S’wak polls: Reality check for Pakatan

By
Bridget Welsh

Apr 23, 11

The simple fact in the wake of Saturday’s polls is that Pakatan Rakyat has failed to dent the two-thirds majority in Sarawak and deliver the needed electoral gains to push Abdul Taib Mahmud from office.

Much has been made of the unfairness of the polls, the use of money and the electoral irregularities. While these issues were important, they should not be excuses that overshadow shortcomings.

The Sarawak polls serves to remind the opposition some its weaknesses and without addressing these problems, their own one-third in the Dewan Rakyat could be in jeopardy.

Unlike in Sarawak, there is no dominant Taib issue at the national level and Prime Minister Najib Razak has regained support, particularly among Malays and Indians.

Further, in many ways, the unbalanced nature of the results, with the DAP winning the lion’s share of seats, has also created a new set of hurdles and it points to a growing unevenness within the opposition itself.

In the aftermath of the polls, the opposition faces the stark reality that it needs to move from a campaign of promising “change” to actual delivery.

Managing expectations

The first challenge is one of managing expectations. There is tension in the opposition between those who believe the target should be national power and those who see gains as an incremental process.

This played out in Sarawak, where the goal posts were moved during the campaign from denying two-thirds majority to taking power in Sarawak.

Unlike in March 2008, where arguably the BN was unprepared for the opposition challenge, this is no longer the case. While the BN performance was not up to the par compare to the recent set of by-elections, the BN has strengthened is campaign arsenal and unlike the opposition, they achieved their target of securing the two-thirds majority.

This issue of delivery is important in that it damages the credibility of the opposition as a whole, especially its leaders. It reinforces the impression that the opposition is more concerned with winning power than the actual implementation of the promises they make.

Strategically, contesting in so many seats also overstretched the opposition. This was extremely clear for PKR in particular, where it fought in 49 seats and only won three. When there is an overstretch, the impact is that it is more difficult to read the ground and to effectively reach out to voters.

This was particularly apparent given that PKR lacked the same level of on-the-ground knowledge of the BN and the comparative level of familiarity with individual constituencies that its counterpart DAP has with the seats it contested.

It is not a coincidence that PKR won Ba’Kelalan in part due to local knowledge and experience. The opposition often mistook the warm welcome of Sarawakians give visitors with genuine political support. When the final votes came in – even accounting for problems – Pakatan, and PKR especially, had misread the ground and was blinded by hope.

This was because opposition workers were talking to themselves or only to their own “side”. This has been true for BN for a long time, but it has now happened to the opposition. The middle ground, the decisive undecided voters who are instrumental in any outcome, are not heard.

Gains in the next election by either side will be determined by which side can effectively capture this middle ground and their ability to avoid listening to hype.

Schism between PKR and Snap

There is no question that a two-party system is evolving in Malaysia and the Sarawak 2011 election contributes to this dynamic. Yet, there remain serious undercurrents in the relationship between Peninsular Malaysia opposition and those in Sabah and Sarawak.

This contributed to the schism between Snap and PKR and it has left a bad aftertaste. DAP perhaps has less of this dynamic, given it has a longer tenure in Sarawak – it was there from 1978 – and its Sarawakian leaders played a key role in the campaign.

Yet, here too there are concerns about local representation. The challenge for the opposition is how to empower Sarawakians to lead the opposition, given that in a general election there will be nowhere near the level of opposition machinery and manpower that was present in the state elections.

The fact is that the opposition has alienated some local actors whose cooperation they need in order to make further gains. Snap’s devastating losses ironically do not help to address the underlying concerns for greater local empowerment. The last-minute negotiations, name calling and character assassinations all weakened the opposition campaign, especially PKR.

Part of the problem lies with the different vision mentioned above, but part of it involves the individuals who just do not understand East Malaysians or adequately respect them. It is important to appreciate differences in outlook and priorities and find shared concerns.

The bottom line is that Sabah and Sarawak are the fulcrum in winning national power, and East Malaysians know it. They will only support something in which they can be an integral part of.

Acid test for S’wakian Pakatan leaders

Now more than ever, there are more demands being placed on the new Sarawakian leaders, especially PKR chief Baru Bian and DAP chief Wong Ho Leng. The challenge is not to just represent the seats and communities they were elected to represent, but to channel the broader sentiments of the opposition into something viable.

Pakatan ran quite an ethnically-focused campaigns and this was understandable given the comparative greater segmentation of the ethnic communities in Sarawak, yet the test now is how to move beyond narrow boundaries to reach out not only within Sarawak, but across to the Peninsular.

Opposition’s outreach to the other Dayak communities and to the Malay community remains lacking. Baru, who is from the minority Lun Bawang, will also face a difficult task drawing support among the other Dayak communities.

It is obvious that Sarawak is at a crossroads politically, with a political transition coming – eventually. It is also at a crossroads economically, and arguably has been for some time. The concerns with income inequality and poverty, sustainable development, management of land and resources, job and business opportunities and the aging population are pressing.

Sarawak’s infrastructure is also sorely behind those of other Malaysian states. Too many Sarawakians are being forced to leave their own state, and the brain drain and loss of human capital is having a tremendous impact, personally on families and on the state’s future prosperity as a whole.

The reality is that the Sarawak Pakatan leaders need to move beyond just identifying the problems, but proposing solutions. This is likely to come over native customary rights (NCR) issues, but this is just a first step toward moving Sarawak away from the worrying trends in its broader political economy.

Moving beyond ‘change’

Many Sarawak opposition leaders won because they were credible. This was especially true for PKR in the rural and semi-rural areas. The challenge is how to maintain that credibility and not disappoint voters.

Across Malaysia, the opposition faces the issue of disappointment. The hard reality is that with the Sarawak polls, the campaign for ‘change’ will no longer be adequate for the coming general election.

It is not enough to just point to problems, to highlight issues of alleged corruption and potential abuse. The opposition has to illustrate what it has done in its watchdog role and in government.

Penang was well-showcased in the Sarawak elections, but the issues in other states were less highlighted, especially in the PAS-governed states. The opposition platform and messages have yet to fully provide a clear positive message for voters as it relies heavily on the negative portrayal of the BN. The ‘change’ message is getting stale.

The opposition platform has to embrace the middle ground. Key are the issues in the economy and race relations, which have become worryingly more polarised since March 2008, in part due to heightened racial perceptions of political power. The stark reality is that the BN has the advantage in this area.

One opposition challenge is its leadership. The fact is that credibility problems – including overpromising results on Sarawak – have affected perceptions of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. While these issues were merely tangential in Sarawak, they do matter nationally.

Camps are quite divided on issues of the sodomy trial, sex video and a litany of other attacks. The opposition is faced with a difficult task of building the credibility of its leadership as a whole, to illustrate the full team rather than just a handful of individuals.

Najib too faces this challenge as he had yet to showcase his team, but despite a poor start, he has gained some ground and support. The fact is that the attacks on Anwar have had an impact, largely negative (although there has been some backlash on the sex video debacle given the doubts about the actors involved) and this has yet to be addressed.

Coalition imbalance

The Sarawak results reflect an imbalance within the opposition. PAS lost all is seats and this follows its losses in recent by-elections. There are concerns they are losing the Malay ground.

While PKR did gain seats and has a group of strong credible Sarawak leaders, they underperformed. And while the DAP won a larger share of support, there is now concern with its growing power within Pakatan.

While I believe all parties made gains in support as shown in my earlier piece and illustrated by Wong Teck Chi’s work on Miri and Ong Kian Ming’s rigorous analysis as well (although we have some differences due to methodology and sources of data), there is a sense that not all parties are gaining. This will be difficult to manage.

It was much easier after March 2008 when all sides gained. Unevenness creates unease. This dynamic will test the opposition coalition, within individual parties and collectively across parties.

The easy answer is that the DAP is gaining because of strong Chinese support. There is truth to this, but this is too simplistic, in that the DAP won more support across races and all but one of its gains involved changes in Dayak support.

Individual parties within the opposition, especially PAS and PKR, now are faced with the need to address and assess their campaigns.

Two areas were crucial beyond the issue of overstretch above – greater engagement with younger voters and clearer articulation of an alternative vision. To get to this broader issue, these parties have to handle the internal party fissures and divisions, which were openly present during the party polls in PKR last year, which has continued to percolate, and potentially emerge within PAS at their party polls in June.

Tough path ahead

BN’s issues of survival and the hard decisions it needs to make are clear and not easy. For Pakatan, the decisions over campaign messages, strategy, leadership and collaboration are as challenging, perhaps even more so given that the opposition is facing a stronger BN.

To ignore the shortcomings and not transform will make the gains in Sarawak evaporate as they did after the 1987 state elections, when there was a split within the BN ranks. As Malaysia slowly moves toward a two-party system, the path ahead will likely continue to be filled with uncertainty.

Gains will only be made by the side that genuinely listens, reaches out, and offers viable leaders and solutions that improve the quality of life of all ordinary Malaysians across race, age, gender, states, and economic background.

Sarawak has shown that for both sides, the path ahead will be tough indeed.

We saw this play out initially in Sabah when the partnership with local leaders in PKR broke apart during the party elections last year. There remains a sense – which runs across all parties – that Peninsular Malaysians are arrogant and insensitive to local leaders and concerns.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 23 April 2011, 12:13 pm and is filed under
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Ean Yong denies DAP, Teoh ever took kickbacks

By
Melissa Chi

April 24, 2011

SERI KEMBANGAN, April 24 — Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah again denied today DAP and his dead aide Teoh Beng Hock ever took kickbacks, an issue speculated in a royal panel investigating the death.

Teoh was called as a witness in a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) probe into alleged misuse of state funds by Ean Yong but was found dead on July 15, 2009 at the agency’s Selangor office after overnight questioning.

“I need to stress here that, the DAP branches and Teoh Beng Hock have never taken any cut or kickback from the contractors or suppliers. We have documents to prove that these are baseless accusations.

“What happened was, in many cases the DAP branch or certain party members are part of the organising team and footed some of the bills of the programmes. When we got back the claim from the district office, we then reimburse to the branch or members who have paid the bills earlier,” he told reporters here.

Teoh, 30, was the political secretary to Yong, who is also the Seri Kembangan assemblyman from the DAP, at the time of his death. An inquest turned in an open verdict, saying it was neither suicide or homicide.

Selangor DAP chairman Teresa Kok, who is also a state executive councillor, denied last month that a party branch had received a cut from payments for government projects in 2008.

Ean Yong (picture) claimed the MACC is using the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) as a platform to frame up accusations against Teoh Beng Hock and the DAP and that it is their attempt to justify their “suicide theory”.

“And they are trying very hard to confuse the people. No matter how, this will only expose their poor investigation techniques.

“It is obvious that the MACC officers that have testified in the previous inquest and present RCI have been giving misleading and contradictory statements in order to justify their unjustifiable

actions toward Teoh Beng Hock that caused his death,” he said.

He stressed that he is “closely monitoring” the royal commission of inquiry for probing the death of Teoh.

MACC lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah suggested to the RCI that Teoh was restless hours before his death as he was guilty of using government projects to fund the DAP.

Shafee also challenged businessman Lee Wye Wing to produce receipts to prove his claim that a DAP branch had paid advances for various government projects in the Seri Kembangan constituency in 2008.

He made an application for the commission to compel the 52-year-old businessman to produce the receipts.

Shafee said that three payment vouchers, which the MACC had found in Lee’s home, revealed allocations for Serdang Aman DAP, ranging from 30 to almost 90 per cent.

Some of the payments had been issued to WSK Services, which Lee said was owned by his wife.

Selangor MACC investigation unit head Hairul Ilham Hamzah testified last month that Teoh had received an allocation of RM112 in the RM1,665 payment voucher.

Shafee had said that the national DAP had also received an allocation of RM600 out of a RM1,800 payment under the Kampung Tunku constituency.

DAP’s Lau Weng San is the area’s assemblyman.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 24 April 2011, 5:11 pm and is filed under
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Sex scandals obsess Malaysia: the country with a one-track mind

By
Sholto Byrnes

Sunday, 24 April 2011

The Independent

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s opposition leader, tomorrow faces the resumption of one of the less edifying cases to have been heard amid the colonnaded formality of the Kuala Lumpur High Court: his trial for allegedly sodomising a 25-year-old aide named Saiful Bukhari.

It is not the only scandal with which the former deputy prime minister, whose dismissal and first trial for sodomy made world headlines more than a decade ago, is dealing.

The man once feted as Newsweek’s “Asian of the Year”, whose supporters include Al Gore, the former US vice-president, and Paul Wolfowitz, a former World Bank president, is also accused of being the star of a 21-minute sex tape featuring a Chinese prostitute (by way of variation, female), a clip of which was briefly posted on YouTube.

But these are only two instances of the sexually related incidents that fill the country’s papers and gossip sites every day. So numerous are stories of physical misdemeanours in this conservative, Muslim-majority but essentially easygoing country that the question is being asked: are Malaysians obsessed with sex?

Within the past few days, it has emerged that the education department in the eastern state of Terengganu has set up a boot camp to which it has sent 66 schoolboys to deal with their “effeminate tendencies”.

“The severity of the symptoms vary. We understand that some people end up as homosexual,” said the department’s director, Razali Daud, “but we will do our best to limit the number. If left unchecked, it could become a problem for them, their families and society.”

Earlier this month, a well-known MP, Ibrahim Ali, the leader of the Malay rights group Perkasa, asked in parliament if wives truly “understand their roles”. “Husbands driving home after work see things that are sexually arousing and seek their wives to satisfy their urges,” he said, complaining that sometimes women pretend to be busy with other matters. “They will say, ‘wait, I’m cooking,’ or ‘wait, I’m getting ready to visit relatives’.” They evidently required a “proper explanation” that “in Islam, wives are supposed to stop everything to fulfil their husbands’ demands.”

Although now an independent, Ibrahim was once a luminary in the governing Barisan Nasional alliance, which cannot appear too overbearing in matters of personal morality given that it includes non-Muslim Chinese, Indian and indigenous components as well as Muslim Malays.

The Islamist opposition party PAS, however, is less constrained, as its youth leader, Nasrudin Tantawi, made clear in February. “We have identified favourite spots where lovebirds mingle,” he said, warning that his organisation would be helping to check “immoral activities” in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. “We are deploying our members to preach and distribute pamphlets promoting sin-free lifestyles.”

The action was certainly necessary, he said. “Last year there was a campaign to promote a no-panties day.”

Such remarks do not go without comment. The country’s Women, Family and Community Minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, has already condemned the Terengganu state government’s boot camp, and Ibrahim’s antediluvian views have provoked widespread condemnation.

“Ibrahim must apologise and submit himself for gender sensitivity training,” said Teresa Kok, of the opposition Democratic Action Party. Nasrudin’s Valentine’s Day campaign, meanwhile, led to PAS’s youth leader being slapped down by more senior members of his own party.

Anwar’s sodomy trial, which has been dragging on since February 2010, is widely thought to be politically motivated. So is the sex tape, which was produced by a trio collectively known as “Datuk T” (Datuk being a Malaysian honorific all three bear), one of whom is a former Barisan state governor with a personal axe to grind against the opposition leader.

But while many dismiss the allegations, what Ziauddin Sardar calls “the seeds of doubt” have been planted in the minds of others. Sardar, a prominent scholar of Islam and cultural critic in this country, was an adviser to Anwar when he was deputy prime minister in the 1990s and warned him then that his enemies would seek to destroy him through manufacturing allegations of homosexuality.

“One can always fudge the evidence,” he told me. “And in Malaysia it carries a heavy penalty” – both a prison sentence (Anwar’s initial conviction for sodomy was later quashed) and, even before any verdict, the suspicion of the rural and religious Malays that he had been up to something “abhorrent and unnatural”.

Why, however, the torrent of other stories, whether they be the Chief Minister of Malacca urging council workers to look out for couples indulging al fresco at heritage sites, police raiding hotels to uncover Muslims committing khalwat (close proximity), or international pop singers being warned to cut back on risqué moves and outfits if they want to appear in the country?

“This phenomenon isn’t limited to Malaysia,” said Nik Nazmi, the communications director of Anwar’s party PKR, on the Malaysian Insider website recently. “But Malaysians seem to be possessed by an insatiable curiosity about what happens in other people’s bedrooms.”

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 24 April 2011, 5:38 pm and is filed under
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Sin City, Jay Bee – a tribute to Johor Bahru

by Azly Rahman

Where have all those memories gone

Of the city that never sleeps

Sin-filled you are

… Offering life’s panorama

A pandora box of a lushness of emotions

Jay Bee

You may be called a city of filth

Of gang wars and transvestite agalore

Of rock kapak geniuses conceived immaculately

From the womb of Papa Rock

Ahhh New Johor … New York you may want to be

Thou shall never attain that notoriety

Sweet city sin city

Celebrating the velocity of money

It is there I knew love’s inner beauty

As we walked up and down the Lido Beach

     whose middle name is “filthy”

Ohh Jay Bee … you are a soul that is one with me

Jay Bee

Sin city

where politics stink

where corruption gets a nice daily wink

where the power elites are the underground kings

where the poor are hoodwinked

where the children of the working class roam the streets in motorcycles with bilng bing

where the smell of ganja filled the air like a pissed-on fermented drink

Ahh Jay Bee

City of Sins

Your hunchback of Tanjung Puteri is dead and gone

Committed sepuku at the sight of what has become

   Of you sin city Jay Bee

Si Bongkok died of a death he long-willed for

As the sight of the crooked bridge broke his heart that exploded with a roar

Ahhh… thanks to the Johor Corridor

And the Disney of Nusajaya Johoreans adore

Sin city

Jay Bee

Your economy, like a Segget River , stinks till eternity

Love is gone

Of the one my heart held on

As I walked countless miles

Along the Lido beach

Time has not been kind

To this city that never sleeps

To this sin city

   That weeps

   The yesteryears of the loss of pride that run deep

Love is gone

The deal is sealed

Sin city you are now sold

To the forked tongued nationalists grown old like ageing Disneys

Sin city

Jay Bee

You were once mine

You will no longer be

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 24 April 2011, 12:54 pm and is filed under
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Voting hanky-panky – helis and postal ballots

Dear YB Lim,

This is in view of the last Sarawak state election. I was in Miri for a week on work then. I think Malaysia should rethink the way voting in the rural interior are carried out.

1.As I understand helicopters are used to carry the ballot boxes from the interior to the counting centres. These boxes, as I was told are carried from the voting stations by heli for counting at a central area. But I also hear that they are also relayed to a point and front there to another transfer by heli later.

The question is, how safe are these ballot boxes at the transit area NOT to be manupulated with. And are these boxes accompanied by the reps of the political parties? As I also hear they reckon that there were more opposition votes from the rural folks, this time.

2. As regards to postal votes for Security personnel, this should be discontinued, OR have the votes counted there and then and the results verified before they are recorded and announced later at the central counting area.

During election many security personnel can be ‘conveniently’ posted out or assigned duty out of their registered constituency to require them to vote by post. This has been thought to be not ideal.

Now with more tha 2 million RELA members, thier votes would ‘very conveniently’ be considered postal votes. There will certainly be more room for manupulation. Such votes should be cast much earlier and counted immediately after that and the results confirmed by all reps instead of the long gap before counting, where there is a opportunity for manipulation.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 24 April 2011, 7:26 am and is filed under
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A Sarawakian voter’s dilemma

by
June Rubis

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 14, 2011

 APRIL 14 — Sarawak has never seen anything like it: the focused attention from Peninsular Malaysia during a state election.

From the political celebrities flown here especially to entertain us with their ceramahs, to the constant barrage on social media to vote for either “ubah” (change), or to keep the status quo. We should feel so special.

After all, it’s only taken 48 years for Peninsular Malaysia to finally get clued in that Sarawak (along with Sabah) is a vital part of Malaysia. And what happens in Sarawak would start the ripple of change for the rest of Malaysia.

Or as proud Sarawakians would adamantly declare, Malaysia is PART of Sarawak. I beg to remind you that if it weren’t for Sarawak and Sabah, there will be no Malaysia. It would just be Malaya.

This state election is indeed exciting. For the first time in decades, we may possibly see a political change for Sarawak. For the first time, both coalitions are equally balanced in the media front, albeit the Pakatan Rakyat-favoured media is only available online.

For once, I am able to read the news and feel that for the most part, the political parties are being given a fair chance to have themselves heard.

Except, of course, for the Sarawak-based party SNAP and the independents running in the race. They have been equally bashed by both coalitions, and all the reporting in the mass media reflects this. Pakatan Rakyat and its supporters dismiss SNAP and the independents as just tools of Barisan Nasional, and have worked very hard to discredit them to Sarawakian voters.

Barisan Nasional runs SNAP and the independents down with its usual haughty condescension, and reminds voters that a vote for SNAP and the independents certainly does not equal a vote for BN.

There was a time in my life where I was so hopeful for PKR in particular. At a recent LoyarBurok retreat when we were asked in an ice-breaker game (if my memory serves me correctly) whether Pakatan Rakyat would be the saving grace of Sarawak, I confidently stood in the line of “Agree” and passionately spoke up for Baru Bian. I assured my friends that nothing could be worse than what we have governing Sarawak now.

And then, the fallout between PKR and SNAP occurred, and the former went on the complete offensive along with its cheering media section.

This aggressive move was very dismaying for me, and it made me wonder whether Peninsular Malaysian politicos and media were able to see east Malaysian political parties as more than just their subordinates who will move when commanded to.

And when they don’t, the assumption is that they have to be manipulated by someone else somehow!

Who is pulling the strings? Who is going to rule Sarawak in proxy? Peninsular Malaysians hankering to either get or maintain control of Putrajaya? Foreign funders disguised as free media? Shady funders wanting to preserve their assets?

So here lies the conscientious Sarawakian voter’s dilemma.

We want change, we do.

We do not want the same state government we have had for the past 30 years. We want a government that listens to its peoples, and is fair to all, and not just its cronies.

We want fair, balanced government policies. We want a government that doesn’t constantly challenge the courts’ decisions that are in favour of indigenous people when it comes to the rights of native customary land. We want EIAs conducted for projects that would irreplaceably change the geographic face of the state, in the name of “development” that we supposedly want but were never consulted about.

And yet, when I sit and watch the race between the two giant coalitions, I can’t help but feel sad.

I do not believe that either have altruistic intentions for Sarawak other than for their own political destinies. Do not tell me that one is the saving grace compared to the other, for they both wear the same mask to me.

Yet come April 16, I will cast my vote. And I will cast my vote for the political party that has not yet been represented in my constituency.

And then after the 16th, when everyone has had their excitement sated from the results of the polls, and has returned home, Sarawak can start rebuilding.

But we have to realise that it starts with us. And not with Peninsular Malaysians, or well-meaning foreigners.

We need to remind ourselves that April 16 is not the end date for change. It is not.

Whatever government gets voted in, we cannot absolve ourselves from the responsibility of making the changes we want in our society. This means taking an active role in civil society, be it in the NGOs of the causes you support, and the associations and places of worship that you are part of.

With a strong Sarawakian civil society that is united, we can then make our demands heard by the government of the day, to remind them to put Sarawak first, beyond personal political ambitions.

And then perhaps one day there won’t be a voter’s dilemma any longer.

For ordinary Sarawakian rakyat would be charting our own course, with meek politicians in tow.

One day.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 April 2011, 7:56 am and is filed under
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DAP-SNAP merger plan triggers concern of a Pakatan rift

By
Wong Choon Mei

Malaysia Chronicle

Sunday, 24 April 2011

Amid concerns that Pakatan Rakyat might become infiltrated by enemies from Prime Minister Najib Razak’s BN coalition, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim held a “pow-wow” with top leaders of his PKR party in Sarawak.

At the closed-door meeting, they charted plans for the national elections expected to take place soon. They also discussed solutions in the event of multi-parties contesting the same seats, should an internal row brewing amongst coalition members get out of hand.

“The meeting will include top leaders from the PKR national leadership. They need to strengthen the state machinery fast in case the GE really comes early. Another hot topic will course be the SNAP-DAP merger,” a PKR insider told Malaysia Chronicle.

Sarawak recently held its 10th state election, where PKR won 3 seats and Pakatan colleague DAP won 12. Although the Pakatan victory was unprecedented, with the Chinese voters clearly deserting the BN, there is speculation Najib might hammer through snap general elections rather than allow risks to snowball by delaying.

When Malaysia holds its 13th GE, Sarawak will become another hotbed of competition, not just between BN and Pakatan but also within Pakatan itself. Component parties are all eyeing the state’s 31 parliamentary seats. There a total of 222 seats in the Malaysia Parliament.

“Discussion with leaders and candidates in Sarawak. Their spirits were high and eager to get ready for GE,” Anwar later said on his Twitter site.

Clear links to BN

Flushed from its Sarawak success, Chinese-based DAP has expressed plans to expand its representation in Sarawak, where the Chinese form 31 per cent of the 979,796-strong electorate, the Iban 29 per cent, the Malay-Melanau 27 per cent, Bidayuh 8 per cent and the Orang Ulu 3.7 per cent.

It has proposed a merger with SNAP and despite a show of initial reluctance from Sarawakian-based party, few have doubts that the DAP-initiated tie-up will go through.

“DAP Sarawak state committee has given the nod to suggestion of DAP-SNAP merger as positive post-416 UBAH election to mobilise Sarawakians regardless of race,” Kit Siang said on Twitter on Sunday.

The plan will now have to be passed through the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council, which is due to meet on May 1.

The proposal has stirred unhappiness within the coailition especially PKR, which has accused SNAP of being a BN proxy.

PKR leaders have minced no words slamming SNAP leaders including Edwin Dundang and Paul Kadang, both of whom have been accused of being enticed by the likes of fallen businessman Soh Chee Wen and former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim. Soh and Salehuddin were allegedly behind several of PKR’s past defections to BN.

Others have also warned of BN infiltration

But this is not a case of unfair ‘point-the-finger-panic’ because the PKR leaders have not been alone in their accusations.

n late March, after the dissolution of the Sarawak state assembly, UK activist Clare Rewcastle-Brown wrote:

“Sarawak Report has received explosive evidence from the heart of Barisan National in KL, revealing that a secret deal has been forged with SNAP, in a desperate attempt to destroy the opposition and maintain BN’s grip on Sarawak after the election.”

“We have learnt that the deal, which involves Federal BN pouring money into the newly revived SNAP (Sarawak National Party, which is meant to be part of the opposition alliance), was finalised during the visit by Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Deputy Muhyiddin Yassin just last weekend.”

”Confidentially, UMNO will support SNAP and many BN Sarawak representatives will jump ship. Better to keep low key as nobody knows the game of the PM and Deputy PM,” Sarawak Report also quoted its sources as saying.

Another activist, MCLM president Haris Ibrahim too said his movement had received information that SNAP candidates, and some of their privileged leaders, had suddenly come into significant amounts of funds.

“We have been told that the funds were being made available by operatives from Kuala Lumpur acting under the direction of the BN,” Malaysiakini reported Haris as saying. “There is no conclusive evidence, but in situations like this, you rarely get black-and-white evidence.”

Not the first time

Nonetheless, boosted by their success, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and his father Lim Kit Siang are expected to ignore the advice from their Pakatan colleagues as well as from the activists.

In the chase for parliamentary seats, DAP may jeopardise the good relations in Pakatan. Some even expect the coalition to break up on this move as they see the DAP-SNAP merger as being an indirect tie-up with the BN.

“At the best, DAP will take Pakatan through the same sort of embarrassment as the PKR did when it brought in former Umno leader Zaid Ibrahim. But that was not clear then because Zaid had been sacked from Umno. After he quit PKR to form KITA, the speed that KITA got its party registration and the heavy praise it received from PM Najib, it is clear where Zaid and KITA stand,” Pakatan watcher Eddie Wong told Malaysia Chronicle.

“Now, with all the accusations against SNAP, for Guan Eng and Kit Siang to proceed with a merger means they are openly embracing the BN but through an indirect means. Frankly, for the DAP to join the BN is much hankered after by Najib because he needs a strong Chinese ally to bolster or even replace MCA. But in doing so, DAP would lose all its credibility. Becoming BN-friendly may not be what the Chinese community wants or even what its members want. This way, it is less obvious but very insidious. I would urge both PKR and PAS to tread very carefully.”

Indeed, in 1995 DAP left Tengku Razaleigh’s Gagasan Rakyat shortly before the general election plunging the Semangat 46-led pact into chaos and costly defeats. In 2004, it also pulled out of Barisan Alternative, paving the way for former premier Abdullah Badawi and BN to score a landslide victory.

Meanwhile, DAP MP for Taiping Nga Kor Ming denied the speculation.

“Rest assured. DAP will remain steadfast and committed to Pakatan Rakyat,” Nga told Malaysia Chronicle.

PAS MP for Bukit Gantang Nizar Jamaluddin, who fough tooth-and-nail with his PKR and DAP comrades to regain Perak after the 2009 BN coup d’etat, also dismissed the concerns.

“Sarawak results should enhance further solidarity among Pakatan components and heighten endeavour towards Putrajaya,” Nizar told Malaysia Chronicle.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 April 2011, 8:36 am and is filed under
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Idea of DAP-SNAP merger conceived as one important measure to take 416 UBAH political awakening in Sarawak to its full flush of victory in next national elections

Firstly, let me congratulate the 12 newly-elected Sarawak DAP State Assembly representatives led by Sarawak DAP State Chairman Wong Ho Leng, Deputy Chairman Chiew Chin Sing and State Secretary Chong Jian Ren for their success in the historic 416 Sarawak state general elections the previous Saturday.

It is not so much a victory for the DAP as a victory for the UBAH generation in Sarawak spearheading a political awakening for change in Sarawak with far-reaching implications for Malaysian politics as a whole.

Just as the 2006 Sarawak state general elections  (520 or 20th May) paved the way for the 308 “political tsunami” of the 2008 general elections which saw the fall of Barisan Nasional in five states and the loss of its parliamentary two-thirds majority for the first time, will 416,  which saw DAP elected representatives doubling from six to twelve and a collective Pakatan Rakyat State Assembly presence of 15 representatives, herald another historic political change in the forthcoming general elections with  the fall of Barisan Nasional in ten states and a change-over of Federal Government in Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat?

As a response to the 416 UBAH political awakening in Sarawak, I had broached the idea of a possible DAP-SNAP merger not only to learn from the lessons of the Sarawak general elections to avoid multi-cornered contests but also to accelerate the mobilization and political awakening of Sarawakians for the 13th general elections expected any time.

It is a great fallacy for anyone to allege  that the 416 UBAH political awakening in Sarawak is a Chinese phenomenon or that the DAP had won the 12 State Assembly seats purely because of Chinese votes – and an even bigger lie, that the victories were a result of the “communal Chinese race politics” of the DAP.

The 416 UBAH political awakening is a fully Sarawakian and Malaysian phenomenon and has nothing to do  whatsoever with race.

The Sarawakian voters who comprise the UBAH generation did not vote as Chinese, Iban, Bidayuh, Malay or Melanau but as full-fledged Sarawakians who voted for change to see justice, equality, accountability, fair play,  good governance and an end to corruption, abuse of power and illegal land grabs in their homeland!

In fact, the support of Iban, Bidayuh, Malay and Melanau voters were critical to the victory in many constituencies won by the DAP, including Batu Kawah, Kota Sentosa, Kidurong, Meradong, Repok, Dudung, Piasau and Pujuk.

In many areas in the state, the swing to DAP and Pakatan Rakyat is even more obvious in non-Chinese communities, registering 13.4 per cent opposition swing among the Chinese, 14.2% among the Ibans, 17.9% among the Bidayuh, 18.4% among the Malays and 20.5% among Orang Ulu.

The idea of a DAP-SNAP merger was conceived as one important measure to take the 416 UBAH political awakening in Sarawak to its full flush of victory in the next national elections.

I have a soft spot for SNAP – as my association with SNAP goes back to the sixties when Sarawak’s first Chief Minister was an Iban, the  SNAP leader, Stephen Kalong Ningkan as well as other SNAP stalwarts from sixties to seventies like James Wong, Edmund Langgu and Daniel Tajem.

The response from the SNAP leaders, whether its President or Secretary-General, had been far from supportive or enthusiastic.  If the SNAP leadership does not support the proposal of a DAP-SNAP merger, then that is the end of the proposal.

There had been intriguing responsee from various quarters, including the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is confident that the DAP-SNAP merger proposal would not materialize.  Najib seems to know something which others do not know.

There are also those who oppose the idea because it would jeopardise Pakatan Rakyat.

This I find it difficult to understand.  The suggestion of a DAP-SNAP merger is to strengthen and consolidate Pakatan Rakyat gains in Sarawak and not to weaken or undermine them.

I would urge all newly-elected DAP Sarawak state assembly reps to be always mindful of their duty to protect and promote the cause of Pakatan Rakyat as one clear and unmistakable message of the 416 Sarawak state elections is that Pakatan Rakyat has arrived in Sarawak and is in the state to stay to spearhead the UBAH revolution – not only for  Sarawak but for the whole of Malaysia.

The suggestion of a DAP-SNAP merger is  still at a very preliminary stage.  I have not yet raised it at the DAP Central Executive Committee and I am discussing it for the first time with the DAP Sarawak state committee.

If we decide that the idea is worth exploring, then we should continue to take serious note of  bona fide comments, criticisms and feedbacks from all quarters, as at the ripe time, the DAP will have to discuss the proposal at the Pakatan Rakyat level with the other PR leaders.

(Speech to the Sarawak DAP State Committee and 12 elected DAP State Assembly members at Paramount Hotel Conference Hall, Sibu on Sunday, 24th April 2011 at 10 am)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 April 2011, 3:18 pm and is filed under
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Sarawak DAP gives thumbs-up to SNAP merger

By
Clara Chooi

April 25, 2011

SIBU, April 25 — The Sarawak DAP appears to be taking aggressive steps to take charge of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) campaign ahead of the coming general election, beginning with endorsing the proposal to merge with the Sarawak National Party (SNAP).

The state’s top leaders met here yesterday to discuss the proposal mooted by DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and gave its approval despite SNAP’s still-simmering feud with PKR.

The merger is seen to be the DAP’s strategy to boost its mileage in the state’s Dayak-majority areas, thus giving the party greater bargaining power when negotiating for seats with PKR in the coming general election.

Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen (picture) told The Malaysian Insider today that the party had already kicked off informal discussions with several SNAP leaders on the proposed merger and will soon raise the matter with the DAP’s national leadership.

He acknowledged that PKR was uncomfortable with the merger but reminded its leaders that it was PKR’s strained ties with SNAP that had forced multi-cornered fights between the two parties during the April 16 state polls.

“To have a friend is better than to have a foe. For whatever said and done, they (SNAP) still have their support so that is why our state committee met and discussed the proposal and decided to endorse it.

“They (SNAP) still have a brand name in Sarawak after having been around for so long and though they may not have done so well in this is election, I do not think you can just write them off like that,” he said.

Before the polls, the DAP had to back down during negotiations with PKR over seat distribution and finally agreed to settle for 15 seats instead of the 20 seats it had initially wanted to contest.

PKR and SNAP, on the other hand, had failed to strike a compromise and in the final hours before nomination day on April 6, both parties were still locked in combat over seat distribution.

They ended up clashing in 26 state seats, forcing a split in the opposition vote, which PKR later complained had helped Barisan Nasional (BN) emerge victorious in the polls.

“We cannot afford to have a repeat of that… we cannot afford to wait and to continue what we did in the last election when we all had to wait until the very last minute. There was just too much uncertainty,” Chong recalled.

He pointed out that if the DAP did not engage with SNAP, a repeat of the state polls would likely occur during the general election.

“Like it or not, we cannot avoid it. They (SNAP) will be around and they will contest and we need to prevent multi-cornered fights,” he said.

He cited an example of Election 2008 when PKR and the DAP both contested in the Stampin parliamentary seat and lost to BN.

“DAP got 18,000 votes, PKR got about 2,000-plus while BN won with 21,000. Fact is that they (PKR) ruined our chances to win… this is why we must sit and discuss these things amicably.

“If we exclude them (SNAP), they will still come up again and then when does it stop?” he asked.

He expressed relief that despite its battle with PKR, the DAP had already laid its groundwork in Sarawak many months prior to the dissolution of the state assembly, helping it to face the polls fully prepared.

For PKR however, deputy president Azmin Ali admitted to The Malaysian Insider recently that the party had only gotten down to serious work about three months before the election, resulting in its “disorganised” campaign.

As a result, the DAP cruised to a thumping victory on April 16 and swept 12 of the 15 seats it contested while PKR trailed far behind, securing just three of its 49 seats.

“For the next election, we want to be even more prepared and that is why we endorsed the merger. We will sort out the details later… hopefully, SNAP will see the wisdom behind it,” he said.

He stressed however that the proposal was still in the discussion stage and would only become a reality one it is endorsed by the national leadership and accepted by PR.

“We also have to raise it with our central executive committee and to the Sarawak PKR leadership as well as the PR council.

“But whatever step we take, the DAP’s primary objective is to strengthen PR rather than to weaken. So whether it is PKR or SNAP or us, the objective is to win more seats,” said Chong

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 April 2011, 6:23 pm and is filed under
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SUPP’s Wong may join BN as direct member

by
Kong See Hoh

The Sun

April 25, 2011

KUCHING (April 24, 2011): FOLLOWING Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s remark that Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has no right to stop its deputy secretary-general Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh from accepting a state cabinet minister post, all eyes are on whether the beleaguered Bawang Assan assemblyman would quit the party to become a direct member of the state Barisan Nasional (BN).

Wong had earlier dismissed as rumour the talk that he would be setting up a new party after falling foul of the party’ central working committee (CWC) for having sworn in as a cabinet minister.

In view of the party’s dismay performance in the recent state election due to a drop in support from the Chinese, the CWC has decided to recommend only the party’s Dayak assemblymen for cabinet jobs and not the two Chinese assemblymen who survived the DAP onslaught in the polls.

According to a report in Oriental Daily News today, although some of the party’s top leaders are vehemently against Wong remaining in the cabinet in defiance of the CWC decision, Wong has already been sworn in and there is no turning back the clock.

Furthermore, Taib has also made it very clear that he is firm in retaining Wong in his cabinet.

Taib broke his silence on the matter when he said on Thursday that no one, not even SUPP, has the right to stop Wong from staying in the cabinet.

Under pressure from within the party and outside – MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is among those who have urged Wong not to accept a government post — the guessing game in the state political circle is whether Wong would leave the party to become a direct BN member.

Meanwhile, MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said if the party does not have the support of the Chinese voters in the next general election, it will not be able to represent the community, and BN would also become weaker, Sin Chew Daily reported today.

Commenting on the situation in Sarawak in which the Chinese voters ditched Chinese-based SUPP in favour of DAP in the recent state election, Liow said the scenario is different in the peninsula in that all BN component parties work as one to fulfil the wishes of the people.

Liow was speaking to the press after launching the 1Malaysia Mobile Clinic Eye Care Services Collaboration in Slim River on Saturday.

Taking the cue from Sarawak, he said the bulk of the seats to be contested by MCA are in the urban areas, and the party needs to change or transform in accordance to the wishes of the Chinese voters.

This is to ensure continued support from the community, and ensure victory in the next general election, he said.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 April 2011, 1:21 am and is filed under
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Utusan Malaysia is not the Malay voice but the voice of Muhyiddin against Najib

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has sprung to the quick defence of Utusan Malaysia, the Umno official organ and the national daily which enjoys “unlawful” immunity and impunity for blatant offences whether against the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act or other laws in the land.

In response to public condemnation of Utusan’s incessant stoking of communal hatred and tensions, the latest being its call for a “1Melayu, 1Bumi” movement, Muhyiddin declared that Utusan Malaysia is the
 “voice and desire of the Malay community and also Malaysians in general”.

Muhyiddin is a picture of total absurdity in claiming that Utusan Malaysia is the “voice and desire” of Malaysians in general, when it does not even qualify to be the voice of the Malays.

No wonder that early this year the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president Hata Wahari – himself a senior Utusan journalist until victimized and purged by the Umno official organ –  blamed Utusan Malaysia editors for their “racial rhetoric” and “fanning racial sentiments” as causing the daily’s declining sale.

As a result, Utusan Malaysia nose-dived from one of the nation’s top circulation papers to a disreputable rag, falling  from a height of a daily circulation of 350,000 to less than half the numbers  – as Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) figures for the full year ended June 30, 2010 showed its circulation had dropped to 170,558 as compared to 181,346 the previous year.

The Utusan Malaysia editors are a disgrace to the profession of journalists and  doing the Malay race and Malaysian nation a great disservice in continually, quoting Hata Wahari, “playing up racial issues and creating discord among the people of various races”.

If the police, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the judiciary are efficient, independent and professional institutions to uphold the rule of law without fear or favour, Utusan Malaysia editors would have no time to edit the Umno daily but would be trudging up and down the court houses over a mountain of criminal charges round-the-year!

The Utusan Malaysia is not the voice of the Malays as right-thinking and rational Malays like right-thinking and rational Malaysians have been migrating away from Utusan Malaysia particularly to online media.

But what should really cause consternation is that Utusan Malaysia is at best the voice of Muhyiddin particularly at odds with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

How can Muhyiddin give endorsement to Utusan Malaysia’s call for “1Melayu, 1Bumi” when it is clearly an open affront and repudiation of Najib’s 1Malaysia signature policy?

Or is Najib Prime Minister for 1Malaysia while Muhyiddin is Deputy Prime Minister for 1Melayu?

Is Najib’s 1Malaysia only meant for non-Malays while Muhyiddin’s 1Melayu reserved for Malays?

After his open repudiation of Najib’s signature policy with his declaration “I am Malay first, Malaysia second” declaration last March, Muhyiddin’s open endorsement of Utusan’s “1Melayu, 1Bumi” call is Muhyiddin’s second unkind cut against Najib –

another open defiance and challenge of  Najib’s authority and legitimacy as Prime Minister.

Dare Najib slap down Muhyiddin and force him into line to loyally support the 1Malaysia concept?

Is the Barisan Nasional Cabinet prepared to resolve this conflict and contradiction between Najib and Muhyiddin at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting this week, or will all the Cabinet Ministers from Umno, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, SUPP and the other Sarawak and Sabah component parties dig their heads deeper into the sand to pretend that they are not aware of such open policy conflict between the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister – between 1Malaysia and 1Melayu?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 April 2011, 5:36 pm and is filed under
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When wolves cry ‘wolf’

by
Zairil Khir Johari

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 25, 2011

APRIL 25 — When a known liar accuses someone else of lying, whom do you trust? In a nutshell, that is the predicament faced by the proverbial boy who cried wolf. And, of late, there have certainly been many boys crying “Wolf”.

The 2011 Sarawak election has been a successful one, insofar as the DAP is concerned. However, our success has now rendered us victims of a vicious hate campaign being propagated by the BN and its media.

A quick glance at news items last week reveals a barrage of high-profile attacks on the DAP. First it began, unsurprisingly, with an editorial from Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia, calling upon the BN to forego Chinese support because, ostensibly, the community has turned its back on the government. Such ungrateful citizens! We gave them the right to vote, and they dared to vote against us?

Awang Selamat’s call-to-arms was immediately followed up by a fellow Utusan editor, who went one step further by announcing the need for a “1 Melayu, 1 Bumi” movement in order to unite the “divided” Malay community.

And this is apparently necessary because Malay political power is now under threat by the Chinese, who, despite making up only 25 per cent of the Malaysian population, is suddenly capable of taking over the reins of power. I for one am glad I had a different maths teacher.

If that wasn’t enough, the president of the MCA decided to bay for blood as well, essentially threatening the Chinese community in Sarawak for their folly of daring to vote for anyone other than an “approved” BN representative.

Last but not least, joining in the chorus was a retired prime minister-turned-blogger and part-time amateur historian, said to be working on his latest book: “Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah (Di Alam Fantasiku)”.

In his usual manner, subtlety was dispensed with. The DAP is a racist party that has brought racism to Sarawak! Ruh-roh! Only the BN can truly represent the needs of the various races in Malaysia.

Phew! At the rate they were going, one would have thought the DAP had single-handedly won control of the Sarawak government. Imagine if we had actually won every seat we contested. Gasp, that would give us control over a whopping 15 out of 71 seats! Seriously, maths lessons?

Yet we should not dismiss their delirium wholesale. Let us look further and attempt to deconstruct their arguments. As it appears, the DAP’s alleged “racism” is predicated upon:

a. A mainly Chinese-member base and support.

b. The fact that we only seem to win Chinese-majority seats.

c. The “Malaysian Malaysia” slogan.

First of all, I would like to point out that every single DAP member, whether Malay, Indian, Chinese or Iban, is, above all, a Malaysian. However, if we insist on going into racial semantics, then let me be as clear as possible.

There is a world of a difference between a party with a large member base derived from a certain community, and a party with a racialist agenda. Just because a party has many members of one race does not automatically mean the party’s agenda is based along racial lines.

Similarly, when Umno is accused of being racialist, it is not because it is a Malay party, but because it espouses policies like “ketuanan Melayu”, which is not only outwardly racist but also extra-constitutional.

Now, despite deriving most of its members from one community, the DAP’s message is clearly non-racial. Our struggle is one for democracy, justice and a fairer distribution of wealth. Our campaign, and this was especially evident in Sarawak, was focused entirely on issues such as abuse of power, corruption and an authoritarian leader who has long overstayed his welcome.

If any of the above is considered racist in any way, it is only for two reasons. Either it is presumed that only Chinese Malaysians are concerned about the problems of our country, or that the aforementioned problems afflict only one race. And, unlike the MCA, we know neither to be true.

Next, the DAP does indeed win in mostly Chinese-majority seats, but how is that surprising? Being a party that is traditionally urban-based, and since most urban centres happen to be Chinese-majority, isn’t it only natural?

However, it is also important to note that many of the seats we contested and won in Sarawak were marginally Chinese majority. Hence, most of those wins would not have been possible without the votes of the other races. Thus, it is a fallacy to assume that the DAP appeals to only one section of the community.

Also, having spent the last few weeks in Sarawak, I can confirm that politics there has much less to do with race compared to Peninsular Malaysia. In fact, as my fellow columnist June Rubis so marvellously observed, nearly everyone in Sarawak is able to stake a claim on more than one of the many cultures that make up the colourful state. In fact, Sarawakian society is so plural it makes some of us Peninsular Malaysians envious.

Lastly, the DAP’s old war-cry of a “Malaysian Malaysia” is deemed to be offensive, despite the fact that it does not differ greatly from the BN’s versions, i.e. “Bangsa Malaysia” or its latest incarnation, “1 Malaysia.” Why is anything only kosher when the BN does it?

Desperation is obviously in the air when the BN will resort to anything in order to maintain its grip on power. But at what expense? The BN’s racialised posturing, in the form of fear-mongering and outward racial mobilisation, is clearly threatening Malaysian unity, and yet they claim that the DAP is trying to break the country in two.

However, despite all the spin, Malaysians are no longer so easily fooled. The Sarawak election is proof of that. This is what happens when we have finally realised that the boy crying “wolf” is actually the big, bad wolf himself.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 25 April 2011, 8:01 am and is filed under
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Ibans storm SUPP office asking ‘election reward’

Malaysiakini

Apr 26, 11

More than 100 Ibans stormed the Sibu headquarters of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) yesterday, demanding the balance of RM400 a person as their reward promised for backing a party candidate who won in the recent state election, an election watchdog has revealed.

Sibu Election Watch (SEW) in a press statement released in the Sarawak town late yesterday evening said the Ibans were upset that they did not get the “balance”, despite being promised by SUPP election agents as well as the tuai rumah (longhouse headman) before polling day.

The incident was first reported by the web portal Sarawak Indigenous Community News and tweeted by DAP Sarawak chairman and Bukit Assek assemblyperson Wong Ho Leng (left), who was present at the site yesterday.

Soon after the news broke out, SEW sent two representatives to the Sibu SUPP headquarters to check out the situation.

Its probe, SEW said, showed that the Ibans were promised an upfront payment of RM100 before voting day on April 16 and if the SUPP candidate won, they would each be paid another RM400 after the election.

SEW said its representatives have witnessed Ibans from at least two longhouses being paid the “balance” of RM400 each.

The election watch said the Ibans were from Rumah Chandi, Rumah Pasang and Rumah Ujang.

When the SEW representatives were leaving the scene, it said, only the residents from Rumah Chandi and Rumah Pasang had collected the money from SUPP.

“One of the residents from Rumah Chandi even distributed a stack of RM100 bills to the longhouse folk holding their identity cards in front of us,” SEW said.

Quarrel with tuai rumah

SEW said it interviewed one Iban voter from Rumah Ujang, who revealed that the Iban folk had a quarrel with their tuai rumah for not getting their RM400 even a week after polling day.

“However, the tuai rumah hit back that some people had voted for DAP and did not deserve to get the RM400 balance,” said the young Iban man SEW quoted in its press statement.

However, he blamed the tuai rumah for being unfair, since the BN had no way of proving which person did not vote for BN in the election.

SEW said another Iban man, who only wanted to be known as “Robin”, gave them a letter and expressed the residents’ anger against their tuai rumah, Mador Anak Rendah.

In the letter signed by ‘Disgruntled Voters’, the Sg Rasau voters said they felt deep regret that BN and SUPP failed to deliver their election promises.

“During the election eve, we were given RM100 each voter and later promised RM400 if the candidate wins in the election,” reads the letter.

However, when approached by SEW and Wong, these Iban voters refused to lodge police reports on the matter.

The reason they gave was “no point doing so”, since the police did not take any action despite some police reports lodged before.

BN retained its power in Sarawak in the April 16 state election with a two-thirds majority, while the opposition increased its seats from seven to 15. The Sarawak legislature has 71 seats.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 26 April 2011, 11:01 am and is filed under
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New urban thinking led to BN losses in Sarawak towns

by
Ronald Benjamin

The Malaysian Insider

April 25, 2011

APRIL 25 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s comments that the racist politics of DAP has been exported to Sarawak clearly reveal his ethnic prejudice and insecurity.

His simplistic comments fail to consider the current political and cultural trends among the urban population whose political sense and approach to issues is increasingly rooted in universal justice, equality and pragmatism.

Ethnic issues are minimal in this paradigm of thinking.

The Barisan National coalition of ethnic-based parties is still finding it difficult to come to terms with this new political paradigm that goes beyond mere ethnic accommodation. The urban middle-class is basically connected to a global world, where a sense of equality, meritocracy and democratic expression is the norm in any enlightened civil society.

For example, some of these educated middle class tell me that the Malaysian political scenario has similarities with the ancient imperial kingdoms, where the king would always keep his close trusted associates or cronies loyal by presenting them with goodies.

The wealth of the nation was basically controlled by powerful elites linked to the king while the commoners went hungry. If there was a possibility for the king to visit the countryside, there would be disbursements of money to make the subjects temporally happy while conditions that create poverty or widen the gap between the rich and poor were ignored.

In other words, the king would continue to create a sense of dependency among his subjects so that they would not question his opulence and authority. Is this ancient story not similar to our Malaysian situation when it comes to dealing with the rural population?

It is in this context that the BN’s poor showing in the urban constituencies in Sarawak should be analysed. The chief minister had been accused of enriching his family and cronies but the political leadership in KL and investigative institutions such as the MACC have not yet taken action.

The selective attitude towards corruption especially if involves the highest levels has alienated the educated middle class. While a slew of issues contributed to the BN’s defeat in the urban areas, the failure to investigate Taib Mahmud following allegations of abuse of power is the major cause of the Barisan’s defeat in urban constituencies in Sarawak.

The political old guard like Dr Mahathir and Umno have to come to terms with the present situation, where universal values such as equality, justice and pluralism hold sway, instead of pinning the blame for the defeat in urban areas on “racism” by a political party. — aliran.com

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 26 April 2011, 6:23 am and is filed under
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Why Muhyiddin’s education system sucks!

During the Sarawak state general election campaign, both the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin promised to consider the return of the teaching of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) and that the government would study the possibility of using two mediums of instruction for teaching science and maths.

Has the Cabinet set in motion the return of PPSMI and the use of two mediums of instruction for teaching science and maths or is this just an empty campaign ploy for the Sarawak state elections?

Instead Muhyiddin as the  Education Minister has brought forward the abolition of PPSMI by one year, from 2012 to 2011, catching parents and students by surprise.

Is he going to give the parents the option to decide whether to revert back to PPSMI for this year until a decision is taken whether the Cabinet is going to adopt two mediums of instruction for teaching science and maths?

The Barisan Nasional’s education system sucks basically for two reasons:

Firstly, failing to produce internationally-recognised a high-quality education system from primary to secondary and tertiary level which could meet the country’s aspirations to be a globally competitive nation with a creative workforce; and

Secondly, failing to be a major instrument of the Malaysian nation-building process.

I have just received a  complaint that illustrates this outrageous aspect of the national education system – that although the Prime Minister is spending RM70 million to preach his 1Malaysia policy, the education system headed by the Deputy Prime Minister is already blatantly promoting the “1Melayu” call of Utusan Malaysia.

The latest April 2011 issue of Dewan Masyarakat with its feature article “Penghakisan Tanah Pusaka – Meruntuhkan Kuasa Politik Melayu (Bahagian Satu)” by Noor Azam which  is compulsory reading material  for all  Form VI students for their General Paper is a case in point.

The article by Noor Azam,  formerly political secretary to the Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and ex-Chairman of TV3, quoting extensively from Mahathir’s “Malay Dilemma”, reeks of rabid Malay communalism studded with lies and falsehoods especially about the DAP, promoted Utusan Malaysia’s “1Melayu” slogan  and the “Ketuanan Melayu” concept.

Clearly Noor Azam has either never heard or rejects Najib’s 1Malaysia objective to create “a more vibrant, more productive and more competitive” Malaysia where “every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society”.

Noor Azam’s article in Dewan Masyarakat is excellent educational material to illustrate the outmoded thinking and communal poison which Malaysians must transcend if they are to move from the narrow and exclusive “1Melayu” call  to the all-embracing, inclusive “1Malaysia” concept.

But this clearly is not the case for the reason why this Dewan Masyarakat article is made required reading for all Form VI students for their compulsory General Paper.

All Cabinet Ministers should immediately get a copy of the April 2011 issue of  Dewan Masyarakat and read Noor Azam’s article and decide whether it is promoting Utusan’s “1Melayu” call or Najib’s “1Malaysia” concept.

Malaysians await as to whether the Cabinet would do what is right and expected of them tomorrow – to rescind the decision of the Education Ministry to make the article compulsory reading for General Paper for  Form VI students and to express regret that the official organ of a government agency, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka is openly challenging Najib’s 1Malaysia concept by adopting Utusan Malaysia’s contradictory “1Melayu” call.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 26 April 2011, 8:30 am and is filed under
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By all means discuss merits or demerits of the DAP-SNAP proposal but don’t question integrity of DAP leaders

The DAP-SNAP proposal mooted as a direct result of the 416 Sarawak election results which saw an unprecedented political awakening of all Sarawakians, transcending race, religion or region, has attracted unprecedented interest and attention.

It has elicited a most diverse and divergent responses, from all-out opposition to all-out support.

There are those who say that SNAP has become a nonentity, as illustrated by its disastrous electoral performance in the recent Sarawak state general elections where SNAP failed to capture a single seat and its candidates lost their deposits in 24 of 26 constituencies contested.

That, furthermore, the total votes garnered by all of SNAP’s candidates combined were less than those garnered by independent candidates – and that  SNAP came in last in almost all multi-cornered fights.

At the other end of the spectrum, there has been ecstatic reactions such as hailing the proposal as a “creative response” to “society’s vast inertia and small margin for change” with the potential to break the mould of Malaysian and Sarawakian politics.

What probably makes the DAP-SNAP merger proposal quite unique is that it has united voices not only from Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat but also from the SNAP leadership.

On the BN side, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself set the cue when he publicly said that he did not see how SNAP could work with the DAP because their ideologies are different.

On the PR side, several PR leaders and websites have raised objections.

SNAP leaders have also not been very enamoured by the proposal. For instance the SNAP Secretary-General  Stanley Jugol in Kota Kinabalu seemed to have set his face against the merger proposal and even made a serious accusation against the DAP.

Be that as it may, I welcome the open attitude of SNAP veteran and adviser Daniel Tajem who said that the idea of a DAP-SNAP merger should not be dismissed outright.

My message to all in the face of such diverse and divergent views covering both extremes of the  spectrum is: By all means, discuss the merits or demerits of the DAP-SNAP proposal but don’t question the integrity of DAP leaders or it will open up a Pandora’s Box.

One irrefutable and ineluctable fact that has been established in the 416 Sarawak state general election is that Pakatan Rakyat has taken firm root in Sarawak and is in the state to stay to help determine its future and destiny.

It is the task and challenge of all the component parties in Pakatan Rakyat – DAP, PKR and PAS – to deepen PR roots in Sarawak as part of the larger PR struggle to bring about political change in Malaysia in the next general elections, expected any time.

In all the 33 years DAP has set foot in Sarawak since 1978, the party has remained loyal and committed to be a party for all Sarawkians just as DAP is a party for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region.

In the 1991 sixth Sarawak state general elections, DAP contested in 18 seats fielding Chinese, Iban, Dayak and Malay candidates, including mixed and rural areas such as Asajaya, Serdeng, Matu-Daro, Balingian, Belaga, Kemena and Limbang.

For 12 years, DAP contested in four Sarawak general elections embracing  the 1979, 1982, 1987 and 1991 Sarawak State elections without winning a single seat in the Sarawak State Assembly.

It is only after 17 years of unremitting determination and commitment that DAP made its first breakthrough into the Sarawak State Assembly, winning three DAP State Assembly seats in the 1996 general elections.

As demonstrated by the 416 Sarawak state general elections, DAP and Pakatan Rakyat have been able to get the support of Sarawakians regardless of race, religion or region and the greatest challenge of DAP and Pakatan Rakyat is how to translate this great reservoir of support for UBAH from Sarawakians of all races into votes in the forthcoming 13th general elections, which could be held as early as the third quarter of this year.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 27 April 2011, 5:00 pm and is filed under
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Deputy IGP not doing image of police any good with his threat to “expose sex video performer” when public are aghast the three “Datuk Ts” have not been charged in court for various crimes they had publicly confessed

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar is not doing the image of the police any good with his threat yesterday to “expose” the Carcosa sex video performer.

The Malaysian public are outraged and aghast that after more than a month, the trio of  “Datuk T”, namely former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Cik, Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and Datuk Shuib Lazim have not been charged in court for various crimes for the Carcosa sex video public screening on March 21, which they had confessed also more than a month ago, and yet, the most serious matter occupying the minds of the police is to “expose the sex video performer”!

Who are the police really serving – the Malaysian nation and public by punishing crimes and upholding the rule of law or the  Barisan Nasional/UMNO political masters to dance to their latest tune to use the police to plumb to the lowest dregs of gutter politics in the history of Malaysia?

If the latter, I have no doubt that the overwhelming majority of the police officers and rank-and-file will recoil and feel thoroughly ashamed because it further besmirches the independence, image, professionalism, integrity and reputation of the Royal Malaysian Police Force when the most pressing and urgent challenge facing the Malaysian police is to restore public  confidence in its independence, integrity and professionalism after the worst blot on police reputation and the “blackest” chapter in police history  – the Anwar Ibrahim “black eye” episode in Bukit Aman in 1998!

The Carcosa sex video caper had been timed to wreak the worst possible damage against Pakatan Rakyat and the   Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the 10th  Sarawak general elections – but the 416 Sarawak election results showed that its effect was virtually nil or Sarawak Barisan Nasional would not have suffered its worst Sarawak election  results despite the six-day campaign by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the entire Cabinet!

There are UMNO/BN elements who want to play “political games” with the Carcosa sex tape  but why should the Police compromise its image and reputation by descending so low as to be co-opted into the  cast of UMNO/BN theatrics against Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar Ibrahim?

Two questions confronting all right-thinking Malaysians are:

Why the trio of “Datuk T”, namely Rahim, Shazryl and Shuib have not yet been prosecuted for various crimes including Section 292 of the Penal Code for “publicly exhibiting any obscene or pornographic material” liable to a jail term of three years or Section 5(1) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 where a person is liable to be fined up to RM50,000 or jailed up to five years or both. Do the trio enjoy immunity and impunity for breaches of the law and actions which have brought world-wide shame to the nation?

Are the police “hand-in-glove” with Umno/Barisan Nasional forces to undermine Pakatan Rakyat by specifically targeting Anwar to destroy him as the foremost challenger to continued Umno/Barisan Nasional rule in Putrajaya?

Former Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Division (CID) chief, Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, who had proven himself to be a honest and honourable police officer fiercely loyal to Malaysian national interests, and who was subsequently victimised in his police career for his professional investigation into the Anwar Ibrahim “black eye” episode, has revealed that another Alleged Anwar Sex Tape2 had surfaced 12 years ago in 1999 to impugn Anwar’s character and reputation.

Zain had asked the Police to widen its investigations into the Carcosa sex video to ascertain whether there are any possible links between the two Alleged Anwar Sex Tapes separated by 12 years, together with seven specific questions, and posing the pertinent issue whether the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail can be trusted to discharge his duties professionally because of his past involvements in various anti-Anwar episodes.

Why is there total silence from the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar and the Deputy IGP in the past 10 days to Zain’s Open Letter to the IGP dated 18th April 2011  when the duo are so prepared to comment on various matters under the sun?

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 27 April 2011, 4:58 pm and is filed under
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Horrible Disgusting:  TV3 Prime News turns porn – will PM stand up for decency?

Tweets

Let every BN Minister DyMin MP SA declare stand -agree w TV3’s disgusting porno? PM Najib – r u going 2draw a line on whats decent or not?

All parents lodge police rpts agnst TV3. Lets have nation-wide campaign 2protect homes/children from such disgusting TV fare/gutter politics

TV3 boss/all responsible 4terrible bad taste violating homes children w such disgusting snippets shd be sacked or InfoMinister Rais shd go

Ord decent Msians feel violated in their very homes w such disgusting TVfare – turning TV3 into pornographic channel. No child safe at home.

Horrible Disgusting Complaints from those who watched 8pm TV3 Prime News which showed latest snippet of so-called Anwar Carcosa sex video.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 27 April 2011, 9:35 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #62

By
M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 7: Enhancing Human Capital

Competition in the Public service

There should also be competition in the public service and society. Today for example, admission into the public administrative service is almost exclusively from the liberal arts stream. Widen the talent pool to include anyone with a degree; actively sought engineering and science graduate. With their quantitative skills they would make excellent managers.

Promotions within the civil service are exclusively from within, hence its present intellectual and professional insularity. Revamp the personnel policies that state you must have five years seniority before you can be promoted to a senior management (“superscale”) position. This unduly restricts the much-needed infusion of fresh talent at the upper levels. When one examines the resume of the heads of ministries (Secretaries General), they are almost always liberal arts graduates even in those ministries with high technical component like the Energy, Public Works, and Transportation. I would have thought that an MBA in finance would be the necessary qualification for a senior position at Treasury, but few in that department have this qualification. Thus this embarrassing response from a former senior Treasury official I met recently when we were discussing interest rates, “An interest rate hike of 5 to 6 percent represented only a 1 percent raise!” To those with even the minimal understanding of simple arithmetic, that represented a massive 20 percent hike!

Instances like this make me recommend that the next time a senior position in the civil service becomes vacant, the government should open up the recruitment process. Consider candidates from the private sector and academia, instead of relying exclusively from within.

Malaysia has gone a long way in its privatization projects. But unlike Britain and America where these projects are awarded based on competitive bidding, in Malaysia they are awarded solely at the discretion of the minister. He or she alone presumes to know who would be successful in running the new entities. Unfortunately the track record thus far has been abysmal, from MAS to sewerage water treatment facilities and steel plants. No surprise then that many of these projects have been abject failures, costing the taxpayers a hefty bundle.

Had the government awarded these projects based on open competition, not only would the government have received considerably more for its valuable assets, but those projects would more likely end up in competent hands. Even if the government were intent on giving them to Bumiputras to satisfy its NEP goals, it should still have open competition to pick the best candidate, albeit the competition would be limited only to Bumiputras.

Preferably I would open the competition to all, including foreigners. If in the end the government were to award the project to its favorite Bumiputra, at least it would have known how much more of a premium that decision would have cost the government. This would also keep the winning Bumiputra from being smug and acquiring a highly inflated sense of his or her capability.

Lastly, if Malaysia is to be competitive, it must reward those citizens who have proven themselves successful and competitive. Earlier I alluded to the royal honor lists, but there are many other ways in which to reward successful citizens. For example, every year the nation continually laments on the lack of Malays in science, and every year yet another novel scheme introduced to induce Malays to pursue the subject. But the results remain disappointing. The reason of course Malaysia does not reward those Malays already in science.

Suppose instead of endlessly exhorting young Malays to take up science, our leaders instead visit the universities and pick those Malays with outstanding PhDs in the sciences and appoint them to the board of directors of the multitude of government-owned companies like Petronas, Pernas, and Renong. For one, these PhDs would be, as a group, a lot smarter and faster learner than the usual civil servants and politicians currently appointed to those positions. These smart individuals would also better protect the taxpayers’ interest. Two, the nation would be sending an important message to these Malay scientists and engineers. The nation cannot pay them extra as professors (the history professors too would want similar treatment) but it can reward them financially by appointing them to these boards. That message would later filter down to the young. That would prove to be a far stronger motivator than all the endless fiery rhetoric.

When I examine the boards of many government-sponsored companies that have failed, invariably they are made up of mediocre Malays from the civil service and political establishment. The most spectacular corporate failure was of course Bank Bumiputra, the very symbol of Bumiputra participation in the modern economy. Look at its board. Had the authorities appointed brilliant Malay scientists and engineers, the fate of that institution would be far different.

Thus to create a new breed of competitive Malaysians, they, especially Malays, must be exposed to greater, not less, competition. Competition must be a regular event in their lives. I can use the example of picking the best athletes. First there would be competition at the local village or school level. At school, there would be competition within, as between classes and houses. Then the winners would move on to the next level, between villagers or schools. From there the winners would go on to the state level, and then on to the national and international levels. At every level we should not be surprised with upsets or new stars being born. It would be presumptuous for a coach or athletic director to earmark someone from the village and immediately groom him for a national meet, no matter how promising the candidate looks. He has to prove himself in a real competition first. And only if he shines there would he then be taken to the next level.

Competition does not simply mean gauging one’s performance against another competitor. One can compete against oneself. Take the example of the track athlete. He may not win or be the first in his league for the 100-yard dash, but by taking part in the competition, he would find that his time this year would be better than last year’s. And if he continues with his training and competition, his personal time the following year would again be better. The object of competition is not necessarily to be to first or to beat the next fellow, rather to bring out the best in each one of us.

To enhance this competitive habit, the social institutions and culture must also be geared to encourage and reward this trait. How that can be achieved would be the subject of my next chapter. Before proceeding to that, some final thought on the flip side of competition. Invariably in any competition, there will be those who would fail. Society must address this inevitable consequence. A society’s attitude towards failure and those who fail will have a significant bearing on encouraging risk taking and success. Failure is the other side of success. You cannot have success if you do not have failures. The remarkable aspect about America is that failure is not looked upon derogatively. Even a financial bankrupt will have, after a few years, a clean slate. Thus failure is viewed not as a permanent state, rather a stage. He or she is given every opportunity to pull out of it.

One of the wonderful aspects of the American educational system is that every school has an adult program to cater to those who have missed out or failed earlier. Universities too, as mentioned earlier, have extension or “General Studies” division to cater to non-traditional students. The typical American undergraduate could (and indeed many do) take a year or two off to travel or work, without losing their academic credits. Similarly, failing students could retake their courses, change their major, or take time out to rethink matters. The system is very forgiving. There are many second chances.

At the social level, the various social safety net programs are meant to take care of those dislocated or who stumbled. As Malaysia enters globalization, one thing is certain, many of her citizens will be dislocated. The state must do its part to take care of them. Malaysia already has an excellent pubic health care system. It is not luxurious but is adequate. The waiting lines may be long and the service often wanting, but no one is turned away. Similarly, Malaysia has the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF). I would extend that to include all workers including those self employed in the “informal sector” (hawkers, fishermen) by making it attractive for them to participate. I would also extend EPF beyond being simply a retirement fund to become a disability and unemployment insurance program.

In weaving an adequate social safety net however, it is important that Malaysia does not copy the examples of Western Europe and America by making it too comfortable or generous. As one wag had put it, the surest way to ensure unemployment is to have unemployment insurance! The safety net should take care of only the basic needs. Too comfortable a safety net, and you will have a hammock.

With a safety net in place, citizens could have peace of mind; then they would more likely take on challenges and risks. But the greatest safety net of all is the support of close family and friends. One danger of a generous social security program is that it breaks down familial ties, as is happening in America. Adult children, knowing that their parents would be taken care of by the state, abrogate their filial responsibilities. In the next chapter I will expand on the influence of the family on society and vice versa.

While Malaysia must strive to increase competition among its citizens by rewarding those who succeed, it must also ensure that those who fail be given ample second chances.

Next: Chapter 8: Culture, Institutions, and Leadership

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 27 April 2011, 5:00 am and is filed under
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Polls watchdog reiterates S’wak vote-buying claim

By
Lee Way Loon
 | Malaysiakini

Watchdog Sibu Election Watch (SEW) has refuted SUPP’s claim that the party had only been paying wages to Ibans who had gathered in front of its Sibu office on Monday.

SEW reiterated that their allegation of vote-buying against SUPP was based on what they saw and their interviews with more than 10 individuals at the scene.

Group coordinator Boney Wong who had conducted the probe with another colleague, told Malaysiakini that they had visited the site and interviewed the group before issuing a press statement on the incident.

She said the interviewees never mentioned they were there to collect wages from SUPP, or that they had worked for the party during the election campaign.

“What they told us was that they got (an upfront payment of) RM100 before voting day and that, if the BN candidate won, they would each be paid another RM400.

“So they came to SUPP office to collect the money after being told to do so,” she said when contacted today.

Wong said some of the people also told SEW that, if the BN candidate won the state election, all the registered voters could claim the “balance” of RM400 with their identity card.

“Coincidently, there was a lady there who took out a stack of RM100 bills from her bag and distributed the money, together with some ICs, to her friends.”

She said the woman seemed unaware of the presence of SEW members and distributed the money without any attempt to hide what she was doing.

Wong said the woman’s actions matched with the content of the interviews with the people there.

“We uphold our stand because this is what we saw.”

‘Wages for party workers’

On Monday, SEW had issued a press statement revealing that more than 100 voters had gone to the Sibu SUPP headquarters that morning to demand RM400 each, as the reward promised for backing its candidates in the recent state election.

The incident was also reported by the web portal Sarawak Indigenous Community News and later tweeted by Sarawak DAP chairman and Bukit Assek assemblyperson Wong Ho Leng, who was at the scene yesterday.

However, in a Bernama report, SUPP Bumiputera unit head Andrew Shiling (right) refuted the report yesterday, claiming that about 18 longhouse chiefs and their respective longhouse committee members had come to the office for a discussion.

“We also took the opportunity to pay them wages as they had worked for us during the election,” said Shiling, who is also a vice-chairperson of the Sibu branch.

Malaysiakini had contacted Sibu SUPP yesterday for comment but was told that Shiling was in a meeting.

Its publicity chief, Daniel Ngieng, refused to comment, claiming that he was not aware of the incident.

Attempts to contact Sibu SUPP head Wong Soon Koh had also failed.

However, Soon Koh posted five messages on his social networking website Facebook page to rebut the allegation, saying that Ho Leng and Malaysiakini have defamed the party.

Another message was later posted on his Facebook fanpage, demanding that web portals should explain the reports or they would face legal action from SUPP.

“After consulting a legal expert, we give the Internet media 48 hours to explain the ‘no basis’ report.” reads the message.

“If they still insist on a one-sided report, we will not rule out taking legal action against these media black sheep.”

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 27 April 2011, 5:29 pm and is filed under
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1 BUMIPUTRA VS 1 MALAYSIA

by
Mohd Arshad Raji

Blog
mind NO EVIL

Saturday, April 23, 2011

1 Bumiputra…………..that’s something new to my ears. Is it similar or different from 1 Malaysia?

From what I gather, the two are vastly at divergence in purpose and contradictory at best. The former being a Perkasa creation talks about uniting all Malay parties (an impossible proposition as at now), while the latter being PM Najib’s aspiration of wanting to create a one Malaysian society that is comprised of the various ethic Malaysian races. It is the divergence that compelled PM Naijb to distance himself from 1 Bumiputra, although Utusan Malaysia, an UMNO controlled print media is supportive of the 1 Bumiputra idea. Tun Dr. Mahathir despite being closely associated with Perkasa, has himself declared that 1 Bumiputra has disastrous consequences.

Perkasa seems to have a penchant for sloganeering, and each time a slogan is drummed up, it catches the very heart of the Malays. One does not need further exposition. Just swallow and nod to all the howling of the Perkasa leaders of which they are extremely proficient. No reasoning or rational thinking is required. They just want others to know that the Malays must be superior because they are the majority. And Ibrahim Ali is just ever willing to draw out his kris, and for what?

I am curious as to why the idea of 1 Bumiputra has cropped up now i.e. after 50 odd years of independence? Why hasn’t years of political dominance of the Malays translate into economic power over the other Malaysian races? Do the Malays need another 50 odd years to be awakened to the realities that have them much poorer than their forefathers? I think it is already too late because 2020 is just around the corner. And even if the nation can achieve a develop nation status by that time; it has little meaning for the Malays. It is going to be the very few elite Malays that will be made rich, and I am not quite sure of the others.

My simple answer to the woes that is troubling the Malays today is in the weakness of the Malays themselves. Look at yourself in the mirror and ask this simple and direct question…………what’s wrong with me? The answer that you will get is also fairly simple and direct i.e. you have been spoon fed and relied on quick success without wanting to think of helping others of your kind. Malays are easily corrupt and there is too much of back stabbing. You may want to curse me for saying this, and I have been saying this many times before.

Just look at the many famous Malay corporate names of the 80’s and 90’s. Despite making their millions from government contracts, where are they today? Have they been able to develop other Malays to become entrepreneurs as well; I mean the honest and God fearing ones? The answer is a big NO, and who ought to be blame for this? Want to blame the other races for their misfortune? Again, I say…………take a good look at the mirror and ask the same question………..what’s wrong with me?

I can only say this of the Malay corporate leaders that depends their livelihood on government contracts i.e. stop being corrupt and do not corrupt others.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

(Mohd Arshad Raji – A retired army officer who believes in justice for all and hates liars and apple polisher.Believes that all members of AF must be free of corrupt practices.)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 28 April 2011, 12:03 pm and is filed under
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