Catch him if you can: the mysterious escape of Malaysia’s second richest man

by
Mark Baker

Editor-at-Large, The Age

Onn Mahmud was a wealthy tycoon with a bulging property portfolio when he jetted off without warning in 2007.

Number 10 Wylde Street, Potts Point, commands views to die for on a harbour not short of heart-stopping vistas. Perched high above Woolloomooloo Bay, it faces directly across the sweep of the botanical gardens to the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

For a while, a few years ago, it was the site for one of the most luxurious apartment developments in Australia. In 2008, the duplex penthouse in the five-storey project was sold off the plan for a record price of $20 million.

A year earlier – on the cusp of such riches – the Malaysian tycoon who had brought the project close to fruition abruptly sold the site as he quietly folded most of his substantial Sydney property portfolio and exited the Australian business scene.

After initially being offered privately for a firesale price $9.4 million, 10 Wylde Street was eventually sold for $15.5 million – less than its spectacular penthouse had been on track to fetch and way below the projected revenues of $50 million for the entire redevelopment of the old Oakford serviced apartment building. Virtually no one knew it at the time, but what appeared to have been a disastrous investment reversal in a booming market was, in fact, still a bonanza for a man with money to burn.

Onn Mahmud is the second wealthiest man in Malaysia, with a fortune estimated to be in excess of $2 billion. Malaysia’s richest man is his brother, Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of the eastern state of Sarawak and reckoned to be worth more than $15 billion. Much of that wealth has come through the family’s control of logging deals that over the past 30 years have levelled most of the tropical rainforest on the island of Borneo. And a substantial slice of that wealth has found its way into investments in Australia.

Onn Mahmud bought 10 Wylde Street in the 1990s through his company, Ryan Park Limited, for $4.7 million. The windfall profit of $10.8 million netted from the 2007 resale had a sugar coating for the vendor – no tax was paid on the huge capital gain and nothing was returned to the project manager or architect, who were owed millions of dollars in fees and commissions by Onn.

Documents obtained by Fairfax Media show that Onn’s Sydney property empire was carefully constructed behind an Australian corporate facade. Real control lay in a network of offshore companies and trusts based in the Cayman Islands and managed by banking giant Merrill Lynch from offices on the Isle of Man – a structure that enabled Onn to avoid paying Australian tax on tens of millions in Australian profits. The NSW land transfer lodged after the sale in early 2007 of Wylde Street to another developer (which in turn folded its hand in the face of the later global financial crisis) confirmed that the ultimate owner of the property bought in the name of Ryan Park Limited was a trust registered in the Cayman Islands, operated out of the Isle of Man and controlled by Onn Mahmud. The beneficiaries of that trust were members of Onn’s family based in Singapore.

In a statutory declaration sworn on the Isle of Man on March 29, 2007, two Merrill Lynch officers, Nicholas Dearden and Yvonne Smallwood, confirmed that Ryan Park Limited was registered proprietor of Wylde Street but asserted that it was ”an unregistered foreign company” and that the company ”does not carry on business in Australia”.

Yet when Onn Mahmud had applied for an Australian business visa in 2002, his sponsor was Ryan Park Limited and he had declared that it and several associated companies had invested more than $50 million in commercial properties in Sydney. While Ryan Park had obtained an Australian Business Number in November 1999 as an ”Australian private company”, it was not registered for GST and had never been registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

Wylde Street had been the crown jewel in Onn Mahmud’s ambition to become one of Australia’s leading property developers. Over more than 15 years he was involved in a string of lucrative deals, including the refurbishment of an office tower at 287 Elizabeth Street in the city and the redevelopment of the Valentine on George hotel and restaurant.

”He wanted to be the next big thing in Sydney property and he had the money,” says Farok Abdul Majeed, an experienced project management consultant who was chief executive of Onn’s Sydney business operations for several years. Leading Sydney architect Greg Crone, managing director of Crone Partners, who was involved in about a dozen of Onn’s projects, including Wylde Street, says: ”He had ambitions to do a lot of big things and we were impressed.”

While still based primarily in Singapore and Malaysia, Onn moved his wife, Halimatun Ghani, and their son and daughter, into a lavish mansion in Carrara Road, Vaucluse, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs – ensuring the children had access to some of the best Australian schools.

But Onn’s ambitions were suddenly curtailed amid growing international controversy over his family’s business dealings and a breakdown in the relationship with his chief executive. In early 2007, Japanese and Malaysian media revealed that Tokyo tax authorities had confronted members of a shipping cartel over the payment of kickbacks to facilitate the export of rainforest timber from Sarawak – a trade estimated to be earning $2 billion a year for the state’s ruling family. It was reported that the investigation had revealed more than $10 million had been paid over several years to a company called Regent Star, based in Hong Kong.

According to the activist website Sarawak Report, Regent Star was run by Onn’s personal secretary from the same Hong Kong office as other companies controlled by the tycoon. The website said that at the time of the kickbacks Onn was in charge of another company, Archipelago, which was granted exclusive licensing authority over all timber exports from Sarawak by his brother, Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.

As this unwanted attention was being directed towards his international business dealings, a spotlight was also cast on Onn’s investments in Australia. In late 2006, Abdul Majeed launched legal proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court claiming he was owed more than $3.8 million for management work, legal services and expenses associated with the Wylde Street development, the renovation of the Onn family home in Vaucluse and various other projects. In December 2007 – eight months after the sale of the Wylde Street site – Justice Paul Brereton ordered Onn to pay Abdul Majeed $2.2 million plus legal costs.

The chief executive claimed Onn had not paid anything for his work over several years despite a profit-sharing agreement under which Abdul Majeed had undertaken to donate one-third of his stake to the Malay Association of NSW to develop business opportunities for young Malay Australians. Over that time Abdul Majeed says he had commuted between Sydney and Singapore on a weekly basis to brief and take instructions from Onn.

He also claimed Onn had reneged on a deal under which he was to be given two of the apartments, each valued at about $5 million, in return for his management of the Wylde Street project and in the event that the project was abandoned and the site sold, a 50 per cent share of the proceeds from that sale.

Abdul Majeed was not the only one left empty handed when Onn suddenly wound up his Sydney property ventures, left the country and stopped answering his phone. Crone Partners claims it is owed more than $500,000 for architectural and design services provided for Wylde Street and about 10 other projects.

”The bulk of our work was never paid for,” Greg Crone says. ”We were shocked when he sold up and then just disappeared off the face of the earth. When someone like this just disappears and leaves a shitload of debt it is just unbelievable.”

Particularly galling for Crone is the considerable work done by the firm for the lavish $3.5 million refurbishment of Onn’s Vaucluse house – a labour of favour if not love for a firm involved in some of the biggest construction projects in Sydney and Melbourne recently.

”We got thoroughly burnt, especially on the house and on Wylde Street. That really hurt,” he says. ”We were also denied the opportunity of considerable success fees on Wylde Street where we had achieved huge savings through innovative design within the existing structure.”

Abdul Majeed says Onn’s business operations in Australia were deliberately structured to evade Australian tax. He says Onn made profits totalling about $50 million and paid no tax on projects that he had managed. He believes as much profit again was made from other Sydney property investments by the tycoon.

While funds for the property deals were moved in and out of Australia with the assistance of the Singapore office of Merrill Lynch, advice on the operations was also provided by the venerable Singapore law firm Lee and Lee, founded by the country’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

”On several occasions I met Onn’s legal advisor in Singapore, Aw-Yong Tian Soo, a senior partner at Lee and Lee, to discuss matters of Onn’s legal status and property development and transfer of funds overseas,” Abdul Majeed says.

The 2007 court order in his favour was discontinued after Abdul Majeed failed to appear at a subsequent court hearing in which lawyers for Onn challenged the order. He says that he had gone into hiding because of concerns about his safety and that of his family.

Abdul Majeed – whose failure to secure a settlement from Onn led to his being sued by the billionaire’s debtors – has now resumed legal moves to recover what he is owed. And he says that under the terms of his original agreement to share half the proceeds in the event that the Wylde Street site was sold before development, he is now owed an additional $5.4 million.

Crone, who spent several frustrating and fruitless years chasing his firm’s outstanding fees from Onn, is also preparing a renewed legal effort to recover the debt. While most of Onn’s Sydney property portfolio has been sold and Ryan Park Limited was struck off the Cayman Islands company register in September 2010, Valentine on George is still controlled by Onn’s wife, daughter Siti Hjar Hamidah Onn and other associates through Donmastry Pty Ltd.

The efforts of Abdul Majeed and Crone to obtain a settlement may well be assisted by political developments in Malaysia.

The scandals swirling around the Sarawak aristocracy are expected to come to a head after Malaysia’s national elections on May 5. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim – who is seen as having a strong chance of unseating the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition – has promised a crackdown on endemic corruption. And the Sarawak leadership, key backers of the current national government, are expected to be a focus of any such crackdown.

Meanwhile expressions of interest are being invited for a new luxury apartment development at 10 Wylde Street, Potts Point – a perfect opportunity for buyers with deep pockets and a taste for local history.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 28 April 2013, 11:48 am and is filed under
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Celebrating the 1st Anniversary of Bersih 3.0

by Martin Jalleh

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Golden encounter with LGE!

by Martin Jalleh

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Malaysia is no Egypt

by
Tricia Yeoh

theSun

25 April 2013 – 07:54pm

NEGATIVE
 advertisements are flooding mainstream newspapers in this very electric season of the 13th general election campaign, but many fail to convince. One full-page advertisement caught my attention, paid for by the MCA, a component party of the Barisan Nasional.

Its title reads “Ubah (Change) for the worst? What can we learn from the Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain free fall?” and describes what it imagines to have taken place in these countries during and after the Arab Spring.

The advertisement outlines the following series of events: “People get fed up with the government; Ruling party is forced to step down; Civil war in the streets and chaos in the country; Political instability, economic turmoil; Economy goes down, unemployment goes up; People get fed up with new government; Want to go back to the previous government.”

These are incredible generalisations about the named countries to create an argument against changing the government in Malaysia.

Change they did

I had the privilege of attending the 9th Aljazeera International Documentary Film Festival last week in Doha, Qatar, where my documentary on the late Teoh Beng Hock was competing. At the festival, documentary makers had the chance to share their stories from around the world.

Many films portrayed stories of hope and liberation juxtaposed against oppressive regimes, which included the Tahrir Square uprising in Egypt.

In the documentary After the Storm: A New Beginning for Egypt’s Economy, it was clear that although Egypt continues to struggle with poverty and unemployment, these were caused by decades of the previous regime’s economic mismanagement which distorted competition and benefited the wealthy at the expense of the poor.

Second, it also showed how it is precisely because of the revolution that locals were now more optimistic and able to take control of their own economic situation.

By placing this poorly thought-through advertisement, is the MCA then implying that Egyptians ought to have been content with their previous leader Hosni Mubarak, and continue living under such appalling conditions?

This would have made them out to be weak and spineless, supporting a regime that would shamelessly continue to subject them to atrocities.

Different circumstances

Equating Malaysia to Egypt is inaccurate, since both countries operate under different circumstances and contexts.

Although this country is suffering from a heavy national debt and tremendously unhealthy levels of wastage and corruption, it is nowhere close to the conditions in which the Egyptian uprising took place.

In fact, each point laid out in the ad can easily be rebutted. First, Mubarak was forced to step down due to a people’s revolution; in Malaysia, any change in government would take place as part of the normal processes of democratic elections.

Second, it is presumptuous to predict that there would be chaos in the country should there be a change, since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has already committed to there being a peaceful transition of power should it come to pass.

One hopes he will also ensure all accompanying government agencies like the police and military would assist in this.

Third, the ad assumes that the economy would get worse under a new government. The financial performance of Pakatan Rakyat state governments over the past five years speaks for itself, with budget surpluses and higher savings than ever before.

Bank Negara Malaysia, Securities Commission, Bursa Malaysia, and other fundamental institutions would also play their roles to responsibly ensure that no major shake-up would take place, safeguarding interests of investors and businesses.

Finally, the ad says that as a result of these upheavals, people would get fed up and want to return to the previous government, to which anyone who believes in free and fair elections would say, “By all means!”

Should there be dissatisfaction in the new government, it is the voters’ prerogative to change them when the time comes.

In the documentary, the filmmakers do not present a rosy Egypt – far from it, since there is much work to be done, reversing years of deep structural failure in the government and the economy.

Perhaps if there is a lesson to be learnt from their story it is that first, when the time is ripe for things to change for the better, this will be inevitable since it rides on the sentiments of the people. But second, that when such change does come, people must acknowledge the difficulty of correcting deeply entrenched wrongs.

Overhauling a system will not take place overnight, and so Malaysians must be willing to persevere over the long run as a new government works out the many intricate problems of a bureaucracy that has been for so long under one political coalition – accompanied by its problematic systems and structures.

Until polling results are known on May 6, perhaps political parties ought to present more rational and intellectually responsible advertisements to the electorate.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 28 April 2013, 12:01 pm and is filed under
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Umno must pay the price in the next elections

by
P Ramakrishnan

ALIRAN

Only then will it be able to shed its arrogance and look beyond the narrow politics of race and ethnicity, says P Ramakrishnan.

I have never felt as optimistic as I do today. Tonight’s forum has a great significance for me and for all those rooting for change. Five years ago, on this day, Malaysians shed their fear and stood up for their rights. As a result, we had the tsunami of 8 March 2008!

That tsunami would have brought about a change at the federal level as well if the GE12 had been free and fair. We were robbed of a well-deserved victory because the Barisan Nasional, the National Registration Department and the Election Commission colluded and plotted together to frustrate the aspirations of the people.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry set up to study the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah has revealed startling conspiracies to steal the election. Thousands upon thousands of MyKads were given to those who were not citizens with strict orders to vote for the BN. When a Prime Minister was part of this diabolical plot to pervert our democracy, it is appalling and truly disgusting.

Reeking with corruption

What was done was clearly an outright abuse of power. As you know, an abuse of power constitutes corruption. Corruption is criminal but this vile act of corruption is part and parcel of the BN government.

The BN is reeking with corruption but continues to be in power simply because the apparatus of government are under the thumb of the executive.

This abuse of power was responsible for the toppling of a legitimately elected government in Perak. This abuse of power was responsible for the immigration records of Altantuya to disappear. This same abuse of power caused the death of Altantuya.

Likewise the abuse of power caused numerous deaths under police custody. It is the same abuse of power that caused the killings of so many people under suspicious circumstances.

There are numerous instances of abuse of power but no one has paid for it in the manner they deserve to be punished. As long as this government is in power, the perpetrators of these crimes are unlikely to be brought to book.

The rot in the government stinks to high heaven.

PM implicated in the death of Altantuya

What hope is there when the Prime Minister himself is implicated in the death of Altantuya, accused of accepting millions of ringgit for facilitating the transfer of land without going through the proper process of the law and does nothing to defend his honour or clear his name? Deepak the carpet man has openly stated the PM’s involvement; PI Bala has a sworn affidavit that has exposed the darker side of the PM. Why isn’t he taking these individuals to court as a matter of honour?

When the PM fails to act he brings shame to the nation. He embarrasses us. We don’t deserve to be humiliated. But that’s what happens when our national leader and Prime Minister refuses to go to court to establish his innocence.

Is it any wonder that corruption is so pervasive in our country? When the top man is implicated in corruption what example of moral conduct is there to inspire and motivate others to lead a clean life?

Hanky-panky in PM’s Dept?

On 15 February 2010, the Malaysian Mirror under the heading “Hanky-panky in PM’s Dept?” reported that RM2 million was stashed at an apartment occupied by a political secretary to a minister in the PM’s department. The apartment is located at Teluk Air Tawar, Butterworth. This was the transit home for the minister’s staff. The money was stacked in bundles of 5, 10, 50 and 100 ringgit notes.

Where did this huge sum of money come from? How was it acquired and for what purpose? Is this apartment the holding place for ill-gotten money?

Let’s look at another issue. Nobody seems to have an answer as to how a hospital that is being built in Shah Alam under alarming circumstances. The cost of this 300-bed hospital has escalated from the original allocation of RM300 million to the current cost of RM500 million.

As a result of this scandalous escalation in cost, each bed is calculated to cost 1,679,000 ringgit!

The cost is so ridiculous that Transparency International-Malaysia president Paul Low has questioned whether the contract was awarded through a fair and open tender process.

“Were there submissions by other contractors? Did the PWD evaluate the submitted tenders in an objective and professional manner? Was the awarding of the project made in keeping with best practices and in the interests of the public?” Low asked.

You can go on asking questions but you are not going to get any answer!

Cost balloons to RM5 billion!

Now, let’s move on to another scandal. The cost of the new KLIA2 “low-cost” airport has ballooned to a shocking RM5 billion, as revealed by Tony Pua. The initial budget for the airport when it was first announced by Dato’ Seri Ong Tee Keat, the then Transport Minister in July 2007 was only RM1.7 billion.

But subsequently the budget was increased to RM2.0 billion in March 2009 and then to RM2.5 billion in October 2010. At the end of last year, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) shocked Malaysians by disclosing that the cost of the new airport had ballooned to RM3.9 billion due to cost overruns in November 2011. Hence the new estimated cost of KLIA2 of RM5 billion is now nearly 300 per cent above the original budget of RM1.7 billion.

There are many more examples of corruption. The BN government, it seems, is plundering the country and squandering the wealth of the nation. This is why the BN must go!

Umno – cause of our miseries

But realistically speaking, we must not fault the BN. The component parties in the BN are voiceless without any clout. It is Umno that is the cause of all our miseries. It is Umno’s policies that eventually become BN policies.

All that the component parties can do is to go along with the Umno policies. Even when the policies are not acceptable to them, they have no guts to oppose or reject these policies. After all, in the end, they must look after their interests first even if it meant sacrificing the interests of the community that they are supposed to be representing.

Let’s take the simple issue involving the members of their community who are stateless in spite of being born in this country. They are stateless through the ignorance of their parents who failed to register their children at birth. Couldn’t this be sorted out through common sense and by exercising some compassion to release them from their misery? Couldn’t these leaders exert some pressure on Umno to solve this matter especially when illegal immigrants can become instant citizens? What’s the problem?

The other day, some 50 stateless Indians protested outside the National Registration Department along Anson Road in Penang. One of them was an Indian lady, 94 years old. She is older than Mahathir. Both of them were born before Merdeka. After Merdeka, Mahathir became a citizen and a Bumiputra but this poor lady continues to be stateless even up to today. This is gross injustice!

Umno grabs national assets

Umno has become so greedy that it grabs national assets without any qualms. It simply helps itself to what doesn’t belong to it because no one is there to challenge and question Umno.

It has been exposed how land was transferred to crony companies and party supporters at ridiculously low price. Deepak has revealed how Selangor Umno Wanita chief Raja Ropiaah Abdullah benefited immensely from such a deal involving 223 acres of land and how he was played out after forking out millions of ringgit for a deal that was meant to benefit him. The land was apparently transferred by Najib who was then the defence minister without the proper process of the law.

Likewise, other pieces of land have been unlawfully transferred to those who are close to the leadership. In all these dealings, the ordinary, deserving poor Malays get nothing. In the name of the Malay community, the select few grow rich and benefit the most at the expense of the poor Malays.

Recently there was a report in Free Malaysia Today with the headline: “World champion of corruption.”

In part, the report stated, “Transparency International, ANI Washington, Hindustan Times and WSJ Live, to name a few, have all bestowed Malaysia the dubious honour of Champion of Corruption.”

The report concluded with these words, “Congratulations Najib. The whole world now knows you are leading the most corrupt nation on earth.”

Friends, we have ‘been humiliated and shamed by the international community wholesale’.

Umno must pay the price for this in the next elections. It must be defeated wherever possible and reduced to the role of opposition for its own good. Only then it will be able to shed its arrogance and look beyond the narrow politics of race and ethnicity. Only then will there be reformation within the party to purge itself of all the negative elements and transform itself to a respectable party.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 28 April 2013, 12:10 pm and is filed under
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What voting for BN means

by
Tota

ALIRAN

We have seen the BN ads in the mass media portraying the opposition parties in a sinister light. Tota now shares with us his thoughts on what the BN stands for.

I have been sickened by the anti-Pakatan Rakyat advertisements in the BN controlled mainstream print media (see above). BN tactics are downright dirty. For a change, let me tell the rakyat what voting for BN portends.

A vote for BN is a vote to:

Maintain a throughly corrupt regime to plunder the country’s wealth.

Allow Umno to continue to exploit and manipulate mercilessly the poor Malays using religion and political propaganda.

Encourage government that lies, cheats and deceives.

Promote Ketuanan Melayu, Malay hegemony and Malay superiority.

Allow Islamo-fascists to determine the fate of the country.

Allow BN to further destroy the Constitution which has been shredded by more than 60 amendments.

Allow Umno-dominated BN to continue their discriminatory policies.

Allow BN to continue the disastrous predator capitalism and kleptocracy.

Allow through the BN-owned print media and the government-controlled RTM to constantly demonise the Chinese, Indians and Christians.

Allow BN to continue with nepotism and cronyism, which have sucked the country dry financially.

Allow BN to continue its gutter politics and dirty tricks.

Allow BN to benefit from a unfair and unfree electoral system.

Allow BN to continue to frighten the rakyat about another May 13 should BN lose.

Allow BN to continue to use thugs, gangsters, Mat Rempit to intimidate the rakyat.

Allow pro-Barisan-inclined AG, Chairman of EC and ROS to continue their boot-licking policies.

Allow BN to rule by law and not through rule of law.

Allow BN to destroy a participatory democracy by disallowing local council elections.

Allow BN to destroy national unity through very destructive ethnic politics and divide-and-rule policies.

Allow Umnoputras and their cronies to continue to abuse the NEP to enrich themselves and amass great wealth and launder it overseas.

Allow flight of talent which has impoverished our talent pool.

Allow BN to destroy the once independent institutions – the civil service, the Police, the EC, the ROS and the Judiciary – and turn them into its tools.

Allow Umno to continue to play havoc with the Malay mind through Umno-brand Islamic religious propaganda and political indoctrination and brainwashing.

Allow hundreds of scandals similar to the Sharizat-NFC scandals to continue as they have done for the last 50 years or so.

Allow Umno hypocrisy regarding the use of English to go on. They have blocked the teaching of Maths and Science in English. Many of the children of ministers and Umnoputras are studying overseas!

Bless racists like Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin, who shouldn’t be in Parliament.

Allow Malaysia to become a police state.

Allow the religious establishment unbridled power to spy on citizens, check on our private lives and violate our basic freedoms.

Destroy People Power (Makkal Sakti).

Allow BN to continue to destroy our education system.

Allow the known ‘devil’ to destroy our beloved country further.

Tota is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to our Thinking Allowed Online section.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 28 April 2013, 11:56 am and is filed under
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6-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day: Masanya sudah tiba untuk rakyat Malaysia menamatkan riwayat politik perkauman

Masanya sudah tiba untuk rakyat Malaysia menamatkan riwayat politik perkauman yang selama ini telah menyebabkan kita hidup dengan penuh rasa takut, gelisah dan cemas.

Perubahan akan bermula apabila rakyat Malaysia menolak politik benci dan politik suka menakutkan rakyat yang dibawa oleh UMNO-BN. Perubahan akan bermula apabila pengundi Malaysia menerima politik bersih, amanah dan bebas rasuah yang dibawa oleh Pakatan Rakyat. Perubahan akan bermula apabila kita semua menolak politik perkauman.

Saya menyeru pengundi Malaysia supaya menamatkan riwayat politik perkauman yang menjadi amalan UMNO-BN kerana ia bukan sahaja bahaya untuk perpaduan kaum, ia juga telah digunakan untuk melindungi kezaliman dan salahguna kuasa.

Isu lembu dan kondo NFC bukanlah isu ekonomi Bumiputera; ia sebenarnya isu salah guna kuasa dan penyelewengan pemimpin BN dan keluarga mereka;

Isu penswastaan dan kerugian syarikat penerbangan MAS bukanlah isu ekuiti saham Bumiputera; ia soal salah guna kuasa kerajaan dan kegagalan pentadbiran kroni;

Isu PKFZ bukanlah isu perkauman; ia soal penyelewengan para pemimpin kerajaan BN;

Isu konsesi tol dan lebuh raya bukanlah isu kemudahan asas rakyat; ia adalah soal mengkayakan kroni dan memiskinkan rakyat;

Isu Lynas bukanlah isu untuk pelaburan; ia adalah soal keselamatan nyawa dan kesihatan rakyat serta pencemaran alam sekitar.

Saya menyeru pengundi Malaysia untuk bersatu memilih Pakatan Rakyat atas dasar-dasar bersama menegakkan keadilan, mengutamakan kebenaran, menjamin kebebasan, melaksanakan kebajikan, memulihkan demokrasi dan membantu mereka yang memerlukan.

Mari kita jadikan tahun 2013 sebagai detik bersejarah untuk menamatkan politik perkauman dan amalan-amalan yang mencacatkan demokrasi kita bagi membawa era perubahan dan transformasi yang sebenar.

Ubah! Ini kalilah!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 12:22 pm and is filed under
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A passionate call for every Malaysian to vote

 – David Quek

The Malaysian Insider

April 28, 2013

APRIL 28 – Malaysians, friends and colleagues!

First, I want to state that I am not a politician, and do not belong to any political party, by choice. But this does not mean that I do not support a better choice for a better renewed Malaysia!

I am but a simple professional, a doctor, who has had to fortune to rise up in society, because of good school grades, good parents/family who’d worked multiple jobs, great dedicated teachers of the past, to get to where I am today, although I hail from a poor background. I worry that for the next generation however, the future may not be as rosy and challenges would be aplenty!

I am using this platform for addressing as many Malaysians as possible to rethink our common future, to become more involved and concerned, as many other concerned citizens have tried to do so too, recently. Yes, I admit that I have gained some traction, some gravitas, to head the Malaysian Medical Association, a few years back, as national president. So I might have some qualified voice to humbly share a little more.

Then even as of now, I have been vocal and ardent that as concerned citizens, we have the duty to clarify and comment on what ails society, and that everyone of us can help make our society, our nation, better. Often this means not being in agreement with the authorities that be, that we do not see eye-to-eye with them, nor their discretionary powers and dictates. The right to dissent and disagree is an internationally enshrined human right.

I have tried in earnest to work with bureaucrats and technocrats, even policy makers, but often without much success, because of ingrained mindsets and immovable entrenched ideas. Even now, I am still working within, as much as without, to help shape some better policies and plans for the nation, especially in the health system.

However, when it comes to Malaysian politics, I have increasingly felt that this is a lost cause. Politics has become for the incumbents just a means to stay in power at all costs. It has lost its bearings, its raison d’etre! The rakyat and the common people are but a ‘nuisance’ to pander influence and gain electoral power, through any means possible, often very callously and disdainfully!

Hence I am throwing my weight behind the alternative, which is Pakatan Rakyat, comprising of PKR, PAS, DAP and PSM, and any others which are aligned to toppling this current regime which has ruled the country for far too long! Indeed I subscribe to Haris Ibrahim’s call for ABU, because I sincerely believe UMNO and BN has lost its direction and course!

I am convinced that the widespread corruption and lack of moral stance on a litany of issues (sacred to the common rakyat) taken by the current regime has made it unfit to continue to lead us. Its patronage-linked policies of simply dishing out handouts, freebies, and pure unadulterated cash and goodies to ‘buy’ votes, violate any economic sense and prudence that any good government must adhere to. Otherwise, many of us feel it forfeits its right to remain in power!

Its dwindling attention to address crime (a jogging mother was stabbed to death on a charity run; our deputy DG of Customs gunned down in broad daylight, rampant snatch thieves, car-jackings, rising gangsterism, illegal gambling), its mishandling and condoning of serious treasonous wrongdoings such as the Sulu invasion, the Sabah IC-scandal, electoral roll grievances, etc., and its unchecked and blatant corrupt practices (PKFTZ, NFC, Scopene submarines, etc. which have cost Malaysians billions of ringgit) continue to rankle and assail our senses.

The entitlement concept that the current government has the sole arbitrary power to mislead, to lie and to bully the common citizen (through its total control of the Main Stream Media), enlightened NGOs (such as BERSIH, anti-Lynas), human rights activists and social groups have left me and like-thinking Malaysians, saddened, disheartened and angered that we have come so far, and yet have become so debilitated and middling as a middle-income developed nation. Most of us believe we can and should have done much better! We can’t be comparing ourselves to laggard countries around us or other notorious failed states.

We fear this cannot last forever, we will indeed be heading toward both social, moral and financial bankruptcy when a government is only interested in short-term measures of appeasing sectarian groups for votes, but lack the steady calm of economic and good sense to govern properly and prudently!

Hundreds of thousands of talented Malaysians have left our shores because of lack of opportunity, work or because of disgruntlement with the archaic race-based policy of affirmative action. Hundreds of billions of RInggit have also escaped out shores through mostly illegal capital flight.

Unfortunately instead of truly addressing these ‘real’ issues, we are left bungling with interethnic and inter-religious baiting and taunting. Instead of systematically uplifting the bumiputera underclass or the poor in general (which I have always supported), the implementation of selective policies has bred even more socio-economic inequality, based more on the ‘know-who’ syndrome, rather than ‘know-how’ or the needs-based platform!

Increasingly, everything has become linked to or dependent on rampant and unyielding cronyism, patronage, rent-seeking policies that have made some well-connected people and politicians extremely, even obscenely, wealthy!

But in its wake, this warped policy has left swathes of our rakyat impoverished at the level of dependency-mindset, unhoused, paying years and years of car-loans for overpriced cars, dismal infrastructure and transport, high-cost poor quality food products, low disposable income and inability to compete in this aggressively globalised world. (I think the comparison with South Korean and Singaporean progress has been alluded to, often enough!)

We have been left behind in human as well as economic development levels. And shockingly our GINI index is 0.46, (which compares the richest vs. the poorest segments of society) which is among the highest in the world. In other words, our wealth or income gap is staggering and widening – the rich is getting immensely richer, and the poor left with handouts every time an election comes around! This cannot go on and on! Something’s got to give sooner or later! This has got to change, and everyone of us must take an active role and play our responsible part. JOM UBAH!

Now that the nominations have been made and polling date set, we must all be more vigilant not to let untoward violence or propaganda derail our purpose for wanting a better government, a better leader. Indeed our overseas brethren are already voting peacefully, although many have been denied that chance. Postal voting is beginning soon too, so we the physical voters must do our part, and we cannot afford to allow our complacency to subdue our rightful path and sacred national duty!

For us here, we have to come out in full force to exert our right, to vote fearlessly and wisely. We have the right to disagree, but we must not let our emotions get the better of us and lead us down the slippery slope of violence and thuggery! We must avoid this by all means possible. We can!

Two other points need addressing. There has been attempts by the main-stream media and the incumbent BN to raise the spectre of election or post-election violence (050513) and the possible PAS-led HUDUD state to intimidate voters.

Let’s get a grip on the proper perspective. Let’s keep our wits together, do not be provoked into violence and remain calm. Let’s pray for a peaceful transition and hope that every side will abide by this precious premise. I believe that Malaysians are generally peace-loving and non-violent, but we have a duty to ensure that this works. Keep the PEACE at all times!

As for the fear of Hudud system implementation, remember that for any crucial constitutional changes, we would need a 2/3 majority, hence this will not be a possibility by any counts for this election. Fear not and do not let these niggling thoughts worry us too much. If we must be honest, we must confess that our PAS colleagues and comrades in arms have been true to their ideals and have been more gentlemanly than the ‘other side’.

Just look at the negative posturings, the sex videos, the threatening messages of racist-taunting, crass politicking, blatantly untruthful cybertrooping attacks. Who has done more of these negative campaigning and fear-inducing attacks? Certainly not PAS, not PKR, not DAP!

The imperative is to effect this momentous change first and foremost! Then we can forge together later for a more comprehensive common policy by our still youthful Pakatan, just 5-6 years in the making.

Finally, about phantom and alien voter fraud. We know that there have been attempts to possibly defraud the General Elections 2013 by inserting possibly many tens of thousands of dubious names into our electoral roll, that we still cannot understand why our supposedly independent Election Commission EC cannot or would not amend or make right (despite its huge funds) – hundreds of residents in a single address, peculiar names, alien-sounding names, etc. So we must check to ensure that these aliens not be given the free ride to vote fraudulently, that is why we must support BERSIH!

Let’s remain vigilant! But we must ALL come forwards to vote, and not be complacent! By our own citizen numbers we hope we can counteract the IC-wielding foreigner numbers. We have this one chance where we may finally make a difference. Please help us all not to squander this chance for change! For a BETTER MALAYSIA! JOM UBAH!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 7:41 am and is filed under
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BN has lost ‘nambikei’ for nominating Zul Noordin

by Ragesh Kumar Lingam

Malaysiakini

Apr 24, 2013

Malaysia is known as a multi-racial country and we have been promoting that ever since independence.

The current prime minister has long called for nambikei (trust) from the Indian community for BN.

My question is on BN’s decision to field Zulkifli Noordin as BN’s candidate for the Shah Alam Parliament seat.

Zulkifli is well known for his racist remarks towards Indians especially to the Hindus in Malaysia.

This has been proven and everyone is well aware of this. Although we understand he has apologised, what does it matter now.

Even in sports such as football, Fifa has supported zero tolerance for racism. Why can’t we do the same in Malaysia for politicians?

There should be zero tolerance when it comes to racism no matter if the person is from ruling or opposition party, male or female.

By nominating Zulkifli, BN has killed the nambikei they have promised to the Indian community.

Respect towards any religion in Malaysia is everyone’s responsibility and by choosing Zulkifli, BN has sent a wrong message to everyone.

The way I see it, the ruling government has shown and will continue to show tolerance for racism.

I am working in an American company and there is zero tolerance for racism in my company. I have seen this emphasised in several cases in my company.

When a company can implement this, a country’s ruling party is sending a wrong message on racism if it doesn’t do so.

MIC on the other hand is hopeless on this when normal citizens like me take this more seriously than them.

Forgive and forget is good in other aspects but not when it comes to racism.

As a Malaysian, I am ashamed on the decision to field Zulkifli as a BN candidate. The coalition called BN does not represent the name the way I see.

At the same time, I challenge MIC to walk out of BN if you fail to remove Zulkifli as BN candidate.

If your request for “nambikai” is true, walk your talk.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 7:24 am and is filed under
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BN, please stop sending me SMS-es!

by
Alwyn Lau

The Malaysian Insider

April 28, 2013

APRIL 28 – Here are six reasons why:

1. I get too many messages already; every week greedy corporations try to sell me stuff I don’t need, using cheesy messages which insult even my stupidity. Next to your corruption, KL traffic jams and our football team, corporate SMS-es will be the death of Malaysia. So stop polluting my mobile Messages and instead try a nice 1-Malaysia brochure taped to two free return tickets to Paris – this might arouse my curiosity if not my attention (but no I still won’t vote for you).

2. I can’t stand reading superficial declarations of great things to come from a party which has, for the past fifty years, been promising oceans but delivering droplets. Like that quote in Top Gun, Barisan’s mouth keeps writing cheques your body can’t cash. Worse, BN has been handing out free money to friends and cousins for half a century; but now you’ve got fewer friends because many people’s cousins are suffering from the holes you’ve been covering up with acronyms (NEP, NDP, 1M, IM4U, etc.)

And for once I’d like to read about the millions you invested for the Orang Asli or those folks I see on “Bersamamu Malaysia” (shown on TV3) whose poverty and condition I know you’ll never include into a 1-Malaysia pamphlet. These people need you more than Psy needs to visit Penang.

3. I’m also ticked off when your SMS-es wax big time about how Barisan is the hope of the country, how you’re the only group which can ensure that ‘BANGSA’ and ‘NEGARA’ remain shining bright. Because the whole galaxy knows that you’re helpless against certain people who don’t mind seeing the country burn. That independent dude standing in Pasir Mas, for example. He’s a walking, bad-mouthed proof of how some folks have more rights than others in this country or how there’s almost nothing left of rights because the center has gone south with regards to its moral-political compass. Translated: BN has messed up Malaysia’s democracy. That’s why March 8th happened; that’s why May 5th will make March 8th look like April 1st. And you still want to send corny text messages?

4. Every SMS from you which interrupts three precious seconds of my life reminds me of the traffic disruptions caused by your motley crew of VIPs’ on the road. Virtually every hour in KL, there’s some big-shot in a black car (somehow it’s always black) who doesn’t feel a tad bit guilty using public finance to frustrate public drivers. Why do your previous VIPs’ need to inconvenience every other motorist so their flashy vehicles can ride like they’re on the set of Fast & Furious? Seriously, what’s the hurry? Are you defusing a bomb? Delivering a baby?

I once saw a policeman plant his bike in front of an ambulance in order that a huge long car with flags can go at 100km/hour in the heart of the city without its driver having to hit the brake even once. Chances are the over-weight bureaucrat in the back-seat didn’t have a clue that his travel itinerary risked somebody’s life. Chances are, too, that he’s used to giving speeches about how his party is ‘for the people’ and that if Malaysia wants stability, she’ll need to stick with the two weighing-baskets bathed in dark blue. Newsflash: Bad blue is on the way out. White, green, red and happy blue are coming in. And this time no more frogs.

5. Most of your SMS-es are written in capital letters: DO YOU KNOW HOW IRRITATING AND RUDE THAT SOUNDS? WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM – BLIND? Are you guys so morally insecure you find uncapped letters a threat to your public self-image?

6. How in the world did you even get my number? Is there some national mobile phonebook published that I’m not aware of? As if it’s not bad enough our corporations are making frivolous products which turn our people into consumption addicts, we have to find out that business and government are different forms of the same rotten fruit. You and your political parties should be ensuring that corporations serve the people and the country, not the other way round. Because right now household debt is as bad as our obesity rate (the highest in the region, no thanks to food companies). Our debts are socialized, our profits are privatized and our airport taxis feel like they’re going to come apart on the highway. And instead of solving the problem, you’re buying phone numbers.

7. This is the worst part, because you seem to have graduated away from SMS-es to making actual phone calls. Today I got a call and – lo and behold – I heard a recorded message tell me that Barisan created the universe, invented sliced bread and holds the secret to global warming and cancer. All fine and good, except I hated the sound of the recording. The dude speaking didn’t sound excited at all, like he was a hostage mouthing a script thrust into his blood-soaked face. It was impersonal, unclear, full of static and devoid of life.

Just like you.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 11:12 am and is filed under
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Deciding Who To Vote For In the Next Election

by M. Bakri Musa

Downstream Analysis:  Hung Parliament Not Necessarily Bad

(Last of Four Parts)

Many fear a hung parliament as they think that would lead to chaos and uncertainty. Yes, there may be both but neither is inevitable. On the contrary I see many potentially redeeming aspects that could benefit citizens, the permanent establishment, and yes, even those politicians.

            For citizens, seeing these freshly-victorious politicians brazenly jockeying for positions would be both instructive and revealing. It would be quite a sight to watch them behave worse than hookers. At least hookers are consumed with satisfying their present customers first, and would solicit new ones only after they have done that. More importantly, they do both discreetly. Those politicians on the other hand would be openly and lustily auctioning themselves to the highest bidder without even a promise of satisfactory performance to their current customers – citizens who had only recently voted for them. Those politicians would whore themselves brazenly. What matters to them would only be the price their new customers would be willing to pay, regardless how filthy and disease-ridden they are. Damn the consequences, for them or the nation.

            The jockeying would be intense, shameless and endlessly shifting, threatening both Barisan and Pakatan. It would not be below MCA for example, to align itself with DAP and throw their weight behind Pakatan, demanding an outrageous price in return. Or MCA could demand a stiff price for remaining in Barisan. Not to be outdone, as alluded earlier, PAS could bolt Pakatan and align itself with UMNO in an ugly chauvinistic attempt at reviving Ketuanan Melayu. UMNO would sell its soul to get PAS support, and PAS in turn would readily sign a pact with the devil given the right price. There would be only one certainty; our politicians would finally be exposed for all their corruptness and hideousness. In the end unfortunately, citizens and Malaysia would be paying the terrible price.

            Perhaps the nation needs such a sordid spectacle to jolt it into realizing that elections have consequences, and that the politicians and leaders we have today are far different from the earlier generation that brought us merdeka.

            On the other hand, our politicians may well surprise us. Without being unnecessarily Pollyannaish, a few might discover that politics is after all a noble profession, and at its best and essence, a fine exercise in the art of compromise in order to get things done for the good of all.

            At the very least a hung parliament would prompt us to be more prudent on our voting and not be so casual with this important exercise of democracy. If that would also encourage otherwise thoughtful Malaysians to offer themselves as candidates, then the whole exercise would not have been futile.

            A hung parliament would also have a salutary effect on the permanent establishment. The last time there was a similar debacle, in Perak following the 2008 elections, the permanent establishment including the sultan, did not acquit themselves well. Who could forget the spectacle of the Speaker being hauled out of the Assembly desperately clinging on to his chair, or the Raja Muda, the Sultan’s representative, being forced to cool his heels in an adjacent room while waiting out the mayhem? It was not pretty. The stench stained all, and stayed to this day.

            You can be certain that this time, with the real possibility of Barisan being toppled, members of the permanent establishment would be more circumspect for their own selfish reasons. Thus I do not expect blatant displays of partisanship as we saw in Perak. To add flavor to that, the King today, Sultan Halim, was the Sultan of Kedah when PAS took over from UMNO. Thus working with a non-UMNO chief executive would not be a novelty for him.

            Once we have established this fact at the federal level, all the other sultans at the state level would follow suit. They would, out of concern for their own survival, no longer be so blatantly partisan. That can only be good for them and the country.

            A hung parliament is nothing to fear; it is just another though less clear-cut expression of a Barisan defeat. Stated differently, a hung parliament is a not-so-pretty Pakatan victory.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 8:58 am and is filed under
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Dr M, you should also think of your own grave!

by Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 12:19 pm and is filed under
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If you are afraid to vote Pakatan, what can you do?

by
P Ramakrishnan

ALIRAN

P Ramakrishnan advises pensioners what they should do if they are worried that their votes won’t be secret.

There are civil servants and pensioners who are fearful of voting for Pakatan. They would very much like to do so but they are afraid.

The civil servants are scared that if they are found out for supporting the opposition their promotion prospects may be affected. They think they may even be dismissed from service.

The pensioners are apprehensive that their pension may be stopped if they do not support the BN. They believe that it is the BN that is giving them their pension.

To begin with, it is not possible to trace your voting ballot paper. It does not have any serial number on the ballot paper. So, it is impossible to trace you.

With regard to promotion, there is nothing to worry. When Pakatan takes over Putrajaya, nobody will be victimised for partisan politics. Your promotion will depend on your merit and nothing else. You will not be dismissed from service for exercising your right to vote.

As for the pension, it will continue even after Pakatan takes over the federal government. The pension is part and parcel of your service. You will continue to receive it and your spouse, if alive after your death, will receive your pension as long as she lives.

So, there is nothing to fear at all.

But if for whatever reason you are still not convinced, this is what you can do. Don’t go and vote. If you are fearful of voting for the opposition, don’t vote. If you go and vote, you will force yourself to vote for the BN just to feel safe. Don’t do that. Stay at home.

Voting is not compulsory. Don’t waste your vote by forcing yourself to vote for the BN. If you don’t vote, you will be helping the opposition. In this way, believe me, you will be helping Pakatan to go to Putrajaya.

Some of you may find yourself in a difficult situation on polling day. If a BN friend comes along and offers you a lift to the polling centre, go with him. Play along with him or her that you are keen to vote. But once inside the polling booth, don’t mark your ballot paper. Cast a blank ballot paper into the ballot box. Your blank ballot paper will be rejected as a spoilt vote.

This is what it means: you have not supported the BN but you have, in fact, supported Pakatan.

On polling day, either stay at home or cast a blank ballot paper. In this way, you would have freed yourself from fear. What more, you have refused to be exploited any more.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 10:57 am and is filed under
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Janji ditepikan

by
Tota

ALIRAN

Najib’s ‘janji ditepati’ is a big lie: it has fallen flat like capati, writes Tota.

Najib and the other BN leaders have been going round the country crowing about the so-called ‘janji ditepati’.

This BN slogan is a great lie, confirming that we have a BN government that has inexplicably survived through misinformation, outright lies and shameless deceit. This has been made possible by the BN-owned newspapers like Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, NST, The Star and the vernacular papers which spin pro-BN stories on a daily basis. The government-controlled RTM is nothing but a tool for BN religious and political propaganda.

If one examines BN’s track record over their long spell of 56 years as the government, it will be obvious the track is littered with a long catalogue of broken promises. Below is an analysis of the broken promises by the Alliance/BN government.

The Founding Fathers delivered a secular democratic constitution which is deranged and destroyed by half-past-six prime minister. The most sacrosanct provisions regarding human rights and civil liberties were trampled upon.
Janji ditepikan
.

The often-quoted Rule of Law was put to death. The ex-half-past-six PM armed himself with draconian laws like the ISA, the OSA, the Sedition Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act and the Universities and University Colleges Act. ‘Rule by law’ was implemented. The country was turned into a dictatorship.
Janji ditepikan
.

The destruction of independent institutions – the civil service, the police, the judiciary, the EC, the ROS and the MACC – which were shamelessly turned into BN tools.
Janji ditepikan
.

The promise of free and fair elections died when the EC’s independence was taken away. When it came under Executive control, manipulation of the electoral systems resulted. Gerrymandering destroyed the ‘one person, one vote’ concept. The electoral roll was allegedly padded with phantom voters, immigrants and Rela members to give BN an unfair and indecent advantage. The urban population has been marginalised, and in fact it is the rural people who are electing the government.
Janji ditepikan
.

The NEP was meant to help the poor Malays but it was hijacked by the Umnoputras who shamelessly enriched themselves and amassed great wealth which they have allegedly laundered overseas. This has created the greatest income differential in the Malay community among all ethnic groups in Asia.
Janji ditepikan
.

The Founding Fathers promised freedom of the press and their successors promised a free electronic media. The BN-owned print media and the government controlled electronic media are a total disgrace. What they have served the rakyat since nomination day is both disgusting and revolting.
Janji ditepikan
.

The Founding Fathers envisaged national unity as a priority to build a prosperous and progressive society after the divide-and-rule policy of the colonialists. The BN has divided the people through thoughtless ethnic politics. As if the classification of people into Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Dayak, etc were not enough, they have divided Malay society into Malays and Umnoputras, who have enriched themselves at the expense of the ordinary Malays.
Janji ditepikan
.

The promise of free enterprise and a fair economic system has been destroyed. The Umnoputra evil geniuses have cleverly devised policies – privatisation of public entities, GLCs, APs, taxi licences, toll concessions, negotiated tenders, etc etc – to enrich themselves and amass great wealth, much of which is either invested overseas or kept in secret bank accounts. These political scoundrels are the cause of the massive capital flight out of the country.
Janji ditepikan.

The Reid Commission promised a federalist system of government with defined state rights and federal control. Through more than 60 constitutional amendments, the state rights were removed and everything is controlled by the federal government. This has resulted in despicable discrimination experienced by the Pakatan Rakyat governed states. For example, the Penang state government has no control of Penang Bridge and Penang Port. Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak are denied a fair share of oil revenue.
Janji ditepikan
.

The promise of a corruption-free society is a joke. The toothless MACC is beholden to the Executive and the AG. Deepak’s and Bala’s documented corruption allegations against Najib and the revelation of Taib family’s corruption by Global Witness have not resurrected the dead MACC.
Janji ditepikan
.

The Alliance government continued the practice of local council elections to encourage participatory democracy. But local council elections were suspended during the Confrontation with the promise of lifting the suspension after the Confrontation ended. Now the BN government has permanently killed this important feature of a participatory democracy.
Janji ditepikan
.

The checks-and-balances promised to check government abuse of power have been removed. The distinction between public and private has disappeared. Look at how the BN government uses the civil service, the police, government transport vehicles, boats, helicopters, planes, etc for BN election campaign purposes.
Janji ditepikan
.

With widespread Islamisation, the secular nature of the Constitution has been severely eroded. The establishment of Syariah Courts is evidence of this. Civil court judges behave unjustly when they ask a non-Muslim spouse to seek justice at the Syariah Courts in conversion cases. The Islamo-fascists who populate every layer of the public sector do much damage to the secular nature of the Constitution.
Janji ditepikan
.

The promise to maintain interfaith harmony has not been kept. The BN government’s refusal to establish an Interfaith Commission speaks louder than words about the BN government’s hypocrisy.
Janji ditepikan
.

The BN government’s refusal to legislate a Race Relations Act reveals their Ketuanan Melayu, Malay hegemony and Malay superiority. Another promise to maintain good race relations broken.
Janji ditepikan
.

Sabah’s 20-Point Agreement when they helped to form Malaysia is almost totally broken. This is a serious breach of promise.
Janji ditepikan
.

The clauses in Sarawak’s 18-Point Agreement have been shredded. The BN government is more interested in exploiting the natural resources and supporting a corrupt state government.
Janji ditepikan
.

So Najib, your ‘janji ditepati’ is a big lie. As someone has said your ‘janji ditepati’ has fallen flat like capati.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 11:02 am and is filed under
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Malaysia’s Ruling Party Gets Desperate

by
Azeem Ibrahim

The Huffington Post

Malaysia has in reality been a one party state for over 55 years with the ruling UMNO party winning a string of elections without much opposition. However, with the stellar rise of Anwar Ibrahim, the ruling party is facing its most tightly contested election in its history. In the final days of campaigning in an election which many pollsters now believe the government will lose, it seems to be pulling a number of desperate stunts.

Firstly is the amount of money the prime minister’s office is spending on advertising. Industry experts have identified over 50 million USD in
advertising buys
 by the prime minister’s office alone. Sources say that the amount of money being spent on advertisements exceeds one million, a virtual buy out of all ad space on Microsoft networks (which include Skype and Bing) for the last 10 days of the campaign. On Facebook the PMO’s office, again according to sources, is spending upwards of $200,000.

Last week various websites in Malaysia reported servers being blocked. The popular and independent online news portal Malaysiakini reported that its IP address was being blocked within the country in activities that could only be explained by the deliberate obstruction by local ISPs. The website for AnwarIbrahim.com which reported a ten-fold increase in traffic on Wednesday was subsequently hacked. The Digital Task Force running the website sent out an email indicating the severity of the attack, which was launched immediately after it reported a dramatic increase in online activity and support for Anwar Ibrahim.

During Malaysian elections it is nothing new for opposition sites to be targeted with DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. It appears this year is no different. With a virtual monopoly on the mainstream media, one wonders why the government feels the need to disrupt other forms of communication.

Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is the Executive Chairman of The Scotland Institute and a Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 12:36 pm and is filed under
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May 5: Ubah! Ubah! Ubah!

by Allan CF Goh

Come the sun-bright, or the cold, cold rain,

Despite those small inconvenient pain,

Come Election Day, we must all vote,

For our rights, and our principled code.

This day, we can create and claim our dreams,

Willing a meaningful life to stream.

Let us safeguard our children’s future

Within a most just, social structure.

Ensure them the best education,

(Not denied by deprivation),

Premised on the world’s greatest knowledge,

And real, solid values acknowledged.

Vote for a real, better way of life,

Where folks can thrive, without harmful strife,

Without the dark threats of racism,

Or the bane of damned cronyism.

Let’s vote in realistic hope and change,

And throw out the policies deranged.

Change the government for the better,

Free of those unfair, unjust fetter.

Let’s vote for a bright Malaysian sun,

That shines equally for all its sons

And daughters, without being reduced

By any laws, racially induced.

Malaysia must be a one-nation,

One-real-people without exception.

There should be no lesser Malaysians,

Be they Muslims, Hindus, or Christians

Malaysia is ours to love and keep,

Never to be betrayed on the cheap,

Not to be pawned, sold to corruption,

Nor pandered to those depravation.

Citizens, come out, do your duty.

Vote us back our rights, our dignity.

Vote in candidates of good conscience,

Who will avow right with their presence.

Choose right people who will be our voice,

Respecting always the people’s choice.

Select a regime of righteousness,

Not one full of condemned thoughtlessness.

Ubah for a better tomorrow!

Ubah the Malaysia faked, hollow!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 12:08 pm and is filed under
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Side Views A vote for stability or a vote for growth and change?

by
Jackson Clu

The Malaysian Insider

April 28, 2013

APRIL 28 — The Reality

A vote for stability or a vote for growth and change? Personally, this general election has made me think very deeply as to what I actually want for myself and for our country. No doubt, everyone wants a stable and easy life but think deeper and ask yourself is that enough? I am no judge but I believe our votes this time round reflect our livelihood. Either we have been poisoned to the core to believe that stability is all we can have OR we are awakened by the truth making us hungry for growth and change, which in turn, brings true stability.

You know I have heard many people say it will be the same whoever we vote for. I beg to differ. Twenty years ago, it might have been the same but today, looking at how other countries, who were once on par with us but are now a hundred steps ahead of us, does make a difference. It ignites the fire within us that leaves us wondering why we are left so far behind. What did we do wrong for the past 50-odd years? And is there no cure?

My dear Malaysians,

Times have changed. In this era of technology advancement, we are no longer katak di bawah tempurung (like a frog beneath a coconut shell). Every move a person makes, we can see and know very clearly. It is a little scary but it also allows us to see the ongoings and correct the wrongs we have done. And if we are clean, we won’t be afraid to be seen naked. Now, with all the articles in the tabloids, read carefully to see what is the difference between the ruling government and the opposition. Which of the two cares for the rakyat and which only cares for themselves? Those in power—are they qualified to hold important positions in government or are there better candidates out there? I am not here to put down either side but I am making use of this technology advancement to show you the truth. Sometimes, the care shown might just be a chess move to trick us. As they say, anything to stay in power.

By now, you should know that I am for growth and change and I believe the opposition can provide them to us. The opposition is made up of people who are not satisfied with the ruling government. These people, like each and everyone of us, yearn for a better Malaysia. A better Malaysia in the sense that we are on par, if not better, than the other nations who were once on par or even worse than our country. Take Singapore, for example. The little red dot is a hundred times better than our country in basically everything. How on earth did that happen and why? Simple, look at the qualifications of those in power in our country and compare that with their Singapore counterparts or whichever country you prefer. After you have done so, compare the qualifications of those in power in our country with the opposition candidates. Now you know why I am rooting for the opposition. Simply because they are more qualified to hold the important positions to spearhead growth in our country.

As mentioned earlier, the opposition is made up of people from all walks of life who yearn for growth and change. These are people with an intellectual capability who have figured out that our country can actually be a powerhouse if we want it to. This is why they chose to join the opposition’s cause to fight for change which will provide us with growth and true stability. Unlike those who only care for their own livelihood, those in the opposition care for our future generation and beyond. A better Malaysia can be achieved if we truly want it. This time, simply by a vote for growth and change. This is the least we can do for a better nation. The choice is in your hands and so is that of your children and their children.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 11:15 am and is filed under
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The Malaysian Trojan Horse

by
Thomas Fann

In Virgil’s epic poem Aeneid, he told the tale of how the Greeks overcame the fortress city of Troy after laying siege to it for ten years. The Greeks built a giant wooden horse and hid a select team of warriors in it to deceive the Trojans that they have abandoned their battle and presented the city of Troy with a gift – the wooden horse.

Elated with the gift, the Trojans brought the wooden horse into the city to celebrate their victory. That night itself, while the city slept, the Greek warriors came out of the horse, opened the city gate for the Greek army who had returned and they overran the city of Troy. What they failed to achieve through military might in 10 years, they did it in one night through trickery.

The campaign for the hearts and minds of the Malaysian public has officially started in this General Election with the incumbent coalition of Barisan Nasional (BN) throwing everything they have to hold on to power against a formidable coalition called Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

Of all the arsenal they have at their disposal to win this war, perhaps, the most potent one is none other than the caretaker Prime Minister himself, Najib Razak.

Riding on Najib’s personal popularity with the public, said to be around 61 percent by independent pollster Merdeka Centre in February 2013, the Barisan Nasional whose own rating is at 45 percent, decided to make Najib the mascot of their election campaign. It is a no-brainer.

Throughout the country, on the numerous BN’s billboards, printed materials and TV commercials and news, it is Najib’s sweet and gentle smiling face that you see. Never before in the history of general elections in our country has so much been hinged on the persona of a man instead of on the ideals or vision of the party for the country. Visitors to our country could have mistaken us for a US presidential-style democracy instead of a parliamentary-based democracy where the ideals and policies of the contesting parties are more important than the personalities that represent it.

But Najib Razak is a trojan horse, constructed by professional public relations firm like APCO with the help of a very compliant broadcast and printing mass media industry.  He has had an extreme makeover which transformed him from an ultra Malay rights politician to one that espouse the inclusive and tolerant values of 1Malaysia.

What is behind this veneer of civility and moderation? Or more importantly, what and who is hiding within this Malaysian trojan horse that is now standing at the gate of Putrajaya, waiting to be ushered in on 5th of May 2013 for the 13th time?

To accept this trojan horse into Putrajaya for another five-year term is to release upon our nation the following agenda, policies and practices. A vote for Najib is a vote for all these.

RACE-BASED POLICIES AND POLITICS
 – Since Najib took over from Abdullah Badawi as premier in 2009, we have been flooded senseless with the 1Malaysia slogan, that we have racial unity, tolerance and acceptance of our ethnic and cultural differences. The truth is far from that.Fifty-six years if BN’s rule has ensured that we are more divided and polarised than ever. National economic policies based on race has institutionalized racism to the point that we don’t even realise it, both the favoured and the not, and accept it as a norm. We have all in one way or another become a lower form of humanity, a racist.Over the past four years of Najib’s rule, he has outsourced the extreme Malay rights rhetoric to the likes of Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin of Perkasa.  Not only were they given a free hand to spew racially and religiously divisive comments about other races and religions in the country but they are rewarded with parliamentary candidacies in the coming General Election, albeit for Ibrahim Ali, in a roundabout way.And let us not forget who else is hiding in or behind this trojan. Muhyiddin Yassin, the patiently waiting deputy who is famous for “I am a Malay first, a Malaysian second” declaration with ex-Premier Mahathir Mohammed egging him on.It is more than likely that Najib will be removed even if BN wins GE13, unless by some miracle BN can win back its two-third majority.  If not, he will be replaced with Muhyiddin in the same way Najib replaced Abdullah Badawi after the last election. The puppet-master Mahathir has already so hinted.

Thus, a vote for Najib, the trojan horse, is a vote for Muhyiddin, Mahathir and the extension of race-based politics and policies that has not only wrecked our racial harmony but also led us to my next point.

CORRUPTION AND CRONYISM
 – Malaysia already has the dubious distinction of being the Number 1 most corrupt country to do business according to a survey by Transparency International in 2010. In another survey by Global Financial Integrity, we ranked number two globally in illicit capital outflow after China but on a per capita basis, we are by far the number one. Much of these illicit capital leaving our country are the proceeds of corruption. Almost RM200 billion left in 2010, more than two-third our national budget. Read more
HERE
.The recent expose by Global Witness of how Taib Mahmud, Sarawak’s Chief Minister and his family and friends corruptly took lands and sold them off, gave us an insight into how these corrupt politicians plunder our national wealth and siphon their ill-gotten proceeds to financial safe-havens like Singapore. This documentary is a must-watch. Watch it
HERE
.Cronies like Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary are nothing but proxies for corrupt politicians. One by one, our national assets and services are being handed over to them, especially Syed Mokhtar, whose group of companies has taken over most of our ports, national airline, rice and sugar monopoly, postal service and rail system. This is not privatisation but PIRATISATION or PLUNDERISATION. His corporate debts alone is
RM34.4 billion
 in 2012, a recipe for another financial crisis in our country.

Closed tenders of government projects or as they prefer to call it, directly negotiated contracts are costing us billions in wastages and corruption each year. What we get for all these expenditures are not just over-inflated prices but often poor and shoddy products like submarine that can’t sink, stadium that collapses and new roads that are quickly potholed. The Auditor-General’s Annual Report for 2011 is an interesting read. Download the PDF
HERE
.

A vote for Najib is a vote for more corruption and cronyism.  As a voter in Bentong commented cynically in a recent street interview, “What progress?  I don’t see much but I see the politicians getting fatter (richer). For us, do you see anyone of us getting fatter?”

INJUSTICES AND ABUSES OF POWER
 – The direct result of corruption and cronyism are injustices and abuse of state institutions to escape wrongdoings and prosecutions by the corrupt.Recent disclosures by carpetman Deepak Jaikishan and the late PI Bala into the cover-up of the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya by people linked to Najib would have raised such a furore in most countries of the world but not here. No reopening of the case by the Attorney-General,  no investigation by the police and no coverage by the mainstream media.What about Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani, Kugan, Sugumaran, Aminulrasyid and the over 150 people who
died while in police custody
 between 2000 and 2011? No inquiries were conducted into most of these cases and even fewer enforcement officers were convicted for these deaths. Where is the justice for them? What has happened to our public institutions which are supposed to protect and serve us? BN has turned them into their war machineries to keep them in power!A vote for Najib is a vote for more injustices and abuses of power by public institutions.  How many more Beng Hocks, Sugumarans and Amirilrahsyids must we have before we wake up? Or must we wait until it happens to ourselves or to our own children before we cry for justice?

CONCLUSION

The above three agendas are what is hidden behind Najib the trojan horse whose smiling face graced billboards, posters, booklets and TV ads all over the country. Words like transformation, peace, stability and prosperity are painted over this trojan horse to make it look “marketable”.

But the truth is far from the glossy public image and as voters, we owe it to our future generations to look beyond this “gift horse”.

The Trojan priest Laocoön guessed the plot and warned the Trojans, in Virgil’s famous line “I fear Greeks even those bearing gifts” but his warning went unheeded and the Trojans paid the price with their lives.

A survey by Universiti Malaya’s Democratic and Election Centre (Umcedel) conducted between April 4, the day Parliament was dissolved, till 20th April, revealed a somewhat surprising result.

The poll of from a sample of 1,407 voters in Peninsular Malaysia asked respondents various comparative questions between Najib and Anwar. 43% believed that Anwar was more qualified to be PM whilst 39% thought so of Najib. Among first-time voters, the gap is even wider with 48% for Anwar and only 25% for Najib. Perhaps the most defining data is that it found among Malay voters, 54% believed Anwar was more qualified compared to Najib at 28%. Read it
HERE
.

Before us at the gate of Putrajaya stands two choices.

One is a coalition led by Najib Razak that has ruled this country for 56 years and has used the excuse of uplifting the Malay race to enrich their own families and cronies. Theirs is a politic of lies, hatred, sex videos and of fear. Bankrupt of ideas and vision, they constantly instill fears in us of race riots, the dismantling of the monarchy and perhaps most vile of all, politicising religion to divide and rule.

The other choice is a coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy PM who was famously sacked and accused of corruption and sodomy in 1998 and jailed on those trumped up charges for 6 years which was reversed by the Federal Court in 2004 and released. He has managed to unite all the opposition parties under the banner of Pakatan Rakyat for this election, offering us the hope to heal and rebuild our nation together.

No poll is conclusive or even accurate but it does perhaps indicate that we, as right-thinking Malaysians may be wiser than the politicians give us credit for.

Perhaps, just perhaps, we have seen through the deception of this trojan horse and would not allow it into the gate of power in this 13th General Election, not even for another five years.

May I suggest and indeed beseech you fellow Malaysians, to C4 or set fire to this trojan horse and end all the years of fear, hatred, injustice, plunder and unrighteousness that are hidden in it, once and for all.

Ini Kalilah! Ubah!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 10:52 am and is filed under
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Who’s the racist these days?

The Malaysian Insider

April 28, 2013

APRIL 28 – Going into Malaysia’s 56th year of independence, one would assume that racism would not rear its ugly head especially among its leaders – young or old.

There is Barisan Nasional (BN) and its predecessor Alliance that has always put cooperation as one of its pillars. And there is Pakatan Rakyat (PR), all three multi-racial parties that have eschewed racism.

Then, there is Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who once spoke of a Bangsa Malaysia when he was Malaysia’s prime minister but for some time now, has resorted to racism and accusing others of racism in his speeches and writings.

Today, the New Sunday Times had him accuse the DAP of racism in going for the Gelang Patah federal seat due to its sizeable Chinese majority.

“If DAP does not play on its Chinese-ness, it cannot win. That is why Kit Siang chose Gelang Patah where 53 per cent of the voters are Chinese,” the weekly quoted Dr Mahathir.

This isn’t the first time Dr Mahathir has gone on this tangent. Earlier this year, he blamed Tunku for granting citizenship to Indians and Chinese at the advent of independence.

He had also defended Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali who advocated the burning of Malay-language bibles.

Dr Mahathir had also gone on record to say that Selangor must be saved from the opposition to ensure the rights and position of the Malays and Bumiputeras are maintained in the state.

“When they proposed to strip the special privileges of the Malays, the opposition, which purportedly had two parties with Malay leadership, willingly complied. If we are not careful, we will lose altogether our rights on our own soil and they (opposition) will get rid of all efforts to develop the Malays and Bumiputeras,” he said last March.

We must ignore such racism if we are to progress as a “better nation” or as a “better Malaysia”.

If anything, this appears to be Dr Mahathir’s way of attacking his political foes to preserve his contributions to the country.

But it is too late to to safeguard his “legacy” of skewed development, bloated bureaucracy, corruption and cronyism.

In a more mature and better country, let’s consign racism to the rubbish bin of history.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 8:01 am and is filed under
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Why be so afraid of Lim Kit Siang?

by Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 April 2013, 11:08 am and is filed under
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Dalang sebenar Mei 13 dibongkar oleh Dato’ Mohd Tamrin Ghafar

Dato’ Mohd Tamrin b. Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba menyangkal fitnah UMNO terhadap Lim Kit Siang dan DAP sebagai dalang peristiwa Mei 13, 1969.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 30 April 2013, 10:01 pm and is filed under
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Fitnah 13 Mei: Dato Ghani Othman perlu lebih berani, tegas dan serius untuk menolak kempen politik kotor

Saya kesal kerana risalah fitnah kononnya saya menjadi pencetus peristiwa 13 Mei 1969 masih disebarkan tanpa sebarang tindakan tegas daripada pihak berkuasa. Malah sikap tidak serius Dato Abdul Ghani Othman, calon BN yang menjadi saingan saya bagi Parlimen Gelang Patah, membayangkan seolah-olah beliau tidak peduli dengan kempen kotor yang dilakukan oleh pelampau kaum di Johor.

Saya telah beberapa kali meminta Dato Ghani beliau supaya bersama-sama dengan saya untuk memastikan kempen pilihanraya benar-benar bersih dan tidak dicemarkan oleh penipuan dan pembohongan. Sebagai bekas Menteri Besar yang lama berkhidmat, beliau tentu faham betapa pentingnya untuk mengamalkan kempen PRU yang bersih.

Fitnah 13 Mei terhadap saya bukan sahaja kejam dan keji di sepanjang kempen PRU ini tetapi ia juga akan memberi kesan buruk kepada hubungan antara kaum selepas selesai PRU. Ini adalah kerana ia berasaskan pembohongan dan penipuan semata-mata. Dato Ghani Othman perlu lebih berani, tegas dan serius untuk menolak kempen politik kotor ini.

Malah Dato Ghani sebagai seorang pemimpin yang sederhana serta bijak dalam bidang akademik sepatutnya lebih sedar tentang sejarah Malaysia. Beliau sepatutnya tahu bahawa saya tidak terlibat sama sekali dengan peristiswa 13 Mei 1969.

Saya tidak berada di Kuala Lumpur pada waktu itu kerana saya berada di Sabah pada 13 Mei 1969 untuk membantu kempen calon-calon Bebas yang sama prinsip perjuangan dengan DAP. Rekod tentang perkara ini ada dalam simpanan pihak polis dan Kementerian Dalam Negeri.

Pihak berkuasa tidak pernah melibatkan saya dengan peristiwa 13 Mei 1969. Malah tuduhan terhadap saya di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) pada 1969 TIDAK ada kena-mengena dengan tragedi 13 Mei 1969.

Kempen busuk dan keji terhadap saya ini hanya memalukan budaya dan amalan orang Johor. Saya yakin pengundi-pengundi Johor sudah sedar tentang propaganda palsu yang telah menuduh DAP sebagai parti cauvinis. Ini adalah satu pembohongan.

Sejak ditubuhkan 47 tahun lalu, DAP berjuang semata-mata untuk kepentingan rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira kaum dan agama. Kerana perjuangan inilah saya dan ramai pemimpin DAP yang lain telah ditahan tanpa bicara di bawah ISA secara zalim dan kejam.

Jika Dato Ghani sudah lupa tentang perjuangan DAP, saya ingin membantu beliau mengingati apa yang kami perjuangkan selama ini. Antara prinsip-prinsip asas DAP adalah:

Berjuang menerusi cara-cara berPerlembagaan untuk menubuhkan satu masyarakat bercorak demokrasi sosial;

Memelihara negara Malaysia yang demokratik berasaskan hak mengundi dewasa sejagat rakyat Malaysia;

Menghapuskan ketidakseimbangan ekonomi dan peluang dalam sistem sedia ada; mewujudkan ekonomi yang memberikan peluang pekerjaan kepada seluruh rakyat dan pulangan ekonomi setimpal dengan usaha dan kemahiran mereka;

Memastikan kehidupan yang memuaskan dan keselamatan sosial kepada golongan tua dan kurang upaya; dan

Menyemai semangat perpaduan negara, bermaruah dan berdikari di kalangan rakyat Malaysia dan menggalakkan mereka dengan perasaan untuk berikhtiar dalam mewujudkan satu masyarakat yang makmur, stabil dan saksama.

Semoga Dato Ghani faham dan akur tentang perjuangan DAP yang dipenuhi dengan duri, darah dan air mata. Semoga beliau berusaha lebih keras untuk memastikan kempen PRU kali ini benar-benar bersih dan bebas daripada fitnah.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 30 April 2013, 5:14 pm and is filed under
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4-day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Cadangan menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen untuk menyiasat apa, mengapa dan siapa punca sebenar tragedi 13 Mei 1969

Saya akan mencadangkan kepada Parlimen dan Kerajaan Persekutuan yang baru di bawah pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat supaya menubuhkan satu Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen untuk menyiasat apa, mengapa dan siapa punca sebenar berlakunya tragedi 13 Mei 1969.

Ini adalah penting kerana sampai sekarang tiada siapa yang tahu mengapa, apa dan siapa yang menjadi punca peristiwa 13 Mei itu. Lagi pun, kerajaan UMNO-BN selama ini tidak mempedulikan cadangan itu. Malah, pimpinan UMNO-BN membenarkan penyokong mereka menabur fitnah menuduh saya menjadi dalang peristiwa itu.

Walaupun tuduhan itu palsu dan bohong serta berniat menghasut dan membangkitkan api perkauman, pimpinan UMNO-BN, termasuk Perdana Menteri Sementara, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, masih tidak serius untuk mengambil tindakan terhadap penyebar fitnah yang membahayakan hubungan antara kaum itu.

Cadangan saya untuk Parlimen menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen bukanlah satu cadangan yang baru. Malah kali pertama saya menyuarakan cadangan ini adalah 42 tahun yang lalu!

Dalam ucapan pertama saya di Parlimen pada 23 Februari 1971 setelah saya dibebaskan daripada tahana ISA pertama saya (yang TIDAK ada kena-mengena dengan peristiwa 13 Mei 1969), serta selepas Parlimen dipulihkan, semasa membahas Rang Undang-Undang Pindaan Perlembagaan 1971, saya telah menyeru supaya satu Suruhanjaya Bebas Parlimen ditubuhkan.

Saya meminta suruhanjaya ini yang keahliannya termasuk wakil-wakil bukan Ahli Parlimen yang dihormati dalam bidang mereka masing-masing, untuk antara lain, “mengenal pasti punca rusuhan Mei 13” dan “membuat cadangan bagaimana untuk mencegah berulangnya rusuhan kaum Mei 13 di masa depan, dan menghentikan masalah polarisasi kaum di Malaysia.”

Oleh kerana kerajaan UMNO-BN sejak 42 tahun lalu tidak pedulikan cadangan ini, saya yakin Kerajaan Persekutuan Baru di bawah pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat akan lebih berani untuk mencari penyelesaian terhadap fitnah dan pembohongan peristiwa 13 Mei yang amat membahayakan perpaduan kaum di Malaysia ini.

Saya meminta semua pengundi Malaysia supaya memilih Pakatan Rakyat – PAS, PKR dan DAP – untuk membuktikan kepada dunia bahawa kita semua adalah patriot Malaysia yang jujur, berani dan sanggup menerima kebenaran walaupun pahit.

Dengan mandat daripada pengundi-pengundi Malaysia, saya yakin Pakatan Rakyat akan lebih ikhlas dan berani untuk menubuhkan sebuah suruhajaya bersama yang bebas untuk menyiasat peristiwa 13 Mei tanpa berpihak, tanpa takut dan sentiasa jujur kepada fakta dan kebenaran.

Ubah! Ini kalilah!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 May 2013, 5:57 pm and is filed under
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My vote is for ABC4M’sians

by
KJ John

Malaysiakini

11:13AM Apr 30, 2013

We are coming into our 13th general election. I have voted every time since I was 21, unless I was not in the country. This time we have a large number of younger Malaysians who are voting. Except for my youngest, all my other five children (including one spouse; the other is an American) are eligible to vote.

Therefore, I want to write an open letter to all younger Malaysians on what criterion I will use to vote in this general election. My last nine columns were also focused on this general election and the processes of electioneering. Please review them, and if needed, drop me a note to my private email address and I will be glad to give a response!

When we officially launched OHMSI, our NGO, we framed the topic for the launch as: ‘Was Jesus Political?’ Even my home congregation dared not host the launch because they considered the topic “too political!” The pastor even had a doctor of philosophy (PhD) or doctor of ministry (D Min) degree. So much for thoughtful Christianity.

Being partisan versus being political

All humans are political from birth. For example, with our first child we struggled to teach him the principle that ‘the oven is hot;’ so, please do not touch it. All our lectures (he was a nine-month-old and therefore they including screaming and spankings) fell on his back like water on a duck’s back. He still had a mind and heart of his own; a political animal?

One day, he learnt the lesson himself, without us as teachers, except we had to extend tender loving care (TLC) and huggy mummy’s love. But he understood about being political and then learnt some hard lessons about our human ways of life. He never touched the oven again.

Even George W Bush framed his war cry as: “You are either with me or against me.” It is a false framing of issues. There is always a third choice in any given problem situation. Bush’s is only a very partisanship appeal. Only God speaks like that; in categorical terms.

Being political is making a time and space intervention, but which leads to a distortion or changes in consequent events. Heisenberg established the uncertainty principle to argue the same in relation to physical sciences and thereby dismissed the so-called “objectivity of modern science argument”.

13th GE issues and concerns

What are the three most important issues facing all Malaysians in the coming General Elections? I list them in the order of priority to me, and how I will make my choice to vote in this coming general election.

Bribery and Corruption

We claim to be an Islamic country, but are still ambivalent when it comes to issues of bribery and corruption. The most recent Merdeka Centre study found that Corruption is the No 1 concern of all Malaysians.

All International studies that rate and rank corruption in some form of index has reflected the same macro indicators; Malaysia has been falling lower and lower, even since Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) declared a war on bribery and corruption, which I have called the ABC of Malaysian Life. He popularised the word “integrity” into the Malaysian vocabulary and even set up what is probably the only Integrity Institute in the world.

MACC or its governors have not even responded to the public statements by the chief minister of Sarawak berating MACC officials and its reputation. Why?

Moreover, the BN chooses to nominate two candidates who have either been proven to be corrupt, or at least charged and not yet fully cleared by the MACC. And yet, we have a former prime minister who speaks with impunity about an Islamic state, when he abused this nation with his BCA Agenda; which became all of rhetoric and with zero substance. He therefore fears that Ustaz Abdul Hadi Awang may become the next prime minister.

Integration with Integrity

No nation is today an island unto itself. Our borders are porous and our national integrity will be defined by the electronic sovereignty of this nation-state. We gave lectures on this more than 15 years ago; even to the police headquarters.

The integrity of the American nation was recently violated by the two Chechnyan brothers who are now full-fledged American citizens. The US has some integration but without integrity.

In Malaysia our integrity issue is: are we Malaysians first and foremost? It is our identity as a nation-state. If we have a deputy prime minister (DPM) who says he is Melayu first, and Malaysian second, he deserves to not be voted in.

I will vote against any candidate in this GE who says that he is, first and foremost an ethnic person before our nationality. We are all Malaysians first; in fact, all those who are below 50 years old are Malaysian and only Bangsa Malaysians. Therefore I call us, 1BangsaMalaysians. Therefore, let us all reject racism in any form.

We must reject all forms of racism; whether in religious colour, as witnessed with some Perkasa-type members, or in the Hindraf form.

Sure we must and will always cherish our own ethnicity and religious faiths, but that is a private and community matter that needs not rear its head in public discourse. Therefore vote out all shades and colours of racists; wherever they are found.

Personal integrity and reputation

My last column gave all readers seven reasons to vote for the right candidate at the GE. Yes, we need to do some homework; write to the candidate by email, and if they do not reply, please do not vote for them. Yes also to Brother Goh Keat Peng, who commented on my Facebook page, Truth Matters, about voting for people with party affiliation and not just individuals who are independents. I agree.

Therefore also, my personal appeal to Simon Lee, the son of late Edward Lee, to stand down, unless you are fulfilling your father’s personal wish for you to take over. But, let me caution Simon that he never told me about the same.

Given that DAP has been given the seat by Pakatan, my suggestion is that you not challenge the “system”. Your father got into politics after a lifetime of public service; he was above most parties and all personalities. He did not even succumb to “offers by the BN to cross over”.

In conclusion, to all Anak Bangsa Malaysians, I appeal that you vote for a Malaysia free of Bribery and Corruption of all forms and shades, which I call a vote Against Bribery and Corruption, or ABC4Malaysians. May God continue to bless Malaysia with real change.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 May 2013, 5:05 pm and is filed under
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