Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Nazri: Peaceful Assembly Bill will be passed on Tuesday
- Looking to streetwise tactics in polls run-up
- Reforms possible only if Umno wins GE, says Najib
- Anwar’s greatest legacy – Nurul
- Najib has taken the rakyat for a ride!
- Pakatan now ready to form federal govt, says Anwar
- Menyokong UMNO : ibarat menanam pohon yang condong
- BERSIH 3.0
- Wi-fi Percuma di Selangor Mulai Tahun Depan
- Why Umno is now going cyber
- Muhyiddin's uphill battle. the UMNO vice presidents say no
- Name non-Malay PM, MCA Youth dares PKR
- Guan Eng says ‘political reality’ to have Malay PM
- Dr M’s prescription for Umno
- PKR looks further ahead
- The right to vote for all
- PKR Youth chief slammed over ‘only Malays for PM’ remarks
- Group protests against Assembly Bill
- ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ goes against principles: Chandra
- Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 – a Malaysian layman perspective
- More On Daya Syukra – The Samling Connection!
- Sabahans gather to say “No to the Peaceful Assembly Act”
| Nazri: Peaceful Assembly Bill will be passed on Tuesday Posted: 27 Nov 2011 12:12 PM PST By Hemananthani Sivanandam, The Sun The controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, which the government has agreed to amend, will be debated at committee level before being voted on in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said there will be eight amendments to the bill and that MPs could bring their proposals for consideration. "The (tabling of the) second reading has been done (last Thursday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak) so we will debate it at the committee level in Parliament on Tuesday and it will be voted upon. "All MPs are welcome to bring their suggestions and if it is okay, we will include it," Nazri told theSun when contacted. Asked to comment on plans by the Malaysia Bar Council which plans to organise a Walk for Freedom 2011: Peaceful Assembly Bill cannot and must not become law! on Tuesday, Nazri said the council is free to go ahead with it. "It's not my problem. They have to talk to the police but I can assure that it is not going to change in any way. "The bill has been tabled, will be debated and be passed on Tuesday," he stressed. Nazri, who is also Padang Renggas MP lambasted Bar Council President Lim Chee Wee and his former counterpart Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan for organising the walk. "We will accommodate any amendments (to the bill). That shows we listen to the people. I would suggest to Chee Wee to register the Bar Council as a political party and stand for elections. "It is easier if they register as a political party, rather than hide under the pretext of an NGO," he said, before quipping that either Ambiga or Lim should stand in his constituency. It was reported on Saturday that the government will carry out eight amendments to the bill, including amending the controversial Section 9(1) which makes it mandatory for an organiser to give a 30-day notification to the police prior to holding an assembly in an undesignated venue. Nazri said the 30-day notification is deemed to be too lengthy and the Cabinet decided to shorten it to 10 days. "The 10-day notification is required because the police will need to engage with the people involved in these undesignated areas. "For an example, if someone wants to have an assembly in front of (DAP stalwart) Lim Kit Siang's home, we certainly need to ask him because he's the house owner so that requires time. "Also, people cannot simply pick places where they want to demonstrate. What if there is a counter-demonstration? This requires (organisers) to inform the police to protect them because suddenly, if a fight breaks out and the police is not notified then the people will blame the police," said Nazri. He however said that people are free to demonstrate at any time at designated areas. "For example at Padang Merbok, it's a designated place, so people can go ahead…no problem," he added. Nazri said following the amendments to Section 9(1), other amendments will also be made to four other sections, which involved timeline of notification such as to parties with interests and appeal to the Home Minister. He added that the government also supported the proposed amendments to Sections 6(2)(b), 7(a)(iii) and 21(1)(c) which involves the removal of the word "discontent" from them. "The Cabinet feels that we need to drop that word, the fact that people assemble shows that they are unhappy about something so we have decided to drop that word," said Nazri. Meanwhile the Bar Council said it would continue with its Walk for Freedom on Tuesday. Bar Council President Lim told theSun whilst it is "mildly positive" that the government is considering the provisions to the bill, the reduction of the length of time for various notices required under the Bill and omission of the word 'discontent' reflects what is fundamentally wrong with the process of the bill "It is being rushed with unholy haste into law without adequate public consultation. There is no good reason why this Bill cannot go through the same process of a Parliamentary Select Committee as electoral reforms -- both are important constitutional rights," Lim said. He also said that according to media reports, the Cabinet is adamant about prohibiting assemblies in motion or processions, except for existing provision on funeral processions. "This is outrageous! From our research, we know not of any other jurisdictions, which prohibit processions. "The government cannot now rob us of this right of assemblies in motion which is presently not prohibited in the Police Act. "The present prohibition of procession robs us of a right which presently exists under section 27 of the Police Act which regulates "assemblies, meetings and processions," he said. Lim said in the United Kingdom, a distinction is drawn between static assemblies for which no notice is required and procession (assemblies in motion) for which notice of six clear days is to be given unless it is not reasonably practicable to give any advance notice. "In Finland, only 6 hours is required. Even Myanmar now has a Peaceful Assembly and Procession Bill which allows peaceful assembly and procession by holding flags with prior permission from the authorities five days in advance," he added. |
| Looking to streetwise tactics in polls run-up Posted: 27 Nov 2011 12:08 PM PST By Joceline Tan, The Star PKR wrapped up its national congress in Johor, screening videos of the Bersih protests and signalling that street protests will precede its bid to arrive in Putrajaya. PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail occupied the most central spot on stage at the PKR national congress looking her usual serene self. Her presidential address had not stirred up the PKR delegates the way the president's speech should with a general election around the corner. Some thought she was leaving the best for last but her winding-up yesterday turned into a passionate defence of her husband against allegations that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is the man in the sex video. She likened the video to the fake Rolexes that are sold in the night markets and condemned those who had re-labelled it as Wasiat Tok Guru Nik Aziz and distributed it in the vicinity of mosques. She is standing by her man, insisting that the nose on the man in the video does not resemble Anwar's nose. The man himself looked a little bashful and fiddled with his Blackberry as his wife spoke. It was not the sort of winding-up that one would have expected of the president but her family's reputation is on the line and she wants her party to do well in the general election. In fact, Kak Wan, as she is known in PKR, will be a central campaign issue for the party in the polls. Delegates who attended an election briefing on the sidelines of the congress were told that Cerita Kak Wan or Kak Wan's Stories would be turned into election pamphlets and even CDs for distribution during the general election. "We believe women will relate to her accounts as a mother, wife and politician," said PKR deputy information chief Sim Tze Tzin. The social media will be a major tool in reaching out to the urban population. Cost of living issues, corruption and scandals will also feature in their campaign. But the top issue at the congress was without a doubt the "cows and condos" issue. On Saturday, photostated leaflets on it were flying about. By yesterday, it had been upgraded to big, glossy and colourful leaflets. They know a hot issue when they see one. But as the congress drew to a close, it was clear that street protests would be an important part of the party's build-up to the general election. Videos of the last Bersih protests were screened during the winding-up sessions. The videos were the party's call to arms. Video footage of an aggressive Anwar at various ceramah, jabbing his finger in the air, his eyebrows arched high on his forehead and shouting accusations, added to the drama. It was hard to believe that the man in the video was the same Anwar who had sat so passively beside his wife throughout the congress. Street protests have served the party well after he was sacked from the ruling coalition and it looks that it will be employed again to build up the mood. What they may not be aware is that the threat of protests is beginning to paint Pakatan Rakyat as a coalition of protests rather than one which is mature enough and ready to take over Putrajaya. From the tone of the debate it looks like the next Bersih protest may take place in Selangor. Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is unlikely to be overly thrilled at the thought of a messy demonstration in his backyard. A demonstration is always better in somebody else's backyard. He was absent on the first day because of a tight schedule in Selangor but he was present on the final day, looking rather tired and out of place. Nevertheless, Selangor is being touted as a model of what Pakatan can do if it forms the Federal Government. Khalid is the biggest PKR gun in government but he is also the male version of Dr Wan Azizah in PKR – a non-politician in the thick of politics. And his timing is often so off because just as a speaker was heaping praise on his administration, he was on the way out of the hall, headed for the men's room. But his winding-up was both humble and down-to-earth and the delegates could sense it was heartfelt. He admitted his shortcomings, that he may have a corporate mind but the rakyat at heart. He was quite strategic and instead of singing about Selangor's achievements, he proclaimed his sincerity in whatever he did, confessed he was kedekut or stingy about spending public funds and talked about efforts to reform the state administration. He even proposed a forum to discuss why the New Economic Policy (NEP) is no longer needed. He was unusually coherent. There was none of his usual sing-song way of talking, with sentences hanging in the air. The delegates lapped it up and gave him a huge applause. Maybe Khalid is not such a poor politician after all. He must have made his rival and deputy president Azmin Ali sit up and take a second look at him. Everyone knows Azmin is eyeing the Mentri Besar post despite his denial. He has been much sought after at the congress. People rushed to shake his hand, to have their picture taken with him. Aspiring election candidates want him to notice them because they know he has Anwar's ears. The host and Johor party chief, Datuk Chua Jui Meng, boasted that when his friends asked why the party did not hold the congress in Putrajaya, he told them the next one would be in Putrajaya. The race for Putrajaya is on and so is the race to be candidates in the general election. |
| Reforms possible only if Umno wins GE, says Najib Posted: 27 Nov 2011 12:04 PM PST By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider The government's political and economic reform plans can only take place if Umno delivers a solid win in the upcoming national polls, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today. Calling it a small challenge for Barisan Nasional's (BN) biggest component party, the prime minister said Umno needed to work together with its partners to deliver results in order to be re-elected in the general election. |
| Anwar’s greatest legacy – Nurul Posted: 27 Nov 2011 12:02 PM PST By CT Ali, FMT The momentum from Pakatan Rakyat's massive political inroads at the 12th general election reached its defining moment when Zaid Ibrahim submitted an application to the Registrar of Societies on Nov 4, 2009 for DAP, PKR and PAS to be registered as a legal entity under Pakatan Rakyat. PKR being PKR, predictably on the very next day, Nov 5, its MP for Batu, Tian Chua unnecessarily announced "…..the constitution, logo and leadership, will be decided when the registration is approved. Who holds what position will be decided at a much later stage." Presumably, this was to grandstand Anwar Ibrahim's role as leader of Pakatan and preempting Zaid's designs (if any!) to lead the coalition during the process of its formation. Tian wanted it to be known that Anwar, and not Zaid, was Pakatan's head. He, and not Zaid strategised Pakatan's registration as a legal entity. And since then, this one upmanship within PKR marred all things PKR and caused the Pakatan juggernaut against Barisan Nasional to stumble and at times stagnate! Overt conflicts and public spats amongst PKR leaders ultimately descended into the farce of rampant fraud and malpractice that was the PKR party election in November 2010. Neither Anwar, Azmin Ali or any of the PKR leaders were convicted of these fraud and malpractices during the party elections. When the dust settled, Anwar was leader and Azmin his number two. Zaid subsequently quit PKR, presumably to seek greener pastures – a hard thing to do in a paddock the size of Malaysia. It would seem that what happened in Umno does not stay in Umno. Not when the same Umno players are newborn again politicians in PKR. Since then PKR has been lurching from one unmitigated disaster to another – it's most public of humiliation was the defection of five MPs last year to the land of plenty! PKR however admitted that it had "an acute internal problem"…though I thought "terminal if not treated" would have been a more appropriate prognosis of its condition. So wither PKR now? What PKR needs to understand is this: When you have as the core principle of your party's ideology the promotion of social justice, economic justice, the elimination of political corruption and human rights within a non-ethnic framework, you better well deliver on that! If you do not then you have failed yourself and abused the trust placed upon you by the people. But we Malaysians are a forgiving lot. We want PKR to turn the corner towards Putrajaya with a pledge to honour its commitment to "a society that is just and a nation that is democratic, progressive and united." And this pledge is to be honoured and not just uttered. It must be confirmed in deeds and not just with superficial banalities that dazzle but does naught. And most crucial of all, the change within PKR is real. As PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said "we will be putting up younger, skilful candidates with no political baggage", this would be a good start. Younger, skilful candidates with no political baggage… and none exemplify this maxim then your vice-president, Nurrul Izzah. Carrying no political baggage when your father is de facto opposition leader and your mother is president of PKR is no mean feat! I was living in Bangsar Permai in Jalan Tandok during the 2008 election when Nurrul contested the seat of Lembah Pantai against an incumbent three-termed Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who for good measure, was also a minister. I remembered it as if it was yesterday. Bangsar was having a ball – a carnival of sorts ready to celebrate Shahrizat's victory with the mamak restaurants raking in the money as crowds milled around waiting for kingdom come for Nurul. Kingdom did come but for Shahrizat. And from that day on Nurrul has been that bright spark within PKR – always threatening to blaze its path to where Anwar has always wanted it to go: Putrajaya. If PKR is to rebuild its fortunes and win back the reserve of goodwill that lies with the people – she must lead. Just think of the critical mass PKR will have come its way when the young and females identify themselves with Nurul as she steps up to take responsibility for turning PKR around the corner towards Putrajaya. That alone should be reason enough for PKR to consider her place in the scheme of things to come. But Nurul alone is not PKR. PKR is the sum of what its leaders and its follower want it to be. And that is the worrying aspect of what PKR has become. Where is the cohesion within PKR? Everybody is doing his or her own thing. Everyone is talking about the election. Nobody has a plan. Everybody wants to be a leader. Suggestions are not welcome and no, I am not only talking about PKR's ordinary members, the same can be said of its leaders. Do you think Khalid Ibrahim will still helm Selangor after the 13th general election? Or more to the point does Khalid want to helm Selangor again?
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| Najib has taken the rakyat for a ride! Posted: 27 Nov 2011 11:56 AM PST By Aliran Lawyers and activists marched for justice in 2007 - Photograph: loyarburok.com The much-heralded reforms promised by Najib to bring us into a new era of liberalism has exploded in the face of the rakyat as a sham, a shameful promise. We were promised that the ISA would be revoked – and the rakyat rejoiced prematurely. The joy was short-lived when it was revealed that two other laws would replace the ISA, retaining the obnoxious detention without trial. The same undemocratic features of the ISA will now come under a new name, gravely disappointing the rakyat. We were promised easier democratic freedom of assembly without the need for police permit. The rakyat applauded this sensible approach, which seemed to guarantee the right of assembly as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. With the presentation of the Peaceful Assembly Bill, now they realise that they have been deluded once again.The Barisan Nasional is not capable of respecting the peoples' human rights or honouring its solemn word. The BN is only used to restricting our rights, denying our freedom, controlling our space, destroying our faith in the electoral process, trampling upon our judiciary and completing ignoring what is fair and just. Old habits die hard and that is the reason it is unwilling to surrender those rights that are justly due to the rakyat. It may proclaim that it is prepared to revoke restrictive laws but in reality it is incapable of returning these rights to the people. It can only rule forcefully; it cannot govern according to the rule of law. We cannot and should not expect the BN to return our rights. It is not a realistic expectation. We have to take possession of our rights. We have to claim our democratic space; we have to defend our freedom. It is in this spirit that the lawyers have decided to march on Tuesday, 29 November 2011 from the Lake Gardens to the Parliament in protest against the sham Peaceful Assembly Bill, which has made a mockery of our right to assemble peacefully and spontaneously. This Bill imposes many unjust restrictions and conditions and subjects organisers and all participants to heavy penalties. It is clearly meant to discourage and stop peaceful protests from ever taking place. We cannot tolerate this. We cannot condone this undemocratic Bill. READ MORE HERE. |
| Pakatan now ready to form federal govt, says Anwar Posted: 27 Nov 2011 06:10 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today that Pakatan Rakyat was now ready to form the federal government after helming five states following the landmark 2008 election. He said that if the electoral pact had taken Putrajaya three years ago "we may have been careless" but governing the states it won three years ago provided a "training ground" for the fledgling coalition. "The party has struggled and suffered not one or two years, but over 10 years. If in 1999 we had won, we were not ready," the PKR de facto leader said of the election that followed immediately after his sacking as deputy prime minister. "In 2008, it was our first test to form state government. If we had formed federal government, we may have been careless. It is a training ground. "We cleaned out the defectors, the dirty things from the party," he added, referring to the six MPs and five assemblymen who have left PKR since the 12th General Elections. Two assemblymen who left PKR in February 2009 had caused the fall of PR's Perak administration. Anwar said that three years ago, the party had "no strength in Sarawak... Sabah was a mess."
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| Menyokong UMNO : ibarat menanam pohon yang condong Posted: 27 Nov 2011 06:03 AM PST ASPAN ALIAS Perdana Menteri tetap seorang Melayu, walau parti mana pun yang memerintah dan di beri mandat oleh rakyat. DAP telah menyatakan dengan terang dan jelas yang orang bangsa lain dari Melayu tidak pernah berbincang untuk mengambil alih orang Melayu untuk menjadi PM. Cerita momokan dari UMNO sahaja yang gila-gila menggunakan isu yang jika PR memerintah dan jika PR di domonasi oleh DAP maka ditakuti jawatan PM itu akan menjadi milik orang cina DAP. Momokan ini telah menjadi kempen orang-orang UMNO sekarang ini di bawah-bawah dengan tujuan menakut-nakutkan orang Melayu supaya tidak menyokong DAP.
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| Posted: 27 Nov 2011 01:12 AM PST By the total control of all legal and political apparatus, a presiding government is capable of restructuring everything to suit its needs. By Hakim Joe Winning at general elections are never ever about obtaining a simple majority of votes as garnering slightly more than 50 percent of all votes do not consequently signify being able to form the next government, especially against an incumbent government. This is particularly accurate in a democratic country that possesses one single government administrating over it since independence and for more than half a century. Additionally the fact that the citizens of such a country have never experienced an alternative government A government in place always has a winning formula to improve the chances of retaining its position and it is mostly by racial means especially in a multiracial nation. Even in the United States where any of its American born citizens can become the President, the two A long-standing government in place enhances their probability of winning even more by manipulating the electoral structure and legal framework to befit its likelihood of victory in any general election and when the voters award not only a simple majority to them but more than two thirds of the allocated parliamentary seats, this allows the winning political party to rewrite any legislations they fancy and to appoint any individuals they deem suitable to positions of power in order to secure the outcome of the following general elections in advance. With a two-thirds majority in Parliament, any new bill will sail smoothly through regardless of whether the entire world's population opposes it or not and after being enacted as law, everything becomes legal. By the total control of all legal and political apparatus, a presiding government is capable of restructuring everything to suit its needs. In many a democratic country, politicians are forbidden by law to own or even to possess shares in any mass media companies. An individual seeking a political future would have to resign his position and to sell off all his shareholdings before being applicable to be nominated as a candidate in a general election. In Malaysia, the ruling political parties own the majority of the mass media and the fact remains that we, the voters, have permitted them to doing so by conferring to them the mandate to reshape any laws they desire. By controlling nearly all mass media forms, it allows them to propagandize to the people exactly what they want the people to know and withholding any news they do not want anybody to know. The power of the media lies however in the way they tell the news. A 100,000 and more strong BERSIH 2.0 rally was reported as a group of about 5,000 unruly protestors. Without a doubt the Internet has lessened the impact of these propaganda, the truth remains that many of the rural areas remain outside the (paying) broadband coverage and the inhabitants there are dependant on both the (free) radio and the television for their daily ration of the Malaysian news. Gerrymandering is yet another subtle but extremely effective form of legally tilting the playing field to be advantageous to particularly one political party only. Take for example the DAP "sure-win" constituency of Seputeh. In any parliamentary election for the past decade, this election results will be amongst the first to be confirmed as a landslide win for the Opposition, way before all the ballot boxes has been counted. To neutralize this phenomenon, all the EC needs to do is to redraw the boundaries and to form yet another parliamentary constituency inside Seputeh's boundaries. This does not automatically signify a win for the government as this new constituency might actually vote Opposition but with the government setting up an army camp inside it, the probability of a sure-win for Postal votes are yet another form of voting that can be manipulated even though there is no evidence to point towards it as being compromised. However the fact that more than 90 percent of all postal votes are for the same political party in every general election since independence seem doubtful even to the most liberal onlooker. The number of postal votes might not seem noteworthy but the results of many significant seats have been decided purely on these postal votes. Inaccurate electoral rolls are a fact of life in any elections anywhere in the free world but appears consistently prevalent here. Are these the EC's unintentional mistakes due to short staffing and an insufficient budget, or otherwise? The fact that nothing has been done, or Electoral reforms to ensure fairplay and to exhibit the true intentions of the voters must be called for immediately, and subsequently be established before the next general elections. That is what BERSIH represents but with the introduction of the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 into Parliament last week to seriously curb BERSIH, its organizers and participants, the government is sending a loud message that it will no longer tolerate such actions by the people who put them there and significant measures are now undertaken to punish those The urgent need for us all to become a single voice is mandated now unless we desire the same coalition of political parties to rule over us for yet another half a century. Will you be there on the streets when BERSIH 3.0 comes around? |
| Wi-fi Percuma di Selangor Mulai Tahun Depan Posted: 26 Nov 2011 06:56 PM PST
(SelangorKini) - Langkah Kerajaan Selangor memperkenalkan Program Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor (MES) perlu diteruskan dalam bentuk menyemarakkan penyampaian informasi dengan memperkenalkan Agenda Masyarakat Berinformasi, Negara Demokratik. Pembahas Selangor yang juga Adun Rawang, Gan Pei Nei mencadangkan agar pimpinan negeri yang diketuai oleh Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdu Khalid Ibrahim merangka strategi informasi ini sebagai langkah penerangan kepada masyarakat yang lebih konprehensif. "Agenda ini membawa misi untuk mewujudkan masyarakat yang demokratik, bebas, dengan menyalurkan ilmu, berita dan informasi yang berdasarkan fakta dan kebenaran, bukannya politik fitnah yang telah menjadi budaya Umno-BN," katanya. Setakat ini, kerajaan negeri Selangor menyampaikan segala informasi mengenai program kepada rakyat melalui portal TV Selangor dan akhbar Selangor Kini serta Selangor Times. Selain itu, beliau berkata kerajaan Selangor akan menyediakan perkhidmatan Wi-fi dan Broadband di seluruh negeri pada tahun hadapan yang merangkumi kawasan bandar dan luar bandar secara percuma. Katanya tujuan penyediaan mekanisma perhubungan ini akan membukaan minda rakyat dengan informasi yang benar memberikan ruang kepada semua pihak mengemukakan idea baru dan tidak terkongkong dengan propaganda Umno- BN, ujar beliau lagi. "Kerajaan Selangor juga harus memberikan komputer percuma kepada golongan belia dan memberikan kursus dalam bidang ini untuk menguasai informasi dan teknologi terkini dalam dan luar negara," katanya. Di bawah cadangan ini, semua pihak termasuk pimpinan negeri dan masyarakat perlu membuat satu perbincangan dan dialog terbuka setiap minggu bermula tahun hadapan diseluruh 56 Dun Selangor agar maklum balas dan suara hati rakyat dapat di dengar dan dasar kerajaan dapat diperjelaskan.
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| Posted: 26 Nov 2011 06:14 PM PST That is the same in politics. The battle needs to be fought on many fronts. And the Internet is one front. Barisan Nasional, of course, wins the electronic media war (since they own the TV stations and TV coverage is 97-98%) while the opposition wins the ceramah/rally war (no one attends Umno or BN ceramahs). NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin First take a look at the statistics below: a) 44% of Internet users are in Asia and 56% the rest of the world. The role of internet and social networking in the Arab spring http://www.syrianaaa.com/2011/05/role-of-internet-and-social-networking.html |
| Muhyiddin's uphill battle. the UMNO vice presidents say no Posted: 26 Nov 2011 04:41 PM PST Sakmongkol AK47 The other day, I watched the late night news on TV3. It ran an interview it had with DPM, Muhyidin Yassin. The DPM says it's an uphill battle for UMNO and BN. I say many UMNO leaders are contradicting each other. Two vice presidents say UMNO is ok. The deputy president says, not so ok. One of them must be lying. Or, if they are saying something that's opposite to what Muhyidin says, they mean UMNO is going downhill. I have written an earlier article giving out what I thought some warnings to UMNO and BN. This time I didn't write on how I think UMNO and BN can lose. I wrote instead the other way round - how Pakatan can win. As expected, it didn't go down well with UMNO people. That's of no importance to me. UMNO thinks it can corner the rural votes. Maybe they can and do, but every time Anwar Ibrahim who is bombarded with sexual allegations at every waking hour wants to hold a ceramah umum in rural areas, UMNO goes on super panic mode. It uses all the repressive instruments of the state- the police, army, Rela people to prevent Anwar speaking. Apa pasal? I say, let the damaged good do his thing. People are intelligent enough- they read newspapers and other media instruments to be able to make proper judgment. And you have all the UMNO cybertroopers around to make sure Anwar is crucified with new information about his sexual trysts and China doll and what not. And you have Quiet Despair to anchor a more cerebral and spirited rendition of Anwar's persecution. Don't worry; we will give him as much space as possible here. I think Muhyidin this time around speaks with a touch of realism. Maybe he refuses to be bamboozled with over optimistic JASA reports – I saw some of them especially on Pahang and I was laughing. Were they written while drinking kopi tiam or eating keropok lekor? Or were they written while sitting on the bed at home? Those suckers at HQ won't be able to tell the difference. Muhyidin must be thinking about his home state too. Ong Kah Ting is not going to contest. His seat may go. Hishamudin is retreating to Kota Tinggi. That means Syed Hamid Albar isn't contesting anymore as he is no longer winnable. Sembrong is gone. Bakri seat is another area that's losable. Subramaniam can say bye bye to Segamat. Pasir Gudang is another parliamentary seat that looks shaky. Johore will remain a bastion for UMNO still, but a few more parliamentary seats are gone. The labis seat, Pulai seat, Gelang Patah seat, are all at risks. If Shahrir does not stand in JB, that seat will migrate too. These may not all go to PKR but DAP is set to take over some of these seats. The opposition may increase their parliamentary presence from the current 1 to 7 seats. There's one commentator (Quiet Despair) who thinks PKR cannot win any parliamentary sets in Sarawak. The SUPP seats will all go to DAP. As to PKR, allow me to cite one observation passed to me by the Oracle of Syed Putera. He was commenting on the Sarawak state elections then. The victory of 100% by PBB candidates (its record is thus anytime better than UMNO's) wasn't unexpected. The Oracle wasn't interested to speak on what the mainstream newspapers were screaming haughtily regarding the victory. He was more concerned about the victory by PKR in the Sarawak state elections. Anwar Ibrahim with all the assassinations carried out on a daily basis, managed to assist Baru Bian get 3 seats! What do the wins represent? Unless UMNO people are sleeping or are busy shashaying in the lobby of Concorde Hotel and cockily holding fort in the coffee house, the wins tell us, the opposition can win. PKR made inroads in Dayak grounds. And Oracle must be mimicking Daim Zainudin. Then the news about the sacking of one ADUN from SPDP came. SPDP has 4 parliamentary seats. The sacking shows there are dissension with the SPDP and may result in election losses. With the SUPP gone, PBB is banking on SPDP and PRS which has 6 seats. The two have 10 seats between them; a number of these will fall to PKR. The Oracle was even saying, at this moment, Daim thinks, the Opposition has 16 seats in the bag from Sarawak. This thing about saying that someone is over the hill and past the time, is haunting the UMNO people. Yet they forget repeatedly to shut their mouth. Before 2008 Daim Zainudin was saying that BN will lose 5 states. Everyone was saying he's past his prime and over the hill and other unmentionables. This time he's more or less saying the same thing. That's why the Oracle says, the UMNO people are sleeping when they dismissed the few seats won by Baru Bian in the Sarawak state elections. That's just a precursor of worse things to come. That's how I see the GE13. Now, let's get back to what Rahim Tamby Chik said in an UMNO forum. Rahim Tamby Chik (RTC) has now achieved political significance that he couldn't achieved before- being mentioned in the same bandwidth as Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Otherwise, as we know, hehe, Rahim is mentioned and associated more with less than regal extra-political pursuits. He is deep and down you know. We now come to the most interesting bit about Rahim's political imagination- Tengku Razaleigh being invited to become the PM. In order for that to take place, TRH must have standing. He has standing by the following manner; (1) He heads a political party. That party then can become the negotiating entity sought after by the people who want to form a government. He has none at the moment. AMANAH is an NGO which he heads is not a political party and so, he has no standing to be called in should there be a hung parliament. (2) He could have a standing on the other hand, if he heads a faction in UMNO with enough numbers to go along with him should he decide to part ways with mother ship UMNO. Right now, I don't see any number of MPs being with Tengku Razaleigh. Some may agree with his stand and ideas but are always mindful to stay on the side on which the bread is buttered. None are brave enough to be with him while serving as UMNO MPs. Just look as some of the erstwhile comrades who were with Razaleigh before- Shabery Chik for example- who served as TRH's personal assistant and speech writer sometimes is touching TRH with a 10 foot pole. The minister of Information who used to be the number 2 man in Semangat 46 and who burnt his bridges to cinders is working overtime to make sure everyone knows he has nothing to do with Tengku. So we can rule out the formation of another political party by Tengku Razaleigh or Tengku having the standing by heading a faction within UMNO. So why should Tengku Razaleigh be invited at all? In what capacity? The answer is the hard realities of Malaysian politics. Let us assume a hung parliament. It can take place when not one single party has the majority in parliament. Any one party can have the largest number of seats which if it less than 112, can never go on to form the government. Let's say UMNO comes out with the most seats- 70 from its current 79. It is the party with the largest number. What happens when the results of the elections come out? The first person or persons to see the Agong will be the chief secretary and possibly the AG because of the constitutional implications. He will look around and inform the Agong, the party that has the largest number is UMNO. The Agong then summons UMNO to inquire whether it can form the government. UMNO looks around; it sees its traditional partners decimated. It casts its eyes, and sees possibly PBB which probably retains 12 seats. But what if 16 seats are won by the opposition there? PBB has only 3 more seats friendly to offer. Taib Mahmud says, boss I can only offer 15 seats. The other 16 have gone to DAP and PKR and to those who don't want BN anymore. I can't gawai and ngajat anymore. It makes me dizzy. UMNO plus the Sarawak party now has 85 seats. If we are kind enough, let's say MCA managed to wriggle through with 3 seats- UMNO/BN has 88. MIC delivers 1 seat. Now it has 89. Out of the 25 seats in Sabah, after excluding UMNO, BN takes another 8. In total now, UMNO and BN have 97 seats. Still not enough ma….
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| Name non-Malay PM, MCA Youth dares PKR Posted: 26 Nov 2011 04:35 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - MCA Youth today dared PKR to name a non-Malay candidate for prime minister, turning the tables on the opposition party's previous challenge for Umno to guarantee a Malay premier. "The fact that PKR and DAP constantly portray themselves as so-called multi-racial parties is a joke, as it is evident that both parties are still very much operating based on race," MCA Youth vice-chairman Yoo Wei How said in a statement today. "This is obvious when PKR said that Anwar (Ibrahim) would be the prime minister and Lim Kit Siang as the deputy prime minister." He said by making race a consideration when choosing holders of top positions, the two parties were being racist. PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin had dared Umno to amend the Federal Constitution to state that the prime minister must be Malay because "history shows Umno is willing to sell out everything." Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, however, moved to clarify yesterday that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would not support any move by Umno to amend the Constitution to guarantee a Malay prime minister. The PKR de facto leader explained that his party youth wing's challenge Umno to do so was merely a part of PKR's "strategy" and was neither a "Keadilan nor Pakatan Rakyat stand." Today, Yoo pointed out that the PKR national leadership consists mostly of Malays, while DAP sported a mainly Chinese line-up. "If PKR and DAP are really indeed multi-racial political parties, why not announce PKR information chief Tian Chua as their candidate for prime minister with DAP national chairman Karpal Singh as the deputy prime minister?" Yoo asked. "Therefore, it is a lie that these two parties are multi-racial as claimed and they are in fact deceiving the people simply in order to gain the votes so that they can take over the federal government," he added. Umno has repeatedly accused Pakatan Rakyat (PR) of selling out the Malays to Chinese and foreign interests, insisting that the country's largest ethnic group can only be protected if Barisan Nasional (BN) remains in power.
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| Guan Eng says ‘political reality’ to have Malay PM Posted: 26 Nov 2011 04:34 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Lim Guan Eng rubbished talk today of amending the Constitution to guarantee a Malay prime minister, claiming Malaysians have accepted the "political reality" that the post "must" be given to the country's largest ethnic community. He said suggesting such amendments was "racist and superfluous" as it treated non-Malays as if they were second-class citizens. "No non-Malay political leader has even talked about wanting to be prime minister because Malaysians accept the political reality that the prime minister of Malaysia must come from the Malay community," he said in a statement here. On Friday, PKR Youth challenged Umno to amend the Constitution to guarantee a Malay prime minister but Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim later clarified that this was neither his party's stand nor that of Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Lim (picture) pointed out that the highest political posts now available to non-Malays were ministers and the Penang chief minister's position, which he now holds. But the DAP secretary-general said that although the Malays dominated top leadership posts, including positions in the civil service, police and army, his party and the Penang government had never threatened to usurp power from the community. "DAP has never carried out such a campaign because DAP considers all Malays as Malaysians who have an equal right as any other Malaysian to be in these sectors," he said. "This is evident in the open tender system where 70 per cent of Penang government contracts are won by Malays, proving the Malay contractors are competitive; only Umno crony contractors are useless," he said. Lim also recalled Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's controversial "Malay first and Malaysian second" declaration last year, saying it showed that "1 Malaysia" was an empty slogan designed to win votes. Lim claimed the slogan would be rapidly discarded after the next general elections. "What is surprising is that Muhyiddin does not consider illogical or inconsistent with pursuing a strictly racial Malay agenda with the agenda of other non-Malay Malaysians," Lim said, adding that the deputy prime minister "even pursues DAP leaders are Chinese chauvinists even though DAP has fought for all Malaysians". "DAP is no threat to Malays. Only Umno is a threat to Malays and Malaysians with its open acceptance and defence of repressive violation of basic human rights, corruption and abuse of power."
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| Posted: 26 Nov 2011 04:23 PM PST Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been trying to shake things up a little in the run-up to the Umno general assembly which he hopes will set the agenda for a big win in the upcoming general election. Dr Mahathir, more than anyone else, knows that the next general election will determine the survival of Umno. He is shrewd, intelligent and strategic, traits that made him such a dangerous man to his opponents. Part of Dr Mahathir's longevity has been his talent for reading the ground and his reading is, to quote him, "not good". By JOCELINE TAN, The Star TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad's office at Yayasan Albukhary is like one of those penthouse floors but in a minimalist and masculine kind of way. It is sparsely furnished, with lots of wood panelling and floor-to-ceiling glass windows on three sides and has a 3D view of the city. It is one of his three offices and the space is big enough for a ballroom dancing contest. But the former Premier was more preoccupied that particular afternoon about the mock trial against two famous "war criminals" namely Tony Blair and George W. Bush that had been going on the last few days on the second floor of the building. The verdict was due in about an hour's time and the interview was, well, to fill the time in between. Dr Mahathir had been so engrossed making notes on a notepad that he did not notice that a half-eaten piece of nut candy – he snacks on them when his sugar level dips – was being finished off by a line of ants. His handwriting is a graceful cursive and he must be the only man in the building still using a fountain pen.  Umno on his mind: Dr Mahathir wants Najib to win and to ensure the survival of Umno. The room was rather warm and stuffy but he seemed to prefer it that way and looked as cool as a cucumber in a business suit, striped shirt and grey tie. He looked remarkable for an 86-year-old. He moves a little slower these days but that has not stopped him from having a packed schedule. He was in Myanmar recently where he met the president Thein Sein and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who impressed him. It is rare to hear him say he likes someone, but he admitted: "I like her. She is nice and friendly." When teased about having a weakness for "iron ladies", he said, "You mean (Margaret) Thatcher?" Caught him there. Actually, I was thinking of Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz whom he had liked for her fighting spirit. But the lady in his life remains Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali. She came in towards the end of the interview, walking quietly towards the prayer room, as though trying not to be noticed. The two Tuns have this subtle comfort level between them and he said in a teasing voice, "don't interview her". When she looked up, he made a funny face and she sort of rolled her eyes, smiled and walked on. Dr Mahathir was due to fly off to India on the morning of the Umno general assembly but has delayed the trip so that he could be at the opening where he is assured of the best seat in the house with a Persian carpet laid out for his VVIP feet. He has been at every single opening and closing of the party assembly since Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak took over the party. He is flying home from India to make it for the winding-up by Najib on the last day. But Blair, Bush and war crimes aside, it is the state of Umno that is constantly at the back of Dr Mahathir's mind.  Dr Mahathir is reminding Najib that the bigger headache is Umno. If Umno is okay, the business of governing would be a lot easier. Najib has stopped the decline but turning it around is probably taking too long for Dr Mahathir. — DATUK AHIRUDIN ATTAN (ROCKY) Dr Mahathir is famous for saying it like it is but he is also an expert at throwing curve balls that have people wondering what he is aiming at. And he is a master of political timing. His remarks about Umno the last couple of weeks have been a talking point among the Umno circle. The remarks were made with an eye on next week's Umno general assembly. This assembly will set the agenda for the general election and what many in the party see as the mother of all battles. Dr Mahathir, more than anyone else, knows that the next general election will determine the survival of Umno. He is shrewd, intelligent and strategic, traits that made him such a dangerous man to his opponents. Part of Dr Mahathir's longevity has been his talent for reading the ground and his reading is, to quote him, "not good". Main issues There are several issues which he is extremely concerned about in the run-up to the election and which he thinks ought to be settled at the Umno assembly. One is the issue of winnable candidates. Although everyone in the party has been singing the winnable candidate tune, he knows there is resistance on the ground especially among many division warlords who think they are winnable even though they are not. He knows very few will make way willingly and that there will be sabotage. "It can be done provided you lay the ground. You have to meet them, explain why it has to be a certain candidate. So far, I don't see it (the groundwork)," he said. He is expecting the Umno leadership to identify the problematic warlords, call them in and personally tell them about what is needed to win well. It is in this context that he believes that if the general election is held now, the Barisan Nasional would not do well. "But if Umno goes to the ground to explain the danger of undermining candidates, the picture will change. Certain Umno leaders and incumbent MPs and assemblymen must accept that they should not contest. They should make it clear now," he said. He is urging Umno members not to be afraid to criticise and tell party leaders, especially at the division and branch levels, that they have to correct themselves. "When you don't criticise within the party and the party goes on doing the wrong thing, the party will fail. When supporters outside the party see that Umno is not making corrections, they will reject the party. They say it is painful for them to vote for the opposition but they do it, otherwise Umno will not realise it is on the wrong path," he said. He is telling Umno not to be complacent, given the feedback that the Malay vote has returned. As one Umno official pointed out, he is provoking Umno in his usual diabolical style to "prove to us that you have changed." There has been no real test to show that Umno has really changed. The warlords are still there, their attitudes are still the same. "You need internally generated criticism in the party. If you don't criticise from inside, people from outside will do it and those inside will go out to criticise. That's why you have Perkasa, formed mostly by those unhappy within the party and (who have) moved out to voice their views. Those who left with me have still not been re-admitted," said Dr Mahathir. This ties in with another of his concerns – Umno has moved too fast and too far to the middle ground. Umno's strength has always been a result of two groups. The first include the right-wingers and nationalists who hold fast to their belief in Malay rights. The hardcore among them feel disenfranchised and have drifted off into Perkasa. They feel that Najib has not done enough for the Malays and done too much for the non-Malays. The second group comprises those who understand that concessions have to be made and they are more about the party and less about being Malay. Dr Mahathir understands that in order for Umno to win convincingly, it has to get both groups back on the same page. It would strengthen Najib's position in Umno but his dilemma is how to absorb Perkasa without adopting the same ultra-Malay stance. His challenge is about striking the balance between the old and the new politics. "Dr Mahathir is trying to inject a sense of urgency in Umno. He is reminding Najib that the bigger headache is Umno. If Umno is okay, the business of governing would be a lot easier. Najib has stopped the decline but turning it around is probably taking too long for Dr Mahathir," said Datuk "Rocky" Ahirudin Attan, a former newspaper editor and political blogger. One thing that Dr Mahathir makes no bones about is his adversity towards Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He has yet to forgive his successor and holds him responsible for what he calls "the destruction" of Umno and the Barisan. The antagonism between them extends to the level of Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin and Dr Mahathir's son Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir who reportedly cannot stand the sight of each other. No one can see any closure to this unfortunate affair, and it does say a lot for Najib's diplomatic skills in maintaining ties with his two former bosses. The Pakatan Rakyat side has been going on about how Dr Mahathir wants to replace Najib with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The story makes good copy but does not make sense. Most deputies Dr Mahathir, said one senior journalist, holds the record for having the most deputy prime ministers and also for having pushed out one prime minister or maybe two, if you count Tunku Abdul Rahman. "I don't think he wants to set a record for changing PMs," said the journalist. The elder statesman's prime concern is that Umno survives beyond the next election. Like everyone else in Umno, he wants the party to recover its lost ground and he is banking on Najib to lead the Barisan to victory. If Najib accomplishes that, he is going to be one of the most powerful presidents Umno has ever had. But if he fails, the move to topple him will begin. Until then, Umno is with Najib. Said Dr Mahathir: "I want Najib to win. He should win together with the party. As the PM, he has done fairly well, he has introduced new ideas but he must also see the whole picture. He thinks the Chinese are not going to give their support but he forgets that his constituents are the Malays. "I would say I support him. I don't expect leaders to be perfect, I was not perfect, that was why so many people challenged me. Yes, he is juggling too many balls; maybe he should concentrate on a few." Basically, Dr Mahathir sees Umno as a super bus with lots of people on board and he acknowledges that Najib is the best man to take the wheel. Dr Mahathir is just one of the passengers. He is not exactly a backseat driver as some people believe, but he is definitely a passenger with clear opinions about the journey ahead. His greatest wish is that the next general election should not be Umno's last ride in the driver's seat.
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| Posted: 26 Nov 2011 04:03 PM PST The PKR congress this weekend served notice that it is banging on the door of Umno's Johor fortress. Azmin's reference to the boss had the Youth and Women's assembly cheering and applauding. They probably find the idea of Anwar being Prime Minister much more exciting than the notion of him as "God's gift". But it is probable that very few among the cheering delegates believe he is destined for that green-domed building in Putrajaya, not because of his sodomy trial but because they know the ground has shifted and that Chinese votes alone will not carry Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya. By JOCELINE TAN, The Star THE Pulai Springs Resort in Johor is associated more with golf than politics. But golf took a backseat this weekend as the PKR crowd swarmed to the resort to make a statement that Johor will be their frontline state in the general election. The party's national congress this year is what the party's Johor chief Datuk Chua Jui Meng called an isyarat merah, that is, a red light warning to the Umno bastion. It also served notice on another Umno bastion the Felda vote. The party made some glittering promises to Felda settlers and is backing settlers from several schemes to sue the Government over issues of payments over their labour. "We are banging on Umno's front door," claimed Chua. Party secretary Saifuddin Nasution, who is from Kedah, even turned up wearing a Johor style baju Melayu. Despite all the talk about breaking down Umno's stronghold, PKR and its partners in Pakatan Rakyat are basically eyeing the mixed seats among Johor's 26 parliamentary constituencies. Its leaders admit frankly that the Malay-majority seats will stay with Umno while the Felda areas in the state are still out of their reach. As such, the foray into Johor revolves mainly around 15 or so mixed seats and it is banking on the prevailing Chinese sentiment. PKR's problem in Johor is that it does not have the network or organisation whereas Chua is still trying to shake off his previous history as an MCA leader and minister. Chua speaks excellent Malay and is still quite charismatic but he may have problems on the Malay ground because everyone in Johor knows he has issues with the Johor palace. His Datukship was withdrawn after the new Sultan ascended the throne. Still, it would be folly for the Barisan Nasional to be complacent. Nothing can be taken for granted in the new political landscape and the ruling coalition will have to step up its game. "At the very least, we will keep Umno occupied here," said Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. Last year, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail described her husband and Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as "God's gift" to politics. This year, deputy president Azmin Ali referred to him as the "seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia". A delegate from Kedah said Anwar is an "institution that we have to defend". Azmin's reference to the boss had the Youth and Women's assembly cheering and applauding. They probably find the idea of Anwar being Prime Minister much more exciting than the notion of him as "God's gift". But it is probable that very few among the cheering delegates believe he is destined for that green-domed building in Putrajaya, not because of his sodomy trial but because they know the ground has shifted and that Chinese votes alone will not carry Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya. This party is still centred on Anwar. But, as the sodomy trial drags on and particularly after the sex video, there is a growing sense that the party should be able to survive without Anwar. He has the name recognition and international stature no one else in the party has. The fizzle and the oomph will be missing and the party may not do as well without his overpowering personality but it will be around because multi-racial politics has a future in Malaysia. For instance, this is the only party where the debaters come from all races and speak Bahasa Malaysia well. The party will become more real when this group moves up. Meanwhile, it has to discard its image as a party out to save Anwar from his personal problems and a party of too many family members. PKR has attracted its share of young faces who are there not because they think Anwar is God's gift or to save him from jail. This new cohort is not attracted to the race-based politics of Umno or the theocratic policies of PAS; neither are they drawn to DAP which has veered into Chinese chauvinism. The undisputed star among them is PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli, the man behind many of the new ideas in the party. A number of the newbies were showcased as speakers this year. Among them was Azrul Azwar, the chief economist of Bank Islam. They are clearly greenhorns but they are intelligent, idealistic and have impressive qualification. You can tell they are from another generation of politicians because their debate is peppered with quotes from civil rights activists from the West. They are the reasons why PKR is worth watching, rather than their bravado claim of breaking down the door of Umno's Johor fortress.
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| Posted: 26 Nov 2011 04:00 PM PST However, the overseas voting process is not glitch-free and many countries are still reviewing their laws and processes. According to the World Bank, there are some one million Malaysians living overseas, and all have the right to vote. However, the sheer number is one logistical issue. As pointed out by Najib, there are more than 800 constituencies in the country and over 100 foreign missions in the world. This would make verification during the voting process difficult, and might even lead to vote tampering. By HARIATI AZIZAN, The Star ALTHOUGH he has been a registered voter in Malaysia for almost a decade, pharmacist G. Gan has never cast his ballot. "It's not that I don't want to but I have been in Britain all this while – first studying, and now working. But Malaysia is still home to me, and that is why I want to make a stand at the polls," he says. Gan, like many other Malaysians currently studying, working and residing overseas, was excited to hear in August that the Election Commission (EC) was reviewing the regulations to extend postal voting rights to Malaysians working overseas in the next election. Currently, only members of the armed forces, full-time students, civil servants and their partners are allowed to participate in postal voting. Their excitement grew when the Foreign Ministry said it had forwarded recommendations to the EC on allowing Malaysians to cast their votes at the respective Malaysian embassies worldwide.  Their joy, however, was shortlived when the Government conceded that the logistical problems in implementing it might mean that they would have to miss the coming elections. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has stressed that the Government is not against overseas voting while highlighting the difficulties in implementing the mechanism. Indisputably, all Malaysians have the right to vote. This is enshrined in our Federal Constitution. According to the World Bank, there are some one million Malaysians living overseas, and all have the right to vote. However, the sheer number is one logistical issue. As pointed out by Najib, there are more than 800 constituencies in the country and over 100 foreign missions in the world. This would make verification during the voting process difficult, and might even lead to vote tampering. Moreover, according to Wisma Putra, they only have records of about 25,000 of Malaysians overseas. Many are not reachable, something that has caused various problems to the foreign missions abroad during disasters and emergencies. As a source from the Malaysian embassy in Japan shares, it was difficult to trace Malaysians when the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan early this year as many who were residing there at that time had not registered with the embassy. "If we want to allow overseas voting, we would need to conduct a mass registration of the Malaysian expatriates," he says. Another logistical issue is the manpower, he adds. "This is a full-time job, so we would need help from the HQ (Foreign Ministry) and the Election Commission." EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar says the commission is prepared to increase manpower, including appointing more assistant registrars at missions worldwide but this would incur a high cost, on top of the other implementation costs. It was reported that the cost of the general elections would be close to RM200mil. In 2008, it was RM170mil. MCA Young Professionals Bureau Chairman Datuk Chua Tee Yong, who is also Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, agrees that the logistic and resource issues need to be resolved to ensure that a proper mechanism is established. One way is to consider how other countries are implementing overseas voting, he says. Foreign lessons Currently, some 115 countries around the world allow for some form of overseas voting for their citizens, National Institute for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (NIEI) points out. Like many of the election watchdogs in Malaysia, NIEI agrees that while there are issues to be resolved to allow Malaysians abroad to vote, they are not insurmountable. However, the historical, social, and cultural contexts need to be taken into account. Even in the countries implementing overseas voting, the process is not glitch-free and many are still reviewing their laws and processes as they go. Others are finding the high cost incurred is not matched by the actual voter turnout. In Indonesia, the government is mulling over the effectiveness of the facility due to poor turnout – as voting day often falls on a workday, most of its overseas citizens choose work over voting. This is also an issue for the Philippines and even the United States. In the 2006 election, over six million qualified overseas Americans requested for absentee ballot, but only one million registered. Out of the one million, only one-third actually cast their votes. "The issue definitely requires more in-depth study and discussion. To design the system for the Malaysian overseas to vote requires suitability with the current electoral system that we use," says NIEI board member Amin Iskandar. There are various mechanisms that can be implemented to prevent tampering of the ballot, adds Amin. "We can look at the best practices in other countries, especially the ones which use the same electoral system, such as Britain. In Britain, it is required that the overseas absentee voter be a registered voter there within the last 15 years prior to exercising their right to overseas absentee voting. This can be the mechanism to prevent the issue of phantom voters." Chua agrees that Malaysia should consider implementing a time bar for qualification of voters. "In Canada, if a Canadian citizen has been residing overseas for more than five years, he loses his qualification as a voter and is unable to vote. The same applies in Australia where if a citizen has been overseas for more than three years and his name is not listed in the electoral roll, he will be disqualified as a voter." South Korea, meanwhile, is going the hi-tech way to protect the integrity of its ballot papers, says Sim Hyun Whoa, the Overseas Election Officer on duty at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia. This includes equipping their foreign missions with state-of-the-art equipment to ensure that ballot papers cannot be forged or tampered with. The most important thing is to provide the right to vote for all Malaysian citizens. "We believe in the principle of every citizen of Malaysia having the right to elect their representatives in an election even though they are not residing in Malaysia," says Chua. Malaysians for Free and Fair election (Mafrel) chairman Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh concurs, pointing out that it is one of the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The issue of cost and logistics is irrelevant as it is the responsibility of the Government to facilitate voting for all Malaysian citizens, he says. "It is the Government's responsibility to facilitate the right and it is the responsibility of the voters overseas to make an effort to exercise their right to vote," he says. "We can study the spread of students and workers to see where the polling stations are needed. Traditionally, most Malaysian students and professionals in Europe are in London, so maybe we can start with that as the main voting point in Europe." Syed Ibrahim suggests cutting the cost incurred for security enforcement during the elections to reduce costs. "From our observation at the polls, there are too many police officers deployed at the polling stations, even for by-elections. Do we really need such tight security?" he poses. P.Y. Wong of Tindak Malaysia points out that overseas voting is provided by most of our neighbouring countries, including "tiny" Brunei. "It is pathetic that Malaysia does not accord this to our citizens. We have conducted elections for more than 50 years and they cannot sort out such a basic issue?" As for access to information, the election watchdogs agree that it is irrelevant. "It is nobody's business whether the overseas voter is well-informed or not. It is also a poor reflection of the Government's information machinery if such a situation happens. Have you seen how the Singapore Government issues regular newsletters to their overseas citizens and how they take care of their welfare and interests?" says Wong. It is up to the individual to keep informed, says Chua. "Even if you live in Malaysia, you will not be up to date with the local news if you don't make an effort to keep up." An academic in Hong Kong, Ang SW, agrees. "Even though I am in Hong Kong, I can make an informed decision at the polls. I read the news online these days, including Malaysian and world news. If politicians think that they can better represent their positions via speeches, then there is nothing to stop them from maintaining blogs to keep their constituents better informed. Moreover, I schedule regular trips back to Malaysia to visit family and friends." In many of our professions today, international work experience is not only attractive but also necessary for our training and development, says Ang. "Describing decisions to remain abroad for whatever period of time as a 'betrayal' is unbelievable and ridiculous in this day and age where the internationalisation of the economy puts everyone under new pressures even as it opens up new opportunities," laments the 33-year-old. For her and many of her fellow Malaysian expatriates, says Ang, the most important thing is their right to play a part in the future of the country they still call home. "I would like to vote because returning home to work and live continues to be a viable option in the near future. A Malaysia that has strong democratic institutions with fair and transparent practices will be a lovely place to live in and, unlike what some politicians assert, those of us who are currently abroad have not given up on the country," she says.
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| PKR Youth chief slammed over ‘only Malays for PM’ remarks Posted: 26 Nov 2011 03:59 PM PST (The Star) - The PKR Youth chief has been roundly criticised for his challenge to Umno to amend the Federal Constitution to ensure only Malays can be prime minister. MCA Youth secretary-general Datuk Chai Kim Sen said Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin's call would undermine national development and unity. "In a multi-cultural country like Malaysia, Shamsul's remarks will cause racial prejudice to spread,'' said Chai in a statement. Shamsul Iskandar had made the challenge at the PKR Youth Congress in Johor on Friday. He said Umno should do this to prove its claim of being a party that championed Malay rights. Shamsul claimed the challenge was not aimed at stirring racist sentiments but was about justice. Asked if PKR would amend the constitution, Shamsul said it was only a challenge to Umno and PKR was comfortable with the current constitution. Chai said both the ruling and opposition coalitions should be responsible in ensuring racial harmony and social stability. "Although they are not yet in charge of the Federal Government, they are already making racial statements. "I feel Shamsul just wants to grab this opportunity to appear as a hero in the media," he added. Chai also urged Pakatan Rakyat leaders to take a collective stand on Shamsul's statement. "Will any disciplinary action be taken or will the issue be swept under the carpet like always?'' asked Chai. DAP Rasah MP Anthony Loke said Shamsul's statement was unnecessary. "I don't agree with it because it reflects negatively on Pakatan Rakyat," he said, adding it was a political reality that a Malay is PM. Loke also said Malays were not in danger of losing their political power as they were the majority. "We accept this fact and to ask for the Federal Constitution to put in such a criteria is not progressive,'' he added. Loke's party colleague Jenice Lee also tweeted her dissatisfaction with Shamsul Iskandar's statement. Lee said she was disgusted with the youth leader's statement. "We are all Malaysians!'' retorted the Teratai assemblyman.
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| Group protests against Assembly Bill Posted: 26 Nov 2011 03:57 PM PST (The Star) - A group gathered at KLCC park to protest the proposed Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011. Dressed in yellow and carrying yellow balloons, the group assembled at the park at about 2pm yesterday and chanted slogans against the proposed Bill. They were told to disperse by the police and KLCC security personnel at about 2.45pm.  Peaceful demo: The group protesting at KLCC park yesterday. Also present were Klang DAP MP Charles Santiago and Segambut DAP MP Lim Lip Eng. Campaign organiser Wong Chin Huat deemed the Bill unconstitutional. "We are here to illustrate that we as Malaysians can gather peacefully without disrupting public order," he said. On whether the amendments to reduce the advance notice period from 30 days to 10 days was acceptable, Wong said it was not. "There are countries where organisers only need to give notice to the police a day before a gathering. An acceptable period should be one or two days," he added. Meanwhile, a group of people gathered at Dataran Merdeka for a candlelight vigil at about 8pm. They marched to the Bar Council about 200m away and dispersed 30 minutes later.
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| ‘Malaysian Malaysia’ goes against principles: Chandra Posted: 26 Nov 2011 03:50 PM PST (The Star) - The concept of "Malaysian Malaysia" goes against the principles of moderation, 1Malaysia Foundation chairman Prof Dr Chandra Muzaffar said. Dr Chandra said some of today's politicians were still promoting the concept which was mooted by former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew back in 1964.  Personal touch: Muhyiddin handing over a gift to Dr Chandra during the launch of the 'Understanding of Wasatiyyah and 1Malaysia' seminar at Putra World Trade Centre yesterday. "The Malaysian Malaysia idea is a concept that is unfair and it goes against the principles of wasatiyyah, or moderation," said Dr Chandra, when speaking at the "Understanding of Wasatiyyah and 1Malaysia" seminar at PWTC here yesterday. The seminar was organised by Umno in conjunction with its general assembly next week. He said the concept rejected and denied the basic rights of Malays and bumiputras in Sabah and Sarawak, as provided for in the Federal Constitution. He also warned the 500-strong audience, mostly delegates of the coming Umno general assembly, of politicians who were prepared to go against the Federal Constitution just to please people of certain races so that they could win votes. He said the concept of a middle ground, which was often likened to the concept of wasatiyyah, should not be confused for allowing mismanagement and bribery provided it did not involve large sums of money. "This concept cannot be abused to allow practices that are clearly prohibited by the religion. This concept makes it clear what is right and what is wrong," he added. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, when closing the seminar, said Malaysia had remained peaceful because the majority of the people believed in the moderate approach in their daily lives rather than being extreme when practising their culture and religion. This, coupled with good understanding of the culture and religion of others, had ensured that the people continued to enjoy progress and lived in harmony, he said. "Through wasatiyyah, we have learned to think and act wisely without being extreme, too rigid or overly liberal. We are taught not to be a fanatic or to be so obsessed that we close our minds to other views, thoughts and opinions," he said. Explaining the concept of wasatiyyah in the Government system, Muhyiddin who is also Umno deputy president, said it had helped spur development in an effective manner because the people's wellbeing was always top priority when implementing policies.
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| Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 – a Malaysian layman perspective Posted: 26 Nov 2011 03:41 PM PST Wong Mun Chee Much has transpired since the introduction of this bill. For those laymen like me please visit http://www.parlimen.gov.my/files/billindex/pdf/2011/DR422011E.pdf or see attached a copy for your reading where you are on first hand to have sight of this proposed bill. If you did not know this is public information not OSA so don't be fearful of reading it. UMNO led BN as usual will dictate their legal draftsmen to copy & paste some archaic bills to cement this bill. Now the opposition is no better with their 30 days notice, fine matters whereas the fine print of the bill is a total infringement of Article 5 & Article 10 of the constitution. As for the other bodies like the Suhakam & Bar Council, they had failed to detail exactly how backward this proposed bill is unless they feel laymen like you and me would not understand the nitty gritty of a law that would actually take away any liberty left for us to voice without fear and favor by Parliament suffocating & strangling our freedom. If you have a chance to look through the proposed bill, you will notice in Part II "A Street" protest is amongst prohibited and see how it is defined in Interpretation (3). In the same Interpretation (3) there is this thingy called "person who has interest" – see how far it is defined when in section (5) & (12) how broadly it is stretched. Imagine, if you were to have a street protest, you would probably need to obtain an permission from the street hawkers and if you don't it would against the law. Now it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out how onerous this law will become for righteous and humane cause in exercising fundamental liberty. I think this is a single peace of bill that takes us aback before independence in the pretext of artificial freedom. This bill is politically motivated which we are aware of, yet the opposition, nor the ultra vires media had not done enough to educate people beyond the typical political bashing by not addressing major issues in this proposed bill. This bill also gives the Home Ministry & the police such unabated power of the public of their exercise for freedom of movement. The bill is full of such contradictory terms that it shows how inept are the BN-led UMNO legal draftsman and also the inefficiency of the opposition, NGO's and Bar Council in mounding a proper, meticulous challenge against UMNO as well as in educating people on the detrimental effect on the long term. As a layman Malaysian I think it is up to us as Malaysian to read through this bill and voice our dissent in any form as politicians come and go but our rights should prevail by our equal participation against this bill even if we need spend some precious moment of our live for the community. I would suggest that this bill should be withdrawn in whole until and unless the UMNO led government had consulted other stakeholders of the community such as the opposition, NGOs', Bar Council as they also do represent a major party of the community. I hope Malaysians will take the trouble to read through the bill and understand what it really entails for our own good. Thank you.
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| More On Daya Syukra – The Samling Connection! Posted: 26 Nov 2011 03:37 PM PST Sarawak Report Taib Mahmud is betraying big weaknesses with his useless attempts to shut up questions in Parliament about his family corruption and then to have those questions removed from the official records. The first thing it shows is how dangerous he knows such questions are. To sell a huge area of valuable state land worth RM225 million to a company owned by his own kids for just RM2 million is plain, dirty corruption for all to see. This is exactly what YB Wong King Wei most recently revealed in the State Assembly with his question about the scandal of Shoreline Development Sdn Bhd. As we know, there have been plenty of similar thefts linked to other scandals, such as Monarda Sd Bhd and the land round Kuching airport; the handouts to Naim Cendara; the World Heritage site of Borsamulu given to his sister and of course the scandal of the contracts and plantation licences given to Taib's son Abu Bekir's Titanium Management, which YB Chong also drew attention to in a series of separate parliamentary questions last week. The Chief Minister is already suffering the indignity of a public investigation by the MACC, as well as questions over money laundering in Germany, Switzerland, the UK and Canada. Those investigators are not going to have to work very hard with such evidence as the Shoreline Development deal revealed in broad daylight! Voter power
And what are voters to think with an election just round the corner? Remember, it has just been announced that Taib's administration has only been able to allocate a tiny RM3.47 million to help alleviate the hard core rural poverty that afflicts so many Dayaks in Malaysia's richest state. It is now easy to see why there is no money to help the starving poor, since Taib has just stolen land that could have raised RM222 million and given it to his own mega-rich children instead! The second great weakness that Taib's behaviour reveals is that he clearly has not realised how times have changed. He now faces a real and strong opposition in the State Assembly and in his appearances there he is looking increasingly like an old man in the dock! He can no longer control the opposition by simply trying to silence it. Furthermore, his old tactics for suppressing embarrassing information can no longer work. Because, whatever the tame Speaker tries to do in the way of altering parliamentary records and shutting up speakers, the Chief Minister and his cronies can not wipe this information off the internet! The Samling connection YB Wong pointed out that the lucky owners of Shoreline Development Sdn Bhd, who were able to walk off with a RM 225 million plot of 90 acres for just RM 2 million, were two companies, Plieran Sdn Bhd and Sarawak Land Sdn Bhd.
Company information plainly shows that Plieran Sdn Bhd is fully owned by KBE Malaysia Sdn Bhd, which is 60% owned by Daya Syukra Sdn Bhd, which in turn is owned by Taib's kids Jamilah, Abu Bekir, Sulaiman and Hanifah! So, who are the other shareholders of KBE Malaysia Sdn Bhd? They turn out to be the logging tycoon Yaw Teck Seng of Samling and Wan Morshidi bin Tuanku Abdul Rahman, a close proxy for Taib's own uncle and predecessor, Abdul Rahman Ya'kub.
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| Sabahans gather to say “No to the Peaceful Assembly Act” Posted: 26 Nov 2011 03:34 PM PST The Peoples' Parliament On Tuesday, 29th November, 2011, at 11.30am, as many of us meet at the Lake Gardens in Kuala Lumpur to walk to defend our right to assemble peaceably, our brothers and sisters in Kota Kinabalu will gather at the same time around the monument built in remembrance of the fallen Golden son of the Kadazans, Peter Mojuntin, who perished with others in the highly controversial and much unexplained plane crash on 6th June, 1976. Date : 29th November, 2011 Time : 11.30am Venue : The square behind the Long Mall, around the monument, in Doggongon. Wear yellow if you can. If you don't have yellow, just be there. Good people of Sabah, will you allow UMNO and BN to continue to rob you of your rights and your dignity? Is it not enough that they have taken your land and your wealth?
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