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The Pergau dam affair: will an aid for arms scandal ever happen again?
More Spectacular Malaysian Scandal Revelations
Just teach them in English!
Deepak and Musa: An Umno inside job?
Why now, Oh Musa, why now? Err, ask Rockybru, Sham?
Mahathir’s meddling is helping Pakatan
Residents: DAP bowed to PAS and forced ‘sexy’ singer off the stage
Father, son and the regional warlords
Campaigning like no tomorrow
DAP: Pakatan has 50-50 chance of winning
Videos ‘doctored’, says Manikavasagam
Co-organiser of Human Rights event disappointed with UMS VC’s actions
Why is the government being obstinate on the stateless Malaysian Indian issue?
Spamming Malaysia — The Malaysian Insider
Numbers don't lie, but Surendran did!
Stateless Indians a political ploy at the expense of the poor: A firsthand experience of the 12. ...
Factionalism likely to surface at DAP congress
MIC exposes ‘MB quit’, ‘bastard’ video clips
The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 17)
You’re a liar, MIC Youth tells Chua
PAS: We have video of indecent duo
Deepak says has sought Altantuya’s ‘forgiveness’
Kit Siang: Many in Umno want Najib to fail

The Pergau dam affair: will an aid for arms scandal ever happen again?

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:42 PM PST

(The Guardian) - Tim Lankester, the civil servant in charge during the aid for trade scandal in 1994, has written a revealing book about the scandal that redefined British aid

Nearly 20 years on, the Pergau dam affair remains Britain's biggest aidscandal. Not only were hundreds of millions of pounds in UK aid linked to a major arms deal, but the project was deemed hopelessly uneconomic by officials in Britain and Malaysia. In late 1994, aid for the project was declared unlawful in a landmark case at the UK high court.

The Guardian ran more than 100 articles on Pergau that year, which dug into the secrecy surrounding the affair and asked how it was possible that so much could have gone wrong.

As the senior civil servant in charge of UK aid when the scandal broke, Tim Lankester found himself the centre of attention. It was a 1993National Audit Office (NAO) report – which noted his refusal to sign off the spending without formal, written instruction from ministers – that effectively blew the whistle on the project. His move raised the question: why had senior politicians approved £238m in aid – then the largest grant awarded for a single project – against the advice of civil servants?

Lankester has now written a fascinating but eye-wateringly expensive book on the affair. Uncovering forgotten documents and reconstructing the twists and turns of events, it offers a behind-the-scenes take on the controversy that would redefine British foreign aid.

"We were slipping in this direction for years," he says, describing the "pessimistic" mood among UK aid officials at the time. The aid budget had been slashed, more was being directed through international organisations, and what was left was increasingly being abused by commercial interests. "Pergau was us drawing a line in the sand," he says.

The UK aid programme at the time was managed by the Overseas Development Administration (ODA), a department of the Foreign Office. Without its own cabinet minister, the ODA was too weak to defend its corner, says Lankester. Meanwhile, the government's controversial aid-for-trade policy brought increased pressure from business, which saw the aid budget as a honey pot.

The end of the cold war had ratcheted up competition in the global arms trade; British firms, along with some people in government, were after any opportunity to boost sales.

The trouble began in 1988 with a secret defence agreement linking the promise of civilian aid to Malaysia with a major arms export deal. Lankester, at the Treasury then, sent a memo to John Major warning that the linkage could "create acute embarrassment to ministers and wasteful public expenditure … I have little doubt that the press will eventually get on to this".

However, it would take five years for details of the project to emerge. There were more people who knew about Pergau in business than in Whitehall, says Lankester, while NGOs knew nothing before the NAO report. He doubts the project would have gone through had more people known more about it earlier. Lankester cautions against solely blaming politicians, saying civil servants "gave way too easily".

Looking back, he admits he had doubts about the legality of the project and should have sought formal legal advice. He also underestimated the power of the business lobby in Whitehall and the Malaysian prime minister's own desire to push through the dam project, he says. On the UK side, he puts much of the affair down to the "extremely dominant" Margaret Thatcher, who was known to have views on aid and trade with Malaysia. "It was difficult for ministers to stand up to her."

Lankester visited Pergau for the first time last summer, and contrasts the drama of the affair with what he found – immense natural beauty and the relatively well-functioning dam. "It does work quite well, but it came at such a high cost," he says. The affair did leave some positive legacies: a cross-party consensus that aid should be officially "untied" from commercial interests, a new act enshrining in law its poverty reduction focus, and a cabinet minister for the new Department for International Development (DfID). Now, when a permanent secretary dissents from a spending proposal, parliament is immediately notified.

His book, however, ends with a warning: "It is impossible to say that something like this will never happen again with British aid."

Revelations that £500m in UK aid is spent through a small group of, primarily British, consultants raised questions in September about who benefits – and who profits – from the UK aid programme.

More Spectacular Malaysian Scandal Revelations

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:29 PM PST

It takes a worried man, to sing a worried song

Carpet seller implicates, PM's brother in bid to silence murder witness

John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel

The world of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor appears in increasing danger of coming apart because of sensational revelations by Rosmah's former personal friend hinting at complicity in the six-year-old murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibu. Najib's brother Nazim has now been enmeshed in the scandal.

The 28-year-old Altantuya was shot in the head twice and her body was blown up with C4 plastic explosives, possibly to hide an unborn child, in October 2006 by two bodyguards from Najib's personal unit. One of the two confessed that they were to be paid RM100,000 to get rid of the woman, who had been jilted by Najib's best friend, former security analyst Abdul Razak Baginda.

The two have been on death row for three years. The confession, despite the fact that it was a cautioned statement, was never introduced in court and the individual who offered to pay to have Altantuya killed has never been named.

The big question being asked all over Kuala Lumpur is who, if anybody, put the businessman Deepak Jaikishan, who once said he was as close to Rosmah as if she were his sister, up to the revelations, which began just before the three-day United Malays National Organization's Annual General Assembly which started Nov. 28.

"Deepak has claimed that he's with the No. 2 (Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin), but there's no evidence to prove that," a longtime political source told Asia Sentinel. "If you remember, there were moves earlier this year to suggest that Najib should step down before elections and allow the Nov. 2 to lead the Barisan Nasional (the national ruling coalition) into the polls. Posters to this effect were put up in Johor and Penang but they fizzled out just as fast."

During the UMNO conclave two weeks ago, Deepak met with Zahid Hamidi, the defense minister to appear on a video that supposedly implicated Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in his decision to go public. That has largely been discarded by the political cognoscenti in Kuala Lumpur as a red herring.

At the same time as Deepak has been making his statements, the retired inspector general of police, Musa Hassan, has issued a series of charges that politicians have intervened in police affairs and called for an independent panel to probe his allegations. For Musa to protest that he is shocked, shocked to learn of such political intervention is almost laughable, since he himself played a role in railroading Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim into prison for six years on trumped-up charges of sodomy. Musa told opposition publications that when the police were about to arrest politically connected suspects, they would often receive calls from powerful figures.

As with Deepak, the timing of Musa's allegations raises many questions -- including allegations he didn't make. On Oct. 20, the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand announced that Musa would hold a Monday press conference in Bangkok with "new revelations" over Altantuya's murder. Then, just as mysteriously as it had been made, the announcement was withdrawn and Musa told local reporters he had never heard of the matter.

National elections must be held before mid-April 2013. Driving Najib from power at this point, especially if his faction were to turn its back on the party, would probably wreck its organizational capability to put on the elections.

Although it appears unlikely that would happen, the allegations are believed to be taking their toll among party stalwarts. Especially if Muhyiddin is behind them, it would spell big trouble. Political observers say it does pave the way to drive him out if the Barisan doesn't make gains in the April polls. The scandal so far hasn't resonated outside the urban areas into the Malay heartland enough to damage the party's chances.

At the heart of the Deepak revelations is a statement by Perumal Balasubramaniam, who was hired by Razak Baginda to keep the Mongolian translator and party girl away from him after she jilted him. In a sworn declaration he said that Razak Baginda had told him Altantuya had been Najib's girlfriend first, but that he had passed her to Razak Baginda because he expected to become prime minister and didn't want a scandal over a girlfriend. Najib has repeatedly denied meeting the woman and sworn on the Quran that he knew nothing of her. He called Bala's statements "frivolous."

That statutory declaration earned Balasubramaniam a fast ticket out of the country after a quick trip to a local police station, where he later said he was forced to sign a statement recanting his original one, on pain of harm to his family. In November 2009, Balasubramaniam displayed photocopies of several RM50,000 checks drawn on Public Bank of Malaysia made out by Deepak as an inducement to leave the country.

For the past four years, Bala has continued to accuse forces aligned with Rosmah of engineering his forced departure from Malaysia. Now, however, Deepak has largely corroborated Bala's original statement and added new revelations. In a series of interviews with independent or opposition news sites and bloggers, Deepak has been metering out additional details that implicate others. He has now threatened to go public with a 26-page booklet detailing his relationship with Rosmah and to give the full details of the episode involving Bala.

Just teach them in English!

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:15 PM PST

Because in one study they voiced their concern over their inability to understand instructions, the future of a generation is sacrificed. It is like saying that the more a child says that he/she does not like school, the less the teachers need to work to challenge them.

A REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE

Dr Azly Rahman

The refusal to teach Mathematics and Science in English is not just an ideological position but an idiotic one as well.

It is an attempt to self-fulfil a prophecy that the rural children, especially the Malays, cannot be challenged and must continue to be given easy passes through social promotion.

The refusal to acknowledge that English is currently a language of scientific progress, more than Bahasa Melayu, is an example of hypocrisy in dealing with success on the part of our policymakers and Malay language nationalists.

Based on spurious research findings headed by a teacher training university, sanctioned by other public universities, the government has erred in its decision that will not only impact the future of Malaysian children in a continually globalised world, where English is the lingua franca.

And this will open up avenues for the establishment of classes of schools, increasing the demand for the setting up of private schools that will emphasise the English language as a language of instruction and a rigorous curriculum that will prepare students for a competitive world.

"Sacrificing the future of a generation"

The premise that Malay children cannot follow instructions in English and therefore not only standards should be lowered and subject matters made easier, but the teaching of Mathematics and Science itself must be reverted to the Malay Language points to this: that Malay children especially are presumed to be losers even before all avenues of success are provided.

Because in one study they voiced their concern over their inability to understand instructions, the future of a generation is sacrificed.

It is like saying that the more a child says that he/she does not like school, the less the teachers need to work to challenge them.

While children of the privileged in urban areas get first class education through private and international schools or even in high schools abroad and get to master the English Language (so that they can be given places and sponsorship in English-speaking universities abroad), children of the rural poor are left to become victims of policies dictated by research findings that hardy make sense in the realm of educational futurism.

Retired professors, poet laureates, die-hard Malay nationalists who themselves are well-educated in the English language having tasted the successes and given national accolades become incoherent and hypocritical spokespersons to a government policy that will make the myth of the last native a reality.

These individuals do not understand changing times; that English is no longer a language of the colonials.

The colonies revolted against the colonials through the natives' mastery of the English language.

'Strategically denying success to the poor'

These individuals who are against the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English are giving wrong advice to the nation: mastering English does not mean challenging whatever status Bahasa Melayu has been accorded to.

The government is strategically denying success to the poor of all races with this language policy reversal.

We are creating a nation at risk; incompetent in the language that will give them the chance to pursue their studies in good universities in the English-speaking world.

There is a specific process one needs to follow in order to gain access to Western education; especially in the fields of Science and Mathematics.

Many of the critical subjects are taught in English.

The multitude of English proficiency tests is evidence that one must understand English for specific purposes (especially in the Mathematics and Sciences) right up to being able to write a Bachelor's, Master's, or even doctoral and post-doctoral dissertations in the English language – all these are stages one has to go through.

Especially for entry into American colleges, where English proficiency is given through tests ranging from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (Toefl) to the challenging Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which require consistent polishing of skills not only in English as a language but English taught in the content areas.

The government has blundered, big time, succumbing to irrational voices disguised as those who care about the rural poor who are slow to master Mathematics and Science concepts in English.

"Who said kampung kids can't learn?"

There are enough success stories of children of the poor of all races coming from the rural areas slogging and struggling hard to master any language and in any subject matter and triumph to become world-class surgeons, engineers, lawyers, academicians, diplomats, musicians and even culinary experts.

Who said kampung kids cannot be challenged academically? There is enough evidence that if you provide them with dedicated teachers, a nurturing learning environment, a supporting home, a challenging curriculum and constant reminder of "yes, you can" and "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" – children will excel.

Down with those who are out to underestimate the ability of our children to succeed.

We must ignore bad advice and demand success for all – urban and rural, bumiputera or non-bumiputera.

We must demand a radical restructuring of our schools so that the same standard and support is given to all schools and the commitment to a philosophy that however we want our own children to succeed, we want the children of others to achieve similarly as well.

Start early in teaching English. Put an end to any effort to make the myth of the lazy native a reality.

We must remove our glass coconut shell.

**********************************

OUR USUAL REMINDER, FOLKS:
While the opinion in the article/writing is mine,
the comments are strictly, respectfully, and responsibly yours;
present them rationally, clearly, politely, and ethically.

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https://www.facebook.com/#!/azly.rahman

http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctorate in International Education Development and Master's degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans Malaysia and the United States, over a wide range of subjects from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States.

Deepak and Musa: An Umno inside job?

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:12 PM PST

A good many Umno members believe Najib Tun Razak had something to do with Altantuya's murder although they don't believe he had given the order.

Toffee Rozario, Free Malaysia Today

The whispers by the anti-Najib faction along the corridors of the recent Umno general assembly were all centred on Rosmah Mansor (Najib Tun Razak's wife) and Muhyiddin Yassin (Deputy Prime Minister).

Whispers also revolved around the fact that Najib hides behind the office of the prime minster, using his powers not to answer the many allegations thrown at him.

The corridors were abuzz with talk about Rosmah's insatiable hunger to grab business opportunities, wealth and anything that would enrich her.

The name of a certain prominent Malaysian Indian businessman (not Deepak Jaikishan) kept coming up over and over again, a new television company to rival Astro was mentioned and so many other matters. All roads, however, led back to the house of Najib.

Najib is seen as a weakling because of the Rosmah factor. They feel that Rosmah has too much control over him.

Today, a good many Umno members believe Najib had something to do with the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Although they do not believe that he did it himself or that he ordered his two bodyguards to do it, they have been silently pointing their fingers at someone "so close" to him saying, "only that person would have had the authority to direct the guards".

In which case, is it then a coincidence that Deepak and former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan have come out at this "opportune" time to reveal "the truth"?

Does Musa know what we do not? Is Umno and Barisan Nasional in for a big fall?

There are just so many questions.

Is it also then a coincidence that Johor PAS had lodged a police report on the matter of Musa's allegations? Even the national PAS leadership was not aware of the Johor PAS' move to lodge a police report.

The action, according to some PAS members, was done on the instigation of certain friendly Umno members in Johor.

Friends in PAS, PKR and even DAP

It was, they said, all being done to embarrass and tire Najib.

Imagine the Johor Umno members attacking Najib's cousin, Hishammuddin Hussein, saying he knows nothing and does not deserve a seat, let alone the position of home minister.

They were comparing him with more prominent Malays who'd do Umno proud. Doesn't this seem like a direct affront to Najib?

Were these, in the first place, the work of Muhyiddin's men?

Why now, Oh Musa, why now? Err, ask Rockybru, Sham?

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:08 PM PST

"Bro, pc musa hassan pd 10hb disember bermula lepas pukul 2 petang. Tapi rockbru dah blog pasalnya pukul 1.23 petang. Pelik, kan?".

Haris Ibrahim

Whilst on the one hand castigating Musa Hassan's allegation of ministerial interference in the police force during his tenure as IGP as a big lie, Home Minister Hishammuddin seems more taken up with the timing of these revelations by the ex-IGP.

"The most important thing is that we need to look forward in a constructive way. What was said about the interference happened during the former IGP's time and I was also the minister then.So, why raise the issue only now?" . Malaysiakini reports Hisham as saying.

I got the following email yesterday.

"Bro, pc musa hassan pd 10hb disember bermula lepas pukul 2 petang. Tapi rockbru dah blog pasalnya pukul 1.23 petang. Pelik, kan?".

He also attached a screenshot of the time stamp of Rockybru's post in question.

Click on the screen shot and it will take you to the post in question.

Yes, the time stamp is indeed 1.23pm.

I checked with 2 reporters who were present at the press conference referred to in the email above as well as in Rockybru's post.

Both confirmed that the press conference commenced after 2.30pm.

Mahathir’s meddling is helping Pakatan

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:06 PM PST

(Free Malaysia Today) - Dr Mahathir Mohamad is touching 90s, and has no clue as to how much the majority of voters dislike him right now.

If you cut it to the core, Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a mafia don who believes in quick fixes.

He literally built his own power and legacy from a humble beginning as the son of a headmaster into the one of the most powerful warlords in the country.

From that we know, Mahathir is not one who lacks in confidence. But he lacks in being able to think three to four levels deep.

He convinces himself that what happens next after his intervention in a situation was planned right from the beginning, when in fact it is an emerging threat that could blow his plans apart.

Mahathir has one additional weakness which he cannot fix.

He is touching 90, he was born in a different era and he really does not understand how much the majority of voters dislike him right now.

Mahathir failed in his personal quest to become a delegate from his own Kubang Pasu division and then his son failed to win the Ketua Pemuda post.

Mahathir does not know of the whisperings of discontent in the government circles and how even some of the plans being hatched are DOA (Dead On Arrival) because we have already intercepted them.

Why then is Mahathir being seen as relevant right now?

Why is he watching over Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak like Roman Abramovich watching over one of the Chelsea managers?

Because TSMY (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – Deputy Prime Minister) is using Mahathir to do his dirty work in return for accommodating Mukhriz Mahathir.

Mahathir is now planning the post-Najib coup d'état. This heaps, of course, more pressure on Najib than he really needs right now, but such is his role as the ultimate hatchet man – the political grim-reaper, so to speak.

But that is on the assumption that Umno actually manages to sneak in a victory.

Unappreciative local warlords

This is becoming an increasingly remote possibility and right now what Mahathir is doing is counter-productive.

In his obsession with quick fixes, Mahathir is now delivering the coup de grâce to Umno's chances in the 13th general election.

Residents: DAP bowed to PAS and forced ‘sexy’ singer off the stage

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:59 AM PST

(The Star) - Villagers here are infuriated over the abrupt halt to a performance, which was a curtain raiser to a DAP dinner.

The enraged villagers who had raised thousands of ringgit to hire the singers are fuming that DAP had given in to the demands of PAS to stop the performance.

They said it was a slap on the face of the Chinese for DAP to bow to the pressures of PAS leaders who were at the function.

Apparently, PAS leaders who attended the function on Nov 17 in Telemong here had felt uncomfortable with a female singer's dressing that was purportedly too revealing and demanded that the performance be stopped.

Kampung Manchis village head Lee Ah Kaw told Sin Chew Daily that he was disappointed with the actions of DAP leaders who did not dare offend PAS.

"They are willing to sacrifice the rights of the Chinese for the sake of getting support from PAS.

"How do you expect us to place our trust in DAP for the wellbeing of the Chinese?" he asked.

He said the villagers confronted two local DAP leaders over the incident but efforts to get a proper answer were in vain.

He said that to date, he received 50 complaints from villagers over the incident, for which DAP had yet to give a satisfactory explanation.

Lee, together with Kampung Sg Perdak head Lai Chui Fan, Kampung Sg Gapoi head Tang Kam Sang and other village committee members, had raised the matter with DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang when he attended a DAP ceramah on Tuesday night.

He showed Lim an 8R photo of the event and requested Lim to explain why the party did not allow the singer to perform.

However, Lim merely said he would talk later and quickly went in to the dinner.

"I tried to hold Lim's hand but he walked away," Lee said.

An incensed Lee has given DAP one week to apologise, failing which he will gather the villagers to protest in front of Bentong DAP office.

In reaction, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said this proved DAP only dared to scold MCA but remained silent over PAS' wrongdoings.

He said the action by PAS leaders was an infringement on the rights of non-Muslims.

"If this had happened in Johor, MCA would have definitely been criticised by DAP," he said.

Earlier in Batu Pahat, MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Laisaid this further proved there was no proper working relationship bet-ween DAP and PAS.

"This is obviously seen in the recent gender segregation issue involving hairdressers, the khalwat' incidents in Kelantan and now this incident in Bentong," he said, adding that DAP was still misleading people by saying one thing but doing another.

Father, son and the regional warlords

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:55 AM PST

This election will see a changed party with many new voters and alliances but all of them, in one way or the other, are supporters of the father-and-son team.

Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star

While the Lims remain party favourites, the availability of positions has caused infighting among DAP's lower ranks.

The names of the father and son team of DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and secretary-general Lim Guan Eng are on the cai dan or "menus" of all feuding warlords in the DAP elections tomorrow and because of this they are expected to romp home.

The two along with another, party chairman Karpal Singh, are the three most frequently mentioned names in the menus, a list of 20 names that various DAP warlords are distributing and urging their supporters to vote for in the election. In the last election in 2008, the older Lim came out first followed by his son.

Some warlords are excluding Karpal Singh from their cai dan, seeing him as a stumbling block in the party's cooperation with PAS and for campaigning the "one-man one-seat" rule. But he is popular with the grassroots for putting party principles over political expediency.

The 2008 party elections were held just months after the victories of March 2008 general election. Delegates were mostly made up of the party's old guard – a close-knit group owing loyalty to the elder Lim and his henchmen.

The party has almost trebled in membership with the entry of mostly younger members, who are used to tasting power and liking it.

The exercise of power and the availability of perks and positions have also caused infighting among leaders of the once united party

A classic example is how Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran and his men were routed in state DAP elections by powerful Perak cousins – Ngar Kor Ming and Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham – who were allied with the new Perak Indian DAP leader, Buntong assemblyman S. Sivasubramaniam.

In Selangor, too, a fierce fight erupted between the State Assembly Speaker and Selangor DAP vice-chairman Teng Chang Khim, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok together with Pandamaran assemblyman Ronnie Liu for control of the state. But that election produced mixed results.

These continued feuds will colour the national election with all sides trying to use the election as a chance to kill each other politically.

This election will see a changed party with many new voters and alliances but all of them, in one way or the other, are supporters of the father-and-son team.

The annual delegates conference will also see hot debate over the "one-man, one-seat" rule. Delegates are expected to endorse the ruling which will apply to all except Guan Eng, who needs to hold both state and parliamentary seats.

While more than 10 leaders will be appointed to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) and some of these appointments would be from among the losers, it would be a major dent to their morale if they are not elected. Under the DAP constitution, the 20 elected delegates will get together immediately afterwards to select from among themselves who will fill the top posts.

One notable fact is that Guan Eng is going for his third term as secretary-general and it will be his last because the recently amended constitution bars anybody from holding the post for more than three terms. After this term, he is expected to become party chairman, with Karpal having to make way.

Campaigning like no tomorrow

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:52 AM PST

The competition is overwhelming because DAP is the only party in Pakatan Rakyat assured of doing well in the general election. No one is willing to let go, not even those with political baggage or old faces who seem to have been up there forever.

Joceline Tan, The Star

The campaign for the DAP election tomorrow has been the most intense that anyone in the party has ever seen with delegates wooed and sweet-talked at dinners and via SMSes.

SELANGOR warlord Ronnie Liu has been travelling from north to south asking people to give him another chance.

He was in Penang and Kedah the last few days canvassing for support to put him in the 20-seat central executive committee (CEC).

His luck has not been good the last few years but he still controls about one-third of the DAP ground in Selangor and cannot be written off just yet.

The party election is tomorrow and some of the candidates have been campaigning like there is no tomorrow.

For people like Liu, there might actually be no tomorrow if he does not win a CEC post. He needs the post to stay in the running as a candidate in the general election.

His rival Teresa Kok who controls another third of the DAP in Selangor has also been campaigning hard especially for the Indian vote because there has been a surge in Indian members in the party.

Kok, who is Selangor chairman and state exco member, met a group of about 30 delegates and members on Tuesday night at the office of an ally, Klang MP Charles Santiago, to ask them to give their full support to the two Lims – Guan Eng and Kit Siang – and also asked them to support her.

She also introduced them to the new DAP Senator Dr Arrifin Omar and lawyer Ganapathy Rao who is slated to contest the Kota Shah Alam state seat before taking everyone for an expensive dinner.

However, Datuk Teng Chang Khim, the man who controls the other one third of the party in the state, does not appear to be campaigning at all.

The State Legislative Assembly Speaker has been in Beijing the last one week and only returned a few days ago.

The stakes have never been this high as 68 candidates vie for 20 CEC seats at the two-day congress in Penang this weekend.

Kit Siang has, with his usual rhetorical flair, described the congress as a "historic curtain raiser to the hundred days to Putrajaya".

The party is giddy with thoughts of political power and incumbents are clinging on to what they have while newcomers are trying to make it through the door.

All of them want a place in the CEC because it is equivalent to a passport to be a candidate in the general election.

DAP: Pakatan has 50-50 chance of winning

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:48 AM PST

(The Sun Daily) - "Chances are good, with Kelantan being the safest, followed by Selangor, Penang, and Kedah," he said.

The DAP heads for its two-day national congress tomorrow on a confident note that its political pact with PAS and PKR can give the coalition a fair shot at federal power in the next general election.

Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance has a "50-50" chance of forming the next federal government after more than 50 years of Barisan Nasional (BN) administration.

While admitting the fight will be a close one, Lim said he is confident the Opposition can give the incumbent a run for its money.

"It's always tough going up against the incumbent as they hold the reins of power," he told theSunrecently.

In the 2008 election, BN won 132 seats, short of its long-accustomed two-thirds majority in the 222-seat lower house of Parliament.

DAP, PAS and PKR managed to win 28, 23 and 31 seats respectively as well as administrative control of Penang and Selangor and the Malay heartland of Kedah, Kelantan and Perak but the last returned to BN soon after.

The 13th general election is expected to be the fiercest contest the country will yet see as BN looks to claw back what it lost while PR aims to consolidate and expand its power.

Preparations to face the election are expected to be the focus of some 2,500 DAP delegates when they meet at the Penang International Sports Arena here.

Although there has been criticism of the party for allegedly practising "dynasty politics", political observers note that delegates are likely to be circumspect and not rock the boat too much.

On PR aiming to bring more states into its fold, Lim hopes the pact will hold on to what it now has.

"Chances are good, with Kelantan being the safest, followed by Selangor, Penang, and Kedah," he said.

He added that PR is also reasonably confident of winning back Perak based on feedback from grassroots showing an increase in electorate support.

Meanwhile, the Penang Malay Congress (KMPP) has urged DAP to give two veteran Malay leaders – Ahmad Ton and Zulkifli Mohd Noor – at least the vice-president's post, Bernama reports.

Its president Rahmad Isahak said both the leaders need to be given higher posts because they have made substantial contributions to DAP over the past 25 years.

He said the KMPP will compel DAP to elect at least five Malay candidates into the central executive committee.

Videos ‘doctored’, says Manikavasagam

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:45 AM PST

(Free Malaysia Today) - The Kapar MP claims that MIC wants to create a rift between him and other PKR leaders over the temple demolition issue.

Doctored! This is Kapar MP S Manikavasagam's response to the videos exposed by MIC, which showed him ranting against Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and exco Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

"The video was doctored by MIC. I never used the word 'bastard' against Jayakumar. I don't use such terms on my party members. The context for Khalid to step down also was manipulated," he said.

The PKR leader told FMT that he was fond of using the word "celaka" (damn) and had used it against municipal councillors who did not toe the line.

The recordings, made during Wednesday's rally for stateless Indians in Putrajaya, were shown at a press conference organised by MIC Youth yesterday.

The recordings showed Manikavasagam calling Jayakumar a "bastard" and urging Khalid to resign over his failure to protect Hindu places of worship.

In his defence, the Kapar MP said: "Even [Opposition Leader] Anwar Ibrahim's sex videos can be doctored, what more these videos."

Co-organiser of Human Rights event disappointed with UMS VC’s actions

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:41 AM PST

"This is an absolutely irresponsible move, especially coming from an institution of higher learning, which should be able to show a better example. We had booked and paid for this venue at least 3 months ago, which should be more than sufficient time for them to coordinate their activities. They did not even have the mandate to cancel our event, yet they had put up a 20ft long banner announcing the cancellation of the event without our knowledge".

Jan Chow

Co-organiser of SUHAKAM Human Rights Relay Run and Concert - Yellow Dots expressed their extreme disappointment regarding the actions taken by UMS about the last minute cancellation, and also the statement given by Universiti Malaysia Sabah Vice Chancellor Datuk Dr. Mohd Harun Abdullah.

The participants and volunteers of the event that was recently held on the 8th of December 2012 to celebrate the basic rights accorded to all people, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender and abilities, came from all over Sabah, some coming from as far as Paitan, Tawau and Tenom.

According to Jan Chow, spokesperson for Yellow Dots, this had caused much inconvenience, especially those participants who have come from afar and incurred expenses such as the run fee, transportation and accommodation to attend this event.

"This is an absolutely irresponsible move, especially coming from an institution of higher learning, which should be able to show a better example. We had to make emergency plans until the wee hours on the morning, all because of this decision to cancel our use of venue at an extremely short notice. We had booked and paid for this venue at least 3 months ago, which should be more than sufficient time for them to coordinate their activities.

"They did not even have the mandate to cancel our event, yet they had put up a 20ft long banner announcing the cancellation of the event without our knowledge.

"Furthermore, the VC also failed to respond to our phone calls and cut off all forms of communication, a very unprofessional and perhaps guilty(?) move. We were surprised to see that the staff of the UMS Sports Department being made into a scapegoat for this irresponsible behaviour" she added.

As a result the event organisers had to incur additional expenses and losses, such as damage to musical instruments, sound system and hand-designed exhibition materials, as a result from the heavy rain which could have been avoided had the event continued at the original planned venue.

The organisers had also prepared food and drinks for the expected crowd of 2,000 – 3,000 participants and volunteers for this big scale event.

In spite of the shortcomings of the event, Jan was very grateful to the bands and sound system providers for their utmost patience and understanding throughout the event.

"I now feel that it is imperative for me to speak out how much UMS has let us down, the people who are commemorating a day observed internationally by the UN. UMS should not just apologise to SUHAKAM but to each and every one of the 2,000 participants, volunteers and organisers. It is an injustice if such an action should be left unattended to without the appropriate amount of compensation for the inconveniences and losses we have suffered"

Why is the government being obstinate on the stateless Malaysian Indian issue?

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:32 AM PST

The government under the false tutelage of MIC thinks that MIC is there to handle the situation and clamour on minuscule attempts to appease the Malaysian Indians. What fascinates is, there are 12 other component parties within the BN faction and none has come forward to lend a voice to these truly pathetic grievances that face fellow Malaysians.

Wong Mun Chee

Recently HINDRAF appeared with a fine tuned blueprint to uplift the poorer and institutionally marginalized segment of the Malaysian Indians who had been perpetually neglected and amongst it was how to solve the stateless Malaysian Indian issue. You can watch it here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB2kz_3vB3w. They have proposed a simple solution without much bureaucracy.

The opposition seems to be receptive to the solution and have come forward in principle and even ran a campaign recently to address this issue in a politically motivated agenda.

The socio-economical state of the poorer and marginalized Malaysian Indians is so obvious that you don't need to be a rocket scientist to identify it. Why have the other parties within BN been silent? Is poverty, deprivation, and institutionalized discrimination exclusive only for the Malaysian Indians? Why are the component parties of BN staying silent on a politically ingrained discrimination against the Malaysian Indians? Their actions do not surprise me but casts a doubt in their sincerity as a genuine representative of the people.

Why only MIC, in the eyes of UMNO, needs to decide what is the true representation of the Malaysian Indian when the track records clearly shows how abysmal it has been for the poor and marginalized Malaysian Indian communities? And if that was not the case, there would be no purpose for HINDRAF to arise.

The silence of component parties within the BN even when they are faced with basic human rights issues like those stateless Malaysians Indians resonate well with why HINDRAF calls them all mandores for UMNO.

Whether HINDRAF achieves its aim to eradicate the malfeasance is not the issue but on hindsight I think they definitely represent the people and their will as opposed to what is politically expedient for the lawmakers as and when it fits their own agenda.

Spamming Malaysia — The Malaysian Insider

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:21 AM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - In the past 24 hours, some of you and definitely The Malaysian Insider have been inundated with emails from a number of names like Imran Sulaiman, Ranesa Jegatheesa and Malaysian Indian over the PKR protest for Indians who are purportedly stateless in Malaysia.

These emails are spam.

[MTadmin - MT has also been receiving a fair number with many of the letters being badly written and therefore went straight into Trash]

They are a waste of time and definitely a waste of money if someone is being paid to churn them out and send them to all and sundry.

It shows how much political parties and even governments go to great lengths to get their views across to each and every one of us Malaysians ahead of the general election.

But it is a pain.

And it will turn off some if not most of the recipients of such emails.

Those in power can do better by engaging and explaining to the media the actual state of affairs on issues and matters where political parties take to the streets to push their cause.

Numbers don't lie, but Surendran did!

Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:15 AM PST

James Singam

It was a major turn off for those present at the National Registration Department in Putrajaya, not because the department closed its premises for those wishing to get their marriage registered on this special day of 12/12/12. Instead, the much expected 300,000 stateless Indians who were said to gather there for a sit-in protest and paralyse the operations of the department somehow failed to turn up. With a mere crowd of not more than 700 people, of which only about 300 people with documentation problems, turned up at the protest, raising once again the question, WHERE ARE THE 300,000 STATELESS INDIANS?

Despite months long planning and campaigning over this protest, the Pakatan leaders could only produce 0.1% of their claimed figure of 300,000 stateless Indians. Despite postponing it for a week from the earlier date of December 5, they simply couldn't find the number they claim. And no one really knows until now what is the reason the date was changed to a week later. Well, knowing Surendran, it could be another cheap tactic by him to gather the day when many Indians, making use of the special date, will be at the NRD for their marriage registration. With these numbers, he can simply claim there were lots and lots of Indians with documentation problems gathered at the department.

The Government on the other hand spent only 8 days for the MyDaftar campaign and brought out over 9000 Indians facing documentation problems and in just over a year resolved more than 6500 cases. Yes, they are in power and have all the resources, but the number speaks for itself. People came out and made the attempt to register themselves. With all the hoohaa the Opposition makes about the issue of stateless Indians, why didn't the so-called stateless ones rally behind Surendran and prove his claim right?

This protest was clearly a mega-serial directed by Anwar Ibrahim to promote the backdoor "superstar" of PKR, Surendran, who recently announced his candidacy for Padang Serai in the upcoming election. With political chants of "Hidup Anwar" and hundreds of PKR supporters bused in, the actual scene on the ground was nothing but PKR's desperate attempt to attract the attention of Indians for its political mileage. One "actress" of this mega-serial, Latheefa Koya was even heard by observers standing near her, instructing PKR supporters to put down the political banners they were carrying to avoid public exposure of their pre-planned political drama.

If it is true there are 300,000 stateless Indians, Surendran must produce the list of the people affected. Enough with this drama, show the proof, if not all the 300,000, at least 10% of it. But again, does he know where to find those 3000 people? Will he take another 5 years to find them since it took him a year to gather the 300 people he gathered today?

At the end of the day, people know that the numbers don't lie, but, SURENDRAN DID!

Stateless Indians a political ploy at the expense of the poor: A firsthand experience of the 12. ...

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 09:44 PM PST

BN has long been accused of not adequately addressing the issue of statelessness amongst Malaysians irrespective of race, religion and creed. Recently, N Surendran has been actively pursuing his 300,000 figure of Malaysian Indian stateless tirelessly with vigour. He, however, has not been able to produce a list of stateless Indians be it 30, 300 or 3,000.

Surendran this morning claims that the issue of statelessness should not exist in this day and age but the issue of statelessness is a global phenomenon and cannot be resolved even if Surendren is able to oust Padang Serai MP incumbent, N. Gobalakrishan.

Taking MP for Kapar, Manikavasagam's, argument this morning that his late mother and mother-in-law were victims of statelessness, though his father-in-law ironically happens to be an MIC stalwart, is in itself cumbersome to consume.

Latifa Koya that was observed this morning inquiring from her 'informers' if there was a police barricade that she and her comrades could barge through, stems questions of her actual motives.

To most of the protestors and Indian bystanders that were there today, the major drawback was that Anwar Ibrahim or Nurul Izzah were not there today. To add some ethnic diversity to the PR entourage, Chua Jui Ming appeared just before the crowd was entering JPN. Interestingly, PAS also did not show their support for the stateless Indians cause. Latifa had a hard time trying to pacify the mainly Indian crowd to bring down their party flags without the assistance of Mat Sabu and Unit Amal.

At the JPN foyer, the police was able to tackle the belligerent attitudes of the opposition leaders though scuffling ensued as the media was not given enough material to the opposition's advantage.

A couple of hours later, Charles Santiago mentioned that Chua Jui Meng was manhandled by MIC youth leaders. A few minutes later, he was 'corrected' and it was then suggested that a PPP member was the one that shoved Chua Jui Ming. Sivarasa claimed that it was nothing serious and he (Chua Jui Meng) will 'handle' it.

It took Raveen, Charles Santiago and Manikavasagam a good five years to realise that stateless Indians in Malaysia are an issue. Interestingly, Surendren managed to gather 300 people from all over Malaysia to protest in front of JPN and only 68 out of the 300 held red identity cards.

An eyewitness that day

Factionalism likely to surface at DAP congress

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 09:19 PM PST

Party leaders admit there are "teething problems" needing resolution

A veteran blogger said DAP seemed to have forgotten that it owed much of its success to the work of the alternative media. He said this was one sign of the arrogance that the party has often been accused of in the last couple of years.

Hawkeye, FMT

About this time last year, a surprising event occurred during Penang DAP's annual convention. There was a demonstration outside the convention hall, but the big surprise was that the protesters were party members.

Delegates to the convention, as well as seasoned observers of DAP politics, froze in disbelief. Such a public display of dissent within the party had never before occurred in its history. It was simply not part of DAP culture.

DAP czar Lim Kit Siang missed it. He was busy elsewhere, carrying out tasks related to his job of orchestrating the party's expansion. But his son, party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, was there to witness it. And so was party chairman Karpal Singh, who shook his head in despair.

But although few could have predicted the demonstration, there was in fact a foreshadowing of it in Karpal's own spat with deputy secretary-general P Ramasamy. The demonstrators were the latter's supporters.

Nevertheless, after the initial shock of the event, analysts and pundits began to use their hindsight to explain it. The consensus seemed to be that internal turmoil was inevitable given DAP's relatively sudden rise to prominence as a party that is part of the governing coalition in several states of the Malaysian federation.

Indeed, the Penang demonstration came just months after DAP had confirmed the strength of its political muscle through dramatic victories in the Sarawak state election, proving that its successes in the 2008 general election were not a mere fluke.

But success is seldom easy to handle, and Guan Eng and other party leaders have admitted privately that there are "teething problems" that they have to contend with.

Some of these problems will no doubt surface this weekend at the party's national congress in Penang.

Most eyes will focus on the jostling for positions in the 20-member Central Executive Committee (CEC) although they will also be looking at how the party will handle simmering issues about its policies and direction.

Dividing lines

With the growth in its membership size since 2008, DAP has not been able to escape a problem that all large political parties face—factionalism. In DAP's case, the dividing lines appear to coincide with the state boundaries, the main factions being those in Penang, Perak, Selangor and Johor.

More recently, the Negeri Sembilan faction appears to have come into its own, largely due to the influence of former DAP Youth chief Anthony Loke, the MP for Rasah. Party insiders as well as external observers say he is being groomed to take over from Guan Eng as secretary-general when the latter's term ends in 2014.

And then there are second echelon leaders also jostling for the spotlight, namely young strategists such as Tony Pua, Jeff Ooi, Liew Chin Tong and Teo Nie Ching. Not to be overlooked are Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who is fast gaining a reputation as the party's sacred cow, and Teng Chang Khim, Teresa Kok, Ronnie Liu, Gobind Singh, M Kulasegaran, V Sivakumar and Dr Boo Cheng Hau.

At least some of these figures are expected to get seats in the CEC, the only question being how high or low in the hierarchy they will be. There are 20 elected slots. Ten or 15 more will be appointed later. And then, among themselves, they will decide who will hold which posts.

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 09:17 PM PST

PKR MP S Manikavasagam is caught on video ranting about the Selangor MB and an exco over the demolition of temples in the state.

B Nantha Kumar, FMT

Two separate video clips have emerged showing PKR's Kapar MP S Manikavasagam urging Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to resign over the demolition of a shrine in Sepang.

In the clips, Manikavasagam also called state exco Dr Xavier Jayakumar a "bastard" and blamed the latter for the demolition of temples in Selangor over the past four years.

The two clips, taken during the statesless Indian protest organised by PKR at Putrajaya yesterday, were shown to the media by MIC during a press conference here.

In the first video, Manikavasagam criticised Khalid, urging the latter to tender his resignation.

Answering a question on whether the demolition of the shrine was correct, he replied: "Wrong! Cannot accept this! I'm telling you. MB must resign."

While in the second clip, Manikavasagam said: "I'm telling you, I already talk…. Xavier is another bastard. First, he protected the Majlis (Sepang Muncipal Council), after that when we pressure him, and then he twist. I also don't agree to touch 'kuil' (temple), how many… already seven [referring to the number of demolished temples under the Pakatan government]."

He also claimed that three notices had been served to demolish a temple in his constituency.

Manikavasagam added that Jayakumar was an "idiot" who was adamant in demolishing temples and did not listen to the former.

Pakatan government under pressure

Meanwhile, MIC Youth chief T Mohan said that his wing would bear the cost to rebuild the shrine which was erected in the compound of a house.

Citing the video clips, he said that it appeared that the Selangor government was under pressure from its own members.

On Nov 20, 30 enforcement officers from 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 a public apology from him.

However, Jayakumar later claimed that the action was done unilaterally by certain MPS officers and that he suspected sabotage.

On Dec 7, MIC Youth also staged a peaceful protest in front of the Selangor state secretariat building demanding Khalid and Jayakumar to resign over the demolition.

Despite repeated attempts, Manikavasagam could not be contacted for comment.

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 17)

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 06:08 PM PST

Kamaruddin and I drove to Anwar's house to inform him of the deal that Azmi had offered us. We were going to get to see the marked ballot papers so it can't go wrong. This was a sure thing. Anwar was furious. "I promised Mahathir that I would support him!" Anwar screamed at us. Kamaruddin and I looked at each other. Kamaruddin tried to explain that Dr Mahathir is probably going to lose anyway. So why not we make a deal and ensure that Anwar wins?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There is a difference between being political and being a partisan. You need to be political to be a partisan, but you do not need to be a partisan to be political. The example I always use is: you need to be a woman to be a lady but that does not mean all women are ladies -- if you know what I mean. And if you don't then that is your problem, not mine.

I got exposed to politics soon after the launch of the New Economic Policy (NEP) when I started my business. I went into business not because of the NEP. In fact, we did not even understand or care about the NEP yet at that time. It was purely coincidental that I launched my business a couple of years after the launch of the NEP.

I mean I was already in my mid-20s and with a wife and daughter to support -- so I needed to make something of my life. And earning a salary of RM250 a month is not quite a roaring career. It was, therefore, out of necessity that I went into business. If not I would have starved to death. I just wanted, as Malaysians would say, to cari makan.

It was then that I discovered that business and politics sometimes go hand-in-hand. And sometimes the mafia will eat you up if you try to remain a solo player. So I joined the Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Dewan Perniagaan) to seek 'protection'. It was sort of like in the US. You join the union so that you do not get beaten up on the way home from work.

And the Dewan Perniagaan was, in a way, an extension of Umno. Most of the state chiefs and central committee members were Umno 'strongmen' or had strong links (big cables) with the very top in government. Hence the Dewan Perniagaan was a good platform to sort out whatever problems you may face. And all businessmen in Malaysia know that business and problems come as a package -- unless you have some sort of protection.

I was not really interested in politics. I did not even care much who won the election and formed the government. When you are 24-25 and have a 'new' family to worry about and no money in your pocket, you just want to focus on putting food on the table and a roof over your family's head. My main concern was to try to figure out how to hide my car so that the finance company can't get its hands on it and take it away from me.

Yes, that's how bad my finances were. So who the hell cares who becomes the Prime Minister of Malaysia? Whoever becomes the Prime Minister my car is still going to get repossessed.

That was my priority back in 1974-1975.

Then, a couple of years later, I 'discovered' Islam, as I have written about so many times. Then, another couple of years later, the Islamic Revolution of Iran exploded and I transformed into a 'fundamentalist' (whatever that means but is a favourite word of the western media). And Anwar Ibrahim toured Terengganu as the ABIM President to talk in PAS organised ceramah. And that got me closer to PAS.

But I never became a PAS member. I was also not an Umno member either. For religious reasons I 'moved' with PAS but for business reasons I maintained links with Umno, mostly those in the Dewan Perniagaan. And we did not see this as being hypocritical or unprincipled because that is what you need to do in the business world. You kept your religious and business interests separate. They both did not really mix so you juggled with both and played a delicate balancing act.

Hence, 35-40 years ago, I already learned how to stay political but remain non-partisan. You worked with personalities, not with the party. Hence, also, we did not see anything wrong with supporting and campaigning for Anwar even though we were not Umno members but were PAS sympathisers -- but not really PAS members either.

That was the political culture we picked up 35-40 years ago. And until today that is still how we look at things. We could support certain things that Umno does and oppose certain things. We could also support certain things that the opposition does and oppose certain things. We can also support certain personalities in the party but yet not support the party.

And this is probably what most people do not understand, especially political novices or newcomers who became politically active only in the last five years or so since 2007-2008. To these political novices or newcomers, it is all or nothing. If you support certain things then you must support everything and you must give undying loyalty to the party.

We never operated under those conditions back in the 1970s and we still do not until today. We were brought up in a totally different political-non-partisan culture where we support causes more than personalities and sometimes support personalities without supporting his or her party.

Hence, when Anwar decided to join Umno in 1982 that was a great disappointment but not the end of the world for us. Anwar can move into Umno and we can oppose him for that. But that did not make him our enemy. We still supported him as far as his struggle for Islam was concerned. And when Anwar wanted to take on Suhaimi Kamaruddin for the Umno Youth Leadership, we could support him and campaign for him although we were not Umno members and actually did not support Umno.

Today, this would probably sound very strange. In fact, it may even sound very suspicious. But we are talking about an era of more than 30 years ago when the value system then is not the value system of today.

For example, when Umno came to see us to 'sell' tables for fund raising dinners at RM10,000 per table, we would buy a table or two and attend the dinner together with our family and friends who were not Umno members or supporters.

I suppose this was just like the Chinese back during the Communist insurgency in the time of The Emergency. For business reasons the Chinese would support the government but for ideological reasons or out of fear of retribution they also supported the Communist Terrorists. And the British knew this. That was why the British did not punish the Chinese but instead isolated them in 'new villages' to sever the links between the Chinese and the CTs.

So, when Anwar decided to take on Suhaimi, we supported him. Then, when Suhaimi gave Anwar a return match, we again supported Anwar. In the third round, Syed Hamid Albar took on Anwar and, again, we supported Anwar.

Anwar won all three rounds.

Then came the fourth round, the tussle between Team A and Team B that I wrote about in the previous episode.

The day before the now famous Team A versus Team B contest, Azmi, brother to the infamous Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa, contacted me and requested a meeting. I got in touch with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's political Secretary, Noor Azam, and informed him about the clandestine meeting. The meeting was supposed to be after dinner at the Merlin Hotel (now called Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur).

I went to meet Azmi together with Kamaruddin Jaafar, Deputy Prime Minister Tun Ghafar Baba's Political Secretary (an ABIM activist and Anwar 'strongman'). Azmi then offered us a deal. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's people will vote for Anwar for Vice President if Anwar's people will vote for Tengku Razaleigh and Musa Hitam for President and Deputy President respectively.

They will show us the ballot papers marked against Anwar's name for Vice President if we show them our ballot papers marked Tengku Razaleigh and Musa Hitam. Dr Mahathir and Ghafar would be history by that same time the following day.

I thought that was a good deal. We did not really care who became the President and Deputy President of Umno. We just wanted Anwar to go up to become the Vice President, which he can then later use as a springboard to take over the Deputy Presidency of Umno and then become the Prime Minister-in-waiting.

Hence it did not matter who became number one and number two. We were going to get rid of them in time anyway. It is number three that concerned us. And we wanted Anwar as the number three.

Kamaruddin and I drove to Anwar's house to inform him of the deal that Azmi had offered us. We were going to get to see the marked ballot papers so it can't go wrong. This was a sure thing.

Anwar was furious. "I promised Mahathir that I would support him!" Anwar screamed at us. Kamaruddin and I looked at each other. Kamaruddin tried to explain that Dr Mahathir is probably going to lose anyway. So why not we make a deal and ensure that Anwar wins?

"No way!" Anwar said. "If I win but Mahathir loses I will resign. I will not stay on if Ku Li and Musa win. So if you want me to stay on then you must make sure that Mahathir wins. If not, even if I win, I will resign."

Anwar had put us in a dilemma. The only way to 'help' Anwar would be to ensure that Dr Mahathir wins and Tengku Razaleigh loses. We were terribly unhappy about it but had no choice in the matter. As we were leaving Anwar's house he reminded us to make sure that Dr Mahathir wins if we do not want him (Anwar) to resign. "Don't make any deals behind my back," Anwar warned us.

It was around midnight when we returned to the Merlin Hotel and met up with Pak Wan (Datuk Dr Wan Ismail, Anwar Ibrahim's father-in-law), Ahmad Sebi (of TV3), Noor Azam, Syed Ibrahim Syed Mohamed and Kip Bahadum (the Umno Secretary). Our meeting was about how to ensure that Team A wins the party election the following day. And that was when we mooted the idea of the tricks that we would need to pull off, which I wrote about in the previous episode.

I am still confident that if we had done a deal then Tengku Razaleigh would have taken over as Prime Minister back in 1987. Because of Anwar, Dr Mahathir stayed 22 years as Prime Minister rather than only six years.

Then, ten years later, Anwar made his move on Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir was an animal that Anwar created. But when Anwar tried to put that animal to sleep that same animal turned around and bit Anwar in the butt.

If that is not poetic justice then I don't know what is.

When Tengku Razaleigh closed down his Semangat 46 in October 1986 and rejoined Umno soon after that, he knew that Dr Mahathir and Anwar were about to have a great fall out. Dr Mahathir was aware that Anwar was about to make his move. And, a few months later, Anwar made his move. On 1st September 1998, Dr Mahathir made his counter-move and checkmated Anwar.

And while all this was going on in 1996-1998, I brought out my popcorn and sat back to enjoy the drama. And when Dr Mahathir moved in to finish off Anwar for good, I applauded. It is not that I supported Dr Mahathir as much as I admire the great move that he made.

Unknown to most Malaysians, back in August 1998, Anwar had Dr Mahathir cornered. Anwar's gun was at Dr Mahathir's head. All Anwar needed to do was to pull the trigger and Dr Mahathir was dead meat. However, before Anwar could pull the trigger, Dr Mahathir pulled his gun out instead and shot Anwar dead.

The hunted turned hunter in just a flicker of an eyelid. Now that is what I call a political guru. And if you really want to be a politician you need to learn from the guru. Anwar, unfortunately, did not. And because of that he did not become Prime Minister.

Well, as I said, I may be political but that does not mean I am a partisan. And not being a partisan allows me to admire politicians from both sides of the political divide.

And don't you dare tell me what I can and cannot do and who I can and cannot admire. I do what I want to do, not what you want me to do. The last time I listened to what others want me to do we ended up with a Prime Minister who ruled for 22 years instead of just six years.

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)

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 13)

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 14)

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 15)

The journey in life is never a straight line (PART 16)

You’re a liar, MIC Youth tells Chua

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 03:14 PM PST

According to MIC Youth chief T Mohan, it was the PKR vice-president who intimidated 'one of my boys'.

G Vinod, FMT

MIC Youth chief T Mohan has accused PKR vice-president Chua Jui Meng of spinning a yarn, claiming that it is the latter who tried to initimidate "one of my boys".

He also challenged Chua to lodge a police report soon on the claim that he was manhandled yesterday by some 50 MIC members outside the National Registraion Department (NRD) director-general's office in Putrajaya.

The MIC Youth leader claimed that the incident happened when one of his Youth members questioned what Chua had done to help the stateless Indians when he was a minister in the 90s.

"He must have known about the problem as he was the health minister. Surely, he had some data on how many stateless Indians tried to seek treatment at government hospitals. When that question was posed to him, Chua tried to push my Youth member, K Novinthen," alleged Mohan.

Targetting PKR vice-president N Surendran, he called the former "a liar" as to date, he had yet to provide evidence that there were 300,000 stateless Indians in the country.

"He previously accused us of trying to beat up a teenage girl and now he is accusing us of manhandling Chua. A lot of people were there, including reporters. They know what happened," he said.

Calling Surendran a "parachute leader", Mohan urged the lawyer-politician to work with the grassroots first before taking up issues.

"Ask your boss [Anwar Ibrahim] why he didn't resolve the stateless Indian issue when he was the deputy prime minister. Stop creating dramas like your boss. I think one Anwar is good enough for the whole country," he said.

'This is MIC's culture'

Meanwhile, Chua said he was considering lodging a police report on the incident.

"We are discussing about it. I'm just waiting for Surendran, who is now in court, to deliberate on the matter," he added.

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PAS: We have video of indecent duo

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 02:43 PM PST

(The Star) - The two men in the car were given summonses for indecent behaviour, says PAS which insists it has video evidence.

State Local Government, Culture and Tourism committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said the state government would defend the Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) enforcement officers who issued the summonses to the men caught near the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport last month.

"MPKB has video footage to prove what they were doing in the car and I have seen it myself," he said after attending the executive council meeting chaired by Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat at Kota Datul Naim yesterday.

Sabah MCA vice-chairman Chew Kok Woh questioned if council officers had the authority to act as "moral policemen" over non-Muslims.

He said if non-Muslims did not speak up, there was nothing to prevent them from abusing their powers again.

He questioned if the council officers had the authority to snoop on non-Muslims.

Deepak says has sought Altantuya’s ‘forgiveness’

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 02:37 PM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan has gone to seek "forgiveness" from murdered interpreter Altantuyaa Shaariibuu for his role in putting out a controversial second sworn statement from private investigator P. Balasubramaniam in July 2008.

The businessman, who is suing Selangor Wanita Umno chief Senator Datuk Raja Ropiaah Abdullah over a land deal, also said he is publishing two books on his life and business.

"I went to a Buddhist temple to seek forgiveness from Altantuya," he told The Malaysian Insider, saying his role in the matter was, "the biggest mistake of my entire life".

He also disclosed his plans to reveal more details in the books, which will be privately circulated.

"I am writing two books. The first is very short, 26 pages, and coming out on Monday," the 40-year-old bachelor told The Malaysian Insider.

Deepak said the second book will be "a bit more elaborate" and launched in January.

Balasubramaniam's second statutory declaration (SD) came a day after his first about Altantuya's murder in 2006, for which two elite police commandos have been convicted and are facing death sentences.

Deepak hit the headlines when blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin exposed his role in facilitating the private detective's second SD to repudiate the first statement.

The businessman is now in the news for suing Raja Ropiaah's Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd for criminal breach of trust in the sale of 223.33 acres of land in Bukit Raja. Hearing for the case resumes tomorrow.

Deepak had named Awan Megah together with the Ministry of Defence, government land unit Syarikat Tanah Dan Harta Sdn Bhd and Cebur Megah Development Sdn Bhd in his lawsuit for allegedly cheating him out of millions in a land deal.

But the trial judge had already struck off the government, Ministry of Defence and Cebur Megah from the lawsuit and her judgment has been upheld by the Court of Appeal earlier.

Deepak's Astacanggih Sdn Bhd had agreed to buy three parcels of land in 2007 for RM13 million and a RM72 million bank guarantee for a land bond from Raja Ropiaah, who was awarded a RM100 million privatisation deal for the development of the defence research centre called Pusat Pengajian Pertahanan Nasional (PUSPAHANAS).

The land was supposed to be placed in a special purpose company called Cebur Megah as government rules do not allow land in privatised projects to be sold by the winning party. The land is still in government hands as the defence project has yet to take off.

The Selangor Wanita Umno chief had allegedly sold one parcel for RM2 million in cash and a RM16 million overdraft facility in a "joint venture" with Guppyunip Sdn Bhd, a company specialising in plasticware, prompting the carpet dealer to put a caveat on the land in Bukit Raja and lodge a police report last July.

Kit Siang: Many in Umno want Najib to fail

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 02:29 PM PST

Lim Kit Siang says that if Najib fails in the next general election, then certain forces in Umno will replace him with a 'Malay first' prime minister.

RK Anand, FMT

It is no secret that Muhyiddin Yassin harbours the ambition to replace Najib Tun Razak as Umno president and prime minister, according to DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.

He said that Muhyiddin hoped to achieve this by appearing to be more Malay than Najib.

"Many within Umno are waiting to see Najib do worse than Pak Lah [Abdullah Ahmad Badawi] in the next general election so that they could boot him out and replace him with a 'Malay first' Umno prime minister," he added in a statement.

It was under Abdullah's watch that Umno and Barisan Nasional suffered its worst ever electoral outing in 2008 just four years after Abdullah secured the ruling coalition's biggest ever mandate.

In the aftermath of the polls, daggers were drawn and Abdullah was forced to relinquish his post to Najib in 2009. And now history could repeat itself.

Meanwhile, Lim also recalled how Muhyiddin did not give Najib any support for his 1Malaysia slogan as exemplified by his statement in Parliament that he was Malay first and Malaysian second.

Speculation of a rift between Najib and Muhyiddin had been rife for months despite the two leaders claiming otherwise.

It was often said that Najib's numerous initiatives to attract non-Malay voters had ruffled the feathers of the ultras in Umno, who viewed it as a concession in terms of Malay supremacy and this group had gravitated towards Muhyiddin.

When opening Perkasa's inaugural annual general meeting in 2010, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said that the sudden mushrooming of Malay non-governmental organisations reflected Umno's weakness in defending the rights of the Malays.

He added that NGOs like Perkasa would cease to exist when Umno regained its strength to defend the rights of the Malays.

Over the months, there had been no shortage of conspiracy theories, linking the numerous scandals such as the National Feedlot Centre fiasco to Muhyiddin, who apparently had the backing of Mahathir.

Observers also find it difficult to dismiss talk that Muhyiddin was also behind the latest revelations involving former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan and carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan.

READ MORE HERE

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Khamis, 13 Disember 2012

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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