GE-13: BN wins landslide victory

Mariam Mokhtar | Aug 22, 11

Malaysiakini

Only an optimist would believe that their vote would sweep Umno from power in GE-13. Why bother with a sham election and waste resources going through the motions of an election, where the outcome has already been decided in advance? The headlines will proudly boast: “BN wins. Najib scores a landslide victory, in a massive 103 percent turnout”.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak wants GE-13 before electoral reforms. In a functioning democracy, the rakyat has a choice. The fundamental difference is that we are denied that choice.

We distrust our electoral processes despite Najib’s assurance about the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reforms. Will Umno/BN leave office gracefully?

At the 61st Umno general assembly Najib declared: “Even if our bodies are crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we must defend Putrajaya”.

At the World Youth day meet in Putrajaya, Najib screamed, “Will you defend Putrajaya with me?” before breaking into a disturbing tirade: “Defend Putrajaya! Defend Putrajaya! Defend Putrajaya!”

By 2011, the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) would consist of 2.6 million members. Will they be issued postal votes too?

Some people believe that certain western democracies are far superior, with honest and principled people in government.

Not true! Politicians in foreign establishments can be just as devious and as corrupt as the Malaysian ones. Their government appears to be working only because their rakyat makes sure the politicians serve them and not the other way around. They are not afraid of criticising their MPs. Politicians who do not adhere to the minimum parliamentary standards, are booted out.

In these countries, elected representatives are monitored, pursued and made accountable for their actions. Politicians are important in that they enact laws in parliament, on our behalf. But politicians need to be regulated. They are the tools with which the state can meddle in our lives.

MPs are to be controlled

MPs are to be controlled, not controlling. It is by us being watchful, and not sycophantic, that keeps MPs in check.

Malaysians have seen a constant barrage of electoral fraud. Last week, former soldiers alleged that they were ordered by their superiors to manipulate votes. But the denunciation by the Chief of the Armed Forces, General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, who labelled these ex-soldiers as traitors, is itself an act of treachery.

Illegal workers being granted citizenship and voting rights have been unearthed. MyKads of dubious authenticity are distributed to foreigners. Political expediency seems more important than sovereignty. It appears that the NRD is a major threat to national security.

Scores of centenarians, or people who have long since died, have been resurrected, to cast their votes. These accompany the usual complaints of vote-buying, intimidation and promises of aid in exchange for votes.

Gerrymandering, or the division of geographical areas into constituencies which will unfairly benefit only one party, is overlooked by the EC. Pro-opposition areas may have one MP representing over 100,000 voters in the one constituency whereas in BN strongholds, constituencies consist of around 5,000 people.

Just before Bersih’s 9 July march, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (left), the EC’s deputy chairman, complained that NGOs were obsessed with the comparison of election practices between Malaysia and other countries.

He said, “Elections observers must be domestic observers. Foreign observers, they don’t know our election laws, they don’t understand. It’s a different value system.”

Yet he failed to act after Ambiga Sreenevasan and other local election activists were banned from monitoring the Sarawak state elections.

Wan Ahmad claimed that our election laws were “fair and impartial” and was stung by the “negative” comments of foreign observers.

He said, “They are foreigners, who are they? Why do we need foreigners, Germans commenting on our election system?”

He is right. The culture of “You help me, I help you” is “Umno-esque” and peculiar to Malaysia. Malaysia is ‘superior’ and has nothing to learn from others. Wan Ahmad’s arrogance smacks of “Ketuanan Melayu” and extols the virtues of the warped BTN indoctrination.

So what exactly is the EC’s role when it continually coughs up excuse after lame excuse of why it cannot ensure clean elections?

EC but a toothless dragon

The EC is but a toothless dragon whose only job seems to be the defence of BN. It turns a blind eye when Umno/BN uses government resources, the national media and other instruments of the state, for its own propaganda.

The poor appear to be supportive of Umno and in past elections, people living in decrepit hovels have posters of Umno, Najib or Taib Mahmud (for Sarawak) adorning their homes.

In Sarawak, the villagers idolise Taib, like teenagers would their pop-idol, when Taib makes his grand entrance, by helicopter, at longhouses. Usually, his Mercedes is on standby in case Taib fancies the trek home by car.

The contrast between the villagers’ pitiful surroundings with basic infrastructure, and Taib’s opulence, makes it hard to imagine how they have benefitted from Taib’s long rule. What do they hope to gain by supporting him for another term?

It is the same story in peninsular Malaysia. The rural people and the poor appear to support Umno/BN. Perhaps they are comfortable with the devil you know than the one you don’t. Perhaps the opposition has yet to gain the confidence of the rural folk.

Have the destitute given up hope of change; they are prepared to accept the few tokens of appreciation like sacks of rice, Milo and sugar, in exchange for votes? Does “stability” triumph over “change”?

Bersih cannot do it alone because Umno/BN dominates Malaysian politics. Any attempt by the opposition to “oppose” in Parliament means they are not allowed to table their motions or at worst, they risk being suspended.

With enormous cash reserves, and the ability to utilise government resources, unlike the opposition, Umno/BN can command political patronage amongst businesses. In an election, favours are called in and Umno/BN do act like they are above the law.

Too arrogant to acknowledge the voters

‘Najib & co’ are too arrogant to acknowledge the voters: What is the rakyat saying? What do they want? Can they cast their vote and be sure that the policies and the person they voted for, will be reflected in the final outcome?

Fraud, manipulation, phantom votes and money politics are useful instruments which have helped to prop up Umno, for 54 years.

Umno has been rattled by Bersih and the popular uprising in Egypt has given Malaysians hope. The rakyat is finally getting to have a real taste of democracy but the challenges are enormous as we try and adapt to being “free” and “fair”.

The trick to improving Malaysian politics is not to allow the political parties and their leaders any let-up but to be constantly critical of their performance. Let’s have less praise and more scrutiny.

GE-13 should not be held until electoral reforms are under way. Don’t be fooled by Najib’s latest spin on democracy and his smokescreen about the PSC and electoral reform.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 24 August 2011, 9:16 am and is filed under
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Money, money, money

— The Malaysian Insider

Aug 24, 2011

AUG 24 — When all else fails; when policies flounder; when rumbling from within grows louder; when the reform agenda stutters in the face of resistance from interest groups, throw money around in the hope of hushing up the protestations.

This strategy was used by Tun Abdullah Badawi after his fitness to lead Malaysia was questioned by Tun Dr Mahathir Muhammad and after his early promise of reforming the country dissipated into flip-flops, missteps and pandering to his party’s demands.

He increased the salary of civil servants and even put cash in the pocket of Malaysians through a one-off RM600 payment.

Underlying this move was the view that even though the ground had soured on him considerably by 2007, putting money into the hands of Malaysians would make them put their bitterness aside and vote him in again.

We know how that strategy played out.

By March 2008, he called elections and Malaysians dealt his Barisan Nasional (BN) its bloodiest nose and paved the way for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to take over the reins.

Maybe what’s disappointing about politicians or leaders using money as the panacea of weak rule is that it reflects a belief that we can be bought.

Najib is doing the same now.

His advisors have probably told him that the ground has probably soured a bit from earlier this year.

The PM’s position has not been helped by flip flops, the mishandling of Bersih, and the inability of his administration to rein in chauvinism, etc.

He has now announced that RM1.4 billion will be given to around 500,000 underprivileged recipients, including senior citizens, the disabled and widows of army and police personnel.

The allocation, to be disbursed monthly under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry’s newly-launched initiative called Program Kebajikan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (KAR1SMA), was increased by RM200 million from last year’s RM1.2 billion for 424,000 identified recipients.

So here’s the thing.

It is only RM200 million more than the year before.

Will this make a real difference to those in need?

Expect more largesse from the government as the prime minister tries to sweeten the ground ahead of snap elections expected soon.

The question is will history repeat itself?

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 24 August 2011, 8:33 pm and is filed under
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Najib must guarantee reforms before polls, says Pakatan

By Shannon Teoh

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 24, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — The federal opposition has demanded a guarantee from Datuk Seri Najib Razak that the Election Commission (EC) will carry out electoral reforms before a general election is called.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) said today that the prime minister’s insistence that the timing of polls was not bound to a parliamentary select committee on electoral improvements raised doubts over whether “he means business.”

However, with just six weeks to go before the polls panel is to be formed by Dewan Rakyat, the opposition pact said it has not decided if a failure to offer such an assurance will see PR decline to join what Barisan Nasional (BN) hopes will be a bipartisan committee.

“There is no decision to boycott but we have made it abundantly clear that the onus is on the government to show good faith.

“The EC must take immediate action and there must be an assurance from the prime minister that he means business … that elections will only be held after the EC has taken measures recommended by the select committee,” Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told reporters after a PR leadership meeting.

Najib made a major concession to Bersih when he announced the electoral reform panel some five weeks after tens of thousands poured into the capital on July 9 to support Bersih 2.0’s call for free and fair elections.

During that time, he came under heavy fire from international media who criticised his administration’s handling of the rally, where nearly 1,700 were arrested, scores injured and one ex-soldier died.

But widely expected to call a general election ahead of BN’s mandate expiring on April 28, 2013, Najib said last week that the timing of polls would not be bound to the select committee which will sit for six months.

Anwar added today that not only must the panel submit its recommendations but the EC must also implement them before Parliament is dissolved.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu also said that the EC should begin immediate reforms, as some of Bersih’s eight-point demands did not need to be discussed by lawmakers, such as the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting, an extension of the campaign period and the cleaning up the electoral roll.

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang also cautioned BN not to use the select committee “as an excuse for non-action” or “a formula for delaying tactics.”

The opposition coalition further demanded a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to look into its claim that “hundreds of thousands” of foreigners have been given citizenship and the right to vote.

“We have asked the home minister to act immediately and clarify on a national security issue of instant citizenships being given to hundreds of thousands of foreigners.

“The Pakatan Rakyat committee of MPs demands an RCI on citizenship,” PKR de facto leader Anwar said.

The opposition has repeatedly claimed to have proof of at least 1,600 permanent residents being given citizenships and subsequently, added to the electoral roll.

It had demanded an emergency sitting of Parliament to debate the issue before Najib announced the select committee on electoral reform.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 24 August 2011, 8:25 pm and is filed under
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Asri: Janda Muslim ditahan Jais tak murtad, rujuk gereja kerana ‘desakan hidup’

Oleh G. Manimaran

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 25, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 Ogos — Salah seorang daripada 12 hadirin beragama Islam pada majlis makan malam di sebuah gereja yang diserbu Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) awal bulan ini menegaskan, dia tidak pernah murtad.

Sebaliknya, dia seorang janda mendapatkan bantuan dihulurkan dengan ikhlas oleh gereja ekoran “desakan hidup.”

Gereja Methodist Damansara Utara diserbu Jais pada malam 3 Ogos lalu ketika mengadakan majlis makan malam muhibah anjuran pertubuhan bukan kerajaan Harapan Komuniti.

Dalam pengakuan kepada bekas mufti Perlis Prof Madya Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, wanita tersebut dipetik berkata semasa pihak berkuasa agama membuat penyiasatan ke atas gereja berkenaan pada 3 Ogos lalu, dia berada bersama dengan sejumlah orang Islam yang lain yang senasib dengannya.

Katanya, walaupun, kali kedua media menyiarkan dia termasuk dalam senarai murtad dalam peristiwa itu, hakikatnya dia tidak murtad.

“Cuma ada di situ bersama dengan mereka yang senasib dengannya. Namun, menurutnya memang ada yang murtad,” katanya dipetik Asri dalam tulisannya dihantar kepada media hari ini.

Kata Asri lagi, “alhamdulillah dia masih kekal dengan keIslamannya. Semuanya itu kerana desakan hidup.”

Asri menambah, terus-terang dia sebut “semua untuk wang kerana saya ingin membesarkan anak-anak saya.”

Dia mempunyai tiga orang anak.

“Semasa saya menziarahinya — tanpa notis awal — dia baru sahaja selesai menunaikan solat tarawih.

“Menurut dia memang ramai lagi yang terpengaruh dengan usaha kristianisasi yang dilakukan. Mereka yang banyak terlibat terdiri dari kalangan ibu tunggal yang miskin, saudara baru Muslim yang tidak dipedulikan, wanita yang mengandung tanpa suami, pesakit Aids dan juga Muslim dari Sabah dan Sarawak yang dalam kesusahan,” kata beliau lagi.

Beliau mengadakan pertemuan dengan salah seorang daripada 12 hadirin itu, yang telah disoal siasat oleh Jais baru-baru ini dan diberikan kaunseling, minggu lalu. Tetapi nama wanita itu tidak diberikan.

Sambil berkata apa yang hendak dipelikkan, Asri menulis lagi, “begitulah tabiat agama yang merasakan mereka berkhidmat untuk Tuhan.”

“Apa yang hendak pelik jika gereja mengajar ajaran Kristian kerana itu memang kerja gereja. Tak mungkin gereja hendak berdakwah kepada Islam.

“Namun yang pelik apabila ada negeri yang puluhan individu yang mempunyai PhD dan masters dalam pengajian Islam yang disahkan oleh kerajaan tetapi tidak dibenarkan mengajar Islam di masjid dan menyampaikan Islam kepada orang Islam,” kata ahli akademik dari Universiti Sains Malaysia ini.

Malah dalam tulisannya, Asri berkata, menurut wanita tersebut lagi dia tidak menukar akidahnya, tetapi dia terus ke gereja membawa anak-anaknya.

“Anak-anaknya diterapkan ajaran Kristian oleh pihak gereja. Diajar nyanyian keagamaan dan nilai-nilai budi tertentu. Baginya, dilakukan semua itu untuk hidup.

“Rupanya ramai lagi yang senasib dengannya berada di bawah bantuan pihak gereja,” katanya.

Sebahagian mereka memang menukar agama kerana kecewa dengan sikap masyarakat Islam dan terpengaruh dengan budi pihak gereja, kata Asri lagi sambi berkata, menurutnya juga, tiada paksaan dari pihak gereja.

“Cumanya, pendekatan mereka amat mempengaruhi,” kata beliau lagi.

Akhirnya, apabila pihak berkuasa agama mengetahui dia ke gereja, kata Asri, dia ditangkap untuk kali pertama dan beritanya disiarkan dalam akhbar.

“Menurutnya, sebaik sahaja ditangkap dan beritanya tersiar di media barulah pejabat zakat tergesa-gesa datang ke rumahnya. Begitu juga pihak kebajikan masyarakat.

“Dia memberitahu kepada pihak zakat bahawa dia ingin membuka taska. Mereka menyuruh dia mendapatkan rumah yang sesuai dan mereka akan bantu.

“Dia pun mendapatkan sebuah rumah yang mereka setujui yang agak besar dan sudah pasti sewanya agak tinggi. Malangnya, selepas dia menyewa rumah tersebut, selama tujuh bulan pihak zakat tidak menghulurkan bantuan kepadanya. Terkapai-kapai ketika itu,” katanya.

Akhirnya menurut Asri lagi, maklumat yang diperoleh daripadanya menunjukkan pihak gereja juga yang datang dan melangsaikan kesempitannya untuk menjelaskan sewa rumah tersebut.

“Sehinggalah apabila timbul isu, pegawai zakat menghubungi dan meminta agar dia memaklumkan kepada pihak yang bertanya bahawa pegawai zakat memang ada datang.

“Ya, selepas itu memanglah pihak zakat memberikan satu jumlah bantuan yang agak besar kepadanya dengan ‘tukaran’ yang tidak dapat saya maklumkan di sini,” katanya lagi.

Kata Asri lagi, wanita tersebut pernah mengunjungi pusat zakat dan Jabatan Kebajikan untuk mendapatkan bantuan sebaik ditinggalkan suaminya.

“Dia juga pergi ke bahagian kebajikan masyarakat, juga tidak dilayan. Dia bekerja untuk meneruskan hidupnya yang sempit.

“Di tempat kerja, melihatkan keadaannya yang susah dan miskin maka ada rakan sekerja yang beragama Kristian mencadangkan untuk dia pergi ke suatu tempat yang mudah dan mesra dalam memberikan bantuan.

“Di situlah bermula hubungan dia dengan pihak gereja. Apa tidaknya, dia susah, kehidupan terhimpit dan anak-anak yang masih kecil memerlukan makanan dan perlindungan,” kata Asri sambil menambah, “pihak gereja membantu keperluan hidupnya.”

Katanya, diberikan wang dan menziarahi keluarganya, malah mereka tidak menjadikan dia peminta sedekah, tetapi mereka menggunakan pendekatan “mesra dan saying”.

“Hatinya terpaut dengan kehalusan budi. Walaupun saki baki akidahnya membantah untuk dia menukar agama, tetapi dia tidak dapat menafikan perasaan sayang dan terhutang budi kepada pihak gereja yang berjasa menyelamatkannya,” tulis beliau lagi.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 25 August 2011, 11:34 pm and is filed under
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Election Commission must spell out what  are the electoral reforms based on Bersih 2.0’s Eight Demands which could be implemented immediately without waiting for PSC

The announcement by the Election Commission Chairman Tan Sri Aziz Yusof that all Malaysian registered voters residing overseas will soon be able to vote via post has reinforced the  case that there are electoral reforms proposed in Bersih 2.0’s Eight Demands which could be implemented immediately, whether by way of new election by-laws or necessary legislative amendments for  the Oct. 3 meeting of Parliament, without waiting for any parliamentary select committee.

The Election Commission must therefore spell out, clearly and unequivocally with no “ifs” and “buts”, what are the electoral reforms based on the Bersih 2.0 Eight Demands which could be implemented immediately without waiting for any parliamentary select committee and  in time for the forthcoming general elections.

The demand that all  Malaysian citizens living abroad should be able to exercise their right to vote is one of several  reforms proposed by  Bersih 2.0  on “postal ballot” reform. The question is why the Election Commission is still sitting on the other proposals for postal ballot reform.

The second of the Eight Demands of Bersih 2.0 on “Reform postal ballot” states:

“2. Reform postal ballot

“The current postal ballot system must be reformed to ensure that all citizens of Malaysia are able to exercise their right to vote. Postal ballot should not only be open for all Malaysian citizens living abroad, but also for those within the country who cannot be physically present in their voting constituency on polling day. Police, military and civil servants too must vote normally like other voters if not on duty on polling day.

“The postal ballot system must be transparent. Party agents should be allowed to monitor the entire process of postal voting.”

The Election Commission should state clearly whether it is prepared to accept these proposals for postal ballot reform which could be implemented without waiting for any parliamentary select committee, viz:

*Postal ballot should not only be open for all Malaysian citizens living abroad, but also for those within the country who cannot be physically present in their voting constituency on polling day – particularly Sabahans and Sarawakians working in Peninsular Malaysia  outside their state.

*Police, military and civil servants must vote normally like other voters if not on duty on polling day.

*Party agents should be allowed to monitor the entire process of postal voting to ensure transparency.

The first of Bersih 2.0’s Eight Demands to “Clean the electoral roll” are also eminently implementable if the Election Commission is really independent, professional and has the  constitutional integrity to ensure that the electoral system is free, fair and clean.

Bersih 2.0’s demand on a clean electoral roll states:

“1. Clean the electoral roll

“The electoral roll is marred with irregularities such as deceased persons and multiple persons registered under a single address or non-existent addresses. The electoral roll must be revised and updated to wipe out these ‘phantom voters’. The rakyat have a right to an electoral roll that is an accurate reflection of the voting population.

“In the longer term, BERSIH 2.0 also calls for the EC to implement an automated voter registration system upon eligibility to reduce irregularities.”

In fact, the onus is on the Election Commission as it reflects most adversely on its efficiency, independence, professionalism and integrity,  why it is unable to take immediate action without waiting for any parliamentary select committee, to clean up the electoral roll to remove deceased persons, multiple voter registration under a single address on non-existent addresses, and phantom voters.

There is  also  no acceptable reason why the Election Commission has not been able to implement a system of automatic voter registration upon eligibility of voters.

Other examples of electoral reforms which could be implemented without waiting for any parliamentary select committee are proposals on the use of indelible ink and a minimum 21-day campaign period.

It is open secret that although the Constitution vests the Election Commission with the powers and responsibilities to conduct elections, it is not an unusual especially in recent decades  for the Prime Minister who dissolves Parliament to also fix the date for polling for the general election – and  subserviently complied with by the Election Commission.

This is  most unconstitutional as it is  the prerogative of the  Election Commission to  determine the  nomination and polling dates of general elections.

Is the Election Commission prepared to re-assert its independence, professionalism and integrity without having to bow to the dictates of the ruling parties or the Prime Minister of the day in  determining the dates for nomination and polling and the length of the campaign period  for a general election?

Inter-related to this question is the concept of a “caretaker government” when Parliament is dissolved.

Is the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, prepared to accept the concept of “caretaker government” and undertake that there would be no abuse of powers including misuse of  public funds during the campaign period by a caretaker Prime Minister and caretaker government who should be be solely concerned with “day-to-day administration” between the period between dissolution of Parliament and establishment of a new government after general elections?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 25 August 2011, 2:50 pm and is filed under
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MCA founder’s granddaughter lauds Guan Eng’s policies in Penang

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 25, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Lim Guan Eng received praise from an unexpected source today when the granddaughter of the MCA’s first president and daughter of the country’s longest-serving finance minister said the Penang chief minister should be given his due for the state’s prudent management of public funds.

Tan Siok Choo, the daughter of Tun Tan Siew Sin and granddaughter of Tun Sir Tan Cheng Lock — both of whom were former MCA presidents — told BFM radio this morning that it was good that Lim had shown what could be done by eliminating waste and implementing open tenders.

“For my father… he was always very particular that government funds should be looked after like your own funds. I think it is in a way, currently, very good that Lim Guan Eng (picture), Chief Minister of Penang, has shown what can be done if you eliminate waste and if you have an open tender.

“The fact that he has been able to run Penang without much contribution from the federal government and yet turn in, yet attract one of the highest rates of investment, I think speaks for itself.

“And this is baring the fact that when my father was in politics, Kit Siang never had a good word to say about my father. So there is history between our two fathers but I think one must give Guan Eng his due,” she told the radio station’s Morning Grille programme.

Siok Choo’s father Siew Sin was finance minister from 1959 until 1974. Guan Eng’s father Kit Siang became an MP for the first time in 1969 and eventually became parliamentary opposition leader.

Her remarks today come as the DAP is increasingly being seen as the party of choice for the country’s Chinese community while the MCA, the party founded by Siok Choo’s grandfather Cheng Lock, appears to be floundering.

Recently, international news magazine The Economist also praised Guan Eng’s open tender policies and credited his administration with helping Penang regain its lustre as a “global city” by lifting the state’s economy to beyond that of a sweat shop industry.

The international weekly dubbed Penang “the first custom-made city of globalisation” and credited Guan Eng for boosting the port city’s revival by axing a racial special treatment economic policy in the state to create a more level-playing field that appeals to foreign investors.

Speaking about the MCA this morning, Siok Choo said the party needed to understand what its constituents wanted if it was to stay relevant.

“I think the good thing about the current situation is that the ethnic lines are getting blurred. You can see this in how Malaysians react to issues… look at issues like Bersih, the call for better and cleaner electoral process, it is being championed across the board, sought by Malays and Chinese. So therefore in terms of civil liberties and soft issues like law and order, no longer seen as Malays vs Chinese… seen as an issue that all Malaysians want.

“I think the party has to realise that if that is what your constituents want, that they don’t see as us and them situation anymore in terms of Malays and Chinese, if the party wants to be relevant and if it wants to move forward, that is the direction it has to go.”

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 25 August 2011, 1:03 pm and is filed under
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Religious Obstacles To Malay Economic Development

By M. Bakri Musa

Ramadan is a month for reflection. As we reflect we cannot avoid the depressing reality that the Muslim world is overrepresented in all categories of underdevelopment. The pat and often cited reason is the inherent incompatibility of Islam to modern development. When such an explanation is offered by non-Muslims, they can barely conceal their smugness. When asserted by a Muslim, he or she would immediately be dismissed as not fully comprehending the faith, or worse, condemned as an apostate.

            Such an “explanation,” its certitude not withstanding, is about as useful as someone telling you, when asked why he is in the hospital, “I am sick.” And if you are still not convinced or betray any doubts, would quickly add, “Very sick!” Not very helpful! If however, the answer were to be, “My bowels are not working,” or, “I have difficulty breathing,” we would then be that much closer to identifying the problem, and thus its remedy.

            This Islam-is-the-problem explanation does not even describe the symptom, much less the disease. If indeed there is something inherently deficient with Islam, it still would not explain why the faith thrived during its first four centuries, or why its adherents are increasing and becoming more devout today. And if Islamic practices are deficient, then what and where exactly are those deficiencies so we could address them.

            It is here, specifically in response to the second query, that Timur Kuran’s book, The Long Divergence: How Islamic Laws Held Back the Middle East outshines the rest. Kuran’s insights came from his studies of the Middle East and Turkey, a sub-segment and a minority one at that of the vast Muslim world; nonetheless they apply to Malays in Malaysia.

            Kuran enumerated four problematic areas: institutional development; the concept of riba (interest); Islamic inheritance; and waqaf (trusts). I will add a fifth, zakat (tithe), to parallel the five tenets of our faith.

The Stark Statistics

First, the stark statistics: There are more Muslims living under authoritarian regimes today than there are people ruled by communism. As for economic development, Muslim contribution to global economic activities is less than 5 percent, disproportionately way below our share of the population. If Allah had not blessed us with oil, that figure would be negligible. As for social development, the number of books translated into Arabic during the last 1,000 years is less than those translated into Spanish in one year.

            A more nuanced understanding, as expressed by James Lacey, is that it is the Arab, not Muslim civilization that is collapsing. Many miss that as most Arabs are Muslims. We would not attribute the fall of the Western Roman Empire to a crisis of Christianity; it was that of Western Europe.

            There is no comparable statistics to relate the equally stark contrast between Muslims (essentially Malays) and non-Muslims in the Malaysian context. Nonetheless, stroll down Main Street, Any Town, Malaysia, and the paucity of Malay establishments is not hard to miss, while Prime Minister Mahathir once asserted that non-Malays pay most of the taxes.

            Islam is an integral part of Malay life. Unfortunately when confronted with “Islam is the problem” assertion, Malays like most Muslims would simply recoil and retreat to the comfort of our familiar assumptions. The angry few, unable to rebut the statistics, would simply lash out.

            To break from that set pattern we must first liberate our minds so we could critically examine those assumptions. Fear not, for if our faith is strong, such an exercise would not weaken it; on the contrary, it would strengthen it.

Obstacles to Malay Entrepreneurialism

Involvement in trade and commerce opens up one’s mind; apart from improving one’s economic and other well being. It also enhances one’s piety, as with the saying, Kemiskinan mendakati kefukuran (Poverty invites impiety). Anyone doubting that wisdom need only visit neighboring Indonesia. It also reflected Allah’s esteem of the vocation that He had chosen a trader to be His Last Messenger.

            Successful traders have to understand their clients and customers, anticipate their needs and wants, and see the world from their perspective. The very act of putting ourselves in their place, or as our Native American Indians would put it, to walk in their moccasins, is a mind-liberating exercise. For example, now that we are trading with China and it is our biggest purchaser of palm oil, previously ultra FELDA Malays have a decidedly different view of the Chinese, at least the mainland variety. That is what trade, and a liberated mind, does to you.

            The barriers to Malay participation in business are not the often cited “hard” ones like lack of human or financial capital, rather the less recognized “soft” obstacle imposed by our inflexible and unimaginative interpretations of our faith.

            A particular problem is our treatment of interest, which we simplistically equate to riba. Credit, the flip side of interest, is the lifeline of business. Grameen Bank’s Muhammad Yunus goes further, he asserts that access to credit is a basic human rights.

            Interest is premised on that rare universal truth in economics: time value of money. That is, a dollar (or dinar) at hand is worth two promised in the future. The ancient Arabs were adept at business; they must have had to come to terms with the concept of interest. They did not quantify it or termed it as such, nonetheless when a borrower returned the money or goods, he would have thrown in something extra as goodwill if for no other reason than to encourage the lender to continue lending.

            Charging of interests also factors in that universal human trait; we do sometimes renege on our promises, like not repaying our loans.

            I have yet to read a cogent explanation on the meaning of riba, and whether it is equivalent to the interest charges of the many innovative financial instruments that we have today. Many of them were not even thought of during the prophet’s time. It is like discussing transportation; we are still trapped in the warped time zone of the camel caravans when the world is into container ships, jumbo jets, and long-haul trucks. Yes, they are all transportation, but the commonality ends there.

            We go to great length quoting various hadith on the evil of interest income. One equates 1/70th of the sin of riba to be equivalent to the sin of having sex with your mother. How offensive an imagery and metaphor! If interest is really that grave a sin, I would have expected other hadith condemning in even harsher tones those who would renege on their loans. I am yet to hear one.

            Current Muslim attitude towards interest is similar to those of medieval Christians. The only difference is that they had come to terms with it (undoubtedly fed up with all the wealth from money lending going to the Jews) and with that came Western economic development. Meanwhile the words in the bible condemning usury have not changed.

            If today’s Muslims have qualms about learning from or adopting Christian ways with regards to interests, then go back to the early Muslims. They thrived on trading; learn how they adapted to the concept. In many ways that is exactly what we have done today; hence “Islamic bank,” which is oxymoronic.

            Just as the West did, we must continually built on and improve these new Islamic financial institutions, tweaking and innovating along the way to meet changing times and circumstances, just as western banking has evolved over the centuries and continue to do so.

            This brings me to Kuran’s observation on the lack of institutional development in the Muslim world. It is not enough to rely on the admonishments of hadith and Koranic verses; there must be a workable mechanism to resolve the inevitable disputes, as when someone reneges on his loans, with or without interests. The West has bankruptcy laws and wage garnishing; Islamic institutions too should have similar mechanisms. This lack of institutional development is the most glaring and consequential deficiency of the Islamic world.

Waqaf, Inheritance Laws, and Economic Development

Muslim inheritance laws as currently interpreted may be more just (all children getting a share, albeit the son getting twice that of the daughter) than that of the Europeans (where the entire estate goes to the eldest son), but they are bad for economic growth. One consequence is the fragmentation of the estate on the death of its owner. This is not only disruptive but also prevents a business from growing beyond a generation.

            That is also bad social policy even if, as some proclaimed, proscribed in the Koran. Muslims accept the Koran as a document for public and individual good; so if our interpretation results in otherwise, as with our inheritance practices, then those those differences must be only apparent, not real.  Thus we must re-examine our interpretation. This does not mean disbelieving the Koran. In fact the Koran is silent on when exactly the children would get their share, nor does the Koran specify that the asset itself has to be divided. This paves the way for designing a novel vehicle of issuing shares on the family asset. Then only the shares would be inherited while the asset itself remains intact, thus satisfying the edicts of the Koran and be good economic policy at the same time. Indeed the Western concept of a corporation achieves precisely this objective.

            Today we have many large successful Malay enterprises. It saddens me to read of the all-too-frequent ensuing family squabbles upon the death of their owners. The problem is compounded by our tradition of not having wills.

            Inheritance practices are what stymied the development of Kampung Baru and Malay Reservations land generally. Unless addressed, those settlements will remain undeveloped no matter how much physical resources we pour into it. The one resource needed is intellectual; for us to re-read and re-interpret those ancient edicts.

            Tun Razak anticipated this with his FELDA program; thus the stipulation that the owner specifies only one of his children to inherit the property. This is clearly not in accordance with Islamic inheritance laws. Yet I am yet to hear Muslim scholars challenging the stipulation; likewise the matrilineal inheritance of the Minangkabaus. Perhaps this unique tweaking of the inheritance laws explains why the Minangs are the most economically developed of the Malays.

            What we desperately need today is the equivalent of the Minangkabua wisdom, adat menurun agama mendadaki (Tradition descends, Faith ascends) synthesis of modern economic insights with our religious precepts.

            Landowners of yore recognized this quandary; thus they resorted to bequeathing their properties to waqaf, community trust. The primary motive was undoubtedly charity, but it was also to avoid confiscatory inheritance taxes and fragmentation of their assets.

            As noble as the waqaf is, it too needs refinement. As Kuran noted, current interpretation requires that the words of the trust be observed literally. A land bequeathed for a school has to remain so, never mind that it is now in the middle of an industrial area.

            For growth to occur there must be capital formation. A common assumption is that Malays have low capital formation; hence our less-than-robust economy.

            Zakat is community saving mandated by the Koran. In Malaysia, this is reinforced by favorable secular laws where your zakat is considered tax credit. Annually the sums collected are in the hundreds of millions, if not billions. Yet its management remains rigidly tied to some ossified interpretations of ancient texts. Creatively managed zakat could be construed as the community’s capital formation to boost Malay economy.

            Consider zakat’s disbursement; it is still with cold cash that could easily be siphoned off by less-than-trustworthy functionaries. Why not vouchers or direct deposits, as with Mexico’s Progressa program. That would be one way to introduce the poor to the banking system; it would also lead to better bookkeeping.

            On a policy level, it would be better if the money were to be invested in a local enterprise that would then employ the poor, combining charity with dignity, and at the same time generating jobs and economic growth. Again we are prevented from such innovations because we have unnecessarily tied ourselves to some old rigid interpretations that have remained unchanged literally over the millennium.

            Today there is no transparent accounting of these massive zakat funds. As the Islamic establishment considers interest haram, somebody must be enjoying the benefits accruing from those idle funds. All I know is that the Islamic establishment has some of the most ornate offices, our religious functionaries have luxurious government-issued bungalows and cars, and the religious police and establishment have expanded exponentially. Meanwhile our poor have to seek help elsewhere, as at churches. Bless those generous Christians!

            Our trapped minds prevent us from seeing these realities. This Ramadan let us resolve to liberate our entrapped minds so we get a more accurate view of reality. Let us creatively use the provisions of the Koran not to trap us mentally or economically but to liberate us.

Adapted from my forthcoming book, Liberating The Malay Mind, to be published by ZI Publications.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 25 August 2011, 12:33 pm and is filed under
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Sentimen perkauman membuat BN tidak relevan

— Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 25, 2011

25 OGOS — Mengenengahkan isu perkauman memang sudah menjadi isu basi bagi generasi yang muda. Generasi muda sudah menganggapnya sebagai isu lapuk yang hanya di gunakan oleh pihak yang desperado untuk terus menunggangi rakyat untuk kepentingan kuasa yang berlandaskan kepada pemikiran sempit setengah pihak.

Sebenarnya jika seseorang itu mempunyai pemikiran yang tenang tanpa di saluti oleh pemikiran sempit politik, isu perkauman amat menjemukan kerana itu bukanlah isu pratikal lagi dalam kehidupan rakyat Malaysia yang cintakan keamanan.

Oleh itu telah mula kita nampak jelas tanda-tanda yang menunjukan yang rakyat sudah tidak mahu lagi menerima pihak-pihak yang menggendangkan isu perkauman kerana isu itu hanya akan membuatkan mereka tidak tenang untuk hidup dalam masyarakat majmuk yang merupakan realiti kehidupan di Malaysia ini.

Rakyat sudah mula menggorak langkah untuk menghindarkan dari isu perkauman ini menjadi lebih menebal di kalangan berbagai kaum di negara ini. Dalam masa yang terdekat ini sudah ada kecenderungan yang orang Melayu untuk menyertai DAP yang sekarang ini di dominasi oleh kaum Cina dan PAS yang bukan sebuah parti perkauman.

PAS melandaskan perjuangan kehidupan bermasyarakat yang berkebajikan yang berlandaskan kepada Islam di samping menghormati semua kaum dan agama. Ramai cendiakawan Melayu sudah mula menyertai PAS dan mereka merupakan kumpulan yang memahami yang Islam itu adalah agama sejagat yang tidak memisahkan satu kaum dengan kaum yang lain.

Mohamad Sabu, Timbalan Presiden PAS beberapa hari yang lepas telah berucap dengan panjang lebar di Petaling Jaya dan telah menyatakan yang kecenderungan orang Melayu untuk menyertai DAP merupakan satu tanda yang jelas bahawa rakyat tidak mahu Umno memainkan isu perkauman lagi. Maksud Timbalan Presiden PAS itu ialah jika ramai orang Melayu menyertai DAP maka Umno, MCA dan MIC semakin hari semakin susah untuk keluar dengan isu rasis yang merbahaya untuk negara ini.

Selagi isu perkauman dimainkan tanpa di sekat sampai bila pun matlamat negara untuk mencapai perpaduan nasional akan sentiasa gagal. Jika gagal untuk mencapai perpaduan Nasional itu maka ianya akan membawa kepada situasi sebuah negara yang tidak pernah berjaya sebagai sebuah negara merdeka yang aman, makmur dan berdaulat. Rakyat sudah mula menunjukan bahawa mereka menganggap pihak yang memainkan isu perkauman sebagai anti-nasional.

Saya juga telah mengikuti perkembangan ADUN tempat saya tinggal, YB Hannah Yeoh dan ramai lagi pemimpin DAP telah dengan terang dan terbuka mahukan DAP di sertai oleh semua kaum yang inginkan “package” kemajuan dan keamanan. Hannah yang mewakili rakyat dari gulungan muda telah menyatakan dari awal penglibatan beliau dalam politik yang beliau tidak akan menyertai DAP, jika parti itu hanya mementingkan kaum Cina semata-mata.

Hannah dan ramai anak-anak muda menyertai DAP kerana perjuangan parti itu ialah untuk semua kaum. Selagi ada parti yang memainkan isu perkauman selagi itulah pencapaian perpaduan nasional itu akan terbantut.

Dengan keterbukaan DAP untuk menjayakan matlamat parti itu untuk menjadi parti berbilang kaum, akhir-akhir ini telah menarik minat bagi mereka yang ingin keluar dari bebanan dan kepompongan parti-parti yang tebal sentimen perkaumannya. Apabila mereka hidup tanpa dikongkong oleh pemikiran sempit dan rasis itu, maka mereka merasa senang dan menikmati rasa berbaik sangka di antara jiran tetangga yang terdiri dari berbilang kaum, budaya dan agama.

Bagi diri orang seperti saya ini yang penting sekali ialah kedamaian hidup berjiran dan bertetangga dari semua kaum. Semasa terkejut tergempar orang yang paling hampir dengan saya untuk membantu ialah jiran saya kerana saudara mara tinggal berjauhan dengan saya.

Kita berkehendakan jiran yang menengok-nengokan kita dalam kesusahan dan juga kita memerhatikan mereka jika mereka berada dalam kesusahan. Ini kehidupan yang kita hendak cari dan impikan. “Orang besar-besar dalam Umno bukan datang menengok kita dalam kesusahan. Mereka merompak segala apa yang kita punya” kata salah seorang yang tinggal tidak berjauhan dari rumah saya.

“What we want to see is some decency in the government,” kata seorang lagi jiran tetangga saya yang sudah berusia sebaya dengan saya. “I hate to hear party leaders talking about sex scandals of others while they themselves are thieves and vandals,” sambongnya lagi.

“Najib is that weak but Muhyiddin is even worse. No one in Umno has the quality that we want to see …. at least the very basic quality,” kata seorang guru besar sekolah menengah di Petaling Jaya yang saya kenali.

Kelemahan dan kekurangan sokongan ini menyebabkan pemimpin Umno bermain dengan isu dan sentimen perkauman dan inilah yang akan menjadi penyebab kejatuhan parti itu di hadapan mata dan kepala rakyat. Dalam masa rakyat sedang memperjuangkan hidup muhibbah di anatara satu kaum dengan kaum yang lain, Umno terus memainkan tindakan yang bertentangan dengan pandangan rakyat terutamanya yang muda-muda dengan menebalkan sentimen perkauman itu.

Di atas isu ini maka jelas bukan rakyat yang membuatkan Umno itu secara beransur-ansur menjadi tidak rekevan tetapi parti itu sendiri yang menempah-nempah keadaan itu. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 25 August 2011, 11:12 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia’s Slowing Performance

by Greg Lopez

Asia Sentinel

25 August 2011

There are strong institutional reasons for the lagging performance against its regional neighbors

In the 70 years since World War II ended, East Asian economies, including Malaysia, appear to have largely got performance right. Malaysia was also one of 13 countries identified by the Commission on Growth and Development in its 2008 Growth Report to have recorded average growth of more than 7 percent per year for 25 years or more. Malaysia achieved this spectacular performance from 1967 to 1997.

However, since the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 and1998, Malaysia’s economic performance when compared to previous decades has been lackluster and most macroeconomic indicators are trending downwards. This was confirmed by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak himself in the publication on March 30, 2010 of the New Economic Model – Part 1. This was a very brave move but a necessary one by the premier as he acknowledged publicly the failures of Malaysia’s current economic model in order to demonstrate urgency for reforms.

The New Economic Model identifies domestic factors such as weak investor confidence, capability constraints (weak human capital, entrepreneurial base and innovative capacity) , productivity ceilings and institutional degradation and external factors such as a sluggish global economy caused by the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 and the rise of neighbors in the region in contributing to the declining growth trajectory.

If we were to revisit the determinants of growth and agree that proper institutions form the overall structure that determines long-term sustainable growth, then the logical response is to reform Malaysia’s institutional set-up, as it must be the deepest determinant of what is hindering economic growth.

This view is further strengthened as Malaysia’s other deep determinants, geography and trade, are favorable. The country has abundant natural resources, is shielded from natural hazards and is well-located strategically both geopolitically and economically. Malaysia has also benefitted tremendously from being an open economy, especially in the merchandise sector.

The New Economic Model also reports that regional challenges from China, India and Vietnam, etc. are a cause for Malaysia’s declining economic performance. What has changed about these countries? They have all undertaken institutional reforms: China since 1978, India since 1992 and Vietnam since 1986. They are reaping the benefits while Malaysia has stalled in its institutional reforms since the 1990s, regressed in some ways and is suffering from the consequences.

The above points stress the importance of institutional reforms in Malaysia, something that Najib has ironically neglected in his signature policies – 1Malaysia, Government Transformation Programme and Economic Transformation Programme.

According to the Growth Commission report, “…fast sustained growth is not a miracle; it is attainable for developing countries with the ‘right mix of ingredients.’ Countries need leaders who are committed to achieving growth and who can take advantage of opportunities from the global economy. They also need to know about the levels of incentives and public investments that are necessary for private investment to take off and ensure the long-term diversification of the economy and its integration in the global economy…”

Michael Spence, the Chairman of the Growth Commission, elaborated on his extensive experience working with developing countries on growth issues in his latest book by emphasizing two important characteristics for developing countries to ensure long term sustainable growth – the role of political leadership and democratic norms. He suggests four characteristics for governments that are necessary requirements to underpin long term growth:

1.The government takes economic performance and growth seriously.

2.The governing group has values that cause it to try to act in the interest of the vast majority of the people (as opposed to themselves or some subgroup, however defined)

3.The government is competent and effective and selects a viable sustained-growth strategy that includes openness to the global economy, high levels of investment, and a strong future orientation.

4.Economic freedom is present and is supported by the legal system and regulatory policy

Manifestations of Malay/Muslim Supremacy

Malaysia is classified as a non-democratic state by all international indexes measuring quality of democracy. This is also affirmed in academic circles. During the boom years, Malaysians accepted this tradeoff – restricted freedom for economic growth. Since 1997/98, this has changed as expected. The government has not delivered on growth, therefore the natural demand for reforms and by extension freedom.

There is consensus that Malaysia needs extensive economic, political and social reforms. This is all the more evident IF we agree that institutions are key to long term growth. Also, IF we agree with Spence, these reforms must come from a government with the four characteristics identified above.

Astute observers of Malaysia know the reasons why the present administration and the ones before were unable to make fundamental reforms. This has much to do with the ideology of Malay/Muslim Supremacy as defined by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and accepted by large swaths of Malaysians, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

From the literature we can infer that the ideology of Malay/Muslim supremacy has provided the perverse incentives that have manifested themselves in many ways. The more critical ones are:

 •Institutional degradation: The deterioration in the quality of Malaysia’s institutions, particularly during former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s years, such as the lack of independence between the branches of government; the politicization of the civil service, producing a culture of risk aversion and a lack of creativity; and the expansion of the non-transparent Government Linked Corporations (GLCs):

•Crony capitalism: Affirmative action in the name of Malays has become a smokescreen for crony capitalism. Affirmative action is the instrument for rampant elite-based (from all races, not only Malays) corruption. High levels of income inequality in Malaysia in general but more so within the Malay community prove this.

•Race based affirmative action: Race-based affirmative action in itself is recognized as one of the important reasons for Malaysia’s declining economic performance. Malaysia’s focus on the ex-post equalization of outcomes across ethnicities rather than ensuring effective ex-ante equalization of access to opportunities has had important direct efficiency implications, affecting growth by distorting incentives and thereby the competitive process.

•Excessive centralization: An interesting institutional feature is the lack of decentralization in the country, which is nominally a Federation and the top-down approach in public policymaking. This is a key disconnect in the reform rhetoric in the ETP and GTP. To strengthen public service delivery, local communities need to be empowered. Fiscal relationships between federal-state-local also demonstrates institutional failure.

•Feedback mechanisms: Related to Malaysia’s top-down approaches is an almost complete disregard for monitoring and evaluation. As a result there is little feedback from outcomes into policy design. The obsession with centralizing policy-making is also evident in lack of information sharing both within government and with the public.

The need to remove UMNO to create a new “people based ideology”

In relation to competency, the quality of the human capital base in Malaysia is suspect. This is due to the quality of education from preschool through tertiary and on-the-job training. It is linked with ethnicity issues and is exacerbated by the outflow of high-skill individuals and affected by the inflow of low-skill labor.

There are not only problems on the supply side of the market for skills, but also on the demand side, where firms may not be competitive enough to offer higher wages. The market for skills itself is also problematic in that the price mechanism does not work adequately and this is where wage-setting issues play a role.

A bigger and more important challenge than competency is the question of internal competition. This is quite distinct from external competitiveness, on which front Malaysia has scored relatively well in the merchandise sector given its stage of development and the nature of its manufacturing processes which are still dominated by competitiveness identified by low cost rather than high value.

Internal competition refers to the allocation of certain factors including labor, capital, land and product markets. Internal competition works well when there is good governance, openness and transparency. It relates to the need for deregulation, liberalization and competition policies especially in key areas such as government procurement and the activities of GLCs in the domestic economy.

All of these are also needed to produce effective competition for good ideas and good policies as well as competition in the political arena. This of course challenges the basic idea of meritocracy and affirmative action in Malaysia.

To reform these will ostensibly mean changing Malaysia’s embedded incentives and institutions. This definitely means undoing the manifestations of Malay/Muslim supremacy.

Can UMNO implement these reforms?

My hypothesis is that the present leadership in Malaysia within the Barisan Nasional framework is incapable of institutionalizing reforms as the present leadership does not meet the criteria set out by Spence for a simple reason – its ideology. This ideology that overrides and at the same time influences all other norms, rules, conventions, habits and values is the ideology of Malay/Muslim Supremacy.

As the Prime Minister of Malaysia always comes from UMNO it will be impossible for him or her to undo the cornerstone ideology of his/her political party and its adherents in the Barisan Nasional, which includes Malays and non-Malays.

The logic above is discussed extensively in the political science literature. To summarize, the Malay/Muslim ideology provides psychological and material benefits to its adherents. This makes it a potent force for groups that rely on this ideology. However, since it is deeply embedded, it is also extremely difficult to counter when needed. Malaysia’s present institutional equilibrium is a reflection of the strength of the adherents of Malay/Muslim supremacy, known by its Malay-language slogan Ketuanan Melayu.

There are many examples to illustrate Malay/Muslim supremacy but the one that is cited most often as holding back Malaysia’s economic reforms is affirmative action, the most comprehensive in the world. It has by inference been touted as the one of the key reasons for Malaysia’s declining economic performance although causality has not been explicitly demonstrated.

Supporters of affirmative action argue that Article 153 of the Federal Constitution provides the Bumiputeras the right to this extensive affirmative action. However this is factually incorrect.

Article 153 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution states that:

153. (1) It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

(2) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, but subject to the provisions of Article 40 and of this Article, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall exercise his functions under this Constitutions and federal law in such manner as may be necessary to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and to ensure the reservation for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak of such proportion as he may deem reasonable of positions in the public service (other than the public service of a State) and of scholarships, exhibitions and other similar educational or training privileges or special facilities given or accorded by the Federal Government and, when any permit or license for the operation of any trade or business is required by federal law, then, subject to the provisions of that law and this Article, of such permits and licenses.

In more simple words, the Federal Constitution limits affirmative action to placement in the civil service at the Federal level, scholarships and permits and licences for Bumiputras and only if necessary and in a reasonable manner by the Prime Minister who advises the Yang diPertuan Agung.

Does the Prime Minister have the power to revoke or reform affirmative action policies?

Yes, he does. Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy where the monarch reigns but do not rule. Article 153 is subject to Article 40 and Article 40 states that the Yang diPertuan Agung must act on the advice of the Cabinet.

40. (1) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution or federal law the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a Minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution; but shall be entitled, at his request, to any information concerning the government of the Federation which is available to the Cabinet.

The decision to continue or reform affirmative action policies and the attendant institutions in Malaysia lies solely at the prerogative of the Prime Minister along with his colleagues in Cabinet as stated in Article 40.

With power centralized in the Executive (Cabinet), and with the Prime Minister already having six Ministers of 31 from the Prime Minister’s Department in the Cabinet, and with the Prime Minister himself holding two portfolios (Prime Minister and Finance Minister I), and legitimised by the Constitution (Article 40), the Prime Minister should on all counts, be able to implement these reforms without much difficulty.

Yet he has been unable to do so for the simple reason that the Federal Constitution may be the law of the land but it is clearly not the supreme power/ideology in Malaysia. The supreme power/ideology is the primacy of Malays/Muslims as defined by UMNO. Hence the Prime Minister may have de jure power to reform, but he does not have de facto power. This power resides among the Malays and non-Malays who support Malay/Muslim supremacy and the current institutional set-up.

Until and unless this supreme ideology of Malay/Muslim supremacy is removed, Malaysian politicians will be constrained in making the necessary institutional reforms to move Malaysia towards long term sustainable growth.

(Greg Lopez is a PhD candidate at the Crawford School of Economics and Government, Australian National University. A longer scholarly version of this appeared on The New Mandala.)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 26 August 2011, 6:40 pm and is filed under
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MRT Jalan Sultan land acquisition – who is telling the truth: Chua Soi Lek, Hamid Albar or Idris Jala?

“Flip flop in a matter of days” has become the byword for the present Najib government, whether on its mishandling of the Bersih 2.0 peacefull rally for free and fair elections on July 9 or the parliamentary select committee on electoral reforms.

There is now the latest addition to the Najib government’s “Flip Flop List” – the controversy over the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) land acquisition of Jalan Sultan properties.

Only three days ago, the MCA President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek had announced that the government had backtracked from its decision to acquire the land and 31 buildings around Jalan Sultan in Kuala Lumpur to make way for the MRT mega project.

Chua said that after discussion with Land Public Transport Commission (SPAN) chairperson Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, “an understanding and agreement” had been reached whereby as a “compromise”, the government will only acquire the strata title for the property 100 feet below ground required for the MRT tunnel, while the buildings, many of which are nearly a hundred years old, and land above ground will remain in the current owners’ hands.

However, the residents may have to vacate their property during the six months or so of tunnelling works, while the government will also be required to strengthen the heritage buildings should they be affected by the works underground.

“The cost of the strengthening and the compensation to the owners will be detailed later,” Chua said.

Chua’s announcement of government backtracking on MRT’s Jalan Sultan land acquisition did not survive 24 hours as the very next day, Hamid not only rubbished Chua’s talk of government strata title for the property 100 feet below ground but reiterated compulsory acquisition of Jalan Sultan’s land and 31 buildings.

Hamid delivered a greater shocker when he declared that there was no guarantee that the acquired Jalan Sultan properties would eventually be returned to the owners although the authorities were working on a solution to allow traders to return to their Chinatown lots being acquired for the KVMRT.

The Jalan Sultan traders were delivered another shock when it is revealed today that the Pemandu chief Datuk Idris Jalan had written to the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCIM) president Tan Sri William Chen to justify the government pursuing a “rail-and-property” model as it would not be able to recover the cost of the first KVMRT line between Sungai Buloh and Kajang through fares alone.

The affected Jalan Sultan traders and the Malaysian public are entitled to ask – Who is telling the truth about the MRT Jalan Sultan land acquisition: Chua Soi Lek, Hamid Albar or Idris Jala.

The Najib administration must be reminded of its grandiose promises of various transformation programmes to act with transparency and integrity, and that it bears the onus to satisfy the affected Jalan Sultan traders and owners as well as the Malaysian public the responsibility to establish that the MRT project owner Prasana Nasional Bhd is not attempting to hijack prime land in Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur affecting heritage shoplots for the ulterior motive of profit as the 1990 amendment to the National Land Code had specifically provided for the MRT needs of “underground railways” development.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 26 August 2011, 2:55 pm and is filed under
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Not rising to the bait

by Zeffri Yusof

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 25, 2011

AUG 25 — Every time religious issues come up in public discourse for a sustained period of time, I can’t help but feel it’s all just misdirection.

No, not in any conspiracy theory-sense; more of an escapist break from the hard truths that have to be dealt with in the here and now. Not in an afterlife.

Truths like our quite severe brain-drain situation. Truths like how our lower- and middle-income families are dealing with unprecedented inflation. Truths like the US and EU economies’ impact on ours.

Too bad for us Malaysians, race and religion still hold sway and continue to polarise the majority of us. More sinisterly, it makes us take our eyes off the ball.

We are mostly guilty, myself included. It’s all too easy to be dragged into emotional reactive states when those two hot issues come up. I’m willing myself not to, but boy, it can be hard.

I may be extrapolating, but the recent Bersih 2.0 show of racial solidarity probably means it would be a few more months before that favourite bogeyman is wheeled out again by the usual suspects.

Ironically, I’m hoping it returns soon because it seems less of a powder keg than the situation we appear to be in now.

This Ramadan has been extra filled with highly-charged, religious-tinged issues. One after another, like some badly-written script: Halal, Murtad, Christian proselytisation on Muslims, the “outing” of Muslim anti-theists, even the appropriateness of inter-religious charity (I have to say that last one was the absurdist clincher for me).

How I wish that instead of paying it undeserved attention, we all collectively not rise to the bait.

Call me a jaded observer but I think we can mostly agree there are much more pressing matters to attend to than whose God or even whose interpretation is right.

I say this with trepidation because I am painfully aware of people beyond reason where this could not be further from the truth, so mired in absolutes they are.

Yet in the end, sorting that out won’t be any of us, no matter how scholarly and theologically adept any self-styled “defender of faith” might be.

Theology, it’s been said, produces nothing of functional value and that is ringing very true right now. To be constructive, we actually have to go around it. And that, in a nutshell, is my pitch.

Lest we fall deeper into the quagmire of religious intolerance (by the way; that really is all we can realistically hope for — tolerance), our cyclical, and almost predictable Islam-Christian “clashes” appear oblivious to these core observations:

One, that everything that needs to be said or could be said has in fact already been said; and most of it documented as well.

Indeed, we’ve had over 1,400 years of friendly and not-so-friendly debates and discourse and it hasn’t blunted the extreme schools of thought from either side. Ask the scholars from both divides; there is literally nothing that can be introduced now that would be new or novel, much less profoundly game-changing … short of direct and major divine intervention. It’s time we all quit thinking that examples A or B of “getting along” is going to be the ooh-aah moment for the hard-headed.

Two, that arguments rarely change minds when it comes to positions of religion, faith or belief. Why? Because it’s the wrong mental instrument to employ — pointed, factual arguments that are meant to shift opinion can only work if all parties agree on the same basis of facts (shared truths, for one).

Clearly, this can never be the case here. Different sets of truths are being upheld; and only the overlaps semi-legitimise the arguments. This is the thing — Islam or Christianity set against Buddhism or Hinduism doesn’t quite have the same “ring” now, does it?

Three, is perhaps the most crucial and also the deal breaker. The religion meme as we know it is tightly bound and wound up with emotion. But as we all also know, in any disagreement, an amicable solution cannot be found when emotions run high.

To a disinterested observer, the solution in the case of the two Abrahamic religions, whatever form it may take, has to come from outside of Islam and Christianity. But since the default position has always been to disregard “non-expert” non-denominational opinion, we are pretty much at a dead end again.

Please don’t misconstrue my position. It really isn’t predicated on anything else other than pointing out that all inter-religious engagement can unfortunately lead to only one end. The arguments are circular and non-empirical. But thankfully, tolerance does not require engagement, only distance and opportunity. We should all realise that so we can move on to the real shaping discourse — you know, the elephant in the room.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 26 August 2011, 2:57 am and is filed under
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Pemandu admits land acquisition only way to recoup MRT cost

By Yow Hong Chieh

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 26, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — Putrajaya’s powerful efficiency unit has admitted that the Najib administration needs to acquire and develop land along the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) route as it cannot afford the multi-billion ringgit project otherwise.

In a letter sighted by The Malaysian Insider, Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) chief executive Datuk Seri Idris Jala told Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCCIM) president Tan Sri William Cheng that the government was pursuing a “rail-and-property” model as it would not be able to recover the cost of the first line between Sungai Buloh and Kajang through fares alone.

“For the government to manage the project efficiently and sustainably, fare box revenue will not be sufficient to finance the high capex and opex for the MRT network,” Idris said in the letter dated August 23, written in response to Cheng’s queries about the acquisition of Jalan Sultan land.

“Increasing the fares is not an option as the government wants to act responsibly by providing the rakyat with an affordable means of transport. Instead, the government is adopting a prudent approach towards a sustainable financial model for the MRT through a modified rail-plus-property model.”

The government has said a Ministry of Finance unit called Dana Infra will raise funds for the MRT, which is the country’s most expensive infrastructure project to date, but has yet to give any details of the funding apart from saying it will develop the land along the route.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department pointed out that Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation, which has successfully applied the model to its Mass Transit Railway (MTR) network, would not have an “effective means of recouping the vast sums spent on developing the MRT” without revenue from property development as earnings from fares only made up 35 per cent of total revenue.

He stressed that Singapore’s MRT operators, who rely heavily on fare box revenues with minimal contribution from commercial activities, were considered an exception rather than the norm.

But Malaysia would be using a modified version of the rail-and-property model with “some amount of land acquisition” as the Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) line would traverse built-up areas unlike Hong Kong, which had access to several tracts of mainly reclaimed land that allowed for integrated station and property development, Idris said.

“The government is thus not acquiring land banks for the MRT Co. nor abusing the Land Acquisition Act for this purpose,” he assured, referring to the new project owner effective September 1.

However, Idris also revealed that land along the SBK corridor that will be developed by government-linked companies (GLCs), including the Rubber Research Institute (RRI) and Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD) sites, would not go directly towards offsetting the capital expenditure for the MRT.

The minister added that he would let the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) respond to Cheng’s concerns over the land acquisition on Jalan Sultan in Chinatown, which traders there see as a threat to the historic enclave.

“These involve technical details such as the design of the alignment, constructibility, the need for station integration and so forth and why land above ground is acquired (in respect to the National Land Code) even if the MRT tunnels are below for safety and security concerns,” he said.

“On this score, perhaps we may also see a more positive development from the proximity of the MRT line to Chinatown where opportunities for revitalisation and restoration of the area would benefit the Chinese community in this part of Kuala Lumpur.”

Outgoing project owner Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana) has said it needs to acquire the land above the MRT tunnel that will run along Jalan Sultan and demolish existing buildings in the interest of public safety.

Both Prasarana and SPAD have also said the government has to acquire the land before any subsurface work can begin as Section 44 of the National Land Code 1965 states that property owners not only have the right to the plot itself but also the air above and the ground below.

But DAP publicity chief Tony Pua has accused the Najib administration of using the project as an excuse to hijack prime land in the capital for profit, pointing out that the National Land Code had been specifically amended in 1990 to allow for the acquisition of underground land without affecting surface property.

SPAD CEO Mohd Nur Ismal Kamal said this week that the regulator was currently working on a solution to allow traders to return to Chinatown lots being acquired for the construction of the MRT but said there was “no guarantee” that they would eventually be surrendered to the owners.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 26 August 2011, 11:50 am and is filed under
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DAP mahu rakyat buat perubahan

– Muda Mohd. Noor

Free Malaysia Today

August 27, 2011

PETALING JAYA: Naib Presiden DAP Tunku Aziz Ibrahim menyeru rakyat di negara ini melakukan perubahan kerana kerajaan Barisan Nasional sudah lama sangat memerintah negara ini.

“Sudah tiba masanya rakyat melakukan perubahan kerana selama 54 tahun itu kerajaan yang ada tidak pernah berubah atau melakukan reformasi,” katanya ketika ditemui FMT pada majlis iftar Ramadhan anjuran parti itu di ibu negara kelmarin.

Ujar beliau, “saya percaya perubahan yang akan berlaku nanti (dalam pilihan raya umum ke 13) merupakan satu perubahan yang sangat bermakna kepada rakyat.”

Menurut Tunku Aziz, walau pun Barisan Nasional memberi sogokan wang untuk memancing rakyat dan para pengundi tetapi rakyat diminta mengundi calon dari parti pembangkang.

Mengenai konsep 1Malaysia, beliau berkata beliau menyokong pengenalan konsep 1Malaysia yang diperkenalkan oleh Perdana Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tetapi tidak bersetuju dengan kaedah pelaksanaannya.

Tanpa mengulas lebih lanjut beliau berkata, “kita memerlukan negara Malaysia untuk semua rakyat Malaysia.”

Hadir sama tokoh veteran dan juga Ahli Parlimen Ipoh Timor, Lim Kit Siang; Setiausaha Agung dan juga Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng dan pemimpin-pemimpin kanan lain.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 27 August 2011, 1:48 pm and is filed under
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Letter to Tan Sri William Cheng by Idris Jala

August 27, 2011 |
The Malaysian Insider

AUG 27 — Pemandu is arguing that a report by The Malaysian Insider, “Pemandu admits land acquisition only way to recoup MRT cost”, is misleading.

In public interest, The Malaysian Insider is publishing the letter by Datuk Seri Idris Jala on which the report was based, and asking Malaysians to read it and let us know what you think.

****************************************************************

YBhg Tan Sri,

I refer to your letter entitled “Unfair Rail plus Property Model for MRT Development” dated August 8m 2011. YBhg Tan Sri has raised some concerns regarding the rail and property model including the acquisition of the Jalan Sultan shoplots.

The “rail and property model” is a business model that has been successfully applied by the Hong Kong MTR Corporation in developing the HK MRT rail network. The rationale behind this concept is to ensure effective synergies between rail and property development to optimise catchment and passenger flows for the MRT and provide an effective means of recouping the vast sums spent on developing the MRT. For Hong Kong, this approach also serves as a planning tool for urban spatial development by establishing new communities along the routes of its railway lines.

HK MTR revenues are currently based on 35 per cent fare box revenues, with the remainder being derived from property development. By relying solely on fare box revenue itself, Hong Kong will not be able to successfully finance both the capex and opex costs for its rail network.

In the case of Singapore, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) develops the MRT lines but does not get involved in property development along MRT routes. Instead, this role rests with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and its Housing and Development Board.

The exception is the Dhoby Ghaut station (a five-storey high-rise) undertaken by LTA. Singapore’s MRT operators rely heavily on fare box revenues and contribution from commercial activities is minimal but this approach is considered an exception rather than the norm.

It is difficult to replicate fully HK’s property value management model in Malaysia as we have to put in play a model that is best suited to our specific needs. HK MTR Corporation has the benefit of access to several tracts of land (mainly from reclamation) that allows integrated station and property/residential development in a country where land is scarce. At the same time, the high density in Hong Kong allows maximum optimization of returns from such property development.

However, in the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley area, most of the area is already built-up and the Sungai Buloh-Kajang alignment runs mainly along a corridor where there are existing developments and hence the need for some amount of land acquisition.

The developments referred to by YBhg Tan Sri in respect of Sungai Buloh-RRI and Kuala Lumpur International Financial District (KLIFD) sites are developed by GLCs and to be totally clear, the revenue from these developments do not go directly towards offsetting the MRT capex.

For the government to manage the project efficiently and sustainably, fare-box revenue will not be sufficient to finance the high CAPEX and OPEX for the MRT network. Increasing the fares is not an option as the government wants to act responsibly by providing the rakyat with affordable transport. Instead, the government is adopting a prudent approach towards a sustainable financial model for the MRT through a modified rail-plus-property model.

The government through the MRT Co will develop properties above the underground station box and the park-and-ride facilities to ensure optimisation of MRT assets and the associated facilities (park and drop-off/bus/taxis areas).

In addition, where there is injurious land (part of the remaining lot not compulsorily acquired) and the property owner is willing to dispose to the government on a “willing buyer, willing seller” basis or where the property owner approaches the MRT Co for joint development, the government is willing to consider such options that would allow some returns to balance the heavy investment in rail infrastructure.

The government is thus not acquiring land banks for the MRT Co nor abusing the Land Acquisition Act for this purpose. In respect of the Jalan Sultan shoplots and several other buildings such as UDA Ocean and Plaza Warisan, I will let the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) respond to your concerns as I understand that YBhg Tan Sri has sent a similar letter to SPAD.

These involves technical details such as the design of the alignment, constructability, the need for station integration and so forth and why land above ground is acquired (in respect of the National Land Code) even if the MRT tunnels are below safety and security concerns.

On this score, perhaps we may also see a more positive development from the proximity of the MRT line to Chinatown where opportunities for revitalization and restoration of the area would benefit the Chinese community in this part of Kuala Lumpur.

I hope my detailed explanation above on the rail and development model that we are adopting clarifies YBhg Tan Sri’s concerns and provides assurance that we are committed to delivering the MRT in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to reach out to me.

* Datuk Seri Idris Jala is Minister in Prime Minister’s Department and chief executive officer of Pemandu

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 27 August 2011, 9:36 pm and is filed under
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Master the English language to be world class

By
Hussaini Abdul Karim

August 27, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

AUG 27 — It is very pleasing and most delightful to the ears to hear many non-Malay Malaysians, both young and old (except maybe some of the older ones) speaking and writing in perfect Bahasa Malaysia, some without even a hint of an accent whatsoever, in the case of the former.

The country’s New Education Policy to switch from English to Bahasa Malaysia introduced and implemented in the early 70s must have done wonders. With the introduction of new laws, rules and regulations, the policy makers have found a very effective way to teach the national language which is now widely used and accepted throughout the country at every level including in the home.

Fast forward to the new millennium. While we have won over the people in terms of Bahasa Malaysia, we have now lost a big asset i.e., the ability of many Malaysians, graduates included, to speak and write proper English. In a way, our New Education Policy has backfired.

People all over the world, in the 60s and the early 70s, especially from English-speaking countries, poured praise and compliments every time a Malaysian spoke or wrote in English at international seminars, forums and discussions, including at the United Nations, and allowed Malaysian representatives to hold important positions because of our excellent language skills. Now, however, things have changed, for the worse.

Knowing the advantages of mastering more than one language, Malaysians need to re-learn English and what’s best other than to start from young, i.e. at the primary school or even kindergarten level. In order to master the English language the way our people did before, it has to be learnt the same way and there’s no short cut to it.

Of course, I am not suggesting that new laws, rules and regulations are introduced like how our policy makers once did when they wanted us to learn Bahasa Malaysia. Our policy makers and the people at the Ministry of Education know how a language can be taught effectively to achieve a very high fluency level, so let the use of English by all be free-flowing, for official, non-official and social use, and teach it the way Bahasa Malaysia is being taught now.

Besides that, many concerned Malaysians, including myself, have sent in useful and practical ideas, suggestions and proposals on the teaching and learning of the English language. If need be, re-introduce the English medium schools and recall all our excellent and experienced language teachers in addition to training some of our teachers to be excellent language teachers.

This will make Malaysians bi-lingual and instantly, we will increase the ‘value’ of our people with this additional asset. We can then ‘attack’ the world again like how our people did before and we can see many more Malaysians being accepted for jobs overseas and not only in the country, which is seen as among the several direct advantages that our people, especially graduates, will enjoy.

So, the powers that be; let’s not wait any longer and make a decision on English fast and stop dillydallying.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 27 August 2011, 9:40 pm and is filed under
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Penyakit Umno: Penyakit dalaman

— Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 26, 2011

26 OGOS — Jika kita timbang-timbang saudara harus percaya bahawa Najib Razak merupakan Perdana Menteri dan Pengerusi Barisan Nasional yang paling banyak masalah yang kian hari kian bertambah tanpa sedikit pun tanda-tanda ia akan berkurangan.

Oleh kerana terlalu banyak masalah yang di hadapinya tanpa sebarang penyelesaiannya maka Najib tiada pilihan selain dari mengakui bahawa beliau sedang menghadapi krisis kepimpinan yang amat serius dalam sejarah kepimpinan negara kita sejak merdeka.

Sesungguhnya Najib tidak sepatutnya menghadapi masalah ini kerana beliau mempunyai Ahli Majlis Teringgi Umno yang sepatutnya membantu beliau. Dalam keadaan sekaranglah sepatutnya mereka-mereka yang ada di dalam Majlis Tertinggi Umno serta Ahli-Ahli Jemaah Kabinet mereka bersama-sama memikul tanggungjawab dalam erti kata “tanggungjawab bersama”.

Begitulah masalahnya di dalam Umno kerana hanya Perdana Menteri akan menerima kredit atau bertanggungjawab bersendirian jika masalah melanda. Dalam keadaan sekarang nampaknya tidak ada yang bersama-sama memberikan dukongan kepada Perdana Menteri yang telah melantik beliau ke dalam Kabinet serta menjadi “team” beliau di dalam Majlis Tertinggi parti.

Tanggungjawab bersama di dalam Umno itu sudah hilang sejak beberapa lama dahulu dan dalam sudut hakikatnya mereka-mereka yang ada di dalam Kabinet serta Majlis Tertinggi parti sekarang ini adalah “as good as non-existent” dan kehadziran mereka tidak menambah dan menokok kepada kredibiliti kepimpinan Najib.

Masing-masing hanya sibuk berpolitiking untuk kepentingan mereka sahaja dan tidak boleh membantu Najib dalam usaha untuk memulihkan persepsi yang buruk terhadap kepimpinan beliau di pandangan rakyat dan masyarakat antarabangsa.

Masalah dan isu terhadap Umno serta BN datang bertubi tubi dan bertalu-talu dan semua isu ini melibatkan rakyat ramai yang merasakan pahit maungnya menghadapi isu-isu yang susah untuk di sangkal ini.

Cuba kita imbas sebahagian kecil dari masalah yang di hadapi oleh Najib yang di biarkan oleh jemaah kepimpinan kerajaan dan parti.

Kita sebut dahulu tentang masalah dalam parti yang beliau pimpin. “Warlords” di dalam Umno merupakan masalah besar yang Najib hadapi. Di kalangan kepimpinan Umno sendiri sedang menunjukan rasa tidak puas hati terhadap kepimpinannya. “Warlords” dalam Umno merungut kerana mereka tidak mempunyai sumber kewangan yang cukup untuk melakukan sesuatu yang berkesan untuk mempertahankan Umno.

Umno memang satu parti yang tidak boleh bergerak tanpa wang ringgit. Ramai yang berjumpa dengan saya mengadu yang mereka tidak mempunyai wang dan tidak mendapat kontrak untuk membantu sumber kewangan untuk bergerak.

Mereka tidak berpuas hati kerana mereka di suruh bekerja tetapi tidak mendapat bantuan kewangan melalui kontrak-kontrak besar dan kecil kerana semua peluang perniagaan itu hanya diperolehi oleh orang yang tidak pernah merasa kesusahan menjaga parti.

Mereka hanyalah kroni kepada pemimpin-pemimpin yang mempunyai kuasa dalam pembahagian habuan dari kementerian dan premis-premis mereka sendiri.

Di antara pemimpin Umno sendiri mengakui dan mengkritik Najib di belakang kerana tidak mempunyai kemampuan membuat keputusan secara tegas terhadap isu rasuah yang merupakan isu yang terbesar yang dikaitkan dengan Umno ini.

Dahulu sifat “flip-flop” ini hanya branding yang diberikan kepada Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sekarang ini isu “flip-flop” telah berpindah kepada Najib dan branding ini nampaknya terus sahaja sesuai dan serasi untuk memberikan gambaran sebenarnya terhadap kepimpinan beliau.

“Flip-flop” yang dikaitkan terhadap Najib ini ialah terhadap isu transformasi pembangunan yang tidak di lakukan secara konsisten dan yang akhirnya akan tinggal perancangan tanpa perlaksanaan yang “organic” yang mampu menambah keyakinan terhadap kepimpinan beliau.

Isu pembelian kapal selam scorpene sebenarnya banyak perbincangan dilakukan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin Umno sendiri. Mereka (pemimpin Umno) sendiri percaya yang kes pembelian kapal selam ini ada berlaku “hanky-panky” yang besar dan Najib adalah orang yang bertanggungjawab dengan pembelian ini serta urusan-urusan sampingan yang menjadi isu sekarang ini.

Dalam dunia sekarang ini apa sahaja yang kita lakukan akan diketahui umum dengan mudah. Begitu jugalah dalam kes pembelian kapal selam ini. Orang bercakap dan yang bercakap itu adalah dikalangan pemimpin dan ahli-ahli Umno sendiri.

Sementalahannya berlaku pula pembunuhan terhadap seorang gadis Mongolia beberapa ketika dahulu yang mempunyai hubungan rapat dengan kes pembelian kapal selam ini. Ini semua merupakan persepsi yang amat buruk untuk seorang pemimpin negara dan ianya menjejaskan kredibiliti Najib secara peribadi sebagai seorang Perdana Menteri.

Oleh kerana persepsi ramai sudah begitu rendah maka tidak hairan bilamana kita mendengar individu-individu yang terkenal bersama kerajaan pun memberikan pandangan peribadi mereka secara terbuka tanpa segan dan silu. Yang terakhir ialah pandangan Mufti Perak Harussani Zakaria yang memberikan pandangan yang Najib mempunyai kepimpinan yang lemah.

Kita tahu yang Mufti itu bukan seorang ahli politik tetapi apabila beliau sendiri boleh menyatakan pandangan secara terbuka yang BN di bawah Najib itu adalah lemah maka ianya memberikan bayangan itulah pandangan sebenar rakyat di bawah yang akan membuat keputusan di dalam pilihanraya yang akan datang ini.

Terdapat pandangan yang menzahirkan keraguan tentang isu-isu yang ada datang dari pemimpin dalam pentadbiran Najib sendiri seperti pandangan seorang Timbalan Menteri Saifuddin Abdullah tentang cara Najib mengendalikan isu Bersih dan beberapa isu lain.

Tanggungjawab bersama nampaknya tidak dipakai oleh barisan kepimpinan Najib kerana seperti yang saya sebutkan tadi mereka hanya bertindak untuk menyelamatkan diri mereka sahaja. Malahan ada nampak sedikit sebanyak kecenderungan yang ada pihak di kalangan pimpinan Umno yang mahu menyingkirkan Najib dan memberi laluan kepada pemimpin lain dalam Majlis Tertinggi itu.

Mahu tidak mahu setiap di kalangan pemimpin dalam Majlis Tertinggi parti menerima kesalahan secara bersama dan bertanggungjawab bersama kerana mereka adalah dalam barisan jemaah kepimpinan Najib.

Apabila Najib menghadapi situasi sebegini maka ialah melibatkan keruntuhan keyakinan kepada parti secara total sedangkan Umno adalah tunjang kepada BN keseluruhannya. Dalam hal ini tidak pula kita tahu samada belasan parti-parti yang ada di dalam BN masih berkeyakinan untuk Umno menunjangi kepimpinan BN itu sendiri. Jika Umno manghadapi masalah ianya akan berkait-kait dengan seluruh kepimpinan dalam BN itu sendiri.

Ramai rakyat kesal dengan Umno kerana pimpinan mengambil sambil lewa tentang kelemahan kepimpinan sejak hampir tiga dekad dahulu kerana parti dan pemimpinnya terlalu sibuk dengan politik peribadi dan tidak mempunyai “connectivity” dengan rakyat secara serius. Umno lalai di dalam pemilihan pemimpinnya.

Apabila orang seperti kami menentang beberapa tindakan yang dilakukan kami dipertikai dan dimaki hamun seolah-olah kami hendak memecah belahkan parti. Sudah menjadi tabii yang kekal di dalam Umno untuk mengenepikan pemimpin yang serius dan berkemampuan dalam parti maka sekarang Umno mesti menerima hakikat ini secara bertanggungjawab.

Umno selalu membuat kerenah yang membuatkan rakyat tidak berminat lagi untuk menyertainya dan bergiat aktif kerana budaya membunuh karaktor yang tidak berkesudahan di dalam parti itu.

Parti pembangkang akan di persalahkan secara natural sedangkan kelemahan yang dihadapi oleh Umno itu adalah kesalahan diri mereka sendiri. Umno itu Umno. Begitulah mereka hendak menyelesaikan masalah mereka… iaitu memaki hamun dan menyalahkan parti-parti pembangkang dan siapa sahaja yang kritikal terhadap mereka. Bercakap benar merupakan kesalahan yang sangat besar di dalam Umno…lebih besar kesalahan dari mencerca agama suci kita.

Ada beberapa sahabat saya dalam kepimpinan Umno berkata “Umno ni bodohnya tidak boleh diajar, cerdiknya tidak boleh nak diikut. Nasib sabut timbul, nasib batu tenggelam. Hanya berdoa sahajalah! Tidak boleh nak buat apa-apa lagi”.

Kalau di kalangan pemimpin Umno bercakap seperti ini, bagai mana rakyat hendak meletakan kepercayaan kepada Umno lagi?

Jika Umno sudah tidak laku lagi saya juga hendak melihat bagaimana keadaan penyokong-penyokong Umno diluar ini yang telah memBABIkan dan mengANJINGkan orang lain hendak meletakan muka mereka selepas ini?

Saya selalu mengingatkan mereka ini, jika marah jangan habiskan marah itu supaya senang hendak berbaik kembali, jika sayang dan menyokong jangan sokong membabi buta supaya kita tidak merasa malu di atas perbuatan cemar yang pernah kita lakukan dan noda politik yang dilakukan oleh pimpinan kita..

Dalam politik tidak ada musuh yang kekal dan tidak ada sahabat yang kekal. Ingat tu!! “kerana pulut santan binasa, kerana mulut badan binasa”. Itulah perbilangan orang tua-tua dahulu.

Satu lagi buat peringatan semua, “terlajak perhu boleh berpatah balek, terlajak kata emas padahnya”. Semua perbilangan ini boleh diambil sebagai nasihat dan peringatan kepada kita yang selalu terlajak dan tersasar dengan kata-kata. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 27 August 2011, 1:38 pm and is filed under
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