Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Watershed assembly for Umno
- Herr Maslan - What went wrong?
- Towards A Cybernetic-Republic Manifesto: Preamble
- PAS guarantees Malays still powerful under Pakatan rule
- Muhyiddin: BN not as strong as before
- Lynas Out Of Malaysia: Stop Exporting A Toxic Legacy
- Is Najib in a tail-spin?
- TS Muhyiddin! kalau panik pun janganlah tunjukan sangat - malu kat orang
- Next general election an extraordinary challenge, Najib tells Umno
- Rise and fight, party warriors urged
- Is freedom truly free?
- Malaysia's UMNO Scandals
- Redrawing the Boundaries
- Are we heading towards the “Passover”?
- Najib: General election is yardstick to party's survival
- Peaceful Assembly Bill passed
- Zambry: Perak Umno ‘moving in right direction’
- Ahmad Maslan stands by Malay power remarks
- Is Taib slipping under growing pressure?
- Hishammuddin: Walkout shows Pakatan disrespecting democracy
- 3.4 million Umno members won't guarantee BN win: Ahmad Maslan
- Bar Council hands memo on peaceful assembly to Parliament (Update)
- Hundreds march against Peaceful Assembly Bill (Update)
- Anwar likens assembly area restrictions to Mubarak’s military rule
- Lawyers end march, say to keep up pressure on assembly law
- Dumbos in Bar Council need to be less naive to match BN's evil cunning
- Peaceful Assembly Bill: Six amendments to be tabled
- Malays will lose everything in ‘hung parliament’, says Umno leader
- Assembly bill changes cut appeal period to 48 hours
- ‘Bring back the fighting spirit’
- Public assembly law follows international rules
- Najib: Barisan is needed to unite the people and reach our goals
- Bar Council offers alternative assembly bill, to lead protest march
- Gloomier economy poses poll risk to BN
- Foreigners, shut up: Assembly bill outlaws protests by exiles, dissidents and migrant workers
- MOVE in Defense of Aziz Bari
- OECD Predicts Britain's 'Return To Recession'
- Malaysia urged to reject bill clamping down on peaceful protest
- Marry for love, not hate (UPDATED WITH CHINESE TRANSLATION)
- WikiLeaks wins Australian journalism award
- Gearing up Umno for coming polls battle
- WIKILEAKS: The PR parties clearly have different visions for Malaysia
- BERSIH 3.0: a warning to Najib
- The Najib flip-flop
- SapuraCrest-Kencana's management structure in place
- Tan brothers look to 'conquer' Penang
- Dr M: All civil freedom ‘must be limited’
- Shahrizat says NFC issue ‘has nothing to do with me’
- IDEAS chief says he accepted MCA hudud forum invite in ‘good faith’
- Anwar takes some of the blame for defections in PKR after 2008 polls
| Posted: 29 Nov 2011 10:15 AM PST Voters today want to see changes and abhor politicians who overstay their welcome. Umno warlords must realise this and by voluntarily stepping down, play their part in reinventing the party, and at the same time gain the gratitude of younger members.  THIS general assembly is certain to be Umno's last before the 13th general election, and its leaders have taken great pains to ensure members put on a good show for the whole country. The party bosses, in the run-up to the meetings which started last night, told the delegates that they were free to speak up on any subject. And so they should, as Umno assemblies have been noted for the freedom politicians have to speak their minds. However, the speakers must be aware that whatever they say will reverberate far beyond Merdeka Hall at the PWTC. From party president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, the advice has come for speakers not to say or do anything that might offend other communities. The leaders remember the Youth-keris incident as well as the fiery speeches of the past few years which the non-Malays had found unsettling, if not threatening. This cannot happen again if Umno wants Putrajaya to remain under Barisan Nasional. National polls are imminent, and party members must remember that whatever they do will affect Barisan's 13 other component parties. Every misplaced word and misconstrued action will be exploited by their political foes to the fullest to drive the non-Malay electorate away from the ruling coalition. Najib has repeatedly said in the past few days that his 1Malaysia concept calls for "acceptance" and not just "tolerance", and the party leadership has re-emphasised this by putting up huge billboards depicting multi-racial scenes with wordings like "Kami anak Malaysia" (We are the children of Malaysia) all over the PWTC. This is one of Umno's biggest efforts to reach out to the other communities. The more than 100 speakers at the Youth, Wanita, Puteri and main party's assemblies must also reflect this spirit of accepting all Malaysians so that the calls that their leaders make will not be seen as mere slogans. The speakers should also pick up on the call by Najib for unpopular elected representatives to "voluntarily" bow out instead of having to be pushed out. Umno has been, for too long, associated with warlords who refuse to give up their seats or positions that they see as theirs for life, but this will not do in today's modern, connected world. Voters today want to see changes and abhor politicians who overstay their welcome. Umno warlords must realise this and by voluntarily stepping down, play their part in reinventing the party, and at the same time gain the gratitude of younger members. Malaysians of every social and political stripe will be watching this assembly and listening intently to every word each speaker makes. Umno and Barisan Nasional will be measured, judged, punished or rewarded based on what happens in the next four days. All political parties like to claim that their annual gatherings are important, but few can deny that this Umno assembly is a watershed that could change Malaysia's political landscape forever.
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| Herr Maslan - What went wrong? Posted: 29 Nov 2011 10:07 AM PST Weren't it UMNO members screaming for the blood of the royal houses a few years ago, in a frenzied orgy of political bloodletting, the initial incision of which was done skillfully I might add by the Doctor who walks on water? All UMNO leaders do business and have fun together with Chinese hongs. SAKMONGKOL AK47 Anggota Umno diminta tidak mendabik dada dengan kejayaan parti mendaftarkan 3.4 juta anggota setakat ini, kata Ketua Penerangan Umno Datuk Ahmad Maslan. Beliau berkata, jumlah sebesar itu belum menjamin kemenangan Barisan Nasional (BN) pada pilihan raya umum akan datang. "(Ini kerana) ahli Umno hanya satu per empat daripada 12 juta pengundi," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Seminar Agenda Melayu ke-7 anjuran Alumni Kelab-kelab Umno Luar Negara, di sini hari ini. Beliau berkata setakat ini kira-kira tiga juta anggota Umno adalah pengundi berdaftar. Justeru katanya, semua anggota Umno perlu berusaha keras meraih sokongan pemilih lain, terutama yang 'di atas pagar'. "…..kita kena dekati dan tarik pengundi selebihnya untuk menyokong Umno dan BN," katanya. Before we go on. If I were KJ, Shahrizat, Rosmah and whoever was mentioned by Pak Din the DPM- not the murtabak seller in Kg Mengkasar Pekan, I would be circumspect and careful. In another era, a previous DPM also from Johor mentioned a number of people as warriors when UMNO went on the warpath with the Royal Houses. If memory doesn't fail me, that speech was made in Mat Indera's hometown Batu Pahat and a total of 7 people were singled out. The previous DPM and all those he mentioned in glowing terms not unlike what presently Pak Din does vanished from the political scene. One of those mentioned then, is now facing legal upheavals- the outcome of the devious and sick minds of UMNO people. Another is of course the present PM. We can see the writings on the wall for Pak Din, KJ, Shahrizat and horrors of horrors- Rosmah Mansor. But then the laws of karma have their own way to arrive at retribution. Now for the task at hand- we will take on Ahmad Maslan on his two speeches. The first about nothing being done on addressing UMNO's declining quality in its membership and more important, leadership. Second, about Malays losing everything if UMNO loses. I would salute Ahmad Maslan, if to the second speech, he owns up to the fact that it's UMNO's own duplicity and hypocrisy that has caused Malays losing everything! Who has been in power for the last 54 years? The responsibility rests with that in power and if Malay society hasn't become better during its tenure, the responsibility and blame rests squarely on its shoulders. Was it the Chinese or UMNO's favorite whipping boy DAP, who went out to lynch the royalty and the royal institution? Wake up wak Maslan- the particular Chinese would want to fete the royalty because they know through the royalty; they can squeeze the balls out of the subservient and pliant Malays. Weren't it UMNO members screaming for the blood of the royal houses a few years ago, in a frenzied orgy of political bloodletting, the initial incision of which was done skillfully I might add by the Doctor who walks on water? All UMNO leaders do business and have fun together with Chinese hongs. It's always like this. Bernard Lewis (What Went Wrong?) mentioned something like this. When something ails society, the first instinctive reaction is to apportion blame to someone else. He is speaking of course of the Arabs in general. But his observation seems to have a universal application. UMNO Malays suffer from the same affliction. As we shall see later, the ills in UMNO and the Malays are attributed to other people. In Malaysia for example, blame is attached not the Chinese in general (UMNO is careful here) but to the DAP and to a lesser extent to PAS for causing the split among Malays. What is the instinctive reaction to the initial instinctive stand? People are ignoring UMNO's serious temporary insanity. UMNO gets a reprieve from a death sentence maybe, but gets convicted and sentenced to life sentence behind bars. But let us deal with the moronic statement from UMNO's Information Chief. This is the stupidest statement of the year. I thought Azmin's break the prison walls speech in Johor was stupid, but I forget, that given the chance, UMNO people are always waiting to up the ante. It shows the Information Chief is lazy and is himself ill informed. The primary purpose of the Information Chief is to seek ways to bolster allegiance and loyalty of the people to the leader and the party. He hasn't done these but merely diverting attention to facts that are already known. Worse, he is vilifying the unknown digits who are UMNO low rank members instead of acknowledging the shortcomings of UMNO leaders themselves. We are caught out with our cowgate scandal; we screamed this is a conspiracy by opposition politicians! It's never us- always others. And Shahrizat is described as a sri kandi- a Joan of arc of sorts. But didn't she get burnt in the end? His statement exposes the inherent weakness of UMNO- that its members are disloyal and untrustworthy. You have 3 million over members, but 1/3 of them will not vote or will reject UMNO candidates. The Information Chief hasn't highlighted what UMNO members want to know- how to upgrade the quality of UMNO members and how to select quality candidates. If he has really thought hard about these, he would not have allowed his mouth to go on higher gear while the brain is still engaged in low. But let us be merry and refresh people's memory. Consider the GE of 2008. The total number of Malay voters was 5.7 million. UMNO candidates got 2.38 million votes. Deduct 380 thousand from that, you have roughly about 2 million votes that actually went to UMNO candidates. What does that tell you? Now UMNO membership alone is bigger than Singapore's population- but can UMNO produce class leadership? You have riff raffs who you think can seriously contemplate on the qualities of leadership and the kind of leaders you need? You have Ahmad Maslan who some people are saying is now a genius. Mercy me!
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| Towards A Cybernetic-Republic Manifesto: Preamble Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:58 AM PST The collapse of the American Empire and the rise of Obama-ism both as an ideology of hope and despair and a transparent mask of postmodern Imperialism is a meeting ground between the forces of historical-materialism brought about by the specter and the dying force of 21st. century global imperialism that is having its tentacles amputated one by one. A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE Dr Azly Rahman A specter is haunting the worldview of revolutionary movements globally. Synthesized with the advancing power of cybernetic technologies, namely the Internet and other "personacratic" tools of liberation from the dread of Post-Modern Industrialized society, global revolutionary movements are finding inspiration instantaneously in the events that alter culture and consciousness. The wired world has offered rapidized, globalized, and co-constructivized platform of revolution that begins with the mind, shaping consciousness and ended with the shaping of policies brought about as a result of changes in regimes. The specter of the spirit of revolutionary ideals is making its presence in multitudinous ways; this specter, archived in the consciousness of nations, buried by the political economic wave of advanced capitalism sped up by the revolution in nano-technology and imperialized by those who owns them means of controlling the international production-houses of labor. As the post-modern world moves into the realm of a changing nature of Pax Americanism, as the world continue to see conflicts multiplying in many countries, overarchingly networked into the advanced capitalist matrix of both Eastern and Western powerhouses of Capitalism, the global masses of peoples alienated, enslaved,marginalized, and victimized by the forces of Techno-Elitism began to rise and educated of their condition, their awareness aided by cybernetic technologies and mass application of activist-cybernetic journalism. The collapse of the American Empire and the rise of Obama-ism both as an ideology of hope and despair and a transparent mask of postmodern Imperialism is a meeting ground between the forces of historical-materialism brought about by the specter and the dying force of 21st. century global imperialism that is having its tentacles amputated one by one. The specter that is haunting the globalized world of networked economies is a specter that is Fractal in nature; borne out of the manifestation of Chaos and Complexity, recognized and discerned through the application of a hybrid of Complexity and Critical Theory. Essentially post-modern technopoles called the "modern nation-state" or "countries" or "hamlets of democracies" are fast and furiously breaking down. Culture, politics, economics, religion, and society are no longer meaningful constructs to describe the innerworkings of these "post-Nationalistic era entities" called "independent and sovereign" nations. A new paradigm of describing these post-modern tribalistic enclaves hegemonized and shrouded by the politico-linguistic terminologies of nationhood and statescraftism is need. Let us explore further the fundamental character of the cybernetic republic and the possibility of a world totally transformed by Digital Technologies ruled by Techno-Mystics whose job is to provide stewardship to deconstruct Capitalism, gradually install a technological paradigm of social change based on the yet-to-be-constructed principles of Cultural Egalitarianism, and consequently bring forth radical changes characterized by the establishment of a postmodern form of Agro-based socialism that harnesses the power of Nature and bring Humanity closer to its Natural Self. DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctorate in International Education Development and Master's degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans Malaysia and the United States, over a wide range of subjects from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States. https://www.facebook.com/#!/azly.rahman http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/
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| PAS guarantees Malays still powerful under Pakatan rule Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:49 AM PST By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang yesterday gave PAS's "guarantee" that Malays would still remain powerful under Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) rule, moving swiftly to counter an Umno leader's claim that the community would suffer under such a government. The PAS president said the issue "does not even arise" as the number of seats contested by PR's non-Malay leaders from DAP and PKR only amounted to about 60 of the 222 parliamentary seats available. "It is not only a guarantee, but a reality," Hadi told The Malaysian Insider yesterday. "In Malaysia's political geography, the number of seats that DAP contests at present are only about 40 out of the 222. How would DAP, even if it wins in all 40, take over? It is not right. "Plus with PKR, the (non-Malay) seats number to only 60 out of 222 and the rest are Malay seats... so it (Umno's claim) is something that makes no sense," he said. Hadi was commenting on Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan's warning earlier yesterday that the Malays would lose everything to the Chinese should the country experience a "hung parliament" scenario, such as Australia's, in the next general election. Ahmad also accused DAP of disrespecting the royal institution as well as the national language, claiming that even Islam would be "lost" if PR won more seats. "Say goodbye to Islam, because they (DAP) are agents of Christianisation ... in talking about the Malay agenda we cannot run away from this," said Ahmad. Stressing that the threat of "Malays losing power" was very real, Ahmad claimed that the Chinese community was slowly gaining control of the country's politics and economy. But Hadi dismissed Ahmad's remarks as "empty threats", accusing the deputy minister of using the race card to unite the Malays under Umno. "The one who loses power if PR makes gains, is Umno. The one who replaces them is us in PAS and PR. "This is an empty threat... to promote racist sentiments... a statement that is inaccurate as it does not consider Malaysia's political geography," he said.
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| Muhyiddin: BN not as strong as before Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:45 AM PST Haider Yutim, Malaysian Digest Umno Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today admitted that Umno has lost its position and that Barisan Nasional's (BN) component parties are not as strong as before. During a speech at the simultanous launching of the party's wings assembly, he said political power of the Malays has also shaken.
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| Lynas Out Of Malaysia: Stop Exporting A Toxic Legacy Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:28 AM PST By Save Malaysia! Stop Lynas! SYDNEY. Today a protest in solidarity with the Save Malaysia! Stop Lynas! Campaign will take place outside Australian rare earth mining company, Lynas' Annual General Meeting in Sydney. The protest voices concerns about the potential toxic and hazardous impacts on the lives and livelihoods of local communities in Malaysia which would include a waste stream containing 106 tonnes of radioactive thorium and 5.6 tonnes of uranium and the fact that there has been no consent from the local communities surrounding the plant for the operation to go ahead. Aimee Bull-McMahon, from Friends of the Earth Sydney said, "We are outside the Lynas shareholder meeting today to demand Lynas to get out of Malaysia." "Communities should have access to free, independent and accessible information before a decision is made about mining or any other developments that threaten their lives and livelihoods and also have the right and freedom to say yes or no." On 4th August 2011 Lynas opened their Mt Weld rare earth mine in the Northern Goldfields of Western Australia. Lynas wants to export the rare earth ore out of Fremantle to Kuantan, Malaysia. The controversial Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) is the target of the largest environmental justice action in the history of Malaysia with opposition from thousands of local community, environment groups, the Malaysian Medical Association and the Bar Council (the association of lawyers in Malaysia). Wen Kheng Ooi, a Malaysian diaspora living in Australia with relatives in Kuantan who will be affected by the pollution from the Lynas' rare earth plant if the project goes ahead said, "I am protesting at the Lynas AGM because I do not want to see Malaysia being used as a toxic waste dump for Lynas. I have relatives living close to the plant. They will be directly affected by the radioactive waste from the Lynas plant if the project goes ahead." Jade Lee, spokesperson for the community organisation SMSL in Malaysia said, "We formed SMSL within weeks to provide a platform and avenues for residents to campaign against the plant. We were never consulted about the project. Malaysia does not have a good track record in managing pollution." "We will fight till the end to stop the project. We are doing this for our family and the future generations. It is unacceptable for Lynas to simply dump it's toxic waste here in Malaysia to contaminate our land and our food chain" Ms Bull-McMahon, "Where is the exact site which has been chosen for the waste disposal? Why was this site chosen? How much storage capacity for radioactive waste does this site have and for how many years of waste has the site got room for? What other plans are in the pipeline for dealing with the waste?" "It is not good enough to leave local residents in the dark about the long term implication of how this facility will deal with its radioactive thorium and caustic waste products." |
| Posted: 29 Nov 2011 09:25 AM PST Millions have been spent on international consulting firms that went on an orgy of image building rampage. Fresh in the minds of many is the shocking revelation that RM55 million of tax-payers' money was used for expensive propaganda to glorify Najib, his government and his policies, screened on international channels like CNN, CNBC and BBC. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, The Malaysian Insider Najib Razak must be trembling. Nothing could be more terrifying to a premier than the prospect of losing a general election. For Najib, that is an understatement. Worse still, he will go down in history as the "appointed" prime minister of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government that eventually lost its uninterrupted power to the opposition. That is indeed extremely scary. Losing is, thus, not an option for Najib. But Najib's penchant for flip-flopping is almost ingrained in his demeanour and style of leadership. Blaming it on "nature" is contrary to the "consistency" of the second prime minister of this nation. Beyond just flip-flopping, this writer would now have to believe that Najib hasn't got what it takes to bring this ailing nation out of its unending doldrums and despondency. Najib doesn't quite understand, or at least doesn't exude understanding of the "change process", much less a passion and a commitment to see it through. That is even more distressing, to say the least. Indeed, Najib has actually failed grasp the fact that, without "reformation", the hope for "transformation" is a merely an illusion. His revulsion for the word "Reformasi" could very well be his greatest "blind-spot" for the need to undertake genuine fundamental and structural reforms before he could ever hope to see a "Transformation", both in the economics and political sphere. In the same vein, without the "real reform" in the New Economic Model, Najib's Economic Transformation Programme and Entry Point Programmes are in fact a large-scale, anti-cyclical Keynesian pump-priming from Dr Mahathir Mohamad's "Mahathirnomics". Najib's failure to incorporate "real reform" in the NEM is the stifling factor has disabled the nation to propel into a higher performing economy with a concomitant higher income per capita. Perkasa, contracted by Najib's party, continues their vitriolic racial slurs. Never has religious understanding taken a worse beating. The major-ethnic-and-religion-under-siege narrative is evidently "laughable". He could talk in London, New York and Washington of opening up the public space and moderation in Islam when in fact the hollowness of his pronouncements is what we as Malaysians have to live with. On the back of his oft-repeated mantra of "Government Transformation", the colossal losses as evident by the Auditor-General's report remained unabated, to the disgust of many a tax-payer. The endemic leakages remain agonising. Critical examples of fiscal mismanagement such as Shahrizat Jalil's National Feedlot Corp's meltdown stood as a testimony. The impunity with which cronies live off government funds whilst BN ministers, Najib included, call for austerity and a "rationalisation" on subsidy, is a cardinal sin. Millions have been spent on international consulting firms that went on an orgy of image building rampage. Fresh in the minds of many is the shocking revelation that RM55 million of tax-payers' money was used for expensive propaganda to glorify Najib, his government and his policies, screened on international channels like CNN, CNBC and BBC. Najib must stop his fervour for "window-dressing" — the illusion something is being done when nothing of consequence is being accomplished. Never mind the bicycle-ride, on the bus, breakfast with the new social media Facebook-Twitter friends, etc. But beyond those, nothing much were achieved. He has almost perfected the art but failed miserably on the "real reforms". With genuine "reforms" constantly side-stepped, "transformation" is a far-cry. That's deplorable.
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| TS Muhyiddin! kalau panik pun janganlah tunjukan sangat - malu kat orang Posted: 29 Nov 2011 08:44 AM PST ASPAN ALIAS Muhyiddin Yassin semasa meresmikan perhimpunan 3 sayap UMNO, Wanita, Pemuda dan Putri semalam menggunakan isu sensitif yang tidak masuk akal semata-mata kerana desperate mendapat sokongan orang Melayu yang tidak mungkin mahu bersatu lagi di bawah payung UMNO. Ramai yang menghubungi saya bertanyakan kenapa Timbalan Presiden UMNO itu menunjukkan sangat rasa desperado beliau dengan membidas parti-parti lawan dan individu yang tidak sealiran dengan UMNO dengan tuduhan yang bukan-bukan.
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| Next general election an extraordinary challenge, Najib tells Umno Posted: 29 Nov 2011 01:47 AM PST (Bernama) - Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in his message to the party delegates for the 2011 Umno general assembly, has stressed that the party leadership at the divisions and grassroots must work in an extraordinary manner to face the 13th general election. Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Tuesday the Prime Minister also advised delegates not to treat lightly the next general election because it posed an extraordinary and most bitter challenge to the party. He said this at a media conference with two other Umno vice-presidents, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal. They earlier attended a closed-door session on the delivery of the president's message, here, from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. Najib, in his message, also wanted priority to be given to party unity, other than the need to settle internal problems in the party at the divisional level even if the problem was small, said Ahmad Zahid. "If there are still problems of sabotage, they must be pushed aside to focus on party agendas, not personal struggles. The 13th general election is not party election," he said. Ahmad Zahid said if internal problems were overcome, there would be no sabotage or backstabbing at grassroot level. Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said Najib also reminded the Umno members to place the interests of the party over individual interests, which was an important matter to undestand in facing the next election. The delegates must give the broadest ever mandate to the top leadership to ensure the party won and not certain individuals, he added. Mohd Shafie said Najib wanted Umno and Barisan Nasional to win the next general election with a comfortable margin to enable the Government to continue implementing numerous transformation programmes which had been launched in the best possible manner in the interest and welfare of the people.
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| Rise and fight, party warriors urged Posted: 29 Nov 2011 01:42 AM PST In an emotionally-charged speech, the Umno deputy president wants the party wings to close ranks to champion the party's cause. (Bernama) - Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin tonight called on every member of the party to soldier on and struggle to win every vote from the people to ensure victory for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 13th general election. Referring to the Wanita Umno movement as the party's female warriors, Umno Youth as the war chiefs and Puteri Umno as the jewels of the party, Muhyiddin wanted the strength of the three wings to be mobilised so that they could be a fortress for the party. "Let's close ranks to champion the party's cause! Let us stand solidly by the side of party president (Najib Tun Razak). Rise up and defend the continuity of the Malay race! Rise up to carry the party's flag and fight! Let's advance and defeat our enemies ahead. Ensure that victory is ours," he said in a highly motivated tone when opening the simultaneous general assembly of the Umno Wanita, Youth and Puteri movements 2011 at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), here today. The deputy prime minister wanted all the party wings to go down on the ground in all the 222 parliamentary constituencies, 576 state assembly constituencies and 7,470 district polling centres to ensure that all the votes were in favour of Barisan Nasional (BN). "The war drum has been struck. The warriors' strategy has been drawn up. Rise up and fight! Go (to all the constituencies). "Don't leave out anything. Don't forget anything. Get every vote from every constituency. Remember, even one vote will decide our victory," he said. In his speech, Muhyiddin again reminded all the party wings to discharge their moral responsibility as Umno warriors to assist the people by paying attention to the problems of the people, feel their pulse, listen to their woes and problems. As for the Wanita movement, Muhyiddin reminded them to strengthen activities for the People's Network and intensify the "Caring Squad" activities with a proper and well-planned approach as the influence of this party wing was very strong in the community. "The study on attitude must be accurate, coordination and cooperation with the divisional leadership must be strong," he said. For the Umno Youth, Muhyiddin wanted the wing to strengthen the members' mental and physical strength to fight in the most difficult war in the history of the party besides understanding the aspiration of the generation that was also within their age group. "Mobilise your youth frontline, let they be a strong fortress for Umno. Get down to the grassroots, get closer and understand the aspiration of the generation within your age group," he said. Muhyiddin also wanted the Puteri movement to regain its glory as the wing that provided protection to the young women and to bring them into the Umno fold so that the party could become stronger. He said every member was responsible in determining that the strength of the party could only be achieved if they were always united (wahdatul qalb), be of one mind (wahdatul fikr), united in their deeds (wahdatul amal) and united in their objectives (wahdatul hadf) and to put aside the differences and disputes existing in the party. "Don't desert the battlefield. Don't admit defeat before fighting. Don't shame the party. Don't sabotage (the party). Don't boycott (the campaign). Don't play out your colleagues. Avoid infighting. Don't shut down the operations room. Don't leave the country. Avoid back-stabbing. Don't do anything that can jeopardise the party's chances of winning the election. "Remember that the election is a do-or-die battle. Remember that winning the election is not a personal victory, but a victory for the party," he said. On the election candidates, Muhyiddin wanted the three party wings to give full confidence to the party leadership's choice. "The candidates are the party's weapons for victory. Let us give our full confidence to the top leadership to decide on this matter. What is important is that our candidates must be of calibre, knowledgeable, of high integrity, people-oriented, clean, sincere, trustworthy, of high morals and acceptable to the people. Let us accept the decision of the top leadership. Give our solid support to all our candidates. Mobilise our machinery to assist them," he said. Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said as an organisation, Umno was not spared from any shortcomings and weaknesses. "We always strive to carry out changes and improve the weaknesses without sacrificing the principles of our struggle," he added.
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| Posted: 29 Nov 2011 12:41 AM PST The government cannot impose a complete ban on street protests unless they are willing to run afoul of the Federal Constitution. A rally to call for free and fair elections, which was entirely peaceful, was turned violent by police manhandling the protesters. Protesters forced to disperse by violent means could have potentially created a stampede and it is only by the grace of God that there were not more casualties. Douglas Tan, Free Malaysia Today After reading so many reports and articles on the Peaceful Assembly Bill especially with accusations being cast on both sides of the political divide, I believe that we have to go back to the root cause of the issue and examine it in a holistic and pragmatic manner. First, we must go back to the fundamental question as to whether the law, specifically Malaysian law, really stifles dissent and tramples on human rights. Indeed, we have examples of ministers using their discretionary authority under the law in cases where there is no probable cause. Therefore that would lead us to believe that power was abused. Examples include the detention of a reporter, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and state assemblywoman Teresa Kok under the draconian Internal Security Act, as well as the extra-judicial declaration that "Bersih" T-shirts are illegal as they represent an illegal organisation. I would submit that the examples I cited above represent a disproportionate response to the actual situation. This leads to awkward explanations which include "she was detained for her own protection" and "because it represents an illegal activity" type of reasoning. Hardly impressive. There is no doubt that the current Barisan Nasional (BN) government has a history of abusing its powers under the law in order to preserve its own affair. However, by saying these arrests were made "to protect national interest and public property", many people are led to believe by the mainstream media that the response was correct and proportionate. Bersih 2.0 The rally that truly called into question the Police Act on illegal assemblies was indeed Bersih 2.0. That day – July 9, 2011 – is a day which would truly go down in infamy. Dubbed "709″, we witnessed how the police doused the public with chemical-laced water and fired tear gas. Retreating into Tung Shin Hospital gave no respite to the protesters when the Federal Reserve Unit personnel decided to fire tear gas and water cannons into the hospital compound. A rally to call for free and fair elections, which was entirely peaceful, was turned violent by police manhandling the protesters. Protesters forced to disperse by violent means could have potentially created a stampede and it is only by the grace of God that there were not more casualties. Being among the crowds, I believe that the response of the FRU personnel and police was truly disproportionate, although many quarters claimed they exercised a considerable amount of restraint. As a person who ingested tear gas into my system, I would beg to differ. But what was worse than the police crackdown was the complete cover-up by the mainstream media. The government went all out to deny the truth, and published its own version of events. This is despite an enormous amount of photographic and video evidence, which were posted in real time as the event occurred. So perhaps the true question that arises is: despite promised reforms, including the repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) and introduction of the Peaceful Assembly Bill, where is the check and balance to prevent ministers from abusing their discretion under the laws or issuing extra-judicial proclamations? Section 27 of the Police Act The law that is causing the most controversy is Section 27 of the Police Act 1967, which deals specifically with illegal assembly. The draconian law prohibits any kind of public assembly and gave the police the power to detain persons involved without a warrant. Holding a demonstration requires a police permit, and senior district police officers have the absolute discretion to approve or deny the permit. Additionally, under subsection 2, they can cancel the permit at any time. Police also "may do all things necessary for dispersing them and arresting them". The scope of this provision is massive, which would protect the police from any allegation of brutality. There is no doubt that this section has to be abolished. It is fundamentally unconstitutional as it contravenes Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the right to assemble peaceably. After tremendous pressure, the BN government appeared to relent by tabling the Peaceful Assembly Bill. Truly a reform? After a lot of condemnation from the Bar Council and opposition MPs, we have to examine whether or not it should be called the "Anti-Assembly Bill" or "Illegal Assembly Bill" as proposed by some quarters. Notice of the assembly was proposed to be 30 days, which has since been revised to 10 days, after Myanmar's assembly bill which specified a five-day notice put us to shame. Under the Police Act, no time period is specified. However, the need for a police permit is eliminated. I would take this development to be a good thing. However, let's look into the more contentious part of the Bill. The RM10,000 fine for participation in what is deemed as an illegal assembly, the prohibition of children at gatherings, barring an assembly from a prohibited place – all these place a complete ban on street demonstrations. Moreover, the same scope of power is given to the police as under Section 27 of the Police Act. This throws up a lot of issues which would potentially cripple the freedom to assemble as enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution. Firstly, the fine of RM10,000 is clearly to deter anyone from coming to a demonstration. Who can afford to pay RM10,000? So, even if the cause is legitimate and of national concern, if the police use their discretion to prohibit the assembly, the citizen is penalised heavily as a result. The prohibition of children is contentious as gatherings are supposed to be peaceful, and families would bring their children along with them. Penalising the parents for bringing their children along, rather than leaving them at home, would be another reason for people to avoid protests. Additionally, there is the question of enforcement. When tear gas and chemical-laced water are fired, would the police round up the children first? Unthinkable. With the list of restricted places so extensive, it appears that protest cannot happen unless you are out in the countryside! The government would say that this is to protect the interests of the people, but basically it is to give the police an excuse to accuse the group of being in a prohibited area, and thus have the authority to disperse the assembly. This would be especially true of any ceramahs held by the opposition parties, and would affect whoever is in opposition in future.
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| Posted: 29 Nov 2011 12:25 AM PST "Malaysia is going to buy six patrol boats at a total cost of RM6 billion or RM1 billion per patrol boat. Of course, Malaysia's patrol boats are going to be far advanced and more sophisticated than those of the Philippines who paid only RM31.5 million for theirs," he wrote. "The Philippines's patrol boats can only patrol the waters. Malaysia's patrol boats can…well…patrol the waters." Written by John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel A new set threatens For weeks, just in time for Malaysia's United Malays National Organization's annual general assembly which opened this week, the party has been embroiled in an embarrassing scandal involving a 2007 government decision to spend RM300 million (US$94.3 million)to establish a national feedlot corporation to slaughter as many as 60,000 cattle annually under Islamic halal dietary requirements.The scandal seems emblematic of a long series of such situations that imperil Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's vow in April 2010 that the government "can no longer tolerate practices that support the behavior of rent-seeking and patronage, which have long tarnished the altruistic aims of the New Economic Policy." The National Feedlot Corporation, as it is known, has never slaughtered 10 percent of the projected total and has since scaled back its target to 8,000 head but hasn't been able to meet that target either. Worse, the company has been losing millions of dollars every year – while pouring funds into an RM10 million condominium in Kuala Lumpur, among other things, and spending RM800,000 for overseas travel and entertainment. The scandal is doubly embarrassing because the agreement to establish the National Feedlot Corporation, made when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was prime minister, went to the family of Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Minister of Women, Welfare and Community Development and head of the women's wing of Umno. Her husband, Mohamad Salleh Ismail, is the chairman. Her three children are respectively the chief executive officer and executive directors of the company. None had any experience in cattle production or beef supply prior to the establishment of the company. The report of the NFC's operations was contained in the 2010 report of Malaysia's Auditor General, which was delayed for weeks before it was finally released. The scandal has generated tensions inside UMNO, with some reformers demanding that Shahrizat be forced out of her job as minister. However, the leadership has circled the wagons to protect her. In particular, Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister, has said there was no case to be brought against her. Muhyiddin was the agriculture minister in 2006 when the project was approved. Others who have come to her defense are Abdullah Badawi and his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, the head of the UMNO Youth Wing. The National Feedlot scandal is said to have the potential reformers worried because party operatives thought they had the Selangor electorate turned around and that they could take the state back from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in national elections expected to be called early next year. However, Asia Sentinel has been told, the refusal to hold anybody to account in the feedlot scandal could well turn the tide back against them, especially as other patronage scandals continue to bubble up. The depth and breadth of the scandals also calls into question moves earlier this year with Najib launching a series of programs to develop bumiputera, or ethnic Malay companies, including allocating an RM2 billion fund for development. In the 2012 budget, Najib also announced the government would allocate RM200 million to guide 1,100 high-performing bumi companies with the potential for listing on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. Critics are concerned that the patronage system will continue unabated. The current UMNO general assembly was hoped to provide a dramatic backdrop for Najib to win back disaffected Malay voters. For decades, this patronage has involved highway construction and defense contracts and a variety of other government arrangements with UMNO cronies in a plan formulated by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. His ambition was to create a cadre of 100 super-rich bumis who in turn would help rural Malays into prosperity under a konsep payung, or umbrella concept routed through UMNO, much the way he envisioned driving the country into industrialization through massive projects. However, many of the companies eventually collapsed and are being supported by government institutions such as Kazanah Nasional, the country's sovereign investment fund, or the Employee Provident Fund. Contained in the same 2010 auditor general's report, for instance, is a passage on the decision to privatize a 77-km stretch of highway from Senai to Desaru on Peninsular Malaysia's southeastern coast. The land acquisition turned out to have doubled, from RM385 million to RM740.6 million, with the road surface described as "undulating." The project completion "was not in accordance with specifications, causing damage to the road surface and endangering road users." The company failed to complete construction within the stipulated period of the contract. However, the construction agreement didn't specify damages in the event it wasn't completed. Required maintenance is described as "unsatisfactory." The company that won the RM1.7 billion contract is Ranhill Corp. Sdn Bhd., which has long been described as UMNO-linked. It is partly owned by Lambang Optimia Sdn. Bhd. Both are headed by Hamdan Mohamad, described as Malaysia's "water baron," who operates several utilities and power companies. He was one of several ethnic Malay businessmen who followed former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's vow to take Malaysian companies overseas. Another shareholder is YPJ Corp. Sdn Bhd., an arm of the Johor State Government, and yet another appears to be UMNO itself, which owns a minority share through an account at Public Bank Bhd., according to records. Ranhill has had a lackluster two to three years, capped by disaster earlier in 2011 when its Libyan operations were caught between the Muammar Qaddafi forces and those of the Libyan rebels aided by NATO air strikes.
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| Posted: 28 Nov 2011 10:02 PM PST
The 26 new seats introduced into GE11 include 5 in Sabah (all won by BN), 6 in Johor (all won by BN), 5 in Selangor (all won by BN), 3 in Pahang (all won by BN), 2 in Penang (Karpal Singh became the only exception when he won the new Bukit Gelugor seat) and the remaining 5 new seats distributed over the remaining states (all won by BN) except for Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu (where PAS scored a resounding victory during GE10). This meant that BN won 25 of the new 26 contested seats nationwide. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Hakim Joe In both 1995 and 1999 when Malaysia held GE9 and GE10 respectively, the total number of parliamentary seats that were contested was 192 and 193. This was increased to 219 in 2004 during GE11 after Badawi took over and subsequently the number rose to 222 in 2008 during GE12. One of the few reasons for this corresponding increase in constituencies is the population growth in Malaysia. In 1995, Malaysia had 20.14 million citizens. In 2004, the number increased 16.8% to 23.52 million and to 25.27 million or another 7.4% in 2008. As of 2011, 26 new seats were added in 2004 and another 3 seats in 2008. Will we therefore witness an increase in the number of parliamentary constituencies during GE13? Let us review the massive increase in parliamentary seats during GE11 (2004) when BN won a record 90.41% of all contested seats under Badawi. It must be noted that the incumbent government only won 63.9% of popular votes but yet won 9 out of every 10 contested seats. In comparison, when BN won a record 65.2% of popular votes in 1995, they only had 84.4% of seats in Parliament. The 26 new seats introduced into GE11 include 5 in Sabah (all won by BN), 6 in Johor (all won by BN), 5 in Selangor (all won by BN), 3 in Pahang (all won by BN), 2 in Penang (Karpal Singh became the only exception when he won the new Bukit Gelugor seat) and the remaining 5 new seats distributed over the remaining states (all won by BN) except for Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu (where PAS scored a resounding victory during GE10). This meant that BN won 25 of the new 26 contested seats nationwide. The 3 new seats in 2008 (GE12) were Igan, Sibuti and Limbang and were the result from a border re-demarcation exercise in Sarawak and were all won by BN (PBB). Igan was won uncontested, Sibuti won by a decisive 16% majority and Limbang by a mere 3% majority. Of the new parliamentary seats introduced since the 2003 delineation exercise by the Elections Commission (EC), BN has won 96.6% of these contested seats or 28 out of the 29 in total. It must also be especially noted that no new parliamentary seats were created in any Malaysian states that showed a swing to the Opposition. Penang had 2 new seats in 2004 because Badawi was from Bayan Lepas in Penang and traditionally a state that produces the PM is a sure-win for the government. Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu had zero new seats because the 1999 elections exhibited a significant swing to PAS. The trend also shows that the EC possesses a tendency to create new parliamentary seats in pro-BN areas and especially in semi-urban districts. In Kedah, for example, it moved an area that UMNO had won by over 5,000 votes in 1999 into a constituency that PAS had won by 3,000 votes. When this happens, instead of each party having one seat in Parliament, only BN is left with the parliamentary seat, albeit with a reduced majority but since Malaysia practices a "First Past the Post" voting system, a win from just one single vote is identical to a win of over 10,000 votes. Delineation exercises conducted by the EC are performed every 8 years and the last one was carried out in March 2003, which means that the probability of a new delineation exercise being held on or before March 2012 is extremely high. Malaysian should also take note that if more than 100 individuals object to the delineation, the EC must hold a public enquiry. The law provides that the EC can still go ahead with the exercise but it must now justify why it did not take the objections into account. The Malaysian government tells us that every citizen has to right to vote and that every registered voter possesses one single vote. What they do not tell you is that every vote does not carry the same weight. Putrajaya with one parliamentary seat only possesses 6,608 registered voters while Kapar in Selangor, with also one parliamentary seat has 112,224 registered voters. It is therefore an extremely steep uphill battle for Pakatan even before a single vote has been cast as everything is heavily stacked against them. The Opposition requires a minimal 15-point lead on polling day merely to obtain an overall majority of one parliamentary seat. And that is why we need to give our full support to BERSIH 3.0. |
| Are we heading towards the “Passover”? Posted: 28 Nov 2011 09:57 PM PST I think of all the slogans that come with each leader with much amusement; one of them being, "People first, performance now." I guess those who have opinions that differ are not "people" but "beruks"! Otherwise, how can their opinion not warrant a second glance! What about "performance now"? What have our elected representatives in the government done for us, now? Betrayal of the highest order? By May CheeIn the holy book, we see how God made Pharaoh so stubborn as to endure nine plagues, only to give in after the tenth, i.e. the "death of the first born". It was only after God caused the firstborn of all Egypt to die, while sparing those of His chosen ones, that Pharaoh begged the Israelites to leave. There are lessons to be learnt here. Firstly, liberation is a prize, hard-won. Secondly, national leaders should realize that injustices will be paid for dearly. Finally, the greatest consolation of them all - there is a God out there who sees and knows everything. No way will He let evil reign! I tell my children they must learn to read the signs. That's why it pays to be patient and observant. We need not always be in the thick of action. We need not be the one shouting away like a mad man. We need not be the one at the centre of attention. Sometimes, it pays to be a wallflower. Sometimes, it pays to be at the receiving end of another's ill-will or design. Why? Bitter is patience but sweet is its fruit. When we bear with evil, we will gain good. The most painful experiences in life become the best lessons, if we allow them to be. Learn from life; don't bury your head in the sand. And what does life teach you? We have to live with dignity and because of that we cannot rob others of theirs. We have to live up to our conscience and because of that we cannot betray ourselves or others. We have to be true to ourselves because at the end of the day, we have to live with ourselves. It does look like that for quite a while now, some of the people here in Malaysia are not putting on their thinking caps nor learning how to read the signs. The latest incident was having the PA Bill 2011 rammed through without much debate nor heeding the rakyat's take on it. We, the rakyat, are sitting ducks or what? Didn't the rakyat rally around to pass you their objection and appeal? The rakyat's opinion doesn't matter? I guess neither will their vote. So, should they vote for you? Amongst you, one who regard those who can think as "beruks", supposedly a trained "beruk" yourself! Guess you don't belong to the pack because you can't think at all! I think of all the slogans that come with each leader with much amusement; one of them being, "People first, performance now." I guess those who have opinions that differ are not "people" but "beruks"! Otherwise, how can their opinion not warrant a second glance! What about "performance now"? What have our elected representatives in the government done for us, now? Betrayal of the All we ask is the right to assemble peacefully. Peace-ful-ly. Do you need to watch your back just because we want to assemble at a particular place to express our opinions or take a stroll in the park to pass you a "note"? You are afraid of your own shadow? What have you done to be so paranoid? Looks like we have put a bunch of cowards or loonies in office! Looks like you people need to be straight- This is not a war-cry but it's high time we Malaysians, the silent majority, reclaim our right to eat, love and pray "peacefully". For a long time now, we have lived under "oppression"' in the guise of "the best democracy in the world", propounded by those in office. I think it is a sin to resign ourselves to think that such a form of "slavery" is a normal situation. Come on, we are "beruks" that can think! Let not the future generations think that we, their forefathers, did not try to make the world a better place for them. That we didn't make Malaysia, their motherland, a safe place for them. That we allowed their birthright to be snatched away. That we allowed unscrupulous people to rob us blind. That we toiled the land only to have others harvest our blood, sweat and tears. That we didn't love Malaysia enough to save her! In sparing the firstborn of Israel, God demonstrates His opposition to human sacrifice. That's why we, right-thinking "beruks" advocate "walks for freedom". We don't want to revert to the kind of uprising that claim lives as we have seen across the Arab nations. We are Malaysians. We are a peaceful people. We are a good people. We can do this; reclaim our birthright. Vote out those who will destroy Malaysia. It's time for our very own "Passover" – independence from draconian structures towards a "liberated Malaysia for all Malaysians". Last but not least, to all those who marched from the Lake Gardens to Parliament – We, the majority of Malaysians, are very proud of you. We hear you and we will emulate you. Have faith for the power will be with the "beruks". God bless. |
| Najib: General election is yardstick to party's survival Posted: 28 Nov 2011 09:15 PM PST By Noor Adzman Baharuddin, Mazlinda Mahmood and Azura Abas, NST KUALA LUMPUR: Delegates to the 62th Umno general assembly have given party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak the full mandate to undertake the battle to face the upcoming 13th general election. With cries of "Hidup BN" and "1Malaysia" resonating in the Merdeka Hall of Putra World Trade Centre, Najib secured delegates' support for the upcoming general election. |
| Posted: 28 Nov 2011 09:12 PM PST (The Star) - KUALA LUMPUR: The Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 was passed by Parliament Tuesday after six amendments were made to the bill. The bill was passed with no dissenting votes after the Opposition refused to take part in the debate and staged a walkout. The walk-out was staged before Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri tabled six amendments to the bill. The bill was passed before Deputy Speaker Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had allowed just three Opposition MPs to debate the proposed law. The Opposition had asked for it to be retracted and put before a Parliamentary Select Committee for review. The six changes include Sub-Clause 9 (1), where the 30-day notice period required to be given to the police was changed to 10 days. Under Clause 12 (b), objections against a proposed assembly must be lodged with the police in writing within 48 hours, instead of five days. For Clause 14, the change included the provision for police to give a reply to organisers within five days instead of 12. In Clause 16(a), appeal against the rejection of an application or the exercise of police discretionary orders to organisers can be done within 48 hours of receipt, instead of four days while under Clause 16(b), the Home Minister is to answer any appeals within 48 hours of receipt instead of six days. |
| Zambry: Perak Umno ‘moving in right direction’ Posted: 28 Nov 2011 09:06 PM PST By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 — Perak Umno appears confident that public anger over its controversial 2009 takeover of Perak has calmed, with Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir claiming tonight the party is "moving in the right direction". The Pangkor assemblyman told reporters that the state's Umno leadership has "strengthened" since it took over the reins of the state government and was ready to face the coming polls. |
| Ahmad Maslan stands by Malay power remarks Posted: 28 Nov 2011 09:04 PM PST By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Ahmad Maslan today defended his claims that Malays would lose power if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) won more seats in the next general election and that the DAP is an agent of Christianisation, pointing out that that it was nothing but the "truth". The Umno information chief also dismissed suggestions that his remarks showed Umno was taking after Hitler by using the Chinese and Christians as a bogey to attract voter support.
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| Is Taib slipping under growing pressure? Posted: 28 Nov 2011 08:05 PM PST By Clare Rewcastle Brown, FMT In an act of crazy stupidity, Sarawak's Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has responded to growing condemnation of his family's illegitimate wealth by claiming that others in Sarawak are poor because they "do not have it up here" (tapping his head)! What he meant is that, unlike his own "clever" children, most Sarawakians are too stupid to make money. But, surely it is he who is stupid to say such things? We can already see from his actions how Taib holds his people in disdain. He has stolen from them and provided only a pittance to the desperately poor Dayaks in his richly resourced state. But, even the most monstrous dictators usually avoid going on record admitting such disdain! Under pressure Taib made his remarks in a recent recorded interview, in which he attempted to deal with the growing slew of revelations about his family's wealth. That interview was then posted on his own official website. The plan had been to stage questions from a tame reporter so that the chief minister could counter the allegations that his family have been "creaming off" the wealth of Malaysia's richest state However, he immediately responded with an enormous lie. He claimed that he and his family had always avoided doing businesses inside Sarawak in order to avoid being "hounded" by accusations that "I used my influence to enrich myself". In fact, anyone who knows anything about Sarawak knows that the opposite is true. All the members of Taib's family are up to their eyes in business in Sarawak, benefiting and enriching themselves from state contracts, plantations and timber concessions handed to them by Taib himself. Indeed, just last week the DAP revealed that 90 acres of prime state land, worth some RM225 million, had been sold for just RM2.5 million to a company, Shoreline Development Sdn Bhd, which is owned by his own four children, his uncle and his timber crony, Samling. This scandal broke just days after the state government had announced it could only afford to allocate a paltry RM3.47 million to alleviate the suffering of the hardcore poor in Malaysia's richest state. Even the stupidest Sarawakian could work out that if Taib had tendered those 90 acres in an honest manner, then that sum could have been increased immediately to over RM225 million! Instead, he gave that profit to his already fabulously wealthy children! Loading insult onto injury Showing the dangerous effects of an old age and complacency, Taib nevertheless blundered on in this interview and compounded his lies to reveal just how self-deluded he has become. He explained that by doing business outside the country, clever people like himself and his children can easily make themselves rich. "Anyone who is clever can make themselves rich over 30 years" he claimed.
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| Hishammuddin: Walkout shows Pakatan disrespecting democracy Posted: 28 Nov 2011 07:47 PM PST By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein accused Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers of disrespecting democracy today when they staged a walkout from Parliament during the debate on the Peaceful Assembly Bill. "If they want to talk about democracy and the system that we have, by walking out they are not respecting the democracy that they are supposed to be campaigning and fighting for," he told a press conference at the Umno general assembly here.
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| 3.4 million Umno members won't guarantee BN win: Ahmad Maslan Posted: 28 Nov 2011 02:54 PM PST (Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR: Umno members should not be over-confident in winning the general election following the party's success in registering 3.4 million members so far. Umno information head Datuk Ahmad Maslan said this was because the large membership could not guarantee victory for Barisan Nasional. "(This is because) Umno members represented only one-quarter of the total of 12 million voters," he told reporters after opening the 7th Malay Agenda Seminar organised by the Overseas Umno Club Alumni. He said currently about three million Umno members were registered voters. As such, he said all Umno members must work hard to gain the support of other voters, especially the fence sitters. "...we have to get closer to the other voters too and get them to support Umno and the Barisan Nasional," he added. BERNAMA |
| Bar Council hands memo on peaceful assembly to Parliament (Update) Posted: 28 Nov 2011 02:41 PM PST By Regina Lee, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: The Bar Council led by its president Lim Chee Wee on Tuesday handed a memorandum to Parliament on the council's objections to the Peaceful Assembly Bill. Lim and nine other lawyers were allowed into the Parliament building where they handed the document to Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong. Among others, the Bar Council wanted the bill to go through a Parliamentary Select Committee to enable further deliberation and public consultation. Lim said they will continue to protest against the bill even when it is passed by Parliament in its current form. "In times of controversy and challenge, we will rise up and walk to uphold the rule of law and the constitution," he told reporters. "We were consulted by the Attorney-General several weeks ago on the bill but the version that was tabled was very different," he said. Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee chairman Syahredzan Johan called the provisions 'ridiculous'. "We are here to say no to the Peaceful Assembly Bill in its current form," he said. Earlier, hundreds of members and activists had gathered at the Lake Gardens before walking the 2km to Parliament House. Among them were Bersih chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan, Seri Andalas assemblyman Xavier Jeyakumar, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin, Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne, Sibu MP Wong Ho Leng, PKR's N Surendran and Latheefa Koya, and PAS central committee member Hanipa Maidin. There were shouts of "freedom for the people" and "freedom to assemble". Police trucks and cars were stationed along Jalan Parlimen as policemen keep watch on the situation. Scores of policemen, including the light strike force staff, stood guard at the entrance of Parliament House. Police have declared the gathering as illegal. The march started at about 12.20pm and as the group arrived at the Parliament entrance, another group of about 100 people from Pertubuhan Putra Malaysia sprung up to protest against "free sex" in the country. PPM spokesperson Zainal Abidin Ariffin said they were there to protest against "free and wanton sex" and homosexuality. The situation got noisier when the two groups their took positions on both sides of the road leading to Parliament House, separated by scores of policemen. Some of them started a shouting match. |
| Hundreds march against Peaceful Assembly Bill (Update) Posted: 28 Nov 2011 02:25 PM PST (The Sun) - Members of the Malaysian Bar Council gathered to protest against the proposed Peaceful Assembly Bill (PAB) 2011 and to hand over an alternative to the government here today. Some 600 lawyers and supporters convened at the Perdana Lake Gardens since 11am in preparation for the march to Parliament in protest against the bill. Police have deemed illegal the event which has been dubbed as the "Walk for Freedom". The march that started around 12.15pm was led by Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee, vice president Christopher Leong and Human Rights lawyer Edmund Bon. Traffic flow along Jalan Parliament was disrupted during the march. Upon reaching Parliament where a barricade had been set up by the police, Bar Council office bearers were seen negotiating with the police who then agreed to let 10 members of the Bar into Parliament. At the entrance to Parliament House, member of the Bar were met by opposition MPs including Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Khalid Samad, Lim Lip Eng and Charles Santiago. Also present were member from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including E.Nalini of Suaram, Irene Fenandez of Tenaganita, and former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenivasan. The crowd chanting bebas! bebas! bebas himpun! (freedom to assemble), hidup rakyat (long live the people) and bebas rakyat! (free the people) were watched closely by about 100 uniformed police personnel stationed along the route. |
| Anwar likens assembly area restrictions to Mubarak’s military rule Posted: 28 Nov 2011 02:13 PM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today the government was following in the footsteps of toppled Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak by barring protests from taking place on the streets and at least 20 other kinds of venues. "The prohibition of places like kindergartens follows Hosni Mubarak's military rule," the opposition leader said when debating the Bill that has been criticised by several quarters as being more repressive than existing regulations. Mubarak's 30-year presidency came to an end in February this year after hundreds of thousands of Egyptians gathered to demand his exit. The PKR de facto leader was replying to his colleague and Kuala Kedah MP Ahmad Kassim who asked "what is the meaning" of the long list of prohibited areas. The Bill prohibits assemblies from being held at dams, reservoirs, water catchment areas, water treatment plants, electricity generating stations, petrol stations, hospitals, fire stations, airports, railways, land public transport terminals, ports, canals, docks, wharves, piers, bridges, marinas, places of worship and kindergartens and schools. Anwar questioned how the government intended to "become the best democracy in the world" when it was "making it more difficult to gather than in Zimbabwe and Myanmar." He was referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's statement just days after his September 15 pledge of democratic reforms, including repealing the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA), that the move was to make Malaysia the world's best democracy. But critics have said that the proposed law is more repressive than those in countries like Myanmar, which has one of the world's poorest human rights records. |
| Lawyers end march, say to keep up pressure on assembly law Posted: 28 Nov 2011 02:06 PM PST  Hundreds of lawyers marched from Lake Gardens to Parliament to protest the Peaceful Assembly Bill today. — Picture by Clara Chooi He urged the government to consider the council's proposed alternative to the government's original Bill, which he described as an "unjust law made in haste ... which will impose unreasonable and disproportionate fetters on freedom of assembly". "The Bar will continue knocking on the doors of Parliament if the Bill makes it to the statute books in its current form," he vowed during a brief press conference in Parliament here. Lim was addressing reporters just moments after he led hundreds of lawyers in the council's "Walk for Freedom" march to Parliament as a sign of their open defiance of a law they claim infringes on Malaysians' constitutional rights. The prominent lawyer, along with nine other representatives from the council, were allowed through Parliament gates and into the lobby to hand over a copy of its alternative Bill to deputy minister Datuk V. K. Liew and a letter of appeal urging MPs to vote wisely. "We are not anti-government or pro-opposition. We are anti-injustice and anti-unconstitutionality ... We are pro-justice and pro-rule of law. We have always worked closely with the government," Lim told Liew when handing over the documents. |
| Dumbos in Bar Council need to be less naive to match BN's evil cunning Posted: 28 Nov 2011 01:36 PM PST By Ismail Dahlan, Malaysia Chronicle The Bar Council has called on its members to march to Parliament in protest against the 'Peaceful Assembly Act' tabled recently. That Bill was a crude attempt by BN to strip the Malaysian people of their right to assembly. It is certainly a positive that the Bar plans to protest against it. Nevertheless, the Bar's idea of presenting an alternative to the bill is an unacceptable mistake and it plays into the hands of the repressive BN. Surely there should have been at least one intelligent enough participant at the Bar's meetings who could have pointed out that their action will only serve to help legitimize this draconian bill. No such Bill is needed - so just say 'NO' In fact, there should be no such bill tabled by the BN, or presented by the Bar. The right of the people to free assembly is already clearly stated in Article 10 of the Constitution. What Najib should have done is to abolish those sections in the Police Act which in any way curtail that right. Nor is there any room in Malaysia for the kind of co-operation that is the norm in Western countries. Giving notice in England or Finland is fine because you know the police need that notice so that they can help with traffic flow or to provide appropriate protection where applicable. In Malaysia however, giving notice to the police simply means giving them more time to find more ways to frustrate the people's right. Sad to say, the police here are wont to work with the BN by demonizing such protests in their controlled press, putting up inconvenient road-blocks all over the country to stop participants from attending the protest, infiltrating the protests with agent provocateurs and last but not least having partisan groups like Perkasa organize counter protests. Why give them notice when their intentions are so malignant? Dumbos It is a pity that the Bar, and surprisingly, many hardened opposition activists who should really know better, so quickly buy into this idea of a notice period when they should really know better. Instead of dismissing the very idea of a notice period, they have reduced themselves to haggling over its length! The BN, in any event, is only involved in tabling these faux reform bills for the purpose of gaining some votes and Najib Razak is far from being a reformist. Uncivilized politics is the real order of the day for the BN. Witness this abuse of judicial process and prosecutorial powers that is the Anwar Ibrahim trial. This trial represents the true face of the BN and of Najib Razak. They wish to cast into a dungeon the one man who by power of personality and intellect, holds together the coalition that now threatens the BN, Pakatan. They refuse him permits, trying to gag him and to limit the number of people exposed to his remarkable powers of oratory. The BN fears him and will therefore use any method, including misusing the nation's laws, to imprison him. The Bar should march for that also, for are they not officers of the court, bound to defend any threats to its credibility. Don't reduce yourself The BN is also being highly disrespectful to the Bar by assigning V.K.Liew, an unheard of deputy minister in the PM's department to receive their memorandum. He appeared as a voice on NTV7 last night, unable to speak English. It should be Nazri Aziz, who tabled the bill, accompanied by the AG, who drafted it, who should be receiving them. Malaysians cannot afford to voluntarily give up an inch, not one inch, of their rights, to the draconian mercies of the Barisan Nasional. We may consider such concessions when there is, in Malaysia, a free press, free and fair elections and when Institutions such as the Judiciary and the Police are independent of the Executive. Until such time, the people cannot afford to be betrayed by organizations such as the Bar, even if it is only by weak analysis and by shallow thought and action. |
| Peaceful Assembly Bill: Six amendments to be tabled Posted: 28 Nov 2011 01:06 PM PST (The Star) - Six amendments to the proposed Peaceful Assembly Bill are scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat Tuesday. The six changes include Sub-Clause 9 (1), where the 30-day notice period required to be given to the police is changed to 10 days. Under Clause 12 (b), objections against a proposed assembly must be lodged with the police in writing within 48 hours, instead of five days. For Clause 14, the proposed change includes the provision for police to give a reply to organisers within five days instead of 12. In Clause 16(a), appeal against the rejection of an application or the exercise of police discretionary orders to organisers can be done within 48 hours of receipt, instead of four days while under Clause 16(b), the Home Minister is to answer any appeals within 48 hours of receipt instead of six days. |
| Malays will lose everything in ‘hung parliament’, says Umno leader Posted: 28 Nov 2011 12:27 PM PST By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider Malays will lose their rights and power should Pakatan Rakyat (PR) win more federal seats in the next general election, an Umno leader said today. Datuk Ahmad Maslan, who is Umno information chief, said that the worst-case scenario in the future for Malays would be a "hung parliament" situation like in Australia, where Barisan Nasional would be unable to carry out policy agendas due to the lack of a simple majority. "If there is a hung parliament scenario like Australia, let's say 112 government seats to 110 opposition seats, it is the worst thing that could happen. "The Malay language will be lost, say goodbye to the Malay Sultans, the opposition DAP do not even respect the royal institution ... they have never accepted royal titles even though they have been offered them," he said here. Speaking at a forum titled "Agenda Melayu pasca pilihan raya", the deputy minister trained his sights on the DAP, accusing the opposition party of disrespecting the royal institution, as well as the national language. "Say goodbye to Islam, because they (DAP) are agents of Christianisation ... in talking about the Malay agenda we cannot run away from this," said Ahmad. "I am perturbed as to why PAS can consort with DAP, as opposed to forging ties with Umno. Won't it be better if PAS joins BN, added together we would have about 160 federal seats?" he added. The Pontian MP said that Umno has always "extended its hand" to PAS, but the Islamist party has always rejected their overtures. Stressing that the threat of "Malays losing power" was very real, Ahmad claimed that the Chinese community was slowly gaining control of the country's politics and economy. This, he said was because the Chinese were currently leading in voter registration. "Chinese youths above the age of 21 are already registered voters. What about Malays? Some are 31 and they have yet to register. "We no longer hold power. Look at Selangor, who are the state excos? Ronnie Liu, Xavier, Elizabeth, Teresa Kok, this is the DAP agenda, Christianisation," he said.
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| Assembly bill changes cut appeal period to 48 hours Posted: 28 Nov 2011 12:22 PM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Bill will give organisers just 48 hours instead of four days to appeal against restrictions set by police. A notice of six changes to four clauses laid on MPs' tables this morning said that this was a consequence of a change to "shorten the period required for the organiser to submit the notification of assembly to the Officer in Charge of the Police District." Clause 15 of the Bill allows police to impose restrictions on various aspects of an assembly including time and venue "for the purpose of security or public order, including the protection of the rights and freedoms of other persons." Clause 16 previously stated that "any organiser aggrieved by the imposition of restrictions and conditions ... may within four days ... appeal to the Minister." The changes to the Bill will also compel the minister in charge to respond to the appeal within 48 hours instead of six days. The amendments to the Bill came after widespread condemnation of clause 9(1) which requires that "an organiser shall, within 30 days before the date of an assembly, notify the Officer in Charge of the Police District in which the assembly is to be held." The Bill will now see the period of "within 30 days" shortened to 10 days.
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| ‘Bring back the fighting spirit’ Posted: 28 Nov 2011 10:20 AM PST (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: Umno must recover its old fighting spirit that had brought it many successes since independence. Its leaders have also been asked to shed the "cermin gelap, kereta gelap, baju linen" (dark glasses, dark cars with tinted windscreen and linen clothing) image as people are no longer moved by it. Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak) president Datuk Seri Abdul Aziz Rahman said the spirit which always put the party's interest over that of any other consideration must be instilled in all party members. "The jostling for positions must stop. "Don't be greedy and don't sabotage your own candidates if you are not picked. The next general election is pivotal to Umno's survival," he said. He said all members, especially delegates attending the party's general assembly, must embrace change as any party position would be meaningless if Umno through Barisan Nasional lost in the election. "The party's survival hinges on how it performs in the next election. Thus, Umno members must engage people from all backgrounds, regardless of their political leanings," he said yesterday. Abdul Aziz called on members of the party's Youth and Puteri wings to use new media such as blogs and social networking websites to counter the lies spread by the Opposition. "But they must be more aggressive in questioning the failed policies implemented by the Opposition in the four Pakatan Rakyat-held states. "It is time for the young to go on the offensive and take the fight to the Opposition in the cyber world," he added. Mubarak secretary-general Datuk Paduka Abdul Rahman Ibrahim reminded members that the coming general election might determine the fate of Malay politics. "The next election will decide whether Malay politics will continue or become history. "Mistakes, whether big or small, can lead to dire consequences," he said, adding that the leadership needed to ensure that candidates chosen must be accepted by the majority of voters. He said being an Umno leader was no longer a ticket to becoming a Yang Berhormat. "Yet, there are still those who have lost numerous times (in an election) and still expect to be picked as candidates. "These are the people who must make way for better and winnable candidates," he added. Abdul Rahman also reminded members not to forsake party veterans and past leaders. "This group still holds a degree of influence in respective areas. I call on members to close ranks and engage everyone, be they members or non-members," he said. |
| Public assembly law follows international rules Posted: 28 Nov 2011 10:15 AM PST (The Star) - The Peaceful Assembly Bill was drafted in accordance with international norms after the Government studied 12 Acts practised by other countries. Thus, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said claims by some that it was more draconian than a similar law in Myanmar was baseless. He clarified that those who wanted to assemble at designated areas could do so by just notifying the police within 24 hours before the event was held. Only those who planned to do so at undesignated places were required to notify the police within 10 days before the event, he said. "The 10 days' notification is for the police to facilitate the peaceful gathering and to enable the authority to get the views of the surrounding community which will be affected by the assembly. "For assemblies to be held at designated areas, the public has the right to assemble any time, even at short notice. "The police cannot stop those who want to gather at designated areas," he told a press conference yesterday after opening an international forum held in conjunction with the Umno general assembly. Najib said designated areas where the public was free to assemble would be stipulated in the Act and would not impede public interest. The Cabinet decided on Friday that several changes should be made to the Bill, including reducing the advance notice to be given to the police by anyone organising a public assembly to 10 days instead of the proposed 30 days. Najib said the wordings in the Bill stipulated that notification must be made within 30 days but it could be any time shorter. "This, however, has led to confusion. So we made it more specific by putting it at 10 days so there will be no more doubts and misinterpretation," he said. Najib, however, stressed the provision was not applicable to those who wanted to organise street demonstrations, adding the Government wanted to put the Act in place to allow the people voice their views in a peaceful manner. |
| Najib: Barisan is needed to unite the people and reach our goals Posted: 28 Nov 2011 10:12 AM PST (The Star) - KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has reached an exciting crossroads and policies to transform the country must be maintained so it can become a developed and united nation. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that after going through many eras from fighting for independence to the communist insurgency and bringing development and industrialisation the nation was now heading towards its latest phase to unite Malaysians. "It is crucial for the coalition to get the people's support and mandate. It is important for Barisan to be re-elected to carry through the plans," he said in his keynote address at an international forum, Politics of Economics and Social Transformation in the Era of Global Crisis, organised by Umno. Najib, who is Barisan chairman and Umno president, said the coalition's policy of consensus and power-sharing had enabled it to ensure long-term stability and undertake meaningful progress. A Malaysia for all: Puteri Umno members taking a closer looking at a poster titled 'Kami Anak Malaysia' outside Menara Tun Hussein Onn in conjunction with the general assembly which begins today. – AZHAR MAHFOF / The Star. "This has also helped us avoid the inter-ethnic conflicts experienced by other countries," he added. Najib said it helped when parties in Barisan settled issues "within four walls" through discussions and consensus because if matters were discussed openly, they could lead to internal conflict and even violence. He stressed that Umno would be at the forefront to lead the changes and spearhead the transformation. "Together with our Barisan friends, we are committed to bringing all races together to march towards achieving the 2020 goal. This is what we stand for," he said. While former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had outlined the "what" part of the Vision 2020 plan, his (Najib's) task was to lay down the "how" to achieve the goal. This, he said, was through ensuring that economic growth remained at 6% per annum, creating 1.2 million jobs, investing RM1.4 trillion in the next 10 years and raising the per capita income from about US$7,000 to US$15,000. "That is what we have to do raise investment, bring about innovation, make changes in the Government and make ourselves more competitive. We have a crystal clear roadmap to get us to Vision 2020, to accomplish the goal of being a fully developed, high-income nation." On the 1Malaysia "People First, Performance Now" concept, Najib said it encapsulated Malaysians of all races working and living together based on mutual respect and acceptance rather than tolerance. He acknowledged that there were still some problems that must be resolved. "We promise things will be better and that is what we have been doing by making political and other changes, including allowing students to join political parties and peaceful assemblies," he said. Despite the Opposition's claim of an unfair election, Najib pointed out that it had won four states and its representatives were also allowed to be at polling stations to monitor the counting of ballot papers. On Umno, Najib said the greatest hurdles facing the party was how to transform and remain relevant and dynamic after being in power for a long and uninterrupted period. "You have the sense that you have political invincibility. You feel, no matter what (happens), you will be in power," he said. "But the political landscape has changed and the party can no longer bank on its previous successes, no matter how monumental. "People want to know their future and parties which rest on their laurels will be in danger. There is a need to reform before people demand that you reform or be changed. "We are proud that Umno is re-inventing itself and is ahead of the curve," he said. |
| Bar Council offers alternative assembly bill, to lead protest march Posted: 28 Nov 2011 10:07 AM PST By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider Hours before the Dewan Rakyat is to debate the controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill that Datuk Seri Najib Razak claims has been twisted by the opposition, the Bar Council completed its draft of the proposed law it said it will submit for consideration today. Malaysian Bar president Lim Chee Wee will also be leading a protest march to Parliament from the Lake Gardens down the road at 11.30am today to hand over a copy of the alternative proposal.
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| Gloomier economy poses poll risk to BN Posted: 28 Nov 2011 10:03 AM PST By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider The prime minister could be pressured into calling an election by early next year to minimise damage to the government's political standing due to a deteriorating economic outlook, says Nomura in its Malaysia outlook report for 2012. The research arm of Japan's leading brokerage and financial services group also said that a surge in new voters since the last general election will mean stiffer competition at the polling booth.
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| Foreigners, shut up: Assembly bill outlaws protests by exiles, dissidents and migrant workers Posted: 27 Nov 2011 09:17 PM PST By uppercaise Political exiles and dissidents: don't get angry in Malaysia The Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 doesn't give Malaysians much space or time for getting angry. It's worse for foreigners. They are banned altogether. Protests and demonstrations are only for Malaysians.  For make benefit glorious nationSo if you're a political exile or dissident from another country (Burma, Mongolia, Tibet, Falun Gong, Timor, Papua, Mindanao, etc), this Bill is for your repressive government and Malaysian politicians' noted friendliness with tyrants and dictators. (Kazakhstan, anyone?).
Cultural Learnings of Malaysia For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of… fill in the blanks.  Mahathir's good friend. Oh shut upThis bill should be also known as the Freedom of Foreign Dictators (Tell Malaysia To Shut Up) Bill. Or maybe we should name it the Peaceful Assembly (Keep Robert Mugabe Free) Bill. So, get the message, political exiles and dissidents from Iran, Burma, Tibet, China, Timor, Papua, Zimbabwe… this Bill is keep your horrible governments in power.
Foreigners shut up. Just give us your moneyRead more at: https://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/foreigners-shut-up-malaysia-says-keep-your-arab-spring-at-home/
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| Posted: 27 Nov 2011 09:12 PM PST The Malaysian Academic Movement (MOVE) once again reiterates our concern with respect to the continuing persecution and possible prosecution of Professor Abdul Aziz Bari of the International Islamic University Malaysia by the powers that be. We urge the parties concerned to stop and revoke all investigations and disciplinary proceedings that aim to intimidate students and academics from addressing their immediate concerns. Professor Abdul Aziz is a highly regarded scholar of Malaysian constitutional law and society. While he has written many scholarly books over the years on Malaysian Constitution, he continues to be persecuted by the police, politicians and his own university (IIUM) for his scholarship. Advocates of public debates and nonviolent approaches like Professor Abdul Aziz are silenced by state power and its apparatus. Professor Abdul Aziz is becoming the symbol against a long history of academic repression and harsh censorship in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the problem of intellectual freedom and free speech in Malaysia has had a poor record. In 2011, the World Press Freedom Index placed Malaysia in 143th place in a list of 196 countries, whereas Malaysia was in 124th position when the current leadership came to power in 2008. Moreover, constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press, expression and assembly are undermined by other provisions, and in practice they are only partially upheld. Professor Abdul Aziz Bari's prosecution for exercising his right to freedom of expression conflicts with Malaysia's obligations to recognize the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; the right to freedom of expression; and the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of association as delineated by the Constitution of Malaysia. Thus, threatening and intimidating students and professors for exercising their right to free expression and assembly violates international and Malaysian law. Punishing dissenting comments and ideas undermines academic freedom, which is all about the right to free expression and freedom of opinion. The International Islamic University Malaysia should rescind all investigation and disciplinary proceedings against Professor Abdul Aziz Bari. We believe that institutions of higher learning must resolutely uphold and defend the principles of academic freedom, and must also be sanctuaries for the free expression of ideas and opinions. This means that universities must also be a haven for controversial speech. We commend our national and international colleagues for your clear and vigorous defense of academic freedom and free speech in this case, and we continue to stand firm in defense of Professor Aziz Bari. |
| OECD Predicts Britain's 'Return To Recession' Posted: 27 Nov 2011 09:08 PM PST (Sky News) - Britain is facing a double-dip recession in the first half of next year, and will need to print more money, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has said. In its semi-annual report on the outlook in its 34 member states, the international economic research group (OECD) said weak international demand and fiscal consolidation has halted the recovery in the UK. The OECD expects the downturn to be "modest", with 0.03% decline in output for the current quarter of this year and 0.15% contraction in the first quarter of 2012. Technically six months, or two consecutive quarters, of negative economic growth indicate a recession. The organisation also said the Bank of England should expand its quantitative easing programme to £400bn - effectively pumping a further £125bn into the economy by buying government bonds - to support growth. It warned that unemployment could reach 9% by 2013, but that inflation would fall below the 2% target. The Paris-based group said the overall global outlook has worsened since its last report and that the euro area, which is one of the UK's major trading partners, is also facing a mild recession. It said a split in the single-currency area would result in massive wealth destruction, bankruptcies and a collapse in confidence in the region, as well as a deep depression in the world economy. The economic report comes on the eve of George Osborne's Autumn Statement, in which he is expected to reveal raft of measures including a £30bn infrastructure plan . The Chancellor told Sky News that it was clear from the OECD report that "these are very difficult times for many countries in the western world" and that the deep downturn in Europe would be a challenge for Britain. "We've got to weather the current economic storm but we've got to lay the foundation for a stronger economic future, " he added. The OECD forecast for Britain goes a step further than the growth downgrade from the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC). In its latest quarterly economic report, the business lobby group has slashed its prediction for UK output growth for the rest of this year, as well as 2012 and 2013. It expects growth to be "very weak" until mid-2012 due to the impact from the eurozone debt crisis, and has revised its prediction of gross domestic product (GDP) rise next year to 0.8%, less than half the 2.1% it had expected previously. Although it expects unemployment to increase by 150,000 over the next 12 months, the group has warned against "unjustified gloom about the UK's economic prospects", adding that conditions will gradually improve over time. The BCC's chief economist David Kern told Sky News: "What we are saying is that in spite of this economic situation we are in, the deficit cutting programme was the right thing to do. "The Chancellor and the Government have gained a lot of credibility in the financial markets and I think tomorrow the Chancellor will be able to cash in on that credibility." The BCC also expects the Bank of England to keep the base interest rate at 0.5% until the final quarter of 2012, but pump a further £50bn into the economy through quantitative easing. It added consumer spending would decline by 1.2% in 2011 but begin to grow from 2012. The services sector, which includes businesses ranging from hairdressers to accountants, has already seen its fastest fall in activity for two and a half years as consumers rein in spending, according to the Confederation for British Industry.
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| Malaysia urged to reject bill clamping down on peaceful protest Posted: 27 Nov 2011 08:58 PM PST AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE The Malaysian government has introduced a law which would further tighten the country's excessive restrictions on peaceful protest ahead of next year's expected general elections, Amnesty International said today. If enacted, the Peaceful Assembly Bill would effectively prohibit street protests and fine demonstrators who fail to comply up to 20,000 Malaysian ringgit (US$6,000). The Malaysian Parliament is to consider the bill on Tuesday.
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| Marry for love, not hate (UPDATED WITH CHINESE TRANSLATION) Posted: 27 Nov 2011 08:12 PM PST Let us take a hypothetical situation. Let's, say, Najib Tun Razak resigns as Prime Minister and, say, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah takes over. Also, say, many ministers, politicians, police officers, senior government officials, etc., are arrested and charged for corruption. Also, say, the new Prime Minister, Ku Li, reforms the police, judiciary, election commission, etc. Do you think all those who voted Pakatan Rakyat in 2008 would still do so now? NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Anwar takes some of the blame for defections in PKR after 2008 polls ********************************************** PKR party leader Anwar Ibrahim and party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail have promised us quality candidates in the coming general election.
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-post_28.html
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| WikiLeaks wins Australian journalism award Posted: 27 Nov 2011 06:50 PM PST
(AFP) - SYDNEY: WikiLeaks has been recognised in Australia for its "outstanding contribution to journalism", with founder Julian Assange lashing out at "cowardly" Prime Minister Julia Gillard in an acceptance speech. The anti-secrecy website was lauded at the annual Walkley Awards, where winners are chosen by an independent panel of journalists and photographers, for its courageous reporting of secret US cables. "WikiLeaks applied new technology to penetrate the inner workings of government to reveal an avalanche of inconvenient truths in a global publishing coup," the Walkley trustees said in bestowing the award Sunday evening. "Its revelations, from the way the war on terror was being waged, to diplomatic bastardry, high-level horse-trading and the interference in the domestic affairs of nations, have had an undeniable impact." The whistleblowing website has published thousands of cables in which US diplomats give their often candid views on world leaders, to Washington's acute embarrassment. Assange, an Australian citizen who has previously blasted Canberra for not doing enough to protect him in the fallout from the leaks, was scathing of the government in accepting the accolade in a pre-recorded video message. "The Gillard government has shown its true colours in relation to how it's handled US pressure on WikiLeaks," he said in footage shown on SBS television which broadcast the awards. "Australian journalists are courageous, the Australian population is supportive, but Julia Gillard is a cowardly Australian prime minister. "As Australians we shall not despair, as long as we can speak out, as long as we can publish, and as long as the Internet remains free, we will continue to fight back, armed with the truth," he added. Assange has spent much of the last year under virtual house arrest in Britain since he was detained in December 2010 over claims of rape and sexual assault made by two women in Sweden. He has strongly denied the allegations against him, claiming they are politically motivated and linked to the activities of WikiLeaks. The former computer hacker is currently appealing a decision against his extradition to Sweden to face the charges.
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| Gearing up Umno for coming polls battle Posted: 27 Nov 2011 06:31 PM PST The 62th Umno general assembly may the last assembly before the country casts its votes. No matter when the announcement for the 13th general election will be made, the 62th Umno general assembly scheduled to begin tomorrow until Dec 3 at the Putra World Trade Centre here will become the platform to drive the party towards election preparedness. By Ahmad Shukran Shaharudin, Bernama Although the current parliamentary terms ends in March 2013, various quarters, ranging from the governing party to the opposition, as well as political analysts, had anticipated that the next general election would be held sooner. However, to get a straight answer about the actual date for the next general election from Prime Minister Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is also Umno president, is probably the most difficult task to do at the moment. When he was asked in a recent interview with Bernama on whether this year's Umno general assembly would be the last assembly before the 13th general election, the prime minister spontaneously said: "Who said so? Maybe not." Nevertheless, Najib had, of late, been advising party members to be prepared to face the next general election, and hence, giving some kind of a signal that he seriously wanted the party's election machinery to be fuelled up for the election. Umno Information chief Ahmad Maslan said it would be a "big loss" if the topic of general election were not raised at the assembly since many believed that the polls was just around the corner. "I hope the delegates will discuss the topic in detail, especially on how to win back those lost seats, strengthen our positions in existing seats and wrest back the lost states," he was reported as saying at a media conference last week. Umno party election, which was supposed to be held during this year's assembly, had been postponed for 18 months. It was reported that the decision was not made on purpose, but was aimed at strengthening the party, prevent sabotage, foster unity and resolve the party's internal issues before facing the biggest challenge – the general election. Malay agendas The first time Umno supreme council decided to postpone the party polls was in 1999 where it was postponed to May 2000 to enable to party to focus on the 1999 general election. Debaters for this year's assembly had also been reminded to avoid making statements that would touch the sensitivities of other races while discussing the Malay agendas. Even more than that, they were also reminded to raise important issues and not to simply criticise others without giving supporting facts and suggestions. Among those who had given the reminders was Ahmad, who was reported as saying that in the context of 1Malaysia, the Malay agendas could still be expanded properly without hurting the feelings of other races in the country. "However, it would be wrong if we talk about the 1Malaysia concept without touching about the Malay agendas," he said. A total of 5,447 delegates will attend the Umno general assembly this year comprising 2,627 delegates from 191 divisions nationwide, 944 from Wanita, 942 from Youth and 934 from Puteri.
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| WIKILEAKS: The PR parties clearly have different visions for Malaysia Posted: 27 Nov 2011 06:14 PM PST
Reaching out to the two East Malaysian states is crucial to PR's bid to wrest federal power from the BN as the two states command about a quarter of the total number of parliamentary seats but have a tenuous relationship with UMNO which the opposition believes can potentially be exploited. In the meantime, PR leader Anwar faces a court trial and probable conviction on sodomy charges in early 2010. Still, the very existence of PR as a viable political force, coupled with the emergence of the uncensored and influential blogosphere that helped the opposition get its policy message to the public, has changed the political dynamics in Malaysia. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR BRIAN D. MCFEETERS, REASON 1.4 (B AND D) 1. (SBU) Summary. The three main Malaysian opposition parties held their first official joint convention on December 19, agreeing to a core platform of unified party positions and setting their sights on taking over the government during the next general elections. The opposition coalition known as the People's Alliance (PR) had previously been a well-organized but unofficial coalition consisting of the People's Justice Party (PKR), the Democratic Action Party (DAP), and the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS). This is the first time the three opposition parties cooperated on conducting a large-scale function that was open to the public, during which they approved a common policy framework which will be the cornerstone of the coalition's campaign to oust the ruling National Front (BN) when elections are held sometime before the end of June 2013. The PR coalition's agreed framework provides clear policies that it would implement should they gain power -- such as increasing oil revenue-sharing with oil-producing states from five to 20 percent -- while debunking the BN's claims that the PR is a collection of squabbling parties that fight more often than they agree. The parties clearly do have different visions for Malaysia, ranging from DAP's quest for race-blind liberal democracy to PAS's ultimate goal, placed on the back burner, of establishing an Islamic state. Even so, the leaders managed to convey that they were on the same page at the convention when they codified their areas of agreement in a lucid charter. For now, cohesion is winning, since the parties are united by their desire to unseat the BN -- whose United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has controlled the government since independence in 1957 -- and establish a more ethical government. In the meantime, PR leader Anwar faces a court trial and probable conviction on sodomy charges in early 2010. Still, the very existence of PR as a viable political force, coupled with the emergence of the uncensored and influential blogosphere that helped the opposition get its policy message to the public, has changed the political dynamics in Malaysia. Many of the values that the People's Alliance stresses -- such as accountable government and press freedom -- are in line with U.S. interests. While the opposition has a marked lack of clarity on many major foreign policy issues, it has a tendency toward protectionist rhetoric on trade, and would continue the current government's anti-Israel stance. End Summary and Comment. 4. (U) The opposition coalition, called the People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat or PR in Malaysian), comprising the People's Justice Party (PKR), the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) held its first convention on December 19 with the theme of "Guiding change to ensure victory." Polcouns, Poloffs, and diplomats from other embassies attended the convention held in Shah Alam, the capital of the PR-controlled state of Selangor. This is the first time the three parties have come together to formalize the coalition after announcing its formation on April 1, 2008, right after the March 2008 general election. The election, which has been described as a "political tsunami," saw the opposition capture five of thirteen state governments and 47 percent of the popular vote, with the opposition parties winning 82 out of the 222 parliament seats and thereby denying the ruling National Front (BN) coalition its customary two thirds majority in parliament. (Note: this is significant because it denies the BN the ability to amend the constitution, an option it frequently used in the past for political advantage. End Note.) Approximately 1,500 delegates from all three parties attended the convention. The three parties recently submitted their application to the Registrar of Societies to formally register as an official political alliance; they are currently awaiting a response from the registrar. All three leaders pledged their party's commitment to the coalition. Anwar Ibrahim stated that the People's Alliance is not just a political party but "a political movement that will bring about genuine change in the country." He urged the PR component parties to emerge from the "cocoon of their narrow sectarianism" and "to be fair to all the people" if they are serious about defeating the BN in the next general election. (Comment: Since the March 2008 general election, several senior PAS leaders have been promoting the idea of a PAS-UMNO unity government for the sake of Malay and Muslim unity. These PAS leaders who have been advocating this unity government were at the convention, including Hadi himself, indicating that the party is firmly committed to align itself with the PR. End Comment.) In his speech, Hadi quoted extensively examples from the Koran that promoted a plural society based on justice. He stated that in Islam it is cruel to discriminate against minorities, and urged non-Muslims not to take seriously the brand of Islam as promoted by UMNO, which he described as "not holding on to the true teachings and principles" of the religion. The three leaders avoided lashing out at Prime Minister Najib or other BN leaders by name, but Hadi drew applause when he noted that Putra Jaya, the federal capital, was only a few kilometers away from Shah Alam. 8. (SBU) Pakatan leaders unveiled a 33-page common policy framework described by a journalist from the BN-influenced "Star" newspaper as "a masterpiece of compromise between three dissimilar political visions" that contained promises of sweeping reforms and equality. The common platform, unanimously adopted by the 1,500 delegates at the end of the convention, has four major points: a transparent and genuine democracy; a high-performance people-centric economy; social justice and human development; and a better federal-state relationship and foreign policy. All three political parties pledged in the common framework to defend the Constitution; to practice needs-based affirmative action (as opposed to the race-based policy practiced by the BN); abolish all laws that violate human rights including the Internal Security Act; and restore and respect the separation of powers between the three branches of government. Other pledges include introducing a minimum wage (Malaysia has none); providing more powers and funds to the states; making the Election Commission, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), National Oil Company Petronas and other major government institutions directly accountable to Parliament, and having Parliament approve the appointment of important government posts such as the inspector general of police, attorney-general, MACC commissioner and auditor-general. PKR Vice President and prominent Sabah politician Jeffrey Kittingan, rumored to be at odds with PR leader Anwar, told Poloffs that, on the contrary, he was very happy the PR had given special attention to the two East Malaysian states. (Comment: Reaching out to the two East Malaysian states is crucial to PR's bid to wrest federal power from the BN as the two states command about a quarter of the total number of parliamentary seats but have a tenuous relationship with UMNO which the opposition believes can potentially be exploited. End Comment.) 11. (SBU) Despite the euphoria over the unveiling of a common platform, differences exist among the parties. PAS leaders have told us that the party is not abandoning its objective of forming an Islamic state in Malaysia, while DAP leaders are continuing to promote the dismantling of race-based policies and secularization of the government. The parties also are squabbling over representation at the state level. For example, PAS-controlled Kedah does not have a DAP politician in the state cabinet, much to the chagrin of DAP. The reverse is true in the DAP-controlled state of Penang. In Selangor, PAS wants the state government to ban the sale of alcohol in Malay majority neighborhoods, but the PKR and DAP-dominated state government have balked at this suggestion. In the run up to the March 2008 general election, opposition parties pledged to restore local elections if elected. However PAS and some PKR leaders opposed the restoration of local elections as they were worried that some local governments would be dominated by non-Malays should elections be held openly. To overcome these differences in opinion, PR has decided to postpone and tone down the discussion on restoring local elections, stating that the coalition is committed to "strengthen local government democracy and democratically enhance the competency and effectiveness of the delivery system and guarantee transparency at all levels." KEITH (December 2009)
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| BERSIH 3.0: a warning to Najib Posted: 27 Nov 2011 05:48 PM PST Najib forewarned he is heading for another political disaster after July 9 Bersih 2.0 misjudgment if rejects proposal for a Parliamentary Select Committee and forces the Peaceful Assembly Bill through all readings in Dewan Rakyat tomorrow Lim Kit Siang The Police Royal Commission Report 2005 listed the complaints against bias, unreasonableness and discrimination in the exercise of police powers under Section 27 of the Police Act 1967 which vests police with the power to regulate assemblies, meetings and processions through the granting of a permit, including the following:
There is nothing to demonstrate that in the six years after the publication of the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission Report and its 125 recommendations, the Malaysian Police has won public confidence as it has transformed itself into an independent, incorruptible and professional police force, discarding the outmoded colonial police concept of "regime protection" and replacing it with the modern principles and concept of "democratic policing". As a result, the rampant complaints against the lack of police independence and professionalism under Section 27 of the Police Act will continue to remain as major grievances under the Peaceful Assembly Bill unless there is a total change of police mentality and mindset that the police serve the people and the laws of the land and not the political masters of the day. To end all politicking and bias, and suspicion that the police are serving the agenda of their political masters, the role of the Home Minister as the final arbiter in the Peaceful Assembly Bill should be removed and replaced by the courts. The Australian Home Minister and the various Australian State Police Ministers have no role whatsoever in the decision-making process on freedom of assembly in Australia. Under the Queensland Peaceful Assembly Act, which is one of the models adopted by the Barisan Nasional government for the Peaceful Assembly Bill, only five days' notice to the relevant authorities is required for the holding of a public assembly and the courts are the final appellate authorities over any police decision to prohibit any assembly. Is the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak prepared to make amendment to Clause 16 of the Peaceful Assembly Bill which gives the Home Minister the powers as the final arbiter whether a peaceful assembly could be held and to vest these powers in the courts as in the Queensland Peaceful Assembly Act 1992 so as to eliminate all possibilities of political bias and politicking in the decision-making process? The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein is very fond of telling other people not to "politicise" issues when he as Home Minister had been most guilty of such politicking – as in the notorious cow-head stamping sacrilege in Shah Alam in September 2009 and the seditious lie by Utusan Malaysia earlier this year that DAP wants to create a Christian Malaysia. The Home Minister's powers as final arbiter under the Peaceful Assembly Bill on whether assemblies could be held is only one of the objections to the Bill and this is why more time must be given not only to MPs but to the civil society, human rights groups and all concerned Malaysians to study the implications of the very badly drafted Peaceful Assembly Bill by referring it to a Parliamentary Select Committee. I call on Najib to reconsider the decision to force the Peaceful Assembly Bill through all three readings in the Dewan Rakyat tomorrow as it will be proof that he has not learnt the lessons of his massive misjudgement and mishandling of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 peaceful rally for free,fair and clean elections in Malaysia. Najib should be forewarned that he is heading for another political disaster after his July 9 Bersih 2.0 misjudgement if he rejects the proposal for a Parliamentary Select Committee on the Peaceful Assembly Bill.
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| Posted: 27 Nov 2011 04:57 PM PST Najib's "clarification" is proof that Peaceful Assembly Bill is the worst and most slipshod bill in 54-year parliamentary history raising questions about the Prime Minister's bona fides in political reforms Lim Kit Siang The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak's last-minute clarification today of the Peaceful Assembly Bill (PAB) is testimony that the PAB is the worst and most slipshod bill ever drafted in the 54-year history of Malaysian Parliament as well as raising questions about Najib's bona fides in political reforms and transformation. Najib blamed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for "confusing" the public with regard to the 30-day notification requirement. He said: "Actually the wording is within 30 days, it can be within five or 10 days but that word led to so much confusion so we decided that 10 days to be specific, so that there will be no doubts." (The Malaysian Insider) Najib said the previous 30 days' notification did not mean a month's notice was needed. Najib's "clarification" is utterly ridiculous. In fact, Najib is presenting a sorry public spectacle of a Prime Minister who does not know what he is talking about, and even worse does not understand the content of the Bill he introduced in Parliament on Thursday though he described it as "revolutionary". It is a terrible reflection of the quality of leadership and governance in Malaysia that the Prime Minister can be so badly advised as to the Bill he presented in Parliament as to cause the Prime Minister to totally mislead Parliament and the country about its import and implications. I do not believe that Najib has deliberately told a lie about the PAB, but clearly he had been told a lie by his advisers causing him to spread a lie! I challenge Najib to explain how he could claim that under the PAB, before the proposed amendment tomorrow to reduce the 30-day notice requirement to 10 days, it would be possible to organise an assembly "within five or 10 days"? Let us take a hypothetical case. Say an organiser wants to hold an assembly on 30th December 2011. Clause 9 (1) of the PAB on "Notification of assembly" provides: "An organizer shall, within thirty days before the date of an assembly, notify the Officer in Charge of the Police District (OCPD) in which the assembly is to be held". Can Najib explain how the organiser could comply with the PAB if he gives notice to the police "within five or 10 days", i.e. from 20th December or 25th December? This is clearly impossible because Clause 12 requires the OCPD concerned to inform "persons who have interests" within 48 hours of the assembly notification and who have five days to communicate to the Police their "concerns or objections to the assembly". This would have taken up seven days - exceeding the five-day claim by Najib that a proposed assembly could be held. Under Clause 14, the OCPD has to respond to the notification of assembly within 12 days. Clause 16 provides four days for the right of appeal of the organiser to restrictions and conditions imposed by the police to the Home Minister, who has six days to give his decision. This means that the quickest an organiser will know about the outcome of his notification of an assembly on Dec. 30 is 12 days after submission of notification, provided the police does not impose restrictions and conditions. If there are police restrictions and conditions followed by appeal to the Home Minister, the quickest an organiser can clear the bureaucratic notification process is 22 days. This means that an organiser must give notification at least 22 days before the proposed assembly date or he may not be able to complete the maximum of 22-day bureaucratic notification process. The words "within thirty days before the date of an assembly" in Clause 9(1) is utterly misleading and meaningless and is no help to Najib to explain how an assembly under the PAB could be held "within five to 10 days". Najib should not blame the Pakatan Rakyat for the atrocious PAB drafting but the parliamentary draftsmen, the Attorney-General and his legal officers, as well as the entire Cabinet who have proven to be sleeping on their jobs. Najib said that under the PAB: "The Peaceful Assembly Act is divided into two categories, for designated areas, they only need to inform the police and there will be people to supervise even if it's on a short notice." "For non-designated areas, then it will require a 10-day period so the police can negotiate with the local community to get their views." (Malaysiakini) Here is further testimony of the atrocious drafting of the PAB. Where does the PAB say that the police must be informed for assemblies to be held in designated areas? The PAB is silent on the matter. Najib is offended at the comparison with Myanmar but can he explain why Myanmar can pass a law on freedom of assembly requiring only five days' notice but Malaysia needs 10 days' notice? In actual fact, if Article 10 of the Constitution guaranteeing freedom of assembly as one of the fundamental rights of Malaysians is to have real meaning, the government should not be designating permissible places of assembly, as all areas should be open to Malaysians to exercise their right to freedom of assembly – except for certain designated areas declared/gazetted "out of bounds" for security and other considerations. The "designated areas" should be places where freedom of assembly is not allowed rather than where freedom of assembly is permitted. Najib has only provided more grounds why there should be no indecent haste to force through the passage of PAB in Dewan Rakyat tomorrow and that it should be referred to a Parliamentary Select Committee for full, meaningful and mature consultation, consideration and consensus.
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| SapuraCrest-Kencana's management structure in place Posted: 27 Nov 2011 04:40 PM PST Both Sapura and Kencana have a common shareholder in the Employees Provident Fund with a 10.1 per cent stake and 7.8 per cent stake respectively in the companies. (Business Times) - SapuraCrest Petroleum Bhd executive vice-chairman and president Datuk Seri Shahril Shamsuddin will be group president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the new merged entity between the company and Kencana Petroleum Bhd. Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir, who is Kencana CEO, will be the enlarged group's executive vice-chairman, according to letters sent by the former and Shahril to their respective staff. |
| Tan brothers look to 'conquer' Penang Posted: 27 Nov 2011 04:36 PM PST (Business Times) - For a while now, there has been speculation about who would partner Ivory Properties Bhd in its multi-billion ringgit Bayan Mutiara project in Penang. |
| Dr M: All civil freedom ‘must be limited’ Posted: 27 Nov 2011 04:33 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Too much freedom will destroy society, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has charged, saying that civil freedom should have its limits. "All freedoms must be limited, the problem is determining the limits," he said today during a luncheon talk with foreign officials attending the Umno general assembly here. Dr Mahathir said in Malaysia there were increasing calls for "freedom of sex", citing this as a kind of "abuse of freedom" which could destroy society. "Society becomes primitive, backwards if there is too much freedom. A good amount is good, but too much freedom no," the former prime minister said. The Najib administration recently pledged a slew of reforms to allow more space for civil liberties. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tabled in Parliament last week a Bill regulating public assemblies. The proposed law has been criticised by opposition leaders as well as civil society groups as "haphazard" and they have demanded that it be withdrawn completely. Provisions of the Bill concerning the notification period for an assembly was amended after last Friday's Cabinet meeting.
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| Shahrizat says NFC issue ‘has nothing to do with me’ Posted: 27 Nov 2011 04:30 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Faced with increasing public pressure, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil said today she will address the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) controversy during Umno's general assembly this week, even though it has "nothing to do with me." "It is not a problem if the NFC issue is debated... I will answer during Wanita Umno's assembly," she told reporters here. "I will send a clear message to those people out there," said the federal minister, referring to Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Shahrizat refused to elaborate further, saying the NFC issue "had nothing to do with me." The NFC is managed by Shahrizat's husband and children. "I am being patient, as a woman I have to be calm... they (PR) are doing this because they are afraid of Wanita Umno's strength," Shahrizat said today. The NFC has been dogged by allegations of corruption and fund misappropriation after it made it into the pages of the Auditor-General's Report for 2010, which described the project "as a mess". Among others, PKR has alleged that the NFC funds were used for Shahrizat's personal expenses and that of her family, as well as to buy multimillion ringgit condominium units at the luxurious One Menerung in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Shahrizat's husband and NFC boss Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail has defended the purchase of the condo as well as denied the alleged failure of the project. PKR scoffed at Mohamad Salleh's remarks, saying he had failed to deny a single allegation and had merely offered explanations for the many discrepancies involving the NFC. Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar has denied the NFC was ever discussed in Cabinet, claiming it was handled by the Cabinet Committee for High-Impact Projects, which was then chaired by Datuk Seri Najib Razak. PKR had alleged that the funds meant for the NFC were used to fund umrah packages and set up two Singapore-based companies, both owned by Shahrizat's family.
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| IDEAS chief says he accepted MCA hudud forum invite in ‘good faith’ Posted: 27 Nov 2011 04:27 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan clarified today that his participation in the MCA forum on hudud does not mean he has anything to do with "any attempt to smear any political parties". "I accepted the invitation in good faith, based on the understanding that it will be an open discussion on the topic. "I did not expect the MCA president to suddenly turn the forum into a propaganda briefing," Wan Saiful said in a statement. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said last week that the party will convene a forum for its members on December 4 to counter PAS's claims on hudud. "We will discuss PAS's insistence to implement hudud and also disprove DAP and PKR assertions that hudud will not affect non-Muslims," he was reported as saying. Among the speakers at the forum are human rights lawyer Edmond Bon, Wan Saiful and Islamic Renaissance Front research fellow Ahmad Fuad Rahmat. Dr Chua had cautioned that hudud would have a big impact on everybody if PAS managed to implement the policy. Wan Saiful said he was invited by the chairman of the MCA research body Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP), Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, to be the moderator of the forum.
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| Anwar takes some of the blame for defections in PKR after 2008 polls Posted: 27 Nov 2011 04:23 PM PST (The Star) - Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has accepted some of the blame for the defections that have plagued the party after the 2008 election. "I admit that I am partly to be blamed because I endorsed their candidacies," he said. "But, at that time we lacked candidates and some even declined to become one. "Those who aspire to be our candidates, but have only the intention of becoming rich can forget about receiving the authorisation letters from the president," he said at the closing of PKR's Eighth National Congress here yesterday. Anwar predicted that the coming general election would be a "defining battle" for the country's political landscape. "We are better organised now compared with the last time," he said. "Traitors have left and the cooperation with the DAP and PAS is improving, which is a good sign for us in our effort to capture Putrajaya." Anwar claimed that he had been handed a booklet purportedly issued by Umno, containing instruction to spread lies and slanders about him and the PKR. He said this only confirmed his suspicions that Umno was fearful of him and was using everything it had to destroy the PKR. Earlier, Johor PKR chief Datuk Chua Jui Meng claimed that floods in Johor were because of the state's poor forest management, saying that only 15% of the forests were intact. He praised Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim for increasing the state's cash reserve to RM1.2bil after the last general election against the RM400mil recorded during his predecessor Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo's tenure. Meanwhile, Khalid pointed out that the rakyat could judge on the government they wanted. They could decide whether to trust the government or not by looking at its delivery and performance. According to Khalid, about 70% of Malaysians earned less than RM4,000 a month while 15% earned more than RM30,000 a month. He said the country would be peaceful if the wide income gap was reduced. Khalid, who described this as a major issue, said it was caused by poor management, corruption and abuse of funds.
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