Continued disillusion or evolution

 — K. Haridas

The Malaysian Insider

May 14, 2013

MAY 14 — What would the Indians in the MIC do when they gather? Obviously they would not speak about what they could do to help Malays or even the Bumiputeras out of poverty or help increase their share of the economic cake. The same would hold true for the MCA. To think of helping the Malays or the Indians would be outside their scope and agenda.

Would the agenda be any different for Umno? Perhaps, because they take the lead within Barisan Nasional (BN) they would be even more sensitive about any approaches for a larger slice of the cake from any of their coalition partners. To them the status quo would always remain the best option because this guarantees stability except when the issue is one of survival.

Otherwise, they would be seen as giving in to demands and thus perceived as weak. While there is nothing right or wrong about such approaches these highlight the narrow ethnic context where the focus is on the part and not on the whole. Is it a wonder then that BN has continued to stagnate?

There are no regular consultations at different levels within BN, hence issues often become divisive and a source of conflict. Let us take the case of the use of the word “Allah”. The other component parties of the BN will shy away and leave this for Umno to handle. Yet, when the crisis worsens they all pay a heavy price for their silence.

The same can be said for issues like “body snatching”, conversions, deaths under police custody, to mention a few. BN has never responded by establishing a modus operandi based on justice and fairness. Every issue is viewed from an ethnic context and once this becomes the case nothing further can be done. Everyone backs off and the courts become an avenue to deal with unresolved problems. The judges then just repeat the law or the case is postponed numerous times and the status quo remains.

There is no political will to address issues on the basis of justice, fairness and equity. This is the grave limitation of race-based politics. We have had enough of such injustices.
 Even corruption when viewed on an ethnic basis aims at protecting certain interests as can be seen in the case of Tan Sri Taib Mahmud facing the law. The visions our leaders spew out and the cynicism they create in society are a reality the present generation is not going to accept.

Call it stability or moderation the present generation along with those who have been fooled for so long are not going to buy into BN strategies because these lack credibility. The sad part is there is no upsurge from within BN. Everybody is looking for someone external to blame. BN sees this in the so-called “Chinese tsunami”. It is time that the component parties within the BN coalition spoke out. If and when they do they will begin to regain their credibility. Silence as practised by MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel is never the option if you seek credibility.

These parties must inform Umno that they are equal members of the coalition. Much of their loss has been due to the rhetoric during the Umno general assemblies, the support for Perkasa and the unfair way these parties within the coalition have been treated. Their members have reacted as has Umno to the chauvinism these parties have also expressed. It is time for these parties to have a honest and candid feedback. Opposition parties have gained because they have had the spine to take a stand.

BN as it stands today and the formula at work does not have a future except through fraud and gerrymandering. They have lost in the peninsula and are hanging on because of Sabah and Sarawak. If they continue to look through the lens of race and ethnicity they are not going to come up with great ideas that would work. We have witnessed how 1 Malaysia has fared. Where are the voices of sanity and statesmanship from within BN?

If BN has any credibility then it will work to ensure fairness and justice in the electoral system. They are where they are today because they have manipulated the system and secured for themselves a hollow victory. I wonder how their MPs do really feel about themselves. The alarming gap between their beliefs and their practices discredits them.

On a fair and level playing field we would today have a new government charting a fresh future that is possible because they are used to consultations, have agreed to a modus operandi to manage differences and agree to disagree on certain issues. Yet they would apply fairness and justice to the cause.

It is an amazing achievement to have PKR, the DAP and PAS as a coalition. What a mixture and this is only possible because they are individually and collectively committed to a more transcendent cause than race. For them justice and fairness are worth fighting for in Malaysia. Strength lies in diversity and not in similarity as highlighted by the saying “Unity in diversity”.

We need to deal with both substance and form and unless the BN coalition can squarely face this challenge what will be left of BN is Umno. The choice is continued disillusionment or evolution. The opposition has provided this challenge.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 6:40 am and is filed under
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From ballots to protests

 — Khoo Ying Hooi

The Malaysian Insider

May 14, 2013

MAY 14 — In the immediate aftermath of Malaysia’s closely contested polls on 5 May, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called on Malaysians to protest the results in what he said as the worst electoral fraud in Malaysian’s history. In the 13th General Election, the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional won 133 of 222 parliamentary seats, its worst showing wins since Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. It won 46.8% of all votes for parliamentary seats in an election with a record turnout of almost 85%, compared with 50.3% for Pakatan Rakyat.

Anwar Ibrahim vowed to lead a “fierce movement” to press on electoral reform and challenge the results of the election. He also urged Malaysians to show their resentment over the state of democracy in the country by wearing black every Saturday, in which some term as “democracy blackout”. Since then, several 505 post-election rallies, “Suara Rakyat, Suara Keramat” have been held in different part of Malaysia and it is still ongoing.

Electoral protests are not unusual

In Venezuela for example, the supporters of Venezuela opposition leader Henrique Capriles demanded a recount after a slim electoral defeat to Nicolas Maduro, the late Hugo Chavez’s handpicked successor. Similarly in Malaysia, that was the closest the opposition has come to power in Venezuela since Chavez won his first presidential election in 1998.

In Mexico, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through Zocalo plaza, Mexico City against Enrique Pena Nieto’s presidential win, accusing him and his party, Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) of widespread vote buying influenced millions of votes in the form of groceries, pre-paid gift cards and other goods to the voters.

The most current example is in Pakistan, supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protested the just concluded Pakistan election on 11 May against alleged poll rigging.

Ongoing electoral fraud investigations

The investigation team lead by PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli to probe alleged electoral fraud has thus far identified 27 parliamentary seats nationwide for scrutiny, the team along with similar teams from DAP and PAS, also work closely with the people’s tribunal set up by Bersih for similar purpose.

The Election Commission has at the same time also start gathered evidence and set to act against whoever making baseless allegations that had defamed the Election Commission with allegations of electoral fraud.

What’s next?

Social movements and citizens’ contentious collective action has become a prominent feature in Malaysian politics in the past few years. The phenomenon of social movements has been critical for the democratic development in the country but there is however no direct correlation between mass movements and democratic outcomes.

“We will continue this struggle and we will never surrender,” Anwar told his supporters in several rallies. The spirit of rakyat remains high for the post-election rallies, however the question is how successful are the post-election rallies of Anwar Ibrahim? To claim for a victory, there will be a need in which the rallies achieve what they want, be it the re-running of elections, the nullification of the election results and, or resign of the incumbent government.

* Khoo Ying Hooi is a Fellow in the University of Malaya and a PhD candidate in Universiti Putra Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 6:04 am and is filed under
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Hello, we are Malaysians

 — Tih Seong Pin

The Malaysian Insider

May 14, 2013

MAY 14 — The call by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) pro-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad for the abolition of Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in favour of a single stream school which uses Malay-language as a medium is unconstitutional,backward,impractical,irresponsible and unMalaysian.

To abolish Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in the country means to deny the roles and contributions played by both major communities since Merdeka in 1957 and this does not make sense!

The UiTM pro-chancellor must not forget it was the joint noble aspirations, efforts and unity of the nation’s 3 major races that won Malaysia’s Merdeka and freed us from the British rule thta made us the master of our destiny!

Malaysia belongs the the people of all races and all our cultural,social ,economic and political rights are guaranteed in the highest laws of the land -the Federal Constitution.

For so long, Chinese vernacular schools have played a tremendous role in developing the nation-economically,culturally and politically fostering national unity by producing many talented and -high-value individuals,among them  with people like Pua Khein Seng-who invented the first single chip USB flash controller in the world called”pendrive”in 2001 and Datok Lee Chong Wei,our national badminton star who has brought international honours to our motherland just to name a few.

Abdul Rahman Arshad also commented countries such as Indonesia,Philippines and Thailand had already implemented a single-language policy in the education system to better foster national unity to this the people must understand Malaysia’s historic and the national condition is different from those countries as the founding fathers of this great country were made up from the late Tunku Abdul Rahman,Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Tun V.Sambanthan thus our greatest strenght and assets-unity in diversity!

Therefore, it is unfair and illogical to compare Malaysia with those countries mentioned.

And also,it is important to point out today there are more than 80000 thousands of non-Chinese students studying in Chinese vernacular schools nationwide and the number keeps increasing clearly showing the value of Chinese vernacular schools and the meanings and value of freedom of choice by parents.This clearly proven the point the existence of vernacular schools is not a barrier towards intergration as claimed by Abdul Rahman Arshad.

Currently,there are  a few types of schools existing in the country namely the National schools,Chinese vernacular schools,Tamil vernacular schools,Chinese independent schools,religious schools,missionary schools and private schools all playing a very vital and support role in nation-building.

As a matter of fact these schools have been existence long before Merdeka are multi-racial Malaysia’s rich and great heritage and legacy and all responsible,peace-loving and forward-looking Malaysians must cherish,protect and nurture.

For centuries,Malaysians of different background have proven to the world we can live ,and work together for the interest and well-being of everyone.Malaysia is what it is today due to the patriotism shown by all races and all must be treated fairly and justly according to our laws and the unique Malaysian spirit.

Multi-racial,multi-cultural and multi-religious Malaysia will and can only go for if  there is mutual respect,understanding and acceptance by all races with our leaders of all sectors showing the “Malaysian Way”.

In this plural society of ours,it is our duty and responsiblity to love our motherland and protect and free it from all forms of racism,fanaticism and extremism and make Malaysia a truly great,united and prosperous nation in the eye of the world.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 6:12 am and is filed under
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Hope restored

— Juju Johari

The Malaysian Insider

May 14, 2013

MAY 14 — After having my heart broken the night the election results were announced, I jumped at the opportunity to express my deepest condemnation of the results, arriving at the Kelana Jaya stadium grounds at about 6.30pm. My friend had picked me up, and being very traffic-savvy, he got us there expediently, which is much to be thankful for considering many others were not so fortunate.

I was immediately taken in by the wondrous sights that greeted me, as people poured into the stadium grounds all wearing black, with people greeting each other as if they were old friends, whilst strangers took pictures of interesting sights, outfits, placards and characters that pointedly broke down racial barriers. That night, in and around the stadium, Malays, Chinese and Indians celebrated their diversity and their love for the country and Malaysianness by not only showing up but also expressing, as clearly as day, their desire for a JUST new world.

This was a gathering that will long stay in memory as those who turned up shared a common pain, and to wash away the deep sorrow we felt, and the no longer suspended disbelief that things have gotten so bad in this country we call home. We wanted to continue believing that good will triumph over evil. We wanted justice, but I think mostly what we found that evening was a mirror in each other, a reflection of the goodness of what we strived for, affirmation, a sense of belonging to the true Malaysian identity. In short, we found hope.

I have the greatest respect for our young citizens that night; while it is easy to develop apathy, and to move on as the hum-drum of life takes over, and to be cynical and tell ourselves “there-is-nothing-I-can-do”, our young ones have shown great leadership by turning up in such significant numbers, showing great vision by blazing the path of unity, respect and understanding.

Young Chinese students with PAS headgear taking pictures with young Malays proudly wearing DAP flags on their shoulders, basically stuff which are becoming more and more common at Pakatan Rakyat (PR) events, and unfortunately, these magical and heartwarming scenes will never get the airtime they deserve over the mainstream media.

Credit to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership who has again shown how fully in tune he is to how the rakyat feel amidst the trials and tribulations of the week. It is the mark of a humane and strong, decisive leader.

As the battle cry faded into the night, as rally goers tiredly walked to their cars, in the end it was such a healing experience knowing that we dare again hope, and the fact that regardless of age, race and religion, we know that we are definitely not alone. We can stand shoulder to shoulder with thousands of our brethren who have shown us the path and shared our dreams of a better Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 12:45 am and is filed under
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I am Malaysia

 — Jun Watanabe

The Malaysian Insider

May 13, 2013

MAY 13 — I cannot seem to shake off this feeling of grief. Like many other urbanite non-malays I had voted for an non-BN candidate in my constituency, and the indelible ink on my finger was coming off. At 40 I had just taken part in my first elections, fueled by the responsibility I felt as a parent and a tax paying citizen. But I never used to care.

I speak English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin better than I speak Malay. I was born in a foreign land and look foreign.

I was never educated in Malaysia- growing up in Johor in the 80s it was an easy choice for my parents, and I started at age 7 commuting to Singapore everyday, and later the US.

Like many other stories out there I grew up with prejudices and pre-conceived notions of how the other races were, how the civil service was, how everyone was different, cloistered in my own community, sheltered by something unwritten that you live and let live.

Yet I am Malaysian, strange as it may seem to most. Over the years I have given up the chance of citizenship in another country, permanent residency in 2 others. Like many in forums who recounted that they grew up a certain race but once they were abroad they identified themselves simply as “Malaysian”, I have never felt any other. I feel tied to the land, to my friends and family, to the neighborhood where I live, to my neighbors, to nasi lemak and petai bee hoon, and teh tariks sessions in mamaks. I am proud of P. Ramlee and Sheila Majid and Tan Twan Eng as I am of Lee Chong Wei and Nicol David.

And funny how it is when you “awaken” and you start to care – mine was six years ago the day Maya was born. When it is that you know that you have the ability and the immense power to shape and influence a person’s life, you must experience, in your own time, a myriad of differing but not mutually exclusive feelings, and some of which should be pride, anxiety, helplessness, despair, stoicism, sacrifice. You become acutely aware of your limitations, but the impulse of wanting to protect her and a hand in nurturing her makes you strive to overcome your fears and your imperfections.

For the sake of my daughter I resolved to be a better person.

I write this essay to recount the things that transpired in my life that culminated in me queuing up in a saluran and casting a vote that helped decide the fate of the nation. There are many others out there with their own stories of how they got to that queue, and many like me were voting for the first time in GE13. But I like my story. I am grateful that somehow an altruistic urge of wanting the best for my child made me start to look at my surroundings in more detail.

That her best friends are Eurasian kids- Jade and Maloe. That she learnt to sing Malay songs in kindergarten. That she speaks mainly in English but professes that she prefers speaking to me in Chinese. That she goes to a government primary school next year, but should it be an international school? Am I earning enough? Why I am spending a third of my income on a car? Should I get medical insurance? What is this thing about math & science subjects? Which box should she be ticking under bangsa? What are her chances of higher education in this country? As much as I am careful to balance with expectations and the modern pressures of a kid growing up, I had severe doubts with the political and economic system we have in this country.

As it were, it was not as if I had my eyes closed the whole time before this. As a working adult I drive across potholes and uneven roads on tolled highways that cost 3 times more per km to build than in Singapore or Switzerland, to get to government offices that reeked of inefficiency, and officers who blatantly hint that you-help-me-I-help-you in speeding up applications. I have interviewed countless young engineers who have no clue of their value in society, much less be able to articulate what they could bring to my firm- why should I hire them?

But like so many I had merely complained in mamaks, and lived and let live.

As paternal instincts hastened those feelings of anxiety and helplessness and despair and morphed them into anger, I am faced with a choice not uncommon to many who are able – do I plan to join the brain drain and run, or stand with fellow stakeholders. The choice wasn’t clear in the beginning. Bersih 1.0 passed and I scarcely knew that it even happened, but as social media picked it up, it fueled my imagination as I’m sure it did many others, that a grassroots apolitical group of citizens have started the first probably most effective method of exacting change in this country. I did not go to Bersih 2.0 as well, but the poignant images of Auntie Bersih and Karpal Singh in his wheelchair probably did me in.

At Bersih 3.0 I sat at the front on Leboh Pasar Besar and got tear gassed and sprayed with chemically laced water.

Before GE13 I had already posted in several other articles that I thought it was highly unlikely that the opposition would win. We should acknowledge that money politics and gerrymandering were far greater impediments to a fair election than phantom or bogus postal voters ever would. Yet I ran around with friends that day shuttling between the different Lembah Pantai polling stations, joining the thousands in the human wall hoping to safeguard what little we could of the integrity of the electoral process.

I thought about it a lot, but I did not go to Kelana Jaya. I did not want my struggle to be associated with any political party. I do not trust politicians, period. Even if the opposition had personalities like Lim Guan Eng, who once spent time in jail under ISA for defending a Malay girl, or Nurul Izzah Anwar, who I see as the great big hope of this nation, I could not see myself taking part in a rally under a political banner.

But that grief I felt at the beginning of my essay has now given way to hope. I feel that my story should also get to represent the middle ground in Malaysia, part of a sea of stories now emerging in the zeitgeist of our times. The socio-political landscape has changed. The way we naturally want to live is peace and prosperity for all. Little by little, society should naturally veer towards inclusiveness, the division across racial lines should diminish incrementally. Religion should have no place in governance, serving only as moral guides. The excesses and abuses by people in authority will continue to shift public perception, and this 48%/51% gap should get even wider.

As a society we will only consider our work done when we have nurtured a populace who can constantly hold those in power accountable. The rakyat must be masters and politicians its servants. There is no room for complacency in this endeavor. The work will not be done at the end of a general election.

I dream of Maya growing up in a beautiful country where she and her rainbow colored friends have equal opportunities to learn and contribute in building a clean, safe and respectful community, and I’d wish that her voice never be silenced, and her will never be diluted.

“Whenever I despair, I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end, they always fail. Think of it: always.” – Gandhi

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 6:55 am and is filed under
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I have seen the video of Mohd Noor’s speech and it is unquestionably  the most divisive, destructive, racist and seditious speech ever made in Malaysia in 44 years

It is reported today that NGOs led by Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) have come out in support of former Court of Appeal Judge Mohd Noor Abdullah and claimed that Malaysiakini’s coverage of his remarks was “malicious and intended to threaten racial harmony in Malaysia”.

A GPMS statement alleged that the Malaysiakini report was “one-sided and resulted in the readers feeling uneasy, to the extent that PKR de facto leader Anwar  Ibrahim had described (the) statement as racist”.

It said: “It is unfortunate that those who commented in the news portal were not there to hear for themselves and to evaluate the speech as a whole. We question Malaysiakini’s motive in selectively highlighting the speech as well as interpreting it and portraying him as a racist.”

I have seen the video of Mohd Noor’s speech which  unquestionably  the most divisive, destructive, racist and seditious speech ever made in Malaysia in 44 years.

I feel totally uneasy that anyone, let alone a person of Mohd Noor’s stature as former Court of Appeal judge,  could spew such racist and chauvinist poison with immunity and impunity, completely reckless of the grave harm they could do to destroy the fabric of Malaysia’s plural society.

I can vouch that Malaysiakini’s report of Mohd Noor’s speech was neither malicious nor unprofessional, but was in fact a fair and reasonable account of Mohd Noor’s speech.

It was Mohd Noor’s speech which was an abomination of the concept of 1Malaysia, as it was most vile and  inflammatory calculated to incite racial distrust, misunderstanding and conflict, totally unworthy of a person who had held the high office of a Court of Appeal judge.

It is a real shame and most tragic that in the past 10 days since the 13GE results, there had been a spike of the most racist and seditious speeches by former holders of high public office like Mohd Noor and the former Director-General of Education and now Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) pro-chancellor Abdul Rahman Arshad who made the seditious call for the

abolition of Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools.

Mohd Noor is not bothered about the failure of the Malaysian judiciary to restore its former international repute and standing for its independence, impartiality, integrity and quality after the first assault on the judiciary by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir in 1988 followed by a series of judicial assaults nor is Abdul Rahman concerned about the drastic drop in Malaysian educational standards, whether primary, secondary or university as compared to other countries in the past four decades but were only concerned to become new racist champions inimical to Najib’s 1Malaysia signature policy.

But the pertinent question is why the Police and the Attorney-General have not yet arrested, charged and prosecuted Mohd Noor and Abdul Rahman for the grave offence of sedition to undermine and wreck the inter-racial harmony in Malaysia!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 4:55 pm and is filed under
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Our democracy died but was revived

 — Chris Tay

The Malaysian Insider

May 14, 2013

MAY 14 — When I reached home in Bandar Sunway after work on May 8, my housemates were already in black and pumped up to go to the Kelana Jaya rally. As tired as I was, I decided to go and show support in the fight against electoral fraud.

We left around 6.30pm from Bandar Sunway and took the Ara Damansara way to try to avoid going through the LDP. Incredibly enough, the jam was as bad as it was raining as well. All cars seemed to be heading to the very place we wanted to go. Finally we manage to park (somewhat illegally) on the highway about 3km from the stadium and started walking.

As we got nearer to the stadium, we were joined by many others who were wearing black. With our umbrellas (it was still raining), we inched closer to the stadium and what I saw were cars everywhere, all parked in the most imaginative way possible. People of all races were all walking side by side to the stadium and some even stopped to buy merchandise like shirts, scarves and the annoying little horns.

The stadium came into view after about a 20-or-so-minute walk. A small “pasar malam” seemed to have been set up. It was carnival-like. This was about 8.15pm. Suddenly, I heard a loud cheer like one of those from the movie “Gladiator” when Russell Crowe’s character reached the Coliseum. We hurried into the stadium and found a sea of people wearing black, braving the evening drizzle and cheering. This was as though Malaysia was playing in the World Cup and we are watching the final.

My housemates wanted a good view, so we made our way right to the centre of the stadium. Everywhere I looked, there was someone smiling or giving a polite nod to us. The view was spectacular. Flags were flying everywhere and banners that had messages I wanted to say were found everywhere. A Chinese girl holding a PAS flag or a Malay guy waving a DAP banner was something common. The people, mostly young adults, were of all races.

The rain stopped a little, but the ground was still wet. So people were putting newspapers, plastic bags on the ground to sit on. One Punjabi guy lent me his towels (I don’t know why he had them) to sit on. The rally started and one by one, we cheered on each speaker. I must note there was nothing racial about their speeches and it was only concerning the electoral cheating and fraud of the incumbent government.

By that time, the whole stadium was packed and overflowing into the streets. I guess the figure of 120,000 people could be quite accurate. From where I was sitting, I could see people climbing over fences, sitting on the scoreboard, climbing up the walls and some even watched from the buildings surrounding the stadium.

Speakers like Mat Sabu, Tony Pua, Wong Chen and Saifuddin Nasution fired up the crowd. But when Lim Kit Siang was sighted on the big screens, the stadium went into euphoria. This man, who is in his 70s, has fought so hard for Malaysia, and the crowd acknowledge his spirit and sacrifice. They say he is racist, in fact someone did say he is an extremist racist. I guess these people are deluded because intelligent Malays would know he is not. In Gelang Patah, he was not just banking on the Chinese vote, but also for the Malay and Indian vote. His ceramah was always to unite, not divide the people. Beside me was a group of young Malays guys who were cheering as hard as I was when we saw Uncle Lim.

Anwar got the loudest roar from the crowd. The man waved to the sea of people and the crowd was chanting “Anwar, Anwar!” His speech was inspiring, with sections of the stadium replying to his questions and comments. It was this day that I once again believed in the strength of the people, that we are not alone in this fight, and that we must follow the leaders who have fought, got beaten down but rose up again like Anwar, Uncle Lim and his son, the CM. If they persevered, we must emulate our leaders and persevere for our future and our democracy.

I felt more Malaysian and united than any slogan can make me feel. The anger of the people seemed to have reached its peak and the rakyat will not stay quiet any longer. Finally, when we sang “Negaraku”, I felt a rush of pride being a Malaysian. I stood with a group of Malays on my right (who brought their Atuk, I think), a group of young Chinese behind me, and some Indians in front of me. We were not distinguished by our race that night. We sang as Malaysians and we were all proud to be Malaysians — 120,000 people sang as though they were going into battle and there were emotions as though we were sad that our Malaysia is under attack from within.

When it finished, chants of “Reformasi”, “Bersih” rang through the night. I left the stadium with much difficulty as it was so congested. It was not until 2am did I reach home, tired, wet and exhausted, but burning with love for my country and for the wonderful people in it.

I want to say that although we are of different races, colours, creeds or religions, we are still Malaysians. On May 5 I witnessed the worse of Malaysia, but that Wednesday, I witnessed the best of Malaysia. God bless our home, Malaysia!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 12:37 am and is filed under
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This is what the Chinese want

― Ong Hean Teik

The Malaysian Insider

May 08, 2013

MAY 8 ― The Utusan Malaysia headline of May 7 posed an interesting and pertinent question of what more do the Chinese in Malaysia want. It is a pity that Utusan is unable to see that what the Chinese want is, in fact, what the educated urban Malaysian voter wants, regardless of race or religion. There are three important characteristics lacking in the Barisan of today.

Intelligent, courageous leadership

The Chinese comprise only 30 per cent of Malaysian voters, yet Pakatan Rakyat won 51 per cent of the total votes cast. By saying that the election result was because of the Chinese voters, the Barisan Nasional leadership demonstrates an inability to objectively face reality.

Barisan’s acceptance of Zulkifli Nordin as its direct Shah Alam candidate similarly shows a lack of intelligence and courage. Here is a lawyer who does not feel that dialogue and discussion can resolve matters, having forcefully disrupted a Law Society seminar. He has vowed loyalty to, and then turned on his previous political parties. He has publicly belittled an ancient religion with a million Malaysian followers.

Umno making way for Ibrahim Ali to contest the Pasir Mas constituency is similarly bad judgement, showing its acceptance and approval of a crude man who prides himself with using vulgar words in public interviews.

To give them such special honour and credit shows a lack of intelligent reasoning and an inability to stand up against the loud extremist faction of the party.

Attributing the election outcome to a “Chinese tsunami” is illogical in the face of concrete facts and data. PAS won an additional seven state seats in Selangor, all in Malay majority areas.

Lim Kit Siang could not have achieved a majority of over 14,000 votes in Gelang Patah without good support from Malays who form 35 per cent of the electorate there.

Similarly the Umno-backed Perkasa extremists were conclusively rejected in Pasir Mas (96 per cent Malay) and in Shah Alam where Malays make up 70 per cent of the electorate.

To blindly spin the 2013 election outcome to suit its raced-based founding philosophy of 1947 shows up a political party that wants to be stubbornly unwise. Unless Umno’s leadership can find the courage to face facts, the party may become redundant and obsolete for the educated 21st century voter.

Respect and recognition of rights

Academic studies have consistently shown that increased income brings more happiness and satisfaction only up to a certain point. When a society progresses out of poverty into middle class, increasing income does not increase satisfaction proportionately. It is the psychological aspects of living that produces a better quality of life.

Whatever the radiation scientists claim, the people of Bentong (45 per cent Malay, 44 per cent Chinese) will ask why a factory run by an Australian company is unsuitable for Australia or Damansara Heights but can be located in their backyard.

In 2008, Health Minister Liow won Bentong by over 12,000 votes. This year he retained Bentong with less than 400 votes against a political novice who is a green activist. The urban electorate, Chinese or Malay, seeks respect and recognition of their right to a safe living environment.

In Penang, the 1 Malaysia Charity organisation hosted numerous concerts and dinners in support of Barisan candidates. At their functions, T-shirts, beer, hawker food and lucky draw gifts were given free.

Initially there was merriment and wonder at this new campaigning style; this then became anger and disgust when even cash incentives were handed out. The electorate felt they were treated with disrespect, as if their rights, dignity and vote were for sale.

Numerous development issues had plagued the Penang DAP government in the months leading up to the election, and the increased majority they subsequently obtained can only be explained by the strong rejection what the other side represents. Money cannot buy happiness, and similarly, the urban electorate set out to show that money cannot buy their vote in Penang.

The urban electorate in Malaysia is obviously better off economically compared to the rural dwellers. They have reached a stage when extra economic incentives can no longer easily win their approval.

Instead they asked for respect, and an acknowledgement of their right to an inclusive, peaceful existence in the country. They seek recognition as a legitimate electorate with the right to choose the governing party. Blaming and insulting them for voting against the Barisan will only guarantee the DAP and Pakatan a brighter future.

Competent efficient institutions

There is no doubt that relative to those who were once our equivalent, we Malaysians have fallen behind. The Singapore dollar which was equivalent to the ringgit in the 1970’s is today 2.5 times higher. Malaysia beat South Korea and Japan in the 1972 Olympic football qualifying rounds; today we are nowhere near these 2 World Cup Finals participating countries.

Universiti Malaya had topped the list of universities passing the United States medical qualifying examination in 1969, ahead of Melbourne and Singapore University. In 2011, Universiti Malaya was ranked 401 out of the 500 universities in the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities.

The educated, smart-phone holding, internet-surfing, urban voter is aware of world-wide trends and wants to experience the best that life can offer. When the governing party is unable to develop the country to its full potential, its popularity will drop.

As demonstrated by the Noble prize winning Dr Ivan Pavlov, animals respond to incentives, and man is no exception. A system that promotes those who agree with and pamper those in power while sidelining those working hard to pursue competency will breed inefficient malfunctioning institutions. Even those not under their direct employment will be affected by these incompetent institutions.

When the police force is politicised and crime rate increases, more money will have to be spent on personal and household security. Even Datuk Nazir Razak admitted that he had hesitated coming back to Malaysia because of concerns about his children’s education. When the middle class spends on private education or healthcare, votes for the governing party will drop.

Conclusion

The Chinese now make up only 25 per cent of Malaysia’s population and to be named as the cause of major developments in the country is to be hurtful to this minority and insulting to the majority. On the other hand, government statistics show that Malaysia’s urban population has increased from 62 per cent in 2000 to 71 per cent in 2010.

No amount of rhetorical whitewashing can hide the fact that the poor performance of Barisan in the 2013 election is due to its failure to win the heart and mind of the urban voter. The faster it faces reality and move away from its obsolete race-based mindset, the better its prospects for the next electoral battle.

* Dr Ong Hean Teik is a consultant cardiologist in Penang. He reads The Malaysian Insider.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 15 May 2013, 6:31 am and is filed under
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Analysts: Umno-heavy Cabinet reflects Najib’s party polls focus, could affect reforms

By Amin Iskandar, Debra Chong and Syed Jaymal Zahiid

The Malaysian Insider

May 16, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — Umno’s domination of the 2013 Cabinet shows Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s desire to shore up his personal support ahead of party polls but at the expense of the prime minister’s national reform measures, several observers say.

While the pundits held grave reservations over the large number of veterans in the 32-man Cabinet, they said Najib deserved a chance to prove he could deliver on his promised government and economic transformation agenda once he had secured his party presidency.

The Umno president had cast 17 of his party colleagues in ministerial positions when naming members of his Cabinet yesterday. Of the line-up, most were old government hands being switched around or promoted with the exception of new faces Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

Such an Umno-studded cast was “clever”, according to William Case, a professor in Asian and International Studies at the University of Hong Kong.

“My take is that while many critics are dismissing the Cabinet as made up most of old hacks, I see it as more mixed, possibly in clever ways, as it includes Najib’s personal supporters, reformers, and nativists,” he told The Malaysian Insider in an emailed response yesterday.

There has been speculation that Najib, 59, is likely to face a challenge to his presidency from within Umno in the party ballot due this year for failing to return the BN’s two-thirds supermajority in the May 5 general election despite improving the Malay party’s number of federal seats to 88.

Case noted Najib had encircled himself with loyalists, such as his cousin Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, “useful” for engaging with civil society activists.

He said the prime minister’s decision to shift Hishammuddin from handling home affairs — a senior Cabinet position — into taking care of defence may enrich the Umno vice-president but would also “diminish his domestic soapbox, which should help Najib in October” when the party election is likely to be held.

He noted too the overtures to party members linked to minority camps, namely Khairy, the son-in-law to Najib’s predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and new Information Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, once seen to have close ties with veteran politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who is from the Kelantan royal house.

“Shabery Cheek was associated with Razaleigh, which should also help Najib in countering the Mahathirists,” the academic said, referring to Umno warlords loyal to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whose shadow still looms large over the party but whose influence in today’s society appears to have waned.

Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of think-tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), also viewed the prime minister as creating a Cabinet that would help him defend his post in Umno.

“By hook or by crook he would be thinking about the Umno polls,” he said.

But Wan Saiful pointed out that Najib was also considering his transformation programme and had selected those whom he felt could smoothen the process.

“He knows that he has to name those who would support it and putting people like Idris Jusoh in education is a very good move as education is important to the transformation process,” he said, referring to the former Terengganu mentri besar promoted to become the second minister of the merged education and higher learning portfolio.

Like Case, Wan Saiful said the inclusion 37-year-old Khairy and Rahman Dahlan was a good move as the duo were seen to represent the younger voice in an ageing Cabinet whose average age stands at 57.

In comparison, the average age of Malaysia’s first Cabinet members in 1957 was reported to be in the 30s.

Universiti Putra Malaysia political scientist Prof Jayum A. Jawan, however, was sceptical about the changes that Najib could make with what the don branded a “conservative” Cabinet.

“I don’t see a real power-sharing here. The positions of power are all held by Umno like Finance, Home Affairs and Defence,” he said.

“Well definitely he is seeking re-election this year and that will be reflected in his Umno Cabinet line-up. You can see him strategising for re-election but how is he to do that leaves a question mark because most of them are just old-timers,” he said, adding that the names announced had been in government for a very long time, even if not at Putrajaya’s highest decision-making level.

Like the other pundits, Jayum viewed Khairy’s inclusion as a positive step towards getting youth support, but noted the move was unlikely to be sufficient to parry a possible challenge in the party polls.

“Some people in Umno are already saying that Najib would not see a smooth re-election and that there are some people that will likely challenge him,” he said.

Economist Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said that Najib had concocted a compact and balanced line up of ministers, factoring in their age, experience and skills set, barring the near absence of Chinese support and the age disparity between the decision-makers and the people they were to represent.

He agreed that the Cabinet line-up studded with Umno faces was a bid to shore up support for Najib with party polls due this year, adding that it was “payback time” for Umno’s performance in the 13th general election.

But he believed “the Cabinet could still be a good Cabinet despite the weaknesses”.

“What is important is that in the next 100 days there must be definite policies to strengthen the fight against corruption, crime, cronyism, and most of all this ketuanan thing,” the chairman of the Centre of Public Policy Studies said, the last referring to the growing right-wing elements within Umno for racial supremacy which, he said, were at odds with the aspirations of the electorate.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 7:24 am and is filed under
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Forcing a paradigm shift in MCA and Umno

by Oon Yeoh

Malaysiakini

May 15, 2013

COMMENT

Much has been written about MCA and Gerakan’s decision not to join the cabinet following their poor performance in the recently concluded general elections.

Some commentators have said that because Malaysia is a multiracial country, there must be Chinese representation in the cabinet to look after Chinese needs. That’s an interesting notion because MCA and Gerakan ministers have never assumed the position of Chinese affairs minister or anything like that. Such a position doesn’t exist.

They take up other positions like transport minister or health minister or energy, water and communications minister. So, how do they look after Chinese interests if their job is to look after transportation, health or energy, water and communications issues?

Perhaps, they can speak up about Chinese-related issues privately to the prime minister. But do they have to be in the cabinet to speak the PM about such issues? Aren’t there other channels to highlight such issues besides being in the cabinet?

In fact, if the PM really wanted to understand Chinese concerns, he should speak to opposition leaders for it’s obvious they have a better handle of Chinese grouses than MCA or Gerakan leaders.

Besides, if it’s Chinese representation in the cabinet that people are worried about, the prime minister can always appoint prominent members of the Chinese community as senators and make them ministers.

But who exactly is calling for Chinese representation in the cabinet? Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has called for it. So has Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin. Columnist Azman Ujang has done so, too.

Notice something? They’re all Malays. The elephant in the room that needs to be addressed is that hardly any Chinese people are calling for this!

As Sin Chew Daily columnist Tay Tian Yan noted in his article ‘Does MCA still have a future?’, “The Chinese community no longer expects anything from the MCA and even the party’s decision of not taking any posts in the cabinet has failed to arouse significant reaction.”

The reason is obvious. MCA made it clear enough that it would not take up any cabinet posts if the party fared worse than in 2008. Despite that, the Chinese community still largely voted for the opposition. Is it not obvious that no MCA representation is something Chinese voters are not particularly concerned about?

For many years now, the Chinese community has felt that MCA has not adequately stood up for Chinese rights in the face of increasing hardline stances taken by some Umno leaders. Even Ong Tee Keat, seen by many to be an outspoken maverick within MCA, does not speak up against Umno. I don’t recall him saying anything about the keris-wielding antics of some Umno leaders during the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) years.

More recently, MCA president Chua Soi Lek gave away several seats to Umno and even vouched for Perkasa’s Zulkifli Noordin (who stood under a BN ticket), saying he has repented.

‘Chinese were not duped’

The Chinese were not duped by the opposition, as some BN politicians have suggested. They simply don’t care for the kind of representation that MCA has to offer.

There are calls for MCA to reconsider its decision not to take part in the cabinet. Will it? There are already some cracks. Pulai Sebatang state assemblyperson Tee Siew Kiong has agreed to be in the Johor exco.

By Thursday, we should know if MCA and Gerakan will stick to their decision to stay out of the cabinet at the federal level. If these parties change their minds, not only would they lose whatever little credibility they have left, they would become a laughing stock.

For a whole range of reasons, it makes sense of these parties to stay out of the cabinet. Firstly, it respects the wishes of its target constituency, the Chinese voters, who knew exactly what was at stake and still voted for the opposition.

Secondly, it gives these parties the time to do some serious soul-searching on what to do going forward. Being away from the cabinet frees them from being beholden to Umno and thus allows them to make more independent decisions about their own future.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, it forces Umno to come to terms with the reality that it actually needs MCA and Gerakan as much as they need it.

This kind of mutual symbiosis is something that DAP, PKR and PAS have always been aware of, which is why there is no party that assumes the role of “Big Brother” in Pakatan Rakyat. All three parties are more or less equal.

The same cannot be said of Barisan Nasional which has Umno playing the “Big Brother” role all along. This colours the way Umno deals with its partners in the coalition and as a result, makes its partners look subservient.

It’s funny that Umno supreme council member Mohamad Nazri Abdul Aziz should say to the Chinese: “If you want to punish MCA, whack MCA in their seats, why take it out on the rest of BN?” What he clearly fails to understand is that the Chinese voters are against MCA because of how it kowtows to Umno.

Chinese voters are not naïve or misinformed. They don’t need MCA to tell them that a vote for DAP is a vote for PAS. This is 2013, not 1999 and Chinese voters are fine with that. In fact, many directly voted for PAS, not because they like PAS but because they dislike Umno.

Chinese voters also don’t need anyone to tell them a vote for MCA is a vote for Umno. And that is the primary reason they voted for the opposition. Make no mistake, it was not a protest vote. The Chinese, together with most urban and young voters from all races – and actually most of Malaysia, as evidence by the popular vote won by Pakatan – voted for regime change. Perhaps this is something someone needs to tell Nazri Aziz.

What will Najib do?

Come tomorrow, we’ll know how Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has chosen to deal with the unprecedented dilemma of both MCA and Gerakan declining to be a part of the cabinet.

Even if he appoints Chinese politicians from East Malaysian parties and also appoints a few non-politicians through senatorship, it’s doesn’t solve the problem of a BN with a drastically reduced non-bumiputera presence.

NONEFor once, Umno is forced to think out of the box and to seriously reconsider how it deals with its coalition partners. This would not be the case if MCA and Gerakan were to accept cabinet positions, which would give Umno the easy way out because it would be business as usual.

The same Big Brother situation. The same kowtowing by MCA and Gerakan. The same derision from the very community that these parties are supposed to represent.

In such a scenario, neither MCA nor Gerakan would have any chance of reforming itself with the hope of becoming relevant again. By refusing to join the cabinet, they would, in fact, be buying time and space for themselves to reform and just possibly, for their Big Brother to do so, too.

OON YEOH is a new media consultant.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 7:40 am and is filed under
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Kit Siang calls ex-judge ‘racist champion’ for warning Chinese of Malay backlash

By Emily Ding

The Malaysian Insider

May 15, 2013

KUALA LUMP

UR, May 15 — DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has called former Court of Appeal Judge Mohd Noor Abdullah a “racist champion” for his recent statements warning the Chinese of a backlash from the Malays for their alleged “betrayal” against Barisan Nasional (BN) in Election 2013.

The Gelang Patah MP said that the ex-judge’s speech was unworthy of a person of high office because of its seditiousness and “abomination” of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia ideal.

“I have seen the video of Mohd Noor’s speech which is unquestionably the most divisive, destructive, racist and seditious speech ever made in Malaysia in 44 years,” Lim said in a statement today.

He was referring to a speech the former judge gave three days ago at a forum titled “GE13 post-mortem: Muslim leadership and survival”, organised by the UiTM Malaysia Alumni Association and Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS).

Mohd Noor, who currently sits on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) complaints committee, had reportedly accused the Chinese of plotting to “seize political power” from the Malays, despite already having benefited economically from the “Malay’s hand of friendship”.

“When Malays are betrayed, there is a backlash and the Chinese must bear the consequences of a Malay backlash,” he was quoted as saying on independent news portal Malaysiakini.

Lim slammed the police and the attorney-general for failing to arrest, charge and prosecute the former judge for sedition in undermining the country’s racial harmony.

“I feel totally uneasy that anyone, let alone a person of Mohd Noor’s stature as former Court of Appeal judge, could spew such racist and chauvinist poison with immunity and impunity, completely reckless of the grave harm they could do to destroy the fabric of Malaysia’s plural society,” he said.

Post-Election 2013 has seen scores of BN and BN-friendly leaders take potshots at the Chinese community for their clear backing of federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) during the tumultuous polls last week.

But while they argue that it had been a “Chinese tsunami” that had cost BN to bleed seats, analysts and PR leaders have denied this, arguing that it was more accurately an urban-rural divide.

Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia has also been pushing the view that the Chinese are to blame for BN’s lacklustre election results despite its win, publishing news and editorials with headlines such as “Apa lagi Cina mahu? (What more do Chinese want?)”

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 6:41 am and is filed under
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Making sense of Najib’s Cabinet

By The Malaysian Insider

May 15, 2013

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. – File picANALYSIS, May 15 — It is apparent that Umno and East Malaysia were rewarded big time for Barisan Nasional’s (BN) return to power in GE13.

What else can be deciphered from the choices made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak?

The Malaysian Insider offers some observations about this Cabinet.

* Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein.

He came within a cusp of retaining his Home Ministry portfolio, backed by strong support from the now discredited BN war room. But finally Najib realised that if he is going to convince Malaysians that he is serious about tackling crime, his cousin, infamous for inaction, cannot be in that important ministry.

But to prevent the Umno vice-president from being “kecil hati” he was given the defence portfolio and also made acting Transport Minister. Hard to imagine what he can achieve in both ministries, given his lacklustre track record as Education Minister in the Abdullah administration and Home Minister under Najib. Remember his performance in Lahad Datu when he dismissed the Sulu fighters as old men.

But giving him a junior ministry would have been too dangerous in an election year.

* Bye-bye MCA

Branches are being shut down and the party president wants to cling onto to his position despite growing calls for his resignation and now, not one MCA politician is in Cabinet.

Without any representation or a public profile, the party is on road to oblivion come GE14. No recount will be necessary then.

* Bumper for East Malaysia

If you believe conspiracy theorists (and in Malaysia, it is a cottage industry), Sabah and Sarawak politicians were ready to cross the political divide if they had not been amply rewarded with good positions as ministers and deputy ministers.

So hardly surprising that 13 BN politicians from East Malaysia were named as ministers by a government still coming to terms with its less than stellar performance in GE13.

* Is fighting crime a priority?

One of the major issues among urban voters in GE13 was the increase in crime and the perception that Pemandu and the police were fudging numbers and the Home Minister was overwhelmed by the whole situation.

Step in Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the former defence minister, best known for trying to pin the Sulu invasion/terrorism/criminal activity on the Opposition and sanctioning the purchase of military hardware at astronomical prices.

Now he is in charge of tackling crime. Go figure.

* Umno polls trumps everything else.

A well-balanced Cabinet. A mix of old and new. The simple fact is that the  choice of Umno ministers was dictated by the upcoming party polls in November.

Given the failure of the BN government to regain its two-thirds majority in Parliament and the Tun Abdullah Badawi experience (where the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin combo worked to force his resignation), it appears critical for Najib to secure support of party warlords in the event of challenge.

So for now, any talk of a reformist Cabinet can wait. Self-preservation is more important.

* Mahathir on the wane?

It is an open secret that pro-Mahathir bloggers have campaigned against Najib appointing Khairy Jamaluddin and his acolyte, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, as ministers, seeing them as proxies of Abdullah Badawi.

Quite a few threats were hurled at Najib but the PM did not buckle.

* No Selangor representatives

Najib has always been a traditionalist, giving a post to every Umno state chapter but this time around, Selangor Umno does not even have a minister in the Cabinet with Datuk Seri Noh Omar being dropped.

It shows how poorly Selangor Umno did in GE13 and reflects how hard it will be for the party to get back the country’s wealthiest state.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 1:55 am and is filed under
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Most disappointed over UMNO betrayal of Ghani Othman who was completely by-passed instead of being appointed Senator and Minister in new Cabinet line-up

I am disappointed over the UMNO betrayal of former Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Ghani Othman who was completely by-passed instead of being appointed Senator and Minister in the new Cabinet line-up announced by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday.

The UMNO leadership had praised Ghani sky-high during the 13th General Election campaign when fielding him as a parliamentary candidate for Gelang Patah against me, and it is most unfair and ungrateful for UMNO leaders to drop Ghani like a ton of bricks after Ghani failed to defeat me in Gelang Patah in the May 5 polls.

General elections should not be regarded as a zero-sum game, and in the case of Ghani, whom I had openly acknowledged as having made invaluable contribution to the development and progress in Johor, his talents and experience should be tapped by the Federal government as Ghani can have still many years of national service and contribution in him.

I am surprised that Ghani is facing so much resistance in UMNO as there are powerful forces who object to his return to national politics, to the extent that MUBARAK, the association of former Barisan Nasional wakil rakyats, have come out with a statement opposing any UMNO candidate who lost in the 13GE being appointed a Senator and a Minister – clearly targetting at Ghani.

It would be interesting to know who are the UMNO leaders behind the MUBARAK statement for it would throw an interesting light on the UMNO power tussle which has started escalating after the 13GE preparing for the “royal battle” in the UMNO party elections at the end of the year.

One criticism of the Cabinet announced by Najib yesterday is its distinct lack of “star” or “wow” quality.

The only person who stands head and shoulder over the rest of the Cabinet line-up in intellectual prowess is the Oxford graduate, UMNO Youth leader, Khairy Jamaluddin, but who had stepped on too many toes in his heyday as the son-in-law to Tun Abdullah in the brief period his father-in-law as the Prime Minister in Malaysia.

I had in fact had occasion to castigate Khairy in Parliament as the “richest unemployed youth in the world” when he was too big for his boots. I hope that in his many years in “wilderness” eating humble pie although he has UMNO Youth leader, conspicuously sidelined from government front-benches although his deputy was made Deputy Minister, have taught him the qualities of humility.

His final rehabilitation in being appointed to the Cabinet is however a great let-down, as his appointment to the comparatively minor Cabinet portfolio of Minister for Youth and Sports is a great injustice when he should be appointed to more substantive responsibilities.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 3:14 pm and is filed under
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Most unimpressive Cabinet of all six Prime Ministers in the nation’s 56-year history

The Cabinet unveiled by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday is the most unimpressive Cabinet of all six Malaysian Prime Ministers in the nation’s 56-year history.

It has in fact accentuated the great divide between Pakatan Rakyat and the Barisan Nasional in the recent 13th General Elections – that Pakatan Rakyat holds out hope and a vision of new politics for Malaysia while Barisan Nasional represent the old, tired and discredited politics of race, fear, corruption, abuses of power and injustices.

The injustices of the 13GE results and the nagging question for the first time in Malaysian historty of the legitimacy of the Prime Minister have spawned a spontaneous “black” political consciousness movement in the country, as witnessed by the 30,000-crowd at the “Black 505” rally at Ulu Tiram, Johor Baru last night, following massive crowds at other “Black 505” rallies in Kelana Jaya, Penang, Ipoh and Kuantan, drawing support from Malaysians regardless of race, religion and region finding special strength in the young generation of Malaysians who until now have been very apathetic to politics and political developments in the country.

Malaysians, particularly young people regardless of race, religion or gender, are outraged by the injustices of the democratic and electoral system to make a stand about their disappointments, frustration and anger at the outcome of the 13GE as well as the legitimacy of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister, as they feel robbed of their fundamental democratic right to help determine the political future of the country.

Firstly, the majority of 51 per cent of the popular vote supported Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar Ibrahim as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, while Najib and the Barisan Nasional secured only 47% of the popular vote.

Secondly, if the 13GE had been clean, free and fair, the popularity vote of Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar would have exceeded 60 per cent and even reaching over 65%, as well as winning the majority of the 222 parliamentary seats in the country.

Thirdly, the Cabinet annnounced by Najib yesterday has heightened the cloud of illegitimacy of Najib as the Prime Minister of Malaysia after the 13GE.

The Cabinet announced by Najib yesterday is undoubtedly the most unimpressive Cabinet of all six Prime Ministers in the nation’s 56-year history.

It is not a Cabinet for all Malaysians, as its aim is basically to ensure that Najib could triumph in the power struggle in UMNO at the end of the year during the UMNO party elections.

There are 10 Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, the PM, DPM and eight Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, more than the four Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department in the last Cabinet.

This is ridiculous and inflated Cabinet, not only unproductive but reflect the lack of professionalism of the Cabinet set-up, with the total number of Ministers in the PM’s Department representing one-third of the Cabinet – which must be one of its kind in the whole world!

I am intrigued by the exchange of Cabinet posts between Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, especially as Hishammuddin has failed as Home Minister to reduce crime, eradicate the fear of crime haunting Malaysians, both of which are most acute in Johor Baru which has become the capital of crime in Malaysia.

I will seek an early meeting with Ahmad Zahid on whether he has any strategy to eradicate Johor Baru’s infamous reputation at the capital of crime in Malaysia, and if he is unable to make any appreciable impact to reduce crime and the fear of crime and remove Johor Baru’s notoriety as the capital of crime in Malaysia, he should admit his failure ask for a change of Cabinet portfolio.

A surprise is the appointment of P. Waytha Moorthy as Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. I had wondered why Waytha had come to Gelang Patah in the last few days of the 13GE to openly campaign against me, joining the Barisan Nasional team led by former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir who wanted Gelang Patah to be my “burial ground”.

I was surprised as I had no past conflicts with Waytha, but I now understand why he was in Gelang Patah to help the BN campaign to defeat me – as it is clearly part of his bargain in his MOU with Najib. I feel sorry for Waytha for he has come become the centre of odium and opprobrium for what he had done.

Datuk Paul Low’s appointment as Minister in the PM’s Department is another surprise, although I am not sure whether it would finally end to the detriment to Najib or Paul Low, as this appointment is presented as reflecting Najib’s commitment to tackle graft in the country.

Najib signed the Transparency International-Malaysia’s Election Integrity Pledge on Feb. 20, committing to observe and comply with four principles when contesting in the 13th general elections, viz:

Truth, integrity, ethical conduct and accountability, including not accepting or giving bribes or being involved in corrupt practices in any way;

Upholding and giving priority to the interests of the rakyat as a whole;

Good governance and transparency; and

Compliance with all the applicable laws and regulations of Malaysia.

Najib has violated all the four principles of the TI-M Election Integrity Pledge many times over in the 15-day 13GE campaign.

On the first questions I will ask Paul Low in the 13th Parliament is to give a full report of the breaches and violations of the TI-M Election Integrity Pledge by Najib and the Barisan Nasional Ministers during and after the 13GE election campaign.

I am giving Paul Low early notice so that he could immediately initiate investigations so that he could give a satisfactory answer to this question in the first week of the 13th Parliament.

The first comment of Najib after the 13GE results was that the 13GE outcome was a Chinese tsunami and he spoke of the need to effect a “national reconciliation”.

This 13GE results is not a Chinese tsunami but a Malaysian and urban tsunami. It is Najib and the UMNO/BN leaders who have polarised the country and created the need for a “national reconciliation”.

At the first meeting of the new Cabinet, Paul Low should press for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry for national reconciliation after the 13GE, and its terms of reference should include a full investigation into all the election frauds, irregularities and abuses of power which have made a “national reconciliation” urgent and imperative.

The RCI on national reconciliation should be headed by the Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenivasam.

I hope Paul Low will take up these issues in the Najib Cabinet and Government.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 2:38 pm and is filed under
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My vote, my analysis

KJ John

Malaysiakini

May 14, 2013

In the last two general elections, I voted for Pakatan Rakyat. In fact, I campaigned privately and publicly with and for Pakatan. Nonetheless, I am not a member of any party and do not find a need to join one.

Having worked hard to influence and support the realisation of this two-party democracy in Malaysia over the last decade, I now want to move into a more neutral mode because the truth and reality of a two-party system is being evolved and can soon be realised.

Pakatan, still the so-called opposition party, achieved more than 50 percent of the popular vote. That is already an incredible and absolute victory.

If the weight of each vote was the same, in statistical terms, Pakatan would have been the government of the day. The Agong would have been inviting the leader of the ‘opposition’ to form the government.

But, alas under the cherished honour and current privilege assigned to our Agong, based on existing laws, premised upon the Commonwealth tradition of democratic governance, he has to invite the leader of the BN to form the government. I accept it but cannot even say that I congratulate them.

Therefore and nevertheless, allow me now to move towards a more neutral mode of what both sides can demonstrate about good governance. I have some advice for both sides in the Parliament, and I hope they both know how to listen.

We must grow out of cheating and lies and move to become a nation interested in truth, equality, mutual respect, and full accountability and consequent responsibility. This is our full accountability; in the here and now, and in the hereafter.

I have five priorities that both parties must observe and regard for a better Malaysia.

1. Malaysia is a secular democracy, based on our federal constitution and we do not need to lie or cheat anyone about this. If unsure, please have a Commonwealth Commission to discuss and resolve this once and for all.

Premier Najib Abdul Razak has lied and misled all Sabahans and Sarawakians – and especially all Christian Malaysians – on this matter The debate over the use of ‘Allah’ is symptomatic of this issue and a very serious unresolved concern of mine.

2. Is not Parliament, our highest body, established for good governance? Parliament is our only elected and democratically formed process for governance of this nation-state.

NONEAre Malaysians well represented in Parliament – I mean, all groups and all peoples? Following up on the ‘what more do the Chinese want’ question, are the Chinese or Malays not over-represented in Parliament; or, is that not even the right question for a maturing democratic entity? Does ethnicity matter in good governance?

Are there not other equally important issues and questions? Is Parliament, as legislature, not different and separate from the cabinet and all other agencies of the government, as the Executive branches of government?

I presume the sultans too voted and that Parliament represents their personal rights too. How can we support Parliament to recover such honour and dignity it once held?

3. Can the Office of the Opposition be recognised at the first sitting of the new Parliament and given the same respect it has in all developed Commonwealth countries?  I am tired of us comparing ourselves only with African and Asian nation-states.  We deserve more!

For Pakatan, I also have one word of advice: no more excuses, please! Form your Shadow Cabinet and inform the world about it. We, the people, want to know if you can govern Putrajaya, not just by talking about it but by asking the right questions in Parliament.

4. Can both sides please make ABC4Malaysians a bipartisan agenda? I have written about this anti-corruption agenda. All religions hate corruption and speak and teach against it.

Therefore and before we can ever become any kind of Islamic values-driven nation-state, that must be our first and most important hurdle. All good Islamic values are universal values and no Malaysian will speak or argue against it; so let us not squabble over the wrong things.

5. The vote this time was badly split between, I think, the malleable ones in the agrarian economy and the democratic-spirited Malaysians in the globalised urban economy.

It is and was not only ethnicity-based but more importantly the more educated and liberated Malaysians voted with their conscience and not with their emotions. They voted for what is good, true and right for Malaysia.

DUMNO (and their supporting media organs) mobilised entirely based on race and religion agendas, split the nation by ‘urban versus countryside’ voters, especially by spooking rural Malays about Chinese control of this nation-state.

azlanAll our so-called 1Malaysia programmes were in fact people-funded and not BN-funded. They blatantly lied about this truth and abused the election process with billions spent on advertising and brand development through handouts.

The Election Commission (EC) has neither eyes nor the audacity to see wrong here, and is part of the problem. Malaysia needs a new and different economic model based on the Knowledge as the most important factor of productivity. We needs economists to do this, not just management and accounting consultants.

The Reconciliation Programme that Najib has talked about must address this spilt of worldviews and perspectives of life, or it could easily turn into a class struggle, because our Gini Coefficient keeps going up. This gap between the rich the poor is our most pressing problem.

We must move towards a needs-based and dynamic economic development model; regardless of what we choose to call it. The gap between the bottom 10 percent or the really worst off, and the top 5 percent or the filthy rich and their rent-seeking economics, is reaping our federal treasury.

Support civil society initiatives

Premised upon all this, we will seek to collaborate with new federal and state government agencies to make these arguments even more coherent and more visible for all Malaysians who are concerned with the issues.

Politics in Malaysia is sadly ugly and uncouth. For that reason, I will stay out of party politics, as I cannot understand or appreciate all this back-stabbing and cut-throat politics.

NONEBut I will choose to be involved in what I call ‘kingdom politics’ – what, for Christians, is the call to fight: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God.

I hope many Malaysians will support all third-party civil society initiatives and help us move to get all public agencies to be more accountable, responsible and transparent. The EC must be our first target through Bersih.

Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute (OHMSI) will collaborate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to focus on the fight against bribery and corruption, working closely with many other NGOs like Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia which can work with all parties to keep our goal of seeking to grow the 1BangsaMalaysian spirit.

The last general election has shown that we can move forward, but we must keep the momentum and hold both sides accountable and responsible for deeds done or not done by either omission or commission.

May God bless Malaysia to grow our future before GE14!

KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at
[email protected]
 with any feedback or views.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 7:07 am and is filed under
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Paul Low as marketing gloss for Cabinet

 – Fakry Osman

The Malaysian Insider

May 15, 2013

MAY 15 – The appointment of Datuk Paul Low as a minister today appears to be another symbolic gesture in the fight against corruption and to promote transparency in the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

On the face of it the Transparency International president’s appointment is a nod towards how serious the government is in tackling graft.

But is it?

After all Datuk Seri Idris Jala was also made a minister when Datuk Seri Najib Razak came to power to tackle the same problems.

Now after the GTPs, ETPs and many other acronyms, and not to mention the hundreds of millions of ringgit spent, the BN government is still seen as a failure in solving issues like corruption, rising crime and government bureaucracy.

So what can Low add to the mix?

Also by retaining personalities like Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and naming former Perlis Mentri Besar Shahidan Kassim, the PM seems to be sending a mix message to say the least.

Shahidan is an old style political warlord representing the politics of the past who once urged the government to ban Facebook.

Tengku Adnan is a man linked to the VK Lingam judge fixing scandal.

So by appeasing the party warlords, Najib is now offering us the latest puppet he can parade around to tell Malaysians that BN is reforming.

Really?

If there is one thing the results of Election 2013 should have revealed to BN is that Malaysians are not buying cosmetic attempts at reform.

Please Mr PM, we have had enough of symbolic gestures.

* Fakry Osman reads The Malaysian Insider.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 8:40 am and is filed under
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Why I will not move on

— Lishan Low

The Malaysian Insider

May 16, 2013

MAY 16 —
 1. Barisan Nasional (BN) does not have political legitimacy

There are two elements to legitimacy — procedural and substantive legitimacy. BN fails on both counts.

Procedural legitimacy requires that the instituted election mechanisms (however unfair) are carried out and complied with to the fullest extent. This means that even with an uneven delineation of constituencies and a questionable electoral roll, if the elections had been conducted in a professional manner, the results would have been procedurally legitimate by account of the “rules of the game.”

Nevertheless, even on this count, BN has failed to adhere to its own heavily biased and terribly unfair procedure. Allegations of ballot boxes disappearing, double voting, and ballot stuffing mar the elections purely on a procedural level. Moreover, a widespread and fairly indiscreet campaign of vote-buying is illegal and further taints the electoral process. So even if you ask me to accept the grossly unfair procedure that BN themselves have instituted, I cannot grant that the outcome was legitimate.

Substantive legitimacy on the other hand, has more to do with perception. The people, the rakyat, themselves need acknowledge that BN has a legitimate mandate to rule. Here, you cannot say that gerrymandering or a dirty electoral role are merely facts that have to be “lived with” and can only be changed in Parliament (ergo, wait till GE14). If the process itself is not perceived by the rakyat as fair and free, there is no sense in suggesting that the outcome it produces is legitimate. Furthermore, given that BN LOST the popular vote, that itself is enough grounds to discard the entire elections as an irredeemable sham.

So to those who argue that gerrymandering cannot be legally challenged (yes I am referring very specifically to a particular camp of people), I say ay, of course it can’t be legally challenged. Given that reality, wouldn’t it make sense that we call the election what it truly was in the first place — a gigantic sham! And shouldn’t it then follow that we should not accept the outcome of GE13 and demand a re-election, along with the decimation of the Election Commission?

2. The voice and dignity of every Malaysian is at stake

What is at stake is more than just five more years of BN hegemony. What is at stake is the dignity and voice of every Malaysian, not just those that voted for the opposition. For far too long, Malaysians allowed evil-doers in our country to rob us of our dignity. We have accepted half-hearted and two-faced responses to demands for change and convinced ourselves that we can live with it. Finally, we have the opportunity to call their bluff, to expose Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his merry gang for what they truly are — plunderers and criminals. How can we stay silent any longer and allow BN to continue on in their ways, occasionally placating us with insincere promises of reform and transformation. If the aftermath of their victory is anything to go by, we know and we see that nothing has or will change. Race continues to be used as a weapon to stir up division in the country, the same group of incompetent miscreants gets appointed into top ministerial positions, and no attempt whatsoever has been made to address the ever-rising tide of allegations of electoral fraud.

Never forget as well that every inch given to BN, the more ground the opposition loses in its struggle for meaningful transformation. Moving on is akin to surrender, like a tiger that has successfully overcome its prey but suddenly decides to let it go, or a boxer who has overwhelmed his opponent but leaves the ring before the buzzer goes off. It is unthinkable that we should allow BN space to regroup, to continue on with “business as usual,” rewarding its supporters and striking fear into the hearts of those who “betrayed” them.

3. The least among us cannot afford to move on

Five years is a long time. Quite a lot of good can be accomplished, even more harm can be inflicted. Our struggle against BN is not just a struggle for power, it is a struggle for justice. When we go to the ballot box, we don’t just fight for our own well being but the well being the least among us.

There are many among us who cannot move on. They are stuck in a perpetual cycle of hardship and depravity. I am talking about the natives of Sarawak whose homes are virtually stripped from beneath their feet. Theirs is a home that cannot be returned. The moment they are forced from it, the land will be desolated. The richness of the forests will be plundered to feed the greed of monsters in our land.

I am talking about the 168 house owners that will be evicted from their houses tomorrow morning. Theirs was a fight with the odds stacked against them. The avarice of private developers and the inadequacy of our justice system robbed these house owners and their families of their hard earned property.

I am talking about multitude of minorities that have been withheld citizenship even after being in the country for generations. At the same time, identity cards are dispensed freely to those whom BN finds agreeable.

Anyone of us could be in such positions right now, yet most of us are not. We live in relative comfort, we have lived for a long time under the BN government and have got along fine, save a few complaints. But the least among us are not afforded such luxuries. They can’t move on. They are stuck. So do not tell these people to move on. They deserve a voice and we owe it to them to fight on.

4. I will not be complicit to the crimes of BN and the EC

Malaysians cannot no longer afford to turn a blind eye. By doing so we are choosing to wilfully ignore the injustices wrought by BN and the Election Commission. We are choosing to allow the perpetuation of an authoritarian regime legitimising it self via a pseudo democratic process. If we truly want a democratic process we must be willing to fight for it. If we do not, if we insist on moving on, I believe that we inadvertently become complicit to the crime. The reality is this, Malaysians: we do not live in a democracy. And unless we fight to have democratic processes actually implemented, BN will continue to control the political levers, allowing them to maintain a perception of legitimacy and they will continue to plunder our beloved country until she has nothing left to give. At that point, there will be nothing left to move on to.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 May 2013, 8:35 am and is filed under
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A meeting of minds among ex-military officers

S Thayaparan

Malaysiakini

May 16, 2013

“Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”

– Mark Twain

COMMENT
The Retired Armed Forces Officers’ Association (Rafoc) recently held an informal post-election talk where I was invited to be panel member. The rest of the panel were as follows and the moderator was Mej-Jen Dr Nordin Yusof (Rtd).

    Lt-Jen Mohd Salleh Ismail (Rtd)

    Laksdya Mat Rabi Abu Samah (Rtd)

    Mej-Jen Abd Malek Shahar Harun (Rtd)

    Mej-Jen Mohd Yunus Long (Rtd)

    Laksma Imran Abd Hamid (Rtd)

    Lt-Kdr Phua Hean Sim (Rtd)

It must be stressed that Rafoc is a non-partisan, independent organisation. The purpose of this talk from Rafoc’s own notice board is as follows:

“The ‘Get-Together Talk – GE13′ is to provide the occasion for our members to get together and talk on the recently concluded 13th general election in Malaysia – the scenario, the causes, the players and the future of the country, etc.

“We may not have to come up with resolutions or DS solutions (military jargon for ‘the correct answer to a problem’) as such. The event is also to instill to our members that we, the retired Armed Forces officers’ community must continue to be concerned on what has happened, what is happening and what will happen to our country.”

I was impressed that Rafoc offered a plurality of voices to express their opinions in these contentious times to an audience of retired officers, who were concerned of the path this country is on.

Two contending narratives

Two narratives emerged from this talk. The first, as propagated by some panel members and members of the floor, was that the so-called Chinese tsunami was an indication of the impending clash between the Malay and Chinese communities.

The second narrative and perhaps the more mainstream one, was a rejection of the first narrative and received popular support, was that it was not a Chinese tsunami but rather a Malaysian tsunami, which was based on the common ground of good governance and a rejection of systemic corruption.

Proponents of the first narrative raised the spectere of May 13 and the usual sabre rattling or should I say keris brandishing rhetoric. It occurred to me that partisans, whether Malay or non-Malay, who caution the citizens of this country of that shameful event, do so with an almost bizarre relish.

When reminded of the fact that the recent Kelana Jaya rally comprised of Malaysians of various races, they dismissed such facts, with the usual, “it was a Chinese-dominated rally” spiel. When reminded of the fact that the Himpunan Bangkit rally was a Malay-dominated affair, which was evidence of a re-emerging polychromatic Malay polity, it was dismissed with the usual, “The opposition is splitting the Malay community” spiel.

For proponents of the first narrative, only Umno could maintain peace and stability and by rejecting Umno, you are rejecting peace and stability. Some argued that the Chinese communities’ rejection of the MCA was tantamount to rejecting peace and stability.

‘If it ain’t broke, then why fix it’

Pro-establishment panel members and members of the floor put forward the rather disingenuous arguments, on the lines of “if it ain’t broke, then why fix it” but chose to ignore the very real flaws in every government institution which was brought up by other panel members and speakers from the floor.

It should surprise no one that the issue of corruption was the underlying theme of most of the discussion. Speakers from the floor brought up the various corruption scandals, especially those concerning the armed forces.

It was obvious for all those who attended that most people wanted to engage the system and correct the existing flaws in a non-partisan manner but more importantly in a non-racial approach. Talk amongst participants of the conference in and out of the hall, centred not on the racial prophets of doom, but how the various institutions of the state have been compromised over the years.

One retired officer who is now with Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M), said his door was always open to anyone who wanted information or clarification on the numerous cases of mismanagement that plague the nation and the Armed Forces in particular.

And this is the problem with pro-establishment partisans or those sympathetic to the racial power-sharing social contract of BN and Umno. They assume that people who support the opposition are race blind.

Now, the reality is, that unless you have drunk the kool aid, most right-thinking opposition supporters are not blind to the fact that racial politics will always be with us however of paramount importance and the ideals that we find common ground in, is that good governance, accountability and transparency, will lead to a more egalitarian Malaysian polity.

Stocking the gravy train

It is pointless playing the racial card and demonising the Chinese community, because the reality is, the reason that there is class struggle within the Malay community is because for decades, the self-appointed guardians of the Malay community, with the aid of their non-Malay cronies, were more interested in stocking the gravy train than in forging a national identity which all could subscribe to.

The consensus was that Rafoc is ever ready to contribute to national interest in a bipartisan way, to avail their expertise and wealth of experience to any organisation interested in engaging with them.

The perception of the armed forces, like many government institutions, is mired in controversy and the public is perhaps unaware of how committed retired service personnel are to the national well-being.

On a personal level, I would like to encourage more retired officers to come forth and engage in the ongoing discourse. I would like Rafoc to organise more talks like this and to invite MPs from BN and Pakatan Rakyat to debate the issues of the day.

If there were a need for reconciliation, a good start would be that the opposition be allowed to engage with the various branches of government and not be portrayed as enemies of the state.

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 May 2013, 7:41 am and is filed under
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Cabinet ministers and spin

The Malaysian Insider

May 17, 2013

MAY 17 — The new Cabinet is not even 48 hours old and one can already see some of them sketching out an alternative reality of Malaysia.

In the last 10 days, the new Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has had the task of being the government’s spokesman with the foreign media — burnishing Malaysia’s image despite the rancour in local newspapers.

In an interview published by The Australian daily yesterday, Khairy spoke of a discernible change “among the Chinese community, particularly” and the urban middle class, pointing there had been internal discussions on engaging the Chinese community to understand the protest vote.

Sure. Tell that to Umno, Umno bloggers and Umno newspaper Utusan Malaysia which have been unrelenting in hammering the Chinese and those who voted against Barisan Nasional (BN).

If that is engaging the Chinese and others, it must be a new and sophisticated way of pummelling people into submission.

But Khairy also said the reasons for the government’s electoral decline included “perceptions of corruption, the high cost of living, and concerns about job security and crime”.

Spin only goes so far, Mr Minister.

There is no such thing as “perception of corruption”… there is endemic corruption and the political elite are part of the problem. Should one even start the list that begins from Sabah, Sarawak down to why stadiums keep collapsing and cattle farm funds are used to pay for luxury condominiums here and abroad?

Are we going to get more of the Abdullah years, positive spin overseas but not matched by real reforms on the ground.

“We have won a reprieve, and now we have five years in which to deliver on change,” Khairy told The Australian. “The old-style authoritarian, nationalistic, right-wing government is an anachronism. This is the new Umno now, and our priority is the economy”, including reducing subsidies for fuel, sugar, flour and cooking oil.

Perhaps he should tell that to Cabinet colleague Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who must still be reading from the old script when writing for Utusan Malaysia yesterday that those unhappy with the electoral process should leave the country.

“If these people wish to adopt the list system or the single transferable vote used by countries with the republic form of government, then they should migrate to these countries to practise their political beliefs,” said Ahmad Zahid, calling on loyal citizens to respect the rule of law.

Why do we still have people who have penchant of asking those who disagree to leave the country? Can we dispense with such nonsense in this day and age?

Malaysia needs a Cabinet of ministers who must be connected with reality, not put a spin to issues of the day.

The 51 per cent of Malaysians who voted against BN have already made that point. How many more per cent does one need before it becomes any clearer?

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 May 2013, 4:13 pm and is filed under
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