| Chegu Bard mahu Utusan Malaysia sedar diri Posted: 09 Sep 2011 12:56 PM PDT 
Oleh Zefry Dahalan, FMT SEREMBAN: Kecewa dengan pemberitaan akhbar Utusan Malaysia yang didakwa menipu orang Melayu, Pengerusi Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), Badrul Hisham Shaharin bersama ahli SAMM mengambil tindakan menampal tiga keping poster bermesej di hadapan pejabat akhbar tersebut di Seremban. Chegu Bard bersama penyokongnya menampal poster tersebut bagi menjelaskan dan menafikan tuduhan laporan akhbar tersebut pada 30 Ogos lalu yang mencabarnya untuk membuat laporan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) terhadap pendedahan isu cincin berlian RM24.45 juta yang dikaitkan dengan isteri Perdana Menteri, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. "Utusan Malaysia merupakan media pekak bagi Umno yang mengamalkan strategi "pembohongan besar".Akhbar tersebut mencabar saya membuat laporan SPRM pada 30 September sedangkan laporan SPRM telah pun saya buat pada 13 Julai di SPRM Pulau Pinang dan wartawan Utusan Malaysia juga berada dalam sidang akhbar tersebut. Selanjutnya di sini. |
| PAS crystallises its stand on Merdeka history in 8 points Posted: 09 Sep 2011 12:53 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - In eight points, PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has summarised the stand taken by the party on the controversy surrounding the historical distortion of the Bukit Kepong incident in 1950, in a move to crystalise the party's stand amid a frenzy of name-calling and debate dares from both sides of the political divide. The eight points are:
1. PAS rejects and has never endorsed any group or movement in support of the communist ideology.
2. PAS views the 1950 Bukit Kepong incident a tragedy, but views the late Muhammad Indera as an independence fighter, in contrary to assertion that he was a communist and terrorist.
3. PAS stands by the fact that transcript of deputy president Mohamad Sabu's speech on August 21 only mentioned Mat Indera as a hero, without any mention of the word 'communist' as claimed by Utusan Malaysia. Such a spin has led to Mat Sabu and PAS being labeled communist.
4. PAS is convinced with the findings in the book Pengukir Nama Johor published by the Johor Heritage Foundation in 2004, listing Mat Indera as a religionist and freedom fighter.
5. PAS expresses confidence in the research work by Ayub @ Uiop Kassim in 1973, titled "The 1950 bloody tragedy of Bukit Kepong, Muar: A Post Mortem". The work is to fulfill the requirement for a degree in Literature at University Malaysia's Faculty of History, and concludes that Mat Indera was not one who believed in or joined the communist movement.
6. PAS believes that the struggle for independence had commenced much earlier than UMNO's formation in 1946. 'Left-wing' fighters who had taken 'confrontational approach' in various states such as Mat Indera, Rosli Dhoby, Datuk Maharajalela, Tok Gajah, Tok Bahaman, Dol Said, Tok Janggut, Abdul Rahman Limbong and many others must be given their due recognition in history.
7. PAS believes that UMNO had never resorted to armed struggle in the fight for independence, yet the other freedom fighters had sacrificed their lives in the fight to drive out the British colonial regime. As such, UMNO only joined at the 'final lap' of the struggle, thereby taking credit for the country's independence and denying the contribution of those who had died and who opened the path for Merdeka in 1957. Having said that, PAS accepts whatever little contribution from UMNO in achieving independence for Malaya.
8. UMNO's cooperation with British colonialists meant their leaders had joined the British administration and therefore were British officials.
According to Tuan Ibrahim (left), these points sum up the Islamic party's understanding of the country's independence struggle.
"The question of interpreting history and reviewing history is closely tied to the amount of information available as well as our perception of a certain issue," he added.
Tuan Ibrahim said making clear the party's stand on the issue would not be able to put a stop to media spin from UMNO, which he said was aimed at diverting public attention from other pressing current issues, including rising living costs, electoral frauds, corruption and wastage, the ExxonMobil and MAS shares fiasco, the RM24 million ring issue linked to the prime minister's wife, and the latest announcement of a six percent tax for each pre-paid mobile top-up.
'Agree to disagree'
Tuan Ibrahim reiterated that a principle in the issue of differences in history was the ability to "agree to disagree" without any emotional baggages.
Those who have differences in their understanding could always resort to intellectual debate, and not personal attacks, he said.
"We have to agree to disagree in historical research because it relies heavily on the amount of information in hand, before one can come up any conclusion with a sense of accuracy," said Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Pahang PAS commissioner.
Citing a hadith of the Prophet warning Muslims that their disputes will be settled in the Hereafter, Tuan Ibrahim said one should not condemn or humiliate the dead. READ MORE HERE. |
| Taib Is Made A Monkey Of! Posted: 09 Sep 2011 12:43 PM PDT  By Sarawak Report Taib's PR people have pictured a foreign animal in their attempts to show how fond the Chief Minister is of saving Sarawak's wildlife! The greedy timber tycoon, who has spent his 30 years in office tearing down the Borneo jungle, is now making a belated attempt to pose as a champion of the environment. But, this classic mistake has shown him up as someone who can't even recognise his own country's most iconic animal and top tourist attraction. Wrong species of Orang Utan! Doubtless stung by criticism, Taib has taken to commissioning articles that praise his 'eco-awareness' and his efforts on behalf of the Orang Utan, which is now all but extinct in Sarawak (thanks to him). It is maybe because the animal is so nearly extinct, that this latest article showed their ignorance about what it actually looks like. But, naturalists contacted us instantly to point out that the photograph they have used is of a Sumatran Orang Utan, not the dangerously threatened Borneo variety! The boob was featured in none other than the $5 million website that Taib set up to undermine Sarawak Report. In a form of back-handed compliment, they even copied our name, 'Sarawak Report(s)'. A brainchild of the UK-based company FBC Media, the copycat site was supposed to come up with a brilliant campaign to counter our criticisms on corruption and to produce an 'eco-friendly' image for the dam-building, megalomaniac Chief Minister! READ MORE HERE. |
| Move by telcos to impose 6% tax on prepaid lines comes under fire Posted: 09 Sep 2011 12:38 PM PDT (The Star) - KUALA LUMPUR: Calling it difficult to accept, the Prime Minister has joined in the chorus of people against the move by telcos to impose 6% service tax on prepaid mobile phone users. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the move comes at a time when the Government was trying to ease the burden of the rakyat's who are already hit by the rise in living costs. He added the move was not approved by the Finance Ministry as the decision to impose taxes was taken by the telcos themselves. "I have received many reactions and feedback from the people," he told reporters yesterday after launching Maybank's new corporate logo. "The move to impose the service tax on consumers is very unpopular and difficult to accept." MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the service tax was a huge burden to the people.He added mobile phones were an essential item to consumers and played a major role in the daily life with most of the prepaid users coming from the lower-income group. It was reported that from Sept 15 onwards, prepaid users and those purchasing starter kits would need to pay an extra 6% as telcos agreed they would no longer absorb the service tax, which was introduced in 1998. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin described the decision as "unreasonable". "Boss @NajibRazak, the decision to impose tax on prepaid users is unreasonable and it would burden the rakyat. I oppose it. Please review it," he tweeted. PKR vice-president Tian Chua said the Government must intervene immediately to help low-income earners. He also noted that prepaid plans were unfair to users by design as users paid for their usage up front. Consumer groups were also up in arms over the increase, which they have lambasted as unfair. Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohamed Idris called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to stall the move. He added mobile phone prepaid users faced the brunt of unfair terms and conditions imposed on them, especially when the balance in their account was forfeited when they did not reload within the validity period. He suggested that a prepaid number should have lifetime validity and be activated at the customers convenience. Muslim Consumers Association Malaysia activist Datuk Nadzim Johansaid the increase was unfair and ill-timed when consumers were tightening their belts over the increasing cost of other essential goods. Fomca secretary-general Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah said the telcos were already pocketing extra from their customers with their "call block" formula. "If a telco charges RM0.30 per minute with 30 seconds per block, this means that you pay RM0.15 whether you use the phone for only 10 seconds or 30 seconds," he said. "This means the telcos are already making money from the unused seconds. Consumers have already been over-paying for years." |
| Kita boleh namakan anak kita P Ramlee, tetapi tidak akan jadi P Ramlee Posted: 09 Sep 2011 08:21 AM PDT Aspan Alias Dalam isu siapa pejuang kemerdekaan negara sekarang sedang hebat diperdebatkan. Tetapi tidak apalah, kerana pilihanraya sudah hampir tiba. Umno memang sebuah parti yang memperjuangkan kemerdekaan tetapi UMNO hanya memasuki perjuangan kemerdekaan itu di pusingan akhir perjuangan itu dan UMNOlah yang kumpulan yang terakhir untuk menyudahkan perjuangan dan menerima kemerdekaan itu. Yang menjolok buahnya ramai tetapi belum berjaya. Tetapi kejayaannya sampai apabila UMNO wujud untuk menyambut buah yang akan jatuh setelah banyak pihak yang menjoloknya. Memangpun hakikatnya siapa yang menjolok buah itu jarang-jarang yang dapat menyambutnya. Selalunya orang lain yang menyambutnya dan mereka lah yang menerima buah-buah yang jatuh tadi.
Oleh kerana UMNO adalah kumpulan yang terakhir yang menjoloknya maka UMNO lah yang menyambut buah kemerdekaan itu. Yang menjolok sebelumnya ramai. KMM, API dan banyak lagi yang menjolok kemerdekaan ini. Malahan PKM juga merupakan salah satu di antara banyak kumpulan yang menjolok kemerdekaan tetapi PKM berjuang melakukannya dengan mengangkat senjata. PKM sudah di haramkan kewujudannya dan kita semua menerima pengharaman itu dengan baik.
Dalam isu ini yang hanya boleh menyelesaikan perdebatan ini ialah untuk kita semua mengakui yang sejarah kita yang mengatakan UMNO itu merupakan parti yang memperjuangkan kemerdekaan itu adalah seratus peratus benar. Tetapi yang kurangnya dalam penulisan sejarah kita ialah kita meninggalkan nama-nama manusia perjuangan kemerdekaan dengan pertubuhan-pertubuhan mereka yang telah berhempas pulas untuk melepaskan negara kita dari belenggu penjahan asing itu.
Kalau kita manusia yang berfikir dan mempunyai perasaan tentulah kita faham yang orang lain pun mempunyai perasaan. Kenapa kita tidak terima sahaja yang sebelum UMNO diwujudkan itu puluhan badan-badan dan pertubuhan yang wujud dengan semangat perjuangan untuk memerdekan negara. Apa salahnya kita terima hakikat ini dan berbaik-baik di antara semua pihak. Jika sudah bertengkar tidak boleh kah bersama-sama mengakui yang kedua-dua belah pihak ada betulnya dan ada kesalahannya.
Sekarang sudah jelas yang UMNO merupakan parti yang memperjuangakan kemerdekaan dan sebelumnya ada puluhan pertubuhan yang wujud dengan tujuan yang sama. Oleh kerana itu sudah menjadi kenyataan apa lagi yang hendak bertengkar ini? Semua orang tahu yang pilihanraya akan tiba dan tentulah isu ini dijadikan isu oleh pihak yang berkuasa untuk mengekalkan kuasa dan mandat rakyat. Pulangkan kepada rakyat untuk menilainya.
Akhirnya sekali lagi kita akui yang pertubuhan yang banyak wujud uitu semuanya bertujuan untuk memerdekan negara termasuk UMNO. READ MORE HERE |
| Fakta Sejarah Hingga Hari Kiamat - untuk mereka yang masih kurang sedar Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:37 PM PDT 
DARI JELEBU Hishamuddin Rais British telah berjaya dihambat keluar dari Tanah Melayu kerana anak semua bangsa telah bangun mengangkat senjata melawan mereka. Perjuangan angkat senjata ini adalah fakta sejarah. Fakta yang selama ini telah cuba ditenggelamkan oleh United Malay National Organisation. Niat busuk menenggelamkan fakta ini bertujuan untuk menipu orang ramai agar percaya bahawa gerombolan United Malay National Organisation ini sahaja yang berhak menjadi 'raja' memerintah Tanah Melayu/Malaysia sampai hari kiamat.
Semenjak tahun 1958 United Malay National Organisation telah ke hulu ke hilir menjajakan ikan busuk – Merdeka dicapai tanpa tumpah darah. Setiap bulan Ogos United Malay National Organsation jadi mamai dengan kesah-kesah dongeng tentang bagaimana mereka menentang gerila Pembebasan Rakyat Malaya yang dipimpin oleh Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM). United Malay National Organisation ini agak bebal kerana kesah kesah dongeng ini membuktikan bahawa mereka - dalam Bahasa Inggerisnya menjadi British's running dog atau anjing suruhan British. Rakyat Tanah Melayu bangun menentang British tetapi United Malaya National Organisation menentang orang yang menentang British. Jelas ini perbuatan dan kerja barua British.
Perjuangan mengangkat senjata melawan Brtish bermula pada 20 Jun 1948. Sebelum angkat senjata melawan British ini dilancarkan, Parti Komunis Malaya telah juga melancarkan gerakan gerila bersenjata menentang kuasa fascist Jepun. Ini adalah jawapan anak semua bangsa terhadap fascist Jepun yang telah menawan Tanah Melayu pada tahun 1941-1945. Ini fakta sejarah.
Babak-babak sejarah sejarah gilang gemilang bermandi darah ini cuba dilupuskan kerana dalam sejarah ini nama United Malay National Organisation tidak pernah muncul. Bau bau kentut mereka pun tidak terdengar dalam babak-babak sejarah ini. Gerombolan United Malay National Organisation tidak pernah wujud dalam perjuangan anti-imperialis.
Kuasa imperialis Kulit Puteh (White Colonial Power) – Portugis, Belanda dan British – datang ke Tanah Melayu ini kerana mencari harta kekayan. Kuasa imperial ini datang untuk mengambil hasil bumi – bijeh, emas, getah dan rempah rampai. Buktinya: gerombolan yang datang awal untuk menjarah harta kekayaan di Kepulauan Nusantara adalah lanun seperti Raffles dari East India Company.
Semenjak kuasa imperialis ini - Portugis, Belanda, Inggeris dan Jepun - menjejakkan kaki ke Tanah Melayu – mereka terus diserang. Nama seperti Mat Kilau, Datuk Bahaman, Tok Jaggut, Maharaja Lela, Haji Abdul Rahman Limbong – adalah pemula gerakan anti-imperialis di Tanah Melayu. Ini fakta yang tidak mungkin luput hingga hari kiamat.
Mari saya cerahkan para pembaca dengan beberapa fakta-fakta sejarah yang juga tidak mungkin akan berubah hingga hari kiamat. Para pembaca yang budiman : Sila buka minda dan pakukan ke dalam otak kita semua bahawa parti dan pertubuhan politik Melayu yang tertua di Tanah Melayu ialah Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) yang ditubuhkan pada tahun 1938 dibawah pimpinan Ibrahim Yacoob. Ini diikuti pula dengan Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) yang ditubuhkan pada tahun 1945 dengan sayap mudanya Angkatan Pemuda Insaf (API) dan Angkatan Wanita Sedar (AWAS).
United Malay National Organisation hanya ditubuhkan pada tahun 1946. Sila baca betul betul. Buka mata dan buka kepala: KMM 1938, PKMM, API dan AWAS pada tahun 1945. United Malay National Organisation ditubuh pada tahun 1946. Baca sekali lagi : sembilan belas empat puluh enam United Malay National Organisation ditubuhkan dan bukan sembilan belas tiga puluh lapan. Tarikh 1946 ini pun untuk United Malay National Organisation telah ditalkinkan. United Malaya National Organisation yang baru ini ditubuhkan pada tahun 1988. Ini fakta sejarah yang tidak akan berubah hingga hari kiamat.
Kemudian mari kita lihat garis-garis perjuangan parti-parti ini. Kesatuan Melayu Muda dan Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya telah memekikkan slogan – MERDEKA! Laungan ini telah menghantui kuasa imperial British. Tuntutan kemerdekaan ini telah mengampoh dan ini menakutkan kuasa kolonial British.
United Malay National Organisation bukan sahaja TIDAK berani melaungkan – merdeka – malah gerombolan ini telah mengeluarkan slogan lawak seram yang berbunyi: Hidup Melayu! Slogan lawak seram ini seolah-olah orang Melayu 'kurang oxygen'. Masih tidak jelas - apakah pada tahun 1946 dahulu orang Melayu sedang nyawa-nyawa ikan atau kurang oxygen untuk bernafas sehinggakan perlu dilaungkan 'hidup Melayu'. Atau kerana hakikatnya United Malay National Organisation ini satu gerombolan yang bebal dan tidak dapat memikirkan slogan yang masuk akal.
Lawak seram – Hidup Melayu – masih ditakbirkan ke hulu ke hilir hingga ke hari ini. Adalah satu fakta bahawa yang masih lantang melaungkan Hidup Melayu hari ini adalah kaum Mamak Kimma dan kumpulan Awang Hitam yang semakin di sangsikan teromba dan salasilah kerurunan mereka. Kenapa Awang Hitam ini suka melaungkan Hidup Melayu ini memerlukan satu kajian yang lebih rapi.
Adalah juga fakta sejarah bahawa United Malay National Organisation tidak - diulangi sekali lagi dengan huruf besar – T-I-D-A-K - berjuang untuk mendapat kemerdekaan. Apabila kuasa imperial British merasa tekanan senjata dan gerakan massa politik di Tanah Melayu semakin melonjak dan mengampoh maka kuasa imperial memerlukan budak suruhan yang setia. Justeru, diwujudkan satu gerombolan yang dipanggil United Malay National Organisation. Nama Inggeris kumpulaan ini masih dipakai hingga ke hari ini. Nama Inggeris ini sahaja sudah memadai sebagai bukti bahawa gerombolan ini ditelor, dieram dan dinetaskan oleh British. Read more at: http://tukartiub.blogspot.com/2011/09/fakta-sejarah-hingga-hari-kiamat.html |
| Review of Palace, Political Party and Power Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:28 PM PDT 
Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian, Palace, Political Party and Power: A Story of the Socio-Political Development of Malay Kingship. by Greg Lopez, New Mandala On 6 February 2009, approximately 3,000 Malays protested in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, demanding that the Perak ruler, Sultan Azlan Shah, dismiss the state's legislative assembly to pave the way for new state elections. Earlier, Malaysia's then Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak had extra-constitutionally toppled the popularly elected Pakatan Rakyat state government with the complicity of Perak's royals. Never in Malaysian history had there been such a popular uprising against Malay royals as the ensuing protests. This video provides a hint of the likelihood that in a new Malaysia the most significant threat to the Malay rulers' fetish for power will come not from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) but from ordinary Malays. Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian serves as professor of history and senior fellow in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. She ranks among the most renowned and respected historians of modern Thailand. The latest of her many books, Palace, Political Party and Power: A story of the Socio-Political Development of Malay Kingship, sees her turn her attention to the history of modern Malaysia to provide a cogent analysis of the relationship between UMNO and the Malay rulers in their common quest for power. The book's timing is opportune, as it comes at a moment at which each of these institutions, UMNO and Malay kingship, confronts a decline in its legitimacy within a seriously divided Malay community. Palace, Political Party and Power represents a valuable addition to the literature not only on the relationship between the Malay rulers and UMNO, but also on that between the Malay rulers and UMNO on the one hand and their "subjects" – the Malays of Peninsular Malaysia – on the other. Even more significantly, it treats an important and neglected dimension of Malaysian politics – the impact of the Malay rulers on the country's affairs. Palace, Political Party and Power traces the socio-political development of the institution of Malay rulership, from the beginning of colonial times, when the Malay rulers lost power but not prestige; through the Japanese Occupation, when they lost both; to the restoration of the rulers' prestige – thanks to the new Malay elites – at independence; and in the ebbs and flows since. In narrating this story, the book achieves three principal ends. First, it reaffirms conventional analysis holding that the British residential system in colonial Malaya had great significance in modernising the institution of Malay rulership towards the constitutional monarchy of today's Malaysia. Second, it argues persuasively that it was the Japanese Occupation of Malaya that provided the platform for new Malay elites – whose members would become the leading lights of UMNO – to take the leadership of the Malay masses away from the Malay rulers but in the process also to restore the prestige of those rulers. Third, and most important, almost seventy percent of Palace, Political Party and Power focuses on the complex relationship – one of competition for and cooperation in power – between the country's two leading Malay institutions, UMNO and the rulers. Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian's central argument is that the Japanese Occupation of Malaya and Japanese policies towards the Malay rulers, the new Malay elites, and the Malay community had, more than any other factor, the effect of stripping the Malay royal institution of its "aura", "mystique", "grandeur" and "authority." In consequence, Malay rulership no longer commanded the fear or undisputed reverence of members of the post-1945 Malay elite. Malaya's Japanese occupiers, through their treatment of the Malay rulers, revealed those rulers' impotence, their inability to defend themselves, and also their lack of the capacity to defend the interests of their subjects – the rakyat. This reality made clear to the burgeoning new Malay elite, which the Japanese also developed, that the existence of Malay royal institutions depended very much on the good will of those in power. It provided that new elite with a valuable lesson for dealing with difficult members of the royalty during the post-1945 period. Furthermore, Palace, Political Party and Power argues, Japan's policy of inculcating Malay society with a certain variant of Japanese values through education had the unintended effect of strengthening the Malays as one community, sharing one language and one religion. Many Malay youths were sent to schools – ordinary schools, teacher training schools, and leadership schools (kurenjo). In the leadership schools, Malay students were taught by means of an exhausting daily routine to appreciate and to live by Nippon seishin, or the Japanese spirit. This exposure to Japanese values had the profound effect of changing some Malays' outlook on life, and above all of exorcising the narrow socio-political parochialism that had previously divided the Malays into subjects of different rulers owing allegiance to different sultanates. The Japanese Occupation of Malaya also toughened members of the new Malay elite, as both the British and the Malay rulers would learn so dramatically after Imperial Japan's defeat. READ MORE HERE |
| Malaysian procurement system riddled with corruption, says US cable Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:02 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - The seedy and allegedly corrupt side of Malaysia's defence procurement has been laid bare in a US embassy cable, with startling revelations on how Umno politicians, agents, civil servants and military officials receive 30 per cent "commission" on deals. In a note on the opaque procurement system here revealed by whistleblower site Wikileaks, the US embassy noted that American companies operating here had three main complaints about the system: the lack of transparency, outright corruption, and Bumiputera requirements. The undated cable sent during the Abdullah administration between 2004 and 2009 also noted that many government tenders do not follow procurement rules. A US aerospace executive told the US embassy here defence deals were done through shadowy agreements with no tendering process. For example, the then-Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's sister-in-law arranged a US$400 million (RM1.2 billion) contract to buy military cargo aircraft from Airbus. The deal was announced following Abdullah's return from a trip to France. "The US executive asserted that PM Abdullah's brother told him this deal was 'done for political and other reasons, such as commission'," noted the US embassy cable made public through Wikileaks. Similar scenarios were described for the procurement of T91 Polish tanks and SU-30 Russian aircraft, noted the executive, who also said that once someone purporting to work for then-Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak approached him about a deal and suggested "you will get a part of it." The US embassy noted that Malaysian political parties including Umno rely on "money politics" for much of their operating funds. "Projects or tenders often are awarded as political patronage with a cut of funds circulating back to the party through different channels," noted the embassy. These revelations come at a time when there has been some scrutiny surrounding the deal to buy Scorpene submarine. More than RM500 million was allegedly paid to a local consulting company Perimekar and the opposition has pointed fingers at Najib who was the defence minister when the deal was inked. READ MORE HERE |
| Opposition parties still jostling for seats Posted: 08 Sep 2011 09:57 PM PDT 
With their sights locked on Putrajaya, the opposition parties are hustling to contest more seats in the next general election, writes ZUBAIDAH ABU BAKAR Azmin has come out in defence of his party's decision to field candidates in seats that slipped from its hands due to defections, insisting that PKR could assure its allies that the candidates identified to contest those seats were credible, having gone through strict screening to avoid a recurrence of "jumping ship". Zubaidah Abu Bakar, New Straits Times AT the Pas annual assembly in June, a delegate from Terengganu called on the Islamist party to ensure a fair allocation of parliamentary and state seats according to the relative strengths of the opposition coalition's components.
It was to secure victory in the 13th general election, said Kuala Nerus Pas division chief Shukrimun Samsuddin when debating Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's presidential address at the 57th muktamar. Fielding candidates in the impending national polls, which opposition leaders believe will be called this year, has increasingly become a concern among the three component parties, given the changing political scenario. Seat negotiations in several states, including Penang, Johor and Perak, have moved at a snail's pace as each party stakes out its claims.
The coalition had wanted to wrap up negotiations last month to allow the election machinery to get into gear. A circular containing guidelines on negotiations, signed by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, his Pas counterpart Datuk Mustaffa Ali and DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke for the DAP, was issued to state chiefs of the three parties.
Negotiations should not include seats that were won in the last election, distinguished seats like Permatang Pauh, Marang or Ipoh Timur, and marginal seats which were won or lost by the contesting party. It has not been smooth sailing.
In Penang, for instance, DAP veteran Zulkifli Mohd Noor has called on the party to retake several seats allotted to Parti Keadilan Rakyat in the last general election for Malay party members to contest. Penang Pas deputy commissioner II Dr Mujahid Yusof also expressed the hope of seeing his party contest in more than the two parliamentary and five state seats it was handed in 2008, angering Penang PKR information chief Johari Kassim.
Johari told DAP to allocate more seats for Malays from its quota and Pas to focus on strengthening its support base.
In Johor, PKR eyes several mixed seats which were given to Pas in 2008 when it could not muster suitable candidates.
Claims have overlapped in the open bidding for the seats that were lost, as each party vies to offer the best bet.
A Pas official said negotiations would be settled at state level, and only moved up to federal level in the event of a deadlock.
No deadline had been set and negotiations continue.
The official said negotiations should also be based on an understanding that no party is to claim seats won by another component party in 2008, citing Kuantan and Gombak as examples.
Kuantan is a traditional DAP seat which was won by PKR's Fuziah Salleh while PKR deputy president Azmin Ali won Gombak, a Pas seat.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whose party PKR, lost credibility due to the defection of several of its lawmakers, said last week that individual announcements should not be made until the allocation of seats had been amicably decided.
His remark has been seen as a move to play down the jostling for seats.
Tensions arising from the bargaining would be detrimental to the opposition alliance as sources say about 30 seats are being fought over and the national leadership would have to intervene to resolve the issue.
Pas is said to be aiming to contest around 80 parliamentary seats. The additional seats the party is seeking are mostly where PKR elected representatives had defected; their main argument is that its ally had lost credibility in these constituencies.
Moreover, four of those PKR lawmakers who defected -- Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai), Datuk Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim-Bandar Baharu), Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Bayan Baru) -- had won in seats that had customarily been contested by Pas.
Azmin has come out in defence of his party's decision to field candidates in seats that slipped from its hands due to defections, insisting that PKR could assure its allies that the candidates identified to contest those seats were credible, having gone through strict screening to avoid a recurrence of "jumping ship".
But Pas' special committee on the 13th general election, called "Road to Putrajaya", headed by vice-president Datuk Husam Musa, has set its sights on winning 60 parliamentary seats, which means that Pas would have to contest more than its 2008 total.
The committee had also proposed to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to set aside a parliamentary seat in Penang for the party's deputy president, Mohamad Sabu to contest.
Prior to 2008, Pas had the lion's share of seats among the opposition parties mainly because it was largest in terms of membership. Today, Pas has the smallest representation in Parliament with only 23 MPs.
Pas contested 66 parliamentary seats in the 2008 general election; the party had allowed its allies to contest in its traditional seats because it did not have suitable candidates.
It had instead focused on winning state seats, particularly in Kedah, which has now become Pas' new power base, and on continuing its 20-year rule in Kelantan.
Pas contested 232 state seats, winning 83, in the last general election.
"Now Pas is confident it can increase its seat tally at the federal and state levels and of the opposition's chances of winning Putrajaya. Naturally, we want to see all three parties have almost equal representation in Parliament for a more stable federal government," the Pas official said.
DAP contested 47 parliamentary seats in 2008 and won 28; it is likely to contest around the same number again.
PKR contested 97 and won 31 to become the biggest opposition party in Parliament after the election.
PKR has since identified 65 parliamentary seats it thinks it can win, some of which were contested by Pas in 2008.
Six PKR MPs and five assemblymen have so far left the party. Two assemblymen from DAP have also become friendly to Barisan Nasional. |
| The case of CPM (1948-1960) – a Special Branch perspective Posted: 08 Sep 2011 09:44 PM PDT 
Written by Leon Comber, CPI The origins of the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) have been debated over the years in both the academic world and in the intelligence community. This paper incorporates the contemporaneous views of the Malayan Special Branch that have not been recorded previously. It also examines the role of Lawrence (Lance) Sharkey, the acting Secretary-General of the Australian Communist Party, who was in Singapore en route back to Australia after attending the February 1948 Conferences in Singapore, in allegedly passing instructions to the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) to revolt against the British colonial government in Malaya. The essay1 will conclude that there is little evidence of any direct Soviet intervention in the decision made by the CPM to revolt, and it will argue that the decision to resort to armed conflict was made after its failure to establish a Communist People's Democratic Republic by "open front" activities. The background The academic world and the intelligence community have long debated the origins of the 1948-1960 communist uprising in Malaya. Was the decision to raise the standard of revolt in June 1948 part of a global revolutionary movement orchestrated by the Soviet Union as part of the Cold War in Asia, or was it instead arrived at by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) based on the local situation in Malaya?2 Or was it rather a mix of both? Many thousands of words have been written on these questions in the intervening years, but a definitive answer will likely have to await the release of the Soviet Union documents. 3 Meanwhile, this paper presents the viewpoint of a Special Branch officer who served as a Malayan Police Special Branch officer during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) and who participated in the discussions (referenced later) that took place at Federal Special Branch headquarters in Kuala Lumpur during the early 1949. These discussions concerned the origins of the uprising of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) against the government. Firstly, we summarise the background. The first question postulated above takes its starting point from Andrei Zhdanov's well-known speech at the inaugural meeting of the Cominform on 27 September 1947. Zhdanov argued that the world had been polarised into two opposing camps, that is, the communist bloc led by the Soviet Union and the Western capitalist countries led by the United States.4 His speech encouraged a militant approach by worldwide communist parties to propagating revolution in the Third World. The same line was repeated by E.M. Zhukov, who had attended the inaugural meeting of the Cominform with Zhdanov, in his article in the December 1947 issue of the Bol'shevik that referred to the "sharpening crisis of the colonial system" (author's emphasis) being "perhaps one of the most significant efforts to apply Zhdanov's doctrine to Asia".5 On this basis, a Soviet Conspiracy Theory has been developed that postulates that the Soviets had in some way transmitted "instructions" to the representatives of Southeast Asian communist parties attending the Communist Youth Conference, held from 19-24 Feb 1948 in Calcutta, to take advantage of the unstable conditions prevailing in Southeast Asia at the end of the Second World War to rise up against their colonial rulers.6 British forces responded by airlifting supplies to the city, and the blockade was eventually lifted in May 1949. There were two Communist conferences held in Calcutta in February and March 1948. The first was the Communist Youth Conference, held from 19 February 1948 to 24 February 1948, which was sponsored by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the Conference of Youth and Students of South-East Asia fighting for Freedom and Independence.7 The other was the 2nd Congress of the Communist Party of India (CPI) held from 28 February 1948 to 6 March 1948. The conferences were well attended by a wide range of communist delegates from Vietnam, Indonesia, Ceylon, Burma, India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines and Malaya, with observers from Australia, Korea, Mongolia, Soviet Central Asia, Yugoslavia, France, Hungary, Canada, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. According to what Chin Peng, Secretary-General of the CPM, told the author in Canberra in February 1999, the CPM did not receive an invitation to attend either of the Calcutta conferences,8 although Lee Soong, General Secretary of the Malayan WFDY, received an invitation to attend the Youth Conference.9 The CPM's Central Executive Committee approved Lee's attendance at the Conference.10 Lee was a Singapore-Chinese of CPM State Committee rank who, like many Singapore-Chinese, was fluent in English, the language used at the conference. Returning to the Soviet Conspiracy theory, the best known exponents of the theory are probably the US scholars Walt W. Rustow, A. Doak Barnett, and Frank N. Trager, who argued that instructions to start armed uprisings had been passed on from the Soviet "centre" to representatives of the Southeast Asian communist parties attending the Calcutta conferences.11 The leading proponent of the opposite school of thought was Ruth T. McVey, who called into question whether the Soviet Union had issued any such instructions. Over the years many, other historians followed this critical path, with Anthony Stockwell's paper "Chin Peng and the Struggle for Malaya" (2006) as a recent example.12 In her 1958 study, McVey had summed up the situation by saying that in the unsettled conditions that prevailed in Southeast Asia after the Japanese surrender at the end of the war, "it does not seem likely that the two-camp message [sic] lit the revolutionary spark in Southeast Asia though it may well have added the extra tinder which caused it to burst into flames".13 In his classic study of the Emergency, The Communist Insurrection in Malaya, Anthony Short was rather more circumspect, and while he did not specifically support the Soviet Conspiracy Theory, he reasoned that while the "(Calcutta) conference did not openly declare for insurrection its mood was one of extreme belligerence towards colonial rule".14 This is undoubtedly correct as it reflects the standard communist line, and in fact during the post-war period, even the US, the leader of the Western capitalist countries, expressed reservations about the continuation of British, French and Dutch colonial rule in Southeast Asia.15 Professor Mary Turnbull's essay in The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia (1992) came out clearly against the "Soviet Conspiracy Theory" in the following words: "In fact the period was one of confused ambitions for the communists. Their various revolts and wars in Indonesia, Malaya, Vietnam and Burma, were not part (author's emphasis) of a grand pre-planned Soviet strategy, such as Lenin's dream of communist revolution in Asia or the Comintern's ambitious design to use China in the 1920s as the means of realising this dream. While the Soviet Union had shown little interest in Southeast Asia, apart from the 1920s Comintern interlude, the Chinese Communist Party posed a more immediate threat." 16 As of 2007 however, it was clear that the controversy was still attracting scholarly attention, as the subject was discussed again in Philip Deery's paper "Malaya, 1948: Britain"s Asian Cold War'17, which was the focus of an interesting H-Diplo review article by Karl Hack. In his review article, Karl Hack argued that the "Soviet role needs to be given at least some weight within nuanced, multi-causal models of the outbreak of the "Asian Cold War", and that the MCP did have a programme intended to end in armed revolt within months, even though the British precipitated this'.18 Nevertheless, the debate appears to have largely overlooked the fact that The Times (London) had long ago (June 1948) taken the view there was little evidence of direct Soviet intervention in the rise of revolutionary movements then taking place in Malaya and other parts of Southeast Asia, though The Times conceded that several of the revolutionary leaders, such as Aliman of Indonesia and Ho Chi-Minh of Indo-China, had spent several years in Russia or in communist service abroad.19 The Times considered instead that communist parties were taking advantage of the unsettled conditions prevailing throughout the area at the end of the war, identifying themselves with nationalist anti-West feelings and opposing landlords and factory managers as well as the colonial governments in power.20 READ MORE HERE |
| ABU: ‘anything but Umno’ or ‘asal bukan Umno’ Posted: 08 Sep 2011 08:35 PM PDT 
Since the house in Seremban is not registered in the AG's name, this means the house does not belong to him and what Malaysia Today reported is therefore false. And this would also mean that the investigation is now complete and no further action needs to be taken against Gani Patail. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Pressure on MACC chief to clarify Ho Hup 'visit' (Malaysiakini) - Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed should issue a statement on the graft busting body's "visit" to Ho Hup's Bukit Jalial headquarters two days ago. Social Care Foundation chairperson Robert Phang said the MACC's quiet role would help allay fears that it will not be intimidated when acting or investigating allegations of corruption of a person while acting without fear or favour. "MACC's Abu Kassim should issue a statement with his pledge that the MACC would not be intimidated or influenced by any person stature and that action would be taken to investigate regardless that the subject or suspect may be a 'big fish' and not just some 'ikan bilis'. "If only Dato Seri Abu Kassim would make that announcement, that would allay all public cynicism and skepticism. That would assure the public not to worry because MACC is vigilant and alert to allegations that are already circulating in the public domain," he said in a statement. Phang added that this is the only way that the MACC can regain the rakyat's trust and confidence. It was reported yesterday that Ho Hup officials admitted the MACC had visited them on Wednesday, contrary to an earlier report which appeared in political blog Malaysia Today, terming it a raid. The report also carried a denial from Ho Hup officials that documents were taken in the half-hour visit. Allegations in the public domain from Malaysia Today since last month had linked attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail with the construction giant. This follows claims that Ho Hup had paid for the renovations of Gani's house in Seremban in return for a favour done to one of its former directors. Gani had vehemently denied owning any property there. Leave of absence advice Phang in the statement also said it would be commendable for the government and the MACC be transparent in this matter. "It would be more commendable for all parties if the investigation can be transparent. Already talk is rife that the visit and seizure of Ho Hup's documents are to achieve some other ulterior objective namely to destroy evidence of any misconduct by the AG. That perception is unfortunate," he said. Thus, one way in which Gani, the MACC and the government can show transparency in this mater is to ask Gani to go on leave of absence until the investigations are over, he added. " "This would sweep away all the dust of suspicion that otherwise would linger on in this matter." The social activist had resigned as MACC advisory board member when claims surfaced in blogs that he was involved in corrupt practices. To protect the anti-graft body's integrity, Phang quit the committee. He was eventually cleared by the MACC of the allegations which had surfaced earlier this year. "I ask AG Gani Patail to be selfless in this and do what I had done when an unfounded allegation was made against me earlier this year. Then, Gani Patail would earn my respect as a true patriot." Phang also clarified his earlier statement titled 'AG Gani Patail: MACC must show independence and not impotence' which may have upset certain MACC quarters. He said it was not to demean the MACC but to challenge, motivate, provoke and fire-up the anti-corruption entity and its officers so they would be vigilant in the fight to stem corruption. "After all, I still regard myself as part of the MACC support group," he said. *************************************** That was what Malaysiakini reported. What was not reported, however, was that the MACC officers who raided Ho Hup's office told the Ho Hup staff that Malaysia Today's report about AG Gani Patail owning a house in Seremban is not true. According to the MACC, the house is not registered in Gani Patail's name. So this means the house does not belong to him. Since the house in Seremban is not registered in the AG's name, this means the house does not belong to him and what Malaysia Today reported is therefore false. And this would also mean that the investigation is now complete and no further action needs to be taken against Gani Patail. The fact that the MACC has already come to a conclusion means we can expect what the result is going to be. It is going to be No Further Action or NFA. And the AG is, again, going to get off scot free like the investigation on his pilgrimage to Mekah. A few of Ho Hup's staff have been summoned to the MACC office for their statement to be recorded. But since they have already been told that the allegation against the AG is a lie, they will have to make sure that their statement dovetails with the conclusion already made by the MACC. It would be foolish for them to make a statement opposite to this and contradictory to what the MACC told them -- that the allegation is not true. In the meantime, to make sure that no one deviates from the story which the MACC has already decided is the 'true story', Dato TC Low is being made to face a criminal charge. Further to that, his sister, Low Lai Yong, is facing 11 charges for various technical offences under the Companies Act and Securities Commission Act. Each charge is subject to a bail of RM 1 million! That should frighten everyone and which will ensure that everyone toes the line and says what the MACC wants them to say. And, as a final nail in the coffin, the Social Care Foundation chairperson, Robert Phang, is also being investigated to determine whether he is working in concert with Malaysia Today. That, of course, is meant to frighten Robert Phang in the hope that he will back off or else suffer the allegation of being Raja Petra Kamarudin's 'team member'. Now do you know why we need changes? Now do you know why we need to kick out Umno and Barisan Nasional come the next election? Honestly, I do not know whether Pakatan Rakyat can be a better government. But for sure they can't be worse that what we are seeing thus far. We may need to forget about whether Pakatan Rakyat can be better than Umno or Barisan Nasional. We may need to just embark on ABU (anything but Umno or asal bukan Umno). That may be our only hope for change. |
| 4,700 in 43 years versus 100,000 in 3 years Posted: 08 Sep 2011 07:57 PM PDT 
4,700 people, Malaysians as well as foreigners, died in 43 years of The Malayan Emergency. What the government calls the CTs (Communist Terrorists) who started the war would of course be considered evil although the CPM (Communist Part of Malaya) would argue that it was not a war of aggression but a war of independence from Britain. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin IGP: many died at the hands of Communist Terrorists A total of 1,437 police personnel died while another 1,883 were injured during the 43 years the communists terrorised the country, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar. In addition, 639 soldiers died and another 1,697 were injured while 2,558 members of the public were killed and 1,490 others were injured, raising the total number of those killed to 4,688 and while those injured were 5,070. "They had died while defending the sovereignty of the country from communist threat during that time," he told reporters at Bukit Aman, here today. He said this when criticising the statement by PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu who claimed that the communist terrorists who attacked and killed police personnel during the Bukit Kepong tragedy were the real heroes in the struggle for the country's independence. ************************************* It is good that we remember those who died for their country. Many, in fact, are dying for their country in Iraq and Afghanistan even as you read this. And many of those dying are innocent non-combatants like women, children and old folks. To the 'Allied Forces', of course, these are traitors and terrorists and their family members who also died are, unfortunately, 'collateral damage' -- but 'necessary' deaths in wars such as these. However, to those who died and their family members who now need to mourn their deaths, they are patriots who were martyred in the defense of their homeland. Nevertheless, whether the US is the defender of freedom or the invader of a sovereign nation is a matter of interpretation. The butcher and the slaughtered cow would never come to an agreement on the matter either. So how can we expect the slaughtered citizens and the slaughterer of the citizens to also agree? Ultimately, the winner decides what to call it. And the now united Vietnam of what was once North and South Vietnam would write their history books accordingly. And you can bet that the American and Vietnamese versions of history would not agree on what to call the Vietnam War -- a war of aggression or a war of independence. 4,700 people, Malaysians as well as foreigners, died in 43 years of The Malayan Emergency. What the government calls the CTs (Communist Terrorists) who started the war would of course be considered evil although the CPM (Communist Part of Malaya) would argue that it was not a war of aggression but a war of independence from Britain. But that is for historians to decide and since the CPM lost then the victors would decide what to call it. If the CPM had won, it would have been called something else altogether, of course. While we remember and mourn the 4,700 who died over 43 years during The Malayan Emergency, what do we want to do about the 100,000 who died over three years during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya? Japan too, just like the CPM, claims that they did not embark on a war of aggression but were trying to free Malaya from British colonial rule. But Japan, just like the CPM, also lost the war. And they killed many more people in three years compared to the Communists in 43 years. It is good we condemn the CPM and the militant arm of the CPM, the CTs. After all, 4,700 died because of them over a period of 43 years. But why do we not also condemn the Japanese when because of them 100,000 people died in just three years? Japan is now our friend. Why? Is it because they surrendered and signed a peace treaty so the 100,000 deaths can now be forgiven? The CPM also surrendered and signed a peace treaty. But they are not forgiven. The British too killed many people when they colonised Malaya for almost 200 years. Many of these people killed were freedom fighters who opposed British colonial rule. And many were innocent non-combatants like women, children, old folks and villagers. Somehow, the British and Japanese have been forgiven even though they killed more people than the CTs did. But the CPM is not forgiven. We have buried the hatchet when it comes to Britain and Japan. We refuse to do the same when to comes to the CPM. This is what I fail to comprehend. And why is the US and their allies still our friend when they invade sovereign nations and kill its citizens in numbers that far exceeds what the CPM did? This, I also can't seem to understand. |
| Looking Beyond The Storm In The Teacup Posted: 08 Sep 2011 06:33 PM PDT By Lim Chee Wee, President, Malaysian Bar The storm in the teacup over the Prime Minister having tea with judges of the Malaysian Judiciary at their recently-concluded Judges Conference risks diverting attention away from more fundamental issues regarding the administration of justice in Malaysia. From any perspective, the head of the executive branch of government cannot be the head of the judicial branch in a properly functioning democracy. It is an error to say that the Prime Minister is the head of the Judiciary for administrative purposes. The doctrine of separation of powers between the three branches of government, namely, the Judiciary, Legislature and Executive, is essential to, and inherent in, a modern democracy that professes and abides by the rule of law. However, the Federal Court decided by a majority in PP v Kok Wah Kuan [2008] 1 MLJ 1 that, "The doctrine is not a provision of the Malaysian Constitution even though it influenced the framers of the Malaysian Constitution." The judgment, written by then-President of the Court of Appeal Abdul Hamid Mohamad, goes on to say, "The extent of the powers of the courts depends on what is provided in the Constitution. In the case of the two High Courts, the Constitution provides that they 'shall have such jurisdiction and powers as may be conferred by or under federal law.' Therefore, reference must be made to the federal law to know the jurisdiction and powers of the High Courts." Contrast this with the dissenting judgment of Richard Malanjum, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, who said, "Accepting the proposition that with the amendment to art 121(1) of the Federal Constitution the courts in Malaysia can only function in accordance with what has been assigned to them by federal laws, would be contrary to the democratic system of government wherein the courts form the third branch of the government and function to ensure that there is 'check and balance' in the system including the crucial duty to dispense justice according to law." His Lordship went on to say, "The amendment to art 121(1) should by no means be read to mean that the doctrines of separation of powers and independence of the Judiciary are now no more the basic features of the Federal Constitution. The amendment did not cause the courts to become servile agents of a Federal Act of Parliament and to only perform mechanically any command or bidding of a federal law." International bodies, such as the United Nations Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, have questioned the independence of the judiciary in Malaysia in a situation where there is no clearly accepted principle of separation of powers. They have expressed concern at the current state of affairs. It is therefore encouraging to read the report in The New Straits Times of 8 Sept 2011 quoting the Prime Minister, Najib Razak, as saying in his speech during his visit to the Palace of Justice that, "My administration is committed to an independent judiciary, which is an essential ingredient in nation building . . . The relationship must not only be proper, it must be seen to be proper." The report further stated that the Chief Justice, Zaki Tun Azmi, had emphasised that "…the judiciary was [sic] an important organ in the separation of powers and each branch – executive, judiciary and legislature – must ensure that respect and non-interference existed". It is important to differentiate between judicial reforms that make the administrative processes efficient on the one hand, and reforms to overcome problems, perceived or otherwise, with judicial integrity. Some may hold the view that it is not objectionable per se for the respective heads of the three branches of government to have official meetings or to socialise occasionally. This may very well be true where the respective institutions are strong and independent, and are perceived to be so, thereby enjoying public confidence. Public disquiet over a tea party may be seen as an indication that our institutions do not yet enjoy the fullest confidence. It is therefore timely and imperative that the recommendations in the report of the Royal Commission of Enquiry on the Video Clip Recording of Images of a Person Purported to be an Advocate and Solicitor Speaking on the Telephone on Matters Regarding the Appointment of Judges dated 9 May 2008 be immediately acted upon, and given effect to, by the government. The report recommended, inter alia, that article 121(1) of the Federal Constitution be re-amended to its original form "so that the Judiciary is free once again to live up to the highest expectations of society for all time. There will be no room for concern on the judicial power issue." It quotes Professor Emeritus Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi as saying, "The amendment to article 121(1) has created the wrong perception that the Malaysian Executive wishes to silence the Judiciary. All Judges feel humiliated. Some have accepted their truncated role as mere agents of Parliament and not as independent pillars of the Federal Constitution. Others insist that their review powers are intact. There is division within the ranks." It is now incumbent on the Prime Minister and the government to put powder and shot in the former's declared commitment to an independent judiciary, and assertion that the relationship between the various branches of government must not only be proper, but must also be seen to be so. The Malaysian Bar likewise looks to the Judiciary to strengthen its independence, and to work to return the doctrine of separation of powers to its rightful place within the framework of the Federal Constitution and Malaysian law. |
| PAS in the line of fire Posted: 08 Sep 2011 06:20 PM PDT Bukit Kepong is fast becoming a hot political potato for PAS and the party is feeling a backlash of anger over the controversial remark of its deputy president. (Bernama) - The heat is starting to become a bit too hot to handle for PAS after nearly two weeks of fire started by a remark by deputy president Mohamad Sabu, in which he allegedly made a hero out of a man who led the Bukit Kepong massacre, 61 years ago. The remark put PAS in a position of having to defend Mohamad in the face of a wave of protests not just among the public but also veterans of the security forces and family members of those who were killed in the February 1950 incident. This is not to mention a barrage of police reports – over 500 and counting – lodged against the controversial politician, known by his moniker Mat Sabu. With more voicing their displeasure, the issue has now turned into a political battlefront, with PAS finding itself encircled and having parry condemnation in what is fast becoming a Bukit Kepong battle of its own. After more than a week of silence, PAS addressed the criticism this week in a press conference by secretary-general Mustafa Ali which provided no hint of remorse over Mat Sabu's statement. "PAS rejects the communist ideology and its struggle," Mustafa said. He remained adamant, however, in defending Mat Sabu and his statement that Mat Indera, the man who led the Bukit Kepong attack, was an independence fighter, citing the content of a book, "Pengukir Nama Johor", to back up his claim. Nevertheless, Mustafa acknowledged that Umno had played a role in the country's struggle for independence but said that such a struggle had started much earlier during the era of Maharajalela, Datuk Bahaman, Tok Janggut, Dol Said and Abdul Rahman Limbong. Negative impact Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman said Mat Indera was a communist. The country's history, said Abdul Ghani, recorded that the 25 members of the security forces and their families who were killed in the Bukit Kepong tragedy were the real heroes. Malaysian Ex-Servicemen's Association president Muhammad Abdul Ghani claimed that remnants of communist ideology remained alive despite the agreement signed in 1989 for the communist to lay down arms. "Mat Sabu should not allow himself to be used by certain quarters," he added. Muhammad said Mat Sabu, in claiming that Mat Indera was a real hero, had failed to consider the feelings of those involved in fighting the communist. A political science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Dungun, Che Hamdan Mohd Razali, said the issue had impacted PAS negatively. "I believe the fence-sitters, especially the Malays, will feel slighted and distance themselves from PAS," he added. "Why the dispute now?" Che Hamdan asked. |
| Kempen ‘Bersihkan Najib’ dalam Umno? Posted: 08 Sep 2011 06:15 PM PDT "Benda ni agak dah lama saya tahu, lebih kurang tiga bulan lepas bila seorang pemimpin peringkat negeri memaklumkan kepada saya," kata seorang pemimpin Umno Selangor. (Free Malaysia Today) - Satu gerakan tersusun yang dinamakan 'Bersihkan Najib' di dalam Umno untuk menolak Presiden Umno yang juga Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dikatakan mula dijalankan oleh pihak tertentu di dalam parti itu. Selain serangan terus terhadap Najib sendiri, gerakan tersebut juga dikatakan banyak menumpukan serangan ke atas isterinya, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor bagi melemahkan kredibiliti Najib sebagai pemimpin nombor satu negara itu. Demikian menurut sebuah blog pro Umno terkenal, www.umno-reform2.com yang dikendalikan oleh Anuar Mohd Nor yang juga merupakan Ketua Eksekutif Institut Kajian Asas Kemasyarakatan. "Paling ketara usaha ini menjalankan serangan ke atas Rosmah untuk memperkecil kredibiliti Najib dan mendesak beliau supaya berundur," menurut petikan entri dari blog terbabit. Penulis blog terbabit juga percaya pihak-pihak di dalam Umno akan membuat penafian sekaligus menyatakan ikrar taat setia terhadap presiden Umno itu. "Setakat ini realiti program untuk menjatuhkan dan mendesak Najib untuk melepaskan jawatan adalah benar dan wujud walaupun mungkin penafian akan timbul tetapi Najib harus tahu realiti yang ada ini," tulis beliau lagi. Bagaimanapun, beliau yang mendakwa mengetahui beberapa nama terlibat dengan gerakan ini masih belum mahu mendedahkan pihak -pihak yang memainkan peranan menjalankan agenda 'Bersihkan Najib' dari Umno ini. "Suara yang menamakan mereka yang terbabit sudah ada sungguhpun www.umno-reform2.com belum berhajat untuk memaklumkannya," tambah beliau lagi. Sementara itu, dalam perkembangan berkaitan seorang pemimpin Umno di peringkat bahagian dari negeri Selangor turut percaya kewujudan gerakan 'Bersihkan Najib' tersebut. Beliau yang enggan mendedahkan identitinya itu mendakwa, gerakan untuk menjatuhkan Najib itu diketahuinya apabila diberitahu oleh seorang pemimpin peringkat negeri kira-kira tiga bulan lalu. "Benda ni agak dah lama saya tahu, lebih kurang tiga bulan lepas bila seorang pemimpin peringkat negeri memaklumkan kepada saya," ujar beliau ketika ditemui di sini. READ MORE HERE |
| SNAP may see a change of guard Posted: 08 Sep 2011 06:08 PM PDT Following an embarrassing defeat in the April 16 state election, SNAP may overhaul its leadership in preparation for the 13th general election. (Free Malaysia Today) - Sarawak National Party (SNAP), which dropped out of the political radar screen following its embarrassing performance in April 16 state election, may see changes in its leadership ahead of the 13th general election. The party is scheduled to have its triennial general assembly and elections on Sept 24 and 25. Already word is that the presidency is being contested. Beleagured SNAP president Edwin Dundang, who was blamed for the party's poor performance during the polls, had in June indicated that he would step down to give way to "fresh young blood". "We have many capable young leaders who can take SNAP back to its former glory," he had told FMT. But few took Dundang's words seriously. Yesterday, party secretary-general Stanley Jugol confirmed that Dundang had reiterated his stand. "It is most likely that the party will have a new president… "The president (Dundang) has said that he wants young blood to take over," Jugol said, adding that three contenders had already picked up the nomination forms. Nomination for the president's post closes on Sept 17. When asked if he was one of the contenders, Jugol said: "Many (party members) have asked me to vie for the post…"
Polls performance Meanwhile, the general assembly is expected to be a heated affair. The SNAP leaders have a lot of explaining to do in relation to the state election and its credibility following various allegations. In the April 16 polls, SNAP contested in 26 constituencies and lost all its deposits except one. In the runup to the polls, SNAP was deeply embroiled in a seat tussle with Pakatan Rakyat coalition partner PKR. It also had to contend with allegations that it was a Barisan Nasional stooge. SNAP has, however, denied allegations that it was a BN ally and accused Umno spinmasters of destroying the party's credibility. Many observers, however, felt that it was a wrong move for the party to have even considered contesting in the April 16 polls especially since it had been in political slumber since November 2002. That year SNAP was de-registered after it failed to resolve a protracted leadership crisis. However in June last year, the party finally succeeded in getting the Court of Appeal to set aside its de-registration. Any plans for a slow comeback, however, was thwarted when speculations of a possible state election began surfacing and SNAP, with its impressive pedigree, became a target for an ambitious Pakatan Rakyat. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Pak Lah’s sister-in-law arranged aircraft deal’ Posted: 08 Sep 2011 06:01 PM PDT A leaked 2006 US cable noted that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's sister-in-law was involved in the procurement of a US$400 million aircraft deal. In citing another example, the cable said that the sellers – local politicians, agents, civil servants and military personnel – all received a 30% commission from the procurement of T91 Polish tanks and SU-30 Russian aircraft. K Kabilan, Free Malaysia Today A confidential US diplomatic cable from 2006 has claimed that then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's sister-in-law was allegedly involved in the procurement of a US$400 million aircraft deal. According to the cable, Abdullah's brother had also suggested that the deal was done in return for a commission, ostensibly for the sister-in-law. The cable stated that Abdullah made the announcement for the purchase of the cargo aircraft from European makers Airbus after his trip to France. "Prime Minister Abdullah's sister-in-law arranged a US$400 million contract to purchase military cargo aircraft from Airbus. "There had been no indication that the Malaysian military were in the market for a new cargo aircraft prior to this announcement," said the cable. It did not name the sister-in-law. The cable quoted a source who said he was informed by Abdullah's brother that the aircraft was "done for political or other reasons, such as commission". This particular deal was pointed out by the US diplomats in their cable to highlight the weakenesses in the Malaysian procurement process. They said that Malaysia's procurement process, which plays a large role in the nation's economy, fell short in three key areas: lack of transparency, outright corruption, and Bumiputera requirements and preferences. '30% commission' The cable, sent from the US embassy here to the State Department in Washington, outlined corruption as a significant problem, particularly for larger contracts, and gave examples of the alleged involvement of the then prime minister, his deputy and the ruling party Umno. In citing another example, the cable said that the sellers – local politicians, agents, civil servants and military personnel – all received a 30% commission from the procurement of T91 Polish tanks and SU-30 Russian aircraft. The US diplomats also said that their source – an executive at a US aerospace firm – was allegedly approached by someone purporting to work for (the then) Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Najib (Tun Razak) about a deal, suggesting, "you will get a part of it". The source declined this offer, added the cable. Other sources had also similarly informed the US diplomats of corruption in the Malaysian procurement process. The cable stated that political parties, including the ruling Umno, relied on money politics for much of their operating funds. "Projects or tenders often are awarded as political patronage, with a cut of the funds circulating back to the party through different channels," stated that cable dated June 6, 2006. The confidential cable was leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks to the Malaysia Today blog run by Raja Petra Kamarudin who posted it today. READ MORE HERE |
| Pakatan to beat Najib in announcing budget Posted: 08 Sep 2011 05:53 PM PDT  By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT PETALING JAYA: Opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat will unveil its budget on Oct 5, two days before Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister Najib Tun Razak announces his budget for the next year. Barisan Nasional's budget is expected to be people-friendly following talk of an impending general election. The early announcement of Pakatan's alternative budget is part of a political game aimed at deflecting possible accusations that the opposition copies its spending plan from the federal government. The bloc's PAS secretariat member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said they have two crucial proposals – to set up seven Pakatan-BN mixed committees in charge of their respective areas to discuss allocations and effective research aided by government funds to help MPs provide quality inputs. The seven areas are national and international affairs; economics and finance; security; education, talent and employment; agriculture and regional development; infrastructure, resource management and environment; and community well-being. The areas will have their respective ministries and designated MPs to debate on specific issues pertaining to the allocations. Emulate first-world Parliaments "If we look at first-world Parliaments, there are actual committees specialising in particular ministries… in Malaysia there are no such committees. The entire Dewan Rakyat is the committee," Dzulkefly, the Kuala Selangor MP, told a press conference here. He said the Malaysian model had resulted in ineffective debates and oversight while the long hours of gabfest – often stretching for 10 hours daily for 18 days – have caused fatigue among lawmakers. As a result, the MPs find it hard to keep track of the debates and provide quality inputs. "MPs' inputs are important because they represent the interests of the rakyat," said Dzulkefly, who is a PAS central working committee member. He said that having more organised debates would also help lawmakers become more well-equipped and skilled. "As time goes by, long-serving MPs will develop specialist expertise and experience which will enable them to ask pertinent questions and provide useful inputs." He said that debates in smaller specialised committees would enable MPs to participate more meaningfully and at the same time reduce partisanship. "This is unlike in the Dewan Rakyat where the government and opposition are expected to 'cross swords'". Absent fatigued MPs BN lawmakers often blame their opposition counterparts for the long hours of debate, accusing them of playing politics to stall approval of the budget. READ MORE HERE. |
| Judicial independence and justice Posted: 08 Sep 2011 05:45 PM PDT By Lim Sue Goan, Mysinchew Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's recent visit to the Palace of Justice has triggered a dispute as some claimed that the visit could jeopardise the independence of the judiciary. However, I am more interested in the remarks made by retiring Chief Justice Tun Zaki Tun Azmi. He said that the government had allocated RM130 million to upgrade court facilities and it was normal for the Prime Minister to see how the money was spent. Also, the more people the more transparent it was and there was nothing to be kept in the dark. It would not affect judges' independent judgement. The judiciary needs money to operate and the bill is paid by the government. Then how could we be sure that the judiciary would not lose its independence for government funding? Judiciary independence is a universal value. According to the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary adopted by the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders held in Milan from 26 August to 6 September 1985, "it is the duty of each Member State to provide adequate resources to enable the judiciary to properly perform its functions". Most countries and regions such as the US, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, separated the expenses of the judiciary and included it in the central budget. Many countries also have a court expense budget which is planned by a court expense budget committee formed by courts or judges. There are also judges participate in a court expense budget team and the Finance Ministry has no right to delete or seize a court expense budget and funding. In China, the judiciary is managed by local governments and naturally, the judiciary tends to safeguard the interests of local authorities, resulting in a miscarriage of justice and public resentment. Most democratic countries and regions are very strict in the appointment of judges. According to the US Constitution, federal judges are appointed by the President of the US and confirmed by a simple majority vote of the Senate. According to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 of the United Kingdom, the Judicial Appointments Commission is responsible for the appointment of judges. The independent commission is formed by multi-commissioners and chaired by a lay member. According to the Hong Kong Basic Law, judges are appointed by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission. The commission is an independent statutory body composed of the Secretary for Justice, judges, persons from the legal profession and eminent persons from other sectors. Many countries and regions are having many tedious work to ensure judicial independence and maintain the prestige of the judiciary, as well as the democratic institution. READ MORE HERE. |
| US authorities investigating possible 9/11 anniversary terror plot Posted: 08 Sep 2011 05:41 PM PDT By Herald Sun New York is on high alert after a "credible" terror threat involving car or truck bombs was issued by US officials ahead of this weekend's 10th anniversary commemorations of the September 11 attacks.
3I-Od97vJmQ FBI assistant director Jan Fedarcyk refused to outline the nature of the threat but hinted it had come from information retrieved from Osama bin Laden's compound when he was shot dead in May. Detailed intelligence received last week suggested that al-Qaida planned to target Washington or New York. Law enforcement officials said they were attempting to track down three people who may be travelling to the US or who recently entered the country, the Associated Press reports. Other reports suggested the trio flew into the country last month. The action follows higher than normal "chatter" in Pakistan about a possible threat. Despite the terror alert, there were no plans to change Obama's travel schedule, the White House said. The President is scheduled to mark the anniversary with stops at New York's ground zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He also will deliver remarks Sunday night at a memorial concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Earlier, US bases raised their alert levels and Pakistan has stopped foreign journalists getting close to the house of Osama bin Laden. New York arms police with 'heavy weapons' In New York, city mayor Michael Bloomberg stressed the threat was uncorroborated and told New Yorkers to carry on with their lives, adding that he planned to take the subway in the morning. "There is no reason for any of the rest of us to change our daily routines," Mr Bloomberg said. "The best thing to do to fight terrorism is to refuse to be intimidated by it." New York police commissioner Ray Kelly said measures were already in place but in light of the information, police would be taking additional measures and increase its presence by a third. He said the public could expect to see heavily armed police and bomb dogs in public places, and tunnels and bridges would be swept for bombs. This includes police with "heavy weapons" stationed outside Manhattan. "The public is likely to see and may be inconvenienced by vehicle checkpoints throughout the city," Mr Kelly said. He said people could expect to have their bags checked on subways and bomb dogs would be present across the city. Extra security would be in place at landmark locations, houses of worship and illegally parked cars would be towed away. Guards will be most visibly deployed at Pennsylvania Station, Times Square and Grand Central stations. Mr Bloomberg, who some accused of over-reacting as Hurricane Irene approached the city last week, took a much cooler approach to the apparent terror threat. "We know that terrorists view the anniversary as an opportunity to strike again," Mr Bloomberg. "Now the threat at this moment has not been corroborated. I want to stress that. It is credible, but it has not been corroborated." Ms Fedarcyk began her statement to the media by referring to certain information that had been culled from bin Laden's compound. She said intelligence networks had come to expect an increase in reports on any 9/11 anniversary. "Sometimes this reporting is credible, and warrants intense focus," she said. "Other times it lacks credibility and is highly unlikely to be reflective of real plots underway." She said that regardless, the information would be taken seriously. Ms Fedarcyk said the law enforcement would in days ahead try to understand the threat, but said New York was acting out of diligence. Pressed on what the specific threat was, Ms Fedarcyk would not elaborate but suggested people look at information already in the public domain after the raid on bin Laden's compound, and to consider that terrorists considered anniversary dates as good opportunities. None of the three spokespeople mentioned earlier reports that Washington DC, and other capital cities, had been part of the specific threat. Terror 'chatter' in Pakistan raises fears In that assessment, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement: "There is specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information." "We have taken, and will continue to take all steps necessary to mitigate any threats that arise. "As we know from the intelligence gathered from the OBL (Osama bin Laden) raid, AQ (al Qaida) has shown an interest in important dates and anniversaries, such as 9/11." The threat is believed to involve either New York City, Washington, DC, or both, and involves car bombs. It is believed to have been picked up in monitoring of "chatter" from the tribal areas of Pakistan. President orders counter-terror response US President Barack Obama ordered counter-terrorism officials to boost their efforts as they probe the threat. A White House official said Mr Obama "directed the counter-terrorism community to redouble its efforts in response to this credible but unconfirmed information''. "The President was briefed on this specific threat information this morning and has been updated on it throughout the day,'' the official said. "The United States government has already significantly enhanced its security posture in advance of the 9/11 anniversary to protect the country against possible terrorist threats." Authorities said they had information on some possible suspects tied to al-Qaida, but not necessarily names. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security were drafting a bulletin today to send to local law enforcement across the country. "We have a duty to warn," the senior US official said. US officials have been saying for days that there is no known credible threat related to the anniversary. But when asked today whether that's still the case, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano seemed to at first hesitate. "It is still the case that we don't have something that would reach that standard, but we still have lots of chatter out there," she said. "And we take every bit of that seriously and track it down ... The date is important because it's 9/11. But as I said, in the intel world there's lots of chatter and we're taking it all seriously. Should there be something that rises to the level where I have to issue a threat advisory, we will issue a threat advisory." There were documents found inside Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that mentioned aspirations to strike on the tenth anniversary of the 2001 attacks. The news comes after Obama revealed he "took a gamble" in giving the green light for the raid on bin Laden's hideout, with the mission nearly called off at the last minute. |
| Dr M pins Najib’s ratings slide on Bersih rally handling Posted: 08 Sep 2011 05:39 PM PDT 
By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's recent approval ratings decline was due to his administration's handling of the July 9 Bersih rally, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has said. The former prime minister agreed with the findings of Merdeka Center's latest survey, which saw Najib's approval rating slide to its lowest point of 59 per cent since last May's high of 79 per cent. Merdeka Center had then concluded that the ratings drop was fuelled by rising concerns over the surge in living costs and Putrajaya's handling of Bersih 2.0. Dr Mahathir told Astro Awani in an interview aired today that the government's image was badly affected due to the strict measures taken by authorities in maintaining public order on July 9. He pointed out that Putrajaya had acted wrongly by banning people from wearing yellow shirts. "This has been blamed on (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Najib but I do not know what Datuk Seri (Najib) did by ordering that people could not wear yellow shirts. "I do not think he would tell the police not to allow yellow shirts. But the fact is that those who wore yellow shirts were seen as enemies. This is a move by the Malaysian government and that gave a bad image to the government," the country's longest-serving prime minister said. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers have basked in the aftermath of the survey results, claiming it indicated a clear voter swing towards the federal opposition, while Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders chose to stay indignant, saying the poll may not have been an accurate reflection of voter sentiment The survey involved respondents aged 21 and above across the peninsula who were selected through random stratified sampling along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and state of residency. Of the 1,027 polled, 59 per cent were Malays, 32 per cent Chinese and nine per cent Indians. READ MORE HERE. |
| EC's number two shifts blame to AROs, Defence ministry Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:15 PM PDT  (Harakah Daily) The Election Commission's deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (pic) said assistant voter registration officers, or AROs, were to blame over the latest cases of voters found to have registered under the civilian MyKad of their army spouses. This followed the claim by DAP's Rasah member of parliament Anthony Loke, that two dozen records of army officers' spouses have used civilian identity cards of their husbands to register as voters under the wives' names.
"The mistakes in gender of the army's spouses maybe due to the ARO," said Wan Ahmad, who added that the ARO had registered the the voters without seeing them. He also suggested the ARO could have immediately filled in the data after receiving information or IC numbers from the army officer.
Earlier, Loke claimed to have found the records in the Rasah army camp's electoral roll.
"A wife could still have the ordinary voter's right so she might be able to vote twice," he was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini.
According to Wan Omar, the AROs did not follow proper procedure, and the EC had to bear the burden of responding to such problems.
Wan Omar however admitted that he had not seen in detail the mistakes as reported by Loke, and called on Loke to submit the information to EC instead of going to the media. READ MORE HERE. |
| Projects in secondary schools to get more male students to enter colleges, varsities Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:10 PM PDT By Alycia Lim, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Pilot projects will be rolled out in secondary schools soon to encourage more male students to enter institutes of higher learning as male enrolment in these institutions has fallen to 30%. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin said Friday pilot projects would carried out by a few universities to motivate male students to focus on their studies. He also added that there would be a separate pilot project by universities to place more emphasis on maths and science in secondary schools as it was important in research and development, and in line with government plans. He said the maths and science project would be headed by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. |
| The haze and the malaise Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT  By Banyan Ethnic politics makes Malaysia's transition to a contested democracy fraught and ugly. SKYSCRAPERS and lampposts in Kuala Lumpur are still festooned with flags left over from independence day festivities at the end of August. Fittingly, this week they were shrouded in the annual "haze" of smog from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Malaysia's politicians are not in the mood to celebrate nationhood and unity. Rather, with an election in the offing, everything is a chance for political point-scoring. That includes independence itself. One huge banner in the centre of the capital shows the country's six prime ministers since the British left in 1957, with the incumbent, Najib Razak, in the foreground, gazing into a visionary future. All six hailed from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which has led the "Barisan Nasional" (BN) coalition government ever since 1957. Some opposition politicians now complain that the official narrative of Malaysia's history ignores the role of non-UMNO freedom fighters. Since the most recent general election, in March 2008, the opposition has had a real chance of winning power. For the first time since independence in 1957, the BN lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament that allowed it to amend the constitution on its own. No longer a one-coalition state, the opposition argues, Malaysia has to rethink its own history. The next election is not due until 2013. But, out of tradition and political calculation, Mr Najib is expected to call it earlier—and to win it. Some think it could come this year, after a generous government budget in October. A crowded calendar of regional summitry makes that awkward, and Mr Najib has other reasons for delay. Since he took over in 2009, he has launched a plethora of initiatives to improve Malaysians' lives and a "Performance and Delivery Unit" to implement them. Results take time. Three factors, however, argue for a hasty dash to the polls. The first is that Mr Najib, who took over UMNO and the prime ministership after the BN's unprecedentedly poor showing in 2008, still had an approval rating of 59% in a recent survey. That is well below his initial popularity, however, and he will not want to mimic Britain's Gordon Brown in delaying too long before seeking his own mandate. Second, economic storm clouds are gathering in the West. Malaysia's economy is still growing at over 4% a year, but is vulnerable to a downturn in external demand. Third, the opposition coalition is in some disarray. Its figurehead, Anwar Ibrahim, is on trial for sodomy, illegal in Malaysia, and many expect him to go back to jail soon, as he did (for the same alleged offence) in 1998. He is a divisive figure. But without him, there is no obvious opposition candidate for prime minister. The president of his party is his wife, and its most impressive politician is his 30-year-old daughter, Nurul Izzah. The other components of the coalition are the Democratic Action Party, which draws its support from the Chinese minority, and an Islamic party known as PAS, whose religious conservatism alienates many liberal Malays. So there is even talk of a revival of the prime ministerial ambitions of Razaleigh Hamzah, a veteran UMNO rebel, as an opposition rallying point. The government helpfully provided another rallying point with its cack-handed crackdown on an NGO-led protest in Kuala Lumpur in July calling for electoral reform. Mr Najib has since agreed to a parliamentary committee to look into the demands, which are mostly unexceptionable: to clean up voters' lists, allegedly swollen with "phantoms"; to extend the election-campaign period, at present just seven to nine days; to tighten up the postal-vote system; and so on. But he has not agreed to postpone an election until after the committee has ruled. Whatever technical reforms are made before the next election, it will still be dominated by the original sin of ethnic discrimination set out in the country's 1957 constitution. This was designed to allay the fears of the majority ethnic-Malay population of being marginalised by Chinese and Indian minorities, which now make up respectively 23% and 7% of the population of 28m. Perks, much extended after race riots in 1969 (still often referred to in Malaysia as if they happened yesterday), gave Malays privileged access to public-sector jobs, university places, stockmarket flotations and government contracts. Both government and opposition talk of dismantling these privileges, which have contributed to corruption and large-scale emigration. Mr Najib has indeed started tinkering with Malay privileges, much to the outrage of the UMNO right and a vocal Malay-rights ginger group known as Perkasa. Ibrahim Ali, Perkasa's front man, argues that, with the Malay vote split, the minorities have disproportionate electoral power, to which the mainstream parties pander. Malay power That is nonsense. As elections loom, it is the Malay voter whose opinion matters, and he is assumed to resent any effort to curtail his privileges. And that means that both coalitions have to resort to defending the indefensible: a system in which families that have lived in Malaysia for generations are told to tolerate discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, to bolster allegedly fragile racial harmony. Malays and minorities alike lament that the races are living increasingly separate lives—studying in different schools, eating different foods and going to different parties. The divide is further widened as more Malays, who, constitutionally, are all Muslims, become religiously conservative. The Malaysian malaise stems from the congruence of two seemingly conflicting trends. One is the healthy development of pluralist competition in a system that had seemed stuck for ever in an UMNO-dominated quasi-democracy. The other is the sharpening of ethnic and religious dividing lines. It is alarming that, instead of seeing competitive politics as a way of bridging the ethnic divide, too many Malaysian politicians see the ethnic divide as a way of winning the political competition. |
| Govt urged to stop shadowy multi-billion deal with Sapura Posted: 08 Sep 2011 02:01 PM PDT  (Harakah Daily) -The Defence and Finance ministries have been urged to halt the RM2 billion 'Network Centric Operation' (NCO) awarded to to Sapura Secured Technologies. PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar claimed that to date, the NCO project, meant to integrate applications, control systems as well as weaponry for army, had not produced a roadmap or a programme plan in the framework of the country's defence.
Izzah questioned whether in the absence of such a roadmap, the cost of the project will rise.
"Who will then make profit when there is no limit to a spending budget for the NCO," she asked during a press conference held outside the Defence Ministry yesterday.
Last month, PKR's communication director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad questioned the need for the NCO programme when a similar system had already been in place.
"We understand that ATM already has a similar system in place developed a few years back. Furthermore, the project had drawn flak from the entire ATM officers themselves, and their concern has been ignored by those who instructed the project to be continued," he stated, adding that the ability of Sapura to carry out the project should also be doubted because the company did not possess technical expertise to implement the project. READ MORE HERE. |
| Guan Eng Demands Apology From Utusan Malaysia Posted: 08 Sep 2011 01:55 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - GEORGE TOWN -- A notice of demand has been issued to publisher Utusan Malaysia (M) Bhd and its editor, calling them to retract and apologise for an article alleging that Penang Chief minister Lim Guan Eng had misused and abused power in the construction of a carpark lot at Penang Hill. Lim's legal counsel Jagdeep Singh Deo said that if the demands was not met within a week, legal action would be taken against both parties. "Lim has categorically denied that there were any deviation or abuse of power in the matter. This is a serious and malicious defamatory article against my client," he said here on Thursday. He alleged that Utusan Malaysia had published the article on Tuesday. |
| PM: Government committed to developing local talent base Posted: 08 Sep 2011 01:48 PM PDT 
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today his administration was committed in nurturing and developing skilled local graduates, and stressed that a competitive talent base was crucial for a productive high income economy. The Prime Minister told Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) graduates here that the government is "widening access" to the country's existing education system (pre-school, higher education) to ensure all Malaysians received opportunities for educational growth. "Our willingness to invest in human capital development has held us in good stead as a nation. Human capital lies at the core of innovation and productive high income economy. "No economy can success without a highly skilled talent base that responds creatively to economic changes, and is centred on creating, developing and utilising knowledge," he said today. Najib lauded the previous government administration's decision to liberalise the country's higher education sector, and said the setting up of private universities, local brances of foreign campuses and twinning programmes was a right move as it gave local students the option of affordable tertiary education. "Looking back at the decision with the benefit of hindsight, I would like to state that it was the right decision, it was a blue ocean strategy before the term was even coined and became popular in providing more places for Malaysians as local institutions cannot accomodate all the qualified students and not every Malaysian can afford the cost of an overseas education," Najib added. Malaysia ranked 36th out of 60 countries in the Economist Intelligence Unit's latest Global Talent Index in May which saw the United States placed as the top country in producing talent, while Singapore and Nordic nations were rated stellar performers. READ MORE HERE. |
| Watchdog wants end to secret defence deals Posted: 08 Sep 2011 01:45 PM PDT 
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) wants the government to put a stop to using national security as an excuse for the secrecy that ends up hiding graft involving defence contracts, and consider appointing independent monitors for such deals. Datuk Paul Low, the president of the independent watchdog, told The Malaysian Insider that secrecy in the name of national security has led to such deals being riddled with corruption due to the practice of political funding and patronage. "As the government is trying to cut the budget deficit while introducing goods and service tax, it cannot ask for money while suffering leakages," he said. The seedy and allegedly corrupt side of Malaysia's defence procurement was laid bare in a US embassy cable, with startling revelations on how Umno politicians, agents, civil servants and military officials receive 30 per cent "commission" on deals. In a note on the opaque procurement system here revealed by whistleblower site Wikileaks, the US embassy noted that American companies operating here had three main complaints about the system: the lack of transparency, outright corruption, and Bumiputera requirements. The undated cable sent during the Abdullah administration between 2004 and 2009 also noted that many government tenders do not follow procurement rules. A US aerospace executive told the US embassy here defence deals were done through shadowy agreements with no tendering process. For example, the then-Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's sister-in-law arranged a US$400 million (RM1.2 billion) contract to buy military cargo aircraft from Airbus. The deal was announced following Abdullah's return from a trip to France. "The US executive asserted that PM Abdullah's brother told him this deal was 'done for political and other reasons, such as commission'," noted the US embassy cable made publicthrough Wikileaks. Similar scenarios were described for the procurement of T91 Polish tanks and SU-30 Russian aircraft, noted the executive, who also said that once someone purporting to work for then-Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak approached him about a deal and suggested "you will get a part of it." The US embassy noted that Malaysian political parties including Umno rely on "money politics" for much of their operating funds. READ MORE HERE. |
| WIKILEAKS: MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT IN THE FTA Posted: 08 Sep 2011 01:00 AM PDT In one instance, Prime Minister Abdullah's sister-in-law arranged a $400 million contract to purchase military cargo aircraft from Airbus. The Prime Minister announced the purchase following his return from a visit to France. There had been no indication that the Malaysian military were in the market for a new cargo aircraft prior to this announcement. The U.S. executive asserted that PM Abdullah's brother told him this deal was "done for political or other reasons, such as commission." THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 001034 SIPDIS STATE PASS USTR FOR B. WEISEL AND J. JENSEN COMMERCE FOR 4430/MAC/EAP/BAKER TREASURY FOR OASIA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016 TAGS: ETRD, EFIN, EINV, MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT IN THE FTA REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 0930 B. KUALA LUMPUR 0797 Classified By: Charge' David B. Shear for reasons 1.5 (A & B). 1. (C) Summary: Government procurement plays a large role in the Malaysian economy -- valued at an estimated 20% of GDP. The Government of Malaysia has formal procurement rules and officials explain that they are designed to serve a variety of goals, including economic development and the improvement of ethnic Malay economic status. American firms operating in Malaysia complain that implementation of the rules lacks transparency; they suggest that corruption is a significant problem, particularly for larger contracts; and they find "bumiputera" set asides for ethnic Malays restrictive, if not prohibitive. U.S. firms would like to see more discipline in the process so that procurement goes to tender through a definable, systematic and fair system. They also would like greater market access, perhaps through a phase out of bumiputera preferences over an agreed timeframe. Finally, they want a mechanism that would allow them to submit questions and complaints about tender awards and have them answered in a timely fashion. 2. (C) Phasing out bumiputera preferences may not be feasible, but even achieving transparent, rules based procurement would make a big difference to U.S. firms. Linking our goals to international "best practices" may make them more acceptable to Malaysian officials. We also can point to Prime Minister Abdullah's public statements about the importance of improving public service delivery and defeating corruption as support for our position. End Summary. GOM Procurement - The Theory 3. (U) Government of Malaysia (GOM) procurement policies are consistent with the "bumiputera policy" that aims to advance the economic interests of ethnic Malays (REF A). The government frankly acknowledges that it uses tenders and contracts to advance the development of a Malay business community. Malaysian bidders are extended a preference that varies with the contract size, and bumiputera firms enjoy an additional preference factor. For example, the Ministry of Defense's general guidelines state that all tenders under RM 100,000 ($27,778) will be reserved for bumiputera companies. International tenders will be offered only if the goods and services are not available locally. Each ministry prepares the contract specifications and tender documents and advertises for bids. For international tenders, bidders have at least 56 days to submit bids and must furnish a tender deposit (195 days for defense tenders). Bids are evaluated on technical and financial grounds. The agency's tender board or the Ministry of Finance awards the contract. The American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) estimates that government tenders accounted for about 20% of Malaysia's GDP in 2004. 4. (U) A ministry may directly purchase from known suppliers when procuring goods, services or works under RM 50,000 ($13,889). For purchases of RM 50,000 ($13,889) to RM 200,000 ($55,556), a ministry must solicit quotations from at least five suppliers or contractors, each of whom must be registered with the government. Companies must register with the Government Procurement Management Division at the Ministry of Finance and there is now a system of e-registration. Procurement of goods, services and works above the value of RM 200,000 ($55,556) must be considered and awarded by Tender Boards established at each federal ministry. However, goods and services tenders over RM 30 million ($8.3 million) and works tenders over RM 50 million ($13.9 million) must be referred to the Ministry of Finance. Its Government Procurement Management Division procures common-use items (e.g. office equipment and supplies, furniture and vehicles) via Federal Central Contracts usually made through open local tenders. Federal and state agencies are required to purchase from these contracts. Government-linked companies (GLCs) are not bound legally by the Government's procurement procedures. In practice, some GLCs allow foreign companies to bid directly, others allow for no foreign competition, and still others seem to require companies to follow the basic Ministry of Finance guidelines. 5. (U) GOM rules state that all tenders must be advertised in at least one local newspaper in the Malay language. International tenders must be advertised in one Malay and one English newspaper. Some procurement opportunities can also be accessed through Malaysia's myGovernmet website (www.gov.my/MYGOV/BI/MISC/GovernmentTender) or the respective ministries' homepages. There also are a number of private or quasi-private companies that offer websites purporting to list all government tenders. Not all of the ministries advertise their tenders online, nor do all of them do so in English. In any case, many of the tender announcements require the prospective bidder to buy tender documents from the ministry in person, which would only be possible after showing an original Ministry of Finance registration document. 6. (U) Malaysia has not signed on to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), and has not entered negotiations or sought observer status. It has declined to include government procurement in its bilateral FTA agreements to date. Malaysia's lack of participation in GPA has a negative impact on U.S. companies in Malaysia because they are not allowed to participate in U.S. government procurement. One example is Dell Computers, which maintains a special assembly line in the U.S. for USG sales, since cannot source from its factory in Malaysia. GOM Procurement - In Practice 7. (SBU) In actual practice, many Malaysian government tenders do not follow the government's procurement rules. In fact, even obtaining a copy of the Ministry of Finance circular detailing the rules can be a challenge. (Note: USTR requested a copy of Finance's procurement regulations at the first TIFA discussions with no success. Econoff recently reiterated this request with the same results. End Note.) Malaysia's procurement process falls short in three key areas: lack of transparency, outright corruption, and bumiputera requirements and preferences. Lack of Transparency 8. (SBU) Members of the American-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) would like much greater transparency in how contracts are awarded, and have recommended a model similar to what exists in Singapore (i.e., the Ministry of Finance posts all tenders online, indicates which companies were chosen for the tenders, and the criteria which determined their selection). While many U.S. firms chafe at Malaysia's policy of granting most government tenders to bumiputera firms, they acknowledge this practice is similar to some USG procurement, with certain projects earmarked for bids from qualified small and minority-owned businesses, or with those firms receiving additional "points" in the decision process. AMCHAM's general stance on the issue of bumiputera preferences is that it would like to see them reduced, and eventually removed, over time so this sector will be more open to competition. 9. (SBU) However, simply increasing transparency would benefit AMCHAM members. If Malaysia were to clearly indicate which projects are earmarked for qualified bidders from particular groups, foreign bidders could plan accordingly. However, GOM agencies frequently award contracts without having gone through the established bidding process. There also are instances of government agencies being directed to purchase products through designated local or bumiputera firms. Frequent Favouritism 10. (C) In some cases, a prime contractor is selected without a formally announced tender. For example, the Chinese language daily Nanyang Siang Pau recently reported that a project from the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) to develop the South Johor economic region (a contract worth RM 10.2 billion or $2.8 billion) has been directed to UEM World Berhad, apparently without tender. UEM is owned by Khazanah, the GOM's development arm, and is the largest land owner in the south Johor region. There are widespread rumors that projects from the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) (REF B) are being handed out with no formal tendering process. 11. (C) A representative of a U.S. aerospace company complained about the basic unfairness of a system that does not follow a transparent procedure. All too often, tenders never actually get to the bidding stage; an award is simply announced. While his firm has had success in Malaysia, he observed he cannot plan when and where he should spend his resources to compete. There is simply no way to know what is coming and when, especially in the military arena. Malaysia's Ministry of Defense has a published reference book with basic policies and procedures, explaining registration requirements, but does not always follow these procedures. In any case, while his company may deal with different ministries on different tenders, he explained that: "Finance controls it (procurement). Regardless of the rules, they are in control." 12. (C) The government programs manager of a U.S. ICT firm complained about a similar lack of transparency in the decision-making process. His firm once made the short-list for a tender with Malaysia Telecom (a government linked company), but lost to another company that did not even bid. While the winning company may have been qualified, Malaysia Telecom never explained its decision or why it had selected a contractor who had not expressed enough interest to participate in the tender process. A Caveat on Transparency 13. (C) The U.S. aerospace executive observed, however, that sometimes U.S. firms have been able to work the system to their advantage. He cautioned that one potential unintended consequence of the FTA negotiations might be an unraveling of various waivers and special arrangements obtained by U.S. companies currently operating in Malaysia. Over time, the GOM has offered different incentives to different companies to attract their investments. Should the FTA negotiations instill more discipline into the system, some of these preferences could be affected. He also stressed that if old laws stay on the books, the GOM always has the option of simply reinstating them. He noted that the capital controls Malaysia enacted during the 1997 Asian financial crisis were not new, but rather a case of the GOM enforcing laws that it had relaxed. Corruption 14. (C) Corruption is a significant problem, particularly for larger contracts. The U.S. aerospace firm has done fairly well on the commercial side of its business, but has not won a major defense contract in Malaysia in over a decade. The U.S. executive described a variety of defense deals made over this period through shadowy agreements with no tendering process. In one instance, Prime Minister Abdullah's sister-in-law arranged a $400 million contract to purchase military cargo aircraft from Airbus. The Prime Minister announced the purchase following his return from a visit to France. There had been no indication that the Malaysian military were in the market for a new cargo aircraft prior to this announcement. The U.S. executive asserted that PM Abdullah's brother told him this deal was "done for political or other reasons, such as commission." The executive described similar scenarios for procurement of T91 Polish tanks and SU-30 Russian Aircraft, alleging that the sellers, as well as Malaysian politicians, agents, civil servants and military personnel all received a 30% "commission." Once, someone purporting to work for Deputy Prime Minister Najib approached him about a deal suggesting, "you will get a part of it." He declined this offer. 15. (C) The ICT company manager agreed that "there is corruption. Transparency is just a nice word for it." He described how his firm must work through partners who file the tender, saying that he does not always know what is going on with the tendering process. "After all, the Chairman could go to jail if he knows too much," he stated. Malaysian political parties, including the ruling United Malay National Organization (UMNO), rely on "money politics" for much of their operating funds. Projects or tenders often are awarded as political patronage, with a cut of the funds circulating back to the party through different channels. 16. (C) Malaysian firms also are targets of corruption. The ICT firm executive related the experience of a cousin, whose firm had bid on a government tender. A ministry tender board informed her that she had won, but instructed her to double the amount of her bid. Concerned about the suggested corruption, she withdrew her bid. Our contact plans to discuss this case with another cousin at the Anti-Corruption Agency, but has no confidence that action wQl be taken. Bumiputera Requirements and Preferences 17. (C) The U.S. aerospace firm has not found the system of bumiputera procurement to be an impediment and simply works through a Malay middleman. The firm prefers to maintain 100% ownership of its local branch, rather than developing a local partnership that would permit it to bid directly. The U.S. executive would, however, like to see the FTA confirm a commitment to open tendering throughout the GOM and its related GLCs. He is concerned, for example, that Permodalan Nasional Berhad (or PNB, a Malaysian government investment trust), in its capacity as purchasing agent for Malaysian Airlines, will make decisions behind closed doors that could lock his firm out of the commercial aircraft market. 18. (C) The government accounts for 30% of the U.S. ICT firm's business in Malaysia. Our contact at the firm believes agencies lack the freedom to select the best contractor due to the bumiputera preferences. Our contact also admitted that his business plan requires partners in some areas and he would not bid on all contracts as a prime. But in areas such as services (consulting, designing, and maintenance and support, etc), he would like the customer to be able to approach his firm, or for his firm to be able to bid directly on government tenders, so it can bring its best practices to the table. Also, our contact suggested that local companies often are poor project managers. His firm must take on management of many contracts even though it is not the prime. Lamenting his firm's inability to bid directly, he said: "By not being flexible and open to foreign competition, it adds to costs. The prime contractor adds their mark up. Are they giving the best service? Are they giving any service? Sometimes yes and sometimes no." 19. (C) A senior manager at another U.S. ICT firm suggested the "rules are restrictive but not prohibitive." He explained that his company does about 30% of its business in Malaysia with the government through various middleman companies or as a subcontractor on larger tenders. He would also bid directly for some projects if the rules allowed. But he cautioned that many U.S. firms would still not want to bid on everything due to the heavy GOM regulations regarding bonding. He said that while he is often comfortable with taking on specific risk as a subcontractor on a portion of a large tender, neither he nor his parent company would necessarily want to take on the bond for the whole tender. Without a significant change in the bonding rules and the requirements for contract completion, this executive would still choose carefully in responding to tenders. 20. (SBU) In its FTA submission, AMCHAM reported on a number of other cases that describe the impact of the bumiputera preferences and the lack of transparency in the system. The most egregious and recent of these cases was the October 2005 Ministry of Finance Directive that government agencies may only procure roadway, decorative, and outdoor lighting from three bumiputera companies. Any ministry that does not comply will be penalized and the unauthorized contractors could be blacklisted from future GOM tenders. 21. (SBU) The Ministry of Finance took eight months to respond to AMCHAM's request for a meeting to discuss this case. In a May 2006 meeting, Finance Secretary General Sri Izzuddin bin Dali explained the Ministry had reviewed these companies and confirmed their qualifications. He submitted that there would be a new circular posted on ministry's website that more clearly explained the matter and that the number of approved companies would be increased, most likely to six. He did not respond to questions about tendering procedures and why foreign companies were not allowed to bid. He clearly stated that only companies which are majority bumiputera-owned would be qualified to bid. Government Procurement in the FTA 22. (C) The Malaysian government's high sensitivity concerning government procurement is suggested by the repeated efforts of GOM officials to try to remove this subject from the FTA agenda, despite clear statements from USG officials that it must be on the table. The topic also has come under scrutiny in parliament and has been a target of public concern in the press. No other issue has received such intense local attention. Nevertheless, there are tactics with the potential to make this issue more amenable to negotiation. 23. (C) Those goals involving transparency, responsiveness and simply getting the GOM to follow its own rules should be easier to tackle, although some Malaysian officials bristle at the suggestion that their system is not transparent. Even though Malaysia is not a party to the GPA, couching our objectives in terms of "international best practices" may make them more acceptable. We also can point to Prime Minister Abdullah's public statements about the importance of improving public service delivery and defeating corruption. Such linkages could be the "sugar" that helps Malaysian negotiators accept the "medicine" of procurement reform. 24. (C) As noted REF A, the bumiputera preferences will be the most difficult element of these negotiations. Eliminating them, even with a phase out period, would be an unrealistic objective. A more feasible approach might be to seek a "de minimis" level below which bumiputera preferences would be allowed to remain, but above which contracts would be open to international competition. Even this may be more than the Malaysian government could concede, but merely instilling discipline, transparency and responsiveness in the current system would make a big difference to U.S. firms. SHEAR |
| How long must the Rakyat continue to subsidise Mahathir (and his many cronies?) Posted: 07 Sep 2011 07:39 PM PDT 
UPDATED WITH VIDEOS
Francis also made a gaffe when he said that it was ok working with the former Prime Minister because all Mahathir did was to take 30%. It was more than a Freudian slip as Francis specifically said "HE taxes 30%" and not that it was taxed by the government. By Jeffrey Ong Recently, I was shocked to watch the Bloomberg interview with Francis Yeoh where it was revealed by Haslinda Amin that Francis Yeoh has benefitted so much from "his friend in powerful places" that today "more than 70% of YTL profits come from the power plants". Francis also made a gaffe when he said that it was ok working with the former Prime Minister because all Mahathir did was to take 30%. It was more than a Freudian slip as Francis specifically said "HE taxes 30%" and not that it was taxed by the government. It is also disgusting to see how much money this crony of Mahathir has siphoned off to Singapore until today. According to Haslinda Amin, Francis now owns more than a third (ie 33.3%) of the power generation capacity in Singapore. So much of the hard earned money of Tenaga Nasional has been used to pay this crony until Tenaga is in the red despite raising tariffs and passing all the charges to all of us, the innocent helpless users of electricity. So much subsidy is being given to the IPPs by way of the special gas prices, and to top it all, Mahathir has forced TNB to buy back the electricity at fixed prices with a sinful margin of profit to Francis (so Mamak Mahathir uses a greedy Christian to suck the blood of his own people). As for Francis, how can such a cheat profess to be a Christian when one of the Ten Commandments clearly states "Thou Shall Not Steal" (in this case, mainly from the poor Malays). Perhaps Francis has a eleventh commandment which says it is alright if you steal for The Mamak. While the old folks and the needy are all suffering in Malaysia, this hypocrite Francis said that he has taught his children the importance of the language of God. The only language these people know is the language of songlap money. When the present government loses the next election, we should string them up by their short and curlies to show the world what a bunch of mean, heartless, blood suckers Mahathir and Yeoh have been. We would love to see them doing The Jailhouse Rock with their billions hanging from their b*lls. Now that I have seen the pictures of Yeoh's children on Bloomberg, I will know in which direction I will spit at, the next time I bump into them in their Lot 10, Marriot, Ritz Carlton, Vistana and all these ill gotten properties from the IPP rip-off, planned by Mahathir the hypocritical Muslim, carried out by crony Francis whose self-proclaimed commandment "I shall steal and use God's name in vain." Vote these people out the next coming elections or we will have to continue to stomach their fart face, nonsensical arrogance. We are paying through our noses for higher and higher electricity bills for their extravagant life-styles. I was at Mahathir's open house in Seri Kembangan on Sunday, just to see what type of person he is and you know what? He is two faced; pretending to smile, pretending to listen, pretending to care for the future of Malaysia when in fact all he is doing is trying to save his image, which we all know today is nothing but a farce. Mahathir's true friend are Daim who raped the nation of billions, Tajudin Ramli who plundered MAS and the nation of more billions, Syed Mokhtar who was practically given control of the nation's rice bowl to siphon more easy billions. And this bunch of idiots are still in the country. Let's make the Opposition win the election and throw all these shit bags in jail where they rightly belong. I was told by the CEO of MRCB that Daim has in fact whispered to Mahathir that UMNO needs to use the MyKad to register as voters all the Indonesians and other immigrant Muslims so that they can try to cheat in the coming election. In return, Mahathir has told Francis to use the "YES" network. 4G means "For Goreng" so that they can spy on all the youngs' emails correspondence. For a start, we say "no" to Francis' 4G so that they cannot spy on what we are emailing or talking through our devices and apps. Just ask ourselves a simple question: Can we believe that Francis the f*ck face is a good man and really wants to help Malaysia, or is he a running dog of Mahathir to give him all our hard earned money, and all our private information?" After all, Francis did give the interview in Singapore in the Singapore flyer with Haslinda Amin, and not in Malaysia, both smiling across the Singapore skyline and saying how clever they are and how dumb the Malaysians are. Having lived abroad myself, I have never encountered such a display of self-glorification when he should know darn well the only reason he is rich is because he sucks Mahathir's b*lls and they both cheat the Rakyat. As a lying, stealing, fake Christian by any counts, he should be the first to be thrown into Hell when his day of rekoning is here. All Malaysians should ask why the heck am I paying so much for my electricity bills so that these Nimcompoops can go around as high fliers? Why the heck was the interview held in Singapore? Francis can't even be proud to be Malaysian. We are so dumb to be cheated day and night by these idiots! A reassessment is needed of Mahathir Mohammad who is nothing more than the worse human being ever brought to this planet earth. The late Hussein Onn made the bloody mistake of choosing this mamak and sidelined Razaleigh, that's why when in Onn's later years he chose to join Pakatan Semangat 46. Najib nearly joined 46 but as a hen-pecked lalang, what do you expect? Muhyiddin, a racist by definition is nothing more than Syed Mokhtar's puppet, and by extension Mahathir's puppet. Zahid has no brains. Hishammuddin, nothing between his ears, should refrain from using his father's name or grandfather's name in vain because if UMNO is to benefit these fake Christians like Francis Yeoh, when there are so many other better and true Christians in Malaysia being thrown the petrol bomb in their church by people inspired by Perkasa, which is Mahathir again! So there you have it, there is no one worth our while in this God forsaken, beer drinking government. So, the new Ten Commandments for a better Malaysia : - 1. "Bersih bills" - protest with a new round of Bersih your electric bills unless you have no problems giving your hard earned money to Mahathir. 2. Boycott yes 4 Goreng 4G – keep your info private. 3. Cancel your yes 4G if you did not know their true intentions. 4. Boycott all their shopping malls or hotels – do this from today. 5. Tell your best friends about this crook Mahathir Mohamad. 6. Read in Malaysia Today about San Mirzan and his beer land grabbing plot – tell 50 friends each about this and spread the gospel. 7. Remember that this mamak family drinks beer and not teh tarik when you go to their open house. 8. Spit at their children when you see them – whether mamak's kids, Francis' kids, or Daim's kids, and continue to expose these blood suckers. Do not let their children have half a chance to pretend to be able to live like quasi aristocrats when they are children of crooks. 9. Put them in jail, not Anwar. 10. Register now to vote for a new government and a real future for our country. ******************************************** Tan Sri (Dr) Francis Yeoh on Bloomberg's "High Flyers" 1-uTZ-xrYQU pK7DofssyMY hH7PNNpSqu4 |
| Rahsia ahli Umno no. # 000006 Posted: 07 Sep 2011 07:30 PM PDT Umno kini dikenali sebagai parti perkauman Melayu dengan namanya yang berbahasa Inggeris. Namun benarkah Umno itu sendiri parti Melayu? atau ditubuhkan untuk mewarisi kerajaan penjajah. Ketika jejak sejarah SAMM ke Johor baru ini, telah bertemu dengan perbagai orang dan meneliti perbagai bahan berkaitan sejarah. Kami telah menemui bukan sahaja sejarah Bukit Kepong malah lebih dari itu. Sememangnya banyak sangat yang dipendam dari pengetahuan umum.
Salah satunya ialah rahsia ahli nombor 6, ketika penubuhan Umno itu sendiri. Umno telah ditubuhkan dengan keahlian bukan Melayu. Ahli nombor 6 ini seorang doktor perubatan dan bukan Melayu. Dia merupakan anak kepada British and Indian descendants, berasal dari Alor Gajah, Perak.
Sedikit latar belakang, Sir Harold McMichael pada tahun 1945 telah ditugaskan oleh 'London' untuk mendapatkan tandatangan semua raja-raja Melayu tetapi bila bertemu dengan DYMM Sultan Ibrahim (Johor), baginda Sultan telah tidak mahu menandatangani perjanjian tersebut. Tanpa tandatangan Sultan Ibrahim sudah tentu perjanjian tersebut tidak bernilai. Perbagai helah digunakan termasuk mempengaruhi anak Sultan Ibrahim.  
ketika inilah ahli pengasas Umno dengan keahlian nombor 6 itu muncul.  Sultan sememangnya berkeras tidak mahu menandatangani perjanjian tetapi Dato' Onn pengasas Umno berusaha bersungguh - sungguh memujuk Sultan Ibrahim sehingga menggunakan Dr. Paglar yang sememangnya rapat dengan Sultan.  Read more at: http://chegubard.blogspot.com/2011/09/rahsia-ahli-umno-no-000006.html |
| Chua ribs PM over Rosmah speech Posted: 07 Sep 2011 07:26 PM PDT 
(Free Malaysia Today) - Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak continues to draw ridicule from opposition leaders for allowing his wife, Rosmah Mansor, to deliver a Hari Raya speech that was broadcast on public television. Johor PKR chief Chua Jui Meng said today that Najib was not fit to be a national leader because he apparently was not even in control in his own home. "He cannot even control his wife," he said, laughing. Najib was the first Malaysian prime minister to have shared the spotlight with his wife when delivering the customary Hari Raya message. The programme was divided into three segments—one showing Najib giving his message, another showing Rosmah giving hers and the last part showing the two of them giving a joint message. The broadcast has been repeated several times since Aug 31. Chua said it looked more like a comedy show than an official message from a prime minister who was serious about his work. READ MORE HERE |
| A history lesson in the year 3000 Posted: 07 Sep 2011 07:02 PM PDT Nevertheless, since Malaysia no longer exists and is now a small province of a bigger country called Indonesia, the Indonesian Government has classified Mat Indera as a national hero who was unjustly executed by the evil British Colonial Government for opposing Colonialism, in particular the British who illegally occupied North Borneo and gave the two states of Sabah and Sarawak to Malaysia instead of giving them back to Indonesia like they should have and as argued by Indonesia's Father of Independence, President Sukarno. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Once upon a time, 1,000 years ago, in a country that used to be called Malaysia but no longer exists and is now a province of a bigger country called Indonesia, there raged a hot debate. Malaysia, 1,000 years ago, was suffering from a serious problem of an influx of immigrants from its neighbouring countries that threatened to swamp the local population. If they allowed this indiscriminate and uncontrolled immigration policy to go on, the local population would soon be outnumbered and the foreign population, which was being given citizenship and was being issued with identity cards so that they could vote in the elections, would soon enough take over the country. The British Colonial Government, 100 years before that, had already realised the dangers of an indiscriminate and uncontrolled immigration policy and the migration of foreign workers that started in 1850 was ended in 1920. A hundred years later, the independent Government of Malaysia re-launched the immigration policy that the British had earlier ended. Nevertheless, the hot debate that was raging throughout the country was not about this in spite of the fact that the East Malaysian state of Sabah was already showing signs of a serious social problem of an increase in crime, drug addiction, homeless children, prostitution and whatnot because of this indiscriminate and uncontrolled immigration policy where the foreign population was given citizenship and issued with identity cards to enable them to vote in the elections. But this was not what the hot debate was all about. Once upon a time, 1,000 years ago, in a country that used to be called Malaysia but no longer exists and is now a province of a bigger country called Indonesia, there raged a hot debate. Malaysia, 1,000 years ago, was suffering from a serious problem of corruption and abuse of the power and the country was being run into the ground, which would in no time at all reduce the country to the status of a failed state. Those who fought against corruption and abuse of power were arrested and jailed while those who propagated corruption and abuse of power were revered and appointed as leaders of the country. Those who threatened the establishment were murdered and all these murders went unsolved and the deaths were classified as 'sudden death' or death due to the stopping of breathing. The country's resources were being plundered by all and sundry who walked in the corridors of power and these people were not shunned or treated as the pariahs of society but instead were honoured with titles such as Yang Berhormat, Yang Berbahagia, Datuk, Tan Sri, Tun, etc., and who would carry these titles in their names: for example, 'Yang Mulia Tun Tan Sri Datuk Seri Datuk Raja Petra al Haj Bin Raja Kamarudin al Haj Almarhum', which for short would be 'Pete'. But this was not what the hot debate was all about. Once upon a time, 1,000 years ago, in a country that used to be called Malaysia but no longer exists and is now a province of a bigger country called Indonesia, there raged a hot debate. Malaysia, 1,000 years ago, was suffering from a serious problem of racism and of religion being used for political purposes. It came to a stage where Nazi Germany of WWII or England of the time of Henry VIII began to look tame by comparison and the official religion of that country, Islam, started to appear like a joke when Muslims did and said things allegedly in the name of Islam that gave an impression that these people were utterly brainless. The racism and ridiculous deeds and statements in the name of religion frightened and disgusted many Malaysians and those with a good education and strong finances left the country to seek citizenship in other countries that were not so silly. Malaysia eventually suffered from this brain drain and capital flight and every Malaysian with brains and/or money who left the country was replaced with foreigners who had no education and/or no money and this further sapped the resources of the country until it soon got reduced to a country with a population that had very little education and almost no money. But this was not what the hot debate was all about. The hot debate that tore the country into two was about a man named Mat Indera who died in 1950 and the two sides that debated this person who had died more than 60 years before that argued about whether he was a Communist or Islamist, whether he was a traitor or patriot, whether he was a terrorist or freedom fighter, whether he fought against the government or fought to free the country, whether he was a bad man or a good man. And while the hot debate about a man whom 99% of Malaysians had never heard of before that, did not know about till then, and did not care about anyway, the country was brought to a standstill. No one bothered any longer about the future of the country and where the country was heading for and where it would be 60 years hence. They only cared about what happened 60 years before that and about a man who had died 60 years earlier and who was of no significance to the future of the country anyway. That was what the hot debate was all about and which tore the country into two. And because of that the country once known as Malaysia no longer exists and is now a small province of a country called Indonesia when all Malaysians with brains and money left the country and the immigrants with no education and no money were given citizenship and after some time outnumbered the local population and voted in favour of that country being given back to its true owners, Indonesia, like what the Japanese proposed back in WWII when they kicked out the British and took over the administration of that country. Nevertheless, since Malaysia no longer exists and is now a small province of a bigger country called Indonesia, the Indonesian Government has classified Mat Indera as a national hero who was unjustly executed by the evil British Colonial Government for opposing Colonialism, in particular the British who illegally occupied North Borneo and gave the two states of Sabah and Sarawak to Malaysia instead of giving them back to Indonesia like they should have and as argued by Indonesia's Father of Independence, President Sukarno. |
| MACC raids Ho Hup office over AG's home renovation Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:31 PM PDT 
(The Star) - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raided the headquarters of public listed construction company Ho Hup Sdn Bhd over allegations the company paid for renovation works at Attorney General Tan Sri Gani Patail's house. It is learnt that MACC officers from Putrajaya went to the firm's corporate office in Bandar Bukit Jalil at about 4pm Wednesday and took several files as part of their investigations. A senior Ho Hup official, who declined to be named, said the visit by the MACC was "very short." He declined to comment further. Malaysia Today, an online news portal had alleged that Ho Hup carried out works on Gani's bungalow in Nilai, Negri Sembilan. It alleged that one of Ho Hup's director paid for the renovation. |
| Dr M repeats conspiracies, says Arabs not capable of planning 9/11 Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:09 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad continued today to back a conspiracy theory that the US government was responsible for the 9/11 attacks on its own soil, even as Americans prepared to mark the 10th anniversary of their nation's worst-ever terrorist attack. He added that he could not believe Arab Muslims were capable of the planning required to launch such attacks against the United States. The former prime minister repeated today the claims he had made last January, hinting that the attacks were staged as an excuse for the US government to retaliate against the Muslim world. "This is the legacy of George W. Bush. If they can lie so as to kill Iraqis, Afghans and American soldiers, it is not unthinkable for Bush & Co to lie about who was responsible for 9/11. Human lives do not seem to mean much to Bush!!" he said in a blog posting today. Standing by his theory, Dr Mahathir insisted that the Arab Muslims were incapable of planning such a well-strategised multi-pronged attack that saw the iconic twin towers of the New York World Trade Center crumble to the ground. He backed his argument by pointing to an article by wire agency AFP that was published in English daily The Star last Friday, which said: "For some Americans, the deaths of nearly 3,000 people were not the scariest thing about 9/11. It was realising who carried out the attack: yes, the American government." The line he quoted from the AFP story was part of an ironic piece about the number conspiracy theories that have mushroomed over the years. "I believe Arab Muslims are angry enough to sacrifice their lives and become suicide bombers. More often they would kill other Arabs who may be quite innocent. Frequent targets are mosques at prayer time. "But they or their handlers do not strike me as capable of planning and strategising such attacks so as to maximise the damage to the enemy," Dr Mahathir wrote. READ MORE HERE |
| Defiant Mat Sabu raises more questions on distorted Merdeka Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:04 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - "Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror, why are they so afraid of me? Wealthy I am not, influential I am also not," said PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu in his trademark humour, at a forum on the late Muhammad Indera in Kuala Lumpur last night.  L-R: Mat Sabu, Hishamuddin and Dr Aziz
Mat Sabu was reacting to the barrage of attacks on him from the pro-UMNO media, over a statement he made on August 21 urging Malaysians to revisit historical narrations which he said were lopsided and had political agenda.
"For 12 days and 12 nights I have been under attack. Since 27 August until today. For every half-an-hour news slot, 10 minutes were dedicated to bashing me. ," he told the packed audience at the forum held at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, which were joined by constitutional law expert Dr Abdul Aziz Bari and activist blogger Hishamuddin Rais.
On claims of public anger against him following his remarks, Mat Sabu said such was the goal of UMNO's mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia in distorting his speech and calling him a communist.
"Some ask that I be stripped of my citizenship, some call for me to be detained under ISA, some even want me to be thrown into the South China Sea. All kinds of threats," Mat Sabu added, referring to a spate of reactions from UMNO leaders.
 Britain's soft spot for UMNO leaders At the forum, Mat Sabu reiterated that he would not budge from his statement in praise of the late Mat Indera (right), who masterminded an attack on a police station in Bukit Kepong killing scores of police personnel serving the colonial government.
Mat Sabu said that in 1950, the policemen in Bukit Kepong were British policemen.
"To the police, there is no need to panic. The divider is 31 August 1957, the attack on Bukit Kepong was done before Merdeka. The police officers then were British police," he explained.
Mat Sabu also reminded the audience that the British had always banned leftist groups in the independence struggle, but had a soft spot for UMNO because its leaders were friendly to the colonialists.
He said due to years of official historical distortions, the people had lost interest in celebrating Merdeka.
"The celebration has turned into an UMNO event. If they aired the portraits of Burhanuddin Helmi, Ahmad Boestamam, Mat Kilau, then people would be more interested to celebrate Merdeka," he said, referring to other anti-British leaders sidelined by government-recognised history text books.
'Bukit Kepong lies finally exposed'
Hishamuddin meanwhile said Mat Sabu came under intense attack because UMNO's 'lies' on the history of the independence had been "torn to pieces".
"For UMNO, (Bukit Kepong) has become their core struggle. Every year they will show Bukit Kepong. Now UMNO and Utusan are afraid because their lies have been exposed and this core has finally been ruined," said Hishamuddin, while expressing admiration for Mat Sabu's courage in the face of the media assault.
He added that UMNO had always attempted to hoodwink the people with its distorted version of history.
For Dr Aziz, Mat Indera was a freedom fighter and not a traitor, saying this was proven by historical facts as well as testimony by Mat Indera's kins.
"To date, there has been no concrete statement denying the argument," he said. |
| Re-examining the 1948 revolt of the MCP in Malaya Posted: 07 Sep 2011 03:39 PM PDT 
C.C. Chin, CPI Yesterday's introduction to this article by CPI and Richard Mason of UKM's Institute of Occidental Studies can be read here. This paper brings forward the idea of Malayan Communist Party's (MCP) plan for the revolt by examining various MCP documents at that time and oral history records of several important senior MCP cadres in order to determine its rationale. The MCP original document, especially those resolutions passed during the Central Committee Meetings suggest that the MCP did have a plan for revolt. An analytical approach of the MCP documents will help to determine whether the action taken by the MCP was simply an inevitable action against British repression rather than an act that took place because of external forces. Within the MCP, there were also arguments and debates regarding the revolt. Was the revolt necessary and were constitutional means completely exhausted? Could lack of alertness and adventurism be blamed for the ill-prepared revolt? The paper also examines if the Cold War setting in Asia was intentional on the part of the British. By examining British and Australian archival sources and CIA reports, we can determine to what extent the British in collaboration with the Australians and Americans, acted intentionally to extend the Cold War to Asia and create a confrontational situation in order to contain Southeast Asian communism. In short, were the imperialists responsible for the armed revolts in Southeast Asia? Introduction There are different schools of thought1 as to whether the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) revolt in 1948 was engaged in upon advice from Moscow obtained through the Calcutta Conference in February 1948, whether it was simply the local situation whereby the British engaged in severe repression of the MCP labour movement and other actions that had triggered the revolt, or whether the MCP had been planning for a revolt? This paper, on the basis of various MCP contemporary documents and the oral history accounts of several important senior MCP cadres at that time, suggests that the MCP had their own plans for revolt. The original MCP documents, especially those resolutions passed during the Central Committee meetings of the crucial period, does suggest that the MCP did have a plan for revolt. By analysing the MCP documents, we can see why the MCP took the actions it did. The armed revolt was an inevitable action in response to British repression in accordance with essentially local conditions rather than in response to external forces. However, it is obvious that the Zhdanov doctrine issued at the inauguration of the Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) in late 1947 did influence the MCP. The victorious of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Chinese civil war also encouraged the MCP to a certain extent. There is no doubt, however, that the MCP over-estimated its own strength vis-Ã -vis the British, on the basis of their experiences during the guerrilla warfare against the Japanese during the Second World War. Within the MCP itself, there were also arguments and debates as to whether revolt was necessary and whether the constitutional avenue had been completely exhausted. There were also accusations that they were ill-prepared for a revolt due to lack of vigilance and errors of "Left adventurism". The argument reflects the MCP critical review of their democratic endeavour during the Peace period. The MCP revolt in Malaya cannot be looked at in isolation as the entire Southeast Asia region was in turmoil at that time. How the regional revolutions affect the MCP especially when the MCP had looked upon its own disbandment of the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) was indeed an act of right deviationist capitulationism. This right capitulationist political line was condemned few months later after the abscondence of Loi Teck. There was also question that whether Chin Peng a radical leader who, after being elected as the Secretary-General in May 1947, forced the MCP to take the route of armed revolt? It is also important to examine British, CIA and Australian report to determine if the Cold War situation in Southeast Asia was created intentionally by the British. By examining the British records and other newly-released archival materials, we can examine whether the British in collaboration with the Australians and Americans, acted intentionally to extend the Cold War to Asia and create a confrontational situation in order to contain Southeast Asian Communism. Were the imperialists responsible for the armed revolts in Southeast Asia? This is a question for others to examine. This paper will rather concentrate on the role of the MCP itself. How did the Emergency start in Malaya?
How did the emergency start in Malaya?
Why did the MCP begin its armed revolt in June 1948? Who initiated the armed conflict? Was it the British colonial regime or the MCP which fired the first shot? Did the Calcutta International Youth Conference convened in February 1948 allow the transmission of instructions from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) which instigated the communist uprisings in Southeast Asia? Was the Malayan case different from the rest? Was the revolt a product of the MCP's own initiatives in response to the British repression of the MCP, its trade unions and its united front activities? The so-called orthodoxy was that the MCP acted in response to the CPSU instructions issued at the Calcutta conference and for a long period of time this was the official propaganda of the British imperialists and their local agents in Malaya. It was in fact the dominant western Cold War interpretative orthodoxy that the communist parties in Southeast Asia were instigated by a CPSU directive to extend the Cold War to Asia. This was based mainly on the "Two-camp" theory put forward in Zhdanov's famous speech made during the inauguration of Cominform in September 1947. This interpretation was widely accepted, especially by various government administrations. A different school of thought was put forward by some academics suggesting that the Calcutta Conference played an insignificant role in the revolts which occurred in Southeast Asia, and particularly in respect of the MCP uprising in June 1948. This school considered that the local social and political situations were much more significant.
The international factors There is no doubt that MCP activities were part of the world communist movement coordinated in Asia by the Far East Bureau of the Communist International (Comintern) based in Shanghai. In the early stage, the MCP looked toward the guidance of the CCP and the CPSU, particularly in reference to the style and method of the CCP struggle in China. In examining the MCP documents, it is very clear that the Zhdanov speech did influence the MCP in its doctrine. 2 The characteristics of the MCP were determined by the fact that it evolved from the CCP's Nanyang Branch.3 Thus, the MCP was greatly under the influence of the CCP and followed the CCP tactics in its political struggle. It is most unlikely that the MCP would simply act in accordance with CPSU instructions, as the MCP followed Mao's teaching that each individual party had to observe closely its own situation and decide its own course of action. Confrontational situation and the MCP own initiative In view of the intensified British repression of the MCP, its trade unions and united front activities during the period of peace prior to the 1948 revolt, the MCP feared that the British would eventually ban the party and terminate the constitutional avenues means of the MCP. The radical faction of the Party suggested the resumption of armed struggle.4 Chin Peng was in Hong Kong during June 1947 and in contact with the CCP Southern Bureau. There were discussions as to whether the MCP should engage in armed struggle. The answer later received from Zhou Enlai was that the MCP should make the decision based upon the local conditions.5 The British, on the basis of international intelligence reports and analysis no doubt believed that the Russians were moving the Cold War toward Asia by provoking armed insurgencies in Southeast Asia. Therefore they prepared through large-scale repression. The MCP thereby found no hope in its constitutional endeavours, when appeared doomed by British repression. They instead came to see armed revolt as the inevitable solution.6 Conflict was inevitable by 1948. Any serious provocation such as the Sungei Siput incident,7 could have triggered off the war and both sides were prepared for conflict. As such it is immaterial who fired the first shot, as rivalry and potential military contention was already well entrenched. One key omission of most studies is the lack of MCP documents evidence. This is perhaps due to the inaccessibility of the MCP documents and language barriers. Did the MCP have a plan for armed revolt? Right after the Japanese surrender, in the name of the MCP Central Committee, Loi Teck instructed the MPAJA to surrender their weaponry and hand them over to the British for marginal compensation of USD300 each person. However, almost all of the MCP State Secretaries and the rank and file were unwilling to comply with the order. Loi Teck finally agreed to a compromise of surrendering half of the less-efficient weaponry to seen as preparation for an armed revolt should there be such a necessity. This can be considered as an element of an indefinite MCP plan for an armed revolt against the British. Loi Teck asked the MCP State Secretaries to submit to him the maps of the weaponry dumps but this request was refused by them. In view of the increased suppression by the British imperialists, in early April 1948 the MCP convened a Politburo Meeting in Saleng, Johor. This was a follow up to the MCP Enlarged Central Committee Meeting held in March 1948 when a statement was issued declaring that the people's war was inevitable. 8 The Politburo meeting was intended to discuss in detail the action plan for the revolt. Subsequently, an order requiring the digging up of the weaponry kept secret following the Japanese surrender was issued and the ex-MPAJA rank and file was to be summoned in preparation of the uprising planned for September 1948. The formation of the MPABA9 was then formalised; certain units in Johor and Perak organised Min-Yuan operations and began collecting subscriptions and making food storage arrangements. However, no official order was issued requiring provocation. While the MCP Politburo meeting initiated the action plan for the revolt, the British were also, on the basis of reports received, preparing for a major offensive. But it was to be the local MCP units that took the initiative in provocation. The actions were not those of armed revolt but were simply an act of intimidation against the British planters. Nevertheless, the British took the incidents seriously and capitalised on the opportunity to immediately carry out a major offensive against the MCP, initiating well-planned mass arrests and declaring an Emergency.10 In fact, the British had cultivated the situation and had been expecting an armed revolt. Since late 1947, the success of the AMCJA-Putera Hartal 11 believed to be organised and backed by the MCP, had induced tremendous concern amongst the colonial officers. The British responded with a two-pronged strategy: they stamped over the democracy that they always claimed for but instead ignoring the Malayan people's demand for a rightful independence and denying the proposed People's Constitution, and secondly, against the Malayan People's will installed the Federation Constitution that was negotiated with the feudalistic sultans and their representative party Umno. In order to corner and cut off the MCP from the various fronts of open and constitutional struggle, the British had escalated their repression by means of arrests, banishment and implementing a new Society Ordinance aimed at eliminating and controlling trade unions and other left-wing cultural societies and organisations. These measures were aimed at driving the MCP toward a more radical reaction. In retrospect, the author sees the intensified hostile repression was, in fact, a well-planned tactic by the British to provoke the MCP to resort to armed struggle. Did the MCP have a plan for the revolt? The answer is yes. In response to the growing repression by the British, the MCP had analysed the situation as reflected in its documents during this period. Listed below are the MCP documents issued between December 1947 and February 1948 that relate to the objective and plan of an armed revolt. In some texts, the theme is relatively subdued and carefully worded in such a way that the constitutional struggle might still be seen as the key element. These documents reflected the critical review process taking place within the Party, specifically condemning the Loi Teck political line and reassessing the political situation and the Party's leadership in the overall political movement of the time. READ MORE HERE |
| Fuziah: MCA is missing the Lynas point Posted: 07 Sep 2011 02:29 PM PDT 
By Stephanie Sta Maria, FMT PETALING JAYA: Kuantan MP, Fuziah Salleh, lambasted the MCA for its ulterior motive in setting up a National Committee on Rare Earth issues to address the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) controversy in Gebeng. MCA deputy president Liow Tiong Lai, together with the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Hua Zong) and seven other Chinese associations, recently made a joint announcement of the committee's formation. The group also promised that the committee would collect and convey the public's views to the International Trade and Industry Ministry, the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, and the National Economic Action Council. But Fuziah, who has relentlessly opposed LAMP, pointed out that the group has totally missed the real issues underlying the opposition to the plant as well as disregarded the public's clear message. "That message is stop Lynas, not supervise LAMP," she said in a statement today. "By setting up this supervisory committee, MCA is trying to show that it is the champions of the rakyat. But it is making a fool of the rakyat's intelligence and concerns." Lynas Corporation Ltd plans to build a RM700-million rare earth refinery in Gebeng, to facilitate transporting its mining products from Western Australia's Mount Weld to the plant in Gebeng.
The plant is expected to be operational by end of this year. However, the community in Gebeng is up in arms against the project because of fears of radioactive contamination in the area surrounding the plant. Fuziah also ticked off MCA for roping in only the Chinese associations despite the fact that Malay communities in Balok and Gebeng share the same concerns over LAMP. "Are the lives and well-being of the Chinese community more important to the MCA than that of other communities?" she asked. "This reflects the typical BN chauvinistic thinking and a crude example of its divide-and-rule mindset." A ploy to deceive the rakyat Fuziah reminded MCA that it was part of the decision-makers who awarded Lynas the licence to build the plant in early 2008. She also recalled that two MCA assemblymen from Kuantan visited the mine site at Mount Weld, Australia, in 2009, and concluded that LAMP would be safe. Fuziah, a PKR vice-president, asked why MCA did not champion public safety back then and only made a U-turn on its stand recently. "Is it a political move to regain grounds and support in Kuantan?" she asked. "Is it a ploy by MCA to deceive the rakyat without actually standing up for what the rakyat truly want?" READ MORE HERE. |
| IWK deal a return to Dr M policies, says Pakatan Posted: 07 Sep 2011 12:49 PM PDT 
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has questioned Putrajaya's latest plan to privatise national sewerage company Indah Water Konsortium (IWK), calling it a return to the pitfalls of Mahathir-era policies. Lawmakers from the federal opposition told The Malaysian Insider that the transfer of IWK to a consortium that includes national strategic investment arm 1MDB and Puncak Niaga revived the strategy of "privatising profits" for "Umno's interest instead of the public's." DAP strategist Liew Chin Tong (picture) pointed out that if "Puncak Niaga thinks it is a good financial proposition, why not an open bid or an independent acquisition? Why involve 1MDB?" "Will Puncak Niaga take on the debt or is the government going to sweep it under the rug? "It is a return to Mahathirist policies of compartmentalising profits for Umno's own interest as seen in other privatisation deals such as highway concessions and licensing permits to fund Umno warlords," the Bukit Bendera MP said. PAS central committee member Dzulkefly Ahmad also noted that it mirrored the deal in Selangor in 2002 — when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was still PM — which saw Puncak Niaga and the then BN-held Selangor administration sharing out the water supply business in the state. "Puncak Niaga took on 70 per cent while giving 30 per cent to the state, ensuring that the government cannot allow it to fail," the PAS research chief said. The Malaysian Insider reported this morning that plans are afoot to privatise IWK, some 11 years after the government was forced to bail out the national sewerage company from financial difficulties under its previous owners which included Tan Sri Vincent Tan. Finance Ministry sources told The Malaysian Insider that the 1MDB-led consortium will include water distribution company Puncak Niaga, and that the deal has been given the nod by the Economic Council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. However, it is understood that some ministry officials are still scrutinising the deal because of concerns about its feasibility and worries that the government could once again be forced to bail out the company if the latest plan fails. Under the proposed deal, the 1MDB consortium will acquire IWK for RM1 and take over its debts which include more than RM1.5 billion in loans still owed to the Treasury. READ MORE HERE. |
| JAIS is UMNO's last bastion in Selangor Posted: 07 Sep 2011 12:28 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - Sep 7: Shah Alam member of parliament Khalid Samad has described the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) as UMNO's last bastion in the state. Responding to the latest action against him for giving a religious talk in Klang without approval from JAIS, Khalid (right) said the department was too eager to stop the Islamic party from getting close to the people especially at religious programmes in mosques.
"Whatever JAIS is doing is politically motivated. Let me be very clear: JAIS is UMNO's fortress and final bastion to curb PAS.
"The enactments used by them were passed during (UMNO's) tenure as state government and only in this way can they take whatever actions especially when election is just around the corner," said Khalid.
Khalid said JAIS should instead encourage the dissemination of Islamic knowledge to the public and not complicate matters for the propagation of Islam.
"For three years, we tried to shape JAIS in the understanding that 'Islam governs' and not 'governed', but JAIS insists on the archaic notion of 'tauliah' (teaching credentials) before one could deliver religious talks," he added.
For his 'offence', Khalid has been told to appear at the Klang Syariah Court on November 24 to face a charge under Section 119 of the Selangor Islamic Religious Administration Enactment. If found guilty, he could face up to RM3,000 fine or two years' imprisonment, or both.
"I will continue to fight for Islam although I may lose my advantage as parliamentarian if I am found guilty. If Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng risked everything for justice to a Malay girl, why should we fear when we are fighting for Islam," stressed Khalid, adding that he would give full cooperation during the legal process. READ MORE HERE |
| IWK to be privatised to 1MDB Posted: 07 Sep 2011 12:25 PM PDT  By Leslie Lau, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) is expected to be privatised soon to a consortium led by strategic investment agency 1MDB, some 11 years after the government was forced to bail out the national sewerage company from financial difficulties under its previous owners, according to sources in the Finance Ministry. The sources told The Malaysian Insider that the 1MDB-led consortium will include water distribution company Puncak Niaga, and that the deal has been given the nod by the Economic Council chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. However, it is understood that some ministry officials are still scrutinising the deal because of concerns about its feasibility and worries that the government could once again be forced to bail out the company if the latest plan fails. Under the proposed deal, the 1MDB consortium will acquire IWK for RM1 and take over its debts which include more than RM1.5 billion in loans still owed to the ministry. The consortium is seeking a 60-year concession from the government and will only pay back the principal amount and interest on the loan over the long term. It also has plans to link sewerage charges to water usage. The plan could spark a new round of controversy because of the lack of transparency surrounding negotiations, with consumers still wary about deals involving IWK. From Day One, IWK has had problems convincing a sceptical public to pay for separate sewerage charges which had previously been part of the water bill. In 2000, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration paid nearly RM200 million to nationalise IWK to "safeguard public interest and to avoid service disruptions." The nationalisation of IWK was to tackle the company's debt then of nearly RM700 million. IWK's bailout in 2000 exemplified the pitfalls of Dr Mahathir's privatisation policy in which government-owned assets or resources were allocated or sold to private investors in the hopes of generating profits. The IWK story began in 1993 when businessman Tan Sri Vincent Tan convinced the government to let a consortium of private interests led by him to take over the ownership, operation and maintenance of more than 2,800 state-owned sewage-treatment plants nationwide. But IWK subsequently found that many of the treatment plants it inherited from the government were not functioning and costs began escalating. READ MORE HERE. |
| MILF talks show Malaysia eyes Mindanao: WikiLeaks cables Posted: 07 Sep 2011 12:10 PM PDT By Jojo Malig, abs-cbnNEWS.com MANILA, Philippines - Malaysia has shown interest in expanding its influence in Mindanao and cashing in on the region by acting as a facilitator in peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), several US embassy cables published online by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks have revealed. US Ambassador to Malaysia Ambassador Christopher J. LaFleur made one such observation in secret cable 07KUALALUMPUR1234 dated August 2, 2007, wherein he discussed the results of his meeting with then peace talks facilitator Othman Abdul Razak. The cable, which was classified secret, said Othman complained about America's development projects in impoverished communities in Mindanao. "Othman's expressed unease with our development assistance appears to reflect a degree of Malaysian wariness with increasing US activities and presence in a neighboring Muslim area of Southeast Asia," the cable said. "It also whiffs of Malaysian interests [in] Mindanao, an area in which Malaysia desires influence and economic gain." Another secret-classified cable, 06KUALALUMPUR1812, stated that the Malaysian facilitator had been showing clear bias in favor of the MILF in the peace talks. "Othman continues to convey strong pro-Moro sympathies in our meetings and does not hide his view that, at this juncture at least, compromises should come from Manila, not from the MILF," said the cable, which was also sent by LaFleur. Malaysian facilitator demanded more land Aside from insisting that the Philippine government decide on the issue of the MILF's ancestral domain claim, the Malaysian also wanted the Philippine government to grant a larger territory to the MILF. "Othman said the MILF would settle for an area that would roughly double the current size of the mainland ARMM, expanding it into contiguous areas in Mindanao," the memo said. The Malaysian also kept on blaming the Armed Forces of the Philippines for sporadic outbreaks of violence in Mindanao, accusing the AFP of leading "landgrabbing" in the region by killing people and drive away villagers. "Othman said he believed many elements in the AFP were opposed to a peace settlement with the MILF because of the benefits they received from a continuation of the conflict, including career advancement and personal enrichment through corruption. He questioned whether President Arroyo had the ability to enforce discipline within the AFP," cable 07KUALALUMPUR496 said. In November last year, Philippine government peace panel chief Dean Marvic Leonen said Philippine interests are primarily at stake in the negotiations with the MILF. "Any good facilitator knows that if one side has lack of confidence in him, he should immediately resign for the sake of the negotiations," Leonen said in a statement. "Othman is not indispensable for peace to happen in Mindanao." "We are also surprised that he claims credit for the outcome of past negotiations. We thought that these are talks between the GRP and the MILF. Has he been dictating the terms of the agreements? With his statements we are more convinced that the talks can really move forward without him as facilitator. There is too much mistrust and recrimination," he added. "We trust that Malaysia knows all these and it does not have Othman but its goodwill to facilitate peace in Mindanao in mind." Bias Othman has since been replaced by the Malaysian government as facilitator in the peace talks after Manila accused him of bias. Kuala Lumpur has named Tengku Abdul Ghaffar Mohammad as Othman's replacement. The new facilitator is expected to arrive in the Philippines soon as part of the ongoing talks, according to the MILF. Before Othman was replaced, he kept on urging the US to exert pressure on Manila to offer more on the table. "Othman continued that creative thinking and associated risk-taking required a position of political strength that Arroyo lacked. He doubted GMA would take such risks absent pressure from the international community," cable 06KUALALUMPUR1812 said. "Othman, by his own admission, was pessimistic on near-term prospects for the GRP-MILF peace process and more partisan in placing the blame for the current impasse on Arroyo's government," it added. "However, he did not signal any plan for Malaysia to bow out of its facilitator role. Othman clearly intended his comments to influence US views in support of international pressure on Manila." At one time, the Malaysian suggested to the US that the deadlock between the Philippines and the rebels may be broken by a "secret agreement." "Othman and the MILF regretted that the GRP side was not empowered to discuss 'governance' issues. Othman said treatment of 'self-determination' was the key sticking point, and this might be resolved through a secret codicil," said cable 08KUALALUMPUR94, which is also classified secret. Cable 06KUALALUMPUR2235, meanwhile, said the Malaysian insisted that the success of the talks relies on the Philippine government's willingness to grant what the MILF rebels are asking for. "The Malaysian facilitator notably continued to place the onus for compromise on Manila rather than the MILF," it said. Peace talks role boosts Malaysia The US embassy in Kuala Lumpur believes that Malaysia will continue to play a major role in the ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro rebels.
"Malaysia would stand to lose a great deal of prestige in the region and future influence in Mindanao by giving up on the IMT (International Monitoring Team). We presume a precipitous Malaysian withdrawal from the IMT would damage or jeopardize Kuala Lumpur's peace facilitation role," said cable 07KUALALUMPUR1506. "If a country like Indonesia stepped in to replace Malaysia as a monitor or peacemaker, this would constitute a major blow to Malaysia's regional position," it said. "Without the IMT members on the ground, Malaysia also would lose much of its Mindanao field intelligence and harm linkages with the MILF. For these reasons, we do not believe Malaysia would take lightly the decision to abandon the IMT," it added. |
| Pakatan dares BN to end race formula Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:39 PM PDT 
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have challenged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to abolish Barisan Nasional's (BN) race-based formula by turning the coalition into a multiracial party, saying this would resolve the quandary over maintaining Chinese representation in government. DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua pointed out to The Malaysian Insider that it was BN's race-based system that is now causing it to gripe over MCA's decision to reject Cabinet posts if it fares worse than it did in Election 2008. If BN should turn into a multi-racial party, he said, MCA's threat would not cause any headache to the party's coalition partners, especially Umno. "The squabble between Umno and MCA is simple ... the root cause to the dispute is the fact that the BN formula for one party to represent each race does not work for this country. "The only way for BN to resolve this problem of marginalising a particular community in government is by transforming themselves from a race-based coalition to a multiracial one, banning all race-based parties," he said when contacted here. Pua was responding to a statement by senior Umno minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz carried by The Malaysian Insider yesterday saying that it would be unfair to "punish" the Chinese if they chose not to vote for BN Chinese-centric parties like MCA or Gerakan. The influential Umno leader had told The Malaysian Insider that even if MCA failed to secure a single parliamentary seat in the coming polls, they should still be given posts in the BN government to ensure that all races are well represented. Nazri was recalling a pledge made by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek several months ago when the former Cabinet minister said he would withdraw his party from the government if it performs worse than it did in Election 2008. Dr Chua first mooted the idea when he urged the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) not to join the Sarawak Cabinet after it only won six of the 19 seats it contested in the April 16 state polls. He later said the MCA would do the same, using the 2008 results as its benchmark. Should MCA fail to win at least 15 parliamentary and 31 state seats, pledged Dr Chua, the party will not accept any Cabinet posts in the next government. "This is of course, MCA's choice but the way for MCA to lead itself out of this problem is not by threatening the community by saying they will not participate in the government if they win fewer seats .... This is not going to increase public confidence in the party or scare the Chinese into voting for them," Pua said. PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang said Malaysians no longer accept BN's race-based concept and dared Najib to transform the ruling coalition to suit the public's wishes. He pointed to PKR as an example of a multiracial party, the largest in Malaysia at present. READ MORE HERE. |
| Malaysia and the The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:29 PM PDT 
By Masterwordsmith According to its official website, The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 continues to stand out as one of the world's most comprehensive and respected assessment of countries' competitiveness. Produced in collaboration with leading academics and a global network of research institutes, the Report provides users with a comprehensive assessment of their strengths and weaknesses related to national competitiveness using the Global Competitiveness Index as the main methodology. Apart from providing statistical data, the index also features data from the Executive Opinion Survey carried out by the World Economic Forum. The 2011 Survey captures the perceptions of over 13,000 business leaders from the featured 142 economies.
The full version of the Report can be read online at THIS LINK.
This year, Switzerland tops the overall rankings in The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012. Singapore overtakes Sweden for second position. Northern and Western European countries dominate the top 10 with Sweden (3rd), Finland (4th), Germany (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Denmark (8th) and the United Kingdom (10th). Japan remains the second-ranked Asian economy at 9th place, despite falling three places since last year.
The statistics show that even though advanced economies have stagnated in competitiveness over the past seven years, the performance of many emerging markets has improved leading to more stable growth and in tandem with the shift in economic activity from advanced to emerging economies. Key findings from the report can be viewed HERE.
The latest Global Competitiveness Report this year shows that Malaysia has improved by five places among 183 countries.
Last year, Malaysia was in the 26th spot but now, it is in the 21st spot having scored an overall 5.08 out of the maximum seven points for "improvements across the board". Its previous score was 4.88.
In the area of financial market development, Malaysia is also ranked third among the world's economies - trailing behind Singapore and Hong Kong. In the highly efficient goods market, Malaysia is in 15th place.
In the Asean region, Malaysia has been gauged as the second most competitive economy and sixth among Asia-Pacific economies.
The report also stated that Malaysia's progress had been particularly noteworthy under the forum's pillars on institutions and macroeconomics as well as in several measures of market efficiency.
If you scrutinize the report for the section on Malaysia (Section 2.1, page 248), the population of Malaysia is listed as 27.9 million with a GDP of USD238 billion and a per capita GDP of USD 8423.
According to the report, the most problematic factors for doing business in Malaysia include: READ MORE HERE.
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| GO or no GO, Zarinah and SC under scrutiny Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:24 PM PDT  By Another Brick In The Wall According to The Star's analysis yesterday, the ball is on the Securities Commission's feet or court, which ever way one may like to call it, to determine the party in control of Eastern & Oriental Berhad (E&O). Sime Darby only purchase 30% stake in E&O from vendors Datuk Tham Ka Hon, Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah and GK Goh Holdings Ltd. The usual practise to require a Mandatory General Offer (GO) is 33% or more.
However there is more to it than just that.
Our highlight of the possibility of an insider trading infringement yesterday here by E&O Chairman and "Mrs Zarinah", Dato Azizan Abdul Rahman and long time business associate, Dato Kalimullah's ECM Libra attracted an interesting view from an anonymous commentator.
There is the possibility that Azizan and Kalimullah's ECM Libra with their associates is taking a lucrative greenmail ride to cash out on a GO by Sime Darby.
This leads to the game Dato Nazir Abdul Razak's CIMB is playing. Have this big bad 'I Banker" been ethical in this dealing? READ MORE HERE. |
| All rogues lead to SC Posted: 06 Sep 2011 07:19 PM PDT By Rockybru
Solitude Commission. The Securities Commission is tongue-tied, and nobody's blaming them. Corporate player Azizan Abd Rahman's purchase of nearly half a million Eastern & Oriental Bhd shares this year (before Sime Darby made a RM2.30 payout to buy 30 per cent of the company, only from the major shareholders of the company) has got people riled up big time. Read here.
Azizan is the chairman of E & O. He was not party to the sale but considering that other E & O board members who were party to the sale had also bought E & O shares from the open market, one is left wondering: Did the Board members know of the coming "windfall"? Surprisingly, Azizan also emerged as a substantial shareholder of Kencana Petroleum Bhd in July, just days after an offcer was made to take over the company at RM3 a share! Wonder how shareholders of Ramunia Bhd felt upon finding out that their chairman was a substantial shareholder of a rival oil and gas firm?
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| BREAKING NEWS: The MACC raids Ho Hup's office Posted: 06 Sep 2011 05:18 PM PDT 
Is the MACC trying to gather evidence or trying to destroy evidence? (Malaysia Today) -- The MACC raided Ho Hup's office a few minutes ago and confiscated all the documents that would implicate the Attorney-General, Gani Patail, in acts of corruption. The question is: did they raid Ho Hup's office and confiscate the documents that will implicate the AG so that they can make a case against him or so that the evidence can be destroyed? Let us wait for further news from the MACC -- or at least for an announcement from them that the MACC has investigated the allegation against the AG and have found that the allegations are unfounded. Anyway, if the MACC does destroy the evidence, then Malaysia Today will publish copies of this evidence that have been destroyed and nail both the MACC's balls and the AG's balls in one go. In case you have forgotten, this was what Malaysia Today reported earlier: After that, Ho Hup's auditors discovered that Gani Patail's assistance to Vincent Lye went beyond just friendship. Vincent Lye had also bribed Gani Patail. But Vincent Lye was a cheapskate and he used Ho Hup's funds to pay for various renovation works for Gani Patail's second wife's house in Seremban. READ MORE HERE: Now let's see what the MACC is going to do |
| Are we still on track? Posted: 06 Sep 2011 05:00 PM PDT The leader of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) also initially called for ISA to be abolished, and on December 1 said PPP would withdraw from BN unless if the ISA were not amended before the next election. In response, Prime Minister Abdullah called PPP's bluff and said the small party, which holds no seats in Parliament, could leave BN if it wished. -- US Embassy, KL NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Ali Rustam: PPP can leave BN - now (Malaysiakini, 20 Oct 2007) -- People's Progressive Party (PPP) members are left reeling after receiving a political blow from Umno's third most powerful leader during the Malacca PPP annual general assembly early this week. At the assembly on Monday, Umno vice-president Mohd Ali Rustam delivered a scathing speech which chided the PPP for "threatening" Barisan Nasional for more seats to contest in the coming general election He also repeatedly stressed that PPP could leave the BN fold if it was unhappy. This left many party members in a daze at how Mohd Ali - who was the guest of honour as Malacca chief minister - could utter such remarks. "He came to our house, seemingly with the intention to humiliate us," said a PPP source who attended the event. Eyewitnesses said a handful of party members stormed out of the venue in protest, but that did not deter Mohd Ali. "PPP can leave BN," said Mohd Ali. He then pointed at the stunned delegates and added: "All of you can leave. Either today or tomorrow. Why wait until the general election? What's there to wait for?" Show of hands Mohd Ali also claimed that the Umno supreme council was unhappy with PPP for accepting former Umno members as their members. He even asked if any of the delegates formerly with Umno, MCA, Gerakan and MIC to put up their hands. Mohd Ali also took a dig at Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob for suggesting that PPP should ask every state for a seat to contest in. "That's his business. As far as I am concerned - no seat in Malacca (for PPP)," he added. When Mohd Ali wrapped up his tirade and declared the assembly open, PPP delegates refused to applaud. Eyewitnesses reported that PPP president M Kayveas maintained his composure throughout the hour-long speech and was seen vigorously taking down notes. Funeral-like atmosphere When contacted, Kayveas said delegates were "disappointed and dejected" by the "unwarranted and undiplomatic" remarks uttered by Mohd Ali. Kayveas said delegates were expecting inspiring speeches from Mohd Ali in order to prepare the party for the upcoming general election. "(Instead) the chief minister's speech made the entire assembly feel like a funeral. As the third highest ranking in Umno, the consequences of his speech worries me," he said. He added that some remarks which Mohd Ali made regarding other BN component parties and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi were also uncalled for. According to media sources, Mohd Ali had asked journalists to exclude the hard-hitting part of his speech in their reports. He claimed these were only meant for the delegates. It is uncertain if Mohd Ali's speech would lead to souring ties between PPP and Umno. However, there is already talks within PPP rank-and-file that the party may silently boycott Umno programmes and functions. ************************************* PPP says it will leave BN if ISA is not amended (The Malaysian Insider, 1 Dec 2008) -- The PPP, a minor party in the Barisan Nasional (BN), has threatened to pull out of the ruling coalition if the Internal Security Act (ISA) is not amended before the next general election. It is the latest party to join the bandwagon calling for reforms to prevent the abuse of the legislature which allows detention without trial. Party president Datuk M Kayveas said today: "I ask for amendments to the law so that it does not become a draconian law imposed on innocent citizens." While Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties PKR, DAP and Pas have always adopted an anti-ISA position, BN parties have always staunchly defended the law as necessary until recently. Datuk Zaid Ibrahim resigned from the Cabinet recently in protest against the use of the ISA on a journalist, blogger and a senior Selangor PR government official. There has even been growing calls from the MCA, the second biggest party in BN after Umno, urging for either reform or repeal of the ISA. Speaking at his party's youth and women's wing congress today, Kayveas said BN should amend the ISA if it was serious about rebranding itself. "BN has to make changes before the next general elections. It is suicidal if we do not plan. "The problem with BN is its success. Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they cannot lose," he said. Kayveas added the March election results have shown that multi-racialism and good governance is what the voters are looking for. "The solution has always been multi-racialism but we are caught in our own political racial configuration," he said. ****************************************** PM to PPP: Go if you want to (The Star, 10 Dec 2008) -- PPP is free to quit the Barisan Nasional coalition if it wants to, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said. The government has no plans to amend the Internal Security Act (ISA), said Abdullah, also the coalition chairman, after a Barisan supreme council meeting here on Tuesday. Recently, party president Datuk M. Kayveas said the PPP would pull out of Barisan Nasional if the ISA was not amended before the next general election. He said PPP's Youth and Wanita divisions wanted the ISA abolished, and he had to follow their proposals. He also said Barisan had to make changes before the next general election, adding that "it would be suicidal if we did not." When asked whether this meant that PPP was free to leave the Barisan, Abdullah said: "If that is their choice, what can we do?" Kayveas' statement was slammed by many Barisan leaders, largely members of the largest component party Umno, who said it reflected badly on the coalition's unity. However, MCA central committee member Wong Nai Chee said his party supported PPP's call to amend the ISA. ************************************** Don't push us, Gerakan Youth tells BN leaders (Malaysiakini, 7 Sep 2011) -- Telling BN leaders not to "push Gerakan to the edge", Ang said the party "will fight back with dignity". "We will not be a punching bag of Umno and we will no longer keep quiet when you shout. Gerakan is now 43 years old and we are old enough and experienced enough to decide our own destiny and direction that we do not need Umno or any other party to tell us where we should contest. "We will decide where we should contest and we will let them know when (the) time is right," said Ang in his tersely-worded statement. Ang was responding to remarks by Umno supreme council member Mohd Ali Rustam that the state BN would field a "winnable candidate" from either Umno or MCA - instead of Gerakan - for the Bachang state constituency in the next general election. |
| Mat Indera & Mat Silam Posted: 06 Sep 2011 04:21 PM PDT Khoo Kay Peng A debate is raging between Umno and PAS politicians on the role of Mat Indera. Was Mat Indera a hero or a ruffian? Mat Indera played a prominent role in the 1950 attack on the Bukit Kepong police station. The incident was eventually immortalised in a movie played by the legendary P Ramlee. In the movie, the policemen were portrayed as heroes who fought against the communists.
Mat Indera was allegedly a communist cadre. A book by the Johor government in 2004 names insurgent Mat Indera as a freedom fighter and lists him as a celebrated Johor hero.
Who really is Mat Indera? Apparently, both Umno and PAS want a debate on this issue.
Both parties idolise Mat Silam (historical past) more than what's current and urgent. It is a fact that politicians and their inability to move forward and take the society through a quantum leap are to be blamed for a lack of vision, vigour and good ideas in the country.
Both PAS and Umno should start a more poignant debate and discourse on what form and shade the country should take in the next three to five years. How can Malaysia recapture its lustre?
I am sure politicians in this country should be contented by keeping silent on an allegation made by an Indonesian envoy that Malaysia has lost its lustre.
Both Khairy Jamaluddin and Mat Sabu should put their talents to use by debating on the best ideas and solutions to address the country's economic woes and its fading competitiveness.
It is difficult to accept that politicians are so keen to debate the past but allow the future to slip away from our grasp.
Contentious issues that refuse to go away
Most of the contentious issues that refused to go away, such as race supremacy, basic constitutional freedom and nationhood, are directly caused by the refusal of our politicians to accept a steady change and evolution of a society.
There is little surprise why some ethnic communities are still being considered as migrants - after being here for more than 500 years.
The social lenses they used to view interracial relations, nation-building, fundamental rights and governance are causing stagnation and a lack of direction in the country. Malaysia is a nation without a soul. READ MORE HERE |
| Khalid Samad claims of plot to oust Selangor MB Posted: 06 Sep 2011 03:58 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Shah Alam MP Khalid has alleged that several religious authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are conspiring to topple Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. The PAS leader claimed that the groups, including the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais), Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) chairman Datuk Setia Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa, several Islamic NGOs and representatives from the Attorney-General's Chambers, held a secret meeting last month to discuss a plan aimed at unseating the first-term state leader. The move, he alleged, was planned following Jais' controversial raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya on August 3. "They discussed handing over a memorandum to the Selangor Sultan, attacking the mentri besar on this issue of Christianisation. "It looks like an effort to topple him. It is hoped that none of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state executive councillors, especially those from PAS, were involved," he wrote in his blog last night. When contacted by The Malaysian Insider, however, Khalid said he was unsure of the specific date of the meeting but claimed that prior to Election 2008, the religious authorities hardly interfered in the then Barisan Nasional (BN) state government's administration. "But in the era of a welfare-oriented mentri besar (Khalid Ibrahim), one who is clean of corruption and prioritises the people, any excuse is used to blast the mentri besar. "There are those who are beginning to ask, 'why was there silence before and now they are making noise?' Then there are those who say that before they got a slice but now they do not even get dust... so that is why they are all chaotic now," he said. In his entry, Khalid also accused Umno of exploiting the palace's name for BN's political interest. He said during BN's reign in Selangor, news involving the Sultan was rarely publicised save for those involving the palace's customary functions. "This is Umno's behaviour. When they are no longer in demand, they bring the Sultan to the fore when before, they were the ones casting him out. "What I am most concerned about is that the image of the palace and the Sultan will be tarnished if Umno-BN continues to drag them into politics," he said. READ MORE HERE |
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
