We, too, want to be a dentist like Khir Toyo

Malaysiakini Your Say
 | Jun 10, 11 10:37am

‘Why pay the total of RM6.5 million in cash? No one would deal in cold hard cash unless it is to eliminate the paper trail.’

Khir paid RM6.5m in cash to renovate mansion

Joker:
 Landscaper Nasir Ismail was declared bankrupt but can still run and operate a multi-million-ringgit business? What use is the bankruptcy law then?

Of important note, a witness under oath has testified that former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo paid RM6.5mil in cash for the renovation works. Where does he get such money?

Bear in mind the money was in Khir’s possession before he bought the property, so he cannot say that he used the property as a security to secure some loans.

I don’t think banks will authorise loans for renovations, especially if the renovations are done to a property which does not belong to you.

ONG:
 Nasir said that the payments were made in cash because he was a bankrupt and cannot administer a bank account. But he also said that for official purposes he used the bank account of his wife, along with her company – Lisa Ubersari Bali Landscape and Pottery – as a front for his landscaping business.

Two self-contradicting statements because he should be using the bank accounts of Lisa Ubersari Bali Landscape and Pottery for official financial transactions with Khir Toyo. I wonder if Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (Inland Revenue Board) is monitoring this court case.

4EverMalaysian:
 Wow, RM6.5 million just to renovate the house, while the landscaper got paid millions of ringgit is a bankrupt? Unbelievable. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), what have you been doing all along?

Geronimo:
 You don’t need a Queen’s Counsel to determine Khir Toyo’s guilt. He is another Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who was caught red-handed at an Australian airport with cash in millions.

Ben Hor:
 Why pay the total of RM6,500,000 in cash? No one would deal in cold hard cash unless it is to eliminate any sort of paper trail, signifying perhaps the money is tainted? What was Khir trying to hide?

Born In M’sia:
 Khir Toyo is rich. Yes, I, too, want to be a dentist.

Soap Opra:
 I thought Khir said his house is worth only RM3 million? Finally we all know who is the liar. With this kind of lie, we should not return his datukship, irrespective if he won this case or otherwise.

Pakman:
 This is a clear example how Umno politicians can misuse their power to earn money beyond their salaries and blatantly display their wealth to the public. Selangor has many squatters who do not even have a decent roof above them, but Khir Toyo can live like a sultan or raja.

Is this the ‘Negara Kebajikan’ as proclaimed by PM Najib Razak?

Righteous:
 When I was a younger man, the IRB came to me ceaselessly to enquire about the humble house I bought with our savings for the 10% down payment, and the rest from a loan from Standard Chartered.

I can never forget that experience. Here this pendatang (immigrant) from Indonesia can afford to buy a RM3.5 million house and subsequently renovated it for RM6.5 million.

Jiminy Qrikert:
 This is ‘ketuanan Melayu’ on display. To all our Malay brethren struggling to keep ahead of price increases and rapidly rising cost of living, have you got shares in Khir Toyo’s palace?

Or Zakaria Md Deros’ palace in Klang? Or the billions that Daim Zainuddin has? How about Abdul Taib Mahmud’s gazillions? And Muhammad son of Muhammad Taib’s?

A mere MB, and previously a humble dentist, is now the owner of a ‘palace’ who is able to spend RM6.5 million on renovations alone? I bet he got 10 percent discount as bumiputera too.

Did Najib say that Umno-BN always cared for the welfare of the rakyat? This is welfare state Umno-style.

Anonymous:
 From this corruption case involving an ex-MB, the public can easily recall the astrological amount of loot that high-ranking Umno/BN officials have stolen from this once very rich nation of ours for the past 50 years or longer.

The reason we are what we are today is largely caused by all these politicians who have corrupted and abused their powers, and carried out everything without transparency and accountability. It is high time this bunch of plunderers be booted out.

Docs:
 I’m very sure that Khir Toyo made the RM6.5 million, which he spent on renovating his house, from his years as a dentist way before he became Selangor MB. On that basis alone, our fair and impartial judiciary will find him not guilty on corruption charges.

Adcin:
 Khir Toyo was selected and parachuted into the MB post by then-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It was a controversial move at that time, but no one dared question the master. Now maybe we should ask for Mahathir’s comments about this trial and whether he admits that he made a mistake in appointing Khir.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan:
 This is the kind of corruption prevalent among the Umno/BN leadership in the country. If they have nothing to hide, ask all ministers from the PM onwards, MBs and CMs, state excos, MPs and state assemblymen to declare their assets in public, including those under their wives and children.

Virtually, all of them would be found to be living beyond their means given that their salaries cannot possibly sustain their extravagant and jet-set existence.

But the MACC and IRB have kept silent. No questions asked and no action taken. Why can’t the IRB conduct spot audits on these persons, who are in public service?

Sadly, Pakatan Rakyat has also not done the same or have only implemented internal disclosure to the MB or CM for reasons of confidentiality. This is wrong – the public have a right to know how and where public servants get their income from and how much they are worth.

Otherwise, corruption will continue to flourish with impunity.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 10 June 2011, 1:14 pm and is filed under
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Wikileaks: Malaysian firm tried to buy China missile parts

By
Shannon Teoh

June 10, 2011

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — A Malaysian company with links to Iran tried to buy gyroscopes used for guiding missiles from China, according to a leaked United States diplomatic cable.

According to the cable released by whistleblower website Wikileaks, the US Department of State asked China in December 2009 to block the sale of TRS-500 gyroscopes from China firm VibTel Industrial to Electronics Component Limited (ECL).

The cable, which was published today on news portal Malaysia Today, said that the US embassy in Beijing was ordered to share information with Chinese officials to assist “your ability to prevent the transfer of these gyroscopes by VibTel Industrial Co. to ECL.”

“ECL is associated with a network of Iranian-controlled front companies that procure sensitive goods on behalf of a number of Iranian entities of proliferation concern,” said the document classified by the US State Department’s director of missile threat reduction Pam Durham.

According to the cable, China had agreed to look into the matter but asked for additional information on ECL’s relationship to Iranian firms.

The US said that ECL was linked to Iranian firms “Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), which is Iran’s primary developer of liquid propellant ballistic missiles, and Heavy Metal Industries, a front company for the tactical missile developer Ya Mahdi Industries.”

“Both SHIG and Ya Mahdi Industries are sanctioned under United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1737,” the cable said, adding that the gyroscopes, used in ballistic and cruise missiles as well as unmanned aircraft, are prohibited for export to Iran under the same resolution.

It also said that ECL had links with another Malaysia-based front company Skylife Worldwide Sdn Bhd.

It is the second time in recent years that a Malaysian company has been linked to Iran’s nuclear and missile ambitions.

Seven years ago the US named a unit of the Scomi group controlled by Datuk Kamaluddin Abdullah Ahmad, son of then-Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, as having shipped components for enriching uranium to Iran.

Sri Lankan businessman Buhary Seyed Abu Tahir was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly deceiving Scomi Precision Engineering Sdn Bhd (Scope) into manufacturing a component believed to be for nuclear weapons.

However, Tahir, who is a permanent resident of Malaysia, was released in 2008 subject to conditions which were reported to have been lifted a year later.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 10 June 2011, 10:39 am and is filed under
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A place that values me

By PM Wong

Jun 11, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 11 — We cannot choose where we are born but we can certainly choose where we live. My father was born in Guangdong province and migrated to Malaya with his family when he was six. I grew up in Kuala Lumpur, studied and worked in New York for many years before moving to Hong Kong 18 years ago.

Hong Kong is now my adopted home because I enjoy living here. More importantly, it is a place where I believe I can best contribute to creating a better world.

My family’s background was modest and only a stroke of good fortune allowed me to attend a top US university on a full scholarship. My first job, with a major Wall Street investment bank, provided me my first taste of capitalism at its purest.

Once hired, it does not matter what you race is, where you attended school, or who your Daddy is (okay, I am exaggerating here – it helps of course if you are a Kennedy or a Bush). Performance is what matters.  Make money for the bank and you will be rewarded with promotions and big bonuses. One magazine once described being promoted to managing director on Wall Street as going to heaven without the inconvenience of dying.

My career took off through a combination of hard work and being at the right place at the right time. I worked in derivatives sales, the hottest area in Wall Street in the 1990s. Several years later, when the phone call came offering me a transfer to Hong Kong to head up my bank’s Asian sales team, I seized the opportunity. Two years after I moved to Hong Kong, I was headhunted by another bank to establish their derivatives sales team, as a managing director.

The thought of returning to work in Malaysia never once crossed my mind during those “go-go” years. The only larger Asian financial centre than Hong Kong was Tokyo while Kuala Lumpur, or even Singapore, was a backward city, as far as financial markets were concerned.  The Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 set South-east Asia back even more and Mahathir’s decision to impose exchange controls further isolated Malaysia from the rest of the world.

For a small market like Malaysia, the only interesting financial jobs were the top positions in Khazanah, Bank Negara or the Ministry of Finance but as a non-Bumiputera, there was simply no way I could be considered. This situation struck me as particularly ironic because I could theoretically become head of Temasek despite being a non-Singaporean but even as a Malaysian citizen I could never have the top job at Khazanah.

My work has taken me to pretty much every single country in Asia where I observed first hand the growth of their capital cities, not just of their new airports, roads and high rises, but also of their “softer” side like music, films, fashion and food as well as the attitudes and behavior of their people.

Someone once said that we can tell a lot about a country by the cleanliness of its public toilets. I think we can tell even more about a country by how it treats the weakest members of its communities. Using this criterion, 15 to 20 years ago, Malaysia might have been ahead of most of its neighbours but with rare exceptions, Malaysia has now fallen behind everyone.

The generosity of American philanthropists gave me the opportunity to obtain a first class education in the United States.  After I retired from banking, I decided it was time for me to do my part to give back to society. I now volunteer my time to help local entrepreneurs build businesses with strong social and environmental missions in a financially sustainable fashion.

I firmly believe that the social enterprise sector would transform the world.  If we can solve China’s social and environmental problems, then we are halfway towards solving the world’s problems.

With the rise of China in the global arena, Hong Kong remains the ideal place to observe the many social, political and economic changes taking place across the border. Many of these changes are gradual while others often take you by surprise but all of them impact the world in one form or another.

This city also perfectly captures the tension between the East and the West, between free-markets and centrally planned economies and between free will and control. How Hong Kong transforms itself in the years ahead will have a strong influence on China and, by extension, the rest of the world.

Sure I would love to work with Malaysian entrepreneurs in this sector as well but the poor corporate governance in Malaysia unfortunately makes it all but impossible for this sector to grow to any significance. So in choosing to remain in Hong Kong, I am simply choosing to live in a city that values my contribution and provides me the greatest freedom on how to focus my time and resources to make the world a better place for my children and all the other children of the world.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 2:43 pm and is filed under
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Can we trust you, Najib?

by
Walter Chan

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 10, 2011

JUNE 10 — So it looks like election season is in the offing, judging by politicians making statements here and there.

I am especially interested in statements attributed to Prime Minister Najib Razak as reported in The Malaysian Insider. Apparently he was speaking to some residents in Datuk Keramat when he said that people and not slogans decide who wins Putrajaya.

Coming from the man who has relied on “People First, Performance Now” and 1 Malaysia rather than any substantive change, that is a bit odd. But we should not nitpick.

But what really got my blood boiling was his question on whether voters can trust Pakatan Rakyat. The follies and shortcomings of the opposition are amplified and documented well in the mainstream media but there is only fawning coverage of Barisan Nasional in the same pages.

So maybe Najib does not appreciate some of the misgivings about BN. In fact, some of my friends have already written off BN and Najib.

He talks about BN’s track record. Perhaps he means:

* the abysmal race relations in the country and social injustice, which has resulted in more than one million qualified Malaysians emigrating. Incidentally, I believe that the situation today is worse than before, with the free rein enjoyed by Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa and Utusan Malaysia.

* the widespread and endemic corruption. The Khir Toyo corruption trial is just the tip of the iceberg, a hint of a malaise that has affected every level of Umno and BN.

Only in Malaysia can there be allegations of the involvement of the current Attorney-General in cover-ups involving millions of ringgit and fabrication of evidence and silence from the government. Only in Malaysia can there be such strong evidence against the Sarawak chief minister and he is still calling the shots. Oh yes, and isn’t the chairman of Felda the same chap found guilty of corruption by his own party?

* the misuse of oil resources. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was the man who was involved in the setting up of Petronas. It was clear that the intention from the start was to only deploy Petronas funds for development expenditure and not operating expenditure.

But the irresponsible spending and bloated privatisation contracts has meant that billions of ringgit are now being used to pay government salaries and reduce the budget deficit.

* the sub-par education system where most graduates are unemployable because their command of English is poor.

* the wanton display of wealth and luxury by politicians. I am still trying to figure out how ministers and former ministers and even former prime ministers can live in such obscene luxury when electricity is a luxury in Sabah and Sarawak.

* the one-sided privatisation contracts and patronage which have benefitted cronies, family members and friends.

Therein lies the problem of thumping one’s chest and talking about track record.

From my side, it is not so rosy.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 8:52 am and is filed under
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DAP Dayak Brain Trust to advise DAP Sarawak and DAP Malaysia to end Dayak marginalisation

I just returned from a visit to Beijing and Xi’an. Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province and home to the Terracotta Army, has a history of more than 3,100 years.

It was the seat of power of 13 dynasties in China, most notably Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang.

One thought struck me when visiting the historic sites in Xi’an – that in Malaysia, the time has come for dynastic change after 54 years of Umno-hegemonised Barisan Nasional to equal-power-sharing Pakatan Rakyat in the next 13th general election.

The 416 Sarawak general election is a momentous forerunner to the forthcoming national elections – as it has heightened expectations in Sarawak and Malaysia that for the first time in the nation’s history, change of federal power in Putrajaya is within reach.

In the 308 political tsunami of the  2008 general election, Sarawak and Sabah saved the federal power of Umno and Barisan Nasional, which is why they are described as BN “deposit states”.

Sarawak and Sabah will play critical roles in the 13th general election in the country, as they will decide whether UMNO and Barisan Nasional continue in power in Putrajaya or Pakatan Rakyat replaces BN as the new Malaysian government.

Pakatan Rakyat must aim to win 30 parliamentary seats in Sarawak and Sabah to effect a change of government in Putrajaya.

Can PR win about 15 parliamentary seats in Sarawak in the 13th general election?

The 12 DAP State Assembly representatives must have this goal as their  guiding objective in everyone of their statements, speeches and actions.

DAP in Sarawak must continue to reach out to all communities to help PR achieve  this objective in Sarawak.

For this reason, I propose the formation of DAP Dayak Brain Trust to advise DAP Sarawak and DAP Malaysia on strategy to end Dayak marginalisation and spur Dayak awakening as integral part of Malaysian renaissance.

Members of the Dayak Brain Trust need not be confined to DAP members – in fact I envisage that the overwhelming majority of the Dayak Brain Trust comprising outstanding Dayak personalities in different fields will not be DAP members.

The DAP Dayak Brain Trust should craft a strategy for Dayak political revival and regeneration so that Dayaks can play a full part in the political, economic, cultural and intellectual renaissance of Malaysia.

* Speech (1)  at the opening of the DAP State Assembly Reps’ Workshop in Sibu

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 2:23 pm and is filed under
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Kit Siang says Taib should take leave while under probe

By
Melissa Chi

Jun 11, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 – Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud should go on leave until  the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) complete their probe into allegations of his corrupt practices, Lim Kit Siang said today.

The pro-government New Straits Times have highlighted the probe, which began after Taib won the Sarawak polls in April. The long-serving chief minister has resisted Putrajaya’s call to step down sooner than later, prompting a media campaign on his alleged graft offences.

“Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that it is currently investigating Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud over allegation of timber corruption.

“Its chief commissioner, Abu Kassim Mohamed said two days ago that  the commission was in the process of gathering more information regarding the matter.

“Is ‘gathering more information’ tantamount to a corruption investigation under the MACC Act 2009 or is it an activity which can be outsourced to any research organisation?” Lim (picture) asked in a statement today.

He added although what Abu Kassim said is a “great improvement to his stony silence” just two months ago, Sarawakians and Malaysians are entitled to know clearly and definitively whether MACC has opened files  to investigate into the “grand corruption” allegations against the Sarawak Chief Minister.

The MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed confirmed two days ago that investigations into the nation’s longest serving chief minister’s wealth are still ongoing, and did not elaborate on the progress.

Abu Kassim had also said the anti-graft body was unaware over reports that Finma (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) was investigating Taib’s assets in Switzerland.

Whistler-blower website Sarawak Report reported last month that the president of the Swiss Federation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, had forwarded information about Taib’s Swiss assets to its regulatory body Finma for investigation.

According to the report, Calmy-Rey was quoted as saying in an official letter that Switzerland “seriously” viewed the concerns that have been raised internationally about Taib’s alleged profiteering from timber corruption and was unhappy that such assets may have been invested in Switzerland.

“When did the MACC begin corruption investigations (as distinct from ‘gathering more information’) against Taib and why must MACC act only after international pressure emanating from the Swiss Federation President Micheline Calmy-Rey after she forwarded the information about Taib’s assets in Switzerland to its regulatory body Finma (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) for investigation?

“In any event, shouldn’t Taib Mahmud go on leave until MACC has cleared him of grave ‘grand corruption’ allegations as otherwise it would be a shame to Sarawak and Malaysia to have a state Chief Minister actively under MACC investigations following international pressures,” Lim said.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 5:25 pm and is filed under
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Ku Li calls for RCI on power deals

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 10, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Veteran politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today called for a royal commission to probe Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s contracts with independent power producers (IPPs), saying the lopsided deals may be burdening consumers.

“The commission must investigate and propose the best suitable measures to be taken by the government to ease the burden to be borne by the consumers following the inevitable increase in the electricity tariff after the IPPs charged higher rates to TNB,” the Gua Musang MP was quoted by Bernama Online today.

The Cabinet raised power tariffs by an average of 7.12 per cent effective June 1, in a bid to trim a growing subsidy bill and widening fiscal deficit.

But the move has also thrown the spotlight on the purchasing power agreements that TNB is engaged in with the IPPs.

Opposition lawmakers have rounded on the Najib administration for wielding the knife on consumer subsidies while leaving the gas subsidies to the power producers — to the tune of RM19 billion this year — largely untouched.

The perception that the IPPs continue to enjoy the billion-ringgit subsidies courtesy of political patronage was reinforced when former TNB chief executive Tan Sri Ani Arope openly criticised the power purchasing deals as “economic plunder”.

Ani had caused a stir in 1996 when he chose to resign from his executive chairman post rather than sign the imbalanced deals, which saw the first generation of IPPs created.

“TNB is the whipping boy. TNB has no control of the price it has to pay to the IPPs. Get to the source of the problem,” said Ani.

Today, Tengku Razaleigh said it was crucial to tackle the issue of rising power prices before the effect begins to take bigger bites out of the average consumer.

“We have to be fair in solving the issue because the IPPs is making hefty profits at the expense of TNB, besides getting subsidised rate from Petronas,” he said.

The power purchasing agreements between TNB and the various IPPs are classified under the Official Secrets Act.

Energy, Water and Green Technology Minister Datuk Peter Chin also maintains that the government is powerless to reveal the contents of the agreements.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 8:37 am and is filed under
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Kit Siang, Soi Lek agree race column outdated

By
Melissa Chi

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 11, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Political foes Lim Kit Siang and Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek have unanimously agreed race columns should no longer exist on identification papers such as birth certificates and identity cards (IC).

The DAP parliamentary leader said he does not see any reason for the race column to remain.

“It has been more than half a century, we should all be Malaysians, in line with the 1 Malaysia concept,” Lim told The Malaysian Insider.

As for data collection purposes, he said that can be done through census.

“I think we should move towards regarding everyone as Malaysians… (Racial classification) should be a secondary purpose instead of the overbearing objective,” the Ipoh Timur MP said.

MCA president Dr Chua saw eye to eye with the veteran opposition leader on this sensitive issue.

“A lot of Malaysians feel that race is no more important,” he said, although he acknowledged that there might be some problems with data collection on ethnic population.

“Data collection is still important in any country but somewhere along the lines on how to do these collection — it will take some time because we are so used to profiling people along racial lines — a lot of people might not be happy if they were not identified according to their race. We have to slowly educate people to think along the ‘Malaysian’ lines,” he said.

The issue was brought up by Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh and her husband, an Indian Malaysian, who wanted to register their new-born daughter as an “anak Malaysia” but was not allowed by the National Registration Department (NRD).

The racial classification issue had sparked heated debates in the micro-blogging site Twitter as well as on Facebook and blogs.

Currently, the race column on the birth certificate is blank and although it does not have a written list of acceptable races, the generally acceptable ones are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Kadazan/ Dusun, Melanau, Murut, Bajau, Bidayuh, Iban, Orang Ulu, Bumiputra Sabah and Bumiputra Sarawak.

DAP’s Teresa Kok said abolishing the race column from all government forms will be seen as a test to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s sincerity in implementing his “1 Malaysia” policy.

“The National Registration Department’s (NRD) refusal to allow ADUN Subang Jaya Hannah Yeoh and her husband Ramachandran Muniandy to register their daughter as an ‘anak Malaysia’ proves yet again that Prime Minister Najib’s supposedly inclusive 1 Malaysia is mere political propaganda with no substance whatsoever.

“For all Najib’s extravagant 1 Malaysia advertising and logos liberally plastered all over government uniforms, government buildings and election freebies, it is all meaningless because when it comes to actual policy, Najib does not practise what he preaches which is a united Malaysia where all Malaysian are equal,” she said in a statement.

The Seputeh MP said the race labels deny the people from “self-identifying” themselves and each other as being simply Malaysian for “their selfish political expediency”.

PAS’s Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar on the other hand, chose middle ground on this issue, and said instead that both options should be studied thoroughly to see what the purpose of the race column is, as well as the implications if it was taken out.

“On the race thing, there is no simple direct answer because race designation is part of the constitution which has components or sections which refer to race, so it is therefore not the end of the matter by just deleting them in birth certificates.

“The whole package regarding how to treat races in Malaysia need to be looked at…if we want to delete the race column at the birth certificate level, it won’t end there. The intricacy is with the constitution itself — some section of the constitution cannot even be discussed,” he said.

The Tumpat MP commended Yeoh for challenging the issue but stressed that the government has to look at the more underlying factor of this issue.

PKR’s Fuziah Salleh however, disagreed with the proposal and said the race column serves a purpose and that one should be proud to be a Malaysian but at the same time acknowledge one’s race.

“It is the identity to the ethnicity because you cannot forget your roots but on the other hand, we have to be careful not to be racist. I think it is okay the way I see it, it is to relate to our ethnicity, we should be able to identify our roots, with our roots, come our culture, our upbringing. It is something to be identified with because someone without ethnicity or identity is someone without history,” the Kuantan MP told The Malaysian Insider.

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapha Mohamed also agreed with Fuziah, saying that the race column should remain for data collection purposes.

Information Deputy Minister  Datuk Heng Seai Kie agreed as well, and saw the debate as one with a political agenda.

“In the first place, I don’t agree anybody for their political agenda to undo whatever rights that has been given to all the races in the country and protected under the federal constitution. What’s wrong to be proud of being a Malaysian Chinese.

“This is ridiculous and I don’t see the point because what we are fighting for is equal rights — when we apply for a tender or for IPT or IPTA (education scholarships), maybe we can do away with that but for birth certificate or IC to me is no problem at all,” she said.

The MCA information chief cited the federal constitution which states that a child’s race should go according to the father’s, in the case of mix marriages.

Malaysia is not alone in the debate as the United States of America has also struggled with a similar problem.

According to The New York Times, by the 1970s, Americans were expected to designate themselves as members of one officially recognised racial group: black, white, American Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean or “other,” an option used frequently by people of Hispanic origin.

Starting with the 2000 census, Americans were allowed to mark one or more races.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 7:34 am and is filed under
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Najib cannot be more wrong as PAS polls outcome is a win for PR and a loss for UMNO

When history is written in the future, the present period may be described as the most exciting, challenging and momentous period in the nation’s history since Merdeka and formation of Malaysia as for the first time in half a century, Malaysians feel that it is within their power to effect far-reaching changes affecting not only themselves, but their children and children’s children.

Just look at the news on online portals and they reflect the multi-facted turmoil affecting the country.

For instance, if we look at the main news headlines on The Malaysia Today, we read the following:

•	“Kit Siang, Soi Lek agree race column outdated”

•	“Ku Li calls for RCI on power deals”

•	“Ex-cop claims AG concealed billion-ringgit scandals”

•	“Najib: People, not slogans, decide who wins Putrajaya”

•	“PAS polls outcome a win for DAP, says Najib”

The first headline gets to the very root problem of Malaysian nation-building after 54 years as well as the rationale of the 1Malaysia concept – the  2-year RM74million slogan of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

When Selangor DAP Assemblywoman for Subang Jaya Hannah Yeoh and her husband Ramachandran Muniandy tried to register their newborn daughter as an “Anak Malaysia”, it exploded  to smithereens the utter hollowness of Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.

Under the official definition of Najib’s 1Malaysia in the expensively-printed 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Roadmap launched by Najib in January 2009, 1Malaysia sought to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian perceives of himself of herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, geography and socio-economic status second.

Hannah and Ramachandran sought to be the 1Malaysia pioneer generation by registering their newborn child as “Anak Malaysia” but their 1Malaysia efforts were utterly crushed by the anti-1Malaysia forces in the government bureaucracy – not to mention the Umno hierarchy!

It is a total failure of Malaysian nation-building after more than half-a-century of nationhood that ethnic identities occupy greater primacy than Malaysian nationality.

Malaysians will forever have their separate ethnic identities but they should all be subsumed and subordinated  to their common Malaysian nationality – which is why all government documents must be revamped where nationality takes primacy to ethnicity.

In the case of registration of new-borns, the power of National Registration Department to refuse registration of those who refuses to fill in the ethnic column must be taken away.

Who gives the National Registration Department Napoleons the power   to decide whether a Malaysian is born in the country or not?

The five headlines in The Malaysian Insider which I cited are just examples of the great changes and turmoil taking place in our country, requiring all  leaders to be agile in mind and nimble on foot so that they are always on  top, rather than being overwhelmed, by roiling events and developments.

I will just end on the fifth headline: “PAS polls outcome a win for DAP, says Najib”.

Najib cannot be more wrong as PAS polls outcome is a win for Pakatan Rakyat and a loss for UMNO.

This is why Umno and all the Barisan Nasional component parties are panicking as reflected by their reactions to PAS party polls.

The brutal truth is that  UMNO and BN have now  realised that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition of DAP, PKR and PAS are now a more credible Malaysian option than UMNO and BN to save Malaysia!

{Speech (3) at the opening of the DAP State Assembly Reps’ Workshop in Sibu on Saturday, 11th June 2011 at 10 am:}

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 11:21 pm and is filed under
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No regrets

By
Hirobella

June 11, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 11 — I have been following closely articles written by like-minded people like me who chose to leave Malaysia and others who chose to stay. For those who have chosen to leave or about to leave the country, someone like me can easily identify with their choice. After all I made the same decision over 20 years ago to come to Australia with my wife and one-year-old daughter.

I was born in a small town in the nine states (NS) to a large Chinese family. Life was pretty frugal as Father eked out a living serving mainly Malay customers. Our family did not have much material things and we didn’t expect much from anybody or the government. Teenage life revolved around friends and life was simple and peaceful.

Things started to change when after Form Six I could not further my tertiary education in a local university. The reason was obvious to everyone. This was my first taste of official discrimination when Bumis with pathetic results could easily get places in the local universities.

To cut the story short, I managed to enrol and  graduate from a university in Australia with my father’s hard-earned sponsorship. How I wish the Malaysian government could have chipped in – a futile dream I suppose.

Upon graduation I still believed in going back to Malaysia. I did that and worked in KL for a few years but after Operation Lallang in 1987 I decided to say goodbye for good.

Last year, both my daughters graduated from university in Australia and both enjoy what life has to offer here. We are very happy for them because they can pursue their dreams without those prejudices and discrimination we faced in our previous homeland.

Recent migrants from Malaysia shared the same story about why they migrated. We heard those same stories 20 years ago and believe we will hear them again from migrants who will come later. Is it ever going to change?

To conclude, once a previous prime minister of New Zealand was asked by a reporter what he thought about Kiwis leaving NZ to settle in Australia. He replied it was a good thing as both countries’ IQ will increase. But if the smart and educated migrate to Australia or other Western countries, the average IQ for Malaysia will drop.

This is compounded when the Malaysian government grants citizenship to unskilled Indonesians or unskilled workers from South Asia. Do you know why things don’t work as well as they should in Bolehland? How can it ever work when the average IQ of Malaysians keeps declining all the time?

Now do you still want to stay in Malaysia and contribute to change and make a difference. God bless you.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 2:39 pm and is filed under
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Perkauman sempit Utusan: Said Zahari

Oleh
Amaluddin Zhafir

10 June 2011 | Roketkini.com

“Kenapa tidak? Kalau ramai orang Melayu dalam DAP, boleh jadi calon DAP, itu bermakna satu perkembangan dalam kesedaran politik orang Melayu.”

Kata-kata di atas dilontar penuh semangat oleh tokoh wartawan Said Zahari ketika saya bertandang ke rumahnya di Subang Jaya semalam (9 Jun).

Pertama kali ketika menjejak ke ‘kubu’ beliau – yang dipenuhi dengan ratusan buku di rak-rak – Said Zahari atau terkenal dengan panggilan Pak Said yang sudah berusia 83 tahun sedang merenung luar dari jendela biliknya.

“Awak ni siapa, dari mana ya?” soal beliau sebaik lamunannya diganggu saya.

“Saya Zhafir, yang telefon Pak Said pagi tadi.”

“Oh, oh. Ya, ya. Betul-betul. Pasal interview itu kan? Sorry lah, saya sekarang cepat lupa. Eh, awak duduk lah dulu. Sekejap ya,” katanya sambil cuba bangun mencapai tongkat empat kaki yang terletak di sebelahnya.

Beberapa jam sebelum melawat pejuang kebebasan akhbar ini, saya sudah diberi ‘amaran’ oleh pengarang supaya tidak terlalu agresif, jangan menyampuk dan jangan buat lawak-lawak bodoh dengan beliau.

‘Jangan’ itu perkataan yang menakutkan saya. Maklumlah dalam usia pertengahan 20-an dan baru beberapa bulan dalam dunia kewartawanan, saya cuba belajar apa yang perlu dalam masa yang singkat.

Bagaimanapun, Pak Said mempunyai kelembutan bahasa: lembut kata-katanya tetapi kuat semangatnya. Ini terjelas setiap kali perbualan menjurus kepada kebebasan kewartawanan dan politik yang berkaitan Melayu, yang mana beliau akan menumbuk angin.

Itulah Pak Said; tua padi menunduk, tua Pak Said ‘menumbuk.’

Apa salahnya Melayu masuk DAP?

Pak Said sedikit meninggikan suara bila saya ajukan soalan tentang kehadiran Melayu dalam DAP. Jelasnya, “Itu adalah kerana golongan ekstremis perkauman sempit, yang kononnya mahu pertahankan hak Melayu, keistimewaan Melayu dan semuanya Melayu, Melayu, Melayu saja.”

Bagi beliau, itu adalah satu mala petaka yang membawa kepada kemunduran politik dan kewartawanan Melayu.

“Tak patut asyik dengan Melayu, Melayu, Melayu sahaja, sepatutnya Melayu harus maju ke depan! Bukan balik kepada UMNO punya cara kepimpinan!” tegasnya, sekali lagi menumbuk angin.

Sangkaan saya, nasionalis-nasionalis Melayu kiri dahulu terbawa-bawa semangat Melayu itu walau pun selepas penubuhan Malaysia sehingga generasi terkemudian yang membabi-buta mengikut semangat keMelayuan sebelum Malaysia terbentuk, menjadi Melayu yang sempit akalnya dan lemah daya kritisnya.

Tetapi sebaliknya, tidak langsung ada sifat-sifat sebegitu dalam diri Pak Said. Melayu yang beliau maksudkan jauh luas maknanya.

Melalui perbualan kami, saya kemudian sedar bahawa Pak Said bukan lagi orang Melayu Malaya, tetapi Melayu Malaysia (walau pun masih kekal warganegara Singapura) yang mengutamakan kebebasan kepada rakyat, melalui medium kewartawanan yang terbuka.

“Kalau mereka kata kononnya DAP mempengaruhi Melayu, jadi ahli parti, calon dalam DAP, why not?! Apa salahnya? Itu tanda perubahan menunjukkan Melayu sudah berani,” bergegar tongkat yang dipegangnya itu.

Bulu roma saya meremang, kulit jadi makin hitam seperti dirasuk hantu rasanya, saya dengan kata-kata Pak Said itu.

Tambah Pak Said, “Maksudnya, bila ramai Melayu sertai DAP, jadi calon, kepimpinan Melayu akan lebih ramai. Dari segi pembangunan politik di negara ini, memang sepatutnya begitu!

“Tapi… aduh… sayang, sekarang ini sudah terbalik,” jelasnya sedikit tertunduk.

Bagaimanapun, dengan kemunculan Roketkini, beliau akui usaha laman web tersebut sebagai satu perkembangan yang bagus.

“Roketkini membawa satu kewartawanan Melayu ke hadapan lagi. Ya, memang bagus begitu,” jawabnya bila saya meminta pandangannya mengenai usaha DAP menarik Melayu dengan menubuhkan laman web berbahasa Malaysia.

Mengenai isu sensitif penubuhan negara Kristian oleh Utusan Malaysia baru-baru ini, Pak Said membandingkan Utusan Malaysia sekarang bagai langit dan bumi, berbanding sebelum mogok Utusan Melayu 1961 dahulu.

Mengakui beliau tidak terikut dengan polemik Utusan Malaysia tersebut, Pak Said menambah, tindakan Utusan Malaysia itu kononnya hendak menyatukan orang Melayu Islam.

“Memang ada ekstremis-ekstremis Melayu mahu memainkan isu-isu begitu untuk kepentingan mereka. Tetapi pada keseluruhannya, saya tak fikir begitu kerana orang Melayu pada saya sudah pergi jauh ke depan pemikirannya.”

Tambahnya, beliau sedikit kesal dengan masyarakat Melayu dewasa ini, kerana bagi Pak Said, Utusan Malaysia seharusnya memainkan peranan besar bagi mengembangkan kebebasan supaya betul-betul dapat mempertahankan kebebasan bersuara, kebebasan menulis, kebebasan berpolitik yang demokratik.

“Sepatutnya begitu, tapi Utusan Malaysia berbalik kepada isu perkauman sempit lagi.”

Kebebasan akhbar

Kebebasan akhbar di Malaya dan Malaysia telah mati sejak mogok 1961. Keadaan tidak membenarkan suburnya semangat perjuangan wartawan. Kongkongan ini, menyebabkan wartawan hilang arah bila berkait dengan kebebasan akhbar, apa lagi orang ramai untuk memahaminya.

 Sebagai wartawan yang kritis beliau melihat dan membaca kandungan-kandungan akhbar-akhbar, yang kesimpulannya menjelaskan beliau bahawa semua kandungannya mirip kepada dasar kerajaan dan parti yang berkuasa.

Jadi, menurut Pak Said, untuk memperkatakan tentang kebebasan akhbar ini agak susah, apatah lagi hendak memperjuangkannya.

“Awak pula macam mana? Macam mana nak memperjuangkan kebebasan akhbar? Dengan pelbagai akta-akta yang mengongkong, macam mana hendak sedarkan masyarakat?”

Lutut saya jadi longgar, pen yang dipegang hampir jatuh bila diasak soalan bertubi-tubi begitu oleh Pak Said – wartawan lantang yang kritis terhadap isu-isu semasa yang berkaitan rakyat itu.

“Err… Kita kena ubah kerajaan yang mengongkong kita?” jawab saya, gugup.

“Ya, ya. Maknanya keseluruhan sistem mesti diubah!” tegasnya jelas, kali ini dengan sedikit tercungap, langsung membawa kepada tamatnya perbualan kami pada petang itu.

Sebelum meninggalkan ‘kubu’ Pak Said, sebelum menarik pintu gelongsor, secara spontan saya bertanyakan jawapan yang saya sendiri sudah tahu, “Pak Said pernah terlibat dengan politik?”

“Saya wartawan, untuk rakyat. Ya, memang benar saya sertai Parti Rakyat Singapura dan dilantik sebagai ketua Parti Rakyat Singapura pada 1963 dulu.

“Tapi hanya untuk beberapa jam sahaja. Pukul 12 malam dilantik, pukul 4:30 pagi saya di tangkap. Saya cuma sempat jadi orang politik beberapa jam saja!” katanya ketawa.

(Apabila Said Zahari ke Singapura untuk mencari sokongan kepada mogok Utusan di Kuala Lumpur, kerajaan Tunku Abdul Rahman mengharamkan beliau masuk semula ke Malaya. Terjebak di Singapura, beliau dipujuk menyertai gerakan politik di sana sehingga ditangkap oleh regim Lee Kuan Yew pada 1963) – Roketkini.com

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 2:52 pm and is filed under
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Taib Mahmud should go on leave until MACC has cleared him of grave “grand corruption” allegations

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that it is currently investigating Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud over allegation of timber corruption.

Its chief commissioner, Abu Kassim Mohamed said two days ago that  the commission was in the process of gathering more information regarding the matter.

Is “gathering more information” tantamount to  a corruption investigation under the MACC Act 2009 or is it an activity which can be outsourced to any research organisation?

Although what Abu Kassim said is a great improvement to his stony silence just two months ago, Sarawakians and Malaysians are entitled to know clearly and definitively whether MACC has opened files  to investigate into the “grand corruption” allegations against the Sarawak Chief Minister.

When did the MACC begin corruption investigations (as distinct from “gathering more information”) against Taib and why must MACC act only after international pressure emanating from the Swiss Federation President Micheline Calmy-Rey after she forwarded the information about Taib’s assets in Switzerland to its regulatory body Finma (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) for investigation?

In any event, shouldn’t Taib Mahmud go on leave until MACC has cleared him of grave “grand corruption” allegations as otherwise it would a shame to Sarawak and Malaysia to have a state Chief Minister actively under MACC investigations following international pressures.

Let Taib announce at the forthcoming State Assembly in 10 days time that he is going on leave as Sarawak Chief Minister until he is cleared of grave “grand corruption” allegations.

* Speech (2)  at the opening of the DAP State Assembly Reps’ Workshop in Sibu

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 2:26 pm and is filed under
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Welfare state: DAP dares Najib to enact minimum wage

By
Boo Su-Lyn

Jun 11, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — As Umno and PAS battle over their welfare state policies, DAP’s Lim Guan Eng said today Penang’s welfare policies were sparked by Barisan Nasional (BN)’s failure to impose a national minimum wage and increase real wages.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday that the results of the recent PAS party election was a victory for the DAP, pointing out that the new PAS line-up now championed a welfare state and not an Islamic one.

“Elections are won in the centre and DAP can understand Najib’s concern that PAS’s stand on the middle ground, especially on helping the poor who are affected by Umno’s subsidy cuts will cost Umno and BN votes in the next general elections,” said Lim in a statement today.

The DAP secretary-general said the rich were benefiting at the expense of the poor from the Najib administration’s latest subsidy cuts on essential goods while maintaining big-ticket gas subsidies for independent power producers (IPPs).

“That is why DAP challenges Najib to enact a minimum wage and increase real wages in tandem with the subsidy cuts,” said Lim.

The Penang chief minister said the lack of a minimum wage policy had “forced” his administration to implement welfare policies like increasing welfare aid, giving RM100 yearly to 115,000 senior citizens, single mothers and the disabled and giving RM1,000 one-off payments to their beneficiaries.

Lim added he also allocated 150 acres public housing land in the Batu Kawan township ranging from RM72,500 to RM220,000, set up a RM2 million dialysis centre in Balik Pulau that charged just RM30 per treatment, and refused to increase domestic water tariffs.

“Najib’s attack on Penang giving RM100 yearly to all senior citizens regardless of race, religion and political affiliations can not hide the fact that the previous BN state government failed to give a single cent to Penangites. Even Umno and BN leaders lined up to receive such grants whether RM100 yearly or RM1,000 one-off,” said Lim.

He pointed out subsidy cuts could improve efficiency if such measures were supported by a national minimum wage, increased real wages and the removal of IPP RM131.3 billion “mega-subsidies”.

“Reports show that 40 per cent of households in Malaysia earns less than RM1,500 in average monthly income,” said Lim.

“Between 2000 and 2010, wages increased by only 2.6 per cent, meaning that in the last ten years, there has been wage stagnation and our wages cannot match the rising cost of living,” he added.

Lim pointed out that only less than two million of 12 million Malaysian workers paid taxes because of wage stagnation and a a lack of minimum wage.

Najib aims to increase Malaysia’s gross national income to RM1.7 trillion by 2020 from RM660 billion for 2010.

His administration has targeted this year to implement a minimum wage policy, but has faced resistance from employers who worry it will hamper business.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 11 June 2011, 2:47 pm and is filed under
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“Jika Utusan fitnah kamu, maka kamu patut diam saja”

Komentar Roketkini

12 June 2011 | Roketkini

12 JUN – Mungkin mengajar ketam berjalan betul lebih mudah daripada memujuk Utusan Malaysia supaya menghentikan perbuatan keji dan terkutuk memfitnah DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat.

Sidang pengarang Utusan atas nama Awang Selamat kini membawa satu lagi ajaran fitnah – jika Utusan fitnah DAP kamu, maka kamu patut diam saja.

Utusan telah menuduh DAP terlibat dalam isu pemilihan khariah masjid di Pulau Pinang, dan walau pun laporan itu bohong dan palsu, Utusan mahu DAP duduk diam dan terima sahaja fitnah kejam itu.

“Usahlah melatah”

Dan “usahlah melatah”, tajuk kolum Awang yang mengkhiri pojok pendek Mingguan Malaysia hari ini dengan ayat “Jika DAP tidak sedikitpun terlibat, diam sahaja. Janganlah wujudkan persepsi siapa makan cili, dia terasa pedas”.

Fitnah sedemikian kini sudah menjadi darah daging Utusan – walau pun akhbar itu adalah nadi perjuangan kemerdekaan negara pada suatu masa dahulu – yang disifatkan oleh bekas Ketua Pengarangnya Said Zahari sebagai suara perkauman yang sempit.

Modus operandi Utusan mudah saja. Mula-mula cipta fitnah, contohnya, membuat pembohongan bahawa “keputusan kerajaan DAP Pulau Pinang untuk mengadakan pilihan raya bagi jawatan kuasa masjid di negeri itu” dan kemudian cari pemimpin-pemimpin UMNO dan yang bersekongkol dengan mereka untuk “mencetuskan bantahan daripada pelbagai pihak”.

Selepas itu, dibuat rumusan palsu bahawa “perkembangan tersebut dilihat bakal menjerumuskan institusi masjid ke kancah politik kepartian. Ramai orang Islam di Pulau Pinang resah”.

Dengan susunan propaganda palsu sedemikian, jelas Utusan untuk kesekian kalinya menabur fitnah untuk membangkitkan kemarahan orang Melayu. Utusan tidak sedikit pun menyentuh tentang keputusan pemilihan khariah masjid itu adalah 100 peratus usaha Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang (MAINPP) di mana tidak ada seorang wakil dari DAP pun yang duduk dalam majlis itu.

Walau pun semua media arus perdana di Malaysia berpihak kepada UMNO dan Barisan Nasional, Utusanlah yang paling kerap mengada-adakan yang tiada, menyembunyikan kebenaran dan memutarbelitkan fakta.

Apabila Awang menulis “Exco yang bertanggungjawab dalam hal ehwal agama, Abdul Malik Kassim dari PKR mengesahkan hal tersebut”, ia cuba memberi gambaran bahawa exco kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang yang beragama Islam itu telah mengakui kononnya DAP yang membuat keputusan itu.

Sedangkan apa yang disahkan oleh Abdul Malik ialah MAINPP yang meluluskan usaha untuk mengadakan pemilihan khariah mengikut undang-undang yang ada, bagi menggantikan sistem perlantikan, untuk memberi hak kepada ahli-ahli khariah memilih sendiri calon-calon jawatankuasa khariah masjid mereka.

Tidak ada sepatah perkataan pun daripada Abdul Malik yang mengakui DAP terlibat dalam hal-ehwal pentadbiran Islam itu. Tapi Utusan tidak peduli itu semua. Cereka ciptaannya lebih penting dari yang benar dan yang hak.

Apabila ADUN Komtar, Ng Wei Aik membuat laporan polis terhadap laporan palsu Utusan itu, Awang menulis “Awang hairan mengapa Wei Aik perlu melatah”.

Rakyat Malaysia juga hairan mengapa Awang dan Utusan tidak serik-serik membuat fitnah semata-mata kerana mahu menjadi juara perkauman sempit. Rakyat hairan mengapa Awang tidak rasa berdosa berbuat fitnah.

Rakyat juga hairan bagaimana pemerintahan 1Malaysia boleh membenarkan sebuah akhbar menyebarkan fitnah setiap hari sedangkang hak rakyat untuk berhimpun secara aman, sebagaimana yang dibenarkan oleh Perlembagaan Persekutuan, diancam dengan ugutan oleh kerajaan.

“Bersih atau kotor”

Awang pun turut tumpang sekaki mengutuk hak rakyat untuk berkumpul secara aman dalam pojoknya “Bersih atau kotor” dengan  mempertahankan hak-hak pelancong, jalan raya yang sesak dan ketenteraman awam yang sentiasa tergugat oleh fitnah-fitnah Utusan.

Dengan menyifatkan perhimpunan Bersih 2.0 yang dijadualkan pada 9 Julai depan sebagai :kotor”, Awang mahu perhimpunan aman itu yang mahu menuntut proses pilihan raya yang adil, bersih dan telus, disekat oleh pihak berkuasa.

Yang peliknya, Awang yang tidak mahu perhimpunan aman itu dibenarkan, telah mencadangkan supaya orang-orang yang bersetuju dengan pandangan Utusan supaya menyertai perhimpunan itu dengan membawa sepanduk “skandal” pemimpin pembangkang.

Malah Awang mengajar mereka cara membawa sepanduk itu dengan “paparkan juga keratan akhbar beberapa individu yang menjadi mangsa liwat”. Siapa yang menjadi mangsa liwat siapa? Sudahkah mahkamah membuat keputusan? Di mana keadilan – sama ada mengikut undang-undang sivil atau Islam – jika orang yang dituduh atau dibicarakan telah dijatuhkan hukuman oleh orang yang bukan hakim atau mahkamah?

Inilah perangai manusia yang berselindung di belakang dan menyuruh orang lain membuat kerja kotor untuk dirinya. Setidak-tidaknya para pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat lebih jujur dan berani. Pemimpin-pemimpin Pakatan yang menggalakkan ahli dan penyokong mereka menyertai Bersih 2.0 sudah berjanji untuk sama-sama turun padang menyertai perhimpunan.

Siapa terdesak, siapa terasa pedas

Betapa terdesaknya golongan perkauman sempit ini. PAS yang dipujuk supaya bersama dengan UMNO, telah menolaknya. Ini menyebabkan UMNO dan Utusan terpaksa kembali menyerang PAS.  Dan dengan ini, hancur usaha UMNO untuk melemahkan PAS dalam Pakatan.

UMNO juga terpaksa meningkatkan usaha keji meneruskan fitnah terhadap DAP. Mengikut perkiraan UMNO dan Utusan, jika orang Melayu sudah tidak takut atau tidak benci dengan DAP, maka orang Melayu akan selesa dengan kerjasama DAP, PAS dan PKR. Dengan itu, orang Melayu tidak akan berasa was-was untuk mengundi salah satu daripada parti komponen Pakatan itu dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Serangan terhadap PKR pula ditujukan kepada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dengan fitnah yang sentiasa ditambah-tambah, bukan sahaja untuk melahirkan rasa curiga di kalangan ahli-ahli PKR dan Pakatan tetapi juga rakyat Malaysia amnya. Namun rakyat sekarang bagai jauhari mengenal manikam.

Sehinggakan Awang dan Utusan cuba menyamakan keadaan di mana pemimpin politik luar negara yang terlibat dalam skandal telah meletakkan jawatan, maksudnya menyuruh Anwar letak jawatan walau pun tidak terbukti apa kesalahan Ketua Umum PKR itu.

Sedangkan boleh dikira dengan jari pemimpin-pemimpin UMNO dan BN yang telah meletak jawatan kerana pelbagai skandal termasuk skandal seks, penyelewengan, rasuah dan bermacam rompakan terhadap harta dan hak rakyat.

Tak cukup dengan itu, Awang menuduh “Anwar masih menegakkan benang basah meskipun bukti saintifik cukup kukuh”. Tak sangka sama sekali kepakaran Awang lebih hebat, jauh menandingi hakim-hakim yang bijaksana di negara ini. Kes belum selesai, Awang sudah pun menjatuhkan hukuman terhadap seorang insan yang belum dibuktikan bersalah atau tidak.

Siapa yang benar-benar terdesak? Siapa yang terasa pedas fitnah sekarang? –
Roketkini.com

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 12 June 2011, 7:23 pm and is filed under
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Artiste Day: ‘Rais blew half year’s budget in 1 day’

Malaysiakini

Jun 12, 11

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has slammed minister Rais Yatim for splurging RM100 million, or half the annual budget for creative projects, on a poorly attended one-day arts event that local artists reportedly dubbed an “instant noodle project”.

Lim said a fraction of that amount, or RM2 million, would have gone a long way in funding the internationally-rated month-long George Town Heritage Festival in Penang.

“Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim must explain the rationale of wasting RM100 million for the 2011 Artistes Day on May 29 that received a lukewarm response from art activists.

“DAP is shocked by a Bernama report that RM100 million was allocated for the event that was criticised by art activists,” said Lim in a statement today.

According to Bernama, Najib had in his 2011 budget speech allocated RM200 million for “purchase of creative products, such as high-quality locally-produced films, dramas and documentaries”.

Lim asked if the Bernama report was accurate in citing the massive amount spent on the allegedly mediocre event.

“DAP suspects that the Bernama report is false and Rais should explain the actual amount spent.

“It is difficult to believe that the government can be so reckless as to allocate RM100 million for the 2011 Artistes Day event when 27 million ordinary Malaysians are hurting from rising prices caused by BN’s subsidy cuts,” said Lim.

‘Hey big spender…’

“If Rais Yatim is sincere about promoting arts, then he need only allocate RM2 million not for a one-day event like Artistes Day but a month-long event in the George Town Heritage Fest beginning in July by international and local artists,” the DAP secretary-general and Bagan MP continued.

After all, he said, the event was significant internationally and was held to commemorate the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status that was granted on July 7, 2008.

Artiste Day was initiated in 2005 and set on May 25 in memory of local film legend P Ramlee.

Arts activists reportedly snubbed the event as an “instant noodle project”.

A perplexed Rais was reported in Star on Jun 1 scratching his head why the country’s “artistes” had not shown support for the event saying they had to step up to “steer” the arts industry.

Star reported the minister advising artists to use up “the remainder of the Creative Industry Funds provided under the 2011 Budget by the end of this year”.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 12 June 2011, 6:03 pm and is filed under
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Bersih rally goes on, says Ambiga, PAS

By
Boo Su-Lyn

June 12, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and PAS leaders have dismissed opposition towards next month’s Bersih rally and maintained plans to proceed with it.

Umno daily Utusan Malaysia today urged Malaysians to boycott the protest and quoted Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein’s warning that “it will be chaotic when those for and against the street demonstration clash.”

“Opposition is normal. It is a democratic country,” Ambiga told The Malaysian Insider today.

“My own reading is that a lot of people are very supportive of the demands we are making. There’s unhappiness…like example in the Sarawak (election), unhappiness about corruption, (and) unhappiness about the independence of our institutions,” added the election watchdog chief.

Ambiga, a former Bar Council president, called the protest a “peaceful citizens’ rally”.

When asked how Bersih 2.0 will face a possible police crackdown on the rally, she said: “Our plan is not final yet…we want to urge the authorities to change the way they see rallies.”

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu said people will support the Bersih rally as the government has yet to fulfill the NGO’s demands during its first protest in 2007.

“When elections are not run fairly, it will be like what happened in the Middle East. I don’t want what’s happening in the Middle East to happen here,” Mohamad told The Malaysian Insider.

Popular uprisings throughout the Middle East have recently toppled autocratic governments in Egypt and Tunisia that were accused of widespread corruption.

Mohamad pointed out that other countries like Singapore had acceded to people’s demands for fair election practices.

“Change happened in Singapore…they (the opposition) got access to media,” said Mohamad, referring to the recent Singapore election.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties and activists are gearing up to march next month in the second such rally by Bersih, the first being in 2007 where up to 50,000 were reported to have gathered in the capital, with many being dispersed by water cannons and tear gas launched by the police.

Mohamad said PAS will bring hundreds of thousands of protestors this year, ahead of speculation that a general election will be called within a year.

The 2007 rally was said to play a big role in bringing record gains for the opposition electoral pact in Election 2008, where it swept five state governments and won 82 parliamentary seats.

PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa said Utusan’s front-page treatment of the Bersih rally today was “good coverage”, pointing out that more people will now support the protest.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 12 June 2011, 6:40 pm and is filed under
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Cabinet forms panel to study power deals

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 12, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Following growing calls for power purchasing agreements to be reviewed, Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah today announced that a Cabinet committee has been formed to evaluate the matter.

“The committee will study various aspects (of power supply) and not just the [independent power producers] problem… among them (production) costs and (requirements for) the future because there are IPPs whose concession is due to end in 2014 and 2015,” Ahmad Husni was quoted by Bernama Online today.

The second finance minister also stressed that the committee will take a birds-eye view of subsidies and not be focussed primarily with the power deals or the producers.

“We have not been given any deadline for submitting the report, but what must be stressed here is that it will give priority to the interests of the people,” he said.

It remains to be seen if the committee will be enough to assuage lawmakers calling for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to probe the lopsided power deals between Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and the IPPs.

First to sound the call yesterday was Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who said it was crucial to tackle the issue of rising power prices before the effect begins to take bigger bites out of the average consumer.

Today, the Umno stalwart found support in DAP, when the secretary-general Lim Guan Eng added his party’s voice to that of the Kelantan prince.

“The RCI would determine how severely the lopsided deals are burdening consumers with the rise in electricity tariffs and introduce measures to either reduce or remove this huge financial burden on the people,” Lim said today.

The Cabinet raised power tariffs by an average of 7.12 per cent effective June 1, in a bid to trim a growing subsidy bill and widening fiscal deficit.

But the move has also thrown the spotlight on the purchasing power agreements that TNB is engaged in with the IPPs.

Opposition lawmakers have rounded on the Najib administration for wielding the knife on consumer aid while leaving gas subsidies to power producers — to the tune of RM19 billion this year — largely untouched.

The power purchasing agreements between TNB and the various IPPs are classified under the Official Secrets Act.

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Can bloggers be in solidarity with the media?

By
Dr Lim Teck Ghee

Sunday, 12 June 11 | Centre for Policy Initiatives

In Malaysia, bloggers have been engaged in a battle to correct the spinning and political bias which has become part of the normal business and deep culture of the media. Since Independence, the majority of the media has been a willing partner in the Barisan Nasional’s one overriding pursuit:  that of self-promotion, self aggrandizement and opportunism. In the process, the old media has contributed to the corruption, injustice and bad governance that are the hallmarks of BN rule, especially during Dr Mahathir’s administration and continuing today.

The reason why journalistic ethics and principles of truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability are in short supply is not difficult to fathom. When these qualities do exist especially amongst younger and idealistic media practitioners, the calls from the Home Affairs Ministry, Special Branch, and the political bosses are quickly there to remind them of the Printing Presses and Publications Act; the ISA; the Sedition Act; and the major roadblocks to career advancement should they offend the authorities with their writing.

We salute the journalists and media practitioners who have retained their integrity and want to get the truth out to the public. We salute Saudara Hata Wahari for his stand on not just mouthing the rhetoric of compliance with journalistic ethics and good practice but on practicing them and in pushing his colleagues to higher standards.  Shortly after being elected NUJ president last September, Saudara Hata called on “all mainstream journalists, especially of Utusan Malaysia, the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and The Star to return to their true function as deliverers of objective information to the public, and not as tools of propaganda for the government, or any political party or individual, for their personal gain.” He has paid the price for standing up for his principles but let not his sacking be in vain.

On the possibility of not being used as tools of propaganda for the government, I have little faith that the old media is capable of the change to an honest and truthful profession on their own volition. Too many have “been kissing up to the regime” – and have been too well paid off for them to be able to make that change. With the death signs of the old regime increasingly visible, the mainstream media are acting as the cheerleaders and fear leaders of the government with an increasing vengeance – hence the frenzied playing of the racial and religious card by certain papers.

Change will eventually come but it will not happen on its own accord. It will happen though if we have a more conscientized and engaged public joining in the fight for media freedom.  Bloggers have a key role to play in this ‘reclaiming the media’ and ‘restoring dignity and respect’ exercise.

Today, we see a superheated and hotly contested political environment which needs truthful reporting and analysis more than ever. Bloggers can provide that fair and objective analysis because they are generally their own masters. The great majority of activist bloggers have taken to blogging not because they are paid to do it but because of disenchantment with the system and the desire to share with fellow Malaysians their ideas on how to bring change to the country.

How long can this idealism last? A recent study of motivations for blogging in the United States provides guidance. The researchers found the three strongest initial motivations for blogging — “to let off steam,” “to keep track of your thoughts” and “to formulate new ideas” — were all based on the bloggers’ personal emotional or intellectual needs. In our case in Malaysia, it has been mainly a response to perceived injustices and the bad governance of the establishment that have pushed bloggers to put aside their time and resources to write.  For most, it is a solitary undertaking with few rewards except the emotional and intellectual satisfaction that comes with exposing abuses.

But when asked why they’re blogging today, those three foundational motivations either decreased in importance or increased very slightly. In contrast, the extrinsic motivations — notions such as “to serve as a political watchdog” and “to influence public opinion” — saw significant and sizable increases.

“As they continued to blog, and their blog posts reached wider audiences, they realized they could extend influence out to their audience, the media and political parties,” the researchers write (see http://www.miller-mccune.com/media/why-blog-to-change-the-world-and-blow-off-steam-7303/). While their initial motivations did not fade away, this newfound influence provided additional motivation, leading these bloggers to be even more enthusiastic about what they do.

What has been noted in the US is also happening in Malaysia.  Reaching out to the larger public and acting as a political watchdog are natural developments. In the process, bloggers have also built a community of bloggers and supporters who share similar values and ideologies – at least in terms of the need to protect and widen the space for democratic values and expression. This community is a precious seedling in Malaysia. It needs nurturing and patience especially since there will be strenuous efforts to divide and destroy the community. Make no mistake about it – winning the internet war has been the priority of the BN since March 2008 – and they will engage in whatever trickery necessary.

For the internet to be free and for the community of activist bloggers to continue as leaders against spinning, fear mongering and outright lies, the community will have to close ranks. Sometimes though, bloggers are their worst enemies in their rush to quick judgment especially in relation to those within the community.

With regard to this negative tendency of turning against their fellow activist bloggers, I have full confidence that Raja Petra Kamarudin has not cut a deal with the government on coming back to Malaysia and nor has he sold out on his principles. Knowing this man personally – more important – going by his record of standing in the frontline in fighting for truth, justice and good governance, it is a sorry reflection of the state of our bloggers’ community and mindset that so many have jumped onto the bandwagon of criticism against RPK for giving the interview to TV3.

We can fault him on the timing of the interview; we can contest him on what he disclosed or failed to disclose; we can reject his critical views on the opposition but let’s not question his integrity and his commitment to a just and better Malaysia. In his campaign for transparency, accountability and justice, and his whistle-blowing on corruption, racism and money politics, RPK exemplifies the best of blogging activism:  independent, idealistic, unwavering and telling it as it is. RPK literally puts his life on the line with every major column he writes exposing what no one else dares to put out in print. Let’s recognize and appreciate his service to the nation.

Know your friends from your foes; close ranks and go back to the basics which are to focus on the priority problems and issues in the country, and expose and bring down bad governance, wherever that may emanate. This should be the bloggers’ creed for our tumultuous times.

* The above is a summary of Dr Lim’s speech to the Bloggers’ Universe Malaysia (BUM) forum, delivered on June 11, 2011.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 12 June 2011, 6:47 pm and is filed under
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Guan Eng: royal commission on IPPs, PPAs

Malaysiakini

Jun 12, 11

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has challenged the BN-led foreign government to set up a royal commission of inquiry into the issue of independent power producers and the related matter of power purchase agreements (PPA).

In this way, all PPAs and other PPAs would be disclosed and it could be determined once and for all whether the government has been equitable in its energy subsidy cuts for end consumers while maintaining lopsided arrangements with the IPPs that supply power to utility firm TNB, said Lim.

Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, was echoing an earlier statement by Umno stalwart Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah that an RCI should be set up to review TNB’s contracts with the 26 IPPs currently producing about 60 percent of the TNB’s energy supply.

“The RCI would determine how severely the lopsided deals are burdening consumers with the rise in electricity tariffs and introduce measures to either reduce or remove this huge financial burden on the people,” said Lim in a statement today.

The government had claimed that the reduction of subsidies for gas – which will lead to increases by RM3 per mmBtu every six months up to December 2015 – will contribute to 0.27 percent inflation.

Scoffing at this, Lim said “every ordinary housewife who shops in the markets will tell you that the BN government is ridiculous” in making such an assertion.

Would BN leaders dare tell the fishing communities upfront, furthermore, that the super subsidy price of RM1.25 per litre of diesel they had hitherto enjoyed has been replaced with RM1.80 per litre despite the maintenance of subsidies for IPPs, he asked further.

Lim also cited the revenues enjoyed by some of the IPPs that supply energy to TNB, such as YTL Power that reaped in 2010 was more than RM1.6 billion in profits, Malakoff which in 2009 recorded a profit of RM380 million, and Powertek that brought in RM450 million in profits.

Would the IPPs still enjoy these huge profits without gas subsidies and compulsory PPAs with TNB, he asked further.

Up to end 2010, said Lim, Petronas had extended about RM131.3 billion in gas subsidy to both the power and non-power sectors, the greatest beneficiaries of which are IPPs.

“In 2009, TNB received RM 5.4 billion in gas subsidies, IPPs RM7.3 billion and the non-power sector RM6.8 billion.

“Normally, TNB would not be raising electricity tariffs with such huge subsidies. But the RM5.4 billion subsidies enjoyed by TNB were offset by being forced to purchase power they do not need, causing a reserve margin that is the highest in the world of 52.6% in 2010,” said Lim.

There is nothing to celebrate, as the government contends, with the annual saving of RM226.8 million from the reduction of diesel subsidies, said Lim, when the IPPs gain up to RM1 billion in subsidies from the government.

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In ‘Mat Sabu sex scandal’, PAS chiefs scent Umno fear

By
Boo Su-Lyn

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 12, 2011

Mat Sabu has been described as the engine that will drive PAS forward. — file picKUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — PAS leaders are accusing Umno of being behind a sex video implicating Mohamad Sabu, saying it reflected the ruling Malay party’s desperation to find issue with their newly-elected deputy president.

PKR MP Zuraida Kamaruddin said she received a VCD in her mailbox recently that has a picture of Mohamad together with the words “Skandal Seks Mat Sabu” (Mat Sabu Sex Scandal), a letter with a forged PAS letterhead and a flyer containing pictures of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Mat Sabu is the PAS leader’s moniker.

“This shows that Umno has degenerated into a distributor of ‘blue’ films,” PAS central committee member Khalid Samad told The Malaysian Insider today.

“It occurred immediately after the muktamar… (it is to show that) for PAS’s supposedly religious inclinations, there are immoral leaders who push the ulamas into the background and they are listening to PKR and DAP more,” he added.

Mohamad won the deputy presidency in the recent PAS election, while professionals swept the top leadership and more than two-thirds of the central working committee.

Today, Khalid called the sex video a “very desperate” attempt by Umno to damage the Islamist party and Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

“They’re at a loss for issues to be raised. What they try to portray is that the leaders of PKR and PAS are immoral,” said the Shah Alam MP.

Anwar has fallen victim to a similar scandal and is accused of being the main actor in a sex video that is making rounds nationwide. He is also facing the second sodomy charge of his career, 12 years after he was sacked as deputy prime minister for a similar offence.

PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa said the sex video implicating Mohamad revealed Umno’s personal attacks and “harassment” against PAS.

“I think PAS has no time to entertain that,” said Husam.

“We should focus on ethical politics,” added the Kelantan executive councillor.

Mohamad refused to comment on the sex video when approached by The Malaysian Insider.

“Because it’s not an issue, I don’t want to make it an issue,” he said.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali called the sex video a political attack, but refused to point fingers at anyone.

“We have been condemning this kind of dirty politics,” he said.

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Orang Melayu tak sejahil sangkaan UMNO

 – oleh
Muhammad Zir

Roketkini

10 June 2011

10 JUN – UMNO menganggap orang Melayu kurang cerdik dan mudah dicucuk hidung. Matlamat UMNO menyerang DAP adalah untuk menimbulkan kebencian orang Melayu terhadap DAP, dan seterus supaya menolak Pakatan. Ini adalah  pakej UMNO mengajak Melayu membenci DAP, dan ia diulas untuk membuktikan UMNO sendiri tahu yang para pemimpinnya banyak omong kosong dan terlalu bergantung kepada fitnah.

Mengapa orang Melayu tidak ramai menyertai DAP?

Kerana UMNO berjaya menfitnah sejak zaman-berzaman, mereka memberi persepsi buruk terhadap DAP dengan mengaitkan hal perkauman, agama dan ideologi komunis. Hakikatnya, semua dakwaan itu palsu dan UMNO sendiri pun tahu yang ia palsu. Semua fitnah ini telah dibuktikan tidak relevan dan salah sama sekali. Komunis tidak mengiktiraf Perlembagaan Persekutuan tetapi DAP menjunjung Perlembagaan dan segala isinya. Ideologi DAP adalah demokrasi social yang ditolak dan ditentang oleh komunis. Dalam UMNO, pernah ada pemimpin ditahan di bawah ISA kerana dituduh komunis. Bagaimana UMNO boleh menyamakan kuda dengan basikal?

Apakah benar DAP parti berbilang bangsa dan Melayu boleh menjadi pemimpin dalam DAP?

UMNO menerusi ejen-ejen seperti Utusan dan Perkasa melukis gambaran pada fikiran orang Melayu bahawa mereka hanya akan menjadi kuda tunggangan orang-orang Cina dalam DAP. Hakikatnya, untuk menjadi pemimpin yang baik dalam mana-mana organisasi, setiap individu perlu mempunyai kualiti dalam semua segi. Kualiti hanya akan wujud sekiranya organisasi itu mempunyai jumlah kuantiti yang mencukupi. Tanpa kuantiti, sukar untuk memilih kualiti yang terbaik di kalangannya. Sifir ini dengan mudah menjelaskan, mengapa orang Melayu belum ada yang menjadi pemimpin besar dalam DAP, kerana jumlahnya masih sedikit. Senario ini juga adalah kesan dari kempen UMNO BN menakut-nakutkan orang Melayu kepada DAP, hingga jumlah ahli Melayu dalam DAP belum ramai. Kini, masa depan kita pasti akan berubah.

Pada masa yang sama, perlu ditanya: MCA itu kuda tunggangan UMNO atau UMNO kuda tunggangan MCA?

Benarkah DAP menjaga kepentingan Melayu di Pulau Pinang?

Sebelum PRU 2008, kita semua tidak akan tahu jika tidak diuji. Kini, pentadbiran Pulau Pinang termasuk kerajaan negeri-negeri Pakatan yang lain, adalah manifestasi kerajaan yang mendukung Perlembagaan dan menghormati Undang-undang Tubuh Kerajaan Negeri. Yang DiPertua Negeri masih kekal, jabatan dan agensi kerajaan kekal, kepentingan dan kedudukan semua kaum di Pulau Pinang tetap terpelihara. Pendek kata, tidak ada apa-apa perubahan dibuat untuk mengubah struktur pentadbiran negeri.

Yang baru dan amat berbeza adalah corak dan pendekatan pentadbiran. Ia kini lebih bersih, telus dan saksama dengan agihan ekonomi yang semakin adil. Maksudnya, semua ini boleh dilakukan sebelum 2008 tetapi tidak dilakukan oleh UMNO, Gerakan dan BN. Tetapi ia telah dilaksanakan oleh DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat. Ini adalah proses, dan proses adalah bukti nyata. Mana-mana ahli forensik sekali pun tidak mampu menyangkalnya. Jangan lupa, yang telah diuji pula telah gagal – UMNO.  Lihat sendiri track record mereka, dulu, kini dan selamanya – gagal.

Dengan adanya pemimpin Melayu didalam DAP, adakah ia akan merosakkan hubungan dalam Pakatan Rakyat?

UMNO hanya faham politik kaum. Pemimpin mereka ingat orang lain pun seperti mereka. Melayu letak dalam UMNO, Cina dalam MCA dan India dalam MIC. UMNO kata lompat, komponen-komponen BN lain tanya, berapa tinggi mahu lompat. Oleh kerana tidak faham atau pura-pura tidak faham, UMNO terus melaga-lagakan hubungan antara parti-parti komponen Pakatan Rakyat. Itu kerja mereka. Bagi rakyat yang sudah celik – biarlah si Luncai terjun dengan labunya..biarkan. Hakikatnya, apa yang didukung oleh PKR, DAP dan PAS semuanya bersifat politik terbuka. Yakni rentas kaum, agama dan budaya. Ini perjuangan kemanusiaan. Semua ini menjadi dasar bersama PR yang kuat.

Benarkah DAP akan menjadikan negara ini negara Kristian? DAP mahu Perdana Menteri dari orang Cina?

Ini adalah dakyah terbesar UMNO-BN tahun ini. Mereka ibarat berkhayalkan pisang akan berbuah nangka. Dakyah ini menghina intelek masyarakat. Semata-mata mahu membangkitkan kemarahan orang Melayu, mereka telah mencipta berita palsu. Mereka ingat orang Melayu bodoh dan tidak faham Perlembagaan. Sedangkan UMNO bising melalak tentang Perlembagaan dan Islam sebagai agama Persekutuan. Tidak masuk akal langsung tuduhan itu.

Lagi satu, mungkin pemimpin dan ahli UMNO lupa bahawa pemimpin besar mereka Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad pernah menjelaskan bahawa Perlembagaan Persekutuan tidak menghalang sesiapa yang layak menjadi Perdana Menteri tanpa mengira kaum dan agama. Namun DAP adalah parti berprinsip yang menerima hakikat masyarakat, realiti politik bahawa orang Melayu dan Bumiputera ialah kaum majoriti di Malaysia. DAP dengan hati terbuka menerima Perdana Menteri dari kalangan orang Melayu dan Islam; syaratnya pemimpin yang jujur, ikhlas, bersih dan telus dan adil.

Malah apabila ada pemimpin UMNO yang cuba “cucuk” Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang yang dikatakan mahu menjadi Perdana Menteri, dengan senyum tenang, Presiden PAS itu menjelaskan beliau tidak berminat untuk memegang jawatan itu. Jelas, hanya UMNO yang gila kuasa dan tidak sanggup hilang dari kuasa yang membolehkan mereka membuat segala kebejatan.

Pemimpin UMNO selalu tuduh DAP, PAS dan PKR gila kuasa. Tapi rakyat sudah tahu kelentong dan tembelang UMNO.

Dan akhirnya…

Parti mana yang akan menjadi pembangkang yang ‘kuat’ di Malaysia?

Jawabnya ialah UMNO dan mana-mana komponen BN yang setia dengannya. Ini adalah kerana UMNO-BN yang paling kuat membangkang semua keperluan dan kehendak rakyat.

Rakyat mahu hapuskan tol, ia dibangkang ‘kuat’ oleh UMNO-BN

Rakyat mahu sistem pendidikan dirombak, UMNO-BN bangkang dengan’kuat’

Guru-guru mahu gaji, elaun dan pengurangan kerja pentadbiran untuk tumpu kepada mengajar, UMNO-BN bangkang dengan ‘kuat’

Wartawan, seniman dan mahasiswa mahukan kebebesan, UMNO-BN bangkang lagi ‘kuat’

Rakyat mahu negara berkebajikan, UMNO-BN tolak keras

Rakyat tidak mahu subsidi dikurangkan, UMNO-BN peduli apa kerana rakyat tidak sepenting kroni korporat mereka.

Oleh kerana hebat benar bangkangan UMNO dan BN terhadap aspirasi dan keperluan rakyat, maka elok sangat jika UMNO menjadi ketua pembangkang selepas PRU akan datang. – Roketkini.com

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Penang CM shoots at Star

By
Susan Loone

Jun 12, 11 | MalaysiaKini

MCA-owned Star Publication’s editorial today has displeased the Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng so badly that he has urged the paper not to follow in the footsteps of Utusan Malaysia.

The Malay language paper has come under fire of late, for its extreme views and sensationalised reporting.

Lim has urged the English language daily to correct its editorial titled ‘The Pearl of the Orient needs a new polish’, saying it has twisted facts about the state’s economic performance.

Lim added that the state government was willing to accept criticism and will correct whatever it has done wrong, but it cannot condone factual errors in any newspaper.

He criticised the editorial, saying he was saddened by it, adding that his only conclusion is that it was written by “an MCA political leader and not by a reputable journalist”.

“Opinions are free but facts are sacred,” he quoted British journalist, published and politician Charles Prestwich Scott as saying in a famous 1921 essay marking the Manchester Guardian’s centenary.

The paragraph slighted Lim most included the following comments:

“Another question is what significant investment, if any, state authorities can actually deliver.

“Better economic management would mean more jobs, better incomes and a higher standard of living for the people.

“Although investments have dipped everywhere, Penang’s plunge of 79% in 2009 is terrible compared with the 48% national average”.

Lim questioned why The Star failed to quote the latest investment figure in 2010, which earned it having the top investment portfolio in the country.

He chided the article for quoting figures in 2009, which Lim conceded was “not very good”.

But this is already 2011, and the 2010 figures were excellent, he added, saying that the state government had all the proof that Penang excelled in 12 key performance areas in last year.

Highest ever

In 2010, it was revealed that Penang annual investment achievement recorded its highest ever figure, ranking top among all the states in the country.

The RM12.2 billion raked in marked a five-fold increase from a mere RM2.1 billion recorded in 2009.

Penang airport also recorded a 25 percent passenger growth rate, an increase with some 4.1 million passengers in 2010 compared with 3.3 million the year before, beating the Kuala Lumpur International Airport by 10 percent.

Meanwhile, Lim extended an invitation to the editors in The Star to take a trip to Penang where they “can see with their own eyes” the good performance of the state.

“Why doesn’t The Star want to confirm that we (Penang) are the best economically managed state in the country?” he queried.

“We already have Utusan Malaysia in Malay, please do not have the same version in English,” he quipped.

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RHB mega-merger: ‘Najib must be accountable’

Jun 12, 11 |
MalaysiaKini

DAP has asked Prime Minister Najib Razak to explain why Bank Negara is pushing hard for the RHB merger with one of Malaysia’s two largest banks when the move would lead to foreign exchange outflow and an unhealthy monopoly.

“Najib should present ministerial statement in Parliament tomorrow on the rationale and status of Bank Negara’s (approved) merger between RHB Capital with (either) Maybank or CIMB Group to create Southeast Asia’s biggest bank,” said DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang in a statement today.

“Basic principles and questions about Bank Negara’s push for the country’s largest corporate merger need to asked and clarified,” he said.

The Ipoh Timor MP was referring to yesterday’s comment piece in The Sun that described Bank Negara’s nod of approval to the RHB merger as an endorsement of the move that could potentially have adverse effects on the country’s economy.

Lim said it was worrying that the merger would result in a handsome payout to RHB’s foreign stakeholder Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), which is selling its 25 percent share in RHB Capital, and lead to a foreign exchange outflow from the country that only benefitted ADCB at our expense.

“The competition between the two bidders only helps to push the market share of RHB Capital higher, to a 14-year record high of RM10.40 per share on June 1, as compared to its book value of RM4.79 per share.

“Who actually benefits from the process? What good would that do to the people of Malaysia?” he asked.

‘Bigger not better’

The Sun’s article titled ‘Let’s all be wise and sensible’ commented that the merger would not add any value to the market, as it was a purely local exercise involving domestic players that serve a similar clientele.

Lim said that the merger would lead to a bigger monopoly in the financial sector that recent crises involving US’s Lehman Brothers.

“Historical lessons should be drawn from the recent financial crisis, in which big does not equate better. Big corporation has found to have more difficulty sustaining in time of crisis, as can be seen in the case of the Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the American Insurance Group to name a few.

“Whose money will be used to save these ‘too big to fail’ corporations at the end of the day? We all know that it’ll be none other than the taxpayers,” he said.

The DAP stalwart added that as all the main players in the merger wrangle have public interests, such as the Employee Provident Fund (EPF), the finance ministry had a duty to be held accountable for what he called “the country’s biggest merger”.

“EPF is set to earn a good profit by releasing a portion of its share in RHB capital which has benefitted from the wide speculation.

“As the trustee of the hard-earned money of the working class, Malaysians want EPF to be held accountable for the management of the (profit from the merger). Would they invest elsewhere? Or would they translate it into a bigger interest return to the employees?” asked Lim.

A merger with Maybank is speculated to overtake Singapore’s DBS Group in terms of combined market capitalisation of US$28.8 billion, making it one of the largest banks in Southeast Asia.

While a CIMB-RHB merger on the other hand, would see a combined market capitalisation of US$27.3 billion, just marginally below DBS but overtaking both Singapore’s OCBC and UOB.

In terms of asset size, DBS, OCBC and UOB stand at US$238bil, US$198.4 billion and US$178.8 billion respectively.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 12 June 2011, 10:19 pm and is filed under
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Set up Opposition-headed Committee of Inquiry into Taib Mahmud’s “grand corruption” allegations

In Sibu yesterday, I had suggested that Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud should go on a leave of absence until the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has cleared him of grave “grand corruption” allegations as otherwise it would a shame to Sarawak and Malaysia to have a state Chief Minister actively under MACC investigations following international pressures.

Will Taib go voluntarily on a fairly extended “leave of absence” until he is cleared of “grand corruption” allegations not only inside the country but internationally to the extent that it has become a diplomatic scandal with the Swiss Federation President Micheline Calmy-Rey forwarding information about Taib’s assets in Switzerland to its regulatory body Finma (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) for investigation?

The answer must be a categorical no as this will be against the entire history, culture and tradition of accountability and responsibility of the Barisan Nasional leadership  whether at national or state levels – as it is no exaggeration to say that the two words “accountability” and “responsibility” simply do not exist in their political dictionaries apart from for sloganising purposes.

If Talib is not prepared to go on leave of absence on his own, the newly-elected Sarawak State Assembly has a very onerous responsibility to history at its first meeting in a week’s time.

A newly-elected Sarawak State Assembly conscious of its historic responsibility to the state, future generation of Sarawakians as well as history, would do at least two things as its first items of business, viz:

1.	Motion for Sarawak State Assembly to decide whether Taib should take “leave of absence” until fully cleared of grave “grand corruption” allegations both in the country as  well as internationally; and

2.	Motion to set up Opposition-headed Committee of Inquiry into Taib’s  “grand corruption” allegations comprising equal number of Assembly representatives from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat.

Will there be any Barisan Nasional State Assembly representative who dare to bite the bullet and support anyone or both these motions to demonstrate that the interests of the people and state must override that of any one person – even if he is  Taib Mahmud.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 12 June 2011, 11:54 am and is filed under
Corruption
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