Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Student demonstrations planned for 9th November
- GE13: Pakatan Stands to Win Seven Extra Parliamentary Seats
- National debts: the screw, screwing and screwed
- Lembu Punya Susu Tetapi Siapa Yang Sapu?
- WIKILEAKS: MALAYSIAN OPPOSITION NOT SO CONCERNED ABOUT ECONOMIC POLICY
- How con artists work
- Ambiga warns of suing TV station for label on Seksualiti Merdeka
- With no voice in Umno Ku Li turns to Amanah
- DAP admits to lagging Malay support
- Marina Mahathir: "Come after me if you dare!"
- Anwar in two minds over Seksualiti Merdeka
- Police urged to lift Seksualiti Merdeka ban
- Hindraf leader gets death threat
- Empowering the sons of toil
- Ku Li: Reforms first, polls later
- It’s raining goodies in Johor
- Malaysia’s Ahmadis living dangerously
- Malaysians Abroad Should Not Vote
- KL-S'pore high-speed rail link gets a rethink
- Election hopefuls to be screened
- Tourism Ministry investigates pamphlet rack purchase
- Sub-standard housemen
- For sure public advocacy is here to stay
- Pua: Anwar deserves a second chance
- Mustapa: Lynas jumping gun over rare earth refinery start date
- Government and golf club in battle over precious land
- Chua Soi Lek challenges Islam
- Chairman Isa and the listing of Felda Global Ventures-surat dari pembaca
- The True Cause of America’s Troubles
- The Catholic Church and the Mission Schools
- Fakta-fakta Penyenaraian Felda yang tidak kan disiarkan TV3 dan Utusan
- Seksualiti Merdeka not a 'free sex party', says Marina
- Elections 1990: Irregularities on the electoral rolls
- Hands off Islamic rituals, Muslim NGOs tell faith council
- Marina Mahathir livid over ‘free sex’ slur on Seksualiti Merdeka
- Small things for small minds
- PPSMI: Malaysia in the lost world?
- Taib’s son awarded millions in govt contracts
- Hit With Big Withdrawals, Fed Sells Assets, Borrows Cash
- No election until reforms are put in place
- 'Largest mobilisation of rakyat' if polls held before reforms
- China to inject over 1 trln yuan into money market
- Malaysia remains rich but also intolerant, says new study
- GE13: Bersih backs MCLM’s stand
- Boycotting polls not the answer, says Fuziah Salleh
- Tenaga faces cash shortage
- The battle for Malaysia starts with Selangor
- Pakatan Rakyat Sokong Protes Jika PRU Dipanggil Sebelum Syor Panel Khas
- ‘Graduates not competitive due to poor English’
- WIKILEAKS: RELIGIOUS, RACIAL POLITICS MARK RUN-UP TO CRITICAL BY-ELECTION
| Student demonstrations planned for 9th November Posted: 07 Nov 2011 10:38 PM PST DEMOTIX Students will be meeting in central London tomorrow to continue the demonstrations against the Coalition government's education reforms which began a year ago. With the eyes of the national media on the event, honest reporting from the ground will determine how the protest is portrayed. There is fear among many that the demonstration could descend into the same violence as was seen last year, when some protesters assaulted Conservative Party HQ at Millbank Tower, smashed police vehicles and defaced the area around Parliament Square. Others worry that the police response may be too heavy-handed, following reports that the Metropolitan Police are prepared to deploy officers armed with rubber bullets and the ongoing scandal surrounding police agents provocateurs in activist organisations. Your reporting and images could determine how the demonstration is reported. Help Demotix make sure that the truth, rather than speculation and hearsay, informs the conversation about the protest. And before you go, make sure that you inform yourself as much as possible about what's planned for the day. We've included some links below to help you get started.
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| GE13: Pakatan Stands to Win Seven Extra Parliamentary Seats Posted: 07 Nov 2011 10:19 PM PST I have this general impression that Umno MPs have a better knack at carrying out their duties, especially in taking care of the people in their constituencies. The same can't be said about the newbie PKR MPs. Reliable sources have said that there are quite a number of people, namely in constituencies in Penang, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, who are not happy with the MPs they had elected. These MPs would have to rectify the situation or else the vote count will not be in their favor come election time.
Many of us – the public, politicians and pundits alike – are speculating that the General Election will be held within the first quarter of 2012. Some say in March, others say April. Meanwhile, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had advised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to hold it off as long as possible (deadline is 2013), a signal that BN still has a lot to do in their effort to revive the party's dwindling popularity. The general perception is Pakatan would put a smackdown on BN if iNajib is to call for election any time soon. Even Mahathir has inferred this strong possibility. But whatever it is, Najib is the one who's calling the shots. However, there's weight to Mahathir's prediction. We're talking about a former premier and Umno president who never makes a habit of underestimating his political rivals, and he was bang on when he said, in 1990, that Umno would not be able to reclaim Kelantan in 20 years. Kita President Datuk Zaid Ibrahim also recognizes that there's merit to Mahathir's premonition. "Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will get his majority in Parliament if he dissolves it at the end of the present term and if he takes the time to consolidate his position. He will win only if he cares to question those of his advisers who are gung-ho about a BN victory. The people around him will probably continue to give him a false sense of confidence but if he is more realistic and takes his time, victory will be his – even if it is a close call," said Zaid in his blog. These conclusions highlighted by Mahathir and Zaid are deductions. To get a clearer picture, the numbers in the last elections would help in putting into perspective where Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat stand in the 13th General Election. The way things turned out, there are seven parliamentary seats won by BN and an Independent (who is formerly from PKR) that can be identified as shaky, seeing as these wins were by less than 500 vote majority. These figures already show that the Opposition has a very good chance in winning the GE13.
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| National debts: the screw, screwing and screwed Posted: 07 Nov 2011 10:00 PM PST
Najib's MOF will increase total debts by another 1/6; more than half of the new debt is to pay old debt, and even though we have not cleared the old debts, the government is going to pile up some more debts. By Lee Wee Tak Malaysia's growing national debt is a matter of concern for many but it also baffles many. We know the amount is huge but what exactly caused it and what it is really about. What will happen to us if the debt becomes unmanageable? APA ITU NATIONAL DEBT? I dwelled into Ministry of Finance's Q2 2011 report for some answers. If a person spends more than he earns every year, he will owe a lot of money to a lot of people. Our national debts go on the same principle but just a little bigger in scale and consequence. The BN administration has spent more than the taxes collected (and they collect a lot – company tax, personal tax, service tax, sales tax, customs, petroleum tax etc). If expenses is more than government income, then the government will issue bonds to local and foreign lenders. In a nut shell, annual deficits are mainly due to * the oversized and under-delivering civil service, * huge subsidies on petrol (which I would blame it on a certain individual's misplaced emphasis on developing national car over public transportation system) ; and * unchecked waste of tax money over stuff like project overruns (PKFTZ, Istana Negara , fantastic by election budgets, crazy defense spending etc) and routine expenses (read the AG's report and sob). "MACC: No graft involved in purchase of binoculars" From finance ministry's website, the debt is getting bigger and bigger.   MALAYSIA IS FULL OF CASH AND DEBTS On page 129 of the MOF report, it read, "Federal Government gross borrowings are projected to increase significantly in 2011 mainly on account of higher redemptions, loan repayments and deficit financing requirements. Given the ample liquidity in the financial system, the Government will continue to source its borrowing from domestic sources" Basically the mumble jumbo above means – government is going to borrow more money because they have to 1) pay back old loans and 2) pay for more wastage of funds. Since Malaysia has a lot of cash (you might yell 'where got?" read on….), the government will take more of those funds from local sources instead of asking from foreigners who are more demanding & powerful creditors. Further down below on the same page, the report stated that "Total gross borrowings for the year are expected to amount to RM96.6 billion. Of this, RM90.2 billion or 93.3% constitute domestic borrowings while RM6.4 billon is from external source. Of the gross borrowings, RM51 billion is for repayments of existing debts while the balance, RM45.6 billion will be used to finance the deficit." Basically it means that Najib's MOF will increase total debts by another 1/6; more than half of the new debt is to pay old debt, and even though we have not cleared the old debts, the government is going to pile up some more debts. So the question where is the "ample liquidity in the financial system" comes from?  If you look at the debt trend, the borrowings from foreigners goes up and down, meaning the foreigners do get paid back but when you look at the Hutang Persekutuan Dalam Negeri, the figures only go one way – which is higher and higher, meaning the rakyat who are supposed to be diutamakan really did not get paid. We as rakyat have no way to tell the BN administration to pay us back like a foreign creditor. So really we are lending more and more to the fellow who recently propose to change the tax laws to say IRB can charge us any amount of tax the IRB thinks we should be paying*. And we cannot take those bureaucrats to court to dispute them. *(I am talking about the proposed S107D of the Income Tax Act. You might get a lower court to rule this section as unconstitutional but the government can always appeal all the way to federal court) We also gadai away........ Foreigners enjoy security over Malaysians bonds they subscribe, take a look at this recently issued USD2billion debt on Islamic finance principle of Wakala: Wakala principle roughly means that the borrower can fix a percentage of "profits" to the lenders, anything on top of that return, goes to the borrower as his/her profit/incentive/reward.  Note that in order to borrow from foreigners, the kerajaan has gadai some schools and a renounced medical institution, so next time when you pay your fees, the higher fees is explained by the need to pay "profits" and "incentives" to both borrowers and lenders. Note that the Finance Ministry's report, which read more like a "high five myself" advertisement, celebrate us borrowing more and more. Something does not feel right here. Who feels proud to have bigger debts? | ||
| Lembu Punya Susu Tetapi Siapa Yang Sapu? Posted: 07 Nov 2011 07:19 PM PST MASTERWORDSMITH-UNPLUGGED The Malays have a proverb: lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama. One minister, however, seems to have given a new twist to this proverb! According to a Malaysiakini report by Hazlan Zakaria: The husband and children of a federal minister, who are shareholders and board members in the controversial National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), went on an expensive overseas trip on company funds. If one divides this amount with the roughly 1,600 heads of cattle slaughtered by NFC in 2009, it would mean that the trip costs RM511 per cow. Bear in mind that this troubled project being funded with public funds. In the report, PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli recounted how the firm's cost per head of cattle that it imports mainly from Australia, kept for 100 days and then slaughtered for beef, amounted to nearly RM4,500 per animal. In Malaysia it is RM2,500 per head of cattle so he pointed out that the cost was 22 times above the estimated production cost projected by the Veterinary Department for the project. The report went on to say: Such rising costs, he said, was made worse by questionable financial conduct such as the engagement of National Livestock and Meat Corp (NLMC), a company "dormant" since 2007, as the "marketing agent" for NFC and which was given a loan of RM81 million by the Feedlot scheme operator.
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| WIKILEAKS: MALAYSIAN OPPOSITION NOT SO CONCERNED ABOUT ECONOMIC POLICY Posted: 07 Nov 2011 07:08 PM PST
The lack of economic expertise among the allied opposition parties underlines some of the difficulties they would have if they were to take over the federal government. The opposition-controlled state governments are struggling just to line up a few advisors and there is little expertise among politicians, let alone agreement. Pua is DAP's one and only economic advisor in a coalition in which the other two parties, KeAdilan and PAS, economic expertise is sorely lacking. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Classified By: Acting Economic Counselor Juha Salin for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 1. (C) Summary: On Thursday, August 14, Econ Counselor and Econoff met with Tony Pua, opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) Member of Parliament. Pua is DAP's one and only economic advisor in a coalition in which the other two parties, KeAdilan ("Justice") and PAS (Islamic), economic expertise is sorely lacking. Pua explained that the opposition's economic polices on maintaining an open business climate and attracting investment were not much different from those of the current government. Fighting corruption was the top priority in opposition-controlled states, but Pua said if he had his way he would make education priority number two, beginning with efforts to attract world-class universities to open branch campuses in Malaysia. End summary. OPENNESS TO BUSINESS; FIGHTING CORRUPTION... 2. (U) Pua said the economic policies of the PKR opposition coalition would be the same as under the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition with a commitment to an open business climate and attracting foreign direct investment among its top priorities. There was some disagreement within the PKR on how to fix the "New Economic Policy," a system of racial preferences favoring the majority Muslim Malays. 3. (SBU) All three opposition parties agreed to make fighting corruption a priority by improving transparency and accountability and implementing projects through open tender, he said. Even if it was their only achievement, "cutting the fat" (fighting corruption) over the next two years would deliver significant gains, he said. ...BUT LITTLE AGREEMENT ON ANYTHING ELSE 4. (SBU) Coordination among the three opposition parties remained a problem, he said. They had not formed a "shadow Cabinet"; they had not been able to agree on any power-sharing plan. Other major differences remained, particularly a plank in the PAS platform to make Malaysia an Islamic State. While PKR defacto leader Anwar often made populist statements demanding a reduction in fuel prices or more subsidies on food, there was no mechanism to consult with others in the coalition before making such pronouncements. "If Anwar thinks it sounds good, he says it," Pua explained, "and we just have to live with it. We don't voice our disagreement, but we disagree." ECONOMIC POLICY NOT A VOTE-GETTER, NOT A STRONG POINT 5. (C) Economic policy simply was not a priority, Pua explained, because it was not a "vote-getter." Economic expertise was sorely lacking in the three-party opposition coalition, he said. While the Central Bank has talented staff to advise the federal government, the state governments under opposition control had neither a civil service competent in developing or advising on economic policy, nor the resources to hire such talent. The maximum pay for a state-level government employee without a title of "Director" was RM 5,000 per month, but Pua was helping Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng find willing economists to form an economic policy team, and the money to pay them. So far, he had not had much luck. "Smart people don't want to touch politics," he explained, "and even the think tanks are tied to the BN." 6. (U) While Pua had drafted a fifty-page "shadow budget" which is available on DAP's website, neither of his allied parties had focused on economics, he said. The Islamic Party (PAS) had issued a two-page document with broad, vague principles and goals, and KeAdilan had not released anything. PUA'S WISH FOR MALAYSIA: BETTER EDUCATION 7. (U) When asked what his top priority would be to improve Malaysia's economy, Pua immediately said education. He said he would try to get world-class universities to open branch campuses in Malaysia, for example, an Executive MBA program by Harvard. "Smart people create jobs and wealth, and attract multi-national corporations," he said. Econ Counselor pointed out that U.S. universities had looked into coming to Malaysia in the past, but had declined because the Ministry of Education had not allowed them to determine their own curriculum. COMMENT: 8. (C) The lack of economic expertise among the allied opposition parties underlines some of the difficulties they would have if they were to take over the federal government. The opposition-controlled state governments are struggling just to line up a few advisors and there is little expertise among politicians, let alone agreement. The bright side is that the opposition seems fully aware of its shortcomings in this regard and is unlikely to make sweeping changes. Bad ideas undoubtedly will emerge, but the Chinese business community should be able to veto them through their DAP representatives. KEITH (August 2008)
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| Posted: 07 Nov 2011 06:14 PM PST And this is why the opposition is not yet ready to form the federal government. They are still too immature and do not respect freedom of choice and freedom of expression. The Seksualiti Merdeka issue is a good enough yardstick to demonstrate how intolerant the opposition is towards freedom of choice and freedom of expression. Can we trust the opposition as the next government? NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
The Mufti of Perak, Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, has spoken out on the evil and sin of homosexuality. Harussani's statement is supported by the Catholic Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute director, Reverend Dr Clarence Devadass. So who says Islam and Catholicism cannot come to an agreement? It is good that the Muslims and Catholics are united in their opposition to evil and sin. However, to the Muslims and Christians, there is only one type of evil and sin: sex. Everything else is not an evil or sin. This gives an impression that Islam and Catholicism are only concerned about sex. In fact, they appear paranoid about sex, as if sex is everything and nothing else matters other than sex. Maybe that is why the history of Islam and Catholicism is a history of discrimination, persecution, murder, ethnic cleansing, injustice, corruption, and whatnot. Whenever the Catholics are in power they oppress the minority and whenever the Muslims are in power they do the same. And that is why most countries choose secularism over a theocracy. They have seen how bad things can be in the hands of the clerics. This obsession with sex is mind-boggling. And why oppose only this one so-called evil or sin: sex? What about all the other evils? Why do these Mufti and church leaders maintain a deafening silence on issues of corruption, abuse of power, wastage of public funds, election fraud, discrimination, selective prosecution, etc? There is only one enemy: sex. There is only one evil: sex. There is only one sin: sex. What you do in the privacy of your bedroom is everyone's concern. They want to know and they want to control what you do. What the politicians are doing to the country is not important. Hey, get this through your thick heads: 28 million Malaysians are being sodomised by the government every single day of their lives. This, you are not concerned about. What people do in the privacy of their bedrooms is the only thing you worry about. As I said, never trust so-called religious people and politicians. They are all con artists. Take the story below by Malaysia Chronicle. Everyone is up in arms about the lies from TV3. TV3 twisted the story and made it look like Seksualiti Merdeka is a free sex party. We can see people foaming at the mouth because of this distortion. Now, I remember when TV3 was said to be telling the truth. TV3 never lies. This was earlier this year when TV3 ran my interview. Utusan Malaysia reported that TV3 said I had retracted my allegation against Rosmah Mansor. Actually I did not. And it was Utusan Malaysia that said I did. Most people who had not even seen my TV3 interview and based the story on what Utusan Malaysia said started going round the country telling everyone that I had been bought over by Umno. They had not even seen the TV3 interview. But because Utusan Malaysia reported that this was what TV3 said, that was good enough for them. Even the most corrupted Health Minister in Malaysian history, Chua Jui Meng, told everyone I had been bought. Those in the medical industry have nothing but horror stories to tell about Chua Jui Meng during the time he was the Minister. Imagine him passing judgment on me. It's like asking Paris Hilton to talk about the evil of sex before marriage. Malaysia Chronicle should instead talk about the problems between the Chinese in DAP and the Chinese in PKR. They should tell the readers about the serious conflict in Johor, Chua Jui Meng's state, where PKR has threatened to sabotage DAP with three-corner fights if DAP does not give PKR the seats they want. DAP is facing a hard time in trying to pacify PKR. Chua Jui Meng needs to prove himself so he wants to make sure that PKR wins as many seats as possible in Johor. But they can't do this unless they grab all the winnable seats. And that would mean DAP would have to be given the non-winnable seats. Yes, these types of stories Malaysia Chronicle does not want to run. Instead, the stories they run is about TV3 being a liar -- unless it is a TV3 story about Raja Petra Kamarudin. Only then is TV3 not lying. Other times, TV3 is a great liar. Apalah! The opposition-controlled media is no better than the government-controlled media. And when Malaysia Today reports both sides of the story and allows opposing views they get angry. They want Malaysia Today to run only pro-opposition news and articles. And this is why the opposition is not yet ready to form the federal government. They are still too immature and do not respect freedom of choice and freedom of expression. The Seksualiti Merdeka issue is a good enough yardstick to demonstrate how intolerant the opposition is towards freedom of choice and freedom of expression. Can we trust the opposition as the next government? ************************************ Mufti: Don't ignore issues of morality (New Straits Times) - Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria said homosexuality is against not only Islam, but also other religions such as Christianity and Buddhism. "Human rights are human rights, but the morality issues cannot be ignored," he said. "Allah has given humans sexual desire to procreate and we are bound by rules and regulations, just like we are given hands and legs to do good both to ourselves and mankind," he told the New Straits Times yesterday. Harussani said he believed that natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes now happening around the world "are trials by God". He was commenting on the annual sexuality rights festival, Seksualiti Merdeka. The festival, which celebrates the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, has been held since 2008. This year's event, themed "Queer Without Fear", was scheduled to be held from Nov 9 to 13. However, it was cancelled after police issued an outright ban on Thursday. Many groups, individuals and religious organisations had voiced their opposition to the event, with two police reports lodged in the city against the organisers. The public had also been advised not to attend any activity or event relating to the event to avoid arrest. Other religious leaders stand united in their stance that homosexual acts are violations against divine and natural law. Catholic Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute director Reverend Dr Clarence Devadass said the Catholic Church teaches that such sexual acts are wrong. Reverend Philip Tan, provincial head of the Congregation of the Disciples of the Lord, Malaysia, echoed similar views. "Of course, our Catholic teaching does not condone such homosexual practices, but we still extend our pastoral care to this community. "We accept them and there are priests and nuns who counsel them on an individual basis when they choose to confide." ************************************ Spinning with TV Tiga: A Najib Razak and team production (Malaysia Chronicle) - While I do not usually watch TV3, and cannot remember the last time I switched to it, I did make a point to watch on Monday night. I was curious how they would handle, or spin rather, Marina Mahathir's support of Ambiga Sreenevasan and her telling off of a TV3 reporter. Marina had been completely blocked out of the report. Based on TV3's version, she was never there. Ambiga however was prominently featured being interviewed by police who visited the Tenaganita office in Jalan Gasing. TV3 then showed Ambiga, visibly angry, daring TV3 to broadcast her comments and threatening to sue them for portraying Seksualiti Merdeka as a free sex party. TV3 broadcast her comments. Now, before you start congratulating TV3 for broadcasting both sides of the story, note that Ambiga was talking in English. The viewers who watch TV3's 8pm news broadcast are predominantly Malay. What they would have seen is Ambiga looking angry, waving her arms about and speaking in a language they can't really understand. Clever TV3, the nation's only tongue-in-cheek propagandist. Something needs to be done about the police And what on earth were the police doing there? Perhaps they have been misled by Khalid Abu Bakar, the Deputy IGP, formerly Selangor CPO and superior officer to Kugan's tormentors. Also under whose careless watch the shooting death of Aminulrasyid and the horrific Banting murders occurred. Khalid had appeared on NTV7 and made the remarkable declaration that homosexuality was against Malaysian law. It is, of course, an incorrect statement. There is no such law. And so it goes on, this shameful persecution of minority communities, in this case the LGBT community. They are forced to live in the shadows, in fear, even though they are Malaysian citizens with constitutionally guaranteed protections. One wonders how long Prime Minister Najib Razak and his government can keep this up. Atheists conference, anyone? | ||
| Ambiga warns of suing TV station for label on Seksualiti Merdeka Posted: 07 Nov 2011 05:13 PM PST (The Sun) - Former Malaysian Bar chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan has warned that she would not hesitate to sue a television station if it continues to misconstrue the objectives of the Seksualiti Merdeka 2011 movement in its reports. At a press conference at the Tenaganita office in Jalan Gasing today, Ambiga, who is the Bersih 2.0 chairman, said she was shocked on learning that TV3's prime news had claimed that Seksualiti Merdeka was a "free sex festival". She said the report was irresponsible, and accused the station of misleading the public. "Is it because you want to get me or bully a marginalised group which is already being shamed and facing abuse everyday?" she said, before challenging the Media Prima station to carry her statement or risk facing legal action. At about 4pm, four police officers from the Kuala Lumpur police contingent arrived at the office and spent about 45 minutes questioning Ambiga, Tenaganita chairman Irene Fernandez, Seksualiti Merdeka founder Pang Khee Teik and Bersih 2.0 committee member Maria Chin Abdullah about the movement. Last Friday, Malay right-wing group Perkasa led a demonstration against Seksualiti Merdeka 2011 at the National Mosque, and had called for Ambiga to be arrested for being involved in the movement. Ambiga had earlier reportedly clarified that she was not one of the organisers of Seksualiti Merdeka 2011 but that she had only been asked to launch it on Wednesday. She also said she had only agreed to officiate the festival as a private citizen and not as a representative of Bersih. The lawyer then took the opportunity to link the issue with the refugee exchange programme between Australia and Malaysia, saying the former should take note of the controversy being kicked up by the government concerning Seksualiti Merdeka as it speaks of Malaysia's view on minority groups. "I hope Australia is watching. They plan to send refugees here, a country which cannot protect its minority groups," she said. Clearly riled up over the misreporting by certain news sources, prominent social activist Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir, who was also present at the press conference, said: "I am angry and was sickened to read how they labelled the movement's activities as a free sex festival." "I am a supporter of the group and had launched their programme two years ago without problems. The programme is to educate those who come under the scope of the movement of their rights and all this does not go against the law or religion." The daughter of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also threatened to take legal action against the TV station over its report. Pang said the movement was making arrangements to meet Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar to explain the objectives of the movement. Ismail was quoted saying on Monday that he had agreed to meet the group. The Seksualiti Merdeka 2011 programme which was scheduled to be launched on Wednesday and end on Nov 13 at Central Market's Annexe Gallery, is a yearly festival which championed freedom of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to protect the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, intersexuals and transgenders. It first took place in 2008. However, the programme was cancelled after the police, on Saturday, banned functions organised by any group related to the Seksualiti Merdeka programme to safeguard public order. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said police had done so to safeguard public order after receiving several reports against it. He also said the police were not against freedom of expression or human rights but had to step in because the organisers did not have a permit to hold the festival in public.
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| With no voice in Umno Ku Li turns to Amanah Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:39 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said today that he joined civil society NGO Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) as president as he finds that there is no space to voice his opinions within his political party Umno. The Kelantan prince and the man who was once expected to be prime minister claimed that the democratic space in the ruling party has shrunk as compared with previous years. "We don't have space in our own parties," said Tengku Razaleigh, who is popularly known as Ku Li. "For me there is no space in Umno." He said that in previous years Umno members were free to say anything. "That was what made Umno able to look after the public, not a narrow focus (like now) to look after only one segment." He added that he was told that to even speak in the upcoming Umno general assembly, one would have to be "approved" first. Amanah, which was only recently formally registered with the Registrar of Societies, was formed to promote unity and inclusiveness. Former MIC deputy president S. Subramaniam, who is Amanah deputy president, said that it would remain an NGO until members decided otherwise. "I have a platform here to talk about issues which are hotly debated," said Subramaniam. Ku Li also said that he still had faith in Umno and would remain an Umno member. The multiracial Amanah leadership comprises members from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat. Among them are former MCA president and Pandan MP Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat who is a deputy president, and PAS member Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who is a vice-president.
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| DAP admits to lagging Malay support Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:26 PM PST DAP says that although the Malays are not blind to corruption within the government, they also believe that no other party can protect them as best as Umno. (Free Malaysia Today) - Petaling Jaya Utara MP, Tony Pua, told an economic forum yesterday that DAP's biggest challenge is in drumming up its sorely lagging Malay support. According to him, while the Malays concede that the government is corrupt, they also believe that the party best able to protect Malay interests is Umno. He added that the daily dose of propaganda from Barisan Nasional-owned media in painting DAP as the "bogeyman" has made the false anti-Malay sentiment appear convincing. "These days anything we say is twisted to look anti-Malay," Pua told 100 participants at Hotel Sri Petaling after delivering a talk on "Economic Transformation: For Better or Worse?" "Although the propaganda is ridiculous and so obviously fake, when it is said a thousand times to people who are most insecure, they will start to think that it's possibly true." "All they need to think is that there's a possibility that DAP wants to gets rid of the monarchy and Islam in the country, and they will vote for a party that they believe will protect their interests." Pua, however, took heart in the progress that DAP has made in Selangor where none of the Malays have complained of mistreatment by the party. Common policy important Using the recent hudud controversay as an example, she said that while the non-Muslims feared its implementation, the Muslims were strongly in favour of it. "So when (PAS spiritual leader) Nik Aziz (Nik Mat) said that DAP was afraid of the hudud like a child afraid of a ghost, the Malays were elated," she said. "They told our PAS representatives that they were so happy that Nik Aziz told DAP off and that PAS was finally insisting on what they think is right." But the Seputeh MP assured that despite PAS support of hudud, it would not be so easily implemented should the coalition take over Putrajaya in the next general election.
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| Marina Mahathir: "Come after me if you dare!" Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:12 PM PST (Malaysian Digest) - Marina Mahathir, the high-profile daughter of ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad, in a press statement on Monday has warned the authorities and troublemakers alike not to make Bersih chief Ambiga Sreenevasan and other activists scapegoats for the Seksualiti Merdeka event slated for November 9 to 13. "I have been defending the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community's rights for over 20 years now. In fact, I defend the rights of all who have been discriminated against, the poor and everyone else. So if there is any discrimination or violence against anyone, I will continue to defend their rights. That's it. Do you understand?" she said. Marina has also threatened to sue Umno-controlled TV3 for describing Seksualiti Merdeka as a "free sex festival". "I have been looking at your face and we know who you are," said Marina. She warned the reporter from the TV station not to misinterpret her remarks. Marina said she was there to show her solidarity with 4 activists hauled up by the police for questioning over the event. They are Bersih 2.0 chairman Ambiga Sreenavasan and steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah, Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez and Seksualiti Merdeka founder Pang Khee Teik. "I am here only as a supporter because two years ago, I officiated Seksualiti Merdeka without any incident. It is an event to explain and educate them of their rights within the laws, and not outside," said Marina. "So I am very angry, very angry, there are no words to describe, at certain parties calling this a free sex festival. You have nothing better to do? Nowhere here is free sex allowed. Are you crazy to imagine this?" she asked. Yesterday the police have taken several statements from the organizers of the banned '2011 Seksualiti Merdeka' event at the Tenaganita office. Four police personnel from the Brickfields headquarters took statements from 'Seksualiti Merdeka' co-founder Pang Khee Teik, former Bar Council president Datuk S.Ambiga, women's rights group Empower Malaysia executive-director Maria Chin Abdullah and Tenaganita executive-director Irene Fernandez about 4 pm on Monday.
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| Anwar in two minds over Seksualiti Merdeka Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:53 PM PST Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim says his party does not support the festival but he defends the community's right to freedom of expression. (Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is in two minds about the Seksualiti Merdeka festival. He said his party PKR did not support the event but at the same time he defended the community's right to expression. He said that PKR does not support the controversial festival which was called off over the weekend. He also condemned the manner in which the whole issue was dealt with and came to the defence of Bersih 2.0 chairman and former Bar Council president S Ambiga. Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby today, Anwar said that the core of the issue was not "to support or not to support the event". "The issue is the manner in which they were attacked. They said it was a free-sex event… this is not right," said the Permatang Pauh MP. Anwar said that if there were Muslims who did not agree with the views put forth by Seksualiti Merdeka, they should engage with the event organisers instead. "Where are the Muslim scholars? Why have they been silent?" he asked, adding that engagement was the proper way to deal with the issue. Speaking later at a press conference, he again stressed that PKR did not support the event neither would it had participated, but defended the community's right to expression. Although the festival which celebrates the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community has been conducted since 2008, this year's events has drawn much flak. Right-wing group Perkasa and Islamic party PAS were two of the most vocal detractors.They alleged that Seksualiti Merdeka promotes unnatural sexual lifestyle. Even Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin weighed in and called the event "immoral". Ambiga's association with the event has been a major point of contention with some of these detractors. Anwar today questioned why Ambiga was being defamed. 'Why are they going after her?' "Why are they going after her? It shows the vulnerability of a normal citizen against the entire might of a corrupt government. I went through that, now it is Ambiga. Why do they treat her like a common criminal harassing her in this manner, when she has explained her position?" he asked. Ambiga had said in a statement last Friday that she was not one of the organisers, but she was invited to officiate at the event in her personal capacity.
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| Police urged to lift Seksualiti Merdeka ban Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:50 PM PST PKR vice president N Surendran says Article 10 of the Federal Constitution guarantees freedom of expression which includes the right to express sexual orientation. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Federal Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and as such banning Seksualiti Merdeka is unconstitutional. PKR vice president N Surendran reminded the police and the Home Ministry that Article 10 of the Federal Constitution guarantees every citizen to freedom of expression. Surendan called on the police to lift its ban against Seksualiti Merdeka saying it is unconstitutional to ban the event. "And that includes the right to express sexual orientation. The police investigation and its ban of the event is nothing but a gross abuse of police power," said Surendran. Seksualiti Merdeka, an event conducted since 2008 to celebrate rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) community, has drawn criticism from various quarters such as Perkasa and PAS, which claimed that the event promotes 'unnatural lifestyle'. Last week, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar announced that the event was banned. Subsequently, its organisers also stopped the event citing safety reasons. However on Sunday, Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar said he was prepared to have a meeting with the organisers to hear them out. Surendran, in the meantime, called upon the police to halt its investigations against Bersih 2.0 chairman S Ambiga and the event organisers, Pang Kee Theik, Irene Fernandez and Maria Chin Abdullah. Calling it intimidation, Surendran said that the individuals had done nothing illegal as they were carrying out a lawful activity.
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| Hindraf leader gets death threat Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:46 PM PST P Waythamoorthy, who is scheduled to brief US government officials on the issue of racism in Malaysia, receives an email warning him that he and his brother will be beheaded. (Free Malaysia Today) - Hindraf Makkal Sakti chairman P Waythamoorthy and his family have received a death threat via email ahead of his briefing to US government officials on issues of institutionalised racism and freedom of religion in Malaysia. In the email, the sender threatened to behead Waythamoorthy and his elder brother, Human Rights Party secretary-general Uthayakumar, and their children. The sender, who signed his name as "Pekida Youth chief Hanif Haja", racially abused both brothers and vowed to teach them a lesson. Pekida is an organisation linked to Umno. Waythamoorthy said the threat would not dampen his spirit to seek social justice for the racially segregated minority communities, especially Indians, in Malaysia. He even quoted Tamil poet, the late Subramaniya Barathiyaar: "Utchimeethu irunda vaanam viluntha pothilum, atchamillai, atchamillai, atcham enbathillaiye." (I will not fear even if the dark sky falls).
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| Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:40 PM PST The Orang Asli have been left out and are forced to grapple with poverty. Now, a group aims to empower them through education. "We are imprisoned in our own country by this act. We are given no chance to speak up, we are not given a chance to express ideas or make decisions on whether we agree or not on certain matters – everything told must be followed by us." Aneesa Alphonsus, Free Malaysia Today Sons of the Soil, The Original People, and The First Ones. There are such noble sounding monikers for a community which has become more like sons of toil, the forgotten people and last on the list. The Orang Asli of Malaysia constitute only 0.5% of the population and are diverse in culture, language and beliefs, a legacy borne of 18 different ethnic groups. However, their shared experience of exclusion from the policy arena and a resulting lack of opportunity to voice their concerns became the impetus for the formation of a group named Sinui Pai Nanek Sengik (New Life, One Heart). Recognising that communities were having their livelihoods destroyed by government policies that took away their traditional rights to land and other resources, the Sinui Pai Nanek Sengik (SPNS) began an educational programme to mobilise communities for political and social action. The small number of Orang Asli is one of the many factors contributing to their current problems. Orang Asli have now become like refugees and illegal immigrants in their own country. Among the core problems are land ownership, culture, identity, and the lost of rights as the Orang Asli have been left out in the field of education and development. Most of the non-Orang Asli in Malaysia refer to the Orang Asli as a barbaric and backward community. Hence there are many who say that the Orang Asli is a community that is too lazy to work hard to develop themselves and their race. They also accuse the Orang Asli of preferring to ask other parties to change their fate. Plus, there is no space for the Orang Asli to speak out about their dissatisfaction on certain aspects of the government policies towards them. The strict control and the neck-logging by the government resulted in the Orang Asli community being unaware that they actually have rights to claim and can speak out about the biased treatment they have received in every government development plan. Badly hit by logging Alison Ghani, who is an independent volunteer for Orang Asli issues, says that many villages have been badly hit by logging. She shared the story of a man she fondly refers to as Pakcik Musang of the Jakun tribe who with his family, was harassed away from the land he was residing on. Today, Pakcik Musang lives in a flimsy shack with no guarantees that he will not be chased away once again. "Never enough can be written about Orang Asli issues. It's incredibly disturbing that they are being denied convenient access to medical treatment and medicines. Take Pos Gob in Kelantan for example. The nearest town from them is Kuala Betis which at 80km away translates to a five hour journey on foot. "Distance is always a problem. Orang Asli children of Pos Gob attend school at Pos Tohoi which is 60km away from their village, a four-hour journey on foot. Because their parents cannot afford the petrol money to bring them home every week, children as young as seven who are very attached to the families and the community only return home during the school breaks. Many of them refuse to return to school after the break is over," she said.
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| Ku Li: Reforms first, polls later Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:38 PM PST Amanah chief says the PSC must be allowed to complete its task and all relevant laws amended and implemented before the general election (Free Malaysia Today) - The government should reform the electoral system first before calling for the general election, Umno stalwart and Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said today. "We welcome the government's decision to set up the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC). The government must take in all views, including those before Bersih and after, to ensure a free and fair election," Razaleigh told a press conference at his residence here. He said that the PSC should be allowed to complete its task expeditiously and all relevant laws amended appropriately and put in place before the general election is called. Razaleigh, or better known as Ku Li, said that the Bersih 2.0 mass rally on July 9 need not have happened if the government had responded properly. "I had passed a message to the government asking them to meet with the organisers. What happened was unfortunate; people came out in the thousands despite threats, and it was a mixed crowd too…," Razaleigh said. The group's deputy president Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir added: "There's talk as if election is going to be held tomorrow. We think the election should be held after PSC has completed its task and its recommendations implemented. Otherwise, there's no meaning. "If they hold elections before the PSC had done its job, then it's like main-main saja (not serious). It's just drama, and that's not so nice. We would have preferred a royal commission to look into electoral reforms. The government should be sincere," said Abdul Kadir, the former tourism minister. He said that the government is now aware that "these are changed times" and the sovereignty of the people should be respected and taken into account. He also said that Amanah supported Hulu Selangor MP P Kamalanathan's suggestion that there should be a "neutral caretaker" government once the government is dissolved for election. Razaleigh's call today came amid speculation that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would dissolve the Parliament this Friday (Nov 11), with the general election due to be held on Dec 13. On speculations that Amanah was planning on becoming a new political party, Razaleigh said that it was formed as an NGO, but did not rule out the possibility of it evolving in future. "Although many have suggested that Amanah be converted to a political organisation, it was not thought up that way. It will remain a NGO as announced at the launch," he said. Razaleigh also revealed that Amanah was officially approved by the Registrar of Societies two weeks ago. "We're now in business," he said. However, he denied any intention to leave Umno, saying: "If I wanted to, I would have said so. Why waste time? BN needs every bit of help to make sure it does well in the general election," he said.
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| Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:35 PM PST With Pakatan geared up to launch an assault on the state, BN is leaving nothing to chance and pampers the voters with gifts, including whisky bottles for Indian teachers. (Free Malaysia Today) - MUAR: After Pakatan Rakyat declared its intention of making inroads into Barisan Nasional's stronghold of Johor, the ruling coalition is leaving nothing to chance, especially when it concerns Indian voters. These voters are being showered with cash and hampers, and leading the goodie train is none other than Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman. An ex-MIC state leader told FMT that while the Indians here have been traditional supporters of BN, the party leaders however are not taking this granted. "Even though in some of the constituencies, Indian voters are as low as three or five percent, they still may be the deciding factor in ensuring that Johor remains a BN fortress," he said. Among others, the menteri besar announced that the state government has allocted RM500,000 for the construction of a Sri Murugan Centre (SMC) Ashramam in Muar town. This is in addition to the education grant of RM100,000 a year allocated for the centre since 2007. The centre provides tuition for children from the lower income bracket. Speaking to FMT, state SMC co-ordinator P Subramaniam said the RM500,000 was promised by the state government prior to the 2008 general election to support the centre's effort in securing a plot of land for the construction of the ashramam. "We are happy to get the money, but we will seek further funds from the state to complete the RM2.5 million ashramam," he added. Meanwhile, Muhyiddin, who is also the MP for Pagoh, recently handed cash to single mothers and the elderly to offset their medical bills. They received between RM300 and RM1,000 each. Apart from this, Tamil school pupils effected by the floods here in January received RM200 each. For the record, the state government paid RM500 to each household affected by the floods in February and the federal government also compensated those who suffered loss of crops and livestock. "This has nothing to do with the general election," said an aide to Muhyiddin. "We always provide assistance to the people. Our help is not seasonal nor confined to a particular race."
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| Malaysia’s Ahmadis living dangerously Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:30 PM PST Targeted by both society and the state, Ahmadis in Malaysia plead for a fair voice, fearing the worst if they're denied this. Later in 1975, the Selangor Fatwa Council decreed that the Ahmadis were not Muslims, and recommended as a result, that their special Malay privileges be removed. Deceased Malaysian Ahmadis were not allowed to be buried in Muslim cemeteries, Ainul said, adding that their bodies had to be taken to a special gravesite in Cheras. Patrick Lee, Free Malaysia Today In the middle of Kampung Nakhoda, there is an unassuming three-storey building. Nothing about its humble stature makes it stand out from nearby houses, except for a council-erected signboard that clearly reads: "Qadiani Bukan Islam" (Qadianis are not Muslims). Youths mingle inside the building's compound, warily observing passers-by beyond the front gate. At FMT's approach, they smiled and opened the gate, only to quickly close it, and the front doors leading to the building's living room. Inside, the youths set up video cameras and other recording equipment. They are friendly, but slightly skittish with the visiting journalist. They relax a little when their religious leader, Maulana Ainul Yaqeen Sahib, enters. It is easy to see why. Ainul belongs to the Ahmadiyya movement, an Islamic sect coldly received by Malaysia's Sunni Islamic authorities. Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) officers in the past, he said, have raided the building – named Baitussalam – which serves as the local Ahmadiyya community's gathering place and mosque. "They (JAIS) pushed themselves through a hole in the front gate when we didn't let them come in. They didn't have a warrant," he told FMT, relating the 2009 incident. The JAIS officers barged their way into the building, and started inspecting its prayer room and taking photographs. Ainul also said that a few of these officers would later pose as curious university students. One of them, he claimed, "borrowed" a copy of the Quran, and never gave back. Given the cold shoulder According to Ainul, Ahmadis are no different from other Muslims in terms of practice and the faith. "We follow the Quran, the five pillars of Islam and the tradition of the Holy Prophet. Even our Kalimah (Islamic creed) is the same," he said. But what sets them apart from other Muslims, is the belief that their sect's founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was Islam's Promised Messiah and the redeemer, the Imam Mahdi. (The Ahmadiyya movement began in Qadian, India, during the late 19th century, and was later called Qadianis.) It is a belief that has not only incurred the wrath of hardline Islamic authorities, but also their supporters. In May 2010, Pakistani terrorists attacked two Ahmadiyya mosques in Lahore with grenades and automatic rifles, killing 86 and injuring more than 120. Earlier in February this year, an Indonesian mob attacked an Ahmadiyya community in Cikeusik, Java. Videos released on the Internet showed the mob chanting "Allahuakbar" (God is great) as they beat and killed three Ahmadis, raining blows on them with sticks and stones even as they lay dead on the ground. While outright violence against Malaysia's 2,000-odd Ahmadis is unknown, the sect's believers nevertheless are given the cold shoulder by both the authorities and locals. According to the Ahmadis, opposition against the movement started shortly after the movement was introduced to Malaya by an Indian missionary in the 1930s.
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| Malaysians Abroad Should Not Vote Posted: 07 Nov 2011 03:18 PM PST Malaysians abroad on permanent residency visas should not seek or be given the right to vote in Malaysian elections because they have essentially decided that there is no hope for them in Malaysia. If they were to harbor any sliver of hope for change, then they would have stayed behind and agitated for change from there, where their efforts would have the potential of having the greatest impact. M. Bakri Musa Malaysians abroad are misguided and plain wrong in agitating for exercising their right to vote in Malaysian elections. I can the see the validity for students, diplomats and others on temporary assignment abroad demanding such rights, but then they already have them. For others, especially those who have acquired permanent resident status elsewhere, their clamor for retaining their right to vote in Malaysian elections is misplaced for at least three major reasons. The first and most important is that since they do not live in Malaysia, they would not have to bear the burden of the consequences of their voting decision. Second, those Malaysians are essentially seeking representation without taxation; that is presumptuous. Third, since they had sought permanent residency status abroad, their focus should now be to prove to their new host country that they are deserving of such a status. Meaning, they should focus their attention, indeed loyalty, to their new adopted land. My last reason is not major but merely financial. There are considerable added costs to have Malaysians abroad vote in Malaysian elections; I would rather have the government spend that money and resources in Malaysia. Elections Have Consequences For an action to be meaningful its consequence must affect the participants, otherwise the exercise is merely academic or worse, a game. It may be a fun game for those abroad to vote in Malaysian elections, but for the locals who have to live with the consequences, it would not be so. In short, Malaysians abroad participating in Malaysian elections are engaged in a fraudulent act besides muddying the waters for the "natives" who have to live with the results. It is also the height of presumptuousness for those residing abroad to seek political representation but at the same time dispensing with paying their share of the costs, meaning, Malaysian taxes. Americans abroad have a right to vote not only because of the fact that they are citizens, but also because they are taxed on their worldwide income. An American may earn her entire income in Malaysia and in ringgit, nonetheless she still has to pay her share of income tax to Uncle Sam as if she had earned that income stateside. So I can see her demanding her right to vote and that the American embassy provides her the necessary facility so she can readily exercise that right. Malaysians abroad in contrast do not pay any Malaysian income tax, unless they have Malaysian sources of income, and those Malaysians already retain their right to vote. If the rallying cry of those original New England "Tea Party" colonists back in the 17th Century was "No taxation without representation," today we have Malaysians abroad who pay no Malaysian tax yet perversely are demanding their right for representation without taxation. Absurd if not arrogant! The Election Commission's retort to them should be, paraphrasing the famous words of John Hampden uttered at the height of the English Civil War, what a Malaysian abroad has no right to demand, their home government has a right to refuse. Malaysians abroad on permanent residency visas should not seek or be given the right to vote in Malaysian elections because they have essentially decided that there is no hope for them in Malaysia. If they were to harbor any sliver of hope for change, then they would have stayed behind and agitated for change from there, where their efforts would have the potential of having the greatest impact. Besides, having made the emotionally wrenching decision to emigrate, their main focus now should be to adjust to that decision and make the best of it. Thus they should endeavor to plant roots in their new adopted community, be an active and contributing member, and not be bothered with matters (especially political ones) they left behind. If they should be clamoring for any voting rights, it should be for the right to vote in the affairs of their new community, if for no other practical reason than that those decisions will now directly impact them. If after adjusting well in their new adopted community, these émigré Malaysians still retain a reservoir of goodwill and gratitude for their homeland and wish to contribute, then there are other more productive avenues to do so than to agitate for the right to vote in Malaysian elections. Eradicating the "Temporary Abode" Mentality There is something irritating when I see Malaysians holding green cards or otherwise having permanent resident status being more concerned with Malaysian affairs then they are with those of their adopted homeland. If as a non-native in a new land I feel that way, imagine what the real natives would feel. In America I see frequent backlashes against Mexican-Americans for example, who are more concerned with affairs south of the border than they are with matters American. A green card (or any permanent resident status) is a privilege; literally millions in the world would give anything to secure one. Having secured one and then to treat it so cavalierly is being disrespectful to the grantor state. Worse, that is the height of ingratitude. In fact in some jurisdictions, any political involvement with affairs back in the "old country" would be grounds for rescinding that permanent resident status. Permanent resident status is more than a long-term permit to work; it is a statement of your intent to be a permanent resident of that country, as the terminology of the document implies. In many countries permanent residents are granted nearly as full a privilege as citizens. Thus it behooves the holders of such visas to exercise their privileges in such a way as to demonstrate to the host country that they value and thus are deserving of such a status. If I were a native Singaporean, for example, I would not be too happy to see the republic's permanent resident visa holders more interested in Malaysian rather than the island's elections. Indeed there is now a palpable backlash among the republic's citizens to these new permanent residents who treat the affluent island merely as a place to earn a good income and nothing more. Malaysians would not be too enthralled either if foreigners granted Malaysian permanent residency status were to preoccupy themselves with matters in their former native land while ignoring local affairs. A common complaint among Malays is that too many non-Malays treat their Malaysian citizenship merely as a stepping stone for them or their children to emigrate to the West. Thus Malays see the lack of enthusiasm by non-Malays to learning our national language as a manifestation of this "temporary abode" mentality. So when these Malaysians emigrate and then agitate to have the right to vote in Malaysian elections, they are reverting to their old stereotypical "temporary abode" behavior, albeit not in Malaysia this time but in their new home country. Just to be clear, I am directing my comments not to those Malaysians on temporary assignment abroad as students, civil servants and company employees. For students especially, I would encourage and give them every facility to vote. Doing so would be the best way to get them engaged in the affairs of their homeland. God knows, if they were back in Malaysia their political activities would be severely circumscribed. At least abroad they would be free to partake in full in the political affairs of Malaysia. If the Malaysian government were to give in and pander to those abroad (parties in power tend to do that!) then I suggest that those voters be made to pay for the full costs of making the necessary accommodations. In my estimation, a fee of US$100.00 per voter would be appropriate, at least in America. That fee would of course be waived for those with proof of payment of their Malaysian income tax in the preceding year. Impose that fee and then see how many abroad still remain "passionate" about Malaysian affairs to demand the right to vote in its elections. Now if those expatriate Malaysians were as passionate in seeking amendments to the Income Tax Act to making their global income subject to Malaysian taxes as they are in clamoring for their rights to vote in Malaysian elections, then I would salute them, but I would still not support it simply because of the costs it would impose on me. The Malaysian Election Commission faces a host of monumental problems not least of which would be to clean up the electoral roll and streamline the postal voting process for those already in Malaysia, as with the police and military personnel. The clamor of Malaysians abroad seeking the right to vote is so far down the list that I can hardly see it. Further, I see little merit in representation without taxation.
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| KL-S'pore high-speed rail link gets a rethink Posted: 07 Nov 2011 12:04 PM PST By Minderjeet Kaur and Ling Poh Lean, NST KUALA LUMPUR: The government may go ahead with the high-speed train between the capital city and Singapore. Various policymakers and government agencies involved in improving public transport in the country are studying the issue in detail. | ||
| Election hopefuls to be screened Posted: 07 Nov 2011 12:02 PM PST By Farrah Naz Karim, NST PUTRAJAYA: Potential candidates for the 13th general election are expected to come under the microscope of several enforcement agencies including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. Names of those being investigated by MACC or who could be the subject of an investigation would be classified under a list that would be sent to the leaders of their respective political parties, a source said yesterday. | ||
| Tourism Ministry investigates pamphlet rack purchase Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:52 AM PST (Bernama) - The Tourism Ministry is investigating the purchase of 1,000 units of metal pamphlet rack for Visit Malaysia Year 2007 which, according to the Auditor-General's Report 2010, was valued at RM1.95 million. In a statement here today, ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng said an investigation committee was established on Oct 5, and that a full investigation report would be submitted to him on Nov 18. However, he clarified that the Finance Ministry had approved payment of RM1.7 million for the purchase of 873 units of rack which were delivered, contrary to the report which stated that the purchase of 1,000 units of pamphlet rack was made through direct negotiation without approval from the Finance Ministry. The report had also said the Auditor-General's Office could not confirm whether the pamphlet racks were completely distributed with tourism pamphlets. Touching on the ministry's 2009 and 2010 advertising activities, Dr Ong clarified the direct booking of advertisement slots had helped save the commission paid to the agency (15% of the media purchase cost) totalling RM19.93 million in 2009, and RM9.2 million last year, as compared to using the service of advertising agency appointed through open tender. "The move also helped the Tourism Promotion Board to plan its expenditure plan for 2009 and 2010, for better financial management and reduced its accumulated deficit," he said. – Bernama | ||
| Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:50 AM PST By Pauline Wong, The Sun PETALING JAYA (Nov 7, 2011): Government hospitals have been seeing deteriorating standards among housemen in recent years due to, among other things, the proliferation of medical schools which produce sub-standard graduates. A source told theSun that too many medical schools, too few good lecturers, and the "pampering" of housemen have contributed to the serious situation. The source said standards have been falling as more opportunities to study medicine both locally and overseas emerged, and housemen are getting used to having it easy. He noted that sadly, many housemen tend to "disappear" and cheat on their logbooks, are irresponsible, lazy, ignorant and unprofessional in carrying out their duties. "There are some who are good, but some just don't cut the grade," he said, adding that not all the blame rests on the housemen's attitude, but rather, it is a downward spiral brought on by the lack of proper training. "The sheer number of universities offering medical courses has led to standards set by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) not being met, because there are not enough good lecturers and trainers. "Its bad enough that good doctors do not necessarily make good teachers. What's worse, in some local public universities, lecturers are sometimes only senior civil servants with some medical background," said the source, a department head who sees hundreds of housemen in a major government hospital each year. "And now, exacerbating the situation is the government's decision not to make the Medical Qualifying Examination (MQE) compulsory for all medical graduates from foreign varsities," he lamented. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had earlier announced that the current list of 365 recognised overseas foreign universities may be abolished in favour of making it compulsory to pass the MQE before practising medicine here. However, the cabinet recently quashed the idea and instead directed that the list of recognised universities be shortened and reviewed more frequently. theSun had, today, front-paged concerns that the cabinet's decision may have negative consequences when Malaysia opens its doors to foreign medical practitioners under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement. The medical community had voiced the view that the MQE should be made compulsory for all medical graduates from foreign varsities, to act as a filter and maintain a benchmark in medical standards. The poor quality of housemen was recently highlighted in a letter to theSun, published under the heading 'Young doctors mollycoddled'. The writer, a specialist at a government hospital, had expressed his frustrations over the low quality of housemen whom he said had "bad attitudes and were lazy and incompetent". Asked to comment on the issue, Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Mary Suma Cardosa warned against generalising the negative comments. "There are some very good housemen who excel, and these are the doctors we (and the public) want to have and to nuture. But we also find poorly-trained housemen and it is very challenging and tiring to get them up to scratch," she said. She said the root cause of frustration and resentment among clinicians is having to teach these housemen things they should have already learnt in medical school. "The housemanship period is to teach young doctors how to apply all the knowledge and skills they have acquired in medical school to real life situations, but if they don't have the basic skills and knowledge, how can we train them?" she asked. "Unfortunately, some housemen are not interested and are unwilling to learn and to change, but have the cheek to complain that they are being 'abused' by their seniors," said Cardosa who is however not convinced that the fault lies entirely in medical schools. "Yes, some medical school are at fault for not having enough experienced teachers or fail to provide their students with enough patient exposure. But in other cases, it is simply because the medical graduates have a poor attitude," she said. "Young doctors (and their parents) should be made to realise that a doctor's life is a hard one, especially in the early years. Long hours are a necessary part of the training and the work. "No one should study medicine because of the glamour, status or because they think they are guaranteed a job which is certainly not the case," she said. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin said the ministry took a serious view on the matter, and was extending the training period for housemen. "We are very concerned with the quality of our young doctors, which is why the training for housemen was extended to two years from one year in 2008. The quality of doctors and patient safety cannot be compromised," she said, giving an assurance yhat only competent housemen will be given full registration by the MMC. | ||
| For sure public advocacy is here to stay Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:42 AM PST Where in the past we would have dealt with controversial matters surreptitiously, nowadays such delicacy and tact are considered old-fashioned if not deceitful. One thing's for sure: we can't turn the clock back. Public advocacy is here to stay. Where in the past we would have dealt with such matters surreptitiously, nowadays such delicacy and tact are considered old-fashioned if not deceitful – the hyper-transparent Wikileaks culture cuts all ways. TO most onlookers, it would appear as if Malaysian public life had been hijacked by extremists – with Perkasa fronting ethnic nationalists and PAS' ulama leading the religious fundamentalists. Indeed, the notion of 'Malay-ness' is increasingly being determined by these two forces alone – leaving the "middle-ground" empty and forgotten.
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| Pua: Anwar deserves a second chance Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:40 AM PST By Stephanie Sta Maria, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Petaling Jaya Utara MP, Tony Pua, publicly vouched for Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim during a forum after a participant demanded to know why the former deputy prime minister should be given another chance in power. The unidentified man asked what had changed in Anwar that DAP was now championing for him to be returned into government.
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| Mustapa: Lynas jumping gun over rare earth refinery start date Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:34 AM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed has slammed Lynas Corp for pre-empting the government by repeatedly projecting start dates for the Australian miner's controversial RM1.5 billion rare earth plant in Kuantan. The international trade and industry minister accused the Australian company of "jumping the gun" and failing to engage transparently with residents around its Kuantan refinery who have opposed the project due to fears of radiation pollution.
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| Government and golf club in battle over precious land Posted: 07 Nov 2011 11:33 AM PST By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider PETALING JAYA, Nov 8 — The federal government has initiated legal action to gain control of some 330 acres of prime land worth an estimated RM5 billion that is currently leased to the elite Subang National Golf Club (Kelab Golf Negara Subang — KGNS) here. The move could reinforce perception that the government is strapped for cash and comes after Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hanadzlah said that the government was looking at monetising its assets including land to help fund expenditure and controversies over "land grab" by the authorities in charge of building the new MRT system.
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| Posted: 07 Nov 2011 04:08 AM PST
(The Star) - The DAP must first explain how hudud law will not affect the Chinese community before it asks for their support in the general election, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said. In throwing the challenge, he pointed out that the Federal Constitution should be amended if the country was to be turned into an Islamic state that paved the way for hudud's implementation. "As such, how can the DAP say that the Chinese will not be affected by such amendments?" he asked, adding that the DAP was either insulting the people's intelligence or blinded by its quest for power – both done at the expense of the community.  Popular leader: Dr Chua greeting a party member while Kong looks on at the Lido Restaurant in Sitiawan yesterday. Speaking at a luncheon with Lumut MCA division members here yesterday, Dr Chua said the DAP should not offer the excuse that PAS needed at least two-thirds in Parliament to pass any amendment to the Constitution, and that the DAP would not support such an amendment. "There is no valid reason for the Chinese to support DAP, PAS or Parti Keadilan Rakyat as by doing so, the community is only helping to make PAS' dream of a hudud state nearer to reality," he said. Dr Chua said the DAP did not have the interest of the Chinese at heart when it collaborated with PAS. "The DAP wanted the Chinese votes to survive, and at the same time it worked with its enemy (PAS)," he said. Dr Chua also challenged the DAP to name Pakatan Rakyat's prime minister should the Opposition come to power. He said until and unless the DAP could do this, it was not in a position to assure the Chinese that their interests would be taken care of. Meanwhile, Lumut MP Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the people should know the consequences, if not the risks, if they supported Pakatan. He said the DAP could give excuses to gain the people's support but the facts speak louder. He, too, pointed out the hudud issue as a good example. Kong, who is also the Perak MCA deputy chairman, said if Pakatan came into power, it would table the proposed amendments to the Constitution in Parliament and pave the way for hudud's implementation. He said the DAP should explain to the people what the reality was if such a proposal was tabled. "Can the DAP guarantee that they could not get the two-thirds support to pass the Bill?"
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| Chairman Isa and the listing of Felda Global Ventures-surat dari pembaca Posted: 07 Nov 2011 12:36 AM PST SAKMONGKOL AK47 FAKTA-FAKTA PENYENARAIAN FELDA YANG TIDAK AKAN DISIARKAN TV3 DAN UTUSAN:
· Tanah-tanahperladangan Felda yang diuruskan Felda Plantation berjumlah 360,000 hektar DAN; · Tanah-tanah sedia ada Felda (Additional Existing Land) yang telah dibenarkan kerajaan negeri untuk dibangunkan. Contohnya tanah Felda sendiri digunakanFelda dan peneroka untuk tujuan pertanian, perniagaan, sukan, perumahan generasi kedua, resort-resort Felda, serta tanah di mana penyelidikan. Dalam perjanjian itu menyebut bahawa jika tanah tersebut sudah mendapat geran,ia akan diberikankepada Felda Global Venture secara automatik dan jika belum diberikan geran akan diserahkan kepada Felda Global secara 3 tahun secara penyambungan automatik sehingga 99 tahun. Jika peneroka-peneroka pada masa ini ada mengadakan aktiviti perniagaan, pertanian atau sosial di tanah Felda yang akan diambil alih Felda Global Venture, bersedialah untuk membayar sewa atau dirampas kembali tanah-tanah tersebut oleh Felda Global Venture bagi aktiviti yang mereka anggap lebih menguntungkan kepada kroni Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad · Tanah-tanah masa hadapan (Future land) yang bakal dibeli FELDA akan diserahkan kepada Felda Global Venture JIKA ISA SAMAD DAN SABRI AHMAD MENAFIKAN PERKARA INI, SEBAIK-BAIKNYA TUAN-PUAN PENEROKA MEMINTA ISA SAMAD DAN SABRI AHMAD MEMINTA DITUNJUKKAN DAHULU SURAT PERJANJIAN PAJAKAN DI ANTARA FELDA DAN FELDA GLOBAL VENTURES SEBELUM PAJAKAN DIMULAKAN PADA 1.01.2012. JIKA ENGGAN, DISARANKAN TUAN-PUAN MENYAMAN FELDA DARI MEMBUAT KEPUTUSAN MERUGIKAN MASA HADAPAN PENEROKA DAN ANAK-ANAK DAN MEMOHON INJUKSI MAHKAMAH BAGI MENGHALANG TINDAKAN PAJAKAN INI DILAKUKAN TANPA SURAT PAJAKAN INI DITELITI DAN MENDAPATKAN PERSETUJUAN SEMUA PENEROKA MELALUI SEBUAH REFERENDUM
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| The True Cause of America’s Troubles Posted: 07 Nov 2011 12:30 AM PST MONEY AND MARKETS Are you wondering why the U.S. economy has now stagnated — despite the largest government stimulus, bailouts, and money printing of all time? Are you puzzled why the real income of American households has just suffered its worst plunge in recorded history — despite the so-called "recovery" of 2009-2011? Do you want to know why it now takes 40.5 weeks for the average unemployed worker to find a new job — also the worst in recorded history? And are you flabbergasted by the utter failure of the U.S. Congress to do anything about trillion-dollar federal deficits for years to come? Then, let me tell you precisely what's causing this mess. The fundamental source of the nation's troubles is DEBTS that are far larger and more destructive than Washington admits. Indeed, the U.S. government is covering up the magnitude of the nation's debt disasters with three major deceptions: Debt Deception #1 "As long as the government's debt burden is under 100 percent of GDP," they say, "we can handle it. It's only when it surpasses the 100 percent threshold that we'll be in danger." True or false? Let's look at the numbers: • U.S. GDP is $14.6 trillion. And … • According to the Federal Reserve's Flow of Funds, U.S. Treasury debts outstanding are $9.7 trillion. • So that means the debts are well under the 100 percent danger threshold, right? Wrong! The authorities conveniently ignore a massive $7.6 trillion of additional government debts that have piled up on the books of U.S. government agencies, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These agencies were created by the U.S. government, have always been controlled by the U.S. government, and now, after the federal bailouts of the last debt crisis, are even owned by the U.S. government. How in the world anyone could possibly exclude their debts from the U.S. government's books is beyond me. And yet that's precisely what Washington does. Add those debts to the government's total burden … and guess what! Instead of $9.7 trillion in federal government debts outstanding, the actual total comes to $17.3 trillion — a whopping 118.3 percent of GDP!
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| The Catholic Church and the Mission Schools Posted: 06 Nov 2011 10:06 PM PST reply by a Senior Physician Uppercaise is too kind to the Catholic church and the clergy. Let me use this space to explain why this body of people has been lacking in the simple wisdom that is required to keep pace with a changing modern world. Let me refer to two examples. In the 1980s a senior partner of Ernst & Young, a Catholic, some senior Christian officers in the Ministry of Finance and EPU and myself decided that the Catholic schools and the Catholic church had to become financially independent and reject government aid. Our plan was to examine large pieces of land owned by the church for conversion to commercial use. This land thus converted for commercial purposes would be then built upon so that a steady source of revenue would flow to the Catholic Church to fund church activities including support for schooling. We realized that there were enough well-to-do people who would support private schools which they as well as the public very much wanted. The LaSalle schools would be highly acceptable because they had a reputation. The land that we were looking at were mainly in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor Baru. These were choice pieces of land which only did not have value so long as they were occupied by government aided buildings. A notable case in point was land in Bukit Nanas. This effort failed for the following reasons. There were conflicts in the heiarchy of the Catholic Church. Bishop Vendargon insisted on selling a very valuable piece of land occupied by a seminary in Penang to the private sector which he did. The public does not know where that money went. The Bishop and his advisors held meeting after meeting. They then informed us that they will not go along with our plan. They would rather leave everything to the wisdom of God. Next was a plan that I together with two friends proposed specifically to SFI. Briefly this plan (supported by the Melaka State government) consisted of surrendering their existing school land including the land that belonged to the Sacred Heart Convent in Melaka for a much larger piece of land in Ayer Keroh. On this land would have been built two modern school buildings, one for SFI and one for the Convent with solar panel roofing (to save electricity), a chapel, a multipurpose athletic and games field with a running track to be shared by both schools, a basketball court, tennis and squash courts, and a boarding for upmarket local and foreign students. All this would be done by a renowned developer picked by the State government known to have the financial means, who had to build first before the schools relocated to these buildings. The State would support these new schools with generous infrastructure including roads, drainage, sewage and landscaping. The State was keen that these schools be converted to private schools (this required approval from the education department which the State would assist in getting) so that students from other countries would come to Melaka. The land in question was owned by 3 parties – the Catholic Church, the LaSalle brothers, and the Convent. To our astonishment we discovered that all these 3 parties would not talk to each other. There were also disagreements about changing these schools to private schools. Neither I nor other promoters of this idea were allowed to address these owners of the property. They seemed to be content to be sitting on these decaying properties in spite of the possibility that their land may be forceably acquired. This plan was therefore scrapped. These two incidents should show Uppercaise the kind of people in the Church that we are dealing with. They are solely responsible for the sorry state of affairs of the premier Catholic schools in this country. Of course the government changed. This had to happen in a democracy. But you will notice that they did not touch private schools. I believe that the leaders of the Catholic church had the clout to influence government leaders as time went by. Unfortunately these church leaders behaved like foreigners in their own country. In a separate letter "a Specialist" has written about the abuse that has occurred in the Assunta Hospital, another public project started for the poor by the Catholic Church. This matter was raised by "a concerned Malaysian" to which "a Specialist" responded. There does not seem to be anything that the "concerned Malaysian" can do. The board of directors of Assunta Hospital as well as Bishop Pakiam has maintained a discreet silence. The lay public of the Catholic church must hold the church leaders including Bishop Pakiam responsible for the sad state of affairs that exist today. | ||
| Fakta-fakta Penyenaraian Felda yang tidak kan disiarkan TV3 dan Utusan Posted: 06 Nov 2011 09:54 PM PST Jaminan Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad bahawa FELDA bakal dibayar RM1 billion bagi meneruskan tujuan aktiviti pertanian dan pembangunan sosio-ekonomi peneroka setiap tahun selama 99 tahun adalah BOHONG DAN PENIPUAN TERBESAR By Suara Felda 1. Menteri Koperasi sendiri tidak tahu menahu dan enggan mengeluarkan surat arahan Menteri bertarikh ke belakang (back dated) untuk masuk campur isu rampasan kuasa Koperasi Permodalan Felda demi memenuhi nafsu Isa Samad kecuali diarahkan PM Najib. Campurtangan beliau dalam Koperasi Permodalan Felda bakal memberikan imej tidak baik, dianggap campur tangan politik kerajaan dalam sebuah koperasi yang aman dan berjaya serta bakal dibantah Jawatankuasa Koperasi Antarabangsa (www.ica.coop/al-ica) yang turut dianggotai oleh Angkasa. Difahamkan beberapa lembaga pengarah Jawatankuasa Koperasi Antarabangsa dari EU dan Afrika akan mengadakan kenyataan bantahan dalam hal ini tidak lama lagi. Berdasarkan potensi perkara ini bakal memburukkan imej negara dan menjejaskan peti undi Felda di Parlimen Bera (sekurang-kurangnya 14 peti undi Felda terlibat di bawah Parlimen Bera) Dato Seri Ismail Sabri akan terus mengambil pendirian berdiam diri dan tidak akan menyokong usaha Isa Samad merampas kuasa Pengerusi Koperasi Felda walaupun Isa Samad menjaja nama PM Najib ke sana ke mari. 2. Perjanjian Pajakan di antara Felda Global Ventures dan FELDA yang disorokkan dari diketahui warga Felda sekalian jelas menyatakan pajakan tanah terlibat adalah: Tanah-tanah perladangan Felda yang diuruskan Felda Plantation berjumlah 360,000 hektar DAN; Tanah-tanah sedia ada Felda (Additional Existing Land) yang telah dibenarkan kerajaan negeri untuk dibangunkan. Contohnya tanah Felda sendiri digunakanFelda dan peneroka untuk tujuan pertanian, perniagaan, sukan, perumahan generasi kedua, resort-resort Felda, serta tanah di mana penyelidikan. Dalam perjanjian itu menyebut bahawa jika tanah tersebut sudah mendapat geran,ia akan diberikankepada Felda Global Venture secara automatik dan jika belum diberikan geran akan diserahkan kepada Felda Global secara 3 tahun secara penyambungan automatik sehingga 99 tahun. Jika peneroka-peneroka pada masa ini ada mengadakan aktiviti perniagaan, pertanian atau sosial di tanah Felda yang akan diambil alih Felda Global Venture, bersedialah untuk membayar sewa atau dirampas kembali tanah-tanah tersebut oleh Felda Global Venture bagi aktiviti yang mereka anggap lebih menguntungkan kepada kroni Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad Tanah-tanah masa hadapan (Future land) yang bakal dibeli FELDA akan diserahkan kepada Felda Global Venture JIKA ISA SAMAD DAN SABRI AHMAD MENAFIKAN PERKARA INI, SEBAIK-BAIKNYA TUAN-PUAN PENEROKA MEMINTA ISA SAMAD DAN SABRI AHMAD MEMINTA DITUNJUKKAN DAHULU SURAT PERJANJIAN PAJAKAN DI ANTARA FELDA DAN FELDA GLOBAL VENTURES SEBELUM PAJAKAN DIMULAKAN PADA 1.01.2012. JIKA ENGGAN, DISARANKAN TUAN-PUAN MENYAMAN FELDA DARI MEMBUAT KEPUTUSAN MERUGIKAN MASA HADAPAN PENEROKA DAN ANAK-ANAK DAN MEMOHON INJUKSI MAHKAMAH BAGI MENGHALANG TINDAKAN PAJAKAN INI DILAKUKAN TANPA SURAT PAJAKAN INI DITELITI DAN MENDAPATKAN PERSETUJUAN SEMUA PENEROKA MELALUI SEBUAH REFERENDUM Struktur Pra-Penyenaraian Felda Global Venture telah direka khusus bagi menipu rakyat terutamanya peneroka dan kakitangan Felda. Struktur Penyenaraian dimaksudkan adalah:  Tujuan Struktur Pra-Penyenaraian yang direka ini adalah seperti berikut: · Mewujudkan situasi kononnya terdapat konflik kuasa eksekutif apabila Pengarah Besar FELDA memegang kedua-dua jawatan Pengarah Besar FELDA dan Pengerusi Koperasi Permodalan Felda dan menggunakan alasan urus tadbir korporat yang baik (bukan menggunakan peraturan Suruhanjaya Sekuriti BSKL), Isa Samad merampas kuasa Pengerusi KPF melalui agenda khas dalam mesyuarat Lembaga Pengarah FELDA yang diadakan semasa ketiadaan Pengarah Besar yang menunaikan umrah dalam bulan Ramadan. Struktur ini dirancang sendiri oleh Sabri Ahmad, bukannya FELDA mahupun PM Najib sendiri bagi mewajarkan tindakan Isa Samad ini. Apabila Isa Samad menjadi Pengerusi KPF, perkara pertama akan dilakukan beliau adalah meluluskan pelepasan pegangan ekuiti KPF di dalam Felda Holdings Berhad, merombak pengurusan dan lembaga pengarah serta mengetuai jawatankuasa pelaburan dan merubah polisi sedia ada yang menjaga kepentingan ahli-ahlinya selama ini · Menutup mata kakitangan dan peneroka iaitu ahli-ahli Koperasi Permodalan Felda bahawa mereka bakal kehilangan 51% Saham dalam Felda Holdings Berhad iaitu Syarikat Utama yang mentadbir anak-anak syarikat Felda. Anak-anak syarikat ini tidak akan wujud tanpa usaha bersama pengurusan FELDA dan kakitangan dan Struktur Selepas Penyenaraian akan menyaksikan penguasaan saham Koperasi Permodalan Felda dalam anak-anak syarikat akan jatuh kepada 30% sahaja dan 70% bakal diberikan kepada pelabur luar. FELDA pula disingkir keluar dari sebarang pemilikan dan hak dalam penyenaraian ini · Hasil pelepasan hak Koperasi Permodalan Felda dalam anak-anak syarikat Felda dan pelepasan hak Felda dalam Felda Global Ventures dalam aktiviti dipanggil 'divestment' (lawan kepada investment) ini akan menghasilkan sedikit wang yang akan digunakan bagi aktiviti pemberian durian runtuh yang sangat tidak berbaloi jika dibandingkan pembayaran one-off durian runtuh VS pendapatan dividen 51% selama 99 tahun + kehilangan hak Felda dan peneroka terhadap anak-anak syarikat Felda + kehilangan pendapatan Felda sebanyak RM1.5 – 2.0 billion
Kepada anak-anak Felda dan peneroka Felda yang celik IT, minta anda terangkan kepada ibu bapa dan rakan-rakan peneroka lain untuk memilih salah satu di antara berikut:
DURIAN RUNTUH VS PENDAPATAN STABIL DAN HAK TERPELIHARA:
Jaminan Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad bahawa FELDA bakal dibayar RM1 billion bagi meneruskan tujuan aktiviti pertanian dan pembangunan sosio-ekonomi peneroka setiap tahun selama 99 tahun adalah BOHONG DAN PENIPUAN TERBESAR: a. Tidak ada jaminan BERTULIS di mana-mana berkenaan sumbangan tersebut dalam Surat Pajakan Tanah Felda (Diminta Peneroka dapatkan Peguam bagi menuntut kepada Felda untuk meneliti Surat Pajakan ini sebelum 1.1.2012) seperti dijanjikan Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad. Malah jumlah RM1 billion tidak cukup pun untuk peneroka berdasarkan perbelanjaan sebelum ini b. Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad tidak akan meletakkan JAMINAN BERTULIS kerana ini mengurangkan minat pelabur dan kapitalis terhadap penyenaraian anak-anak syarikat Felda. Pelabur dan golongan kapitalis bermodal besar Cuma berminat memiliki segala pendapatan, tanah dan lain-lain aset Felda dan tidak berminat memberi SEDEKAH PERCUMA kepada Felda untuk peneroka c. Segala kata-kata, janji dan jaminan Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad pada masa ini TIDAK LAKU kerana tidak mewakili Lembaga Pengarah Felda Global Ventures yang baru nanti apabila Felda Global Ventures disenaraikan. Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad sekadar bertaraf kontrak dan apabila masing-masing sudah kenyang akan pergi dan TIDAK LAGI BERTANGGUNGJAWAB terhadap kenyataan mereka sebelum ini. Sabri Ahmad sendiri pernah terlibat penyelewengan RM120 juta di syarikat Golden Hope Plantation Bhd (sebuah syarikat yang pada masa itu telah disenarai) yang disiasat oleh KPMG Forensics dan didapati bersalah sehingga dipaksa Lembaga Pengarah Sime Darby untuk meletak jawatan. Skandal Sabri Ahmad dan berita ini dilapor akhbar utama dan media alternatif sekitar Jun 2008 dan skandal salah laku Sabri Ahmad pernah ditanya oleh YB Wee Choo Keong di Parlimen (Link: http://www.1malaysia.com.my/zh/news/pnb-will-not-interfere/) dan http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/new-straits-times/mi_8016/is_20080611/sime-fires-2-execs/ai_n44404255/ ) Tentang Isa Samad tidak perlu lagi didedahkan siapa beliau. Masih rasa selamatkah peneroka-peneroka Felda, kakitangan Felda terhadap 2 individu utama ini yang muncul di semua media dan sesi penerangan yang meminta supaya mereka diyakini untuk ubah masa hadapan Felda? Semua fakta-fakta ini akan terbukti jika terdapat wakil peneroka membuat laporan polis dan melantik peguam menyaman dan mendapatkan injuksi mahkamag menghalang Felda dari memasuki perjanjian yang meragukan dan melibatkan masa hadapan peneroka dan anak-anak. Juga minta peguam-peguam anda meminta Felda dedahkan secara telus berkenaan keputusan mesyuarat Lembaga Pengarah Felda yang mana lain diputuskan lain diberitahu oleh Isa Samad dan Sabri Ahmad semasa penerangan di media dan kepada himpunan peneroka dan kakitangan. Turut tertipu adalah pegawai Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan pejabat Timbalan Menteri Felda sendiri tetapi tidak boleh berbuat apa-apa kerana Isa Samad menjaja nama PM Najib merata-rata. | ||
| Seksualiti Merdeka not a 'free sex party', says Marina Posted: 06 Nov 2011 08:23 PM PST
(The Star) - Seksualiti Merdeka is about discussion and spreading awareness on the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender (LBGT) community and not a free sex party, said Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir. Marina, who has launched the event the past two years, said she was upset with the unfair reporting by certain quarters, portraying the event as a "pesta seks bebas". "In the past two years, the event was held without a hitch. It only discussed human rights from the LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender) community," said Marina. She added that the event was filled with talks and activities to spread awareness on the LBGT and also sexual orientation. She said this after police recorded statements from former Bar Council president Datuk S. Ambiga, Tenaganita executive director Irene Fernandez, Empower Malaysia executive director Maria Chin Abdullah, and Seksualiti Merdeka co-founder Pang Khee Teik. All of them had their statements taken at the Tenaganita office here Sunday. Ambiga said the LBGT community is a minority that faces discrimination daily and such irresponsible reporting could cause more harm than good. "The Mak Nyah (transexuals) are one of the minorities, who face a lot of discrimination and some of them even get beaten up for being themselves. "I am seriously concerned that labelling them negatively can lead to them being abused more frequently," she said adding that she would take legal action if such reporting continued. Pang said he would meet with Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar in the next three days to clarify the intentions of the event. "We are not a perhimpunan haram (illegal gathering) or a pesta seks bebas like certain quarters have suggested," he said. Seksualiti Merdeka, an event organised by a coalition of NGOs, artistes, activists and individuals, have described themselves as "Malaysia's only festival celebrating the human rights of people of diverse sexual orientation". The event has been held annually since 2008, and was supposed to host a series of activities to last until Nov 13 at the Annexe Gallery of Central Market here.
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| Elections 1990: Irregularities on the electoral rolls Posted: 06 Nov 2011 08:08 PM PST ALIRAN Pages From the Past looks back at the 1990 general election and finds that the problems of phantom voters and unreliable electoral rolls are not new phenomena. A condition for elections to be fair is that the electoral rolls containing the list of people eligible to vote must be clean. Numerous complaints concerning the electoral rolls used for the General Elections held on 20-21 October, however, put to question how clean the rolls were. Some complain that though they had registered during the voter registration exercise in March, their names could not be found on the official lists of electors used during polling. These omissions deprived countless eligible voters of their right to choose representatives for Parliament and State Assemblies. Slightly more mystifying was the problem of 'phantom voters'. For instance, an Indian lady from Ampang, Selangor received four voting cards (informing voters where they should go to vote) that were sent to her house bearing messages to vote Barisan; the curious thing was that the cards were addressed to Malay names though no one with such names had lived in the house for the 21 years she had been there. There are many other reports of people registered as electors with a certain address though these persons do not actually live there. These 'phantom' include a list of 17 names registered as living at the address of a factory in Penang. The existence of phantom voters on the rolls was one of the grounds for which Haji Sulaiman bin Kamaruddin sought an order from the High Court to instruct the Election Commission to rectify the rolls for the parliamentary constituency of Sepang and the Selangor State Assembly seats of Dengkil, Sg. Pelek and Batu Laut. The judge threw out the application, ruling that the matter had to be first brought to the attention of the Election Commission and Haji Sulaiman had not done so. However, in his judgment Mr. Justice Datuk Wira Wan Yahya Pawan Teh said "the facts in the case (are) startling".
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| Hands off Islamic rituals, Muslim NGOs tell faith council Posted: 06 Nov 2011 08:07 PM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - Three Muslim groups cautioned the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) against interfering in Islamic matters after the national faith council questioned the slaughter of cows in school grounds for Aidil Adha. Last Friday, the non-Muslim faith council called on the authorities to end the ritualistic sacrifice of cows in school grounds and institutes of higher learning, saying such public spaces were unsuitable for a ceremony that was observed by only one community. "MCCBCHST should appreciate Muslims' tolerance and not interfere in the affairs of other religions," Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma), Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) and Persatuan Ulama Malaysia (PUM) said in a joint-statement today. "MCCBCHST should also co-operate as Muslims co-operate with followers of other religions, such as when Hindus celebrate Thaipusam, the Chinese celebrate the lantern festival, the Taoists celebrate the hungry ghost festival," they added. The trio advised the non-Muslim faith council to follow the examples of their peers in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia and not to raise "trivial matters that shamed society here". But the MCCBCHST said the activity ignored the sensitivity of Malaysia's multiracial and multicultural student population, and warned it could "escalate into something undesirable in the future". Aidil Adha, also called Hari Raya Korban locally, is among the biggest religious events celebrated by Muslims worldwide. It marks the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah. Frequently, livestock such as goats and cows are sacrificed during the festival to commemorate the animals Allah provided for Ibrahim to give up in place of Ismail. But Hindus regard the cow as a sacred animal.
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| Marina Mahathir livid over ‘free sex’ slur on Seksualiti Merdeka Posted: 06 Nov 2011 07:34 PM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - An emotional Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir lashed out today at media reports describing "Seksualiti Merdeka" as a "free sex festival", and threatened to sue if the matter was not clarified. She told a media conference that "no words could describe" her anger at hearing the event being described as such on television station TV3 last night, and warned a reporter from the station of consequences if her statement today is misreported. "I have been looking at your face and we know who you are," the eldest daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said during the press conference on the front porch of Tenaganita's headquarters here, visibly shaking with anger. Marina had turned up at the NGO's single-storey office on Jalan Gasing this evening to lend support to four fellow human rights activists who were being questioned by police over their involvement in the recently-banned sexuality rights festival. The four are Seksualiti Merdeka founder Pang Khee Teik, Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan, Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez, and Bersih 2.0 steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah. "I am here only as a supporter because two years ago, I officiated Seksualiti Merdeka without any incident," she said. Marina explained the event was not to promote free sex, but to help the marginalised lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community understand their legal rights. "It is an event to explain and educate them of their rights within the laws, and not outside. "So I am very angry, very angry, there are no words to describe, at certain parties calling this a free sex festival. You have nothing better to do? Nowhere here is free sex allowed... are you crazy to imagine this?" she charged.
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| Posted: 06 Nov 2011 06:25 PM PST So, do you think these people are really that godly or pious? They think only of themselves. They don't care about others. And these people are the people who condemn gays because they imagine themselves as saints. Yet they don't care whether their car is obstructing other cars when they go to the church or mosque. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
A number of Christians and Muslims are angry with me. They are angry for various reasons and one of the reasons is the 'Seksualiti Merdeka' issue. I suppose my article 'Way to go!' riled them up a bit. These religionists want to know whether I support homosexuality. Why must it always be about 'if you are not with me then you are against me'? That is the way of President Bush. Either you are with the US or you are against the US. And if you are not with the US then they have every right to attack your country and cause millions to suffer. This 'either you are with me or you are against me' is the root cause of this world's ills. Either you support Ketuanan Melayu or else you are an enemy of the Malays. Either you support Hudud or else you are an enemy of Islam. Either you support the protest against 'Seksualiti Merdeka' or else you are a gay lover (or maybe even gay yourself). So, what else? Either I support a female prime minister of Malaysia or else I am a male chauvinist? Either I support a Jewish prime minister of Malaysia or else I am anti-Semitic? Either I support the building of more churches or else I am anti-Christian? Either I support the building of more temples or else I am anti-Hindu? Either I support Bahasa Malaysia or else I am anti-Malay? Either I support polygamy or else I am insulting Prophet Muhammad? Either I support the keeping of slaves or else I am anti-Quran? Either I support sex with female slaves or else I am anti-Hadith? What happened to live and let live? And why must everyone live according to your value system? The trouble with both Christians and Muslims is: 1) they always think they are right and everyone else is wrong; 2) they always think they are pious and take on a righteous attitude; 3) they refuse to live and let live and everyone must live according to their standards; 4) they do not tolerate differences of opinion and regard those who disagree with them as the enemies of Christianity/Islam. How can both be right? Christians say they are going to heaven and the rest are going to hell. Muslims also say they are going to heaven and the rest are going to hell? How can both black and white be the same colour? One definitely must be right and the other wrong. And what makes you so sure that you are right and all the rest are wrong? What if I believe otherwise? And why can't I believe otherwise? You Christians are so sure that you are right and everyone else (especially gays) is a sinner bound for hell. Yeah, sure, it says so in the Bible. But which Bible? What makes you think I believe in your Bible? To start off with, what makes you think I even consider you a follower of Christ? What if I consider you a deviant? What if I consider the Nestorian (Persian) or Coptic (Egyptian) as the true Christian? What if I consider you Paulists who are practicing Paulism, which later changed its name to Christianity? Just because the Catholics are the majority does not mean I must regard them as true Christians. It is up to me which sect I want to consider true Christians. That is my right. That is not for you to tell me. If the Catholics had not killed so many non-Catholics over almost 1,000 years then probably the Nestorian or Coptic would be the majority today. If people had not been forced to become Catholics at the point of a sword, would there be so many Catholics around today? So might does not make it right. Yeah, sure, I know, you don't agree with me. You dispute what I say. But then that is your right. I also do not agree with you, which is also my right. So you believe what you want to believe and I will believe what I want to believe. And I believe that we should live and let live. You live your life and let others live their lives as long as they do not infringe into your space or violate your rights. It is the same with the Muslims, the twin brothers of the Catholics. They too have certain beliefs and they demand that everyone else comply with their beliefs. What if I don't believe what you believe? What if I believe that you are following the Abbasid version of Islam, which is a deviation from the Umayyad version of Islam? You might disagree but then that is your prerogative. You believe what you want and let me believe what I want. In Malaysia, Shias are considered deviants and will suffer arrest. In Iran, Malaysian Muslims are considered deviants. So who is right? Who is the real deviant? Of course, Malaysian Muslims will say that they are right and all the rest are wrong. How do you know? Where is the proof? So you see, whether it is Christians or Muslims, they all live in this illusion that they are right and all the rest are wrong. But they really don't know. They have no evidence. They only have the word of the priest, imam or ustaz that this is so. And based on what they believe is right and wrong, they will moralise and pass judgement on others. So, the religionists are up in arms against what they perceive as the immoral lifestyle of gays. And if we were to tell them to leave the gays alone and allow them whatever lifestyle they want to lead without any hassle from self-righteous moralists, they accuse us of being bad Christians/Muslims. Gays are immoral or wrong only because you think you are so moral and right. Morality and right, after all, is relative. Yes, I am a moral relativist. So what? So sue me. Some say it was immoral for Prophet Muhammad to marry an underage girl. And certainly Muslims will foam at the mouth if people start labelling Prophet Muhammad as a paedophile (yes, I have read some anti-Islam websites that say this). But then, more than 1,000 years ago, marrying off a five-year old boy to a three-year old girl was politically correct, even in Europe, as long as the marriage is not consummated until the children reach the age of puberty. It was widely practised as a means to seal political alliances between powerful families and to end feuds (with marriage ties). In fact, they even married off 13-year old girls to 50-year old men. That was quite normal. Sure, we need to fight against crime, sin, immorality, etc. But how many of you have NOT sinned (paid a bribe, accepted a bribe, cheated on your income tax, stolen a paper clip from the office, falsely declared on a form, lied to a friend, lied to your boss, etc.)? You speak as if you are so saintly. My car once got stuck in the Assunta Hospital car park because inconsiderate church-goers had parked indiscriminately. My car also always used to get stuck in the Bangsar mosque car park because inconsiderate mosque-goers park indiscriminately, as they always do. So, do you think these people are really that godly or pious? They think only of themselves. They don't care about others. And these people are the people who condemn gays because they imagine themselves as saints. Yet they don't care whether their car is obstructing other cars when they go to the church or mosque. Podah! | ||
| PPSMI: Malaysia in the lost world? Posted: 06 Nov 2011 04:55 PM PST For that reason, Muhyiddin's decision to stop PPSMI is unwise. His watered-down decision to phase out PPSMI completely by 2016 for primary schools and 2021 for secondary schools for the small number of remaining schools still sticking to PPSMI is even more inexplicable. Kim Quek Following the announcement by education minister Muhyiddin Yassin to stop the teaching of science and mathematics in English from 2012, Malaysia is once again embroiled in a messy controversy, this time cutting across political and racial divisions. It is messy because the ideas are aplenty and issues are floating around without proper focus. Sadly, both the proponent and opponent of PPSMI (the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English) are wrong in their vocal rationale. The proponent is wrong in saying that PPSMI will bring proficiency in the English language, as the key to achieve such proficiency is through proper teaching of the language itself, and not through learning another subject using English. The opponent is also wrong in saying that PPSMI will weaken the national language or injure our national pride. While the former reason is more imaginary than real as can be vouched by experienced educationists, the latter reason is more a reflection inferiority complex, rather than legitimate nationalism. Continue or abandon PPSMI? So how do we move from here? Abandon or continue PPSMI? To answer this question, It will be helpful if we go back a few years and trace how the idea first started. When former premier Mahathir Mohamad first conceived the PPSMI in 2002, it was in recognition of the fact that our English language level was in shamble and that we badly needed improvement in order not to be thrown further behind by the rest of the world. Mahathir's intention – to upgrade English – was correct, but the path chosen was wrong. There was no dispute that English was very important or that it needed to be upgraded urgently. But to start teaching the subjects in English the very next year (2003) without first ensuring the availability of English-proficient teachers is wrong. The result is a drop in the standard of science and mathematics without effective improvement in English proficiency. That Mahathir's program has been a failure is attested by Muhyiddin who said that only a small minority of schools are still adopting PPSMI while the rest have abandoned it due to lack of competent teachers. In fact, Mahathir should have zeroed in on the teaching of the language itself as the first phase of operation, and temporarily forget about PPSMI. We should start with our teachers. Due to the large number of teachers required to be upgraded (hundreds of thousand) in their English proficiency, we should adopt the strategy of first training a large core brigade of English teachers, who will in turn train other teachers who need to be upgraded. To train this core brigade, we need to import foreign teachers in addition to recruitment of local English teachers who may include those already in retirement. Only when we have trained sufficient English-proficient teachers in the schools, can we contemplate the introduction of PPSMI. For that reason, the program may have to be introduced gradually, at a pace commensurate with availability of qualified teachers. Merits of PPSMI Though PPSMI is not the best gateway to good English, it is nevertheless a worthy endeavour that will bring the twin benefits of improvement in English as well as ready connectivity to the world of science and technology. Opponents of PPSMI often cite the examples of Russia and China as proof that one can stick to one's national language and yet achieve outstanding progress in science and technology. But these critics forget that countries like Russia and China are huge countries with immense pools of talents and scholarship in the sciences and technology, while relatively diminutive Malaysia, lacking indigenous technology, has to constantly import foreign sources of knowledge which are acquired mostly in the English language. As a matter of fact, English text books are already widely used in our institutions of higher learning, so why not start its use at an earlier age, such as at secondary school level, or even earlier if requisite conditions are fulfilled? It will surely be an advantage for our children to do so. For that reason, Muhyiddin's decision to stop PPSMI is unwise. His watered-down decision to phase out PPSMI completely by 2016 for primary schools and 2021 for secondary schools for the small number of remaining schools still sticking to PPSMI is even more inexplicable. The only acceptable reason for stopping PPSMI should only be one of technicality (the lack of competent teaching personnel) and not one of concept (the desirability of using English for the two subjects). If certain schools have weathered 9 years (2003 to 2011) of rough riding with the new system of PPSMI, it means that these schools have already overcome the birth-pang of the new system, which should be a blessing to the students; does it make sense then to revert to the old system now? Whose interests does the education minister has in mind – the students or his own political fortune? The way forward In fact our government should not only treasure what we have already achieved with the schools that have succeeded with PPSMI, we should expand such success with other schools, using the strategy I have outlined above – a serious program to urgently train a large pool of English teachers to teach other teachers. Muhyddin said that while cutting off PPSMI, he is pursuing a serious program to upgrade English, for which he is trying to bring in 300 English teachers from the US to help out in those schools which need help. But alas, he is making the same mistake as Mahathir – failing to see the realities. We have thousands of schools and all of them are weak in English. So, to which schools must we send these 300 teachers? Aren't they a drop in the ocean of Malaysian schools? How would that kind of deployment of US teachers be effective in raising our English level? Now that election is around the corner, and both political camps – BN and Pakatan Rakyat – are scrambling to snatch vital electoral support, I find that PPSMI has unfortunately fallen as a political pawn. Politicians are issuing statements not with an eye to the interest of our students, but with political power as the target. Any give or take on the PPMSI issue is calculated on the basis of net electoral gain or loss. This is admittedly a difficult time for politicians, but it is also the time when true statesmanship can shine. He who speaks genuinely for the welfare of our children's education and yet can convince the majority that it is the right way forward will be the winner – for himself, his party and the nation.
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| Taib’s son awarded millions in govt contracts Posted: 06 Nov 2011 03:43 PM PST Most of the contracts were awarded without an open tender being called, claims the DAP. (Free Malaysia Today) - KUCHING: For the past five years, Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's son Abu Bekir has been the main beneficiary of millions of ringgit worth of government contracts awarded by the state government. Confirming widely speculated rumours here, the state government recently disclosed in its written answer to a DAP assemblyman that most contracts were awarded without an open tender being called. The contracts were awarded to two companies – Titanium Project Management Sdn Bhd and Woodville Construction Sdn Bhd. Titanium is linked to Abu Bekir. The revelations, according to Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen, were "really shocking". "These details which are contained in the answers to my questions (submitted to the State Legislative Assembly) are really shocking," he said. Chong, who is also state DAP secretary, had put in his questions during the assembly's June sitting. He had written to ask the State Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister for a list of all contractors awarded by the state and federal governments for the construction and completion of bridges in Sarawak in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. He had also asked for the respective contract sums and actual sums of each bridge. Contracts to Titanium Chong also wanted to know whether the awards of these contracts were carried out pursuant to an open tender process and, if so, what were the criteria and consideration for appointment of these contractors as the main contractors for these bridges. "Basically, there are two companies given the state projects to build bridges in Sarawak without open tender. "One was Woodville Construction which is owned by Shin Yang group of companies and the other was Titanium Project Management which is owned by Abu Bekir, son of the chief minister," he said. Woodville Construction was given two projects worth RM217,500,000 while Titanium Project Management was awarded one contract. In 2008, the Titanium Project Management was awarded a contract to design, construct and complete bridges and culverts to replace temporary and semi-permanent council bridges and some Public Work Department bridges in Sarawak. "Under this contract, a few hundred bridges were given to Titanium Project Management to construct, and the value of the contract is RM1,178,410,000," he said, pointing out that this was "almost a monopoly" in the construction of bridges. "What is shocking is that the state projects were awarded to Abu Bekir and Shin Yang companies not through open tenders unlike the federal projects. "This is totally against the principle of fairness and transparency in awarding government contracts. "If you remember in 2001, the government contract was given to Titanium Management to construct 384 bridges at the cost of RM500 million. "In 2006, the company constructed only 332 bridges or about 80 percent of the bridges, but the government has to pay the company RM948 million," he said.
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| Hit With Big Withdrawals, Fed Sells Assets, Borrows Cash Posted: 06 Nov 2011 03:33 PM PST THE WALL STREET EXAMINER The Fed was hit with withdrawals of $83.3 billion last Wednesday, the largest withdrawals from its deposit accounts that were not associated with quarterly tax payments since February of 2009. $7 billion of that was the net cash transferred to the US Treasury from its note and bond sales less outlays. The Fed still had to meet the other $76 billion. These transactions were revealed in the Fed's weekly H.4.1 report. The Fed was apparently forced to take extraordinary measures to fund these withdrawals. These included the outright sale of nearly $24 billion in its Treasury note and bond holdings from the System Open Market Account. As a result, the Fed's System Open Market Account (SOMA) fell to $2.611 trillion, some $43 billion below the Fed's stated target of $2.654 trillion. Prior to this week, it had not strayed from by more than $7 billion since June. The Fed's action was not only a direct contradiction of its stated policy, but it was done without warning or explanation. It ran counter to Bernanke's penchant for telegraphing every important move the Fed makes so that the banking/speculating organizations can front-run it. The Fed took another unusual and virtually unprecedented action to fund these massive withdrawals. It borrowed $43 billion from foreign central banks (FCBs) through Reverse Repurchase Agreements (revese repos, or RRPs).
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| No election until reforms are put in place Posted: 06 Nov 2011 03:14 PM PST PRESS STATEMENT: Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM)
It is no secret that a large number of Malaysian voters wish to see a regime change at Putrajaya and at state levels. This, we seek to do by due process, and constitutionally, through free and fair elections. This is plainly known by the Prime Minister, his government, his party and coalition members. Yet, our electoral process is fraught with irregularities that have long rendered our general elections mere shams that do not reflect or give effect to the will of the people. On 9th July, 2011, despite efforts on the part of the government and the police to hinder the right to legitimately assemble and protest, thousands of Malaysians descended on to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to make known their grievances with regard to the serious irregularities in our electoral system, and to present their demands to reform the same. Whilst the government and the Election Commission had initially continued to insist that those irregularities were more imagined than real, they had finally relented and, early last month, caused to be established a Parliamentary Select Committee to look into the various complaints in relation to our electoral system. Both before and after the setting up of this Select Committee, we have been feted to revelation upon revelation of improprieties that would certainly render any hope of free and fair elections being held, futile. These include : 1. an admission by the Election Commission, of the inclusion in the electoral roll of 42, 051 names whose records are unverifiable, thus clearly rendering the sanctity of the roll seriously and undisputably unreliable 2. acknowledgement of and agreement by the Election Commission to remove the names of 220 non-ctiizens whose names appeared in the supplementary electoral roll draft for the Paya Jaras state constituency for the second quarter of 2011 3. a disclosure through Wikileaks that 600,000 foreigners were given citizenship and placed on the electoral as voters in Sabah in the 90's, during the tenure of then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed, and with his full complicity 4. another exposure through Wikileaks that former Election Commission chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman had admitted to his having knowledge of the issuance of more than 60,000 fake Malaysian identity cards to foreign workers in Sabah in the 1990s on Umno's orders 5. a report that there exist on the electoral roll cloned voters, numbering approximately 10,000 6. the disenfranchisement of approximately 700,000 eligible voters currently overseas, by failing to recognise their status as absent voters and, as provided for under the constitution, afford to them the right and the requisite facilities to vote by post 7. the changes to voter registration rules, thus hampering ongoing efforts to register the more than 4 million as yet unregistered Malaysians who have reached voting age. It is against this setting that we have now received credible information that the Prime Minister is intent on seeking the dissolution of Parliament on 11th November, and to fix polling day for the 13th general elections on 10th December, 2011. If true, we see this as a move, once again, by UMNO and the Barisan Nasional to hold on to power, both at federal and state levels, through fraudulent means and to thereby deny the legitimate pursuit by a majority of Malaysians for regime changes. The people are no longer prepared to countenance this blatant and shameless attempt to retain power through foul means. We reiterate here that we are desirous of securing a regime change in Putrajaya through free and fair elections. Any elections called before the Parliamentary Select Committee has completed its work and, before the reforms demanded are given effect to, will be anything but free and fair. We are determined to and will take all steps necessary to not allow any general elections called before the requisite reforms are put in place, to proceed.
Haris Ibrahim President Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement | ||
| 'Largest mobilisation of rakyat' if polls held before reforms Posted: 06 Nov 2011 03:12 PM PST PRESS STATEMENT: Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM)
Recently, we have witness the rising power of the people bowed in several countries beyond a dictatorship govern. The sparks influence our country directly or indirectly, and the responded to the rising power of the people greatly feared by the government who play democracy inversely to remain in power. Despite enduring a government through fraud, including fraud in the elections that saw them with the specific purpose has rejected the reliable, clean and fair election system, but chose to pursue dubious electoral system and easily manipulated by the government agency itself. The Government is also pretend that they have alleged to have tremendous support, but the truth, mostly the people have rejected the ruling regime on factors of oppression and abuse the public trust.In the end as a result, this government collapsed fell even they've won a great victory in the elections of their creation. That's what happened in many countries ruled by regimes that deny democracy and ride all the agencies should act neutral, hence willing to sell country's sovereignty in order to remain in power In Malaysia, on July 9th 2011, thousands of people have chosen the street to persuade the country's election process improvements, which proved to be contaminated multiple disabilities who often denied the government. Shortcomings of the electoral process has been acknowledged by Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the Select Committee On The Election Process Improvement, contrary to the declaration the need for the improvement of the electoral process. In the meantime, further public statements issued by the leadership of the National Front and the Prime Minister himself, who suggested that the General Elections to-13 will be held soon and not have to wait for the promised electoral reform process to be complete. Even more annoy and conflict with the guarantee to improve the election process, there was the variety of negative developments, such as granting citizenship to foreigners as 'special' for the purpose of voting. This madness seems to sell the country to retain power. Also feared to occur, improvement of claim in the context of reforming the electoral system of postal voting system in a protest before this is not only ignored but exacerbated by the proposed public employees other than police and military, as a member of RELA and nurses for example are forced to use postal votes. This is how they purposely put more damage on electoral system to allow the regime to stay in power. The latest information from internal sources that can be believed to have revealed that the Prime Minister to dissolve the parliament in November to allow general elections occur in the near future. Taking advantage of the monsoon season and the hajj, reinforces that November was chosen as the most appropriate time, thus providing an additional advantage for the regime. Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) along with friends of other mass organizations today representing the totality of the people to warn the Prime Minister of Malaysia that the election can be called only after the process of improving the election process done. Process improvements should also be a process of 'reform' which provides answers to the serious weaknesses that are often used by certain parties and not just mere cosmetic change. Be assured the people had begun to lose patience. The country is facing a crisis of belief in the democratic process of elections is now the worst. If the election is still valid before a convincing electoral process improvements, we promise to move the largest mobilization of the people. If elections are called in the near future (at least) before the special committee executed, then a most dirty election in history is guaranteed. If this still occur, the inevitable perception of this election is only the 'false' to justify the regime stay in power. But this does not rule out the possibility of the people down not only to protest but the willing to change the regime that has long failed to secure the rights of the people to get the democratic process of elections clean and fair would be beyond the limit. We can not rule out the possibility of the people will rise to ensure that the regime collapse to the fair and clean elections can take place and this country can be saved. We on behalf of Malaysians who are concerned to give an ultimatum to the Prime Minister of Malaysia compulsory elections only after the process of improvement of the electoral process seriously and assure complete sets or face the power of the people. | ||
| China to inject over 1 trln yuan into money market Posted: 06 Nov 2011 02:09 PM PST (Reuters) - China is likely to inject more than 1 trillion yuan ($158 billion) into the money market in the next two months via annual subsidies from the Ministry of Finance, the official China Securities Journal on Monday quoted a research report as saying. The injection will help improve liquidity, which has been impacted by the government's tight monetary policy in place since October last year, the newspaper quoted the report by China International Capital Corp (CICC) as saying. The Finance Ministry typically offers subsidies to various industries and sectors in the last two months of each year as part of distribution of the government's annual tax income. The ministry does not publicise these subsidies but the market estimated they totalled 1 trillion-2 trillion yuan in 2010. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has not raised interest rates or bank reserve requirement ratios (RRR) since July in a sign that the government may be considering loosening its tight monetary stance amid the market turmoil sparked by the euro zone debt crisis. The central bank previously instituted a slew of rate and RRR hikes as inflation repeatedly hit three-year highs. Those steps offset the impact of liquidity injections via Finance Ministry subsidies late last year, but the market widely expects the PBOC will leave the subsidies to improve market liquidity this year, traders have said. ($1=6.34 Yuan) | ||
| Malaysia remains rich but also intolerant, says new study Posted: 06 Nov 2011 02:03 PM PST By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Malaysia maintained its rank as the 43rd most prosperous nation, trailing behind Singapore at 16th but the latest index of overall wealth also ranked the country among the worst countries for personal freedom and democracy, while it also scored poorly for security and the educational levels of workers. It was also found that Malaysians did not trust each other and generally did not welcome outsiders. Overall, Malaysia was a more prosperous nation than its other Asean neighbours such as Thailand which came in at 45 out of 110 countries. The London-based think-tank Legatum's Prosperity Index assesses 110 countries based on performance in eight areas such as economy, personal freedom, health and social capital. This year, Norway tops the list of 110 countries while Central African Republic came in last. Norway also topped the previous year's list. Malaysia's economy is ranked at 17th, the strongest sub-sector, and the report said Malaysia's economy performed well and there is a "high level of public confidence" in the financial sector. Despite Malaysia's positive ranking in the economy sub-sector, the country scored 35th in the governance sub-sector. The report said that objective and subjective indicators give a mixed account of Malaysia's governance. "Malaysia places 72nd, globally, for the strength of its democracy. The bureaucracy is the 28th most efficient in the world; however, following a period of significant political unrest in 2008 the political system underwent substantial change," the report said. On entrepreneurship and opportunity, Malaysia ranked at 36th. The report said Malaysia's ICT infrastructure encourages commercial activity. "Although only 1 per cent of GDP is spent on R&D, Malaysia maintains a very high level of ICT exports, placing it third on this variable both globally and regionally," the report said. On the education and health indicator, Malaysia ranked 46th. The report said the limited enrolment at high education levels means Malaysian workers are relatively poorly educated. The report also said that perhaps the low health expenditure per capita contributed to only "moderately good" indicators of public health, the report said. However, Malaysia was let down by personal freedom — its worst-performing indicator — ranking only 96th in the sub-index. The report said although Malaysians enjoy a fairly high level of civic choice, they do not welcome "outsiders". "In a 2010 survey, 77 per cent of respondents expressed satisfaction with their level of individual freedom, placing Malaysia in the top 50 countries of the index on this variable. However, this level of freedom does not create a tolerant society," it said. Malaysia is considered under the "weak" category in this sub-sector, along with Thailand, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Pakistan. The safety and security as well as social capital categories also dragged down Malaysia's overall ranking, with the country placing 53rd and 75th respectively. The report said despite overall stability, Malaysia experiences some political pressures, and citizens feel unsafe. "The average levels of internal displacement and communal conflict place Malaysia 53rd for demographic instability, which may result from border disputes, ownership or occupancy of land, access to transportation outlets, control of religious or historical sites, or proximity to environmental hazards," it said. The report also said Malaysians feel "unable to trust or rely on others", indicating a lack of social cohesion.
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| GE13: Bersih backs MCLM’s stand Posted: 06 Nov 2011 01:46 PM PST By Stephanie Sta Maria, FMT PETALING JAYA: Bersih 2.0 chairperson, S Ambiga, has thrown her support behind the Malaysia Civil Liberties Movement's (MCLM) stand to prevent the next general elections from proceeding before the necessary reforms are put in place. On Saturday MCLM president, Haris Ibrahim, said that MCLM had received "credible information" that Parliament will be dissolved on November 11 and that polling day would be fixed for December 10. He pointed out that any elections called before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) had completed its work will not be free and fair. Haris said MCLM will take all steps necessary to stop the general elections from proceeding before reforms are put in place. "Bersih 2.0 completely understands why MCLM has taken this stand," Ambiga told FMT. "They had done so based on information that the prime minister (Najib Tun Razak) will be calling for elections before implementing electoral reforms." 'PSC an eyewash' Last week the Election Commission (EC) told an online news portal that it would be conducting a briefing exercise for its electoral officers and is expected to complete it by the end of this month. Previously the nation went to the polls five months after the training was completed but the EC has remained mum over whether it is at the tail-end of preparations for the next general elections. Ambiga heavily stressed the importance of electoral reform and that Malaysia cannot go to the polls with the electoral roll in its current state. "There is certainly a feeling that there was no genuine intention to reform and that the PSC was just an eyewash. "The rakyat will definitely feel misled." "We accepted the setting up of the PSC in good faith and it will be a letdown for the rakyat if the elections proceed without any electoral reform," she said grimly. Ambiga confirmed that she, as well as other Bersih 2.0 Steering Committee members, will be turning up at Parliament on November 11 when the PSC holds its first public hearing there. 'Rakyat will rise' Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) meanwhile has warned of the "largest mobilisation of rakyat" if polls are held before any reforms are in place. In a press statement SAMM reminded the government of the rising power of the people as clearly seen in Middle East earlier this year.
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| Boycotting polls not the answer, says Fuziah Salleh Posted: 06 Nov 2011 01:40 PM PST By Queville To, FMT PENAMPANG: Boycotting the general election as a means of expressing their dissatisfaction against the Barisan Nasional government is not the answer, said Kuantan parliamentarian Fuziah Salleh. "A boycott is out of the question…We believe in the power of the people, the voice of the rakyat. "So we would like to say to the government of day to think about the rakyat and do not underestimate or belittle the rakyat as they know better. "They want to see a fair election," said Fuziah, who was here recently. She did not rule out the possibility of Bersih 3.0 (rally) taking place, if the government and the Election Commission (EC) failed to meet the peoples' demand for genuine electoral reform, before the 13th General Election. She was responding to speculations that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would likely dissolve parliament on Nov 11 and call for the 13th general election in December before electoral reforms are implemented. She said among the far-reaching reforms that were proposed was the the use of indelible ink to prevent the casting of votes by phantom voters. "By the time (if EC fails to carry out electoral reform) things will no longer be in our hands but in the peoples' hands. "The rakyat have shown what they are capable of (Bersih 1.0 and 2.0) so we don't know what will happen. "They want to see a fair election. It is not just Pakatan (Rakyat) but the people asking for it," said Fuziah who is also a PKR vice-president recently. Rakyat Reform Agenda PKR is not the first group to warn of further demonstrations to press for electoral reform in the country. Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) president, Haris Ibrahim, during a road show to introduce the group's "Rakyat Reform Agenda" (RARA) here in late September also warned of an imminent Bersih 3.0 if the government falters on the issue.
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| Posted: 06 Nov 2011 11:38 AM PST (The Star) - The situation confronting the power sector is becoming more convoluted by the day. Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) is crying foul over its cash running out as it struggles to pay for the high cost of alternative fuels. This follows another gas supply shortage occurring this time on a larger scale. There were suggestions of cost-sharing, based on the previous experience in 2002, on a ratio of 40:30:30, to be borne by the gas supplier Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), TNB itself and the independent power producers (IPPs). But that seems to have fallen on deaf ears. While TNB says it is no longer able to pay, the IPPs are saying there is obligation to pay. Meanwhile, Petronas says that up to August this year, it has already paid RM143.4bil in price differential, out of which RM103.2bil was for gas supplied to the power sector. Back in 2002, the country also experienced a gas supply shortage albeit on a smaller scale. The IPPs were forced to pay back based on the ratio of payment. "In those days, the perception was that IPPs made a lot of money at the expense of TNB,'' an analyst said, adding that the current situation was looking worse than before. "Now, the first generation IPPs are about to expire in 2015, so there is no need to squeeze them further.'' TNB is said to be paying RM400mil per month on the price differential between using distillates and gas as fuel. Research houses like Maybank Investment Bank (IB) Research are projecting that TNB's cash will run out in three to four quarters. "The IPPs are just offtakers of gas from TNB,'' said an analyst with a bank-backed brokerage. "The negotiations on gas prices are between TNB, Petronas and the Energy Commission. The shortage is so acute, with supply of less than 1,000 million std cu ft per day (mmscfd), this time. Due to the usage of distillates and oil, there is faster wear and tear. So the IPPs are also unhappy.'' The analyst suggested that TNB and Petronas each foot half of the bill as it was within its (TNB) right to ask Petronas to bear the cost. "The Economic Planning Unit had given the undertaking that TNB gets a certain amount of gas (1,250 mmscfd) from 2009 to 2011, and the power structure was based on that understanding. "By right, the Government has to pay the difference and TNB should be able to claim from Petronas,'' said the analyst. A source told StarBiz that the matter related to payment by the IPPs did not arise anymore, especially since TNB and the IPPs came together to issue a joint letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last week. Moreover, TNB did not seem to be pursuing the matter with the IPPs anymore, the source said. "The Government can raise tariffs, provide a subsidy to TNB and ask Petronas to pay for the gas shortfall. However, for TNB to make a cash call or do a rights issue to service working capital is a sure sign that things are not looking good. "As a monopoly company, they should not be making a cash call for working capital. The Government should take over the extra cost,'' said the analyst from Maybank IB Research. | ||
| The battle for Malaysia starts with Selangor Posted: 06 Nov 2011 11:25 AM PST By Shannon Teoh, Clara Chooi and Sheridan Mahavera, TMI KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — An inscription on a monument in Malacca describes how important the port city was to Europe in the 16th century: "Whoever holds Malacca, holds the throat of Venice". Four hundred years later, the same could be said of Selangor and its relation to Putrajaya. In May, Barisan Nasional supremo Datuk Seri Najib Razak told a gathering in the Selangor capital, Shah Alam, that the coalition must win the state back "with any weapon". Besides being the country's richest state, a quarter of Selangor's population are migrants as far as Perlis, Sabah and Kelantan. The money and the ideas that gestate in the Klang Valley are taken back to the most remote corners of Malaysia where they can be translated into votes. It is why Pakatan Rakyat (PR) activists are passing out packets of propaganda to youths and families travelling back to their kampungs so that the pact's message gets spread far and wide. "One of the ways we get old folks in the kampung to support us is to get our supporters, who work in the Klang Valley, to persuade their parents and relatives when they balik kampung," said Rosli Md Nor, a PAS activist in northern Johor when talking about strategy in rural areas. Political odds-makers like to claim that the PR can still retain Selangor. Their arguments are based on the assumption that the more urbanised a state, the more its residents have access to new ideas, hence the more pliable they are to PR propaganda. But this claim underestimates the complexity of the state's social landscape. As the movement of people, the competition for opportunities and the legacy of racialism interact in unexpected ways to influence how a Selangor resident votes. So while the profile of a Selangor voter can still be broken down by race, class and geography, the state's unique landscape makes it hard to stereotype them. Migration The industries and businesses in the Klang Valley pull between 20 and 25 per cent of the populations in what is considered the state's countryside such as Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor and Hulu Langat to work and reside in central Selangor. Dr Badrulamin Baharon, of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), said these migrants, 60 per cent of whom are young adults, are still registered as voters in their kampungs. Living in cities exposes them to new ideas and experiences which shape their political attitudes or, in many cases, challenge the presumptions that they were taught in their villages. During weekends, these youths bring these new perspectives back to their villages and spread them to their parents and relatives. This makes every area in Selangor a mixed constituency as the divide shrinks between urban and rural in terms of political attitudes. PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said that many urban poor in Batu Caves and Shah Alam, for instance, have been retrenched. This has consequences when they return to the rural areas to vote. "Those working-class Malays and Indians who come to the city have no other way out. They are affected most directly by inflation," said the Selangor PKR chief. Competition At the same time, being exposed to new ideas does not guarantee their acceptance as PAS and PKR has found out among urban, young Malays. The core PR concept introduced in the 2008 elections is its needs-based, colour-blind approach to policy, whether it's awarding contracts, civil service positions, scholarships or welfare handouts. This is in contrast to the BN, whose policies involve carving out allocating quotas based on race. Despite promoting its non-racial philosophy in Selangor, the PR still finds it hard to change mindsets rooted in the BN race-first paradigm, says Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad. "Malays can see the corruption and the wastefulness in BN. But they are unsure that voting for PR is the right solution. They have been told for 50 years that only Umno can help the Malays," said Khalid. The insecurity runs across racial boundaries. DAP central working committee member Gobind Singh Deo said poor Indians also feel the same way. "The fact is they cannot communicate. Poor Indians cannot speak anything but Tamil and it's the same with other races so it still leads to racial insecurity," the Puchong MP said. Many band together in their ethnic groups as they come from mono-racial villages and are thrust into a landscape where they come face-to-face and must compete with other races for opportunities, said Gobind. He added that the lack of mutual understanding at close quarters led to conflicts that voters looked to both BN and PR to solve.
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| Pakatan Rakyat Sokong Protes Jika PRU Dipanggil Sebelum Syor Panel Khas Posted: 06 Nov 2011 05:30 AM PST KELAB GREENBOC Datuk Seri Najib Razak kini berhadapan dengan protes jalanan besar-besaran kedua jika pembaharuan pilihan raya gagal dilaksanakan sebelum memanggil pilihan raya umum ke-13, langkah yang dijangka boleh mengganggu usaha pentadbirannya mendapatkan majoriti dua pertiga di Parlimen. Semalam, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) dan Pergerakan Kebebasan Sivil Malaysia (MCLM) memberi perdana menteri kata dua bahawa pihaknya akan mengadakan protes mirip Bersih 2.0 jika membubarkan Parlimen sebelum pembaharuan pilihan raya dikuatkuasakan.
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| ‘Graduates not competitive due to poor English’ Posted: 06 Nov 2011 05:21 AM PST "This generation will have to face international standard and competition in terms of job market, as part of globalisation," said Tourres. She cited Pakistan as an example, where she gives lectures. "In Pakistan, although the people speak different dialects, next to the Urdu language, their English is better than our graduates," she pointed out. BERNAMA The quality of Malaysian undergraduates in having a good command of English still remains an issue says a Universiti Malaya academic. Marie Aimee Tourres, a senior research fellow at the Department of Development Studies, Universiti Malaya, said it was crucial for graduates to have a good command of English to ensure they would be able to compete effectively, in the global job market. Nevertheless, "in terms of education spending, Malaysia is comparable to some countries in the region based on the percentage spent over its gross domestic product (GDP) growth," she told Bernama in an interview, Kuala Lumpur. She said Malaysia was actually spending more vis-a-vis other countries. In Budget 2012, RM13.6 billion was allocated to the social sector, including education and training, health, welfare, housing and community development. Tourres said there was also a lot of focus given for training and re-training for graduates, which was important to continuously upgrade skilled and knowledge workers in the country. However, the quality of undergraduates remains an issue in Malaysia, since the students find it difficult to grasp the English language. "Language is definitely an issue," she said, citing a recent publication by the World Bank entitled , 'The Road to Academic Excellence', which was a study on what contributes to a world-class research university. The study compared University Malaya (UM) and National University of Singapore (NUS) in a chapter entitled 'The National University of Singapore and the University of Malaya: Common Roots and Different Paths'. In the report, it was stated that as NUS kept pace with the demands of a growing economy that sought to become competitive internationally, with English continuing as the language of instruction and research, UM began to focus inward as proficiency in English declined in favour of the national language. The publication, which is based on a study conducted by two scholars, Philip Altbach and Jamil Salmi, also stated that because UM taught courses predominantly in the national language, it had much more limited internationalisation of programme, academic staff and student body. Can grads compete internationally? "This generation will have to face international standard and competition in terms of job market, as part of globalisation," said Tourres. She cited Pakistan as an example, where she gives lectures. "In Pakistan, although the people speak different dialects, next to the Urdu language, their English is better than our graduates," she pointed out. It made them more marketable in the competitive global environment, she noted. "The immediate result of their English capacity is that you can find many Pakistanis who work for international organisations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund," noted Tourres. She believed that even if Malaysia gave more focus in English, the national language and culture could still prosper, provided that teaching was made interesting. "More English in school will not deter Malay, Indian and Chinese culture per se. We should not mix the issue of a command of good language and the preservation of national heritage," she said. As for the distribution of the book voucher worth RM200 to all Malaysian students in public and private local institutions of higher learning, matriculation as well as Form 6 students nationwide, she believed that it should be monitored to ensure that it served the purpose. This assistance is expected to benefit 1.3 million students with an allocation of RM260 million. "That is a lot of money. Probably, it could have been done based on meritocracy to ensure that it is properly utilised," said Tourres, pointing out that there were risks of students re-selling the voucher, especially when the new targeted generation lacked the reading habit and preferred to go online to search for their study materials.
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| WIKILEAKS: RELIGIOUS, RACIAL POLITICS MARK RUN-UP TO CRITICAL BY-ELECTION Posted: 05 Nov 2011 08:29 PM PDT
A hostile crowd of about 500 protesters assembled in front of the building, including representatives from the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), Anwar Ibrahim's People Justice Party (PKR) (including a Member of Parliament), the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), and Muslim-based NGOs. A group of protesters led by Peninsular Malay Students Federations (GPMS) Vice-president Jais Abdul Karim and PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin stormed the building shortly after the forum began. Police at the scene made no attempt to stop the protesters, but actually escorted them inside, where the demonstrators disrupted the proceedings, using racial epithets and other derogatory language and forcing Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan to close the forum. Police did not make any arrests of the protestors, but have announced that they are investigating the forum's organizers. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief William G. Gray for reasons 1.4 (b and d). 1. (C) Summary. The ruling National Front (BN) coalition is gearing up to oppose Anwar Ibrahim's return to parliament via an August 26 by-election. BN tactics include intense rhetoric with religious and racial connotations. A Malaysian Bar Council forum on conversion to Islam was shut down by a group of Muslim protesters spanning the political spectrum, a development that has provided the BN and government-controlled media with opportunities to rouse the emotions of their Muslim/Malay base. In the meantime, the Government has again threatened to shut down a Catholic newspaper for "dabbling in politics." Government and BN spokesmen continue to label Anwar an "American stooge" and accuse the USG of "meddling" in the internal affairs of Malaysia. Post expects the rhetoric to continue to intensify with both sides viewing the by-election as part of the zero-sum power struggle between UMNO and Anwar. End Summary. Protesters Block Forum 2. (SBU) The Malaysian Bar Council attempted to hold a forum, entitled "Conversion to Islam," at their national headquarters on August 9. Included in the forum was a panel discussion of two high profile conversion cases involving the difficulties faced by non-Muslims in conversion cases related to religiously mixed marriages. A hostile crowd of about 500 protesters assembled in front of the building, including representatives from the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS), Anwar Ibrahim's People Justice Party (PKR) (including a Member of Parliament), the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), and Muslim-based NGOs. A group of protesters led by Peninsular Malay Students Federations (GPMS) Vice-president Jais Abdul Karim and PKR MP Zulkifli Noordin stormed the building shortly after the forum began. Police at the scene made no attempt to stop the protesters, but actually escorted them inside, where the demonstrators disrupted the proceedings, using racial epithets and other derogatory language and forcing Bar Council President Ambiga Sreenevasan to close the forum. Police did not make any arrests of the protestors, but have announced that they are investigating the forum's organizers. 3. (SBU) Criticism of the forum has crossed political lines and split both the opposition and ruling alliances. On August 8, de facto Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, taking a position similar to that of Deputy Prime Minister Najib, said that such forums should be held behind closed doors and not openly. However, PKR Deputy President Syed Husin Ali condemned the group that entered the Bar Council, including PKR MP Zulkifli. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said he hoped such forums would not be organized in the future, explaining, "issues concerning religion are very sensitive" and since matters on religion "are spelt out," there was no need for discussions. Abdullah added that he would leave it up to the Home Ministry to decide whether action, including using the Internal Security Act (ISA) and Sedition Act, might be taken against the Bar Council. 4. (SBU) Syed Hamid, Home Minister, said he "hoped that the Bar council got the message that there are certain things that are out of bounds for public discussion, even if held in a private place." DPM Najib dismissed the protesters' disruption, saying it was "expected" and blamed the disruption on the Bar Council for its "stubborn" insistence on holding the forum. De facto Religious Affairs Minister Ahmad Zahid encouraged authorities to take action against the Bar Council for its "defiance" by proceeding with the forum. He claimed the forum had a "hidden agenda to disparage Islam." While UMNO leaders have united in criticizing the Bar Council, the non-Malay parties of the BN, including Gerakan and MCA, have emphasized the need to address the problems the Bar Council was attempting to discuss. Catholic Herald Under Renewed Pressure 5. (SBU) GOM has renewed its pressure on the Catholic weekly newsletter Herald for allegedly "dabbling" in politics (reftel). The Home Affairs had issued a show-cause letter on July 16 accusing the paper of committing two offenses - not focusing on religion and religious activities, and carrying an article purportedly degrading Islam. The division issued another warning on August 12 that Herald's permit will be suspended if it goes ahead with a planned editorial on the Permatang Pauh by-election in its forthcoming issue. The Herald has a circulation of 12, 0000 and carries reports in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil and Chinese. Editor Father Lawrence Lim denied that the publication had breached permit conditions. In his reply to the Home Affairs Ministry, Father Lim stated that the Ministry had not defined the concept of "religion" in the application form for a publishing permit and neither is there a definition in the Constitution. Father Lim pointed out that the forthcoming editorial was only asking people to pray for a just and fair by-election. Anwar Portrayed as U.S. Puppet 6. (SBU) The GOM is continuing its fierce rhetoric on Anwar Ibrahim, describing him as an American lackey. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim fired the first salvo by stating that the USG should not meddle in Malaysia's internal affairs, arguing that even the UN secretary-general has not said anything about how Malaysia is handling its legal matters. The press has quoted Rais as saying that he planned to write a letter to the UNSYG Ban complaining about U.S. "meddling. Rais has maintained that the official U.S. stance as well as statements by former Vice President Gore and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Charter. Echoing the foreign minister's view, UMNO Youth Internal Bureau Chairman and former PM Mahathir's son Mukhriz Mahathir described Anwar as a political puppet of the United States government. He added that the statements by the USG and its former leaders are "a concerted conspiracy to install their lackey in Malaysia." The UMNO-owned Malay newspapers have also prominently editorialized on allegedly close links between the U.S. and Anwar. The Next Steps 7. (SBU) Anwar and BN continue to prepare to submit their by-election nominations on August 16 while his lawyers, confident they have a very strong case, prepare for the next stage of the legal process, which resumes on September 10. Anwar is expected to make appearances at a series of political rallies leading up to election day. Although BN publicly talks about defeating Anwar, privately they concede his likely victory and seek to make the margin as small as possible. Poloffs will monitor the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party Congress on August 15 in the Opposition controlled state of Perak as well as the by-election on August 26. Comment 8. (C) The response to the Bar Council forum has illustrated the Government's willingness to utilize religious sensitivities and tensions for political gains. The involvement of party members from PAS and PKR show the fragile nature of the Opposition's coalition and the potential for UMNO strategists to continue exploiting the coalition's lack of cohesiveness, especially along religious and racial lines. The Malay language press on August 13 gave prominent and sympathetic coverage to a demonstration by thousands of students at the exclusively Malay Mara Technical University against a proposal by the new PKR-controlled Selangor state government to "integrate" the university by allotting 10 percent of the places for non-Malays. As the by-election draws near, BN will likely increase the rhetoric, including implications that Malays' preferred status will disappear if Anwar and the opposition seize control of the government. The message emerging in the Government-controlled media is that Anwar represents increased instability and a loss of sovereignty to the West, particularly the United States. While fierce, religious and ethnic-tinged rhetoric is not unusual in Malaysian politics, the intensity of the current campaign likely reflects the views of the major players that the Opposition/BN power struggle is a zero-sum game. Anwar believes he must become prime minister or go to jail over the politically-motivated sodomy charges and top UMNO leaders fear political defeat would mean loss of their positions of privilege and in some cases even result in exposure to possible criminal charges for graft and corruption. KEITH (August 2008)
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