Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

---

• Umno not a racist party - Muhyiddin
• 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
• Bersih 3.0: Count us in, says PAS
• Ambiga says Myanmar freer than Malaysia
• 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
• Musa ‘reluctant’ to fight for Sabahans
• Assembly law allows persecution of Pakatan MPs, claims Anwar
• In Johor, Pakatan partners see pitfalls of PKR swagger

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net