Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Sleeping with the enemy
- Deepak Jaikishan : Prequel and Sequel
- Two kinds of corruption
- Former IGP: Political violence should not occur in a democracy
- Sepang shrine wrecking: Xavier cries ‘sabotage’
- The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 13)
- Amokh ignores Najib as PM with Syed Feisal's appointment
- SPR bidas Kelab Umno Glasgow, undi pos pelajar luar negara sudah dibenarkan
- Blogger to reveal more PKR ‘dirt’ in January
- Truth in bits and pieces
- The difference between rights and privileges
- Why is the system failing?
- No conspiracy against Anwar, says Musa again
- Rentak sumbang Perhimpunan Agung Umno
| Posted: 06 Dec 2012 12:46 AM PST
KTEMOC KONSIDERS A week ago I posted Political WTF 1 - Musa Hassan in which I raised some questions: Is it be likely that Musa Hassan will re-occupy his old job as IGP PDRM if Anwar Ibrahim becomes PM? I ask only because the ex IGP, one of the most despised and most accused person, has lately been rubbing pally-buddy shoulders with PKR-affiliated NGOs, and making virtually anti-Government statements and accusations, some of which, laughingly, had been attributed to his term as IGP. Then I followed that up with Political WTF 2 - Musa Hassan on 30 November after reading Free Malaysia Today's news article No plans yet to bring Musa Hasan into PKR. I had opined that statement by PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, plus the absence of any clear-cut repudiation by him that PKR is and will not be accepting/approving any membership application by Musa Hassan regardless of the former IGP rubbing shoulders with PKR-affiliated NGOs at their forums, has been the BIGGEST hint yet that PKR will likely be admitting Musa Hassan into the party as a member. Saifuddin tap-danced around a yes or no confirmation by saying meaningless stuff like "Approval of applications is done on a monthly basis. When we have distinguished names of 'big people', of course we take note of it." Were you any clearer? Then, when he was pressed by the media on whether Anwar Ibrahim would object to his past tormentor joining PKR, Saifuddin did the hula hula dance, stating that "When there are applications made by big names, the decision to approve them is made by the party leadership" and not by any individual (meaning Anwar Ibrahim). I take that as Saifuddin virtually admitting Musa Hassan will become a member of PKR, and that when it happens, shouldn't be attributed to an individual known by his title of The Great Man, wakakaka. Okay, really it's none of non-PKR people's business but it sure as hell bring into focus the saying 'Politics makes strange bedfellows', which incidentally was adapted from Anwar Ibrahim's fave author, Bill Shakespeare (but of course, second to his top fave, al Quran). Shakespeare wrote in the Tempest, Act II, Scene II, of Trinculo saying: Alas, the storm is come again! My best way is to creep under his gaberdine; there is no other shelter hereabout. Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. I will here shroud till the dregs of the storm be past. Trinculo was philosophizing that in order to avoid a storm, he ended up sharing his sleeping area with Caliban, a dark native of an island but seen as grotesque and savage, and described by the other characters in Shakespeare's play as a monster. We learn that Caliban was treacherous, switching his allegiance from one side to another without any scruples.
And it was Robert Phang, former panel member of the MACC advisory panel, who voiced his belief that Musa Hassan's statement against Hishamuddin etc had been 'backed by PKR'. Phang accused Anwar Ibrahim's party of (allegedly) sleeping with their former enemy. Phang must have been shocked to see Musa Hassan flanked by PKR national policy and strategy bureau secretary S Gobikrishnan and Negeri Sembilan PKR youth exco member Sri Sanjeevan, when he (Musa) alleged that Hishammuddin had interfered with the police force under his IGP days. Phang said: "If Musa is backed by PKR, then I must express my utmost disappointment that PKR appears to be a desperate party." " ... going into bed with this cunning man and supporting his cause will mean that the leadership of PKR has no principles. I say to PKR - dissociate yourself from this wolf in sheep's skin." "Ask why is he now attacking the government as evil, whereas he once was its key perpetrator. If PKR keeps supporting this evil man, then PKR will lose the support of the public for stooping so low just to undermine the BN government." It sure as hell didn't help when Saifuddin Nasution tap-danced around the question of Musa Hassan's possible membership in PKR, as discussed above.
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| Deepak Jaikishan : Prequel and Sequel Posted: 06 Dec 2012 12:34 AM PST
FREEDOM COME FREEDOM GO When adrressing Mr Deepak Jaikishan so called "explosive" disclosures, we need to recognise actors of both SD I and II, for an in-depth perspective of a very dark and sinister show. All the actors are connected, one way or another, and could lead one to arrive at another point of view or possibilities, prequels and sequels. Raja Petra does his usual spin of mixing truth and fiction in order to make a story sound interesting. Unfortunately for him, lies remain lies.This was in response to Raja Petra Kamarudin's, better known as RPK, "The day I met P. Balasubramaniam". Also, PKR MP Sivarasa was deigned to reply, by way of a press statement, because on the day RPK met PI Bala, RPK made these claims, "Sivarasa coached Bala on what he should and should not say at the press conference. Bala was told to avoid answering too many questions from the media and in the event they ask him difficult questions then the lawyers would take those questions. They were worried that Bala might say something wrong and contradict himself."From the above, we have two others in the co-starring role, Sivarasa and Raja Petra Kamarudin, and we get a bigger picture of who the others are. So, fact or fiction? The date and title of the following is significant. On 4 February 2010 RPK headlined "Nasir Safar, the 'mystery man' the day Altantuya died" and wrote "Yes, that man in the blue Proton Saga was Nasir Safar." Three days later, on 7 February 2010, The Malaysian Insider headlined, "PI Bala: Razak Baginda is innocent" reported, "He has also identified another man who drove past Abdul Razak's house on the night of the murder as Datuk Nasir Safar an aide of Najib's who has since been sacked after he made derogatory remarks about Malaysian Chinese and Indians in a public event."The same TMI article was posted the same day in RPK's Malaysia Today. A picture is worth a thousand words when you compare the pic at TMI and the pic in Malaysia Today. Get the picture? Never mind. When PI Bala made his u-turn, the Star reported "I believe he was coerced, says lawyer Americk" and to me what was reported is significant, "He said he had first met Balasubramaniam two months ago at a restaurant where he was asked by the latter to help draft a formal document on the Altantuya case."Corroborated from a Question and Answer article at RPK's Malaysia Today, Q 53. Did they record your statement?More actors and their co-starring roles. PI Bala in his testimony in the Altantuya trial, excerpted from the Star report, "After Altantuya's visit to Abdul Razak's house, Balasubramaniam met up with the analyst and his lawyer Dhiren Rene Norendra at the Starbucks cafe in Pusat Bandar Damansara" and "He said he, Abdul Razak, Dhiren and one ASP Suresh were supposed to meet up to discuss whether to report the Mongolian women's presence outside the analyst's house to the Immigration Department and have them deported."Another important supporting actor.
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| Posted: 06 Dec 2012 12:12 AM PST Alwyn Lau, CPI The news that Malaysia is ranked 54th out of 176 countries in Transparency International Corruption's Perceptions Index (CPI) is more ironic than at first perceived. No, it is not because Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) got it wrong (although how relevant their being 'right' is a separate issue). Neither is it because – as per the remark from the Institute of Democracy & Economic Affairs (IDEAS) – corruption in Malaysia is really 'not so bad'. The truth is that the CPI is less about the hidden evil performed in private than it is about the public evil not at all hidden – and therefore not perceived to be evil. Everybody knows that in Malaysia getting the right contracts often involves buying the right kind of coffee for the wrong kinds of people. Everybody is aware that unusual favours are needed without which the not unusual tasks won't happen. The critical question is not whether corruption exists or how bad corruption is. The key issue, rather, is the role its contrived invisibility plays in sustaining the system. Recall how, during conversations or meetings, we often ignore the other person's body odour, stinking breath and other unsavoury facets? Our social conventions require us to pretend the VIP doesn't smell like a newborn elephant or look past the Tan Sri's (the second highest honour bestoweed to civilians) emerging booger. Why? Because it's safer to feign pretence and carry on talking than to speak the truth and risk reality coming apart. This agreed upon illusion is the form that corruption takes in Malaysia. It's not about what people don't know or should know; it's about what people pretend to not know whilst trying to keep what they do know at bay. In our brightest speeches, we tell each other that the system is inherently good and that corruption is an aberration which must be eradicated. But in our darkest thoughts we fear that the system is itself corrupt to the core and it relies on public/official tenets of ethics and decency as a facade. In conferences we declare that the apple basket of industry is fundamentally sound, notwithstanding the existence of a few corrupted bad apples. But in the boardroom, we whisper worryingly that the entire basket is born of corruption, a fundamental misalignment sustained by the fantasy of justice and virtue. We could mention here again the familiar story of the man suspected of stealing from a factory. The police posted themselves at the factory gate and each night the man came out, they inspected the wheel-barrow he was pushing. This went on for many nights. The man would come out with a wheel-barrow, the police would inspect it, find nothing and let him go. It was only later that they discovered that what the man was, in fact, stealing wheel-barrows. Likewise, the CPI deceives us making us look INTO the wheel-barrow of the system to detect and correct problems whilst at the same time blinding us to the fact of the barrow itself. As per Marx's caution, wages do not have to be 'unfair' for us to conclude that injustice is present; there is injustice even (or especially) when the wages are 'fair'. Rephrased, the problem is not corruption within Capitalism – the problem is Capitalism itself. It is at this point that both TI-M and IDEAS fail us. TI gives us 'data' and tells us to merely repair the system; IDEAS is worse because it tells us nothing is really that wrong and thus only minimal tweaking will suffice. This can be further illustrated by comparing the two villains in the recent installments of Batman i.e. Joker and Bane. The Joker transformed the city's White Knight (i.e. Harvey Dent) into its traitor; Bane showed that the city itself, Gotham, was an intra-social betrayal on a massive scale. The betrayal of the people (in the form of community-wide lies, political corruption and so on), far from being a threat to the city, in fact, constituted it and sustained its being. The Joker manipulated the police; Bane tore up the very idea of the police. The Joker tried to rope in the city's criminals; Bane made it a crime not to be a criminal and thus exposed the biggest crime of all: society itself. In this context, IDEAS is like Harvey Dent and the mafia who love the system (as long as it benefits 'democracy'). TI-M, at best, is like the Joker who wishes to unveil the problems within the system. Unfortunately, what we need is a Bane who's willing to go all the way to transform the system by exposing the corruption at its heart.
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| Former IGP: Political violence should not occur in a democracy Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:14 PM PST
The Malaysian Insider Political violence should not happen in a genuine democracy and the authorities must take stern action to curb such incidents, former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said today amid more reports of violent clashes between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) supporters ahead of elections expected next year. He told a public forum organised by the Sinar Harian newspaper today that he hoped BN would reform and stop the culture of violence if it won the next polls. And if PR were to take power, the former top police officer said he hoped PR would not become "political thugs". Rough house tactics have become a feature of Malaysian politics, and went up a notch yesterday with the first stabbing at a political rally ahead of the 13th general elections. A group of people alleged to be Umno Youth members yesterday attacked a PKR rally in Gombak that left a few opposition volunteers injured, leading to swift condemnation from PR leaders. In the attack, a PKR supporter is believed to have been stabbed with a sharp weapon on his left shoulder, the party's paper Keadilan Daily reported. This is not the first attack on a PR rally, with a similar incident happening in Lembah Pantai earlier this year where a crowd at a rally held by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was attacked. The PKR bus used by Anwar and party leaders for its nationwide pre-election campaign tour, Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat , has also been splashed with paint and attacked with rocks several times. "Political violence does not happen in a democratic country. In a democratic country the election of a government does not see matters that endanger security," said Musa today. He took a swipe, however, at the opposition for supporting street protests and demonstrations. "According to one book it is said that if a leader is not suitable there must be 'reformasi' on the streets. This is now a reference for the young. "Previous general elections were like festivals (but) in Malaysia the politics has been endless. Five years on and there is still politics and the endless blaming of each other." Without naming anyone, he said accused political leaders of failing to control supporters, which he blamed for the rise in the political temperature in recent years. He said election campaigns were no longer like festivals because it was now dominated by "politics of hatred." Musa said that while the authorities must act to curb political violence, he pointed out that the job had become more challenging because of new laws which had introduced more freedoms. "The police must be fair. Previously one had to apply for a permit to organise a ceramah. But with new laws there are now problems and the police have to be prepared better. "In the past the police did not have to station much personnel at rallies but now speakers are challenging the authority of the police," he said.
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| Sepang shrine wrecking: Xavier cries ‘sabotage’ Posted: 05 Dec 2012 06:02 PM PST Municipal officers acted without authorisation, says the Selangor exco. K Pragalath, FMT Municipal officers acted without their boss' permission when they demolished a Hindu shrine in Sepang last month, Selangor state exco Xavier Jayakumar said today. "The action taken by certain officers was unilateral," he said in a press statement. "There is reason to suspect this action is bordering on sabotage." On Nov 20, 30 enforcement officers of the Sepang Municipal Council (MPS) trespassed into the home of one S Gobi Kumar and demolished a Hindu shrine located within the compound of the residence. A week later, Jayakumar defended the council's action, prompting MIC Youth to demand that he make a public apology. Jayakumar said MPS officials yesterday gave a briefing on the incident to him, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and state excos Teresa Kok and Ronnie Liu. "From the briefing, it was quite apparent that the Sepang council president was neither consulted nor informed prior to the action of breaking the structure," he said. "The Selangor Non-Muslim Affairs Council, co-chaired by excos Liu, Kok and myself, was also never informed of these actions." He added that the state government had called for an investigation and demanded that the findings be submitted to it within two weeks. The demolition apparently violates an order issued by the Non-Muslim Affairs Council that forbids the breaking of religious structures. "From 2008, we have given instruction to all local councils and land offices not to break any place of worship that existed prior to 2008," Jayakumar said
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| The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 13) Posted: 05 Dec 2012 05:26 PM PST
I explained to Tok Guru that for 20 years since Merdeka, PAS has been having an image of a kampong party. In fact, not many people outside Terengganu know Tok Guru and even in Terengganu not everyone knows who he is. Hence PAS needed to be 'marketed' to the urban areas, the big towns and the cities, and places like Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara, Bangsar, etc., are where the crème de le crème live. So Tok Guru needs to have his presence felt in these areas. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin I first met Tok Guru Dato' Seri Haji Abdul Hadi Awang in 1977, soon after he returned to Malaysia after completing his studies in Madinah and Cairo. At that time, Tok Guru was not yet well known and even I had never heard of him. A member of the Terengganu royal family, the present Sultan's aunty, introduced me to him. I soon began to attend Tok Guru's lectures/sermons at the Masjid Rhusila. That was around the time, as I had written earlier, when I became a 'Born Again' Muslim. I hungered for knowledge and I would visit quite a number of mosques or suraus all over Terengganu to hear popular ustaz or tok guru lecture on Islam. Ustaz Haji Awang 'Tukul Besi' of Batu Enam was another favourites of mine, as was Ustaz Kassim of Marang. And, of course, my 'resident' tok guru was Pak Abas of Masjid Kolam as well as Tok Guru Abdul Rahman Pattani of Taman Purnama. Invariably, each tok guru had different approaches and different interpretations on what 'true' Islam is. Hence it was necessary to get a 'balanced' opinion by learning from as many tok guru as possible. Then you had to sieve through the many different opinions and come to your own conclusion. There was this one chap who would tape-record Tok Guru Hadi's lectures and sell the cassette tapes at the Friday 'bazaar' in Rhusila. I bought a whole box of these cassette tapes and sent them down to my brother, Raja Idris, who was at that time a committee member of Masjid Mujahidin in Damansara Utama. Raja Idris would play these tapes after the Maghrib prayers and while waiting for the Isyak prayers to start. The members of his congregation were fascinated by Tok Guru Hadi's lectures cum sermons. "Who is this guy?" they asked Raja Idris, "he is good." Raja Idris replied that he does not know. He only knows that the chap is a PAS member. The congregation then asked Raja Idris whether he could invite this Tok Guru to come down to Kuala Lumpur to give a talk at Masjid Mujahidin. Raja Idris contacted me and I promised to try to arrange it. I then spoke to Tok Guru Hadi and he told me that he has a full calendar. Anyhow, he will try to cancel one of his programmes and go down to Kuala Lumpur to speak at Damansara Utama. The date was finally fixed and I bought Tok Guru his plane ticket. I also arranged for someone to fetch him from the airport and to 'look after' Tok Guru Hadi. Raja Idris then arranged to install a new PA system so that they could do justice to Tok Guru's lecture. ABIM placed banners all over Selangor to inform people about the impending talk by Tok Guru Hadi. On the day of the event, which was a Saturday night, Masjid Mujahidin was packed. Busloads of people from all over Selangor came. The mosque, which normally would not even be half full, was overflowing and the car park had to be turned into a prayer area. People were praying on the grass and in the dirt. The mosque committee was surprised. Never before had they seen such a crowd. And on that day the people of Selangor got to know, and fell in love with, Tok Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang (then not yet a Dato' Seri). The 45-minute lecture became a two-hour lecture and the mosque committee requested Tok Guru to come again, if possible on a regular and scheduled basis. Tok Guru replied that he only agreed to a one-off thing and he was not sure whether he could devote any time to do this on a regular basis. I explained to Tok Guru that for 20 years since Merdeka, PAS has been having an image of a kampong party. In fact, not many people outside Terengganu know Tok Guru and even in Terengganu not everyone knows who he is. Hence PAS needed to be 'marketed' to the urban areas, the big towns and the cities, and places like Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara, Bangsar, etc., are where the crème de le crème live. So Tok Guru needs to have his presence felt in these areas. Finally, Tok Guru agreed to come down to Kuala Lumpur once a month, on the first Saturday of every month. And Masjid Mujahidin would be his base to reach out to the urbanites. That was 30 years ago. Soon, the congregation of Masjid Mujahidin, which was practically a wooden shack squatting on a piece of land owned by the Fire Department, grew in leaps and bounds. People from all over went to that mosque. And in time that wooden shack became a multi-million Ringgit structure with air-conditioning – built entirely with non-government money. Umno, of course, was not too happy with the success of PAS in penetrating the urban areas. And they were even unhappier about the fact that Masjid Mujahidin was being used as the base for this. And Masjid Mujahidin was squatting on a piece of land owned by the Fire Department. It was supposed to be a temporary structure, meaning wooden building. Now it was a lavish and multi-million Ringgit concrete building -- which means it has now become a permanent structure. The Political Secretary to Anwar Ibrahim, Ibrahim Saad, got in touch with the Religious Department to ask them to demolish the mosque. It was, after all, 'illegal'. This put the authorities in a dilemma. They knew that to do such a thing was going to invite bloodshed. Instead of demolishing the mosque, as what Ibrahim Saad wanted, the authorities gave the Fire Department an alternative piece of land at Taman Tun Dr Ismail (where the Fire Brigade now sits) and the land that Masjid Mujahidin was squatting on was 'legalised'. That was about 30 years ago and it took almost 30 years until 2008 before PAS managed to gain acceptance in the urban areas when it won seats such as Shah Alam, etc., which in the past would never have been possible. There are no short cuts. Change takes one generation or more to happen. The previous generation in 1980 brought PAS into the towns and cities from its 'home' in the kampongs. The present generation gave PAS its support in the towns and the cities. And it all started because a few boxes of cassette tapes from Rhusila, Terengganu, found its way to Damansara Jaya, Selangor. That started the ball rolling. But was that not also how the Islamic Revolution of Iran started, when a few boxes of cassette tapes from Paris found its way to the bazaars of Teheran in Iran? And now do you know why I am a student of history? Because history has taught us that many times history can and will repeat itself. And those who ignore the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. So, no, 2008 was not an overnight wake-up call, as many believe. 2008 took almost 30 years to happen. And 2008 started in 1980 when we decided that PAS should no longer be a kampong party and a regional player. And when we 'exported' Tok Guru Hadi Awang to the big towns and cities, that began PAS's progression to national politics and launched its Long March to Putrajaya. TO BE CONTINUED
The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 1) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 2) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 3) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 4) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 5) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 6) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 7) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 8) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 9) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 10) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 11) The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 12)
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| Amokh ignores Najib as PM with Syed Feisal's appointment Posted: 05 Dec 2012 03:09 PM PST
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL The business papers reported yesterday that Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) announced the appointment of the brother to Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar, Dato Syed Faisal Albar, to be an Independent Director of MAHB. This is fuelling speculation that Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad will end his one year extension as Chairman and replaced by Syed Faisal.
With regard to the new appointment at MAHB, Syed Faisal is not politically and capability wise appropriate. He still remain within Kalimullah circle of evil. Despite New Straits Times withdrawing their lawsuit against blogger and former Malay Mail editor, Dato Ahiruddin Attan@ Rockybru, Syed Faisal remain with opposition backing The Malaysian Insider (TMI) owner, Kalimullah in their lawsuit against Rocky.
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| SPR bidas Kelab Umno Glasgow, undi pos pelajar luar negara sudah dibenarkan Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:57 PM PST
Mohd Farhan Darwis, The Malaysian Insider Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) hari ini menjelaskan badan pengurusan pilihan raya itu sudah membuka sistem pengundian secara pos kepada pelajar luar negara sekaligus membidas kenyataan Pengerusi Kelab Umno Glasgow Siti Hawa Abu Bakar yang mengatakan SPR belum membuka undi pos untuk kategori pengundi tersebut. Setiausaha SPR, Datuk Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria menjelaskan, 80 peratus daripada 5,000 pelajar di Scotland layak mengundi menentukan kerajaan dalam pilihan raya umum (PRU) ke-13 akan datang. "Peraturan 3(1)(a), Peraturan-Peraturan Pilihan Raya (Pengundian Pos) 2003 menetapkan bahawa mana-mana warganegara yang telah mendaftar sebagai pemilih (pengundi) berhak untuk mengundi secara pos sekiranya mereka termasuk dalam salah satu daripada kategori seorang Pengundi Tidak Hadir (PTH). "Manakala PTH sebagaimana yang ditakrifkan di bawah Peraturan 2(e) dan (f), Peraturan-Peraturan Pilihan Raya (Pendaftaran Pemilih) 2002 ialah warganegara Malaysia yang berumur 21 tahun dan sedang belajar sepenuh masa di mana-mana universiti, maktab latihan atau institusi pendidikan tinggi di luar negara dan pasangan iaitu isteri atau suami masing-masing," katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini. Justeru itu, beliau berkata, untuk memudahkan urusan pendaftaran pemilih rakyat Malaysia di luar negara termasuk pelajar-pelajar sepenuh masa, SPR melantik pegawai-pegawai di Pejabat-Pejabat Kedutaan, Suruhanjaya Tinggi dan Konsulat Jeneral di Luar Negara sebagai Penolong Pendaftar Pemilih (PPP). "SPR juga telah mempermudahkan urusan penghantaran borang pendaftaran pemilih (Borang A) melalui kaedah-kaedah pemohon boleh menghantar sendiri semua dokumen kepada Penolong Pendaftar Pemilih (PPP) yang dilantik oleh SPR di pejabat-pejabat Perwakilan di luar Negara "Pemohon juga boleh menghantar semua dokumen secara pos kepada Penolong Pendaftar Pemilih (PPP) yang dilantik oleh SPR di pejabat-pejabat Perwakilan di luar Negara; atau pemohon boleh menghantar semua dokumen melalui Wakil iaitu pemohon lain yang hendak menghantar sendiri permohonan kepada Penolong Pendaftar Pemilih (PPP) yang dilantik oleh SPR di pejabat-pejabat Perwakilan di luar Negara," katanya lagi. Bagi pelajar sepenuh masa, Borang A yang telah dilengkapkan perlu disertakan dengan salinan kad pengenalan atau passport antarabangsa dan salinan kad pelajar atau surat pengesahan sebagai pelajar sepenuh masa. Kenyataan itu juga menjelaskan, mana-mana pihak yang inginkan maklumat lanjut, rakyat Malaysia yang belajar di luar negara boleh melayari laman sesawang SPR di www.spr.gov.my.
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| Blogger to reveal more PKR ‘dirt’ in January Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:51 PM PST A pro-Umno blogger says he will expose more details on the alleged PKR's involvement in masterminding attacks against the prime minister's family using Deepak Jaikishan. G Vinod, FMT Pro-Umno blogger, Papagomo threatens to expose more dirt on the alleged involvement of PKR leaders in masterminding carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan's attacks on the prime minister's family. He said this in a post at his blog today. "Januari nanti anda Surendran dan sekutu Pakatan Haram yang lain akan dibogelkan satu persatu sampai lumat (In January, N Surendran (PKR vice president) and all allies of the illegitimate opposition pact will be exposed one by one)," said Papagomo. On Tuesday, the blogger posted a two minute clip on his website purpotedly showing "Deepak" saying that Subang MP R Sivarasa had coerced him to attack Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, at the behest of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. However, "Deepak" said he refused to do so, thus, making Sivarasa angry. "Deepak" also mentioned the names of PKR vice presidents Surendran and Nurul Izzah Anwar in the footage. However, Sivarasa and Surendran had denied claims that they coerced Deepak into doing anything and were only representing the businessman in a court case involving a land deal. Pagagomo, however, was not impressed by Surendran's explanation. "Surendran lu boleh cakap apa lu nak cakap tapi sebelum lu pergi lebih jauh elok lu siap sedia dengan gelombang amukkan para Blogger Pro UMNO selepas ini. (Surendran, you may say what you want but before you go any further, be ready to face the wrath of pro-Umno bloggers)
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| Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:34 PM PST If carpet man Deepak Jaikishan is lying, then Najib should use the full force of the law to protect the sanctity of the office of the prime minister. Toffee Rodrigo, FMT Why is the truth coming out in instalments? Weren't these people once trusted lieutenants? Now they are being looked upon as conniving opportunists working together with the opposition to oust Najib Tun Razak for no rhyme or reason. Does that make sense? Thus far everyone who has given testimony against the powers-that-be has been branded a liar. Musa Hassan, of all people, has now come out. And former home minister Syed Hamid Albar, together with his successor Hishammuddin Hussein, have successfully revealed the level of common sense that prevails in Umno now. Both have said that the disclosures by Musa is all an opposition ploy. What he did to Anwar Ibrahim must surely have been at the request of his superiors including former Umno chieftains. In which case it surely must be seen that he was a player in a whole scheme to rid the country of Anwar. Anwar was the man who knew too much and who had publicly declared that there would be no more nepotism, cronyism and corruption in Umno. But in Umno this can never happen. No one could get into Umno and declare such "nonsense", so Anwar had to go at all costs, and they made sure he did. So now, when the Truth is coming out there is fear in the corridors of power, Umno power. For Musa to come out in the open and say the government intervened with his work, then it really happened and he must have some really compelling reasons to say so. No Malaysian in his proper frame of mind would have accepted that private investigator P Balasubramaniam was forced to come out with the statutory declaration to implicate Najib. Everyone believed him when he said that the carpet man (Deepak Jaikishan) was involved and that the carpet man has now come out and is revealing the truth, albeit in instalments. Political ploy? The key to the truth lies somewhere in the home of our prime minister and even a moron knew this. It is the duty of the home minister to direct a full investigation, unless it was his office that ordered murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu's entry records by the Malaysian immigration removed. Surely if they could get a former deputy prime minister (Anwar) on trumped-up charges, they can easily get this cop and they will for their own convenience. So why is Syed Hamid claiming that this is all a political ploy by the opposition? And why did Hishammuddin say that all the revelations were meant to divert the political gathering (Umno)? The only reason is, it has to be the truth.
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| The difference between rights and privileges Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:24 PM PST
It is time for the government to introduce a new socially just affirmative action policy based on need or class or sector. By Kua Kia Soong, FMT We hear this often enough from breast-beating far-right racists but more so at Umno general assemblies, namely, the call for Umno to "safeguard Malay rights". The top Umno leaders and the mainstream press and even those who should know better do not seem to be interested in correcting them on their loose usage of "Malay rights". As Human Rights Day approaches, we will do well to be clear about the difference between rights and privileges. All peoples have rights – Malays, Chinese, Indians, indigenous peoples and all other ethnic communities are entitled to the same human rights. These rights are enshrined in Part II of the Constitution under "Fundamental Liberties". They are inalienable, independent of the government-of-the-day. Thus, apart from the fact that they are guaranteed in our Federal Constitution, they are also part and parcel of the United Nations Human Rights instruments. Now, do Malays in this country have any special right on account of the fact they are "Malay" as stipulated under Article 153 of the Constitution? Rights and privileges A right is defined as an entitlement, very different from a privilege or a licence granted by the Constitution. All Malaysians are entitled to liberty of the person; equality; freedom of movement; freedom of speech, assembly and association; freedom of religion, and other rights. Privileges, on the other hand, are not rights. They can be revoked because they are conditional. Once the intended results have been met, privileges can be taken away but rights cannot be taken away. "Special Position of the Malays" Nowhere in Malaysia's constitution will you find any reference to "Malay rights". Article 153 mentions "the special position of the Malays". The main purpose for including Article 153 in the Constitution was to rectify the perceived weakness of the Malay community in the economic field, the public service and the problem of Malay poverty at the time of Independence. (Tun Mohamed Suffian bin Hashim, "An Introduction to the Constitution of Malaysia", KL 1972:245) The first clause of Article 153 states: "It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article." The second clause of Article 153 stipulates that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall ensure the reservation for Malays and since 1963, for natives of Borneo "of such proportion as he may deem reasonable of positions in the public service…and of scholarships, exhibitions and other similar educational or training privileges or special facilities given or accorded by the Federal Government and…any permit or licence for the operation of any trade or business is required by federal law…" Clause 4 expressly states that: "In exercising his functions under this Constitution and federal law…the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall not deprive any person of any public office held by him or of the continuance of any scholarship, exhibition or other educational or training privileges or special facilities enjoyed by him." The abused 'Quota System' As a result of the racial violence of May 13, 1969, the country was presented with a fait accompli by the new ruling class in Umno who were keen to propagate their "bumiputeraist" ideology as a populist ploy. Again, you will not see any mention of "bumiputera" (the "princes of the soil") in the Malaysian constitution. Thus, in early 1971 the Constitution (Amendment) Act was passed adding a new clause (No. 8A) to Article 153: "…where in any university, college and other educational institution providing education after Malaysian Certificate of Education or its equivalent, the number of places offered by the authority responsible for the management of the university, college or such educational institution to candidates for any course or study is less than the number of candidates qualified for such places, it shall be lawful for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong by virtue of this Article to give such directions to the authority as may be required to ensure the reservation of such proportion of such places for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak as the yang di-Pertuan Agong may deem reasonable (my emphasis); and the authority shall duly comply with the directions." This is the "quota system" we have lived with for the last 40 years or so and which has created so much controversy for that length of time. Strictly speaking, if we were to go by Umno's oft-repeated "social contract" at Independence in 1957, that "social contract" certainly does not include Clause 8A of Article 153. And if we scrutinise this clause more closely, we will see that it is definitely not a carte blanche for the blatant racial discrimination as is the case of enrolment at institutions such as UiTM. At the 2004 Umno general assembly, you may recall then Higher Education Minister Shafie Salleh declaring: "I will not compromise on this matter…there will not be a single non-bumiputera allowed to enroll!" So, if any aggrieved party took the government to court for its enrolment policy at UiTM or any other MARA institutions, how do you think any judge would interpret clause 8A of Article 153, ie. "…to give such directions to the authority as may be required to ensure the reservation of such proportion of such places (my emphasis) for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak as the yang di-Pertuan Agong may deem reasonable…" The 100 per cent bumiputera enrolment policy at UiTM makes a mockery of the quota system and the justification of any affirmative action in any country! Principles and purpose of 'affirmative' action Compared to the affirmative action policies elsewhere, for example the United States, we find some glaring inconsistencies in this country: Principle 1: Affirmative action in the US was implemented to rectify the glaring discrimination experienced by historically marginalised groups such as the black minority in the US; In contrast, affirmative action in Malaysia is driven by the politically dominant and majority Malay elite and directed at the Malay community as a whole, as the beneficiary group, regardless of wealth and position. Principle 2: Any preferential treatment for any group should be followed by specific goals, quotas and sunset clauses as is the case in the US rather than the "Never Ending Policy" of the NEP in Malaysia; Principle 3: Affirmative action policies in the US are fundamentally not "special rights" as they are portrayed in Malaysia but rather, policy adjustments to rectify social inequality with a time limitation once the objectives have been reached; Principle 4: The definition of the main target group in Malaysia, namely, "the Malays" is imprecise and allows confusion when any Muslim who is not ethnically Malay can claim to be a beneficiary; Principle 5: In the US, affirmative action is extended into all discriminated groups, for example, women, Hispanics and other minority groups; whereas in Malaysia, only the "bumiputeras" (the "princes of the soil") are included, while the poorest and most marginalized group, arguably the original people of this land, the Orang Asli, have been excluded from this policy.
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| Posted: 05 Dec 2012 02:20 PM PST
Najib's elegant silence, pretending that the hundreds of socio-financial scandals are non-existent, is killing the system and governance. By Chua Jui Meng, FMT The Barisan Nasional government is clearly breaking down or crumbling. How else do you explain the police's inability to carry out a simple task of crowd control. Worse, they just stood and watched the troublemakers resorting to violence against those attending political rallies organised by Pakatan Rakyat. The incident in Gombak on the night of Dec 5, 2012, is only one of the many visible examples of a serious breakdown in the system of governance. There has to be a limit to the degradation of professionalism in governance by the civil service. A hooligan-like Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob is able to remain in office for more than a decade. Where is the integrity and morality expected of a leader? It is because of the 55 years of rule under the BN that the civil service's vision is now blurred and is unable to tell the difference between politics and governance. Here, I must make clear that the problem lies primarily on the little Napoleans who spend the bulk of their time to curry favour in the corridors of power for obvious reasons and motives. They have forgotten that the civil service duty and responsibility is to serve the people, not BN which has also grown arrogant over the years of uninterrupted rule. Now, both the BN and the little Napoleans behave like they are here to stay forever and that no one else is qualified to govern Malaysia. That's indeed very, very sad. The civil service must serve the people and country professionally. It is not duty bound to serve the interest and survival of any political party. Those who follow illegal orders are not protected by law and they must be warned that the arm of the law is very long. In short, civil servants, in discharging their duty and responsibility professionally are expected to remain apolitical. Their responsibility is to help the government of the day to administer and provide public service, not political service or interest. Why is the system failing? Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak must take the blame for the country's breakdown in governance. How does he expect the people to continue supporting him, Umno and BN with their confidence in the system fast eroding. Najib's elegant silence, pretending that the hundreds of socio-financial scandals are non-existent, is killing the system and governance. His failure to act against the corrupt, those who clearly committed sedition by spewing venomous religious and racial discord are most certainly taking a toll on the social fabric of the country. The civil service has become so subservient to BN-Umno that it fears to take any form of legal action when the many scandals point to culprits connected with BN or the corridors of power. Even Mat Rempits and samsengs employed by BN-Umno to cause disruptions are untouchable. Isn't it the basic duty and responsibility of the police to protect the peace and the people?
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| No conspiracy against Anwar, says Musa again Posted: 05 Dec 2012 12:45 PM PST The ex-IGP attempts to clear the air over lingering suspicion that he was involved in a government conspiracy to set-up Anwar Ibrahim in both Sodomy I and II. Teoh El Sen, FMT Former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan has reiterated that the Sodomy I and II cases were not part of a political conspiracy to bring down Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. Musa, who was the investigating officer of the 1998 case and was serving as the IGP when the more recent 2008 allegation by Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan surfaced, told FMT that both were "straight forward cases." Responding to claims that he was a party to fabrication of evidence in the first sodomy case, Musa stressed:"There was no fabrication of evidence. He [Anwar] was charged in court." "And then I sued Anwar in court [on his allegation of fabrication] and he wanted me to settle with him. So what fabrication was there? The case was dropped because he wanted us to settle it out of court. So there is nothing more." Asked why he agreed to a settlement when he claims to be right, Musa replied: "Because to me [if] that person feels that there is no point to [continue with it] then [it shows] that I am not involved. Perhaps he has realised that I am not involved that's why he wants so settle [out of court]." Musa was referring to his recent decision to drop a defamation suit against Anwar, who lodged a report against Musa in 2008 accusing him and Attorney-General Abdul Gani Pattail of fabricating evidence in the 1998 'black eye' incident and the Sodomy I trial. PKR, who had since then insisted that there was no out-of-court settlement and that it was Musa who initiated a withdrawal, had said that Musa's action was "proof" that there was a government plot to fabricate evidence over the Sodomy I charges. Musa's lawyers had cited a "misunderstanding" over the ex-IGP's role in the 1998 "black eye" incident where Anwar was assaulted by the then IGP Abdul Rahim Noor while in police custody. On his role in Sodomy II, Musa also rubbished claims that he was a "main actor in the script". "Why do they say I am doing the script when it is Saiful who lodged the report, not me. I didn't want to see Saiful even then. He [Saiful] even said in court that I scolded him [when he tried to contact me], that [I told him] if you have a problem, you lodge a police report. So I'm not involved in any conspiracy here. What are they talking about?" he said. FMT: Do you know any of any of these 'script writers' who were involved in the Sodomy II then? Musa: It is a straight up case. [A police report was] lodged by the complainant. Wouldn't you say there were political reasons behind it? That you have to ask them because I don't know the facts about who he [Saiful] saw.
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| Rentak sumbang Perhimpunan Agung Umno Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:42 AM PST
Mujahid Yusof Rawa, The Malaysian Insider Pau yang tak menyengat Perhimpunan Agung Umno senantiasa dinanti-nantikan kerana ia menjadi agenda nasional dan mendapat liputan meluas. Tidak seperti Perhimpunan Tahunan parti lain, tumpuan media adalah selektif mengikut selera tuan-tuan politik bagi memenuhi keperluan mereka. Namun begitu liputan berlebihan boleh "overkill" dari sudut komen yang melampau dengan pujian yang meleleh menyebabkan kita jadi muak. Najib bukan lagi penyelamat Di atas senarai pelakon utama ialah tidak lain tidak bukan Presiden Umno yang imejnya dicemari dengan berbagai isu sejak dia mula muncul jadi Presiden dan PM. Bermula dari isu Scorpene sejak beliau menjadi Menteri Pertahanan hinggalah kepada pembunuhan Altantuya, semuanya menjadi mimpi ngeri bagi Najib. Lebih ngeri ialah isteri Presiden Umno itu yang sering dianggap sebagai bebanan yang ditanggung oleh Umno. Najib cuba menangkis semua imej buruk ini, walaupun dia mahu dikenali sebagai PM 1 Malaysia tetapi permasalahan yang melingkari dirinya lebih sensasi dari segala program tranformasinya. Najib berdiri di pentas perhimpunan Umno tempoh hari dengan membawa semua bebanan bagasi tentang dirinya dan isterinya walaupun media longkang arus perdana cuba meringankan imej itu. Najib hambar Medan perhimpunan sebesar dewan PWTC itu adalah cukup baik untuk seseorang menampilkan dirinya sebagai pemimpin parti Melayu No. 1 di Malaysia malah di dunia. Semangat ahli parti Melayu terbesar itu juga perlu diberi suntikan pada pertemuan itu kerana mereka dibelasah kiri kanan oleh rakyat yang dah mula bosan dengan pemimpin dan wakil rakyat Umno. Persepsi di bawah cukup jelas dan diterjemahkan dalam peti-peti undi PRU ke 12 baru-baru ini. Najib tidak bersembunyi dalam hal ini malah berulang kali menyebut dalam ucapannya tentang "Kekhilafan Umno" dan merayu jangan dihukum dalam PRU ke 13 nanti. Seorang wanita yang bertweeter dengan saya dari penyokong Umno turut menyambut seruan Najib dengan mengatakan "hukuman tlh ditunai dengan tumbangnya beberapa negeri kepada pr. Apakah itu x cukup lg Yb? Umno selalu cuba baiki keadaan". Suasana yang cuba ditimbulkan oleh Najib dalam perhimpunan Umno ialah suasana menagih simpati dengan mengaku salah. Ini tidak baik pada saat Umno dicederakan dan suasana perhimpunan 3 hari itu menambahkan lagi garam pada luka orang-orang Umno. Seoalah-olah tidak cukup dengan luka lembu ketua wanitanya, Najib pula bernada pasif. Para pemerhati melihatnya sebagai nada seorang pemimpin yang sudah hilang daya juangnya. Kenyataan Najib mengiyakan tanggapan rakyat yang selama ini menganggap pembangkang memfitnah Umno dan Najib, rentak Najib cukup sumbang pada hari itu. Deepak muncul Nama Deepak sebelum ini dikaitkan dengan isu PI Bala di mana dia telah memberi sejumlah besar wang untuk PI Bala menukar kenyataan bersumpahnya yang mengaitkan penglibatan Najib dan Rosmah dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya. Depaak muncul pada saat-saat kritikal Najib mahu memulihkan imejnya yang "suci" di hadapan perhimpunan Umno. Deepak mengakui "menolong" Rosmah dan apabila isu Altantuya mendapat tekanan dari PR, Deepak seolah mahu selamatkan dirinya dengan membuat pengakuan awal. Rentak Najib semakin sumbang dan plot semakin menarik.
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