It is a Right, Not a Privilege, So What Now?

By Kee Thuan Chye

1.11.2013

All Malaysiakini asked for was publish a daily newspaper in English of 40,000 copies to be sold only in the Klang Valley. But this was not acceptable to the Home Ministry, which rejected its application in August 2010. Why? What was the Government afraid of?

Sure, as an online news website, Malaysiakini had distinguished itself as a provider of news that the mainstream media often hid from the public for fear of offending the Government, and it had won tremendous support from truth-starved Malaysians who wanted to get “the other side of the story”, the side that exposed the Government’s shenanigans and deceptions. But the number of copies it was asking for its print version was relatively low, and with its distribution restricted to the Klang Valley, where there is a concentration of supporters of the Opposition, the newspaper would be mostly preaching to the converted anyway.

Besides, it was entering a market in which English-language newspapers owned by ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties, like The Star and New Straits Times, were already long entrenched and wielding considerable influence on their readers.

In any case, the Home Ministry did not give any grounds for rejecting Malaysiakini’s application. But when Malaysiakini brought the case to the High Court for a judicial review, the Minister had to state his reasons in an affidavit.

The case was heard in October 2012. The Government’s lawyer submitted that the granting of a publication permit was a privilege, not a right. But the judge disagreed.

Justice Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim said freedom of expression was a right guaranteed in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution. And this right included the right to publish a newspaper. He ruled that the ministry’s decision was “improper and irrational”.

He also considered the minister’s reasons for rejecting Malaysiakini’s application as stated in his affidavit. One of them stupidly stated that it was because there were already a lot of newspapers in the market and Malaysiakini’s entry would affect their profit margin.

The judge rightly pointed out that there was nothing in the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) that gave the minister power to regulate the market.

But of course! How could it be the job of the Home Minister to ensure that the profit margin of newspaper companies would not be affected?

Was the minister particularly concerned in this case because the newspapers were owned by BN parties, afraid that Malaysiakini might provide competition and affect their sales and therefore their profits? However you look at it, there was no cause for him to be involved in that aspect.

So the case ended with the minister and his ministry getting egg on their faces. Plus the judge quashed the ministry’s refusal to grant the permit and asked Malaysiakini to reapply.

But the ministry was not satisfied. It decided to appeal the decision. The appeal was heard last Wednesday.

The Government’s lawyer maintained that the granting of a publishing permit was a privilege, not a right, “as you have to apply first to get the permit”. He also said the High Court judge might not have considered the reasons given by the minister in the affidavit.

He mentioned the one about there being already a lot of newspapers in the market and therefore the need for control. But this was not a bright move. The High Court judge had already dismissed that reason as being invalid. Why bring it up again?

The lawyer also mentioned the reason the minister had given about Malaysiakini’s tendency to highlight sensitive and controversial news on its website. That didn’t seem like a bright move either. Because Court of Appeal judge Alizatul Khair Othman retorted that security grounds had not been cited as a reason in rejecting the application. So where’s the relevance?

In the end, the Government’s lawyer must have failed to convince the three judges. They unanimously upheld the High Court’s decision and dismissed the Government’s appeal. And of course, Malaysiakini can re-submit its application.

It is highly important to consider that the Court of Appeal agrees with the High Court judge. It is important because this reaffirms the dictum that publishing a newspaper is a right, not a privilege, contrary to the Government’s thinking.

In acknowledging that, where do we go from here?

Logically, the PPPA should be made null and void. It should be repealed. Because the PPPA gives the Home Minister the power to grant and revoke publishing permits. But this, as our learned judges have pointed out, is not consonant with the right to freedom of speech, which includes the freedom to publish a newspaper, guaranteed in the Federal Constitution. Since citizens have the right to publish a newspaper, there should be no need to apply for a permit.

As long as the minister enjoys the power to grant permits, he will construe that publishing a newspaper is a privilege, not a right. To dispel that and return to the people a right that is duly theirs, the Government should take the appropriate action. Over the years, many have been the calls made for the repeal of the PPPA because the Act threatens newspaper publishers and editors with potential suspension or revocation of their publishing permit. The Government should act on those calls now to prove that it is serious about openness and transparency, about achieving transformation.

But will the Government do that? When of late, we have seen it take regressive measures, like amending the Crime Prevention Act to bring back detention without trial and amending the Penal Code to gag civil servants?

It would be much easier to ask whether the Government should appeal the Court of Appeal decision on the Malaysiakini case.

Well, this could mean the Government’s lawyer would try to persuade a new panel of judges to accept the Home Minister’s reasons which two other courts have already rejected. More significantly, it would mean asking the Federal Court to interpret the freedom of expression guaranteed in the Federal Constitution differently. Would it?

At any rate, it would be petty to appeal, not to mention a waste of public funds. Allowing Malaysiakini to publish a newspaper is, after all, not a big national issue. But then, the Government has shown itself to be petty on many occasions. So we shouldn’t be surprised if it decides to stay consistent.

Besides, the current minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, has some issues with Malaysiakini, especially after it published an exclusive report on Oct 7 exposing what he had said at a supposedly closed-door event during which he allegedly said several atrocious things, like threatening to shut down newspapers, encouraging the police to shoot first and ask questions later in order to protect “our Malays”, and calling the underworld group Tiga Line his friends and telling them to carry on doing what they must do.

So let’s see what he will do.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new book The Elections Bullshit, now available in bookstores.

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DAP bigwigs come together in bid to help PAS retain seat

by Md Izwan and Musliza Mustafa

The Malaysian Insider

November 03, 2013

PAS roped in its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners to organise a dinner last night to meet Chinese voters in the Sungai Limau constituency, which goes to the ballot tomorrow.

Called Super Saturday, the event was attended by top DAP leaders including Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Zairil Khir Johari, as well as PAS’s Datuk Mahfuz Omar, Mohamad Sabu, Dr Hatta Ramli and its candidate Mohd Azam Abdul Samat.

Kit Siang in his speech urged the 1,000 Chinese voters who attended the function to help the Islamic party win with a bigger majority,

“This time, let us create history by securing the seat with a bigger majority through our candidate from PAS Ustaz Azam,“ he said.

Dr Hatta, who is PAS election director, described the event as one of friendship between the PR component parties.

“This is friendship between races in Malaysia. Don’t worry because we have a better future even though there are extremists in Malaysia. We have PR which will protect the rakyat,” he said.

Guan Eng meanwhile urged Chinese voters in Sungai Limau to choose the PAS candidate because they share the same agenda of fighting graft.

“Let us together reject bribery and GST,” he said, referring to the Goods and Services Tax announced in the 2014 Budget speech on October 25.

DAP’s Zairil addressing the crowd at the dinner last night. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefly, November 3, 2013.DAP’s Zairil addressing the crowd at the dinner last night. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefly, November 3, 2013.Zairil, who is Kedah DAP chairman, advised voters to reject leaders who resorted to racial politics.

“Umno practises racial politics.

“Even Mukhriz said last month they will not give aid to the people who did not vote BN in the May 5 general election,” said Zairil, taking a poke at Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.

Zairil also took a swipe at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, saying the recent move to increase the prices of oil and sugar would further burden the people.

The by-election is a straight fight between Azam and BN’s Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim. The Chinese represent 6% of the Sungai Limau electorate, of whom 93% are Malays. – November 3, 2013.

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Don’t lie on number of Sungai Limau’s Chinese votes, Kit Siang tells MCA

by Muzliza Mustafa

The Malaysian Insider

November 02, 2013

DAP senior leader Lim Kit Siang today told MCA not to “spin” on the percentage of votes obtained from Sungai Limau’s Chinese community during the last general election.

He said the Barisan Nasional party component lied when they said only 10% of the Chinese voted for Barisan Nasional (BN).

“According to the DAP analysis, BN received 45% of Chinese votes and PAS received 55%,” he said, adding that out of 1,842 Chinese voters, 1,400 turned up to cast their ballots.

“MCA is trying to mislead the public about the Chinese community’s support for the party.

“They are doing this so that when polling day comes and they get higher votes, they can claim the Chinese have swung back to them,” he said.

The Chinese make up 6% of the voters in Sungai Limau.

BN recently announced an allocation of RM2.5 million to three Chinese schools in the area, in their bid to win over the Chinese. It also pledged RM200,000 to the Sungai Limau Chinese school foundation. – November 2, 2013.

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Eat Penang: A 24-hour street food experience

BY
OPALYN MOK
 | NOVEMBER 2, 2013

The Malay Mail Online

Fluffy roti canai at Transfer Road. ― Pictures by KE Ooi

GEORGE TOWN, Nov 2 ― Penang has been labelled a “hawker’s paradise” because of the sheer variety of hawker or street food available.

But we decided to take it up one notch; test and see if this little island up north is really the only place in Malaysia where you can find food of every imaginable taste and flavour… at every hour of the day!

By the roadside, in airy coffee shops and yes, even in dark secluded corners where the flames of the cooking fire and aroma of cooked food are the only indications that food can be found there.

We tried them all.

This is not just a food guide but a journey or a street food experience that will tease and stimulate your palate and senses.

The whole route has been meticulously planned so that you can take in some Penang sights as you tuck into what we can call a “24-course meal” in 24 hours.

Things you may need: GPS, plenty of loose change ― because you don’t want to hand over RM100 for a RM3 bowl of noodles and have the hawker glare at you ― and most important of all, an empty stomach with a huge appetite.

A note of warning: this is not for the weak of will or stomach!

6am: Roti Canai at Transfer Road, George Town

Business hours: 6am – 2pm

GPS coordinates: 5.42063,100.330512

Start the day in George Town ― within the heritage zone ― with a satisfying breakfast of fluffy roti canai at Transfer Road. Literally located by the roadside, and on top of a covered drain, the stall’s pan-fried “bread” is both fluffy and crispy, best enjoyed with some thick dhall (lentil curry) or some of the other curries available.

Char koay kak at Kimberley Street (left). Hokkien mee at Swee Kong Coffee Shop in Pulau Tikus (right).

7am: Char Koay Kak at Kimberley Street, George Town

Business hours: 7am – 11am

GPS coordinates: 5.416697,100.332389

Plain rice cakes are fried in a wok over firewood and garnished with bean sprouts, spring onion and egg for a fragrant meal served in a banana leaf cone wrapped in newspaper. The stall is by the roadside so it is a to-go meal or you could eat it while standing next to the stall.

8am: Hokkien Mee at Swee Kong Coffee Shop, Burmah Road, Pulau Tikus

Business hours: 7am–10am

GPS coordinates: 5.43047,100.312691

Time for a steaming hot bowl of Penang’s very own Hokkien mee. Also known as prawn noodles, the most notable feature of this dish is the savoury soup that is cooked from mainly shrimps so it has a very strong shrimp flavour barely masked by added chillies and spices for a spicy kick to the soup. The noodles are served in the soup along with sliced prawns, pork slices, bean sprouts, water spinach and homemade sambal. Be early because this particular stall runs out of noodles and soup really fast.

9am: Lim Birthday Mee at Pinang Delicious Food Court, Macalister Road, George Town

Business hours: 8am – 1pm

GPS coordinates: 5.416713,100.322771

After the spicy prawn noodles, Lim Birthday Mee is another type of shrimp noodles but a clear soup version, best enjoyed on a cold rainy day. Also boasting of a strong shrimpy flavour without the chillies, the “birthday” noodles is also known as lam mee. It is served with pork slices, mushroom slivers, sliced omelette, bean sprouts and parsley. It is best enjoyed with a scoop of local sambal, a homemade chilli paste, but can also be eaten as it is.

Lim Birthday Mee at Pinang Delicious Food Court at Macalister Road (left). Crispy deep-fried fish with plain fried noodles best eaten dipped in the special spicy peanut sauce from Goh Chew Coffee Shop (right).

10am: Fried fish bee hoon at Goh Chew Coffee Shop, New Lane, George Town

Business hours: 7.30am – 11am

GPS coordinates: 5.414566,100.326151

Had enough of soupy dishes? This stall offers plain fried bee hoon (vermicelli) or noodles served with crispy deep fried fish and prawns. What’s unique about this stall is that their deep fried fish is so crunchy, it can even eaten on its own or with their special peanut sauce that adds a dash of spice and a burst of flavours to the whole meal.

Perfect for a mid-morning break – toast, half-boiled eggs and coffee at Toh Soon (left). Beef noodles at Sri Weld (right).

11am: Toast and coffee at Toh Soon Coffee Stall, Campbell Street, George Town

Business hours: 7am – 6pm

GPS coordinates: 5.418871,100.332084

A cup of fragrant local black coffee and toast served with runny half-boiled eggs in a cup make for the perfect mid-morning snack. The little back-alley stall has been around for more than 50 years and if you ever need a cup of strong local coffee with charcoal toasted bread, this is the perfect place to be.

Noon: Beef noodles at Sri Weld Food Court, Beach Street, George Town

Business hours: 11am – 3pm

GPS coordinates: 5.417781,100.342888

This is comfort food for beef lovers. The stall is located at the back portion of the food court and serves up steaming bowls of noodles, beef slices and beef meatballs in clear soup cooked from beef stock. Be prepared to fall in love with the soft, fall-apart beef and the fragrant spices that blend well with the beef flavour.

Chee cheong fun at Genting Coffee Shop (left). Ais kacang and cendol at Joo Hooi Café (right).

1pm: Chee Cheong Fun at Genting Coffee Shop, Lorong Delima 6, Island Glades, Gelugor

Business hours: 6am – 5pm

GPS coordinates: 5.382875,100.303996

After the heavy meal of warming beef noodles, this can almost be considered as “dessert” due to its sweet shrimp paste sauce. This is no ordinary chee cheong fun as its soft, silky steamed flat rice rolls are served with a thick, treacly sauce that is a special combination of shrimp paste, sweet sauce and peanut butter. Weird? Not at all. If you like it spicy, the dish is also served with chilli paste and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

2pm: Ais Kacang / Cendol at Joo Hooi Café, at junction of Penang Road and Lebuh Keng Kwee, George Town

Business hours: 11am–6pm

GPS coordinates: 5.417162,100.33059

It is time to cool off in the heat of the afternoon with a nice cold bowl of ais kacang which is shaved ice covered in syrup, condensed milk and topped with red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly and palm nuts. This famous stall has been around for three generations and they even have a chain of outlets at shopping complexes. They also offer cendol ― shaved ice with coconut milk, palm sugar and green jelly noodles.

3pm: Char Koay Teow at Siam Road, George Town

Business hours: 3pm – 9pm

GPS coordinates: 5.415495,100.320293

No visit to Penang is complete without tasting its legendary char koay teow and this roadside stall serves up one of the best fried flat rice noodles you can find on the island. There’s no dining in here because it is literally by the roadside so you can enjoy the piping hot noodles fried with cockles, eggs and Chinese waxed sausage in a coffee shop opposite the stall or stand to enjoy your meal or take away. Be prepared to wait in a long line though.

Char koay teow at the roadside stall along Siam Road (left). This little-known mee goreng stall serves up one of the best Indian-style spicy fried noodles in Penang (right).

4pm: Mee Goreng/Mee Rebus at Chuan Foong Coffee Shop, Jalan Chan Siew Teong, Tanjung Bungah

Business hours: 3pm – 5pm

GPS coordinates:  5.465881,100.279915

Go for a scenic drive along the coast of the island and catch glimpses of the sea before you come to this little-known corner coffee shop by the main road of Jalan Batu Ferringhi. Be prepared to be blown away by the Indian-style fried noodles in a rich tomato-based spicy sauce garnished with cuttlefish, tofu and potatoes. If you prefer something with gravy, the stall also has mee rebus, or blanched noodles in a thick spicy sauce, the same one used to fry the noodles.

5pm: Hon Kei Pork Soup at Hon Kei Food Corner, Jalan Kampung Malabar, George Town

Business hours: 9am – 3pm, 5pm – midnight

GPS coordinates: 5.419087,100.33262

Pork galore for pork lovers because this is the place where you get to eat almost every part of the pig, particularly the innards, including pig’s brains in a clear soup. This used to be a roadside stall for several generations before they expanded, bought a row of shoplots just a few metres from their roadside spot and now opened their own coffee shop selling only pork soup with noodles or pork porridge.

6pm: Bak Kee BeeHoon Soup at Hwa Nam Coffee Shop, Carnavon Street, George Town

Business hours: 5.30pm – midnight

GPS coordinates: 5.414363,100.33321

This is another pork soup with vermicelli but with a different twist. It is not mere plain pork meat balls or plain minced pork but seasoned minced pork dipped in cornstarch before it is cooked in a clear soup and served with vermicelli.

7pm: Nasi Melayu at Terengganu Road, Taman Free School

Business hours: 5.30pm – 10pm

GPS coordinates: 5.404686,100.308963

For dinner, it is time to head out of George Town and go for a drive through a school area and housing estates for nothing beats a satisfying meal of nasi tomato (tomato sauce-based rice) or just fluffy white rice served with any traditional style Malay dish you fancy from the tender buttery soft squid cooked in a rich curry gravy to the crispy  fried chicken seasoned in local spices, all perfectly complemented with a tangy home-made sambal (ground chilli paste).

The nasi Melayu stall at Terengganu Road has a wide array of dishes to choose from (left). Strips of chicken, pork, venison, beef, mutton or wild boar seasoned in a variety of sauces grilled over a charcoal fire at Terengganu Road (right).

8pm: Satay at corner coffee shop, junction of Terengganu Road and Lim Leang Teng Road

Business hours: 6pm – 11pm

GPS coordinates: 5.405498,100.308427

Satay may be traditional Malay fare but this stall offers more than seasoned strips of chicken and beef grilled over charcoal. This stall, located within a tiny little nameless coffee shop, offers sticks of skewered pork, pork intestines, wild boar, mutton, venison, chicken and beef seasoned in a variey of styles from the original tumeric-based seasoning to tom yam, honey, black pepper, red fermented bean curd sauce and curry. Although served with peanut sauce and cucumbers, these bites of delectable meaty morsels are good even without the sauce.

9pm: Assam Laksa at Bee Hooi Coffee Shop, Burmah Road, Pulau Tikus

Business hours: 8pm = 11pm

GPS coordinates: 5.432189,100.310186

Penang assam laksa has earned a whole reputation of its own for its unique combination of four different flavours ― sweet, sour, spicy and a tinge of saltiness ― all brought together in a fish stock soup seasoned with local spices. The spicy soup, served with white rice noodles and vegetables, is further enhanced with the sweet and thick shrimp paste and though some may find it has a strong fishy smell, others find it has an intriguing blend of aroma from the spices used in the soup. This stall too has been around for decades. They also have a side dish of wet popiah, fresh rolls wrapped with shredded jicama, diced bean curd, egg, lettuce and covered in a savoury sweet gravy.

Assam laksa at Bee Hooi Coffee Shop (left). Kuih Chiap at Kimberley Street (right).

10pm: Curry mee at Chulia Street, George Town

Business hours: 7.30pm – 11pm

GPS coordinates: 5.418005,100.336601

Time to join the throng at this busy road lined with night spots, watering holes, little cafés, budget motels and literally a backpackers’ haven. Be prepared to wait around for a place to sit and also to dine under the stars, by the roadside where you can watch vehicles whizzing by mere inches away. The curry mee here is usually the main attraction for its rich spicy soup with just the slightest tinge of coconut milk. Whether you eat it with plain noodles or with vermicelli and cockles, it will definitely blaze down your throat so remember to order drinks to put out the fire. If you can’t take the heat, the wantan mee stall here serves up a decent plate of noodles in dark sauce or in plain soup.

11pm: Kuih Chiap at Kimberley Street, George Town

Business hours: 6pm – midnight

GPS coordinates: 5.416211,100.332803

A few streets down, here is another roadside stall that offers up hot steaming bowls of herbal and spiced soup of stewed duck meat, gizzards and pork. Either eat it as it is or for a full meal, have it served with a bowl of rice or hor fun.

Teochew-style duck rice of braised duck meat with crispy roast pork at Air Itam Market.

Midnight: Teochew duck rice at Air Itam Market, Air Itam

Business hours: 11pm – 2am

GPS coordinates: 5.401845,100.277495

Why go to a wet market in the middle of the night? Well, it may be a wet market by day, but it’s a makeshift “food court” by night. Forget the run-of-the-mill duck rice served with crispy roast duck, this stall sells the Teochew-style duck rice, where the duck meat is seasoned and braised to a soft tenderness that it falls apart and almost melts in your mouth. You won’t even know it is duck meat!

1am: Claypot Bee Tai Bak (Loh Shi Fun) at Lintang Paya Terubong 3, Paya Terubong

Business hours: 8.30pm – 2.30am

GPS coordinates: 5.390427,100.277678

Only in Penang you get to dine under a makeshift stall right next to a bus stop, on a narrow pavement near the corner of a road junction. Sounds complicated? Maybe. This stall is not easy to find as it is nestled within a housing area but it is a popular haunt for residents (and naturally, foodies like us) with a penchant for claypot noodles, claypot chicken rice and sizzling plate noodles. Their signature dish is the claypot bee tai bak (a type of rice noodles) in a thick starchy soup with beansprouts, eggs and anchovies. If you love shark fin soup but feel guilty about eating shark fin, this is a great alternative as it is almost like the delicacy, without the cost.

Claypot bee tai bak by the bus stop on the pavement at Paya Terubong.

Have your nasi lemak 2am break at Lintang Batu Lanchang.

2am: Nasi lemak at Lintang Batu Lanchang, near the Taman Seri Damai flat entrance

Business hours: 11pm – 3am

GPS coordinates: 5.390907,100.306731

No food journey in Malaysia, even in Penang, is complete without a recommendation to one of the best nasi lemak stalls around. This stall offers fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk with a sprinkling of spices that goes perfectly with their famed curries. It doesn’t matter which curry you pick from their array of chicken, squid, fish, beef or mutton curries, this is the place to be for a truly Malaysian taste of what nasi lemak is meant to be. You can also be adventurous to ask for “campur” (where they literally flood your rice with a mixture of the curries) and add a crunchy fried fish or chicken to complete the meal.

3am: Sup Hameed at Penang Road, George Town

Business hours: 6pm – 4am

GPS coordinates: 5.422128,100.334197

Hot bowls of meaty soup are especially wonderful during the coldest hour of the night. The roadside stall dominating the whole length of the pavement of the road offers the best chicken, mutton, oxtail and of course, their signature, “torpedo” soup (made from the bull’s penis). Try the “torpedo” soup if you are adventurous and men often go for this due to the belief that it gives them a boost where it is needed.

Hot bowls of chicken, lamb or beef soup at Sup Hameed best eaten with warm steamed bread (left). Eu char kuey at Jalan Air Itam (right).

4am: Eu Char Kuey at Jalan Air Itam, near Air Itam Market, Air Itam

Business hours: 3am – 11amGPS coordinates: 5.400189,100.277925

Wash down the warm soup with these deepfried snacks, essentially made from flour and some with glutinous rice or red bean filling. This stall has an array of piping hot eu char kuey, ham chim peng and hua chne (all different types of deepfried snacks made from flour) that are crunchy, fragrant and most important of all, not too oily despite it being deepfried.

5am: Nasi Kandar at Wah Meng Coffee Shop, Jalan Air Itam, Air Itam

Business hours: 3.30am – 11am

GPS coordinates: 5.400382,100.278069

This nasi kandar stall is not where you sit for hours with a teh tarik just to watch the sports channel for free. It is where you have to line up for nasi kandar that is as authentic as you can find in a coffee shop. Be prepared to eat while squatting down or standing up because the coffee shop is not open till 7am but it will be worth it because what they offer are homecooked dishes that are different from the standard, sometimes bland, fare of of 24-hour nasi kandar chains.

Finally, we have come to the end of the 24-hour food journey all over the island of Penang. There are plenty of other interesting street foods on the island but unfortunately, we could not feature all of them so do take your time to explore and discover more passionate “roadside chefs” in Penang.

This story was first published in Crave in the print edition of The Malay Mail on November 1, 2013.

A plate of nasi kandar from the stall at Wah Meng Coffee Shop is like a home-cooked meal, not a commercial nasi kandar stall.

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Apakah Muhyiddin akan memperuntukkan RM480 juta kepada dua SRJK(C) Kuo Kuang 1 dan 2 di Gelang Patah berasaskan janjinya dalam pilihanraya kecil Sg Limau?

Dalam pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau, Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Pendidikan Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mengumumkan peruntukan sebanyak RM1 juta untuk SRJK(C) Aik Min, RM1 million untuk SRJK(C) Yuk Meng di Sungai Limau dan RM50,000 untuk SRJK (C) Pek Hwa.

SRJK(C) Aik Min mempunyai 15 murid dalam lima kelas, iaitu:

Darjah 1 – 2 murid

Darjah 2 – 2 murid

Darjah 3 – 5 murid

Darjah 4 – 3 murid

Darjah 5 – tiada murid

Darjah 6 –  3 murid

Jumlah –  15 murid

SRJK(C) Yuk Meng di Sungai Limau mempunyai 41 orang murid dalam enam kelas, iaitu:

Darjah 1 –   1 pupil

Darjah 2 –   5 murid

Darjah 3 – 10 murid

Darjah 4 –   4 murid

Darjah 5 – 12 murid

Darjah 6 –   9 murid

Jumlah  –  41 murid

Sewaktu mengumumkan peruntukan berkenaan dalam pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau, Muhyiddin menyebut bahawa kerajaan Barisan Nasional akan terus membantu sekolah Cina dan Tamil selagi ada matahari dan bulan.

Menurut beliau, dakwaan yang menyebut Barisan Nasional hanya memberi peruntukan kepada sekolah-sekolah berbahasa ibunda ketika pilihanraya umum atau pilihanraya kecil adalah tidak benar.

Beliau mengatakan bahawa peruntukan kepada sekolah-sekolah Cina di Sungai Limau telah diluluskan lebih awal dan bukan “gula-gula” untuk meraih sokongan pengundi Cina yang berjumlah 1,800 orang di sana.

Kata beliau: “Walaupun di waktu tiada pilihanraya, kami tetap akan membantu kerana kerajaan Barisan komited untuk memperbaiki tahap pendidikan.”

Saya mengalu-alukan peruntukan berjumlah lebih RM2 juta kepada sekolah rendah Cina di Sungai Limau.

Berdasarkan peruntukan sebanyak RM1 juta kepada SRJK(C) Aik Min, atau RM66,666 bagi setiap seorang daripada 15 pelajar, dua buah SRJK (C) Kuo Kuang di Gelang Patah patut mendapat peruntukan sebanyak RM480 juta, atau RM213 juta untuk SRJK (C) Kuo Kuang 1 yang mempunyai 3,200 orang pelajar dan RM266 juta kepada SRJK (C) Kuo Kuang 2 yang mempunyai 4,000 orang pelajar.

Apakah Muhyiddin akan memperuntukkan RM480 juta kepada dua SRJK(C) Kuo Kuang1 dan 2 di Gelang Patah berasaskan janjinya dalam pilihanraya kecil Sg Limau untuk membuktikan bahawa Barisan Nasional akan terus membantu sekolah rendah Cina dan Tamil “selagi ada matahari dan bulan?”

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/11/01/will-muhyiddin-allocate-rm480-million-to-the-two-srjk-kuo-kuang1-and-2-in-gelang-patah-based-on-his-promise-in-sg-limau-by-election/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 November 2013, 5:17 pm and is filed under
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Happy Deepavali? DAP MP and SA prevented by MIC from entering Deepavali bazaar

by K Siladass

On the eve of Deepavali (1st November 2013), Member of Parliament for Kluang,  Liew Chin Tong; State Assemblyman for Mengkibol, Tan Hong Pin and I, along with several others decided to take a stroll along Jalan Station,  Kluang to see the stalls set up to peddle Deepavali wares.

At the entrance of the row of stalls, a group of men holding out to be MIC officials stopped Chin Tong and Hong Pin from entering on the ground that they had organised the stalls and that they, as the purported organisers, were not given notice of Chin Tong and Hong Pin arriving there.

Chin Tong politely pointed out that it was a public road and he could walk. The men refused to yield and spoke aggressively whilst claiming that it was an MIC organised event.

I did inform them that Chin Tong and Hong Pin were coming with me to which they said I could enter but not Chin Tong, Hong Pin and friends. Shortly after this, one Raman who claimed to be the divisional chairman of MIC started talking aggressively.

While Raman was talking aggressively, another person amongst them shouted at the photographer in the National Language to stop taking photographs
(jangan ambil gambar)
.

Their behavior in stopping Chin Tong and Hong Pin from Jalan Station was the most unIndian and unMalaysian attitude.  You never chase even your worst enemy away from your home should they visit you on an auspicious day like Deepavali. Jalan Station is not the exclusive property or MIC and neither was there signage restricting entry to MIC members only.

In a festive season, more so in Malaysia, the behavior of those who barricaded the road to prevent a Member of Parliament and State Assemblyman from entering was despicable and not within the Malaysian spirit for Deepavali.

As an Malaysian of Indian origin, I am ashamed that some fellow Malaysians had behaved in such a despicable manner that Friday evening.

* K Siladass is a a Kluang resident and a lawyer. He was DAP’s Johor State Secretary in the 1960s.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 November 2013, 2:12 pm and is filed under
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Mengapa politik Malaysia terjerumus ke tahap paling hina dengan pembohongan berterusan?

Sambil 27,222 pengundi dalam Dewan Undangan Negeri Sungai Limau di Kedah mengundi hari ini untuk menentukan siapa akan menjadi Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri mereka, sama ada calon PAS/Pakatan Rakyat Mohd Azam Abdul Samat atau calon Umno/Barisan Nasional Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim, satu persoalan sepatutnya difikirkan oleh semua parti politik dan pemimpin, iaitu mengapa politik Malaysia terjerumus ke tahap paling hina dengan pembohongan berterusan?

Kempen Umno/BN dalam pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau bermula dengan pembohongan tentang DAP yang kononnya mahu membentuk negara Kristian, menghapuskan sistem Raja Berperlembagaan, anti-Melayu dan anti-Islam.

MCA turut tumpang berbohong dengan mendakwa bahawa walaupun lebih 50% dari 1,842 pengundi Cina di Sungai Limau adalah ahli MCA, hanya 10% pengundi Cina di sana mengundi Barisan Nasional dalam pilihanraya umum pada 5 Mei 2013 lalu.

Seperti yang saya sebutkan sewaktu berkempen di Sungai Limau Dalam dua hari lalu, sekitar 1,400 dari 1,842 pengundi Cina keluar mengundi dalam pilihanraya umum lalu dan daripada jumlah itu PAS/PR mendapat sekitar 800 undi dan BN meraih sekitar 600 undi – iaitu sekitar 55% mengundi PAS/PR dan 45% mengundi Umno/BN.

Dengan mendakwa PAS/PR mampu mendapat 90% daripada undi Cina di kawasan luar bandar seperti Sungai Limau, tidakkah dengan itu MCA seolah-olah mengatakan bahawa PR telah mencapai sesuatu yang mustahil, iaitu dengan mendapatkan 150% undi Cina di kawasan bandar?

1842 orang pengundi Cina di Sungai Limau tertumpu di lima pusat pengundian:

Simpang Tiga (26% Cina), Sungai Limau (19% Cina), Kabu Sepuloh (10.2% Cina), Batu Enam Belas (12.1% Cina) dan Kampung Titi Batu (13.4%).

Analisis DAP ke atas trend pengundian pengundi Cina di Sungai Limau yang telah saya terima seperti berikut:

“Sokongan pengundi Cina kepada PAS dianggarkan pada tahap antara 45% hingga 55% di kawasan-kawasan ini (dengan mengandaikan sokongan Melayu terhadap PAS di kawasan ini sekitar 50%).

“Sokongan pengundi Cina kepada PAS dari tahun 2008 hingga 2013 tampak meningkat. Di Simpang Tiga yang mempunyai 26% pengundi Cina, sokongan terhadap PAS meningkat sebanyak 9.7% antara tahun 2008 hingga 2013. Dianggarkan sokongan pengundi Cina kepada PAS di Sungai Limau pada tahun 2008 berada pada kadar 40% hingga 45%. Bererti, sokongan pengundi Cina terhadap PAS telah meningkat sekitar 5% hingga 10% antara tahun 2008 dan 2013.”

Jadual 2: Sokongan terhadap PAS di tahun 2008 dan 2013 di 5 pusat undi yang mempunyai bilangan pengundi Cina paling tinggi

KOD AND DM

Cina%

PAS%2013

PAS%2008

2013-2008

SIMPANG TIGA 012/20/07

26.3%

47.2%

37.5%

9.7%

SUNGAI LIMAU 012/20/10

19.0%

49.4%

46.9%

2.5%

KABU SEPULOH 012/20/11

10.2%

50.7%

50.9%

-0.2%

BATU ENAM BELAS 012/20/16

12.1%

58.1%

62.0%

-3.9%

KAMPUNG TITI BATU 012/20/17

13.4%

59.2%

56.3%

2.9%

MCA cuba menimbulkan senario bahawa mereka hanya mendapat 10 peratus undi pengundi Cina di Sungai Limau dalam pilihanraya lalu untuk membolehkan mereka meraih lebih daripada 10% undi dalam pilihanraya kecil kali ini bagi membolehkan mereka mendakwa bahawa kaum Cina telah kembali kepada Barisan Nasional.

Tiada alasan untuk menghalalkan penggunaan pembohongan oleh MCA dalam pilihanraya kecil ini.

Jika dakwaan MCA itu benar, mereka sepatutnya telah menyangkal kenyataan saya pada Sabtu yang lalu juga. Tidak menghairankan apabila tiada sanggahan dikemukakan MCA sejak dua hari lalu kerana ternyata mereka beralih kepada taktik pembohongan.

Pembohongan yang disebarkan sepanjang kempen pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau amat mengejutkan saya. Ia disebarkan bukan saja di kawasan tersebut tetapi juga menerusi Internet.

Antara pembohongan yang disebarkan menyebut:

“Malah bukan secara kebetulan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang sekarang adalah salah seorang ahli keluarga Illuminati …….Ada 13 keluarga yang membawa bloodline Illuminati, dan salah satu darinya ialah keluarga Li. Di Malaysia panggilan Li di tukar kepada Lim seperti Lim Kit Siang dan Lim Guan Eng dan di Singapura Lee. Ramai yang tak tahu Lee Kuan Yew serta Lim Kit Siang adalah sepupu.”

Tiada seorang pun Cina di Malaysia akan mempercayai dakwaan karut sedemikian yang menyebut “Li” digunakan secara berganti-ganti dengan “Lim” di Malaysia dan “Lee” di Singapura. Namun, banyak orang bukan-Cina yang mungkin membuat tanggapan salah. Dakwaan tentang “Illuminati” juga sama sekali tidak berasas dan adalah satu fitnah.

Tetapi yang lebih mengejutkan ialah apabila MCA dan Gerakan sanggup menjadi alat bagi pembohongan terang-terangan sedemikian.

Ada banyak lagi pembohongan yang ditaburkan di Sungai Limau yang ditujukan bukan saja kepada pemimpin-pemimpin DAP tetapi juga pemimpin PAS dan PKR.

Sanggupkah para pemimpin Umno dan Barisan Nasional menyertai para pemimpin PR untuk mengutuk pembohongan yang disebarkan dalam kempen pilihanraya sepertimana para pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat sanggup menyertai pemimpin BN untuk mengutuk taktik pembohongan dan serangan peribadi dalam kempen pilihanraya ke arah pilihanraya yang bersih dan telus?

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/11/04/why-have-malaysian-politics-descended-to-the-lowest-level-of-lies-lies-lies/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 November 2013, 5:55 pm and is filed under
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Semoga mesej Deepavali merangsang dan menyatukan rakyat Malaysia bagi memastikan kemenangan cahaya ke atas kegelapan, serta agar kesederhanaan dan toleransi mengatasi ekstremisme dan sikap tidak bertolak ansur

Selamat Hari Deepavali kepada kaum India di Malaysia secara khusus dan semua warga Malaysia secara umum.

Deepavali membawa mesej kemenangan cahaya ke atas kegelapan serta kemenangan kebenaran, kebebasan, dan keadilan mengatasi korupsi, diskriminasi dan eksploitasi. Semua ini cukup relevan untuk kehidupan bernegara di Malaysia selepas pilihanraya umum ke-13.

Semoga mesej Deepavali merangsang dan menyatukan semua warga Malaysia bagi memastikan kemenangan cahaya ke atas kegelapan dalam semua sudut kehidupan bernegara dan semoga ia membolehkan kesederhanaan dan toleransi mengatasi sikap ekstrem dan tidak bertolak ansur dalam negara Malaysia yang berbilang kaum, berbilang agama dan berbilang budaya.

Rakyat Malaysia perlu sentiasa berusaha untuk mengukuhkan sikap sederhana dan toleransi dalam masyarakat majmuk serta tidak menyerah kalah kepada segelintir pihak yang bersikap ekstrem dan tidak bertolak ansur, terutama ketika pihak tersebut cuba untuk menampilkan diri sebagai suara baru dan pendukung kesederhanaan dalam negara ini.

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/11/01/let-all-malaysians-be-inspired-and-united-by-the-deepavali-message-to-ensure-triumph-of-light-over-darkness-and-the-victory-of-moderation-and-tolerance-over-extremism-and-intolerance/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 November 2013, 5:19 pm and is filed under
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Tweets on Sg Limau by-election

@limkitsiang

Nov 04, 6:05pm

85.5 per cent voter turnout in Sg Limau (23,249 voters) goo.gl/LpNMeR Sg Limau: Polling centres closed, high voter turnout (FMT)

Nov 04, 7:57pm

Latest report: PAS has won hard-fought Sungai Limau. Zairil said Counting Centre full of PR/PAS ppl with none from BN. Best indication

Nov 04, 8:04pm

Indications are PAS has won with reduced majority but more than the 500-vote majority Mahfuz had estimated. Significant victory nonetheless.

Nov 04, 8:17pm

Unofficial 1,201-vote PAS majority in Sungai Limau by-election

Nov 04, 8:32pm

Final off majority may be slightly less. Congrats 2all PAS/PR leaders 4the victory, in particular Hadi/Sabu/Mahfuz/Hatta n new SA Mohd Azam

Nov 04, 8:55pm

Zairil reports official results of Sungai Limau by-election – PAS wins with 1,084 majority. PAS secures 12,069 votes. BN gets 10,985 votes.

Nov 04, 9:03pm

Phoned Mahfuz 2congratulate PAS 4significant PR victory in Sg Limau by-election. Must be 1st PAS by-election win hailed by all races in Msia

Nov 04, 9:07pm

PAS/PR victory agnst might of BN Fed/State govt machinery n money politics great inspiration 4″From Sg Limau to Putrajaya” campaign in 14GE

Nov 04, 9:16pm

But person who suffered greatest blow in by-election is none other than Dr Mahathir – 3rd setback in 6 mths after 13GE and UMNO party polls.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 November 2013, 9:58 pm and is filed under
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Why have Malaysian politics descended to the lowest level of “lies, lies, lies”?

While the 27,222 voters of in Sungai Limau state assembly seat in Kedah are casting their votes today to decide whether the PAS/Pakatan Rakyat candidate Mohd Azam Abdul Samat or the Umno/Barisan Nasional candidate Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim will be their State Assemblyman, one question that should worry all political parties and leaders is why Malaysian politics have descended to the lowest level of “lies, lies, lies”!

The UMNO/BN campaign in the Sungai Limau by-election started off with the lies that the DAP wants to form a Christian state, abolish the system of constitutional monarchy and that the DAP is anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

The MCA also contributed its lies when it claims that although more than 50% of the 1,842 Chinese voters are MCA members, only 10% of the Chinese electorate in the Sungai Limau constituency voted for the Barisan Nasional in the 13th general elections on May 5, 2013.

As I pointed out when I campaigned in Sungai Limau Dalam two days ago, about 1,400 out of 1,842 Chinese  voters turned out to vote in the last general elections, of which PAS/PR secured some 800 votes and BN managed to obtain about 600 votes – i.e. some 55% to PAS/PR and 45% to UMNO/BN.

If PAS/PR could secure 90% of Chinese votes in a rural constituency like Sungai Limau, is MCA suggesting that the PR achieved the impossible of securing the  support of  some 150% of Chinese votes in the urban areas?

The 1842 Chinese voters in Sungai Limau are mostly focussed in five polling stations: Simpang Tiga (26% Chinese), Sungai Limau (19% Chinese), Kabu Sepuloh (10.2% Chinese), Batu Enam Belas (12.1% Chinese) and Kampung Titi Batu (13.4%).

The DAP analysis of the trend of the Chinese voters in Sungai Limau that I have received  is as follows:

“Estimated Chinese support for PAS is at about 45% to 55% in these areas (assuming that Malay support for PAS in these areas is above 50% in these areas).

“The Chinese support for PAS from 2008 to 2013 seems to have increased. In Simpang Tiga, with 26% Chinese voters, PAS support increased by 9.7% from 2008 to 2013. Estimated PAS Chinese support in Sungai Limau in 2008 was at 40% to 45%. Hence, Chinese support for PAS from 2008 to 2013 increased by approximately 5% to 10%.”

Table 2: PAS 2008 and 2013 support in the 5 polling stations with the most Chinese

KOD AND DM

Cina%

PAS%2013

PAS%2008

2013-2008

SIMPANG TIGA 012/20/07

26.3%

47.2%

37.5%

9.7%

SUNGAI LIMAU 012/20/10

19.0%

49.4%

46.9%

2.5%

KABU SEPULOH 012/20/11

10.2%

50.7%

50.9%

-0.2%

BATU ENAM BELAS 012/20/16

12.1%

58.1%

62.0%

-3.9%

KAMPUNG TITI BATU 012/20/17

13.4%

59.2%

56.3%

2.9%

MCA is trying to create a scenario that they garnered only 10 per cent of Chinese voters in Sungai Limau in the last general elections so that when they get higher votes than 10% in the by-election today, they can claim that the Chinese have swung back to the Barisan Nasional.

There can however be no excuse or justification for the MCA to resort to lies and false statistics in the by-election.

If there is any truth or basis to the MCA claim, MCA would have rebutted my statement on Saturday itself.  I am not surprised however that there has been no MCA rebuttal at all with facts and figures in the past two days for MCA had been caught red-handed passing off downright lies and falsehoods.

I am very shocked by the depth of lies and falsehoods disseminated during the Sungai Limau by-election, not only in the constituency but through the Internet.

For instance, one such dastardly falsehoods states:

“Malah bukan secara kebetulan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang sekarang adalah salah seorang ahli keluarga Illuminati …….Ada 13 keluarga yang membawa bloodline Illuminati , dan salah satu darinya ialah keluarga Li. Di Malaysia panggilan Li di tukar kepada Lim seperti Lim Kit Siang dan Lim Guan Eng dan di Singapura Lee. Ramai yang tak tahu Lee Kuan Yew serta Lim Kit Siang adalah sepupu.”

Not a single Chinese in Malaysia will believe such rubbish as above, suggesting that “Li” is interchangeable with “Lim” in Malaysia and “Lee” in Singapore, but there may be ignorant non-Chinese who may be misled. The “Illuminati” allegation is also down right baseless, mischievous and defamatory.

But what is most shocking of all is that MCA and Gerakan could be willing tool of such dastardly lies and falsehoods.

There are also many other lies and falsehoods, but the campaign of slander and defamation in the course of the Sungai Limau by-election is not directed just against DAP leaders but all PR leaders as  PAS and PKR leaders are also targeted.

Are UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders prepared to join PR leaders to openly condemn such lies and falsehoods in election or by-election campaigns, just as Pakatan Rakyat leaders from PAS, PKR and DAP are prepared to join BN leaders to condemn all election campaign lies, falsehoods and character-assassination to introduce a new era of clean, honest and decent political electioneering?

Artikel ini juga boleh didapati dalam Bahasa Malaysia di:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/11/04/mengapa-politik-malaysia-terjerumus-ke-tahap-paling-hina-dengan-pembohongan-berterusan/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 4 November 2013, 12:37 pm and is filed under
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A critique of the 2014 Budget Speech

by Budget analyst

A careful analysis of the 2014 Budget Speech by the Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is most revealing and disappointing as there is little by way of an exposition of the challenges the economy faces.

The customary presentation of data on the performance, in the current year and prospects in the year ahead, are matters that are dismissed in a few perfunctory sentences.

The speech gives little information on basic macro-economic assumptions used in basing the revenue and expenditure forecasts that make up the Budget.

The speech gives no hint of how the Government proposes to deal with the less than robust external environment in which the key Malaysian export markets – China, US, the EURO zone – will continue to record sluggish demand.

The price for Malaysian oil and gas are likely to be weaker because of increasing supply from US shale oil and the re-entry of Iranian oil into global markets. With greater supply and lower demand, prices are likely to be lower. Malaysian oil and gas exports will undoubtedly feel the impact.

The speech provides no insights into policy changes and measures to counter the impact of the US “tapering” on interest rates and its effects on Malaysian borrowings and debt management.

Higher interest rates in global markets will have several implications for the domestic scene. Bank Negara will need to set higher rates which in turn will burden the Government by way of higher interest charges on its huge debt obligations; households with a debt burden of over 80% of GDP will inevitably face a larger burden and or face insolvency.

The recently announced reduction of the subsidy on petroleum products and the removal of the subsidy on sugar, announced in the Budget, appear to be driven by the pressure from markets and the Rating Agencies.

The net contribution of these adjustments is not likely to significantly contribute to reducing the deficit but will in all probability contribute to inflationary pressures. The latter are likely to be heightened in any event by a weaker Ringgit that will push up the cost of imports in general.

Various Ministers and officials have made claims that the GST would be revenue neutral as it would replace the existing sales services taxes.

In a seminar, reported in the News Straits Times on Oct 28th, some light was thrown by the Secretary General of The Treasury on the incidences of the GST and the change in income tax rates.

The government is expected to collect RM23.1 billion in goods and services tax (GST) from April to December in 2015 and RM32 billion for the whole of 2016. Were the sales and services tax remain in place it would yield RM 14.8 billion.

Thus the GST turns out to be far from revenue neutral but would represent an almost doubling of tax on consumption.

However, no information has been released as to how much of a reduction would result as a consequence of the lowered income taxes on individuals and corporations. The benefits these reductions will largely accrue to high income tax payers and large GLCs and crony corporations.

These are a few but glaring examples of the pathetically weak framework on which the 2014 Budget is constructed.

Parliament and the electorate are being kept in the dark about the true state of affairs. It would appear that the Prime Minister has departed decidedly from any respect for the concepts of Accountability and Transparency.

In overall terms the budget as tabled boils down to imposing new burdens on the low and middle income groups given that they will bear the greater part of the clearly regressive GST and the removal of subsidies.

The upper middle and higher income earners will however benefit from a lowering of the marginal rates of income tax.

The corporate sector stands to benefit from a lower of income taxes and the various new rebates and exemptions offered ostensibly to encourage investment. The tax changes will lead to a further widening of income disparities.

Taken as a whole, the Speech does little beyond giving in great detail the multiplicity of programs and projects and the outlays that will be made.

A cynical view would be that the Prime Minister was indulging in a characteristic manner – spreading funds to placate his shrunken electoral constituency, factions in his divided party while keeping at bay those in the market that demand responsible and credible leadership in the management of the economy.

It is appropriate to delve a little more into certain parts of the Speech to further illustrate the befuddled state of mind that the Prime Minister displays. Even a cursory review leads to the conclusion that the Prime Minister has many illusions and appears to be out of his depth in addressing the challenges that confront the nation.

In his opening remarks he makes the claim that the National Transformation Policy is the bedrock and catalyst for achieving Vision 2020. It is indeed strange that this amorphous set of policies now occupies center stage.

The New Economic Model, developed with inputs from the World Bank, and announced with great fanfare has now been apparently cast aside. It is also interesting that the recently proclaimed BEE policy hardly  merited a mention in the Budget.

The latter policy has neither been discussed nor approved by Parliament. This was an incomplete policy framework as it did not touch on the macro-economic issues, the broader policies, but had a narrow focus on the Malay and Bumiputra agenda.

The Prime Minister’s speech then goes off on a tangent about the demographics of Malaysia with focus on the Malay and Bumiputra agenda. This discussion appears to suggest that the concept of 1Malaysia launched at the cost of millions is no longer a part of the political rhetoric of the Prime Minister.

He appears to be moving towards an ethno-centric agenda espoused by PERKASA and its Patron. It is somewhat puzzling that Datuk Najib took to providing the ethnic breakdown of the population but chosen to overlook the existence of some 8.2 % the population who are non-citizens!

The use of statistics selectively appears to be a special feature used in the speech. Reference is made to the FBMKLCI index and the level is described as: “….. underscores the increasing local and foreign investors’ confidence in the economy”.

He failed to point out that the buoyancy of the market reflected inflows of speculative funds seeking a refuge. He has chosen to ignore the massive outflows of illicit capital or the weak performance of the Ringgit or the recent pressures in the bond markets.

The claims about FDI flows cannot be substantiated as they are based on nebulous statistics about “approvals” rather than “actual” flows. The statement concerning International reserves is equally slanted.

The truth of the matter is that reserves are customarily expressed in US Dollars whereas  Najib has chosen to use the amount in depreciated Malaysian Ringgit. Furthermore, it is wholly disingenuous to provide a single point estimate given that over the past year the Reserves in US Dollar terms have dipped somewhat.

The Prime Minister makes the claim that the economy is expected to expand by between 4.5% and 5%. and that it would be supported in part by private and public consumption which are expected to grow at 7.4% and 7.3%, respectively mainly supported by strong domestic economic activity.

What he fails to indicate is that private consumption over the period under review was fueled by cash transfers (BRIM and other handouts), salary increases to 1.4 million public servants, the rapid increase in private household debt to finance over-priced homes, education loans, and over-priced transport equipment. These transfer are not sustainable and should not be counted in projecting private consumption.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Report following the annual consultations pointed with some concern to the rapid increase in loans extended to households by the banking sector.

The Report noted that total household debt exceeded 80 % of GDP. Thus, sustained growth in private household consumption is unlikely with slower growth in global trade that will impact incomes of commodity producers.

These developments will have a negative overall impact on incomes and consumption. Given, the limited head room, it will be virtually impossible to take counter-cyclical measures.

The Prime Minister continues to play fast and loose with the per capita GNI figures. He has chosen to use GNI in domestic current prices to calculate a period growth rate. This is wholly erroneous as growth rates are never calculated based on current price series.

He has then plucked a figure of US$ 15,000 as the bench mark for “developed country status.

There are several flaws in the approach. In the first place the World Bank does not have a “developed country status”. It does have a cut-off for determining “High Income Countries”.

Secondly, the methodology for calculating this level is done annually using a unique methodology that takes account of inflation rates, and incorporates moving average exchange rates etc. The methodology has no provision for projecting the cut-off points. Thus the entire presentation in the speech on this theme is spurious and misleading and builds false expectations.

In any event, the figure of RM 46,500 as the Ringgit level for reaching the “High Income Country” status by 2018 let alone 2020 is out of reach given the current and projected growth rates for Malaysia.

The Prime Minister indicated that in 2014, the Federal Government revenue collection will amount to  RM224.1 billion, an increase of RM4 billion over the 2013 level.

It is a cryptic figure as no details are provided about how this level will be achieved. It also highly puzzling why the increase in revenue will only amount to RM4 billion, an increase of 1.8 percent, a rate well below the growth of GDP. This would imply that either the tax “give-ways” by way of rebates and exemptions are large or that there are other leakages in the system.

The Prime Minister made a number of points about reducing the size of the fiscal deficit. The most critical comment was that the Government is committed to achieving a balanced budget by 2020.

This indeed is a remarkable admission that deficits will continue to be a feature of fiscal policy until the end of the decade.

This addiction for spending beyond its means on the basis of borrowed money is a mind-boggling statement. Markets will undoubtedly take note and react in predictable ways and mete out punishments.

It is also most audacious on the part of the Prime Minister to state that the Government will ensure that the Federal debt level will remain low and not exceed 55 per cent. He fails to take account of the Contingent Liabilities which are estimated to amount to 15% of GDP.

The latter cannot be dismissed – they certainly will not be ignored by the markets and Rating Agencies. Fitch Rating has served notice that it will take note of Contingent Liabilities.

The KLCI performance on Monday October 28th was sobering and indicative of the market’s initial reactions.The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index gained 0.82 points, or 0.05 per cent, to settle at 1,818.39.

What was more telling were the reactions of the two principal Rating Agencies.  Fitch Ratings, in a carefully worded statement, noted the introduction of the GST as a potential constructive step but indicated that it was keeping the sovereign credit rating on Negative Outlook, pending “a track record of budget management.”

It pointedly reminded that the down grade in July was due to the deterioration in public finances and a perceived weakening of prospects for fiscal consolidation and budgetary reform.

Fitch made additional observations that highlighted its reservations. Fitch noted: “One is the restated commitment to the existing objective of a Federal Government deficit of 3.5% of GDP in 2014, and 3% by 2015, signaling a potential intensification of efforts to consolidate government finances.”

It noted that this was despite the Government’s weakened political position following the May 2013 general elections.

A second observation was that it noted a budgeted reduction in subsidy expenditure. However, Fitch noted that the steps to achieving this outcome had not yet been fully identified, and remained subject to external shocks.

Fitch took note of the proposed introduction of the long-mooted GST in April 2015, at an initial rate of 6%.  It recognized that this was a key reform that could strengthen the credit profile by broadening the revenue base and lessening the budget’s dependence on petroleum-derived revenues.

The statement however went on to make the following observation: “We will look, however, for a track record of implementation towards the stated goal of deficit reduction (as a percentage of GDP), backed by subsidy rationalisation and GST introduction over 2014-2015. Hence the ratings remain on Negative Outlook.”

According to Fitch, another increasingly important issue was whether Malaysia could avoid the emergence of twin public and external deficits.

“As we have previously highlighted, the rapid erosion of Malaysia’s current account surplus has been driven partly by a drawdown of public-sector savings as well as by increased investment. The slippage of the current account position into deficit could increase Malaysia’s vulnerability to renewed market tensions when Fed tapering becomes more likely.

“Beyond the budget, Fitch has previously highlighted the rapid rise in federally guaranteed debt as a source of pressure on the credit profile. Guarantees rose to 15% of GDP by end-2012 from 8% at end-2008.”

Fitch warned that said this was an area of the public finances that it would be monitoring beyond the budget.

“The upshot of all this is that budget deficit reduction is heavily reliant on expenditure restraint, and a track record of sound budget management and implementation will be integral to our assessment. Moreover, the avoidance of a domestic savings/investment imbalance, which forestalls a weakening of Malaysia’s funding strengths, is also important,” it concluded.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services issued a statement stating that the Malaysian government’s proposed 2014 budget would have no impact on the sovereign ratings and outlook on Malaysia.

S&P has Malaysia on foreign currency A-/Stable/A-2; local currency A/Stable/A-1; axAAA/axA-1+.

The ratings agency said the budget’s target deficit of 3.5% of GDP for 2014, from 4% in 2013, was in line with its expectations of a gradual fiscal consolidation over the medium term.

It said the Goods and Services Tax, which will take effect in April 2015 at 6%, would allow the government to diversify its revenue base, but noted that the revenue impact would be neutral in the first few years because of other revenue-reducing measures announced in the budget.

“In our view, Malaysia’s slow fiscal consolidation stemmed from its relatively weak revenue structure and an inability to reduce high subsidies”.

These are no ringing endorsements of the Budget unveiled by Najib. The two Rating Agencies have signified that Malaysia would remain under watch. They have seemingly greater expectations for expenditure restraints and a more prudent fiscal policy.

The Government will inevitably need to make hard choices between adopting more stringent expenditure controls to convince the Rating Agencies and markets that it was truly embarked upon a path of comprehensive reforms to put its house in order.

A credible set of reforms would need to incorporate reining in runaway expenditures, tax reforms for rational distribution of tax expenditures, policies that remove impediments to growth and result in the elimination of policies that contribute to economic distortions.

It is evident from the tone of the statements from the two Rating Agencies that “business as usual” is not a viable option. The Government has to bite the bullet and take on the task of implementing true reforms.

It is starkly clear that the Budget that was unveiled does not address the ailments that afflict Malaysia. The Budget demands belt tightening on the part of households: household incomes will stagnate and household consumer debt will impact on consumption patterns.

The Budget however makes no attempt to introduce an element of austerity as the Operating Expenditure of the Federal Government continues to remain high; Development spending has not been reined in nor have lumpy projects been extended over time. The consequences of these inactions are that despite the extra revenues the Government will reap, the deficits will continue for the rest of the decade. The size of the debt under these circumstances will grow.

The Government and the Minister of Finance have a duty to act responsibly. There are lessons to be learnt from the crisis that the European countries – Portugal, Ireland   Greece and Spain (PIGS) –endured.

That crisis was brought about by excessive debt, sluggish growth and fiscal imbalances. Policy remedies adopted were not painless. Austerity measures scaled back public expenditures, taxes were raised, and private consumption took a hit.

There are lessons for Malaysia. The Budget for 2014 and the policies that it incorporates sadly miss the opportunity to avoid the economic cliff.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 November 2013, 3:57 pm and is filed under
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BN loss in Sungai Limau signals Dr M’s waning influence, says DAP

By Opalyn Mok

The Malay Mail Online

November 5, 2013

YAN, Nov 5 — PAS’s reduced majority in yesterday’s Sungai Limau by-election took no skin off the Islamist party but spells a setback for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) that had been banking on Kedah-born Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s name and his scion to sail through the polls, DAP leaders have said.

DAP Kedah interim chief Zairil Khir Johari and the opposition party’s adviser Lim Kit Siang insisted that PAS’s success in keeping the Kedah state seat was a major blow to the BN’s mighty machinery under the leadership of its Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, son of Malaysia’s longest-serving former prime minister, whom they claimed had followed his father’s style and pulled out all the stops in his bid to wrest Sungai Limau.

“It is clear that Mahathir’s influence has receded with this win,” Zairil, the son of a former Umno minister, told The Malay Mail Online last night after the official results announced a PAS victory by a lowered 1,084-vote margin.

He alleged that BN was free with its wallet on the campaign trail but claimed such tactics failed to dent Sungai Limau’s support of PAS despite what the ruling coalition had hoped for.

“Considering all the carnivals, programmes and resources they have put into the campaign, any kind of victory by PAS, against all odds, even with a lesser majority, is considered a great success,” Zairil said.

When contacted, Lim reiterated his previous statement that PAS’s latest win in Kedah was the third and probably final, setback to the election playbook he named “Mahathirism” in the six months after the May 5 general election.

“This is his third setback in six months and this showed that he has failed to make any mark even in this by-election in Kedah,” the Gelang Patah MP told The Malay Mail Online.

The veteran opposition politician alleged that Dr Mahathir had mounted a campaign of “lies, falsehoods and character-assassination”, which he added, had formed the staple ahead of polling day in Sungai Limau.

Lim noted that it was similar to the campaign his 88-year-old arch foe had initiated against him ahead of the 13th general election, citing Dr Mahathir’s accusations that he was contesting in Gelang Patah to make the Chinese “dislike and hate the Malays”, and claiming that DAP wanted to remove the Malays from political dominance to set up a Christian state.

According to Lim, Dr Mahathir and Mahathirism suffered the first setback during the May 5 polls when he (Lim) had won the Gelang Patah seat with a majority of over 14,000 votes.

The second setback was during the Umno party elections last month when his son, the Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, failed to win the Umno vice president post he had contested.

“This win by PAS candidate Mohd Azam Abdul Samat is very significant as it proved that despite the might of all of BN and its machinery, PAS and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) manages to maintain the seat,” Lim said.

Mohd Azam had managed to take the seat but with a reduced majority than his predecessor, the late Tan Sri Azizan Abdul Razak, by garnering a majority of 1,084 votes in contrast to the latter’s 2,774 majority votes on May 5.

Mohd Azam had received 12,068 votes against BN’s Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim who received 10,985 votes.

Out of the 27,222 registered voters in that constituency, only 23,249 or 85.5 per cent voters turned out to cast their votes today compared to 89.43 per cent voters during the 13th general election in May.

Lim termed the win as an inspiration for PR to march forward from the Sungai Limau by-election to Putrajaya in the 14th general election.

The setback for Dr Mahathir and Mukhriz is also a time for moderates to speak up and “not be held back by anyone,” he said.

Kedah PAS commissioner and PAS vice president Datuk Mahfuz Omar also attributed the reduced majority to the fact that polling day fell on a working day and that a total of 3,666 voters live and work outstation.

“About 1,000 voters were probably unable to vote due to various reasons, this is why we have reduced majority,” he said.

However, he said PAS will not be complacent and will take this as the first step for PAS to come back to power in Kedah.

“We hope Mohd Azam, like Azizan, will be able to retain the seat at every general election for at least another five terms,” Mahfuz added.

The late Azizan had first won the seat in 1995 and had retained the seat for five terms before it was vacated when he died on September 26.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 November 2013, 9:31 am and is filed under
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Sungai Limau by-election results: Is this the end of Mahathirism?

by Sheridan Mahavera

The Malaysian Insider

November 05, 2013

Analysts say he might have played a role in swaying voters who were still undecided on voting day. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, November 5, 2013.

When Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad descended on Sungai Limau during the last hours of campaigning on November 3, one longtime PAS activist from Alor Star described it as a “relief”.

“Many people in Sungai Limau come from a religious education background,” said the activist, referring to the community of teachers, students and parents involved in the area’s clutch of private and public Islamic schools, which are nationally renowned.

“They still remember how Mahathir used to run down PAS and our Islamic state concept,” said the activist of the former prime minister’s endless tirades against PAS in the few years before he resigned in 2003.

PAS and its Islamist credentials were a regular target of Dr Mahathir’s biting criticism especially after the party gained control of the Terengganu government and made major inroads into Kedah in the 1999 general election.

So it was almost like poetic justice when Dr Mahathir came down to canvass votes for Barisan Nasional from the people he had once slighted.

But if Kedah’s famous son had any influence on the campaign, opined analysts and activists, it was to sway those who were still undecided on voting day itself.

“I don’t believe that his influence these days is as great as the media exaggerates,” says political scientist Professor Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

“Maybe internationally, in places like Somalia, he is still well regarded but not so much locally anymore,” says Shamsul Amri.

Dr Mahathir’s continued influence was the subject of a blog post by DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang just a day before the polls.

In his November 3 post, the Gelang Patah MP speculated as to whether Sungai Limau would be the final blow to the man’s influence, with the headline, “Will Mahathir and Mahathirism suffer a third and probably final set-back…?”

“Religious school administrator Mohd Azam Abdul Samat, 47, of PAS polled 12,069 votes to emerge as the new Sungai Limau assemblyman yesterday.

Mohd Azam defeated former lecturer Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim, 52, of Barisan Nasional (BN) by a majority of 1,084 votes.

Independent pollster Ibrahim Suffian of the Merdeka Center believes that Dr Mahathir’s influence would be the strongest among voters who are already BN supporters and impressionable youth.

“(His influence) would work for someone who had voted for BN in the past but who didn’t or is dissatisfied with the BN and is now confused over who to vote for.

“For this type of person, Dr Mahathir’s aura would still be powerful,” says Ibrahim, who in the past had done surveys on the influence of political personalities such as Dr Mahathir.

Ibrahim’s observations tallies with reports by Pakatan Rakyat activists who said Dr Mahathir mostly made visits to houses of former local PAS leaders.

“He visited PAS leaders who had recently been expelled by the party. We believe their intention was to cause confusion among PAS supporters,” said another Kedah-based PAS activist.

The thinking among PAS, said the activist, was for Dr Mahathir to confuse some PAS supporters into thinking those local leaders were now BN supporters.

“His presence could have had an effect. We don’t deny that,” said the activist.

But even Umno activists admit that Dr Mahathir’s influence is not what it used to be when the former premier routinely grabbed headlines years ago for his scathing attacks against his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“Maybe for the rank and file Umno members, he is a morale booster. But middle-ranking Umno leaders have gotten tired of his criticisms against the party,” says one Kedah Umno veteran.

Though Dr Mahathir’s venom may have been used up, said Shamsul Amri, the same cannot be said of Umno, or more specifically Kedah Umno under Mahathir’s son, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, who spearheaded the Sungai Limau campaign.

This is based on the fact that Umno managed to reduce the 2,774 vote majority obtained by PAS in Sungai Limau during the May 5 general election.

Sungai Limau, Shamsul Amri pointed out, is also a PAS bastion, which has been held by the Islamist party since 1995.

On May 5, Umno regained all the seats it lost to PAS in the 2008 general election. It also has a bigger majority in the state assembly compared to the previous Pakatan Rakyat administration, said Shamsul Amri.

“So while PAS and Pakatan could not do much during their previous rule of Kedah, BN Kedah can now call on all the funds from federal level to develop the state. And now Umno is making inroads into PAS strongholds.”

Just as how voters regard a certain personality may change over time, Shamsul Amri said, the same can be said of loyalties to once well-regarded political parties. – November 5, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 November 2013, 9:47 am and is filed under
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Sungai Limau: Winners and losers

by Zulkifli Sulong, Features and Analysis Editor

The Malaysian Insider

November 05, 2013

Datuk Mahfuz Omar must have been the happiest man in Kedah last night. Yesterday’s by-election which saw PAS retaining the Sungai Limau state seat was Mahfuz’s first since being appointed the Kedah PAS commissioner. On the other hand, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir is a man in grief. He led the Barisan Nasional charge and lost, the second blow for him after losing the Umno vice-presidential race weeks earlier.

The following are the winners and losers of the Sungai Limau by-election.

Winners

1. PAS

PAS leaders and supporters in the country are certainly delighted with the win. It goes without saying that numerous parties and functions will be held to celebrate the win. The win may have helped alleviate tensions within the PAS leadership ahead of the upcoming PAS Muktamar from November 22 to 24, 2013.

2. Datuk Mahfuz Omar

The newly-minted state commissioner is a big winner. He had just taken over the position after the 13th general election when the late Tan Sri Azizan Razak was undergoing treatment in Penang.

The win will cement his role in Kedah and also boost his chances at the PAS Muktamar as he defends his vice-presidency. Despite earlier talks that Mahfuz was in danger of losing, Mahfuz’s win at the party polls looks like a sure bet.

3. Mohd Azam Abdul Samat

Azam, 35, is the assistant headmaster at Sekolah Menengah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan An Nahzah, Bukit Besar. He was an unknown prior to the by-election. Now, as the state representative for Sungai Limau, his routine is bound to change.

4. Ilham Centre

The prediction by the PAS-linked research institute, that the party would win between 53% to 55% of the Sungai Limau votes in the by-election, has come true. Ilham had also accurately forecasted results of by-elections in the past, and its credentials were challenged when some predictions indicated a BN win. Ilham executive chairman, Mohamad Hisomuddin Bakar, is now vindicated.

5. Sungai Limau residents

Sungai Limau voters won irrespective of who they voted for. They were presented a whole lot of goodies from the Kedah state government and Putrajaya. Sugar was sold at RM1 per kg, 5 kg of rice at only RM5, not to mention other forms of assistance including spectacles and padi fertiliser.

Losers

1. Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir

The man most hurt following the BN failure to wrest Sungai Limau from PAS is none other than Mukhriz. This is his second defeat in as many outings after his failure to win one of the three Umno vice-president’s posts in the recent Umno polls. Mukhriz was one of the hardest workers during the by-election campaign, being in Sungai Limau from morning till night to ensure smooth running of the BN machinery. At the last minute, he brought in his father, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to ramp up support for BN. It was not enough.

2. Umno

The clash in Sungai Limau was more between Umno and its traditional nemesis PAS, than between Pakatan Rakyat and BN. Yesterday’s defeat means failure on Umno’s part to penetrate the PAS stronghold, despite Umno emerging victorious last May in the Jerai parliamentary constituency, where Sungai Limau is located.

3. Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim

Sohaimi resigned from his position as a senior lecturer at the Sultan Idris Teaching University (UPSI) to contest in the by-election. Although the BN is likely to help him with new opportunities, there is no guarantee he will be fielded again.

4. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

As the BN election director in Sungai Limau, Muhyiddin suffered a blow to his pride. He spent a lot of his time and energy trying to ensure that Sohaimi would emerge victorious but was ultimately rejected by the Sungai Limau voters. The by-election also left a sour note for Muhyiddin, as he had to apologise to the late Azizan’s family for his remarks linking the former Kedah Menteri Besar’s diabetes to Putrajaya’s decision to remove sugar subsidy.

5. Putrajaya and Kedah state government

Millions of ringgit was spent by both the federal and state government to “buy” votes in Sungai Limau. How will government leaders answer when it claimed that the removal of the sugar subsidy was to reduce the number of diabetic cases, but then gave out sugar packs for a song in Sungai Limau? Does the government want the voters in Sungai Limau to get diabetes? The cheap sale meant additional costs for the government – at the expense of the taxpayers. – November 5, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 November 2013, 3:24 pm and is filed under
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Beware of people trying to wreck unity of Pakatan Rakyat as Karpal did not call for the deregistration of PAS

All should beware of people trying to wreck the unity of Pakatan Rakyat.

The latest is the allegation that DAP National Chairman and MP for Bukit Gelugor Karpal Singh wants PAS to be deregistered.

I spoke to Karpal and he made it clear that he did  not call for the deregistration of PAS.

He was criticising the Muslim Lawyers’ Association (MLA) for threatening the Bar Council over its support for Catholic weekly Herald, stressing that in the interests of national unity,  political or professional bodies should not operate along racial and religious lines.

Rational and patriotic Malaysians have been increasingly concerned by the escalation of the rhetoric of racial and religious intolerance and hatred in the country, and this concern should not be allowed to be sidelined and distorted by baseless allegations like Karpal calling for the deregistration of PAS.

What is needed is for rational and patriotic Malaysians to keep their focus to demand the de-escalation and end of the rhetoric of racial and religious intolerance and hatred, which is completely in contradiction to the values of moderation and inclusiveness espoused by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia policy and his world-wide campaign for a “Global Movement of Moderates”.

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                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 November 2013, 7:16 pm and is filed under
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Lessons from the Chinese vote in Sungai Limau

NEWS ANALYSIS BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER

November 06, 2013

One of the takeaways from the Sungai Limau by-election on Monday was that some of the Chinese votes went back to Barisan Nasional (BN) although it was not enough to capture the state seat.

Politicians and analysts also noted that most of the Chinese stayed away from the by-election, presumably because most did not return for the Monday vote as it would not affect the state or federal administration.

For the record, PAS’s Mohd Azam Abdul Samat polled 12,069 votes to BN’s Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim who got 10,985. There were 27,222 registered voters but turnout was only 85.5%.

For BN, the slight increase in Chinese votes is a lifeline for parties like MCA and Gerakan which descended to the state seat to prove their vigour after the major setback of Election 2013.

The Chinese electorate totalled 1,836 but very few turned out to vote despite the RM2.25 million allocated by BN to Chinese schools in the area. Ahmad Sohaimi lamented he only received some 600 votes from the Chinese.

But it also suggested that the anger and angst non-Malay voters in Kedah had against the one-term Azizan (PAS) administration is still alive – perhaps similar to the PAS-led Terengganu state government in 1999.

It also suggests that while the PAS alliance with DAP and PKR is working at the federal level, there is much to be done within the party in how it treats non-Muslims in states where it runs the administration.

In Kedah especially, PAS under new state commissioner Datuk Mahfuz Omar has much work to do to win back a better level of support from the Chinese community, seen as a kingmaker in the fight with Umno.

And a sure way to do so is by understanding and appreciating that banning this and that does not work in a multi-racial and multi-religious country like Malaysia. Protecting the majority also means protecting the minority.

Malaysians want good governance, sound economic policies and leaders with principles, not those who pander to the narrow view of the few that restrictions and bans are what governments do all the time.

Who ever votes for a nanny state in a democracy?

PAS does not have to look far if it wants to ever run a state in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. All it has to do is look at Selangor and Penang where it won big in the May 5 general election.

Neither of these two west coast states had mumbo-jumbo stuff such as closing down cinemas or any other restrictions on businesses.

Both states kept their PR governments in Election 2013. There are lessons to be drawn from how these two state governments kept their mandate. Mahfuz and his party colleagues must remember that if they wish to recapture Kedah.

Otherwise, the BN formula will prove resilient and keep power, just because the opposition pact does not understand Malaysia as well as BN does. – November 6, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 November 2013, 7:56 pm and is filed under
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UMNO biggest loser and MCA biggest winner in Sungai Limau by-election?

If MCA leaders are to be believed, UMNO is the biggest loser and MCA the biggest winner in the Sungai Limau by-election on Monday.

Are MCA leaders to be believed?

MCA leaders, including the Kedah State Exco-designate Dr. Leong Yong Kong had told Chinese media that Barisan Nasional secured 75.27% of the Chinese votes, i.e. 892 out of 1,185 Chinese votes cast and that BN did not win a single extra Malay vote in the by-election.

This is an increase of over 732 Chinese votes cast for the BN in the 13th general elections, as MCA claims that  BN did not secure more than 10% of the 1,600 Chinese votes on May 5, 2013, i.e. from 892 – 160.

But the  Barisan Nasional candidate, Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim, despite BN’s expenditure of over RM15 million, only managed to get an additional 465 votes in the by-election as compared to the general elections. i.e. 10,985 votes in the by-election as compared to RM10,520 votes in the 13GE.

If MCA leaders are to be believed, that BN had an addition of over 732 Chinese votes in the by-election as compared to the 13GE, this could only mean that the BN had lost at least  267 Malay votes, as BN vote in the by-election would have fallen from 10,520 to 10,253 without the increase of at least 732 Chinese votes.

So, is UMNO the greatest loser and MCA the greatest winner in the Sungai Limau by-election?

I leave it to  UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders to decide whether to accept the MCA’s analysis of the voting trends in the Sungai Limau by-election as there could be different interpretations in the absence of specific information about the voting (which is not completely possible as voting is secret), and the low percentage of Chinese voters in Sungai Limau.

But what is plain and obvious is that the Sungai Limau by-election had been a major test for PAS and Pakatan Rakyat on the one hand and UMNO and BN on the other six months after the 13GE, and PAS and Pakatan Rakyat had come out of the test with a significant victory considering the money politics and the mountain of lies and falsehoods mobilised during the by-election to hold both the Malay and Chinese voters to ransom.

PAS and Pakatan Rakyat mush cherish the victory in the Sungai Limau by-election, learn from the electoral weaknesses highlighted by the by-election so that PAS and Pakatan Rakyat will be stronger and more formidable as an electoral force in future tests whether in urban or rural areas, or whether among Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban voters.

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                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 November 2013, 4:23 pm and is filed under
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Umno kalah teruk dan MCA menang besar dalam pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau?

Jika kita berpegang dengan dakwaan pemimpin MCA, Umno telah kalah teruk dan MCA pula menang besar dalam pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau Isnin lalu.

Namun apakah kita boleh percaya kepada dakwaan para pemimpin MCA?

Pimpinan MCA, termasuk Dr. Leong Yong Kong yang disebut-sebut akan dilantik sebagai Exco Kerajaan Negeri Kedah, telah memberitahu media berbahasa Cina bahawa Barisan Nasional berjaya meraih 75.27% undi kaum Cina, iaitu 892 dari 1,185 undi daripada kaum Cina dan bahawa BN gagal meraih walau satu undi tambahan daripada Melayu dalam pilihanraya kecil tersebut.

Ini bererti terdapat peningkatan 732 undi Cina untuk BN berbanding dalam pilihanraya umum ke-13, memandangkan sebelum ini MCA mendakwa BN mendapat hanya 10% dari 1,600 undi Cina pada 5 Mei 2013, iaitu hanya sekitar 892 hingga 160 undi.

Walaupun BN telah berbelanja lebih RM15 juta, calon Barisan Nasional Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim hanya berjaya menambah 465 undi untuk BN dalam pilihanraya kecil kali ini berbanding piihanraya umum yang lalu, iaitu 10,985 undi dalam pilihanraya kecil, berbanding 10,520 undi dalam PRU13.

Jika kita berpegang dengan dakwaan pemimpin MCA yang menyebut bahawa BN mendapat tambahan lebih 732 undi Cina dalam pilihanraya kecil kali ini berbanding PRU13, ertinya BN kehilangan sekurang-kurangnya 267 undi Melayu.

Apakah ini bermakna dalam pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau, pihak yang kalah paling teruk adalah Umno dan pemenang paling besar adalah MCA?

Saya serahkan kepada para pemimpin Umno dan Barisan Nasional untuk memutuskan sama ada hendak menerima atau tidak analisis MCA ke atas trend pengundian dalam pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau kerana mungkin ada tafsiran yang lain dalam keadaan tiadanya maklumat terperinci tentang pengundian (memandangkan undi adalah rahsia) dan melihat kepada peratusan pengundi Cina yang rendah di Sungai Limau.

Namun, perkara yang nyata dan jelas adalah pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau merupakan ujian besar buat PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat serta Umno dan BN enam bulan selepas PRU13. Ternyata PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat telah menempuh ujian ini dengan baik sehingga mencapai kejayaan penting, apatah lagi mengambil kira faktor politik wang dan pembohongan yang disebarkan sewaktu kempen pilihanraya kecil tersebut.

PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat perlu meraikan kemenangan dalam pilihanraya kecil Sungai Limau sambil tidak lupa untuk belajar daripada kelemahan yang dilihat dalam pilihanraya kecil ini, agar PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat menjadi lebih kuat dan ampuh untuk menempuh pilihanraya di masa depan, sama ada di kawasan bandar mahu pun luar bandar, sama ada untuk memenangi hati pengundi Melayu mahu pun Cina, India, Kadazan atau Iban.

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/11/06/umno-biggest-loser-and-mca-bigger-winner-in-sungai-limau-by-election/

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 November 2013, 7:46 pm and is filed under
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Business confidence in local economy dropping, survey shows

The Malaysian Insider

November 07, 2013

Business confidence in Malaysia plummeted in the third quarter of this year as the post-election boost has vanished, according to the Global Economic Condition Survey.

In a statement issued today, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) said the survey revealed that 65% of the respondents believed conditions in the Malaysian economy were stagnating in the third quarter of this year.

This is an increase from the 55% of respondents who felt business conditions in Malaysia were deteriorating or stagnating in the second quarter of the year. Only 13% of businesses reported confidence gains in the third quarter, down from 28% in the second quarter.

ACCA senior economic analyst Emmanuel Schizas said this was the second quarter of tightening conditions for its members in Malaysia. “Confidence in the economy and businesses’ own prospects have fallen back to pre-election levels and it is not hard to see why,” he said in the statement. “After stabilising in the first half of this year, pressures on demand and cash flow have risen once again, as a surge in perceived business opportunities around the election period has died down.”

ACCA Malaysia head Jennifer Lopez said finance professionals are seeing first-hand the renewed challenges facing businesses in Malaysia. “Feedback from respondents in Malaysia shows business investments in capital and staff have fallen for a second quarter.

“Inflation and foreign exchange volatility have increased for a third quarter in a row, which in turn has put importers under a lot of pressure.”

Significantly, Lopez said, a deepening credit crunch in China could have widespread implications for the Asia-Pacific. She said the approval ratings for Putrajaya’s economic policies are currently at one of the lowest points for some time, with some 63% disapproving, up from 51% in the second quarter of 2013.

However, she also pointed out that fears of public spending spiralling out of control appear to have died down. One of the government’s business policies which came under public criticism was the Bumiputera Economic Empowerment Agenda.

The affirmative action plan, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last September, will dish out RM31 billion worth of contracts and financial assistance to help the Bumiputeras. However, questions have been raised over where the government intends to find the funds to finance the agenda.

The announcement of the agenda came about a week after Najib had said fuel subsidies would be further reduced, a move which would save the government about RM3.3 billion annually. – November 7, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 7 November 2013, 4:00 pm and is filed under
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Jaga-jaga, ada usaha untuk hancurkan kesepaduan Pakatan Rakyat. Karpal tidak menyeru supaya batalkan pendaftaran PAS.

Semua orang mesti berjaga-jaga memandangkan ada pihak yang sedang cuba merosakkan kesepaduan Pakatan Rakyat.

Terbaru ialah dakwaan bahawa Pengerusi Kebangsaan DAP merangkap Ahli Parlimen Bukit Gelurgor, Karpal Singh mahu pendaftaran PAS dibatalkan.

Saya telah bercakap dengan Karpal dan beliau telah menjelaskan bahawa beliau tidak langsung menyeru supaya pendaftaran PAS dibatalkan.

Beliau mengkritik Persatuan Peguam Persatuan Peguam Peguam Muslim Malaysia (PPMM) kerana mengugut Majlis Peguam lantaran sokongan yang diberikan badan tersebut terhadap akhbar mingguan Katolik, Herald; sambil menekankan bahawa demi kepentingan perpaduan nasional, badan-badan politik atau preofesional tidak wajar beroperasi dalam kerangka perkauman atau keagamaan.

Rakyat Malaysia yang rasional dan patriotik kian bertambah runsing dengan melonjaknya kadar retorika perkauman, kurangnya toleransi agama serta kebencian di negara ini. Kerisauan sebegini tidak wajar dibiar terpinggir dan diputarbelitkan dengan dakwaan-dakwaan tidak berasas kononnya Karpal mahu PAS dibatalkan pendaftarannya.

Apa yang diperlukan kini ialah supaya warga Malaysia yang rasional dan patriotik untuk mengekalkan fokus mereka menuntut supaya segala retorika perkauman kebencian dan kurangnya toleransi agama ini kian berkurang kerana ia jelas berlawanan dengan nilai-nilai wasatiyah dan inklusif yang dirangkum oleh Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak dalam polisi 1Malaysianya, selain di kempen antarabangsanya ke arah ‘Global Movement of Moderates’.

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/11/06/beware-of-people-trying-to-wreck-unity-of-pakatan-rakyat-as-karpal-did-not-call-for-the-deregistration-of-pas/

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 7 November 2013, 11:37 am and is filed under
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