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Invasion of the mind snatchers
Desperate measures to discredit Nurul
Nurul Izzah in a bind
Ants in the pants?
For Selangor DAP, the fight is also within
‘Peaceful revolutions’ underway in Malaysia, Singapore

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 02:42 PM PST

Umno needs to control the Muslim mind and if Umno loses that control, it has lost everything.

So, if Malays are not allowed freedom of worship, then one should ask, "why not?" Are Malays not Malaysians too? If Malays are not allowed to exercise their full rights under the constitution, then they are just as victimised as the Chinese and Indians whom the Ketuanan Melayu call "pendatang".

Mariam Mokhtar, FMT

The greatest fear of Umno politicians is for the Malay mind to break free of the shackles Umno has placed there, and for the Malay to start thinking independently.

A son who is given free rein with the family car, might not return until he has run out of money or petrol, or both. A daughter given the go-ahead to go out partying, might not be seen for days. A house where the maid has unlimited time-off, might look messy. The same "runaway" factor holds true for the Malay intellect.

Umno is aware that the Malay mind is receptive to new ideas and concepts, and if unfettered, could be uncontrollable. When a tiny seed is planted in the Malay mind and with the right conditions, is nurtured into a vigorous, healthy plant, then that person is capable of greatness and not mediocrity.

With the Malay mind freed, all of Malaysia would benefit, and Umno become irrelevant. That is what Umno politicians fear most. Malays do not need Umno but Umno cannot exist without the Malays.

The reality is that for the past 55 years, Umno has used the 4 "Rs" – race, royalty, religion and the rural divide – to control the Malay mind and manipulate the other races into doing its (Umno's) bidding.

How many Malays have dared question the ethics of the New Economic Policy (NEP)? With benefits in housing, education and investment, Umno would not expect many Malays to complain.

Both rich and poor Malays are entitled to the same benefits but would the average Malay moan about this disparity? Does it bother him that other Bumiputeras are not entitled to the same privileges? He also turns a blind eye when programmes to aid non-Malay Malaysians are neglected.

Would anyone dare question the morality, finances and lifestyle of the VVIPs? Human rights activist Irene Fernandez, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, and former Perak menteri besar Nizar Jamaluddin, have faced trumped-up charges for sedition.

Engineer Chan Hon Keong was jailed for one year and fined RM50,000. Quantity surveyor Ahmad Abd Jalil was made the latest example of the intolerance of criticism of VVIPs.

When the people in the rural areas are deprived of knowledge and basic amenities, it is easy for the government to manipulate them. Pliable, desperate communities fall for the usual inducements like money, gifts and free meals. Force is used without hesitation when the people resist, such as the violent tactics used against the indigenous peoples of Sarawak who have been evicted from their lands.

Last week, opposition MP Nurul Izzah Anwar entered a political minefield when she said that Malays should not be compelled to adopt a particular religion. She was quoting from the Quran, the verse in Surah al-Baqarah. Umno rebuked her for encouraging Muslims to be apostates.

Despite what Article 11 of the Malaysian Constitution says, that every Malaysian has the right to practise his religion, Umno claims otherwise.

Nurul was right

Some people claim that Nurul should not have allowed herself to be made an easy target by Umno and the Umno media. Even former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad accused her of being influenced by the west.

As expected, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has made no comment, as is his wont whenever controversial topics arise. He, like other Umno Muslims, does not care one jot for the religion, he is just desperate to control the rakyat.

A few Malaysians are so cowed by Umno that they have warned non-Muslims not to participate in the discussion, or even post feedback, because "these issues of religion should not concern us".

Nurul was right to bring this issue up. Malaysia belongs to the rakyat, not Umno. All of you – both Malay and non-Malay, both Muslim and non-Muslim – have a say in this issue. If you refrain from making your feelings clear and if you do not make your opinions heard, Umno will get stronger.

READ MORE HERE

Desperate measures to discredit Nurul

Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:17 AM PST

There is a reason why BN-Umno politicians are attacking Nurul Izzah. They know that she is the future.

Whoever wins or loses in this general election, there is no denying that we are on the verge of changing Malaysia for the better. We are no longer fighting hubris, our politicians are. And none more so than those desperate politicians from Umno-led Barisan Nasional.

CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today

I am not interested in talking to the converted. Certainly not to those of you who passionately believe that Dr Mahathir Mohamad did not abuse the office of prime minister to make his children insanely rich.

Nor do I intend to engage those among you that have consigned body and soul to the cause of Pakatan Rakyat unconditionally – for even in Pakatan today there are those whose conduct and beliefs bring into question their ability to be open, accountable and responsible should they be given the responsibility of government.

For those of you that vehemently insist that Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, or any other religion is the only salvation of the human race, I bid you to leave us and not trouble us with your self-righteous indignations.

I intend to speak to those among you that have clarity of purpose to listen, hear, understand and debate this vexed issue of "compulsion" – especially in relation to religion – vis-à-vis to what Nurul Izzah Anwar did or did not say in her recent comments at a public forum.

In truth, it is really as much an issue of compulsion as it is of politics. More of politics.

I am not going to refer to any quotes from the Quran, the Bible, the Torah, the Tripitakas, the Bhagavad Gita or any other holy books for I am not that scholarly a person.

I have no emotional revulsion against any religion for we must all realise the good all religions have also done.

Today we live in wondrous time. On Tuesday night, I read Obama's tweet: "This happened because of you. Thank you," proclaiming himself winner over Mitt Romney.

A few minutes later I receive an e-mail from my cousin MK in Kuala Pilah updating me about his lunch with AJ, earlier at the new Chinese restaurant at the Lake Club in KL.

I am sharing what happened on Tuesday night because what happened in the US and the news from Kuala Pilah reached me instantly at the click of my mouse.

Now if you know this, then you will also know that what Nurul said or did not say in the name of religious freedom also reached me the same night.

Desperate politicians

Now we know that others have waded into this issue – each for his or her own personal gain and I do not intend to give them further gain by quoting what they have said. Suffice to remind you of what Andy Warhol said: "In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes." So let them look for their 15 minutes of fame elsewhere.

What I want to try and do here is this: gaze into the abyss, into a Malaysia without Umno.

It is as worrying to me as it is exhilarating. It fills me with apprehension at a future without Ketuanan Melayu and that "Bumiputera" safety net in business at work or play for us Malays and yet invigorating for my senses as I face a future that will demand much of the Malays – as much as it would demand of anyone else that calls Malaysia their home.

And how desperate are they? Let me tell you how desperate.

They troll the ranks of Pakatan looking for who will be their nemesis.

They seek here, there and everywhere for who in Pakatan could become the rallying point for that final surge needed to knock BN into that "lintang pukang, helter skelter" mode triggering Umno's free- fall towards oblivion.

Who will rally the rakyat into stampeding towards the opposition ranks? Who? We know Anwar Ibrahim is a constant. Everything you would expect a leader to have endured physically and mentally, Anwar has endured. He has been to hell and is now back with us.

But Anwar, Lim Kit Siang, Abdul Hadi Awang are yesterday's people. Still relevant but age is a punishing master and sometimes politics asks for more than what the aged will give.

So who will venture against Umno? Only one name emerges. One solitary name: Nurul Izzah.

Nurul Izzah in a bind

Posted: 06 Nov 2012 06:28 PM PST

Nurul Izzah Anwar appears to have forgotten Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat's opinion on apostasy at the forum.

'BRASH': PKR vice-president's comment on religious freedom stirs controversy

Syed Umar Ariff, NST

NURUL Izzah Anwar has stepped into a political minefield following her statement on the freedom of religion among Muslims, which is being described as "insensitive and brash".

Perhaps the Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president was taking a leaf out of the book of her father, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who always found himself in trouble for making jolting statements, like supporting efforts to protect the security of Israel.

Nurul Izzah said: "How can anyone say the freedom of religion applies only to non-Muslims? It has to be applied equally.

"In the Quran, there is no specific term to Malays as to how it should be done," she said to a question on whether Malays had freedom of religion.

Oh yes, Nurul Izzah did deny claims that she supported apostasy during a forum on an Islamic state. No right-minded Muslim would have done that.

She may have meant well raising the issue but her clarification deviated from what was understood by mufti and religious experts.

It was as if she had never said anything regarding religious freedom among Muslims on that fateful day, but was, rather, taking a quote from a surah (a chapter in the Quran). It was rather stupefying, indeed.

The 32-year-old could have been careful with her words. They were probably said to appease potential liberal-minded voters.

Still, Nurul Izzah should have known better about the political ramifications.

It could cause the loss of support among Malays or a backlash from an ally, if one does not thread carefully when dealing with an issue that is taboo among Muslims.

Nurul Izzah, one of the opposition's strongest frontliners, had learned the hard way in her attempt to appear enlightened on the issue. She is now bearing the brunt of anger from mufti, imam and even skullcap-wearing neighbours. Moreover, she has yet to realise the high probability of Pas joining the fray.

And now she has gotten herself in a bind that will be brought up by rivals. To make it worse, in her excitement to speak on apostasy during the forum, she appeared to have forgotten Pas spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat's opinion on that matter.

The hudud issue between Pas and DAP has yet to subside even after all these years. The conservative Islamic party may now face a threat to its goal of an Islamic country.

Many ulama in Pas are uneasy with the statement. This is not the first time Pas has to suffer hints that its alliance with PKR and DAP may lead to perdition.

Some Pas leaders, like vice-president Salahuddin Ayub, may choose to overlook it, saying that Nurul Izzah has made clear what she said. Others may have slapped their foreheads because of her slip of the tongue.

Above all, this can lead to another problem in Pas on whether it should condemn such statement or otherwise for the sake of painting a rosy picture of Pakatan Rakyat's unity.

Will this become another thorn in Pakatan's side? It may be far-fetched to say that this will affect Malay votes for the opposition, or that it will contribute to the breakdown of the opposition alliance.

But it is simply another example of what will happen when a prominent opposition leader chooses not to think of what she says, or has a wrong political guru, to begin with.

Ants in the pants?

Posted: 06 Nov 2012 03:08 PM PST

Has BN has run out of ideas to attack Pakatan and is therefore grasping at straws and building ideas based on fantasy?

Selena Tay, FMT

The Barisan Nasional leaders are acting like ants in the pants of the Pakatan Rakyat leaders. "Ants in the pants" is a Cantonese phrase that is used to describe very irritating or annoying people that are difficult to be rid of.

A few examples are enough to illustrate this point.

The first example comes from Umno's Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan who is of the view that the accounts of the Pakatan-helmed states needed to be re-checked as something may have been done to enhance the performance of these states for the audit report, which was issued on Oct 15 to all MPs in Parliament.

The Auditor-General had to silence him by issuing a statement that the Auditor-General's Office is neutral at all times.

Certainly there is no reason to suspect anything amiss as both Pakatan-helmed states and BN-led states had received both kudos and brickbats in the audit report. Of course, BN had the more and bigger blunders than Pakatan, but that is nothing for the former to complain about as it had been governing since Independence and given their skills at governance, it is thus not a surprise.

The raising of this issue clearly shows that BN has run out of ideas to attack Pakatan and is therefore grasping at straws and building ideas based on fantasy.

Another person full of fantasy and illusory ideas is none other than MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek who is living in constant fear that hudud will be implemented if Pakatan comes to power and he has gone on the warpath against hudud.

Suddenly realising that he has damaged the Malay support for Umno, he has started to put a spin on his words by saying that he is not against hudud per se but only against PAS' version of hudud.

Hudud is hudud and there is definitely no such thing as PAS' version of hudud. Obviously, he is now backpedalling by using a foolish excuse to try to dupe the public but he only comes across as being silly.

Hadi Awang, the PAS president who is also the Marang MP, pointed out that "it is a great error to label the Islamic law of hudud as 'PAS' hudud" as doing so would equate to labelling the five daily prayers obligated upon the Muslims as "PAS" prayers.

The chairman of PAS non-Muslim wing, Hu Pang Chaw, has remarked that thanks to Chua, the non-Muslims are now interested to find out more about hudud. He gave the example of a PAS fundraising dinner in Kota Tinggi, Johor, where 80 out of the 100 tables were purchased by Chinese and Indians.

Water crisis

The third example of ants in the pants comes from the BN federal government itself which keeps insisting that Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya will soon be facing a water crisis. Hence the need to build the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant.

PKR's Gombak MP, Azmin Ali had revealed in Parliament that Selangor had sufficient treated water with 10.2% in reserve, but this was disputed by the Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, Peter Chin Fah Kui, who had said that the state's raw water reserve stood only at 0.97%.

Chin, however, said he would propose to the Cabinet for a "laboratory" to be set up for further talks so that an amicable solution can be reached by both parties.

There is no guarantee that water bills will not go up after Langat 2 is constructed.

In Penang, there is constantly a group of people demonstrating against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at one time or other. Of course, these people have a right to voice out their grouses so nothing can be done about that save to say that they are like ants in the pants.

Another group of ants is Gerakan which has made silly comments on DAP veteran Karpal Singh's proposal that only one person contests one seat.

Since March 2008 when BN lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament, Pakatan states have never experienced smooth governance, not to mention that Perak was lost due to a nefarious and diabolically-orchestrated power grab.

BN leaders continue to find faults in Pakatan's governance. That is fine but there are times when the problems are inherited from BN's era.

Many a time too, the Pakatan-helmed states had to solve these inherited problems; for instance, the Penang government had to compensate an individual named Tan Hak Ju for the sum of RM40 million in a land matter while the Selangor government had to solve the problem of various abandoned housing projects in Selangor.

One of the abandoned housing projects is located in the parliamentary seat of Selayang in Bukit Botak and PKR's William Leong has worked hard and finally managed to get the project going again.

Another problem in Selangor is the condominium development near the Batu Caves temple that was approved during the time Selangor was still under BN.

The BN federal government, too, has denied oil royalty payments to Kelantan and now the amount has come up to more than RM10 billion.

At the end of the day, it is clear that BN has continued to throw spanners into the wheels of the Pakatan state governments although compared to Pakatan, BN's errors are many times worst.

Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:42 AM PST

The poor turnout at the Selangor DAP convention last weekend was a missed opportunity to rally the troops to defend the premier state against a hungry opposition.

The fact that Teng himself did not bother to attend and the flimsy excuse he made for not turning up says it all. Teng is apparently cheesed off with her because she has refused to discuss the issue of election candidates at state party meetings. His team feels that big decision on candidates should be shared by both factions. He also claimed that she holds pre-council meetings and, as a result, the actual meetings end up dealing with inconsequential matters.

Joceline Tan, The Star

TERESA Kok is known as the "Sassy MP" and her Facebook page shows her posing with a dragon head. She is also known as DAP's Iron Lady in Selangor where she is the state party chairman.

Technically, that means she is the most powerful woman in the party in Selangor. But last Sunday, DAP's Iron Lady was put on the defensive over the poor turnout at the Selangor DAP convention.

Of the 1,153 delegates, only 311 or 27% showed up for the annual meeting. The minimum quorum is 25% and party leaders were left struggling to explain the numbers. Many of them said this was usually the case in a non-election year for the party and delegates think it would not make a difference whether they are there or not.

Yet, this is as good as an election year with the general election so near. DAP is spearheading Pakatan Rakyat's defence of Selangor, the party is the leader of the pack and the coalition is depending on DAP to deliver the bulk of the votes.

Size matters in politics and Kok ought to have used this final state convention before the polls as a show of force that the party is hungry, ready and able to hold on to Selangor. A huge turnout would have provided a more convincing backdrop to her rah-rah speech that her party wants to win another eight state seats. Sadly, she ended up talking big to a small hall.

Kok did not appreciate the questions raised about the low turnout and she attempted to brush it off in a rather casual manner, attributing it to some delegates being "lazy," the rainy weather and that delegates had activities in their constituencies.

But there is another reason there is obviously some degree of sabotage going on.

Kok, who is Seputeh MP and Kinrara assemblywoman, is a popular figure in Selangor but she does not exactly have full control over her party. She has had problems consolidating the different factions in her party since becoming state chairman. She does not have the personality or the skills to manage the overnight success of the party.

For instance, Pandamaran assemblyman and state exco member Ronnie Liu has his own faction and is still very much a tai-kor or big brother figure in Selangor. He had even tried to replace the people whom Kok had nominated as municipal councillors several months ago.

Another faction led by State Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim is said to regard Kok as a puppet whose strings are being pulled by PJ Utara MP Tony Pua. Pua is the deputy state chairman but they call him the "de facto chairman".

Kok's image also took a knock when a sacked local leader in Selangor Tan Tuan Tat he insists he resigned went public with his criticism of her leadership. Sacked party members can hardly be expected to say nice things but Tan was merely articulating what people in the party had been gossiping in private that Kok's rise in the party was because she was a loyalist of secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, the multiple salaries she is earning from her multiple positions and her limited leadership skills.

Then, there is the lingering unhappiness over whether she really deserves to be the Selangor chairman. In the 2010 state party election, Kok's Unity Team was pitched against Teng's Rainbow Team. Teng came in at fourth spot in the 15 seat line-up whereas Kok trailed in at the 11th spot.

But there was a lot of backroom horse-trading and Kok managed to secure the chairmanship by getting eight of the 15 office bearers on her side. As they say in politics, the best man does not always win.

Teng's people have always suspected Teratai assemblywoman Jenice Lee as the one who gave Kok the crucial vote and they were delighted when Lee was ousted as the Selangor DAPSY chief last Saturday.

But the point is many people thought that her 11th position was an indication that she does not enjoy as much grassroots support as Teng, yet she became the boss and is holding some of the most lucrative posts in the Selangor government.

Given the history, it is inevitable that onlookers saw it as a reflection of the way people in the party feel about her.

But Klang MP Charles Santiago defended Kok as a consensus builder and said she had reached out to bring together the warring factions in Klang.

"Sometimes, you cannot please everybody. Even what you eat and wear can become an issue. She has been moving around and she's trying her best," said Santiago.

Overall, the convention was a missed opportunity for the DAP leaders to rally the troops for battle. DAP is the party in power in Selangor yet the mood at the convention was not that of a party ready for the mother of all battles. It was rather too subdued and the fighting spirit was not there.

Kok has no excuses actually because she has all the resources at her disposal. She is not only Selangor chairman, she is also the national organising secretary as well as the national secretary for the party's women's wing.

She has expressed confidence that most people in Selangor still want Pakatan but said that chances of winning would be jeopardised if Umno scares the Malay ground by using the religious and race card among Malays.

Instead of blaming Umno, Kok should take a good hard look at her own party organisation. Political parties rise and fall not only on the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent but also on their own strengths and weaknesses. There is still time to assess the party's readiness for the election and do what needs to be done. The blame game is sounding like an old story.

‘Peaceful revolutions’ underway in Malaysia, Singapore

Posted: 05 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PST

For most of its history, Malaysia has been guided by the desire for "equality of outcomes". It has been trying to redistribute the fruits of growth in a more equitable fashion by giving some people—the majority Malay Muslims, the so-called bumiputeras—more opportunities than others. Singapore has been guided by the desire for "equality of opportunities", with little concern for outcomes. Both countries have pursued their philosophies with determination; now both see the systems faltering.

Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, SingaporeScene

Malaysia and Singapore are witnessing two slow, quiet, largely peaceful socio-political revolutions that will ultimately change the complexion of the region.

For decades, the vast majority of Malaysians and Singaporeans appeared relatively content with their respective ruling parties—the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and the People's Action Party (PAP). Their consistent electoral success was built on a combination of rapid economic growth and iron-fisted political control.

As living standards got better, most people in the two countries were happy to live their lives quietly under the democratic radar.

But over the past decade, a combination of forces—including policy missteps by the ruling parties, the emergence of more credible opposition candidates, and the widening of political space through the Internet—has blown the lid off these hitherto politically apathetic countries.

In both Malaysia and Singapore, authoritarian states are making way for more democratic participation. Ordinary people, who for long took their electoral rights for granted, have now realised that their voices and votes do actually make a difference. Civil society is being forced to evolve at warp speed. Private and public actors are adapting to new ways of communicating on a multitude of new platforms.

Hence the BN's and PAP's 50 odd years of dominance is ending. In Malaysia, the revolution is a few years ahead: after its next general election, which must be held by June 2013, there is an outside chance that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition will be governing the country.

Across the border, though the PAP still appears very much in control, it is licking its wounds after its worst ever electoral performance last year. Though unthinkable just a few years ago, political observers today have a new favourite pastime: speculating when the PAP might lose power. A minority believes it could happen as soon as the next election, due by 2016.

A big reason for these parties' relative decline is that Malaysians and Singaporeans have grown increasingly disillusioned with their respective socio-economic models. For most of its history, Malaysia has been guided by the desire for "equality of outcomes". It has been trying to redistribute the fruits of growth in a more equitable fashion by giving some people—the majority Malay Muslims, the so-called bumiputeras—more opportunities than others. Singapore has been guided by the desire for "equality of opportunities", with little concern for outcomes. Both countries have pursued their philosophies with determination; now both see the systems faltering.

Malaysia's pursuit of "equality of outcomes" has created some serious problems, not least the ethnic tensions in society today. Furthermore, the noble ideal of wealth equality has frequently been hijacked by corrupt elements, undermining the policy's effectiveness.

Singapore's desire only for "equality of opportunities" has led to gross inequality—or very different "outcomes"—in the country. And with that, it has become harder and harder to guarantee "equality of opportunities"—a rich family's child will always be much better positioned for success than a poor family's child.

As Malaysia and Singapore embark on their next stage of development, they face pressures to become a bit more like each other. Malaysians are yearning for more "equality of opportunities" and Singaporeans, "equality of outcomes".

This is not just theoretical fluff. These guiding philosophies have influenced how millions of Malaysians and Singaporeans think and interact with each other. In Malaysia, for instance, there are Chinese and Indians who look down on the Malays around them because they are perceived as dependent on government help.

Meanwhile, there are a fair number of Malay nationalists who continue to regard Chinese and Indians, some of whose families have been in the country for more than four generations, as second-class citizens.

The bumiputera policies also feed the idea that economic opportunity and wealth is a zero-sum game, played out amongst different ethnic groups, based on luck and timing. An Indian church warden in Kuantan, Pahang, likened the process to the spokes on a revolving bicycle wheel. "The Malay bicycle spoke is up now, so the Indian one must necessarily be down," he told me. He believes it is impossible for all ethnic groups to develop together; the Indians must simply sit tight and wait for their chance again.

Hence, by mandating this wealth transfer to the bumiputeras, Malaysia has unwittingly cultivated the idea that in order for one race to progress, another one must be subdued.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Jumaat, 9 November 2012

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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