May There Be Many More Such Encounters!

by
M. Bakri Musa

I congratulate Ustaz Sheikh Mahmud for bringing Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim together recently for a luncheon honoring Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.  I also applaud Anwar and Abdullah for their very public display of civility towards each other on that occasion.

            Along the same vein, I am pleased to see on the last day of the UMNO General Assembly Tun Mahathir and Abdullah Badawi shaking hands.  Despite the many harsh exchanges between them recently, at least they could still manage a brief show of courtesy.  Supporters and commentators may read many things on that, but the fact they could bury their personal differences even if only momentarily is praiseworthy enough.

            Such public gestures of cordiality and mutual respect are sadly lacking in our society today.  As with everything else, we could only change that if we have some very visible examples set by our leaders.  We can do without such obscene displays as when a supposedly “Honorable Member” calling the Deputy Prime Minister a murderer in the hallowed hall of Parliament, or the Minister of Education branding the leader of the Opposition “a traitor to Malays!” Splendid example for our school children!

            I wish academics as well as heads of NGOs, think tanks, and professional bodies would emulate Sheikh Mahmud.  They too should bring together our leaders to discuss issues that deeply affect us in settings other than the political arena.

Unnecessary Conspiracy Theories

It reflects the rarity of the event, as well as the volatility of the current political climate, that a social encounter between Anwar and Abdullah would raise eyebrows among local political observers.  Otherwise perceptive and sensible commentators are reduced to concocting mysterious conspiracy theories purportedly to explain and interpret such a happening.

            We should all relax and quit being suspicious or invoke conspiratorial tones lest we might discourage or frighten other leaders from taking similar initiatives.  Even if Anwar and Abdullah had discussed nothing more than their host’s rendang on that day, the fact that they had shared lunch together at the same table was enough.  Anwar and Abdullah need not apologize for what they did.  On the contrary they should thank their host publicly and profusely for that opportunity.

            Anwar should not dismiss the meeting as mere “coincidence.”  Even if it were so, he should still make full use of the opportunity.  Likewise, Abdullah should not pretend, as he did, that Anwar “unexpectedly” dropped by.  Yes, I know this is Malaysia, and an invitation from a friend of a friend to visit another friend is valid enough!

            Imagine if either Anwar or Abdullah were to have said something along this line:  Someone from the Ustaz’s office had approached me about the meeting and I readily agreed to it.  To add some religious pizzazz to the response, make some references to the sunnah (practices) of the Holy Prophet to suit the occasion.  The one that readily comes to mind would be the Prophet’s offer to negotiate with the Meccan leaders that culminated with their signing the peace treaty at Hudaybiyyah.  That spared a potentially bloody battle between the followers of the prophet and the then pagan Meccans.

            If Anwar or Abdullah had responded thus to the many ensuing queries instead of trying to dismiss this important encounter, even it was truly happenstance, imagine the valuable message of reconciliation and respect it would have sent to the citizens, especially their followers.

            I am also pleased that Anwar had brought along his wife Azizzah.  I wish that Abdullah too would have done the same.  Spouses of leaders play a major role in moderating and supporting their respective wives and husbands.

            I am not in tune with the Malaysian social protocol, but arriving after the Prime Minister on any occasion is definitely a “No! No!”  However, Anwar had a ready explanation for his late arrival as he had to put up with some shenanigans at the courthouse.

Learning From Others

During the height of the American presidential election last year, candidates Barack Obama and John McCain took time off from their hectic campaigns for a joint appearance at the annual charity event, the Alfred E Smith Foundation Dinner, where they poked fun at each other (and shared the same dining table).

            Similarly, former Presidents Bush, Sr., and Clinton, once fierce political competitors, were able to combine their considerable influence and prestige to head a charitable fund to help victims of the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.

            As Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman made it his practice to invite Members of Parliament and their spouses for a social evening of joget dancing at the Sri Perdana on the opening day of Parliament.  The Tunku was a gracious host; he knew how to make his guests feel at home and have an enjoyable evening.  Even parliamentarians from PAS felt at ease at such parties.

            Such social interactions serve a very useful purpose; they help smooth and cement relationships in other spheres.  Such interactions are what enabled the late Tan Chee Koon, Malaysia’s “Mr. Opposition,” to be a trenchant critic of the government and yet earned the admiration of government leaders.

            It is not a surprise that the Selangor state government under Datuk Harun, an UMNO ultra, gave Tan, a socialist and in the opposition, a land grant for him to build Sentosa Hospital.  Such goodwill gestures across the political (and also racial) divide are unimaginable today.  Witness the current very ugly and public spat between Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and his predecessor Khir Toyo.  And they are both Malays!  Imagine if they were of different races!  As it is, you can bet that you would not find them at each other’s “Open House” during Hari Raya.

            Speaking of Hari Raya “Open House,” it was commendable of Anwar to be at Abdullah’s soon after he (Anwar) was released from prison.  Alas, that was then.  It seemed so very long ago!

            UMNO Youth used to organize an annual social golf tournament with its counterpart in Singapore’s PAP Youth.  To say that the political philosophies of UMNO and PAP are poles apart would be an understatement, yet their members were able to set that aside for an afternoon of friendly rivalry on the greens.  If UMNO Youth could this with the PAP, why not with PAS Pemuda?  If those folks at PAS are not into golf, then why not try Quran reading sessions or a zikir barat?

            Instead we have that ugly scene of Hishammuddin calling Anwar Ibrahim a traitor.  Even factoring in the highly partisan atmosphere of the recently concluded UMNO General Assembly, I still find Hishammuddin’s utterances offensive and unpardonable.  And this guy fancies himself leading UMNO and our country some day!

            I hope that new Prime Minister Najib Razak would reinstate the Tunku’s practice of having a social gala at the “People’s Palace” in Putrajaya on the opening day of Parliament so our legislators and their spouses, as well as senior government officials, could get together for an evening of fun and relaxation.  Surely those folks could put politics aside for the evening.

            I would also like our future Prime Minister to make it his practice of meeting regularly with the leader of the opposition to discuss pending major legislations.  That would also help smooth out Parliament’s operations.

            It would be too much to expect Najib and Anwar to spend a quiet social evening together as President Reagan did with the Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill.  Of course it is not the place for Anwar to seek such regular meetings, but it would be the courteous and civilized thing for Najib as Prime Minster to initiate the gesture, just as Reagan did with O’Neill.

            There was something else remarkable and heartening about the Mauludal Nabi event at Ustaz Sheikh Mahmud Al-Mazjub’s place, quite apart from the presence of both Anwar and Abdullah.  The occasion was also graced by the presence of not only ulamas from neighboring countries but also the head of the Buddhist Monastery in Bangkok.

            I hope that our leaders and Malaysians generally would learn something from this great alim, and that at our next national Maludal Nabi event we should also invite the heads of other religious organizations in the country.  We should go further and expect our leaders to visit each other’s “Open House” during the festive seasons.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful!  That would truly be a worthy legacy for this great alim.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 March 2009, 10:01 am and is filed under
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Perak Assemblyman arrested – for producing DVD on “Democracy Tree”

UPDATE

Boon Piaw was released by police on personal bond at 1.10 am this morning for allegedly violating the Film Censorship Act 2002 for “manufacturing, circulating, distributing, displaying” the “Democracy Tree” DVD without first getting a B certificate from the Film Censorship Board.

Such an offence entails a fine from RM5,000 to RM30,000, three years’ jail or both.

Boon Piaw is to report back to the police on April 13 to find out the next course of police action.

Just imagine the far-reaching repercussions of such a law – which will make a criminal of every IT-savvy citizen in the country!

Ominous signs of increasing repression in Malaysia under Najib.

(9.15.46 am)

Just before 11 pm last night (Sunday), DAP Perak State Assemblyman for Tebing Tinggi, Ong Boon Piaw was arrested at the Chin Woo Hall, Ipoh for the production of a DVD on the internationally-famous “Democracy Tree” – shortly after the launching  and the public viewing of the DVD.

He has been taken to the Pekan Baru police station in Ipoh for the police arrest formalities.

Latest example of the increasing intolerance towards fundamental liberties like freedom of speech, thought and expression in Najib’s Malaysia!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 March 2009, 1:24 am and is filed under
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Ban “Altantuya” name – Najib crackdown bordering on Najib madness

With Datuk Seri Najib Razak all set to be sworn in  as the sixth Prime Minister on Friday, all stops are off for a Najib crackdown – the latest being the
ban
 on a Mongolian name,  Altantuya Shariibuu,  from public discourse.

When I
said yesterday
 that Najib’s ascension as the next Prime Minister marks an enveloping darkness descending in all fronts of human rights, as hardly a day passes in the past fortnight without a new encroachment and erosion of the fundamental liberties whether freedom of speech, expression, assembly, association or the right to information, I had not expected to be vindicated again  within 24 hours.

Sad. Very sad. It would appear as  if Malaysia has not become enough of an international laughing stock in recent times  chalking up a lengthening list of most shameful episodes, like

•	the unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab in Perak orchestrated by Najib;

•	wheelchair-bound DAP National Chairman and Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament, Karpal Singh mobbed by Selangor Umno Youth goons in the parliamentary precincts interfering and menacing him from carrying out his parliamentary duties and subsequently charged in court with sedition for stating what all law lecturers teach in the law schools in the country that Rulers are subject to the law and can be brought to court in their official and personal capacities;

•	the one-year suspension of DAP MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo without parliamentary pay and privileges without giving him the right to be heard;

•	my suspension from Parliament for saying that Umno is “gila kuasa” –which Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi  said as much in his farewell Umno presidential address the next day and which one Umno delegate adopted in the Umno Assembly general debate to pinpoint the causes of Umno’s downfall;

•	the three-month suspension of Harakah and Suara Keadilan;

•	Police and MACC violation of the doctrine of the separation of powers in harassing the Perak State Assembly Speaker and Perak State Assembly members for performing their State Assembly functions; and only two nights ago,

•	the arrest of DAP Perak State Assemblyman for Tebing Tinggi Ong Boon Piaw for producing the “Democracy Tree” DVD.

What makes Najib think that getting the police to
ban the mention of “Altantunya Shariibuu” in the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections
 will end and release him from being haunted and hounded by serious swirling allegations about his suitability, integrity and legitimacy as the nation’s Prime Minister, particularly over the Altantuya Shariibuu murder case?

Will “Altantuya Shariibuu” become an unparliamentary term, justifying an MP to be suspended for a prolonged period or even expulsion for uttering the unspeakable Mongolian name?

Instead of quelling and quashing the swirling questions and allegations  as to his role in the Altantuya Shariibuu murder case, the ridiculous ban on any mention of the Mongolian name will only have the effect of giving the questions and  allegations a high-octane boost – giving even greater life, force and potency to them.

The Najib crackdown is bordering on a Najib madness – and all this even before Najib is sworn in as Prime Minister on Friday!

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 31 March 2009, 6:29 pm and is filed under
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Checkmate Barisan National in Perak

by
Koon Yew Yin

20th March 2009

Like most ordinary people, I was initially very confused by all the articles and commentaries on the Perak constitutional crisis. Just like reading an interesting book, I was anxious to know what the ending would be.  There is one important difference though. Unlike a book, the ending of this crisis – for better or for worse – will affect my life and the lives of ordinary rakyat of Perak, as well as all Malaysians, given the ramifications that the outcome will have on the constitutional process of political power and governance.

In recent weeks I have become increasingly concerned with the twists and turns in this modern version of the Perak wayang kulit which – as with some of the stories found in its traditional form – contains strong moral and ethical elements.  These recent developments include the infamous act of demolition of the “Democracy Plaque” put up by the rain tree and the recent action taken by the Federal Government to charge  Karpal Singh under the ISA for saying that the Perak Sultan can be sued.

All these events seem to indicate that the Barisan Nasional Government has prevailed in its attempt to oust the Pakatan Rakyat state government from power.  Reading the official media accounts and analysis one can certainly be forgiven for thinking this.  I, too, similarly was of this view until I attended the talk given by former Appellant Judge Dato N.H. Chan at the Perak Bar Council on 19th March 09. The title of his talk was ‘ How to Judge a Judge’. To get the maximum benefit from the lecture, I read up Justice Chan’s two articles, namely ‘The tussle between the Sultan and the Mentri Besar in Perak’ and ‘The Arrogance of a Novice Judge’.

After the talk, I asked a few questions and the answers I got, clarified all my doubts. In the English or Western chess game, the situation is now called zugzwang.  It is a German word to describe a chess player’s position when he has to make a move that will only worsen his position.

The Perak constitutional crisis started on 4th Feb 09 when the PR Mentri Besar Dato Seri Mohammed Nizar requested the Perak Sultan to dissolve the legislative assembly because two 2 of the PR assembly members resigned and declared themselves as independent assembly members. As a result, PR now has 28, BN has also 28 assembly members, and there are 3 independent members. The ruler turned down Nizar’s request. The next day after seeing the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Rasak, the ruler summoned Nizar to tell him that he had to resign and Dato Zambry Abdul Kadir was then appointed as the new Mentri Besar.

This political impasse arising from what has now been widely assessed to be a hasty and unwise move by the Perak Sultan has now become more complicated.  On 18th Feb 09, the ‘newly appointed’ Mentri Besar Zambry and his 6 Executive councillors were suspended by the Committee of Powers and Privileges of the Perak State Assembly for 18 and 12 months respectively.

On 3rd March 09 the Assembly Speaker, V. Sivakumar called for an emergency sitting of the assembly but the Perak State Secretary (with the assistance of what is supposed to be our ‘politically neutral’ police force)  prohibited all the PR state assemblymen to enter the State Assembly building. The Speaker was undeterred and convened the meeting under a tree nearby. All the BN assemblymen including the ‘newly appointed’ Mentri Besar Dato Zambry boycotted the assembly.

In this assembly under the tree, 3 resolutions were passed:

1.     The Assembly confirmed support for Dato Seri Nizar as the legitimate Perak Mentri Besar.

2.     The Assembly confirmed the suspension of Dato Zambry and the 6 newly appointed executive councillors for 18 and 12 months respectively.

3.     To seek all the possible ways to dissolve the Legislative Assembly.

Immediately after, the newly appointed BN Mentri Besar Dato Zambry rushed to the court to sue V. Sivakumar, the speaker for suspending them and to seek an injunction to stop the speaker from holding any more assembly meetings. Zambry and his assembly men did not realise that their boycott of the Assembly under the tree was a fatal move which I shall explain later.

The legality of the assembly under the tree is the key to resolve the impasse.

The following is my analysis of the political chess game which has now taken place in Perak and the moves by the two opposing sides.

 1. According to Article 72(1) of the Federal Constitution, the validity of any proceeding in the Legislative Assembly of any state shall not be questioned in any court.

2. The Assembly is the master of its own procedure and laws. Any redress must be made in and come from within the House. In other words, a member can move a resolution to rectify any perceived error or irregularity.

3.The jurisdiction of the Perak Assembly over its own members, its right to impose discipline is absolute and exclusive.

4. Therefore, the suite filed by Zambry and his de facto EXCO to challenge the legality of their suspension is doomed to fail, if the proper law is applied.

5. Such being the case, the BN does not command a majority in the Assembly.

Without Zambry and the six other suspended members, BN only has 21 members. And even assuming the three others who have ‘resigned’ are included, BN is still in the minority with 24 members against PR’s 27.

6. We have a unique situation now where the ‘new’ Mentri Besar would not dare call for any sitting of the Assembly because that would expose his vulnerability. Furthermore, the fact that he is unable to attend the sittings is a good enough reason for him to resign from the Assembly as he is legally and constitutionally unable to present the Budget and also defend his policies in the Assembly.

7. Zambry’s position seems now to be untenable as it is contrary to established constitutional theory whereby the chief Executive should be a member of the Assembly. It is a matter of time before he is forced to resign by sheer force of circumstances.

8. Before the assembly meeting under the tree, the State Assembly met on 11th and 12th Nov. 08. Assuming that all the BN elected assembly men attended the assembly, they did not attend the assembly convened under the tree. According to Article xxxv of the Perak Constitution the Assembly can declare the member’s seat vacant if he or she is absent for assembly meeting for a period of 6 months. So by 13th May 09 if an assembly is called, the BN members will be voted out and if they do not attend the Assembly, their seats will be automatically declared vacant.

Therefore, checkmate and the game is over.

To enlighten readers further, let me explain the term ‘checkmate’ in chess. It is when an opponent has no legal move to protect his king.

As we all know, currently there is no Government in Perak. The delay in resolving the political crisis is affecting the State’s economy and social order – not to mention political order; and sooner or later all Perakians will suffer.

The BN leaders must consult their legal team and quickly resolve the problem. What is the opinion of the Queen’s Council? If what I wrote is legally correct,   they should not wait till 13th May 09 to be forced out in ignominy and disgrace.

A quick return to the ballot box to see which party the Perak electorate wants as its state government is the only morally and legally defensible option for all stakeholders.  It is also the way out of this political quagmire.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 31 March 2009, 12:53 pm and is filed under
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Big Napoleons in MOH

Letters

by mnoria

Big Napoleons in MOH acting like mafia warlords to sabotage the Health Ministry’s official announcements

I hope the Malaysian public have not forgotten the plight of House Officers or young trainee doctors:

1. Forced to work non-stop 36 hours, on-call duty for 24 hours and need to continue with another 12-hour regular, routine duties.

2. Extension of the period of their houseman-ship into two-years from the previous one year only.

The voices of grouses and protests died down totally after:

1. Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai announced that trainee doctors would now get a day off after carrying out their 24-hour on-call duty.

2. Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican announced an automatic promotion to grade UD44 upon completion of their two-year houseman-ship.

Please refer to the following two news reports from the Star newspapers for the details:

1. The Star, 18th. December 2008, Thursday, reported

Day off after 24-hour duty for trainee doctors

2.
Promotions for house officers in govt hospitals

By IZATUN SHARI in The Stars.

But the situation of the trainee doctors on the ground in the hospitals around Malaysia is totally different. There seems to have a hidden black hand of the Big Napoleons in MOH destroying and acting the true spirit and intentions of those announcements. They are acting like powerful local mafia warlords to sabotage the Health Ministry’s top two officers’ public announcements.

House Officers are discouraged from resting after 24-hr duty by forcing the following regulations:

1. If rest after 24-hr duty, RM100.00 overtime fees are forfeited. Because they rest the following day after the 24-hr duty, they are not entitled for the overtime they already worked. Their 16-hr over time just disappeared because they choose to rest the following 8-hr duty.

(Yes, we all know that HOs are forced to work 12-hr every day without any overtime payment. We all accepted this as part of our training but anyway our normal working hours must be 8-hr only. We are not complaining about this minor thing.)

2. If always choose to rest after 24-hr duty; the HO got the punishment of extension for months for not fulfilling the expected length of working hours in the particular ward. And this irresponsible extension by the medical authorities had given much resentment amongst HOs and it also effected the other HOs who need to do more on-call duties because of disruption of roasters and schedules.

3. The prospect of getting the much hyped automatic promotion to grade UD44 upon completion of their two-year houseman-ship in 2010 by the house officers in government hospitals is also dashed by the revelations of the need to sit for the examinations, need applications and also subject to the scoring of marks given by superiors according to their performances.

So there is practically no improvement of the working conditions for the HOs at all and there is much discontents amongst them especially as they felt that MOH authorities were doing lip service or just twisting their tongues for political reasons only. If anyone tries to fight back, there is a danger of black listing and definite powerful revenge responses from the MOH authorities who are acting as big mafia gangsters.

The incoming new Cabinet should look into this kind of problems created by Big Napoleons, not only in the MOH but in almost every ministry, who always act like mafia war lords to sabotage the Government’s official announcements and policy guidelines.

Proper Rules and regulations are good but these should not degenerate into Bureaucratic Red tapes that would have a negative effect on the image of the government.

TQ

Mohd. Nor Ibrahim bin Abdullah

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 April 2009, 12:12 pm and is filed under
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Confirmed – no Najib 100-day honeymoon as new PM after “Altantuya ban”

Confirmed – there is going to be no 100-day political honeymoon for Datuk Seri Najib Razak when he takes over as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

The outrageous, arbitrary, high-handed and indefensible ban on mention of the C4 murder victim, Mongolian woman Altantuya Shariibuu in the three by-elections of Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai has shattered whatever political honeymoon  Najib might have  enjoyed as the new Prime Minister  – however shortened and  truncated from the conventional  first 100 days normally extended to all new office holders.

Even before his ascension as the next Prime Minister, Najib is already blamed for quickly transforming the  political atmosphere  in the country – from a sunny one five years five months ago  when Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over the premiership,  promising an era of openness, greater democracy, accountability and integrity (unfortunately remaining unfulfilled) to an increasingly gloomy and darkening political landscape day-by-day with the impending Najib takeover, coupled with grave  concerns about his suitability, integrity and legitimacy as Prime Minister.

At the media conference at the end of the Umno General Assembly where he was elected Umno President uncontested,  in response to a press question about concerns that he would crack down on media and civil liberties, Najib said:

“Why did you form such a judgment about me?  This is not fair. You are pre-judging me even before I take office. Please judge me by my actions. Give me the chance to take office.”

Although Najib has not officially taken over as the new Prime Minister, he had effectively exercised the powers of the Prime Minister in the past two months, with   Abdullah  increasingly a PM only  in name but not in fact.

This was why it was Najib and not Abdullah who was blamed for the spate of repression in the past two months, whether the unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab in Perak orchestrated by Najib; the  DAP National Chairman Karpal Singh charged in court with sedition; the one-year suspension of DAP MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo without parliamentary pay and privileges; the three-month suspension of Harakah and Suara Keadilan; Police and MACC harassing the Perak State Assembly Speaker and Perak State Assembly members; the arrest of DAP Perak State Assemblyman for Tebing Tinggi Ong Boon Piaw for producing the “Democracy Tree” DVD; and now the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hamid Albar’s  ban on bringing up the Altantuya case and Perak Sultan decision on the Perak constitutional crisis in the three by-elections.

However, Najib and Hamid could not have made a bigger mistake – for by banning the mention of “Altantuya Shariibuu” in the three by-elections, they have created a hurricane of outrage which is  giving the serious allegations hounding and haunting Najib about his role in the murder case of the Mongolian woman even  greater publicity, currency and potency.

If the enemies of Najib want to find a way to further electrify the  issue by securing  an even higher  national and international profile to the serious allegations about Najib’s role in the Altantuya Sharriibuu C4 murder case, it will be difficult to think of another more successful gambit as to impose a police ban to prohibit and outlaw any  mention of “Altantuya Shariibuu” – as public outrage at the ban  will guarantee that it become a really  incandescent issue!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 April 2009, 2:18 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia’s future leader hounded by accusations

By
Julia Yeow

Deutsche presse-Agentur

31.3.09

‘I am hard-pressed to say this, but for these very reasons, I must say that Najib will surely split us, and in doing so, push us further into the pits,’ Zaid said in a public speech recently.

Kuala Lumpur – Barring divine intervention or an extremely well-hidden plan by his detractors, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak will be named Malaysia’s sixth prime minister in a matter of days.

   Outgoing premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is scheduled to resign on Thursday, paving the way for his deputy to be sworn in at a date that has yet to be announced, but that could happen the very same day.

   But the timing for Najib couldn’t be worse: he is taking over the leadership of a multi-party government coalition suffering from an all-time low public opinion, and a country already sinking in the fringes of a recession.

   And to top it off, Najib’s own battles with controversies and scandals have dogged him and overshadowed what should have been a triumphant appointment.

   The main controversy, and possibly the most damaging, is the alleged link between him and the gruesome murder of a Mongolian beauty in 2006.

   Altantuya Shaarribuu, then 28, was shot and her body blown up with military-grade explosives. Police found her remains on a remote hill outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.

   Both media and public attention to the case reached fever pitch when prominent political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, also a close friend and aide of Najib, was detained for his role in the woman’s death.

   Abdul Razak was cleared of all charges last year, but allegations of links between Najib and the victim remained, a claim vehemently denied by the deputy premier.

   Even after Najib swore his innocence on the Muslim holy book of the Quran in an elaborate ceremony, opposition members and bloggers have been relentless in their accusations.

   During a by-election in the northern Penang state last year, thousands of opposition supporters chanted the murder victim’s name over and over every time Najib appeared.

   Such embarrassing incidents are surely not going to stop once he becomes prime minister.

   ’For Najib to simply deny that he is not in any way involved with the murder or attribute evil motives on his critics – his current strategy – will not cut it,’ said prominent political commentator M Bakri Musa.

   ’Najib has to assure Malaysians that his personal integrity is beyond reproach,’ Bakri said in his blog.

   But the Mongolian murder, coupled with rampant rumours of corruption involving several arms deals while Najib was defence minister, continue to shadow Najib’s denials and attempts at projecting a clean image.

   According to independent pollster Merdeka Centre, Najib’s popularity rating currently stands at 41 per cent, compared to the 46-per-cent rating of his predecessor Abdullah, who was hounded from office.

   Najib’s problems don’t stop at just a low popularity rating. He will be taking over at a time when Malaysia is experiencing increasing unemployment and dwindling economic growth.

   Najib, 55, the son of a former prime minister, himself acknowledged that he would be taking over in ‘critical times.’

   Earlier this month, he announced a whopping 60-billion-ringgit (16.1 billion dollars) stimulus package aimed at lifting the country out of an increasingly serious economic crisis.

   However, the supplemental budget failed to impress, as economists say allocations in the package would not likely do much to boost the ailing economy, and instead raise the fiscal deficit to a projected 7.6 per cent of gross domestic product, from 4.8 per cent last year.

   ’These are extremely difficult times. Malaysia needs a leader that can unite this country which is facing hard times,’ said Zaid Ibrahim, a former minister in Abdullah’s cabinet who was fired from the ruling party after he attended an opposition-organized event recently.

   ’I am hard-pressed to say this, but for these very reasons, I must say that Najib will surely split us, and in doing so, push us further into the pits,’ Zaid said in a public speech recently.

   The opposition warned that Najib’s ascension to premiership also signaled a crackdown on dissent and freedom of opinion, citing his hand in a controversial takeover of Perak, one of the opposition-ruled states, earlier this year.

‘Severe repressive measures may be the hallmark of Najib’s ascendancy to premiership,’ said Tian Chua, the information chief of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s People’s Justice Party.

   Lim Kit Siang, veteran leader of the opposition Democratic Action Party, said that Najib’s premiership could unite Malaysians in their distrust of the scandal-hounded leader.

   ’It is a most significant political phenomenon that many Malaysians, transcending the political divide, are wondering whether there is any way to stop Najib from becoming prime minister until he comes clean,’ Lim said.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 April 2009, 8:56 am and is filed under
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Najib’s swearing-in as PM  on Friday – how can when royal consent not yet given for Abdullah’s resignation?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has
confirmed
 that Cabinet Ministers, Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers have received invitations to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the country’s new Prime Minister at Istana Negara on Friday.

This raises the question whether the royal prerogative of the Yang di Pertuan Agong to appoint the next Prime Minister has been overlooked or disregarded when the King is presented with the fait accompli of the swearing-in ceremony for Najib as the new Prime Minister at Istana Negara on Friday when the royal consent for Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s resignation has not been given.

In his winding-up speech at the Umno General Assembly on Saturday, Abdullah
announced
 that he will meet the Yang di Pertuan Agong tomorrow (Thursday), saying:

“God willing, the proper handover ceremony will be arranged once Tuanku has consented to my desire to resign.”

What happens if the Yang di Pertuan Agong does not consent to Abdullah’s desire to resign or needs time to discharge his royal prerogative?

In the circumstances, isn’t it presumptuous as well as contempt for the royal prerogative of the Yang di Pertuan Agong to appoint the Prime Minister as provided by the Constitution to schedule the swearing-in ceremony for Najib to become the new Prime Minister at Istana Negara on Friday when the Yang di Pertuan Agong has not met Abdullah and given his consent for Abdullah’s resignation?

Explanations from both Abdullah and Najib on these extraordinary developments are fully warranted.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 April 2009, 10:23 am and is filed under
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Everybody knows her name

By
Shannon Teoh

The Malaysian Insider

2.4.09

SUNGAI PETANI, April 2 — Opposition speakers continue to creatively work around the Home Ministry ban on mentioning Altantuya Shaariibuu at their election ceramahs with Lim Kit Siang last night proving that most people were aware of the Mongolian beauty.

The DAP stalwart questioned the suitability of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister merely by asking the Bukit Selambau crowd “Who? From where?” when bringing up the Umno president’s alleged links to her murder.

The crowd got their answers right on both counts.

Two nights ago when opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim began his triple by-elections campaign here, he showed the breadth of topics he could address in attacking Barisan Nasional by bringing up a different deceased — that of suspected car thief A. Kugan in police custody.

Lim last night highlighted the sheer ludicrity of banning the mention of a name and “that of a non-citizen,” calling it undemocratic.

He said the Altantuya murder, without mentioning her name, coupled with allegations of abuse of power including an RM500 million commission in the government purchase of submarines, raised doubts over Najib’s impending premiership in “35 hours”.

“There are question marks over his suitability, integrity, credibility and legitimacy. Never has there been such doubts over a prime minister,” he said.

“Everybody knows about this,” he said, using his query to the crowd as evidence of how wide the speculation had spread.

The Ipoh Timur MP admitted that he was disappointed that outgoing prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was stepping down as he had promised and failed to deliver extensive democratic reforms before stepping down.

He said that it was imperative for voters in Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang and Batang Ai to send a message to Najib to make him prove his innocence in these scandals and his credibility in carrying out the reforms demanded by the people.

The Home Ministry issued tough guidelines to parties contesting the by-elections to refrain from talking about Altantuya, the Perak Sultan’s decisions in switching state government, race and religious issues in ceramahs.

The opposition has called the ban unfair and undemocratic, vowing to defy it in its campaigns.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 April 2009, 10:20 am and is filed under
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Islam “more repressive….narrow and parochial”

I was struck by one  Q & A in Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s
final interview
as Prime Minister on 31st March 2009,  as published by
The Star yesterday
, viz;

Q: You talked about progress Muslims made in earlier years and how we must emulate their efforts. But we must examine the Islam practised then. It was so free, lots of freedom to research, to think and implement. When you introduced Islam Hadhari, I thought this would bring it back to that era. But under you, Islam has gone to be more repressive. Just look at the lectures given by the ustaz on RTM1, they are so narrow and parochial.

A: It is a big problem – overseas the idea is welcome. Even Indonesia. But here it is all in a mess. Because we are fighting each other politically. Some PAS members do not like the idea. It is a battle that goes on. Changing of the mind. To do anything like that is not easy.

I have given myself that role. When I talk about democracy and freedom of discourse, it is not an easy job to do. But you have to allow people to enjoy it.

When people like it, the freedom, they think it is very nice. But I would have managed it better. I think up to now, nobody can silence the papers anymore. I don’t like the word takut (scared). Takut is not the way. Being reasonable is very important as well as being correct. Scaring does not work.

No denial whatsoever from Abdullah that under his Islam Hadhari, “Islam has gone to be more repressive…so narrow and parochial”.

Just  total evasion of the problem created during Abdullah premiership as a result of the yawning gulf between promise and reality – whether as posed by the questioner or in other fields such as fostering national unity, promoting inter-religious and inter-civilisational dialogue, anti-corruption or to end Malaysia’s “first-world infrastructure, third-world mentality” malaise

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 April 2009, 11:19 am and is filed under
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Kit Siang: Najib should clear his name first

Malaysiakini

Athi Veeranggan | Apr 2, 09 12:58pm

Never before has a premier designate’s credibility to assume the country’s top job has come under such intense public scrutiny as in the case of Najib Abdul Razak.

Veteran opposition parliamentarian Lim Kit Siang said Najib therefore should first address the unprecedented phenomenon of Malaysians doubting his integrity in taking over the premiership.

“Najib must first come out clean from all the public accusations and allegations against him before assuming the country’s top job.

“He cannot assume the premiership with a tainted character and frail credibility. He must first clear his name,” said Lim in his Bukit Selambau by-election campaign speech at a rally in Sungai Petani last night.

The DAP supremo opined that it would be “morally and politically incorrect” for Najib to become the country’s sixth prime minister tomorrow when the jury was still out on whether the newly-elected Umno president was the ‘right man’ to helm Putrajaya.

“Never before so many questions were raised on the suitability, legitimacy and integrity of a politician prior to his appointment as prime minister,” said Lim, who had been a parliamentarian since the days of the country’s first premier Tunku Abdul Rahman.

The Ipoh Timur MP suggested that Najib should clean all the ‘skeletons in the cabinet’ by clearing his name on a number of scandals.

Lim pointed out Najib has been under siege with several damaging accusations such as his alleged link with slain Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu, the subsequent mysterious disappearance of a private investigator P Balasubramaniam and the RM500 million commission payout to a company belonging to his close confidant in the purchase French submarines.

He called for a royal commission to probe into all these allegations to clear the way for Najib to take over the premiership.

Mahathirism making a comeback

Lim also warned Malaysians that Najib’s imminent premiership tenure would mark the return of ‘Mahathirism’, a reflection of the hardline administration of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

According to the DAP leader, the coup d’etat in Perak, sedition charge against party colleague Karpal Singh and the police ban on Pakatan Rakyat leaders from bringing up the Altantuya case in the by-elections were among the signs that ‘Mahathirism’ is making a comeback.

“This is dangerous and must stopped. Voters in Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang and Batang Ai have a national duty to send a message that they reject Mahathirism,” said Lim.

He also questioned the suitability and credibility of former Umno vice-president Mohd Ali Rustam as the Malacca chief minister given that he had been barred from contesting in the recent party elections due to allegations of vote-buying.

“How could he continue to helm the state government when he had been banned from his own party for alleged corrupt practices?” he asked.

The veteran politician also predicted that Najib’s era would mark the beginning of the end to Barisan Nasional’s political dominance.

“Pakatan will form the federal government in the next general election,” he thumped home to cheers of some 2,000 people.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 April 2009, 5:48 pm and is filed under
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Pak Lah’s “kick at the pack of snapping hyenas around him”

Politics enters turbulent waters as prime minister retires

 By
Jonathan Manthorpe

Vancouver Sun

March 30, 2009

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is known as a courteous gentleman, ill-fitted for the brutal and violent world of his country’s politics.

But even the tolerant and spiritual Abdullah could not resist a kick at the pack of snapping hyenas around him when he retired last week after nearly six years as everyone’s fall guy.

Unless, he warned, the United Malays National organization (UMNO), the party that has dominated government since independence from Britain in 1957, stops silencing its critics, jailing its opponents and discriminating against minorities, it is on the fast track to political oblivion.

It was a harsh judgement, but a just and alarming one for a country which until recently has been seen as one of the great economic and political success stories of Southeast Asia.

Despite its oil wealth and highly educated middle class, Malaysia has been hit harder than many by the global recession. Exports are down by one third and the economy is expected to shrink by at least five per cent this year.

But the more troubling aspect long-term, that Abdullah pointed to in his farewell speech, is the apparent crumbling of the political culture.

Abdullah took over the leadership of UMNO and became prime minister of the Barisan Nasional governing coalition in 2003 at a time when the country appeared ready for some political calm after a couple of decades under the intemperate and stern discipline of Mahathir Mohammed.

But it swiftly became apparent that it took a man of Mahathir’s authoritarian instincts to control the feral beasts that inhabit the Malaysian political jungle.

Abdullah was just too nice for the job. Last year the voters gave the UMNO-led coalition its worst election results in over half a century, and Abdullah’s departure was only a matter of time.

He has been replaced as UMNO leader by his deputy Najib Razak, who will formerly take over as prime minister this week.

Najib comes to power laden with a mess of political baggage that illustrates Abdullah’s warning about UMNO being out of touch with the voters.

Najib has been accused of corruption, especially allegations around a deal to buy French submarines when he was defence minister.

He denies those charges, but they won’t go away, in large part because of the current trial over the murder of a Mongolian former Parisian model, Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Shaariibuu was the mistress of Najib’s main policy adviser Abdul Razak Baginda and she appears to have acted as a translator during negotiations over the submarine deal.

Shaariibuu was killed in October 2006 and her body destroyed by military explosives. Prosecutors allege she was killed by two of the bodyguards of Najib’s wife, and, to the incredulity of opposition politicians, Baginda has already been found not guilty of involvement in the murder.

Independent media in Malaysia allege Shaariibuu was killed because she demanded a share of the $155 million US “commission” paid to a company linked to her paramour, Baginda, by the French.

The court is due to deliver its verdict on the two bodyguards next week.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 April 2009, 11:32 am and is filed under
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Zambry is not a very smart man

by
Martin Jalleh

BN-appointed menteri besar Zambry Abd Kadir thinks he is very slick and smart. Sadly, he has shown himself to be very shallow and slow.

He had very gleefully posed what M’kini called a “pertinent question” to the Menteri Besar of Perak Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin. He had thought he had delightfully delivered a body blow, damned his rival, and driven him to the ground.

Zambry claimed that Nizar had stated his position as ‘Pasir Panjang assemblyman’ and not as ‘menteri besar’ in his nomination papers filed last Saturday, to contest the Bukit Gantang by-election on April 7.

“All this while, he has been telling the whole world he is the lawful menteri besar. So why didn’t he address himself as the menteri besar in the nomination papers?” exclaimed Zambry, much to the delight of the crowd comprising mainly women and the elderly.
(M’kini)

The answer is very simple and it reflects how astute a politician Nizar really is. He has taken into account the politicial realities that he has to contend with — realities that appear more and more grotesque with each passing day in Bukit Gantang.

If he had stated that he is the Menteri Besar of Perak, his victory in the by-election will be challenged by Umno and its cohorts.  Yes, this may sound ridiculous, but what is no longer ridiculous with regard to the powers that be? So here goes.

The Election Commission which had decided to play politics to ensure that the fraudulent Perak State Government comes into power, will declare that Nizar had made a “fraudulent claim” in the nomination papers!

Or Umno could resort to an Election Court and they could look for the most junior judge (judicial commissioner) in Perak (which made the judiciary the butt of everyone’s jokes by his jaundiced judgments) to decide that Nizar’s declaration was technically faulty!

Or the police, under the instructions of the Home Minister, who is slowly being nursed back to health after a badly bruised ego as a result of being rejected by his own party, could arrest Nizar for “impersonation”!

Nizar is not so naive as Zambry so desperately tries to project him. He is a humble man with nerves of steel. In fact, he does not need to state in his nomination papers that he is the true Menteri Besar. We Perakians know it in our hearts, and that would suffice.

It would be best that Zambry zips up, for his ignorance is becoming very glaring especially in Bukit Gantang.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 April 2009, 9:45 am and is filed under
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Najib’s first test as PM on his “One Malaysian” concept – halt Umno’s irresponsible, destructive by-election campaign labelling majority of PR voters as anti-Sultan

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been sworn  in as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia, fulfilling the most famous political prophecy of RAHMAN on the first six Prime Ministers, although time will tell whether Najib will be the shortest-serving Prime Minister marking the end of the line of UMNO Prime Ministers in the country.

What is incontrovertible is that never before in the nation’s 53-year history has the ascension of a new Prime Minister in Malaysia been surrounded by so many questions, doubts and allegations raising serious questions about  his suitability, credibility, integrity and legitimacy as in Najib’s case, not only among Malaysians transcending race, religion, political affiliation or region, but also internationally.

For the past month, Najib’s ascension as the new Prime Minister has been reported extensively in the international press and foreign countries, but there has not been one serious write-up which had not referred to the grave allegations hounding and haunting Najib, in particular the serious allegations about the C4 murder case of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shariibuu and the French submarine mega-defence commission.

These personal dilemmas of Najib have from today become  national nightmares as they concern the honour of the highest political office of the land and that of the nation.

Is Najib just going to ignore these serious swirling doubts and allegations about his suitability, credibility, integrity and legitimacy as Prime Minister and soldier on regardless or is he finally going to end his denial and address these issues in a credible manner  as by setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to put these doubts and allegations to rest, once and for all?

The timing of Najib’s takeover as Prime Minister could not have been worse, coming hours after Malaysia had been placed in the four-nation
blacklist
 of non-cooperative tax havens  by the Organisation for Economic  Co-operation Development (OECD) for breaching international tax standards – as Najib had taken over the finance ministry since last September.

With the country facing the worst global economic crisis in a century, Malaysia needs a Prime Minister who can rally and mobilise Malaysians as one people to tide through a grave recession looming  in the months ahead.

This is why Najib must get rid of his heavy personal baggage quick and fast or all his tantalising talk of a RM470 billion package for these two years to deal with the economic crisis will fail to achieve  their full impact and results.

Najib talks of a “One Malaysian” concept.  His  first task as sixth Prime Minister is to prove he is serious about “One Malaysian” concept by immediately halting  UMNO’s divisive and  destructive by-election tactics in Bukit Gantang falsely trying to label the majority of voters in Perak as anti-Sultan for supporting Pakatan Rakyat.

The Bukit Gantang by-election is not about whether the voters are loyal or disloyal to the Sultan of Perak.

UMNO leaders, members and campaigners are doing a great disservice to nation-building, the constitutional monarchy and Najib’s “One Malaysian” concept by trying to poison the minds of the voters into believing that a vote for Umno/Barisan Nasional  candidate is a vote for the Sultan of Perak while a vote for Pas/Pakatan Rakyat candidate is a vote for a “traitor” against the Sultan.

How can the cause of  Malaysian nation-building and Najib’s “One Malaysian” concept be advanced in falsely creating the perception that the majority of the people in Perak are against the constitutional monarchy just because they had voted in support of Pakatan Rakyat when the loyalty of Pakatan Rakyat and the Pakatan Rakyat voters to the constitutional monarchy whether in last year’s general election or the forthcoming April 7 Bukit Gantang by-election cannot be doubted?

Is Najib prepared to immediately halt such irresponsible, divisive and destructive by-election tactics in the Bukit Gantang by-election or is his “One Malaysian” concept just an empty and meaningless slogan?

                This entry was posted on Friday, 3 April 2009, 2:45 pm and is filed under
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Najib fails  “Performance Now”  test within first 24 hours – 13 ISA detainees still not free  despite “immediate release” last night

I had said at a media conference in Ipoh this morning that the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Chor Chee Heung, should resign from their Cabinet positions for the three-month suspension of Harakah and Suara Keadilan as one of first decisions of Datuk Seri Najib Razak on being sworn in as the sixth Prime Minister yesterday was to immediately revoke their ban which had entered into its 11th day.

Now, I say that Hamid and Tan Sri Musa Hassan should be sacked as Home Minister and Inspector-General of Police respectively for failing within 24 hours of Najib’s premiership one of the three Najibian thematic slogans –
“1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”

It is most disgraceful and testimony of gross incompetence and ineptitude  that although Najib announced in his maiden address to the nation over television  last night that his government had decided “with immediate effect” the release of 13 detainees from ISA detention, none of the 13 could be released today and the earliest they could regain their freedom is tomorrow.

B. Buvaneswary
, the wife of detained Hindraf leader Ganapathi Rao, travelled all the way from her home in Shah Alam to Kamunting with their two children, Janani 1 and Gowri 4, to be at the Kamunting Detention Centre at 7 am this morning for his release, only to be disappointed because the papers for the release of the 13 had not arrived at the centre.

Musa Hassan
released a statement in Kuala Lumpur at midday that the 13 would only be allowed to leave the Kamunting Detention Centre tomorrow as the documentation process for their release had to be completed first!

Is this what Najib meant by “Performance Now” in his maiden address to the nation last night?

Were the IGP and the Home Minister kept completely in the dark about Najib’s announcement of the “immediate release” of the 13 ISA detainees, learning only about it when  the new Prime Minister’s maiden address was telecast live last night?

If so, it reflects a shambolic government with no notion whatsoever about “People First” or  “Performance Now”!

When Najib  announced the “immediate release” of the 13 ISA detainees in his direct telecast at 8 pm last night, I had expected the two Hindraf leaders, Ganabairau and R. Kenghadharan,  and the other 11 ISA detainees to be released last night itself – especially when Najib ended his maiden speech with the flourish of urging Malaysians to “rise up to the challenge of building 1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”

Obviously, Najib forgot to ask the Cabinet and the public service to equally “rise up” to the triple challenge of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”

When Najib said “with immediate effect”, could it be so elastic as to be stretched not only overnight, but to be over 24, 36 or even 48 hours?

Najib should learn from the lessons of his predecessor Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose “cemerlang, gemilang, terbilang”  slogan swiftly became a national joke. But Najib’s substitute of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” is in danger of becoming a national  joke within 24 hours – thanks to the Home Minister and the Inspector-General of Police!

Can Najib ensure that Ganabatirau, Kengaharan and the 11 others ISA detainees would be able to leave the Kamunting Detention Centre to breathe the air of freedom latest by 8 am tomorrow?

In fact, the government is guilty of unlawful detention of the 13 ISA detainees as they should be released “with immediate effect” by the time of Najib’s telecast at 8 p.m. last night.

Is the government going to pay the 13 ISA detainees compensation for illegal detention for 24, 36 or 48 hours to demonstrate the seriousness  of Najib’s “Performance Now” slogan?

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 4 April 2009, 4:17 pm and is filed under
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Suspend ISA detention-without-trial powers for 2 years pending “comprehensive review”

Among Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s first decisions as the new Prime Minister yesterday were the immediate removal of the three-month suspension of Harakah and Suara Keadilan, the release of 13 detainees from ISA detention including two Hindraf leaders V. Ganabatirau and R. Kengaharan and the conduct of a comprehensive review of the Internal Security Act.

While these three measures are welcome, they are clearly not adequate and do not indicate that far from signalling a new Dark Age,  Najib is ushering in a new era of democracy, freedom, justice and accountability for the country.

This is one of the SMS I received after Najib’s first official address to the nation last night  as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia:

“If anything, the release of more than a dozen of ISA detainees announced by the newly sworn-in sixth Prime Minister marked the return of Mahathirism as this was exactly what Mahathir did when he became the Prime Minister.”

The sender of this SMS is very right in more senses than one.

Firstly
, Najib’s accession as the sixth Prime Minister is accompanied by a very open and public return of both Mahathir and Mahathirism to Umno.  In fact, Mahathir is expected to rejoin Umno in the next 48 hours and to campaign actively in the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections to demonstrate that he is a greater asset to Umno and Barisan Nasional than the Prime Minister of only  two days ago, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Secondly
, the release of 13 ISA detainees announced by Najib yesterday is reminiscent of the first days of the Mahathir premiership in 1981 which  saw the  release of  21 detainees  under the ISA – including  two DAP Members of Parliament, Chiang Heng Kai (Batu Gajah) and Chan Kok Kit (Sungei Besi), former Deputy Minister now Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad and the former chairman of Parti Rakyat Kassim Ahmad.

If the release of 13 ISA detainees is a manifestation of the return of Mahathirism, then it will not rule out a major crackdown  by Najib on fundamental liberties and democratic freedoms as happened  during the Mahathir premiership like the  1987 Operation Lalang mass arrests of 106 opposition leaders, NGOs activists and community leaders; the unprecedented assault on the independence  and integrity of the judiciary from which the country has not recovered after more than two decades and the undermining of the autonomy of  major national institutions.

Let me comment on Najib’s three announcements yesterday.

Firstly
, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and Datuk Chor Chee Heung should resign as Home Minister and Deputy Home Minister respectively for the 11-day suspension of Harakah and Suara Keadilan which had been repudiated by Najib among his first decisions as new Prime Minister.

Both Hamid and Chor had tried to publicly justify the three-month suspension of Harakah and Suara Keadilan, claiming that both publications were being “punished for inciting hatred against the government” and “threatened the stability of the multi-racial nation”.

Najib’s withdrawal of the suspension of the two publications have shown that these allegations were not only frivolous and baseless but constitute a gross abuse of power by both the Home Minister and his deputy.

Secondly
, on the 13 ISA release.  While welcoming the release of the 13, we want the following:

•	The immediate and unconditional release of the remaining three Hindraf leaders under the ISA, P. Uthayakumar, DAP Selangor State Assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah, M. Manoharan and K. Vasantha Kumar.

•	The immediate and unconditional release of all remaining ISA detainees, who should now stand at more than 30 in number.

•	The immediate closure of the Kamunting Detention Centre.

•	The repeal of the Internal Security Act as such draconian detention-without-trial legislation has no place in a country which claims to practise democracy and respect human rights.

Thirdly
, on Najib’s announcement of a “comprehensive review of the Internal Security Act”.

This is not the first time that Malaysians have been promised a review of the ISA. In the past decade, one Cabinet member  after another whether from the  Home Ministry or the Prime Minister’s Department had sporadically talked about reforms to the ISA but none had seen any fruition.

Malaysians do not want another vague promise of “comprehensive review of the Internal Security Act” which would be forgotten a few months or years down the road when events are overtaken by another major crackdown using the ISA – a second Operation Lalang-like  mass ISA detentions.

To demonstrate that he is sincere and serious about a “comprehensive review of the Internal Security Act” , I call on Najib to make a four-point commitment, viz:

•	that he would not resort to the ISA detention-without-trial powers  pending the review and announce the suspension of the detention-without-trial provisions of ISA for two years;

•	that the ISA review is part of a comprehensive review of undemocratic, repressive and draconian laws including the Police Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Sedition Act, etc.

•	that the “comprehensive review” would be conducted by an  independent and credible Royal Commission comprising members  respected by Malaysians for their human rights record and work.

•	That his government will accept and implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission so that there will no repeat of the farce of the Royal Police Commission whose recommendation for the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to create an efficient, incorruptible,  professional  and world-class police service remained still-born although Abdullah had publicly pledged to implement it.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 4 April 2009, 12:05 pm and is filed under
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Disgraceful 45-hr police “cat-and-mouse game” on Ganabatirau and Kengadharan’s ISA release

As  of now, Sunday, 5th April 2009 at 5.10  pm, the two Hindraf leaders V. Ganabatirau and R. Kenghadharan,have still not regained their freedom 45 hours after the new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had announced in his maiden speech to the nation over television on Friday night at 8 pm that both of them, together with 11 other Internal Security Act detainees, would be “immediately released”.

Also despite the belated assurance by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan yesterday that the ISA detainees will be allowed to leave Kamunting Detention Centre today, saying

“They cannot be released immediately. The documentation process has to be completed first. We will release all of them tomorrow after the documentation process has been completed.”

The families of Ganabatirau and Kengadharan were made to wait for hours under the hot sun yesterday and today and have not been allowed contact to see them.

Ganabatirau and Kengadharan were taken out of Kamunting Detention Centre at 1.30 pm under strict police escort, without being allowed to meet with their families, and as at 4.30 p.m. the two police cars transporting the two in custody were sighted at Sungei Buloh, believed to be on the way to the Shah Alam IPD.

The families of Ganabatirau and Kengadharan, who had waited for two days outside Kamunting Detention Centre, had at first been told this morning that both of them would not be released from Kamunting, but would be escorted to their homes.

Now, Ganabatirau and Kengadharan are not being sent directly to their homes, but continue to be in police custody while being transported to police headquarters.

This is a most shameful way in releasing the two and most outrageous way in treating their families, which included young children!

Can the new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak explain the reason for the police  “cat-and-mouse game” with Ganabatirau and Kengadharan and their families when Najib had announced their “immediate release” under the ISA?

This is a violation of the three Najib thematic themes of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 5 April 2009, 5:11 pm and is filed under
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Do Mahathir A Favour: Ignore Him

By

Tunku Abdul Aziz

in
MySinChew

UMNO succeeded brilliantly in putting on a well-orchestrated monologue carnival on the universally fashionable twin-theme of change and reform at their just concluded annual political jamboree. They succeeded in the event of mesmerising themselves into a frenzy. Talking change is easy, but “walking the change” is when the uncommitted falls by the wayside.

By all accounts, UMNO, of all political parties in Malaysia, is a most unlikely candidate for change. It is stuck in a time warp. Its leadership, never known for its ability to focus on critical national issues and respond quickly to the needs of the moment, more often than not, has absolutely no clue where to begin the process.

Blaming the opposition for things that do not go according to plan is well and good, but it would be more helpful and constructive for UMNO to accept and digest a simple fact of life which stipulates that the external pressures acting on you are only as influential as your internal weaknesses.
UMNO’s internal weaknesses are there for all to see, but it says a great deal about its organisational culture that the leaders remain both deaf and blind to the rot that stares them in the face. This being the case, UMNO continues to stumble from crisis to crisis, quite unaware why even the Malays who should be rallying round to support it are instead turning their backs on it.

UMNO is not ready to move forward. More baffling is why its leaders are making overtures to Mahathir to return and even act as “adviser.” It somehow suggests complete arrogance, totally muddled thinking and a disdain for Malaysian public opinion on their part. It is, I am convinced, a pathological streak that is part of the UMNO political tradition. We have had enough of Mahathir’s brand of “good governance” for twenty-two agonising, heart-rending, years that saw “Grand Corruption”, ( first coined by George Moody-Stuart and used as the title of his famous book on international corruption) being institutionalised in every important facet of our national life. By any yardstick, Mahathir’s tenure was twenty-two years too long. We need Mahathir as we need a tail between our legs.

For UMNO in particular, any attempt at open reconciliation with Mahathir, the ‘megalomeddler’, (a new word I have just invented to add further to the richness of English) will be the kiss of death. If, in the intoxicating afterglow of their 59th general assembly UMNO leaders were disposed to be generous towards Mahathir, and forgive him all his transgressions and sins against society, they need to have their heads examined.

Based on what we know about the man, Mahathir is happiest when he is also at his mischievous best. If there is no crisis, Mahathir will see to it that one is invented. He survived 22 years in office by playing on, and manipulating shamelessly, our fears of a recurrence of the May 13 incident which nearly tore this nation apart in 1969. It is a card that some UMNO types at good at pulling out of their pack when they feel threatened by challenges to “ketuanan Melayu.”

It is not in the man’s mental make up to give, as we have seen in his unremitting hostility to Abdullah Badawi, his anointed successor, a sporting chance to make a mark as prime minister. But, then, Mahathir was not a sportsman in the mould of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein or even Tun Hussein Onn. One of the central dogmas of Mahathirism and one espoused by the great man with unbounded passion is “winner takes all.”

He did not believe in taking prisoners. The battle field of his choice was the judicial arena where he held sway, and where crouching judges were falling over each other in an embarrassingly sycophantic display of eternal gratitude to their benefactor and where witnesses were “turned” at will to coerce them to cooperate. In one fell swoop, one of the most respected judicial institutions in the Commonwealth became an object of fun, ridicule and derision.

His maniacal urge to dominate everything and everyone in sight is a serious character flaw. To think that he will ever be a moderating influence and, therefore, an asset in the much-needed reinvention of UMNO to be in readiness for the 13th general elections is to believe in Grimm’s Fairy Tales of my childhood.

The nation is well-rid of the man. In God’s name, let him go his own meddling way and we, our own, free to determine our lives in accordance with the Constitution and the dictates of our conscience.

Admitting Mahathir back into UMNO’s inner sanctum will add to its problems, and internal unity will forever remain a gleam in the eye, and it will hasten the demise of UMNO, now already on its last legs. Perhaps I should just say nothing and let UMNO leaders find out for themselves the joy of having Mahathir under the same roof.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 5 April 2009, 11:56 am and is filed under
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Ganabatirau/Kengadharan still “unfree” after ISA release

Although Hindraf leaders V.Ganabatirau and R. Kengadharan have been released from Internal Security Act detention after 15 months 23 days – 46 hours after the new PM’s announcement –  and have returned home to their families in Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya respectively, they remain “unfree Malaysians” with the host of draconian and undemocratic restrictions imposed on their ISA release.

Instead of full and unconditional release from ISA, Ganabatirau and Kengadharan remain unfree, exchanging incarceration within the four walls of the Kamunting Detention Centre for an  invisible incarceration without walls but equally repressive and undemocratic in depriving them of their fundamental rights as Malaysian citizens and the human rights entrenched in the Malaysian Constitution.

The undemocratic and draconian conditions for the release of the Hindraf duo denied them human rights and fundamental liberties in substance, time and space, depriving them of the citizenship rights to take part in political and public activities, the human  rights of  freedoms of speech and expression, as well as requiring them to report regularly to the police as if they are big-time criminals.

Ganabatirau is not allowed to leave Shah Alam and Kengadharan to leave Petaling Jaya, and must be home by 7 pm every night, exchanging detention in Kamunting Detention Centre to a larger geographical space of Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya respectively – the mark of unfreedom and continued incarceration!

These draconian and undemocratic restrictions on the Hindraf duo’s citizenship and human rights make a mockery of the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s claim of greater respect for human rights and democracy in his maiden speech to the nation last Friday. What crooked interpretation of  “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”!

This is totally unsatisfactory. I call on Najib to immediately remove  all draconian  restrictions  imposed on  Ganabatirau and Kengadharan  as well as the following:

•	Immediate and unconditional release of all other ISA detainees, in particular remaining three Hindraf leaders under the ISA, P. Uthayakumar, DAP Selangor State Assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah, M. Manoharan and K. Vasantha Kumar; and

•	The sacking of Syed Hamid Albar as Home Minister and the lifting of  the ban on Hindraf imposed by Hamid last October.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 April 2009, 2:11 pm and is filed under
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Mahathir’s coronation as eminence grise in Najib premiership

Many Malaysians must have very mixed thoughts about  Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s appearance at the Bukit Gantang by-election hustings this morning and in particular at the 90-minute live telecast by TV1 of the entire event.

The first thought is that the Najib premiership has made no real difference with the continued unchecked  and blatant abuse of government power and resources for Umno and Barisan Nasional purposes, the shocking lack of integrity in the  inability of those in power to make the important distinctions among government, party and self which is  the root cause of rampant corruption and abuses of power in a government dominated by Umno hegemony.

How can a government channel, TV1, give a live telecast to what is clearly a by-election campaigning by Umno/Barisan Nasional?  TV1 is no different from RTM1, what it was known previously, which I had described as Radio/Television Mahathir in the 22-year Mahathir administration.

However, what must have occurred to many who happened to watch the live telecast was that they were not just watching Mahathir campaigning for Umno/BN in Bukit Gantang by-election after rejoining Umno, but a “coronation” of Mahathir as the eminence grise in the Najib premiership and the formal burial of the Abdullah legacy in Umno and Barisan Nasional!

These events  happened quickly within 10 days of Najib taking over as the Umno President from Abdullah.

In  his  farewell winding-up  speech as Umno President on  the last day of the recent Umno General Assembly, Abdullah announced that he will see the Yang di Pertuan Agong to submit his resignation as Prime Minister.

On the 5th day, Abdullah had his last Cabinet meeting.

On the 6th day, Abdullah submitted his resignation as Prime Minister to the Yang di Pertuan Agong.

On the 7th day, Datuk Seri Najib Razak was sworn in as the sixth Prime Minister.

On the 8th day, Najib had a two-hour meeting with Mahathir who rejoined Umno.

On the 10th day this morning, Mahathir was “crowned” as the eminence grise of the Najib premiership,  marking the return of both Mahathir and Mahathirism, with the former  Prime Minister taking his position as the most  powerful adviser and decision-maker who operates unofficially!

This morning’s event at Simpang in Bukit Gantang parliamentary constituency also marks the formal burial of whatever there is left of  the Abdullah legacy in Umno and Barisan Nasional!

This was why Mahathir’s “coronation” as the eminence grise of the Najib premiership was given such importance, not only telecast live for 90 minutes, but attended by heavy-weight Cabinet Ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister-in-waiting, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and Najib’s right-hand man, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who scored the highest votes as Umno Vice President in the recent Umno party elections.

With Zahid standing next to Mahathir  on the stage throughout Mahathir’s speech, leading the applause and clappings, who would have believed  that it was none other than Zahid who had led the revolt against Mahathir a decade ago in the June 1998 Umno Youth General Assembly where Zahid used his position as Umno Youth leader to denounce Mahathir for KKN  – corruption, cronyism and nepotism.

This shook up Mahathir  as the KKN slogan had caused the downfall of President Suharto of Indonesia and the emergence of Indonesia reformasi.

 Zahid’s denunciation of KKN was seen as an attempt to use the slogan to trigger the toppling of Mahathir as Prime Minister – which led to the sacking from office and persecution of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the kangaroo trials and subsequent  incarceration in Sungei Buloh Prison.

Zahid was detained for a week under the Internal Security Act but was completely “turned over” to become today one of the high priests for the return of Mahathirism in Malaysian government and politics.

Sad and pathetic that the Abdullah memory and legacy have been so summarily kicked aside for the “coronation” marking  the  triumphant return of Mahathir and Mahathirism in ten days of Najib premiership.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 April 2009, 3:18 pm and is filed under
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UMNO’s  Incompetent  Disciplinary  Committee

by
M. Bakri Musa

Now that UMNO elections are done with, the raging controversies over its Disciplinary Committee’s decisions will soon be forgotten, until the next election season.  It is a sad commentary that the party’s attempt at eradicating corruption succeeded in only creating more problems and aggravating existing ones.

            It reflects poorly on members of the Disciplinary Committee, made up supposedly of the party’s distinguished elder statesmen.  Its chairman for example, was a former foreign minister.  They were given a major task and they bungled it.

            Their botched performance reflects a more general theme:  the dearth of competence and talent in the party’s upper reaches.  That, together with pervasive corruption within the party, is what ails UMNO.

            The internal affairs of UMNO would not ordinarily interest me except that the party still represents a major (though fast diminishing) segment of the Malay community, and UMNO leaders are also the leaders of our country.  Until this reality is altered by voters, what happens in UMNO should interest all Malaysians.

Root Cause Analysis

That UMNO is rotten to the core is acknowledged by all, including its leaders.  Unfortunately, that is the extent of their insight.  I have yet to hear any reflection on the part of the party’s leaders, from Prime Minister Abdullah down to the lowest cawangan head, of how or why the party had degenerated to such a sorry state.

            To date they have been content dealing merely with the symptoms of corruption.  Like other human vices, corruption is infinite in its variations.  Thus dealing with any one manifestation forces corruption to morph into other more sophisticated forms that would be even more destructive and difficult to detect or eradicate.

            The Disciplinary Committee has been at it now for years, mechanically investigating the cases reported to it.  The committee has yet to reflect on how to avoid or prevent the problems in the first place.

            The committee members are like amahs busily preoccupied wiping the wet floor but never figuring what caused the problem.  Had they looked up they would have noticed that the problem could have been more effectively dealt with by fixing the leaking faucet above.  In fact they are worse than amahs.  A maid may not know anything about sealing the leak but at least she has the common sense to call for a plumber.

             The committee has dealt with literally hundreds if not thousands of alleged cases of money politics and other breaches of party ethics.  Yet it has not issued any report to share their members’ insight with the rest of party, like how to prevent money politics in the first place.

            Even if that was not part of their mandate, I would have thought that they would have been unrestrained in wanting to share their accumulated wisdom.  They must have learned something, unless of course they were content with merely being amahs busily and robotically mopping the soiled floor but never bothering to look up to see the leaking faucet.

            There are two ways for the committee to discover the metaphorical leaking faucet.  One is through a careful systemic analysis to determine patterns and elicit commonalities.  The other is to do a “root cause analysis” and “follow the money,” especially with the more egregious abuses, as when top personalities were implicated or large sums of money were involved.  Examples would be the current case with Ali Rustam and the earlier one involving former Federal Minister Isa Samad.

            There are definitely patterns to be discovered.  One, money politics plagues UMNO only during party elections, with the worse offenders being those pursuing top positions.  Ali Rustam was after the Deputy President position; Isa Samad, the Vice-President.

            The other is that most of the offences were committed in the pursuit of securing the party’s nominations.  So why not dispense entirely with the current quota system of nominations?  Let anyone who wishes to be a candidate does so without having the division nominate him or her.  Further, do away with the current “tradition” of no-contest rule for the top positions.  With these barriers removed, there would no longer be the need to bribe anyone just to get your name on the ballot.  Such a reform would also open up the process and attract talented candidates.  Under its present rule UMNO will never see its Barrack Obama emerge.

            With many more candidates contesting, your members would get a better and wider choice.  The election process would of course need to be changed to accommodate the anticipated bigger slate.  Thus should any one candidate fail to secure a majority vote, there will be run-off elections but with the bottom candidate eliminated.  This process continues until we have one who successfully secures a majority vote.  Otherwise you would get the current divisiveness and rancor as seen with the recently concluded UMNO Youth election where it leaders failed to gain the confidence of the majority of its members.

             A “root cause analysis” would reveal that money politics involves the trading of cash for votes (or promised thereof).  Tengku Razaleigh made an eminently sensible suggestion of not only removing the nomination quotas but also having the entire membership vote for the national party leadership instead of at present, leaving it to the delegates.  It is near impossible to bribe three million UMNO members; it is much easier with only 2,500 delegates.

            UMNO could hire the Elections Commission to conduct such party elections.  The cost would be considerably cheaper then the costs of the current “money politics.”  It would also be fairer and cleaner.

            Incoming UMNO President Najib Razak is finally aware of this. Unfortunately he did not spell out in his recent speech how far he was willing to open up UMNO’s election process.

            Equally productive is to “follow the money.”  Where do these guys get their cash? After all it was not too long ago that they (or their parents) were stuck in the poverty of the kampong.  Many are also former civil servants; we all know how much they earn (at least their legitimate income).

            The other major source of money politics and outright corruption is in securing juicy government contracts.  Again here, having open tenders would ameliorate this scourge.  The problem would also be reduced were the government to curtail its involvement in business.  Fewer contracts to dole out, fewer opportunities for corruption!

            The Disciplinary Committee missed out on these sensible recommendations because its members are too busy mopping the floor.  They had no time, or more likely no intellectual capacity, to think and reflect on these matters.  Or perhaps they were thinking of their job security!  As long as that leaking faucet is not fixed, the floor will always need to be continually mopped!

A Superior Solution

No wonder the Committee members find their task onerous and unappreciated, or in the words of its chairman, “Damn if we do and damn if we don’t!”  They have no clear idea of going about their work.  Kampong folks have an apt phrase to describe those who bungle their work.  “Tak tau buek kojo!” (They don’t know what the heck they are doing!)

            The Committee did not spell out its rules of evidence and the level of burden of proof required.  Did it use the threshold of “beyond reasonable doubt” as with the criminal justice system, or merely the “preponderance of evidence” as with civil cases?

            The Committee could streamline as well as enhance the quality of its work if it were to classify the cases it received into three categories.  First would be those that were obviously without merit.  The second would be the egregious abuses with more than just a hint of criminality.  The third would the large number of in-between cases.

           The Committee should deal only with this third group.  It should quickly dispose of the first group.  As for the second, those with shades of criminality, they should be referred directly to the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA).  The committee should have nothing more to do beyond forwarding all the evidences to the Agency, which is equipped with the necessary investigative and prosecutorial tools.

            It boggles my mind that to date the Committee has yet to make a single referral to the criminal justice system.  I would have expected where the Committee imposed such severe penalties, as with Isa Samad and Ali Rustam, it must have found compelling evidence that ordinary citizens would classify as criminal.  Yet even in both cases there was no referral to the ACA.

            Corruption is a criminal act regardless where it is perpetrated.  It does not magically be sanitized to “money politics” or “breach of party ethics” just because it is committed within the confines of UMNO.

            The chair and vice-chair of the Disciplinary Committee are both lawyers; they were or perhaps still are members of the Bar.  As officers of the court they are duty bound to report to the appropriate authorities if they suspect that a crime has been perpetrated.  Failure to do so would be a serious breach of their professional ethics that would merit disbarment, at least in America.

            Perhaps the best commentary on the Disciplinary Committee was the response from Isa Samad to a television interviewer who inquired as to the extent of money politics in UMNO today.  He replied, with a straight face, it must no longer be a problem today since he was the only one the committee found guilty a few years ago!

            Isa summed it well!  Unfortunately it is unlikely that UMNO leaders or members of its Disciplinary Committee would grasp the subtle sarcasm of Isa Samad’s sharp but accurate observation.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 April 2009, 3:48 am and is filed under
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Bukit Gantang results coming in

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Perak MB Nizar wins

PAS

21,860

BN

19,071

Independent

62

Majority

2,789

Voters turn out

75%

————–

Unofficial results

PAS

20,021

BN

17,076

Independent

56

Spoilt votes

318

Majority

2,945

Stream / PAS / BN

Air Puteh

S1 – 124 / 133

S2 – 143 / 154

Sg Limau

S1 159 / 201

Sg Mati

S1 – 134 / 130

S2 – 129 / 169

Jalan Mangala

S1 – 161 / 177

S2 – 282 / 144

S3 – 220 / 140

(8.32pm)

—————————–

Unofficially, PAS has won with the majority of 3092

—————————–

Of 81 ballot boxes, PAS is leading 2691 (8.23pm)

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 8.10:

PAS 17427 / BN 15001 / Bebas 46 / Majority 2426

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 8.07:

PAS 16616 / BN 14451 / Bebas 43 / Majority 2165

—————————–

According to SPR, of the 50 ballot boxes tallied, PAS is leading 2021 (8.00pm)

—————————–

PAS Air Kuning Centre, where votes are being tallied by PR, encountered unexpected (!!) power black-out.  (7.47pm)

—————————–

Kamunting Station

Stream / PAS / BN

S1 / 82 / 180

S2 / 193 / 321

S3 / 229 / 278

S4 / 209 / 256

S5 / 147 / 230

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.40:

PAS 14720 / BN 12143 / Bebas 32 / Majority 2577

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.35:

PAS 13895 / BN 11377 / Bebas 33 / Majority 2518

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.32:

PAS 13571 / BN 11191 / Bebas 31 / Majority 2380

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.28:

PAS 13327 / BN 10936 / Bebas 31 / Majority 2391

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.24:

PAS 12458 /BN 9987 /Bebas 29/ Majority 2471

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.21:

PAS 11115 / BN 8572/ Bebas 29 / Majority 2543

Total votes counted 19836

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.17:

PAS 10672 / BN 8177 / Bebas 27 / Majority 2495

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.13:

PAS 10,361 / BN 8117 / Bebas 27 / Majority 2244

Total votes counted 18624

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 7.07:

PAS 8932 / BN 6584 / Bebas 24 / Majority 2348

—————————–

Air Kuning

Stream / PAS / BN / Rosak

S1 – 70 / 212 / 5

S2 – 154 / 314 / 3

S3 – 174 / 282 / 3

S4 – 179 / 221 / 3

S5 – 132 / 224 / ind 2 / 5

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 6.55pm:

PAS 7294 / BN 4670 / Bebas 17 /Majority 2624

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 6.49pm:

PAS 5141 / BN 3289 / Bebas 10 / Majority 1852

—————————–

Overall unofficial result as of 6.40pm:

PAS 4929 / BN 3161 / Bebas  9 / Rosak 42 / Majority 1768

—————————–

Kuala Sepetang

Stream / PAS / BN

S1 /181 / 30

S2 / 387 / 77

S3 / 389 / 80

S4 / 373 / 67

S5 / 338 / 47

S6 / 280 / 62

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 7 April 2009, 6:45 pm and is filed under
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Bukit Selambau results coming in

Official Results

PKR

12,632

BN

10,229

Majority

2,403

—————

 PKR wins with higher majority of 2,396

—————–

This is results coming in via SMS from Pooi in Bkt Selambau

9.06 pm

PKR

BN

Bkt Balacan

256

338

Tmn Ria Selatan

882

578

————

9.01 pm

Current Scoreboard

PKR

12549

BN

10313

Majority (PKR)

2236

PKR

BN

Titi Panjang

427

360

Pekan Bkt Selambau

592

742

—————-

Unofficially PKR has won with majority 1719

—————————

8.23 pm

Only 4 area left

1. Pekan Bkt Selambau

2. Batu Balacan

3. Titi Panjang

4. Tmn Ria Selatan

Note : Batu Balacan – PKR lost 82 but no details

Note 2: Last Results Pekan Bkt Selambau – PKR lost 223

Titi Panjang – PKR won 93

Tmn Ria Selatan – PKR won 68

—————–

8.15 pm

Current Scoreboard

PKR

11530

BN

9174

Majority (PKR)

2359

PKR

BN

Tmn Ria Utara

704

628

Tmn Desa Aman

810

834

Tmn Ria Jaya

2113

1202

——————-

8.08 pm

Current Scoreboard

PKR

7903

BN

6510

Majority (PKR)

1366

PKR

BN

Bdr Laguna Merbok

388

267

Tmn Peruda

668

479

Kg Sungkap

148

298

—————

7.59 pm

Current Scoreboard

PKR

6699

BN

5466

Majority (PKR)

1233

PKR

BN

Tmn Bdr Baru

1419

1308

Kg Pokok Machang

271

301

Kuala Sin

205

415

——————-

7.36 pm

Current Scoreboard

PKR

4814

BN

3442

Majority (PKR)

1372

PKR

BN

Bkt Rusa

260

195

——–

7.32pm

Current Scoreboard

PKR

4554

BN

3247

Majority (PKR)

1307

PKR

BN

Bkt Lembu

405

438

—-

7.24pm

Current Scoreboard

PKR

4149

BN

2809

Majority (PKR)

1340

PKR

BN

Ayer Menideh

699

313

Jln Badlishah

145

221

United Petani

427

235

—-

7.17 pm

Current Scoreboard

PKR

1706

BN

1155

Majority (PKR)

551

PKR

BN

Sg lalang

850

499

Tasek Apong*

528

335

Petani Para

102

97

Ampang Height

219

191

Undi POS

13

34

* amended 2nd time

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 7 April 2009, 7:17 pm and is filed under
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Mahathir – the Empress Dowager of  Prime Minister Najib

The Bukit Gantang by-election has shaped into a battle between one Mentri Besar vs two Prime Ministers.

The Mentri Besar is Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, the popular and legitimate Perak MB and not  the illegitimate usurper Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Ranged against him are the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who had orchestrated the unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab in Perak and plunged the “silver state” into a political and constitutional stalemate in the past two months and  the former Prime Minister of  22 years, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

I had described Mahathir as swiftly taking his place as the eminence grise in the Najib premiership with  the quick repudiation of whatever there is of the Abdullah legacy in Umno and the fifth premiership in the country.

For Mahathir’s role in the national affairs of state under Prime Minister Najib, there are blog visitors who prefer to  summon  up the image of
Empress Dowager Cixi
, who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, ruling over China for 48 years from her husband’s death in 1861 to her own death in 1908.

Coming from an ordinary Manchu family and having been selected by the Xianfeng Emperor as a concubine, she exercised almost total control over the court under the nominal rule of her son the Tongzhi Emperor and her nephew the Guangxu Emperor, both of whom unsuccessfully attempted to rule in their own right.

Have your pick – eminence grise or latter-day Empress Dowager.

Among the important  issues to be decided by the voters of the Bukit Gantang  on behalf of the people of Perak and Malaysia in the by-election today is now added a very crucial one – whether Malaysians want Mahathir to play the role of a Empress Dowager in the Najib administration!

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 7 April 2009, 12:03 pm and is filed under
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