Smoke gets in our eyes: A way out

Dr Lim Teck Ghee

24.6.2013

Returning to Kuala Lumpur after several weeks abroad, the pea soup of polluted air that greeted our descent was the worst I have ever experienced. It seemed to stretch interminably for miles on end far beyond the horizon. The acrid smell of burnt wood induced bouts of coughing amongst fellow passengers as we queued for our taxi ride. “Welcome to foggy Malaysia”, someone remarked in a futile attempt at raising everyone’s spirits.

On board our taxi, the friendly Pak Cik driver asked where we had come from and how long we had been away. He was quickly absorbed in talking about the number one topic currently on the mind of millions in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia as lungs continue to be assailed by the smoke coming from the Sumatra fires.

The taxi driver’s point was indisputable although diplomatically expressed. Neighbours in an apartment or kampung should keep their own as well as the common environment hazard-free and clean. They also need to watch out for each other.

Clearly Indonesia needs to do more to get its act together to prevent the illegal burnings that are an annual occurrence. But as noted by the former Singapore Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong: “Forest and peat fires are not easy to put out. They are not like our lalang or bush fires, small and confined. They burn and smoulder over thousands of acres in remote places far from the reach of fire fighters. So it is best to prevent man-made, illegal fires from being started in the first place.”

Past attempts at preventing illegal fires have failed miserably – not only in Indonesia but also Malaysia. Because they have failed, tens of millions of ringgit and thousands of billions of rupiah have been spent purchasing the latest haze monitoring equipment to keep us informed, and fire-fighting and rain-inducing equipment to help put the fires out. In the meantime, incalculable sums are being lost in terms of the impact on productivity, health, tourism revenue, and other knock-on effects. If the haze persists for a few months, we may be talking of losses of billions of dollars and perhaps even a few points shaved off the region’s GDP.

Preventing illegal fires

How to prevent illegal fires from becoming the default modus operandi of land and forest clearance in Indonesia (as well as Malaysia) is a challenge that our three governments need to put their heads together to resolve instead of sniping on who is to be blamed and why the response to the spread of the haze has been ineffective.

I have one suggestion on how illegal fires in Sumatra from forest clearance can be minimized. The answer is not in high tech or other expensive solutions but in mobilizing community-based cooperation at the grassroots level in spotting and fighting fires where they are located. It would be relatively cheap to recruit a team of fire spotters and fire fighters to work during the three- or four-month period when these fires take place; and train and provide them with some basic fire fighting equipment to put out illegal fires when these are spotted in their immediate neighbourhoods.

Handphone connection for these community fire fighters to a central command would help ensure that any blaze beyond the resources of the local group to extinguish would be quickly identified and dealt with by agencies with greater resources to take on large scale fires. Even if several thousand of such personnel were recruited, the annual cost would probably run to no more than few million dollars.

This would be a cheaper and more cost effective form of investment than what has been spent to date to monitor and fight the fires. The returns in terms of savings from the avoidance of the economic and health costs of the regional haze would easily repay the annual funding of this programme many times over.

As governments move very slowly, the initiative for implementing the community-based fire fighting programme can come from the plantation companies that have a presence in Sumatra. The financial resources to implement the programme can be quickly mobilized by various listed companies and will serve as a useful example of corporate social responsibility.

Eight Malaysian-owned plantation companies whose owners include Sime Darby and KL Kepong have been identified by the Indonesia Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya as using the cheap but outlawed slash-and-burn methods to clear land at the site for many of the fires. This could be an opportunity for them to show to the world that the environmental responsibility badge that they prominently display on their websites is for real.

Such an initiative would be welcomed most of all by the local people not least because it would provide useful supplementary income from the short term employment. At the same time we need to remind ourselves that the local Sumatran communities are the most exposed to the fires, many of them apparently ignited by foreign-owned plantation companies seeking to maximize profits for their shareholders, many of who live in Singapore, Malaysia and other countries. This means that these local communities have the greatest incentive to put out illegal fires as well as prevent them from spreading to a stage where it becomes uncontrollable.

Similar initiatives in community policing and monitoring of the environment to ensure that it is not degraded or harmed in various ways have been successfully practised in many parts of the world. One wonders why they have not been pursued in our part of the world. Perhaps this puzzle may have its answer in the profits being raked in by bureaucrats and their allies in the consultancy and business world as the haze provides another opportunity for misplaced or irrelevant procurement and rent seeking.

Wake up call to all

Finally the haze serves as a good wake up call to all of us whose actions are impacting adversely on the environment. Whilst it is easy to be critical of the ineffectiveness of the Indonesian authorities in fighting the fires, we should look into the mirror and be aware that our treatment of the environment in Malaysia or Singapore or in the countries where our businesses operate is far from being exemplary or problem-free

The answers to any environment crisis are largely in the hands of those engaged in exploiting the environment or of the policy makers. Incompetent governments, irresponsible businesses, an apathetic public only aroused when their throat is literally being choked and not before then — this is where we stand in our attitude to air pollution management. Unfortunately, it is the same with the way in which we are managing all our other resources.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 24 June 2013, 4:49 pm and is filed under
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Environment Minister Palanivel and even PM Najib should be censured for failing to ensure that the Royal Address at the official opening of Parliament this morning address  the government’s agenda on  the haze emergency

Environment Minister Datuk Seri S. Palanivel and even the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should be censured for failing to ensure that the Royal Address delivered by the Yang di Pertuan Agong at the opening of the 13th Parliament this morning address the government’s agenda on the haze emergency.

In a constitutional monarchy, the Royal Address at the opening of Parliament outlines the government’s agenda for the coming year.  The Royal Address is prepared by Cabinet Ministers outlining the government’s legislative agenda and their national priorities.

It is not that the haze emergency occurred only last night, catching the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers by surprise  so that they could not incorporate the government’s concerns, agenda and priorities in addressing the haze catastrophe in the Royal Address.

The country has been haunted and hounded by the haze catastrophe for a week, with thousands of schools closed in the past week throughout the country, affecting the lives,  health and livelihood of millions of Malaysians in various parts of the country, starting from Johor Baru and Muar in the south and moving progressively northwards to Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Pahang and Penang with the change of  winds from the raging peat fires in Riau and Sumatra.

It has been estimated that if the haze catastrophe persisted until September, it could cost the Singapore economy up to $(S)1.2 billion in economic losses.

The haze crisis in 1997 lasted about three months and cost Southeast Asia an estimated $9 billion from disruptions to air travel, health expenses and other business impacts.

What is going to be Malaysia’s economic cost of the present haze catastrophe?

In failing to address the haze issue in the Royal Address this morning, the Environment Minister and the Malaysian Government is sending out a wrong message to the Indonesian Government that they are not very serious in wanting Indonesia to live up to its ASEAN responsibilities to take meaningful and effective action to control the latest transboundary haze disaster from undermining the lives, healthy and economy of millions of people in the three ASEAN countries.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 25 June 2013, 3:23 pm and is filed under
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The case for electoral reforms

– Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 24, 2013

One of the most important objectives of the Black 505 Rally that took place on the 22 of June (622) was to ask for the resignation of the chiefs of SPR. It stands accused of impartiality, perpetuating and abetting electoral fraud, refusing to clean the electoral rolls and acting hapless when called upon to act on the massive discrepancies in electoral registers. The Chairman and the Deputy of the EC stood out as exemplars of Little Stalins impervious to demands for the EC to facilitate democracy not to hinder and suffocate it.

Never in the history of Malaysia, has the SPR been overtly political. The two people helming SPR are seen to be the most politically proactive. Their political adventures and frolics lead people to justifiably conclude that the SPR is but another satellite of the BN. it is a tool serving the interests of the BN government. It therefore stands of the side of the Oppressor.

Our SPR has complete lost its credibility and integrity as an independent commission answerable to The Agong. Does the Agong countenance fraud and partiality of the SPR? The SPR must not only actually behave with extreme impartiality, but it must also be seen to behave as such.

With the SPR unmoved and bull-headed, we are going to be far way yet from radical electoral reforms- that is, if we are thinking about asking the present government to adopt proportional representation or something like that. The SPR has positioned itself as an utterly unreasonable umpire; declining to direct itself to address the issues that are wholly under its responsibility.(1) Clean the electoral rolls (2) perform its duties honestly and with integrity (3) justify itself as an instrument facilitating democracy.

Let us begin by asking the EC to do the most basic things first. Tackle the issues of gerrymandering and mal-apportionment.

Boundaries are drawn and redrawn by the incumbent so as to give them advantage. Hence, the average voter density for BN candidates as a whole is less than voter density in PR constituencies.

And yet this argument cannot be carried too far so as to invite unreasonable fears on the incumbent government. Only certain states show the problem is serious.

Pahang for example has the curious anomaly that the number of eligible voters in Pekan is 80,000. It is bigger than the voting public in Kuantan. Maybe it’s time to split up the Pekan parliament into two. It’s strange to realise that a part which is physically in Kuantan is in the Pekan parliamentary area. The army camp at the 9th Mile Kuantan-KL road is a case in point. Najib can have his 50,000 voting public and allow EC to create an additional parliamentary area for Pekan.

The problem is most pronounced in Selangor. The 5 parliamentary seats won by BN have an average voter density of 54,000. The average density for the 17 seats won by Pakatan is 99,000. Every seat won by Pakatan is worth 2 BN seats. Clearly Selangor is the top candidate to address the issue of gerrymandering.

If the average voter density desired is around 54,000 then, Selangor can create another 30 seats. The voter density for Pakatan ranges from 80,000 in PJ Selatan to 144,000 in Kapar. The median density for Pakatan is 112,000. You can see the glaring injustice in voter apportionment.

In Kelantan, Tumpat, Kota Bharu and Bachok are possible candidates for re-delineation as they have abnormal voter density for that state. In Kedah the places with high voter density are (1) Kuala Kedah (2) Pendang (3) Pokok Sena(4) Merbok (5) Sungai Petani and (6) Baling. In Terengganu, constituencies such as KT,Kemaman and Marang have higher voter density than the rest in Terengganu.

The spectre of unwanted revised delineation is not too scary for the BN government.

Was the average voter represented by the party of their choice? BN got 133 seats supported by 5.24 million voters. BN has 47 per cent of the total votes but obtained 60 per centof the parliamentary votes. Surely this is a travesty of natural justice. PR won 50 per cent of the popular votes but had to accept 40 per cent of the parliamentary seats. You end up with the result that 50 per cent of the voters felt they are not represented at all. That is because, we followed the winner takes all electoral system which we inherited from the British Raj.

Umno and BN won the day only because they are saved by the ill effects of gerrymandering and mal-apportionment.

An honest SPR/EC

The good things we disinherit. When the first elections were held in 1955, we did not need polling and counting agents. Election officials did their work honestly. Contestants did what they must do at that time- contest against each other. The business of managing the electoral process was left with the elections officials at that time./p>

They took care of everything mindful of their impartiality and desire to present the true results. After voting closed, contestants could get back to their houses and allowed the elections people do the counting. Contestants could trust these officials not tempering with the counting, not allowing people to vote twice, not allowing non-citizens to vote. Contestants were called after the counting finished and assembled at the town or municipal hall to hear the declaration of the outcome. – sakmongkol.blogspot.com

* SakmongkolAK47 is the nom de plume of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz, the MP for Raub.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 25 June 2013, 12:40 am and is filed under
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The EC is playing God

Mariam Mokhtar

Malaysiakini

Jun 24, 2013

We have heard the same trite comments before: “We’re clean. We’re not guilty. It wasn’t us.”

Umno Baru’s most sanctimonious hypocrite, Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, has denied claims of cheating.

Abdul Aziz expressed sadness that the indelible ink used in GE13 could easily be washed off and in an interview with the Malay daily Sinar Harian said, “If people ask me now, what is the saddest thing in my life, I would answer: ‘Indelible ink’.”

The indelible ink had been tested before use and he said, “On the much-awaited day, the power of Allah is greater when the ink could disappear after being washed several times. Where is the mistake?”

He ignored allegations of gerrymandering, the use of money and citizenship as inducements given to illegal immigrants to vote for BN, the violent attacks on Pakatan workers, the extra ballot boxes, the spoilt votes, the blackouts, as well as the plane and busloads of foreigners transported to the peninsula to vote for BN. In other words, the EC conspired with BN to cheat in GE13.

Abdul Aziz said that the ink had been tested, but then blamed the failure of the ink on “the power of Allah”.

He had sanctioned the use of doctored ink, and by saying Allah was responsible – when it was him who authorised its use – it means that he is playing God. By Abdul Aziz’s will, there was massive cheating in the election process, which allowed Umno Baru to “win the election”. By claiming that it was “the power of Allah” that allowed Umno Baru to win the election, Abdul Aziz is effectively saying that he is Allah.

This blasphemy will not endear him to the rural Malays and may mean that he will have to be sacrificed, to save the party.

Indelible ink and the EC are not compatible. Three general elections ago, in 2004, the National Fatwa Council decided that the ink would prevent Muslims from performing their prayers. In GE12 (2008), the EC said that there were national security issues and claims of sabotage. In 2013, the lies ranged from EC workers feebly shaking the bottles to a full-blown health scare.

Familiar Umno Baru excuses

These excuses are a familiar Umno Baru dodge. Recently, the organisers of the ‘Black 505’ rally were given the runaround, when trying to find a suitable venue for their rally. The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the police could not even coordinate their lies. One said there was a wedding, whilst the other claimed there was a charity run. The police also made the outrageous claim that they would be provoked.

If you must lie, do so convincingly and with a concerted effort.

If Abdul Aziz said the ink was tested prior to its use, which laboratory tested it? Was there an independent laboratory analysis? Did their results match? What was the test used?

Goldenchurn butter and Tabasco sauce went through a similar drama when their products were said to contain pork DNA by the Malaysian Islamic authorities. Butter is made from cow’s milk. Tabasco contains only vinegar and chillies. In which part of the manufacturing process would porcine DNA be introduced?

The Chemistry Department refused to share their test results with the manufacturers, did not want to reveal their methods and did not wish the butter to be sent for independent chemical analyses.

The fiasco with the indelible ink in GE13, has similar echoes of subterfuge and chicanery.

Who is the manufacturer of this ink? Have they sold us defective ink? Should we demand a refund? Why is the manufacturer not defending his product? Does he not want a repeat sale? Hasn’t his reputation been irreparably tarnished? To what standard was this ink tested?

Abdul Aziz said that a task force would investigate the ink’s recipe, the way it was used, its transportation and whether the hot air in the lock-up where the ink was stored, had caused a degradation of the ink.

The only ‘hot air’ comes from the EC chairperson, who should not waste any more of the taxpayers’ money. The only thing left is for the senior management of the EC to resign en-masse, to restore the credibility of the EC before GE14. They have severely dented the confidence of the rakyat in Malaysian democracy. If they will not go willingly, they must be sacked.

Obviously, there are three types of Umno Baru politicians and supporters – the ones who keep an undignified silence about important issues, the false prophets and those who play God.

Recently, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan wrote in Utusan Malaysia’s weekend newspaper that BN was ‘fated’ to win GE13, because God had willed it. He said, “In short, fate and God’s will determines everything.”

Who gave this false prophet, Abdul Rahman, the divine right to make prophecies? True prophets serve God and their flock, but Umno Baru politicians are self-serving men (and women) who are full of exaggerated self-importance. Is Abdul Rahman aware that Muhammad was the last prophet? Despite his blasphemous remarks, Abdul Rahman is not being investigated for sedition.

‘Cowards as leaders’

Leaders who refuse to comment on important issues when the news break, but wade-in days or weeks later, are simply playing safe. These cowards do not want to be proven wrong, or to be seen to be wrong. They need to protect their own positions. It is not just the Pakatan coalition or the rakyat whom they fear, others within their party are looking for reasons to topple them as well.

Thus, so-called leaders like BN chief Najib Abdul Razak will keep quiet about ‘mat rempit’ mobs attacking ceramah, the brutal deaths in police custody, corruption and child conversion.

The rakyat is at the mercy of Umno Baru, but it is also at the mercy of the environment. Reports from Jakarta allege that the companies which contribute to the haze affecting parts of South-East Asia, are linked to the illegitimate BN government. Najib has good reason to keep quiet.

Perhaps, the men who keep silent on important issues live in the feverish hope that these problems will fade away.

Before I graduated in Environmental Pollution Control, I applied to the Department of Environment (DOE). The DOE replied that Malaysia does not suffer from pollution. I subsequently worked for an American company and never looked back.

In Perak, the oil-palm industry – which is responsible for the haze originating from Sumatra – has production facilities and processes which are polluting the waterways of Perak. The livelihood of the villagers is affected. Fish and crustacea like udang galah die. The income from tourism is at risk. The Perak government closes one eye and panders to the industry, as rural voters are only useful to BN in the weeks before an election.

What goes around comes around. Umno Baru likes to invoke God. So, is the current pollution crisis a divine intervention? Or is it caused by Umno Baru’s policies and failure to enforce strict environmental pollution controls?

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 25 June 2013, 8:31 am and is filed under
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Call on Malaysians to be united by a  Malaysian Dream regardless of race, religion or region, in a common national vision and destiny to build a more united, democratic, free, just, competitive and prosperous nation for all Malaysian citizens

All right-thinking Malaysians find  it very distressing that there was not only the most irresponsible and reckless appeals to race and religion during the general elections campaign, racism took on even worse forms after the 13th general elections results.

Even my contesting in Gelang Patah was turned into a racist issue with the former Prime Minsister Tun Dr. Mahathir who led the charge in spewing racist lines and falsehoods, alleging that I was contesting in Gelang Patah because I want:

•	the Chinese in Gelang Patah and Johor to “reject working together and sharing with the Malays”;

•	the Chinese in Johor “to dislike and hate the Malays” to create “conflict and antagonism between the races”;

•	create “an unhealthy racial confrontation” between the Malays and Chinese in Johor, which will be “disruptive and will not be conducive to the development of Malaysia”.

Recently, in his blog on “Racial Polarisation”, Mahathir continued with his inflammatory, incendiary, seditious statements to pit one race against another, based on lies and falsehoods.

Among other canards, the lies and falsehoods Mahathir is guilty of in this blog include:

•	Accusation that DAP “whipped up” hatreds of the Malays;

•	That the black 505 ceramahs throughout the country to protest 13GE fraud and malpractices were manifestation of “Chinese racism” despite the presence of Malays as the majority in many of these black 505 ceramahs; and

•	The dastardly lies that DAP rejected the concept of Malay/Chinese/Indian “kongsi” alleging: “The DAP wants the Chinese who already dominate the economy, to dominate Malaysia’s politics as well. It is clearly racist and reject inter-racial sharing of power and wealth as advocated by the BN.”

I want to express my outrage that a former Prime Minister for 22 years could be so irresponsible and reckless as to spout such lies and falsehoods, including my hatred  for the Malays.

During and even after the 13GE, I have been depicted as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and even responsible for provoking the May 13 riots in 1969 for allegedly shouting  anti-Malay slogans in street processions in Kuala Lumpur from May 11 to 13,1969 although I was never in Kuala Lumpur in that period as I was in Malacca on May 12 and Kota Kinabalu on May 13, 1969.

Apart from missing one parliamentary term from 1999-2004, I have been MP for ten terms from 1969, i.e. for a period of 39 years. I challenge Mahathir or anyone for that matter to quote a single speech that I have made in Parliament in the past four decades which is anti-Malay or anti-Islam.

In fact, I welcome an independent commission of inquiry to identify those  responsible for all the incendiary,  inflammatory, seditious and racist speeches, statements and articles before, during and after the 13GE resulting in serious racial polarisation in the country.

Here, I wish to make a personal statement.

Recently, I came across a poem which I wrote 56 years ago for my class magazine in Batu Pahat High School in 1957 when I was 16 in Form III, viz:

One for all and all for one

We care not what colour, creed or religion you belong

For aren’t each of us Malaya’s son

Then why let silly racial quarrels prolong?

This has always been my watchword throughout my public life, and I find it utterly  abhorrent for Mahathir or anyone for that matter who are prepared to resort to such falsehoods as accuse me of hatred for Malays.

Anyone in Malaysia who hate Malays, or for that matter, any racial or religious group in the country, whether Chinese, Indians, Kadazans or Ibans cannot be true and patriotic Malaysians.

In my 47 years in politics, I have always regarded myself as a Malaysian first and last. I have never regarded myself purely as a Chinese, but as a Malaysian of Chinese ethnic descent whose loyalty is unswervingly to the Malaysian nation, having common cause with all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region to build a better Malaysia for all Malaysians.

On the eve of the 13th General Elections on May 4, 2013, I urged voters to mark the coming-of-age of the Malaysian Dream,  uniting Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region in a common national vision and destiny to build a more united, democratic, free, just, competitive and prosperous nation for all Malaysian citizens.

In fact, it was in pursuit of this Malaysian Dream that which prompted me to contest in Gelang Patah – not to create a “racial confrontation” or to incite the Chinese in Johore to hate the Malays, as alleged by irresponsible UMNO leaders.

Of course, the battle of Gelang Patah was to launch off a political tsunami in the 13th general elections from the south, and end Johore as a Barisan Nasional “fixed deposit” state, which was achieved with PR winning five parliamentary and 18 state assembly seats.

But the the fulfilment of the Malaysian Dream was the other objective, which I spelt out publicly in my statement of April 8, 2013, as follows:

“I have a Malaysian Dream, which I am sure, is shared by Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region or time.

“The Malaysian Dream envisions a plural society where all her citizens are united as one people, rising above their ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic differences as the common grounds binding them as one citizenship exceed the differences that divide them because of their ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural divisions .

“In this Malaysian Dream, we all owe undivided loyalty to the country, we share in one motherland and we come together as one people to develop the greatness of the country deriving from the best from the diverse races, religions and cultures which have made a home in Malaysia so that Malaysia can become one of the leading nations of the world in all fields of human endeavour.

“This Malaysian Dream does not exist only today. It had existed even before the founding of Malaya and Malaysia.

“Let the Battle of Gelang Patah fulfil the Malaysian Dream of a united multiracial Malaysian people rising above race which was envisioned by the great Johore Malay leader and founding UMNO President Datuk Onn Jaffar six decades ago.

“Although Onn was founder President of UMNO, he became increasingly dissatisfied with UMNO’s racist and communalist polices, leading him in 1951 to call on UMNO to open up membership to all Malayans as well as proposing that UMNO should be renamed as the United Malayans National Organisation.

“When his recommendations went unheeded, Onn Jafaar left UMNO on August 26, 1951 to form the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP).

“Sixty-two years after Onn’s call for the opening up of UMNO to non-Malay members and to change UMNO to mean United Malayans National Organisation, it is most fitting and proper that the banner of a Malaysian Dream of all visionary and patriotic Malaysians down the ages be re-hoisted to seek support and endorsement from the people of Gelang Patah, Johore and Malaysia in the 13th general elections.”

I hereby call on Malaysians to be united by a  Malaysian Dream regardless of race, religion or region, in a common national vision and destiny to build a more united, democratic, free, just, competitive and prosperous nation for all Malaysian citizens.

Finally, it is a waste of time to talk about National Reconciliation when there is no sincerity in addressing the issue of electoral reform, which is one of the main reasons why many people expressed unhappiness before, during and after the 13th general election. While establishing a Parliamentary Select Committee to monitor the Election Commission is a good start, there been no mention of other substantive reforms such as following up on and implementing the recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform. This includes separating the Election Commission into three parts – one in charge of registering voters, another in charge of conducting elections and another of redrawing constituency boundaries.

If Prime Minister Najib is really sincere about a national reconciliation, I propose the first step of recommending to the Yang Di Pertuan Agong to replace the entire Election Commission, starting with the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman, as they no longer enjoy public confidence as per Article 114 (2) of the Federal Constitution. Only then can the process of national reconciliation truly start – on a fresh page.

[Speech (2) in Parliament on the motion of thanks on Wednesday, June 26, 2013]

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 June 2013, 4:54 pm and is filed under
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DAP: Umno interests milking ‘Red Bean Army’ for profit

By
Hazlan Zakaria
 | 1:37PM Jun 27, 2013

Malaysiakini

PARLIAMENT DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang today accused “vested interests” in Umno of creating the Red Bean Army story as a ploy to seek funding, supposedly for its own cyberwarriors.

More likely, he said, the funds would be destined for private pockets.

“With regard to the Red Bean Army allegations that the DAP employs thousands of cybertroopers, they are all not true.

“DAP has never spent a single sen nor funded any Red Bean Army,” Lim (right) reiterated while debating the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He claimed there are reports that some in Umno were asking for RM250 million to fight the Red Bean Army.

“Now I know why the rumour was started by those who spread the slander as a vested interest. It is not to fight the Red Bean Army, but to enrich themselves,” Lim said.

At this, Shabudin Yahaya (BN-Tasek Gelugor) raised a point of order, quoting Standing Order 36(6) which prohibits MPs from making presumptions of bad intentions on other members.

However, Shahbudin’s protest was set aside by presiding deputy speaker  Ismail Mohamed Said.

“I feel that he has no ill intentions,” said Ismail, dismissing the matter.

Lim was commenting on the recent allegations by BN, mainly spearheaded by pro-government bloggers and NGOs, accusing DAP of funding a thousands-strong Red Bean Army of pro-opposition cybertroopers to spread DAP propaganda in cyberspace.

The allegations have been ridiculed by DAP and Pakatan as based on the wild imaginations of BN supporters.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 June 2013, 6:20 pm and is filed under
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How do we proceed from here?

– The Malaysian Insider

Jun 27, 2013

If Malaysians are to have respect for the country’s institutions, they must have respect for the men and women who staff these institutions. The minute we harbour doubts about the character and integrity of an individual leading an organisation, it only stands to reason that our view of that organisation will be down in the dumps as well.

This premise holds true for the police and the Election Commission.

Yesterday the standing of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar’s took a big hit. He was accused by Justice Datuk VT Singham of malfeasance in the death in police custody of A. Kugan.

He was the Selangor Chief Police when there was a cover-up to hide the fact that police personnel beat the suspect to death. It is no wonder that there are calls for his resignation.

We should expect nothing less than integrity, honesty and a great respect for the rule of law from any policeman. These are minimum standards. How much more should we expect from the IGP?

He sets the tone for the whole force.

Can we be certain that he will not turn a blind eye to criminal acts by his men as he seemed to have done those years ago? Death in police custody is a big concern, and there seems to finally be some momentum on the government’s part to tackle this issue.

Does Khalid have the standing to clean up the force and set an exemplary standard of behaviour? The High Court’s judgment does not make for comforting reading.

Of even less comfort was Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim’s disclosure that the Election Commission used food dye, instead of indelible ink at the May 5th general election.

At what point does our rage against the EC subside? The day the chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof and his deputy Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar are shown the door?

The duo have compromised the public standing of this institution by their partisan comments and unwillingness to accept that there is much public skepticism about their handling of the elections.

They have been so reluctant to clean up the electoral rolls and everytime some critic brought up questions about the possibility of electoral fraud, they proudly trumpeted the use of indelible ink as proof of the EC’s commitment to free and fair elections.

Well, now we know all about the indelible ink. And to think that Malaysians had to wait nearly two months after the elections to find out the truth about the “ink”.

What more are they hiding for the electorate? Is electoral reform possible with the two compromised leaders of the EC still calling the shots?

Perhaps a better question is this: what happens to an institution or organisation when the top is infected with disease, malaise, poor judgement,etc?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 June 2013, 7:55 am and is filed under
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MCA with Nowhere to Go

by Kee Thuan Chye

24th June 2013

Post-GE13 (13th general election), the MCA is looking more lost than ever before. It is like the partygoer who is all dressed up with nowhere to go. Except that in its case, its dress is somewhat tattered and its face rather bruised after the beating it took at the polls. From the 15 parliamentary seats it held prior to GE13, it now has only seven – and for this poor showing, it has had to heed the call of its president, Chua Soi Lek, to refrain from taking positions in government, including the Cabinet.

Way before GE13, Chua had taken the ill-advised stand that if the MCA did not get enough voter support, it would play no part in government. He had expected then that the Chinese community the party claims to represent would largely abandon it, and in order to win them back sought to make them fear that a government without MCA representation would be disastrous.

Too bad for him and the party, the strategy didn’t work. Simply because fear-mongering and threats don’t go down well with Malaysian voters any more, especially if they can think for themselves and opt to do the right thing. Besides, the Chinese already knew that MCA participation in the government was little more than endorsing whatever big brother Umno decided, rather than fighting for the community. So they dealt the MCA its biggest blow.

Now, because of Chua’s hubris, all and sundry among the MCA leaders have to abide by his foolish stand. And, naturally, this is bound to cause disgruntlement among its ranks. And likely mutiny.

Already, in Johor, Tee Siew Keong has defied the order by accepting an executive councillor position. In response, the party’s presidential council has suspended him for three years. It did not go so far as to sack him, but its action is enough to cause uneasiness.

Last week, vice-president Donald Lim Siang Chai reportedly said Chua should admit he was wrong about his stand and call for an extraordinary general meeting to review the order. But this drew Chua’s ire – apart from insisting that the decision was a collective one made by the party’s central committee, he lashed out at Lim for having been one of those who endorsed it.

Lim, however, maintained that Chua was the “key figure” behind the decision, and that no one in the central committee had dared to object.

Since then, only a few days ago, a high-ranking party leader who declined to be named has publicly acknowledged agreement with Chua that the decision was made collectively, but he also said it was a “collective mistake”.

“And we must collectively correct that mistake,” he added.

Chua must be a poor student of human nature not to have seen this coming. No one who has experienced being in a position of some power before would want to give it up without rancour. Not if they feel they are entitled to it as leaders of a senior component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

Even though in the past Cabinets, the MCA had been holding ministerial portfolios of lesser significance than those of Umno, its ministers had nonetheless benefitted in numerous ways, not least of which was acquiring prominence, if not riches as well. (Let’s not go to the extent of the Port Klang Free Zone scandal, though.) Now, however, they have become virtual nobodies. It takes getting used to. Or maybe never.

Chua may not understand the loss his colleagues are now experiencing because although he was once a minister himself, he was not eventually deprived of it because of some unpopular party ruling. In his case, he was compelled to step down – even if the decision were his own – by his own carelessness and indiscretion, in carrying on a sexual assignation in the same premises over a period of time and therefore facilitating discovery. As such, he had no one to blame for losing his office.

This is, however, not the case with, for example, his current deputy, Liow Tiong Lai, who was health minister before GE13. If not for the ruling, he would have easily been made minister again. In fact, Prime Minister Najib Razak has left the transport minister position open; if the MCA changes its stand, Liow could be the man to fill it. If not Ong Tee Keat.

Understandably, then, Liow is showing signs of defiance too by defending Lim and telling off Chua for censuring the latter. Beneath that defiance must lurk a sense of frustration and perhaps unhappiness over a missed opportunity.

These personal issues aside, it must be understood that the MCA is a party that has been used to being in government since even before independence. Now that it’s not, it would naturally feel lost and disconnected. Indeed, one of the fundamental dilemmas it now faces is, what is the role it should play?

It is still part of the ruling coalition, but it has no governing role. Does this make it any better off than an Opposition party? How should it address public issues?

Of course, it could now prove itself to truly represent the Chinese by being more vocal about matters that disfavour the community, such as racially discriminatory policies and practices, cronyism and rent-seeking. It could also speak up on issues that affect the nation as a whole, and even criticise wrong measures taken by the Government. That would indeed be serving the people. But would it dare to do so?

On the other hand, if it doesn’t, what is it functioning for?

Did Chua foresee this central dilemma before he pushed through the motion concerning no government positions? Did he anticipate the state the MCA would find itself in?

Clearly, the MCA needs to redefine itself. Whereas the Chinese electorate, especially in the last five to six years, has moved ahead of the political game, the party is still caught in a time warp. Only a minority of Chinese Malaysians still see the need for a Chinese-based party; most others welcome multi-racialism.

In any case, they don’t expect much more from a government than fair treatment, respect for their rights as citizens, good governance, corrupt-free leadership. They don’t even dream of having a Chinese prime minister, despite what some Umno provocateurs would have us believe. To them, a party of any race, or a combination of races, would win their vote as long as it provided the necessities.

In this regard, even if the MCA ceased to be, it wouldn’t matter. GE13 proved that to be so.

As such, the big challenge for the MCA now is to face the new paradigm and decide what it needs to do to be relevant not only for now but also for the future. If it continues to deny that things have changed and that the electorate has moved on, it will be doomed.

It will become a party that is all messed up with nowhere to go.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling books No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians and Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More!

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 June 2013, 11:16 pm and is filed under
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National Reconciliation Requires Realisation, Non-Retaliation and Reforms

Shortly after the results of the 13th general election were announced, Prime Minister Najib promised to undertake a national reconciliation program. While the intention of that announcement may have been good, the actions and words of Prime Minister Najib and some of his cabinet ministers and Barisan Nasional leaders have been anything by reconciliatory. In fact, what we saw and what we continue to see are troubling signs that the desire is not to have national reconciliation but to have national retaliation.

This comes from a misguided and mistaken view that it was the ‘Chinese Tsunami’ that caused the BN to lose an additional 7 parliament seats and to fail to win back Selangor and Penang while in fact it was a ‘Malaysian tsunami’ that saw the opposition representation strengthened at the federal and state levels. Without this realisation, without a firm commitment towards non-retaliation and to undertake extensive reforms, Prime Minister Najib’s national reconciliation plan has died before it has even taken off.

It was not a ‘Chinese Tsunami’ that allowed Kelantan to be retained by Pakatan Rakyat. It was not a ‘Chinese Tsunami’ that almost saw Pakatan take over the state government of Terengganu where 96% of all voters are Malay. It was not a ‘Chinese Tsunami’ that allowed Pakatan to capture the 88% Malay seat of Kuala Terengganu, the 98% Malay seat of Kuala Nerus, the 96% Malay seat of Dungun, the 64% Malay seat of Temerloh, the 61% Malay seat of Alor Setar, the 57% Malay seat of Sepang and the 66% Sabah Bumiputera seat of Penampang. It was not a ‘Chinese Tsunami’ that saw PAS increase its state seats in Selangor from 8 to 17, all of them in Malay majority areas.

It was a ‘Malaysian Tsunami’ which saw all three Pakatan parties increase their share of vote in Peninsular Malaysia. It was a ‘Malaysian Tsunami’ which allowed Pakatan to win 713,000 more votes than Barisan Nasional in Peninsular Malaysia. It was a ‘Malaysian Tsunami’ which allowed Pakatan Rakyat to win 51% of popular vote in Malaysia thereby making the BN a minority supported government. It was a ‘Malaysian Tsunami’ which saw BN’s vote share in Perlis – a 85% Malay state – fall by almost 5%. It was a ‘Malaysian Tsunami’ which saw BN’s vote share in Pahang – a 70% Malay state – fall by 4.3%. It was a ‘Malaysian tsunami’ which saw BN’s vote share in Sabah – a 80% Sabah Bumiputera state – fall by almost 7%. It was a ‘Malaysian tsunami’ which saw BN’s vote share in Johor – a 53% Malay, 39% Chinese and 7% Indian state – fall by more than 10%.

BN leaders, including Prime Minister Najib, do not want Malaysians and even their own supporters to know that there are many Malay, Sarawak and Sabah Bumiputera majority seats where the support for the BN has fallen significantly but not by enough for the BN to lose these seats. For example, in the 81% Malay seat of Kangar, UMNO’s support fell by 16%. In the 66% Malay seat of Sungai Besar, UMNO’s support fell by 10%. In the 49% Dayak, 44% Malay / Melanau seat of Saratok in Sarawak, BN’s support fell by 24%. In the 70% Dayak seat of Baram, BN’s support fell by 17.4%. In Sabah, the BN won 4 Sabah Bumiputera majority seats of Kota Marudu, Keningau, Tenom and Pensiangan with less than 50% of the popular vote. By trying to portray this as a Chinese tsunami, BN leaders are trying to hide the fact that the BN continues to lose support in these seats, as they have in the 13th General Election, this ‘Malaysian tsunami’ will sweep them out of power in the 14th General Election.

It was tremendously irresponsible of Najib to call the 13th General Election a ‘Chinese Tsunami’. Najib’s statement, directly and indirectly, sent a signal to the public that it was acceptable to single out the Chinese community as being ‘disloyal’ to the BN and hence, appropriate action needed to be taken against this community. None other than Najib’s own deputy, Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin was quoted as saying that ‘The clear message is that the majority of the Malays, Indians, Bumiputera, Orang Asli, Siamese community as well as those in Sabah and Sarawak still support the BN. We will continue to give them greater assistance, that is what we will do’. By excluding the Chinese community from this group and by ignoring the fact that many Malays, Indians, Bumiputera, Orang Asli and Siamese also did not support BN, the Deputy Prime Minister is effectively singling out the Chinese community to be ‘assisted less’!

Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah, in a post-elections forum organized by the UiTM Malaysia Alumni Association and the Gabungan Melayu Semenanjung, warned the Chinese to prepare for a possible backlash from the Malays for their alleged ‘betrayal’ against the BN. At the same forum, Tan Sri Abdul Rahmad Arshad, Pro-Chancellor of UiTM, called for the abolishment of vernacular schools because he blamed them for causing the racial polarization that led to the BN losing the popular vote in the 13th general election. More recently, the new Chief Minister of Melaka, Idris Haron, has decided to close down the Jonker Street night market reportedly because the voters there did not support MCA and by extension the BN. Of course, who can forget the provocative headline by Utusan – Apa Lagi Cina Mau? Najib opened the door with his irresponsible ‘Chinese Tsunami’ remark, the others merely took his lead. This is another clear demonstration that Prime Minster Najib’s call for a national reconciliation is an empty one.

Not surprisingly, the BN government has continued with its targeting not just of the Chinese voters but also against Pakatan Raykat leaders, NGO activists and has even threatened to take action against Malaysians who are not supportive of Barisan Nasional. Many of the organizers of the #Black505 public rallies have been charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act, an act which is supposed to protect the right to organize peaceful rallies but is instead used to unreasonably restrict this right. Others have also been charged under the Sedition Act for emphasizing the need to have these public rallies in order to protest against the unfair practices associated with the 13th General Election. Those who have been charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act and the Seditions Act include some members of this august house, including the MP for Ipoh Timur and the MP for Batu. Husam Musa was even detained overnight while on his way to attend the recent 622 rally at Padang Merbok.

Even former UMNO leaders such as Tamrin Ghafar have not been spared and has been charged under the Seditions Act. The BN government have also targeted members of civil society including student leaders such as Safwan Anang and Adam Adli as well as the leader of the Anything But UMNO (ABU) movement, Haris Ibrahim by charging them under the Seditions Act. There have even been remarks by Immigration Director-General Datuk Alies Ahmad who warned that passports of Malaysians overseas could be cancelled if any of them were to continue to protest the results of the 13th General Election in foreign countries. If there is anything sincere or substantive about Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan, it is that his government is consistent in targeting and persecuting Malaysians from all backgrounds as long as they voice out their support for public rallies to protest against the unfairness of the 13th General Election.

Ironically, it seems that Prime Minister Najib’s strategy for achieving National Reconciliation is to unite public opinion against the Barisan Nasional government through the persecution of Pakatan leaders, members of civil society and the average Malaysian who highlight the many problems associated with the 13th General Elections. This is not a National Reconciliation Plan but is instead a National Retaliation Plan.

One of the key people responsible for racializing the 13th general elections’ campaign and its aftermath is former Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir. He accused me of wanting to disrupt the good relations between the Malays and the Chinese in Johor when I decided to leave my former seat of Ipoh Timur to contest in Gelang Patah. After the 13th General Election, he blamed the DAP for playing on racial sentiment to draw Chinese support away from the BN. If Dr. Mahathir really wants to know who the real racists are, he should look to the party and leaders responsible for fielding PERKASA’s Zulkifli Nordin in Shah Alam and for making way for PERKASA chief, Ibrahim Ali, to contest as the ‘de facto’ BN candidate in Pasir Mas. He should look to those responsible for sending former Johor Menteri Besar, Abdul Ghani Othman, to replace the MCA candidate in Gelang Patah. These are the real chauvinists, the real racists.

By comparison, all the Pakatan Rakyat parties broke new ground in the 13th general elections. The DAP broke new ground in 2013 with the successful election of 2 Malay MPs (Zairil Khair Johari in Bukit Bendera, Penang and Mohd Ariff Sabri bin Abdul Aziz in Raub, Pahang), 1 Malay ADUN (Tengku Zulpuri Shah bin Raja Puji in Mentakab in Pahang) and 1 Kadazan ADUN (Dr. Edwin Bosi in Kepayan in Sabah). In terms of Indian representation, DAP now has more Indian MPs (6) and ADUNs (14) compared to MIC (4 MPs and 5 ADUNs).

The DAP broke new ground in 2013 by fielding 7 Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera parliamentary candidates. In fact, DAP fielded more Sarawak Bumiputera candidates (6) compared to Chinese candidates (5) in Sarawak.

Dr. Mahathir also accused the DAP of fielding Chinese candidates only in Chinese majority constituencies. Again, Dr. Mahathir has failed miserably to do his homework. The DAP fielded 8 Chinese candidates in non-Chinese majority parliamentary seats including P135 Alor Gajah which is 58% Malay. DAP won 7 of these mixed parliament seats including P128 Seremban which is 44% Malay, 41% Chinese and 14% Indian.

DAP also fielded 12 Chinese candidates in non-Chinese majority state seats including N1 Titi Tinggi in Perlis which is 76% Malay and N14 Kelebang in Melaka which is 60% Malay. The DAP won 10 out of these 12 state seats including N11 Derga in Kedah which is 56% Malay and N21 Duyong which is 50% Malay.

All in all, DAP won 9 parliament and 17 state seats which were non-Chinese majority (<50% Chinese voters) including P80 Raub which is a 50% Malay parliament seat and also N30 Mentakab, which is a 50% Malay state seat. Both of these seats were contested and won by DAP Malay candidates.

At the same time, PAS also fielded a Chinese non-Muslim candidate – Hu Pang Chow, the head of the PAS Supporter’s Club – in the parliament seat of Ayer Hitam in Johor. PAS also fielded an Indian non-Muslim candidate – Kumutha A/P Rahman – in the state seat of Tiram in Johor.

PKR was also successful in breaking new ground in Sabah by successfully electing 1 Kadazan MP (Darell Leiking in Penampang) as well as 3 Kadazan ADUNs and 2 Sabah Muslim ADUNs. At the parliamentary level, PKR has 16 Malay, 9 Chinese, 4 Indian and 1 Kadazan MP.

From the perspective of trying to bridge ethnic divides and build bridges among the diverse communities in Malaysia, the Pakatan Rakyat parties have been doing this way before the elections. These efforts are reflected in the ethnic composition of our candidates and by extension of our elected representatives. We are way ahead on this issue, unlike the BN, who is starting this national reconciliation process only after the conclusion of the 13th General Election.

(Speech in Parliament on the motion of thanks on Royal Address on Thursday, 27th 2013)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 27 June 2013, 4:33 pm and is filed under
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Conscientious Reconciliation

Allan CF Goh

28th June 2013

Good politics for the people,

Is good politics for the nation.

It’s not about supremacy.

It’s about exemplary notion.

For voters in democracies,

It’s about moral imperative.

Performing with moral conscience,

Government must claim superlative.

Any government becomes bad,

When it survives on wild, constant ill,

Diverting from people’s real need,

To arrogantly plunder at will.

The treasury is sacrosanct,

Meant for enhancing peoples’ living.

It is not for official squander,

Nor for anybody’s pilfering.

All those citizens who need help,

Regardless of their colour or race,

Can appeal to their government,

To provide them economic grace.

Money derived from the taxes,

Is the people’s rightful property.

It should be used with utmost care,

With proper accounting, propriety.

Corruption depletes the coffer,

And desecrate the morality,

Wreaking havoc in society,

Leaving behind vile duplicity.

All the collected public fund,

Is for citizens’ development,

(Like good, affordable housing),

And for citizens’ best endowment.

Education forms a large part

In ensuring the nation’s future;

There is nothing too excessive

For real talents to grow and mature.

For any nation to grow and glow,

It must have unified one-people,

Pulling and pushing the same way,

So as not to have their efforts crippled.

When the nation fails to unite,

Through bad, inconsistent policy,

The country risks falling apart,

This is really a sad prophecy.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 June 2013, 2:19 pm and is filed under
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The Resolutions that MCA Needs to Debate On

Koon Yew Yin

28th June 2013

Just before the elections, I predicted that the curtain was coming down on the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and warned of its demise as a force in Malaysian politics.

The elections showed that my prediction was right. The party suffered a stunning loss of support and won a dismal seven parliamentary and 11 state assembly seats.  In numerical terms, the party has only 3 per cent of total parliamentarians and 2 per cent of total state assemblymen in the country’s Dewan Rakyat and state assemblies.

MCA as a Mosquito Party Serving UMNO’s Interests

What this means is that the party is effectively a mosquito party.  However, the leaders of the MCA are still refusing to accept the fact that the party has been consigned to the dustbin of Malaysian political history by our electorate.  In fact they are behaving and talking as if they are important and influential stake players in the country’s political system. This explains why Chua Soi Lek and his gang are so keen on reversing the earlier MCA general assembly resolutions of 2011 and 2012 to not accept any government posts in the event that the party perform worse than during the 2008 elections.

Of course, UMNO leaders, including the ultras such as Ibrahim Ali and Dr. Mahathir, are keen on getting the MCA to renege on its earlier decision and are pushing for a few MCA leaders to take up positions in the cabinet and state legislatures. It serves UMNO’s political agenda by providing the fig leaf of multi-racial cooperation behind which UMNO and Malay dominance can be asserted.

It also provides the basis for the UMNO claim that non-Malay interests are factored into policy making at the highest level and that there are no policies of marginalization and exclusion aimed at non-Malay communities.

But how true is this claim of a fair or equal political partnership between UMNO and MCA?  Ask any Chinese – Chinese or English educated; blue collar or white collar; rich or poor.  They will all say that on issues close to the Chinese heart such as education, civil service employment, and equal opportunity in the economy, the MCA is a chicken hearted and spineless party that has sold out the Chinese in return for a small number of leaders at the top getting filthy rich and sharing the loot from being middlemen and facilitators to big business and UMNO cronies.

Resolutions to Transform MCA

In light of its long record of political impotency in tackling Chinese or Malaysian concerns (the MCA’s record on civil liberties, human rights, social reform, environmental management is equally negative and pathetic) I would like to suggest that the party – should it convene an emergency general meeting (EGM) as proposed by Chua Soi Lek or at its next annual general meeting (AGM) –debate two alternative resolutions.

1.	The first is a resolution for the party to leave the BN and to join the opposition.

2.	The second, should the first fail, is to dissolve the party and establish a new party with a new name and a totally new slate of leaders to change the future direction of the party.  All the old guards should be kept out to show that the new MCA is serious about reform and protecting the interests of all Malaysians, especially the Chinese.

To my way of thinking these resolutions would be more realistic, sensible and urgently required than the one that is aimed at asking delegates to revoke the earlier decision and to provide the opportunity for Chua Soi Lek, his son and various other MCA crony leaders to return to lucrative government positions that will only benefit them personally.

In joining the opposition the party will bring considerable financial assets estimated to run into billions of ringgit for the use of the opposition during the next elections. The deployment of these enormous financial resources will provide the fire power that will surely ensure victory for the opposition PR. In this way the MCA can change the course of its own as well as Malaysia’s political history and remain a force in Malaysian politics.

I am confident that the strategy proposed here will be supported by the majority of delegates as well as by the Chinese public.  If taken up, it will bring an end to the anger, agony and disappointment that millions of Chinese have experienced as a result of the MCA’s collaboration in the running down of the rights and interest of the Chinese and other non-Malay communities.  It will also provide a fresh start by opening the way for new blood and less towkay-driven Chinese participation in the country’s political life and bring Chinese politics to a higher ethical and moral level, free of the business and sexual scandals that have plagued the current leadership.

Success for the current “return to government” resolution currently vigorously lobbied for by the President’s men and UMNO will undoubtedly please UMNO as it continues to look to the MCA to act as its cover in the mis-governance of the country. But it will only result in more despise and disdain from the voting public at the avarice and greed of the party’s leaders in reversing an “irreversible decision”.  And this in turn can only bring more grief and suffering for the Chinese community’s interest and concerns.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 June 2013, 11:18 am and is filed under
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Will Najib act against Home Minister and IGP? Malaysia hit by a second national haze emergency of accountability, integrity and good governance revolving around two top security officials, IGP and Home Minister

Even before the haze from the Riau and Sumatra peat fires, which have caused state of emergency to be declared and thousands of schools to be closed in various states, have been fully resolved, Malaysia has been hit by a new haze emergency – the haze of accountability, integrity and good governance revolving around two top security officials, the Inspector-General of Police and the Home Minister.

Who would have thought that in matter of 48 hours, it was possible to reduce to smithereens the credibility and authority of the country’s two topmost security officials, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

On Wednesday, Kuala Lumpur High Court judge, Justice Datuk V.T. Singham (who turned 65 today and went on optional retirement a year before his term is up), found Khalid who was Selangor police chief at the time responsible in the death of suspected car thief A Kugan during police custody from grievous injuries at the Taipan police station on Jan 20, 2009.

In a landmark ruling which saw the family of Kugan winning RM801,700 in damages, Justice Singham found the police and the Government liable for Kugan’s death and said Khalid was liable for misfeasance of public office.

Yesterday, the Federal Court dismissed Zahid’s bid to strike out an assault suit filed against him by a businessman Amir Bazli Abdullah in connection with assault in 2006.

Court of Appeal president Justice Md Raus Sharif, who headed a five-member bench, said the issues brought up by Zahid’s counsel Shamsul Bahrain Ibrahim were factual and should be heard in a trial at the High Court.

With this ruling of the highest court in the country, the civil suit by Amir Bazli Abdullah against the home minister will begin in the High Court in Shah Alam on Aug 26.

It is indeed the height of irony that only a fortnight ago, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said that Malaysian voters had conveyed a clear message in the 13th General Election that they want the government to be more stern and bold in defending the important institutions in the country, “enforcing the law, upholding the country’s Constitution”, but these two incidents involving the Home Minister and the IGP have conveyed the exact opposite message that the credibility, integrity and authority of national institutions are facing unprecedented assault after the 13GE.

It is unlikely the Home Minister can suggest that the IGP should assume full responsibility for Kugan’s death when there is the question as to why the police had not carried out investigations and charged Zahid for the offence of assault against Amir Bazli in 2006.

Similarly, it is unlikely that the IGP can suggest that the Home Minister should assume full responsibility for the assault case of 2006 when Khalid himself is in the dock over responsibility for Kugan’s death in police custody in 2009.

Both the Home Minister and the IGP seemed to be trapped in a lock-step, with neither able to assert full authority over the other because each has a skeleton in the cupboard.

Is this the way for the Barisan Nasional government to restore national and international confidence in the key institutions in the country after the 13GE?

In less than two months, the post-13GE Barisan Nasional government is facing a full-blown crisis in good governance.

Malaysians are entitled to know how the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak proposes to resolve this second national emergency of the haze of accountability, integrity and good governance revolving around two top security officials, whether he would terminate, suspend or ask both Zahid and Khalid to take leave of absence from their offices until both of them have cleared themselves of the serious charges and allegations of improprieties and wrongdoings made against them.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 28 June 2013, 3:38 pm and is filed under
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Going bonkers over Jonker Walk

P Gunasegaram

Malaysiakini

Jun 28, 2013

QUESTION TIME
 The closing down of the Jonker Walk night market in Malacca’s Chinatown is yet another reflection and manifestation of the hard stand that some people within Umno are taking against the so-called ‘Chinese tsunami’ in the last general election.

While common sense may have prevailed to stop this totally short-sighted move by the new chief minister of Malacca, who is now vigorously backpedalling after his earlier outbursts and his highly irrational justification of the closure, that something like this can happen is a major cause for concern.

Various quarters – and especially Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia – have systematically attempted to fan Malay hatred against the Chinese by perpetrating half-truths, portraying the swing of Chinese votes away from BN as a plot by the community to take over political power.

Although such an assertion cannot be true simply because Chinese voters only form some 28 percent of the total, and the opposition which also has Malay-based parties such as PKR and PAS for whom the Chinese voted, no major Umno leader has come out to openly condemn such blatantly racist and possibly seditious remarks aimed at inciting racial tensions.

his has resulted in more so-called Malay champions such as the Malacca chief minister coming forward to do what they, in their myopic view, see as their duty to punish those who voted against the BN, and especially the Chinese.

While Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron now denies that there was an element of punishment in the move to close the Jonker Walk night market and insists that traffic alleviation was the purpose, that was not what he maintained at first.

Malaysiakini reported that according to Kwong Wah Daily, Idris had argued that the decision passed by the Malacca executive council on June 12 to close the night market – which has been attracting tourists for 13 years – “follows the intention of the people”.

Idris reminded that it was DAP that protested against the state government’s decision to cordon off Jonker Walk from road users to make way for the night market, when the idea was first mooted.

That time, he said, DAP slammed the state government for sacrificing the interests of road users to benefit only some 200 hawkers.

‘We hope they will be happy’

“Now, we see most of the Malacca residents fully supporting DAP over MCA candidates who have been serving them. Hence, we decided to cancel the night market and we hope they will be happy,” the daily quotes Idris as saying.

He admitted that MCA’s electoral defeat in the state prompted the closure of Jonker Walk. Incredibly, he added that he was not worried about the impact of the closure as there were other tourist destinations in Malacca.

However, Idris backtracked when Tourism Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (left) denied that the Jonker Walk night market has been closed down in order to punish Chinese hawkers who did not support MCA and the government in the May 5 general election.

In the meantime, the prime minister weighed in by saying that he will discuss the closure of Jonker Walk with the state government, putting further pressure on Idris. Perhaps the hitherto little-known Idris might take comfort in the fact that he is now the centre of attention and that he might be regarded among Umno hardliners as a sort of hero.

If he intends to go for a position in the Umno polls later this year, the entire silly episode may give him some standing. Aspiring, upcoming politicians know only too well that taking a hard stance is one of the quickest ways of getting recognised. Loss of credibility is probably more than compensated for by name recognition.

What is amazing about this entire event is that a chief minister can go to the extent of deliberately closing down Jonker Walk, affect the livelihood of perhaps up to 200 stall and shop owners, and even adversly affect the tourism industry, which is a mainstay of Malacca’s economy.

If so many tourists are coming to Malacca and causing traffic jams in and around Malacca because of Jonker Walk and its attractions, surely the solution must lie in easing the traffic congestion rather than killing the golden goose.

Those who come to Jonker Street surely will also go to other parts of Malacca and partake of its other offerings. It stands to reason that everyone – not just Jonker Street traders whatever race they may be – will benefit if more people come to the street.

But the ultimate result of hate-mongering is that the nose is cut to spite the entire face. Let’s stop these kinds of incidents in their tracks, focus on what is best for everyone, and let reason and common sense prevail.

Unfortunately, this is something we seem to be finding increasingly harder to do in the wake of the general election.

P GUNASEGARAM is founding editor of KiniBiz.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 29 June 2013, 6:59 am and is filed under
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Pakatan Rakyat governments must never commit undemocratic vengeance or vindictiveness  like Jonker Walk outrage in Malacca which is nothing but national retaliation

The Jonker Walk outrage in Malacca, where the Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Idris Haron is seeking to close down the Jonker Walk night market by some 300 traders on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, by opening up the area to traffic, is among the worst examples of political vindictiveness and retaliation by the Barisan Nasional  after the 13th general election.

The claim that the Jonker Walk market is among the causes of a four-hour traffic snarl that stretches up to the Ayer Kerol toll plaza is utterly baseless.

It can probably serve three  petty objectives – to take vengeance against the people of Malacca for not supporting the Barisan Nasional in the 13th general election, continuation of the Chinese-bashing indulged by chauvinist UMNO elements like the irresponsible Utusan Malaysia’s “Apa Lagi Cina Mahu” rhetoric, and to make Idris Harun an instant hero and top vote-getter in the UMNO party elections at the end of the year.

Idris is probably trying to pick a leaf from the former Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik, who some 30 years  became an instant hero by getting the highest votes in the ensuing UMNO party elections for the UMNO Supreme Council because of his proposal to demolish the ancient Bukit China cemetery grounds.

Like the “Save Bukit China” campaign three decades ago, the “Save Jonker Walk tourist attraction” is not a local Malacca issue, but a national and even international issue, affecting not just the Chinese, but all Malaysians regardless of race or region.

This is because Jonker Walk is undoubtedly an international tourist attraction and what Idris is trying to do is nothing less than “cutting the nose to spite the face”!

In fact, it is clear that the Barisan Nasional’s national retaliation plan, starting with the Jonker Walk outrage, is also targeted at Malays as well, as is  evident from the action to close down the Cempaka Ramadhan market in Malacca affecting Malay stallholders because of the defeat of former Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam in the Batu Katil parliamentary seat.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants Malaysia to become the world’s best democracy. We cannot even take-off on this objective when Umno/BN leaders are not prepared to accept the most fundamental perequisite of a democratic mindset and culture – to accept the democratic right of voters to choose the representative and political party they want.

How can Malaysia ever become the world’s “best democracy” when Malaysians have only the democratic right to vote for Umno/Barisan Nasional candidates, or they would be subject to punitive and retaliatory actions like the Jonker Walk outrage?

Or is a Barisan Nasional government going to declare  that it would openly penalise and discriminate against voters who did not support the Barisan Nasional in the general elections, and would not even accept their taxes and rates?

How can any Barisan Nasional government continue to collect taxes and rates from the people and yet discriminate against them for exercising their constitutional and democratic right to vote the candidates and political parties of their choice?

Najib promised me in Parliament on Wednesday that he will discuss the Jonker Walk issue with the Malacca state government following my complaint that the Barisan Nasional was punishing voters for not voting for the Barisan Nasional in the recent general elections, which was openly against his own talk of a “national reconciliation” as it was nothing but “national retaliation”.

It cannot be that a dynamic and effective  Prime Minister would need a long time to resolve the Jonker Walk issue.

Is the Prime Minister completely helpless as far as the Jonker Walk issue is concerned?

Pakatan Rakat governments must show a different democratic culture and mindset from Barisan Nasional.

Pakatan Rakyat governments whether in Selangor, Penang or Kelantan,  must never commit undemocratic vindictiveness  like the Jonker Walk outrage in Malacca which is nothing but national retaliation.

Pakatan Rakyat must show that it is completely different from Barisan Nasional in terms of our democratic commitments and impulses.

  Speech by DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Gelang Patah Lim Kit Siang at the opening of the Selangor DAP MPs/SAs workshop held in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 29th June 2013 at 9.30 am:

Pakatan Rakyat governments must never commit undemocratic vengeance or vindictiveness  like Jonker Walk outrage in Malacca which is nothing but national retaliation

The Jonker Walk outrage in Malacca, where the Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Idris Haron is seeking to close down the Jonker Walk night market by some 300 traders on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, by opening up the area to traffic, is among the worst examples of political vindictiveness and retaliation by the Barisan Nasional  after the 13th general election.

The claim that the Jonker Walk market is among the causes of a four-hour traffic snarl that stretches up to the Ayer Kerol toll plaza is utterly baseless.

It can probably serve three  petty objectives – to take vengeance against the people of Malacca for not supporting the Barisan Nasional in the 13th general election, continuation of the Chinese-bashing indulged by chauvinist UMNO elements like the irresponsible Utusan Malaysia’s “Apa Lagi Cina Mahu” rhetoric, and to make Idris Harun an instant hero and top vote-getter in the UMNO party elections at the end of the year.

Idris is probably trying to pick a leaf from the former Malacca Chief Minister,

Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik, who some 30 years  became an instant hero by getting the highest votes in the ensuing UMNO party elections for the UMNO Supreme Council because of his proposal to demolish the ancient Bukit China cemetery grounds.

Like the “Save Bukit China” campaign three decades ago, the “Save Jonker Walk tourist attraction” is not a local Malacca issue, but a national and even international issue, affecting not just the Chinese, but all Malaysians regardless of race or region.

This is because Jonker Walk is undoubtedly an international tourist attraction and what Idris is trying to do is nothing less than “cutting the nose to spite the face”!

In fact, it is clear that the Barisan Nasional’s national retaliation plan, starting with the Jonker Walk outrage, is also targeted at Malays as well, as is  evident from the action to close down the Cempaka Ramadhan market in Malacca affecting Malay stallholders because of the defeat of former Malacca Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam in the Batu Katil parliamentary seat.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants Malaysia to become the world’s best democracy. We cannot even take-off on this objective when Umno/BN leaders are not prepared to accept the most fundamental perequisite of a democratic mindset and culture – to accept the democratic right of voters to choose the representative and political party they want.

How can Malaysia ever become the world’s “best democracy” when Malaysians have only the democratic right to vote for Umno/Barisan Nasional candidates, or they would be subject to punitive and retaliatory actions like the Jonker Walk outrage?

Or is a Barisan Nasional government going to declare  that it would openly penalise and discriminate against voters who did not support the Barisan Nasional in the general elections, and would not even accept their taxes and rates?

How can any Barisan Nasional government continue to collect taxes and rates from the people and yet discriminate against them for exercising their constitutional and democratic right to vote the candidates and political parties of their choice?

Najib promised me in Parliament on Wednesday that he will discuss the Jonker Walk issue with the Malacca state government following my complaint that the Barisan Nasional was punishing voters for not voting for the Barisan Nasional in the recent general elections, which was openly against his own talk of a “national reconciliation” as it was nothing but “national retaliation”.

It cannot be that a dynamic and effective  Prime Minister would need a long time to resolve the Jonker Walk issue.

Is the Prime Minister completely helpless as far as the Jonker Walk issue is concerned?

Pakatan Rakat governments must show a different democratic culture and mindset from Barisan Nasional.

Pakatan Rakyat governments whether in Selangor, Penang or Kelantan,  must never commit undemocratic vindictiveness  like the Jonker Walk outrage in Malacca which is nothing but national retaliation.

Pakatan Rakyat must show that it is completely different from Barisan Nasional in terms of our democratic commitments and impulses.

(Speech at the opening of the Selangor DAP MPs/SAs workshop held in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 29th June 2013 at 9.30 am)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 29 June 2013, 1:21 pm and is filed under
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The King’s speech and mob judgment

– Sakmongkol

Malaysiakini

June 29, 2013

A non-issue has become a contentious point by some BN MPs. Debates and opposing views on the King’s Speech are to be treated and judged the same as the slurs made against the King outside parliament – as rebellion against the King. What is happening here?

The standards of mob or crowd judgement –hysterical, unreasonable and clueless are being adopted by mob leaders inside parliament.

The leaders are easily identified- they shout the loudest in parliament and appoint themselves as leaders and spokesmen for the mob outside.

Since Independence, Royal Addresses have always been followed up by adversarial debates.

That has been the practice of parliamentary democracy.

We come to the House to debate on issues – the agenda for ensuing debates being set down by the Royal Addresses.

Since independence the Royal addresses were prepared by advisors to the Constitutional King.

In modern times, the speech is prepared by the government in power.

It is safe to assume, the King’s Gracious Speech is prepared by the PM’s office.

The Monarchy was recently attacked by individuals.

Disparaging remarks were made against the King.

The image of the King has been sullied.

The UMNO owned Press played it up stirring up emotions and anger.

This has given an excuse to UMNO front guards to treat actions by these individuals as representing a more sinister assault against the monarchy.

The ‘war’ against the Malay Monarchy was brought into parliament.

There were attempts to link the actions by individuals outside parliament to people within the House.

When Anwar Ibrahim stated that the King’s Speech wasn’t an order or an absolute edict, his statement was quickly construed as similarly mutinous.

And therefore you see the mob instincts brought into the House.

They are brought into the House by UMNO.

The nature of a mob is that it is an irrational, often violent organism that derives its energy from the group.

It’s at once irrational and devoid of logic.

Mob judgment is intoxicated by messianic goals such as declaring anyone who questions the King’s Speech as mutinous.

It feeds off and on adrenalin-pumping exhortations.

And we know, as is often the case, when a crowd goes wild, there are always some who shout louder and therefore appoint themselves as leaders.

We of course know them by another name – Umno storm trooper.

They use more insidious methods.

They twist the truths, stir up passions, demonize opponents, and rely on propaganda.

Why do these elected Umno reps shout louder than the others?

Because, their standard operating procedure is to appeal to the least informed and the weakest minded of the public.

Their support base consists of housewives, actresses and actors, artists, felons, Utusan Malaysia readers, welfare recipients, heads-up-their-asses billionaires and heads of GLCs with humongous salaries. – Sakmongkol

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 29 June 2013, 2:53 pm and is filed under
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Cabinet should withdraw Section 107(b) of Administration of Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 to give time for Malaysians  to achieve  national consensus on conversion of minor children to Islam  in keeping with the Constitution and to promote family integrity, freedom of religion and  national harmony

The Cabinet should withdraw Section 107(b) of the Administration of Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 to give time for Malaysians to achieve national consensus on conversion of minor children to Islam in keeping with the constitutional scheme contained in Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution, read with Article 160 and the Eleventh Schedule, and to promote family integrity, freedom of religion and national harmony.

Former Cabinet Minister, United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) head Tan Sri Bernard Dompok  said yesterday that the provision is a contradiction to the 1Malaysia concept of acceptance, inclusiveness and moderation, suggesting a full discussion by Barisan Nasional on this issue and related religious issues before proceeding with the provision in Parliament.

Dompok said that a few months ago when he was still in the Cabinet, he had asked for the withdrawal of a paper on the bill in Cabinet as he felt that an earlier Cabinet decision on the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 should be implemented instead.

Section 107(b) of the 64-page 116-section Administration of Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 provides that the consent of one parent alone is sufficient for the conversion of minor children to Islam, which is not only contrary to the Constitution but contravenes the Cabinet decision announced on April 23, 2009 that a single parent cannot convert a minor.

MIC has gone on public to say that it has not been consulted on the proposed Section 107(b) of the Bill while  MCA vice president Gan Ping Sieu has described as “shocking” the “steathy” tabling of the proposed provision related to child conversion, terming it as a “terrible disservice to the much talked-about national reconciliation”.

He said the proposed provision run contrary to the collective cabinet decision on 22nd April 2009 that the consent of both parents were required in the conversion of minors.

The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) and the Bar Council have raised concerns on the provision as

any unilateral conversion of children by one parent is not fair to the minor or the other parent, apart from being  unconstitutional and morally and ethically wrong.

Pakatan Rakyat MPs are discussing the provision to seek a consensus on the matter.

It will be a national disaster if the 13th Parliament starts off with a provision which splits the country down the middle, raising fundamental  questions not only about the integrity of the Constitution but the maturity of the nation’s leaders to unite rather than to divide the diverse races, religions and cultures that make up Malaysia.

It is for this reason that the Cabinet should withdraw the two-line Section 107(b) in the 64-page 116-section Administration of Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 to give time for Malaysians to achieve a national consensus on conversion of minor children to Islam in keeping with the Constitution and to promote family integrity, freedom of religion and national harmony.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 30 June 2013, 8:22 am and is filed under
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Dompok says he had told Cabinet to repeal religious conversion bill

By Yiswaree Palansamy

The Malaysian Insider

JUN 29, 2013

A leader of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition expressed disappointment today with the Cabinet for tabling a controversial bill on unilateral conversion involving children, which he said went against the 1Malaysia concept.

United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) head Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said the intention to table the bill is a contradiction to the 1Malaysia concept of acceptance, inclusiveness and moderation.

“I am surprised and disappointed that this bill was approved by Cabinet for tabling at Parliament,” he said in a statement to the media today.

Dompok said that a few months ago, he asked for the withdrawal of a paper on the bill in Cabinet as he felt that an earlier Cabinet decision on the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 should be implemented instead.

The bill in question is the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Bill 2013, which was tabled on Wednesday.

Two large prominent groups – The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) and the Bar Council – have raised concerns on the bill.

MCCBCHST also said any unilateral conversion of  children by one parent is not fair to the minor or the other parent. It added that such conversions are not only unconstitutional but morally and ethically wrong.

They want the key word in the law to remain the plural, “parents”, so that both parents of a minor must agree to any change of religion.

“The present bill appears to contravene the Federal Constitution and runs counter to the government’s transformation plans,” the former Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities said, requesting for it to be withdrawn from Parliament.

“A full discussion by BN on this issue and related religious issues must also be initiated before any bill is presented to Parliament,” Dompok added.- June 29, 2013.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 30 June 2013, 12:17 am and is filed under
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Getting serious on national reconciliation

Jeswan Kaur | June 30, 2013

Free Malaysia Today

Does Najib have an answer as to why a former judge and former premier can go on making not only seditious but racist remarks?

COMMENT

So much ‘pressure’ is being put by the federal government on the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact to accept the outcome of the May 5, 2013 general election if the latter is serious about ‘national reconciliation’.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has even gone on to say that Pakatan’s acceptance of the 13th general election result is the ‘main premise’ for reconciliation.

In fact the premier is trying very hard to appear sincere about reinstating the heavily compromised peace, to the point of claiming that the government was planning to set up a national consultative council on unity where issues concerning race, religion and policies can be discussed.

But for that to happen, Najib wants the opposition to accept the May 5 GE result.

In other words, the prime minister is saying he would only get serious about the topic of national unity if all quarters no longer questioned ‘how’ BN won the 13th general election.

While Najib dictates terms to Pakatan and all Malaysians who are against electoral fraud, his fellow Umno sycophants are sparing no efforts in hijacking any form of ‘ceasefire’ between ruling government Barisan Nasional and Pakatan.

One was the the former Appeals Court judge Mohd Noor Abdullah who a week after the 13th GE decided to court attention by calling for the defence of Malay rights.

“The result of the 13th general election and the Chinese tsunami shows that the Chinese have forgotten about the bond established 55 years ago. Expect a backlash from the Malays,” he had said then at forum organised by the Federation of Peninsula Malay Students and the UiTM Alumni Association.

Contrary to Najb assurance that the country’s peace and stability would be given top priority, Mohd Noor unabashedly promised that the Chinese community would be ‘punished’ for letting the BN government down in the May 5 general election.

‘Harassing’ the non-Malays

 Cheating at the polls and national unity are two different issues that Najib as leader of the BN coalition needs to address; however, by placing an ultimatum on ‘national reconciliation’, the premier has proven that he is not interested in bridging the dangerously-widening gap between the Malays and the non-Malays.

It is this nonchalant attitude being displayed by Najib that has prompted the likes of Mohd Noor to take it upon themselves to ‘harass’ the non-Malays.

More recently, Mohd Noor again stepped on the toes of the non-Malay communities when he called for the integration of vernacular schools into the national school system, saying their separateness was offensive to the Federal Constitution.

Delivering a lecture organised by the Muslim Consumers Association on June 19, Mohd Noor did not think twice before proclaiming that the existing vernacular schools—officially known as “national-type schools”— be changed into schools that teach pupils to gain proficiency in their mother tongues as opposed to using them as media of instruction for other school subjects.

“We should remove the labels of SJKC and SJKT; they are divisive,” Mohd Noor had said.

Were the labels ‘SJKC’ and ‘SJKT’ offensive as Mohd Noor believes, how is it that prior to the 13th GE, millions of ringgit were donated to the vernacular schools by Najib?

Were these donations then a form of bribe to the Chinese community in exchange for their votes?

Or has Mohd Noor taken it upon himself to play the Malay hulubalang or ‘warrior’ in defending all things-Malay?

National reconciliation a ‘serious business’

Do Najib and Mohd Noor understand the gravity surrounding the subject of ‘national reconciliation’?

Had they been, the duo would have refrained from making statements no less seditious in nature.

Likewise, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad too has thrown caution to the wind each time he makes statements that are seditious.

However, at the end of the day, it is Hindraf founder, lawyer P Uthayakumar who gets sentenced to 18 months’ jail for penning a letter of a seditious nature against the government to former British prime minister Gordon Brown six years ago, and PAS vice-president Husam Musa who gets nabbed enroute to Padang Merbok for the ‘Black 505′ rally for uttering ‘seditious’ words.

Husam was detained by the police under Section 4 of the Sedition Act 1948 in connection with a statement by him that those attending the gathering on June 22 were engaging in a jihad (holy war) and therefore can be considered martyred if they died in that cause.

Be it Uthayakumar’s jail sentencing or Husam’s arrest, these recent developments as far as DAP leader Lim Kit Siang goes, clearly reflect that nothing has changed despite Najib claiming ‘transformation’ was taking place.

Lim cannot help feel perplexed as to why justice continues to elude the opposition front.

The DAP veteran wants to know if Husam’s words were considered seditious, why were the “the series of seditious statements” by Mahathir not viewed as such?

“Malaysians are asking why the police have not even questioned, let alone remanded, former prime minister who had been guilty of making a series of seditious statements before, during and after the 13th general election, utterly reckless of the damage he was doing to inter-racial harmony with his racist lies and falsehoods,” Lim asked after Husam was arrested.

Does Najib have an answer as to why a former judge and former premier can go on making not only seditious but racist remarks, both that not only jeopardise any chance at ‘national reconciliation’ but are also detrimental to the nation’s peace, stability and security?

– See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/06/30/getting-serious-on-national-reconciliation/#sthash.Gce516Xu.dpuf

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 30 June 2013, 12:15 pm and is filed under
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