Why MACC double-standards when it treated Phee Boon Poh as if he is No. One  Criminal in Malaysia when it dare not even touch “MO1” of 1MDB scandal which made Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocracy?

I am at the Penang High Court today to show support and solidarity with Penang Exco member, Phee Boon Poh.

I will not touch on the case the MACC is implying that Boon Poh is guilty of corruption, except to say that I am shocked at the arrest of Boon Poh by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over alleged letters issued by his office involving an illegal factory in Seberang Prai.

I have known Boon Poh for more than 30 years since 1986, when I first contested in Tanjong parliamentary constituency in Penang. In 1990, Boon Poh was first elected as DAP Penang State Assemblyman for Bagan Jermal and in 2004 he became Penang  Opposition Leader of the Penang State Assembly as Assemblyman for Sungai Puyu. When the DAP formed and led the Penang State Government in the 2008 and 2013 General Elections, Boon Poh had been a Penang State Exco member since 2008.

I have always known Boon Poh in the past three decades as a hard-working down-to-earth political leader, who has always kept himself close to the pulse of the people. Dedicated to the cause of justice, freedom and the welfare of the people, regardless of race or religion, Boon Poh is a practical idealist, who is not afraid to take up the people’s causes although this make him unpopular with the powers-that-be.

If Boon Poh is corrupt, produce the evidence and by all means arrest and charge him. But I do not believe that Boon Poh belongs to the breed of corrupt political leaders who corruptly enriches himself from politics.

We in the DAP belong to a different breed of people from the political leaders in UMNO and Barisan Nasional – we are in politics because of what we can achieve for the people and country and not for what we can achieve for ourselves from politics, while UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders are in politics basically for what they can get from politics and not what they can contribute to society and Malaysians.

If two letters from his office asking a  local government authority  for reconsideration of action against an illegal factory is equal to corruption, then I dare say that there will be no State Excos, Menteri-Menteri Besar, Federal Ministers, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister left, for I have no doubt all of them would have produced sheaves of letters recommending to various authorities for reconsideration over the years.

The effect of  MACC actions in the state gives the impression that Penang is the most corrupt state in the country – when discerning Malaysians will notice that the MACC had not been able to seize tens of millions of ringgit of cash and other valuables in raids in Johore or even hundreds of millions of ringgit in cash and other valuables in Sabah.

The MACC has brought Boon Poh in raids of at least five houses, and they have not been able to find one sen of ill-gotten cash or other valuables.

But the question I want to ask the MACC is why it treated Boon Poh as if he is the No. 1 criminal in the country, when MACC dares not even touch “MO1” of 1MDB scandal which made Malaysia overnight into a global kleptlocracy.

The MACC had been quite impressive in the past 12 months since Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad took over the helms of MACC, with high-publicized frequent arrests of those guilty of corruption.

But Malaysians notice one Achilles’ heel in MACC – it dared not question let alone investigate “MO1”wand the 1MDB scandal, which is among the largest cases of corruption and kleptocracy in the world.

MACC will lose whatever little in terms of credibility and legitimacy which it had won back in the past 12 months, if it is shown that all these anti-corruption efforts came with one major sell-out: the MACC cannot extend its tentacles into the 1MDB scandal let alone touch “MO1”.

If this is not the case, then let the MACC Chief Commissioner, Dzulkifli Ahmad explain the true picture to Malaysians.

(Media Conference Statement at the Penang High Court on Monday, August 14, 2017 at 1 pm)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 14 August 2017, 5:07 pm and is filed under
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10 and 5 formula sufficient for Pakatan Harapan to win Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Johor and retain Penang and Selangor

Last week, I discussed the possibility of Pakatan Harapan (PH) winning 113 parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia with the help of a Malaysian tsunami which will rid the country of BN’s 60 year rule and allow us to start on a clean slate under a new government.

This Malaysian tsunami will take place if 10% of Malays and 5% of non-Malays were to switch their votes from the BN to PH and that voters make a clear distinction between supporting PH and support PAS.

Under these circumstances, even with PAS playing the role of a spoiler, PH will not only win the majority of parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia, it will also win control of the state governments in Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Johor in addition to retaining Penang and Selangor with even larger majorities compared to GE2013 (See Table 1 below).

Table 1: Number of state seats won by PH under the 10 and 5 formula (10% Malay and 5% non-Malay swing against the BN)

Perak

Negeri
 Sembilan

Johor

Penang

Selangor

BN

20 (34%)

17 (47%)

20 (35%)

3 (7%)

6 (11%)

PH

39 (66%)

19 (53%)

36 (65%)

37 (93%)

50 (89%)

Total

59

36

56

40

56

Note: PAS is left with 10% of the Malay vote and a negligible % of the non-Malay vote under the Malaysian tsunami scenario

If PH can gain control of the governments of the five  most economically dynamic states in Peninsular Malaysia and also form the federal government, this will pave the way for a genuine economic and political transformation of the nation.

The Penang and Selangor state governments have led the way in the past eight years in introducing reforms at various levels and showing what good governance means in practice. With the addition of at least three  more state governments, it will not be long before voters in the other states see the obvious differences between a PH government and a BN government.

The Malaysian tsunami will pave the way for a better future for all, at the federal as well as at the state levels.

[
Press Conference Statement at Wisma DAP Penang in Penang on Tuesday, 15th August 2017 at 11 am
]

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 15 August 2017, 11:30 am and is filed under
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The ruckus and pandemonium at the 1MDB “Nothing to Hide 2.0” forum has served to further highlight Najib’s prevarications and dishonesty on the 1MDB scandal which caused Malaysia to be belittled world-wide as global kleptocracy overnight

The ruckus and pandemonium at the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum at Shah Alam on Sunday has served to further highlight the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s prevarications and dishonesty on the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal which caused Malaysia to be belittled world-wide as a global kleptocracy overnight.

If the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum, where the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dared not turn up although he was invited to share the panel with former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, had not been sabotaged, it would just be a footnote in the long saga of multifarious activities and events by loyal and patriotic Malaysians to ensure full accountability and responsibility for the 1MDB scandal.

Now the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum has been elevated as one of key events to demand full accountability and responsibility for the 1MDB scandal, as it has further highlighted both Najib’s role and his evasion of responsibility and full accountability for the kleptocratic scandal.

I fully share the outrage of decent and rational Malaysians at the sabotage of the 1MDB “Nothing to Hide 2.0” forum, and particularly the planned attacks on the 92-year old former premier.

The news portals and social media conveyed many of these outrages.

For instance, among the expressions of outrage were the following reactions by Malaysiakini readers:

“
Anonymous_1395464675:
 Who could have paid these uncivilised people to do such an act to an ex-premier of our country?

“If this is how the country is managed, soon we won’t need the police to ensure security as these people have full power to do whatever they want and no action would be taken.”

“
David Dass
: Many of us did not agree with many of the things Dr Mahathir Mohamad did in his time as PM. But it is not in our culture to show him disrespect or cause him harm. In fact, this whole business of violence and threats of violence should cease.

“If we are to be a developed country then we must also see ourselves as a civilised country that eschews violence as a way of stifling dissent.

“
Roar For Truth
: Where is the police protection for Mahathir, the longest serving former prime minister? Vindictive politics aside, please respect the office and the former PMs.

“
Tyrant
: This incident proves the police have failed spectacularly. Pakatan Harapan, please organise Nothing to Hide 3 as the Umno ground is being shaken to the core, and it seems they have everything to hide and are extremely worried about the event.

“The rakyat are not retarded. I find it really puzzling to see Umno, a 60-year-old party being so worried sick of a newly-formed coalition like Harapan. Just how desperate and despotic could Umno get? Shouldn’t they feel ashamed?”

I do not think there are many like me who have criticised the things Dr. Mahathir had done when he was Prime Minister for 22 years, as I had paid a heavy price for it, not only my own incarceration under the Internal Security Act (OSA), but also Lim Guan Eng’s detention under the ISA during Operation Lalang, conviction and sentence to 18 months’ jail in Kajang Prison and disenfranchisement of his civil rights to vote and be elected for five years for defending the dignity of an underaged Malay girl.

But we must never lose sight of our vision to make Malaysia great again, to become a world example of a successful, united, harmonious, democratic, just, prosperous and progressive nation created out of diverse races, languages, religions and cultures.

We must learn from the mistakes of the past so that we can succeed in achieving the great Malaysian dream in the foreseeable future.

For this reason, all Malaysians must learn from the past to create a new future for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, and it is this great national task that all the four component parties of Pakatan Harapan are engaged in.

I cannot but feel pity for the three youths aged 17, 18 and 19, who had been detained by the police and under a four-day remand for the ruckus at the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum.

These three youths, two of whom are college students in Kuala Lumpur, and a third with a criminal record, were among youths who were paid RM50 each to cause trouble at the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum, who had waited in Setiawangsa before the forum and handed out T-shirts with the Bersatu logo.

It is utterly irresponsible for the UMNO “masterminds” of the ruckus at the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum to treat the youths as “expendable mercenaries” who could be paid to sabotage the 1MDB forum.

Will these UMNO “masterminds” come to bail out the detained youths?

Of course not, and this is why UMNO Ministers and leaders are hard at work issuing statements denying that UMNO was involved. However, a nincompoop in the MCA leadership fell victim to the latest UMNO propangada onslaught of lies, fake news and false information and issued a statement questioning if the violence that erupted at the “Shah Alam forum, which witnessed flares ignited and chairs being thrown, was intended for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak as well”.

I agree with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that the claim that PPBM had perpetrated the violence at the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum were made by “crazy” people.

Such “crazy” people are not just confined to UMNO grassroots like the Sungai Besar UMNO chief Jamal Mohd Yunos but reaches to top UMNO leadership, including Ministers like the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan and the press secretary to the Prime Minister, Tengku Sharifuddin Tengku Ahmad who made the most idiotic statement claiming that the “chaos” at the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum was a case of the opposition supporters turning on each other.

Malaysians politics have descended to a new low in gutter and thuggish politics.

If we want to reverse this slide, and return to “mature politics”, then the “masterminds” of the 1MDB “Nothing to Hide 2.9” forum ruckus should be ferreted out and charged – not just the foolish three youths who allowed themselves to become tools of the “masterminds” for the “princely wage” of RM50 each!

(Media Conference Statement (2) at Wisma Penang DAP in Penang on Tuesday, 15th August 2017 at 11 am)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 15 August 2017, 11:41 am and is filed under
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Najib should explain how he could appoint Isa Samad as SPAD Acting Chairman when he should have thick dossiers about  Isa being  a problematic candidate for any top public  post because of his controversial role as FELDA and FGV Chairman raising grave issues about integrity, breach of trust and abuse of power

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, owes Malaysians a full and proper explanation as to how he could appoint Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad as Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) Acting Chairman when he should have received  thick dossiers about Isa being a problematic candidate for any top public post because of his controversial role as Felda and FGV Chairman, raising grave issues about integrity, breach of trust and abuse of power.

Mohd Isa was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday in its investigations into corruption and abuse of power in the purchase of two hotels, one in London and the other in Kuching, by Felda Investment Corporation (FIC).

The MACC said that it has “strong basis” to arrest Isa  and is considering a bid to freeze all assets owned by Mohd Isa.

FIC, the investment arm of Felda focusing mainly on real estate, hospitality and the oil and gas sectors, is said to have bought the four-star Park City Hotel in upmarket Kensington, London, between 2013 and 2015, for an inflated price of RM330mil. It was renamed Grand Plaza Hotel.

It was learnt later that the price of the hotel was overpaid by at least RM110mil.

Another subject of  MACC investigation was FIC’s purchase of a hotel in Kuching, Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites, in 2014 for RM160mil, said to be RM50mil more than its actual value. The hotel has 213 guest rooms and apartment suites.

Najib would have received a long list of complaints about corruption, abuses of power and breaches of trust involving Mohd Isa  not only in  relation to the purchase of the London and Kuching hotels, but purchase of other properties by Felda and FGV as well.

Why did Najib proceed to appoint Mohd Isa as Acting Chairman of SPAD when full investigations should have been allowed to be completed to determine whether Mohd Isa had been guilty of corruption, abuse of power and breaches of trust in these transactions whether as Felda or FGV Chairman?

What is the position of Mohd Isa as Acting Chairman of SPAD following his arrest by MACC?

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 16 August 2017, 8:17 am and is filed under
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Will Mohd Isa escape justice in the way the 18 “sharks” escaped the ACA  dragnet during the Abdullah premiership?

A  very strange coincidence indeed. The cryptic remark without further explanation by the former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Badawi five days ago that he knew the truth about the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Bank Negara’s foreign exchange losses three decades ago and the high-profile arrest of UMNO stalwart Md Isa Samad by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday  combined to jolt memories of Malaysians and many must be asking the same question, viz:

Whether  Md Isa Samad, now under arrest and five-day remand in MACC lockup,  will escape justice in the way the 18 “sharks” escaped the Anti-Corruption Agency dragnet during the Abdullah premiership?

Former de facto Law Minister in Abdullah’s premiership, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim does not agree that Mohd Isa qualify to be a “shark” as he is only a “medium size catch”.

Malaysians have seen all the flurry of arrests of the corrupt before a general election, like the public promise to catch the 18 “sharks” of corruption, which was announced at the time by none other than the then Minister in Abdullah’s  Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim before the 2018 general elections.

But not a single “shark” was  netted to be convicted  and sentenced in the whole five-year Abdullah premiership and all the “lightning and thunder” about eradicating corruption by netting and  nailing the “sharks” ended in a whimper without any results.

Will the same mockery of justice repeat again with the approach of the 14th General Election?

The circumstances of Mohd Isa’s appointment as Chairman of  both Felda and Federal Global Ventures (FGV) and now  SPAD Acting Chairman had made this a very pertinent question.

In June 2005, Md Isa was suspended for six years from UMNO after the UMNO disciplinary board found him guilty of money politics.

With such a background, the appointment of Md Isa to top public posts is most questionable, and creates an onerous responsibility on the Prime Minister to be constantly on the alert that such a “blemished” appointee to a top public post should strictly  abide by the principles of good governance, integrity and accountability.

Had Najib performed these additional duties in this case?

In June this year, after quitting as FGV chairman, Md Isa was appointed Acting Chairman of Land Public Transport C omission (SPAD).

Respond to a reporter’s question, Md Isa said he was unaware of the reason behind his appointment as acting SPAD Chairman.

Md Isa said he had accepted the appointment merely because Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wanted him there.

He said: “I don’t know. I’m only going to SPAD because PM asked me to go.”

It is now for Najib to throw light on the issue, why he appointed Md Isa as Chairman both of Felda and FGV, and since July, his  new appointment of Acting Chairman of SPAD as well as to state the present position of Mohd Isa as Acting Chairman of SPAD following his arrest and five-day remand by MACC.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 16 August 2017, 3:46 pm and is filed under
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Archaic, anachronistic and even antediluvian to have  Official Secrets Act  in age of information –OSA should be repealed and replaced by Freedom of Information Act

Some 38 years ago, on October 16, 1979, I moved a motion on behalf of DAP  in Parliament to introduce a private member’s bill intituled “Freedom of Information Act” to ensure openness of government and to prevent the law on government information from protecting inefficiency, maladministration or even malpractices and corruption.

I moved the motion in the conviction that if Malaysia was to have a meaningful parliamentary democracy, we must create a more open government, which respects and upholds the fundamental right to know of the citizens in all matters affecting the country and the people.

I made it clear that the DAP accepted that there were some legitimate secrets which needs to be protected by criminal penalties, e.g. matters involving national security, defence, maintenance of law and order, personal information, etc.

My answer therefore to the subject of the forum tonight is quite obvious.

In 1978, I was prosecuted and convicted on five charges for violating  the Official Secrets Act 1972 for exposing excessive expenditure involved in the purchase of four Swedish-made SPIC A-M fast-strike craft for RM166 million, and which was eventually reduced to RM157 million – a saving of RM9 million.

Although there was no gratitude from the Executive  for saving the country RM9 million, and wanted me jailed and disqualified  as a Member of Parliament for my exposes, which were made for the good of the country, there was an independent Judiciary and the Federal Court reduced the sentences on the five convicted charges to  each below the disqualifying fine of RM2,000.

My case resulted in the  amendment to the Official Secrets Act in 1986 which provided for the draconian  mandatory minimum one-year jail sentence for conviction for any offence under the Act.

In my speech on the OSA Amendment Bill in Parliament on Dec. 5, 1986, I said that the OSA Amendment Bill violated the fundamental guarantee of freedom of speech and expression enshrined in Article 10 of the  Constitution.

It also undermined the doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, Parliament and Judiciary, a death knell for a free press and an open, responsible and accountable government.

We are in the age of information, which means the right to  information must be the order of the day and not an exception.

In the present context, an Official Secrets Act, which provides a blanket ban on all government information on pain of criminal penalties unless officially declassified, is  archaic, anachronistic and even antediluvian, and  must give way to a Freedom of Information Act.

But such enactment of a Freedom of Information Act  which  enshrines the right to information of Malaysians is only possible if there is a change of Federal government from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Harapan  in the forthcoming 14th General Elections.

Such a Freedom of Information legislation is only conceivable under a Pakatan Harapan Government, which is committed to a law reform agenda to democratize laws and institutions in the country.

In two weeks’ time we celebrate the 60th National Day anniversary, and it will be most fitting and appropriate if the NGOs and the civil society, such as the Malaysian Bar and C4, initiate a national conversation on the fundamental rights and guarantees enshrined in Merdeka Constitution 1957 and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 – particularly  whether we have remained loyal, true and faithful to the bedrock principles of our nation-building.

(Speech at the C4 Forum on “Official Secrets Act: Time to Review or Repeal?” at Gerak Budaya, Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, 16th August 2017 at 9 pm)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 17 August 2017, 6:43 pm and is filed under
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Will the MACC Chief Commissioner and top MACC  officers be arrested and investigated for abuse of power in unlawfully requiring individuals arrested to facilitate graft investigations to wear orange lock-up uniforms in court in remand proceedings?

Will the MACC Chief Commissioner, Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad  and top MACC  officers be arrested and investigated for abuse of power in unlawfully requiring individuals arrested to facilitate graft investigations to wear orange lock-up uniforms in court in remand proceedings?

What is the use of MACC officials  saying that arrest and  remand process are just to facilitate investigations and  not equivalent to guilt for  the crime of corruption, when persons arrested by MACC and whose remand are sought in the courts are publicly humiliated, demeaned and insulted by being forced to be handcuffed and appear in court in MACC lockup uniform, as if they have already become guilty of the crime of corruption?

This is clearly a gross abuse of power.

Whether the persons arrested and to be remanded are from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition  or the Opposition, the MACC should not publicly humiliate, demean or insult them  by forcing them to wear the orange lock-up uniform when brought to court, which is as good as tantamount to pronouncing them guilty of corruption even before a full trial.

I fully agree with the PKR MP for Padang Serai, N. Surendran, who said the MACC is acting unlawfully by forcing individuals arrested to facilitate graft investigations to wear orange lockup uniforms, as happened to Penang Exco member Phee Boon Poh and the former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Isa Samad in the past few days.

Surendran is right when he said that this practice is in breach of the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty, and hence, is unlawful and in breach of Article 5 of the Federal Constitution.

Such unlawful and improper practices by MACC  should cease immediately.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 17 August 2017, 2:07 pm and is filed under
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Call on Malaysians to return to the core values for the building of a united, harmonious, prosperous and successful Malaysian nation on the 60th anniversary of attainment of  Merdeka on 31st August 1957

I call on all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics to return to the core values for the building of an united, harmonious, prosperous and successful Malaysian nation on the 60th anniversary of the nation attaining Merdeka on 31st August 1957.

That something has gone terribly wrong with the Malaysian experiment of plural nation-building can be gleaned from the following four  disturbing developments:

Firstly, the recent police  warning that the Islamic State (IS) is planning to launch an attack in Perak during the upcoming Merdeka celebrations.

Secondly, Malaysia losing international recognition even among international Islamic scholars and academicians as a moderate nation.

Thirdly, the trend towards greater rowdyism and thuggery in political and public life, as witnessed by the riot at the “Nothing to Hide 2.0” forum at Shah Alam on Sunday, targeting former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad with flares and flying chairs, slippers and bottles.

Fourthly, the intensification of lies, fake news and false information in publicity and propaganda organs of the government.

Fifthly, the collapse of Malaysia’s good name and international standing because Malaysia new-found infamy as a global kleptocracy and our inability to clear or cleanse the country of such notoriety.

When the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak visited Pekan in early June, he boasted that Malaysia is increasingly being respected as a moderate Islamic nation.

But this has been debunked last week when international Islamic scholars and academicians, like Professor Zachary Abuza and Almad el-Muhammady, declared that Malaysia is not the moderate state that it used to be and that Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “Global Movement of Moderates” initiative was nothing but a big bluff on the international stage.

It has been a double shock for Malaysians, to suddenly find that while  the country has been  stripped of international recognition as a moderate nation, the nation has become the subject of planned ‘Islamic State” (IS) attacks!

Have these development anything to do with Malaysia suddenly being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy with the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal continuing to dominate world headlines because of new developments and disclosures by financial and criminal investigations by some ten foreign countries – with the Malaysian government fighting a losing war in its orchestrated charade that the government had not lost a single sen from 1MDB gamble and that the 1MDB scandal does not exist and only a figment of imagination of hard-headed foreign governments and the international financial community!

These unfavourable  international developments are fast dissipating  the reservoir of international goodwill and sterling reputation built up by previous Prime Ministers.

The picture at the home front is not rosy either.

It is most shocking that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had not instantly on the same day on Sunday condemned the rowdiness and  ruckus at the 1MDB “Nothing to hide 2.0” forum  and the disrespect shown to former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir but had not only kept his silence for five long days, but could make a joke about “flying chairs” during his visit to PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s stronghold of Permatang Pauh yesterday.

The visit by Najib to Permatang Pauh is 100% a political one, reminiscent of his Chinese New Year Open House visit to Penang in February 2013 with his unforgettable public relations disaster when he introduced the top South Korean pop star Psy of “Opah Gangnam Style” asking four times “Are you ready for Psy?” followed three times with the question “Are you ready for BN?”

The crowd at Hang Chiang College field shouted “Yes” to the question “Are you ready for Psy?” but were equally vehement in their shout of “No” when Najib asked “Are you ready for BN?” –  and there was a video of Najib ‘s supreme embarrassment which went viral throughout Malaysia during the Chinese New Year before the 13th General Election.

But what should cause the greatest concern and disquiet among Malaysians is the avalanche of lies, fake news and false information which are passed off as truths to Malaysians.

My attention has been drawn to a report by the Star some  three weeks ago alleging that I had cast aspersions in the past on Tun Mahathir’s Indian parentage, like what the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had done on July 30 when at a UMNO division meeting he took a dig at Mahathir’s Indian ancestry.

The Star cannot be more wrong. I have never done such a thing and I ask Star to publish a correction and retraction, or I will have to consider other avenues available to me to deal with such falsehood.

Malaysia has lost its way  and the Merdeka Dream in the past six decades. Let us be focussed on how to rediscover the Merdeka Dream to be a world-class nation of achievement and excellence in every field of human endeavour.

The first step of the re-discovery of the Merdeka Dream is to return to the core values for the building of a united, harmonious, prosperous and successful Malaysian nation where there is full respect for the racial,  religious, linguistic and cultural diversity in Malaysia which must be the strength and asset for the country and not the nation’s liability and weakness.

(Speech at “Teh Tarik Bersama Kit Siang” at Pekan Junjong, Kedah on Friday, 18th August 2017 at 9.30 am)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 18 August 2017, 8:30 am and is filed under
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Most shocking Najib did not condemn the thuggish ruckus and riot at the 1MDB “Nothing to Hide 2.0” forum but instead made a joke of it

I regret that for six days, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had failed to condemn the thuggish ruckus and riot at the 1MDB “Nothing to Hide 2.0” forum at Shah Alam on Sunday when he should have been first to do so.

It is even more regrettable that Najib made joke of it, referring to “flying chairs” during his visit  to PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s stronghold of Permatang Pauh.

Isn’t this the strongest indication of  high-level UMNO “hand” in  the thuggish ruckus and riot at the 1MDB “Nothing to Hide 2.0’” forum in  Shah Alam, where there was rowdy and “samseng” behaviour of flying slippers, flying chairs and flying “flashes”?

The rowdy and thuggish ruckus at the 1MDB “Nothing to Hide 2.0” forum and the disrespect shown to the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, is most regrettable, but the failure of the Prime Minister  up to now to condemn such rowdy and thuggish behaviour is doubly regrettable.

The visit by Najib to Permatang Pauh yesterday  is 100% a political one, reminiscent of his Chinese New Year Open House visit to Penang in February 2013 with his unforgettable public relations disaster when he introduced the top South Korean pop star Psy of “Opah Gangnam Style” asking four times “Are you ready for Psy?” followed three times with the question “Are you ready for BN?”

The crowd at Hang Chiang College field shouted “Yes” four times to the question “Are you ready for Psy?” but were equally vehement in their shout three times of “No” when Najib asked “Are you ready for BN?” – and there was a video of Najib ‘s supreme embarrassment which went viral throughout Malaysia during the Chinese New Year before the 13th General Election.

It is significant that when he recently visited Selangor, Najib talked about  Barisan Nasional recapturing the Selangor State Government, but when he visited Penang, he conspicuously did not talk about recapturing Penang State Government in the 14GE, but only recapturing Permatang Pauh.

But it is clear that even on whether UMNO/BN can recapture Permatang Pauh, he also lacks confidence, which probably explain why he dared not repeat his “Gangnam Style” question by specifically asking the people in the “manufactured” crowds whether they are ready for BN to win Permatang Pauh” – which might turn Najib’s visit to Permatang Pauh into a grave disaster!

(Speech at a kopitiam dialogue in Pokok Sena in  Kedah on Friday, 18th August 2017 at 4.30 pm)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 18 August 2017, 5:14 pm and is filed under
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Unfair of UMNO Youth to dislodge me from the UMNO demonology from the pole position as the “musuh utama” of the Malays in favour of Tun Mahathir

I must protest at the unfairness of UMNO Youth dislodging me from the UMNO demonology from the pole position of “musuh utama” (top enemy) of the Malays in favour Tun Mahathir.

Today, the  Umno Youth vice-chief Khairul Azwan Harun announced that Tun Mahathir is the “musuh utama” of the Malays as he is working hard to ruin Umno.

For five decades, I had been demonised as the “musuh utama” of the Malays. How can they snatch this “title”  from me without any proper consultation with me and award it to Tun Mahathir?

This shows how   ridiculous, unfounded and baseless is the  whole UMNO demonology of attacking a person as “mush utama” of the Malays.

This is the worst example of  the lies, fake news and false information which UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers are using to mislead the Malaysian people.

I am in a very strange category  –  as I am not only accused of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam by UMNO propagandists , I am at the same time virtually accused of  selling out  the rights and  interests of the Chinese and the non-Islamic religions!

I have never been anti-Malay or anti-Islam as  it makes no sense to be anti-Malay or anti-Islam if one wants to be a Malaysian.

We want all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, to regard themselves as Malaysians first and their race, religion or socio-economic position second.

If I had been anti-Malay or anti-Islam, it should not be difficult for these UMNO/BN leaders and propagandists to find evidence  from my five decades of political activities to substantiate such an allegation.  This is the most powerful proof of the falsehood of such allegations.

The allegation that Tun Mahathir is even more anti-Malay than I is very bizarre and farfetched,  when both of both of us are not anti-Malay.

Imagine, Malaysia having a Prime Minister for 22 years who is anti-Malay?

This shows what a mess UMNO is in now, whether in terms of political leadership or thinking.

(Speech  at Pakatan Harapan political dialogue in Derga, Kedah on Friday, 18th August 2017 at 6 pm)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 18 August 2017, 8:08 pm and is filed under
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DAP will be able to help Pakatan Harapan win the Kedah state government if DAP contests in Kulim and Gurun

In the past week, I had discussed the possibility of Pakatan Harapan (PH) winning 113 parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia with the help of a Malaysian tsunami which will rid the country of BN’s 60 year rule and allow us to start on a clean slate under a new government.

This Malaysian tsunami will take place if 10% of Malays and 5% of non-Malays were to switch their votes from the BN in the 13th General Election in 2013 to PH  in the forthcoming 14th General Election and that voters make a clear distinction between supporting PH and rejecting PAS.

Under these circumstances, even with PAS playing the role of a spoiler, PH will not only win the majority of parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia, it will also win control of the state governments in Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Johor in addition to retaining Penang and Selangor with even larger majorities compared to GE2013.

Under this scenario however, the outcome in Kedah will be a 18-18 deadlock between the Pakatan Harapan and  Barisan Nasional, with PAS unable to win a single seat in Kedah although PAS candidates will be responsible for BN winning 14 of the 18 seats because of split votes.

DAP will be able to help Pakatan Harapan break this 18-18 deadlock so that PH can win the Kedah state government if DAP contests in  Kulim and Gurun state assembly seats as well as to mobilise support for Pakatan Harapan candidates in Central and Southern Kedah, instead of just being focused on the two state assembly seats in Alor Setar.

UMNO is facing the greatest crisis of its life. The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had missed the golden opportunity in the 12 months from June/July  2016 – 2017 after the Sarawak State general elections and the two Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections to dissolve Parliament and call elections, when UMNO/BN might have won big.

But Malaysian politics underwent a seismic political development on July 14, when Pakatan  Harapan announced its structure, logo and leadership line-up, signifying that  a political tsunami in the urban areas could not only  be sustained  but that a political tsunami among the Malay voters in the rural areas is also possible.

In the past five  weeks, Najib and the UMNO leadership suffered from an attack of nerves, because for the first time in UMNO history, UMNO face the prospects of historic triple losses, all happening at the same time in the next general election, viz:

·	UMNO’s loss of support of the majority of Malay voters in the country.

·	UMNO’s loss  of support  of the majority of the 1.6 million civil servants in the country.

·	UMNO’s loss of  the support of the highest percentage of UMNO members (at present, 3.5 million UMNO members) at any general election in the nation’s history.

If Pakatan Harapan can continue to reignite hope among Malaysians that the 14th General Election could see a change of political power in Putrajaya, as well in at least six states including Kedah, then we are set for the most challenging general election outing in the 14th General Election.

(Speech at the DAP Save Malaysia ceramah in Alor Setar on Friday, 18th August 2017 at 8.30 pm)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 19 August 2017, 3:27 pm and is filed under
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For Malaysia, the fight against corruption is also a fight for democracy

By Cynthia Gabriel

Washington Post

August 16, 2017

Malaysia’s anti-corruption commission has been making lots of headlines lately. Its agents have been carrying out high-profile arrests of government officials accused of bribery and influence-peddling. You’d think that Malaysians would be happy at the news.

But they aren’t — because it’s all too obvious that, however welcome this campaign, it’s just an attempt to divert attention from a far larger corruption scandal that has been rocking the country for the past five years.

I should know, because I’m one of the people — one of many — who were involved in bringing it to light.

In 2012, when I was serving as the executive director of one of Malaysia’s largest human rights organizations, my colleagues and I filed a legal complaint in France requesting an investigation into an alleged kickback scheme. According to news reports, Malaysian government officials had received $130 million for their part in the procurement of two submarines from a French company. (All of the officials implicated have denied these claims.) We took this unusual step when our efforts to get answers about the scandal ran into repeated bureaucratic and judicial hurdles in our home country.

Since we thought we had no legal standing in France, we were surprised when the French public prosecutors wrote to inform us that they had opened a case. As the investigation unfolded, we learned that it reached to the highest levels of the Malaysia government, as it involved close associates of the then-defense minister and current Prime Minister Najib Razak. One of them, Abdul Razak Baginda, has just been placed under formal investigation by French prosecutors for alleged kickbacks involving the deal. The investigation into the case is expected to end this year, potentially paving the way for a trial. (Both Najib and Razak have denied any wrongdoing.)

The authorities reacted to our revelations swiftly. Instead of investigating the complaint, they went after us, the whistleblowers. Local police officers dragged us in for questioning, attempted to raid our office and subjected us to other forms of harassment. The news on state-run TV in Malaysia showed our images every day, doing everything it could to turn public anger against us and other civil society activists. Police and investigators ratcheted up the pressure, desperate to silence us. As the lead campaigner and spokeswoman, I had to bear the brunt of the attacks.

It was an incredibly trying time, a challenging and fearful episode in my life. But it was clear there was no turning back. Having come so far already, we had no choice but to deal with the consequences and show that we were determined to find out the truth. So we carried on, despite the intense fear and tension endured by our families and friends.

At the same time, however, an outpouring of support from ordinary people gave me new strength to work for change, so that my country could begin to chart a more open and transparent course to the future.

Guided by this impulse, in 2013 I founded the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), of which I am today the executive director. I and my activist colleagues vowed to find new ways to protect whistleblowers, end impunity, advocate for stronger and independent institutions and demand justice and the rule of law.

The establishment of C4 could not have come at a more fitting time, as Malaysia soon found itself confronting another corruption scandal that gradually became one of the central political issues in the country. The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) probe, although well known in Malaysia, gained worldwide attention on July 20, 2016, when the U.S. Justice Department filed civil forfeiture complaints seeking to recover more than $1 billion that had been allegedly laundered through American financial institutions from 1MDB, a Malaysian state investment fund. Several months ago, the Justice Department made moves to claim a second trove of assets related to the case. (For its part, the fund insists that it has never given money to the prime minister, and he has consistently denied taking money from 1MDB or any public funds.)

Although not named in the report that accompanied the Justice Department announcement, Najib is at the center of the 1MDB controversy. Calls for Najib to step down from his office have spread throughout the country over the past year. Even former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, once a close political ally, has demanded his resignation. In November, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to support efforts to clean up the country’s electoral system. Yet the political opposition, split by the detention of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, has been unable to mount a serious challenge to Najib’s increasingly authoritarian grip on power.

The corruption concerns go hand-in-hand with the government’s suppression of free speech, as shown by its use of the Sedition Act and other oppressive measures to harass and intimidate opposition political figures and civil society actors. Meanwhile, mismanagement and sagging revenue have forced the Malaysian government to enact unpopular policies, such as cutting back on long-standing subsidies for energy and food and imposing a new value-added tax.

With elections due as early as this fall, the Najib government will do its best to ride out the political storm. Meanwhile, Malaysian activists will continue to look for ways to protect whistleblowers, to end impunity, to advocate for stronger and independent institutions and to demand justice and the rule of law. Only in this way can we hope to build a truly democratic Malaysia.

Cynthia Gabriel is founder of the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), an anti-corruption organization in Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 19 August 2017, 9:38 am and is filed under
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UMNO is nearing its end as the eternal Government in Malaysia, forfeiting all authority, credibility and legitimacy when it could dub the longest-serving Prime Minister of Malaysia and UMNO President  for 22 years as the “foremost enemy” of Malays in Malaysia!

UMNO is nearing its end as the eternal Government in Malaysia, forfeiting all authority, credibility and legitimacy when it could dub the longest-serving Prime Minister of Malaysia and UMNO President for 22 years as the “foremost enemy” of Malays in  Malaysia.

Does that also mean that for 22 years, from 1981 to 2003, UMNO was the  “foremost enemy” of the Malays, governing Malaysia for the whole period?

I think it takes some digesting – Mahathir as the “foremost enemy” of the Malays leading UMNO as the “foremost enemy” of the Malays to govern Malaysia for 22 years from 1981-2003.

But this is only a matter of degree, as for some 50 years, Malaysians particularly Malays had been fed a diet of lies, fake news and false information to portray DAP and I myself as the “foremost enemy” of the Malays, when there is completely no truth, basis or evidence whatsoever.

UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers knew all along that there was no truth, basis or evidence that DAP and I were  anti-Malay and anti-Islam and yet this knowledge had not deterred them  from continuing to spread lies, fake news and false stories that DAP and I myself were anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

What does this speak about the character, moral compass or religious upbringing of these UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers?

If UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers could be so unprincipled, blatant and flagrant in their lies, fake news and false stories against the DAP and myself  over the decades, clearly they would also have no qualms to tell lies, manufacture fake news and disseminate false information against other national stakeholders, or even against the nation, in the pursuit of their own self-interests!

My attention has been drawn to a report by the Star on August 1, 2017 alleging that I had cast aspersions in the past on Tun Mahathir’s Indian parentage, like what the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had done on July 30 when at an UMNO division meeting he took a dig at Mahathir’s Indian ancestry.

The Star cannot be more wrong. I have never done such a thing and I ask Star to publish a correction and retraction, or the Star would have been reduced to the gutter level to disseminate such falsehoods.

Now, these UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers have dislodged DAP and me in  the UMNO demonology from the pole position of “musuh utama” (top enemy) of the Malays in favour Tun Mahathir.

I was early in my political life  seriously  affected by such lies, fake news and false information portraying me as anti-Malay and anti-Islam, but later I have come to face such lies, fake news and false information with aplomb, confident in my belief that nobody in their right senses would believe in such lies, fake news and false information.

And I have been proved right, for in my political travels in the past few decades even in the most remotest corners of the country, I have not come across any ill-will or malice from any Malay or Muslim. In fact, I find that I was quite a favourite subject for phtotographic momentos.

But just as there was no truth, basis or evidence in their earlier demonization of DAP and myself anti-Malay and anti-Muslim, there is no truth, basis or evidence for their new  demonization of Tun Dr. Mahathir.

These UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers do not realise that such demonology based on lies, fake news and false information finally redound to the discredit and disrepute of the perpetrators and not the victims, for there is no  greater shield of defence than  truth itself!

How can DAP and I be anti-Malay and anti-Islam when the UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers cannot produce an iota of evidence of  such anti-Malay and anti-Islam from our  several decades of political activities?

How can DAP be anti-Malay and anti-Islam when a DAP Member of Parliament paid the supreme price for defending the dignity and honour of an underaged Malay girl and as a result, was charged, convicted and jailed for 18 months, disqualified as Member of Parliament and lost his civil enfranchisement to vote and to stand for elective office for five years – as in the case of Lim Guan Eng, the DAP Penang Chief Minister?

How can the DAP-led Penang State Government be anti-Malay and anti-Islam when the Pakatan Harapan Penang State Government is accused by the MCA of being “anti-Chinese” for increasing allocations for Islamic  affairs from RM250 million (between 1999 and 2007) to RM450 million (between 2006 and 2017). Does UMNO oppose the increased allocation for Islamic affairs under the DAP-led Pakatan Harapan Penang Government?

If the Penang-led Pakatan Harapan Penang Government is anti-Malay and anti-Islam, why did UMNO lose  one state assembly seat with its state assembly representation reduced from 11 in the 2008 General Election  to 10 State Assembly members in the 2013 General Election, and with a likelihood of UMNO losing at least another seven State Assembly seats in the 14th General Election?

For the good of the country and the promotion of greater inter-racial, inter-religious and inter-cultural peace, harmony and understanding in Malaysia, I call for a complete cessation of such lies, fake news and false information to demonise any politician or leader as anti any race or anti any religion.

Is Najib as Prime Minister  and is the UMNO/BN Government prepared to lead such a national campaign to end lies, fake news and false information to incite inter-racial and inter-religious hatred, antagonism and distrust.

I do not think so, or I would not have been dislodged from the UMNO demonology of being the foremost anti-Malay, so that  Tun Mahathir has  the dubious honour of taking over the  polar position as the foremost enemy of the Malays.

But I am prepared to be proved wrong!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 19 August 2017, 2:16 pm and is filed under
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Call on Najib to ask the Attorney-General to drop the charges against the three Malaysians for insulting him on the social media

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should ask the Attorney-General Tan Sri Apandi Ali to drop the charges against three Malaysians for insulting him as  the Prime Minister.

Three Malaysians were charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Friday under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) which carries a maximum RM50,000 fine or one-year imprisonment or both, upon conviction.

Roti canai seller Mazlan Yusoff, 48, was charged with uploading a posting under the profile name Zain Al Aznam on a post written by one “Dr Hassan Ali”, which was critical of the country’s financial situation.

Mazlan had posted a doctored image of Najib, captioned “Mao Hu Tang” beside a picture of Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Mazlan allegedly made the posting about 2.53am on Nov 11, 2016.

Meanwhile, Nor Sabariah Abdul Kadir, 29, was charged with posting a derogatory comment on the “Otai Bersih” Facebook page, about 5.11pm on Feb 1, in which she allegedly called the PM a thief.

The third accused, storekeeper Ng Thai Quen, 19, was slapped with a charge of editing an insulting image of Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor and uploading it on a Facebook page called “Kami Benci Najib” (We hate Najib) about 7pm on Dec 15, last year.

Najib should not so petty-minded and should set an example of allowing greater freedom of expression on the social media.

Instead of persecuting ordinary Malaysians for their social media postings, Najib should  conduct a soul-searching exercise why he is so unpopular or “hated” a Prime Minister.  This soul searching exercise should not involve the mercenary UMNO/BN cybertroopers or sycophants, but should involve the ordinary public, including the three Malaysians who have put up anti-Najib postings on the social media instead of abuse of power by using the Communications and Multimedia act to penalise the trio.

I have myself been the target of demonisation over the decades by UMNO/BN propagandists and cybertroopers, where the most terrible baseless allegations were made against me.

If Najib sets the example, and all those who defame or  character-assassinate me through the demonisation campaign on the social media over the years, then we will probably see history being made – with the most number of people charged in court.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 20 August 2017, 1:11 pm and is filed under
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Pakatan Harapan will win 39 seats, BN 20 and PAS zero seats in Perak State Assembly  if there is a three-cornered contest with a Malaysian tsunami with a swing of 10% Malay votes and 5% non-Malay votes to Pakatan Harapan from Barisan Nasional in the 14GE

In the past week, I had discussed the possibility of Pakatan Harapan (PH) winning 113 parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia with the help of a Malaysian tsunami which will rid the country of BN’s 60 year rule and allow Malaysia  to start on a clean slate under a new government.

In such a scenario, Barisan Nasional will win 50 parliamentary seats and PAS two seats in Peninsular Malaysia, setting the stage for formation of a Pakatan Harapan Government in Putrajaya with Sabahans and Sarawakians.

This Malaysian tsunami will take place if 10% of Malays and 5% of non-Malays were to switch their votes from the BN in the 13th General Election in 2013 to Pakatan Harapan  in the forthcoming 14th General Election and that voters make a clear distinction between supporting Pakatan Harapan and rejecting PAS, as the  PAS leadership under Datuk Seri Hadi Awang has become the greatest apologist and defender of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s kleptocratic regime.

In the 13th General Election, Pakatan Rakyat won 53% of the popular vote but Najib became the first minority Prime Minister because Barisan Nasional won 60% of the parliamentary seats despite getting the support of the minority of the votes – thanks to the gerrymandering and undemocratic electoral system in the country.

The same electoral injustice happened in Perak in the 13GE, where the Pakatan Rakyat in Perak won 55% of the popular vote for the Perak State Assembly, but Barisan Nasional continued to form the Perak State Government as it won 31 State Assembly seats as against 28 for Pakatan Rakyat.

In four Perak State Assembly seats, PR lost by less than 303 votes – Lubuk Merbau where PR lost by 53 votes, Manjoi by 132 votes; Manong by 231 votes and Pasir Panjang by 302 votes.

If there is a three-cornered contest  for the Perak State Assembly seats with PAS playing the spoiler’s role, with a swing of increase of 10% support from Malay voters and increase of 5% support from non-Malay voters from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Harapan, a likely outcome will be Pakatan Harapan 39 seats, Barisan Nasional 20 seats and PAS zero seats.

Perak would then  be one of the state governments which will fall to Pakatan Harapan in the next general election.

The best time for Najib to dissolve Parliament and hold  the 14th General Elections would have been the 12 months after the Sarawak State General Elections on May 7, 2016 and the two by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar on 18th June 2016, but Najib has missed this golden opportunity to get his best electoral  results.

Since 14th July 2017, the political situation in the country had undergone  a sea-change with the four Opposition parties, the DAP, PKR, Amanah and Parti Pribumi Bersatu getting their acts together after the announcement of a new Pakatan Harapan structure, logo and leadership line-up.

This re-ignited hopes of Malaysians thirsting for political change and for a new start in Malaysian nation-building, to halt the trajectory of the  country hurtling towards a failed and a rogue state, and even worse, deviating from our nation-building and Constitutional commitment to remain forever a moderate and democratic plural nation.

Recent police warning that the Islamic State (IS) is planning to launch an attack in Perak during the upcoming Merdeka celebrations, and recent declarations by international Islamic scholars and academicians that Malaysia is no more a moderate nation are disturbing developments which bode ill for the future unless these signals are taken seriously by all patriotic Malaysians.

It is not an easy task to bring about a swing  of 10% of Malay votes and a 5% swing of non-Malay votes from Barisan Nasional in the 13GE to the Pakatan Harapan in the 14GE, but all patriotic Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or even politics, must unite to Save Malaysia from becoming a failed and rogue state for the sake of our children and children’s children.

(Speech at the Pakatan Harapan Ceramah in Parit Buntar on Saturday, 19th August 2017 at 10 pm)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 20 August 2017, 7:22 am and is filed under
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Hadi’s three public statements in the past week bespeak of his new role as foremost apologist and defender of Najib Razak, in particular to deflect attacks and criticisms on Najib’s transforming Malaysia into a global kleptocracy

PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s three public statements in the past week bespeak of his new role as the foremost apologist and defender of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in particular to deflect attacks and criticisms on Najib’s transforming Malaysia into a global kleptocracy.

Imagine, three public statements in the past week and not a single reference to the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal and Malaysia being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy in the past two years!

Like Najib, Hadi does not believe that there is any 1MDB scandal. He believes that Najib is the victim of an international conspiracy to character-assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia and he does not mind Malaysia being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy!

This is the PAS President in 2017, a far cry from previous PAS Mursyidul Ams and Presidents of yesteryears like Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Fadzil Noor and Yusof Rawa – as it conceivable to imagine them leading a national and international campaign against the 1MDB scandal and to clear or clease Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

But today, under the Hadi leadership, Malaysia as a global kleptocracy is acceptable to PAS which would be anathema to Nik Aziz, Fadzil Noor and Yusof Rawa.

This is why Hadi’s PAS leadership is hand-in-glove with the UMNO leadership to deflect attention, criticisms and attacks on the 1MDB scandal and Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy.

In his latest public pronouncement in an interview with Berita Harian, Hadi claimed that PAS was instrumental in ensuring wins for DAP and PKR in the last general election as PAS’ “well-equipped machinery and grassroots support “ translated to victories for their former allies.

He said:“PAS has grassroots strength that no other party has.

“In the last general elections, many of the machineries were PAS’, that helped candidates from DAP and PKR to win.”

I am surprised that Hadi has developed  such a “blind spot”.

I agree that PAS had helped DAP and PKR candidates, but he seems to have lost sight of the equally undeniable and indisputable fact that DAP and PKR machineries and grassroot support had helped PAS candidates to win in constituencies they had never thought possible to  win in the past.

All the three parties of DAP, PAS and PKR have benefitted from the partnership in Pakatan Rakyat in the 2013 General Election.

From a regional party confined largely to its “northern” heartland of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, PAS had gone “national” in the 13th General Elections with parliamentary and/or state assembly representation in every state in Peninsular Malaysia, except for Negri Sembilan.

For the DAP, our partnership in Pakatan Rakyat has enabled the DAP to win 38 parliamentary seats and 107 State Assembly seats, including 16 ethnically-mixed parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia with less than 60 per cent Chinese voters (nine with less than 50 per cent Chinese voters) and 44 “ethnically-mixed” State Assembly seats with less than 60 per cent Chinese voters (15 of which with less than 50% Chinese voters).

Like DAP and PAS, PKR has also benefitted from the partnership in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

Ethnically mixed constituencies – where no one race is more than 60% of voters – used to be BN’s stronghold. However, with UMNO’s increasingly right wing positions and the poor record of governance by the BN, Pakatan Rakyat was able to  capture  a majority of these mixed seats in Peninsular Malaysia.

That DAP, PAS and PKR achieved their best parliamentary and state assembly results during their tripartite co-operation in the 1999, 2008 and 2013 General Elections is borne out by the following two tables of electoral results since the 1959 general election:

MP

DAP

PAS

PKR

Total seats

won

contest

won

contest

won

contest

1959

–

–

13

58

–

–

104

1964

–

–

9

53

–

–

104

1969

13

24

12

62

–

–

144

1974

9

46

–

–

–

–

154

1978

16

53

5

88

–

–

154

1982

9

63

5

82

–

–

154

1986

24

64

1

98

–

–

177

1990

20

57

7

30

–

–

180

1995

9

50

7

45

–

–

192

1999

10

38

27

62

5

58

193

2004

12

44

6

86

1

59

219

2008

(1+) 28

47

(1+) 23

66

31

97

222

2013

38

51

21

73

30

99

222

DUN

DAP

PAS

PKR

Total seats

won

contest

won

contest

won

contest

1959

–

–

42

200

–

–

282

1964

–

–

25

158

–

–

282

1969

31

57

40

185

–

–

360

1974

23

120

–

–

–

–

360

1978

25

127

9

204

–

–

276

1982

12

131

18

223

–

–

312

1986

37

118

15

265

–

–

447

1990

45

87

33

114

–

–

447

1995

11

103

33

171

–

–

394

1999

11

88

98

234

4

70

394

2004

15

104

36

265

0

121

505

2008

73

102

84

232

40

176

505

2013

95

103

85

236

49

172

505

Does Hadi believe that without the support of DAP and PKR, PAS could transform itself from a regional into a national party?  In contrast, both DAP and PKR were already  national parties when they co-operated with PAS to form the Barisan Alternative in 1999 and Pakatan Rakyat in 2008.

However, Hadi’s PAS decided to turn its back on Pakatan Rakyat by reneging on the Pakatan Rakyat Common Policy Framework  resulting in the disintegration of Pakatan Rakyat after  the PAS Muktamar in June 2015.

Today, Hadi has emerged as the greatest apologist and defender  for Najib and his kleptocracy, forming the new “Najib-Hadi” political duet in Malaysia.

What is in store in the 14th General Election.

I fully agree with the Amanah Vice President Datuk Husam Musa who said at the Perak Amanah convention today that PAS under Hadi cannot be the “kingmaker” in the next general election, but can only play the role of “puppet” or “suicide bomber” in three-cornered fights.

Husam said at best, PAS will get only three or five parliamentary seats.

Husam explained that in the three-cornered fights, PA will only act as a “suicide-bomber” as the PAS’ role would only be that of a spoiler.

Husam analysis tallied with what I have been saying for the past week – that the real contenders in the forthcoming 14th General Election are Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, as PAS can only play a “spoiler’s role” to split votes in three-corner fights to help Barisan Nasional to win.

For the past week, I had discussed the possibility of Pakatan Harapan (PH) winning 113 parliament seats in Peninsular Malaysia with the help of a Malaysian tsunami which will rid the country of BN’s 60 year rule and allow us to start on a clean slate under a new government. In such a situation, out of the 165 Parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia, PH would win 113 seats, Barisan Nasional 50 and PAS only two seats.

With a swing of 10% Malays voters and 5% non-Malays voters to the Pakatan Harapan as compared to the 13th General Election, leaving Hadi’s PAS out in the cold, Pakatan Harapan will not only retain Penang and Selangor state government with larger majorities compared with the 2013 General Election, but also stands the chance of winning  Johore, Perak and  Negri Sembilan state governments, and possibly the Kedah State Government, if DAP can expand its operations from Alor Start to central and southern Kedah by contesting in Gurun and Kulim state assembly constituencies.

All Malaysians who want to Save Malaysia from hurtling towards the trajectory of a failed and rogue state and restore democracy, rule of law and full respect for the bedrock nation-building principles enshrined in the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and 1963 Malaysia Agreement must unite to ensure the first change of Federal Government  through the ballot box in 60 years.

If this historic result is to  be achieved in the 14GE, voters must ensure that PAS’ spoiler’s role to help Najib to continue as Prime Minister is reduced to a minimum, for the lesser the  effect and impact of PAS’ “spoiler role” in the 14GE, the more parliamentary and state assembly seats will be won by  Pakatan Harapan candidates, heralding a new political landscape in Malaysia after the 14GE.

(Speech at the close of the DAP National General Elections Preparation Workshop at DAP National Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 20th August 2017 at 6 pm)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 21 August 2017, 9:19 am and is filed under
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In Barcelona, a heartening rejection of Islamophobia

By James McAuley

Washington Post

August 20, 2017

Spain investigates large-scale terrorist plot

BARCELONA — In the aftermath of Europe’s latest terrorist attack, a set of familiar tensions clouded this sunny, vibrant city Sunday.

Some here insist that Barcelona is a state of mind, a nonstop celebration of the good life where anyone is welcome and anything goes. But then came the almost predictable events of last week. In a scheme that resembled recent assaults in Paris and Brussels, a group of young, local Moroccan Muslim men — some of whom spoke Spanish and Catalan better than Arabic — staged Spain’s deadliest attack in more than a decade. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for their actions.

Suddenly, Barcelona — and the surrounding region of Catalonia — is being put to a test that has faced not just Paris and Brussels, but also Nice, Berlin, Stockholm and London in the past two years. At stake is the place of the region’s Muslim community, the largest in Spain.

For now, Barcelona seems to be responding differently than its neighbors, whose reactions to similar violence were often marked by a fierce anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment that, in some cases, even translated into political traction. With the rise of the once-obscure Marine Le Pen, for instance, some saw the French elections in May as a referendum on Muslims in France. The migration issue also looms large in Germany’s elections, slated for next month.

Although there were isolated reports of vigilante violence against Muslims here, Barcelona appears to be generally resisting being drawn into a post-attack culture war. A traditionally left-leaning city where Muslims have lived for centuries, its officials and citizens have mainly chosen to speak out against the potential for the kind of Islamophobic backlash seen elsewhere in Europe.

On Sunday, thousands of local Muslims marched down La Rambla, the scenic, tree-lined boulevard where the first of two coordinated attacks took place. Young and old, men and women, many of whom were veiled, the demonstrators chanted in unison: “I am Muslim! Not a terrorist!” Non-Muslims lined the sidewalks, clapping and crying. Some stepped forward to hug demonstrators as they passed.

At a Sunday news conference on the investigation, Carles Puigdemont, Catalonia’s regional president, grew most animated when he spoke in defense of the local Moroccan population. “The Moroccan people are integrated in Catalonia, and they have made important contributions to the community,” he said.

Some, especially in rural Catalonia, might have said otherwise. Home to the largest percentage of Spain’s Muslim population — about 25 percent — the region is also the locus of Islamist militant activity in the country. Roughly a quarter of those arrested on suspicion of radicalized tendencies between 2013 and 2016 were arrested in Barcelona and its environs, according to data released by the Real Instituto Elcano, a Madrid-based think tank.

Carola García-Calvo, a senior terrorism analyst at Elcano, said that part of the reason was that Barcelona has long been a receiving center for immigrants and one of the few places in Spain where the vulnerable generation of second-generation immigrant youths has matured in a concentrated mass.

On Friday, less than 24 hours after the Las Ramblas attack, a small group of demonstrators from the far-right Falange movement — named for a fascist group active in 1930s Spain — protested what they called the “Islamicization of Europe.”

But that was far from a widespread sentiment. Thousands of counterprotesters ultimately turned out in response, drowning out the handful of rightists and forcing them to disband.

In recent days, a number of Muslim citizens of Barcelona said they had not experienced major discrimination before or after the attacks last week, although many emphasized that their experiences did not mean there is no Islamophobia in Spain.

Chaima Jalili, 23, is from Morocco, in the same demographic as the ring of suspects. She came to Barcelona three years ago to study design, she said.

“Actually, Barcelona has been great to me,” she said. “I’ve been to France and Germany, and I’ve never felt more safe and secure.” Every morning before going out, she said, she puts on her scarf. “I’ve never been scared.”

Asked about Islamophobia, she said: “I have never experienced any of that.”

Naoufal, 22, a young Moroccan waiter in a trendy cafe in the city’s Nadal district, said he felt a subtle change in the way he was perceived after the attack. He felt he had drawn heavy scrutiny because of the way he looked.

“They see you in a car with a Moroccan face, and the police tell you to stop. Yesterday I left work, and they stopped me like four times, from here to my house,” he said, emphasizing that it was just a short distance away.

Sana Ullah Gondal, 51, from Pakistan, owns a computer supply store here. He said that his 15 years in Spain have been marked by a notable absence of prejudice.

“There are drunk and drugged people who sometimes speak badly,” he said, in an interview in his shop. “But normal people don’t say anything.”

Vahangir Alam Ali Segum, 52, owns the Turin Supermarket. Born in Bangladesh, he has lived in Barcelona for 26 years and says he has never experienced Islamophobia, either.

“I’ve only had problems with thieves, and then I call the police,” he said. “I live better than in my country — Spain is very quiet.”

“I go to my house. We pray in the mosque. It’s a normal life,” he said. “This store is over 15 years old, and almost the whole neighborhood knows me, and I know them. We live as brothers, as family members.”

At the Muslim march on Sunday, Lourdes Miguel, 50, a lifelong Barcelona resident, stood on La Rambla with her son, watching the Muslim demonstration. She held back tears.

“This shows that they march from the heart,” she said, gesturing at the marchers. “It’s not fake.”

Angel García contributed to this report.

Read more:

                This entry was posted on Monday, 21 August 2017, 5:46 am and is filed under
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Pity that Gerakan has fallen from a national party which prides itself as  the conscience of Barisan Nasional into a  pathetic “mosquito of mosquitoes” party

Yesterday, Gerakan President Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong challenged  me to contest against the Gerakan Penang State Chairman, Teng Chang Yeow in Penang in the 14th General Election.

I ignored the puerile call and did not give it a second thought.

Today, Teng upped the ante, urging me to be man enough to respond to the Gerakan challenge and announce whether I would contest in Penang or Gelang Patah.

I really feel sorry for Gerakan, falling from a national party during its heyday when it claimed that it was the conscience of Barisan Nasional, to the pathetic  and abject “mosquito of mosquitoes” party  today where both  the Gerakan national President and the chairman of its most important state, which it had ruled for five decades, had to resort to cheap tactics to get publicity and attention.

The Star MCA mouthpiece is having a field day. Yesterday, its page headline was
“Stand in Penang, Kit Siang dared”
 and today, its page headline is:
“Gelang Patah or Penang?”

I must congratulate Mah Siew Keong for making Malaysian political history, as this  is the first time that a political leader had thrown a challenge on behalf of another person. Why Mah dare not issue a challenge on his own behalf?

As for Teng’s puerile challenge, I only need to say that I have been in politics for 52 years and Malaysians should know whether I am “man enough”.

Is Teng “man enough”?

In 2008 General Election, Teng was defeated by Chow Kon Yeow in Padang Kota where he was sitting Assemblyman for  the previous three terms (1995, 1999 and 2004) by 1,666 votes.

In the 2013 General Election, Teng dared not return to Padang Kota to face Chow and ran away to what he regarded as a very safe  Gerakan seat in Bukit Tengah where the Gerakan candidate had lost by only 1,904 votes in 2008.

Teng was right to run away from contesting  in Padang Kota or he would have been “slaughtered” by Chow, who won with the walloping majority of 7,196 votes.

But  Teng was unable to find a safe slot in Bukit Tengah either, where he lost to the PKR candidate, Ong Chin Wen, with a majority almost thrice that of  2008 – i.e. 5,190 votes.

Now Teng dare not return to Padang Kota to fight Chow or even return to Bukit Tengah and he has to think of a silly publicity stunt to broadcast his preparedness to contest again in Penang in the 14th General Election.

Let me advise Teng that he cannot be an effective commander-in-chief of Penang Barisan Nasional in the 14GE if he is a coward, as no Barisan Nasional candidate in Penang would have respect for him.

Teng should announce that he will return to Padang Kota where he had been State Assemblyman for three terms from 1995 to 2008 to break the Gerakan “egg” in Penang State Assembly for two terms in the forthcoming 14GE.

If Teng dare not return to Padang Kota to fight Chow, he should just call it a day in Gerakan politics.

I never have to beat my chest to show how brave or great I am in my five decades in politics, and my advice to Teng is to show some humility in politics.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 21 August 2017, 2:59 pm and is filed under
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When even the formation of RCI can become a political power play, the Government concerned has lost all authority, credibility and legitimacy and should be replaced

Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi said yesterday that the government is ready to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to probe the 1985 Memali tragedy if there is a demand from any quarters, which was immediately welcome by PAS whose central committee will meet on the matter.

I had called for a public inquiry more than three decades ago when  the Memali tragedy, where 18 people including four policemen, were killed and many others injured after the police launched an operation to arrest religious teacher Ibrahim Mahmud, popularly known as “Ibrahim Libya”, occurred on Nov. 19, 1985.

I had repeated my call for a public inquiry into the Memali tragedy as recent as in March 2014.

Since then a national disaster, many times more heinous and catastrophic than the Memali tragedy or any other scandal or tragedy in the nation’s history, had come to light – the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal which had transformed Malaysia in the past two years into a global kleptocracy.

However, all organs and institutions of government were abused in the charade of the Prime Minister and the Malaysian Government to pretend that there is no such thing as a 1MDB scandal, the person coded as “MO1” or Malaysia as a global kleptocracy, although ten foreign countries and jurisdictions are separately investigating and prosecuting key players in the international dragnet and several key players of the 1MDB scandal have become “international fugitives from justice”.

The charade that there is no such thing as 1MDB scandal or “MO1” goes on, and as part of the script of this charade, national institutions should be transformed into 1MDB creatures, whether 1MDB Cabinet, 1MDB Parliament, 1MDB Judiciary, 1MDB Attorney-General, 1MDB Police, 1MDB Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, 1MDB Auditor-General, 1MDB Bank Negara etc to collectively deny, suppress and sweep under the carpet all adverse information and news about the ongoing 1MDB scandal in Malaysia or the whole wide world.

If Malaysia has come to the stage when  even the formation of RCIs can become a political power play, the Government concerned has lost all authority, credibility and legitimacy and should be replaced.

By all means have RCIs into Bank Negara foreign exchange losses thirty years ago, or into the Memali tragedy more than 30 years ago, but if there is no RCI into the elephant in the room, the 1MDB scandal, then all these RCIs are reduced to a farce and gross abuses of power, using RCIs as a political power play to pursue vendetta and vengeance against former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad rather than to serve the higher interests of Malaysians and the nation.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 21 August 2017, 11:34 am and is filed under
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Let Hadi appear before the Memali tragedy RCI to testify the impact of Amanat Hadi on the loss of 18 lives in 1985 and how he could reconcile Amanat Hadi with his present intimate relationship and defence of Najib, 1MDB scandal and Malaysia as a ‘global kleptocracy’

Former Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor said in an interview with The Malaysian Insight today that he did not understand why the PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang would want to resurrect the Memali tragedy in 1985, as “it will emerge that he had played a role in it”.

Rahim said that if a Royal Commission of Inquiry is to be held into the Memali tragedy, “we won’t be able to avoid the fact that the ‘Amanat Hadi’ had played a role in causing the Memali incident”.

“Amanat Hadi” refers to Hadi’s  speech on April 7, 1981, in which he declared Umno and Barisan Nasional an infidel government who ruled like colonialists.

In “Amanat Hadi”, Hadi, the then PAS Terengganu commissioner had said:

“Percayalah, kita menentang Umno, bukan kerana nama dia Umno. Kita menentang Barisan Nasional bukan kerana dia lama memerintah kerajaan. Kita menentang dia ialah kerana dia mengekalkan perlembagaan penjajah, mengekalkan undang-undang kafir, mengekalkan peraturan jahiliyah. Oleh kerana itulah kita menentang mereka. Oleh kerana itulah kita menghadapi mereka. Oleh itulah kita cuba berlawan dengan mereka.

“Perjuangan kita adalah jihad, ucapan kita adalah jihad, derma kita adalah jihad. Bergantunglah kita kepada Allah dengan (menghadapi) puak-puak ini kerana kalau kita mati melawan puak-puak ini, mati kita adalah syahid. Mati kita adalah Islam. Kita tidak perlu masuk Buddha, kita tidak perlu masuk Hindu, kita tidak perlu masuk Kristian, tapi kita menjadi kafir dengan mengamalkan politik suku, agama suku.”

Rahim, who was Selangor police chief when the Memali tragedy  occurred on November 19, 1985, said Hadi’s 1981 speech had served to inspire PAS members nationwide, including religious teacher and PAS member Ibrahim Mahmud, also known as Ibrahim Libya, who formed a militant sect that wanted to go beyond political struggle.

Rahim said ‘Amanat Hadi’ had two important elements: the accusation that Muslims who failed to adopt Islam as a complete way of life, including in politics were kaffir, or infidels; and the declaration that opposition to Umno and BN was “jihad” and those who died in the struggle were “martyrs”.

 Rahim said Hadi’s message was actively taken up and preached by PAS Youth, and it was this message that inspired Ibrahim Libya.

Rahim, who was formerly Bukit Aman Special Branch chief, said Ibrahim Libya was a strident PAS follower and was very loyal to Hadi’s message.

Let Hadi appear before the Memali tragedy RCI to testify the impact of Amanat Hadi on the loss of 18 lives in 1985 and how he could reconcile Amanat Hadi with his present intimate relationship and defence of Najib and the 1MDB scandal, even to the extent of deflecting attention, criticism and attacks on Malaysia transformed overnight into a “global kleptocracy”.

I had said that what Hadi has done as PAS President after the break-up of Pakatan Rakyat as a result of the PAS leadership’s reneging from the Pakatan Rakyat Common Policy Framework and the Pas Muktamar resolution  in June 2016 would be anathema to previous PAS Mursyidul Ams and Presidents of yesteryears like Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Fadzil Noor and Yusof Rawa.

It would not be inconceivable to imagine Nik Aziz, Fadzil Noor and Yusuf Rawa  leading  national and international campaigns against the 1MDB scandal and to clear or cleanse Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy – but not Hadi.

Why is this the case?

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 22 August 2017, 10:48 am and is filed under
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Solving The Malay Problem:  Learning From Others

M. Bakri Musa

21.8.2017

Learning from others is a natural for some; those are the lucky ones. They consider the exercise mind expanding and liberating. For the rest, learning from others is a difficult endeavor, and often associated with deep embarrassment. To them, ignorance is bliss. Those are the closed-minded.

            In my earlier book,
 Malaysia in the Era of Globalization
, I gave the positive examples of Ireland and South Korea, nations worthy of our emulation, while citing Argentina as a negative one, of what not to do. Early in the last century Argentina was a bright star; a few generations later it was wrecked with one economic crisis after another. For South Korea, in the 1950s it was receiving foreign aid from the Philippines; today, the fate of the two countries could not be more different!

            A more relevant example for Malaysia is Ireland of the early 20th Century. Just substitute Malays for the Irish, and Chinese for the English; and Islam for Catholicism. Just as Malays feel inferior to the Chinese, so too were the Irish to the English. Today’s Malays are in the tight grip of the Islamic establishment, so too were the Irish to the Catholic clergy. Only when the Irish mentally freed themselves from the Church were they emancipated. Progress soon ensued.

            Malaysia had its Sean Lemass (“The Architect of Modern Ireland”) with the late Tun Razak. Both were leaders for about the same duration (1959-66 for Lemass; 1970-76 for Razak), but without diminishing Razak’s monumental legacy, his impact on Malaysia, specifically Malays, was not comparable to Lemass and Ireland with the Irish.

            Both Razak and Lemass correctly focused on the fundamentals–education and the economy–and both brought in bright young talents into their respective administrations. Lemass however, went much further; he altered the social landscape of the Irish by exposing them to new ideas. One was through commerce, culminating with Ireland joining the European Union in 1973, and the other through setting up a state-run television service.

            Malaysia also has a state television station, and more. The ruling party UMNO also owns the mainstream media. The crucial difference is this. Lemass used his state television to bring in foreign programs and expose his people to differing viewpoints on such previously taboo matters as contraception, divorce, and religion. Exposures to diverse perspectives helped liberate the Irish from the church’s stranglehold.

            In striking contrast, Tun Razak did not even attempt to change the social landscape of Malaysia, of Malays in particular. He was too timid. He used the Malaysian state media not to liberate his people or to expose them to new ideas but for propaganda, to close citizens’ minds.

            The digital revolution has castrated these state propaganda machines; they are no longer as effective, reduced to just going through the motions.

            Both Lemass and Tun Razak were transforming leaders. Razak took his nation towards development and aggressively addressed inter-communal inequities. Lemass was less concerned with the direction his people chose, more on liberating their minds and giving them the freedom to pursue their own paths. Lemass’s transformation survived him; Razak’s too, but for only a generation. Tak tahan lasak (not enduring). That is the signal difference between the legacies of those two great leaders.

Berdikari (Self-reliance) and Tahan Lasak (Sustainability)

In addition to being pragmatic and to learn from others, my third approach to the Malay problem is based on self-reliance (berdikari) and sustainability (tahan lasak). All too often our leaders tend to not only blame others for our problems but also to demand that they solve them! We demanded foreign and Malaysian Chinese companies to restructure their ownership and employment to include Malays. What gives us that right?

            Our leaders are too ready to blame others for what ails us. I could understand their blaming the colonialists. The hantu of colonialism has just enough element of truth. Those colonialists could have done more to help Malays. Consider that when Victoria Institution was set up back in 1895 with a sizable contribution from the then Sultan of Selangor, there were fewer than 10 Malay students out of an enrollment of 200, less than 5 percent!

            The colonialists could have at least pay due deference to our cultural sensitivities and named those schools after our heroes or sultans. That would have made those schools sound and appear less foreign to us and thus attract more Malays. When the British finally did just that a few decades later with Tuanku Muhammad School and Sultan Abdul Hamid College (SAHC), Malay parents readily enrolled their children there. Today SAHC rightly claims the pride of having educated two Prime Ministers (Tunku Abdul Rahman and Mahathir Mohamad).

            Today we demand non-Malay companies “restructure” themselves to include Malays. Not just any Malay of course, not even the competent ones or those with money to invest, rather those who are politically (specifically UMNO) connected. If those lucky favored Malays do not have the funds then the GLC banks would generously lend them at heavily subsidized interest rates. Far from advancing the entrepreneurial spirit of our people, such schemes diminish it. Today our young are busy in party politics so they could be the lucky meneggek (anointed) millionaires.

            Consider that there are many famous Malay names “heading” non-Malay companies and entities like private colleges. That is nothing more than refined bribery; those Malays are being employed not for their executive talent but for their connections with former colleagues in government or the ruling party, and for just being Malays.

            Those Malays are not advancing the cause of our community. They are just too busy raking in the loot. Peruse the enrolment of private colleges “headed” by Malays; there are very few Malay students or faculty members. The dynamics are the same with private companies “led” by Malays. I would expect that with the presence of these Malays on the board they would at least exert their influence on their companies to employ more Malay workers, vendors and suppliers.

            Those Malay heads are nothing but expensive window dressings. I would rather that those Chinese companies employ their own chairmen, then those Malay CEO’s would be forced to start their own enterprises where they would employ Malays, or at the very least, increase the number of Malay enterprises.

            My proposals would not demand anything from the outside world or non-Malays. Those successful non-Malay companies can carry on with what they doing, employing whomever they want to best advance their enterprises; they should not be forced to “restructure.” I also could not care less what the rest of the world does; my solution does not depend on their charity. Goodwill yes, we can always use that. My focus is on Malays maximizing our hallowed cultural traits of berdikari and tahan lasak.

Next: Political Versus Mental Independence

Adapted from the author’s book, Liberating The Malay Mind, published by ZI Publications, Petaling Jaya, 2013. The second edition was released in January 2016.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 22 August 2017, 6:07 am and is filed under
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UMNO’s Felda Fixed Deposit: Going, Going, Gone

Koon Yew Yin

21 Aug 2017

Many Malaysians following the commentaries over social media – and not the fake news in the official print media – will have received a whatsapp message from an astute lawyer that no one should get excited with the arrest of Isa Samad for questioning. This is only a sandiwara or UMNO theatre meant to fool the rakyat into thinking that some action is being taken against corruption at high levels.

The due process of law will take time and the ultimate decision making – obviously only made after the next election – will be left to the Attorney General to decide whether there is enough evidence to prosecute.

The lawyer who obviously has to remain anonymous to avoid arrest predicted that “no one should be shocked to hear later the AG announcement that the case against Isa be dropped due to ‘insufficient evidence’. He pointed out too that “In Malaysia someone who is in power can even get away with murder. Corruption is only a mild case, you can easily go scot-free.”

I agree with the lawyer that if BN remains in power after the next election, Isa Samad will not be prosecuted for the way in which he has abused the FGV and public treasury to enrich himself and his cronies.

His enormous wealth and multiple assets clearly cannot come solely from his salary. They have come from the transactions that he signed off on as the Felda chairman and FGV chairman which have resulted in the  billions of ringgit of losses to shareholders and other stakeholders. In the meantime, the MACC should disclose to the public how many houses and landed properties Isa and his family members own but I guess we will need a whistle blower to do this because as we have seen from other examples, the MACC is a toothless tiger.

Isa Samad may be untouchable and may have political immunity. He may be beyond the reach of Malaysian law so long as we have an AG who is answerable to his boss,  the Prime Minister, rather than to the nation.

But this can change if Pakatan comes to power.

Some months ago many analysts felt that the prospect of Pakatan winning the election did not look bright.

But today, the situation has changed dramatically.

Barisan and UMNO are running scared. And the main reason is that – apart from 1MDB and the massive donation into Najib’s account – there is every indication tha the revolt among Malay voters has started.

And this revolt against UMNO has its main driving force in the over 120,000 Felda settlers and their families.

Over One Million Anti-BN Felda-Related Voters

At least one million of these Malay Felda-associated voters – if we assume that every original settler has a family of 6-8 members – could be voting in the coming election. They form the majority in over 60 rural constituencies.

In fact, Felda settler family members are to be found in every constituency in the country – even in Sabah and Sarawak. The great majority – over 90% – of this population are fully aware of the corruption, abuses of power and breaches of trust involving Isa in the purchase of the London and Kuching hotels, and also in the way in which Felda settlers have become victims of Najib’s refusal to do anything about it.

It is not only Najib that made Isa “untouchable”. It is also UMNO leadership at the top and grassroots level that were blind to Isa’s insatiable appetite for wealth and power which was clearly demonstrated when he was found guilty of money politics in contesting for UMNO’s vice presidency in 2005.

Many Felda settlers will feel and know that it is the entire UMNO power structure that must bear responsibility for the disgraceful situation of Felda and FGV. And there is every possibility that these voters will cast their votes for the opposition in the coming election. And even if they do not cast their votes for the opposition, we can expect them to boycott the election.

UMNOs leaders and spin masters in the employment of UMNO may trumpet that the remand of Isa Samad proves that the party is prepared to tackle corruption at the highest level.

But come on, the Malay rural voters were not born yesterday.

I expect them not to be fooled by the media spin. I expect them not to tempted by the handouts and special dividends and other forms of political bribery that UMNO excels in. I expect them to vote for the opposition in GE 14.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 22 August 2017, 7:54 am and is filed under
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Considerable merit in Musa’s proposal that a RCI into Memali tragedy be held but after 14th General Election

There is considerable merit in the proposal by the former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Tun Musa Hitam that a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the Memali Tragedy in November 1985 which claimed 18 lives be held but after the 14th General Election.

Musa said the RCI should be established after the next general election to prevent it from being abused by politicians for their interests.  There is also no need to rush the RCI since the incident occurred more than three decades ago.

Musa said:

“There is also a need to choose an appropriate time to form (the RCI) and hold the proceedings to ensure that the establishment will serve its purpose rather than fulfil short-term political agendas of certain quarters.

“To me, there is nothing wrong with the formation so long as it is done with the right intention which is to seek the truth and justice without prejudice and that everything is done in accordance with the Constitution and the nation’s law.”

The very next day of Musa’s Ministerial Statement in Parliament on Memali Tragedy in November 1985, I had suggested an Independent Commission of Inquiry, because  it should be accepted as a principle of good and responsible government that an independent inquiry would be conducted into any incident involving several public deaths arising from government action.

Furthermore  such an independent inquiry would also serve the objective of convincing Malaysians at large that the Memali Tragedy would not be made use of by any quarter for political reasons.

I had made the call for an independent commission of inquiry into the Memali tragedy some 32  years ago as the  Memali Tragedy  was neither a Muslim or Malay problem nor an UMNO or Pas problem but a Malaysian problem which must be dealt with on a non-partisan Malaysian basis.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 23 August 2017, 3:24 pm and is filed under
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