Najib should speak up, tell police to “hands-off” Bilqis Hijjas and show Malaysia and the world that his government is not obsessed or afraid  of yellow colour, T-shirts and balloons

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should speak up, tell the police to “hands-off” dancer/performer Bilqis Hijjas and show Malaysia and the world that his government is not obsessed or afraid of yellow colour, T-shirts and balloons.

Najib is still talking about accomplishing Vision 2020 objective of Malaysia becoming a fully developed nation although the father of Vision 2020, former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir has already passed judgment  that Vision 2020 is not achievable.

Najib should therefore be reminded of the nine “strategic challenges” for Malaysia to accomplish the Vision 2020 objective of a fully developed nation, and the second “strategic challenge” is  creating “a psychologically liberated, secure, and developed Malaysian Society with faith and confidence in itself, justifiably proud of what it is, of what it has accomplished, robust enough to face all manner of adversity. This Malaysian Society must be distinguished by the pursuit of excellence, fully aware of all its potentials, psychologically subservient to none, and respected by the peoples of other nations.”

Malaysia has failed miserably to achieve this second “strategic challenge” when the Malaysian government sees an enemy behind every bush  and tree, and even worse as demonstrated by recent days, obsessed and even afraid of the yellow colour, T-shirts and now balloons!

Surely, Najib and his sycophants are not thinking of enacting a form of  lese-majeste legislation to create a crime of offending the dignity of the Prime Minister and his wife?

The arrest and interrogation of Bilqis for releasing seven yellow balloons, decorated with the words like  “Free Media”, “Democracy”, “Justice” at the Pavilion Mall when Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor were there to officiate the Diversecity Kuala Lumpur International Arts Festival belongs to the “theatre of the absurd”.

I shudder to think  that the three deepest impressions of the 2,000 participants from  all over the world to the 16th International Anti-Corruption Convention  on “Ending Impunity: People, Integrity, Action” in Putrajaya from Sept. 2- 4, 2015 taking back to their countries are:

1.	Terminal “denial syndrome” of the Malaysian government under  Prime Minister Najib in refusing to acknowledge the patriotism and idealism of 500,000 Malaysians who streamed into Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu on August 29/30 to call for good governance and clean and fair elections.

2.	The cowardice of the PM Najib  in last-minute pull-out from opening the 16th IACC because he is possibly the worst example of the IACC theme: “Ending Impunity: People, Integrity, Action”.

3.	The arrest and harassment of performance artist, Bilqis Hijjas, for her “spark of creativity” in releasing seven yellow Balloons with  words like “Free Media”, “Democracy” and “Justice” as if these words personify all that is most evil, reprehensible and unacceptable in Malaysia!

Leaving aside for the moment the atrocious international image Malaysia will garner from the Bilqis episode, what is the basis for the police action against Bilqis under Section 504 of the  Penal Code?

Section 504 of the Penal Code reads:

“Intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace.

“504. Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace, or to commit any other offence, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both.”

Bilqis was guilty of artistic licence, but her act did not fall under Section 504 of Penal Code as she did not intend to “provoke” Najib, “intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation” will cause Najib “to break the public peace or to commit any other offence”.

I urge Najib accept in good grace Bilqis’ intention, take note of what she intended to communicate, and tell the Police to “hands-off” Bilqis as any harassment or persecution of Bilqis for her artistic licence will do neither Najib nor Malaysia any good at all, whether to Malaysians or to the international society.

More important, Najib should let it be known that he would not have been “provoked” to break the public peace or to commit any offence by Bilqis’s artistic licence!

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 9:09 am and is filed under
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


The colour of patriotism

Kamal Amzan

Malay Mail Online

August 28, 2015

AUG 28 ― I will be wearing yellow this weekend.

And before you jump to conclusions, and it is not just because Arsenal won the FA cup in May wearing yellow, I’m wearing it for luck after a colleague showed me a news article which said (what we already know) the houses in KL are “very unaffordable.”

Do you know that the ringgit is close to RM4.3 at the moment of writing? And while mainstream media is all about “cut down on overseas travel”, “low ringgit makes our products more competitive so it’s good for the economy”, “the other countries are also facing the same problem”, they forget that a lower ringgit makes us poorer.

I wonder whether that is the same reason they stopped talking about us becoming a high income nation.

But that was before I realised it is a Merdeka weekend where I had initially wanted to wear something red and white. But red is just not in.

I was told that it is on its way out. I don’t want to jeapardise my luck now, do I?

So what colour would be apt to wear, which not only symbolises patriotism, loyalty, but also bravery and love for a country that some claim has been held hostage by a few?

Yellow.

In 1981, the Americans tied yellow ribbons around trees to symbolise their resolve to win the safe release of American hostages in Iran. The Iranians held them in their own embassy for 444 days in Tehran.

And during the Elizabethan era in England, people would wear yellow ribbons to signify devotion for someone who was in danger somewhere far away.

Yellow ribbons and sashes were also worn by the Puritan Army of England’s Parliament into battle during the English Civil War as a sign of bravery.

Yellow seemed like the perfect choice of colour to wear, given the whole mess we are in, no?

So I invite all Malaysians, irrespective of gender(s), race, and religion to join me in wearing the colour that represents our aspirations, hopes and dreams.

To all Malaysians who call this home and those who have left but long to return.

To those who want to see this country achieve the impossible, go beyond the unimaginable and even then further more.

Those who believe that democracy is a government of, by and for the people, not one that separates them for the benefit of the exclusive, elusive and selfish few.

And, most importantly, those who claim their utmost love for the country, and call themselves a Malaysian.

Let’s wear yellow for the country on Merdeka day.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 6:57 am and is filed under
Malaysian Dream
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


The Sarawak Bersih 4 fiasco

Dr Kelvin Yii

Malaysiakini

1st September 2015

The Bersih 4 rally has been catching headlines for the past few days with the crowd in KL swelling to a record number reportedly at 500,000 over the weekend, an unprecedented amount of people willing to stretch it out for 34 hours and sleep on the streets to protest against the corrupt regime as well demand for clean and fair elections, among others.

This commands great pride for me and many other Malaysians who are sick and tired of how corruption and bad governance has wrecked our country. I as a Sarawakian have seen and experienced how corruption and money politics have ravaged our state, and oppressed our people.

The urging for Bersih wasn’t a foreign agenda, neither was it a Malayan concept. We in Sarawak need it more than ever, to stand up against corruption, electoral fraud and bad governance that has left Sarawak as one of the least developed state even though we blessed with the abundance of natural resources.

So I was really devastated reading the news on how Sarawak Bersih 4 turned out and was instead used as a platform to attack the different opposition parties. The organisers have since retracted the statement allegedly blaming Sarawak DAP for the premature end of the rally, and claimed they was misquoted, however this did not stop it from being circulated on social media and blogs, and leaving a bad taste in our mouth.

Sarawak is at an important juncture. We actually hold the key to change not just in our state but the whole of Malaysia. The recent political awakening among our people was clearly seen by the strong turnout in both the Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) rally and Bersih 4 rally in Kuching. It is really unprecedented in Sarawak.

People may argue that S4S is not political, it is about regional pride. However, they cannot refute that the strong sense regionalism was also birthed due to political dissatisfaction, mainly towards a corrupt regime which has sidelined us over the years.

Until we understand we that everything around is political, although not everything may be partisan, nothing will really move forward. If we still are to remain politico-phobic, how can we then push our demands for a better world for us and our children’s children?

Let’s face it, Bersih 4 is political. The urging for clean and fair elections is political. The urging for a clean government is political, and of course the urging for the right to dissent and to save our economy is highly political in nature. Let’s face it, to address these dire issues, we need to address it against the government of the day, which is the cause of such dissent. To urge a fair government is counter-productive if we do not urge a corrupt government to step down.

So I for one do not see an issue with people of Bersih demanding Najib to step down. Political parties from any divide should be bold to address the issue at its core. Maria Chin Abdullah in her opening speech boldly demanded the resignation of Najib Abdul Razak and it is actually in one of the main demands of Bersih 4.

We need to go for the jugular

The result of a corrupt system will birth forth a corrupt leader who in this case ‘justifies’ corrupt practices. The first step in revamping a systemic problem, is to remove the head of the issue. We need to go for the jugular. And we should NOT be apologetic about it.

One of the issues that brought up was how DAP hijacked the event by wearing Ubah (Hornbill) Bersih 4 shirts and some alleged supporters bringing party flags. To be honest, if a flag or a shirt with a bird can hijack a so called ‘people’s movement’, then we are in fact patronising the movement itself and the intelligence of the people. It is as ridiculous as seeing a cross displayed and thus being confused.

In Bersih KL, different political parties, NGOs, and civil society groups donned different versions of Bersih 4 shirts. Isn’t that a beautiful picture? How different people of different societies and background supporting Bersih as a movement and materialising it on a shirt they feel proud to wear.

How it became an issue is beyond my comprehension. If we claim that Bersih is a people’s movement, then please believe in the people’s power and DO NOT treat Bersih as a franchise or a copyright to be protected.

Right now, it seems that the after-effect of Sarawak Bersih seems more concentrated on shifting the blame towards the pre-mature end of the protest. The winner of it all is the corrupt regime that we are trying so hard to stand against.

I would want to urge all Sarawakians to stay focussed. The main core of this movement is to demand for what is rightfully ours; a country and a state free of corruption and injustice, a state ruled by good governance and transparency, and our rights to freedom of speech and expression.

Bersih is a picture of ‘people power’ and people’s unity. What has been hijacked is not an event, but rather the focus of our demands for a better future.

Let us put aside our petty differences. Let’s not cloud the political awakening among us Sarawakians on petty feuds, but instead remind ourselves and directing our focus as the people’s interest is at stake.

The fight goes on to build a Sarawak which we are proud to call our own, and we all have to do it together.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 10:07 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
DAP
,
Najib Razak
,
Sarawak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


We are still not merdeka… from the Jews

Zurairi AR

Malay Mail Online

August 30, 2015

AUGUST 30 — When artist Mun Kao included a “blame the Jews” card in his delightful card game Politiko, I wonder whether he had any idea how often the card actually gets played in actual politics.

Especially when other cards in the same category are “cash giveouts” and “phantom voters”, you have to admit that playing the “blame the Jews” card can be construed as a final act of desperation.

(In case you haven’t figured it out, Politiko is a satirical card game that takes the piss out of Malaysian politics.)

Yet, it was the exact card played by Deputy Transport Minister Aziz Kaprawi, who claimed last week that the RM2.6 billion for Prime Minister Najib Razak was made by the still unnamed Middle East donors to help Umno fight off DAP, which he claimed was backed by the Jews.

Labelling the DAP as a threat to Islam in the country, Aziz pointed out that Najib’s purported reputation as a notable Muslim leader in the region had initiated the donation.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi at the Umno Division meeting in Bangsar on August 1, 2015. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi at the Umno Division meeting in Bangsar on August 1, 2015. — Picture by Choo Choy May

“If we had lost in the elections, Jewish-backed DAP would have been in power… Fellow Muslim leaders recognised the DAP threat.

“If Malaysia’s Muslim government fell, the world’s Islamic struggle will crumble,” Aziz said, as quoted by a news portal.

The allegation was just one among the many explanations of how the donation came about. Just as many also insisted that their version was the correct one, despite some conflicting with each other.

Backing our prime minister’s reputation as a tour de force in the Islamic world was another claim by Kuantan Umno division chief Wan Adnan Wan Mamat, who said that the donation was a sign of appreciation for Malaysia’s role in combatting the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

Of course, when he made the remark to his division, he had conveniently left out the fact that back then when the money was transferred prior to the 13th general elections, IS was not even on Malaysia’s radar.

In fact, it was not until February 2014 that IS, back then known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, broke away from al-Qaeda.

What is it about the Jews that they get blamed for so many things in this country? The way accusations are flying about, I would expect Jews worldwide to be taught about Malaysia and its Muslims, and how to ruin their lives, as early as in kindergarten.

Back in March this year, a leader from the Pasir Puteh chapter of Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) had blamed Jews for orchestrating a rejection of the hudud penal code by what he called infidels.

The same group had also claimed in October last year that the Jews — and Christian — capitalists will intervene in national policies if the controversial Sedition Act is abolished.

It was only roughly a year ago that I wrote about some Malaysians’ sick adulation of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, and their unconditional hatred for the Jews.

A Friday sermon I heard this week demonising Jews (yet again) was a stark reminder that nothing much has changed, we are still being colonialised by a force far greater and scarier than the Jews: global anti-Semitism.

As we approach Merdeka Day, oops, I mean National Day, laden with socio-political and economic anxieties, it is inevitable that the Jewish bogeyman will rear its head again.

With the Bersih 4 rally already in full steam, detractors of its organisers Bersih 2.0 and its former co-chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan have resurrected their claim that the group is funded by controversial US-based organisation National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

Among the allegations was that NED is a pro-Israel group bent on bringing regime change through undemocratic means in our Muslim-majority country.

Which would be astounding, if only the claims were true.

Speaking at a forum earlier this month, Ambiga explained that Bersih 2.0 is almost fully-funded by the public and had only once received funding from Washington-based group International Republican Institute for projects on redelineation and electoral boundaries.

Critics of electoral reform and good governance in Malaysia know as much, that these accusations need not even be true, for the anti-Jew sentiment has a lot of traction with sections of the Malay community.

Tarring someone as pro-Jew or backed by Jews, whether they are DAP or Bersih 2.0, is an almost surefire way to rile up the majority ethnic group with irrational hatred and zealous fear against something.

The campaign might work in keeping the Malays, especially the rural ones, docile.

A recent survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center pointed at a racial and class divide among Bersih 4’s supporters and opposers.

At 81 per cent, an overwhelming section of the ethnic Chinese polled supported Bersih 4, compared to 70 per cent of Malays who opposed the rally.

While 51 per cent of urban respondents supported Bersih 4, 57 per cent of those in rural areas opposed it.

A section of the Malays, at 4 per cent, had opposed the rally merely because they were afraid that the Malays would end up marginalised should the government be toppled. Now, who would want to help the Jews topple a celebrated Muslim leader and install a proxy instead, right?

What will it take for us to break free from this anti-Semitism? Considering how the fear and hatred have a ethno-religious slant to it, cutting down Islam’s domination in national governance and policymaking would be one way.

But an easier start would just take every one of us to cast the Jew bogeyman aside, and lit by reason, cut through the shroud that is blinding us towards fighting for our rights.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2015, 7:07 am and is filed under
DAP
,
Malays
,
Malaysian Dream
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


16th IACC – the climax that became the nadir of Najib’s six-year anti-corruption campaign with  “two elephants not one in the room”

The 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) was meant to the high-water mark of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s six-year anti-corruption campaign and show-case Najib as one of the exemplary global leaders spearheading a transformation programme with anti-corruption as one of its core objectives.

It has however turned out to be the nadir of Najib’s premiership in transparency,  good governance and anti-corruption with “two elephants not one in the room”, resulting in the embarrassing and disgraceful last-minute decision by Najib to pull out from officiating at the IACC opening, for fear of “hostile” reception from the 1,000 delegates from 130 countries attending the conference.

Imagine some 1,000 delegates from 130 countries attending an international conference turning “hostile” against the head of government of the host country!

Unthinkable! Unimaginable!

But this is the outcome of Najib’s six-year “anti-corruption” war with a Minister specially appointed to be in charge of good governance and integrity!

Now the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Paul Low, has told IACC that he had advised Najib to pull out from officiating the IACC in case the environment turned “hostile”.

Nobody had known that Paul Low’s job as Minister was to be “shock-absorber” for Najib instead of removing all the “shocks” that can accrue from the failure to have an effective and meaningful anti-corruption campaign.

Is this finally Paul Low’s  job specification as Minister in charge of governance and integrity – to  enter the lion’s den on behalf of the Prime Minister  to absorb all the “shocks” from the failures of the campaign against corruption instead of ensuring a transformation of the anti-corruption campaign which would remove all such “shocks”?

Paul Low had another option  – to tell the Prime Minister to honour his commitment to open the 16th IACC with an address which could deal with all the questions and doubts about his government’s anti-corruption campaign or submitting his resignation as Minister in charge of governance and integrity as he would have failed in his Ministerial assignment.

Did Paul Low ever think of such an option? May be not.

Despite expecting a “hostile” environment at the 16th IACC, Paul Low has found that the IACC crowd to  be “quite civil”.

It is still not too late for Paul Low to persuade and schedule Najib for an  appearance at the 16th IACC, for instance at the closing ceremony on Friday, which is to be graced by another Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department,  Senator Abdul Wahid Omar.

Only Najib himself can address the “two elephants in the room”, the twin financial scandals of  RM50 billion 1MDB (according to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in his last speech as Deputy Prime Minister to the Cheras UMNO Division on July 26) and the RM2.6 billion “donation” in Najib’s personal bank accounts.

Let the 1,000 IACC delegates from 130 countries return to their respective countries with answers and assurances from Najib himself on these two mega-scandals instead of departing from the country with one great regret –  attending the 16th IACC conference with the theme “Ending Impunity – People. Integrity. Action” ending with greater baggages of doubt and uncertainty whether  the global battle against corruption is making any headway at all.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 4:19 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Boikot Bersih 4: PAS untung atau rugi?

Mohsin Abdullah

The Malaysian Insider

2 September 2015

Akar umbi Umno pun tidak marah Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hadir pada perhimpunan Bersih 4. Itu menurut berita yang disiarkan The Malaysian Insider.

Sebabnya – mereka terima “penjelasan “ Dr Mahathir yang bekas presiden mereka bukan sokong gerakan Bersih secara khusus tetapi kerana beliau menyokong rakyat.

Maknanya Dr Mahathir melihat rakyat menyebelahi atau bersama gerakan Bersih. Sekali gus tuntutan Bersih adalah tuntutan rakyat. Boleh disimpulkan begitu?

Jika boleh,  persamaannya (berdasarkan hujah Dr Mahathir) ialah Bersih = rakyat. Satu “equation” yang boleh membimbangkan pucuk pimpinan Umno

kerana “akar umbi setuju with such an equation”.

Dan dalam konteks PAS pula – adakah ketidakhadiran parti itu pada perhimpunan Bersih kali ini membawa erti parti itu “tidak bersama rakyat”?

Rasanya tidak adil menuduh demikian. Namun ada juga berpendapat PAS “detached“  atau “terpisah daripada rakyat berbilang kaum di Malaysia”. Setuju atau tidak terpulang.

Tetapi pemerhati politik beranggapan PAS terlepas peluang keemasan membuktikan parti itu masih bersifat “inclusive ” walaupun tanpa golongan progresif yang kini aktif dalam Gerakan Harapan Baru (GHB).

Seorang aktivis seni (yang kerap mengambil bahagian dalam aktiviti PAS) menyifatkan keputusan tidak menyertai Bersih 4 didorong “hasrat pimpinan tertinggi parti mahu berbaik-baik dengan Umno dan mengejar pangkat serta kedudukan”.

Dengan kenyataan sekeras itu tidak memeranjatkan, beliau menambah kata “aku sudah bercerai dengan PAS“.

Seperkara menarik ialah Idris Ahmad,  naib presiden PAS yang mendapat undi terbanyak pada pemilihan parti lalu,  muncul pada hari kedua perhimpunan Bersih 4 (katanya siap berkemeja t kuning).

Mengapa beliau datang tidak pula dijelaskan. Pertanyaan wartawan kepada beliau dibalas dengan senyuman.

Lantas timbul spekulasi dan andaian yang tidak perlu diulangi.

Tidak dinafikan ketidakhadiran PAS pada Bersih 4 dirasai terutama pada aspek jumlah peserta Melayu.

Apa pun tindakan PAS itu “understandable “ berikutan pergeseran dengan DAP dan kehadiran anggota GHB bersama Bersih.

Dan tentunya PAS tahu – baik buruknya – kesan tindakan mereka memulaukan Bersih 4.

Keputusan mereka wajar dihormati. Ikut serta atau tidak, itu hak mereka.

Cuma PAS kelihatan tidak berterus-terang dalam menjelaskan  mengapa parti itu mengambil keputusan berkenaan.

Sebaliknya mereka memilih untuk memberi alasan seperti “tidak dijemput daripada awal” dan “sibuk dengan aktiviti Hari Kemerdekaan”.

Bagi orang di luar PAS, alasan seperti itu agak “melucukan”.  – 2 September, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 7:17 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
PAS
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Call on all political leaders to set an example as  leaders for all Malaysians to deplore all actions which could provoke inter-racial and inter-religious discord and disharmony and to end all politics of race-baiting in country

he time has come for all political leaders to set an example as leaders for all Malaysians to deplore all actions which could provoke inter-racial and inter-religious discord and disharmony and end all politics of race-baiting in the country.

DAP leaders and I have no hesitation in deploring the incident where two Bersih 4 rally participants stomped on the picture of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, for this is not the political or civic culture we want to see in Malaysia.

This is not a stand which I had only  taken now, but which has always been my guiding principle in Malaysian politics which in three months’ time on Dec. 1 will mark my  full 50 years of  political involvement.

This is also not the first time where the DAP had been blamed for something which had nothing to do with the party.

For instance, in January 2014, Penang UMNO staged a gangsterish and most racist  demonstration against the DAP in response to a kangkung-theme flash mob event against the Prime Minister, stuffing  kangkung into the mouth of Najib’s effigy.

The Penang UMNO demonstration was a most irresponsible, incendiary and seditious incitement of racial and religious hatred, tensions and conflict, threatening with the rhetorical question: “Does DAP want another May 13” and carried the most blood-curdling racist and religious slogans and banners, even with one banner in blood red with the screaming words:“Because of DAPs leaders mouth, May 13, 1969 happened…Want some more?” and other inflammatory banners like “ABCD – Asal Bukan Cina DAP” and “DAP is the enemy of Islam”.

The problem was that the DAP had nothing to do with the kangkung flash-mob event, and I myself was shocked at the stuffing of kangkung into the mouth of Najib’s effigy, as I regarded it as offensive  and knew that it would be distorted and manipulated by irresponsible elements  to further  incite and inflame emotions, even trying to racialise it as an attack by the Chinese against a Malay Prime Minister.

This is of course a great fallacy because Najib is not a Malay Prime Minister but Prime Minister for all Malaysians, but such distinctions would not stop racists and extremists from fomenting  racist responses – as is even happening now over the Bersih 4 rally.

At the time, I did not keep my views private but went on public  record that I disapproved and deplored such an action.

The worst example of such irresponsible race-baiting are the lies – which are still being spread on social media –  accusing me of being the cause of the May 13 , 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur, that I had led anti-Malay processions through the streets of Kuala Lumpur shouting anti-Malay slogans and hurling anti-Malay insults resulting in the May 13 riots when I was not even  in Kuala Lumpur at the time.  I was in Kota Kinabalu to campaign for independent candidates as polling day in Sabah was scheduled to be held after the voting in Peninsular Malaysia.

In my nearly 50 years in politics, I have never stepped on the photograph of any political leader.

Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General, Lim Guan Eng and I had been accused of stepping on the photographs of former Perak Pakatan Rakyat Assembly members whose defection resulted in the collapse of the  Pakatan Rakyat Perak State Government in February 2009 – and there was supposed to be photographic evidence of such acts.

This is untrue and distortion of the truth.  The organisers of the Perak DAP State Convention at the time had displayed the photographs of the defected Assembly members at the entrance to be stepped upon, but both Guan Eng and I did not want to do so, and what the photographs captured was our stepping over the photographs to avoid stepping on them.

Politics should not be about stepping on the photographs of our opponents, however strong our differences or intense our dislike, but about policies and programmes for the political, economic, educational and social upliftment of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, age, gender or party affiliation.

This was why in September 2012, I had urged the Prime Minister to fully accept the apologies tendered by the two 19-year-old teenagers Mohammad Ammar A Rahman and Ong Sing Yee as well as by their parents for their stepping on Najib’s photograph on the eve of National Day celebrations bearing in mind that “To err is human, To forgive divine”.

Even in that case, I made my position clear right from the beginning – that I do not approve or condone Mohammad Ammar and Ong Sing Yee’s actions as what they had done was wrong and deplorable; and  Malaysians have a right to expect more civilised conduct by every Malaysian in public life.

However Malaysians are rightly concerned at the Barisan Nasional government’s heavy-handedness and double standards in handling such matters.

As the DAP Seri Delima Penang State Assemblyman, RSN Rayer has rightly pointed out, the police should not practise double standards but must also act against UMNO and pro-UMNO elements who had breached the law in even worse ways, committing deplorable and despicable acts such as urinating, setting fire and splashing animal blood on pictures of opposition leaders.

There is a long list of cases where Pakatan Rakyat and civil society leaders like Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, the late Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, Bersih Co-Chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan  had been publicly insulted and humiliated but met with no government interest or action – including no instances of official sanction or condemnation.

All patriotic Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or Ibans, and regardless of whether they are in Barisan Nasional orOpposition want peace, harmony and tolerance to continue as the hallmarks of Malaysian nationhood.

They should step forward to expose and isolate the dangerous extremists who want to inflame and incite racial and religious hatred, tensions and conflict for their short-term opportunistic objectives as the overwhelming majority of moderates in Malaysia cannot remain silent but must act immediately so as not to allow a tiny handful of extremists to destroy Malaysia.

The incident in Kuantan where Guan Eng, Teresa Kok and my photograph were the target of attack  of UMNO and pro-UMNO people and such-like incidents elsewhere in the country  are work of people who want to create a “racial diversion” – by  stoking racial and religious tension, hatred and temperature to distract national and international attention from the scrutiny on the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the UMNO/BN leadership on the financial scandals and the political and economic woes plaguing the country.

What better way than to raise the flag that the Malays and Islam are under threat in Malaysia!

The advice of the National Laureate A. Samad Said last November when the spectre of “Malays and Islam under threat” was raised just before the UMNO General Assembly is still most pertinent and valid.

Pak Samad pointed out that despite claims of a growing threat against the Malay community, the country’s leadership has remained in the hands of Malays and is still led by a party which claims to represent the Malay community.

Pak Samad that it is most peculiar that allegations of Malays under threat are constantly being played up and he  advised the Malay community not to be too obsessed about claims that Malays are under threat.

Pak Samad asked:

“How are Malays under threat? How can Islam and Malays be threatened when those in power have been Malay for over five decades?

“What have the Malay leaders been doing for five decades (if Malays can be under threat)?”

Why should the country’s race relations be held to ransom every time UMNO hold its annual General Assemblies or when the UMNO President feels that his political position is threatened in UMNO and Government?

All the six Prime Ministers from the nation’s independence in 1957 were Malays – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir, Tun Abdullah and currently Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Have they all, or some or one of them, betrayed the Malays as Prime Minister to cause the Malays and Islam to be still under siege 58 years after Merdeka?

If Malays and Islam are under threat, it is not just the concern of Malays and Muslims, but the concern of all Malaysians regardless of ethnicity and faith, because we are all one people who want a successful Malaysia to rise from our diverse races and religions.

Patriotic Malaysians do not want Malays and Islam under threat, just as we do not want non-Malays in Malaysia, whether Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans, Orang Asli or Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism to be under threat.

If Malays and Islam are under threat, they should be the concern of all non-Malays and non-Muslims, just as any problem of Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans, Orang Asli or Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Taoism under threat in Malaysia should be the concern of all Malays and Muslims in Malaysia!

We want to  build a Malaysia where the Malays and Islam are not under threat – just as the non-Malays and non-Muslim religions are not under threat.

Otherwise, Malaysia would have failed in our constitutional compact to create an independent and sovereign democratic State founded upon liberty and justice, where “Islam is the religion of the Federation but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony”, ever seeking to defend and uphold peace and harmony among its people and to perpetuate peace among nations.

Bersih 4 shows the way to build such a Malaysia – for the 500,000 people who streamed into Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu for the Bersih 4 overnight rally on August 29 and 30 came not as Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans or Kadazans; not as Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs or Taoists;  but as Malaysians – and this is why the spirit of Bersih 4 is such a great threat to the politics of race of UMNO!

(Media Conference Statement at Penang DAP Hqrs on Wednesday, 2nd September 2015 at 11.30 am)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 10:48 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
DAP
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Can we move forward with Bersih 4?

P Ramasamy

Malaysiakini

Sep 1st, 2015

COMMENT
 The massive Bersih 4 rally that took place in the heart of Kuala Lumpur on on Aug 29 and 30 can be described as tremendous success considering the number of people who took part in it.

It is estimated about 500,000 people were involved and many spent the night sleeping on sidewalks and pavements. Bersih also took an international profile, with similar rallies held in some of the cities worldwide.

Yes, Bersih succeeded in highlighting its objectives of: reforming the corrupt and decadent electoral system, reviving institutions that have become defunct and most importantly, the removal of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for his involvement in massive corruption related to the disbursement of 1MDB funds.

Unlike earlier Bersih movements, this time there were no untoward incidents involving the police or other law enforcement agencies. The police were surprisingly well-behaved and disciplined.

The actual Bersih rally is over, at least for the time being. Whether Bersih 5 will take place or not will depend on the whether the government takes initiatives to speed up reforms in the country.

Of course, the hardest thing will be to expect Najib to resign from his post. There are no indications that Najib will resign from the pressure exerted by Bersih.

In fact, there are already overt and covert signs that Umno and other Malay extremist organisations will use the large presence of the Chinese in the rally to drum home the point that Bersih was a Chinese-initiated movement to topple the Malay leadership.

Former DAP vice-chairperson and the current adviser of MACC, Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim has provided a completely racial twist to the recent Bersih rally. He lamented that the large presence of Chinese in the rally indicated that it was attempt on the part of them to humiliate and dishonour Malays during Merdeka celebrations.

Needless to say, the sizeable presence of Malays and Indians probably, or conveniently, never caught the eyes of Tunku Aziz!

In the coming days, weeks and months leading up to Umno division general assemblies, we can expect Utusan Malaysia to build up and propagate its racial theories about how Chinese are going to take over the leadership from the hands of Malays, in other words from Umno.

Was Mahathir’s presence of any help?

We can’t say for sure whether the presence of the former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was something that was helpful to the Bersih movement as whole. The man who had nothing but contempt for protests and demonstrations suddenly turned to support the “cause of the rakyat” in this Bersih rally.

Mahathir said he supported the people’s cause but not Bersih. His attendance at Bersih 4 was a classic case of taking the opportunity to ride the wave to remove Najib and revive Umno, but he showed no interest in the reforms that the country badly needs.

Participants could have welcomed his presence, but are fully aware that his sole purpose in attending the rally was to revive Umno, an Umno that will behave and dance according to the tune he sets!

Now, with the rally over, what is going to happen? Are we going to expect major changes to the nature of the country’s administration? Will Najib’s days in office be numbered? There are no clear answers to these and many other questions that are foremost in the minds of Malaysians.

Changes not expected overnight

Bersih leaders do not expect changes to take place overnight as these will take time to gain momentum. But at least the Bersih leaders have played a role in bringing together thousands of Malaysians to the streets in wanting change and a better future for them and their children.

Bersih, whatever, its limitations, has defied norms by telling and emboldening Malaysians to come together as one in demanding for change. For Bersih, politics should not be left to the politicians, however, well-meaning they are.

Even if the majority of the participants were Chinese, it does not negate the fact that they were there as Malaysians and citizens. They did not flock together as a Chinese group organised by some Chinese leaders.

In fact, many of them members of the middle-class and not even members of the DAP! Sorry, DAP does not have the monopoly on how the Chinese behave.

Chinese and Indians were eager to participate not because they belong to particular ethnic groups, but because they are victims of the political, social and economic system. It is only normal for Chinese and Indians to take up a more active role in the Bersih movement, given their own predicament in the country.

Years of independence have not assured these two communities a meaningful place that they call it home. Often being reminded as “pendatang”, the stigma alone is enough to galvanise these two communities to spring to action!

It was noticeable that the lack of Malay participation was conspicuous in Bersih 4. In fact, Malay participation increased on the second day and a variety of factors were responsible for this.

First, the absence of PAS in Pakatan Rakyat was the major factor behind the lack of large-scale participation of Malays. Second, confusion in Malay circles about the split in PAS and the process toward the formation of a new party could have added a damper on their participation in Bersih 4.

Rally essentially an urban phenomenon

Third, related to this was the absence of concerted mobilising strategies on the part of the Malay opposition forces to galvanise Malay support for the Bersih rally. Fourth, the incarceration of Anwar Ibrahim in Sungei Buloh could be another reason why Malays were not mobilised enough.

Fifth, the Bersih rally was essentially an urban phenomenon. It was the inability to attract rural Malays that could explain why non-Malays outnumbered Malays!

In actual fact, examining the Bersih rally from the point of ethnicity does not make sense at all. Thousands of Malays, Chinese and Indians who attended the rally in yellow were merely interested in political change. They attended the rally only with this in mind. They did not go to Kuala Lumpur as Malays or Chinese or Indians.

They went as Malaysians and citizens of the country. It isunderstandable and not understandable as to why some so-called learned persons, like Tunku Aziz (photo), would stoop so low and beyond imagination to provide a racial twist.

Were Chinese, Malays and Indians there to question Malay political power in the hands of Umno? What about the speeches by some prominent Malay leaders? Were they there to question Malay political power?

Let us not question the integrity of Malaysians who took part in the Bersih 4 rally in Kuala Lumpur. Let us not put Malaysians in the familiar and dangerous ethnic pigeon-holes!

It is the inability to capture of dynamics of societal interaction that allows racists and extremists to cast doubts and aspersions against a movement that has sprung up to take Malaysians to a new and more progressive level of thinking, away from the primordial sentiments!

P RAMASAMY is Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang and the state assemblyperson for Perai.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 5:43 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Parti baharu dalam arus perdana

A Shukur Harun

The Malaysian Insider

1 September 2015

Penubuhan parti baharu di mana namanya akan diumumkan tidak lama lagi, iaitu anak kandung NGO Gerakan Harapan Baru (GHB) secara rasmi diumumkan semalam, bertepatan pada Hari Kemerdekaan 31 Ogos, tentunya mempunyai makna yang penting.

Pertamanya kerana ia didahului perhimpunan Bersih 4 yang mendapat sambutan luar biasa rakyat pelbagai kaum dan agama. Walaupun semuanya ini secara kebetulan, tetapi parti baharu ini memang mendukung cita-cita Bersih yang mahukan pilihan raya bersih, memperjuangkan demokrasi dan kebebasan serta keadilan.

Kedua, kelahirannya pada Hari Kemerdekaan, seperti suatu isyarat parti baharu ini sewajarnya mendukung sepenuhnya aspirasi kemerdekaan tanah air dengan segala maknanya.

Di sini, saya kira, dengan cita-cita parti baharu itu untuk memperjuangkan sebuah masyarakat Malaysia yang bersatu padu akan meninggalkan jauh ke belakang fahaman perkauman dan segala ekstremis yang ditentang Islam sendiri.

Akar tunjang parti baru ini berasaskan Islam dalam makna yang lebih luas, terbuka dan demokratik sesuai dengan sifat Islam sebagai Rahmatan-Lil-Alamin, rahmat seluruh alam, yang bukan saja menaungi umat Islam, tetapi juga kepada bukan Islam. Di samping itu parti baharu ini akan berusaha membina integriti.

Wajah Islam syumul yang ditampilkan parti baru ini akan bersifat ramah dan mesra dengan semua pihak. Berusaha menambahkan sahabat dan mengurangkan musuh. Mengekalkan hubungan dengan pihak mana pun seperti yang apa dipesan oleh Nabi Muhammad:”Kamu mestilah mengekalkan hubungan dengan sesiapapun, walaupun hubungan itu sampai kepada peringkat seperti sehelai benang sutera.”

Ia mendukung pendekatan muwjahah silmiyah – politik santun – yang sangat sesuai dengan iklim politik dan budaya negara yang indah ini. Ketika berada di majlis penubuhan parti itu, saya terkenang allahyarham Ustaz Fadhil Noor dan Dtuk Nik Abd Aziz Nik Mat, di mana saya yakin, parti baharu ini akan meneruskan pendekatan politik Islam kedua-dua tokoh besar itu.

Sejak GHB diwar-warkan beberapa bulan lalu hinggalah tertubuhnya parti ini, sambutan dan harapan rakyat pelbagai kaum sangat tinggi kepadanya.

Walaupun ia dilemparkan dengan pelbagai penghinaan dan tuduhan pihak tertentu di mana tidak perlu diulang lagi di sini, namun parti ini nampaknya mendapat keyakinan pelbagai pihak akan kemunculannya sebagai parti yang teguh dan peramah.

Pendukung utamanya seperti Ustaz Haji Ahmad Awang (penasihat) dengan saf pimpinannya seperti Muhamad Sabu, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, Dr Mujahid Yusuf Rawa, Dr Maria Mahmud, Khalid Samad, Nizar Jamaludin, Izham Hashim, Hanipa Maidin, Datuk Wan Rahim, Aminolhuda Hasan dan ramai lagi sangat meyakinkan akan kejayaan parti baru ini.

Bukan semata-mata kerana pengalaman lama mereka dalam kancah politik, tetapi juga dengan latar belakang ketokohan mereka, memberi nilai penting kepada parti baharu ini.

Sejumlah besar golongan profesional pelbagai bidang kini mengambil peranan penting di belakang layar dalam mengerakkan parti ini. Saya memerhatikan gerak kerja mereka ini dalam membantu pemimpin menjayakan parti ini di mana kelihatannya sangat profesional dan penuh idea dan dedikasi.

Yang juga sangat menarik ialah parti ini mendapat dukungan sejumlah ustaz dan ustazah yang progresif, berfikiran terbuka hingga berjaya menganjurkan program Nadwah Ulama Nahdhah Jadidah 2015 (Nunji 15) yang dihadiri lebih 500 peserta di Shah Alam baru-baru ini. Ia mendedahkan kita kepada keterbukaan fiqh yang merangjkumi politik Islam sesuai dengan keadaan masyarakat majmuk di negara ini.

Ini suatu gambaran bagaimana parti baharu ini adalah gabungan golongan profesional, agamawan dan kalangan veteran politik. Menariknya tidak ada mana-mana golongan yang mendominasi parti baru ini, justeru mereka sama-sama secara equal memberikan sumbangan dan bersedia berwacana. Parti baru ini dibina sedemikian rupa, hingga tidak akan berlaku taksof peribadi kepada pemimpinnya. Ini kerana pemimpinnya bersedia menerima kritikan sihat dan pandangan kedua dari mana pun datangnya.

Sementara itu, menurut pengamatan saya, parti baharu ini seperti sudah berada di tengah arus perdana politik tanah air, terutamanya dengan penglibatan mereka dalam Bersih 4, di mana pimpinannya bertugas di lokasi penting dan sama-sama memimpin perhimpunan yang berjaya itu. Para tokoh parti baru ini sendiri berganding bahu dengan pemimpin PKR dan DAP serta NGO yang menyertai perhimpunan tersebut.

Ini menunjukkan keserasian cita-cita dan pendekatan politik mereka untuk perjuangan besar, menegakkan demokrasi dan keadilan serta menentang perkauman.

Maka itu boleh dibayangkan dalam PRU akan datang, parti ini akan mengambil peranan penting dalam gabungan baharu pembangkang nanti.

Tidak syak lagi parti baru ini akan menawan hati golongan generasi baru Malaysia di mana dalam PRU yang lalu jumlah mereka sebagai pengundi mencapai 4.1 juta dan jumlah ini akan terus bertambah dalam PRU akan datang.

Selain itu, masyarakat sivil di bandar dijangka memberikan sokongan penuh kepada parti baharu ini, di samping pengundi luar bandar yang kelihatan sudah ada tanda-tanda hendak perubahan.

Dalam hubungan ini terlalu awal untuk memikirkan kemungkinan berlaku pertandingan satu lawan satu atau dua atau tiga penjuru dalam PRU akan datang.

Apabila sampai saat PRU nanti, pengundi akan tahu bagaimana parti baru ini berperanan dalam gabungan pembangkang yang baru dan diyakini, parti baru ini akan berada dalam arus perdana politik tanah air.

Yang penting sekarang ialah berusaha mengulangi kemenangan Pakatan Rakyat dalam dua PRU yang lalu. Diharapkan pakatan baharu akan muncul lebih gagah lagi.

Dirgahayu atas kelahiran parti baharu ini.

Kelahiran harapan baharu adalah kehendak gelombang rakyat terbentuk daripada kelompok pelbagai yang mahu bebas politik lama dan harapan lama. Kini harapan baharu akan muncul sebagai entiti politik menyatukan kekuatan pembangkang dalam kelahiran PR 2.0 yang dinanti-nantikan. – 1 September, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 6:43 am and is filed under
Political Islam
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


The irony of Najib’s ‘1Malaysia’

Mariam Mokhtar

Malaysiakini

Aug 31st, 2015

Sweet irony. In the end it was Najib Abdul Razak’s ‘1Malaysia’ which united Malaysians from all over the globe to stand in solidarity with fellow Malaysians back home, and demand his resignation.

From the most unlikely places like Guernsey, to South America, a diver sporting a Bersih poster whilst scuba diving in Indonesia, a skydiver with his yellow paraphernalia and small towns which are traditional strongholds of Umno Baru, like Kuala Lipis.

The Malaysians, young and old, rich and poor, answered the appeal made by Maria Chin Abdullah of Bersih 2.0, to show their support for their demand for good governance and clean elections.

The worldwide movement of dissenting Malaysians proved four things:-

First. Malaysians are united, despite 45 years of racial and religious indoctrination, that sought to use race and religion to divide them.

Second. Malaysians will rally to the call for help from fellow Malaysians, thus dispelling the myth that Malaysians are selfish and self-serving.

Third. Malaysians have crossed their threshold of fear, and are willing to stand up for themselves.

Fourth. The Malaysian government has finally realised the new phenomenon known as people power.

Back in London, widely touted as the activist capital of the world, 2,000 Malaysians who answered the Bersih 4 call, streamed in two hours before the official start time. A queue built-up to buy Bersih 4 T-shirts. The queue stretched the length of Belgrave Square, on which stands the Malaysian High Commission. The T-shirts, which had been specially commissioned for the march, sold out very quickly.

Malaysians came from as far north as Carlisle, from Wales and Bristol, Cornwall and Exeter, in the west, from Worthing and Bournemouth in the south. A few crossed the channel. A number of Malaysians, from Germany and some on holiday in France, flew in to be part of this historic event in London.

The stormy weather, which had drenched London throughout the week, cleared on Saturday. Although light drizzle was forecast for later, it could not dampen the spirits of the Bersih 4 Malaysians.

Two men who had recently hurt their backs, came to the rally. Another with a broken arm did not want to miss this chance to tell Najib what he thought of his lack of leadership.

They brought their children and there was a carnival-like atmosphere. Toddlers walked with their parents. Pet dogs had yellow balloons tied to their collars. Grandfathers pushed their young ones in strollers. A pregnant lady was seen with her young children, in the crowd.

Many in their sixties and seventies also joined the rally. English, Scottish and Irish, all with strong connections to Malaysia joined Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians in the march. A few Indonesians joined the rally to lend their support.

Coming to fulfil their duty

When asked, Malaysians volunteered that they had come to fulfil their duty, and respond to Maria’s urging to show Najib that ‘Enough is enough’. The home-made banners and posters expressed their disgust for the happenings back home.

Clare Rewcastle-Brown spoke at the rally, as did Marina Mahathir. Both thanked the crowd for joining the rally. The BBC, Sky News and Channel News Asia, covered the event.

On the upper floors of the High Commission, a window was open. A marcher said that he spotted someone, deep in the shadows, with a camera. On the lower floors a curtain fluttered, briefly, but it was enough to show the assembled crowd that they were being watched. Did they care? Not in the least.

One person said, “I don’t care if they want to take my photo. What can they do to me? I have not broken any laws. I am here to express my anger at Najib. Is that a crime? Najib is the criminal, not me.”

An enterprising group of Malaysians from Hereford, wrote an open letter to the high commissioner imploring him, to walk with them. The letter was dropped into the letterbox, as no High Commission staff answered the door. It was Saturday, and the High Commission was shut.

There was a police presence at specific moments during the rally, but it was merely to see that we were all right and adhered to health and safety rules like not blocking the pavement or spilling onto the road, and obstructing traffic.

As the yellow crowd snaked its way towards Buckingham Palace, en route to 10 Downing Street, the anti-Najib sentiments did not let up. In Front of Buckingham Palace, tourists were surprised at the ‘yellow crocodile’ and trained their cameras on the Malaysians. A group played bangra music with chants like “Turun Najib”, as they walked along St James Park. Motorists tooted their horns to show support.

At 10 Downing Street, more speeches were made, and we competed for space with another smaller demonstration. It started to drizzle but no one moaned. Out came the yellow brollies and placards doubled up as barriers to keep the protestors dry. The chants did not abate, but grew stronger as we approached Trafalgar Square, and the end of the rally.

At Trafalgar Square, a flag-bearer waved his flag with much zeal in front of the Malaysian Tourism Office. More speeches and photographs followed. Throughout the afternoon, Charles Pond, from Monsoons, had carried his sound system on his bicycle. He had provided music for the marchers and microphones for the speeches. After four hours, his batteries were exhausted. It was time to go home.

The rally had been a success, despite Najib’s comments about Bersih.

When a rally-goer was asked if she was worried that her photograph may have been taken, she said, “Who cares? A government which thinks that it can lock up everyone who dares to criticise it is not a caring government. That is a dictatorship.”

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO).

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 10:08 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


What’s next after Bersih 4?

― Dan Lee

Malay Mail Online

September 1, 2015

SEPTEMBER 1 ― We have just had our biggest street party to usher in Merdeka Day and a 34-hours-long carnival to celebrate democracy in Malaysia. The excitement of those who pulled on their yellow t-shirts and accessories is still visible as many have written to talk about the whole adventure they had and the sense of unity they experienced with the crowd. My question is ― What’s next?

Bersih 4 was meant to unite Malaysians who are like-minded and passionate to ensure our beloved nation is free from corruption and injustice, as well as to demand for a clean government who will put the interest of the Rakyat first. Let us build on this unity of love and passion for this nation and her people, and not divide the nation by skin colour or political affiliation, or worse still, by t-shirt colours. We, who have been to Bersih 4 should never think of ourselves more highly or more patriotic than those who didn’t, for we do not know their reasons. Let us not divide our nation between us and them, who have been to Bersih 4 and not, who wore yellow or not, or who supports Bersih 4 or not.

There are many out there who didn’t join Bersih 4 and that doesn’t mean that they support corruption and injustice or are loyal to a certain party. Maybe they are just not aware of the issues, or they are too busy fighting to put food on the table for their families, or they are not convinced with street demonstration, and these people need to hear our stories and we hear theirs in order for us to understand each other and build this nation together.

After this, let us not just share stories among our groups of Bersih 4 alumni but get out there to start a conversation with those who didn’t join Bersih 4, to better understand their reasons and their beliefs, and hopefully, win them over, and be united to join the cause to build a better nation. Therefore, start this conversation with people outside our circle, get to know their culture, priorities, struggles and aspirations, and hopefully through the exchange of stories, we may inspire or awaken them to see nation building the way we do.

Remember, there are many other Malaysians who are also yearning for a better nation but were unable to go for Bersih 4 as they may be:

― working in the factory producing the alarm clock that woke us up

― cooking and selling the nasi lemak, roti canai or char kuey teow for our breakfast

― working as pump attendants at the petrol station where you pumped fuel

― manning the toll booth that you passed by on the way to the city

― driving the taxi that took you to the LRT station

― working to ensure the LRT or Komuter function properly throughout the two days

― teachers and parents where their students or children are involved in the Merdeka Parade in every state

― those who have made plans to get married that weekend as it is a long weekend

― those who planned their holidays a year in advance knowing it is a long holiday weekend

― policemen on duty those two days to keep the security and peace during the rally,

And many more groups of people.

So, let us share our stories with each other, and build a better nation together.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 6:52 am and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Why so few Malays in Bersih 4?

Wong Chin Huat

Malaysiakini

Aug 30th, 2015

COMMENT
 The question most frequently asked on Bersih 4 is, why are they so few Malays?

I don’t buy the two most common answers: first, PAS does not participate and Harapan Baru does not have the clout; second, Malays are worried of violence and chaos.

For me, the answer is straightforward: the Malays feel politically vulnerable because three main Malay-based parties – first PKR, then PAS, now Umno – are split while the Chinese are seemingly so united behind the opposition especially DAP.

To discourage the Malays to join Bersih 4, one may just need to warn them, if Malays join in enthusiastically, then not only Najib Abdul Razak will go, Umno will lose power, too, and the now politically assertive Chinese will dismantle the New Economic Policy (NEP) and weaken Islam.

Against this backdrop, even if PAS has mobilised, Malay turnout will still be weak because of this anxiety. And ‘violence and chaos’ cited in the Merdeka Center survey is but the code word for the collapse of Umno’s one-party state.

Will I blame our Malay friends who don’t join us? Of course no. Everyone has every right to want the country to be cleaner, freer and more democratic. That needs not have anything to do with ethnicity or religion.

I will not even blame them on their anxiety. Can people force themselves to not be anxious?

Simply because the dismantling of Umno’s one-party state is a colossal change, all of us need a soft landing, not only the Malays who have been told that they will be ‘bangsat’ without Umno.

Malaysia’s political system has been so winner-takes-all, with losers not only marginalised but often also persecuted. Clearly, this is the fear many Umno members harbour.

We can’t have a smooth transition until we can convince fellow Malaysians in Umno this, the party(-state) is over but Umno can choose to transform itself into a competitive democratic parties – like Indonesia’s Golkar, Taiwan’s KMT and Mexico’s PRI.

It is more realistic to ensure you can come back after losing than insisting you will have lost.

In full recognition of the political reality, Bersih 2.0 makes it clear while pressing for Najib’s resignation is necessary for the institutional reforms we need, Bersih 4 is not a rally to end Umno’s rule and will not force Najib out ala the Philippines’ People’s Power or Arab Spring.

We will end the rally peacefully tonight with the Merdeka countdown.

Aiming to empower Malaysians

We aim to empower Malaysians so that independence is a psychological reality that they fear neither each other because of differences nor the authoritarian government.

If everything ends well tonight, this goal would have been achieved although the push for Najib’s exit remains an uphill battle.

Coming back to the low Malay turnout, while we certainly need to work harder to get more Malays to the streets, should we go this far to border lamenting, why are there so many Chinese? Should the Chinese feel sorry that there are too many of them?

It is time we break this myth that we can’t do anything legitimately until we get the all ethnic representation, or worse, in the right composition: 1 Malay, 1 Chinese, 1 Indian, 1 Sarawakian, 1 Sabahan, etc.

I slept on the pavement on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman last night. It was like a refugee camp with many people – mostly in the illegal yellow Bersih 4 T-shirts – sleeping on not only the pavements, but also the middle of the road. Some brought sleeping bags, some used newspapers as their mat, others just slept on the road.

Why did they sacrifice their comfort in bed? Many of them, like me, have booked hotel rooms for refreshing themselves, but chose to sleep on the streets just to show our yearning for change. Most of them were Chinese while there were also some Malays – middle-aged men, youth and a couple.

Woke up at about 6, I saw a good group of volunteers giving away free coffee, with placards with the words ‘Tak mau duit kopi’ and chanting, “Minum kopi, tak mau duit kopi”. I was so moved by their creativity.

Have I forgotten to mention this? They were all Chinese. So were a bunch of volunteers I bumped into last night busy collecting rubbish – they were all Chinese, too.

I examine my own anxiety which appeared since the beginning of the rally – that there were too few Malays.

I ask myself, what’s wrong that most of them are Chinese? Should I feel sorry that some of my bedfellows on Jalan TAR are not Malays? Should I wish that some of the volunteers should not be there because they are not Malays?

No, why should all the good things they do be less good just because they happen to be in one ethno-religious category and not the other? Why?

Aren’t we hypocritical if we let our pragmatism go mad to the extent that we judge one not by one’s behavior but by one’s colour or creed?

I see two positive implications in the phenomenal Chinese turnout in the Bersih 4 rally, beyond their patriotism and sense of political efficacy.

First, most of them probably have not been exposed to Malay language and culture from indie music, poetry reading to prayers in the open in such intensity. Many may have yet to remember not to blow their vuvuzela and chant during Muslims’ prayer time.

A learning process

Some may have overlooked cultural sensitivity in their rejection of corrupt readers. But this is a learning process, isn’t it?

Second, if Bersih 4 ends well and peacefully, this will set a precedent that grand rallies can be peaceful, inclusive and strengthening our nationhood, even when the ethnic composition of protesters is skewed.

There will be a long warfare of perception after tonight finale.

On one end, Umno’s mouthpiece will do their best to portray Bersih 4 as a Chinese plot to topple Umno and sideline the Malays. On the other end, naysayers will repeat the old tune that Bersih 4 is a failure because Najib won’t resign after tonight.

I urge all friends out there in Bersih 4 to tell your own story, best with powerful pictures worthy of thousand words.

We have two stories to tell to every other Malaysian whom we may encounter in daily life or on social media:

First, the Bersih 4 rally is dominated, not by ethnic Chinese, but patriotic Malaysians.

Second, the Bersih 4 rally is not failure but a great success, because we find hope and solidarity in each other.

We are Malaysia.

WONG CHIN HUAT earned his PhD on the electoral system and party system in West Malaysia from the University of Essex. He is a fellow at the Penang Institute, and a resource person for electoral reform lobby, Bersih 2.0.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 September 2015, 6:25 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


1,000 IACC delegates from 130 countries should send instant mass signature petition to Najib to attend 16th IACC to come clean on the “two elephants in the room” – the RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” scandals

OPEN LETTER To Transparency International President and 1,000 delegates to 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC)  by DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Gelang Patah Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, September 3, 2015:

Transparency International President Jose Ugaz made a powerful speech at the opening of the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) yesterday when he said Malaysia’s commitment towards fighting corruption cannot be taken seriously as long as it did not provide answers to the RM2.6 billion “donation” to the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal banking accounts – who paid the money, why and what happened to it.

Harkening back to the mottos of Malaysia’s founding father, Tunku Abdul Rahman, on “Independence and freedom” and “honesty and integrity”, Ugaz referred to the “corruption crisis” in Malaysia and said:

“As a global anti-corruption movement it is our role to ask questions, to challenge those who abuse their power, to champion those who cannot speak and to engage with those who sincerely wish to change.

“Let us recall those two words – honesty and integrity.

“What does that mean for Malaysia?

 The government has taken measures and initiatives to tackle corruption. We will surely hear that from the minister.

“We want to see more progress but that cannot happen while there are unanswered questions about the US$700 million that made its way into the prime minister’s personal bank account.

“In recent weeks, we have seen the attorney-general who was critical of the government suddenly replaced, the 1MDB task force suspended, investigators at the anti-corruption commission arrested or transferred, and newspapers suspended for reporting on the matter.

“These are not the actions of a government that is fighting corruption.

“We may well hear promises of reform. That is not what is needed at this time. And promises alone will not restore confidence and trust.

“There are two questions that need to be answered:

“Who paid the money and why?

“Where did it go?

“One man could answer those questions.

“If that does not happen then only a fully independent investigation, free from political interference, can uncover the truth.

“Until that happens, no claim from the government on anti-corruption will be credible.

“I stand here today with you and say this is what the people want from government – honesty and integrity.”

In a country which cherished in independence, freedom and sovereignty, the Prime Minister will not receive a mysterious “donation” in his personal account from foreign sources to influence the country’s general election outcome – making it more imperative that Najib should come clean with Malaysians and the world.

This is why no one ever suspected anyone of the five previous Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Razak, Hussein Onn, Dr. Mahathir and Abdullah Badawi of having received a single sen from any  foreign source for anyone of the country’s general elections.

Can Malaysia’s general election and government be bought with a foreign “donation” of RM2.6 billion?

The 16th IACC must demonstrate that it cannot be trifled with, that it has a powerful voice  and  does not stand alone but  has “a common cause with all who speak up against those that would seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the people”.

More is expected of the IACC meeting in Malaysia on the theme “Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action” especially on “Action”.

One action that is still open to the 16th IACC is for the 1,000 delegates from 130 countries to send an  instant mass signature petition to Najib to attend the  IACC to come clean on the “two elephants in the room” in the corruption crisis in Malaysia – the RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” scandals.

It will not be impossible for the 1,000 IACC delegates to sign a joint petition today itself and send it to the Najib by this evening to urge the Malaysian Prime Minister to attend the IACC, whether at the closing ceremony at 6.15 pm tomorrow or at the Farewell Dinner hosted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to have a dialogue with the IACC delegates on the state of corruption or the battle against corruption in Malaysia.

The 16th IACC theme of “Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action” must not prove to be a failure  – especially on “Action”.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 September 2015, 7:47 am and is filed under
Corruption
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Anti-graft organisation founder says Najib must come clean on RM2.6 billion donation

by Muzliza Mustafa

The Malaysian Insider

3 September 2015

Another global anti-graft activist piled pressure on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to come clean on the RM2.6 billion donation in his personal bank accounts, saying the “delay tactics” used to obstruct investigations would not work in the long run.

Transparency International (TI) co-founder Michael J. Hershman said Najib’s inability to address questions about the donation had affected the prime minister’s credibility.

“My advice to the prime minister would be not to cover up, not to obstruct justice because it doesn’t work.

“Tell the truth about where did the money come from and address the accusation. And if he did something wrong, then asked for forgiveness and face the consequences,” Hershman told the audience at the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC), which Malaysia is hosting.

He said that such delays would not make the allegations go away.

“The truth will come out and in my experience the sooner it comes out the better it is for the accused and for the country,” he added.

Hershman said the explanations given so far were not good enough.

“If it came from the Middle East, who did it come from? When did it come and for what purpose? These are very simple questions,” said Hershman, who is also president and CEO of the Fairfax Group.

He added that since Najib had control of the account, he must know where it came from.

“There is no reason for a panel for investigations. Just tell the truth. Get it out in the public,” he said.

Najib’s initial reaction to The Wall Street Journal’s report of the money in his accounts in early July was to deny taking funds from debt-ridden state investor 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) for personal gain.

Later, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said that the funds were transferred to Najib as a political donation from a Middle Eastern donor.

Najib and other Umno leaders then began saying that the funds were for the party’s interests, and that he as party president had the authority to hold the money in trust on behalf of Umno.

But Hershman said Najib had missed the opportunity to speak to a global audience at the IACC.

“He has missed the opportunity to explain the truth here. I respect him and I believe in his integrity… I am still willing to believe in him but he has got to come forward and tell the truth,” said the TI official.

He also pointed out that Najib had done a lot for the MACC, adding that it was one of the best-funded, largest anti-graft agencies in the world and was due in part to Najib’s policies.

Hershman is one of the panelists at the session entitled “Fighting Corruption by Authorities: What worked and what went wrong” at the IACC which is held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

The three-day conference attended by 1,000 delegates from 130 countries ends tomorrow. – September 3, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 September 2015, 3:47 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Is Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy “one of a kind” in the world where no-confidence motion is not allowed?”

Malaysia is now the  daily staple of international news – with at least four  items of international news yesterday, viz:

•	AP Report: “Anti-graft group: Malaysian PM must explain $700M in account”;

•	New York Times report: “Switzerland Investigates Fund Executives in Malaysian Corruption Case”;

•	Economic Times: “Fitch warns of downgrade risk in Malaysia’s rating outlook” and

•	BBC: ”Malaysia police to question former PM Mahathir over rally”.

All these international attention are not for Malaysia’s edification but only contribute to Malaysia’s disrepute and demonization in the global community – to the great pain and sorrow of Malaysian patriots locally and internationally.

An item which will pique international interest is the issue of no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib  Razak in Parliament – which will be unprecedented in Malaysian history, whether finally moved or otherwise.

Today,  Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz who was formerly in charge of Parliamentary affairs, waded into the “no-confidence motion” controversy, saying that former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s proposal to oust Najib through Parliament by way of no-confidence motion is doomed to failure because the system currently does not allow a no-confidence vote against an individual.

I do not agree with Nazri that the only way to show no confidence is to try and “ambush” Bills.

I do not agree that  Malaysia’s parliamentary democracy is  “one of a kind” in the world where no-confidence motion is not allowed?

A close study of the Parliamentary standing orders will show that there is room for moving a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister, although this is not specifically provided for, if the Speaker upholds the doctrine of the separation of powers.

The Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said at the United Nations yesterday that “democracy has different meanings in different countries”, but  the variations cannot be so humongous as to disallow a no confidence motion from being moved when a majority of MPs have lost confidence in the Prime Minister!

Otherwise, what type of a democracy is Malaysia having and what type of a Parliament is Pandikar presiding over as Speaker?

I agree  with the Communications and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak that when Najib is voted out in a no-confidence motion, it also means the downfall of the Najib Cabinet.

However this does not mean that Ministers in the out-voted Najib Cabinet cannot serve in the new Cabinet to be formed by the new Prime Minister who replaces Najib as the new head of government.

The question is firstly whether there is an absolute  majority of Members of Parliament to support a no-confidence motion against Najib, and secondly, whether there could be an  agreement by a majority of MPs for the appointment of the new Prime Minister who will then form his new Cabinet.

The three former Pakatan Rakyat parties of DAP, PKR and PAS have a total of 88 MPs while UMNO/BN have 134 MPs, i.e. 88 UMNO MPs and 46 non-UMNO BN MPs, comprising:

UMNO – 88

MCA – 7

MIC – 4

PBB – 14

Gerakan- 2

SUPP – 1

PBS – 4

PRS – 6

SPDP – 4

UPKO – 3

PBRS – 1

By the  time Parliament meets on Oct. 19, a new party, Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH), would have emerged with their MPs taking their places in Parliament with the PAS parliamentary representation about halved.

Even without a clear and specific directive from the PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang in support of no-confidence motion against Najib, the MPs from DAP, PKR and  AMANAH would be able to muster some  75-78 Opposition MPs, raising the question whether there will be some 35 UMNO/BN MPs who are prepared to support a no-confidence motion against Najib.

In asking UMNO/BN MPs to back a non-confidence vote against Najib as Prime Minister, Mahathir said that BN will not fall after Najib is removed as BN is still the party with the majority.

Mahathir said that as long as Najib remains in power, the economy would continue to be affected, Ringgit and shares would fall, cost of living would increase because of GST, the national debt would go up and cannot be repaid, unemployment would rise and billions of people’s money would be abused.

Mahathir said a vote of no-confidence was the only way forward as Najib had blocked all other legal means to remove him.

Mahathir should realise that while DAP/PKR/Amanah MPs are prepared to support a no-confidence vote in Najib, they  need assurances that the policies and the  political system will be reformed to ensure that no new Najibs can arise from the passage of a no-confidence motion against Najib Razak as Prime Minister.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 September 2015, 12:33 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Corruption
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia police to question Mahathir Mohamad over rally

Michael Peel in Putrajaya

Financial Times

2nd Sept 2015

Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s influential former prime minister, faces questioning by police as tensions deepen over his efforts to topple his scandal-hit successor Najib Razak.

Authorities have also called in leaders of a 34-hour street protest last weekend against Mr Najib after the government declared the rally illegal.

The targeting of people associated with the demonstration, which Mr Mahathir attended, comes as Mr Najib fights allegations of corruption over mysterious payments of more than $675m into bank accounts in his name.

The prime minister and the country’s anti-graft commission say the money came from an anonymous Middle Eastern donor, rather than Malaysian state funds.

Malaysian police said Khalid Abu Bakar, inspector-general, would take a statement from Mr Mahathir, who at the rally called for a “people’s power” movement to oust Mr Najib.

The 90-year-old former leader’s appearance at the demonstration was a surprise, apparently aimed at intensifying his efforts to force aside a successor whom he branded as corrupt.

“[Mr Mahathir] made several allegations in his speeches . . . that warrants police action,” said Asmawati Ahmad, a police spokesperson.

Mr Mahathir’s office said it had no information other than from media reports. It added that Mr Mahathir was travelling in Jordan.

While the rally known as Bersih (clean) was peaceful, some analysts predicted a legal backlash against protesters. It is thought that Mr Mahathir would not likely face charges.

Mr Mahathir’s intervention was particularly striking as his 22 years as prime minister between 1981 and 2003 were known for both authoritarianism and cronyism, as well as the development that helped establish Malaysia as a fast-growing Southeast Asian “tiger” economy.

The Bersih movement has traditionally been associated with opposition to the dominant United Malays National Organisation of both Mr Mahathir and Mr Najib.

Mr Mahathir said on his blog this week that he did not agree with the protest, but had joined it because of Mr Najib’s refusal to step down.

Mr Najib’s troubles have fed wider anxieties that Umno is in danger of ceding its 58-year governing hegemony, after the coalition it leads lost the popular vote in elections in 2013. The party has also been hit by rises in the cost of living and broader worries about the economy.

Mr Najib did not attend an international anti-corruption conference he had been due to address on Wednesday in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur. Paul Low Seng Kuan, a minister who stood in for him, told delegates Mr Najib had been advised that the atmosphere could be hostile.

The prime minister has been battling claims linked to the stewardship of 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund that ran up debts of more than $11bn. Mr Najib, who chairs 1MDB’s advisory board, has denied the payments to the bank accounts in his name were linked to the fund.

The government has launched a wide-ranging effort to contain the allegations since news of them emerged two months ago. Opposition MPs who have campaigned on the case have been prevented from travelling, a leading newspaper has been banned and several officials involved in probes into 1MDB have been removed from their posts.

Swiss authorities on Wednesday said they had frozen several tens of millions of US dollars in Swiss bank accounts as they continue investigations into the 1MDB scandal. The move followed the announcement last month that the Swiss attorney general’s office had launched criminal proceedings into the affair.

Additional reporting by Ralph Atkins in Zurich

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 September 2015, 6:14 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Corruption
,
Mahathir
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia’s anti-corruption efforts undermined by questions about scandal: corruption fighter

BY ASTRID ZWEYNERT

Reuters

2nd Septemnber 2015

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Malaysia’s commitment to fighting corruption cannot be taken seriously as long as it does not explain how millions of dollars ended up in Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bank account, the head of the world’s largest anti-graft organization said on Wednesday.

Jose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International, said Malaysia had taken many measures and initiatives to tackle corruption but that none of its claims to tackle corruption would be credible until it provided answers to the finance scandal.

“We want to see more progress but that cannot happen while there are unanswered questions about the … millions that made its way into the prime minister’s personal bank account,” Ugaz told the International Anti-Corruption Conference.

A media report in July said investigators looking into alleged mismanagement at debt-laden state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) traced a payment of more than $600 million to an account under Najib’s name.

“There are two questions that need to be answered: Who paid the money and why? Where did it go?,” Ugaz, a Peruvian lawyer with a history of tackling grand corruption, said.

Ugaz said that one man could answer that question, referring to Najib, who had pulled out of giving a keynote speech at the conference, which is attended by more than 1,000 delegates from 130 countries.

“If that does not happen then only a fully independent investigation, free from political interference, can uncover the truth,” Ugaz told the conference in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s federal administrative capital.

The scandal sparked a political crisis in the Southeast Asian nation. A rally at the weekend drew tens of thousands of people to the streets of the capital Kuala Lumpur to call for Najib’s resignation.

GOVERNMENT UNDER FIRE

Fighting back against his critics, Najib, who denies any wrongdoing, sacked his deputy and other ministers who had publicly questioned him, and the attorney-general who was investigating 1MDB was replaced.

Authorities also suspended two newspapers and blocked access to a website that had reported on 1MDB.

“These are not the action of a government that is fighting corruption,” Ugaz told the audience.

Datuk Paul Low, a minister in the prime minister’s cabinet, said Malaysia’s economic success, with growth rates above the global average and low unemployment, had not kept pace with the development of its political institutions.

“Malaysia has had strong growth but what we have not done is to reform our political institutions, that is our weakest point,” he told delegates.

A committee set up by Najib last month to set guidelines on political funding and ensure any money received for the purpose of politics is done so with “integrity” was a step in the right direction to address this weakness, he said.

(Reporting by Astrid Zweynert; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst;

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 September 2015, 5:44 am and is filed under
Corruption
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia’s economic frailty is all too familiar

David Pilling

Financial Times

September 2, 2015

The country is facing comparisons with the 1997 Asian financial crisis

Malaysia is in the middle of a political maelstrom. But the country’s worries do not stop with the scandal affecting Najib Razak, the prime minister. Weak oil prices, a creaking Chinese economy and the prospect of higher US interest rates have all hit Southeast Asia’s third-biggest economy simultaneously. Could this be a re-run of the 1997 financial crisis?

Critics will call such a scenario alarmist. In many ways, Malaysia appears to be in better shape than it did before the last Asian financial crisis. It has had consistent current account surpluses, as opposed to deficits in the run-up to 1997. Its foreign exchange reserves, though depleted, are nearly double the four months’ export cover it had in 1996, the year before the precipitous fall of the Thai baht triggered capital flight all over Asia. Malaysia was not the worst affected back then. That honour went to Indonesia. Even so, Malaysia’s economy shrank more than 6 per cent in 1998.

What about now? Of all the Asian economies, Malaysia looks most vulnerable. “Comparisons with 18 years ago are not completely wide of the mark,” says consultancy Capital Economics in a note. Much of the problem is down to oil. Most Asian economies are net importers. They benefit when oil prices fall. Not so Malaysia. Although more diversified than it once was, it is still adversely affected by soft commodity prices. Oil and gas, together with palm oil, make up 30 per cent of exports. Last year, the oil and gas industry supplied a third of government revenue. Although Malaysia runs a current account surplus — of about 2.7 per cent of gross domestic product in the year to June — it has been coming down fast. Back in 2008, it was a heady 17 per cent of GDP.

“Malaysia is in a tight spot,” says Fred Neumann, chief Asia economist at HSBC. “It is sitting on the wrong side of the commodity downturn and is very reliant on credit.” Two years ago, reserves were 3.7 times short-term external debt. Today, that has sunk to 1.0 times. Reserves are falling faster than you can say 1MDB (the acronym of the sovereign development fund at the centre of the alleged corruption scandal). By mid-August they were $94.5bn compared with $106.4bn at the end of May. That reflects the central bank’s clumsy attempts to halt the ringgit’s slide. Those efforts failed; the Malaysian currency has dropped to a 17-year low of 4.17 to the dollar, not far from the 4.57 it hit in 1997 — after which the government introduced drastic capital controls. “They’ve spent $12bn of foreign exchange reserves in six weeks and achieved nothing,” says one alarmed banker. “That’s clearly unsustainable.”

Malaysia has relied on credit to sustain growth. According to HSBC, total debt, including household, corporate and public, is proportionally higher than in China and has risen faster. Household debt alone is at 80 per cent of GDP. In these circumstances, it would be nice if the central bank could cut rates. It is more likely to raise them to defend the ringgit and stem capital flight. For many years, Malaysian government bonds have been a favoured instrument of fund managers. Fitch recently maintained its A- rating on sovereign bonds and surprised some by upgrading its outlook from negative to stable. But if bondholders get skittish, they could quickly precipitate a downward spiral.

It is vital at such times to be focused. The government, fighting for its political life, is anything but. Mr Najib, who is facing questions about nearly $700m found in his private bank account, doubles up as finance minister. He denies any wrongdoing, but who could blame him if he were a little distracted?

It is also important to have trusted institutions. Malaysia does not do too badly on international rankings. On Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index for 2014, it came in at 50 out of 175. Still, the 1MDB scandal has revealed some flaws. The auditor-general investigating the prime minister was shunted aside. A task force co-ordinating the probe was halted when Mr Najib promoted four of its members. Even the normally respected central bank has faced questions about its oversight of a system through which vast funds, of mysterious provenance, are alleged to have slipped like ships in the night.

Doubts about Malaysia’s institutional integrity will not help if it comes under speculative attack. Longer term, institutional weakness makes it less likely the country will achieve the high-income status it wants by 2020. That is why it needs to bolster the independence and integrity of its institutions. Even assuming it avoids a crisis, predicts Krystal Tan of Capital Economics, the perception of deep-seated institutional problems will persist. She cannot see the economy growing much above 4 per cent over the next decade. If she is right, it will be a long time before Malaysia extricates itself from the middle-income trap.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 September 2015, 6:08 pm and is filed under
Finance
,
Financial Scandals
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Singapore and Malaysia on diverging election paths

by Greg Earl

Australian Financial Review

Sep 2 2015

The idea of Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew breaking into tears when he announced the city’s separation from Malaysia 50 years ago is now as much a part of the country’s foundation ideology as its lack of natural resources.

It has been both celebrated during this year’s 50th anniversary and disputed by those who think Lee was a cynical politician not unhappy to be carving out some space from the Malay world.

But one thing is certain as Singapore prepares for an election next week: few people are shedding any tears about being separated from the political train wreck underway across the border.

Indeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is racing to the polls a year early, taking advantage of the patriotic anniversary mood while his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak can’t exploit differences among his official political opponents because of the political scandals surrounding him. Fortunately he doesn’t have to face voters for more than a year.

But between them, these two early flag bearers of modern Asia’s economic success are on diverging paths towards dealing with the same dilemma: managing a possible change of power after half a century of the same government.

And that’s despite the fact change is still not imminent.

NO FORMAL SHIFT EXPECTED

No one expects a formal shift in Singapore where the main benchmark is whether the People’s Action Party (PAP) can increase its vote from the historic low of 60.1 per cent last time on the back of anniversary nationalism and generous welfare-style spending.

Malaysia’s election is too far off to call. But despite much stronger public demands for change – demonstrated by the weekend protests – it is not clear that will actually happen due to both a gerrymander and, more importantly, a fractious opposition.

Father-knows-best democracy has helped the past economic growth of these two cousins. But with peers such as South Korea and Taiwan managing government change, any absence of a game plan on the Malay peninsula will become more of a question mark over the pair.

Singapore seems to be embracing the challenge. There used to be Orwellian talk of splitting the PAP into a government and a loyal opposition, or just the appointment of more non-elected MPs – a sort of House of Lords with PhDs.

But now there are extra seats and all will be contested, which theoretically lifts the opposition vote potential. The PAP has laid off on the old threat to cut services where it doesn’t win seats and seems to be relishing hitting the hustings with its new-look welfare state-lite policies.

The odds are it will lift its vote as Singaporeans worry about the global economic outlook. But this is really a transitional election where the new gaggle of opposition parties and modern candidates work out the right alternative policy approach for the future.

Over the causeway in Malaysia, the cousin that has had the more feisty political system in the past seems more stuck in the rut, with the old rural conservative Malay elite not being prepared to cede control to more modern, liberal multi-ethnic leaders.

MYSTERY DONATION IN BANK ACCOUNT

So we see Najib, who came to office as a liberal reformer, trying to explain a mystery $US700 million in his bank account as a mystery donation to help him fend off terrorism and win the last election. At the same time a state development company 1MDB, which Najib in effect oversees, has run off the rails amid fears of billion-dollar losses for no credible policy purpose.

Wong Chen, a member of the opposition People’s Justice Party who is in Australia this week, says this is a contrast to past financial scandals in Malaysia where there has been a plausible purpose before the mismanagement.

The opposition found itself in an unholy alliance at the weekend protests against Najib, with former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has the remarkable track record of destroying his deputies while in office and his successors once out of office.

Mahathir had a mixed government record of traducing democratic protections but also using interventionist growth policies – the more purposeful forerunners of 1MDB – to blast Malays out of dependence on affirmative-action welfare policies.

There is no bigger ironic comment on the state of Malaysian democracy than to see him now making common cause with the opposition when he is responsible for jailing his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who was the opposition’s most potent leader because he had a rare ability to unite the different factions.

Time makes Lee’s parting tears look ever more crocodilian.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 September 2015, 11:00 am and is filed under
Election
,
Malaysian Dream
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Switzerland Investigates Fund Executives in Malaysian Corruption Case

By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE

New York Times

SEPT. 2, 2015

GENEVA — The Swiss authorities said on Wednesday that they had started a criminal investigation of two executives of a Malaysian state investment fund at the center of a corruption scandal that has led to calls for Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia to resign.

The Attorney General’s Office in Switzerland also said it had frozen bank account assets amounting to tens of millions of dollars in relation to the case, but declined to give details.

The office said it was investigating two executives of 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the troubled investment fund also known as 1MDB, and other “person(s) unknown” over a series of offenses, including money laundering, corruption of foreign officials and suspected misconduct in public office.

Investigators are “analyzing and consolidating the evidence,” Anna Wegelin, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office, said Wednesday.

Ms. Wegelin said the Swiss authorities had begun their investigation on Aug. 14, after receiving two reports of suspicious transactions from the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland — the financial intelligence unit of the Swiss federal police.

The Attorney General’s Office said it had been in touch with the Malaysian authorities, and cooperation with other countries would probably be necessary to establish the facts, she added.

Mr. Najib had set up 1MDB in 2009 to bolster Malaysian economic development, but the fund has faced criticism for lack of transparency over its transactions, which have led to billions of dollars in debt.

Reports that companies linked to 1MDB had transferred close to $700 million into bank accounts believed to be controlled by Mr. Najib have roiled Malaysian politics, leading to calls for him to resign from within his own party and outside it.

Mr. Najib has denied any wrongdoing, and the government’s anticorruption commission has said the money was donated by Middle East interests, although it did not identify the source. No explanation has been given of how the funds have been used.

Tens of thousands of Malaysians rallied in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, over the weekend, an event that included a call from Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister and an influential member of Mr. Najib’s party, for a show of people’s power to force him from office.

Malaysia’s police chief, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, was quoted by local news media on Wednesday as saying that Mr. Mahathir would be questioned over remarks he made at the rally to the effect that members of the governing party had taken bribes.

“There is a corruption crisis here,” José Ugaz, the chairman of Transparency International, a global anticorruption group, told a conference in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, observing that Mr. Najib had in recent weeks dismissed an attorney general; arrested or transferred investigators from the anticorruption commission; and taken action against newspapers reporting on the 1MDB issue.

“These are not the actions of a government that is fighting corruption,” Mr. Ugaz said.

The scale of the weekend protests has also drawn the attention of the Moody’s rating agency, which on Tuesday cited the rally as evidence of “political uncertainty that could further undermine market sentiment and capital inflows.”

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 September 2015, 6:01 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Corruption
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.