Will OTK lead MCA to quit BN unless UMNO leaders renounce 7-year unconstitutional “929 Declaration”?

I am surprised that the  MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is saying things that makes neither sense nor logic.  It would appear that his short tenure as the MCA President has imposed such  a  tremendous pressure that he is speaking and acting, to many,  completely out of character.

Yesterday, he came out with a blog entitled
“DAP, not MCA, should boycott KT by-election”
, which was promptly reported by the
Star
 online, with the headline
“Boycott by-election, DAP told”
 as follows:

PETALING JAYA: MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has asked DAP to boycott the Kuala Terengganu by-election campaign as a matter of principle if it is really against PAS’ plan to implement hudud and qisas laws if it comes to power at the national level.

He said if DAP chose to help campaign for PAS’ candidate in Kuala Terengganu, then it would mean that the party supported public whipping, amputation and stoning for criminal offences under hudud laws.

 “Mere words objecting to PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa’s statement on the issue would not suffice if not demonstrated by action,” Ong said in his latest posting in his blog.

Ong is not making any sense firstly,  as he is flying  in the face of the DAP record and history in trying to suggest that the DAP supports “public whipping, amputation and stoning for criminal ofences under hudud laws” – a suggestion which is so ludicrous that it does not deserve rebuttal!

It will not be surprising  if such a ridiculous allegation had come from his lowly lieutenants who have no integrity to defend but  I am amazed and wonder  what has happened to Ong  that he could descend to such a depth in so short a time after becoming MCA President!

Secondly, Ong is also not making any sense with his blog as I never suggested that MCA boycott the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Going by  his logic, Ong should lead MCA to quit the Barisan Nasional unless UMNO leaders repent and withdraw their seven-year stand that Malaysia is an Islamic state which is not only unconstitutional but totally contrary to the Merdeka social contract reached by the forefathers of the major communities on the attainment of Independence in 1957 that  Islam is the official religion but  Malaysia is not an Islamic state!

On Sept. 29, 2001, the then Prime Minister and Umno President, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad declared that Malaysia was an Islamic State, committing the MCA without referring the issue first for consultation with and consent of  the MCA leadership and membership.

But there was no need for any  prior consultation or consent from the MCA leadership in the “unequal relationship” between Umno and MCA, as evident from the  quick public support given by the MCA leadership to  the “929 Declaration”: that Malaysia was an Islamic State, although this went against all that the MCA founding fathers in particular Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Tun Tan Siew Sin had stood for.

Who is really to be blamed for UMNO playing the “bully” in the Umno-MCA relationship?

In the past seven years, this “929 Declaration” that Malaysia is an Islamic State was repeated again and again by Umno leaders, the latest by the Prime-Minister-designate Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in July last year, with the MCA leadership continuing to give tacit support.

Going by Ong’s logic in his blog, shouldn’t he be leading the MCA to quit Barisan Nasional unless UMNO leaders repent and withdraw their seven-year-old stand that Malaysia is an Islamic state, especially when this is clearly against the Malaysian Constitution and the Merdeka “social contract” that while Islam is the official religion, Malaysia is not an Islamic state?

Ong and MCA should learn from the DAP, for DAP leaders had no hesitation in publicly  declaring that PAS Vice President Datuk Husam Musa was wrong and mistaken as hukum hudud is  neither DAP nor Pakatan Rakyat policy – leading to Husam admitting that the DAP is right.

I will like to know where Ong got the idea that I had proposed that the MCA boycott the forthcoming Kuala Terengganu by-election, resulting in his retort  that it is the DAP which should boycott the by-election.

On Wednesday, I had said that “there is no need for MCA to help in the Barisan Nasional campaign for the Kuala Terengganu by-election next month” if Ong could not publicly furnish the answers to the Five Questions I had posed to him in April about the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal

My language was simple and clear. I was not asking the MCA to boycott the Kuala Terengganu by-election but giving  a clear warning that the new MCA President and leadership  risk being  exposed in the by-election as having  failed to honour Ong’s  public pledge on accountability, transparency and integrity by “telling all” about the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal – as Ong’s  press conference on Sunday was nothing but a “cover-up” and a “white-wash” of the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal!

My warning to Ong remains – that unless he is prepared to honestly and truthfully answer the Five Questions on the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal, in particular the role of the two former MCA Transport Ministers, he will be confronted with these questions in the Kuala Terengganu by-election and the MCA will not be rendering any help to the Barisan Nasional by-election campaign if the MCA President and leadership are seen as terribly defensive or worse, as being “on the run”,  from giving full and proper accountability for the PKFZ scandal.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 26 December 2008, 6:58 am and is filed under
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MCA
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Shame on you, Star

Star
,  on page N6, gave half a page to the statement by MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat with the headline:
“DAP advised to boycott polls – Ong tells party to prove it opposes hudud”
.

But it blacked out my
reply
 to Ong. Not a word at all.

Shame on you
Star
, which claims to be “The people’s paper”!

What are you afraid of?

Is this your “new journalism”?

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 27 December 2008, 11:34 am and is filed under
MCA
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Media
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Hero worship

By
FRED LIM

An arts space with a reputation for championing freedom of expression honours five people who have gone above and beyond in the pursuit of free speech this year.

FOR the past year or so, arts hub The Annexe Gallery at Central Market in Kuala Lumpur has been busy with an art bazaar called
Art For Grabs
 during which independent vendors gather to sell all manner of arts and crafts, from homemade jewellery to framed amateur photos.

The bazaar started on quite an ad-hoc basis, according to the gallery’s programme director Pang Khee Teik. “It has been quite successful and we plan to have them at least three times a year in future,” he enthuses.

Seizing the opportunity to reach a captive audience lured by retail therapy, Pang put together a variety of educational outreach events spanning art house film screenings and public lectures and forums to edgy, alternative exhibitions that run concurrently with the bazaars.

These outreach programmes had socio-political themes and featured heavyweight intellectuals – such as history scholar Farish Noor, indie filmmaker Amir Muhammad, and playwright Jit Murad, to name a few – who chaired forums on a wide array of themes, from debating local films to alternative sexualities.

“It’s a good way of bringing people together to hear about political issues because we do attract many who come to browse at the stalls at
Art For Grabs
. We want to offer them more than just shopping,” says Pang.

The fourth instalment of
Art For Grabs
 at The Annexe Gallery that took place last Sunday also had a socio-political agenda.

“We were going about planning another forum, and as we were going through a list of names to invite, we realised that the list was full of inspiring people who have been champions of freedom of expression in the country.

“So we decided we should honour them,” explains Pang.

And so “The Annexe Heroes Awards” was born. Pang writes in a press release: “As we provide a democratic space for artists and audiences to express themselves in a country where freedom of expression is a contentious issue, we look to these heroes for inspiration.”

But this is The Annexe Gallery, known for its iconoclastic nature from the moment it opened its doors last year, so its awards show bore no similarity to other events of this type.

There was no blaring fanfare nor was there the usual glitz and glamour associated with the giving of awards; no lavish dinner, no expensive hotel venue. Instead, it was a low-key event, and a casual and informal mood was the order of the day, punctuated by laughter and chatter from bargain hunters in the adjacent
Art For Grabs
 marketplace.

And the trophy was appropriately simple yet telling: a stainless steel dog tag (of the military kind) engraved with the name of the award’s recipient – to commemorate their battles in the trenches for free speech, one assumes.

In this inaugural Heroes Awards 2008, dog tags were bestowed on five recipients: political blogger Ahmad Hafidz Baharom; Tenaganita director and migrants’ and women’s right activist Dr Irene Fernandez; playwright and author of recent best-seller
March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up
 Kee Thuan Chye; visual artist and Sisters of Islam (SIS) programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi (better known as Yati); and songwriter turned human rights activist-cum-playwright Shanon Shah.

Awards host Pang presided over the event, introducing the award with a disarming mix of acerbic humour and casual confidence, and then spinning the ceremony into a public forum during which the five Heroes shared their views of this year’s incidents when freedom of expression was an issue, and also their wishes and aspirations for the coming year.

Free at last

Personal accounts of the Heroes’ struggles and their recent activities came to the fore in the forum.

For instance, women’s and migrants’ rights activist Dr Irene Fernandez, 62, spoke about how she felt when she was acquitted from a charge of publishing false news with her report
Abuse, Torture and Dehumanised Conditions of Migrant Workers in Detention Centres
. The charge had been hanging over her since 1995: “I cried because of the struggle of 13 years fighting the charge against me.”

She also expressed hope in the country in having the liberty to speak up: “There is a refuge of hope that we’re moving!” and encouraged the public to be involved in politics, as “politics are in our lives and we have to be aware how it affects us”.

Tears of joy

Similarly, playwright Kee Thuan Chye (who is an associate editor at
The Star
and editor of the
Mind Our English section
) expressed how he “never have cried so much” as on the day of the March 8 General Election.

 “(The breaking of Barisan Nasional’s two-third majority) is something I’ve waited for my whole life,” said the author of March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up, which documents the events that led to the General Election results and also interviews other writers, politicians, and bloggers for their views on the event.

Kee, 54, also recounted the staging of his recent play,
The Swordfish
,
Then the Concubine
during the Singapore Theatre festival earlier this year: “Who knows if the play will be allowed here,” he laughed, alluding to the political themes in the work.

Being accepted

There was also a highly personal moment when twentysomething blogger and raconteur Hafidz Baharom shared the heart-wrenching experience how he told his parents about his sexual identity – and received their open acceptance.

Apparently, Hafidz has an ever-growing audience for his writings at the virtual social network, Facebook. He also shares frank opinions on issues such as racial and gender politics and the National Service at
thenutgraph.com
.

Makciks can talk, too

Another “hero under the radar” is Yati Kaprawi, 42, who explained the role of education in women’s rights in SIS
(sistersinislam.org.my)
, and how the organisation encourages women from all walks of life to engage in the debate on Muslim issues: “The fact is, the makciks can be very vocal too, speaking out about their right to certain issues such as maintenance (spousal support or alimony). They feel the men should step up and if not they should be really punished,” she explained.

Yati also pointed out that just because individuals are not ulamaks, that does not mean they cannot give or have their own opinion about Islam.

“We are citizens and we have some level of religious knowledge, too. So, why shouldn’t we speak up about a fatwa we don’t agree with?” she asked, alluding to the recent controversy about the fatwa on yoga and “tomboy” dressing.

Tyro journo

Last but not least was Shanon Shah, 30, who has added acclaimed playwright to his singer-songwriter skills while fighting for humans rights.

His story of how he resigned from Amnesty International so that he could assist his friend and activist, the late Toni Kassim, was quite an eye-opener into how a person must always fight for his or her principles under all sorts of circumstances.

Shanon also shared an anecdote of how he became a journalist at new, independent news website thenutgraph.com, and how he learnt the art of political journalism.

Making a personal connection

To name the event an awards night seems misplaced and even facetious because of some of the tongue-and-cheek antics of host Pang. However, the idea of spotlighting everyday heroes who fight for freedom of expression – indeed who fight for any sort of justice – is a brilliant idea. Instead of an annual event, The Annexe Heroes event should be a monthly programme highlighting the heroes among us, enlightening us about their activities and personal journeys.

There is something very appealing about listening to the personal narratives of these high achievers, and even more compelling are the journeys and experiences of their struggles.

While it is, of course, always good to be informed of socio-political issues from proponents, we make a deeper human connection with these activists as they tell their stories in the flesh, rather than seeing them as headline news or front page pictures. It makes their struggles a reality when you hear their voices, see their smiles or frowns, and sense their body language.

The fact is, there is no need for another award or award ceremony for unsung heroes. There is a need, however, to understand the efforts of tireless activists, to aspire to their tenacity and conviction in their fight for issues close to all our hearts.

For more information on the activities and exhibitions at The Annexe Gallery, go to
annexegallery.com

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 28 December 2008, 1:20 pm and is filed under
culture
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Human Rights
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Kee Thuan Chye
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Why some Government Officers become corrupt

Letters

by
R. Ganesh

I was utterly shocked when I read today’s NST dated 2008/12/27, article entitled
“ACA officers feel ‘demoralised’ over new salary scale”
. In the article, it was stated that Grade 29 officers would be offered a basic salary of RM1,482.85 and RM3,246.48 when they reached the top of the scale. “The maximum year between the basic salary and top of the scale is 22 years while the yearly increase is only RM80.17.”

Police officers in the same grade receive a basic salary of RM1,423.50 with a maximum of RM3,282.77. However, the maximum number of years getting to the top is only 18 years with a yearly increment of RM103.29, the article said.

My question here is this, how do you expect an individual in power to refrain from being corrupted when he merely earns RM1500? Nowadays, one can barely survive with RM1500 if one has 3 or 4 mouths to feed at home.

After paying your housing loan, car loan, study loan, EPF, income tax, medicine and supplements, Astro bill, water bill, electric bill, insurances (health, car, home etc), education cost for your children, how does the government expect one to survive with RM1500?

Can you blame an officer if he becomes corrupt?

Those days, corruption meant satisfying your wants and desires illegally. In other words, buying your luxuries with illegally obtained money. But I think these days, people become corrupt merely to survive ie to make ends meet.

It is high time the government revise the salaries of government servants in Malaysia.

Malaysia is a super rich country blessed with abundant natural resources.

We are thousand times richer than Singapore with oil, palm oil, rubber, tin, iron ore, timber, natural gas, copper, bauxite, coal and even Gold!, and yet, Singapore is far more progressed, richer and first world status. Both countries also Merdeka around the same time.

Singapore has zero natural resources, so how can they be richer than us with a higher GDP than us? Even low level government servants there earn Singapore $4000 a month and you can buy loads of food for the family of four in the supermarket for one whole week for S$100.

Here, the same items in the supermarket, cost around RM400 a week to feed a family of four.

And yet, the government expects their officers to earn RM1500?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 28 December 2008, 6:01 pm and is filed under
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Is Ahmad Said the most suitable  candidate to be the first Chief Commissioner of the MACC?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz was reported in the New Straits Times on Saturday as announcing that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will begin operations  on Thursday on 1st January 2009 with Anti-Corruption Agency  (ACA) director-general
Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan
as its first chief commissioner.

The first question is whether Ahmad Said is the most suitable candidate to be the Chief Commissioner of the MACC.

Parliament and the nation have been promised that with the establishment of the MACC, purportedly modeled after Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the new  anti-corruption body can no longer be accused of being the “lapdog of the government” as the ACA had been accused of being thus far.

The implication is very clear – that the ACA had corruption cases which it had not been able to prosecute because of various constraints and considerations  all boiling down to “political interference”.

If so, how many such cases are there which the MACC could re-open and would Ahmad Said be the best person to re-open all such cases or would it  have been better to have a completely new head for the MACC to spearhead the  transformation of the MACC to become another IACC,  beginning  the journey to catapult Malaysia’s ranking in Transparency International Corruption Perception Index from the country’s  lowest position of No. 47 to be among the world’s ten or twenty least corrupt nations like New Zealand (No. 1), Singapore (No. 4),  Australia (No. 9), Hong Kong (No. 12 ) and Japan (No. 18)?

With the MACC starting operations on January 1, would Malaysians be able to see the stark difference between the new MACC and the old ACA in its  first two weeks of operation?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 29 December 2008, 1:14 pm and is filed under
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Anti-Prophet Mohammad blog – Hamid, Shabery, MCMC should explain why so tardy in taking action

While all right-thinking  Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, agree that stern action should be taken against those responsible for the blog which insults Prophet Mohammad, many are asking why the authorities have been so  tardy and laid-back in acting when complaint was first made many  weeks ago.

Although
Utusan Malaysia
 first reported about the blog last Saturday, 27th December 2008, with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, responding on the same day by directing the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed  Hamid Albar  and the police to act quickly against the blog over insults to Prophet Muhammad, in actual fact, the authorities had been aware of the blog concerned for weeks.

This was
revealed
by the Information Minister, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek who said on Saturday  that the woman  in her 20s whose photograph and identify were used in the blog containing insults to Prophet Mohammed had denied owning the Internet domain and had in fact met him two weeks ago to ask RTM to help clear her name.

Shabery said:

“She sought help from RTM to publicise the matter because the web log, which also contains Deepavali messages insulting the Hindus, was not hers and had tarnished her reputation and the company she works for.”

But neither Shabery nor RTM gave her any help although she had lodged reports with the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to trace the people responsible after coming to know the existence of the blog several months ago.

Instead, the woman was picked up by the police at 6 pm on Saturday to “assist in the investigation” and later released on police bail!

The police said today that they have
identified
 several suspects in connection with the offensive blog and several people would soon be called up to assist in the investigations under the Sedition Act.

The question Hamid Albar,  Shabery and MCMC  should answer  is why the police, the RTM and MCMC  had been so tardy and laid-back in taking action against the blog concerned when the woman victim had lodged reports with the police, the Information Minister and the MCMC weeks before the Utusan Malaysia report last Saturday and why she had to be taken into custody to “assist in investigations” despite her earlier complaints!

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 30 December 2008, 1:19 pm and is filed under
Islam
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IT
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Police
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Malaysia at new crossroads – unite as one people to withstand the worst effects of the global economic tsunami

2009 New Year Message

2008 is the year of the political tsunami in Malaysia – with five state governments under Pakatan Rakyat, the end of two-thirds parliamentary majority of Barisan Nasional and a totally new national mindset where the toppling of the Umno-Barisan Nasional coalition government at the national level is no more impossible or  unthinkable but eminently  possible and a matter of time.

In 2009, the world expects the worst economic tsunami in 80 years wreaking even greater economic devastation world-wide than that caused by the global financial crisis this year which had already plunged the United States, Europe and Japan into recession and slowed down world economic growth – and the two great economic powerhouses, China and Japan, will not be spared.

Malaysia is at a new crossroads. We have lost our way after half-a-century of nationhood as illustrated by the tragic fact  that  the objective of a Bangsa Malaysia as proclaimed in Vision 2020 has become a subject of discord rather than concord among Malaysians and  our continued slippage in international competitiveness whether in terms of university rankings, corruption perception indices, human rights or good governance ratings.

The year ended with Parliament passing two reform bills aimed to restore confidence in the independence and integrity of key institutions of the country, to eradicate corruption and to restore an independent and impartial judiciary, but under great  national cynicism that there is the real political will to carry out these reforms.

Such cynicism were only reinforced when nothing was revealed in the so-called “tell all” press conference  into the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone bail-out scandal after the reforms bills were passed.

The great challenge facing Malaysia in the coming year is whether Malaysians can unite as one Malaysian people to  withstand the worst effects of the global economic tsunami in the coming year and regain our lost ground in the international competitiveness stakes to forge a united, just, progressive, caring and meritocratic nation.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 31 December 2008, 11:58 am and is filed under
nation building
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No IJN privatization – apply IJN success to government hospital heart centres

Letters

by
Balwant Singh

I read with great interest regarding plans to privatize the National Heart Institute announced recently. As a former heart patient, who had surgery performed in Penang Hospital Heart Centre, another government facility offering cardiac services,  I would like to clarify a few points regarding this issue.

Firstly , the main reason IJN has been successful is the fact that it has managed to attract and keep a group of dedicated  cardiologists and surgeons, who continued to develop the service and  subsequently contribute to the success story it actually is today.

This is possible because IJN has managed to escape the long bureaucratic arms and clutches  of the civil service which more often becomes a hindrance and certainly a push factor for doctors leaving for the more lucrative private sector.

By being a semi private entity, decisions for advancement of services, introduction of new treatment etc, training and even better remunerations for staff are more readily made, unlike the usual delays and difficulties encountered within the Ministry of Health framework.

Secondly , it has to be pointed out that services in IJN for civil servants and their families are borne by the government. Therefore,  IJN is actually not providing any free healthcare, but instead charges the government normal market rates for decent cardiac care.

Although mechanisms for some subsidization do exist, it is reasonable to conclude that the average Joe Public, like me  who is not in the civil service and without any company guarantee letter  will be asked to pay for treatment, and more often  will be referred to government cardiac centres in Serdang , Penang , Johor Bharu and Kuching, Sarawak  if he is unable to afford it.

Treatment will be subsidized however, if  a government hospital refers the patient to IJN for some specialized treatment not available within the Ministry hospitals. In conclusion , the taxpayer’s money is still funding IJN in a huge way.

In the last 10 years, the Ministry of Health to its credit have invested heavily in terms of finance and manpower in setting up its own heart centres , notably in Penang , Serdang and Johor Bharu where patients were finally  able to undergo almost free  open heart surgery.

I am personally very thankful to cardiac surgeons in Penang Hospital who demonstrated fantastic dedication and extreme professionalism in rendering their services.

Centres such as this, although blessed with great infrastructure, huge allocations and training facilities failed to match the success of IJN   due to  perennial problems of  staff shortage with  senior surgeons and cardiologists leaving for private sector  due to slow promotions and low salaries .

They however have huge potential to match IJN   provided they manage to keep their senior doctors with better perks and remuneration, similar to those provided for the IJN specialists.

I am puzzled on why nobody from Ministry of Health, including the DG and his deputy did not respond to this issue by clarifying that the Ministry already has its own heart centres which are up and running. Instead the Minister, albeit supporting the IJN privatisation , chose to remain silent to the fact that hospitals  such as Penang GH do  have established heart centres and have been around for more then 10 years .

I therefore fail to understand the reasons stated by the government in privatizing IJN especially with taxpayers most likely continuing to fund treatment. Privatisation is not always a better option for patients.

Sime Darby on the contrary will benefit from   the guaranteed  number of civil servants  seeking cardiac care , especially with Ministry of Health heart centres still having severe manpower shortage. Like all privatized projects , profits are still the main objective , and contracts are usually discovered to be astonishingly lopsided, years after they have been signed.

The government should instead maintain IJN as it is , and even learn from the IJN success formula  and use it to further develop and consolidate  existing government hospital heart centres  into regional centres of excellence similar to IJN but  closer to the public . As always , the patient’s interest and not the shareholder’s should come first in every deal involving health care .

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 31 December 2008, 10:23 am and is filed under
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Agree with Chua Soi Lek  – Liow not doing enough to inform Malaysians about a deadly dengue epidemic

I agree with the former Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek that the Health Minister, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai has not done enough to inform the public about a deadly
dengue epidemic
in the country.

In fact, I had expressed my
outrage
12 days ago at the “conspiracy of silence” perpetrated by Liow “to play down the worst dengue epidemic in the country’s history which has to date claimed 100 lives and recorded over 45,000 dengue cases”.

After Chua expressed his alarm at the lack of publicity surrounding 106 dengue-related deaths recorded at Dec. 15, Liow has come out with the latest statistics of a total of
108 deaths
 out of 48,178 dengue cases reported as at Dec. 27.

Why is Liow so niggardly with data about dengue cases and deaths that he had to be compelled to release the latest statistics, when he should be constantly on radio, television and the printed media using these figures  to warn Malaysians of the deadly dengue epidemic as well as the new chikungunya outbreak?

Liow is taking his responsibilities as Health Minister and the high dengue fatalities too lightly!

How many times, for instance, had Liow seriously  warned Malaysians about the deadly dengue epidemic since he became Health Minister so that they become top  national news in the various mass media?

Couldn’t Liow have  done more in the past nine months to reduce the dengue cases and fatality rate with a high-powered nation-wide campaign involving all the relevant authorities to mobilize the public against the dengue epidemic, instead of stewing in a “conspiracy of silence”?

Twelve days ago, I had called on Liow to  end this conspiracy of silence by spearheading a nation-wide anti-dengue campaign as well as making public all the available facts and figures about the worst dengue epidemic confronting the country, with week-by-week data of dengue cases and fatalities, not only nationally but also on a state-by-state basis.

But Liow is not yet prepared to do this, even after 108 dengue deaths this year as at Dec. 27!

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 1 January 2009, 11:26 am and is filed under
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KT by-election – post-March political tsunami changes to continue or be blocked and even reversed

DAP National Deputy Chairman Dr. Tan Seng Giaw, who was at the Kuala Terengganu stadium last night representing DAP, was as surprised as anyone when it was announced that the PAS candidate for the forthcoming by-election is four-term Wakaf Mempelam State Assemblyman, Abdul Wahid Endut and not anyone of the two leading contenders, Batu Buruk assemblyman Dr. Syed Azman Nawawi and  PAS Terengganu chief Datuk Mustapha Ali.

The Kuala Terengganu by-election on January 17, the second parliamentary by-election after the March general election last year is no less important than the Permatang Pauh by-election four months ago, which saw the triumphant return of the Pakatan Rakyat leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Parliament after an unjust enforced absence for a decade.

The Kuala Terengganu by-election is a crucial and critical one as it will have a major influence on whether the changes started by the March 8 political tsunami last year should be pressed on or be blocked and even reversed.

The issue at stake in the January 17 by-election is not so much about the PAS candidate or even PAS, but the larger question whether after over half-a-century of Umno political hegemony, the voters of Kuala Terengganu would endorse greater changes and democratization in all aspects of Malaysian national life to take full advantage of Malaysia’s multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious diversity to build a united, harmonious, progressive and prosperous Malaysia guided by the principles of justice. freedom, accountability and integrity.

The Kuala Terengganu by-election will be a tough and closely-fought contest for both the Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional where every vote counts.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 2 January 2009, 2:39 pm and is filed under
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Even an acting OCPD has become the victim of crime!

Imagine – even an acting OCPD has become the victim of crime!

In the past, former top police and government officers had been victims of crime, including a former Inspector-General of Police and  a state Governor – with  the former Penang Chief Police Officer killed in a burglary.

Now, for the first time, a serving Police district chief has become a serious victim of crime.

Is this enough to be a final wake-up call to the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Inspector-General of Police to break away from their terminal denial complexes to admit that time is long overdue to restore to Malaysians the two fundamental freedoms they have lost – to be free from crime and free from the fear of crime.

This is the breaking news on the Tawau Acting OCPD who has become a victim of crime:-

January 03, 2009 13:28 PM

Tawau Acting OCPD Stabbed

TAWAU, Jan 3 (Bernama) — Tawau acting OCPD Supt Ramli Ali Mat was seriously injured after being stabbed in his house in Taman Ria 5 at about 2am today.

Bernama understands that Ramli, who was alone in the house, was stabbed in the abdomen in an attack by a group of five men.

A police spokesman said he had been admitted to the intensive care unit of the the Tawau Hospital and was reported to be in stable condition.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim is expected to visit him later today.

— BERNAMA

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 3 January 2009, 4:41 pm and is filed under
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DAP boycott Kuala Terengganu by-election over hudud?

Most intriguing.

MCA has not given up.

The
stance
of the MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is being echoed  by his
underlings
 with  the MCA leadership continuing to plug the line that the DAP should boycott the Kuala Terengganu by-election over PAS agenda on hudud.

Of course, no indication that MCA would boycott the by-election although there is no renunciation by the UMNO leadership of a series of hegemonistic agendas, whether the “929 Declaration” that Malaysia is an Islamic state or “ketuanan Melayu”.

Forty hours to nomination in Kuala Terengganu by-election on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, let the blogosphere respond to the MCA stance –  for or against, the pros and cons, merits and demerits as to whether DAP should boycott Kuala Terengganu by-election over PAS agenda on hudud..

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 4 January 2009, 6:13 pm and is filed under
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Israeli invasion of Gaza – crime against humanity

The United Nations Secretary-General Bank Ki-moon must spearhead the world condemnation of Israeli invasion of Gaza.

The failure of the United Nations Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire and the role of the  United States government  in  blocking a United Nations Security Council ceasefire  resolution must  be deplored by all peace-loving nations and peoples.

The United States President-Elect Barrack Obama, who will be inaugurated as US President in a forthnight’s time,  should pledge to end all US carte blache support to  Israeli aggression under his administration.

The Israeli invasion of Gaza, wreaking death and destruction, chalking up a death toll of more than 510 people,  mostly civilian casualties including women and children, is a crime against humanity.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas on the planet with roughly 1.5 million people which even prior to the most recent escalation was undergoing a humanitarian crisis as the region has been held under siege for almost 18 months and was already struggling with lack of food, medical supplies, power, and other necessities.

The governments of the world  must support all international efforts to condemn the Israeli invasion of Gaza, call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza imposed by the United Nations and backed unequivocally by the United States to create sustainable peace in the Middle East.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 5 January 2009, 12:19 pm and is filed under
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KT by-election – Najib not campaigning as DPM and police should not apply double-standards

The police in Kuala Terengganu by-election campaign should not apply double standards and should treat Datuk Seri Najib Razak as one of the party leaders in town for the by-election and not as a Deputy Prime Minister or Prime Minister-elect.

At a time when the retiring Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is trying to give new life to his National Integrity Plan  and anti-corruption efforts in his last three months in office, the way the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election is conducted will be a test as to whether his national integrity efforts  and the newly-minted Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have any real meaning.

For instance, would the police in Kuala Terengganu  treat Najib at par with other party leaders, whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, for the duration of the by-election, as there is no business for a Deputy Prime Minister to be campaigning in Kuala Terengganu in his official capacity.

Najib is in Kuala Terengganu as UMNO Deputy President and Barisan Nasional Deputy Chairman and not as Deputy Prime Minister, and this distinction must be scrupulously observed not only by the police and all relevant government departments but also by Najib himself!

Najib should dispense with the horde of police outriders during his visit to Kuala Terengganu to show that he is not abusing his powers and be an example to all other Ministers and VIPs – that they should not misuse scarce police personnel and resources in having to provide outriders and escorts.

Najib should issue a clear directive that during the duration of the by-election, no police outriders or escorts would be provided to Cabinet Ministers or what-not VIPs for they will be campaigning in their party capacities.

Or is this one reason for sending
6,000 police reinforcements
to Kuala Trengganu for the by-election, more to provide escort-riders and VIPs to the horde of Ministers, Deputy Ministers and other BN VIPs expected to descend on Kuala Terengganu during the 11-day by-election campaign?

This is why the
police arrest
 of five members of Parti Keadilan Rakyat youth wing, including the Terengganu Youth chief Faris Musa, is a matter of grave concern.

Is this already proof of police double standards in the Kuala Terengganu by-election?

Why should the five be arrested for putting up posters of murdered Mongolian national Altantunya Shaariibuu as part of the Kuala Terengganu by-election campaign starting tomorrow, just because Najib will be in town for the by-election nomination tomorrow?

Furthermore, will the MACC be in Kuala Terengganu to take action against all those guilty of electoral offences corrupting the voting the process – as for instance  the public pledge by the Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said that the state government would spend RM5.8 million to repair drains and roads and carry out several small projects in Kuala Terengganu provided the Barisan Nasional candidate wins?

This  is money politics and political corruption at their most blatant. If the MACC is as indifferent and impotent as the previous Anti-Corruption Agency to such blatant electoral corruption, there cannot be a worse start for the new MACC which is supposed to be another ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong) in its first week of establishment!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 5 January 2009, 1:34 pm and is filed under
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Gaza: Terrorising the Victims through the ‘War on Terror’

By
Farish A. Noor

That the discourse of the ‘War on Terror’ is a terribly useful one for governments that wish to exteriorise, dehumanise and brutalise an enemy is a foregone conclusion for many of us by now. Since the day when the term was first coined by the administration of President Bush Junior, it has made its rounds all over the planet and has been seized upon with gusto and delight by many an authoritarian regime seeking a pretext to detain and eliminate their enemies. Til today we do not have a tally of the figures of those who have been summarily arrested, detained without trial, tortured and ‘disappeared’ as a result of this War on Terror which, as any linguist will tell you, doesn’t even signify anything meaningful in the first place.

The current onslaught on Gaza is proof of the utility of such a discourse when it falls into the hands of those currying favour with the Washington administration – and here it doesn’t really matter if the man sitting in the oval office is Bush Junior or Mr Obama. Israel’s relentless attacks on the Palestinians has been couched and justified as part of the global war effort against terrorism, and as a result the Palestinians have in toto been summarily labelled as terrorists who, by extension, deserve neither mercy nor understanding.

Even more worrying still is the manner in which the metanarrative of the war on terror has been appropriated by other countries and governments that are likewise in a bellicose mood and warlike demeanour. The mainstream media in India, for instance, have likewise hopped on to the anti-terror bandwagon and have taken to it like a duck to water. In the wake of the Mumbai attacks – which were indeed an instance of terrorism at work – the right-wing parties and political demagogues of India’s hard-right have upped the ante even further calling on the Indian government and armed forces to ‘do a Gaza’ on Pakistan next door.

Calling on the Indian armed forces to ‘do a Gaza’ on Pakistan is what the world needs the least at the moment, what with the global recession spiralling out of control and the economic fortunes of many a developing countries laid low. Worse still would be the political fall-out for both India and Pakistan, two countries that enjoy the dubious distinction of having nuclear parity and the potential of wiping each other out for good. The hawks of India find their kindred spirits next door, among the hawks of Pakistan who likewise feel that the peace and dialogue process has gotten both countries nowhere, and that a final settlement has to be reached through force of arms.

But in both cases, we see once again how the discourse of the ‘War on Terror’ has been used to demonise and dehumanise the other across the border. And sadder still is the fact that today all acts of terrorism are immediately and casually equated with the Arabs, and with Palestinians in particular.

So has Gaza become the leitmotif and metaphor for the year 2009? If the ‘War on Terror’ is based on a zero-sum logic of eliminating one’s enemies without mercy, then ‘doing a Gaza’ on one’s opponents seems to be the standard operational tactic to be employed at the moment. Having dehumanised the Palestinians and robbed them of their identity, history and the very same historical basis of their existence and justification for their acts, the world community now sits passively by as Israel ‘does a Gaza’ on the people of Palestine who have been rendered inhuman and reduced to statistics.

It is therefore painfully and pitifully ironic to see how the victims of Israeli aggression and expansionism have been doubly dealt a low blow thanks to the adept utilisation of the ‘War on Terror’ discourse on the part of the Zionists. Israel’s constant demand to have groups like Hamas and Hizbullah labelled terrorist organisations is simply part of a bigger process of discrediting the Palestinian struggle and the demands of the Palestinian people as a whole; rendering them a people without a past, a land, an identity and bereft of justifiable demands and aims.

Yet have we grown so cynical and jaded today that we do not see a repeat of history taking place before our very eyes? In the bad old days when we grew up watching John Wayne movies we were taught that the nasty native Americans were the ‘bad injuns’ whose only purpose in life was to slaughter and scalp poor innocent white people. In time however we grew up and came to learn that the native Americans were in the fact the real victims of a massive genocide which led to the extinction of five hundred tribal nations and the creation of the United States of America on what is basically a massive graveyard of native Americans.

Today we are witnessing the aggressive onslaught on the Palestinians that is likewise justified and rationalised on the basis of a war on terror and terrorists; and where the Palestinian people – who have been robbed of their land, rights and self-respect – have been discursively reconfigured as irrational, fanatical terrorists instead. A return to the genocidal politics of John Wayne via the route of the ‘War on Terror’? It doesn’t take much intelligence to see how the discourse of the war on terror has terrorised others on both the physical and epistemic level.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 January 2009, 4:46 pm and is filed under
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KT voters – send a clear and unmistakable message of a national “sky change” in next general election

The great challenge  in the Kuala Terengganu by-election on January 17 is  for the 80,229 voters of  Kuala Terengganu to send a clear and unmistakable message of a national “sky change” in the next general election as UMNO and the Barisan Nasional have not learnt the lessons of the March 8 political tsunami in the past 10 months.

Malaysians were promised after the March general election, which ended UMNO political hegemony, the BN two-thirds parliamentary majority and five Pakatan Rakyat state governments in Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan that the UMNO-Barisan Nasional coalition  had heard  loud and clear the message of the people in the ballot box and that there would be radical reforms in the country but  very little had been accomplished in the past 10 months.

It is clear that the Umno and Barisan Nasional coalition do not have the political will and commitment to bring about far-reaching changes that can transform Malaysia from a country with first-world infrastructure with third-world mentality into one with a first-world infrastructure and first-world mentality.

In fact, Malaysia is not only losing out in the international competitiveness race, straggling behind one country after another, we are in the danger of becoming a third world country with third world mentality.

This must be the sober thought of Malaysians when they read of news report today of the plight of a policeman, L/Kpl S. Paramasivam, 49, who was beaten up by a group of 10 Mat Rempits at 5.30 pm yesterday while  on anti-crime rounds in Kuala Lumpur – requiring five stitches for his wound in his head after he was beaten up by the Mat Rempits using helmets and metal rods.

Only three days ago, the Tawau acting OCPD Supt Ramli Ali Mat was seriously injured after being stabbed in his house in an attack by a group of five men and had to be admitted to the intensive care unit of the the Tawau Hospital.

In the past, former top police and government officers had been victims of crime, including a former Inspector-General of Police and a state Governor – with the former Penang Chief Police Officer killed in a burglary.

Now, serving police officers, who are supposed to restore to Malaysians the two fundamental freedoms they have lost – to be free from crime and free from the fear of crime – could not even protect themselves and are now regular victims of crime.

Malaysians do not feel safe about themselves and their loves ones in the streets, public places and even in the privacy of their homes.  Now, not only ordinary Malaysians do not feel safe about their personal safety, even public officers are also not safe!

This is a reflection of the serious deterioration not only of law and order but of the general standard of  public services in the country  –  10 months after the political tsunami last March and half a century after Merdeka!

What were  the lessons of the March 8 political tsunami?

The message was very clear – Malaysians want an end to the inefficiency, corruption, abuses and arrogance of power, lack of accountability and transparency, discrimination, injustices and human rights violations which have become a staple diet of Umno-Barisan Nasional rule.

Malaysians want to be proud of Malaysia for being internationally recognised and respected for our  plural society, national unity and harmony,  social justice, quality of life,  international competitiveness, democracy, rule of law, human rights and good governance.

Even the two legislative reforms passed by Parliament last month as two of the three reform legacies of the retiring Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Judicial Appointments Commission – are half-hearted and unsatisfactory measures which will not go very far to end the endemic corruption in the country or to restore national and international confidence in the independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary.

If the MACC is really  another ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong) which will bring to book the corrupt however mighty without fear or favour, the Kuala Terengganu by-election should make history as the first clean and honest election in Malaysia  where money politics would have become history.

Is this the case?  Of course not as money politics have already reared their ugly heads even before today’s nomination.

The voters of Kuala Terengganu have a historic national mission on polling day – to speak up not only on behalf of themselves but of 26 million Malaysians and future generations in endorsing the March 8th political tsunami and sending a clear and unmistakable message of a national “sky change” in next general election as UMNO and the  BN have failed to learn the lessons of the March 8 political tsunami in the past 10 months.

(Media Conference Statement at the Kuala Terengganu by-election nomination in Kuala Terengganu)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 January 2009, 9:36 am and is filed under
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The new budget air terminal at Labu

Letters

by
J.C.

I read with apprehension at the recent announcements by Sime Darby Berhad and Air Asia with respect to their receiving government approval to build a new low-cost terminal at Labu, Negeri Sembilan.  The announcements coincided with a statement by Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAHB) that it is ready to construct a new low-cost terminal to replace the existing LCCT at KLIA.  The statements, and the subsequent comments by Air Asia spokespersons, gave the impressions that a new low-cost terminal is urgently needed, that MAHB has not been responsive to the needs of Air Asia, that Air Asia could easily save 15 pct of operating costs by moving to the new terminal at Labu and that not a single sen of public money will be utilised.

The following questions need to be answered by the government:

1.  Was the approval given to the Sime Darby-Air Asia consortium based on the construction of a totally new airport, complete with runway(s) ?  No one has indicated that there will be new runways, but it would be ridiculous to assume that planes could land on the existing KLIA runways and taxi the 7 km to the new Labu terminal. Sime announced that the new terminal would take up approximately 3000 acres of land, and surely a terminal without runways would not require such a sizeable landmass.  If there are going to be runways, who would be paying for the Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities ?  Who would be charging passengers for airport taxes ?

2.  Was any cost-benefit comparison made with respect to the construction of a new terminal at KLIA as opposed to a new terminal (or should we say airport) at Labu ?

3.  When the government agreed with the sponsors of the new Labu airport that the entire project would be privately funded, did it take into consideration issues like the KTM Komuter link from Labu to KL Sentral ?  KTM would be expected to build the link, and this is government money.  We all know that rail links are only viable with subsidy from the public sector.  Look at ERL.  After 10 years of operations, their debt is still guaranteed by the government of Malaysia, and they are still being subsidised annually through a minimum ridership clause in their concession agreement.  Would the roads leading to Labu be privately funded or would they have to be built by the Works Ministry ?

4.  Who would run the new CIQ at Labu ?  Who would have to pay for the CIQ facilities ?

5.  MAHB have said that they would want to build their own low-cost carrier terminal to cater for the demands of other low-cost carriers such as JetStar, Valuair and Tiger.  This would mean that there could be three competing low-cost terminals in this country – Labu, KLIA-LCCT and Subang.  Is this wise ?  Have we learnt from the lessons of having 3 separate light rail entities in the Klang Valley ?  Has the government considered the term “economies of scale” ?

As a comparison, Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok airport currently operates on 2 runways and has a passenger turnover of 35 million a year.  Changi’s Terminal 3 for budget air travel is adjacent to the other two older terminals.  Both these leading airports impose the same runways, ATC and CIQ facilities on all carriers.   Do we know something that they don’t ?

It is important that the government be totally transparent about this decision to proceed with the Labu airport especially as the social costs of having multiple budget terminals for different carriers could haunt us in the long run.  Of course there are ancillary issues like the disputed amount of payables from Air Asia to MAHB and how this will be treated in the context of the proposed move from LCCT to Labu, but this is perhaps something for the minority shareholders of MAHB to raise.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 6 January 2009, 4:24 pm and is filed under
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8,787  Chinese voters – “kingmakers” in a historic mission  in KT by-election

With the 88% Malay voters in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election in a very tight contest, the 8,787 Chinese voters representing 11.4% of the  Kuala Terengganu electorate have emerged as  the “kingmakers” in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election on January 17, 2009.

They will decide which candidate wins the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Last night after the morning nomination, I attended a 10,000-peope mammoth PAS ceramah at Astaka, Tanjong as well as a close-to-a-thousand-people dinner ceramah organized by Kuala Terengganu DAP within 24 hours.

Mammoth PAS ceramahs  are not unusual in Terengganu but what was unprecedented and  most encouraging was the very enthusiastic support at the dinner ceramah, not only by the some 500 people at the dinner but also by the 300-400 people who stood outside the restaurant to follow the four hours of speeches.

Was this a sign that the Chinese in Kuala Terengganu have woken up and are standing up, not only for their rights as voters in the state but as citizens of Malaysia?

I was  told that the Chinese voter support in Kuala Terengganu leaned 60 to  40 in favour of  the PAS and Pakatan Rakyat candidate, Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut  as against the Umno and Barisan Nasional candidate Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh.

But I learnt that these were  also the odds at the start of the general election in March last year with the PAS candidate Mohd Sabu taking an early lead against his opponent Razali Ismail immediately after nomination – but the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary race in the last general election ended in 60-to-40 in favour of the Umno candidate among the Chinese voters.

As I told the dinner ceramah  last night, the Chinese voters of Kuala Terengganu must not allow a repeat of the last general election outcome, with the  favourable odds of  60 – 40 Chinese voter support  for  Mohd Sabu at the beginning of the election campaign turned around to 40-60 on polling day.

Instead, the Kuala Terengganu Chinese voters should ensure that their support for the PAS and Pakatan Rakyat  candidate is increased to 70-30 by polling day on January 17 to seal their role as the “king-makers” in the by-election.

The January 17 by-election  is an unique opportunity for the 80,229 voters of Kuala Terengganu to write history for they will be voting not just who should be their MP as their votes will have  with greater import and more  far-reaching consequences.

They should use their votes on January 17 not just to speak for themselves but for 27 million Malaysaians for political change and national renewal.

If they vote and elect the PAS and Pakatan Rakyat candidate to be the MP for Kuala Terenganu, they will be launching  a second wave of political tsunami after the March 8 general election last year – sending out the clear and unmistakable message that Malaysians are prepared to transform the national political landscape even with a change of the federal government in the next general election.

This will make the role of  the 8,787 Chinese voters even more significant –  not just as the “kingmakers” of who is to win the Kuala Terengganu by-election but to spearhead a historic mission to trigger a new political tsunami to bring about  far-reaching political, economic, educational, social and nation-building  reforms after more than  half-a-century of nationhood.

The January 17 Kuala Terengganu by-election is thus  a historic mission for the 80,229 voters as well as  for the 8,787 Chinese voters!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 7 January 2009, 6:32 pm and is filed under
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MCA man jailed for offering bribe to Singapore cop

MCA man jailed for offering bribe to Singapore cop

The Malaysian Insider
7.01.09

SINGAPORE, Jan 7 — A Malaysian community leader initially fined S$15,000 (RM36,000) for offering a bribe to a traffic policeman was yesterday sentenced to jail for six weeks following an appeal by the prosecution.

Justice V. K. Rajah, handing down the jail term at the appeal hearing, stressed that the courts should take a firm, no-nonsense approach towards attempts at graft.

Any attempt to bribe a police officer will bring on a jail term, and if the bribe is accepted, both parties can expect “uncompromisingly stiff custodial sentences”, he said.

It is the way to go if the integrity of the police force as a pillar of society is to be upheld.

Rajah added that the jail term meted out to Lim Teck Choon, 56, took into account mitigating factors raised by his lawyer. He would otherwise have been jailed two to three months.

Lim, who has business interests on both sides of the Causeway, is a member of the MCA and the party’s deputy chairman in the town of Kampong Jawa in Johor. A philanthropist, he regularly donates money to temples and an orphanage; in 1988, he donated a building for a school.

A traffic police officer caught Lim making an illegal U-turn on Woodlands Road and driving against the flow of traffic for 50m.

While waiting for a vehicle to take Lim back to the police station, Sergeant Pah Wenxiang tried to defuse the tense situation by starting a conversation.

Lim told the police officer that he owned a few plantations in Malaysia and knew high-ranking officials.

During the conversation, he abruptly asked Pah in Mandarin: “Why want to do this? Be enemy? You should let me go. We can be friends. Next time you come to Malaysia, I will take care of you. Still got good things.”

He also made a gesture that the officer took as an offer of money.

When the sergeant told him it was an offence to bribe a police officer, Lim backed off on his offer.

Lim initially contested the charge of offering a bribe, but pleaded guilty on the second day of trial and was fined S$15,000.

He was also fined S$2,500 and banned from driving for six months for dangerous driving.

The district judge acknowledged that a jail term was the norm in graft cases but felt a more lenient sentence was justified in this case.

She reasoned that Lim offered the bribe only after the officer struck up a conversation with him, and had not persisted with the offer once the police officer rejected it.

The prosecution filed an appeal.

Yesterday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Jwee Nguan argued that the district judge had no grounds to depart from the sentencing norm of a jail term for such offences.

Rajah, saying there should be a clear framework of rules for situations like this, agreed that the district judge had erred in “applying an intricately nuanced sentencing approach to what is a plain and unmistakeable case of attempted corruption”.

In this case, it was incorrect to conclude that Lim’s culpability was reduced just because the officer had initiated a casual conversation.

Rajah said it appears that Lim had assessed the situation and taken a measure of the officer before making his offer, thinking that the policeman might be vulnerable once his guard was down.

Lim’s lawyer asked for the sentence to start on Feb 1 so that Lim can spend time with his family for Chinese New Year. Rajah agreed and granted bail of S$30,000.

The prosecution appealed against the fine for the graft charge. —
The Straits Times

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 7 January 2009, 12:05 pm and is filed under
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Special Parliament on Gaza on Monday

Just received notice from Parliament of a special meeting of Parliament on Monday on the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Parliament will meet on Monday, January 12, 2008 at 2.30 p.m. and not the usual beginning of 10 am.

This is the result of the joint memorandum submitted by Pakatan Rakyat leaders to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Putrajaya last Monday (5th January) for a special Parliament meeting on Gaza.

The latest atrocity in Gaza is the killing of at least 40 Palestinians  when Israeli forces struck a school run by the United Nations.

The world is faced with a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, whose water and sewage systems are on the verge of collapse because of power shortages – with more than 530,000 people among Gaza’s population of 1.4 million completely cut off from running water and the rest receive water only every few days.

The death toll in Gaza has exceeded  600 since the start of the Israeli offensive last month.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 7 January 2009, 7:30 pm and is filed under
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P036 by-election – political dynamics at play

by
Art Harun

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

The Kuala Terengganu P036 by-election could not have come at a more inopportune time for Barisan Nasional in general and UMNO, as well as Najib Razak in particular. As we all know, the Barisan Nasional is still reeling from the effects of the March 8 general election last year. The main coalition of UMNO, MCA, Gerakan and MIC have seen testing days after that general election with all parties going for each other’s throat on issues close to their respective heart. Issues on Ketuanan Melayu; teaching of Maths and Science in the English language; marginalisation of the Malaysian citizen of Indian origin; distribution of the economics pie are but some of the issues which saw the BN main component parties shouting and screaming at each other with the obvious goal of championing each party’s racial agenda and outlook.

To top it up, these main component parties also have internal issues to be settled. MCA saw a change of top leadership in an election which was more than a little uncivil and divisive resulting in its President and Deputy being elected from two different and opposing camps. As for MIC, it is as good as a dead horse. While Samy Vellu says he wants to re-brand MIC he forgets that re-branding MIC would most certainly involve his removal from the party as he has become synonymous with all that is wrong with MIC itself.

Most importantly is the internal wave of discontent which UMNO is going through from March 8 2008 until today.
 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been blamed for everything which has befallen UMNO so far. This blame culture and movement has been led by none other than its former President, Mahathir Mohammad. It has taken steam sometime in the middle of last year and at the end a power transmission timeline was agreed. That entails Abdullah relinquishing his Presidency in March this year to Najib Razak, the current Deputy President.

But that does not end there. As it is, there are now 3 persons eyeing the Deputy posts come March this year. The 3 VP posts are seeing a fight between 10 stalwarts. The Youth chief is also seeing a massive fights. In fact, UMNO is so full of infightings that it makes the Palestine conflicts rather tame in comparison. To add to all these, money politics have reared its ugly head and UMNO leadership is at a loss on how to solve these really dirty games.

If the Permatang Pauh by-election sounded the death knell for Abdullah, the P036 by-election is a sure test for Najib Razak’s leadership. And it couldn’t come at a worse time. The selection of Wan Ahmad Farid as UMNO’s nominee for the election is not without significance. The fact that Wan Ahmad Farid – a known supporter of Abdullah in UMNO – is chosen as UMNO’s nominee is widely seen as proof of Abdullah’s influence in UMNO although Abdullah is supposedly on his way out. This is admitted even by Mahathir Mohammad who lamented that Wan Ahmad Farid is Abdullah’s proxy and that he (Wan Ahmad Farid) is not the best man for the job.

Come what may, the obvious loser in all these would be none other than Najib Razak. Firstly, the nomination of Wan Ahmad Farid, a known Abdullah man, gives the impression that Najib Razak is powerless and not strong enough to stop Abdullah from still calling the shots even within 2 months from his retirement. That does not bode well for Najib and his supporters.

Secondly, win or lose, Najib would still lose. It is a lose-lose situation for him. If Wan Ahmad wins the election, the impression would be that his victory is caused by the “Abdullah factor”. It would be Abdullah’s great choice which wins the election. Not Najib’s.

In the event of a loss, the world would come crumbling down on Najib. The blame would be on him. Allegations of sabotage would surely surface. However, the damndest conclusion in that event would be that the people of Kuala Terengganu, and Malaysia in general, has demonstrated that Najib’s leadership is not welcome. The people do not want Najib as Malaysia’s next Prime Minister. That would be the natural conclusion.

It must be remembered that Najib was entrusted to spearhead UMNO’s and the BN’s election campaign in Permatang Pauh. He failed miserably due mainly to his wrong approach, strategy and tactics. How could you go into someone’s house and tell the owner of that house that his son is a sodomiser? The result of that is for all to see. Anwar won with a bigger majority. Najib (and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) left Permatang Pauh even before the official announcement of the result!

In the event of a BN loss, P036 would be seen as an indictment of Najib’s inability and his perceived tainted past (and present). It would be concluded as an almost unequivocal non-endorsement by the people of his leadership style, his visions, his political posturing on a wide range of issues which are close to the people’s heart nowadays.

It is therefore quite obvious, that come what may, Najib would be the biggest loser in P036. Whatever the result of this by-election might be, it is obvious that the UMNO infighting would continue to ravage the party. Both the Abdullah and Najib faction would claim victory in the event of a win for Wan Ahmad Farid. And both would blame each other in the event of a loss. At the wrong end of this argument would be Najib Razak.

On the side of the fence, a victory for Wan Ahmad Farid, would, on the face of it, indirectly sound a loud “NO” to hudud and PAS’ seeming unwillingness to let go of that issue. In that event, Pakatan Rakyat would have some soul searching to make. The loose alliance between a motley crew of parties with different views and ideas which strike, among others, at the most basic of issues, namely, whether Malaysia should be a secular or Islamic state, would not, in the long run, work if such issue is not analysed deeply and an acceptable common ground is found and agreed upon.

Husam Musa’s statement that PAS would implement hudud during his debate with Khairy Jamaluddin shows the emotional, rather than rational, side of Husam and PAS as a whole. Khairy was being clever and he was digging a huge hole in front of Husam when he unnecessarily asked Husam about hudud. Husam did not see that hole and loudly and proudly proclaimed that PAS would implement hudud to a thunderous applause. Husam won the day but in a single stroke Khairy has managed to find a bullet which the BN could use during the by-election. Hudud, a non-issue before that day, has become an issue suddenly. Husam fell into the hole like a led balloon!

If PAS wins, there will be conclusion made that the people, including the non-Muslims, may not be adverse to hudud. Again, Pakatan Rakyat would have some soul searching to make. And the Barisan Nasional too. Hudud laws, and its implementation, is not an easy subject and it touches the nerves of all and sundry, not only the Muslims and the Malays . It involves international perception, international finance and investments, non-Muslims and Muslims alike. It involves the very basic structure of Malaysia. It involves the basic premise of Malaysia as a secular state with Islam as its official religion. Contrary to all political posturing by the likes of Mahathir Mohammad, Abdullah and the present UMNO leadership, everybody knows that Malaysia is NOT an Islamic state.

PAS itself is in the middle of a leadership tug of war. It is replete with factions where the Hadi, Nik Aziz and Anwar factors provide endless supply of political entanglement. Hadi is the Islamic state chieftain. Nik Aziz heads the more rationale and pragmatist group and is known to be the sympathisers for Anwar’s reformist agenda.

P036 is thus more than what it seems. It is not only about the Barisan Nasional against the Pakatan Rakyat. It is about the survival of political ideologies within component parties of these two. It is also about the fight within the component parties.

The voters in P036 should be so lucky to know that their one vote each may in more than one way decide the future of Malaysia. They should therefore all come out and exercise their right to vote with a clear conscience and unhurried in their choice.

Happy voting.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 8 January 2009, 12:00 pm and is filed under
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Pakatan Rakyat
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Najib’s pretensions

Opinion

By
Philip Bowring

International Herald Tribune

January 8, 2009

Malaysian pretensions

HONG KONG: In a move that could backfire by drawing attention to discrimination against Chinese, Indian and other minorities in Malaysia, the country has claimed a role in the advancement of Malays in other lands.

The Malaysian deputy prime minister and heir apparent, Najib Razak, told an international Malay/Muslim audience recently that his government would work to help support them in countries from the Philippines and Singapore to Madagascar, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Najib’s remarks may draw the attention of China, India and other countries to what has hitherto been regarded by most outsiders as a domestic issue: Malaysia’s official economic and social preferences for Malays, and by extension Muslims, which disadvantage Malaysia’s non-Malay minorities, mostly Chinese and Indian. His statements are also sure to irritate Indonesia, Malaysia’s larger neighbor and fount of Malay culture.

The word “Malay” can mean a language that is native to east Sumatra, which became the lingua franca of trade in Southeast Asia and is now the official language of Indonesia and Malaysia. Or it can mean the relatively small, mostly Muslim, ethnic group of some 20 million straddling Malaysia, and parts of Indonesia and southern Thailand. Or it can mean the much wider Malay racial/linguistic group of more than 300 million people, about 60 percent Muslim, encompassing most of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia – plus many Madagascans and minorities in Vietnam and Cambodia.

In the 1960s there was talk of a loose Malay confederation encompassing Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. However, other issues obstructed this grand idea. For Malaysia in particular, religion has come to play a central role, identifying all Malays with Islam. This notion is viewed as dangerous by many people in Indonesia, which is 80 percent Muslim but is a secular state focused on national rather than religious identity.

Najib’s effort to include Madagascar in his speech was also contentious. Madagascar was first settled by people from the Indonesian archipelago long before Islam appeared. The Muslim minority in Madagascar has mostly Arab and Indian roots. As for the Malays of South Africa and Sri Lanka, though Muslim, their roots were mostly in Java and other parts of what was once Dutch-ruled Indonesia.

Malaysian pretensions could be dismissed as hot air. But official discrimination against non-Malays in the country was eventually going to attract criticism from human rights groups and other governments. It is hard to argue that the numerically dominant Malays, who control most of the political, judicial and bureaucratic levers of power and many of the country’s major corporations, need help. Yet Malaysia’s leadership continues to claim that the Malay race and religion would be threatened by removal of privileges.

Many Malays view these privileges as perpetuating a system of patronage that enriches the elite and makes the Malay poor dependent. Yet changing the system is difficult. While gains of the opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim in last year’s election offer some hope, it is naturally hard for the majority to vote away privileges – which is why India and China could become catalysts.

For decades China and India have stuck with the doctrine of noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries. But as their global role blossoms, attitudes are changing. China’s eye on the well-being of ethnic Chinese everywhere will increase as Chinese investment and tourism become more important to countries in Southeast Asia with significant Chinese minorities. Ethnic Chinese make up 25 percent of Malaysia’s population and are subject to formal discrimination. India has less potential influence, but Indian politicians have begun to listen to Hindu groups complaining about discrimination and destruction of their temples.

In practice, Malaysia is usually more tolerant than official policies and statements by politicians and clerics might suggest. The prime minister is married to a Eurasian who was born a Christian. Various royals have married non-Malays. However, mixed marriages have become rarer as barriers are strengthened by sectarian privileges allied to religious dogmatism.

So maybe the outside world could do Malaysia a favor by taking Najib at his word and speaking up in support of the minority’s reasonable request – equality for non-Malay Malaysians as well as for Malay minorities elsewhere.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 9 January 2009, 1:03 pm and is filed under
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A Palestinian global village

by
Azly Rahman

Below is my early my early thoughts on an aspect of long-term solution for the Palestinians, besides waiting for the creation for a Palestinian state hopefully with a 4-billion-dollar funding from the United States.

Create a “PALESTINIAN GLOBAL-VILLAGE” in every country that cares for the plight of the Palestinians. Just like in the early days of the migration of the Protestants to America during the Reformation Period, young families of Palestinians can be given land in a “city-state” created by each country. Just like Proton City in Malaysia, or Cyberjaya or Putrajaya or Brasilia, these modern enclaves ought to be created.

Nations can “adopt” the Palestinians. They are now helpless and will continue to be massacred by the forces of state-sponsored terrorism.

Of course the plight of the natives of each country need to be taken care of first and as well, but the crisis that’s plaguing the Palestinians will continue to last for decades until the United States as the sole Military Empire stop continuing to give the world an eerie silence.

I urge Malaysian parliamentarians to discuss this idea of a “Palestinian Global Village”; one based on the principle of global humanitarian. Our universities must begin discussing this dimension of “student-exchange” as well, particularly giving more places and financial aid to Palestinian children.  This is not just a gesture but a part of the solution that will stay at peace in our national psyche for a long time.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 10 January 2009, 7:46 am and is filed under
Azly Rahman
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Palestine
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Baradan – Comment is free but  facts are sacred

Just phoned Baradan Kuppusamy whose
“Analysis”
in the
Star
 today made the mischievous claim that I had defended  hudud and qisas laws as they apply only for Muslims.

He has also dragged DAP National Organising Secretary and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok into the picture, alleging that she had taken the same stand.

When I spoke to Baradan, he said he had not read the
Star
.

I asked Baradan when I had ever made such a claim. He said he read it in a report but he was unable to recall which report.

As a veteran journalist, Baradan should know the important maxim for ethical and responsible journalism –  Comment is free but facts are sacred.

I will like to know what is the news report which Baradan is claiming as his source and authority as neither Teresa nor I had ever made the claim he had alleged.

Is Baradan prepared to do the most decent thing and get a correction published prominently and immediately  in the Star?

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 10 January 2009, 11:52 am and is filed under
DAP
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Islamic state
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Media
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Malaysia’s disastrous showing in TIMSS 2007 – time for Hishammuddin to break month-long silence

Some 60 countries, including Malaysia, participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2007, the latest four-yearly  international  comparative assessment of  the achievements and attitudes towards mathematics and science of Year 4  primary and Year 8 secondary students.

The findings  of the
TIMSS 2007
were internationally released on December 9, 2008, and in the past month, there had been intense debate involving the educational authorities, educational NGOs and concerned parents in all the participating  countries on  the results of TIMSS 2007 and their impact on their respective education policy and in particular how  to improve the teaching and learning in mathematics and science for their pupils.

Except in one country – Malaysia, where there is total silence by the education authorities and even blackout of the TIMSS 2007 findings in the mass media despite the ongoing controversy as to whether the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English should continue or revert to Bahasa Malaysia/mother tongue.

It is most unbelievable that the Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the Education Ministry could perpetrate a  conspiracy of silence for one whole month  on the TIMSS 2007 findings relating to the achievements of Malaysian students who took part in the Year 8  (Secondary Two) assessments for mathematics and science.

This is all the more irresponsible as he should be a role model for other  Education Ministers as he is a member of
UNESCO Board
as well as President of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (
Seameo
).

It is time for Hishammuddin  to break his month-long silence and explain his failure as Education Minister as reflected by Malaysia’s poor results in the TIMSS 2007 as compared to other countries in the 60-nation international assessment of  the mathematics and science achievements of Year 8 students.

Like other participating countries, Hishammuddin and the Malaysian education authorities  would have  received copies of the TIMSS 2007 Report well in advance, to give them more than ample time to prepare and release their national reports on the TIMSS 2007 findings almost simultaneously as the international release of the TIMSS findings on Dec. 9 last year.

This was why
Hong Kong
and
Singapore
could come out with official statements on how their students fared in the TIMSS 2007 the very next day on December 10, and why other countries could even publish country  reports giving their  national perspectives of TIMSS 2007, like the
United States
,
Australia
,
England
,
Scotland
and even
Dubai
, which took part as a “benchmarking participant”  for its own  internal benchmarking purposes.

Hishammuddin had not  been shy in immediately going public  about the previous  findings of TIMSS 2003, when it was internationally released on 14th December 2004.

Hishammuddin  reported the TIMSS 2003 findings to the Cabinet and came out with a public announcement the very same day, which was reported by New Straits Times (Thursday, 16th December 2004) under the headline: “Our students hold their own in Maths, Science”, viz:

PUTRAJAYA, Wed. – Malaysian students more than held their own in Science and Mathematics in a study carried out among 50 countries.

They were placed 10th in Mathematics, scoring ahead of Australia, Britain, United States and New Zealand while in Science, Malaysian students placed 20th, ahead of countries like Norway and Italy.

Education Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein was pleased with this showing, noting that in 1999, Malaysia was placed 16th in Mathematics and 22nd in Science among 38 countries.

“I believe this success shows the ability of current educators in teaching these subjects,” he said.

He added that no one should question the ability of the education system to nurture students who excel in both subjects.

Earlier, he briefed the Cabinet on the study.

“The Cabinet was satisfied with the achievement in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for last year because the performance was encouraging compared to previous years.”

A total of 5,314 Malaysians were selected for the study.

TIMSS 2003 is an international comparative study sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation Achievement.

Form Two or Grade Eight students were picked randomly from 50 countries to sit for an assessment test and answer a research questionnaire.

In fact, Hishammuddin could not hide his excitement and returned to  the TIMSS 2003 findings  a fortnight later as the highlight of  his New Year Message for his Ministry at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre!

If Hishammuddin could go public within 24 hours of the international release of the TIMSS 2003 findings  in December 2004, why is Hishammuddin maintaining an eerie silence after one whole month of the international release of the TIMSS 2007 findings?

The answer is very clear although this can be no excuse for Hishammuddin’s irresponsibility in trying to “black out” the TIMSS 2003 report with regard to the results pertaining to Malaysian students.

The TIMSS 2007 had been an unmitigated disaster in  the three assessments which Malaysia had participated, i.e. TIMSS 1999,  TIMSS 2003 and TIMSS 2007 and it was a direct reflection on the quality of his leadership as Education Minister.

The proud statement of Hishammuddin in December 2004 that Malaysia was placed 10th in Mathematics, scoring ahead of Australia, Britain, United States and New Zealand while in Science, Malaysian students were placed 20th, ahead of countries like Norway and Italy, had all turned to ashes.

TIMSS 2007 was a total reversal, with  Malaysia losing  out to Australia, England, Scotland and the United States in Mathematics (New Zealand not in the TIMSS 2007 list for Year 8 students) as well as being overtaken by Norway and Italy in  science!

Malaysia plunged  from No. 10 placing in mathematics in TIMSS 2003 to No. 20 placing  in TIMSS 2007.

With the  disastrous showing in mathematics at the eighth grade level, Malaysia not only lost to the five top Asian countries which took the first  five places, namely Chinese Taipei (1), South Korea (2), Singapore (3), Hong Kong (4) and Japan  (5) but also to Hungary (6), England (7), Russian Federation (8), United States (9), Lithuania (10), Czech Republic (11), Slovenia (12), Armenia (13), Australia (14), Sweden (15), Malta (16), Scotland (17), Serbia (18) and Italy (19).

In the three TIMSS 2007 for mathematics in eighth grade level, Malaysia dropped a hefty 45  score points from 519 points  in 1999, 508 in 2003 to  474 in 2007 (500 is the TIMSS mathematics scale average).  The Australian national report on TIMSS 2007 noted that Australia’s mathematics achievement score of 496 was “not significantly different to the TIMSS scale average” and “significantly higher than the remaining 31 countries, including Italy, Malaysia and Norway”.

For science, Malaysia also plunged  below the TIMSS scale average of 500, falling to 471 points in 2007, a drop  by 39 points as compared to 2003 (510).  In 1999, Malaysia scored 492 points.  Malaysia’s ranking in Year 8 science  in TIMSS 2007 is No. 21, behind Sinagpore (1), Chinese Taipei (2), Japan (3). South Korea (4), England (5), Hungary (6), Czech Republic (7), Slovenia (8), Hong Kong (9), Russian Federation (10), United States (11), Lithuania (12), Australia (13), Sweden (14), Scotland (15), Italy (16), Armenia (17), Norway (18), Ukraine (19) and Jordan (20).

What should be quite startling about the science findings of TIMSS 2007 is not the Australian national report observation that Malaysia is one of the countries which “showed a “statistically significant decline” in score points, but the observation by the Dubai national report that Malaysia’s TIMSS 2007 science score of  471 is “significantly lower than Dubai”, which scored 489, as well as Thailand catching up with Malaysia in having a similar score of 471!

Had Hishammuddin ever submitted a report of Malaysia’s dismal showing in the TIMSS 2007 to the Cabinet and did the Cabinet give the Hishammuddin the “green-light” to bury the disastrous TIMSS findings from public knowledge?

It must be particularly galling to Hishammuddin that he cannot really claim credit for Malaysia’s good results in TIMSS 2003 (as the survey was conducted in 2003 when he had not been appointed Education Minister), but he has to bear full responsibility for the dismal results in TIMSS 2007 as he had already been Education Minister for three years when the survey was conducted in 2007.

If Hishammuddin had fully devoted himself to his duties and responsibilities as Education Minister, instead of devoting his energies politicising his position whether as Education Minister or UMNO Youth leader as in his many keris-wielding antics and most recently in trying to dragoon students for Umno Youth demonstrations, Malaysians would have today an education system held in high international regard for its quality, excellence and competitiveness capable of being a global educational hub  to fully develop the human resource potential of Malaysians and the region.

When will Hishammuddin perform his first duty as Education Minister by making public a national report highlighting the main Malaysian results and findings, setting them in the international context as well as discussing Malaysia’s performance in maths and science since 1999?

After Malaysia’s participation  in TIMSS 1999, I had called on the government to have a strategy  to place  Malaysia among the world’s top five or six nations in mathematics and science, as with five Asian countries as  the top performers in mathematics and science in previous TIMSS surveys, there is no reason why Malaysia cannot join their ranks..

This dream has to be shelved however until Hishammuddin can come out with a a satisfactory  explanation and solution  for Malaysia’s dismal performances in both mathematics and science in TIMSS 2007.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 10 January 2009, 8:01 am and is filed under
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