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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Untuk mengelak Bill Perhimpunan Aman terus dilaksanakan - jangan beri lagi mandat kepada UMNO
• Umno not a racist party - Muhyiddin
• Trishakthi and Malaysian Politics (WITH MALAY TRANSLATION)
• 4 years after the Hindraf rally – we are still looking
• Distorting the past endangers the present
• Malaysia Bill on Demonstrations Draws Protests
• 'With end of Emergency, BN can now pay oil royalty to Kelantan'
• PKR Youth warns of street protests if polls are unfair
• Walk For Freedom 2011: Peaceful Assembly Bill Cannot And Must Not Become Law!
• Contact your MP now!
• Bersih 3.0: Count us in, says PAS
• BREAKING NEWS: Two Black Eyes for AG and MACC!
• Is Umno that patriotic?
• The helicopter view approach
• WIKILEAKS: How in 2008 BN paid for its 2006 sins
• Ambiga says Myanmar freer than Malaysia
• Going Shopping: Lawyers on the march
• Government Screwing Up Durians As Well
• Bersih: Let Malaysians abroad vote
• Sabah should get a higher oil royalty
• PKR Youth dares Umno to change laws for Malay PM
• High Court upholds former CCID director's acquittal
• Azmin: We’ll free Anwar and make him PM free
• ‘What happened to Malaysia?’
• PKR still Pakatan’s ‘weakest link’
• Broken Promise: PM Has Not Lived Up To Malaysia Day 2011 Pledge
• Musa ‘reluctant’ to fight for Sabahans
• Assembly law allows persecution of Pakatan MPs, claims Anwar
• In Johor, Pakatan partners see pitfalls of PKR swagger
• War drums at PKR congress
• Malaysia – Defending the Constitution
• Are we stupid enough to fall for the same scam?
• BN lacks innovative policies, sincerity for the people
• Peaceful Assembly Act 2011
• Open apology to Dato Seri Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa Group Chief Executive Officer, Telekom Malaysia
• Tengku Razaleigh As Interim Prime Minister
• Kecaman Mahathir dan nurani Saifuddin
• Perak’s debt reaching a dizzying billion ringgit
• WIKILEAKS: Anwar tells the US he has documentary evidence of Najib's corruption
• Economic policies that do not add up
• A last hurrah for the labour movement?
• Shahril to be president, group CEO of merged Sapura-Kencana group
• Air: Utusan cuba perbodoh rakyat Kelantan
• Crisis in the Chambers
• The 13th GE: Its an open field
• Don organises assembly to protest Bill
• Race-based affirmative action needed for now
• Emergency laws lifted, EO void
• Komen yang hina rakyat Kelantan
• Sultan Selangor tegur Aziz Bari

Untuk mengelak Bill Perhimpunan Aman terus dilaksanakan - jangan beri lagi mandat kepada UMNO Posted: 25 Nov 2011 06:59 AM PST ASPAN ALIAS Bill Perhimpunan Aman yang akan dibentang oleh BN di Parlimen merupakan satu insiden hitam bagi sebuah negara demokrasi. BN mengambil sistem demokrasi untuk negara tetapi takut dengan sistem itu sendiri. Apa yang akan dibentangkan dan diluluskan oleh parlimen ini merupakan satu tindakan yang mengekang perhimpunan secara aman dan nampaknya kerajaan yang memerintah amat gerun dengan kebangkitan rakyat untuk menyuarakan suara dan manifestasi mereka secara terbuka. Cadangan ini adalah bercanggah dengan kehendak perlembagaan yang membenarkan rakyat menyuarakan pandangan dan pendapat mereka melalui perhimpunan secara aman. Demokrasi hanyalah dalam bentuk packagingnya sahaja tetapi sebenarnya di alam packaging itu penuh dengan elemen dictatorship dan jika BN mengambil kesempatan untuk mendapatkan kelulusan dengan sokongan 'simple majority' di parlimen ia tidak lain dari tindakan menekan terhadap gerakan fikiran rakyat untuk melakukan perubahan. Bagi pendapat saya secara peribadi, BN akan teruskan membentangkan bill ini dan akan mendapat kelulusan 'simple majority' di dewan parlimen. Tidak ada siapa yang boleh menyangkalnya jika BN masih mahukan akta yang menekan ini untuk dikenakan kepada rakyat. Perhimpunan tidak dibenarkan di semua tempat dan ini adalah cara BN untuk mengelakan insiden seperti Bersih 2.0 untuk berlaku sekali lagi. Tentunya bill ini merupakan tanda-tanda yang kerajaan BN tidak akan melaksanakan pilihanraya secara adil dan bill ini penting untuk mengelakan reaksi marah rakyat yang ramai. Saya tidak mahu komen banyak tentang isu ini. Hanya saya hendak bersama dalam isu menentang bill ini kerana ianya akan menjadikan negara ini sebagai apa yang dikatakan sebagai 'police state' dan ianya tidak ada bezanya dengan sebuah negara yang berkepimpinan diktator yang bersalutkan demokrasi. Saya telah sebutkan beberapa kali yang demokrasi di negara ini telah beransur-ansur mati. Jika pilihanraya di adakan kali ini saya berkeyakinan yang isu ini akan dapat di atasi jika semua rakyat bersatu; tidak kira apa bangsa sekali pun untuk pergi ke peti undi dengan aman dan terus sahaja memberikan undi kepada mana-mana parti selain dari UMNO dan BN. Dengan cara ini tidak payah lagi kita hendak bertengkar dan berbahas. Bagi saya masa untuk berbahas sudah tidak ada lagi kerana UMNO dan BN tidak akan dapat mengubati penyakit rendah diri itu lagi. Penyakit itu sudah menjadi kanser tahap empat. UMNO tidak akan berubah lagi. Kita sepatutnya tidak merasa bersalah lagi untuk meninggalkan UMNO itu kerana ianya lebih membawa penyakit dari membawa yang baik untuk rakyat. Rakyat tidak di berikan kebebasan untuk berfikir. Kita hanya dibenarkan untuk menganggok sahaja dan tidak dibenarkan mengeleng. Jika ini cara UMNO memimpin dan membina pembangunan rakyat, kita akan menjadi rakyat yang tolol dan tidak boleh berbeza fikiran lagi. READ MORE HERE

Umno not a racist party - Muhyiddin Posted: 25 Nov 2011 06:50 AM PST (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Malays and non-Malays can still depend on Umno as the party that was the backbone of the government and country. Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said allegations that he and Umno were becoming racists had no basis whatsoever. He said he might be a bit prejudiced because he was one of Umno leaders but opposition leaders were also struggling with their own political disputes and could not defend their own policies. "Can the Malays depend on PKR, can they expect something from Anwar Ibrahim? Can they defend the principles in the Constitution, Malay rights, Malay rulers, Malay language, Malay economy? "I say no because it was proven on many occasions that they could not even meet the demands of the Malays, let alone to meet the demands of other races," he told a special news conference in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly 2011, here Friday. He said PAS, on the other hand, was in disarray and strayed from its basic struggle. "They can't even resolve the dirty water issue in Kelantan. They compromise their own principles to team up with the DAP. Can the Malays count on DAP?, he asked cynically. He said Umno did not address only the interests of the Malays but took into account the Malay agenda that still needed a long time to be resolved. "So when we talk about Malay interest it does not mean we are racist because the largest group in the Malaysian society whether you like it or not is still Malays, Bumiputeras and Muslims," he said. Muhyiddin also admitted that Umno had its own weaknesses but its proven track record could still be used in making comparison with other parties. "To put the hopes of the Malays on parties other than Umno is useless. So, Umno members should realise that the Malays still need a party, but there are some weaknesses that must be improved," he said. On allegations that the 1Malaysia concept had restricted Malay rights, the deputy prime minister said it was actually in line with current demands. "So for me, the Malays should not feel neglected. That may be the perception as we want to address the post-2008 political tsunami. We must take into account any changes in mindset of not only the Malays but also Malaysian society. "Umno has to make adjustments so that we are not seen as backward or not in line with current developments. But the basic struggle to defend the Malays has never been relegated to the second place," said Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister. Meanwhile, Muhyiddin also admitted that Umno Youth and Puteri Umno had yet to capture the full attention of the younger generation. Hence, he said the two wings of Umno should give extra focus to the efforts to improve the roles played by the younger generation in the party. "I can't deny that they have carried out many programmes and activities but the question is whether those programmes and activities have captured the attention and won the hearts of the young people," he said. Muhyiddin said he also hoped that the younger generation in Umno would take advantage of this year's assembly to raise issues concerning the aspirations of the new generation or "Generation Y' as they made up 40 per cent of the registered voters in the country. "So, they have to debate on the interests and the aspirations of this new generation, especially in terms of transparency, accountability, and whether what is being done will benefit them. All these aspects must be manifested in their debates at the assembly," he said. Muhyiddin said he believed that Umno had groomed a new breed of leaders who are ready to take over the party leadership, but all doors must be kept open for professional groups to join the party. However, he said the public was now looking for leadership factors and credibility of a person, regardles of his party. "The public want to see who represents them. So, the candidate must not only be winnable, but must also be acceptable, credible, outstanding and brilliant. These are the quality that the Malays are looking for and we can't simply ignore it," he said. The Umno General Assembly 2001 will begin on Tuesday until Dec 3.

Trishakthi and Malaysian Politics (WITH MALAY TRANSLATION) Posted: 25 Nov 2011 06:41 AM PST In Malaysia, both waves have failed; as consequence of failed policies of modernization taken over by privatization, Look East, and Malaysian Inc. as policies. Vision 2020 is a meaningless slogan created by the ideology of Mahathirism. Capitalism developed without ethics fueled by greed and convenienced by race-based politics. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr Azly Rahman Come General Election # 13 in Malaysia, who's going to lead the cybernetic revolution of the Third Force, Third Wave, guided by the Third Eye? The Messiah we need to get us out of the Matrix ... Third Force, Third Wave, Third Eye = Tri-Shakhti ... a force that should shape new politics away from the current ideological impasse ...Bloggers, commentators in social media must come together and ignite this new intellectual revolution in educating the masses. TRISHAKTI ... third force, third wave third eye ... A force that will color Malaysian politics blind. A force that will be a vigilante to the abusers of power. No one can stop it. The internet is anarchy -- ride its wave. The Kuhnian Revolution in science proposed that when there are too many questions unanswered as a consequence of the end of history for the prevailing worldview, the paradigm is meeting the near-collapse of its existence. This is said in Kuhn's classic work The Structures of Scientific Revolution. (Thomas Kuhn is a Harvard historian of science) Malaysia is facing such a crisis - the near collapse of the Barisan Nasional Paradigm. There are too many questions unanswered and too many structures crumbling - judiciary, education, law enforcement, economics, culture, etc. The third wave is here - postmodernity. The first wave, traditional societies gave way to modernization. In Malaysia, both waves have failed; as consequence of failed policies of modernization taken over by privatization, Look East, and Malaysian Inc. as policies. Vision 2020 is a meaningless slogan created by the ideology of Mahathirism. Capitalism developed without ethics fueled by greed and convenienced by race-based politics. The third wave is here. The March 2008 tsunami was warning of its inevitability. But the Third wave needs a Third Force and a Third Eye; Third Force cannot be stopped, Third Eyes cannot be blinded. TRISHAKTI is here. We need a leader -- an intellectual leader. Current leaders do not understand this force. They are in it and drowned by it, like fish in the water. Let us push this idea to the masses and see it dance in the Malaysian cyberspace and gets translated into praxis. TRISHAKTI resides in the cave -- Plato's cave ************************************* Trishakthi dan Politik Malaysia oleh Azly Rahman terjemaan: Zulqurnain Othman Tibanya PRU13 betapa persoalannya siapakah yang akan mengetuai Revolusi Cybernatik atau Revolusi Cyber dan berlebih lagi dari kerangka Kuasa Ketiga atau Gelombang Ketiga dan berpimpinan dari Mata Ketiga yang mungkin juga boleh di ertikan selaku jurusan mata hati atau mata kalbu. Lantas kemungkinan juga perlunya kita berpaksi kepada Tokoh Penyelamat laksana Al Mahdi yang bisa membawa kita keluar dari kejumudan kewujudan kita masa kini. Kuasa Ketiga juga gelombang ketiga dan dari itu mata ketiga=Tri Shakthi jikalau di ertikan dari bahasa sanskrit asalnya. Kuasa ketiga ini yang boleh membentuk aliran politik baru yang sewajibnya berjauhan dari ideologi-ideologi jalan buntu sekarang ini. Blogger-blogger juga tukang-tukang komen/ulas media sosial mesti bersatu mencetus dan menyalakan api revolusi intellectual baru demi menyerlahkan bahasa minda masyarakat majmuk. TRISHAKTHI ... kuasa ketiga, gelombang ketiga mata ketiga... Satu kuasa yang keseluruhannya mewarnai poltik Malaysia hingga terus menjadi buta dari elemen-elemen rasis dan perkauman jumudnya. Kuasa yang pastinya menjadi laksana seorang vigilante atau sang skodeng yang bisa menjerit lantang sekiranya ada sang penguasa2 menyalah guna tampuk kuasa. Tiada siapa yang boleh menghalang TRISHAKTHI. Dunia Internet sememangnya berbentuk anarki atau caca marba -- kita gunakan sepenuhnya. Revolusi Kuhnian di dalam wadah sains melamarkan apabila dan tatkala adanya terlalu banyak persoalan yang tidak terjawab hasil dari berakhirnya ketamadunan sejarah atau "the end of history" dan di ertikan dari pandang dunia sedia ada atau prevailing worldview, paradigma ketika itu seperlunya berhadapan tanpa selindung keadaan hampir langsung roboh - near collapse pandang dunia atau world view itu. Kenyataan ini termaktub di dalam Teori Klasik Pendita Kuhn - The structures of Scientific Revolution ( Struktur-Struktur Revolusi Sains) Thomas Kuhn ialah seorang pakar sejarah sains dari Universiti Harvard. Malaysia sememang nya berhadapan dengan krisis sebegitu rupa - keadaan hampir roboh langsung - "near collapse" Gabungan Barisan Nasional atau lebih tepatnya Paradigma BN itu. Terlalu banyak persoalan yang tidak terjawab dan terlalu banyak struktur-struktur yang telah reput - kehakiman, pelajaran, kuatkuasa undang2, ekonomi, budaya, dlll. Kuasa Ketiga telah ada sekarang ini - pasca modern atau postmodernity. Gelombang Pertama, masyarakat tradisional memberi ruang kepada modernisasi. Di Malaysia, kedua dua gelombang - masyarakat tradisi dan modernisasi berakhir dengan kegagalan;hasil dari polisi polisi modernisasi di ambil alih oleh privitasi(privatization), Pandang Timur(Look East) dan Perbadanan Malaysia(Malaysia Inc.) sebagai polisi polisi gantian. Wawasan 2020 adalah satu slogan tanpa makna yang di bina dari ideologi Mahathirsme atau Mahathirism. Capitalism atau sistem kapitalis tanpa peradaban(ethics) di sogok lagi dengan naluri tamak tanpa had dan di permudahkan dan di selaraskan bersama 'kejituan' politik perkauman . Gelombang Ketiga sebenarnya sudah sampai. Tsunami 03/08 adalah amaran ketibaannya. Tidak dapat tidak. Akan tetapi gelombang ketiga memerlukan kuasa ketiga juga mata ketiga. Justeru kuasa ketiga tak dapat di tahan dan mata ketiga tak dapat di rabunkan malah di butakan sama sekali. TRISHAKTHI telah sedia hadir dan kita perlukan ketua --ketua berintellek. Ketua ketua yang ada tiada faham akan kuasa ketiga ini. Arakian mereka telah berada di dalam nya tetapi lemas di dalam nya, mungkin juga di ibarat ikan di dalam air bahkan tiada sedar ia sebenarnya beralamkan fitrah nya tetapi masih sesak lantas tenggelam setenggelamnya. Mari kita ketengahkan idea gelombang ketiga ini and melihat nya menari nari ria di dalam alam cyber Malaysia tercinta. Juga meneropong ketika ia di bentuk menjadi aturcara aturcara gerak kerja ataupun praxis. Maka Trishakti bermukim di Gua ahli filasuf Plato! terjemahan: Zulqurnain Othman from: Trishakthi and Malaysian Politics by Azly Rahman. DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctorate in International Education Development and Master's degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans Malaysia and the United States, over a wide range of subjects from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States. https://www.facebook.com/#!/azly.rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

4 years after the Hindraf rally – we are still looking Posted: 24 Nov 2011 11:40 PM PST It does not matter if the politicians are Right Wing Extremists or Centre Right or Centre Left, Moderates, or Socialists or Communists. They all cannot be trusted with power. They all begin to run riot after they are elected. By N.Ganesan, National Advisor to Hindraf Today the 25th of November 2011 marks the 4th anniversary of the Hindraf Rally that shook the Malaysian polity. It sounded the death knell for the old and heralded the beginning of the new. Much is happening around in the world today that mirrors what took place on that fateful day, 4 years ago. It behooves us now, to take stock. One very clear change that has occurred in our country is the heightening of political contention among the various political forces in the country. The fact that BN had lost its long held ground and that the opposition in the country had gained ground  now makes BN try harder to regain the lost ground and Pakatan to hold on to and increase the ground gained. A lot of the politics you experience today is all about that. BN is still essentially UMNO with a multiracial mask and Pakatan claims to be multiracial but has very little to show for that, at best is biracial. The basic policies of the two coalitions are not fundamentally different. Nothing earth shattering has changed for most of us, beyond the illusions. Their policies are essentially the same, only they pander to different factions of the elite both in the country and internationally. Anyone who disputes this either does not understand political economy or just want to conceal this fact as it is obviously detrimental to their cause. The much touted two party system is nothing more than an illusion of a better democracy. Just having two parties and going through the rigmarole of choosing one over the other does not make for democracy as many in the elite will have us believe. What is happening around the world today is revealing – very revealing of this political process we call democracy, where we go to the polls once in every so many years to choose one over the other. Look at what is happening in the Middle East, in Egypt, in Syria, in Bahrain, in Yemen – specifically in Egypt. Look at Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Ireland in Europe. Look at the Occupy movement across the United States. Some countries which have not even seen election based democracy, as in the Middle East, are already sensing the lie in that. And they are attempting to go beyond that. The people in the European countries and in the US who have had this brand of democracy for almost forever, are fast losing hope in what it can bring them. Mass based organizations are springing up all over the world questioning the worth of this brand of Anglo Saxon democracy. The people are all fed up. Fed up of the nonsense the politicians spew – politicians of all shades. The democracy as we know it now is in shambles. Even as parliamentary polls are scheduled for the 28th of Nov 2011 in Egypt, the people are rallying in Tahrir square as I write this, and asking the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces who are calling the polls, to step aside and go back to their barracks. The people have whizzed past the politicians with an understanding of how the system really works, way beyond the understanding any politicians of the country. They understand that the sacking of Husni Mubarak is not the end of their revolution, but rather the beginning. Until they get the iceberg underneath of the ruling class out, they have not achieved anything from their revolution. It is the people of Egypt who should be ruling Egypt and the army should, like all the other departments of government be in their barracks. The elite - there is no more elite. This is the understanding the people of Egypt have mustered in their short foray into public policy. The Egyptian politicians have not gone as far as the people. Not that they do not know of such possibilities, they just probably do not seek it themselves. They have not sought out true change. They just seek to give the current politics, new faces. That fits their real purpose. Of course if you asked them, they will reject such a scheme and say that they are really making the revolution happen. The Egyptian people have called their bluff. It does not matter if the politicians are Right Wing Extremists or Centre Right or Centre Left, Moderates, or Socialists or Communists. They all cannot be trusted with power. They all begin to run riot after they are elected. Yet the politicians will tell us we need a vanguard group or party, to work out what is in the best interest of the people, because the people are ignorant, they do not know. But yet look at Egypt, the people are showing wisdom way beyond anything the politicians and the elite are capable of. The people are showing that they can well decide what is right for them. They are turning that conventional wisdom that the people do not know or cannot understand and must be led by a vanguard – upside down. This brings me to the point about all of this on the 4th Anniversay of the Hindraf Rally. What we need in Malaysia is not a democratic revolution or democratic reform, that leads to nothing more than a two party system – what we need in Malaysia is a neo–Democratic revolution. A revolution that brings into place people oriented supervision of the elected representatives so they do not run away with the loot, after they are elected, as experience time and again shows. The elected representatives have to be continuously supervised and held accountable by the people. This is the role we in Hindraf have tried to play in the last 4 years for the marginalized and the poorest in our society. For 51 long years the BN created, unfettered, the marginalized sections of our society. Then Pakatan in the 3 odd years after they took over in 5 States have just kept the marginalized where they had always been and nothing of any substance was changed in their lives inspite of all the "Makkal Sakthi" rallying calls by these same politicians. Just promises, promises and failed promises. Or some lame excuses for their inability. The Hindraf that rose 4 years ago, will continue to hold all our politicians accountable - politicians of all shades. The lesson we are learning from what is happening around in the world now, only reinforces what we instinctively have picked up. We will continue on this path of the neo-Democratic Revolution till others begin to see the wisdom that is so required, to bring about true change to our country and join us to ensure the politicians do what they really should be doing and do not run off every time.

Distorting the past endangers the present Posted: 24 Nov 2011 08:56 PM PST By Farish Noor, NST Those who look up to Ibrahim Libya, who died in the Memali violence, exhibit a lack of knowledge. LAST week, a curious news item caught my attention. It was reported that some activists wanted to organise a convoy to the village of Memali in Kedah, presumably to visit the site where the fiery orator, Ibrahim Libya, was killed in November 1985. Though I am not certain of whether this convoy was a success, I was, nonetheless, amazed that more than two decades later, there are still some who regard the man as a hero of sorts. Perhaps the reason for this lies partly in their lack of knowledge of who the man was, and what he was fighting for then. Memali was the scene of what is probably the worst instance of state versus opposition violence in recent Malaysian history. Charok Puteh/Memali was then a small, poor village. A majority of its inhabitants were Malay farmers and rubber smallholders. Like many other small rural communities whose income depended on the world rubber price, the people of Charok Puteh and Memali were hard hit by the drop in commodity prices and high levels of inflation during the 1970s. It was here that ustaz Ibrahim Mahmood  settled and built his madrasah. Ibrahim was a well-known ulama in Kedah who had studied at various madrasah and seminaries such as the Dar'ul 'Ulum Deoband in India and al-Azhar University in Cairo. He had also studied at the University of Tripoli (hence his nickname, Ibrahim Libya). Upon his return to Malaysia, Ibrahim worked as an official in the dakwah department of Pusat Islam in Kuala Lumpur. He was expected to help rationalise many of the government's policies on Islam and Muslim concerns.  One of his  tasks was to persuade the young Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia  leader, Anwar Ibrahim, who was detained at the Kamunting detention camp, to support the government. (This was later documented in C.N. al-Afghani's 1998 book, Rakyat Makin Mantang, Baling: Corak Memali.) Ibrahim Libya grew more determined to propagate his understanding of Islam, which was not entirely compatible with Pusat Islam's  interpretation. He  quit the capital and returned to his village of Charok Puteh. He-re, Ibrahim opened his own school,  Madrasah Islahiah Diniyyah. He became an active Pas member, in particular  Dewan Pemuda Pas Kedah.  In time, he gained a large following and his madrasah became a centre for political activities as well as Islamic teaching. The ustaz was well known for his fiery rhetoric and strict code of discipline: on several occasions, he punished (by caning) not only his younger students, but also the older ones (who happened to be married men). He was invited to speak on Islamic matters on national television, and also engaged in  discussions with state ulama and religious functionaries. However, his own defence of Islamist politics and Pas was soon articulated through oppositional dialectics that drew a dividing line between "authentic" Muslims and the non-authentic Islam of the munafikin (hypocrites). Ibrahim lamented the fact that  Islamists in Malaysia were not willing to engage in an all-out jihad against the government. In 1984, the government  decided to act against Ibrahim. An arrest warrant was issued and he was to be detained along with other Pas leaders, including ustaz Abu Bakar Chik and ustaz Bunyamin Yaacob for allegedly advocating the use of violence.  He refused to accept the charges and condemned the Internal Security Act as un-Islamic and oppressive. Unlike the other Pas leaders who were caught and detained, Ibrahim escaped with the help of his students. The stalemate continued for more than a year, until his death in 1985. Notwithstanding the circumstances of his death, it ought to be noted that Ibrahim was hardly a moderate by anyone's standards then, even those of Pas. His speeches called on his supporters to oppose the state, citing examples from Iran and Pakistan.  He also reminded his followers that should they die in the cause of his struggle, they would all die as martyrs, though. in his own case, he initially refused to accept the terms of his arrest, and promptly ran into hiding. I raise this issue now only because of the recent debates about Malaysian history and the fact that so many scholars have bemoaned our lack of knowledge of the past. It is difficult enough to stomach claims that we were never colonised, or that national heroes could be seen as criminals, and vice-versa. In the case of Ibrahim Libya, the testimonies and speeches of the man himself were well documented, and are available. His own words tell us what the man was like, and it was hardly surprising that, during his own time, he was shunned by many of his peers and friends for taking things too far. My only advice to the younger generation of activists today would be this: while a thorough and critical reading of our past is always welcomed, and forever needed, let us also be cautious not to distort the past for the needs of the present. Ibrahim Libya was the man who once asked: "Di Malaysia kenapa tidak boleh wujud angkatan yang berani mati?" (Why is it that in Malaysia, there is none who is   willing to die?). In the end, it was Ibrahim himself who paid the price for his overheated rhetoric, but not without taking some of his unfortunate followers to the grave with him, too.

Malaysia Bill on Demonstrations Draws Protests Posted: 24 Nov 2011 08:54 PM PST By James Hookway, Wall Street Journal The scope of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's vaunted political overhaul is disappointing opposition and legal activists in the badly fragmented nation, who argue that new laws drafted to protect political protests might actually limit dissent. Mr. Najib formally introduced to Malaysia's Parliament on Thursday one piece of legislation to end a ban on students' joining political parties and another to lift emergency rules that enable police in some cases to detain people without trial. Political activists, though, say they are concerned about a third proposed law, introduced by the government Tuesday. Under the Peaceful Assembly Bill, police officials would no longer have the power to ban a political demonstration—but protesters would still be prevented from demonstrating wherever they like, notably on the country's streets, and would have to provide police 30 days' notice. Malaysia has a long history of repressing political demonstrations. Police broke up a rally for political reforms in July, for instance, with water cannon and tear gas, triggering widespread criticism both in Malaysia and internationally—and prompting Mr. Najib to rethink the country's security laws. Mr. Najib on Thursday said the new legislation shows his government is "taking a brave moral stand" and listening to the people of Malaysia. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said opposition parties would argue against the Peaceful Assembly Bill in Parliament, but political analysts said it is unlikely he could stop its passage. A prominent protest organizer, Ambiga Sreenivasan, said the proposed law would only set back legitimate dissent. Legal activists also were unimpressed. Bar council president Lim Chee Wee described the new assembly law as "restrictive" and expressed his surprise that street protests would be outlawed. The bill would also prohibit gatherings within 50 meters of schools, hospitals and places of worship. The government describes the legislative package as a dramatic liberalization of security laws, designed to promote democratic debate. Other planned measures would abolish the Internal Security Act (another law allowing for detention without trial) and end the requirement that news media have their permits renewed annually. Many of the country's security laws were introduced after deadly race riots in 1969, and racial issues still permeate the country. They've hindered previous efforts to repeal laws such as the Internal Security Act. Mr. Najib, though, is slowly working to level the racial playing field, rolling back some affirmative-action policies designed to benefit the country's majority ethnic-Malay population. Analysts say these changes and the proposed overhaul of the country's security laws are a bid to claw back some of the center ground in Malaysian politics that the ruling coalition has lost to Mr. Anwar's multiethnic opposition alliance. Mr. Najib has to call fresh elections within the next 18 months.

'With end of Emergency, BN can now pay oil royalty to Kelantan' Posted: 24 Nov 2011 08:42 PM PST (Harakah Daily) - Nov 25: Based on the argument by minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz that oil royalty for Kelantan was held back due to the Emergency Ordinance on the state, the lifting of all Emergency proclamations yesterday means royalty should now be paid. PAS vice president and Kubang Kerian member of parliament Salahuddin Ayub said Nazri had cited the Emergency laws as reason for denying oil royalty to the state. "This is the argument used by Nazri when concluding the discussion on oil royalty declaring Kelantan was not entitled for it. "Now, with the cancellation of the emergency ordinance, the prime minister must declare that Kelantan deserves its oil royalty," said Salahuddin Ayub at the parliament lobby yesterday. In 2009, Nazri stated in parliament that Kelantan was only entitled to oil found within three nautical miles from its shores as it was restricted by the emergency declaration under 1969 Emergency Ordinance imposed on the state in 1977. Salahuddin also echoed Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim saying it would be useless to lift the emergency proclamations if laws related to them were still enforced. Yesterday, Najib tabled the abolishment of three emergency proclamations. They include the 1966 Sarawak and 1977 Kelantan emergency declarations to contain political crises there, and the May 13 emergency laws in the wake of the racial riots of 1969.

PKR Youth warns of street protests if polls are unfair Posted: 24 Nov 2011 08:38 PM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider JOHOR BARU, Nov 25 — PKR Youth warned Barisan Nasional (BN) that it will take to the streets and force the ruling coalition out of Putrajaya if the next general election is unfairly run. Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Amin told delegates today that any move to restrict Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will be met with street demonstrations despite such gatherings set to be outlawed by a Peaceful Assembly Bill that was tabled in Parliament this week. "They know Bersih 3.0 will happen, that is why they want to have this law," he said, referring to the marches for free and fair election that drew tens of thousands to the streets of Kuala Lumpur in 2007 and July 9 this year. "If they restrict us, if there is even one instance of cheating, we will use the streets. Lupakan pilihanraya, kita guna jalanraya (forget elections, we use the streets)," he said to unanimous cheers. Shamsul also warned that "if they jail Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim before Bersih 3.0, we will gather and topple them," he said when winding up debates in today's PKR Youth national congress. PKR deputy president Azmin Ali had also pledged earlier that "whatever conspiracy to jail Anwar Ibrahim, we the Youth and women pledge to rise up and break the cruel prison walls to free him." Both Azmin and Shamsul had today cited the Arab Spring in their speeches, referring to the series of street protests in the Middle East earlier this year that toppled governments in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.   READ MORE HERE.

Walk For Freedom 2011: Peaceful Assembly Bill Cannot And Must Not Become Law! Posted: 24 Nov 2011 08:34 PM PST By Lim Chee Wee, Malaysian Bar Council President   Martin Luther King Jr once said that "the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."   The Malaysian Bar and indeed Malaysia is now facing such a moment of challenge and controversy — an objectionable Bill, being rushed into law with unseemly haste without adequate public consultation, which effectively robs the rakyat of our constitutional right to freedom of assembly. This Peaceful Assembly Bill ("Bill") is far more restrictive than the current law.  It is not a piece of legislation which we, as lawyers, can watch enter our statute books without standing up against it.  It is not a piece of legislation which we want future generations to inherit, without us walking, and spending every ounce of our energy to oppose.  If this piece of legislation makes it to the statute books, future generations would inherit a nation that is far from modern and progressive. Members of the Bar are now called upon to march to object to this Bill.  The walk will take place next Tuesday, 29 Nov 2011, from the entrance of the Royal Lake Club to Parliament House, to deliver the Bar's Proposed Amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Bill to YB Datuk Liew Vui Keong, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.  Members are advised to gather in their court attire at 11:30 am outside the Royal Lake Club entrance.   The Prime Minister, in his eve of Malaysia Day 2011 speech, had promised that:   … long gone is the era in which the government knows everything and claims monopoly over wisdom … The Government will also review section 27 of the Police Act 1967, taking into consideration Article 10 of the Federal Constitution regarding freedom of assembly and so as to be in line with international norms on the same matter … (emphasis added)  … a Malaysia that practices [sic] a functional and inclusive democracy … in accordance with the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and respect for basic human rights and individual rights.   This Bill is not in line with international norms because of, amongst others:   (1) Prohibition of street protests (defined widely as "open air assembly which begins with a meeting at a specified place and consists of walking in a mass march or rally for the purpose of objecting to or advancing a particular cause or causes"); (2)  Prohibition of organisation of assemblies by persons below the age of twenty one years; (3)  Prohibition of participation in peaceful assemblies of children below the age of fifteen years;  (4)  Unduly onerous responsibilities and restrictions on organisers and assemblies; and (5)  Excessive fines for non-compliance of the Bill.   Therefore this Bill is not "in accordance with the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and respect for basic human rights and individual rights", which the Prime Minister promised it would be.   The Bill is in its second reading in the Dewan Rakyat, and in all likelihood it will be passed after the third reading.  We must remain hopeful that we can make a difference, through our Walk for Freedom.  We must urge the Prime Minister to amend the Bill by way of public consultation to ensure that Malaysia will have a legislation in the public interest, which truly upholds, protects and promotes our constitutional right to freedom of assembly. We feel let down by how far short this Bill falls in relation to what the Malaysian people were promised in the Prime Minister's Malaysia Day 2011 message.  In short, the Prime Minister must walk his own talk.   Please click on the links below to view the: (1)  Bar Council press release entitled "Peaceful Assembly Bill is more restrictive than present law and must be improved" issued on 22 Nov 2011; (2)   Bar Council press release entitled "Broken promise: Prime Minister has not lived up to Malaysia Day 2011 pledge; and   (3)   Malaysian Bar's Memorandum on Peaceful Assembly Bill dated 24 Nov 2011.    Please contact Gayathiri Paneerselvam, Officer, by telephone at 03-2050 2089 or by email at gayathiri.p@malaysianbar.org.my, should you have any queries.  I call on all Members to support us in this crucial initiative.  See you on Tuesday, let's walk!   Lim Chee Wee President Malaysian Bar

Contact your MP now! Posted: 24 Nov 2011 07:10 PM PST The Peaceful Assembly Bill announced earlier this week has many restrictions which would severely affect the freedom of assembly that all Malaysians are promised under the Federal Constitution. This Bill is scheduled to for its second reading and debates in Parliament this coming Tuesday (29 Nov) and it only requires a simple majority of votes from the MPs who are present, before it is passed. Out of the 222 MPs in the Dewan, there are 137 from BN, 75 from PR and 10 others.  Hence, it is crucial for us to get each of our MPs to voice our rejection of this Bill! Let's contact our MP now! Here's 4-easy-steps to do it:  1)    Know which constituency / area you are in Visit the  SPR/EC (Election Commission) website, key in IC #  and get the code for your Parliament ( e.g. P010 - Kuala Kedah) 2)    Visit the Parlimen website to get your MP's name and contact details. Go to Dewan Rakyat > Ahli Dewan > Select Negeri 3)    Now you know who your MP is! You can: a.    Email (cc us: hellomp.2011[at]gmail.com) or Fax the following text: READ MORE HERE

Bersih 3.0: Count us in, says PAS Posted: 24 Nov 2011 07:01 PM PST (Harakah Daily) - PAS, whose strong backing played a crucial part in ensuring the huge turnout of the electoral reforms rally last July, has declared support for the next phase of the campaign. Bersih 3.0 is increasingly being called following speculation that a third such rally may be in the line after earlier campaigns fell on deaf ears. PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu announced a series of nationwide discussion and mobilisation programmes towards that goal. "PAS supports Bersih's decision to hold Bersih 3.0 since the eight demands of Bersih 2.0 continued to be ignored by the government," he told a press conference at the PAS headquarters today, accompanied by central committee members, Kuala Selangor MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and lawyer Hanipa Maidin. Saying DAP and PKR also agreed to launch Bersih 3.0, Mat Sabu said he would leave it to Bersih steering committee and its supporters to decide. Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of more than sixty non-governmental organisations, formed to demand reforms in the electoral system, which include revamp of the controversial postal votes, the use of indelible ink and a minimum campaign period of 21 days. It also wants a more liberalised mainstream press, reform of public institutions such as police and Attorney General's Chambers, eradication of corruption and vote buying practices, and a stop to "gutter politics". On July 9, some 50,000 people converged in the city centre to take part in Bersih 2.0's rally, despite a series of clampdowns by the police and threats of violence by UMNO-linked groups to prevent any gathering. 'Worse than Burma' On the draconian Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 tabled by the government, Mat Sabu reiterated the party's opposition to the proposed law, saying it was worse than military junta-ruled Burma. Mat Sabu flanked by Hanipa and Dzulkefly, November 25. "Malaysia seems to be overtaking Myanmar in denying people's rights. The prime minister is lying by saying he wants to bring Malaysia towards better democracy. Myanmar with such poor record only requests five days' notice for an assembly, but Malaysia wants 30 days. "This is most insulting to Malaysians," he added. Court injunction At the same press conference, Hanipa informed that PAS was initiating a legal action in the form of seeking a court injuntion to stop the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 from becoming an Act. "We cannot wait for the bill to be passed and then challenge it in court. We are taking legal steps to stop the process of enacting this law," said Hanipa. He cited several provisions in the bill which ran contrary to the Federal Constitution, such as the one month notice needed before the police could consider approving permit for an assembly. "It means that, if such notice is required, the people are not allowed to gather. "So too the provision barring those 15 year-old and below from participating in an assembly. The teens are also citizens. If a school was being demolished, and the children wanted to protest, it is not allowed under the bill but okay under the constitution," Hanipa added.

BREAKING NEWS: Two Black Eyes for AG and MACC! Posted: 24 Nov 2011 06:50 PM PST by Din Merican Today is a big day for Dato' Ramli Yusuff, the former Director of  CCID PDRM, who was suspended and made to face several fixed-up charges in 2007 (see previous postings) At that time, Dato Ramli was about to expose the connection of then IGP Musa Hassan with the loan shark Along syndicates in the case of Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh whom Dato Ramli had arrested when the country was facing the Along menace. Goh had specifically named Musa Hassan in his affidavits. To cover up for Musa Hassan, AG Gani Patail refused to prepare affidavits for the Police. In the end, the CCID asked for help from lawyer Rosli Dahlan. That landed the poor lawyer into trouble. Goh had specifically named Musa Hassan in his affidavits At the same time, Dato Ramli had also recommended to then Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi that Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli should be charged for various offences in regard to the MAS Scandal. The MAS Scandal came to the surface recently when Minister Dato Seri Nazri Aziz tried to force several GLCs to accept  a Global Settlement that would allow Tajudin to be freee from all civil liabilities and indebtedness. Nazri has since said that was just an advice to settle. Dato Ramli had also recommended to then Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi that Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli should be charged for various offences in regard to the MAS Scandal. In the end, Goh Cheng Poh was released and Tajudin remained a free rich man, but Dato Ramli Yusuff and Lawyer Rosli Dahlan were charged for doing their jobs in preventing abuses, corruption and crimes amongst the highest echelons of the country. The Courts have since acquitted both of them from all the charges. But AG Gani Patail was not satisfied and directed the MACC to appeal against all these acquittals. So, this morning two of the AG/MACC appeals came up before two different High Courts. AG Gani Patail's oppresiveness can be seen in the manner that both the cases are  being called at the same time. This was what AG Gani Patail did when he charged Dato Ramli in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu both at the same. How did he expect Dato Ramli to be in two different courts more than 1623 km apart separated by the South China Sea?! AG Gani Patail's oppresiveness can be seen in the manner that both the cases are being called at the same time. This was what AG Gani Patail did when he charged Dato Ramli in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu both at the same. How did he expect Dato Ramli to be in two different courts more than 1623 km apart separated by the South China Sea?! That was what AG Gani Patail did to Dato Ramli Yusuff. That was how cruel he behaved. Rosli Dahlan was not spared and was given an even more as cruel treatment. He was assaulted, dragged from his office and paraded in the courts' corridors [see previous posting] At 10 am this morning, the first case was that called . This was the MACC'S appeal aganst the acquittal by Sessions Judge M Komathy. High Court Judge Dato Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah was very clear when he said that there was no basis to charge Dato Ramli and to then appeal against the acquittal granted by Judge M Komathy. He chided DPP Ahmad Bache for the appeal. READ MORE HERE

Is Umno that patriotic? Posted: 24 Nov 2011 06:42 PM PST How patriotic are those leaders who go overseas to purchase expensive handbags, multimillion-dollar rings, or makes purchases of submarines, military helicopters and whatnot, and try to get hundreds of millions in kickbacks? How patriotic is Umno Sabah for taking all the top posts of the Sabah BN Committee, for ignoring the people's endless calls for an RCI on the illegal immigrants? Daniel John Jambun Oh boy, here we go again with misguided concepts about patriotism! Datuk Yahya Hussein this week accused the opposition of being unpatriotic following criticism of the state budget by DAP's Jimmy Wong, Sri Tanjung's opposition Assemblyman. Yahya took the opportunity to blurt out such extreme comments against him as, "To the opposition like … Jimmy Wong, the budget today is meaningless … no matter how much the budget is it is incorrect… it is opposed in a way that is membabi buta (blindly)… when the opposition talks about Sabah, everything about it is bad but when they talk about other states such as Penang and Selangor, it is all good." "People like these are unpatriotic. I hope the people would be aware of the opposition's habit and objectives because they only aim to rule but do not know what to do if they achieve it. They should not be given any chance to rule the State because it would be like releasing a dog from captivity." My first impression of this outburst is that one state BN leader has lost his cool in dealing with the opposition in the august house. Yahya lost his own dignity as a senior leader by making such childish remarks. He clearly believes that the opposition leaders are a bunch of idiots who are talking blindly (like pigs?), and totally unfit to rule the state, i.e., they wouldn't know how to rule and they will behave like ungrateful dogs! Two derogatory references to dirty animals (pigs and dogs) are mentioned by Yahya which was a strong hint at equating them to poor Jimmy. But never mind that because people call each other by animal names all the time, e.g., pig, dog, monkey, snake, serpent, fox, flying fox, chicken, buffalo, and so on. But what irks me most is that the BN leaders have gone into the bad habit of calling leaders of the opposition as being unpatriotic. Those who criticize the BN government abroad are branded as smearing the name of the country, even trying to destroy the country. As I remember, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was the first to be accused of doing this when he revealed the corruption of the BN under Umno, who as Ku Li put it, "awarded projects to themselves." It didn't matter that what he said was true; he was highly demonised as unpatriotic and anti-national. Thereafter if was Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Nurul Izzah, Raja Petra Kamarudin and others. One minister recently accused the Indians and Chinese unpatriotic for not being interested in joining the security forces. It later turned out to be a terrible blunder for which the minister had to publicly apologise. Now it is Jimmy Wong who is an unpatriotic political animal for criticizing the state budget! But I would like to confront Yahya and ask him point blank: How patriotic do you think the BN/Umno leaders are towards Sabah? I think it is the 14th year that we have been having a deficit budget. How come we never know how much of the budget allocation had been spent every year? How much of the new budget is carry-forward amounts for delayed projects? How patriotic are those leaders who go overseas to purchase expensive handbags, multimillion-dollar rings, or makes purchases of submarines, military helicopters and whatnot, and try to get hundreds of millions in kickbacks? How patriotic is Umno Sabah for taking all the top posts of the Sabah BN Committee, for ignoring the people's endless calls for an RCI on the illegal immigrants? Where was the patriotism of Umno when it set into motion a secret program to legalise illegal immigrants by giving the MyKads overnight in what is now famously called "Projek IC"? How patriotic is Umno Sabah for supporting the sabotage policy, which for years have been causing the high inflation in Sabah, hence killing the consumers in the state, while it continues to pretend not to hear all the many years of protests against it? What about the unending grabs of NCR lands against natives by big companies and with no intervention from Umno leaders? And what wonderful patriotism Umno Sabah can talk about when it ignores the call for a White Paper on the huge, huge, unconscionable Saham Amanah (SAS) scandal? And if Umno is such a great planner in reviving the economy of the state, why did Sabah become the poorest state beginning with Umno's the takeover of the state in 1994? Why has one company connected to a senior BN leader taken most of the road building projects in Sabah? And why are the people complaining about construction projects being usually overpriced by up to 100% their actual costs? Hey, I can go on a whole day with these questions…. I have said it before that the opposition leaders are not idiots who simply fire at the BN membabi buta, but we watch whatever the BN is doing with the sharp eyes of the hawk. We are the sober ones because we are not the ones drunk with power and corruption! We are fighting the abuses power by the BN because we love our state and because we want to defend the people of Sabah from the clever political manipulations to reverse the negative trends, which are slowly killing the state. As for Penang and Selangor, they have made tremendous progress in improving the governance of these states. Even the Auditor General made a glowing commentary on the transparent and effective leadership of Penang by Lim Guan Eng who, by the way, doesn't have a mansion and travels on planes by economy class on! Here it's proven that the opposition leaders and governments are very, very patriotic indeed, unlike some leaders who are behaving like robbers who bring down their own states with their misdeeds.

The helicopter view approach Posted: 24 Nov 2011 05:37 PM PST Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali whacked me to kingdom come and made all sorts of snide remarks against me during PKR's annual general assembly in Penang. Azmin had venom is his tone when, during his speech, he looked at me and said that all those who collaborate with Dr Mahathir can take a hike. I detected the smirk on Anwar's face when Azmin took that swipe at me. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. All warfare is based on deception. Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious. It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited and used. Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy. The above are just some of Sun Tzu's quotes. Nevertheless, these few are enough to give us an idea of what both Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim are doing right, and wrong. Incidentally, my wife sent me a book on Sun Tzu's quotes back in September 2008 when I was under detention in Kamunting and it took me only a day to read it from cover to cover. I must admit I found it most enlightening. It was the only book I ever re-read three days in a row. I too have my own panduan peperangan (guide to warfare), which I once wrote about, probably ten years or so ago, long before I had read Sun Tzu. These go as follows: Those who fight and run away live to fight another day. Never fight your enemy in his terrain, which he knows best. Draw him into your terrain, which he is unfamiliar with. The best form of defence is to attack. When an enemy chases you, run away. When he is resting, launch a sneak counterattack. A dead hero is of no use to his country other than for declaring national holidays. Never face a more powerful enemy head-on. Ambushes always work better. Your task is not to die for your country. Your task is to make your enemy die for his country. When faced with defeat, surrender and sue for peace. Once you have gained the advantage, wipe out your enemy through treachery. Take a smaller enemy of your larger enemy as your friend. Once you have defeated your larger enemy then you can turn on your smaller enemy. Never allow principles to stand in the way of your strategy. Victory is still victory even if gained in unethical ways. Okay, I admit, not all my quotes are originals. Some are stolen but they still make good sense. The objective of war is to win and it is not how you play the game that counts. I know, you would probably surmise that, judging by my quotes, I would clearly not hesitate to do a Datuk Maharaja Lela on JWW Birch, the British Resident of Perak who was stabbed in the back while taking a shit in the Perak River. But who the hell ever said that war is about playing fair? War is about winning, at whatever cost, even at the cost of collateral damage, if it has to come to that. Let me give you one example. The opposition is hell-bent on bringing down Shahrizat Jalil regarding the cowgate fiasco. No doubt RM250 million of the taxpayers' money has gone bust so she should be made to pay for it. Or should she? Now, there is currently a tussle over the Lembah Pantai parliament seat, currently held by Nurul Izzah Anwar who wrested it from Shahrizat in March 2008. Shahrizat wants to contest that seat again, as does Raja Nong Chik. If Shahrizat were to contest that seat then there is a strong possibility that Nurul Izzah would, again, win. However, if Shahrizat is brought down, and chances are she might since the cowgate fiasco is hurting the government bad, then Raja Nong Chik would most likely get that seat. And if it were Raja Nong Chik versus Nurul Izzah, then Nurul's chances of winning would be reduced. It would have been better to spare Shahrizat so that she is chosen as Barisan Nasional's candidate for Lembah Pantai. Then, once the nomination papers are filed, you can go to town and bring her down by using the cowgate issue. Raja Nong Chik is a stronger candidate than Nurul Izzah and allowing him to contest the Lembah Pantai seat is not a wise move. But with Shahrizat out of the picture, that can now most likely happen. Raja Nong Chik is certainly a smart cookie. His people leaked the information on Shahrizat's cowgate fiasco and the opposition gleefully grabbed at it. They are now doing Raja Nong Chik a favour by bringing down Shahrizat. And because of that Nurul Izzah may be brought down as well. Anyway, that is one example and there are many more. Another can be: why attack Najib too much? I would be 'gentle' with Najib, which actually I am (although this has attracted allegations that Najib has bought me off). If you want me to attack Najib I can do that as well. But why the hell do I want to bring down Najib just so that the opposition supporters would stop alleging that I have been bought off? I do not need the opposition supporters to sing my praises. They can condemn if that makes them happy. After all, small things please small minds. If Najib is brought down and Muhyiddin Yassin takes over as Prime Minister, the chances of the opposition forming the next federal government is slim. With Najib leading the charge in the next general election, the disgust most people have with First Lady Rosmah Mansor is going to cost Barisan Nasional a lot of votes. Rosmah is to Najib what Khairy Jamaluddin was to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, an albatross around his neck. I would rather have Najib as Prime Minister when we face the next general election than Muhyiddin. Najib has a lot of internal enemies within Umno, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad included. And I would rather have Dr Mahathir on our side, like in the 2008 general election. What, you do not think that Dr Mahathir is still relevant and a factor? Hey, if not for Dr Mahathir, do you think Pakatan Rakyat could have done so well in the March 2008 general election? Why do you think I supported Dr Mahathir back in 2006 and 2007? Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali whacked me to kingdom come and made all sorts of snide remarks against me during PKR's annual general assembly in Penang. Azmin had venom is his tone when, during his speech, he looked at me and said that all those who collaborate with Dr Mahathir can take a hike. I detected the smirk on Anwar's face when Azmin took that swipe at me. I know what I was doing. Sure, that attracted a lot of snide remarks about how Dr Mahathir had bought me off and was financing Malaysia Today and whatnot. But then these are remarks from people devoid of a brain that can think clearly. They are guided by emotions and not by logic. And the way they are trying to bring down Najib and Shahrizat is evidence of this. Anyway, enough said. You play the game according to your strategy and I will do so according to mine. At the end of the day the test of the pudding is in the eating, as President Bush said.

WIKILEAKS: How in 2008 BN paid for its 2006 sins Posted: 24 Nov 2011 04:04 PM PST When tension rises, the blood of Malay warriors will run in our veins. UMNO is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood in defense of race and religion. Don't play with fire. If they (non-Malays) mess with our rights, we will mess with theirs. Since the tragic racial riots in 1969, UMNO and the Malays have been too patient and tolerant. The special rights of the Malays and the position of Islam as the official religion are enshrined in the Federal Constitution. UMNO should stand firm on these issues and not back down for the sake of the Malay race. We should defend it to the last drop of our blood. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b, d). Summary 1.  (C) The defense of Malay rights, heated racial rhetoric, and Islamic themes dominated the 2006 UMNO General Assembly, with the often jolting Malay speak reaching Malaysians directly for the first time through unfiltered, live television coverage.  Deputy Prime Minister Najib opened the 2006 UMNO General Assembly with the declaration that there was no time limit for the "Malay Agenda" and its plethora of race-based affirmative action plans aimed at raising the status of ethic Malays.  Prime Minister Abdullah reaffirmed the need for the New Economic Policy and pledged to continue the focus of reducing the income gap between races. Abdullah's key-note address focused on the goals he set three years ago when he took office.  Abdullah celebrated a more open society, but urged restraint in dealing with "sensitive issues" of race and religion.  He criticized Islamic extremists in Malaysia and questioned Malaysia's intolerance. Other speakers focused heavily on race-based issues, and heaved blame and criticism on Chinese and Indian coalition parties.  Coalition partners received a warning: don't question the status of Malays and Islam in Malaysia. Recognizing the effects of such rhetoric, Abdullah and Najib issued statements to mend fences with coalition partners. UMNO has had second thoughts on live telecasts of future general assemblies.  This is the second in a series of reports covering the 57th United Malays National Organization's (UMNO) General Assembly which was held in Kuala Lumpur, November 13 - 17.  End Summary. The Malay Agenda: UMNO's main task 2.  (U)  In his November 13 speech opening the General Assembly for UMNO's Wanita (Women), Puteri (Young Women) and Pemuda (Youth) wings, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak began a discussion on the Malay Agenda that would reverberate throughout the week in nearly every speech from every delegate.  Najib began, "The Malay Agenda is UMNO's main task in uplifting the status of the Malays.  In the course of history, from 1511 to 1957, we were under the rule of foreigners.  After those 446 years of oppression, it is impossible that what is owed to the Malays can be repaid in a mere 20 or 30 years.  In this struggle for the Malays, it must be firmly said that there is no time limit. . . " Najib's statement echoed Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's remarks to Parliament issued the same day.  Abdullah had declared that Malaysia will always need a policy and agenda on wealth distribution so long as economic disparity among the races exists.  "The effort to correct the economic disparity involves several steps or affirmative actions to raise the economic and education achievement among the races, particularly the bumiputras, so that they are comparable with non-bumiputras," declared Abdullah. "This includes," Abdullah continued, "reviving the New Economic Policy (NEP). . ." 3.  (U) In his presidential address to the UMNO assembly, Abdullah expounded on the same topic: "the twenty years allocated to achieve the objectives of the NEP (1970-90) was too short a period; an unrealistic time frame to successfully restructure society and eradicate poverty. . .The objectives of the NEP . . . are larger than equity targets.  The government will focus on reducing the income gap between races.  True balance is a prerequisite for sustainable development." Strong words, sleepy presentation 4.  (C) Cast with the fanfare of an American president's State of the Union Address, Abdullah's key-note address should have been the highlight of the party.  Instead, it was a rather monotonous monologue with very little enthusiasm either from Abdullah or from the audience. One journalist told emboff, "In Mahathir's time, we (the journalists) would sit with baited breath waiting to see what he would say next. With Abdullah, no one wanted to sit through it all.  We could hardly stay awake.  No one wanted to be in there." Unlike the charismatic Mahathir who delivered his speeches using teleprompters so that he could always look at the audience, Abdullah read his 90 minute speech from a printed copy.  Head down, reading from the text, observers faulted Abdullah for reading on when he should have paused for applause, and pausing at awkward moments when there was no cause for cheer. 5.  (C) Publicly, only the Mahathir family dared comment that the speech was "nothing new" (ref. A) or that the assembly lacked the "rah, rah" of previous UMNO assemblies.  But privately many people commented that the presidential address was little more than a rehash of previous speeches promoting the twelve pillars Abdullah addressed when inaugurated three years ago, renewed somewhat with the 9th Malaysia Plan. Perhaps an UMNO-linked newspaper (New Straits Times) editorial phrased it most politely: "His delivery was typically Abdullah-ish -- no shouting, no threats, no playing to the gallery. . . (but) when he finished. . .no one had any doubts about the message."  As dull as some accused it of being, there was no doubt that Abdullah had a message to deliver concerning his vision for Malaysia.  Hidden in the pages and pages of text were some strong words from a soft spoken leader.  He championed education, rural economic development, the rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, openness and democracy, freedom of the press and religious tolerance. Freedom of the Press - Malaysian style 6.  (SBU) With a country awash in recent controversy ranging from Mahathir to economics to religious expression, Abdullah did not shy away from his desire for a more open press. Abdullah applauded constructive criticism and reminded politicians that they would not be immune from the scrutiny of a more open press.  "The truth is that I would rather see heated exchanges in the pages of the press than to see raging riots on the streets," said Abdullah.  If Malaysia was to become a truly advanced society, openness was a prerequisite. "It is meaningless," he said, "to develop infrastructure for information technology if the leadership flinches from a culture that is more open to and accepting of the media."  In typical style, Abdullah then threatened the press regarding his "sensitive issues." "Freedom has its limits," he warned. "We cannot and will not compromise when it comes to the unity and harmony of our multi-racial and multi-cultural society. We will continue to be vigilant when it comes to national security and public safety.  I would like to warn those who abuse this freedom that I will not for a moment hesitate to use the law against them."  "Democracy does not mean absolute freedom to raise sensitive issues relating to religion, race, culture and language," Abdullah reminded. Islam Hadhari versus the ultra-conservatives 7.  (SBU)  Like many of the issues debated throughout the assembly, Abdullah's address focused heavily on religious issues.  Returning to his religious philosophy launched three years ago, Abdullah declared: "Islam Hadhari. . .is a philosophy that reminds Muslims that our faith unequivocally requires us to succeed in the world.  We perpetuate a great disservice to Islam if we reject development, if we are obsessed with conflict and if we live in ignorance." Abdullah lamented that some people had misinterpreted Islam Hadhari as an excuse to become more conservative and radical. Lamenting that some clerics had condemned Muslims for wishing their neighbors a Merry Christmas or Happy Deepavali, Abdullah asked, "How can we have reached such a level of intolerance? . . .When did we become ultra-conservative? This is not Islam Hadhari." 8.  (SBU) "It is these same groups who make such proclamations (condemning other religious celebrations)," continued Abdullah, "that are conjuring imaginary threats aimed at inciting Muslims, hoping that they (Muslims) will become more intolerant of others.  Their agenda is to see Malaysia torn apart, for us to fail as a multi-racial, multi-religious nation.  This is not Islam. . .Let me be clear-- Islam Hadhari is not a blank cheque to bring about conservative revivalism in this country. . .While I will protect Islam's position and the role of the Shariah courts from being undermined, I will also ensure that no one tries to hijack Islam in Malaysia in order to breed intolerance and hatred." UMNO Youth lash out at other BN parties 9.  (SBU) In the midst of all the rhetoric championing Islam and the rights of Malays, UMNO Youth chief Hishamuddin Tun Hussein delivered his speech to the UMNO Youth and without a thought to hypocrisy in his words, threatened politicians of other races: "We must remember that creating a Malaysian nation will not be possible on narrow thinking and chauvinism.  Don't gamble the future by championing race politics.  We know them, we know who they are and we know what they are saying.  We are not afraid to face the opportunist leaders and we will not compromise with them." Hishamuddin also declared, "Do not make fun, question and challenge the position of Malays and Islam in the country. Any movement in the name of freedom of religion, freedom of speech or freedom of the media will not be allowed to challenge our rights.  If such negative efforts are not curbed, they will have a huge implication on our harmony." 10.  (SBU) Taking a cue from their leader, members of UMNO Youth lashed out at other race based parties, including their Barisan Nasional coalition partners.  "When we, the Malays, are weak, the Chinese will take advantage.  If it is the DAP (opposition Democratic Action Party), it is ok. But when our 'roommates' are doing this to us, we can't accept it," cried a Selangor delegate, later unleashing his tirade on leaders of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Malaysia Chinese Association (MCA) and the Peoples Movement Party (Gerakan). "The special rights of the Malays and the position of Islam as the official religion are enshrined in the Federal Constitution.  UMNO should stand firm on these issues and not back down for the sake of the Malay race.  We should defend it to the last drop of our blood," said the Youth chief from Ledang.  As one editorial stated, there was no denying the message to BN component parties: Don't question the position of Malays and Islam. 11.  (SBU)  UMNO Youth information chief, Azimi Daim, continued the rhetoric claiming he could not understand why BN component parties were becoming braver and braver in questioning sensitive issues (meaning religions preferences for Islam and bumiputra economic preferences).  "When tension rises, the blood of Malay warriors will run in our veins," he warned. 12.  (SBU) Racist rhetoric, however, was not restricted to the Youth wings.  A delegate from Malacca bluntly stated, "UMNO is willing to risk lives and bathe in blood in defense of race and religion.  Don't play with fire.  If they (non-Malays) mess with our rights, we will mess with theirs," he declared.  "Since the tragic racial riots in 1969, UMNO and the Malays have been too patient and tolerant," he said. "UMNO faces challenges from DAP who are Chinese chauvinists, the ignorant PAS (opposition conservative Islamic party) and threats from overseas.  Friends in Barisan Nasional, too, have questioned us."  Even old party veterans joined the assault on other racial groups.  As one former BN Secretary General remarked, "Please don't test the Malays; they know 'amok'. We don't want to reach that level. . .but efforts to enhance the Malays' economy need to be intensified."  The Malays's sacrifices, he said, must be paid back with sacrifices of the same magnitude by the non-Malays, particularly in questions involving the economy. Abdullah tries to soften the blow 13.  (SBU) The deleterious effects of the harsh rhetoric and racism was not lost on UMNO leadership.  This was the first year the UMNO general assembly had been televised in its entirety, and though the rhetoric was perhaps no worse than usual, public exposure seemed to certainly raise awareness. After a week of race-based politics, it was evident that many of UMNO's coalition partners were stinging from the blows they had taken.  In his closing speech to the assembly on Friday evening, Abdullah focused on mending UMNO's ties to the other BN parties.  He tried to soften the effect of the assembly by explaining, "Don't be frightened by the speeches made.  We do things openly.  When others get hit, there will be some reaction, but the situation remains under control.  The heat does not burn, the anger does not lead to quarrels. We are rational, fair and want the interest of all races taken care of." 14.  (C) Gerakan Vice President Vijayaretnam admitted to poloffs that there were concerns at the Gerakan grassroots over the speeches made at the assembly.  However, party leaders have urged the members to look "at the bigger picture."  Vijayaretnam jokingly added that people in general and Gerakan members in particular were jolted by the speeches "because of the live telecast of the conference.  In normal circumstances, no one would have bothered about the assembly." 15.  (SBU) Just days after the assembly concluded Deputy Prime Minister Najib announced that UMNO was considering whether to continue having live telecasts of future assemblies.  Najib said it could not be denied that some of the speeches "had gone overboard."  Forgetting that some of the harshest rhetoric came from senior UMNO officials, Najib conceded that "sometimes inexperienced speakers tend to get carried away by the occasion.  They were playing to the gallery, but they should realize that when they speak, the others outside the party are also listening.  Abdullah's son-in-law and UMNO Youth Deputy, Khairy Jamaluddin, also commented that the events at this year's assembly were not necessarily out of the ordinary, but that "those who have never seen the assembly before (were) shocked by the no holds barred debates when delegates spoke on religion and race." "While the debates were hot," he said, "the spirit of consensus in the BN will not be affected, as we are committed to it.  MCA, MIC and others understand this." Comment 16.  (C) The single greatest effect of this year's assembly may not be felt for over a year when Malaysians go to the polls.  The racist nature of politics is nothing new to Malaysia, but unfiltered, live television brought public awareness of UMNO's internal chauvinistic rhetoric to a new height.  Some ten days after UMNO's assembly, the national media continues to carry Malaysian politicians weighing in on the racial politics raised during the UMNO assembly. Even before the assembly, Chinese component parties of the Barisan Nasional coalition feared a public backlash (ref C) at the election booth.  These same parties now must face their constituents and explain to a more skeptical electorate that aligning with Malay racism and a patent anti-Chinese domestic policy remains their best option. 17.  (C) Despite his lack of charisma as a leader, Abdullah offered a breath of reason and moderation throughout the assembly.  He reiterated the importance of tolerance and racial harmony, themes missing from so many other speeches. Softly but clearly, he criticized the Islamic ultraconservatives and warned them that their brand of Islam was out of step with his vision of Islam Hadari and incongruous with a successful multi-religious Malaysia. Although the assembly reiterated UMNO's rejection of inter-faith councils and its support for ever-expanding shariah courts, Abdullah attempted to reassure his fellow Malaysians that the country would stay on a path of moderation and harmony with its non-Muslim citizens. LAFLEUR (November 2006)

Ambiga says Myanmar freer than Malaysia Posted: 24 Nov 2011 03:40 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said today that Malaysians will have less freedom under the government's proposed new law governing public demonstrations compared to Myanmar, a country which has one of the world's worse human rights record. She pointed out that Myanmar recently passed new legislation that allowed street protests, and provided for less stringent conditions than the Najib administration's proposed Peaceful Assembly Act that was tabled in Parliament this week. "It is shameful that Burma (Myanmar) can propose a far more democratic law than us. "It is a terrible insult to Malaysians because we were promised more democracy, but now it is the opposite," said Ambiga (picture). Myanmar's military-dominated Parliament passed a law this week allowing citizens to protest peacefully but which requires demonstrators to "inform the authorities five days in advance." Under Malaysia's Peaceful Assembly Act, demonstrators are required to give 30 days' notice to the police, while a host of restrictions effectively prevents any street protests. The Myanmar law states that demonstrators must avoid government buildings, schools, hospitals and embassies. The Malaysian version has similar restrictions but includes a buffer from houses of worship and petrol stations. Ambiga had earlier this week urged the government to immediately withdraw the proposed law if it was sincere to prove correct Datuk Seri Najib Razak's reformist stand on making Malaysia the "best democracy". READ MORE HERE

Going Shopping: Lawyers on the march Posted: 24 Nov 2011 03:32 PM PST UPPERCAISE Four years after lawyers went on a Walk For Justice from judicial complex to the PM's Office in Putrajaya, they are again undertaking one of the duties required of them under the Legal Profession Act. Shopping promotion 7.30pm today Candlelight vigil Bar Council 15 Lebuh Pasar, Kuala Lumpur MAP: http://is.gd/BSW9hw 2pm-3pm tomorrow KLCC Walkabout KLCC Park near the Water Fountain Details: http://is.gd/JiGhib 11.30am Tuesday Nov 29 Bar Council's Walk For Freedom from Lake Club to Parliament House MAP: http://is.gd/BSW9hw In order to meet the statutory requirement — to uphold the cause of justice without fear or favour — lawyers have decided a peaceful assembly to challenge the Peaceful Assembly Bill brought before Parliament this week, which is scheduled for speedy passage through the house. Malaysia's lawyers will thus "Go Shopping", an activity first popularised by journalist and wildlife activist Sabry Zain in the late 1990s, when enthusiastic crowds thronged Batu Road, the old shopping district of Kuala Lumpur, in a spontaneous procession filling up the streets for hundreds of metres, playing hide-and-seek with happy blue-uniformed government supporters earning double time with batons, truncheons and tear gas. Go Shopping with Aunty at KLCC Other civil society organisations are also rallying support for the right of the people to "Go Shopping". Auntie Bersih (Annie Ooi), a recognised expert in the art of taking long walks through the city centre in a yellow T-shirt, has promised to turn up at Kuala Lumpur City Centre on Saturday for a public protest organised by academic activist Wong Chin Huat. Chin Huat, a political scientist, is one of many people dissatisfied with amendments to the Universities and University Colleges Act under the federal government's reform programme, in which simple-minded university students unable to think for themselves will be protected from thinking about politics and encouraged to concentrate on studies that do not require any thinking. Freedom Not To Think Bill Federal government officials, compliant university academics and the mass media are united in seeing the virtues of reforms that do not require thinking on the part of university administrations or their students. Academics such as Wong Chin Huat, however, firmly believe that students who practise some thinking by doing so may protect federal government officials from thinking about sex and other acts. Freedom From Your Politics on Campus Bill The Universities and University Colleges Act (often shortened to UUCA) may now be cited as the Freedom From Your Kind of Politics in Campus Act. It may also be shortened to the U Just Don't C Act. Freedom of Shopping (Tourism) (Non-Traffic Jams) Bill The draft legislation on peaceful non-public non-protests may now also be cited as the Freedom To Keep Shops Open Bill, or alternatively the Freedom Of Foreign Tourists Frightened By Coloured People Bill, and also as the Freedom Of Retired Army Generals Not To Get Stuck In Traffic Jams After Golf Bill. The federal government's frantic race to reform, however, suffered a minor setback in public relations when Malaysia was beaten to it by Burma, the military-run leper state of Asean which has not had a Parliament in 50 years let alone the right to protest. READ MORE HERE

Government Screwing Up Durians As Well Posted: 24 Nov 2011 03:18 PM PST Syed Akbar Ali Durian people say that today an "important" meeting is taking place between the Government and the durian growers and durian processors. People can even be liwatted over durians. This is another case of "orang yang tak tahu apa benda pun pasal niaga" getting involved in messing things up again (or getting fed with Musang King for life). First of all, a little recap. As we all know, many stage bus operators in the smaller towns have stopped their services or are stoppinmg their services. They have been running at losses and they cannot survive anymore. Is that so? Is that really the case? What happened to Sri Jaya Bus, Uttam Singh Bus, Yellow Bus, Patt Hup Bus, Len Seng Bus, Foh Hup Bus, Selangor Omnibus, and so on? These are well known stage bus operators who operated stage buses in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Tampin, Selangor and other places. But most importantly, for decades, they had been providing fairly good services to the rural people. People could go from A to B. What happened to all these bus operators? Many of them are coming to a stop. The bottom line is, you can think you are being very clever, but if you mess with the market, this is what will happen - the bus services come to a stop. You think you are being clever, you mess with the fish wholesalers and what happens? You make their operating costs too high. They make losses. So they will not sell fish anymore. Fish prices skyrocket, siapa jadi miskin dulu? Takkan kita nak makan babi? So the Government flip flopped. The fish wholesalers went back to work. Dont impose ridiculous rules on the fish wholesalers. You mess with the Hire Purchase Act (HPA), the used car dealers' cost of doing business went up. The risk borne by the used car dealers also went up. Then what happened? The used car dealers stopped buying used cars. If people cannot sell their old cars to the used car dealers, the people will not buy a new car. So new car sales died. This happened just a few months ago. Dah lupa ke. Then the Government flip flopped, amended or did not implement the HPA amendments - and things have returned back to normal. And it goes on and on. Yes 30 year old school buses must get off the road. But give them enough licenses, give them cheaper buses (without AP). Only then you can put a gun to their head and say 'Change your buses'. But when nothing much has been done to improve their cost structure, and you still put a gun to their head and say 'change your buses' the guy simply will not run his school bus anymore. He does not have money to change his bus according to your timetable. So he has to pull his bus off the road. Bottom line : no school buses. The school children and their parents suffer. Parents have to become chaueffeurs. Menyusahkan orang saja. So the Government flip flopped. The Government postponed the requirement to change the 30 year buses. It will not make any difference. There are reasons (in this country many of them are artificial) that determine the cost of running any bus. As long as these costs are artificially high, the bus operators will operate at very thin margins. Putting more pressure on their margins will result in buses being pulled off the road. Bas tak ada. Siapa jadi miskin dulu? SPAD has become quite a spud over the stage buses. They dont know what to do. (Read on - the solution is simple). SPAD is gearing itself up to oversee the RM26.0 billion MRT project instead. Not drive down to some local bus station in Tampin or Alor Gajah and sort out the problems being faced by the stage bus operators. Someone came up with an idea that teachers should work 9 am - 5am. Why? Sakit hati ke tengok cikgu sekolah balik rumah pukul 1 tengah hari? I guess the cikgu threatened to vote for the Opposition. This idea too was dropped. Another flip flop. To solve the stage bus operators' problem first of all it is important to just understand this part - Bas dah tak jalan dah. Boleh faham ke? READ MORE HERE

Bersih: Let Malaysians abroad vote Posted: 24 Nov 2011 03:10 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Bersih 2.0 today called on the government to give Malaysians living abroad the right to vote in the upcoming general election. "The government, instead of arguing why it cannot be done, has a duty to ensure that it is done," Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan told reporters today at a press conference on overseas voting rights here. "It is their duty to enfranchise Malaysians, not to stop them from voting but to make sure that they can vote," she added. The former president of the Bar Council also announced "Global Bersih", a global movement of Malaysians abroad gathering in solidarity tomorrow "to demand their right to vote as overseas voters". "This is one of the eight demands of Bersih 2.0 in relation to postal voters," Ambiga said, adding that 10 cities around the world have confirmed their participation. Speaking via Skype, London-based group MyOverseasVote said "it is a day of reflection rather than direct action. It is a day for us to think about the importance of our vote and the importance of getting people around the world interested again in charting the future of our country." READ MORE HERE

Sabah should get a higher oil royalty Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:58 PM PST (WkikSabah) - The State government should continue to demand for a higher petroleum royalty from the Federal government, said Luyang State Assemblywoman, Melanie Chia. Speaking at the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday while debating on the State Budget 2012, Chia fervently asserted that this was only appropriate and fair to the people of Sabah, in view of Sabah's significant contribution to the nation's coffer. Citing reliable sources, Chia noted that much of Malaysia's 83 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves, as of January 2009, comes from offshore of Sabah and Sarawak. It is known that PETRONAS contributes to about 40% of Malaysia's revenue. She further noted that the discovery of many more new fields of oil and gas in Sabah especially this year, including significant discovery of petroleum near Kota Kinabalu, have been significant to Malaysia and PETRONAS. "Sabah, especially with the new found fields, should therefore enjoy the benefits of this natural endowment to its people," she asserted. She reminded that having a fixed rate on the oil royalty to the State revenue is different from having Federal allocation that can increase or decrease depending on State Federal relationship. "Just as a reminder, the Federal allocation for the year 2012 is only RM1,520.76 million for development, which is less than 3% of the total amount development budget of RM51 billion for the whole country. But in a federal budget amounting to RM232 billion, what Sabah gets is so insignificant," she pointed out. She further reminded that the good days will not last forever. "The day the oil wells run dry, that day we will get nothing. Therefore, the Sabah Government should still pursue the task of getting a higher petroleum royalty, and I still maintain that we should ask for a revision of at least 20%," she said. To back up her call, Chia noted that previous reports have indicated that Malaysia could turn into a net energy importer by 2015 based on its current trend of consumption if oil and gas (O&G) production did not improve. The National 2011/2012Economic Report revealed that the country's oil production could fall further to 600,000 barrels per day this year. Just take note that total oil production for the financial year ended March 31, 2011, had fallen to 2.14 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day, from 2.27 million BOE per day in 2010. She also expressed regret that the development of the O&G sector in Sabah was a bit too late and too little, as compared a certain non-oil producing states in the country like Pahang, Malacca, Kedah, and recently the RM60billion refinery and petrochemical integrated development (RAPID) petrochemical complex in Pengerang, Southern Johor. It was said that this RAPID petrochemical complex was expected to create at least 20,000 jobs during the construction phase and 4,000 potential jobs for highly-skilled workers. There is also the RM5 billion independent deepwater petroleum terminal in Pengerang, which is to be the first deepwater terminal in South-East Asia. Last year, the Government said PETRONAS would play a major role in the development of Johor's southeast areas of Teluk Ramunia and Pengerang turning it into an O&G hub in the region. "Compare to what non-oil producing state like Johor gets, what is the promise of RM45 billion for the Sabah O&G industry? We only want a fair deal from what is produced in our beloved State. We are not yet talking about what we lost in oil fields Block L and Block M and that recently PETRONAS entered into a joint production sharing contract with PetroleumBrunei. "PETRONAS will start drilling for oil in Brunei waters and also in Block M. This joint production sharing will give PETRONAS billions of ringgit in contracts and income. And what do we get?" she asked. She further lamented that Sabah youths have long left Sabah to work in Johor. READ MORE HERE

PKR Youth dares Umno to change laws for Malay PM Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:55 PM PST (The Star) - PKR Youth has dared Umno to amend the Constitution to clearly specify that the prime minister must only be Malay. "To ensure that the last Malay stronghold, that is political power, is not traded away by Umno, we challenge Umno to amend the federal constitution to insert conditions and guarantees that the prime minister must be Malay," its chief Shamsul Iskandar Amin told delegates at the wing's congress here. "The excuse that the post is held by a Malay because Umno is in power cannot be accepted." he added.

High Court upholds former CCID director's acquittal Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:43 PM PST (The Star) - The High Court has upheld the acquittal of former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Datuk Ramli Yusuff of a charge of being involved in business while he was a civil servant. High Court judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah said he did not find any reason to disturb the detailed findings of a Sessions Court over the acquittal. Ramli was accused of being involved in business by being the director of an agriculture-based company Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd while he was still a police commissioner and CCID director at Bukit Aman, on May 2, 2006. Sessions judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah acquitted Ramli of the charge in August last year. In another High Court on Friday, Justice Ghazali Cha upheld Ramli's acquittal on three charges of not disclosing information about his assets and shares.

Azmin: We’ll free Anwar and make him PM free Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:42 PM PST PKR will break through prison walls to make Anwar Ibrahim the next prime minister and challenges Umno to guarantee that a Malay will always hold that premier post. (The Star) - PKR will do anything, even break down the prison walls, to ensure that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim be the next prime minister, said PKR deputy president Azmin Ali. "This is a strong reminder to Umno that we, the Youth and Wanita, pledge to rise and break down the prison walls to free him. "Pakatan (Rakyat) leaders are together that Anwar should be the next prime minister," Azmin said when opening the PKR Wanita and Youth congress here. "We will bring down any conspirancy to put him behind bars," he said. Azmin said PKR hoped to make inroads into Johor to ensure that the state was no longer Umno's 'fixed deposit'. To achieve this, he said, PKR would avoid three-cornered fights involving its Pakatan Rakyat partners.

‘What happened to Malaysia?’ Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:17 PM PST How is it that the cost of so many basic food items and day to day consumable items end up being so much more expensive in Malaysia compared to Singapore? How is it that the cost of so many basic foods and day to day consumable items end up being so much more expensive in Malaysia? "A Malaysian earning peanuts in Malaysia can't even afford to smell any peanut butter…SGD10 in Singapore goes a lot further than RM10 in Malaysia!" says my niece. By Mimi Chih, Free Malaysia Today How does one measure the success of a country? To the people, it is reflected in their overall standard of living. Not every country is lucky enough to have a team of intelligent people whose passionate objectives drive them to make their country a better place to live – for everyone. Singapore is one such country. Today this island republic has one of the highest standard of living in Southeast Asia. When Tunku Abdul Rahman decided to expel Singapore from the Federation of Malaya leading to its independence on Aug 9, 1965, the world did not expect this tiny island republic with a population of 1.8 million then to stand tall as one of the original Four Asian Tigers, along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan 46 years later. Which Malaysian could have imagined that some 46 years after the split, Singapore's exchange rate to the ringgit would hit a dizzying rate of RM2.41 (as at Nov 11, 2011)? The last time the Singapore dollar (SGD) was almost on part with the ringgit (RM) was in August 1972 when SGD 100 was equivalent to RM100.10. For an average wage earner in Singapore, making SGD2,500 a month, going for a 10 days holiday to the US or Australia or Europe once a year is a relatively small matter. Annoying issues So what happened to Malaysia? In 1965 when Singapore was expelled, Malaysia had everything that the island republic glaringly lacked – ample land, a plethora of natural resources, an operating government, and 9.3 million people. Unfortunately, in the 46 years that has come to past, Malaysia has been bogged down by a number of issues which are clearly distracting the government from doing what it is supposed to be doing. The ruling government (Umno-Barisan Nasional) in Malaysia is debating whether education in English would be significantly beneficial to the rakyat. The opposition PAS is vehement in wanting to forcibly implement the hudud laws and banning Elton John from performing in Malaysia because of his sexual orientation and the Obedient Wives Club's proposition that Muslim women should be obedient and strive to approach sex with their hubbies not just on a physical level but on the higher spiritual realm. Then there are also questions posed to DAP's national chairman Karpal Singh by MCA's leader Dr Chua Soi Lek. Chua wants to know whether a non-Muslim should first convert to Islam if they wanted to be deputy prime minister should Pakatan become the ruling government. These are just a handful of endless annoying issues which Umno has had to deal with on a daily basis. RM pales to SGD In 2011 Singapore's population stands at 5.18 million (63% are Singaporean citizens while 37% are permanent residents). Malaysia's population as at July 2011 is 28.73 million. Without getting into advanced mathematical calculations, one would deduce that economies of scale would be more achievable in the country that has 28.73 million people versus 5.18 million. But this is not the case. The cost of living is relative to the ability to earn. Lets establish the value of currency in terms of the wage rate (Malaysia does not have a minimum wage rate yet). In Singapore the average general worker such as a merchandiser in a supermarket or department store or the cashier serving you at Mc Donald's earns SGD5.50 – 6.00 per hour. In Malaysia similar positions start at RM4 – 6 per hour. But take a look at how much things cost in Malaysia. A kopi si peng (iced coffee) costs between SGD0.90 to SGD1.20 in clean coffee shops or food courts in Singapore. In Malaysia the same kopi si peng in coffee shops or food courts costs RM1.80 to RM2.00. A Chinese roasted duck costs SGD18-25 each . In Malaysia, at the market rate of RM48 per bird, eating roasted duck is a luxury. READ MORE HERE

PKR still Pakatan’s ‘weakest link’ Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:12 PM PST The party must make serious efforts to change or improve its image to face the coming general election, say analysts. He said the party was still being hampered by issues, such as the party leadership in Selangor, the internal tussle between deputy president Azmin Ali and Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the unresolved state party leadership issue in Sabah, and the role of current president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. BERNAMA As more than 2,000 delegates and observers of PKR gather in Johor for the party's eighth national congress this weekend, the perception of it being the weakest link in the opposition PKR-DAP-Pas pact remains, at least for now. Although the issue of defections and resignations from the party by several of its elected representatives and the much-publicised party election fiasco last year have somehow simmered down, political analysts opine that the party is still seen as the weakest link in the opposition pact. Thus, it is felt that serious efforts are needed for the party to change or at least improve its image. "The biggest obstacle is the leadership issue and the perception that it is focusing extensively on Malay issues, despite the party being multi-racial," said political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia. He said the party was still being hampered by issues, such as the party leadership in Selangor, the internal tussle between deputy president Azmin Ali and Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the unresolved state party leadership issue in Sabah, and the role of current president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. "The main players in the 2008 general election seem to have had a melt-down. Forty-three months after the last general election, the perception about PKR has changed from better to worse. It was totally different then compared to now," he noted. Therefore, he believes the PKR top leadership will use this congress to show that the party and its leaders are united, as the party gears up for the next general election. However, the weakest link perception will continue to put the party in a less favourable position when it is negotiating with the other partners in the pact for more seats. Leadership plan "There is another more important issue, that is, what is next for PKR after Anwar Ibrahim? Should Anwar be found guilty of the current charges he is facing, who will take over the leadership? Unless they can come out with a leadership plan, the party will continue to be perceived as weak," said Sivamurugan. PKR being seen as the weakest link in the pact is not something new, as the leadership has acknowledged the problem for some time. At the party congress in Petaling Jaya last year, the then deputy president, Senator Syed Husin Ali, warned party members that the party was the weakest link in the pact, since it was the youngest member, compared to the DAP and PAS. He explained that three elements were plaguing the party – PKR is a rainbow party consisting of former members of other political parties who have brought their ideologies to the new party, which now has created friction among members. PKR, which touts itself as a multi-racial party, has problems with racist members; and the wealthier members, although small in number, are gaining more power in the party. In fact, Syed Husin also hit out at PKR parliamentarians and assemblymen for their weak performance. Another political analyst, Ong Kian Ming from UCSI University, observes that PKR has been unable to remove the perception of it being the weakest link in the pact even though there has been no additional defections from the party. "The image that the party remains too dependent on Anwar still exists", he added. Lacking good candidates After the party elections, even some leaders, such as Rafizi Ramli (director of strategy for PKR), have come out on their own, focusing on some national issues, but this is still not enough. "The party is also facing the lack of good candidates for the next general election, while the emergence of Kita is a direct challenge to PKR. Even if Kita is to contest in the next general election and loses badly, the perception about PKR will still stick," he said. Political analyst James Chin from Sunway Monash University also believes that PKR is still the weakest link due to the fact that its grassroots organisation is not as strong as that in DAP or PAS. "PKR is only strong in some urban areas. It is still having problems in establishing itself. However, people will still vote for the party, just because it is part of the opposition pact," he said. He pointed out that the biggest problem in PKR, however, was still the uncertainty about the party leadership if its de facto leader, Anwar, is sent to jail. "How are they to select a new leader? Who can hold Pakatan Rakyat together? And as for the general election, PKR will have problems negotiating for seats with PAS and DAP, and PKR is most likely to contest in mixed seats, some of which are also vied by DAP and PAS," he said. Despite this, PKR leaders are still trying hard to reassure their members and supporters, as well as the voters, that they have a succession plan in place but not everyone is convinced, though.

Broken Promise: PM Has Not Lived Up To Malaysia Day 2011 Pledge Posted: 24 Nov 2011 10:08 AM PST By Lim Chee Wee, President, Malaysian Bar via Malaysian Mirror The Peaceful Assembly Bill ("Bill") was tabled in Parliament for its first reading on 22 November 2011, which we believe was the same day that Members of Parliament first received copies of the Bill. It must be noted that advance notice was not given, save for speculation in the media that the Bill would be tabled on 24 November 2011. In addition, the second reading of the Bill began in Parliament today, merely two days after the first reading. There appears to be unseemly haste in introducing this far-reaching and crucial legislation, without sufficient time for Members of Parliament themselves to review the Bill fully, and without adequate public consultation. The Bill, in replacing the present legislative provision in section 27 of the Police Act 1967, introduced several controversial and objectionable provisions. For instance: (1) Prohibition of street protests (defined widely as "open air assembly which begins with a meeting at a specified place and consists of walking in a mass march or rally for the purpose of objecting to or advancing a particular cause or causes"); (2) Prohibition of organisation of assemblies by persons below the age of twenty one years; (3) Prohibition of participation in peaceful assemblies of children below the age of fifteen years; (4) Unduly onerous responsibilities and restrictions on organisers and assemblies; and (5) Excessive fines for non-compliance of the Bill. These restrictive provisions in the Bill effectively render meaningless our constitutional guarantee, by constraining assembly to very limited circumstances. This stands in stark contrast to the words of the Prime Minister in his speech on the eve of Malaysia Day 2011. That speech was widely applauded by the Malaysian Bar, and by Malaysians in general, in their honest belief that there would be real and genuine reforms. The Prime Minister had stated: I often opine that long gone is the era in which the government knows everything and claims monopoly over wisdom. . . . The Government will also review section 27 of the Police Act 1967, taking into consideration Article 10 of the Federal Constitution regarding freedom of assembly and so as to be in line with international norms on the same matter. . . . (emphasis added) Be confident that it is a strength and not a weakness for us to place our trust in the Malaysian people's intelligence to make decisions that will shape the path of their own future. . . . It is absolutely clear that the steps I just announced are none other than early initiatives of an organised and graceful political transformation. It stands as a crucial and much needed complement to the initiatives of economic transformation and public presentation which the government has outlined and implemented for over two years in the effort to pioneer a modern and progressive nation. . . . In closing, I wish to emphasise that free of any suspicion and doubt, the Malaysia that we all dream of and are in the process of creating is a Malaysia that practices [sic] a functional and inclusive democracy where public peace and prosperity is preserved in accordance with the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and respect for basic human rights and individual rights. The Malaysian Bar recommends that the Bill be referred to a Parliamentary Select Committee, which would engage in a public consultation process consistent with the Prime Minister's promise of "a Malaysia that practices [sic] a functional and inclusive democracy". Further, the Malaysian Bar is now wary as to the form and substance of the two proposed pieces of legislation that will replace the Internal Security Act 1960, given this disappointing experience. We urge the Prime Minister to hold steadfast – with courage and determination – to his laudable Malaysia Day pledges, and fulfil the rakyat's expectations.   LIM CHEE WEE is President of Malaysian Bar

Musa ‘reluctant’ to fight for Sabahans Posted: 24 Nov 2011 09:49 AM PST By Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: A well-known consumer activist has criticised the Sabah government for lacking the courage to strike a deal with the federal government to bring down the prices of goods, especially food items, in the state. "This is a long overdue issue. The state government has done nothing to alleviate the sky-rocketing prices of food items in Sabah," said Patrick Sindu. "Yesterday, during the State Legislative Assembly sitting, the Sabah government told the house that it was still awaiting the report from Federal Maritime Institute on how to deal with the cabotage policy in reducing the costs of goods in Sabah," he said. He said the exorbitant costs of foods and other items in Sabah was an "old story" that has been deliberately kept off the agenda of national leaders because of the lack of will on the part of Sabah state leaders and Sabahans who are ministers in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's Cabinet. According to Sindu, Najib could put a stop to escalating prices in Sabah. "Actually, Chief Minister (Musa Aman) can make a representation to Najib, but our problem is here we have a government which for some reason is reluctant to fight for Sabahan consumers. "The state government doesn't have the guts to pass any resolution about this (high prices) in the state assembly; similarly, it doesn't support the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants and fake ICs in Sabah," he said. Sindu singled out the two issues – spiralling prices and illegal immigrants – as among the most obvious failings of the Barisan Nasional government, which, despite insisting it enjoys close ties with the federal government, is unable to solve such basic problems. "Sabahans have suffered; it is time (the state government) shaped up or shipped out…" he said. No solution Sindu, once the president of the now-deregistered Consumer Association of Sabah, said numerous calls have been made for import-export liberalisation to satisfy the needs of the two Borneo states (Sabah and Sarawak). "Wong Khen Thau (of Sabah Manufacturers Federation) and myself attended numerous seminars and forums on this issue but it is just left aside. The federal and state (governments) are not do their job (ending the cabotage policy)," he said. The cabotage policy was enforced in January 1980 to protect the local shipping industry. The downside of the policy, which the government failed to foresee, was that consumers in Sabah and Sarawak would be "subsidising" the already subsidised Malaysian shipping industry. Under the policy, all goods imported into the state can only be transported by local shipping companies, most of whom operate out of the main port of Klang, which also receives the bulk of the federal allocations each year.   READ MORE HERE.

Assembly law allows persecution of Pakatan MPs, claims Anwar Posted: 24 Nov 2011 09:45 AM PST By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider The Peaceful Assembly Bill legitimises persecution of Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers and prevents them from conducting ceramahs and gatherings, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has charged. The PR de facto leader told Parliament today the new law regulating public assembly made it more difficult for the federal opposition to hold ceramahs and dialogue sessions. Citing the 30 days' advance notice provision within the new law, Anwar (picture) said the procedures would be a problem for PR. "The Peaceful Assembly Bill prohibits, prevents Pakatan Rakyat from explaining to the rakyat about current issues on abuse of power, corruption, discrepancies by the ruling government," he said. The Permatang Pauh MP alleged Section 21 (3) of the new law, which allows protesters arrested by police to be fined up to RM20,000 would be used against opposition lawmakers. "The stipulation which sets a fine up to RM20,000 if found guilty allows the government to drag Pakatan Rakyat MPs to court if they conduct ceramahs, explanations and gatherings which is one of our ways to explain daily issues to the rakyat," he said. The government had earlier this week tabled the Peaceful Assembly Bill, two months after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak first pledged reforms to laws on security and public assembly. Shortly after it was unveiled, Pakatan Rakyat leaders said the new bill was "worse" than previous laws on public assembly, and that it simply meant "people could not gather anywhere in Malaysia." PR described the Peaceful Assembly Bill as repressive and restrictive of civil freedom, claiming it accords the police even more power to arrest individuals. Najib today declared it a "revolutionary" law and a "giant leap" towards improving individual freedom. The prime minister pointed out to opposition lawmakers in Parliament that, under the new legislation, the powers of the police would be capped and punitive action against protestors reduced to only fines instead of jail sentences. Section 27 of the bill states that public gatherings cannot be held in the following areas: petrol stations, hospitals, fire stations, airports, railways, land public transport terminals, ports, canals, docks, bridges, places of worship, kindergartens and schools as well as dams and reservoirs. It states that no street protests are allowed, and bars any assembly in or within a 50 metre buffer zone around the listed prohibited areas. Section 9 (5) of the bill allows the police to fine organisers up to RM10,000 if no advance notice of a planned assembly is given to the authorities. Section 20 (1) (c) allows for police to arrest anyone who brings or recruits children in an assembly. The new law says that there also must be 30 days' advance notice for assemblies except for designated areas defined by the home minister. The assemblies can then proceed unless there is objection by the police.   READ MORE HERE.

In Johor, Pakatan partners see pitfalls of PKR swagger Posted: 24 Nov 2011 09:39 AM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider PKR begins a weekend assault on the Umno bastion of Johor today intent on taking over the state but its coalition partners fear that the move will fuel concern among voters, especially the Malays, that the state Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lacks top-calibre leaders from the dominant community. De facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will outline the party's plans to win the state in a general election expected soon when addressing the main wing tomorrow during its national congress in the luxurious Pulai Springs Resort here. Abdul Ghani is pounding the pavement at least four days a week in 'hot seats' across Johor. — Pictures by Choo Choy May "That will definitely be the message. When Anwar addresses the delegates he will elaborate on why we chose Johor," PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said. But state assemblymen from PAS and the DAP fear PKR's confidence may backfire, noting how Johor PKR chief Datuk Chua Jui Meng was demonised in August last year after a banner — which PR says was an Umno ploy — was displayed proclaiming him as the coalition's mentri besar candidate. "It's clear that if we win it will mostly be from Chinese support. After the accusations of being a 'Chinese government' in Penang and Perak, it is easy for Umno to attack us by asking who will be MB," said PAS's Sungai Abong assemblyman Dr Sheikh Ibrahim Salleh. DAP state chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau also agreed with the PAS state committee member that it was more important to concentrate on making gains. "We must try not to fall into that trap and dodge the question of MB-ship and forming the state government. Our strategy is not to alarm voters but work on issues," the Skudai assemblyman said, adding that PR is on track to add seven MPs from the state. Dr Sheikh Ibrahim said most of the opposition's support is expected to come from the Chinese. Anwar and PKR, however, have bigger plans with the charismatic opposition leader seeking to reinforce his message in eight of at least 15 ceramahs the party has lined up over the weekend, which will feature at least 21 party leaders. The Malaysian Insider understands that Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman was jittery enough to summon district officers yesterday morning to brief them on "limiting the impact of the ceramahs." "MB is taking PKR's presence this weekend seriously," a source said, noting that this was on top of Abdul Ghani's already hectic pre-election schedule that sees him pounding the pavement at least four days a week in "hot seats" across the state. "He's been on the ground in all these seats the opposition thinks it can win," said a top member of the state government of the mentri besar's visits to Gelang Patah, Muar, Kluang, Tebrau, Kulai and Pulai.   READ MORE HERE.

War drums at PKR congress Posted: 24 Nov 2011 06:52 AM PST The weakest link in the opposition grouping has seen its support falling since the 2008 polls The public's perception of PKR's ketua umum is not all that promising. A survey conducted by  International Islamic Universiti concluded that Anwar, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had declined in popularity. By Zubaidah Abu Bakar, New Straits Times  PARTI Keadilan Rakyat convenes its annual meeting from today with a focus on the 13th general election. Its eighth national congress at Pulai Springs Resort, near Johor Baru, will show if PKR, an adolescent among the country's much older mainstream  parties, is ready to face the national polls. De facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not miss the opportunity to rally his troops. His wife and party president, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, will delve into election issues in her presidential speech tomorrow, steeling delegates and party members to face  opponents. Other senior leaders are expected to sing the same tune during the congress, themed "Demi Rakyat", or "For the people". Besides the need for proper screening of election candidates to avoid a repeat of defections later, speakers will focus on issues relating to the young, the working class and cost of living that had won the party votes in 2008. If people are expecting the congress to make an official stand on Anwar's position in the event he is found guilty of  sodomy, they will be disappointed. PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the party would remain silent on a scenario without Anwar,  although he did not rule out debaters raising the issue. No motion will be tabled on this, he said, as the mood was more about the impending general election. The congress would be on the future of PKR, election preparations and seat allocation among the party's allies, Pas and DAP, he added. The congress is where the sound of war drums is to be notched up since it is likely to be the last before the general election. But PKR's setback is its sliding support since the  last general election. Anwar's aura as prime-minister-to-be has been reduced by his sodomy trial and video clips of alleged sexual impropriety. The public's perception of PKR's ketua umum is not all that promising. A survey conducted by  International Islamic Universiti concluded that Anwar, Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had declined in popularity. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his predecessor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, on the other hand, were on the up. The poll asked 1,500 Malay, Chinese and Indian registered voters how satisfied they were with the leadership qualities of the five. In October 2008, 35 per cent of Malays, 33 per cent of Chinese and 41 per cent of Indian respondents expressed satisfaction with Najib. In July, the three ethnic groups' approval of him had increased to 59 per cent, 45 per cent and 62 per cent. PKR may have won 31 of the 97 parliamentary seats in 2008, but this was mostly because of  sentiment against the ruling Barisan Nasional at that time. Looking at the many controversies in PKR, which seem never-ending, it is no wonder that voters who had once  turned their backs on BN  are returning to the coalition. There have been fissures in the party, resulting in elected representatives jumping ship, leaders leaving and factions  jostling over party posts. Last year's stormy internal election, which was capped by the party's annual congress in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, was embarrassing. The conflicts in PKR have weakened the party. The spate of resignations has led to its relegation to the  second largest opposition party in Parliament with 24 seats to  DAP's 29 and Pas' 23. Open disputes between PKR  representatives and those from the party's allies have also tarnished the opposition grouping. Pakatan Rakyat's image as a united front has taken a beating, with a rising number questioning the opposition's ability to rule. Many from the group of 2008 supporters have also become unpredictable. They might stick to PKR if the party is more convincing, particularly in its ability to govern its crown jewel, Selangor. It is for this reason that the congress, which kicks off with the Youth and Wanita meetings, followed by the main congress tomorrow and Sunday, will showcase anecdotal evidence of Selangor's success under the leadership of PKR's Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. PKR is the weakest link in the opposition pact and the party leaders themselves have admitted to this. The party is being kept alive by loyalists, with almost 500,000 registered members. But party leaders know that support from members alone will not guarantee victory for PKR candidates. Party loyalists think PKR is special, in that its members are from diverse communities united in the pursuit of "justice, truth, equality and fundamental rights". Others see the party as struggling to reach the masses, seeking to topple the BN government for its own advantage and fighting one man's political ambitions, that is, Anwar's. PKR has not made any effort to move away from Anwar's shadow. Despite the emergence of young leaders, the party is still very much Anwar-centric.

Malaysia – Defending the Constitution Posted: 24 Nov 2011 06:47 AM PST Sonia Randhawa, New Mandala Malaysia is on the brink of fundamental change. It should have been apparent to all following the unprecedented election results in March 2008. The Federal Opposition has since faced numerous challenges, and it has taken a beating on many issues. But the turnout at the recent Bersih rally on 9 July, showed that there is still unmet demand for change. And the Government has recognised this. The Prime Minister announced that the ruling coalition will abolish the Internal Security Act. This has been met with cynicism by many – understandably. In the months since the announcement, there has been much backtracking. But the announcement itself was remarkable. A Prime Minister from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the party which has held power since Independence, announced the repeal of the ISA. And this was a direct result of public pressure – a public that overwhelmingly supported the law and its use less than a decade ago. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had also announced that he will be ending the numerous states of emergency in force in Malaysia for over three decades. This will automatically signal the end of the other major piece of legislation that allows for detention without trial, the Emergency Ordinance. There should have been mass jubilation on the part of those who participated in the Bersih rallies, those who have been pushing for the repeal of this legislation for decades, but there wasn't. The government acted just as the cynics predicted. The repeal of the ISA, the ending of the emergencies, are now being supplemented by a raft of legislation that will ironically strip Malaysians further of their fundamental liberties enshrined in the Constitution. And the Government has also promised that it will be drafting and putting before Parliament new 'anti-terror' legislation that will bring back detention without trial. The Orwellian titled Peaceful Assembly Bill is a bill that bans street protests – marching from one place to another in support of (or objecting to) a cause. So the Terry Fox run is out. It also bans non-citizens and children from taking part in any assemblies. Children are allowed to take part in four types of assembly – religious, funerals, assemblies related to custom or those approved by the Minister. Nature walks, trips to a science museum, even a school assembly must all fall under one of these categories, or the organisers, children and parents face hefty fines or other legal action. Organisers of an assembly must be over the age of 21. I would have been in big trouble – as a child I organised activities to raise money for various charities. Some of these included assemblies of various kinds. Non-citizens are not allowed to organise or participate in assemblies – and given that around twenty five percent of Malaysian workforce is estimated to comprise migrant workers, this has huge implications for labour relations. The Third Schedule of the Bill outlines the type of activities that do not require notification. It includes wedding parties, but not birthday parties, anniversary celebrations or other private functions. It includes family days held by employers for their employees, but not trainings, talks or lectures. The Bill outlines the role of the police, which says nothing about respecting the rights of citizens to gather – it says the policy may arrest, may detain, and must be listened to. READ MORE HERE

Are we stupid enough to fall for the same scam? Posted: 24 Nov 2011 01:10 AM PST By Kee Thuan Chye I can't help but wonder if the government really thinks that Malaysians are stupid. So stupid that we can be hoodwinked into believing that the changes they propose to our laws amount to actual reform. Two months ago, when Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that newspapers would no longer have to renew their publishing licences annually, he might have expected us to go ga-ga and applaud and say that the media would now be freer. But if we had done that, we would indeed have been stupid. Because we would not have realised that there is really no change. Even if the newspapers need not renew their licences every year, the fact remains that the home minister still retains the power to suspend or close down any newspaper at any time - if he feels it is too free in expressing its views, or for whatever reasons. So, whether there is renewal or not, it does not matter. As long as the home minister is still as powerful as before, your newspaper can still get into trouble with him. What's more, his decision cannot be challenged in court. Ah! If you now say that stinks like a scam, that the government is actually trying to deceive us, you would be right. But if you still think, like the mainstream media does, that there is actual reform in that licence renewal waiver, then the government would be right in thinking that Malaysians are stupid. Or, at least, some Malaysians. You may be surprised that there are indeed such stupid Malaysians. They are the ones who continue to support the ruling party and defend its policies, including its numerous flip-flops. They are the ones who will vote for that party at the next general election and say it is better to go with the devil they know than the devil they don't know. They are the ones who don't know they are being fooled. They might even be people who know they are being fooled, but still choose to go with the devil who is fooling them. Needless to say, the ones who know they are being fooled and still continue to support the party are even more stupid. Disturbing restrictions And they will continue to be stupid if they believe that the Peaceful Assembly Bill, which the government tabled two days ago, is a step forward, guarantees more freedom, and will lead to Malaysia being "the best democracy" as promised by Najib. Their stupidity will not allow them to see that it's another attempt to hoodwink Malaysians. They will say it's good because it allows Malaysians to gather in public without having any need to apply for a police permit. Yes, on the surface, it looks good that a police permit is no longer required. But now consider the other conditions. The most disturbing one is this - although you don't need a police permit, your assembly cannot proceed if there is objection by the police. What? Isn't that like getting a police permit? Let me repeat. You don't need a permit but if the police object, your assembly can't go on. So, what does that mean? Your assembly is still dependent on police approval, isn't it? So what's new? If you straight away say, "That police permit waiver is a scam!", then you're not stupid. Because there is no change. And you can see it for what it is. In fact, it has now become worse. You have to give the police advance notice of your assembly 30 days before it is due to be held. Thirty days! That's a long time to plan. And what happens if you want to stage a spontaneous assembly? What if the government does something cruel and unfair and unlawful and citizens feel compelled to take to the streets to protest against it immediately? Well, that will be considered illegal. And if you don't provide the 30-day notice, you can be fined up to RM10,000! Youth discriminated And did I mention the words "streets" and "protest"? Well, according to the new bill, no street protests will be allowed. What? Then what's the point of an assembly? Only for socialising? For merely hanging about in public? No placards? No cheering? No chanting? The new bill is obviously designed to protect the government, not to give more democratic space to the citizens. It is designed to prevent people from protesting against the government. In fact, the new bill transgresses the rights of freedom guaranteed in the federal constitution. One, if you are below the age of 21, you cannot organise an assembly. Is that fair? Are those below that age not citizens who should enjoy equal rights? Is this democracy? Is this "the best democracy"? Two, if you are below the age of 15, you cannot take part in an assembly except cultural and religious ones, like funeral processions, or events approved by the home minister. Again, discrimination. Again, power to the home minister. Three, areas at which public gatherings cannot be held have now been specified. Has this ever been done before? Bill gives cops more power And if you were to look at the list of prohibited areas, which include petrol stations, hospitals, mosques, fire stations, kindergartens, schools, etc, you would see that the democratic space - also in physical terms - has become even smaller. Especially since there must also be a buffer zone of 50 metres around each of these areas that public gatherings cannot traverse. Most districts, especially in city centres, have a few of such areas in close proximity to one another. As such, the interstices between the buffers would be too small to accommodate a mass of people. How then would a public assembly be able to fill these little spaces? This condition is clearly aimed at discouraging assemblies in city centres. Four, the police have even more power now. They can decide to arrest any assembly participants they deem a problem, and those arrested can be fined up to RM20,000. Is that providing more freedom or more deterrence? And who is to say the police decisions may not be arbitrary? So, my fellow Malaysians, are we going to be stupid? Are we going to accept this bill that discriminates against some of us, throttles our freedom and disregards the constitution? Are we going to be fools and be thankful to the government and say the bill is providing reform and taking Malaysia forward, and should therefore be passed into law? Are we going to be twice bitten by the same scam and not be aware of it? Well, there's no fine imposed yet for taking to the streets. And there's still leeway to do it without giving 30 days' advance notice. Once the law is passed, however, it will be too late.

BN lacks innovative policies, sincerity for the people Posted: 24 Nov 2011 01:05 AM PST By Jackson Ng, Retired Journalist WITH the next and 13th General Election touted to be around the corner, the Barisan Nasional, especially Umno and MCA, is getting desperate. This is shown by the way Umno and MCA are dishing out goodies and financial aid to the people which they had actually condemned the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state governments for doing so after the 2008 political tsunami. It also shows BN's lack of innovative policies to help ease the financial burden of the people. BN is only good at copying the PR. That too is carried out without sincerity and sustainability. Also, what the BN could not do or deliver in 54 years, the PR did in its maiden rule in its states. The following are three significant examples: Ø The DAP-led PR Penang government implemented a policy to help senior citizens in the state by giving them a yearly cash aid of RM100 each; Ø The PKR-led PR Selangor provided free water for all in the state who used less than 20m3 of water per month; and Ø The then PAS-led PR Perak government implemented a policy to allow the conversion of leasehold land to freehold but this was retracted by BN who toppled the PR state government with the support of unethical political frogs. The BN slammed the PR state governments' innovative people-friendly policies and described the initiatives as just populist political gimmicks. However, the "gimmicks" in Penang and Selangor have remained sustainable. Compare what the PR state governments have introduced and implemented with the BN and MCA's one-time financial aid to the people. The BN and MCA's recent announcement of cash aid to the people are clearly insincere, made just to "buy" votes for the coming general election. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, in his Budget 2012 presentation, announced a RM100 aid to all public school children. He also announced a one-time payment of RM500 assistance to households with an income of RM3,000 and below. This was followed by MCA's announcement that it would allocate some RM30 million to distribute RM100 to help its members and RM200 for a new-born. This is only a one-time payment as it is unsustainable and a massive drain on the party funds. Also, funds raised for the 1MCA Medical Foundation are now being described as just another mode of income tax collection and a twisted gimmick. If not for the people's support for the PR in 2008 followed by the political pressures from the PR's style of governance, the BN and MCA would not have made the above people-friendly efforts. In fact, the people should wisely accept and take the goodies from BN and MCA but continue to support the PR in the next general election. Without the pressures from the PR, the BN and MCA will not bother to even consider any such massive financial aid to the people. Should the PR secure federal power in the next general election, there is every indication that the people are set to benefit more with the PR's access to federal funds. This is just simple logic based on what the PR state governments had been able to do or deliver since securing the mandate to rule in 2008.

Peaceful Assembly Act 2011 Posted: 24 Nov 2011 12:56 AM PST Additionally, it shall be up to any police officer on the scene to determine if the assembly is peaceful or otherwise. Immediate arrests without the need of an arrest warrant is granted. By TAKDENAMA NEWS REPORT. MMXI. Breaking News. Malaysia. The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz tabled the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 in the Malaysian Parliament on Tuesday this week. This is one of the new laws to be enacted to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA), the other new law being the Domestic Defense Act. When questioned of this new legislation, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said that this new law is one of the many concerted efforts initiated by the current government to undertake the transformation of the existing legal framework, in relation to the constitutional rights of citizens to assemble. It seeks to permit Malaysian citizens to organize and participate in assemblies peacefully and without arms. However he stressed that these assemblies are subjected to restrictions deemed necessary and in the interest of public order and security. When asked to further elaborate on the restrictions that shall be imposed, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz stated for a fact that all assemblies are restricted to areas deemed "non-prohibitive" and that the assemblies cannot be extended to being street protests. Public places and all federal governmental office areas are deemed prohibited areas and that the people participating in the assembly are off limits to a 50 meter radius of that prohibitive place. It is not known to the Auditor-General but a firm order has been placed with an Israeli government-linked company for the supply of one million units of portable laser rangefinders at USD100,000 per unit. Unconfirmed sources from within Radio Shack of the US of A has indicated that they shall be supplying these items to the Israeli company who in turn shall sell them to the an unnamed individual in the PM's Department who in turn will supply to the GOM. In another totally unrelated news, a Chinese electronic toy maker has received a firm order from Radio Shack to manufacture one million units of portable laser rangefinders. The Bill also stipulates that the organizer of an assembly must guarantee the assembly is in compliance with the laws and does not commit any act or make any statement that could promote ill-feeling, discontent or hostility amongst the public nor disturb the public tranquility, while a participant should adhere to the orders given by the police or organizer to conduct the assembly orderly. Additionally, it shall be up to any police officer on the scene to determine if the assembly is peaceful or otherwise. Immediate arrests without the need of an arrest warrant is granted. Clause 8 of the Bill also sets out the responsibilities of the police, where a police officer may take any measures deemed necessary to ensure orderly conduct of the assembly, in accordance with the Act or any other written law. In another unrelated news, the same Chinese toy maker has been ordered to manufacture another one million units of tasers. Under Clause 14, an officer in charge of a police district is required to respond to a notification of assembly within 12 days, upon receipt of the notification, which he also needs to respond to organizers, any restrictions and conditions to be imposed. Clause 15 sets out the conditions and restrictions that may be imposed by the officer in charge of the police district such as date, time and duration, and place of assembly, manner of the assembly and conduct of participants during the assembly. The Bill, when passed, will empower a police officer to arrest, without warrant, any organizer or participant who refuses or fails to comply with any restriction and condition imposed. Clause 21 also empowers a police officer to issue an order to disperse, if the assembly did not comply with the laws stated above. Clause 23 will allow a police officer to make any form of recording of an assembly while Clause 24 allows any media representative to have reasonable access to a place of assembly and use any equipment to report on the assembly. Meanwhile, in consequence to the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011, the Police Act 1967 (Act 344) will also be amended. The Bill will seek to delete sections 27, 27A, 27B and 27C of the Act 344, which does away with the requirement for a license to convene or collect assembly or meeting or to form a procession in any public place. This new law, if passed basically means that no police permits are now required but the organizers of an assembly will be required to notify the PDRM two weeks before the event and that the assembly can only be held in areas that are approved by them. Furthermore, if the assembly is deemed disorderly or racial or anti-government or within prohibited areas, the organizers can and will be held fully responsible and be arrested. Similarly, any individual considered as unruly or any individuals, after an order to disperse has been called, can be arrested on the spot, civil liberties be damned. Additionally, no persons under 15 years old can participate in such assemblies and any persons who are deemed responsible for the child being there can and will be arrested and fined up to RM20,000. When asked of the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department whether he will set up a counter within his office in Putrajaya akin to the one set up by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said that he is seriously considering it, "Paper are not cheap anymore … especially in triplicate…"

Open apology to Dato Seri Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa Group Chief Executive Officer, Telekom Malaysia Posted: 24 Nov 2011 12:51 AM PST Now that the real owner, Selangor Networking Consortium (SNC) is revealed, I am redirecting my open letter to them. Hopefully this will awaken their conscience and they will do the right thing by dismantling the tower which I believe is now fully functional. By Bobby Chiah Dear Dato Seri,   I sincerely and unreservedly apologise to Dato Seri for linking your organisation to this unsavoury telecomunication tower fiasco. Immediately after the May 1st. extended holidays (the three days when the tower was erected) a member of our Joint Management Body (JMB) went to Majlis Perbandaran Selayang (MPS) to seek answers. He was told that not only the tower belongs to Telekom Malaysia but TM also bypassed them by directly approaching Putrajaya for approval. And that is the reason why they cannot stop the installation. They portrayed themselves as the innocent and hapless party when in reality nothing is further from the truth. They were caught lying later when they admitted in their letter to YB William Leong that they in fact were the ones who issued the approval letter. But none of us ever suspected that MPS would go to the extent of making an innocent party the scapegoat. And that is why until clarification from TM, all of us were under the impression that the tower belongs to TM. Now that the real owner, Selangor Networking Consortium (SNC) is revealed, I am redirecting my open letter to them. Hopefully this will awaken their conscience and they will do the right thing by dismantling the tower which I believe is now fully functional. If I have to, I will post our predicament internationally to seek support from those whom I quoted in my letter. Whether it is a coincidence or not, after the tower became functional recently, both my grand-daughters and myself have fallen ill with the same symptoms which are lingering fever, bodyache, headache, nausea and bouts of vormiting. Medications do not help. Is it a coincidence or is it because my granddaughters are too young and I am too old that our immune systems cannot withstand the malevolent effects of the EMFs from the tower? I don't know. But if it is what I fear it is then God help us all.   Regards, Bobby Chiah

Tengku Razaleigh As Interim Prime Minister Posted: 24 Nov 2011 12:34 AM PST Syed Akbar Ali Yesterday was a very long day. Even spent time traipsing around a durian plantation. It was full of new information, new experiences and finally last nite I even took a test. (I think I passed). Yesterday evening I attended a seminar where the closing session discussed Malaysia's politics in 2012. Upon request by the organiser (a dear friend) I cannot say which seminar. Some of you folks were there as well - I am sure. The topic was the 13th General Elections. When will the 13th General Elections be held? One speaker pointed out that the GE is not due until 28 April 2013. And Constitutionally it can even be postponed by another two months. Lim Guan Eng has said that if the GE is called before June 2012, then the Pakatan held States will not dissolve their State assemblies. Karpal Singh is not in agreement. Some other folks I met say that the 13th GE will be held about six months after that Parliamentary subcommittee to study the Electoral reforms has been appointed. The subcommittee has just been appointed in November. Six months hence is therefore April 2012 - still a year before the full term ends. My view is it depends on whether the Crown Prince of Sungei Buloh is sent back to sit on his throne in Sungei Buloh. If he is sentenced to sing-sing, there will be some outcry and some sympathy. It will take about six months before the sympathy dies down. His backaches will also start again within about six months of being put in sing-sing. I can already imagine all those pictures of him - wearing braces and sitting in a wheel chair - being smuggled out of sing-sing. (All this is based on whether he is found guilty or not ok). Anyway one of the speakers said (to my surprise) that he had spoken to the Crown Prince's lawyers who do not feel confident that their client will be found innocent. In other words they also feel he will be found guilty of the charges. So six months from a guilty verdict will be about just right to have the Elections. My own view is that lets have the elections in 2013. We need more time to put things right. The time is not right yet. And the PM needs to really revamp the Cabinet. No revamp - can get mauled in the General Elections. Two other things were mentioned yesterday. One speaker said that possibly 70% of voters have already made up their minds who they want to vote. It will be very difficult to change their minds. The battle is actually (or always has been) for that remaining 30% fence sitters. I think there is some truth in this. At the last General Elections, many people decided to vote for the Opposition - no matter what you said or did, they were going to vote Opposition. Post 2008, I once embarrased (just pulling their leg) a group of hard core UMNO supporters at a dinner by asking 'Whoever DID NOT vote for the Opposition please raise your hands'. No one raised their hands. I think had voted for the Opposition in 2008. Everyone just wanted to be rid of Slumberjack and the corrupt SIL. Anyway, the clever lady who spoke yesterday said something else which I feel is extremely important. And for this round, the Prime Minister better take note of this point extremely very well. She said that the last 10 - 14 days before the General Elections are very crucial to help people make up their minds. Since most General Elections only have about two weeks campaigning period, this means a sizeable number of people (possibly that 30% of undecided voters) will actually make up their minds within 10 - 14 days before Polling Day. By that time, all the candidates representing all the parties will be known to everyone. This time around if folks like the "Lembu Condo" people appear on the ballot, there will be a price to pay. If the Mat Rempit fellow appears on the ballot, or the SIL, there will be a price to pay. Times have changed. READ MORE HERE

Kecaman Mahathir dan nurani Saifuddin Posted: 24 Nov 2011 12:27 AM PST Bagaimanapun, Mahathir yang dilihat lebih percaya kepada Muhyiddin Yassin, turut menyindir Perdana Menteri yang juga Presiden Umno, Najib Razak: "Umno memerlukan banyak masa supaya ia boleh diperkuatkan. Tapi beliau pun sibuk dan tidak mempunyai masa yang cukup. Pemimpin-pemimpin Umno yang lain pula belum ada kredibiliti dan masih baru." (Khabarnya Mahathir tidak senang dengan kegemaran Najib yang kerap melancong keluar negara). Ahmad Lutfi Othman, Harahah Daily     Wawancara Mingguan Malaysia, Ahad lalu dengan Dr Mahathir Mohamad, mengenai persiapan Umno menjelang PRU13, sempena perhimpunan agung parti itu, bermula 29 Nov ini, dikatakan mencetuskan rasa tidak puas hati ramai pemimpin dan aktivisnya. Mingguan dan Utusan Malaysia nampaknya masih menjadikan bekas Perdana Menteri itu sebagai sumber berita utama berbanding akhbar arus perdana yang lain. Bercakap kelemahan Umno, seperti lazimnya, Mahathir mengecam dan meletakkan sepenuh kesalahan kepada pengganti beliau, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi: "Umno sudah menjadi rosak teruk apabila Abdullah mengambil alih. Ini kerana beliau mengutamakan keluarganya dan macam-macam lagi pertuduhan rasuah. Lepas itu orang tahu tentang penglibatan menantunya." Bagaimanapun, Mahathir yang dilihat lebih percaya kepada Muhyiddin Yassin, turut menyindir Perdana Menteri yang juga Presiden Umno, Najib Razak: "Umno memerlukan banyak masa supaya ia boleh diperkuatkan. Tapi beliau pun sibuk dan tidak mempunyai masa yang cukup. Pemimpin-pemimpin Umno yang lain pula belum ada kredibiliti dan masih baru." (Khabarnya Mahathir tidak senang dengan kegemaran Najib yang kerap melancong keluar negara). Mahathir terus memperlekeh kemampuan pemimpin Umno, termasuk para menteri dan ketua bahagian, yang disifatkannya gagal menjawab serangan pembangkang khususnya mengenai rasuah dan kronisme. "Di kalangan pemimpin Umno tidak banyak yang berkaliber, tambah lagi mereka dikaitkan dengan rasuah seperti (semasa) bertanding untuk Ahli Majlis Tertinggi," bidasnya. Ditanya apakah orang Melayu sudah kritikal terhadap Umno, beliau menjawab: "Ini adalah soal impression bahawa Umno dipimpin orang yang korup dan orang yang ada kelayakan tidak dibenarkan masuk dan pegang jawatan. Ini adalah benar, malah kita hendak cari pemimpin dalam Umno sekarang pun susah. Di Selangor begitu ramai orang Melayu tapi hendak cari pemimpin cukup susah ..." Segera saya teringat buku Reformasi Pembiayaan Politik di Malaysia, terbitan tahun 2010, yang dihasilkan sekumpulan pengkaji Transparency International. Mahathir merupakan salah seorang yang diwawancara. Beliau dipetik sebagai berkata: "Hakikatnya setiap orang yang dilantik ke jawatan Majlis Tertinggi Umno dalam tahun 2009 memang kerana mereka menggunakan wang. Jadi bolehlah anda mengatakan bahawa jawatankuasa pusat Umno sebenarnya terdiri daripada orang yang bersikap rasuah." Seorang teman mengirim emel kepada saya, mengutip respons Ketua Pembangkang Dun Kelantan, Md Alwi Che Ahmad dalam Facebook. Saya tertarik dengan ungkapan Alwi, di antaranya: "Hari ini Tun M kata macam-macam, Melayu gaduh sama sendiri, pemimpin Umno tiada pelapis ... saya nak tanya Tun M, bukankah di zamannya Umno dan PAS mula gaduh? Dia benci PAS sebab Yusof Rawa pernah kalahkan beliau. Lepas itu dia pecat Musa Hitam, kemudian  guna Pak Ghafar, lepas itu suruh Anwar kalahkan Ghafar. Sebelumnya dia benci Tengku Razaleigh, kemudian  pecat Anwar ... Dalam FB, Alwi kelihatan berdebat dengan seorang penyokong Mahathir. Beliau turut merakamkan: "Dulu saya selalu hantar Tun M keluar negara. Cium tangan hormat pemimpin dan orang tua. Tetapi suatu hari di bilik bunga raya, saya tengok Pek Khing letak tangan atas bahu Tun M, Vincent Tan pula salam biasa, saya jadi kaget. Lepas itu saya refused menghantarnya tetapi hati saya memberontak. Aku hormatkan dan muliakan pemimpinku, (tetapi) bangsa lain .... "Saya cuma minta dia berlaku adil dalam kritikannya .... anak-anaknya tiada yang tidak kaya raya, kapalterbang sendiri pun ada, dia hentam Cina, tapi di sekelilingnya semua Cina berjaya, saya hanya mahu dia berlaku adil!" Apa pun, saya lebih terkesan dengan gesaan Mahathir agar Umno memberikan tumpuan untuk menarik pengundi Melayu. Bekas Presiden Umno ini tidak pula menunjukkan kebimbangannya dengan trend pengundi bukan Melayu, khususnya komuniti Cina, yang dijangka terus menolak BN dalam PRU13 nanti. Mahathir seperti mahu menyampaikan mesej bahawa jika berlaku swing undi di kalangan orang Melayu -- walaupun sedikit -- peluang BN untuk mengekalkan penguasaan di Putrajaya terjejas dengan teruk. Dari sisi lain, bukankah selama ini banyak pihak risau tentang keupayaan PAS untuk mendekati dan meraih sokonganmasyarakat Melayu luar bandar, khususnya di kampung-kampung tradisi dan peneroka Felda? Maknanya, yang perlukhuatir dan berusaha berlipat ganda untuk memenangi minda dan hati orang Melayu adalah PAS, bukannya Umno, 'kan? II. Dua hari sebelum berlangsungnya majlis diskusi e-buku, Kalau Saya Mahasiswa, di Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, Gombak, saya menerima SMS Saifuddin Abdullah, Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi yang mempelawa untuk turut memeriahkan program berkenaan. Saya memanjangkan jemputan itu kepada rakan-rakan lain. Bukunya itu telah saya hadam, namun saya percaya sudut pandangannya tentang dunia kampus tetap segar dan mencabar, apatah lagi UIAM merupakan gelanggang paling sesuai membicarakan isu-isu yang membelenggu kebebasan akademik, menjerut suara mahasiswa dan memperbudak golongan cendekiawan. Keuzuran menghalang saya, diganggu pula dengan deadline Harakah. Final bola sepak Sukan SEA di antara Harimau Muda dengan pasukan Indonesia di malam sama memang mengujakan tetapi saya hanya beminat untuk mengetahui keputusannya. Jantung saya masih tidak selesa untuk menanggung debaran yang memenatkan! Tanpa mengetahui perkembangan diskusi itu, esoknya, pagi Selasa, saya bertanyakan Saifudin melalui SMS, dengan hasrat untuk turut mengulasnya dalam kolum ini. Tanpa menjelaskan, beliau hanya minta alamat emel saya. Rupanya saya ketinggalan keretapi. Pada saat-saat akhir, UIAM membatalkan program itu. Saya turut merayau ke akaun Facebook Saifuddin. Beliau menyifatkannya, "ini tribulasi dan asam garam perjuangan". Kepada Malaysiakini, beliau berkata, "inilah kali pertama saya dijemput tapi program dibatalkan." Waduh, alahai ... dan aneh sekali, di waktu Mahkamah Rayuan cuba memberikan ruang untuk warga kampus melaksanakan hak yang dijamin Perlembagaan, Rektor UIAM -- tentunya selepas mendapat arahan menteri, yakni boss Saifuddin sendiri -- yang mempunyai latar belakang undang-undang yang  hebat bertindak senekad itu atas alasan "isu Auku sedang hangat diperkatakan". Belum pun berlalu episod hitam menimpa Prof Aziz Bari, UIAM seperti ghairah menagih kontroversi baru. Kali ini bukan membabitkan mana-mana tokoh pembangkang, kerana yang dihalangnya adalah seorang timbalan menteri dan Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Umno. Saya pernah mengusik Saifuddin; nampaknya beliau seperti keseorangan, atau mungkin hanya didokong Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaluddin dan Naib Presiden MCA, Senator Gan Ping Sieu, yang juga Timbalan Menteri Belia dan Sukan. Ketiga-tiga mereka popular dengan aktiviti bola keranjang, YB'sCanJump. Jawabnya, "ada ramai lagi tetapi tidak berani bersuara." Mengapa Saifuddin digeruni? Meskipun tegas mempertahankan prinsip dan berani menongkah hujah lapuk yang dikemukakan rakan-rakannya dalam BN, termasuk menyanggah daleh kolot pegawai kanan universiti, tutur katanya tetap teratur dan sopan. Dalam satu program TV, Saifuddin membidas tajam pendirian bebal bekas Naib Canselor UiTM, Ibrahim Ali Shah. Dalam e-bukunya, Saifuddin menegaskan,  Auku jelas mengongkong dan mengawal gerakan mahasiswa sehingga menjadikan mereka lesu. Beliau juga menolak hujah yang mendakwa Auku tidak menyekat gerakan pelajar hanya kerana banyaknya jumlah program yang dijalankan di kampus. Beliau mengkategorikan tiga jenis program mahasiswa, iaitu aktiviti, bakti dan advokasi. Baginya, program yang sekadar aktiviti kurang berkesan, manakala bakti dianjurkan dalam satu siri atau pakej yang punya matlamat tertentu. Sedangkan advokasi ialah prsoes pembuatan atau mempengaruhi pembuatan keputusan, yang dilakukan menerusi memorandum, perundingan, melobi dan sebagainya. "Ada aktiviti yang sekadar aktiviti. Ada aktiviti yang bersifat bakti. Ada aktiviti yang bersifat bakti dan advokasi. Manakala ada aktiviti yang bersifat advokasi sahaja, dan ada yang bersifat advokasi dan bakti sekali gus, tetapi jarang terdapat advokasi dan aktiviti sekadar aktiviti. "Gerakan mahasiswa ditandai oleh sifat atau ciri advokasi," jelas Saifuddin. Dan inilah jenis program yang terpaksa menempuh pelbagai halangan di universiti. "Ada yang berpendapat Auku 1979 perlu untuk mengawal mahasiswa daripada berpolitik kerana bimbang mahasiswa menentang kerajaan. Soalnya, mengapa tidak ditanya mengapakah kerajaan ditentang oleh mahasiswa?" katanya, dipetik daripada e-buku "Kalau Saya Mahasiswa".

Perak’s debt reaching a dizzying billion ringgit Posted: 24 Nov 2011 12:25 AM PST (Harakah Daily) -  Perak's state debt has sky-rocketed some 535 percent from RM182 million in 2000 to RM975 million currently, with a RM72 million increase in the past 12 months. Reacting to this, Taiping member of parliament Nga Kor Ming (pic) said the state's debt for last year was greater than the budget for all state projects such as the micro scheme credit, housing aid, food aid, festival aid, Tabaruk scheme and family economic cluster scheme. "All those programmes for the people only amount to RM19 million," he was quoted as saying by DAP's Malay language website Roketkini, at the state's Budget 2012 debate yesterday. On the recently tabled RM50.14 million deficit budget, the Pantai Remis state assemblyman questioned the allocation of RM915 million for expenditure. "The amount is just too huge for Perak," he said, adding that the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department reported that Perak has the highest number of families in the poverty brackets. Nga said some 192,000 families in the state earned less than RM2,300 a month, representing 12.2 percent of all families in the country under the poverty group. "This clearly proves that after 54 years under BN, not only has the coalition failed to bring up the state to a respectable income earning status, many of our people still live in poverty, especially the Malays," he added. Nga described the state budget as wasteful and aimed to enrich the cronies while using debts to fish for votes by giving out goodies. "This is just an election budget. But the people see through all this. It may just help PR to win," he quipped.

WIKILEAKS: Anwar tells the US he has documentary evidence of Najib's corruption Posted: 23 Nov 2011 05:09 PM PST Anwar raised as examples the alleged cover-up in the Altantuya murder case and kick-backs paid to fronts for DPM Najib Tun Razak for the procurement of French submarines and the 2003 purchase of Sukhoi aircraft. He felt emboldened to raise these matters in recent press conferences because he possessed solid information, including documentary evidence in the case of the Sukhoi deal. Much of the information about the latter cases came directly from senior officials who met with Anwar, including the Director General of at least one ministry and a senior officer at the Central Bank. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Classified By: AMBASSADOR CHRISTOPHER J. LAFLEUR, REASON 1.4 (B AND D). Summary 1.  (S) Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, speaking with polchief January 18, amplified his recent attacks on Deputy Prime Minister Najib, alleging official cover-up of Najib's connection with the Altantuya murder case and Najib's involvement in corrupt military procurements.  Anwar (protect) asserted that DPM Najib's aide-de-camp ordered the killing of Altantuya and that Anwar possessed firm evidence of the 2003 Sukhoi kick-back scheme.  A January 19 court affidavit by jailed Najib confidante Razak Baginda revealed a link to Najib's ADC, allowing Anwar to sharpen his public calls for police to question the Deputy Prime Minister. Anwar expressed hope that PM Abdullah's "weakness" could allow for a somewhat fairer playing field for Malaysian opposition parties in the next national elections and asserted that opportunities for democratic reform would end if and when DPM Najib took over.  Anwar now is attempting to shift his political opposition role into higher gear.  At this point, however, it is not clear that Anwar has a winning game plan and his expressed electoral hopes are very modest at best.  End Summary. Najib-Linked Scandals Damage Malaysia's Integrity 2.  (C) Former Deputy Prime Minister and opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim, accompanied by his wife Wan Azizah, told polchief during their January 18 meeting at Anwar's Damansara home that high-level corruption had reached dangerous levels and had damaged the nation's integrity. Anwar raised as examples the alleged cover-up in the Altantuya murder case and kick-backs paid to fronts for DPM Najib Tun Razak for the procurement of French submarines and the 2003 purchase of Sukhoi aircraft.  He felt emboldened to raise these matters in recent press conferences (picked up mainly by internet news services) because he possessed solid information, including documentary evidence in the case of the Sukhoi deal.  Much of the information about the latter cases came directly from senior officials who met with Anwar, including the Director General of at least one ministry and a senior officer at the Central Bank. 3.  (S) On the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder (see below), Anwar (protect in this paragraph) claimed that Najib had been romantically involved with the Mongolian woman prior to her relationship with Abdul Razak Baginda (Najib's confidante accused of abetting the woman's murder), and implied that Altantuya had intended to incriminate Najib as well as Razak Baginda.  Leaning forward and in a hushed voice, Anwar asserted that he had firm information that Najib's aide-de-camp ordered the two members of Najib's security detail (who are charged with murder) to kill Altantuya. Based on his information, Anwar said he had called publicly for the police to question Najib.  (Comment:  In December we heard from one of Anwar's lawyers that Razak Baginda's wife was in contact with Anwar and Wan Azizah, suggesting one possible source for Anwar's information.  End Comment.) Background on Altantuya Murder Case 4.  (C) Note:  In November 2006, Malaysian police arrested urbane think tank analyst Razak Baginda, a close confidante of DPM/Defense Minister Najib and a beneficiary of an enormous broker's fee for the Defense Ministry's purchase of French submarines.  Police charged Razak with abetting the October 19, 2006, murder of a young Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, with whom he reportedly had an affair. Police also brought murder charges against two police officers assigned to the Special Operations Force that protects the Deputy Prime Minister.  Publicly the case has attracted sensationalist media coverage, while privately the rumor mill has gone into overdrive fueled by speculation of Najib's possible connection to Altantuya and her murder. Perceived irregularities on the part of prosecutors and the court, and the alleged destruction of some evidence, suggested to many that the case was subject to strong political pressure intended to protect Najib. The trial phase will begin in March 2008. Razak's Affidavit Supports Anwar's Public Calls 5.  (SBU) Note continued:  Anwar used his January 10 press conference to urge police to question Najib, while clarifying that, "we are not inferring that (Najib) is in the know or gave the instructions (to murder Altantuya)."  On January 19, Abdul Razak Baginda presented a court affidavit in support of his unsuccessful bail application.  According to press accounts, Abdul Razak Baginda's affidavit confirmed that he sought the help of Musa Safri, later identified by reporters as Najib's ADC.  On January 20, Anwar told a political rally, "It was clearly stated that Abdul Razak had gone to the deputy premier's office to meet with the head of Najib's bodyguards.  Why can't we question this?  Why can't we investigate?"  Mainstream media subsequently carried articles citing the Altantuya family's lawyer asking for prosecutors to reopen the case based on new information in the affidavit. End Note. Abdullah's Weakness Creates (Limited) Political Opening 6.  (C) Anwar confided to polchief that Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's "weakness" and his inability to control fully the government, police and party apparatus could allow for a somewhat fairer playing field during the next national elections.  PM Abdullah, however, had already shut down discussion of significant electoral reforms, which the Electoral Commission chairman had urged in public comments made in early January.  Anwar expected the government would continue to shut off his access to the mainstream media. (Comment:  There has not been a complete black-out on mainstream press coverage of Anwar; however, his activities and public remarks find rare mention in major papers, and none that we have noticed on television.  End Comment.) Democratic openings and prospects for reform would end, Anwar argued, if and when the DPM replaced Abdullah, given Najib's character and his inner circle of supporters. 7.  (C) Anwar's Malaysian People's Justice Party (Keadilan) and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) identified opportunities to make some electoral gains in Penang, Sabah and Selangor states in the next national election.  Anwar noted that he spent a large amount of time brokering meetings between DAP and the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) in order to foster a better working relationship among these opposition parties.  Given limited access to the media, Anwar stated that he had difficulties reaching rural Malay voters to explain his positions, particularly his opposition to the current Malay set-aside programs, which he believes should be based on need, not race.  Polchief raised 2006 polling data that indicated a strong racial divide among young Malaysians and, when asked, Anwar did not identify any trend away from race-based politics. 8.  (C) Anwar stated that he was encouraging foreign democracy NGOs to initiate activities in Malaysia in hopes their programs and presence would contribute to a freer political climate.  He was reaching out to organizations from the U.S. (NDI, IRI), Europe, Turkey and Indonesia.  Anwar noted, in particular, the importance of non-American groups taking up issues of democracy in Malaysia, and indicated his own desire not to become closely identified with the U.S. out of concern his opponents would use this against him.  Anwar noted he would continue to engage in international meetings, but would curtail or resign from official roles in some overseas organizations to better position himself for politics in Malaysia.  Expressing disappointment with the limited influence of MAFREL, an election monitoring NGO, Anwar supported efforts to stand up a more high-powered, independent election watchdog, possibly headed by noted lawyer and former UN special envoy Param Cumaraswamy (who is part of Anwar's legal team in his suit against former Prime Minister Mahathir). 9.  (C) Anwar, surrounded by boxes in his home, told polchief he had sold the house in the elite Damansara neighborhood and purchased a large home in a poorer neighborhood further from the city.  He implied that the reasons for the move were financial. Comment 10.  (C) Due to his conviction in April 1999 for misuse of his official position, Anwar remains barred from seeking political office until April 2008.  However, he now is clearly back in Malaysian politics and attempting to shift his political opposition role into higher gear after spending much of his time overseas following his 2004 prison release. Using press conferences to lob bombshells focused on Najib-linked corruption and the sensationalistic Altantuya murder case is a tactic whose impact is limited by Anwar's modest coverage in the government-dominated mainstream media but which is in keeping with the gadfly function traditionally played by the weaker Malaysian opposition parties. 11. (C) Political gossip is Malaysia's favorite indoor sport, and some here speculate that Anwar nurses bigger ambitions. Najib personifies the privileged UMNO elite into which he was born and lacks Anwar's Islamic activist credentials or personal magnetism.  However, after Abdullah, UMNO currently has no serious alternative to Najib.  By chipping away at Najib's reputation, Anwar could be looking to raise doubts inside UMNO about the wisdom of that succession and perhaps weaken resistance to Anwar's eventual return to the fold and perhaps even to leadership.  Some speculate, too, that Abdullah is well aware of this dynamic and intends to use Anwar to keep Najib in check.  However, as Anwar also continues to take pot shots as well at Abdullah, there remains uncertainty about the likelihood of real reconciliation with the PM. 12.  (C) At this point, it is not clear to us that Anwar in fact has a winning game plan and his expressed electoral hopes seem very modest at best.  In 2006, former Prime Minister Mahathir's challenge to PM Abdullah ironically stole much of the opposition's thunder, or at least the public's attention.  With the Mahathir threat largely diffused for the time being, the field may be more open for Anwar to stake out a position as Malaysia's primary opposition voice in the year ahead. LAFLEUR (2007)

Economic policies that do not add up Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:39 PM PST The lack of economic expertise in Pakatan Rakyat underlines the many difficulties the Opposition would encounter if it captures Putrajaya. Except for Tony Pua, the DAP MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, there are no competent economic advisers working with Opposition controlled states that are struggling to line up economic advisors, the cable noted. By Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star WHILE Pakatan Rakyat has been quick to capitalise on Barisan Nasional's political setbacks like the current controversy over the National Feedlot Corpora-tion, it is weak in its economic policy formulation, and one reason is the lack of qualified economists. This shortcoming would weigh heavily on the coalition if it were ever to capture Putrajaya. Its weakness in formulating economic policies like the Alternative Budget 2012 that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim read out to reporters a day before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak presented his Budget in Parliament, is a sign of its incompetency in ruling the country. The Pakatan Rakyat budget was a wishy-washy affair. More thought should have gone into it beyond a cursory glance at where revenue is coming from and the expenditure incurred. Instead Anwar just "handed out cash to the poor, teachers and farmers". The failure to formulate a serious, alternative Budget is yet another example of the weakness of the coalition that would affect their ability to rule the country. Its inability to go beyond making unrealistic and populist demands and criticising the policies formulated by the experts i.e. Bank Negara economists, is a setback to Pakatan growing into a valid and competent coalition. Populist policies are easily made but their implementation is hard, if not totally unrealistic. For instance, Anwar campaigned in 2008 that if you voted for him and he takes Putrajaya, the price of oil would be lowered the very next day.. He can do it by further subsidising the price of "subsidised oil" and that is economic madness and unsustainable. Furthermore, Anwar is economic adviser to the Selangor government, earning a fee of just RM1 another populist measure that gels well with the rakyat in the state. But how much FDI (foreign direct investment) has he brought into Selangor? Beyond sloganeering like merakyatkan ekonomi, what are the realistic economic steps that he has taken thus far? The lack of qualified economic formulators is glaring and shows how the Barisan federal government is far superior in that respect to the proposed Pakatan government when it comes to administering the economy, warts and all. This lack of economic know-how was apparent in a leaked US State Department cable by Wikileaks on Nov 8, which stated that Pakatan lacked economic policy formulators within its ranks and how this shortcoming weighs on them as a coalition. It also speculated why this was so and suggested that it could be due to Pakatan's failure to give them high wages and that "politics" could have frightened them away. The lack of economic expertise among them underlines some of the many difficulties they would encounter if they capture Putrajaya. While the Opposition-run states are struggling without competent experts, their politicians also show little aptitude for heavy economics. Except for Tony Pua, the DAP MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, there are no competent economic advisers working with Opposition controlled states that are struggling to line up economic advisors, the cable noted. Pua is a one-man-band and he has his hands full. Besides, "one swallow does not make a summer". And, if Pakatan captures Putrajaya, PAS will pull the country one way and PKR in another and the DAP, a third way demanding that affirmative action policies are abolished immediately. Each is committed to its own constituents in different ways. There is little cooperation among them on economic matters beyond agreeing on political matters like seat sharing and working to capture Putrajaya. There's is no deal on how Pakatan would rule the country, no documents stating the basis of their rule and no power-sharing formula. They have no shadow Cabinet. Their power-sharing formula, in the event they capture Putrajaya, is simply that Anwar would be prime minister and his deputies would be DAP's Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. There is also not much difference between Barisan and Pakatan in the broad policy framework for the country. They are both for an open economy and for FDI to grow the economy. But there the similarities end and the differences emerge. There are differences over affirmative action policies that is favoured by Barisan, PKR and PAS but not by the DAP. This is a cause for dissension. While all three Pakatan parties are against corruption along with Barisan there is a realisation that much of the corruption is linked to the affirmative action policies and that corruption can only be defeated if that policy is abolished. This is the DAP's stand and it is markedly different from the rest. Pakatan's weakness in economic matters would show immediately and in a serious manner if they ever were to capture power. There would be chaos as they find their bearings, if at all. The state will be pulled in different ways between Anwar's populist promises, PAS' Islamic economics and the DAP's desire to streamline the civil service and abolish affirmative action.

A last hurrah for the labour movement? Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:18 PM PST Although a nationwide protest organised by the Malaysian Trades Union Congress on Nov 3 was declared a success by its organisers, the modest turnout of some 2,000 people at 18 locations nationwide signals that workers themselves do not feel empowered to send the authorities a strong message about the proposed amendments.  Written by R B Bhattacharjee, The Edge     The storm that is brewing over the proposed amendments to the Employment Act 1955 has so far not blown as hard as it could, considering the fundamental changes to labour relations that could result from the revised enactment. Trade unions are agitating against the amendments since they will allow employers to hire contract workers through third party agencies, undermining the fundamental employer-employee relationship. This, the unions argue, will be against the workers' best interests on a number of fronts. For one, the new law would absolve employers of their responsibility for their workers' welfare, which will rest with the labour contractor. Wages would also be driven down as labour suppliers would bid against each other to secure contracts from employers. Further, jobs will be less secure as employers would be freer to cut down on their workforce than if the workers were their permanent employees. Moreover, employees would be discouraged from joining unions as employers would be free to hire non-union members who would have less collective bargaining power. Trade unions are naturally extremely worried not just on behalf of the workers, but because their clout would be greatly diminished as union membership goes into a downward spiral.  Indeed, the ongoing protests against the amendments could well be a last hurrah for unions in the country. Although a nationwide protest organised by the Malaysian Trades Union Congress on Nov 3 was declared a success by its organisers, the modest turnout of some 2,000 people at 18 locations nationwide signals that workers themselves do not feel empowered to send the authorities a strong message about the proposed amendments. At any rate, generating public awareness about the changing labour scenario will likely be a test of the trade union movement's readiness to engage its stakeholders at a crucial stage in its existence. If the shift in the power relationship involving business, government and labour looks more or less inevitable, it may be because some of the practices described earlier have already crept into the employment scene, not  just in Malaysia but worldwide as well. It is also a reality that governments everywhere have become increasingly susceptible to business pressure to make the labour market as flexible as possible. This plea for maximum efficiency in the utilisation of resources, including labour, has left governments less willing to exercise their balancing role as regulators to ensure that the welfare of workers is not compromised in their eagerness to attract investors. Critics of the proposed amendments have heaped some rather strong language on the government for its pro-business move, calling it "a return to slavery", "anti-labour" and "anti-union", among other things. The government for its part has pointed out that the amendments were drawn up after extensive consultations with stakeholders, including labour movement representatives. Ironically, Human Resources Minister Datuk S Subramaniam has been quoted as saying that the legalisation of the labour contractor system is intended to protect the rights of workers by ensuring that labour suppliers are registered and monitored. In the face of growing turbulence in the job market, many employees themselves have been seen to look out for themselves first instead of going for collective representation for the greater good of all workers. This is seen for example when companies are downsizing, when employees seek to make themselves more valuable to their employers in order to be retained over their colleagues. Employers have the luxury of picking whoever goes along with their plan, including accepting wage cuts and increased responsibilities, as their workers scramble for a reduced number of positions. While industrial action could become less common over time as individual workers on contract feel the need to safeguard his or her own job, this may be more due to the weakening of the labour movement rather than increasing worker satisfaction on the job. A more fundamental reason for this shift would be the growing influence of corporations over economies in comparison with governments and workers organisations. When this imbalance reaches an extreme disequilibrium, a breakdown in the social system could result, with street protests, sit-ins, voter revolts and other civil actions taking place. As actors in modern society, most of us are so completely sold on the corporatisation of our economies that it is almost impossible to imagine that alternative economic and social systems are viable, have many positive balancing attributes and indeed have existed for many millennia. For us to acknowledge that fact, the current economic chaos that has its roots in the uncontrolled leveraging of the global financial system, must run its course. Unfortunately, the pain that accompanies the structural corrections that are taking place will have to be endured before the wisdom that guides more sustainable and just social and economic systems become acceptable to mainstream society. Until such time, however, more flexible labour regulations should be balanced by stronger safety nets to serve as a buffer for an increasing prospect of unemployment as capital keeps shifting in search of the most efficient markets. In gentler times, the extended family and a stronger rural network provided a respite from economic hardship resulting from job losses. Today, that option is less viable for an increasing number of families, while the retraining and job placement schemes that are in place are far from adequate and riddled with inefficiencies. For now, it is disquieting that the government's push for the labour law amendments have not been accompanied by the concurrent attention to safeguards to prevent workers from being victimised by unethical employers. R B Bhattacharjee is an associate editor with The Edge.

Shahril to be president, group CEO of merged Sapura-Kencana group Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:15 PM PST (The Edge) - Sapura Group president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shahril Shamsuddin will be the president and group chief executive officer of the merged SAPURACREST PETROLEUM BHD and KENCANA PETROLEUM BHD. According to documents sighted by The Edge FinancialDaily, Sapura group chairman Datuk Hamzah Bakar will be the chairman of the new board while Kenaca's executive chairman Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir will  be appointed the executive vice chairman. Both the president & group CEO and executive vice chairman will report directly to the board. Currently, the integration committee for the merger exercise is jointly chaired by Shahril and Mokhzani. Both companies will be seeking shareholders' approval at an EGM on Dec 14 for the proposed merger. The Securities Commission has already given its go-ahead for the merger. In July, the petroleum-related companies announced the merger which would be undertaken by Integral Key Sdn Bhd (IKSB), a special purpose vehicle. IKSB had then made a RM11.85-billion offer to acquire all their assets and liabilities in a share swap. The merger of equals will have a combined market capitalisation in excess of RM10 billion. According to the documents, Shahril said the integration committee was set up to achieve a successful merger and to formulate the strategic direction of the new merged entity moving forward. He had also said that it is "critical that we put in place a strong and dynamic organisational structure that would ensure business continuity and realisation of the synergies we hope to derive as a merged entity. I would like to assure each and everyone of you that you will continue to be an important part of the new organisation moving forward".

Air: Utusan cuba perbodoh rakyat Kelantan Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:11 PM PST "Cuba bayangkan pula usaha kerajaan negeri mahu meningkatkan bekalan air tidak mendapat kerjasama kerajaan pusat dalam tempoh begitu lama. Selama 13 tahun Kelantan diketepikan mendapat sebarang peruntukan. Usahkan peruntukan, pinjaman pun tidak diberi pada awalnya," ujarnya. (HARAKAH) - Biar pun lima siri laporan khas dimuat Utusan Malaysia bagi memburukkan Kelantan berkaitan isu bekalan air bersih, namun ia dianggap belum mampu mengocak jiwa rakyat. Ini kerana setiap hari mereka boleh minum, mandi, membasuh dan apa-apa sahaja kegiatan menggunakan air bersih dibekalkan Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB). Malah, pelabur tetap memilih Kelantan sebagai destinasi pelaburan mereka. Seandainya bekalan air di sini kritikal mengapa mereka memilih mengembangkan operasi perniagaan di Kelantan. Apakah agenda setting Utusan peringkat tertinggi itu mampu memperbodohkan rakyat Kelantan. Jawapannya tidak. Begitu juga dakwaan isu air dicemari bakteria E.coli, mangan dan arsenik, sedangkan kadarnya lebih rendah berbanding negeri-negeri lain. Misalnya kadar kandungan E.coli di Kelantan hanya sekitar 0.88 peratus berbanding Pahang (1.12 peratus),  Perak (0.90 peratus), Perlis (1.21 peratus) dan Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan (1.01 peratus). Pengurus Besar AKSB, Ir Mohamad Hanafi Mahmud berkata, kadar kandungan bakteria E.coli hanya dalam peratusan kecil, dan diatasi segera setelah dikesan kandungannya. Lagi pun katanya setiap minggu sampel air di semua loji rawatan air AKSB dihantar ke Pejabat Kesihatan untuk dianalisis. "Setakat ini tiada pun teguran dibuat jabatan terbabit berkaitan isu yang ditimbulkan sebuah akhbar arus perdana sekarang," katanya. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perumahan, Kerjaraya, Utiliti dan Alam Sekitar, Datuk Mejar (B) Md Anizam Abdul Rahman (kiri) berkata, sebanyak 3531 sampel air dianalisis Jabatan Kesihatan dan hanya 31 kes sahaja dikesan ada kandungan E.coli. "Persoalannya sekarang mengapa Kelantan sahaja yang digegerkan dalam media sehingga setiap hari disiarkan kenyataan negetif. "Ini seolah-olah menggambarkan negeri lain tidak ada E.coli. Tidak selamanya rakyat mudah ditipu dengan maklumat berat sebelah seperti yang menjadi mainan Utusan Malaysia sekarang," katanya di sini. Malah kata beliau akhbar terbabit juga lupa tanggungjawab menyediakan perkhidmatan bekalan air adalah di bawah kerajaan pusat, dan kerajaan negeri cuma menyalurkan sumber air. "Mengapa mereka tidak cuba rujuk kepada perlembagaan yang secara jelas menerangkan perkara itu. Jangan cuba hendak kelirukan rakyat. "Memandangkan tugas tersebut tidak dilaksanakan kerajaan pusat, kerajaan negeri terpaksa mengambil alihnya bagi memastikan kesejahteraan kehidupan rakyat. "Cuba bayangkan pula usaha kerajaan negeri mahu meningkatkan bekalan air tidak mendapat kerjasama kerajaan pusat dalam tempoh begitu lama. "Selama 13 tahun Kelantan diketepikan mendapat sebarang peruntukan. Usahkan peruntukan, pinjaman pun tidak diberi pada awalnya," ujarnya. Beliau berkata, sepanjang tempoh itu prasarana bekalan air tetap juga dipertingkat termasuk mendapat pinjaman daripada institusi kewangan. Hanya pada 2003 barulah pinjaman mudah diluluskan sebanyak RM600 juta, itu pun diberi bukan sekaligus, sebaliknya sedikit demi sedikit. Menurutnya Md Anizam hasil kesungguhan kerajaan negeri sehingga sekarang hampir 70 peratus rakyat Kelantan mendapat bekalan air bersih disediakan AKSB.

Crisis in the Chambers Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:02 PM PST More and more senior DPPs are throwing in the towel and the list includes Solicior-General II Mohd Yusof. Sources claim that the AG is to be blamed for this. (Free Malaysia Today) - Allegations of internal politicking, nepotism and cronyism are swirling in the Attorney-General's Chambers and fed-up deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) are tendering their letters for optional retirement. Those interviewed by FMT agreed to voice their grievances on condition of anonymity. These legal eagles believe that the rot is beyond repair and pin the blame on Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail himself. According to them, it is an open secret that those loyal to Gani rise up the ranks and are given key tasks irrespective of whether they are qualified for the job or otherwise. Those considered hostile or critical of the AG's decisions often land in cold storage. "The only criteria (required) is that the DPP must be close to him (Gani) and not go against his or his men's word," said a former senior DPP who served for nearly 30 years. Initially, only a handful felt upset with Gani but the number has grown over the years and they are tendering their application for optional retirement. "The AG in his capacity as the head of the department is approving the applications without the slightest of hesitation," said another vexed DPP. In their application, most of the DPPS cite "personal reasons" for their decision. "It's very difficult for them to state the actual reason since only the AG has the discretionary power whether to approve their applications or not. They will be asking for trouble if they state 'AG's conduct' as being the reason," said the DPP. Son, daughter-in-law promoted Quizzed on their grouses regarding Gani and his men, one DPP cited the management of the International Centre for Law and Legal Studies (ICELLS), where the AG's son and daughter-in-law are attached to. "Both of them have less than five years experience in the service but have already been promoted to Grades L48 and L52 respectively. In our service, there was never such a promotion exercise. "As far as I know, it is only in Malaysia that the AG and his next-of-kin are working in the same department and same building," he said. He added that initially research division head K Muniandy was slated to helm ICELLS. "Muniandy was the former deputy head of prosecution and highly respected in the legal fraternity but he was sidelined, prompting him to put in his optional retirement papers at the age of 50. "He was the only 'Jusa A' Indian officer in the Chambers and probably in the entire civil service. So there must be something seriously wrong when someone of his calibre and experience chooses to quit," he added. For the record, besides Muniandy, other senior DPPs who have left the service are S Devanandan, Ahmad Firuz Zainal Abidin, Dr Sabirin Jaafar, Shamsul Sulaiman and Sallehuddin Saidin. READ MORE HERE

The 13th GE: Its an open field Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:56 PM PST SAKMONGKOL AK47 Rahim Tamby Chik (RTC) says there are attempts by the opposition  parties to invite Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to become PM. This will happen Rahim says, if there is a hung parliament. Such a situation is untenable says Rahim because it will create political instability. So UMNO must work hard to get a 2/3rd majority. Those were the observations and musings by (RTC) on the political possibilities after the GE13. What is intriguing was his warning that a hung parliament will create instability. I hope we will not be in such a situation. Malaysians would prefer a clear cut victory one way or the other. I am not going to respond to his nervous prognosis; being more interested on how such a scenario can possibly happen and what are the implications if it does. I don't think we are going to have a hung parliament. It will be clear cut either way. I am also bemused at his attempt to involve Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in such a scenario. To qualify as a participant in any future negotiations should a hung parliament comes into being, TRH must be head of a political party. Right now, TRH is in UMNO and doesn't head a party nor is he a leader of any faction in UMNO. Could Rahim's advice be another attempt to isolate TRH from UMNO? TRH is far too principled to agree being appointed as leader of government on a personal to holder basis. He will be a figurehead.  Oh, because Tengku has never disowned the ambitions to become PM, comes the answer from UMNO people. So my answer is- why should he not have that ambition? He was cheated to becoming one before. He has all the credentials to become one. Here is an interesting piece of information. When certain UMNO people wanted to kick out Abdullah Badawi , they approached Tengku Razaleigh for a solution. Their agenda was only one- because of Najib's hesitation they went to see Razaleigh asking him to stand as UMNO president and Muhyidin as Deputy President. This group was made up of powerful people, united at that time, by their intense disapproval and loathing of Dollah Badawi. My point is this- at that time, they didn't think it was inappropriate for Tengku Razaleigh to become UMNO president and if he had won, go on to become PM. Tengku's ambition wasn't an issue. His age wasn't an issue. The fundamental objective was to remove Pak Lah. Why should the opposition parties invite Tengku Razaleigh to become PM, if they could win the elections on their own? PAS has Haji Hadi, DAP has Lim Guan Eng and PKR has Anwar Ibrahim? This assessment presupposes that between the 3, neither one accepts the leader of each party as a future PM.  It also assumes further, that Tengku Razaleigh commands a number of elected MPs to give him standing in future negotiations. Where will he get the MPs? Rahim says 20-30 people are being lined up to stand as MPs who are aligned to Tengku Razaleigh. Where are these people? In UMNO? Within the opposition camp? So now, let us build up a case, why a hung parliament cannot happen. Just for the moment, let's not talk about how UMNO and BN can lose. Let's talk about HOW the opposition- DAP, PAS, PKR can WIN.  Let's begin by asking, will the PR lose its current 82 seats? Possible, but very unlikely. The seats which they lost when some people jumped ship, will become theirs again. We won't see the likes of Zahrain and his types in parliament again. READ MORE HERE

Don organises assembly to protest Bill Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:50 PM PST Wong Chin Huat of Monash University says that the Bill has tested his 'tolerance for idiocy'. (Free Malaysia Today) - An academic has decided to thumb his nose at the recently tabled Peaceful Assembly Bill by doing exactly what the Bill aims to prohibit. Wong Chin Huat of Monash University has organised a peaceful assembly called "Malaysians Can Walk Freely In KLCC Without Police Permit" to take place this Saturday afternoon at the mall. As of last night, 300 people have indicated their attendance via the event's Facebook page. But Wong isn't out to recreate Bersih 2.0. For him even 50 people would be enough to drive home the absurdity of the Bill and show the government that the people will not accept the Bill in its current form. Touted by the opposition and NGOs as being even more repressive than the Police Act 1967, the Bill seeks to ban street protests and empowers the police to impose restrictions on public assemblies. "My tolerance for idiocy has reached its limit with that Bill," an exasperated Wong told FMT. "Would you need a police permit to hold a wedding dinner or to go to the pasar malam with friends?" "So why do you need one for an assembly with a cause attached to it? The government isn't banning personal and professional assemblies, so why ban political ones?" Wong explained that he also wanted the public to rethink their notion of a demonstration in that it needn't involve banners, placards and shouting. "That just gives the police a legit excuse to stop the demonstration," he pointed out. "So we will show them that we can still demonstrate without any of that." "If the people feel strongly enough they can bring a flag because we are there for our country. Or they can bring balloons or flowes because rallies are meant to be fun." READ MORE HERE

Race-based affirmative action needed for now Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:49 PM PST In saying this, an academic however adds that its programmes must be made more effective so that they can one day be removed. (Free Malaysia Today) - An academic believes that while race-based affirmative action has failed in its mission to unify the country, it can never be replaced by need-based considerations. Lee Hock Aun, a senior lecturer of development studies at the Faculty of Economics and Administration in Universiti Malaya, said that need-based considerations should in fact be enforced within race-based actions so as to achieve the best results. "Need-based considerations complement measures to redress racial under-representation by targeting the socio-economically needy with the beneficiary group. "Addressing need-based issues alone isn't going to engender a change in upward mobility sufficiently or at a politically acceptable pace. And politics are important here for a symbolic and substantial change, " he added during a talk entitled "Affirmative Action in Malaysia versus Affirmative Action in South Africa" at the LoyarBurok Community Centre here last night. Lee explained that while need-based considerations would be feasible in the realm of education, it would be a tangled mess where employment and business dealings are concerned. He pointed out that it is universally acceptable that children should not be denied an education just because they are born into unfortunate circumstances. Need-based considerations, therefore, would seamlessly factor into this situation. But he questioned whether an employer would then also be expected to give preference to candidates based on their socio-economic background and an assessment of their needs. Or whether a contract should be awarded to the vendor who is deemed to be in greater need of business. "It's practically very difficult," Lee said. "If need-based considerations are replacing race-based actions, then a framework with thorough guidelines is needed." "But perhaps more importantly is to make the current race-based actions more effective so that one day it will be no longer needed and can be removed entirely." Here the executive director of the Research for Social Enhancement (Refsa), Teh Chi-Chang, interjected with an observation that the implemantation of Article 153 is arguable. He pointed out that the second provision refers to the reservation of places for the Malays in institutions of higher learning. "But the approach today has been the establishment of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) colleges that are strictly for Bumiputeras," Teh said. "It's not reservational any longer since there is now a whole new section that excludes other communities. In a different climate you could challenge that as unconstitutional. " Another participant then pointed out that many students from Mara colleges floundered upon entering public universities as their educational foundation proved to be weak. READ MORE HERE

Emergency laws lifted, EO void Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:46 PM PST The government lifts the existing three emergency proclamations which in effect makes the Emergency Ordinance void. (Free Malaysia Today) - The government today lifted the three existing emergency proclamations, rendering the Emergency Public Order and Prevention of Crime Ordinance 1969 (EO) void. In accordance with clause (7) Article 150 of the Federal Constitution, the EO would lapse in May, six months after the proclamations are lifted. The three proclamations are: 1966 Emergency Proclamation issued in Sarawak for the state to resolve its political disputes; 1969 Emergency Proclamation issued following the May 13 racial riots; and 1977 Emergency Proclamation issued in Kelantan on Nov 8, 1977 to resolve the state's political disputes. "The reason the proclamations are lifted is because the emergency situation which threatens the security, economic livelihood and public order does not exist at the present moment," Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak told the Dewan Rakyat. He also informed the House that with the EO rendered void, a need arises for the government to take the necessary steps to ensure that there would be no difficulties or obstacles for the authorities to control crime, protect economic livelihood and ensure public order. The existence of the proclamations also gave the government, under Article 150 of the Federal Constitution, to make laws without passing them through Parliament. However, Najib said with the lifting of these proclamations, the government no longer has the power to make laws under Article 150. READ MORE HERE

Komen yang hina rakyat Kelantan Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:43 PM PST "Orang Indonesia mentalitinya lebih rendah sedikit dari rakyat Kelantan tapi persamaannya mereka bersifat fanatik dan kenegerian yang melampau," begitulah bunyi satu komen pembaca di dalam akhbar Berita Harian semalam. Nazli Ibrahim, Free Malaysia Today Aduhai Berita Harian, hampir saya tidak terkata apa-apa apabila terbaca sahaja komen yang bersifat penghinaan yang bukan sahaja terhadap rakyat Indonesia malah lebih teruk lagi ditujukan sesama sendiri iaitu warga Malaysia dari Kelantan. Apabila terbaca komen seperti ini, cuma tiga perkara yang secara automatik terlintas dalam fikiran saya iaitu komen bodoh, komen bodoh dan komen bodoh. Selepas itu barulah saya terfikir lagi, kalau komen ini adalah komen bodoh dari seorang pembaca akhbar itu, bagaimana pula dengan editor yang melepaskan tulisan-tulisan seperti ini? Saya tidaklah mahu mengatakan yang editornya lebih bodoh berbanding orang yang mendapat ilham menulis komen ini, tetapi tidakkah tuan editor ini dapat berfikir dengan jelas kesannya nanti. Sudahlah kredibiliti akhbar ini yang dianggap sebagai sebuah akhbar dari aliran media arus perdana semakin diragui, ditambah lagi dengan menyiarkan komen seperti ini hanya menyebabkan bilangan yang meragui kredibiliti akhbar ini semakin bertambah. Penghinaan Ini menyebabkan saya tertanya-tanya lagi kepada ketua editor akhbar itu pula, tiada apa-apakah yang mampu dibuatnya berhubung komen berbentuk penghinaan yang dilepaskan oleh editornya itu? Selain itu, adakah penulis komen yang menggunakan nama samaran Lamputoslet dan editor akhbar ini tidak menyedari ada di antara wira muda yang menjulang nama negara dalam acara bola sepak Sukan SEA itu berasal dari Kelantan. Tidak sedarkah yang Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Syahrul Azwari dan Wan Zaharul Nizam adalah anak-anak Kelantan yang bermain untuk negara yang mereka cintai? Cuba tanya Khairul Fahmi, setiap kali dia menyarung jersi kebangsaan adakah dia merasakan dia bermain untuk negeri Kelantan atau Malaysia. Begitulah bertubi-tubi persoalan yang timbul dalam fikiran saya selepas membaca komen Lamputoslet itu. Sekali lagi, aduh mak, gara-gara komen bodoh seperti ini, tidak pasal-pasal ada yang sudah mula berbalas maki-hamun sesama sendiri di laman sosial face book. Mentaliti rendah Yalah, siapa yang tidak panas hati apabila diri kita dikatakan memiliki mentaliti yang rendah, lebih-lebih lagi komen seperti itu dibuat di akhbar dan boleh dibaca oleh sesiapa sahaja. Kalau pembaca yang lemah mindanya seperti si pemberi komen itu, mudah untuk menganggap komen itu adalah benar-benar berlaku. Saya bukanlah berasal dari Kelantan, tetapi seorang warganegara Malaysia yang memegang mykad dengan kod ditengah-tengahnya '01′. Meskipun saya bukan anak Kelantan, saya memang bersetuju sangat kalau ada di kalangan rakan-rakan di Kelantan yang berhajat membuat laporan polis. Kenapa tidak, bukankah membuat laporan polis memang sudah menjadi satu trend terbaharu dalam masyarakat negara ini dan tidak lagi suatu yang membosankan seperti orang dahulu-dahulu mengembala sekawan lembu contohnya. Apa yang penting, seperti yang selalu dilakukan, selepas sahaja membuat laporan polis jangan lupa berdiri di depan lip-lap pancaran dari flash kamera media sambil memegang satu salinan laporan polis! READ MORE HERE

Sultan Selangor tegur Aziz Bari Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:40 PM PST Baginda turut menasihatkan Aziz agar tidak membuat sesuatu kenyataan yang boleh mengelirukan dan meresahkan rakyat terhadap integriti MAIS dan LZS. (Free Malaysia Today) - Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah melahirkan rasa dukacita berhubung kenyataan Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari, yang mengatakan akaun Majlis Agama Islam (MAIS) dan Lembaga Zakat Selangor (LZS) tidak diaudit. Baginda bertitah kenyataan pensyarah Undang-Undang Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM) itu adalah tidak tepat. Tuanku turut menasihatkan Aziz agar tidak membuat sebarang kenyataan kerana ia mengundang kekeliruan dan keresahan di kalangan rakyat terhadap integriti MAIS dan Lembaga Zakat Selangor. Titahnya, Aziz perlu mendapatkan fakta yang tepat dan betul sebelum mengeluarkan sebarang kenyataan. "Beta sangat dukacita apabila dimaklumkan terdapat satu laporan yang menyatakan bahawa Prof Aziz ada membuat kenyataan bahawa akaun MAIS dan LZS tidak diaudit dan bebas daripada diaudit. "Kenyataan beliau ini adalah tidak tepat kerana Beta disembah maklum bahawa akaun MAIS dan akaun LZS  telah diaudit oleh Jabatan Audit Negara dan mendapat Sijil Bersih daripada Ketua Audit Negara pada setiap tahun serta akan terus diaudit oleh Jabatan Audit negara pada tahun-tahun akan datang. Integriti MAIS "Beta harap Prof Aziz jangan membuat sesuatu kenyataan yang boleh mengelirukan dan meresahkan rakyat terhadap ketelusan dan integriti MAIS dan LZS  sebelum mendapatkan fakta-fakta yang tepat dan betul," titah baginda. Baginda menyampaikan titah berkenaan ketika merasmikan Wisma Audit Negeri Selangor di sini hari ini. Turut hadir Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Ketua Audit Negara, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang dan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor (Adun) lain. Aziz dalam laporan media 11 November lalu dilaporkan berkata, Sultan Selangor telah melampaui kuasa dengan menitahkan Adun untuk meluluskan rang undang-undang tanpa dibahaskan dalam sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) pada Julai lalu. Aziz berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas mengenai titah Sultan Selangor  semua Adun meluluskan pindaan peruntukan Rang Undang-Undang Enakmen Pentadbiran Agama Islam (Negeri Selangor) (Pindaan) 2011 yang membolehkan MAIS mengelak dari diaudit oleh jawatankuasa audit awam. Aziz yang juga seorang pakar perlembagaan berkata, perlembagaan tidak memberikan apa-apa kuasa kepada Sultan. READ MORE HERE

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