Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- The day I got rail mad
- ICJ best forum to settle Sabah, S’wak, S’pore questions
- Mr P Waytha Moorthy’s condition on the 20th day of his Hunger Viratham
- Second Objective of Battle of Gelang Patah – Target 19 of the 26 Parliamentary and 30 of the ...
- "Watermelon" and "Sympathizer" Effect
- You are a lost cause
- Divisions back Wan Azizah to contest in S’gor
- Anwar’s hidden agenda in Sabah?
- What's good for the goose is good for the gander (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
- Keeping faith with Hindraf and Waytha Moorthy
- Will DAP become another MCA?
- Photos show PKR leader in lewd act
- Why Muslim Countries Will Always Remain Backward?
- Pakatan undecided over Negeri MB candidate
- Gwo Burne on the chopping block?
- I am eligible to contest, says Wan Azizah
- Chua still sulking over Kit Siang’s move?
| Posted: 29 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT
Jonathan Fernandez I have just been reminded exactly why I don't take the highly inept public transportation service, and the harsh reminder has left me fuming. I was supposed to drive to Seremban but was advised against it because it's the school holidays and there was the threat of a snarl-up. My friend told me not to throw caution to the wind as he had gotten stuck in a bad two-hour crawl to and from Seremban last week. So I decided to give the KTM a shot. I had read how politicians have been so lavish with their praises on the upgrades to the current system. And I was told that it would take 90 minutes, one way. That would only set me back by 30 minutes, if compared with driving hassle free. After weighing the pros and cons, I thought to myself: "Why not?" I opted for the much-commended KTM. I reached the station and then realised the next ride was just three minutes away. "Lucky me," I so wrongfully told myself. To be fair, the train arrived right on time - 2.10pm. Then I got thrown into a state of confusion. We, my wife and I, were about to enter one of the cars until I realised it was a females-only section. So we quickly dashed to the next coach, it was the same. Then we ran to another. It was strike three and we were out. As the doors closed shut, I could feel my blood reaching a boiling point. I then switched my attention to the digital clock mounted a beam at the station. The next ETA was 2.40pm. That meant we would have to wait in this sweltering heat for a good half-hour. KTM stations are airconditioned, mind you. I became a raging bull. For some reason, maybe because she was wearing a red top, I charged at my wife. Somehow blaming her for the situation we were caught in, although this lasted for just a few seconds until I realised the real guilty party. The culprits are actually those who have been riding their high horses and singing praises about their own achievements. The ones who are living in denial and forcing everyone else to be led into their fantasy world of impeccable governance. What really riled me up was this incident could have easily been avoided had the most basic of measures been put into place. For instance, how difficult would it have been to display signs indicating where the female-only coaches and all access cars would stop? And where's the harm in increasing the frequency of the trains? Simple things like these could really save people the trouble. Trust me, frantically searching for the right coach isn't exactly fun, not at all. It makes you feel like a little lost puppy. So, throw me a bone already. On the bright side, I have again been made to realise how lucky I am. In fact, when taking everything into account, I should really use a calculator to count my blessings. But there are so many out there, my countrymen, who have to endure this Third-World system on a daily basis. For them, I hope and pray that a marked improvement be made. If our system is lightyears behind the likes of Singapore's, then admit the flaws and fix them. But don't go around misleading the people and manipulating the rakyat's perception on the country's transportation system, that would just make me rail mad.
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| ICJ best forum to settle Sabah, S’wak, S’pore questions Posted: 29 Mar 2013 12:39 PM PDT
Joe Fernandez If the Government in Putrajaya is truly honest with itself, it will confront the fact that there's very little sympathy in Sabah and Sarawak on the ground for the security forces apparently battling it out in Lahad Datu. It's 50 years too late. They might as well pack up and go home and instead recall the Sabah Border Scouts and Sarawak Rangers. At the same time, the continuing statements from one Jamalul Kiram III, the Manila press, the Philippines Government and Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) on Sabah and Sarawak are being viewed in the right perspective. Local political parties in Sabah and Sarawak are convinced, like the descendants of the heirs of the defunct Sulu Sultanate and Nur Misuari that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is the best venue to settle rival claims to the two Borneo nations. Already, the State Reform Party (Star) led by Jeffrey Kitingan, has reportedly included the ICJ option in their draft Manifesto for the forthcoming 13th General Election. The ICJ is also the best venue to address the fact that Singapore was expelled in 1965 from the Federation of Malaysia by unconstitutional, unlawful and illegal means. It's an open secret that then Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had the doors of Parliament locked until the MPs agreed to the expulsion of the city state from the Federation. The general consensus across both sides of the Sulu Sea is that the Sabah/Sarawak issue will not go away unless there's a final resolution one way or another. In the absence of a final resolution, the security of both Sabah and Sarawak will continue to be compromised and thereby affect investor and consumer confidence.
Singapore Application would be a continuation of Pulau Batu Putih case If Singapore is featured as well at the same time that the cases of Sabah and Sarawak are considered, it would amount to a revisitation of the Pulau Batu Putih hearings which saw the island of a few rocks being awarded to the city state. The Singapore Application could be made by the Government of that island or vide a Class Action Suit commenced by concerned citizens seeking closure on an issue which has bedevilled relations on both sides of the causeway since 1965. The descendants of the nine heirs of the defunct Sulu Sultanate claim that they have private property rights to Sabah or parts of it. They further claim and/or used to claim that sovereignty over Sabah rests with the Philippines Government. This is a grey area since one Sulu Sultan apparently "transferred" his sultanate's sovereignty over Sabah to the Manila Government by way of a Power of Attorney which has reportedly since expired. Jamalul Kiram III claims to be Sultan of Sulu.
Sulu claimants, Nur Misuari don't have a leg to stand on in Sabah, Sarawak At last count there were some 60 claimants to the Sulu Sultanship, not all being descendants of the nine heirs of the defunct Sulu Sultanate. The nine Plaintiffs viz. Dayang Dayang Piandao Kiram, Princess Tarhata Kiram, Princess Sakinur Kiram, Sultan Ismael Kiram, Sultan Punjungan Kiram, Sitti Rada Kiram, Sitti Jahara Kiram, Sitti Mariam Kiram and Mora Napsa were recognised by C. F. Mackasie, Chief Judge of Borneo, on 13 Dec, 1939 in response to Civil Suit No. 169/39. The Judge ruled that the nine heirs, as the beneficiaries under the will of the late Sultan Jamalul Kiram, who died at Jolo on 7 June 1935, are entitled to collect a total of RM 5,300 per annum from Sabah in perpetuity for having foregone in perpetuity the right to collect tolls along the waterways in eastern Sabah. The reference point was the deed of cession made between the Sultan of Sulu and the predecessors of the British North Borneo Chartered Company on Jan 22, 1878, and under a confirmatory deed dated April 22, 1903. If the descendants of the nine heirs end up at the ICJ in The Hague, there are no prizes for guessing which way the case will go. The Sulu claimants don't have a leg to stand on in Sabah.
Nur Misuari ready to do battle with a battery of lawyers The Sulu Sultans of old were extorting tolls, virtually a criminal activity, from the terrified traffic along the eastern seaboard of Sabah. The Brunei Sultanate meanwhile denies ever handing any part of Sabah, or the right to collect tolls along the waterways, to Sulu. The British North Borneo Chartered Company had no right whatsoever to enter into negotiations on behalf of the people of Sabah with anyone. The entire land area of Sabah, by history, Adat and under Native Customary Rights (NCR), belonged to the Orang Asal (Original People) of the Territory. The sovereignty of Sabah rests with the people of Sabah. This sovereignty was re- affirmed on 31 Aug, 1963 when the state won independence from Britain which had occupied the state after World War II. Therein the matter lies. The sovereignty of Sabah had never been transferred to Brunei, Sulu, the Philippines, Britain or Malaya, masquerading as Malaysia since 16 Sept, 1963. Likewise, Sarawak's independence was re-affirmed on 22 July, 1963 when the British left. Sarawak had been an independent country for over 150 years under its own Rajah until World War II intervened and the Japanese occupied the country. The war over, the British coerced the Rajah to hand over his country to the Colonial Office in London because they had plans to form the Federation of Malaysia with Sarawak as one of the constituent elements. British occupation of Sarawak was illegal and an act of piracy. Nur Misuari claims that Sarawak had belonged to his family, from the time of his great great grandfather. He claims that he has the services of the best lawyers at his disposal to make his case at The Hague.
Cobbold Commission a scam by British and Malayan Governments The outcome of any hearing at The Hague will be a forgone conclusion: the Sulu and Nur Misuari petitions will be struck out without even a hearing; the Court will rule that the people of Sabah and Sarawak never agreed to be in Malaysia; and Singapore will hear that its expulsion from Malaysia in 1965 was unconstitutional, unlawful and illegal. The people of Sabah and Sarawak must be given the right to intervene in the Applications at the ICJ which will determine their fate. There's nothing to prevent the people of Sulu and the southern Philippines from throwing in an Application that the Philippines Government has no business to occupy their traditional Muslim homeland. The people of Singapore decided in a Yes or Note Vote in 1962 to the idea of independence through merger with Malaya via the Federation of Malaysia. The inclusion of Orang Asal-majority Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei was to facilitate the merger between Chinese-majority Singapore and non-Malay majority Malaya. Brunei stayed out of Malaysia at the 11th hour after an armed rebellion in the Sultanate against the idea of Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei being in Malaysia. No Referendum was held in Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Malaya on Malaysia. The Kelantan Government even took the matter to Court. A sampling of community leaders conducted by the Cobbold Commission found that only the Suluk and Bajau community leaders, perhaps sensing some personal benefits for themselves as proxies of Muslim-controlled Kuala Lumpur, agreed with the idea of Malaysia.
Revolution another possibility to finish off Sulu, Nur Misuari, Manila Orang Asal community leaders wanted a period of independence before looking at the idea of Malaysia again. They asked for further and better particulars on Malaysia to be used as the reference point for a future re-visitation of the Malaysia Concept. They were not provided these further and better particulars. The Chinese community leaders, keeping the eventual fate of the resources and revenues of the country uppermost in mind, totally rejected the idea of Malaysia. They were not wrong. Putrajaya today carts away all the resources and revenues of Sabah and Sarawak to Malaya and very little of it comes back to the two Borneo. The Cobbold Commission disingenuously declared that two third of the people in Sabah i.e. Suluk/Bajau + Orang Asal supported Malaysia. The Commission made the same declaration in Sarawak where only the Sarawak Malay community leaders supported the idea of Malaysia for self-serving reasons. When Singapore was expelled from Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak – the facilitators of the merger between Singapore and Malaya – were not allowed to exit the Federation. This is a crucial point which will feature at the ICJ. Security became an afterthought. But as the continuing influx of illegal immigrants into Sabah and Sarawak, and the Lahad Datu intrusion, has proven, there has been no security for both Borneo nations in Malaysia. ESSCOM (Eastern Sabah Security Command) and ESSZONE (Eastern Sabah Safety Zone) comes too little too late, after 50 years. In the unlikely event that the ICJ rules in favour of the heirs of the defunct Sulu Sultanate and Nur Misuari, it would be the sacred duty of Sabahans and Sarawakians to launch a Revolution and decapitate all the claimants to their countries from the Philippines. This would bury the issue once and for all and shut up the Manila press and the Philippines Government. Singapore's re-admission to Malaysia, if it materialises, would not persuade Sabah and Sarawak to join the Federation as well. The people would want Malaya even quicker out Sabah and Sarawak. It would be the end of a long drawn out nightmare.
Joe Fernandez is a graduate mature student of law and an educationist, among others, who loves to write especially Submissions for Clients wishing to Act in Person. He feels compelled, as a semi-retired journalist, to put pen to paper -- or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.
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| Mr P Waytha Moorthy’s condition on the 20th day of his Hunger Viratham Posted: 29 Mar 2013 12:25 PM PDT
Mr Waytha has been unable to continue with his writings as his condition has considerably deteriorated. Ganesan Mr Waytha Moorthy's condition continues to deteriorate. The medical report from yesterday shows serious deterioration in his bodily functions. Quoting from the report: "It is now well into the 19th day of Mr Waythamoorthy's hunger Viratham strike. He appears very weak and disorientated, his blood pressure is erratic. There have also been several episodes of fainting the last few days. His urine sample also indicates a very high level of circulating ketones as well as hematuria. He also suffers from Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension as well as Right Ventricular Tachycardia Dysplasia. A team of doctors, including myself, have been making periodic visits to oversee his general well being. Occasionally IV Drips were given." The Doctors are recommending, "It is of our professional opinion that Mr Waytha should stop his fast immediately and seek proper medical attention at a hospital set up to prevent any further damage to his internal organs." The political leaders of both the BN and Pakatan seem not to be worried about any adverse outcome on Mr Waytha Moorthy. They have it within them to review the proposals in the blueprint which are the focus of the Hunger Viratham and to accommodate them into national policy. The proposals in the blueprint are entirely justifiable, but these leaders look askance. This, Hindraf believes is the inevitable fate of the minorities in the country. Their rights and interests will forever be compromised. When they speak up, they will be beaten down as being sectarian or racist. All kinds of arguments will be put forward why their requests are "terlalu". Mr Waytha Moorthy continues his Hunger Viratham despite these developments..
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| Second Objective of Battle of Gelang Patah – Target 19 of the 26 Parliamentary and 30 of the ... Posted: 29 Mar 2013 12:19 PM PDT
The Battle of Gelang Patah is not so much about the victory or defeat of an individual or the gains or losses of individual parties, but whether Johore can become a "kingmaker" in the 13GE to spark a political tsunami in the country from the south and across the South China Sea. Lim Kit Siang Yesterday, when visiting Taman Damai Jaya in Gelang Patah, I spoke about the meaning of the Battle of Gelang Patah. I stressed that the Battle of Gelang Patah is not my personal battle on whether I can be re-elected to Parliament. If this is the case, I should stay back in Ipoh Timor which I had won with a majority of over 21,000 votes in the 2008 general elections, instead of going for a very high-risk contest in Gelang Patah which was won by the MCA/BN candidate with a majority of over 8,000 votes in 2008 and a humoungous majority of 31,666 votes in 2004. In Gelang Patah I could very well lose but I am prepared to take the risk. This is because the Battle of Gelang Patah is not so much about the victory or defeat of an individual or the gains or losses of individual parties, but whether Johore can become a "kingmaker" in the 13GE to spark a political tsunami in the country from the south and across the South China Sea to effect the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat. The First Objective of the Battle of Gelang Patah is in South Johore – to target the six Parliamentary and 13 State Assembly seats in South Johore to pave the way for Pakatan Rakyat to Putrajaya in the 13th General Elections. Johor Baru has three parliamentary and six state assembly seats, namely Johor Bahru, Pasir Gudang and Tebrau parliamentary seats and Stulang, Tanjong Puteri, Johore Jaya, Permas, Puteri Wangsa and Tiram State Assembly seats. None of these Johor Baru parliamentary and state assembly seats had been won by the Opposition, which is against the national trend where parliamentary and/or state assembly seats in the capital of most of the states are strongholds of the Opposition, whether Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu or the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur where the Pakatan Rakyat swept 10 of the 11 parliamentary seats in 2008. There are three other parliamentary seats and seven state assembly seats in the South Johore region, namely Gelang Patah, Kulai and Pulai with seven state assembly seats, namely Skudai, Nusajaya, Pengkalan Rinting, Kempas, Senai, Bukit Batu and Bukit Permai. Objective One of the Battle of Gelang Patah is to win for Pakatan Rakyat the six Parliamentary and 13 State Assembly seats in South Johore, for if we cannot achieve this objective, the chances of Pakatan Rakyat winning the 13GE to form the new Federal Government would be a very slim one. The Second Objective of the Battle of Gelang Patah is the challenge to Pakatan Rakyat on a state-wide basis in Johore in 13GE. If we can create a political tsunami to set off from Johore, then Pakatan Rakyat should aim to target 19 Parliamentary seats and 30 State Assembly seats. The 19 Parliamentary seats are the 12 first-tier constituencies of Johor Bahru, Pasir Gudang, Tebrau, Pulai, Gelang Patah, Kulai, Tanjong Piai, Kluang, Batu Pahat, Bakri, Labis and Segamat and the seven second-tier seats of Sekijang, Ledang, Muar, Ayer Hitam, Sri Gading, Simpang Rengam and Sembrong. For the 30 State Assembly seats in Johor, the Battle of Gelang Patah should target the 23 first-tier seats of Stulang, Tanjong Puteri, Johor Jaya, Permas, Puteri Wangsa, Tiram, Pengkalan Rinting, Kempas, Skudai, Nusajaya, Senai, Bukit Batu, Bukit Permai, Pekan Nenas, Mengkibol, Penggaram, Bentayam, Sungai Abong, Bekok and Jementah. There are seven second-tier winnable seats, viz: Mahkota, Layang-Layang, Parit Yaani, Maharani, Gambir, Tenang and Pemanis. The future not only of Johore but also Malaysia is in the hands of the voters of Johore in the 13GE.
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| "Watermelon" and "Sympathizer" Effect Posted: 29 Mar 2013 12:10 PM PDT In politics, you never appear weak if you are indeed weak Original text by Tay Tian Yan, Asst. Chief Editor, SinChew Daily Something to test your intelligence: Najib said that if Barisan National wins only by a narrow margin in the coming election he may lose his job. That being, his job as the Prime Minister. Do you believe him? Similarly, Lim Kit Siang said that Pakatan Rakyat will win in 7 states, 5 that they won in the past election, plus Perlis and Negeri Sembilan. Do you believe him? As for me, I remain reserved on these 2 statements. Uncle Lim's declaration on winning the 7 states may stem from his overconfidence, but it could as well be the tool used to boost confidence. In politics, you never appear weak if you are indeed weak; instead, you should boast to appear 'more beefed'. If you have only 3,000 troops, you should create an illusion to let others think that you have 30,000 under your command. Many voters suffer from the so-called 'watermelon effect'. When one watermelon is cut into two and are asked to pick only one, they tend to pick the halve that seems bigger. This reaction can be viewed as 'steering towards feeling safer'. This is especially apparent among non-die-hard voters and swing voters who have yet to make up their minds, they tend vote for the party that seems more likely to win, but not the ones deemed 'yang akan kalah'. If PR appears to be losing 'gas' even before the election starts, then surely they are doomed right from the beginning. It may be more tactically sound for PR to actually concentrate their resources on the states they currently control. They should put their star candidates and election resources to defend their strongholds instead of fighting the wars of unknown winning-chances. Penang and Kelantan are PR's strongholds. They need to put a steadfast defense in Selangor and Kedah, and they have to recapture Perak. PR may as well be already exhausted to achieve their goals in the above 5 states as they have used up considerable amount of resources and manpower there. They may expect certain rewards in Johor, Sabah, and Sarawak; but their hopes in Perlis and NS should remain doubtful. Should PR decide that they want to go all-out, there is a possibility that they leave their strongholds unguarded and the consequences may be harmful. As the party in power, BN, despite having the advantage, should remain low-profile. If they hit too hard they risk provoking antipathy among the voters (remember how the voters treated Abdulah Badawi 5 years ago?) Hence, if BN insists that they will win handsomely in the coming election, the swing voters may think of voting for PR to 'balance' the situation since BN is going to win anyway. This thought, at first sown in individual minds, may gradually grow to be a collective trend that leaves unforeseeable impacts. This is the reason Najib does not want to appear too aggressive. He has tied his personal political goals with the nation's economy and politics transformation in hope to convince the voters to let him stay for at least one more term to finish what he started. Furthermore, he has announced that, if he does not win marginally, he may lose his job. It seems to me he is trying to harness the 'sympathizers' votes. All in all, with his personal image and political achievement, Najib still has the chance to fight for more votes. And now may yet be his best time to further foster his relationship with the Rakyat.
郑丁贤‧西瓜和悲情效应 考一考大家的眼光： 纳吉说，如果国阵只是险胜，他可能会失去工作。所谓的工作，当然是首相的位子。 问题是，你相信吗？ 同样的，林吉祥说，民联可以赢得7个州政权；就是上届赢的5州，再加上玻璃市和森美兰。 你相信吗？ 这两者，我都保留。 林伯伯声称可以拿下7州，或许出自他过人的信心，然而，更可能只是一种信心喊话。 政治上，如果形势比人弱，千万不能漏馅，而必须把自己催谷得又肥又壮，兵马只有3千，也要制造假象，让人以为兵马3万。 多数选民有所谓的"西瓜效应＂，就是西瓜切开来，当然是挑大边的，那是寻求一种安全感。 特别是中间选民，以及游离选民，他们往往倾向于更有机会获胜的政党，而不是投给一个没有胜算的政党。 如果民联开战前，就已经泄气，那就没有甚么大戏可以唱了。 在实际策略上，或许民联领导人应该把资源集中在现有执政的州属，把最有胜算的候选人，以及竞选资源和机器，用在捍卫本身的大后方，而不是用于自己没有把握的战场。 民联的堡垒是槟城和吉兰丹；它要坚守的是雪兰莪和吉打，另外要收复的是霹雳。 要捍卫这5个州属，已经让它陷入苦战，资源和人力都不足。 至于玻璃市和森美兰，恐怕已经力有不逮；至于柔佛、沙巴和砂拉越，只能期望能有若干斩获，取得一些突破。 一旦民联走得太远，去得太尽，只怕大后方空洞化，反而出现危机。 至于国阵，作为执政党，它拥有较大的优势，反而要采取低姿态的策略。 太过强势的出击，会引起选民的反感，这是5年前许多大马选民留给阿都拉的一个注脚。 如果国阵强调它会大胜，那么，中间和游离选民会认为，既然国阵如此稳固，不如把票投给民联，制造平衡效果。 一旦这种个别想法累积成为集体心理，就会造成意想不到的冲击。 纳吉不敢表现太强势，他把自己的政治前途，和经济转型和政治转型挂勾，要说服选民给他至少多一个任期，让他完成工作。 而且，他声称如果战绩不佳，赢得不多，还会"工作不保＂。 这就有点悲情牌的味道了。 毕竟，阿吉哥凭个人形象和政绩，还可以争取选票，这是向人民博感情的时候。
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| Posted: 28 Mar 2013 10:03 PM PDT
The most popular comment from these people is that the Malays and Indians should wake up. What do they mean by wake up? Do they think that the Malays and Indians are still sleeping? In what way are the Malays and Indians still sleeping? THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin It's very funny to see those Bible-thumpers and Qur'an-screamers jump when you touch their raw nerve. They will rant and rave about God's work, principles, sacrifices, noble causes, community service, and all that bullshit. Then, when you corner them with hard facts, as opposed to mere rhetoric, they will accuse you of hitting below the belt. One favourite of mine are those who challenge me to return to Malaysia if I dare. And if I don't dare then I should 'stop talking'. That is very laughable considering the challenge comes from those who throw this challenge using fictitious names and false e-mail addresses. They don't dare reveal their true identity and yet they call others a coward. And some of these people do not even live in Malaysia but post comments from another country. Isn't that extremely funny and very typical of the Malaysian mindset? These are the same people who lament about the poor but will refuse to donate even one Sen to the poor. They would even throw their own parents into an old folks' home if they could do that free-of-charge and did not have to pay a single Sen towards the cost. It is all talk and no action. What about those who say that we must change the government because there is no freedom of speech in Malaysia and that we are denied our right to criticise the government? But when you criticise the opposition, these same people will scream and call you all sorts of nasty names. When someone -- say from MCA, MIC or Gerakan -- says something in support of Barisan Nasional, they will call this person an Umno dog or prostitute. But what happens if you say something in support of Pakatan Rakyat? Are you an Anwar Ibrahim dog or prostitute? No, of course, you are not. But then why? Then there are those who say that the NEP is unjust and discriminatory and they will raise the issue of education as the best example of why the NEP should be abolished. And when we write about how important education is to the non-Malays, they will scream and say that we know nothing about the mindset and priorities of the non-Malays and should, therefore, not be commenting about that matter. Last week I wrote in support of the NEP and I related the story of my work in the Rotary Club of Kuala Terengganu to emphasis the point as to why we still need the NEP. I expected the non-Malays to call me a racist pig, which they did. Then, this week, I write about why the Chinese are angry with the NEP. And I used the issue of education to support my argument. And do you know what happened? The same people who screamed discrimination and argued that the NEP is denying deserving Chinese students a place in the universities turned around and said I know nothing about what the Chinese want. But I thought the argument was that the NEP is discriminatory and that Chinese students are being denied a place in the universities because of the quota system? That's what you said and that was what I also said. So what is there to not understand about the Chinese mindset and priorities? The most popular comment from these people is that the Malays and Indians should wake up. What do they mean by wake up? Do they think that the Malays and Indians are still sleeping? In what way are the Malays and Indians still sleeping? When they say that the Malays and Indians are still sleeping they mean that 90% of the Malays and Indians are not supporting the opposition like the Chinese are. Only 50% of the Malays and Indians support the opposition. Hence the Malays and Indians are still sleeping. Hence 'sleeping' means you do not support the opposition while 'wake up' means you support the opposition. And it must be 90% to be considered 'woken up'. Only 50% means you are still sleeping. In the UK, only 35% of the voters support the ruling party while 35% support the opposition. And the balance 30% support neither -- they support the 'third force', LibDem. So what would you say about this? Which group has woken up and which group is still sleeping? And what do you call the 30% who support neither? They have not 'woken up' nor are they 'still sleeping'. What label shall we give them then, the 30% LibDem supporters? Actually, it is bad to have 90% of the voters vote for one party. Prior to the 2008 general election I used to talk about a two-party system. In my talks during the pre-election rallies (ceramah) I still talked about a two-party system. And I pleaded with the voters to vote for Pakatan Rakyat so that we can see a two-party system in Malaysia. And we saw that happen in 2008 when about half the voters voted for the opposition and Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament plus five states. So now it is time to bring it up to the next level. This coming election we may see a 'photo-finish'. Some say we may even see a hung parliament. If that is true then it is time to move up to the next level, like here in the UK. No longer can we just talk about a two-party system, like what the UK (and the US for that matter) had for so long. The UK is moving toward a three-party system. And if you think that this was a flash-in-the-pan, in the latest Eastleigh by-election on 1st March 2013, LibDem won that seat. Hence the support for LibDem is still there in spite of what many may say. See: The Liberal Democrats have won the Eastleigh by-election, with the UK Independence Party pushing the Conservatives into third place (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21625726). To the Pakatan Rakyat supporters I can only say that you are your own worst enemy. Your mouth moves faster than your brain. You think you are clever but in reality you are quite dumb. You open your mouth without thinking and do more damage to your cause than Barisan Nasional, Umno, TV3, Utusan Malaysia, etc., can ever do. And you only have yourself to blame for the thrashing you are going to receive in the coming general election. And do you know what my greatest fear is? My greatest fear is that most of the Chinese seats will fall to the opposition while most of the Malay seats will go to Barisan Nasional. Then we are going to see a Chinese opposition versus a Malay ruling party. And do I need to explain why such a thing is bad for Malaysia? Go figure that one out for yourself. | ||||||
| Divisions back Wan Azizah to contest in S’gor Posted: 28 Mar 2013 08:56 PM PDT A division chief says the arrival of the PKR chief in Selangor will unite the party in the face of a strong BN challenge. Leven Woon, FMT Selangor PKR grassroots leaders have responded positively to party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's intention of contesting a state seat here, with six PKR division chiefs expected to hold a joint press conference tomorrow in support of her. A source told FMT today, the division heads of Klang, Kapar, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat, Hulu Selangor and Sungai Besar would meet tomorrow in Klang to show their support for Wan Azizah. He said the grassroots leaders opined that Wan Azizah's arrival would raise party members' morale and enhance unity in the face of a crucial general election battle. He said some division chiefs have offered Wan Azizah the seats of Sementa or Pelabuhan Klang to contest. PKR lost control of Pelabuhan Klang following the defection of its elected assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah to Umno in 2010. Whereas in Sementa, the PKR candidate did not show up on the nomination day in 2008 GE, making BN the winner of the seat by default. "Both seats are made up of Malay majority voters. We need a party heavyweight like Wan Azizah to convince them to vote for Pakatan," he said. There were also talks that Wan Azizah would stand in one of the state seats in the Shah Alam parliamentary constituency. News about Wan Azizah's return to active politics surfaced after she said she was eligible to contest in a state seat when asked yesterday. New Straits Times reported that the wife of Anwar Ibrahim may be eyeing the Selangor Menteri Besar post. Originally elected as Permatang Pauh parliamentarian in the 2008 general election, Wan Azizah resigned a few months later to make way for her husband's return to politics. Following that, she has been banned from contesting any parliamentary seats for five years.
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| Anwar’s hidden agenda in Sabah? Posted: 28 Mar 2013 08:40 PM PDT Why is Anwar Ibrahim insisting that Pakatan Rakyat contest in both state and parliament seats when the coalition had made known that it cannot win Sabah? (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim's abrupt dismissal of local parties in the coalition's bid to "push BN out of power" in Sabah in the coming general election has left many unanswered questions. Local opposition Sabah Progressive Peoples Party (SAPP) for one is puzzled since DAP national advisor Lim Kit Siang had not too long ago said that the coalition did not expect to win in Sabah. "(So) if Pakatan do not expect to win in Sabah as mentioned by Lim Kit Siang then why are they obstructing Sabah parties such as SAPP from fighting for state rights? "Are they having some hidden agenda which is more important than toppling BN in Sabah?" asked SAPP secretary-general Richard Yong. Yong also recalled that Pakatan had already made known that they had a good chance of retaining Penang, Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah and winning Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Perlis. With so much going for Pakatan in Peninsula, Yong thinks its "over-confidence" that is driving Pakatan's decision to single-handedly take on the mighty Barisan Nasional. "They hold themselves so high that therefore there is no need for cooperation from Sabah parties to campaign against the Barisan Nasional. "They have ignored the people's aspiration for the opposition to go one-to-one against the BN at the coming elections," he said. Anwar had earlier this week said that the coalition will not engage in any more talk with local parties and will focus on solidifying its agenda in Sabah together with its newfound allies Pertubuhan Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPPS) and Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS). Both PPPS and APS are not registered parties and their candidates will be fielded under PKR, PAS or DAP. PPPS is led by BN defectors Laim Ukin (Beaufort MP ) and Wilfred Bumburing (Tuaran MP). Both were tasked by Anwar to 'draw-in' the Muslim and Kadazandusun voters respectively. He obviously now believes that this is a done deal. The decision had sidelined SAPP and the Sabah chapter of the State Reform Party (STAR). Both parties, like everyone else, had hoped to see a straight fights in majority of the seats in the coming election.
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| What's good for the goose is good for the gander (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) Posted: 28 Mar 2013 06:31 PM PDT
So you, just like Marina, must take the blame for what your parents did. And because your parents are guilty of the state the country is in, you, just like Marina, have lost the right to speak. Marina must not speak since her father is to be blamed for what happened to Malaysia. You, too, must therefore not speak because your parents are to be blamed for what happened to Malaysia. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Yesterday, a friend from Malaysia phoned me and was very upset with the comments posted in Malaysia Today, in particular those that whacked me. I told him not to worry about it because, measured over any 30-day period, Malaysia Today has more than 700,000 unique readers. So 100-200 nasty comments is not a reflection of the majority view. I get more private e-mails and messages of support compared to those nasty comments posted in the Internet. And those comments posted in Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, Free Malaysia Today, and so on, are mostly duplicates. They are the same people posting all over the place. These are trolls who will post negative comments never mind what you say. It is not the issue that they address but the person that they whack. I have also detected many comments from the same person but posted under different names and e-mail addresses but their IP addresses are the same. This gives an impression of many people commenting but actually they are the same person commenting many times under different identities. These are what we would call hecklers. You see them at football games as well. They will also heckle the players because of their race/ethnicity rather than because of the way they play football. And most of these hecklers would not be able to score a goal even if their life depended on it. Yet they heckle others as if they are great footballers themselves. And most of these hecklers are people with very low intellectuality. Because of their inability to engage in an intellectual discourse they resort to heckling. For example, they will also heckle Marina Mahathir even when she makes a very sensible statement just because she is the daughter or Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. In fact, what Marina says is what many in the opposition are also saying. And she even attended the Bersih march, mind you. But even if Marina said we need more freedom of religion (which means Muslims can leave Islam if they so wish) and the rights of LBGTs should be protected (which means we should allow gay marriages) they will still whack her not because they don't agree with what she says but because she is the daughter of Dr Mahathir. If you should be whacked for what your parents did then no one should be spared a whacking. Remember what happened in the 2004 general election? That was the year that Barisan Nasional made history in the 11th General Election. And who was it that gave Barisan Nasional this most impressive victory? Many of you will say, "That was not me. That was my parents. My parents voted for Barisan Nasional, as they did in 1999, 1995, 1990 and so on." In fact, in 1995, even the 'giants' of DAP lost the election. Do you remember that? "That was not me, that was my parents." Well, Marina gets whacked because of what her father did. You disparage her and vilify her because she is the daughter of Tun Dr Mahathir. Hence when I disparage and vilify you for what your parents did in 2004, 1999, 1995 and 1990, am I wrong? And if not because of your parents Dr Mahathir would not have been in power for 22 years and Umno for 56 years. So you, just like Marina, must take the blame for what your parents did. And because your parents are guilty of the state the country is in, you, just like Marina, have lost the right to speak. Marina must not speak since her father is to be blamed for what happened to Malaysia. You, too, must therefore not speak because your parents are to be blamed for what happened to Malaysia. Why do you resent me calling the Chinese and Indians bodoh for voting for Barisan Nasional all those many years? It may be your parents who did this. However, just like Marina needs to be disparaged and vilified for what her father did, then so should you. That is called 'one standard for all', not one standard for you and a different standard for others. Another issue that these people raise is regarding my financial backers. They want to know who is financing Malaysia Today. If you want to know because you want to contribute to paying the cost of running Malaysia Today then I shall be very happy to sit down with you to discuss this matter. I will certainly show you my P&L and Balance Sheet. I start work at about 5.00am every day. Those who contact me at around lunchtime Malaysian time know this. Those who have visited me in Manchester and have spent the night in my house also know this. Mat Sabu of PAS can in fact confirm this as can those others who have stayed at my house. I normally do not stop work until after lunchtime (dinnertime Malaysian time) and I continue for another couple of hours at teatime and maybe 3-4 hours after dinnertime. In all, I spend about 10-12 hours a day on Malaysia Today, seven days a week, 365 days a year, holidays included. All in all, I spend 3,600-4,300 hours a year doing work for Malaysia Today. Let's average it at 4,000 hours a year. At the minimum wage of £6 an hour, that comes to £24,000 or RM120,000 a year. And that is minimum wage, mind you. If I were an editor of a commercial website I would receive much more than that. Nevertheless, £24,000 a year is what I would also get if I worked 8-10 hours a day as a chef in a restaurant here in the UK. Then we need three technical people on 24 hours standby at three shifts. And we need these people because Malaysia Today is constantly under DDOS attack. Even as you read this we are being subjected to attacks. In fact, we have been under attack this entire month, the worse being this week. Further to that, we need to pay for hosting and bandwidth. And our bandwidth is very high, mind you, and that is why we are still up and running when many other sites are down due to the traffic being too high. Hence we need to pay at least RM20,000 a month or RM240,000 a year just to keep Malaysia Today running. With my minimum wage included that comes to a total of RM360,000 a year or RM30,000 a month. Now, if you are concerned about the finances of Malaysia Today and the reason you want to know who is financing Malaysia Today is because of this concern, I will be very happy to sit down with you to discuss our financial needs. I will also allow you to see all the bills we have been paying over the last nine years since August 2004. I have all the documents to show you. But take note, though, even if you send me RM30,000 every month that still does not mean you can control me or dictate what goes into Malaysia Today. Back in 2010, Anwar Ibrahim met me in London and gave me £1,000 cash. But I still whacked him. Anwar then asked for my bank account and promised that someone from London is going to send me £1,000 every month. I gave him my bank account details and the first payment did come in. However, I still whacked him so they stopped sending me money after that. Hence, even if you send me money that does mean I will do what you want me to do, as Anwar discovered. And you can ask Anwar about this because I have bank statements showing this money coming in -- plus, when he gave me the first £1,000 cash in 2010 during a meeting with Friends of Pakatan Rakyat, more than a dozen people saw Anwar pulling me aside before the meeting started to hand me the money. Yet I still whacked him in that meeting. After saying all that, I also wish to declare that there is one person I have never met, a Chinese chap who is a Pakatan Rakyat supporter, who is sending me RM3,000 every month. And he has been doing so since the last couple of years. To this unknown person I am very grateful. And I know he is Chinese and a Pakatan Rakyat supporter because he got in touch with one of our chaps in Malaysia (through my introduction) to discuss what more he could do to help Pakatan Rakyat win the coming general election. He also offered to carry the cost of whatever it is they needed to do. He does not ask so many stupid questions like many of you do. He just asks what he can do to help and how much he needs to pay to see Pakatan Rakyat succeed in the elections. I am yet to meet this person face-to-face though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
对母鹅有好处的，也将对公鹅有好处。 你，就如玛丽娜，要为你父母担罪。你的父母是促使国家变成现在这样的元凶，你因而丧失了发言的权利。玛丽娜因她父亲对马来西亚的作为而必须闭嘴，你现在也应该闭嘴，因为是你的父母把马来西亚逼成这个样子。
原文：Raja Petra Kamarudin 我昨天接到一个从马来西亚打来的电话，在电话里我的朋友对MT里边的读者言论(尤其是针对我的攻击)感到生气。我告诉他其实他大可不必担心，因为现在MT每30天大约会有70万的来访者，所以区区100-200个留言并不代表大众的看法。 我也收到很多支持我的电邮和短信。而那些在Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, Free Malaysia Today 等的留言大都是重复的。他们都是同一个人在不同网站写下同样的留言。 无论你的论点是什么，这群白烂永远只会留下负面留言。他们不是针对课题，更多是针对个人作出攻击。 我也查觉到，很多留言都出自同一个人 (同一个IP)，但他们都用不同的名字和邮箱。他们要其他人认为是不同的人在留言，但其实都是同一个人多次以不同人名来留言。 我把这些人统称为'刁难者'；他们也经常出现在足球赛，他们会因足球员的肤色而非技术来刁难辱骂足球员。这些刁难员就连进个球的功夫也没有，但他们会以为自己是球王比利般来刁难别人。这些一般都是低知识的一群，正因他们不大有知识，不能进行理性探讨，所以以语言刁难为己长。 我举个例子，他们会不停的刁难玛丽娜，即使她提出很有道理的理论，就只因为她是马哈迪的女儿。事实上，很多时候玛丽娜讲的东西正是反对党所提倡的，她甚至参与Bersih游行。虽然玛丽娜致力提倡宗教自由(包括穆斯林可以离教)和保护LBGT权益(即合法化同性恋结婚)，他们还是不停的臭骂骚扰她，就因为她是马哈迪女儿。 如果说一个人应该为他父母所作的事情而被辱骂的话，那我们所有人将无一幸免。记得2004大选吗？国阵在那年取得了空前的大胜，那请问，是谁让国阵大胜的？ 你们当中会有很多人说："那不是我，那是我父母。他们在1999，1995，1990。。。。时投给国阵的。" 在1995年，就连行动党巨人林吉祥也惨败，你还记得吗？"那不是我，那是我父母" 现在，玛丽娜因她父亲干的事情而被你臭骂。你侮辱和丑化她，因为她是马哈迪的女儿。 所以，我要因你们父母在2004，1999，1995，1990作的事情而侮辱和丑化你，因为如果不是他们的话马哈迪就不会掌权22年，巫统就不会掌权56年。 你，就如玛丽娜，要为你父母担罪。你的父母是促使国家变成现在这样的元凶，你因而丧失了发言的权利。玛丽娜因她父亲对马来西亚的作为而必须闭嘴，你现在也应该闭嘴，因为是你的父母把马来西亚逼成这个样子。 为什么你这么讨厌我因华人和印度人投票给国阵而称他们为蠢蛋呢？你的父母可能是他们当中一员。现在，正如玛丽娜因为她父亲的作为而必须承受侮辱和丑化，你也一样。这就是'一视同仁'。 另外一个课题就是这些刁难者质疑我的金钱来源。他们要知道是谁在支撑着MT。如果你要打开钱包资助MT的日常费用的话，我将会很高兴的和你坐下细谈。我一定会把帐目摊开给你看。 我每天早上5点开始工作，那些在马来西亚午饭时间联络我的人就会知道。那些曾在曼杰斯特探望我和在我家过夜的人都应该知道。伊斯兰党的Mat Sabu 就可以作证。 我通常会一直做到午饭时间(即大马晚饭时间)，然后会多做1-2小时到下午茶时间，有时在晚饭后我会做个3-4小时。亦即说，我一天大概花10-12小时在MT上，一年365天全年无休(假期在内)。算起来，我一年就有3600-4300小时花在MT上。 让我们拿4000小时这个平均，英国最低时新为6英镑。所以一年是2万4千镑(约12万马币)。请记得那是最低时薪；如果我是一家公司的编辑的话，我肯定会比那赚得多。无论如何，2万4在英国大约是一个厨师的年薪吧。 然后，我们需要3个技术员，分3个班段24小时工作。MT经常会遭到DDOS攻击。就你读到这边时，我们正是被攻击中。我们这整个月都被攻击，尤以这个星期最为糟糕。 再者，我们必须付宽频与托管费。你应该很了解，我们的频率是很高的,这就是为什么即使我们有很高的探访率我们的网页也能正常操作。 所以说，我们每月至少需要2万马币(每年24万)来经营MT。如果加入我自己的最低薪水的话，那就至少得3万。 所以说，如果你对MT的财政深感关心而想要知道是谁在支撑MT的话，我将会很高兴得和你坐下来详谈我们的财政需求。我会让你看到过去九年（从2004年8月起）的所有帐单。 但是请注意，即使你每个月给我3万块钱，这也不代表你能够支配我和控制MT的操作所发表的文章。在2010年，安华在伦敦和我会面，给了我1000英镑，而我还是狠狠地干屌他。 过后，安华跟我拿了我的银行账号，答应我说每个月会有人把1000英镑打给我。我当时给了他，然后真的有人寄1000镑给我。但我还是继续的在骂他，然后他们就停止寄钱给我了。 所以说，你给了我钱以后并不代表你可以叫我做事情，安华他就明白这一点。你也可以跟安华问个明白，我还保留着银行的单子，而且，2010年他给我钱的时候是在'Friends of Pakatan Rakyat'的会议中。有很多证人看到他把我拉到了一旁，把钱塞给我。但，我还是在同一个会议里干屌他。 讲了这么多以后，我在这边要宣布，有一个华人（我不懂他是谁）每个月会寄3000马币。我对他心存感激。 我知道他是个民联支持者，因为他曾和我的'团员'在马来西亚碰面（经我介绍的），而当时他问到有什么方法可以令民联在来届大选胜出。他也表示他愿意承担任何代价，只要民联能胜出的话。 他并没有像你们一样问太多愚蠢的问题。他只是问他应该怎么帮忙，和他应该付多少钱来帮助民联。而我到现在为止还没有和他碰过面。 | ||||||
| Keeping faith with Hindraf and Waytha Moorthy Posted: 28 Mar 2013 04:43 PM PDT Dr. Lim Teck Ghee, CPI Three days ago (27 March), together with a colleague, I visited P. Waytha Moorthy who is presently in the 20th day of his hunger (viratham) strike aimed at pricking the conscience of the nation on the plight of the Indian poor and marginalized. A small group of supporters were also there early that morning, including some who had made the long trek from Kedah to express their support for him and the Hindraf struggle. I noticed that many thousands of mainly Indian supporters had signed the guest book (of supporters visiting him) and was glad to add my name to the list, late though I was in my visit. He was in a frail and weakened condition when he received us. This was to be expected as he has been struggling with various longstanding health problems even prior to undertaking the hunger strike. Abstention from food for such a long period would take a heavy toll on the wellbeing of even a person in the best of health. It seemed to me on that day that he was dangerously close to, if not already, exceeding the limits of human endurance in the prolonged fast. However his spirit was undiminished and his mental faculties were as sharp as ever. We had a fruitful conversation on the importance of Hindraf's struggle for not only Indians but the whole country. I emerged from the meeting with even stronger feelings of admiration for his steely determination to stay the course in his pursuit of equality, human rights and justice for his community – a cause applicable to all small minorities in the country whose futures and fates are of little or no interest to Umno and its coterie of entrenched business and other elite groups that have cornered most of our nation's wealth and power. I had not intended to write about my meeting with him as it was meant to be an act of private solidarity. However, I am impelled to write about it now for two reasons.
Hindraf and its supporters had been the first civil society organization to openly challenge and fight the odious scourge of racism. It is a struggle in which Hindraf and Waytha have stood apart from the rest of the country in not mincing words and in their readiness to stand for their principles and rights, and if necessary even to endure cracked skulls and spilled blood. Unfortunately most Malaysians have a short or incomplete memory when it comes to recognition of the individuals and groups that have sacrificed much to ensure a better country for all of us. Our political amnesia stems from several causes. Some are externally induced such as the official and mainstream mass media and other collaborationist-inclined interest groups ignoring or obliterating the facts on key and sensitive events and issues. Others are internally generated and arise from a culture of cynicism and disbelief in the nobility or goodness of others, and in the promotion of the self as a better being than others. Hindraf has fallen foul not only of the official and BN propaganda machine but it has also now been demonized in the alternative internet media by cynics who feel that Hindraf's call to the political parties to support its blueprint – as a pre-condition for its political support in the coming elections – is a betrayal of the reform movement. To Malaysians prone to or suffering from political amnesia on the meaning and importance of the Hindraf struggle for a truly democratic country, I hope you can visit the Hindraf website ( http://www.hindraf.org/news-statements/927-13-0307-01.html) and spend some time browsing it before you write off the movement. If surfing is not your inclination, at least let us be reminded of what Hindraf and its leaders have had to endure as narrated in this recent piece of writing of Waytha:
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| Posted: 28 Mar 2013 04:38 PM PDT KTemoc Konsiders For me, a DAP supporter (though not a member), two troubling questions have kept popping up about my favoured political party. But before I delve into those two vexing queries, let me explain why I have for years supported and today am still supporting the DAP, considering I came from a family in Ayer Itam who originally supported MCA and then (from 1969 until 2004) supported Lim Chong Eu's (not Lim KY's or Koh TK's) Gerakan.  For an Ayer Itam Chinese family, as for many Penang Chinese and Indian families, we support DAP because it has been the voice of those who saw/see themselves as the marginalized, disenfranchised, and (thus) aggrieved. Yes, some Chinese in Malaysia have become extremely rich under the Perikatan-BN government, while many (being typical overseas Chinese) just got on with their livelihood and lives, even comfortably, though quite a few (the unseen) scrapped by day after day. The general fact is that there's no chronic poverty for the Chinese in Malaya (I'm going to restrict my comments to the Peninsula); please read my qualification in the word 'general' which means there have been a few cases of utter poverty as in the case of 2 fallen by the wayside but we cannot deny these were the exceptions.
On my assertion that in general there is no chronic poverty in Malaysia (or at least Peninsula Malaysia) I have no doubt some Indians would disagree most vociferously. I accept their arguments, though I have attempted to trace the cause behind the rather stark difference in the fate of Chinese and Indian Malaysians in general, in an earlier post Marginalization of Indians - the true story. When I wrote that post, I believe I was in many ways influenced by an essay I read as an HSC student, one written by (I think, 'twas years ago) Dr Ramakrishnan on the difference between Chinese and Indian attitudes, in which he epitomised the former as adhering to the Confucian advice of 'revering the gods but keeping them at a distance' while he lamented that in every aspects of an Indian life, religion (and its sanctified caste system) was deeply entrenched, and full of obstructing 'sacred cows'. Anyway, overseas Chinese have been required by survival to be pragmatic. In fact pragmatism would by necessity have to be a fundamental overseas Chinese doctrine. Thus some Chinese (and indeed some Indians) seeing the DAP as the voice of the marginalized, disenfranchised and aggrieved, while at the same time wishing to remain pragmatic, came up with what has jokingly been referred to as the 'Penang Strategy', that of electing and sending DAP MPs to Parliament to 'make mucho noise' for their rights on education and associated issues such as schools, scholarships, recognition of degrees, etc, while electing BN ADUNs wakakaka for Penang's economic and infrastructural development. In other words, continue with the daily necessity of '3 bowls of rice' while hoping for the best possible outcome in educational opportunities, for as I have so often written, education has been a central pillar of Chinese culture for thousands of years. Hmmm, I wonder where in Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs would the Chinese obsession for good standard and higher education be placed, as opposed to sex addiction, wakakaka.
Thus until the 2008 political tsunami, just as an example, courageous Khalsa warrior, Bhai Karpal Singh (more popularly known as the Lion of Gelugor or in earlier times, the Tiger of Jelutong) and equally courageous Uncle Lim would be sent off to Parliament to raise hell over rights and governance issues because MCA, MIC and Gerakan parliamentarians would be obsequiously dumb, while despised Koh Tsu Koon continued to be elected as an ADUN in the expectation of him becoming Penang's CM, at least in name, for Penang's domestic developments. Some UMNO hotheads in Penang had from time to time demanded the CM post for an UMNO man because it was the BN party with the most number of ADUNs in Penang (but only because it had cleverly 'divided & conquered' MCA and Gerakan). But Putrajaya (and before that, KL) knew the appointment of an UMNO man as CM would undoubtedly alienate the Chinese voters as well as MCA and Gerakan in Penang to an extent the two Chinese based parties - and let's not pretend Gerakan is not 99.9% Chinese - might (a loud UMNO gasp here) combine to outnumber UMNO ADUNs just to ensure a Chinese is CM Penang.  A Chinese being CM Penang has never been an issue for UMNO but a combined MCA-Gerakan would be disastrous for its deeper strategy of keeping the two BN Chinese based parties divided and enervated, so as to continue being meek and compliant subordinates. Yes, UMNO don't fancy a MCA that's too strong, arrogant or/and defiant as it saw in Lim Chong Eu (when he was MCA president), Lee San Choon, Lee Kim Sai, Tan Koon Swan and Ong Tee Keat (the last may be embraced by a desperate Najib for GE-13, only because of his personal popularity in Pandan). The preferred type of Chinese partner UMNO love are people like Koh Tsu Koon and Liow 'my beloved PM' Tiong LIE, wakakaka. There was already an unwelcome precedent in Chinese political parties and NGOs converging in political thoughts and meeting at the Hainanese Association Building just beside the Thean Hou Temple in KL on 11 October 1987.
The meeting was organized by Dong Jiao Zong (the association of Chinese school teachers and trustees) to protest against a policy of UMNO Education Minister, a man by the name of Anwar Ibrahim wakakaka, for what they perceived as a surreptitious move to undermine vernacular education in his ministry's move to send about 100 non-Chinese educated principals to Chinese vernacular schools. As mentioned, because education has always been a central pillar of Chinese culture, all Chinese based parties in Malaysia then, namely, MCA and Gerakan and other Chinese based parties (SUPP?), and those dependent on Chinese support, DAP, had no choice but to participate in the Dong Jiao Zong organized meeting if they wished to survive politically. All in all, the attendance at that gathering was 2000 strong. Action saw Newtonian's reaction, with a young Najib as UMNO Youth Chief's voicing his jaguh-ness to bathe his keris with Chinese blood becoming today's political legend, much as he may wish to forget about it.
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| Photos show PKR leader in lewd act Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:57 PM PDT  (The Star) - KULIM: A PKR division leader in Kedah allegedly performed an indecent act while chatting with a woman online. Badan Bertindak Anti-Penyelewengan Kedah president Khairul Anuar Ramli said video grab photographs of the leader performing the act were posted on several blogs. He said the leader could have used a PKR office computer to chat with the woman as a party flag could be seen in the background. "We urge the leader to immediately deny this and initiate legal action against the bloggers if he is not the person in the video," Khairul said at a press conference here yesterday. "The Kedah Government should also investigate and take appropriate action as the leader holds a state-appointed position." Khairul also urged Kedah PKR chief Datuk Wan Salleh Wan Isa to explain if there was any truth to allegations that 15 divisions in the state had not received their RM10,000 allocation for last year. "We understand that the PKR headquarters had allocated RM10,000 to each of the divisions but the money had not reached them," he said. "Many of the division leaders claim they had to use their own money to carry out programmes and activities." Khairul also claimed that local PKR leaders were unhappy that party vice-president N. Surendran and secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution would be fielded as parachute candidates in Kedah in the general election. Khairul quit as Kedah PKR Youth chief after the general election. ************************************* PKR to investigate Kedah division leader's alleged online lewd act PKR will investigate allegations that a Kedah division leader supposedly performed an indecent act online. "If there is misconduct, then action will be taken. I have not seen it, but we'll have to investigate it," said PKR vice-president N Surendran. Several screen-capture images of the leader engaging in a solo sexual act were posted on various blogs. Some images show the man without his shirt on, while some clearly display a portion of the party flag in the background. There were also a few explicit images of the man handling his genitals. The Star previously reported that the man could have been using a PKR office computer to chat with a woman while performing the deed. Some of the images were collected and uploaded as a YouTube video. Previously, Badan Bertindak Anti-Penyelewengan Kedah challenged the alleged leader to deny performing the act.
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| Why Muslim Countries Will Always Remain Backward? Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:46 PM PDT
By Harold Rhode, FaithFreedom.org The Chinese, at behind-the-scenes conferences and discussions during the past few months, kept saying they were perplexed about the Muslim world's — particularly the Arab world's — inability to deal with the modern world. The Chinese and the Muslims, they repeated, had suffered the same humiliation and occupation by foreigners over the past two hundred years, but the Chinese and Muslim reactions to these experiences seem so completely different. "We also suffered," the Chinese said, "but now we control our destiny, and are doing everything we can to learn from these foreigners so that we can benefit from the modern world and ensure that we do not suffer this humiliation again. We Chinese 'look to the future.'" The Muslims, on the other hand, the Chinese stated, seem to have a different approach: Instead of looking to the future, they "are mired in the past," more concerned about taking revenge against those foreigners whom they believe had humiliated and oppressed them. It was because of this focus on the past, these Chinese intellectuals and leaders stated, that Arabs and Muslims were therefore unable to build societies which could participate in the modern world. "Revenge and victimhood," these Chinese argued, could permanently cause "the Arabs and Muslim world" to "remain behind the West and Asia." These Chinese, many of whom had spent considerable time in the Muslim world and had gone to the trouble of becoming fluent in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, asked why our Muslim friends are "obsessed" (their word) with portraying themselves as victims. Victimhood, they said, gets people nowhere; what was necessary was to remember the past but put it behind you so that you could deal with contemporary problems. The Chinese are practical: although they harbor deep resentment to what other cultures — specifically the Japanese — have done to them, they say that if they indulge in self-pity, they will never be able to improve their lot in this world. The Islamic culture, however — and Middle Eastern culture in general — is acutely concerned with righting perceived wrongs. The Shari'a, in fact, sees the role of the ruler as one who "commands good and eradicates evil" — meaning it is more important to "correct" past wrongs than to think about how to improve one's situation. First one must correct the evil, and only then may one concentrate on how to have a better life. Saddam Hussein and Bashar al-Assad have focused much of their time and money fighting their enemies rather than building their societies. The Americans, before they invaded Iraq, tried to negotiate with Saddam to find a way to stop him from developing weapons of mass destruction and intimidating his neighbors, but Saddam would not compromise. To do so, from his point of view, would have shamed him, a condition to be avoided at all costs. Bashar al-Assad now seems committed to doing the same. Fighting evil, in their eyes, is a never-ending battle: they cannot — nor can, for that matter, the Palestinians — put their past perceived wrongs behind them. They therefore cannot turn their attention to any future. Middle Eastern leaders might want to eliminate Israel, or hire engineers to build buildings, but anything more elaborate requires importing foreigners — mostly Westerners or Asians for building airports, highways, or whatever. The Chinese perspective, to quote the former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kwan Yew, is that, despite "everything we do for our Muslims, they continue to remain at the bottom of society" — poor, backward and uneducated. (Bernard Lewis, Notes on a Century…, pp. 245-246). Could it be, however, that the Chinese suffering from a similar problem, guaranteeing that they too could have difficulties competing with the Western world when it comes to innovation? In Chinese culture, one cannot question elders or people in position of authority about how and why they have come to a conclusion. In the West, we are encouraged to respect knowledge and position, but we are also encouraged to ask people how they have reached their conclusions. The Chinese are encouraged not to do so — both indirectly, by teaching their children from an early age blindly to accept authority. Here, the Chinese and the Muslims share the same view — so that neither culture enables the abilities of its people that could help to invent new products. The Chinese and some non-oil producing Muslim countries can copy Western inventions; the oil-rich countries import from the West whatever they need. Because the Chinese direct their energy towards the future, and rarely focus on past grievances, their approach possibly offers more hope for a better life, in which their people's standard of living increases, and China — from their point of view — takes what they regard as its rightful place on the world stage.
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| Pakatan undecided over Negeri MB candidate Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:41 PM PDT While the state PKR chief, Teluk Kemang MP Kamarul Baharin Abbas was touted to take the MB post, he says he has not been given "any hint" to contest in a state seat. Leven Woon, FMT Negeri Sembilan Pakatan Rakyat has not made up its mind on the menteri besar candidate should it take over the state in the next polls. The state opposition pact, having won 15 out of 36 seats in the 2008 general election, is a serious contender to Barisan Nasional as it only needs another four seats to form the state government. Various Pakatan Rakyat leaders such as DAP parliamentary chief Lim Kit Siang have expressed confidence that the Minangkabau state would fall into the hands of the opposition in the next polls. But notwithstanding the grand plan, the coalition of PKR, PAS and DAP have yet to discuss or outline the choice of menteri besar should they come into power. The state PKR chief and Teluk Kemang MP Kamarul Baharin Abbas, who was touted by the media to be a MB candidate, denied that he plans to contest a state seat to clinch the state top executive post. "There are always rumours," he told FMT. "No one has asked me to start working in any state seat, I personally have not been given the hint to work in any state seat." Asked whether he is interested in the post, Kamarul said he was contented with the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat. "I am not in a position to ask for anything more. I got one seat that I have to defend," he said. He said the state Pakatan has yet to discuss about the MB candidate because none of the coalition parties have its candidate list finalised by their respective national leaders at the moment. Kamarul is widely seen as a qualified MB material due to his seniority as the former PKR secretary-general and his corporate background. Besides, the state constitution requires a Malay Muslim to be the MB, thus eliminating DAP's 11 assemblypersons who are all non-Muslims and providing the second largest opposition party, PKR, a chance to get the post. PKR won four seats in 2008 while PAS has only one. DAP is expected to maintain its status quo in the coming polls by contesting 11 seats, while PKR will contest 13 and 12 seats. Sultan's decision When asked about the MB candidate, Negeri Sembilan PAS commissioner Mohd Taufek Abdul Gani said Pakatan has never discussed about the matter. He also said Kamarul was touted to be MB because he was always given the chance to chair the state Pakatan press conferences or meetings in respect of his seniority. He also said Pakatan should focus on winning the state first.
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| Gwo Burne on the chopping block? Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:15 PM PDT Sources say PKR will choose either Tan Yee Kew or Wong Chen for Kelana Jaya. Leven Woon, FMT PKR is set to drop Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne from its list of election candidates, according to insiders. A source at PKR headquarters told FMT today that the party was determined to present the best lineup of parliamentary candidates in Selangor to face a fierce Barisan Nasional challenge and Loh did not fit in because of his lacklustre performance as an MP. Loh rose to prominence in 2007 for capturing a video showing controversial lawyer VK Lingam in a telephone conversation that many believed was proof that he used his influence to manipulate judicial appointments. Loh was one of the surprise winners in the 2008 election. However, the PKR source said, opinion polls conducted by the party showed that his constituents were disappointed that he had not served them well. They had expected him to be vocal in Parliament, he added. "But what has he done in the past five years?" A PKR grassroots leader in Kelana Jaya said Loh had only "a 40% chance" of being re-nominated by his party. He said Loh "got very lucky" in 2008 but had not repaid those who voted for him by adequately representing them. "Basically, his contribution stopped with his exposure of the Lingam video," he added. "It's only recently that he started working very hard all of a sudden." Sources said PKR would choose between two candidates for Kelana Jaya—Wong Chen, who heads the party's Trade and Investment Bureau, and Tan Yee Kew, who defected from MCA in 2008 and now sits in the PKR central committee. "They each stand a 50-50 chance," said one source, adding that Wong had lately been meeting grassroots leaders in Kelana Jaya. Until 2008, Kelana Jaya was an MCA stronghold. Chinese voters there make up more than 40% of the electorate. Malays account for 39% and Indians 18%. Loh defeated MCA's Lee Hwa Beng by 5,031 votes in 2008. There are 22 parliament seats in Selangor. In 2008, PKR won eight seats and DAP took five and PAS four. The sources also said PKR would field new candidates for the Selangor seats that it failed to capture in 2008. These would include law scholar Abdul Aziz Bari for Sabak Bernam and party strategist Rafizi Ramli for Pandan. Khalid Jaafar, a long time associate of Anwar Ibrahim, is expected to contest in Hulu Selangor, a seat that the party won in 2008 but lost to MIC's P Kamalanathan in a by-election in 2010.
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| I am eligible to contest, says Wan Azizah Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:13 PM PDT Speculations are rife that she will be fielded in either Shah Alam parliamentary or Sementa state constituencies. (FMT) - SHAH ALAM: PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who ruled herself out of contesting a parliamentary seat for five years from July 2008 said that she is now eligible to contest a state seat in the 13th general election. Wan Azizah had resigned as Permatang Pauh MP to give way to her husband Anwar Ibrahim's return to active politics. She said the matter had been discussed informally, but added that she was focusing more now on campaigning for the party. Wan Azizah was asked about talk that she would contest one of the state seats in the Shah Alam parliamentary constituency or the Sementa state seat in Selangor in the soon to be called general election. She had won the Permatang Pauh seat in Penang in the 2008 general election but resigned as the MP on July 31, 2008, to enable Anwar to contest and win the seat in a by-election on Aug 26 of that year. Wan Azizah spoke to reporters yesterday after handing over a Selangor government donation of RM20,000 to each of the families of the security forces personnel slain during the terrorist intrusion in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Earlier, Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim denied that the state legislative assembly had not been dissolved for elections thus far because certain quarters did not concur in the matter. It was a party strategy, he said after launching an application system at the Selangor Land and Mines Office. Last Tuesday, Abdul Khalid had announced that the Selangor legislative assembly would be dissolved on April 22. He had earlier said that the dissolution would be after the "Chap Goh Meh" celebration at the end of last February.
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| Chua still sulking over Kit Siang’s move? Posted: 28 Mar 2013 03:11 PM PDT Johor PKR legal bureau chief Jimmy Phuah says Chua Jui Meng was still Johor PKR chairman despite the overwhelming speculation that he would quit the post. (Bernama) - JOHOR BAHRU: Johor PKR chairman Chua Jui Meng was nowhere to be seen when DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang was announced as the opposition's candidate for Gelang Patah parliamentary seat at the DAP's 47th anniversary celebration in Skudai two weeks ago. Chua was said to be 'sulking' when his high hopes to contest for the seat in the 13th general election was crushed after Johor DAP decided to field its candidate in the constituency where Chinese community made the majority of voters. Since then, Chua seemed to have disappeared from Johor political spotlight, and hence strengthened the speculation that the former health minister was actually sulking and giving everyone the silent treatment. Media attempts to contact Chua also failed since the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim announced Lim's nomination. Johor PKR legal bureau chief Jimmy Phuah, when contacted by Bernama said Chua was still Johor PKR chairman despite the overwhelming speculation that he would give the post up as he was very upset with the decision. "He is away for a holiday and he will be around by next week. I'm not sure (whether Chua sulks), but he is still Johor PKR chairman and will definitely get back to work," he said. The PKR-DAP disputes over the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat had existed long before the announcement on Lim's nomination. The disputes had gotten out of control when Johor DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau also showed keen interest in contesting the seat. Since 1999, Gelang Patah parliamentary seat was contested by PKR's candidate and, before that, by Parti Rakyat Malaysia's candidate, in a fight against Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate. In the 2008 general election, BN's candidate Tan Ah Heng defeated PKR's candidate Dr Zaliha Mustafa with over 8,000-vote majority.
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The first is to call upon fellow Malaysians to rally around the Hindraf cause. If not because of their concern at the way the Indian poor have been marginalized and compassion for the hundreds of thousands of Indian poor families systematically excluded from access to the prerequisites of a decent livelihood, then at least in recognition of the courage of the movement.
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