Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- How the EC is in cahoots with BN
- 6P fiasco: ‘Which ministry is in charge?’
- First it's cronyism, now race creeps in
- Rifts Appearing in Malaysia's Islamic Party
- I'm spending a week on a friend's boat in Phuket (UPDATED 23rd December with more photos)
- Will BN recapture Selangor?
- Neither DAP nor PAS respects Azmin
| How the EC is in cahoots with BN Posted: 23 Dec 2011 09:11 AM PST Indelible ink notwithstanding, the 13th general election is going to be the biggest and dirtiest election battle in history. By transferring out the Chinese to areas where BN finds impossible to win, they will regain seats lost to the opposition and those seats that BN cannot win we will notice that the opposition has won by a very margin, for instance Seputeh (won by DAP's Teresa Kok by a margin of 36,000), Kepong and Cheras (also won by DAP with large margins). Selena Tay, Free Malaysia Today In an effort to lend an air of credibility to itself, the Election Commission (EC) has announced that indelible ink will be used in the upcoming 13th general election. But there is no reason to jump for joy just yet. A lot of hanky-panky can still go on undetected right until the day of polling itself. Listed below are several examples: 1. Name not in the voter rolls and therefore unable to vote – any perfectly eligible voter whose name is not in the voter rolls is totally helpless to do anything about it. They can lodge a complaint of course but by then the results of the polls are already secured. 2. Name transferred out to another locality or worse still to another state – this is also an inconvenient move for the eligible voter and will very well impede his ability to vote if his name is transferred, say from Kuala Lumpur to Perlis. 3. PKR's Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh has revealed that nearly 600,000 names in Selangor have been moved or shifted about without the voters knowledge and these are only the ones detected! Although indelible ink is a tremendous help in preventing multiple-voting, we are still back to square one if the eligible voters are unable to cast their vote due to hanky-panky in the voter rolls. Although prior to polling day we can check to see that our names are not tampered with, anything can still happen on the day of voting itself. With instant and advance technology our names can be in the voter rolls today but vanish tomorrow on polling way. There is no surefire guarantee that our names will be 100% kept safe in the voter rolls. 4. The only way the Pakatan Rakyat can win the 13th general election is with overwhelming support from the rural masses and from Sabahans and Sarawakians. This is because due to gerrymandering by EC, many small seats have been created in the rural areas. This is called the 'Voters-per-seat Formula'. For instance, the parliament seat of Batu in Kuala Lumpur has over 100,000 voters. Compare this to the rural areas where many seats have less than 10,000 voters. This means that 100,000 can only give one seat to the opposition if the opposition wins in Batu whereas in the rural areas 100,000 voters can already contribute 10 seats. This also shows that more weight or power is given to the rural seats as even with a few thousand voters, the rural folk have already one parliament seat compared to the city folk who need big numbers to get just one parliament seat. This unfair method of manipulation by EC has helped BN to win all along. 5. Besides playing around with the 'Voters-per-seat Formula', the EC can also move voters in a strategic manner. For example the Parliament seat of Shah Alam held by PAS' Khalid Samad. EC can move the Chinese voters to Klang which is held by DAP's Charles Santiago. In this way, BN regains Shah Alam. Forget about Klang, never mind. Next, the EC can also move the Chinese voters from the PAS seat of Titiwangsa to Cheras which is held by DAP. In this way, BN regains Titiwangsa. Forget about Cheras as it is impossible for BN to win in Cheras anyway. EC's dubious tactics By transferring out the Chinese to areas where BN finds impossible to win, they will regain seats lost to the opposition and those seats that BN cannot win we will notice that the opposition has won by a very margin, for instance Seputeh (won by DAP's Teresa Kok by a margin of 36,000), Kepong and Cheras (also won by DAP with large margins). This is a bad sign as it indicates that something is afoot. 6. Another of EC's dubious tactics is the demarcation of boundaries beyond rhyme or reason. Again, several examples:-
All those seats are geographically weird in nature and this is done to include in Malay voters who are known to favour BN. However, in the 12th general election in 2008, many urban Malays voted for the opposition. Knowing this, Umno is now frightening the Malays that they will be wiped-out if Pakatan comes to power.
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| 6P fiasco: ‘Which ministry is in charge?’ Posted: 22 Dec 2011 08:33 PM PST A sudden decision by the Home Ministry to override the Human Resources Ministry in the issuance of a certificate causes panic among foreign workers. Another 6P agent said the sudden removal of JobsMalaysia certificate requirement would not be fair to local workers, as the function of JobsMalaysia certificate was to ensure that human resources, both local and foreign, are utilised most optimally. Teoh El Sen, Free Malaysia Today Another controversy has reared up over the government's 6P amnesty programme to register all legal and illegal foreign workers in the country. This time, it is over the Home Ministry's alleged 'bypassing' of the Human Resources Ministry requirement for approval before the foreigners can be fully legalised under the second phase of the 6P. The issue caused great confusion this morning when 6P agents received news that there was no longer a need for a JobsMalaysia (formerly known as Jobs Clearance System) certificate issued by the Human Resources Ministry. Previously only with the certificate can a foreign worker be "legalised" by the Home Ministry. Those at the immigration offices in Putrajaya this morning were shocked to see notices stating "Sijil JobsMalaysia (JCS) bagi proses pemutihan dikecualikan" (the JobsMalaysia certificate for the amnesty process is no longer required). "We're confused now and we're not getting any firm answers from the relevant departments," said a source from one 6P management agency. "Why did the Home Ministry totally bypass another ministry? This is clearly an inter-conflict between two ministries, by the Home Ministry superseeding the Human Resources Ministry's role. "They have lost control and lost direction over this 6P programme. Is this abuse being done just because someone wants to make money?" he asked. The source said that the new ruling would mean that the Human Resources Ministry, which is in charge of the country's labour force, would not know how many foreign workers are there in the country. "Yes, we earlier asked for the requirements and paperwork to be relaxed, but you can't totally remove them, that's disastrous and totally defeats the purpose of having 6P," he said. Another 6P agent said the sudden removal of JobsMalaysia certificate requirement would not be fair to local workers, as the function of JobsMalaysia certificate was to ensure that human resources, both local and foreign, are utilised most optimally. "Locals might be deprived of jobs because of this removal of the Human Resources Ministry approval. Who manages the labour resources of a country? Home Ministry or Human Resources Ministry?" asked the agent, who declined to be named. Home Ministry: Making the process easier However, National Smallholder Association Malaysia (Teluk Intan branch) chairman Tan Tang Seong said for the 1,000-plus vegetable farmers that he was registering, it was better that the Human Resources Ministry's JobsMalaysia approval be abolished. "A lot of them can't produce the legal documents, such as titles for their farms. That's why we suggested the removal of the JCS requirement. "But the news about it being abolished today is very vague, we are still very confused," said Tan, who is also an authorised 6P agent. It is learnt that the Human Resource Ministry was not properly informed over today's new decision. Labour Department director-general Sheikh Yahya Sheikh Mohammed told FMT he was in the dark about the matter. "I don't know about this. This is the first time I'm hearing it. Ideally we should be consulted before a decision is made about this. We need to know what is the reason the Home Ministry decided to bypass us," he said. Meanwhile, Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam told FMT that it was untrue that the Human Resources Ministry approval was no longer needed. "This was a Cabinet decision. But anyway, we still need the Human Resources Ministry approval. We are simply making the whole process easier by shortening the 7-day waiting to only one day. Now you get it within 24 hours," he said. (The Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin). Mahmood added that there are certain sectors, such as security, that comes directly under Home Ministry and does not even require a Human Resources Ministry approval. "So there should not be any problems. Why are these agencies making noise?" he asked.
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| First it's cronyism, now race creeps in Posted: 21 Dec 2011 08:33 AM PST Penang deputy CM's disciplinary hearing will show how DAP handles its 'godfather-warlord' conflict Karpal was referring to K. Mangleswari, who is also among three women named by Ramasamy as potential DAP candidates for the coming election. It seems that Karpal's attack on Mangleswari has opened a can of worms within the Indian community.
THE Penang DAP is in for turbulent times as the race for positions in the party heats up, with allegations of cronyism being hurled against state leaders. The attempt to put a lid on the simmering feud between two top leaders in the state has been disrupted by protests, including one in Klang, Selangor, over the weekend. The latest protest by a group of about 15 people was not widely reported, but what they did definitely had an explosive effect. The group, claiming to represent three Indian non-governmental organisations, had gathered to demand an apology from Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer and Bagan Dalam assemblyman A. Tanasekharan. They claimed that the duo had offended Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy by alleging that he had begged for the post. Pertubuhan Naam Tamilar Malaysia chairman G. Ramesh reportedly said Rayer should retract his statement and apologise as his comments had affected the integrity of the Tamil people. They also burnt a picture of Rayer before dispersing. What happened in Klang has infuriated party leaders, who are concerned that racial and ethnic politics are being dragged into the spat involving Ramasamy, Rayer, Tanasekharan and also party chairman Karpal Singh. "The issue concerning Penang DAP leaders has got nothing to do with race or ethnicity, but we are suddenly finding it being turned into one," said a party insider. Party insiders also said many leaders were taken aback by the sudden rise to prominence of an unknown woman lawyer. She is now a commissioner in the state Hindu Endowment Board. Those present at the recent Penang DAP convention would recall how even Karpal seemed to be at a loss at why the woman was being actively promoted. "Who is this Mangleswari?" he thundered in his speech. Karpal was referring to K. Mangleswari, who is also among three women named by Ramasamy as potential DAP candidates for the coming election. It seems that Karpal's attack on Mangleswari has opened a can of worms within the Indian community. Members and state elected representatives are seeking answers regarding the creeping culture of cronyism in the state DAP. Sources say Ramasamy is set to come under the hammer on the Mangleswari issue as well as his infamous statement that "godfathers in the DAP must be gotten rid of" -- an obvious reference to senior leaders like Karpal. Karpal had made it clear that he had no issue on being referred to as a "godfather", but it was the other part of Ramasamy's statement which got under his skin. "It is clear-cut insolence for Ramasamy to even suggest that the party forget the contributions of a leader like Karpal to the DAP. "That is why the whole issue exploded and Ramasamy must now be prepared to answer why he has been acting like a warlord," a source said. DAP leaders are worried that such issues are cropping up at a crucial stage when the party should be concentrating on the bigger battle ahead. It is common knowledge that some incumbents are trying to hold on to their seats while new faces go all out to be selected by getting close to certain leaders. It remains to be seen how the party leadership is going to handle the issue, but some clues will be forthcoming when the disciplinary committee sits to hear out a complaint against Ramasamy, and more are expected to be filed soon. |
| Rifts Appearing in Malaysia's Islamic Party Posted: 21 Dec 2011 08:29 AM PST Selangor conservative leads a revolt against modernizers Both Hasan Ali and Nasharudin have been causing tension in the party virtually since the coalition took over the leadership of the state of Selangor in 2008 elections that shocked the Barisan Nasional. From his spot on the executive committee, Hasan sought to ban beer in the urban, relatively liberal state. He has also taken adamant positions against Christians. Asia Sentinel Strains are building in Malaysia's Parti Islam se-Malaysia, the formerly conservative Islamic wing of Pakatan Rakyat, the three-party opposition coalition headed by the embattled Anwar Ibrahim, over the party's fundamentalist roots.The growing split could have ominous implications for the coalition's ability to take on the Barisan Nasional, or ruling national coalition, in elections thought to be scheduled as early as March. Anwar himself has been distracted by a year-long court drama in which he has been accused by a former aide of sexual perversion. The prosecution and defense staged their final arguments last week and the case is now scheduled to be decided by High Court Judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohamad Diah sometime in the next weeks. The trial has remained a major preoccupation for Anwar, taking time and focus away from his efforts to keep a fractious coalition together. An UMNO source – with obvious relish – told Asia Sentinel that PAS is "imploding." However, other sources say that while the squabble is troublesome, party commitment to the more moderate line remains intact. "It's a bit premature to say PAS is imploding," said a source with connections to both UMNO and PKR. "The mainstream media of course are highlighting the differences in PAS but within PAS itself, they seem to be okay." The controversy began in June when rank and file members staged a dramatic revolution at the party's annual congress, electing secular leaders and abandoning the rural-based party's traditional call to convert the country into an Islamic state. The largest party in Anwar's coalition, PAS had long turned off urban Malays and other ethnic minorities, particularly the Chinese, with its demands for observance of strict conservative Islamic laws. Given the size of its membership and its potential to take votes away from the United Malays National Organization, the country's biggest political party, PAS unity and support are crucial to the opposition coalition. At the party congress, newer, urban followers of PAS, having fled both the racial stridency and endemic corruption of UMNO and the disorganization of Anwar's PKR, in June elected a slate of officers headed by Mohamad Sabu, a galvanic public speaker from Penang and former member of Anwar's Parti Keadilan who was twice detained under the country's Internal Security Act. Sabu led the moderates' charge, winning the party deputy presidency and crucially defeating a minority of conservatives seeking to lead a splinter group to link up with UMNO. Salahuddin Ayub, Husam Musa and Mahfuz Omar, elected as moderate vice presidents, completed a leadership team reflecting the party's changing membership and leaving the Islamists out in the cold. The strains have been there ever since. However, the controversy broke into the open earlier this month, with Kuala Lumpur's pro-government mainstream media playing up comments by Hasan Ali, a member of the Selangor PAS executive committee saying he and his allies would seek to "bring the party back to the Islamic path, and claiming support particularly from Nasharudin Mat Isa, a former PAS deputy president who was supplanted by the new moderate team. Later this week, Harun Taib, the head of the PAS Dewan Ulama, or council of religious leaders, announced it would support the two dissidents, who were called "fake members" by the party's new mainstream leaders. Harun in turn, without naming names, called the Sabu faction "new immigrants who appeared to have no qualms deviating from the party's core principles." Both Hasan Ali and Nasharudin have been causing tension in the party virtually since the coalition took over the leadership of the state of Selangor in 2008 elections that shocked the Barisan Nasional. From his spot on the executive committee, Hasan sought to ban beer in the urban, relatively liberal state. He has also taken adamant positions against Christians. Both he and Nasharuddin paid for their conservatism during the June elections that brought Mat Sabu and his allies to power.
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| I'm spending a week on a friend's boat in Phuket (UPDATED 23rd December with more photos) Posted: 20 Dec 2011 08:37 AM PST I am updating this from the high seas, a guest of my friend who owns a boat in Phuket. We are now sailing out to Phi Phi Island and will be spending a week on the boat. This is how I have to suffer a life in exile. The view from the top. With my lawyer, Amarjit Sidhu, who keeps me out of jail. When in Thailand get yourself a Thai woman. Just before sunset. Ready for Christmas.
Marina, no worse for the rocking and reeling. The Boat Lagoon Resort in Phuket.
Our sleeping quarters.
The 54-footer catamaran.
Phi Phi Island.
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| Posted: 20 Dec 2011 08:16 AM PST The situation is quite dire for Pakatan as it has taken no steps whatsoever to counter Umno's lies and propaganda. The Pakatan state government is either disinterested in strategy or plain ignorant as to what is going on in the Malay heartland. Umno's party workers are diligently doing home visits and their task is made easier as it is reinforced by the mainstream media, the only media which penetrates into the rural areas. Selena Tay, Free Malaysia Today There have been grassroots reports that Umno party workers have been campaigning in the Malay rural heartland in Selangor by telling the rural folk two simple lies. The first is that if Pakatan Rakyat wins the 13th general election, DAP will "Christianise" the country and turn Malaysia into a republic like Singapore. The second big lie spread by the Umno campaigners is that PKR's revelations on the (National) Feedlot (Corporation) issue are all baseless. Of course, all these are falsehoods by Umno campaigners and it reveals that Umno's desperation has already come to the fore. Nevertheless, this is a very effective two-pronged attacking method employed by Umno in capturing the hearts and minds of the Malays so that they will give their vote to Barisan Nasional (BN). So far, the Pakatan Selangor state government is either oblivious to Umno's campaign or is in the dark about it as no steps whatsoever have been taken to counter Umno's lies and propaganda. If the Pakatan Selangor government does not take any action to reach out and explain the truth to the people, then all is lost as the polls could be held as early as February next year. In reality, the situation in Selangor is quite dire for Pakatan. There is no use harping on "Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor" when Umno's propaganda in regard to DAP and the Feedlot issues are taking root. Ground reports have revealed that the Malay rural folk are starting to believe that DAP wants to turn Malaysia into a republic and PKR's revelations on Feedlot are nothing but malicious lies to tarnish Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's reputation. With the Malay support in the kualas and the hulus swinging to Umno, it is going to be a very difficult task for Pakatan to hold on to Selangor. This is a fact as there are many seats in the rural areas compared to the urban areas. A 5% vote swing by the Malays to Umno is enough for BN to recapture Selangor. The statistics itself clearly illustrates the difficulty Pakatan is facing. There are 10 state assembly seats in Selangor where Pakatan won with a less than 10% majority in 2008. They are Bukit Melawati, Cempaka, Teluk Datuk, Sekinchan, Damansara (wherein all five of these seats were won with a less than 5% majority), Ulu Kelang, Bukit Antarabangsa, Kota Anggerik, Lembah Jaya and Selat Kelang. There are eight parliamentary seats in Selangor which were also won by less than 10% majority. They are Hulu Selangor, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat (all of which were won by less than 5% majority), Gombak, Ampang, Selayang and Kelana Jaya. Hulu Selangor has already been recaptured by BN when MIC's P Kamalanathan defeated PKR's Zaid Ibrahim in the Hulu Selangor by-election in April last year.
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| Neither DAP nor PAS respects Azmin Posted: 19 Dec 2011 08:50 AM PST PKR must find within its ranks a leader they can trust implicitly. And so I tell Anwar this: "If I know that PAS and DAP will not accept Azmin as leader of PKR, is it not time that you take cognizance of their stand and fall into line with this consensus too?" CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today Last week, I wrote that PKR must ready itself to lead the opposition Pakatan Rakyat with or without Anwar Ibrahim. The operative word I said was "ready itself". There are now within PKR three people who can do this (lead PKR): Azmin Ali, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Nurul Izzah Anwar. Three candidates without any common ground between them that would enable them to work together as one for the good of PKR and Pakatan Rakyat. So PKR must choose one. First we talk about Azmin. Azmin is Anwar's choice. I am not going to go into Anwar's reason for doing so because my business is not to second-guess him. My business is to tell Anwar and you all why we should or should not agree with what Anwar wants to do. Remember what I have said before: "Where does our responsibility to Anwar end and our responsibility to PKR and Pakatan start?" It starts when I believe that Anwar has made a decision that will harm PKR and Pakatan. Anwar must defer to views When Anwar chose to endorse Azmin overtly or covertly, then PKR and we will have to decide if what he did was right. My stand is very simple. PAS will not accept Azmin as leader of PKR. DAP will not accept Azmin as leader of PKR. You and I should defer to the wisdom and experience of Tok Guru (Nik Aziz Nik Mat), Abdul Hadi Awang, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh. And so I tell Anwar this: "If I know that PAS and DAP will not accept Azmin as leader of PKR, is it not time that you take cognizance of their stand and fall into line with this consensus too?" "To do otherwise would only harm what you want for PKR and Pakatan Rakyat. It is enough that PAS said in no uncertain terms that Zaid Ibrahim is back within Pakatan Rakyat's fold. Now will they have to tell you that they want Azmin out?" Second comes Saifuddin Saifuddin is a good man loyal to Anwar. What we can hope for is that his loyalty to Anwar will see him do what is best for PKR no matter what his personal preferences are. I doubt that he will have the stomach to immerse himself totally in the cut and thrust of PKR's politics but if push comes to shove, Saifuddin will do what is best for Anwar. And what is best for Anwar is a strong and cohesive PKR! We are now left with Nurul Izzah. And what a choice she is for us! Nurul Izzah is a riot of possibilities. Let's look at her pluses. She carries the goodwill of many of our young people and that of many women in Malaysia with her decision to go into politics. The others will give her room to develop politically and are not overly critical of her too tentative foray into Malaysian politics – but the clock is ticking. Her greatest strength is the potential and promise she exudes to do good in politics. But has she got what it takes to do what her father has done in the face of adversity? Does she have the ability to stand and fight when all is lost and what is left is only belief in yourself to do what you know is right? Will she stand up to Azmin and Saifuddin if they stand in her way? Nurul Izzah is still to be tried and tested in the cut and thrust of politics as it is done in Malaysia.
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