Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Another round of fun and games?
- Should Malaysia bear the burden of Australian radioactive waste?
- Najib May Extend Handouts as Malaysia Vote Nears
- 10 Big Questions To Ask About Pengerang
- Shock! “Anwar private jet” used by govt TV station and Islamists! Shock! No Jews anywhere!
- Zahid: If not for infighting, UMNO can do better
- All The World's A Stage - Press Release regarding the Happy Mansion “Water Crisis” ...
- Gerakan says stands by claims Guan Eng is corrupt, tenancy doctored
- Former Usno members want seats
- Like a trapped animal (part 4)
- Why things are out of joint at MIA
- Anti-hopping law against constitution, says Nazri
- NGOs demand NST apology for foreign plot claim
- BN, Pakatan going all out to woo new voters
- Why the compulsion to lie, lie and lie, Rafizi?
- Businessman admits private jet loaned to Anwar, declines to reveal for how much
- Religious differences the new danger
- DAP must help PAS win over Malays
- Like a trapped animal (part 3)
- Khairy: Anwar lying about Pakatan’s need for private jet
- ‘Anwar approved attacks against Guan Eng’
- RPK sowing fear, says ex-comrade
- Anwar: Private jet is friend’s
- Zaid tells Dr M: I rather be an ungrateful Malay than a stupid one
- PR leaders: Tunku Aziz is a BN agent
- Photos of Pakatan leaders in private jet hits cyberspace
- Kepong Umno Youth chief stabbed, in critical condition
- Uproar against Ngeh and Nga at DAP convention
- Dong Zong duo get more flak
- Veteran newsman accuses Malaysiakini of being insincere
- Hasan Ali gesa PAS-Umno bersatu
- It’s all lies, there’ll be no anarchy
- Why Suaram’s status is suddenly so important
- Anwar: Dr M, Daim behind forex scandal
- A country of extremists
- In defense of the right to offend
- How to torpedo a submarine investigation
- Pakatan must prove its worth to win GE13, says Guan Eng
- Selangor govt confusing people on water issues, says Cassa
- Dr M: Hudud law will create injustice
- Dr M: Soros wants to install puppet PM
- Like a trapped animal (part 2)
- Dr M: Melayu tidak ‘bersyukur’ akan hilang kuasa dibawah pemerintahan PR
- Pakistan minister places bounty on anti-Islam filmmaker
- Liverpool, United add respect to rivalry
- Karpal: You don’t have be a Penangite to be CM
- Karpal gets support for anti-hopping bill
- PERSECUTION IN MALAYSIA - Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malaysia
- Ex-DAP Tunku Aziz: Lim Guan Eng appointed himself CM
- Ex-mufti: Pakatan should rebuke its own for anti-Islam remarks
| Another round of fun and games? Posted: 25 Sep 2012 12:43 PM PDT
(Free Malaysia Today) - In view of the impending 13th general election, the budget to be presented this Friday will certainly have many goodies to woo the voters but, according to Dzulkefly, whatever is doled out now will be regained a hundredfold and more by the incumbent government via the GST (goods and services tax) if it continues to win at the polls. Last week, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has asked the rakyat to give him a fresh full-term mandate in the coming 13th general election. He must have thought that we, the ordinary rakyat, have failed in our maths. The reason why this columnist makes this statement can be explained as follows: Najib took the oath of office on April 3, 2009. By Oct 3 this year, he will have been prime minister for three and a half years. And if the polls are held in March next year, it will be nearly four years that he has been prime minister. If we were to give him a fresh full-term mandate, he will have been prime minister between eight and a half to nine years overall. Do we want another round of fun and games pertaining to the polls date? Certainly not this columnist! Another round of this silly game will truly drive a lot of businessmen and investors up the wall. For the sake of good governance, it is time to end this tiresome game although the prime minister himself seems to be enjoying all the speculation going around. Many business owners certainly do not find it amusing nor entertaining. The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) has earlier this year issued a statement that they preferred the polls to be held fast. "Of course, the polls date is the prime minister's prerogative but he seems to enjoy taunting the rakyat with it," said Dzulkefly Ahmad, the PAS Kuala Selangor MP. In the meantime, three businessmen from an Asian country are having a good laugh at our expense. Their conversation was overheard by this columnist at the food court in a popular tourist spot in Kuala Lumpur. The first businessman was heard saying, "Look at Malaysia's massive national debt. Who would have thought that they would incur so much debt when they have so much natural resources?" The second businessman commented that Malaysia, however, did quite well in the recent Olympics. The third businessman remarked that while that may be so, the transport system in Malaysia has seen very little improvement. "If the current incumbent government continues to win at the polls, then Malaysia will continue to lag behind in Asia," added the third businessman. Slipping further No one in the 1960s and 1970s would have thought that Malaysia would be lagging behind some of its Asian neighbours years later. It is definitely a sorry state of affairs for Malaysians. And the only way forward for Malaysia to mount a serious challenge in the international stage in terms of economy and finance is to vote in a better government. Otherwise, we will continue to fall behind and slip further down the rankings. In the World Economic Forum (WEF) rankings, we have slipped from 21 to 25. We have also seen a deterioration in the Government Budget Balancing Ranking by slipping from 96 to 110 whereas in terms of inequality of wealth, even Indonesia at 36.8 fares better than Malaysia which stands at 46.2. Our heyday seems to be slipping away. We must have a slogan like: "Stop Corruption, Save Malaysia." Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/09/26/another-round-of-fun-and-games/ |
| Should Malaysia bear the burden of Australian radioactive waste? Posted: 25 Sep 2012 12:33 PM PDT
In other words, the Australia-based Lynas Corporation's wastes will not be an Australian problem. Instead, they will be a Malaysian and South China Sea regional problem. Australian Mining The radioactive waste generated by an Australian-owned rare earth extraction factory in Malaysia has generated a firestorm of controversy. The factory – the world's largest – is owned by Lynas Corporation, and will extract rare earths from materials shipped in from Western Australia. The factory is at Gebeng, near the city of Kuantan in Malaysia. The population of the metropolitan area is about 700,000. The factory is located very near to the South China Sea. At full capacity, it will be the world's largest rare earth extraction plant: about 22,000 tonnes of rare earth elements per annum will be extracted from material shipped in all the way from Mount Weld, Western Australia. The wastes from production will include radioactive thorium and uranium and their radioactive decay products such as radium and radon. The wastes will not be shipped back to Australia for safe disposal since Australian authorities have explicitly refused to accept them. Lynas has been granted a temporary operating license (TOL) for two years, and a generous 12-year tax exemption. But the project lacks an International Atomic Energy Agency-recommended long-term waste management plan, and there is no "permanent disposal facility" (PDF) for the wastes. Critics are alarmed by the fact that no Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) has been done, no long term waste management plan exists. Meanwhile, wastes are to be stored temporarily onsite. Lee Bell of the National Toxics Network estimated (based on the experience of China) that 22,500 tonnes of radioactive waste (containing water) will be produced per annum. Non-radioactive wastes include:
 Construction has gone ahead at Lynas' rare earths factory, despite concerns about radioactive waste. EPA/Ahmad Yusni Lynas also plans to have liquid discharge of 500 tonnes per hour into the nearby Balok River which flows into the South China Sea. The site is on reclaimed swampy, peat land with a high water table. What's more, it was actually flooded during the monsoon season of 2011-2012. Lynas' "Radioactive Waste Management Plan"¹ is as follows. Wastes generated are to be processed into synthetic gypsum for the manufacture of plaster board; gypsum for the manufacture of cement; magnesium-rich gypsum fertilizer for plantations, crops and for soil remediation; and carbon-enriched magnesium gypsum fertilizer to rejuvenate acidic soils. Lynas alleges that any material remaining can either be "disposed safely in a secure municipal landfill" if classified as non-scheduled wastes or "disposed at a licensed facility" if classified as scheduled wastes by the Malaysian Department of the Environment. Wastes are also to be commercialised as road building material, failing which it will be "permanently isolated" (whatever this means). The public lacks confidence in the regulatory authorities because of experience with the earlier Asian Rare Earth (ARE) project in Bukit Merah, Malaysia. This was partly owned by Mitsubishi. Its aim was to extract the rare earth yttrium from monazite ore. Read more at: http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/features/should-malaysia-bear-the-burden-of-australian-radi |
| Najib May Extend Handouts as Malaysia Vote Nears Posted: 25 Sep 2012 12:29 PM PDT
(Bloomberg) - "This will likely be another populist budget and the last spending spree before elections are called," said Chua Hak Bin, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Singapore, who has covered Malaysia for more than a decade. "Measures to seriously tackle the fiscal deficit and rising public debt will likely be absent. Fiscal reforms will have to come next year, after the general election."
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's efforts to build support ahead of national elections may spur more handouts to the poor and bonuses for civil servants, limiting progress in reducing the 2013 budget deficit. The country will probably post a shortfall of 4.3 percent of gross domestic product for next year, according to the median estimate of eight economists in a Bloomberg News survey before Najib presents spending plans on Sept. 28. The deficit would exceed 4 percent for a sixth year after a 4.7 percent gap projected by the government for 2012. Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings have recommended tighter public finances after Najib, 59, raised state salaries, handed cash to low-income households and unveiled rail and road projects to spur growth. The ruling coalition won re-election in 2008 by the smallest margin since 1957, and its five-decade grip on power will again be tested in a vote due by early 2013. "This will likely be another populist budget and the last spending spree before elections are called," said Chua Hak Bin, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Singapore, who has covered Malaysia for more than a decade. "Measures to seriously tackle the fiscal deficit and rising public debt will likely be absent. Fiscal reforms will have to come next year, after the general election." While the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index has fallen about 2 percent from its record close on Sept. 4, retailers such as Aeon Co. (M) Bhd. and Padini Holdings Bhd. may benefit from measures to boost incomes, according to Maybank Investment Bank Bhd. Record BudgetMalaysia's 2013 budget will be 259 billion ringgit ($84 billion), bigger than last year's record 232.8 billion ringgit, Citigroup Inc. estimates. The government, which joins counterparts from Thailand to the Philippines in increasing spending to protect their economies from the European debt crisis and a faltering U.S. recovery, proposed in June to expand the 2012 annual allocation by 13.4 billion ringgit. The spending boost has helped support Southeast Asia's third-largest economy even as the global recovery faltered, with expansion accelerating to 5.4 percent last quarter as construction and consumption climbed. Stronger domestic demand, particularly investment spending, is helping lift tax revenue and prevent the fiscal deficit from worsening, Chua said. Low Cost"Spending can be front-loaded, to coincide with elections, without harming the structural fiscal position," said Aninda Mitra, a Singapore-based economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. "The Malaysian government's low cost access to local-currency finance, its net external creditor status and recent reforms of its public-sector enterprises provide a cushion against near-term fiscal risks." Over the "medium-term," the rating implications of the drawdown of the current-account surplus amid "a continuing absence of structural fiscal reforms" remain a concern, he said. The cost to protect Malaysia's sovereign debt from non- payment has more than halved since last year's budget. Five-year credit default swaps fell to 91 from 213 on Oct. 3, 2011, according to data provider CMA, which is owned by McGraw-Hill Cos. and compiles prices quoted by dealers in the privately negotiated market. Najib may announce this week measures to make housing more affordable and highlight large construction projects underway, according to Citigroup. He may also repeat a one-off cash handout of 500 ringgit to low-income families, a measure from the 2012 budget, and give a half-month bonus for civil servants, said Lee Heng Guie, chief economist at CIMB Investment Bank. The prime minister will probably delay implementing a goods and services tax next year, United Overseas Bank Ltd. said. Political Bang"Expenditure will likely be reallocated to groups that deliver the best political bang for the buck," said Kit Wei Zheng, a Singapore-based economist at Citigroup. "With the threat of credit rating downgrades, unless progress is made on fiscal consolidation, the budget will have to walk a tight-rope between populism and fiscal prudence." Read more at: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-25/najib-may-extend-handouts-as-malaysia-vote-nears-southeast-asia |
| 10 Big Questions To Ask About Pengerang Posted: 25 Sep 2012 12:20 PM PDT
Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Datuk Seri Najib Razak (third from left) looking at the model of the Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) project in Pengerang. Pic by Hairul Anuar Rahim The total value is now RM120bil, with expected investments from Taiwanese and German petrochemical companies, easily making this Pengerang project the biggest-ever in the history of this nation. Thomas Fann On May 13 2011, PM Najib announced that Petronas will invest RM60bil in a major integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in Pengerang, Johor. The Refinery and Petrochemicals Integrated Development (RAPID) project by Petronas, as it is known, is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2016, as part of the national oil company's efforts to expand its downstream production. Exactly a year later on May 13 2012, when the RAPID project was officially launched, the total value is now RM120bil, with expected investments from Taiwanese and German petrochemical companies, easily making this Pengerang project the biggest-ever in the history of this nation. In the midst of all the excitement and promises of economic benefits to the state of Johor and the nation, there has been some disquiet amongst the Pengerang community. Local NGOs were formed and has submitted memorandums to various authorities and several protests were organised this year. It would be wrong to say that these NGOs and the people they represent are against any form of development in Pengerang but what many are concerned about is that it has to be sustainable. These local NGOs have adopted a unifying theme - Kekalkan Pengerang Lestari, or Maintain the Sustainability of Pengerang. Development of such scale must be embarked upon with regards for the people affected by it and be done responsibly to minimise its impact on the environment. We have to ask honest questions and hear honest answers to these questions so that the concerns of not just the Pengerangites but also Malaysians are allayed. There are many issues and questions to ask but I want to list down 10 big questions to ask the government about this massive project. Question 1 - The RAPID Project requires 6,424 acres of land but why is the Johor government using the Land Acquisition Act 1960 to acquire 22,500 acres of land? We hope a plausible and detailed explanation for its justification is forthcoming so that the government would not be accused of using Rapid as an excuse to grab land from the ordinary people of Pengerang. Question 2 – What is going to happen to the fishermen and smallholders who would have lost their means of livelihood? There are about 3,100 residents within the seven villages affected, who earned a living as fishermen and smallholders. Though some argued that 40,000 jobs would be created during the construction phase and 4,000 by the time the projects are completed in 2016, the reality are for many of these affected fishermen and farmers, it would be difficult for them to work in these new jobs because their skills are different. Question 3 - It has been reported that licensed fishermen are being offered RM30,000 compensation whilst unlicensed ones are offered half that amount. Smallholders with 1-2 acres land are offered between RM65,000 to RM105,000 for their land. As a "sweetener", the Johor government is offering "subsidized" alternative housing on 6,000 sq.ft. of land with built-up area between 750 to 1,600 sq.ft. The discounted prices the villagers would have to pay for these houses range from RM35,000 to RM105,000. In short, they would have given up their 1-2 acres of land and houses in exchange for 6,000 sq.ft. of land with a house on it, some 15-20km away, with little or no money in their pocket and no land to earn a living. I am told many of these lands are shared between several siblings in the first place, thus, after dividing the compensation they won't even be able to afford the "subsidized" housing. Is this a fair deal? Question 4 - Why is our government so keen to welcome KuoKuang Petrochemical of Taiwan when they have been rejected by their own country? Again, like the Lynas case, is our government telling us that Malaysian lives are worth not only less than the Australian but also now, less than the Taiwanese? We have to understand why the Taiwanese people were so against KuoKuang before we welcome them into our land. Question 5 - Is it true that a petrochemical plant the scale of Rapid would need massive amount of processed water a day to operate, almost 75% of Johor's current daily consumption? If this is true, wouldn't it cause acute water shortages in Johor? Have the government foresaw this and made plans to increase the supply of processed water for the state? Question 6 - Apart from consuming large quantity of water, it would also need large quantity of electrical energy? If not, has the government made plans to increase the energy output in Johor? Has this got anything to do with the rumoured nuclear power plants to be setup in Pengerang? What would our neighbour across the straits have to say about this, especially in the light of the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster? Question 7 - In May 2009, during a visit to Singapore, PM Najib proposed to his counterpart PM Lee that a third link be built linking Pengerang to Singapore. When would this proposal be followed-up with another announcement? Would it be after all the land near this third link has been acquired and parceled to third party companies so that they can make a killing? Question 8 – Currently the Department of Environment (DOE) requires developers to submit the EIA report. This report is paid for by the developers, in this case Petronas. Can we trust the glowing DEIA (Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment) report by Integrated Envirotect Sdn Bhd? Isn't it a case of "he who pays the piper calls the tune"? Shouldn't an independent panel of local and international Question 9 – It is oppression to the local communities when you unilaterally announce a major development without consultation. That was what happened in Pengerang. When PM Najib made the announcement in May 2011, it was said that even the local state assemblyman was clueless, let alone the villagers. Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is an approach outlined in international human Question 10 – For all the claims of huge economic benefits these petrochemical projects would bring to this country, we hear that the Taiwanese company, KuoKuang Petrochemical will be given a tax holiday of 10-years! Their government rejected them and ours give them this incentive to move here. While we, the taxpayer pay our government to look after us, hazardous foreign companies are invited into our country to pollute us tax-free, denying us probably billions in taxes which could have bee used to clean up the environment and improve health care here. What is going on here? In Conclusion... As Malaysians, we are concern with what is happening in Pengerang not because it could directly impact us but because it could be our homes and livelihood that would be taken next. What we are confronting is not an isolated situation but a systemic problem of lack of transparency, disregards for the people's rights and the environment. These are honest questions that are in need of answers from the only people who can answer them - the government. We hope that honest answers will be forthcoming in the days to come. We hope that the declaration "Rakyat didahulukan, Pencapaian diutamakan" (People first, Performance now) is more than an empty slogan when it comes to Pengerang. But for now, myself and thousand others will be attending Himpunan Hijau Lestari Pengerang on 30th September because we are seeking answers and standing in solidarity with our fellow Malaysians in Pengerang. For more information, you can visit www.hijau.info |
| Shock! “Anwar private jet” used by govt TV station and Islamists! Shock! No Jews anywhere! Posted: 25 Sep 2012 12:16 PM PDT
So Dato Mohd Taufik Haji Omar has already done a political favour before, and for an Umno politician. Was there any hue and cry about plane rides being used as political favours? uppercaise Shalom. Today is Yom Kippur. Here is the latest news on the Jewish conspiracy. • Shock! Bevy of beautiful girls flown from Subang to Alor Star! Okay, here's the deal:  In Denver 2005. Maybe Jews or CIA agents were on board? • Second political favour by Datuk T |
| Zahid: If not for infighting, UMNO can do better Posted: 24 Sep 2012 09:31 PM PDT
(Harakah) - Top UMNO leaders continue giving mixed signals about the party's chances of surviving the next general election, which must be called within the next nine months. Quoted by Malay daily Sinar Harian, UMNO vice president Zahid gave a less optimistic prediction, saying UMNO would likely perform better than 2008 but not as good as 2004, when BN won by a landslide majority.
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| All The World's A Stage - Press Release regarding the Happy Mansion “Water Crisis” ... Posted: 24 Sep 2012 08:09 PM PDT
The residents of Happy Mansion, a privately-owned apartment complex, in Section 17 were bewildered early morning yesterday by the sight of more than 300 people, mostly unknown faces, congregating around the compound; awaiting their turns to fill the water containers from several mobile water tankers. A production crew was filming the entire process; to create a 40 s infomercial regarding the water supply of Selangor. Further investigations have shown that the production was allegedly paid for by certain leaders from the Barisan National. Some residents had informed us that the crowd was paid RM50/each to participate in the production, while the JMB was given RM7500 for permission to use the place. Food was ample for those involve in the production. I denounced this act of concocting a water shortage in the state of Selangor. There have been no incidences or reports of water shortages in the area. Since 2008, we'd assisted the residents of Happy Mansion to qualify for the state's free water program by converting centralized meter to individual meter. The residents are upset with the charade and are demanding an apology from the makers of the infomercial. This incident could potentially put a dark spot on the value of their properties owing to the negative perceptions created by the filming. If the allegations are true, Barisan National should strongly reprimand the leaders responsible for creating such malign infomercial. The people expect an honest government and an honest media. The Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor Government, under the leadership of MB Tan Sri Khalid, had fulfilled its promise to provide free water to the needy. Since implementation in 2008, over 92% of low cost apartments have gotten free water, and more than 1 million individual subscribers have benefited from the program. The Selangor Government had spent more than RM400 million in this program. On the issue of treated water, the state water plants are capable of producing 4700 million litres per day (MLD) of treated water, whereas the daily demand of Selangor and KL averages around 3000 MLD. The Selangor government had repeatedly rebuked the necessity of the RM6 billion Langat 2 project. If SYABAS is unable to fulfill its contractual agreement of providing treated water to the people of Selangor, the state is willing to take over SYABAS to realize the responsibility. SYABAS currently owes more than RM2.8 billion to water treatment operators in the state. I would like to urge the public to call, inform, and write to your Member of Parliament and let them know that you disapprove of such sandiwara. The residents of Happy Mansion would like to know who instructed the filming of the infomercial. The film owners should be honest; come forward, and take responsibility over this fiasco. Hee Loy Sian MP Petaling Jaya Selatan
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| Gerakan says stands by claims Guan Eng is corrupt, tenancy doctored Posted: 24 Sep 2012 08:03 PM PDT
Opalyn Mok, The Malaysian Insider Gerakan said today it stands by its accusations that the Penang chief minister is corrupt and that a tenancy agreement of his rented residence that was publicly revealed was doctored. "We will not retract what we have said and we will not apologise," said Penang Gerakan deputy chief H'ng Khoon Leng. He said Gerakan has been raising the issue regarding the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's rented residence before the latter moved in. "We have also raised so many other issues that Lim evades from answering or responding to our allegations over the years in countless press conferences," he said. He said if Lim could not come clear with all issues raised including his rented bungalow and the controversial sale of the Taman Manggis land, then it shows that he has something to hide. "For the past three years, I have been saying that he (Lim) is corrupt but now when the elections is near, he suddenly wants to take action against me for saying this," he said. "In many press conferences, even on my Facebook profile, I have always said Lim is corrupt but it was ignored. Now, he suddenly wants to clear his name just because the general election is around the corner?" H'ng said. He said Gerakan was not afraid of Lim or the Penang state government as the issues raised are a matter of public interest and should be revealed to the public. "We based our allegations on facts and our own investigations. The issues we raised are not mere stories we made up out of nothing," he said. This morning Lim, through his political secretary Ng Wei Aik, had threatened to take action against H'ng, Gerakan Youth vice-chief Tan Kah Leong and Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng for alleging the tenancy agreement was doctored. Ng said Lim would also take action against H'ng for saying he (Lim) was corrupted if H'ng does not retract the statement within 24 hours. Ng was responding to statements made by H'ng, Kah Leong and Tee Beng that the tenancy agreement for Lim's rented residence was doctored as the landlord's name was obscured and the stamp duty was not clear. The tenancy agreement showed recently listed the rental of the house at RM5,000 a month. Lim is entitled to a RM4,000 a month housing allowance, and his office said the chief minister had been making up the balance of RM1,000 out of his own pocket.
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| Former Usno members want seats Posted: 24 Sep 2012 07:18 PM PDT These members who have joined Umno believe it is time to 'reactivate the synergy between Umno and Usno'. (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Disgruntled former members of Usno in Sabah are wanting their pound of flesh from Umno, whom they claim has shown little regard for Usno historical alliance and its loyalty. Usno, which was once the backbone of the Sabah Alliance government under chief minister Mustapha Harun – from 1967 until 1976 – was the reason Umno arrived in Sabah. Usno, under Mustapha, gave Umno a shortcut entry into Sabah politics to form the government through Barisan Nasional. According to former Usno secretary-general Onn Ariffin, Usno had agreed to allow Umno into Sabah believing that the two could unite the fragmented Bumiputeras under the peninsula-based party. But that has not been the case. The Usno established by Mustapha in Kampung Ayer, Kudat, on Oct 26, 1961 was dissolved in 1991 to allow all its leaders and members to join Umno en bloc. Said Onn: "It has been 20 years since Usno allowed Umno into Sabah. Umno is here due to the blessings and sacrifice of Usno… "[But gratitude has been slow]… there are still grumblings about former Usno leaders not having opportunities to be in the political frontline." Reminding Sabah Umno chief Musa Aman of Usno's history, Onn called on the state leadership to provide room for former members who were "still capable and trusted by the people". "The leaders must allow these people to continue their struggle on Umno's platform and not ostracise or sideline them. These people are still capable and trusted by the people. "It is important for us to expose winnable leaders who have been silent all this while, " Onn said in a statement here. He also urged the Umno state leadership to take stock of the fact that the brand name "Usno" was being flogged by many parties to woo voters. "The election is nearing and we must accept the fact that the name Usno is stuck in the heart of Sabahans and has a high value as a party with a distinguished heritage in the state political history despite it not being in existence for so long. "It is now time to reactivate the synergy between Umno and Usno and whatever differences and negative thinking between them should be set aside," Onn said.
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| Like a trapped animal (part 4) Posted: 24 Sep 2012 06:31 PM PDT
To Pakatan Rakyat, this may just be about winning or losing an election. To Umno, it is about the life and death of Barisan Nasional. Pakatan Rakyat can lose the election and still continue to exist as an opposition grouping. Barisan Nasional cannot lose the election and continue to exist as an opposition coalition. Barisan Nasional would be hit with a double whammy. Death will follow its defeat, a danger that Pakatan Rakyat does not face. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Record number of new voters to impact upcoming elections (The Star) - A record number of first-time voters will have a huge impact on the outcome of the 13th general election. With new voters now making up one in five of the country's 13.1 million voters or about 22% (2.9 million) of the electorate, both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat are expected to focus on wooing them over in their campaign strategies. A total of 2,920,828 Malaysians have registered as voters between 2008 and June 30 this year. "This is the highest figure so far. Over the last four years, we have been going all out to reduce the number of unregistered Malaysian voters," Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said in an interview. He said the 2.9 million first-time voters were almost equally divided between those aged below 39 and those 40 and above. "It can't be denied that new voters will have a major influence on the outcome of the next general election but whether they are youths or senior citizens, each vote will count," Wan Ahmad said. A total of 155,420 Malaysians signed up as voters in 2008. The numbers have progressively increased with 279,270 in 2009, 826,462 in 2010 and 1,221,635 last year. An additional 438,041 people registered as voters between Jan 1 and June 30 this year. ********************************************* Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will not want to call for the 13th General Election independent of the state elections, in particular the four Pakatan Rakyat-led states. Umno would like to dilute the opposition election machinery and one way would be to hold simultaneous federal and state elections involving all the states -- save Sarawak, which already held its state election in April last year. When nationwide elections are held at both federal and state levels, everyone would focus on defending their own fort, or attacking their opponent's fort in their own constituency. Very few, other than key federal leaders, would have the time to criss-cross the country to help campaign in other constituencies. As the Malays would say: jaga kawasan sendiri. I remember back in 2004 when I was heading the election campaign for the then PKR Deputy President, Abdul Rahman Othman. Haji Rahman was contesting against the Member of Parliament for Putrajaya, Tunku Adnan Tunku Mansor. We were heavily outgunned and even the police were giving us a hard time. Haji Rahman's son was beaten up as he distributed pamphlets and I was surrounded by two carloads of Umno 'bouncers'. I had to pull out a knife to keep the Umno toughies at bay. They phoned for the police, who arrived almost immediately. When we made a police report regarding Haji Rahman's son's beating they ignored us. Hence it was clear that the police were part of the Umno campaign. And that was not the first time, mind you. That happened also in the election before that in 1999. I sent out SOS messages calling for reinforcements. No one came to our aid. Everyone was busy fighting losing battles in their own constituencies. And boy, did we get whacked good and proper in 2004? That was the worse performance ever for the opposition. Anyway, the point is, in a nationwide election campaign, Barisan Nasional has a more formidable army compared to Pakatan Rakyat. Pakatan Rakyat is an expert at guerrilla warfare. In conventional warfare where firepower is crucial, Pakatan Rakyat will lose out. And that would be how Najib hopes to retain power. The weapon Umno will use, of course, will be race and religion. This has worked for 66 years since 1946, meaning five generations. So why can't it continue to work? And, as they say, why fix something that is not broken? By the way, I say five generation because 1946 was during my grandfather's time and I am now a grandfather myself. So that makes five generations. Umno has accepted the fact that it has lost the Chinese support. It is confident that it can win back some Indian support, though. Nevertheless, MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP are doomed and we may see, in the end, Barisan Nasional in Peninsular Malaysia being just Umno with maybe ten or less seats for MCA. But that would be about it. Hence, for Barisan Nasional to continue to exist, Umno will have to depend on the non-Umno partners from East Malaysia. If Barisan Nasional fails in East Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak fall to Pakatan Rakyat, then Barisan Nasional will be reduced to just Umno. For all intents and purposes, Barisan Nasional will cease to exist other than in name only. Hence, also, Umno cannot afford to lose Sabah and Sarawak. First, that would mean Pakatan Rakyat would be able to form the federal government. Secondly, it would mean Barisan Nasional might as well disband and Umno continue as a 'solo' party. So there is so much at stake here, not only the federal government, but also the legitimacy of Barisan Nasional to continue to exist. To Pakatan Rakyat, this may just be about winning or losing an election. To Umno, it is about the life and death of Barisan Nasional. Pakatan Rakyat can lose the election and still continue to exist as an opposition grouping. Barisan Nasional cannot lose the election and continue to exist as an opposition coalition. Barisan Nasional would be hit with a double whammy. Death will follow its defeat, a danger that Pakatan Rakyat does not face. Hence we are talking about two very different 'value systems' here. Allow me to use the following analogy. When a fox chases a hare, the hare will have to be faster and cleverer. The hare will feel more desperate than the fox. The fox is just running for its dinner. If it fails to catch the hare it just misses its dinner, that's all. The hare, however, is running for its life. If it fails to escape it loses its life. So which is more crucial, your dinner or your life? And who do you think will fight harder, he who is about to lose his dinner or he who is about to lose his life? Malaysia now has about 13 million voters, about three million of them newly registered since March 2008. I expect about 9.5 million to 10 million of these registered voters to come out to vote in the coming general election. That would be roughly 1.5-2 million more voters than in March 2008. Let us assume that a few more Chinese voters swing to Pakatan Rakyat compared to March 2008. So the number of Chinese voters who vote opposition increases slightly. Najib is hoping that the Indian voters who swing back to Barisan Nasional can offset this increase in Chinese voters for Pakatan Rakyat. In other words, the Indian votes will cancel off the Chinese votes -- so you are back to square one. If this happens, as what Najib thinks and hopes will happen, it would then all depend on the Malay voters for Barisan Nasional to retain power. And for this to happen race and religion would become a very crucial weapon. Malays are actually more parochial and regionalistic than racial. For example it would be very difficult for a Malay (meaning Muslim as well) from Kemaman, Terengganu, to contest and win in Besut, also in Terengganu. Never mind he is a fellow Malay-Muslim from Terengganu. As far as the Besut people are concerned, he is not from Besut but from Kemaman. Hence the Malays are worse than the Chinese in that sense. People like Lim Kit Siang or Lim Guan Eng can contest in Penang, Selangor, Perak, Melaka, Johor, or wherever, and still win. Never mind where Kit Siang or Guan Eng were born. They can even become Chief Minister of Penang or Melaka and that would not be a problem with the Chinese. The Malays cannot accept that. Can a Penang Malay become the Menteri Besar of Kelantan or a Kelantan Malay become the Menteri Besar of Johor? No way Jose! That would be unthinkable. So it is not just about whether the person must be Malay, Chinese or Indian. Even if he is Malay, the question is: a Malay from which state? And for some states, say like Terengganu, being a Malay from Terengganu is not enough. Which part of Terengganu also matters. Kemaman is Kemaman and Besut is Besut, both in Terengganu but different parts of Terengganu. You might say that race and religion no longer matters. You might say that Malaysians, especially those 'new' three million voters who registered to vote since 2008, have put race and region behind them. If you say this then you are most likely Chinese and are thinking like a Chinese. Let us put that theory to a test. The Malaysian Constitution does not stipulate the race, religion and gender of the Prime Minister. Can the Chinese and Indians accept Nurul Izzah Anwar as the Prime Minister? Most likely they can -- say given a few more years experience as a Member of Parliament and by the time she is, say, 50 or so. But since she is a woman the Malays would find it difficult to accept her as the Prime Minister even though according to the Constitution that is perfectly legal. What about Lim Guan Eng as the Prime Minister? The Chinese will be delighted. The Malays, however, will be appalled. And let Pakatan Rakyat try to announce that if they win the next general election Anwar Ibrahim is going to be Prime Minister and if they win again in 2018 Lim Guan Eng will take over as Prime Minister. That would be the end of Pakatan Rakyat. Pakatan Rakyat would be dead meat. Even the army and police would take to the streets to engage Malaysia in a civil war. Note, though, that not only the Malays are like this. Say Pakatan Rakyat announces that if they can retain Penang in the coming general election a Malay is going to take over as the Chief Minister of Penang. Barisan Nasional then announces that if they win Penang they will make sure that a Chinese from either MCA or Gerakan (depending on who wins the most number of seats) will become the Chief Minister. I say that Barisan Nasional will take back Penang hands down. I remember back when Anwar Ibrahim was in the government and his political secretary, Dr Ibrahim Saad, for the first time contested a state seat in Penang and won. He then lobbied to become the new Chief Minister and Anwar scolded him and said he was crazy. If we appoint a Malay Chief Minister the Chinese will punish us and Penang is going to fall to DAP. Even if Gerakan wins just one seat and MCA gets nothing, we will still have to appoint a Chinese Chief Minister, said Anwar. To pacify him, Ibrahim Saad was appointed the Deputy Chief Minister. So there you have it. Do you think this is only a Malay 'problem'? Even if Umno sweeps most of the seats and Gerakan and MCA combined win less seats than Umno, the Chief Minister must still be Chinese. Okay, let's do another experiment. Pakatan Rakyat announces that not only will a Malay take over as the Penang Chief Minister, but a non-Muslim Chinese will take over from Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat as the Menteri Besar of Kelantan. Do you think Pakatan Rakyat can retain Penang and Kelantan? Okay, forget about appointing a non-Muslim Chinese as the Menteri Besar of Kelantan. Appoint a Muslim but a Muslim from Sabah as the Menteri Besar of Kelantan. Announce that before the election and let's see if PAS can retain Kelantan. So Malaysians are not really as liberal as they pretend to be, even the so-called liberals reading Malaysia Today. We are all still very racial and parochial. And that will decide how the people are going to vote. And anyone who says otherwise is in denial mode. They are just lying to themselves. And until the Chinese in Penang can agree to a Malay Chief Minister then the Chinese are just as bad as the Malays but are masquerading as liberals. And do you think DAP can do it alone without the Malays? DAP needs the Malays. Without the Malays DAP is as dead as MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP. I have read many comments posted in Malaysia Today by readers who say that the Chinese do not need the Malays. In fact, I have deleted scores of such comments because they only serve to rub the Malays the wrong way and does not help Pakatan Rakyat's cause one bit. Do you really believe this? Well, look at the table below and tell me whether you still think so. See what happened over the last ten general elections. If DAP depends just on the Chinese voters, at best it can win only 20-25 Parliament seats. That means only 10% or so of the number of seats in Parliament. Who then, contributes the balance 90%? Something to think about, no? ********************************************* Parliament seats won by DAP 1969: 13 out of 49 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 50.7%) 1974: 9 out of 19 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 39.3%) 1978: 16 out of 24 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 42.8%) 1982: 9 out of 22 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 39.5%) 1986: 24 out of 29 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 41.5%) 1990: 20 out of 53 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 46.6%) 1995: 9 out of 30 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 34.8%) 1999: 10 out of 45 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 43.5%) 2004: 12 out of 21 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 36.1%) 2008: 28 out of 82 (total popular votes garnered by the opposition: 46.75%) |
| Why things are out of joint at MIA Posted: 24 Sep 2012 04:09 PM PDT The MIA management is another area that seems in dire need of improvement as the word on the street is that "the good ones leave" for better opportunities elsewhere. At worst, the bad ones get promoted and to rub salt into the wound, not based on merit. This is also one of the main reasons why the institute is not seen to be doing enough for the profession. Concerned Number Cruncher PREAMBLE Lately the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) seems to be in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Some members have been highlighting problem areas in its governance system, and this has led a certain faction to question whether the institute knows what it really needs to do in the interest of a better future for the accounting profession. It would be meritorious for everyone concerned to gain a clear understanding of MIA's true role of putting in place a system that enables, ultimately, the protection of public interest, but it does not take a rocket scientist to see cracks in the system caused by the way the institution is run. QUESTIONABLE GOVERNANCE Indeed, the World Bank, in a recent report on the observance in Malaysia of accounting and auditing standards and codes, pointed out gaps and loopholes that impede the development of the country's accounting and auditing fraternity. It highlighted the need for MIA to review its governance structure so that it may fully deliver its mandate as the regulator of the Malaysian accounting and auditing profession. It said this review should address, among other areas, the structure and membership of the council that leads the institution, the membership admission processes, and the assessment of quality standards for university accounting degree programmes. MIA would also need to ensure effective monitoring and enforcement of standards and determine the level of resources required to enable it to deliver its mandate effectively, the report said. Having observed the progression of events framing the role of the institution over the past years, as an accountant and therefore a party interested in the evolution of the profession, I am inclined to raise some pertinent issues that point to the need for reforms at MIA. FALLING SHORT OF IDEALS MIA was incorporated under the Accountants Act 1967, which sets out its role and powers as an institution that governs the profession. Given that accountants are professionals that undergo rigorous training in order that they may become members of MIA, it was apparent in its early days that those who decided on the direction for the profession had intended for it to be largely self-regulated, with members determining its direction and developmental needs. Is the set-up of the MIA council conducive to enabling good governance within the institution, resulting in the profession being able to meet the needs of the nation? Issues in relation to the lack of accounting skills in Malaysia because of a brain drain continue to be raised at various levels, including in the ROSC report. In addition, MIA through its very own Practice Review function has indicated that the quality of auditors in this country needs to be stepped up a great deal for them to be on par with their counterparts in developed nations. The lack of clarity regarding MIA's role today is another signal that something is indeed not right with the way it performs that role. Previous MIA presidents Tan Sri Abdul Samad Alias and Nik Mohd Hasyudeen Yusoff did attempt to position MIA as a body with both regulatory and professional development functions, but where is this clarity today? GETTING PRIORITIES RIGHT Capacity building for the profession is paramount. However, in these last few years, MIA has not been seen to have been significantly building capacity for members. Instead, it appears to have been wielding its regulatory powers ever more actively. Members are told to pay for education and development, and this brings into question what value we are to derive from being members of an institution that is constantly raising the bars on how we should operate. The very fact that some members are proposing the establishment of a technical centre at MIA also raises red flags, because if MIA is unable to provide this service in a satisfactory manner to its own members, does this not point to a deficiency of skill and talent in the industry? I believe that these are among the issues creating gaps in MIA's governance system. We have been stuck in a mindset of preferential policies for too long, and these have filtered down into the MIA mindset. We should be going for quality, but current policies seem to be more in line with quantitative expansion. The Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) in its Economic Transformation Roadmap indicates the need for all future accountants to have professional qualifications prior to being admitted as MIA members. This is a move to step up the quality of Malaysian accountants so that they will be globally competitive, but not much has been done to bring this to the fore. DANGEROUS BRAIN DRAIN Indeed this is a very pertinent issue for a nation that is in the midst of an economic transformation process, one in which I believe accountants have a very important role to play. There is a need for MIA to have its goals aligned with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak's vision to produce people who are capable of supporting the nation's transformation needs. However, with MIA's present structure and policies, it would seem that these concerns are not being met. Instead, I hear of young professionally qualified accountants leaving the country for greener pastures because they cannot see a clear career path here. Who can blame them when it is so difficult, for instance, to secure an audit licence here and there are better opportunities abroad? If global mobility is the norm, and the Malaysian accounting landscape is as attractive as in other countries, then why are we not attracting talent from other countries? A QUESTION OF NEW LEADERSHIP Let us look at the structure of MIA and see whether it is optimally set up to ensure dynamism in the profession. The council of 30 members, which guides MIA and its management, is headed by a President who is assisted by a Vice President. The council and the two top officials are supposed to have clearly defined roles. But there has been no such clarity in the practice of those roles in the last couple of years. It seems as if there are precious few or no other individuals who can be tasked with leading the institute. In some cases, we see the same people returning to leadership positions. Is this how we want our profession to be seen? Are we so incapable of nurturing new leaders who are able to bring fresh insights and position the institution in a new light, such as was done quite exemplarily by Nik Hasyudeen, who took over the helm from Abdul Rahim Hamid between 2007 and 2009? At the time, MIA was seen to be dynamic and responsive to issues facing the profession. Abdul Samad did his fair share to lead the institute following the restructuring in 2001 and put in place fundamentals that were meant to propel the institution forward. I also feel strongly that appointment of President of the Institute should be based on merit, with consensus from members and no other consideration, especially not preferential policies. It would go against the interest of the profession if leadership positions were accorded on grounds other than merit. DE-POLITICISE THE INSTITUTE The composition of the present council also needs re-examining. It is rigid and prone to political abuse, if politicisation of the professional institution hasn't already happened. If as a nation we are able to practice democracy in how we elect our leaders, why is it that MIA's council is overwhelmed by government appointees? The council reports to the Accountant General (AG), who in turn reports to the Minister of Finance. Given that the AG is a representative of the Minister of Finance, do we need 19 others to be appointed by him or should we be looking at providing equal footing to every member who harbours an aspiration to serve fellow members while at the same time contributing to the growth of the profession and the nation? Why are we so afraid of meritocracy? Is there fear of power abuses? I am convinced that a group of professional accountants would be able to devise checks and balances to ensure this does not happen. It is important to understand that MIA members, who fund the institution with their subscription fees, have the onus of self-regulation. Nobody would be able to understand the challenges of the profession better than the members themselves, and it makes sense to enable them to choose among themselves who are best able to guard the credibility of the profession. As educated professionals, they surely realise that any abuse of power or negative behaviour that is not aligned with national goals would only hurt the profession. If we cannot run our own organisation, how does it make sense that we are tasked as gatekeepers and guardians of other people's companies? MANAGEMENT UNDER FIRE The MIA management is another area that seems in dire need of improvement as the word on the street is that "the good ones leave" for better opportunities elsewhere. At worst, the bad ones get promoted and to rub salt into the wound, not based on merit. This is also one of the main reasons why the institute is not seen to be doing enough for the profession. It does not have the quality talent with the passion required to drive the evolution of the profession and power the transformation that the Malaysian accounting profession really needs at this juncture. The appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO) is yet to take place more than half a year after the departure of the previous one. Again, we hope the appointment is based on merit and a proven track record. As an accountant, I am saddened to note that an institution set up with the noble intention to lead and develop a sector of professionals so important to the growth of the nation continues to be mired in, among other things, petty politicking and a crisis of its own identity and relevance to members. It is clear as day that in this age of reforms and transformation for Malaysia, MIA too needs its own set of reforms so that it is able to help accountants maintain their relevance as public expectations of our work continues to grow. |
| Anti-hopping law against constitution, says Nazri Posted: 24 Sep 2012 03:48 PM PDT
(The Star) - ANY law that prohibits an elected representative from moving from one party to another would go against Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which protects the freedom of association, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz. "Article 10 of the Federal Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of association. Any individual is free to join any party without having to vacate their seats as a penalty," he told Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) in a written reply. Karpal had asked the Government whether it would support Pakatan Rakyat MPs idea in proposing a change to the Federal Constitution to bring in an "anti-hopping law". Nazri said any proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution was a policy issue which needed to be studied as a whole, next to other related laws. "The Federal and respective state constitutions, as well as the Elections Act 1958, only authorise the Election Commission to determine whether or not a seat is vacant after receiving notice from the speaker of Parliament or a state assembly." He also noted that existing laws do not empower the EC to determine penalties against elected representatives who change parties.
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| NGOs demand NST apology for foreign plot claim Posted: 24 Sep 2012 03:35 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Six organisations are demanding an apology from the Umno-linked New Straits Times newspaper for claiming they were part of a plot to destabilise the government. The newspaper was given 48 hours to apologise, failing which the non-governmental organisations would consider legal action. In its September 21 front-page story, the NST had reported that a number of NGOs including human rights group Suaram and electoral reform organisation Bersih had received funds from foreign sources as part of a plot to destabilise the government. Activists said today they are now the target of a smear campaign after a number of newspapers aligned with Barisan Nasional (BN) published stories alleging organisations like Suaram and Bersih took foreign funds as part of a plot to destabilise the country. It is understood the stories appearing in mainstream newspapers and television news programmes are based on a skeleton plan produced by Putrajaya. Activists had previously acknowledged to The Malaysian Insider that many of their organisations had received funds from foreign and local sources, but said the money was meant to help finance their respective causes such as to promote democratic practices and campaign for human rights. They said the funds and their sources were not part of any plot, as suggested by the NST headline. A host of local non-governmental organisations were named in the NST report, including Suaram, Lawyers for Liberty, Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) and the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ). A similar story also appeared in MCA-owned newspaper The Star. Both stories quoted sources and unnamed investigators probing the financial background of the NGOs. The stories pointed out that RM20 million had been received by the NGOs between 2005 and last year from foreign sources such as the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the New York-based Open Society Institute (OSI). It was not stated why the organisations were under investigation and what they had been doing to destabilise the government or the country. But many of these organisations have been involved in recent years with campaigns for electoral reforms and for human rights. Today, six of the NGOs named said the report was unfounded and written in bad faith. "We are taking this very seriously. The matter is in the hands of our lawyers," Bersih co-chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan told reporters today. "We expect to see a response from New Straits Times within 48 hours, failing which we will take all the necessary steps and all the steps that are open to us under the law." The demand was also endorsed by Suaram, CIJ, Lawyers for Liberty, Merdeka Center and the Southeast Asian Centre for E-Media (Seacem). On Sunday former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad suggested that currency speculator George Soros was attempting to usurp political power from the BN government by appointing his own leader as the next prime minister of Malaysia. Dr Mahathir made the statement when asked to comment on several local NGOs that were in the limelight recently after the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry called on the Registrar of Societies to investigate Suaram, which had received funds from Soros-linked organisations. Today, The Malaysian Insider reported that Soros not only funds pro-democracy groups in Malaysia, but has also funded activities of the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) which was led at one time by his chief Malaysian critic's daughter, Datuk Paduka Marina Mahathir. The US citizen has been in the limelight lately after government-friendly mainstream newspapers and a television station said his Open Society Institute (OSI) had funded pro-democracy groups out to destabilise the BN government under Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The media did not offer proof of any destabilisation efforts.
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| BN, Pakatan going all out to woo new voters Posted: 24 Sep 2012 03:15 PM PDT
(The Star) - Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat political parties are going all out to win the hearts of about 2.9 million newly-registered voters in the coming general election. Tanjong Karang MP Datuk Seri Noh Omar said Barisan MPs would change their approach towards voters. "Normally, MPs would be present at events where the constituents invite us for. This time, we will seek out the constituents and check on their needs instead of waiting for an invitation from them," said Noh, who is also the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister. Hulu Selangor MP P. Kamalanathan said the focus was on youths, with a continuous effort in resettlement of rural youths in urban areas through specialised programmes. "The president (Datuk Seri G. Palanivel) has been travelling around the country to reach out and let the public know of Government initiatives for the community, especially for Malaysian Indians," said Kamalanathan, who is also MIC information chief. MCA vice-president Gan Peng Sieu said the party's groundwork had always been a continuous affair, though it was more intense during the election period. "There will probably be more roadshows, campaigns and a mega rally closer to the election date, as the purpose would be to dispel the lies and fabrications against the party, which has even involved character assassinations," he said. The 2,920,828 new voters registered between 2008 and June 30 this year form about 22% of the electorate, or one in five of 13.1 million voters. Gombak MP and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said his party would not succumb to gutter politics, but would promote its policies to let the public decide. "We will offer the rakyat, especially the youths, with clear policies on various aspects like education and economy and how we intend to address national issues," he said, adding that the Pakatan Rakyat would finalise its budget by Friday. Parit Buntar MP Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said PAS would focus on "bread and butter" issues such as household income and cost of living during the run-up to the polls.
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| Why the compulsion to lie, lie and lie, Rafizi? Posted: 24 Sep 2012 03:10 PM PDT
According to KL Chronicle, Opposition Strategist Rafizi Ramli has again made a nonsensical and irresponsible statement regarding Approved Permits (AP) for the import of cars - intended specifically to confuse the rakyat, and create dissatisfaction towards the BN Government. Why is Rafizi still lying to the rakyat, it asks in a recent posting? In another September case, reports and blogs say Rafizi is not to be believed. Why? Is it because Section 114A of the Evidence Act now requires news portals and bloggers to report accurately, or have journalists and editors found Rafizi to be a pseudologia fantastica? Fabiani Azmi Psychiatrists say there are three of several terms that best describe compulsive liars, pseudologia fantastica, mythomania, or pathological lying. According to Wikipedia, it was first described in medical literature in 1891 by Anton Delbrueck. Although controversial in nature, pathological lying has been defined as "falsification entirely disproportionate to any discernible end in view. It may be extensive and very complicated, and may manifest over a period of years or even a lifetime." But before we delve into this illness of the mind any deeper, let's look at National Feedlot Corporation's bone of contention that Rafizi had been lying all these months to defame them and create unwarranted public outrage. Rafizi lied on radio There is nothing better than hearing it from the horse's mouth, they say. In a BFM 89.9 podcast, there is a recording with Rafizi in which he tells listeners that NFCorp was never serious in doing the beef business. Rafizi went on to make dramatic defamatory statements to say that money was being swindled and siphoned off. NFCorp however in a news release had said that the company has over 160 customers buying their Gemas beef. These customers comprise hypermarkets, supermarkets, minimarkets, wet markets, pasar tani, processed meat manufacturers, and a host of hotels, restaurants and cafes (HORECA sector). The customers subsequently sell to more than 100,000 retail consumers each week. Now if this is not serious business, what then is it? Why did Rafizi lie to cast a different perception? Can we count on Rafizi to count correctly? Rafizi claims he is a trained chartered accountant. In a Malaysian Insider report (1 November 2011), he said NFCorp met only 5% of the projected annual plan of 50,000 tonnes of beef (5% from 330,000 heads of cattle) for 2009. Rafizi with a gang of PR assemblymen had tried to gain entry into the NFC to do some arithmetic audit. According to the Malaysian Insider, they were rebuffed by security while arguing that they had a right to go in and "count cows". So if Rafizi and gang had not entered the NFC, how did he count the heads of cattle? An Implementation Agreement sighted showed that NFCorp met preliminary targets set by the government for the NFC. For 2010, NFCorp's target was charted at 8,000 heads. NFCorp had imported 8,897 heads of cattle, 897 heads or 11 per cent more than the target charted for that year. As always, Rafizi appears to have not had the correct picture or the full set of numbers. His dramatization of his arguments was premised on lies and fabrications. The target of 330,000 heads of cattle claimed by Rafizi does not exist. Even going up the road, the official target for 2015 in Schedule 9 of the Implementation Agreement for NFCorp reads 60,000 heads of cattle. So why did Rafizi misrepresent and distort? More so, why did Rafizi lie to Malaysians? Can Rafizi read? Or did he not read? The Auditor General's 2010 Report was very clear that the Auditor General (AG) only audits the government machinery comprising ministries, government departments, government agencies, government owned companies, and government projects. The AG's foreword confirms this. It does not audit private limited companies registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM). But at the outset of the NFC commotion in 2011, Rafizi went at length to demonise NFCorp (the company) backing the Auditor-General's assertion that the project had turned "into a mess" (Malaysian Insider, 1 November 2011). On 26 January 2012, the AG Tan Sri Amrin Buang surfaced with a news release to clarify that NFCorp had not been audited, only the government NFC project under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry was. More importantly, NFCorp was not in a "mess", putting to rest months of tireless public bashing from hard-line critics and a riled public. According to the AG's statement, the audit was to evaluate whether the NFC project had been carefully planned, whether its implementation was carried out prudently and had met its objective. The audit was never on NFCorp. So why did Rafizi misrepresent and distort NFCorp? Why did he lie? No free land and certainly not 5,000 acres Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin had in a 11 November MalaysiaKini report said, "Rafizi had alleged that NFCorp was given 5,000 acres of land in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, for free. This is categorically false – NFC was only offered 1,500 acres on lease by the Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Incorporated." "Two major errors: on the acreage of the land in question and the fact that it is on lease, not handed out for free. You will notice that Rafizi makes no mention of this in his MalaysiaKini piece on Nov 10, although there is still the Nov 1 blog entry with the words '1 lembu = 5 ekar'." "Great math," quipped Khairy. Documents sighted show the existence of a lease agreement – so the land isn't free as claimed by Rafizi. And Khairy was right that it was just 1,500 acres. The lease agreement reads so. So why did Rafizi lie? Perhaps Khairy sums it best when he said, "Something that has become terribly clear to me is that throughout this debate, Rafizi has shown himself to be disingenuous, dishonest and in the habit of shifting the goalposts the very moment he realises a line of attack is broken down." KL Eco City lie and fabrication nuked The controversy on loans for the KL Eco City office lots was another perfect example where Rafizi realized that his line of attack had been shot down. Rafizi deliberately distorted and misrepresented the bank documents he had unlawfully obtained from a bank employee. MalaysiaKini captured it all on camera on 7 March 2012 (http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/23239/more-properties-in-bangsar-bought-by-nfc-directors.html). Brandishing and dispensing the documents in outright violation of BAFIA, he dramatised the media into believing that he had the hard facts on loans taken for eight office lots as well as information on the poor credit standing of the directors. Rafizi even lied that the loans were taken at the jeopardy of NFCorp's RM71 million government deposit in the bank when he provided a sly analysis of the bank documents. However, NFCorp clarified to say no loans were ever taken for KL Eco City by the company. The documents Rafizi had were for other private personal loans taken in 2005 and 2008 not connected in any way to KL Eco City. Our close inspection of the bank documents Rafizi had given to the media showed the loans had in fact commenced as far back as 2005 and 2008. It is interesting to note that KL Eco City was only launched for sale in 2011. And if you look at the equation, NFCorp was not even formed in 2005. Ultimately, the bluff that the RM71 million deposit was under threat, was debunked. Since his line of attack was nuked, there has not been a further squeak from Rafizi on the purported loans for the KL Eco City office lots. However, sources close to NFCorp say Rafizi's exaggeration had caused irreparable damage to NFCorp and its chairman. On the premise of lies and fabrication, a whole nation was riled against them. No prizes for guessing why NFCorp is preparing to sue the pants off Rafizi. Why does Rafizi thrive on lies? Why is he so bent hell? Yes, why does Rafizi lie so very often, begs the question? Wikipedia and other Internet resources say that the defining characteristics of pseudologia fantastica or a compulsive liar are: · The stories told tend toward presenting the liar favorably. For example, the person might be presented as being fantastically brave, bold and brazen. It would even make the liar be perceived as a towering hero. Or even related to many famous people. · The problem also usually affects people with low self-esteem – they lie to make themselves feel important and because they are not able to communicate well with other people. They are able to attract attention by exaggerating or making up stories or anecdotes. · The stories told are not entirely improbable. They are not a manifestation of delusion or some broader type of psychosis: upon confrontation, the teller can admit them to be untrue, even if unwillingly. · The fabricative tendency is long lasting. · Pseudologia fantastica may also present as false memory syndrome, where the sufferer genuinely believes that fictitious events have taken place, regardless that these events are fantasies. Pathological lying zealot makes false statements Wikipedia explains that lying is the act of both knowingly and intentionally/willfully making a false statement. Pathological lying is considered a mental illness, because it takes over rational judgement and progresses into the fantasy world and back. Some research suggests that certain people may have a "predisposition to lying". Excessive lying is a common symptom of many mental illnesses. There are several consequences of being a pathological liar. Due to lack of trust, most pathological liars' relationships and friendships fail. Is this not what we hear from the opposition's grape vine? If the disease continues to progress, lying could become so severe as to cause legal problems. Is Rafizi in some dire need of help? About the Writer Fabiani Azmi is an avid reader of Internet news portals like Malaysia Today as well as other blogsites. He believes the world's mysteries can be solved. And it does not warrant a paleontologist to investigate.
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| Businessman admits private jet loaned to Anwar, declines to reveal for how much Posted: 24 Sep 2012 02:41 PM PDT
(The Star) - A businessman has admitted to providing a private jet to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim but declined to say for how much. TJets Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Mohd Taufik Omar also denied being the jet's owner. "My company only manages the private jet," said the 48-year-old. "As it is a private jet, it should remain a private matter." Pressed to reveal if he was the real owner, Mohd Taufik said: "Am I that rich? I am just trying to cari makan (earn a living)." Mohd Taufik was asked to comment on the buzz in cyberspace following an expose by blogger John F. Seademon that Mohd Taufik was the businessman who had loaned the jet to the Opposition Leader. Bloggers were abuzz over the "jet-setting ways" of Pakatan Rakyat leaders, following PKR vice-president Tian Chua's tweets on Sept 15 showing photographs of the Dassault Falcon jet and several Opposition leaders enjoying its posh setting. Earlier yesterday, Anwar had said a "KL businessman" owned the jet. Anwar said he had asked the businessman if he had any interests in Selangor, Penang and Kelantan, to which he categorically said "no". Mohd Taufik, who is Malaysia Judo Association president, is also the chairman of LD Sports Sdn Bhd, Kenangan Nilam Sdn Bhd, Asiana Inspirasi Sdn Bhd, KN Capital Sdn Bhd and T Corp Labuan. He is also the director of Health Solutions (SE Asia) Sdn Bhd, CltlTower Sdn Bhd, Aliran Modern Sdn Bhd and Vasseti Bhd. Anwar admitted to having borrowed jets from Arab businessmen when he was invited to lecture at Georgetown University in the United States and from the Saudi royal family for a medical trip to Germany. Tian Chua said Pakatan leaders could now enjoy trips on private jets, adding that some friends had chartered the jet with the registration number N990BB. PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, who was also among the Pakatan leaders on board the plane, said they had used the jet on Sept 15 and 16 to travel to Labuan, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
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| Religious differences the new danger Posted: 24 Sep 2012 02:35 PM PDT The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future, said Samuel P Huntington in 1993. By Khoo Ying Hooi, FMT Strong protests have swept across the Muslim world over the trailer "Innocence of Muslims" since the video was first released on YouTube, uploaded by its director Sam Bacile. The low-budget film stirred a wave of anti-American violence which targeted mostly symbols of American influence. The video illustrates Prophet Muhammad in a negative light, portraying Him as a fool, womaniser and killer. The debate over the video can be viewed in different perspectives. Some claim it is about freedom of expression and speech, while others say it is politically driven and manipulated. The film has sparked a delicate debate about how far artistic freedom can be stretched. YouTube has since blocked access to this video in several countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Morocco, including Malaysia and its neighbouring countries, Indonesia and Singapore. Then a few days ago, a French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, published several insulting caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, including portraying the Prophet naked in the cartoons, which exacerbated the already tense atmosphere in the Muslim world. In the past, there have been many other controversial publications and artworks that have caused uproar among the Muslims. But this time, the scale of protests has been massive and violent. Back in 1989, Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the execution of British author Salman Rushdie for his novel "The Satanic Verses" because it contained some insults in the account of the Prophet Muhammad's life. In 2004, a short film "Submission" directed by prominent Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was aired in the Dutch television. The film was intended to feature the abuse of Muslim women; however it became dubious due to several images in the film. In one of the controversial images, the opening lines of the Quran were written across the naked body of a Muslim woman. Two months after the broadcast, van Gogh was murdered by a young man, Mohammed Bouyeri, on an Amsterdam street. In 2005, 12 cartoons by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten showed Prophet Muhammad in various humorous situations, including a drawing of the Prophet wearing a lit bomb inside his turban. This sparked violent demonstrations throughout much of the Muslim world. The theory of the clash of civilizations, first propounded by the influential political scientist Samuel P Huntington in 1993 in the magazine "Foreign Affairs", just shortly after the end of the Cold War, might be able to shed some light on what is happening now. The theory came about as a response to Francis Fukuyama's book in 1992, "The End of History and the Last Man". Huntington opined that there will be no longer ideological (political) or economic conflicts in the post-Cold War world; instead the new danger will arise out of the cultural and religious differences between the people, and this will serve as the primary source of conflict. In his book, "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order", he stated that "religion is the central defining characteristic of civilizations". He emphasised that people are being divided along cultural lines and there is no universal civilization but there are cultural blocks, with each block having its own distinct set of values. In the 1993 "Foreign Affairs" article, Huntington wrote, and I quote: "It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future."
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| DAP must help PAS win over Malays Posted: 24 Sep 2012 02:31 PM PDT A Penang PAS branch chief opined that DAP lacks an understanding of Islam and if it is to allay local Malay fears, it must give PAS greater leeway. Hawkeye, FMT GEORGE TOWN: There is no need for Penang DAP to field Malay candidates in the next general election, says a PAS grassroots leader. Instead, DAP should focus on ensuring that it can help its alliance partners, PAS and PKR, to achieve resounding victories in the election, former state PAS Youth chief Mohamed Hafiz Nordin said. Hafiz, who is now a party branch head in Butterworth, said PAS has the capabilities and electoral support to represent the Malay and Muslim interests in Penang. "It is just that the PAS grassroots feel they are overlooked here as the party only secured one out of the five seats it had contested." He was responding to statements by state DAP committee member Zulkifli Mohd Noor that the Malays should stand on the socialist party's ticket in view of the fact that PAS and PKR are perceived by many quarters to be politically weak in Penang. Zulkifli's statement was echoed by a civil group, the Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak, who stressed that the best way for more Malay voices to be heard in the state administrative matters, was through DAP, as the others lacked credibility here. This was also in view of the fact that Umno through Barisan Nasional has consolidated its hold on the Malay support here. According to Rahmad, the political dimension of the Malays here, particularly on the island, differs from other parts of the country. On the island, the Malays generally perceived themselves to be isolated due to the current socio-economic conditions where they are struggling to cope with rising living costs, brought on by expensive housing and a limit on quality jobs, Rahmad claimed. Such a perception was also based on the fact that the present state government only has two Malay representatives, while the Malay population number is just slightly behind the Chinese, Rahmad said. Lack of respect To this, Hafiz said the conditions can be changed if PAS was given leeway to contribute in the state. "The one state executive councillor's post or religious portfolio was not accorded to the party. It shows a lack of respect. "DAP should allow PAS to handle religious matters, as the present arrangement is not working out well due to the lack of attention and expertise by the present state exco member (Abdul Malik Abul Kassim)." Pakatan Rakyat has 29 seats in Penang versus Umno's (BN) 11, of which DAP has 19, PKR nine and PAS one. In the last election, DAP contested 19 and won all while PAS only won one out of the five it contested and PKR secured nine out of 16.
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| Like a trapped animal (part 3) Posted: 23 Sep 2012 07:35 PM PDT
And the most crucial term and condition, which Dr Mahathir announced in a gathering of about 1,000 Umno members in Petaling Jaya, was that the next Prime Minister after Pak Lah would be 'guided' by a President's Council. Who the members of that President's Council are and who would be heading it was not revealed in that announcement but everyone in the audience was able to guess the answer. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin That Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) was going to be ousted soon after the 12th General Election of March 2008 is indisputable. That was the game plan. The needling question, though, was: once Pak Lah is ousted, who is going to replace him? Barisan Nasional was supposed to do 'not too good' in that general election -- after Barisan Nasional's historical and most impressive performance in the March 2004 general election before that. That, too, was part of the game plan. But for that to happen it would have to be an 'inside job'. And that is a story that has already been told. And that is why of late the Umno leaders have been warning its members that the party will not tolerate any sabotage in the coming general election. They are worried that history will repeat itself. They know that for Pakatan Rakyat to bring down Barisan Nasional is not too easy, although not impossible. But if internal sabotage is involved, just like in March 2008, then the possibility increases. The deal struck between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Pak Lah soon after the former announced his 'retirement' during the Umno general assembly in mid-2002 was that the latter would be a one-term Prime Minister. After that he would step down. Furthermore, he would not 'disturb' all the projects and programmes that Dr Mahathir had implemented. In short, Pak Lah would keep Dr Mahathir's 'legacy' intact. However, after taking the reins of power on 1st November 2003, Pak Lah reneged on his word. The first thing he did was he dismantled Dr Mahathir's 'monuments'. Then, with a stiff upper lip, he announced that he is not a one-term Prime Minister. "Who says I am a one-term Prime Minister?" he indignantly asked. He then swore to prove his detractors wrong. And that was when Dr Mahathir decided that Pak Lah would have to be brought down. But for that to happen it would have to be Umno that brings him down, not the opposition. If it were the opposition that brings him down that would be bad news because it would have meant that Anwar Ibrahim would be taking over as Prime Minister. Bringing down Pak Lah was just the first step. More important would be who is going to replace him. Dr Mahathir's main grievance against Pak Lah -- other than his going back on his word regarding Dr Mahathir's legacy and the serve one-term only -- was Khairy Jamaluddin. By Pak Lah's own admission, Khairy and his 'Fourth Floor Boys' were running the country. Pak Lah admitted this to his close circle of friends; so that was no secret. Dr Mahathir's concern (if this matter were not handled properly) was that it would just be an 'out of the frying pan and into the fire' situation. They oust Pak Lah to be rid of Khairy and end up getting Rosmah Mansor instead when they appoint Najib Tun Razak as successor. How to ensure that they were not merely replacing Khairy with Rosmah -- an even worse proposition? Dr Mahathir tried to advise Najib that before he can be considered for the job of Prime Minister of Malaysia he would first need to solve the 'problem' of Rosmah. Najib may even have to choose between becoming Prime Minister and staying married to Rosmah. Both are not compatible. This upset Najib who told Dr Mahathir's 'emissary' to butt out of his personal life. His marriage and the matter of his wife were not open to negotiation. Clearly the subject of Rosmah was a sacred cow (no pun intended). Najib made that point very clear. Najib would have to be taught a lesson. He was beginning to think that his succession was a God-given right and that once Pak Lah steps down he automatically takes over. Najib will have to learn that whomsoever takes over as Prime Minister would be whatever Dr Mahathir decides and there are no two ways about it. Dr Mahathir then started talking to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) and Dr Mahathir made sure that Najib knew about it. So now Dr Mahathir had two candidates for Prime Minister and successor to Pak Lah -- Najib and Ku Li. Whom it was going to be would all depend on who is prepared to accept the terms and conditions. And the most crucial term and condition, which Dr Mahathir announced in a gathering of about 1,000 Umno members in Petaling Jaya, was that the next Prime Minister after Pak Lah would be 'guided' by a President's Council. Who the members of that President's Council are and who would be heading it was not revealed in that announcement but everyone in the audience was able to guess the answer. Ku Li was adamant that he would not accept the role of 'proxy' Prime Minister with a de facto Prime Minister telling him what to do -- so absolutely no President's Council to 'guide' him. If he becomes Prime Minister then he will decide how the country should be run, not someone behind him pulling the strings and telling him what to do. A few meetings were held between Dr Mahathir and Ku Li and it appeared like the matter was making no progress. Both Dr Mahathir and Ku Li were very stubborn and were not able to put their very large egos aside. There was also the matter of old wounds that had not quite healed. Finally it ended with both sticking to their guns and refusing to budge. As far as Dr Mahathir was concerned, if Ku Li wanted the job of Prime Minister, he (Ku Li) would have to crawl to him (Dr Mahathir) and beg for it. Ku Li also felt the same way. If Dr Mahathir wants him as Prime Minister he (Dr Mahathir) would have to crawl to him (Ku Li) and beg him (Ku Li) to accept the job. The matter appeared to have reached a deadlock and those of us caught in the middle who were putting in a lot of effort to make sure that Ku Li and not Najib takes over as Prime Minister were getting quite exasperated. Why won't one of them remove his chip from his shoulder and kowtow to the other? This matter will never be resolved if both remain stubborn. When it appeared that Ku Li was not going to play ball, Dr Mahathir reverted to Najib. In that final meeting of many that we had with Ku Li (one meeting where Haris Ibrahim and Malik Imtiaz attended), he told us that it looks like he is already out of the race. Without a doubt Dr Mahathir is going to make Najib the Prime Minister. It is not going to be him (Ku Li) after all. So we will have to come up with a plan on how to torpedo Najib's chances. That 'plan' offered itself in the form of the revelation by the Deputy Head of the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence regarding Rosmah's involvement in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder. And it was decided that I would sign a Statutory Declaration regarding the matter (but that is a story I have already related many times so no need to go into all the details again). The day after my Statutory Declaration was made public, Dr Mahathir summoned Sanusi Junid to his office to ask him whether he had read what I said in my Statutory Declaration. Sanusi said he had not and Dr Mahathir gave him a copy to read (how Dr Mahathir managed to get a copy so fast I do not know until today). Sanusi just said, "Oh my God! Why did he do this?" and Dr Mahathir replied, "Raja Petra had just broken the legs of our horse. It looks like we will have to look for a new horse." But that 'new horse', Ku Li, who saw that Najib's chances of becoming Prime Minister had reduced somewhat, still refused to play ball. Aiyoh, anak Raja ni! Degil sangat! "Why can't you just agree to Dr Mahathir's terms and conditions and once you become Prime Minister you do a U-turn and tell him to go screw himself, like what Pak Lah did?" we asked him. But then Ku Li is too much of a gentleman to do that. A deal is a deal and once he agrees to something he would never renege on his word. So he would never deceive Dr Mahathir by saying yes and then shaft Dr Mahathir later once he becomes Prime Minister. Aiyah! Why so honest one? Politics cannot be played like that! Sometimes we need to use tricks and deception. Say yes and grab the job first. Later we can do a dirty on Dr Mahathir. Once you are Prime Minister and power is in your hands what can Dr Mahathir do about it? If he talks too much just arrest him and put him in jail. That is what I would do. But that is not Ku Li and he refused to play Dr Mahathir for a sucker. That messed up Ku Li's chances of becoming Prime Minister and, tainted or not, it would have to be Najib who takes over. But before that they would have to discredit my Statutory Declaration. And that was when they arrested me and charged me for criminal defamation. As much as I protested and explained that I never made any allegation against Rosmah but instead I made an allegation against the Deputy Head of the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence, they still charged me for three counts of criminal defamation. Once they succeeded in raising doubts as to what they alleged was my accusation against Rosmah, Pak Lah was forced out of office and Najib took over as Prime Minister. The question now is: is Najib going to remain the Prime Minister or is he on the way out? Of course, if Pakatan Rakyat takes over in the coming general election, certainly Najib would be out. There is no doubt about that. But what if Barisan Nasional manages to hold on to power? Will Najib still remain the Prime Minister or is he going to suffer the same fate as Pak Lah? I suppose that will have to be another story for another time, if I decide to write it. Anyway, in the meantime stay tuned, in case.
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| Khairy: Anwar lying about Pakatan’s need for private jet Posted: 23 Sep 2012 06:33 PM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has rubbished Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's explanation that Pakatan Rakyat needed to use a specially-chartered private jet to travel from Kota Kinabalu to Labuan as there were no flights available. Anwar, in a Press conference in Parliament today, had explained that the Pakatan entourage needed to use a private jet on their September 16 trip to East Malaysia as there were no connecting flights available from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu that day. Khairy, however, dismissed the claims and said a simple check would show that there were indeed flights available.
@font-face p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal div.Section1 The Malaysia Airlines flight schedule tweeted by Khairy earlier today. Pix: Twitter/Khairykj Producing Malaysia Airlines' flight schedule, Khairy said it was evidence enough that there were flights catered to Kota Kinabalu from Labuan that day.
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| ‘Anwar approved attacks against Guan Eng’ Posted: 23 Sep 2012 04:38 PM PDT Independent Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng claims the opposition leader had condemned the Penang chief minister in 2009. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: Independent Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng claims that PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim had once condemned Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, calling him "kurang ajar" (rude or insolent). Tan alleged that Anwar told him this in a private discussion during a break from a parliamentary session in 2009. He also alleged that Anwar gave him the green light, when he was in PKR, to reproach Lim for his wrongdoings and mismanagement in Penang. Tan had apparently called for a private meeting with Anwar in the Parliament house to find out whether the latter was upset with his (Tan's) constant criticisms of the Pakatan Rakyat state government. When he sought the clarification from Anwar during the November parliamentary sitting, Tan said his former political boss told him that he was not upset, but welcomed it. He said he decided to seek the clarification after he was told by some PKR colleagues that the opposition leader was unhappy with his stinging criticisms against the Lim's administration. Tan claimed Anwar told him that "this young boy [Lim] is kurang ajar. He needs to be taught some lessons". Tan said he started publicly criticising Lim only after receiving Anwar's approval. "Anwar had given his blessings to me to attack Lim. So I was naturally confused when some PKR leaders told me that Anwar was upset," he told FMT. However, Tan said he became frustrated and upset when Anwar failed to shield him against Lim's attacks on him. "Anwar just dumped me. He just washed his hands off me," said Tan.
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| RPK sowing fear, says ex-comrade Posted: 23 Sep 2012 04:28 PM PDT Haris Ibrahim takes offence at a Malaysia Today article claiming that racism has become worse. K Pragalath, FMT Social activist Haris Ibrahim has accused Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin of fear mongering with his statement that racism in Malaysia has reached a new height. Haris apologised to followers of his blog for an article he posted last January, in which he defended Raja Petra, popularly known as RPK, against accusations that the latter had turned his back against the struggle to oust Barisan Nasional from power. In a blog posting referring to a Sept 21 Malaysia Today article, Haris accused RPK of trying to "sow the seeds of fear". The offending article came under the headline "Cina sudah kurang ajar! Dah lupa 13 Mei ke?" (The Chinese have become rude! Have they forgotten 13 May?") It declared: "Racism in Malaysia has reached a dangerous level never seen before since May 1969." In response, Haris said: "The only thing racist in this country is Umno, BN, Dr M and the mainstream media. "And now, of course, RPK's untiring efforts to sow the seeds of fear." Haris's article argued that the various races in the country had become more united, offering as evidence the Bersih gatherings and other recent public protests against the ruling regime. "Did the tender scenes of the makcik in the Ganesha temple in Jalan Pudu putting bits of salt in the mouths of those anak bangsa Malaysia of all ethnicities and gender, seeking refuge in the temple after being hit by tear gas and chemical-laced water, smack of racism?" he wrote. "Have the anti-Lynas campaigns been racist? No!" Haris and RPK were founders of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement, one of the objectives of which was to identify election candidates for Pakatan Rakyat. Haris quit the movement early this year.
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| Anwar: Private jet is friend’s Posted: 23 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT The deal to shuttle Anwar and other Pakatan politicians to East Malaysia, apparently came with no strings attached. Patrick Lee, FMT A friend, according to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, arranged for the him and other Pakatan Rakyat MPs to travel on a private jet to East Malaysia earlier this month. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament lobby, he did not disclose the "friend's" name, though Anwar added that the trip came with no strings attached. "I asked him, because I was concerned that he had some interest in Penang, Kedah, Selangor or Kelantan…He said no, it was not tied to anything, so I said okay. "He is not that involved [in politics]. I've known him for some time. He said he will do this for a friend, because he understands the problem of logistics," he said. Anwar was referring to a series of articles and blog posts critical of the Permatang Pauh MP travelling in a private jet on Sept 15 and 16. The criticisms were based off photographs taken and later uploaded to the Internet by PKR vice-president Tian Chua, who accompanied Anwar on the trip. Anwar said: "Why did we ask Tian Chua to take these pictures? Because I didn't want people think that this was a secret." He added that the coverage of this matter was an attempt by Umno and the MCA to frighten businessmen from helping Pakatan Rakyat politicians. He also asked why Umno chose to harp on this issue when there were alleged matters of corruption and irregularities that needed tending to.
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| Zaid tells Dr M: I rather be an ungrateful Malay than a stupid one Posted: 23 Sep 2012 03:02 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Former Cabinet member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said today he would rather be ungrateful than stupid, as he mocked Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for suggesting that Malays who were unappreciative would cause the community to lose political power. Dr Mahathir told Umno's Utusan Malaysia in an interview published yesterday that Malays were "ungrateful" and "lacking intelligence", warning that the greed of a few power-hungry Malays in the opposition would see the country's dominant race lose its political power. The former PM also alleged that "if any of these Malay (opposition) parties win the elections and form the government, this government would have to follow the dictates of other (races)." Responding on Twitter this morning, Zaid said: "I rather be called ungrateful Malay than a stupid one, who doesn't think, who follow blindly the dictates of arrogant Malay leaders." Zaid was part of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Cabinet but was sacked in 2008, a few months after he resigned as minister in protest against the government's decision to use the Internal Security Act (ISA) to arrest an opposition politician, a blogger and a journalist. He became a PKR member before eventually quitting, and is now the leader of an opposition-aligned party, while continuing to push for political and law reforms. Dr Mahathir has become in recent months a vocal campaigner for Datuk Seri Najib Razak's Umno, and his growing influence has seen the party shed many of its reform plans in favour of playing the race card. Yesterday, in his lengthy tirade against the Malays, the former prime minister expressed sadness that the Malays were now purportedly split into three factions and said that this has resulted in them "begging" for support from the other races. At another function, Dr Mahathir also suggested that currency speculator George Soros was attempting to usurp political power from the Barisan Nasional (BN) government by appointing his own leader as the next prime minister of Malaysia. The former prime minister made this statement when asked to comment on several local NGOs that were in the limelight recently after the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry called on the Registrar of Societies to investigate Suaram, which has received funds from Soros. Commenting on this, Zaid also mocked Dr Mahathir on Twitter yesterday by saying that if English football club Manchester United won their match against Liverpool yesterday, it must also be because of Soros. "If Man U wins then Soros must hav a hand in this." In another tweet, he added: "Malays must be really stupid to believe the Jewish conspiracy to install puppet PM."
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| PR leaders: Tunku Aziz is a BN agent Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:57 PM PDT
Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have labelled Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim a Barisan Nasional (BN) agent who lacks credibility following recent reports where the former DAP vice-chairman has openly criticised his former party and leaders. The opposition leaders yesterday slammed Tunku Aziz as a traitor in response to the latter's statement on Friday about his plan to tour the country to open the minds of the people, especially opposition supporters, to make the right decision during the upcoming general election. Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai described Tunku Aziz's actions as representing BN, saying the latter was now an agent of the ruling coalition for his attacks against DAP and PR leaders. "He is now like a BN agent, attacking PR and DAP every day. I pity him for due to his treachery, many have avoided him," Tan told The Malaysian Insider when contacted yesterday. Tan also describe Tunku Aziz as weak and not having any credibility and integrity left. He also accused the former DAP leader of ill intentions for his accusations about the DAP without any basis and proof. Kuala Selangor MP and PAS leader Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad expressed shock over Tunku Aziz's statement, saying the latter's decision to tour the nation was a waste of time. Dzulkefly also regarded Tunku Aziz's actions as being those of a BN agent because of its wide coverage in BN-controlled newspapers and television channels. "This is a wasteful action and a treacherous attitude," he said. "If we look at the coverage given to him by Umno and BN-controlled media, it is clear he is a BN agent," he added. Rasah MP Anthony Loke agreed with his colleagues that Tunku Aziz was no longer credible. "He is no longer credible and his words have made people lose respect for him," Loke said. He added Tunku Aziz's accusations about the DAP were baseless and without proof, expressing confidence that people could judge Tunku Aziz for themselves. Tunku Aziz had in May announced his departure from the DAP over a conflict of opinions with other party leaders over the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28. Following his departure, Tunku Aziz has been increasingly vocal and critical towards the opposition PR especially the DAP, stirring discontent among his former colleagues.
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| Photos of Pakatan leaders in private jet hits cyberspace Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:36 PM PDT
Travelling in style: Anwar and DAP vicechairman Tan Seng Giaw pictured in the private jet (inset) during a trip with other Pakatan Rakyat leaders. (The Star) - Photographs of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and several Pakatan Rakyat leaders travelling on a private jet have caused a stir in cyberspace. While some bloggers and Barisan Nasional officials criticised their "travel style", Anwar and his team maintained it was merely an easy mode to travel across Sarawak and Sabah. The pictures, originally tweeted by PKR vice-president Tian Chua on Sept 15, were uploaded by several blogs. Apart from Anwar and Tian Chua, those seen in the aircraft included DAP vice-chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw, PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, PAS treasurer Dr Hatta Ramli and Terengganu PKR chief Abdul Rahman Yusof. Some of the blogs even suggested that the aircraft may have been registered to a United States bank. A posting in novandri.blogspot.com said the Opposition leaders had accused the Barisan government of being wasteful while they often portray themselves as being prudent and travel only on low-cost airline AirAsia. "Many supporters were impressed but, unfortunately, this is all an act. "The latest story about Anwar travelling in a private jet with other Opposition leaders will surely leave a negative perception on the people," said the blogger. Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said it was ironic that the Opposition, who accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the Government of being wasteful, actually used a private jet for campaigning. "Even if the service was paid for or arranged by a certain party, the rakyat has the right to know who did it and whether it was a local or foreign sponsor," he said. Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang said: "Even if it was a loan, they must realise there is no free lunch in this world." Reacting to the criticisms, Anwar tweeted on Saturday: "What's the issue? A friend arranged for a private jet." Defending her father, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar tweeted: "What's the issue with a jet trip loaned by a friend? Ain't ours, ain't public funds." Tian Chua said they were travelling to several places in Sarawak and Sabah over the weekend of Malaysia Day, adding that it was cheaper and time saving to charter the jet than to fly commercial.
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| Kepong Umno Youth chief stabbed, in critical condition Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:31 PM PDT
(The Star) - Kepong Umno youth chief Datuk Norizan Ali, 41, is in critical condition after he was stabbed in the stomach outside his home early Monday morning. Ampang OCPD Asst Comm Amiruddin Jamaluddin said the incident was believed to have occurred at about 4am after he returned home from watching football with friends at a mamak stall. "It is believed he parked his car about 20m from his double story house at Jalan Dagang 2/4, Taman Dagang when he was approached by two men believed to be foreigners. "We are not sure if there was a struggle, but he suffered injuries before the suspects left," he said when met at the Ampang Hospital. He added that none of the victim's belongings were reported missing and police are still in the dark over the matter and hope to get more details after he regains consciousness. It is learnt that Norizan is now undergoing surgery after he suffered stab wounds to his stomach. One of his fingers was almost sliced off. The case is currently being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.
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| Uproar against Ngeh and Nga at DAP convention Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:08 PM PDT
(The Star) - A commotion broke out at the Perak DAP convention with delegates accusing two of their leaders of blocking members from forming new branches. A disgruntled delegate demanded that state chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming explain the matter. There had been talk that the cousins had been using their influence to strengthen their hold in the party. The delegate claimed he had found out from the national headquarters that Ngeh and Nga had rejected the application for new branches to be set up. Other delegates also pounced on the two men, criticising them of using the Chinese media to attack members for holding party activities. A delegate also lambasted Ngeh over his controversial tweet over the film trailers of the Innocence of Muslims movie, pointing out he should have been more considerate and not hurt the feelings of the Malay community. When contacted, Ngeh brushed aside the grouses, saying there should be proper procedures when dealing with party matters. "The issues raised were old ones, for which I had already made the necessary clarifications," he said, declining to elaborate.
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| Posted: 23 Sep 2012 02:04 PM PDT
(The Star) - The MCA has slammed the top two leaders of the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia for "using" the organisation to further their personal agenda. Party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said Dong Zong chairman Yap Sin Tian and his deputy Chow Siew Hon had caused a split in the Chinese community instead of bringing them together in developing Chinese education. "We feel it is time to evaluate these two leaders; whether they are suitable to lead Dong Zong," he said after a briefing on Chinese school issues here yesterday. The session was attended by 250 representatives from the board of directors and parent-teacher associations of Chinese schools in Johor. On the Sept 26 rally, which is seeking to oust Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong as the Deputy Education Minister, Dr Chua said the "whole purpose of the 926 rally is to damage the MCA and Barisan Nasional". He said the party had all along been cooperating with Chinese schools to resolve their issues. Later, in JOHOR BARU, the MCA president said the Chinese community should realise the importance of having a good command of at least three languages to have a competitive edge. Aside from the importance of the mother-tongue, he said the community should know two other languages too. "Having a good command of least three languages serves as an added advantage in the competitive world as well as the chance to contribute to the nation better," he said at a dinner on Saturday for SJKC Pei Chih, Taman Desa Cemerlang, to raise funds for a new RM1.5mil multi-purpose hall. Dr Chua recounted his experience in 1992 when he visited Shenzhen, China, where he faced difficulty in understanding the government officials' English. "But the situation is so much better now," he said. "Recently, I visited China again, and I must say that their command of English is better than some of us. "Although China, as an economic giant, still uses Chinese as their main language, they have come to realise the importance of learning another language," he pointed out. Dr Chua also debunked claims by certain parties that the Government did not care about Chinese education, citing how it had helped in the development of Chinese schools besides recognising qualifications from 820 universities in China. After his speech, Dr Chua announced a RM200,000 donation to fund the school hall.
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| Veteran newsman accuses Malaysiakini of being insincere Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:56 PM PDT
(The Star) - Veteran journalist Y.L. Chong has challenged Malaysiakini to reveal its annual financial report. He said that while the portal operators claim to promote transparency, accountability and media independence, they neither announced the value of shares nor declared dividends. He was responding to comments by Malaysiakini CEO Premesh Chandran that co-founders and staff of the news portal owned 70% of the shares. Chong quit Malaysiakini 11 years ago following the top manage-ment's refusal to publicly declare its links to currency speculator George Soros. The issue surfaced again recently following reports that Malaysiakini and Suaram were among several anti-establishment organisations that allegedly received foreign funding. The two main contributors are the American-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Soros-linked Open Society Institute (OSI), which had been financing groups supporting its interests and objectives around the world. Chong questioned if Malaysiakini revealed its annual financial statements to its staff. "When I was serving as news editor, I was verbally told during top management meetings that I am also a shareholder. "But I never received in black-and-white how much shares I owned. "And until today, Malaysiakini has never revealed the value of its shares,'' he said. Chong said as the news editor, he was privy to information raised at Malaysiakini's meetings. "I learned that Malaysiakini had then received 10% downpayment of RM188,000 from MDLF (Media Development Loan Fund) for a 10% interest in Malaysiakini,'' he said. "I want Premesh to declare how much is the 70% shares owned by Malaysiakini co-founders and staff worth now,'' he said. In an immediate reaction, Premesh said Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd owned Malaysiakini and the company files its annual returns yearly with CCM (Companies Commission of Malaysia). "This includes all details of shareholders. The par value of the shares is RM1,'' he said, adding that all staff who owned shares had been issued share certificates. However, he said, they had not issued any dividends to shareholders.
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| Hasan Ali gesa PAS-Umno bersatu Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:49 PM PDT Logiknya PAS perlu menyertai Umno kerana Umno lebih besar ahlinya dan memerintah negara, kata bekas Naib Presiden PAS itu. Muda Mohd Noor, FMT PAS dan Umno perlu mencari jalan bersatu untuk kebaikan agama dan bangsa, kata bekas Naib Presiden PAS, Datuk Hasan Ali. "Logiknya PAS perlu menyertai Umno kerana Umno lebih besar ahlinya dan memerintah negara. "Tak kira siapa masuk siapa…yang penting perpaduan dan penyatuan (orang Melayu)," kata beliau. Beliau mengulas gesaan Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaluddin supaya PAS meninggalkan Pakatan Rakyat dan menyertai Umno. Khairy yang juga ahli Parlimen Rembau berkata demikian ketika berucap dalam demonstrasi membantah filem 'Innocence of Muslims' Amerika Syarikat di Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur Jumaat lalu. Manakala PAS mengadakan demonstrasi serupa di Kedutaan Amerika Syarikat. Khairy melihat persamaan Umno dan PAS dalam perjuangan ini menjadi titik tolak PAS lebih sesuai dengan Umno berbanding Pakatan Rakyat. Hasan dipecat dari PAS beberapa bulan lalu kini menubuhkan NGO yang dikenali sebagai Jalur Tiga. Ditanya mengapa PAS menolak menyertai Umno, Hasan berkata, orang Umno kena menilai diri mereka mungkin tidak cukup Islam. "Mungkin kurang pergi masjid, jadi orang PAS tidak suka dengan Umno," tambahnya. Hasan membuat andaian bahawa serangan antarabangsa ke atas umat Islam mungkin ada hubung kait dengan gerakan atau rangkaian di dalam negara. "Sebuah parti politik pembangkang dalam negara kita negara yang tidak suka kepada Islam dan terus meremeh-remehkian Islam. "Tapi yang lebih hampa orang Melayu sendiri membenci agamanya," katanya. Beliau berkata, semua ini tidak akan berlaku jika orang Islam bersatu tanpa mengira fahaman politik.
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| It’s all lies, there’ll be no anarchy Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:42 PM PDT Except to sack a few scoundrels in the system, a new opposition-led government will not mean the country will descend into chaos. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, FMT The biggest lie being spouted in this country is that if a new government takes over, the nation will descend into anarchy. Leaders in the current government must be taking us Malaysians as fools. They must think we were born yesterday. Let me be clear here. No one is indispensable, least of all Umno-Barisan Nasional. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is not indispensable. Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not indispensable. The old doctor must surely have been hallucinating when he recently said "better the devil we know than the angel we don't know", alluding to Najib (vis-Ã -vis Umno-BN) and Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Pakatan Rakyat). We know the devil (Najib) and his devilish ways and we still want to choose him? Have we lost our marbles? Doesn't Mahathir understand that the people chose to kick out the devil? Mahathir is anti-democracy It's farcical for Mahathir to endorse voting when it was he who extinguished the flame of democracy in Umno. During his rule, he started the anti-voting measures to ensure the positions of Umno president and the deputy to be almost unchallengeable, with bonus votes and all that. In which case, why should we even believe that if Umno-BN falls, this country will descend into widespread chaos? It will descend into chaos only if people do not obey laws anymore. It will be so if the structures of government crumble. But will the structures of government disintegrate if Umno-BN loses? It will not. The civil service will still be around. We are not firing civil servants although there are 1.4 million of them. They will still perform their respective functions. We are not going to close down the land and district offices. We are not going to close down the post offices, fire stations or any other essential agencies. What we want to do is to replace a few scoundrels. Just a scratch. Not even a flesh wound.
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| Why Suaram’s status is suddenly so important Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:39 PM PDT By showing that Suaram is a company, the Najib administration can tell the French authorities that Suaram has not legal standing to bring the Scorpene inquiry, says Raja Petra. Free Malaysia Today The ongoing government onslaught on human rights watchdog Suaram is a carefully planned tactic undertaken by the Najib administration to defend itself against a French inquiry into the Scorpene submarine deal. The government intends to show to the French authorities that Suaram is a profit-motivated company and not an international NGO as it had claimed itself to be at the French courts. "As such, Suaram has no locus standi in the 'class action suit' [over the alleged corruption in the Scorpene deal]," popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin said today in a posting in his Malaysia-Today portal. Raja Petra said that the French investigation into the sale of the two submarines to Malaysia was launched mainly because of an application made by Suaram, which had applied to the French court for the investigation to be launched on the basis that it was an international NGO. He said that Suaram had claimed that it has suffered damage because France sold the two submarines to Malaysia. He added that Suaram was also seeking compensation. "Suaram has managed to convince the French court that it is an international NGO and therefore has locus standi to take this 'class action suit' against the Malaysian government." Raja Petra also attached a document submitted to the French authorities to indicate that Suaram was "an international NGO that was eligible to sue for compensation as it had personally suffered damages because of the obvious phenomenon surrounding the corrupt sale of these submarines". "The Malaysian government, therefore, now has to defend itself against a possible legal action. "And to do that, it has to bring into question Suaram's status as an international NGO. And if the Malaysian government can prove that Suaram is not an international NGO but is a registered company [and hence profit-motivated], then it may be able to torpedo the submarine investigation," he said. Raja Petra said that the Malaysian government has to "rip to shreds Suaram's status" so that it can argue that "not only is Suaram a profit-motivated company and not an international NGO but also it has no locus standi in this class action suit". In recent weeks, Suaram has come under intense attack over its funding and organisational structure. The government has accused it of being funded by foreign powers to "destabilise the peace of the country". Last week, Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that six government agencies are taking action against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, the operating entity of Suaram, for breaching five sections of the Companies Act 1965. Suaram has consistently denied any wrongdoings.
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| Anwar: Dr M, Daim behind forex scandal Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:36 PM PDT Referring to the foreign exchange scandal that erupted in the 90s, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said that he instructed Bank Negara to stop speculating in the currency market. G Vinod, FMT Bank Negara got involved in foreign exchange speculation under the direction of the finance minister before me, with the blessings of the then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said this at Parliament today. Anwar served as finance minister from 1991 to 1998. His immediate predecessor was Umno veteran, Daim Zainuddin. Earlier, Deputy Finance Minister Donald Lim told the Dewan that Malaysia lost RM5.7 billion when Bank Negara was said to be involved in the forex scandal. When Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng asked whether action was taken against officers involved in the matter, the deputy minister told the Penang chief minister to refer the matter to Anwar as he was serving as the finance minister then. The hall soon erupted and Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin pointed out that on April 27, 1993, DAP MP Lim Kit Siang had said that Anwar must take responsibility for the billions lost. Anwar stood up to defend himself, saying it was he who instructed Bank Negara to stop speculating on the currency market in 1993. He also said Kit Siang was right to ask the question at that time and said that he had admitted to the DAP veteran that Bank Negara made some losses in the scandal. "Then Bank Negara governor, Jaafar Hussein resigned despite not being directly involved in the matter, together with Nor Mohamed Yakcop who was then in charge of the Forex Trading Unit. "But when I was jailed in 1998, Nor Mohamed was promoted to become a minister," said Anwar.
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| Posted: 23 Sep 2012 11:07 AM PDT
Given that this is a Muslim country, one should call Egyptian "Islamists" on who they really are: a bunch of shrill, patriarchal, misogynistic, violent extremists who are using Islam as a cover for their behaviour. Mahmoud Salem, The Daily News Egypt Like many of you, I have been horrified with the phone call made by constituent assembly member, Mohamed Saad El Azhary, to the 10 pm show on Dream, where he stated his intention to change the Egyptian constitution to allow the age of consent for marriage for females to be the age at which they reach puberty and have their first period, even if this age is as low as 9 years-old. He stated that the current legal age to be inappropriate with Egyptian cultural values, which always encourage marriage at a young age for certain segments of Egyptian society, and that the international treaties regarding human rights and women's rights to be a product of western values that are not suitable for Muslim Nations, and therefore should not be followed by us. This is coming on the heels of the week that had both the prophet movie crisis, the attack on the US embassy with people carrying an Al-Qaeda flag and the ensuing political fallout with the US, where we were described, for the first time in almost 40 years, as "not an ally". It has been a splendid week, as you can imagine. It is safe to say that Egypt is going through its own version of a culture war, except that unlike the US for example, it is a culture war in which one side always attacks and the other side scampers for cover. The amount of people who told me that this is the week where they have lost all hope and decided to leave the country is ridiculous. For some odd reason, the same people that should stay and engage in this culture war are the same people who are thinking of running away from it, thus allowing the other side to win by default. Nothing showcases this more than the case of Albier Saber. Albier is a 25 year-old Copt who got arrested by the Egyptian police for the crime of posting the trailer of the movie Innocence of Muslims on his Facebook page, and he is currently being accused of disdain for religion and has been attacked in his holding cell by other inmates for it. One would think that such action would be considered preposterous by the non-Islamist population because 1) the trailer was shown on TV, and introduced to the Egyptian population, by Salafi TV presenter Khaled Abdallah, and yet he didn't face any charges and 2) Since when is sharing content on our own Facebook pages a crime? and 3) The irony that the police operating under a government that exists only due to a revolution that got organised by a Facebook page that published content that the previous government thought was offensive and dangerous for the country's unity is now doing the same thing and arresting such Facebook offenders as well? Nope, such points are usually only found on Twitter, but everyone, with the exception of some human rights NGOs , are shying away from defending Albier, as if fearing that they would be labeled Prophet Haters by the Islamist camp or something. And none of them seems to think that them standing up in those specific battles is the only thing that will stop the sum of their fears from actually happening. They have willingly given the Islamists the right to speak in the name of Islam, and step on eggshells in order not to confront them, even though confronting them is fairly easy, and it starts with calling them out on their bullshit. First of all, given that this is a Muslim country, one should call Egyptian "Islamists" on who they really are: a bunch of shrill, patriarchal, misogynistic, violent extremists who are using Islam as a cover for their behaviour. That in reality we don't have "islamists" as much as people with unresolved sexual and personal issues that have found in certain Islamic schools an excuse to carry out their convoluted fantasies about sex, control and mental lock-down. That their so called fundamentalism is synthetic and created primarily to excuse their behaviour, and that their "back to basics" mantra that romanticises a time where they believe that their social rules, intellectual walls and sexual fantasies were part of society's norm and wishes to bring it back is obviously a crock and wishful thinking. Read more at: http://dailynewsegypt.com/2012/09/18/a-country-of-extremists/ |
| In defense of the right to offend Posted: 23 Sep 2012 11:05 AM PDT Charles C. Haynes (Washington Post) - Loony rabble-rousers at home – the people behind "Innocence of Muslims," the now infamous film insulting the prophet Muhammad – have succeeded in giving loony rabble-rousers abroad a golden opportunity to promote violence in the name of their own sick, twisted vision of Islam and the world. The filmmakers join the ranks of Terry Jones, Fred Phelps and other American extremists who will say and do anything to make headlines and provoke outrage. But however vile the filmmakers' motives and however odious their speech, we must defend the indefensible by upholding their right to freedom of expression. Needless to say, much of the world doesn't agree. From the president of Egypt (who is calling for the makers of the film to be punished) to some pundits in Europe (who are asking once again why Americans tolerate hate speech), the American commitment to robust free speech is being widely questioned and debated. Even in the land of the free, protecting the right to offend is an increasingly tough sell. A disturbing 43 percent of Americans do not think people should be allowed to say things in public that might be offensive to religious groups, according to a 2009 survey conducted by the First Amendment Center. The U.S. Supreme Court does, of course, allow some restrictions on speech under the First Amendment, including speech intended to incite imminent violence. But this film doesn't meet that test. Although the filmmakers surely knew that their film would provoke angry protests (and no doubt that was part of their intent), they aren't responsible for radical groups halfway around the world using the film as an excuse to kill American officials and attack Western embassies. If the United States were to react to this violence by attempting to censor speech that deeply offends religions (as in some European countries) or speech that is blasphemous (as in some Muslim majority countries), Americans would forfeit the right to freedom of speech and religion. Once government has the power to punish speech deemed "offensive" or "hateful," the First Amendment is effectively repealed and no one's speech is safe from prosecution and no one's religion is safe from governmental interference. |
| How to torpedo a submarine investigation Posted: 23 Sep 2012 01:00 AM PDT
The Malaysian government, therefore, now has to defend itself against a possible legal action. And to do that it has to bring into question Suaram's status as an international NGO. And if the Malaysian government can prove that Suaram is not an international NGO but is a registered company (and hence profit-motivated) then it may be able to torpedo the submarine investigation. Hmm…torpedo a submarine investigation…I like that. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin CM slams 'revenge' probe on Suaram Lim Guan Eng says the ulterior motive is apparent since the authorities chose to act on Suaram only now despite the organisation being in existence for 23 years. (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has criticised the federal government's investigation on human rights organisation Suaram, calling it a "clear act of political revenge". By picking on Suaram, the Penang chief minister said Putrajaya had again demonstrated double standard with its selective prosecution. He was curious why Barisan Nasional did not give the same attention to many companies that had committed more serious financial irregularities. He noted that Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri had said that Suaram would soon face prosecution for its "confusing" and "misleading financial accounts". Lim said Sabri's statement intensified the attack on Suaram while the BN government's selective prosecution of Suaram had exposed its penchant for punishing whistle-blowers. He was convinced that the selective prosecution of Suaram was a political revenge to distract attention from the Scorpene and National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandals. He recalled that PKR election strategy director Rafizi Ramli was arrested for revealing bank account details that led to the charges against NFC chairman Mohamed Salleh Ismail. "Suaram appears to have been victimised for its role in publicly highlighting and assisting in the Scorpene corruption trial in France," he added. According to press reports, the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) was supposed to have made a recommendation early this week to the Attorney-General's Office to press charges against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, a company linked to Suaram, for unexplained financial irregularities. Lim asked why a privately-funded human rights NGO was being electively victimised over supposed financial irregularities when there were a multitude of high-profile and scandalous cases of alleged corruption and mismanagement of public funds such as the RM500 million commission for the purchase of two Scorpene submarines and the RM250 million NFC scandal. "No minister ever talked of investigating the accounts of the companies involved in the two alleged scandals," he added. He said Suaram's accounts had been audited and submitted routinely every year and even the NGO leaders publicly declared they had nothing to hide. "As Suaram was formed in 1989, why take action only now but not for the previous 23 years? Is it an act of vengeance?" he asked. **************************************************** An EXCLUSIVE insider report by YL Chong, a.k.a. Desiderata Some time in early 2001, the Far Eastern Review ran a short report saying that Malaysiakini was receiving money from "purported" rogue trader (as alleged by several Malaysian leaders including the then Prime Minister), George Soros. FEER claimed the money was channelled through South East Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA). Yes, Premesh denied this report of George Soros funding, whether "direct of indirect". I later found out at a company meeting that Premesh was not being truthful. I wrote later that while FEER was barking up the right tree, it was standing on the wrong branch. The investment money came NOT from SEAPA but from the Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF), via a George Soros unit called the Open Society Institute (OSI), which has many offices outside of the United States. I was then News Editor, and hence privy to information raised at Malaysiakini's meetings, and I had learned that indeed Malaysiakini had received an initial 10 percent down payment of RM188,000 for a 10 percent interest in Malaysiakini. At a weekend meeting, I told the top two guns -- Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran -- they had better come clean by telling the "full story" and not half-truths. I said how the investment money came through from George Soros -- direct or indirect -- was not important. The truth was indeed that RM188,000 came as initial investment from MDLF, a Soros unit. I told them since Malaysiakini flagged itself as promoting transparency and openness, it was not right to hide the fact. I said I had no problem with funding from Soros into the news portal -- as long as we practised ethical journalism. Since the top two guns did not agree with me -- in fact Steven Gan said it would be the death of Malaysiakini if they admitted to receiving this Soros funding! -- I was given Hobson's choice but told them I would hand in my resignation the following Monday (two days later). Premesh in a following press statement kept on insisting it was NOT true when I said indeed, the FEER story was correct in essence -- barking up the right tree but wrong branch was my metaphoric narrative! -- disclosed when I went public on why I resigned. Premesh still vehemently denied the story of Malaysiakini having received money from George Soros, and defamed me by saying I resigned over dissatisfaction over my "pay"! I believe it was some 10 to 11 months later, MDLF paid the remaining 90 percent of its investment, or more than the 1.88 million initially indicated at the time of my resignation) or MORE for a 30 percent (I stand corrected on this point on the numbers). I drew the NST attention to this development and it ran an update story on this development. **************************************************** Inspector Clouseau, where are you? There appears to be some confusion as to what is currently going on in Paris. We are being told that there is an on-going trial in Paris and that the French police are about to arrest and extradite Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to France to face charges and whatnot. This sounds like a Manuel Noriega of Panama episode all over again. Are we going to see a planeload of French commandos parachuting into Putrajaya to whisk Najib out of bed? Actually, this is not an open court hearing but merely an application by Suaram who filed a criminal complaint, together with an application to join the proceedings as a civil party -- Civil Party Petition -- before a judge in chambers. The judge will first have to look through the evidence and determine whether a crime has been committed before ordering a trial. Based on Suaram's application, the prosecutor ordered the Tribunal De Grande Instance in Paris to investigate the allegations of impropriety in the submarine contract. The result of this police investigation runs into hundreds of pages from D1 to D153, which you can read below. The idea to initiate a campaign to keep the Scorpene submarines issue alive until the 13th General Election was mooted by R. Sivarasa and Tian Chua some time back in 2009. Sivarasa and Tian Chua discussed the matter with Anwar Ibrahim who decided that Suaram would be the best vehicle to use to initiate the action. French lawyers were then engaged to act on behalf of Suaram to apply to the French court for a probe to be conducted on all the companies and personalities involved in the submarines contract. This was a sort of 'class action suit' to be taken by Suaram but Suaram had to first convince the court that it had locus standi on the matter. Suaram was presented to the court as an international NGO similar in status to Amnesty International whose job is to uphold democracy and human rights. This pleading to the court can be seen in the first document, document D1, below. (Malaysia Today, 26 June 2012) **************************************************** Okay, so what is really going on here? First of all, it was Desmond YL Chong of Malaysia Chronicle, a.k.a. Suara Tian Chua, who revealed that Malaysiakini was receiving foreign funding. And Chong pointed out that this is wrong and he went on to explain why that prompted him to resign from Malaysiakini two days after he discovered this 'scandal'. Hence it was Tian Chua's 'running dog' who first triggered this problem resulting in the shit hitting the fan. Now, these people funding Malaysiakini are the same people who are funding Suaram. Hence, if Chong feels that it is wrong for Malaysiakini to receive funding from these people, then, according to the government, it should be equally wrong for Suaram to do so as well. That is point number one. The next point is regarding what is going on in Paris, which you can read about above. The crucial part of this French investigation is in document D1: http://www.malaysia-today.net/files/scorpene/D00001.pdf And the part you must note in that document (D1) is as follows: SUARAM est une organisation non gouvernementale fondée en 1989 (SUARAM is a non-governmental organization founded in 1989). Il ne fait donc pas le moindre doute qu'eu égard à l'article 2 du code de procédure pénale français SUARAM est tout à fait recevable à ester en justice pour obtenir réparation des atteintes qu'elle a personnellement subie de par l'évident phénomène corruptif entourant la vente de ces sous-marins (There is therefore no doubt that, with regards to Article 2 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure, SUARAM is quite admissible to sue for compensation for she has personally suffered damage because of the obvious phenomenon surrounding the corrupt sale of these submarines). The French investigation into the sale of the two submarines to Malaysia was launched mainly because of an application made by Suaram. Suaram had applied to the French court for this investigation to be launched on the basis that Suaram is an international NGO that has suffered damage because France sold two submarines to Malaysia. And Suaram is seeking compensation. Hence Suaram is the complainant cum applicant and the defendant in this case is the Malaysian government. But the action is being taken in a French court, not in Malaysia. And Suaram has managed to convince the French court that it is an International NGO and therefore has locus standi to take this 'class action suit' against the Malaysian government. The Malaysian government, therefore, now has to defend itself against a possible legal action. And to do that it has to bring into question Suaram's status as an international NGO. And if the Malaysian government can prove that Suaram is not an international NGO but is a registered company (and hence profit-motivated) then it may be able to torpedo the submarine investigation. Hmm…torpedo a submarine investigation…I like that. And that is why the Malaysian government is going after Suaram. The Malaysian government has to rip to shreds Suaram's 'status' so that it can argue that not only is Suaram a profit-motivated company and not an international NGO, but it also has no locus standi in this 'class action suit'. I would say that this is a very clever 'defend by attacking' strategy, which I would also use if I were placed in that same situation. Well, as they say, all is fair in love and war. |
| Pakatan must prove its worth to win GE13, says Guan Eng Posted: 22 Sep 2012 06:29 PM PDT
Liza J. Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider Pakatan Rakyat (PR) needs to convince voters of its ability to form a formidable federal government and to cooperate as a unified pact to win its place in Putrajaya in the coming polls, Lim Guan Eng said today. The DAP secretary-general accused the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) of perpetuating three "myths" about the opposition to spread doubt over its readiness to govern — that PR leaders cannot work together much less co-operate when in power; PR is not capable of administrating a nation; and PR does not have the people's interests at heart and are only power crazy. Lim said the Najib administration has been using "extremist, racial and religious rhetoric" to mask failures of the BN government and to win votes in the upcoming general election. The Penang chief minister also moved to dispel three "lies" he claimed were spun by the government to distract attention from BN's failure to fight corruption and its lack of "competency, accountability and transparency in governance". "The first lie is that Malaysia would go bankrupt if PR wins because we can not afford to deliver all our promises," Lim said today during the Perak DAP state annual convention in Ipoh. "Our competent performance in the four PR states clearly disproves this lie as no PR states went bankrupt, instead recorded large surpluses," he added. Lim said the second lie was MCA's claims that a PR victory would lead to an Islamic state under PAS, while Umno claims a Christian state would be formed under DAP. "This lie by MCA and Umno is self-contradictory. The clearest rebuttal is that there is no mention of an Islamic or a Christian state in the PR's common policy," he said. Lim then claimed BN's third lie was a reoccurrence of the May 13 racial riots if there is a change of government. "Such threats are intended to frighten non-Malays even though BN and Umno know that a change of government can only happen if the Malay voters desire change as Malays form the majority of voters," he said. "The 2008 general elections show that Malaysian voters are mature and there were no racial incidents even though there was a change of state governments in five states. "As the last three Bersih rallies have shown, the desire for clean elections has strong support from Malays who made up the majority of the peaceful demonstrators," he added. Lim, however, believed Putrajaya's "reliance on playing extremist racial and religious sentiments will be rejected by Malaysians". "I believe that Malaysians would choose a new government that delivers on economic performance, prosperity for all and reversing the brain drain and reject an unchanged government that exploits race and religious extremist sentiments to hide its corruption and cronyism," he said. Lim then urged PR leaders to emphasise integrity, clean leadership and good governance to reflect good performance in PR states. "We must institutionalise open tenders and publicly declare our assets to show we have nothing to hide just as PR leaders have done in Penang."
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| Selangor govt confusing people on water issues, says Cassa Posted: 22 Sep 2012 06:19 PM PDT Cassa says most people in the state are not sure who is right and wrong. (Bernama) - Wat-er confusion! The Selangor government is confusing the people over water issues in the state to suit its political agenda, and at the expense of consumers and the economy, a prominent consumer activist charged today. Consumer Association of Subang and Shah Alam (Cassa) president Jacob George said, based on feedback he had received, most people in Selangor were confused over who was right and wrong. Amidst this confusion, he said the state government had also injected, as an after-thought, a new dimension to the water issue – that water tariffs would increase if the federal government went ahead with building the Langat 2 water treatment plant. George also lamented that a number of executive councillors (excos) in the Selangor government were formerly non-governmental organisation (NGO) activists who had been looking at things negatively, no matter how well-intentioned the federal government plans were, to improve conditions in the country. "I have been involved with various NGOs for 37 years. I could see their game-plan [over water issues], their strategies and that's why they are bringing up irrelevant matters just to block what the federal government is trying to do," he told Bernama in an interview. In addition, George claimed the state government was also bringing in issues between it and Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd into the picture, whereas they should be resolved in a different platform. He said this unnecessary time-wasting should have been spent on resolving the impending water crisis in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. "So, why is the state government doing all these? Don't mix these up and place it in one basket. This is not right. This is for our future, not just for the people of Selangor but for our neighbours [in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya], as well, because it [water crisis] would have serious implications," he added. On the Langat 2 treatment plant which the state government was opposed to, the Cassa president said, all studies by experts showed the project had to be implemented without further delay due to a serious shortfall in treated water production, as the existing 34 plants in Selangor were operating at maximum capacity. Here again, he said, the state government confused consumers by stating that the reservoirs were full of water, and that there was no crisis even in the future, although the argument was about adequate supply of treated water. What the federal government was concerned about, he noted, was with long-term planning addressing an impending water crisis, given the rapid population growth and the needs of industries. "The plans are for 10, 15 or 20 years ahead, and when you talk about water, there's definitely going to be problems. It is a global issue now, and every country is facing it, coupled with weather, environmental and pollution problems setting in," he said. Cassa snubbed George said projects like the Langat 2 plant could not be implemented overnight and further delays fuelled by politicking, could push the cost of the project higher by as much as 70%. In the first place, he said, there was no need to politicise the issue as it was a human rights issue, and in facing an issue such as consumer rights, all sides must remain level-headed and focus on the core issue. George revealed that Cassa had offered to mediate in the federal-state conflict over the issue but the Selangor government had snubbed the offer, although the federal government gave positive response. "We have sent many letters to them (Selangor government), giving them the feedback from consumers and they didn't respond even once. So, we know that they don't want Cassa to intervene but that's their choice. "We accept it but don't say that we don't know the ground feeling. We have gone to the ground, talking to various groups of society and everyone agrees that a water crisis is just round the corner," he said. He also took to task the National Water Services Commission (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara or SPAN), for its relatively muted silence over water issues in Selangor, and this added to the confusion, as well. "Cassa is very disappointed with the stand taken by SPAN and public perception of SPAN is rather negative, as if it doesn't exist. Many times, we have inivited them to debates on water issues, but they didn't attend. "If they continue to be disinterested in playing a role, then it defeats the purpose of setting up SPAN. "SPAN, with all its powers, should be in the forefront in trying to resolve such issues and the confusion arising from them. So far, they have failed to do this," claimed George.
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| Dr M: Hudud law will create injustice Posted: 22 Sep 2012 06:17 PM PDT The former prime minister says hudud with its shortcomings cannot fit into multi-racial countries like Malaysia. Leven Woon, FMT Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad made his strongest ever objections on hudud law today, saying that its implementation will create an unjust judiciary system in Malaysia. Speaking at the Islam and Women's Health forum today, he said hudud with its shortcomings cannot fit into multi-racial countries like Malaysia, as it only punishes the Muslims. "In hudud, if you steal, you can have your hand chopped off. But they want to chop off only Muslims' hand, not the non-Muslim who steal same amount of money. Surely it's not justice," he told the audience during the question-and-answer session. He also took a swipe at the hudud's condition on rape offence, whereby four witnesses are required to convict a perpetrator. "Today we have the modern equivalent tool of DNA. You can collect evidence of rape through collecting DNA samples and compare them with the offender. "Surely, we can accept circumstantial evidence even if there are no four witnesses. "In Islam, the most important thing is justice. When you judge, you must make sure justice has been served. If you judge knowing clearly that this is unjust, then I think it is un-Islamic," he said. Mahathir' comment came amid repeated statements by PAS lately to implement the stringent law should it come into federal power. Earlier, the longest-serving prime minister said that the hudud debate came about because certain individuals wanted to be stringent to show they are more "Islamic". "There is no mention in the Quran about stoning to death, or shooting with M16 gun, but this is regarded as the most appropriate [by some individuals]. "This shows we prefer the most extreme interpretation of Quran as against the norm of the day," he said. "In Islam, certain things are compulsory and certain [things] are optional; if we don't accept the optional ones, that is not wrong for us," he said.
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| Dr M: Soros wants to install puppet PM Posted: 22 Sep 2012 06:15 PM PDT (FMT) - American tycoon George Soros is funding several NGOs and companies in Malaysia to influence local politics and gear the country towards a regime change, claimed former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "He tries to control our politics, and select his people to be the prime minister," Mahathir told reporters here after a forum on "Islam and Women's Health" He was commenting on the recent reports by Umno-controlled newspapers that the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is funding local NGOs and online news portal Malaysiakini. TV3 aired a similar report on Thursday suggesting that the foreign funding, such as Soros' Open Society Foundation, uses the NGOs to topple governments around the world and replace them with Soros' proxies. Mahathir said such a move was always done in the name of "promotion of democracy and freedom". "So apparently we don't have freedom here. Soros wants a puppet prime minister, that's why he wants to see a regime change in Malaysia," he said. NGOs such as human rights pressure group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) have been bearing the brunt of criticism over its funding and organisational structure. The government has accused it of being funded by foreign powers to "destabilise the peace of the country". On Tuesday, Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that six government agencies are taking action against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, the operating entity of Suaram, for breaching five sections of the Companies Act 1965. Suaram has consistently denied any wrongdoings, while Pakatan Rakyat leaders such as Lim Guan Eng labelled the authorities' action on Suaram as "clear act of political revenge". Suaram is instrumental behind the Scorpene corruption trial in France, a deal which allegedly implicated Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. The case also involved Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian interpreter and model who was murdered near Kuala Lumpur in 2006.
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| Like a trapped animal (part 2) Posted: 22 Sep 2012 05:27 PM PDT
And that is what the 13th General Election is all about. It is about kill or be killed. It is about whether Dr Mahathir or Anwar will win. It is about who is going to jail, Dr Mahathir or Anwar. And if Anwar wins then Dr Mahathir is not going to go to jail alone. Pakatan Rakyat has promised to go for everyone who is corrupt and has committed a crime. So, many people have something to lose. Anwar has to die so that so many others can live. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Dr M: Malays will lose political power if PR takes over (The Malaysian Insider) - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called the Malays "ungrateful" and "lacking intelligence", warning that the greed of a few power-hungry Malays in the opposition would see the country's dominant race lose its political power. "If any of these Malay (opposition) parties win the elections and forms the government, this government would have to follow the dictates of other (races). The Malays will no longer hold dominance in the government that they were so willing to share with others," he said in a special column titled "Suara Hati Mahathir" published in Mingguan Malaysia today, the weekend edition of Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia. In his lengthy tirade against the Malays, the former prime minister expressed sadness that the Malays were now purportedly split into three factions and said that this has resulted in them "begging" for support from the other races. "It has forced them to beg for support... even from those who have all this time been fighting against efforts to uplift the positions of the Malays and make them equal to the others. But this support is not given for free," he warned. "Who brought on this disaster? No other than the Malays themselves ― greedy Malays, Malays lacking in intelligence, Malays easily influenced by lust, easily dominated by hatred when agitated," he continued in typical no-holds-barred fashion. Dr Mahathir took pains to remind the Malays of their colonised past in the decades before independence, detailing horror stories of how the British had called them lazy and stupid, enslaving them in their own country. He said the Malays were only allowed to take on menial labour jobs and were made into drivers and orderlies or clerks and office boys at most. "There were assumed to be incapable of holding any responsibility. The Chinese and the Indians were even brought into the country to solve this problem of the Malays being stupid and incompetent," the veteran politician recalled. When the Japanese arrived, Dr Mahathir said the Malays even lost their lowly office jobs and were forced to become petty roadside traders selling goods like bananas. If they failed to bow their heads low when walking by a Japanese soldier, they would be forced to balance large chunks of rocks on their heads and shoulders until they would collapse from dizziness, he said. "They would be ordered to climb tall coconut trees to get the fruits for these Japanese soldiers. If they failed, they would be slapped and would have to crouch to seek forgiveness," Dr Mahathir continued. *********************************************** The 13th General Election, which most expect in February-March next year, is going to be very interesting. It is going to be interesting because of a few reasons. The pertinent questions I would ask would be: 1. Are we going to see history being repeated? 2. Was the 12th General Election a flash in the pan? 3. Are we finally going to see the end of the rule of the same government that Malaysia has had for the last half century? 4. Have Malaysians finally buried the spectre of 'May 13' and is it now no longer a factor in Malaysian politics (and hence has become a blunt weapon)? 5. Has Malaysian politics been reduced to that of the United States Presidential elections? 6. Whose propaganda machinery and political strategy is better, Barisan Nasional's or Pakatan Rakyat's? 7. Have the political surveys and opinion polls done over the last couple of years been accurate in assessing the mindset of Malaysians? 8. Are we still retaining the political culture of the last 30 years or is that now a thing of the past? I suppose my list of questions can go up to a dozen or more but for purposes of today's discussion allow me to focus on just those eight. My list is not in order of priority or importance and I am going to address them not in the sequence above. Most likely Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would be requesting an audience with His Majesty the Agong early next year to request His Majesty's consent to dissolve Parliament. Thereafter the Election Commission (SPR) will take over and has 60 days in which to hold the elections. Most likely, also, SPR will allow a ten-day campaign period. Hence, while Nomination Day could be about a month after Parliament is dissolved, Polling Day would be just ten days after that. Now, Malaysians feel that this is unfair. A ten-day campaign period is too short, they say. In actual fact, if the 13th General Election were held, say, in March 2013, then the campaign period would be five years rather than ten days. Hence it really makes no difference whether the 'official' campaign period is ten days or ten weeks. The reality would be the campaign would have been going on for five years, making Malaysia the only country in the world where the campaign period is five years. Do I need to explain this? Well, considering the comprehension level of most Malaysians maybe I do. You see, it is like this: both Barisan Nasional as well as Pakatan Rakyat have been on the campaign trail since 9th March 2008, the day after the 12th General Election. They started campaigning the very morning after Polling Day of 8th March 2008 and have never stopped campaigning ever since. More importantly, though, the campaigning is not really about which will make a better government, Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat? It is about who will make a better Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak or Anwar Ibrahim? Hence, when Malaysians go to the polling booths on Polling Day, many people will be voting not so much based on which political party they support but on who they want as the Prime Minister. For example, say Pakatan Rakyat announces that if it wins the general election Anwar Ibrahim will not become the Prime Minister but Hadi Awang will instead. How many Chinese will still vote Pakatan Rakyat? Or, say, Pakatan Rakyat announces that Lim Kit Siang is going to be the Prime Minister (which is allowed under the law). Would many Malays still vote Pakatan Rakyat? The factor, therefore, is Anwar. It is because Anwar is going to be Prime Minister that these people will vote Pakatan Rakyat. And they will vote Pakatan Rakyat because they do not want Najib rather than because they want Anwar. It is about what you don't want and not about what you want. Hence ABU (anything but Umno) may work because ABU is about what you don't want, meaning Umno. Say Umno announces that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will be taking over as Prime Minister after the 13th General Election. Najib will retire and hand the reins to Ku Li. Will all those who intend to vote Pakatan Rakyat still vote Pakatan Rakyat since the main reason they are voting Pakatan Rakyat is because they are pissed with Najib and Rosmah? So, the criteria here is vote the other side of what you don't want. This makes it easier to ignore and close your eyes to who or what you are voting for. You just decide who or what you don't want then close your eyes and vote the opposite to that. And this is partly the fault of the political parties themselves. The campaigning has not been about what they can do for the country but about the bad points of the other side. Barisan Nasional has been going out of their way to point out the bad points and faults of the Pakatan Rakyat leaders, in particular Anwar Ibrahim, while Pakatan Rakyat has been doing the same about Barisan Nasional, in particular regarding Najib and Rosmah Mansor. In fact, the 13th General Election is not even about Anwar and Najib. It is about Anwar and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. And to understand this we need to rewind 30 years to 1982 when Anwar first joined Umno. While Anwar may be the de facto leader of PKR (plus opposition leader as well because of that), Dr Mahathir is the de facto government leader (the power behind the throne so to speak). Basically, Najib is Dr Mahathir's proxy. Hence if you hate Dr Mahathir (assuming hating Najib and Rosmah is not enough reason to reject Umno), then you vote for Anwar (meaning vote Pakatan Rakyat). Many may not be aware that it was Ku Li who brought Anwar into Umno back in 1982. Dr Mahathir actually did not want Anwar but Ku Li was persistent and Dr Mahathir eventually relented. The main concern was that if Umno does not take Anwar then he might join PAS (which was seriously courting him). So better Umno takes Anwar then he goes to PAS. At least in Umno Anwar could be controlled. Dr Mahathir actually admitted this in an interview in Japan some years back. He said he agreed to allow Anwar to join Umno to prevent him from joining PAS. Dr Mahathir added that he thought he could control Anwar once he was in Umno but then he discovered that Anwar was conspiring to oust him so he had no choice but to get rid of Anwar. Hence Dr Mahathir admitted that he did not actually want Anwar and he got rid of Anwar not because of the sodomy allegation but because he (Anwar) was conspiring to oust him (Dr Mahathir). We can assume, therefore, that the sodomy allegation was the excuse rather than the reason. It is, therefore, to Dr Mahathir's interest that he ensure Anwar does not take over as Prime Minister. It has become something very personal between Dr Mahathir and Anwar. This is a vendetta, an old score to settle, not about better governance, etc. And if Anwar succeeds in taking over he would do what he had intended to do back in 1998 but failed. Dr Mahathir is going to go to jail. And if Anwar fails to take over then he is going to jail instead. Dr Mahathir will make sure of that. Hence the 13th General Election is about whether Dr Mahathir or Anwar is going to win while the loser, whoever that may be, is going to end up in jail. It is winner takes all and loser loses all type of situation -- the Malaysian political culture. This is a high stakes game. This is about who is going to sit in Putrajaya and who is going to die in jail. And the fact that Pakatan Rakyat has promised that if it takes over the federal government it is going to korek (dig) all the wrongdoings and transgressions of those currently in power (including those already retired) means Pakatan Rakyat (meaning Anwar Ibrahim) cannot take over at all costs, even at the cost of bloodshed. Well, it is either my blood or your blood, so better your blood. So it may have been better if Pakatan Rakyat had not made so much noise about the witch hunt they are going to launch once (not 'if') they take over. Promising revenge and retribution have made not only the politicians but the civil service, police, judiciary, military, etc., scared shit. They visual a Pakatan Rakyat takeover as translating to the death of many who walk and sit in the corridors of power in Putrajaya -- not confined to just the elected officials or politicians. It may have been prudent if Pakatan Rakyat had announced an amnesty and period or reconciliation instead. Promising revenge has turned this into a deadly game. It is kill or be killed. I remember once speaking to Zakaria Chik, the then CPO of Johor (whom I knew when he was in Terengganu). I congratulated him on his success at combating crime in Johore. I then asked him why all the robbers and kidnappers seem to have been shot dead. You do not seem to arrest anyone, I said. All are shot dead. Zakaria replied that he told his police officers he does not want any prisoners, only bodies. Any police officer that brings back a live prisoner would be transferred to traffic duty. Hence they don't make any arrest. They shoot on sight. The criminals, too, knew that they were not going to be arrested or taken alive. They were going to be shot dead even if they surrendered. So why surrender? Better they try to escape by shooting their way out. So the criminal would never surrender. They will shoot at the police. And the police too have to shoot back. So it is a 'kill or be killed' situation -- and most times the police win. And that is what the 13th General Election is all about. It is about kill or be killed. It is about whether Dr Mahathir or Anwar will win. It is about who is going to jail, Dr Mahathir or Anwar. And if Anwar wins then Dr Mahathir is not going to go to jail alone. Pakatan Rakyat has promised to go after everyone who is corrupt and has committed a crime. So, many people have something to lose. Anwar has to die so that so many others can live. In 1999, the opposition did very well. And the factor was Dr Mahathir. Many people hated Dr Mahathir and were angry at what he did to Anwar. In 2004, the opposition did very badly. The factor, again, was Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir had retired and had handed the reins to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. So no more hate Dr Mahathir factor. Let's give Pak Lah a chance. In 2008, the opposition did well again. And, yet again, the factor was Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir had resigned from Umno and had asked the Malays and Umno members to punish Umno by voting for the opposition. So what is 2013 going to look like? Is Dr Mahathir still a factor? Are we going to see the 1999 scenario, the 2004 scenario, or the 2008 scenario? And how strong is the Dr Mahathir factor or is he no longer relevant or significant? Umno is now like a trapped animal. And trapped animals can be very desperate and vicious. Umno and the Umno leaders (plus those in government such as the civil servants) have been promised that once Pakatan Rakyat takes over it is going to be payback time. Heads are going to roll. Jails are going to be full. There may not be enough jails for everyone. Do you think it was wise to make such a promise? Do you think these people should have been made to feel like a trapped animal? Do you think they will allow Pakatam Rakyat to take over if their heads depend on Pakatan Rakyat not taking over? When it is either kill or be killed how do you think your enemy is going to fight? If you are going to die anyway and there are not going to be any prisoners you might as well come out with both guns blazing. That is what the 13th General Election has been reduced to. But maybe Pakatan Rakyat is so confident it is going to win it need not care about the 'death threat' to the losers once Pakatan Rakyat takes over. But the thing is the votes have not been counted yet and there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. So anything can happen. And as they also say, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. Oh, that's right, the fat lady did sing, on Hari Raya. Okay, maybe it is over; but let's see. Anyway, I will stop here and maybe I can continue with part 3 another day, if I am in the mood for it. |
| Dr M: Melayu tidak ‘bersyukur’ akan hilang kuasa dibawah pemerintahan PR Posted: 22 Sep 2012 02:26 PM PDT  Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad melabel orang Melayu yang "tidak bersyukur" dan "kurang berilmu" akan mengakibatkan mereka kehilangan kuasa memerintah jika Pakatan Rakyat (PR) memerintah kelak. Mantan perdana menteri (PM) tersebut juga meluahkan rasa kesal melihat bangsanya bergaduh sesama sendiri hanya kerana merebut kuasa. "Saya rasa sedih melihat bangsa sendiri tidak tahu bersyukur, begitu sekali mudah lupa, begitu sekali mudah dipengaruhi dan diperalat oleh orang lain sehingga sanggup memburukkan bangsa sendiri," kata Dr Mahathir dalam Mingguan Malaysia, akhbar milik Umno. Dalam artikelnya lagi, Dr Mahathir memberi peringatan kepada orang Melayu agar tidak lupa diri hingga mereka dihina lagi seperti zaman British dahulu. "Orang Melayu sudah lupa akan betapa hinanya mereka semasa dijajah dahulu. "Mereka tidak pun mengakui akan nikmat yang banyak yang dinikmati oleh mereka setelah merdeka dan mereka menerajui kerajaan-kerajaan Malaysia merdeka," katanya. Kemerdekaan negara dikecapi menurut Mahathir adalah hasil kekuatan orang Melayu yang menyokong Umno dan rakannya dalam Perikatan. Dr Mahathir juga berkata perpecahan dikalangan orang Melayu ketika ini sangat membimbangkan. "Sekarang orang Melayu berpecah kepada tiga kumpulan kecil yang terpaksa mengemis untuk mendapat sokongan orang lain. Beliau juga tidak menolak suatu hari nanti orang Melayu terpaksa mengikut telunjuk orang lain jika keadaan ini berterusan. "Jika mana-mana daripada parti Melayu ini memenangi pilihan raya dan mendirikan kerajaan, tak dapat tidak kerajaan ini akan terpaksa mengikuti telunjuk orang lain. "Melayu tidak lagi akan menjadi tunggak kepada pemerintahan negara yang mereka rela berkongsi dengan orang lain," tambah Dr Mahathir lagi. Dr Mahathir mendakwa negara tidak akan mencapai kemerdekaan pada 1957 jika parti serpihan daripada ulama dalam Umno menang pilihanraya pertama semasa zaman Tunku Abdul Rahman. "Kumpulan pertama yang menubuh parti serpihan terdiri daripada ulama dalam Umno yang kecewa kerana permintaan mereka supaya 10 daripada mereka dicalonkan oleh Tunku Abdul Rahman ditolak olehnya dan hanya satu sahaja yang diberi kepada kumpulan ini. "Jika Parti Islam mendapat lebih daripada satu kerusi, nescaya kemerdekaan tidak tercapai pada 1957," kata Mahathir lagi. Dr Mahathir berharap nasihat yang diberikannya menjadi panduan dan iktibar kepada orang Melayu agar perkara sama tidak berulang semasa zaman penjajahan. "Bangsa saya jelas tidak dapat menangani kejayaan. Bangsa saya mudah lupa. Bangsa saya tidak tahu bersyukur. "Bangsa saya tidak tahu mengambil iktibar daripada nasib yang menimpa kaum sebangsa yang hari ini tinggal di wilayah yang dikuasai orang lain," katanya.
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| Pakistan minister places bounty on anti-Islam filmmaker Posted: 22 Sep 2012 02:18 PM PDT
(AFP) - A Pakistani official on Saturday placed a US$100,000 bounty on the head of the maker of an anti-Islam film that has sparked a wave of violence and anger, as Muslims mounted fresh protests worlwide. Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour also called on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to join the hunt and help accomplish the "noble deed." Bilour spoke to reporters in the northwestern city of Peshawar a day after violent nationwide demonstrations against the "Innocence of Muslims" film left 21 people dead and more than 200 injured. "I announce today that this blasphemer who has abused the holy prophet, if somebody will kill him, I will give that person a prize of $100,000," Bilour said, urging others to shower the killer with cash and gold. "I also invite Taliban and Al-Qaeda brothers to be partners in this noble deed," he added. "I also announce that if the government hands this person over to me, my heart says I will finish him with my own hands and then they can hang me." Protests against the low-budget film, which mocks Islam, have erupted across the Muslim world, leading to more than 50 deaths since the first demonstrations on September 11. A French satirical magazine's publication this week of cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed has further stoked anger. The producer of the film, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, is reportedly a Los Angeles-based 55-year-old Egyptian Copt and convicted fraudster, currently out on parole. US media reports say Nakoula wrote and produced the film, using the pseudonym Sam Bacile before being identified. Police questioned him before he went into hiding with his family. Thousands of Islamist activists in Pakistan staged demonstrations again Saturday but there was no repeat of the previous day's widespread violence. More than 5,000 protesters, including hundreds of women, marched towards the parliament in Islamabad chanting "We love our Holy Prophet" and "Punishment for those who humiliated our Prophet". Some 1,500 people from the hardline Islamist Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Sunni religious groups rallied in front of the US consulate in the eastern city of Lahore, chanting "The US deserves only one remedy — jihad, jihad" Smaller protests took place in the southwestern city of Quetta, as well as in Peshawar, where six people died in Friday's protests, and in the southern port city of Karachi, where 15 people were killed Friday. Witnesses estimated that more than 45,000 people joined Friday's nationwide rallies, mainly members of right-wing religious parties and supporters of banned terror groups. Those numbers, however, were still considered small in a country of 180 million. Four more people died overnight from wounds they received during the protests, taking toll of those killed across Pakistan on Friday to 21, health officials said. The combined total of wounded in Karachi, Peshawar and the capital Islamabad was 229. In Nigeria, meanwhile, tens of thousands of people protested in the second city of Kano, burning images of US President Barack Obama and stomping on the American flag. The procession of men, veiled women and children stretched for several kilometres (miles) through the city, the largest in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north. They shouted "death to America, death to Israel and death to the enemies of Islam". There were no reports of violence. The demonstration was organised by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, a pro-Iranian group that adheres to the Shiite branch of Islam. In Lebanon, thousands of supporters of the Shiite Hezbollah movement took to the streets in the southern town of Bint Jbeil. Women in black chadors carried colourful Islamist flags alongside young children holding the Koran, the Muslim holy book. Hezbollah parliamentary representative Nawaf al-Moussawi told the crowd the film was "... not merely a trivial creation carried out by a group, but American politics intended to be disseminated to the Western world." He also warned against reprisal attacks on the Christian community. In east Jerusalem about 500 Palestinians, accompanied by a marching band, protested against both the film and the cartoons in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. In Germany, 1,500 people staged a peaceful protest in the western city of Dortmund, a day after similar demonstrations in other German cities. A German far-right group's threat to screen the video has prompted heated debate over whether or not the authorities should ban the film on security grounds. In neighboring Austria, about 500 people protested outside the US embassy in the capital Vienna. In France, riot police were out in force in several parts of Paris to enforce a ban on protests, a week after an unauthorised demonstration against the film led to 150 arrests. Social networks had been awash with appeals for French Muslims to defy the ban and hold fresh protests. French police have arrested a man in the western city of La Rochelle for having allegedly called on a jihadi website for Stephane Charbonnier, chief of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, to be decapitated. |
| Liverpool, United add respect to rivalry Posted: 22 Sep 2012 02:15 PM PDT
(AFP) - Matches between Liverpool and Manchester United have always contained incredible history and rivalry, on and off the pitch. But when the two sides meet at Anfield on today, there will be a huge amount of respect on show at the end of what has been an emotional fortnight for Liverpool. The match is the first at their home ground since the release of a damning report into the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death before an FA Cup tie on April 15, 1989. The report absolved the fans of any blame, slamming the police and politicians for overseeing a cover-up of the facts. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said his side were ready to cope with all that comes with the day. "I'm very much looking forward to it," he said. "It's a game I've grown up watching all of my life," he said. "Two massive clubs and it's a great opportunity to be involved in such a game. "But, first and foremost, it's a great opportunity for us as a club to commemorate and to pay tribute to the families and the people involved with Hillsborough, and show and pay our respects to the families at the game. "Hopefully we can then go on and get three points, which would set off what would hopefully be a great day for us." United manager Sir Alex Ferguson took the unprecedented step of writing a letter to his fans, urging them to show their respect by not singing the kind of offensive chants a minority of their supporters have indulged in, in the past. "Our rivalry with Liverpool is based on a determination to come out on top – a wish to see us crowned the best against a team that held that honour for so long," he said. "It cannot and should never be based on personal hatred. Just ten days ago, we heard the terrible, damning truth about the deaths of 96 fans who went to watch their team try and reach the FA Cup final and never came back. "What happened to them should wake the conscience of everyone connected with the game. Our great club stands with our great neighbours Liverpool today to remember that loss and pay tribute to their campaign for justice." When the two sides met last year, there was a huge moment of controversy when Liverpool's Luis Suarez was alleged to have racially abused United full back Patrice Evra. Suarez was later banned for eight matches and when the two sides met again at Old Trafford, they refused to take part in the pre-match handshake. This time, the two teams have promised to shake hands while former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has suggested they go even further. "It would be nice for Luis Suarez to put some flowers at the United end regarding (the) Munich (air disaster, when seven United players were among 21 people killed), and for Patrice Evra to do so at the Kop," Fowler said. "The two clubs do have a rivalry, but some things are far more important than football and this is one of them." Six players have been sent off in the past 11 matches between the two and Ferguson said it was crucial his side behave well. "There's a great atmosphere, fantastic, and the kind of atmosphere you want to be involved in," he said. "It does get emotive, but you just have to handle that".
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| Karpal: You don’t have be a Penangite to be CM Posted: 22 Sep 2012 02:10 PM PDT
(The Star) - DAP chairman Karpal Singh has fended off criticisms that Lim Guan Eng should not be the Chief Minister because he is not a Penangite. He said election laws were clear on this issue, adding that an election candidate only needed to be a resident and a Malaysian citizen to stand in any state. "To stand as a candidate in any state in Malaysia, one just has to be a resident that is the qualification and, of course, a citizen of the country. "The Lim family has a residence in Penang. No doubt, (Penang Chief Minister) Lim (Guan Eng) was born in Batu Pahat but his connection with Penang is sufficient for him to be the right choice for the post of Chief Minister," he said here yesterday. Karpal was responding to a statement by former DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim that the Penang Chief Minister should be a local instead of Lim, who is from Batu Pahat. In a recent ceramah, Tunku Abdul Aziz, who quit DAP in May, had called on Penangites to ensure that their Chief Minister come from among the crop of local leaders instead of someone "parachuted" in from other states. Tunku Abdul Aziz had said that Chow Kon Yeow, who is the state DAP chairman, should have been the Chief Minister, adding that he was a "nice man" and "not arrogant". When contacted, Chow said it was up to the people to "choose the party the Chief Minister is from". Asked about the meeting between DAP leaders at the Red Rock Hotel after the party took over the state, during which Lim had allegedly nominated himself for the top post, Chow said this was the consensus reached among them. Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow, who was born in Batu Pahat, said everybody had the freedom to express their views and opinions on the matter. "Let the voters decide on who they think is right," said Teng. Penang Chinese Town Hall chairman Datuk Lam Wu Chong said there was no such rule that the Chief Minister must be a local-born Penangite. However, a Penang-born engineer, who only wanted to be known as James, said he would prefer to have a local as a Chief Minister. "It would be better if we are led by a Penangite as the person shares a similar sentiment about the state and can easily meet our expectations," said the 31-year-old.
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| Karpal gets support for anti-hopping bill Posted: 22 Sep 2012 01:57 PM PDT The DAP national chairman will table a private member's bill to stop party-hopping and he has got an unlikely ally in an independent MP. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh will table a private members' bill to stop party hopping in Parliament next week and he has got an unlikely ally in independent MP Tan Tee Beng. Tan, the Nibong Tebal MP, has declared his support for Karpal's initiatives to amend Articles 10 and 48 of the Federal Constitution to pave way for the anti-hopping legislation to stop party-hopping. Tan said he would back Karpal because he does not believe in political coup d'etat to form governments by defections. "I am against turning around the government and country through this bad tactic. It's an unethical practice and a dangerous trend. "The government should only be formed through legitimate elections," he told FMT. Karpal said that he would table a private member's bill during the budget sitting of the final parliamentary session of the year that would start next week to amend both constitutional provisions. Both provisions are considered as stumbling blocks against legislating anti-hopping law to prevent elected representatives from defecting from one party to another. Tan won Nibong Tebal seat under PKR ticket in 2008 general election but left the party in March 2010 to become an independent MP. Tan said he was always against part-hopping and he insisted that he only left PKR due to political differences with party supremo Anwar Ibrahim. He said he had never declared himself as a BN-friendly independent unlike other defecting MPs. "It's my critics and media who claimed that I'm BN-friendly. I have never said it," he said. Fall-out with Anwar He pointed out that his fall-out with Anwar was over the unwarranted "916 episode" where the PKR supremo leader wanted to capture Putrajaya via defections of 30 Barisan Nasional MPs, mostly from Sabah and Sarawak. "I never agreed with Anwar on Sept 16 date. I told him that I would rather prefer to be opposition MP than take over the government by default," said Tan. He said this can be clarified with PKR MPs – Ampang's Zuraida Kamaruddin, Balik Pulau's Yusmadi Yusoff, Indera Makhota's Azan Ismail, Kelana Jaya's Loh Gwo Burne and Telok Kemang's Kamarul Bahrin Abas – as they were witnesses over his argument with Anwar in the opposition leader's Segambut home.
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| PERSECUTION IN MALAYSIA - Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malaysia Posted: 22 Sep 2012 11:28 AM PDT Ij9soe_9BfU Or watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij9soe_9BfU An appeal to the Islamic religious authorities especially the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) to stop all agitations and incitements against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Malaysia and to hold an open discussion (muzakarah) with it. TheAmanTv Background |
| Ex-DAP Tunku Aziz: Lim Guan Eng appointed himself CM Posted: 21 Sep 2012 09:55 PM PDT  Athi Shankar, WikiSabah GEORGE TOWN: In the never ending attempts to belittle Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ,the latest query is whether Lim is the legitimate leader of the state. This time it comes from former DAP national vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim. Tunku Aziz says Lim appointed himself as the chief executive of the newly formed Pakatan Rakyat government by virtue of being the party's secretary general.By convention, he noted that long serving Penang DAP chairman and Padang Kota assemblyman Chow Kon Yeow should have been the chief minister, not a parachute candidate like Lim. But, Tunku Aziz alleged Lim declared himself as the chief minister during a meeting among DAP elected representatives held in Red Rock Hotel immediately after the 2008 election results were announced. During the closed door meeting, Abdul Aziz claimed that when a question was raised on who would be the new chief minister, Lim, the Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman, immediately jumped up and said "I am the chief minister because I am the party secretary general." He said Lim pre-empted any internal political conventional process to take place to choose the chief minister. "No one nominated or chose him … he chose himself. He bypassed the party's central executive and state committees to bulldoze his way through to grab the post. "I think many know the story on how he became the CM," Tunku Aziz told FMT before speaking at an indoor rally here last night. Tunku Aziz noted that Lim had been committing administrative blunders since 2008 because he does not understand the local needs, demands and sentiments. He cited unscrupulous sales of state land to rich developers to build posh houses at the expense of affordable homes for the poor was a perfect example of Lim's mismanagement due to lack of knowledge, maturity and experience. Rich developers He said Lim was now surrounded by rich developers. "Ordinary Penang people can't afford to buy homes in their own birth place. It's violation of their rights. Penangites wanted a chief minister, not a land broker," said Abdul Aziz. As the secretary general, he said Lim should sit at the national secretariat and focus to reorganise, restructure and strengthen the DAP to face the next election. He said DAP now was in disarray due to overwhelming power play by the dominant Lim dynasty which had frustrated many grassroots leaders and members. He said some leaders and members either were sacked or had left the party for good as "they were fed up with the Lim dynasty dominance." "Lim thinks he can handle everything so he wears many hats, sparing only positions of councillors and JKKK head to others. "His monopoly of power is a sign of insecurity and distrust of others," said Tunku Aziz.  Family business Later when speaking on the same subject at the rally, he said the Lim dynasty had turned DAP into a family business, practicing double standard and selective prosecution. He also slammed these leaders as hypocrites for not voicing out their opposition against the hudud law, even though they supported their national chairman Karpal Singh's firm stand against it. "They fear losing the Malay votes," Tunku Aziz told a crowded Leong See Kah Miew hall in Jalan Perak. Other speakers at the rally themed "The days when we were in DAP" were former DAP members Tan Tuan Tat, a former Selangor DAP publicity secretary; Yap Kon Min and Tony Tan Chee Chong, a former personal assistant to Selangor DAP chief Teresa Kok Suh Sim. On Pakatan, Tunku Aziz described the coalition as a mere "marriage of convenience" in which all allies – DAP, PKR and PAS, could agree on many issues to clinch a common agenda. He noted that Pakatan can't reach consensus on a shadow cabinet and predicted intense internal squabbles for positions of prime minister and cabinet ministers if the coalition capture the federal government.
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| Ex-mufti: Pakatan should rebuke its own for anti-Islam remarks Posted: 21 Sep 2012 09:28 PM PDT
Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider Former Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin today advised Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders to practise moderation when criticising others and not shy away from rebuking party colleagues if they breach religious boundaries. The Muslim cleric, who was commenting on the row over DAP lawmaker Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham's remark on Twitter, said politicians on both sides of the aisle should not only attack their opponents while keeping silent when their allies make mistakes. "For Pakatan, I hope they will be more balanced in politicking. Don't just pick on the faults of your opponents, but keep quiet when your ally makes a mistake. This is unhealthy politics. "I also hope that Umno will be the same, practise a healthy political culture," he told The Malaysian Insider. Asri's comments came after Ngeh apologised for asking recently over microblogging site Twitter if the protests against the anti-Islam clip "Innocence of Muslims" were a waste of "time and energy." Ngeh, the chairman of DAP's Perak chapter, came under fire for the remark but his party colleagues had also earned the ire of Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians when they did not openly rebuke the leader for his tweet. "I accept Ngeh Koo Ham's statement of apology, only next time, hopefully he will be careful with his comments," Asri said. Earlier today, Ngeh said that he felt his apology should sufficiently calm Muslim anger over his remarks and urged his critics to move on from the matter to other more important issues. He had on Thursday said that he had not meant to hurt Muslim sensitivities or belittle Islam with the offending message on Twitter. But prime minister yesterday questioned Ngeh's sincerity, reportedly saying: "If it is that easy, we can also pass remarks, insult and ridicule other religions and later apologise." De facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz had yesterday called for the police to probe Ngeh over his remarks on the microblogging site. Yesterday, DAP's Lim Guan Eng said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should not be "uncharitable and small-minded" over Ngeh's apology. He pointed out that Ngeh's apology and retraction yesterday proved that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders were more gracious and willing to admit to their mistakes or shortcomings, unlike the politicians in Najib's Barisan Nasional (BN). Lim also told Najib to look at his own members in BN before passing any judgment against Ngeh, pointing out that many in the ruling coalition who made offensive statements in the past had not found it necessary to apologise later.
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