Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Standards of evidence
- Trust your PM
- Which will it be: Najib or Umno?
- The Shadow Games: Umno power-struggle?
- Unsustainable love affair with cars
- The PAS conundrum – or is it really?
- Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and ...
- The nation's future
- Malaise in Malaysia: Corruption in High Places
- The smartphone rebate just got stupider
- Islamic banking practices a scam
- Dr M sees Najib as errand boy
| Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:43 PM PST Can you respect my different political faith and beliefs the same way you respect my different religious faith and beliefs, asks Raja Petra. Faith, in a way, can be described as the word to explain lack of evidence. Hence, whenever you fail to prove your beliefs with supporting evidence you classify it under faith. And you can get away with whatever beliefs that lack evidence by calling it faith. It would be considered quite acceptable. Raja Petra Kamarudin, Free Malaysia Today How many of you can claim to be believing what you believe in out of choice? Were you once a Christian from the west who visited India and then fell in love with Hinduism? Or were you once a Buddhist who studied Islam and then decided that Islam is the true religion after all (and you did not convert because you wanted to marry a Muslim spouse)? The majority of you believe what you believe because you happened to have been born into that belief system and were raised within that belief system and received an education, or rather an indoctrination, regarding that belief system. There is a more than a 99% chance that if you had not been not been born a Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or whatever, today you would not be a Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. As they say, you can choose your friends but you can't choose your relatives. You were not given any choice as to which family you would like to be born into. And with that lack of choice as to which family you are to be born into, you also have no choice as to what religion you will be following. Your family and environment shape your beliefs and you grow up adopting a certain belief system, which you invariably accept as the correct belief system. Then someone comes along and tells you that you are wrong. You have been misled or misinformed and are a victim of conjecture, superstition, fallacies, and folklore. What you had believed your entire life is false. What you presumed as the truth is not the truth. Truth can be tested and would pass the test. Your beliefs are not founded on truth and therefore cannot pass the truth test. And this contradiction will upset you. Someone is telling you that you are wrong and this makes you angry. It makes you angry because you are not able to rebut this. You are not able to offer any evidence that what this person is telling you is wrong. And you are also not able to offer any evidence to prove that you are right. The truth test Beliefs, in particular religious beliefs, are called faiths — religious faith. The reason they are called religious faiths is because you need to believe based on faith, not based on evidence. Faith, in a way, can be described as the word to explain lack of evidence. Hence, whenever you fail to prove your beliefs with supporting evidence you classify it under faith. And you can get away with whatever beliefs that lack evidence by calling it faith. It would be considered quite acceptable. Can I use this same basis of 'evidence' in a court of law? Can I sit in the witness box in court and testify that I have faith and hence this faith will be my evidence to support my testimony? The court can never accept my faith as evidence. Evidence has to be tangible. And tangible evidence must be in the form of documentary evidence or the testimony of an eyewitness. Even if I were to adduce documentary evidence or quote the testimony of an eyewitness that is not acceptable. I must be the producer or maker of that document. If I am not, then that document will be rejected. The maker himself or herself needs to go to court to testify that he or she is actually the maker of the document. Only then will the document be admitted as evidence. The same applies to an eyewitness testimony. If I were to relate an incident or the testimony of someone else, that would be mere hearsay. That too is not admissible in court. The eyewitness who told me about the incident or made that statement must personally go to court to testify that he or she saw what happened or heard what was said. That would be the rules of evidence and the court is very clear on this. You must have been personally there and you are relating what you saw or else the court cannot accept what you say. Either you personally created that document or else that document cannot be admitted into evidence. Religion does not work on this basis. Religion is all about hearsay and third party or hand-me-down evidence. And yet while we will reject such standards of 'evidence' in a court of law, we can readily accept it when it comes to religion. And we build our belief system around these so-called standards, which under normal circumstances would be unacceptable. And based on this system of belief, we will pass judgment and make decisions that affect the life of people.
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| Posted: 29 Dec 2012 01:34 PM PST Everyone must understand that BN MPs are already disclosing their assets to the prime minister who is the keeper of the gate. If you cannot trust your own PM, who else can you trust? CT Ali, FMT I am shocked! I am shocked, dumbfounded and flabbergasted that anyone could suggest that election candidates from Barisan Nasional should make public declaration of their assets. How can they be asked to do anything that could jeopardise their safety or endanger their lives? Several BN MPs have said that a public declaration of assets by potential election candidates may jeopardise their safety, ahead of what is expected to be the country's most intensely-fought polls. Some have gone so far as to suggest that BN members of parliament would look more credible if they disclose their assets publicly. Can you imagine what could happen to a BN MP if it became public knowledge that he had millions and millions of ringgit stashed at home or in his local or overseas banks or even in parts unknown? That YB will become the target of every samseng who will not only proceed forthwith to the MP's gated mansion to rob him blind, but more worrying they will track his wife, girlfriend or mistress on their shopping trips to Milan, London or New York and then have the wife, girlfriend or mistress kidnapped for ransom. Aiyah sure die one lah – not only got to pay out but also if the wife hears about the girlfriend or mistress, sure die twice! BN MPs have already done enough untuk bangsa, negara, ugama dan lain lain……more of the lain lain than anything else. Some of them have braved the wraths of their first wives by marrying another one or two other wives on the sly – an actress, a model or perhaps even a singer. Call it love, call it libido, call it anything you like. I call it the stupidity of aged fat lothario whose only attraction to the opposite sex is a fat bank balance. One of them was 'brave' enough to confront the authoritative Malacca Custom and Excise Office and demanded that they 'close one eye' while he himself would probably be closing both his eyes in this game of dare. That was brave of that MP because who can deny that the one eye is more at an advantage than the man with two eyes closed. What about the "courage" of that BN MP caught with his pants down? Not only did he admit to the act after DVDs of the said act were distributed in Muar (well what else can he do when faced with such evidence already seen by the good people of Muar and elsewhere!) but he also courageously resigned from all his political post. His supporters were so impressed with his 'berani mati' act that they soon elected him to be their party president. That just goes to prove that this really is Bolehland. BN members of parliament are not frighten to call a spade a spade and damm the consequences. Nazri Aziz knows why he is being attacked all the time. It is not because he is arrogant nor was it because he is such an obnoxious character…no…as he said it: "Don't you think that I am an asset, that there's an attack on me now? If I'm just an ordinary MP or I'm not important to Umno, you think they'll attack me? They won't, right?" I guess being arrogant and obnoxious is part and parcel of being a valuable asset to Umno and BN. These BN MPs will leave no stone unturned, will climb any mountain and will swim through shark infested waters in their tireless efforts to serve bangsa, negara, ugama dan lain lain. Even if they fail time and time again in trying to serve bangsa, negara dan ugama, and even if they have never done their duty towards their electorates – what matters is that they did try. Give them credit for lying, cheating…… I mean trying! Who suggested to Najib Tun Razak that his coalition candidates should be screened by MACC? Aisehman, as if the MACC are not flat out investigating the corrupt practices in Selangor, Kedah, Penang and in Kelantan. Thank god BN was able to take back Perak and give some breathing space to MACC. MACC knows that states under Barisan Nasional are free from graft, plenty of corruption but no graft. It has been suggested by some anti-national elements (well Pakatan Rakyat MPs actually – are they not one and the same thing?) that all this asset declaration exercise is an attempt by Najib to ensure that no candidates from Muhyiddin's camp will be allowed to stand as candidate for BN. It is mischevious of anyone to suggest that Najib would do something underhand to rid himself of any political threats from within Umno.
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| Which will it be: Najib or Umno? Posted: 29 Dec 2012 01:32 PM PST Dissatisfied Umno members believe Najib Tun Razak and Rosmah Mansor are the party's "main liabilities" that threaten the future of Umno. Awang Abdillah, FMT The recent 66th Umno general assembly sent out clear signs of increasing dissatisfaction among delegates with Najib Tun Razak's leadership and that a decision must be made before the 13th general election. Since Najib took over from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as PM in early 2009, the former's leadership has been directionless. He has been inconsistent and indecisive with his policies. Though Najib is not as weak as his predecessor, he has nothing better to offer – no good leadership traits and no political and economic models on nation-building. Umno members, from top to bottom, are very concerned about the party's future. What they hear are only hollow slogans and rhetoric such as the 1Malaysia concept, transformation plan, financial painkillers like BR1M, KR1M, TR1M and other crap that play on the mindsets of the people. In a nutshell these are just Najib's psychological propaganda to compensate for his inability to perform. Any sincere leader who under-performs should switch to team leadership or resign. Najib did neither. Instead he teamed up with his spouse, Rosmah Mansor. He gave more political clout to Rosmah who is neither an elected MP nor a cabinet minister than the delegates. She has travelled all over the country and overseas acting as if she is the de facto premier overshadowing the cabinet ministers and extends her sphere of influence over their ministries and their respective departments and agencies. She even went overboard by getting entangled personally with a number of nasty wrongdoings that threatened the credibility of the government and the party. The party elite groups are so alarmed by the power wielded and abused by Rosmah and condoned by her husband. Never in the history of Malaysian politics has the wife of a premier wielded so much personal control over the affairs of the government. Hence the Umno elite groups believe the only way to save their party is to plot for Najib and company's downfall before the polls.
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| The Shadow Games: Umno power-struggle? Posted: 28 Dec 2012 10:18 AM PST
Muhyiddin's nationwide tour is done under the instruction of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and this shows that Mahathir still has immense influence in Umno. Is Mahathir the one actually running the show in Umno? Selena Tay, FMT The whole atmosphere in Umno is extremely venomous and Najib may be asked to step down after the general election unless BN can regain its 2/3 majority. Just when everyone was thinking that the political activity has gone down a notch or two during this end of the year holiday season, word is going around that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak may be forced to hold the 13th general election before the Water Snake Chinese Lunar New Year which begins on Feb 10. No one knows exactly what is going on in Umno because there is much cloak-and-dagger stuff in their wheeling and dealing. However, if this talk is true, then the polls will have to be held only in early February as January does not favour BN because it is a very busy month due to it being the first month of the new school year and the teachers who are members of political parties will have no time to hit the campaign trail. Therefore only the first weekend of February is available. Be that as it may, polls within the first three months after the Chinese Lunar New Year may lessen the Chinese votes because the Chinese who are working in Singapore (and there are many of them) will only utilise their leave for returning to their hometown during the two-week Chinese Lunar New Year period. Therefore this strategy can serve to lessen Chinese participation in the general election. Now back to the goings-on in Umno. There is no reason to believe that PM Najib wants to hold the general election before the Chinese Lunar New Year. This is because his brainchild, BR1M will only get going on Jan 15 and the payout is scheduled to go on until March 15. This time there are more applicants (youths, singletons and households whose income is below RM3,000) who will be getting the cash aid. If the 13th general election is held before the payout is completed, then the rakyat will suspect that something is amiss. So although there are some in Umno who are impatient for the general election to be held fast, PM Najib will want to stand his ground and hold the polls in late March after all the BR1M recipients have received their cash aid although it cannot be denied that he is under pressure now. It is also common knowledge that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has gone on a nationwide tour to meet all the Umno state liaison chiefs to see that everything is in order and to ensure that Umno's campaign machinery is in tip-top condition to face their greatest election battle of all time. Muhyiddin's nationwide tour is done under the instruction of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and this shows that Mahathir still has immense influence in Umno. Is Mahathir the one actually running the show in Umno? Najib in a precarious position From all counts, the situation shows that there is a power-struggle going on in Umno and the general accepted belief by all and sundry is that PM Najib may be asked to step down after the 13th general election unless BN can regain the two thirds majority in Parliament and recapture all the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)-held states. With all the Umno warlords aligned to one faction or other, the whole atmosphere in Umno is extremely venomous, the coming Water Snake year notwithstanding. No one knows who is really a friend or foe. But Najib is the one who seems to be in a precarious position. Still, he will not give up without putting up a tough fight. Again, all his problems are caused by his delay in holding the polls and his delay must have irked the decisive Mahathir. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/29/the-shadow-games-umno-power-struggle/
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| Unsustainable love affair with cars Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:36 PM PST
We cannot be building more roads and highways. Some hard decisions have to be made and in doing so, trade-offs have to be accepted. Whatever the decision, it involves pain of some sort to some party. Indecision because we want to avoid pain is not an option as when the day of reckoning comes, many more will be affected. Nungsari Radhi, fz.com ALTHOUGH the frequency has been somewhat reduced in the last few years, I still use the North-South Expressway quite often, especially the Kuala Lumpur to Penang stretch. Most of the time, I drive alone as I enjoy the solitude with time to think for a few hours while navigating the traffic on the highway. However, it is now no longer therapeutic to drive. The last few trips to Penang were rather stressful and the driving experience has gradually deteriorated over the years. My last two KL-Penang trips took about 7½ hours each. Based on a journey of 350km, the average speed was well below 50kph. That is just horrible on a highway. Speed, therefore, is not the issue on our highways. On the contrary, the problem, in my view, is the lack of speed. I can attest to the fact that over the years that I have been driving on the highway, drivers have generally become slower and to some extent, this has contributed to the highways getting jammed up. Commercial vehicles are regularly seen passing slow-moving cars, slowing traffic down even more as these big vehicles have to cut into the overtaking lane. Of course, there is also the problem of slow-moving traffic blissfully occupying the overtaking lane. These drivers should be fined by the traffic police. The real problem, however, is the explosion in the number of cars on the highways, in particular, small-engine cars. You hardly see the bigger, high-performance cars on the highways. Those who have money buy cars for prestige, not mobility or even performance. Those who can barely afford a car are those who are buying a means of transport. The growth in this group has been facilitated by loose credit, a low interest rate regime and the extension of the repayment period. This is the group that represents real demand for transport. They may have chosen private transport because of the absence of public transport, but in doing so, their discretionary consumption is reduced considerably and they get themselves into debt. In all likelihood, their personal or household balance sheets will show negative net worth and continue to do so unless their future income rises sufficiently. A car, unfortunately, is a depreciating asset. Malaysia is on an unsustainable path with this love affair with cars. Car sales have been burgeoning — exceeding 600,000 vehicles a year — and created dependence on many fronts. The car market has grown at a compound rate of over 6% over the last 30 years. Banks that extend credit, insurance companies that offer coverage, the government that collects taxes and the various dealers who sell and service the cars are all dependent on the trend continuing. There is therefore strong resistance to change. In addition, the government subsidises pump prices — RON95 is currently at about 75 sen per litre. At a 50kph crawl on the highway, the consumption must be quite high, say, eight litres per 100km or 28 litres per KL-Penang trip, implying a government subsidy of RM19.60 per car per trip. A back-of-the-envelope calculation based on 50kph and about one car distance between cars show there must have been about 17,500 cars on my recent trip or a total subsidy of RM343,000. And that's just for that one trip, which was on a Sunday during the year-end school holidays. The pressure on our fiscal deficit therefore remains high. The point here is that something has to change. In this case, car sales cannot keep growing at the rate they have over the last three decades. Cars cannot keep clogging up the roads and highways everywhere while consuming increasing amounts of subsidies and contributing towards higher household debt. We cannot be building more roads and highways. Some hard decisions have to be made and in doing so, trade-offs have to be accepted. Whatever the decision, it involves pain of some sort to some party. Indecision because we want to avoid pain is not an option as when the day of reckoning comes, many more will be affected. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/unsustainable-love-affair-cars |
| The PAS conundrum – or is it really? Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:24 PM PST
No policy decision would be made without consensus from all three parties. This must be emphasised. No one party would be able to decide all on its own the policy of the coalition, since each pary's point of view would have to be given equal consideration even at the policy formulation stage. Tricia Yeoh, Selangor Times At a recent policy dinner at St. Mike's, a cozy Ipoh restaurant, I spoke of civil society, reform issues and my experience of having worked at the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government. The discussion eventually centred on one subject alone, that being the 'PAS conundrum' (titled by me); conundrum being defined as a confusing and difficult problem or question. This has been a recent trend, where I am often asked questions like, "How can we be sure that the radical, conservative Islamic right of PAS won't wield a bigger influence in Pakatan?", or "If Pakatan forms the next Federal Government, would PAS push its agenda of an Islamic State nationwide?", reflecting the real fears and concerns of a certain section of Malaysians. The recent reports of the PAS-led Kelantan state government's gender-segregation regulations for hair salons that were initially imposed on non-Muslim outfits (which were later withdrawn), as well as two non-Muslim couples being issued summonses for indecent behaviour, have contributed to such sentiment. The narrative being played up daily by MCA (not Umno, for obvious reasons) is that non-Muslims in Malaysia must therefore reject Pakatan wholesale based on the assumptions that first, these are bad policies; second, people do not like these bad policies; and third, if PAS can do it in Kelantan, they are likely to do it elsewhere. At the very core of this discussion is the question of how the three Pakatan parties are able to agree on public policy and its implementation were it to take over in the upcoming 13th General Election, given their differences most starkly between DAP and PAS. The former is clearly opposed to the Islamic state, championing the cause of the secular state whilst the latter holds the Islamic state close to heart. First, let us acknowledge that Malaysia is far from homogeneous, its society made up of an extremely wide range of ethnic backgrounds, religions, cultures, class, genders, and more relevant to this discussion: worldviews. The reason we are afraid is because we have not truly known the other. This we may attribute to a rigid education system, political party structure, history, the British practice of divide-and-rule thereby segregating the races, all of which resulted in frail identities that we are not confident about and therefore fearful of losing. Any political coalition that attempts to mirror this complex makeup of Malaysian society is bound to face challenges. The Barisan Nasional model of having race-based parties coming together in a coalition is becoming obsolete not because our society is necessarily becoming less defined by our respective cleavages (whatever they are, may it be class, language, ethnicity or otherwise). It is outdated because that structure inherently requires that each party retreats to their ethnic voting base and panders to their needs, almost always at the exclusion of others. That the Pakatan coalition is multiracial is not a statement of lines blurring between these identities. In fact, it is an acknowledgement that these numerous (and sometimes multiple) identities exist, but are encouraged to flourish whilst looking out for the other within one big family. This is the approach that appeals to me. That I am not segregated by my race as a Chinese from others, but that whilst celebrating my Chinese-ness, I am also working alongside my Malay sister within the same party towards building a better country. Now, to address the PAS issue. I highlighted it as a conundrum because keen Pakatan supporters who are worried about such trends above feel they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. They seek change in Malaysia and ask themselves, at what cost is this change worth? At the policy dinner, several views were given in response, including my own. First, that although PAS may have its strong views in Kelantan, it is a coalition of three parties rooting to be the next government. No policy decision would be made without consensus from all three parties. This must be emphasised. No one party would be able to decide all on its own the policy of the coalition, since each pary's point of view would have to be given equal consideration even at the policy formulation stage. We can also see how a state like Selangor, which has the most mixed representation from all three parties amongst the Pakatan states, has been governed, as an example. Even when difficulties have come up over the past four years, these are resolved by recognising the concerns of all three parties, and then making a decision after such negotiation. This represents a sort of new politics, completely different when compared to the Umno-style dominance in the Barisan coalition. Pakatan also has the advantage of raising concerns that are not necessarily based on race, and therefore a closer reflection of society's needs (poverty, education and so on). This is therefore an opportunity to use the political process itself as a method by which concerns that are representative of a people as a whole can be pushed forward rather than that from an exclusive segment of people alone. Read more at: http://www.selangortimes.com/index.php?section=views&author_id=17&permalink=20121227173350-the-pas-conundrum-a
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| Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and ... Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:20 PM PST Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and Sarawak after 45 years in Malaysia? CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today History will tell us that alliances between states are entered into to serve strategic, economic and the national interest of their people. More often than not these alliances are driven by political leaders who dream of greater glory and national advancement that the sum of such an alliance may bring. History will also tell us that no nation can survive an alliance with another for too long when the interest of its people are exploited and taken advantage of by the another. Such is the situation that the people of Sabah and Sarawak now feel they are in – the same Sabah and Sarawak that joined with Singapore and Malaya to form that new nation of Malaysia. Joined not as the 12th and 13th states under Malaya but as equal partners having equal status and rights within the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore has since bid adieu to Malaysia because it serves the political purpose of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government of Malaysia for that to happen. Political Armageddon awaits Umno if Singapore was allowed meaningful participation into the federal politics of Malaysia. With Singapore conveniently out of the way, this BN government of Malaysia did partake in and willingly encourage the following in Sabah and Sarawak:
Is it any wonder that poverty is still prevalent in the resource rich states of Sabah and Sarawak after 45 years in Malaysia? Is it any wonder that corrupt administrators, crony timber robber baron and massive and endemic corruption now colour the politics in Sabah and Sarawak? A political landscape that is also not unfamiliar to those in Malaya. A political landscape that any state and people will have to endure where corrupt politicians are allowed to rule not for the good of the people who elected them to office but for their own benefit. Everyone has an agenda For me the problems besetting our brothers and sisters in Sabah and Sarawak are no different from that faced by us in Malaya. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/28/dealing-with-the-borneo-agenda/
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| Posted: 27 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST
Because they bother about their positions, we have seen our national debts climbing and money handed out generously. Because they fear losing their power, administrative agencies have been spared from the rod despite deteriorating efficiency. Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily To Malaysia, 2012 should have been a year of accelerated transformation. Everything seems to have been on the right track but unfortunately, several year-end international ratings seem to have exposed the "king's new clothes." In the 2012 corporate bribery survey, Malaysia is right at the bottom. 50% of respondents contacted by Transparency International have replied affirmatively when asked whether they have lost their contracts due to bribes offered by their rivals during the past one year, attesting to the fact that commercial bribery is very serious in this country. According to Global Financial Integrity's latest report, some RM196.8bn of black money made its way out of Malaysia in 2010 alone, the second highest in the world. During the past decade (2000-2010), a whopping RM871bn of money flowed out of the country through illegal means, a loss of RM33,000 for each of the country's 27 million inhabitants. In addition, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) studies show that Malaysia slides the most among 59 countries surveyed in mathematics and science performances. It is not true to say that the government's Economic Transformation Programme has resulted in more foreign investments, as Q3 manufacturing investments plummeted 26.1% to RM6.2 billion against a sharp increase to about US$20 billion in our neighbour Indonesia. International rankings aside, we also fumble in a number of domestic issues. While the transport ministry has reiterated that that legal issues pertaining to the AES system are non-existent, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail lately announced that all court prosecution procedures involving the AES would be temporarily halted. In another incident, the MCMC recently awarded eight 4G (LTE) Long Term Evolution permits, with companies having no telecommunication background getting the biggest quota share. Rampant corruption, sliding academic standards, stagnant administrative and executive capabilities, lack of transparency in the award of contracts, etc. are all old issues. The ETP is not half as great as the government has claimed and the irregularities are still very much alive. Without checking on corruption, the country's valuable resources will continue to drain away. Without solid effort to improve the calibre of Malaysians, there is no way we can achieve our vision. If such things are allowed to go on next year, we won't expect to see any significant breakthrough in 2013. We are not lacking talented people or ambitious plans. We are seriously in want of political wisdom. Leaders with political wisdom should place national interests above their own. Because they bother about their positions, we have seen our national debts climbing and money handed out generously. Because they fear losing their power, administrative agencies have been spared from the rod despite deteriorating efficiency.
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| Malaise in Malaysia: Corruption in High Places Posted: 27 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST It is an accepted cliché that power corrupts and is usually in reference to a country's leaders and their ability to amass private fortunes at the expense of their electorate. But the real tragedy is how corruption corrodes civil society. It creates cynicism, anger or voter apathy, with people losing confidence in politicians and therefore losing their connection with democracy. If the problem cannot be solved through the ballot box because of a corrupt electoral system, then a country is really in trouble. Azeem Ibrahim, Huffington Post Malaysia may not be in big trouble yet. While it still has a robust free press and whistleblowers are protected, the current issues have a chance to be addressed fairly. But the media is under pressure to conform and whistleblowers have been arrested instead of the corrupt officials. One of the foundations of the fight against corruption is the need to protect the messenger, and while many countries are being urged to adopt such legislation, it is only effective if respected and enforced. Malaysia ranked 60th out of 182 nations last year in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, down four places from 2010, when 178 countries were included. Two recent scandals have rocked the establishment party of UMNO, bringing disrepute to people in high places from the Prime Minister down. The Scorpene submarines deal has exposed the hypocrisy of leaders who pledge to end corruption yet proceed as if winning elections is all about self-enrichment. Malaysia was a signatory of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2008 with a legal obligation to "prevent, investigate and prosecute" cases of international corruption. However, a complaisant majority party and judiciary allow for delays in hearings, refusals to release documents and in the case of the submarines deal, to deny that French law has jurisdiction over Malaysian transactions. The French government however, is actively pursuing its own inquiry and has released over 153 documents making it clear that apart from individuals, the ruling party (UMNO) was the biggest beneficiary, receiving commissions, bribes and support fees in the millions. In spite of government harassment, the civil rights organization, SUARAM, is determined to uncover the truth in its pursuit for accountability and stated in a May 2012 press conference in Bangkok, that it will continue to make the results public as the case proceeds in the French Court. Another scandal has recently become public and tarnished the reputation of a former government minister and family members when it was revealed that National Feedlot Corporation funds weremisused for the purchase of condominiums using Malaysian government funds. Government patronage over the years has involved highway construction and defense contracts and a variety of other government arrangements with UMNO cronies. Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chairs the Finance Ministry Acquisition Committee, is in the powerful position of being able to award contracts and to charge whistleblowers instead as a smokescreen to protect his friends. PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim has condemned such politically-motivated charges and his party is setting up a National Oversight and Whistleblower Centre to offer future informants protection via legal and monetary aid. Anwar promises to end corruption and dissatisfaction with UMNO and has been reinforcing the popularity of the PKR. But while the integrity of the electoral process is in doubt and the institutions responsible for anti-corruption and the rule of law have been compromised, it is difficult to foresee how the next election will play out. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/azeem-ibrahim/malaise-in-malaysia-corruption_b_2304185.html
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| The smartphone rebate just got stupider Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:40 AM PST
Why offer such a rebate to only youths, a key electoral demographic that the Barisan Nasional is struggling to win over, and not also to older Malaysians who are just as economically-disadvantaged? A. Asohan, Digital News Asia
ONE of the most flabbergasting initiatives unveiled by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic), Malaysia's Prime Minister and Finance Minister, in his proposed national budget, was a rebate of RM200 (US$65) for youths to purchase a 3G smartphone. As my colleague Karamjit Singh noted in his commentary, Budget 2013 smartphone rebate: A stupid thing to do, the RM300 million (US$98 million) could have been put to better use on other initiatives to develop the ICT ecosystem in the country. It's all about smartphones these days admittedly, with the device fast becoming the first point of access to the Internet and entry to the Digital Economy for an increasingly large segment of society. Research firm Gartner recently reported that global sales of mobile phones to end-users in the second quarter of 2012 saw a 2.3% decline from the corresponding period the previous year; while smartphone sales accounted for 36.7% of total mobile phone sales and grew 42.7% in the same period. Our own telcos are finding that smartphones are becoming increasingly important to their own customers as well. Maxis said that in an internal survey it found that 31% of its subscribers were smartphone users. Meanwhile, an analyst report earlier this year estimated that about 20% of DiGi Telecommunications Bhd customers are smartphone users. This can only increase over the coming years as prices come down and telcos hopefully come out with even more attractive data packages. So with market forces on our side, why do we – or our youths at least – need a rebate? Well, putting on my rarely-used 'Mr Nice Guy' hat, I could argue that even with prices coming down, the rebate can help bridge the divide between the haves and the have-nots. It's not just about a device, it's about ensuring that every Malaysian can participate and be a player in the Digital Economy.
The criteria for which a Malaysian youth can qualify for the smartphone rebate is listed in the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) website in a PDF file here or click the accompanying picture on the left. The MCMC said the the list of approved devices and authorized dealers will be made available on its website starting Jan 1, although Amanz.my has already revealed that Senheng and SenQ will be part of that list. It's on a 'first-come, first-served' basis too. The rebate is open until Dec 31, 2013, or until the RM300 million allocated under Budget 2013 runs out, whichever comes first. Also, as LowYat.net noted in a quick follow-up, one has to be "an existing subscriber or register for a new broadband plan with any of the telco that participated in the program" such as Maxis, Celcom Axiata, DiGi, U Mobile, YTL and Tune Talk. The criteria to qualify doesn't seem well thought out either – any youth earning RM3,000 or less per month is eligible. That's individual income, according to the language in the MCMC document, not monthly household income – "Berpendapatan bulanan RM 3,000 ke bawah" or "monthly income of RM3,000 or less". I am hoping that this is a mistake, because as it stands now, if you're between 21 and 30 years old, and you just got a job that pays you that much – and your parents are well-heeled executives earning 10 times your salary – not to worry, you poor thing. You too qualify. And since that RM500 is just pocket money to you, you can beat out that poor guy whose entire family earns less than RM3,000 per month – if only because by the time he saves up the money to buy the device and subscribe to a data plan, it will be 2014. Or that RM300 million allocation would have run out. Way to bridge the digital divide. Read more at: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/39365/
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| Islamic banking practices a scam Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST
There must be something terribly wrong with the Islamic banking policy adopted by Malaysia where it turns borrowers into deep debtors. Awang Abdillah, Free Malaysia Today Poverty has a negative multiplier effect on the economic, racial, religious and social fabric of a nation, and Malaysia is no exception. Hence it must be addressed by the incumbent government as a priority issue. Since 1981 until today, poverty has never been a priority issue for the federal government and the Sarawak state regime. Instead the nation's wealth and that of Sarawak has been misused to enrich the Umno political elite through the implementation of mega economic projects at inflated prices. The federal projects have been monopolised by Umno cronies while in Sarawak it is used to expand the business empire of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. In Semenanjung Malaysia the Indians and rural Malays form the core of the poverty group while in Sabah and Sarawak it is the rural natives and Malays. Poverty can be defined as the deprivation of the necessary needs of a good quality of life of the people. The standard needs are sufficient personal earnings, decent homes, access to good public infrastructure and modern transport and communications system, creation of sufficient employment opportunities for job seekers of all categories, quality education especially at the tertiary level, quality medical and health facilities, a strong currency and cheaper cost of imports. Hence the ability of the people to improve their personal economic well-being and the role of the government as a provider must complement one another in efforts to eradicate poverty. To this end, a banking system can play a major role in enabling the people to acquire socio-economic stabilities. And though the banking system does provide financial assistance, it does not offer it cheap. Growing interest charges eventually makes this financial assistance a liability. Many companies and even nations go bust because of this accruing interests. Hence very often such banking system benefits the lender and the borrowers are on the losing end. On the other hand the Islamic principle of financial assistance is to provide loans without making a profit from it. The Islamic lending concept has two objectives – provide financial assistance to those in need and maintain a low-cost of acquiring these goods and services. Under the true Islamic banking system, lending in any form is not classified under the business category because the lender is merely giving financial assistance and not involved in any business transactions with the borrower. Trade or business involves activities such as purchases and sales, export-import, construction, manufacturing, property development, renting and services. Therefore the earnings from lending which is defined as riba (interest) is not a business profit and hence is haram (prohibited ) under the syariah law. The responsibility of the borrower is to return the principal sum to the lender plus minimum services charges, which then enables the lender to re-lend it to those in need.
The Quran is correct in defining that lending is NOT a business. It is stated in Surah Al Baqarah verse 275, where among others God permits trade/business but prohibits 'riba', i.e profit/interest from a loan. This means that lending activities just like zakat (alms to the poor ) is not a business but an obligation to help those in need. The current Islamic banking system that is operating in Malaysia and the Islamic world for that matter tries to do away with the Western concept of banking. However due to their wrong interpretation of the Islamic lending principle or hypocrisy they rebrand the Western lending concept and presented it as Islamic. Take for example the housing loan under the murabahah concept and the western banking system. Under the latter, if the price of a house is RM100K, the bank will charge another RM100k interest for 20 years for a 100% housing loan. The total cost of the house is now RM200k. The banks will make a 100% profit over the 20-year period. Now under the current Islamic bank system, the housebuyer will still pay RM200k. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/27/islamic-banking-practices-a-scam/ |
| Posted: 26 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST
And Mahathir's declaration that Rosmah has the right to stay 'high profile' is actually a death sentence. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia TodayWhy was Najib Tun Razak profusely complimenting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the recent Umno general assembly while blithely ignoring his immediate predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? The reason is because Najib didn't have the presence of mind to do what is honorable. Abdullah who must also have been sitting somewhere in front was cavalierly, not cleverly, brushed aside by Najib. Didn't Abdullah achieve anything during his short stint as prime minister? Truth is Najib never had an iota of appreciation or respect for the colourless Abdullah. Abdullah has been and still is the object of Mahathir's invectives. The Sun newspaper reported that in the run-up to the 2008 elections, Mahathir had openly criticised Abdullah's administration despite the latter being the man Mahathir had handpicked to take over the top job after he decided to step down. Najib's enthusiastic outpouring was because he did not want his number two Muhyiddin Yassin to outshine him. When Muhyidin spoke and mentioned Mahathir, he got thunderous applause on each occasion. So, Najib added those ritualistic outpouring of love for the "man who can walk on water". He knows Mahathir remains a powerful force behind the scenes. Najib is not PM material and Mahathir knows this. To him Najib is just an errand boy who will soon outlive his usefulness. So what can Najib do? Well, he will have to ensure his men are chosen to be candidates in the next election. His winnable candidates criteria means loyalty to him above all else. Umno, as far as Najib is concerned can go to the dogs. Was Mahathir impressed by Najib's low class histrionics and dramatisation? Definetly not. Also notable is that Najib knows that Mahathir can't stand the sight of his wife, Rosmah Mansor. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/12/27/dr-m-sees-najib-as-errand-boy/ |
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