Implement PSC reforms before polls, Bar Council tells Najib

By Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 04, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — The Bar Council today urged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to “exercise political will” and ensure all the electoral reform recommendations passed by Parliament yesterday would be implemented before the 13th general election.

Council president Lim Chee Wee said in a statement here that the prime minister should also consider the weaknesses in the 22 recommendations, which were contained in the parliamentary select committee’s (PSC) final report to the House.

“The Malaysian Bar urges the PM… to pursue holistic solutions towards rectifying the problems of the electoral roll and implement unhesitatingly all the recommendations of the PSC, before the next general election,” he said.

Lim described, however, the PSC’s report as “incomplete” and “inadequate” to achieve free and fair elections, which was the panel’s main objective when it was formed last year.

Najib had mooted the PSC last October, several months after his administration drew widespread criticism in the international media for its handling of Bersih 2.0’s rally for free and fair election last July 9.

But the PSC’s 22 recommendations, tabled and approved by Parliament without debate yesterday, have been criticised for purportedly failing to touch on specific issues pertaining to discrepancies in the current electoral roll.

“This was the principal and immediate concern that gave rise to Bersih 2.0,” Lim reminded today.

“The measures recommended by the PSC in relation to the electoral roll do not engender faith and confidence in the integrity and veracity of the principal electoral roll,” he added.

Lim said the process of updating the voter registry should be guaranteed free from fraud while the existing electoral roll should be weeded of erroneous entries.

The PSC, he complained, had made only a “nominal nod” in that direction by referring to a brief audit of the electoral roll by government agency Mimos Bhd.

The audit, added Lim, had been conducted within very limited parameters.

He noted that the PSC had also failed to deal with the Election Commission’s (EC) alleged lack of commitment to implementing reforms, which he said was proven when the authority rejected six out of the 10 recommendations in the panel’s interim report last year.

Even more daunting, said Lim, was how the bipartisan parliamentary panel had not prescribed a fixed timeline for all of its 22 recommendations, leading to concerns that the polls process would be just as fraudulent in the coming 13th general election.

“While the Malaysian Bar acknowledges that some of the 22 recommendations of the PSC are positive, and represent a step in the right direction, the PSC has missed an ideal opportunity to make comprehensive and extensive recommendations to realise Malaysians’ aspiration for free and fair elections,” he said.

Lim also lamented Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia’s refusal yesterday to allow a “minority report” to be attached to the PSC’s final 22 recommendations.

This, he said, meant that the dissenting views expressed by the panel’s non-Barisan Nasional (BN) members were not formally recorded in the PSC’s final report to the House.

“For the Speaker to have disallowed it means that the PSC’s final report fails to reflect the diversity of views expressed within the PSC,” said Lim.

The nine-member PSC had included three lawmakers from the federal opposition — PKR’s Azmin Ali, DAP’s Anthony Loke and PAS’s Dr Hatta Ramli — all of whom had objected to four of the 22 recommendations put forward in the final report.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 4 April 2012, 9:50 pm and is filed under
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Massive deception and propaganda campaign afoot that PSC majority report complies with seven of eight Bersih 2.0 demands when only one is being implemented

A massive deception and propaganda campaign is afoot, making full use of public funding and mobilising the mainstream media and Barisan Nasional cybertroopers, to create the impression that the majority report of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reform complies with seven of the eight Bersih 2.0 Demands for clean, free and fair elections when in actual fact, only one is being implemented.

The only one of the eight Bersih 2.0 Demands which is being implemented is Bersih 2.0 Demand 3 on “Use of Indelible ink” while the other seven Bersih 2.0 Demands are either given partial and unsatisfactory responses, or mere lip-service and meaningless recognition or outright rejection as in Bersih 2.0 Demand 4 on “Minimum 21 days campaign period”.

The eight Bersih 2.0 Demands that motivated 50,000 Malaysians transcending race, religion and region to support the historic July 9, 2011 Bersih 2.0 rally were:

Clean the electoral roll

Reform postal ballot

Use of indelible ink

Minimum 21 days campaign period

Free and fair access to media

Strengthen public institutions

Stop corruption

Stop dirty politics

The best example of the failure of the PSC majority report to address the core demand for a clean, free and fair election is Bersih 2.0 Demand 1 on “Clean the electoral roll”, which states:

“The electoral roll is marred with irregularities such as deceased persons and multiple persons registered under a single address or non-existent addresses.

“The electoral roll must be revised and updated to wipe out these ‘phantom voters’. The rakyat have a right to an electoral roll that is an accurate reflection of the voting population.”

This is also why Pakatan Rakyat parties of DAP, PKR and PAS fully supported the three Pakatan Rakyat MPs on the PSC, Loke Siew Fook (Rasah), Mohamed Azmin (Gombak) and Dr. Mohd Hatta (Kuala Krai) in their effort to append a minority report, as the PSC majority report had failed to deal with the crux of the problem to ensure clean, free and fair elections and guarantee a clean, comprehensive and legitimate electoral roll in the 13th general election.

The fatal weakness of the PSC majority report is its failure to acknowledge the many problems in the electoral roll and the total absence of a commitment to address all of these problems before the 13GE since they can affect the balance of power in the upcoming General Election.

The fact that there are significant problems with the Malaysian electoral roll is not something new. Allegations of phantom voters and illegal immigrants being given fake ICs in order to register themselves as voters have been well documented. For example, the election results in the state seat of Likas in the 1999 Sabah state election was declared invalid by the Election Court because of the presence of phantom voters in the electoral roll.

Given these past problems with the electoral roll, it is highly inappropriate for the PSC majority report to only highlight just one problem to do with the electoral roll which is addresses which have more than 50 registered voters.

The PSC majority report blatantly ignores the other problems with the electoral roll which have been discovered including:

Over 31,000 names which have been shifted from state and/or parliament constituency to another without their knowledge as a result of the ‘stealth correction’ of boundary lines of state and parliamentary constituencies by the Election Commission which is illegal and unconstitutional

The failure of the Election Commission to delete over 42,000 names of voters whose citizenship status cannot be verified by the National Registration Department (NRD).

The failure of the Election Commission to verify the status of over 65,000 voters aged 85 years and above including over 1000 who are more than 100 years old.

Over 15,000 names whose IC numbers show a different gender than the Election Commission records.

Over 4500 names of spouses of police who are registered as postal voters when they are clearly not entitled to this right.

Pakatan Rakyat has provided concrete evidence of all these problems but they have not been recognized in the PSC majority report.

The total number of voters associated with these problems adds up to over 150,000 and many of them are located in marginal or swing constituencies that will be closely contested in the next general election.

More worrying is the high possibility that these problems are only the tip of the iceberg underneath which hides massive electoral fraud.

Sabah after the 1990 election and Terengganu after the 1999 election are just two examples where there were sudden increases in the number of voters in the electoral roll in the states to enable the BN to win back the state government from the Opposition.

Now we see the same pattern being repeated in the state of Selangor leading up to the 13th general election.

The number of voters in Sabah increased by 17.6% from 1990 to 1995 compared to the national average of 13.0%. This was after PBS left the BN coalition prior to the 1990 Sabah state elections and was in charge of the state government from 1990 to 1994.

In the state of Terengganu, the number of voters increased by a whopping 17.7% from 1999 to 2004 compared to a national average of 7.3%. Again, it is noteworthy that the state of Terengganu had fallen to the opposition during the 1999 general elections.

In 1999, the opposition won 28 out of 32 state seats and all 8 parliamentary seats. In 2004, after this massive increase in the number of voters, the opposition won only 1 parliamentary and 4 state seats, an almost total reverse of the 1999 general election results.

In Selangor, according to the 4th quarter 2011 electoral roll, the number of voters has increased by over 340,000 to more than 1.9 million voters since the 2008 general election.

This represents an increase of 21.8% compared to a national average of 16.3%. Some of these increases have occurred in areas which limited increases in the number of new housing estates and population inflows. For example, the seat of Hulu Selangor, a marginal parliamentary seat, saw an increase of more than 17,000 voters or 27.1% from the 2008 general election to the 4th Quarter 2011 electoral roll.

It was reported that over 1,100 voters Permanent Residents were included in the electoral roll in Selangor including one ‘Mismah’ whose status was quickly upgraded from PR to Citizen upon the discovery of her inclusion in the electoral roll.

These examples highlight the possibility of large scale systematic cheating with the intention of recapturing the state government of Selangor. Again, what has been discovered so far may only be the tip of the iceberg.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had argued in Parliament that the fact that five state governments fell to the opposition in 2008 was proof that the electoral rolls are not tainted. One should ask whether the opposition could have won control of more states and perhaps even the federal government if the electoral roll were totally clear of phantom voters.

BN is fighting for its political survival and would do anything to remain in power including padding the electoral roll with phantom voters using various tricks and strategies. It is essential that the electoral roll be clear of these phantom voters to ensure that the upcoming 13th general election does not turn out to be a massive electoral fraud in the making.

The exclusion of the highlighting of these problems in the PSC Report on Electoral Reform makes a mockery of the intent to deliver a freer and fairer electoral system to Malaysians.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 4 April 2012, 2:55 pm and is filed under
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Najib kata jangan tukar pemandu tengah jalan

— Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 04, 2012

4 APRIL — Hari ini Najib Razak mengingatkan semua supaya tidak menukar kerajaan yang merbahaya dalam pilihanraya ini. Katanya “jangan tukar pemandu dipertengahan jalan”. Maksudnya jangan tukar kerajaan dalam pilihanraya ini kerana itu adalah tindakan merbahaya.

Setiap kerajaan bertukar tangan dalam perjalanan. Parti Conservative dan Liberal Democrat telah mengambilalih kerajaan Britain dari Parti Buruh dalam perjalanan. Mana ada kerajaan yang sudah tiada untuk ditukar? Tentulah kerajaan yang sedang berkuasa yang selalu ditukar dan mereka ditukar kerana bersebab, bukan saja-saja untuk ditukar.

Perjalanan mentadbir negara adalah tugasan yang berterusan kepada siapa yang diberikan mandat. Ibarat sebuah bas yang dalam perjalanan jauh, ia disyaratkan supaya mempunyai pemandu gantian (spare driver).

Banyak kemalangan berlaku kerana pemandu itu terlena sambil memandu kerana telah memandu terlalu lama. Maka itulah undang-undang mensyaratkan setiap bas ekspress mesti mempunyai seorang lagi pemandu gantian supaya bas itu dipandu bergilir-gilir supaya tidak merbahayakan penumpang yang sedang tidur lena itu.

Dalam kes kerajaan pimpinan Najib, penumpang-penumpangnya sudah bangun dari tidur dan telah merasakan yang pemanduan Najib sudah cukup merbahaya. Najib memandu dengan tidak mematuhi undang-undang memandu.

Maka penumpang menuntut supaya pemandu ditukar supaya bas tidak terhumban kedalam gaung yang dalam. Pemandunya bernama Najib telah memandu bas itu dengan begitu bahaya kerana penumpang nampak yang pemandu bernama Najib itu sudah nampak hendak terlena.

Najib telah terlena kerana keletihan memandu atau pun tidak bijak memandu. Mungkin pemandu (Najib) ini merasa mengantuk kerana makan terlalu kenyang. Apa pun sebabnya dia mengantuk, pemandu gantian itu perlu sangat untuk mengambilalih pemandu yang lalai itu. Kali ini bas yang tidak berapa baik keadaannya itu wajar dipandu oleh pemandu gantian untuk keselamatan penumpang yang ramai itu.

Pemandu sekarang sudah terlalu lemah dan jika tidak diganti ia mungkin merbahayakan penumpang-penumpang dalam bas panduan Najib ini kedalam gaung yang dalam. Sekarang inipun sudah nampak bas yang dipandu Najib itu sedang terhuyung-hayang kekiri dan kekanan sehinggakan selalu memakan jalan dan lorong bertentangan.

Selama ini kita telah mendengar bas-bas ekspress yang telah melanggar jambatan, “toll-gate” dan kenderaan yang berhenti dan sebagainya yang telah menyebabkan penumpang terbunuh bergelempangan ditepi lebuhraya-lebuhraya kerana pemandunya yang keletihan dan tidak ditukar.

Kita juga banyak mendengar pemandu-pemandu bas yang tidak jujur membuat “duit luar” dengan menjual “spare tyre” serta menjual banyak alat-alat gantian yang ada didalam bas itu serta lari mencuri minyak petrol dan dijual kepada orang luar.

Kita jangan dengar nasihat pemandu yang sedang memandu kita sekarang kerana bas yang dipandunya telah hampir rosak dan tidak berfungsi dengan baik lagi. Cari sahaja pemandu lain supaya bas-bas itu dijaga dan mendapat “maintenance” yang lebih baik. Lagi pun pemandu yang sekarang ini selalu makan sambil memandu.

Jika pemandu sekarang masih memandu maka “premium” insurannya akan terlalu mahal kerana “loading” kepada premiumnya terlalu tinggi, “loading” kepada insurannya itu menjadi tinggi disebabkan risiko yang terlalu tinggi dan merbahayakan bas-bas yang akan dipandunya itu. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 4 April 2012, 10:16 pm and is filed under
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DAP gives thumbs up to Bersih 3.0

By Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 05, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 – The DAP formally voiced its support today for Bersih’s third rally for free and fair elections this April 28, agreeing with the group that the Parliamentary Select Committee’s (PSC) electoral reform proposals were inadequate.

Its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said in a statement here that the PSC’s report, approved in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, had shown a “serious lack of commitment” to addressing fundamental issues of electoral irregularities, which was the panel’s main objective.

“Given the lack of commitment to provide a clean electoral [roll] so that the next general election is free and fair, the DAP fully supports Bersih 3.0’s call to gather at Merdeka Square from 2pm to 4pm on April 28.

The DAP also reiterates its support for the full implementation of Bersih 2.0’s eight demands, out of which only one – the use of indelible ink – was sufficiently addressed in the PSC report,” Lim (picture) said in the statement.

Bersih 2.0 had amassed a crowd of thousands for its second rally last July 9, demanding the government accede to its eight demands for free and fair elections, including the cleaning of the electoral roll; reforms to postal voting; the use of indelible ink; free and fair access to media; a minimum 21-day campaign period; the strengthening of public institutions; a stop to political corruption; and an end to “dirty” politics.

It announced yesterday the date for “Bersih 3.0”, complaining that the PSC’s reforms were grossly inadequate and warranted the need for another such rally, this time to be held on a larger scale – at locations nationwide and worldwide.

The PSC had submitted a 22-point proposal in Parliament on Tuesday but the Dewan Rakyat Speaker rejected an application by the panel’s three Pakatan Rakyat (PR) members to include a minority report along with it.

The minority report was to detail the views of the trio, who had rejected four of the 22 recommendations put forward.

The opposition lawmakers had also complained that the PSC had not been thorough in its recommendations as it had failed to touch on specific issues of electoral discrepancies such as irregularities found in the current electoral roll.

“The DAP strongly objects to the failure on the part of the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat to disallow the introduction of a minority report, which documents some of the major problems affecting the electoral roll.

“The most serious shortcoming of this report is the refusal to highlight fundamental flaws in the electoral roll. Abuses of the electoral roll have increased since the March 2008 general election and more evidence has been uncovered by various groups,” Lim said today.

The Penang Chief Minister also agreed with Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee who said yesterday that the PSC had only made a “nominal nod” in the direction of conducting a more comprehensive review of the electoral roll.

“Efforts by MIMOS to only examine addresses with more than 50 voters registered in them ignore the many other potential areas of manipulation and errors which exist within the electoral roll,” the latter had said.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 5 April 2012, 7:05 pm and is filed under
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‘Duduk means sit, Bantah means protest’, so let’s ‘Jom Duduk Bantah, Malaysians’

— May Chee Chook Ying

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 05, 2012

APRIL 5 — I must apologise for such a weird title for my write-up this time. I’m doing it for the benefit of some upstart whose tweet went like this: “…jumping like Monkeys in d street not going to solve anything in Malaysia….we r not Planet of the Apes. Be civilized Pakatan #Bersih3…”

Our Twitter friend above, firstly, has a very poor command of the national language. Go, take some tuition, it helps to understand the national language better for some politician wannabe like you.

Secondly, for calling your paymasters “Monkeys”, you ought to be sacked!

Thirdly, what have you solved, so far?

I used to think that Gerakan were notches above the MCA. They were the lean ones, you see. Till today, I feel kind of sorry for Koh Tsu Koon. Still believe he’s a good man, may not be the right man for the job, nevertheless, don’t see any evil in him. (Will keep you in my prayers, KTK.)

Looks like the GE13 will be the dirtiest yet. If what we hear is true, the incumbent government is pulling no stops to be voted in. That means the plundering will not stop. Neither will we see an independent judiciary, MACC, and what-nots. Justice will not see the light of day for many. The education system will go to the pits. Idiots will use the name of the Almighty in vain. The poor will become poorer, the thieves will become richer. We will die because with 1 Care, we will be robbed blind and not have the means to seek proper treatment. We can’t help our neighbour without being accused of proselytising! Murderers, thieves and criminals can still roam free! Malaysia will go bankrupt in no time! I’d better stop before I throw up!

Don’t think our young friend mentioned above can solve the problems listed. So, no use going to him! Panels come and go to give their two-sen’s worth on the reforms the nation should undertake for the good of all. Precious time, honest efforts and loads of goodwill to make Malaysia a better place and what does this government do? Window-dressed, then canned them!

What does this tell you about our present government? It cares for you? It wants the best for our nation? It’s honest? It’s democratic? Malaysia, a democracy?

Those of you who have enough of the above, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” Those of you who think your hard-earned money should be in better hands, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” Those of you who want to profess your religion freely, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!”. Those of you who can’t stand the sight of policemen pulling cars over to the side, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” Those of you who think you or your children can be educated better, “Jom,  Duduk Bantah!” Those of you who have insubordinate political servants, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” Those of you who want a stop to senseless killings, muggings, burglaries, robberies, etc, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” Those of you who think that you have to pay tolls like forever, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” Those of you who are paying through your nose to educate your children, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” Those of you who can talk like there’s no tomorrow, finding fault with everything, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!”

What’s more important, those of you who are truly Malaysians who do not have it in you to see your fellows Malaysia sit alone in protest, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” It does not matter which side of the political divide you favour, you just have to be true, blue-blooded Malaysia, “Jom, Duduk Bantah!”.  You only have to care for your country and want the best for her. It’s about time you walked with your fellow Malaysians. You will see for yourself how united we can be for the love of our country and fellowmen when you are here, at “Duduk Bantah”. You will see that those whom you were taught to fear will take the fall for you even before you trip, here at “Duduk Bantah”. You will see how brave and courageous our fellow Malaysians can be, irrespective of creed and colour, here at “Duduk Bantah”. You will see how in our diversity, we truly become united as one, here at “Duduk Bantah”. We can truly say we are proud to be Malaysians, here at “Duduk Bantah”. Believe me, you will not regret this, we will have a picnic, here at “Duduk Bantah”!

Last but not least, dear Gerakan. I still think you are notches above the MCA. However, lately, some of you have been behaving strangely, unlike what you have been noted for in the past. You used to walk the talk. You were lean but not mean! Be what you were known for, courageous and hardworking. Show your love for your country. Don’t turn a blind eye to what some of your “sleeping-partners” have been up to. Don’t go down in history for having been party to those who were hell-bent on destroying our beloved country. You know you are better than them. So, let’s “Jom, Duduk Bantah!” See, you guys there!

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 5 April 2012, 7:18 pm and is filed under
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Gross stupidity might be a good reason for you to march

— Abdul Haleem Abdul Rahiman

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 05, 2012

APRIL 5 — I will join the Bersih 3.0 rally because I can’t stand the gross stupidity that is crippling the entire nation. Honestly, as much as I agree stupidity has no limit, I can’t take this absurdity which has been feed to us in high doses on a daily basis.

Day in, day out the events unfolding in Malaysia make you sick and drive you insane. With all the transformation programmes and what-not, I believe we are on full speed in a very wrong direction. Almost every institution in this country is failing. Religious bigotry is at its peak. Most MPs, if not all, are busy politicking rather than working. Corruption is nothing but the norm. A priority list is something unfamiliar in our daily life in Malaysia. Common sense is not so common anymore.

What irks me the most lately is the amount of stupidity and bigotry.

The latest, in declining a permit for a Singapore ballet group to perform here, is just absurd. The reason given is indecent costumes. Ballet costumes deemed indecent? Are you joking? I will not buy that reason simply because it’s insane to agree ballet costumes can poke your eye! Assuming it does, how do we justify swimsuits then? A gymnast who will be performing in the coming Olympics? Are we going to censor all female categories in gymnastics? Perhaps we should censor all female sports from being broadcast then. When countries like Saudi Arabia are sending female athletes to participate in the Olympics, we are banning ballet costumes. We have banned books, movies, T-shirts, yoga and what-not. Can we ban idiots who can’t even speak or write English from standing for elections?

If Ibrahim Ali is toning down, worry not, we have a new champion. Another son of Ali. Hasan Ali. His stunt of accusing Christians proselytising Muslims is just too much to bear. A seminar for religious teachers to discuss the Christian threat is proof of how insecure we are. But the fact is only idiots like Hasan Ali thinks Muslims in this country are insecure. Furthermore, I am sick and tired of the reason they have been giving — to avoid young Malaysian Muslims from being confused. The only thing I am confused is — how did you pass your exams?

I have written on this subject many times. Just what is our problem with Israel? To the extent we have Jew-bashing Friday sermons. How pathetic is that? We have elected MPs and paying their salaries with our tax and they are busying arguing about Israel.  Don’t you all think we have more pressing issues to deal with? Stop making Israel and the Jews a scapegoat for our political plays. Seriously, please move on or find something new to bash.

Knowing the election is around the corner, day by day we see our Parliament turning into a pig farm. The way things are going in there will amaze even a school kid. No civility, no respect for each other, shout to win publicity, scream to get attention, mock to make one look like a clown. If this is the state of Parliament then I wonder how comical the Cabinet meeting must be.

If the comedy episodes in Parliament are not good enough, we have the DPM-cum-education minister coming out with a statement saying that our education system is better than the United States’, Britain’s and Germany’s. To be frank when you read such statement you are stunned, unsure if one should cry or burst out laughing. If you laugh then remember this is our DPM who you are laughing at.

Last weekend at dinner with a couple of friends, we were served by a part-time waitress who had just finished her SPM. She scored 9As. And guess what? She had not heard anything on the NFC. When my friend asked her if she knows who Shahrizat is, she went blank. We stopped ourselves from asking if she knows who the PM of the country is because we did not want to lose our appetite.

The list can go on with me discussing the crime rate, the economy which is nose diving, the poor quality of our graduates, high-level corporate deals (or scams), etc. The point here is — this is a beautiful nation with amazing loving citizens. We are blessed with so much of nature and talented people. Unfortunately, politicians from both sides are taking this country down with not only their corruption but also their stupidity. Pure, gross stupidity. Let’s stop that. Let’s have a fair and clean election, thus we can vote people with principle and integrity into public office. Let’s clean this mess once and for all.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 5 April 2012, 6:46 pm and is filed under
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KLPAC insists Singapore ballet application was rejected

By Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 05, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — The KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) maintained today it had submitted a permit application for the Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) to federal authorities a month ago, refuting a federal minister’s claim that it had not done so.

KLPAC executive producer and co-founder Datuk Faridah Merican explained in a statement here that the application was “personally” submitted to Puspal, or the Central Agency for the Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artists, on March 7 by KLPAC production manager Freddy Tan.

Tan, she said, was subsequently “advised” by a Puspal officer last Wednesday that the application had been rejected for two reasons – costuming and foreign performers.

“This was most unusual because we had applied for performances by the Singapore Dance Theatre on two previous occasions and both were approved,” Faridah said.

“In fact, we have always found Puspal to be most helpful and understanding.”

It is believed that the two reasons given by Puspal were not communicated in great detail to Tan.

Faridah said that following the permit rejection, an appeal was submitted on the same day.

But despite this, she confirmed that the ballet performance, titled “Ballet Illuminations”, originally scheduled for April 6 and 7 at KLPAC, had to be cancelled.

“This has resulted in many disappointed patrons and in much expense incurred by both the SDT and KLPAC,” she said.

Earlier today, Information, Communications and Culture minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim refuted reports that the performance had been cancelled due to indecent attire, claiming instead that Puspal had never received KLPAC’s permit application.

The federal lawmaker insisted instead that he too loves ballet and said on his Twitter timeline that, “as someone responsible for culture, I would strongly urge that this ballet performance be on in Kuala Lumpur.”

The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that the SDT had been denied a permit to perform here this weekend owing to their “indecent” costumes.

MyDance Alliance president Bilqis Hijjas said the decision by Puspal was “deplorable” and would hurt Malaysia’s reputation as a reliable host for cultural shows.

Bilqis said Puspal had approved dances featuring classical tutus before — even at government-run theatre Istana Budaya as late as this year — and asked why the agency was “so inconsistent” in applying its guidelines.

“KLPAC, by comparison, is a private business on private ground, with paying audiences who were well aware of what they were coming to see, and not one of whom would have been distressed by the costumes,” she said.

But SDT artistic director Janek Schergen has dismissed the discussions as speculation, noting that “The Nutcracker,” one of the shows it was to have performed, was “one of the most respected, classic and family-friendly dances there are”.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 5 April 2012, 7:25 pm and is filed under
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Pak Samad ready for Bersih 3.0, ‘disturbed’ by lagging reforms

By Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 05, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — National literary icon Datuk A. Samad Said made headlines last year when it was his slightly-hunched, barefooted frame that was seen leading a group of Bersih 2.0 marchers to deliver a memorandum on electoral reforms to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Today, he is “disturbed” that no real electoral reforms have taken place since the chaotic July 9 event.

The soft-spoken septuagenarian told The Malaysian Insider repeatedly that he was “not happy” with the 22 recommendations put forward by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on polls reform in its report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

The government’s and PSC’s failure to suggest total reform, he said, was “good reason” why Bersih 3.0 “should” be held.

“I’m not happy with what has happened. I’m not happy. Not happy,” the bearded poet said yesterday, shaking his shock of white hair.

“So that’s why I think, because of what’s happening, it is very disturbing as far as I’m concerned.

“That’s a good reason why we should have this (Bersih 3.0),” he said.

Samad or “Pak Samad” as he is fondly known, was speaking to The Malaysian Insider after co-chairing a press conference earlier yesterday afternoon with Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan and the election watchdog’s other steering committee members.

The group had just announced “Bersih 3.0”, its third rally for free and fair elections, which is scheduled for April 28 from 2pm to 4pm at Dataran Merdeka here.

Making the case for “Bersih 3.0”, Samad continued that any reforms to the election process, whether put forward by the PSC or others, “must” be done before the coming 13th general election.

He complained that the PSC’s report, passed in the House without debate, had not expressly indicated a timeline for all its 22 reform recommendations.

The panel, he said, should have done better.

“They should do better, actually. Because they did not even say when they will have these things (recommendations) [implemented].

“Because, what we care about [is that] all these things must be done (implemented) before the election,” he said.

Failing which, Samad added, the PSC’s six months of meetings and investigation would be rendered “meaningless”.

He expressed the hope that more Malaysians would take up Bersih’s cause and join the group this April 28 for its “sit-in protest”.

“I hope, I hope (that more will join). Because it is not only in KL but also in other states and around the world,” he said.

Despite his advanced years, the 76-year-old Samad appears unfazed at the thought of another massive march that could turn out as chaotic as last year’s event.

Instead, he is ready again to lead thousands for “Bersih 3.0”, which he predicts will be attended by at least 500,000 people worldwide.

During Bersih 2.0 last July 9, Samad had to traverse barefooted for a long distance amid the heavy bombardment of tear gas canisters and water cannons fired at protestors.

He had lost his shoes in the confusion but was later offered a pair of slippers by an unknown individual to protect his feet.

After the event, political analysts called Samad an “icon” for Bersih, saying that despite him not being a politician, his involvement had helped the group shed any element of partisan politics within it.

The award-winning literary giant, they said, had instead sparked a spirit of nationalism and unity among Malaysians across races.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 5 April 2012, 11:12 am and is filed under
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AG intentionally snubs Agong’s RCIs, says former senior cop

By Shannon Teoh

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 06, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim added today the purported snubbing of the Agong to the list of accusations he has levelled against Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail after the Attorney-General (AG) refused to say if his office would prosecute three anti-graft officers who allegedly drove Teoh Beng Hock to suicide.

The royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the DAP aide’s 2009 death had recommended that action be taken against then-Selangor MACC deputy director Hishammuddin Hashim, assistant enforcement office Arman Alies and assistant superintendent Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus.

But the country’s top lawyer instead told reporters yesterday the case has been referred back to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) after emerging from a meeting with de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and MACC investigation chief Datuk Mustafar Ali.

Mat Zain, former city criminal investigations chief, pointed out in a letter sent to The Malaysian Insider that this was the second time Gani has failed to act on recommendations by an RCI.

The retired senior cop, who was the lead investigator in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s 1998 “black eye” case, said Gani, who has been AG since 2002, also failed to act on a previous RCI in 2007 probing allegations that appointments of judges were fixed.

The panel had recommended action against senior lawyer Datuk VK Lingam, tycoon Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Umno secretary general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, former Chief Justices Tun Eusoff Chin and Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim as well as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“What happened to the recommendations? Gani Patail doesn’t even care a damn about the RCI Commissioners nor has he any respect for them in spite of him knowing they were appointed by the Agong,” he wrote.

Mat Zain also said this was further cause for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to form a tribunal to investigate the various allegations of misconduct against the AG.

“In spite of the damage Gani Patail had done to the police’s image and credibility, I just cannot fathom how some of them are still willing to beg and kiss his feet, especially when knowing the sufferings he has caused, not just to the force but to the criminal justice system as a whole.

“The prime minister has no valid reasons to say no to a Tribunal. That is the only competent authority provided in the Constitution to adjudicate the conduct of the Attorney-General,” he said.

Najib said last month another former top policeman’s claim that he was stitched up with corruption charges by Gani and then police chief Tan Sri Musa Hassan after stumbling upon Musa’s alleged involvement with organised crime did not merit a tribunal as they were mere allegations.

This comes after Mat Zain’s repeated accusations in the past three years that Gani and the former Inspector General of Police fabricated evidence in Opposition Leader Anwar’s 1998 “black eye” case which he investigated.

He also said Najib admitted he knew of Gani’s alleged wrongdoings when they met in private in 2008. He had then challenged Najib to axe the AG over his failure to act in high-profile cases such as Teoh’s death that occurred at MACC premises.

Putrajaya has repeatedly said, most recently in November, it will not reopen investigations into the case as an independent panel set up in 2009 had cleared Gani of any wrongdoing.

But Mat Zain said the panel was unconstitutional as only a tribunal, formed by the Agong on the advice of the PM, can investigate the conduct of the AG.

“The PM has no powers to clear the AG on his own nor form some panel under whatever name called for that purpose as and when he likes,” he added today.

Teoh, political aide to Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16, 2009 on the fifth-floor corridor of Selangor MACC’s office in Shah Alam after overnight questioning.

A coroner’s inquest returned an “open verdict” ruling out both suicide and homicide, leading Datuk Seri Najib Razak to order a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) after the ensuing public uproar.

The royal panel found that the three MACC investigating officers involved in the case used “continuous, aggressive and improper questioning tactics on Teoh which had breached its existing standard operating procedures” and recommended that action be taken against them.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 April 2012, 5:17 pm and is filed under
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Bersih 3.0 necessary due to ‘haste’ in holding polls, Ambiga tells EC

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 06, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — Bersih 2.0 has defended its planned April 28 rally, saying it is necessary as the government has not shown any commitment to implement the group’s eight reform demands before the next election.

The election watchdog’s chairman, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, accused the government of “showing haste” in calling for elections, which she predicted would be soon, and this made Bersih’s rally even more relevant and timely.

“As I said it is the government that is showing haste in holding the elections. No one has said that the reforms Bersih 2.0 has called for will be implemented before the 13th general election. Why is that?

“We have to do this now because the elections seem to be round the corner… I strongly disagree with what Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar had said,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

The Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman had described Bersih’s decision to hold a third rally for free and fair elections as “hasty and rash”.

He said Bersih should have instead accepted the 22-point recommendations presented by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms and allowed the commission to study the recommendations first.

He questioned Bersih’s rationale in having a third rally, and pointed out that the EC itself has yet to issue a response to the PSC’s findings.

But Wan Ahmad’s remarks appeared to have irritated Ambiga, who repeatedly asked why the EC as well as the government could not “commit” to implement all key reform demands before the next general election.

“We are of the view that the key recommendations can be implemented before the 13th GE. We have even offered the help of civil society. This is a call we have been making for months.

“How can this be hasty when it appears the elections may be round the corner? That (snap polls) is hasty. If it seems like we are rushing it is because it seems they are rushing to elections without the reforms,” she stressed.

Bersih’s third rally for free and fair elections is set to go on from 2pm to 4pm at Dataran Merdeka here.

But this time, the gathering will also be joined by simultaneous events across the country, likely adding pressure to the government to accede to the group’s demand for a total reform to the country’s election processes.

Bersih’s previous rally on July 9, 2011 turned chaotic when the authorities employed huge teams of riot police, armed with water cannons and tear gas launchers, to disperse the crowd of thousands.

    How can this be hasty when it appears the elections may be round the corner? That (snap polls) is hasty. If it seems like we are rushing it is because it seems they are rushing to elections without the reforms. — Ambiga Sreenevasan

The crowd had converged on the streets of the capital from the early hours of July 9, defying earlier warnings that their participation could result in arrests.

Over 1,600 people were detained as a result, including Ambiga and scores of opposition lawmakers, but Bersih 2.0 later declared the event a success based on the number of participants and the publicity it had earned in both local and international media.

The government moved quickly to enact the Peaceful Assembly Act after the event and formed the PSC on electoral reforms, but Bersih 2.0 maintains that these moves were insufficient.

Ambiga has pointed out that the PSC’s 22 recommendations had failed to deal with specific discrepancies in the electoral roll.

These include duplicate voters, overly large numbers of voters registered to a single address, the existence of deceased voters, and a suspicious spike in the number of civilian and postal voters, among many other similar irregularities.

The former Bar Council chairman also noted that the PSC had not only failed to address issues surrounding election offences and dirty politics, but also did not expressly direct the EC to implement all 22 reform recommendations in time for the 13th general election.

She said it was Bersih’s hope that national polls are not called anytime soon in order to give the government enough time to implement the reforms.

Bersih’s first rally in 2007, also for free and fair elections, has been widely credited for the 2008 political tsunami that saw Barisan Nasional (BN) lose its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority.

The ruling coalition faced a stunning defeat in five states, and the historic event led to the formation of Pakatan Rakyat (PR), a loose pact comprising the DAP, PKR and PAS.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 April 2012, 7:29 pm and is filed under
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Leave BN to prove anti-Lynas stand, Guan Eng tells MCA

By Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 06, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — Lim Guan Eng today challenged the MCA to prove its anti-Lynas stand by withdrawing from Barisan Nasional (BN) and standing under its own banner in the coming polls.

The DAP secretary-general cast doubt over the MCA’s sincerity in calling for the Lynas rare earth plant to be scrapped, saying the party could again change its mind after the polls to support the project.

“Therefore this is a last chance for MCA to prove its commitment to scrap the Lynas plant by withdrawing from BN and standing under its own banner at the next general election,” Lim said in a statement.

“Would (MCA president Datuk Seri Dr) Chua (Soi Lek) dare to announce that MCA would only rejoin BN when the Lynas plant is closed down?

“Any failure to do so will allow Malaysians to decide whether to trust a party that not only deceives itself but tries to deceive others,” he added.

In a statement on Tuesday, Dr Chua urged the federal government to stop the Sydney-based Lynas Corporation from proceeding with its nearly-complete rare earth refinery in Gebeng, Kuantan.

The MCA president had reasoned that safety was no longer the only issue but that the government could no longer ignore the resounding calls from Malaysians for the plant to be scrapped.

But Lim said this could be an election ploy by the veteran MCA politician, pointing out that as long as Umno refuses to commit to compensating Lynas Corp, the latter’s proclamation would remain suspect.

Even the newly-formed Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Lynas was unlikely to recommend the plant’s shutdown, he noted.

“Worse, Chua continues to press for Lynas to send the radioactive rare earth waste out of the country back to Australia is ridiculous when Australia has publicly and officially rejected such requests,” Lim said.

Unlike BN, he said, the Australian government was unwilling to place the health and safety of Australians above huge profits.

“For MCA to suddenly flip-flop from its previous position, and now suddenly see the light by urging the BN to scrap the rare earth processing facility just before the 13th general election smacks of sheer opportunism, a desperate and unprincipled attempt to buy votes,” Lim said.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 April 2012, 5:28 pm and is filed under
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My Lynas concerns

By
KJ John
 | Apr 3, 12

Malaysiakini

My questions and concerns about the Lynas project to both the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) is: Why is the development of this particular rare earths plant of such a strategic interest to Malaysia, in the light of the failed Bukit Merah project?

What kind of real or new high-skilled employment is actually generated by the project that it qualifies for a pioneer status of 12 years?

What really is the value add for Malaysian strategic interests, other than the obvious rent-seeking behaviour of local partners; cronies, or otherwise? Does a deputy minister’s brother really have a stake in this project? Why are the Australian owners dumping their rejected project and residuals into Malaysia?

No one really questions the demand or marketability of the final outputs; but, the most serious questions remains the waste generated; and my question is, why in Malaysia, and why in Kuantan?

When with Miti, I was in charge of industrial policy, and we developed and launched the Second Industrial Master Plan or what was labelled as the IMP2. The underlying theme of both the first and second IMPs was the growth and acceleration of the manufacturing industry through value adding clusters of industries within Malaysia.

Under the IMP1 it was low value added of labour and land, with a focus on capital investments (and technology) in the 12 subsectors of the selected industries. IMP2 consequently argued for raising the value added, “by moving up the value-chain” either on the research end of the continuum or at the marketing and distribution end. The primary focus of the manufacturing sector remained the traditional industrial and manufacturing industries.

The IMP3 is the latest strategic 15-year plan for the manufacturing sector from 2006 to 2020. It focuses on the development and growth of both the manufacturing and services sector industries in Malaysia.

The services sector is anticipated to overtake the manufacturing sector in terms of value added. Therefore and consistent with this strategic intent, the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority has even been renamed the Malaysia Investment Development Authority.

But surely this does not mean we close our eyes and take in any kind of non-quality investment, especially investments that give little or poor value added to our existing industrial clusters. Surely we do not want industries that come in still for cheap labour and land.

Therefore my many questions about the Lynas plant remain and I believe that this may become another “failed coup” between government-to-government relations between Australia and Malaysia. The refugee exchange plan was shot down under international law and requisite conditionalities.

Fear factor heightened by Fukushima

What is the real value add for the community in Kuantan; other than the insertion of fear of the possibility of some kind of potential nuclear disaster in the future? The fear factor has been further heightened by the Fukushima nuclear plants disaster caused almost entirely by a totally unanticipated tsunami factor.

Even the meticulous Japanese did not fully anticipate the recent extent of the nuclear disaster. So, why do we think we are better?

Have we really learned anything from the Look East Policy? Who then are the real and ultimate stakeholders of this risky venture, if not the local community? It is not our petrochemical cluster of industries? Neither is it our electrical and electronics (E&E) cluster and related industries? Where then in the IMP3 is the strategic nature of the Lynas-type rare earths a preferred and promoted investment? I searched and could not find it.

What is really so unique about Kuantan as a location for the plant, other than her history as a gold-mining wasteland to maybe justify the plant to be located there. But why then is the plant not located in continental Australia instead where they have plenty of wasteland?

Probably the most important but not well understood and unanswered question relates to the toxicity of the waste. How much real waste is actually generated and how poor is the quality of the particular kind of waste? Where and how is all this waste going to be stored; both temporarily and for the longer term? Why is this waste issue only being seriously addressed now; if an EIA was done?

As Derek Fernandez argued in the Malay Mail, why was the local authority not fully informed about the potential dangers of the waste matter? Why was the respective community-level stakeholders never consulted in the first place as part and parcel of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report? Was not the most critical constraint the potentially toxicity of the waste?

Furthermore, given our recorded history of the 1985 Bukit Merah case and the subsequent complete abandonment of that project; why is this sudden interest to supply rare earth processed products from Australia vide Malaysia and ultimately to Japan (I understand) of such interest to Malaysians? The Comsumers Association of Penang (CAP) has already published an entire book on the Bukit Merah Asian Rare Earth project; so, why is there a reversal of views?

We all must have heard by now about the strategic control that China has for the development, control and distribution of this rare-earths capability. Now they control 95 percent of the world market. In that context, what is Malaysia’s strategic role and intent for making a home for this plant in Malaysia? Is there such a strategic intent? If so, what is it?

Private investment interest makes it strategic?

To me, if this was a Khazanah-owned plant for the strategic supply of the requisite rare-earth minerals for the defence of our nation, I could still understand. But, all I hear is that, factual or otherwise, is that one of the children of Mahathir Mohamad has a crony stake in this plant. Does that private investment interest make it strategic enough a project for Malaysia?

The people of Kuantan (especially the children and grandchildren) have to sacrifice their certainties and quality of their life for the sake of some private crony interests of some capitalists? Is it truly so worthwhile for Malaysia and especially for Kuantan?

While I understand and appreciate the challenge of balancing between development interests with the protection, preservation and safety of private investment interests, there is no excuse whatsoever for compromising the different stakeholders’ interests and concerns before the construction of the plant.

What appears rather unfortunate is why the safety, security, and sustainability issues have been put on the back burner until now, when it is too late and the people have raised their serious objections and concerns.

The project could have been dealt with professionally and the communication managed better but it is too late now, because the real costs of unlearning, learning and relearning is too high, and while this need not become a political project; it has become one almost by poor design and incompetent execution.

Right now, the Green movement in Malaysia has been jumpstarted in Kuantan and they have been joined by the victims of the Bukit Merah accident and incident. Tomorrow this will also become an issue of “the lack of free and fair governance!” When the Green movement joins the Yellow movement under the reign of the hijau-kuning regime, we may be asking for some real trouble in Malaysia.

May God bless Malaysians to make both Bersih and Lynas national issues for this general election and help us be rational with our votes.

KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at
[email protected]
 with any feedback or views.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 April 2012, 11:01 am and is filed under
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Open season on Lim Guan Eng

By
Tunku Aziz
 | April 06, 2012

The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 6 — Umno has apparently declared “open season” on Lim Guan Eng. That they have been stalking their favourite target for years, even well before he came into prominence, is an open secret.

If they had not maligned, abused and subjected him to unremitting muck-raking and mudslinging, these Umno stormtroopers would have felt totally inadequate and that something was missing from their miserable existence.

They would, like their brown-shirted, fair-haired and blue-eyed Aryan cousins of the Third Reich, have felt that they were not fulfilling their historic destiny which is to cause as much mayhem as the police, in their accustomed manner and wisdom, would allow. It is all in the name of upholding “ketuanan Melayu”, and nothing should be allowed to stand in their way, not even the rule of law. Years of blatant abuse with impunity by Mahathir Mohamad who, in cahoots with his Umno henchmen, succeeded by means fair and foul, mainly foul, in distorting the systems of orderly governance as provided for under our constitutional arrangements.

Imputations of improper motives such as in the case of “the disappearing mosque land” and innuendos that any fair-minded Malaysian would regard as completely beyond the pale are standard fare to be dished out to the likes of Lim Guan Eng as and when it takes their fancy. What is grotesquely ironic in all of this is that the driving force behind the campaign to “put the non-Malays in their place” is a bunch of bloody-minded, misguided “constitutional” Malays who have been manipulating the Malays for ages.

For all their professed Malayness I am told the majority speak Tamil at home. We are free to speak any language. However, those claiming to be Malays must not only practise Malay customs and traditions but also habitually speak the Malay language. That is what the Constitution says. But you have to give it to them: they know Malay weaknesses instinctively and are quick to exploit them.

But then, the Malay is an open book. I do not always see eye to eye with Mahathir, but reluctantly I agree with him when he says Malays have a short memory and this has worked to his advantage. Racist I am not; I am just against any form of hypocrisy, barefaced or otherwise.

I suppose it would be totally unrealistic to expect a party that is morally deficient in respect of civilised conduct to conform even to minimum universal ethical standards. Where then is Umno’s legitimacy to govern? They bleat or, more in keeping with the time in which we live, moo, “But we have the people’s mandate.” Buying the so-called people’s mandate with state funds certainly does not confer on Umno the right to lead this nation.

In a more open and democratic society, the rule of law would ensure that those lording over us and robbing us blind in the process would by now be repenting at leisure (and that is being charitable in assuming they have a conscience) in the blissful peace of a secure prison at Sungai Buloh. Under the current regime where corruption has been allowed to develop into a fine art form, a prison term for the corrupt is a contradiction of Umno’s sacrosanct political philosophy of no growth without bribery. Naturally all this is being sanctified in the name of Hidup Melayu with the right connections.

In the present political climate and mood of desperation, much in evidence in Umno circles, they will give a damn for public opinion. This is nothing new to them as they have always treated public opinion with disdain. How else do we account for the unbridled excesses we see unfolding before our eyes with regular monotony? Guan Eng can always hope for the best but he knows deep inside as long as he continues to make a success of his stewardship of Penang, and as long as he has no truck with unethical practices, he will continue to be harassed and even physically threatened by Umno thugs.

Some of his detractors are saying that if he cannot stand the heat, he should get out of the kitchen. It is not the kitchen fire as we understand it that bothers Guan Eng. It is hell fire and brimstone that he is being forced to live through each day all because he is playing by a different, more open and accountable set of rules. Others are saying “The man doth protest too much.” When William Shakespeare wrote these words, he had not the faintest idea that there would be a time when protesting too much against political thuggery in undemocratic and corrupt Umno-led Malaysia would be completely justifiable.

It has become a matter of life and death. It is, in my view, more correct to say that Lim Guan Eng is agonising as the rest of us over the sorry state of affairs in our once fair land. Unlike most of us, Guan Eng is sticking his neck out to help bring about a better Malaysia for all. If he “doth protest too much”, it is his life and limb he is talking about and given what we saw on Padang Kota Lama during an anti-Lynas rally recently, wouldn’t you, if you were in his place, demand police protection? I know I would.

*
Tunku Abdul Aziz is a former Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Establishment of the UN Ethics Office and was recently conferred by the University of Tasmania an honorary Doctor of Laws for his fight against corruption and promoting ethics in business and government.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 April 2012, 10:54 am and is filed under
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Public engagement meet on healthcare system a letdown

Dr Steven KW Chow | Apr 5, 2012

Malaysiakini

The title of the Event was ‘Pelancaran Siri Jejalah Public Engagement – Kajian Sistem Kesihatan Malaysia’ but what really happened was a paradox.

As a media event it was well organised.

The members of most of the mainstream media were at hand.

They, together with the large number of government servant attendees still in their uniforms or with their name tags, virtually made up the bulk of the crowd.

The robust public presence that was supposed to be the objective of this engagement was clearly missing.

Thus it was not surprising that the discussion was devoid of substance and spirit.

Firstly, the announcement was only made known a mere three days prior to the event.

Insufficient notice and the choice of a busy Saturday morning hours for the event was effective in excluding many doctors and members of the public who were genuinely interested in providing some useful feedback.

Secondly, the time allocated for actual public engagement speaks well for itself and reflects on the sincerity of the call for meaningful public discussion.

The minister’s speech alone took 30 minutes. The three invited panelists took more than 30 minutes and the Chairman took another 10 minutes in introduction and comments. Then the panelists’ rebuttal before closing took another 20 minutes.

So what was merely left for the public questions and comments was less than 30 minutes. That was the level of the public engagement and discussion for this much touted event.

Thirdly, the call for transparency and how this would avoid the politicizing of the issue was loud and clear.

One would have expected the minister to lay out clearly on the table the details of the 2nd 1Care Paper (which is the follow-up of the first Concept Paper) for public knowledge and debate.

Revealing details of this would have gone a long way to reassure the public that the Health Ministry was indeed on the path of meaningful public engagement for its program to reform, evolve or transform (or call it whatever) the national healthcare system for the betterment of the rakyat.

Instead valuable time and effort was used spinning old yarns and overused rhetoric that we have heard over the past four months.

The usual menu of “denials, things are too early, nothing is decided, still in concept stage/option stage, profiling of critics etc,” were repeated for the benefit of the Press.

It was clear that the strategy was to avoid talking about the details.

To make things even more patronising, a member of the panel (a GP) and a similar-minded speaker from the floor(another GP) were going on and on about how terrible life as a GP is today, i.e. long working hours, falling patient load and how 1Care would make it better for GPs for themselves, their income, shorter working hours and their judicious use of power as gatekeepers for patients.

The ultimate important question on how much more would the already over-burdened 1.5 million or so taxpayers are expected to pay for the new healthcare delivery system was left silent and untouched.

Equally noticeable too was the absence of the mention of 1Care in the minister’s speech which made someone to quip whether the Health Ministry itself “pun Tak nak 1Care”. (does not want ICare).

In conclusion, the Health Ministry road show did not kick off with a healthy start but on the wrong foot.

This was a golden opportunity to show the rakyat that the Health Minister was willing to walk the talk and confidently lay down the latest details of the 2nd 1Care paper for valuable public scrutiny and debate.

This was the transparency that a distinguished panelist Dr Chandran Muzaffar was calling for.

Without this transparency, the public will continue to question the ministry’s proposal especially if it is not supported with adequate and meaningful public and stakeholder feedback.

Surely the trust of the public for the ministry and vice versa could not have fallen so low?

Dr Steven KW Chow is the president of Federation of Private Medical Practitioner’s Association, Malaysia (FPMPAM).

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 April 2012, 12:23 am and is filed under
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Why the Need for Bersih 3.0?

By
Kee Thuan Chye

THE call to rally has been made. There’s going to be a Bersih 3.0. Those who have been waiting for it are ecstatic.

April 28 is the day, and this time the anti-Lynas group, Himpunan Hijau, will be joining in. It looks like this is going to be more than just about electoral reform. It seems to have gone beyond that. It looks like those who are going to turn up for the rally will be declaring their stand against the Government and its administration of the country.

It’s beginning to seem like a rally to say “no” to Barisan Nasional (BN).

Hardcore anti-BN elements will be there. Those who have been declaring “ABU” (Anything But Umno) will be there. The Opposition will be there. As an ardent supporter of Bersih, I will be there.

But Bersih has mentioned an expected turnout of 500,000, and I wish it hadn’t. That’s a virtually impossible number. Even 100,000 would seem difficult to achieve, although it is planned that the rally will take place simultaneously in cities other than Kuala Lumpur.

The number of people that eventually show up will be crucial. If it is big enough, it will send a clear signal to the Government that the rakyat is not happy with its administration. It may even decide if elections should be called yet.

But if the number falls far short of expectations, it could indicate that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s recent strategy of ‘bribing’ the electorate with cash handouts has indeed worked, and he can call for elections as early as possible. He will probably laugh all the way to the polling booths.

Bersih 3.0 could indeed be a litmus test of voter sentiment.

So, will people turn up? Will the fervour be as strong as it was for Bersih 2.0, which was partly charged by the heavy-handed measures taken by the authorities to scuttle it?

This time, it is unlikely that the authorities will react the same way. They would have learned their lesson after the severe backlash they received over the Bersih 2.0 rally of July 9 last year.

However, this doesn’t mean they may not employ certain measures to discourage people from attending Bersih 3.0. Already, de facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz has said that Dataran Merdeka, which Bersih has chosen as its protest venue, is not a lawful assembly point.

It’s not likely, though, that this will be of great concern, although it may create a bit of tension because the rally organisers would then have to be called to meet the police to thrash out certain conditions, as has happened in the last few big gatherings since the passing of the Peaceful Assembly Act.

Of greater concern – particularly to me – is whether the middle ground, who form a major part of the rakyat and who are not as gung-ho as the hardcore about going to rallies, will be charged up enough by the new demands of Bersih to take to the streets.

The three new demands are for the resignation of the current Election Commission members; the clean-up of the electoral rolls; and the invitation of international observers to monitor the general election.

To me, the most compelling is the one calling for the electoral rolls to be thoroughly purged of irregularities. The parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform has recommended that another such committee be set up to oversee the clean-up, but Bersih has called for an independent audit. That certainly makes good sense.

I think Bersih must focus on this as its rallying cry. This will serve well its ultimate purpose for protesting on April 28 – that of ensuring that there will be no fraudery committed by any quarters at the upcoming 13th general election. This must be its theme writ large. If it is persuasive enough to move the middle ground, the latter may come out to march.

Already, the battle to win over the middle ground has started in the mainstream media, which is making the Government look good by providing a rosy picture of the PSC’s 22 recommendations for electoral reform. The Star was quick to shout out on its front page of April 4: ‘Hooray for voters’.

People who access only the mainstream media – and many of these comprise the middle ground – may have been moved to wonder why Bersih is still kicking up a fuss. Consequently, some of them may conclude that Bersih is only trying to cari pasal (find fault).

Bersih must therefore impress on all and sundry that while many of these recommendations are positive, the PSC must clearly specify that some can and have to be implemented before the 13th general election. And unless this happens, it will not be a clean and fair general election.

Bersih must drum it into the rakyat that there is already hanky-panky going on; it must provide solid evidence through a mass awareness campaign.

In keeping with its theme, Bersih must clamour for an impartial investigation into allegations that immigrants are being offered citizenship so that they will vote for BN.

The most important thing that Bersih must make the rakyat understand is that the election process has to be made clean before they next vote. And this may not happen if pressure is not applied on the Government to undertake the clean-up.

For this important reason, we need Bersih 3.0.

Not much time is left before the next general election has to be called. The rakyat must turn up in full force on April 28 if the call for free and fair elections is to ring out clear and loud. Bersih will have to depend on its own initiatives and marketing to make this come about.

Pakatan Rakyat will of course provide support by calling on its members, but this will not give sufficient legitimacy to the cause. It’s true that Pakatan members are also Malaysian citizens and have every right to be part of the rally – and their participation does not make the rally partisan – but the non-aligned citizens are the ones who matter most.

After all, Bersih 3.0 is for them – because it is meant for them to vote for a government cleanly, fairly and properly. If they don’t come out to claim it, what hope will there be for a better Malaysia?

*
Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new book No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 6 April 2012, 12:58 pm and is filed under
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Malaysians fail to get into Harvard for second year running

by Lee Wei Lian

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 07, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Malaysians failed to gain admission into the world’s most prestigious university for the second year in a row due to a slide in the quality of applicants, said Harvard University’s selection panel chief for Malaysia.

Not only did no Malaysian student receive an offer letter but none apparently was even good enough to make it to the interview rounds.

This comes after a controversy erupte over the quality of Malaysian education when Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pointed to a World Economic Forum report to claim that Malaysians had a higher standard of education compared to that in some advanced countries.

Opposition lawmaker Tony Pua later rubbished Muhyiddin’s claims, pointing to another international study — the PISA 2009+ — that showed Malaysian students lagging far behind western nations in terms of literacy, mathematics and scientific understanding.

Datuk Dr Goh Cheng Teik, who leads the Harvard team that interviews prospective Malaysian students, said he was informed the quality of applicants had deteriorated.

“I called the Harvard College of Admissions Office and was told that although they received applications from Malaysian students, no one was shortlisted for interviews as they are not considered competitive enough,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

A two-year absence from incoming Harvard freshman classes is enough to raise concerns over the quality trends of Malaysian education given that at least one Malaysian had been admitted to Harvard every year from 1985 to 2010.

A statement from Harvard’s interview panel showed that Malaysia was only fourth among Southeast Asian countries in terms of enrolment in the Ivy League institution.

Singapore has the highest number of Harvard undergraduates with 18, followed by Thailand with seven, Vietnam with six, Malaysia with five and Indonesia with two.

SMK Damansara Jaya alumnus Avinaash Subramaniam, who was awarded a full scholarship, was the last Malaysian accepted at Harvard in 2010.

Harvard was ranked the world’s best university for seven consecutive years by Times Higher Education (THE) until it was bumped into second place by the California Institute of Technology last year.

It was ranked the No. 1 university in the world last year by the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Some 34,950 applicants were received by Harvard for the 2016 graduating class and only 6.3 per cent were accepted.

According to the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness report that was cited by Muhyiddin, Malaysia was ranked 14th among 142 countries and second in Asean for quality education.

Pua pointed out however that the WEF study was merely based on the opinions of 87 local businessmen who were asked to rate on a scale of one to seven how much they felt the country’s educational system has met the needs of a competitive economy.

He noted that the PISA report said that only “56 per cent of students are estimated to have a proficiency in reading literacy that is at or above the baseline level needed to participate actively and productively in life”.

For mathematics, the PISA study revealed that only 41 per cent of students are proficient in the subject at the baseline level. For science, 57 per cent made the baseline level.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 7 April 2012, 12:01 pm and is filed under
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Teoh’s death: A-G’s ‘afraid’ to prosecute

by Teoh El Sen

Free Malaysia Today

April 7, 2012

Former KL CID chief Mat Zain Ibrahim claims the A-G is looking after his own interest in deciding not to charge anyone over Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

PETALING JAYA: With the amount of skeletons in his closet, Attorney-General Abdul Ghani Patail would be “digging his own grave” if he prosecutes anyone over the Teoh Beng Hock’s death, said a retired senior policeman today.

Ex- Kuala Lumpur criminal investigation department(CID) chief Mat Zain Ibrahim said this was the reason why Ghani was being cowardly and ‘afraid’  to institute criminal proceedings against any persons  recommended by the royal commission of inquiries (RCIs).

“It’s for his own survival.  Ghani will not institute any criminal proceeding against any person or persons  that are being recommended by any RCIs.

“It is not about lack of evidence or that the case needs further investigation from the appropriate Department or anything to that effect. The RCIs recommendations are valid and proper.

“I state without any hesitation, that Ghani is himself very afraid to take any actions.

“To institute any criminal proceeding against those persons would be like digging his own grave.

“It is like putting himself in the same boat with those people he is suppose to charge and prosecute.

The only difference would be those people may have only one charge hanging over their heads,while Gani Patail has several times more,” said Mat Zain in an e-mail to FMT today.

He said an RCI in 1999 to investigate the ‘black eye’ incident had found that Ghani had committed “various criminal offences” .

“He can be charged for at least six(6) cases of fabrication of evidence, each carrying a sentence of up to seven(7) years imprisonment upon conviction.

“As far as the documentary evidences against him are concerned, they are all there in the RCI report,consented by The Agong for all to see,” said Mat Zain.

‘Blatant’ snub

Mat Zain was the lead investigator in Anwar Ibrahim’s 1998 “black eye” case and has repeatedly accused that Ghani and the former Inspector General of Police fabricated evidence for the past three years.

Mat Zain said this was the reason Ghani is so “daring” and “blatant” to snub a group of Commissioners appointed by Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

He said that the commissioners appointed are normally not just anybody from the streets, but were people of unquestionable integrity and of certain standing in society.

“Unfortunately after these Commissioners have completed their tasks, they are being reduced to being mere lackeys and useless persons by none other than the A-G himself.”

He again called for the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to set up a tribunal to investigate Gani.

He said a tribunal can be formed by the Agong on Najib’s advise.

“All the PM needs to do is to set up a Tribunal and it will be over within a couple of days. There’s no need to engage foreign expert or foreign retired investigators like they did in the RCI to investigate into TBH’s death and waste tax payers funds…which are depleting by the

day,” said Mat Zain.

Mat Zain had noted that this was the second time Ghani has failed to act on recommendations by a commission of inquiry, the first being the failure to act on a previous RCI in 2007 probing allegations that appointments of judges were fixed.

Case closed

On Thursday, it was revealed in parliament that the A-G’s Chambers has closed its case on Teoh’s death and had cleared the three MACC officers named in the RCI report– which had found that Teoh was driven to suicide after aggressive interrogation– of all offences.

Teoh, 30, was the political aide of Selangor executive council member Ean Yong Hian Wah. He was found dead on July 16, 2009, on the fifth-floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after he was questioned overnight by the MACC officers on the 14th floor.

An inquest was held but could only reach an “open verdict”. An RCI was subsequently held and the five-man RCI panel, headed by then federal court judge James Foong, had singled out the three officers who were involved in Teoh’s interrogations.

They were Selangor MACC deputy director Hishamuddin Hashim and his subordinates Mohd Anuar Ismail and Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus.

The Bar Council, which played an active role in the RCI into Teoh’s death, had urged the A-G to clarify and explain his decision.

Contrary to the RCI report which named the three men, the Bar Council had recommended that five MACC officers be investigated for culpable homicide.

The five officers include Hishamuddin, Mohd Anuar and Mohd Ashraf as well as Selangor MACC investigations chief, Hairul Ilham Hamzah, and Klang MACC assistant enforcement officer Zulkefly Aziz.

The Bar had recommended that the five be investigated under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing the death of Teoh via negligence.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 7 April 2012, 7:09 pm and is filed under
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We did it once… we are going to do it again!

by Shamini Darshni

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 07, 2012

APRIL 7 — April 28 it is.

When I joined thousands of Malaysians last July 9, making our presence heard and felt on the streets of Kuala Lumpur to force the government of Malaysia to take the people’s united voice seriously, I knew, like every other person with me, that I was making a difference.

Since Bersih 2.0, we have seen, felt and heard an intensity so naked and so pure among Malaysians who want nothing more than a better country to live in. A country we have called home all our lives. A country we choose to still believe in.

Although it is disheartening that the third installation of the Bersih movement is championing the exact same eight recommendations we called for last year, my pride lies in the face of the political awakening that has taken many of us by storm. We are now unafraid to say we want better leadership, government accountability and transparency, and an overall better life as a Malaysian.

Did Bersih 2.0 then fail? Hardly.

Is Bersih 3.0 necessary? Let’s see:

● The Freedom of Assembly Act that was rushed through Parliament was a mockery.

● The Printing Presses and Publications Act still hangs in the air.

● The Election Commission says the next GE will see a “longer” campaign period of “at least 10 days.”

● The report by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform was passed in Parliament without debate. What rubbish.

● The amendments to the Universities and University Colleges Act have yet to come to pass. A state-sanctioned seminar geared at schoolteachers for heaven’s sake, and which outlandishly promoted religious strife, was allowed to take place. And we have one of the best education systems in the world, Mr DPM? Give me a break.

● Perkasa still exists.

● Public funds are continuously abused and the lame excuses politicians attempt to feed us are expected to shut us up.

● As I write this piece, friends are holding a meeting on the funding cut by the Ministry of Health for the HIV and AIDS cause, which has resulted in a major scaledown of care and support programmes for people living with HIV and AIDS, and resulting in roughly 100 jobs lost. Unfair!

● Fill in this blank. You are sure to find at least one reason for April 28. Enough. Again, enough.

We can expect to hear that the authorities are going to crack down on April 28 protestors. We may even be tear gassed, be at the receiving end of water cannons, or be arrested again.

But we will also sing “Negaraku” and discover new meaning to those words imprinted in our brains. We will smile at another Malaysian and feel tears in our eyes because there is one reason only we gather — for a better country.

For me, the Bersih movement is not just about electoral reforms, but how this forms the fundamental from which all the wrongs in the country can be put right.

If there is anything our pompous politicians should have learned in the aftermath of Bersih 2.0 is that they could not silence thousands of people who had gathered for one cause.

They cannot continue to feed us lies or whitewash issues and hope they go away. The only mature thing to do is to allow those of us who choose to take to Dataran Merdeka on April 28 to do so without sending in battalions of uniformed personnel to shoot tear gas canisters into the faces of Malaysians, but to protect us as we exercise our citizens’ rights.

In recent months and years, the political awakening amongst Malaysians, especially the younger Malaysians — and mind you, these are the income generators, taxpayers, and voters — has gained new heights.

The government of Malaysia must remember that the people, when united in a cause, are a force to be reckoned with.

We proved it with Bersih 2.0. Let’s prove it again come April 28.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 7 April 2012, 4:15 pm and is filed under
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Just who are the traitors?

— Spencer Gan

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 07, 2012

APRIL 7 — I note that Perkasa today called Bersih’s Ambiga Sreenevasan a traitor. I am afraid that the tables have been turned on its head in this country and the despicable and corrupt are now dishing out labels liberally.

But I do wonder whether the majority of us would consider a law-abiding activist a traitor or would they consider her a TRAITOR?

1. Someone who allegedly received kickbacks totalling RM144 million from a French defence company for agreeing to purchase two submarines. It is a fair assumption that the person/persons who received the money were not influenced by the utility of the purchase.

Asia Sentinel quoting French legal sources said that a Hong Kong company headed by Razak Baginda and his father received RM144 million from the French defence company. There is some evidence that the money was funnelled to Najib Razak who was the defence minister then. Is this a treacherous act? I wonder.

2. Individuals in the Prime Minister’s Department and senior government officials who have been giving foreigners documentation to allow them to vote in the coming elections. Citizenship is a privilege and it is the height of treachery for this privilege to be given away as if it were a Barisan Nasional T-shirt.

3. Traitors steal from their fellow citizens and don’t respect the rule of law. In this category is the Malaysian Cabinet. I am being generous but I don’t believe that even one minister is living on his Cabinet salary.

They have funnelled contracts, APs to family members, nominees. Some of them are being “kept” on monthly retainers by big business and in return, they influence decision-making so that their business partners win contracts, most often through direct negotiation.

4. Are the people behind Bersih traitors or the editors of mainstream media who have sold not only their profession down the drain but have sold their soul for cash and a Datukship?

5. Traitors are politicians who were voted in under one banner but who jump ship at the sight of money being flashed at them.

6. Traitors are law enforcement officials and government leaders who refuse to set up an independent tribunal against the catalogue of serious charges against the Attorney-General.

Yes, there are many “traitors” amongst us. Just don’t think the people from Bersih qualify.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 8 April 2012, 11:06 am and is filed under
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Perkasa masih bermain dengan api perkauman dan agama

 — Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 08, 2012

8 APRIL — Seruan pemuda Perkasa supaya orang Islam tidak bersama didalam rally Bersih 3.0 yang akan diadakan pada 28 April nanti menjelaskan lagi betapa jumudnya pandangan Ketua Wira Perkasa itu.

Semasa rakyat berbilang kaum sedang bertungkus lumus mencari penyelesaian terhadap penyelewengan dan pencemaran demokrasi ini ada pula pihak yang hendak menyelitkan kepentingan sempit pertubuhan itu dan berniat untuk menggagalkan usaha dan niat rakyat untuk memperbetulkan kepincangan yang dilakukan oleh institusi demokrasi negara ini.

Kenapa pula orang Islam tidak boleh menyertai rally tersebut. Apa yang “un-Islamic” nya rally itu sehinggakan orang Islam diseru untuk tidak menyertai rally yang berkepentingan untuk demokrasi dinegara ini? Saya tidak mahu berbahas tentang agama kerana saya tidak berpengetahuan agama yang lengkap. Tetapi apa yang saya fahami Islam memang menuntut umatnya untuk menolak kemungkaran politik dan ekonomi dan memperjuangkan kebenaran.

Wira Perkasa meminta supaya Pak Samad (A. Samad Said) tidak bersekongkol dengan Ambiga Sreenevasan dalam rally Bersih 3.0 kerana kumpulan 84 NGO itu adalah semata-mata memperjuangkan perjuangan peribadi Ambiga dan kerja itu adalah kerja anti Islam.

Sebagai seorang ahli Perkasa saya tidak nampak niat permuda Perkasa membuat kenyataan itu selain dari berniat jahat untuk memecahkan kesatuan rakyat yang mahukan “transparency” di dalam sistem pilihanraya negara ini.

Bagi Umno (sokongan Perkasa) mengelirukan rakyat merupakan satu-satunya cara untuk membunuh semangat rakyat yang inginkan sebuah negara demokrasi yang tulin. Mewujudkan kekeliruan ini adalah untuk kepentingan pihak yang gilakan kuasa dan amat takut jika kuasa itu terlepas dari genggaman mereka.

Matlamat kenyataan ini tidak kurang dan tidak lebih untuk memecahkan gerakan yang besar yang inginkan perubahan dan transformasi didalam sistem pilihanraya negara ini. Apabila semua sistem termasuk sistem pilihanraya itu baik dan transperan ia merbahayakan pihak yang sedang asyik dengan kuasa sekarang ini. Apa yang dikecewakan oleh pihak parti pemerintah hari ini, ialah mereka tidak lagi mudah untuk menipu dan mengelirukan rakyat seperti mana yang mereka lakukan selama ini untuk berkuasa.

Sebagaimana yang dinyatakan oleh Pak Samad Said himpunan Bersih3.0 ini tidak kena mengena dengan akidah Islam serta agama-agama lain. Islam itu satu agama universal dan apa-apa tindakan untuk memperbaiki keadaan yang tidak baik itu merupakan tuntutan agama kita dan juga agama-agama yang lain.

Kita amat sedih dengan interpritasi agama yang dibuat oleh pemuda Perkasa dan ini amat membingungkan banyak pihak. Banyak pihak merasa kebingungan kerana terkejut dengan tahap pemikiran pertubuhan yang kononnya memperjuangkan Islam dan bangsa Melayu itu.

Bagi saya tindakan Bersih 3.0 ini merupakan tindakan bukan sahaja oleh tuntutan demokrasi tetapi lebih lagi kerana ia adalah tuntutan agama kita jua. Agama Islam menentang penipuan dan jika ada pihak yang tidak suka dan bersetuju orang Islam membuat tuntutan yang amat penting ini ia merupakan tindakan anti Islam yang nyata.

Ini bukan isu Ambiga, tetapi ia merupakan isu sejagat dan isu yang memihak kepada kepentingan umat khususnya bagi rakyat Malaysia. Rakyat selama ini ditekan dengan hebat oleh pihak yang tidak mahu terpisah dengan kuasa walaupun merekalah yang telah menyalahgunakan kuasa dengan sewenang-wenangnya.

Kerana takutkan reaksi rakyat kerana kemungkaran mereka, maka pihak yang gila kuasa ini melacurkan institusi-institusi demokrasi dengan berbagai-bagai cara yang hina dan tidak bertamaddun itu.

Saya berpendapat setiap orang yang mahukan kebenaran politik dinihari, mereka tidak sepatutnya merasa terhalang untuk menyertai himpunan Bersih 3.0 ini dan lakukan dengan baik dan tidak melanggar undang-undang seperti yang mereka lakukan sebelum ini.

Pihak berkuasa terutamanya pihak Polis tidak sepatutnya menghalang penunjuk perasaan secara aman ini kerana itu adalah hak mereka. Negara ini mereka yang punya dan kuasa untuk menentukan masa depan negara juga adalah hak kita semua termasuk mereka yang menyokong Bersih 3.0 ini. Sebaliknya polis wajar memberikan kerjasama dengan penunjuk perasaan ini dengan memudahkan laluan mereka ke Dataran Merdeka untuk melakukan protes “duduk” di sana.

Mereka bukannya pergi ke Dataran Merdeka itu untuk melakukan keganasan. Mereka pergi untuk duduk menzahirkan perasaan tidak puas hati mereka kerana sikap tidak telus mereka yang berkuasa ini.

Kita ketepikan sahaja pandangan Perkasa ini kerana jika tuduhan mereka yang Ambiga mempunyai agenda peribadi, percayalah Perkasa juga merupakan pertubuhan yang memperjuangkan agenda seorang dua pemimpin mereka yang amat jelas dan mudah difahami oleh banyak pihak. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 8 April 2012, 10:57 am and is filed under
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Bohong dan menipu adalah keperangaian kedua (second nature) Umno

 — Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 09, 2012

9 APRIL — Apa yang menyebabkan Najib dan gerombolan Umno mampu menunaikan sebahagian besar janji janji mereka? Jawapannya ialah dana dan wang yang banyak. Itu sahaja kelebihan yang Najib dan gerombolan Umno ada. Dari segi idea dan gagasan dan wawasan yang terang, dia yilek. Jika tidak ada apco dan firma pakar runding seperti Mckinsey, Najib adalah seorang kanak-kanak yang hilang dalam hutan. Di luar jawapan dan pertanyaan yang tidak berskrip, Najib tidak dapat menjawap apa-apa.

Tiadakan kuasa yang ada, apa yang Najib ada? Sudah tentu hanya janji yang kosong. Janji kosong Najib jika di bandingkan dengan janji Pakatan Rakyat akan menelanjangkan ketandusan idea Najib dan BN. Dan saya tidak fikir Najib bodoh seperti yang kita melihatnya untuk tidak menyedari bahawa objektif PR ialah mendapatkan kuasa di Putrajaya. Dan kuasa inilah yang akan di pertahankan oleh Najib dengan segala tipu helah dan pembohongan terutama kepada orang Melayu.

Pembaca sendiri dapat melihat. Hanya selepas 4 tahun mendapat kuasa, beberapa kerajaan di bawah PR bukan sahaja menepati janji yang mereka buat tetapi mentadbir negeri masing-masing dengan lebih baik dari BN yang telah lama berkuasa. Ada negeri BN yang boleh menunjukkan bahawa mereka dapat mengadakan bajet lebihan? Ada, jika main silap mata yakni dengan mebatalkan beberapa perbelanjaan supaya balance sheet nampak baik. Kita mahu lihat negeri mana di bawah pemerintahan BN yang akan sekoyong koyong membentang supplementary bill untuk mendapat bajet tambahan. Ini semua kerja auta dan autawan in chief iaitu Najib Razak.

Antara 5 negeri yang mendapat FDI yang paling tinggi, 3 dari nya ialah negeri yang di tadbir oleh PR. Yang dua lagi negeri BN termasuk Sarawak yang di pimpin oleh pemimpin yang bukan dari Umno. Sarawak membangun tanpa campur tangan Umno dan jika ada campur tangan Umno, sudah tentu jahanam. Yang membantu Johor ialah kehampirannya dengan Singapura.

Apa sudah jadi pada janji Umno untuk membantu orang Melayu? Lihat sahajalah apa sudah jadi pada DEB? Kemajuan terpesat dan pertumbuhan yang nyata kepada ekonomi orang Melayu hanya berlaku semasa Tengku Razaleigh mengurus ekonomi negara kita. Semenjak ianya di ambil alih oleh putera dari keturunan Hindi Kerala, ekonomi orang Melayu, daripada yang bersifat rakyat, bertukar menjadi kemajuan ekonomi untuk orang yang terpilih.

Dari 1970 hingga ke 1981, perkongsian Melayu dalam kekayaan negara bertambah dari 2.7 peratus kepada 18.4 peratus. Bila Mahathir mengambil alih, ekonomi orang Melayu bersifat rakyat, bertambah kepada kurang sedikit dari 20 peratus. Ekonomi Melayu di bawah pengurusan Mahathir hanya bertambah 1 lebih peratus.

Dari segi rekod, Najib jangan cakap besar lah. Hari ini dia hanya boleh showcase Mokhtar al-Bokhari sahaja. Jika ekonomi orang Melayu hanya boleh di perlihatkan melalui Syed Mokhtar Bokhari, ini membuktikan bahawa dasar ekonomi di bawah Umno dan BN tidak berjaya dan gagal.

Dan jika orang seperti Syed Mokhtar berulang kali hanya mampu maju dengan pertolongan kerajaan, ini membuktikan bahawa S Mokhtar tidak ada skills untuk maju dengan usaha kudrat sendiri. Tambahan pula, dalam Malaysia ini, orang Melayu yang wajib di bantu ialah Syed Mokhtar sahaja kah?

Dibawah Syed Mokhtar, monopoli gula yang di pindahkan dari Robert Kuok menjadi lebih mahal. Sebagai reaksi harga mahal, ada matlaon pemimpin Umno yang mencadangkan supaya orang Melayu terutamanya, makan kurang gula. Bingung punya cadangan.

Bila Syed Mokhtar ambil alih Bernas, beras jadi lebih mahal. Inilah janji Najib kepada rakyat Malaysia, terutama orang Melayu. Saya ulangi lagi, janji Najib hanyalah untuk Putera dalam Bumi-Putera. Rakyat Bumi biasa hanya menadah tangan mengharapkan ehsan Sultan Najib dan al malikul sembab.

Pencapaian orang Melayu lainnya adalah hasil natural progression. Pendidikan? Semua kerajaan dalam dunia ini mesti mengadakan pendidikan. Mengadakan pendidikan sebagai suatu wadah menambahbaikkan kedudukan orang Melayu bukanlah sesuatu yang unik kepada Umno. Pentadbiran di bawah kerajaan-kerajaan Pakatan pun menyokong pendidikan sebagai wadah mengeluarkan mereka mereka dari kemiskinan. No big deal untuk di gahkan oleh Najib.

Najib gagal dalam janjinya untuk meningkatkan ekonomi orang Melayu.

Sekarang kita pergi ke bab terima kasih. Orang Umno yang bongkak dan sombong, beranggapan bahawa mengucapkan terima kasih dan puak yang berhak mendapatkan ucapan terima kasih ialah Umno. Inilah dusta yang paling besar. Jika rakyat di sarankan mengucapakan terima kasih kepada kerajaan yang telah meningkatkan kebajikan meraka, maka pengucapan itu mesti tidak bersyarat. Jika rakyat dalam negeri BN di suruh berterima kasih kepada kerajaan BN, maka rakyat di bawah kerajaan PR pun wajib beterima kasih kepada kerajaan PR. Nilai terima kasih rakyat kepada kerajaan BN tidak lebih mulia dari nilai terima kasih rakyat dibawah kerajaan PR.

Jadi sesuai dengan saranan PM kita yang kurang cerdik, saya mencadangkan rakyat yang telah menerima manfaat dari keelokan pentadbiran kerajaan PR menyatakan terima kasih mereka dengan mengekalkan kerajaan PR. Di negeri lain yang sengsara dengan pembohongan kerajaan Umno dan BN, mereka boleh menyatakan terima kasih mereka dengan menendang gerombolan penyamun dan perompak harta benda rakyat.

Mengenai sombong Najib jangan cakap besar lah. Bukankah dia baru sahaja memohon maaf kerana kesombongan Umno di negeri Kedah beberapa mingu yang lalu?

Dan beberapa minggu yang lalu, Najib mengingatkan rakyat supaya jangan mengulangi kesilapan mereka. Saya amat bersetuju dengan peringatan ini. Ya, rakyat jangan mengulangi kesilapan memilih Umno dan BN kerana kesilapan tersebut akan memberi lesen besar kepada Umno dan BN melanun dan merompak negara kita. Sudah tentu yang membuat kesilapan ialah golongan minority. Umno dan BN hanya mendapat 49 peratus dari undi popular sedangkan majoroti iaitu 51 peratus sudah pasti golongan yang membuat pilihan tepat. Lima puloh satu peratus telah mengundi parti PR dan ini mesti di teruskan.

Nyawa Umno dan BN bergantung kepada pembohongan dan manipulasi persempadanan kawasan parlimen. Lebih dasyat, terutama kepada orang Melayu, kita jangan lagi bergantung kepada parti politik yang kosong dari segi idea dan hanya bergantung untuk masa depannya kepada bontot Saiful Buhari dan diatas cerita seks.

Punah bangsa Melayu macam ini. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de plume of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. He was Pulau Manis assemblyman (2004-2008).

                This entry was posted on Monday, 9 April 2012, 5:08 pm and is filed under
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