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WIKILEAKS: PM ABDULLAH REGROUPS, REAFFIRMS UMNO ELECTION PLAN Posted: 11 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT Beginning September 22, Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's camp circulated two streams of rumor in what - in the absence of more information - appears to be a continuation of psychological warfare against UMNO and the National Front (BN) government. On September 22, Anwar advisor Khalid Jaafar whispered to us during a reception at the Ambassador's Residence that Anwar would meet the King on September 23 to discuss the parliamentary majority that Anwar alleges he now has and the formation of a new government. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000847   SIPDIS   FOR EAP, EAP/MTS AND INR   E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2028 TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, MARR, KDEM, MY SUBJECT: PM ABDULLAH REGROUPS, REAFFIRMS UMNO ELECTION PLAN   REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 833 - SEPT 18 SETBACK      B. KUALA LUMPUR 821 - ABDULLAH TAKES DEFENSE MINISTRY      C. KUALA LUMPUR 815 - SEPT 16 ANTI-CLIMAX      D. KUALA LUMPUR 810 - UPROAR OVER ISA   Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark, reason 1.4 (b and d).   Summary and Comment 1.  (C) Embattled Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi claimed support from state-level officials of his ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) for his re-nomination as party president, in an effort to bounce back after some national UMNO leaders on September 18 urged the PM not to contest in the December party poll.  Subsequently, Abdullah again affirmed his commitment to seek reelection together with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, while other senior UMNO leaders reiterated calls for Abdullah to step down.  On September 22, Anwar's camp spread news that the Opposition leader would meet the King the following day; we have no information to suggest such a meeting took place.  PM Abdullah said reports that he was in indirect talks with Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim over a transfer of power were "rubbish;" Anwar also issued a public denial and advocated caution. 2.  (C) Comment:  Rapidly approaching the Muslim holiday period beginning October 1-2, and the October 9 start of the party's divisional meetings, the UMNO leadership crisis remains critical and unresolved.  Reports of Anwar Ibrahim meeting the King or opening up a third-party channel to negotiate with PM Abdullah do not appear credible.  Anwar's most recent pronouncements sound a cautious tone and avoid setting deadlines for bringing down Abdullah's government, and it is unclear how far Anwar Ibrahim can push his agenda before the end of September.  End Summary and Comment. Abdullah Claims State-Level Backing 3.  (SBU) PM Abdullah traveled to Perak and Kelantan states and held meetings with some UMNO state-level leaders over the September 20-21 weekend in an attempt to regroup support for his re-nomination as UMNO president following his setback in the heated UMNO Supreme Council meeting on September 18. (Note:  Some prominent UMNO national leaders during the September 18 meeting reportedly warned Abdullah he would not get sufficient nominations from the UMNO party divisions and urged him not to seek reelection in the December party polls, ref A.  End Note.)  On September 23, Abdullah held a late night meeting with the UMNO liaison chiefs from nine states, with Johor, Sabah and Teraengganu not represented (along with Sarawak, which does not have an UMNO branch).  Following the meeting, a senior aide to Abdullah told reporters that the Prime Minister had received the strong endorsement of the party's state chiefs for his transition plan, which involves PM Abdullah and DPM Najib's reelection in December, and transfer of power from Abdullah to Najib by June 2010.  Other UMNO participants in the meeting noted a "unanimous" decision in favor of the 2010 transition plan. 4.  (C) Comment:  By going to the state level, and reporting strong endorsement from state leaders, Abdullah sought to counter criticism from national leaders that he would not receive sufficient backing for his reelection.  State liaison chiefs are appointed by the party president -- Abdullah -- and thus largely beholden to him, but they also exercise important political power among their respective state's party divisions.  End Comment. 5.  (SBU) After remaining awkwardly quiet on September 19, the Prime Minister's spin machine operating through the mainstream media and some on-line news portals, like The Malaysian Insider, started up again on September 20. Reporting from government sources and associated commentary reaffirmed that Abdullah was moving ahead with the joint ticket with Najib, and that the transition plan remained on track and was not likely to be derailed. Open UMNO Split Continues 6.  (SBU) As Abdullah reaffirmed his transition plan and intention to seek reelection, senior UMNO leaders Muhyiddin Yassin and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah adamantly stuck to their positions that Abdullah should step down by December.  On September 23, Razaleigh issued a lengthy condemnation of UMNO's undemocratic power politics and the party's failure to reform:  "We cannot afford to allow these disturbing trends to play out their destructive course while we suffer a de facto leadership vacuum..." (full text forwarded to EAP/MTS). DPM Najib, who departs the evening of September 24 for the UN General Assembly, largely avoided comment, feeding local perceptions that he is attempting to keep some room open to receive party nominations for president, possibly with Muhyiddin as his number two.  Former Prime Minister Mahathir continued his attacks against Abdullah, and heaped blame on Najib for facilitating Abdullah's continuation in office. Opposition Rumors; Anwar's Caution 7.  (C) Beginning September 22, Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's camp circulated two streams of rumor in what - in the absence of more information - appears to be a continuation of psychological warfare against UMNO and the National Front (BN) government.  On September 22, Anwar advisor Khalid Jaafar whispered to us during a reception at the Ambassador's Residence that Anwar would meet the King on September 23 to discuss the parliamentary majority that Anwar alleges he now has and the formation of a new government. Other rumors of Anwar meeting with the King and other Royals persist in Kuala Lumpur. 8.  (C) On September 23, Tian Chua, Anwar's information chief, publicly announced that the Opposition had opened negotiations with Prime Minister Abdullah through a third-party channel.  PM Abdullah immediately dismissed this claim, calling it "rubbish."  Anwar later issued a statement referring to Tian Chua's remarks as "misinformed."  Avoiding setting any new deadlines for toppling the government, Anwar in his statement said, "We will proceed cautiously towards our goals and we agree neither to be provoked into hasty action nor to take an irresponsible approach that would lead to instability and greater uncertainty in the country." (Comment:  Earlier on September 23, the GOM confirmed two years detention without trial under the Internal Security Act for controversial blogger Raja Petra, septel.  Opposition leaders continue to tell us that they seek to avoid creating a pretext for the government to arrest them under the ISA. End Comment.) RAPSON

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Malaysian PR Move Backfires Posted: 11 Aug 2011 01:44 AM PDT Government effort to plant stories tarnishes major TV networks worldwide Taib, who has served as Sarawak's chief minister for three decades, said he would step down after state elections earlier this year. Reportedly, both Najib and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad have urged him to leave office. However, after his party won the state elections, he reportedly is balking at stepping down.  Asia Sentinel The Malaysian government and Sarawak state Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud have been spending millions of dollars to plant favorable stories on some the world's most influential television news networks, according to a Sarawak-based NGO. According to the Sarawak Report, the news programs are being produced by Fact Based Communications, a London-based company also known as FCB Media, that describes itself on its website as an "European-based media and entertainment group specializing in television format creation, production and distribution." The story was posted on the Sarawak Report blog earlier this month, but appears to have escaped the notice of the mainstream media. However, the US television network CNBC announced on Aug. 4 that it was cancelling World Business, a program that airs in Europe and Asia, after the network learned that FBC Media was found to have a contract with Taib and had paid USS$70,000 to the APCO Worldwide public relations firm to lobby in Washington, DC on behalf of the Malaysian government. CNBC World has carried 10 interviews by FBC Chairman Alan Friedman with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak over the past two years. The BBC also said it was pulling any FBC-created content pending an investigation. In addition, according to the US-based website Politico, CNN International was criticized for "lobbing softball questions" at Najib a week after Malaysian police arrested hundreds of protesters in the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9. John Defterios, the host of CNN International, was previously president of FBC Media.  CNN denied any bias. Alan Friedman, the chairman of FBC Media, visited Taib twice in Kuching, Sarawak, to formulate a contract that "promised to transform the international image" of the Sarawak chief minister, who has suffered from horrendous publicity in the wake of convincing allegations that he had funneled billions of dollars from illegal timber sales out of the state into companies owned by his family in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Taib is being investigated by Swiss authorities on allegations that he has stashed millions of dollars in Swiss banks. Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Commission has announced it would investigate the charges as well. Taib, who has served as Sarawak's chief minister for three decades, said he would step down after state elections earlier this year. Reportedly, both Najib and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad have urged him to leave office. However, after his party won the state elections, he reportedly is balking at stepping down. According to FBC Media's website, the company's syndicated stories reach more than 300 million television households in seven languages in 100 countries and more than 30 of the world's leading airlines. As television news bureaus have continued to contract because of declining revenues, networks have been farming out more and more of their news feeds to organizations like FBC Media, some of which produce out-and-out propaganda for governments and corporations that is disguised as news. The stories are rarely if ever identified as having been produced at the behest of corporations or countries that paid the media agencies to produce them. In an exhaustive 2006 study, the US-based Center for Media and Democracy identified 77 television stations in the US that collectively reached more than half of the US population using "video news releases," or public relations videos from PR companies without disclosing their source. The clients, according to the center, included General Motors, Intel, Pfizer and Capital One. "In each case, these 77 television stations actively disguised the sponsored content to make it appear to be their own reporting. In almost all cases, stations failed to balance the clients' messages with independently-gathered footage or basic journalistic research. More than one-third of the time, stations aired the pre-packaged VNR in its entirety," the center said.. A request to speak to FBC Media chairman Friedman was deferred by an aide who said all requests were to be routed to Friedman's email address. An email sent to Friedman wasn't answered immediately. READ MORE HERE

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• Explain Tajuddin Ramli ‘bailout’, TI-M chief tells Putrajaya
• Tajuddin Ramli’s cases pushed to Sept 29, Umno lawyer stays mum
• Jeyakumar: Detention was horrible
• Putrajaya directs GLCs, Danaharta to drop all claims against Tajuddin Ramli
• Questions raised over RM388m govt complex
• Workers to ‘sweat’ to reduce govt power bills
• Mat Zain claims A-G interfered with forensic experts
• As economic crisis hits, election to be delayed - Dzulkefly
• It’s time for us to stop the rot
• ‘Mystery’ shrouded deal to save AirAsia?
• Living costs soaring globally, but Najib vows help to Malaysians

Explain Tajuddin Ramli ‘bailout’, TI-M chief tells Putrajaya Posted: 11 Aug 2011 01:57 AM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Transparency-International Malaysia (TI-M) president Datuk Paul Low questioned the Najib administration's decision to settle all out-of-court suits between government-linked-companies (GLCs) and Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli, saying today Putrajaya has a duty to protect the public's interest. He was responding to The Malaysian Insider's report earlier today, citing de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz's directive to all GLCs, including Danaharta and Malaysian Airlines (MAS), to drop all claims against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's poster boy for Bumiputera entrepreneurs as the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has agreed to settle the payment. "When they say settle something, exactly what does it mean? Nobody knows how it's to be settled or how much, on what basis and justification? Is the government paying on behalf of the GLCs? Is it a bailout? Who are parties involved? "Who instructed Nazri? Was it the Finance Ministry, the Cabinet or the prime minister? We don't know," Low told The Malaysian Insider when contacted. He reminded the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government that it was accountable for spending taxpayers' money. He said the government could not simply step into a legal dispute that involved a public-listed company, even if it had government ties; and added the government must show how the country and the public benefitted from such a decision. "This arrangement does not reflect well on the government. In good governance, the buck stops at the CEO, or the board of directors. The government has to answer," he added. The head of the local anti-graft watchdog urged Putrajaya to come clean on the decision, noting that it was a "test of good governance" for the ruling political coalition. READ MORE HERE

Tajuddin Ramli’s cases pushed to Sept 29, Umno lawyer stays mum Posted: 10 Aug 2011 07:02 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - The slew of multi-million ringgit suits and counter-suits involving Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli and government-linked companies (GLCs) has been postponed to September 29 following a controversial directive from Putrajaya for all parties to settle out of court. Umno lawyer Datuk Hafarizam Harun has declined to discuss the issue although the Putrajaya directive by de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz mentioned that the former will represent all the GLCs. "In meeting (Sibu). Let it fizzle down 1st before we talk ... Sorry. Tqvm," he replied via text message this morning. Hafarizam also declined to confirm or deny if his firm was involved in the federal government deal, but pointed out that the name of his firm was misspelled. "I'm only guided by what is written in The Malaysian Insider," Hafarizam said later, before adding: "For this, I've to remain non-committal. Hope you understand. Let the lawyers acting for the GLCS and Tajuddin Ramli sort it out first. Anything I say now will have an impact". The Malaysian Insider reported this morning that Putrajaya has directed all GLCs, including Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and the national debt restructuring company Danaharta, to cease all civil suits against Tajuddin (picture), the former chairman of the national carrier and protégé of Tun Daim Zainuddin. Nazri, a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) had agreed to settle all outstanding claims against Tajuddin, a poster boy of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's plan to groom Bumiputera entrepreneurs. "This is to inform you that the government of Malaysia and the Finance Ministry have agreed to settle all civil claims against Tan Sri Datuk Tajuddin Ramli and others to be withdrawn immediately in view of the fact that the government and the Finance Ministry have agreed that the said cases will be settled out of court. "For your information, the government has given me the mandate to act for the government in this matter," Nazri said in the letter sighted by The Malaysian Insider. But the minister made no mention of the terms of settlement with Tajuddin. READ MORE HERE

Jeyakumar: Detention was horrible Posted: 10 Aug 2011 04:19 PM PDT The PSM leader recalls his 28-day ordeal and speaks about his party's plans for the next election and its relationship with Pakatan Rakyat. (Free Malaysia Today) - Despite the grassroots popularity that he and his party enjoy, Dr Michael D Jeyakumar does not want Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) to scramble for seats to contest in the coming general election. "It is important for the opposition to be united," he told FMT. "We do not want to split votes or cause three-cornered fights. We also don't want to be the cause of any fights within the opposition." He said PSM fully supported Pakatan Rakyat when it came to fighting Barisan Nasional (BN). But he added that this did not mean it agreed with all of the opposition alliance's policies. "For example, when it comes to trade agreements, some opposition parties are always enthusiastic, but PSM feels we should be more discerning." The Sungai Siput MP also spoke about his recent 28-day incarceration at the Batu Caves detention centre, describing it as "horrible". "Nobody beat us up," he clarified, "but being deprived of freedom, being unsure as to when they'd release us or allow us to see our families, not being allowed reading material, wondering who they'd arrest next… It was horrible." During the detention, the police allowed his family to visit him only three times, and each of those visits lasted only about 15 minutes. Jeyakumar was one of the six detainees who became known collectively as EO6. They were arrested on June 25 with 24 other PSM members and remanded for seven days, accused of trying to wage war against the King and to revive communism. Upon their release from remand on July 2, police rearrested the six under the Emergency Ordinance (EO), which allows for the detention of suspects for up to 60 days. The public quickly rallied around them, making heavy use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to voice disapproval of the government action. A shock Jeyakumar said he and his fellow detainees were interrogated daily during their incarceration and he found the process "frustrating" because the police were apparently not interested in finding out the truth. They seemed more interested in making the detention serve as a warning to anti-BN groups, he added. The six are now facing charges under the Internal Security Act and the Societies Act. They are accused of supporting an illegal society – Bersih 2.0 – and disseminating propaganda on its behalf. Jeyakumar called this turn of events "quite a shock" and said the bail set – RM8,000 – was punitive, considering PSM's lack of financial resources. He accused the government of trying to scare the people from voicing out dissenting opinions. "Making us a scapegoat just stemmed from wanting to repress the public," he said. "A sensible government would have engaged us instead of using scare tactics." During their detention, the EO6 were separated from each other. Jeyakumar said a normal day started with fingers of light creeping through a frosted glass window high above his head. "It was very warm," he said. Breakfast was a bun and teh-O. This was followed by a visit to the medical assistant, who would check his blood pressure and other vital signs. He would then be cuffed and blindfolded and interrogated about Bersih 2.0, PSM's funding and its alleged links to communist parties. "They didn't want to listen," said Jeyakumar. "They just wanted to try and make links." A brief lunch of rice, vegetables and meat would follow, after which questioning would usually begin again. He was interrogated for between three and six hours a day. READ MORE HERE

Putrajaya directs GLCs, Danaharta to drop all claims against Tajuddin Ramli Posted: 10 Aug 2011 03:34 PM PDT By Leslie Lau, The Malaysian Insider Putrajaya has directed all government-linked companies, including Malaysia Airlines and the national debt restructuring company Danaharta, to cease all civil suits against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli, the former chairman of the national carrier and protege of Tun Daim Zainuddin, according to documents obtained by The Malaysian Insider. In a letter sent this month to the GLCs and Danaharta by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, the GLCs and Danaharta were informed that the Finance Ministry had agreed to settle all outstanding civil suits against Tajuddin, a poster boy of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's plan to groom Bumiputera entrepreneurs. "This is to inform you that the government of Malaysia and the Finance Ministry has agreed to settle all civil claims against Tan Sri Dato Tajuddin Ramli and others to be withdrawn immediately in view of the fact that the government and the Finance Ministry have agreed that the said cases will be settled out of court. "For your information the government has given me the mandate to act for the government in this matter," Nazri said in the letter sighted by The Malaysian Insider. At least one government agency is expected to withdraw its claims against Tajudin in court today. Nazri's letter also directs the lawyers acting for the GLCs and Danaharta to hand over their cases to the firm of Hasfarizam Wan and Aisha Mubarak, a known Umno lawyer. But the minister made no mention of the terms of settlement with Tajuddin. Tajuddin was a protege of Daim, the close friend of Dr Mahathir and ex-finance minister who was the architect of the now discredited policy of nurturing a class of Malay corporate captains on government largesse. Individuals such as Tajuddin, Tan Sri Halim Saad and others flew high in the 1990s but their true mettle was tested during the Asian financial crisis. Nearly all of them fared poorly. The Najib government's move to settle all outstanding claims against Tajuddin appears to be an attempt to wipe the slate clean in a financial saga that goes back decades to the height of Dr Mahathir's administration. First police report in 2002 MAS had first lodged a police report against Tajuddin in 2002 for allegedly causing the flag carrier to suffer losses in excess of RM8 billion. Tajuddin was the executive chairman of the airline from 1994 to 2001. According to a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), a major contributor to the record losses under Tajuddin was the relocation of MAS's cargo operation in Amsterdam and Frankfurt to a single hub in Hahn, Germany, where the airline was forced to enter into a disadvantageous aircraft lease contract with a company, which was later linked to Tajuddin's family. The new cargo hub operation had caused MAS to suffer losses of between RM10 million and RM16 million a month before the project was terminated after the government regained control of MAS in 2001. The termination resulted in a RM300 million arbitration claim against MAS by the company. MAS has had a turbulent past decade after the government bought back the airline from the former corporate high-flyer at RM8 per share or about double the market price at the time. The airline was at the time saddled with a debt reported to be RM9.5 billion. READ MORE HERE.   READ MORE HERE.

Questions raised over RM388m govt complex Posted: 10 Aug 2011 03:14 PM PDT   By Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The state government has been urged to explain the urgency and lack of transparency in awarding a RM388 million contract to build a Sabah State Administrative Centre (Phase 1) at Likas Bay. Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) information chief Chong Pit Fah said this was only appropriate since Sabah, which has been declared the poorest state in the country, has more pressing matters to solve. "What real benefit does it bring to the rakyat of Sabah? Certainly the funds of such magnitude could be put to better use to eradicate poverty and to improve the infrastructure in the state, rather than for a lavish office for the ministers," he said. The decision to go ahead with the mega project has raised questions over the true financial status of the state government given that it had issued a RM544 million bond in 2009 to raise capital for the Sabah Development Bank, a clear testimony that the government was cash-strapped. The state Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition government under Chief Minister Musa Aman has however claimed it has RM2 billion in reserves. According to local Chinese vernacular newspapers, Assistant Local Government and Housing Minister, Edward Yong has also questioned the timing of the project. Chong agreed with the assistant minister's assessment. "Why now? Is it because this project is being used to channel political funds for the BN?" he asked in a statement issued here yesterday. He said the state government should be more prudent in spending public money. READ MORE HERE.

Workers to ‘sweat’ to reduce govt power bills Posted: 10 Aug 2011 02:57 PM PDT   By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT PUTRAJAYA: The government is seeking to slash its hefty power bills by reducing the use air conditioners in all its buildings. It is also mulling to stretch the policy to the private sector. Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui today said the move would see the government's utility costs slashed in an estimated four to seven percent for every degree of temperature reduced from the total amount spent on air-conditioning in federal buildings. Roughly about 40% of Putrajaya's electricity bill goes to air-conditioning, revealed Chin further. MORE TO COME

Mat Zain claims A-G interfered with forensic experts Posted: 10 Aug 2011 02:00 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim has continued his attacks on Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, claiming today that the Attorney-General has caused the public to lose faith in government inquests and inquiries due to his alleged interference in testimony made by forensic experts.   The former city criminal investigation chief said today that Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof, the forensic expert in former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's black-eye probe that Mat Zain had headed, "was willing to prepare three false reports according to orders by Gani Patail." "We cannot blame the public if they have lost confidence in government pathology and forensic experts... ridiculing and abusing their opinions in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest and royal commission of inquiry (RCI) and also the inquest of Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamad," he wrote in an open letter to the Inspector-General of Police. Doubts have been raised over testimony by experts from government hospitals and the Chemistry Department in the recent cases of Teoh and Ahmad Sarbaini, a former DAP aide and senior Customs officer respectively, who both plunged to their deaths at different Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) offices. Early this year, a coroner's inquest into Teoh's death had returned an open verdict ruling out both suicide and homicide some 18 months after his fatal fall at the Selangor MACC office. The Najib administration was forced to form an RCI, which also found that Teoh had committed suicide. Mat Zain said today that Dr Abdul Rahman had prepared three "expert reports", all of which contradicted one other "without making any physical examination on the patient." "This means Dr Abdul Rahman prepared those reports using his imagination and based on just photos and reports of other experts, without any discussing with them or the investigating officer of the case," he wrote. He claimed the first and second reports had been presented to the RCI on Anwar's assault, but that the first report later "disappeared" when the final report was presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. "Maybe Gani Patail or Dr Abdul Rahman themselves can explain this disappearance given that they both are interested parties in this report," he said. Mat Zain also called on police chief Tan Sri Ismail Omar to open investigations into this case since the police force has said it is investigating false reports of police brutality in the July 9 Bersih rally. He added that "various parties (including himself), the loudest being the Bar Council, are also pressing for authorities to take action against MACC officers who gave false testimony" in the Teoh Beng Hock RCI.   READ MORE HERE.

As economic crisis hits, election to be delayed - Dzulkefly Posted: 10 Aug 2011 01:52 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) -  Prime Minister Najib Razak will delay the 13th general election due to current global economic turmoil, according to PAS's Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. "I find it hard to accept that Najib will be bold enough to hold snap elections in September. The global demand will shrink and the national growth will also be affected as a result. So, I am confident that prime minister will not call for general election this year," he said. The Kuala Selangor member of parliament, who heads the party's Research Centre, said the economic crisis would soon hit Malaysian shores forcing Najib to delay polls, which had been widely expected to be called this year. Reacting to some RM91 billion wiped off from Bursa Malaysia over the past eight days, Dzulkefly (pic) said the economy was at its critical point in Europe and the United Sates, and said the recent riots in Britain was a symptom of economic pressures taking toll on the society. Dzulkefly reminded Najib that his widely expected 'election budget' to be tabled this October could not afford to be 'lavish'. Referring to the multi-billion Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, Dzulkefly said it could only take off next year due to economic uncertainties. "Prime Minister will only manage to call an election if this project can move but with the crisis, it will be affected," added Dzulkefly, who said that unlike now, the higher oil price two years ago had allowed the government to spend big. Added to this is the fact that inflation reached over 4 percent with the Consumer Price Index in June showing it had breached 3.5 percent. "The subsidies rationalisation programme in basic necessities such as fuel, diesel and gas is not very helpful either to Najib in winning public support, while the monopoly and market domination continue through permits allocated to certain cronies," stressed Dzulkefly. READ MORE HERE.

It’s time for us to stop the rot Posted: 10 Aug 2011 01:13 PM PDT   (The Star) - Five push one equals four. Mix A with B, then disturb the solution. Don't get it? Replace "push" (tolak) with "subtract" and "disturb" (kacau) with "stir". That's how far English has deteriorated in schools. And that is just scratching the surface. Hence, the Deputy Prime Minister's recent call for solutions to the poor mastery of English among students despite 13 years of learning it in school is a cry after the hearts of many. It's been the perennial lament of parents, institutions of learning, employers – and teachers. We have all seen, heard and suffered the decline of English proficiency for years now, three decades to be precise – after the switching of the medium of instruction from Bahasa Malaysia to English. Countless proposals, blueprints and programmes, including flip-flop policies, have been implemented to rectify the problem but the malignancy seems to have spread far and wide. Is it too late to get our act together and put our money where our mouth is? Is the Government – and politicians – willing to put our children's English proficiency ahead of our insecurity about our national language Bahasa Malaysia and mother tongue? We must strive to keep politics out of the classroom, though we know it is easier said than done. We need proficient teachers to build the students' language foundation at primary level and develop it further at secondary level. Unfortunately, we have a huge cohort of English teachers who themselves need lessons, what more teach. Are they to blame? No, they are the products of our policy change and the adoption of the Communi-cative English syllabus which stresses that it's fine as long as the "meaning comes through". We need to keep and reward teachers who are skilled and can make the difference so that the vicious cycle doesn't keep repeating. The rot has to stop or our low proficiency students will continue to beget low proficiency teachers. Singapore, on the other hand, works to attract some of its best brains into the teaching profession by paying them competitive salaries and keeping them through incentives like fast track promotions, leadership allowances, performance-based bonus and work attachments. As for our exam-oriented society, our students need to be challenged. Make it compulsory to pass English to obtain the SPM certificate – as is the case for Bahasa Malaysia – and they'll flock to tuition centres for extra classes. It works with Bahasa, it'll work with English. Students in rural schools who do not see the economic value of English in securing jobs or fear using the language need to be tackled differently. Unfortunately, the Government has largely adopted a one size fits all policy, which holds back the high achievers to prevent the gap from growing too wide between them and the laggards. The PPSMI is a case in point. Give autonomy to schools to teach the subjects in English if their teachers are proficient and the students capable. Why make everyone learn Maths and Science in Bahasa to keep the rural schools on the same page? Be innovative, allow bilingualism for as long as it takes for schools to find their respective levels. There is no need to rush the weak, but instead, let the proficient move forward, not backwards. Perhaps, the Government should consider holding a referendum on whether we should bring back English-medium schools – a place where unity thrived. Let parents and other stakeholders have a bigger say in their children's education. Be less prescriptive, allow schools to decide if there should be more contact time or teaching periods for English in the timetable. Send the best teachers to schools where they are sorely needed, instead of assigning three Guru Cemerlang for English to a premier school! There are many factors that contribute to our low proficiency but we should stop using piecemeal measures. It's time to get down to the serious business of making our schoolchildren masters of the English language.

‘Mystery’ shrouded deal to save AirAsia? Posted: 10 Aug 2011 12:58 PM PDT   By Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, FMT The boss of Khazanah Nasional says that the MAS-AirAsia deal is, among other things, "not a bail-out" of MAS. Well, we have questions for him. Firstly, why was this deal worked out in the first place? Why AirAsia? Isn't AirAsia operating at some 40 times its price earning (PE) ratio? Looking at its numbers and the fundamentals, the high PE could mean that AirAsia stocks are overpriced. That may mean some boys are cooking up the numbers to set up the market and make killings. Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said MAS "can learn" from AirAsia on ways to cut costs. Does that mean all those damned exercise carried out by former MAS chief Idris Jala wasn't enough? Why don't we learn from Singapore Airlines or Qatar Airlines? Oh… we want to learn from our home-grown talent will be the likely answer. Commissions, commissions I know this is a BAD deal because Mahathir said so. Mahathir always says something when he actually means the reverse. So what can we learn from AirAsia? Let's look at the home-grown talent's (AirAsia) records. As of the first quarter of 2011, AirAsia debts amounted to RM7.7 billion with cash balances amounting to RM1.7 billion. This part doesn't require teaching for MAS. Its executives are renowned masters. Let's see further. In August 2010, AirAsia announced a deferment of its proposed aircraft purchases but sometime in June 2011 it reversed its decision and proceeded to place an order for an additional 200 new aircraft at the Paris Air Show. No big deal, we can order as many as we want. Possibly the commissions earned from the purchases dwarfed the one earned from the Scorpene submarines. AirAsia's skyrocketing debts As of March 31, 2011 (first quarter report), AirAsia's capital commitments stood at RM19 billion. With the latest announcement, an additional RM54 billion will be added as capital commitments. The proposed capital commitments of about RM74 billion will be spread over a 15-year period ending 2026. In other words, AirAsia has to increase its earnings to an average of RM5 billion per annum to meet its future dues. From 2006 to 2010, AirAsia's revenue grew by ten-fold from RM110 million to roughly RM1.1 billion. This is an average growth of RM 200 million per annum. Now how will it reach RM5 billion? This, we will see in the coming months when AirAsia rationalises all its routes and what not. AirAsia's cash reserves rose six-fold from approximately RM300 million to RM1.7 billion. But its debts skyrocketed from RM1.05 billion in 2006 to RM7.7 billion in 2010, an increase of 700%. Surely this looks like a debt burden that is spiralling out of control. Scheming Fernandes This AirAsia-MAS deal is signed, sealed and delivered at an onerous and ominous time. The world economy, including Asia's, will be heading into another maelstrom and air travel will invariably be hit. So what can be done? One, AirAsia can cancel orders but contract penalties will be onerous. AirAsia wouldn't want to pay penalties, would it? The debt with Malaysia Airports Bhd (MAB) too, it dragged on for what seemed to be forever. That option is no go. But then why would anyone want to forfeit commissions (from the purchase of new planes)? Also, AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes is probably thinking along what economist John Keynes said: "When you are a big borrower, the banks are scared of you." So as a big borrower, Fernandes feels that size does matter after all! He thinks it will shield him from foreclosure as banks will be wary of bearing heavy losses! But also, a sizeable chunk of those loans are being held by Malaysian banks and in the worst-case scenario, the government and the taxpayers will have to pick the tab to avert a financial meltdown cascading down the AirAsia slope. AirAsia – bad debtor Now let's take a look at MAS, currently the whipping boy but which is instrumental to further the game being played by Khazanah boss Azman Mokhtar and gang. MAS has a paid-up capital of RM3.384 billion and has a fixed asset value of RM8.4 billion. Its net asset is at RM 6.962 billion, where cash constitutes RM 2.086 billion. Compare that to the position of AirAsia, which we have pointed out above. AirAsia has borrowings of up to RM7.7 billion and its cash position is RM1.7 billion. In an earlier article, we pointed out that AirAsia has a record of being a bad debtor. It once owed MAB over RM65 million and whenever actions were taken against them, AirAsia would run to their chief counsel, former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. READ MORE HERE.

Living costs soaring globally, but Najib vows help to Malaysians Posted: 10 Aug 2011 12:49 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Najib Razak has told Malaysians to "face the fact" that rising cost of living is a global trend as the country continues to grapple with surging inflation. Although the prime minister promised to help ease the burden of rising prices on the public, he said "Malaysians must face the fact that world prices are unlikely to return to the levels of five years ago." "We are not the only ones faced with this problem, and we are certainly not the worst affected. We will devise the best strategies to ease the rakyat's burden while managing the country's economic development," he wrote on his blog in the 1 Malaysia website. Promising to continue subsidies which are already among the highest in the world, Najib said that Budget 2012, to be tabled in October, would focus on managing inflation as per the administration's new National Key Results Area on cost of living. "The government will continue to provide subsidies for daily travel, meals and health bills," he wrote. Public concern over price hikes has been heightened further as Putrajaya raised the price of fuel, sugar and electricity in June, a move it said was necessary to avoid the subsidy bill from doubling to RM21 billion. The Najib administration has committed itself to trim 2009's two-decade high budget deficit of 7 per cent but is under pressure to contain inflation which hit a two-year peak in March of 3 per cent before continuing to rise to 3.5 per cent in June.   READ MORE HERE.

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• Bila Amanah mahu tunjuk belangnya?
• On the road to a failed ‘Islamic state’
• Who benefits from the MAS, AirAsia share swap?
• Raiders playing with fire
• PAS goes on soul-searching trip

Bila Amanah mahu tunjuk belangnya? Posted: 10 Aug 2011 06:44 PM PDT Apakah Ku Li dengan Amanahnya akan memulakan gerakan bagi menggantikan pimpinan Perdana Menteri Najib yang dirasakan sebagai ketua kerajaan dan kerajaan Malaysia yang paling bermasalah dan lemah sejak merdeka? Itulah yang ditunggu dan hendak diperhatikannya. Subky Latif, Harakah Daily    SUDAH dua minggu Tengku Razaleigh melancarkan penubuhan Angkatan Amanah Merdeka atau Amanah, namun  belum diketahui apa kegiatan dan rancangannya. Ia hanya diketahui dengan apa yang diumumkan pada hari pelancarannya iaitu, ia mahu jadi NGO yang menghidupkan legasi kemerdekaan yang diamanah oleh Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra dan fokas awalnya adalah tentang kepincangan pimpinan Perdana Menteri Najib dan halatujunya. Oleh kerana ia didukung oleh bekas menteri dan timbalan menteri Barisan Nasional serta bekas menteri negeri dan exco, maka tentulah NGO orang-orang politik yang kurang aktif atau sudah tidak aktif itu menarik perhatian. Tetapi selepas pelancarannya ia seperti tenggelam dalam gelombang Tengku Razaleigh dikatakan dilamar kerabat Pakatan Rakyat bagi menggantikan tempat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim kiranya politiknya tersekat oleh keputusan mahkamah nanti. Sepatutnya Tengku Razaleigh dan Amanahnya yang boleh meributkan suasana kerana dipercaya akan menjadi pengkritik terbuka dari dalam Barisan Nasional. Apakah ia hanya sekadar menjadi pengkritik bebas atau ia menjadi medan pemberontak penyokong BN yang tidak selesa dengan pimpinan Najib dan  kerajaan sekarang? Kemunculan pemberontak dalaman parti dan penyokong kerajaan selalunya mengancam pimpinan ketua kerajaan. Inilah menyebabkan pimpinan Perdana Menteri Margret Thatcher mengakhiri pemerintahan Parti Konservatifnya selama 17 tahun di Britian dan demikian juga yang terjadi kepada Perdana Menteri Tony Blair yang pernah berjaya mengetuai Parti Buruh memenangi tiga kali pilihan raya Britain. Apakah Ku Li dengan Amanahnya akan memulakan gerakan bagi menggantikan pimpinan Perdana Menteri Najib yang dirasakan sebagai ketua kerajaan dan kerajaan Malaysia yang paling bermasalah dan lemah sejak merdeka? Itulah yang ditunggu dan hendak diperhatikannya. Tetapi Amanah seolah-olah telah ditampar oleh bom asap yang di bawa Anggota Parlimen Bayan Baru, Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim yang dikira agen Najib yang belum diumumkan menjadi Umno semula. Bom asap itu datang dari penyokong Najib dalam Umno tetapi cetusannya adalah bagi menjaga Umno dari menerima kesan atas politik Ku Li itu. Ku Li lalu ditempelak pernah dirisik oleh kerabat Pakatan Rakyat bagi menjadi penyambung kepada kepimpinan Anwar mara menuju ke Putrajaya kiranya ia berdepan dengan halangan. Apakah ada asas tempelak itu dan adakah Ku Li adalah orang yang berminat untuk mengambil tempat itu adalah menjadi perkara kedua. Tetapi sudah bergelombang atmosfera politik negara gara-gara bom asap bebas Bayan Baru itu. Kerabat Pakatan Rakyat terpaksa bersilat menangkis gas bom asap itu hingga ia mengurangkan sementara kelancarannya bergerak ke Putrajaya. Dengan bom asap itu Ku Li dan Amanahnya tenggelam dalam asapnya hingga  menyebabkan orang tidak teringatkan Amanah. Dan Ku Li sendiri senyap seribu bahasa. Dia tidak membuat sebarang respons terhadap bom asap itu dan membiarkan Pakatan Rakyat bersilat menangkisnya. Dan Ku Li dan Amanah juga diam hingga tidak diketahui apa yang hendak dibuatnya bagi memanas jentera programnya. Demam pilihan raya sudah rancak. Bila pilihan raya tidak diketahui. Tetapi ia sudah tidak lama. Dan Amanah tidak boleh lama menunggu untuk membangkit program dan kegiatannya. Mungkin ia belum dibenarkan bergerak selagi tidak didaftarkan. Tetapi Amanah adalah NGO politik yang tidak terikat banyak dengan pantang larang  pendaftaran pertubuhan. Dan tempoh bekerja Amanah pun tidak banyak sangat bagi meraih faedah dari suasana dan perkembangan politik kita. Masa yang ada pada Amanah ialah tempoh menjelang pembubaran Parlimen dan sebelum pilihan raya. Apa yang Amanah hendak buat dan hendak capai adalah dari kegawatan yang melanda kerajaan, Umno dan Najib sekarang. Itulah tempoh kesempatan terbaik bagi Ku Li dan Amanah untuk merebut sesuatu. Apabila Parlimen dibubarkan, tidak banyak lagi yang Ku Li dapat buat kerana kedudukannya sendiri pun akan ditentukan oleh keadaan itu. Ku Li tidak boleh banyak kerja lain melainkan menumpukan penuh masa dan tenaga di Gua Musang. Sama ada dia dicalonkan semula oleh BN atau digugurkan, dia terpaksa mempertahankan kerusi Parlimen Gua Musang itu atas apa calon sekali pun. Kalau Ku Li digugurkan, Ku Li terpaksa menumpukan usaha bagi mendapatkan persetujuan Pakatan Rakyat memberi laluan kepadanya. Pakatan Rakyat tidak akan memberi laluan kiranya Ku Li sekadar hendak mempertahankan kerusinya. Apakah PAS pada keadaan demikian memberi konsesi sama seperti yang diberi kepada Ibrahim Ali pada PRU 2008 dulu? Mungkin Ku Li bukan Ibrahim Ali tetapi PAS ada pengalaman yang baik. Masa itu tiada lagi peluang bagi Ku Li bagi mewarwarkan Amanah di luar Gua Musang. Masa bagi Amanah menunjukkan belangnya adalah sekarang. Inilah masa untuk mendedahkan belang Najib dan kerajaannya. Barulah ada erti dan sengatnya pelancaran Amanah itu.

On the road to a failed ‘Islamic state’ Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:20 PM PDT The raid by Jais or the Selangor Islamic Religious Department on a fundraising dinner held at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya cannot be described as anything but a sanctioned vigilante action. It is part of the continuing agenda to vilify and incite hatred towards Christians. Bob Teoh, The Malaysian Insider The Jais raid on DUMC last week signals Malaysia's quickening slide into a failed "Islamic state" like Iran, Yemen, and Tunisia and the rest. Prime Minister Najib Razak must act firmly and urgently to assure non-Muslims that the ruling coalition is serious about protecting their constitutional right to profess, practise and propagate their faith. The commitment to religious freedom is a hallmark of a progressive nation, of what Najib says his 1 Malaysia is all about. Therefore, the PM cannot afford to continue to remain silent on this affront by Jais. Islam may be a state matter. But clearly Jakim or the Islamic Development Department is parked right under the PM's nose headed by a full Cabinet minister. It can act swiftly if it wanted to in matters pertaining to Islam and even other religions. For instance, when the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled on December 31, 2009 against the government and allowed The Herald — a Catholic publication — to use the word Allah to refer to God in Bahasa Malaysia, it went into overdrive, seeking ways to scuttle the ruling. The government was initially indecisive in that instance. A church in Kuala Lumpur was subsequently torched so extensively that it was rendered useless following relentless public vilification of Christians by Utusan, the Malay-language newspaper owned by Umno, as well as by Perkasa, a small ultra-Malay right-wing outfit under the patronage of former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He declared Malaysia to be an Islamic state in 2001. The raid by Jais or the Selangor Islamic Religious Department on a fundraising dinner held at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya cannot be described as anything but a sanctioned vigilante action. It is part of the continuing agenda to vilify and incite hatred towards Christians. They came unannounced but prepared and accompanied by a media circus, their own enforcement officers and the police. However, they did not have a search warrant nor any plausible explanation for barging in except that someone had made a complaint of which they did not produce details of it. Their suspicion was that the church was proselytising Muslims. The rule of law cannot be based merely on suspicions. There must be prima facie evidence. Proselytisation has always been the bugbear used by extremist Muslim groups and the right wing in Umno to scare the Malay heartland into believing Christians are out to convert them by any means. And even to make Christianity into the religion of the federation, ludicrous as it may sound. But the opposite is true. Data tabulated from Pusat Islam and Jakim revealed that between 1980 and 2001 a total of 102,997 people were converted to Islam in Malaysia. But the figure could be higher. Utusan Malaysia on February 25, 2009 quoted the governor as saying in Sabah alone there were 117,579 converts to Islam since 1970. It is public knowledge that such conversions were mainly from rural native Bumiputera Christians from Sabah and Sarawak, sometimes through marriage, inducements or other means. [See here] While the prime minister and Umno had decided to remain silent, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek was quick to hammer Jais but shifted the blame to the Pakatan-controlled Selangor state government. But Jais had likely acted within the law as a controversial enactment passed by the then-Barisan Nasional state government in 1988 allows action against non-Muslims, according to Malaysian Bar Council chief Lim Chee Wee. "Whilst Jais may have the legal power to enter the premises, it must do so on a proper legal basis that there has been an offence committed. From the presently available facts, there is no basis for its intrusion," he was reported to have said. READ MORE HERE

Who benefits from the MAS, AirAsia share swap? Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:03 PM PDT Government officials familiar with the deal said Khazanah and AirAsia have been talking about a tie-up on five separate occasions but have never been able to come to terms. Among the issues are pricing and reaction from MAS in-house unions and the Malay ground that could have political repercussions for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government. By Jahabar Sadiq, The Malaysian Insider The jury is still out on whether the proposed share swap between Malaysian Airlines Bhd (MAS) and AirAsia Bhd will benefit the beleaguered flag carrier as its in-house unions threaten strikes and voting for the opposition if the Najib administration goes through with the deal today. Both MAS and AirAsia shares have been suspended for trading until this evening pending an announcement that could see the low-cost carrier's main shareholder, Tune Air Sdn Bhd, get 20 per cent of the national airline. The unlisted Tune Air is jointly owned by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and Datuk Aziz Bakar. The Malaysian Insider has reported that the share swap will eventually see MAS reclaim its position as a premium airline, leaving low-cost operations to be dominated by AirAsia, Asia's biggest budget carrier that was just a two-plane operation when Tune Air bought the airline for RM1 in 2001. Some analysts and MAS staff have argued that the government needs to rescue the airline that has been bleeding red ink in the past few quarters rather than sell a stake to "the enemy" as AirAsia has been known since it became a runaway success. But can Putrajaya throw good money after bad into a virtual airline that has had its books cleaned up in 2002 under the wide asset unbundling (WAU) exercise. That restructuring was engineered by the BinaFikir consultancy, then led by Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, the current managing director of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, MAS's ultimate main shareholder. After all, the state-owned airline has already had two rights issues since the WAU, raking in RM1.6 billion in 2007 and RM2.67 billion in 2010 to fund its operations and fleet purchases. How much more money is required to stop the airline from bleeding red ink after a rather peaceful flight under former managing director Datuk Seri Idris Jala? The past financial fixes haven't helped MAS. Another round of money won't either, an industry source told The Malaysian Insider despite a touted RM8.4 billion aircraft renewal programme. "Most of the past solutions for MAS, either the WAU or Jala's business transformation plan, were financial in nature to keep the airline in the black. But what is needed are operational fixes," he added. Saving MAS Government officials familiar with the deal said Khazanah and AirAsia have been talking about a tie-up on five separate occasions but have never been able to come to terms. Among the issues are pricing and reaction from MAS in-house unions and the Malay ground that could have political repercussions for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government. "It has never been easy and even this deal is not easy. But the choice is clear, take this deal and save MAS with the government keeping the majority stake or let it bleed and 20,000 people lose their jobs," said a government source who spoke to The Malaysian Insider on condition of anonymity. The source also dismissed talk of selling out Bumiputera equity, saying Khazanah will still keep the main stake through its wholly-owned unit Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd (PMB) while Tune Air itself has a majority Bumiputera shareholder through Kamarudin and Aziz. "Yes, Tony is the public face of AirAsia but it's Kamarudin who also runs the operations," he said, adding this gives a chance for the state-run airline to work with entrepreneurial Bumiputeras rather than just the bankers and accountants who have run MAS. The government source noted that Fernandes was named Airline CEO of the Year for 2009 while AirAsia has won the World's Best Low-Cost Airline award for 2009 and 2010, proving world-class talents are at MAS's doorstep. He also pointed out that picking Tune Air to help save MAS would benefit both airlines in the long run, despite talk that the premium market is shrinking and the tie-up was effectively a cartel. "There is demand for a premium airline. Just look at the Gulf carriers such as Etihad and Emirates. They are breaking into the premium market that is controlled by Singapore Airlines," the source added. It is understood that Emirates will soon start flying its Airbus A380 on the Dubai-Kuala Lumpur route, cutting further into the premium market that MAS once dominated. Gulf airlines are now using their fifth-freedom rights to ply the Dubai-Kuala Lumpur route and beyond — the same right that benefited MAS and Singapore Airlines in the past. As to whether the share swap will lead to a cartel, an industry source said both companies will keep their respective boards and compete on some routes but still benefit from several synergies. So, who benefits from the deal? ECM Libra, in its research note, said the partnership would allow AirAsia to continue what it does best with less predatory competition, while MAS can concentrate on serving the premium segment with better revenue yield. It also said that there are opportunities for cost-savings as both airlines would be able to bargain better for future aircraft purchases, as well as minimise duplication of resources such as that in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) area. AirAsia currently outsources its MRO to Singapore but the share swap deal could push the low-cost budget carrier to use MAS services instead. An analyst agreed the partnership will allow MAS to cut the queue for aircraft such as the A380 as AirAsia is one of Airbus' largest customers with more than 200 orders and options. "MAS used to have clout with the airplane makers but its scant purchases over the years has diminished that," the analyst said, pointing out that MAS will only start getting the A380s next year, some four years after the initial delivery scheduled for May 2008. "MAS can get more aircraft, faster and cheaper, if AirAsia is in the picture," he added. READ MORE HERE

Raiders playing with fire Posted: 08 Aug 2011 04:22 PM PDT The action of JAIS is not only despicable but also inimical to the interests of society. But we are not living in the dark age of religious intolerance where Christians and Muslims fell by the sword in their bloody pursuit of supremacy of the cross or the crescent. This is the age of goodwill, of mutual respect, of compromise, of reason, of sanity. Although remnants of suspicion, hate, and animosity still run deep, the march of progressive ideas and thoughts calls for new thinking and behaviour. Free Malaysia Today The spectre of religious strife is casting a long shadow as Christians continue to be the punching bag in the country whose prime minister recently shooks hands with the spiritual leader of over one billion Christians worldwide. While the Muslim-dominated government, be it at state or federal level, professes to advocate religious tolerance, the reality is that it has little respect for people of other faiths. The gun is always trained on the Christians who seem to have a hand in every plot, imagined or real, to destablise the country. The resentment felt towards the Christians is so great that churches had become target of attacks or raids. The recent detestable action of the "religious policemen" from the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) is one of the many examples of the shabby treatment meted out to the Christian minority. JAIS is the religious arm of the state government whose job, among others, is to protect Muslims from the evil influences of outsiders. So when its officers barged in a church and rudely disrupted a thanksgiving-cum-HIV/AIDS fundraising dinner organised by an NGO, they accused Christians of attempting to convert some Muslim guests. They had no proof that the church was engaged in a "subversive" activity to undermine Islam. They behaved boorishly simply because there were some Muslims present at the event. The implication is clear: if there are Muslims in any function organised by Christians, then the latter is guilty of proselytising which is a serious crime, given that Islam is the official religion. Such parochial thinking is dangerous because it will breed hatred in the Muslim and Christian communities and pave the way to sectarian violence. JAIS is so absurd and irrational in its thinking that it may not surprise anyone if it raids the homes of Christians on Christmas day because Muslims are celebrating with Christians the birth of a Christian prophet. The Christians are using the Yuletide festival as a cover to convert the unsuspecting Muslims, JAIS may reason foolishly. In this theatre of the absurd, JAIS may even issue a decree: Muslims are not allowed to visit the homes of Christians. And bigoted politicians may follow up with a law banning Christmas and crosses. Then events may spin out of control and soon a slew of farcical legislation will pop up: Muslims cannot the shake the unclean hands of Christians, churches must conduct their services behind high walls, and to round it up in a final outburst of fervour, all Christians must abandon their faith on pain of death. But we are not living in the dark age of religious intolerance where Christians and Muslims fell by the sword in their bloody pursuit of supremacy of the cross or the crescent. This is the age of goodwill, of mutual respect, of compromise, of reason, of sanity. Although remnants of suspicion, hate, and animosity still run deep, the march of progressive ideas and thoughts calls for new thinking and behaviour. Muslims cannot forever cling to the threadbare argument that a crackdown on Christians is justified because they threaten the preeminent position of Islam. Since the Federal Constitution unambiguously states that Islam is the religion of the federation, no one can and will dispute it. At the same time the sacred constitution also guarantees the right of "every person to profess and practise his own religion". For the country to progress and prosper, the fire of religious fanaticism must be doused for good. Muslims cannot hark back to days of yore where blood and gore followed the swords of Islam. Let all religions flourish in peace and amity. READ MORE HERE

PAS goes on soul-searching trip Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:14 AM PDT By Karim Raslan, The Star PAS in the midst of an ambitious push into "Middle Malaysia". The victory in June, of the party's progressives – dubbed the Erdogans after the visionary Turkish Premier, Racep Erdogan – in internal party elections seemed to herald an era of multi-racial leadership. However, recent events and more, especially PAS', hesitant and divided response to the Selangor Islamic Department (Jais) raid on the DUMC church would suggest that the party is not ready for prime-time. Indeed, the Islamist party is more divided than many would realise and this divide reflects a community-wide level of uncertainty. Frankly speaking, the Malay community is unsure whether it wants to proceed down the road to greater equality among the races. Much of the support for the Opposition is driven by anger at corruption and abuse of power – two areas in which PAS remains relatively strong and credible. As a matter of fact, the recent Jais raid on a function by the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) raises significant questions over PAS' – and by extension Pakatan Rakyat's – commitment to pluralism. The former's divided approach – with Selangor exco Hassan Ali supporting the raid and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad condemning it – indicates that the Islamist party's much-vaunted move to the centre has not been as smooth as their insiders wish us to believe. The raid should also alarm moderate voters, as it came just weeks after the PAS-led Kedah Government initially announced a ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan without consulting its Pakatan partners. Indeed, these incidents are clear signals that a struggle is now on-going for the "soul" of the party, over whether it should adopt a more broad-based approach or seek refuge in the traditional boundaries of championing racial and religious supremacy. But some caveats are necessary here. First, as a largely Malay party, PAS is not immune from familial considerations and factionalism. Hence, when pundits talk of "internal disputes", we must take care to ascertain whether these are really over ideology or merely dynastic and cabalistic manoeuvrings. Scratch the surface and you'll find that things are rarely as they seem. In the last party elections, the PAS moderates (or Erdogans) triumphed over the conservatives. Khalid, who belongs to this group, won a seat in the party CWC together with Hassan, but the latter was dropped from his Selangor Commissioner post. Hence, this latest spat could be an attempt by PAS conservatives to re-assert themselves after the rout. Moreover, Hassan has stressed that he is willing to lose his position in the party defending Islam – the insinuation being that some of his party members are not committed to "upholding" their faith to the utmost. Second, Jais and the other Islamic establishments in Malaysia often act independently from political control. Malaysians ought to be questioning bodies like Jais – who seem to claim a sort of immunity from public scrutiny in religious matters – as much as elected officials. The sad fact is that civil servants are as much a part of the problem, if not more than politicians, in this and other issues. Still, this should not distract us from the real issues facing PAS. Hassan and Khalid are emerging as the public "faces" of the party as the careers of Hadi Awang and Nik Abdul Aziz draw to a close. PAS needs to decide, and very quickly at that, which of the vastly different political visions these men embody it wants for itself. If it is serious about its push to the centre, and of championing a "welfare state" with "Islam for all", then it cannot countenance such heavy-handed actions or rhetoric as per the DUMC raid wherever or whenever it occurs. To dither over making difficult choices or taking unpopular but right stands (i.e. refusing to accept "my race/religion right or wrong"), would be a betrayal of the non-Muslim Malaysians, who are warming up to PAS. It would also further alienate many progressive and urban-based Malays, many of whom are disgusted with the ruling party but are also wary of PAS' desire to interfere in the public and personal sphere. To be fair though, it could be that PAS is attempting a delicate balancing act, trying to maintain its rural and conservative base while flirting with Middle Malaysia's exciting new possibilities and vote banks. One can hardly blame them for that, and it is perhaps an indication of how schizophrenic the Malay political discourse has become – torn between the competing demands of tradition and modernisation. We must also ask why its partner PKR has thus far remained silent on the issue – is its hesitation motivated by Anwar Ibrahim's high-profile moral and legal troubles? Still, Malaysians have wised up to the ways of the politicians and will not tolerate such disingenuousness in PAS or anyone else. Voters will certainly punish the party if its talk of pluralism does not live up to its actions. As I've said earlier, it is no longer possible to insulate ourselves from the multiracial make-up of our country as before. Either we choose to embrace this and its associated implications, or cut ourselves off from the rest of the world.

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