No more NST for Aliran!

By Aliran, on 1 August 2012

P Ramakrishnan explains why Aliran has terminated its subscription to the New Straits Times.

As of today, Aliran has stopped subscribing to the New Straits Times. It is a decision that was postponed several times because we felt we had to monitor the mainstream media’s coverage. But the one-sided reporting and the biased coverage have been hard to stomach; indeed it has upset thinking and caring Malaysians.

It does not mean we are now going to subscribe to The Star. We discontinued The Star and Utusan many years ago for the same reason. The Star’s reporting has been even worse than the NST. (But some might dispute this!) We shan’t even talk about Utusan…

Of late, both The Star’s and the NST’s coverage of the political situation has been nauseating. There is a commonality in blatantly misleading the public. Malaysians are misinformed, told to keep their eyes only on one side of the coin and kept in the dark about the other side.

The Opposition is deliberately denied space in their coverage. The Opposition is misquoted and words are added when they were not even uttered. Repeated and strenuous attempts by the Opposition to rebut misleading reporting are totally ignored, unfairly and unjustly.

Journalistic ethics and adherence to truth are no longer sacrosanct. They have gone with the wind. Spinning stories and inventing lies to distort the truth are no longer antithetical to respectable journalism.

According to the deputy chief editor of Utusan Malaysia, Mohd Zaini Hassan, such wanton disgraceful conduct is fine as long as the Opposition is targeted! He calls it spinning and not lying. It looks like it is a declared policy to support gutter journalism!

This reported admission of unethical journalism is revolting and reprehensible. Mohd Zaini made this remark at a forum on social media organised by Biro Tata Negara and the 1Malaysia Social Media Convention secretariat.

Genuine mass media practitioners practise their craft to get as close to the truth as possible. They should never be partisan politicians, but mass media practitioners – certainly never propagandists.

Appealing to the good sense of editors to uphold decency and morality is not going to make any difference. They will remain indifferent and continue to be tools of the Barisan Nasional, dishing out filth and dirt.

The question is, are we going to allow this flippant attitude to continue at our expense? It is only the people who can bring about change.

It is only we who can bring back ethical journalism in the media, throw out gutter reporting once and for all, and stop this nationally detrimental exercise.

If we stop reading the mainstream media, their circulation will suffer. Once the advertisers know about the drop in circulation, they will stop advertising in these newspapers. Then, the owners will be hit hard where it hurts; the bottom-line will turn red due to the drop in revenue.

Editors will come to their senses. In the final analysis, it is the ringgit and sen that is dear to the owners and their editors – not the values or virtues of true journalism.

When this financial flow is cut off, they will have to sit up and behave as they ought to, by paying homage to truth and justice, and give us the respect we deserve as readers and advertisers.

Aliran has taken that first step to deny them the profits they never deserve as propagandists. Are you as readers and advertisers ready to follow suit? (Some readers may already have done so a long time ago.) Together, we can make a difference and turn this nation of ours into a beacon for truth and justice.

P Ramakrishnan, the immediate past president of Aliran, currently serves on the Aliran executive committee.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 August 2012, 6:04 pm and is filed under
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Rafizi Ramli arrested

Tweets
@limkitsiang
 :

Rafizi Ramli PKR director of strategy arrested this morning under BAFIA 4exposing RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal

9:05am

Najib’s iron fist coming out of velvet glove. Greatest crime in UMNO/BN Msia is not corruption but expose of corruption. Janji Ditepati

9:13am

@rafiziramli Country n good/sensible Msians behind you. You have put Najib in national/international dock. GTP ETP etc in tatters.

9:39am

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 August 2012, 10:21 am and is filed under
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Royal Malaysia Police response to ‘Why police are impotent’

CPI Intro
: We are sharing with readers the response of Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) to a commentary by Dr Lim Teck Ghee on “
Why police are impotent in dealing with growing crime
“(23 July 2012).

Interested readers are encouraged to send in their views on the various points raised by PDRM in defending the official crime statistics and the steps taken to combat crime.

********

By ACP Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf | Tuesday, 31 July 2012 16:39

CPI

There have been quite a number of debates lately on the issues of crime, particularly on the accuracy of official crime statistics and police efficiency in combating crime. Various articles and reports have been written with many quarters offering differing views. The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) have constantly been keeping the public abreast on the crime situation and police efforts in crime prevention. In this article, PDRM would like to clarify pertinent issues concerning crime and in particular respond to the article written by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee entitled “Why police are impotent in dealing with growing crime” in CPI website which was published on 23July 2012 .

Crime statistics released by the PDRM are the actual figures of criminal cases reported to and investigated by the police department. These figures are auto-generated by the department’s computer system, i.e. Police Reporting System (PRS). In this way, no alteration or adjustment to the figures can be done, in order to portray a rosy picture of the crime situation as claimed by certain quarters.

The process of lodging a police report starts with the complainant walk in to the Police Station and at the Enquiry Office the police personnel received the report and types it into the computer using the PRS. Then, the typed report is shown to the complainant for him/her to acknowledge it to be true and accurate. In case where he/she cannot read Bahasa Malaysia, the report is read to him/her and translated if possible. The complainant will then sign a copy of the report for acknowledgement. The PRS will then generate a police report number and the Officer-in-Charge of Police Station (OCS) classifies the complaint according to the nature of the report, whether it is of a civil or criminal category. The Officer Commanding Police District (OCPD) will subsequently re-check whether the report is appropriately classified.

The PRS is linked-up throughout the country and to the Contingent and Bukit Aman headquarters, Criminal Intelligence Units (URJ) at these HQ levels compile crime statistics periodically – daily, weekly, monthly, and so on.

Since the inception of the PRS, PDRM have stopped compiling crime statistics manually, thus the question of doctored figures should not arise at all. Dr. Lim may agree that while crime awareness have caused more victims to come forward to lodge reports for police investigation, there are instances crime goes unreported for reasons known to the victim. These are the so-called dark figures of crime. But so long as a case is reported and duly investigated, the public can be assured that it is reflected in the official crime statistics.

The PRS is monitored daily at the District, Contingent and Bukit Aman HQ levels. Senior officers at these levels regularly check the accuracy of the classification via the system itself. As a matter of fact, this practice is very important that disciplinary actions will be taken against those officers who failed to classify cases accordingly and those who refused or failed to take down a report will be dealt with disciplinary procedure.

In short, PDRM would like to assure and reassure the public that we do not resort to deceiving the public by playing tricks with crime figures. Obviously such wild and unfounded assumptions are against the interest of the police to serve the rakyat better. All crime data and statistics generated within the PDRM system have been audited and verified by Pricewaterhouse Coopers Malaysia (PwC). Therefore all figures presented by PDRM are valid and reliable in accordance with the standards of the professional auditors and not something of our own creation. In light of this, it is definitely not true to claim that the current crime rate is the highest we have ever seen. Based on crime statistics over the past ten years, the highest number of cases was recorded in 2008 with 211,645 cases.

With aggressive crime prevention measures taken by the current top leadership of the force, crime rates have been brought down in the subsequent years. The implementation of NKRA Crime Prevention initiatives, in particular, has successfully helped to reduce crime index to 177,520 in 2010 and 157,891 in 2011.

To gauge how the public feel about their safety and their confidence in the police service, PEMANDU has commissioned a private international company, TNS Research International to conduct a public opinion survey from December 2009 to date. The survey is conducted with a sample size of 1,212 respondents of age 18 and above who are randomly picked proportionately according to state distribution. The mode of survey is face-to-face interviews.

The latest survey results for the period January to December 2011 revealed that the public’s “fear of being a victim of crime” have increased marginally from 52% in January 2011 to 52.9% in December 2011. This slight increase could be attributed to the fact that some cases have generated more public interest, especially when they involved a “series” or “pattern” of specific crime such as fatal snatch-theft cases. The reports of such crimes have in turn formed public opinions on the “state of crime in the country”, hence registering an increase in the fear of becoming a victim.

On the other hand, the public satisfaction towards the performance of police service has shown a significant improvement, i.e., from 56.6% in January 2011 to 70.5% in December 2011.

In his article, Dr. Lim made some valid recommendations as to how to combat crime more effectively. In fact, numerous measures have been taken by PDRM to tackle the crime problems, including those mentioned by Dr Lim. First and foremost, the force always give the highest priority to tackling crime, right from the IGP to the lowest ranked police officers. We also welcome legitimate criticisms and recommendations that will help us improve.

The force is in the process of deploying more personnel to work on the ground through our “civilianization” exercise where desk works that are more clerical or administrative in nature are assigned to civilian staff, and the relieved uniformed personnel are transferred to the ground. In addition, all officers and men, including those who are office-based, are required to patrol the street under the NKRA initiatives. For instance, our latest “Omnipresence” crime prevention strategy was launched recently where 300 uniformed personnel from the ranks of Constables to Superintendent are deployed to 10 strategic locations in KL and PJ daily. This is on top of the regular beat and patrol duties carried out by the respective Police Station personnel.

With regard to the suggestion of Dr. Lim to take on the approach of Broken Windows, PDRM have similar projects called Program Gerakan Tumpuan (PGT) and Safe City Programme.

PGT has been implemented since 2005 with the objective to tackle social problems and crime, instill more values in the community and create greater rapport between residents and government agencies and non government organizations (NGO).

In this programme, efforts were focused on the operational and strategic standpoint of policing, where resources have been managed optimally with officers being redeployed to the streets. The combination of this redeployment of resources and new tactical initiatives have resulted in the early detection of crime in certain populated and business areas.

Some of the issues addressed under PGT are related to drugs, robbery and snatch thefts. The success of the PGT depended on the cooperation of the various organizations which has brought positive changes in areas of implementation. As a point of reference, a research conducted in the San Peng area by the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) in 2006 showed a decrease in social problems and crime in this area.

As for the Safe City Programme (SCP), it was approved by the government in 2004 with the main objective to help crime prevention especially in crime prone areas, specifically to free cities from destruction to properties and lives, like crime, theft and robbery; vandalism; social and moral problems; and accidents inside or outside buildings.

Under the SCP, 23 crime preventive measures have been introduced and installation of CCTVs at public spaces and crime prone areas have contributed to the reduction in snatch theft. CCTV locations to be identified by GIS mapping of crime prone areas and to be monitored by PDRM.

This programme has received a Special Achievement in Geographical Integrated Systems (GIS) Award by ESRI (A US based company specializing in project consultancy and implementation services) at the International User Conference in San Diego on 25th of July, 2012. The award was a form of recognition to the collaboration between PDRM and the respective agencies in implementing the Safe City Monitoring System.

In sum, we have no doubt the author (Dr Lim) has all the good intention in his penetrating observations, but regrettably they do not reflect the actual state of affairs of the various efforts and undertakings taken both by the government and PDRM to combat the ever changing landscape of crime and criminality. It is in this vigor PDRM is committed to relentlessly continuing to protect the life and property of Malaysians – 24/7; rain or shine. In the spirit of supportive and caring Malaysians, we know that this is possible.

signed

ACP Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf

Assistant Chief Inspector-General Secretariat

(Public Relations)

Bukit Aman

30 July 2012

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 1 August 2012, 12:31 pm and is filed under
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A tale of two themes

By
Goh Keat Peng
 | August 2, 2012 0

www.ongohing.wordpress.com

In these past several weeks, Malaysians have seen a drama unfold over what should be the Theme for their country’s  forthcoming observance of  its independence day. And now placed on the table of the rakyat (people) are two very different Themes.

In this drama, Malaysians have been given a look at not just the output or outcome but the PROCESS in which each of these two very important Themes have been conceived  and delivered. Perception comes from how leaders (political or otherwise) go about things. Rightly or wrongly, this is how I perceive things. Correct me if I am wrong.

One theme came straight from the ruling political party coalition via the ministry of information. The party=nation. The party knows best.  The rakyat (people)? Just vote us in every 4-5 years. Trust us; we do everything for you.  You will always have official avenues to channel your voice to your government. On the issue of national day theme, though, we don’t need really need to hear your suggestion or criticism. We know what is good for you. We have the experience- fifty five years of it. Here then is the Theme for our independence day:  “Janji Ditepati”(Promises fulfilled). The rakyat does not have to tell us but we tell you that we have kept our promises! We see no reason why our re-elections campaign theme cannot be the independence day celebration theme. Why not? As the ruling coalition, have we not kept our promises to the nation?

The other theme came from the rakyat because an invitation from the loyal opposition in parliament was issued to the rakyat: send in your own compositions of what you think will make a suitable theme.There is a name of the rakyat whose recommendation was selected from 250 entries via email: Alhaimi Adam. The public has access. The rakyat not only have the right but the opportunity to participate. Now even without any explicit call being made or promise of payment, designs of possible logo for the theme: “Sebangsa, Senegara, Sejiwa”(One Nation, One Country, One Soul) are coming in. This is what we call free enterprise. Personal initiative. Trusting that the rakyat knows and the rakyat cares enough to be involved. Not for money or fame but for love of Malaysians and their country!

This illustrates a very fundamental issue in a true democracy. Democracy is not just simply WHAT Malaysia as a country does. It is very much also HOW we or our government go about doing so. The PROCESS is as important if not even more important than the outcome. The process in fact determines the outcome.

For that matter, for myself, a country which practises true democracy must not just hold elections and declares the results but the process in which it conducts its elections must be nothing less than CLEAN, FAIR and TRANSPARENT.

In the same way, a truly democractic country must not only be able to point to its development projects and its OUTWARD PROGRESS (since looks can be deceiving) but must demonstrate its INNER WORKINGS in the way the country’s resources (human, financial and intellectual) are being utilised according to the best practices of good governance and the way it comprehensively measures the results of its work.

As the nation observes its 55th year of independence (1957)/49th year as Malaysia (1963), we the people must insist that the government of the people must be more transparent in choosing the Theme of our independence day observance as well as in everything it does on behalf of the people. This will come only when the government of the people fully respects the independence of the PEOPLE.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 August 2012, 3:23 pm and is filed under
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Charging Rafizi – gross miscarriage of justice

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP Life advisor

I feel there is a gross miscarriage of justice by charging Rafizi for revealing bank accounts of NFCorp.

In my opinion, Rafizi by revealing the bank accounts of NFCorp has shown that the officers of NFCorp were involved in a major offence of laundering money belonging to the people.

NFCorp obtained a sum of RM250 million from the government, ostensibly to invest in a major cattle venture.

The company officers led by its chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Salleh misused the money and attempted to hide the money in properties in foreign countries. They were engaged in money laundering.

Rafizi discovered this and reported the money laundering operation to the press, based on bank accounts in the names of NFCorp officers.

Technically by revealing the secret bank accounts, Rafizi could have transgressed certain bank laws.

But Rafizi was doing important detective work because he revealed information that NFCorp was involved in laundering money which belonged to the people. He was doing a job which should have been done by government officers in the Finance ministry.

Rafizi deserved a reward for his detective work in uncovering illicit money laundering by NFCorp chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Salleh and his managers.

It is quite clear that Rafizi has been charged unjustly. He committed no offence. He did good police work, and because of his initiative he has uncovered a major corruption operation. He deserves a reward, not a charge in court.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 August 2012, 11:15 am and is filed under
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Mounting Malaysian debt could lead to downgrade, says ratings agency

By Lee Wei Lian

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 01, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, August 1 — Malaysia’s public finances are weak relative to those of its ‘A’ range peers and the country is now on par with more heavily indebted ‘A’ range sovereigns such as Italy, said Fitch Ratings today.

This comes after some economists said that the federal government’s debt, which nearly doubled since 2007 to RM421 billion, poses a fiscal risk to the country if not managed carefully as it impairs Malaysia’s resilience to economic shocks, which appear to be occurring with increasing frequency.

Fitch said that despite strong GDP growth, the deterioration in public debt ratios is affecting Malaysia’s credit profile and a lack of progress on fiscal reforms could lead to a ratings downgrade.

Fitch said that the rise in the federal government debt-to-GDP ratio and the limited broadening of the fiscal revenue base have pushed Malaysia’s debt-to-revenue ratio to 246 per cent in 2011, which is well above the ‘A’ and ‘BBB’ range medians of 137 per cent and 119 per cent respectively and is now on par with more heavily indebted ‘A’ range sovereigns such as Italy at 261 per cent and Israel at 180 per
cent.

Italy is considered one of the countries at risk of a debt default and saw its borrowing costs soar to above seven per cent in November last year.

Other factors putting pressure on the country’s credit profile are low and energy-dependent revenues as well as structural weaknesses such as low average incomes.

“Fiscal slippage or a lack of progress on fiscal reforms to reverse the deterioration in public debt ratios, following the impending election, could prompt negative rating action,” said Fitch.

It added, however, that if the country demonstrated sustained political willingness to implement fiscal reforms that lead to a strengthening of the fiscal revenue base, improved budgetary flexibility and lower reliance on energy-linked revenues streams, it would be supportive of Malaysia’s ratings at their current level — which were affirmed at ‘A-’ and ‘A’ for Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) respectively.

The agency said that Malaysia’s public finances also exhibit structural weaknesses with general government revenues, which came up to 24 per cent of GDP in 2011, remaining well below the ‘A’ range median for general government revenues which was 33 per cent.

It also expressed concern that the share of petroleum-related revenues is high at 36 per cent of federal government revenues and that fiscal flexibility was crimped by fuel subsidies, which amounted to nine per cent of total expenditure last year.

Fitch said, however, that reforms were unlikely until after the general elections.

It also pointed out that a sharp increase in non-resident holdings of marketable domestically-issued medium- and long-term government debt grew to 41 per cent of foreign exchange reserves at end-June 2012 from 21 per cent at end-June 2008, which suggests that the capacity of the country’s external finances to absorb shocks may be weaker than in the past.

On the plus side, Fitch said that Malaysia’s stronger and less volatile growth, and slower and less volatile inflation compared with its ‘A’ category peers, supports its credit profile.

It also said that the government’s structural reform plan for the economy helped attract private-sector investment interest in 2011.

“However, given the political environment, Fitch believes implementation risk to the reform agenda remains material,” it said.

Other Malaysian strengths include strong foreign interest in Malaysian government securities and a large and liquid domestic debt capital market, which should be able to limit the impact on domestic financing costs in the event of a sharp reduction in foreign participation.

Fitch said that the broader public sector holds 33 per cent of marketable domestic government debt, further enhancing the stability of financing and funding flexibility.

Some economists earlier said that while Malaysia’s government debt — currently at about 54 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), and the second highest in Asia — has not significantly impacted the country and its credit standing; yet, the volatile nature of global markets may manifest such a risk at any time, which could lead to higher borrowing costs for the country.

While the Najib administration has vowed not to let federal government obligations exceed 55 per cent of the country’s GDP, there is increasing worry that when government-backed loans or “contingent liabilities” are taken into account, the government’s total debt exposure rose to about 65 per cent of GDP last year.

The World Bank also said last November that Malaysia is too dependent on fossil fuel revenues, with its non-oil primary deficit having doubled in the last five years to almost 20 per cent of GDP.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 August 2012, 10:17 am and is filed under
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Of National Day and party ploys

Mustafa K. Anuar

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 02, 2012

AUG 2 — National symbols are — at the risk of sounding stupid here — expected to be “national” in character, meaning and appeal so that they are able to attract, and be appreciated, honoured and even jealously guarded by the citizenry concerned. They may range from the Malayan tiger to the national flower or Bunga Raya (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis).

And like these national symbols, national institutions such as the National Museum are to evoke a certain kind of collective identity among ordinary Malaysians as a people of a particular nation.

The National Museum is supposed to display exhibits that represent the history and cultural heritage of the Malaysian people from diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.

In other words, anything that is supposed to be “national” should have the capacity to enable ordinary Malaysians to relate to and identify with it rather easily — and even with patriotic pride.

Likewise, the national flag, or Jalur Gemilang as it is now known, has the characteristics or elements to represent the nation called Malaysia. Most, if not all, Malaysians are able to identify themselves with this piece of cloth that kindles national consciousness.

The flag, on the other hand, would not be able to stir up that vital sense of belonging to a nation among the citizens if it has, for instance, elements of a dacing, or scale, that is easily associated with the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

There is indeed a vital distinction to be made here especially as the demarcation line is often conveniently blurred: a government (and a ruling party) is not, and should not be, synonymous to a nation.

This is why the recent attempt by the BN federal government to deploy a logo and a catchphrase of “Janji Ditepati” (Promises Fulfilled) in its preparation for the upcoming Merdeka celebration has caused much disconnect between the federal government and the people in general — in terms of discordance and restlessness amongst many concerned Malaysians as both the logo and the catchphrase are largely seen as associated with the ruling coalition’s electioneering slogan.

By and large, only card-carrying members and supporters of the ruling BN can relate to the controversial logo and the catchphrase. In short, both items do not have what it takes to be a symbol that warrants national fervour.

Indeed, a National Day is a special occasion meant for every citizen, irrespective of ethnic origin, faith, class and political affiliation, who calls Malaysia his or her home. It is a day when Malaysians from all walks of life not only come together to celebrate the country’s independence from colonial Britain, but also cherish inter-ethnic understanding and co-operation and the country’s achievements in terms of socio-economic development.

It is also an occasion for all Malaysians to reflect on the shortcomings of Malaysia as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation.

Moreover, it is also a time for Malaysians to aspire to a better tomorrow. Thus, it is considered simply outrageous for the sitting government to exploit this day of national significance only to pursue single-mindedly its narrow party interests in the larger context of an impending electoral contest. It is a case of a national thing vs a parochial one.

Which is why there’s something jarring in the so-called National Day theme song that was fervently penned by no less than Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim to the point that some Malaysians felt that the song was vulgarly propagandistic and insulting their collective intelligence.

For one thing, the “kita” of the “Janji kita ditepati” refrain in the contentious theme song doesn’t refer to the universal “us” made up of ordinary Malaysians, but instead the “us” of the ruling elite and party followers.

In other words, there is an indication of an attempt to hijack the “national” in the interest of the “parochial”, which is incongruent with the general sentiments of patriotic Malaysians.

The alternative theme proposed by Umno-BN’s nemesis, Pakatan Rakyat, for this year’s national day may well strike a chord with many, if not most, Malaysians: “Sebangsa, Senegara, Sejiwa” (One nation, One country, One soul).

This is because it has that vital ingredient of inclusiveness especially at a time when there are pockets of people who have been marginalised from the mainstream of society over the years.

One contention that the BN was merely exercising its democratic right to put its partisan stamp on National Day is indeed hogwash because such a narrow approach is both crudely inappropriate and highly divisive.

Wouldn’t that spell a licence for almost everybody to appropriate National Day to their own disparate ends? Surely, there’s a time and place for democratic practices, and this is certainly not one of them. If anything, one would be mocking democracy silly by playing partisan politics at this juncture.

It would be a National Day of real significance and importance if the politicians concerned consciously cease insulting the collective intelligence of ordinary Malaysians. Indeed, it would be a welcoming relief for ordinary and patriotic Malaysians who have witnessed a surge of verbal and mental diarrhoea coming from among politicians in the recent past.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 August 2012, 4:43 pm and is filed under
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Oh Malaysia, Oh Merdeka

By Allan CF Goh

Oh Malaysia, Oh Merdeka

I will always choose fair Malaysia,

The land where I was born and raised;

So are the many people like me,

Malaysia was our true love to praise.

Once it was a calm idyllic land,

Richly suffused with kind, genteel grace.

It was filled with real beauty and flair,

Compared to today’s mounting disgrace.

Now this beautiful country of ours

Is sadly on the slope of decline,

Because the men who helm her are so

Very exploitatively inclined.

To save the country from further slide,

We all have a duty to perform:

We need to excise all things rotten,

To remove all bad laws, and reform.

Let the sunshine bless the land again,

So as to lift the dark gloom and haze.

Let men of virtue and intellect

Cure the land’s destructive racist craze.

Set free all intelligence to bloom,

To produce good ideas to contend.

For the salvation of the nation,

Allow the best mind of citizens

Nurture its potentials to fruition.

All citizens must have a safe place

Under the benign Malaysian sun.

That is the birth-right of all people

Who call themselves the Malaysian son

And daughter of this land of our birth.

All citizens of blessed Malaysia

Must enjoy the same, equal protection

Under the law without amnesia.

Only when the nation becomes one,

In spirit, will and aspiration,

Can the country progress with full steam

Without unfair, unclean distraction.

Let us unite under that vision,

Make Malaysia beautiful again.

Make Malaysia first among equals,

Let us the true merdeka regain.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 August 2012, 1:48 pm and is filed under
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Race to the bottom in Malaysia

By
William Barnes | Aug 2, 2012

Asia Times Online

BANGKOK – As Malaysia approaches a general election season, opposition politicians claim Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling party and government are stoking racial politics to gain a popular edge with the ethnic Malay majority.

A year after the World Bank warned Malaysia over its acutely debilitating race-based brain drain, veteran opposition leader Lim Kit Siang has said the government is compounding the damage by blatantly playing the “race card” in the run up to the next election, which must be called by next April.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s ambitions to lift the economy out of its disappointing holding pattern can go hang when it fears losing for the first time since independence in 1957, he has argued. “They talk all the time about being world beating and wanting to get all Malaysians behind the economy … but it all goes overboard when the focus is on the Malay identity.”

The grand post-independence “social contract” that for the sake of national harmony favored Malays in business, state education and government jobs over minority Chinese and Indians has proven a bitter racial bargain for one-third of the population. Lim said fear-mongering over race has been a sporadic feature of Malaysian politics but rarely has it come so close to the “dangerous … reactionary maneuvers” of the current administration.

A great swathe of Malaysians have gone overseas for better job opportunities in recent decades – one in five of the country’s college educated if Singapore permanent residents are included – undercutting the ruling BN government’s vow to achieve developed economy status by 2020, according to the World Bank.

The overwhelming majority of the departed are ethnic Chinese, historically the entrepreneurial drivers behind the economy. In neighboring Singapore, where around half have relocated, 90% of Malaysian passport holders are Chinese. The story is similar in other popular emigration destinations, including Australia, the United States and Britain.

“The brain drain – the migration of talent across borders – touches the core of Malaysia’s aspiration to become a high-income nation … Discontent with Malaysia’s inclusiveness policies is a key factor,” said the World Bank in a widely cited 2011 report.

Over one million Malaysians now live overseas, and the true figure is likely to be much higher, with one-third of them making up the brain drain. Many Singaporean professionals also leave their country, but the city-state has been more than able to replace them with highly educated expatriates.

Malaysia is not only losing its brightest, or at least those with the most marketable skills in global demand, but has also seen a sharp decline in the number of high-caliber expatriates in recent years. Unskilled foreigners, including low wage-earning industrial workers, it has aplenty.

Government ministers have repeatedly admitted that ethnically skewed discrimination is inappropriate in today’s globalized world. Najib said two years ago in a speech that “it is my belief that Malaysians have reached the level of maturity necessary to discuss some of the tougher issues that we face”.

Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam argued at around the same time (and was also quoted in the World Bank report) saying that “Race-based economic policies do not sit well with the realities of globalization and free trade.”

In practice, however, the dominant United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party in the coalition, as well as its grassroots sympathizers, have issued a stream of allegations and insinuations that a government loss at the upcoming polls would be catastrophic for ordinary Malays.

For instance, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin recently hinted to a youth assembly that disloyalty to UMNO might result in a reoccurrence of the Malay-Chinese race riots that resulted in scores of deaths and rocked the country in 1969. “We don’t want a repeat of May 13,” Muhyiddin said, referring to the historical date of the bloody ethnic clashes.

A prominent security official recently made the bizarre claim that Islamic terrorists and former communists, in league with malevolent civil society groups based outside the country, had infiltrated the political opposition. Some of these “infiltrators” were allegedly even ready to stand as candidates in the election, he said.

The strong popular support shown for an anti-government demonstration in April calling for clean elections – known as Bersih 3.0 – appears to have rattled the authorities. The protestors were roughly handled by the police when some pushed through barricades. The prime minister later made the preposterous claim that the rally had been an attempt to topple the government.

Ambiga Sreenevasan, the ethnic Indian former president of the Bar Council who has campaigned for freedom of religion and a Bersih leader, has been the target of a noticeably crude, racially-tinged, hate campaign.

“They [the coalition] really fear [the election] … So they have been pounding of the racial drum, trying to promote alarm and fear. Whipping up [Malays] with the idea that they are going to be swamped or marginalized,” opposition leader Lim said.

Complicated mix

To be sure, Malaysia’s politics are a complicated racial mix. The ruling BN coalition is dominated by the pro-Malay UMNO, but also includes Chinese and Indian parties that have previously shared in the halal meat barrel politics in the years of robust economic growth. The opposition includes former UNMO stalwart Anwar Ibrahim’s Keadilan Rakyat party, the Democratic Action Party with its core of ethnic Chinese, and the strongly Islamist party PAS.

Many political observers believe the government has been encouraged to take vicious racial swipes because it fears being outflanked by PAS on religious grounds. The UMNO-led government coalition could still win, given its advantages of incumbency, patronage and demographics, despite its poor reform record.

The situation is all very different from when the doyen of Malaysian-style machine politics, Mahathir Mohamad, stepped down after 22 years as national leader in 2003 and was replaced by the more mild-mannered and reform-minded Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah surprised the country with his promises to clean up the cronyism and corruption that had flourished in the shade of racial preference and religious backstopping under Mahathir’s authoritarian rule. Several officials were arrested in corruption investigations and pet projects commissioned under Mahathir were brought to sudden halts in a clean governance campaign. He also promoted inter-racial sympathy and equal opportunities for minorities.

Separating politics from vested interests and religion in Malaysia is, however, like untangling a basket of snakes. Abdullah’s reform gains were hotly contested and ultimately short-lived. After the BN’s worst ever showing at the 2008 election, when it won just 140 out of 220 seats contested and ceded control of five out of 13 federal states to the opposition, Abdullah was replaced by his then deputy, Najib, the following year.

One legacy of Abdullah’s reformist rule was an upsurge in political debate. Malaysian politics have, for better and worse, since become feistier and in places even less tolerant.

Islamists have become noticeably more aggressive, labeling any move to reduce the prevailing racial tilt of society as an attack on Islam. The religious affairs department, with police state powers of entry to check on breaches of shariah law, and the religious courts have become more aggressive and ambitious. Hindu temples have been attacked and destroyed by both state and non-state actors in rural areas across the country.

“The political moves have opened up the space for greater intolerance. So people who used to not have much credibility or much power under normal circumstances are feeling more justified in instigating hate crimes. Very nasty things – against racial and religious minorities,” said a prominent local human rights expert, who asked not to be named for legal reasons.

When Malaysia’s post-independence constitution was drawn up in the 1950s it was accepted that some positive discrimination might be necessary for the sake of racial harmony. The country’s different races had tended to divide along racial lines during World War II and during the communist guerilla war that followed. However, the charter drafters suggested that such preferences be capped at a generation, a suggestion that was rejected by Malay leaders.

“It has been a very great shame for Malaysia that this discrimination just rolls on and on. This is all about race, but it is wrapped up in religion so anyone who attempts to untie it is cut down by the chauvinists,” said a Malay financial consultant in Kuala Lumpur who also asked not to be identified.

Non-Malay minorities now complain that there effectively exists a system of higher education apartheid, forcing non-Muslims to either pay high fees for private education or pursue their studies abroad. Many who venture overseas for their studies fail to return home due to a lack of opportunity for minorities, including in government and the civil service.

As the national brain drain gathers pace, Malaysia’s economic growth has slid. Gross domestic product growth averaged 4.6% a year in the first decade of the 21st century, down significantly from the 7.2% average witnessed in the previous 10 years.

The country now appears to be firmly stuck in the dreaded middle-income country trap, where the easy gains from investment and factory-building have already been won but the move up to a higher value generating economy appears out of reach due to a lack of human resources.

The chances that Malaysia will escape this trap have been sharply reduced by the flight of so many of its most talented citizens who, as polls show, would likely consider returning to a more meritocratic and racially equal society.

Instead of looking for ways to reverse the trend, UMNO politicians and their political allies are only deepening the divide and the economy’s morass through their race-based pre-election politicking.

“Something has gone wrong with this country,” said opposition leader Lim. “We should not be fighting like this. The world is competitive enough as it is.”

William Barnes is a veteran Bangkok-based journalist.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 2 August 2012, 11:54 am and is filed under
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Dissecting the ETP Annual Report (Part 6): Recommendations for Pemandu

—
Ong Kian Ming and Teh Chi-Chang
 | August 02, 2012

The Malaysian Insider

AUG 2 — Is asking for a few more facts and some additional background too much? Pemandu has accused us of “nit-picking” and not providing alternatives. That conveniently shifts the focus to other issues while Pemandu ignores our very pertinent questions and suggestions. We summarise here three recommendations, and remind Pemandu of the positive outcomes of our nit-picking.

Recommendation #1: Be clear about targets, data and methodology.

Pemandu now has three different targets for national income by 2020. Please be clear, so we can all work towards the same ultimate target. Also, Pemandu should declare now its GNI, investment and job creation targets for 2012 and 2013. This is to prevent a repeat of the discrepancies surrounding 2011, when its `targets’ were declared only after the actual numbers were out.

Recommendation #2: Remove doubtful EPPs.

Acolytes of Pemandu might believe success is assured. But the reality is that some businesses, even EPPs, will fail. These EPPs must be removed and the impact on GNI (Gross National Income), investment and job creation targets quantified. If the targets are not revised down, then Pemandu must explain how it will fill the gaps caused by the failed EPPs.

Recommendation #3: Show clear examples of transformation.

The impressive investment and GNI numbers trumpeted by Pemandu do not show how the EPPs are transformative in nature. For example, a proper evaluation of the TUKAR initiative under the Wholesale and Retail NKEA would go a long way in convincing Malaysians that this EPP has transformed the operations of the small retailers that participated.

Recommendations for Pemandu:

• Pemandu now has three different national income targets for 2020. Please be clear, so that we can all work together towards the same goal.

• Some EPPs will fail. These must be removed and their impact on income, job creation and investments quantified.

• Show us examples of transformation. Dazzling headline GNI and investment numbers in the billions do not illuminate how our lives are being transformed for the better.

Previously, in our dissection of the 2011 Annual Report of the ETP …

1. Part 1 (The ‘D’ata in our DEEDS framework) highlighted how Pemandu very adroitly masked the fact that real national income growth last year was below its target;

2. Part 2 (‘E’xecution) unearthed the shocking case of Pemandu lying and taking “100 per cent” credit in its Annual Report for a RM1.9 billion wafer fab plant that was never built;

3. Part 3 (‘E’nterprise) uncovered the startling gap between committed and actual investments. The RM12.9 billion of actual investments is a mere 7 per cent of the RM179 billion committed investments that Pemandu prefers to emphasise;

4. Part 4 (‘D’iversity) revealed that Pemandu’s ‘recalibration’ of the ETP figures is better described as a massive collapse. The incremental GNI (Gross National Income) and job creation numbers were slashed by 45 per cent and nearly 20 per cent respectively. Were some EPPs selected based on grossly exaggerated forecasts?

5. Part 5 (‘S’ Socio-economic impact) showed that capital investment per employee (CIPE), an indicator of the quality of jobs created, is very low under the ETP. We see this as reflecting the fact that many ETP projects are ‘recycled projects’ that are not fundamentally transformative.

Why is it so hard for Pemandu to furnish a few more facts and some additional background?

Today, in our series critiquing the 2011 ETP Annual Report, we respond to Pemandu’s accusations of “nit-picking” and not providing alternatives. Those are unfair and unconstructive accusations. Doing so allows Pemandu to shift the focus to other issues while it ignores the very pertinent questions Refsa asked.

Pemandu had presented, in its own words, a very “ambitious” programme to transform Malaysia. As loyal citizens, we took it upon ourselves to delve in detail into the Economic Transformation Programme Roadmap and related material to understand what this powerful unit in the Prime Minister’s Department had planned for us.

We found numbers that did not add up, projects that looked dubious and decisions, which made little economic sense. However, we did not call for the ETP to be trashed. We asked for clarifications of fact and additional background to help us understand Pemandu’s process and the targets.

In addition, we also made various recommendations, which Pemandu seems not to have noticed. For Pemandu’s benefit, we summarise here our recommendations, as well as remind it of the positive outcomes of our “nit-picking”.

Three recommendations for Pemandu and the ETP

Here are three recommendations as to how Pemandu can be more credible and effective in its attempts to convince us that the ETP is indeed transforming the nation’s economy and not a glossy publicity initiative.

We hope Pemandu will respond constructively and address our suggestions clearly and directly instead of obfuscating and questioning our motives as it has tended to do in its lengthy and often convoluted responses to our critiques.

Recommendation 1: Be clear and transparent about targets, data and methodology

If Pemandu is confident of its investment, GNI (Gross National Income) and job creation figures that have been validated by PricewaterhouseCoopers, then it should not have any problem whatsoever making known the following information:

1. Be clear about its ultimate target. Right now, Pemandu has communicated three different targets for GNI per capita by 2020 – US$15,000, US$16,500 and US$17,138 . This is a huge range, and begs the question, Can we aim if don’t even know our target?

2. Release key data for each and every EPP, before and after “recalibration”. As a result of our critique, Pemandu admitted to erroneous assumptions that forced it to slash its forecast for GNI impact by 45 per cent. In addition, the job creation forecast was cut by nearly 20 per cent. These massive changes warrant greater explanation and must not be glossed away as “recalibration”.

Were Entry Point Projects (EPPs) with exaggerated forecasts chosen instead of other projects which were more realistic and honest? To clear such doubts, Pemandu should release the original and revised investment, GNI and job creation figures for each EPP, in order that analysts can clearly see which EPPs were most over-optimistic in their original projections.

3. Declare clearly now its GNI, investment and job creation targets for 2012 and 2013 as well as the methodology and key assumptions underlying the targets. This will help prevent a repeat of the doubts cast on Pemandu’s claims of overachievement of economic growth and investment targets for 2011 as these targets were only declared after the actual numbers were already out, and were also low .

Particularly pertinent at this point is whether Pemandu will increase its overall GNI and private investment targets, as it should, following the revisions made in May 2012 by the Department of Statistics to the historical GDP and GNI figures. For example, GNI in 2011 was revised upwards by 3.4 per cent, from RM830.7 billion to RM859.1 billion. If it does not increase its targets accordingly, at the stroke of a pen, Pemandu is already closer to overachievement.

We also recommend that Pemandu set GNI, GDP and per capita targets in RM rather than US$ to avoid misleading changes arising from exchange rate movements . As we have previously noted, increases in our GNI per capita in US$ terms merely because the US$ weakened against the Ringgit do not benefit the majority of Malaysians.

4. Show the details of actual performance relative to its annual targets. For a start, give us the breakdown of the actual investments in 2011 by EPP. Going forward into 2012 and 2013, provide the actual GNI, investment and job creation numbers for each EPP and not just the headline total numbers.

Such data and disclosure would go a long way to validate the progress of the ETP, in addition to the traffic light methodology used in the ETP Annual Report 2011.

Recommendation 2: Create a mechanism to remove doubtful EPPs

Followers of Pemandu can be forgiven for believing success is assured. New EPPs are announced with much fanfare, and the various updates by Pemandu crow about investments, GNI and job creation with barely a hint of difficulties.

The reality is that some businesses, even EPPs, will fail. Pemandu must establish guidelines on how it will deal with EPPs that are floundering. It must have a mechanism to remove doubtful projects such as the LFoundry wafer plant and perhaps even the Karambunai Integrated Resort City and Tanjong Agas Oil & Gas hub if these are found to be ‘dud’ projects which may end up wasting taxpayer funds in addition to not being transformative.

Pemandu must also be clear about the impact of the removal of these EPPs on its GNI, investment and job creation targets. If the targets are not revised down, then Pemandu must articulate how it intends to fill the gaps caused by the failed EPPs.

In the words of one of its directors, Pemandu must “keep it real” and not live in a fantasy world where achievements and professed overachievements are trumpeted while underachievements are glossed over or ignored completely.

Recommendation 3: Show clear examples of transformation

Pemandu’s voluminous communiqués focus on headline numbers ― particularly investments and GNI. While impressive on the surface, these numbers do not show how the EPPs are truly transformative in nature, either at the high or lower end of the economic value chain.

For example, Pemandu highlights a handful of successes to buttress its claims that the TUKAR initiative under the Wholesale and Retail NKEA is a game-changer. A few swallows do not a summer make. What is needed is a proper evaluation of ALL the outlets which have undergone this initiative to determine what percentage of outlet owners enjoy higher profit margins after deducting for the costs of renovation and upgrading as part of TUKAR, and if the positive results can be sustained over time.

Another initiative which Pemandu can and should use as an example of a game-changer is the River of Life EPP under the Greater KL/Klang Valley NKEA. This could be a textbook example of how an agency like Pemandu can deliver significant value-add by coordinating the various government agencies and departments whose approval and cooperation are needed to develop considerable stretches of real estate along the Klang River and convert the currently non-productive land into economically vibrant areas.

The positive outcomes of “nit-picking”

Refsa’s “nit-picking” and harping on issues like “an old broken record” has been very useful. It has forced Pemandu to admit to data errors and omissions and highlighted fundamental problems with the ETP and some of its EPPs. We set out here three positive outcomes of our tenacity.

Nit-picking Benefit #1: Pemandu’s GNI target becomes a little more real

We pointed out way back in January 2012 that:

a .Pemandu’s ‘True North’ of RM48,000 GNI per capita by 2020 is a nominal target that would have been reached even without the presence of the ETP, based on growth rates historically achieved when Pemandu was not in existence. We said the ‘True North’ should be higher if Pemandu is adding value;

b. Pemandu’s GNI target was inconsistent with its own underlying assumptions. Based on its 6.0 per cent and 2.8 per cent per year real growth rate and inflation assumptions, the GNI per capita target for 2020 should be RM54,145, not RM48,000.

Following our “nit-picking”, there has been a subtle shift in Pemandu’s emphasis:

a. In a June communiqué, it focused on achieving RM1.7 trillion total GNI by 2020 , which translates into RM53,800 GNI per capita using Pemandu’s population projection of 31.6 million;

b. Pemandu CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala in his Transformation Blues column in July referred to US$16,500 GNI per capita which translates into RM52,800 GNI per capita .

We shall ignore the fact that Pemandu now has three different GNI targets. What is more significant is that following our exposure of how easy it was to achieve the RM48,000 target which was initially much reported and repeated as the ‘True North’ figure, Pemandu has subtly moved its bar a little higher.

Nit-picking Benefit #2: Questionable target-setting and EPPs brought to light

Our “nit-picking” and questioning of why Pemandu’s RM797 billion GNI target for 2011 was lower than that of the Ministry of Finance forced Pemandu to reveal its linear approach in absolute terms in setting that target.

This linear approach in absolute terms makes poor economic sense, as illustrated in our infographic ― Is Pemandu’s True North Taking Our Economy South? A linear approach in percentage terms is more sensible.

Our analysis has also caused Pemandu to admit to errors in its targets, which had the effect of making its ‘outperformance’ appear better:

a. Firstly, it understated its professed private investment target for 2011. “We acknowledge that the figure should be RM86 billion and not RM83 billion,” it said;

b. Secondly, Pemandu conceded that it wrongly compared the nominal growth of private investments achieved in 2011 to the real growth rate targeted in the 10MP which again resulted in its performance appearing to be better than it really was. “We could have been clearer that 19.4 per cent is a nominal figure for private investment growth.”

We also revealed issues with some EPPs. For example, the group which is developing the RM9.6 billion Karambunai Integrated Resort City EPP is currently being sued by investors in another project. The sum in litigation is a mere RM18 million, which begs the question as to the group’s ability to undertake a project of nearly RM10 billion in investment value, for which taxpayers are providing RM600 million of support funding.

Nit-picking Benefit #3: Misdirection and untruths brought to light

Most importantly, we revealed that Pemandu was not being truthful about its progress. The most serious was the case where Pemandu claimed that the construction of a 200mm wafer fabrication was 100 per cent complete in Dec 2011 when in actual fact the company that was supposed to build and operate this RM1.9 billion wafer fab, LFoundry, had already pulled out of the project because it was in the process of being declared insolvent!

________

* Dr Ong Kian Ming holds a PhD in Political Science from Duke University and Economics degrees from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics. He is attached to UCSI University, which has been named as the project owner of two entry point projects (EPPs). To avoid any potential conflict of interest, he will not make references to or analyse these two EPPs. He can be reached at
[email protected]
.

*
REFSA (Research for Social Advancement)
 executive director Teh Chi-Chang holds a first-class degree in Accounting & Financial Analysis from the University of Warwick, an MBA from the University of Cambridge and the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charter. Prior to joining REFSA, he headed highly-regarded investment research teams covering Malaysia, and was himself highly-ranked as an analyst. He can be reached at
[email protected]
.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 3 August 2012, 9:29 am and is filed under
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Negri Sembilan: Feudings in the federation

 — Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 03, 2012

AUG 3 — A little bit of history.

In the 14th century, Sumatran people from the land of the Minangkabau began to settle down in the state today known as Negri Sembilan. They came through Malacca and reached places like Rembau. The Minangkabaus brought their superior civilisation to bear on the local asli tribes. Intermarriages between them resulted in the creation of the Biduanda clan. The Biduanda clan eventually emerged as the successors of the ruling tribes and established the rule that territorial chiefs of Negri Sembilan are only selected from within the Biduanda clan.

The chieftains were originally called penghulus and later as undang. Before the arrival of the paramount chief, Negri Sembilan formed part of the Johor Sultanate which gave the title Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan to the paramount chief.

The name Negri Sembilan was first used in the 16th century to refer to the federation of states founded and opened by these Minangkabau people in the Malay peninsula. In ancient times, the Malay kingdom encompassed states and territories in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and even Kampuchea. People moved from one location to another with much ease and fluidity, recognising no artificial boundaries. The Malay kingdom was one united by kinship, common religion, customs and language.

Internecine feuds seemed to beset Negri Sembilan right from its beginning when powerful chiefs from the Biduanda clan jostled for paramount leadership. To avoid the debilitating feuds, the chiefs sent for a uniting figure from Pagar Ruyung. From that day until now, the paramount chief is known as Yam Tuan Besar or Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan.

While the feuds of old are settled, its modern-day version of a house perpetually divided resurfaced in the form of intense political rivalries. The old chiefs of old are now replaced by Umno warlords.

Negri Sembilan has eight parliamentary seats, three are currently held by Pakatan Rakyat — Seremban (DAP), Rasah (DAP) and Telok Kemang (PKR). In 2008, the average swing in favour of the opposition was 14 per cent. That is, on the average support for the opposition had increased by 14 per cent. Each parliamentary seat exhibits varying degrees of opposition support.

In all my previous analysis, I have included the moderating impacts of what Umno has done. Giving money, bribing people, bringing in phantom voters and all that. Have they succeeded? Realistically they did but only to a limited extent.

The gains made by Umno by the only way Najib knows how — buying his and Umno’s way through — have been cancelled out recently by events Najib cannot control. Najib is not bigger than the market.

The FELDA listing is now being questioned by settlers. It’s also being questioned by non-FELDA villagers. How come they do not get anything yet they face the same rising cost of living as FELDA people? Now that the FGVH share price is below RM5.00, that gives the settler a premium of 45 sen. With 810 shares, the value the settler holds is RM365 gross, deduct RM200, he holds shares worth RM165.

Najib announces RM43 million Hari Raya dividends. As there are 112,000 settlers, each settler family gets RM300-plus.

The other Malays must look at what’s happening. If the settler whom Najib regards as an important ally who forms his vanguard in his transformation plan can be deceived like that, what of the ordinary Malay villagers? The settlers on whose name those elite groups make money are getting a pittance. That’s what Umno is doing to the Malays. The settler gives up all assets belonging to FELDA and he is left with his own 10-acre plot. The plot must later on be divided among the children according to Islam’s Faraid laws. They are going to live off land which is getting smaller and smaller. Settlers give up potential rights on 360,000 hectares which could support 80,000 new settlers.

Umno doesn’t care about you. They care about milking the FELDA cow.

The people of Negri Semblan can use what happened to FELDA as on object lesson. Negri Sembilan has large FELDA areas.

Then there are local issues that are tearing Negri Sembilan Umno apart. The Umno liaison committee chief, who is the MB, doesn’t command a united house. Isa Samad, the former MB, can’t wait to have his hands on Mat Hassan’s throat. There is too much in-fighting. Mat Hassan is dismissive of Rais Yatim as well of Shaziman Abu Mansor, who is seen as a potential MB material and therefore of direct potent threat to his post.

The MB’s older brother is seen as the local version of Rasputin controlling and dictating Mat Hassan’s every move and getting himself involved in the management of the state. Azman Hassan, who is a former corporate man, may have ruffled too many feathers in Negri Sembilan Umno. Ishak Ismail, the Seremban Umno chief, is a powerful warlord whose main preoccupation seems to be ousting Mat Hassan from helming the state. If Mat Hassan continues to be Umno’s commander in the next GE, not only Negri Sembilan will lose its four parliamentary seats but the state will end up with PR.

Gemas has emerged as the most notorious district in Negri Sembilan. It is home to a RM250 million financial scandal. People of Negri Sembilan will also not forget that Gemas is also the other half in the equally scandalous double tracking project linking the town with JB.

With all Umno has done, they most certainly has regained lost ground. Can they recover all? Perhaps they can regain 5 per cent and issues after issues come out to discredit Umno.

Most importantly I have made the assumption that PR, after all the gains and inroads they made in 2008, has done NOTHING. What if they have fortified the gains they made and in many cases increase them further?

It’s Armageddon for Umno.

Since 2004, there has been an overall increase of support for the opposition.

But let’s give the benefit of doubt to Umno. That with all the deception, bribery, cash handouts, daily propaganda they have done, they manage to regain 5 percentage points. That leaves a 9 per cent credit to the opposition.

If each parliamentary seat is given a 9 per cent vote swing, PR can still win four parliamentary seats. Rembau, the seat of the Umno Youth chief, is set to go. Anthony Loke is entrenched in Rasah. Seremban has always been a traditional seat for the DAP. Telok Kemang will be retained by PKR.

It would be interesting to field Aspan Alias in Rembau to take on KJ if he is lucky to be retained as moves are under way by unseen Umno old hands to kick him out. In any case KJ has announced he doesn’t want to contest.

Or as a powerful symbolic gesture, field Aspan in Seremban.

If PR can offer quality and credible candidates in Jempol and Kuala Pilah, these two are possible seats for PR.

Orang-orang Melayu Negri Sembilan: do you still want to vote Umno? Not voting Umno doesn’t erase your Malayness and doesn’t cancel out your Muslim-ness. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de plume of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. He was Pulau Manis assemblyman (2004-2008).

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 4 August 2012, 10:33 am and is filed under
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Save ‘No’ to privatisation of Penang Port

— Francis Loh

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 03, 2012

AUG 3 — We are deeply distressed to learn that Penang Port has been privatised to Seaport Terminal (Johor) Sdn Bhd.

Penang Port, Malaysia’s first port, is a valuable cultural and economic heritage of Penangites, indeed of all Malaysians. It has been a part of our history since colonial times, providing ferry services that linked the island to the peninsula, and serving as an important free port and port-of-call for ships from the East and West.

In no small way, the port has contributed towards the economic dynamism and the cosmopolitanism of Penang and in turn towards our Unesco Heritage listing.

Not surprising, Penangites from all walks of life — the Penang Pakatan Rakyat government, business groups, port workers, port contractors and especially the rakyat have rejected the privatisation proposal. Even the Penang Barisan Nasional has urged the federal government to review its decision, not least because of popular sentiments against Seaport’s takeover on the eve of the 13th general election.

In fact, there are three other major concerns regarding the proposed takeover.

First, Seaport Terminal, owned by tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, already controls Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) and Johor Port. Opened in 1999, PTP handled about 6 million TEUs last year, five times more than Penang Port.

Consequently, concern has arisen that Seaport Terminal will not be interested in developing Penang Port to any considerable extent and that the takeover will relegate Penang to a feeder port for PTP. The cranes in Penang Port, a mainstay of our harbour view for more than a century, might even be dismantled and transferred to PTP, which is being geared for even greater growth.

Indeed, if such plans are in the offing, some have suggested that Seaport’s acquisition of Penang Port could be against the Competition Act 2010, potentially an anti-trust violation.

Seaport Terminal director Datuk Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman has denied the allegation that Penang Port’s status will be diminished following their takeover. Rather, he declared, Penang Port’s capacity will be increased and it will be turned into a regional port. He has also assured that the necessary dredging of Penang Port will be conducted.

Indeed, our second major concern about Seaport’s takeover is with regards to the dredging of the North Channel — but not about whether it will be conducted but who will be doing the dredging and how accountable they are.

Apparently, this work has been conducted by local dredging firm Inai Kiara Sdn Bhd, which together with Seaport Terminal had set up a joint venture called Integrated Marine Works (IMW). Subsequently IMW signed an agreement with Ballast Ham dredging (BHD) of Netherlands.

We understand that IMW-BHD, in 2004, acquired a 15-year concession agreement with the Malaysian government to carry out the dredging of all ports and harbours under federal jurisdiction.

In other words, the dredging of the North Channel might come under the control of IMW, just like all the major ports under federal jurisdiction in Malaysia. Who really owns IMW and its parent companies?

Our third concern arising from that Seaport’s acquisition of Penang Port is that it will further facilitate Syed Mokhtar’s tightening of his grip over logistics in the country.

 Apart from a couple of ports and related activities, he already has interests, whether directly and indirectly in Pos Malaysia, Proton, and DRB Hicom and is reportedly working on a takeover of national railway KTM and stakes in a sewerage system and national water assets.

Such control can only lead to a monopoly which cannot be healthy for our country that, under the still-born New Economic Model, is striving to rise from a middle-income to a high-income nation. Where will there be the necessary competition and the competency?

Confused and annoyed like us?

We therefore demand to know all the terms and conditions for the takeover of Penang Port including the dredging (and the parties that stand to profit from it).

The facts and figures of Seaport Terminal’s future plans for Penang, the amounts of money that they will invest in Penang Port, when these are forthcoming, employment with regards to port workers, the charges they will be imposing, etc, must be available for public scrutiny.

Since news of the proposed privatisation reached the public, there have been two other parties that have declared that they are interested in taking over Penang Port, namely the Penang state government and the Penang Chinese Chambers of Commerce that intends to set up a consortium involving the other Chambers.

It is preferred that the Penang Port not be privatised, certainly not if it leads towards the monopoly by an individual with vested interests over the country’s logistics industry or control by those with vested interests over its land banks.

The advantage of transferring the Penang Port Commission which controls Penang Port to the Penang State government is that the latter, whether PR (or BN, as some hope after GE13), is that we can hold the port authorities accountable. After all, if they do not perform competently, we can always remove them in GE14.

We demand therefore that the Cabinet revoke its decision to privatise Penang Port to Seaport Terminal. The Penang state government, on behalf of the people of Penang, should then be allowed to put in a bid.

Save Penang Port! — aliran.com

*
 Dr Francis Loh is president of Aliran

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 4 August 2012, 10:30 pm and is filed under
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Tanda Putera’s “urination” episode – downright lie and dangerous falsehood

Despite his 1Malaysia signature slogan, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is continuing to allow his UMNO/Barisan Nasional election campaign machineries to disseminate downright lies and dangerous falsehoods calculated to incite racial hatred and undermine national unity with the approach of the 55th National Day and 49th Malaysia Day celebrations.

One of these “downright lies and dangerous falsehoods” flooding the UMNO/BN social media and exploited by the 10,000 UMNO/BN cybertroopers  is that I had caused the May 13 riots in 1969 through shouting the most racist slogans in the streets of Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969.

Despite my firm denial of these wild and reckless allegations in my speech in Parliament on March 22, 2012, declaring that I was never in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969, these “downright lies and dangerous falsehoods” have continued to make their rounds in leaps and bounds  in the cyberspace.

On 20th July 2012, Malaysiakini carried the following  report
“New May 13 movie courts controversy”:

New May 13 movie courts controversy

Tanda Putera, the latest offering from local director Shuhaimi Baba, has received flak over what some say is a skewed re-telling of what happened during the 1969 race riots.

A few film critics have accused the RM4.8 million movie of demonising early leftist movements and more hero-worship than tribute to former premier Abdul Razak Hussein, who is Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s father.

The trailer for the movie – fully funded by the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) and the Multimedia Development Corporation (Mdec) – showed scenes of Chinese mobs marching through the streets of Kuala Lumpur after the success of the opposition parties in municipal elections.

One group was depicted bearing the Labour Party flag, while that scene and others also showed Chinese Malaysians bearing banners proclaiming anti-Malay slogans.

The banners written in Chinese characters depicted slogans that translated into ‘Malays go back to the village’, ‘Malays go die’ and ‘Take revenge’.

Garnering more serious brickbats are snippets from the movie’s official Facebook page which detailed scenes apparently slated to be included in the final cut of the movie.

One apparent scene was that of DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang purportedly urinating on a flagpole in front of the then-Selangor menteri besar’s residence.

“Lim Kit Siang telah kencing di bawah tiang bendera Selangor yang terpacak di rumah menteri besar Selangor ketika itu, Harun Idris, (Lim Kit Siang had urinated at the foot of the flagpole bearing the Selangor flag at the then Selangor MB’s Harun Idris’ house)”
 read the caption of a photo of the actor portraying Lim being manhandled.

The photo was posted in the album titled
‘Peristiwa-peristiwa yang dimuatkan di dalam filem ini’
 (Events depicted in this movie).

However, the photo and caption has since been removed from the movie’s official page, though Malaysiakini had captured a screenshot of the earlier posting.

Those in the industry who have watched the movie in a special preview on Wednesday to focus groups also said that no urinating scene was included in the preview cut.

There was also no mention of the scene in the movie’s script, a copy of which was obtained by Malaysiakini.

Lim had vehemently denied that the DAP was involved in instigating the race riots of 1969, and had said that he was not in Kuala Lumpur on May 13 when the initial violence took place.

Director: Better for people to watch it first

When contacted, Tanda Putera’s director refused comment on the matter, arguing that the movie should be screened to the public first before it can be reviewed.

“I am loath to answer that question as people have not watched the film yet. It is better for them to have watched it first,” said Shuhaimi.

Scheduled for release two months from now on Sept 13, Finas has however had put off the release of the movie until a later date, yet to be announced.

While earlier it was reported that the postponement was because of the impending general election, Finas later clarified that it was because they wanted to prolong promotional activities.

Some netizens has also attacked the movie’s storyline for apparently being an attempt at brown-nosing to the powers-that-be and a propaganda piece to drum up support for the ruling coalition.

The movie has been screened to focus groups since last week, gaining brickbats from some and praise from others such as Umno-linked blogger Papagomo, who posted a glowing review of the movie after watching it with fellow bloggers.

“We who have watched the movie shed tears several times and truly I feel that the film shall touch the hearts of not only the Malays about May 13, but also all races in Malaysia,” wrote the blogger in a posting.

Shuhaimi  told the media that the movie focused on what she claimed is a special relationship between Razak and his then deputy Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, both aristocrats who sacrificed a lot to work together to save Malaysia from radicals and communists.

Hence, she said, that was the message behind the title of the movie, Tanda Putera, or signs of the greatness of princes or the legacy of princes.

Speaking to the media, Shuhaimi has defended her depiction of the scenes as being from the official version of history and from interviews with personalities who were present then.

I was in Sabah on July 20 on a three-day visit with DAP MP for Segambut Lim Lip Eng. On the very same night at the DAP Inaman Sepanggar ceramah, I referred to the Malaysiakini report on the May 13 film and denied in the strongest possible terms that I had “urinated at the foot of the flagpole bearing the Selangor flag at the then Selangor MB’s Harun Idris’ house” as earlier claimed by the movie earlier Facebook page, and sparking the May 13 riots as I was simply not in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13 of 1969!

Even the photograph that was used in the movie’s earlier Facebook page was not a photograph taken in 1969 but was from a   different incident in Sabah 15 years later in1984!

In the past fortnight, the legion of UMNO/BN cybertroopers have escalated their campaign of downright lies and dangerous falsehoods based on the movie’s “urination” episode to incite racial hatred and undermine national unity – completely oblivious that this is the month when all Malaysians should make a special effort to come together as Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region to emphasise and underline their common identity as Malaysians.

The spokepersons of the movie have said that the film was based on a lot of research, such as studying documented materials and photographs, to make sure the scenes were backed by historical facts.

Where were the documented materials and photographs that I had urinated “at the foot of the flagpole…at the Selangor MB Harun Idris’ house” on May 11, 12 or 13, 1969 when I was never in Kuala Lumpur?  For that matter, where are the documented materials or  photographs to show that  there was such an incident and that it was not a mere figment of the imagination?

The White Paper  issued by the National Operations Council in 9th October 1969 entitled “The May 13 Tragedy” made no reference to any such urination incident.

If the  movie Tanda Putraja gives a biased and unbalanced account of the May 13 tragedy in 1969, it will be the  cause of grave national misunderstanding and discord on the occasion of the 55th National Day/49th Malaysia Day, making a total mockery of the 1Malaysia objective to build a united Malaysian nation!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 4 August 2012, 3:59 pm and is filed under
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Too late for justification

— Gomen Man

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 03, 2012

AUG 3 — It is too late, Najib Razak. Just too late to try and justify your government’s actions in charging whistleblower Rafizi Ramli under the BAFIA.

Most discerning Malaysians know that the PKR politician has been a major problem for Barisan Nasional since he started exposing the National Feedlot Corporation scandal and he became an even bigger problem when he told us about the shennanigans behind the award of the Ampang LRT to George Kent, a company controlled by an associate of the PM.

It was only a matter of time that Rafizi was hauled up but the government is trying to intimidate other whistleblowers. Still, the government looks clumsy and on the backfoot in going after Rafizi. So today, Mr BRIM, has come out to explain that Rafizi should have handed over confidential info on the NFC to the MACC.

You got to be joking. For months, as Malaysians were being told about condos in KL and Singapore and other gross abuses by Shahrizat Jalil’s family, the MACC, the police and the Najib government were pretending to be asleep.

Had Rafizi given the info to MACC, it would have disappeared like all the other files against connected Malaysians. Did anyone notice that when Shahrizat’s husband was taken to court, he was not handcuffed but Rafizi was?

Till today, the NFC directors behave like untouchables, and yet the PM today has the temerity to tell Rafizi that he should have handed over the confidential information to the MACC.

He went on to say that the integrity of the financial system is important otherwise foreigners will not invest here. Foreigners will also not invest here if contracts are awarded to companies without the requisite track record.

One final word: Laws cannot and must not be the excuse for protecting wrongdoing.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 4 August 2012, 11:27 am and is filed under
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Umno terdesak sehingga hilang segala pertimbangan

— Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 03, 2012

3 OGOS — Pertuduhan terhadap Rafizi Ramli, pengarah strategi PKR, bersama bekas kakitangan Public Bank dua hari lepas masih menjadi bualan di mana-mana.

Tetapi itu sudah menjadi biasa apabila pilihanraya sudah mendatang, kerana itu adalah salah satu cara pihak yang memerintah untuk menakut-nakutkan sesiapa dari membuat pembongkaran lebih banyak lagi terhadap kepincangan sistem dan moral politik pihak Barisan Nasional pada hari ini.

Pihak BN tidak akan berhenti setakat itu sahaja. Ada berita dan tanda-tanda isu perkauman akan dimainkan oleh BN dengan lebih hebat lagi dalam masa yang terdekat ini. Saya diberitahu yang pihak tertentu yang menyokong BN, khususnya Umno, sedang bekerjasama dengan sebuah badan dan jabatan kerajaan untuk menerbitkan makalah dan buku-buku untuk memberikan tumpuan untuk mengaitkan Lim Kit Siang dalam trajedi 13 Mei 1969 dahulu.

Kita faham yang pihak BN sedang terdesak seperti orang yang sudah tersandar ke dinding dalam usaha mempertahankan kuasa. Menakut-nakutkan orang Melayu merupakan satu-satunya jalan yang tinggal bagi BN untuk memberikan perlindungan terhadap kuasa yang ada di tangan mereka.

Akhir-akhir ini ada kecenderungan pihak BN akan menumpukan politik perkauman dengan menjadikan Lim Kit Siang sebagai “punching bag” bagi mengelakkan rakyat khususnya orang melayu dari menyokong parti-parti pembangkang khususnya DAP.

Tidak siapa akan dapat menafikan yang DAP telah mendapat sokongan dari semua kaum seperti juga parti PAS dan PKR. Rakyat sekarang tidak mahu lagi terkongkong dengan isu perkauman yang sempit seperti dahulu. Pemikiran sempit perkauman ini lah yang selama ini menjadi isu kekal bagi BN khususnya Umno dan ia berkumandang setiap pilihanraya lima tahun sekali.

Kali ini Umno dan BN sedang berhempas pulas untuk mengeluarkan buku untuk membina persepsi yang Lim Kit Siang bertanggungjawab terhadap kejadian berdarah 13 Mei 1969 itu sedangkan rakyat tahu itu merupakan fitnah yang tidak terperi jahatnya.

 Jika benar Lim Kit Siang merupakan penyebab kejadian 13 Mei itu maka Lim Kit Siang sepatutnya telah dipenjara puluhan tahun lamanya kerana pencetus kepada kejadian berdarah itu adalah satu pengkhianatan kepada negara.

Hanya pada orang-orang lama samada dalam kerajaan atau dalam parti politik semasa itu tahu siapa dan apa yang menyebabkan kejadian itu. Yang pasti Lim Kit Siang bukannya penyebab kepada peristiwa berdarah itu. Seperti yang saya sebut dalam posting beberapa ketika dahulu, jika di sebut dan di beritahu siapa yang menyebabkan kejadian itu ia ibarat “menepuk air di dalam dulang”.

Itulah sebabnya rakyat sudah menolak politik perkauman seperti yang masih di amalkan secara menebal oleh Umno dan BN sekarang ini. Jika 13 Mei itu merupakan permainan politik perkauman maka adalah wajar bagi kita meninggalkan isu perkauman dalam politik negara dan lakukan seperti yang dilakukan oleh parti-parti dalam komponan Pakatan Rakyat yang di dalamnya tidak ada satu parti pun yang keahliannya berteraskan kepada kaum.

Rakyat dari berbilang agama akur kepada kehendak Tuhan yang Tuhan sememangnya menjadikan umat manusia itu dalam berbagai puak dan kepercayaan bagi kita hidup sambil mengenali serta memahami dan seterusnya menghormati di antara satu dengan lain.

Seruan ini bukan seruan Dr Mahathir Mohamad, bukan tuntutan Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat atau seruan Lim Kit Siang. Itu adalah seruan Allah swt dan juga seruan semua agama yang ada di dunia ini.

Ini jugalah sebabnya kenapa rakyat mesti tinggalkan semua parti-parti dalam BN di Semenanjung ini kerana BN itu adalah “coalition” yang berlandaskan kepada perkauman. Kita tidak mahu lagi kejadian seperti kejadian yang menjadi modal Umno sejak awal tujuh puluhan dahulu. Cukup-cukup lah kerja melawan kehendak Tuhan ini dengan membesar-besarkan isu perkauman yang akan membawa kemudharatan kepada rakyat dan negara ini.

Jika benar buku yang akan diterbitkan khas untuk membuat fitnah terhadap Lim Kit Siang dalam pilihanraya ini maka ternyata yang terlalu ketagih dengan politik perkauman ini adalah Umno dan BN itu sendiri. Umno ketagihan dengan isu perkauman. Ini merupakan penentangan secara “head-on” terhadap kehendak agama suci kita.

Di dalam parti-parti komponan PR tidak timbul isu perkauman kerana mereka adalah parti-parti “multiracial” dan menyokong perjuangan “multiracial” ini merupakan salah satu ubat  kepada keresahan perkauman sekarang ini.

Umno akan mengilang cerita-cerita yang tidak wujud dan fitnah, tetapi rakyat tidaklah sebodoh itu untuk menyakini apa yang diputar belit oleh Umno seperti yang berlaku sejak dari dulu. Kita juga perlu memahami kenapa Umno akan melakukan segala-gala yang jahat ini.

Umno dalam dalam keadaan terdesak. Dia akan lakukan apa sahaja untuk mempertahankan kuasa yang mereka selewengkan sekarang ini. Orang yang terdesak tidak akan mampu berfikir dengan waras. Itulah sebabnya ada yang membunuh diri kerana sudah hilang pertimbangan di diri mereka.

Jika penerbitan benar-benar menjadi kenyataan, kita jangan hiraukan diri untuk membaca dan mempercayaainya. Kita padamkan api perkauman yang akan dimainkan oleh Umno dan penyokong-penyokongnya dalam pilihanraya kali ini dengan matang.

Dan hanya kita perlu ingat, ia bertentangan dengan mana-mana agama termasuk agama suci kita. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 4 August 2012, 10:44 am and is filed under
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Why police are impotent: A response to PDRM

— Lim Teck Ghee

The Malaysian Insider

Aug 03, 2012

AUG 3 — I thank the Polis Diraja Malaysia for the
response
 to my commentary on
why the police are impotent
 in fighting rising crime in the country.

Massaging of official statistics and reports

Firstly, with regard to the lengthy explanation on how the crime count statistics are generated, whilst the information is quite useful, it does not make a convincing case that the crime rate has dropped dramatically during the past three years.

I am sure that the police leadership — as with the ordinary man in the street — is aware that police reports generated through the official reporting system considerably understate the actual incidence of crime.

Furthermore, methodologies, definitions and categorisations vary from year to year. These changes, together with other forms of “massaging” (authorised and unauthorised) are the most likely explanations as to why there has been such a sharp fall in the reported crime statistics in the past three years compared with 2008.

With regard to the auditing of crime statistics and the commissioning of the public opinion survey on perceptions of safety and confidence in the police force, it will be important for the police to make available through its own website or in the PEMANDU website the full and unabridged audit and survey reports as PEMANDU’s responsibility apparently is to ensure that crime data are available, transparent and reliable.

Such a measure will help members of the public ascertain the quality and validity of the work done by these commissioned organisations. It is well known that auditors and commissioned survey organisations will fudge and do a less than professional or honest job, especially on sensitive, lucrative or renewable assignments.

Growing disbelief in official police data

Many credible stakeholders have emerged to throw cold water on the crime reduction statistics. No less a figure than the former Inspector-General of Police, Musa Hassan (he was IGP until 2010), has commented that “the public needs to know the truth, there is no need to hide when it comes to crime’.

Besides taking into serious account the views of knowledgeable insiders such as Musa Hassan, the police should study various reports — including those produced by foreign governments and embassies with interests in the country — on rising crime in Malaysia. These are easily available through Google’s search engine.

Also accessible are the commentaries on the crime situation and public response in the Internet media. In this respect, IGP Ismail Omar’s recent appeal calling on the public not to rely on social media for crime data is a sorry reflection of the delusion in the police leadership on the credibility of “reliable and certified” official sources.

Malaysians do not trust the establishment mass media for good reason. The IGP’s statement — “[W]hy must we release data that can picture Malaysia as a country that is not safe? I hope such irresponsible reports will not be released on social media” — will simply reinforce the public’s distrust of the reporting and statistics on crime carried by the establishment media and compel them to rely on less prejudiced alternatives.

In fact, the police leadership will be doing themselves and the public a favour if they study carefully the many articles and hundreds of suggestions from concerned citizens on how to deal with the growing crime menace.

Many of these comments in websites such as Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, Free Malaysia Today, Malaysia Chronicle, Malaysia Today, Malaysian Mirror and others are based on personal experience and reflect a deeply alienated and demoralised public. The recent three-part series by Malaysiakini reporter Aidila Razak, for example, provides a useful overview of some of the main concerns.

Translation of this public feedback from the social media into Bahasa Malaysia and made available to all police personnel through the police base notice boards on a regular basis will ensure that the police force can better understand the reasons for public concern on police performance.

If such feedback is still to be disbelieved, why then the extraordinary growth of the personal security related industry and the mushrooming of thousands of private security-manned gated communities. They certainly do not point to a lessening public concern for personal security or of greater confidence in the police as indicated by PEMANDU or PDRM-commissioned surveys or audits.

They is clear evidence of the worsening crime situation.

Police political partisanship: Overdue reform

My commentary had also pointed to the politicisation and partisanship of the police force — leadership really — as one of the root causes for its impotency. I can understand why no attempt was made in PDRM’s official response to rebut or refute this argument.

The latest reminder of how the police are being used by the ruling government to serve its political ends comes from ACP Mohd Sofian Md Makinuddin, during his talk to the Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association recently, in which he said:

“Now we are facing the threats of certain quarters who hide behind NGOs and use religion, race and society as their tools to influence the people.”

Further, he described “LGBT culture” and “street demonstrations” as “negative cultures” by “extremist groups”.

By acting as a mouthpiece of the home minister (earlier, he had also claimed that an opposition party was being infiltrated by terrorists), Mohd Sofian has further undermined the police force’s claim to political impartiality and neutrality.

Most Malaysians recognise the great difficulty of the police force in its attempt to break away from the stranglehold of partisan politics. However, to ignore this factor or to be silent on it would be a mistake especially since the public are not easily duped by the argument that the police are acting impartially and independently. It is imperative that within the police force, there should be a separate and standalone discussion of this issue which is long overdue for reform.

Politics aside, the great majority of Malaysians want a police force that is fair, trustworthy, efficient and effective. They will surely support the police in whatever it takes to reduce crime in the country.

That support — and respect — has to be earned the hard way. It cannot come from brandishing what in all probability are misleading statistics but by the redoubling of efforts to fight crime and to protect life and property; and by resistance to government attempts to use the police as its political lackey.

* Dr Lim Teck Ghee is CEO of the Centre for Policy Initiatives.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 4 August 2012, 10:16 am and is filed under
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