99-Day Countdown to 13GE – Make Corruption one of the top election issues for first time in 13GE

Yesterday, I suggested that the 100-Day Countdown to the 13th General Elections be computed from New Year’s Day and that all Malaysians take part in the daily countdown to the 13GE because of the historic significance and possibilities of this event.

On the 99-day Countdown to the 13th General Elections, I call on the 13.1 million electorate to make corruption one of the top election  issues for the first time in 13 general elections in the past 53 years.

Last Saturday,
Bernama
 carried the following report:

All BN candidates for the 13th general election have been found to be free of corruption and other crimes, BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said today.

He said the candidates for the 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats had undergone screening by the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Department of Insolvency to ensure that they were “clean” and did not have any problems.

Tengku Adnan spoke to reporters after presenting school aid and People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) uniforms at a gathering of the people here where a durian feast was also held.

He also said that the background of the candidates was subjected to scrutiny to ensure that they were the people’s choice.

“We want the candidates to be whom the people want, not whom the party or individuals in the party want. We want candidates whom the people feel they can represent them,” he said.

This Bernama report which provoked widespread public scorn and contempt has provided proof, if proof is still needed, that the UMNO/Barisan Nasional is incapable of being serious or being trusted in any campaign against corruption.

Malaysians should not forget the 2004 general elections when  the Barisan Nasional took out full-page advertisements confessing that the government was “corrupt and rotten to the core …with no aspect of life untainted by corruption” and urging the Malaysian electorate to give Pak Lah the mandate to be a “modern-day Justice Bao”  in an “all-out war against corruption”.

Abdullah did not become a “modern day Justice Bao”. Instead, Malaysia sank further every year in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI), falling from No. 37 in 2003 when Tun Mahathir stepped down as Prime Minister to No. 47 when Abdullah was forced out of Seri Perdana, to the four worst TI CPI rankings ever recorded for Malaysia  all under  Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s premiership from 2009 – 2012 (i.e. No. 56 for 2009 and 2010, No. 60 for 2011 and No. 54 for 2012).

Can Najib credibly claim that he could succeed where Abdullah had failed – to become a “modern-day Justice Bao” to conduct an all-out war against corruption and uproot a system “corrupt and rotten to the core …with no aspect of life untainted by corruption” as far back as two general elections ago in 2004?

Tengku Adnan’s statement as reported by Bernama last Saturday is testimony that the UMNO/Barisan Nasional have turned the serious issue of corruption in Malaysia into a mockery and a farce.

How could all the 222 BN parliamentary and 505 State Assembly candidates for the 13GE be screened and cleared of any corruption or other crimes by the MACC, the police and the Department of Insolvency when it is public knowledge that the BN and its member parties haver not yet finalised their  222 parliamentary and 505 State Assembly candidates?

What Tengku Adnan probably meant is that all the 222 BN parliamentary and 505 State Assembly candidates for the 13GE would be found to be free of corruption and other crimes as the MACC and the police would be required to issue “a blank cheque” of clearance for all of them.

This is final proof why the issue of corruption should become  a top election issue in the 13GE as there can be no serious war against corruption so long as Putrajaya is run by  UMNO/BN – as only a change of system with  a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya can begin the long, arduous but necessary clean-up of the government and country.

.

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                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 January 2013, 4:44 pm and is filed under
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98-Day Countdown to 13GE – Malaysia deserves higher ranking than No. 36 placing in the EIU “Best country to be born” index

On the 98-Day Countdown to the 13th General Elections, Malaysians are reminded that the nation deserves better on all fronts of national life, whether political, economic, educational, social, cultural or environmental.

Malaysia definitely deserves higher ranking than No. 36 out of 80 nations in the “Best country to born in 2013” index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) attempting to measure which country provides the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life.

The 10 top-ranking nations in the EIU “Best country to be born in 2013” index are:

1.	Switzerland

2.	Australia

3.	Norway

4.	Sweden

5.	Denmark

6.	Singapore

7.	New Zealand

8.	Netherlands

9.	Canada

10.	Hong Kong

Malaysia is outranked by Taiwan (No. 14), United States (No. 16), UAE (No. 18), South Korea (No. 19), Kuwait (No. 22), Japan (No. 25) and  Britain (No. 27).

Malaysia drew 6.62 out of a 10-point scorecard in the study of life-satisfaction survey, which seeks to quantify how happy people say they are based on a list of 11 economic and socio-political indicators such as a country’s income per capita, cost of living, human rights, life expectancy, literacy and education levels, crime, trust in public institutions and the health of family life.

Malaysia can do better than being ranked no. 36 in the EIU “Best country to be born in 2013” index as well as other global indices, whether on clean and incorrupt government, crime statistics,  human rights, rule of law, independent judiciary, press freedom or green environment.

These are among the many issues to be decided in the impending 13th general elections.

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                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 January 2013, 4:36 pm and is filed under
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There’s No Excuse For Not Reporting The Truth

By Kee Thuan Chye

Malaysian Digest

01 January 2013

What Utusan Malaysia’s lawyer reportedly told the High Court on Dec 27 is shocking.

According to The Malaysian Insider, Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin said newspapers do not have the “luxury of time” to verify the truth of news reports before publishing them.

In defending Utusan Malaysia’s report that allegedly accused Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim of being a proponent of gay rights, Firoz also said, “If newspapers have to go through the full process of ascertaining the truth, the details, they wouldn’t be able to report the next day.”

If he thinks this would justify the publication of untruths by the media, he is grossly wrong. No media organization should ever publish untruths or lies. On top of that, no media organization can, after doing it, claim justification by saying it had no time to check its facts.

Not checking facts before publication is a cardinal sin in journalism. And no self-respecting journalist or media could absolve themselves by saying they did not have the “luxury of time”.

If the truth cannot be verified, the report should not be published. That’s the first principle of journalism. “When in doubt, leave it out” is the mantra of responsible media editors. It is the responsibility of a media organization to tell the truth, not spread untruths to the public.

How could Utusan Malaysia stand by Firoz’s claim? How could it allow its lawyer to say something as scandalous as this?

Is it any wonder then that Utusan Malaysia has, especially in the last few years, been publishing wildly speculative and unverified reports with cavalier disregard for decency and responsibility?

Such conduct has certainly been deserving of censure, but what is also deserving of censure is the Home Ministry for not having taken adequate punitive action against the newspaper.

The Home Ministry is the body which oversees the conduct of media organizations since it has the absolute power to grant and revoke licenses, but it has been exceedingly lenient towards Utusan Malaysia.

It is surely aware that in the last few years, Utusan Malaysia has been found guilty of defaming a number of Pakatan leaders and others, among them Mahfuz Omar, Karpal Singh, Khalid Samad, Lim Guan Eng, Teresa Kok and Tenaganita Director Irene Fernandez.

In 2009, even Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz slammed Utusan Malaysia for its outdated racist propaganda.

Furthermore, the newspaper has been running mischievous reports without substantiation, many targeted at the DAP in order to demonize it and alienate it from Malay voters. One was about church leaders conspiring with the DAP to Christianize the country. Another was about the DAP wanting to turn the country into a republic by abolishing the Malay royalty.

Then last July, it said Singapore’s ruling party, the People’s Action Party (PAP), was plotting the downfall of the BN government through its local proxy, the DAP. This was of course preposterous – like the other two instances quoted above – because the truth is more likely to be that the PAP would prefer BN to remain in government for the sake of continuity.

If these are instances of reports that were published without first verifying the facts because of the constraint of time, as per Firoz’s implication, they should in the first place not have seen print. The reason is clear – not only are they untrue and capable of upsetting certain communities, they also negatively affect Utusan Malaysia’s credibility. And, worse, they make the newspaper look stupid.

This must surely account for why, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), Utusan Malaysia’s circulation has dropped 20 per cent between July 2005 and June 2010, a period of five years. In terms of numbers, the drop is from 213,445 copies per day to 170,558.

Within the same period, its Sunday edition, Mingguan Malaysia, plummeted from 483,240 copies to 372,163, dropping even more at 23 per cent.

Utusan Malaysia being punished through the loss of its readers is one thing; what it needs to also experience is severe punishment from the authorities.

After all, other newspapers have been punished severely for lesser sins. In 2010, China Press had to apologise and suspend its editor-in-chief after it was given a show-cause letter by the ministry over its allegedly false report that the then Inspector-General of Police, Musa Hassan, had resigned.

That same year, The Star was also slapped with a show-cause letter – for running an article about the caning of three Muslim women for illicit sex. And in February 2012, it was severely hounded by the ministry for running a photograph of American singer Erykah Badu sporting tattoos of the word ‘Allah’ in Arabic on her upper body. It had to apologize and suspend two editors. After their suspension, they were transferred to other desks.

The Home Ministry did, however, issue a warning letter to Utusan Malaysia for its Christian conspiracy report, but that has probably been the only action it has taken against the newspaper in recent memory. Besides, a warning letter is nothing compared to the action against the two cases mentioned above.

One surmises this is because Utusan Malaysia is owned by Umno, the dominant party in the ruling coalition. So it enjoys more immunity than any other newspaper.

In this regard, it is timely to consider the Media Freedom Act that is being considered by the Opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat.

This Act, which DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has said Pakatan would try to enact if it won Putrajaya at the 13th general election, would, apart from ensuring press freedom in the country, prohibit political parties from directly owning media companies.

Right now, the media companies are mostly owned by parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

Among the influential newspapers, Berita Harian, Harian Metro and the New Straits Times are also owned by Umno, while The Star is owned by the MCA, and Tamil Nesan and Makkal Osai belong to MIC stalwarts.

Media Prima, which controls 8TV, ntv7, TV3 and TV9 and three radio stations, is also owned by Umno. This means that with BN being in government and controlling the State-owned RTM, the television medium is virtually monopolized by the ruling coalition.

The upshot of all this, as we have experienced over the decades, has been extremely unhealthy. Political coverage has been biased towards the ruling party and unfavorable towards the Opposition. News that would embarrass the Government or make it look incompetent is blocked from dissemination.

In total, the ruling coalition has been able to indoctrinate the masses with its propaganda to a frightening extent. One manifestation of its effects is the inability of some Malaysians to differentiate between “government” and “party” or to believe that BN is corrupt or abuses its powers.

Malaysian journalism, too, has lost its seat of nobility and honor because of one-sided reporting, manipulation of the truth and even the keeping of the truth from the public. It has become a custom for editors to sell their souls and toe the line in order to keep their cushy jobs.

It has also led to the kind of thinking expressed by Utusan Malaysia’s Deputy Chief Editor, Mohd Zaini Hassan, who in July 2012 told a forum that it was all right for journalists to spin the facts to present readers with a “desired picture”. He justified spinning as a way to attack the Opposition.

“Spin we can,” he said. “No matter how we spin a certain fact to be biased in our favor, that’s okay.”

For saying that, Zaini has no business calling himself a journalist. His words bring disgrace to the profession. Spinning is distorting the truth, and distorting the truth is against the principles of journalism. It is also morally wrong. Those who spin are nothing more than propagandists.

Such propagandizing should not be allowed to happen in the media any more, regardless of which coalition comes to power after the upcoming general election. We can put a stop to it by supporting the tabling of the Bill for a Media Freedom Act.

That Pakatan is willing to surrender the opportunity to control Malaysian minds through controlling the media if it comes to power speaks admirably of its commitment to a democratic Malaysia. But it should not stop at preventing political parties from directly owning media companies; it should also ensure that they do not indirectly own such companies.

Then and only then can we have the beginnings of a free media. Then and only then can we begin to enjoy the privilege of thinking for ourselves.

*Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians, available in bookstores together with its Malay translation, Jangan Kelentong Lagi, Kita Semua Orang Malaysia. The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 January 2013, 7:17 pm and is filed under
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97-Day Countdown to 13GE – will the truth about the C4 murder of Mongolian Altantuya, Balasubramaniam’s second SD and Deepak’s serious allegations against Najib and Rosmah only be known if there is a change of government in Putrajaya?

For over a month, the country had been convulsed by a series of exposes revolving around the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu relating to the second Statutory Declaration of Private Investigator P. Balasubramaniam and very serious allegations against the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his family by carpet businessman Deepak Jaikiishan.

The question many Malaysians are asking is whether the truth about the C4 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, the mystery surrounding Balasubramaniam’s second Statutory Declaration and the very serious allegations by Deepak against Najib and his family would only be known if there is a change of government in Putrajaya in the 13th general elections.

Although the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had said that he would respond to Deepak’s allegations against Najib at the winding-up of the  66th UMNO General Assembly, he conspicuously failed to do so, although it was not Zahid but Najib himself who should be responding to Deepak’s allegations.

Deepak had made very specific allegations that Najib had intervened in his favour in a RM100 million defence ministry project in 2005 when he  was Defence Minister in a deal which involved a Selangor UMNO Wanita leader’s company as well as Najib’s  involvement in getting Balasubraniam to make a second Statutory Declaration in 2008 which reversed an earlier one linking Najib to murdered Mongolian Altantunya.

Najib has so far maintained a long and  inelegant  silence on these Deepak allegations fully detracting the value and credibility of his many declarations of reform and transformation, including his apology in his UMNO Presidential speech on behalf of the UMNO leadership for any “mistake” or “oversight” committed by UMNO in the past.

As Najib is not yet prepared to call for immediate elections, is the Prime Minister on the 97-Day Countdown to the 13GE prepared to convene an emergency meeting of Parliament to fully clear himself of these serious allegations swirling around him arising from the developments in the past two months?

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                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 January 2013, 5:12 pm and is filed under
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From personal experience

— Greener Pastures

The Malaysian Insider

Jan 04, 2013

JAN 4 — I write today to present a scenario from personal experience which relates to the national brain-drain and low enrolment in the civil service.

I have served in the civil service for three years now, and the reasons why I joined the civil service was because of my mother, who herself served as a teacher for 30 years and convinced me that the civil service was not what most people thought it to be. In fact, it gave her a good career, a good life, a good income and good benefits right up till now in her retirement. The other reason was I wanted a stable job that would allow me a good work-life balance and time for my new family.

So, after graduating in the Dean’s list from a local university and working in the private sector for a while, I applied and subsequently was called to service. Before I started in the civil service, one year after graduation, I took a certification examination which allows me to practise in many foreign countries. But I chose to stay in Malaysia because Malaysia is home.

I am perhaps the unlikeliest candidate to choose the civil service. The first question most people ask is “Why did you join the civil service?”, and then it is usually followed by “When are you leaving (the civil service)?”. There were two options for me to join the civil service, my first choice was to join the academia. When I embarked on the application process, they told me that they weren’t keen on accepting me because they were afraid that I would leave the University after I got my post-graduate qualifications. Facing such negativity, I gave up on that option and chose to join the civil service proper.

Even with my excellent results, overseas certification and private sector experience, I started off with the basic graduate’s pay grade, which was very low, considering that with my overseas certification, I could get a job in other countries which would pay between RM10,000 — RM40,000 a month. As such, I was only getting somewhere around RM35,000 per annum. The current salary I get, is just enough to maintain a comfortable middle income lifestyle if I don’t purchase a car or house. But I thought that if I wanted to bring change to the industry, I had to be the change. Money isn’t everything, so I stayed. (Remuneration, check; idealism, check.)

I don’t begrudge my three years of service, and I believe I had performed well in my job especially in the implementation of the ETP (Economic Transformation Programs) which I believed would benefit the country. I am pulling well above my weight and pay grade in my current responsibilities. My performance was recognised when they awarded me the Excellent Service Award for my second year of service. (Job satisfaction, check.)

Then, two days after Christmas 2012, they dropped a bombshell. I was being transferred, arbitrarily, to the southern-most state away from my family, especially my infant child who is still nursing. Mind you, this is not a promotion; in fact, it would involve a reduction in take-home pay and increased expenses as I would have to travel weekly to be with my family while at the same time, maintain living in two separate locations. In addition, the notice period for the transfer was a mere three weeks with all the holidays and clearing of annual leave days, barely enough time to properly hand over all the important programmes under the ETP that I have been working on. Neither does this transfer contribute to my career development. And all this was done without giving any reason or consultation in advance. This is not only happening to me, but many of my colleagues.

I question the rationale behind this as it affects the performance and continuity of government programmes, violates employee/civil servant welfare and most importantly lacks talent management.

So, can anyone explain how I am supposed to stay on while it is obvious, to me at least, that there are greener pastures in the private sector and even overseas? Good intentions towards the service of the country do not put food on the table nor is it a good enough reason for me to sacrifice my family life.

I hope that the policymakers in Talent Corp, Commission of Public Service (SPA) and Department of Public Service (JPA) will be able to identify the flaws in the current system and rectify them so that people like me will be motivated to remain and contribute to the betterment of the country.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 January 2013, 3:24 pm and is filed under
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Malaysian Businessman Continues Attacks on Premier

Written by John Berthelsen

Asia Sentinel

03 January 2013

Prime Minister Najib, his wife and UMNO leaders remain silent in the face of charges

Disaffected Malaysian businessman Deepak Jaikishan is continuing to rain accusations of bribery, political favoritism, murder cover-up and other scandals against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, his wife, family and top UMNO figures despite apparent attempts to shut him up by arranging for a quasi-government agency to buy his company.

He has now written – apparently at lightning speed – a book called “Black Rose” which is billed as a tell-all about his relationship with Rosmah Mansor, Najib’s wife, and deals with allegations of the cover-up of details of the murder of the 28-year-old Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006. The book was to be issued today but he told local media that the publisher couldn’t get it to him in time, so he would issue an e-book which so far hasn’t appeared.

Deepak, who once said he was close enough to Rosmah to call her his “big sister,” has continued to cause embarrassment to the prime minister and his wife, who so far have maintained an awkward silence in the face of his charges.

He has vowed to detail – or re-detail, since he has already made the information public to a flock of internet sites over recent weeks – RM3 million in payments to a private investigator, Perumal Balasubramaniam, in 2008 in an effort to shut up the investigator. Balasubramaniam had made public sworn allegations that Najib himself had had an affair with the jet-setting beauty, who was killed by two of Nabob’s personal bodyguards. The two were later convicted of murder in a trial regarded by many as designed to keep secret the names of those who had paid them to carry out the crime.

Although the scandal has all the trappings of a B movie, there are questions whether it has percolated into the ethnic Malay heartland that provides the political support that keeps Najib and the United Malays National Organization in power. That could be changing. Political analysts in Malaysia tell Asia Sentinel that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Parti Keadilan Rakyat have considerably polished their campaign tactics, making sophisticated videotapes and other materials that they are using effectively in ceramahs, or talks given in lieu of political rallies, which are largely banned in Malaysia.

Malaysians still get most of their news from the mainstream newspapers, the New Straits Times and The Star, which are owned by the major political parties, as are the main television broadcast stations. They haven’t breathed a word of the scandal. However, internet penetration in Malaysia is one of the highest in the region, with more than 62 percent of the population having access.

There have been growing reports that former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin, the current deputy prime minister, are behind Deepak’s revelations, although a lawyer close to the Mahathir wing of UMNO sarcastically denied it.

“The people within UMNO who are pushing this say that by getting Rosmah and Najib out of the way, the party will be able to boost its support among the Malays, both rural and urban who are simply disgusted with (the antics of Najib and his wife.) That perhaps may answer the strong air cover Deepak is getting with his rantings and also the coverage (former Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan) is getting for his attacks,” a seasoned political source told Asia Sentinel.

“But the question is whether UMNO can afford a palace coup? Najib does have support within the party and his allies won’t want him to throw in the towel without a fight. In any case, Najib’s silence over the allegations has hurt him considerably and many in UMNO smell blood. Even if they let him lead the elections, he is probably finished after that.”

Deepak’s latest revelation was that he had paid RM13 million (US$4.28 million) for 19 pieces of custom-made jewelry from Hong Kong firms as part of alleged kickbacks to facilitate a land deal that later collapsed when a politically wired leader of the women’s wing of UMNO refused to part with land steered to her from Malaysia’s defense ministry. The woman, Rajah Ropiaah Rajah Abdullah, is well wired into the UMNO power structure. A six-year veteran of political ladder-climbing, she is an executive council member with the UMNO women’s wing and the women’s wing head in Selangor state.

In that regard, the scandal resembles far too many on the part of UMNO and makes a mockery of Najib’s vow, at the start of his premiership in 2009 that corruption must stop and that “The perception of UMNO as a party to make a living from must be thrown far far away? must be discarded.” In that regard, the land scandal calls up unpleasant associations with what has become known as Cattlegate, in which the family Shahrizat Aziz, the current national head of the women’s wing, was charged with misspending millions of dollars for flats, cars, trips and other items from a RM250 million soft loan to develop a national cattle feeding scheme.

Deepak testified earlier in court that he had entered into a venture with Rajah Ropiaah’s company, Awan Mega (M) Sdn. Bhd to build a National Defense Research Center in the country’s administrative capital of Putrajaya. The ministry was to pay Rajah Ropiaah’s company RM27 million (US8.9 million) to build the center. The center would occupy a portion of the land and Awan Mega would be ceded roughly 90 hectares worth RM72.5 million for free for development.

Awan Mega wasn’t able to obtain a bond for the building’s construction and asked Deepak for help, he testified. Thus, his Asta Canggih Sdn Bhd stood for a RM72.5 million land bond on behalf of Rajah Ropiaah’s company, he alleged. He was to pay RM23 million in exchange for 89 ha. However, once the bond was put up, Deepak alleged, was ignored from that point forward.

After his barrage of charges, Boustead Holding Bhd., the investment vehicle of the military retirement fund, known as LTAT, stepped in, as what looked like an effort to shut him up, to buy Asta Canggih from him for RM30 million. That didn’t help. Deepak said the sale of his company was forced on him and only covered the money he had spent on the land deal and that he had been cut out of the development project. He did abruptly withdraw his lawsuit against Rajah Ropiaah and her company over the land deal although he went on to charge that the latest deal meant the defense ministry, through Boustead, was buying back land from Rajah Ropiaah that they had given her.

“The losers are the Defense Ministry and army officers who get cheated by UMNO and cheated again by having to buy back the military land at double the price they gave it away for,” he told the independent website Malaysiakini.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 January 2013, 12:09 pm and is filed under
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Out with the old, in with the new

by Mariam Mokhtar

Malaysiakini

Dec 31, 2012

Puppet shows, ‘Punch and Judy’ politics, farcical presentations, tragicomedies, drama queens, flip-flops, U-turns, dress rehearsals and of course, pornographic productions can be used to sum up current Malaysian politics.

It is amazing what the subconscious reveals. When MCA keeps asking if Hadi Awang or Anwar Ibrahim would make the better prime minister, you know what the ruling coalition are thinking – that BN is doomed.

Why would one of the main component parties in BN talk about opposition candidates for the post of prime minister? If they thought they stood any chance of winning GE13, they would be discussing which BN candidate should lead the country, rather than which opposition politician would make the best PM.

In November 2011, the Umno information chief, Ahmad Maslan, talked about a hung parliament: “If there is a hung Parliament scenario like Australia, let’s say 112 government seats to 110 opposition seats, it is the worst thing that could happen.”

This showed that Umno had no confidence of victory at the polls.

Ahmad Maslan warned the Malays of the DAP’s Christian zeal: “The Malay language will be lost, say goodbye to the Malay Sultans, the opposition DAP do not even respect the royal institution … they have never accepted royal titles even though they have been offered them.”

Last week, it was alleged that the MCA president Chua Soi Lek also talked about a hung parliament, when asked to comment about a rival in his party.

An online newspaper had reported that the blogger, Syed Akbar Ali had written: “Revisiting the issue of factionalism and lack of support, he spoke bluntly about the Ong Tee Keat faction trying to sabotage him in Melaka. Dr Chua feels that if there is a hung Parliament after the general elections, Ong Tee Keat may just pack his bags and leave. Like Chua Jui Ming.”

One year after Umno raised fears of a hung parliament, MCA has voiced the same anxieties.

There are other indications of the lack of confidence in BN.

The sporadic acts of violence against the opposition are acts of desperation by a defeated Umno which has acknowledged defeat before the election has been held.

In the past, the usual spokesperson in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s cabinet would be quick to come to his defense, whenever someone makes serious allegations about him. This time, they are quiet. Has Najib issued a gagging order?

Despite revelations by the carpet seller, Deepak Jaikishan about Rosmah Mansor and Nazim Razak, interfering in the investigations into the death of the Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, both the police and the attorney-general’s offices have taken no action.

Deepak also claimed to be the victim of a business deal, involving a Defence Ministry project, which had gone foul. One would have expected the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate these allegations, but they, like the police and the attorney-general’s chambers, are quiet.

When the former inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan complained of interference in the police force, by the Home Minister and other senior politicians, there was no response from Najib.

Many allege that former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad are behind these revelations. Why would he support moves that would give an advantage to Anwar Ibrahim, his arch-enemy? Mahathir has been strangely silent about Deepak and Musa’s claims. Why would he give the opposition a chance to take over Putrajaya, undo his legacy and end his dynasty?

Najib is gradually being undone by his greed and vanity. If only he had paid Altantuya her meagre commission, then none of this mess would haunt him. If only he had paid Deepak his monies from the corrupt land deal. If only he had paid Musa Hassan his dues which most former IGPs received in the past.

Luxury goods up for grabs?

Last week, the Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali arranged for the auction of thousands of luxury goods owned by Tunisia’s deposed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family. People have been queuing-up to have a brief glimpse of the dictator and his wife’s ostentatious life. There were fast-cars, jewellery, works of art, shoes, handbags and other accessories.

For years, Malaysians have heard stories about multi-million ringgit rings, expensive handbags, fast-cars and other dizzying displays of an opulent lifestyle by our politicians, their spouses, and their children. When the time comes, will Malaysia’s new prime minister arrange an auction of goods, like the Tunisians have done?

So what would you look for if the opposition were to win and there was an auction of luxury goods formerly owned by BN politicians and their cronies?

Would it be Rosmah Mansor’s handbags and rings? Her badminton racquets? Her lycra tracksuit? Her clothes?

Or would it be Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s grand piano which allegedly belonged to Liberace? Or Taib’s selection of Rolls-Royces, gems or yachts? Or would you be interested in his son, Sulaiman’s fast cars?

Would you include the items which were ‘lent’ by their cronies, such as the Hummer 2 SUV lent by Michael Chia to the de facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz’s son, Nedim? What about Nedim’s luxury watch which would cost more than the average Malaysian could earn in several lifetimes?

The one item that I would love to see is Mahathir’s little red book, which is alleged to hold the dirty secrets and alleged crimes of his cronies, his corrupt politicians and the other people who were easily bought. Allegedly, he positively encouraged corruption and wrongdoing so he would be able to hold them to ransom at a later date.

The book should make interesting reading, but judging by the number of scandals that have rocked Malaysia over the past 30 years, it would not be a book that one could read in an evening.

Happy New Year to everyone.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 January 2013, 1:46 am and is filed under
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Time to set up a Ministry of Minority Affairs

By
Dr. Lim Teck Ghee
 | 04 January 2013 09:19

CPI

As we begin a new year, a rash of old issues and challenges confront the country. Chief amongst them are racial and religious tensions and a rising sense of marginalization and alienation among our minority communities while at the same time the majority community feels threatened and insecure.

Many of these problems are deeply entrenched. Their effects are no longer confined to a small part of our body politic or emerge as isolated and unconnected events. They have infiltrated into all sectors of society and cast a shadow in the life of every Malaysian – in our everyday thought processes, in our consciousness and in our actions.

The problems that are associated with the ethnic and religious divide between Malays and non-Malays and between Muslims and non-Muslims will not be resolved quickly. There is no magical remedy.

Many of these problems stem from our seriously weakened social cohesion and the growing disunity that our nation has experienced during the past four decades. The intangible but potent glue of harmony, sense of community and commitment to realizing the common good that binds countries and their people together has long broken down in Malaysia.

The start of a new year is a good time to spend pondering on how to recover this spirit of lost social cohesion and to focus on what can be done to rebuild it.

Addressing the plight of small minorities

The sense of alienation and marginalization is most palpable among Indian, Orang Asli and other small minority communities. Although some members of these groups can make their way up the socio-economic ladder with their own resources, nonetheless many of the rest are wallowing in poverty and deprivation. They will require a special helping hand if they are able to ever escape from the straitjacket of impoverishment and stagnation.

As the race-oriented New Economic Policy is jettisoned in place of a new national policy paradigm based on need and not race, how do we ensure that these groups –which have badly lagged behind other communities in every single important indicator of development and wellbeing – do not lose out again in the implementation of the New Economic Model during the next decade?

How do we guarantee that poor and needy members of small minority communities will be scrupulously and fairly targeted for assistance and do not disappear or are lost sight of in our national agenda of development that will be inevitably dominated by the concerns of the dominant Malay, and to some extent, the Chinese community?

To undo the negative impact of decades of government neglect and discrimination against the smaller minority communities as well as to steer a new path for social cohesion and social justice that will embrace all Malaysians, it may be necessary to establish a new Ministry that can mobilize and lead future efforts in the public sector aimed at improving the life prospects of downtrodden minority Malaysians.

Hindraf’s blueprint

Two months ago, to mark the fifth anniversary of the movement’s rally in KLCC on Nov 25, 2007 – the event which precipitated a new dawn of political consciousness in Malaysia – Hindraf unveiled a blueprint proposing solutions to overcome the plight of ethnic Indian community, especially the 800,000 displaced estate workers and 350,000 stateless Indians.

Towards the end of the blueprint document is a proposal to establish a Ministry of Minority Affairs that would plan and execute development efforts to address the educational, housing, resettlement and employment needs of marginalized Indians.

This proposal to set up an entirely new Ministry may seem like an inappropriate one, coming at a time when the efficiency and efficacy of a bloated civil service has come under severe public scrutiny and censure.

However, it is in my view worthy of serious consideration by the Barisan and Pakatan parties, whichever coalition comes to power in the coming elections.

Justification for the new Ministry

The justification for establishing an entirely new Ministry devoted to the smaller minorities is compelling. Numerous studies have established that relations between and within communities suffer when people lack work and endure hardship, debt, low esteem, poor skills and bad living conditions. These basic necessities of life are the foundations of a strong social fabric but are lacking for many in the smaller minority communities.

Also, unlike the Malay and Chinese communities that dominate our public and private sectors, Malaysia’s small minority communities lack the resources and clout to compete for the opportunities ostensibly available to all stakeholders in our economy and society.

Already marginalized, when left to fend for themselves in the future, they are likely to fall further behind as the competition for scarce resources becomes more intense.

How much will it cost?

During the past ten Malaysia Development Plans, a total sum of over one trillion ringgit was spent. Little of this development expenditure was committed towards or trickled down to the smaller minorities (see table).

Development Expenditure for 10 Malaysia Plans

Total:  RM1.155 trillion

Ninth Malaysia Plan

2006-10

RM230 billion

Eighth Malaysia Plan

2001-05

RM253 billion

Seventh Malaysia Plan

1996-2000

RM222 billion

Sixth Malaysia Plan

1991-95

RM104 billion

Fifth Malaysia Plan

1986-90

RM62 billion

Fourth Malaysia Plan

1981-85

RM28 billion

Third Malaysia Plan

1976-80

RM18.6 billion

Second Malaysia Plan

1971-75

RM7.25 billion

First Malaysia Plan

1965-70

RM4.5 billion

Hindraf has estimated that a small fraction of this massive expenditure – RM25 billion – provided to the new Ministry will provide the first ditch effort to permanently improve the life of marginalized Indians. The cost for uplifting the conditions and life chances of other minorities will be more modest.

The total bill for improving the life chances of marginalized Indians, Orang Asli and others and restoring dignity and a sense of belonging to the smaller minorities is a price the country can well afford. But is the political will there – in either Barisan or Pakatan parties – to take this small step forward in what could lead to a momentous paradigm shift in our journey towards a fair, just and compassionate society?

A just multi-ethnic society is judged by how fairly it treats its smallest minority communities and provides them with access to opportunities that can improve their material circumstances and future life chances.

In India, the Government recently established a Ministry of Minority Affairs in 2006 as the apex body for the central government’s regulatory and developmental programmes for the minority communities which include Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians identified as minority communities under Section 2 (c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. Other countries which have established similar Ministries include Pakistan and Israel.

We should do no less in Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 January 2013, 5:37 pm and is filed under
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What change? A reply to Dr M

 ― Pak Sako

CPI

Jan 04, 2013

JAN 4 ― Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad published a piece called “Change” yesterday in his blog.

In it he asked why change governments.

He then criticised the socialist ideology. He strangely claimed that “Malaysia has no ideology”.

That is completely untrue.

When Dr Mahathir came into power in 1981, Malaysia was introduced to the neoliberal ideology.

This is an ideology that is biased in favour of corporations and capitalists.

It is the opposite of socialism, which aspires to put people first.

The neoliberal ideology was aggressively promoted around the world in the early 1980s by influential global networks of business interests and their supporters.

Their mantra?

Sell off public assets. Remove regulations, so big businesses can run free. Control workers’ wage demands. Cut public expenditure.

Dr Mahathir joined the bandwagon. This is well-documented in books and papers.

His economic advisors were businessman Daim Zainuddin and the well-known neoliberal strategist, Kenichi Ohmae.

It was Ohmae’s rejected mega-project to create a “Multimedia Supercity” in Tokyo that got recycled in Malaysia as the “Multimedia Super Corridor”. Read Dr Tim Bunnell’s book, “Malaysia, Modernity and the Multimedia Super Corridor” (2004).

Ohmae’s ideological influence was “extremely significant”. And what other ideology is that if not neoliberalism?

After becoming prime minister, Dr Mahathir quickly announced a privatisation policy in 1983 — in line with the standard neoliberal programme.

Publicly-held assets were sold off to private business interests, entrepreneurs and corporate “captains” to supposedly make the economy more ‘efficient’.

But efficient for whom?

The “massive privatisation strategy” carried out during Dr Mahathir’s tenure is said to be linked to “increased competition for resources within the ruling Malay party [Umno]”; it redistributed resources “in favour of emerging factions centred on key political leaders”.

That is what political economist Jeff Tan found out and wrote in his book,
“Privatization in Malaysia: Regulation, Rent-Seeking and Policy Failure” (2008)
.

Indeed, many privatisations are improperly justified handouts for the capitalist elite from the public coffers.

Selling off the public’s holdings remains a favoured economic policy of the Malaysian government until today. Witness the recent sale of Penang’s port and other public-owned assets to well-connected tycoons.

The neoliberal ideology calls for weaker worker unions so that big businesses can have the “economic freedom” to exploit workers to maximise profits.

Again, the Malaysian government’s development agenda subordinated labour in favour of private business interests in the 1980s under Mahathir’s watch, according to economist KS Jomo and Patricia Todd in their book
“Trade Unions and the state in Peninsular Malaysia” (1994)
.

Labour organisations in Malaysia are weak relative to business power. They have no bite to negotiate for better working hours, conditions and pay.

The neoliberalism ideology wants ‘free markets’ in labour, so that the ‘price’ of an employee (his wage) can be competed down if necessary. Fixing minimum wages is bad.

Dr Mahathir forcefully argued against minimum wages in Malaysia, claiming it might bankrupt Malaysia, without providing sufficient evidence (“Dr M: Minimum wage may bankrupt Malaysia”, The Malaysian Insider, March 2, 2012). Dr Mahathir did not bother at all to consider the positive aspects of minimum wages.

The neoliberal ideology is opposed to strong states that directly ensure the people’s welfare, but it supports a strong state to enable businesses and capitalists to flourish freely, to ensure corporate welfare.

This involves all kinds of hidden subsidies and supports for businesses, including overlooking environmental regulation and standards.

And so we have today Lynas and the threat of radiation. Our rivers are polluted by business activities, and yet the people must pay businesses to buy water filters for their homes and mineral water.

Dr Mahathir does not like the welfare state approach, which says “if we properly meet basic social needs and securities first, economic prosperity will come”. Dr Mahathir prefers the opposite, neoliberal approach, which says “support the corporate class, and enough wealth will ‘trickle down’ to the people”. Now Malaysia has one of the higher income inequalities amongst the Asean countries. The super-rich are sucking hundreds of billions of dollars out of the country in illegal outflows.

Dr Mahathir complains about an unjust neoliberal world order, but Dr Mahathir hypocritically follows the neoliberal ideology, says political science professor Johan Saravanamuttu in his book
Malaysia’s Foreign Policy, The First Fifty Years (2010)
.

Even the Nobel economist whom Dr Mahathir is fond of quoting, Joseph Stiglitz, has rubbished this neoliberal ideology, calling it a “grab-bag of ideas” about markets supposedly serving the public interest by “privatisation, liberalization”, when in fact it is simply “a political doctrine serving certain interests”. Read Stiglitz’s article called,
 “The end of neo-liberalism?”
 (2008).

On debt, Dr Mahathir says Greece borrowed a lot of money and is bankrupt.

But Europe fears Italy has also borrowed too much and is going bankrupt.

Malaysia has been given a financial warning: a top debt ratings agency says our public finances are weak, and are at the same level as debt-struck Italy (“Fitch warns Malaysia of possible downgrade due to ‘deteriorating’ public debt ratios’, The Edge, 1 August 2012).

Malaysia’s debt is now more than half of the income Malaysia as a whole earns in a year. This debt is RM456 billion. This debt nearly doubled since 2007, or in just four years.

This is to say every Malaysian now owes about RM16,000. If you earn RM4,000 a month, then you need to give up four month’s pay to settle the debt.

Dr Mahathir says: “Look at [Barisan’s] record… compare it even with the developed West. They are in deep financial trouble…”

Dr Mahathir says: “Five years to give a trial as government is dangerous. Many things can be destroyed in five years.”

But which government doubled Malaysia’s debt in less than five years? Barisan Nasional, right? ― english.cpiasia.net

                This entry was posted on Friday, 4 January 2013, 10:25 pm and is filed under
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49,000 youngest drop-outs?

by Azly Rahman

Malaysiakini

12:22PM Jan 4, 2013

If it is indeed true, as recently reported by Malaysiakini that 49,000 ‘stateless children’ are not going to school because they do not have identity cards, then something must be done to immediately address this issue of fundamental human rights. They must be allowed to go to school by any means necessary as the government resolves the issue of their ‘stateless parents’.

This ruling regime will be committing an act of the worst form of mental slavery should these children not be allowed to have the basic education and the right to be intelligent. If, as alleged, this regime can grant identity cards to newly-arrived immigrants in prepration for the coming elections, we must insist it to be able to do this for these children.

You, in the government, will be called a ‘pariah regime’ if this is not done for those children. The implications of not having those children schooled will be devastating; a reaffirmation of the vicious cycle of poverty, alienation, dehumanisation, and the fast-track way to build Malaysia’s prison-industrial complex. These children are already ‘drop-outs’ even before they enter schools!

What is wrong with our education system when we are now seeing a ruder apartheid-isation of schools? We continue to see the growth of a hideous class and caste structure in schools, from smart schools for the children of the rich to ‘pariah schools’ for the children of the abject poor. And now in the case of the ‘children of stateless parents’, we even have no schools for children of the abyss of the underclass, especially Malaysians of Tamil origin.

What a criminal act we have been doing since these years of independence – children of the rich paying tens of thousands of ringgit per semester for the best private schools to get to the best slots in college and best jobs in society through the best connections, yet thousands are not allowed in schools because of some ‘colonial legacy’.

We need to radically restructure the way we look at human beings, design education policies to be just and equitable, and to have a common school system to help children have common dreams… as Malaysians and nothing less.

Amidst the niceties of the rhetoric of educational reform and progress designed merely by a poor understanding of systemic change, we are creating a dystopia – of a future in which the 99 percent of society will one day overthrow the one percent after they learn what hegemony means and know what rights they have to social, educational, and cultural justice.

Lifeboat mentality

We have designed a school system based on the ‘lifeboat mentality’ and ‘gunboat diplomacy’ – a philosophy of “to each his own”. Hence, there are schools well-funded and those not funded at all. Ultimately, we will see more of society with both lifeboat and gunboat mentality wrapped in one.

Each child has the rights to get access to good teachers, technology, techniques, and tender-loving care in schools, regardless of race, religion, national origin, or even if they have no identity cards. Until the age of 18, these rights must be honored in order for the very fundamental goals of education for human freedom, development, and gainable and sustainable employment to be achieved. This must begin with the philosophy of education that we base our practice upon.

Race-based politics in Malaysia has been so pervasive that we have forgotten what education should mean, even though the language of humanism and systemic change in our educational blueprints is laced with niceties of the means and ends of education.

Outside of the rhetoric of a ‘world-classism’, if we deconstruct the meaning of education in a hyper-modern county such as Malaysia, we see the nature of humans being viewed as cogs in the wheels of capital or human machinery in a system of corrupt crypto-crony capitalism that preys on cheap professional and manual labor produced through schooling as means of social reproduction.

This is a continuation of what the British imperialists did in the kangani and kanchu system, facilitated by the Malay monarchy. The history of Malaya is a history of the exploitation of human beings written in a vainglorious way to mask the oppression of those enslaved by the feudal and neo-feudal class.

It is hoped that education, in its progressive evolution in our times, be framed in a newer understanding of what it should take to put the child at the center of learning and for the school to be a place to cultivate and to be a ground for democratic participation.

It should be a place for a child to develop his/her fullest potential and be free from being discriminated for any reason. It should help a child’s growth as a cultural and social being who will use scientific thinking to become good citizens imbued with ethics and critical sensibility.

I hope we look at the plight of the 49,000 children of ‘stateless parents’ with a simple logic: that as long as they are on our soil, they have the right to an education, to be treated with all the rights and privileges as a child ready to learn, and will be given education until they turn 18 while this issue of ‘statelessness’ is resolved.

Failure to do this will mean another level of success in creating a truly world-class Malaysian prison-industrial complex, rivaling the United States of America.

I am sure this is not what we want to see – a continuation of the lifeboat mentality aided by race-based gunboat diplomacy!

——————————————————————————–

DR AZLY RAHMAN, who was born in Singapore and grew up in Johor Baru, holds a Columbia University (New York) doctorate in International Education Development and Master’s degrees in the fields of Education, International Affairs, Peace Studies and Communication. He has taught more than 40 courses in six different departments and has written more than 300 analyses on Malaysia. His teaching experience spans Malaysia and the United States, over a wide range of subjects from elementary to graduate education. He currently resides in the United States.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 5 January 2013, 10:20 pm and is filed under
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96-Day Countdown to 13GE – Honesty and humility must always remain qualities of DAP leaders if DAP is to continue to command trust and confidence of Malaysians

Questions have been raised as to how there could be such a huge “recount” discrepancy and mistake in the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) election results where Zairil Khir Johari’s votes for election to the DAP CEC increased by 498 votes from the 305 votes announced on 15th December 2012 to the actual vote of 803 (placing him in the 20th elected position), while Vincent Wu Him Ven could drop 533 votes from the 1,202 votes announced on 15th December 2012 to the actual vote of 669 votes (putting him in the 26th elected position).

The blunder however did not arise from any vote counting, as Zairil and Wu’s votes were properly counted and tabulated as 803 and 669 votes respectively but from a computer error resulting in the votes for the last eight candidates (i.e. No. 61 – 68) also being posted with the same votes as those of Candidates Number 31 to 38, as follows, viz:

No

Candidate

Votes

No

Candidate

Votes

31

LIM LIP ENG

448

61

WONG SAI HOONG

448

32

LIU TIAN KHIEW (RONNIE)

761

62

WONG SZE PHIN @ JIMMY

761

33

LOKE SIEW FOOK (ANTHONY)

1202

63

WU HIM VEN (VINCENT)

1202

34

M. KULA

984

64

YONG WUI WUI (VIOLET)

*

35

MANOGARAN A/L MARIMUTHU

305

65

ZAIRIL KHIR JOHARI

305

36

MANOHARAN MALAYALAM

216

66

ZULKIFLI BIN MOHD NOOR

216

37

NG CHIN TSAI

39

67

ROSELI BIN ABDUL GANI

39

38

NG WEI AIK

407

68

TAN BOON PENG

407

As a result, Wu (No. 63) was posted with the votes of No. 33 (i.e. 1,202 votes) and Zairil’s (No. 65) was posted with the votes of No. 35, (i.e. 305 votes) when the actual tabulation should have been 669 for Wu and 803 for Zairil based on the ballots cast and counted at the DAP National Congress.

There was no element of fraud, manipulation or dishonesty in vote counting and tabulation process.

The blunder in the recent DAP CEC  election results is a salutary lesson and reminder to all DAP leaders to always remain honest and humble,  guided by the wisdom of the saying “Honesty is the Best Policy” if they are to continue to command the trust and confidence of Malaysians.

Despite the sorrow, I can state with pride that although the DAP Central Working Committee and Central Executive Committee were aware that the blunder is deeply embarrassing and would subject the DAP to a ferocious and merciless political and media onslaught, twisting the distorting the issue with baseless insinuations and allegations, no leader had suggested a cover-up of the blunder and the leadership is united that we should tell the truth to the party and the public and face the negative reactions frontally.

Our political antagonists may see this as a weakness for them to try to exploit and divide the party, but this is in fact a strength where the DAP leadership is prepared to own up to and rectify its mistakes however embarrassing they might be because we believe in humility and “Honesty is the Best Policy”.

Artikel ini juga boleh didapati dalam Bahasa Malaysia di:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/07/pengiraan-detik-96-hari-ke-pru13-kejujuran-dan-rendah-hati-mestilah-sentiasa-menjadi-kualiti-pemimpin-dap-sekiranya-dap-mahu-terus-mendapat-kepercayaan-dan-keyakinan-rakyat-malaysia/

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 5 January 2013, 5:39 pm and is filed under
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Umno-BN, stop the lies against Selangor

Abdul Khalid Ibrahim

Malaysiakini

11:20AM Jan 5, 2013

COMMENT

2012 has been a productive year for the Selangor state government, and I along with other state leaders begin 2013 with the firm intent of redoubling our efforts to serve the rakyat.

It is saddening to see the deputy prime minister, on the other hand, begin the new year with low class politicking, stating that the people of Selangor have been fooled for four years under Pakatan Rakyat.

In reality, it is Barisan Nasional that has fooled the people of both Selangor and Malaysia for 55 years.

This article intends not to rely on rhetoric, but to provide conclusive evidence regarding the priority given by Pakatan Rakyat and the Selangor government to the welfare of the people as well as our commitment to the highest standards of good governance.

We are confident that comparable evidence cannot be shown by any state administered by BN, including in Selangor before 2008.

In terms of financial management and allocation of funds for welfare programmes, Selangor under Pakatan Rakyat by far outperforms any other Barisan Nasional state, as well as the federal government itself.

Financial management

When Pakatan Rakyat took over the Selangor state government in 2008, the state’s cash reserves totalled a mere RM760 million.

In a short four years, we have succeeded in increasing this reserve over three-fold, to RM2.5 billion today.

Was this a result of a decrease in spending or allocations?

Certainly not. In fact, the allocations for state sponsored welfare programmes have increased every single year.

This excess of funds was achieved not by spending less, but by eliminating the vast amounts of leakage and corruption that formerly ran rampant in Selangor.

We  have taken strong measures to ensure that every sen that belongs to the rakyat is managed with uncompromising integrity and spent carefully for the good of all.

By abiding by these principles, we have ensured that the state’s abundant resources and income are shared equitably among all the people of Selangor, regardless of race, religion or political inclination.

Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor (MES)

The Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor (MES) programmes reflect a core policy of Pakatan Rakyat which emphasises that all the state’s income and resources should be redistributed back to the rakyat, without any leakage, and without any inappropriate “profits” to interested parties.

The records that have been carefully kept regarding the MES programmes provide indisputable evidence of our commitment to the rakyat’s welfare.

The Pakatan Rakyat state government began the MES programmes as soon as it took over in 2008.

In that year, the MES allocation stood at RM73 million. This sum has risen every year: RM161 million in 2009, RM173 million in 2010, and RM 192 million in 2011.

Up to September, the allocation for 2012 stood at RM165 million; the total amount spent on the rakyat’s welfare via MES programmes in these four years is RM766 million.

Four  programmes have been in existence since 2008: the provision of 20 cubic meters of water for free, the grant for students entering universities, (Hadiah Anak Masuk Universiti), the Senior Citizens Scheme (Skim Mesra Usia Emas), and the Children’s Education Fund (Tabung Pendidikan Anak-Anak).

Every year, new MES programmes are introduced. These programmes do not take the approach of the BN federal government, in which cash and goods are given out indiscriminately merely to buy votes.

Instead, at the core of the MES programmes is the concept of sustainable empowerment, in which recipients are provided with capital, training and assistance to ensure their own ability to independently face all manners of economic challenges without having to rely on anyone else.

The total number of MES recipients has also increased consistently since 2008: 1.10 million people in 2008, 1.19 million people in 2009, 1.25 million people in 2010, 1.30 million people in 2011 and 1.34 million people in 2012 (until September).

Detailed evidence regarding our commitment to the people’s welfare can be perused in the full MES report on its official website.

More focus on the rakyat, less politicking

The evidence above incontrovertibly demonstrates that the deputy prime minister’s comments are typical of Umno leaders who are so desperate that they are willing to make bare-faced lies to the people.

What did the deputy prime minister do as Johor menteri besar when monopolising contracts were given to Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary?

Why was it that the people of Johor had to endure some of the highest water tariffs in Malaysia?

At the federal level now, when will he stop dilly dallying on returning the water industry to the state government, as mapped out in the Water Services Industry Act 2006 – a process begun by the BN government themselves?

The deputy prime minister should think carefully before making accusations against the Pakatan Rakyat state government in Selangor.

The BN federal government tabled a deficit budget yet again in 2013.

Yet, there was still space in this deficit budget for unending election goodies, ahead of the approaching 13th general election. Worse yet, the total federal debt stands at a staggering RM500 billion.

In vast contrast, Selangor has boosted its cash reserve three-fold and tabled five successive balanced budgets, in which priority has always been given to long-term investments that will benefit present and future generations.

This reflects the principles of the Pakatan Rakyat state government which refuses to sacrifice the economic well-being of our children and grandchildren merely to win elections via suspect methods.

If indeed they are statesmen, we call upon those involved to stop throwing baseless accusations about and contest with honour. If the prime minister as Selangor Umno chairperson has failed to weaken the spirits of Selangor’s people, there is no reason for the deputy prime minister to try.

——————————————————————————–

ABDUL KHALID IBRAHIM is Selangor menteri besar.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 5 January 2013, 6:51 pm and is filed under
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95-Day Countdown to 13GE – If Deepak had made only 10% of allegations against DAP/PR leaders he made against Najib and UMNO/BN leadership, he would be crawling all over BN MSM  in past six weeks instead of total blackout

The past three days have been the most difficult days for DAP leaders, members and supporters in the 47-year history of the party, testified by the fact that the DAP had dominated the front-pages of the Barisan Nasional mainstream media (MSM)  in the past two days and hogged the Barisan Nasional-controlled air waves.

The following are the screaming front-page headlines in the BN MSM in the past two days:

DAP silap kira undi? – Pengarah pilihan raya parti itu letak jawatan (Utusan Malaysia 5.1.13)

Drama DAP – Lagi persoal isu silap kira undi (Mingguan Malaysia 5.1.13)

DAP election FIASCO – Error raises doubts about party’s ability to rule country (New Straits Times 5.1.13)

‘Embarrassing glitch’ – (New Sunday Times 6.1.13)

Sandiwara DAP pujuk Melayu – Ambil masa tiga minggua akui kesilapan pemilihan CEC (Berita Harian 5.1.13)

Tindakan DAP ‘luar biasa’ – Pinda keputusan pemilihan janggal, timbul banyak persoalan: Muhyiddin (Berita Harian t6.1.13)

It doesn’t add up (Star 5.1.13)

When DAP appears in the BN MSM, especially on their front-pages, it is not good news. In fact, often they are about lies – as in the infamous case on May 7, 2011 when Utusan Malaysia carried a front-page article headlined “Kristian agama rasmi?” (“Christianity the official religion?”), claiming that DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to instal Christianity as the religion of the federation instead of Islam and the other infamous case on July 9, 2012 on the Utusan Malaysia front-page about the  falsehood that the DAP would contest 90 of the 222 parliamentary seats to dominate Pakatan Rakyat and appoint the Prime Minister in the 13th general election.

There can be no doubt that if carpet trader, Deepak Jaikishan had made only 10% of allegations against DAP/PR leaders that he had actually made against the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the UMNO/Barisan Nasional leadership, Deepak  would be crawling all over BN MSM  in past six weeks instead of the total blackout as has actually happened.

Why have Malaysian journalism and politics descended to such a pass 55 years after Merdeka in 1957?

Although the past three days have been the most difficult days for the DAP in party history, no DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) leader regretted doing what is right – to be humble and uphold honesty and transparency by publicly admitting our blunder in the DAP CEC election results, for honesty however hard and harsh for the immediate moment must triumph in the long run.

DAP leaders, members and supporters can continue to hold their heads high unlike others who continue to wallow in lies and falsehoods and run away from honesty, accountability and transparency.

There is more than a grain of truth in the observation of an experienced political analyst relayed by DAP life advisor Dr. Chen Man Hin that the “strong criticisms from Barisan is a frantic response by an enemy that knows that their days are numbered. They have lost the political battle, and are now grasping straws to survive.”

Artikel ini juga boleh didapati dalam Bahasa Malaysia di:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/07/pengiraan-detik-95-hari-ke-pru13-sekiranya-deepak-membuat-cuma-10-dakwaan-terhadap-pemimpin-dappr-sepertimana-yang-dia-lakukan-terhadap-najib-dan-pemimpin-umnobn-dia-mungkin-kini-sedang-muncul-da/

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 6 January 2013, 12:37 pm and is filed under
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94-Day Countdown to 13GE – Test of UMNO confidence that 2008 tsunami has been halted is for Najib to declare that UMNO/BN would accept verdict of voters in 13GE  including change of government in Putrajaya

Recently, UMNO leaders are exuding  supreme confidence, at least to the public,  about the 13th General Elections.

UMNO information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan for instance has declared that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has halted the “political tsunami” of 2008 with his various transformation pledges and programmes since April 2009.

He said: “In 2008, we were worried of the ‘political tsunami’ but in 2013, I am confident it has ended.”

It was also Ahmad who last month expressed confidence that the Barisan Nasional would wrest back 20 parliamentary seats held by Pakatan Rakyat to secure two-thirds parliamentary majority in the 13GE – retaining the 140 parliamentary seats it won and capture five of the 23 seats held by PAS, five of 29 held by DAP and 10 of the 31 PKR seats.

The question that immediately comes to mind is why Najib keeps vacillating about the 13th general elections date if the UMNO leadership is so supremely confident about halting the political tsunami of 2008 and regain its two-thirds parliamentary majority – not to mention winning back  all the five states lost to Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 general elections?

Is the UMNO leadership really so confident about UMNO/BN prospects in the 13GE?

A supreme test of UMNO confidence that the 2008 tsunami has been halted is for Najib to declare that UMNO/BN would accept the verdict of voters including change of government in Putrajaya.

This is a question which I had repeatedly posed to Najib inside and outside Parliament in the past four years, but which he had studiously avoided – completely out of character with his declaration that he wants Malaysia to be the “world’s best democracy” as it highlights his refusal to accept the most basic sine qua non  for a normal democracy, viz  a two-party or two-coalition system  and the peaceful and democratic alternation of power based on the verdict of the people in the ballot box.

Now that UMNO declares supreme confidence in having ended the “tsunami of 2008” as to wrest back 20 parliamentary seats from Pakatan Rakyat and to regain two-thirds parliamentary majority, is Najib prepared to make a clear-cut and unequivocal declaration that UMNO and BN would accept the electoral verdict of the Malaysian voters in the 13GE, including a change of federal power in Putrajaya?

Artikel ini juga boleh didapati dalam Bahasa Malaysia di:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/07/pengiraan-detik-94-hari-ke-pru13-untuk-menguji-keyakinan-umno-bahawa-tsunami-2008-telah-dihentikan-najib-perlu-mengisytiharkan-bahawa-umnobn-akan-menerima-keputusan-pengundi-dalam-pru13-ter/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 1:45 pm and is filed under
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Corruption? It’s OK lah

by Khairie Hisyam Aliman

The Malaysian Insider

Jan 07, 2013

JAN 7 — “It’s amazing how much shit people put up with, as long as you give it to them slowly.”

The above quote from Mack Leighty echoed in my head as I read that we are ranked second out of 150 countries in Global Financial Integrity’s latest report on illicit financial outflows worldwide. According to GFI, in 2010 alone we lost RM196.84 billion in funds to tax havens and Western banks, second only to China.

Earlier this month, it was Transparency International’s survey. They asked this: “During the last 12 months, do you think that your company has failed to win a contract or gain new business because a competitor has paid a bribe?” We scored the highest out of 30 countries with 50 per cent.

The same survey also found that respondents feel the misuse of public fund by public servants and politicians is common. They also said they feel it’s common for public officials to demand or accept bribes. On the whole respondents perceive government efforts to fight corruption as largely ineffective.

How did it become so bad?

The very malaise at work is our attitude. Writer William Citrin calls it the “it’s OK lah attitude.” “Simply put, the ‘it’s OK lah’ stance is a serene (and often blind) acceptance of the minor inconveniences and irritations of everyday life,” he wrote.

Like everything that inconveniences us every day, initially we feel upset — angry even. Why do people clutter up our mailboxes with flyers and business cards every day? Why do people deface signboards and traffic lights and lamp posts with their advertisements and car-for-rent flyers? Why is the traffic jam so horrible that we can watch a 30-minute sitcom on the Federal Highway during the rush hour? Why do we need to slip somebody “duit kopi” to get the bureaucratic wheels turning?

These things outrage us. But then we encounter them again and again day in, day out. Anger turns to exasperation and before long we grow jaded enough not to care so much. Just another pothole in the road, we drive around it and it’s behind us. We see those flyers lying around outside our mailbox and we shake our heads, then we drive off to work and we forget about them. “Duit kopi” becomes part of operating costs, unrecorded or maybe put under “entertainment” allowances.

Over time, we accept these things as facts of life that we have to deal with. As we accept them as part of the environment, they get worse. More and more potholes appear on the road, and we just slow down so that we can drive around each and every one of them. We don’t bother reporting them to the authorities, because we have other things to worry about. Let someone else make that phone call, we think.

Bit by bit we acclimatise to these “minor inconveniences”, and as they slowly get worse, we acclimatise even more, barely noticing that the pothole in the road is getting bigger and bigger. Just like the culture of corruption and bribery and “gifts” which also grow. We resign ourselves to their existence and do our best to get by, while the cynical ones begin to think of ways to benefit from it. The cycle continues and compounds the issue.

Today, corruption is monstrous. Some government officials become absurdly, suspiciously and unnaturally well-off and wealthy after assuming a public post, and we barely bat an eye at this. We still think it’s not that bad, because we’re used to it. “It’s OK lah,” we say, “country still developing what, a bit corrupt only, where got country without corruption?”

But it’s not okay. Even a small hole in the road is one hole too big, because wrong is wrong regardless of scale. We can’t rid ourselves of the corruption that infects the country in a day, but every great journey begins with the first step. The first step is to change our mentality about the pothole in the road.

It’s not OK lah.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 10:53 am and is filed under
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Graft, financial waste definitely wrong, be it RM30k or RM100m

By Jahabar Sadiq

Editor

The Malaysian Insider

January 07, 2013

COMMENT

Jan 7 — The RM30,000 bribe to muzzle a complainant in a sexual harassment case in Penang has hit the headlines, reinforcing the point that no one in Malaysia should accept or tolerate corruption and any financial misconduct in the country.

So, while it is refreshing and laudatory to see mainstream newspapers reporting the Penang case that involves a civil servant and a political aide, questions remain why the local media is silent on the RM100 million National Defence Education Centre (Puspahanas).

Why are they wasting so much ink over RM30,000 and not a drop for the project which has seen government land being swapped and sold but no building in plain sight in Putrajaya.

Is RM100 million just change compared to the raft of multi-billion ringgit federal projects? But RM30,000 is a lot and makes news because it involves a political aide from the federal opposition?

What is the greater crime here? A company with no track record gets a RM100 million construction job in 2005 and is paid with three parcels of government land worth RM72.5 million and RM27 million cash.

This company, which is Selangor Wanita Umno chief Senator Raja Datuk Ropiaah Abdullah’s Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd, failed to build Puspahanas by 2011 but got to sell the land last month to a unit of public-listed Boustead Holdings Bhd, which is majority owned by army pension fund Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT).

Yet no one in government or the local media have raised a hue or cry about a facility that has yet to be completed? Or question how the Boustead unit can buy land which is apparently locked to Raja Ropiaah’s firm that she had to work out complicated deals to fund her project.

By all means, expose corruption as little as the one that one that cost Teoh Beng Hock’s life in 2009. And the latest one in Penang. Peg and assume reports that show Pakatan Rakyat (PR) also contains elements who are corrupt and not above to dirty tricks.

But go for the big fish too. How can anyone close their eye to the most daylight of robberies, a company that gets away with more money than the cost of the building it never built?

How can the Ministry of Defence keep quiet about this? How can the Ministry of Finance not say a word?

Public land is swapped for a prestigious national project but nothing gets done and everyone is as silent as the Puspahanas worksite.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) government has put eradicating graft as a top priority by beefing up the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and setting up more anti-graft courts.

However, no one there sees it fit to investigate the Puspahanas scandal with as much ardour and passion as they investigated Teoh in 2009 and this PKR political aide this year.

There must be some truth to that old Malay saying then, that “kuman di seberang laut nampak, gajah di depan mata tak kelihatan”.

Malaysians cannot and must never tolerate any corruption, financial wastage or leakage.

Investigate and publicise the Penang case because it is wrong to bribe a complainant to drop her report. But also ask this one question: where is the RM100 million Puspahanas and why is everyone keeping silent about it?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 12:36 pm and is filed under
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Mulakan kiraan 100 hari ke PRU13 hari ini – dan pastikan mandat yang jelas untuk Pakatan Rakyat menggantikan perikatan UMNO/BN di Putrajaya untuk membina negara yang bersatu,  demokratik, adil, progresif dan makmur.

Setelah Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak berterusan menjadikan dirinya tumpuan negara dan antarabangsa selama hampir dua tahun kerana memainkan watak Hamlet yang sengsara dengan persoalan “To Be or Not To Be” (melakukannya ataupun tidak) dalam hal membubarkan Parlimen bagi mendapatkan mandat buat dirinya seraya menamatkan peranannya sebagai Perdana Menteri paling lama di Malaysia yang tidak dinaikkan melalui jalan pilihan raya, maka ungkapan “100 hari ke PRU13” telah menjadi sebut-sebutan dalam bulan terakhir 2012.

Mulakan kiraan rasmi 100 hari ke PRU13 hari ini, hari pertama 2013,  dan biarkan semua rakyat Malaysia mengambil bahagian di dalam kiraan detik ke PRU13 kerana terdapatnya kemungkinan yang bersejarah di dalam peristiwa itu.

Walaupun jika Najib tidak mengadakan pilihan raya umum pada 20 April – hari ke-100 selepas hari ini – Parlimen akan terbubar dengan sendirinya pada 27 April 2013 kerana Perlembagaan Persekutuan memperuntukan sedemikian melainkan dibubarkan dengan lebih awal, Parlimen akan terbubar lima tahun selepas tarikh mesyuarat pertama selepas sesebuah pilihan raya umum, misalnya 28 April 2008.

Saya tidak merasakan yang Najib mahu menjadi lebih Hamlet daripada Hamlet dan tidak dapat membuat keputusan sehingga Parlimen terbubar dengan sendirinya pada 27 April 2013 bagi diadakan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13.

Di dalam perutusan Tahun Barunya, Najib menyeru rakyat Malaysia untuk memberikan kerajaan Barisan Nasional mandat kerana beliau berjanji untuk membangunkan negara sedaya upayanya.

Di dalam tempoh empat tahun beliau sebagai Perdana Menteri, Najib telah menunjukkan bahawa beliau bukanlah penentu kepada nasib beliau sendiri, disebabkan itulah banyak program “tranformasi” beliau dilihat lebih kepada dilanggar berbanding dipenuhi – termasuklah dasar 1Malaysia yang sehingga kini tidak mendapat sokongan baik daripada Kabinet Najib atau UMNO dan Majlis Tertinggi Barisan Nasional.

Mulakan kiraan 100 hari ke PRU13 hari ini – dan pastikan mandat yang jelas untuk Pakatan Rakyat menggantikan perikatan UMNO/BN di Putrajaya untuk membina negara yang bersatu,  demokratik, adil, progresif dan makmur.

Presiden MCA Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek ketika kiraan detik Tahun Baru di Johor Bharu mengatakan beliau akan meletakkan jawatan Presiden MCA dan menyertai DAP sekiranya DAP menang besar di Johor dan melantik Menteri Besar berbangsa Cina.

Ini merupakan politik yang tidak jujur dan penuh pembohongan serta  penipuan yang tidak diperlukan Malaysia pada abad ke-21 dan saya akan menjadi orang pertama membantah Chua Soi Lek menyertai DAP.

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/01/let-the-100-day-countdown-to-the-13ge-start-today/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 11:41 am and is filed under
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Pengiraan Detik 94 Hari ke PRU13 – Untuk menguji keyakinan UMNO bahawa tsunami 2008 telah dihentikan Najib perlu mengisytiharkan bahawa UMNO/BN akan menerima keputusan pengundi dalam PRU13 termasuklah pertukaran kerajaan di Putrajaya

Baru-baru ini pemimpin UMNO kelihatan penuh yakin, sekurang-kurangnya pada umum, berkenaan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13.

Ketua Penerangan UMNO, Datuk Ahmad Maslan contohnya telah mengisytiharkan bahawa Perdana Menteri Seri Najib Razak telah menghentikan “tsunami politik” 2008 dengan pelbagai ikrar dan program transformasi sejak April 2009.

Beliau berkata: “pada 2008 kita khuatir ada tsunami politik, tetapi 2013 saya yakin ia sudah lama berhenti.”

Ahmad jugalah yang tahun lepas meluahkan keyakinan bahawa Barisan Nasional akan mendapatkan semula 20 kerusi perlimen yang dipegang Pakatan Rakyat untuk memperoleh majoriti dua pertiga parlimen dalam PRU13 – mengekalkan 140 kerusi parlimen yang dimenangi dan merampas lime daripada 23 kerusi yang dipegang PAS, lima daripada 29 yang dipegang DAP dan 10 daripada 31 kerusi PKR.

Persoalan yang terlintas di fikiran adalah mengapa Najib berterusan berbolak-balik tentang tarikh pilihan raya umum ke-13 sekiranya kepimpinan UMNO begitu yakin telah menghentikan tsunami 2008 dan mampu mendapatkan semula majoriti dua pertiga parlimen – selain itu memenangi kembali semua lima negeri yang tewas kepada Pakatan Rakyat dalam pilihan raya umum 2008?

Adakah kepimpinan UMNO benar-benar yakin tentang peluang UMNO/BN dalam PRU13?

Ujian paling besar buat keyakinan UMNO bahawa tsunami 2008 telah dihentikan adalah dengan Najib mengisytiharkan bahawa UMNO/BN akan menerima keputusan pengundi termasuklah pertukaran kerajaan di Putrajaya.

Ini merupakan soalan yang telah berulangkali saya tujukan kepada Najib di dalam dan di luar Parlimen sepanjang empat tahun lalu, akan tetapi beliau terus mengelak – ternyata berbeza dengan pengisytiharannya bahawa beliau mahu Malaysia menjadi “demokrasi terbaik dunia” memandangkan ia menonjolkan keengganan beliau untuk menerima kemestian paling asas dalam demokrasi yang normal, yakni sistem dua parti atau dua perikatan  dan peralihan kuasa yang aman dan demokratik berdasarkan keputusan rakyat melalui peti undi.

Memandangkan kini UMNO mengisytiharkan keyakinan dalam menghentikan “tsunami 2008” memandangkan bakal merampas kembali 20 kerusi parlimen daripada Pakatan Rakyat dan mendapat kembali majoriti dua pertiga, adakah Najib bersedia untuk membuat pengisytiharan jelas dan terang bahawa UMNO dan BN akan menerima keputusan pilihan rakyat Malaysia pada PRU13, termasuklah pertukaran di dalam kuasa persekutuan di Putrajaya?

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/07/94-day-countdown-to-13ge-test-of-umno-confidence-that-2008-tsunami-has-been-halted-is-for-najib-to-declare-that-umnobn-would-accept-verdict-of-voters-in-13ge-including-change-of-government/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 3:03 pm and is filed under
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Pengiraan Detik 95 Hari ke PRU13 – Sekiranya Deepak membuat cuma 10% dakwaan terhadap pemimpin DAP/PR sepertimana yang dia lakukan terhadap Najib dan pemimpin UMNO/BN, dia mungkin kini sedang muncul dalam semua media perdana BN sejak enam minggu lalu dan bukannya digelapkan terus.

Sepanjang tiga hari lalu merupakan hari-hari yang sukar buat pemimpin, ahli dan penyokong DAP di dalam 47 tahun sejarah parti, kerana DAP telah memenuhi muka depan media perdana Barisan Nasional sejak dua hari lalu dan memenuhi semua siaran yang dikawal Barisan Nasional.

Berikut adalah tajuk berita muka depan yang lantang di dalam media perdana BN sejak dua hari lalu:

DAP silap kira undi? – Pengarah pilihan raya parti itu letak jawatan (Utusan Malaysia 5.1.13)

Drama DAP – Lagi persoal isu silap kira undi (Mingguan Malaysia 5.1.13)

DAP election FIASCO – Error raises doubts about party’s ability to rule country (New Straits Times 5.1.13)

‘Embarrassing glitch’ – (New Sunday Times 6.1.13)

Sandiwara DAP pujuk Melayu – Ambil masa tiga minggua akui kesilapan pemilihan CEC (Berita Harian 5.1.13)

Tindakan DAP ‘luar biasa’ – Pinda keputusan pemilihan janggal, timbul banyak persoalan: Muhyiddin (Berita Harian t6.1.13)

It doesn’t add up (Star 5.1.13)

Apabila DAP muncul di dalam media perdana BN, terutamanya muka depan, pasti bukan berita baik. Malah, biasanya berkenaan pembohongan – sepertimana kes yang terkenal pada 7 Mei , 2011 ketika Utusan Malaysia memaparkan tajuk berita muka depan “Kristian agama rasmi?”, mendakwa DAP berkonspirasi dengan pemimpin Kristian untuk menjadikan agama Kristian sebagai agama persekutuan dan bukan lagi Islam serta satu lagi kes terkenal yang lain adalah pada 9 Julai, 2012 di muka depan Utusan Malaysia adalah tentang pembohongan bahawa DAP akan bertanding 90 kerusi daripada 222 kerusi parlimen untuk menguasai Pakatan Rakyat lalu melantik Perdana Menteri pada pilihan raya umum ke-13.

Tidak diragukan lagi sekiranya pengedar permaidani, Deepak Jaikishan telah membuat hanya 10% dakwaan pemimpin DAP/PR sepertimana yang dia lakukan terhadap Najib dan pemimpin UMNO/BN, dia mungkin kini sedang muncul dalam semua media perdana BN sejak enam minggu lalu dan bukannya digelapkan terus seperti mana yang berlaku sekarang.

Mengapa politik dan kewartawanan Malaysia telah jatuh ke tahap sedemikian selepas 55 tahun Merdeka pada 1957?

Walaupun sepanjang tiga hari lalu merupakan hari yang paling sukar buat DAP di dalam sejarah parti, tiada seorang pun Ahli Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Parti (CEC) menyesal melakukan apa yang betul – untuk merendah diri dan menegakkan kejujuran serta ketelusan dengan mengakui secara terbuka kesilapan di dalam keputusan pemilihan CEC DAP, kejujuran sekalipun sukar dan menyakitkan untuk seketika namun akan berjaya untuk jangka masa panjang.

Pemimpin, ahli dan penyokong DAP tidak perlu rasa malu, bukannya seperti mereka yang berterusan bergelumang dengan pembohongan dan penipuan serta mengelak untuk berlaku jujur, bertanggungjawab dan telus.

Terdapat kebenaran pada pemerhatian penganalisa politik berpengalaman yang disampaikan oleh penasihat seumur hidup DAP Dr Chen Man Hin bahawa “kritikan keras daripada Barisan adalah tindak balas terdesak oleh musuh yang sedang menghitung hari. Mereka telah tewas dalam perlawanan politik, dan kini cuba menggapai apa sahaja untuk terus hidup.”

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/06/95-day-countdown-to-13ge-if-deepak-had-made-only-10-of-allegations-against-dappr-leaders-he-made-against-najib-and-umnobn-leadership-he-would-be-crawling-all-over-bn-msm-in-past-six-week/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 12:02 pm and is filed under
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Pengiraan Detik 96 Hari ke PRU13 – Kejujuran dan rendah hati mestilah sentiasa menjadi kualiti pemimpin DAP sekiranya DAP mahu terus mendapat kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat Malaysia

Telah dibangkitkan persoalan bagaimana boleh berlakunya kesilapan “kiraan semula” yang begitu besar dan kesilapan di dalam pemilihan Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Pusat (CEC) DAP yang mana bilangan undi Zairil Khir Johari untuk pemilihan CEC DAP meningkat sebanyak 498 undi daripadas 305 undi kepada 803 seperti yang diumum kan pada 15 Disember 2012 (meletakkan beliau di tempat ke-20) sementara Vincent Wu Him Ven boleh bilangan undi jatuh sebanyak 533 undi daripada 1,202 undi kepada 669 undi seperti yang diumum kan pada 15 Disember 2012 (meletakkannya di tempat ke-26).

Kesilapan itu bagaimanapun bukan hasil daripada mana-mana kiraan undi, kerana undian Zairil dan Wu telah dikira dengan betul dan terjadual sebagai 803 undi dan 669 undi. Akan tetapi kesilapan itu adalah daripada ralat komputer yang menyebabkan jumlah undian untuk lapan calon terakhir (iaitu No. 61 – 68) dikeluarkan sama seperti undi calon-calon nombor 31 hingga 38, seperti berikut:

No

Calon

Jumlah Undi

No

Calon

Jumlah Undi

31

LIM LIP ENG

448

61

WONG SAI HOONG

448

32

LIU TIAN KHIEW (RONNIE)

761

62

WONG SZE PHIN @ JIMMY

761

33

LOKE SIEW FOOK (ANTHONY)

1202

63

WU HIM VEN (VINCENT)

1202

34

M. KULA

984

64

YONG WUI WUI (VIOLET)

*

35

MANOGARAN A/L MARIMUTHU

305

65

ZAIRIL KHIR JOHARI

305

36

MANOHARAN MALAYALAM

216

66

ZULKIFLI BIN MOHD NOOR

216

37

NG CHIN TSAI

39

67

ROSELI BIN ABDUL GANI

39

38

NG WEI AIK

407

68

TAN BOON PENG

407

Akibatnya, jumlah undi Wu (No. 63) dipaparkan dengan undian daripada No. 33 (iaitu 1,202 undi) dan jumlah undi Zairil (No. 65) dipaparkan dengan undian daripada No. 36 (iaitu 305 undi) sedangkan jadual yang sepatutnya adalah 669 untuk Wu dan 803 untuk Zairil berdasarkan pembuangan dan kiraan undi di Kongres DAP.

Tiada sebarang unsur penipuan, manipulasi atau tidak jujur di dalam kiraan undi dan proses penjadualan.

Kesilapan di dalam keputusan pemilihan CEC DAP baru-baru ini adalah pengajaran berguna dan peringatan untuk semua pemimpin DAP agar sentiasa kekal jujur dan rendah diri, mengikut hikmah ungkapan “Kejujuran adalah Dasar Terbaik” sekiranya mareka mahu terus mendapat kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat Malaysia.

Sekalipun sedih, saya dapat menyatakan dengan bangga walaupun Jawatankuasa Kerja Pusat dan Jawatankuasa Tertinggi Pusat DAP menyedari bahawa kesilapan itu amat memalukan dan akan meletakkan DAP di dalam serangan politik dan media dengan ganas dan tiada belas kasihan, memutabelitkan  isu dengan sindiran dan dakwaan tidak berasas, namun tiada seorang pun pemimpin mencadangkan supaya ditutup kesilapan dan barisan kepimpinan sebulat suara mengatakan kebenaran sepatutnya disampaikan kepada parti dan umum serta berdepan dengan tindakbalasnya.

Musuh politik kami mungkin melihat ini sebagai kelemahan bagi mereka untuk mengeksploitasi dan memecahbelahkan parti, tetapi ini hakikatnya satu kekuatan yang mana pemimpin DAP bersedia untuk bertanggungjawab dan membetulkan kesilapan tidak kira betapa memalukan mungkin kerana kami percaya pada rendah hati dan “Kejujuran adalah Dasar Terbaik”.

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/05/96-day-countdown-to-13ge-honesty-and-humility-must-always-remain-qualities-of-dap-leaders-if-dap-is-to-continue-to-command-trust-and-confidence-of-malaysians/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 11:59 am and is filed under
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Pengiraan Detik 97 Hari ke PRU13 – adakah kebenaran tentang pembunuhan menggunakan C4 warga Mongolia Altantuya, Akuan Bersumpah kedua Balasubramaniam dan dakwaan serius Deepak terhadap Najib dan Rosmah hanya akan diketahui sekiranya berlaku pertukaran kerajaan di Putrajaya?

Setelah hampir sebulan, negara telah digoncangkan dengan satu demi satu pendedahan sekitar pembunuhan warga Mongolia Altantuya Shaariibuu melibatkan Akuan Bersumpah kedua enyiasat persendirian P. Balasubramaniam dan dakwaan serius terhadap Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan keluarganya oleh seorang pengedar permaidani Deepak Jaikiishan.

Persoalan yang menjadi tanda-tanya rakyat Malaysia adalah sama ada kebenaran kebenaran tentang pembunuhan menggunakan C4 warga Mongolia Altantuya, misteri di sebalik Akuan Bersumpah kedua Balasubramaniam dan dakwaan serius Deepak terhadap Najib dan keluarganya hanya akan diketahui sekiranya berlaku pertukaran kerajaan di Putrajaya dalam pilihan raya umum ke-13.

Walaupun Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi telah berkata bahawa beliau akan  menjawab semua dakwaan Deepak terhadap Najib ketika penggulungan Perhimpunan Agung UMNO ke-66, beliau dilihat gagal berbuat demikian, walaupun bukan Zahid tetapi Najib sendiri yang sepatutnya menjawab dakwaan Deepak.

Deepak telah membuat dakwaan bahawa Najib telah campur tangan untuk mendapatkannya projek kementerian pertahanan RM100 juta pada 2005 ketika Najib merupakan Menteri Pertahanan di dalam satu urusan melibatkan syarikat ketua Wanita UMNO Selangor serta penglibatan Najib di dalam memaksa Balasubraniam untuk membuat Akuan Bersumpah  kedua pada 2008 yang menarik balik akuan bersumpah sebelumnya yang mengaitkan Najib dengan pembunuhan warga Mongolia Altantuya.

Tindakan Najib setakat ini yang kekal membisu berkenaan dakwaan-dakwaan Deepak telah mengurangkan nilai dan  kewibawaan kebanyakkan pengumuman perubahan dan transformasi, termasuklah permintaan maafnya mewakili kepimpinan UMNO sewaktu ucapan dasar Presiden UMNO untuk sebarang ‘kekhilafan” yang dilakukan UMNO.

Memandangkan Najib masih belum bersedia untuk mengadakan pilihan raya umum dalam masa terdekat, adakah Perdana Menteri pada Pengiraan Detik 97 Hari ke PRU13 bersedia untuk mengadakan mesyuarat tergempar Parlimen untuk membersihkan diri beliau daripada semua dakwaan serius berlegar di sekelilingnya yang timbul daripada perkembangan sejak dua bulan lepas?

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/04/97-day-countdown-to-13ge-will-the-truth-about-the-c4-murder-of-mongolian-altantuya-balasubramaniams-second-sd-and-deepaks-serious-allegations-against-najib-and-rosmah-only/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 11:57 am and is filed under
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Pengiraan Detik 98 Hari ke PRU13 – Malaysia berhak mendapat kedudukan lebih tinggi berbanding tempat ke 36 di dalam indeks “Negara terbaik untuk dilahirkan” EIU

Pada Pengiraan Detik 98 Hari ke Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13, Malaysia diingatkan bahawa negara ini berhak mendapat yang lebih baik untuk semua aspek kehidupan di dalam negara ini baik politik, ekonomi, pendidikan, sosial, budaya dan persekitaran.

Malaysia tentu sekali berhak mendapat kedudukan lebih tinggi berbanding tempat No.36 daripada 80 negara di dalam indeks “Negara terbaik untuk dilahirkan pada 2013” dalam usaha Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) mengukur negara mana yang memberikan peluang terbaik untuk kehidupan yang sihat, selamat dan makmur.

Negara yang berada di tempat 10 teratas di dalam indeks “Negara terbaik untuk dilahirkan pada 2013” EIU adalah:

Switzerland

Australia

Norway

Sweden

Denmark

Singapura

New Zealand

Belanda

Kanada

Hong Kong

Malaysia telah diatasi oleh Taiwan (No. 14), Amerika Syarikat (No. 16), UAE (No. 18), Korea Selatan (No. 19), Kuwait (No. 22), Japun (No. 25) dan  Britain (No. 27).

Malaysia mendapat 6.62 mata daripada 10 mata di dalam kajian tinjauan kepuasan hidup, yang bertujuan menyatakan kuantiti betapa gembira seseorang itu berdasarkan senarai 11 indikator ekonomi dan sosio-politik seperti pendapatan negara per kapita, kos hidup, hak asasi manusia, harapan kehidupan, celik huruf dan tahap pendidikan, jenayah, keyakinan terhadap institusi awam dan kesejahteraan kehidupan keluarga.

Malaysia mampu melakukan lebih baik daripada kedudukan No. 36 di dalam indeks “Negara terbaik untuk dilahirkan pada 2013” EIU juga di dalam indeks-indeks global yang lain, sama ada berkenaan kerajaan yang bersih dan tidak korup, statistik jenayah, hak asasi manusia, kedaulatan hukum, kebebasan badan kehakiman, kebebasan akhbar atau persekitaran bersih.

Ini meripakan antara isu-isu yang perlu diputuskan dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 yang akan tiba.

This article is also available in English at:
https://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/01/03/98-day-countdown-to-13ge-malaysia-deserves-higher-ranking-than-no-36-placing-in-the-eiu-best-country-to-be-born-index/

                This entry was posted on Monday, 7 January 2013, 11:55 am and is filed under
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