education when the main concern is where their next meal going to come from, where the student themselves worry about working and earning a living to assist their family instead of focusing on the lessons in class. These are the ones depending wholly on the national education system to pull them out of their dire life struggles. This is the reality at hand, which perhaps most parents comfortably leading their air-conditioned lives are oblivious of. Oblivious enough even to demand that it is their right to be given privilege over the have-nots, arguing that their sons and daughters should not be held back just to accommodate those less fortunate. To those parents making these demands - I have two words for you - 'Private' and 'School'. What have we as a society degenerated into? We often make fun of southern neighbor for their Kiasu behaviour, but rather disconcertingly we are heading down the same way as they are now. For those making these demands, please understand that the Rule of Scarcity applies. Providing for one group will mean taking away from another. Asking for the option for PPSMI means funds and effort must be allocated to train teachers, for books and references, for a syllabus catering for the demands - valuable funds and effort that could have been used more productively to increase the quality of the education system across the board where it will benefit a bigger pool of people. Perhaps funds that will be the difference between a life 'kais pagi makan pagi' and a life where the next meal is guaranteed. And to some people, it can be even be difference between life and death. PPSMI, or even the English-medium schools, will get my vote if and when the whole policy is based on a level playing field. Here is where the early exposure to English is crucial via early-childhood education, preschools, kindergartens, and a conducive environment where children as early as 4 years old are exposed and encouraged to explore English. The only way to do this is to make early childhood education compulsory for all; by ensuring it is accessible and affordable, with the view that by the age of 7 all students will have sufficient proficiency in English for them to start learning other subjects - Mathematics and Science and others - in English. Can we achieve this? Is it at all doable? Or is it just a mountain too high to climb? A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. With a 'bigger picture' scenario that is really none too appealing, it is crucial that we channel what limited resource we have to tackle the real source of the problem. Its time we fight for the main course instead of bickering over crumbs and leftovers. On a personal note.... It has been an emotionally draining experience writing these articles, for it is an issue close to my heart, an issue that I am passionate about. I trust the fellows at PAGE are of the same stock, with the drive and perseverance galvanizing like minded parents to support their cause. For that they have my respect. Just it is a lament of mine that the cause chosen by PAGE does not directly address the ailment plaguing our country's education system. Certainly what the rakyat needs at this current juncture is a pressure group that acts as a watchdog over the national education system, persistently demanding quality across the board from the government for the benefit of the people. And I believe PAGE fits this role perfectly, only if it decides to be. It might be a harder target to achieve; perhaps without a change in government it will be impossible. But rest assured, when our education system is at par with the best in the world, the nectar of success will be the sweetest of all, and above all, enjoyed by all Malaysians, regardless of background, race and faith. |
| In Kelantan, coming polls a referendum on Nik Aziz, Mustapa Posted: 29 Oct 2011 11:15 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KOTA BARU, Oct 30 — The fight for Kelantan in the upcoming national polls will see PAS and Umno pit Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and federal minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed against each other to see who is the more popular choice for the state's mentri besar post. The Malaysian Insider understands both parties have embarked on aggressive campaigns to promote their respective candidates for the state's top spot ahead of the general election that is expected to be called by early next year.
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| Posted: 29 Oct 2011 11:05 AM PDT By Mazwin Nik Aziz, The Star PERTH: Commonwealth countries have yet to decide on the appointment of a High Commissioner for Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said. But its members have agreed on the need to strengthen these principles, he added. |
| Posted: 29 Oct 2011 10:53 AM PDT By Douglas Tan Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin must be under the sincere belief that political gain is more important than the education of our next generation. By pushing through his anti-PPSMI rhetoric, Form Four students will find themselves in limbo after being told that they would have to sit their SPM exams in Bahasa Malaysia, despite being taught in English for their entire school lives thus far. The Education Ministry is being simply irresponsible for refusing to introduce the dwibahasa system in order to better facilitate the transition. The Deputy Minister's excuse that teachers are unable to speak English, let alone teach in it, is simply a cop-out and utterly inexcusable. |
| The Battle of Three Prime Ministers Posted: 29 Oct 2011 10:48 AM PDT Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang Mahathir has won the shadow power battle of three Prime Ministers on the sidelines of Perth 2011 CHOGM on the EPG's proposal for a Commonwealth Commissioner for Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights The fourth Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir seems to have won the shadow power battle with the fifth Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the sixth Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razaki on the sidelines of the Perth 2011 CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) 2011 on the Eminent Person Group's (EPG) proposal for a Commonwealth Commissioner for Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights. The latest news from the Perth 2011 CHOGM is that the Commonwealth heads of government have not only rejected the EPG's proposal for a Commonwealth Commissioner for Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights, they have taken the shocking decision not to publish the EPF report on Commonwealth reforms to make it relevant and not an anachronism. This has led to the unprecedented unanimous criticism by the seven-member EPG in Perth against the CHOGM decision. It is good to see Abdullah, who is chairperson of the seven-member EPG, leading the EPG attack against CHOGM and issuing the warning: "After very careful study over 16 months the EPG is convinced that there is an urgent need for bold initiatives to reform and strengthen the Commonwealth as a beneficial force for the future. "If CHOGM does not deliver such reforms, it is our duty to sound the caution to you that this CHOGM will be remembered not as the triumph it should be, but as a failure." The Perth CHOGM decision to reject the EPG Report and its reform recommendations, particularly for the appointment of a Commonwealth Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights, must have delighted Mahathir and former Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor in vindicating their warnings of "a human rights wave" as a new threat, akin to a new religion, comparable to the previous "wave" of communism and threatening "the principles upon which the nation was built". It is shocking and most deplorable that as the current Prime Minister, Najib had failed to give full support to the EPG proposal for a Commonwealth Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights and played a leading role to push for its adoption as well as acceptance and implementation of the EGP Report: "A Commonwealth of the People: Time for Urgent Reforms". When the Prime Minister of Malaysia is not prepared to give full-hearted support to the EPG Report which is chaired by his predecessor the previous Prime Minister, how could one fault the other Commonwealth Heads of Government who opposes the EPG and its reform recommendations? Abdullah is right. Perth CHOGM 2011 will go down in Commonwealth history as a failure when the Commonwealth heads of government were not visionary and bold enough to act on the EGP Report to make the Commonwealth relevant to changing times. Is the triumph of Mahathir against his two predecessors in the shadow power battle of three Prime Ministers on the sidelines of the Perth CHOGM 2011 a foreshadow of the political developments in Malaysia, casting a very dark shadow on the promises of democratization and political transformation which Najib had pledged to carry out in the country? |
| Posted: 29 Oct 2011 09:57 AM PDT By Tony Pua The Ministry of Education must allow for flexibility in the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English policy DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang had 2 years ago called upon the Cabinet to endorse "the call of Parents Action Group for Education (Page) that schools should be given the option to teach science and mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia or English or in one's mother tongue" and maintain "the use of English as medium of instruction for mathematics and science in secondary schools". |
| Pakatan will reward ‘bright Malays’, Anwar pledges Posted: 29 Oct 2011 07:00 AM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - London - "Bright young Malays" and not well-heeled scions of the politically-connected will be rewarded if Pakatan Rakyat takes over Putrajaya, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim promised Malaysian students here yesterday. The opposition leader blamed the country's present economic slide on lopsided affirmative action polices the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government endorsed even as he tried to sway Malaysia's next generation of leaders to cast their vote for the opposition pact. "Bright young Malays" should be given the necessary support, the PKR advisor told jittery scholars mulling their futures in the University College of London, right smack in the UK capital city with ringside seats to the world economy's collapse playing before them. "But not the rich Malays, not the billions of shares allocated to cronies and family members of the ruling clique, not the billions of contracts awarded," he added. Putrajaya's "endemic corruption" cost Malaysia its robust economy, Anwar said. The former deputy prime minister said he was accused of being "a Malaysian leader prepared to condemn his race and appease the Chinese" when he proposed to dismantle the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 2007. "I am totally convinced that given fair elections in GE13, Pakatan Rakyat will form the government," he said. He highlighted that Malaysia, once a solid economy in Asia during the 1970s to early 1980s, is now lagging behind Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. "Now, we are better than Burma," Anwar said, accusing Putrajaya of practicing cronyism and nepotism. The economic advisor to Malaysia's richest state, Selangor, pointed to the Auditor-General's Report 2010 released last Monday that found many ministries and government agencies had bungled their budgets. Singling out the federal audit on the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Products' cattle-rearing project, Anwar asked: "Who got it? The first major allocation… not the poor farmers or padi planters. It's the son of a senior minister". "How much? RM250 million," he said, adding that the amount was part of what he called the "Agriculture Rural Transformation Fund". The National Feedlot Centre (NFC) set up in 2008 in Gemas, Negri Sembilan project to create Malaysia's "Beef Valley" has been linked to Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family. Anwar also recounted the government's controversial purchase of two French submarines a few years ago. He said the person who arranged the deal was given half a billion ringgit as "commission". "If a sergeant takes RM50, that is 'corruption'. So it's different terminology. 'Commission' is halal. Corruption is haram," he said, and added: "You subsidise the rich but you don't call that 'subsidy', you call that 'incentive'." But Malaysia's biggest economic block, Anwar suggested, was due to the ruling elite's "hypocrisy". "You can have one family owning RM2.9 billion worth of San Miguel alcoholic beverages company of the Philippines [sic]. A great Muslim leader, we are very liberal," he said sarcastically. The remark appeared a thinly-veiled reference to Datuk Mirzan Mahathir, the eldest son of his former boss turned nemesis, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's fourth and longest-serving prime minister. "But if you find one Malay girl in Pahang consuming one glass of beer, not only was she convicted but she was almost caned," Anwar said.
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| WIKILEAKS: MALAYSIA'S NEW CABINET - STATUS QUO WITH ONLY HINTS OF REFORM Posted: 29 Oct 2011 01:00 AM PDT
Abdullah, who boasted of selecting only honorable, uncorrupted ministers, was forced at his live March 18 press conference to field pointed questions from the journalists regarding his reappointment of Najib as DPM. One reporter specifically asked Abdullah to explain Najib's re-appointment given the frequent allegations of wrongdoing in military contracts. Abdullah, initially taken aback by the question, responded that "there is no proof that Najib is involved in any corrupt activities. People can make all kinds of allegations, but what is important is that there is no evidence of that." THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b, d). Summary 1. (C) Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced his new cabinet on March 18, retaining roughly half (17) of his ministers from the previous cabinet, but bringing in only a few politicians identifiable for their reform credentials. Abdullah remained Finance Minister I, but gave up his position as Internal Security Minister. Najib Tun Razak remains Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister. Other senior UMNO stalwarts continue to occupy the most important portfolios, including Internal Security/Home Affairs (now combined), Finance II, Agriculture, and International Trade/Industry. Former Culture Minister Rais Yatim has been appointed the new Minister of Foreign Affairs. Abdullah shed a number of prominent cabinet members including Rafidah Aziz and Samy Vellu, while Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin did not make the cut. Identifiable reformers or UMNO progressives include Zaid Ibrahim with the de facto justice portfolio, Shahrir Samad for Domestic Trade, and possibly Shabery Cheek as Information Minister. 2. (C) The cabinet make-up reflects UMNO's dominance in the National Front (BN) coalition, with 23 positions, unchanged from the outgoing cabinet. East Malaysia only received a total of four cabinet seats, also unchanged from the previous cabinet despite Sabah and Sarawak's contribution of roughly one-third of BN's parliament seats. The cabinet does not appear to strengthen DPM Najib's hand and possibly weakens it with the removal of several long-time Mahathir cronies, suggesting Abdullah does not want to empower the man best poised to challenge him for UMNO leadership. Following the election debacle, Prime Minister Abdullah stated that he understood Malaysians were not satisfied with his first administration, but he will have a difficult time presenting the new cabinet as a strong platform for change in response to many voters' desertion of the National Front. Regardless, PM Abdullah is not likely to be able to remain in office beyond the next UMNO elections, and we believe most observers will view this cabinet as an interim line-up until UMNO has settled its leadership question. End Summary. Abdullah restructures his cabinet 3. (SBU) Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced his new cabinet in a noon press conference on March 18, just 10 days after his National Front (Barisan Nasional or BN) coalition emerged from a hotly contested snap election with a significantly decreased majority. Malaysia's monarch, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is scheduled to swear in the new ministers on March 19 at the National Palace. In announcing the cabinet, Abdullah reduced the number of ministries from 28 to 27 and retained roughly half (17) of his former ministers. Abdullah merged the Ministry of Internal Security and the Ministry of Home Affairs, recreating a significant concentration of power. He also merged the Office of National Unity (formerly a division in the PM's Department) with the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage. By eliminating all Parliamentary Secretaries, whose value to government efficiency appeared questionable, Abdullah further reduced the overall size of his cabinet from 90 to 68. BN's reduced majority in the 12th Parliament and the corresponding increase in opposition parliamentarians mean Abdullah needs more back-benchers to regularly attend parliament sessions. A smaller cabinet will ensure BN controls sufficient seats in parliament on a daily basis to achieve their legislative objectives. Out with the old 4. (SBU) Conspicuously absent from the new line up are former Minister of International Trade and Industry, Rafidah Aziz; former Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Jamaluddin Jarjis; former Minister of Home Affairs and current UMNO Secretary General, Radzi Ahmad; former Minister of Tourism, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor; former Minister of Human Resources, Dr. Fong Chan Onn; former Minister in the PM's Department, Dr. Abdullah Md Zin; and former Minister of Natural Resources, Azmi Khalid. As previously announced, Abdullah did not nominate as senators and subsequently reappoint any previous cabinet member who failed to be reelected in the 2008 General Election, to include: former Minister of Rural and Regional Development Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin; former Minister of Public Works, S. Samy Vellu; and former Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin. Former Minister of Housing and Local Government, MCA President Ong Ka Ting, declined to accept a new cabinet posting, and former ministers Chua Soi Lek (Health) and Dr. Lim Keng Yaik (Energy, Water and Communications) resigned before the 2008 elections. Chan Kong Choy (Transportation) and Mohd Effendi Norwawi (PM's Department) did not seek re-election and were thus ineligible for reappointment. 5. (SBU) Former Women's Ministry Shahrizat Jalil became an exception to Abdullah's decision not to reappoint ministers who failed at the polls. In a separate written announcement from the PM's office, Abdullah announced that Shahrizat, current deputy and possible heir apparent for UMNO's women's wing, has been appointed as a Special Advisor to the PM for women's issues, with the rank of minister. 6. (C) We note that Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin was absent from the new line up. Prior to BN's shocking election set-back, Khairy was widely touted for a minister or deputy minister slot. Many in UMNO appear to blame Khairy as an significant factor behind UMNO and BN's poor showing. In with the new 7. (SBU) While several previous deputy ministers were promoted in the new cabinet, there were a number of new faces to Abdullah's administration. Most notable of the new additions are attorney and former parliamentarian Zaid Ibrahim; former President of the BN Backbenchers' Club Shahrir Samad; former Parliamentary Secretary in the MFA, Ahmad Shabery Cheek; and former Chief Minister of Selangor and current UMNO Information Chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib. Zaid has been appointed a Minister in the PM's Department and charged with overseeing reforms in the judiciary. Shahrir Samad, who also served as the outgoing chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, has been appointed as the new Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. Shabery Cheek is a relatively young and seemingly progressive parliamentarian who could bring a new approach to the Ministry of Information. Muhammad, a long-term UMNO insider and power player, has returned to federal politics as the Minister of Rural Development. Party, Race and Gender 8. (SBU) Although the new cabinet saw the number of ministries reduced by one to 27, the number of cabinet ministers remained unchanged at 32, with UMNO Malay ministers not only occupying the large majority of the seats but also the key cabinet portfolios. Out of the 32 member cabinet, UMNO holds 23 positions, followed by MCA with 4, and MIC, Sabah's PBS and UPKO, and Sarawak's SUPP and PBB each with one. Old-time UMNO stalwarts continue to hold the most important portfolios of Finance I and II (PM Abdullah and Nor Yakcop), Defense (DPM Najib), Internal Security/Home Affairs (former FM Syed Hamid Albar), Agriculture (Mustapha Mohamad), and International Trade/Industry (UMNO VP Muhyiddin). Former Culture Minister Rais Yatim, not known for his dynamism, has been appointed the new Minister of Foreign Affairs. 9. (SBU) The racial breakdown of the cabinet includes 23 Malays (those of UMNO), five Chinese, and one each from the Indian, Kadazan-Dusun and Iban-Dayak Communities. The number of cabinet positions represented by Sabah (non-UMNO) and Sarawak Members of Parliament remain unchanged with two cabinet portfolios from each state, despite East Malaysia's contribution of one-third of BN's seats in parliament. From Sabah, both the non-UMNO cabinet positions are held by leaders from the indigenous Kadazan-Dusun community, while from Sarawak, one is held by a Chinese Sarawakian and the other by a leader from the indigenous Iban-Dayak community. Except for Melaka and Perlis, all other states had representatives in the cabinet with Johor having the largest representation with seven ministers, followed by Pahang and Selangor with four each. 10. (SBU) There are only two women in the cabinet-- one each from UMNO and MCA. This compares to three women in Abdullah's previous cabinet. Whither support for Najib? 11. (C) Prior to the cabinet announcement, observers speculated about the involvement of Deputy Prime Minister Najib in the cabinet making, but at first glance the new cabinet does not appear to strengthen Najib's hand. The cabinet removes some long-time Mahathir cronies, notably Jamaluddin Jarjis and Tengku Adnan Mansor, and consequently two close allies of Najib, given Mahathir's backing of Najib over Abdullah. Of course, Najib retains the key Defense portfolio, and another important member of his camp, Education Minister and UMNO Youth chief Hishammuddin, remains in place. We have not identified other Najib supporters newly included in the cabinet. Speculation has already begun in opposition circles that Abdullah has resisted efforts to strengthen Najib ahead of the UMNO leadership elections. 12. (C) Abdullah, who boasted of selecting only honorable, uncorrupted ministers, was forced at his live March 18 press conference to field pointed questions from the journalists regarding his reappointment of Najib as DPM. One reporter specifically asked Abdullah to explain Najib's re-appointment given the frequent allegations of wrongdoing in military contracts (ref E). Abdullah, initially taken aback by the question, responded that "there is no proof that Najib is involved in any corrupt activities. People can make all kinds of allegations, but what is important is that there is no evidence of that." (Comment: Abdullah's reappointment of Najib as DPM was a foregone conclusion, given Najib's position as Deputy President of UMNO. Najib faces public and private criticism for allegedly profiting greatly from the Sukhoi jet and Scorpene submarine purchases, and for rumored ties to the Razak Baginda murder case. End Comment). Comment 13. (C) After the election debacle, Prime Minister Abdullah stated that he understood many Malaysians were not satisfied with his first administration. Abdullah, however, will have a difficult time presenting the new cabinet as a platform for change in response to voters' desertion of the National Front. Despite the appointment of Zaid Ibrahim and Shahrir Samad, two noted reformists, and possibly Shabery Cheek, there is little other initial indication that Abdullah has broken the status quo. The majority of appointees are long-time UMNO insiders who have benefitted from the system, not challenged it. The states of Sabah and Sarawak have not gained any significant influence in the cabinet, despite their critical role in voting in roughly one-third of BN's parliamentary seats. De facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has already spoken publicly of his desire to woo BN's East Malaysia partners into the opposition, and thus remove BN from power, and the cabinet line-up does not appear to cement East Malaysia's allegiance to Abdullah's National Front. We still assess that PM Abdullah is not likely to be able to remain in office beyond the next UMNO elections (septel), and as challenges to Abdullah's authority continue so do rumors of plans to remove him even sooner than the UMNO vote. This cabinet is best viewed as an interim line-up until UMNO has settled its looming leadership question. End Comment. New Cabinet Line-Up 14. (U) The new cabinet is presented below. Septel provides more detail about changes in the portfolios.
Prime Minister: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Deputy Prime Minister: Najib Tun Razak
Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department: Bernard Dompok Nazri Aziz Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Mohd Zaid Ibrahim Amirsham Abdul Aziz
Deputy Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department: Johari Baharom Dr Mashitah Ibrahim K. Devamany Hassan Malik
Finance Minister - Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Second Finance Minister - Nor Mohamed Yakcop Deputies - Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Kong Cho Ha
Defense Minister - Najib Tun Razak Deputy - Abu Seman Yusop
Internal Security and Home Affairs Minister - Syed Hamid Albar Deputies - Chor Chee Heong, Senator Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh
Housing and Local Government Minister - Ong Ka Chuan Deputies - Robert Lau , Hamzah Zainuddin
Works Minister - Mohd Zin Mohamad Deputy- Yong Khoon Seng
Energy, Water and Communications Minister - Shaziman Abu Mansor Deputy- Joseph Salang Gandum
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister - Mustapa Mohamed Deputy - Rohani Abdul Karim
International Trade and Industry Minister - Muhyiddin Yassin Deputies- Loh Wei Keong, Jacob Dungau Sagan
Foreign Affairs Minister - Dr. Rais Yatim Deputy- Tunku Azlan Abu Bakar
Education Minister - Hishammuddin Hussein Deputies - Wee Ka Siong, Razali Ismail
Higher Education Minister - Khaled Nordin Deputies - Khoo Kok Choong, Idris Harun
Transport Minister - Ong Tee Keat Deputy - Anifah Aman
Human Resources Minister - S. Subramaniam Deputy- Noraini Ahmad
Women, Family and Community Development Minister- Dr Ng Yen Yen Deputy- Noriah Kasnon
National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister- Shafie Apdal Deputy- Teng Boon Soon
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister- Dr Maximus Ongkili Deputy- Fadilah Yusof
Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development Minister - Noh Omar Deputy- Saiffuddin Abdullah
Natural Resources and Environment Minister - Douglas Unggah Embas Deputy - Abu Ghapur Salleh
Rural and Regional Development Minister - Muhammad Muhd Taib Deputy- Joseph Kurup
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister - Shahrir Samad Deputy - Jelaing Mersat
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister - Peter Chin Fah Kui Deputy- Senator A. Kohilan
Youth and Sports Minister - Ismail Sabri Yaacob Deputy - Wee Jack Seng
Health Minister - Liow Tiong Lai Deputy- Dr. Abdul Latiff Ahmad
Information Minister - Ahmad Shabery Cheek Deputy- Tan Lian Hoe
Tourism Minister - Azalina Othman Deputy - Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abu Taib
Federal Territories Minister - Zulhasnan Rafique Deputy- M. Saravanan SHEAR (March 2008)
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| Mahathir remarks on second DPM proposal nauseating Posted: 28 Oct 2011 07:20 PM PDT Unless a DPM is given for them (and the current DPM was agreeable to this during the Upko congress where it was voiced out by Tan Sri Bernard Dompok) the two states will continue to suffer and lose. Now, I wonder if Mahathir's opinion in the matter is of any relevance at all. Why do reporters still think his remarks have so much value? Daniel John Jambun I have for a long time thought of Mahathir as a former great man who had lost some of his sense of balance, after reading his many irritating comments about a lot of issues. We notice that of all the many former chief executives of nations anywhere in the world, he has gone on record as the most the most acidic and the most sarcastic. Tun Mahathir has been so aggressive in his criticism of the West and the Jews that he has been called "The Last Mohican of Asia," but he is also a kind of warrior whose war is not yet finished, so he is still on a rampage to bulldoze everything he thinks is against his beliefs. Humility and moderation are very far away from his mind, thanks to the 21 years of wielding power. And now in active 'retirement' he feels he is free to say whatever he wants, even at the embarrassment and expense of the current Prime Minister. But a long period in a powerful post doesn't make one right in everything. In fact arrogance often sets in and can make one make a lot of mistakes, even delusional. His comments on the proposal to introduce a second prime minister for Sabah and Sarawak is a case in point, in which he is now on record as having said, "Why Sabah and Sarawak? What about other states? I think Kedah also wants a deputy prime minister. Everybody wants a post. There should be a MCA deputy (PM), an MIC deputy (PM), a Gerakan deputy (PM). And if Pakatan Rakyat wins, everybody will want to become prime minister. Whether you're deputy (prime minister) or not, if you can serve the people, that's fine. If you don't serve the people, you'll suffer the fate of (Muammar) Gaddafi." The irritation you get from this wild and arrogant ranting simply gives you nausea, and make you want to puke out of pure disbelief. Firstly, the second deputy PM post is not asked for by Upko for somebody in Upko, but for someone from Sabah or Sarawak. So saying other BN components also want the same thing is taking it totally out of context out of sheer sarcasm. And then saying "Whether you're deputy (prime minister) or not, if you can serve the people, that's fine" is saying you can serve the people the same way whether you are an Assistant Minister or a Deputy Prime Minister. And how did he come up with the silly idea that Kedah wants to have a DPM as well? How come he equates Sabah and Sarawak to Kedah, a small state in the Peninsular which itself is smaller than Sarawak? Doesn't he see the logic in having a DPM for the Borneo states knowing the huge size of the area and its 2,000-mile distance from KL, and having hugely different historical and cultural backgrounds? Perhaps he just can't admit that the two states have suffered half a century of economic discrimination, and even neglect in many aspects. Unless a DPM is given for them (and the current DPM was agreeable to this during the Upko congress where it was voiced out by Tan Sri Bernard Dompok) the two states will continue to suffer and lose. Now, I wonder if Mahathir's opinion in the matter is of any relevance at all. Why do reporters still think his remarks have so much value? And as to the grossly crude remark "If you don't serve the people, you'll suffer the fate of Gaddafi," I would like to ask Mahathir if what he meant was some leaders in Malaysia should be shot dead for not doing their jobs? What about those who stole tens of millions from the national coffers through kickbacks? Should they be dragged in shame through the streets as well? I remember that at one time during the Libyan revolution Mahathir sympathized with Gaddafi, perhaps because in 2005 Mahathir received, in Tripoli, the Gaddafi International Prize for his human rights contributions. In pointing to Gaddafi's example for injustice and tyranny, at least Mahathir is showing a lot of rational thinking – wrong is wrong and right is right, regardless of who you were. History can't be changed because in the end, truth always does prevail. And Mahathir, as a former leader of international status, should know more than anyone of us that reckless statements will not go unnoticed, and will always come back to you, and often you have to swallow them yourself.
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| Kit Siang: Najib’s failure to support CHOGM view on human rights is ‘shocking’ Posted: 28 Oct 2011 07:16 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Najib Razak's failure to back a Commonwealth review on human rights has cast serious doubts to his reform pledges in Malaysia, the DAP's Lim Kit Siang said today. The prime minister is currently in Perth attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) where one of the key issues discussed was the appointment of a Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights. The idea was mooted by the Eminent Person's Group (EPG) following criticism that the Commonwealth leaders meeting failed to uphold the principles of democracy and human rights. Lim attacked Malaysia's prime minister in a strongly-worded statement today, saying he found it "shocking" and "deplorable" that Najib did not support the EPG's recommendations. He added that Najib's actions have cast "a very dark shadow" over his reform promises to Malaysians, which included the repeal of the outdated Internal Security Act (ISA) and other security and laws that provide for one man to arbitrarily order a person detained under the flimsiest excuses. "When the Prime Minister of Malaysia is not prepared to give full-hearted support to the EPG Report which is chaired by his predecessor the previous prime minister, how could one fault the other Commonwealth Heads of Government who opposes the EPG and its reform recommendations?" the DAP parliamentary leader asked.
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| Posted: 28 Oct 2011 06:59 PM PDT
I have many close friends who are Mamaks. Some of them even speak Tamil very fluently. They are certainly Indians but Muslims. I wonder how they feel when they read the comments in Malaysia Today and they see Mamaks being run down as if being a Mamak is akin to being a leper or a pariah. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
Chin said Koh should face the reality and not try to bring his beleaguered party back to the mainstream of politics via the back door. "Gerakan lost in their own soil in Penang, so it must stand up again from there in order to earn the trust and respect of the people." "Perhaps Koh thinks that Gerakan now has three 'imported' assemblymen two of whom are full state ministers and therefore is hoping to be given the chance to contest the three seats," he said. "We want to tell Koh that his three assemblymen are 'frogs' who have not been tested yet, so one wonders what will happen if they are using Gerakan's symbol." I always find it puzzling that those who change parties are called 'frogs'. Zulkifli Noordin, Ibrahim Ali, Zahrain Mohd Hashim, Hee Yit Fong, Keshvinder Singh, V Arumugam, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Osman Mohd Jailu, etc., are all frogs. Actually, Ibrahim Ali used to be in Umno and a Member of Parliament for Barisan Nasional. He was not chosen to contest a pre-2008 election so he contested as an independent candidate and lost badly (he lost his deposit as well). He knew he could not win as an independent candidate in the 2008 general election, and Umno does not want him back, so he contested on a PAS ticket (and won of course). I do not remember anyone calling him a frog back in 2008 although he flirted with the opposition and contested on an opposition ticket. In fact, the opposition supporters voted for him and gave him a win. He was not a frog then although, if those who jump parties are considered frogs, he was most certainly a frog. So you see, you are a frog only when you leave the opposition to join the ruling party. But when you leave the ruling party to join the opposition you are not a frog -- you are a patriot, true son of Malaysia, hero, etc. And that is what happened when one Perak State Assemblyman from Umno joined the opposition. He was greeted as a hero, not called a frog. However, when he went back to Umno bringing three others with him (Hee Yit Fong, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Osman Mohd Jailu) he became a frog together with the three other frogs. Remember when Anwar Ibrahim said that 30 Members of Parliament from Barisan Nasional are going to jump over to the opposition and Pakatan Rakyat will be able to form the new federal government? There were cheers all around. Only Karpal Singh was against it. How many of you condemned this and called the 30 prospective Barisan Nasional turncoats frogs? You did not consider them frogs. They are only frogs if they leave the opposition to join the ruling party. But if it is the other way around then they are not frogs. I suppose the opposition supporters only like happy endings. When the beautiful princess kisses the frog, the frog must change into a charming prince and they get married and live happily ever after. They don't like stories that end: when the beautiful princess kissed the frog, she changed into a frog and they lived happily ever after in the pond croaking whenever it was about to rain. I find this the same when it comes to religion, at least as far as Islam is concerned. When a non-Muslim converts to Islam, they call him saudara baru (new comrade; or saudari baru if female). If Muslims leave Islam they would be called murtads (apostates). Aren't Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., who leave their religion to become Muslims also apostates? Are they not also frogs? To their religion they certainly are. Basically, Malaysians love name-calling. It makes them happy that they can curse other people. Maybe they are sexually deprived and running down others gives them the orgasm they can't get in bed. Look at what happens whenever a news item or article about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is posted in Malaysia Today. We will get hundreds of comments cursing Dr Mahathir and calling him Mamak (or Mamakkutty). It appears like Mamak is a dirty word. It is like the word pariah or nigger or chink or whatever. Mamak is supposed to mean Indian Muslim. But now it means something dirty. It is like pariah, nigger, chink, etc. I have many close friends who are Mamaks. Some of them even speak Tamil very fluently. They are certainly Indians but Muslims. I wonder how they feel when they read the comments in Malaysia Today and they see Mamaks being run down as if being a Mamak is akin to being a leper or a pariah. |
| Butt out of Sabah, Koh and Gerakan told Posted: 28 Oct 2011 06:06 PM PDT Sabah based parties are growing uncomfortable with Gerakan's aggressive entry into the state's politics and increasing demands for a more prominent status in the state BN political hierarchy. (Free Malaysia Today) - Gerakan leader Koh Tsu Koon has been taken to task by a fellow Barisan Nasional coalition member for using Sabah to get the party back into the political mainstream after its humiliating eviction from Penang in the last election. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) deputy president Senator Chin Su Phin said Koh has forgotten that Gerakan has not won an election in Sabah and its seats in the state legislature were obtained through defections and sweeteners offered to the assemblymen. Sabah based parties are growing uncomfortable with Gerakan's aggressive entry into the state's politics and increasing demands for a more prominent status in the state BN political hierarchy. Koh, the former Penang chief minister who himself lost his seat in the last general election in 2008 which saw his government fall to the opposition, has said that Gerakan's revival will start in Sabah. Chin said Koh should face the reality and not try to bring his beleageured party back to the mainstream of politics via the backdoor. "Gerakan lost in their own soil in Penang, so it must stand up again from there in order to earn the trust and respect of the people. "Perhaps Koh thinks that Gerakan now has three 'imported' assemblymen two of whom are full state ministers and therefore is hoping to be given the chance to contest the three seats," he said. "We want to tell Koh that his three assemblymen are 'frogs' who have not been tested yet, so one wonders what will happen if they are using Gerakan's symbol. "If they really want to prove that the people are with them, they should have quit from their government posts and just remain as assemblymen to serve the rakyat," he added. The three seats are Karamunting, Tg Papat and Elopura which are mixed-areas. Unfair politics Chin contended that if Gerakan thinks they can win in mixed-areas, then other BN component parties, a Sabah-based party like LDP in particular, will have no problem to deliver those seats. He also compared fellow BN party MCA's nominal status in the state to Gerakan. "I would like to ask what worthy contribution has Gerakan made ever since it spread its wings to the state?" he asked, adding that in comparison, MCA has been in Sabah much longer and is more credible than Gerakan. "But all this while, MCA has one elected assemblyman (and was) only given an assistant minister's post, whereas Gerakan has three 'frogs' and with two full ministerial posts. "This is unfair to other BN component partners," he said. Gerakan has become a force in state politics through the defections of Raymond Tan and Au Kam Wah from the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) last year and Peter Pang from LDP early this year.
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| WIKILEAKS: POST-ELECTION VIEWS FROM EAST MALAYSIA Posted: 28 Oct 2011 05:42 PM PDT
Dominic told us Anwar must win the trust of Sabahans through action and not words. The burden is on Anwar to show he is no longer a Muslim fundamentalist. Sabahans mistrust peninsular-based parties because of their experience with the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) after the party gained entry into Sabah. Sabahans voted on the merits of individual opposition candidates and not for their parties. Sarawakians accepted DAP, which focuses on political issues. However, they distrust both Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR) and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Classified By: POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MARK D. CLARK, RE ASON 1.4 (B AND D). Summary 1. (C) East Malaysians, whose support in the March 8 election provided Prime Minister Abdullah with the necessary majority to form the new government, are closely watching what opposition parties do with their newly won states, especially Penang, according to our contacts in Sabah and Sarawak on March 14. If they are successful, the opposition parties could make significant gains in East Malaysia during the next election. A journalist speculated that East Malaysia would have voted for the opposition if it had known how well the opposition would fare on the peninsula. The fact that East Malaysian parliamentary seats are now essential for Abdullah's National Front government has generated high expectations in Sabah and Sarawak of stronger representation in the Prime Minister's cabinet. Given the ruling National Front's (BN) vulnerabilities on the peninsula, the Prime Minister cannot afford political missteps in Sabah and Sarawak as he struggles to remain in power. End Summary. View from Sabah 2. (C) We spoke on March 14 with contacts in the East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak to find out what people are saying about the election. Jaswendar Kaur, a journalist for the government-influenced New Strait Times (NST), told poloff that if Sabah's general election were held 3-4 days after the peninsula's and its strong opposition showing, Sabah would have gone with the opposition. She said people, especially from rural communities, remember when Sabah voted against BN in the early 1990s. Afterwards, the federal government froze Sabah out of federal funding until the next general election as punishment. Not willing to be the lone voice, Sabahans voted BN. However when combined, opposition candidates won the popular vote. Within Sabah, the opposition parties lacked the cooperation achieved in West Malaysia. As a result, many of the election races had multiple candidates vying against a BN opponent. As in prior elections, allegations of vote rigging in key races were widespread, including allegations that some election officials were complicit in the rigging. Sabahans are watching how the opposition will run the key state of Penang to measure the opposition's effectiveness. 3. (C) Dominic Lim, Coordinator for the Catholic Diocese's Human Development Committee told poloff that if the opposition successfully runs Penang, BN "will lose" its hold on Sabah. However, Sabahans are slow to embrace Anwar Ibrahim. He is widely remembered in Sabah from his days as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, when he spoke disparagingly about Sabah. Dominic told us Anwar must win the trust of Sabahans through action and not words. The burden is on Anwar to show he is no longer a Muslim fundamentalist. Sabahans mistrust peninsular-based parties because of their experience with the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) after the party gained entry into Sabah. Sabahans voted on the merits of individual opposition candidates and not for their parties. A Sabah-based opposition party could expect to find strong support, but as contacts noted, Sabah lacks a strong leader capable of uniting Sabahans across ethnicities (Kadazan, Chinese, and Malay). The key issues dominating Sabah's local politics during the election continued to be the status of thousands of illegal aliens residing in Sabah and land being seized by businesses, sometimes in violation of indigenous customary law. View from Sarawak 4. (C) According to Father Simon Poh, Chancellor to Catholic Archbishop John Ha, Sarawak's voters split mostly along urban and rural lines. Urban voters leaned towards the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) and rural voters, dependent upon federal government funding for development, voted BN. However, a common consensus of our contacts is that the people want change. If the opposition could cooperate in Sarawak, they could make significant gains in future elections. Sarawakians accepted DAP, which focuses on political issues. However, they distrust both Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR) and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Sarawakians perceive both parties using religion for political gain and fear they will bring an Islamic agenda to Sarawak. (Note: PAS does not have a presence in Sarawak and DAP and PKR are not on good terms with each other in the state. End Note.) The Catholic Church, while publicly neutral, privately favors a change from BN and advised parishioners to "vote their conscience." Sarawakians, like Sabahans, are closely watching how the opposition will run their newly controlled states. 5. (C) Nancy Nais (protect), journalist for NST, told poloff that vote buying was widespread in the rural areas, with alleged payments ranging from about USD30-130 (50-200 Malaysian Ringgit). She also described how during the campaign period, UMNO sent censors to the editorial offices for NST, and other government-influenced mainstream press. The teams were empowered to edit or stop publication of all articles. After the election and because of the opposition's strong gains, the NST's senior editors distributed a memorandum informing all NST offices they "must now provide balanced reporting" of the opposition. Comment 6. (C) The people in East Malaysia are awakening to their new political leverage, holding 51 of BN's 138 parliamentary seats. East Malaysia's consequently anticipate a greater number and more important cabinet positions. Just as important as the number of cabinet positions will be who fills them. Sabahans and Sarawakians will fill cheated once more by the peninsula if ethnic Malays, a minority in Malaysian Borneo, dominate the Cabinet appointments allocated to East Malaysia. Given BN's vulnerabilities on the peninsula, the Prime Minister cannot afford political missteps in Sabah and Sarawak as he struggles to remain in power. KEITH (March 2008)
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| Posted: 28 Oct 2011 05:12 PM PDT
Hey! MCA has insulted Islam. MCA has said that Islamic laws are outdated. Insult! Where are Zul Noordin and Ibrahim Ali? Where are PERKASA and ABIM? Attack! We can't let these Kafirs get away with it. Malays, boycott Barisan Nasional. Umno is allowing their Chinese partners to attack Islam. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
Hudud turns back the clock (The Star) -- PAS' intention to carry out hudud law will cause the nation to backslide and scare away investors, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. The impact would be great on foreign direct investments and also tourists who would shy away, he said, adding that several countries practising hudud law were backward except for their rich natural resources. Speaking to reporters after attending a function at the Hock Lin Gong Chinese temple here yesterday, Dr Chua stressed that even non-Muslims in the country would be affected, especially in terms of economy and education. Medical aid: Dr Chua checking on Ng Dee Eng, 47, after presenting a 1MCA Medical Foundation cheque to her in Batu Pahat on Thursday. "It is misleading and a lie to say that the implementation of hudud will not affect non-Muslims," he said. He criticised the DAP for its inconsistency as the party did not support hudud law but was willing to help PAS leaders win the election by asking the Chinese to support them. At the event, Dr Chua promised an allocation of RM30,000 for the temple which was celebrating its 20th anniversary. In Batu Pahat, Dr Chua said the financial management of Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states was still lacking. Referring to the Auditor-General's Report 2010, he noted that a Selangor state-run agency lost RM200mil while the Penang government had yet to build affordable houses for the rakyat. The populist policy being practised by the Pakatan Rakyat had not solved anything, he added. "They give RM100 to the elderly once a year and another RM100 for people to go shopping. This does not solve anything at all but merely a feel-good factor to the rakyat and is quite misleading," he said during a 1MCA Medical Foundation dinner on Thursday. He also said that the people wanted to see changes and the Government had listened to their feedback. "The only thing that has yet to be transformed is the Pakatan Rakyat," he said. Under the transformation programmes introduced by the Prime Minister, he said the rakyat could see the changes. "The economic, social and political landscape in Malaysia is being transformed. We have attracted many foreign direct investments for the country to achieve high-income status while creating a more democratic society," he said. 
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| Posted: 28 Oct 2011 05:00 PM PDT Birds of a feather flocked together at the right wing group's assembly on Deepavali He did not mention that the special position had a shelf life of 15 years and was confined by the constitution under Article 153 to four areas known as CISO — intake into the civil service, intake into government-owned institutions of higher learning and training privileges, government scholarships, and opportunities from the government to do business. Joe Fernandez, Free Malaysia Today Perkasa, the ultra right wing movement, desecrated Deepavali day by spewing more than its usual venom at its second annual general assembly. Obviously, Perkasa activists had no Hindu friends to visit on that auspicious day. It is a wonder that these toxic Perkasa people are not locked up on national security grounds and the keys thrown away for good. That is the only way to prevent them from infecting all good people in the country with their poisonous brew of half-baked theories, lies, politicised history, pseudo-science and racism. Birds of a feather flocked together as Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali was joined by former IGP Abdul Rahim Noor and an assortment of various unsavoury characters with dubious pasts. These included Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, a masseur associated with the production of a pornographic tape, Kulim-Bandar Bharu MP Zulkifli Noordin, who got the boot from PKR for making racist outbursts too frequently, and former information minister Zainuddin Maidin, an Indian Muslim who was sacked as Utusan Malaysia editor. Rahim distinguished himself more by giving de facto PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim a black eye about 10 years ago. He got off with a light two-month jail sentence. Thereafter, he laid low until he made his Perkasa debut yesterday. Beware the human rights wave Rahim took centre stage with a keynote address that warned against a "human rights wave" in the country, confirming that he needs to have his head examined for mental defects. He advocated the theory, offering no proof, that the human rights wave would threaten the principles on which the country was founded. He seemed to be suggesting that these principles of his, which he obviously cherished so much but could not spell out at all, were against the concept of human rights, enshrined in international law and the United Nations Charter, of which Malaysia is a signatory. Why these so-called principles mattered, when the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land, did not figure at all in Rahim's raving, ranting, foaming and frothing. It is a wonder that such a rabid racist wore a police uniform and made it all the way to the top as the inspector-general of police. Rahim, backed by emergency laws, had the dubious distinction of running a police state during his time at the top. It is a great mystery why he never hinted even once at what these principles of his were, but perhaps this indicates more the coward in him. Instead, he likened the human rights wave — he also described it as a new religion to alarm the more simple-minded Muslims — to the communist wave of the 1930s and 1940s, which according to him killed many Malays, "obviously for being Malays". He failed to distinguish between Malays and Japanese collaborators, glossed over key details, and went on to suggest that May 13 was payback time for the number of Malays killed by the communists — he singled them out as Chinese— at the end of World War II. Rahim and his kind bring up the dire need for a national movement to defend the Federal Constitution in all its purity against any attempts to deviate and distort or observe it more often in the breach. 'Political David Copperfield' If Rahim was coy on his principles, Ibrahim left no one in doubt with his version principles, i.e. various articles in the constitution in deviated and distorted forms. During Ibrahim's raving and ranting, foaming and frothing, the special position of the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, Orang Asli and Malays, suddenly became special privileges. He was trying to do a political David Copperfield. He did not mention that the special position had a shelf life of 15 years and was confined by the constitution under Article 153 to four areas known as CISO — intake into the civil service, intake into government-owned institutions of higher learning and training privileges, government scholarships, and opportunities from the government to do business.
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| Rotate CM post among communities Posted: 28 Oct 2011 04:46 PM PDT By Michael Kaung, Free Malaysia Today SANDAKAN: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) women's wing has called for the revival of the rotation system of the Sabah chief minister's post after the coming general election. The system introduced in 1994 by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a "Sabah Baru" system for Muslim Bumiputera, non-Muslim Bumiputera and the Chinese communities to share the post every two years is the only way to prevent one community dominating the others in the state, its chief Nancy Lim said. She said the system was attractive but unfortunately when implemented had become another issue. Tun Sakaran Dandai from the Muslim Bumiputera held the chief minister post from March to December 1994 and it was then taken over by Salleh Said Keruak (December 1994-May 1996); Yong Teck Lee (May 1996 to May 1998); Bernard Dompok (May 1998-March 1999). Dompok served for only nine months because he lost the 1999 general election and the post was given to Osu Sukam who held it until March 2001. Chong Kah Kiat took over until March 2003 and he was replaced by current Chief Minister Musa Aman who has held the post until today. Lim said that for the past 16 years of BN ruling in Sabah, the chief minister's post was held more than 11 years by the Muslim Bumiputera, four years by the Chinese and only nine months by the non-Mulsim Bumiputera. She said that as LDP women's wing leader, she is concerned that the Umno-led BN government had not fulfilled its promise to the people of the state after it had deposed the popularly elected Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government in 1994. Lim was referring to Umno's promise of a "Sabah Baru" and assurances of equal opportunity to all communities and power sharing among the BN component partners. She also contended that if a person holds the chief minister's post for too long, it would make that person too powerful. "In view of that, it is time for the Sabah people, including the Kadazandusun and Murut communities to re-think the present situation as to what is the problem actually. "We propose that the new rotation system is for a minimum period of one term or four years and a maximum of two terms or eight years," Lim added. Field clean candidates Umno came to Sabah in the early 1990′s after Usno disolved and its members joined the peninsula-based party. At the time of its entry into Sabah, Mahathir urged the people of Sabah to topple the PBS government which had been accused of corruption. "It is sad to see that over the past 13 years, the so-called corrupted leaders from PBS joined the BN one after another," said Lim. "As such, we strongly support Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's initiative in selecting candidates who are clean from corruption for the coming general election," she said. Touching on the issue of poverty, Lim said that Sabah's population represented a mere 10% of the national population but yet 40% of the hardcore poor in the country are found in Sabah. According to a World Bank Report, the Rungus community who mainly live in Kudat and Kota Marudu has the highest number of hardcore poor at 40% followed by other natives such as Suluk, Orang Sungai, Bajau and the Kadazandusun and Murut (KDM). "Sabah is endowed with rich natural resources but still remain the poorest state in the country… where has Sabah's money gone to?" Lim asked. She also questioned the federal government for its failure to deal with the issue of illega immigrants in the state despite being in power in Sabah for 16 years. According to statistics, Sabah's population has grown from around 600,000 in 1970 to some 3.5 million now pointing to foreigners now outnumbering locals. |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2011 04:46 PM PDT If the allegation is true that it is nothing more than a political gimmick, Does Najib think manipulating his hajj will assure him of the people's vote? Badrul, who is also Rembau branch PKR chief, said he was made to understand that Najib deliberately chose the date Nov 11 after receiving paranormal and astrological advice which said the number 1 is the lucky digit for Najib and Rosmah. Jeswan Kaur, Free Malaysia Today News is out that the 13th general election is scheduled for Dec 10. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is expected to dissolve Parliament on Nov 11. All this will happen once Najib and wife Rosmah Mansor return from their hajj pilgrimage on Nov 6. Along with this news which was made by Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) chairperson Badrul Hisham Shaharin or better known as CheguBard, came some disturbing revelations. Naively or otherwise, Badrul said his "inside sources" told him that Najib and Rosmah's trip to Mecca was related to the image building-cum-enhancement of the PM and his domineering wife. Badrul went on to say that media coverage has been put in place to provide extensive coverage to the hajj pilgrimage performed by the premier and his wife. What is astonioshing is the reason behind the airing of the couple's pilgrimage – to influence and lure the rakyat, especially the Malays in winning their votes come the 13th GE. "Don't be surprised if the image or video clip of Najib and Romah entering the Kaabah is aired every night," Badrul was quoted as saying. Does Najib think manipulating his hajj will assure him of the people's vote and victory in the impending general election? Was that the real intent of Najib and Rosmah, to make the full of trials and tribulations journey to Mecca, to perform the hajj? Najib's hajj agenda For those doing the hajj, it is said to be a very "private" affair, between them and God. Donned in the white ihram and devoid of all material comforts, the hajj is performed with the intention of seeking forgiveness for the sins done. In the case of Najib and Rosmah, misusing the pilgrimage to further their worldly vested interests, i.e. improving their image to win the hearts of voters will put any decent human being to shame. It was just two months ago that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department or Jais gate-crashed into a thanksgiving dinner organised by the Damansara Utama Methodist Church, accusing the church of trying to convert Muslim guests at the dinner. It is illegal to proselytise Muslims in Malaysia. But extremist organisations like Perkasa were far from assured that proselytisation was never the church's agenda. In retaliation, on Oct 22, the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) was organised. Perkasa, the Malay rights group, lauded the success of Himpun claiming it unified Muslims even from opposing political factions. Himpun claims to have the backing of 200 NGOs representing four million Muslims nationwide. Yet the 100,000 seats in the Shah Alam Stadium were glaringly empty with barely 5,000 people turning up for the rally. To the Christian leaders, the Himpun fight is "irrelevant" as no conversion attempts were ever made. Himpun's co-organiser, Mohd Yusri Mohamed, had prior to the rally insisted that the rally was not anti-Christian, amid rumblings of uneasiness that it could spark further racial tensions. What does Perkasa have to say about the Najib-Rosmah hajj pilgrimage, which is all about fulfilling their hidden agenda?
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| Posted: 28 Oct 2011 04:43 PM PDT The swish of a cane against a human back heralded a new era in the East Malaysian state recently, threatening its customs and traditions Observers have also noted that the rich and famous have got off with relatively light sentences for similar offences although Islamic officials have defended the enforcement of religious law as necessary to uphold Islamic values. Free Malaysia Today The first to feel the sting of syariah law enforcement on Sabah Muslims was George B Kabayan @ Kamarudin Abdullah, a 37-year-old who had converted to Islam. He got a whipping last Oct 10. Last March, a syariah court convicted him of having unlawful sex with an Indonesian Muslim woman at his kampong in Kota Belud district, about an hour's drive from the state capital. The court also sentenced the father of five to a year's imprisonment. Suryati received the same sentence, but she is out on bail pending appeal. Two of her children were fathered by Kabayan. The two were arrested last year after villagers complained to the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department about their illicit affair. They were charged with committing unlawful sexual intercourse under Section 80(1) of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1995, for which a person can be fined up to RM5,000 or jailed for up to three years or lashed with six strokes of the cane or made to suffer any combination of the penalties. Before Kabayan, no one in the state had faced any of the three punishments. Islamic authorities hinted last year that they would be harsh against offences that most Sabahan had always viewed as private and personal moral choices, but few thought much of the warning. They should have known better. Some Muslims in the state were taken aback by the whipping of Kabayan. Before the waves of conversion in the 1990s, Sabah was predominantly populated by Christians. Village affairs and scandals were always left to the village chiefs or native courts to sort out. The harshest punishments they meted out affected only the pockets of offenders. A fine of a few head of buffaloes or some other livestock was common, although native courts could also impose prison sentences. The "adat"—native customs and traditions—controlled everyone's behaviour, especially in the kampongs, and was strictly enforced through appeasement or compensation known as "sogit" for financial loss, humiliation or embarrassment suffered by plaintiffs. Symbol of wealth Indeed that was the case just last year when a tribal court in another district of the state fined a man and his lover four buffaloes and a pig as punishment for an offence similar to Kabayan and Suryati's. Everyone was compensated, including the village where the offence was committed. Livestock, especially buffaloes, have always been considered a symbol of wealth in Sabah. They serve as dowries as well. Now that Islamic authorities have decided to enforce syariah law on Muslims, especially in the kampongs, the old ways will be diluted. The Daily Express reported on its front page on Oct 11 that 10 senior officers from the Sabah Syariah Judicial Department, headed by Head Registrar Samal Muji, witnessed Kabayan's caning at the Kepayan Prison in Kota Kinabalu. According to the paper, Kabayan initially challenged the sentence but subsequently withdrew. "This is the first syariah case in Sabah where a Muslim man has been caned," Samal was quoted as saying. "This syarie caning is not to cause pain to offenders, but to make them realise their offences and to serve as a lesson to other Muslims to stop committing the same act and to repent before it is too late." He said Kabayan was "whipped on his back by prison officers", unlike offenders in civil law, who are caned on their bare buttocks, breaking the skin and leaving permanent scars. Caning with rattan canes has been used for decades in corporal punishments in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. In 2009, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 32-year-old mother of two, became the first woman Malaysia to face caning for drinking alcohol, but the sentence was postponed and then reduced to community service following a public uproar. Enforcement officials of the Islamic Religious Department arrested Kartika for drinking beer at a hotel lounge at a beach resort in Pahang in December 2007. The syariah court sentenced her to six lashes in what was considered a warning to other Muslims to abide by religious rules. Islamic officials had taken Kartika into custody and were driving her to a women's prison for the caning when they abruptly turned around and sent her back to her family home in northern Malaysia, setting in motion a series of behind-the-scenes moves to commute the sentence. Pahang's syariah law provides for a three-year prison term and caning for Muslims caught drinking. The rich and famous Most previous offenders were fined and no woman has ever been caned and most citizens were surprised at the verdict against Kartika. Observers have also noted that the rich and famous have got off with relatively light sentences for similar offences although Islamic officials have defended the enforcement of religious law as necessary to uphold Islamic values. In April last year, Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin, 51, pleaded guilty at the Gombak Timur Lower Syariah Court in Kuala Lumpur to committing polygamy without consent of the court. His second wife, actress Zizie Izette A Samad, 32, also pleaded guilty to entering a marriage without the consent of a marriage registrar. The MP was sentenced to one month in prison and fined RM1,000, but the jail term was set aside on appeal. Judge Mukhyuddin Ibrahim reasoned that a man guilty of polygamy without consent should not be served a jail sentence because of concerns that it would affect his responsibilities to his family. He also took into account that "the reputation and image of appellant as a member of parliament would be viewed negatively by society" if the prison sentence was imposed. Amnesty International, Malaysian lawyers and some politicians have condemned the harsh syariah punishments and critics have warned it would tarnish Malaysia's image as a moderate Muslin country. Thousands of natives in Sabah and Sarawak have converted to Islam since the formation of the Malaysian Federation in 1963. Many became Muslims to improve their career prospects in the civil service and at the behest of government officials. But few knew or even considered their obligations under their new religion and the severe penalties they faced for transgressions. For instance, the Quran prescribes flogging for fornication. But all this was alien to the Islam practiced in Borneo. How does one reconcile liberal democracy with the notion that such questions have been settled forever by divine revelation? Muslims commentators acknowledge that the issue is complex.
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| Posted: 28 Oct 2011 04:40 PM PDT Islamic authorities are bent on demonising us, say local Ahmadiyya Muslims. (Free Malaysia Today) - Local Ahmaddiyya Muslims are tired of being discriminated against, and want to challenge the state to a discussion on their stand as believers. The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS), according to Ahmadiyya spokesman Maulana Ainul Yaqeen Sahib, has worked hard to declare his community as apostates. "JAIS has been attacking the Ahmadiyya through the media. Everything gets thrown against us. It's not fair. They say we are not Muslims, and (at the same time) they don't give us a chance to say anything (in return)," he told FMT. Maulana was referring to a Oct 20 television programme known as "Kes Akidah" aired by local Islamic TV station Al-Hijrah. At the time, the programme's episode was allegedly entitled "Nabi Palsu Qaidani" (False prophets of the Qaidanis). (Qaidani is another term for the Ahmadiyya.) Unhappy with the attacks against them, Ahmadiyya representatives handed over a memorandum to both JAIS and Al-Hijrah on Oct 25 and 27 respectively. In the memorandum, they demanded equal and fair treatment as Muslims in Malaysia, as well as an open discussion over their position as Muslims. The memorandum read: "What is most regrettable is that JAIS is so fervent in its attempts to prevent the Malays from becoming apostates or embracing other faiths." "But in the context of the Ahmaddiya, they so easily issue fatwas labeling us as kafirs or having left Islam." It added that an open discussion over the Ahmadiyya would be better than state-organised raids, and would avoid instances of violence and murder. The Selayang Council, as well as the Gombak Land and District Office, the memorandum said, had been influenced by JAIS in the past to persecute the Ahmadiyya. Malaysia, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country has been known to keep other Islamic sects under close watch.
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| Kuantan residents threaten sit-in if rare earth ore arrives Posted: 28 Oct 2011 04:13 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysia Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Kuantan folk have threatened to block operations of a controversial rare earth plant by holding a sit-in as claims that Lynas Corp is ready to ship in ore has heightened tension among increasingly nervous residents. Although the Australian miner has denied any plans to ship in material from its Mount Weld mine, it has also said it is confident of starting operations by the end of the year.
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| Racial politics hindrance to solving issues, say groups Posted: 28 Oct 2011 04:09 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal,The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Escalating racial politics is dampening efforts to address issues like education and poverty which should be dealt with from a "non-racial" approach, said several groups today. Twenty-one organisations have announced the formation of a "multicultural" coalition called Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM) or Plan of Action for Malaysia (PoAM) aimed at formulating ideas and ways to tackle social issues beyond racial lines. "This is a long overdue initiative to establish a multicultural, multiracial network of NGOs. "There are crucial issues in the country, problems of poverty, education which cuts across race and culture... because of the political system we have it is taken up on a racial basis," said Centre of Policy Initiatives (CPI) director Dr Lim Teck Ghee, who is on the GBM committee. The coalition comprises different interest groups like the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH), Aliran, Pertubuhan Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM), CPI, Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM), People's Green Coalition (PGC), Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF) and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram). It also includes the United Chinese School Alumni Association of Malaysia (UCSAAM), National Interlok Action Team (Niat), the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) and the Negri Sembilan Chinese Assembly Hall (NSCAH). "Previously, different groups have been approaching things from their own perspectives. Chinese organisations have been concerned with matters that affect their own community, but with the formation of this coalition, we believe it's time to do things differently," said KLSCAH president Tan Yew Sing, who is also GBM co-chairman.
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| Aziz Bari receives bullet, death threat Posted: 28 Oct 2011 04:01 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Controversial International Islamic University (UIA) professor Abdul Aziz Bari received a bullet this morning with a death threat warning him not to disrespect the Selangor Sultan who he allegedly criticised. The constitutional law expert told The Malaysian Insider he received an envelope containing a bullet and a note saying "Jangan kurang ajar dengan Sultan, maut nanti (don't be rude with the Sultan, you may die later)" at his Bandar Baru Selayang home around 11.45am this morning. "I have a function in Ipoh, I will make a police report later," he said, adding that he would speak with his lawyer first. However, when contacted at about 12.45pm, Aziz's lawyer Zulqarnain Lukman said he has not been able to contact his client. Aziz, whose suspension for allegedly attacking Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah was lifted by UIA on Sunday, has said he is "expecting charges very soon" for sedition after police completed investigations on Monday. UIA suspended the professor last week after he said the Ruler's intervention in the raid on Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) in August was "unusual and inconsistent."
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| Posted: 28 Oct 2011 03:19 PM PDT By A Specialist
The specialists continue to be paid a salary which is raised annually because of inflation. In addition they charge fees which have also risen sharply. Only a small portion of these fees is deducted for the hospital. However this is paid back by way of EPF contribution. Many of these specialists therefore earn millions in their EPF and millions by way of fees. They have become multi millionaires. |
| No English option for maths and science, says Muhyiddin Posted: 28 Oct 2011 03:15 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin insisted today there will be no leeway for schools to continue using English to teach mathematics and science despite sustained pressure from parents' groups. The deputy prime minister told reporters today that allowing schools to choose whether to stick with teaching science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) or convert to Malay would result in a "mess". "It will be difficult to plan. If a school chooses English, or Malay, how will we provide teachers?" said Muhyiddin (picture), who is also education minister. |
| Why the fuss over the 2010 AG Report Posted: 28 Oct 2011 04:28 AM PDT SAKMONGKOL AK47 Let us show you a few examples. Perhaps then readers will understand what all the fuss is over the AG Report. Bizarre overpricing- the National Youth Skills Institute (under the Youth and Sports Ministry) approved the purchase of a car jack that cost RM50 for RM5,700, a digital camera that cost RM2,990 was bought for RM8,254 and RM1,146 was paid for a set of technical pens with a market price of RM160; Negligence- the Police Air Wing purchased two helicopters worth RM117.75 million, which could not be used, as they did not meet specifications. Another RM15.4mil was spent to train pilots to fly these helicopters. Incompetence- Customs Department under-utilized its RM290mil information technology system but was planning to spend another RM451.30mil to develop a new one. These are the findings of the Auditor General's report a few years ago. From there we can more or less expect what's coming. We have all the reasons to believe that the report for 2011, will reveal the same story about misappropriation of funds, bizarre overpricing, projects not completed. These are indicators of negligence and incompetence. What is even more horrifying; these are more or less the same findings that are similar to the reports of preceding years. What does that say? It says loud and clear, the same transgressions committed were not rectified or even allowed to continue. It means the same wrongdoings are allowed to be perpetrated because the enabling circumstances and possibly the same perpetrators were allowed to persist. It further shows those responsible to ensure the transgressions are not repeated have been incompetent and negligent in carrying remedial actions. The same people who did all the transgressions are still in commanding positions; they will have the opportunity to improve upon their incompetence by doing more damage. The Chief Secretary's village fool response by way of saying he is not worried and that the problem has been dealt with because he has sent circulars asking officials to exercise more discipline is a negligent expression and ensuing act of gross callousness. I am afraid, the public isn't that forgiving. We don't want circulars- we want those transgressors punished or even sacked. As them to publicly explain what happened to those overspendings? Let's ask the chairman of Giatmara for example, where is the shop that sells the heavy duty blender for 4 times the market price. Let's make it the 1 Malaysia shop for heavy duty blenders. Maybe even give them soft loan from EPF. Let us Mydin the shop. Yet we want to extend the services of such a fellow. Let's elect Allred E Newman for Chief Secretary then. Then, we are assured the same transgressions repeated, will be met with the same incredulous response of what me worry! The answer is also, we don't have to suffer the incompetence of those entrusted to manage public money. If they don't manage properly and because it's our money they are managing, they deserve to be publicly assailed. This isn't about being perplexed as to why the opposition should bicker about the report. If you do, then we shall have to explain to you in as simple terms as possible. This is beyond opposition. This is about, the mismanagement of our money which deserves being treated as a cause of concern for possible fraud and deception. The short answer to the question then as to why the opposition gets irked by the audit report as do all right thinking Malaysians is the money being treated isn't the property of the transgressors. That being so, the administration of the money and the application of the funds thereof, must be done with utmost care. It's not your father's money. That is the short answer. The long answer is, Malaysians are fed up of the deception and misappropriation of funds.
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| Salahuddin: Foreign consultants can't turn a frog into prince Posted: 28 Oct 2011 01:04 AM PDT (Harakah Daily) - Prime minister Najib Razak's obsession with foreign consultants to boost his image is a waste of money, according to PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub. Reacting to a claim by the website Sarawak Report that Najib had recently engaged Alastair Campbell, who once worked as public relations head for Britain's Tony Blair, Salahuddin said if the report was true, Najib would be guilty of using public funds to boost his image.
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| Posted: 28 Oct 2011 12:49 AM PDT By Masterwordsmith According to Monsoon (Cup) winds of change, a well-known Malaysian business magazine reported that Terengganu is the second richest state after Selangor but its rakyat are the second poorest after Perlis. The Kelantan Menteri Besar, Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat, retorted that Kelantan may be poor compared to Terengganu, but its people are rich. "Kekayaan Kelantan di tangan rakyat," said Nik Aziz. In early 2000, he also said that Terengganu is 2nd richest state in Malaysia but rakyat are poor while Kelantan is 2nd poorest state butthe rakyat are rich. With all the economic hardship that people faced despite the fact that the state was rich, the opposition lost Terengganu back to BN in 2004. However, Kelantan stayed with opposition in spite of no development for different reasons - namely dignity and pride in the their faith of surviving without federal funding and in spite of being squeezed of federal funding. That lesson from the pages of history is an illuminating one. Our political landscape is currently in a very unpredictable and fuzzy state. Is there any point in PR crowing and boasting about how well state is doing? Positive reports are impressive and leaves one with a syiok sendiri feeling but when rakyat vote, it will be based on how well they are REALLY doing. In the light of rising food prices, people are not as happy as PR may think. So PR had better be aware! In reality, there are many individuals, families and large groups which have been pushed to the margins of society. These marginalized citizens are limited in education and employment opportunities as well as social and community networks. They have little access to power and decision-making and few opportunities to improve their standard of living. Most worrying is that in time, more and more will be marginalized and if things do not improve in every area of governance, what will happen to Malaysia? It is imperative that the government focuses on addressing real and serious issues that affect the rakyat instead of pushing their grandiose dreams and going on spending sprees. Tax revenue is from the rakyat and should directly benefit the rakyat in relevant ways. Poverty is still very real in many ways with greater income inequality as the current system has serious limitations. According to the Central Intelligence Agency of US, 3.6% of the population (2007) live below the poverty line. Imagine - just a few years ago, a can of tuna was RM2.80. Three or four years down the road, that same can of tuna is RM4.90 whilst our real income has not improved much! |
| Posted: 27 Oct 2011 11:51 PM PDT
Malaysians actually have split personalities. If they think you know who they are they can be very nice people. But if they think you do not know who they are they are downright rude and inconsiderate people. That is why they drive the way they do and comment in Malaysia Today the way they do when they think they are doing so anonymously. But if I reveal who these people are they will feel ashamed and will not want to make any more uncouth comments. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin There are some who have asked me to close the comments section because most of the comments do not add value to what we are discussing. I realise that many just want to use Malaysia Today to lepas geram (let off steam) or as a punching bag. (There is one Japanese company (can't remember which one now) that has a punching ball with the boss's face painted on it in their gym so that employees can go there to punch the 'boss' whenever they feel frustrated). I know the Ministry of Health has reported that about 50% of public transport drivers suffer some form of mental problem and a very high number of Malaysians are in the category of needing professional help. (Is this why there have been two reported cases recently of husbands burning their wives?) However, as much as you may be frustrated with your job, your boss, your wife, the government, Umno, Barisan Nasional, PERKASA, racist Malays, or whatever, Malaysia Today is not where you release your tension but where we seek solutions to the problems plaguing the nation. Then there are some who resent censorship and want to be allowed to comment without any moderation. Comments should not be blocked or deleted, they argue. If not then Malaysia Today is not practicing free speech and democracy. I have decided to accommodate both groups. We shall allow uncensored comments but you will first have to register to be allowed to comment. You see, with freedom comes accountability. You are free to murder your neighbour but you will have to suffer the punishment for murder. You are also free to be as racist and as anti-Islam as you want (no holds barred) but you must also take the risk of the government tracking you down and taking action against you. As Anwar Ibrahim said back in 1998, ''If you fear the risks then don't talk about struggles." So we shall struggle to make Malaysia a better country. But we shall have to suffer the risks. You may be hounded by the government or forced into exile. But that is the price we shall have to pay for the ideals of our struggle. My main concern is that many Malays no longer visit Malaysia Today. They have classified Malaysia Today as an anti-Malay and anti-Islam website. But I don't mind that too much. What I do mind is that Malaysia Today is becoming the catalyst for driving the Malays back to Umno. The opposition Chinese are only in power in Penang and are sharing power in Selangor. Yet they are already demonstrating arrogance, say many Malays (even my Chinese friends have told me that they have heard Malays saying this). Imagine what will happen if they control the federal government. Malaysia will be like Singapore. That set me thinking. Are maybe all those who embark on Malay and Islam bashing really opposition supporters? In the first place, are they even non-Malays or non-Muslims? They could be Umno Malay cyber-troopers who want to make the Malays angry by posting anti-Malay/anti-Islam comments in Malaysia Today. We certainly cannot rule out that possibility. Then again, they could just be arrogant Malaysians who think that they are better than others. We will never know for sure but if you observe the way the majority of Malaysians of all races drive on Malaysian roads, it certainly reflects their arrogance. In the mosque, church or temple they will be very humble. But as soon as they get behind the steering wheel they start acting like Satan. Even Muslims who wear tudung and white skullcaps act no better behind the steering wheel. Malaysians actually have split personalities. If they think you know who they are they can be very nice people. But if they think you do not know who they are they are downright rude and inconsiderate people. That is why they drive the way they do and comment in Malaysia Today the way they do when they think they are doing so anonymously. But if I reveal who these people are they will feel ashamed and will not want to make any more uncouth comments. So, feel free to comment whatever you want. However, first register yourself so that we know who you are. And note that you cannot throw stones and hide your hands like cowards. Throw stones by all means but we will be able to see which hand threw that stone. |
| The court and the PM’s Department Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:58 PM PDT The separation of powers is a central principle woven into the fabric of our Constitution. And it is essential that the judiciary is not only independent, but also seen to be independent of the other branches of Government. The separation of powers is a central principle that was woven into the fabric of our Constitution. The Alliance submission to the Reid Commission, reflecting the unanimous view of all parties in Malaya, stated that "The Judiciary should be completely independent both of the Executive and the Legislature". Andrew Yong, The Star "MAHKAMAH Jabatan Perdana Menteri". I have to admit to have been slightly taken aback, to say the least, when I saw these words the other day, embroidered in gold on the black cotton jacket of a member of the court staff at the High Court in Penang. I blinked. Was I at the wrong court? Had the High Court suddenly been subsumed into the Prime Minister's Department? Or was it that the Prime Minister's Department was now a department of the High Court? Perhaps I should have understood that cashiers, clerks and other administrative staff at the High Court were civil servants appointed by the executive and assigned to the courts to support the administration of justice. Perhaps I should have appreciated that in the absence of a dedicated Justice Ministry (which was abolished in 1970), it was only natural that such staff members would come under the Prime Minister's Department. And yet, in spite of every rationalisation that I could think of, I knew, deep down, that the words in gold thread looked wrong, and were plainly inappropriate. They could not possibly be read by a litigant appearing before the courts without giving him the wrong impression about the relationship between the courts and the head of the executive. And yet some staff manager had ordered those jackets. Some court staff members were plainly wearing them. And there must have been some judges and registrars who saw them being worn on a day-to-day basis without raising any objection. The separation of powers is a central principle that was woven into the fabric of our Constitution. The Alliance submission to the Reid Commission, reflecting the unanimous view of all parties in Malaya, stated that "The Judiciary should be completely independent both of the Executive and the Legislature". And for the public to have confidence in the judiciary, it is essential that the judiciary is not only independent, but also seen to be independent of the other branches of government. Our Merdeka Constitution originally contained admirable safeguards of judicial independence. Until 1960, Supreme Court judges were appointed by the King upon the recommendation of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, after consulting the Conference of Rulers, with no input from the executive. Only in the appointment of the Chief Justice was the Prime Minister consulted. The Merdeka Constitution likewise gave the executive no power to suspend or to constitute tribunals for the removal of judges, such powers being vested in the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, which was chaired by the Chief Justice and consisted mainly of judges or retired judges. History sadly shows that the amendments of 1960, which vested in the executive the right to select, suspend and to commence removal proceedings against judges, ultimately paved the way for the 1988 constitutional crisis, the darkest days of the Malaysian judiciary, during which Lord President Salleh Abas and two other Supreme Court judges were dismissed by the executive. Yet, even the Merdeka Constitution did not provide for a perfect separation between the executive and the judiciary. This shortcoming can best be seen in the Judicial and Legal Service (JLS), which supplies magistrates and subordinate court judges as well as government legal officers. Unlike in India, where the leaders of independence comprised many people imprisoned by the colonial justice system, and where the independence movement therefore campaigned for a strict separation of the judiciary and the prosecution services, in Malaya there has never been any pressure for such a separation. To this day, it is normal for a JLS officer to alternate between the subordinate judiciary and the government legal services, and for magistrates and Sessions court judges to be junior in the JLS to Senior Federal Counsel who appear before them. Lawyers will even tell tales of Sessions court judges standing up and addressing senior government lawyers as "Tuan" when the latter enters the judge's chambers! This state of affairs is plainly unsatisfactory. Once a judge is appointed to the High Court, he enjoys security of tenure and cannot be removed except for misbehaviour or disability. Nor can the terms of his employment be altered to his disadvantage. However, that does not prevent him from being given additional benefits by the executive. The most obvious discretionary benefit today is in the conferment of titles. In England, every High Court judge is knighted, every Court of Appeal judge is made "The Right Honourable" and every Supreme Court judge without exception gets the title of "Lord" or "Lady". But in Malaysia, there is no standard system of titles for judges. A judge who is showered with federal titles will naturally be regarded as being a favourite of the executive, whereas if a senior judge retires without any federal title, it will generally be assumed that he has displeased the executive. The inconsistent awarding of titles within the gift of the executive is detrimental to public confidence in the independence of the judiciary, and has even led to public scandal. It is high time that the judiciary, the executive and the legislature take concrete action to improve public confidence in the independence of the judiciary. The setting up of the Judicial Appointments Commission has been one positive step in recent years. It should be followed by further confidence-building reforms. > The writer is a young lawyer. Putik Lada, or pepper buds in Malay, captures the spirit and intention of this column – a platform for young lawyers to articulate their views and aspirations about the law, justice and a civil society. For more information about the young lawyers, visit www.malaysianbar.org.my.
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| Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:50 PM PDT WIKISABAH The government is still awarding the building contracts of hospitals to obscure and inexperienced companies. Every year the Auditor-General's Report shows that the federal government is not prudent in spending the people's money and it is no different this time around. The Health Ministry, for instance, is also one of the ministries that is guilty of spending money unwisely and this article attempts to look at the wastages committed by the ministry, most notably involving botched-up hospital projects. Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (October 2008) There was infrastructure failure in this hospital which was caused by poor maintenance and planning, which led to the intensive care unit (ICU) and surgical units being shut down. A few hundred of the hospital's patients were transferred after three blocks were declared unsafe by structural engineers. The hospital's management had reported the deteriorating conditions as early as 2000. The Health Ministry was supposed to have carried out maintenance and repair work on the hospital from time to time through its concession company, Syarikat Faber Mediserve Sdn Bhd.Pekan Hospital, Pahang (March 2007) This hospital located in the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was scheduled for completion in 2003 but was only finally handed over to the Health Ministry in March 2007. Among the defects were leaking pipes, collapsed ceilings and problems with the main water tank. Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor (April 2007) In September 2004, the hospital which cost RM550 million was shut down for 17 months due to a fungus problem. Two years later, large sections of the ceiling had to be removed due to structural problems. The company responsible for maintenance work was Pantai Medivest. Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Setar, Kedah (March 2007) Built at a cost of RM550 milion, the hospital was opened four years after its scheduled completion date. The then health minister, Dr Chua Soi Lek, stated that the contractors lacked the necessary expertise. Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, Sungai Petani (February 2007) Human faeces was found to be overflowing from a toilet and this forced an ICU unit to be closed temporarily. This hospital, built at a cost of RM450 million, was hailed as a state-of-the-art hospital. Another leakage had also occurred in the hospital cafeteria due to a defective sewerage pipe and there were also collapsed ceilings. Ampang Hospital, Kuala Lumpur (March 2007) This hospital was scheduled for completion in 2004 but it only opened its doors in 2007. The pediatric ward was ridden with fungus and the ceiling was similarly infected besides having the usual problem of leaking sewerage pipes. Then health minister Dr Chua Soi Lek commented that teething problems were to be expected in new buildings! Despite the existence of such problematic hospital projects, the government is still awarding the construction of public infrastructure projects and building contracts of hospitals via direct negotiations, often to obscure and inexperienced companies. This practice is absolutely unacceptable and has resulted in losses amounting to billions. None of the above contracts was awarded based on open competitive tenders and the cost of these "rent-seeking and patronage" is now taking a heavy toll on the nation's economy. And what is worse is that the government still has the audacity to expect the rakyat to pay for its faults, follies and foibles by introducing new and higher types of taxes such as the credit card tax, the real property gains tax and the soon-to-be implemented goods and services tax (GST). One special hospital project that should be mentioned here is the Shah Alam Hospital that has an "Ali Baba" twist, where the main contractor for the RM482-million project did not even lift a finger to do any work at all and yet made a bountiful profit.
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| Paid to shine Najib’s government, UK firm goes under Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:46 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - TV company FBC Media, at the centre of the Malaysia news-fixing scandal facing broadcasters BBC and CNBC, is facing collapse, The Independent newspaper reported in London today. The British daily said the London-based firm and its parent company FBC Group had gone into administration — a legal term that allows a company facing bankruptcy to carry on business — following reports it accepted £17million (RM85 million) from Putrajaya to burnish the Najib administration's image on global broadcast networks. The newspaper said FBC Media called in administrators last Monday, days before the BBC Trust was to review a BBC Executive report on a series of programmes the production company made for broadcast on the British corporation's international news and current affairs channel. FBC is also being investigated by the UK's communications industry regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), and US broadcaster CNBC, for which it produced content on the latter's flagship programme called World Business. The show has been dropped. CNBC has suspended all shows produced by FBC, which has been exposed to have also doubled up as a publicity firm for the Najib government and was paid millions of pounds to conduct a "Global Strategic Communications Campaign". FBC was set up in 1998 by award-winning US journalist Alan Friedman and other prominent media individuals who built a network of blue-chip clients that included the governments of Greece, Italy and Zambia, with contracts to promote tourism in Malaysia, Indonesia and Hungary. But Putrajaya has ended its RM96 million contract with FBC which started in 2009 after it was revealed Malaysian government leaders regularly appeared in paid-for-TV programmes. The Malaysian Insider has reported Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been contracting a series of public relations strategists, including APCO Worldwide, to shine his personal image and his government's locally and worldwide. APCO's time in Malaysia was marked by controversy after the opposition alleged the public relations firm was linked to Israel.
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| Two views on BN's premature optimism Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:40 PM PDT SAKMONGKOL AK47 I find two comments that deserve to be read by a wider audience. Both are strong opinions on the article that I just wrote. In my article I wrote about UMNO being the dominant partner in BN in the peninsula. But as the first commentator wrote, this position doesn't invite envy at all. UMNO could very find itself orphaned soon. Assuming that if 18( out of 20) of the seats now held by MIC, MCA and Gerakan fall to non BN parties, the BN's position does indeed rely on the BN partners in Sabah and Sarawak. Sarawak has 30 parliamentary seats while Sabah has 11. As the writer observed, the Sarawak strongman doesn't seem to give two hoots what Najib and Muhyidin want. Indeed he was sworn in the very night BN Sarawak was announced the winner fearing that delays would invite intrigues and machinations from national leaders. So, before the federal leaders can do him in, he thumped their noses. The message is clear. He doesn't trust our federal leaders. Maybe it's time for him to make deals with other leaders and then agree on a timetable where he can exit with dignity and not unceremoniously evicted as he nearly was after the recent Sarawak elections. PBB and its partners in Sarawak are friends under the same banner with BN leaders in Peninsula. Can the Sarawak people trust their partner in Semanjung who seemed willing to abandon its own partner in Sarawak just to retain power? With that kind of partner, they don't need enemies. Indeed Taib Mahumud who must have felt humiliated by the treatment he got from federal leaders during Sarawak elections recently, now holds the trump card. He is said to have control over 23 of the 30 MPs. He must have felt immensely chagrined as Najib repeatedly told audiences that Taib Mahmud will retire. Taib Mahmud did not say anything about retiring. He said he will retire by a schedule of his own choosing. He is not an UMNO member and therefore doesn't have someone to watch over him. His party delivered 100 per cent results while UMNO in the Peninsula couldn't hold a candle to his track record. In short UMNO has no influence at all over Taib Mahmud. He can do very well as he damn pleases. I have not said anything about Sabah and Sarawak. If the lifeline needed isn't extended to UMNO and BN in Semanjung, UMNO and BN will find themselves on the opposition benches. That would usher in the much needed cleansing process and the weak in constitution will be weeded out. It's a common anecdotal observation that should there be a hung government or BN and UMNO loses in the GE, its MPs can be induced and encouraged to cross over while just having teh tarik. Its that simple.
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| Will PAS be able to transform itself? Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:31 PM PDT The Islamic party can rule Malaysia if certain crucial issues are addressed urgently. What PAS has not done successfully is to articulate and implement new economic measures to help the Muslim community. They must have a group of economists and technocrats to explain how they can govern better than Barisan Nasional; how they can uplift the lot of Muslims in Malaysia. Zaid Ibrahim, Free Malaysia Today The Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) rally was held recently, ostensibly to protect the Muslim faithful from scavenging Christian evangelists. Himpun supporters believe that as many as 250,000 Muslims have deserted their faith as a result, and those who gathered at the Shah Alam Stadium for the rally were there to say they want the government to stop this Muslim exodus. Of course, the gathering was not just organised to save Islam, but also to enable a certain political party to shore up its faltering support. In politics, when everything else fails, you ride the religious bandwagon. Still the concern of some Muslims to attempts by Christian groups to induce vulnerable members of the faith to convert must be addressed. The gathering may be small, but the message of concern on the issue of conversion is real. Unfortunately Muslim leaders from both parties seem to think that the remedy to the problem is to punish apostasy. What they should propose is how to make Muslims have stronger faith and belief in their own religion. Don't blame others for our own weakness. Putting in place severe punishment for those who want to walk away from the religion is also futile. You cannot imprison belief and faith; nor deter people from believing just because of the severity of punishment. Look at what the Romans did to the early Christians – they imposed brutal and severe punishment but to no avail. The good thing that emerges from the rally is PAS refusal to participate. By refusing to participate in the rally, PAS has shown its maturity, one that's suitable for a modern country in the 21st century. This they have done reasonably well. Non-Muslims today trust PAS more than Umno in terms of bringing about racial unity. They have also done better on the religious tolerance score card, as they seem to allow other religions more space to practise their faith.
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| Barking up the wrong tree for Malay unity Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:27 PM PDT Umno began digging its grave when it allowed Mahathir to refashion it as Umno Baru. It is no longer possible for Malay nationalists to continue to harp on the so-called economic weakness of their community or project the Chinese as the bogeyman to foster Malay political unity under one platform, the platform of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Umno Baru. Joe Fernandez, Free Malaysia Today Umno, from time to time, beats the drums of war on "political unity", one of the sacred cows in things Malay. Witness the call for PAS-Umno unity talks and a myriad other stage-managed events since 2008, including, at one time, stomping on a cow's head to rile the Hindus. Nowadays, these drumbeats are more a ventilation of the Umno activists' ignorance of their party's history, which began with the anti-Malayan Union movement in 1946, although the spiritual roots go further back in the concept of Malay nationalism first espoused by the Jawi Peranakan. The Jawi Peranakan were the Singapore-born offspring of immigrant Muslims, many of whom came from Kerala, India (see William Roff's "Origins of Malay Nationalism"). All nationalisms are defined by what they oppose. Indian nationalism, for example, opposed the idea of the British continuing to rule over large parts of the sub-continent. Malay nationalism, meant to draw together the Muslims in Malaya and Singapore into a political movement, harped on the economic weakness of the Muslims vis-à-vis the local Chinese. Malay nationalism eventually saw the departure of the British from Malaya and Singapore, the regaining of independence, and the birth of Malaysia with the coming together of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak in a greater federation. Subsequently, Malay nationalism saw the expulsion of Chinese-dominated Singapore from Malaysia for being the thorn in Malay economic and political aspirations, the death of the 1963 Malaysia and Malay re-colonisation in 1965 of Dusun Sabah and Dayak Sarawak, the birth of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and the deviations in the implementation of Articles 3, 152 and 153 of the Federal Constitution. The distortion of the constitution led, ultimately, to a backlash from the Indian underclass in 2007, spearheaded by Hindraf Makkal Sakthi. Malay nationalism is dead in the wake of that backlash. The new nationalism in Malaysia is that of the Dusun and Dayak against Malay neo-colonialism. It is no longer possible for Malay nationalists to continue to harp on the so-called economic weakness of their community or project the Chinese as the bogeyman to foster Malay political unity under one platform, the platform of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Umno Baru. The Chinese, on their part, have more than a few issues to pick with the Malay nationalists for the manner in which they have been running the country since independence. So, is it any wonder that the so-called Malay nationalists are looking for new imaginary foes? Himpun failure The Himpun call for a gathering of one million of the faithful is a case in point of Malay nationalism trying to reinvent itself for the 21st century. The police, clearly "racist to the core" as more than one commentator has observed, bent over backwards and indeed fell all over themselves in approving the permit for the gathering in record time. Their rationale: "The gathering presented no security threat" and moreover would be confined to a stadium. It is difficult to fathom how the police define "threats to national security". The Himpun organisers, who claim a membership of four million members, could only muster between 4,000 and 5,000 people. In stark contrast, the old Umno had the total, undivided, unanimous support of Muslims in Peninsular Malaysia and, at one time, in Singapore. Umno has lost its moorings on the concept of Malay unity, the Himpun gathering being the latest illustration after the hoo-hah over the Bible being in Malay print and Christians calling out to Allah. The blame for that loss must lie with Mahathir, who stage-managed the court declaration that Umno was unlawful. Had the court discounted the illegal votes of the 30-odd unlawful branches in the 1987 Umno presidential election, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah would have won hands down against Mahathir. The declaration allowed Mahathir to bury the Umno of the anti-Malayan Union movement (and Malay nationalism with it) and initiate the offshoot Umno Baru based on his own perceptions and aimed at fostering dynastic politics, that is, the rotation of political power among a few "Malay" families of Indian, Bugis and other origins. Mahathir also buried his arch enemy Tengku Razaleigh by keeping him and his supporters out of Umno Baru.
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| Winning the mind, not the heart Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:20 PM PDT A business leader says that Barisan Nasional must not take the Indian community for another ride, and calls for concrete steps to be initiated. "Spending millions on Deepavali bashes, fancy billboards and holding concerts will not benefit the community. We must journey beyond such superficial efforts to remedy the malaise," he told FMT. RK Anand, Free Malaysia Today The mammoth turnout for the Deepavali open house in Batu Caves has been trumpeted as another sign of the Indian community's support returning for the ruling coalition under the stewardship of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. In the last general election, Indian voters, whose support for BN remained unwavering till then, cast their ballots for the opposition, leaving the coalition with a bloodied nose. Upon assuming office in the following year, Najib embarked on a quest to win back the heart and mind of the Indian electorate. While a spate of by-elections revealed that his efforts to woo Chinese votes yielded little, if no success, the voting trend in the same by-elections appears to be encouraging as far as Indian support is concerned. Indian leaders in MIC and other pro-BN organisations have lauded Najib for his willingness to elevate the socio-economic standard of the community. However, a seasoned political observer and business leader noted that the prime minister is winning over the minds with mere cosmetic changes and fanfares but has yet to make inroads into the hearts of the Indians. Politician or statesman? According to Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar, Najib must make an important decision. He must decide between being another run-of-the mill politician churning out "quick-fixes" to win votes and a statesman who will initiate genuine reforms to uplift a community that has been, in the words of MIC president G Palanivel himself, marginalised for decades. "Spending millions on Deepavali bashes, fancy billboards and holding concerts will not benefit the community. We must journey beyond such superficial efforts to remedy the malaise," he told FMT. "BN should not take the Indian community for another ride," he stressed, showering criticism on the community's leaders who are willing accomplices in this plot. The community leaders who help the ruling coalition perpetuate the oppression of the Indian community, he added, are committing a cardinal sin. "This is because they are digging the graves of the future generation even before the dust has settled on the graves of the older generation," he said. GLC ads meaningless Commenting on the Deepavali advertisements by government-linked companies, Sivakumar said it would have been more meaningful if Najib had announced that a certain percentage of employment opportunities or business contracts have been set aside for the Indians in GLCs such as Petronas and Pos Malaysia. "For years, these companies only display their 'all-encompassing' attitude in advertisements during the festive season but the reality on the ground is starkly different. "Are we as Malaysian citizens whose forefathers' sweat and toil contributed immensely towards the progress of this nation, asking for too much?" he added. Acknowledging that Indian support is growing for BN, the Miba president warned that the urban middle class and more educated Indian voters remain unconvinced and the government should not make the mistake of resting on its laurels thinking that all is well. "These voters want to see significant changes and not dancers prancing on the stage. They are not interested in being paid to attend functions or a free lunch. If the government fails to deliver the goods, they will not deliver the votes. It's as simple as that," he added. He said these voters want a just, equitable, transparent and accountable government which respects fundamental human rights.
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| Proxy war in the battle of three PMs Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:08 PM PDT Lim Kit Siang says that Najib's credibility rests on his human rights stand at CHOGM. (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP adviser, Lim Kit Siang, today questioned whether the twin warnings by former Inspector-General of Police, Rahim Noor, and former premier, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, on human rights in Malaysia was in fact "an open proxy shot in a battle of three prime ministers". Rahim had likened the rise of human rights movements to communism during Perkasa's general assembly on Wednesday. His statement sparked outrage among various human rights groups but won endorsement from Mahathir who warned that human rights was being used for political benefit by the opposition. In his latest blog post, Lim noted the uncanny timing of both warnings with the opening of the CHOGM today, which will consider a report of an 11-member Eminent Persons Group (EPG). The report contains reform proposals to end its organisational "decay" and avoid the Commonwealth being condemned as "hypocritical" for allowing rogue member states to violate human rights and democratic conventions. Lim said that the EPG report includes 106 recommendations including the appointment of an independent Commonwealth Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights commissioner empowered to monitor violations and propose action against rogue states. "And heading the EPG is none other than our fifth prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi," he pointed out. "Were the warnings by Mahathir and Rahim a warning to Najib not to support Abdullah's EPG proposals in improving the Commonwealth's response to human rights violations?" Poor analysis The Ipoh Timur MP further queried whether Najib would now endorse Abdullah and the EPG proposals or buckle under pressure by Mahathir and Rahim to shield rogue Commonwealth countries from scrutiny and censure. "The stand Najib takes in Perth will be a clear indication as to whether his promises of democratisation and political transformation have any credibility," he said. The EPG report had also warned that it was time for the Perth CHOGM to authorise the urgent reform it recommends and to mandate a concrete implementation plan.
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| Yen Yen denies overpaying RM270m Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:06 PM PDT The prices paid for the advertisements are never above the market price, says the tourism minister. (Free Malaysia Today) - Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen denied today that her ministry had overpaid close to RM270 million worth of advertisements as reported in the 2010 Auditor-General's (AG) Report, which is a breach of Treasury rules. "The ministry did not overspend, did not spend more… The report says that the amount of direct buy is more but not the total amount of promotion is more, there's a difference," Ng, who is MCA vice-president, told reporters today after launching the 2011 Art Expo Malaysia here. In the report, the AG had reported that the ministry had overpaid in advertising fees when it tendered out its contracts directly. Ng failed to reply to this but merely said direct negotiations were permitted and maintained that the prices paid were not above market rates. "With direct negotiation, you deal directly with the media, you do away with intermediary. The prices we paid are never above the market price". Ng has been implicated in a similar financial controversy in the past. Her ministry was accused of blatant abuse of power when opposition leaders revealed the payment fee of close to RM2 million to start up the ministry's Facebook page. She denied any wrongdoing and justified the payment of the fees. Report true, says Ng Ng admitted today that the report is "true" but again denied that her ministry had overspent, pointing out that her ministry had obtained a "Sijil Bersih (Clean Certificate) in the Auditor-General's Report. "We admit that the report is true, but we did not overspend. In fact, our promotion budget was the lowest in 2009 and 2010, but the amount of direct negotiations was higher because we wanted to go right on and get as much value for money as possible," she said
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| Don’t legalize discrimination at work place Posted: 27 Oct 2011 07:04 PM PDT Civil rights groups here and overseas want the Malaysian government to withdraw 'unjust' amendments to the Employment Act 1955 (Free Malaysia Today) - More than a 100 civil society groups locally and abroad have called for the government to withdraw 'unjust' amendments to the Employment Act 1955, ahead of a nationwide Malaysian Trade Union Congress(MTUC) picket on the same issue next week. In a joint press statement 107 civil society groups expressed concern over the government's actions to "speedily" table and passed the the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2011 on Oct 6 at the Dewan Rakyat, despite protests from various groups against it. "The proposed changes to the Employment Act would be most detrimental to worker rights, trade unions and the existing just direct two-party employment relationship between worker and end-user (the principal)," said the group, which included the International Trade Union A spokesman for the group Charles Hector said: "Malaysia's action goes contrary to justice. "In many countries employers have been wrongly trying to avoid/disguise employment relationships by way of contracts/agreements and triangular relationships, and Malaysia rather than fighting against this negative trend is now trying to legalize it, hence showing itself to be anti-worker anti-unions." The groups noted that the amendments went against the Federal Constitution, which guaranteed equality of persons, as it would result in "discrimination at the workplace". "Workers doing the same work at the factory, would be treated differently in terms of wages, work benefits and even rights by reason of the fact that their employers are different," said the statement. The statement stressed that workers in the same workplace should be treated equality— in terms of wages, work benefits, rights, union rights, and so on. 'Destroying' ties The civil groups also said the proposed amendments would also "destroy" direct employment relationships between owner-operator of workplaces. "A just employment relationship dictates that all workers should be employees of the owner-operator employer not some other third party labour supplier, whether they be known as 'contractor for labour', outsourcing agent or by any other name." It stressed that such a "relationship" must be a direct relationship, and should exclude all third parties. "The availability of short-term employment contracts is another reason why there is no need to legalize triangular or other employment relationships in Malaysia through the creation of the 'contractor for labour' (system)," it added. If the amendments become law, then workers would also lose their rights to form or be members of the trade union at the workplace. This will subsequently affect their right to directly and effectively negotiate with the principal who effectively controls the work place, working conditions and benefits. 'Union busting' policy This would also weaken existing workers and unions, by reducing their negotiating power, and in turn make workers' struggle better rights wll become "almost impossible". "This proposed amendment is a 'union busting' exercises and allows employers to utilize 'divide and rule' tactics to counter legitimate demands of their workers and avoid employer obligations and responsibilities," said the groups. The groups also said the amendments further made unjustifiable changes to delay in overtime payment and work on rest days, as well as issues regarding sexual harrassment. "With regard to sexual harassment, the new provision provides only for inquiry by an employer even when the alleged perpetrator is a member of the management, a partner, shareholder and/or director of the employer's business, and provides no clear right of appeal to the
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| Posted: 27 Oct 2011 06:34 PM PDT
I suppose to say that Yap Ah Loy was the biggest pimp in Malaysia would not be wrong -- historically speaking, that is. But do I need to say that? And why would I want to say that if not merely to insult the Chinese? And I am not that type of person who would want to insult the Chinese in that manner, unlike many Malaysia Today readers. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
I have deleted quite a number of comments in my article 'I am Malay, and you better not forget it'. The reason I deleted them is because I am of the opinion that they are stupid comments and if I were to allow the comments then it would make Malaysia Today look stupid. And I hate to look stupid. It upsets me. Furthermore, some comments were posted with mala fide intentions. It was not what they said but the way they said it. You do not need to be an Oxford graduate to detect the intentions behind the comment. Anyway, I will expand a bit more on this later. Of course, that is my opinion and I am entitled to my opinion. So if you are one of those who posted a comment but can't see it published, then you will know what I think of you. And if you feel insulted then rest assured that that is my intention. What about freedom of expression? What about the democratic right to say what you want? Well, you have every freedom and democratic to start your own blog and post whatever you want in that blog. But I own Malaysia Today so I too have the freedom and democratic right to block or delete comments I don't like. That is how freedom and democracy works. You have the right to comment and I have to right to disallow the comment. We are both within our rights. If you have the right to comment but I, as the owner of Malaysia Today, have no right to block or delete the comment, then that is not democracy. But that is not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is the history of Kuala Lumpur. I want to correct some misconceptions about how Kuala Lumpur was founded. Raja Abdullah, the brother of Sultan Abdul Samad, had the rights to mine tin in Selangor. But he did not have the expertise. So he teamed up with a Chinese named Yap Ah Loy. Maybe this can be called the first Ali Baba enterprise in Malaysia. So my ancestors started the concept of Ali Baba. Yap Ah Loy and Raja Abdullah sailed up the Kelang River to the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak Rivers. They disembarked at where the Masjid Jamek now stands and trekked overland to Ampang. That was where they decided the first tin mine would be opened. Yap Ah Loy then brought in boatloads of Chinese labourers from China to work the tin mines. Most died of diseases. Sometime entire kongsis were wiped out. But China was never short of people so Yap Ah Loy just brought in new boatloads to replace those that had died. Life was cheap in those days. Eventually, Ampang grew and the area around the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak Rivers prospered. That was where Ampang Road started, which was not only the first road but also probably the longest road in Kuala Lumpur that stretched all the way to the Ampang Village where the tin mines were located. Yap Ah Loy saw a great opportunity in servicing his Chinese community. So he opened up gambling dens, opium dens and brothels. He then brought in boatloads of young Chinese girls to work as prostitutes in his brothels. So it can be said that the first Chinese women to come to Malaya were prostitutes. Even the British officers patronised Yap Ah Loy's brothels for a taste of the best Chinese girls. Invariably, the British got first tasting of newly arrived Chinese girls and only after the British were done with them were they placed on the open market for the Chinese labourers to enjoy. The history of Kuala Lumpur is not as glamorous as some historians try to portray it. Of course, Yap Ah Loy did found Kuala Lumpur; that was no lie. But Kuala Lumpur was founded against the backdrop of the vice trade -- gambling, opium and prostitution -- and mainly to serve the Chinese market plus some British officers whose job was to keep the peace in Selangor and administer the state. Now, that is the true history of the founding of Kuala Lumpur. You can look it up in the history books. Royal History Professor Khoo Kay Kim can confirm this. The question is though: why am I telling you this history? If it is with intention to educate you and to correct some errors and misconceptions in what is being written by Utusan Malaysia that is well and fine. After all, history is history and the truth is the truth. But if my intention is to insult the Chinese and to remind the Chinese that the first women to be brought in to Kuala Lumpur were prostitutes and therefore many Chinese in Malaysia are actually descendants of prostitutes, then this is being done with mala fide intentions. So, sometimes, the truth is not just the truth. The truth can also be provocation and insults. The manner you say it and the reason behind why you are saying it can change the truth to an insult or provocation. This appears to be a concept lost to many Malaysia Today readers. Maybe we should blame the education system. Maybe these people were not taught proper manners by their parents. Maybe it is because of a superiority complex they are having -- so they feel they can run down others because they are better than others. Maybe these people know they are not that great so by running down others they can feel great. Or maybe they just don't have a well-developed brain and are slightly better than country bumpkins. Or maybe it is a combination of all the above. Nevertheless, many have still not grasped the concept of freedom of expression and constructive criticism. They still think that freedom of expression and constructive criticism means the freedom to say that the Malaysian Chinese are descendents of prostitutes brought in from China to work the brothels owned by Yap Ah Loy. I suppose to say that Yap Ah Loy was the biggest pimp in Malaysia would not be wrong -- historically speaking, that is. But do I need to say that? And why would I want to say that if not merely to insult the Chinese? And I am not that type of person who would want to insult the Chinese in that manner, unlike many Malaysia Today readers. |
| Lawyers For Liberty Condemns Najib's Continued Support for the Illegal Refugee Deal With Australia Posted: 27 Oct 2011 05:43 PM PDT By Renuka T Bala, Lawyers for Liberty Lawyers for Liberty once again calls upon Prime Minister Najib Razak not to dilute the protection that international law accords to refugees. With the purported agenda of busting people smuggling and combating human trafficking, the Malaysian Government, has reiterated its determination to revive the scandalous refugee swap deal despite the Australian High Court's finding which declared the deal illegal.
The Australian High court also stated that in addition to the above criteria the Migration Act requires that the country meet certain human rights standards in providing that protection. Lawyers for Liberty maintain that as long as Malaysia remains non-committal to any form of meaningful protection to asylum seekers in Malaysia, as evinced by legal framework- such illegal deals should never be endorsed. To start with, Malaysia has yet to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention - which would declare Malaysia's commitment to recognizing fundamental legal rights of asylum seekers. Further to date, refugees and asylum seekers are not allowed to work, frequently vulnerable to arrests and held in deplorable conditions of detention and if found guilty and convicted under Section 6 of the Immigration Act, are liable to be punished with whipping. |
| Lawyers For Liberty Condemns Irresponsible Statement on Human Rights by Rahim Noor and Tun Mahathir Posted: 27 Oct 2011 05:42 PM PDT By Murnie Hidayah Anuar, Lawyers for Liberty Indeed it comes as no surprise that Rahim Noor – who was once the country's highest police officer would make such remarks. During his time in office, Rahim Noor was guilty of widespread human rights abuses carried out by his police force under his directions, particularly during the reformasi period. Nobody in their right mind can fathom his poor analysis in trying to dismiss human rights as a communism-like wave. However, a key prominent figure, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir has joined the fray in support of Rahim Noor, who has been heavily criticised for his outrageous remarks. Moreover, Mahathir himself was another blatant violator of human rights during his tenure as PM. One clear example is the mass arrests during Ops Lalang and police brutality during the early years of Reformasi. We should also not forget that it was under Mahathir's orders to destroy Anwar Ibrahim and the rakyat's reformasi movement that Rahim Noor beat Anwar close to death on the night of 20 September 1998. Mahathir immediately covered up Rahim's crime by suggesting Anwar had beaten himself up just to get sympathy. Rahim later confessed to his crime and was convicted. The attitude of BN governments since independence is that Human Rights advocates and activists are mere pests who should be disregarded and persecuted. In taking this position they are absolutely wrong and failing in their duty to the Rakyat. Human rights are an important pillar for the people to ensure that the State exercises full and frank disclosure in the affairs of the state. In any truly democratic state, human rights advocates ought to be hailed as the voice of the people in guaranteeing the people's freedoms and the accountability of the State. In pursuit of true democracy, one should ensure the human rights of the people are not breached. Recognizing this many organization and Unions of sovereign states claim to subscribe to human rights standards but fail to do so in reality. Malaysiabeing a member of OIC should not forget that even OIC has its own charter on Declaration of Human Rights. Malaysia is also part of the Human Rights Council under the United Nations, - such remarks made by Rahim Noor, Mahathir and other anti Human Rights figures is a major embarrassment to our nation. |
| SMSL press release on the press conference held on the 28th Oct 2011 Posted: 27 Oct 2011 05:40 PM PDT By Steve Hang, SMSL SMSL has on the 7th of Oct 2011 met with MITI and ensuing from the meeting MITI has agreed to send a team of officials comprising of various relevant departments to come to Kuantan to conduct a dialogue with the stakeholders concerning the LAMP issue. We have written to MITI and posted the letter to MITI by express post on the 14th Oct 2011. Till this day we have yet to receive a reply. We hereby urge the department concerned especially MITI to walk their talk and send a team of the officials as promised to come and have an open dialogue with the local stakeholders on the issue. We shall send them a reminder and we hope they will demonstrate their sincerity in carrying out their promise and come to Kuantan to engage in a civil and open dialogue with the residents living around this region. |
| KDM Malaysia a desperate attempt to entice KDMs to Umno Posted: 27 Oct 2011 05:37 PM PDT By Daniel John Jambun Datuk John Ambrose, as the founder and President of the newly registered KDM Malaysia (KDMM) has been making a lot of publicity about the new association. Immediately we can sense that, although it is an NGO, it is not your usual type of voluntary organization. Firstly, it unashamedly declared that it number one purpose is to get KDMs to support Umno. KDMM has no intention to go into cultural and identity preservation work for the KDMs. It aims mainly to break the KDMs further by enticing them to Umno, i.e. away from PBS, Upko, PBRS and the opposition. So Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan is right in saying it a tool of divide and rule by Barisan Nasional. The first question that comes to our mind when contemplating on the honest and open declaration by Ambrose is: Why the need for KDMM to help Umno? Can't Umno, on its own credential as a political party, have enough attraction to entice KDMs to join it? Does Umno Penampang believe that it can entice firstly the people of Penampang to join Umno by getting them to love KDMM first and then later to love and embrace Umno? Does Ambrose believe he can use the same formula being used by PBS (to entice people by getting them to join KDCA first and then join PBS)? In May this year, after Ambrose belatedly formed the Umno KDM Task Force to ingratiate himself to Umno, the Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth Secretary cum Kimanis Umno chief Mohamad bin Alamin strangely made a harsh attack to tell Ambrose that, "Having the task force in the party may cause disunity and create racial factions. It will also encourage other leaders from different ethnic groups in Umno and BN to create similar task force to safeguard and serve their respective communities. Who knows may be the Brunei or Bajau leaders also want to establish a similar task force group to ensure their rights are also taken care of and such situation can lead to disunity without us realising it." He said the task force was illegal because it wasn't part of the Umno Constitution and never got any sanction from the Umno Supreme Council. We can smell that Mohamad was jealous because he couldn't form a Malay Task Force in Umno because it would look ridiculous. Or was he afraid that Ambrose could increase his (Ambrose's) popularity too much in Umno, and that Ambrose could become too important and bigheaded? Isn't this a case of a condescending attitude on the part of Umno who must ensure the Malays keep being the seniors in the party and KDMs shouldn't try to be too smart and overtake the bossy Malays who are supposed to be from a greater race of people? Most importantly, Mohamad pointed out that "There is no need to have a Malaysia Umno KDM Task Force as having Sabah Umno here is already sufficient to meet the needs and interests of all races including the KDM through the BN component parties." But most importantly he pointed there is NO NEED for a KDM Task Force in Umno. He also conveniently missed the point that task forces of various radical groups in Umno would try to get support for Umno and not to compete for positions. But now that Ambrose has circumvented this silly protest by Mohamad, and registering and announced KDMM, what can Mohamad say anymore? Why doesn't he say this is wrong because then the Bajaus will now have to form and register Bajau Malaysia, the Bruneis Brunei Malaysia, the Indonesians Indonesia Malaysia, the Suluks Suluk Malaysia and the Malays Malay Malaysia? So far no Umno leader had responded to KDMM's announcement. But we need to ask again: What is KDMM really for? It is, again, by Ambrose's own admission, strictly for a political purpose, i.e. to try to increase KDMs' support for Umno. The obvious question is, why? It clearly means Umno Sabah has failed to get enough support from the KDMs. But we wonder how many KDMs with enough intelligence would rush to join KDM Malaysia because Ambrose said they will be encouraged to support Umno as well! Ambrose also proudly announced KDMM will undertake welfare programs to build houses for the KDMs which begs the question: Where will KDMM get the money to build thousands of houses for the poor? If it aims to get funding from the government for this project, then what is the PPRT program for and won't KDMM clash also with the ministry of Rural Development? And will KDMM behave like a political party by campaigning for political support and asking for project allocations as if it is a political party, and as if Ambrose was an Assemblyman or a Member of Parliament? If he can do that, so can the Kadazandusun cultural Association (KDCA), the United Sabah Bajau Organisation (USBO), the United Sabah Bisaya Association (PBBS), the Sabah Sungai People Association (SABAS) and so on and so forth. And to stretch the strange logic further, why don't all associations join the BN and ask for development allocations as well? Isnl;t it the more the merrier? What's so special about KDMM that only it can get rural development allocations while the other similar association can't? Is it because Ambrose is the blue-eyed boy of Najib and Rosmah? What KDMM aims to do may be noble but it has the potential of creating precedents with very unpleasant consequences. As is always in cases of NGOs having stated political leanings to a certain party, KDMM can't escape from the problem of conflicts of interests. Ambrose claims there is no conflict of interest in KDMM supporting Umno, but how about the situation of some members who joined the association but are interested only to help the KDM communities voluntarily but are not interested in politics, or have a dislike for Umno? One way or another they will be seen as pro-Umno or pro-BN, just like the KDCA members are seen as pro-PBS. If they are members of the opposition, will they be accepted into KDMM? Will present KDMM members who are now pro-Umno later decide to support the opposition? If so, what if they spend some of their time campaigning for the opposition, and against Umno and BN? And what if they are holding high positions in KDMM as well? Will Ambrose tolerate them for long? They can even gather enough support to oust Ambrose and take over the KDMM, and convert the association into a apolitical entity or even become pro-opposition! This proves that Ambrose was lying through his teeth when he said there was no conflict of interest in KDMM being pro-Umno. Maybe Ambrose might as well convert KDMM into a political party and stop all the lame pretences and lies. |
| Posted: 27 Oct 2011 05:12 PM PDT ART HARUN With all due respect to Associate Professor Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah - a well known academic, ulamak and preacher in Malaysia - I must admit of being astounded by his remark at a forum entitled 'Hudud: Its dilemma and implementation' organised by Malay-language daily Sinar Harian in Shah Alam on 25th October 2011. (His speech at the said forum can be viewed on YouTube.) At around the 9th minute of the video, Dr Ridhuan strongly asserted that Islamic law has to be implemented by force and there is no other way to educate the non-Muslims on Islamic laws than by force. Dr Ridhuan added that the most opportune time for "us" to do so was after the 13th May 1969 incident and lamented the fact that "we" had let that opportunity gone. During the speech, Dr Ridhuan lamented the fact that non-Muslims, especially the Chinese, have a negative view of Islamic state and hudud generally. Speaking from experience, as a Chinese, Dr Ridhuan insisted that he knows the Chinese's attitude towards Islam and that that attitude has not changed. Firstly, I must confess that I am more than a little bit perplexed by Dr Ridhuan's attempt to connect the racial riot of 13th May 1969 with the idea of an Islamic state and the implementation of hudud or Islamic laws in Malaysia. The riot of 13th May 1969, as far as I know, had nothing to do with the desire by any particular section of our society, including the Muslims/Malays, for an Islamic state or for the implementation of Islamic laws in Malaysia. If the mainstream version of the riot were to be believed, that riot was caused by the economic imbalances between the Malays and the non-Malays, giving rise to a deep and seething anger between the two sections of the society culminating in racial hatred. This was sparked by the unprecedented victory of the DAP in the general election immediately preceding the riot and the subsequent victory march by the DAP. The whole situation was worsen by the election campaigns which were full of racial rhetoric and overtone and the killing of some Chinese suspected to be communists. Never have I read about the riot being anything about Islam, Islamic state or the implementation of Islamic laws. Even the non-mainstream version of the riot has omitted mentioning anything about those issues being the possible cause of the riot. As neither Islam, Islamic state nor Islamic laws was part of the catalyst or cause of the riot, how could Dr Ridhuan surmise that the most "opportune of time" to implement Islamic laws in Malaysia was after the riot? There is an obvious lack of cause, causation and result here. I mean, Dr Ridhuan may very well say that 31st August 1957 would be the most opportune time for all of us to choose Islamic state as the governing model of our nation. I would certainly understand that remark because that was the starting point of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu as an independent state. But to relate the choice of an Islamic state as a model "after" the riot of 13th May 1969 is as perplexing as any suggestion that the most opportune time to implement Islamic laws in Malaysia would be just after the Bersih rally, for example. Regardless of the lack of any tangible connection between the May 13th riot and the issue of Islamic state, Dr Ridhuan had, by his remark, obviously – or even perhaps, inadvertently – exposed the notion, which could be popular among the neo-right winged-nationalist in contemporary Malaysia that the May 13th riot was "won" by the Malays or Muslims. Premised on this notion of a "victory" being achieved by the Malays/Muslims during the May 13th riot, Dr Ridhuan quite obviously thought that the Malays/Muslims, as the victors, could have imposed an Islamic state model on Malaysia or implement hudud/Islamic laws as the laws of Malaysia after the said "victory." Conversely, the non-Muslims, particularly the Chinese, as the "vanquished", would not have been able to resist such forceful imposition of Islam on them at that point of time. That, to my mind, would have been the natural conclusion of Dr Ridhuan's remark. With all due respect to Dr Ridhuan's scholarly position, I view that with sadness. The May 13th riot has no victors. Malaysia as a nation, society and people were all losers on that fateful day and from that dark blot on our history. May 13th 1969 was an absolute failure of all of us as a people. It was a day when we had left our power to reason and rationalise and let our primordial kinship and tribalistic emotions to take over. It was a day when we discarded civility and civilisation and opted for barbarism. Victory on the May 13th riot and its aftermath, in my opinion, could only be measured by our collective ability and willingness, as a people and a nation, to learn the lessons brought about by the riot and to take measures to address the causes which sparked the riot. Anything else is a failure. The notion that the Malays/Muslims could have done anything, including imposing an Islamic state model during its aftermath, is a perversion and represents an almost nihilistic view of the riot, its causes and consequences. It is yet another unwelcome addition to the plethora of abuses to which the Malay psyche has been subjected all this while. As a Malay Muslim, I find it absolutely objectionable. Dr Ridhuan's lamentation that the Chinese, particularly, has a negative view of Islam and that their negative attitude towards Islam has not changed while at the same time asserting that hudud or Islamic laws must be implemented by force is, with respect, the peak of irony. It is an irony because one of the main reason why the non-Muslims throughout the world have such a dim view of Islam is answered by Dr Ridhuan himself in his statement that Islamic laws should be implemented by force, regardless of any party's objection to it. To many, the attitude of some of our ulamaks and mullahs are reflective of Islam's supposed intolerance of others, most particularly other faiths and not to mention cultures, breed and creed. If Dr Ridhuan would stop and think at the repercussion of his assertion as such, he would realise that by making that assertion, he had managed to isolate millions of non-Muslims from the beauty of Islam, a faith that was premised on absolute respect for each other. Dr Ridhuan would do well to realise that the Kharijite-ist approach towards maintaining Islam as the one and only faith does not bode well with Islam's core teaching of mutual existence, respect and co-operation. If we were to force the implementation of Islamic laws in Malaysia, by extension, why don't we, as Muslims, force everyone to convert to Islam then, if I may ask? The answer is provided by God Himself, when in the Quran He says:- "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things." (Quran 2:256) Then He says again: "If it had been your Lord's will, all of the people on Earth would have believed. Would you then compel the people so to have them believe?" (Quran 10:99) Dr Ridhuan insisted that as a Chinese coming from a family who are staunch non-believers of Islam, he knew how the Chinese feel about Islam. His disdain for the parties whom he always describes as "ultra-kiasu" is well known. Dr Ridhuan may have his own deeply personal reason for that. It is not for me, or for anybody else, to judge him for that. But surely Dr Ridhuan should not let his disdain prevent him from being just. The Quran says: "O you who believe! Be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice, and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to piety, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is Aware of what you do." Quran 5:8) Muslims and non-Muslims must be made to know and realise that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as a "mercy for all the world" (Quran 21:107). He was not sent to force or compel anybody towards Islam or Allah. God says: "Nothing is (incumbent) on the Messenger but to deliver (the message), and Allah knows what you do openly and what you hide." (Quran 5:99) "So if they dispute with you, say 'I have submitted my whole self to God, and so have those who follow me.' And say to the People of the Scripture and to the unlearned: 'Do you also submit yourselves?' If they do, then they are on right guidance. But if they turn away, your duty is only to convey the Message. And in God's sight are all of His servants." (Quran 3:20) Why then do we want to force Islam on anybody? Isn't that un-Islamic?
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| What Occupy Wall Street Can Learn from Occupy Tel Aviv Posted: 27 Oct 2011 05:02 PM PDT By Karl Vick, TIME The tents seem to be everywhere now — Wall Street, London, Hong Kong, Madrid — but very little really comes close to what happened in Israel this summer: thousands camping out, hundreds of thousands marching, a society transformed. "It's all part of the same thing. It's people saying, 'We want to be in charge,' " says Stav Shaffir, 26, one of the first Israeli campers. Yonatan Levi, also 26 and an early organizer, offers a comparison with the scale of things in New York City: "Sadly, I think we were much more successful in transmitting our message and our ability to show up in great numbers. I mean, a half-million to a million people!" The tent protests in Tel Aviv began in muggy mid-July with a handful of young people pitching tents to protest the skyrocketing price of housing in Israel. (Tents — get it?) The first night, reporters outnumbered protesters, but a chord had been struck. The focus quickly widened to take in a gamut of shared complaints about an economy that looked great at the macro level but had created a growing gap between rich and poor. Inspired in part by the Arab Spring ("People thought, Wow, if they can do it, why can't we do it?" says Shaffir) and in part by Madrid's indignados movement, the Israeli protests combined and managed the contagious spread seen in Israel's neighbors as well as the difficult economic and social issues similar to those that emerged in Spain. Ground zero in the Tel Aviv protests, fittingly enough, was Rothschild Boulevard, a shady walkway named for a fabulously wealthy family who helped found Israel as a state originally grounded in social welfare. Within two weeks, 40 camps sprang up around the country. Two weeks later, the camps numbered 100 and marchers 350,000, a whopping turnout in a country of just 7 million.(See photos of Occupy protests from around the world.) "The spirit of this was amazing," says Shaffir. "That's maybe something you can send to the people at Wall Street: happiness was the key. Journalists asked, 'Is it really serious? Because I see a lot of people smiling.' I said that's what makes it serious. People have hope again." Another key: nonpartisanship. There was no room for labels and even less for parties in a protest that strove for a "new language" based on common ground staked out in group discussions, assemblies or councils. People shared with strangers what they were embarrassed to confess to their children: We can't afford the expensive ice cream. "The other thing that's very important is chaos," says Shaffir, who arrived for a breakfast interview after spending the night talking on Rothschild Boulevard, where a handful of tents had gone up anew, weeks after police dismantled the last vestiges of the main camp. "As a movement that goes up against the most powerful force, if you act like an organization, like an institution, you lose. If you have one head, they know what to cut off. You have to be like water, to be everywhere, to be unpredictable. We work like an open code. Everybody should act their part. Everybody should act like a leader."(Read about the New York City protesters holding ground in Zuccotti Park.) At one end of Rothschild, a headquarters of sorts went up, though it amounted to a few workstations under fabric stretched to reduce the glare on the computers that lay underneath. "I think in a way what we see in the streets today is a result of things we were trained for from using the Internet since age 5," says Levi. "I think these assemblies are chat rooms, wide open, with this sense of nonhierarchy, that everyone is equal in the kingdom of the Internet, where there are no kings or queens. We've taken these tools that we've acquired unknowingly — this generation of ours which was blamed for not doing anything in the world — and now we've taken these things we've learned out into the street. And it's pretty impressive, I must say." In Israel, the leap to the masses was both more challenging and, in other ways, a bit easier than elsewhere. Jewish Israeli society is relatively small and cohesive, united in a sense of nationhood and shared risk; almost everyone, for instance, serves in the army. But it is also riven by differences, between secular and religious, between Jews and the 20% of the population who are Arab, between recent immigrant and native-born. Only the black-clad ultra-orthodox religious, who gather in residential enclaves, started the summer with a community, Shaffir notes. "If you're secular, your community is your family. That's all." "If we talk about tips, the most important thing is to connect the different groups, the different social classes," she says. "And that's the hardest thing." Yet it happened. In just weeks, the protests that some conservative politicians reflexively dismissed as elitist or leftist swelled into a national movement, drawing Israelis from every class and cohort, all of them beaming as they found one another on the street together. In the tent cities, campers organized kitchens, kindergartens, trash removal. They even elected representatives to reclaim a political realm that had grown alien and remote, the province of professional politicians. "And people were so happy," Shaffir says. "Israelis, for so many years, didn't feel like we could do anything."(Read about rioters hijacking Rome's Occupy protest.) In time, the political establishment scrambled to respond, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu naming a committee to list specific actions — more money for child care, less for defense — that many in the group call a misapprehension of what was, at bottom, something more diffuse: a remaking of the national consciousness. "The fact that we have no specific list of demands is very hard for them," says Levi, referring to the Knesset, the Israeli legislature. "I'm not sure we've directly affected the political system yet, but I'm sure we will. Because the people who elect these robots spent many hours in the tent cities. It was a learning experience." The lessons continue. The other day, organizers set out to secure Tel Aviv's main public gathering place, Rabin Square, for a follow-up demonstration. They learned it would cost them about $5,000. "That's a disgrace," says Shaffir. "It's like your right of protest is also privatized." So they decided they didn't need the permission of the very people they were opposing. "We just told everybody we're going to reoccupy Rothschild," she says. "It made everybody happy, because we were getting back to the streets." — With reporting by Aaron J. Klein / Tel Aviv |
| Beng Hock’s family demands criminal charges against MACC trio Posted: 27 Oct 2011 04:42 PM PDT By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider
Teoh Beng Hock's family today demanded that the police investigate the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers named in the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into Teoh's death for contributing to the DAP aide's death. The family accused the Najib administration yesterday of "taking grieving family members for a ride" by not pushing for criminal charges against three national graftbusters despite a royal investigation panel finding the trio contributed to the political aide's death two years ago. Today, the family lodged a police report in the hope of initiating a criminal probe. "It's not that we do not have patience. We have been so patient but it has been taken advantage of. "We've waited long enough and there is still no serious action from the government," Beng Hock's sister Lee Lan told reporters outside the Tun H.S. Lee police station here. The Teohs had said the government's inaction casts serious doubt not only on the credibility of the RCI the prime minister foisted on the family, but its chairman, Federal Court judge Tan Sri James Foong Cheng Yuen. The still-grieving family was responding to de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz's statement four days ago that the government would not be prosecuting the three officers from the MACC despite being named in the RCI report released three months ago because no one had filed a police report to do so. Today, Lee Lan, accompanied by lawyer and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo and Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching, lodged a police report. Teo pointed out that the police could have lodged a report and started an investigation, just as they did with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, when he claimed that Beng Hock was murdered. The Teohs said they found it incredulous the government remained suspicious and sceptical of the RCI report and left it to the MACC to head another "special task force investigating their own officers". They pointed out the RCI had incriminated the MACC trio — Mohd Anuar Isamil (named in the report as "the bully"), Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus ("the abuser") and Hishammuddin Hashim ("the arrogant leader") — in its report for using inappropriate violence to draw information out of Beng Hock who was only a witness.
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