| Comprehensive exercise soon to legalise and send illegal immigrants home Posted: 05 Jun 2011 10:36 AM PDT By Sarban Singh, The Star SEREMBAN: A large-scale legalisation and amnesty exercise is expected to be held next month to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in Malaysia, estimated at about two million. The programme, which will take three weeks, will be codenamed "6P" pendaftaran (registration), pemutihan (legalisation), pengampunan (amnesty), pemantauan (supervision), penguatkuasaan (enforcement) and pengusiran (deportation). This is the most comprehensive programme ever introduced by the Home Ministry to cut down the number of illegal immigrants. Previously, such moves were limited to repatriation exercises. Amnesty programmes have been held several times, the most recent being last year. A senior official from the ministry said the immigrants would have three weeks to take up the offer or face the law if they are arrested without valid travel documents or work permits. |
| PAS dynamism is restored Posted: 05 Jun 2011 10:33 AM PDT By Zainon Ahmad, The Sun IF the late nationalist Dr Burhanuddin al-Helmy --- PAS's third president who did much to turn the Umno breakaway into a strong party with its own identity and ideology --- were alive today he would probably be pleased with this year's muktamar.
He would be happy to note that the delegates to the muktamar had no qualms at all about criticizing ulamas for their unwillingness to encourage progressive thinking among Muslims in the country. One ulama who was lampooned was Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria who was referred to as "poco-poco" ulama for banning the dance in the state but refused to censure efforts to make public a sex video in which an opposition leader was said to be involved.
The different tenor of the debates was as if some aspects of the Islamist-nationalist philosophy Burhanuddin had striven to propagate as the party's ideology are reemerging and seem to have inspired members to take the present course of deemphasizing ethnicity and the Islamic state agenda.
Burhanuddin had struggled to give the then fledgling party --- with the names of many of its members still registered with Umno --- character and strength to fight the mother party's efforts to re-absorb it. To his credit in 1959 PAS captured Kelantan.
There was no talk of race or ethnicity then and there was easy mixing between PAS leaders and leaders of the labour and socialist parties. Race was only emphasized under the leadership of Datuk Asri Muda.
As for the Islamic state agenda it became part of the party struggle under Yusof Rawa who took over the leadership of the party after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. The agenda took a definite shape under Datuk Fadzil Noor and Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang who promoted the idea of leadership by the ulama.
It was this agenda that had been the stumbling block to attempts at electoral understanding with other opposition parties, especially the DAP, to deny the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) its dominance in the national legislature.
PAS gained new members and support following widespread protests against the sacking of deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim which the party capitalised on to win its most number of parliamentary seats, 27, for the first time.
Most of the new members, including those who joined after 2008, began to influence the leaders to stay with Pakatan Rakyat and to undertake reform to facilitate the smooth functioning of the grouping.
To these reform-minded members, which includes professionals as well as ulama, it was time for the party to move on from being a mere opposition party to being part of a governing group.
They were, of course, challenged by another group of members who prefer to be part of the existing ruling group, Umno or BN, to be achieved through a process touted as Malay unity.
Among those who flirted with the idea was deputy president and ulama Nasharudin Mat Isa. It was clear to the reformists that he had to go. When it became apparent that he had the support of the conservative ulama in his bid to defend his position against Mohamad Sabu or Mat Sabu, another ulama -- Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man -- was persuaded to contest.
The ulama vote was split and firebrand and street wise non-ulama won the deputy presidency for the first time. The reformists also won all the three vice-president posts and most of the central working committee seats.
The position of Hadi Awang as president could have been affected but for the tradition that the president remain unchallenged. He had earlier on been seen as close to Nasharudin, something party spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat was not too pleased about.
Thus it came as no surprise to delegates that in his speeches he rejected completely unity with Umno. It was also a signal to delegates.
The Islamic state agenda was mentioned but much downplayed. It is expected to be on the backburner until it is allowed to fade away or until such time as the party is ready to review its position in the party struggle.
Coming close to the general election there is fear that the rural voters may misunderstand.
Malay unity talk was fiercely criticized by the delegates, many of whom said it was aimed at benefiting Umno and the BN only.
"Why share the Malay votes with Umno when we can compete and win them all," said a delegate yesterday, reflecting that a new and more confident party has emerged from the 57th muktamar. |
| As Malaysia’s assets wane, Umno scrambles for wealth control Posted: 05 Jun 2011 10:14 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 — The fight is on for the country's diminishing resources and assets, and leading the charge to secure rights to projects and land ownership are Umno warlords and politically-connected individuals. As Malaysia grapples with imminent tariff hikes and a subsidy bill that could double to RM21 billion this year, individuals within the ruling Malay party appear to be wasting little time in demanding that the Najib administration award them immediate rights to government and commercial projects.
This is evident in the current tussle surrounding Umno's attacks on UDA Holdings Bhd's sale of prime land in downtown Kuala Lumpur, where despite the agency's assurance that the sale to Mutiara Goodyear would benefit Bumiputeras, Umno leaders have attacked the agency, saying RM215.5 million deal would hurt Bumiputera interests.
"With the government announcement of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and projects, these people want to take advantage of the situation, they want a share of the pie," said Merdeka Center director Ibrahim Suffian.
"There is an expectation that for continued political support, Umno needs to be economically secure, and what we are seeing now is a scramble for diminishing assets, properties," Ibrahim told The Malaysian Insider.
UDA has also come under fire recently from Malay hardliners in Umno and Perkasa as well as Utusan Malaysia for allegedly abandoning the Bumiputera agenda after it chose not to appoint Bumiputera joint-venture turnkey investors for the proposed Bukit Bintang City Centre, located on prime land in the heart of Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle.
Umno leaders have alleged that there are several Bumiputera companies that were more than capable to be part of the redevelopment project, but were overlooked by the agency.
Another project that has come under fire from Malay hardliners is the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit project where they have won a concession to allow consortiums to pre-qualify for the country's most expensive infrastructure project.
Project owners Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad had earlier restricted the tenders to construction companies with higher capital and longer experience but acceded to demands led by Perkasa, the Malay rights group.
Merdeka Center's Ibrahim said that the trend in Umno's growing demands in acquiring government and commercial projects showed a continuation of an oft-clichéd practice of money politics within the party. According to Ibrahim, Umno still used political connections to maximise its own profits. READ MORE HERE. |
| Plight of Hindus in Pak, Malaysia worrisome: BJP Posted: 05 Jun 2011 09:04 AM PDT By The Times of India CHANDIGARH: Alleging violation of human rights of Hindus in Pakistan and Malaysia, the BJP on Sunday sought intervention of the President and the Prime Minister in the matter. Talking to reporters here, BJP's Human Rights cell in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna alleged the plight of Hindus in both the countries was worrisome. " Girls belonging to the Hindu community in Pakistan are being forced to convert," he said alleging they were also being subjected to sexual assaults. "Even courts in Pakistan are not helping the Hindu community," Khanna said. On the plight of Hindus in Malaysia, he alleged around 4.5 lakh Hindus in the country were "stateless" as they had not been provided birth certificates by the government there. |
| If Pakatan wins 2013 to rule, who'll be PM? Posted: 05 Jun 2011 01:35 AM PDT KTemoc Konsiders Picture this 2013 (could be earlier) scenario:
Anwar Ibrahim is in jail after being found guilty of sodomy in 2011. Due to his conviction he lost his MP status and wasn't allowed to stand again in Permatang Pauh in the 2013 general election. Following Anwar's grief, Azmin Ali rose to be the President of PKR. MCLM's offer of 30 candidates were rejected by PKR but accepted by KITA – two on MCLM's list were Haris Ibrahim and RPK wakakaka (kaytee's choice).
Kayveas applied to join DAP 3 months before the general election but was informed politely that due to pre-election preparation, his application could only be assessed after the election wakakaka.
Pakatan wins the general election with a clear majority.
Its 120 MPs are from PAS (35), DAP-SNAP (35), PKR (25), KITA (25).
All leaders and leading personalities from the three Pakatan component parties retain their seats, with new comers like Zaid, Haris and RPK winning new ones.
To name a few luminaries, there are the two Pak Hajis, Mat Sabu and Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin etc from PAS, Karpal Singh, Tunku Aziz, Khir, Lim Snr and Jnr, etc from DAP, Azmin Ali, Nurul Izzah, Khalid Ibrahim etc from PKR, and Zaid Ibrahim, Haris Ibrahim and RPK, etc from KITA.
Who should be PM?
If Anwar was around, he would be a natural candidate of compromise, but alas he isn't even a MP. Yes, there will be steps to review the judicial process that led to his imprisonment or even a royal pardon, but royal pardons will require the recommendation of a PM, so we are back to Square One, namely, who shall be PM (to make that recommendation)?
Anyway, all above regarding Anwar requires time – Pakatan has to nominate a PM pronto, so …who?
READ MORE HERE |
| Syed Hassan Ali’s education versus Andreas Panayiotou’s no education Posted: 05 Jun 2011 01:15 AM PDT 
Syed Hassan Ali is educated. But he wants the government to continue giving the Malays handouts so that they can remain on crutches. Andreas Panayiotou is a school dropout. But he is worth more than RM3.5 billion and did not need to make it with government handouts. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin 
Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali also criticised Mohamad Sabu's credibility, saying the newly-elected deputy was not fit for the office.
"Mat Sabu only studied in ITM and did not even finish, he is not even a religious studies graduate from the Middle East. It is an embarrassment to the ulama faction in PAS because Mat Sabu has no academic qualifications while the Erdogans are disappointed because Mat Sabu does not support Anwar," said Syed Hassan through a text message.
He added that Mat Sabu had once called the opposition leader as Anwar al-Juburi or Anwar the anus, referring to the latter's sodomy trials.
Syed Hassan believed the new leadership will make it hard for Umno to have unity talks with PAS.
He also regretted Hadi's attacks against Umno and the president's allegiance with the DAP and PKR.
"There was not a single sentence in his speech yesterday that can pave the way for PAS to have a common understanding for the Malay race and Islam," he said.
He added the Islamist party must be the first party to start the unification process because Islam invites its followers to forge unity for the religion.
**********************************
Andreas Panayiotou is the son of a Cypriot immigrant. He was raised in the East End of London and became an amateur boxer at the tender age of seven. He wanted to turn professional but his parents were opposed and persuaded him to join the family dry cleaning business in Islington, North London.
Panayiotou left school in East London at 15 without any qualifications and built his fortune by developing blocks of flats on the edge of an up-and-coming area and waiting for prices to rise. He has amassed an estimated £725 million fortune, putting him in 81st place on the Sunday Times Rich List.
His chief UK company, Ability Development, has net assets of £190 million. He also owns a collection of yachts and jets and extensive property assets.
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| WIKILEAKS: Malaysia's New Economic Model Posted: 05 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT 
He noted barriers to non-bumiputras in the job market, starting and growing businesses, purchasing housing, and educational opportunities began a move of many well educated non-bumiputra Malaysians to emigrate. The fact that 800,000 young Malaysians are now working abroad, 300,000 having emigrated in the past 18 months, including increasing numbers of ethnic Malays was recently noted in Parliament. Malaysia's "brain drain" has begun to get the attention of policy makers, according to Husni. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 KUALA LUMPUR 000103 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MTS FOR DBISCHOF STATE FOR EEB/IFD/OMA FOR BSAUNDERS AND AWHITTINGTON STATE PASS USTR - WEISEL AND BELL STATE PASS FEDERAL RESERVE AND EXIMBANK STATE PASS FEDERAL RESERVE SAN FRANCISCO TCURRAN SINGAPORE PASS SBLEIWEIS USDOC FOR 4430/MAC/EAP/MHOGGE TREASURY FOR OASIA AND IRS GENEVA FOR USTR E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2020 TAGS: ECON, EFIN, ENIV, EXIM, MY, PGOV SUBJECT: MALAYSIA'S NEW ECONOMIC MODEL: ECONOMIC REFORM EFFORTS MAY MEET OPPOSITION REF: A. 09 KUALA LUMPUR 303 B. 09 KUALA LUMPUR 318 C. 09 KUALA LUMPUR 887 1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Najib Razak (Najib) introduced a first wave of limited economic reforms (refs A and B) shortly after taking office in April 2009 and has promised more substantial economic reforms designed to improve Malaysia's competitiveness (ref C). To accomplish this, Najib formed the National Economic Advisory Committee (NEAC) to develop a New Economic Model (NEM), an economic policy roadmap which he hopes will lead Malaysia from middle income to high income country status. Little has been revealed about the contents of the NEM, but government officials say it is intended to address Malaysia's "stagnating" economy, by improving education, reducing corruption, strengthening weak public institutions, reconfiguring emigration, cutting back on government over-involvement in the private sector, and increasing low domestic investment rates. Leading Malaysian economists believe that Najib is sincere in his desire to address these problems. However, they question his ability to make major changes in the government's long-standing discriminatory Bumiputera preference policies which have discouraged domestic investment and new business formation and are driving the "brain drain" of young professional Malaysians frustrated with limited opportunities under this system. Economists here expect Najib's effort to establish a policy framework that will foster a more gradual move away from ethnic preferences to a merit-based economy, but believe that may be insufficient. If PM Najib is unable to deliver on NEM reforms, they expect the opposition will seize the reform agenda as an issue for possible 2012 elections. Executing a robust NEM, however, will be even more difficult as the PM will undoubtedly face steady opposition from within his own political party (UMNO), particularly from members who fear their parliamentary seats may be lost if the current patronage system is dismantled. End Summary. The New Economic Model: Reigniting High Growth 2. (C) Since Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak (Najib) took office in April 2009, he has called for Malaysia to move from a low value-added, manufacturing-for-export oriented middle income economy to a knowledge-based service oriented high income economy. He has used the rubric of former Prime Minister Mahathir's Vision 2020 goal of reaching "high-income country" status by the year 2020 as his call to action to justify developing a "New Economic Model" (NEM) to promote economic transformation. PM Najib quickly announced an investment liberalization agenda and by April 2009 implemented a first tranche of reforms aimed at reducing bumiputra (ethnic Malays and other non-Chinese or Indian ethnicities) ownership requirements in 27 different non-influential service sectors (e.g. veterinary services and ship salvage and refloatation services) and allow foreign controlling ownership interests in some types of financial institutions (Ref A). PM Najib announced a second tranche of reforms late in April including reducing bumiputra ownership requirements on all listed companies from 30% to 12.5% and repealing Foreign Investment Commission guidelines on new mergers and acquisitions by foreign firms (Ref B). In July, PM Najib formed the National Economic Advisory Committee (NEAC) and charged the new body - made up of high profile Malaysian and non-Malaysian economic figures - with developing the NEM. In his October 23 budget speech (Ref C), PM Najib promised additional economic reforms. Financial Crisis and Capital Flight Push GOM to Reform 3. (C) Najib has been forced to consider a broader reform program because the Global financial crisis (GFC) has put tremendous pressure on the underpinnings of Malaysia's economic growth. FDI has slowed to a trickle, $15 billion of portfolio investment departed in 2009 and has just begun to return, and there remain large domestic reverse investment outflows as Malaysian conglomerates focus on overseas rather than domestic investment. According to a January 8 UBS Securities report, Malaysia experienced net capital out flows in excess of $27 billion from mid-2008 to mid-2009. More telling, the UBS report states Malaysia has not experienced net capital inflows in any one calendar year since 1997. UBS cites domestic investors investing outside Malaysia as the primary source of the outflows. PriceWaterhouse Coopers Consulting Malaysia (PWC) General Manager Pearlene Cheong described Western multi-national corporate interest in investing in Malaysia as "dormant" and that ethnic Chinese Malaysians had been taking their money out of Malaysia ever since the Asian financial crisis. She said that PWC's investor advisory business has seen primarily North Asian investors working in the extractive industries focused in East Malaysia and added, "This is not the knowledge-based type of employment that the government is looking for to stimulate wage growth." Bold Statements Calling for Change 4. (C) The Najib administration has identified several areas of the economy needing reform and has announced its intentions to carry out reforms through the NEM. In a December 1 speech to the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research, Finance Minister II Husni said Malaysia's economy was "stagnating" and highlighted Malaysia's most pressing economic issues needing to be addressed by the NEM as education, corruption, GOM economic over-management, weak public institutions, emigration, and low domestic investment rates. Education: Husni said, "Our universities are a disappointment." He cited Malaysia as having its highest unemployment rate for recent college graduates while adding that there is a severe shortage of skilled workers, implying that large numbers of Malaysian recent college graduates are unskilled. Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah reported that skilled labor shortages and the poor quality of Malaysian graduates costs Malaysian competitiveness 15% of GDP annually. Corruption and Cronyism: He cited the recently released Transparency International 2009 Corruption Perception Index, in which Malaysia fell to number 56 of 180 countries, its lowest rating in over 20 years, and continuing a fall from number 26 in 2004. Husni promised wholesale reform in government procurement practices, controlled by the Ministry of Finance, and an end to sole source contracts, except for the military. GOM Over-involvement in the Economy: Husni called for the transparent divestiture of GOM interests in government-linked corporations (GLCs) and the restoration of the private sector's role as the primary engine for growth. He also cited that the GOM needs to discontinue open-ended protection of domestic industries, allow market driven resource allocation including greater precision in subsidy allocation, and foster better competition policies to spur innovation. Weak Public Institutions: Husni criticized the lack of diversity in the civil service and proposed strengthening public institutions through greater ethnic participation. Brain Drain: He noted barriers to non-bumiputras in the job market, starting and growing businesses, purchasing housing, and educational opportunities began a move of many well educated non-bumiputra Malaysians to emigrate. The fact that 800,000 young Malaysians are now working abroad, 300,000 having emigrated in the past 18 months, including increasing numbers of ethnic Malays was recently noted in Parliament. Malaysia's "brain drain" has begun to get the attention of policy makers, according to Husni. Low Domestic Investment: Since 1997, domestic investment rates halved from 20-25% of GDP annually to roughly 10% and have remained at reduced levels for the past decade. Husni said that the 1Malaysia concept is intended to introduce competition and move Malaysia to a more performance-based culture like Japan, Korean, and Singapore, promoting an attractive investment and working environment for all Malaysians. NEM to be Broad and Wide-Ranging 5. (C) The government and our contacts have released few details of the upcoming NEM. However, PM Najib announced December 22 at the Finance Ministry's "Media Night" that he had approved the NEM direction, and that the final model will be presented to the Cabinet and made public by the end of February 2010. The NEM will "set the direction of the economy and make the economy more resilient", according to Najib. NEAC Acting Director of Research Tong Yee Siong, said the NEAC met the week of February 1-5 to finalize its recommendations to the Cabinet for approval and public release by the end of February. Tong told Econoffs that the NEAC will produce goal papers and an economic model framework. Tong expected the recommendations to be very broad, and would propose a policy framework to address the most significant economic issues facing Malaysia and improve its economic competitiveness. Nicholas Zefferies, the president of AmCham, and the only "foreign" member of the NEAC, told Econ Counselor January 13 that NEAC reform recommendations to PM Najib would be wide-ranging. Zefferies said that Najib was planning to give NEAC powers similar to the Prime Minister's Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah), to enforce the planned economic reform program on government Ministries. Economic Reform Versus Ethnic Preferences 6. (C) Tong told us that the NEAC is focused on removing disincentives to domestic investment established in the New Economic Policy (NEP) as a key to reinvigorating domestic and foreign investment. He added that any basis for serious economic and investment reform efforts in Malaysia involves dismantling old entrenched Bumiputra ethnic preferences established since the Mahathir regime in the NEP. Finance Minister II Husni's speech was important for connecting Najib's 1Malaysia slogan to real economic reform, according to Malaysian Institute for Economic Research Managing Director and long-time UMNO economic advisor Mohamed Ariff. However, as Husni criticized Malaysia's longstanding ethnic preference policies, he qualified his statements by asserting that "the government is not abandoning bumiputras" and that the government will pursue reform in "a prudent and cautious method" in an effort to allay bumiputra fears of economic displacement. Ariff told us that the Husni speech angered some senior UMNO members who complained that Najib was opening the economy too much and moving too fast toward reform. Opposition parliament members praised the speech, according to Ariff. PM Najib Seeks Incremental Reform 7. (C) Our economic contacts close to PM Najib said they were convinced he is sincere about wanting economic reform. Economic Planning Unit Deputy Director General K. Govindan, who briefs PM Najib and the cabinet weekly on Malaysian economic performance and economic policy, told us he believes PM Najib understands in general terms the reforms needed to improve human capital and productivity, increase trade and investment, and reduce corruption. Nevertheless, Govindan said he does not make specific economic policy recommendations at those meetings for fear of offending other Ministers in the meeting who oppose the reform agenda. Ariff also believes PM Najib legitimately seeks economic reform. Ariff told us PM Najib's words to him were "change or be changed" when referring to economic reform. But Ariff also said he expected PM Najib to slowly pick away at the NEP without causing too much economic and political disruption. This will require regularly announcing small reforms rather than the sweeping reforms required to transform the economy. Ariff offered the February NEM release and the June 2010 release of the 10th 5-year Malaysia Plan as two upcoming opportunities for Najib to roll out more economic reforms. Safe Won't Work 8. (C) In the view of our economist contacts, PM Najib's "politically friendly" incremental strategy to economic reform may end up being too little too late. Tong projected that for reform to work, the PM will need to make a bold announcement on major reforms and then rally public support for change. Tong said that NEAC members are advocating that PM Najib announce significant structural changes to Malaysia's economy as a part of the NEM. Govindan agreed that major structural changes are needed for sustained economic growth. He added that a series of small reform programs will eventually limit Malaysia to an unacceptably low 3-4% annual growth rate that will keep the country trapped in middle income status until "politics are removed from education and the economy." The critical point, Ariff said, was that while Malaysia continued taking baby steps on economic reform, its competitors for investment such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam would be overtaking Malaysia as the first choice for foreign direct investment. Ruling Party May Block Aggressive Reform 9. (C) Each of our contacts agreed that political will is the key to reform, but none are convinced all of the coming announcements of plans to reform Malaysia's economy will be backed by substantially broad concrete measures. Ariff told us that after early enthusiasm for economic reform, some UMNO insiders do not want reform that would take away the economic rents and patronage system they have relied on to maintain the party's power base for over a generation. Ariff predicted that UMNO would not survive in power by moving to an open and transparent system and that UMNO insiders would challenge Najib if he moved too strongly on government reform. Govindan sees Malaysia's huge and largely ethnic Malay civil service, completely loyal to UMNO, but increasingly incompetent, as PM Najib's largest obstacle. He commented that the civil service has a very narrow worldview and will oppose, even refuse to implement, reforms perceived as damaging ethnic Malay interests, even if convinced of the long-run gains for Malaysia. Tong told us that achieving any of the goals developed by the NEAC will require significant political buy-in to operationalize the policy changes necessary to reinvigorate investment and spur additional growth. However, Tong commented that NEAC members are frustrated with a lack of high-level political commitment outside of PM Najib as well as the slow responses from Ministries which impeded progress on the NEM. He added that some NEAC members are concerned that the NEM maybe merely a public relations exercise that will have no real long-term policy impact. Zeffries told us that he was not confident that PM Najib has a sufficiently strong political position to pursue the NEAC's upcoming proposals. Liew described the opposition closely watching economic reform, offering that an inability of the ruling coalition to implement promised economic reforms will provide powerful political ammunition for use in upcoming federal elections in 2012. Ethnic Minorities Support Reform 10. (C) Cheong sees her Malaysian private sector business clients as highly supportive of the type of economic opening she believes PM Najib will announce in the NEM and commented that ethnic Chinese, Indian, and urban Malays not directly benefitting from UMNO patronage will strongly support economic reform efforts, but that rural Malays, a strong UMNO constituent base, will fear changes labeled as detrimental to Bumiputra interests. However, Cheong observed that Non-Bumiputras have successfully competed in the open economy at a disadvantage to Bumiputra and government linked businesses for over 30 years and that Malaysians would patiently wait for change. She added that the lack of investment is so obvious that the government is practically being forced to take action. KEITH |
| Mat Sabu is Good for the Opposition Posted: 05 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT Zaid Untuk Rakyat I was so relieved and glad to know that Mohamad Sabu (Mat Sabu as he is affectionately known) has won the Deputy Presidency of PAS at the recently concluded Muktamar or General Assembly. For many years, the Opposition has been led, by default, by the weakest and the most problematic of leaders—Anwar Ibrahim. There is good reason to believe that after the next general election, Mat Sabu will assume Anwar's position as Leader of the Opposition. This is good news. PAS is the biggest Malay party after UMNO and, as such, it plays a natural leadership role in the parliamentary opposition. It has strong and loyal support from within its ranks. Its influence in rural Malay constituencies is clear for all to see. DAP does not have enough popular appeal to play a uniting role in today's fractious politics, and I believe the leaders of DAP know this. Unfortunately, however, PAS has largely been led and controlled by ulama. The political ulama in Malaysia are conservatives and traditionalists without wide appeal. Their pronouncements have divided the country in the past. Their positions are unlike those of the ulama in Indonesia, such as the late Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), who are reformers, modernists and believers in peace and interfaith dialogue. In Malaysia, the ulama are generally seen to be too conservative and not sufficiently appealing to non-Muslims and, indeed, even middle-class urban Malays. So, while Tok Guru Hadi Awang is still the President of PAS , Mat Sabu and his friends now control the Central Committee and will provide the balance that will bring PAS to a more even keel. Mat Sabu and his allies have their fingers on the pulse of modern Malaysia. READ MORE HERE |
| Mat Sabu: Prevent S'gor falling into BN hands, show solidarity at Bersih rally Posted: 04 Jun 2011 07:53 PM PDT 
(Malaysia Chronicle) - Newly-elected PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu called on his party to throw its weight behind the Bersih 2.0 rally so that the BN federal government would think twice about using dirty tactics to wrest back states like Selangor. Quickly showing his mettle, Mat Sabu minced no words in warning the PAS 57th annual congress on Sunday that the Pakatan Rakyat-led state of Selangor was at risk in the next general election. Indeed, intelligence gathered by the coalition led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim showed that Prime Minister Najib Razak had pumped in hundreds of millions in a bid to regain control of the country's richest state. Not only have there been widespread police reports of citizenships being offered to foreign workers in exchange for their votes, Najib has deployed hundreds of thousands of volunteer paramilitary troops or RELA into the state. Many believe these RELA volunteers have been taught to act as phantom voters and should the Pakatan still win, they may even trigger street riots to pave the way for Najib to declare emergency or federal rule. "We have brought prosperity to the state, high wages for teachers and more, but if the general election is called, will Pakatan continue to rule Selangor? It is not yet certain," Mat Sabu told PAS delegates. He was tabling a motion for the PAS central committee to support the Bersih 2 rally. Endorsement would mean a massive turnout. A walk for democracy Both Mat Sabu and another PAS leader Hatta Ramli are part of the steering committee organising the rally, which will also highlight the public's unhappiness over a recent slew of price hikes. "We will mobilise 100,000 members and supporters from PAS alone," Mat Sabu had told a press conference last month. Dubbed 'A walk for Democracy' the Besrih 2.0 rally is due to be held on July 9 at 2 pm in Kuala Lumpur. Some pundits also see it as a means for the opposition to rally support and to motivate Malaysians ahead of general elections widely expected to be held within the next few months. Bersih is made up of more than 60 NGOs, and its aim to ensure free and fair elections in the country. In 2007, it urged the Election Commision to use indelible ink on ballot papers, to clean-up the electoral lists, abolish postal votes and grant access to the print and broadcast media to the opposition to air their messages. Currently, the opposition is denied access to the mainstream media which is controlled by the government. For the 2011 rally, Bersih will also demand that the Prime Minister Najib Razak's BN coalition be stopped from misusing government machinery and apparatus. It will also wants the EC to stop the BN from using oppressive laws such as the Official Secrets Act and Internal Security Act to stop dissent and gain the upperhand over its opponents. |
| Raja Petra mahu kerjasama dengan PAS Posted: 04 Jun 2011 06:24 PM PDT 
(Malaysiakini) - Pergerakan Kebebasan Sivil Malaysia (MCLM) berharap dapat menjalinkan bekerjasama dalam PAS bagi menghadapi pilihan raya umum ke-13 yang akan datang. Ini ekoran keyakinan MCLM pada barisan kepimpinan baru PAS yang dilihat akan memandu parti Islam itu mencapai matlamat menentang nilai negatif dalam politik negara.
"Kami berharap dapat bekerjasama dengan PAS dalam pilihan raya umum yang akan datang dengan maksud untuk memulihkan keadilan dan kesaksamaan untuk semua Rakyat Malaysia," kata pergerakan itu.
Dalam kenyataan bersama pengerusinya Raja Petra Kamarudin (atas) dan Presiden Haris M Ibrahim hari ini, mereka mengucapkan tahniah kepada yang menawarkan harapan besar untuk Rakyat.
"Kami yakin saf kepimpinan baru ini akan memandu PAS mencapai matlamat yang dianjurkan dalam pesanan Presiden parti dan seterusnya memainkan peranan yang lebih besar untuk memperkuatkan gabungan Pakatan Rakyat," kata pergerakan itu.
Pergerakan itu menyambut baik kenyataan Presiden PAS datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang dalam ucapan dasarnya yang menegaskan komitmen terhadap Pakatan dan sedar bahawa "masyarakat majmuk adalah sebahagian daripada seruan politik dalam Islam".
MCLM juga menyambut baik penekanan PAS untuk membersihkan politik dari perkara menjijikkan seperti rasuah, politik wang, fitnah, perkauman, penipuan dan segala macam hal yang memalukan.
Bagi mereka mesej tegas Hadi itu disokong oleh perwakilan yang tergambar dalam keputusannya apabila Mohamad Sabu dipilih sebagai timbalan presiden dan apabila Salahudin Ayun, Datuk Husam Musa dan Datuk Mahfuz omar menang bertanding jawatan masing-masing. |
| PAS scared of the truth about the video: Muhyiddin Posted: 04 Jun 2011 06:12 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has accused PAS of sacrificing Islamic principles for the sake of politics, saying today the party should have used its muktamar to seek the truth behind a sex video allegedly featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Umno deputy president also mocked PAS, which his party has repeatedly tried to woo into forming a unity government, claiming the Islamist party was likely afraid the "truth" behind the video would tarnish its religious image. "Perhaps they already know the background of this video issue... or who is the person in the video. "But it is brought to their muktamar... as a political party founded on Islamic principles, they should be seeking the truth instead," the deputy prime minister told a press conference after visiting the Dang Wangi district police station here today. PAS delegates had moved a motion at its 57th annual muktamar today, condemning state muftis and Islamic scholars for keeping silent over the controversial sex video caper. The 21-minute recording was first aired to reporters at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara hotel in April by a man who identified himself as "Datuk T". "Datuk T" was later identified as a group made up of businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay, former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Tamby Chik and former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim. The video has been distributed in disks and made available on various Internet sites this past month despite the "Datuk T" trio saying they have handed over the sole original copy to the police. Police said they are investigating the distribution of the video. Umno and its newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, have attacked PAS for defending Anwar in the sex video scandal, saying the opposition leader was morally unfit to lead the pact due to his sodomy charges and having been implicated in the sex clip. Anwar has denied the charge and allegations. |
| ‘Non-Malays support us, Umno will end soon’ Posted: 04 Jun 2011 06:04 PM PDT 
Newly elected deputy president says that Chinese and Indians have accepted PAS' struggles and the new-line will try to expand its influence. (Free Malaysia Today) - Newly elected PAS deputy president, Mohamad Sabu said the Indian and Chinese communities have moved away from Umno and they have now accepted the struggles of PAS. He also said that the new-line up of the Islamic party's leadership will work harder in order to secure more non-Malay votes in the coming general election. "I remember (party spiritual leader) Nik Aziz Nik Mat once said that Umno is not strong on its own. Umno's strength comes from its (non-Malay) component parties, MCA and MIC. They are Umno's crutches," said Mohamad who is better known as Mat Sabu. "The Chinese and the Indians have accepted the message of PAS. Umno will end soon!" he told delegates in his winding-up speech on the last day of the party's 57th muktamar at Taman Melewar here. He added that votes from PAS members alone will not be sufficient to put the party in Putrajaya. Hence the new line will take efforts to attain votes from the others. "Party votes itself is not enough. We need the mandate and support of the public. This we will do. We will attain more (non-party member) votes from the Chinese, Indians, Kadazans and other communities," he stressed. The coming general election has been a top agenda in the debates and discussions of the delegates and also in the speeches of the top party leaders in this year's muktamar. Mat Sabu continued with this message by cracking a joke about how he frequents Putrajaya so often nowadays, "kerana kita mesti tau mana pintu masuk (just to find where the main entrance is)." Passive Malays
The message of widening the party's appeal was also stressed by vice-president Mahfuz Omar who said that PAS had to win the "hearts and minds" of all voters. "We must displace Umno from the hearts and minds of rakyat to go to Putrajaya. We must bring with us the mandate of people (when we get to Putrajaya). We cannot do that with our political power alone," he said in his short speech. READ MORE HERE |
| Jalan ke Putrajaya 'makin jelas' - Nik Aziz Posted: 04 Jun 2011 06:00 PM PDT 
(Harakahdaily) - Mursyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nikmat membayangkan saf kempipinan baru PAS yang dipilih pada muktamar ke-57 parti itu semalam menjadikan jalan menuju ke Putrajaya 'makin jelas'. Bercakap ketika ditemubual Harakah dan Harakahdaily hari ini, beliau yakin kabinet baru PAS itu mampu melakar masa depan baru untuk PAS khususnya menghadapi Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13.
"Jalan menuju Putrajaya makin jelas.
"Jangan ada jual kad pengenalan, bagi kepada warga asing mengundi insyaAllah.
 "Kalau demokrasi dijalankan dengan betul, maka tidak ada sebab PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat tak boleh sampai ke Putrajaya," katanya.
Pada pemilihan semalam, Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang yang mengekalkan jawatan itu tanpa bertanding menerima timbalan baru iaitu Mohamad Sabu.
Mohamad menang jawatan itu terhadap penyandangnya Nasharudin Mat Isa dan seorang lagi calon bertanding, Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
Bagi tiga jawatan Naib Presiden pula, perwakilan telah memilih Salahudin Ayub, Datuk Husam Musa dan Datuk Mahfuz Omar.
Ketiga-tiga mereka mendapat undi paling tinggi menewaskan tiga lagi calon iaitu Ust Idris Ahmad, Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah dan Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaludin.
Mengulas penyertaan Mohamad Sabu yang dilihat bakal memberi energi baru dalam saf hadapan kepimpinan PAS, beliau memberi analogi begini.
"Mohamad Sabu ni macam enjin la, drivernya Tuan Guru Haji Hadi, dan kita semua adalah penumpangnya.
"Kereta tak jalan walau enjin buka, kena driver tekan minyak juga,"katanya.
Berhubung isu ulama-profesional yang dimainkan media Umno pula, Tuan Guru Nik Aziz yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan berkata, ianya petanda kabinet baru itu digeruni Umno BN.
Sejak keputusan pemilihan semalam, media pro Umno sama ada internet dan media cetak, tidak putus-putus memainkan isu kepimpinan ulama dalam PAS tidak lagi diterima.
Majoriti tajuk akhbar mereka hari ini juga menggambarkan PAS tidak lagi islamik kerana mendakwa pemimpin utama didominasi kelompok profesional.
"Sebut Islam mesti berkait politik. Bila politk mesti ada kerajaan. Maka untuk ada kerajaan mesti ada profesional.
"Dalam PAS, sebut kata ulama automatik profesional, sebut profesional mesti berjiwa ulama.
"Yang menduakan barang satu ini adalah Umno, sebab dia ada profesional sahaja tiada ulama. Ulama dalam Umno kena singkir," jelasnya. |
| Md Sabu sebab Umno tidur tak lena - Nik Aziz Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:49 PM PDT 
(Harakahdaily) - Keputusan yang dibuat oleh para perwakilan dengan memilih Mohamad Sabu sebagai Timbalan Presiden PAS yang baru akan memberikan keuntungan besar kepada PAS. Dengan pemilihan itu, para pemimpin Umno BN diyakini tidak akan lena tidur kerana bimbang dengan kekuatan PAS dalam menghadapi Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) Ke-13 yang akan diadakan tidak lama lagi.
Mursyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berkata, Mohamad Sabu sememangnya merupakan pemimpin PAS yang dibenci oleh Umno kerana memiliki kehebatan tersendiri.
Menurut beliau, antara kehebatan Mohamad Sabu termasuklah kekentalan semangat, ketabahannya dalam perjuangan dan kesetiaannya yang jitu terhadap PAS.
Katanya, perkara itu terbukti setelah Mohamad Sabu diuji dengan beberapa ujian besar termasuk setelah dua kali ditahan di penjara di bawah ISA.
"Namun Mohamad Sabu tetap tidak lari dengan perjuangannya, tetap tidak memilih Umno, malah tetap terus berada dalam PAS," katanya ketika menyampaikan ceramah perdana di Dewan Datuk Fadzil Mohd Noor di Kolej Universiti Islam Zulkifli Mohamad di Taman Melewar, di sini, malam ini.
Selain mempunyai sikap-sikap itu, menurut beliau, Mohamad Sabu turut diketahui oleh para pemimpin Umno sebagai pemimpin PAS yang berbisa.
"Sebab itulah dengan pemilihan Mohamad Sabu sebagai Timbalan Presiden PAS yang baru, Umno tidak akan tidur lena selepas ini.
"Kita bersyukur dapat seorang timbalan presiden yang dibenci oleh Umno. Kita doakan semoga Mohamad Sabu terus diberikan perlindungan oleh Allah," katanya.
Para pemimpin Umno seperti yang dilaporkan akhbar milik parti itu, Utusan Malaysia mengatakan, para perwakilan PAS telah melakukan kesilapan besar memilih para pemimpin yang dikatakan dari kalangan profesional bagi menjawat jawatan timbalan dan Naib Presiden PAS pada Muktamar PAS Ke-57.
Dengan pemilihan itu, lapor media Umno, ahli-ahli PAS kini ternyata telah menolak golongan ulama untuk memimpin PAS yang tentunya tidak selari dengan dasar perjungan PAS dan konsep kepimpinan Ulama yang diketengahkan dalam PAS.
Menurut Nik Aziz, tuduhan Umno itu ternyata meleset kerana realiti dalam PAS sendiri tidak timbul soal golongan ulama dan profesional, malah kesemua pemimpin dan ahli-ahlinya tetap terus dengan dasar perjuangan parti untuk menegakkan Islam sebagai ad-deen di tanah air tercinta ini.
"Walaupun dikatakan bukan dari golongan ulama, tetapi Mohamad Sabu ternyata jauh lebih baik dari orang-orang lepasan Al-Azhar terutama yang berada dalam Umno," katanya.
Beliau juga tidak hairan dengan tuduhan Umno itu kerana ia melambangkan ketakutan para pemimpin Umno sendiri dengan pemilihan terhadap Mohamad Sabu sebagai Timbalan Presiden PAS.
"Ini melambangkan Umno semakin cemas dan makin terdesak sebab itulah mereka memainkan isu itu untuk memecahbelahkan dan melemahkan PAS.
"Namun itu semua tak akan terjadi. Malah pemilihan ke atas Mohamad Sabu pasti menguntungkan PAS sendiri termasuk dalam soal tarikan ke atas golongan non Muslim kepada PAS," katanya.
Mohamad Sabu, katanya, diketahui semua pihak sebagai pemimpin yang disukai oleh orang-orang Cina dan India. Dengan pemilihan ke atas Mohamad Sabu sebagai Timbalan Presiden PAS, pasti akan memudahkan beliau mendekati golongan non Muslim.
"Dengan itu, Mohamad Sabu pasti akan lebih mudah mendedahkan ajaran Islam kepada golongan non Muslim, sejajar dengan usaha kita untuk suburkan fahaman Islam dalam masyarakat," tegas beliau. |
| PAS lulus usul himpun 300,000 untuk Bersih 2 Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:43 PM PDT 
(Harakahdaily) - PAS meluluskan usul menggesa seluruh rakyat Malaysia menyertai Himpunan Bersih II pada 9 Julai di ibu negara dengan sasaran 300,000 peserta dari PAS sahaja. Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohammad Sabu ketika membentangkan usul tersebut berkata, seluruh ahli PAS di semua peringkat harus menyertai himpunan tersebut kerana empat tuntutan Bersih 2007 lalu tidak dipenuhi kerajaan dan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR).
Menurutnya juga, usaha mendaftarkan warga asing sedang berleluasa di Selangor dan turut berlaku di negeri-negeri lain.
"Satu pun tuntutan Bersih pada 10 November 2007 tak ditunai pemerintah.
"Daftar automatik tak ditunai walaupun kes di Likas Sabah yang dibuktikan di mahkamah oleh Hakim Datuk Kamil Awang adanya kes pemberian kad pengenalan kepada warga asing," kata beliau yang merupakan salah seorang penggerak Bersih.
Tambah beliau juga, amat menghairankan apabila daftar pengundi di Terengganu meningkat secara mendadak sejak 1999 hingga 2004.
Perkara ini katanya mustahil berlaku tanpa bantuan SPR dan Jabatann Pendaftaran Negara (JPN).
"Kalau aktif daftar pemilih boleh naik dari 4 hingga 7 peratus sahaja tapi di Terengganu dari tahun 1999 hingga 2004 daftar pemilih naik 17 peratus.
"Ini tidak mampu dilakukan parti politik melainkan bantuan SPR, polis dan Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara yang lakukan kerja itu," katanya.
Beliau turut menyentuh mengenai undi pos yang meragukan seperti yang berlaku dalam siri pilihan raya kecil sebelum ini.
"Undi pos terus kita ragu bayangkan di Tenang (PAS) hanya dapat undi pos 3 undi BN 115. Undi Senadin Pakatan mendahului lebih 1000 undi tapi bila datang undi pos calon Pakatan kalah 58 undi," katanya.
Tambahnya juga, media di Malaysia masih berada di zaman Tok Kadok (kuno) apabila hanya menyiarkan berita sebelah pihak sahaja.
"Kita lihat di muktamar, kita ditemubual, pelbagai pandangan kita beri, kamera berkelip di depan mata sampai kelabu tapi bila tengok berita tak ada (keluar).
"PRU di Singapura walaupun Singapura sama dengan Malaysia dari segi kongkongannya tapi semua pemimpin pembangkang boleh bercakap di radio dan televisyen.
"Di Malaysia media masih di zaman Tok Kadok tak ada kebebasan diberi kepada pemimpin walaupn dalam saluran kerajaan," katanya. |
| Mat Sabu: Make Bersih rally a success Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:37 PM PDT 
The newly elected deputy president received a resounding thunder of approval when he asked if the delegates will march on July 9 to seek a clean and fair elections. (Free Malaysia Today) - PAS today passed a motion urging all party members to join a rally planned by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) on July 9. The motion, passed during the Islamic party's muktamar, also urged all Pakatan Rakyat party machineries and NGOs to make the rally a success. "Our president in recent speeches said that he wants around 300,000 PAS members to attend the gathering. "PAS will work together with other political parties and NGOs in order to make this rally as success so that we can hold a clean and fair election," said newly elected deputy president Mohamad Sabu who proposed the motion. "We who love peace will make sure that the coming general election is conducted fairly. We will work to make the 'Walk for Democracy' a success. Do you agree?" asked Mohamad, who is better known as Mat Sabu. The delegates enthusiastically answered his call with an assuring, "Setuju!" (We agree!) Mat Sabu said that the previsous demands from Bersih were yet to be fufilled and that there were many concerns about the conduct of the coming general election. He added that a major concern was the alleged use of foreign workers as Barisan Nasional voters. To highlight the matter, Mat Sabu gave the example of Terengganu where there was an increase in voter registration by a whopping 17% from the period of 1999-2004. "If a political party is active in canvassing votes, it will only get an increase of voters between 4-7%. The whopping increase shows that the Election Commision and the police are working hand in glove with the Barisan government," he said. "Now this is happening in Selangor. If the registrations of foreigners continue, it is not sure if we can win back Selangor," he said, adding that it had to be prevented. READ MORE HERE |
| PAS rubbishes claims of DAP-PKR influence in new line-up Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:26 PM PDT PAS leaders say that outsiders have no credibility to interpret the party's election results. (Free Malaysia Today) - PAS leaders today brushed aside comments that the new progressive line up of leaders are more pro-Anwar Ibrahim and that the Islamic party had compromised on its Islamic principles. "Outsiders have no credibility to interpret what happens in the the party internally," said Youth wing chief Nasharudin Hasan Tantawi who retained his post in yesterday's polls. "These people have always made these kinds of allegations since a long time ago. Let PAS handle the party's domestic issues," he said in a press conference at the sideline of the party's muktamar. Umno leader Mukhriz Mahathir had yesterday sarcastically congratulated DAP and PKR for "managing to influence PAS to the extend that non-ulamaks were voted as the deputy and vice presidents". He added that this reflected that PAS was a party that was not free from influences that are contrary to the teachings of Islam. He was further quoted as saying in a Bernama report that the new party line-up did not have many ulamaks and this may jeopardise its plan to establish an Islamic state. Utusan senior editor Zulkiflee Bakar also shared Mukhriz's sentiments in his editorial in Mingguan Malaysia today. Nasharudin dismissed these claims by arguing that the partnership with DAP and PKR was a political partnership approved by the party's religious council, Majlis Syurah, adding that ulamaks were not being sidelined. READ MORE HERE |
| Implikasi Pemilihan Golongan Liberal Terhadap Pas Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:23 PM PDT The Scribe A Kadir Jasin SEJAK dulu lagi, saya berpegang kepada pendapat bahawa Pas adalah parti politik. Dan hal ini saya nyatakan berulang kali dan tulisan dan kenyataan lisan saya. Berbeza daripada pergerakan Islam yang berkecuali dan non-partisan, Pas, awal dan akhir, adalah perjuangan politik partisan.
Justeru itu, Presidennya, Abdul Hadi Awang dan Ketua Dewan Ulamanya, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, adalah ahli politik.
Hakikat bahawa mereka ulama adalah kebetulan dan bukan hal pokok. Kerjaya harian mereka ada sebagai ahli politik.
Di Malaysia, bukan mereka sahaja ulama. Ada ramai lagi ulama, tetapi mereka tidak terkenal dan tidak menjadi idola kontemporari kerana kegiatan harian mereka tidak banyak mendapat pendedahan media.
Hari ini, ahli politik bukan sekadar pemimpin masyarakat, tetapi juga selebriti. Mereka sama naik dengan bintang filem dan dikenali bukan semata-mata kerana mereka berwibawa, tetapi tidak kurang pula kerana mereka popular.
Kalau diikut pengertian lama dan semantik asal, seseorang atau sesuatu yang popular tidak semestinya berwibawa dan bermutu. Politik dulu kala membezakan antara pemimpin popular dengan yang berwibawa.
Jadi saya tidak melihat keputusan pemilihan pucuk pimpinan Pas bagi tempoh 2011-2013 sebagai luar dugaan. Namun saya tidak menolak pemilihan Mohamad Sabu sebagai timbalan presiden sebagai perkembangan menarik.
Hakikat beliau mengalahkan penyandang, Nasharuddin Md Isa dan Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man adalah penting. " Dalam sistem pemberian nama (nomenclature) Pas, Nasharuddin dan Tuan Ibrahim adalah "ustaz" manakala Mohamad Sabu hanya "haji" biasa.
Nasharuddin dan Tuan Ibrahim dilihat oleh kawan dan lawan sebagai berwibawa, tetapi Mohamad Sabu tidak syak lagi seorang yang popular. Dalam litar ceramah politik, beliau adalah selebriti – pemidato hebat yang boleh membuat khalayak gelak terbahak-bahak sampai senak perut dengan kelucuannya. Berikanlah apa pun tajuk, beliau boleh memintalnya menjadi parodi.
Mungkin gabungan Abdul Hadi, seorang "tuan guru" mengikut "nomenclature" Pas, Mohamad Sabu seorang "haji" biasa dan Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat seorang "tok guru" di tangga tertinggi kepemimpinan parti itu menjadinya lebih "lengkap" berbanding kepemimpinan di mana semua jawatan tertinggi dipegang oleh "ustaz".
Mungkin benar kata Mohamad Sabu selepas kemenangannya bahawa kepemimpinan baru Pas berharap dapat membantu memperkukuhkan Pakatan Rakyat dan menjinakkan lagi orang bukan Islam terhadap Pas.
Namun begitu, adalah kurang tepat melabelkan golongan bukan ulama ini sebagai "Erdogan". Malah bercanggah langsung dengan Perdana Menteri Turkey, Recep Tayyib Erdogan. Dalam politik sekular Turkey yang menyekat kebebasan Islam, Erdogan ada reformis Islam. Dia mencabar dasar sekular dan mahu Islam memainkan peranan lebih penting.
Rasa-rasanya, pendirian Erdogan lebih mirip kepada para ulama Pas, sedangkan Mohamad Sabu dan tiga naib presidennya – Salahuddin Ayub, Husan Musa dan Mahfuz Omar – adalah "reformis" yang cuba menonjolkan imej moden, terbuka dan bertoleransi.
Soalnya, sejauh manakah pemilihan Mohamad Sabu dan kekalahan Nasharuddin serta penyertaan lebih ramai pemuka muda aliran bukan agama akan mempengaruhi dasar dan pendekatan Pas?
Dasar pokok Pas daripada aspek deklarasi seperti Islam, Syariah, Hudud dan Negara Islam tidak akan berubah. Ini adalah lambang yang memberikan legitimasi kepada kelangsungan Pas sebagai parti Islam.
Tetapi pendekatannya telah dan akan terus berubah. Pas akan mengekalkan slogan Negara lslam tetapi akan berdolak-dalik mengenainya bergantung kepada suasana politik, tempat dan masa. Di permulaan muktamar yang baru berakhir, Abdul Hadi berkata masanya belum tiba bagi melaksanakan Negara Islam. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Self-correcting’ PAS is Umno’s worst nightmare Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:08 PM PDT 
In PAS, the voice of delegates and members weigh much more on the decisions taken by its party leaders, unlike in Umno. The victory of non-ulamaks in so many party positions must be seen as what they really are – a self-correction measure undertaken by PAS adherents to moderate its image, but never its content. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today Umno talks about transformation but PAS is the party that concerts that into action. Umno does not even dare hold its party elections fearing that the party will be more divided. Umno hasn't got the stomach to get rid of its old blood. If PAS does not break-up having had its party elections, then the Umno leadership will have a tough time defending postponing its party elections. Even Umno people will go away convinced that holding back elections is really an excuse by the Umno leadership to self-perpetuate. Hence all the cock and bull story about disunity and such. Meanwhile the victory of the so called Erdogan faction in PAS has got Ibrahim Ali provoked. He reacted by saying the victors are opposition coalition chief Anwar Ibrahim's voice in PAS. Ibrahim's outbursts are likely to be dismissed as the ranting of a loony bin and the eternal busybody. By the way, this 'Erdogan' and non-Erdogan thing is a fiction created by those who are fearful of PAS. I don't see a change in the fundamental basis of PAS's struggle with the ascension of the less-ulamak elements in PAS. An attempt to divide
The whole of PAS' body politics – whether ulamak or non-ulamak – remains whole and integral and is likely to reaffirm its commitment to Islamic politics. I am sure the description of PAS as such is likely to be seen as an attempt to drive a wedge in the solidarity of PAS members. I am more inclined to believe that such a commitment to a struggle is alien to the present generation of Umno people who have a different political culture. Umno struggles about getting a share in the MRT project. Umno struggles to get a lion share of the UDA Pudu Jail redevelopment project. Umno fights for big businesses. Umno fights for increasing electricity tariffs so that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) make more profit and prices of goods and services using energy get passed on to consumers. For Ibrahim Ali, the eternal busybody and the pompous windbag, what happens inside PAS is of no relevance to him. His comments are unsolicited and carry no weight at all. Ibrahim, who borrowed the PAS shell in the last elections, will have no vehicle to go into elections this time. If Umno allows Ibrahim to hitch a ride, there is something very wrong in Umno. Don't underestimate PAS zeal
But what happens in PAS has much bearings on Umno. Umno's worse nightmares are now becoming real. Mohamad Sabu (better known as Mat Sabu), has won the party deputy presidency with 420 votes. He leads a group of leaders to counter conservatives who are said to prefer to link up with Umno. I hesitate to refer them as progressives. We can't underestimate their (PAS) zeal towards Islamic politics; they differ only in approach. The suggestion that PAS wants to link up with Umno has always been a non-issue. PAS operates differently from Umno. The voice of delegates and members weigh much more on the decisions taken by party leaders. And PAS has the influence of its Dewan Ulamak. That inference I think is a figment in the imagination of some people and probably a manifestation of hope for redemption from a more besieged party – Umno. It is Umno that has been harping on Malay unity which when translated actually means – please save us, we want to stay in power. No need for Umno
The reality has always been that the majority of PAS members who are Malays probably have no desire to supplant their Malay-ness by teaming up with Umno. PAS simply does not need Umno to reaffirm and remind them that they are Malay first. They are already Malays and can also justifiably claim, to be more Islamic in conduct and behavior. The victory of non-ulamaks in so many party positions must be seen as what they really are – a self-correction measure undertaken by PAS adherents to moderate its image, but never its content. What is the typical image of PAS? It's an Islamic party portraying the image of a spiritual and other worldly organization. It's a party filled with wide-eyed mullahs, patrolling the streets enforcing dress code, unshaved chins and mandatory use of skull caps, hijab and so forth. Umno on the other hand projects a temporal and secular image. So what has PAS now become? It has become a spiritual and less other-worldly. The later description conjuring the image of an uncompromising and harsh Taliban-esque organization bent on imposing harsh laws on the populace. Viable alternative
By correcting itself, PAS can succeed better at making itself more relevant to society. Why would PAS need Umno? I think the victory of the moderates in PAS who will change the character of PAS from one party with Taliban-esque inclinations to a party of rational Islam, actually strikes fear in Umno. Now, PAS with the new leadership line up offers a very credible and viable political leadership to the Malays. The new line up also allays fears within the non-Muslim community who can see PAS now as a realistic political party. This strikes Umno in two areas. PAS can now offer an alternative to Malays and therefore will further erode Umno's already dwindling monopoly over Malay votes. Secondly, it can appeal to non-Muslims who are tired of Umno's bully tactics and its cowardly support of Perkasa's Malay agenda. The trio who won the vice-presidential posts are well known non-conservative Islamists. They are incumbent Salahuddin Ayub who took top spot with 753 votes. Kelantan senior councillor Husam Musa was second with 660 votes while another incumbent Mahfuz Omar kept his post with 616 votes. Both Salahuddin and Mahfuz were incumbents. READ MORE HERE |
| Rough weather ahead for PAS? Posted: 04 Jun 2011 04:59 PM PDT 
The fundamentalists have lost out to the young professionals, thus setting the stage for further trouble in PAS. Thus, the Pakatan-ruled Selangor government often faced obstacles in administering the state, with verbal clashes common among PKR, DAP and PAS on policies that touched on Islam and Muslims. Zainal Epi, Free Malaysia Today PAS is heading for an internal crisis following the conclusion of the party election where the young intellectuals aligned to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim won all the posts they contested. The result caught the ulama group or veteran fundamentalists by surprise as they had managed to ward off the onslaught of the young group dubbed the "Erdogans" in the 2009 party election. But this time around, their "shields" were no longer invincible. (The Erdogans are named after popular Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is known for his moderate Islamic politics.) Outside the Dewan Kolej Universiti Islam Zulkifli Mohamad, at Taman Melewar, here, where the results were announced yesterday, many veterans voiced their dissatisfaction. Two-termed deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, "targeted" by the Erdogans in 2009, fell to party rebel rouser Mohamed Sabu who captured the number two spot with a convincing majority of 196 votes (Nasharuddin polled 224 votes to Mohamed's 420). Mohamed, known for his fiery speeches, had even defeated another well-known candidate Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man by a mere 21-vote majority. Nasharuddin has been marked for "political assassination" by the Erdogans when he mooted the idea of a unity government with Umno immediately after the 2008 general election, where the Barisan Nasional performed dismally. Islamic ideology
The fundamentalists had put high hopes on Nasharuddin to carry "their flag" as they did not want to be controlled by the Erdogans whom they saw as "following the directives of Anwar". The veterans have all this while refused to play second fiddle to PKR or DAP in the Paktan Rakyat as they tried to promote its brand of Islamic ideology in the alliance, which has been rejected outright by DAP and quietly by PKR. Thus, the Pakatan-ruled Selangor government often faced obstacles in administering the state, with verbal clashes common among PKR, DAP and PAS on policies that touched on Islam and Muslims. Even Valentine's Day celebration became a big issue as PAS tried to ban the event, which it said contains elements of Christianity. While the veterans were beating the drums, the Erdogans kept silent as they quietly planned a "new approach and strategy" to take over the leadership after their failed bid in the 2009 party election. With the fall of Nasharuddin and the vice-presidents – Sallehuddin Ayub, Mahfuz Omar and Husam Musa – the party is now totally in the hands of the Erdogans. Abdul Hadi Awang, who won the president post uncontested, is now standing alone and he will no longer be able to dictate policies as he wishes. With the new line-up, PAS is expected to field mostly professionals in the coming general election, but the seat allocations will be decided by an "outside force", that is, Anwar. READ MORE HERE |
| Lawyers for Malaysia's Anwar cry foul Posted: 04 Jun 2011 04:49 PM PDT 
(AFP) - Lawyers representing Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim expressed doubts about his chances of receiving a fair hearing, a day before opening their defence in his sodomy trial. The 63-year-old father-of-six is on trial over allegations that he sodomised a 25-year-old former aide at an upmarket apartment in June 2008. Counsel Sankara Nair told AFP on Sunday that the prosecution had allowed Anwar's legal team to interview only five of the 25 witnesses that they had been promised. They had yet to interview Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife, who had met Mohamad Saiful Bukhari, the man allegedly sodomised by Anwar, after the purported event. "Our hands are tied in trying to provide Anwar with a proper defence as the prosecution has refused to provide us with all the witnesses that they promised to produce," he said. "How can Anwar get a fair trial when we can't even interview the prosecution's witnesses in order to decide who to call?" he added. Last week, Anwar, a former deputy premier, filed a third attempt to remove High Court judge Zabidin Mohamed Diah from the trial, claiming that the judge was biased against him. His legal team said Zabidin had made "a conclusive finding" by stating that the prosecution had "proved their case beyond reasonable doubt" and in doing so "effectively convicted Anwar before he had given his defence". Last month, the high court ruled that Anwar had a case to answer after finding the prosecution's main witness "credible". Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia, whether or not it is between consenting adults. Anwar insists the accusations are part of a long-running government plot to derail his political career, but authorities have denied any conspiracy. He was sacked as deputy premier by then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 and found guilty of corruption and sodomy, but was released from jail in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned. He has since become an electoral threat to the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which has been in power for half a century. A win by pro-Anwar leaders this weekend in party polls for the conservative Islamic party PAS, a key member of Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat alliance, has also signalled a strengthening of Anwar's position in an opposition alliance riven by infighting, say analysts. Anwar could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted. The marathon trial began in January last year but has been punctuated by delays. |
| A Love Song for Altantuya... Posted: 04 Jun 2011 04:41 PM PDT 
MAGICK RIVER Well, folks, fasten your seat belts. Some massive turbulence ahead... when the case filed in Paris by SUARAM (Suara Rakyat Malaysia, a leading human rights organization) to investigate the astronomical kickbacks involved in Malaysia's purchase of French-made Scorpene submarines between 2002 and 2005, reaches full trial in the coming weeks. It was an inspired move on the part of SUARAM, because no serious investigation would have been possible in Malaysia, where the defence minister involved in these shady deals has now been promoted to prime minister. Everybody knows all law enforcement agencies in Malaysia are under the direct control of the executive - specifically the prime minister's department and the home ministry. The present home minister happens to be Najib Razak's boorish cousin, Hishammuddin Hussein. The shadow of unavoidable suspicion still dogs Najib Razak's every step. None of this would have become front-page news had it not been for the gruesome murder of 28-year-old Mongolian beauty, Altantuya Shaariibuu, on 20 October 2006 - who was shot twice in the head and her body blown to smithereens with military-grade C4 explosives in a forested area known as Puncak Alam, near Kuala Lumpur. Two police officers attached to the Unit Tindakan Khas (Special Action Unit) who, at the time of the murder, had served as personal bodyguards to Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, were charged with the macabre murder of the Mongolian woman and found guilty in April 2009 after a ponderous and farcical trial during which both the defence and prosecution took extraordinary pains to keep Najib Razak and his security chief Musa Safri from testifying. Najib's close friend Abdul Razak Baginda, a special advisor to the defence ministry, was deeply involved in the submarine purchase. He was arrested in connection with the Altantuya murder and admitted in an affidavit that she had been his mistress for a couple of years and that she had served as a translator during the negotiations in Paris. Trial judge Zaki Yasin acquitted Abdul Razak Baginda, who swiftly relocated to the U.K. with his family. The faces of the two policemen sentenced to death have never been revealed to the public, as the judge allowed them to cover their heads throughout the prolonged trial. Najib Razak swore on the Koran in August 2008 that he had never met "that Mongolian woman." He did not mention her by name. |
| MCLM Mengucapkan Tahniah Sempena Berakhirnya Muktamar Parti PAS Posted: 04 Jun 2011 04:25 PM PDT Pergerakan Kebebasan Sivil Malaysia (MCLM) menyambut baik kenyataan Presiden PAS, Abdul Hadi Awang dalam ucaptamanya sempena Muktamar parti yang berakhir baru-baru ini. Dalam menegaskan komitmen parti terhadap Pakatan Rakyat, beliau menyatakan, "Kita perlu sedar bahawa masyarakat majmuk adalah sebahagian daripada seruan politik dalam Islam." Beliau juga menekankan bahawa PAS mempunyai kewajipan untuk membersihkan politik dari "perkara menjijikkan seperti rasuah, politik wang, fitnah, perkauman, penipuan dan segala macam hal yang memalukan bahkan anak-anak yang sedang memerhatikan kita. Mesej tegas Presiden itu disokong oleh para delegasi dalam pemilihan parti yang menyaksikan perlantikan Mohamad Sabu sebagai timbalan presiden, Salahudin Ayub, Husam Musa dan Mahfuz Omar sebagai naib presiden, begitu juga dengan ahli jawatankuasa kerja pusat. MCLM dengan ikhlas mengucapkan tahniah kepada PAS sempena berakhirnya Muktamar yang cukup berjaya, yang menawarkan harapan besar untuk Rakyat. Kami yakin saf kepimpinan baru ini akan memandu PAS mencapai matlamat yang dianjurkan dalam pesanan Presiden parti dan seterusnya memainkan peranan yang lebih besar untuk memperkuatkan gabungan Pakatan Rakyat. Kami berharap dapat bekerjasama dengan PAS dalam pilihanraya umum yang akan datang dengan maksud untuk memulihkan keadilan dan kesaksamaan untuk semua Rakyat Malaysia. Raja Petra Kamarudin Pengerusi Haris M. Ibrahim Presiden Pergerakan Kebebasan Sivil Malaysia (MCLM) |
| PDRM, Please Stop Embarrassing Us in the International Arena Posted: 04 Jun 2011 04:24 PM PDT I am incensed to read about the humiliation and indignity imposed on the 30 women arrested at a high-end night club in Penang. It is shameful that a high-ranking police officer, Penang Police Chief Ayob Yaakob could come up with such moronic excuse that these women's forehead and chest were marked to distinguish them from other female patrons. Is humiliating a person, especially a woman, part of the Standard Operating Procedure of the Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM)? If that is so, then the Malaysian Federal Government has just thumbed her nose at the Convention of Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that had been ratified in 1995 and to which Malaysia is a signatory. The police have also violated the basic rights of these people to do whatever and be wherever they want within the rights enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. PDRM, please stop embarrassing us in the international arena. The news article titled "Malaysia police slammed for cattle-branding women," dated 4 June 2011, did not mention if the eight Malaysian men arrested together with the women were also "X-ed" on their forehead or chest. Were the masochistic police being gender selective in carrying out their perverted artistic tendency? Did the police make any effort to determine if these are trafficked women who were not in the club of their own free will? I worry for my country when people are detained on the grounds of allegedly wrecking somebody's marriage. I doubt that Malaysian taxpayers intended for their tax contributions to be used to fund such thing. If that is so, then I suggest the Rakyat demand a refund. HAJJAH HASLINAH YACOB |
| Utusan says Hadi, Nik Aziz forced PAS ulama out Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:24 PM PDT 
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — The Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia has ironically blamed top PAS ulamas Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat for the ulama faction losing top posts in the party elections over the weekend. The Malay daily's weekend edition Mingguan Malaysia said today the president and spiritual leader respectively had caused delegates to vote for progressive leaders instead of the conservative ulama who favour cooperation with Umno. News editor Zulkiflee Bakar wrote that Abdul Hadi's policy speech which attacked the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) and focused on taking over government with PAS allies in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had encouraged delegates to vote for "pro professional" candidates. "Abdul Hadi was unaware that his speech would raise the spirits of the pro professionals to control the party. Talking about a welfare state gave the impression that ulama leaders were no longer needed as PAS has stopped fighting for an Islamic state," he wrote. The editorial added that the Marang MP's drive to ready PAS for a general election expected within the year had further influenced delegates to ensure that professionals took up this responsibility. "The ulama in PAS are perceived as weak and unable to face BN in the coming general election. This means the ulama will not have any power or role except to follow whatever strategies that are implemented by the professionals," it said. Mohamad Sabu won the party deputy presidency yesterday with 420 votes, leading a group of progressive leaders to counter conservatives who prefer to link up with Umno. The Penang-born Mohamad defeated incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa, who received only 224 votes, and vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who came second with 399 votes. A total of 1,100 delegates voted in this year's party elections. In the vice-presidential race, incumbent Salahuddin Ayub took top spot with 753 votes, Datuk Husam Musa was second with 660 votes while another incumbent Datuk Mahfuz Omar kept his post with 616 votes. The Umno newspaper also blamed spiritual leader Nik Aziz for ensuring that Nasharudin, part of the ulama faction, would fail to defend his No 2 post that has been held by ulama since 1981. READ MORE HERE |
| The knives are out in Sabah Umno Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:10 PM PDT By Charles Rudai, FMT KOTA KINABALU: As happens periodically, the Chief Minister's post, who gets what, and who is sabotaging whom, is taking on the mood of a pre-election campaign within Sabah Umno. At least two factions within the party are sorting themselves out on which side they stand – Chief Minister Musa Aman's or Umno vice president Shafie Apdal's.
Under the cover of gearing up for general election, the two factions have come out into the open after Umno Youth wing chief Khairy Jamaluddin revealed that a cold war has been going on between the top Sabah Umno leadership.
Umno division chief, Abdul Rahim Ismail did not mince his words when declaring his support for Shafie as the political hostilaties between the Sabah Umno heavyweights have come out into the open.
Speaking at his division annual delegates conference in Papar on Saturday, Rahim who was dropped from the State Cabinet before the 2008 general election by Musa, pledged not to back out from the struggle to return Sabah Umno to its original political platform.
"Don't be surprised by the content of my speech today, everything is now out in the open," he said at Dewan Datuk Salleh Sulong. The meeting was officiated by Shafie.
The Papar Umno meeting was only the second Umno division meeting that Shafie has been invited to open as it was learned that all division chiefs in the state have been advised by Sabah Umno top leaders against inviting Shafie.
The first division was none other than his own Semporna. Another Sabah Umno division set to act against the 'order' is Kinabatangan under Bung Moktar Radin and Shafie is expected to open its meeting on June 16.
Warning to Musa
Rahim acknowledged that his stance could invite trouble for him within the party but warned Musa's administration not to punish his constituents in Pantai Manis.
"They also have the right to all the facilities enjoyed by other people in the state so don't punish my constituents," he said.
Rahim, the state representative for Pantai Manis, said the state leadership was being over-confident and taking for granted that the Barisan Nasional (BN) could win the general election easily because
Sabah is considered the ruling coalition's "fixed deposit".
However, he cautioned that the BN government could find itself going backwards if the government fails to record an increase in votes for the BN.
"Are we really confident of achieving this?" he asked, citing Sarawak, which was also labeled as a BN fixed deposit state but still could not stop the opposition from taking away several seats in the recent state election.
Among the reasons for this was the failure to listen to the people who wanted change, he said, adding that based on Election Commission (EC) statistics, 47% of voters comprised the better informed youth.
"So we must listen to the younger generation," he said, adding that there must not be any divide-and-rule style of administration in the state.
READ MORE HERE.
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| Trim the excesses and wastage Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:04 PM PDT While ordinary Malaysians tighten their belts to bear the burden of price hikes as a result of reduction in subsidies, the Government must also do its part. By Wong Chun Wai, The Star WHEN Barack Obama was asked what action he was going to take after gas pump prices had shot up continuously for 35 days, the US president openly declared he had no immediate solution. It was a simple yet honest answer despite the impact it would have on his popularity ratings. Governments all over the world are grappling with the hike in oil prices. It hasn't helped that food production has been hit since last year after weather changes caused havoc in several major food-producing countries, including China, India and Australia. In the United States and Europe, the price of fuel for cars changes almost every day as it is not subsidised. This is something most Malaysians are unfamiliar with as we are, and have been, living on subsidies for almost every essential item, even sugar which is unheard of elsewhere. The government's bill for subsidising petrol, diesel and gas has risen from RM8bil to RM18bil a year. Yes, it's a staggering figure and certainly we can expect the numbers to keep increasing unless there is a drop in crude oil prices. The government can take the easy way out by keeping the prices of petrol down to remain popular, especially with a general election looming. But that would be bad governance. If Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can reduce the price of petrol as he claims, I am sure Obama would be quite keen to hear from him. The Opposition Leader must have a magic wand. He may be able to do it but the long-term effects would be disastrous and could well bleed the nation. To put it bluntly, it could bankrupt Malaysia. There is a cost to the subsidy – the government should be channelling the subsidy to the health, education and housing sectors. There are also many infrastructure projects that have already been announced and we wonder how many of these would be affected, even put on hold, if the subsidy bill continues to spiral upwards. The government could save at least RM103bil over the next five years if it were to slash its subsidy bill now. This, however, can only be done gradually with enough notice served on Malaysians to explain that the government just cannot continue to bear this burden. The government has little choice but to explain to the people the rationale behind the subsidy cuts. It's not an easy task as ordinary Malaysians have bills to pay. And against the backdrop of increasing costs of production, most employers would be hard-pressed to increase the salaries of their workers. At the same time, we can expect industries to pass their cost to consumers even though the increase in electricity rates is only an average of 7.12%. The Opposition has been playing the populist card, blaming the government for every price hike and promising to reduce the price of oil, which any rational person would know is not achievable. Surely, every serving government would want to keep prices down to get itself re-elected. Economists want the government to take a more daring approach to push ahead the subsidy rationalisation exercise. But they are obviously not counting the political costs if this is not done gradually. Their fear is that if Malaysia continues to bear the high subsidy bill, it would impact on the country's sovereign ratings as the budget deficit would stand to widen. In simple language, the country's debt cannot be allowed to increase if its credit status is to be respected. The bottom line is: provision of subsidies is not a sustainable practice. It has to be removed eventually but at the same time, the government is well aware that any decision should not affect the consumers' standard of living. Even some government MPs have been cautious about any increase in petrol or food items. But take the sugar subsidy as an example. When the prices of coarse and fine sugar increased by 20 sen to RM2.30 per kilo, it reduced government subsidy by RM116.6mil from RM400mil per year. The latest increase is the first this year, after last year's hikes of 20 sen in January, 25 sen in July and 20 sen in December. It is incredulous that we would fork out so much for sugar while we ask for less of it with our teh tarik. Yet some of us will get bitter when there is a cut in subsidy for sugar. Look at the statistics: there are 1.4 million adults suffering from diabetes as at 2006, according to a national health and morbidity survey. We can assume that the number has gone up since then, at the rate we consume sugar-laden soft drinks. Now, according to estimates by the Health Ministry's disease control division, health promotion, management and treatment of diabetic patients take up about 15% to 17% of the ministry's total budget of RM13.7bil in 2009. That can't be sweet news to Malaysians, especially taxpayers. Moreover, that figure does not include diabetics who seek treatment in private hospitals. But at the same time, we, too, want the government to cut down on excessiveness and wastage and review existing projects that are perceived to bring little economic returns. We can save but the government must also play its part. It's a shared responsibility. Malaysians, like everyone else on this planet, cannot live like they used to. The days of cheap food will be a thing of the past. We cannot depend on fossil fuel forever. We cannot leave the fan, air-conditioner, lights and television on for no reason and, certainly, our children will pay a heavy price if we waste water as we are doing now. This seems to be the only immediate answer if we want to sustain the planet. |
| PAS condemns use of sex video for slander Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:03 PM PDT By Sira Habibu and Mazwin Nik Anis, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: The Ulama council condemned the use of sex video for political slander. The ulama said the tactic of using video and new media as channels to spread slander in the interest of politics signified the fall of a civilisation. "It is a sin to slander, as it involves the dignity and integrity of an individual," said Ulama represnetative Fadhil Mohd Noor when tabling the motion atthe 57th PAS Muktamar on Sunday. The ulama were apparently referring to a sex video implicating Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. On March 21, trio Datuk T comprising businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, and former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim revealed the existence of a sex video showing a man resembling Anwar having sex with a woman believed to be a prostitute. Anwar lodged a police report claiming he was not the man in the video. The Ulama condemned the Barisan Nasional government for allowing the sex video to be aired on television and excerpts published in the print media. "(We) condemn the silent stance taken by the official government ulama," he said. The sex video was among six-point motion tabled and passed during the Muktamar. Other motions include the Bersih 2 gathering that would be held on July 9, about 10 days after Anwar's defence hearing over a sodomy case ends. The resolution pushed by the PAS central committee called for the mobilisation of all the party organs to make the gathering a success. Among the Bersih demands are for free and fair media coverage for all political parties in the mainstream media, the use of indelible ink during elections, abolishing of postal votes, and automatic registration for voters who turn 21. The PAS Tenggara, Johor brought up a resolution urging all Pakatan Rakyat states to set up a Malaysia Armed Forces and Veteran Welfare Secretariat (KERABAT). They called on the Mentri Besar and the Chief Minister in Pakatan Rakyat states to chair the secretariat aimed at ensuring that the welfare of the retired armed forces personnel were looked into. The PAS Pandan brought up a resolution objecting to subsidy reduction, as it posed a burden on the rakyat. The Youth wing brought up a resolution to push for the setting up of Royal Commission to investigate alleged MyKad fraud. The Muslimat wing pushed for a resolution to make Al-Quran recital examination compulsory for all Muslim students taking UPSR, PMR and SPM. They want the Islamic studies to be made compulsory for students at every level from primary to university. |
| PAS seeks to block ICs for foreigners, says BN election plot Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:01 PM PDT By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — PAS wants Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to legally stop the national registration department (JPN) from issuing identity cards to foreign nationals, saying it is a Barisan Nasional (BN) plot to win elections. PAS delegates approved a motion for PR to file the injunction against JPN, claiming BN was abusing its powers in the Election Commission (EC) and JPN to win the 13th general election. "It is no longer a secret that there was a planned conspiracy which was conducted in Sabah through Project IC during the 1980s and 1990s to overthrow the Sabah government led by Sabah United Party (PBS) which saw thousands illegal immigrants given permit registered as voters," said the motion. The motion also called for the setup up of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the issue. "We will hold a peaceful walk for democracy and seek for a fair election. BN must restrain themselves and void chaos because we are peaceful people seeking justice," PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu told the delegates at the general assembly here today. But Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had recently rejected a call by United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok's to set up a RCI on the same matter. The minister reportedly said last February that the RCI would not solve Sabah's immigration problem. PR Selangor backbenchers' chief Azmin Ali has also accused the BN federal government of issuing identity cards to illegal immigrants to boost their electoral votes. The Gombak MP did not substantiate his claims — citing "reliable sources" — and accused JPN of working with BN to issue identity cards in illegal immigrant squatter settlements in the state.
READ MORE HERE.
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| Will PAS’s new dream team be Umno’s nightmare? Posted: 04 Jun 2011 11:23 AM PDT 
By Sheridan Mahavera, The Malaysian Insider The election of veteran activists, parliamentarians, state administrators and think tank experts into the top PAS leadership has appeared to put the party on a firm war footing. This line-up of Mohamed Sabu as the PAS deputy president and vice-presidents Salahuddin Ayub, Datuk Husam Musa and Datuk Mahfuz Omar is expected to not only stand shoulder to shoulder with allies in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) but it is said that they want to spearhead the coalition in its march to Putrajaya. Their election perhaps speaks of the party's changing membership and support base, and the rank-file's desire to see the party move beyond an Islamist movement to a national-level ruling party. And there is very little doubt about working or talking to Umno or Barisan Nasional (BN). Not only will this leadership have no truck with them, PAS's new war cabinet fervently wants to replace Umno as the representative of Malay Muslims. Yet despite the optimism that the new leadership could widen PAS's public appeal, a significant number of members are uncomfortable with the shift in the voting trend. "I wished that an ulama had won. PAS should be lead by an ulama because it is an Islamic movement," said a Kuala Lumpur grassroots member when he heard the new line up. For the first time in 20 years, a majority of PAS's top leadership are made up of those who don't come from a religious education background or to use a much-misunderstood term, ulama (religious scholar). "This is the leadership that will put the fear in Umno," said Kelana Jaya delegate Abdul Rahman Othman. "It is a dynamic dream team for us to go into the next general election." The headline-grabbing personality is the very amiable new party deputy president Mohamad. A former MP, senior Pakatan leader/activist, ex-Internal Security Act detainee, popular ceramah speaker and a veteran civil disobedience insurrectionist. Mohamad defeated incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa and another popular challenger, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man for the coveted post. Below him are three vice-presidents, each of whom has crafted huge public profiles as national parliamentary opposition leaders — Salahuddin, Husam and Mahfuz. Of the central committee members, only six are considered "ulama" personalities. The rest of the 18 elected members are lawyers, doctors, engineers, — individuals that more reflect the majority Malay middle and working class that PAS courts. Mohd Rashidi Hasan, a popular pro-PAS writer, explained that though delegates still wanted the ulama to be "guardians of the party", they realised it would take more than religious scholars to beat Umno. "PAS wants to lead Pakatan, but to do that it needs to win more Malay majority seats," said Rashidi. In a way, the election results are an out-growth of the sentiments that elected the new Muslimat (women's wing) leadership, where the top three posts went to two MPs and a Senator. "We wanted a leadership that would be able to take Muslimat forward," said a Muslimat member from Perak, who requested anonymity. It is a desire for PAS to move beyond Malay society's religious set and appeal to mainstream Muslims, whose ties to the faith are basic and who are more worried about making ends meet. Delegates however took pains to stress that the polls was not a manifestation of the "ulama vs professional" schism that has dominated media reports about PAS.. "We choose based on who we think can best perform," said Temerloh delegate Syed Hamid Syed Mohamed. READ MORE HERE |
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