Selasa, 3 Disember 2013

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The non-Umno Deputy Prime Minister

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 02:38 PM PST

In short, the Tun was never an Umno (lama) member. However, he became an Umno (baru) member. And he was Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister for two years, an Umno Supreme Council Member for many years, an Umno Vice President, and then the Umno Deputy President, without becoming an Umno member.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Tun Abdul Ghafar bin Baba -- (born February 18, 1925 – died April 23, 2006) -- became Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister in 1986. At that time, according to the Tun himself in a 'confession' in front of a few hundred Umno members in Kota Bharu, he was not yet an Umno member. Also, according to the Tun, he became an Umno member only two years later in 1988.

In short, the Tun was never an Umno (lama) member. However, he became an Umno (baru) member. And he was Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister for two years, an Umno Supreme Council Member for many years, an Umno Vice President, and then the Umno Deputy President, without becoming an Umno member.

I write this in response to what Mohsin Abdullah wrote in fz.com (see below). I'm afraid Mohsin was not correct in what he said regarding non-Umno members being appointed an Umno Supreme Council Member.

In fact, this is not the first time that 'favoured' people have sidestepped Umno's rules. For example, Anwar Ibrahim joined Umno in 1982 and in the same year contested the general election and was appointed a Deputy Minister soon after that. According to Umno's rules, you need to be a member for at least five years before you are allowed to contest the elections.

Anwar became an Umno member, a candidate in the general election, a Member of Parliament, and a Cabinet member, within just one year. And two years later he became the Umno Youth Leader and another two years after that an Umno Vice President -- all within just five years (when you are not supposed to contest anything until you have been an Umno member for at least five years).

I just hate it when people wrongly report or intentionally distort history. And I hate it even more when you say it is right for your friends to do certain things but wrong when your enemy does the same thing.

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

Mohsin Abdullah: Non-members in Umno Supreme Council – right or wrong?

'The Writest Thing' by Mohsin Abdullah, fz.com

The thing is when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad comments on, well, "things," many,  (including yours truly) tend to interpret his words. Did he mean this and not that? Was that remark "loaded"? Was he being sarcastic?

So when Mahathir praised Umno's move in appointing well-known personalities as Supreme Council members – saying it was an inclusive transformation for party development – the "interpreting" began - so to speak.

"They (Umno) also bring in some personalities who are not Umno members to join the supreme council. It was a very good move," said Mahathir also.

Did he mean what he said? That it was indeed a "good move"? Or was there a tinge of sarcasm? After all, he did not do it in the 22 years he was Umno president.

Your guess is as good as mine.

Fact is, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently had brought in or rather appointed several people including non-Umno folks to be the party Supreme Council members  - to sit alongside and with the same authority and clout as the 25  members who were voted in during last month's  Umno election.

This is not about "independent" Islamic preacher Kazim Elias – whether he was a PAS member or not when appointed (see Mohsin Abdullah: A PAS Member in Umno Supreme Council?).

The question is this – Is the Umno president allowed to do it?

Firstly, the Umno president is authorised to appoint 12 individuals to join the 25 elected members of the Supreme Council. Thus making it 37  "ahli Majlis Tertinggi" Umno. The appointment is provided for in Umno's constitution.

Following last month's party polls, Najib had appointed – first four, then nine – Umno and non-Umno members – to sit in the council. Making it 38, including the 25 who won the election.

So back to the question – can non-Umno members be appointed to the supreme council? The party constitution is silent on this. Meaning it does specify who appointees should be.

Anyway the question to ask is if the non-Umno member appointees "believe" in the party, why didn't they join Umno in the first place?  Another poser is will their suggestions for the "betterment" of the party be accepted by their Umno "true blood" counterparts?

But a political observer with good Umno links made a random "survey" and came up with this: "Several Umno members welcome the move to bring in outsiders to sit in Majlis Tertinggi. With the purpose of strengthening Umno to face future challenges.

"They must be chosen based on credibility and the field they excel in – not friends or mere supporters who at the end of the day become passengers, or worse, baggage or liability to Umno. There must be proper criteria for selection so as not to discredit Umno members who themselves are capable.

And Umno must target people who can rope in the support of middle class Malays".

However, Umno blogger Shahbudin Husin sees it differently. In particular, the appointment of Kazim. "If it's true that (Umno secretary general) Tengku Adnan (Mansor) said the appointment of Kazim is to rectify the lack of Islamic knowledge in Umno, isn't Ustaz Fathul Bari (Umno ulamak) who obtained the highest number of votes as Umno Youth exco,  the right choice to rectify the problem?"

To the blogger, who is known to be a Najib critic, the move to bring in Kazim "is a slap to the 3.4 million Umno members – it is as if not even one among the millions is on par or better than Kazim."

Shahbudin wrote in his blog that the party constitution stipulates that for a person to contest a committee member's position at division level, he or she must be an Umno member for at least three years. While those vying for a supreme council spot must have at some point been elected a division committee member.

"Hence appointing people for the supreme council must at the least embrace the spirit of the Umno constitution", wrote Shahbudin. Still he acknowledged that  the appointing of members  is the "sole prerogative of the president".

A point to note. Mahathir's son, Mukhriz, has missed out on the Umno supreme council appointments.

Datuk Mukhriz , who was edged out of the race for VP had ( after the VP defeat)  expressed hope "the party president will still consider giving me a place in the Umno supreme council so that I too can contribute towards ensuring we can do better in the 14th general election".

However, the Kedah MB will still "be in" the powerful supreme council. In a capacity known as "ahli yang turut hadir". Or "member present" at supreme council meetings.  In short,  Mukhriz is an "invitee" to the meetings as is the case of  the other Menteris Besar who did not contest the supreme council seats in the November party polls.

To Shahbudin, that …... Never mind how he describes "invitee".

 

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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Halim Saad's ex-aide in NFC takeover

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:38 AM PST

Cynthia Blemin and Terence Fernandez, fz.com

Businessman Datuk Anuar Othman is making a comeback to the corporate world in the potential takeover the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) Sdn Bhd's cattle farming project.

Anuar, the right-hand man of corporate kingpin, Tan Sri Halim Saad (picture), back in the 90's is said to have vested interest in the takeover via an investment-linked company, VC Mahawangsa Sdn Bhd.
 
A source close to the deal said Anuar who holds the position as the executive chairman of VC Mahawangsa, has offered to takeover NFCorp's assets and liabilities.
 
It is not known if this news confirms that Anuar and Halim have kissed and made up following their acrimonious parting of ways. 
 
However, according to sources, Halim Saad was present in at least one meeting with senior NFC officials.
 
"The beef business is a RM2 billion a year industry and annual profits are RM400 million.
 
"So even if NFC gets 10%, you are talking about RM40 million," said an industry source.
 
The business could have taken off if the government had fulfilled its obligations of the agreement by building the abattoirs as it was supposed to, the source added.  
 
A press conference to announce the sale of shares between NFCorp and VC Mahawangsa was scheduled to take place at Doubletree by Hilton here yesterday. However, the event was called off by organisers.
 
"The press conference was called off because the deal has yet to be properly finalised. 
 
"There are still issues that need to be trashed out and once those concerns are addressed, a proper announcement would be made.
 
"One party was probably too eager to make the announcement … which is premature at this point," the source added.
 
NFCorp, the company that runs the controversial National Feedlot Centre (NFC) is owned and operated by Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family.
 
On March 12, last year, Shahrizat's husband Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, in his capacity as the director of NFCorp was charged with CBT amounting to RM9,758,140 to fund part purchase of two units of condominium in Kuala Lumpur and transferring RM40 million into the account of National Meat & Livestock Corporation Sdn Bhd in 2009.
 
Mohamad Salleh who is also NFCorp executive chairman, has maintained that not all the RM250 million soft loan from the government was utilised, and the company was in fact still servicing the loan.
 
He had argued that the purchases of high-end condominiums were investments to reap profits to service the loan.
 
Supporters of Salleh and his wife have blamed the failure of the Agriculture Ministry to build export quality abattoirs for NFC's inability to make the project a success.
 
The resurfacing of both Umno-linked businessmen Halim and Anuar in NFCorp, is a clear indication that Putrajaya's had given their nod in an attempt to make the company commercially viable.  
 
In October, this year, the Finance Ministry announced the potential takeover of NFCorp by Japanese company Kirimitonas Agro Sdn Bhd (KASB). But the deal fell through and ended due to failure to reach an agreement.
 
In 2006, both Halim and Anuar made headlines when Justice Sri Gopal Sri Ram, in his judgment, remarked that the duo from Metramac Corp Sdn Bhd, had enjoyed the patronage of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin. Halim who was the executive chairman of Renong and in turn controls UEM Group, was  highly connected to former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad and Daim.
 
Halim also denied that he and his former business partner, Anuar had siphoned RM32.5 million from toll operator Metramac (formerly Syarikat Teratai KG Sdn Bhd or STKG). 
 
He also denied that they had patronage of Daim, who was said to have conspired with them to oppress a construction company.
 
It is interesting to note that when Umno was deregistered in 1998, all of its assets were vested in the Official Assignee. 
 
Following the de-registration of Umno, the Official Asignee not only took over Fleet Group, Umno's main investment arm, but also Hatibudi Sdn Bhd, which had acquired a significant stake in politically-linked United Engineers Malaysia (UEM) Bhd, which was then awarded the privatised North-South Highway project. 
 
The shareholders of Hatibudi were Halim and Anuar, who held the shareholdings in trust for Umno leaders.
 
But by early 1994, Anuar had already relinquished his interest in Renong and UEM, reportedly after a disagreement with Halim.
 

Archaeology expert: Still hope for razed Lembah Bujang temple

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:26 AM PST

(MM) - Armed with blueprints from historical texts and research papers, an archaeological expert believes it possible to rebuild the millennia-old temple in Lembah Bujang, Kedah that was torn down by a housing developer.

According to director of the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR) Professor Dr Mokhtar Saidin, who leads a team that has excavated 46 sites in the area, there exists sufficient information to allow the prehistoric structure to be reconstructed, hopefully, where it once stood.

"We can reconstruct it again because I saw some of the publication before and there is a plan, so we can reconstruct again, the best is to construct on the original site," Mokhtar said, referring to plans of the ancient temple contained in published works.

The candi in question had been restored once in 1974. The archaeology expert said the restoration commissioned by the then-Museum Department had been minor as the candi was only "naturally disturbed", but it would require a complete reconstruction this time around.

"The developer should help because it's just a small area and I think Jabatan Warisan should too and if they want USM to help, no problem," he told The Malay Mail Online when contacted.

Yesterday, Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhiz Mahathir also spoke of the possibility to rebuilding the demolished candi number 11.

"The ruins can be reconstructed on its original site with the agreement of the company or near the Universiti Sains Malaysia excavation site at Sungai Batu," he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama last night.

The recent discovery of the demolition of the 1,200-year-old candi number 11 at Sungai Batu triggered national outrage over the callous treatment of the country's historical monuments.

A candi, short for candigarh, has been described as a place of worship with elements of either Hinduism or Buddhism; about 50 are peppered across the Kedah valley and believed to date back to between the 8th and 13th centuries.

Lembah Bujang is also thought to be the foundation for the rise of the Malay kingdom in Southeast Asia, and the region's foremost entrepot and trading centre in ancient times.

Earlier yesterday, Mukhriz said the state government has appealed to the Tourism and Culture Ministry to gazette over 100 archaeological sites as national heritage sites.

"The state places the utmost importance in preserving all heritage sites in Kedah so we are saddened over the recent destruction of candi number 11," he said.

However, Mokhtar said even if the historical sites are not gazetted as such, future development plans in the Merbok area should be referred to the local authorities and the National Heritage Department to prevent the destruction of other historical locations.

Recounting a previous visit in 2007 to what was then an oil palm estate, the professor said the candi had still been intact. He added that had the land status not been changed from agricultural to residential, the tragedy might not have taken place.

"Before this, as far as I know, all candis are in private land, usually in plantation area, the owners know the sites shouldn't be disturbed, but for site 11, they want to develop housing, so they bulldoze all the trees and everything there.

"It is very sad; it serves as a lesson for us ― for all of us ― to be responsible [and] to take care of such historical sites."

According to Mukhriz, the developer had obtained planning permission to develop the land back in 1993 but only started clearing works this August.

On Monday, the Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum — the candi's former caretakers — said it informed National Heritage Department of the destruction in September.

It is unclear if the department did anything to stop the developer, as its director-general, Datin Paduka Prof Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid could not be reached as she is currently abroad for the month.

Lembah Bujang is the richest archaeological site in Malaysia and the home of the oldest man-made structure recorded in Southeast Asia — a clay brick monument nearly 1,900 years old.

Excavations on the site have also uncovered jetty remains, iron smelting sites and relics with Hindu and Buddhist influences that point towards a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom there as early as 110 CE. 

 

Candi 11 in Sungai Batu can be reconstructed, says Mukhriz

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:22 AM PST

(Bernama) - Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir today expressed the state government's disappointment over the destruction of the ancient candi or temple ruins in Sungai Batu, Bujang Valley, Merbok. 

"These Bujang Valley ruins should be preserved as national heritage sites.  They have not been used as places of worship for centuries," he said in a statement here.   

He said the company which owned the land had obtained the approval to develop it in 1993 but only started clearing the site this August and ended up destroying the temple ruins in the process.

The state government and Ministry of Tourism and Culture have ordered the company to halt clearing works at the Candi 11 site immediately, he said.

"The ruins can be reconstructed on its original site with the agreement of the company or near the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) excavation site at Sungai Batu.

"The Candi 11 plans can be used as a reference to ensure its design and material are the same as the original," he said.

The destroyed Candi 11 in Sungai Batu was a 1974 reconstruction at the original site which dated back to between the 8th and 11th centuries.  

 

Candi destruction shocks former Kedah MB

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:15 AM PST

(The Star) - It started as a dream to create a tourist attraction with an ancient candi of Bujang Valley as its centrepiece. Two decades on, it's now an archaeological nightmare.

Former Kedah Mentri Besar Tan Sri Osman Aroff said he had made preservation of all the candi a "strict condition" when approving the Kedah International Resort City project in Bujang Valley in 1993.

The project never saw the light of the day. However, things have spiralled out of control.

"I am devastated to learn that a candi in Sungai Batu was destroyed by a private developer recently.

"This begs the question of how the state land ended up in private hands," said Osman.

That is the burning question, because his successors as Mentris Besar have also denied selling the land to any developer.

Bandar Saujana Sdn Bhd project manager Saw Guan Keat had said that the company bought eight lots of land in Sungai Batu from another developer earlier this year.

The new developer destroyed the candi while clearing the land for a housing project.

Osman said the Kedah Inter-national Resort City project was a joint venture between a Qatar-based company and Mentri Besar Inc. The state had a 40% stake while the company held the remaining shares.

"The state also acquired the surrounding piece of land for the project covering about 400ha," he added.

Osman said he was surprised to learn that a private developer now owned part of the land.

"The project was supposed to comprise an agriculture park and a hotel amid the preserved ruins of an ancient civilisation," said Osman who was Mentri Besar from 1985 to 1996.

Another former Mentri Besar, Tan Sri Sanusi Junid (1996-1999), said he had rejected the request of a foreign company to be recognised as a local one. Sanusi told the company to abide by the country's rules and regulations.

"But after one meeting with me, they never came back," he said.

Former executive councillor Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah of the Pakatan Rakyat state government (2008-2013) said the company had threatened to sue the state for rejecting its proposal to build houses in the area.

Amiruddin said the late Kedah Mentri Besar Tan Sri Azizan Abdul Razak rejected the company's proposal because it involved building thousands of housing units in the area.

"We do not need a foreign company to build houses here."

 

 

PISA: Malaysia up in maths, down in science and reading

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 08:04 AM PST

(MM) - Malaysian students scored higher in mathematics but registered declines in both reading ability and science, according to the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey released today.

In the 2012 edition of the global education benchmark, Malaysian students recorded an average score of 421 for mathematics, which was below the 494 mean for countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) but above the 404 the country registered in the 2009+ edition.

Reading ability fell the most, plunging to an average of 398 in the 2012. Malaysian students in the previous edition had recorded a score of 414, while the current OECD average was 496.

Science scores saw a minor decline versus the older findings, with Malaysians weighing at an average of 420 marks against the 422 that the batch three years ago managed. Students in the 34 OECD countries received an average of 501.

Malaysia was now ranked 55th for science, down two spots from the previous assessment.

The combined results meant Malaysia was 52nd overall out of the 65 countries, and firmly entrenched in the bottom third of the survey.

Neighbours Singapore were placed second in the assessment, behind top-scorers from Shanghai in China. Thailand is two places above Malaysia while Indonesia was second from bottom.

The 2012 PISA assessed 510,000 students between the ages of 15 years 3 months and 16 years 2 months in the 65 participating countries.

This is the second time Malaysia has been included in the survey that first began tracking students worldwide on the three subjects in 2000. The country was listed in the 2009+ edition, which was an expanded version of the 2009 results that tested new entrants in 2010.

The latest results is set to trigger another round of finger-pointing over the state of Malaysia's education, which is due for a major overhaul under the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025 that was launched last month.

Among the stated aims of the education master plan was to put Malaysia in the upper third of the PISA benchmark as well as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), another widely-used global yardstick.

Critics have accused the government of allowing political interests to creep into decisions on education policy, most notably the decision to abandon of the Policy of Teaching Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) in 2010 that is alleged to have been a nod to Malay nationalists.

Parents and education lobbyists, including the outspoken Parents Action Group for Education (PAGE), say the inconsistencies in education and a refusal to put greater emphasis on English was to blame for the  country's prolonged drop in standards. 

 

Which way is Umno headed to?

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 07:58 AM PST

Lim Sue Goan, TMI

The limelight of Malaysian politics this week falls on the Umno general assembly which could determine the direction of the party post-GE13.

Former Supreme Council member Saifuddin Abdullah said frankly during an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily that party president-cum-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was under tremendous pressure from within the party during the Umno elections, resulting in him declaring to make the bumiputera agenda a key national agenda on September 14 in a bid to win broader support from Umno delegates.

If the bumiputera empowerment policy was only a contingency plan put forward during the party elections, then Najib would possibly reactivate the New Economic Model as soon as this pressure is removed.

I personally feel that Najib's presidential address, the Umno assembly atmosphere and the base tone would determine whether Umno would eventually move towards moderation or more fundamentalism (further clinging onto its traditional support base).

GE13 is now seven months behind us, and over the past seven months, the political climate in this country has been gloomy, with racist remarks making occasional resurgence every now and then and transformation program laid aside. In its stead, bumi empowerment has taken the driver seat as if to herald the return of racist politics.

Having suffered the electoral setback, how will Najib instruct party leaders and members to take heed of the lacklustre response from urban, young and Chinese voters? Will they call for more assistance for the Malays?

If the focus of Umno assembly debates falls on how to reward the supporters of BN, then there will be no way for the New Economic Model running on meritocracy model to ever have a possible comeback again.

To connect with the international community, Umno has over the past few years organized international forums on the eve of the Umno assemblies. The theme for this year's forum is "adopting moderation and principles of balanced politics towards peace and stability." Among those attending this year's event are heavyweight local and foreign leaders such as Hamas' political bureau chairman Khaled Mashal.

Since Najib has been loudly advocating moderation here and abroad, his party must therefore move towards this end in a bid to accomplish the goal of national reconciliation.

Unfortunately, the 2013 undergraduates' assembly, a precursor event of the Umno general assembly, passed 36 motions on Sunday, including a proposal to adopt a single stream education system and for the GLCs to give priority to bumiputera or bumiputera companies, among others. This shows that many people still subscribe to populism.

READ MORE HERE

 

Slur on Auditor-General’s credibility

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 07:49 AM PST

Ravinder Singh, MM

According to Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Shabery Cheek, there was "no misappropriation of funds by RTM in its purchase of a clock for RM3,810"  as it is "a special "precision clock" or "atomic clock", which is connected to the Department of Time in the United States of America to ensure all time is standardised".

This statement casts a very strong slur on the credibility of the Auditor-General's team of auditors. Had this "fact" been explained to the auditors, could they not have understood the reasonableness of the price paid? 

Why this explanation only months after the Auditor-General's report was published? By the way, how many clocks were purchased at the price of RM3,810.00 – "a clock" or 20 clocks as reported earlier?

The term "atomic clock" sounds very great, but these clocks are very common these days. American online marketing sites advertise these for as low as US$19.95 and pricier ones at around US$70. How much do these figures translate into Malaysian Ringgit?

This is a challenge to the credibility of the Auditor-General. If he remains silent in the face of this 'explanation', then his department is seen to be inefficient in carrying out proper auditing. Any auditor worth his salt should have questioned the person(s) responsible for the purchase and if the purchase was justified, then it should not have been highlighted in the A-G's report as "excessively priced".

Now who is to be believed, the A-G or the minister? The political master having spoken, is the A-G at liberty to tell us whether the minister is right or wrong?

If right, then the A-G would be admitting that his auditors were not competent in carrying out their duties.

This is also a challenge to the independence of the A-G. If he is not beholden to the political masters, then it behoves the A-G to clarify the 'clarification' of the minister. This statement brings disrepute to the whole of the A-G's report as people will be wondering how many more 'glaring mistakes' (like this one) are contained in the report.

The A-G, if he is truly independent, should rise to the occasion and speak the truth, i.e. is the minister right or wrong?

His silence will only mean to the public that his much acclaimed audit reports have been reduced to trash by the minister's explanation.

 

Pakatan leaders demand that Khalid review proposed Selangor hike

Posted: 03 Dec 2013 07:44 AM PST

(The Star) - The Pakatan Rakyat top leadership has demanded that Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim review the proposed salary hike for the state government leaders and lawmakers.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang collectively said while the pay rise was necessary, the quantum should be determined carefully.

"A study should be done on the pay rise decision, and while we leave it to Khalid and the state government for the final decision, we generally agree that the amount can be reduced before the hike is implemented," said Anwar at a joint press conference in Parliament.

On Khalid's firm stance that there will be no change in the pay rise and recipients who did not want to accept it could donate the excess to charity, Anwar said it was merely a "spur of the moment response".

"I have already met him about this, and he is amenable to our proposal to review the proposed new salaries," he said.

Both Abdul Hadi and Lim agreed, adding that the state government also needed to consider its financial position and the rakyat's sentiments before making a final call.

Under the new salary structure, the pay of assemblymen will be upped 87% from RM6,000 to RM11,250 a month, the Speaker from RM6,109.29 to RM22,500 (268%), and the deputy Speaker from RM3,327.50 to RM15,750 (373%).

The salary of exco members will go up 231% from RM6,109.29 to RM20,250 while the Mentri Besar will have a pay rise of 106.4% from RM14,175 to RM29,250.

Meanwhile, Tan Sri Shahrir Samad (BN-Johor Bahru) told a press conference that Selangor state government should base the pay of its leaders and lawmakers on the state's income per capita.

"They should index the salaries based on the state economy, and doing this by GDP per capita is the best way as they should adjust salaries to a measure acceptable to public domain, and GDP is in the public domain," he said.

Shahrir also lashed out at Khalid's reason for the salary raise, which was so that the recipients will be able to work without worrying about sourcing money from elsewhere.

"It does not mean that the lesser money you receive the more possible it is for you to become corrupt.

"Corruption is a matter of greed and lack of morals, not about a lack of money. If other MPs, for example, can lead a more moderate life, why can't they?" he said.

 

Anwar's defamation suit against blogger on Jan 27-28

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 11:06 PM PST

(NST) - The hearing of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's defamation suit against blogger "Papa Gomo" over alleged defamatory postings implying he was engaged in indecent acts with a man will begin on January 27.

High Court judicial commissioner Rosilah Yop fixed the hearing date after meeting the  lawyers from both parties while in chambers today. 
 
When met outside the court, Anwar's counsel Muhammad Afiq Mohd Noor clarified that the trial is scheduled from January 27 till 28.
 
"The court has also fixed January 20 for case management," he said.
 
Counsel S. Parvinder Kaur acted for the blogger whose real name is Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, 30.
 
In his suit filed at the High Court registry on March 21, Anwar, 66, claimed that the defendant had posted defamatory statements and uploaded certain images on his website at www.papagomo.com.
 
He claimed the website could be accessed by anyone surfing the Internet in Malaysia and the world.
 
He alleged  the statements meant that he was a person without morals and was not fit to hold public office.
 
He further stated that the defamatory words implied that he was not fit to be the prime minister and that he was irresponsible and could not be trusted.
 
Anwar alleged that since Malaysia was a country with a Muslim majority, the defamatory words and images impacted him negatively.
 
He is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages and for an injunction to stop the defamatory postings from being repeated or reproduced.


Khalid tetap membisu sama ada cabar Azmin dalam pemilihan PKR

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:48 PM PST

(Bernama) - Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim enggan mengulas sama ada beliau akan mencabar Timbalan Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Mohamed Azmin Ali dalam pemilihan parti itu tahun hadapan.

"Perkara itu tidak pernah kita bincangkan di khalayak ramai dan saya rasa parti kita perlu mempunyai tata tertib dan membuat pengumuman apabila kita perlu untuk mengumumkannya," katanya ketika ditanya mengenainya selepas merasmikan Forum Masyarakat Ekonomi Asean (AEC) 2015 anjuran SSIC Bhd di sini, hari ini.

Ditanya sama ada beliau akan mencabar Mohamed Azmin jika ada permintaan, beliau juga enggan mengulas.

Abdul Khalid turut menafikan bahawa kritikan Mohamed Azmin mengenai pengumuman kenaikan gaji dan elaun Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri, Menteri Besar, Anggota Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri, Speaker dan Timbalan Speaker minggu lepas yang dikatakan tinggi, ada kaitan dengan pemilihan akan datang.

Sebelum ini, hubungan di antara Abdul Khalid dan Mohamed Azmin yang juga Pengerusi Kelab Penyokong Kerajaan Negeri (BBC) Selangor digambarkan pihak tertentu sebagai tidak begitu 'mesra' apabila Mohamed Azmin sering mengkritik pentadbiran Abdul Khalid.

 

AG: Good marks for Terengganu

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:26 PM PST

Sean Augustin, fz.com

Terengganu earned good marks for its financial performance and management as well as development spending, including recording a surplus in combined revenue in 2012.

The Auditor General's report noted that the oil-rich state posted a surplus of RM293 million last year, an improvement over 2011's surplus of RM263 million.

"The surplus means the collated balance of the combined revenue surge to a RM60 million surplus, compared to the RM233 million deficits recorded in 2011," the report stated

The state government also managed to implement 593 of the 721 projects under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Among the projects completed included a kindergarten in Kijal, Kemaman; a multipurpose hall in Setiu  and a tunnel in Kuala Terengganu.

The state also managed to spend RM1.04 billion of the RM1.22 billion allocation to complete the projects.

However, the national audit department was 'less satisfied' with the state's management of the Ladang Gemilang apartments and the road maintenance works in Setiu.

The project, which is divided into two phases and located on a 4.91 acre land, comes under the purview of the state's Heritage Board.

It was constructed to aid residents in affected by development plans for Ladang.

Among the faults, the audit noted was that payment was given despite incomplete works, while the quality was 'unsatisfactory'.

"The design was not suitable, while the security service was irregular," the report stated.

As for maintenance works on roads in Setiu, the department observed that the maintenance cost exceeded the contract, while works were also 'unsatisfactory'.

 

Leave if DAP stays with PAS, Karpal told

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:19 PM PST

A former DAP vice-chairman is challenging Karpal Singh to leave the party should it maintain its alliance with PAS.

Anisah Shukry, FMT

DAP chairman Karpal Singh to should leave to save his reputation and high standing if he cannot convince his party to end ties with PAS, said Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim.

"We have lost count of the number of times Karpal has bemoaned the fact that PAS leaders, his political allies, have remained defiantly unrepentant for their single-minded push for an Islamic Malaysia.

"Karpal should get his party out of the morally impossible situation because there is no future in a fragile, loveless and dishonest relationship with PAS, kept barely alive by mutual deception and political expediency," Tunku Aziz said at a press conference today.

Aziz said Karpal was well aware the party was not with him and that the Bukit Jelutong MP was only regarded as the titular head of the DAP.

He said the real power was with secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and "his handpicked inner circle."

He noted that Karpal's colleagues were "embarrassed" by his comments regarding PAS, and had distanced themselves by suggesting they were made in his personal capacity.

"Given his high profile and standing in country, a chairman in an important political party, Karpal in my view does not enjoy the luxury of privacy in what he says and does. Karpal cannot have his chapatti and eat it too," he said.

Tunku Aziz urged the DAP to come clean and admit that its chairman spoke for the party.

"If the DAP does not agree officially with what Karpal says, then the party agrees with the official position of the Islamic state that PAS has been unceasingly been propagating since the first day of its life.

"Malaysians urge DAP to come out openly and declare its official position on the Islamic state. Does it accept the Islamic state or does it reject it? he asked.

"It is a simple question requiring a simple, unvarnished answer. But it does not look as if DAP has the moral strength and courage to answer," he added.

 

The politics of hypocrisy

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:55 PM PST

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/najib-khalid-selangor.jpg 

Free Malaysia Today 

If we were to have a law governing good taste, it should provide for the punishment of hypocrites who denounce other hypocrites. Certainly, no political organisation in Malaysia has a monopoly on the hypocrisy business, but if we had a device to measure hypocrisy, it would show that Prime Minister Najib went way ahead of his competitors with his recent comment about the pay rise for members of the Selangor state assembly.

What can be more hypocritical than an accusation of hypocrisy that comes from someone who has yet to give a plausible explanation for the wasteful ways not only of his administration and party, but even his wife? He probably thinks the Malaysian public is gullible enough to swallow Shahidan Kassim's justification of her use of the official executive jet. That's bad taste upon bad taste.

The way the BN papers went to town with Najib's outburst makes one wonder whether they have only now learned that hypocrisy happens in Malaysian politics. The rest of us know that it is one of the defining characteristics of political discourse in this country. Listen, for instance, to Umno leaders when they denounce DAP for having only Chinese interest at heart. Often enough, they would in the same speech assert Umno's credentials as a champion of Malay interests and ignore the reality that one of its bedfellows is an all-Chinese party.

As for the Selangor pay rise, we don't know exactly how to react to Khalid Ibrahim's explanation that he wanted the assemblymen to dedicate themselves to their duties and not seek other sources of income. Should we admire him for his candor or curse him for his audacity? How much does an assemblyman need to satisfy his greed? The current salary is already enough to inspire envy in the average Malaysian. And would Khalid care to explain how the assemblymen have been supplementing their income in the last five years? After all, Pakatan Rakyat is all for transparency.

Rather than give piecemeal responses to knee-jerk reactions, Khalid must explain to Selangor citizens how the extra expense incurred in the pay hike would translate into a better quality of life for them, manifested, for instance, in cleaner rivers or a reduction in poverty, thanks to well-paid and hard-working assemblymen. A man of his corporate and political experience should not find it too hard to provide a comprehensive explanation.

 

Corruption in Malaysia Shows Little Improvement

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:14 PM PST

http://i.imgur.com/fTqz6dt.jpg 

(WSJ) - Corruption in Malaysia has barely inched forward over the last year, according to a global anti-corruption index that shows despite efforts by the government to fight graft, Malaysia remains stuck at the halfway point between being highly corrupt and squeaky clean.

Malaysia ranked 53rd out of 177 countries in anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International's latest corruption perceptions index, with a score of 50 on a scale of zero to 100, with 100 being very clean.

This year Malaysia tied with Turkey, and improved by one point over its 54th place ranking in 2012. Regionally it placed 3rd, behind Singapore at No. 5 and Brunei at No. 38, but fared far better than the Philippines (94) and neighboring Thailand (102) and Indonesia (114).

Indonesia's rank improved by four places, while the Philippines jumped 11 spots to achieve its highest rank since 2004. Over the past year, however, both countries have been embroiled in a series of corruption cases involving past and present lawmakers and other high officials.

In September the Philippine Department of Justice filed graft and bribery complaintsagainst several lawmakers for allegedly misusing public funds – often derisively referred to as pork barrel – intended for roads, bridges and the poor.

Indonesia's anti-corruption commission, meanwhile, has detained a number of officials, including a top judge and the head of the country's oil-and-gas regulator for alleged corruption following investigations.

Comparatively, Malaysia has done better. But the small bump in rank also underscores the challenge the Malaysian government faces in cutting corruption in one of Southeast Asia's most developed economies.

READ MORE HERE 

 

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Time to abolish Malay reserves

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 11:15 AM PST

Zaid Ibrahim, TMI

This week, all eyes and ears will be on the Umno General Assembly. I have no doubt that many far-reaching proposals, especially those dealing with how to bring about more economic prosperity and security for the Bumiputera, will be tabled and discussed.

Umno President Datuk Seri Najib Razak will probably give a firm undertaking that Malays and other Bumiputera will be "taken care of" by the party, and that the "great Malay race" will emerge from the shadows of the past despite the unending attempts of various enemies to deprive them of their rightful place in the country. Expect a soul stirring speech from the Prime Minister.

We've already heard ideas floated around by economic experts about how Malay Reserved Land can be developed using taxpayers' money. The idea is that Khazanah Nasional is a bottomless pit of ready cash (according to these experts) which can be used to develop Malay Reserves so owners can sell them to other Malays.

The argument is that once these properties are developed, they'll fetch better prices and the Malays will make good money when they sell them to other Malays who somehow also have a lot of money to spend.

My response is that this is an old chestnut that's only good for speeches. In reality, it's neither practicable nor at all feasible. Many Umno assemblies have come and gone and, without fail, we've been given proposals that look good on paper but are utterly impossible to implement.

There's such a thing as "the market" which these chaps haven't yet accepted or even understood. Malays are not exempt from market value and market forces (supply and demand).

Take Kampong Baru for example. It's probably the most valuable piece of Malay Reserve Land in the country but the development plans mooted by Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin, who was Federal Territories Minister at the time, were rejected .Why? To make it economically viable the plan envisaged some of the lands had to be available to non-Malays and this was not an acceptable idea.

Some people would rather see Kampung Baru undeveloped, just to brag that these lands belong to the Malays.

For any property development to be successful that expected revenues from the development must be more than the cost of such development.  If the properties were available strictly to Malays only; or that the selling prices had to be much lower to "assist" Malay purchasers, then the economics will not work. How was Khazanah (or even Petronas) to recover its costs? And what hope could there be for other Malay Reserves in the country if prime land near KLCC couldn't be developed?

To help the Malays realise the value of their land, Umno must be prepared to do one simple thing: Remove the restrictions and make them freehold lands; and tell the Malays in exchange for that; they no longer need the protection of Malay Reserve Land.

It's after all a false protection that they have it now; a false protection that involves an artificial sense of security and ownership.

Today, the Tropicana-Kota Damansara area, for example, contains some of the choicest property in the Klang Valley. Not long ago, they were classed as Reserve Land or owned by Government agencies. Despite this "protected" status, the land eventually went into private hands and ordinary Bumiputera didn't have the opportunity to own much of it. There are countless other examples but the point is this: protectionist laws and policies don't help anyone except the powerful and well connected.

Here's another example from the other side of the world: Native Americans were also given land "reserves" by the US Government but these have not progressed in the intended way. Today, many function as ghettos that do not generate economic benefits at par with the rest of the country. In fact, the quality of life in some reservations has been compared to that of the developing - not the developed - world. At the other extreme, many reservations are home to casinos, generating wealth at some serious social cost.

Anyway, the idea of Malay Reserves in Malaysia wasn't an Umno brainchild. The Kampung Baru area was gazetted by the British long before Independence. In my own state of Kelantan, all land is reserved for Kelantanese. This was a British idea too, which came with the 1931 state land enactment.

In those days, the idea had some merit because Malays were poor and uneducated. They borrowed heavily from chettiars for non-productive purposes. Today, Malays form the bulk of the middle class in the country, thanks to Umno (it did get some things right, after all) but the protection of Reserve Land has become a burden to Malays.

Maybe it's difficult to tell Malays that the idea of a reservation was useful a century ago but no longer. That the fact is Malays today don't need this kind of false protection. They need a Government that isn't in open competition with them in real estate. Moreover, no Malaysian needs a Government that spends too much time worrying about doing business for itself and making commercial profits.

READ MORE HERE

 

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Anwar's defamation suit against blogger on Jan 27-28

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 11:06 PM PST

(NST) - The hearing of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's defamation suit against blogger "Papa Gomo" over alleged defamatory postings implying he was engaged in indecent acts with a man will begin on January 27.

High Court judicial commissioner Rosilah Yop fixed the hearing date after meeting the  lawyers from both parties while in chambers today. 
 
When met outside the court, Anwar's counsel Muhammad Afiq Mohd Noor clarified that the trial is scheduled from January 27 till 28.
 
"The court has also fixed January 20 for case management," he said.
 
Counsel S. Parvinder Kaur acted for the blogger whose real name is Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, 30.
 
In his suit filed at the High Court registry on March 21, Anwar, 66, claimed that the defendant had posted defamatory statements and uploaded certain images on his website at www.papagomo.com.
 
He claimed the website could be accessed by anyone surfing the Internet in Malaysia and the world.
 
He alleged  the statements meant that he was a person without morals and was not fit to hold public office.
 
He further stated that the defamatory words implied that he was not fit to be the prime minister and that he was irresponsible and could not be trusted.
 
Anwar alleged that since Malaysia was a country with a Muslim majority, the defamatory words and images impacted him negatively.
 
He is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages and for an injunction to stop the defamatory postings from being repeated or reproduced.


AG: Good marks for Terengganu

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:26 PM PST

Sean Augustin, fz.com

Terengganu earned good marks for its financial performance and management as well as development spending, including recording a surplus in combined revenue in 2012.

The Auditor General's report noted that the oil-rich state posted a surplus of RM293 million last year, an improvement over 2011's surplus of RM263 million.

"The surplus means the collated balance of the combined revenue surge to a RM60 million surplus, compared to the RM233 million deficits recorded in 2011," the report stated

The state government also managed to implement 593 of the 721 projects under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Among the projects completed included a kindergarten in Kijal, Kemaman; a multipurpose hall in Setiu  and a tunnel in Kuala Terengganu.

The state also managed to spend RM1.04 billion of the RM1.22 billion allocation to complete the projects.

However, the national audit department was 'less satisfied' with the state's management of the Ladang Gemilang apartments and the road maintenance works in Setiu.

The project, which is divided into two phases and located on a 4.91 acre land, comes under the purview of the state's Heritage Board.

It was constructed to aid residents in affected by development plans for Ladang.

Among the faults, the audit noted was that payment was given despite incomplete works, while the quality was 'unsatisfactory'.

"The design was not suitable, while the security service was irregular," the report stated.

As for maintenance works on roads in Setiu, the department observed that the maintenance cost exceeded the contract, while works were also 'unsatisfactory'.

 

Leave if DAP stays with PAS, Karpal told

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:19 PM PST

A former DAP vice-chairman is challenging Karpal Singh to leave the party should it maintain its alliance with PAS.

Anisah Shukry, FMT

DAP chairman Karpal Singh to should leave to save his reputation and high standing if he cannot convince his party to end ties with PAS, said Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim.

"We have lost count of the number of times Karpal has bemoaned the fact that PAS leaders, his political allies, have remained defiantly unrepentant for their single-minded push for an Islamic Malaysia.

"Karpal should get his party out of the morally impossible situation because there is no future in a fragile, loveless and dishonest relationship with PAS, kept barely alive by mutual deception and political expediency," Tunku Aziz said at a press conference today.

Aziz said Karpal was well aware the party was not with him and that the Bukit Jelutong MP was only regarded as the titular head of the DAP.

He said the real power was with secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and "his handpicked inner circle."

He noted that Karpal's colleagues were "embarrassed" by his comments regarding PAS, and had distanced themselves by suggesting they were made in his personal capacity.

"Given his high profile and standing in country, a chairman in an important political party, Karpal in my view does not enjoy the luxury of privacy in what he says and does. Karpal cannot have his chapatti and eat it too," he said.

Tunku Aziz urged the DAP to come clean and admit that its chairman spoke for the party.

"If the DAP does not agree officially with what Karpal says, then the party agrees with the official position of the Islamic state that PAS has been unceasingly been propagating since the first day of its life.

"Malaysians urge DAP to come out openly and declare its official position on the Islamic state. Does it accept the Islamic state or does it reject it? he asked.

"It is a simple question requiring a simple, unvarnished answer. But it does not look as if DAP has the moral strength and courage to answer," he added.

 

Corruption in Malaysia Shows Little Improvement

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:14 PM PST

http://i.imgur.com/fTqz6dt.jpg 

(WSJ) - Corruption in Malaysia has barely inched forward over the last year, according to a global anti-corruption index that shows despite efforts by the government to fight graft, Malaysia remains stuck at the halfway point between being highly corrupt and squeaky clean.

Malaysia ranked 53rd out of 177 countries in anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International's latest corruption perceptions index, with a score of 50 on a scale of zero to 100, with 100 being very clean.

This year Malaysia tied with Turkey, and improved by one point over its 54th place ranking in 2012. Regionally it placed 3rd, behind Singapore at No. 5 and Brunei at No. 38, but fared far better than the Philippines (94) and neighboring Thailand (102) and Indonesia (114).

Indonesia's rank improved by four places, while the Philippines jumped 11 spots to achieve its highest rank since 2004. Over the past year, however, both countries have been embroiled in a series of corruption cases involving past and present lawmakers and other high officials.

In September the Philippine Department of Justice filed graft and bribery complaintsagainst several lawmakers for allegedly misusing public funds – often derisively referred to as pork barrel – intended for roads, bridges and the poor.

Indonesia's anti-corruption commission, meanwhile, has detained a number of officials, including a top judge and the head of the country's oil-and-gas regulator for alleged corruption following investigations.

Comparatively, Malaysia has done better. But the small bump in rank also underscores the challenge the Malaysian government faces in cutting corruption in one of Southeast Asia's most developed economies.

READ MORE HERE 

 

Ustaz Kazim quits PAS

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:48 AM PST

(Bernama) - Independent Islamic preacher Mohammad Kazim Elias or better known as Ustaz Kazim today announced his decision to quit PAS as he was deeply disappointed with the condemnation and slander hurled at him by the party leaders and members.

He said the attacks had become even more relentless after he was offered a seat in the Umno supreme council recently, although he had not stated his stand on the offer.

Even more hurtful, he said, was that some PAS members had called him an animal and a hypocrite while there were party leaders likening him to a goat that had been eaten by a wolf, calling him a confused religious person or accusing him of becoming an idol or statue of worship by Umno.

"It does not matter whether I am still a PAS member or they will sack me after my statement, with all that PAS' tirade against me who is trying to preach Islam, I hereby announce that I quit PAS.

"I still love PAS which was once led by the late Ustaz Fadzil Noor, who fought for the real concept in Islam. However, I am disappointed with the present-day PAS which when advised or ticked off, would call me an Umno lackey or running dog, whereas I am a PAS member and have never registered as an Umno member," he told reporters when met at the Parliament building today.

He had earlier met with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for an hour at the latter's office here over the appointment as a member of the Umno supreme council.

However, Ustaz Kazim stressed that his decision to quit PAS had nothing to do with his meeting with the prime minister today, but for years he had been patient with PAS' revile attacks against him which also affected his family members.

He said in the last two or three days, his patience with PAS had reached the limit.

"Is this the PAS that wants to champion Islam and unite the Muslims?" he asked.

On the status of his appointment to the Umno supreme council, Ustaz Kazim said he left it to the prime minister as the Umno president, to announce the matter.

He said he felt honoured with the offer and was satisfied with the explanation given by Najib during their meeting on the role be could play as a religious preacher in the council.

On Nov 29, Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor announced Ustaz Kazim as among the nine appointed Umno supreme council members to make up the additional 13, and this was decided by the party president under Clause 9.2.8 of the Umno constitution. 

 

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The politics of hypocrisy

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:55 PM PST

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/najib-khalid-selangor.jpg 

Free Malaysia Today 

If we were to have a law governing good taste, it should provide for the punishment of hypocrites who denounce other hypocrites. Certainly, no political organisation in Malaysia has a monopoly on the hypocrisy business, but if we had a device to measure hypocrisy, it would show that Prime Minister Najib went way ahead of his competitors with his recent comment about the pay rise for members of the Selangor state assembly.

What can be more hypocritical than an accusation of hypocrisy that comes from someone who has yet to give a plausible explanation for the wasteful ways not only of his administration and party, but even his wife? He probably thinks the Malaysian public is gullible enough to swallow Shahidan Kassim's justification of her use of the official executive jet. That's bad taste upon bad taste.

The way the BN papers went to town with Najib's outburst makes one wonder whether they have only now learned that hypocrisy happens in Malaysian politics. The rest of us know that it is one of the defining characteristics of political discourse in this country. Listen, for instance, to Umno leaders when they denounce DAP for having only Chinese interest at heart. Often enough, they would in the same speech assert Umno's credentials as a champion of Malay interests and ignore the reality that one of its bedfellows is an all-Chinese party.

As for the Selangor pay rise, we don't know exactly how to react to Khalid Ibrahim's explanation that he wanted the assemblymen to dedicate themselves to their duties and not seek other sources of income. Should we admire him for his candor or curse him for his audacity? How much does an assemblyman need to satisfy his greed? The current salary is already enough to inspire envy in the average Malaysian. And would Khalid care to explain how the assemblymen have been supplementing their income in the last five years? After all, Pakatan Rakyat is all for transparency.

Rather than give piecemeal responses to knee-jerk reactions, Khalid must explain to Selangor citizens how the extra expense incurred in the pay hike would translate into a better quality of life for them, manifested, for instance, in cleaner rivers or a reduction in poverty, thanks to well-paid and hard-working assemblymen. A man of his corporate and political experience should not find it too hard to provide a comprehensive explanation.

 

Selangor State Govt is Taking People for Granted

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 12:32 PM PST

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/Mug%20shots/Kua-Kia-Soong.jpg 

With this salary increase, Selangor state representatives will at a stroke, be getting a monthly salary (excluding allowances) of more than RM15,000 that puts them in the top 10 per cent income earners in our society! When that happens, will they still be seen leading the 90% to OCCUPY Dataran Merdeka to protest against the 10% who lord over us?

 

Dr Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser

 

By arrogating such an obscene pay increase to the MB, Speaker and other state representatives – ranging from 100 to 370 per cent - the Pakatan Rakyat-run Selangor State Government has taken the peoples' goodwill for granted and betrayed the principles they have claimed to uphold as ethical representatives of the people.

 

When the people voted in the Pakatan Rakyat to run the Selangor state government, they had expectations of a government that would radically reform economic, political, social and cultural life, along egalitarian and democratic lines, in sharp contrast with the self-interested style of the pro-rich Barisan Nasional.

 

And now we behold the spectacle of the BN Prime Minister accusing the PR-run Selangor state government of hypocrisy by enriching themselves, and so soon after the 2013 election.

 

Isn't it indeed hypocritical when the Mentri Besar gives himself a salary that is higher than the Prime Minister's?  

 

No attempt to justify

 

What's appalling is that the Selangor state government has not even tried to justify this scandalously high salary increase to the people whose hard earned money will be footing the bill, i.e. the tax payers. Instead, their first response was to wash dirty linen in public by pointing out that the Mentri Besar's party rival, Azmin Ali should have opposed the enactment in the state assembly instead of speaking out after the event.

 

If Pakatan Rakyat was to be true to it's stated principles, their de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would have apologised to their constituents for the Selangor state government's shameless self-enrichment enactment. He would also assure us that this was some wild aberration of a state government that is inconsistent with "reformasi". Instead, he missed the point by asking PR representatives to donate a small portion of their self-arrogated wealth to charity, money that rightfully belongs to the tax payers in the first place!

 

Workers have always had to justify any pay increase by referring to percentage points in productivity levels and inflation rates, so how do these state representatives justify such an exorbitant salary increase?

 

Social equity – the first pillar of 'Reformasi'

 

How often have we heard PR leaders decrying BN policies and actions that have caused greater and greater social inequity in Malaysian society? And how often have we heard PR leaders berating their members to lead by example by serving the people as Yang Berkhidmats?

 

Yet, what has PR done to ensure the implementation of the minimum wage in Selangor, Penang and Kelantan in the face of opposition from employers? Given that the government and employers tell the underpaid workers in this country that they cannot afford to pay a minimum wage of RM900, how can Pakatan Rakyat arrogate such an obscene pay rise in such a cavalier manner?

 

With this salary increase, Selangor state representatives will at a stroke, be getting a monthly salary (excluding allowances) of more than RM15,000 that puts them in the top 10 per cent income earners in our society! When that happens, will they still be seen leading the 90% to OCCUPY Dataran Merdeka to protest against the 10% who lord over us?

 

Is PR aping Lee Kuan Yew's plutocracy?

 

Lee Kuan Yew has tried to justify the PAP's fabulously paid government officials by saying: "Low salaries will draw in the hypocrites who sweet talk their way into power in the name of public service, but once in charge will show their true colour, and ruin the country."

 

With the Selangor state government's attempt to follow this PAP logic, one could well turn LKY's dictum around into: "High salaries will draw in the hypocrites who sweet talk their way into power in the name of public services…" There is no evidence anywhere in the world that corruption is prevented by awarding large salaries to government officials.

 

Spend state surplus on public health and social services

 

If the Selangor state government justifies its fabulous salary increases for government officials by pointing to the surplus in its coffers then it is out of touch with the social conditions in the state:

 

-          Inadequate infrastructure – roads, water pipes and sewerage systems in critical need of upgrading;

-          Overwhelmed public health care system with medical professionals needing improved conditions;

-          Lack of elderly care centres and support services, including access to mobile health care;

-          Low cost housing for the poor and marginalized with adequate space for community activities, recreation and green areas;

-          Effective public transport system for the people ;

-          State assistance for the unemployed;

-          Free/ affordable healthcare for the poor and low income earners.

 

In conclusion, the PAP government's volte face of slashing its officials' ridiculously high salaries after their humiliating losses in the 2012 general election, should have served as a warning to PR… 

Bujang Valley - A shame for Malaysian

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 12:21 PM PST

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/8DVIsTFAn5766afUrpNjYQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTMxMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_MY/News/Malay_Mail/Lembah_Bujang_2.jpg 

We have lost a major historical site in the name of development. We are nothing but a country that has very little respect for our own heritage yet our government insists History is a mandatory subject to pass.

 

Natesan Visnu 

 

Bujang Valley or Lembah Bujang is part of Malaysian heritage. The historical complex has an area of 227 square.km and is the richest archeological site in Malaysia. The site consists of ruins dating circa 2000 years ago. The tomb or 'chandi' reflects the influence of Indian culture in Kedah. The site is the oldest man-made structure in South East Asia. On 1st December 2013, Candi No.11 was demolished by an irresponsible developer. Candi No.11 is a 1200 years old temple. (Source: Wikipedia)

 

Many scholars and politicians have criticized the Federal and State government for not taking any action on the developer. We only realize the value of the ruins when it is demolished. Despite being a major historical site, the government has not done any major program to promote the Bujang Valley as a key tourism location in Malaysia. We are known for KLCC, F1 Sepang, Pulau Tioman, Mount Kinabalu, etc. Is Lembah Bujang a major tourist attraction? Did the government play the role of promoting Lembah Bujang as part of Malaysia's tourist attractions? The answer is NO.

 

Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat have failed miserably in preserving the Lembah Bujang. It's a shame for a state that produced two Prime Ministers could not save a major historical site. Government or opposition, the elected leaders have failed to save Lembah Bujang. All past and present leaders should be ashamed of themselves for not preserving a major history site of our country. We spend millions to promote tourism but nothing much to develop Lembah Bujang. Lembah Bujang is supposed to be our very own 'Angkor Wat'.

 

Our leaders have failed us again. We are a forgiving nation. After a few months, no one will talk about Lembah Bujang. Lembah Bujang will be remembered as a Wikipedia page, photos from the past, and stories from people who have visited the place. The government has made History a mandatory subject to pass, but the same government could not save a 1200 years old historical site.

 

We Malaysians have contributed to the demolition of the temple. How many of us have visited Lembah Bujang? If we supported it by fueling the economy of Kedah by local tourism, maybe the income earned from the tourism industry would have saved the temple. For corporate companies that spend millions on branding and advertising, none of the corporate companies came forward to preserve the temple. If Air Asia or MAS came up with some tourism campaign and promoted Lembah Bujang heavily, we could have saved the temple.

 

Talk is cheap. I'm ashamed I could not do anything to save the temple. I wish I had the millions to buy over the entire site and convert it to a major tourist destination. I wish I had the power to transform Merbuk into a tourist town and the income from tourism could sustain the livelihood of the Merbok folks. We could have built hotels, resorts, backpackers lodges, a modern museum, etc to generate revenue and jobs for the local economy. How I wish I had the money or power to do so.

 

Temple building is a lost art. The artifacts from Lembah Bujang kept the secrets from the past for architecture and engineering. The stone carvings are a challenge for modern construction. With proper research on the ruins, stone carving could be reintroduced into the Malaysian modern construction industry. The architects could use the ruins as inspiration for new age buildings that combine the past and present. Lembah Bujang would have been a catalyst for revolution in Malaysian architecture.

 

Whatever said and done, there is nothing much we can do about the temple. We have lost a major historical site in the name of development. We are nothing but a country that has very little respect for our own heritage. It's a dark day in our history. 

Malays need well-rounded leaders in PAS

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 11:59 AM PST

http://en.harakahdaily.net/images/stories/undipas.jpg 

 

In the case of PAS, the party wants to establish a system of government based on Islamic laws and practices, or alternatively to establish a welfare state for the betterment of Muslims and the nation. However, ideals and reality are two different things. Leaders may have the ideals but it is the people who live with reality. 

 

Awang Abdillah

 

Any organization such as a political party is formed by groups of people who share the same ideals, objectives and cause, and has its own means to achieve its vision. Hence, every political party is formed for reasons of its own. The call by a veteran DAP politician that all parties should go multi-racial is definitely not practical and not in tune with reality. Any party can pursue its own cause and chooses its own means to attain its objectives as long as it acts and operates within the perimeters of the law and the norms of democracy. In the case of PAS, the party wants to establish a system of government based on Islamic laws and practices, or alternatively to establish a welfare state for the betterment of Muslims and the nation. However, ideals and reality are two different things. Leaders may have the ideals but it is the people who live with reality. Hence a party should pursue its idealistic objectives within the environment of the real world.

 

Expectations in an election

 

In the 5th May 2013 GE, the unimpressive performance of PAS was below expectations compared to its two partners where it managed to grab only 21 parliamentary seats out of 73 seats contested. The big question is, what had gone wrong? In any GE there would be different expectations for the respective contesting parties -

 

1) Some expect a victory then win, in which case they are likely to continue with their winning strategy. For those who expect a victory but lose, have to do the 'muhasabah' - a general and self appraisal on the mistakes/weaknesses that derailed their expected performance.

 

2) Those who anticipate defeat then lose have to rectify their weaknesses before and after the GE. But for parties that expect to lose but instead win, need to look at the mistakes of their opponents.

 

3) There are those who cannot accept defeat. They will use all means available to avert the anticipated unacceptable course of reality. Reality is very much related to Qadha' and Qadar (fate and destiny). A political organisation that cannot accept reality is one that believes in and practices the power of dictatorship and extremism which are both detrimental to the nation. It will sabotage the electoral process by resorting to a long list of cheating tactics in order to change the election outcome to its favor. This was UMNO's strategy to win the 13th GE at all costs by manipulating the election process of the 13th GE to it's advantage. The same modus operandi is expected to be adopted in the next 14th GE. UMNO dirty tactics was partly responsible for PAS' unexpected failure to gain more seats.

 

4) A third force could upset the anticipation of victory of certain contestants. In a concocted faulty election system, the disadvantaged parties are fighting against the partisan election body and contesting against the favoured opponents! Even if the Pakatan Rakyat could have performed better, the massive fraud in the 13th GE strategized by the Election Commission in tandem with UMNO subversions would trounce Pakatan Rakyat and give victory to UMNO. Hence, the people should realize that the defeat of PR is not so much by UMNO/BN itself but rather in the hands of the Election Commission! The latter only awarded the victory to UMNO/BN. A party can rectify it's own weaknesses but how do you rectify a faulty election system that was engineered by the election agency and the executive government themselves? The options left are to go after the EC relentlessly, use the might of people's power and apply the mechanism of check and balance of parliamentary democracy.

 

Muhasabah

 

PAS needs to carry out the 'muhasabah' (general and self-appraisals) of its mistakes and strategies.

The party has failed on three counts -

 

i) Too idealistic

PAS' struggle is more on the ideals of Islam but overlooks real issues affecting the daily lives of all Malaysians. It failed to present a practical comprehensive Islamic system of government and could not provide proposals and solutions to tackle economic and national issues. Instead, PAS continued to harp on the hudud. Being part of the Syariah Law, it is in essence a religious matter rather than a religious issue, thereby not so much related to the day-to-day problems of the people. Furthermore, it is limited to acts of crime which many young people are less interested in. PAS should have presented a realistic comprehensive Islamic system that covers many issues namely the Islamic banking and finance system, the zakat/Islamic taxation system and others, and to tackle many social, national and economic issues that are related to the religion.

 

ii) Well-rounded leadership traits     

The three great qualities of a leader are wisdom, intellectualism and learnedness. These virtues cannot be acquired through academic knowledge alone, but rather through experiences in life as one goes through it's trials and tribulations. Common sense (akal) is the foundation of wisdom that leads to logical thinking thereby enhancing one's reasoning power to enable him to attain the virtue of wisdom. A wise man is one who understands an issue/problem and makes the right decision. Intellectualism comes from the on-going process of learning and understanding important matters making him an expert in those fields. A learned person has an in-depth knowledge of certain/various disciplines, thereby he is often consulted on these matters. Leaders with these 3 virtues can lead the people and nation to greater heights. A cleric with academic religious knowledge, but without these virtues would not make a good leader. The display of the well-rounded good leadership qualities by the party was not convincing enough.

 

iii) Religious matters and issues

There are differences between religious matters and issues. Religious matters are specific and relate to the Muslim community while religious issues affect the ummah and related to national issues. Hence, using religious matters to gain support is not right. PAS should not use religious matters such as the hudud law to gain popularity. There are many religious issues that are related to national issues such as the Islamic system of banking and finance, the Islamic taxation system and the role of religious institutions such as Tabong Zakat and Baitulmal to redistribute the nation's wealth. Even national issues like poverty and crime, employment, housing, infrastructure, moral issues, etc. that need to be tackled are related to the religion too. The people want to see how PAS leaders can tackle these issues. But if PAS dwells on religious matters only, then the people will lose confidence in the party and eventually regard the party as not relevant with reality. PAS should revamp the role of Islamic institutions such as the Islamic banks and other finance bodies, Tabong Zakat and Baitumal to enhance the ummah economic position in terms of promoting redistribution of wealth, investment, savings, etc. The standard zakat tax rate of 2.5% (rates could vary) yearly on all kinds of profits, incomes and assets (domestic and abroad) on the rich/well-to-do Muslims, if managed efficiently according to the syariah law could hit more than one billion ringgit per year!

 

iv) DAP the cause of PAS' failure?

Many PAS supporters felt that PAS' close association with DAP was one of the causes of poor support from the Malays. Thereby, many are calling for the party to leave the Pakatan partnership. However, judging by the voting trend, PAS candidates received good support from non-Muslim voters meaning the latter had no problem with Islam. However, the Malays had hoped that PAS being a Malay and Muslim based party could be the alternative to UMNO, able to lead the coalition like UMNO leading the BN, but it failed to take that crucial role.

 

We may conclude that unlike PKR and DAP who received strong support from voters of all races, the Malay voters' confidence in PAS took a dip. If PAS chooses to go it alone in the 14th GE , it would be a disaster!

Wither Umno and the Malays?

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:51 AM PST

Affirmative policies that favour one race is no longer tenable and given the excesses of the past and the greed of its present leaders, there's a dire need for a change in the Umno hierarchy

CT Ali, FMT

For the Malays the next few years before the next general election will be a time for reflection. It has been one hell of a ride since Merdeka. May 13, 1969 jolted the Malays out of their malaise.

It was no longer acceptable that they are disadvantaged socially and economically in their own country and Umno took the bull by the horns with the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971.

It came up with affirmative policies that have since coloured Malaysia's political, racial, social and economic landscape in the hues of the Malays, the Malays and the Malays!

Education was used, without apologies to the purist, as a means to an end – the same end as envisaged by the NEP. Higher education quotas for non-Malays effectively forced many to go overseas.

Like every other government functionaries under Umno's control, education was skewered to favour the Malays and this Umno did without fear, for political power was theirs to use for that purpose.

After four decades the Malays have achieved honour and dishonour, fame and infamy, greatness and notoriety in almost everything that they have attempted to do for themselves, with or without Umno.

Today the biggest banks, the largest insurance companies, the most diverse of corporate endeavours, the most successful of business undertakings, the most powerful of political organisation, the most astute of politicians and the most dominant of race are all Malays.

The Malays are also the most arrogant, the most corrupt of civil servants, businessmen and politicians, they have the most horrendous of lost and abused business opportunities, the least honest of leaders, the most adept of practitioners at cronyism, nepotism and money politics.

They are committed to the maxim that the ends justify the means, and their use of race and religion to advance their ethnic interest is legendary – fueled no doubt by the abundance of political power at their disposal.

That is the price the Malays have paid for their dominance of all things Malaysians. For some Malays, that price has been bearable but for some, they think it is too much for any race to bear. So wither the Malays today?

The times we now live in no longer tolerate affirmative policies that favour one race. The NEP is no longer tenable simply because the idea of racial superiority (ketuanan Melayu) went out with Hitler, the Ku Klux Klan and Apartheid.

If Umno does not understand this reality, then the fault lies with its leaders. If the Malays do not accept this reality then four decades of the NEP has failed.

Malay parents in the kampungs did not know then the effect of sending their children to college. Now they do. Their college graduate children no longer want to till the land, fish for a living or live in a house without electricity and running water.

And with the change in their children, the change in their parents' lives have also started and both parents and siblings have to come to terms with the change and adjust accordingly.

If the parents are not for change then the children will wait for the end of their parents' generation and make the move to the urban areas anyway. In the meantime trips to and fro from kampung to the urban areas are the order of the day.

Not an Umno problem

Umno finds itself in the same position as the parents of these rural children who have been sent to college. Everything has changed and yet Umno does not. While the parents of these children have a limited life span, Umno does not.

And when those that Umno has changed through the NEP and other attendant legislations ask that Umno change with them, Umno will not! So wither Umno's direction now?

This is just not Umno's problem. This is a Malay problem and dare I say it…a Malaysian problem. This is a good time for taking stock of what is happening around us.

Today in Malaysia everyone has one vote each. Mahathir has one vote to cast, Najib one, Anwar one, Hadi one and Kit Siang and Karpal Singh also one. Politically we are equal..are we not? What other manner of political equity do we want or can we have other than one vote each?

There have been no violent revolutions to talk of in Malaysia. No coup, no bloody rampage, no terrorising of one race or religion, no complete economic meltdown – the May 13 racial riot is a school boy fight during recess compared to what Indonesia, Thailand and our neighbours have gone through.

We have been different because Umno leaders are of a different ilk from those of our neighbours. Umno leaders prefer to preside and most times take part in and actively encouraged massive corruption in every facet of government and also indulge in money politics.

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