DAP’s Johor campaign begins, with loud cheers from Chinese for PAS

By Leslie Lau

The Malaysian Insider

April 21, 2013

JOHOR BARU, April 21 — That 72-year-old DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang was feted like a rock star by thousands of people cheering and blowing on air horns last night on the first day of campaigning here for Election 2013 was no surprise.

What was striking at a rally here for the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency was the sight of the predominantly Chinese crowd holding aloft PAS flags along with those bearing DAP’s rocket logo.

And Kit Siang captured the mood of the thousands gathered here and perhaps that of the Chinese electorate throughout the country over the perceived fear of the Islamic agenda of PAS.

“They say a vote for DAP is a vote for PAS. Is that true? Yes it is. That is because a vote for DAP is a vote for PAS, PKR and Pakatan Rakyat.

“I say here tonight. This is the battle between the past and the future,” he said as the Chinese crowd cheered enthusiastically.

The Barisan Nasional (BN), he said, represented the politics of the past, and to underscore his point, he surprisingly offered praise for his opponent, outgoing Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

The DAP candidate for Gelang Patah Lim Kit Siang addresses the crowd — Picture by Saw Siow Feng“Ghani Othman is a good man. I admit he has brought development and progress. But he represents the past.

“He represents the model of BN development that is stuttered with corruption, cronyism, abuses of power and injustice.”

PR, Kit Siang argued, represented the future and a new Malaysia.

But the crowd’s enthusiasm last night was not restricted to Kit Siang.

When PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub, who is contesting both the nearby Pulai federal seat and Nusajaya state seat, addressed them earlier, the crowd cheered and waved PAS and DAP flags.

“We are making history tonight,” he said.

“The Chinese are wearing PAS shirts and holding PAS flags. PAS members too are wearing DAP shirts.

“If the Chinese can wear PAS shirts this means that Umno can fall.”

Cooperation between the secular DAP and the Islamist PAS has always been a delicate issue for the Chinese, but conventional wisdom has been turned on its head due to developments in the past 48 hours.

Members of the audience hold a DAP flag. — Picture by Saw Siow FengAfter the Registrar of Societies (RoS) had thrown into doubt the legitimacy of DAP’s office bearers on the eve of nomination day, the secular party had considered using PAS’s logo for its candidates.

But the Election Commission allowed the DAP to continue using its rocket logo at Nomination Day yesterday, but the offer by PAS to DAP to borrow its logo appears to have brought the two parties closer together.

And a widespread perception among the Chinese that the DAP was victimised has also help break the community’s lingering distrust of PAS’s Islamic agenda.

This new spirit of togetherness between the two parties comes even as MCA launched a major advertising blitz attacking DAP for allegedly backing PAS’s Islamic agenda.

It remains to be seen if MCA’s campaign will work, but DAP-PAS cooperation did not seem to temper the enthusiasm of the thousands of Chinese gathered for Lim last night.

They matched their cheers with a massive cash donation of more than RM90,000 for the party’s election machinery.

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Gelang Patah battle full of variables

By
LIM MUN FAH
 | 2013-04-18 14:38

Translated by KHEI YOK MAN

MySinChew.com

MCA’s loan of Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency to Umno is an anomalous move as well as a gamble.

Terming it an anomaly because DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang will meet Abdul Ghani Othman which was never thought of.

Gelang Patah was under MCA for the past four terms and it was hailed as MCA’s stronghold with majority votes once in excess of 30,000, a record created by Tan Ah Eng in 2004. The dissenting gale in 2008 didn’t swallow her although the majority votes fell to 8,851.

No one anticipated that MCA would swallow its pride by loaning the constituency simply to topple Kit Siang. Neither would anyone foresee BN’s strategic move to put the menteri besar on the table for an embattled sparring.

Neither Kit Siang nor Abdul Ghani Othman reckoned this.

How would this “Fray of Kings” end up? Both sides claim confidence, but in reality they are unsure. It is a risk-taking move to both PR and BN.

There are 106,864 eligible voters in Gelang Patah: 56,004 (52.41 percent) Chinese; 36,620 (34.27 percent) Malays; 13,347 (12.49 Percent) Indians and 893 (0.84 percent) others. BN’s last-minute change of candidate has its great deliberations. It obviously plans to employ Abdul Ghani Othman to stabilise Malay and Indian votes in the region and his ‘menteri besar for everyone’ image to solicit the Chinese votes.

This move of BN is not at all naïve and whimsical. In reality, if the self claimed ‘not a seat less’ BN could contain Kit Siang’s support below 70 percent and Indian and Malay votes below 50 percent and 20 percent respectively, Abdul Ghani would possibly defeat Kit Siang to defend Gelang Patah.

The question is: Is there any discrepancy between BN’s one-sided wish and the voters’ decision?

Abdul Ghani Othman authentically has a mild image and interacts well with local Chinese communities who endeared himself to ethnic Chinese in Gelang Patah. But respect is one thing while political sympathy is another. The key is whether the voters would translate respect into votes.

The past few elections show statistically that MCA is favoured in Gelang Patah. Loaning its constituency to Umno is a fatal blow to MCA’s grassroots. Great umbrage, repugnance and repercussion have actually ensued. This sentiment—the chorus of rallies staged by Jason Teoh’s staunch supporters for his reinstatement—if not properly managed, might backfire BN’s well planned move. At the end of the day, PR could paradoxically enjoy the advantage.

There is yet another development which I personally fear of: with the escalation of on-going election rallies, for the sake of stabilising basic Chinese and Malay votes, both the DAP and BN might resort to racial sentiments. Then worsened polarisation will be the eventuality.

The Gelang Patah battle is full of variables. Ripples effect can be ignited at any one moment. Hopefully, both sides would adhere to the code of conduct strictly.

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Gerrymandering Malaysia

Written by
Our Correspondent | Asia Sentinel

TUESDAY, 16 APRIL 2013

Home field advantage

The largest electoral district in Malaysia has 144,369 registered voters, according to the latest electoral roll. The smallest has only 37,390. They are both in Selangor, meaning the state’s largest seat is four times its smallest. The Kapar district, the biggest, was won by the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat in the 2008 elections. The smallest, Sabak Bernam, was won by the Barisan Nasional.

The disparity between these two districts fits with the practice of corralling the largest number of potential opposition voters into a single district – as opposed to keeping pro-government districts as small as possible to multiply the number of pro-government seats.

Critics are using such disparities as fuel to allege that the Barisan Nasional government is putting a wide range of other electoral misuses in place in the effort make sure the opposition Pakatan Rakyat doesn’t take power after May 5 elections.

Ong Kian Ming, the director of the Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project and an official with the opposition Democratic Action Party, told a forum at a Kuala Lumpur suburban library Friday, reported by the website for the KL-based publication The Edge, that the government is also packing voter rolls in crucial pro-opposition districts with pro-Barisan Nasional voters. Voter numbers in Selangor, the country’s richest state, have increased by 660,000 since the 2008 elections.

The allegations by Merap, as the organization is known, and a wide variety of other sources cast doubt on whether Malaysia can really put on a fair election. Ong’s complaints are a small part of a long litany of objections by neutral and opposition observers of allegations of malapportionment, gerrymandering, falsified voter registration and intimidation of voters and political activists.

What that means is that if the opposition manages to win control of Parliament, it will have to do so by a landslide. One UMNO source confidently said that isn’t going to happen.

“Overall, we are not fighting to form the government but to regain the two-thirds majority, which will be tough but possible now,” the source said. “Barisan morale is high even amongst the younger generation.”

That may well be campaign rhetoric. Polls show a razor-thin margin in favor of the Barisan and most political analysts say the race is so close that the country may well end up with a hung parliament.

Bersih, the election reform NGO, has been pushing for cleaning up the election process for more than two years, with little to show for its efforts. One of the problems stems from the fact that the country’s Election Commission, rather than being an independent body, comes under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s office.

“Irregularities in most general elections until now have been reported quite regularly,” wrote Dr. Wolfgang Sachsenroder, a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, in the Australian Monash University website New Mandala. “The long list reaches from vote buying, stuffing of ballot boxes, bussing of voters to other constituencies and multiple voting, “phantom voters,” “imported voters,” “missing voters,” manipulated voter lists, to granting citizenship to illegal immigrants (mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines).”

And while Ong represents an opposition body, his complaints echo those made by an international fact-finding body composed of representatives from India, Australia, Germany, Indonesia and the Philippines in a report in November 2012 that quoted critics expressing concern “at the large number of voters in certain constituencies (largely held by members of the Opposition). They suggested that these voters may be allocated to these constituencies in order to enable government candidates to win elections.”

Australian Sen. Nick Xenophon, one of the six-member international group, was refused entry back into Malaysia in February 2013 when he was branded a “security risk.”

Critics, the report said, “raised allegations of tens of thousands of doubtful voters on the electoral roll.” Other allegations from military personnel were that they intimidated not voting for the Barisan because they were certain their votes could be traced by their superiors.

Across the country, Ong said, of 3.7 million new voters in the country, 34 percent were registered by political parties, 29 percent by the Royal Post Office, 20 percent by the Election Commission and 10 percent by the Ministry of Information’s Department of Special Affairs (Jasa).

Jasa has come under particular scrutiny, Ong said, “because this organization does not register voters through conventional means… Jasa is a special agency that sits under the ministry of information. The director is no other than Datuk Fuad Hassan. He is a former UMNO assembly member for Hulu Kelang until he lost to Azmin Ali in 1999.”

He told local media that Jasa is “basically a propaganda unit for Barisan Nasional. It basically collects intelligence on behalf of the Barisan and tries to push out information on its behalf to win votes. It has more ability and broadest scope compared to the special branch,” he said during the forum.

The opposition Pakatan Rakyat shocked the Barisan Nasional by winning Selangor, one of the biggest states in the country and the richest, in the 2008 national election. Today, Ong said, eight of the top 10 parliament seats with the most number of new voters since 2008 are in Selangor. The other two are in Johor, where Pakatan Rakyat is making a major push in the election slated for May 5 to take the state away from the United Malays National Organization.

“The reason for such malapportionment is to disadvantage opposition voters,” Wong said. “The largest seats are all won by the opposition but smaller ones are won by the Barisan. That makes it quite likely that the Barisan would win a majority of the seats.”

“It has gone beyond the ethnic lines, where urban Malays and rural Malays are disadvantaged when they support the opposition,” he added.

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In Kit Siang, Pakatan gets unexpected boost to leap over Johor’s Malay wall

BY
DEBRA CHONG, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
 | APRIL 21, 2013

The Malaysian Insider

JOHOR BARU, April 21 — As Lim Kit Siang captured the imagination of Johor’s Chinese at last night’s rally here, it was also clear that he meant to help warm the Umno birthplace’s Malay population towards Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in Election 2013.

Unlike some states to the north, the opposition parties have been repeatedly thwarted from gaining more than a toehold in Malaysia’s southernmost state.

“The Malay parties in the opposition have a tougher time trying to get support from the Malay community in Johor, so Kit Siang’s presence in southern Johor especially has tilted the situation,” said Ibrahim Suffian, the executive director of political research house Merdeka Center.

Johor’s resistance towards PAS and PKR, Ibrahim said, was historical. The highly-independent state had been used to running things its own way for a long time as it was among the last to be incorporated into colonial British rule.

It had built up a strong religious wall that did not give room for PR’s Islamist partner, PAS, to grow since Johor’s Islamic schools are well-funded and are state-run. In addition, PAS was seen as a northern influence, Ibrahim said.

But in the five years since Election 2008, a perceptible change has been felt in Johor.

The issues that have been raised by PR in the last few years have resonated with the younger people judging from the reactions of the thousands that gathered at the Sutera Mall open air carpark to listen to Kit Siang, state DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau and PAS vice-president and Nusajaya hopeful, Salahuddin Ayub — who is running in both the Pulai parliamentary and Nusajaya state seats — speak.

The DAP advisor’s son and caretaker Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, was given a roaring welcome complete with a fireworks display when he arrived shortly after 11pm, from stumping in Kluang.

The 2,000 plastic red chairs set up near the giant outdoor stage were fully occupied and thousands more stood throughout the entire four hours.

In contrast, Kit Siang’s BN contender for Gelang Patah, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, experienced a very low-key start to his campaign at an Indian temple where some 400 people reportedly turned out for his programme in neighbouring Kangkar Pulai last night.

What stood out in that overwhelmingly Chinese crowd were the number of families, featuring three generations, in attendance.

Many boldly donned hats in the shape of the the DAP hornbill mascot nicknamed “Ubah.” These were sold at the marquees fringing the square and partisan T-shirts of all colours and bearing various messages: Ubah Bersama Kit Siang 2.0 [Change with Kit Siang 2.0] and Ini Kalilah [This time-lah] among them.

A young woman volunteer manning one of tables under the white marquees there, Jenni Sin, said many Johor Chinese held jobs in Singapore and made the daily commute across the Causeway not because they were enamoured with the republic, but because they could earn better wages.

They were unhappy with Singapore’s politics and yearned to be able to work in Malaysia and raise their families, the 27-year-old whose four siblings were among the daily commuters to the Lion City said, and added that all four of her sisters were resisting opting for Singaporean citizenship.

The Johor Chinese were waking up to the possibility of a change that could answer their dreams for a better future, not only for their generation, but for their children, said the businesswoman who unlike her siblings, worked locally.

“For Du Du, her mummy will fight,” Sin said, and pointed to her special printed T-shirt featuring her toddler daughter holding up a card that read, in Chinese “Come back home to vote.”

Pollster Ibrahim said the DAP’s move into Johor has roused the Chinese.

“Kit Siang contesting Gelang Patah and leading the DAP campaign in Johor have excited the Chinese community and shown it is serious about expanding and reaching out to them,” Ibrahim said.

“Kit Siang’s presence in boosting Chinese support for Pakatan has helped narrow the gap for the opposition parties to reach their goal,” he added.

Ibrahim added the Malays in Johor live side-by-side with the Chinese but the racial sentiment has been exploited by those in power to plant fears.

But it was the perceived crisis sparked by the Registrar of Societies’ refusal to recognise the opposition party’s elected office bearers in the last 48 hours before nomination day yesterday that inadvertently boosted PR’s campaigning in Johor for the May 5 polls.

The DAP leaders’ public declaration that they were willing to run under the PAS’s moon banner — despite their ideological differences — helped persuade Johor’s Malays that the DAP was not “chauvinist”, Ibrahim said.

Zulkifli Mat Isa, 48, who was among the handful of Malays spotted in the sea of Chinese faces at last night’s ceramah, was testament to the Kuala Lumpur-based political analyst’s observation.

The Penang-born man who is now a Pasir Gudang voter told The Malaysian Insider that even Johor Malays were now shifting their views.

“Because of Lim Kit Siang. He’s the father of the Penang chief minister,” Zulkifli said, in Malay.

“Previously, people thought of the DAP as chauvinist. Now, they know. In Penang, there is no chaos even,” he said, of the racial clashes that BN politicians and their newspapers have been forecasting in the event of a PR victory at the 13th general election.

An interior designer, Zulkifli said that Johor Malays were also rising, even though they may not be as visible as the Chinese; they kept a tight lip even as they opened their eyes and ears to information obtained online.

“Now things have changed. Because people are aware. Anything but Umno,” he said.

Apart from Zukifli, who admitted to being a PKR member alongside two other friends at Sutera Harbour, there were pockets of Malays here and there in the crowd last night, including four youngsters huddling in the shadow of a lorry parked beside the main stage and who looked nervously around them.

One or two others who looked to still be in their teens were seen weaving in and out of the throng, dressed in DAP merchandise.

“Malays also know. Previously, they dare not wear even this,” Zulkifli said, and gestured to his red DAP baseball cap.

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Kit Siang wants to keep it clean

Terence Fernandez
, Malay Mail

8:22AM Apr 21, 2013

“Ghani has brought a lot of achievement for Johor in the 18 years that he has been MB.”

That is not the kind of endorsement one would expect from a political rival on nomination day, but that was one of the first things Lim Kit Siang said at his first press conference yesterday as the official DAP candidate for the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat.

But it also set the tone of his ‘gentleman’s’ campaign in the next 15 days.

“No personal attacks and no dirty politics based on race and money,” he told The Malay Mail later when met at his ops centre here.

Lim said he had invited Ghani to form an accord that they will stick to the facts and avoid gutter politics. He’s still waiting for Ghani’s response.

“We just want to thrash out the facts, and I meant what I said that (his challenger) Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman had brought much progress to Johor.

So how is he supposed to expect voters to pick him over a proven candidate?

“We do not want to stick to politics of the past. Ghani represents the politics of old.

“We could do much better but because he executes the policies of BN, we are still lagging behind other countries when we should be on par or even ahead of Taiwan, Hong Kong and yes … Singapore.”

Having said that, he confirmed that the issues of race cannot be ignored. As such, Ghani’s statement in 2006 that he does not believe in “Bangsa Malaysia” will be resurrected.

“You see, the fact that he said it shows that we cannot stick with old policies if we want to progress as a nation. We should campaign as Malaysians, not as Chinese or Malays or Indians,” he stressed.

“We represent politics of the future. They’ve been there for too long.”

But the same can be said of Lim who became DAP secretary-general in 1969.

“But I’m not in government!” was his immediate reply.

“And Umno stands on the shoulders of its other partners. In Pakatan Rakyat, we are all equals as Malaysians.”

Tough campaign

Admittedly, this is going to be a tough campaign, even with the 54 percent Chinese votes.

“I didn’t run away from Ipoh Timur, there are 33 percent Malays here, and that’s got to count for something. It is not going to be as easy,” he said, acknowledging that support from his friends in PAS and PKR, such as Salahuddin Ayub – the Nusajaya state seat candidate for PAS (which falls under the Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency) – will be crucial in drawing Malay votes from the rural and suburban areas.

The BN machinery which has the capacity to pass benefits directly to the people in the form of the BR1M handouts, Lim said would also account for something, as well as the fact this is BN-Umno heartland.

“But after 57 years, people are ready to vote independently. Whatever benefits and achievements were really felt by the Umnoputras, not the regular working class Malays,” he challenged, banking that the BR1M handouts will lose its appeal after a while.

The Iskandar Development Corridor too, he says, does not seem accessible to locals with many foreigners benefitting in both white and blue collar jobs.

At 72 and criss-crossing the nation to campaign for other candidates and putting young rebels in their place such as several dropped incumbents who stood as independents, Lim was not ready to say if this will be his last election.

“It’s too early to ask me that,” he said.

But being mindful of the stress of campaigning, this former ISA detainee has his cardiologist son Guan Choon close by.

A perhaps well-calculated move by this seasoned politician who has another son who is a senior civil servant in Penang, to ensure the longevity of the Lim political dynasty.

– Malay Mail

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Najib’s RoS bullet

By Zunar

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New BN, Umno faces but same old mindset

By
Fikry Osman
 | APRIL 16, 2013

The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 16 — Barisan Nasional (BN) is putting out a refreshed and reshuffled list of candidates for the 13th general election, with a third new faces for Parliament and 49 per cent for the seats in 12 states.

Does it even matter if 100 per cent are new? Do the candidates matter more than the parties or coalition and the manifesto they put out days ago?

One has to understand something about BN and Umno. Their people subscribe to the same ideology and chauvinism as the old people they are replacing in the May 5 general election.

Is Rais Yatim’s replacement going to have an enlightened media policy or is he still going to offer a 10-minute slot to the opposition? What do you think?

All these new Umno candidates are products of the party mindset and thinking, the same thinking that gave us the Ibrahim Ali and Ridhuan Tee who blight our landscape.

How will these candidates even think they can promise a “better nation” with them in power? They are cut from the same cloth as their predecessors. Otherwise they won’t be in BN or Umno.

There is no transformation with such people, let alone reforms. BN and Umno have an assembly line of politicians who think and act the same way as their predecessors.

They’re just old wine in a new bottle. It might look sparkling new but it’s the same old, same old. You can be sure of that.

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Pengundi-pengundi perlu berhati-hati dengan kempen fitnah cybertroopers pro-UMNO/BN yang memburukkan DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat

Pengundi-pengundi perlu berhati-hati dengan kempen fitnah cybertroopers pro-UMNO/BN yang memburukkan DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat. Ini adalah kerana kempen rasmi pilihanraya umum ke-13 sudah pun bermula. DAP bersama PAS dan PKR yang membentuk Pakatan Rakyat telah memulakan kempen secara bersih, adil dan telus. Ini adalah prinsip bersama kami ke arah membentuk Malaysia baru yang bebas dari rasuah, salah guna kuasa dan penyelewengan.

Saya sedar ada kempen-kempen kotor yang terus dilakukan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu, terutamanya oleh cybertroopers pro-UMNO/BN, yang menyebarkan fitnah dan pembohongan. Ini adalah kempen yang tidak sihat dan bersifat hasutan.

Namun, walaupun golongan ini terus memfitnah dan menyebarkan berta palsu, saya bersama DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat tidak akan putus asa untuk terus berkempen dengan cara yang baik dan terhormat sebagaimana yang kami telah lakukan sejak beberapa dekad yang lalu.

Saya harap rakyat Malaysia, terutamanya orang Melayu, tidak mudah terpengaruh dengan fitnah dan pembohongan, sama ada yang disebarkan melalui internet atau melalui ceramah. Fitnah amat berbahaya kerana ia boleh menimbulkan ketegangan antara kaum di negara ini.

DAP telah difitnah sebagai perti perkauman, parti cauvinis, parti anti-Islam dan sebagainya. Semua ini tidak benar dan bohong belaka. DAP adalah parti politik yang sah yang menghormati Perlembagaan Persekutuan. DAP menolak segala bentuk politik perkauman dan diskriminasi kaum, agama dan gender.

DAP telah lama berjuang untuk memastikan kita semua hidup harmoni, aman damai sebagai rakyat Malaysia yang saling percaya-mempercayai antara satu sama lain, dan tidak perlu rasa was-was. Inilah prinsip kami yang mengutamakan rakyat Malaysia.

Dengan itu, saya yakin rakyat Malaysia, terutamanya pengundi-pengundi tidak mudah menerima bulat-bulat fitnah dari cybertroopers UMNO/BN atau golongan yang membenci kaum lain, sebaliknya membuat pilihan yang bijak pada 5 Mei ini.

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13 Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Johor as the fulcrum of political change in Malaysia and let “Johor Leads” be the new slogan for all Johoreans in the new politics of the future struggling to be born in the 13GE, moving from the politics of the past based on race politics, corruption and mass abuses of power

On the third day of the 13GE, I want to sound a clarion call to all Johoreans for Johor to be the fulcrum of political change in Malaysia and let “Johor Leads” be the new slogan for all Johoreans in the new Malaysian politics of the future struggling to be born in the 13GE, moving from the politics of the past based on race politics, corruption and mass abuses of power.

In the past month, the people of Johor had the exhilarating experience of being the cynosure of the whole nation.

For the past 56 years, Johor had been the political backwaters, with the people of Johor following great political events and breakthroughs in other states, particularly in the north, Penang and Kelantan, as well as in Kedah, Perak and Selangor, while great political changes have passed Johor by and excluded Johoreans.

This state of affairs has now been completely transformed.

For the past month, beginning with the Battle of Gelang Patah, as the prelude to the Battle of Johor and the Battle of Malaysia in the 13GE, Gelang Patah and Johor have captured the imagination of Johoreans as well as Malaysians.

For the first time in the nation’s 56-year history, Johoreans are making political history and instead of Johoreans following political developments in other parts of Malaysia, it is Malaysians all over the country following with increasing excitement the daily political developments in Gelang Patah and Johor.

The time has come in the 13GE for the political transformation of Malaysian politics with Johor as the fulcrum of new politics of Malaysia with all Johoreans rallying to the battlecry of “Johor Leads”.

Johor has never led in the 56-year history of Malaysia.

This is evident from the line-up of the six Prime Ministers in Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman from Kedah, Tun Razak from Pahang, Tun Hussein Onn from Johor, Tun Mahathir from Kedah, Tun Abdullah from Penang and Datuk Seri Najib Razak from Pahang.

Although Hussein was the third Prime Minister, his term as Prime Minister was too brief and his health too precarious to allow him to stamp a permanent imprint on Malaysian politics. But what impressed me most about Hussein was his commitment to fight corruption, cronyism and abuses of power, as he had said that he was prepared to lose political power and even the Prime Ministership if he had to condone or tolerate corruption – and no Prime Minister after him could make such a similar claim!

In fact, Hussein confided in me after his retirement as Prime Minister because of health problems that his greatest regret was to appoint Mahathir as his DPM which ensured that Mahathir would become the fourth Prime Minister in Malaysia after him.

But Hussein Onn was part of the earlier history when “Johor Leads” – under the leadership of his father Datuk Onn Jaafar, the founding President of UMNO, who made the stunning proposal 62 years ago that UMNO should open its doors to non-Malays and UMNO should change its name from United Malays National Organisation to United Malayans National Organisation.

Onn had already been on public record opposing a government based on racial disunity and factionalism, saying: “Let no one delude himself in the belief that such unity is neither essential nor necessary, nor that self-government can be a lasting institution without that unity in the Federation. We must live together”.

On 27 May 1951, when Onn proposed to UMNO that non-Malays be allowed to be members of UMNO, he said that UMNO was one tree, the Malays were the trunk and the Chinese and Indians were the bark.

 It is noteworthy that one of those who opposed and led criticisms against Onn’s vision was none other than Mahathir at the time!

But Onn was too ahead of his time, and his proposal was rejected, and he resigned from UMNO, together with Hussein, who was at the time the UMNO Youth leader, to form the Independence of Malaya Party to work with the Chinese and Indians.

Since Onn’s leadership six decades ago, Johor had never led in Malaysian politics and remained in the political backwaters. Now is the time for Johoreans to pick up the mantle of leadership of Onn Jaffar six decades ago, to begin to realise the Malayan Dream articulated by Onn some 60 years ago where there is the new politics of the future, which is inclusive where all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region have a rightful place under the Malaysian sun as distinct from the old politics of “divide and rule” according race, plagued by rampant corruption, cronyism, abuses of power, injustices and human rights violations.

In the new politics of the future for Malaysia, it is moderate patriotic voices who occupy the citadels of power whether in Parliament or the State Assemblies.

In the old politics of the past as practised by UMNO/BN, even moderate voices have to assume extremist and intolerant tones.

The BN candidate for Gelang Patah, the four-term Johor Mentri Besar, Datuk Ghani Othman, is a classic Malay gentleman who is respected for his moderate and rational views. I have no qualms in giving credit to him for bringing development and progress to Johor in his 18 years as Mentri Besar.

But he does not sound like himself in his first two pronouncements after the Nomination Day on Saturday, as captured by these Malaysiakini headlines:

Ghani rails against Pakatan’s ‘racial polarisation’

Ghani: If Kit wins, Hadi might be PM

Ghani is sounding more like Perkasa leaders like Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin as what he said is completely contrary to his image as a moderate, rational and level-headed political leader.

Is this the price that moderate leaders have to pay if they are to stay and survive in present-day UMNO, whose most powerful leader is not Najib Razak but Mahathir?

After the Malaysianini report yesterday, I asked the thousands of Malaysians of all races in Muar and Gelang Patah in separate ceramahs last night whom they would choose, if they had to choose between Najib, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin or the return of Mahathir as Prime Minister on the one hand and Hadi on the other.

The response from the multi-racial crowds was a thunderous, categorical and unequivocal declaration of support for Hadi to become PM rather than to see Najib, Muhyiddin or Mahathir in the office of Sri Perdana.

But what is even more interesting about Ghani rhetorics is his admission that if Gelang Patah falls, it would mean also the fall of Putrajaya for UMNO/Barisan Nasional and his preference for Anwar to become the Prime Minister instead of Hadi.

There is no greater fillip to Pakatan Rakyat than Ghani’s indirect admission that the Battle of Gelang Patah holds the key to Putrajaya, as the Battle of Gelang Patah, Battle of Johor and Battle of Malaysia can be won by Pakatan Rakyat.

DAP does not believe in duplicitous politics. DAP leaders have declared many a time in public forums that if Pakatan Rakyat succeeds in forming the new federal government in Putrajaya, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be the new Prime Minister of Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 9:36 am and is filed under
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A question for MCA

by
Ravinder Singh

The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 21 — PM Najib has firmly stated that BN members who are contesting as independents will receive their walking certificates on Monday. I suppose any party would do the same for insubordination or betraying the party. Nothing wrong with this line of action for maintaining party discipline.

But why is he mum and dumb as to what action will be taken against a BN candidate approved by him who deliberately did not file his nomination papers although he was at the nomination centre? This candidate stood by and watched Ibrahim Ali file his. Isn’t this another act of insubordination? Or was some drama being acted out? This was a history making incident as never has such a thing happened before — the BN withdrawing so an independent can have a straight fight with an opposition candidate. The independent must be a very powerful person for this to happen, for him to intimidate the ruling party to surrender to him.

A drama it surely was. The Perkasa President is Dr M’s right-hand man and mouthpiece. He incites racial feelings with impunity. Only days ago Dr M had said that Malaysia needs more people like Ibrahim Ali. He had even said the BN should field him as a candidate under the BN banner. Dr M started the racial discrimination of Malaysians with his labelling of the non-Malays as “pendatang” in his 1970 book The Malay Dilemma. Perkasa is continuing that work, and Dr M is the patron of Perkasa. Why is Dr M bent on destroying the racial harmony in this country?

This incident leaves no doubts that Dr M has all along been the de facto PM calling the shots, with Najib just being a proxy.

So what is to be made of Najib’s 1 Malaysia? Racists are being given very important places by him and is that consistent with creating 1 Malaysia where Malaysians of different racial and religious backgrounds live like brothers and sisters?

It is extremely callous of politicians to use race and religion for their personal ends, i.e. to win votes. Feelings of racial hatred aroused in the course of trying to win votes do not disappear when the elections are over. They stay rooted in people. They drive wedges between people.

Besides racists causing damage to inter-racial and inter-religious relations, we have a hate movie that is being shown behind locked doors to audiences of a single race. The government invested RM4.8 million of public money to produce this hate movie. For what?

Are these actions which are calculated to create feelings of ill-will against some Malaysians so as to influence how people vote, consistent with the teachings of Islam? Doesn’t Islam teach its adherents to live in peace with others, to respect others?

Political power is not a licence to do anything to remain in power, the more so in a multi-racial country like Malaysia. Racists should have no place in Malaysian politics.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 9:14 am and is filed under
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Curbing Crime should be an election issue for both sides of the political divide!

by Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 7:57 pm and is filed under
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Deciding Who To Vote For In the Next Election

by
M. Bakri Musa

Downstream Analysis:  Pakatan Victory Best Outcome

(Third of Four Parts)

The best outcome would be a decisive Pakatan victory. This is the only way to effect much-needed change, specifically to end the current culture of corruption, cronyism and rent-seeking that is enmeshed and fast becoming the fabric of our – specifically Malay – society. Again addressing those under the sway of Perkasa and Ketuanan Melayu, Malays will never advance until we get rid of this destructive culture, of which UMNO is the prime enabler.

I am heartened that more than half of PKR’s candidates are new, with a substantial number of young faces. We can only bring about change with new personnel. Najib considers recycled and rethreads as fresh. How can he ever hope to transform the country with the same tired, tainted, and tattered team? It is significant that he has resurrected Isa Samad, the character suspended from UMNO a few years ago for “money politics!” Truly scraping the very bottom of the barrel! Rest assured that tainted characters like him will be in Najib’s cabinet.

Malaysia’s myriad problems would not miraculously vanish with a Pakatan victory; they may well get worse, at least in the short term. After the long drought years, it would only be human to expect Pakatan leaders and their patrons to treat their victory as durian runtoh (bountiful harvest) and get carried away with their excesses. It is to be noted that there are more family squabbles during the good times than during the lean.

Expect them to behave like the long-deprived family that had won a big lottery just before Christmas, Hari Raya, or Chinese New Year. Expect greedy squabbles on who would get the more expensive presents, the bigger duit raya, or more generous ang pows. Likewise, expect predictable fights over who would be Deputy Prime Minister, specifically whether he (or she, though unlikely) should be a Malay, and fights over critical portfolios like Finance, Education, and Home Affairs.

I am confident that under Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, Pakatan would overcome these expected teething problems. Many still harbor doubts about him. However, I have tremendous faith in the human capacity to change. Anwar today is a much better person and an immensely wiser leader then he was 15 years ago. He has been through a dramatic reversal of fate, been literally battered, and survived nearly six years in jail until his conviction was overturned. Lesser mortals would have been crushed but Anwar emerged stronger with his reputation enhanced.

Anwar is not dumb. His years in solitary confinement have taught him a thing or two about fate and human nature. He is now well-tempered steel, not easily corroded, and able to withstand the tempest, exactly the kind of leader the country needs.

The chief of police who battered Anwar was finally convicted and jailed. It is significant that Mahathir and others in UMNO have yet to express regret much less condemn the despicable performance of this chief of police. That reflects the ethos of Najib, Mahathir and UMNO. That will never change; hence the need to get rid of them.

The religiously inclined, more pious or less worldly-driven PAS leaders would be a positive influence. They would impress upon their Pakatan colleagues to regard their victory not as a cause for celebration as with a Hari Raya, but the beginning of a long difficult stretch, as with the start of Ramadan. Their victory should call for restraint, patience, and generosity; a time for shared sacrifices, not a fight over the spoils of victory. There will be plenty of time to celebrate later, when they have successfully completed their fast (their programs bearing results).

There would also be the inevitable temptation to reward old stalwarts for their loyalty and past efforts. Yes, by all means thank and honor them but the nation now needs a new beginning. We need new leaders. It would be a tough sell but that has to be done, and done gently, firmly, and with class as well as magnanimity. The torch has passed on to a new generation. It is time for the elders to step aside, tough though that may be for some.

The more human and thus likely response from them would be, “Finally it is our turn!” Those seniors would then look upon the younger leaders not as the next generation of torch bearers but usurpers. “We have struggled for decades and now these upstarts are grabbing the rewards from us!”

Were the older leaders to react that way, it would be a tragedy for them as well as the party and country.

“The old order changeth, yielding place to new, / And God fulfills himself in many ways” (48,49) wrote Tennyson in “The Passing of Arthur,” “Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.” (50) That newness after the election refers not just to a new party but also a new generation.

Those seniors should instead heed this Tennysonian wisdom:  “When every morning brought a noble chance, / And every chance brought out a noble knight.” (38,39) The 2013 election will be a new morning for Malaysia, and with that our chance for a new noble knight. We should seize upon that.

There are other potential dangers, of course. If perchance PAS were to win big relative to the other members of Pakatan, then expect its leaders to overreach. They would want to immediately implement hudud and declare an Islamic state. That would fatally split the coalition and be a tragedy for the country.

With its sizeable victory PAS could be the de facto ruling party. Its members could threaten or be bribed by UMNO to “return to the fold.” Historically PAS was an UMNO splinter group. UMNO would not hesitate to throw its non-Malay partners MCA and MIC under the bus, if that be the condition imposed by PAS. UMNO would do anything to hold on to power.

If that were to happen, non-Malays have every reason to be worried. I do not expect another race riot. Malaysians are now too smart and too far developed socio-economically to fall for such chauvinism. Instead what would happen would be a massive brain drain and capital flight out of the country. This time those highly educated non-Malays would be joined by Malays, at least those who have qualifications recognized outside of Malaysia. Those Malays have seen Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan; they have no wish for Malaysia to be like those countries.

An UMNO-PAS coalition would survive; the demographic supports that. The nation however, would not, at least not in its current form.

Lastly, a Pakatan victory will have a salutary effect on UMNO. Presently it is burdened with corrupt, incompetent and sclerotic leadership. Despite Najib’s much-ballyhooed and increasingly futile “transformation” and “change or be changed” exhortations, the party is incapable of reform and self-renewal. Deprived of the loot from having lost political power, a defeated UMNO would quickly implode. That would be the bad news for the party.

The good news is that only the honest, competent, and committed would be left. They would rebuild UMNO slowly and painfully, inspired by its past glories. The example of Mexico’s PRI cited earlier is instructive.

There are fear mongers out there intimating that we risk another horrific May 13 with a Barisan loss. The irresponsibility factor aside, such fears are misplaced. If Malays are easily swayed by frothy mouths like Ibrahim Katak, then we have a far greater problem. Non-Malays are smart enough not to be bothered by characters like him. The Ibrahim Kataks could easily be bought out and effectively silenced by a few cheap directorships.

What I fear more is not a Malay versus non-Malay riot, rather a vicious and protracted intra-Malay conflict. Intra-communal conflicts have always been underestimated. Syrians now suffer much worse then when their country was at war with Israel. Further back, the communists in China killed more Chinese than they did the invading Japanese. Malays now are more deeply polarized along social, political, and religious lines. The fact that our leaders across the spectrum are blissfully unaware of these simmering fault lines makes them all the more dangerous.

The recent Lahad Datuk incursion in Sabah was widely viewed as an “invasion.” Stripped of the nationalistic jingoism and militaristic bravado, it was nothing more than an intra-ethnic fight. What startled and frightened me most about the incident was that the most virulent and violent sentiments were expressed not by non-Malays but Malays. Not a single person, least of all a Malay, had suggested any peaceful solution. It took a foreigner in the person of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to urge an end to the violence and to encourage dialogue for a peaceful resolution.

I view the current racial taunting and fear mongering as nothing more than Barisan’s crude and ineffective tactic into scaring Malaysians from voting for the opposition.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 9:11 am and is filed under
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Looking forward to a gentleman’s fight in Johor

Pauline Wong

The Sun Daily

Posted on 21 April 2013

JOHOR BARU (April 21, 2013): The state of Johor is without a doubt, the state where all eyes are drawn – whether from the Barisan Nasional side, or from the Pakatan Rakyat.

Big names from the opposition have been parachuted to this southern state of Malaysia, where they hope that the 1.5 million voters here will cast ballots in their favour.

For the Barisan Nasional, the pressure is on to retain power in this birthplace of Umno, and they are more determined than ever to keep Johor in their grasp.

Even with so much at stake, the battle for Johor has taken off in a gentlemanly fashion, with fierce rivals going so far as to praise each other.

On Saturday, the arguably ‘hottest’ seat in Johor – Gelang Patah – saw both DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang and former Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman shaking hands amicably with each other when they arrived almost at the same time at the nomination centre in Skudai here.

Each was accompanied by some 500 supporters, who marched to the centre ablaze with spirit (and lion dance troupes!) but were relatively respectful to one another — but of course, the barbed wire blockade set up by the police was a major contributing factor to their peaceable gathering.

Even so, during a DAP grand ‘ceramah’ later that night on nomination day, Lim had gone up on stage and praised Ghani to some 8,000 people, saying that “he (Ghani) has done a good job in Johor, but it is time for change.”

Notably absent are personal attacks or mudslinging in the week leading up to ‘crunch-time’, or the 15-day official campaigning period, as ceramahs and mini-ceramahs given by both sides focused on what each side will bring (or rather, promise) to the people of Johor.

Many leaders, like Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin (who is contesting the Permas state seat, and is touted as the next MB if BN wins Johor) chose to rally the machinery to spread BN’s message of transformation, instead of spreading rumours.

Candidates even showed restraint when it came to commenting on their opponents, never delving into character attacks, but generally criticizing the manifestos or promises of the other side.

One only hopes that this spirit of political maturity continues well into the two-week campaign period until May 5.

However, this seemingly amiable atmosphere was slightly marred by the whole DAP ‘rocket’ symbol debacle, where the Registrar of Societies had notified the DAP that it did not recognize DAP’s central executive committee elections last December, mere 48 hours before nomination day.

This meant that there was a possibility that the Election Commission could reject the letter of appointment issued by DAP leadership under its symbol, as the derecognition meant the DAP leadership was not ‘legal.’

Although the ROS insisted that the DAP could still contest under the rocket symbol, the DAP had nonetheless taken an emotional approach to it, with DAP veterans insisting it was a ‘diabolical’ sabotage by the BN.

Nevertheless, now that the candidate nominations have been accepted, the fuss seems to have died down.

Perhaps it is now time to turn eyes to winning the hearts (and votes) of the people, preferably with little to no dirty tactics and a matured approach to politics – after all, the rakyat can judge, very clearly, the calibre of each candidate based on his or her substance, and will reject blustering and wild allegations.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 2:17 am and is filed under
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Najib defends Zul Noordin as champion of Indian issues

BY
BOO SU-LYN

The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 22, 2013

SHAH ALAM, April 22 – Datuk Seri Najib Razak described Datuk Zulkifli Noordin today as a champion of Indian issues in Shah Alam where the Perkasa vice-president is contesting in Election 2013.

The BN chairman’s defence of the controversial Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate comes even as MIC leader S. Vell Paari warned the ruling coalition recently that the Malay rights leader would cost BN Selangor in the May 5 polls.

“I’ve spoken to quite a number of Indians and they’re supporting him,” said the caretaker prime minister in a press conference at the Concorde Hotel here today.

“He’s already championed some issues pertaining to the Indian community in Shah Alam, like a Tamil school and another temple in Shah Alam,” added the Selangor BN chairman.

Vell said last Wednesday that BN was risking the Indian vote by fielding Zulkifli, which he said would likely become the deciding vote in states like Selangor that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had won in Election 2008.

Zulkifli will be contesting against incumbent Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad in the Malay-majority state capital, who is seen as a progressive voice in PAS.

Vell, who is the son of former MIC chief Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, also noted that there are some 15,000 Indian voters in Shah Alam, 31,000 in Kota Raja, 21,000 in Kapar and 17,000 in Subang, many among whom he said were angered by Najib’s selection of Zulkifli, who had allegedly insulted the Hindu community.

Najib, however, dismissed Zulkifli’s actions as “history”, noting that the former PAS man had apologised over his remarks.

Najib also hit out at the Selangor government for destroying seven Hindu temples in the country’s wealthiest state.

“Isn’t that more serious? More of a slap to the Hindus than what Zulkifli Noordin said 10 years ago when he was in PAS?” he said.

“They even destroyed a private temple in Sepang. That is worse, a thousand times worse than what Zulkifli Noordin has done,” added Najib.

A video of Zulkifli uttering the word “Keling”, which Malaysians of Indian descent consider derogatory, went viral recently, just days after another video was released in which he questioned an Indian trader on why Hindu gods did not prevent the man’s shop from being flooded, drawing the wrath of Hindus.

Once a lawyer for opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Zulkifli had also questioned the purity of the Ganges River in India that is considered sacred by Hindus.

Zulkifli became a BN-friendly Independent MP and critical of the opposition when he was dismissed from PKR on March 6, 2010 over a police report he lodged against Khalid.

Umno’s Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin lost to Khalid in Election 2008 with a 9,314-vote majority. In 2004, he had won against Khalid with a 13,410-vote majority.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 8:05 pm and is filed under
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On Malaysia’s debts and ‘growth at all cost’

by
Pak Sako

Centre for Policy Initiatives

I refer to
the article
 in The Malaysian Insider/New Mandala on reducing Malaysia’s debt burden by Nurhisham Hussein, an economist with Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad and former employee of Permodalan Nasional Berhad.

It is encouraging to have him participate in this national conversation on Malaysian debt.

Close to 20 prominent Malaysian academics, comprising economists and political scientists, had earlier urged the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to state the steps for remedying the worrying situation of Malaysia’s finances (see ‘
Academics call upon Barisan and Pakatan to declare policy positions on national finance and debt
‘, Centre for Policy Initiatives, 8 April 2013).

Here I reply to Nurhisham’s claim that the Malaysian government’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 52.9% “is below any critical threshold”, and that concerns regarding government debt are greatly “overblown”.

I also respond to his claim that it is extremely difficult to address household debt (“changing the behaviour and financial incentives faced by thousands of households”).

Malaysia’s debt is a symptom of deeper issues that conventional economic thinking cannot adequately solve. As Albert Einstein observed, “no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it”. An out-of-the-box approach is needed.

The unreliable debt-to-GDP ratio

The debt-to-GDP ratio is but one measure of a nation’s debt level. It does not give a full picture of a country’s debt situation, just as a 40-year-old man’s age and vital signs give no clue about whether or not he is prone to a heart attack.

Garbage in, garbage out: the debt-to-GDP ratio is only as good as its underlying numbers. There are more than a few questions about the true amount of debt that the Malaysian government is exposed to.

Bank Negara statistics themselves imply that Malaysia’s total debt in 2012 was a whopping RM1.743 trillion, a trillion more than the official figure of RM737.6 billion. The amounts of ‘hidden’ debts such as contingent liabilities are unclear; they “are not systematically reported in a consolidated manner” (IMF, ‘Malaysia: from crisis to recovery’, Occasional Paper No. 207, 2001, p. 47).

On the GDP side, it is questionable whether Malaysia’s economic growth is truly sustainable. It is completely possible to clock impressively high GDP numbers for short-term political publicity and survival by running a country’s resources down and squeezing the labour force and leaving future generations to deal with the consequences. The narrow conception of ‘sustainable growth’ (or ‘potential output’) in conventional economics does not consider resource or ecological limits, social conditions and other factors in the economy. Are the large increases in debt seen in the last decade justified by the increase in the meaningful portion of GDP?

An international study suggests that a high level of domestic debt makes it is possible to default even on small external debt. It found that domestic debt defaults are numerous but hidden; citizens can be shortchanged by their governments. Debt-to-GDP ratios say nothing about these. Another study says that debt-to-GDP ratios are country-specific, meaning we cannot directly compare ratios between different countries, especially between developing and developed countries.

There are also questions of social justice: are the citizens agreeable with the government’s debt undertaking? Which projects and which companies are the beneficiaries of these borrowings, and are they bankable? How exactly will the citizens be compensated for the borrowings made from their savings? Are public resources being used to pay them back?

These issues were discussed in the third installment of the Centre for Policy Initiative series on Malaysian debt ( ‘Malaysia’s debt: the misleading debt-to-GDP ratio’ , 29 March 2013).

Household debt and the ‘shopping-mall economy’

The structure of the Malaysian economy is one that is geared towards consumption. When export earnings fall, citizens are requested to consume to enlarge the domestic economy.

Malaysia probably has one of the highest densities of shopping malls in the Asia-Pacific region. It is not surprising that consumer spending and debt is significant. Malaysia’s household debt currently stands at more than RM600 billion. This amount needs to be assessed substantively, not simply in terms of ratios.

Consumer expenditure can be wasteful and counterproductive. For example, a fair chunk of household consumption is driven by rivalry. When person X’s peer owns a highly desirable object, person X is prompted to make a similar purchase to maintain his or her social standing. With easy credit, the cycle can continue until a crisis erupts.

The causal chain driving this consumerist behaviour is admittedly complex. In addition to the ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ syndrome, there is also the element of addiction and compensation. To make up for the disutility of long working hours or stressful, unsatisfying jobs, instant satisfactions are sought via consumer spending. These quick thrills fade, only to be sought again with a subsequent round of spending (see Tibor Scitovsky, The Joyless Economy: The Psychology of Human Satisfaction, 1992).

There is then the production side of matters. To increase profits, producers of goods and services employ the strategy of ‘planned obsolescence’. Consumer goods are intentionally made non-durable or are designed so that they are quickly rendered obsolete or unfashionable by newer models with minor additional features, hence triggering a new wave of consumer spending.

Such aspects ought to be scrutinised and incorporated as part of responsible economic policymaking. A range of policy options could explore the viability of having shorter work-hours, more part-time work or work-sharing opportunities (see Tim Jackson, ‘New economic model needed not relentless consumer demand’ , The Guardian, 17 January 2013). Ways could be found to create a diversity of occupations and more satisfying jobs. There should not be a focus on creating only ‘high productivity’ jobs.

The freeing up of more personal time could go hand in hand with creating consumption opportunities that give deeper satisfaction at lower expenditure. This could involve creating more parks, preserving forest reserves and encouraging recreational and sporting activities, constructing well-stocked public libraries, enabling communities to work together for achieving local-scale goals, and so on. Less materialistic but more meaningful living could be made fashionable. Creative measures at local and higher scales could be taken involving public awareness and advocacy.

But advocating moderated consumer spending is anathema for many governments as well as pro-market economists; GDP numbers will not be so high. Pro-market economists (and libertarians) believe that individuals should be free to spend as they like. However they ignore the powerful impact of advertising on consumer behaviour which entices consumers to spend the way producers prefer.

‘Quality growth’

The pursuit of ‘economic growth at all cost’ or ‘high growth numbers’ as a prime economic goal is at odds with reducing household debt or making judicious public investment. Unlimited growth is also impossible given finite natural capital and social and technological constraints.

In our context as a middle-income country, we should aim for well-conceived development which may produce low but quality growth — growth that is equitably distributed, socially meaningful and environmentally and economically sustainable — not high growth. This is a goal that needs to be in the forefront of our national aspirations.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 8:02 pm and is filed under
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The Fight Of 505

By Allan CF Goh

This epic date is about right

Fighting against bedeviled might.

It is the fight of the life’s light,

Against dark shadows of the night.

It’s the fight of the good Rama,

Against the evil Ravana.

Reject evil as our karma,

And defend the worthwhile dharma.

This day we oppose racism,

And all acts of extremism,

That divide fraternalism.

Poll for real nationalism.

Come this General Election,

Eliminate the corruptions,

And all their soulless corrosion,

That breed foul discrimination.

Citizens, let’s vote for justice,

In the governmental lattice,

For good and positive practice,

Free of any racial malice.

Let’s change, and vote for decency,

With folks’ rights in ascendancy.

Let’s vote for true democracy,

With people’s voice in primacy,

To ensure our children’s future,

We need unbiased social structure,

And education with good feature;

Different from today’s caricature.

Vote for men of perspicuity,

And people of morality.

This day we choose equality,

Or foul racist depravity.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 5:38 pm and is filed under
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This is an election to determine whether rakyat Malaysia will vote for a sustainable future for our children or a sustainable corrupt BN government?

Earth Day is an occasion to remind us that our mother nature is deteriorating over the last few decades, natural resources has been robbed off by corrupt government and their cronies that brought pollution, deforestation and degradation that hampered the livelihoods of people.

During the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2009, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that Malaysia has agreed to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40% by 2020 compared with 2005 levels, however, polluted industry that has been rejected by other developed countries such as Lynas rare earth refinery plants are allowed to operate in Kuantan and given 12-year tax exemption.

BN is also pursuing constructions of giant petrochemical hub in Pengerang,  giant aluminium smelter plant in Sarawak,  two nuclear plants in the country,  BN government has clearly proven that it is pursuing economic development at all cost at the expense of the environment and people’s health.

If BN continues to run the country, Malaysia will never achieve a sustainable, low carbon and resource efficient future. Only a Pakatan Rakyat that pledge to make Malaysia a cleaner, greener, safer and healthier place to live will reject rare earth plants and nuclear plants to ensure our future generation can live in a better world.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 9:43 am and is filed under
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Why Malay voters need to support Kit Siang (1)

by Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 2:18 am and is filed under
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Why Malay voters need to support Kit Siang (2)

by Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 22 April 2013, 2:18 am and is filed under
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12-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day: MCA cuba pancing undi dengan menghina Islam – UMNO berdiam diri membiarkan Islam dihina

MCA cuba memancing undi dengan menghina umat Islam di Malaysia dan UMNO pula berdiam diri membiarkan Islam dihina. Inilah kerjasama MCA dan UMNO dalam Barisan Nasional yang telah pun dan akan terus memecahbelahkan perpaduan kita sebagai rakyat Malaysia.

Saya kesal dengan tindakan MCA yang menggunakan akhbar The Star yang dikuasainya untuk menyiarkan iklan-iklan politik yang menghina orang Melayu dan mempermainkan agama Islam.

MCA sengaja berbuat demikian untuk menunjukkan kepada kaum Cina bahawa ia tidak akan tunduk kepada orang Melayu dan Islam.

Manakala UMNO pula berdiam diri dan tidak berani mempertahankan Islam dan Melayu kerana mahu membiarkan MCA memperolehi undi kaum Cina melalui cara yang kotor dan keji ini.

Dalam iklan The Star hari ini di muka surat 25, iklan bertajuk “Why is DAP silent?” (Mengapa DAP berdiam diri?) mengutuk kerajaan negeri PAS-Pakatan Rakyat Kedah yang didakwa merobohkan tempat menyembelih haiwan, mengharamkan panggung wayang, mengharamkan persembahan seni oleh wanita dan mengharamkan sambutan Hari Valentine.

Iklan akhbar MCA itu juga mendakwa kononnya PAS mahu menutup Bursa Saham dan Genting serta fatwa PAS dikatakan menjejaskan orang bukan Islam.

Dalam satu lagi iklan The Star hari ini di muka surat 27, iklan bertajuk “DAP’s UBAH will turn Johor into another Kelantan”, MCA menuduh bahawa kempen UBAH oleh DAP-Pakatan Rakyat akan menjadikan Johor seperti negeri Kelantan.

Apa yang dimaksudkan oleh iklan MCA itu adalah ekonomi Johor akan terjejas, industri pelancongan akan berkurangan dan Johor akan mengalami masalah HIV, penagihan dadah, rogol dan air kotor seperti di Kelantan.

Dan seperti biasa, MCA menuduh bahawa kualiti hidup rakyat Johor akan terjejas kerana DAP akan bersekongkol dengan PAS untuk menutup pusat hiburan.

Kebanyakan dakwaan itu berpunca daripada laporan yang dibuat oleh akhbar yang dikuasai oleh MCA dan BN sendiri!

Apa yang MCA dan BN cuba sampaikan ialah kerajaan Kelantan pimpinan orang Melayu yang berteraskan Islam dan berpandukan Perlembagaan Persekutuan akan menjadi Malaysia negara mundur.

Tetapi MCA dan BN lupa bahawa rakyat Kelantan sejak 1990 sentiasa memilih PAS adalah kerana kepimpinan Menteri Besar Kelantan, Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat adalah bersih, bebas rasuah dan adil kepada semua kaum.

Kebebasan beragama di Kelantan adalah lebih baik daripada beberapa negeri yang diperintah oleh UMNO-BN.

Rakyat Kelantan sudah lama sedar bahawa pimpinan PAS-Pakatan Rakyat tegas menolak rasuah, salahguna kuasa dan penyelewengan.

Saya yakin para pengundi Malaysia, terutamanya orang Melayu Islam, akan menolak kempen politik kotor yang dilakukan oleh BN ini.

Inilah kempen kotor dan kolot BN yang mahu menakutkan pengundi Cina dengan mengutuk PAS dan DAP melalui dakwaan yang tidak berasas.

Malah, kutukan itu telah secara langsung dan tidak langsung telah menghina Islam. UMNO yang mengaku wira Islam sepatutnya berani meminta MCA menghentikan kempen yang bersifat menghasut dan fitnah ini.

DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat tidak akan terlibat dengan kempen kotor ini.

Bagi DAP, kami bercakap terus-terang. Apa yang kami ucapkan di hadapan pengundi Cina adalah sama dengan apa yang kami ucapkan kepada pengundi Melayu, India, Kadazan, Iban dan lain-lain.

Kami amalkan politik bersih, telus dan sopan.

Kami tidak fitnah, kami tdiak pukul orang, kami hormati hak asasi manusia dan kebebasan insan.

Inilah amalan Pakatan Rakyat.

Ubah! Ini kalilah!

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 23 April 2013, 3:26 pm and is filed under
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If Najib cannot implement his Transformation Agenda with a strong 58-MP majority, there is no hope that he could ever “walk the talk” in transforming Malaysia after the 13GE

Yesterday, I was on a 20-hour 700-km four-state campaign trail, from Gelang Patah to Malacca, Rasa in Ulu Selangor parliamentary/Kuala Kubu Baru state assembly constituencies in Selangor, then to the three Parliamentary constituencies in Perak in Teluk Intan, Lumut and Bruas, ending in Ipoh.

Wherever I went, there were large throngs of Malaysians from all races and religions, representing the Malaysian microcosm of a plural society, united and excited by the common hope and aspiration that the country undertake the greatest political enterprise in the nation’s 56-year history – a peaceful and democratic change of the Federal Government in Putrajaya.

Although Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak want Malaysia to become the world’s best democracy, we still have to establish the preconditions for Malaysia to become a normal democracy before we can really aspire to be the world’s best democracy.

One of these pre-conditions of a normal democracy is the peaceful and democratic alternation of power in general elections, where voters exercise the final and undisputed right to decide whether it is the incumbent or the Opposition which should form the government of the country for the next four or five years until the next national polls!

This is taken for granted in all normal democracies, whether in the West or East, whether in United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the European countries or in Japan, South Korea, even in the Philippines and Indonesia but not yet in Malaysia despite 12 general elections in over five decades of parliamentary democracy.

In fact, for 56 years, Malaysia has had an abnormal democracy, with an unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority for the ruling coalition breeding an arrogant, authoritarian and opaque government in the past three decades marked by rampant corruption, cronyism, abuses of power, injustices, massive violation of human rights, the plunder of the natural resources and the despoilation of the environment in the country.

For instance, UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders like the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and the de facto Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir had been spreading the fallacy that it is not necessary to change the Federal Government to bring about changes of policy and that the Barisan Nasional government is capable of bringing about these changes.

This is of course bunkum.

Najib has been Prime Minister for full four years but his National Transformation Agenda has been a colossal failure, whether in combatting corruption; reducing crime; raise educational standards from primary, secondary to tertiary level; upgrade the Malaysian economy into a highly competitive one; promote respect for democratic and human rights; uphold the rule of law and generally ensure good governance in the country.

Although Umno/BN had been deprived of two-thirds parliamentary majority, which is a rarity in other parliamentary democracies, he has a very strong parliamentary majority of 58 parliamentary seats which many strong governments in other democracies do not have luxury.

If Najib cannot implement his Transformation Agenda with a strong 58-MP majority, there is no hope that he could ever “walk the talk” in transforming Malaysia after the 13GE.

The BN list of candidates for the 13GE should be the last straw to send UMNO/BN to the Opposition benches in Parliament, for there can be no justification or excuse to justify the selection of one of the most divisive, unprincipled and destructive voices in the country, Zulkifli Noordin as BN parliamentary candidate for Shah Alam.

The appointment of Zulkifli as BN candidate is the best proof that Najib and the BN parties are not serious about the 1Malaysia policy, for Zulkifli stands for the worst and most unprincipled opposition to 1Malaysia politics, even telling lies to incite racial hatred and conflict.

Why have the moderates in UMNO endorsed Zulkifli’s candidature? Have the MIC, MCA, Gerakan, PPP and the other BN component parties forgiven Zulkifli his insult of the Hindu religion and his lies to incite racial hatred and tensions?

Let MIC President, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, the Gerakan President, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek, the PPP President, Datuk Seri M. Kayveas and leaders of other BN component parties declare their individual and respective stand on the Zulkifli candidature on the Barisan Nasional ticket.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 23 April 2013, 5:22 pm and is filed under
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In cyberspace, a daughter remembers ‘mother, hero’

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — On Saturday, Ong Ai Sam, 52, fended off two robbers in a desperate bid to buy her daughter time to escape. She succeeded, but paid for it with her life.

This is the message her daughter wishes she could hear.

My mother, my hero

I remember. I remember everything.

A few months ago in English class, my teacher asked us to write about the person who we admire. I wrote about my mum. A month ago for my English March Test paper, the topic I wrote about was “My Hero”. I wrote about my mum. During my test, I had writer’s block so I simply wrote out everything i knew about my mum: her childhood, achievements, etc. My mum is my hero. She always has been, she always will be.

20th April 2013.

Mama left early in the morning for some event her Kiwanis Club’s K-Kids had planned. She came back home with lunch for me and Milo ais. I remember grumbling to her because I didn’t want to follow my parents jungle trekking. I did anyway. We had to set up a trail for my father’s running group so mama was carrying a bag with just plain paper in it. I remember grumbling to my mum as we went up and down the hills of Gasing. She told me we’d be out soon. After two hours of trekking in the jungle, we finally hit the road. It was the road in Gasing leading up to the temple. We decided to walk back down to the car.

As we walked down the steep road, there was nobody there. No people, no cars. Just the two of us. As we nearly reached the first house, we heard a motorbike sound from behind. We turned around and saw two men on a motorbike. Mama said walk further in onto the pavement so we did. As the motorbike drove past us, they stopped. The man from behind jumped off. My mum pushed me to the back and told me to go. The man attacked my mum straight away, without saying any words. The knife he used was just a normal kitchen knife, the blade was about 10cm long. As my mum tried to protect herself, she turned to her left, only to be stabbed twice on the back of her right shoulder. She was struggling to escape. The attacker then proceeded to stab the back of her left shoulder. Mama tried so hard to escape. She fell on the ground and the attacker pulled her on the road and stabbed her thigh. I tried to help but the attacker thrust the knife my way so I ran back further. I couldn’t do anything but scream at the top of my lungs. I screamed and screamed. The attacker hopped on the bike and rode off.

I remember.

I remember watching my mum’s body lying on the road, all the blood oozing out. The attacker did not manage to get any of my mum’s belongings. She told me to call my dad. I ran down the hill looking for help. The first house I went to, the maid (who saw everything that happened) ran in and did not even try to help me. I ran further down and saw a car. They saw me and stopped. And I told them what happened. The driver, Mr Lai, told me to get in and we drive up to my mum. Mr Lai called the ambulance and the police while I tried to keep my mum conscious. There was blood everywhere. My mum just kept saying “save me”. Her voice was so week. My dad reached the site 10 minutes later, after running all the way. Mama kept telling us that she couldn’t breathe. I prayed and prayed. She was slowly losing herself. We tried our best to keep her awake and conscious. The police arrived. We put her in the police car since the ambulance hadn’t arrived. As we reached down the road, the ambulance was there so they transferred mum into the ambulance.

I remember.

I remember sitting in the ambulance, holding my mum’s hand and trying to talk to her but she didn’t respond. I remember crying. The paramedics were doing all they could do at that point. I remember calling Eu Lim, who was at church to pray for my mum. We reached the hospital in three minutes. They rushed my mum to the emergency was. I wasn’t allowed to enter and I was so, so scared. My dad had followed Mr Lai’s car and they hadn’t reached yet. I had to settle my mum’s registration and then I had to talk to the police. My dad arrived. Then my friends arrived. I sat at the doorway of the hospital, praying and praying. 10 minutes later, my dad came out and told me my mum didn’t make it. I dropped in the middle of the hospital floor, screaming. Everyone was looking at me, but I didn’t care. A bunch of doctors came out to get me; they took me to a special room. They questioned me and they told me about how my mum was already gone when we were in the ambulance. They tried their best to revive her.

I remember.

I remember coming home. My friends just sat in silence. I just sat in silence. I was covered in blood, mama’s blood. I had to get myself together. I had to bathe. We broke the news to my sister through Face Time and that was really hard to do. Slowly, people started coming. It was hard seeing my aunts and uncles cry, my parent’s close friends, my close friends and to know I had to keep it all together. It was really hard, telling my story to everyone. It’s really hard to even close my eyes for awhile because i see it replaying in my head over and over again. Watching my mum lying in her pool of blood and not being able to do anything. Not being able to save her.

People come, then people leave. All I hear is “I’m so sorry for your loss” or “my condolences”. All I hear is people questioning me about what happened, since I was the sole witness. But I am so tired of telling this story over and over again. I am so tired of hearing other people tell this story. This is my story. This is the truth. Newspapers and reporters may twist it around and exaggerate to the whole world, but this story will remain the truth forever.

I am truly grateful and appreciative to everyone who came, whether it was for a short period, or a long time. Thank you to those who’ve brought a little bit more of hope and joy to me, even though you guys didn’t try. Thank you to those who’ve brought food and drinks, and flowers. Thank you to everyone who called, texted, Whatsapped, Facebook-ed and tweeted me. I don’t know how i became a trending topic overnight (#prayforhuiwei). I was mad at first, but then I realised how much my family had all of your love and support. Whether i know you or not, whether you knew my mum or not, all your kind words really helped. My mother was such an amazing and beautiful person.

I remember.

My mum’s last words to me were “I love you so much” dying there, on the road. I watched it all. I watched it all slip out of my hands. Now my life feels so empty. I keep thinking to myself that this is all a dream. Maybe I’d wake up and be able to avoid this from happening. Maybe if someone pinched me I’d wake up from this nightmare. But this is reality, and I have to face the facts. I have to face the fact that I’m alone now. I have to face the sounds of crying and wailing from the other room. I have to face the facts that I’m going to grow up motherless, clueless and confused. It won’t be easy, but I will get through this.

Ma,

I love you so much. And I am so sorry I had to watch you die. I am so sorry I couldn’t save you. But you’re with God now. Ma you’re such a great person. Beautiful inside and out. And I thank you for teaching me your ways. Thank you for always teaching (scolding) me to be a better person. Even though we’ve had our moments, and times we didn’t see eye to eye, you’ll always be my best friend. Who’s going to pick me up from school now? Who am I going to say “HEY MA” to and tell them about my day? Who’s going to cuddle up with me on the couch and be lazy for awhile?

Ma,

Remember how you used to come into my room while I was studying, and hug me then tickle me. Remember how you used to sing me to sleep when I was young. Or how you used sing when you’re happy. You had a beautiful voice. Remember how we sat on the couch, looking for coloured beads to do arts and crafts. Remember every single day we spent together.

Ma,

I just saw your body, lying in the coffin. You look so beautiful, peaceful, just like you’re sleeping. And I have the biggest urge to scream “wake up”. Thank you, Ma. For giving me life, for giving me love. You taught me everything good in my life. You were always selfless, God-fearing. You were my strong pillar of hope and love. And even though you’re no longer here with us, you’re with God. And you’re happy, just like how you appeared in Lissa’s dream. And I do hope justice will be served. They’re working on finding the criminals, ma. They will be caught.

We all miss you, ma, we miss you so much. Goh Ee and Sar Ee has already appointed themselves as my “mama” and I see you so much of you in them. And it’s not going to be the same anymore. Nothing will be the same anymore. You’re not going to watch me graduate, you’re not going to watch me get married. You’re not going to be there to take care of my children. But I know you are with us in spirit, and you’re always watching over us. Please give me the strength and courage to move forward with my life. Please give me the motivation to be better. To be more like you. To spread the love and joy. Papa, Tache and I will always be grateful for you are the biggest blessing God has given. And maybe you’ve done too much good so The Lord called you home. And you are safe now, safe with God. He will watch over you (and us) and protect you. You are safe from all the evil now.

I will make you proud, mama. I will make everyone proud. I love you so much. I’ll love you every single day of my life, and I’ll never forget whatever you’ve done for me. Thank you so much. Rest in peace, mama, I love you.

*
This is a post written by Hui Wei on the blog, “the ugly truth”.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 23 April 2013, 10:12 am and is filed under
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Malaysia Needs to Get Off the Road to Mediocrity

By
William Pesek
 | April 22, 2013 10:00 PM EDT

Bloomberg

In his bid for re-election, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has dispensed with all shame. Vote for me, he has essentially declared, or Malaysia will suffer “catastrophic ruin” and an “Arab Winter” of the kind that has undone economies from Egypt to Libya.

Both warnings are ludicrous — signs of how worried Najib’s National Front coalition is of losing power for the first time since 1957. They speak to the desperation of a government that has come to serve itself, not Malaysia’s 29 million people. And they are emblematic of a leader whose talk of bold change hasn’t been matched by action.

Najib’s claim is this: Giving the opposition, led by former Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim, a chance to lead on May 5 would reverse all the gains Malaysia has made since the 2008 financial crisis. The economy would crater, stocks and the currency would plunge, and chaos would reign.

Change through the ballot box in a democracy should never be disruptive or chaotic, and rhetoric suggesting otherwise is disingenuous. Najib likes to say: “The time has come for Malaysians to make a decision.” Actually, the time has come for Malaysia’s government to grow up.

Najib’s scaremongering, some of which came out of an April 17 Bloomberg News
interview
, smacks of the re-election campaign run almost a decade ago by then U.S. President George W. Bush. Instead of this vote-for-me-or-you’re-in-danger appeal, Najib should scare up some headline-grabbing reforms that leave Malaysia better off in the future.

Developing Complacency

The country’s biggest problem is complacency. Malaysia Inc. can be a slow-moving, change-resistant animal in a very dynamic neighborhood. Nations as diverse as China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are evolving in ways that have enabled them to leapfrog peers in a few years. They are all competing for the same infrastructure dollars, factory projects, bond deals and stock issues. Singapore, meanwhile, has become the beneficiary of many of Malaysia’s best and brightest, who have emigrated in search of a more merit-based economy.

Malaysia is a resource-rich nation with huge potential. But it remains shackled to a four-decade-old affirmative-action program — favoring ethnic Malays — that turns off foreign investors and undermines national productivity. This so-called New Economic Policy was devised by Najib’s father, Abdul Razak Hussein, the country’s second prime minister.

Najib, 59, has indeed rolled back some of those preferences to encourage investment. He did away with a requirement that foreign companies investing in Malaysia and locally listed businesses set aside 30 percent of their equity for ethnic Malays and indigenous peoples known as “bumiputera.” It’s time to go much further and dismantle all race-based policies.

Little Difference

When, for example, can more ethnic Chinese expect to start winning the really big government contracts? Here, Najib’s real quarrel may be with his own government. Anwar is pro-markets and pro-investment, too. When you look at the core of what Najib is promising voters — less corruption and higher living standards — it’s not wildly different from the opposition’s message. The trouble is, Najib is navigating a 13-party coalition whose interests are as entrenched as any in the world. His partners are pushing back quite assertively, afraid of losing the Malay vote they could once take for granted.

Money Politics

The opposition has gained traction with its claims that Malay-run companies, from power producers to toll-road operators, unfairly benefit from their ties to the government. Najib’s pledges to clamp down on crony capitalism and to instill greater transparency have been undercut by measures such as the ban on street protests that passed on his watch. Now, many voters hope to wipe the slate clean.

When he’s not trying to frighten voters, Najib is touting Malaysia’s 6.4 percent growth as proof he is a radical-change agent. In fact, much of Southeast Asia also is booming, and the government is helping to artificially fuel growth with populist handouts. Even more than the $444 billion of private sector-led projects ranging from oil storage to a mass-transit railway that Najib has championed, the country needs reforms that will revitalize the system as a whole. The government should be encouraging more startup companies, widening the tax base and hacking away at subsidies that institutionalize complacency.

All too often, rapid gross-domestic-product growth is used as a smoke screen to hide underlying cracks in an economy’s long-run potential. In Malaysia’s case, the numbers mask a government too focused on staying in power to do its job. If anything should be scaring Malaysian voters, it’s that.

(William Pesek is a Bloomberg View columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 23 April 2013, 1:43 pm and is filed under
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Naughty, dishonest ROS

By
P Gunasegaram
 | 4:26PM Apr 19, 2013

QUESTION TIME It looks like other Malaysian bodies besides those responsible for curbing corruption are being “naughty and dishonest”, the latest being the Registrar of Societies (ROS) which has draconian powers to oversee societies, including political parties.

Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud famously (notoriously?) labelled the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation of himself for graft as “victimisation”, and reserved his cooperation because he believed that they have been “naughty and dishonest”.

“They (MACC) don’t deserve my cooperation because they have been naughty… and they have not been honest,” he said recently.

Change some names, and the DAP is now a victim of “naughty and dishonest” investigation by the ROS. This is likely closer to the truth than the MACC allegations by Taib who continues unscathed despite everything. What’s more, delve deeper into the latest issue and you will wade deep into a conspiracy theory to rival any book by Jeffrey Archer.

The DAP – yes, to its discredit then – had a “technical glitch” during its December elections for the central executive committee (CEC) which resulted in a minor revision to its election results. The studious ROS began investigations, but only decided not to recognise DAP’s CEC several months later, yesterday – just two days before nomination day. How convenient.

According to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, the letter was faxed to the DAP headquarters at 5.45pm yesterday in very questionable circumstances.

In a report by Malaysiakini, Lim (above) told reporters that ROS director-general Abdul Rahman Othman had personally met him in his office in Penang on April 5, where the latter agreed to postpone the ‘routine’ investigations in view of the looming elections to May 9, four days after the elections.

“Abdul Rahman personally guaranteed to me that he would not make any decision until investigations are complete, and until he obtains a full report from his investigator.”

But then the letter not to recognise the DAP’s CEC still came.

Lim has cried foul, and indeed that is what it is, coming so late in the day when the ROS has had many months to investigate the “technical glitch”.

Meantime, the Election Commission said that the DAP will be able to field candidates as usual on nomination day, regardless of the Registrar of Societies’ decision to suspend the party’s central committee.

‘No comfort at all for DAP’

Should that not give some comfort to DAP that it can contest under its own banner and put up its own slate? Apparently not, and here is where the conspiracy and plot thickens and links up with the other ingredients for a good, juicy stew.

What gives? If the ROS does not recognise the DAP’s CEC and has given notice to the DAP that it does not recognise the CEC before nomination day, how can the CEC make any legally binding decision on its slate of candidates? There is the possibility that its entire slate of candidates can be disqualified on nomination day itself.

Even if they are not on nomination day tomorrow, post-elections, it is possible to challenge the legality of DAP’s candidates. A compliant judiciary could negate the results of elections where DAP candidates stood. And if DAP MPs and state assemblypersons are suspended on Monday May 6 – the day after the elections – via court injunction, power can’t be handed over.

Thus far, three agencies are implicated in this conspiracy: The ROS with its draconian powers granted during ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s (right) dictatorial grip on the country when he tightened laws for societies to bring them under control; the supposedly independent, but not so independent Election Commission and its assurance which may lull DAP into complacency; and a compliant judiciary, courtesy again of Mahathir, which may be willing to play ball.

The bigger question is, who is the puppeteer pulling the strings behind the curtains? And are they actually so desperate and so fearful of losing as to resort to such measures to deny free and fair elections to remain in power? Indeed, is there such a plot in the first place?

Obviously, the DAP cannot and will not take chances, and unless it has iron-clad assurances that it can use its own logo and put up its own candidates, it will go ahead with its plans of standing under the PAS banner in the peninsular, and PKR for Sabah and Sarawak.

If they have to, it will be a major challenge, but the plot will backfire for those who may have engineered this whole thing. It will only help to push the somewhat disparate partners in Pakatan Rakyat even closer together and hasten the day when they will all stand under one banner.

And it is going to sicken further all right-thinking, reasonable and responsible Malaysians who badly – very badly – want to see elections fought on even terrain with everyone given equal opportunity to express their views and get their message across. So no one has an unfair advantage or obstacle.

Any measure which further enhances Pakatan Rakyat’s image as the underdog will help the coalition more than it harms.

P GUNASEGARAM is founding editor of KiniBiz. He enjoyed reading Jeffrey Archer’s “First Among Equals”, especially the final twist about who would become prime minister.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 23 April 2013, 3:17 pm and is filed under
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