RPK and Bala not whistleblowers: Deputy minister

The Sun | 21 April 2010, page 6

DEPUTY Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin and private investigator P. Balasubramaniam are not considered whistleblowers because they have revealed their identities.

Winding up the debate on the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, he told Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur), who raised the issue, the two individuals can seek protection under the Witness Protection Act instead.

“They have told the whole world who they are. Whistleblower protection is for those who we do not know who have given information to the authorities. We will never know the identity. That is the intention of this act,” Liew said.

“You don’t understand the difference between Whistleblowers Protection Act and Witness Protection Act. There is a lot of difference.”

Lim protested and said the meaning of whistleblower, as universally accepted, is “a person who informs on another or makes public disclosure of corruption or wrongdoing”.

“Where does it say we must not know who they are? Is the meaning of whistleblower in this law different from that used by the whole world?” he asked.

Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah) said that according to the act itself, whistleblower is defined as one who provides information or discloses an improper conduct.

“There was no mention of the word ‘secret’. I think you yourself are confused,” she told Liew.

Continuing, Liew said Raja Petra and Balasubramaniam were not protected because they have made the disclosure to the media instead of the enforcement authorities.

“This kind of informers do not get protection under this law,” he said. They should not go to the media before giving the information to the authorities.

This is to ensure protection to the accused, who may be facing a baseless allegation, and can also affect the investigation.

The bill was passed.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 April 2010, 9:59 am and is filed under
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Withdraw or Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat should be censured for tabling a more than three-fold hike in compound fines for traffic offences from RM300 to RM1,000 under Road Transport (Amendment) Bill

Former MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat should be censured for tabling a more than three-fold hike in compound fines for traffic offences from RM300 to RM1,000 under the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill.

This bill was presented for first reading yesterday (Monday) and meant for passage by Parliament this week.

This is the act of a Transport Minister and government which  are completely unconcerned and unsympathetic about the plight of the ordinary people in these difficult times.

This is also the voice of the people of Hulu Selangor and we want to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Transport Minister and the entire Cabinet that this Bill should be withdrawn and dropped altogether or this will be one reason why the Barisan Nasional should  be taught a lesson on the by-election polling day on Sunday, April 25, 2010.

What is the position of the other MCA Ministers and the MCA national leadership as they cannot keep quiet at such an oppressive amendment to the Road Transport Act especially as the Transport Minister is from the MCA.

In another five days, the voters of Hulu Selangor will be casting their votes and making a decision which will not only affect Hulu Selangor and the Selangor state but also the future of the country and future generations.

This is because the result of the Hulu Selangor by-election will be seen as a barometer of whether Malaysians are ready and prepared for a total “political tsunami” in the next general election, effecting a change of a national government and transfer of power in Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat with Anwar Ibrahim as the new Prime Minister and Najib Razak as the new Parliamentary Opposition Leader.

This is why the outcome of the Hulu Selangor by-election commands  national and international focus and attention.

[
Speech at the Pakatan Rakyat Hulu Selangor by-election ceramah in Batang Kali on Tuesday, 21st April 2010 at 10 am
]

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 April 2010, 12:37 pm and is filed under
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Brute majority, Blind majority, Stupid majority! (video)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 April 2010, 5:43 pm and is filed under
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Pakatan accuses BN of exploiting ‘brute majority’

By
Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — Lim Kit Siang attacked Barisan Nasional (BN) today for using what he called its “brute majority” in Parliament to persecute Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Together with his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) colleagues, he urged BN lawmakers to look into their conscience when deciding whether to refer the opposition leader to powerful Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee.

The DAP parliamentary leader also asked Parliament why Anwar’s claim that 1 Malaysia was linked to One Israel, was so “heinous.”

“This is dark day in Parliament. I am very saddened. What is so heinous about the accusation that 1 Malaysia is a carbon copy of One Israel? What is so big [about it]?

“If I say 1 Malaysia is [a] carbon copy of Malaysian Malaysia, then will I be referred to the committee? This is politically motivated through their brute majority” he said.

He was speaking during today’s special debate on whether Anwar should face disciplinary action under Standing Orders 18 (2) over his claim that the prime minister’s 1 Malaysia concept was linked to former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak’s One Israel campaign.

Lim claimed that the House was no longer a court of justice but gladiatorial arena.

“Parliament is like [the] Roman Coliseum and not a court of justice. They do not want to hear what is right but only the brute majority will decide. There has been an utter [and] complete interference in the separation of power because the Cabinet made their decision and everyone just follows.

“That is why we cannot allow brute majority [to decide]. Barisan Nasional must not be allowed brute majority. They are a rude majority, blind majority, stupid majority,” his attacks continued.

Lim then said that BN was being hypocritical, citing the case of Pasir Salak MP Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who was not reprimanded by the House when he accused the DAP of allegedly selling state secrets to Hong Kong and Singapore.

He asked if the House was willing to take action against Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who had back-tracked from an earlier statement that APCO Worldwide had arranged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s meeting with US President Barack Obama.

“There is hypocrisy in Barisan Nasional on what they say outside and inside the House. Outside the prime minister talks about 1 Malaysia but I have not yet heard any ministers say that they are Malaysian first.

“Outside, they attack Datuk Zaid Ibrahim over his drinking habit but in Parliament, none of the ministers are brave [enough] to say that they had drunk before.

“I know the prime minister drinks, the minister of information drinks, and the home minister drinks. I am saying that it is wrong to drink, but why make a big deal out of it?” he said.

He added if the allegation that 1 Malaysia was related to One Israel did indeed affect national security, then Parliament should approve a royal commission on the issue instead of going after Anwar.

Raising the stakes further, Lim then challenged the prime minister to face the disciplinary committee on the matter.

“Is the PM willing to face the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee and explain the origins of 1 Malaysia? Is he willing to provide detailed explanations?” he said.

Gombak MP Azmin Ali said that the points in contention went beyond whether 1 Malaysia was the same as One Israel and, more importantly, involved national security.

“This is not only an issue of 1 Malaysia/One Isreal, but the serious question is the national security that has been breached by APCO representing the Zionist leaders. The government has limited the debate to 1 Malaysia. These are efforts by Umno to discard the allegations by the Permatang Pauh MP (Anwar) regarding the security of the country,” he said.

The PKR vice president added that Anwar had challenged the prime minister to provide an explanation to the House and along with reassurance that no individual from APCO was involved with 1 Malaysia.

“The prime minister is more interested in the Hulu Selangor by-election. Where is he [now]? This shows that the government does not care that national security is being breached by Zionists.

Azmin further charged that Umno were unable to separate the two issues and instead, chose to react by “using its sheer majority to punish the opposition.”

“They must make decisions with their conscience. Don’t become the prime minister’s stooges. Umno should not become slaves to APCO and Zionist Israel. They are broken and slaves to the foreigners,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 April 2010, 5:40 pm and is filed under
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Tweet updates from Parliament

Updated – 2.58pm

In 90 minutes Parlmnt will be scene of brute majority bullying minority – illustration why BN must nvr b allowed 2get back 2/3 parl majority

Thursday, April 22, 2010 8:38 AM

What’s so heinous abt saying 1Malaysia is carbon copy of 1Israel dat parliamentary opp leader shld be referred Cttee Privileges n suspended?

Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:21 AM

BN Ministers/MPs make wildest even harebrained allgtns agnst Opposition R they all 2b hauled b4 Prvlgs Cttee? Then it will have 2meet daily

Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:39 AM

2day Najib Govt n Parliament in dock n not Anwar Case of gross violation of doctrine of separation of powers with Executive dictating 2Parl

Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:43 AM

B4 debate begins I asked 4clarification whether motion presumes offence of Anwar n reference 2Pr Cttee 4sentence or Cttee will deal w both

Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:25 AM

Nazri’s motion not happily worded Speaker Pandikar said reference 2Cttee is 2deal 1) w allgtn n 2) sentence Parl caught on this pt 30mins

Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:30 AM

Debate begins Speaker limits every MP 2 15mins each 4 speakers on each side Azmin opens debate Anwar Nazri last 2 speakers

Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:49 AM

Pulai MP is first BN speaker 15 minutes is too short 2do justice 2an important issue

Thursday, April 22, 2010 10:54 AM

Parliament degenerated like gladiatorial battle in Roman Coliseum when it should b acting like a court 2mete out justice I will speak next

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:07 AM

Ended my speech warning dat d more Umno/BN persecute Anwar n PR d faster is d doomsday 4 Umno/BN Said this is blacklettered day 4Parl n Msia

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:33 AM

Asked what so heinous in saying 1Msia is carbon copy of 1Israel? Will I b dragged 2Cttee Prvlgs 4saying 1Msia is carbon copy of Msian Msia?

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:37 AM

Those who seek equity must come w clean hands BN ministers/MPs do not have clean hands 2 examples why Nazri himself shd b referred Pr Cttee

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:41 AM

2 eg 1)denial APCO invlvd in Najib/Obama meet after saying so in Parl 2)mislead Parl rushing thru Strategic Trade Bill as gift 2WhiteHouse

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:45 AM

KotaBelud MP next Speaker plunging House into 20min chaos when he equated PAS with Israel

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:47 AM

I spoke abt BN/Umno hypocrisy – no minister dare say Msian 1st race 2nd Also abt “alcohol” attack on Zaid when Umno Ministers had also drank

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:52 AM

What shd b done is RCI on whether 1Msia is carbon copy 1Israel Asked if Najib undertake 2appear b4 Pri Cttee 2disclose all official papers

Thursday, April 22, 2010 11:55 AM

Next Pas MP Pokok Sena Mahfuz Kota BeludMP had taken 30 minutes Mahfuz asked Nazri 2withdraw motion 2amend w/o prejudging Anwar’s guilt

Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:00 PM

Khairy 3rd BN speaker Not a single speaker from MCA MIC G’kan Swak Sabah all monopolised by Umno What 1Msia when there is no 1BN only Umno?

Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:21 PM

Anwar speaks Lambasted Khairy 4speaking as APCO spokesman Justifies allgtn of 1Israel/APC0/1Msia nexus Facts adduced stands uncontradicted

Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:42 PM

Pandemonium with Khairy threatening 2lead mass walkout of Umno MPs if Anwar does not withdraw term against Najib – which wld be 1st time!

Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:54 PM

House adj 1min after Anwar’s speech at 1pm Parl resumes 4Nazri 2reply Azmin raises asked Nazri whether he wld agree 2amend motion properly

Thursday, April 22, 2010 2:37 PM

Gobinds stands up on the fatal error in motion which prejudged Anwar’s offence Submitted – there can b no sentence when no finding of guilt!

Thursday, April 22, 2010 2:41 PM

Argument on propriety of wording of motion stalls proceedings 4 past 20 mins PR MPs want proper wording so that meaningful vote can b taken

Thursday, April 22, 2010 2:50 PM

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 April 2010, 12:22 pm and is filed under
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Whistleblower Protection Bill debate : RPK and PI Bala not “whistleblower” as understood by Umno-BN (video)

Speech Part 1

Speech Part 2

Ministerial Reply

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 April 2010, 5:58 pm and is filed under
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A foregone conclusion

 By
P Ramakrishnan
 President of
Aliran

The decision to refer Anwar Ibrahim to the Rights and Privileges Committee did not come as a surprise to Malaysians. It was a foregone conclusion. Even before the debate began in Parliament, the outcome was very obvious.

The whole issue had descended into “Get your enemy at all cost – forget about justice and fair play.” In a game of numbers, there is no need to be moral about what you do. Just nail him. You have the numbers to achieve that!

The Rights and Privileges Committee – according to what Malaysians tend to believe – would find Anwar guilty and suspend him. His removal from Parliament would spare them from Anwar’s scathing attacks and more embarrassing revelations that would put them in a spot.

This won’t gag Anwar from speaking up. But the forthcoming Sodomy II trial in all probability would fix that for the Barisan Nasional.

In a way, this may work favourably for the Opposition. Malaysians are in no mood to tolerate blatant abuses or forgive the BN’s excesses. It is a matter of time when things will be put right.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 23 April 2010, 8:31 am and is filed under
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Eight reasons why the 8,000 MCA members in Hulu Selangor should teach MCA and UMNO leaderships a severe lesson by voting for PR candidate Zaid Ibrahim on Sunday’s by-election

There are only 36 hours of campaigning left before the Hulu Selangor voters go to the polls in the Sunday by-election.

Barisan Nasional has the lead in the Hulu Selangor by-election. The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir have unleashed a blitzkrieg Umno/Barisan Nasional assault marked by a campaign of falsehoods and character assassination against the Pakatan Rakyat and candidate.

The impact of such intensive Umno/BN campaign, particularly on the Malay voters in the outlying areas without easy access to Pakatan Rakyat information, cannot be underestimated.

I am sounding this alarm alert as I believe it is still possible to overcome this Barisan Nasional lead in the next 36 hours for Datuk Zaid Ibrahim to be elected as the new MP for Hulu Selangor, provided all Pakatan Rakyat leaders and campaigners from PKR, PAS and DAP make a supreme effort to get every possible voter out to the polling stations on Sunday.

It is also crucial and critical that Malaysians who support the cause of Pakatan Rakyat to effect far-reaching changes in the country to assume citizenship responsibilities by ensuring that not a single vote is lost among their friends, relatives and neighbours as every vote count in this by-election.

In the 2008 general elections, about 63% of the Chinese voter turn-out voted for the PKR candidate Datuk Zainal Abidin but  this percentage will not be able to ensure Zaid Ibrahim’s victory on Sunday.

Every effort must be made to raise this 63% to 80 – 85% on Sunday.

MCA has 8,000 members in Hulu Selangor and it regards this as solid vote-bank for BN.

I call on the 8,000 MCA members of Hulu Selangor to reject the BN candidate and to teach the MCA and UMNO leaderships a severe lesson by voting for the PR candidate, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim on Sunday.

I give eight reasons why the 8,000 MCA members in Hulu Selangor should teach the MCA and UMNO leaderships a lesson on Sunday, an action which not only win the applause of Malaysians in general but also the support of the  millions of ordinary MCA members who could make the distinction between right and wrong unlike the MCA national leaders.

These eight reasons are:

In the “great debate” in Parliament yesterday to victimize Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the 1Malaysia-APCO-1Israel controversy, Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat had four speakers for each side.

For PR, apart from Anwar himself, the other three speakers were PKR’s Azmin Ali (Gombak), PAS’ Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena) and myself from DAP.

For BN, the four speakers were Nor Jazlan (Pulai), Abdul Rahman Dahlan (Kota Belud), Khairy Jamaluddin (Rembau) and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (Padang Rengas).

The PR parliamentary debaters came from all the three parties in PR – DAP, PKR and PAS – demonstrating that PR is the real standard-bearer of 1Malaysia.

1Malaysia, however,  is a farce to Barisan Nasional as all the four BN speakers came from Umno.

One important message of  the March 8 “political tsunami” of the 2008 general elections was public anger and rejection of UMNO political hegemony at the expense of the relevance of MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and other Sarawak/Sabah BN component parties.

This message of the March 8 “political tsunami” had fallen on deaf ears as after two years, UMNO political hegemony has worsened to the extent that Umno had gobbled up MCA, MIC, Gerakan, SUPP and the other Sarawak/ Sabah BN component parties so much so that all the four BN MPs who spoke in the “great debate” yesterday came from UMNO with no one from the other 13 BN component parties!

The MCA leadership may feel no shame or dishonor for being completely gobbled up by UMNO – all the more why the 8,000 MCA members in Hulu Selangor should  teach the UMNO and MCA leaderships a strong lesson by rejecting the BN candidate on Sunday.

Tabling of the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on Monday to impose many arbitrary and oppressive measures, like the more than three-fold increase of compound fines for traffic offences from RM300 to RM1,000. Although this oppressive Bill was withdrawn from Parliament in super-quick time within 48 hours because of the Hulu Selangor by-election, MCA Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Keat and the other MCA Ministers must be taught a lesson as to how they could be so divorced from the people’s problems and needs  as to propose such oppressive measures.

The boneless and gutless response of the MCA Ministers and national leadership to my challenge to all Barisan Nasional Ministers to prove they are serious and sincere about Najib’s signature concept of 1Malaysia by declaring that they are Malaysians first and their race second. Neither the MCA national leadership nor the MCA Cabinet team dare to censure Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when he said that he is Malay first and Malaysian second.

Today’s press reported the tearful scene of  the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein in Kerling when he resolved the 50-year-old problem of a senior citizen who had waited for half a century to get blue identity card.

While I appreciate Hishammuddin’s initiative for resolving this problem, it raises many questions.

Firstly, why did this problem drag on for 50 years unresolved?  Why must it wait for the Home Minister to come down to Kerling before it is resolved?  What about the tens of thousands of such problems throughout the country.  Must some MP or State Assembly representative die to cause a by-election before the Home Minister will go down to the constituency concerned looking for such problems to be resolved?

Furthermore, is Malaysia  a nation of laws or men? If former, why wasn’t such problems resolved long ago?  Previously, there were MCA Deputy Home Ministers including former MCA President Datuk Seri Ka Ting and Datuk Chor Chee Heung. Was this because the MCA Deputy Home Ministers had failed in their duties and responsibilities?

Why the silence and subservience of the MCA Ministers and national leadership to the emergence of the right-wing, extremist and racist Perkasa?

Building of new Chinese primary schools – why must there be a by-election before the MCA and Barisan Nasional Ministers have anything to announce about the government building of Chinese primary schools?

It is the duty of the government to build Chinese primary schools whenever and wherever there are adequate parental support for such schools.  Why couldn’t the MCA Ministers and MCA national leadership get the Barisan Nasional government to institutionalize solution of this problem by declaring that it is government policy to build Chinese primary schools  at public expense wherever and whenever there is the parental demand?

Governmment recognition of United Examination Certificate (UEC) instead of using it as a political football for votes in a by-election or general election. All the top universities in the world recognize the UEC except Malaysia. How long more is such nonsense to continue in Malaysia?

The press censorship of popular hour-long ntv7 talk show “Editor’s Time” involving the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor resulting in the resignation of senior producer Joshua Wong must be deplored by all Malaysians as an undesirable and dangerous precedent. Why are the MCA Ministers dumb, deaf and blind to this important issue of media freedom and democratic rights of Malaysians?

                This entry was posted on Friday, 23 April 2010, 3:45 pm and is filed under
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Kit sounds alarm bells for Pakatan campaign

By
Syed Jaymal Zahiid
 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA KUBU BARU, April 23 — Lim Kit Siang urged his Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition today to fight for every single vote in the final stretch of the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign, pointing out that Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is now the underdog against Barisan Nasional’s (BN) P. Kamalanathan.

“The red light is on,” Lim told a press conference here this morning, in a tacit admission that PR was now trailing behind BN in the race for votes this Sunday.

Lim  (picture) said the campaigning effort in the Malay and Indian majority areas by BN is not to be underestimated.

“According to them, they are in the lead and have more chances to win. This is a critical development.

“I want to set the alarm and urge all leaders to go all out to secure every single vote,” said the Ipoh Timur MP.

In recent days, Umno and BN have stepped up their campaign with even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak hitting the husting.

On the stump, the prime minister and Umno president has made uncharacteristically aggressive attacks against PR, by calling Zaid a Cabinet reject and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim a two-faced politician.

Umno’s aggressive attacks on Zaid’s character by dredging up his past drinking habit and ownership of race horses have also caused PR to go on the defensive.

In a last-ditch effort to save Zaid’s campaign, Kelantan Mentri Besar and PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat will go on the stump for PR tonight and tomorrow to revive the candidate’s standing among conservative Muslims.

Lim said today that it was now obvious that PR is the underdog in the race to win the parliamentary seat and that its BN rivals have shown great will to snatch the constituency away from the opposition.

He also said that almost all the Cabinet ministers have been making round-the-clock tours in the constituency in what he described as a show of earnestness by PR’s rivals to win this by-election.

Asked if this meant he was pessimistic about PR’s chances of retaining Hulu Selangor, Lim replied:

“No, I am confident we can still win but we must step up in the last leg of the campaign.”

The alarm must also be rung for the voters who are seeking to implement change, and duty calls for them to play a “citizen’s role” to lay the path for a corrupt-free future by rejecting the BN candidate, said the veteran DAP politician.

MCA supporters, which are reported to be 8,000-strong, Lim said, should also reject BN to protest against what he described as the Chinese party’s failure to protect them and being subservient to Umno’s expanding “hegemony”.

Giving examples, Lim said the silence of the MCA amid Umno’s rampant racist practices like Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s “I’m Malay first and Malaysian second” should suffice to prove the BN Chinese component party’s inability to stand up against Umno’s dominance.

“They must in the interest of the people reject the MCA which have completely lost touch with the ground by rejecting BN’s candidate Kamalananthan.”

                This entry was posted on Friday, 23 April 2010, 1:47 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #11

By
M Bakri Musa

Chapter 2:  Why Some Societies Progress, Others Regress

Culture Matters

Long before the Europeans were sending their sailors to explore the waters of the Orient, the Chinese were already regularly plying the same seas with their elaborate sailing junks.  From 1405 and 1431 the Chinese had undertaken several maritime expeditions, venturing as far west as Madagascar, sailing in huge flotillas of about 300 vessels each.

            Their ships were not mere junks; each measured in excess of 400 feet long and 160 feet wide, multi-decked, and capable of ferrying hundreds of personnel.  They made Columbus’s 85-foot Santa Maria nothing but a lake dinghy by comparison.  Those junks had grand staterooms, staggered masks, and tiered sails.  They were the original luxury yachts, fit for the representatives of the Son of Heaven and their guests.

            While the Europeans were exploring for trade opportunities, the Chinese were content merely to show their flag and collect tributes and gifts from the chieftains of the barbarians they encountered along the way.  Having done that the Chinese returned home, convinced that there was nothing that they could learn from the uncivilized outside world.  After Admiral Cheng Ho’s (Zheng He) last expedition, the emperor proclaimed an end to further naval expeditions.  The huge infrastructures that enabled them to build those gigantic armadas were left to literally rot.  The intricate skills of the people that went into building those magnificent seagoing vessels were now deemed worthless.  The Emperor decreed that they had nothing to learn from the outside world and that theirs was the best kingdom on earth.  Those explorations had merely reaffirmed their superiority.

            The Europeans on the other hand were interested in the exotic spices of those distant lands and the opportunity of making a fortune in trading those spices.  They could not care less for the tribute of trinkets and other gifts from the natives’ chiefs.  Nor were they interested in hearing soothing praises for their “superior” ways and culture.  Through those trades the Europeans became not only fabulously rich but also very powerful, which they later leveraged into colonizing those lands.  The British gobbled up the entire South Indian subcontinent plus parts of South East Asia; the Dutch, the bulk of the Malay Archipelago; and the Spaniards, the entire Philippine islands.

            The obvious question is why such a dramatic and consequential difference between the Chinese and Europeans?  Why didn’t the Chinese with their impressive maritime fleet exploit their superiority to colonize those countries?  And why did they stop at the African coast and not venture beyond to discover Europe, or eastward across the Pacific to the New World?

            After the termination of Cheng Ho’s expeditions, the entire Chinese maritime endeavor was shuttered on orders of the Emperor.  It even became a crime for anyone to build ships!  What was once China’s greatest asset was now considered a liability!

            Volumes have been written analyzing this particular course of world history.  In the end they essentially boil down to the fact that culture matters.  By culture I mean the way of life, attitude, and value system of a society.  That is, in the sociological sense and not in the popular meaning of the word that refers to the finer things in life.

            The Chinese then had a mindset that they were the best; theirs was the Middle Kingdom, with the Emperor receiving his “Mandate from Heaven.”  They considered the rest of the world primitive.  They became arrogant at first and then insular for fear that those barbarians would contaminate the pristine ways of the Chinese.  They became xenophobic.  Their cultural milieu allowed a decision by the remote Emperor to become effective throughout the vast empire.  The Emperor’s word was divine wisdom, to be unquestionably obeyed.  He in his grand wisdom had declared that they could learn nothing from the outside world.  It mattered not what Cheng Ho felt; after all he was a eunuch.  As for trade, to the mandarins advising the Emperor, that activity was the most degrading, not worthy of even their consideration.

            By contrast, in Europe there was no central powerful emperor to dictate to the continent.  If the then big chief in Rome (the Pope) were to decree that all foreign explorations were sinful and against God’s order, that would not have dissuaded the Spaniards, Dutch, and British.  (Well, the Spaniards being devout Catholics might tremble and seek repentance on their return, after they have made their fortune!)  It was this decentralization of power that enabled small European nations to venture on their own, unencumbered by some central mandate.

            To the Europeans, the outside world provided a sense of wonderment, an opportunity to trade and find riches.  There were unknowns to be discovered and yes, also to be subjugated and conquered.  The Europeans had no pretensions that they were the best; they had just emerged from the Dark Ages.

            It was this culture or mentality of “We are the best!” that was so destructive to the Chinese.  It is for this reason that I cringe whenever I hear or read Malaysian officials proclaim, for example, that our schools and colleges are the best; for implicit in that utterance is the accompanying mindset that says we have nothing to learn from others.

            The decline of the great Islamic civilization and the invigorating intellectualism that went with it could be traced to the closure of the “Gate of Ijtihad,” (rational discourse) in the 10th century.  Those Islamic leaders at the peak of their civilization had deemed that everything was settled, there was no need for further enquires.  All that was required was for the ummah (community) to merely learn from the past and acquire the wisdom of their elders and ulama (scholars) – taqlid.  Present-day Muslims have yet to escape the stranglehold of this medieval stricture.

            This mindset of glorifying and embellishing the golden past is destructive.  For one, those glorious days (if indeed they were) are long gone and for another, such obsessions distract us from facing present realties.

            A hadith (a saying attributed to the prophet) to the effect that the best generation of Muslims were those of the prophet; the second best, the generation immediately following; and so on implies a fatalistic acceptance of an ever-declining mediocrity.  The best that present-day Muslims can hope for is to reduce the slope of the decline.  How pathetic!  That is definitely not the recipe for advancement.

            To me that hadith should be the inspiration for us to follow the exemplary ways of those first generations of Muslims, the seemingly insurmountable obstacles and great tribulations they overcame.  We should indeed try to emulate those sterling qualities, especially those of the holy prophet and his closest companions (May Allah bless their souls).  The best tribute that we can pay those early Muslims is for us (present day followers of the faith) to strive to be better than them.  Nothing would please a master or a teacher more than to have his or her students reaching greater heights.  We can never be better than the prophet – he was after all Allah’s choice – nonetheless in striving we will become better Muslims.

            However, if we at the very outset set for ourselves a lower goal, then we will never excel.  Why I read that hadith my way and not in the traditional manner is also a product of my upbringing and culture.  Having been exposed to the rigors of Western scholarship and critical thinking, I am less likely to blindly follow dictates.  As a Muslim, the greatest tribute I could pay Allah is to maximize the use of my God-given akal (intellect).

            Living in the West I see how today’s generation being better than earlier ones:  more tolerant, more generous, and more dynamic.  Only those living in and accustomed to stagnant societies long for the “good old days.”

            Economists are now discovering that the culture and institutions of a society are key determinants in development.  These factors are not easily amenable to quantitative analyses that so fascinate modern practitioners of this science; hence the relative neglect on the role culture plays.  Douglass North, the 1993 Nobel laureate in economics writes, “…Institutions and ideology together shape economic performance.  Institutions…[do so] by determining (along with technology) the cost of transacting and producing.”

            Culture defines the values and belief system of a society.  There are two categories of values that are relevant:  intrinsic and instrumental.  The first refers to those that we subscribe to regardless of the costs or material benefits.  Patriotism and religious beliefs fall into this group.  We hold them dear regardless of the personal costs incurred.  The instrumental values on the other hand, confer tangible benefits to the members of that society.  Thus they are self-perpetuating and self-reinforcing, that is until the ensuing benefits are no longer there.  I will illustrate the differences between these two values at the personal as well as societal level.

            At the personal level, this is demonstrated by the attitude towards failure, for that in turn reflects the attitude towards risk taking and innovation.  In Silicon Valley, California, a bankrupt businessman proudly displays his failures as a war hero would his battle scars, and then bravely moves on.  In Malaysia, a failed entrepreneur is shunned, humiliated, and stigmatized.  He would also be forever tagged as a failure, left to ruminate, and be caricatured as yet another example of the inadequacies of his race.  His friends and relatives would chime in, “I told you so,” or “Should have stuck with his secure government job and enjoyed his pension,” or some such sentiments.

            In Malaysia, starting a new venture is considered an instrumental value; it is valued only in so far as it is successful and brings in tangible benefits; in Silicon Valley, it is intrinsic, the prestige or reward is in creating the company.  The creative act is the reward.  Steve Jobs was immensely successful and accumulated lots of money with his Apple Computer.  When he lost control of that company and with it his job, he could just as easily retire to enjoy his considerable wealth if he valued his venture as an instrumental one.  Instead he went on to start yet another new enterprise.

            If we exhort our young to study hard so they could be rich and successful, that is, as an instrumental value, then when they become successful they would stop learning.  There is no more reason to; they are already successful.  But if we present learning for its intrinsic values (to satisfy one’s curiosity or for self improvement) then they will continue studying even after they get their degrees.  Indeed they would study even if they do not intend to go to college.

            While I was in Malaysia researching for my first book, I was busy reading various articles and books.  This prompted my nieces and nephews to ask whether I was studying for an examination!  Obviously to them (and many Malaysians) the only time to read is when preparing for an examination.

            Singapore’s leaders are now concerned that the younger generation, used to affluence, would lose their passion for hard work.  Had their leaders preached the virtues of hard work for its creative potential and not in materialistic terms, the young would be more likely to internalize it as intrinsic and not instrumental value.  Similarly if Malay leaders exhort Malays to work hard so we can “beat” non-Malays, than we value hard work for its instrumental value only.  The danger with this is that once we beat (or fancy we did) or be on par with non-Malays, then we would quit our struggle.  Or worse, our leaders would spend as much energy in suppressing non-Malays as they would helping Malays, because the value system is not in bettering themselves or the creative potential and rewards of hard work but simply to be ahead of or equal to non-Malays.

Next:
Culture As  Society’s Genes

                This entry was posted on Friday, 23 April 2010, 8:28 am and is filed under
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Press censorship of ntv7 talk show involving Prime Minister’s wife Rosmah resulting in resignation of senior producer Joshua Wong must be deplored by all Malaysians as an undesirable and dangerous precedent

The press censorship of popular hour-long ntv7 talk show “Editor’s Time” involving the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor resulting in the resignation of senior producer Joshua Wong must be deplored by all Malaysians as an undesirable and dangerous precedent.

Two important issues and principles are involved in this scandal and fiasco.

Firstly, media censorship. When Datuk Seri Najib Razak became Prime Minister a year ago, he promised the country an open, accountable and transparent government as well as a free press.

The press censorship of ntv7 popular talk show is a flagrant violation of Najib’s pledges on his assumption of the sixth premiership in the country.

The media censorship and  restrictions on the ntv7 talk show includes:

The show not allowed to discuss political issues;

Opposition leaders cannot be invited to the show, including DAP MP Tony Pua who was to take part on the topic relating to the New Economic Model; and

Ban on the ‘Hulu Selangor by-election’ show, which was originally scheduled for April 22.

I fully agree with Joshua that these restrictions of the ntv7 talk show are completely unjustifiable as they “threatened the independence of my job as producer” and “a form of self-censorship, which is against the principle of fair and independent reporting”.

Joshua said “these restrictions have seriously affected the professionalism of the producing team”.

Such media censorship and restriction by the Najib administration is completely unacceptable and intolerable at a time when Malaysia is trying to escape the “middle income trap” with a national transition to become a high-income developed country with all the attributes of successful high-achieving developed countries – an important aspect of which is media freedom.

Secondly, the involvement of the Prime Minister’s wife in the media censorship of ntv7 talk show resulting in the resignation of Joshua Wong, which is the first time in the nation’s history where the wife of the Prime Minister intervenes in public and governmental affairs.

Is she acting as if she has become the de facto Information Minister!

The Prime Minister’s wife should stay clear of politics and public affairs. Nobody says that Rosmah has no right to be involved in politics or governmental affairs, but if that is her interest, then let her enter the political arena and get elected to Parliament on her own right with a proper mandate for her actions.

She should not abuse and misuse her position and influence as the Prime Minister’s wife to improperly intervene and inferfere in government and public affairs.

DAP through our Senators  will raise and highlight the protest resignation of Joshua because of unjustifiable media censorship and restriction in the Senate next week.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 23 April 2010, 1:48 pm and is filed under
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Call for public inquiry as Najib’s denial of Rosmah’s role in media censorship of ntv7 news talk resulting in resignation of senior producer Joshua Wong lacks credibility

The denial of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak that his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor had a role in the media censorship of ntv7 news talks show “Editor’s Time” resulting in the resignation of senior producer Joshua Wong lacks credibility.

If Najib is convinced that Rosmah is not involved, he should set up a public inquiry to clear Rosmah’s name and convince Malaysians that  he is not setting a new precedent where the Prime Minister’s wife is assuming the de facto role of a Super Minister spanning various ministries by openly intervening in public and government affairs.

Does Najib agree that any involvement of the Prime Minister’s wife in the media censorship of ntv7 talk show resulting in the resignation of Joshua Wong is completely unacceptable and undesirable?

Does Najib agree that the Prime Minister’s wife should not abuse or misuse her position and influence and should stay clear of politics and public affairs, unless she enters the political arena in her own right seeking and securing elected public office for herself?

DAP Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz will raise the important issue of ntv7 media censorship when the Senate meets next week.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 April 2010, 1:02 pm and is filed under
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Farce of prosecution and acquittal of two Perak “frogs” has plunged public confidence in MACC to new low and will cause Malaysia’s CPI 2010 to plumb a new depth

The farce of the prosecution and acquittal of the two Perak “frogs” has plunged public confidence in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to a new low and will cause Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index 2010 of Transparency International to plumb to a new depth from the nation’s present worst ranking of No. 56 in 2009.

Even before public confidence in MACC has recovered from the fatal blow of the mysterious death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC Headquarters falling from 14th to 5th floor on July 16 last year, the MACC has scored another own goal with the farcical prosecution and acquittal of the two “frogs” in Perak.

MACC and the Barisan Nasional should  know the outcome if an opinion poll is conducted among Perakians and Malaysians as to whether  they believe there was a “package deal” offered to engineer the defection of the two “frogs” and their dastardly betrayal of the people’s mandate to topple the legitimate Pakatan Rakyat Perak state government and Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin.

The new grievous blow to public confidence in the MACC could not have come at a worse time, when public outrage at the  obstacles and pressures put in the way of the renowned Thai pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand to prevent her from coming to the country to testify in the inquest into the causes of Teoh Beng Hock’s death has not subsided.

Although the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein finally offered police protection to Pornthip if she comes to Malaysia to testify at the Teoh Beng Hock inquest, it has not escaped notice that this was not the initial reaction of the Home Minister, who had to take ten long days to come up with such an offer after  raising several obstacles and objections.

As a result, the credibility of Hishammuddin’s offer is not pure and pristine and from reports, Pornthip is not sufficiently convinced and is unlikely to come to Malaysia to to provide continuing testimony in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest.

In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini on April 11,  Pornthip said she would not appear for the Teoh Beng Hock inquest when it resumed on April 20 citing “political pressure” from the Malaysian government.

Pornthip said  she was “advised” by high-ranking officials from the Thai Justice Ministry – where she is director-general of the ministry’s Central Institute of Forensic Science – not to come to Malaysia for the inquest.

According to her, the Thai Foreign Ministry had received “signals” from the Malaysian government through “informal channels” suggesting that her presence at the inquest would not be welcomed.

She said: “It was conveyed to me by certain senior Thai government officials that there has been political pressure from certain Malaysian government circles to block my presence in court, so much so that it might interfere with my current important forensic mission in southern Thailand.”

Pornthip is concerned that her involvement in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest could impinge on her work in the three troubled southern Thailand provinces where thousands have died in a Muslim separatist insurgency.

In 2004, Pornthip led the forensic team which investigated the infamous Tak Bai incident where 85 Muslim protesters had suffocated to death while being held in military trucks.

With one senior Malaysian minister, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department  on public record with inflammatory and prejudicial statements against the Thai pathologist, with the infamous statement “She is a liar! She lied in the inquest and she is lying now”, the onus is on the Malaysian Cabinet to convince the Thai Government to allow Pornthip to come to Malaysia for her continuing testimony in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest.

Otherwise, the combination of these two cases – the mysterious Teoh Beng Hock death at MACC headquarters and the farce of prosecution and acquittal of the two  Perak “frogs” – will drive Malaysia’s ranking on Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2010 to the 60th placing if not worse.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 April 2010, 12:03 pm and is filed under
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The more than one million MCA members should openly vote against MCA and BN parliamentary and state assembly candidates in next general elections

The more than one million MCA members should openly vote against MCA and BN parliamentary and state assembly candidates in next general elections as they cannot hold their heads high, in pride and honour, as a result of the irresponsible politics of top MCA and Umno leaders.

Just two examples from the recent Parliamentary meeting suffice to demonstrate why the acts of omission and commission by MCA Ministers have made it impossible for the more than a million MCA members to stand tall among the people.

First, the tabling of the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on Monday to impose many arbitrary and oppressive measures, like the more than three-fold increase of compound fines for traffic offences from RM300 to RM1,000.

Because of public outrage at the oppressive amendments and the impending Hulu Selangor by-election on Sunday, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz quickly withdrew the Bill.

This creates a double first – first time a Bill was withdrawn in super-quick time of 48 hours, which shows that the Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat had been most irresponsible and negligent in not giving proper consideration and care in drafting the amendments.

It is also the first time that a Bill by a MCA Minister – Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat – was openly overruled by an Umno Minister – Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz – even without a Cabinet meeting.

It would appear that Nazri has become a Super Minister, with power to overrule other Ministers or at least MCA Ministers,  as in the case of the withdrawal of the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill, without having to refer to the Cabinet – all because of failures and shortcomings of a MCA Minister.

Tee Keat should explain why he had been so irresponsible and negligent in allowing so defective and objectionable Transport Amendment Bill to be tabled in Parliament, outraging everyone to  the extent that it had to be withdrawn within 48 hours at the directive of another Umno Minister.

The second example is the  “great debate” in Parliament on Thursday to victimize Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the 1Malaysia-APCO-1Israel controversy.

It had been agreed that Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat  would have four speakers for each side in the debate.

For Pakatan Rakyat, apart from Anwar himself, the other three speakers were PKR’s Azmin Ali (Gombak), PAS’ Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena) and myself from DAP.

For Barisan Nasional, the four speakers were Nor Jazlan (Pulai), Abdul Rahman Dahlan (Kota Belud), Khairy Jamaluddin (Rembau) and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (Padang Rengas) – all from UMNO.

Does MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and other Sarawak/Sabah component parties of Barisan Nasional exist in the eyes of UMNO?

The PR parliamentary debaters came from all the three parties in PR – DAP, PKR and PAS – demonstrating that PR is the real standard-bearer of 1Malaysia.

1Malaysia, however,  is a farcical concept  to Barisan Nasional as all the four BN speakers came from Umno.

One important message of  the March 8 “political tsunami” of the 2008 general elections was public anger, outrage and rejection of overbearing UMNO political hegemony at the expense of the relevance of MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and other Sarawak/Sabah BN component parties.

This message of the March 8 “political tsunami” had fallen on deaf ears as after two years, UMNO political hegemony has worsened to the extent that Umno had gobbled up MCA, MIC, Gerakan, SUPP and the other Sarawak/ Sabah BN component parties so much so that all the four BN MPs who spoke in the “great debate” on Thursday came from UMNO with no one from the other 13 BN component parties!

These are two of many examples of the worsening political hegemony of Umno, with its accompaniment of overbearing political arrogance, treating MCA, MIC, Gerakan, SUPP and other Sarawak/Sabah component parties of Barisan Nasional with utter contempt.

This is why the over one million MCA members should openly vote against Barisan Nasional and MCA parliamentary and state assembly candidates in the next general elections for not being able to  hold their heads high, in pride and honour,  as a result of the politics of irresponsibility of MCA and UMNO leaders.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 April 2010, 1:10 pm and is filed under
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Let Hulu Selangor set the benchmark for good conduct

by P Ramakrishnan

24 April 2010

By-elections have a habit of bringing out the worst in individuals. It is a time when certain party members suddenly become wise and enlightened. It is a time when hypocrisy takes centre stage.

It is rather strange that people who have been members of a political party and who have been running down their opponents – meaning BN and Umno – for quite a while now suddenly discover that their party is no longer the same and that their leaders had betrayed the rakyat.

The timing of their confession when a by-election is on only betrays their hypocrisy and confirms the claim that PRK members are paid between RM1,000 and RM1,500 for making damaging statements and condemning their former party.

Couldn’t these “enlightened” individuals have timed their departure from their former party after the by-election? That would have given them some credibility that their grouses were genuine.

It is believed by discerning Malaysians that the worth of these individuals would be zero after the by-election. But on the other hand, when they run down their former party before or during the by-election, their actions and their condemnation of their former party could boost the chances of the BN and therefore they deserve to be rewarded.

What is their worth during this time? For some, it could be more than RM1,000 or RM1,500.

Take the case of the two Independent candidates who withdrew their candidacy from the contest after filing their nomination papers. Their action had cost them the loss of RM10,000 that they had deposited with the Election Commission. Why would they suffer this loss?

The talk going round is that they could have been compensated for their loss and adequately rewarded for seeing sense at the last moment. If they had not withdrawn they would have split the votes – which would not have been to the benefit of BN. So they must have been “persuaded” to withdraw.

This is one tactic. But there are others. Ignore the issues but run down the character of your opponent. Just keep on repeating the attack ignoring ethics and morality. This is what they are doing to the PKR candidate, Zaid Ibrahim.

From day one, the BN targeted Zaid for something he had done in his younger days. He had consumed alcohol. He had confessed to it and had repented for his folly. He had performed his Haj. But this did not matter to the BN propagandist. They kept on hammering him as “kaki botol”, “womaniser” and what not. There was no let up.

Doctored and fabricated photos were circulated with no respect to the truth. The intensity of this lie was amazing. Billboards and pamphlets were widely distributed to fool and hoodwink the conservative, rural Malay folk. It took the form of the 1990 General Election blitzkrieg when the BN flooded the country with Tengku Razaleigh wearing a Kadazan headgear with a motif that was depicted as a Christian cross and roundly crucified as a man without shame. This abhorrent tactic swayed Malay support away from the Opposition. A similar tactic is being deployed once again in Hulu Selangor to achieve a BN victory.

To their credit, the PKR refused to resort to character assassination. If they had, the voters of Ulu Selangor would have got to know their Ministers and MPs very intimately! It is very telling that no one stood up when Lim Kit Siang challenged the BN MPs in Parliament who had not drunk before to stand up!

Imagine what a gala time the voters would have had if the polygamy of Bung Mokhtar Radin had been used to run down the BN. Somebody observed, “For a member of parliament to act irresponsibly by

belittling the sanctity of marriage is unforgivable.” But PKR did not stoop that low.

While one party is focussing on issues and the failures of this nation to do better, the BN has resorted to the heinous crime of running down Zaid and Anwar Ibrahim. Money is flowing freely to bribe and buy up voters with the Election Commission oblivious to this. The Pakatan party workers are being blocked from entering the Orang Asli villages to spread their message. This by-election is neither free nor fair.

The voters of Hulu Selangor must decide whether this abominable way of  running down individuals should be permitted. One way to send a clear message that they don’t approve of this is to

vote against the BN. When this is done, future elections and by-elections will be fair and free.

Let Hulu Selangor set the benchmark for good conduct.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 April 2010, 11:56 am and is filed under
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MACC’s latest and greatest test – dare it investigate the Prime Minister whether he had violated Election Offences Act 1954 for RM3 million electoral bribery in Hulu Selangor by-election?

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index 2010 ranking of Transparency International are already reeling from two serious blows:

the mysterious death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC Headquarters falling from 14th to 5th floor on July 16 last year and the inability of the Teoh family and the Selangor State Government to persuade renowned Thai pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand to return to Malaysia continue her testimony at the Teoh Beng Hock inquest because of “pressures” on the Thai Government from the Malaysian side; and

the farce of the prosecution and acquittal on corruption charges of the two Perak “frogs”, Perak State Assemblymen Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu who played key roles in the illegal and undemocratic toppling of the Pakatan Rakyat Perak State government in February last year.

Now, there is a third and bigger headache for the MACC.

On the eve of the Hulu Selangor by-election, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak campaigned for the Barisan Nasional candidate in Rasa and approved RM3 million for rebuilding Rasa Chinese Primary School but with one big condition. Najib publicly declared:

“If we win this by-election, you can come to Kuala Lumpur the next day to look for me. I will write a personal letter to approve the money and it will be transferred to the school board’s account. If we lose, don’t have to come.”

I am shocked and saddened by this episode, for two reasons.

Firstly, Najib had tried to convince Malaysians and foreign investors in his first year as Prime Minister that he had learnt from past Barisan Nasional mistakes which had  not only caused the national economic crisis facing the country of being stuck in the “middle income trap” but also risk being overtaken economically by other ASEAN countries to become the “sick man of Southeast Asia”.

This is probably why in his Open Letter to Hulu Selangor voters yesterday, Najib admitted that BN had made mistakes and asked for an opportunity to “realize mistakes and to make amends”.

But has the BN government really realized its mistakes and would make amends?

Then Najib should not have used the alleged RM3 million approval  for Rasa Chinese Primary School as bait for votes in the Hulu Selangor by-election but to come straight-out to announce the RM3 million allocation without strings attached – as education should not become an election or by-election plaything.

One grave BN mistake all these years is to trivialise and politicize education with the BN government waking up from total indifference to the plight, needs and rights of Chinese primary schools with regard to infrastructure, development and building of new schools to meet growing school-going needs only during vote-seeking times at general elections or by-elections.

The Barisan Nasional government should stop playing politics with education, whether Chinese primary schools or other schools and levels of education.

Instead of demonstrating that the BN government has at last woken up to its past mistakes, Najib has done the opposite – he has done something which none of the previous five Prime Ministers had ever done in promising to sign a RM3 million cheque for a Chinese primary school the very next day if BN wins in a by-election, spelling out clearly that there would be no such allocation if BN lost!

This makes nonsense of the New Economic Model announced by Najib at the end of March. The New Economic Model had given top priority in ensuring a world-class education system from primary, secondary to tertiary, stressing:

“Globalisation has created a fierce competition for talent, forcing companies and government to recognize that people are the most valuable assets. To compete on a regional and global scale, Malaysia must retain and attract talent. Malaysia must be seen by its people and others as a land of equal opportunity to earn a good living and provide a secure, happy life for each individual and family.”

Najib has gone against all these commitments in the New Economic Model.

Is Najib seriously suggesting that all the high-sounding promises in his 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme and New Economic Model, just like the alleged approval for RM3 million for Rasa Chinese primary school, are all subject to BN winning the Hulu Selangor by-election?

I am  outraged by the silence and complicity of MCA leaders who were present when Najib made the RM3 million bait for  Rasa Chinese primary school in exchange for votes – and they are all the  top MCA leaders like MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek, two MCA Ministers Datuk Liew Tiong Lai and Datuk Kong Cho Ha and two MCA Deputy Ministers  Datuk Wee Ka Siong and Datuk Chor Chee Heung.  The MCA leaders have again brought shame to the more than one million MCA members in the country.

The second reason for my shock and sadness is that Najib had violated the Election Offences Act 1957 when he promised to approve RM3 million for Rasa Chinese primary school tomorrow provided the BN wins the Hulu Selangor by-election.

Section 10(1) of the Election Offences Act, on “Bribery”, provides that it is an election offence for any person to promise “any money or valuable consideration” to any voter to induce him “to vote or refrain from voting” at any election – something which Najib clearly committed with his promise tomorrow  to sign approval for RM3 million for Rasa Chinese Primary School if BN wins the Hulu Selangor by-election today but not a single sen if BN loses!

This is MACC’s latest and greatest test – dare it  investigate the Prime Minister whether he had violated the Election Offences Act 1954 for RM3 million electoral bribery in Hulu Selangor by-election?

If not, the trinity of MACC woes – the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock at MACC headquarters, the farce of prosecution and acquittal of the two Perak “frogs” for corruption and the MACC’s timidity over investigation as to whether Najib had violated Election Offences Act 1954 for RM3 million electoral bribery in Hulu Selangor by-election – will plunge MACC’s credibility to a new depth and would cause Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index 2010 of Transparency International to a record low placing at par with those of corrupt African and South American nations.

Finally, let me declare that regardless of the outcome of the Hulu Selangor by-election result today, DAP and Pakatan Rakyat MPs will hold Najib to account in and out of Parliament for the RM3 million allocation for rebuilding the  Rasa Chinese primary school.

Najib may claim that his RM3 million approval to Rasa Chinese primary school is contingent and conditional on BN winning the Hulu Selangor by-election. This is a shameful and dishonourable stand which no self-respecting and ethical  Prime Minister will adopt.

I demand that Najib should sign the RM3 million cheque for Rasa Chinese Primary School tomorrow itself even if BN loses in Hulu Selangor by-election  as he  has the moral and political responsibility to immediately honour the RM3 million approval if he is not going to be shamed in Parliament and wherever he goes in Malaysia as a “cheap-skate” Prime Minister.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 April 2010, 2:24 pm and is filed under
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MACC should investigate whether Najib had committed at least two election bribery offences under Election Offences Act 1957 in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign yesterday

It has been brought to my attention that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should investigate whether the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, had committed at least two election bribery offences under the Election Offences Act 1957 in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign for the Barisan Nasional candidate yesterday.

The first incident was  his blatant disregard of the Election Offences Act against bribery when he tried to induce the 1,500 voters of Rasa to vote for the BN candidate by announcing the approval of RM3 million for rebuilding Rasa Chinese Primary School but with one big condition.

Najib publicly declared: “If we win this by-election, you can come to Kuala Lumpur the next day to look for me. I will write a personal letter to approve the money and it will be transferred to the school board’s account. If we lose, don’t have to come.”

The second incident was during his visit to Kampong Hassan where he promised the Chinese-majority voters in the area  that the Barisan Nasional government would build 200 low-cost housing for them if the BN candidate wins the by-election.

Najib is doing what no other previous five Prime Ministers had done – promising to issue a RM3 million approval for the Rasa  Chinese primary school and building 200 low-cost houses for the Kg Hassan predominantly-Chinese voters – both on the condition that BN wins the Ulu Selangor by-election today.

Has election of an elected representative, whether MP or State Assembly person, been reduced to buy-and-sell by BN leaders  like in the marketplace under Najib as Prime Minister with the Election Offences Act to prevent electoral abuses and offences becoming a dead letter?

What has the MACC Chief Commissioner got to say?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 April 2010, 4:02 pm and is filed under
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Tweets since polling eve

@limkitsiang

ntv7 censorship n Joshua’s resignation – call 4public inquiry as Najib’s denial of Rosmah’s role lacks credibility http://bit.ly/dCtT14

about 24 hours ago via web

1+million MCA mmbrs shld openly vote agnst MCA/BN candidates in next GE as they cannot hold heads high, in pride/honour http://bit.ly/cbQ6KG

about 24 hours ago via web

#P94 #HS Latest survey shows PKR slightly ahead http://bit.ly/c29QHN PR 51.7% vs BN 48.3 %

about 23 hours ago via web

Very true RT @ahpooki: @limkitsiang uncle lim, be careful wif these borderline numbers..can go either way. PR must hv 80%..yeah !! go PR go..!!

04/24/2010 01:44 PM

At Felda SgTengi 4Himpunan Warga Felda Kebangsaan Ke2 opened by NikAziz n will b closed by KhalidIbrahim Anwar also addressed Felda G2 Meet

04/24/2010 03:52 PM

Felda settlers n 2nd generation from over 100 Feldas all over country represented Recd memo LurahBilutFelda settlers n will raise it in Parl

04/24/2010 04:32 PM

Pledged 2nd Felda G2 Meet 2speak up 4Felda settlers n AnakPeneroka in Parliament agnst gross injustices Anak bcome labourers or displaced

04/24/2010 04:53 PM

Selangor MB Khalid announces appointment of #ZaidIbrahim as head of state task force 2resolve all problems esp land of Felda settlers n G2

04/24/2010 06:14 PM

Khalid sets 3month timetable 4#ZaidIbrahim Selangor Felda TaskForce 2complete its term of reference 2work with him 2resolve Felda problems

04/24/2010 06:17 PM

Khalid announce special housing program 4second generation Felda settlers Selangor n assigned responsibility 2Azmin who is PKNS board member

04/24/2010 06:21 PM

Finale at KKB stadium RT @nirajz: RT @skthew: Where is the grand finale for tonight? Pls assist. #hs #P94 @limkitsiang

04/24/2010 08:15 PM

#BeliveIT/x34 Najib in Rasa promised 2issue Monday cheque RM3million 4new Rasa Chinese primary school only if BN wins #HS tmr Where is MACC?

04/24/2010 09:13 PM

When Najib tried 2induce Rasa votes w RM3mil cheque 4Ch pr sch Monday if BN wins MCA president CSL 1Minister KCH 2dep min GKS CCH present

04/24/2010 09:32 PM

MCA leaders dare not but PR MPs will hold Najib 2account 4RM3mil 2Rasa sch in Parlmnt every meeting regardless of #HS result or shame d PM

04/24/2010 10:52 PM

Not ruling out possiblty 2lodge rpt w MACC agnst Najib 2expose MACC uselessness n hypocrisy of anticorruption campaign of Najib/Ministers

04/24/2010 11:00 PM

Blocked by traffic roadblock Took motorbike 2enter KKB stadium w sea of humanity last ceramah 4#HS with major PR leaders from all 3parties

04/24/2010 11:32 PM

#94 Anwar arrivd after me He had come from previous ceramah on motorbike 4 40mins Anwar speaking now abt self-respect/ dignity of Msians #HS

04/24/2010 11:59 PM

On stage NikAziz Karpal CMLGE MBKhalid SyedHusin Azmin @ZaidIbrahim Tamrin With grand finale n  sea of humanity there’s hope victory @HS tmr

04/25/2010 12:07 AM

Earlier UluYam ceramah was stomping crowd full support of @zaidibrahim 2send signal nationwide dat time has come for change of govt 13GE

04/25/2010 01:05 AM

#HS #P94 10 am: 26.25% voter turnout – 16,932 out of 63,701 voters

04/25/2010 11:24 AM

#BeliveIT/x35 #HS #P94 Najib’s RM3mil bribe http://bit.ly/cGce4e “If we win dis by-election.. I will write personal lttr 2approve d money.”

04/25/2010 11:39 AM

#HS #P94 11 am 38.21% of voter turnout or 24,645 out of 63,701 voters  Brisk voting

04/25/2010 11:45 AM

#HS #P94 12 noon 49.04% voter turnout or 31,632 out of 63,701 voters. Very high voter turnout indeed.

04/25/2010 12:43 PM

#HS #P94 BEWARE!BN dirty tricks polling day Fake Chinese SMS in LGE’s name urge DAP supporters x 2vote @ZaidIbrahim BEWARE othr enemy action

04/25/2010 12:58 PM

#HS #P94 1 pm 56.82% voter turnout or 36,650 out of 63,701 voters. Hurrah Keep it up

04/25/2010 01:47 PM

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 April 2010, 12:57 pm and is filed under
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BN’s pyrrhic victory in Hulu Selangor

by
Dr Lim Teck Ghee

Far from being a resounding victory for the BN and a devastating loss for Pakatan Rakyat, the Hulu Selangor election result is another clear indicator that Malaysians do not see a secure future for themselves in a continuation of the BN government.

The BN leadership may be happy about the outcome and the official media may spin about the vote of confidence for Najib’s leadership but the extremely large opposition vote – against all odds – shows that many in Hulu Selangor and throughout the country (as the string of recent by-elections demonstrates) continue to embrace the “reformasi” programme of change for the country.

From the moment, Zaid was nominated to stand in Hulu Selangor, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Paktan. This was no ordinary opponent that the PR was bringing into the fray. Thus, Zaid was a candidate that the BN had to kill off – whether by hook or by crook.

Zaid had been a Minster brought into the last Badawi cabinet to give the electorate some hope that Umno was capable of implementing a programme of change for the good of the country. He was not the usual leader who had risen to power through the opportunistic use of race and religion, and whose main agenda was aggrandizement of self and family under the guise of “untuk agama dan bangsa”.

Zaid encompasses the best qualities of a long gone era of Umno leaders – honest, principled, smart and committed. Zaid could have stayed on in the cabinet and gone on to a higher position if he was willing to compromise his ideals and integrity on law reform.

He could have engaged in the hypocritical strategy of playing with Ketuanan Melayu and Malay chauvinism. He could have spouted the Hindu or Chinese card as Umno leaders are so adapt at when they see it necessary just to stay in power. He could have played safe by pandering to the Umnoputras and other cronies that have gorged themselves (and in doing so, also padded his own egg nest). He could have so easily turned a blind eye to the abuse of power, corruption and excesses around him.

Zaid chose not to do so. He challenged the system, and in choosing the path of integrity, honour and reform, he became a marked man. The extreme fear and insecurity that his ideas and character – fused into the Pakatan’s reformasi agenda – aroused in Umno and the BN is evident in the vicious election campaign that the BN has waged in the last two weeks.

Consider the following:

the unprecedented money splashed by Barisan Nasional to kill off PKR and Zaid. Barisan Nasional ‘hadiah’,’ angpow’ and other goodies drawn from the taxpayer-ATM machines worked overtime.

the unprecedented low in character assassination and electioneering on the alcohol and gambling charges

the array of dirty tricks of BN in unleashing prominent frogs, “mass defections” and exposes to discredit the PKR, Anwar Ibrahim and Zaid

the Election Commission’s apparent de facto disenfranchisement of potential opposition voters

In the next few weeks, more details will emerge of the full scale of how desperate the BN leadership was to win Hulu Selangor and kill off Zaid and PKR.

BN supporters may be prematurely rejoicing. They may have won this round of the battle. The blatant attempts to buy off and corrupt the voting electorate – abetted by an uncritical mass media enthusiastically and uncritically reporting on the BN’s daily bag of electoral goodies and dirty tricks – has succeeded to some extent, especially amongst the older and more conservative voters.

But it will come back to bite the BN. There is no way the BN can replicate this campaign of mass saturation of money and handouts – possible in one by-election; impossible nationwide – throughout the country in the coming general election (GE).

More important, the Hulu Selangor election result has shown that there is a majority of Malaysians whose vote cannot be bought and whose ideals are not in line with the BN’s. In particular, the younger voters yearn for justice, fair play and good governance – attributes which the BN seems to be incapable of embracing.

This is the continuing nightmare that Najib, Muyhiddin and the other BN leaders will have in the nights ahead before the next GE.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 April 2010, 4:30 pm and is filed under
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Genuine Obsessions With Fake Qualifications

By
M. Bakri Musa

The kerfuffle over the college credentials of Kamalanathan a/l P. Pancanathan, the Barisan candidate in the recent Ulu Selangor by-election, reveals less of the man but more on our fascination with paper qualifications.  This obsession with credentialism is an intellectually lazy way to judge someone; you let those papers and certificates do it for you.

            Who cares if you have a doctorate from Oxford, for if you cannot speak and read our national language then you have no business to be in Parliament or the state Assembly, where bills are debated and businesses conducted in Malay.  You cannot possibly be effective if you are not fluent in that language.

            At the same time with Malaysia inextricably linked with the greater world and English being the global language, our legislators and others who presume to lead us should be equally facile in that language.  Anything less and they would not be serving us – their clients – honestly and honorably.

            I do not expect average citizens, least of all potential political candidates, to appreciate or acknowledge this reality.  However, I do expect party leaders, both in Barisan and Pakatan, to be fully cognizant of this and to factor it heavily in their selection of candidates.

            At one level it is amusing that we should still be obsessed with college degrees.  With higher education now available to an increasingly larger segment of society, declaring that you are a college graduate would today elicit at best feigned interest, expressed in between yawns.  The exception would be if you were to graduate from Oxbridge or an Ivy League.  That would definitely draw some attention, at least initially, even in the most sophisticated circles.

            If after a few minutes of conversation it turns out that your association with those august colleges was merely attending one of their culup (“quickie”) courses, then whatever impression you may have created initially would rapidly vanish.  Actually you need not reveal whether you are a genuine product or not, the content of your conversation would be a sufficient differentiator.  Less than a minute into Barack Obama’s and Sarah Palin’s speeches and you could readily tell who is the product of an Ivy League and who is from the local community college.

            Both Obama and Palin attract huge crowds with their captivating oratory.  In deciding who to vote for however, we should go beyond their academic pedigrees and flourishes of their speeches to seeing the clarity of their vision, weighing the substance of their ideas, and judging the effectiveness of their leadership.

            At another level, despite our unabashed nationalism and pride in everything local as expressed in such jingoism as “Malaysia boleh!” there is still this obsession with everything foreign, especially university parchment papers.  Again here, that says more on the state of our local universities than the regards we have of foreign ones.

            I was not surprised that Kamalanathan could earn his Australian degree without ever setting foot on that continent, let alone on the campus.  In these days of on-line courses and “distance learning,” there is nothing unusual about that.  If anything those are significant improvements over the old correspondent courses.

            The more significant – and disturbing – revelation is this.  Although he attended the local Olympia College (its academic director confirmed that) to get his Australian degree via “twinning,” the college no longer has his academic records.  I graduated over four decades ago, despite that I could still retrieve (if I am so inclined) from my alma mater my transcript, including my freshman English grades.  Kamalanathan had his degree barely six years ago, and already his college has purged his academic records.

            As mentioned, this controversy reveals more about local institutions than it does of foreign colleges.

Vetting Candidates

Higher education has not been spared the invasion and innovation of modern technology.  At the criminal plane, with digital technology I could easily reproduce those impressive diplomas, complete with original signatures, intricate seals, and those fancy Latin phrases and dates.  That makes it even more difficult to ascertain the veracity let alone quality behind those certificates.

            At the legitimate level, modern technology has radically altered the manner of teaching and delivery of instructional materials.  Today I can in the comfort of my living room listen to the same lectures given to those undergraduates at MIT.  My continuing professional education is increasingly being delivered through “webinars,” CDs, and other multimedia modules.

            With the greater appreciation and subsequent growth of “non-traditional learning,” the task of evaluating the quality of college credentials becomes even more complicated.  The boundaries between blatant degree mills, virtual colleges, on-line courses, “external” degrees, and the traditional “board and mortar” campuses are becoming more difficult to ascertain.

            In my profession where such decisions could have literally life and death consequences, we have gone beyond merely ascertaining the validity of those pieces of papers to contacting directly the issuing institutions and getting attestations on what those certificates actually signify.  Failure to truthfully disclose could expose those institutions to both civil and criminal liabilities.

The problem with Kamalanathan could have been resolved had a non-governmental organization concerned with the conduct of honest election for example, queried that Australian university on whether he was a legitimate student.  Indeed the problem would not have arisen at all had Barisan leaders verified the matter before selecting him.  Had those leaders institutionalized the practice, they would have been spared the embarrassment of picking a disbarred lawyer as their election candidate, as had happened recently.

This vetting of candidates is tough and tricky.  Even when everything seems clear and legitimate, we could still have difficulty detecting fraudulent applicants.

I was on the selection committee to fill a senior position at our hospital.  On perusing the resumes of the short-listed applicants, one stood out – impressive undergraduate degree from a leading university and a prestigious MBA.  She also stood out in the interview; articulate and well informed.  When my turn came, I congratulated her on her MBA and then innocently inquired whether she had taken any classes from a certain star professor at her school, and if so, could she share her experience.  I must have hit something for she became flustered and began fanning her suddenly reddened face with her hand.

“I… I,” she stuttered, “did not get my MBA from that Columbia!”

Her interview went rapidly downhill from there.  At the end of the session, the committee went over her application carefully to see where we had slipped.  Indeed her resume clearly stated, “1997 – MBA (Columbia),” and she had duly submitted a copy of her diploma in which it was equally clear that her Columbia was not the one in New York City.  The mistake was obviously ours, in making the leap in assumption after perusing only her resume.

The sad part was that her undergraduate degree and her experiences were impressive enough and would have been sufficient for her to be the top choice.  By needlessly embellishing her qualifications, she doomed her prospects.  As can be further noted, this urge to inflate one’s resume is not confined only to the academically unsophisticated.

Then there is the other end of the spectrum.  A while back an accomplished young Malaysian returned from an interview in Malaysia for a position with one of the GLCs without bothering to wait for the results.  He decided after the encounter that he did not wish to risk his future to a company whose CEO and Board Chair could not tell the difference between the Stanford of Palo Alto and the local Stamford College.

I am less concerned with a two-bit politician trying to hoodwink simple villagers with his inflated resume.  I am more perturbed that our top leaders too could easily be taken in.  Within UMNO alone, there are quite a few senior leaders including chief ministers sporting the title “Dr.”  They are not physicians, dentists or veterinarians, because for those professionals there are statutes governing the use of that title so as not to confuse the public.  Not so for those with other doctorates, legitimate or otherwise.

There are many foreign degree mills, with three or four focusing almost exclusively to aspiring Malaysian politicians and corporate figures.  The recipients are not even embarrassed; on the contrary they go out of their way to showcase their ‘achievements’ through paid self-congratulatory messages to celebrate their ‘graduation.’

One UMNO leader publicly bragged about having a doctorate from Preston University.  When he pronounced it, he made sure that it sounded like Princeton, the Ivy League university in New Jersey, the academic home for Einstein and other luminaries.  Meanwhile Preston, whose mailing address was somewhere in the prairies, offered degrees based on your “life experiences.”  That ‘university’ had since left the Midwest after the state had a crackdown on diploma mills.

I would not have cared if this slimy character had managed to convince only the Mat Rempits and UMNO Putras of his pseudo academic prowess, but judging from the high praises he has been receiving from other top UMNO leaders, he has them duped too.  That is the disturbing part.

Again as with the Kamalanathan controversy, this one tells us less of the “Preston PhD” character and more on our top UMNO leaders, and their genuine obsessions with fake qualifications.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 April 2010, 10:39 am and is filed under
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So why did PKR lose in Hulu Selangor?

By
Syed Jaymal Zahiid
 | The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 26 — It was rather anticipated that Barisan Nasional would snatch the Hulu Selangor seat yesterday from right under Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) nose and without giving too much credit to the former, two factors contributed to this somewhat predestined outcome.

First, the notoriously poor and inefficient machinery. The second is the candidate factor itself.

PKR’s Datuk Zaid Ibrahim lost to MIC information chief P. Kamalananthan by a 1,725-vote majority. The former law minister garnered 23,272 votes while his opponent, a public relations practitioner whose qualifications were subject to tactical scrutiny by Zaid and Co, bagged 24,997 votes.

Yes, there were strong intrinsic statistical factors that led to Zaid’s loss as reflected by past voting patterns. After all, the sizeable constituency of 64,500 eligible voters has been opposition-proof up until the unpopular Datuk G. Palanivel, a four-term incumbent, was dethroned in Election 2008.

But let us not allow this factor give PKR the convenience of an excuse.

In politics, no fight is impossible to win. Did the opposition not prove this axiom right when boasting of its unprecedented success in Election 2008?

In his short and simple tweet, Klang DAP MP Charles Santiago noted that Pakatan (what he intended to say is PKR, I presume) had lost out to its rivals in the machinery battle. Now exclude the “money” and the “intimidation” part, without devaluing its merits, the veracity of the Santiago’s concise assessment on Pakatan’s defeat hit the bull’s eye.

Anyone on the ground throughout PR’s eight-day campaigning trail would, without a doubt, concur.

PKR’s Hulu Selangor election machinery was phenomenally hopeless. It was frayed, uninspiring, shoddy. Too many “egos” were involved. To be straightforward without revealing too much, there were “three” egos involved.

Ground reports and observation showed PKR’s machinery was slow to move. Complaints were ever loud of how campaign materials arrived only after the third day of campaigning.

They lacked co-ordination. The string-pullers on the ground were too busy busting and nurturing their local image as low-level leaders and instead of co-operating, they engaged in a popularity contest among themselves. The PKR machinery was divided into many camps. This paralysed them.

And it is no exaggeration to say that PKR campaigners were arrogant. They refused to work hand in hand with their PAS and DAP counterparts. If there was any collaboration at all, it was half-baked.

It may be of superficial value, but the fact that PKR and PAS had two polling stands erected just 10 metres from each other is testament to the lack of co-operation. To add insult to injury, PKR accused PAS of sabotage for its own weaknesses.

This proved to be fatal for Pakatan amid an uphill battle to win the Malay voters of Hulu Selangor, the majority of the electorate there. Their votes were pivotal for victory as proven by BN’s less than convincing triumph.

The only party that had made inroads in the Felda settlements, a known Umno fortress, is PAS and yet PKR had failed to use it to the fullest, preferring to be snobbish.

And what of the candidate? Zaid is not and will never be a Hulu Selangor guy.

Being local would have mattered but it would not help in influencing the by-election’s outcome. What would have mattered was Zaid’s manner when engaging the Malays. It was deplorable to say the least.

He lacked the “grassroots language”. When meeting the Malay voters, he did not walk but rode in his expensive four wheel-drive and stopped only briefly to shake their hands. Even that seemed half-hearted.

He did not ask them what their problems were, how their families were doing, have teh tarik with them, talk about their pets. All this may seem petty to the urban voters but to the rural folks, it matters.

Pakatan leaders may lament such an analysis is trivial and that a “national cause” beckons, leaving no space for petty emotions. But for the rural voters, they don’t care about the Westminster court system or Scorpene submarines.

What they want is a leader who can talk to them, to like what they like, someone who puts himself on par and not come out of nowhere and thinks he’s above them and start asking them for votes. If you cannot do this then what kind of leader are you.

One can’t help but think about the outcome in Hulu Selangor if Zaid had put his heart into charming the Malay voters; it could have made a major difference to the by-election’s result.

But not all is lost here. The silver lining of this defeat is that it will force PKR leaders to lower their heads, to realise that they have their heads too high up in the clouds of Putrajaya, that they have lost touch with the ground.

A bit of humility, PKR, goes a long way.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 April 2010, 11:12 pm and is filed under
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Twitter spat on Najib’s HS RM3m pledge to SRJKC Rasa

weekasiongmp:

RT @NajibRazak: Honoured the ppl of HS have given us their vote. Our work has just begun. focus now is on delivering on what we promised.

04/26/2010 03:39 PM

limkitsiang:

Well if Najib can spend RM77 million 2wangle a Najib-Obama meet, what is RM200 million 2wangle byelection victory though pyrrhic victory

04/26/2010 03:39 PM

limkitsiang:

Pyrrhic victory – a victory with such devastating cost 2victor; carries implication anthr such will ultmtly cause defeat http://bit.ly/X4MMf

04/26/2010 03:44 PM

limkitsiang:

Based on 24,997 BN votes will work out 2RM6,666 per head RT @Maobi72: @limkitsiang Sdr. you can only divide based on voter turn out..

04/26/2010 03:56 PM

limkitsiang:

Tunku Aziz questions Rosmah’s role in govt http://bit.ly/cM6Uhf Will attend Senate tmr Tunku’s motion important 4ntv7 media freedom

04/26/2010 04:01 PM

limkitsiang:

Will Najib 2day sign RM3mil cheque 4RasaCh prsch 2honour his byelection pledge?If not will MCA Ministers/Deputies resign 2keep faith w ppl?

04/26/2010 09:13 AM

limkitsiang:

MCA biggest loser in HS by-election – Chinese voter support 2BN falling from 37% in 2008 to some 25% yesterday http://bit.ly/bq9OEQ

04/26/2010 10:48 AM

weekasiongmp:

@skthew noted with thanks. PM  will honour his word, don’t worry

04/26/2010 11:16 AM

weekasiongmp:

@PKamalanathan YB work hard u will retain this seat in the next GE

04/26/2010 11:20 AM

limkitsiang:

Najib admits BN pork-barrel RM167 million 4dvlpmnt in #HS 2gether w monies spent on BN workers easily +RM200 million! http://bit.ly/aD51QD

04/26/2010 12:42 PM

weekasiongmp:

@ParpuKari I will work hard too

04/26/2010 02:28 PM

limkitsiang:

Firefly Subg-Png. Calculated BN’s RM200+ million in #HS for 63,701voters works out to RM3,000+ 4each voter – record-high election expenses!

04/26/2010 03:35 PM

limkitsiang:

Has Najib signed RM3 mil 4Rasa Ch prsch 2day as promised? #HS @weekasiongmp RT @NajibRazak focus now is on delivering on what we promised.

04/26/2010 04:06 PM

weekasiongmp:

@limkitsiang I think PM has the political wisdom to do the right thing.

04/26/2010 04:20 PM

limkitsiang:

Don’t pass d buck. Not just PM also u n MCA Ministers have pol wisdom 2do right or mere survival? RM3m signed (cont) http://tl.gd/11d036

04/26/2010 04:34 PM

weekasiongmp:

@limkitsiang will keep u posted on this. Btw pls remind State govt to speed up the RM1 land premium n shd not take bk its orig land. Gv LPS

04/26/2010 04:54 PM

weekasiongmp:

@fyhao ok noted will do my best

04/26/2010 04:56 PM

limkitsiang:

7 hrs left b4 end Monday 2day 4Najib 2sign RM3m cheque 2Rasa Ch sch Can Msians expect action from MCA Ministers (cont) http://tl.gd/11d93u

04/26/2010 05:09 PM

limkitsiang:

40mins is eternity on 24/7 twitterverse @weekasiongmp cannot hide or run n cannot depend on Umno cybertroopers 2come 2yr defence Waiting 4u

04/26/2010 05:50 PM

limkitsiang:

Umno outsourcing extremism to Perkasa, says Kit Siang http://bit.ly/9rqI13

04/26/2010 05:56 PM

limkitsiang:

1 hr silence on twitterverse is TKO However @weekasiongmp can tweet  response anytime <6 hrs 4 @NajjibRazak 2honour RM3m pledge 2SRJKC Rasa

04/26/2010 06:19 PM

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 April 2010, 8:18 pm and is filed under
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Umno outsourcing extremism to Perkasa, says Kit Siang

By
Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang today accused Umno of outsourcing its “extremist demands” to Perkasa after the right-wing Malay group demanded Barisan Nasional (BN) review its aid for the Chinese in Hulu Selangor.

The group had demanded the government reconsider its election pledges to the Chinese in Hulu Selangor because of the community’s poor support for the ruling coalition in yesterday’s by-election.

“It is very clear that Umno has outsourced its extremist demands to Perkasa. The voice of Perkasa represents (the views) of the Umno extremists,” Lim told The Malaysian Insider.

The veteran politician claimed this was a test for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on whether his 1 Malaysia concept of unity was actually practised or a mere farce.

“This is evidence of the failure of 1 Malaysia. The victory of BN in Hulu Selangor, is it the victory of 1 Malaysia?

“Perkasa’s demands are completely against the 1 Malaysia concept and undermining it entirely,” said Lim.

Lim stated that the onus was now on Najib as well as Chinese parties in BN such as the MCA and Gerakan to respond, and their response will be gauged to determine whether they were truly free to voice out their opinions or be mere “pawns” of Umno.

“The MCA, Gerakan leadership should demonstrate whether they are willing to be held to ransom by Umno (or otherwise). Are they mere pawns of Umno?” asked the DAP leader.

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali said earlier today that despite BN’s success in winning the semi-rural seat from PKR, the Chinese voters had largely chosen to back the federal opposition.

“It is necessary for the government to delay any allocation and approval of projects for the Chinese community,” said Ibrahim in a statement responding to the by-election result.

He added that the government should also ignore all the demands made by BN members, the MCA and Gerakan, as the Chinese of Hulu Selangor had rejected the ruling coalition.

“They show no appreciation to BN government’s efforts, even though the BN government had to hurt the feelings of the Malays and the natives,” said Ibrahim.

“All their demands are fulfilled by the government but they do not know how to be grateful,” he added.

Ibrahim, an independent MP, had actively campaigned for BN during the campaign.

His Perkasa is fighting for affirmative action policies favouring Malays to be retained permanently.

In the by-election which saw BN’s P. Kamalanathan defeat former Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim by 1,725 votes, the ruling coalition lost badly in Chinese-dominated polling districts.

During the final campaigning days for the Hulu Selangor by-election Najib promised an allocation of RM3 million for a Chinese school in a new village.

The BN chairman also promised RM90,000 for the Ulu Yam Kwang Tung cemetery and more allocations for Hokkien and muhibbah associations in the area.

However the support level from Chinese voters was reduced from about 35 per cent in Election 2008 to less than 30 per cent yesterday.

BN’s victory was guaranteed by strong support from the Malay-dominated Felda settlements and villagers in rural Hulu Selangor.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 April 2010, 8:21 pm and is filed under
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