Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Factories retrenching as output slips, minimum wage looms
- GE 13: It’s Elvis against Napoleon
- S’gor still safe for Pakatan, say analysts
- Sabah BN will win seats ‘by default’
- ESQUIRE: Raja Petra Kamarudin
- What’s keeping Malaysia’s Opposition together?
- Pakatan’s budget ‘no better’
- Migrants, church may end BN’s Borneo vote bank
- Beyond the fight to be Lembah Pantai MP
- A tough battle in Lembah Pantai
| Factories retrenching as output slips, minimum wage looms Posted: 11 Oct 2012 01:38 PM PDT
Lee Wel Lian, The Malaysian Insider Manufacturers in Malaysia are shedding workers due to uncertainty over the global economy and the impending start of minimum wage next year, says RHB Research Institute. RHB said in a report yesterday that in line with a slowdown in sales, the manufacturers retrenched 4,609 workers in August compared to a recruitment of 441 workers in July. Unemployment was 3.1 per cent in July, with an estimated two million foreign workers employed in the country. "In line with the slowdown in YoY (year-on-year) sales, manufacturers were cautious and they retrenched some workers in August," said RHB. "This was due to weakness in the global economy and compounded by the impending implementation of the minimum wage policy in early 2013." The research house warned that manufacturers could retrench more workers if the economic situation deteriorates as productivity gains — which is measured by sales per employee — slowed to 0.7 per cent in August from 4.3 per cent in July and 5.8 per cent in June. It noted that wages per employee rose 4.6 per cent in August compared with 3.2 per cent in July and just one per cent in June. RHB said however that stripping out seasonal factors and measured on a three-month moving average basis, wages per employee edged lower to 2.9 per cent year-on-year during the month, from 4.3 per cent in July which indicated that wage pressure is gradually dissipating after trending up in the first five months of the year. "However, it could trend up again, on the back of an implementation of the minimum wage policy, which will take effect in 6-12 months, depending on the industry, from the date the Minimum Wage Order was gazetted on July 16," said RHB. The Najib administration had pushed for the introduction of minimum wage in a bid to lift salaries as part of efforts to make Malaysia a high-income nation. Proponents of minimum wage say that it would make businesses and manufacturers more efficient and move them up the value chain by investing in high technology and more skills training rather than relying on cheap labour as in the past. Critics however say that pay should be based on worker productivity and be flexible enough to respond to market conditions or it could otherwise result in job losses. Manufacturing output slipped for the first time since September 2009 by 1.8 per cent year-on-year in August, after picking up to 6.0 per cent in July. Manufacturing sales growth slowed to 1.8 per cent year-on-year in August, after moderating to 4.8 per cent in July, and compared with 6.3 per cent in June. "This was in line with a drop in manufacturing production and exports of manufactured goods during the month, suggesting that the unabated weakness in the US and eurozone economies are crimping demand for the country's exports of manufactured goods," said RHB.
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| GE 13: It’s Elvis against Napoleon Posted: 11 Oct 2012 01:35 PM PDT But can voters freely choose between the rocker and the conqueror? Stanley Koh, FMT It now looks likely that the prolonged wait for the 13th general election will stretch into next year. Then again, to go by the latest rumour, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak may yet spring a surprise and call it next month. It does not seem to matter to the power that holds the card that so many of us are fighting an election fever that comes and goes and then comes again. Be that as it may, our immediate focus ought to fall on electoral reforms and the role of the Election Commission (EC) in ensuring a free and fair election. A Concert Bersih will be held tomorrow (this Saturday) at Stadium Kelana Jaya, and this will be followed on Nov 3 by a Pakatan Rakyat gathering in Seremban. Originally, this rally was planned to take place at either the Bukit Jalil National Stadium or the Merdeka Stadium. Both are aimed at heightening public awareness of the need for fair elections. The 13th general election will be crucial to the future of both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat and to the destiny of the nation. Pakatan and its supporters have predicted that the conduct of the polls will be the "dirtiest" that the nation has experienced since its independence. BN, perhaps betraying its nervousness, calls it a "do-or-die" battle. But as colourful languages go, nothing matches what I heard from a keen political observer. "It will be like a battle between Napoleon Bonaparte and Elvis Presley," he said. Noticing my puzzled look, he explained that Napoleon regarded power like a mistress, as reflected in a famous quotation in which he declared that no conqueror would allow anyone to take from him a conquest he had worked hard to keep. As for the King of Rock and Roll, my friend reminded me about "It's Now or Never", one of his most memorable recordings. I had to agree with him. BN must have got so used to embracing power that it probably would not be able to sleep without it. And for Pakatan's ageing leaders, it is truly now or never. In between are the rest of us, holding on to the hope that the EC will carry out its function responsibly and professionally. Unfortunately, many observers who are familiar with the EC's history do not see it as being impartial or even independent. Bias and prejudice "The opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang, has long accused the EC of consulting with the ruling regime in the electoral constituency delineation process," said a report released by the PKR president in September 2006. "In fact, for the 2002 delineation [of electoral districts], the EC chairman openly admitted that he had actually met the prime minister at the start of the process." Non-partisan advocates for free and fair elections have long alleged bias and prejudice on the part of the EC, pointing to its tacit acceptance of such rulings as the ban on public rallies and BN's control of the mass media. "Doubts have long been expressed about the fairness, if not the freedom, of elections in Malaysia and these seem to be increasing," wrote Associate Professor Lim Hong Hai in 2005 in a paper entitled "Making the System Work: Election Commission". "Criticisms have been made by opposition leaders and not just by scholars of both the extant electoral system and EC's past performances in administering it."
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| S’gor still safe for Pakatan, say analysts Posted: 10 Oct 2012 06:57 PM PDT They see the spat over Azmin as being irrelevant to voter sentiment. Anisah Shukry, FMT The current infighting among PKR leaders over Selangor is unlikely to erode Pakatan Rakyat's chances of holding on to the country's richest state, according to political analysts. "Selangor voters are quite firm in their support for Pakatan and the pattern is not expected to change," Dr Jayum A Jawan of UKM told FMT. "While the infighting could affect its performance in Selangor in the next general election, I do not expect Pakatan Rakyat to do badly." He said voters were likely to view the infighting as a "family squabble" that could easily be resolved rather than a serious sign of things gone awry in the opposition pact. Centre for Policy Initiatives director Lim Teck Ghee agreed with Jayum. "What we can see is of course the mainstream media playing it up for all it is worth," he said. "Unfortunately, some in the Internet media are also making a mountain out of a molehill." The media frenzy over the infighting started after Sinar Harian quoted PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali as saying that Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim would become federal minister should Pakatan win the next general election. Khalid and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar have dismissed the statement as Azmin's personal opinion, but his remarks have triggered speculation that he is eyeing Khalid's job. Khalid's personal assistant, Faekah Husin, has criticised Azmin more directly, questioning his right to make an announcement on a matter that only Pakatan's top tier could decide. This provoked PKR's election director for Selangor, Borhan Aman Shah, to call for her sacking. But both Jayum and Lim said the feud could easily be resolved in a matter of days. "In Selangor, the key issues are not of leaders' fighting, but of the previous mismanagement of the state, the water issue, corruption, and a better quality of life," said Lim. No better alternative As such, according to both Lim and Jawan, Pakatan would be denied another term only if Selangor voters had a better alternative to turn to. They said Barisan Nasional had yet to prove that it could be that alternative. "If BN wins Selangor again, it will go back to the old system of cronyism, close tenders, select partners and the like," said Lim. "Unless BN can put down in writing the basic changes it is going to make, I am not in support of it and I believe that Selangor voters share my sentiment." Lim said that BN must own up to the wrongs it had done during its days of power in Selangor and then tell the people what it would do to correct itself. "For example, the water issue was totally mismanaged by the previous Selangor government," he said. "It was better handled in Penang, where they allowed for the model of privatisation which served the interests of the state and the consumers rather than the company." Jayum described Selangor BN as "loud" without having any "concrete plan". "BN does not need to attack the opposition; it just has to tell the voters what it wants to do, and how it will do better if it were to win Selangor," he said. "Based on the information I've gathered from the ground, BN is doing badly." Jayum said BN had neglected "practical politics" in favour of attacking personalities in Pakatan and trying to discredit the current administration's water management. "BN thinks it is making things difficult for PR with regard to the water issue, but actually it is just making things difficult for the end users, which are the people of Selangor. "It wants to discredit PR, but this will backfire. People will say BN leaders have a small heart." Lim said Pakatan had done enough to keep the people of Selangor happy and the votes coming in. "Pakatan has cut down on corruption, increased efficiency of services in the state, been able to balance the budget of the state, and tackle major problems in the state such as the water issue." He noted that Pakatan faced some difficulty in resolving certain issues, but said this was because of lack of cooperation from the federal government. "Of course it is difficult for them to get such cooperation as they are the opposition."
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| Sabah BN will win seats ‘by default’ Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:51 PM PDT Some analysts in Sabah believe that as many as 20 seats, including five or six parliamentary seats, could go to BN as a result of a split in opposition votes. Luke Rintod, FMT Sabah is set to see multi-cornered fights in most areas in the coming general election. This means that the ruling Barisan Nasional may have the edge. At this stage, observers can conclude that the opposition parties in Sabah are giving Umno-led BN a "free advantage" to retain a majority of the Sabah seats. At stake in Sabah are 26 parliamentary seats, including one in Labuan, and 60 state seats. Sabah chairman of State Reform Party (STAR), Jeffrey Kitingan, said recently that his party is all but ready to announce the seats – parliamentary and state – it will contest. "We can announce the seats shortly," he said confidently to reporters when asked how many seats STAR will contest in Sabah. Jeffrey in the past had talked about contesting in more than half of the 60 state seats. He had even at one stage indicated that STAR may go the whole hog and contest in all 26 parliamentary and 60 state seats. But reality seems to have set in. Asked if STAR had reconciled overlapping claims on seats with other opposition parties – Pakatan Rakyat and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) – Jeffrey refused to divulge further. "Wait for another day," he said. He also reiterated that STAR had received the green light from the Election Commission (EC) to contest in Sabah in the coming polls. STAR list ready The Sarawak-based STAR's eligibility to stand in Sabah under its symbol has attracted much speculation even though the party had done so in Kota Marudu years back. STAR's Sabah chapter secretary, Guandee Kohoi, said that EC Sabah director, Idrus Ismail, in a meeting with Jeffrey, himself and Edward Linggu (STAR information chief) had given them assurance that STAR indeed could field candidates in Sabah. "STAR is already on the latest list of political parties EC gave us. Even the name of STAR has been amended and does not state the word Sarawak anymore but just State Reform Party. "The latest list also contains the re-named party, Sarawak Worker's Party' [SWP], which was previously Sabah-based Sabah People's Front [SPF]," Kohoi said. Meanwhile, the number of STAR's potential candidates has been growing steadily and in many places, they are already clear frontrunners. At least half a dozen graduate teachers aligned to STAR have so far resigned from their posts, and a few other civil servants are said to be set to retire early to prepare to be the candidates. STAR Youth leader, Hasmin Azroy Abdulah, is among the teachers who have resigned. He could be STAR's candidate for Tenom parliamentary seat or one of the state seats in the constituency. Another teacher who has also resigned is Maklin Masiau. He is poised to be STAR's candidate for poverty-stricken Pitas state seat in the north. Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is also eyeing Pitas. Pinus Gondili is another teacher who quit his job and is slated to contest under STAR in Labuk. He is certain to fight incumbent Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice-president, Michael Asang, after PBS recently confirmed Asang would be retained. PKR is also eyeing Labuk, making it one of those many seats in Sabah that are likely to see four-cornered fights between BN and the opposition trio – STAR, Pakatan and SAPP. Cunning SAPP Meanwhile, both STAR and SAPP leaders are saying publicly, at least, that they would not want to face each other where their respective "big guns" are contesting. That would mean SAPP would not put up a candidate against Jeffrey and his right-hand men. But there is a big question mark as Inanam, the seat of Jeffrey's senior deputy Daniel John Jambun, is being eyed by SAPP through its deputy president Eric Majimbun who is Sepanggar MP. The cunning SAPP has previously suggested that all should respect the status quo of the incumbents. Soon after getting others to "respect" it, SAPP moved to claim Inanam. "The question is, if SAPP is adamant on taking both Inanam and Sepanggar, then where will Jambun contest?" asked a STAR supporter in Inanam recently. Jambun had in 2008 contested under PKR ticket and garnered a respectable 4,293 votes against DAP's 2,864. The eventual winner was BN-PBS Johnny Goh who obtained 5,979 votes. Karambunai is another state seat under Sepanggar, but it is possible that SAPP president Yong Teck Lee would want to stand there this time as he has scores of Malay supporters in this constituency. Other possible places for Yong are his former seat Likas near here or Lahad Datu, his hometown in the east coast. Yong stood in the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election in November 2010 and lost badly, finishing last with only 2,031 votes behind PKR-imported candidate Ansari Abdullah's 3,414 and eventual winner BN-PBS Linda Tsen who received 9,773. SAPP could be fielding its secretary-general Richard Yong in the Tanjung Aru mixed state seat where another of Jeffrey's deputy, Ahmad Sah Sahari, is keen. It is understood that STAR is prepared to let SAPP take Tanjung Aru. But Pakatan – maybe through DAP – is also eyeing the seat. Split opposition votes The murky waters of Sabah's politics is set to get murkier as opposition leaders fail to appreciate the importance of reconciling their differences and overlapping claims of strength. Some analysts have said that this time as many as 20 seats, including five or six parliamentary seats, could go to BN by default as a result of a split in opposition votes. One analyst cited Kadamaian where if the three opposition parties – STAR, Pakatan and SAPP – put up their respective candidates, they could garner combined votes of around 6,000, leaving a BN candidate way behind with only about 3,500 votes. But BN would still win because of the "strategic" split in the opposition camps. He said a similar situation was also likely in adjacent Tempasuk state seat. The combined votes of the opposition could outnumber BN's but because of the split, BN will retain Tempasuk. For the record, in the last general election in 2008, there was a three-cornered fight for Tempasuk. BN won the seat after its candidate polled 6,541 votes. PKR garnered 4,109 and an independent took only 191 votes. As for Kadamaian in 2008, BN-PBS Herbert Timbon Lagadan chalked up 5,382 votes, followed by PKR Lukia Indan's 2,909 and independent Peter Marajin's 1,729. "There is no question that this time [2012], votes for the opposition would increase in almost all areas and everyone can feel it and even BN leaders acknowledge this. "But the one factor that can ensure BN will win in Sabah is the split opposition votes," said an observer who is also an NGO leader. Meanwhile, there is no signal that SAPP is re-engaging with Pakatan after being slighted by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's conniving manoeuvres.
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| Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:42 PM PDT In our October Rule-Breaking Issue, we talk to a man who is no stranger to pushing the boundaries. Ever since he started his controversial website Malaysia Today, blogger and activist Raja Petra Kamarudin has butt heads with the law, law-makers, and even the law-makers' greatest critics. We sat down (over Skype, as he, at the time of the interview, was in Manchester, England) and chatted with RPK about his views on Malaysia, bullying, and stirring trouble. Here are seven choice quotes: I attended an English school from standards one to five and a Malayan school in standard six. But in form one, I went to an all-Malay school and I knew what hell was like. Imagine the bullying: I was Malay, royalty and didn't speak a damn word of Malay. I didn't last. To me, it wasn't a school—it was a prison sentence. I think that's why after I was detained and sent to Kamunting, I didn't find it so bad because I had already served two years in Kuala Kangsar. I had a job for two years but I didn't have the discipline to work because I can't obey rules. I support the opposition's cause but that doesn't mean I support the opposition. Supporting the opposition's cause is very different from supporting the opposition. If I support democracy, it doesn't mean I support America. I can be anti-America yet pro-democracy. This is what the opposition doesn't understand. They think if we accept something, it has to be lock, stock and barrel.
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| What’s keeping Malaysia’s Opposition together? Posted: 09 Oct 2012 04:57 PM PDT Pakatan Rakyat is an alliance of profoundly different backgrounds, with secularists, theocrats, conservatives and progressives working together. Bridget Welsh, The Malaysian Insider What keeps the Malaysian opposition Pakatan Rakyat (People's Alliance) together? The quick answer often given is the common search of political power. While power frames the relationships between three disparate political parties - Islamist PAS, secular-committed Democratic Action Party and the umbrella reform-oriented PKR of Mr Anwar Ibrahim - it is not the glue of the opposition alliance. Were this the case, PAS would have left the coalition when UMNO floated the offer of joining the government in 2008 and intense jockeying took place within PAS. The answer lies in the three parties' shared moral compact. Pakatan Rakyat is an alliance of profoundly different backgrounds, with secularists, theocrats, conservatives and progressives working together. In a world wracked with tensions over religion and misunderstandings, Malaysia's opposition stands out in bucking international trends of difference. CORRUPTION IN EVERYDAY LFE Three common principles bind the Opposition together. The first is deep concern with endemic corruption. The problem of corruption is not new, and while Malaysia's practices are assessed above many in Asia, including Indonesia, what has become increasingly apparent is that it has crossed the line of acceptability for many Malaysians. Survey results show that an overwhelming majority view their officials as corrupt and believe that their officials do not abide by the law. Scandal after scandal, from the National Feedlot Corporation and Scorpene, to the recent revelations about the extension of the Ampang LRT, has inundated citizens. While there are many civil servants who work hard to deliver services, there are pressures within the system to conform to predatory practices. Malaysian corruption was initially concentrated among the elite through the practice of "money politics". But more and more, it is extending into everyday issues such as school fees, crime prevention and service provision. Most basic food items, such as sugar and rice, are tied to non-transparent deals of politically-aligned businessmen, as are bigger items such as cars through Approved Permit licence allocations. These weaknesses in governance share a common moral thread - a privileged minority using the system to their advantage, and this is hurting the majority and widening inequality. FAIRNESS AND THE PLAYING FIELD This leads to the second shared principle - fairness. The three political parties each have a different take on what is fair, but there are areas of similarity: Namely, everyone should have a seat at the table; everyone should be treated fairly in a court of law; and social and economic inequalities should be minimised. This shared view of fairness extends into the outrage over unfair legal decisions and deep-seated concerns about poverty and displacement of many Malaysians. Pakatan's conception of citizenship has evolved into one in which all Malaysians are exactly that — Malaysians. It is a modern view of citizenship, in which everyone has rights and the government is to respond to the people, not the other way round. The Opposition's moral compact is also driven by a mutual interest in expanding democratic governance to level the political playing field. Calls for the removal of the Internal Security Act (which was suspended and replaced by the more benign but less tested Security Offences Act earlier this year), electoral reform, freedoms of assembly, religion and speech, among other things, all fall under the umbrella of expanding political space and rights. Ever since the reformasi movement of 1999, opposition activists have joined forces in highlighting democratic deficits and showcasing reasons for an expansion of democracy. Each protest and political crisis has brought the opposition together - from Bersih 1.0 in 2007, to the defections and subsequent takeover of the Perak state government in 2009. The bonds forged by protesting together are strong. Since 2008, there have been significant efforts to rupture the Opposition's moral compact on multiple fronts. The charges of sodomy and corruption have been tied to attempts to discredit opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and raise doubts about his moral calibre to lead. The introduction of issues such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual (LGBT) rights puts pressure on the relationship between the liberals and others within the Pakatan Rakyat. The sensitive "Allah" issue that rose to the fore in 2010 tested the Islamists' position. The push for Malay rights under the rubric "Ketuanan Melayu" reflects efforts to reinforce ethnic supremacy over shared humanity and equality, to reimpose the social contract of the past. Each of these issues has not broken the ties between the opposition actors, and it is in part due to the prominence of the underlying principles that bring them together. THE PROBLEM OF HUDUD This is not a moral compact without problems, however. The biggest challenge for the Opposition lies within. It has to do with an issue being negotiated throughout the Muslim world: The place and form of Islamic law, notably hudud. Globally, Islamist political parties from AKP in Turkey to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt are grappling with how to bring about Islamic governance while maintaining rights. For liberals, the introduction of measures such as hudud violates the shared democratic ideals, as there remains deep mistrust of Islamists in office. For secularists, hudud violates their view of governance. Doubts persist in some quarters about whether the Islamists will continue to hold to the ideals in office, respect different religious rights and, importantly, tolerate difference within their own community. Detractors point to Algeria and Iran as testimony to a potential violation of trust. Others more open-minded highlight the negotiated paths of Turkey and Morocco. For Malaysia, the hudud issue remains on the agenda, unresolved and unlikely to be so before polls. In public remarks, Mr Anwar has stressed the centrality of dialogue and principle of consensus. There appears to be a working agreement to agree to disagree. Among Islamists there has been a global trend towards greater accommodation of difference and an appreciation of constitutional frameworks for governance. Many in the PAS old guard, nevertheless, are tied to the vision of a religious theocracy that is increasingly becoming outmoded, even in Egypt where the President comes from one of the historically strongest advocates of these measures, the Muslim Brotherhood. Islamists the world over are having to reprioritise their principles in order to govern societies, and PAS will have to as well. What is important is that it will need to do this on its own terms, rather than respond to ultimatums from allies and opponents alike. Hudud will remain salient to this campaign, because at its core, it puts pressure on Malaysia's Opposition to reassess, reaffirm and reinforce their common moral priorities. It is this common ground however, that is Pakatan's moral compact — and for now it is on firm ground. — Today Bridget Welsh is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Singapore Management University.
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| Posted: 07 Oct 2012 01:45 PM PDT Pakatan Rakyat for all its 'show' also delivered a equally inadequate shadow budget for 2013. Awang Abdillah, FMT Pakatan Rakyat has presented its' alternative budget 2013 which fails to score any better points. In fact it is a dismal one indicating that they too do not have better ways to improve the economy but are merely claiming to have one. Let us examine the two main items in the budgets of the two coalitions: i) Barisan Nasional budget – The expected revenue is RM208.6 billion and the projected expenditure is RM251.6 billion with a deficit of RM43 billion. ii) Pakatan budget – The expected revenue is RM197.1 billion and the projected expenditure is RM238 billion with a deficit of RM40.9 billion. a) Revenue Since 1997 when Malaysia was badly hit by the financial crisis that originated from Thailand, Malaysia's budget has been operating at a deficit . In plain language the government's annual revenue is insufficient to cover the cost of its expenditure. Surely if Pakatan wants to take over the government it should work out a plan to overcome this serious recurrent financial woe. A surplus revenue over expenditure reflects a government ability to deliver more goods and services to the people without borrowing. But this is not possible given Malaysia's long standing economic ills since the Mahathir era. Hence Pakatan should present a rescue budget plan to tackle the financial misfortunes of the country by tabling a budget with a much higher expected revenue than that of BN. Malaysia is blessed with many resources and with better governance the economy should be able to recover. Colossal illicit outflow Many VIPs , exporters and importers are evading paying the full income tax, tariffs and duties resulting in the government losing billions of ringgit in revenue uncollected. Every year billions in foreign currencies are transferred overseas by BN politicians, their cronies and businessmen without going through Bank Negara to evade paying income tax. The central bank should impose better controls on the transfer of illegal funds out of the country as outflow of colossal amount of foreign currencies will have a negative impact on the economy and the ringgit value. With better control , the IRB can then assess the value of the earnings and wealth of these people and tax them accordingly. Based on latest reports the Chief Minister of Sarawak is tagged as the richest billionaire in Malaysia whose wealth is valued at RM45 billion qualifying him to possibly be the second richest man in South East Asia after the sultan of Brunei. The IRB can collect billions of ringgit in income tax if the government authorizes it to go after these people. Pakatan can step up efforts to recover the ill-gotten wealth including those stashed overseas. For the years 2012 and 2013 the expected annual total exports and imports are valued at more than a trillion ringgit each. Similarly had the tariffs and duties on these goods and services been paid in full based on the full declaration of their value instead of under-declared value, the past years' revenues collected by the relevant agencies would have been be much higher. Thus the relevant departments namely the customs and other agencies must be revamped. Hidden earnings For both taxes on the hidden earnings and under-declared goods the government should be able to collect another RM10-15 billion in revenue. Therefore Pakatan should have presented an expected higher revenue say RM220 bil based on a projected expenditure of RM238 thereby reducing the deficit, debt and borrowings. Pakatan should propose to revamp the current tax collection system to cover the loopholes. The Budget 2013 is the last one before the 13th general election, hence Pakatan should have presented a convincing budget to win the hearts and minds of the people and to counter Najib's psy-war budget. However it did not seize this golden opportunity. Pakatan is fortunate to meet an opponent whose political masters are so engrossed in their greed for power and immersed in so many ills that will lead to their own downfall. b) Expenditure Pakatan should ensure that all public projects and services for the year 2013 go through the open tender system to ensure the most qualified contractors with the lowest/best prices are awarded the contracts and that all contracts that are already awarded by the BN government directly to the crony companies are cancelled or reviewed . Additionally all mega projects will be reviewed or cancelled to avoid waste of public funds. These measures will save the government billions in savings.
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| Migrants, church may end BN’s Borneo vote bank Posted: 07 Oct 2012 12:21 PM PDT Sabah Christians walk during a procession ahead of Sunday Mass to celebrate Malaysia Day in Tambunan on September 16, 2012. With a general election due within seven months, the ruling BN is banking on Sabah and Sarawak state to prolong its 55-year grip on power. — Reuters pic Fawziah said she was a beneficiary of a secret plan said to have been approved by Dr Mahathir that has helped fuel a five-fold surge in Sabah's population since the 1970s and turned it into a vote bank for the ruling coalition. The Malaysian Insider Housewife Fawziah Abdul wants to thank former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for making her a citizen 10 years after she illegally slipped into Borneo from the southern Philippines in search of a better life. The 50-year-old lives on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, where her tin-roofed shack jostles for space with more than 1,000 others in a slum where children play beside heaps of rubbish. She is hopeful that her three children will get a new home and identity cards if she votes for the government again. With a general election due within seven months, the 13-party ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is banking on Sabah and neighbouring Sarawak to prolong its 55-year grip on power. But its support in the two Borneo states, which account for a quarter of Parliament seats, is showing signs of slipping.  Residents of Pulau Gaya's water village, who are mostly Filipino migrants, gather outside their houses on the sea outside Kota Kinabalu on September 17, 2012. — Reuters pic Fawziah said she was a beneficiary of a secret plan said to have been approved by Dr Mahathir that has helped fuel a five-fold surge in Sabah's population since the 1970s and turned it into a vote bank for the ruling coalition. "I am part of Project Mahathir," she said, referring to the plan. "I was told to turn up at an office with two photographs and some money," added Fawziah, who showed her identity card that lists her as a Sabah-born citizen. Without support in the two eastern states, the ruling coalition would have lost power in the last general election, in 2008, when a resurgent opposition won a majority of votes on Peninsular Malaysia. Now that support looks fragile. Residents of Sabah complain about competition from Filipino and Indonesian migrants for jobs in the oil and gas-rich region, whose revenues are mostly channelled to the federal government and where one in five people lives on less than US$1 (RM3.10) a day. Christians, mostly members of indigenous groups such as the Kadazandusun in Sabah and the Dayaks and Ibans in Sarawak, once made up nearly half of Sabah's population but now form less than a third of its 3.2 million people. But they can still give a potentially vital boost to the opposition, which won a majority of votes in mainland Malaysia in 2008 but only got three of 56 seats in Sabah and Sarawak. FLEXING POLITICAL MUSCLES The election is expected to be the closest in the former British colony's history after the coalition lost its two-thirds majority for the first time in 2008. This is partly due to Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities in the mostly Muslim country abandoning the coalition, complaining of discrimination over issues such as the airing of Islamic programmes on state television. Arnold Puyok, a political scientist at Universiti Teknologi Mara Sabah, says the frustration could translate into votes for the opposition led by Dr Mahathir's former deputy, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which could pick up at least 10 seats out of 25 in Sabah. Opposition strategists say they need to win an extra 10 seats each in Sabah, Sarawak and mainland Malaysia to win the election with a simple majority of 112 seats. The opposition — a coalition of Borneo parties and a mainland alliance that campaigns for greater transparency — won 15 seats from the ruling bloc in Sarawak state elections for its best showing in 24 years. It got votes from indigenous Christians as well as from the ethnic Chinese minority. As Christian frustration grows over Muslim migrants, churches are becoming more vocal. Malaysia's largest evangelical group held a 40 day-fast last month, which included prayers for the resolution of what they see as the immigrant problem.  A Sabah Christian reads from a prayer book with the Arabic word 'Allah' in reference to God, at a church in Tambunan on September 16, 2012. — Reuters pic "There are quite a few unhappy Sabah people. Sabahans do not usually show it openly, they are doing it through prayer," Stephanie Rainier, a Kadazandusun among 7,000 worshippers at a stadium in Kota Kinabalu, said of people's frustration. "They are taking over businesses. They are everywhere," she said of migrants. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/migrants-church-may-end-bns-borneo-vote-bank/
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| Beyond the fight to be Lembah Pantai MP Posted: 07 Oct 2012 12:20 PM PDT
The next general election is expected to be the closest fight to form the new Malaysian government. And several seats across the nation are likely to be heated battles with the slimmest of majorities. The Malaysian Insider takes a look at some of these hot seats in what will be an intense election for control of Malaysia. Joan Lau, The Malaysian Insider Bangsar Baru with its leafy affluent neighbourhoods and trendy cafes serving artisanal coffee is a far cry from Kampung Kerinchi and Pantai Dalam where the residents are more accustomed to teh tarik and sup ekor. Yet these two areas are part of the federal constituency of Lembah Pantai, one of the next general election's hot seats. The incumbent is PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. She is touted to be the future opposition leader so there is much talk in Barisan Nasional (BN) circles that it is important she be "taken down." To be denied re-election to the seat she won as a rank novice back in 2008. Her opponent — even though it is still unofficial — is Raja Datuk Nong Chik Zainal Abidin, who is the federal territories and urban well-being minister. Although Raja Nong Chik, 59, an accountant, is more well-known in the corporate scene than the political arena, he has taken to his role as Lembah Pantai challenger rather well with a mix of on-the-ground events and social media. There is the perennial accusation of phantom voters and a suspicion that some 14,000 Umno members have been relocated to Lembah Pantai from bordering seats of course. All this will purportedly bump up the number of votes the BN candidate — whoever it is — will receive of course.  Nurul Izzah has found it a tough to carry out events and hold ceramahs within her own constituency. Still, Nurul Izzah, 31, has found it a hard slog trying to carry out events and hold ceramahs within her own constituency. "Yes, it is practically impossible for the current Lembah Pantai MP to use any Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) facilities," said one of her aides, referring to Kuala Lumpur City Hall. "We are stonewalled." Getting permits for her events has been particularly difficult in the Kampung Kerinchi and Pantai Dalam areas. Very often Nurul Izzah has had to cancel ceramahs planned for the People's Housing Project flats neighbourhood and hold them in private homes, using their compounds, instead. "Yes, her programmes have been blocked many times. Sometimes directly, others indirectly," said another aide. "We've been told that those who host her programmes — especially those in the low-cost housing area — are often harassed by DBKL or other agencies afterwards." The stonewalling takes on various forms: she has been blocked from presenting aid to students at a school in Pantai Dalam; not permitted to distribute dates and her MP newsletter at the Masjid Saidina Abu Bakar As Siddiq in Bangsar during Ramadan (she had to retreat to a nearby carpark) and so on. The more affluent middle-class component of Lembah Pantai — Bangsar, Bukit Travers and Pantai Baru — is home to the chattering masses. These are well-educated, highly opinionated Malaysians who used to be content to just chatter and complain. But in the past two years, many of them have walked their talk... attending both Coalition for Free and Fair Election (Bersih) rallies, for example.  Raja Datuk Nong Chik is expected to be the BN candidate for Lembah Pantai. They will very likely vote for the incumbent but across at the land of low-cost flats and blue-collar workers, the largesse a BN candidate will very likely bring may just be too tempting. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/beyond-the-fight-to-be-lembah-pantai-mp/ |
| A tough battle in Lembah Pantai Posted: 06 Oct 2012 03:47 PM PDT
SHOWDOWN: Barisan Nasional is going all out to wrest the hottest urban seat in Kuala Lumpur back from the opposition, which it won by a narrow margin in the 2008 general election, writes Carisma Kapoor |
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