Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Rosmah and black magic? No way!
- Anwar’s exciting political strategy?
- PKR: Which way out?
- Sabahans beware! PKR and its game plan
- Impossible for BN to cheat
- DAP, you are driving away the Malays
- Improving education
| Rosmah and black magic? No way! Posted: 30 Mar 2013 03:27 PM PDT To indulge in black magic, one must be mindful of its pantangs and must cleanse one's mind, body and spirit of life's impurities. Can Rosmah do that? CT Ali, FMT When we write we have a responsibility to tell the truth. At times I wish we could write unburdened by the need to be factual or to maintain a semblance of journalistic integrity – but not to do so would put what we write into the realm of fiction. Fiction and facts swirls in and around Putrajaya – none more so as in and around Seri Perdana. That is why I believe that the story making its round on the Net about Rosmah Mansor dabbling in black magic should never have seen the light of day. For surely it borders within the realms of fiction or at best, half truths. Black magic in the halls of Seri Perdana? Conversing with the spirit world, delving into the world of the supernatural and the occults, removing negative energy and breaking cycles of bad luck? Are any of the rooms in Seri Perdana boarded up so that the Prince of Darkness can make his abode there and call upon all of those dark forces to neutralise Rosmah's enemies and allow her to fulfilled her potential? Another five years in Seri Perdana as FLOM perhaps? Are Friday nights the time to sprinkle salt and black pepper, have mutterings of incantations and casting of spells, with goblins abounds, with the aroma of scented oil and kemayan wafting through Seri Perdana? If Rosmah had any use of these bomohs, surely it is not for their healing services. Would she then be seeking the services of these bomohs ala Mona Fandey – seeking power and wealth? But these are surely the conjectures of an over active Pakatan Rakyat mind or their rabid supporters! Surely not of CT Ali. Consider this! The strict regime Could Rosmah do that? Abstain from meat, rich fatty food and the excesses of a decadent life style (Hermes handbags and shopping trips abroad included!). Rosmah just cancelled herself out of that one. Despite badminton and all the nutritional advise available to her as FLOM, Rosmah is still generously proportioned. How can she maintain the strict regiment of kosher meals required of any proponents of the occults? One must also abstain from having sex or engage in any sexual activities of any genre. Err, susah sikit to confirm but safe to say they (as in Najib and Rosmah) may possibly be able to comply. Have any of you seen Rosmah muttering to herself and then taking a few deep breaths and keep still for 10 seconds (hard enough for her to do even for five seconds what more for ten!)? If you have, then you will know that she may well be into the bomoh 'thing' – perhaps reciting a secret mantra or her bomoh's name – who may perhaps be Tok Memuri Temu Sarji. Tok Memuri Temu Sarji is a Jerantut-based bomoh who was under the tutelage of an Indian guru and a Thai monk – the ultimate Harvard of bomoh's tutelage if ever there was one. The body and the mind must be clear of any imperfection in thoughts and deeds – easier said than done for Rosmah – both for the mental and physical aspects required.
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| Anwar’s exciting political strategy? Posted: 29 Mar 2013 08:29 PM PDT
So it's obvious that PR aims to win federal as well as the states. But the DAP source has this to add: "Anwar will surely know the risk if he leaves Permatang Pauh for a tougher seat. What if PR forms the federal government but Anwar were to lose his seat. Who then shall be PM?" Mohsin Abdullah of fz.com WHEN Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he could stand in Perak or Selangor (preferring Perak) instead of defending his Permatang Pauh stronghold in this election, Perak Umno chief Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir responded by saying Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) "are not afraid of Anwar". Perak Umno youth head Khairul Azwan Harun reportedly said he welcomes the de facto PKR leader to contest in Perak. And should he be given the chance by the BN leadership, he would very much like to stand against Anwar. To Khairul, the Opposition Leader "won't have much impact" on Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) challenge in Perak as "Anwar's popularity in the state is on the decline". Of course, Perak PKR begs to differ. To Anuar Zakaria, the state PKR secretary, his party's de facto leader will have a big impact and Umno/BN "are actually very worried" despite the "bravado" and claim Anwar's popularity is on the wane. Supporters of PR, even outside Perak, will surely go along with that view. So too some (or should it be many?) "neutrals" who are saying BN is "running scared" pointing to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent remarks that "Anwar is running away from Permatang Pauh as he is not confident of winning in his constituency". That remark, they say, "proves the impact Anwar will have wherever he goes" and as such Umno/BN, especially Mahathir, wants to "confine" him to Permatang Pauh. To them, Mahathir would not have said what he said if that wasn't the case. "I'd prefer he goes to Perak to spur the assault to regain the state. It'll also signal that he's a leader acceptable anywhere and not just in his comfort backyard." That's how Dr Hatta Ramli, the PAS election director, puts it. But a Perak-based political observer is not "in favour of Anwar plying his trade in Perak, only because his presence will boost PR's chances in the state". With or without Anwar in Perak, said the observer, "PKR and PR have a good chance of winning." To the observer, "the trend is already there. Anwar should stay where he currently belongs. Muhammad Nur Manuty and the current crop of PR leaders, especially PAS and DAP, are at their best". (Former Abim president Muhammad Nur Manuty is the current PKR information chief and is the party's designated candidate for the Bagan Serai parliamentary seat for the upcoming election). However, a source at the DAP headquarters feels "Perak could be a good choice for Anwar because PKR will contest the most seats". He goes on to say that "Anwar can boost the morale of PKR people as well as strengthen the resolve of DAP". And as Malay votes are crucial, "Anwar [and PKR] can help PAS to convince Malay voters", said the source. All that is dismissed — as expected — by an Umno strategist linked to the office of party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak. According to him, Anwar "will not change anything". To him, the battle for Perak has always been "50:50", adding that Anwar should instead go to Negri Sembilan or Melaka where it's more challenging. He feels "this is personal ego. Anwar wants to defeat a minister, Husni, Zahid and so on". Federal ministers from Perak Umno include DatukSeri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah, the second finance minister; Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the defence minister; and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz. Zahid, a one-time ally of Anwar when the Opposition Leader was in Umno, does not want to be drawn into discussing this except to say: "Silalah bertanding di mana sahaja. Malaysia negara demokrasi." (Go ahead. Contest anywhere. Malaysia is a democratic country). As the Umno strategist sees it, Anwar contesting in Perak is "not a national consideration but more a personal consideration". To many, "national consideration" from the PR standpoint would be winning the federal administration. From what has been said thus far, the impact Anwar would have on PR's challenge at state level is "clear" for want of a better word. (In the case of Perak, it is to win back the state, while if Anwar goes to Selangor it's to help defend the state, won in 2008). Hence, the one question popping up now is, well, on the "national consideration". How will Anwar's candidacy in Perak or for that matter Selangor, help the PR? At the federal level? Said a political commentator, while for state seats Anwar contesting outside Permatang Pauh will have an impact, "it makes no difference for the battle for parliamentary seats". But for Hatta it's like this: "Since we are moving to Putrajaya, I support the leadership plan to reshuffle their seats." Leaders, said Hatta, can help mount a real challenge for not so safe parliamentary seats currently held by BN stalwarts. He went on to say: "The presence of leaders will create excitement among voters and hard work among party election workers, not just in a particular constituency but statewide." So it's obvious that PR aims to win federal as well as the states. But the DAP source has this to add: "Anwar will surely know the risk if he leaves Permatang Pauh for a tougher seat. What if PR forms the federal government but Anwar were to lose his seat. Who then shall be PM?" Anwar, like Lim Kit Siang and PAS' Salahuddin Ayub, could very well be "willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for a better Malaysia". Still the risk for Anwar is much bigger than for Lim or Salahuddin. The DAP source is quick to draw us to what Anwar said or rather did not say: "Anwar didn't actually say he wants to contest outside Permatang Pauh." The source believes Anwar "is testing the waters". So too the Perak political observer: "Probably Anwar wants to test the waters." Perhaps. What's that they say about politics being the art of the possible?
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| Posted: 27 Mar 2013 09:15 PM PDT
Anwar is very different today from the time around 2008, having been depleted of his erstwhile charms and charisma. He has aged by a lot more than five years since then! I have not heard anything new from him of late, nor seen him proclaim his political visions. Even in the Parliament sitting, he just lacks what makes a powerful opposition leader. By Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily It's been over a week now, and Chua Jui Meng continues to be the most celebrated figure out of touch in this country. From the moment Lim Kit Siang made public his desire to contest in Gelang Patah on March 18, Mr Chua has been out of everyone's radar as if he has suddenly evaporated from the Malaysian politics for good. PKR's Johor chairman, Chua is also the highest ranking Chinese representative in the party. With Johor now earmarked as Pakatan Rakyat's frontline state in the coming general election, this gentleman should have been very, very busy by now. Pakatan leaders are seen going about places in the state, but the PKR state chairman is just nowhere in sight. Sure enough anyone in his shoe would feel dejected. He has wanted to contest in Gelang Patah, but the constituency is now Kit Siang's, and that announcement was made by none other than his own boss Anwar Ibrahim. He was trying to go back to his Bakri, but DAP put it forthright: "No way!" Even as his party tried to get him some not-that-safe places such as Segamat, DAP was still unconvinced: "For what?" If he is eventually driven into a corner, he will very likely, as many have predicted, quit PKR. But then where else can he go? MCA? Not a chance! To be honest, the political future of Chua Jui Meng is of hardly any concern to me. When I last met him, subconsciously I found myself very difficult to associate him with Pakatan Rakyat. The Pakatan jargon spluttered out of his mouth just sounded so un-Pakatan. I could feel deep in my heart that what he had experienced was a true reflection of what Anwar and PKR had gone through. For so many years PKR has been seen as a party "lacking winning chances" that even its allies in Pakatan would view with disdain. Anwar is very different today from the time around 2008, having been depleted of his erstwhile charms and charisma. He has aged by a lot more than five years since then! I have not heard anything new from him of late, nor seen him proclaim his political visions. Even in the Parliament sitting, he just lacks what makes a powerful opposition leader. Whether you like it or not, you cannot overlook the fact that he did indeed shine brightly before, especially with his cross-ethnic political discourse, proposals for economic reforms and his advocacy for religious tolerance, among others. But the glow, like the new year firework that illuminates the night sky high above, lasts no more than a few seconds. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, he was worried the Malay society could not keep up with the new mentality and that he could get dislodged from the Malay society. Somehow he needed the Malay votes more than anything else. And when he started to hesitate and slow down, he was soon overtaken and outshone by his opponents. Secondly, his past experiences in the government made him less trustworthy in the Chinese community, while his Umno background made him anything but acceptable among PAS supporters. And his pluralistic remarks have sort of alienated him from the Malay conservatives. Thirdly, sandwiched between the rival factions within his own party, he has lost his sense of direction. PKR is the weakest component in the opposition pact, one that would find itself conveniently targeted by rivals. Squeezed between DAP and PAS, its space is fast diminishing under the mounting pressure from its allies. If the party performs poorly in the 13th general election, it may find itself engulfed in no time. But then what is Pakatan sans PKR?
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| Sabahans beware! PKR and its game plan Posted: 27 Mar 2013 05:27 PM PDT
By Wilfred Gaban, WikiSabah Pakatan cannot win Sabah, but instead of supporting SAPP to win Sabah, they purposely contest in all constituents seat just to steal the votes away from SAPP so that SAPP cannot win. This is Pakatan's plan. If SAPP loses that means either BN or PR wins. PR prefers if BN wins because Sabah scenario is different from Malaya. If PR captures Putrajaya, BN winners in Sabah will join PKR to do a reverse takeover of Sabah using the same UMNO leaders. This is why UMNO leaders in Sabah does not worry about the outcome of PRU13 in Sabah because either way they win. I have tried to make our people understand the intricacies and complexities of Politics in Sabah, but many of our people are still too naive to ponder the sophisticated nature of our political system. To make it easier for our people I have always used this mantra, "Just say, NO to party party Malaya." This is the safest action for us to take. Trust our leaders in SAPP to fight the war for us. Wilfred Gaban, Director of PIPPA – Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis
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| Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:11 PM PDT
There is no way the Malaysian authorities would want the country to become another Myanmar. Ali Cordoba, FMT Malaysia is abuzz with talks that the ruling Barisan National will never accept defeat, or that it is preparing to snatch victory by cheating at the polls with massive voting by foreigners. However, due to the current global situation and the fact Malaysia plays a very important role in the global sphere, there is serious doubt on these allegations. How true are claims that the BN will hijack the polls and twist the votes or that it will cause a massive blockade of Pakatan Rakyat voters, to allow pro-BN votes? The opposition has accused the BN of filling the voter rolls with foreigners, whom it claims have been given Malaysian identity cards to vote for the BN. The number of foreigners set to vote for the BN, Pakatan says, varies between a few thousand and two million. The opposition produced some ICs that appear to be dubious and fraudulent, and the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry on the IC fraud in Sabah does not help the BN. The BN itself is aware of the limitations imposed on it to remain in power at all cost, and to try to cheat its way in the next general election. Many of its top leaders have warned the opposition not to trigger an "Arab Spring". By all means, this is indicative of the fears the BN leaders have of such a possibility. The mounting criticism of the forceful ways the authorities handled the Bersih 2.0 rally to the disadvantage of the BN has been heard. However, the Jan 12 rally at Stadium Merdeka was peaceful, successful and sent yet another message to the BN: that the international community is watching and the BN be better prepared to play fair. The BN is now pretty much aware that the global forces of change will not allow it to twist and turn the results of the upcoming polls in its favour. The United Nations, for the time being, is watching the situation in Malaysia very closely. There is no way the Malaysian authorities would want the country to become another Myanmar, for example. The military junta in Myanmar stole the election from the powerful opposition, annulling the polls results and imposing emergency rule. This will not happen in Malaysia; such an act will only destroy the nation's economy for good. Malaysia, since the time of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has depended heavily on foreign direct investment (FDI). This has helped raise the standard of living of the people, putting Malaysia firmly on the world map. Would the BN do some foolish stuff to destroy this edge that it has helped the country achieve in the past decades? BN must deliver its promises The onus is on the BN indeed as any tainting and meddling in the upcoming polls will scare investors away, stop the influx of FDI and surely raise the ire of the population. Any attempt by the BN to crush the angry mobs – if they were to appear after a BN win in the polls – would only turn Malaysia into a "rogue" nation in the eyes of the international community. And what about the United States? The most powerful nation on earth has been behind, tacitly or openly, the Arab Spring since its inception on day one. This country will not close its eyes, if there were to be trouble in Malaysia as a result of a flawed election. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/28/impossible-for-bn-to-cheat/ |
| DAP, you are driving away the Malays Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:08 PM PDT
Put the Chinese arrogance away before the Malays get too fed up and start punishing Pakatan by voting for Umno. CT Ali, FMT There will always be among us hardcore radical Malays, hardcore radical Indians and hardcore radical Chinese, and not forgetting our brothers in Sabah and Sarawak, too. They are a stubborn and arrogant lot where reason and good sense are lacking. They are confrontational in their stance towards those who are not of their persuasion. Their "in your face" approach to anyone remotely removed from their racial or religious preferences seeks only to confirm their "take no prisoners" way of doing things. For the hardcore radical Malays, there is Perkasa – the overtly Umno-sanctioned release valve to allow their pent-up frustration to find relief. What about the Chinese and the Indians? Unfortunately, nothing like Perkasa exists for them. With the exception of a few well-reported outburst hollered from the safety of being among their own in numbers and in venues well away from other prying eyes, we do sometimes hear from the Chinese and the Indians cries of frustration and anguish for the future of their own kind. And there it stays without any hope of these sentiments being demonstrated publicly through demonstrations or organised marches. Much as there is a fear that repressed public anger is unhealthy, the authorities take the view that this sort of dissent will not be tolerated for matters of "national security". We will all have to live with these realities. What worries me is the work being done by Umno and DAP to widen this divide. PKR and PAS may have the intent but they do not have the financial will, acumen and political will to do the same. Let me explain myself. DAP and Penang Umno is a lost cause and I do not intend to go there, but Penang is increasingly being polarised as the Chinese embark on a form of economic ethnic-cleansing to rid itself of those who are economically challenged (read: the Malays and Indians). And what better place to start than the most basic of human requirement – housing. Where are the affordable low-cost housing for the low-income group in Penang? So many high-end developments catering for the high-income bracket, which are beyond the reach of many Malaysians with the exception of the wealthy Chinese community – so by default their poorer Malay and Indian cousins are excluded. Many will say that is this not just what Umno is doing to the other races, especially the Chinese? For sure they are, and so are the Jews bullying the Palestinians, the Syrian killing their own people, the Talibans killing other Muslims and Vladimir Putin in Russia again becoming numero uno within the bonds of legality but only just, but are these what we should emulate? Decent people do decent things. It is not decent to deliberately embark upon a policy that encourages ethnic-cleansing through economic means. In the end it does what ethnic-cleansing always does: polarise the rakyat. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/28/dap-you-are-driving-away-the-malays/ |
| Posted: 27 Mar 2013 12:07 PM PDT
(The Star) - There are still many problems in our education system yet the reforms needed are moving at a glacial pace, compared with the world our children will grow up in. A RECENT headline claimed that Malaysia's education system is fast becoming the world's best. I really had to blink several times because it seemed as farfetched a claim as Malaysian women now being equal to our men. Further down in the article it said that we still had a long way to go before we could "justify" the claim that we are at par with the world's best. Once again, we are handed a confusing statement. Are we improving or are we not? According to our Government Transfor-mation Plan (GTP) report: "The rate of improvement of the system in the last 15 years is among the fastest in the world." But that actually says very little because it can mean that while 15 people can now read when previously there were 10, it still means there are only 15 literate people. I really wish the media would ask tougher questions of pronouncements like this. One of the GTP targets is to get 92% enrolment in pre-schools. For a long time, we have been proud of our literacy rates. But it turns out we measure our literacy rates through school enrolment rates, which any schoolchild will tell you is not the same thing. Just because you went to school doesn't mean you're literate. Indeed, just because you pass your school exams, it doesn't mean you're literate either, as any frustrated employer can tell you. So achieving high enrolment should be only part of the goal, the rest is about giving our children quality education. Undoubtedly, there are supposed to be four key GTP initiatives to improve the quality of education but this does not necessarily translate into a "fast-improving" education system. Our problems are so numerous yet the reforms needed in our education system are moving at a glacial pace, compared with the world our kids will grow up in. I also have a problem with the stated target of reducing the rural-urban achievement gap by 25%. What is the gap in the first place? If it is huge, is reducing it by 25% enough? When will this be achieved? In another study a few years ago, urban parents who cannot afford to care for their children in the cities are sending them to their home villages to be cared for by their grandparents. Undoubtedly, the schooling that these kids will get will be inferior to what is available in the city, not to mention other disadvantages they will have, including the lack of civic amenities in the rural areas. What's more, the family background they will be in may not be as conducive to high achievement as if they stayed with their own parents, who are in all likelihood better educated than the grandparents. Are these issues considered in the Education Blueprint? What would be the psychological cost of separating children from their parents for most of their impressionable years? While a good educational foundation is good for our children, we should not also neglect the other end of the educational scale – tertiary education. Assuming our children survive their early education to get to tertiary education, what happens there? As it is, employers are complaining about the quality of the graduates we bring out. What are we doing about this end? And here's a question: If our youths coming out of public universities are not meeting employable standards, how is it that we are going all out to market our universities to foreign students? What will they get out of it? It makes me wonder why any foreign student would want to come here and study because if the quality of our local graduates are not up to par, then they cannot be much better off. But yet in our public universities, there are thousands upon thousands of foreign students here. How do we select them? Are we selecting the best and the brightest, or just anyone who can pay the fees? What exactly is our reason for opening up our low-ranking universities to foreign students? A neighbour of ours has made it their policy to give scholarships to the best and the brightest from the countries around them. In this way they not only attract the best brains to study there but eventually these brains don't want to go home. Even if they do, like all foreign students who study overseas, they will retain friendly ties with the country of their alma mater, useful for both parties in the future. Our policy, however, is not to invest in brains, whether it's ours or other people's. As long as foreign students pay to put their warm bodies behind our desks, we don't care what they have to offer, and then feign surprise when some of them get into some very troublesome activities. |
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The first is to call upon fellow Malaysians to rally around the Hindraf cause. If not because of their concern at the way the Indian poor have been marginalized and compassion for the hundreds of thousands of Indian poor families systematically excluded from access to the prerequisites of a decent livelihood, then at least in recognition of the courage of the movement.
