Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

---

• Strengths and weaknesses of Selangor state government
• Perbalahan Team Wan Azizah & Azmin Makin Parah‏
• Mengupas hujah: some of the comments
• Melayu Mahukan Perubahan
• PRU 13 - The Rise Of ABIM & Mohd Nur Manuty
• PKR linked to US PR firm? Rafizi says ‘No’
• DAP’s blueprint for Indians is a copy of Hindraf’s
• ‘Growing discontent in PKR’
• Tun Daim : BN Will Win With A Bigger Majority
• GE13: Kedah DAP gives PKR ultimatum over additional state constituencies
• GE13: Fight for the Johor Baru parliamentary seat heats up
• GE13: Lim backs down from Teng's challenge
• Will Kula leave his comfort zone?
• GE13: Two hurt in fracas at DAP talk
• Muslim scholars aiding Manila on Sabah claim
• Assange appoints WikiLeaks Party campaign director for Senate bid
• ‘No one in Pakatan fit to be PM’
• ‘DAP’s Johor move to avoid internal conflict’
• Former PKR Official: Video Leaks Masterminded By Wan Azizah’s Camp
• ‘Pakatan planning reverse takeover of Sabah’
• SARSI?
• LRT job that’s messy, shoddy and unfriendly
• MCMC Investigates Yasin Regarding Interview With Radio Free Malaysia
• SWP in cahoots with Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim? Here’s my personal take on the matter.
• Parliament To Be Dissolved Tomorrow?
• Bilakah DAP akan diharamkan?
• A day late and dollar short sums up PKR’s civil service carrot
• Manifestos must tackle real issues
• Will Pakatan sweep KL clean?
• Reckoning for Pakatan in Klang - Pt 1
• From rags to riches
• Latheefa Koya blows her top
• Shared memories at the core
• Mengupas hujah
• Kedah DAP going alone if demands not met
• Calon Azizah strategi singkir MB?
• Kedah DAP upset with Anwar over Alor Star MP candidacy
• Don't take yourselves as victims: Daim
• Malaysian Opposition Politics for Dummies
• CheguBard mahu masuk UMNO…tolonglah pujuk dia‏
• Nalla subpoenas Karpal, Ummi and Azizan
• Bishop: What sort of justice is this?
• Mahfuz: BN rancang huru-hara 13 Mei?
• Perang dingin jawatan MB Selangor...
• GE13: DAP slams PKR for being ‘insensible’
• GE13: Wooing the fence-sitters
• Ustaz Rujhan revelations anger PAS
• Muhyiddin, the other Prime-Minister-in-Waiting
• Anwar, Who is Sabah CM?
• Sulu army gets reinforcements?

Strengths and weaknesses of Selangor state government Posted: 01 Apr 2013 07:14 PM PDT Therefore, even though some areas of Selangor has been highly urbanised, there might be changes to some voters' good feeling for Pakatan Rakyat due to livelihood problems. Whether Pakatan Rakyat can retain Selangor or not, it depends on the tug of war between livelihood problems and incorruptibility. Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily Former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin believes that the BN could retain Putrajaya while wrestling Selangor and Kedah from Pakatan Rakyat. As a resident of Selangor who has experienced both the BN and Pakatan Rakyat state administrations, I think I can express some views on it. The Pakatan Rakyat governance has its strengths and weaknesses. It is less corrupted, but at the same time, has too many livelihood problems. If the Pakatan Rakyat loses Selangor, I think the main reason is because the state and local governments have failed to solve livelihood problems. The BN lost Selangor in the 2008 general election because of corruption and other factors. On 6 December 2010, former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo was charged with graft. Winning Selangor was a pleasant surprise for Pakatan Rakyat and whether it can retain the state regime, it depends on the governance ability. Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was a businessman. He handles things methodically. I heard complaints from PKR members that Khalid did not give away contracts to his PKR compatriots. If Khalid was involved in corruption, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) would have taken actions against him. Instead, former MACC head Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan has issued an apology to Khalid for his statement claiming that the MACC had evidence to show that Khalid abused his powers over the maintenance of his personal car and over the purchase of 46 cows for a Hari Raya Aidiladha event for the Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary constituency. Incorruptibility is the greatest asset of Khalid to retain Selangor. However, I also heard that the Selangor state government is not business-friendly. Some said it is difficult to get approval for projects while some said that the state government has followed rules and regulations very strictly. It is hard to say who is more accurate but for sure, many livelihood problems have surfaced since Pakatan Rakyat took over the state. Whether it is because of political confrontation or because the BN and some officials have deliberately made things difficult or created problems, the people of Selangor did not seem to have living in an advanced state over the past five years. From the delayed collection of garbage, water supply disruption, the lack of road maintenance to floods, these issues have offset the state government's various people-friendly measures. The state government has taken over garbage management from Alam Flora to save over RM50 million a year. However, many garbage contractors have not collected garbage on time or have reduced the frequency of collection, causing problems to many Selangor residents. Water supply disruption is the most painful problem. The recent water shortage was even worse than the one in 1998. It is miserable for those affected to wait until after midnight for water tankers. It is either no water, or too much water. The problem of flood is also severe, causing great losses to affected residents. Kajang had suffered massive floods in 2011 and 2012, while Klang encountered the most serious flood in history in March 2012, stranding about 100,000 people. In February this year, many areas in Puchong had been flooded, turning roads into rivers while paralysing traffic. Therefore, even though some areas of Selangor has been highly urbanised, there might be changes to some voters' good feeling for Pakatan Rakyat due to livelihood problems. Whether Pakatan Rakyat can retain Selangor or not, it depends on the tug of war between livelihood problems and incorruptibility. In addition, Selangor state government governance is not particularly rosy. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is the economic adviser to the Selangor state government, should also be responsible. However, Pakatan Rakyat has an advantage, that is, Najib has not pronounced the BN's candidate for the state Menteri Besar. Khir Toyo might be one of the factors as, after all, he was selected by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at that time because of his "good record". The BN has been putting efforts in its attempt to reclaim Selangor. Pakatan Rakyat should integrate its resources and make a surprise move, or it would be difficult for Khalid to defend the state alone.

Perbalahan Team Wan Azizah & Azmin Makin Parah‏ Posted: 01 Apr 2013 07:01 PM PDT (Free Malaysiakini) - SEMALAM suarapakatanrakyat.com telah menyiarkan tentang gerakan untuk menjatuhkan Timbalan Presiden PKR, Azmin Ali oleh Presiden PKR, Datin Seri Azizah Ismail.  Gerakan yang diketuai oleh 2 Naib Presiden PKR, YB Tian Chua dan YB Nurul Izzah itu dilaporkan telah mula bergerak ke merata negara untuk memastikan calon-calon yang dipilih Azmin selaku Pengarah Pilihanraya PKR Pusat, adalah calon parti, bukan calon Azmin. Sekarang ini, laman ini mendapati pertentangan tersebut telah melebar dengan lebih jauh lagi.  Kalau dulu, semua pertikaian (kalau ada), dilakukan secara senyap-senyap, tapi kini perbalahan berhubung perebutan jawatan berlaku secara terang-terangan.  Azmin yang bulan dulu menyebut Wan Azizah tidak akan bertanding di mana-mana kerusi DUN dalam pilihanraya akan datang, terkejut dengan pengumuman Presiden PKR itu bahawa beliau akan bertanding di DUN Ijok. Sebagai Pengarah Pilihanraya PKR Pusat, tindakan Wan Azizah ini sudah tentu membelakangi keputusan dan perancangan yang telah dibuat Azmin sekarang ini, walaupun sebagai Presiden PKR dan juga isteri kepada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, beliau mempunyai kuasa penuh untuk berbuat demikian. Tapi sekurang-kurangnya berbincanglah dulu dengan Azmin sebelum membuat keputusan.  Ijok walaupun hanya satu dari 56 kerusi DUN di Selangor, tapi mempunyai significant yang besar kepada masa depan Pakatan Rakyat di negeri tersebut kerana disitulah buat kali pertamanya seorang pemimpin bukan dari kalangan pemimpin BN/UMNO, dilantik menjadi Menteri Besar Selangor. Apatah lagi ada laporan bahawa bekas wakil rakyat kawasan tersebut, K Parthiban dari MIC akan kembali bertanding di kawasan itu setelah dicalonkan dan tewas di Bukit Antarabangsa dalam pilihanraya umum 2008.  Sudah tentu keputusan Wan Azizah ini memeningkan kepala Azmin dan merencatkan perancangan yang telah dibuat disitu. Tindakan unilateral Wan Azizah membuat keputusan untuk bertanding bagi kerusi DUN di Selangor ini, selain merencatkan perancangan yang telah dibuat, turut menunjukkan perbalahan yang semakin melebar antara beliau dengan Azmin.  Tidak setakat itu, perbalahan antara kedua mereka ini juga turut menyeret sama pemimpin-pemimpin PKR di dalam kumpulan masing-masing, terutama dalam soal penentuan calon. Calon Parlimen PKR untuk kawasan Paya Besar yang diumumkan baru-baru ini, Murni Hidayah umpamanya adalah kenalan rapat kepada Ketua Wanita PKR, Zuraidah Kamarudin yang berada di dalam kem Azmin.  Maka itu tidak hairanlah kenapa dia dicalonkan di kawasan tersebut walaupun ada pemimpin lain yang lebih layak dan merupakan anak jati kawasan tersebut, tapi diketepikan kerana dikatakan berada di dalam kem Wan Azizah. Kalau bukan Haji Zahari pun selaku Ketua Cabang Paya Besar, paling tidak calon yang tewas pada 2008, Mohd Jafri bin Abd Rashid yang juga Ketua Cabang PKR bagi kawasan Pekan.  Kedua-dua mereka ini sudah dikenali masyarakat setempat, berbanding dengan Murni. Itu hanya salah satu contoh yang wajar dijadikan iktibar.  PKR dan Pakatan Rakyat berada pada kedudukan yang sungguh kuat untuk menjatuhkan BN kali ini, jangan kerana perbalahan dalaman seumpama ini, kita ditewaskan oleh UMNO dengan mudah.

Mengupas hujah: some of the comments Posted: 01 Apr 2013 06:29 PM PDT "Many Chinese being self-serving in a practical way and given to diplomacy are willing to sell their businesses to the Malays -- just as they sold their farms in Cameron Highlands to Indians -- but the latter (Malays) are not willing to work hard even temporarily. This is because being inbred, they lack energy and intelligence. So, Malays specialize in squatting on the others Umno-style." -- Joe Fernandez Dear All, It's no use advocating the removal of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution and the abolishment of NEP. This RPK is wasting his time. He knows PKR will not abolish the NEP whatever. They will also not accept Hindraf's Blueprint. Neither will Umno. I told Waytha this even when he was in London but he wouldn't listen. I pointed out to him that the Chinese were not making the same demands as him because they know better not to waste time with the Malay morons. I advised him to work with the Chinese in politics but he wouldn't listen. He wants to talk to the uncivilized Malay buggers like Anwar although he knows that this man is a sneaky, slimy bugger. Let the Malays themselves realize on their own and get their politics right. If the non-Malays tell these morons anything, they would do just the opposite even though it's going to kill them. The more things appear to change to Malaysia, the more they will remain the same. What we need is a Revolution led by the Malays when they get some intelligence and energy. That would take another 50 years. Revolutions always take about 50 years to make. In the meantime, there will be a lot of chaos. Fernz (Joe Fernandez, Sabah), April 02, 2013 16:05:11 ******************************************** Dear RPK The following should be abolished too. 1. Race based political party 2. 7% discount for bumis 3. Race information on civil documents 4. Syariah Court which rules on non muslims for civil matters 5. All venacular schools 6. AP should be open for all races 7. Petrol station owwership should be open for all races 8. Killing of prisoners in police station 9. Quotas at public learning institutions 10. PROTON manufacturing cars 11. Excise Duty for all cars...(except for proton and Perodua) 10 : Article 88 of FAM constitution --- Let Datuk Rajagopal..speak up and the list can go on and on .....its funny how the muslims who rule this country can afford to close their eyes to the social injustices thats been been carried out on the non malays in the name of NEP ... and they foam in their mouth , keris risen demanding total control for the usage of the word ALLAH ......hypocrites ..really .. astina7466, April 02, 2013 15:56:21 ******************************************** Guys accept this and give it a rest. DAP, PKR and PAS will not abolish the NEP. But then the poor will be a priority. All you DAP supporters just accept that. I have listen to their ceramahs so many times already. But I dunno why their supporters are still so very arrogant. LGE has given a lot to the Islamic cause in Penang, but still some DAP supporters still bullshiiting about Islam...and Malays. I really dunno what to say. NEP helps, I have seen it. I know how grateful the poor malays were when they got their scholarships. And I see how smart these students are, and denying these opportunity is a shame. Everybody knows that the bumis / malays are among the poorest in Malaysia. I see how the quota system in housing really helps balance things up in a residential area. And business? Go to Sg wang, Pavillion or KLCC, and see which race owns the business there more. And if they are any malays that own a shop there, it was because of NEP. And they the majority race is a minority in the business world. Nuff said lah, and if that Inderjit or whoever is going to bullshit about malays are this and that and deserve to be poor...well as RPK said. All Bullshit! fendyoasis1, April 02, 2013 15:27:03 ******************************************** NEP need to be abolished simply because NEP is just a racist program serving a racist agenda of a racist party. Survival of NEP means survival of racism in Malaysia, Malaysian had a half a century experience in this experiment, let the result speaks for itself, it failed miserably simply there is no check-and-balance mechanism or if there were , it was dismantled , totally unconcern about cost and effect. Benefiting only a handful top-of -the-food -chain party elites while the nation slide its way into the gutter. What would happen, if say NEP help only the Malaysian Indians or only Kadazans or only Ibans? Unacceptable because it's an unfair racist program, what the nation needs is a program that help all poor or the unable regardless to race, color, religion, creed or gender (foreigners who happen to be in Malaysia that need help, deserve to be helped). Maybe Malaysian are all a bunch of born racists that deserve to be screwed by a bunch of crooks using racism as the tool, which I think not, but after 50 years of racist indoctrination by racist UMNO/BN, the simply notion of fair play is good ethic was beyond the grasp of many. Does giving RM300,000 discount to a person who wish to purchase a RM3 millions house constitute "help"? Maybe NEP should incorporate the word CAHRITY to make sense, otherwise it will continue to be a racist's right. JJFoo, April 02, 2013 14:06:56 ******************************************** anakipoh, I agree. I think that RPK cannot see beyond his nose. Umno has foisted the Dependency Syndrome on the Orang Asal and Malays to remain in power. Jeffrey Kitingan did a study on this at Harvard and even wrote a book on this. For his troubles, he was detained under the ISA. Mahathir told him: "Jeffrey, don't make the people smart. Don't tell them what they don't know." (In short, keep the people stupid so it's easier to control them.) Jeffrey told the media in Sabah several times. Many Chinese being self-serving in a practical way and given to diplomacy are willing to sell their businesses to the Malays -- just as they sold their farms in Cameron Highlands to Indians -- but the latter (Malays) are not willing to work hard even temporarily. This is because being inbred, they lack energy and intelligence. So, Malays specialize in squatting on the others Umno-style. The Chinese in fact, are only willing to do business and work hard or study but only temporarily. They are lazy buggers. They only believe in making their money work for them. It's a matter of pride for a Chinaman to tell other Chinese: "I no need to work. I have so much money that my next ten generations don't have to work." In that sense, they are exactly like the upper caste leeches, parasites and bloodsuckers in India who never worked a day in their life. Fernz, April 02, 2013 13:52:04 ******************************************** That the chinese is angry with NEP because it sidelines them is not the problem. The problem is, NEP cripples the Malays. They cannot stand on their own and MUST depend on the government to support them. The chinese, with or without government support, does not really need NEP. In fact the chinese take advantage of the alibaba system that is unwanted result of the NEP. So why did the chinese want to abolish the NEP? So that Malays can learn to stand on their own! Now why is the chinese so concerned about the well being of Malays you ask? The chinese would sooner let the malays die than to help them, you retort. Wrong. The chinese know that if the Malays are falling behind, the country will not progress, no matter how industrious the chinese are, because Malays are the majority in this country. Unless the majority of this country are competent, Malaysia will lose out due to global competition. You are no longer competing with among your countrymen, you're competing with Europeans, Arabs, Chinese, Indians and Africans. Even closer to home in SEA, we're competing with the Thais, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Indonesians, Burmese etc all who are very competitive and hungry for jobs. Malays must stop the mentality that they cannot make it unless by government help. A nation that is incompetent is a failed nation. anakipoh, April 02, 2013 12:53:46 ******************************************** Dear RPK, NEP is a social engineering program. Being a social program, it is designed to meet to social needs and therefore the program is subject to review and change when the social needs changed. It must be changed especially it's continuation becomes detrimental to the society, for example, drive away the much needed human and financial capital or foreign direct investments to neighboring countries. But change requires political will. Why both sides of the political divide do not really want confront the objectives of NEP? I think because we have been drugged - under a single-party dominant system, to believe that politic is a zero sum game - one race's gain is another race's loss. Politic is still very much race-based in respond to the single-party dominant system. We are myopic to the fact that we are losing out comparatively to the neighboring countries. When our society change, say moving from single-party dominant system to two-parties system, better still, with the emergent of third force, then NEP will be changed or replaced. I hope the day we can all sit down to review NEP with our open hearts/minds will not be too far away. LimML, April 02, 2013 09:16:17

Melayu Mahukan Perubahan Posted: 01 Apr 2013 05:52 PM PDT DARI SERONOK JADI MARAH Sudah tentu tajuk di atas menggembirakan pihak yang menyokong pembangkang. Keseronokan ini akan berubah apabila dikatakan majoriti orang Melayu yang mahukan perubahan ialah  mereka yang tinggal di Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Kelantan dan Selangor. Marah pula nampaknya yang tadi kelihatan seronok. PERUBAHAN YANG BERLAKU Perubahan yang dikehendaki oleh orang-orang Melayu, malahan yang bukan Melayu juga, bermula setelah kemenangan Barisan Nasional dalam PRU ke 11 pada tahun 2004. Prestasi kerajaan sejak kemenangan itu begitu meleset sehingga pengundi, termasuk ahli-ahli UMNO menunjukkan protes mereka menyebabkan kemelesetan prestasi BN dalam PRU ke 12 pada tahun 2008 apabila BN kalah di lima buah negeri dan banyak kerusi Parlimen dalam Wilayah Persekutuan dimenangi oleh pembangkang. Sekitar setahun setelah memenangi dengan tipis PRU ke 12 ahli-ahli UMNO telah menyedarkan pemimpin tertinggi parti bahawa negara memerlukan perubahan di peringkat pucuk pimpinan kerajaan pusat. Maka berubahlah pucuk pimpinan kerajaan dengan bergantinya Perdana Menteri. ALASAN MELESET PRESTASI Penganalisa pihak dalaman parti UMNO mengetahui bahawa perubahan yang berlaku dalam PRU ke 12 ialah atas kehendak orang-orang Melayu sendiri, kerana melesetnya prestasi kerajaan. Pihak penganalisa yang pro Pakatan Rakyat pula ingin percaya bahawa pengundi menyokong dan menyetujui dengan program mereka, walau pun pemimpin mereka mengetahui sebab yang sebenarnya. PERINGKAT AWAL PERUBAHAN Di peringkat awal kerajaan pimpinan Dato' Seri Najib kelihatan seolah-olah programnya adalah tindakbalas ke atas janji-janji PR. Ejen-ejen PR telah berjaya menanamkan bibit sebab kegagalan dalam PRU ke 12 sebagai berpunca dari Dasar Ekonomi Baru. Bibit ini telah bermula subur apabila Model Ekonomi Baru diperkenalkan sebagai alternatif dan bukan lanjutan kepada hasrat dan cita-cita DEB. Lebih-lebih lagi apabila timbul dakwaan bahawa ada di antara ahli penggubal MEB ini tidak fasih di dalam Bahasa Melayu. Oleh kerana perasaan takut banyak pemimpin Melayu, dari berbagai sektor, atas kemungkinan terkorbannya kepentingan Melayu dalam pembangunan negara maka rata-rata kita merasa gelisah sehingga NGO-NGO Melayu telah bersatu untuk menubuhkan MPM atau Majlis Perundingan Melayu. Oleh kerana MPM merupakan NGO yang non-politik maka PERKASA di bawah pimpinan aktivis Dato' Ibrahim Ali telah bergerak dengan agenda politik pro-Melayu yang jelas dan lantang. Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia (DPMM) dan PENAWAR ( dulu Pakku ) juga telah mengadakan kongres, konvensyen dan seminar untuk meleraikan kegelisahan yang timbul di hati para peserta.  BERWAWASAN, TERSENDIRI DAN ORIGINAL Setelah beberapa bulan berlalu jelas kelihatan, dengan terserlah, bahwa program kerajaan BN di bawah pimpinan Dato' Seri Najib adalah berwawasan, tersendiri dan original. Begitu berkesan kegiatan Perdana Menteri sehingga seorang penulis chauvinis bernama Kee Thuan Chye telah mencetak buku keduanya yang bertajuk 'Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More!'. Buku pertamanya ialah 'No More Bullshit, Please, We're Malaysian'. Bagi beliau menolong Melayu untuk mengimbangi dengan bukan Melayu dalam bidang ekonomi ialah 'Bullshit' dan kerajaan kini nampaknya telah menghidupkan semula semangat DEB dengan pendekatan yang baru. Yang paling ditakuti oleh pengarang yang merasa dirinya terpandai ialah sokongan Melayu yang sudah kembali kepada kerajaan. SIKAP GOLONGAN SINIS Rancangan BR1M adalah sesuatu yang sangat berkesan bagi masyarakat yang memerlukan. Bagi mereka yang lumayan pendapatannya pemberian kerajaan ini dianggap tidak betul, tetapi mereka ambil juga duit itu. Pemberian wang tunai adalah relevan dan ianya lebih relevan bagi orang berpendapatan rendah dari membina jalan baru, kerana dengan wang tersebut seseorang itu boleh membeli apa yang diperlukan dan diminati, dikehendaki atau diperlukan. Di waktu saya kecil di bangku sekolah rendah saya sering ke Pulau Pinang untuk beristirehat di rumah keluarga saya yang agak berada di musim cuti sekolah. Setiap kali saya ke Penang saya dibawa ke kedai kasut Bata di tepi Farmasi Tong Aik di Penang Road untuk membeli kasut kulit kerana emak saudara saya memikirkan saya perlu hidup lebih mewah dan belajar pakai kasut kulit. Bila saya balik ke Yan kasut itu saya jual kerana saya lebih selesa dengan kasut getah dan kasut kulit pula tidak pernah dipakai oleh kanak-kanak sekolah. Jika emak saudara saya memberi RM30-00 kepada saya ianya pasti lebih berharga daripada kasut kulit RM85-00 kerana saya boleh beli apa yang saya perlukan dengan RM30-00 seperti pensil dan kasut getah. Inilah BR1M bagi saya. Baru-baru ini saya menerima panggilan telefon dari seorang kawan rapat saya menyatakan seorang pemandu teksi, yang teksinya dinaiki beliau, telah mengatakan bahawa semua pemberian lesen oleh kerajaan kepada pemandu teksi ialah disebabkan adanya tokoh pembangkang. Mereka lupa bahawa di waktu ketua pembangkang menjadi Menteri Kewangan beliau tidak pernah terfikir untuk memberi bantuan sebegini. JANJI Negeri-negeri di bawah pemerintahan Pakatan Rakyat pula jelas tidak mampu melaksanakan janji-janji yang mereka ketengahkan dalam pilihanraya. Protes ke atas kerajaan negeri Kedah (dengan balaknya), Pulau Pinang (dengan perumahannya), Selangor (dengan airnya) dan Kelantan (dengan tanahnya) datangnya dari rakyat negeri itu sendiri termasuk ahli dan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat yang tidak lagi mempercayai janji-janji pemimpin mereka. Slogan ' Janji Ditepati ' yang diketengahkan oleh BN adalah garis pemisah antara BN dan Pakatan Rakyat yang memungkiri janji PAKATAN YANG TIDAK SEPAKAT Oleh kerana Pakatan Rakyat hanya satu pakatan, seperti kanak-kanak sekolah berpakat, dan tanpa janji dalam dasar yang konkrit, maka perubahan dasar berlaku dalam parti yang kononnya sepakatan tetapi sebenarnya berdiri sendiri. Pendirian yang jelas hanya pada DAP sebagai pembangkang, walau pun pemimpin mereka berkelahi sesama sendiri. PAS pula terpaksa tunduk kepada tekanan DAP bukan saja sampai mengambil tindakan yang memalu dan memesongkan, kerana terpaksa merubah dasar dari matlamat mewujudkan sebuah negara Islam kepada mewujudkan sebuah negara kebajikan tetapi terpaksa akur kepada DAP sehingga membolehkan penggunaan nama Allah untuk semua ugama walau pun bertentangan dengan pendirian Dewan Ulamanya sendiri. Sudah tentu apabila pemimpin PAS terpaksa merobah pendirian pihak DAP mengetahui bahawa kompromi ini boleh diterima kerana jika impian mereka untuk memerintah berhasil maka Kabinet Pakatan Rakyat akan membolehkan penggunaan nama Allah oleh semua ugama kerana Dewan Ulama tidak ada dalam kabinet yang membuat keputusan itu. Pada waktu itu sebarang protes oleh Dewan Ulama tidak berguna lagi kerana kuasa yang sudah diperolehi sudah memperkuatkan pendirian 'kafir kharbi' itu dan boleh bertahan sehingga PRU ke 14. Pada waktu itu semuanya sudah terlambat. Antara perubahan yang dijangka berlaku ialah di Kelantan. Di bawah ini diperturunkan sebuah karangan oleh bekas Timbalan Menteri yang pernah menjadi Setiausaha Khas kepada Tun Abdul Razak. Beliau adalah seorang tokoh yang perndapatnya perlu diberi perhatian. Beliau ialah Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad dan karangan ini telah disiarkan dalam akhbar Sinar Harian pada 6 Februari, 2013. Begini huraiannya: READ MORE HERE

PRU 13 - The Rise Of ABIM & Mohd Nur Manuty Posted: 01 Apr 2013 04:48 PM PDT OutSyed The Box Had another interesting conversation yesterday with some real 'insiders' with knowledge of the other side. Cant reveal names though. The information is very reliable. There is a possibility that Parliament may be dissolved tomorrow April 3rd 2013. This would mark a full four years that the PM is in power. The other view, which I am inclined to believe is that Parliament will be dissolved towards the third week of April. Elections will then be held before end April or early May. In four years the PM has done pretty ok. Both in the economic management of the country as well as managing the politics and society. Economic growth is real at 5.5%. The stock market has quietly climbed over 1660 points - a record high without anyone getting overexcited. (Has anyone noticed?) There is no talk of an overheating stock market. And there have been no major scandals attributed to the Najib administration.  In fact the  remaining scandals that are being mopped up are leftovers from the totally corrupt Slumberjack. The Lembu Condo case was just one example.  All these silly deals were done under the corrupt Slumberjack.  And Najib has proven that he can undertake huge mega projects without corruption or scandal. Under Najib's Administration, the largest project in the history of Malaysia ie the RM26.0 billion MRT project (Phase 1) has been announced and launched at a super rapid pace.  Yet despite being the single largest project ever launched in this country there has not even been a hint of corruption concerning this single largest mega project.  The huge project has been very well packaged and handled.   So far we have not heard Lim Kit Siang crying foul over the MRT (I think also because many Chinese companies are involved - so the racial demons have been placated). What the PM has not done is make long, long overdue changes in the Cabinet, drop the Jurassic Park dinosaurs who still populate the Cabinet, the GLCs, who hold important public posts as well as the past shelf life MPs and party appointees.  We really need to see these people go.  Some of these people have been in the public sphere for 10 years, 20 years or more. It is as though there are no other human beings in a country of 28 million people who can replace these lethargic, overweight, multi-millionaire parasites and hangers on who are really not relevant anymore. Other than the PM, the DPM and very, very few Ministers (like TokPa in Kelantan) the rest are not perceived by the public as doing any work at all - other than maybe lining their own pockets. They are just riding on the coat tails of the PM.  They certainly have to go. And I think they will. The country will certainly change for the better if they go. Anyway back to our topic. We were discussing yesterday what is the basis of Anwar Ibrahim's struggle. What is he fighting for? The question arose after discussing the fact that over the years, so many people who had placed high hopes in Anwar Ibrahim have now abandoned him.  Most of these people are well known and eminent personalities themselves.  I think the consensus was that Anwar Ibrahim has no philosophy or struggle in life other than personal glory and personal power. You can derive this very easily by looking at the people who have supported him and see him as their saviour. He is different things to different people - often at the same time.  The most glaring example is his anti-Israel and pro-Palestine stance in front of Muslim audiences and his 'friend of Israel' stance in front of Jewish and Western audiences. I believe this is why the British newsmagazine "The Economist" so famously labelled him a 'chameleon'.  In the 70s, in the aftermath of the May 13 disturbances of 1969, Anwar was the ultra-Malay ultra-Islam champion on campus. If you were Chinese, you would not want to go near him at all. This worked for Anwar because he became an acknowledged student leader. Power and personal glory on campus was his. Thousands of kampong kids making their way for the first time to campusrs and urban living saw him as their leader. Post university campus, his ultra-Malay and ulta-Islam stance continued throughout the 70s. He was lost for a few years because there were no more student unions. Then he came across ABIM.  Soon he managed to hijack ABIM - the Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia which was founded by other people like Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, Fadhil Noor (the late president of PAS), Ismail Mina and others. Then came the Iranian Revolution of 1979 where an Ayatollah overthrew a corrupt American puppet.  The Iranian Revolution sparked an even greater religious fervour among the Muslims and Anwar Ibrahim rode the wave too.  The membership of ABIM grew into the tens of thousands. Again he had personal glory and power leading a flock of ABIMERs to Valhalla.  Then he set his sights on political power. Everyone thought he would join the PAS - including his wife Wan Azizah.  PAS held the keys to masuk syurga. They were anti-secular, anti-West, anti-Chinese, anti so many things.  As opposed to UMNO which did not claim to hold the keys even to Kuala Lumpur, UMNO which was so secular, so pro-West and pro-British, pro power sharing with the Chinese and pro so many things. UMNO was the exact opposite of what Anwar Ibrahim had been selling to the students on campus and to the ABIMERs. But UMNO held power. And UMNO would continue to hold on to power. It did not take Anwar Ibrahim more than a minute to get this figured out inside his T Rex brain - if you want power you must join UMNO. Join PAS? Who wants to join PAS? PAS would never get to hold power. So Anwar Ibrahim joined UMNO.  Baling? What was that? Student leaders? Who the hell are they? ABIM? "Brader, kita akan membuat perubahan dari dalam. Kita akan menukar UMNO dari dalam. Sampai ke seluar dalam, kita akan mendalam." So now Anwar Ibrahim began singing the UMNO tune. For 16 long years.  This is the behaviour of  a real chameleon. The fear is that if he gets to power, he will never let go Then September 2nd 1998 came as a shocker - he lost his chance at grabbing power.  The ultimate dream became just that - a dream.  However strange things happened. He found out that there were others like him in the country. There were exact duplicate Anwar Ibrahim clones in Malaysia. There were other chameleons in the country. They were in PAS and the DAP. They were in the NGOs. They saw in him an opportunity to break the overpowering Malay unity and Malay political dominance in the country.  So Karpal who had boldly questioned his sexual preferences in Parliament became his lawyer. The PAS who had coined the phrase Al-Juburi became his champion. The DAP who had made fun of him and criticised his every move for 16 years suddenly started holding hands with him. It was a marvellous feeling for Anwar Ibrahim. It was like jumping from the frying pan into a huge jar full of chameleons. He was in chameleon paradise. After his release from imprisonment for corruption he strengthened his ties with the Malaysian chameleons. He also found strong support from the Zionists, the Jewish radicals, the American neo-cons and other genocidal maniacs in the US and in the West. This is what finally led to that 'chameleon' label by The Economist. The Mat Sallehs are finding out a little late that the guy has substantial amounts of India-rubber-man DNA.  He is really flexible with his principles. Along the way even the LGBTs and gay rights people have thrown in their support for Anwar.  They all have confidence in him.  He can do this because his ultimate aim is personal glory and power. He will do any thing to get it. He can be flexible towards UMNO, Karpal, ABIM, Islamic radicals, Jews, neo-cons, LGBT or anyone at all. As long as you can move him closer to his objective - grabbing power - he is your friend.  Here even Machiavelli is still in kindergarten. Niccolo Machiavelli will have to rewrite The Prince. In an interview with the Western media (Wikileaks' Julian Assange?) Anwar said he spent his time in jail listening to western music.  No mention of reading the Quran or saying his prayers in jail to the Western media (they may label him a terrorist).  But in a recent open letter that Anwar wrote in Malay he said he spent his time in jail reading the Quran and doing his prayers. There is no mention that he listened to Elvis Presley or Western music.  This is the chameleon again. One shade of colour to the West and another colour to the Malays. READ MORE HERE

PKR linked to US PR firm? Rafizi says ‘No’ Posted: 01 Apr 2013 04:41 PM PDT E-mail correspondence suggests a link between PKR and Orion Strategies, but a PKR leader calls this another attempt to nail Anwar Ibrahim.  G Vinod, FMT Has PKR sought the expertise of a US-based public relations firm to bolster its chances in the upcoming general election? E-mail correspondence furnished to FMT revealed an Orion Strategies staff attempting to arrange a meeting between two Malaysian delegates, purportedly linked to PKR, with an unnamed US congressman. "Unresolved issues are threatening the integrity of Malaysia's electoral process and hold open the possibility, if not corrected, [of] plunging Malaysia into deep, post-electoral crisis," said Orion Strategies' Mike Mitchell to congressional staff Hana Atuatasi. Mitchell also named the Malaysian delegates as Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel and Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian. The meeting was supposed to take place on March 14 and 15, after the duo's scheduled talks in Washington with regard to political developments in Malaysia. However, the e-mail did not specify whether the meeting took place or otherwise. A check by FMT found that Orion Strategies is headed by Randy Scheunemann, a former adviser to ex-Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Scheunemann is described as a neo-conservative, who had also served for Republican presidential candidate John McCain as an adviser during the 2008 US presidential election. Rafizi: This is an election gimmick In an e-mail response to FMT, PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli denied the party had appointed any consultant or individuals to represent it during the general election, let alone a foreign one. "We believe that we have enough talent among our volunteers and leadership to spearhead the campaign on our own. Besides, the cost itself will be prohibitive given the limited financial resources available to us," he said. Rafizi said he had also checked the matter with the US Foreign Agent Registry and confirmed that none in the US had ever been appointed to act on behalf of PKR, nor by anyone that could be associated with the party. Rafizi added that he had also never heard of Orion Strategies. "Therefore, any attempts to link PKR to any paid foreign agents is just an election gimmick to defame [PKR supremo] Anwar Ibrahim, that has been done previously. "It did not bear any fruit the last time. I am sure it will backfire this time around as well," he said. 'An attempt to undermine our credibility' Gabriel and Ibrahim, in a joint statement, also dismissed the matter, claiming that it was an attempt to undermine their credibility within the Malaysian civil society fraternity. The duo said they were invited to give talks in the US in early March but had declined the offer due to hectic work schedules. READ MORE HERE

DAP’s blueprint for Indians is a copy of Hindraf’s Posted: 01 Apr 2013 04:37 PM PDT Is DAP's declaration for the Indians just intended to create an illusion of action substituting for real action, asks Hindraf advisor N Ganesan.  By N Ganesan, FMT I am really sad to see DAP go this way. The so-called Gelang Patah Declaration of DAP is no more than a plagiarised version of Hindraf's 5-year blueprint document. Eleven out of the 14 items in the DAP document are straight out from Hindraf's blueprint. The fact that their blueprint was revealed on the 21st day of P Waythamoorthy's hunger strike indicates as though DAP was scurrying to cover its behind against charges of abandoning the cause of the Indian poor. Not one of the DAP leaders had anything to say for all of 20 days about the endorsement of the Hindraf blueprint – which was the key demand of the hunger strike. On the 21st day –they pull this out of their sleeves, and within 24 hours. Look at the timing of DAP's declarations and actions for the Indian poor – just days before the elections. What were they doing for all the five years up to now? No action in five years and then now a declaration. The items in this declaration that could easily have been carried out in the DAP Penang state government in all five years of their rule, but which absolutely were not. Housing for the marginalised – large and numerous developments in Penang have been approved in the last five years span, but hardly any noticeable effort for the marginalised poor. Alienate land for temples and burial grounds – land is a state matter, they could easily have done this in the state in these last five years instead of talking about it after five full years after, in their declaration just before the next elections. Did this realisation just come to them or is this their standard modus operandus? Provide land to Tamil primary schools– similarly with land for the Tamil schools. Worse here. Not only did the DAP government not grant land to the 23 partially aided Tamil schools in the state, requests for land for Tamil schools in Penang coming from the PIBGs were ducked using a variety of techniques, were denied outright or the PIBGs were manipulated to avoid causing embarrassment for the state government with such requests. So, it raises the question – is this declaration just intended to create an illusion of action substituting for real action? The double speak game The DAP leaders made a promise to the Kampung Buah Pala folks in 2008 in Penang and they totally reneged on their promise. That is a precedent for the value of all their promises. This declaration is put forward as a promise. I wonder how much commitment there is now to this promise. Whatever they did eventually for the Kampung Buah Pala folks, was because of the pressure that was brought to bear on them, it was not out of any obligations to their promises. The Pakatan argument against Hindraf's blueprint has always been that it is race-based and not need based. May I ask "what based" is this Gelang Patah Declaration when 11 out of 14 items in it come from a "race-based" document. This double speak is so typical of what we have been seeing lately with Pakatan. If you have been following the story – the first Pakatan Manifesto had zero election pledges addressing the problems of the Indian poor. Then after an uproar from the people, they included five items into the revised manifesto (the additional items also came from the Hindraf blueprint). Then seeing that this was not cutting it enough, now the number of items taken up has gone up to 11. In 2008 Pakatan hijacked the Hindraf rallying cry 'Makkal Sakthi'. In 2013 they are now attempting to hijack Hindraf's blueprint. It is shameful. Is this all the intellectual capability the DAP can muster? Is copying the best they can do? It is so shameful for a national party to plagiarise. How much commitment can there be in any effort like this. We are wondering why this Gelang Patah Declaration did not extend to include the most impactful intervention such as a Felda type of land allocated contract farming proposal. Why was this not copied out as well from Hindraf's blueprint? DAP supremo Karpal Singh on March 30 called out to Anwar Ibrahim to endorse Hindraf's blueprint. The next day, his son Gobind Singh is in Gelang Patah beside Lim Kit Siang launching this DAP blueprint. What circus is this? READ MORE HERE

‘Growing discontent in PKR’ Posted: 01 Apr 2013 04:33 PM PDT Sources claim that many are upset with PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim's choice of candidates, with one division leader even planning to rejoin Umno later today.  B Nantha Kumar, FMT Speculation is rife that many are upset with PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim's choice of candidates for the 13th general election. One party source from Perak even claimed that Pasir Salak PKR division chief Ahmad Taufik Hassan would be leaving the party to rejoin Umno later tonight. "Taufik is apparently upset by Anwar's decision to field Mustafa Kamil Ayub for the Pasir Salak parliamentary seat," said the PKR source. The party insider added that Pasir Salak Umno will be hosting a short ceremony celebrating Taufik's decision in Kampung Gajah tonight. "Taufik and several others aligned to him will be giving their application forms to Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who is also Pasir Salak Umno division chief," said the source. The source also said rumours that Anwar would be fielding Brigadier-General (Rtd) Abdul Hadi al-Khattab to contest for the Tanjung Malim parliamentary seat had also riled up the Tanjung Malim PKR division. The party members, the source said, was even thinking of holding a peaceful demonstration to ensure their choice of candidate, Chua Yee Ling, gets selected. "Chua is a former special assistant to Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong. It is said that many Chinese leaders in PKR are silently protesting against the former military man's candidacy. "They see it as an attempt to take away a seat reserved for the Chinese in PKR," said the source. The party insider also said that the growing dissatisfaction against Anwar within the party is rising and it may peak within the next few days. "Last week, Anwar was booed at a programme held at Balok, Kuantan, for his decision to field Fauzi Abdul Rahman for the Indera Mahkota parliamentary seat, instead of incumbent Azan Ismail." said the source. The source added that rumours are rife that some in PKR have already started a movement to protest against party president, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, (and stop her) from contesting for a state seat. "All this resentment is going to be a slap in the face for PKR," said the source.

Tun Daim : BN Will Win With A Bigger Majority Posted: 01 Apr 2013 04:29 PM PDT (The Kuala Lumpur Chronicle) - Tun Daim remains optimistic of BN's winning chances in the upcoming general election, predicting that the ruling coalition could retain Putrajaya while wrestling Selangor and Kedah from Pakatan, adding that Kelantan could also turn to BN this time. However he admitted that the battle would be very fierce in both Selangor and Perak. When asked to comment on Lim Kit Siang's ambitions for Johor, Daim said the Chinese voters in Johor were different from those in KL, as they wanted stability. Nevertheless, he felt it was possible for Kit Siang to win in Gelang Patah while DAP could clinch a few more seats in the state. The veteran politician known for his accurate electoral predictions admitted that many changes could take place in politics within a week, and a more accurate prediction could only be made about three days before the polls. He told Sin Chew Daily Kelantanese had grown sick of menteri besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat as the state had not seen much development over the years. However he admitted that retaking Kelantan was hard so long as Nik Aziz was still around. "Many Kelantanese now look for jobs in other states because they don't want to live under a PAS administration, but will go back there to vote. "Meanwhile in Kedah, the disputes among Pakatan's parties continue. Pakatan has not brought much development to the state and if they are in power again, they will fight among themselves to stay on top. Each party thinks it can outperform others." He said infighting among Pakatan parties had already taken place in Selangor and Johor and many voters would take this into consideration when casting their ballots. Penang a very tough bet Daim agreed it would be extremely difficult to take Penang because the state is made up of majority urban Chinese who are unhappy with the Federal government. "People living in cities think they are more progressive than their rural counterparts, and consequently it is hard for the government to get bigger support from urban voters." As for Perak, BN has 50% chance to retain Perak because DAP's Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang will leave Perak for Johor and DAP's battle in the state will be led by the Ngeh brothers who are not in good terms with the party's Indian leader M. Kulasegaran. On Anwar's move to Perak, Daim said Anwar was already "obsolete." He said some people might think Anwar had changed, but the change just came a little too late. Other than Lembah Pantai where Federal Territory Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik has a chance, Daim said it would be difficult for the BN to make significant breakthroughs in KL "BN has learned a lesson. They know they will lose some seats if they are divided. So they are more united than Pakatan now."

GE13: Kedah DAP gives PKR ultimatum over additional state constituencies Posted: 01 Apr 2013 04:01 PM PDT (The Star) - Kedah DAP has issued an ultimatum to PKR to give the party additional seats in the state in the coming general election or face a three-way fight. It is asking for two parliamentary and six state constituencies, a far cry from the two state seats it contested in the 2008 general election. These are the Padang Serai and Alor Setar parliamentary constituencies and the Derga, Kota Darulaman, Bakar Bata, Bakar Arang, Gurun and Lunas state seats. However, its hope to contest the Alor Setar parliamentary seat was dashed after PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim named a candidate from his party for the constituency on Sunday night. Kedah DAP chairman Lee Guan Aik was unhappy with the decision because, according to him, PKR did not consult the party. He claimed that DAP headquarters had agreed to the party contesting in Alor Setar and was surprised by Anwar's announcement. "There will be a three-way fight if our demand is not met. However, we will get approval from party headquarters before going ahead with the plan," he said yesterday. Anwar announced at a dinner in Kampung Berjaya here that state PKR legal bureau chief Gooi Hsiao Leung would vie for the Alor Setar parliamentary seat. Lee said the state DAP submitted a report to the party headquarters last month listing Alor Setar as one of the parliamentary seats that it was confident of winning. Kedah PKR chairman Datuk Wan Salleh Wan Isa, when contacted, said the decision on seat allocation was made by the central committee. "When Anwar announced the candidate, DAP had been informed about it. So why the surprise?" he added.

GE13: Fight for the Johor Baru parliamentary seat heats up Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT (The Star) - The much touted battle of the Tan Sri's for the Johor Baru parliamentary seat is expected to take place with incumbent Tan Sri Shahrir Samad squaring off with former army chief Jen Tan Sri Md Hashim Hussein. The latter is the likely PKR candidate for the seat. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is expected to make announcements about Pakatan Rakyat's candidates during his visit here today, including Md Hashim's candidacy in Johor Baru. The general had been coy about being the candidate for the seat, saying he was never told officially that he would be selected. The general met up with PKR leaders from the Johor Baru division for meetings and a get-to-know session yesterday. Shahrir, who has contested the seat five times since 1978, was unperturbed that PKR was expected to field the former general in his constituency. "I have been contesting here for many years and the people know the service that I provide. I leave it to them to judge my work," he said, adding that he was willing to face any candidate, whether "big or small", from the Opposition. Shahrir said he was surprised that Md Hashim would be the candidate since he had assumed it would be Johor Baru PKR chief Tan Poh Lai. Md Hashim, who could not be reached for comments despite repeated efforts, had previously told The Star that he did not mind attending ceramah to help Pakatan but to be named a candidate would be a heavy responsibility. "However I have been trusted with heavy responsibilities during my days in the armed forces, when I was posted to Bosnia and also Pakistan," he said.

GE13: Lim backs down from Teng's challenge Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:56 PM PDT (The Star) - Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has called off the contest with state Barisan Nasional chief Teng Chang Yeow. Lim said he had enough of the "political game" played by Teng and will not entertain his conditions. "I was tricked by him (Teng) after accepting his ridiculous condition not to contest a parliamentary seat and only a state seat," Lim said in a press conference in Komtar here Tuesday. On Monday, Teng maintained his conditions for the face-off with Lim in the upcoming general election, saying he (Teng) would decide on the seat to be contested. Teng said once Lim accepted the conditions, he (Teng) would name the seat. Lim, who is also the DAP secretary-general, had stated earlier that he would slug it out with Teng only for the Padang Kota state seat. He said if Teng agreed to this, he (Lim) would not contest a parliamentary seat. Prior to this, Teng was reported saying he was willing to have a face-off with Lim in the elections on condition that the Barisan leader gets to pick the state seat.

Will Kula leave his comfort zone? Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:43 PM PDT The spotlight is now on the Ipoh Barat MP as DAP hints at fielding the stalwart to take on MIC in Segamat. Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star NOW that DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and political education director Liew Chin Tong have confirmed they are contesting in Johor, the spotlight is on another DAP stalwart, Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, to head south as well and take on MIC in Segamat. Will Kulasegaran surprise everyone by leaving his comfort zone in Ipoh Barat and head to Segamat to do battle with MIC's number two, Datuk S. Subramaniam? Lim will be battling in the more risky Gelang Patah constituency while Liew is going for Kluang. For now, Kulasegaran's official stand on the matter is that he would go if the party orders him to do so because the party has done so much for him. He is prepared to leave behind a lucrative legal practice, a close-knit group of family and friends, a new house in a gated community, a party "structure" that keeps him afloat, to do battle with Subramaniam. He is prepared to risk everything and help DAP achieve its aim to turn Johor into a frontline state in Pakatan Rakyat's dream of capturing Putrajaya. "If I have to go I will go, knowing well I could lose," he told Tamil newspapers. "Segamat is a tough seat." The Perak cousins state party chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming with whom Kulasegaran has had a running battle since 2008, would be very happy to see the last of him. "We are prepared to throw a lavish goodbye party as we did for Lim last week," said an Indian supporter of the cousins. "It will be an unforgettable event for Kulasegaran," he said in jest. The other key Indian DAP leaders in Perak Buntong assemblyman A. Sivasubramaniam and Tronoh assemblyman V. Sivakumar as well as their many supporters would also be happy to be rid of him. The bad blood between Kula, as he is fondly known, and the cousins started in 2008 when he wanted to become the mayor of Ipoh and blamed the cousins for not trying hard to get the post for him. Their estrangement worsened in 2012 when the cousins fielded a team which wiped out a rival team fielded by Kulasegaran for the DAP state line-up. The tit-for-tat war between the two teams continued right up to Lim's farewell dinner last week when Kulasegaran sent out a tweet, challenging the cousins to take him on. On the night of the dinner, however, they appeared friendly and seemed to put aside their differences to send off the boss. The question is whether Kulasegaran will do his many rivals a favour by leaving for Johor. Subramaniam won the seat in 2008 with a majority of 2,971 votes against DAP's Pang Hok Liong and if Kulasegaran or any other party heavyweight is fielded, the chances of success is slim. Kulasegaran is reportedly being unwilling to take the risk because up to 45% of voters are from Felda schemes and are strong supporters of Barisan Nasional. He has also calculated that going against another Indian leader would anger the Indian community. They would not take too kindly to it as it would be a loss to the community if Kulasegaran or Subramaniam is defeated. "Either way, one recognised Indian leader would be sacrificed just to achieve Pakatan's foolhardy dream," said an Indian pensioner. "Kula should not go to Johor," he added. This kind of thinking was one consideration that the late DAP leader, P. Patto, had to battle when he took on former MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu in the Sungai Siput constituency in 1995. The Patto-Samy Vellu fight is a lesson often cited by Indian observers who want as many Indian MPs as possible in Parliament, irrespective of party affliliation. A DAP insider was confident that DAP would not order Kula to go because this would work against the interest of the Lim dynasty, referring to elder Lim and his son and secretary-general, Guan Eng. "They need in-fighting and squabbles in state DAPs and ordering Kula to Johor removes one source of disunity in Perak," he said. "They often use chaos as a strategy to manage and control their party." He also said they needed Kulasegaran in Perak to question the cousins and keep them and their minions in check. "This will keep the cousins from growing and prevent them from forming alliances with other state DAP warlords and threatening the father-son dynasty," he said. If this is true, Kulasegaran appears to be staying put in Ipoh Barat and Subramaniam is unlikely to face a DAP heavyweight in Segamat. But there could be other DAP heavyweights who might want to do battle with Subramaniam in Segamat.

GE13: Two hurt in fracas at DAP talk Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:22 PM PDT Bloodied hand: Kogilavani (left) and her husband Murugan after the attack at Taman Inang. JOHOR BARU: The tension within Johor DAP, with rival factions vying for influence, has spilled over into a fracas at a party ceramah, injuring a branch leader and her husband. Taman Nesa DAP chairman S. Kogilavani was hurt when she tried to prevent several men from attacking her husband K. Murugan for shouting during the event in Taman Inang at about 10pm on Sunday where party adviser Lim Kit Siang was one of the speakers. The couple, who was pushed to the ground, later lodged police reports. Murugan, who was Taman Nesa DAP publicity secretary, along with former Taman Saga branch chairman V. Thulasi Das, had earlier staged a protest outside a hotel, accusing state DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau of being a racist who ignored the needs of the Indian community. It is learnt that several people in the back row were shouting using a loud-hailer as the ceramah was going on. Some were letting off firecrackers for several minutes to drown out the speakers. When contacted, Kogilavani said she was disappointed with the party leaders as they did nothing to stop the incident. "I was in front as it was a DAP gathering, but rushed to the back when I heard a commotion. I tried to get help from the party security personnel but no one responded," she said. Kogilavani said she tried to stop the men from attacking her husband with helmets, but was herself struck and pushed to the ground. "So far no DAP leader has bothered to call and find out what happened," she added. Murugan denied that he went to the ceramah to cause trouble. "I just shouted for one of the speakers to speak in Tamil and this angered some people who then attacked me," he said, adding that he decided to come to the ceramah because it was held near his house. Meanwhile, Lim said he regretted that such an incident took place but left it to the state DAP leadership to take any action necessary. A man wearing a DAP shirt was reported to have been detained after the ruckus. Asked if he was a party member, Dr Boo said he would find out. "I was not at the function and do not fully understand yet what happened," he said, and declined further comment. Police said they were investigating the incident.

Muslim scholars aiding Manila on Sabah claim Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:16 PM PDT Debra Chong, TMI Manila is reportedly getting advice from its top Muslim scholars to study the country's dormant claim to Sabah despite the north Borneo state being under Malaysian governance for the past 50 years. Citing an unnamed source, The Philippine Star reported today President Benigno Aquino III (picture) has consulted professors from the republic's top schools, including the University of the Philippines, to get an insight and to provide historical context to the sensitive territorial issue following a renewed bid by a Filipino Muslim clan to reclaim its 17th-century stake over Sabah. "We have been consulting with Muslim scholars, some of them are even elderly," an insider from the president's office was quoted as saying. Sabah has been a part of Malaysia since 1963 following the Cobbold Commission's 1962 referendum in the state and neighbouring Sarawak, where about two-thirds of the people voted to be part of Malaysia. The Philippine claim on Sabah had been dormant since then, until it was revived two months ago by a southern Filipino faction under the leadership of self-style Sulu Sultan Jamallul Kiram III, whose forces landed in a village near Lahad Datu on February 9 and have been waging a guerilla battle against Malaysian security forces.  Putrajaya has been paying an annual stipend of RM5,300 to Manila on the basis of the Sulu sultanate ceding the north Borneo state. On March 19, it was reported that Manila had engaged a team of lawyers to study the country's claim on Sabah amid clashes between Filipino gunmen and Malaysian security forces there. "Are they kidding when they say we have given up our claim? We're paying so much for the lawyers to study the claim," Philippine Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras was quoted as saying then. Aquino has reportedly assured the Kiram clan his government will study carefully the country's claim to Sabah, saying the process may take a long time since all the stakeholders concerned would have to be consulted on the matter.         "So that has to go through the process. The concerned agencies, offices, etc, will have to provide comments," Aquino was quoted as saying in The Philippine Star report today. READ MORE HERE

Assange appoints WikiLeaks Party campaign director for Senate bid Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:08 PM PDT (Reuters) - Fugitive WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, holed up in London's Ecuadorian embassy for nine months, has appointed a high-profile opponent of Britain's monarchy to run his campaign for a seat in Australia's upper house of parliament. Former Australian Republican Movement head and barrister Greg Barns said yesterday he would be campaign director for the WikiLeaks Party spearheading Assange's rare absentee bid for a Senate seat in Australia's September 14 election, which even if successful would not bring him any legal protection. "It's most definitely a serious campaign," Barns told Australian radio. "He does attract support from across the political spectrum. The party will offer a refreshing change from the Australian government culture of secrecy." The former computer hacker, an Australian citizen, announced last year he would run for the 76-seat Senate and would use the protection of parliament to champion free speech and break court suppression orders. Assange is considered a long shot to win a Senate seat as he would need to attract about 15 percent of votes in the Victoria state. If he wins, he would be able to take his seat from July 1, 2014, but would need to return to Australia to be sworn in. If he wins a Senate seat, he would be covered by Australia's parliamentary privilege rules, which protect politicians against legal action over comments made in parliament. Barns, a high-profile political campaigner at home, said Assange's party had already secured backing from a prominent Melbourne philanthropist—former Citibank executive Philip Wollen—and needed 500 members to fulfill party registration. Assange struck a defiant tone in a recent interview, telling Australian academic website The Conversation that he felt "no fear" about the legal accusations against him. "Truth is I love a good fight. Many people are counting on me to be strong. I want my freedom, of course. But confinement gives me time to think," he said. Assange, 41, whose website angered the United States by releasing thousands of secret diplomatic cables, took sanctuary in Ecuador's embassy in London last June, jumping bail after exhausting appeals in British courts against extradition to Sweden for sexual assault allegations. The silver-haired Assange burst into global prominence in 2010 when Wikileaks released secret footage, military files and diplomatic cables about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, prompting a furious response from the United States.

‘No one in Pakatan fit to be PM’ Posted: 01 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT Yayasan 1Malaysia chairman, Chandra Muzaffar, feels Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is not the right candidate because he carries with him too much of baggage. Priscilla Prasena, FMT No leader in Pakatan Rakyat is fit to be the Prime Minister, if the opposition pact made up of PAS, DAP and PKR, wins the 13th general election. Yayasan 1Malaysia chairman, Chandra Muzaffar, said none of the opposition parties' leaders fit the mould of Prime Minister, while their best bet Anwar Ibrahim carries with him too much excess baggage. "Anwar Ibrahim will not be the right candidate due to his background. During the Asian Financial crisis in 1997, he made a mess of the Malaysian economy. He adopted policies which resulted in huge losses and as a result businesses closed down. "During his tenure as Education Minister in 1986, Anwar introduced numerous pro-Malay policies in the national school curriculum which caused ethnic tensions," said Chandra in an exclusive interview with FMT. Chandra said one of Anwar's major changes in the Education Ministry was to rename the national language from Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu. Chandra, who is the founder of International Movement for a Just World, added that non-Malays criticised the move saying that changing the name of the language would make it more Malay than Malaysian. "His closeness to the powerful lobbies internationally doesn't support the national agenda and I somehow feel that it is dangerous to the nation." "Anwar is known to have close links with Al-Gore [the former US vice-president] who may have his own agenda against this nation. The Malays and general public understand the dangers behind this," said Chandra. 'Malays may not prefer Kit Siang' Chandra also ruled out former DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang as Prime Minister should Pakatan win the general election. READ MORE HERE

‘DAP’s Johor move to avoid internal conflict’ Posted: 01 Apr 2013 02:57 PM PDT Lim Kit Siang loyalists are parachuted to Johor to avoid a scramble for seats, says Utusan Malaysia. Zulkifli's apology to the Hindus is also highlighted.  K Pragalath, FMT The DAP's move into Johor is to avoid internal scramble for seats, a Malay daily claims. Utusan Malaysia says another reason is that the young leaders have enough of the old leaders who continue to sideline them. The paper said among them are Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, Bukit Gelugor MP and DAP national chairman Karpal Singh and Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw. These veterans were described as "power crazy". Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong's move to contest in Kluang was done because Liew was unhappy with DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who favoured Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua on economic and DAP's internal affairs. Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran, who is DAP national vice-chairman, is supposed to contest in Segamat against MIC's deputy president and Human Resources Minister, Dr S Subramaniam. Speculations are Kulasegaran would be allowed to retire from politics if he lost in the general election. The shift of DAP leaders to Johor is also described as moving DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang loyalists to another state to avoid internal conflicts. Utusan also pointed out attempts by DAP to woo civil society leaders to ensure DAP's victory. Among those who were wooed are former Bar Council president, Yeo Yang Poh, who is based in Johor and Bersih co-chairman S Ambiga. The daily also reported Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin's apology to Hindus if his statement made 10 years ago had incurred the anger of the community. He claimed the viral video that depicted him as degrading the Hindu faith was meant to slander him. "It [the video] is meant to defame me and Perkasa even though it has nothing to do with Perkasa. I tender my open apology to Hindus and Malaysians on this matter," said Zulkifli, a former PKR MP who turned Independent.

Former PKR Official: Video Leaks Masterminded By Wan Azizah’s Camp Posted: 01 Apr 2013 02:52 PM PDT The Choice A former PKR official has claimed that the sex video of a party leader that came to light recently was part of an internal plot within PKR to damage the reputation of Deputy President Mohamed Azmin Ali. Mohd Fareez Kamal Intidzam, a former political secretary to several high-ranking PKR leaders, said that the purpose of the video, which he alleges was released by Dr Wan Azizah's camp, was to be a catalyst for reopening the Azmin sex video case and preventing him from standing in GE13. "The leader in the video is just a scapegoat. The disciplinary action taken against him and his dismissal will be used as a "case reference" for the investigation of Azmin's sex video leaked in May last year," Fareez claimed. "The president's (Wan Azizah's) camp realises that Azmin has gained a strong footing among party followers. So they have conspired to topple him and tarnish his reputation," he added. If there is any veracity to his claims, it would be damning indeed for Pakatan Rakyat, and in particular PKR, where a vicious power struggle has created fissures in the party. Fareez said that the whole conspiracy was immature, and claimed it showed Wan Azizah was nothing more than "a political desperado". "This should not be happening, especially during this time when party members have to unite and work together for the coming general election." Yet such videos have become a useful political tool for Pakatan, with members eager to jump in with allegations of a grand Umno conspiracy. READ MORE HERE

‘Pakatan planning reverse takeover of Sabah’ Posted: 01 Apr 2013 02:46 PM PDT Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee will reveal for the first time today the behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing that went on in 2008.  Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has turned its guns on the national opposition front Pakatan Rakyat and declared it ineligible to rule Sabah. Putting a new spin to the expression "reverse takeover" coined to describe the imperceptible shift of political control of the state into the hands of the immigrant population, the local opposition party warned that Pakatan was also guilty of such tactics. The startling attack made on April 1 was no April Fool's Day joke though it had all the markings of one. SAPP vice-president Melanie Chia issued the warning based on her party's reading of the failed negotiations for a one-on-one fight between the opposition and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition government that virtually swept all the state and parliamentary seats in the last general election. She said the potential for a "reverse takeover" of Sabah by Malayan parties would be through the use of defectors from Umno after the BN government was overthrown in the soon-to-be-called 13th general election. Such a scenario, she said, was a reality as Pakatan that groups PKR, DAP and PAS had recently already predicted that it could not take over Sabah alone in the coming polls. Explaining the plot, Chia said Pakatan's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim himself had hinted as much when he announced last week, that the coalition would "go it alone" in contesting all state and parliamentary seats in Sabah and Labuan. "The game plan of Pakatan is to pave the way for Umno assemblymen to defect to PAS or PKR after the general election if Pakatan captures Putrajaya so that a reverse takeover of the Sabah state government and its resources can be completed," she said. "To achieve this reverse takeover, it has become apparent that the tactic of Pakatan is to make sure that autonomous, self-reliant and fearless local parties like SAPP must not be allowed to win. "After all, SAPP has proven itself as capable of fighting as an opposition party at both state and federal levels," added the two-term state representative for Luyang. 2008 meetings SAPP, which observers say cannot claim to have won over Sabah voters, is still staggered by Pakatan's refusal to hand over the bulk of state constituencies to the local party in return for a majority of the 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah. READ MORE HERE

SARSI? Posted: 01 Apr 2013 01:26 PM PDT Instead of asking for the policies, plans and programs of the NEP to be tailored along need (rather than race) basis and thus to include all needy Malaysians, most of whom would be Indians, the proponents of the Hindraf 18-point demands decided to jump on the ethnocentric bandwagon, with an unrealistic expectation that the government will issue an exclusive-to-Indian NEP in accordance with its 18-point demands. KTemoc Konsiders  Lim Kit Siang announced in the DAP Gelang Patah Declaration a 14-point plan specifically for the uplifting of Indian Malaysians. It's a good plan though many haven't been happy with such an ethnocentric scheme when the Indian problems, and let's not deny there isn't - au contraire, there's many - should be remedied as part of a plan for every Malaysian, on a need basis and not along ethnic lines. Mind you though, Indians face the problem of statelessness more than any other ethnic groups. But DAP's 14-point plan was deemed not good enough by Uthayakumar. Ironically, the current proponents of the so-called Hindraf 18-point demands have been the very people who criticised the NEP, UMNO's affirmative action program that's exclusive to bumiputera Malays. Instead of asking for the policies, plans and programs of the NEP to be tailored along need (rather than race) basis and thus to include all needy Malaysians, most of whom would be Indians, the proponents of the Hindraf 18-point demands decided to jump on the ethnocentric bandwagon, with an unrealistic expectation that the government will issue an exclusive-to-Indian NEP in accordance with its 18-point demands. Some of the 18-point demands are actually good but as usual, spoilt by unrealistic and impractical demands in others. I wonder whether the ulterior aim has been to ask for the sky and happily expect and accept a much lower offer. But if that's the case, then may I say that the future of Indian Malaysians shouldn't be subjected to whimsical poker-style bluff by upping the ante to heights of sheer stupidity - eg. ask for 100 billion, and hope (and will be happy) to receive 100 million.   They sure like to attack 5-year old Pakatan for the 50 year old 'sins' of UMNO & MIC Let's quickly run through a few of the so-called Hindraf 18-point demands to examine what I consider to be totally and absolutely impractical, unrealistic and really, preposterous: In an earlier post Marginalization of Indians - the true story I commented on one, its Point No 18. Let's pick that up again and see what I had written: (18) A minimum of 20 Opposition members of Parliament are elected exclusively by the Indian Community to represent their interest at the highest political level and also as a Parliamentary Democracy check and balance and the same is safeguarded and entrenched into the Federal Constitution and which is to be increased proportionately with the increase in Parliamentary seats. What kind of democracy or bullsh*t system will that be? I can only think of one word - racist! Instead of attempting to overcome the evil that is racism, which no one would deny is prevalent in Malaysia especially the worst kind, institutionalized racism, Hindraf has instead jumped on the racism bandwagon by attempting to carve for itself and the people it claims to represent a cozy racist ghetto ... ... and I wouldn't be surprised it expects its own members to play the role of the so-called minimum 20 Opposition MPs. That's what I mean by preposterous or monstrously absurd or harebrained stupidity. Tell me, just how will that demand help the marginalized Indians? To me, it seems the proposer wants to have his exclusive 20 MPs (no doubt including himself) to lord over and perhaps play the fantasized role of a Bollywood Puratchi Thalaivar, and no doubt to use his exclusive parliamentary leverage to become kingmaker. MGR as Puratchi Thalaivar More importantly, how does the proposer expect such a demand to be met, indicating a Kafkaesque mindset that's totally unhelpful or contributory to the real needs of the marginalized Indians. It's MIC all over again. He might as well ask for the state of, say, Perlis, to become an autonomous state exclusively for Indian residents where he can be its Chief Minister of SARSI (Special Autonomous Region Specifically for Indians). Read more at: http://ktemoc.blogspot.com/2013/04/sarsi.html

LRT job that’s messy, shoddy and unfriendly Posted: 01 Apr 2013 01:19 PM PDT   Despite public complaints, work on the LRT extension in the Klang Valley is proceeding with scant regard for safety. Syed Nadzri, FMT  Our worst fears about the way the construction of the light rapid transit (LRT) extension in the Klang Valley is going on came true last Friday when a motorist was crushed to death by a falling beam. A Vijayaingam was passing through the construction site on the road leading to Subang Airport when building equipment being hoisted by a crane gave way and fell on his car. Another car was also badly hit by the falling beams causing its driver to be seriously injured. Whether the accident could have been averted or whether there had been breach of duty of care is for the courts and the legal experts to decide. But work on the project has been shoddy. The contractor, according to news reports, has been suspended by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, which is undertaking the extension work on behalf of the government. But what is most worrying to the ordinary folk is the utterly messy work that has been going on, with almost complete disregard to the convenience of others. You hear the complaints every day. A few days ago, the concrete fencing of a house in SS18, not far from where construction was going on in full swing, collapsed as a result of the vibration of the drilling. And just hours before last Friday's most unfortunate incident, another lament was heard – from no less than a person about to perform Friday prayers. So do take note, contractor and the authorities. The person was furious that the contractor, in carrying out his job, had completely sealed off the middle span of Persiaran Jengka, denying pedestrians to cross the street from SS17 to get to Masjid Darul Ehsan in SS15. He was not alone of course in expressing disgust. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/04/02/lrt-job-that%E2%80%99s-messy-shoddy-and-unfriendly/

MCMC Investigates Yasin Regarding Interview With Radio Free Malaysia Posted: 01 Apr 2013 01:18 PM PDT   (Media Selangorku) - The popular singer who is also the Ambassador for the Keadilan Youth Brigade (AMK), Yasin Sulaiman was called to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) regarding his interview with Radio Free Malaysia (RFM) at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur today. Yasin's recorded statement by MCMC Officer, Iqbal Ikhwandi Mat Zin, to help investigations on RFM which allegedly does not a licence or a permit from the MCMC. Accompanying him was AMK Chief, Samsul Iskandar Mf Akin. In the meantime, Samsul when met by reporters stated that Yasin's presence was only as a witness to help assist investigations on the said radio station. On 25 March, RFM interview Yasin on the Reformation song which has been made the AMK campaign song throughout the country and also his hopes on the uprising of voices of Malaysians. Yasin said that he was interviewed by telephone on the radio station which is based in London, United Kingdom and did not suspect that the radio station was facing problems as claimed by the MCMC. "It is nothing much really, I did not know that this radio (station) was having problems with the government, eight days ago they interviewed me via telephone and asked about the Reformation song and my hopes for Malaysia," he told reporters. Meanwhile, Yasin and Samsul are of the opinion that press freedom must be given to all practitioners of the media to deliver information to the people rather than block them with various acts and laws. When it was launched several weeks ago, RFM also interviewed some famous political leaders like Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim about the defamation imposed upon him.

SWP in cahoots with Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim? Here’s my personal take on the matter. Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:42 PM PDT   being Vernon  Rumours have been flying rampant. Let's look at the facts. 1. SWP has been desperately trying to convince everyone, through the newspapers, that its membership is allegedly growing from strength to strength. (See http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/01/27/swp-growing-fast-says-larry/) 2. PKR revealed that several PKR members received SWP membership cards without even having applied to become members. (See http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/3/27/sarawak/12891734&sec=sarawak) 3. SWP explained this away as a technical glitch; that family members had applied on behalf of these other members, and that PKR members who received the cards may return them.    4. Radio Kenyalang, SWP's mouth-piece, has allegedly heavily hinted that Datuk Sng has made a deal with DSAI. The contents of the alleged deal were not divulged but it has been strongly suggested that at the last moment DSAI will ask PKR candidates in Lubok Antu, Selangau and Julau to stand down and give way to SWP. In return, SWP will guarantee DSAI three seats, and possibly finance the other PKR seats. This is all just allegations, mind you, and I am merely repeating what is common talk in the coffee-shops. 5. At the same time, rumours are flying across the state that Nicholas Bawin Anggat, PKR potential candidate for Lubok Antu, has been allegedly 'bought' by SWP. Who started the rumour we cannot be certain but whose interest would it be in to start such a rumour? Who would benefit from Nicholas pulling out of the race in Lubok Antu? The SWP candidate for Lubok Antu, perhaps? And who could that be? Read more at: http://beingvernon.blogspot.com/2013/04/swp-in-cahoots-with-dato-seri-anwar.html

Parliament To Be Dissolved Tomorrow? Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:34 PM PDT   (Astro Awani) - Dewan Rakyat is expected to be dissolved as early as tomorrow after the cabinet meeting in Putrajaya to make way for the 13th general election (GE13). The speculation is due a letter from the Prime Minister's Department directing all ministers attending the meeting to wear a dark lounge suit and a red tie for a group photography session, according to a report from Berita Harian today. This is a strong hint that it could be the final cabinet meeting before the Parliament's dissolution. Deputy Electoral Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said if the Parliament is dissolved tomorrow, the EC would call a special meeting as soon as possible to decide on the date of the nomination and polling day. Based on tradition, the minister will have photos taken with the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin before the final meeting. The Parliament will then be announced by the Prime Minister after the meeting through a press conference.  The Prime Minister will also seek audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to get his majesty's consent for the dissolution of the Parliament. Few ministers also confirmed to Berita Harian that they have received the letter. They also did not reject the possibility of Najib announcing the dissolution of the Parliament after the meeting. Recently, the EC clarified that the actual date of the automatic dissolution of Parliament is April 30 and not April 28 as has been reported earlier. After its dissolution, the EC has 60 days to conduct a general election in order to form a new government.

Bilakah DAP akan diharamkan? Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:23 PM PDT   Sebagaimana semua menunggu bila Parlimen hendak dibubarkan, maka semuanya menunggu bila pula DAP hendak diharamkan? Haji Subky Abdul Latif, TMI  RoS (Registrar of Societies) sudah mengingatkan supaya DAP mengadakan undi semula pemilihan pimpinan pusatnya jika tidak mahu dikenakan tindakan. Tindakan itu mungkin diharamkan. Dan pihak yang benci DAP memang mendesak supaya RoS membatalkan pendaftarannya. DAP setakat ini enggan mengadakan pemilihan semua pimpinannya. Ia telah memaklumkan sendiri berlaku salah kira atas keputusan pemilihan itu dan ia tidak dibetulkan. Tiada siapa tahu DAP melakukan kesilapan jika ia tidak memaklumkannya kepada umum. Sekarang semua menunggu bila RoS akan membatalkan pendaftaran DAP. Dalam waktu yang suntuk ini jika diharamkan, sulit sedikit baginya bagi mendaftarkan yang baru. DAP bersedia untuk diharamkan. Penasihatnya Lim Kit Siang menyatakan DAP sedia bertanding atas nama PAS dalam PRU13 ini. Dan reaksi Setiausaha Agung PAS, Datuk Mustapa Ali ialah PAS sedia memberi laluan. Soalnya sekarang bila RoS hendak mengharamkan DAP? Jika RoS sebuah agensi yang tegas dalam serba serbi, maka ia mesti haramkan DAP dengan segera sekurang-kurangnya sebelum hari penamaan calon. PAS sekarang dipercayai menunggu. Ia tidak mendoakan supaya DAP diharamkan, tetapi kalau diharamkan, maka ia satu cabaran yang menarik bagi menguji kematangan politik Pakatan Rakyat dalam suasana baru politik Malaysia sekarang. Semua akan menyaksikan pejuang Islam dalam PAS menawarkan kemudahan kepada sekutunya bagi membuktikan kemantapan dan kematangan kerjasamanya dan DAP pula di lihat berani menghadapi pengundi tradisinya untuk menggunakan lambang PAS, Bulan Penuh Purnama. Ia menguji kematangan pengundi bukan Islam mampu membuat perubahan untuk bersama PAS. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/article/bilakah-dap-akan-diharamkan/

A day late and dollar short sums up PKR’s civil service carrot Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:21 PM PDT   "If you want to give me a pay hike because you think you can stop corruption, you are assuming that I am corrupt in the first place"  Daniel Ayathurai, The Malaysian Times Winning the civil service hearts and minds seems to be Pakatan's latest election strategy.  After a slew of perks, including unprecedented bonuses and salary revisions by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the Pakatan Rakyat is getting , albeit a little late into the game.    Upping the stakes  in the race for support from the 1.5 million-strong civil service ahead of Election 2013, PKR proposed today an "anti-corruption" annual bonus for civil servants should the opposition win federal power. The Najib government has instituted salary revisions for the police, armed forces and civils servants over the last six months.  He has also thrown in a couple of bonuses during the main festivals in the country, especially during Hari Raya. PKR trade and industry bureau chairman Wong Chen claims that the PR's incentives " would help slash the country's corruption bill while enlisting the help of the civil service through dangling monetary incentives before them as motivation." Several civil servants, contacted by The Malaysian Times (TMT) described the Pakatan bait as "demeaning" as it assumed that all civil servants are corrupt. "if you want to give me a pay hike because you think you can stop corruption, you are assuming that I am corrupt in the first place," said Idris Yusof (not his real name). Another senior officer said that the move by Pakatan was merely imitating what the ruling BN had been doing all the while. "They are jumping on the bandwagon now. They realise too late that we have been working overtime to get the goods to the people for the last 55 years," said Tan Chee Leng (not real name). Meanwhile, Wong said the Pakatan incentive would be above the other attractive incentives that PR has already offered to workers in both public and private sectors, which include a RM1,100 wage floor and salary reviews every three years. However, analysts see that any further civil service increments could have inflationary effects and cancel out whatever was being given out. At current levels, inflation was controllable and money being pumped into the economy has been calculated to balance out any other negative factors. Najib is expected to call for elections by the end of the month in what many believe will be a bruising GE13. The BN is expected to win by a 2/3 majority, analysts say.-TMT

Manifestos must tackle real issues Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:19 PM PDT   Focusing on the people's immediate wants and bypassing national issues reflect the BN leadership's lack of vision, wisdom and capabilities. Awang Abdillah, FMT A manifesto is a package of offers that a political party promises to deliver if chosen to be the next government. If the party is elected, then the manifesto should become its action blueprint for the next five years. We have seen past Barisan Nasional manifestos which made all sorts of promises, but little attention was paid to the nation's real problems. Take, for instance, the BN's manifesto for the 2008 general election. It promised all kinds of goods and services but failed to win the hearts and minds of the voters and this was visible when it lost its traditional two-thirds majority and five states to Pakatan Rakyat. Focusing on the people's immediate wants and bypassing national issues reflect the BN leadership's lack of vision, wisdom and capabilities. The 2008 BN manifesto, while setting the feel-good mood among the voters, did not guarantee BN votes. The people are now mature enough not to buy lies and stories. Since taking over the helm of the government in 2009, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has failed to implement the plans and programmes spelt out in BN's 2008 election manifesto. His best shot now is to dish out instant goodies to the people to get their votes. His government claims that the ETP (Economic Transformation Programme) and the GTP (Government Transformation Programme) are on track to propel Malaysia to becoming a high-income /developed nation by 2020. But what have these programmes achieved in relation to the national issues? Manifesto must include real issues A true manifesto is one that spells out the current real national issues and measures to tackle them. Secondly, it must be a manifesto committed to delivering the essential goods and services to all races, and thirdly, to dish out the (instant) goodies to the people subject to the funds available. The manifesto must focus on the national issues such as the national debt, corruption, floods, security, poverty, oil royalty, development of infrastructure especially highways and roads in Sarawak and Sabah and cost of living. If these major ills can be tackled, both Pakatan Rakyat and BN need not worry about how much goodies they dish out. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/04/02/manifestos-must-tackle-real-issues/

Will Pakatan sweep KL clean? Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:16 PM PDT   There are obstacles against the opposition pact's determination to improve on its 2008 performance. Stanley Koh, FMT  Few political observers doubt that most of the 11 parliamentary seats in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur will go to Pakatan Rakyat in the coming election. But will the opposition pact do better than it did in 2008 and make a clean sweep? Some would say "Yes", considering the general perception that urban voters have become more anti-Barisan Nasional than they were when the last election was held. Furthermore, Pakatan needs only to capture one more seat – Setiawangsa – to make it a clean sweep. Seasoned observers are not so sure. They say there are obstacles standing in the way of Pakatan realising this particular dream, the most onerous being BN's ability, through its collaboration with the Election Commission, to manipulate postal voting. Indeed, the reason most often given for Pakatan's 2008 defeat in Setiawangsa is that postal ballots account for a large share of the votes in the constituency. According to 2012 figures, they number 12,432 out of 49,958 votes. Other Kuala Lumpur constituencies with postal votes exceeding 5,000 are Segambut (6,517), Bukit Bintang (5,284) and Bandar Tun Razak (5,175). Batu and Wangsa Maju have 3,400 and 3,220 respectively. Secondly, according to Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai of DAP, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and other authorities tend to sideline Pakatan representatives in consultations regarding the social and economic development of the city. "Our elected representatives have been marginalised and kept in the dark on infrastructure development in Kuala Lumpur, including the budgetary planning involved," he complained. He said these authorities were effectively denying the Pakatan MPs the right to represent their constituents. "Opposition MPs are only accorded a token representation and are denied opportunities of effective representation by both DBKL and the Federal Territory Ministry." Nevertheless, Tan added, there were encouraging signs from the electorate that inspire the opposition to push hard. "We are encouraged by the fact that urban voters are now more IT-savvy, more aware than their counterparts in the rural and semi-urban constituencies," he said. "This is particularly true in areas where the Chinese form the majority of voters, notably Kepong, Seputeh and Cheras. "But since 2008, the opposition has also made great inroads among urban Malay voters, especially the younger ones. "I believe the voting trend is continuously changing in the opposition's favour although it is still an uphill task in the coming election. "KL urbanites are more politically savvy now. They want greater changes in the political landscape. Many want a stronger two-party system. I think the changing political consciousness among the urban Malays is a positive sign." Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/04/02/will-pakatan-sweep-kl-clean/

Reckoning for Pakatan in Klang - Pt 1 Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:13 PM PDT   (fz.com) - Even though Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has a good chance of retaining the Klang parliamentary seat in the upcoming 13th General Election, its grip on the three state seats which fall under the constituency is slippery.   Essentially, the main weakness of the Pakatan representatives in this area is that they have not been servicing their constituencies effectively, say political leaders with an intimate knowledge of the situation.   A more damaging issue is the case of a Klang municipal councillor who had allegedly misused the letterhead of the state exco member Ronnie Liu to award contracts to the councillor's friends and family. Liu is also the assembly member for Pandamaran.   The consequence of this alleged folly is not lost on Klang MCA division chief Datuk Dr Teh Kim Poo, who told fz.com: "Ronnie Liu does not hold sway over Pandamaran voters today. The talk of the town today is that if Ronnie Liu come again this time, sure die."   In July 2010, it was reported that Klang Municipal Councillor Tee Boon Hock had allegedly misused Liu's official Selangor exco member letterhead to secure contracts for his friends and a family member.   Tee had claimed Liu had authorised him as his special assistant to use the letterhead, which prompted DAP to also investigate Liu on the allegations.   The DAP disciplinary committee had later sacked Tee in September 2010.   Teh had a similar prediction for Kota Alam Shah assembly member M Manoharan.   "Manoharan is again inviting himself to be arrested," said Teh, referring to Manoharan's detention under the now-defunct Internal Security Act in 2009.    "Every speech he has made has been about sensitive racial issues. He is dreaming to win again in prison," he said.   Manoharan has been seen to actively champion Indian community issues, which might cause him to lose some favour among members of other communities.   Also weighing against Manoharan is his record of saying the wrong things, such as the disparaging remarks he made about badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei on Twitter for losing out on the gold medal in last year's London Olympics Games.   Manoharan had apologised for making the remarks but considerable damage had already been done.   If anything, the outlook for Badrul Hisham Abdullah, the Port Klang assembly member, looks even more bleak. The local people have been complaining loudly that Badrul Hisham has gone incognito since he won the seat in 2008 on a PKR ticket.   Pressure had grown on the PKR leadership to boot Badrul Hisham out of the party, but he pre-empted such action by quitting in 2009. Currently, he is identified as a BN-friendly independent, but his political future looks gloomy.   All this is putting a strain on Klang MP Charles Santiago, under whose constituency the three state seats fall. Charles, from the DAP, has been left to pick up the slack from the three assembly members and help to solve local issues like drainage and flooding problems.   Read more at: http://fz.com/content/reckoning-pakatan-klang-pt-1

From rags to riches Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:11 PM PDT   THERE is a wide spread belief in this country that many crimes are committed by people of Indian ethnicity. I have been asked this question and it often goes like this, "why are so many Indians involved in crime uh?"   Selvi Gopal, fz.com    Well, I don't really have police statistics on hand or even trust it to give an adequate answer to that question but Hindraf, or Hindu Rights Action Force, has indicated that crime has indeed become a local Indian problem.   According to statistics provided by Hindraf, which was reported by New Delhi based think tank Observer Research Foundation, about 50% of all convicts in prison in 2004 and 41% of beggars in the country were Indians; and 15% of juvenile delinquents are Indians.   They also reported that the percentage of Indian civil servants fell from 40% in 1957 to less than 2% in 2005.   Interesting, the percentage drop in jobs in the civil service is made up by the percentage increase in crime rate.   Anyone who reads the newspapers on a regular basis would know that the crimes committed by members of the local Indian community are visible crimes; the obvious gang related violent crimes, the robberies and burglaries and crimes perpetuated within the community.   But what is often overlooked by those quick to point the finger at this community are the unseen crimes. The crimes committed by the loan sharks, the drug dealers, the vice groups and the human traffickers who force women and children to commit sex crimes.    And let's not forget about white collar crimes committed by corporate figures who rob shareholders and taxpayers through share manipulations and kickbacks.    And then there are industrial zones that are unused and feedlot companies that get such large loans that they don't know what to do all that money so the end up buying luxury cars and condos.   Crime is often associated with the poor and disenfranchised but rarely with the rich and powerful.  Crimes committed by some Indian Malaysians follows a well established path that's paved in poverty and discrimination. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/rags-riches

Latheefa Koya blows her top Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:06 PM PDT   (FMT) - On YouTube, the PKR lawyer is seen getting infuriated with a NRD official who refused to give her the MyKad forms. A row between PKR lawyer Latheefa Koya and a National Registration Department (NRD) officer was uploaded on YouTube recently. The video shows Latheefa getting angry with the NRD official who refused to give her the MyKad forms for the 48 applicants who were at the Klang NRD on March 22. Throughout the video, Latheefa was seen asking several times for the MyKad form. "Just give me the MyKad forms. These are all straight-forward cases. I don't want to debate with you, just give me the MyKad forms. "The faster this can be settled, the earlier we can all go home, so just give me the form," demanded Latheefa to a seemingly oblivious NRD official. "Right now we just want the MyKad forms. We want the identification card forms and not the citizenship application forms, do you know the difference? If you know the difference, just give us the forms. "You see here, I've given you one sample [a document]. I want to show you that we have checked all the particulars, we don't come here foolhardily, we have checked everything, we know their rights," she said to the official who is seen just shuffling the documents. After asking the NRD official for the umpteenth time for the MyKad forms, the official finally went to take 30 forms as requested by Latheefa. In the meantime, chants of "we want the form" could be heard in the background. After the official returned empty-handed, Latheefa began raising her voice at him. "We're not stupid, okay, all these people are poor, they've come here thousands of times and all of you just ask them to go home without even giving them the forms. "So why don't you just give us the MyKad forms? We will fill up the forms, and after that if you want to reject the applications, it's up to you," she told the official. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/04/01/latheefa-koya-blows-her-top/

Shared memories at the core Posted: 01 Apr 2013 12:03 PM PDT   (The Straits Times) - Perhaps my family narrative, along with those of other foreigners, benefits the core of the true-blue Singapore family, too. It gives emotional depth to the core that makes up what it means to be Singaporean citizens by birth.  When I visited the Clementi Mall library recently, a schoolgirl sitting at a desk at the entrance beckoned me over. She told me she was collecting memories of Singapore, and did I have any to share? At this open sesame, memories from over 20 years tumbled out. I saw the dark whip of a cobra on a jungle walk, I saw smiles at an East Coast picnic, I wiped a tear away as a neighbour sobbed over the death of a pet. And then I wondered, why were they of interest to this schoolgirl? She explained that she was collecting memories for the Singapore Memory Project, a nationwide scheme to capture recollections related to Singapore. People, organisations, companies and groups could submit their memories to a website or mobile phone app (go to www.singaporememory.sg/ for details), and the National Library Board had set up "memory collection points", as it called them, at its 24 libraries. I paused. Perhaps this youthful collector of memories - what an important task, what a wonderful job title - was too enthusiastic in seeking mine. I explained that I was a foreigner on an Employment Pass, and that my memories might not be wanted for the Singapore-specific project. But she said mine were welcome, and painstakingly wrote down my offering. If only I could remember what it was that I remembered - but such is the fleeting nature of memory. Still, at least this now-lost memory has been recorded somewhere, among the five million personal memories that the project aims to collect by 2015. There are two timely backdrops to this memory-collecting. One is a New York Times piece that The Straits Times ran on March 23, which looked at what makes for happy families. It found that one thing is a strong family narrative - the stories you tell your children about things such as where your parents came from and how they met. It cited research by two Americans at Emory University who found that the more children knew about their family's history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned. This was especially so in terms of being able to be resilient in the face of life's challenges. This is linked to the second reason why the Singapore Memory Project is a timely one - the talking point of retaining a Singaporean "core", as if this were some impermeable centre of steel around which lighter weights spin. This core doesn't seem to be that solid, given the introspection and self-doubt about Singapore's identity as a nation that has emerged in public debate. This is especially so in the light of the White Paper's controversial population figure of 6.9 million in 2030, and the Our Singapore Conversation stimulating discussion of what it means to be Singaporean. What might make that core more solid? I don't mean just in terms of more "true-blue" Singaporeans, but in a national identity that is more concrete. One way is through exercises such as the Singapore Memory Project, where everyone is regarded as having something to contribute to the narrative of the wider idea of a Singapore Family, whoever that might be. Read more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/case-you-missed-it/story/shared-memories-the-core-20130402

Mengupas hujah Posted: 31 Mar 2013 08:33 PM PDT Now, using what many of you will now say is my warped logic (and you say so only because you cannot find any argument to counter this argument), if the NEP should be abolished because, as you say, it is being abused by those people in high places to benefit themselves, should not other things be banned as well for that very same reason? NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin I am sure, as a Malaysian citizen who should be able to speak the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, you know what 'mengupas hujah' means. If you don't then you really do not deserve Malaysian citizenship. I mean, even here in the UK, before you are given British citizenship, you need to first pass your English test. And if you can't speak English then you do not get British citizenship. Anyway, I would like to kupas some of your hujah that you have bandied about the last few weeks. One of these hujah, of course, is regarding the New Economic Policy (NEP) where you have concluded that the NEP is being abused by certain people in power and hence should be abolished. Actually, that is not something new. I and other members of the Malay Chamber of Commerce have said the same thing 30 years ago back in the mid-1980s. Some of you who are younger than 30 were not born yet at that time while you who are in your 40s were still in primary school in the 1980s and, as the Malays would say, belum sunat lagi. So perish the thought if you feel clever about coming out with that statement. You are not the inventor of that statement and neither are you the first to utter it. It is an old and expired statement that we used to throw into Umno's face and is now as basi as the word Umnoputera, which I can proudly claim to have been the inventor of during a seminar around the same time, the mid-1980s, that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. So you want the NEP to be abolished and your reason for wanting so is because it is being abused by certain people in high places. That is the same reason being applied by the anti-gun lobbyists in the United States. They want guns banned because they say that the US has a very high rate of deaths/murder due to guns. The pro-gun lobbyists, however, oppose this and say that it is their right to bear arms, as guaranteed in the American Constitution, and that it is not guns but people that kill. In other words, their argument is that people and not guns are bad. And it is people and not guns that kill. So why should guns be banned because of the fault of the people. You should not punish guns for the crime committed by people.  Cars kill more people every year than guns do. Hence should not cars be banned for causing the death of people? Why should guns be banned but cars are not banned? Incidentally, in the US, there are 12.3 road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants compared to only 3.59 per 100,000 inhabitants for the UK. In Malaysia it is 24.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, twice that in the US and about seven times that of the UK. By 2015, it is expected that traffic accident related deaths would be lower than gun related deaths in the US because of a large drop in traffic accident deaths. (SEE CHART BELOW). Okay, in the US, cars kill more people than guns do and yet you want to ban guns but not cars. And since your argument for wanting to ban guns is because guns kill, then cars should also be banned for that very same reason. Now, using what many of you will now say is my warped logic (and you say so only because you cannot find any argument to counter this argument), if the NEP should be abolished because, as you say, it is being abused by those people in high places to benefit themselves, should not other things be banned as well for that very same reason? Many of you say that the Malaysian Election Commission (SPR) is being abused by people in power to remain in power. The general elections are not fair, you say. There is rampant fraud and blatant gerrymandering. Chinese-majority seats see voters as high as 120,000 while Malay-majority seats see voters as low as 5,000. Hence 70% of the seats are Malay-dominated seats while the non-Malay seats are in the minority. The ruling party needs to win only 45% of the votes to remain in power while the opposition needs to win 60% or so of the votes to form the federal government. That is what you say and you are not terribly wrong. The election process is being abused, just like the NEP is, by those in power to immorally and unfairly stay in power. The people/voters are being cheated by those who walk in the corridors of power. The election process merely legitimises an illegitimate government. Hence, since there is rampant and blatant abuse of the election process, just like in the case of the NEP, should not general elections be abolished, just like what you propose for the NEP? Anything that is being abused by those in power for their own benefit should be abolished, as what you argue. We all lament about the Malaysian Cabinet. Those members of the Cabinet, the Ministers, abuse their power and perpetuate corruption to enrich themselves, their families, and their friends. Malaysia, it seems, has lost billions because of this corruption and abuse of power. And it is still going on even as you read this. The latest is the 'nationalisation' of the IPPs to the tune of tens of billions of Ringgit. Do we, therefore, need a Cabinet? Should we not abolish the Cabinet and save the country hundreds of billions of Ringgit? If we abolish the Cabinet and there are no more Ministers, who is going to run the country? I do not know who is going to run the country but for use we will be saving hundreds of billions because there will be no more Ministers to abuse their power and corruptly spend the country's money. Another two very abused agencies are the PDRM and MACC, Malaysia's police force and anti-corruption commission. As what many of you have said, these two agencies appear to be serving Umno's interest rather than serving the nation. Hence these two agencies serve no purpose other than to keep Umno in power. If Malaysia did not have any PDRM and MACC then there would be no one to serve Umno. And maybe then we will be able to kick Umno out. So it is in the interest of the ABU movement that we abolish the PDRM and MACC. What will Malaysia do if it did not have a police force or an anti-corruption commission? I am not sure what we would do but for sure it may be easier to kick out Umno without a police force and an anti-corruption commission that props up Umno. And now we come to the legal system (the courts and the AG Chambers) and all those other agencies that serve Umno's interest...and not forgetting the worst one of all, religion.

Kedah DAP going alone if demands not met Posted: 31 Mar 2013 06:47 PM PDT (NST) - Kedah DAP is going alone in the coming general election if its demand for two parliamentary seats and six state constituencies is not met by the Pakatan Rakyat leadership. Its chief Lee Guan Aik said the party was prepared to have three-cornered fights with Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional should the Pakatan Rakyat leadership ignores its demand to contest in the Alor Setar and Padang Serai parliamentary constituencies. "The same goes with the Bakar Bata, Derga, Bakar Arang, Gurun and Lunas state seats.   "Of course, I will defend my Kota Darulaman state seat," he told reporters here yesterday.  A very upset Lee said he was appalled with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for naming Kedah PKR legal bureau chief Gooi Hsiao Leung to contest the Alor Setar parliamentary constituency during a ceramah at Taman Berjaya here on Sunday night. "He can say whatever he wants to say for the Alor Setar parliamentary seat.  "As far as Kedah DAP is concerned, the seat allocation in Kedah for Pakatan Rakyat has yet to be finalised," he said.       Incidentally, PKR had also named one of its vice-presidents N. Surendran to contest in Padang Serai. However, Lee did not comment on the matter.   Meanwhile, Kedah PKR chief Datuk Wan Salleh Wan Isa, when contacted, said Lee should not kick up a fuss over Anwar's announcement. He said Gooi's candidacy had been decided by the Pakatan Rakyat presidential council and that the decision was final.  "Lee should just heed the council's decision because the Pakatan Rakyat leadership knows what is best for Alor Setar.   "He should stop criticising because it is not good for us as we plan to take over Putrajaya," he said.

Calon Azizah strategi singkir MB? Posted: 31 Mar 2013 05:28 PM PDT (Sinar Harian) - Spekulasi Presiden PKR, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail sebagai calon menteri besar jika Pakatan Rakyat (PR) kekal memerintah Selangor selepas Pilihan Raya Umum Ke 13 (PRU13) didakwa satu strategi untuk menyingkirkan Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. Penganalisis politik, Prof Dr Jayum Jawan mendakwa, beliau tidak menolak kemungkinan Dr Wan Azizah diangkat sebagai calon menteri besar disebabkan kontroversi serta pertelagahan yang pernah dikaitkan antara Abdul Khalid dan Timbalan Presiden PKR, Azmin Ali. "Itu mungkin satu kaedah untuk menggantikan beliau (Abdul Khalid) selepas PRU13 jika PR kekal di Selangor. Takkan ketua parti menang di situ, orang lain memegang jawatan tertinggi dalam kerajaan." "Saya melihat itu sebagai satu langkah untuk menyingkirkan Abdul Khalid dan digantikan dengan Wan Azizah (tiada siapa boleh cakap banyak kerana beliau adalah presiden parti)," katanya. Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas mengenai desas desus berkaitan kemungkinan Dr Wan Azizah bakal dilantik menerajui kerajaan Selangor bagi menggantikan Abdul Khalid jika PR masih mengekalkan kuasa di negeri itu. Bagaimanapun kata Jayum, Dr Wan Azizah tidak layak untuk memegang jawatan sebagai menteri besar sebaliknya isteri Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim itu lebih sesuai menyandang jawatan menteri di peringkat pusat. Beliau berkata, sebagai pemimpin utama parti Dr Wan Azizah seharusnya memainkan peranan yang lebih bersifat nasional untuk menarik sokongan rakyat kepada PR. "Pemimpin utama parti sepatutnya mengintai dan mengidamkan jawatan lebih besar, menteri besar itu jawatan kecil kalau dibandingkan dengan menteri persekutuan, perdana menteri atau timbalan perdana, menteri kanan dalam sistem persekutuan." "Saya faham beliau tidak boleh bertanding di peringkat parlimen kerana tempoh lima tahun selepas melepaskan Parlimen Permatang Pauh tetapi Wan Azizah lebih layak memegang jawatan lebih tinggi daripada menteri besar."

Kedah DAP upset with Anwar over Alor Star MP candidacy Posted: 31 Mar 2013 05:19 PM PDT (NST) - Kedah DAP is upset with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for naming a Parti Keadilan Rakyat candidate to contest the Alor Setar parliamentary constituency in the coming general election. Its chief  Lee Guan Aik said he was surprised and upset with Anwar's announcement that Kedah PKR legal bureau chief Gooi Hsiao Leung would contest the parliamentary seat during a ceramah at Taman Berjaya here last night.   "He can say whatever he wants to say for the Alor Setar parliamentary seat.   "As far as we are concerned, the seat allocation in Kedah for Pakatan Rakyat has yet to be finalised.   "I will wait for my party leadership on the final allocation of seats among Pakatan Rakyat component parties," he said when asked on Anwar's announcement.   Lee, who is also Kota Darulaman assemblyman, said he had requested with his party leadership and that of Pakatan Rakyat's to contest the Alor Setar and Padang Serai parliamentary seats in the general election.   Incidentally, PKR had also named one of its vice-presidents N. Surendran to contest in Padang Serai. However, Lee did not comment on the matter.     Kedah DAP had also requested to contest in four state seats. They are Bakar Arang, Gurun, Lunas and Bakar Bata.   PKR candidates had won Bakar Arang and Lunas in the 2008 general election. However, its assemblymen have since abandoned PKR to become independent candidates.   Gurun was won by BN candidate Dr Leong Yong Kong while Kedah Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah is Bakar Bata assemblyman for the fourth term.

Don't take yourselves as victims: Daim Posted: 31 Mar 2013 05:04 PM PDT (Sin Chew Daily) -- Former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin believes that the country's greatest problem is, everyone takes themselves as "victims". "The Malays think that they are victims while the Chinese, Indians, Kadazans also think that they are victims. In fact, everyone has gained benefits respectively," he saild. He said during an interview with Sin Chew Daily that such an attitude must be changed, added that Malaysia is country that struggles for each of its people and in fact, everyone has started to receive benefits since the country's independence. Therefore, such a "victim mentality" is not correct. No one takes all "Is it really so bad? Look at our progress, is it true that only the Malays have benefited from it? Are the Chinese still very poor? Show me data to prove that I'm talking nonsense." He said that it is because the Opposition has kept telling poor Chinese living in poverty that "you are the victims". Daim thinks that the BN government has ruled fairly and in fact, no one has taken all benefits and instead, everyone gets something respectively. Any problems should be debated in the Parliament and not to fight on streets. There will be no answers on streets and if street protests are staged everyday, it would then be like Greece. "Is that what we need? No, it is not our culture. Our culture is hardworking. We told the Malays not to envy the achievements of the Chinese. The success of the Chinese is because they are hardworking. Not easy to solve inequality In terms of the BN's problem in trying to solve inequality, he pointed out that it is easier to be said than done. Inequality exists in various places around the world but the Chinese hope to achieve equality at once. "Everyone wants equality but reality is unequal. The BN has been talking about the "country" and look at what problems are world economies facing? If we do it for the Malays or the Chinese, other racial groups will ask "why". We take care not only a place, but the whole benefits of the whole country. It is indeed not easy." When being asked to comment on the allegation claiming that the MCA has not defended the interests of the Chinese, Daim said, "There are differences between Umno and MCA ministers. MCA ministers must ensure that they have taken care of their constituencies and they serve the people of their constituencies even during weekends. For the Chinese, they like dinners, performances and ceramah, you must be in the crowd. "what has the DAP done? It is only a small party with lesser members compared to the MCA. However, they are at ease in the Chinese community. They ensure that the situation is under control and of course, playing with sentimental issues." Teaching English is more important than teaching Science and Mathematics in English When being asked about the government's abolition of the teaching Science and Mathematics in English policy, he thinks that teaching English is more important than teaching Science and Mathematics in English as English is the medium of business and trade. Chinese is the second important language as in the future, our country has to deal with China and it is an advantage to have many Mandarin speaking Chinese in our country. Don't be emotional in considering children's future When it comes to Chinese education, Daim said that children's future has always been the top priority. Even the middle class send their children to Chinese primary schools and hope to send them into a better secondary school and college. If given the opportunity, of course they want to go Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford universities instead of universities in China or Taiwan. "Please put aside your emotions to see the real situation. I hope that everyone can think properly. We are all Malaysians and we live in peace and prosperity. Regardless of which racial group you are from, we build the country together." Should resolve problem in a Malaysian way When commended on the Chinese community's demand for the government's recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), Daim said that the government should study the outcome and benefits that it brings. "You cannot consider only an aspect but must think for all. If everyone asks something, the problem will never be solved. We must solve the problem in a "Malaysian way" and think from a Malaysian perspective. I always tell my children that always think as a Malaysian."

Malaysian Opposition Politics for Dummies Posted: 31 Mar 2013 04:54 PM PDT FREEDOM COME FREEDOM GO Malaysian politics is in high gear in the lead up to the impending 13th general elections. As a guide to newbies and reference for oldies, here are some facts to figure in a Malaysian Politics for Dummies. For starters, newly elected Malaysian Bar president Christopher Leong as quoted in the The Malaysian Insider, "Bar Council: AGC has enough proof to reopen Altantuya murder file", "The revelations by Deepak Jaikishan, the late Balasubramaniam Perumal, and Americk Singh Sidhu raise sufficient concern to warrant further investigations by the authorities" "Sufficient concern", yes careful words, but alas concern and not sufficient proof. As a popular phrase goes, so where's the beef? He said, she said. The late PI Bala said what Altantuya said and what Najib Baginda said, what Deepak said and finally what Americk Singh Sidhu said Cecil Abraham said. For the dummies, here is a tidbit as posted in the Malaysian Bar website, "A look at the role and significance of statutory declarations", "This means that if it refers to a fact which could be seen or heard, it must be the evidence of a witness who says he saw it or heard it. If it refers to a fact which could be perceived by any other sense or in any other manner, it must be the evidence of a witness who says he perceived it by that sense or in that manner. Therefore when a person makes a statement about what someone told him, it would only be primary evidence of the fact that someone told him so; it would not be primary evidence of what was told. This by itself would considerably devalue the probity or veracity of a statutory declaration" And what has this got to do with politics? I would advise, unsolicited it may be, to the newly minted Bar president not to be a stooge because the Bar Council is nobody's stooge, in the PKR heavily influenced PII Bala episode. Then there's the hot in the press Pakatan Rakyat assault on Barisan Nasional stronghold state, Johore, as announced by their would be PM, Anwar Ibrahim, announcing Kit Siang to contest in Gelang Patah parliamentary seat. The dummy entry is not about DAP supremo, Lim Kit Siang. Its about the PKR supremo Anwar, the pornstar, Ibrahim. In an interview with the Sundaily, DAP national organising secretary and Rasah MP, Anthony Loke, is quoted, "People expect the MP to be accessible through social media. That is the basic expectation – if you have no FB or Twitter you are out of touch. You must be visible and accessible. It is no longer easy nowadays for a politician to say different things to a different audience anymore! If you are not consistent, you will be caught so easily. In those days, people say you speak to please the respective communities, but it's not possible these days. Anytime people can tape your speeches and put it up on YouTube. If you are saying two different things, you will be caught so easily." It certainly sounds as if YB Anthony Loke is referring to the pornstar Anwar. Apart from, "Plotting," replies Mr Anwar, with a conspiratorial wink, this is what The Economist wrote of the DAP choice for PM, This points to a trap waiting to catch the silver-tongued Mr Anwar, who deftly tells different audiences—religious or secular—what they like to hear. And speaking of Anwar Ibrahim another another one for dummies. His daughter and smarty-pants Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah, has sued the election commission, in The Malaysian Insider "After Santiago, Nurul Izzah hauls EC to court on electoral roll, "Nurul Izzah said that an additional 2,000 voters were expected to be registered in the Lembah Pantai electoral roll for the fourth quarter of 2012, totalling about 73,000 voters. "We had 50,000 voters in 2008," said the PKR vice-president." READ MORE HERE

CheguBard mahu masuk UMNO…tolonglah pujuk dia‏ Posted: 31 Mar 2013 04:44 PM PDT   (FreeMalaysiakini) - LAMAN ini difahamkan bahawa CheguBard atau nama sebenarnya Badrul Hisham Shahrin tidak akan dicalonkan bagi mewakili Pakatan Rakyat dalam pilihanraya akan datang.  Pencalonan bekas guru pelatih yang kemudian menyertai politik ini dilihat akan mencetus lebih banyak masalah kepada PKR, terutama dengan Ketua  Angkatan Muda Keadilan, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin yang sudah sah akan bertanding di Parlimen Bukit Katil menentang calon BN yang disebut-sebut akan bertanding disitu iaitu Ketua Menteri Melaka, Datuk Seri Ali Rustam. Bukan rahsia sejak kalah dalam pertandingan sengit merebut jawatan Ketua AMK pada 2010, hubungan Chegubard dan Shamsul Iskandar begitu renggang walaupun cuba didamaikan Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang membawa kedua-dua mereka ke Indonesia untuk bertenang.  Kerenggangan itu kalau membabitkan mereka berdua sahaja tidak ada masalah, tapi apabila CheguBard menggunakan NGO SAMM (Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia) yang dibiayai sepenuhnya oleh PKR untuk mensabotaj program Shamsul Iskandar, maka tindakan seumpama itu dilihat sudah keterlaluan. Walaupun CheguBard semakin aktif menganjurkan program pro Pakatan Rakyat kebelakangan ini, dengan yang terbaru pelancaran Gerakan Haramkan UMNO (GHU) semalam, tapi tindakan itu lebih kepada untuk memberi tekanan kepada pimpinan PKR agar mencalonkannya di kerusi parlimen Nibong Tebal di Pulau Pinang, bukan untuk membantu parti dan Pakatan Rakyat. Walaupun PKR Pulau Pinang telah menawarkan CheguBard supaya bertanding di kerusi selamat parti tersebut di Permatang Pauh, tapi CheguBard dengan bongkaknya menolak pencalonan tersebut atas sebab yang kurang difahami ramai.  Mungkin dia tidak mahu mengganggu kawasan yang asalnya telah dikhaskan kepada seorang lagi anak Anwar, Nurul Nuha.  CheguBard diketahui mempunyai hubungan yang sangat rapat dengan Presiden PKR, Datin Seri Wan Azizah Ismail. Parlimen Rembau yang ditandinginya pada 2008 menentang Ketua Pemuda UMNO, Khairy Jamaludin dan tewas, telah diperuntukkan kepada PAS kerana pertukaran kerusi dengan Parlimen Jempol dimana PKR dilihat lebih mempunyai peluang untuk merampas kerusi yang 'kaya' dengan kawasan Felda tersebut. Diakhirnya, Pengarah Pilihanraya PKR, Azmin Ali telah menyingkirkan terus nama CheguBard dari senarai calon PKR, banyak sangat soal jawab. Tindakan Azmin menyingkirkan calon-calon yang pro Wan Azizah ini pun ada satu kisah yang layak dijadikan artikel juga, tapi itu nantilah.  Paling cepat petang ini, paling lambat pagi besok, kami akan hurai dan kupas isu ini berdasarkan maklumat yang diperolehi sumber laman ini yang rapat dengan kedua-dua kem tersebut. Sekarang, suarapakatanrakyat.com menerima satu lagi perkhabaran bahawa CheguBard sedang cuba menjaja nasib kepada UMNO pula.  Kita yakin dia bukan menyokong UMNO sangat, tapi untuk mendapatkan perhatian dari pimpinan tinggi PKR yang lain, selain Azmin. Laman ini berpandangan, walaupun CheguBard kurang mempunyai pengaruh di kalangan pengundi yang lebih tua, tapi dia ada kesan kepada pengundi yang lebih muda.  Maka itu tidak rugi kalau pimpinan PKR menghantar wakil memujuk CheguBard agar tidak meneruskan hasratnya itu.  Sebagai ganti, mungkin dia boleh dijanjikan jawatan sebagai duta Malaysia di mana-mana negara Eropah.

Nalla subpoenas Karpal, Ummi and Azizan Posted: 31 Mar 2013 04:39 PM PDT The senator wants them to appear as witnesses on his behalf over a sodomy incident involving Anwar and the latter's driver Azizan Abu Bakar. (Bernama) - Senator S Nallakaruppan intends to subpoena senior lawyer Karpal Singh, businesswoman Ummi Hafilda Ali and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's former driver Azizan Abu Bakar to appear as witnesses on his behalf in the defamation suit initiated by Anwar over defamatory remarks made in 2008. Nallakaruppan's lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Karpal would be a "useful and helpful" witness in relation to what the member of parliament said in Parliament over Azizan and Umi's disclosure to him during two meetings with him on Oct 22 and Dec 18 over the first sodomy incident involving him (Azizan) and Anwar. "Based on the Hansard recording, Karpal had told Parliament that he was impressed with Azizan's disclosure supported by a statutory declaration where he implicated Anwar and later became a subject matter of sodomy in court trial," Shafee told a press conference at the court complex, here. Shafee described Karpal as an important MP with high credibility, where his testimony was crucial for the defendant (Nallakaruppan) to collaborate it with Azizan's disclosure of the incident. "Even Karpal in 2007 also invited Anwar to file a defamation suit against Azizan and Umi on this matter," he said. Asked whether he already obtained the subpoena, Shafee said the premilinary issue on the suit was still pending at the Court of Appeal and he would be making the application once the court set the dates for trial of the suit. On March 26, 2008, Anwar filed the suit alleging that Nallakaruppan had uttered defamatory words against him which were then published on the front page of the Utusan Malaysia daily on March 20, 2008. In his statement of claim, Anwar said the defamatory words included in the article were false, baseless, was published with ill intention and had tarnished his good name. Anwar is seeking RM100 million in general, aggravated and exemplary damages, cost and other relief deemed fit by the court.

Bishop: What sort of justice is this? Posted: 31 Mar 2013 04:37 PM PDT Bishop Paul Tan is incensed over the video which shows MP Zulkifli Noordin belittling the Hindu faith and demands action from the '1Malaysia' government. RK Anand, FMT The video recording of a member of Parliament belittling the Hindu faith has prompted a Catholic priest to question the government's double standard in dealing with such matters. Bishop Paul Tan pointed out that the present ruling government had not hauled up any Muslim who uttered seditious words and made seditious gestures against those of other religions while it acted against those who stated unpleasant things about Islam. The head of the Malacca-Johor diocese was responding to the video of Kulim Bandar Bahru MP Zulkifili Noordin who mocked how statues of Hindu deities could not prevent a flood in Masjid India here. The video, which was uploaded on YouTube, had since gone viral. Zulkifli is also the vice-president of Perkasa, whose president Ibrahim Ali had also earned the wrath of Tan when he called for the torching of Malay bibles that used the term Allah. The bishop recounted how he had in the past called on the government to take action against both Ibrahim and Perkasa patron and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad over this issue. "What sort of justice is this? It is no justice but bigotry which the Almighty God himself would be ashamed of," he said. "God sees, hears and knows everything. In spite of the fact that final justice is rendered by the Almighty God, we humans are not exempt from taking the right means to right what is wrong. "Failure to do so is an immorality which must be punished," he added. Tan also quoted PKR vice-president N Surendran, who pointed out that Section 198 A of the Penal Code provided for the punishment of those who utter words which cause disharmony, feelings of enmity, hatred and ill-will on grounds of religion. "Let his [Surendran's] words ring in the ears of those who planned 1Malaysia," said the Bishop, in reference to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. "Or is the 1Malaysia only a political slogan with self interests?" he asked. READ MORE HERE

Mahfuz: BN rancang huru-hara 13 Mei? Posted: 31 Mar 2013 04:34 PM PDT BN akan meggunakan sentimen tersebut untuk menakut-nakutkan rakyat kerana mereka kini sedang menghadapi krisis kepercayaan daripada pengundi. Jamilah Kamarudin, FMT PAS mendakwa Barisan Nasional (BN) sedang merangka satu percaturan untuk menimbulkan huru-hara ala 'Peristiwa 13 Mei' sekiranya gagal mendapat mandat untuk membentuk kerajaan pusat selepas Pilihan Raya Umum ke 13 (PRU13). Naib Presiden PAS Datuk Mahfuz Omar mendakwa, BN akan meggunakan sentimen tersebut untuk menakut-nakutkan rakyat kerana mereka kini sedang menghadapi krisis kepercayaan daripada pengundi. "Saya yakin ini yang sedang dirancang untuk membolehkan PRU diadakan menjelang 13 Mei untuk menyuntik satu jarum pemikiran ketakutan yang kemudiannya akan ada satu provokasi daripada BN yang sedang menaja kumpulan pengganas politik di negara ini untuk timbulkan huru-hara," katanya dalam sidang media di Ibu Pejabat PAS di sini hari ini. Beliau percaya indikator itu boleh berlaku kerana melihat kerajaan sehingga sekarang masih belum membubarkan Parlimen, sebaliknya sengaja melengahkan tarikh PRU sehingga diadakan pada sekitar hujung April sehingga Mei ini. Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena itu juga mendakwa, provokasi itu akan berlarutan sehingga rakyat dan ahli politik pembangkang dijadikan mangsa tahanan pihak berkuasa dengan merujuk kepada Operasi Lalang 1987. "Saya percaya BN sedang rancang sesuatu untuk timbulkan huru-hara berasaskan beberapa keadaan politik apabila BN sedang menghadapi krisis kepercayaan daripada rakyat seperti mana saya dimangsakan Ops Lalang 1987 iaitu isu ketegangan kaum pada waktu itu yang diketuai Najib Tun Razak (Umno) dan Datuk Lee Kim Sai (MCA). "Walaupun Akta Keselamatan Negeri (ISA) sudah tiada, kali ini mereka akan gunakan apa saja undang-undang yang ada termasuk Akta Kesalahan Keselamatan (Langkah-langkah Khas) 2012 (SOSMA 2012)," katanya. READ MORE HERE

Perang dingin jawatan MB Selangor... Posted: 31 Mar 2013 04:08 PM PDT (Agenda Daily) - Dalam politik silap cakap ia boleh mengundang pelbagai spekulasi.Kalau dilihat dalam konteks pergolakan perang dingin politik dalaman PKR Selangor,Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim dikatakan sudah membuka satu 'medan tempur' baru menjelang pilihanraya umum ke 13. Entahlah samaada beliau sengaja hendak jolok atau itu keluar secara ikhlas darinya.Ini merujuk kepada cakapnya Sabtu bahawa  Presiden PKR, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail  layak jadi Menteri Besar Selangor. Tanpa melibatkan sebarang unsur politik,sebenarnya siapa saja layak menjadi Menteri Besar asalkan orang itu menang pilihanraya kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri dan mendapat perkenaan Sultan. Namun kalangan yang rajin mengintai pergelutan kuasa antara dua kem - yakni kem Azmin Ali dan kem Khalid ,dalam PKR negeri itu melihat Menteri Besar itu seolah hendak memberi mesej tertentu menerusi kenyataannya. Al-kisahnya Khalid dikatakan memang rapat dengan Wan Azizah dan mereka dikatakan tidak begitu ngam dengan Azmin dan gengnya. Khalid pula dikatakan mungkin tidak bertanding kerusi DUN Ijok yang disandangnya sekarang dan hanya akan mempertahankan kerusi Parlimen di Bandar Tun Razak,Kuala Lumpur. Maka kenyataan Khalid itu dilihat sudah book jawatan Menteri Besar untuk Wan Azizah jika pakatan dapat mempertahankan Selangor pada PRU13. Azmin dan gengnya dikatakan sudah lama mengidam  jawatannya jatuh ke riba mereka. Lojiknya sebagai Pengerusi Perhubungan PKR Selangor Azmin dilihat tiada kekuatan politik tanpa beliau sendiri atau orang kepercayaannya pegang jawatan Menteri Besar. Selain pegang kerusi DUN  Bukit Antarabangsa,Azmin juga kini adalah Ahli Parlimen Gombak. Kenyataan tiba-tiba Wan Azizah beberapa hari lalu bahawa beliau berminat hendak bertanding kerusi DUN di Selangor menjelang PRU13, sebenarnya mengejutkan ramai pihak. Sekalipun tidak lama dulu pernah membayangkan minat seumpama itu namum kemudiannya ia senyap begitu sahaja. Disamping itu ada yang melihat kerusi DUN tidak setaraf dengan kedudukannya sebagai Presiden sebuah parti. Namun lain ceritanya jika beliau mengintai jawatan Menteri Besar. Maka kenyataan Khalid dilihat sudah membuka laluan itu. Apapun puak Azmin dikatakan mempunyai alasan kuat untuk mempertikaikan langkah itu. Walau atas apa alasan sekalipun,cubaan untuk menonjolkan Wan Azizah sebagai Menteri Besar Selangor jika pakatan menang akan menghebohkan lagi isu dinasti keluarga Anwar dalam politik. Wan Azizah berjaya mempertahankan kerusi Parlimen Permatang Pauh pada pilihanraya Mac 2008 menewaskan calon Barisan Nasional Datuk Pirdaus Ismail. Beliau telah letak jawatan pada 31 Julai 2008 bagi memberi laluan kepada Anwar bertanding pada pilihan raya kecil kawasan itu.

GE13: DAP slams PKR for being ‘insensible’ Posted: 31 Mar 2013 03:54 PM PDT (The Star) - JOHOR BARU: The DAP-PKR spat in Johor continues with state DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau accusing its ally in the Opposition front of being "unreasonable, insensible and lacking the spirit of fraternity" in demanding to take the Segamat and Bakri parliamentary seats. He said PKR had been allotted 11 parliamentary seats in Johor, compared with nine for PAS and six for DAP. "I deeply regret Johor PKR has been insensibly targeting DAP seats. I urge them to look at the bigger picture," he said. Dr Boo said that instead of eyeing additional parliamentary seats, PKR should swap state seats with PAS, which has been allotted 28 of the 56 state seats at stake. This comes came a day after Johor PKR deputy chief Dr Ahmad Faidhi said he had taken over the duties of state party chairman Datuk Chua Jui Meng, who had gone "missing in action" for more than 10 days. Chua is allegedly sore that his party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim endorsed the candidacy of DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah, the parliamentary seat that both Dr Boo and Chua were eyeing. Chua had earlier stated that he was also keen to contest in Bakri, where he was MP before being dropped by Barisan Nasional in 2008. Dr Ahmad also insisted that the Segamat parliamentary seat, along with the Johor Jaya and Tangkak state seats, were PKR's. At the last polls, Bakri was won by DAP and Segamat by Barisan's Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam who beat DAP. Meanwhile, two former DAP branch officials and their supporters held a protest against Dr Boo for allegedly ignoring the needs of the Indian community. V. Thulasi Das, former chairman of the Taman Saga DAP branch in Kulai, and K. Murugan, former publicity secretary of the Taman Nesa DAP branch in Skudai, claimed Dr Boo had ignored the community's grouses.

GE13: Wooing the fence-sitters Posted: 31 Mar 2013 03:52 PM PDT The thrust of campaigning for the imminent general election has shifted towards winning over the fence-sitters, especially urbanites below the age of 40. Political parties are actively wooing this undecided group believed to make up a large slice of the newly registered 3.75 million voters. Although the determining factors for the fence-sitters remain anyone's guess, campaigners are working hard to make their side look and feel better than the other. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the party had identified more fence-sitters in the urban and suburban constituencies. "There could be up to 40% of voters who have yet to make up their minds over who to vote for and the figure could go higher for younger voters, maybe even 50%. "I think they are still holding back their votes while waiting for the candidates list to be announced. They might also want to compare the manifestos of both sides, campaign themes and ads, and general mood closer to the polling day based on peer interaction on the media or social media," he said. Khairy said that with such a large number of undecided voters this time around, the selection of candidates would be crucial. "In the urban areas, we must pick candidates who can win over the independents over those who can only galvanise the party base," he said. MCA Young Professionals Bureau head Datuk Chua Tee Yong said parties could no longer take the fence-sitters for granted. Admitting that Barisan Nasional campaigners overlooked the voter sentiment and the shift in the ground in the 2008 general election, he said: "At that time, we didn't feel the vibes, we weren't sensitive enough and didn't feel the shift in the ground." Chua said fence-sitters usually looked out for candidates who appeared approachable, could articulate issues well, and even whether they could converse in local dialects. "They may also be swayed by emotive issues that can crop up during the last leg of campaigning and this can make or break the candidate's chances," he said. PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said that although it was not common for voters in rural areas to be fence-sitters, some were known to reserve their judgment until the last moment. "Even party workers who transport voters from houses to the voting centres can help sway votes. "But I think by this time, many would have already made up their minds," he said. DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke said fence-sitters were the deciding voters in most elections. "They want to see whose message they can identify with, the overall mood during the campaigning period and then side with the team that looks to be winning," he said. However, Loke said his estimated number of fence-sitters was only between 15% and 20% only, much lower than Barisan's projection. "I think most voters have made up their minds. Both sides have their hardcore fans and their base support, but they need to woo the fence-sitters to win," he said.

Ustaz Rujhan revelations anger PAS Posted: 31 Mar 2013 03:14 PM PDT In over six months, the mild-mannered, bespectacled ustaz, who is also Nadi Rakyat Malaysia religious bureau chairman, has built up a following against the Pas leadership, attracting thousands to his ceramah that is held two to three times a week. (NST) - KOTA BARU: Ustaz Rujhan Abdul Rahman is a "dead man walking". "I have been told by PAS insiders that it is halal to draw my blood, along with three other ustaz who are dispelling the notion that Pas is Islam and Islam is PAS." In over six months, the mild-mannered, bespectacled ustaz, who is also Nadi Rakyat Malaysia religious bureau chairman, has built up a following against the Pas leadership, attracting thousands to his ceramah that is held two to three times a week. This, he alleged, had made him a dangerous man to PAS. Having taken precautionary measures, Rujhan said he and other high-profile penceramah, including uztaz Saidi Hussain, now never leave their houses without a bulletproof vest. Rujhan was recently asked to vacate the house he and his family had been renting from a PAS supporter for the past 13 years. This reporter attended a ceramah in Wakaf Baru recently and the reaction from the 6,000-strong crowd, made up of a broad cross-section of the public, clamouring for a better picture and yearning for the truth, was inspiring. Armed with slides, videos and evidence, the fiery orator's arsenal was impressive. Making up roughly 20 per cent of the crowd were fence-sitters. With each revelation, shouts of "PAS murtad!" and "Igat Nik Aziz!" (Arrest Pas spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat) pierced the cool night. One video clip showed Nik Aziz saying that PAS was willing to accept Satan's help in its fight against Umno. This drew gasps from the incredulous crowd. Another clip showed Nik Aziz's son, Nik Abduh, saying: "It is Allah who told us to seize Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional." The sound of disapproval grew louder as the crowd was shown slides and clips of PAS' complicity with DAP, which is reviled by the majority of Muslims in the state. For the majority of the crowd, who live below the poverty line, images of Nik Aziz's white Toyota Alphard minivan run counter to the carefully cultivated image of a man who lives a simple life, which the local folk are fed on daily. Another slide showed a mansion attached to the back of a half-wooden home, well known among the folk in Kelantan as Nik Aziz's house. When the slide showing the net worth of the top PAS leadership was flashed on the big screen, gasps of disbelief echoed through the crowd. Murmurs of discontent soon followed and reached a deafening crescendo. Tok Guru had not too long ago made disparaging remarks about the low-income recipients of the 1Malaysia People's Aid. Nik Aziz had said the aid was "like scattering padi and coconut husks in front of chickens and cows to entice them to come closer". When met in the lobby of a local hotel, Rujhan was candid about how PAS viewed him. "I have a police officer on my security detail. I also have two private contractors who handle my security. "The feedback I've been getting tells me that more and more people are beginning to see the real PAS. "People here used to fear speaking ill of PAS, believing that mishap would befall them. But with knowledge, they are starting to openly call PAS' bluff." Rujhan believed that this rankled the PAS leadership, who viewed him as a clear and present danger to the party. "I've gotten a razor blade mailed to me, along with a picture of a tongue being cut off. That's part of an attempt to silence me and my comrades."

Muhyiddin, the other Prime-Minister-in-Waiting Posted: 31 Mar 2013 02:12 PM PDT   Don't complain five years later that Muhyiddin is a Prime Minister without popular mandate.  This is his election, not Najib's, much like the 2008 poll was Najib's, not Abdullah's.  Wong Chin Huat, fz.com  IN hindsight, the 2008 elections were really a choice between, not Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, but between Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Anwar.    One reason Najib is attacked today for not dissolving parliament early is that he did not win his mandate in 2008, as the BN victory was won in Abdullah's name.    This was however true only if we were completely ignorant of the possibility that Abdullah would be significantly weakened, thanks to his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's relentless attack.   If Abdullah could not rein in the warlords in UMNO in 2004 despite a 91% parliamentary majority, how could he survive his party comrades' onslaught after losing the conventional two-thirds majority. And denying Abdullah his two-thirds was what Mahathir, the opposition and a large segment of the public tacitly agreed on.   In that sense, the 2008 elections were Najib's inaugurating elections, just unannounced. Of course, some would cry foul for not being informed explicitly of the built-in succession agenda.   In the same way, the 2013 elections may be Muhyiddin's inaugurating elections but we have no excuse that we are not explicitly informed. For a year or so, many UMNO leaders have been talking aloud of the BN restoring its two-thirds majority, effectively denying Najib his chance of a soft landing – i.e. continuing to rule with a modest majority.   In the past five years, Malaysians have become bolder and bolder in standing up for their rights, and opposing unpopular government policies.   As shown in the Psy concert, they would not even "give face" to the Prime Minister by hiding their rejection.    How likely is it for the BN under Najib to even just do better than when under Abdullah?    In 2008, BN was eight seats away from the super-majority.  Based on the outcome of the 2011 Sarawak state election, the ruling coalition will lose at least six more parliamentary seats there to the opposition.   This is before taking into consideration the marginal seats that BN may lose due to the recently released video clip implicating Taib and his relatives in land sale scandals.   Now, out of the 15 seats currently held by MCA, the BN's second largest party, 13 have an electorate with one third or more being Chinese voters.    If the Chinese support for the opposition goes to 80%, MCA must be able to get at least two-thirds of non-Chinese votes to keep these seats.    With MCA chief Chua Soi Lek's sensitive-sounding statements on Islam, it is quite unlikely that MCA can even count on a two-thirds majority amongst the Malay voters.   Even before including a couple of Sabah seats that are expected to be lost, thanks to the Project M and the government's handling of the Sulu incursion, the BN may lose up to 19 more seats alone due to the Sarawak and Chinese discontents.   Now, can UMNO – the strongest party in BN – deliver 19 more seats to just maintain the status quo in 2008, let alone another eight more seats to regain the two-third majority? Read more at: http://fz.com/content/muhyiddin-other-prime-minister-waiting

Anwar, Who is Sabah CM? Posted: 31 Mar 2013 02:04 PM PDT   Abu Nawas, Sabahkinimirror WHEN the Barisan Nasional (BN) government announces the setting-up of the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (ESSZone), Anwar knows for certain his chances of capturing Sabah & Sarawak are lost.  Losing Sabah means losing Sarawak as well, it is a domino effect in politics in the Borneo States.  Sabah ESSZone is the signal to Sarawak Rajang Security Command (RASCOM) to start realigning back to BN. As the result it is better for Anwar to concentrate his attention to the Member of Parliament (MP) and State Seats in Malaya.  This is perhaps the main reason for him to finally reject STAR and SAPP; it is not because of seat distribution. These new development makes PAKATAN presence in Sabah and Sarawak as a non-starter. For Anwar Sabah does not matter because he still have Ansari and Tamrin from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Lajim Ukim from PPPS and Wilfred Bumburing from APS.  They will be used to represent the Sabah interest and put up a token challenge to BN in Sabah. So, what was Anwar thinking when he made the announcement that PAKATAN will do it alone in Sabah?  In the event that his token challenge and by sheer fluke that PAKATAN manage to form a government in Sabah, surely Anwar will reintroduce the Chief Minister rotation in Sabah under the pretext that every community in Sabah must have the chance to lead Sabah. The rotation of the Chief Minister in Sabah will serve Anwar in many ways.  Rotating the Chief Minister every two years means the state government will be weak, nothing can be decided in Sabah.  It is therefore obvious that decision must be made by Kuala Lumpur.  Sabah cannot plan or implement anything, therefore the much needed funds can be routed to Malaya where it is most needed.  After all Anwar political powerbase will always be Malaya not Sabah or Sarawak. As far as Anwar is concern Sabah and Sarawak is just two cash cows for him to squeeze. It cannot be denied that the existing BN government is chalking substantial national debt, so much politicking currently that no one is generating fresh income-stream for the nation. As the government PAKATAN will further jeopardize the present Economic Transformation Programs because PAKATAN will want to change the current "cronies" with their own.  In the ensuing long drawn legal battle, practically nothing will be done; everything will be at a standstill.  Read more at: http://sabahkinimirror.blogspot.com/2013/04/anwar-who-is-sabah-cm.html

Sulu army gets reinforcements? Posted: 31 Mar 2013 02:01 PM PDT   (FMT) - Armed men had allegedly slipped through the Malaysian and Philippine naval cordon and joined Kiram's rebels, claims the sultan's spokesperson. Some 100 heavily armed men have joined the followers of Agbimuddin Kiram in Sabah to continue fighting Malaysian forces in Lahad Datu, sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani (photo) said yesterday. Idjirani said Agbimuddin, brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III called him up to report that some heavily armed civilians have joined the fighting in Sabah. Idjirani said the civilians managed to slip through the sea blockade of the Malaysian and Philippine navy forces in going to Sabah. "(Agbimuddin) called me about the arrival of civilians with arms who have joined the royal security forces," Idjirani said, according to The Philippine Star. It was not known where the armed civilians came from but sources said some are Tausugs from various parts of Mindanao who arrived in small groups to avoid the Malaysian and Philippine naval blockade at the Sulu Sea. Idjirani also reported that relatives of Kiram who are long-time residents of Sabah went into hiding after Malaysian police began its crackdown on suspected supporters of the sultan's army. "The relatives of sultan are now living in fear and have gone into hiding," he said. Last Thursday, Philippine embassy officials in Kuala Lumpur were allowed to visit eight men facing charges for terrorism-related violence for their involvement in the Sabah incident. Philippine Ambassador to Kuala Lumpur Eduardo Malaya, in a statement, identified the eight as Atik Hussin Bin Abu Bakar, Basad H. Manuel, Habil Bin Suhali, Holland Bin Kalbi, Thimhar Hadil Sultan, Lin Bin Mad Salleh, Kadir Bin Uyung and Lating Bin Tiong. Malaya did not say if the eight, detained at the prison facility in Tawau, are Filipinos. The Sulu sultanate had earlier said the eight are Malaysians.  Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/04/01/sulu-army-gets-reinforcements-in-lahad-datu/

You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net