How to scare away investors – the Perkasa Way

By
Dr Lim Teck Ghee
 | CPI

The government’s New Economic Model structural reform agenda is aimed at raising average annual growth to 6% until year 2015. While implementation of the agenda would be positive for Malaysia’s economic fundamentals, even the talk of reform has already provoked considerable political opposition.

When first introduced, the NEM was supposed to be Malaysia’s new selling point to local and foreign investors and the country’s passport to a better future. It now appears to be aborted before birth. Or at best, it appears to be a newly arrived baby in the critically ill ward, and needing an incubator and special attention if it is to survive at all.

Chief amongst its enemies has been Perkasa and Dr Mahathir Mohamad. From them emerged harsh talk about Malays losing power in the country and of Umno allowing the situation of Malay dominance to be so badly eroded that the community is facing a bleak and hopeless future.

While Perkasa may claim a big membership of 200,000 – even if unsubstantiated or exaggerated – the results of a survey released in April by pollster Merdeka Center nonetheless did show that the right-wing group has been gaining popularity. The centre found that nearly 70 percent of Malay voters in the peninsula agreed with Perkasa’s demands for the government not to dismantle quotas and economic protection for the Malays.

Describing the list of demands sent to Najib Razak before the prime minister presented the 10th Malaysia Plan in Parliament, Perkasa economic bureau chief Dr Zubir Harun said, “We (Malays) would, of course, require assistance from the government.” Asked by reporters about any consequences should the government not consider Perkasa’s memorandum, Zubir replied that there would be “political implications”.

What form the ‘implications’ might take would boil down to the numbers game. “Malaysia comprises 55 percent Malays and 12 percent of other Bumiputeras, which total 67 percent Bumiputeras. Therefore, the nation’s wealth must be 67 percent for Bumiputeras but we get 30 percent only,” Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali decried at his movement’s inaugural congress in March – an event that was graced by ex-premier Mahathir.

It is the latter who has taken centre stage and had the spotlight shone on his continued manipulation of the Malay sense of insecurity. While Dr Mahathir’s scaremongering has been the grist for many a debate mill, his views on FDI is of equal public interest.

Now cautioning that Malaysia “should be more selective with FDI”, Dr Mahathir seems to have changed his tune from his past grand visions of ‘Look East’ development. He says presently: “Certainly we should not encourage foreign developers to develop high cost projects which are not within reach of local buyers. Rather Government should help local investors to develop these specialised areas by building needed infrastructure.”

He advocates “supporting local industries to grow big”, and cites Japanese and Korean world class businesses “with their own brand names” as examples of success.

Dr Mahathir’s selective amnesia appears rather convenient when one recalls how his expensive state-backed Proton project failed to make a dent in branding overseas, not to mention at home where it would have surely failed a long time ago were it not for crippling taxes levied on imported cars and injection of massive amounts of taxpayers’ money to buoy Proton.

Dr Mahathir’s continued efforts at whipping up fear amongst Malays has now been taken up by some other Umno leaders, including former party secretary-general Sabbaruddin Chik who was reported by Malay daily Berita Harian recently as saying that all the hard-fought privileges accrued by the Malays over the years would soon be lost if they are to be “disunited”.

The anti-Chinese agitators are missing the forest for the trees since they fail to ask what would be the point of having 99.9 percent political power if the economic cake has crumbled. Getting a guaranteed share of a small equity or property market cake is what the warlords may insist upon but at what cost to young Malays when the jobs that come with local and foreign investment disappear.

And if investor sentiment is the gauge of how well Ibrahim Ali – who avows he is proud to be a “jaguh kampung” – and Dr Mahathir and their friends have done, then they all should pat themselves on the back for doing a great job of scaring the business community, and not only just the Malay community.

Capital continues to flows out

According to a recent report, Malaysia’s capital account is now showing eight consecutive quarters of outflows. The capital account is an account that tracks the movement of funds for investments and loans into and out of a country.

Not only is money and funds moving out of Malaysia, so far this year, according to Emerging Portfolio Fund Research data, Bursa Malaysia has received just two percent of total equity inflows into the emerging markets of Asia – yes, two percent.

Unlike in other countries, where fund managers and strategists have been buoyed by recent sentiment and momentum, there are few catalysts to tempt investors into buying Malaysian stocks or to encourage new investment flows from abroad.

According to Fitch, one of the world’s leading rating agencies, in a statement issued on July 8:

“The deterioration in Malaysia’s public finances that motivated the local-currency rating downgrade in 2009 looks unlikely to be unwound soon. The authorities’ structural reform agenda has the potential to improve Malaysia’s growth prospects, but the government’s ability to overcome political obstacles to reform is not assured and it will take concrete progress to exert upward pressure on the ratings.”

Fitch projects Malaysia’s federal government debt to reach 54.4% of GDP by end-2010, up from 41.4% at end-2008 and well above the ‘A’ median of 40%.

The federal deficit hit 7.6% of GDP in 2009 on the agency’s measure and is projected to narrow only moderately to 6% in 2010.

Meanwhile, structural weaknesses in Malaysia’s public finances continue to weigh on the ratings. The country’s fiscal revenue base remains relatively weak, with federal revenues at 22.7% of GDP in 2009, against a 10-year average for the ‘A’ range of 34%.

Higher energy revenue reliance

Furthermore, fiscal dependence on the energy sector is high and rising, threatening higher revenue volatility in the medium-term. Energy-derived revenues were 41% of total fiscal revenues in 2009, up from 20% in 2003.

Should oil and gas revenues decline drastically, then the introduction of a goods and services tax (GST) to strengthen the revenue base may well be sooner rather than later.

An early warning of this has already been given by Petronas which revealed last week of a 23.2 percent plunge in net profit for the fiscal year ended March 31 due to weak demand and low oil and gas prices. Revenue fell 18 percent to RM216.4 billion due to a contraction in product prices and lower sales volume.

Should the collapse in global consumer spending and falling industrial output continue, the nation will be in deep trouble.

What are the alternatives?

The country’s best bet to attract investor interest and reduce the deficit appears to be the old standby of privatizations and special concessions to entice investors.

Some observers have argued that accelerating the privatization of GLCs can bring about a virtuous cycle of a reduced budget deficit; a re-rating of the country’s local-currency debt; and a chance of taking a bigger share of the short and long-term foreign capital heading Asia’s way.

Najib has recently been dropping discreet hints on the sales of holdings in Petronas Gas, Malaysia Airports and Sime Darby. However there is every indication that he will have to fight every inch of the way against Perkasa and its allies – the deeply entrenched warlords in Umno and the Malay bureaucracy.

When the prime minister warned local Johor leaders not to be emotional or parochial about Singaporeans investing in the state especially in the region of Iskandar Malaysia, he was not being proactive or referring to a hypothetical situation. He was finally reacting to statements by Dr Mahathir, Perkasa and the Bumiputera Economic Congress on the need to maintain the NEP status quo and to ensure Malay dominance.

Finally, it is the height of political stupidity to call for a Chinese Perkasa to meet the irrational and racist challenge of the Malay Perkasa. Whoever made that demand or issued a statement to that effect clearly needs to go back to study Political Ethics 101 which is that you do not fight darkness with equal darkness but with light and reason.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 16 July 2010, 10:37 am and is filed under
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Is MACC’s year-late condolence over Teoh Beng Hock’s death genuine?

Today Malaysians remember and mourn the unexpected and mysterious death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock a year ago at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam after volunteering to co-operate with MACC investigations.

In an unusual move on Teoh Beng Hock’s first-year death anniversary, the MACC commissioner Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamad issued a short three-paragraph statement, which said:

“I represent myself and all members of MACC. We share the same sadness and disappointment with Teoh’s family over what happened on July 16, 2009.

“Although a year has passed since the unfortunate incident, we still feel the pain and sadness. As a father and an elder in the family, I can deeply feel the unbearable pain of losing a family member.”

Saying that  the MACC will abide by the decision of the inquest, he said MACC will not compromise or shield anyone who is involved in the case.

He also said that steps such as improving the safety of witnesses and increasing procedures relating to witnesses had been taken to ensure history would not repeat itself.

The question all are asking is whether Abu Kassim and MACC are genuine in their year-late condolence because of two reasons:

Firstly, the condolence statement is only issued in Mandarin and only given coverage in the Chinese-language media.  Is the MACC’s year-late condolence only for the consumption of the Chinese media but not for the consumption of all Malaysians in all language media in Malaysia?  If so, where is the genuine remorse and contrition?

Secondly, the year-late condolence is at variance with the stance adopted by the MACC counsel Datuk Abdul Razak Musa at the inquest where he was clearly acting on the MACC’s instruction that Teoh Beng Hock had committed suicide and had nothing to do with the MACC instead of coming to the inquest with an open mind and in full support of the most comprehensive inquiry  – to the extent that Razak could make a callous and unconscionable statement comparing the inquest to 4-0 like the World Cup in favour of MACC!

Abu Kassim has also not elaborated what new steps and procedures MACC had taken to explain his cryptic remark that “history would not repeat itself” in the case of Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 16 July 2010, 11:27 am and is filed under
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‘Retirement will be the end of me’

By
S Rutra | FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Karpal Singh will be celebrating his 70th birthday tomorrow, and the DAP veteran is not even thinking about retiring from politics. In fact, the renowned lawyer and Bukit Gelugor MP believes that such a notion will literally herald the end for him.

“The day such a thought arises in my mind, that’s it, I might just collapse and that will be the end of me,” he told FMT.

Karpal, who was born on June 28, will be attending a big birthday bash tomorrow in his home state of Penang.

Although a road accident five years ago has left him confined to a wheelchair, the incident, according to Karpal, failed to dent his spirit and mental fortitude.

The silver-manned “Lion of Jelutong” still roars with the same ferocity, striking fear in the hearts of his opponents, who cannot help but nurse a grudging respect for the “Singh is King”.

Karpal had borrowed the phrase “Singh is King” from a Bollywood blockbuster movie when he received live bullets in the mail following his criticism of the Perak Sultan after Barisan Nasional staged a political coup in the state.

However, DAP’s first non-Chinese chairman refused to be rattled, and warned his enemies not to play with fire.

Karpal, who joined DAP in 1970 and contested in an election four years later, vowed to continue serving the people as long as his health permitted him to do so.

“Even if I am held up in Kuala Lumpur on weekdays due to my work, I prefer to return to my hometown during weekends to visit my constituency and meet the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Karpal also lamented that politicians these days lacked sincerity and commitment, therefore failing to meet the expectations of the people.

“As for me, I will continue to speak up whenever policies or actions of the ruling government or my Pakatan Rakyat compatriots go against the wishes of the people,” he said.

Four out of his five children are lawyers, while his youngest son Karpal Singh Jr, is completing a degree in Actuarial Science in London.

Two other sons Gobind and Jagdeep followed in their father’s footsteps along the political trail to become the Puchong MP and Datuk Keramat state assemblyman respectively.

‘Dad told us he’ll die in the saddle’

Speaking to FMT, Jagdeep said his father always told them that he will “die in the saddle”.

“It’s in his blood, he is so passionate… he is a workaholic and sometimes we wish he had chosen some other profession. But when we see how he carries himself as a MP and lawyer, we accept it and support him,” he added.

When asked if his father has a temper, Jagdeep said: “The entire office can hear his voice when he loses his cool. He is a perfectionist and will not tolerate silly mistakes.”

Karpal’s comrade in arms and equally deserving of a “Lion” title himself, Lim Kit Siang, said his party chairman’s commitment to justice for all Malaysians cannot be questioned.

“He is a legend in Malaysian politics who is fully devoted towards his career (as a lawyer) and politics for the last 40 years. It’s a remarkable achievement,” he said.

Lim added that his only wish is for his friend to recover from his injuries and walk alsongside with him once again.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 16 July 2010, 2:29 pm and is filed under
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The Tragedy of Teoh Beng Hock – One Year Later

Events:

Ceramah in Selangor-KL Chinese Assembly Hall. KL 16 July, 8pm (
map
)

Candle light vigil at Speakers’ Square in Penang. 16 July, 8.30pm .

On 17/7/2010 (Sat) 9am – Public Memorial Service in front of Beng Hock’s resting place at the Nirvana Memorial Park, Semenyih, Selangor. (
map
 N3 01.970 E101 52.002)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 16 July 2010, 2:44 pm and is filed under
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Karpal – Giant in Malaysian law and politics

Tribute for  Karpal’s 70th Birthday Special Publication – “Karpal Singh: True Malaysian” dedicated by DAP Malaysia

Karpal cut his teeth paving the way to become the country’s foremost criminal and constitutional lawyer with landmark controversies in the Seventies like the case of 14-year-old boy  who was sentenced to death for possession of a pistol and who was finally commuted after an intense  national and international campaign; Fan Yew Teng sedition and my Official Secrets Act trials  – going on into the Eighties and Nineties as counsel  in the landmark  public interest litigation suit against the United Engineers (M) Bhd and the Government of Malaysia for improper award of North-South Expressway privatization (“piratisation”);  the Mahathir contempt case; the Lim Guan Eng sedition and “false information” trials in defence of an underaged Malay girl and the two sets of Anwar Ibrahim trials divided by a decade.

In his stout and intrepid defence of human rights, the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the principles of accountability, transparency and good governance, Karpal is not just counsel but active participant – which was why he wears the badge of honour as a former Internal Security Act detainee, incarcerated with five other DAP MPs (Lim Guan Eng, Dr. Tan Seng Giaw, the late P. Patto, the late V. David, Lau Dak Kee and myself) in Kamunting Detention Centre under the infamous mass ISA “Operation Lalang” dragnet by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad when Prime Minister in October 1987 with 106 people detained under the swoop.

Karpal is himself no stranger to malicious persecution, whether for his conscientious and fearless defence of victims of political prosecutions or for upholding the principles of the Malaysian Constitution and the rule of law in the country.

Although presently wheel-chair bound because of an accident, Karpal has not allowed his physical infirmities to deter him one whit and his voice continues to boom in the Chambers of Parliament to speak up for justice, the rule of law, accountability, transparence and good governance.

Karpal is a giant in law and politics and most of all, a great Malaysian!

Happy 70th birthday, Karpal. Look forward to your 80th birthday anniversary!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 17 July 2010, 12:27 pm and is filed under
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Teoh Beng Hock in memoriam

Otw 2TeohBengHock anniversary memorial ceramah @KL/Sel Ch AssemblyHall Traffic congestion infernal Almost an hour Section 20 PJ 2KL venue

07/16/2010 07:53 PM

Despite bad jam hall already full 4TBH memorial crmh Ppl flowing in Show depth/intensity public feelings over tragic death despite 1year

07/16/2010 08:16 PM

DAPSY chief/RasahMP AnthonyLoke 1st speaker @DAPSY-org TBH mmrl crmh Most encouraging spontaneous outpouring of public support 4justice 4TBH

07/16/2010 08:29 PM

SelDAP Chmn EYHW speaking Png CM LGE just arr Also MPs Gobind TSG TKW FKL WHL LLE ExcoRonnie Speaker TengCK SAs ThomasSu Jenice Phillip

07/16/2010 08:46 PM

Gobind speaking Injustice of unnecessary death of TBH a year ago is still fresh/raw in heart of decent Msians n want justice b done 2TBH

07/16/2010 08:55 PM

@n_izzah speak 2crowd after TKW.There r ppl who hope TBH case forgotten but they r wrong 4TBH injustice remains raw wound in national psyche

07/16/2010 09:52 PM

TBH n similar wounds in d national psyche (eg Aminurasyid Kugan) must heal or present system of governance is too rotten n must go in 13GE

07/16/2010 10:24 PM

TBH memorial ceramah ends w speeches by LGE TengCK myself Stern reminder 2all BN parties – Justice 4TBH or face massive public repudiation

07/17/2010 12:21 AM

Justice 4TBH is not 4for 1(who died) but 4living 27 mil Msians 2ensure history does not repeat @skaizer23 I don’t give a damn fight for one

07/17/2010 01:17 AM

Multi-party multi-racial turnout @Nirvana Memorial Park Semenyih 4death anniversary prayer ceremony 4TBH. His 5monthold son Er Jia also here

07/17/2010 10:00 AM

RoyalCommission Inquiry anncd by Najib July22 lastyr related 2TBH death has still 2take off making it lameduck RCI.Cabinet shd review nxt wk

07/17/2010 10:16 AM

TBH death/injustice example of “institutional degradation” explained by NEM y Msia losing out in int competiveness stakes tkz 2BN/umno/mca

07/17/2010 10:25 AM

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 17 July 2010, 12:03 pm and is filed under
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Ku Li: General election date depends on Sarawak polls results

By
Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — All eyes are on the upcoming Sarawak state elections as its outcome will determine when the next general elections will be held, according to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

The veteran politician believes that a convincing Barisan Nasional (BN) victory in the Sarawak state elections, slated to be held before July 2011, will hasten the 13th general elections to within the first few months of 2012.

But if the Sarawak BN state government fails to retain its two-thirds majority, or loses, the general elections will only be held in late 2012.

“If Sarawak BN does well, the next general elections will be held early in 2012. But if the results are unfavourable to BN, whereby it fails to regain a confident two-thirds majority in the state assembly or loses the state, then I think elections will be held late 2012,” Tengku Razaleigh told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview.

The Kelantan prince popularly known as Ku Li said that retaining Sarawak is crucial for BN because it would be the tipping point for the federal coalition’s hold on federal power.

“It really depends on the outcome of Sarawak. If the results goes against Barisan, we are done for. If the win is not in favour of BN, like retaining control in Sarawak (with a simple majority) then this will affect Sabah,” said the Gua Musang MP.

It is understood that Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Taib Mahmud himself will be leading the charge come the state elections, despite repeated calls for the veteran politician to step down as head of the state government.

“Taib is going to stand again. He is going to lead Sarawak BN into the elections,” claimed the former Umno vice-president.

He said that the mood or sentiments on the ground was a signal that would determine the date of elections.

“You have to determine the date of elections based on the feelings of the people on the ground, or the economic climate of our country.

“Public reaction is the best yardstick, look at the results of the last few by-elections. Going by Hulu Selangor, BN was happy. They were shocked when the Sibu results came out,” said Tengku Razaleigh.

The former finance minister told The Malaysian Insider that DAP’s win in Sibu had forced BN to abandon their plans of having an early nationwide elections and Sarawak state elections simultaneously.

“I think they were planning to have the general elections simultaneously with Sarawak state elections if they had won Sibu. BN had indicated that having general elections together with Sarawak would be a better move.

“That was their game plan, when they lost Sibu, they decided not to proceed with the plan,” added Tengku Razaleigh.

DAP won the Sibu parliamentary seat recently in a surprise upset despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself going through extreme measures to ensure a BN victory.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 18 July 2010, 1:10 pm and is filed under
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Another international infamy for Malaysia

Tweets
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Another international infamy for Malaysia  http://bit.ly/bREG7C Ex-airman back to jail after losing protection bid

07/19/2010 06:31 PM

Where othr civilized countries a person safer in prison than outside? http://bit.ly/c2PFs6 No protection order, so ex-airman chooses jail

07/19/2010 06:38 PM

———

Ex-airman back to jail after losing protection bid

By Boo Su-Lyn | The Malaysian Insider

PETALING JAYA, July 19 — Former air force sergeant N. Tharmendran is returning to prison today after losing his bid for a court protection order against Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) officers he claims intend to abduct him.

Tharmendran’s father N. Nagarajah withdrew his bail on his son’s behalf after the Sessions Court here rejected the ex-airman’s application for a protection order to prohibit RMAF officers from taking him into custody.

“The accused (Tharmendran) has no recourse but to withdraw his bail because he is certain that TUDM (RMAF) will abduct him anytime,” said Tharmendran’s lawyer M. Manogaran today.

The lawyer added that Tharmendran saw several RMAF officers from the air force’s intelligence unit in the courtroom during the hearing itself today.

“A person who has been tortured once does not want to be tortured again. That is why he (Tharmendran) has chosen to go back to Sungai Buloh (prison),” Tharmendran’s other lawyer N. Surendran told reporters today.

Tharmendran was recently released from prison after winning an appeal early this month at the High Court here to reduce his bail to RM50,000 from the original bail of RM150,000 posted by the Sessions Court on January 6.

The ex-airman claimed that the air force “major” who allegedly tortured him as well as nine other RMAF officers under the major’s command were also present at the court building during his hearing this morning.

The 42-year-old former air force sergeant had also alleged in a police report this morning that four RMAF officers had visited his parents’ house in Seremban last Friday to abduct him.

Tharmendran was charged in January this year for the theft of two RMAF F5-E jet engines.

However, Tharmendran recently denied stealing the fighter jet engines, claiming instead that he had been tortured by military officers to force a confession from him to say that he had been responsible for the theft.

Tharmendran alleged that he was dragged, stripped down to his underwear, and thrown into a freezing cold room and made to admit, repeatedly, that he was guilty.

He also said that he was made to wear a crash helmet and was hit with a cricket bat and a golf club three to four times a day.

Judge Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz rejected Tharmendran’s application for a protection order on grounds that the Sessions Court did not have the powers to grant the order.

“The court refers to Section 2 and 4 of the Abduction and Criminal Intimidation of Witnesses Act 1947 and finds that this act cannot be used for the accused. It is specifically for witnesses,” said Hayatul.

Manogaran and Surendran had argued earlier that the court was empowered to grant a protection order to Tharmendran as the protection granted under the Act mentioned was applicable to Tharmendran.

“If you look at Section 4, the statement is ‘whoever abducts any person’. Any person includes the accused who will give a statement in court,” said Manogaran.

Hayatul also said that Tharmendran’s police report claiming that RMAF officers were trying to abduct him was “just an allegation” and could not be used as a basis to grant a protection order.

“This is the worst failure found in the justice system in this country,” said Surendan.

“We can see that Malaysian witnesses are forced to go to prison to protect himself from the authorities,” added Surendran.

Manogaran also said that RMAF does not have the right to take Tharmendran into custody since the expiry of his service contract on May 28 this year, as well as the fact that his salary for the past two months was not paid.

“His (Tharmendran) contract cannot be extended or renewed without consent,” said Manogaran, adding that the RMAF had yet to respond to letters sent to them last week stating that Tharmendran was no longer in their service.

Tharmendran’s trial was postponed to September 6 after he made an application at the Shah Alam High Court to quash the charges against him at the Sessions Court on grounds that they were “frivolous”.

Manogaran and Surendran have maintained that their client is merely a scapegoat in a conspiracy involving high-ranking officers.

——-

No protection order, so ex-airman chooses jail

By Joseph Sipalan | Malaysiakini

In yet another dramatic twist in the trial of former RMAF sergeant N Tharmendran, the accused retracted his bail after the PJ Sessions Court refused his application for a protection order from the air force.

Judge Hayatul Akmal Abd Aziz ruled that the court has no jurisdiction to grant such an order, and it cannot admit a police report on alleged harassment by the RMAF as evidence, as it is still under investigation.

She added that the Abduction and Criminal Intimidation of Witnesses Act, cited by Tharmendran’s defence as grounds to grant the order, is not applicable in Tharmendran’s case as he is an accused and not a witness.

Tharmendran will now go back to the Sungai Buloh prison, just two weeks after securing a reduced bail of RM50,000 from the High Court.

Lead defence counsel N Surendran (left) said Tharmendran requested to retract his bail as he feared he would be picked up by RMAF officers who were waiting outside the courtroom.

“This goes to show that anyone who has been tortured before does not want to be tortured again,” Surendran said of his client’s alleged torture by army intelligence officers.

Surendran decried the court’s decision not to grant Tharmendran a protection order, accusing the judicial system of failing the cause of justice.

“Today is one of the darkest days in this country, when a Malaysian citizen is forced to go to prison to protect himself from the authorities themselves,” he said after the hearing this afternoon.

Earlier this morning, Tharmendran filed a police report claiming that four armed forces personnel had gone to his parents’ home in Seremban to pick him up.

He also claimed that at least 10 officers from the air force’s intelligence division, all in plainclothes, were waiting around at the courthouse this morning to take him away.

‘Limited’ documents turn up

At the afternoon hearing, deputy public prosecutor Ishak Muhamad Yusof was believed to have cited some documents handed over to him by marshalls attached to the military court.

The contents of the documents were unknown and could not be shown to the court as the marshalls claimed that it has limited access.

It was however at this time when Ishak refuted the defence’s claim that Tharmendran’s contract with the RMAF expired on May 28 this year, saying that after making an “inquiry” into his employment status, Tharmendran is still attached to the RMAF.

Surendran earlier argued that because Tharmendran’s contract had ended almost two months ago, he is now a civilian and the RMAF have no business harassing him.

Ishak suggested that the defence apply for an injunction in the High Court, as it is the proper procedure to apply for such an order and would give the air force enough time to respond to the allegations.

“This court has no jurisdiction to give such an order, and if it does so it would be pre-judged as the matter is still under investigation,” he said.

Trial date postponed

Earlier, Hayatul had adjourned Tharmendran’s trial regarding two jet fighter engines found missing in 2007, pending the outcome of two applications filed by his lawyers.

The first application, filed on July 15 in the Sessions Court, is for further documents from the prosecution in relation to the alleged theft of the engines.

The second application, filed on July 16 in the Shah Alam High Court, seeks to strike out Tharmendran’s case on the grounds that it is an abuse of the court process and frivolous.

The High Court has not set a date to hear this application.

Also present today was co-accused K Rajandran Prasad (left), who is represented by Gobind Singh Deo.

Tharmendran and Rajandran are jointly charged in connection with the theft of the jet engines in 2007.

The Sessions Court set Sept 6 for mention, to fix new dates for the trial.

Report as at 11.15am:

Drama and intrigue coloured the scheduled start of former RMAF sergeant N Tharmendran’s trial today, as his lawyers applied for a protection order to keep alleged “abductors” at bay.

Like a scene out of a Hollywood thriller, Tharmendran (right) pointed out two officers in plain clothes hanging around the Petaling Jaya courthouse after the trial was adjourned this morning.

This prompted his lead counsel N Surendran and Lateefa Koya to confront one of the officers.

“He admitted he was an officer, but denied that he is a witness or (that he is) involved in the case,” Surendran said.

“He said he and another officer were just accompanying another officer to the courthouse, but when we asked if the person was still around, he said they did not know.”

Tharmendran and his lawyers then went to the Petaling Jaya police station to lodge a report on an alleged attempt by air force personnel to abduct him from his parents’ home in Seremban last Friday.

The report will be the basis for his protection order, which will be heard by the Sessions Court at 2pm today.

Tharmendran had previously told Malaysiakini that he had been tortured by military intelligence officers while being interrogated during an internal probe.

Decisions pending

Earlier, PJ Sessions Court judge Hayatul Akmal had adjourned the trial, pending the outcome of two applications filed by his lawyers.

The first application, filed on July 15 in the Sessions Court, is for further documents from the prosecution in relation to the alleged theft of two jet-fighter engines.

The second application, filed on July 16 in the Shah Alam High Court, seeks to strike out Tharmendran’s case on the grounds that it is an abuse of the court process and frivolous.

The High Court has not set a date to hear this application.

Also present today was co-accused K Rajandran Prasad, who is represented by Gobind Singh Deo (left).

The prosecution team is led by DPP Ishak Muhamad Yusof.

Tharmendran and Rajandran are jointly charged in connection with the theft of the jet engines in 2007.

The Sessions Court set Sept 6 for mention, to fix new dates for the trial.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 19 July 2010, 7:22 pm and is filed under
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Najib’s Ill-Disciplined Leadership

By
M. Bakri Musa

Prime Minister Najib continues his predecessor’s practice of monthly departmental assemblies where he addresses his staff in the manner of a headmaster to his school children.  His latest session on Monday, July 5th had him exhorting them to create “an ecosystem [to] recognize top performers.”

             You can tell much about a person by the way he behaves in familiar surroundings.  Likewise, a leader reveals his true persona when he is in the comfortable presence of his followers.  By that measure, Najib’s performance at his monthly departmental gatherings exposes his ill-disciplined leadership.

             His delivery was hardly smooth.  There were awkward pauses, inarticulate bellowing of his voice, and irritating gesturing with his hands, all to feign emphasis and profundity.  While the occasion was flashy, grand and elaborately planned, his speech betrayed his lack of preparation.

             There he was in his dark suit, this time outside under the morning but still blistering Malaysian sun, with his ministers and senior bureaucrats standing dutifully on stage in a neat straight row behind him.  They too were similarly formally dressed in dark suits with flawlessly matched red ties and kerchiefs, seemingly in rapt attention.  They looked more like pall bearers at a funeral, except for their red ties.

             More typically these assemblies would be held in one of the maximally air-conditioned and minimally utilized auditoriums in Putrajaya.  Then his ministers and senior bureaucrats would be seated comfortably in the front row.  At least they would not be sweating in their thick suits, with their faces glistening as they were that Monday.

             It is hard to discern the purpose of this monthly ritual.  I presume it is an opportunity for Najib to announce major policy initiatives, but there was nothing new or substantive that Monday.  For the civil servants however, it was an opportunity to ponteng, to be away from their desks.  They were like schoolchildren excited to be away from class.  No wonder those civil servants were singing and waving flags!  How juvenile!

             Najib however, fancies himself not as a headmaster rather a Steve Jobs addressing a grand media gathering.  Some fantasy!  Najib forgets that when Jobs has his, it is to introduce a new product; an ingenious and effective marketing strategy to create buzz.

             Obviously Najib is unaware of the cost of his monthly assemblies.  He thinks it is expense-free, as the government already owns the facility and those civil servants and ministers are not paid extra to be there.  He could not be more wrong.  Like his ministers and staff, Najib spends his entire career receiving a steady paycheck.  He has never run a business and thus is blissfully unaware of what it would take to deliver regular paychecks.  The concept of overhead or wasteful spending of time and resource is beyond him.

             With the assembly held in the morning, those civil servants are unlikely to spend the time interval before and after to do any meaningful work.  If you think that they would rush back to their offices after the assembly, then you do not understand the mentality and culture of our civil service.  The afternoon too would be wasted in rehashing the morning event.

             Functionally, the whole day was a washout as far as effective work was concerned.  Those bureaucrats were essentially makan gaji buta (lit. eating a blind salary; fig, not earning their keep) on that day.  So much for efficiency!  I pity those who had any business to transact with the Prime Minister’s office that day.

             With all the talk of “transforming” the government, I would have thought that Najib could think of other cheaper and more effective ways of communicating with his staff.

Pidgin English and Bazaar Malay

 The only thing prime ministerial about Najib during the assembly was his attire.  As for his speech, he could not utter a complete sentence in either comprehensible English or proper Malay.  He would begin in Malay and then without any hint switch into English, and then back to Malay, or endless combinations thereof.  Listeners had to switch mental gears frequently and without warning.  Najib’s monotonous mumbling with his own peculiar brand of mangled “Manglish” made him sound like a third-rate Filipino politician.

             Consider this:  “Sistem kita ini mesti kita lihat the entire ecosystem ini, mesti recognize potential high performance, ….”  Another, “Kalau kita recognize potential high performance, … kita recognize sumbangan yang luar biasa, those who are prepared to go the extra mile, ….”  Such boring and repetitious mumbo jumbo defies translation!

             Najib set a bad example especially for our students.  How could we criticize them when our Prime Minister could not even string together a complete sentence in either Malay or English?  Najib’s mangled “Manglish” was incongruous in such a formal setting.  This manner of speaking is disrespectful of his audience.  Thank God he did not degenerate into his usual colloquialism as with “Lu tolong gua, gua tolong lu” (You help me, I help you!) mode as he did in the recent Sibu by-election.

             Only Zee Avi with her sultry voice could make the mixing of Malay and English sound cute and captivating.  Those less talented should stick to one language only, and that includes Najib.

             Najib’s favorite buzzword at this last assembly was “ecosystem.”  He probably came across that in one of the “pop” business books or articles.  I doubt very much whether he fully understands its meaning.  An ecosystem is a functional unit where one participant influences and in turn being influenced by the other participants.  Altering one could have unpredictable consequences on others as well as the whole.

            What Najib meant was culture or environment.  Either word would have been more accurate and readily understood, but to Najib they were too ordinary and not as sexy as “ecosystem.”

             Another of his choice word is “transformation.”  In biology the term refers to the phenomenon where the genetic material is altered, and the organism consequently transformed.  It means change at the core (nucleus), and from there to the rest of the cell.  The consequent change is thus permanent, profound, affects the whole system, and transmissible to the next generation.  Socially, it means profound and irreversible change that begins with the leadership, and then spreads out.

             To state it differently and more bluntly, it is Najib who has to change first before he could even dream of transforming Malaysia.  For example, to streamline the government, Najib must begin with his own bloated department.

             Another of Najib’s favorite buzz word is “quantum,” as in his declaration, “Civil servants would get bonuses, only the quantum is to be determined.”  Again, he must have looked that word up and found its meaning to be “quantity” or “amount.”  So he simply substituted the more sexy and scientific sounding “quantum.”

             “Quantum” as in quantum physics refers to the discrete energy levels associated with electronic orbitals around the nucleus.  Thus a quantum increase is a pre-defined or discrete and stepwise increase, and not just any amount.  Non-scientists love these big words for their vicarious association with modern science.  It only makes them sound stupid.

The Man Is His Performance

 My purpose here is not to critique Najib’s vocabulary, syntax or delivery, rather that those reflect the man and his leadership.  His fondness for flashy and impressive sounding words rather the more mundane but precise and readily understood is also reflected in his policies.  His “1Malaysia” slogan is a ready example – high sounding and introduced with great fanfare.  However when he had a chance to demonstrate its core meaning as with repudiating the racist theatrics of Perkasa and the likes of Ibrahim Ali, Najib backtracked.  He was easily gertak (scared).

             Najib’s mangled syntax with its rojak mingling of Malay and English betrays his lack of mental discipline.  Again this is reflected in his leadership.  He announced with great flourish the “transforming” of his economic policy, with his NEM supplanting his father’s NEP.  At the first resistance, he retreated.

             Najib’s gibberish sentences and gabbled delivery also reflect his lack of preparation.  Again, that is disturbing.  The assembly was planned, not an off-the-cuff press conference.  As such I would have expected him to be better prepared.  That he was not showed the low regards he had for his audience.

             My reaction to Najib’s performance at these assemblies and elsewhere can best be summed up by singer-songwriter Zee Avi’s lilting refrain in “Kantoi:”

 Sudah lah sayang, I don’t believe you

I’ve always known that your words were never true

Why am I with you? I pun tak tahu

No wonder lah my friends pun tak suka you!

             The exception is that I do not sayang Najib nor am I with him.

             Come to think of it, Najib had been up to quite a bit of mischief in his career.  However, his position effectively protected him from kena kantoi (busted), at least thus far and in Malaysia.  With the French authorities now stepping up their investigation on the scandal-ridden Scorpene submarine deal, this “protection” may soon break from overuse.

             For Najib, getting rid of that monthly assembly ritual would be easy, but overcoming all those other deficiencies of his leadership would be far more challenging.  Meanwhile we get to ‘enjoy’ his monthly and other spectacles, at least until he kena kantoi!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 19 July 2010, 1:25 pm and is filed under
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Sarawak Pakatan pledges straight fights with BN

By
Adib Zalkapli | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — The Sarawak Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties have pledged to ensure straight fights with Barisan Nasional (BN) in the upcoming state election, which must be called by July next year.

The fragile coalition of four parties — DAP, PAS, PKR and local opposition party SNAP — made the decision at the inaugural meeting of its leadership council last night.

Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng told The Malaysian Insider that the state PR is also aiming to take over the government led by Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who has been in power for almost three decades.

“The leadership council also decided to topple BN in the state election, so we are aiming for at least 50 per cent of the seats,” said Wong.

“At the very least we must deny the two-thirds majority,” he added.

The current term of the Sarawak assembly expires in July next year and the government is expected to call for state election by the end of this year.

The opposition collectively won nine seats in 2006, its best performance ever due to the increase in land premium payments and oil price hikes, which took place just two months before the state assembly was dissolved.

DAP currently controls six seats in the 71-member state assembly while PKR has one. Two independents Gabriel Adit and Johnichal Rayong, who won in 2006, have joined the new party, Parti Cinta Malaysia and BN’s SUPP respectively.

When asked if the council has identified a suitable candidate to be offered as replacement for Taib, Wong said the matter would be decided after the state election.

“We have sufficient candidates to be offered as CM, but we leave that after the election,” he said.

Wong also said that PR would come out with a common manifesto for the election to portray its seriousness in taking over the government.

“We are contesting one-to-one, so we will come out with a common manifesto and common theme in the election,” he said.

Wong added that the manifesto would be finalised by the state PR council after consulting each party.

On whether DAP has resolved overlapping claims on five disputed seats with PKR, Wong said the matter would be discussed by the parties’ subcommittee on seat allocation.

“We did not discuss the seat allocation last night, but it will be handled by the subcommittees, which will meet soon,” said Wong.

Both parties are in a tussle over which party gets to field candidates in at least five state constituencies in urban areas which are considered opposition strongholds.

In Election 2008, the two parties could not come to an agreement and were caught in a three-cornered fight against BN in the two federal constituencies of Stampin and Sibu. Both were won by the ruling coalition.

Both parties have met three times since early this year over the overlapping seats but have yet to reach an agreement.

Separately, PKR is also in negotiations with PAS and SNAP, over several rural seats with insignificant opposition presence.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 19 July 2010, 4:21 pm and is filed under
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Can Najib guarantee safety of ex-RMAF sergeant Thamendran while awaiting trial of theft of two jet-fighter engines?

It is another international infamy for Malaysia that former RMAF sergeant N. Tharmendran, 42, feels comparatively safer in Sungai Buloh prison while he awaits trial for the theft of two jet-fighter engines than to be out of jail.

It was only 11 days ago he was freed when he and his family successfully waged a six-month battle to reduce his RM150,000 bail to RM50,000.

It is a terrible indictment on the system of governance in Malaysia that a person should feel safer in prison custody than to be out as a free man, for fear of being abducted and tortured again by military intelligence officers, as Tharmendran had alleged that he had been previously  detained and tortured by military intelligence for three weeks and the “favourite torture” was to make him wear a crash helmet where he was repeatedly hit as hard as possible.

Thamendran’s personal safety and welfare while he awaits trial for theft of two jet-fighter engines has again put national and international focus on “institutional degradation” which the New Economic Model had identified as one of the causes of Malaysia’s economic stagnation and “declining growth trajectory”.

Thamendran’s personal safety and welfare while he awaits trial for theft of two jet-fighter engines has put to the very fore the question whether Malaysia is heading to become a failed state if  “institutional degradation” in the country’s system of governance  cannot be arrested and reversed.

Thamendran joins a lengthening list of cases which cast doubt on the seriousness, ability and political will of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to arrest “institutional degradation” and restore national and international confidence, a precondition for any success for Malaysia to become a developed, inclusive, sustainable  high-income nation, cases like:

The second sodomy trial of Parliamentary Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim;

The C-4 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu;

The RM500 million “commission” for the two Scorpene submaries;

Private Investigator Bala Subramaniam and his two statutory declarations;

The persecution of Raja Petra Kamaruddin; and

The mysterious death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock at MACC headquarters on July 16 last year.

Can Najib and his  Cabinet give a iron-clad guarantee that Tharmendram need not seek refuge in Sungai Buloh prison and that he would be absolutely safe on bail while awaiting trial for theft of two jet-fighter engines?

If not, his “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” policy cannot have  credibility or legitimacy.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, 1:24 pm and is filed under
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The Colour of Scholarships

By
Azira Aziz

Considering the function of academic scholarships and thereto just who should be entitled to scholarships.

When Najib proposed to open scholarship opportunities to all top scorers, particularly 9A’s and above, I saluted the move and thought nothing more of the matter. A politician buckling to popular tit-bits is nothing new and at least he’s heading in the right direction. However, it irked me as the usual Malay-rights groups, the Perkasa-led Malay Consultative Council (MPM) responded to it with “constructive” criticisms, claiming that it should reflect 67% composition of the Malay community in Malaysia.

My response to this is this: firstly, Professor Datuk Dr Kamarudin Kachar, not all 67% are Malaysian Malays. Some of them are actually assimilated Indonesians whose parents holds red MyKads. Many Malaysians are denied opportunities on the fallacy that they are of the wrong ethnicity and that they are less likely to be “loyal” to Malaysia. Instead, as long as you are a “Malay,” “imported” or not, you are entitled to a scholarship, and admittance to heavily subsidised boarding schools.

My point is not that Malaysian-born students of Indonesian parentage who are intelligent enough do not deserve scholarships by virtue of their parents being immigrants. On the contrary, hard work and diligence should always be rewarded. I know some of these kids – they’ve studied hard and they should be awarded where deserved. I am simply pointing out how our education system discriminates Malaysians.

It is ridiculous that descendants of immigrants are awarded privileges denied to generations born and raised as Malaysians on the basis of race and religion. The argument that affirmative action policies are meant to help the Malays falls here. Right to education in Malaysia is distributed to her citizens on the basis of race and religion is sanctioned by the State on no moral or ethical grounds, but purely on the “in-group vs. out-group” mentality. Why develop descendants of immigrants while neglecting and disparaging our own purely because they are different from the acceptable “original” settlers of Malaya?

Secondly, for many people tertiary education is the only way to break the cycle of poverty and as a means to social mobility. In short, education is the only way to help provide for your parents and your siblings. It is the only way you can protect the rights of your family and your properties against bad people. It is that golden gateway to a better life. The cycle of poverty is not specifically restricted to the Malays in the rural areas.

There are the rural and urban poor, and despite the differences in skin colour, private religious beliefs, and dietary preferences, they are no less human than your average Muhammad. Everyone is the same; we worry about grades, food, shelter, girlfriend/boyfriend, parents, allowances, and etc. It is our political parties that continuously indoctrinate us into thinking in terms of “Malay” and “non-Malay” as “human” and “less human,” or “us” and “them.” There is no reason whatsoever for racial quotas for scholarships as we are all Homo sapiens – human beings who are essentially the same and deserve the same rights.

Thirdly, I have observed that Malays as a community celebrates mediocrity. The concept of fear, self-guilt, insecurity and excessive emotional response is propagated through the most dangerous of tools – religion. Even places of worship; such as the surau and mosques are not exempt from political intrigue. I am sick and tired of watching and listening to beautiful scriptures of the Holy Quran taken out of context and manipulated to suit the purposes of the elite, wealthy, and privileged to maintain their power base. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, the scripts werre all written and approved by the state’s religious body, but it does make it more questionable, does it not?

It is no secret that as a collective, humans are fairly obtuse. The common sense of the pacifist few often escapes them, and therefore the masterful skill of the other few who promulgates hatred, suspicion, and utter ignorance carries more conviction as truth than the message of universal love and harmony. How Malays love their drama enam petang! The ever present threat of imaginary enemies was created to divert blame and responsibility from themselves.

Fourthly, I do not see this as a point of conflict for anyone affected by the change of policies. The way I see it, the Malay boys and girls will instead be told that they actually deserve the grades that they acquired through their own sweat and midnight oil-burning, to have the self-esteem to do whatever they set their minds to, and that they do not need crutches to achieve their dreams and help their families.

The only people who dramatise an otherwise positive move for all youths in this country, are people who feel threatened by the lack of dependence and growing confidence of the previously trodden majority – those who feel that to keep being relevant, they need to bully and put others down to feel better about themselves.

Finally, I recommend several criteria as a basis of Federal Scholarships. Scholarships should only be awarded to members of the lower-middle to poverty level students who exhibited excellent co-curricular achievements as well as good academic grades. A well-balanced individual is the best product that could be produced by only the best of institutions.

Students from this demographic tend to appreciate their education more, as well as the public knowledge of taxpayer monies well spent. Furthermore, the upper-middle class and above should be completely disqualified from eligibility to these scholarships, and should instead be encouraged to take up PTPTN or consider other financial options.

Most of them can afford private education, anyway. Another favourite suggestion by a friend of mine is to completely do away with overseas scholarships and force everyone to study in local universities. This is due to the fact that once given an opportunity to go abroad, the precious few brainy ones upon considering the socio-political circumstances in Malaysia, choose not to return. Our education coffers shall also be saved, and can be channeled to improve dilapidated Tamil and Orang Asli primary or secondary schools or increase salaries of long-suffering teachers.

For the record, I turned down scholarships because I genuinely believe that it should go to people who really need them. I find it unfair that students who can afford original Guess, DKNY and Chanel were also awarded scholarships when they obviously need it not.

My, what a long rant in reply to one man’s few sentences. Well, I have said my two cents. In conclusion, I truly believe on Federal Scholarships for those who deserve it by merit and based on their family’s financial background. Any thoughts, anyone?

LB
:
In her own words – Azira Aziz is a mongrel Malaysian who hopes to have “Malay” and “non-Malay” relegated as a relic of the past sometime in the future. A graduate from UiTM, and is currently undergoing training to become a lawyer.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, 9:31 am and is filed under
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The Prime Minister and the Cabinet tomorrow must censure Nik Ali for crossing the line as a model civil servant in calling Penang Chief Minister “biadap” at an Umno press conference

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Cabinet at their meeting tomorrow must censure the Penang State Development Officer of the Federal Government, Nik Ali Mat Yunus for crossing the line as a model civil servant in calling the Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng as “biadap” at an Umno press conference in Penang yesterday.

In disregarding the vital distinctions between party and state, and hitting out at the Penang Chief Minister at a Penang Umno press conference, Nik Ali was acting as if he was an Umno operative if not the Chief  Umno Plenipotentiary in Penang, forgetting that he is first and foremost a civil servant albeit the top Federal government officer in the state who must fully co-operate with the State Government for the welfare of the state and its people.

In showing disrespect for the Penang Chief Minister, Nik Ali is showing utter contempt for the democratic process, right and decision of the people of Penang to elect the government and Chief Minister of their choice.

Ali’s contention that he is only accountable to his bosses in the Federal Government and to no one else harks back to an era where accountability, transparency and good governance are alien terms and which is completely at variance with the “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” policy enunciated by the  Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

In fact, Nik Ali is one of the Little Napoleons who have not understood or digested one of Najib’s first statements as Prime Minister that “The era that the government knows best is over”.

Little Napoleons wherever they appear in the public service – Federal, State or Local Government – must be smacked down hard, and the Cabinet cannot do no less in the case of Nik Ali.

The Federal State Development Officer should act as a bridge between the Federal and State Governments, particularly when they come from different political parties, instead of trying to act as the principal saboteur of the political party forming the Federal Government to work at cross purposes with   the policies and programmes of the State Government.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, 3:14 pm and is filed under
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Umno’s indecent proposal a facade to cling on to power — Penyair Purba

By
Penyair Purba | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 19 — The recent development in our highly politically-minded nation (since Tsunami March 8, 2008) would be the brouhaha over the unity of the Malays through the merger between Umno and PAS. Based on the official source, both parties have a substantial number of members in the country, with the PAS membership believed to be more than a million, second only to none other than Umno.

It is undoubtedly clear to all and sundry that this marriage proposal came as a result of the previous general election which saw the ruling coalition (BN) lose five states, not to mention Kuala Lumpur, the federal capital. BN later regained Perak after the infamous coup which brought down the government led by ousted Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Nizar Jamaluddin. BN’s loss can be attributed to the non-Malay support for the DAP and PKR, with substantial number of them also voting for PAS candidates, as can be seen by the victory of PAS’s Dr Mariah in the Kota Raja constituency in which Malay voters make up only about 52 per cent of the electorate.

How true is the saying that history repeats itself. In 1969, BN also suffer the shock loss of a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Official sources blamed the loss for the subsequent May 13 tragedy. Little did people know that the racial riot was actually caused by none other than members of the ruling coalition in what later turned out to be a coup d’état to oust the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, from power. The man who replaced Tunku, Tun Razak, then initiated a larger coalition which successfully reined in PAS and Gerakan in BN. And now, the same tale is about to emerge, this time to benefit his heir, Najib Razak.

The funny and strange thing about the so-called Malay unity is the proposal was only extended to PAS. What about PKR? Why not bring Anwar Ibrahim back to the Umno fold, considering that he still has influence within Umno. Furthermore, Anwar is more senior than Najib and but for his “so-do-me” trial that put him behind bars for six years, he would probably be our fifth prime minister. He is also widely accepted by people of other races. Umno is quick to accuse PKR of selling out to the non-Malays but one thing that Umno always feign ignorance is the fact that many members of PKR were formerly of Umno and are they not Malays? Wouldn’t it be easier for Umno to court PKR, albeit the Malay members only, instead of PAS?

My writing would be highly critical of this indecent proposal and I strongly argue that this indecent proposal should be rejected outright. To see a formerly popular mufti from Perak turning his rhetoric for the sake of Malay is really hurtful and bordering on losing his stature as an Islamic scholar. Where does Almighty God ordain us to serve the interest of only one race? Is it not that Asobiyah or racial spirit forbidden in Islam? In any event, not all Malays are Muslims and to equal Malay to Islam is totally misconceived. The Prophet is not Malay and his Quraish clans did not all embrace Islam. Islam can never be equated with any race, even the Arabs.

Another funny thing about racial polarisation in Malaysia is the fact that the Malays, Chinese, Indians and the rest are from the same Mongoloid category, the remaining two being Negroid and Caucasian. For white people in the US and Waka Waka Country (South Africa) not too long ago to quarrel with black people is quite understandable (I am not supporting this apartheid behaviour though) due to the fact that one is Caucasian and the other is Negroid. Not to feign ignorance, the differences between Malay, Chinese and Indian are real for people to see especially the cultural and religion aspects. However, are we not all the sons and daughters of Prophet Adam? Further, does Islam allow racial biasness in our day-to-day dealings? Just because our friend is Malay then he is entitled to a scholarship notwithstanding that his father is the CEO of a government-linked company and takes home RM1 million per year? Or because those leaving in new villages are Chinese then Nizar Jamaluddin is a traitor for giving land to them notwithstanding those Chinese are poor people and even BN does not have the guts to chase them away from their land (occupied by them with government permission).

We are blinded by a racial paradigm, judging all our actions from a racial point of view. True, most Malays are poor. But who failed to help and improve the Malays’ economic condition? As usual, the punching bag would be the Chinese. Poor Malay people were and are always being told by Umno (who else?) that it was the Chinese who robbed them and became rich at their expense.

Before and during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time, Umno could lie to the people due to its control of the media and the non-existence of the Internet. Now, with Malaysiakini, Malaysia-Today, The Malaysian Insider and Malaysia whatnot, Umno can no more manipulate information. Reading the Utusan report on Nizar Jamaluddin was nauseating, branding him as selling out to the Chinese for granting them land in new villages. Did he give land to a gambling king, or betting mogul, or Astro and Maxis owner, or to approved permit holders (who cause car prices in Malaysia to be phenomenal and I will reserve my expletives for this issue specifically for another day)?

Was Umno a traitor for giving Genting Highlands to the late Lim Goh Tong? Was Umno a traitor for giving exclusive rights over satellite TV (read Astro) and we poor Malays have to pay that guy an average RM79 per month to watch Manchester United whack Gerrard and gang twice per season (sorry Liverpool, the last time they won a Premier League title, I had not even entered school yet)? Is the guy Malay? Oh no… I am being racist here. Pun intended. Who enrich the non-Malays? Not to deny that a few Malays benefited from this arrangement (read NEP) and they build an office for Felda when the current one in Jalan Semarak can still be used, raking in millions along the way. Istana Negara? Oh, a big taboo. Later YB Ezam will lodge a report against me for being anti-Rulers, a stupid politician who fails to look at the real issue. And Malaysia is going bankrupt in 2019, so said a native from Sarawak, yet the government continues to spend like there is no tomorrow on a submarine that cannot dive and “kueh karipap” at RM23 a piece (read the Auditor-General’s Report).

Corruption is a buzz word in Malaysia. With the establishment of the MACC, Malaysia is supposed to be corrupt-free by 2020. Was it rampant? Oh my, just ask any ordinary person who has to go through the test to get a driving licence. I myself had to do my test for the second time after refusing to pay that good-looking RTD official RM50. I can’t believe that this happened right before my eyes! We might need a thick book with a thousand pages to talk about corruption alone.

And people like the great Perak mufti failed to see that corruption is the reason why Umno must be brought down. True that PAS for that matter will probably become corrupt once in power but we people have the power to oust them as well. We the people, “rakyat marhaen”, must be the boss to all politicians, be they from Umno or PAS, not the other way around. Umno has been around for far too long and only by being booted out from the government will corruption be purged.

What about the Malays? Just because is Umno losing power, does it mean the Malays will be wiped out from Malaysia? Are we Malays so stupid that only Umno can look after our interests? Oh yeah, I heard grumbling! Umno did this, Umno did that. Umno built universities, Umno gave scholarships. But do we realise that whose money was used to do just all the above? Mahathir spent his own million to build PLUS expressways and the KLCC? Did Najib spend his own money to give scholarships via the Permata programme (what a nuisance his wife has become, lebih sudu dari kuah, katanya orang-orang Melayu)?

And how people should just forget what Umno did to PAS when it lost Kelantan? It established a JPP (federal agency) and distributed money among its cronies. What about oil royalty? When it lost Terengganu, it became wang ihsan. And Umno claimed Tok Guru as a vengeful person. Oh my, you rob a man (I am more inclined to use the analogy of rapist, but it is too harsh) and then you want to befriend him. When he refused and asked his money back, you say that he is full of vengeance. Now the victim is blamed!

Come on people. Umno did this and did that using OUR money. We paid taxes and whatnot. If PAS or PKR were the government, wouldn’t they be doing the same thing? Road, school, infrastructures and whatnot are the government’s responsibility.

The Malays will continue to lag behind if we allow Umno to remain in power. We will be fed with bedtime stories that the Malays are under siege, the Chinese are robbing the country’s wealth and the Malays will lose power! Whose power exactly? Umno is not representative of all the Malays. Even Umno’s name, United Malays National Organisation. With an English name, can it claim to represent the Malays? Change the name first! Perhaps Perkasa will do and we will have Ibrahim Ali as our prime minister.

We must never blame others for our backwardness and lacking in every aspect, be it in the economic or education fields. Instead, the one who must take the blame is Umno. Umno has failed us and after 53 years in power, there is no more chance. Out it must go!

The Malays must move forward. We must earn our respect and position. We must not allow everything from scholarships to house discounts be given to us because our parents happen to be Malay. Does everybody get to decide their race before birth? We Malays are not lazy or intellectually inferior. We must be competitive. Believe me the moment you let the Malays stand on their own without crutches, they will survive. After all, that is the natural law. You give a fish, people will eat for a day, but when you teach to fish, people will eat for good. You continue helping the Malays, you will only prolong their dependence on crutches.

And for the Malays to move forward, PAS should never marry Umno, again. Let Umno be gila talak. And gila talak people won’t stay that long.

*
Penyair Purba is the pseudonym of a Malay lawyer in Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, 9:28 am and is filed under
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War of words

BY
HIMANSHU BHATT AND BERNARD CHEAH |
The Sun

20 July 2010

GEORGE TOWN: Simmering tensions boiled over yesterday when Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and the federal-appointed State Development Officer (SDO), who oversees the channelling of all federal allocations for projects in Penang, traded verbal blows at separate press conferences.

Lim accused Nik Ali Mat Yunus (pic) of “openly and blatantly” sabotaging the state government, while the latter, in an outburst uncharacteristic of a civil servant, called Lim biadap (uncivilised) and said he had no right to question his qualification and competency for the job.

“He (Nik Ali) is like a little Napoleon in the civil service who gets high pay and does nothing for the people, but instead causes losses to them,” Lim said during a visit to the Botanic Gardens. He asked who should be held responsible for the RM150,000 plus losses over the scheduled demolition of controversial twin arches, one of which is tilting, that were built only recently for the gardens’ expansion project by the Tourism Ministry.

He said Nik Ali, as the officer in charge of overseeing project, should be held responsible. “Nik Ali refuses to explain who will bear the losses. If he is willing, we will not pursue the matter. But if not, who is? Every sen counts, because it is a question of public trust,” Lim said.

He also took issue over a letter sent by the SDO’s office, dated Oct 13, 2009, to the state Drainage and Irrigation Department. In it, the SDO’s office gave an “ultimatum” for pending issues on the Botanic Gardens’ facade and pavilion development to be settled by Oct 31, 2009, failing which a RM5 million federal funding for the project would be withdrawn. (The state was at that point tackling eviction problems in the area).

Lim said that was an example of how the SDO’s office tried to rush through development projects without consultation and feedback. Nik Ali lost his cool after a press conference held by state Umno leaders on alleged sand theft at a federal land in Politeknik Balik Pulau. He denied any involvement in the design of the Botanic Gardens arches or in allowing the allegedly illegal sand mining, which was brought to light over the weekend, to occur.

“This is the third time that Lim has used rough words against me after the Penang Hill railway launch where he alleged that I did not prepare a seat for him and then the issue of the twin arches’ demolition,” he said in a statement.

“Only the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department can say if I am incompetent or not.”

Nik Ali accused Lim of attacking him knowing that as a civil servant he was not allowed to issue press statements. “I will continue to be considered a ‘coward’ for remaining silent and eventually become a ‘scapegoat’ for Lim,” he said.

Nik Ali also took the state secretary to task for not advising Lim on the SDO’s scope and responsibilities as directed by the federal government, and help forge closer state and federal ties. “He should prepare talks with the SDO and not allow Lim to twist facts and continue to attack the SDO,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, 11:13 am and is filed under
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What Anwar’s Trial Means For Malaysia

By
JOHN R. MALOTT | WSJ

The trial of Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s opposition leader and his nation’s best-known and most respected international figure, is scheduled to resume this week in Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian press dubs the affair “Sodomy II,” for it appears to be a repeat of the Muslim democrat’s 1998-99 trials, when he was convicted on corruption and sexual charges. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, Mr. Anwar later had his conviction overturned, and he was released after six years in solitary confinement.

I was the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia when Mr. Anwar first was arrested and put on trial, and everything I knew then and know now leads me to conclude that this trial also is an attempt to sideline him politically.

Already convicted by the government-controlled media, Mr. Anwar and his defense team have been denied access to the evidence that the government possesses, including police and medical reports, surveillance tapes, and even the witness list. Malaysia does not have a jury system. The verdict will be rendered by one judge, appointed by the same government that wants to remove Mr. Anwar from the political scene.

While a handful of human rights groups and some Australian parliamentarians have condemned the trial, there has been little interest at the broader international level. The Obama administration has been silent.

When I visited Malaysia last month, it was clear that Mr. Anwar and most observers expect a guilty verdict in August. At that point, the question is whether he remains free on bail during his appeal or is jailed immediately.

A charismatic campaigner, Mr. Anwar led his coalition to near victory in Malaysia’s last parliamentary elections in 2008, when the opposition took 47% of the popular vote and gained 62 seats. The government’s new political game plan seems to be to put Mr. Anwar in jail and the opposition in disarray, call snap elections, and ride to victory.

Today Malaysia gets little attention in the world press. The lingering image is of an Asian economic success story, a moderate Islamic country and aspiring democracy, and a multiracial society in which harmony prevails. Unfortunately, that is not the case today. Malaysia is a nation adrift.

Once one of the world’s dynamos, Malaysia’s economy has underperformed over the past decade, with an average annual growth rate of 4.5%. Much of that growth was the result of government spending, which has pushed Malaysia’s debt level to 54% of GDP. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has remained relatively flat over the past 15 years, while flows into Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam have soared. To make matters worse, Malaysia experienced a net outflow of $6 billion in FDI capital in 2008.

Malaysia desperately needs to upgrade its skills base and innovation capabilities, but almost 500,000 Malaysians—nearly 2% of the population—left their country for good between 2007 and 2009. Malaysian experts believe most of these émigrés were skilled ethnic Chinese and Indian Malaysians, concerned by economic decline and growing racial and religious tensions.

Worried about losing political support, the ruling party has responded by appealing to the baser instincts of the country’s Malay Muslim majority. For example, it told Malaysia’s Christians that they may no longer use the word “Allah” for God, even though the word existed in Arabic long before Islam arose. A new militant group called Perkasa, which claims that Malay rights are under threat from the Chinese and Indian minorities, has won backing from former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and other members of the ruling party.

For Malaysia and the world, there is more at stake in Mr. Anwar’s trial than whether one person is convicted. Malaysia is at a crossroads. The road that it chooses matters not only for some 30 million Malaysians, but for the entire world. The country could be a model for the 600 million people of Southeast Asia and for the entire Muslim world, if it returns to the promising course it was on 15 years ago. But a guilty verdict for Mr. Anwar means that the corruption and cronyism that now pervade Malaysia, its lack of political freedom and its economic decline, will continue. The country’s non-Malay citizens will continue to seek a better haven overseas.

In 1998, Mr. Anwar said, “If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.” That is no less true today. If Mr. Anwar is denied his freedom, then Malaysians will continue to be denied their freedom and the country its promise.

Mr. Malott was the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia from 1995 to 1998.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 July 2010, 9:29 am and is filed under
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A gross violation of the civil service code

By
Thomas Lee Seng Hock | Mysinchew

The current spat between Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and the state development officer Nik Ali Mat Yunus highlights a fundamental flaw in the Malaysian civil service.

In the democratic system of government, of which Malaysia professes to practise, the civil service is a politically non-partisan and neutral body, with all its officers supposed to function and operate impartially in the implementations of the policies, programmes, and projects of the elected government.

Article 132 of the Federal Constitution states that federal civil servants hold office at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and state civil servants at the pleasure of the respective Sultan. Which means that the civil servants are not beholden to any political party but to His Majesty’s government of the day. His Majestic is above politics, and so must all those civil servants appointed under his royal command and name.

As is supposed to be the practice, a change in the government after a general election is not supposed to affect the administration and public service of the nation or a state as the civil service’s loyalty is absolutely with His Majesty’s elected government of the day.

The fundamental flaw in Malaysia is that civil servants think they are officers of the Barisan Nasional, specifically Umno, and even with a change of government at the state level, they operate as if Umno is the authority and Umno leaders their bosses, taking orders only from Umno.

Such a dangerous attitude borders on sedition, as if it could be interpret to mean the civil servants are not serving His Majesty’s elected government, but taking order from those not authorised constitutionally to give them.

The very fact that Nik Ali participated at a press conference called by Umno and used it to launch an unwarranted and unjustified verbal attack on the chief minister is a gross violation of his status as a non-partisan and neutral civil servant.

The fundamental integrity and probity of the civil service have been desecrated by Nik Ali’s involvement in the political press conference initiated by an Umno state assembly member, something not to be taken lightly by the Cabinet and the Public Service Commission.

Nothing less than an appropriate disciplinary action should be taken against Nik Ali for such a serious case of lese majeste. And he should be made to apologise to His Majesty for exposing the civil service to ridicule and derision, and to the chief minister.

Guan Eng, and perhaps also the other Pakatan Rakyat state chief executives like Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim of Selangor, has been facing a lot of difficulties in the running of the state government due to uncooperative civil servants whose loyalty is apparently to Umno.

In the Nik Ali case, Guan Eng has no choice but to publicly reprimand the federal officer for allegedly not being accountable and responsible for his mistakes which affect the well-being of the state.

“These officials get high pay and do nothing for the people and instead cost losses. We hope he can be more professional,” Guan Eng was quoted as saying by various newspapers.

Guan Eng has also claimed that Nik Ali tried to sabotage the state government openly and blatantly. On this allegation, the very fact that Nik Ali was at an Umno press conference with prepared media statements to lambaste the chief minister proves that Guan Eng is telling the truth.

Obviously, Nik Ali has failed as a senior civil servant to exercise his impartiality and neutrality when he allowed himself to be used by Umno to attack Guan Eng, calling the chief minister rude.

If the Najib administration truly professes to practise the “People first” concept, then justice must be done and seen to be done for the people of Penang, who elected Lim Guan Eng as their chief minister, by taking disciplinary action against the federal officer who violated the sacred principle of impartiality in the civil service.

That is the least Datuk Seri Najib Razak should do to show the people that he is a fair, just and righteous prime minister, worthy of their respect.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 July 2010, 5:05 am and is filed under
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Make public the specific proposals made by the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department Laboratory on the Management of Illegal Immigrants in Sabah

New Straits Times today front-paged its exclusive story of 55 proposals by various government agencies in a laboratory to combat terrorism and reduce the high number of illegal immigrants in the country.

These 55 proposals are to tabled at the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when it meets on August 2.

What has happened to the earlier Laboratory on the Management of Illegal Immigrants in Sabah formed under the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department a few months ago, which is to come up with a new strategy and specific proposals to end the long-standing problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah?

Sabah faces the worst problem of influx of illegal immigrants, causing the state’s population to explode from some 400,000 during the formation of Malaysia in 1963 to three to four million today – with over half of the population believed to be foreigners.

Various Cabinet Committees to resolve the Illegal Immigrant problem in Sabah together with their respective deadlines have come and gone but the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah have only got worse.

The promise by one Prime Minister after another to resolve the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah have also come and gone, but no one can see any solution in sight.

Is the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah coming under the wing of Muhyiddin’s Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers or is it treated separately like the Sabah Chief Minister’s Laboratory on the Management of Illegal Immigrants.

Sabahans and Malaysians are entitled to clear answers.

In the meanwhile, the proposals for resolving the problem made by the  Sabah Chief Minister’s Department Laboratory on the Management of Illegal Immigrants should make public for discussion and consultation.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 July 2010, 3:23 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia’s Bridge is Falling Down

By
Thor Halvorssen and Alex Gladstein | The Huffington Post

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia–The farcical trial of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim resumes this week in Kuala Lumpur. This is the second time that the country’s ruling establishment has tried to destroy Anwar’s career with trumped-up allegations of sodomy. It succeeded 12 years ago, when he was imprisoned for six years on similar charges. Now Anwar faces up to 20 years in jail and whipping if convicted.

Controlled by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) since independence and now led by the increasingly autocratic Prime Minister Najib Razak, the Malaysian government knows Anwar is the only viable threat to its half-century of rule. Anwar became a risk to the government as deputy prime minister in 1998 when he began attacking corruption and calling for reform. Ultimately he became leader of the opposition.

Najib’s UMNO is trying to jail Anwar again in hopes of crushing his People’s Justice Party (PKR). A secular Muslim party, PKR leads a diverse political coalition with ethnic Chinese and Islamist partners. If Anwar is neutralized, this opposition movement would be paralyzed.

Anwar’s accuser – a former intern- admits to meeting with Najib just days before the alleged sexual act occurred and he has since changed his story several times. The charges against Anwar are transparently political. But the obvious intent of the trial matters little in Malaysia, where the government exercises a disabling grip on the justice system and the media.

Yet as one visits Kuala Lumpur today, these autocratic tendencies are not immediately visible. The modern splendor of this city and the surrounding wealthy state of Selangor help disguise one of the world’s most insidious authoritarian governments.

Najib’s most powerful tool is the Internal Security Act – a remnant from the days of British colonialism that gives the Interior Minister power to indefinitely and arbitrarily imprison any Malaysian without trial or even evidence. Through the ISA the government creates a climate of fear by arresting dozens of politicians, journalists, and student leaders.

Opposition voices like Anwar who are politically attacked through the courts are hardly better off than victims of the ISA. Virtually all positions in the justice system beyond the local level are held by government cronies.

Most problematic is that the local media cannot report on the ISA and the puppet justice system. The Printing Presses and Publications Act gives Najib near-absolute control over the news as media organizations need the government’s permission to operate.

Almost all major national newspapers, magazines, television channels, and radio stations here are tied to the ruling UMNO party. And Najib continues to tighten his grip in the face of Anwar’s trial. Suara Keadilan, the publication of Anwar’s PKR party, and the two other visible opposition outlets had their permits revoked on July 1.

The only way to get unfiltered news in Malaysia is online. Here, the media is protected by the “Bill of Guarantee of No Internet Censorship” – a law passed in the 1990s, at the strong suggestion of Bill Gates, to woo IT development to Malaysia.

Unfortunately, internet penetration is extremely limited outside of Malaysian urban centers. In some provinces, less than 10% of the population has online access, and most are stuck with the broadsheets. These read as if from a 1984 dystopia – there is no bad news, and other than culture and sports, there is cant-laden drivel about the government’s righteous quest to “serve the people”.

On a visit to the offices of a small opposition monthly, the editors despaired at the suffocating Malaysian media culture. Not just because it means Malaysians can’t easily find truth, but also because the next generation has grown uninterested: real journalism can no longer be practiced.

Through the silencing of opposition voices, vote-shopping, and gerrymandering, the UMNO-led government is able to continue its autocratic rule while calling Malaysia a democracy. And Najib seeks to perpetuate this charade by clamping down on Malaysian youth. Through the University and University College Act, students are forbidden from having any involvement in politics.

Despite their systemic nature, Malaysia’s human rights violations are largely unknown to the outside world. Many academics and journalists group the country with Indonesia and Turkey as a promising moderate Muslim democracy. And Wikipedia’s entries on Malaysia and on Najib avoid any mention of human rights, the Internal Security Act, censorship, or the crumbling rule of law. Such whitewashing is not surprising given that Najib hired Washington-based APCO Worldwide to burnish his image and besmirch Anwar’s.

Anwar, who has been profiled in TIME, the New Yorker, and Newsweek, and is frequently lionized as a promising Muslim leader, has recently been APCO’s target. In Malaysia, Anwar has often been mocked for having “Jewish friends.” Najib’s mentor and predecessor, Mahathir, even went so far as to say Anwar “would make a good prime minister for Israel.” In return, Anwar seized Najib’s hiring of APCO as a chance to issue inflammatory remarks on the firm’s supposed ties to Israel. This backfired when APCO distributed Anwar’s comments internationally along with a series of unattributed anti-Semitic statements posted on his website. The result is that on the eve of his trial many of his Western allies have questioned Anwar’s integrity.

The truth is that Anwar has been critical of some policies of the current Israeli government. And in the last few months he has even become more vocal as he wrestles with Najib’s media apparatus to avoid being pinned as blindly pro-Israel. But Anwar is hardly an anti-Semite. Contrast this with UMNO–which has led entire rallies inveighing against “the Jew.” Anwar’s critics should be careful not to carry water for Najib’s party, which proudly sports venomous anti-Semitic rhetoric and conspiracy.

Over dinner in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar told us that unless international actors address issues like censorship and imprisonment without trial, Malaysia will not become the oft-discussed bridge between East and West. Only if his trial is exposed as a sham and he avoids prison might Malaysia have a real democratic contest with elections in 2012 or 2013.

Sadly, this country’s appalling human rights record remains buried under a sea of APCO press releases.

Thor Halvorssen is the president of the Human Rights Foundation and the founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum. Alex Gladstein is its Chief Operating Officer.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 July 2010, 5:00 am and is filed under
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Chief Secretary Sidek himself guilty of being “excessive” in taking sides instead of reprimanding Nik Ali for doubly violating civil service code

It was only on Tuesday that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that there is no place for little Napoleons in the public service who do not understand the importance of innovation if the Government Transformation Programme is to succeed.

It is regrettable however  that when Little Napoleons rear their ugly heads, they are given full defence and support instead of being reprimanded and put in their proper place.

The latest example of support for Little Napoleons instead of smacking them down is the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan’s defence of the Penang State Development Officer Nik Ali Nik Yunus for the latter’s attack on the Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng. Sidek  said Guan Eng’s allegations against Nik Ali was “excessive”.

It is Sidek who is guilty of being “excessive” in taking sides instead of reprimanding Nik Ali for doubly violating the civil service code of being strictly non-partisan, non-political and civil by appearing at an UMNO press conference to attack the Penang Chief Minister as “biadap” (insolent or uncivilized) and “dayus” (coward).

What is most shocking is that no Cabinet Minister appeared outraged and all seemed to have sanctioned the “Little Napoleonic” conduct of Nik Ali.

Is there not a single Cabinet Minister – whether Umno, MCA, Gerakan, MIC or Sabah/Sarawak Barisan Nasional component parties – who dare to speak up against “Little Napoleons” in the public service of the Nik Ali genre just because of UMNO patronage?

The Government Transformation Programme is one of the four pillars of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s national transformation programme to propel Malaysia out of the two-decade middle-income trap to an inclusive, sustainable, high-income advanced nation.

However, if Little Napoleons like Nik Ali are allowed with impunity to show utter contempt for elected representatives and even an elected state government in open disregard of the civil service code to be politically neutral, impartial and civil, then this pillar of Najib’s national transformation programme is being torn to shreds and smithereens, losing all public credibility and legitimacy.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 July 2010, 11:01 am and is filed under
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Decline in moral accountability?

By
Thomas Lee Seng Hock | Mysinchew

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan has made himself look very foolish by asking whether it is wrong for civil servants to attend functions held by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, as he is the DAP secretary-general.

Sidek is apparently trying to justify the presence and participation of Penang state development officer Nik Ali Mat Yunus at an Umno press conference, where the officer verbally lambasted Guan Eng and issued prepared press statements to criticize the chief minister.

I am simply amazed that the country’s top civil servant doesn’t even understand the simple basic difference between a government and a political entity, and respect the very important fundamental principle of impartiality and neutrality of the civil service.

Of course, civil servants have every right to accompany the chief minister or any minister to any function required by their duty to do so. When they attend and participate at such official state functions, including a state-initiated media conference, they are merely doing their job as civil servants serving the elected government of the day. They are not involved in partisan political activities, even though the chief minister or any other minister may be a leader of a political party.

When Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng holds a media conference and has the state secretary with him to brief the press on matters of the state, the state secretary is not violating the civil service code by being there. In fact, it is his duty to be there to help the chief minister answer questions from the press.

But if DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng attends a Teoh Beng Hock memorial service held by his party, a civil servant can only be there in his private personal capacity as Beng Hock’s friend. He cannot be there on duty as civil servant accompanying Guan Eng.

In Nik Ali’s case, he is definitely wrong to attend and participate in a press conference called by Umno to run down the chief minister. He has broken the sacrosanct cardinal principle of the impartiality of the civil service, and must face disciplinary action for it.

It is simply beyond comprehension that Sidek as Chief Secretary to the Government should endorse such a crude and uncouth behaviour and unconstitutional action by a senior civil servant.

Sidek has put himself in a very embarrasing position by giving a very silly comparison of himself holding a press conference together with the prime minister, and that of Nik Ali’s participation of the Umno press conference.

“Is it be wrong if I hold a media conference with Datuk Seri Najib Razak? If it is his job as the prime minister and my job as the chief secretary, then it is not wrong I hold a press conference with him,” Sidek said.

Of course, it is not wrong! It is his job as chief secretary to serve the prime minister and accompany him if so required.

But Nik Ali’s case is definably not the same. As a civil servant, he should be non-partisan and should not be involved in politicking with Umno.

If Sidek does not understand such a simple distinction between what is government and what is politics, he is not fit to be the country’s top civil servant.

And, even assuming that Nik Ali is a victim of harassment by the chief minister, there is a proper official channel for him to file his grievance and complaint — to the Public Service Department head. Why should Nik Ali use, or rather allowed himself to be used, by a political party to launch an attack on the chief minister?

It is certainly ominous, in fact even sinister, that Nik Ali should chose to use a political vehicle to rucn down the chief minister elected by the people of Penang.

And, it surely is baleful that we have a Chief Secretary to the Government who would condone and absolve a senior civil servant from making political attacks against an elected government head.

The fact that Sidek has announced that no action would be taken against Nik Ali for his verbal assault on the chief minister deserves my commiseration to my fellow Malaysians for the decline in moral accountability in our beloved country.

And, while I am still on this Nik Ali issue, I would like to comment on another ridiculous statement, this time by Penang Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan who condemned Guan Eng for the fiasco.

Teng alleged that Guan Eng was out to gain political mileage and strengthen his position to garner more votes and support from the public in the next general election.

It is certainly ludicrous that Teng should make such a preposterous statement, but, seeing that he is from Gerakan, it is not surprising since most of its leaders are incongruously inept and lack the intelligence, let alone intellect, to understand basic issues affecting the people.

Teng and the imbeciles in Gerakan should throw in the towel and retire permanently from Penang since they are of no relevance and pertinence in the state.

They should stop making themselves look inane with their vacuous statements.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 July 2010, 7:20 pm and is filed under
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