| Anwar: I did not have sex with Saiful Posted: 21 Aug 2011 01:07 PM PDT 
By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today that he has never had sex with former aide Mohamed Saiful Bukhari Azlan, calling the sodomy charge he faces a "conspiracy by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak." Opening his defence case from the dock, the opposition leader said: "I categorically deny the charge against me. "I want to state in no uncertain terms that I have never had any sexual relations with the complainant Mohamed Saiful. His allegation is a blatant and vicious lie and will be proved to be so." He said the prosecution had based its case on "so-called findings of seminal fluid or sperm," which he called a "foundation erected on shaky grounds." READ MORE HERE. |
| Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #79 Posted: 21 Aug 2011 01:03 PM PDT 
M. Bakri Musa Defining whether one has actually repaid in full what one has borrowed can be problematic. There is a difference between nominal and real values. Most of the time the difference is small or very subtle, but there are times when it can be very dramatic. When the Koran says you must repay in full, it means to my common sense thinking to repay the real original value. Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life Islamic Economics
Dealing With the Concept of Interest As alluded to earlier, the biggest stumbling block to Islamic economics is the concept of interest. Stripped of its complexities, the issue can be simply reduced thus. When B borrows money ($X) from A, there is a cost involved. Regardless of the terminology, someone has to bear that cost. If at the end of the year B returns to A the same amount of money he borrowed the year earlier, that is $X, he claims to have satisfied the Koranic admonition that he repays his loan at its original amount, nothing more and nothing less. But has B done that? Consider two facts. First is what economists refer to as the opportunity cost for A; he could use that money for something else that would give him profit or pleasure, instead of lending it to B. Assume the monetary value of that opportunity cost incurred by A to be $Y. The second factor is inflation. Inflation can be simply defined as the diminishing purchasing power of a given nominal sum of money. That is to say, an $X today does not buy quite the same amount of goods and services as a year earlier, or stated in another way, an $X today is not the same ("real") value as the $X of a few years ago. It is only nominally the same. In actuality X is valued less now than in the past because of inflation. If B were to repay A fully a year later, B should also include the amount lost due to inflation. Had inflation rate been 10 percent, then B should return to A $X plus that 10 percent more. If B only repaid the original $X, then he has only nominally paid the whole sum. In actual practical value, B has only partially repaid in the amount of only $(X minus 10 percent). Then there is the opportunity costs incurred by A in lending the money to B; that is the $Y discussed above. Thus to fully repay A, B would not only have to repay the 10 percent inflation rate but also the additional $Y opportunity cost incurred. Thus to really fulfill the Koranic requirement of equivalency, the $X of a year ago is now in reality $X plus Y plus 10 percent for inflation. Note that there is no interest at all involved here; these are all real, tangible costs. My essential point is this: when things are nominally (seen to be) the same, it may not be so in reality. Money was invented in part to put a quantitative value on a transaction so as to make it easier to compare the various costs. If economic transactions were accounted in terms of commodities, for example the number of durians, there will be the added issue of the quality of the fruit, size, and whether it is ripe, unripe or rotten and good only for making tompoyak and not for eating. Ancient Arabs chose precious metals like gold and silver. Those can be standardized by weight and their quality cannot be adulterated. Today money is merely paper or beeps of "on" or "off" signs on the digital highway. It is backed not by precious metals but by the people's faith in the underlying supporting economy. Inflation apart, money may lose its value through formal devaluation or changes in the foreign exchange market. To take an extreme example, a ringgit immediately before September 1, 1998 (the date Malaysia imposed capital control and devalued the ringit) was not the same value immediately afterward; it had lost 40 percent of its value with respect to the dollar. Thus if you borrowed one ringgit the day before the devaluation and then returned that same ringgit the next day, you have not returned the original loan even though nominally you have returned exactly what you borrowed. I can further simplify my argument, this time by not using money but a concrete example. Suppose last year my friend "borrowed" a she-camel from me. A year later he returned the same camel to me. Many would consider such a transaction halal (not sinful) as no riba (interest) was incurred; he returned what he borrowed, nothing more and nothing less. But is that true? Imagine my camel was in heat at the time he borrowed it and was later "serviced" in the pasture by some loose bull. After a year (and a few weeks before he was to return my camel), she delivered a baby. Of course that baby camel would belong to my friend, but two questions would immediately arise. One, is the camel he returned a year later the same one (in monetary value as well with common sense assessment) he borrowed? Obviously not; not only is my camel now "worn out" (depreciated, to use a business term) but also I cannot immediately breed her as she had just delivered a baby. That baby camel may be my friend's gain but it is definitely my "opportunity cost" loss. Had I not lent him the beast I would have a baby camel. Another is a real life example. During the Japanese occupation a neighbor back in my old village borrowed some money for a short term to buy land. The working currency then was the Japanese "banana" notes. A few months later, as promised, he repaid the loan in full. But by this time there were rumors of the Japanese defeat, and although the currency was still accepted officially, in the marketplace it was rapidly becoming worthless. The crux of the issue: Has the man repaid his creditor in full? Nominally and technically he had; in practical and real terms he had not. This is a very dramatic example, much more than the ringgit depreciation case noted earlier. In both examples there was no interest calculation to complicate the issue. Yet even without interest involved, defining whether one has actually repaid in full what one has borrowed can be problematic. There is a difference between nominal and real values. Most of the time the difference is small or very subtle, but there are times when it can be very dramatic. When the Koran says you must repay in full, it means to my common sense thinking to repay the real original value. Modern economists differentiate between real and nominal interest rates. If a bank charges an (nominal) interest rate of 15 percent per year but during that time the inflation rate is 10 percent, then the real interest is only 5 percent (15-10). Had the bank charged a rate of 10 percent, then the real interest rate would have been zero, that is, no interest, technically as well as in reality. Looked at another way, the interest rates charged by banks are not interests at all, rather the anticipated inflation rates. Again this concept can be readily adapted to the tangible items of life. Suppose last year there was a drought and the rice fields were damaged. The price of rice jumped because of the shortage. I borrowed ten pounds of rice from my neighbor. Two years later, the rains came and the harvest was bountiful and the price of rice dropped. At this time I repaid my neighbor with exactly ten pounds of rice. Have I returned exactly what I borrowed? Common sense says no. Two years ago during the drought, ten pounds of rice was worth $20, but with the glut it dropped to $5. To fully repay my neighbor, I should have given him 40 pounds ($20 worth), not 10. And that extra 30 pounds would not be riba. A comparable episode occurred during the prophet's time. One of his companions had borrowed a sac of dates. They were the premium first pick of the season: thick, sweet, and luscious. A few months later he repaid with an equal sac of dates, but this was at the end of the harvest season and the nuts were dried up, less sweet, and plentiful. The lender rightly asked for more. The companion asked the prophet whether the added amount demanded was not riba. The prophet emphatically replied that it was not, and indeed asked the companion to go back to the marketplace to ascertain the price differential between the premium first-pick dates versus the season's leftovers, and make up the difference. Two important points arise here. One is the concept of nominal versus real. The two sacs of dates may be nominally the same, but in reality they are worth quite a bit different. Two, the prophet (pbuh) trusted the marketplace to determine the true value of the two sets of dates. I will return to this second point later in Chapter 11 when I discuss free enterprise as an Islamic tradition. Modern Islamic bankers have learned well from their predecessors in trying to circumvent the prohibition on riba by resorting to service charges, commissions, and other charges. Those ancient Muslims also published their bag of "tricks" in a book they blatantly titled The Book of Escapes and Ruses! It was these novel interpretations of traditional teachings that enabled the Muslim economic empire to expand. At least those ancient Arabs traders were honest enough to admit that they were circumventing the system. And being honest is the first precept in any religion. My central thesis is this: money, deprived of its mystique, is like any other commodity and property. I can rent my house and rightly claim rental income. I could similarly "rent" out my capital (money) to someone and collect rental income (return on investment). This rental on my capital can be collected in a variety of forms: interests as in simple lending; dividends with bond investments; company shares with stock market (equity) investment; or co-ownership as with venture capital investments. The differences are only matters of degree and not in kind, quantitative not qualitative. They reflect gradations in magnitude of the risk/benefit ratio. The simple interest with bank deposits represents the lowest risk and also correspondingly the lowest returns. Venture capital investments represent the biggest potential for profits but also the greatest risks. It is an investment axiom that high rewards come only with high risks. Enthusiasts of Islamic banking go through contorted reasoning in trying to differentiate between riba and other forms of returns on investments that are deemed religiously acceptable—halal. Techniques like cost-plus sales (Murabaha), deferred payment sales (Bay Mu'ajjal), deferred delivery sales (Bay' Salam), and credit sales (Bay Bi-Thaman 'Ajil) all carry hidden costs that, as El-Gamal rightly observes, any high school student could easily calculate their imputed interest rates. All these Islamic bankers have achieved is simply to complicate an ordinary and simple traditional credit transaction in an effort to camouflage the cost of the funds (interest) by calling it some other fancy name. In the process it makes "comparison shopping" difficult for the consumers. The beauty of modern credit sales is that they reduced the costs of the credit to a simplified figure that can be used for easy comparison. Credit, which is a manifestation of lending, is a modern fact of life. If everything had to be done on a cash basis, the economy would be crawling. We use credit to build hospitals, schools, and hosts of other activities that benefit society. Grameen Bank's Muhammad Yunus asserts that credit is a basic human right. Everyone is entitled to it, especially the poor. Grameen Bank has improved immensely the livelihood of many Bangladesh peasants with its micro credit lending programs. In any religion, that would be considered a praiseworthy deed. Credit is a matter of faith, and not repaying a loan would be a breach of faith. And breach of faith is not only a sin, it is also a crime, and rightly so. Today we have some Muslim zealots who rationalize that they can borrow money but need not repay it, claiming that interest is haram, and therefore the loan itself is haram. They suddenly discover religion when it comes time to repay the loan. How convenient! If they feel that way, then they should not have borrowed the money in the first place. To me the greater sin is to borrow with no intention of repaying. The greatest obstacle to the economic growth of Malays and Muslims generally is that we have denigrated the rewards of savings by labeling them as interest and thus haram. Thus I purposely choose the neutral term "rewards on investments." We can encourage Malays to save even more if we can dispense with the theologically loaded term "interest" and substitute my "rewards on savings" instead. This is more than just a semantic change or an attempt at "spinning," rather it represents a qualitative change in concept. It recognizes that lending is a legitimate human activity – a valid service – and therefore profits on it are as valid as in with other economic activities. I will elaborate on this point in the following section on Islamic banks.
Next: Islamic Financial Intermediaries |
| Malaysians in the U.S. gather to discuss the movement for political reform Posted: 21 Aug 2011 12:52 PM PDT 
By Generation 709 Malaysians living in the United States gathered in New York City to discuss their ongoing concerns for potential political changes in the Post-Bersih era. Yong Kai Ping, the chief editor of the Malaysiakini Chinese site, was invited to speak about the latest developments in their homeland. He highlighted that overseas citizens are always the mother of revolution. Therefore Yong encouraged Malaysians overseas to contribute their part to political reforms by mobilizing any resources that are available to them. The talk was held in New York City on August 18, 2011 by Generation 709 in the United States. The event began with a screening of a video from the Bersih 2.0 rally produced by Malaysiakini. Yong pointed out that the Bersih 2.0 march was a demonstration organized without a centralized command structure, with many participants from younger generations. He described how the momentum of the movement had been maintained by rally participants sharing their stories online. He identified challenges for the future to articulate specific demands to the government and to ensure that reforms are followed through. He warns that "we really shouldn't depend on royal commission itself" since most of these royal commissions around the world "haven't delivered any satisfactory result". Yong also emphasized that about 40,000 Malaysians are living overseas. Therefore, it is important to know "how to organize, to be able to speak out and to play the role of a significant pressure group" from overseas. Many audience members shared their personal experiences of how they were reconnected to Malaysian politics after many years of living abroad. One of the audiences reflected on how his family members truly love their country but have been apathetic to Malaysian politics as they have no idea how to play their part in reform. Many of them who studied overseas are also reluctant to go back to Malaysia as they feel frustrated about the politics and policies there. On July 9, 2011, BERSIH 2.0 rallies were held in Washington DC, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Portland. Generation 709 in the United States is formed to maintain BERSIH 2.0 Movement's momentum, and Bersihans' commitment. To continue connecting overseas Malaysians to the political situation at home, Generation 709 in the United States will be organizing further events across the United States, such as YELLOW gatherings and voter registration sessions in seven cities on September 17 (Sat), Malaysia Day weekend. |
| Thank you, Pete - re: Tan Kay Hock Posted: 21 Aug 2011 12:37 PM PDT Tan Kay Hock is a liability to PM because of his big mouth bragging, and PM is a liability now to Tan Kay Hock. He lost the project thanks to you. By Eye M Fox Dear YM Pete, You remember the loud mouth bullshitter Tan Kay Hock making his proud and confident announcement in the recent press that his George Kent was sure of winning the Ampang LRT contract? He jumped the gun and now he should be guilty of violating SC's rules by disclosing bullshit as George Kent is a public listed company. He gave false hopes to his shareholders, another violation of trust. He might have paid his way to the project, but after your diclosure of his dirty tricks, and many rakyat must have written to the PM, the project went to MRCB. Tan Kay Hock has been using his golfing partner PM to get what he wants, but now this has become a classic case of Twin Liability. Tan Kay Hock is a liability to PM because of his big mouth bragging, and PM is a liability now to Tan Kay Hock. He lost the project thanks to you. It would appear our Tan Kay Hock is changing horses, jumping over to Muhyuddin and Chua Soi Lek the Johor Mafia because PM is a liability. A little recollection quickly tells us, the rakyat, why Tan Kay Hock is dumping PM. Your article some time ago did mention Tan Kay Hock demanding RM500 million from Chinese Rail (200 million for Rosmah, the rest for himself). So to Tan Kay Hock, the name Rosmah and PM is bad news. He moved to the Johor Mafia to get what he aimed earlier, but you spoiled it and saved the rakyat millions, Pete. With his new found friend Muhyiddin, it means that Syed Mokhtar is also now working with Tan Kay Hock because everyone knows that Syed Mokhtar will dump PM and join Muhyiddin since it was Muhyuddin as Johor MB that gave Syed Mokhtar the PTP land. I bet you Pete they will come up with a story since Soi Lek is Kong Cho Ha's boss that no need to bid lah this Chinese Rail project as long as the same RM500 million this time reaches Muhyiddin, Soi Lek and Kong Ha. Najib and Rosmah will not get a cent because Muhyiddin will backstab Najib the same way he did Pak Lah using the election as the turning point. All said, the interest of the rakyat is never in the minds of these scoundrels. With Tan Kay Hock, one will not be surprised if he finds his way to the Agong, a nice man too will be used. Another PKFZ mega scandal, starring MCA as the lead actor and all these other poor souls in it! To us the rakyat, you did a marvellous job by saving us from this one. Please save us, the rakyat again, from these vermins .... |
| US diplomat foresaw DAP gains but not Pakatan success Posted: 21 Aug 2011 01:17 AM PDT 
UPPERCAISE US Embassy political counsellor Mark D Clark correctly predicted in 2006 that Malaysian Chinese voters would desert the Barisan Nasional because of its increasingly Islamic tone and greater reliance on racial politics, and that the DAP would benefit at the general election. But he failed to foresee the extent of damage to the MCA and the Gerakan, and he could not know that the three main opposition parties (PAS, the DAP, and Parti Keadilan Nasional) would effectively combine to deliver a significant blow to the ruling party. In a secret cable to the State Department on Aug 19, 2006, published at Malaysia Today through WikiLeaks, Mark Clark corrected predicted a general election either in the fourth quarter of 2007 or the first quarter of 2008. The elections were indeed held in the first quarter of 2008, on March 8. He foresaw BN's loss of Malaysian Chinese votes because of bumiputra policies. "As Chinese sensitivities heighten regarding Malay-centric policies, discontent with the status quo grows," he said. He also noted, as many Malaysian political pundits have also observed, that the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi government had allowed greater freedom of speech in the post-Mahathir era. It had "allowed greater public airing of such discontent, albeit with limits", although Abdullah was also "unable to shut down divisive debates in stark contrast to Mahathir's firm control". Clark commented that no one was yet predicting the collapse of the Barisan Nasional and that Umno was not in danger of losing significant numbers of votes. But the BN's Chinese component parties (the MCA and Gerakan principally) feared they would lose votes. "Growing discontent in the Chinese community has led many political pundits to forecast that many Chinese will abandon MCA and Gerakan and vote for DAP in the next election." But Clark, writing in 2006, did not see the opposition parties being able to provide Malaysians a real alternative. READ MORE HERE |
| WIKILEAKS: NAJIB FIGHTS BACK; WEEKEND PROTEST FAILS TO IMPRESS Posted: 21 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT 
Speaking with reporters, Najib explicitly denied ever meeting Altantuya, and suggested Anwar's public revelations were an attempt to distract the public from the sodomy allegations against the Opposition leader. Najib, however, admitted that he had met Anwar's accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who had come to Najib's home several days before filing a police complaint, but this did not reflect a conspiracy. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KUALA LUMPUR 000575 SIPDIS FOR EAP AND INR E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2028 TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, KDEM, MY SUBJECT: NAJIB FIGHTS BACK; WEEKEND PROTEST FAILS TO IMPRESS REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 572 - NAJIB IMPLICATED IN MURDER B. KUALA LUMPUR 570 - GOM DELIVERS PROTEST TO USG C. KUALA LUMPUR 563 - ANWAR ON OFFENSIVE D. KUALA LUMPUR 557 - ANWAR TAKES REFUGE E. KUALA LUMPUR 73 - PROSECUTOR DOWNBEAT ON MURDER CASE F. 07 KUALA LUMPUR 291 - ALTANTUYA MURDER Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark, reason 1.4 (b and d). Summary 1. (C) As de facto Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim went on the offensive last week, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak wasted no time in denying any link to the Altantuya murder case, while diffusing another bombshell by admitting he previously had met the man accusing Anwar of sodomy. On July 4, the private investigator who had implicated Najib in the murder case sat by silently as a lawyer read out a retraction of his statement publicized only 24 hours earlier. The rising political boil led to rumors of potential arrest for Anwar the night of July 3. A major Opposition political rally in the Kuala Lumpur vicinity failed to attract critical mass, as some supporters took heed of police warnings and talk of using the military to ensure order. U.S. remarks related to the allegations against Anwar continued to generate opportunistic GOM criticism, including a letter from Foreign Minister Rais Yatim to the Secretary. Prime Minister Abdullah felt it necessary to announce that his government is stable, in the face of rumors to the contrary, while UMNO leaders prepared themselves for party elections. A key lieutenant for Anwar Ibrahim assessed that PM Abdullah did not support use of emergency measures against the Opposition at this time, and said Anwar would continue with public rallies. End Summary. Najib: I Met Anwar's Accuser, But Not Altantuya 2. (C) DPM Najib wasted little time in defending himself publicly following Anwar's July 3 press conference featuring private investigator Balasubramaniam and his explosive sworn statement linking Najib to the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya. Speaking with reporters, Najib explicitly denied ever meeting Altantuya, and suggested Anwar's public revelations were an attempt to distract the public from the sodomy allegations against the Opposition leader. Najib, however, admitted that he had met Anwar's accuser, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who had come to Najib's home several days before filing a police complaint, but this did not reflect a conspiracy. In a July 30 interview, Najib had insisted he was not involved in the case at all, while Opposition sources told us they had evidence and witnesses to the contrary (suggesting to us that Najib corrected the public record in order to preempt another disclosure by Anwar). ISA Fears 3. (C) In the immediate aftermath of the private investigator's statement tying Najib to the Mongolian murder victim, swirling rumors regarding Opposition protests, and public statements by the police alluding to a possible role for the military in maintaining order, Opposition sources told us Anwar feared he could be arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) as early as the evening of July 3. As a precaution, Anwar completed a number of legal declarations with his lawyer during the July 3 afternoon. To mitigate risks that the planned July 6 anti-government rally could provide a pretext for a security crackdown, the Opposition decided to shift the venue from an open park to an enclosed stadium in Shah Alam in line with a request from police. Investigator's 24-Hour Turn-Around 4. (C) Najib's camp appeared to conduct a major counterstrike on July 4, as Balasubramaniam sat in a hastily arranged press conference beside a lawyer who read out a retraction of the private investigator's statement that he publicized only 24 hours earlier. The PI's new statutory declaration refutes all allegations connected to Najib, explicitly repeating each of the statements now declared false, and states that the earlier affidavit was completed under duress. Balasubramaniam remained silent and glum in the quick press encounter, in contrast to his open demeanor the previous day. His about-face occurred after being called to a police station on July 3, shortly after the Anwar press conference. Following his retraction, Balasubramaniam with his immediate family disappeared from public view, with some rumors that he is abroad. Tepid Turnout for Key Rally 5. (C) Rumored plans by the Opposition to stage a protest march in Kuala Lumpur on July 4 after Friday Muslim prayers failed to materialize, though police briefing detained two activists at the National Mosque. Anwar traveled to Opposition-held Penang on Saturday, July 5, to preside over an Opposition rally there which drew an estimated 30,000 supporters. The big Opposition event, however, was slated for Sunday, July 6, in Shah Alam in Selangor state, also in Opposition hands. Police issued warnings regarding the illegal nature of the July 6 rally, and set up road-blocks in the vicinity, actions that deterred attendance; however, police did not otherwise attempt to stop the event. The all-day affair, at one time billed as a "million-man" rally, attracted only a modest turnout of some 20,000, less than the 50,000 capacity of the stadium. Anwar exhorted the crowd to throw out PM Abdullah's National Front (BN), but did not mention his earlier deadline of September 16 to bring down the government through the defection of BN members of parliament. The greatest stir of the rally came earlier in the day when a rock band singer flashed his buttocks to the audience during a performance, outraging the crowd and causing some conservative Muslim participants from the Islamist PAS party to abandon the stadium. U.S. Remarks in the Mix 6. (SBU) GOM and UMNO party officials continued to criticize both the U.S. and Anwar over the State Department Spokesman's June 30 remarks affirming our support for rule of law in light of the sodomy allegations against the Opposition leader. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim over the weekend confirmed that he had sent a letter of protest to Secretary Rice over U.S. interference in Malaysia's internal affairs. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar called Anwar America's "snitch." Education Minister and UMNO Youth leader Hishammuddin said the UMNO Youth wing would protest at the U.S. Embassy, as well as at the Turkish embassy (for sheltering Anwar June 29-30) and the Singapore high commission (for articles published in Singapore critical of DPM Najib's wife, Rosmah). Some 40-50 persons, purportedly from the Muslim Consumers Association, demonstrated briefly and peacefully at the U.S. Embassy on July 4; some carried signs equating the U.S. and Anwar with Zionism. (Note: We forwarded the Foreign Minister's July 4 letter to EAP/MTS. Despite the high-level criticism, we enjoyed good Malaysian official turnout at our Independence Day reception, held on July 3. End Note.) Prime Minister: Everything Under Control 7. (SBU) With the political scene buffeted by the Anwar-Najib maelstrom, and respected international media beginning to remark on Malaysia's "turmoil," as did the Asian Wall Street Journal, Prime Minister Abdullah tried to publicly reassure citizens and the international community alike. On July 3, Abdullah publicly stressed, "this government is a stable government, please believe that.... Don't panic about what is happening." On July 6, the PM's comments turned more defense and emotional, as he hit out at "rampant" "slandering" and Opposition protests. "I don't see the rationale for the continued demonstrations, or to play politics purely to create instability that could jeopardize the people's safety and it is also aimed at toppling the government elected by the people," Abdullah told reporters. UMNO in Election Mode 8. (SBU) Meanwhile, PM Abdullah's dominant UMNO party officially begins its election cycle in 10 days time, with the first phase, party branch elections, scheduled July 17-August 24. Most senior UMNO leaders are devoting increasing time, particularly their weekends, to contact work with their respective party branches and divisions. While elections for the presidency, deputy presidency and other national leadership positions do not take place until December, successful candidates must lay the ground work now to ensure their nominations later in the process. For example, internet journalists reported on July 7 that all 13 UMNO division leaders in Abdullah's home state of Penang had already decided to nominate Abdullah for reelection as party president, a move supposedly intended to forestall a push by Najib's supporters. Down from the Boiling Point, for Now 9. (C) Polchief met on July 7 with Sivarasa Rasiah, vice president in Anwar's Peoples Justice Party (PKR) and one of Anwar's lawyers. Sivarasa said last week's political scene was volatile and "boiling," but the situation now had calmed down to a "simmer." He downplayed the immediate risk of the GOM employing emergency measures, such as ISA detention for Anwar and other opposition leaders, in large part because he believed PM Abdullah was not supportive of such measures at this stage. Even though the police could arrest and hold Anwar for a period of 60 days, Abdullah would need to be on board with the decision. Second, Sivarasa argued that use of ISA against Anwar also entailed a willingness to declare a state of emergency to contain and tamp down street protests that would erupt, a step that again Abdullah, but also the King and fellow traditional rulers and perhaps the security forces were not backing at this time. 10. (C) Sivarasa said Anwar would continue holding rallies, particularly in Opposition-held states, but would be careful to minimize the risk of these getting out of hand and creating a pretext for harsh government action. Sivarasa acknowledged that in the July 6 rally Anwar had not mentioned his now famous September 16 deadline for bringing down the BN government, and Sivarasa appeared to imply that this date did not reflect a particular plan, at least not one that he was privy to. Sivarasa downplayed the possibility of Anwar contesting in a by-election in the near future. 11. (C) The PKR VP and lawyer thought that the police investigation into the sodomy allegations against Anwar had failed to turn up enough information for prosecutors to justify an actual indictment, though the police would never speak up to clear Anwar's name and the allegations, or an open investigation, would linger. Sivarasa stated that private investigator Balasubramaniam had confided in him, along with a number of others, some two months ago regarding information linking Najib to the Altantuya murder case. Anwar would bring forward these witnesses to Balasubramaniam's remarks when needed. Comment 12. (C) Last week's palatable political tension, stoked by Anwar's offensive in face of the sodomy investigation and GOM counterattacks, has receded somewhat as of today. The under-attended Opposition rally of July 6, considered by itself, failed to impress or convey a sense of popular momentum. BN leaders, Najib in particular, have been quick to conclude that the rally's failure to attract a packed crowd reflects a lack of support for Anwar. Police warnings and reference to bringing in the military to ensure order no doubt dampened enthusiasm among Opposition supporters. The political status quo threatens Anwar and plays into Najib's hands, however, suggesting that the Opposition leader will come out with fresh challenges to the BN government. 13. (C) Najib and UMNO may have suffered longer term blows to their public credibility in the exchange of allegations with Anwar. Detailed revelations about Najib, even retracted the next day, will tend confirm the widespread public belief that the DPM is linked to the Altantuya murder. The allegations against Anwar, however, appear as a repeat of the politically-motivated charges of 1998, even to those who put some stock in the reports. For Najib this comes at the inopportune time with the start of the UMNO election cycle, and will dampen the possibility his camp can generate enough grassroots backing for a Najib bid to replace Abdullah as party leader come December. KEITH |
| LDP back-stabbed by BN component members Posted: 20 Aug 2011 11:28 PM PDT Press statement of LDP Deputy President Senator Datuk Chin Su Phin at Tawau Sri Tanjung AGM, Aug 21, 2011 TAWAU: Liberal Democratic Party Deputy President Senator Datuk Chin Su Phin said in the 2008 general election, the LDP faced various challenges not just from the Opposition but within the Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He said certain quarters from within BN "stabbed" the LDP from the back by asking the people to support and vote for the Opposition especially in Sandakan and Kudat where BN candidates were from the LDP. Chin, who was the LDP campaign director during the 12th general election, said certain village heads were directed by senior leaders to vote against the BN candidates from the LDP. "This back-stabbing incident is an open secret; the prepetrators wanted LDP to lose in all the four seats it contested under the BN banner during the 12th general election. However, the outcome of the polls has shown that the people dislike this kind of unethical politics. Instead, LDP won and delivered all the four seats, namely the state seats of Tanjong Kapor, Karamunting and Merotai and the Sandakan parliamentary seats," he said when opening the Sri Tanjung AGM here today (Aug 28). In Kudat, Chin said, the LDP had garthered concrete proof that Umno branch leader Haji Harun had openly asked village chiefs to vote against LDP secretary-general Datuk Teo Chee Kang, who was the BN candidate for Tg Kapor. However, despite the back-stabbing, Chin said Teo won and delivered the seat. In fact, the outcome of the poll has shown that LDP gained rock-solid support and votes even from the non-Chinese areas, where former party supremo Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat did not get the support in the past. "This clearly shows that the people dislike leaders who betrayed the BN spirit of camaradeire. After the 2008 general election, we submitted our findings about the "back-stabbing" incident to the BN leadership but, alas, no action has been taken against Haji Harun. "Haji Harun is merely a branch leader of Umno; we believe that he has the backing from certain leaders, otherwise he would not has the guts to go against the LDP," he said, adding that last year, Haji Harun "sacked" almost half of the village heads in Tg Kapor constituency without the assemblyman's knowledge and a few of them were re-instated after the LDP's made an appeal. "We reported the incident to the BN leadership but we're told to be patient. No action has been taken against Haji Harun until today. "Recently, Haji Harun removed one village head, again without the knowledge of the assemblyman (Teo). This clearly shows that Haji Harun was taking orders from certain senior leaders who want LDP to lose in Kudat in the forthcoming general election. All this while, we've been very patient. We can no longer tolerate this ruthless betrayal of the BN spirit," said Chin to the thunderous applause from the floor. In this reagrd, Chin reiterated his call on Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, being the State BN chairman and Sabah Umno chief, to act impartially by removing leaders who go against any of the BN component parties. "We've asked the Chief Minister to remove Haji Harun but his answer was that Haji Harun is the treasurer of Umno Kudat, thus sacking him would only drive him to join the Opposition. To the LDP, this is unacceptable; Haji Harun has repeated the same mistake and is bent on destroying the LDP in Kudat. "As the Chief Minister and Sabah Umno chief, it's only fair that Datuk Musa steps down from his posts should he fail to carry out the duties and responsibilities entrusted with him by taking an appropriate action against a small leader like Haji Harun," he pointed out. The LDP, said Chin, fully adhered to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's advice to all BN component parties to be loyal, unite and work together and to avoid any form of disputes amongst themselves. "But, it is a fact that there are certain problematic leaders within the BN. In fact, the Chinese community support the government transformation plan and to turn Malaysia into a high income nation to ensure better future for our next generations. "But the people dislike problematic leaders and before it is too late we urged the BN leadership to rid the BN coalition of leaders who are corrupt and abuse their powers. Only then, all the BN component parties could cooperate and work together to ensure our victory in the 13th general election," he said. Chin also said the LDP fully agreed with the Prime Minister that BN would select only "winnable candidates" for the forthcoming general election. Nevertheless, he reckoned that before deciding on the list of candidates, the allocation of seats among the component parties must be resolved first. "Leaders who jumped from one BN party to another must be dropped because leaders without principle will be rejected by the people," he said, stressing that it is crucial for the BN leadership to rid the coalition of problematic leaders if the BN want to secure a fresh mandate from the masses to rule the country in the next general election. "If problematic leaders are not remove before the next general election, it may cause friction amongst the BN component parties. And, if no change is to be taken in the present BN leadership in Sabah, it will continue to have conflict with LDP. Surely, LDP will have to fight because we don't want to become the next SUPP," he cautioned. According to Chin, the outcome of the recent state polls in Sarawak, the Chinese majority areas in particular, should serve as a wake up call for the BN leadership in the coming general election. He said the DAP only managed to raise one major issue by urging the people to reject the Sarawak Chief Minister and yet the opposition party nearly made a clean sweep of all the Chinese seats. "We will not be suprise that the DAP is going to use the same issue in Sabah during the 13the general election. As such, before DAP draws up its campaign strategy, LDP will not want leader who no longer have the full support from the people to lead Sabah BN in the next polls," Chin added. The coming general election will see a significant increase in the number of young voters, and the opposition is using the Internet to lure them. Chin pointed out that some information provided on the Internet are true and some of the facts are being twisted and the younger generation who have access to the Internent can be easily swayed by the news provided by the new media. "This is one of the crucial challenges that the BN need to pay serious attention to." The BN government, Chin said, is serious in improving the livelihood but, at the same time, the prices of goods kept on rising in recent times which had impacted on the people including the working youth whose monthly earning is RM2000 and below. Thus, the Government should find ways on improving the source of income of the younger generation. "Today we can see in many countries the younger generation are venting their anger and frustration against the government through street protest and demonstration. In Malaysia, if the government fails to address the issues and problems affecting the younger generation, we fear that they also will vent their anger and frustration through street protest and demonstration," he cautioned. On the issue of Sabah being a "fixed deposit" to the BN, Chin suggested the BN component parties should stop thinking that the state will remain as its fixed deposit forever. "Majority of the Sabahans are silent voters and this is why the BN government must be committed in handling and resolving pertinent issues and problems to ensure the coalition's victory in future elections," he said. On the impending 13th general election, Chin said he does not see the benefit for the BN to call for a snap election now simply because the people have somewhat made up their mind on who to vote for. "The BN needs not have to hurry to call for a snap election. Either its going to be held today or tomorrow does not make any difference. What's more important is that the BN should first address the issues and problems and make changes within the next one year. "The pertinent issues and problems include arrogant attitude of certain leaders, corrpuption and abuse of power, money laundring and the process of licence applications. "The people want the Prime Minister to take positive action in resolving these problems before the next general election. We can foresee that if these problems are resolved first, it will be easier for the BN to win the election and forms the next government," he added. |
| Where has Malay Nationalism gone to? Posted: 20 Aug 2011 08:51 PM PDT SAKMONGKOL AK47 It is moving away from immovable UMNO. The doleful and almost pleading wish of UMNO people generally is for all the nightmares affecting their political future will go away. As a self-reassuring measure, they tell themselves, things will be all right. The people will come back to UMNO because UMNO fights for Malays. So, UMNO leaders everywhere say, things will be ok. Zahid Hamidi says, UMNO will win back the Malay ground and it will do so overwhelmingly. Where is UMNO's main appeal? It appeals to the Malay ground that adopts the cruder form of Malay nationalism, the sledgehammer variety so enthusiastically expounded by organizations like Perkasa. But that variety of base and crude nationalism is dying. The new generation of Malay voters adopt different values and have different expectations. You can see what form of nationalism they subscribed to- making out the case that Bersih march for example was masterminded by Malaysian Indians out to topple the Malay government. They thought that would turn the Malay ground xenophobic until they discovered the majority of the marchers were Malays. You get disappointed that you can no longer reduce the issue to a simple Malay- non Malay clash. What's the other important thing to the Malays? Their religion- comes the answer. So UMNO leaders came out accusing homely Ambiga as a threat to Islam. Still no go as that would assume the Malay faith in their religion is so fragile that even the appearance of Ambiga who is probably remotely interested in another person's religious denomination, is sufficient to shake the religious fiber of the Malay ground. Still no one buys that argument as it died out as quickly as it was raised. Hmm, let's try communism, that godless creed. The Malay's hatred for communism seemed to be a possible source to limit empathy from the Malay ground. So pictures of Shamsiah Fakeh a member of the Malay communist regiment of the 1940s were resurrected and given prominence. The idea was to say that Bersih marchers were communism inspired. The feeble attempt was non impactful because the attempted association with communism goes against mainstream logic; no one country in the world is sticking around communism. Even China has gone free market. Why would a band of marchers, marched in the cause of communism? Face it. UMNO can't appeal any longer to the cruder form of xenophobic nationalism or group pride. Let's ask calmly, where has Malay nationalism migrated to? The answer to me is it hasn't migrated anywhere. But Malay nationalism has mutated into the finer form of nationalism which finds expression in variegated forms of universal causes. Example. The abhorrence for corruption is one reconstituted form of the previously crude form of nationalism. Revulsion towards other races has tuned to a more universal revulsion for corruption for example. Because corruption cuts across and affects the interest no longer of distinct groups, but the whole country. It undermines the moral fiber of the whole nation. Wasn't the principal idea of the original nationalism was to inculcate one's love for the country and one's love for the country finds expression in a more universal desire to protect the country's interest as a whole? The crude form of nationalism which is essentially irrational chauvinism exist as an insignificant subset to the wider and more universal nationalism. It exists among the inhabitants of the lunatic underworld. READ MORE HERE |
| I’m sorry, Najib, it was the AG and IGP Posted: 20 Aug 2011 08:21 PM PDT 
Yes, Rocky, my friend, I will certainly apologise if I had erred. But in the case of my Statutory Declaration it was the AG and IGP who erred. And this error of theirs distorted what actually happened. So THEY should apologise to Najib and Rosmah. In fact, they should also apologise to me for arresting and charging me for something I did not do just so that they need not admit their mistake and apologise to Najib and Rosmah. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Let it not be said that Raja Petra Bin Raja Kamarudin is not man enough to apologise for any mistake he may have made. So far, most of the articles I have written and allegations I have made have proven to be correct. So, I will not apologise for those, of course. No doubt, some are yet to be proven. Nevertheless, history has shown that what I have written is always proven to be fact in the end. It may take a couple of years or maybe even ten years. But in the end what I said is always proven as fact. Sure, some have not yet been proven to be fact. However, they have not yet proven to be false either. So, while we wait for what I said to be proven (or disproven), let us just agree that the jury is out until something transpires that proves things either way -- fact or false. Now, one very 'damaging' issue -- to both Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as well as me -- is the Statutory Declaration that I signed in April 2008. The Umno Bloggers say I should apologise for that lie. I agree. If I lied or made a mistake then I should apologise. That is the noble thing to do. And I am sure if I apologise for that mistake then many would probably forgive me, Umno people included. But that is just the problem. I did not lie or make a mistake. So how can I apologise for that? You see: the AG and IGP made the mistake, not me. The AG and IGP do not understand English. They also did not read what I wrote in my Statutory Declaration. They just HEARD that I had signed a Statutory Declaration alleging something against the Deputy Prime Minister's wife and, without reading what I wrote, they jumped up and screamed that I had lied and said that I would be dragged to court and charged for that lie. Since they had already publicly alleged that I had lied and since they had already publicly said I would be charged in court for lying, they could not now do a U-turn and apologise. So, like it or not, they had no choice but to arrest me and charge me in court. If not then the AG and IGP would look like idiots -- not that they already do not look like idiots. So the AG and IGP made this huge mistake. And because they refused to eat humble pie and instead wanted to stubbornly maintain their stand that they were right, they proceeded with arresting and charging me in court on the basis that I had lied in my Statutory Declaration. Because of this, the whole world got the impression that I had alleged something against the Deputy Prime Minister's wife -- now known as the FLOM (First Lady of Malaysia). If not, how could they arrest and charge me in court? And this was what was planted and ingrained in everyone's mind -- that I had signed a Statutory Declaration alleging something against Rosmah Mansor. Most people -- just like the AG and IGP -- also did not read my Statutory Declaration. Many, in fact, like the Umno people, do not even understand English -- just like the AG and IGP. So they based their judgement on what they saw and heard on TV and what they read in the government-owned mainstream newspapers. In fact, even many opposition people did not read my Statutory Declaration and they too based their judgement on what the mainstream media reported. And imagine these are the people we want to head the new government as a replacement to Barisan Nasional. I shudder to think we are going to entrust the country to these types of idiots. Hancur Malaysia! So you see, the AG and IGP should apologise to Najib and Rosmah. I do not need to do so. The AG and IGP should admit that they made a mistake. They should confess that they did not read my Statutory Declaration before they jumped up and screamed that I had lied and that I would be charged in court for lying. And they should come clean and tell Najib that, since they had already opened their big mouth, they could not then make a U-turn and admit that they were mistaken. They must confess to Najib that their egos would not allow them to admit their mistake so they had to proceed with arresting and charging me in court. And because of this the AG and IGP created the wrong impression that I had signed a Statutory Declaration alleging something against Rosmah Mansor whereas this is not what actually happened. So, it was the AG and IGP who are the culprits that perpetuated this false impression that I had alleged something against Rosmah Mansor. Yes, Rocky, my friend, I will certainly apologise if I had erred. But in the case of my Statutory Declaration it was the AG and IGP who erred. And this error of theirs distorted what actually happened. So THEY should apologise to Najib and Rosmah. In fact, they should also apologise to me for arresting and charging me for something I did not do just so that they need not admit their mistake and apologise to Najib and Rosmah. ************************************ Ampun, Pak Najib .. (?) Rocky's Bru Indonesian newspaper apologizes to PM over lies and fabrication, says KJ. And they should, too, if they had lied and fabricated. The Malaysian Insider said sorry to Najib Razak just the other day. Some bloggers should learn how ... Making mistakes, correcting them. ************************************ Najib denies Rosmah bought US$24m ring, Russian mob links for in-laws (The Malaysian Insider) – In his first comments on the issues, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has denied his wife bought a US$24 million diamond ring or that his Kazakhstan in-laws are linked to the "Russian mafia" as reported by Indonesia's top-selling daily, Kompas earlier this month. Kompas has since apologised to the prime minister for its August 4 report but mystery remains why the ring from New York jeweller Jacob & Co. was addressed to Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, according to pictures widely available on the Internet. "I was surprised with the report. Because, the facts, I know is not true at all," Najib told Kompas in an interview published in its Sunday edition today. The interview with Kompas journalist Jimmy S Harianto was conducted last Thursday. "Furthermore, it links the name of a head of government of a country that we have important links with," the prime minister added. In a column on August 4, Kompas described Rosmah's ties with soon-to-be in-law Maira Nazarbayev as close although it provided no evidence to back its claims and added, "Maira Nazarbayev, who lives a lifestyle ala Imelda Marcos supposedly has links to the Russian mafia. Maira is the former wife of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev's brother Bolat Nazarbayev. Nooryana Najwa, the 22-year-old daughter of Rosmah and Najib, was recently betrothed to Maira's son, Daniyar, who was her college sweetheart. Kompas said it was made to understand by the Prime Minister's Office that the article was used by "certain political interests" and distributed with photocopies sent throughout the country ahead of elections that could be held as early as this year although Najib played coy over the timing of the general election. The Indonesian daily said the report was said to be detrimental to the federal government as it linked Rosmah and Perimekar Sdn Bhd, the company involved in the controversial commissions for the Scorpene submarine deal. "That is not true," Najib stressed, adding, "The ring was not ordered by her whether to be bought or to be used for private display," a reference to pro-Umno bloggers who had said the ring was brought in for private display for four days. In its article today, Kompas also reported the prime minister as saying the issue of Maira Nazarbayev being linked to the "Russian mafia" is untrue. Kompas chief editor Rikard Bangun also apologised today to Najib and his family over the report although it is understood that the Prime Minister's Office has used back channels to threaten a suit against the Indonesian daily. However, the daily has not flinched except for the apology. In the interview, Najib also touched on the impending elections by saying that his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition has improved conditions for a better chance at the polls as it has done well in by-elections over the past two years. "But I am realistic. Because by-elections is not an absolute measure. The absolute measure is the general elections and the situation will be different. "So we have to work with every effort for an agenda and programme that can satisfy and give confidence to the people. Not just government programmes, economic programmes but ones that touch the people. Programmes that can relieve and satisfy the people especially in the context of global inflation and price spikes in world commodities," Najib said. The prime minister also touched on democracy, saying the models varied from country to country and noted that Indonesia had experience from a restricted system to a more open democracy. He said Malaysia's system has evolved and the ruling party shared the same fate as the opposition among the voters. "The vote is decided by the people," Najib declared. |
| Chinese Tycoons Out of Touch? Posted: 20 Aug 2011 07:52 PM PDT By MR Malaysian It is increasingly clear that many of the richest Chinese tycoons in Malaysia are becoming a liability for the Chinese and Malaysian community at large. Their interests are solely the expansion of their empires of wealth and influence and to this end, they are happy to become choir boys to gloss over any misdeeds or injustices in the Administration. Most of them are quite shallow and compensate for their toadying up to the powers that be by flaunting their wealth by having highly visible bodyguards in addition to the de rigueur Bentley or other luxury limo. They have totally lost their moral compass and would do anything to ingratiate themselves with leading UMNO politicians. In turn, they themselves feel that they are above the law or seek to try and put themselves above the law by crawling for titles such as Datuk or Tan Sri. They have more in common with the grasping, conniving politician than the ordinary Malaysian who want to see justice and fair play prevail. These tycoons have thrived because the very absence of justice and fair play have allowed insider traders and rent seekers free rein. In a recent incident in a leading Italian restaurant in Bangsar, two tycoons (both Tan Sris), came in with a horde of bodyguards and were miffed to find that there was no private room available to them. They then refused to pay corkage for the wine they brought with them although the restaurant had invested in an extensive collection of wines. The restaurant, to their credit, refused to budge on this policy and the two big shots rather than exit with their tails between their legs, reluctantly agreed. At the end of their meal, in spite of being told that it was a non-smoking area, both insisted on lighting up a pair of gigantic cigars (possibly compensation for some sexual inadequacy) in the dining room. Again, to their utter dismay, the restaurant would not allow them to do so and suggested they go to the bar below where they could continue their discussions on their deals and the possible union of their respective children. The two left vowing never to return to that fine restaurant that only insisted on adhering to long standing policies. Good riddance, I say. Such people are a burden to society and we should be shamed by the inordinate respect given to these titled rogues. |
| Biometrics – The cash cow for Umno elections Posted: 20 Aug 2011 07:49 PM PDT Create a system that no one needs and make money off the migrants, the workers, the illegals and anyone else looking to use cheap labour. By Biometricscandal Bismillah! The Umno elections might be more than a year away but those who want to go to the top need to make their money from last year. Otherwise, how to be number 1. Let's face it. Jibby Razak is out of the picture. He can't get two-thirds majority in the next general election without whole-scale cheating. He's not used to fighting or cheating because he doesn't need to fight. Have you ever seen him fight for a post? Not for Umno Youth. Also not in the 1993 Umno elections when he was part of the Wawasan Team led by Anwar "Mat Leather King" Ibrahim. But others have to fight. And they all need money to fight, to buy votes, to guarantee loyalty among the Umno voters and delegates. Lots of money lah. That's where biometrics comes in. Create a system that no one needs and make money off the migrants, the workers, the illegals and anyone else looking to use cheap labour. After all, what is RM300 per illegal? Cheap what. Multiply with the 2 million illegals and plus re-registering those who are legal? Money in the bag lah. Who's in on it? The question to ask is, who isn't in on it? It's the biggest racket that involves Umno's senior politicians who want to take over from Najib. Read more at: http://biometricscandal.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/biometrics-the-cash-cow-for-umno-elections/ |
| Ada Batu (Rocky) Dalam Selimut Posted: 20 Aug 2011 07:45 PM PDT 
By next month Rocky will have his new news blog set up. Operating from an office in a nice KL suburb, Rocky will be ably assisted by his side kick Shamsul Akmar Musa Kamal. But the really interesting thing is who is backing his new venture financially. By catoutofbag Some people in PMO have been wondering why PM has been acting weird lately. Is it because of pressure from Bersih? Is he worried about elections? Maybe. But the real reasons are that history has a way of repeating itself. In 2006 and 2007 a certain Batu by the name of Rocky aka Datuk Ahirudin Atan made his move against that sleepyhead PM Pak Lah. Being asleep Pak Lah had no idea what was happening. Rockybru, the self-proclaimed tai ko of SoPo bloggers organised a full on assault against sleepyhead. Backed by Dr M, Rocky influenced public opinion against Pak Lah, and helped oust the sleeping PM. In stepped our current PM Datuk Seri Najib. Here's where it gets interesting. Rocky is doing the same thing again. But this time against our current PM. By next month Rocky will have his new news blog set up. Operating from an office in a nice KL suburb, Rocky will be ably assisted by his side kick Shamsul Akmar Musa Kamal. Notice how Rocky in his blog has already been laying the groundwork on his blog by attacking certain deals. Well wait for his new venture. But the really interesting thing is who is backing his new venture financially. If you were to find out you would think these were some of Najib's closest allies. Read more at: http://catoutofbag.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/ada-batu-rocky-dalam-selimut/ |
| Pilih Perdana Menteri mengikut Perlembagaan - Cara konvensyen sudah ketinggalan zaman Posted: 20 Aug 2011 04:17 PM PDT 
ASPAN ALIAS 'Semakin hari semakin lemah'. Begitulah pandangan orang ramai terhadap kepimpinan hari ini. Kalau dahulu kta beranggapan yang Abdullah Badawi merupakan Perdana Menteri yang paling lemah, tetapi rupa-rupanya pandangan itu samasekali meleset. Dengan keadaan sebegini jika pimpinan masih mengambil pengganti dengan cara konvensyen iaitu siapa sahaja yang menjadi Presiden UMNO dialah yang akan menjadi Perdana Menteri. Pemilihan Perdana Menteri secara konvensyen ini menyumbang banyak masalah kepada negara kerana pimpinan UMNO akhir-akhir ini sudah tidak mampu lagi untuk mengekalkan kredibiliti sebagai parti yang unggul untuk dijadikan sebagai badan siasah yang mampu menjadi tunjang kepada pemerintahan negara.
Bagi saya kita perlu memilih Perdana Menteri mengikut peruntukan dalam Perlembagaan negara, iaitu Perdana Menteri dipilih di kalangan ahli-ahli Parlimen yang mendapat kepercayaan di dalam Dewan Parlimen itu. Dengan cara ini maka risiko rakyat mendapat pemimpin yang tidak bertanggungjawab akan berkurangan.
Jika pucuk pimpinan UMNO itu dipegang oleh seorang pemimpin yang terlalu di ragui oleh rakyat maka negara akan menjadi kacau bilau politiknya. Keadaan sekarang sudah berlainan. Dulu UMNO dipimpin oleh mereka yang mengutamakan negara tetapi sekarang UMNO di pimpin oleh mereka yang mahu jadi ketua kepada negara walaupun tidak berkepimpinan. Seorang ketua tidak semestinya mempunyai kepimpinan.
UMNO sudah tidak mungkin mampu untuk memilih kepimpinan yang betul kerana sistem pemilihan secara delegasi itu masih diamalkan. Dengan bercambahnya kegiatan rasuah politik sekarang ini maka, hanya mereka yang berkuasa dan mempunyai kewangan yang besar sahaja yang akan menjadi pemimpin. Pendeknya UMNO tidak lagi mampu untuk mempersembahkan kepada rakyat pimpinan yang benar-benar berkepimpinan.
Mereka yang jujur dan berkepimpinan yang sepatutnya di persembahkan kepada rakyat. Pemimpin-pemimpin yang berkepimpinan hanya duduk di tepian dan inilah masalah yang paling rumit dan sukar untuk di perbaiki. Yang hendak kita selamatkan ialah negara yang mempunyai penduduk yang berbilang kaum ini.
Bagi pandangan yang bertanggungjawab pemilihan Perdana Menteri melalui pemilihan di Dewan Parlimen itu lah yang paling sesuai untuk masa dan generasi sekarang. Hanya yang perlu di lakukan ialah untuk memilih di kalangan ahli Parlimen Melayu yang beragama Islam untuk di tonjolkan dan dan disokong oleh Dewan Rakyat itu, tidak kira dari parti apa sekali pun.
Pandangan ini jangan di anggap sebagai pandangan di luar kotak. Ianya ada termaktub di dalam perlembagaan negara. Tidak ada parti dalam negara ini samada di dalam BN atau pembangkang yang menolak kenyataan yang negara ini mesti di pimpin oleh seorang Melayu tetapi Melayu itu biarlah Melayu yang berwibawa dan di hormati serta diterima oleh semua kaum dan pihak. PAS mengakui yang pimpinan negara kita mesti di kalangan Melayu dan beragama Islam. DAP pun begitu. DAP tidak mahu mencuba untuk mengambil tempat Perdana Menteri atau Menteri-Menteri Besar kecuali di dua buah negeri-negeri 'Straits Settlement' iaitu Pulau Pinang dan Melaka.
DAP mengakui serta menerima yang negeri-negeri bersekutu dan tidak bersekutu mesti diketuai oleh seorang Ketua Eksekutif Melayu yang beragama Islam. Ini jelas tetapi pihak yang memerintah tidak mahu memberikan gambaran yang sebenarnya ini kerana permainan politik untuk mengelirukan pandangan ramai terhadap isu ini.
Cara konvensyen ini hanya boleh di teruskan jika UMNO berjaya mencari seorang pemimpin yang dihormati ramai. Memenangi kerusi Presiden UMNO itu hanya merupakan pilihan ahli-ahli UMNO tetapi dia bukan pilihan orang ramai. Sebenarnya pemilihan itu bukannya pemilihan ahli-ahli UMNO yang ramai pada hakikatnya tetapi hanya pemilihan dari delegasi seramai 3 ribu orang sahaja.
Masakan pilihan 3 ribu manusia Melayu yang menjadi delegasi dalam pemilihan itu merupakan satu representasi bagi 29 juta rakyat negara? Yang 3 ribu orang itu pun selalunya dikongkong oleh permainan politik wang dan kuasa yang sangat merbahaya kepada masa depan politik dan kesetabilan negara. Ramai di antara delegasi itu memilih pada siapa yang membayar mereka. Itu sebabnya ramai di antara perwakilan itu boleh membeli kereta baru dan menyelesaikan masalah hutang rumah dan sebagainya.
Mahu tidak mahu kita wajar mengakui yang UMNO tidak memilih pemimpin yang berkemampuan tetapi yang memilih pada siapa yang paling berkuasa dan mempunyai wang yang banyak dan bertimbun. Selagi isu ini tidak dibereskan selagi itulah negara tidak akan dapat pemimpin yang sebenarnya.
Kita terpaksa memilih seorang Perdana Menteri 'beyond the domain of political parties'. Kita perlukan pembaharuan yang drastik semata-mata untuk menjaga keselamatan dan keluhuran sebuah negara yang berdaulat seperti negara kita. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Umno must compete without killing opposition’ Posted: 20 Aug 2011 04:08 PM PDT 
Umno cannot bank its resurgence on the demerits of its opponents. Nothing is more depressing, when imams don't seem to know what they are talking and even worse by saying they admit they don't know anything about this new product. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today Umno must adopt elements of the new nationalism – declare war on corruption and mediocrity. We know the Pakatan Rakyat people haven't got superior quality people too. Even they are scrapping the bottom of the barrel which is abundantly clear when they are forced to accept renegades from ruling coalition partners. Umno cannot bank its resurgence on the demerits of its opponents. It must rebound on its own native strengths and capabilities. Hence rather than applying resources in trying to blow out its opponents, Umno better spend them on rebuilding Umno. Most times the 'win-win' is the most effective approach: 'You can compete without having to kill the opposition.' The choice has to be made by 'hard-headed thinking.' So, the task for right minded Malaysians is to find hard headed thinkers. Management authors Nalebuff and Brandenburger (1996) when advising on 'co-opetition' argued that a strategic and or tactical stance is decisive. They said, and I quote: "For example, in many markets, it's a positive gain when new competition arrives. If you're running the only antique shop for miles around, far fewer people will call than if half-a-dozen others cluster round you. "The more companies supply connection to the Internet, and the more sites that are established on the World Wide Web, the more users will pile in – to the advantage of everybody. "You have to be both Dr Jekyll and MrHyde, because: • There's a bias towards seeing every new player as a threat • But many players complement you as well as compete with you • Look for complementary opportunities as well as competitive threats". 'Islam Hadhari bombed badly' How do hard-headed and clever planners react to this kind of scenario? Most probably, the hard-headed politicians will react to this seemingly gentlemanly theory by pointing to the innumerable cases where those thuggish competitors have attacked by undermining successful initiatives with me-toos. They retaliate in kind, believing they are likely to win. Take for instance the introduction of Islam Hadhari. Umno flooded the market with this brand hoping to undercut the Islam which PAS is offering. PAS retaliated by offering its Islam through the usual and more cost effective method – that of 'selling' their products and services through the ubiquitous suraus and mosques. Umno wanted to do it with much fanfare and festivity. In the end, our understanding of Islam Hadhari is probably not much better than our understanding about it when Islam Hadhari the brand, was first announced in 2005. I think, in the classic Hollywood terminology, this is one Islamic show that bombed badly. No one talks about Islam Hadhari nowadays and the former major-general Jamil Khir Baharom, who now sits as minister in the Prime Minister's office is left with the responsibility of how best to salvage the idea. READ MORE HERE |
| DPM: Govt to protect Bumiputeras' interest Posted: 20 Aug 2011 03:54 PM PDT 
(BERNAMA) - Assisting and safeguarding the interest and welfare of the Bumiputera remains the main agenda of leaders and the government today, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said "So, the Bumiputera need not worry if the word Bumiputera is not used or repeated numerous times when implementing policies or the New Economic Policy," he said when closing the two-day convention "Empowering the New Economic Model: A Bumiputera Economic Jihad", organised by the Gagasan Badan Ekonomi Melayu (GABEM) at Universiti Teknologi Mara, here Saturday, Aug 20.
Muhyiddin said that though the interest and welfare of all races would be taken into consideration when implementing the country's economic development policy, the interest of the Malays and Bumiputera would not be denied or forgotten.
"I myself am not be willing to see a situation whereby no efforts are made to help or assist the needs of the Malays, as long as they are needed," said Muhyiddin when commenting on recent speculation and perception by some that the leaders and government was not giving importance to Bumiputera.
He added that was a group of Malays who want to distance themselves from Barisan Nasional (BN) as if "We are not championing their rights and interest."
"There is also perception that Bumiputera are not given priority or importance in the awarding of contracts and the worth of such contracts were not lucrative enough.
"This included the awarding of projects under the Government Transformation Programme since questions were raised by some," he said.
Muhyiddin said maybe capable Bumiputera companies can compete among themselves and be selected to participate in the government transformation projects through the tender system based on meritocracy or qualification.
He said the government was serious in assisting Bumiputera entrepreneurs, and the Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera (Teraju) was formed to assist Bumiputera to play an active role in the corporate sector.
"The role and main objective of Teraju is critical to lead, coordinate and drive Bumiputera transformation and participation in the economy to reduce the economic gap that exists between Bumiputeras and other races.
"Within a year Teraju had identified 1,100 potential Bumiputera companies that has the potential to be listed in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange," he said.
Muhyiddin said he had also received 25 resolutions proposed during the convention, to be submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. 
25 resolutions to empower Bumiputeras The functions of Gagasan Badan Ekonomi Melayu (Gabem) as the driver and monitor of Bumiputera economic performance is to be continued and further enforced -- this was among the 25 resolutions taken at the the New Economic Model (NEM): Bumiputera Economic Jihad Convention held here Saturday, Aug 20.
The two-day convention jointly organised by Gabem and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), had become a platform for Bumiputera to discuss economic issues and opportunities in the implementation of the government's NEM and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin who officiated the closing ceremony of the event said that the list of resolutions covered just about all the important issues for the future of Bumiputera economy.
"I am confident and believe that the Bumiputera economic community present at this convention had taken an active role in giving their views, advice and positive input to produce the best of resolutions towards the entrepreneurial development and economic progress of Bumiputera," he said.
Gabem's Chairman, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik, who had presented the resolutons said Gabem will be the main channel for the coordination, development and guidance for all Bumiputera or Malay economic bodies and entrepreneurs.
"To carry out its functions effectively, a credible research and development mechanism will be established under Gabem," he added.
Rahim said Teraju will also be ensured of implementing with immediacy all programmes planned to achieve the agenda of helping Bumiputeras.
In terms of administration, Rahim said there was a need to position a Teraju representative in each state to ensure smooth operations, especially for the small and medium sized enterprises.
Among others, also covered in the resolutions was the need to see a significant transformation for government linked companies together with Teraju in the efforts to help the Malays and Bumiputera.
"GLC also should have procedures in tenders where it can ensure that Malay companies also get reasonable opportunities," he said.
He said GLCs should also avoid competing with existing Malay and Bumiputera companies, and instead venture into overseas markets. |
| Thousands back Indian activist's fast against graft Posted: 20 Aug 2011 03:46 PM PDT 
(REUTERS) - At least 10,000 people gathered yesterday to support an anti-corruption social activist who has galvanised much of India against the government with his hunger strike. Mr Anna Hazare, a 74-year-old activist, lay on a stage on his fourth day of fasting at an open ground in the capital, a hunger strike he says will continue until the government passes tougher anti-graft legislation.
At the open grounds, people distributed food to a crowd that included many middle-class office workers and young students.
There were signs the government, which has its own anti-corruption bill in Parliament, was looking for a compromise. "We are open to discussion, dialogue," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday. |
| Khairy says up to bosses to decide on Rembau Posted: 20 Aug 2011 03:14 PM PDT 
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Khairy Jamaluddin has backtracked on his intention not to defend his Rembau seat and quit politics after a general election expected within the year, repeating that it is up to"my superiors in the party." The first-term Rembau MP said in Kota Bharu last night that the decision on the candidate was the prerogative of Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and he had the final say on the candidates who could give a win for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN). The Umno Youth chief (picture), who in early January said that he wanted to take a break from politics, told The Malaysian Insider that "I have already made my preference known... clear, very clear." "But at the end of the day it is a team sport, we have to see what happens," he said in an interview. When the federal lawmaker was quizzed on whether he would stand down as Rembau MP, he said that "I promised my superiors in the party that I would not say anything more on the subject so I leave it to them to decide." In a function in Kota Bharu last night, Khairy said that what was crucial was to ensure victory for the party. "If there are members or leaders who are not selected as election candidates and want to sabotage other candidates, the movement will report to the leadership. "Now is no longer a question of whether the person is popular in the party or he/she is highly educated. What is important is whether the people accept him/her to ensure BN wins," he added. In the two years since capturing the prized Umno Youth leadership, Khairy has seen Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, who he defeated for the post and his deputy Datuk Razali Ibrahim appointed as deputy ministers by Najib. Khairy's planned retreat from mainstream politics had come despite his best efforts to defend the Najib administration in political forums both physical and virtual, taking on Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians and supporters on both political and policy matters. He remains Umno's most visibly centrist leader and credible purveyor of the prime minister's 1 Malaysia slogan of inclusivity. But it had appeared to isolate him further from a party that has been showing its hawkish tendencies and a Youth wing that traditionally leans even further right. However, Najib has recently praised Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth, which Khairy also chairs, for its efforts in pursuing programmes such as home ownership and career fairs aimed at easing the burden of this year's surging inflation. Khairy rose meteorically during Abdullah's administration, becoming the vice chief for Umno Youth and gaining infamy as part of the "Fourth Floor Boys" who were said to have the ear of the then prime minister. READ MORE HERE. |
| BN Ready To Face GE, Says Rais Posted: 20 Aug 2011 02:55 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - The Barisan Nasional (BN) is ready to face the next general election (GE) which can be called at any time now, said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim. He said the statement by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Friday that the GE could be called at anytime must be viewed seriously and not as "empty talk". He said the country was undergoing tremendous changes in terms of administration, mindset and economic transformation under the leadership of Najib. "And with these changes... we (BN) are ready (to face the GE). In fact, the election machinery in all state and parliamentary constituencies have been asked to get into gear," he said. He told this to reporters after attending a breaking of fast and alms giving function at the Simpang Durian mosque near here yesterday. Rais, who is also the MP for Jelebu, said the the election machinery in his constituency had also be in activated and that various programmes would be carried out after the Aidilfitiri towards facing the GE. |
| Penang refutes Tsu Koon, says investment decisions done quicker Posted: 20 Aug 2011 02:34 PM PDT  By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Investment agency InvestPenang has dismissed former Penang chief minister Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon's claims that the state's economic success now should be attributed to his previous administration. InvestPenang chairman Lee Kah Choon said today it was "ridiculous" for Koh to suggest that it took investors years to decide on whether to invest in Penang. "By then the technology will be obsolete, the product will not fit into the supply chain for the overall manufacturing process and it is against the Just In Time (JIT) philosophy the manufacturing world is practicing currently," Lee told The Malaysian Insider today. "All in all, if any deal is to be struck, it will be done within 12 months," added the former Gerakan deputy secretary-general. Lee was responding to Koh's accusations in The Malaysian Insider that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was "unfairly" taking credit due to Barisan Nasional (BN). Koh, who was Penang CM from 1990 until March 2008, lamented that the "solid foundation" of various development projects laid down by his administration was handed over to Lim who, according to Koh, then skilfully "used" the media to claim ownership to the success of various initiatives. According to Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (Mida) statistics, Penang topped total capital investments in manufacturing projects in 2010 by attracting RM12.24 billion, up nearly five times compared to RM2.17 billion in 2009. Mida statistics also showed Penang was second only to Selangor up to May 2011, getting RM4.49 billion in approved manufacturing projects, or just below the RM4.74 billion Selangor received for the same period. Lee expressed surprise at Koh's contention that Mida took up to five years to decide on on incentives to be given to potential investors. "The Mida that InvestPenang is working with make decision in weeks and not years," said Lee. " In short, to say that investment decision takes months to be made is sleep talking. To say that Mida is indecisive in making incentive decision is both erroneous and unfair," he added. Lee, who relinquished all party posts when Gerakan lost Penang in Election 2008, pointed out that no investors withdrew from Penang when it fell to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) during the elections then. READ MORE HERE. |
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