Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Insight: In Malaysia's election, a focus on rainforest graft
- Nazri still toying with lives of Sabahans -- STAR
- Mengapa mereka tinggalkan Anwar?
- Malaysia Vote May Rule on Racial Divide
- SAPP, Sabah MyKad most practical
- Hindraf gets good vibes from BN, wants debate with DAP
- GE13: Trouble in Raub DAP
- Anwar Kekal Pendirian Bukan Islam Diboleh Guna Kalimah Allah
- PI Bala's wife and children missing, claims lawyer
- The fight over fertile lands (WITH CHINESE TRANSLATION)
- ‘Taib has written off 8 MP seats’
- Anwar to contest in Perak
- Malaysia's ruling and opposition parties say ready for polls
- M'sia polls to have new elements including use of indelible ink and early voting
- Between the Snobs and the Opportunists; Penangites Are Caught Between a Rock & a Hard Place
- The race is on for the Indian vote
- PRU13: Di mana hala tuju ‘Generasi Y’?
- Malaysia's EC to decide on poll date, widely expected on last weekend of April
- In tight GE13 race, Najib bets on economic renaissance
- GE13: A marathon, but a race for ‘sprinters’
- GE13: PKR hit by yet another sex allegation
- GE13: What comes after dissolution?
- Pakatan states to follow suit as PM dissolves Parliament
- BN to get bigger majority with Indian help, says Samy Vellu
- ‘Datuk T’s’ Shazryl Eskay due RM20m commission, court rules
- Hindraf dares Kit Siang to an open debate
- SAPP, STAR all geared to go
- 16 by-elections after 2008 polls
- BN in limbo over candidates
- What do DAP and race car drivers have in common?
- ‘Face-saving’ solution to Sabah
- DAP’s greed creating problems for Pakatan Rakyat in Johor
- 'RM12b oil royalty unreasonable'
- PM: Opposition will impede Petronas growth
- Will Chinese clan groups rule in Klang?
- GE13: Parliament dissolved
| Insight: In Malaysia's election, a focus on rainforest graft Posted: 03 Apr 2013 12:06 PM PDT
(Reuters) - The island of Borneo may be all that stands between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and an unprecedented election defeat within weeks for his ruling coalition. Borneo's two Malaysian states -- Sabah and Sarawak -- have been a bastion of votes for the National Front coalition headed by Najib's party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). The two states, among Malaysia's poorest despite vast natural resources, kept the National Front in power in 2008 even as a groundswell of support for the opposition deprived the government of its iron-clad two-thirds parliamentary majority. That could start to change. Allegations of corruption in recent months have dogged the chief ministers of both Sabah and Sarawak, long-time rulers who hold vast sway over some of the world's largest tracts of tropical forests. The National Front is favored to win the election that Najib must call by the end of April, extending its 56-year rule thanks to robust economic growth and its strong electoral machinery. But it could be one of Malaysia's closest elections. Corruption scandals threaten to undermine one of Najib's central messages -- that he is making Southeast Asia's third-largest economy more transparent and competitive. Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman, who is also the state's top UMNO official, has been under scrutiny the past year after whistleblower website Sarawak Report published documents from the Hong Kong and Malaysian anti-corruption agencies. The two agencies started investigating Musa in late 2008. The probe was based on a tip-off that the chief minister was extracting money from businessmen seeking timber concessions and funneling it to UBS bank accounts in Hong Kong and Singapore, sources close to the investigations said. They declined to say who gave the tip-off. Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/02/us-malaysia-politics-idUSBRE9310ZL20130402 |
| Nazri still toying with lives of Sabahans -- STAR Posted: 03 Apr 2013 12:03 PM PDT
"What laws is he talking about? If there are laws to be looked into, then look into them!" Jambun demanded. "As far as we know the Federal Government, through the National Registration Department, has the complete prerogative to re-issue MyKads anytime, even to change the designs, anytime it wants. Daniel J Jambun It appears that Kuala Lumpur still hasn't learned anything from the Lahad Datu intrusion and bloodshed, and persists on toying with the lives of Sabahans, said State Reform Party (STAR). STAR's deputy chairman, Daniel John Jambun, in a statement here, took to task Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dato' Seri Nazri Aziz for saying it will be difficult for the Federal Government to re-issue new MyKads for Sabah. Jambun accused Nazri of lying when he made the excuse such a simple task is difficult supposedly "because there are laws to be looked into." "What laws is he talking about? If there are laws to be looked into, then look into them!" Jambun demanded. "As far as we know the Federal Government, through the National Registration Department, has the complete prerogative to re-issue MyKads anytime, even to change the designs, anytime it wants. "There is no need to pass such an undertaking through parliament, or to have it gazetted. What Nazri is doing is lying and avoiding the proposal, still believing that Sabahans are stupid and can be lied to anytime he wants," he added. Jambun, who is also the President of the Borneo Plight Malaysia Foundation (BOMIFO), challenged Nazri to explain what laws were used in the illegal issuance of hundreds of thousands of MyKads to refugees and illegal immigrants. He reminded Nazri that it was he who arrogantly said the illegals were not a security problem in Sabah. "The fact is there was no law used except the law of the jungle and shameless law of robbers, thieves and traitors. The Federal Government ignored the Federal Constitution and many other laws to commit the treasonous acts of issuing the blue ICs and MyKads to illegals," he said. "If they could do that for foreigners, why can't they do the same -- legally -- for the people ofSabah? "Why is it so easy to do the wrong thing and yet they refuse to do the right thing? Is it because the Federal Government wants to perpetuate the dominance of illegals in Sabah for political purpose at the expense of bona fide Sabahans? "The treasonous act had now been blown into the face of the Federal Government with the death of almost 100 people and souring diplomatic relations with the Philippines. This is a clear case of what is called a 'blowback' or a backlash of an act committed in 'good' intention in the past. And yet Nazri still has the audacity to say it is difficult to solve the MyKads problem when the solution is right in his very hands. "I agree with Tan Sri Bernard Dompok that Nazri was wrong and this time will be proven wrong again. As for the leaders of Upko, PBRS and PBS who are supposed to be the representatives of the KDMs in BN, to fight for the KDM rights, they should now seriously consider leaving the BN, because it is very obvious the BN government is not giving face at all to their proposal. It is proven again that they are toothless in BN. "Now that parliament has been dissolved it is the opportune time for them to sit down with localSabah parties to help fight for justice under the Borneo Agenda. With the three parties in UBF, the defeat of the BN in Sabah will be a forgone conclusion. "Thereafter we can proceed to set up our own Homeland Security System and use our kingmaker position to force the Federal Government to do what they are supposed to do to develop and protect Sabah and Sabahans."
|
| Mengapa mereka tinggalkan Anwar? Posted: 03 Apr 2013 12:01 PM PDT
(Sinar Harian) - Ia bukan berita mengemparkan atau breaking news. Kalaupun disiarkan, ia hanya sesuai, mungkin satu atau paling banyak dua kolum muka dalam akhbar. Begitulah mengenai berita tentang tokoh-tokoh tertentu dalam masyarakat dan bidang akademik yang telah meninggalkan Anwar Ibrahim. Setakat ini sudah ramai tidak lagi mahu di sisi menyokong perjuangannya. Ini bukan soal demokrasi. Lagipun, sama ada kawan-kawan bekas Presiden Abim itu enggan bersamanya dalam wadah baru, PKR, adalah hak mereka. Mereka bukan lagi golongan baru belajar berfikir dan menganalisis, tetapi merupakan tokoh yang amat disegani di dalam dan di luar negara. Apa pun, berita Prof Datuk Dr Sidek Baba tidak lagi sealiran dengan bekas bosnya, Anwar, perlu diberi perhatian. Setakat ini hanya sebuah akhbar yang mendominasi berita ini, lain-lain ambil sikap berkecuali. Bercakap pasal Dr Sidek, kita bercakap mengenai perjuangan Islam di peringkat jauh lebih tinggi berbanding kebanyakan ulama berijazah asas yang seolah-olah baru kenal dengan alif ba ta. Dr Sidek merupakan antara hard core Anwar yang boleh diibaratkan panglima perang.
Di UIA, Dr Sidek menjadi pemangkin pada gerakan menaikkan Anwar di kalangan masyarakat intelektual serta dunia pelajar.
|
| Malaysia Vote May Rule on Racial Divide Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:57 AM PDT
(New York Times) - Mr. Najib sounded defensive at times as he announced the dissolution of Parliament on national television. "Don't gamble the future of your children and Malaysia," he said. "Think and contemplate as much as you can before making a decision. Because that will determine the direction of the country and also your grandchildren's future." When the prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, announced Wednesday that he was dissolving Parliament, he set in motion an election campaign that will render judgment not just on his embattled governing coalition, but also on Malaysia's longstanding system of dividing the power and spoils of public life on ethnic lines. "This is a referendum on race-based politics," Ibrahim Suffian, the director of the Merdeka Center, an independent polling agency, said of the election. "The ruling coalition continues to argue that the existing system brings stability. The opposition is talking more about politics based on class, not race." The country has been led since independence in 1957 by a coalition, now known as the National Front, whose three main members are parties that define themselves on explicitly racial lines: one for Malays, the country's largest ethnic group; one for Chinese; and one for Indians. But in recent years, the cohesion of those groups has begun to fray. Chinese voters, who make up about one-quarter of the country's population of nearly 30 million, have abandoned the coalition in large numbers, and the Malays who have dominated the political hierarchy for five decades are divided. "How can you have a country based on race? It's like South Africa 30 years ago," said Nariza Hashim, a voter in Kuala Lumpur who is classified as Malay but who has Chinese, Indian and Scottish as well as Malay ancestors. Though her grandfather was an early leader of the United Malays National Organization, the Malay component of the coalition, Ms. Nariza said the country's ethnic classifications baffled her five children. "They really don't understand why you would ask someone's race on a government form," she said. The ethnic system has been reinforced over the years by paternalistic news media with close ties to the governing coalition. A leading English-language newspaper, The New Straits Times, ran an article about the elections on its front page Wednesday with a photograph of Mr. Najib waving his index finger, next to the headline "Choose wisely." Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/world/asia/facing-tests-malaysias-leader-calls-for-elections.html |
| SAPP, Sabah MyKad most practical Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:52 AM PDT
"Issuing Sabah MyKads to Sabahans is the most practical way to distinguish between the genuine Malaysians of Sabah origin and the new Malaysian Sabahans who probably obtained their MyKads by dubious means", said Amde Sidik, the Deputy President of Sabah Progressive Party-SAPP. The administration for this purpose could be undertaken by the government agency or may be under the jurisdiction of Registrar of Native Courts, he said. The President of UPKO Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said (Daily Express 02/04/2013) reissuing of MyKad for Sabahans is not impossible even though Minister in the Prime Minister Mohd Nazi Abdul Aziz said it would be difficult for Federal Government to issue new MyKad for Sabah. "I can see that suggestion by Tan Sri Bernard Dompok is a bit cumbersome, administratively it involves recalling and reissuing which is Putrajaya in full control. I would think Sabah people are more knowledgeable in as far as understanding the people in this part of the country even if it's PR as the Federal Government", he said. MyKad Sabah is one of the five main topics in SAPP manifestos. Sabah had done it before with no complications with the laws of the country. The usefulness of a Sabah Mykad among others are when we are dealing with matters that affect the basic rights of being Sabahans, again our reference is what has been agreed in the Malaysia agreement of 1963. For examples, land matters, scholarship awards, licenses, permits, welfares benefits and other forms of awards to bone fide Sabahans. Look at the distribution of BRIM500 or a few others where many locals didn't even get those benefits, whilst the new Malaysians including Pakistanis and Indonesians-Malaysians have little difficulty in getting government's facilities, according to Amde.
|
| Hindraf gets good vibes from BN, wants debate with DAP Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:43 AM PDT Hindraf is looking forward to a second meeting with Najib after getting positive feedback through informal contacts. It is also challenging Lim Kit Siang to a debate on its blueprint. K Kabilan, FMT Hindraf today said that there were indications that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would seriously look into its five-year blueprint for the betterment of the marginalised Indian community. "We think there are chances of our proposals being adopted by the Barisan Nasional," Hindraf's national adviser N Ganesan told FMT today. He said that following a formal meeting between Hindraf and Najib on March 25 at Putrajaya, there have been "informal contacts" between the parties on the matter. "Based on these informal contacts, things are looking positive. We now await our second formal meeting to take place to take this to the next step," he said. No date has been fixed for the second meeting but Ganesan is confident that it would be held very soon. "We don't know if Najib would be free in the next couple of days but we believe the high-profile meeting will take place very soon," he added. He refused to divulge more details on the informal contacts, apart from saying that the outcome of these contacts has been very favourable. "There are indications of acceptance [by the BN] of our proposal," he said. On March 25, a three-member Hindraf delegation which included Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy and Ganesan had met Najib at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya. Najib had then assured them that he would be holding a second meeting with them to discuss the Hindraf blueprint for the Indian community. Hindraf's blueprint, among others, highlights issues related to displaced Indian plantation workers, the need for tertiary-level education for Indian students, job opportunities in the government sector, financial loans to Indian entrepreneurs, and the establishment of a Minorities Affairs Ministry. Waythamoorthy had embarked on a hunger strike on March 10 in order to get either BN or Pakatan Rakyat to endorse the Hindraf blueprint. He ended his hunger strike on March 31. He had previously said that Hindraf would support whichever party that endorsed its blueprint. Alternatively, he had declared that Hindraf supporters would abstain from voting if neither Pakatan nor BN was willing to endorse the blueprint. He had also expressed his disappointment with Pakatan and its leader Anwar Ibrahim for not taking them seriously despite having several meetings. With the latest development now, it looks like Najib and BN would be benefiting from Hindraf's support if he accepts their proposals for the Indian community. However, it is uncertain if he would accept the Hindraf blueprint in toto or would negotiate for some compromise. Debate challenge to Kit Siang
|
| Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:37 AM PDT
(The Star) - Trouble is brewing in Raub DAP, with the party's division resolving to appeal against the central leadership's decision to field former Umno assemblyman Mohd Ariff Sabri for the Raub parliamentary constituency. They want party leaders to reconsider their preferred candidate, Tengku Zulpuri Raja Puji Shah, whom they claim has been active on the ground for several years. "We will submit our request through normal procedures to the party central leadership. We hope Tengku Zulpuri can stay in Raub," Raub DAP chief and Tras state assemblyman Choong Siew Oon was quoted by a news portal as saying Wednesday. An emergency division meeting held in Raub on Tuesday night was attended by 50 local leaders. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced on Monday that Mohd Ariff will be fielded in Raub while Tengku Zulpuri would contest in Mentakab, a state seat under the Temerloh parliamentary seat. The announcement was said to have caught local DAP leaders and supporters by surprise as Tengku Zulpuri had been active in the constituency. Mohd Ariff was Pulau Manis assemblyman from 2004 to 2008.
|
| Anwar Kekal Pendirian Bukan Islam Diboleh Guna Kalimah Allah Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:34 AM PDT
(Bernama) - Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim kekal dengan pendirian bahawa penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh bukan Islam dibenarkan, seperti dipersetujui parti-parti pembangkang pada 8 Januari lepas. Malah beliau berkata, Presiden Pas, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang telah menyiapkan draf berhubung perkara itu pada Januari lepas yang antara lain menyatakan orang Islam tidak boleh mempertikai kalimah Allah daripada digunakan orang bukan Islam dan mereka tidak boleh menghina kalimah itu. "Seperti contoh apabila saya memaklumkan kepada Naib Presiden Parti, Tian Chua mengenai mesyuarat esok dan dijawab Tian Chua "insya-Allah". Ini bukanlah satu yang menghina," katanya dalam sidang akhbar di ibu pejabat PKR di Petaling Jaya, Rabu. Ketetapan pakatan pembangkang itu bertentangan dengan Muzakarah Jawatankuasa Fatwa Majlis Kebangsaan Bagi Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Malaysia, yang memutuskan pada 2008 bahawa lafaz Allah adalah kalimah suci bagi agama dan umat Islam. Majlis Syura Ulama Pas pada 13 Januari lepas juga memutuskan keputusan yang sama. Isu itu timbul apabila Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng mendesak kerajaan membenarkan penggunaan kalimah Allah itu dalam Bible versi Bahasa Melayu dalam perutusan Krismas tahun lepas. Ekoran keputusan Majlis Syura Ulama Pas, ditambah dengan kecaman daripada mufti-mufti dan cendekiawan Islam, Abdul Hadi dan Nik Abdul Aziz, yang sebelum itu bersetuju dengan DAP akhirnya akur dan menarik balik kenyataan mereka. Malah Mufti Kelantan, Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad sebelum ini berkata, haram bagi umat Islam membuka ruang untuk orang bukan Islam mempersenda kebesaran Allah. Mohamad Shukri berkata, Kelantan menguatkuasakan Seksyen 9 Bahagian 1 dan 2 Enakmen Kawalan dan Sekatan (Pengembangan Agama Bukan Islam) 1981 melarang perkataan dikaitkan dengan agama bukan Islam. Katanya, kalimah Allahuakbar antara 10 kalimah yang dinyatakan dalam Seksyen 9 Bahagian 2 iaitu perbahasan (bahasa) yang tidak boleh digunakan oleh bukan Islam. Enakmen sama turut dikuatkuasakan di sembilan negeri iaitu Terengganu sejak 1980, manakala Kedah, Melaka, Perak dan Selangor sejak 1988, diikuti Pahang (1989), Negeri Sembilan dan Johor pada 1991.
|
| PI Bala's wife and children missing, claims lawyer Posted: 02 Apr 2013 07:33 PM PDT
Ram Anand, Malaysiakini Private eye P Balasubramaniam's wife, A Santamil Selvi, and her children are mysteriously missing from their family home in Rawang, Bala's lawyer Americk Sidhu revealed today. Americk said that Selvi had become incommunicado since yesterday morning. Americk said on Monday, two "journalists" had appeared at Bala's house claiming that their editors had told them that Selvi wanted to make a statement.
|
| The fight over fertile lands (WITH CHINESE TRANSLATION) Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:57 PM PDT
DAP and PKR both pride themselves as multiracial parties. But in reality, they can only battle in the scarce Chinese-dominated areas to make their grounds. With Gelang Patah given to Lim Keat Siang, DAP has essentially 'conquered' all Chinese-dominated areas (in Johor). As for PKR, who also has to depend on Chinese votes, it has practically been sentenced to death. Hence, how can you believe that there won't be a fight between these two parties? Original text by Tay Tian Yan, Asst. Chief Editor, SinChew Daily Translated text by Gilbert Yeoh-Tan The way I see it, the internal fight between DAP and PKR over Johor is no less vigorous than their external fight with Barisan National. Johor has 26 parliamentary seats and 56 state seats; and during last election, Pakatan Rakyat had been unable to come up with candidates to fill all those seats. It puzzles a lot to see that they dig only around the belly button while there are indeed many seats. To quote a Chinese idiom, 'to stick a popsicle in one's belly button ---- pain to the last nerve in one's heart', would be how PR supporters would feel over the fighting. After all, Johor is PR's unharvested land where many supporters put high hopes on. According to a PR strategist, if PR can win 35% of Malay votes, 80% of Chinese, and 50% of Indian, they stand a very good chance of securing 20 parliamentary seats. That should be able to push PR to winning 112 seats in total, which will then allow them to march into Putrajaya to form a new government. Johor's voter structure, in theory, adds advantage to PR. Johor is a typical mixed area that witnesses a more evenly-distributed voter structure than other states: Malay voters contribute to 53.7% of the voting population, Chinese 38.8%, and Indian 6.6%. Furthermore, the geographical distribution is also an even one. It is true that Selangor and Perak have more Chinese voters, but the percentages of Chinese voters vary marginally among different seats, for example, 82% of Ipoh East voters are Chinese whereas only 6% of Larut voters are Chinese; There are no such cases in Johor. In theory, DAP and PKR are multiracial parties. With recent PAS's declaration as a 'Party for all races', this combination, in theory (sorry for the repeated usage of the word 'theory'), should perform better in mixed seats as they are able to harness votes from all races. If the above are true, we can then safely derive that Johor is ready to be the next PR state, and, with 20 parliamentary seats at hand, that PR can also march for Putrajaya to replace BN. The problem is, theory and reality, they often differ vastly. Johor is indeed an untouched land. However, as of today, it would appear that the only cultivatable areas for PR are areas with high percentage of Chinese voters. Among the 26 seats, there are only Kulai, Bakri, and Gelang Patah that have more than 50% of Chinese voters. Kluang comes close to 50%, it has 49.2%. These 4 are PR's winnable seats. For all other seats, PR has shown lack of confidence. For areas with less than 40% of Chinese voters, PR has practically given up the fights and let BN do as it pleases. DAP and PKR both pride themselves as multiracial parties. But in reality, they can only battle in the scarce Chinese-dominated areas to make their ground. With Gelang Patah given to Lim Keat Siang, DAP has essentially 'conquered' all Chinese-dominated areas (in Johor). As for PKR, who also has to depend on Chinese votes, it has practically been sentenced to death. How, then, can you believe that there won't be a fight between these two parties? Undoubtedly, Johor has many seats. But for PR, Malay-dominated area are merely 'barren lands' that they won't consider setting foot on whereas Chinese-dominated are 'fertile lands' that they can win without even the slightest efforts; there are a lot of 'barren lands' that attract little interests, but only a mere handful of 'fertile lands' that evoke brutal fights among allies. This is the grievance of Malaysia's politics. No matter how loudly a party vows to become 'multiracial', it would end up focusing on one ethnic for its votes. PR has been preaching on diversity and working together across all races. This is indeed a refreshing new direction that most voters will heed. But, in the end, it is what it is ---- an idea with no concrete action. DAP and PKR should therefore ask themselves: if they are indeed as multiracial as they preach, why then they haven't even the slightest confidence to win even 30% of the Malays' votes? If they both can practice what they preach, bringing their ideas to the grassroots, backing up their promotions with concrete actions (for example, have more people from other races taking up senior positions or participating in decision-making processes), then they definitely can take one step up and win more votes from all races. Only by then will they see 'fertile lands' everywhere, and no longer will they have to fight to the death over Chinese seats! ******************************************** 鄭丁賢‧肥田和瘦田之爭 以行動黨和公正黨今天在柔州的廝殺情況，慘烈程度不下於和國陣的對壘。 柔州有26個國會，56個州席；上屆大選，很多席位是半夜敲鑼都找不到人出來競選。 議席那麼多，怎麼就是往肚臍眼裡鑽，斗成一團……，不，更傳神的中文諺語說，是肚臍眼裡插冰棒――心寒；很多民聯支持者為此難過。 畢竟，柔佛是民聯的一塊處女地，是支持者寄望之所在。 一位民聯的策略師盤算說，一旦民聯得到35%的馬來選票，80%華人票，50%印人票，那麼，將可以奪下20個國會議席。 他認為，這20個夢幻議席，正好可以把民聯的國席推高到112席以上，直奔布特拉再也，執政中央。 況且，柔佛州的選民結構，理論上對民聯有利。 柔佛是典型的混合選區，各族人民的選票分佈比其它州更加平均；平均數字，馬來選民是53.7%，華人38.8%，印人6.6%。 各族選民的地理分佈相當均勻；雪州和霹靂固然族群比率也相當平均，但馬來選區和華人選區落差很大，譬如，霹州有華人高達82%的怡保東區，也有華人只有6%的拉律，這是柔佛沒有的情況。 理論上（又是理論），民聯3黨之中，行動黨和公正黨都是多元族群政黨，而伊斯蘭黨又打起"全民政黨＂的形象，這種組合，理論上（對不起，又重覆了），最適合套用在混合選區，因為3黨應該獲得不同族群的共同支持。 如此看來，柔州豈非已準備成立下一任民聯州政府，而且20個國會議席也將手到擒來，布城在望？ 問題是，理論和現實不符。 柔州固然是處女地，然而，到目前為止，能夠開墾的，看來看去，只有華人票顯著的議席。 26個國席，華人佔50%以上的，只有峇吉里、古來、振林山，勉強加入居鑾（49.2%）；這些是民聯有勝算的議席。 其它華人票低於50%的選區，民聯本身都缺乏信心，至於華人票低於40%的選區，根本不必搶，要的話儘管拿去。 行動黨和公正黨雖然都自認為多元族群政黨，但是，卻都要搶華人選區，在少數議席中尋求棲身之地。 民聯把振林山給了林吉祥，等於行動黨佔據了所有華人選區，同樣必須靠華人票吃糊的公正黨，如今只能喝西北風；於是，兩黨豈能不斗。 的確，柔佛議席很多，問題是，對民聯而言，馬來選區是瘦田，很難開墾，華人選區是肥田，不墾也可能有收獲。瘦田很多，乏人問津；肥田很少，搶成一團。 其實，這也是大馬政治的悲哀。不論政黨如何高喊多元族群政治，然而，大家都要往單元族群裡搶票。 民聯提出多元理念，確實指出一個新的方向，也讓人民多了一重選擇；但是，單有理念是不夠的。行動黨和公正黨都應該自問，既然它們是多元族群政黨，為甚麼連30%的馬來選票都沒有信心？ 如果它能夠坐言起行，過去好好在基層推廣它的理念，也用實際行動證明本身的多元性，包括在領導層和組織裡容納更多不同族群，那麼，或許它能更上層樓，獲得多元族群的支持。 如此，肥田處處，又何必在華人選區自相廝殺！ |
| ‘Taib has written off 8 MP seats’ Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:42 PM PDT The general election is no longer a battle between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat, it's about putting right that which is wrong, says DAP. Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Sarawakians were today urged to vote for a two-party system and "end" once and for all the "political monopoly and hegemony" of Barisan Nasional. Fuelled by Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's admission that BN could lose up to eight seats in Sarawak, state opposition DAP said a two-party system will be the "best legacy" Sarawakians could leave behind for their children. Sarawak has 31 parliamentary seats and the opposition has made unprecedented inroads into BN's rural "fixed deposits" and Chinese majority seats. They are confident of wresting at least 12 seats. Taib, who has had "monopolistic" power since 1981 when he assumed the chief minister's post, had reportedly said that Sarawak BN would deliver "at least" 23 out of the 31 parliamentary seats to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's bid to return the coalition to power in the 13th general election. Najib announced the dissolution of Parliament this morning, paving the way for the election to be held within 60 days. Speaking to FMT today, DAP secretary-general Chong Chieng Jen said the polls was an opportunity "to end" the hegemony and monopoly of the BN. "This election goes beyond who will form the government. It is no longer just a battle between BM and Pakatan Rakyat. "It's about putting right the wrongs. In the past 50 years, under the political monopoly and hegemony of BN, we saw mega corruption scandals exposed, alleged wrongdoers escaping with impunity and cases forgotten. "This must stop. It is now a choice of either choosing to remain under the BN political monopoly and hegemony or creating a two-party system in Malaysia." Chong said the repeated empowering of BN in every election has left Malaysias with a "legacy of corruption". "The general election gives us the opportunity to end all these. If we change the government, this will be the best legacy that we leave for the future generations. "Once a change of government happens, whoever be the government will have to govern with more transparency and accountability. "And the system itself will then be the most effective check and balance on the powers-that be," he said. "This is the true implication of the 13th general election," he said
|
| Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:39 PM PDT
The opposition leader says he is making his move to strengthen support for Pakatan Rakyat in the state. Anisah Shukry and Alyaa Azhar, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today announced that he would be leaving his constituency of Permatang Pauh to contest a seat in Perak. "I will have to go back to Permatang Pauh to appease them [constituents]; there was a very strong protest, but it was not my intention to disrespect the voters there," Anwar said at a press conference at the PKR headquarters here today. "Some have raised concerns, mentioned that they have been with me over these years, even when I was in prison, they were there to support me." But he said he explained to the voters there that his purpose for moving to Perak was to strengthen support there for Pakatan Rakyat, and not to "ditch" Permatang Pauh voters. "They said to me, 'now you're strong, en route to Putrajaya, don't just ditch us'. But that is not my intention. "But my relations with Permatang Pauh is quite sentimental, so I would need to engage with them and explain to them by tomorrow." However, he refused to divulge exactly which seat he would be contesting in Perak, saying that the candidates' list will be announced tomorrow after a meeting with Pakatan leaders. Candidates' list 90% ready Meanwhile, election director Azmin Ali, who was also at the press conference, said that PKR was now "definitely ready" with its list of candidates.
|
| Malaysia's ruling and opposition parties say ready for polls Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:33 PM PDT
Carolyn Hong, Straits Times It's now just a matter of weeks before Malaysians go to the ballot box, as Prime Minister Najib Razak has finally announced the dissolution of Parliament on Wednesday after months of speculation. Both Mr Najib and his rival, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, have declared themselves ready to face the 13.3 million voters. Both sides have expressed confidence about winning the 13th general election that will be the closest fought in Malaysia's history. In recent days, Mr Najib has expressed "cautious optimism" that his federal ruling coalition Barisan Nasional can regain its two-thirds majority control of Parliament, that is at least 148 seats out of a total 222. Either side needs at least 112 seats to win with a simple majority. Recently, Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan has even predicted winning as many as 160 seats. The opposition Pakatan Rakyat has also been as confident, predicting a win of about 10 seats above the minimum 112, making it around 120 to 125 seats. The BN won 140 seats in the 2008 general election, and the PR 82. Analysts, however, have been more cautious. Many believe that the gap between the BN and PR has closed significantly in the last four years, and neither side has locked in a decisive victory. Political analyst Ibrahim Suffian from the Merdeka Centre said both sides stand very close to each other in their chances. "The ruling party has the preponderance of material resources to face the battle but they are confronted by an electorate that is increasingly critical, youthful and willing to experiment," he said. The 2008 general election also showed that the unexpected can lurk unseen, as the ground sentiment had swung so decisively at that time in such a quiet manner that few had even come close to predicting the outcome. The BN suffered its worst ever electoral showing since independence although it managed to cling onto power. It lost the two-thirds majority in Parliament and five states, but later regained Perak through defections. The contest will be a close one, with a lot depending on how the campaign goes. The Election Commission will announce soon the nomination and polling dates, with speculation that nomination will take place in about 10 days' time, and polling in the last weekend of April. |
| M'sia polls to have new elements including use of indelible ink and early voting Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:29 PM PDT
(Straits Times) - Malaysia will introduce a number of new elememts during the 13th general election to ensure transparency in the voting process. Bernama news agency reported on Wednesday that the new elements include the use of indelible ink, early voting by police and military personnel to replace postal voting, allowing the disabled to bring along someone to help them vote and abolishing the process of protest during nomination and withdrawal of candidacy. Bernama reported that the rule on indelible ink makes it compulsory for anyone wanting to vote to have the left index finger marked with the ink before being given the ballot paper. Those who refuse to comply will not be issued the paper. The Election Commission (EC), for the first time, also introduced early voting for military personnel and their spouses, General Operations Force personnel and spouses, and policemen unable to vote on polling day. This will involve 273,819 voters, comprising 163,017 voters from the military and 110,802 from the police. Other than members of the security forces, Malaysians abroad who meet stipulated conditions will also for the first time allowed to vote early through the postal voting method, according to Bernama. But they must be registered voters and had been in Malaysian or had returned not less than 30 days in five years prior to the dissolution of Parliament or state assembly. Malaysians living in southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Kalimantan in Indonesia are not qualified to use this facility and must return home to vote. The EC said in a statement that the conditions were imposed to show that there is a clear relationship between the citizens of Malaysia and the motherland. The commission also agreed to abolish the process of protest during nomination and the period to withdraw candidacy to tackle the problem of frivolous protests, said the report. With this amendment, the time required by EC to print ballot papers is shortened because it does not have to wait for the cooling-off period of three days to withdraw candidacy as practised previously. Disabled people will be allowed to name someone they trust to help them vote, on condition that the named person is a citizen aged 21 and above, but not necessarily registered as a voter. And also for the first time in the history of the country's general elections, all media workers including journalists, photographers, cameraman and technicians on duty outside the areas they registered are eligible to apply to be postal voters. The EC is also prepared to give equal access to all political parties to present their manifestos on Radio Television Malaysia, said the Bernama report. Other new elements include campaign period must not be less than 10 days and the exhibition of the Electoral Roll will be extended from seven days to 14 days. |
| Between the Snobs and the Opportunists; Penangites Are Caught Between a Rock & a Hard Place Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:12 PM PDT
Khoo Kay Peng I feel sorry for my fellow Penangites. The 13th GE is going to be one of the hardest elections for them to decide on the winners and the losers. It is hard because we are caught between the snobs and the opportunists. On one hand, remnants of the past regime, through the control of federal power, still act like the state government is in their firm control and they are merely punished by the voters by temporarily handing over the administration to the Opposition. They never get down to accept the reality that they had been outvoted by a large majority.
|
| The race is on for the Indian vote Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:09 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Times) - Analysts and pundits are unanimous: the Indian community in the country is said to be the deciding factor in the coming 13th General Election (GE13). The race for that vital Indian vote has begun. The Barisan Nasional's (BN) recent mammoth rallies such as the 'Unity Ponggal' and 'Perhimpunan BN Pilihan Rakyat' which witnessed huge turnouts from the Indian community shows that the party has a head start in wooing the Indians votes again. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently announced that Indian students are allowed to take a maximum of 12 subjects in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) which includes Tamil language and Tamil literature. Previously students were only allowed 10 subjects. Such orogrames and policies, which normally takes years to be confirmed, was announced in a blink of an eye by Najib. Najib also announced that all Tamil schools will be government-aided schools in phases if BN is given the mandate to rule the country. During 2008 election, the country saw a tremendous change in its election history when the BN lost its two-third majority as huge numbers of Indian voters turn their backs on them by favouring the opposition. The Hindu Rights Action Force's (Hindraf) demonstration which took place on 25th November 2007 which witnessed over 30,000 supporters march down the streets of Kuala Lumpur is said o be the trigger point of the 2008 'political tsunami'. Hindraf has now changed their approach by voicing out their rights to the leaders of the country bin their much touted Blueprint, Hindraf claims to have solved the unsolved marginalisation of the Indian poor. The activist organisation submitted their 'Blueprint' to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) but it received only a cold reaction. Hindraf's says its 'Blueprint' contains plans for an effective government involvement in six major issues affecting Malaysian Indians and with specific approaches to achieve these objectives: The major issues highlighted - Estate workers who have been displaced around the country, numbering about 800,000; - Stateless Indian Malaysians, numbering about 350,000; - The denial of adequate and equal educational opportunities; - Unequal employment and business opportunities; - The impunity of the police; and - The standards of human rights practices. Unsatisfied with PR, Hindraf announced that they are ready to meet Najib and they received his invitation to meet on 22 March to discuss further demands. On March 25, Hindraf met Prime Minsiter Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak met representatives at his office in Putrajaya for a discussion on their Blueprint. The party is now looking forward for a second meeting with the BN leader. As Najib hopes to get the Indian community's attention by this move, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) joined the race by announcing their 14 point plan for the Indian community. Noticing that there was no mention of the Indian community in PR's manifesto, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang announced the party's plans for the Indian community titled 'A vision and strategy for Indian empowerment'. The party claimed that the plan is to be key factors aimed at uplifting the socio-economic status of the Indian community.
|
| PRU13: Di mana hala tuju ‘Generasi Y’? Posted: 02 Apr 2013 05:33 PM PDT
BERNAMA Seramai 2.3 juta atau 21.69 peratus daripada keseluruhan 13,291,385 orang yang layak mengundi pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU-13) merupakan pemilih baharu yang akan mengundi buat julung kalinya tahun ini. Menurut Timbalan Pengerusi Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar berkata angka itu merupakan jumlah pengundi baharu paling tinggi pernah dicatatkan setakat ini. "Jumlah peningkatan ini adalah hasil kerja kuat dan berterusan oleh SPR untuk menggalakkan rakyat mendaftar sebagai pengundi supaya mereka boleh menjalankan tanggungjawab bila tiba masanya nanti," kata Wan Ahmad. Beliau berkata berdasarkan Daftar Pemilih yang diwartakan suku keempat 2012 itu juga menyaksikan 5,564,131 atau hampir 42 peratus daripadanya pengundi yang layak memilih merupakan pengundi muda berusia di bawah 40 tahun. Daripada jumlah itu, 3,024,909 atau 22.76 peratus merupakan mereka yang berusia antara 30 hingga 39 tahun, manakala 19.1 peratus (2,539,222) lagi berada dalam lingkungan umur 21 hingga 29 tahun. Kelayakan kumpulan itu untuk menentukan kerajaan yang bakal menerajui negara, menjadikan mereka sasaran 'pancing' parti-parti politik yang bertanding pada PRU-13 ini. Wan Ahmad berkata golongan itu merupakan kelompok yang tidak mengikut telunjuk orang lain. Walaupun mungkin bukan penentu keputusan dalam PRU-13, namun undi kumpulan itu pastinya akan memberi kesan besar dalam pertempuran kali ini yang disifatkan 'ibu segala pilihan raya'. Wan Ahmad berkata pada PRU-13 ini SPR akan menggunapakai Daftar Pemilih (DP) sehingga suku 4/2012 yang diwartakan pada 22 Feb lepas memandangkan daftar pemilih bagi suku pertama 2013 belum sempat untuk diwartakan. Katanya, berdasarkan DP itu kumpulan umur paling ramai layak mengundi selepas golongan muda adalah mereka yang berada dalam lingkungan umur 40an (21.85 peratus), 50an (18.39), 60an (10.73) 70an (5.24), 80an (1.58) dan 90an (0.35). Pada PRU-12 yang dijalankan pada 2008 menyaksikan 10,922,139 pengundi layak mengundi. Statistik pengundi baru paling ramai menunjukkan Selangor mendahului dengan 2,051,708, penambahan 486,214 (31.06 peratus) berbanding 2008. Ini diikuti Johor (1,608,326); Perak (1,409,772); Sarawak (1,086,191); Kedah (1,043,281); Sabah (982,311) dan Kelantan (920,433). Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya pula mencatat jumlah pengundi paling sedikit iaitu 15,798 orang.
|
| Malaysia's EC to decide on poll date, widely expected on last weekend of April Posted: 02 Apr 2013 05:28 PM PDT
Carolyn Hong, Straits Times The Election Commission is expected to meet within a week to set a date for the 13th general election and determine when formal campaigning can begin. Speculation is rife that nomination will take place in about 10 days' time, and polling in the last weekend of April. The Barisan Nasional coalition's current five-year mandate will end on April 30. Malaysia dissolved its Parliament earlier on Wednesday, paving the way for the general election that will be the hardest-fought in its history, with both the ruling and opposition coalitions in a tight race. Announcing this long-awaited event, Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a live broadcast on television that the 12th Parliament has been dissolved with the assent of the King, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah. "The King has given his consent for Parliament to be dissolved, with effect from today," he said. "I advise other state leaders to also seek assent to dissolve their state assemblies respectively so that they can hold simultaneous polls." The Negeri Sembilan assembly had already automatically dissolved on March 28, and the other seven state assemblies controlled by the BN are also likely to be dissolved on Wednesday, except for Sarawak which held its state polls in April 2011. The four states controlled by the federal opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat have yet to announce their decision, but are expected to dissolve as well. Analysts have predicted that it will be a close election with Mr Najib fighting hard to secure a strong mandate for the BN against a resurgent opposition Pakatan Rakyat. The PR had made tremendous gains in the 2008 general election, winning more than one-third of the Parliamentary seats and control of five states. The BN now holds 137 seats to the PR's 75. There are 10 independents. There are 222 parliamentary seats up for grabs, the same as in 2008, and 505 state seats. More than 13.3 million people are eligible to vote, a huge increase from the 10.5 million in 2008. About half the voters are below 40. |
| In tight GE13 race, Najib bets on economic renaissance Posted: 02 Apr 2013 05:16 PM PDT
Few predicted the extent of opposition gains in 2008, which triggered a 10 per cent plunge in Kuala Lumpur stocks. Morgan Stanley said in a note on Wednesday that a BN parliamentary seat share of below 55 per cent would be seen as a "negative risk event by investors and could have implications for leadership and government stability". REUTERS Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak dissolved parliament today, paving the way for a general election expected this month that could be the most closely contested his ruling coalition has faced in its 56-year rule. Najib faces a confident opposition alliance led by former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and is under intense pressure to restore his ruling coalition's two-thirds majority that it lost for the first time in a disastrous 2008 poll. Failure to win back that majority would throw his leadership and his economic reform programme into doubt, raising uncertainty over policy in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy. A win for Anwar's opposition is unlikely but not impossible, and would put the former British colony into uncharted political territory. Najib, who took over in 2009 after the election debacle, will point to brisk economic growth of 5.6 per cent last year as he seeks to regain electoral ground. "Our national transformation is still a story half told. If we do not keep up the pace of reform, we risk losing out. But with a strong mandate, we can continue," Najib said in a television address, exactly four years after he took power. The election appears likely to be held on Saturday, April 27, after a two-week campaign period. Najib said he hoped for a "solid" majority. The 59-year-old son of a former prime minister is aiming to push Malaysia into high-income status by 2020 through an ambitious US$444 billion (RM1.38 trillion) economic transformation programme. He has warned repeatedly that an opposition victory could result in social and economic instability in the nation of 29 million people that has a history of tension between majority Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians.
It already runs four state governments and pledges to break down an entrenched network of patronage between the long-dominant ethnic Malay party, Umno, and favoured business interests. Possibly working against Najib and his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition are three million first-time voters ― about 22 per cent of the total vote ― many of them younger Malaysians. "The BN still has the advantage in terms of resources, media, money, and machinery," said Ong Kian Ming, an election strategist for the DAP ethnic Chinese opposition party. "The X-factor we are relying on is the newly registered voters." Race-based social and economic policies have defined the coalition's rule as it channelled wealth to ethnic Malays, who make up about half of the population, over the economically dominant Chinese minority since 1969 race riots. The ruling BN coalition will be helped by a skewed electoral system, deep pockets, and about US$2 billion in government handouts to millions of poorer Malaysians since the start of 2012. But Najib will likely face a leadership challenge from within Umno if he fails to improve on the 2008 performance. Nationalist and conservative forces within Umno, encouraged by influential former leader Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have looked askance at Najib's steps to roll back colonial-era security and media controls as a sign of weak leadership. A blossoming civil society and growing middle class are clashing with tight social, media and political controls that have cemented Umno's half-century rule. Najib's flagship economic transformation plan, based on hefty public and private investment, has had some initial success but critics say it depends too much on public spending and risks expanding a national debt already at 53 per cent of gross domestic product. A lack of reliable opinion polls makes it difficult to forecast the election outcome. Few predicted the extent of opposition gains in 2008, which triggered a 10 per cent plunge in Kuala Lumpur stocks. Morgan Stanley said in a note on Wednesday that a BN parliamentary seat share of below 55 per cent would be seen as a "negative risk event by investors and could have implications for leadership and government stability". A recent poll by the University of Malaya showed the ruling coalition at 42 per cent support compared with the opposition's 37 per cent, but with 21 per cent of voters undecided. In February, the independent Merdeka Center showed Najib's approval rating at 61 per cent, down 10 points since the end of 2011. His coalition is less popular, polling at 45 per cent. Anticipation of a close election that could cause policy uncertainty has frayed investors' nerves this year and made Kuala Lumpur's stock market one of the worst performers in Asia. The main KLSE stock index briefly fell more than 3 per cent in early trade today following the announcement that Najib would be holding a television address. It later recovered to trade 0.83 per cent lower.
|
| GE13: A marathon, but a race for ‘sprinters’ Posted: 02 Apr 2013 05:13 PM PDT
The writing "was clearly on the wall" the day after GE12 in March 2008. Umno/BN would have to reinvent and position itself as a genuine "centrist" party if it was to "recover lost ground" next time — and certainly if it were to have any serious chance of a convincing victory by 2013. Clive Kessler, TMI In two recent published political commentaries, I have drawn two perhaps fanciful comparisons. First, I remarked that the underlying form or structure of the Malaysian "body politic", beginning with the Constitution, was basically sound. But, I added, that the body now needed some "good tailoring", a new "suit" of "political clothing" — some new arrangements that might enable that body to appear respectably, and with dignity, in public. Next I suggested that the predicament of Umno/BN today, on the eve of GE13, is a bit like that of a sailor whose good fortune has recently deserted him. Like a sailor who has long been accustomed to sailing with the wind behind him, pushing him with its great power in the direction that he wants to go Suddenly the world has changed, the wind had shifted. Umno/BN now needs to "do things tough". It needs to sail across, and even to learn to "tack" into, the wind. That is hard sailing. And that kind of "political sailing" is not something that Umno people know how to do. Nor is it a challenge that they are happy about having to face, a skill that they are eager now to master. It goes beyond what they know. It is beyond their "comfort zone". Let me now introduce a third parallel, another "kias", a new "ibarat". In Australia the great sporting event of the year is the Melbourne Cup. It is a distance race, over two miles. It is a race for stayers, not sprinters. Everybody hopes that the race "is run truly". Meaning, that it is a tough and keenly contested race all the way. If it is, a good stayer wins. That is how it is supposed to be. But sometimes it is not. The horses "loaf along" for a mile and a half, with no horse or rider keen to "make the running". Then, suddenly, for the last half-mile it is a mad rush. A mad rush and a disappointing spectacle. Disappointing because a sprinter, not a tried and proven stayer, will win if the race is competitive only in its concluding stages. Malaysian elections, and especially this long awaited GE13, are a bit like that. The nation has been "in election mode" for five years. The writing "was clearly on the wall" the day after GE12 in March 2008. Umno/BN would have to reinvent and position itself as a genuine "centrist" party if it was to "recover lost ground" next time — and certainly if it were to have any serious chance of a convincing victory by 2013. But, as it dithered, and as hard-line Malay ethno-supremacist groups like Perkasa seized the initiative, Umno lost its chance to do that. It flubbed. It "wimped out". It decided, under that hard-line Malay pressure, to "shore up" its Malay base first. Moderation could come later, much later — if at all, if ever. Prudence, inspired by a sense of weakness and fear, not courage prevailed. And ever since Najib Razak succeeded as prime minister, he has had his "weather eye" keenly focused on whether a favourable moment might present itself for him to call an election: to gain a personal mandate, give his leadership some real popular legitimacy — and to refresh that of Umno at the same time. But the favourable moment never came. As it failed to arrive, Najib temporized. Sure, he launched his alphabetic onslaught to suggest a dynamic agenda, to create the appearance of some genuine momentum. But it was all stodgy, "top down", prosaically managerialist stuff that did not fire the popular imagination — and could hardly have been expected to do so. So now we find ourselves five years on from GE12 and almost five years on from when the current parliament first convened. Its automatic expiry date, its democratic "use-by date", is almost nigh. At long last, the election has been called. And now that it has been, it will be a "12-day wonder." A bit like the English summer. You go to the cinema one afternoon, see a movie, and when you come out you find that you have missed it. So after being on an election footing under Najib's "watch" for almost four years, we find that the race has yet again become a test not of true political "stayers", not the marathon that it seems, but once again a hectic sprint. A mad last-minute rush to the line. A rush that here works massively to the advantage of the contestant who knows when the rush is to begin – because that contestant alone has the ability to trigger it. So what kind of election will it be? There are many aspects, many dimensions to note, and different commentators highlight different features. The dirtiest ever, say some. The most keenly contested of all time, say others. The most difficult to fathom, because of the unprecedented role to be played by new voters and new media, say others. All these ideas and characterizations have merit. To end this brief comment, I wish to suggest something else — a view or idea that comes from taking "the long view" of modern Malay politics and Malaysian political history. Back to the stayers' race.
|
| GE13: PKR hit by yet another sex allegation Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:37 PM PDT
(The Star) - PKR has been hit by another round of allegations of sexual misconduct after a photograph of two of its Penang leaders in a compromising position went viral. Claiming that the picture of him with the woman leader was "superimposed", Bayan Baru PKR deputy chief Tan Seng Keat criticised it as "gutter politics". However, Tan, a municipal councillor, said he would not be lodging a police report following advice from party leaders. "Certain people are out to tarnish my reputation as the general election is around the corner," he said in an interview here yesterday. "I know the leader as we are both in the same party. "They (party leaders) want me to focus on my role as the elections director for the Bayan Baru parliamentary constituency. "They don't want me to get distracted by such nonsense." The woman, said Tan, used to be an assemblyman's aide before she quit in December last year. "From what I know, she is a piano teacher at a music centre," said Tan, who is married with two children. When contacted, the woman accused "opponents of PKR" of being desperate in trying to sabotage the party ahead of the elections. "I am considering whether to lodge a police report," she said. "Even if I do, it will be difficult to trace the culprit," said the woman, who declined to reveal her marital status or age. Last week, PKR vice-president N. Surendran had said that the party would investigate images on the Internet that allegedly showed a Kedah PKR official performing an indecent act while chatting with a woman online. In ALOR SETAR, state PKR chairman Datuk Wan Salleh Wan Isa confirmed that the man was a senior member in the party. The Kedah PKR disciplinary board, he said, had initiated investigation into the lewd video.
|
| GE13: What comes after dissolution? Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:31 PM PDT
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called for the elections, after the King consented to the dissolution of Parliament. What's next? Razak Ahmad, The Star The wait for the dissolution of Parliament is finally over and now, a chain of events will take place within the next 60 days under a fixed timetable that will culminate in polling day at the 13th general election. According to Article 55(4) of the Federal Constitution, whenever Parliament is dissolved, a general election will be held within 60 days of and Parliament shall be summoned to meet on a date not later than 120 days from that date. The first step that will now take place following the announcement of the dissolution of Parliament is for the Speaker of Parliament to notify the Election Commission (EC) that a dissolution has occurred and to request that general elections be held. Similar notices will also be submitted by the respective state legislative assembly Speakers to the Commission to inform the EC of the dissolution of the respective legislatures. The EC will then announce the date that it will hold a meeting to decide and announce the dates for both parliamentary and state elections. The dates are for nomination; advance voting for military and police personnel and their spouses; postal balloting both locally for qualified voters such as certain personnel and EC workers as well as Malaysians abroad; followed by polling day for the rest of the country's 13.3 million voters. With the Dewan Rakyat dissolved Wednesday, a 60-day time limit to polling day would mean that the last date upon which voting must be done is approximately on June 3. EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof had, however, said earlier that the EC would try to hold parliamentary and state polls simultaenously. This, he added, would mean that he would try as best as possible to ensure that polling takes place by May 28 which is within the 60-day period following the dissolution of the Negri Sembilan legislative assembly on March 28. Apart from the 60-day limit, the fixing of dates for nomination and polling is also governed under the Elections (Conduct of Elections) Regulations, 1981. According to the Regulation, the date of nomination must be no less than four days after a notice of dissolution of Parliament of State Assembly is issued. The date for advance voting, meanwhile, must be no less than seven days after nomination, while polling day must be no earlier than three days after the date of advance voting. The whole process from nomination to polling requires 10 days and the EC has said that it would set a campaign period of no shorter than 11 days for the upcoming election. At the last general election in 2008, the EC held a meeting two days following the dissolution of Parliament on Feb 13 that year and fixed March 8 for polling, giving a period of 25 days between dissolution and polling.
|
| Pakatan states to follow suit as PM dissolves Parliament Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:14 PM PDT
Debra Chong, Md Izwan and Opalyn Mok, TMI The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state governments will dissolve their respective legislative assemblies today and pave the way for simultaneous polls nationwide after the prime minister announced the dissolution of Parliament this morning. Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will seek an audience with Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah at 1.30pm at the state palace in Shah Alam, the mentri besar's political secretary told The Malaysian Insider when contacted. "Today, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will have an audience with the Sultan at 1.30pm at the Istana Alam Shah," Faekah Husin said over the phone. "MB will meet the Sultan for his approval to dissolve the DUN," she said, referring to the state legislative assembly by its Malay acronym. She said the mentri besar will inform the media about the state assembly's dissolution only after meeting the state ruler. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is expected to declare the northern state's legislative assembly dissolved in a news conference at 12.30pm in George Town today. Lim and State Assembly Speaker Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain first need to get the approval from Yang Di-Pertuan Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, at the Penang govenor's Seri Mutiara official residence. The mentris besar for Kedah and Kelantan, the other two PR-run states, are also expected to follow suit and seek audience with their respective state rulers. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat live over national television at 11.30am, paving the way for Malaysia's 13th general election. A total of 222 federal seats and 505 state seats will be contested in Election 2013. Sarawak, which helf its state election in April 2011, is not expected to dissolve its legislative assembly. Politicians from both the ruling Barisan Nasional and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat have been talking up their chances for a bigger win than they had scored in Election 2008.
|
| BN to get bigger majority with Indian help, says Samy Vellu Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:10 PM PDT
Syed Jaymal Zahiid, TMI The ruling coalition will get a bigger majority in Election 2013 and Indian voters will help ensure that, former MIC chief Datuk Seri Samy Vellu has said just as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the dissolution of Parliament this morning. The former minister added the opposition will not be able to "get near" the Indian voters, saying MIC is confident that Malaysia's third biggest electorate is behind the ruling coalition despite the setback it suffered in the last polls — where majority of Indian votes flocked to the opposition. "BN should get a bigger majority this time…this is the first PM to really concentrate on other races…MIC has worked the elections at every angle and all this will strengthen the Indian vote. "The Indians are very close to BN, they want to forget the past and build a new future and to support the PM and his government. Pakatan (Rakyat) will not be able to get near the Indians," he told reporters after donating RM10,000 each to the families of police personnel killed in the Sabah conflict. Samy also expressed confidence that Najib would adopt the Hindu Rights Action (Hindraf) Blueprint, seen as a key issue to the Indian community, should he be re-elected. "He should and he will. Najib is a man of his word. He is a person who thinks before he speaks," he said. Hindraf was once seen as a potent force within the Indian community. Its massive protest against the BN government under then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2007 was crucial to the community's rejection of BN in Election 2008.
|
| ‘Datuk T’s’ Shazryl Eskay due RM20m commission, court rules Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:04 PM PDT
(Bernama) - The Court of Appeal here today ruled that businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah is entitled to receive RM20 million in commission fees from a company and its executive director for his services in procuring the controversial crooked bridge project in Johor Baru. A three-member panel chaired by Justice Datuk Ramly Ali said construing the letter of undertaking, the amount had to be paid for service rendered. He said Eskay had completed his job and the question of the project being abandoned did not arise. Ramly said the amount to be paid was not on condition that the project must be completed. The panel, also comprising Justices Datuk Mohtaruddin Baki and Datuk David Wong Dak Wah, had unanimously allowed Eskay's appeal to set aside a High Court decision in May 2011 to dismiss his civil suit against Merong Mahawangsa Sdn Bhd and its executive director Datuk Yahya Abdul Jalil. Ramly also ordered the respondents, Merong Mahawangsa and Yahya to pay RM20,000 in legal costs to Eskay for the court proceedings at the High Court and Court of Appeal. In his decision on May 5, 2011, High Court judge Datuk VT Singham had ruled that Eskay's claim was no longer valid since the proposed bridge did not materialise. Singham said Eskay was not entitled to claim payment because the project was terminated. The Malaysia-Singapore International Gateway project to replace the Johor-Singapore Causeway (dubbed the crooked bridge) was terminated by the government on April 12, 2006 despite preliminary work having been done. The government had compensated Merong Mahawangsa RM155 million for cancelling the project. Eskay, who is one of the members of the "Datuk T" trio who revealed a sex video allegedly showing an opposition leader having sex with a prostitute, filed the suit in 2002 claiming that Yahya had, in 1998, sought his help to procure the project from the government and to seek foreign funding for the RM640 million project. He claimed that Yahya had sought his help for his good ties with the government. Eskay also claimed that Yahya had suggested RM20 million as remuneration for his services. He alleged that in February 1998, he had managed to secure a guarantee from a firm, Charles E. Jay, which was based in Alabama in the United States, for a RM640 million loan as the initial requirement for the project. He said after he obtained the guarantee letter from the firm, he met the then finance minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on May 3 1998 to discuss about the proposed project. He also set up a meeting between Yahya and Anwar. Yahya, in his defence, denied using Eskay's good ties with the government as doing so was "against public policy and illegal." He also denied that Merong Mahawangsa was awarded the bridge project by the government.
|
| Hindraf dares Kit Siang to an open debate Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:56 PM PDT
N Ganesan, via e-mail After studying the contents of the DAP Gelang Patah Plan for the Indians, it is very obvious that most of the plan is plagiarised from Hindraf's five-year Blueprint. After having been through the effort to draw up the blueprint ourselves, we cannot understand how a serious document in this category can be developed otherwise within 24 hours. Since a large part of the Gelang Patah document really comes from the Hindraf Blueprint, we cannot understand why in the first place DAP does not want to endorse the Hindraf Blueprint itself or negotiate on it till it becomes acceptable and then to endorse it. In our opinion if DAP is sincere there was abundant opportunity to have worked with us on this matter since November of last year. But they let all of that slip and just before the General Elections and in a matter of hours they turn up with this plan. In our opinion all of this reeks of political opportunism and another impending grand deception for the Indian poor. We cannot stand by and watch another attempt to cheat the poor people and to run off with their votes and then return peanuts to them. The sincerity of DAP in coming up with this document in this manner right on the eve of the GE and announced in a constituency that Lim Kit Siang is rumoured to contest, is really questionable. There are over 12,000 Indian voters (12%) in Gelang Patah . DAP Chairman Karpal Singh had just on the the 30th of March called on Waytha Moorthy to end his Hunger Viratham and resume discussion with Anwar Ibrahim. He also urged Anwar Ibrahim to find an amicable solution to end the Hindraf blueprint stalemate. The next day Lim Kit Siang announces the Gelang Patah Plan. We find all this baffling. We are left wondering if there is any seriousness at all in this entire episode. So, instead of us just calling the effort insincere, we will let the people decide, if the effort is sincere or otherwise. We call upon Lim Kit Siang personally for such a a debate in front of an open audience to clear the air on this. We will debate the proposition that the "DAP Gelang Patah Plan for the Indians is not a sincere plan to address the problems of the Indian poor in comprehensive and permanent ways." We hope Lim Kit Siang will accept this challenge and show the country that Hindraf is wrong , that DAP is indeed sincere in trying to improve the lot of the Indian Poor. If however, Lim Kit Siang does not accept this challenge , then we have to conclude that DAP is doing what they are doing only because it is good politics – nothing more, nothing less. Please let us know through an open acceptance or you can contact me, N Ganesan at 012 -480-3284 and let us know of your acceptance and we will arrange the necessary details for the event. |
| Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:54 PM PDT Sabah is seen as the 'real' battleground for BN in the 13th general election where Najib Tun Razak is hoping to secure his two-thirds majority edge. Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Musa Aman is expected to call for a press conference to announce the dissolution of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly later today. FMT learned that Musa's officers are already busily arranging for it, while he is at his weekly state Cabinet meeting here. The press conference is likely to be held at Sri Gaya, Musa's official residence, just a stone's throw from the palace where Musa will be meeting the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Juhar Mahirudin, to get his official consent for the dissolution. The Sabah Legislative Assembly has 60 seats. Also at stake are 25 parliamentary seats. Sabah is seen as the "real" battleground for Barisan Nasional in the defining election. It is the state which caretaker Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak hopes will give him his much-needed two-thirds majority to lead BN for another five-year term. But the road in Sabah may be more difficult for Najib, what with Pakatan Rakyat and Jeffrey Kitingan-led State Reform Party (STAR) having gained much ground – courtesy of the Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry looking into the citizenship-for-votes scam. Speaking to FMT, STAR secretary Guande Kohoi said it would be an "interesting elections" which could produce "surprising results". The party, he said, had been working the ground for over two years and is "geared to go". "We are headed for an interesting election with interesting and perhaps some surprising results," he said, adding that Najib's announcement of the dissolution of Parliament this morning was a relief and will pave the way for political parties to introduce their candidates openly to the voters. STAR is expected to contest in 40 state and 16 parliamentary constituencies, according to its deputy chairman Daniel Jambun.
SAPP slighted but ready Jambun had earlier this month said that STAR had identified several "focused" areas where it will give its all. These included eight parliamentary seats: Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Penampang, Ranau, Keningau, Tenom, Pensiangan and Beluran. "The hot state seats are Pitas, Matunggung, Tandek, Tempasuk, Kedamaian, Tamparuli, Kiulu, Inanam, Kepayan, Moyog, Kundasang, Keranaan, Paginatan, Tambunan, Bingkor, Liawan, Melalap, Kemabong, Sook, Nabawan, Sugut, Labuk and Kuamut," Jambun said. Meanwhile, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deputy president Amde Sidek and supreme council member Peter Marajin said it was good that the prime minister had ended his "big charade".
|
| 16 by-elections after 2008 polls Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:52 PM PDT There were 16 by-elections after the 2008 general elections, with BN winning two parliamentary and six state seats, while the opposition won four parliamentary and four state constituencies. (Bernama) - Sixteen by-elections were held after the general election in 2008, six for parliamentary seats and 10 for state seats. Of these by-elections, the Barisan Nasional and the opposition parties won eight seats each. The BN won two parliamentary seats and six state seats while the opposition won four parliamentary and four state seats. Although the opposition seemed to have been favoured by the people in the beginning, there was a change in the trend in the last five by-elections when the BN registered victories consecutively in the contests for the Bagan Pinang, Galas, Tenang, Merlimau and Kerdau seats. Thirteen of the by-elections had to be held following the deaths of the incumbents and the remaining three due to the resignations of the elected representatives. The first of the by-elections was held for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in Penang on Aug 26, 2008, after president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail resigned as the MP to enable her husband, Anwar Ibrahim, the adviser to the party, to contest. Anwar won with a majority of 15,671 votes, beating Arif Shah Omar Shah of the BN and an independent candidate, Hanafi Mamat. The by-elections for the Bukit Selambau state seat and the Penanti state seat were held on April 7, 2010, and May 31, 2009, respectively, following the resignations of the PKR elected representatives V Arumugam and Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin. The BN decided not to contest the Penanti state by-election, which was won by Mansor Othman of the PKR who defeated two independent candidates, Aminah Abdullah and Nai Khan Ari. Thirteen independent candidates contested the Bukit Selambau seat, all of them together garnering 1,326 votes. The seat was won by S Manikumar of the PKR with a majority of 2,405 votes. Following is the chronology of the by-elections: Aug 26, 2008 – PERMATANG PAUH (Penang): Opposition Leader and PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim garners a majority of 15,671 votes to defeat Hanafi Jan 17, 2009 – KUALA TERENGGANU (Terengganu): Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut (PAS) obtains a 2,631-vote majority to defeat Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh (BN) and Azharudin Mamat (Independent). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Razali Ismail of the BN. April 7, 2009 – BUKIT GANTANG (Perak): Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (PAS) garners a 2,789-vote majority to defeat Ismail Saffian (BN) and Kamarul Ramizu Idris (Independent). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Roslan Shahrum of PAS. April 25, 2010 – HULU SELANGOR (Selangor): P Kamalanathan (BN) wins by a 1,725-vote majority, defeating Zaid Ibrahim (PKR). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Zainal Abidin Ahmad of PKR. May 16, 2010 – SIBU (Sarawak): Wong Ho Leng (DAP) wins by a 298-vote majority, defeating Robert Lau Hui Yew (BN) and Narawi Haron (Independent). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Robert Lau Hoi Chew of the BN. Nov 4, 2010 – BATU SAPI (Sabah): Tsen Thai Lin (BN) garners a 6,359-vote majority to Ansari Abdullah (PKR) and Datuk Yong Teck Lee (SAPP). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Chong Ket Wah of the BN. State by-elections: May 31, 2009 – PENANTI (Penang): Mansor Othman (PKR) garners a 5,558-vote majority to defeat Aminah Abdullah (Independent) and Nai Khan Ari (Independent). The seat fell vacant following the resignation of incumbent Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin of PKR. July 14, 2009 – MANEK URAI (Kelantan): Mohd Fauzi Abdullah (PAS) wins by a 65-vote majority to defeat Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat (BN). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Ismail Yaacob of PAS. Aug 25, 2009 – PERMATANG PASIR (Penang): Mohd Salleh Man (PAS) wins with a 4,551-vote majority to defeat Rohaizat Othman (BN). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abd Rahman of PAS. Oct 11, 2009 – BAGAN PINANG (Negeri Sembilan): Isa Samad wins by a 5,435-vote majority to defeat Zulkefly Mohamad Omar (PAS). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Azman Mohammad Noor of BN. April 7, 2010 – BUKIT SELAMBAU (Kedah): S Manikumar (PKR) wins by a majority of 2,405 votes to defeat 14 other candidates. The seat fell vacant following the resignation of incumbent V. Arumugam (Independent). April 7, 2010 – BATANG AI (Sarawak): Malcom Mussen Lamoh (BN) wins by a majority of 1,854 votes to defeat Jawah Jerang (PKR). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Dublin Unting anak Ingkot of BN. Nov 4, 2010 – GALAS (Kelantan): Ab Aziz Yusoff (BN) wins by a majority of 1,190 votes to defeat Dr Zulkefli Mohamed (PAS). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Chek Hashim Sulaima of PAS. Jan 30, 2011 – TENANG (Johor): Mohd Azahar Ibrahim (BN) wins by a 3,707-vote majority to defeat Normala Sudirman (PAS). The seat fell vacant following the death of Sulaiman Taha of BN. March 6, 2011 – MERLIMAU (Melaka): Roslan Ahmad (BN) garners a 3,643-vote majority to defeat Yuhaizad Abdullah (PAS). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Mohamad Hidhir Abu Hasan of BN. March 6, 2011 – KERDAU (Pahang): Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad (BN) garners 2,724-vote majority to defeat Hassanuddin Salim (PAS). The seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Zaharuddin Abu Kassim of BN.
|
| Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:49 PM PDT MCA,and Gerakan are still waiting for the prime minister's approval while MIC has still not finalised is list of candidates. K Pragalath and Priscilla Prasena, FMT Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has dissolved Parliament but the Barisan Nasional component parties are still in various stages of finalising their candidates' list. MIC, for instance, has not finalised its list yet whereas MCA is awaiting for its list of candidates to be approved by Najib. "MIC is having a meeting tomorrow to finalise the list of candidates," said MIC vice-president SK Devamany who is also Deputy Minister in Prime Minister's Department when asked to comment on the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat. He also echoed Najib's call for a stronger mandate for BN. "Please give a mandate to BN to continue to serve the public and to work for the harmony of the country. Najib has given a clear direction to the people to vote wisely," Devamany said. MIC contested in nine parliamentary and 19 state seats but won three parliamentary seats in 2008 and one in a by-election. The party also fared badly at state levels, securing only seven state seats. Even past president S Samy Vellu lost in Sungai Siput. MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong, who is also Deputy Education Minister, indicated that his party had given its list of candidates and is awaiting for the final say from Najib. "We are awaiting for the approved list of candidates from the prime minister and we are ready to face the biggest challenge in the coming polls. "I do not want to comment anything further until Najib makes the announcement [on the candidates' list]
|
| What do DAP and race car drivers have in common? Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:38 PM PDT
Wong Saikim What do political leaders and racing car drivers have in common? They are both in a race of sorts. The politicians want to win at the polls, and the racing drivers want to win at the Grand Prix. But the DAP and ace driver Lewis Hamilton had one more thing in common-- they each suffered crushing embarrassing moments this week. Hamilton's embarrassment happened at the race track in Sepang last week. The Formula One racer made a blunder when he pulled in at the McLaren pit stop instead of the Mercedes box. For one brief moment, he had forgotten that McLaren was his previous sponsor and Mercedes was his current. Describing this gaffe, a foreign correspondent said that Hamilton was usually drawn to controversy like a moth to a lampshade. His old McLaren mechanics were briefly stunned but his fans couldn't hide a big smile at the blooper. To them, it was no big deal. They were just amused.
DAP's embarrassment happened a few days ago. DAP admitted to a faux pas of gigantic proportions. The Penang DAP government admitted that there has been a mistake in the entire costs for the mega project involving the undersea tunnel and the three highways. The earlier costs were under reported by RM2.22 billion. Not by RM2.22, not by RM2.22 hundred, not by RM2.22 thousand, not by RM2.22 million, but by a staggering RM2.22 billion! The error was dismissed as a 'typo'. But unlike the case of Lewis Hamilton, the rakyat are not so forgiving. They are not amused. How can anyone, leave alone a government, make such a boo-boo? What rocket fuel was used to propel the costs sky-high? Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng cannot dismiss this mother of all blunders as a mere 'typo'. A 'typo' is a typographical error which only happened in the days when manual typewriters were in use. Typewriters have long given way to computers which always flag mistakes as they occur, and prompt corrections. The rakyat demands a detailed explanation. After all, it is they who are finally going to foot the bill, one way or another. Whatever happened to Competency, Accountability and Transparency? Why is DAP silent? Has the CAT got its tongue? This was not DAP's first blooper. The party could not even get it right in its elections to its party central executive committee last December. A 'technical error' in calculation resulted in an inaccurate result. Candidate number 65, Zairil Abdullah who had the same number of votes received by candidate number 35 Manogaran Marimuthu (305 votes) actually received 803 votes, the party only claimed two weeks after the election. These are serious mistakes. If a student makes mistakes like these in school, he will be punished by his examiners; if an adult makes mistakes like these at work, he will be punished by his employer; and when politicians make mistakes like these they should be punished by the voters.
|
| ‘Face-saving’ solution to Sabah Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:35 PM PDT
(New Mandala) - The Rajamuda Agmuddin Kiram, like Hadji Kamlon, may agree to some lenient penalty for his actions. But to demand unconditional surrender, he and his men would rather die in Sabah. To surrender is simply not part of their culture. The Government of the Philippines (GPH) declared 18 March as Bangsamoro Day in commemoration of the struggle of the Bangsamoro for self-determination and to mark the anniversary of the Jabidah Massacre. No less than the president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III leads the ceremony in Corregidor Island – the first president to ever recognise the Jabidah Massacre. In his opening statement, he reminded everyone of the role played by his father and the Constitution in averting what could have been a bloody conflict between Malaysia and the Philippines over Sabah. From a Cold War perspective, a full blown war between these two neighbouring countries was highly unacceptable. Both were closely allied with the 'Western Bloc' and were frontline countries in the fight against communism. This could be the reason why the United States did not support the late President Ferdinand Marcos in his Sabah claim. This would have weakened both countries making them more susceptible to communist influence. This was the United States strategy for containment in the prevailing paradigm of that period – the Domino theory – a belief that Southeast Asian countries would fall one by one into communism unless the West intervened. Fortunately, the war over Sabah, between Malaysia and the Philippines, was averted. One key factor for the aversion of war, was due to the courage of the Moro recruits, who disobeyed orders and refused to participate in a war that may have resulted in the death of their fellow Muslims and relatives living in Sabah. The Moro recruits in Corregidor Island sacrificed their lives, and in turn saved the lives of hundreds if not thousands of Malaysians that may have died had Operation Merdeka continued. Ironically, the ensuing secessionist war in the Philippines sparked by the Jabidah Massacre resulted in the death of more than 120,000 people in Mindanao. Malaysia of course played a vital role in the formation and training of these secessionist groups. History could have been different had the Moro recruits obeyed orders and pursued their goal of destabilising Sabah for eventual annexation by the Philippines. And the secessionist war in the Philippines, that has cost so many lives and untold economic damage, probably would have not happened. It makes one wonder why Malaysia is seemingly unperturbed by what happened in Corregidor Island in 1968. It should be the Malaysians who should be commemorating the sacrifices of the Moro recruits and declare them heroes for foiling Operation Merdeka. This lack of appreciation of history is possibly one of the reasons why the handling of the 'Sabah incursion' has ended up in a bloody confrontation. Undeniably, there is much to be desired on how both the governments of Malaysia and the Philippines have addressed the 'Sabah incursion'. At the very onset both governments were aware of the alleged conspiracies of some powerful people that encouraged and funded Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to send his men in Lahad Datu. In spite of this, they still fell into the alleged conspirators' trap. The knee-jerk reaction from both countries to make pronouncements without first assessing the impact of their statements escalated the tensions rather than diffused it. Read more at: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/04/03/face-saving-solution-to-sabah/
|
| DAP’s greed creating problems for Pakatan Rakyat in Johor Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:33 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR)'s attempt to loosen Barisan Nasional's grip on Johor in the upcoming 13th general election is facing a major problem which could cripple its political ambition. Johor PR is now facing a big problem arising from DAP's rapacity in wanting to monopolise the winnable parliamentary and state seats for the opposition.
As a result of the 'big brother' and greedy attitude of DAP, its relations with the other partners in PR, especially with Johor Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) at this critical time, is strained.
DAP's avarice started to emerge in Johor when it casted PKR aside and placed its supremo Lim Kit Siang as the opposition candidate for the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat which had been contested by PKR since 1999.
The announcement of Lim's candidacy in Gelang Patah by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has greatly disappointed Johor PKR chairman Datuk Chua Jui Meng who decided not to attend the candidacy announcement on March 18.
Upset with the loss of the Gelang Patah seat which was described by Johor PKR as a 'Grade A' seat with a huge potential for the opposition, Chua decided to go on "long leave" from Johor PKR.
The former health minister had placed high hopes to contest that seat until he clashed with Johor DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau in protecting PKR's "right" to contest the seat.
Now there are speculations in the alternative media that Chua is prepared to resign as Johor PKR chairman although this has been denied by the PKR state leadership.
Chua's deputy, Dr Ahmad Faidhi Saidi is acting as Johor PKR chief while PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has been proposed to head the PKR election machinery in Johor.
DAP's action in seizing the Gelang Patah seat from Johor PKR has left a deep wound in relations between the two parties.
Unhappy with the loss of Gelang Patah seat to DAP, Johor PKR leaders have stressed that they would not compromise anymore with DAP on seat allocation.
"Once is enough. Surely they (DAP) cannot take all the good seats. We will work hard and we have the support of the grassroots.
"This is Johor PKR's stand, we are serious on this matter and there will no more compromise," said Johor PKR vice-chairman Hassan Karim who was a candidate for Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) for the Johor Baharu parliamentary seat in 2008.
Hassan and the PKR state leaders are forced to take a firm stand as there are talks DAP is now eyeing the Johor Jaya state seat after being successful in stealing the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat. To fulfil his ambition of breaking into Johor, a BN stronghold, Lim is said to be interested in contesting a state seat and is eyeing Johor Jaya as a potential seat for the opposition. |
| 'RM12b oil royalty unreasonable' Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:32 PM PDT
(NST) - INEQUITABLE: Kelantan govt's claim involves technical matters, says PM's Office KUALA LUMPUR: THE Kelantan government's RM12 billion petroleum royalty demand is not only unreasonable from the legal standpoint but also concerns technicalities related to activities for oil and gas extraction in the area concerned. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO), in a statement issued yesterday, said Kelantan, just as Terengganu and all other states in Peninsular Malaysia, only had rights to demand petroleum royalty if extraction of oil and gas was done not more than three nautical miles from the low tide line or the shore of the state concerned. It was noted that areas where petroleum extraction was being carried out outside the waters of Kelantan were Block PM301, Block PM2, Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area (MTJDA) and Commercial Arrangement Area between Malaysia and Vietnam (PM3 CAA). "Blok PM301 and Blok PM2 are more than three nautical miles from the low tide line or shore of Kelantan but within Malaysian waters. MTJDA is also an area claimed by Thailand while PM3 CAA is also claimed by Vietnam," the PMO said. According to PMO, the area claimed by Thailand, namely MTJDA, was under the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority (MTJA), which was responsible for regulating activities in the area and was not just the responsibility of the Federal Government. "This is because the sea boundary between Malaysia and Thailand, to date, has not been fully settled," it said. As such, Malaysia and Thailand had signed a memorandum of understanding, which must be complied by both nations so long as the issue of boundary was not resolved. "This is to avoid disputes between Malaysia and Thailand. Both nations have agreed that Malaysia and Thailand be paid five per cent each of the petroleum output," it said. The statement added that production in the area had been taking place since 2005 and that the Federal Government had received US$600.27 million (RM2.1 billion) till last year from the sale of petroleum extracted there. According to PMO, based on the agreement between Malaysia and Vietnam for the area claimed by Vietnam, namely, PM3 CAA, the Federal Government had received a payment of five per cent or RM2.2 billion from the production in the area since 2005. "The Federal Government has received RM285.1 million from the production of petroleum in Block PM301 and Block PM2 which started in 2009," it said. Seeing that Block PM301 and Block PM2 are located outside the waters of Kelantan, exceeding three nautical miles from the low water line or coast of the state, the statement clarified that the Kelantan government was legally not qualified to get payment from production at the two blocks. It said the Federal Government would still make payments to Kelantan in the form of benevolent money from the revenues from the two blocks whereby, until February, RM142.6 million was credited to the account of the Benevolent Fund of Kelantan. "Of the total, RM100.8 million has been channelled to the Kelantan Federal Development Department to finance programmes such as for students of higher learning institutions, death benefits, repairing houses of the poor, disaster aid, schooling aid and helping orphans," it added.
|
| PM: Opposition will impede Petronas growth Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:31 PM PDT
(NST) - ILL-CONCEIVED PLANS: They will jeopardise its ability to look for more reserves KUALA LUMPUR: THE opposition's promises to reduce fuel prices, increase oil royalty and set up a parliamentary committee to monitor Petronas would jeopardise the company's ability to steer forward and enhance its dynamic pace of development. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said what was contained in the opposition's manifesto, if implemented, would impede the national oil and gas company's ability to source for new reserves. He said such ill-conceived promises to bring down the country's fuel prices, which were already among the lowest in the world, would eventually cut into Petronas' funds for further expansion. Najib said the promise to increase oil royalty from five per cent to 20 per cent could spell economic disaster not only for the company, but also the country. "Imagine the top five to 20 per cent (of Petronas funds) goes (for royalty). Not only will the Treasury be affected, but Petronas' ability to reinvest the amount it requires to look for more reserves and maintain existing ones will be in very, very serious jeopardy," Najib told 4,000 Petronas employees at a town hall session at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here yesterday. Najib explained how the government was able to channel more funds to oil-producing states. "Petronas would not be the same organisation it is today if from Day One, we gave 20 per cent oil royalty. When the money goes to government coffers, the government spends more money, through its system, on states producing oil. So it is a win-win situation. "We make sure Petronas has enough money for reinvestment while at the same time, there is enough money for the government. The money goes for developing operating expenditure in Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu." Najib also chided the opposition's intention of scrapping the Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) in Pengerang, Johor. Najib, stating Petronas' relationship to the government was like son and father, said the government trusted Petronas' board of trustees to make decisions on company expansion matters.
|
| Will Chinese clan groups rule in Klang? Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:30 PM PDT
(fz.com) - Chinese associations are said to wield a lot of power in Klang and may sway voter behaviour in the coming 13th general election, say local level political party leaders. "MCA exists through Chinese associations. That's why the role played by Chinese associations and businessmen are important because they have reaped the benefits from the government," said Klang Umno division chief Datuk Mazylnoor Abdul Latiff to fz.com. "I give the Chinese associations and Chinese temple committees welfare," he added, citing the established practice of distributing aid at the local level. Klang MP Charles Santiago, on the other hand, is unapologetic about his stance on patronage politics. Rather, the former economist believes that political support should not depend on the distribution of money. "I don't believe in paying people to support me. I don't believe I have to give you a token for you to support me," he said in an interview with fz.com. However, Charles did lament about being caught in a system where race and politics are so deeply intertwined that they delineate communities. "At the end of the day, I am an Indian operating in a predominantly Chinese area. It is difficult," he said. "I don't belong to MCA, so I don't easily get their support. There is no reason they would seek me out but we do pick up on Chinese community issues like Chinese education," he added. Charles is forthright about his convictions - he views social issues from a human rights perspective, rather than from a racial lens. However, there is no escaping the fact that meeting the people's needs requires resources. "I have a limited budget, which makes it really difficult to help people," he said. "But I'm always honest with them. If they come to see me and I know I have limited resources, I'll tell them I'll see what I can do," he added. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/will-chinese-clan-groups-rule-klang
|
| Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:20 PM PDT
(fz.com) - The prime minister finally announced the dissolution of Parliament today, paving the way for the much awaited 13th general election. Speaking on national television TV1 at 11.30am, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he received Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah's consent for the dissolution at Istana Negara earlier in the day. "I have sought an audience with the King and the King has consented to the dissolution of the 12th Parliament on April 3 in accordance to the Federal Constitution. With this I urge all state leaders to seek an audience with the respective rulers to obtain their consent to do the same to facilitate simultaneous elections. "Today, four years ago on April 3, 2009, I took an oath to shoulder the responsibility (of leading the country) and during that time, the deputy prime minister, the cabinet ministers and I have executed changes based on the 1Malaysia concept and the National Transformation Policy. We have witnessed that over these four years, Malaysians have prospered under these policies," said Najib in his speech. The legislative assemblies of all states, except Sarawak, are also dissolved to facilitate simultaneous elections. The Election Commission is expected to make an announcement later today on when it will be meeting to decide the dates for nomination and polling. Article 55 (4) of the Federal Constitution requires election to be held within 60 days of the dissolution of Parliament.  And the law now also requires a minimum of 10 days of official campaigning, which refers to the period between nomination day and midnight before the day of voting. An April 27 election appears possible based on the past trend of having polling on a Saturday. Read more at: http://fz.com/content/ge13-parliament-dissolved
|
The opposition Pakatan Rakyat ― a sometimes fractious alliance including a secular ethnic Chinese party and an Islamist party ― aims to tap into a growing desire for faster political and economic reform, arguing it is time for a change.
| 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 | |
1 ulasan:
KAMI SEKELUARGA TAK LUPA MENGUCAPKAN PUJI SYUKUR KEPADA ALLAH S,W,T
dan terima kasih banyak kepada AKI atas nomor togel.nya yang AKI
berikan 4 angka [2633] alhamdulillah ternyata itu benar2 tembus AKI.
dan alhamdulillah sekarang saya bisa melunasi semua utan2 saya yang
ada sama tetangga.dan juga BANK BRI dan bukan hanya itu AKI. insya
allah saya akan coba untuk membuka usaha sendiri demi mencukupi
kebutuhan keluarga saya sehari-hari itu semua berkat bantuan AKI..
sekali lagi makasih banyak ya AKI… bagi saudara yang suka main togel
yang ingin merubah nasib seperti saya silahkan hubungi KI JAYA WARSITO,,di no (((085-342-064-735)))
insya allah anda bisa seperti saya…menang togel 970 JUTA , wassalam.
dijamin 100% jebol saya sudah buktikan...sendiri....
Apakah anda termasuk dalam kategori di bawah ini !!!!
1"Dikejar-kejar hutang
2"Selaluh kalah dalam bermain togel
3"Barang berharga anda udah habis terjual Buat judi togel
4"Anda udah kemana-mana tapi tidak menghasilkan solusi yg tepat
5"Udah banyak Dukun togel yang kamu tempati minta angka jitunya
tapi tidak ada satupun yang berhasil..
Solusi yang tepat jangan anda putus asah... KI JAYA WARSITO akan membantu
anda semua dengan Angka ritual/GHOIB:
butuh angka togel 2D ,3D, 4D SGP / HKG / MALAYSIA / TOTO MAGNUM / dijamin
100% jebol
Apabila ada waktu
silahkan Hub: KI JAYA WARSITO DI NO: [[[085-342-064-735]]]
ANGKA RITUAL: TOTO/MAGNUM 4D/5D/6D
ANGKA RITUAL: HONGKONG 2D/3D/4D/
ANGKA RITUAL; KUDA LARI 2D/3D/4D/
ANGKA RITUAL; SINGAPUR 2D/3D/4D/
ANGKA RITUAL; TAIWAN,THAILAND
ANGKA RITUAL: SIDNEY 2D/3D/4D
DAN DANA GHOIB
Catat Ulasan