Najib’s NRP is a  recipe to abdicate his responsibility as Prime Minister in a plural society but still clinging to the perks of office

I was excited when I  learned that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has today a blog post entitled “A national reconciliation update”, as I thought it would signal an end to the nine-month hiatus of government after the 13th general elections, with a Prime Minister who seems to be rudderless, leadershipless and directionless especially on the important agenda of nation-building and national unity.

I could not believe my eyes when I read Najib’s blog-post,  because it does not inspire hope that there is going to be a new purposeful leadership to end the government drift in the past nine months with an inclusive vision of nation-building, but a recipe for Najib to abdicate his responsibility as Prime Minsiter in a plural society but still clinging to the perks of office!

What was Najib’s answer to the worst racial and religious polarisation in post-13GE compared to any other time in the nation’s 56-year history and which led the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) to warn only last week that the Najib administration’s failure to act swiftly when dealing with racial and religiously sensitive incidents could lead to “serious consequences”?

The NUCC said in a statement that Putrajaya must move quickly as rising religious tensions could eventually hamper efforts to promote national unity.

It urged the Najib government “to uphold the rule of law and to actively promote national unity by taking prompt action against incendiary statements and actions which are provocative and can lead to conflict and tension with serious consequences affecting peace, harmony and national unity”.

What is Najib’s response to the NUCC call and the general expectation of the Malaysian citizenry that the government would be pro-active and even pre-emptive in taking measures to slap down and halt the increasing incidents of the incitement of  racial and religious hatred and tensions through the spread of lies and falsehoods, to pit race against race and religion and religion, even if it would set the multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation in flames?

Instead of the promise of pro-active and pre-emptive action to save the country by giving no room or space for the evil and nefarious designs of  the merchants and vendors of hate and violence, all that Najib is suggesting is that Malaysians should just ignore the demands of the instigators and extremists, i.e.  “Don’t give them the air time or the publicity”.

I could not think of a more inane, useless or irresponsible plan to save the country from the sinister and nefarious forces out to pit race against race and religion against religion and  to create racial chaos and religious conflagration, especially when it is the UMNO and BN-controlled  printed, electronic  and social media which gave precious oxygen to such instigators by sensationalising their extremist demands– in particular Utusan Malaysia and the UMNO/BN controlled electronic media of radio and television.

Will Najib immediately issue a directive to Utusan Malaysia and all Umno/BN-controlled printed, electronic and social media to stop giving oxygen to these instigators and extremists by denying them the “publicity they crave”?

If Najib is not prepared to issue such a directive, is he not condoning the instigators and extremists in their dastardly act of trying to pit race against race and religion against religion through the incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions with lies and falsehoods?

The least I had expected is an announcement by the Prime Minister serving a final warning to all and sundry that the government and all the forces at its command, including the police and the Attorney-General’s chambers, would be deployed to ensure that peace, harmony, progress and prosperity of all Malaysians would not be jeopardised or destroyed by the evil designs of a treacherous few who want to create racial chaos and religious conflagration through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions with lies and falsehoods.

But Najib lacks such political will, commitment, leadership and vision to save Malaysia from the instigators and extremists set on creating racial chaos and religious conflagration through the ceaseless incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions with lies and falsehoods.

All he is asking Malaysians is to “destroy” the instigators and extremists “by having faith in yourself and your fellow Malaysians”.

No talk that the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on anyone who preaches hate seeking to pit race against race and religion against religion to cause racial chaos and religious conflagration!

If this is all Najib could prescribe to ensure peace, harmony, progress and prosperity for all Malaysians, then he should not be Prime Minister as his proper vocation would be a Good Samaritan preaching from street to street and village to village to all mankind to do good and avoid harm to others!

Why the sudden compassion by Najib for the instigators and extremists who are out to set the plural Malaysian nation aflame?

And what is the use of the police, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and other national institutions if these instigators and extremists are suddenly to be  given the powers of “immunity and impunity” to break the laws of the country and tear the country asunder?

Najib also blogs about the mysterious National Reconciliation Plan (NRP), which apparently, had been conceived in the greatest secrecy “after months of quiet work…now almost ready to implement our plan of action”.

Najib said: “The NRP will aim to encourage an environment that is conducive and promotes national reconciliation through unity and consensus across the country. What we want to do is to help inspire the rakyat to respect and reconnect with one another so as to make Malaysia a better home for all of us.”

It is certainly presumptuous on the part of a government elected on a minority vote of 47% of the electorate to work quietly and in secrecy to conceive a National Reconciliation Plan without consultation and input from the Pakatan Rakyat, which has secured a majority of 51% of the national vote.

Up to now, Pakatan Rakyat had never been consulted on the NRP and our olive branch of a Barisan Nasional-Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Summit on National Reconciliation and National Unity still await an official response from the Prime Minister and the BN leadership.

Furthermore, is this NRP which seems to be in the advanced stage of completion if not already completed, a totally different animal from the National Unity Blueprint (NUB) which is being prepared by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) which has given itself  a two-year deadline!

If the NRP is a different creature from the NUB, it raises questions firstly, what is the purpose of NUCC preparing a NUB when the government has almost a NRP in place; and secondly, whether it would cost taxpayers RM10 million or RM20 million like the Malaysian National Education Blueprint which the government paid RM20 million to foreign consultants to draft.

It is sad and shocking that after five years as Prime Minister, Najib does not seem the know that the deadly challenge posed by those who want to destroy the very fabric of Malaysian society through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions is not “Don’t give extremists publicity”, but “Don’t give extremists any quarter” so as to stamp out all those who ceaselessly incite racial and religious hatred with lies and falsehoods to create racial chaos and religious conflagration.

When will Najib perform his duty and responsibility to the Malaysian nation and people as the sixth Prime Minister of the country?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 25th February 2014)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 25 February 2014, 4:24 pm and is filed under
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Pakatan Rakyat comprising PAS, PKR and DAP representing Malaysians of all races, religions and regions, will spearhead campaign to save Malaysia from traitors who want to destroy Malaysia by incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions through lies and falsehoods

Pakatan Rakyat comprising PAS, PKR and DAP representing Malaysians of all races, religions and regions, will spearhead campaign to save Malaysia from traitors who want to destroy Malaysia by incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions through lies and falsehoods

Malaysia after the 13th General Elections nine months ago in May last year is going through its most dangerous times in the nation’s history.

This is because there are in our midst irresponsible and reckless elements, whom I would even call traitors to the nation, who want to pit race against race, religion against religion, to destroy Malaysia by causing racial chaos or religious conflagration through the incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities, hatred, conflicts and tension spouting lies and falsehoods.

What makes the situation very dangerous is we have a government which seems to have lost it duty and political will to uphold the Constitution and be a government for all Malaysians and to act firmly against the merchants and vendors of hate.

Instead of taking firm action against these irresponsible and reckless elements out to destroy Malaysia through the incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and conflict based on lies and falsehoods, the government whether the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, the Police, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the judiciary, have failed to uphold the Constitution and the laws, as if these irresponsible elements enjoy “immunity and impunity” to break laws and to incite racial and religious hatred through lies and falsehoods.

The DAP has been a special target of this insidious and treacherous campaign for the past few years, which had been intensified in the past nine months.

These are among the lies and falsehoods which had been hurled against DAP and DAP leaders with the purpose of inciting racial and religious hatred and conflict to cause racial chaos or religious conflagration:

   – The lie that the PR Penang State Government of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng wanted to ban the Prophet Mohamad’s birthday procession or perarakan maulidur rasul;

   – The lie that DAP Member of Parliament Teresa Kok wanted to ban the azan in a mosque in Kinrara resulting in Teresa being detained under the Internal Security Act;

   – The lie that the PR Penang State Government want to ban the Friday khutbah;

   – The lie that Malay Bibles are distributed to Malay students in Penang;

    -The lie that Teresa Kok’s “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” video is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers.

The cumulative effect of these lies and falsehoods to incite racial and religious hatred and conflicts, with the authorities especially the Police folding its hands and standing by, seeming to condone open breaches and defiance of the law instead of arresting and prosecuting the criminals trying to pit race against race and religion against religion, is to create the totally false impression that Malays and Islam are under siege.

This is the recipe for racial chaos or religious conflagration for Malaysia, which no responsible government should allow or permit.

We in the Pakatan Rakyat believe that the overwhelming majority of Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians,Orang Asli, Kadazans, Ibans, whether Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Taoists, whether in Peninsuar Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak want peace, harmony, progress and prosperity for all Malaysians and do not want racial or religious conflict, chaos or conflagration.

In fact, we not only believe that it is not only members of Pakatan Rakyat, whether PAS, PKR or PAS but also members of Barisan Nasional, whether UMNO, MCA, Gerakan, MIC or the other BN component parties, who want peace, harmony, progress and prosperity for all in Malaysia and reject racial or religious discord.

It is only a small group of irresponsible and reckless people who are prepared to be traitors to Malaysia by fomenting racial and religious strife through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred with lies and falsehoods.

Pakatan Rakyat comprising PAS, PKR and DAP representing Malaysians of all races, religions and regions, will spearhead a national campaign to save Malaysia from traitors who want to destroy Malaysia through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and tensions with lies and falsehoods.

We invite Barisan Nasional and its component parties to join the Pakatan Rakyat in this national campaign to save Malaysia from traitors who want to destroy Malaysia through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred with lies and falsehoods.

This is why the Pakatan Rakyat national leadership has offered the olive branch to the Prime Minister and the Barisan Nasional leadership to come together in a BN-PR Leaders Summit on national unity and national reconciliation to save Malaysia from those who want to create racial chaos and religious conflagration.

We in PR are still waiting for a proper response from the Prime Minister and the BN.

(Speech at PAS Johor ceramah in Gelang Patah after launching of PAS Johor Building Fund campaign by PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang on Monday, 24th February 2014 at 11 pm)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 25 February 2014, 8:22 am and is filed under
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Rukunegara

― Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud

The Malaysian Insider

February 25, 2014

FEB 25 ― I never knew the importance of Rukunegara. It brought no meaning to myself and my friends in school, we memorised the Rukunegara after reciting it every Monday during school assemblies after a few weeks in Darjah Satu and we continued the same routine for years.

Rukunegara was even on the back of every notebooks we owned. Still, I was clueless as to why we had to raise our right hand and recite them every Monday during compulsory school assemblies and I never bothered to find out. I never read about it in books or in the newspapers, although I was a regular Utusan reader back in my teenage years, reading it at my neighbour’s house since my father only buys The Star (I never went a day without reading The Star back then). Our teachers never told us why we even had Rukunegara.

When I was reading law in UiTM, again Rukunegara was never mentioned. Although we can still recite it word by word, we never cared about it, never knew the importance of it, left alone to understand the history, the reason behind Rukunegara and why is it so important to instil the values of Rukunegara in every Malaysians. Even my favourite, patriotic, selfless, constitutional law lecturer never said anything about Rukunegara!

So what is Rukunegara is all about?

Rukunegara is Malaysia’s national ideology. It was formulated with the purpose to serve as a guideline in the country’s nation-building efforts. The Rukunegara was proclaimed on August 31, 1970 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong IV, Almarhum Tuanku Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Zainal Abidin III Muazzam Shah

The pledge of the Rukunegara is as follows:

“Our Nation, Malaysia is dedicated to: Achieving a greater unity for all her people; maintaining a democratic way of life; creating a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably distributed; ensuring a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural tradition, and building a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology.

We, the people of Malaysia, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends, guided by these principles:

•  Belief in God (Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan)

•  Loyalty to King and Country (Kesetiaan kepada Raja dan Negara)

•  Upholding the Constitution (Keluhuran Perlembagaan)

•  Sovereignty of the Law, and (Kedaulatan Undang-undang)

•  Good Behaviour and Morality (Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan)

Now, let’s ask ourselves, when was the last time we recited the Rukunegara? Do we really practise our pledge as stated in the Rukunegara? Because these are not mere words, but a national ideology, a guideline, a checklist to what makes you qualified to be a true Malaysian.

I am pretty sure that there are groups of extremists who could not even recite the five principles by heart or even appreciate the meaning of our own Rukunegara and still claimed themselves to be a “nationalist”, “defenders” of the Malay rights and the religion of Islam.

The word “liberal” was mentioned in our Rukunegara, so what is this about Malay groups who railed against recent calls to remove the “race” category from official forms suggested by a federal minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, calling the proposal a sure sign of creeping “liberal thinking” within Prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration.

Dear Perkasa and ISMA, our national ideology has the word liberal in it. Go crazy.

The Rukunegara stated clearly that we have pledged to ensure a liberal approach to Malaysia rich and diverse cultural tradition. (Yes, even in the Bahasa Melayu version.)

These extremists are acting against our very own Rukunegara, when we are supposed to uphold the values and principles in our Rukunegara which makes one a true Malaysian.

We should be dedicated to, among others, achieve greater unity for all Malaysians, maintain a democratic way of life, create a just society, not display class-less chicken and slap act, or declaring it is halal to murder demonstrators, calling each other names such as bughah and kafir harbi in order to prove who is more Malaysian. Where was our Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan? The fifth principle in the Rukunegara.

Don’t ever let these extremists tell you that you are any less of a Malaysian. Probably these extremists would have the shock of their lives after realising that there are non-Malay, non-Muslim Malaysians who are even more Malaysian than they ever were.

I am glad that as a Malaysia-loving citizen, I now understood the meaning of Rukunegara and pledge my efforts guided by the five principles.

So now I suggest we raise our right hand up and recite the now understood and memorised by heart Rukunegara together, from “Maka kami, rakyat Malaysia berikrar….

* Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud is a political secretary to MP of Gelang Patah, YB Lim Kit Siang.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 25 February 2014, 2:19 pm and is filed under
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After ‘race’, they will come for your privileges, Utusan editor tells Malays

The Malay Mail Online

February 26, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — A minister’s suggestion to remove “race” from official forms was the first step to convince Malays to surrender their Bumiputera benefits and other privileges afforded to the community, an Utusan Malaysia editor wrote today.

Alleging that the call by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup last week was the result of pressure from rights groups, Datuk Zaini Hassan warned the Malays that the efforts were opposition-driven to erode the community’s rights.

“Already there are voices that dare question the origins of the Malays. They claim that Malays are immigrants, just as they are immigrants. That we are all the same,” he wrote in an editorial piece titled “Orang Melayu sudah tidak peduli dengan bangsa sendiri?” (Malays no longer care for their own race?).

In it, he drew parallels between Kurup’s suggestion and the efforts by the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs (Comango) that was heading local human rights efforts in the recent Universal Periodic Review (UPR) under the auspices of the United Nations last year.

Zaini said these included the attempt to get the government to endorse sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) rights, which he claimed was meant to force the acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) practices and sexual deviance.

Comango was also demanding that the ongoing Christian-Muslim tussle over “Allah” — the Arabic word for God — be mediated in Geneva and pressing for freedom of religion that would allow the rise of deviant sects of Islam, Zaini said.

“As such, if the Malay-Muslims agree to these, we would be the first Islamic country to do so,” he added.

“Additionally, the Malays may then agree with a pressure group seeking the elimination of policies protecting Bumiputera interests, Malay reserve land and more freedom for Muslim apostasy,” Zaini added.

Questioning why such demands were being made of the community, Zaini alluded to the domination of the businesses in the country by non-Malays that is often used as a justification for continued pro-Bumiputera affirmative action.

He then asked if the Malays were ready for such demands it they remained a people still clamouring for handouts.

“What is certain is that racial strife in the country is worsening. There are many who are brazen in the country now. What is strange is that they remain free to do so,” he continued.

On Saturday, Kurup, who is the minister in charge of national unity, suggested that racial classifications be omitted from official government forms owing to what he described as Malaysians’ preoccupation with racial and religious identities.

His proposal received backing from Barisan Nasional (BN) parties such as the MCA and MIC, with the former saying that racial data was pointless in such documents.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Kurup’s suggestion has not yet reached the Cabinet level, but said it was open to hearing the suggestion.

The Malay and Bumiputera communities enjoy privileges accorded to them under the Federal Constitution, along with affirmative action introduced under the now-defunct New Economic Policy (NEP) that was created following the 1969 race riots.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 10:54 am and is filed under
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Is Najib seriously suggesting that Utusan Malaysia should be given a free hand  to pump vitriol and stoke racial and religious animosities, including attack on a Cabinet Minister entrusted with the portfolio of national integration and unity?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s recipe yesterday for national reconciliation,  national unity and to help inspire Malaysians to respect and rec-connect with one another has been immediately put to the test today by another vitriolic article by Utusan Malaysia editor, Datuk Zaini Hassan in his article warning that a minister’s suggestion to remove “race” from official forms was the first step to convince Malays to surrender their bumiputera status and other privileges afforded to the community.

Najib proposed to Malaysians that “We don’t have to condemn them, just ignore them” as the best way to respond to the demands and vitriol of the instigators and extremists, adding: “Don’t give them the air time or the publicity” they crave.

The problem is that such vitriolic articles, inciting racial and religious animosities and hatred, is not the work of individuals but of the official newspaper of UMNO, the backbone of Barisan Nasional government, like the Utusan Malaysia editor’s article today entitled “Orang Melayu sudah tidak peduli dengan bangsa sendiri?” (Malays no longer care for their own race?) and is given full oxygen by the UMNO’s official media, and which will be given full dissemination  in the UMNO/BN-controlled empire of printed, electronic and social media.

Is Najib seriously suggesting that Utusan Malaysia should be given a free hand  to pump vitriol and stoke racial and religious animosities, including attack on a Cabinet Minister entrusted with the portfolio of national integration and unity – and that this is Najib’s way to national reconciliation and national unity in Malaysia?

Why is Najib condoning Utusan Malaysia and other UMNO leaders to continue with their irresponsible and reckless campaign to panic Malays and Muslims in the country with the false impression that Malays and Islam in Malaysia are under  grave threat and siege?

I fully agree with columnist Karim Raslan who yesterday wrote about the “irony” of irresponsible and reckless elements who want to cause an all-round panic that Malays and Islam are under siege, when “the community has never had more reason to feel ‘safe’ than today”.

In his article “National reconciliation is the way forward” in the Star yesterday, Karim wrote:

“As I’ve argued many times before – the irony is that the community has never had more reason to feel ‘safe’ than today.

“We constitute 65% of Malaysia’s population.

“We dominate political life, the civil service and the military besides which we are steadily increasing our representation in the private sector, thanks to the New Economic Policy.

“Why the Malays still feel embattled is beyond the scope of this article.

“But like it or not, change in Malaysia cannot come without the Malay community spearheading it.

“This is the reality by virtue of the community’s sheer size – a factor that also means that we must lead as well.

“But leadership has its responsibilities – responsibilities that force us to take care not only of ourselves but also of our fellow citizens.”

Karim has put his finger on the nub of the problem affecting nation building, national reconciliation and  the very leadership of Najib as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia – whether he is prepared to be Prime Minister for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region and whether he is prepared to shoulder the responsibilities entailed in being Prime Minister not just of one race or religion but of all races and religions in Malaysia.

If Najib wants to the Prime Minister for all Malaysians, he should not just ignore the incitements of racial and religious animosities to cause racial chaos and religious conflagration but he should declare “long-delayed” war and give no quarter to the instigators and extremists who want to destroy the fabric of Malaysia’s plural society, whether they emanate from UMNO, Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat.

He should sack the Utusan Malaysia editor Datuk Zaini Hassan for openly defying his National Reconciliation Plan or give him an ultimatum to face such a sack if he continues to defy the government programme of national reconciliation.

Finally, let us await as to whether Najib will stand by his Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup who is entrusted with the portfolio of national integration, national unity and national reconciliation and who is coming under attack by the instigators and extremists in our midst.

(Media Statement
in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday,  26th February 2014)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 1:27 pm and is filed under
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Kajang and the Anwar-Mahathir showdown

 – Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

February 25, 2014

When Anwar Ibrahim announces he wants to contest in Kajang, the whole country erupted into a fit. Most affected is the BN side. They don’t know what to do and say. So they shoot at each other.

Ahmad Maslan, the 3.85 CGPA-man, announced that Umno will use Anwar’s sex issue as the main issue. I am sure at the very moment, Kajang inhabitants wake up in the morning to find packages containing various CDs on Anwar’s sexual encounters enclosed. That’s how Umno educate Malays.

Even Dr Mahathir has entered the fray; first by saying that Anwar is only fit to become the menteri besar. As usual his initial response developed into the typical Mahathir vitriol on his onetime protégé turned nemesis.

The whole political saga involving Anwar which sets the country into political turmoil was created in the first place by Mahathir. That is why Mahathir is attacking Anwar. Mahathir knows Anwar will eventually win. So he tries to delay the inevitable.

Despite his admission that he wanted to retire earlier then when he actually did, he was actually planning to stay as long as he is mentally alert. He has to look after his friends’ business interests. He has to take care of his sons’ businesses. He wants to ensure his legacy is intact. Most of all he needed a guarantee to make sure all the mess that he has created is not exposed. He was jolted from his own perceived invincibility and infallibility by the challenge Anwar marshalled against him.

To me and I hope to many more Malaysians, this is a case of a great injustice done to Anwar and his family. He has taken more punishment than he deserves. This time it is the people of Kajang’s turn to show the world and Mahathir, this country is not owned by Umno or Mahathir. The country has been ill for some time. Now it’s time to heal.

The Kajang by-election is an opportunity for the people of Kajang to do some correction. It’s true that the right to recall should be initiated by the rakyat. But it’s unrealistic to expect a group of satay sellers, hawkers, pasar malam traders to do a political version of a class-action like this. It must be initiated by a creative minority such as politicians.

A right to recall should not be confined to applying a referendum on the ruling government but can also be extended to correct internal politics. This is what PKR is doing. It’s correcting internal politics within PKR.

As to the face-off between Mahathir and Anwar, Mahathir’s persistent interest on Anwar is another phase of a political struggle between an impatient Anwar and Mahathir. In the proper context, impatience is not a personal defect. Tolerating the excesses of Mahathir on the other hand, shows something is terribly wrong.

Dr Mahathir should not be deceiving people further by saying his continued fight with Anwar is spurred on by his desire to protect Malaysia from Anwar. That is a decision to be made by Malaysian citizens. Mahathir must stop patronising Malaysians with his wisdom in deciding what’s best for our lives.

Anyone with leadership material is sure to be impatient with Mahathir.

Tengku Razaleigh, Musa Hitam and Anwar all are leadership material impatient at the way Mahathir ran the country. Those of lesser constitution, like Najib, are people who can be cowed into toeing the line. Mahathir loves that kind of pliant and submissive material.

Mahathir wanted to remove a political threat. It’s all politics to decide who gets to keep power and who can’t. And the excuses contrived by Mahathir were only just that, convenient excuses. Because if Anwar were to be destroyed because of his legally unproven sexual deviances or moral misconduct, almost all of Mahathir’s cabinet should have been asked to go. All it needed was Mahathir saying so. They were many drunkards and fornicators in his cabinet then.

If Anwar were to be destroyed because of corruption as he was indeed convicted of, then the entire cabinet should have resigned a long time ago. So minus the sexual misconduct and corruption, it all boils down to a power struggle between Mahathir and Anwar and the former needed to remove a political threat. Anwar was a threat to him, to his friends and to the politicians hiding behind Mahathir.

Anwar is still a threat now. With a more powerful Anwar helming Selangor, life as Umno and BN know all this while will come to an abrupt end. No more halcyon days. No more salad days.

The second-rate and half-past-six BN leaders reacted as dullards do when they don’t have the answers, issuing threats and the usual show of outdoing each other by uttering disparaging remarks. Nallakarupan says he will expose the dark side of Anwar. Why would anyone believe and place faith in someone who has benefited from his friendship with Anwar but now has turned against him?

Zaid Ibrahim is a close friend of mine. But I find his rationale for contesting because he cannot agree to having Anwar replace Khalid Ibrahim as MB a bit patronising.

Does Khalid need someone like Zaid to defend him? Accordingly, I give Zaid two chances on wining Kajang, slim and none. But if he were to enter the fray with financing from Umno boys, please share with me.

Some say it’s a waste of public funds. Some say it’s a betrayal of trust, even well-meaning NGO leaders appear to accept the BN stock-in-trade explanation of the motives of Anwar.

Anwar need not contest if two things remain. (1) If those having constitutional powers stick to their constitutional role, and (b) Selangor has an MB strong and resilient enough to withstand the onslaught. The two requirements are not there.

In order to understand the Kajang move, we have to widen our sights. In the 1980s when Mahathir held sway, the Malay rulers were held at bay. Mahathir even created a special court to try royal miscreants. The rulers were weak then and Umno wasn’t that enamoured with them. Umno did not need the Malay rulers then.

Nowadays, the reverse is true. Umno is weak despite winning 88 parliamentary seats. BN won only 47% of the popular votes. No matter how they want to disguise it, Umno knows it does not have the moral victory. The people have rejected them. And Najib knows Umno won because the gerrymandering and lopsided voter representation. Umno won in many areas with relatively smaller voter population. It lost in almost all urban areas.

On the other hand, the Malay rulers have become stronger. This isn’t happening only in Selangor but in almost all the states. They have begun to reassert themselves on a weakened Umno. In Johor, Perak, Pahang, assertive constitutional rulers are making demands that Umno is only too pleased to accommodate in exchange for political favours and also in exchange for a lifeline. Ask and you shall be given.

Selangor, in particular, is the crown jewel. It’s the richest state and control of the state confers on a seasoned politician strategic advantages. We already got some indications in this direction when Anwar announced that he will be bringing Tan Sri Muhammad bin Muhammad Taib to help him in Selangor.

I was among the people who initially thought the plan to do so was so wrong. But when I look at it from a political angle, I find the plan to bring in Mat Tyson to be a brilliant move.

With Mat Tyson assigned an important and substantive role in an Anwar administration, Umno’s influence in Selangor can be extinguished. The five parliamentary seats now held in coastal Selangor will be recaptured easily with Mat Tyson working his magic there.

When he was MB of Selangor at one time, many of the local leaders owed him more than gratitude. The 12 state seats in Selangor held by BN can be easily converted by Mat Tyson. There will be complete annihilation of BN in Selangor. The rakyat should cherish such an idea: a complete decimation of Umno in Selangor.

Those vested with constitutional powers are asserting themselves on a weakened Umno. Umno is too pleased to accommodate them temporarily because Umno needed the constitutional rulers to support them.

Anwar on the other hand has the stature, resilience and bold enough to resist attempts from any quarters to launch a coup d’état or mount a Perak-like putsch. Selangor is the crown jewel of Malaysia. Controlling it means having a big say on capturing Putrajaya. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com, February 25, 2014.

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de guerre of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri, the MP for Raub, Pahang.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 6:22 am and is filed under
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National reconciliation is the way forward

by Karim Raslan

The Star

February 25, 2014

Change in Malaysia has to be spearheaded by the Malay community, and with this leadership, comes responsibility.

MALAYSIANS are increasingly polarised – especially over race and religion.

At the same time we’ve also lost our sense of humour.

We’ve become dour, over-sensitive killjoys.

The spirit of Lat, Harith Iskandar and Jo Kukuthas has disappeared.

Now, everyone has the right to be proud of their culture and identity.

But we’re suffering today because we all think of ourselves as being “Malay”, “Chinese” or “Indian” before being Malaysian.

So how do we move forward?

To me, “national reconciliation” must begin with my own community, the Malays.

Now, many Malays would say that I’m a liberal, English-speaking, half-breed and that I don’t have the locus standi to speak for and/or about the community.

But if the purists seek to disregard people who are different, then we’d be left with a much smaller and infinitely more impoverished community.

Still, goodwill cannot be restored as long as the Malays feel insecure.

As I’ve argued many times before – the irony is that the community has never had more reason to feel “safe” than today.

We constitute 65% of Malaysia’s population.

We dominate political life, the civil service and the military besides which we are steadily increasing our representation in the private sector, thanks to the New Economic Policy.

Why the Malays still feel embattled is beyond the scope of this article.

But like it or not, change in Malaysia cannot come without the Malay community spearheading it.

This is the reality by virtue of the community’s sheer size – a factor that also means that we must lead as well.

But leadership has its responsibilities – responsibilities that force us to take care not only of ourselves but also of our fellow citizens.

Leaders also have to show courage and magnanimity which sometimes means being willing to let bygones be bygones.

Of course, this may not please people who hold on to Malaysia’s age-old “social contract”.

But let’s be honest: the “social contract” no longer holds sway amongst most younger generation Malaysians.

We live in a globalised world.

It is no longer reasonable for anyone to be held back in life simply because of his or her ethnicity or religion.

The other races will no longer defer to us simply because we are Malays or out of fear.

Respect must be earned by respect; as well as achievement.

Furthermore, we must also learn to be at peace with ourselves.

The Malay community has never been monolithic or uniform – speaking, thinking and feeling the same thing – especially when it comes to politics or social issues.

But this is not a source of weakness. Indeed, it is a source of strength.

Every community in the world needs diversity.

Besides rebels and contrarians help cultures to remain dynamic and relevant.

People should be allowed to express different views without the fear of being branded a traitor to the race.

Indeed, reconciliation and a willingness to live with diversity must begin within the Malay community itself.

I am not calling for the end to political competition.

Again, this is inevitable and is a good thing – because it gives people choices as well as keeps politicians honest.

However, there are also times when bipartisanship is not a bad idea.

But the pettiness, small-mindedness and threats of violence must stop.

Such ignorant behaviour insults the intelligence and dignity of all Malaysians.

A just country is a happy one. Which leader or party will stand up for this?

Maybe change needs to come from the grassroots just as much as from the top.

If the last six years has taught us anything, it’s that power is diffused in Malaysia.

The people are ultimately the boss.

What happens to Malaysia depends on us.

What country it becomes is up to us – the politicians are our representatives and if they steal, act like goons or disappoint us, we should vote them out of office.

Nonetheless, we have proven that political change – however gradual and piecemeal – can occur peacefully.

Now we must seek to realise a shared sense of nationhood that all Malaysians can accept.

The key is to embrace our people’s diversity in all its hues.

Only courage and wisdom can bring Malaysia together again and move it onwards.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 9:54 am and is filed under
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Teacher in school assessment controversy warned, but says this is not for personal glory

by Elizabeth Zachariah

The Malaysian Insider

February 26, 2014

Teacher Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari was warned that speaking up against the administration could cost him dearly.

His good friends cautioned him. So did his father, a teacher with 15 years’ experience.

“I am not doing this for personal glory,” the teacher caught in the middle of the school-based assessment (SBA) controversy, adding that he was doing this to champion the rights of his overburdened colleagues.

The 29-year-old, who heads the Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM), is adamant about seeing an overhaul to SBA even if he loses his government job along the way.

“Yes, many of my teacher friends and even my father, who was a teacher, told me that action will be taken against me if I spoke up against the Education Ministry.

“And this was proven right recently,” he said, referring to the 24-hour transfer order he received three days ago.

He was transferred to a rural school some 80km away from his previous school in Jerantut, Pahang.

The sudden transfer is believed to be over Nor Izzat’s vocal criticism of the SBA system and is seen as an attempt to clamp down on SGMM’s protest last weekend.

“But my lawyer has advised me not to report to the new school until they have heard my appeal against the transfer.”

He is still teaching in his old school.

Just two years in the service, and Nor Izzat has already carved a name for himself.

Even Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was forced to address Nor Izzat’s transfer when he denied he had a hand in it.

Nor Izzat said he was convinced that he was doing the right thing in pointing out weaknesses in the SBA.

“I do not feel that my teaching career will be affected by the transfer. All I want to do is to help improve the SBA system,” he had said.

“It is unfair if the ministry takes it out on me because there is something wrong with the system.”

The Arts teacher of two years said he first became aware that the SBA system was flawed in 2011 while he was still a student.

“But I couldn’t do anything since I wasn’t a teacher yet and last year, the problems I saw were still there and when the ministry officials did not act on the teachers’ feedback, I decided to do something.

“There were too many discrepancies in the implementation of SBA and what’s worse is that we were told not to ask any questions about the flaws.”

The Malaysian Insider had reported that teachers and school administrators, who found it hard to cope with the SBA to track pupils’ performances, had fallen back on examinations.

This has led to a situation where many schools have two systems. On the surface is the SBA, which is done to please officials in Putrajaya, but beneath that is the old annual examination system, SGMM said.

The examination system is being implemented by individual schools without the knowledge of Putrajaya.

Using two systems, SGMM said, was causing a lot of strain on teachers and school officials. Following SGMM’s protest last week, the ministry announced that SBA has been put on hold until it could be reviewed and amendments made to it.

Education Minister II Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said that the ministry had decided to postpone its implementation for improvements to be done, adding that they would still go on with the SBA system as this was what “the people wanted”.

“We will continue with the SBA because this is what the people want. We will definitely not abolish it, just postpone its implementation to improve it.

“There are no problems with the SBA in its objectives and policies, we just have to tidy up the implementation and this will be announced on April 1,” he had said.

Nor Izzat said he was not against the system but was campaigning for it to be improved.

“To say that I am against SBA is unfair. I should not even be a teacher if I opposed the whole system,” he added.

Despite the bravado, Nor Izzat, who is a graduate of Teaching Visual Communications Art from the Universiti Perguruan Sultan Idris, said he could not help but feel tense at the pressure mounting against him.

“My wife, who is also a teacher and our families have been in the spotlight since the whole issue blew up,” said the father-of-one.

“It has been a difficult time but I am thankful for the support and encouragement I received from them and my colleagues.”

The teacher also hit out at critics who linked him to the opposition, saying that the flaws in the SBA had nothing to do with politics.

“Of course, the allegations come because there are a few NGOs aligned to the opposition supporting SGMM’s cause. Who am I to stop them from supporting us?

“Similarly, there are those in the government sector who want to support us but are too afraid of the backlash. Should I be upset about that?” – February 26, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 26 February 2014, 9:19 am and is filed under
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Enron-ising Malaysia

by Azly Rahman

Malaysiakini

Feb 22, 2014

Malaysia’s monopoly corporate crony capitalism, framed and flourishing ethnocentrically and laced with economic fascism continue to take root, fashioned after the ethos and eerie-ness of America’s Enron Corporation which was said to be too big to fail yet fell like a house of cards that turned into ashes after an internal combustion of a self-immolation.

It also brought down one of one of the world’s biggest accounting fraudsters and master of creative accounting – Arthur Anderson. This is a feature of the many a Wall Street-fashioned American corporation – grow bigger with bigger lies with the help of world-class lying accounting firms.

What will Malaysia see decades after the seeds of destruction have germinated out of the three-pronged policies of Malaysian-styled Reaganomics and Thatcherism and Marcos-Mugabeism of Malaysia Incorporated, Look East Policy, and Privatisation Policies. Or have we not seen the impact of these policies in terms of the growth of big businesses whose survival also lie in the political-economic patronage of race-based political parties?

The 1997 socio-economic manglement of the Tom Yum Effect with the destruction of the Thai Baht has not be fully healed and like a mathematical Mandelbrott/fractal geometric set of the Chaos and Complexity theory we continue to see mutations and manifestations of a Hayek-Friedmanian legacy of Malaysian corporate-capitalist cronyism of old an new money taking centre stage in a politics no one have a clear idea of what is happening, whilst the middle class live in an illusion of wealth and the poor live in a dungeon of despair under a Klang Valley bridge.

Our ‘Dark Spring’ is becoming a winter of despair with occasional glimmers of hope of this and that political change for the better; even this, met with more filth of a behind-the-scenes dealings of power struggle the rakyat will never know.

In the collapse of one of America’s trumpetedly best and profitably run, Bush and Cheney- regime-linked Texas company the anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and psychology of a monopoly global capitalist outfit is clearly defined – the giant is made out of a house of cards and surviving through the ingenuity of ‘creative accounting’, of a degenerating cut-throat capitalist, Man-eat-Man , Corporation-mauling-Public investors kind of ethos, which ended up like a Caesarian tragedy of executives committing suicide out of the guilt of robbing too many a grandmother and their savings aplenty.

The top executives get paid five hundred times more that the middle managers and the complexity of this ultra-modern capitalist system of growing by constantly “thinking outside the box and even lying to the confession box” – all these colour the story of the American corporation.

The story of Enron is one in which even the most brilliant Accounting professors could not figure out; it took a group of students doing a case study of it to conclude by these beautiful words as the dawn of its demise: SELL, SELL, SELL.

Bailout yet to happen again?

In the looming bankruptcy of Malaysia’s airline MAS, what is actually happening, that the public need to know? What kind of bailout is yet to happen again, and how will private companies prey upon dying government-linked businesses and ultimately how will the rakyat suffer in the scheme of things entire?

How can we teach Malaysians to think like forensic accountants and see the complexities of the work of the “smartest guys in the room”, – of our own Ken Lays, of Jeffery Skilling, and the like, of Bernie Madoffs and help us see what is happening around us that make our lives more difficult, of poverty amidst plenty, of the chief executives of Malaysian corporations getting paid tens of thousand per day whilst the abject poor may soon be eating sand and grass.

How do we get access to the facts of who keeps what in secret vaults in Switzerland, Singapore and the Cayman Islands, or even on planet Mars?

Why are we seeing one-man one-dynasty one-corporate gang-styled ownership of conglomerates and corporations linked to a dying regime and seeing that and this brand of monopoly capitalism continue to destroy the economic and moral fabric of what we ought to be weaving as Malaysians and a society rooted in values of moderation, humility, and the taming of greed in us?

Man is trapped in a system he has created.

A matrix – in need of a liberator.

But what then must we do?

DR AZLY RAHMAN, born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York City) doctorate in International Education Development and Masters degrees in four areas: Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 350 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience in Malaysia and the United States spans over a wide range of subjects, from elementary to graduate education. He has edited and authored four books; Multiethnic Malaysia: Past, Present, Future (2009), Thesis on Cyberjaya: Hegemony and Utopianism in a Southeast Asian State (2012), The Allah Controversy and Other Essays on Malaysian Hypermodernity (2013), and the latest Dark Spring: Ideological Roots of Malaysia’s GE-13 (2013). He currently resides in the United States.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 February 2014, 6:21 am and is filed under
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Extremists: Ignore them or isolate them?

 – Ramon Navaratnam

The Malaysian Insider

February 26, 2014

I refer to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s well meaning advice to “just ignore extremists”.

With due respect sir, there are many Malaysians who will sincerely agree with me that this is not the way to deal with extremists.

Their inflammatory statements and worse still, dangerously provocative and evil acts, based on racial and religious hatred, must instead be nipped in the bud!

Their seditious statements and incendiary acts which undermine our fragile national unity have to be exposed, and those responsible from any quarter should be named, shamed, arrested and prosecuted. They have to be publicly exposed and harshly dealt with rather than inadvertently encouraged to do their dirty work stealthily, secretly, and without scrutiny from the rule of law!

Malaysians should not tolerate extremists and extreme acts of any kind in our multiracial, multi-religious and highly complicated and sensitive society.

If we “just ignore extremists”, they can incite hatred and strife through the social media and get away scott free, while most Malaysians who are moderates will be penalised and suffer from racial and religious persecution, from the very small minority of extremist lunatic fringe elements who will have a field day spewing poison in our society without any inhibition.

The security authorities too may take the cue and do little to restrain the extremists and stop the rot of degradation in national unity .

I dare say that some members of the enthusiastic National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), of which I am chairman of the Inclusive Development Committee, may feel that their best efforts at helping to build national unity could be eroded by ignoring extremists .

How can we ignore extremists and their hate mails, when we all know that they go all out to destroy national unity, so that they can, as the PM says, “overpower us”?

We have to alert our family and friends to keep them on their guard. But we will naturally and rightly expect the government and the security authorities to be more vigilant and quick to arrest the growing mischief of the evil extremists.

So Mr Prime Minister, please get tough and don’t be soft on extremists! Please do not introduce any thinking or policies that may curtail the necessary and justified criticism and condemnation of extremists and extremist acts, that could “incite fear and hatred”, that would undermine presently relatively peaceful and blessed Malaysia. – February 26, 2014.

* Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam is chairman of Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute’s Centre for Public Policy Studies, and the former secretary-general of the Ministry of Transport.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 February 2014, 6:33 am and is filed under
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In deriding Anwar, Daim shows Umno fear of losing Putrajaya sooner than later

The Malaysian Insider

February 26, 2014

So why is Tun Daim Zainuddin quaking?

Make no mistake, the former finance minister is worried. Worried enough that he keeps talking incessantly about Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Publicly, he dismisses the PKR de facto leader as a publicity hound, a man who craves the limelight and loves the next headline.

Publicly, he runs the opposition leader down as someone who has never been able to solve any problem.

Publicly, he says that Anwar’s move to contest a by-election in Kajang is a complete waste of public funds.

Apparently Daim’s fixation with Anwar continues in private discussions but behind closed doors, the tone is less dismissive, less condescending.

Those in his circle say he speaks with some concern over the consequences of an Anwar victory in Kajang; chiefly the real possibility of Anwar being the chief executive of the richest state in Malaysia with several billion ringgit at his disposal and the immediate impact on the morale of Umno members in Selangor and then around the country.

Left unsaid is the fear that with a strong economic base and a platform to showcase stronger leadership qualities than the incumbent in Putrajaya, a rejuvenated and focused Anwar could lead Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to defeat Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general elections – an end result could prove particularly uncomfortable for Daim, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and other Umno leaders from the glory days of privatisation and excess.

After all, Selangor is the country’s richest and most-industrialised state and next to it is Kuala Lumpur, which make them rich pickings for infrastructure projects, property deals and business for cronies and others connected to Putrajaya.

It would be in the interest of the few who have benefited in the past to ensure Selangor returns to the Barisan Nasional fold.

Anwar leading the state would make that a remote possibility for the near future and turn Selangor into another political fortress like Kelantan is for PAS.

To put it simply, there is a need to protect the golden goose.

And Umno-linked tycoons will go all out to prevent Anwar from taking over as menteri besar.

So do not be surprised if Daim takes more than a cursory interest in how Umno/BN are preparing for battle against Anwar.

It would be in the interest of the old guard of the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad era if the current Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim does not vacate his position or at least drags out the whole process.

And let’s be clear, their disdain about the “Kajang move” has little to do with the use of public funds for a by-election.

Because if they were truly concerned about how taxpayers money is spent, they would not have allowed the one-sided toll concessions or sweet deals for the independent power producers or keep water resources in the hands of a few connected businessmen.

The battle for Kajang then, is really the battle over who gets to control Putrajaya in the nearest future.

An Anwar win in Kajang could lead to Umno losing the federal government sooner than later. – February 26, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 February 2014, 7:47 am and is filed under
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Najib should make public the proposed  National Reconciliation Plan (NRP) for public feedback and input before finalization  so that it could be a more comprehensive and  inclusive roadmap to restore national unity and consensus in the country

In his blogpost “A national reconciliation update”, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that the National Reconciliation Plan (NRP)  “will be unveiled and implemented over the next few months” as a result of “months of quiet work”.

This is the second time that Najib has mentioned the National Reconciliation Plan.

The first time was after the Cabinet meeting of 29th January, when he announced that the Ministers had examined a National Reconciliation Plan “to develop and promote an environment which was conducive to and would help promote national reconciliation through unity and consensus in the country”.

He said the government’s National Reconciliation Plan would be based on four key thrusts, namely social, political, government and international relations and would be based on democratic principles.

Before January 29, nobody has ever heard of a National Reconciliation Plan.

Who drafted this National Reconciliation Plan and who had been consulted?  This is still a great mystery up to now.

If the government has already a National Reconciliation Plan, which had been approved by the Cabinet and will be unveiled in the next few months with the Prime Minister leading its implementation, why and what is the use of  the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) conducting a nation-wide roadshow to hold 18 dialogues to collect feedback from the public on national unity and inter-ethnic harmony to draft a National Unity Blueprint (NUB) – with the NUCC given two years to finalise the NUB though coming out with an interim report in six months’ time?

Will the NUCC dialogues in Kuala Lumpur, Seremban and Malacca last week and Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu this weekend and in Sabah and Pahang (March 8 and 9), Labuan, Kelantan and Terengganu (March 15), Perlis and Perak (March 16) Sibu and Miri (March 23 and 24) rounding up again in Kuala Lumpur on March 30 be totally redundant and be an utter waste of time and effort?

Have NUCC members been given copies of the NRP for guidance and reference for  its nation-wide roadshow or is this still covered by the Official Secrets Act?

Najib should make public the proposed National Reconciliation Plan (NRP) for public feedback and input before finalization  so that it could be a more comprehensive and  inclusive roadmap to restore national unity and consensus in the country.

I also ask the Prime Minister to immediately ensure that all MPs, whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, are immediately given copies of the National Reconciliation Plan approved by the Cabinet on January 29, so that MPs could fully debate the NRP when Parliament reconvenes in two weeks’ time.

Najib has never ceased to boast that he was the first to talk about “national reconciliation” immediately after the 13th General Elections, but Najib was also the first to misrepresent the outcome of the last general elections as a “Chinese tsunami” when it was in fact a Malaysian, particularly urban, tsunami.

I acknowledge that Najib was the first to mention “national reconciliation” after the 13GE, but he did absolutely nothing in the past ten months to give substance and effect to a process of national reconciliation, and what is worse, stood idly by while irresponsible and reckless elements embarked on their nefarious and treacherous designs to incite racial and religious animosities and hatred through lies and falsehoods  to cause racial chaos and religious conflagration in the country.

As a result, Malaysia in the past 10 months had never been so polarized whether in terms of race or religion in the 56-year history of the nation.

I do not often agree with Tun Daim Zainuddin, but I agree when in his interview with KiniBiz, the former Finance Minister scoffed at  claims that “Islam was under siege in Malaysia”, lamenting the lack of leadership by Najib and stressing that Malaysians want peace and stability.

I fully agree with Daim when he said: “If there are those who are out there to create problems, you must nip them in the bud.  There are enough laws to handle this. But if you delay, procrastinate, then people will take advantage. That’s where the danger is.”

This is exactly Najib’s failure, as evident from the failures of the government and the police in the past 10 months to act against those responsible for incessantly inciting racial and religious animosities and hatred through lies and falsehoods, most notably the UMNO newspaper Utusan Malaysia.

Najib’s recipe to ignore the instigators and extremists who are incessantly preaching racial and religious animosities and hatred through lies and falsehoods flies in the face of the famous warning by Edmund Burke that “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.

All Malaysian good men and women, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Orang Asli, Kadazans, Ibans or Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs or Taoists, cannot do nothing for they must not allow evil to triumph in Malasia.

For this reason the “Walk in the Park” campaign by a group calling itself “Malaysians for Malaysia” launched by social activist Azrul Mohd Khalib to reject violence, aggression, bigotry and agreesion and to support tolerance, peace and harmony in our multi-racial and multi-religious society deserves the support from all Malaysian good men and women to prevent the triumph of evil in our beloved land.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 February 2014, 12:59 pm and is filed under
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Najib’s plan may turn out to be ‘Never Really Plan’

 – Kennee Wong

The Malaysian Insider

February 26, 2014

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak penned an article about the government’s new initiative for a more cohesive and united Malaysia.

Called the National Reconciliation Plan (NRP), it will be unveiled and implemented in the next few months and he has shared a bit of what is to come.

I cannot help but to wonder if the NRP will be another irresolute proposal that will have little consequence towards the improvement of our nation’s race and interfaith relations.

I commend him for the courage to voice his aspiration for a better Malaysia.

It takes a bold resolve on any authority figure to approach such a delicate situation head-on.

Enthusiastic terminologies aside, I find he has shared nothing more than wishful thinking that all peace-loving public has long thought of.

I had been pining for a more decisive and authoritative conduct from my prime minister, and not simply lament over the current state of affairs we are finding ourselves in.

At this deteriorating juncture, we can ill afford another stop-gap measure.

Back in 2011, we had a glimmer of hope when the 10-point solution was drawn up.

It is now, however, a subject of scorn and ridicule as the government seemed to have backtracked on the agreement.

The seizure of Alkitab in Selangor in January 2014 was a good example.

It was a convenient revelation that state religious laws will override the 10-point solution even when there was a comprehensive mention of country and the peninsula in the first and second points.

What use is a promise when it is ineffectual when it comes to resolving matters of interfaith discords at the executive level?

I have never felt so belittled for exercising my democratic right to vote in the last general election.

It was barely hours after the results when the prime minister proclaimed that a “Chinese tsunami” was the reason for Barisan Nasional’s declined support.

Surely, a more thorough post-mortem ought to have been conducted before issuing such a premature and pandering assumption.

The excuse was later debunked, but never to be acknowledged formally by BN.

As much as I would like to see less racial hatred in our multicultural society, I do not think highlighting the nuances of a Malay policeman helping an old Chinese woman crossing the street will be a good example.

It would only serve to reinforce the racial differentiation in an otherwise colour-blind society that we should be striving for.

Alternatively, I would prefer to see politicians put an end to making irresponsible statements with regard to race relations and interfaith matters and reprimand their colleagues when they misbehave.

Instead of sweeping news coverage of extremists under the carpet, the right approach has to be at the root of the vexation itself.

While it is decorous not to provide a pedestal for the extremists to be lionised, they cannot be dispensed from justice as a deterrence for other heinous stunts.

Cowardly acts of subversion may be ignored by the rakyat, but action from the authority has to be unwavering and they cannot be seen dragging their feet when it comes to procedural investigation.

It has often fascinated me how much we have progressed since Malaysia’s independence, owing to the profusion of technological advancements.

The immediacy of information and news should match our growth as a nation.

In spite of that, it is also the abuse by reckless parties for political expedience that we are regressing at a worrying rate.

The prime minister’s call for reconciliation will need a more methodical approach instead of mere rhetoric if he wants to see a positive outcome, otherwise his NRP would be fast known as No Real Purpose or Never Really Plan. – February 26, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 February 2014, 6:39 am and is filed under
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Why Muhyiddin has not countermanded the mean, petty and punitive directive to transfer Nor Izzat from Jerantut to a rural school for spearheading the protest against the SBA weaknesses

The Najib administration prides itself on its efficiency and “People First, Performance Now” slogan, but almost a week have passed and the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has yet to countermand the mean, petty and punitive directive to transfer Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari, head of Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM) from Jerantut to a rural school  for spearheading the protest against the weaknesses in the implementation of the student-based assessment (SBA) system.

Instead of thanking Nor Izzat for his contribution in forcing the Education Ministry to face up to the crisis faced by teachers as a  result of dismally-conceived implementation of the SBA, resulting finally in the SBA system being put on hold last week, Muhyiddin is allowing the “Little Napoleons” in the Education Department a free hand to penalise Nor Izzat and other teachers for their courage and conviction in speaking up about the SBA weaknesses.

When Nor Izzat’s punitive transfer to a rural school with only 24 hours’ notice became public, Muhyiddin disclaimed responsibility, denying that he was involved in Nor Izzat’s transfer.

But what has Muhyiddin done in the past week to countermand Nor Izzat’s punitive transfer.

I have been informed that Muhyiddin had done nothing and Nor Izzat’s 24-hour transfer directive has not been countermanded.

Nor Izzat and others who have stood their ground to point out the weaknesses of the SBA system had performed an important national service and  should be commended and rewarded for their conviction and tenacity to act in the interests of the teachers and even more important the students.

Instead of being grateful to Nor Izzat and the teachers involved, they are  instead being victimised by  mean, petty and punitive bureaucratic actions.

It has been suggested that Nor Izzat should be conferred the “Tokoh Cikgu” for the Year 2014. Muhyiddin should give this proposal serious consideration.

I suggest that the over 400,000 teachers in the education service be given an opportunity to express their views whether they agree that Nor Izzat should be conferred the title “Tokoh Cikgu” for the year 2014.

Muhyiddin should meanwhile take immediate action to revoke all mean, petty and punitive directives issued to Nor Izzat and other teachers for their role in criticising the weaknesses in the implementation of the SBA system?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 27th February 2014)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 February 2014, 5:32 pm and is filed under
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As Muhyiddin seems to be clueless about education in Malaysia, is he going to resign as Education Minister?

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said during his by-election campaign in  Kajang today that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is unfit to be Selangor Mentri Besar as he seems to be “clueless” about Selangor’s water deal with Putrajaya despite being the state economic advisor.

Anwar is the best person to respond to Muhyiddin’s allegation that Anwar is “clueless” on the Selangor water issue, but the Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Education Minister raises the important question whether he himself should resign as Education Minister as it is clear that Muhyiddin is quite clueless about education in Malaysia.

That Muhyiddin is quite clueless about education issues which come under his direct Ministerial responsibility is presently in full display, when he pleaded on Monday that he knew nothing about the mean, petty and punitive transfer to a rural school of the head of  Suara Guru Masyarakat Malaysia (SGMM), Mohd Nor Izzat Mohd Johari, who had spearheaded the protest against the weaknesses in the implementation of the student-based assessment (SBA) system and Muhyiddin has remained in this limbo of cluelessness for the past five days.

As Nor Izzat, a visual arts teachers,  said in a statement today: “Regarding my transfer…the Education Department is still keeping silent. Whatever that was said by the education minister has completely been ignored.”

Is Muhyiddin seriously suggesting that as the DPM and Education Minister, he has not been able to countermand the 24-hour transfer of Nor Izzat from Jerantut to a rural school for his anti-SBA activities or is  it just that he has neither the time nor interest  to check on the mean, petty and  punitive action against Nor Izzat by the “Little Napoleons” in the Education Ministry – although Muhyiddin had been very busy on the BN Kajang by-election circuit having visited Kajang at least twice in the past five days?

In actual fact, Muhyiddin must accept full responsibility for the SBA mess as he should explain why he had given the green light for the implementation of SBA without proper planning, consultation or thought.

Introduced in 2011 in primary and secondary schools, its purpose is to reduce the reliance on examinations and ensure students are not left behind.

It requires teachers to monitor the progress of students individually and key in their progress to government databases.

However the Education Ministry and the national examination syndicate have proven ill-prepared.

They had insufficient resources computer-wise and simply could not deal with the vast amount of information feeding in from the whole country.

Teachers found the system hung much of the time. They had to key-in the data several times or work in the wee hours of the morning.

Some parts of the country, especially in rural areas, are lacking in internet access resulting in difficulty in the teachers to key in the results.

All these factors were not taken into consideration. To make matters worse, classes have not grown smaller but bigger.

As a result, teachers complain of being burdened with clerical work, compromising their core responsibility of teaching.

These issues were highlighted during the Umno general assembly in December but they were not taken seriously.

The fact that unsung heroes like Nor Izzat had to come forward to spearhead the anti-SBA protests to force a suspension of SBA  is a measure of the educational problem facing the  country when there is an Education Minister who is quite  clueless about education.

The first step for Muhyiddin to end his “cluelessness” about education is to take ownership and responsibility for  all the educational challenges and problems in the country, starting with countermanding the mean, petty and punitive measures against Nor Izzat and other teachers for their anti-SBA protests.

Secondly, Nor Izzat should be roped in to help evaluate the SBA and to decide on what follow-up  measures should be taken that is in the best interests of the students to ensure a proper level of competency of our future labour force, which will affect not only the competitiveness of our country but the national economic wellbeing as well.

Nor Izzat has suggested the immediate scrapping of the SBA, and that if a new SBA is to be introduced, it should go through pilot testing of three to four years before implementation nationwide.

Muhyiddin should make a Ministerial statement on the first working day of Parliament which is to reconvening in two weeks’ time on  the SBA mess and the current position.

Meanwhile, Malaysians, as well as the voters of Kajang, should start a daily countdown as to how long Muhyiddin will remain “clueless” about the mean, petty and punitive action against Nor Izzat, the SBA and even the myriad of educational problems caused by a clueless Education Minister.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 28th February 2014)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 February 2014, 4:03 pm and is filed under
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Call on Najib to immediately clarify his blog-post that it is not a directive to bar the police, AG’s Chambers and all law-enforcement agencies from carrying out their duties to give no quarter to instigators and extremists incessantly inciting racial and religious animosities and hatred

The biggest mystery now in the Najib premiership is the National Reconciliation Plan (NRP) which he first announced after the Cabinet meeting on January 29 and which he blogged about a week ago on Feb. 25 as until then nobody has ever heard anything about such a NRP.

What is noteworthy is that no other Cabinet Minister, not even the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, who is entrusted with the specific portfolio of national integration and national unity, had ever breathed a word about the NRP, both before and after the Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting.

It would appear that nobody else in Cabinet and Government apart from Najib knows anything about the NRP.

There are two big questions about both the  events of the Jan 29 Cabinet meeting and Najib’s blog post three days ago.

Firstly, about Najib’s first mention of the NRP on Jan. 29 in his post-Cabinet statement where he said that  “at today’s cabinet meeting, the members had examined a plan to develop and promote an environment which was conducive to and would help promote national reconciliation through unity and consensus in the country” and his second mention of the NRP in his blog three days ago that the NRP will be unveiled and implemented over the next few months.

Why is Najib treating the NRP like a strip-tease show,  unpeeling one piece of clothing after another, completely unwilling to make full  public disclosure of the proposed NRP?

Did the Cabinet give its blessings and approval for the NRP at its meeting of 29th January and why is not possible for the proposed NRP that was examined by the Cabinet on January 29 to be immediately made public to allow for public feedback and input so that it could be a more comprehensive and inclusive roadmap for  national reconciliation in Malaysia?

As I said in my Third Open letter to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet before the Cabinet meeting of 29th January, I welcomed Najib’s earlier statement that he would bring Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call  for a “national consensus” to the Cabinet meeting.

In fact, the constant theme my three Open Letters to the Prime Minister and Cabinet in January this year was to ask them to accept the olive branch offered by the Pakatan Rakyat leadership “to love and save Malaysia” by preserving and promoting national unity, harmony and tolerance in the country and to  take firm action to stamp out any nefarious and treacherous plot to cause racial chaos and religious conflagration through incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred  in Malaysia.

Thirty long days have passed since the Cabinet meeting of January 29. Why has the Prime Minister or his representative failed to follow up on the Cabinet decision of January 29 to contact the Pakatan Rakyat leaders for a Barisan Nasional-Pakatan Rakyat Leaders’ Summit on national unity, reconciliation and consensus?

On 10th February, UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who had been appointed by the Cabinet to liaise with the Pakatan Rakyat on the proposed national reconciliation and national consensus talks, said Barisan Nasional would have to have its first meeting on the issue as only UMNO had so far agreed to the talks.

Tengku Adnan said once BN coalition members agree to the talks, he will contact PR to fix a date.

It is the height of irresponsibility, at a time when racial and religious polarization is worsening by the day because of  government inaction if not condoning  of the incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension through lies and falsehoods, that 30 days have passed without a follow-up on the Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting – no BN Supreme Council meeting and decision on the issue or contact with the Pakatan Rakyat for national reconciliation talks.

As a result of this government drift and inaction on important issues in the country, there has been an unprecedented spate of incidents to further raise racial and religious tensions like the Feb. 6 “slap and chicken” demonstration by the self-styled “Council of Islamic NGOs” committing a slew of offences including criminal intimidation, sedition, incitement of violence against a woman, incitement of violence against a Member of Parliament and incitement of another May 13 riots.

Yesterday, DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok was again subjected to criminal intimidation, when the Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) Selangor issued her a 10-day ultimatum to apologise for her “Onederful Malaysia CNY 2014” video, falsely accusing her of insulting the security forces over the Lahad Datu incursion tragedy when her video had made no mention about the Lahad Datu incident, with the threat to mobilise a “battalion” to protest against her!

This brings us to Najib’s blog post three days ago, with the question whether the criminal inaction and negligence to uphold the law and order by the Police, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Government in the last 30 days is the result of the Prime Minister’s advice that the best response to instigators and extremists is to “ignore” them instead of condemning or giving them attention!

Najib must be the first Prime Minister in the world to proffer the advice to all and sundry, including the law enforcement agencies like the police and the Attorney-General’s chambers,  to ignore flagrant breaches of the law by instigators and extremists in their incessant incitement of racial and religious animosities and hatred through lies and falsehoods to create racial chaos and religious conflagration.

If this is not Najib’s intention, he should immediately clarify his blog post and declare that he, as Prime Minister, wants all law-enforcement agencies to uphold the law and give no quarter to instigators and extremists who want to pit race against race and religion against religion through incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred and conflicts.

Is Najib prepared to make such a clarification before any more damage is done to the authority and  credibility not only to his Prime Ministership but also to the elected government, as otherwise what is use, role and purpose of law-enforcement agencies like the police, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, etc?

In fact, I call on Najib to immediately clarify his blog-post that it is not a directive to bar the police, AG’s Chambers and all law-enforcement agencies from carrying out their duties to give no quarter to instigators and extremists incessantly inciting racial and religious animosities and hatred.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 February 2014, 12:26 pm and is filed under
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Election 2013 lacked integrity, study finds

by Boo Su-Lyn

The Malay Mail Online

February 28, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — A study on the integrity of elections across the globe has rated Malaysia near the bottom of the pile, with the country’s general election last year coming in 66th out of 73 elections surveyed, just above Zimbabwe.

The findings of the Electoral Integrity Project (EIP), based at the University of Sydney and Harvard University, released this month shows that Malaysia’s 13th general election was perceived as having low levels of integrity, due to problematic electoral boundaries and election laws.

Cambodia ranked below Malaysia at 69th, while the only other Southeast Asian country on the list, the Philippines, ranked 47th, signalling moderate levels of electoral integrity.

In the EIP’s 100-point Perception of Electoral Integrity (PEI) index, where a higher score denotes a more positive evaluation, Malaysia scored just 48.4 points, compared to Norway which ranked the highest at 86.4 points, indicating a high level of electoral integrity.

“Worldwide, electoral integrity is at risk in Southeast Asia,” the EIP report said.

“Recent electoral protests and instability in Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia vividly illustrate these challenges,” it added.

The EIP, which covered 73 elections held between July 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013 in 66 countries worldwide, said that Barisan Nasional’s (BN) victory in the May 5 election was attributed to gerrymandering, which is the malapportionment of electoral boundaries.

“The ruling BN coalition have a distinct advantage in constituency size in their mainly rural, Malay base while the urban strongholds and ethnic Chinese populations supporting opposition parties have districts with much larger electorates,” said the report, pointing out that the Putrajaya federal constituency has just 15,791 eligible voters, compared to the Kapar constituency with 144,159 eligible voters.

The EIP also noted that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition pact bagged just 89 federal seats, or 40 per cent, of the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat, despite winning 50.87 per cent of the popular vote in the election that is based on the first-past-the-post system.

“The election also saw 80 per cent turnout, the largest in the nation’s history. The outcome deepened the challenge to the legitimacy of the government,” said the report.

Shortly after the May 5 election, thousands rallied in protest against what they said were tainted polls. One key complaint was that the indelible ink used to prevent voters from casting votes repeatedly, washed off too easily.

The EIP observed that BN enjoys greater access to the media. PR, however, lacks access to the government-controlled radio and television, while many newspapers have close ties to the ruling coalition, though the opposition pact has space in online media.

“Access to political finance is also imbalanced,” the report said.

The study showed that Malaysia scored poorly on several measures that make up the overall index of electoral integrity. Malaysia’s 13th general election scored just 28 points on electoral boundaries, 33 points on election laws, 37 points on voter registration, 37 points on campaign finance, 38 points on media coverage, 46 points on electoral authorities, 54 points on electoral procedures, 56 points on vote count and 65 points on the voting process.

Malaysia scored 53 points on ‘results’ which refers to whether the election results were challenged or if the election had sparked protests. The country scored 58 points on party and candidate registration, which considers whether women and ethnic minorities had equal opportunities to run for office, or if some candidates were barred from holding campaign rallies.

The study noted that contrary to popular belief that the main election issues arise on polling day, such as ballot stuffing and inaccurate counts, experts were mostly concerned about the lack of a level playing field in campaign media and political finance.

“Overall, not surprisingly, the results confirm that electoral integrity is strengthened by democracy and development,” said the report, noting that Norway, Germany and the Netherlands have strengthened democratic practices and electoral management bodies over the years.

The United States (US) scored the worst among Western countries, coming in at 26th, as experts expressed concern over redistricting processes, campaign finance and voter registration.

The EIP said that several African nations risk failed elections, citing Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Djibouti, the Republic of Congo, Angola and Zimbabwe.

In Asia, South Korea and Japan scored high for electoral integrity. The former ranked sixth, while Japan’s two elections were ranked 16th and 18th.

The PEI survey identified around 40 election experts for each country, where there was roughly an equal balance between international and domestic experts. A total of 855 experts gave completed responses, representing 30 per cent of those contacted.

In Malaysia, 17 experts had responded.

The project defined electoral integrity as agreed international conventions and global norms that apply universally to all countries worldwide through the election cycle, including during the pre-election period, the campaign, on polling day, and its aftermath.

The EIP is an independent research project based at the University of Sydney and Harvard University, directed by Professor Pippa Norris, and co-authored by Dr Richard Frank and Dr Ferran Martinez i Coma.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 February 2014, 7:40 am and is filed under
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House divided cannot stand – Anwar’s real enemies  in Kajang by-election are not independents, MCA or even UMNO but PR/PKR internal feuds and  infighting

It is now one full month since the announcement by the Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be the Pakatan Rakyat candidate in the Kajang by-election which will be held in three weeks’ time on March 23, 2014.

In the past 31 days, political temperatures and election fervor had steadily mounted, with a whole slate of issues, national, state and local, being canvassed.

The Kajang by-election promises to be the “by-election of the century” in Malaysia,  deciding not only on who will be the elected representative of the Selangor state assembly seat of Kajang, the political leadership in Selangor but most important of all, the political configuration of the federal centre of power in Putrajaya in the immediate future.

The by-election on March 23 will not only determine the future of Kajang and Selangor, but the future of Malaysia and her 30 million people – not only for 2014 but for the coming years and decades.

All the three Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, PAS and DAP must be fully united and inspired by the common goal of creating a new Malaysia where all her citizenry, regardless of race, religion or region, are united with one common vision for an united, harmonious,  free, democratic, just, competitive, progressive and prosperous Malaysia.

The three Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, PAS and DAP must not only ensure that Datuk Seri Anwar wins in the Kajang by-election on March 23, but wins with a resounding and thunderous majority which will immediately send out a message to all nooks and corners of Malaysia that Putrajaya awaits change in the 14GE.

Just a simple victory in Kajang is a defeat. We must aim for a historic victory, which will redound to greater political and electoral achievements and accomplishments in the years rolling up to the end of this decade.

There are however reasons for concern at some of the developments in Pakatan Rakyat and PKR in  Selangor in the past month.

Datuk Seri Anwar’s real enemies  in Kajang by-election are not the  independent candidates, MCA or even UMNO but PR/PKR internal feuds and  infighting.

We must never forget what Abraham Lincoln said: A house divided against itself cannot stand!

In the Kajang by-election, we can only suffer defeats and setbacks of our own making.

At stake in the Kajang by-election is not just Anwar’s personal political future, but the future of Pakatan Rakyat, three million Selangorians and 30 million Malaysians.

Let us face up to the harsh reality that a defeat in the Kajang by-election – in failing to achieve a resounding and historic victory – cannot be ruled out.

It is imperative that all the three Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, PAS and DAP must take immediate measures to close ranks, put aside our differences, ensure that we do not shoot ourselves in the foot and deny our children and children’s children the one chance in more than half-a-century for political change in Putrajaya.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 28th February 2014)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 February 2014, 5:29 pm and is filed under
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Kajang is on the way to Putrajaya

– Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

February 27, 2014

Why has Anwar’s decision to contest in Kajang caused so much upheaval inside the BN camp? More so in Umno? This is just a DUN seat. As Muhyidin says, when Anwar wins, at the most he can only be MB. Najib is still the PM.

Yes, why?

Umno says it’s protecting the people of Selangor. From what? Mahathir says no one is safe if Anwar is MB.

Hmmm – maybe. Perhaps there’s some truth in what Mahathir said. I did feel shivers down my spine when I participate in a talk with Anwar especially with my back facing him. Haha. I must remember to wear an iron chastity belt the next time. Umno people – please remember that too.

No one who has stolen from the state, no one who is corrupt, and no one who has emptied the treasury will be safe. My own uneasiness dissipates when I think that no treasury, no money is safe when Umno people are around. No public works are safe with Umno people around. These are dangerous people to be around, these Umno people.

Even with projects involving the defence of the country. In Banteng there’s a small shipyard called NGV – Tech Sdn Bhd. It was given a contract to build 2 units of training ships for the navy. The ships cost the government RM943 million. Sometime in December 2012, Rosmah Mansor christened one of them. Then in February 2013, Siti Hasmah christened the other one.

What happened to the ships? Both were not completed. The company went under. It’s now under receivership. So the Umno minister in charge of defence is quietly tendering out (closed tender of course) the completion of the ships. That will cost a few hundred million ringgits more. That navy chief who agreed to give the contract to the shipyard, he will certainly not be safe. Whoever the minister who ordered the contract given to the shipyard, is not going to be safe either.

So, I agree with Dr Mahathir. No one is safe when Anwar around.

We ask Anwar why he wants to contest in Kajang. He answers because Kajang is on the way to Putrajaya. Maybe he plans to build a special toll for anyone from the Mines travelling to Putrajaya. It must be a special one designed by world class architect. Maybe Anwar will call in I.M Pei. That way if anyone from there wants to go to Putrajaya to look up the PM for the time being, the person has to pay toll.

Malays after all liked to be punished and disciplined. They derive pleasure from pain. They will protest and demonstrate when the opposition demands tolls be abolished. They protest and demonstrate insisting they want to pay PTPTN when their children can get free education.

The Malays are rich people despite the fact that the bottom 40% of Malay earns RM1300 per month. Despite the fact that the bottom 40% share 12% of the total Malay income.

Yeah, bebe… spank me more, whip me more.

If as Tun Daim says, Anwar never solves any problems, isn’t that good for Umno. Next time, they can always point out that Anwar has been a useless ADUN for Kajang. How many years did useless Anwar serve the government?

Even before the by-election in Kajang, people are already benefiting. Suddenly with Anwar planning to contest in Kajang, BN has awoken from their slumber and remember that the Kajang hospital is 102 years old. They will build a new one. But please do it through open tender yes. Otherwise the minister, the MOF people, the tender committee will all not be safe when Anwar comes around.

The Jais issue with Bibles, the cow-head issue, all the other issues caused by Umno’s agent provocateurs are suddenly muted. That’s how good Anwar is.

We must save Kajang and Selangor because Anwar is not fit morally, bellowed people from Perkasa. Chew Mei Fun has more moral scruples than Anwar charged Ibrahim Ali.

But what about the morality within Umno? The morality in Umno is a cesspool. The limbahan or water trap behind my late grandmother’s house in Pekan, has got more morality. Sometime that limbahan was where all the effluent and other unmentionable discharge flowed into. That has got more morality than Umno. So don’t Umno come to us to talk about morality.

Umno is acutely aware that when Anwar takes Kajang, it’s a matter of time Anwar takes the whole of Selangor. All the five parliamentary seats and the 12 state seats. Selangor will be beyond the reach of Umno and BN.

Suppose this by-election needs to be carried out because Anwar wants to solve PKR’s internal problem. What is wrong with that? Not doing anything about it is even worse. Khalid and Azmin may not see eye to eye. They can’t stand the sight of each other. But both can accept Anwar.

So why not Anwar steps in to establish peace and get on with managing the state better? Khalid can still serve in a substantive capacity and Azmin can become a senior exco. Let us not make our dislike for Azmin and our preference for Khalid caused us to forget that our bigger enemy is BN. – sakmongkol.blogspot.com, February 27, 2014.

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de guerre of Raub MP Datuk Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 February 2014, 6:58 am and is filed under
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The death of common sense

by Dr. Janet Lee

The Malaysian Insider

February 27, 2014

I am Chinese. My husband is Indian. Both of us are qualified in the medical field and teach at local universities.

Recently, my husband’s contract was not renewed. His speciality is quite rare in the region. He was replaced by a younger person.

Of course, he was disappointed but felt new blood was needed to bring in the latest methods and medicines into the picture.

But here’s where things get very scary: the new person cannot string a sentence in English, in a profession where results have to be transmitted clearly to its end-users.

His former colleagues call at night and he does the work for them on the quiet, minus the fee, so that the patients will have a fighting chance!

You see, dear people in authority, the moral majority in this country are keeping us going. Selfless people who take the humiliation and abuse and to ensure that there is a sense of balance and sanity still operating at critical areas.

One day, my husband entered a lift that was filled with professors of one race from a different department. After moment of silence, someone asked him, in a condescending tone, if he taught English at the University!

Without batting an eyelid, my husband replied: “Quantum Physics!” There was a jaw-dropping silence and an audible “aiyoo” coming from the rear of the lift.

We could not pin this scenario down to a lack of education. All of them were senior members of various faculties. And they were educated.

Instead, we have come to the conclusion that racism is not just institutionalised in Malaysia, but is a given. And that you must expect it as “normal” because it is encouraged from the top.

By purposely not taking action against such incidents, the message is clear: we do not want you here.

Today, as I write this, I am reading that another news portal’s office has been splashed with red paint, and a package with a duck carcass inside was left outside its office.

How can this happen? What is going to happen to those who strive to bring us the truth and the unbiased stories?

But we are powerless. The ballot box has been sabotaged. We do not have any avenues to vent our grouses, frustrations, and broken hopes and dreams.

We look to the next generation. But that is a big task. The young ones have imbibed the toxins of bigotry and racism, and do not know any other way of thinking.

Logic and common sense is as alien as Mongolian lamas and models.

How can we readdress the situation? There cannot be any short-term solution, unless there is a paradigm shift in the composition of those who are in power.

Thanks to web news portals like this, the silent moral majority can give voice to our pains. – February 27, 2014.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 February 2014, 6:50 am and is filed under
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