At World Economic Forum, Fear of Global Contagion Dominates

by Peter S. Goodman

Business Editor

The Huffington Post

01/28/2012

DAVOS, Switzerland — They came, they feasted on smoked sturgeon and black truffle risotto, drank liquor paid for by global banks, endured dozens of security checks, and tried not to fall down in the snow. They talked about the perilous state of the global economy and the future of capitalism. Then, they headed back to their home countries — many in chauffeured limousines, some by private jet.

But as the people who run much of the planet wrapped up the annual festival of influence known as the World Economic Forum on Saturday, any sense of achievement was hard to discern. The participants arrived amid elevated unemployment in many economies, worries about government budget deficits, and fears that contagion from a financial crisis in Europe could infect the rest of the world. They went home with all of these worries intact, and perhaps reinforced.

Nouriel Roubini, the economist who — not for nothing — is known as “Doctor Doom,” noted that world leaders are divided on a great array of crucial issues, from arguments over trade imbalances and currency valuations to the threats posed by Iran and North Korea and the challenge of climate change.

“On all these issues that require international coordination, there is no agreement,” he said during a Saturday morning panel. “It’s a world of chaos that can lead to potential conflicts.”

European officials confronted a palpable sense of impatience and resentment from their counterparts, drawing accusations that they have imperiled the fate of the globe by repeatedly failing to prop up ailing member states.

In private conversations here this week, senior officials from the United States, Europe and Asia expressed a mixture of resignation and alarm that Greece may yet default on its government debts, despite several efforts by eurozone members to cobble together a credible rescue. Some warned that such an outcome could spook investors into pulling funds out of larger economies such as Italy and Spain, raising the prospect of defaults in those countries. A few suggested this could eventually trigger the breakup of the eurozone and the end of its shared currency, an event that could produce panic rivaling that seen after the investment banking giant Lehman Brothers collapsed more than three years ago.

In a riveting address here on Saturday, Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang recalled his place at the epicenter of the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, and the experience of the 2008 global credit pullback, asserting that the current situation is worse.

“I’ve never been as scared as now about the world, what is happening in Europe,” he said.

Hong Kong faces little direct exposure to potential defaults on European government bonds, Tsang added, but the global financial system is now so interconnected that this confers no protection. He wondered aloud about the health of financial institutions that trade with Hong Kong’s banks and the potential for trouble rippling out from the eurozone.

“We do not know how deep this hole will be when the whole thing implodes on us,” he said. “Nobody is immune.”

Tsang merely voiced publicly — if stridently — the same perspectives expressed privately in recent days by his counterparts on multiple continents. He urged European leaders to demonstrate a sense of responsibility as global citizens, accusing them of putting the world’s economy at risk by failing marshal a plausibly large rescue fund. He contrast this with Hong Kong’s own brush with crisis more than a decade ago.

“We were very much left to ourselves, and we overcame it,” Tsang said. “In Europe now, you need decisive action, you need overkill. You need to inspire confidence. That confidence must come in the decisive action of government, working together. And do it quickly.”

But conversations here this week only underscored the sense that Europe is politically incapable of acting in unison. Though the eurozone shares a common currency, it is comprised of 17 different countries with often-sharp differences over policy — not to mention history, tradition, culture and language.

Many experts have called for the issuance of Euro bonds by the European Central Bank and backed by the credit of member countries as the most powerful way to demonstrate the community’s resolve toward supporting troubled members. Germany has consistently opposed such proposals, unwilling to direct its prodigious savings at saving members it views as profligate — not least, Greece.

“You spend money you don’t have on the bills of others, and that’s the wrong incentive in a functioning market economy,” German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said earlier in the week, shooting down a question about Euro bonds. “At the end, you have to pay your bills. If you spend at the risk of others, it’s a strong temptation. Everyone will fail on this temptation. That would be the wrong method in fighting the causes of the current crisis.”

Among policymakers and investors alike, the sense has taken hold that a pair of European rescue funds — collectively holding perhaps $1 trillion in lending capacity — are insufficient to assuage the market’s fears. Bailing out Spain and Italy could absorb four times that sum, according to Roubini.

Many European officials are hoping to receive an expanded assist from the International Monetary Fund, a once unthinkable prospect for an institution traditionally employed to support developing countries facing crises.

The fund’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, has been seeking to drum up a fresh $500 billion to attack the crisis, using Davos as an elaborate fundraising platform.

“The IMF is a tool, but we need to have a toolkit,” Lagarde told forum participants Saturday morning, later holding up her purse as a prop. “I’m here with my little bag to actually collect a bit of money.”

But that request has received a cool reception from major fund shareholders. The United States, the IMF’s largest contributor, has signaled unwillingness to allow more fund finances to flow to Europe until the eurozone deploys its own resources toward an aggressive rescue. Japan’s economic policy minister Matohisa Furukawa echoed that position on Saturday.

“Speaking of the role of the IMF, I think that the most important thing is Europe itself make utmost efforts,” he said. “Then, IMF can support the European countries.”

Underlying the debate over whether and how Europe can erect an effective firewall are deeper doubts about the continent’s ability to grow. As many states address budget deficits, they are cutting spending and pressuring labor to accept lower wages — measures that sap their economies of spending power. Slow growth itself tightens financial straits by reducing government revenues, prompting investors to take their money elsewhere, which raises borrowing costs.

“The eurozone is going to be in recession this year,” said Robert Shiller, the Yale economist who warned of both the technology and housing bubbles in the United States. “The U.S. may not. The world may not. It’s not going to be a great year, though.”

The one source of cheerier conversation here this week has been the relatively strong growth in so-called emerging markets, such as China, India, Brazil and Turkey. But these economies have been slowing in recent months. Now, concerns about Europe’s problems are amplifying concerns.

A weak Europe translates into fewer orders for goods from developing countries. As European banks seek to bolster their balance sheets, they are pulling funds out of developing economies and bringing them home — a trend that could prevent even healthy firms in fast-growing markets from getting their hands on cash needed to expand and hire, further crimping growth.

“You’re going to see a credit contraction as the banks pull back,” World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned.

All of which means that as the masters of finance and heads of government filter out of this ski resort in the Swiss Alps, the anxiety gnawing at the global economy continues unchecked. The damage could run beyond an economic slowdown, further undermining public faith in the institutions that now govern modern life.

For decades, as crises have assailed developing countries from Indonesia to Argentina, the powers-that-be in the United States and Europe have counseled orthodox advice: Get your fiscal house in order; live within your means; act decisively and resolutely. Yet now that crisis is hitting the wealthy world, leaders are avoiding the hardest decisions and hoping to muddle through — all while exporting their afflictions to multiple shores.

“This has got to have effects on influence, perceptions of power in the world that are going to be quite significant for years to come,” Zoellick said. “Whatever we see come out over the course of this year and the next year, the world is never going to go back to the way it was.”

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 10:26 pm and is filed under
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DAP world’s most racist party, says Utusan

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

The Malaysian Insider

Jan 29, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Utusan Malaysia has accused DAP of being the world’s most racist party following Lim Kit Siang’s recent call for Chinese voters to unite and ensure a change of government.

The DAP parliamentary leader had in a Chinese New Year message said that the Chinese community had managed to attain economic prosperity despite the failings of the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government, which has been mired in “corruption” and “abuses of power.”

“It is evident that Kit Siang cannot hide DAP’s true agenda in inciting the Chinese community ahead of the 13th general election. It shows the truth that DAP is not only the most racist party in Malaysia, it is the most racist party in the world,” said a Mingguan Malaysia editorial under the Awang Selamat pseudonym.

Lim’s remarks were in response to a statement made by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who had called on Chinese voters not to “experiment” in the next general election, as Barisan Nasional’s leadership has continually allowed the nation to prosper.

Lim said Malaysians needed to vote the opposition into power as Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) suffered from an “incorrigible disease of denial complex” in refusing to admit the failures of government and nation-building.

In response, Utusan accused Lim of bringing up the issue of concentration of wealth among the Chinese, and that it was being used as a “political model” to win over votes.

“Kit Siang’s actions in bringing up the issue of wealth among races is dangerous. Everyone knows that the economy is controlled by the Chinese because of what the colonists had done in placing the race in cities, the business culture had been inherited a long time ago.”

The editorial went on to accuse Lim of pushing for “only the rights of the Chinese” and not for other races, and also took pot shots at the opposition party’s latest attempt to recruit more Malay members.

“What he (Lim) will not be able to do is repair DAP’s racist image which is becoming worse. The addition of Malays in the party will not change anything.”

MORE TO COME

Rasis dan kroni — Awang Selamat

Jan 29, 2012

29 JAN — Penasihat DAP, Lim Kit Siang melakukan provokasi lagi, kali ini dalam perutusan Tahun Baru Cina. Menurut beliau, masyarakat Cina masih boleh meraih kekayaan walaupun kepimpinan Barisan Nasional (BN) gagal. Beliau juga menyeru rakyat Malaysia agar tidak menghargai nikmat kemakmuran yang dikecapi di bawah kerajaan BN.

Tindakan Kit Siang membangkitkan soal kekayaan kaum adalah berbahaya. Semua orang tahu bahawa ekonomi negara dikuasai oleh kaum Cina antaranya disebabkan percaturan penjajah yang menempatkan kaum itu di bandar-bandar, budaya niaga yang diwarisi sejak zaman lampau selain perpaduan kukuh kaum berkenaan.

Persoalannya apakah wajar ia dijadikan modal politik? Memang banyak persoalan berlegar berikutan kenyataan tersebut. Antaranya, apakah soal kekayaan hanya hak kaum Cina dan mengapa berjanji tentang penguasaan kekayaan untuk satu kaum sahaja. Bagaimana pula dengan kaum lain?

Ternyata Kit Siang tidak dapat lagi menyembunyikan agenda sebenar DAP yang membuak-buak untuk terus menghasut kaum Cina menjelang Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU13). Ia menyerlahkan hakikat sebenar bahawa DAP adalah parti paling rasis bukan sahaja di Malaysia, bahkan di seluruh dunia.

Dalam pada itu, Awang tertanya-tanya mengapa Kit Siang, 71, masih enggan berundur daripada politik. Zaman beliau sudah berlalu. Suatu ketika dulu, beliau pernah dilabel diktator sehinggakan beberapa pemimpin DAP merajuk dan berundur angkaranya.

Lagipun Kit Siang sudah sukses dalam membina dinasti Lim ekoran perencanaan kronisme yang berjaya menempatkan anaknya, Lim Guan Eng berada di persada kuasa sebagai Setiausaha Agung. Seperti bapanya, beliau akan bergayut dengan jawatan itu untuk puluhan tahun. Anak beranak yang mencorakkan parti itu. Khabarnya dalam diam, sebahagian pemimpin Cina DAP kecewa kerana Kit Siang terlalu memihak dan melindungi Guan Eng. Awang tidak terkejut jika cucu Kit Siang juga akan diatur untuk mewarisi kepimpinan DAP selepas Guan Eng.

Tetapi yang beliau tidak akan berjaya ialah untuk memulihkan imej rasis DAP yang makin busuk. Penambahan ahli Melayu dalam parti yang dibuat sekadar untuk mengaburi mata rakyat, tidak akan mengubah apa-apa.

Realitinya, majoriti Melayu tetap menolak DAP biar apa topeng yang dipakai. Hanya segelintir Melayu sahaja yang boleh diperkuda.

Kit Siang dan Guan Eng tidak ikhlas menerima ahli Melayu dan pada masa yang sama tidak percayakan orang Melayu untuk diberi peranan penting dalam parti itu. Lihatlah nasib orang India dalam DAP, yang terpinggir dan menjadi kelas kedua.

DAP apatah lagi ketika era dinasti Lim, tidak akan berubah. Ia akan kekal menjadi parti paling rasis di dunia. — utusan online

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 4:59 pm and is filed under
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Is govt dictating terms to Ambrin?

Jeswan Kaur | January 28, 2012

Free Malaysia Today

If indeed the word “mess” was not used in his 2010 report to describe the state of affairs in the NFC, why did the Auditor General take three months to issue a clarification.

COMMENT

Three months ago, the Auditor-General declared the National Feedlot Centre project worth RM73.64 million was in a ‘mess’, so much so he suggested that the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry ministry talk with the Finance Ministry to determine the “direction of the project”.

Now, Ambrin Buang is saying that his report at no point mentioned that the NFC project was in a mess. The term “mess” he says was conjured by the press. Ambrin told the MCA-owned The Star that his team had never used words such as “mess”, “chaos” and “misappropriation” to describe the project.

Ambrin said: “These words were used by other parties and the department should not be held responsible. The department is of the opinion that if there are any elements of misappropriation in the implementation of this project, it would be up to the authorities such as the police or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate.”

If indeed the word “mess” was not mentioned by the report, why did it take Ambrin three months to clarify? Is it not obvious that he has come under pressure from the ‘powers that be’ to do some damage control on this issue which has opened up a can of worms?

The feedlot project, located in Gemas, Negri Sembilan, is aimed at reducing beef imports and make the country the centre of beef production. But what happened was otherwise; the programme produced 3,289 cattles in 2010 compared to the targeted 8,000 heads of cattle.

The Auditor-General’s report released in October last year also found weaknesses in project management, while facilities remained unused or improperly maintained. “The area where grass that was supposed to be grown for animal feed or fodder was filled with acacia trees,” it said.

Not only was the project a flop, allegations surfaced that the funds allocated for the project were abused, used to purchase a luxury condominium worth RM13.8 million in Bangsar and another condominium worth RM9.9 million in Singapore, a Mercedes Benz at RM534, 622, two plots of land in Putrajaya for RM3,363,507 and a sponsored-trip to Mecca for NFCorp chairperson Mohamad Salleh to undertake his umrah.

Mohamad Salleh is the husband of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Jalil. It was not long after that calls demanding for Shahrizat’s resignation were made, both by the rakyat and even Barisan Nasional politicians.

Shahrizat, 58, who is also Wanita Umno head has denied any wrongdoing and instead pressed defamatory charges against her nemesis, Parti Keadilan Rakyat Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin and its strategic director Mohd Rafizi Ramli.

If all that rabble was not bad enough, in jumped deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin who provided the ‘hurricane lamp’ to Shahrizat saying there was no reason for her to quit her ministerial post, which by the way came about through a ‘backdoor’ entry.

In the 2008 general election, Shahrizat lost her Lembah Pantai constituency which she had held on for 13 years to newcomer Nurul Izzah, daughter of opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat advisor Anwar Ibrahim.

The furore over the abused funds prompted the MACC to step in and conduct an investigation. On Jan 13, Shahrizat announced that she was taking a three-week break from her ministerial duties to apparently make away for the MACC investigation. Her clever exit also saw Shahrizat shifting all pressure pertaining to the NFC to Muhyiddin.

Safeguarding reputation of office

Does Umno have a hand in forcing Ambrin to sing a different tune now, looking at how the NFC scandal has gone on to earn the rakyat’s wrath, jeopardising BN and Umno’s chances in the coming general election?

Mohamad Salleh is claiming that the Auditor-General in his 2010 Report had confused NFCorp, a private entity, with the NFC, which is owned by the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry.

Mohamad Salleh said NFCorp is not the entity criticised in the Auditor-General’s Report for being “a mess”.

Meanwhile, Perkasa, the Malay-rights wing entity, has urged Ambrin to openly declare that NFC was not plagued by any scandal as depicted by the opposition leaders via documents and e-mail copies showing massive financial misappropriation.

“We urge him to issue an official statement and be fair to all quarters so that one is defended or punished based on confirmed facts, not on political perception,” said its chief Ibrahim Ali.

Also, Ambrin’s about-face has prompted opposition party DAP to issue him a caveat.

DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang said: “The Auditor-General must be forewarned that he would be destroying the credibility of the sole national institution which had kept its reputation intact in the past few decades if he succumbs to improper pressures to “whitewash” the RM300 million “cattle condo” scandal, be it the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) or the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp).

“I have re-read the Auditor-General’s 2010 Report on the NFC project and there is nothing to justify Salleh’s claim that the Auditor General had made the most elementary mistake of confusing the two entities, mistaking NFC for NFCorp or vice versa.

“Salleh should not try to escape responsibility and accountability for the RM300 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” on such a technical and ridiculous ground.”

The DAP veteran said Ambrin was correct when he said that the word “mess” was never used by the latter to describe the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC); rather the term originated in the media reports on the Auditor-General’s criticisms on the NFC project.

Lim added: “The whole NFC/NFCorp scandal later ballooned to outrageous proportions with the expose of one scandal after another relating the financial hanky-panky of the NFCorp in the disbursement of the RM250 million government loan for the NFC project when prime minister Najib Tun Razak was chairman of the Cabinet Committee on High Impact Projects and Muhyiddin the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry under Abdullah Badawi in 2006/7.

“Ambrin should be very jealous of the efforts (and very successful ones at that) by previous Auditor-Generals like Ahmad Nordin who became a legend and was synonymous with accountability and integrity in his lifetime, to protect the credibility and integrity of the Office of Auditor-General.

“These efforts by a whole line of sterling Auditor-Generals have resulted in the Auditor-General’s Office remaining as the only national institution to keep its reputation, credibility and integrity intact unlike other key institutions be it the judiciary, the Elections Commission, the MACC, Police, etc. who have lost their professionalism and integrity.”

Auditor-General’s image at stake

Lim said the proper place for the Auditor-General to clarify his 2010 report with regards to the NFC/NFCorp scandal would be the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and not by succumbing to undue pressure applied by NFCorp or various organisations or individuals with political agendas of their own.

“This is also why I’m shocked that the PAC had been so tardy and not met urgently to conduct immediate investigations into the NFC scandal when it has virtually become a daily staple for Malaysians the past three months.

Attempts to undermine the credibility and reputation of the Auditor-General should be new and added reason why the PAC chairman, Azmi Khalid should convene a meeting of the PAC in the next few days to decide whether the PAC is to rise up to the challenge to conduct immediate and full investigations into the NFC scandal or face censure in the March meeting of Parliament for gross failure and irresponsibility,” said Lim.

How does Barisan Nasional and Umno intend to react to DAP’s take on this issue? Has the Auditor-General’s office become the latest casualty of cronyism and nepotism, corrupted by the hands of unscrupulous politicians out to safeguard their own interests?

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 8:39 am and is filed under
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Muhyiddin failed two Najibbian tests – 1.  As  a “moderate” 2. as loyal supporter of “1Malaysia” signature policy

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin failed two Najibbian tests – firstly as a “moderate” and secondly, as a loyal supporter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “1Malaysia” signature policy.

Muhyiddin flunked both these two tests when he gave a most racist, extremist and panicky reaction to the recent entry of Malays who are Malaysian patriots and fighters for freedom and justice into the DAP – like former UMNO Pahang State Assemblyman (Pulau Manis) Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz who is more wellknown in blogosphere as Sakmongkol 47, veteran Negeri Sembilan Umno member Aspan Alias, former National Union of Journalist President Hata Wahari, and two young UiTM law graduates Fairuz Azhan Amirruddin 25  and Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud 24.

Muhyiddin warned Malays not to allow themselves “to fall into the trap being carefully laid for them by the DAP”, posing the rhetorical question: “After so long, suddenly they want to recruit Malays. Who knows what for?”

He went on  as the stereotypical racist and extremist, alleging that “the DAP had never even once stood up for the rights of the Malays”.

This is the latest lie and falsehood against the DAP by UMNO leaders and mouthpieces.

But Muhyiddin cannot be more wrong, which is a terrible reflection of his racist and extremist mentality and outlook.

Right from the very formation of DAP 46 years ago in 1966, DAP had conducted itself as a patriotic and multi-racial Malaysian political movement dedicated to the cause of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region.

In fact, the DAP is the first pan-Malaysian political party, with branches not only in Peninsular Malaysia states but also in Sabah and Sarawak. Even now, UMNO and MCA are not Pan-Malaysian political parties as they do not operate in Sarawak while the history of DAP in both Sabah and Sarawak is more than 30 years.

Malays have joined DAP, not just recently, but from the very beginning of the party history with  DAP fielding Malay candidates whether for parliamentary or state assembly seats since our  first general election participation in 1969.

As I mentioned at the media conference in Ipoh on January 21 to welcome the entry into the DAP of two UiTM law graduates, Fairuz Azhan and Dyana Sofya, there  had been five Malay  elected State Assemblymen in Perak DAP history. We have two Malay MPs, the late Ahmad Nor and the current Penang Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz.

Right from the very beginning more than four decades ago, DAP leaders in and out of Parliament have fought for the oppressed and suppressed Malays  just like other  Malaysians whether of Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Kadazan and Iban descent, whether as workers, peasants, fishermen, smallholders, as they are all entitled to justice, freedom and to be liberated from the  tyranny of corruption, cronyism, undemocratic misgovernance and all forms of exploitation resulting in the denial of their human rights and democratic liberties.

We have, for instance, no hesitation in championing the cause of the ordinary Malays and bumiputeras who have been exploited by UMNO leaders and cronies claiming for themselves the privileges of Umno-putras!

After the 308 political tsunami of the 12th general elections and the formation of Pakatan Rakyat comprising DAP, PKR and PAS, Malaysian politics and nation-building have entered a new phase, as more and more Malays could see and discover for themselves  the UMNO lies and falsehoods of the past decades which had tried to poison the Malay mind by painting the DAP as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers.

This is what is causing panic among UMNO leaders like Muhyiddin, for they have found that their lies and falsehoods against the DAP is finding a diminishing market  even among the Malays in Malaysia.

Recently, the Prime Minister hosted the International Conference for the Global Movement of Moderates calling on Moderates of the world to unite and speak out against all forms of extremism.

Muhyiddin’s racist and extremist reaction has vindicated my earlier criticism of Muhyiddin being  invited to close the Conference, as Muhyiddin does not qualify to be a moderate.

If Muhyiddin is a “moderate”, he would have welcomed more Malays joining the DAP to strenghthen the voice and forces of moderation in Malaysia against all forms of extremism.

Muhyiddin had in fact also failed the second Najibbian test – to be a loyal supporter of Najib’s “1Malaysia” signature policy to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian regards himself or herself as Malaysian first and his/her race, religion, region or socio-economic position second.

The entry of more Malays into DAP is a flowering of Najib’s 1Malaysia policy – but this is frowned upon by Muhyiddin’s racist and extremist outlook for he opposes Malaysians regarding themselves as Malaysian first and their race, religion, region or socio-economic position second!

Who can forget Muhyiddin’s public declaration, which still stands today, that he is opposed to the 1Malaysia policy, as he is Malay first and Malaysian second?

The biggest enemy and threat to Najib’s 1Malaysia comes from racists and extremists like Muhyiddin!

(Speech at the Tawau DAP Chinese New Year Open House in Tawau  on Saturday, 28th January 2012 at 10 am)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 3:46 pm and is filed under
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Najib is made Optimus Prime by Michael’s Decepticons

— Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

Jan 27, 2012

JAN 27 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak was crowned the “Father of Moderation and Transformation” by the World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF), which said the prime minister’s “fair and just leadership” had benefited the Chinese community “tremendously”. WCEF chairman Datuk Michael Yeoh said in his speech at the conferment ceremony today.

This was the major news item of the day. WCEF is a gathering of Chinese hongs and towkays eager to seek business favours from the PM. How does Michael Yeoh come by his assessment?

Among others, Yeoh praised Najib’s
1 Malaysia platform, his administration’s decision to increase allocation to Chinese schools and the introduction of tax exemptions for churches and temples, saying the initiatives were proof of the prime minister’s commitment to “fairness and justice”.

Fuyoh! I had to pinch myself. Never have I heard such outpouring of boot-licking averments which Michael sought to prove by stating the material I placed in italics above.

Let me steal the thunder from Michael’s shameless sycophantic offerings.

Two weeks ago, I sat down with Dr Richard Cockett, SEA correspondent for The Economist. Also present was Wan Saiful Wan Jan, head of IDEAS. Richard posted the question to me as to whether Najib will succeed in his transformation ideas.

He will not succeed, I said. But let me say some nice things about Najib. Najib is a personable fellow and if you get close enough to him, you will have to be a black-hearted person NOT to like him. But that is as far as I can go. He is a nice and a personable fellow.

He has his heart at the right place, but as I wrote some time back, he is a political invertebrate. He doesn’t have the political will and personal strength to push through his programmes. I was ready to concede later that Najib, on account of his exterior rhetoric, may indeed have a backbone but still, I find difficulty to locate where on his anatomy.

Take the case of his New Economic Model. Nowadays we hardly hear about it. At the 2011 Umno General Assembly, Najib did not even mention it. Instead he devoted much of his speech sounding very combative and full of vehemence. What he has done was to actually retrograde to Umno cavemen politics. You disagree with us, we bash you in the heads with our swing sticks.

Ask yourself. How will Najib, for instance, push through his economic agenda? Answer: He will revert to the tested ways of selecting cronies, of giving direct negotiated projects masked by seemingly transparent methods to the chosen few. Those chosen few too will be recommended by the Man who can walk on water. He will continue with the patronage system instead of pushing his transforming ideas through.

The only transforming sensation that Najib will achieve is perhaps playing with his Transformers toys and watching the film starring Shia LaBeouf. His eyes will probably focus more on Megan Fox.

At the 2010 Umno General Assembly, for instance, all his big ideas were rejected and thwarted by Umno delegates, obviously mirroring the general objection to Najib’s adventurist ideas which were his alone and, most probably, scripted by expensively paid consultants. His idea of 1 Malaysia with the hazy notions of inclusiveness and outward readiness to “We must pool our collective talents in the interests of our nation so that together, we will win out.” Fulamak!

That to be read as: we must pakat pakat to swipe clean the country’s wealth and make hay while the sun shines. We will carry out the agenda of guatolonglu-lutolonggua win-win policies.

The delegates at that assembly immediately rejected Najib’s 1 Malaysia by insisting on Malay-first policies on everything. So what 1 Malaysia is Najib talking about?

His plans to transform the economy and especially that of the Malay economy through his NEM founded on the equally hazy notions of affirmative policies based on free market economics and affirmative policies based on merits were met with howls from delegates insisting on the continuation of NEP-like policies.

In the end, Najib could only muster his last trump card — to claim that after all he is the son of Tun Razak. That, no one can dispute. Genetically he is, but culturally, he isn’t. He doesn’t have the leadership qualities of Tun Razak.

How can he push his liberalist economic agenda through a mindset accustomed to patronage? Will the Umno warlords, who have only known survival through the patronage system of Umno, allow some anointed successor, albeit the son of Tun Razak, dismantle a system that has provided them with succour? That would be suicidal.

Najib will be sacrificed rather than allow a system that has spawn hordes of tenderpreneurs being replaced by an adventurist Najib Razak with a blasphemous idea.

In short, Najib faces a brick wall and he has nowhere to go. Either he faces the Umno firing squad or capitulate. At the 2011 Umno assembly, he has done that exactly — retreated shamelessly. That gutless and shameless position was effectively masked by his recalcitrant and combative rhetoric.

How will he push his transformation programmes through a sea of stubborn tenderpreneurs and obstinate rent-seekers?

So in answer to Richard Cockett, Najib can’t transform. He can only dream of becoming Optimus Prime. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

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

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 8:27 am and is filed under
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New PR government in Putrajaya will establish RCI into the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was very quick and abrupt yesterday in rejecting my call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM336.64 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal, eager to pronounce the idea as “dead as a dodo”.

Malaysians everywhere are asking who is Muhyiddin to reject the call for a RCI into the “cattle condo” scandal when Muhyiddin himself, as the Agriculture and Agro-based Minister who approved the controversial project back in 2006, would himself  be one of the subjects and personalities of any RCI investigation?

It smacks of conflict of interest on Muhyiddin’s part and he should exclude himself from any decision-making as to whether there should be a RCI into the cattle condo scandal, instead of being so gung-ho in opposing the proposal.

It is downright disgraceful that the RM336.64 million cattle condo scandal had dragged out publicly for three months like a soap opera without any satisfactory conclusion – which is a most telling indictment of the lack of political will of the Najib administration to declare effective and meaningful war on corruption and be an example of an open, accountable and transparent governance as promised in the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP).

If the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is unable to satisfactorily handle the RM336.64 million cattle condo scandal after three months, who believe that he has the political will to lead an all-out war against corruption which cost the country RM28 billion a year or address the problem of over a trillion-ringgit outflow of illicit capital overseas in a decade from 2000 to 2009 because of corruption and other financial malpractices?

The 13th General Elections is around the corner. Let Malaysians regardless of race, religion or political affiliation speak loud and clear at the forthcoming polls that they want a Royal Commission of Inquiry to reveal the full details of the true horror stories of the  RM336.64 million “cattle condo” scandal despite the obstructionist and cover-up conspiracy of the  UMNO/Barisan Nasional.

Muhyiddin had claimed that there is no need for an RCI as  on-going investigations by the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into the “cattle condo” scandal are sufficient.

Muhyiddin should stop kidding himself as if he does not know that the general Malaysian public have no confidence whatsoever in the independence, integrity and professionalism of either the police or MACC to carry out a no-holds-barred investigation, because these agencies have been too compromised by executive interferences and directions.

Before coming on to the stage, I have discussed with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and he has agreed that a  new Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya after the 13th General Elections  will establish a RCI into the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal if there is still no satisfactory accountability of the controversy.

Let this serve as a clear notice to Muhyiddin that he had can say “No” but it is the Malaysian people as a whole who will decide whether there is to be a RCI into the “cattle condo” scandal come the next general elections!

(Speech at the Perak Pakatan Rakyat Chinese New Year Open House at Kopisan Baru, Gopeng on Saturday, 28th January 2012 at 9pm)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 10:51 am and is filed under
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No dam claim: Villagers want it in writing

Queville To | January 28, 2012

Free Malaysia Today

Villagers in Tambatuon are fed up with the ‘confusing’ and ‘vague’ statements from their MP Rahman Dahlan over the controversial RM500-million dam.

KOTA BELUD: Sceptical villagers in Tambatuon, where a controversial RM500-million dam is to be sited, want a written commitment from the Musa Aman-led state administration that it will not go ahead with the project.

Dismissing Kota Belud MP Rahman Dahlan’s “confusing statements”, the villagers said their decision was “not negotiable” and that the dam project cannot go on.

They also took a swipe at village chief, Amin Goling, seen as Rahman’s lackey, for the former’s “full” support for the project.

Speaking on behalf of the villagers, chairman of the Village Action Committee Jahim Singkui said the letter from the state government must state clearly that it “will not” proceed with the controversial Tambatuon dam project.

“We have heard enough confusing statements from Rahman and Amin. Amin’s views are his own, it is not the opinion of the villagers.

“As far as the villagers are concerned, there is no more negotiation. We want a letter from the government to state that it will not proceed with the Tambatuon dam project, ” Jahim said.

He said the villagers’ demand was most appropriate in view of the vague response from Rahman who had recently said that he will ask federal Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar not to list the dam project in the 2012 Budget.

“He is confusing us. He has told us (villagers) to be ready to sacrifice for the sake of development.

“Then he said he will ask the minister not to list the dam in the 2012 Budget. Does this mean it will be listed in the 2013 Budget?

“His statement is vague and unclear. But our stand to reject the proposed dam is clear and firm,” Jahim said.

He reiterated that the village committee had from the beginning been against the proposed dam and had even submitted a memorandum to the effect to the Kadamaian assemblyman, Herbert Lagadan, Rahman, as well as Chief Minister Musa Aman.

“Unfortunately, till today, there is no reply to their letters,” Jahim said.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 8:45 am and is filed under
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RELA – PM Najib’s final line of defence?

Mohd Arshad Raji

Retirerd army officer

PM Najib says that there are 2.8 million RELA (Paramilitary People’s Volunteer Corps) in the country (Malaysia Chronicles, Saturday 28 Jan). That is a much bloated figure that far outmatched the collective strength of the Armed Forces and the Police put together. From my reading, there are only 500,000 odd Rela members.

Now, how and where did PM Najib pluck this number from? Does he not know what it takes to maintain such a large force? I think this figure even doubles that of the Indian Army. If indeed there are 2.8 million RELA members, then we don’t really need the Armed Forces and the Police…….. Just disband them and let the RELA take over the defence and security of the country. And with that kind of number, there wouldn’t be any more thieves, murderers and illegals in this country. Everything will be safe and sound, and it may cause some concern to all the neighbouring regional states.

And what really scares me was when PM Najib said that “when the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country”. What ‘chips’ is he referring to, and what is the threat that the government is trying to defend……external or internal security threat or a political threat from the opposition.

Please PM Najib, be wary with the kind of words and language used. What you have said can be interpreted to mean many things, and to people like me that had served 34 years in the military, I take it to mean that RELA would be your ‘final line of defence’; I suppose to be deployed to defend the country when both the Armed Forces and the police have lost their battle. And do you seriously think that when the Armed Forces and the police have been defeated, RELA can take over the defence and security of the country? I have serious doubts.

Now, there is already a move by the Home Minister Hishamuddin to arm the RELA. Yes, arming them may frighten Abu, Ah Kow and Muthu, but this will not frightened an enemy’s military force. It has taken years to build an Armed Forces and the Police with some credibility, and there is no way that RELA can be credible by just arming them to be trained once a week in basic weapon handling.

Defence and security training is not just about weapon training. PM Najib knows this very well for he was a long serving Defence Minister. And if someone were to ask me whether our Armed Forces and the Police today are well equipped and trained to defend this country against an external threat, my answer is one of skepticism. And if my answer is to be believed, then it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the Armed Forces and the Police attains an appropriate level of ‘force credibility’ as a matter of urgency.

I think there is now a lot of confusion about the roles of RELA, made worse by the statement of PM Najib. I think RELA started as an unarmed paramilitary civil volunteer corps that predates to the time when the government was saddled with the influx of illegal immigrants. It was never meant to be a force involved in defence and security because they are not organized and structured as such. Rather they are to work alongside all other security enforcement agencies, to assist them in dealing with security and social issues arising from the mass influx of illegal immigrants.

My stand on this issue is that the roles and tasks of the RELA should not replicate that of the Armed Forces and the Police. They should remain subservient force to assist, rather than being involved with defence and security per se.

In restructuring the RELA and boosting them the extra allowances, I hope the government does not have a hidden political agenda, especially one that is connected to the upcoming elections. Let me be honest and straight with the aforesaid statement. I will agree that RELA should be given an increase in their allowances that has been meager in the past, but I will certainly have my reservations if their roles and tasks are to be changed.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 10:11 pm and is filed under
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The Auditor-General failed us

— Lucius Goon

The Malaysian Insider

Jan 27, 2012

JAN 27 — So, the people at the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) and their great supporter, Perkasa, are now playing semantics.

They are arguing that the Auditor-General never mentioned that NFCorp was a mess, that he instead mentioned the management of the project was weak or some admin-speak to that effect.

In the English language, we say that this is someone trying to shut the barn door after the horse has bolted or, should I say, after the cows have run off. It is too late for your verbal gymnastics.

My advice to Shahrizat Jalil’s family is just to seek forgiveness from the people of Malaysia. Don’t even bother relying on the Auditor-General for a crutch.

In my eyes, the Auditor-General failed us the taxpayers miserably! I say this because this was not some poor management or wrong allocation of resources. This was a scandal of massive proportions.

If not for the whistleblower and the opposition, would we have known about the condos, the umrah packages, and the personal expenses? And I have not even touched on the running of the feedlot project in Gemas or why this particular bunch of individuals were given this project.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin says there is no need for a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the NFC. I agree with him on two counts.

One, RCIs are pointless exercises in Malaysia, mere mechanisms to allow the incumbents to buy some time and hope that Malaysians forget about the incident. Remember the Police RCI, the VK Lingam RCI and Teoh Beng Hock RCI.

Secondly, there is no need for a RCI on the NFC scandal because we know who the wrongdoers are. We don’t even need the police or the MACC to tell us anything.

The only question is when Malaysians mete out our form of justice.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 10:01 am and is filed under
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To Obey or Disobey?

by
Yin Ee Kiong

“You are saying our problem is civil disobedience, but that is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. . . . Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country.” Howard Zinn

Do governments expect their citizens to obey them or the laws promulgated by them even if the laws are unjust or immoral?

If the answer to the above is “Yes, Always!” then Hitler’s laws and the actions of the Nazis against the Jews would be in order. The laws passed by the Apartheid regime of the old South Africa would be acceptable. And Martin Luther King Jr and thousands of Americans should not have marched in protest against segregation and racial discrimination. Nearer home, should the Burmese then not have protested against a regime not of the people or by the people?

In other words no one should go against those establishments simply because they were ‘legal’.

But legal is not the same as moral; laws which have no moral basis are untenable and ultimately unsustainable. If a piece of legislation is immoral to begin with or if it is against the interests of the citizens, if they are there merely to ensure the regime stays in power then should not citizens disobey them?

Governments which are propped up by unjust laws have to be challenged.

Malaysians are by nature very patient (some would even say apathetic) it takes a long time before Malaysians will rebel. People are more concerned with making a living and feeding their family than to march on the streets. They must be, to put up with years of abuse of power and corruption; and with certain sectors of the population racial and religious discrimination. But rebel they did on July 9th 2011.

People had different reasons for protesting on July 9th but the common cause was the demand for Free and Fair Elections. That was a cause everybody at Bersih 2 and Malaysians in general, embraced.

Malaysians recognise that the lack of free and fair elections has been the root of our problem all these years. The UMNO-BN Government has through gerrymandering, ballot box stuffing, phantom voters, bribes, threats, use of the ISA and EO, maintained power. It’s not that people have not voiced their discontent through the ballot box. But when the dice is loaded the wishes of citizens are not registered; and when the result is a foregone conclusion why should people voice their discontent through the ballot box anymore without first fixing the rules that allow this electoral abuse to continue?

Democracy demands that everyone’s vote should carry an equal weight and every party have the same exposure in the media, and that there should not be electoral practices which effect a different result than the one a free and fair election would have delivered.

Bersih is fighting for elections that will reflect the true wishes of the people. The demands of Bersih are neither excessive nor unreasonable. In fact they are long overdue. They are the very least we can expect if we want free and fair elections that reflect the true wishes of the people.

Ambiga Sreenevasan’s comment that another demonstration (Bersih 3?) is possible is not a threat and should not be taken as such. It is just an observation of the rakyat’s mood. Neither Bersih nor any political party can get people out to protest if they are not so inclined.

The new law on public assembly just passed by parliament is a piece of legislation that is intended to curb the people’s right to public assembly and peaceful protests.  It is just another of the many government tools to help UMNO-BN stay in power. It’s not about maintaining public order; it’s not about traffic jams or the disruption of business. Bersih 2 put paid to that lie – it was by and large peaceful. It was the police which were violent.

Our problem is not that we have been disobedient of the authorities but that we have been too obedient! For 54 years we have obeyed every single law however unjust or immoral; we have accepted election results that were suspect.

To paraphrase Howard Zinn (historian, writer, social activist) our problem is that we have been too obedient. Meanwhile  thieves are running the country . . . and ruining it. Our problem is because we are obedient they ride roughshod over us so that the few who dared to lead a protest are threatened with loss of citizenship and worse, while those who make the threats get away with it.

If the laws are unjust or applied unjustly people may obey them out of fear not out of respect for them. However beyond a certain point fear loses its potency and people will disobey. When that point will be reached is anyone’s guess. My guess is Malaysians are fed up to their back teeth and have run out of patience. They are in a disobedient mood.

We have an ex-cabinet minister who has confessed that the ruling party had bribed the people during elections.

We have a current cabinet minister admitting that he was against the use of indelible ink on the flimsiest of excuses. Anything to gain an advantage over the opposition.

Without Bersih 2 even that small advance (to use indelible ink) would not have been possible but that alone does not ensure GE13 will be free and fair. More needs to be done, but whether Malaysians will disobey the law by going for Bersih 3 is left to be seen.

All Malaysians are asking is that we be allowed to freely elect the government we want and if it is the people’s wish to retain this government so be it but if the rakyat want a change of government then UMNO-BN must accept the verdict with good grace and not threaten to ‘defend Putrajaya at whatever cost”

The new government after GE13 must be chosen freely and fairly!

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 9:11 am and is filed under
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World leaders: Creatures of God or the Devil?

— John Inbaraj

The Malaysian Insider

Jan 28, 2012

JAN 28 —
Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah.
 When Dr Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister, he walked in with this slogan. However, in the 22 years he held power, he systematically destroyed every legacy the British and our founding fathers (excluding Abdul Razak) had stood for and built steadfastly.

In fact, Dr Mahathir even destroyed Umno, and history will forever record that the Umno of Onn Jaffar was declared illegal during the Mahathir administration!

When Abdullah Badawi took over he saw the need to introduce
Gemilang, Terbilang dan Cemerlang
. Many saw Abdullah as a good man but that did not last long.

From out of nowhere, Khairy Jamaluddin arrived on the scene.

Scomi, a company linked to Abdullah’s son, was born and gained many contracts.

Then a Patrick Lim suddenly became a big player in the business world. A huge plot of prime land in Penang was almost acquired by an associate company of Equine Sdn Bhd under the guise of setting up the Penang Global City Centre (PGCC).

Thankfully Penang fell to the opposition. Alas, not long after, Abdullah was booted out tactically — perhaps by those close to Dr Mahathir’s manipulative hand.

Then came the wizard of acronyms, Najib Razak (indeed Dr Mahathir had a massive hand in having him nominated as the DPM and eventually PM) with the power-packed slogan, “People First, Performance Now”.

The 1 Malaysia buzz-word emerged everywhere. It was seen and heard so often at every nook and corner. But sadly someone had to pour cold water by declaring that this propaganda was the work of a controversial public relations firm, APCO Worldwide, with alleged links to Israel.

Crony establishments like RTM were quick to emphasise the 1 Malaysia theme unabashedly despite carrying, on air and on screen, the extreme and racially polarised views of Perkasa that tear at the heart of racial harmony.

In the meantime, Anwar Ibrahim was suspended from Parliament improperly.

Interestingly enough, Dr Mahathir appears to have had strategic or direct influence in his own appointment as DPM and later PM, in the appointment of four deputy PM’s during his premiership, in the unceremonious sacking of Anwar (whose presence and clout is still haunting him) and in the departure of Abdullah and the elevation of Najib.

Then there is Mukhriz Mahathir, the elected deputy to Umno Youth leader Khairy. But it was Mukhriz who upstaged Khairy into the Cabinet as a deputy Minister. Was Dr Mahathir involved?

Is Dr Mahathir’s manipulative hand now at work to outwit Najib and propel Muhyiddin Yassin into the hot seat with Mukhriz as deputy as rumours seem to suggest? Such a scenario is not far-fetched considering that if Anwar and the opposition come to power a massive spring-cleaning exercise may land hundreds, maybe thousands of people (don’t know how to describe them) in serious trouble.

As the Gregorian New Year of 2012 dawned, I prayed that Armageddon (the end of the world) would actually happen this year for there really seems to be no hope for humankind!

The Year of the Dragon has now arrived. The Dragon is a mystical creature or maybe something that existed before, and maybe this year it could be brought back to life by yet another “Big Bang”.

Countries are being led by evil people. Millions, billions and trillions are being manipulated, embezzled and stolen. The righteous are being thrown into prisons, shot and killed. Why, why, why?

When someone takes on a leadership position is it not for him or her to offer something good to lesser mortals? Why does one suddenly desire to cling on and adopt evil ways to stay in power?

Is it necessary to treat those who do not agree with you as misled or misguided fools? Dr Mahathir threw quite a few top opposition politicians into prison just to stay in power. What right did he have to incarcerate the likes of Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh? Likewise with scores of other good people like Syed Husin Ali just because of political differences.

These people who cling on to power against the rules of conscience, fair-play and the will of the people are cowards.

I dream that somewhere in the world a leader will emerge who will call on his people to “Wake up (at 6.00 every morning and join me) and pray to your own God(s) for the health of our country and our people!”

Wishful thinking? What an idiot I am! — aliran.com

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 8:58 am and is filed under
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Yang Rasis Muhyiddin Yassin dan Awang Selamat

— Hata Wahari

The Malaysian Insider

Jan 29, 2012

29 JAN — Orang Melayu jangan  terperangkap dengan pemikiran sempit Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Utusan Melayu.

Saya terpanggil untuk membuat kenyataan ini berikutan tindakan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa orang Melayu tidak harus terperangkap dengan perangkap DAP sebaliknya perkara yang paling relevan sekarang ialah orang Melayu jangan terperangkap dengan kata-kata Timbalan Perdan Menteri, Tan Sri Muhyiddin  Yassin.

Pertamanya, saya ingin menegaskan orang Melayu kini semakin terbuka untuk menilai sebuah parti berbilang kaum DAP sebagai sebuah parti yang telus dan ikhlas untuk berjuang untuk kepentingan semua kaum di negara Malaysia yang tercinta.

Keduanya, orang  Melayu kini boleh duduk berbincang dengan orang Melayu yang menyertai DAP walaupun mereka dari Umno dan menerima penjelasan dengan baik serta tidak lagi bersikap ingin memusuhi ataupun menghamburkan kata-kata penghinaan.

Ketiganya, orang Melayu kini telah mula menyedari bahawa Umno dan Barisan Nasional (BN) bukan lagi parti yang memperjuangkan kepentingan orang Melayu sebaliknya sebuah parti yang mementingkan kroni serta suku sakat mereka sahaja.

Keempat, orang Melayu kini telah bersedia untuk menongkah arus memastikan kesenimbungan perjuangan pemimpin-pemimpin lampau yang mahukan Malaysia menjadi sebuah negara aman, makmur dan bersatu sesuatu yang telah gagal di laksanakan oleh Umno dan Barisan Nasional.

Pengalaman saya menyertai DAP sejak 21 Januari lepas, saya dapat menjalani kehidupan seperti biasa, ke masjid solat berjemaah, menghadiri kenduri kahwin jiran dan alhamdulilah berterusan memberi sedekah  pada malam Jumaat selepas bacaan Yassin dengan menyediakan juadah untuk jemaah.

Semuanya ini dilakukan tanpa halangan, alhamdulilah orang Melayu tidak lagi berfikiran sempit malahan telah dapat menerima realiti dengan memastikan tidak berlaku perpecahan kerana perbezaan parti politik.

Saya juga tidak terkejut dengan tindakan berterusan Mingguan Malaysia akhbar mingguan yang diterbitkan oleh Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Berhad sebuah syarikat milik Umno yang menyatakan bahawa DAP adalah parti paling rasis bukan sahaja di Malaysia, bahkan di seluruh dunia.

Ruangan pojok yang ditulis oleh Awang Selamat, walaupun saya mengenali dan tahu siapakah Awang Selamat kerana pernah bertugas di Utusan  Melayu selama 16 tahun, saya tidak akan mendedahkan siapakah dia Awang Selamat.

Cuma yang hendak saya katakan ialah penulis pojok Awang Selamat itu merupakan orang yang paling rasis bukan sahaja di Malaysia, bahkan di seluruh dunia.

Tulisan beliau secara jelas memperlihatkan bahawa sifat rasis beliau dan tidak dapat menerima perubahan realiti orang Melayu sekarang yang telah berlapang dada untuk menilai secara kritis dan bukan secara membabi buta mencerna setiap perkataan untuk menaikan sifat rasis terhadap DAP.

Sebagai orang Melayu yang telah memasuki DAP atas kerelaan sendiri, tidak ada rombongan pengantin ataupun rombongan masuk meminang daripada pemimpin-pemimpin DAP agar saya memasuki parti tersebut sebaliknya saya yang menghantar rombongan meminang untuk memasuki DAP memandangkan terlalu ramai orang Melayu yang ingin memasuki parti tersebut.

Saya bernasib baik kerana Setiausaha Agung DAP, YB Lim Guan Eng sendiri yang menerima borong permohonan saya untuk memasuki parti tersebut.  Tidak ada orang Melayu yang diperkudakan di dalam DAP kerana kami semua menyedari bahawa perjuangan untuk membebaskan orang Melayu dari belenggu rasis Umno dan Utusan Melayu perlu disegerakan.

Kami orang Melayu di dalam DAP memasuki parti ini untuk membuat pendirian bahawa tidak ada tempat di Malaysia ini untuk sikap rasis yang ditunjukkan oleh Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Utusan Melayu terutama penulis pojok Awang Selamat.

* Hata Wahari is a former journalist with Utusan Melayu. He is a member of DAP

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 29 January 2012, 4:32 pm and is filed under
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Azmi Khalid’s PAC Chairmanship will be remembered for his refusal to allow PAC to investigate the RM330 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will be one of the casualties of the RM330 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal with Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid’s PAC Chairmanship remembered for his refusal to allow the PAC to investigate the scandal.

The Malaysian Insider report today quoting PAC members that there was no personal guarantee involved in the RM250 million government loan to NFCorp, giving rise to the question who is accountable to repay if the NFC project fails,  has raised anew the issue why Azmi as PAC Chairman is single-handedly blocking the PAC from probing further into the “cattle condo” scandal highlighted after the Auditor-General’s Report 2010.

Azmi should reconsider his refusal to even convene a meeting of PAC to let the PAC members decide whether to proceed to conduct investigations into the “cattle condo” scandal or to suspend all PAC probes pending the outcome of police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations – when PAC members well know that the Malaysian public have little confidence that much would come out of police and MACC investigations.

In fact, as a member of the Tun Abdullah Cabinet which approved controversial NFC project in 2006, Azmi should not take part in any PAC discussion and decision whether PAC should investigate the “cattle condo” scandal – although Azmi claimed he could not remember whether the Cabinet during his time had discussed the project.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s three-week Cabinet  leave for the MACC to investigate whether she is involved in the “cattle condo” scandal will end this Friday, Feb. 3.

Will Shahrizat return to the Cabinet “cleared by the MACC” for involvement in the scandal or will she ask for a further extension of her leave from Cabinet until she could be fully and definitively cleared by the MACC?

NFCorp executive director Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh said on Friday that “stories saying we are getting free money are unreasonable.”

He said: “RM250 million is a big amount. If we play around without direction, my children’s future will be destroyed. For centuries, we will be saddled with debt.”

Malaysians are not worried about “centuries” but here and now, and whether Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Idris Jala’s prediction that Malaysia could go bankrupt in 2009 could come through with such financial abuses and indiscipline as the RM330 million “cattle condo” scandal.

It is significant that after being dragged over the coals for over  three months,  Shahrizat’s family members who run the NFCorp had failed to clear themselves of the many allegations of abuse of power and misuse of public funds which have been made against them despite several attempts on their part to meet up with “friendly” bloggers and NGOs.

For instance, although there have been denials that Shahrizat’s husband and three children draw RM215,000 a month as salaries from NFCorp – husband Dr. Mohammad Salleh Ismail drawing RM100,000 salary monthly as NFCorp Chairman, 31-year-old Izmir drawing RM45,000 monthly as executive director, another son Wan Shahinur Izran aged 27 drawing RM35,000 a month as CEO while 25-year-old daughter Wan Izzanah Fatimah drawing RM35,000 a month as the other director – Shahrizat’s family members have not come out with their own actual salary figures.

What is the reason for this shocking failure of Shahrizat and her family to clear their name in the court of public opinion?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 January 2012, 11:25 am and is filed under
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Mahal sungguh nak ‘maintain’ Umno ini

— Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Jan 30, 2012

30 JAN — Masalah yang dihadapi oleh parti pemerintah sekarang ini ialah perpecahan dalaman yang berlaku dari atas sehingga ke bawah. Perpecahan yang sangat serius ini bukan kepalang besarnya. Beberapa minggu lalu di Shah Alam Dr Mahathir Mohamad telah menyeru ahli-ahli Umno supaya menyokong calon Umno walaupun yang diturunkan oleh parti itu bukannya seorang ahli Umno.

Seruan Dr Mahathir ini sangat besar maknanya kepada seseorang yang berpolitik. Ia bermakna Umno memang sedang berada di dalam keadaan tenat sehinggakan ada tempat-tempat dan kawasan yang tidak ada seorang pun ahli Umno yang layak untuk diturunkan sebagai calon yang mendapat sokongan yang menyeluruh.

Dr Mahathir pula nampaknya sudah berubah lagi. Kali ini beliau menyokong parti, tidak seperti dalam PRU yang lalu di mana beliau meyokong calon dan tidak parti. Tetapi itu adalah tindakan yang tidak mengejutkan ramai sebab Dr Mahathir adalah seorang yang sentiasa “flip-flop” dalam perjuangan beliau.

Jadi benarlah pandangan saya selama ini yang Umno memang tidak ada kepimpinan di kalangan ahli-ahlinya. Jika seorang pemimpin yang digelar sebagai negarawan oleh penyokong-penyokong setianya itu, boleh menzahirkan kata-kata seruan seperti itu maka sah Umno memang sedang menghadapi masalah yang bertindih-tindih yang tidak dapat diselesaikan walaupun PRU akan diadakan tidak lama lagi.

Malah semalam saya terdengar Muhyiddin Yassin sedang berbincang dengan jawatankuasa disiplin parti untuk mencari jalan bagaimana hendak mengelakan ahli-ahli parti tidak melakukan sabotaj terhadap calon Umno dalam pilihanraya yang akan datang ini. PRU kali ini amat sengit yang bakal dihadapi oleh Umno dalam sejarahnya kewujudannya.

Dalam satu dua isu ini, kita boleh memahami dengan jelas yang Umno sebenarnya tidak ada masa untuk menyaingi PR kerana masalah dalam parti pemerintah itu masih terlalu besar untuk diatasi dengan sebaik-baiknya. Bagi saya, bagi Umno untuk menyelesaikan isu dalamannya parti itu memang sewajarnya berehat dari memerintah negara. Apabila sudah dapat cari formula yang baik barulah kembali menawarkan diri dalam pilihanraya yang berikutnya nanti.

Keadaan akan sampai keperingkat lebih teruk lagi apabila sampai waktu nama calon-calon diumumkan oleh pucuk pimpinan. Apabila diumumkan sahaja nama-nama calon itu nanti maka akan bermulalah perpecahan dan sabotaj dikalangan ahli-ahli dan pemimpin yang tidak berpuas hati terhadap calon yang diturunkan. Tidak ada calon yang tidak akan disabotaj oleh pihak yang tidak berpuas hati itu.

Masalah isu ditokok tambah pula dengan kekosongan pimpinan yang akan menjadi pemimpin yang akan menjadi Menteri Besar di sebabkan kekurangan peribadi yang layak untuk menerajui kerajaan-kerajaan negeri bagi Barisan Nasional. Di Selangor contohnya tidak ada nama yang sesuai untuk dijadikan Menteri Besar di negeri itu dan jika ada pun mungkin seorang yang akan diturunkan secara “parachute” dari atas dan mungkin inilah yang dimaksudkan oleh Dr Mahathir supaya ahli-ahli Umno menerima sahaja sesiapa yang diturunkan oleh parti walaupun mereka itu bukan ahli Umno.

Sebenarnya perkara ini telah berlaku dalam PRU ke 12 yang lalu dimana lebih dari 1.3 juta ahli-ahli Umno telah bertindak menyokong pembangkang. Tetapi dengan keadaan lebih buruk di zaman pentadbiran Najib ini prestasi Umno dijangka berada di dalam keadaan yang lebih tenat. Keadaan ini ditambah pula dengan perasaan kecil hati ahli-ahli dan pemimpin Umno di bahagian kerana menurunkan calon-calon yang datang dari entah mana.

Maka Umno akan menghadapi masalah yang lebih besar kali ini… masalah yang tidak pernah dialami oleh Umno sejak penubuhannya pada Februari 1988 yang lalu. Berbagai-bagai kaedah dilakukan oleh Umno khususnya oleh Najib Razak, Presidennya, akhir-akhir ini.

Tindakan Najib membeli sokongan rakyat melalui pengagihan wang RM500 itu sebenarnya tidak membantu Umno. Malahan ia memberi kesan negatif dikebanyakkan tempat. Saya merasakan sangat sedih apabila kita melihat ribuan yang beratur panjang itu adalah dari kaum Melayu dan hanya segelintir bangsa bukan Melayu yang beratur. Ia menunjukkan indikasi yang “desperate” adalah orang Melayu.

Sekaligus menunjukkan kegagalan Umno untuk menjayakan kehidupan orang Melayu. Laungan puluhan tahun untuk meningkatkan kehidupan orang Melayu hanyalah lagu yang sudah begitu lama yang begitu jauh dari mendekati kejayaan. Inilah caranya Umno mendapatkan sokongan terus-terusan dengan membiarkan Melayu yang ramai ini berada di dalam pengharapan sentiasa dan waktu inilah Umno cuba untuk mendapatkan semula kuasa dengan membayar ratus-ratusan ringgit sahaja.

Itulah sebabnya ramai orang-orang Melayu sedang meninggalkan Umno. Mereka meninggalkan parti Umno untuk menyeberang kepada parti-parti alternatif atau mendiamkan diri sambil menunggu untuk melakukan penentuan dalam PRU yang akan datang. Najib tidak mampu melakukan transformasi seperti yang digembar gemburkan.

Tindakan membayar RM500 ini sudah dianggap sebagai satu tindakan “desperate” Najib untuk memenangi PRU yang akan datang. Benarlah anggapan setengah-setengah pihak yang Najib mempunyai anggapan yang semuanya boleh diselesaikan cara membayar segala-galanya dengan wang ringgit. Najib mempercayai yang undi ini boleh dibeli seperti beliau membeli barang-barang “shopping” beliau di seluruh dunia itu.

Najib lupa yang manusia mempunyai perasaan dan perasaan ini tidak boleh dijual beli terutamanya semasa rakyat sedang menunggu perubahan dalam landskap politik negara. Najib sudah jauh meninggalkan penyokong yang mempunyai “convictions” terhadap perjuangan. Najib merasakan yang rakyat hanya memperjuangkan untuk mendapatkan RM500 sahaja.

Dengan cara membayar duit ini ia akan melumpuhkan nilai dan kekuatan orang Melayu dan tidak kita ketahui sampai bila beli membeli ini akan dilakukan. Inilah dia cara orang yang datang dari keluarga “pembeli belah” ini. Selain dari membeli belah besar besaran dengan jenama yang hebat-hebat dan berharga tinggi, dalam pilihanraya juga orang seperti ini beranggapan yang cara untuk mengekalkan kuasa itu adalah melalui “membeli belah”.

Pentadbiran kerajaan pimpinan berbelanja seperti duit boleh dipetik dari pokok-pokok rimbun. Kerajaan Perak sahaja sedang berbelanja duit rakyat berjuta ringgit untuk menyambut kedatangan “Najib the shopper” ini. Zambry Kadir dilaporkan telah berbelanja jutaan ringgit wang rakyat untuk menyambut ketibaan Perdana Menteri dan Muhyiddin Yassin dalam bulan Februari ini.

Nampaknya Umno memang seperti orang tua yang sedang sakit tenat. Terlalu banyak wang diperlukan untuk membiayai perubatan. Penyakit yang dialami oleh Umno ini membuatkan rakyat berbelanja begitu banyak wang untuk memulihkan penyakit “terminal” yang sedang dihadapi Umno kini.Umno sedang mengalami “brain death” dan sedang disokong oleh penyokong hayat (life support) iaitu wang semata-mata.

Sampai bila kita hendak bergantung kepada “life support” ini? Saya ada jawapan yang “conclusive” kepada jawapan ini; iaitu rakyat akan menyabutkan “life support” ini tidak lama lagi.

Rakyat sudah tidak berjaya hendak “maintain” Umno yang sudah menjadi seperti kereta buruk ini. Setiap hari terpaksa menambah minyak enjen bertin-tin kerana terlalu banyak memakan minyak enjin. tayarnya dah makan sebelah kerana selalu lari kekiri dan kekanan. Lampunya selalu padam dan breknya selalu rosak. Wipernya pula kadang-kadang berfungsi, kadang-kadang tidak berfungsi. Asap hitamnya tebal dan merosakkan persekitaran kita.

Rakyat hantar sahaja Umno ke bengkel dan lakukan “overhaul” kali ini. Sementara Umno berada dalam bengkel itu, kita pakai kereta kedua kita yang masih baik dan berfungsi dengan baik… mudah nak menghala kesana dan kemari.

Perjalanan kita pun tidak tergendala di lebuhraya yang jauh itu. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 January 2012, 8:49 pm and is filed under
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Malay matters in the nation’s future

S Thayaparan | Jan 29, 2012

Malaysiakini

COMMENT
 Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin’s challenge to the DAP to provide figures on the number of Malays joining the ranks of this centre-left party, not to mention Professor Khoo Kay Kim’s rather jaundiced view of Malay leftist as “non-freedom fighters”, is further evidence of the party’s desperate need to define what it means to be Malay, both historically and in the present.

Umno’s continuing efforts at creating the perception of a monolithic Malay polity has veered from the insidiously sophisticated to the downright crude.

Every facet of Malay life as projected by the state’s media propaganda organs has been to present the image of the Malays as a unified voting block raging against the liberal foreign ideas of the DAP, the eroding Islamic ideals of PAS or the immorality of Anwar Ibrahim.

There is a reason why there is a state-sanctioned method of practicing Islam. There is a reason for the morality police. There is a reason for apostasy laws. There is a reason for marriage laws.

There is a reason why other religions are demonised. There is a reason why the Malay population has been indoctrinated to fear their fellow Malaysians. And the reason for this is simple.

What Umno desires, and has received for so many years, is total submission from the sizeable majority of the Malay population.

The recent Christian conversion controversy – that Christian proselytising is against the law in a supposedly multiethnic and multi-religious country is further evidence of the ruling regime’s fear of not only the diminishment of the role Islam in the public and private lives of Malays but their control of it – implies that a certain segment of the Malay population is not getting any part of the largesse that is supposed to trickle down to them and that they are more then willing to seek elsewhere the assistance they need.

Racial card not exclusively Malays

It has of course gone to ridiculous extremes as in the recent NFC (National Feedlot Corporation) fiasco where Ibrahim Ali and his ilk (bolstered by the right-wing state-controlled Malay mainstream press) suggest that an issue of corruption is really an issue of race and a racial provocation against the Malay community.

The fact that the alleged whistleblower has been identified as a non-Malay is par for the course in this country’s national political debate.

And let us (non-Malays) not assume the high road because we, too, have played the same racial card when it comes to the shenanigans of non-Malay political parties.

In any other functional democracy an investigation into a case of corporate and governmental malfeasance would be handled with the utmost impartial diligence or at least that’s the perception the powers-that-be would attempt to convey but here, the fact that the state responded in its usual fear-mongering fashion is an overt threat to non-Malays that they should never attempt to impose any accountability on the government or its financial policies, less they inadvertently start a racial incident.

However, these tactics are fast becoming obsolete since it was a predominantly Malay political party with the vocal backing of its non-Malay allies that first exposed this scandal and the very real fractures within the Malay community that Umno for so very long has been trying to hide or stamp out is being given expression on the national stage.

Professor Khoo’s interpretative stance when it comes to the contributions of the Malay left to the independence of this country may favour the Umno narrative but what the current debate proves is that the Malays even then were not some sort of monolithic entity bound by the same political ideology unlike what our state-coddled history professors teach us.

Professor Khoo uses the tired old clichés of communism (anti-religion) and world domination (conveniently forgetting that we were a British colony) to misinterpret a polychromatic Malay left to bolster the narrative that only the Umno-led coalition and the so-called social contract ensured our independence and political and social stability.

Constitutionally-created Malays

Readers’ interested in a sympathetic perspective of the diverse nature of the Malay left of a pre- and post-colonial Malaya should read Said Zahari’s memoir, ‘Dark Clouds at Dawn’, to understand how even elements in the British colonial establishment considered a paper like Utusan Melayu a “pinko” or “red” newspaper, a charge vigorously denied by then editor Zahari.

The very fact that a certain segment of the Malay-Muslim population were not hostile to the so-called liberal concepts of self-determination, social justice and fair play – as though such concepts are anathema to Islam – is evidence enough of the ideologically diverse nature of a pre-independence Malay community. A community as yet infected by the propaganda of BTN (Biro Tatanegara) and the stranglehold of a federal government.

If the concept of what constitutes a Malay is complex historically with different connotations of culture as exemplified by the various different traditions and mindsets of various states, is added to these days’ constitutionally-created Malays, the mix becomes more explosive.

As I have argued before, the concept of Malay has changed so dramatically over the years through the social engineering agenda of Umno, these days it would be easier for the divergent forms of political and religious ideologies which manifest in the Malay community, to further fracture the concept of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ and in the end, the Umno choke hold.

The shortsightedness in the creation of constitutionally-created Malays will have severe repercussions on Umno and in the end, the country.

For the former, it will be the gradual erosion of influence of the so-called “authentic Malay”, a topic of conversation that seems to be de rigueur in the hushed confines of the mosques but more importantly, the corridors of power.

The not-so-recent inclusion of Malaysian Muslim Congress (Kima) as a non-voting member of Umno is like the recognition bestowed on an unwanted child born out of wedlock.

Possible sectarian violence

And let’s not forget the Indonesians, Burmese and Filipinos that have been granted the status of Malays outside the Umno-controlled peninsula and we have a situation pregnant with the possibility of some sort of national renunciation.

Meanwhile, the Orang Asli who have long been denied the benefits and privileges accorded to the bumiputera, will continue to be ignored by mainstream political parties until they organise into a cohesive political force which would further tensions within the Malay community.

The consequences for the country will of course be dire. Not only will there be sectarian violence within the Malay community but most probably as has been documented in various parts of the Muslim world, the nature of the conflict will be religious based.

If we are lucky it would be between two extremes, but the reality will probably be that non-Malays will either have to leave this country or latch on to whichever side that offers the least subservient role.

Khairy and indeed others of his temperament should be concerned of the fact that more Malays could be embracing the DAP.

This demonstrates that they feel no affinity for the religious brand of politics favoured by PAS or the strong whiff of Umno-ism emanating from PKR.

They have chosen a third, more secular route. Now, by no means does this mean that they are abandoning their religious world view, merely that they don’t see their Islamic perspective threatened by the political framework of the DAP.

Part 2: The fracturing of the Malay community

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 January 2012, 9:04 am and is filed under
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #98

By
M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 12:   A Prescription For Malaysia

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister

May 13, 2000

Dear Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, MBBS, SPMJ, DSDK, DP(Sarawak), DUPN, DKNS, SPCM, SPDK, SPNS, SSMT, DUK, DK(I), PIS,    DK(Perlis), FICS(Hon), SSAP, DK(Kelantan):

I do hope that I have all your titles correct and honorifics up to date. It was so much easier in the old days when you were simply Dr. Mahathir! You seem invigorated lately by the West’s belated recognition of your considerable leadership qualities. While President Bush and others may have been slow in recognizing your talent, rest assured that for many Malaysians, your place in our history books is secure.

            No segment of the populace has benefited more from your able leadership than Malays. It must therefore pain you immensely to see in the twilight of your career to have Malays turning against you. You may eerily wonder whether your fate might be like that of your predecessor, Tunku Abdul Rahman. He led the country peacefully to independence; despite that he was later hounded out of office and then ignominiously ignored. The old man later bitterly lamented that even the nation’s history books did not mention his name in recounting its path to freedom. It would be sad indeed were you to share Tunku’s destiny, a man you so mercilessly tormented 30 years ago. The irony would be providential.

            The world has changed since the 9/11 terrorists’ attack, and not just in America. Whereas Americans once severely berated you for jailing those extremists, today those same leaders are lauding you for your decisive actions. You rightly see through their hypocrisy, but this time you were smart enough not vocalize it. Obviously to the West, preventive detention and other flagrant abuses of human rights and due process are fine as long as the targets are anti-Western elements.

            On your part, you crow about how America is learning a thing or two from Malaysia by adopting some of the elements of the ISA in its new Patriot Act. I disagree with your assessment. The Patriot Act is meant for foreigners, not Americans; the ISA on the other hand is directed against our own citizens. In your enthusiasm for what you think you can teach America, you have missed this essential difference.

            As leader you have given the nation much-needed direction, a vision. Your Vision 2020 aimed at turning Malaysia into a developed and moral society is truly, well, visionary. Unlike many leaders who are consumed with shouting one slogan after another, much like the leader caricatured in Shahnon Ahmad’s short story Ungkapan (Sloganeering), you have backed up your vision with careful planning and concrete proposals. Indeed I would argue, too much planning and too specific a proposal. There are dangers to both. Let me elaborate.

            In the mid 1970s the City of Edmonton, Canada, was planning a massive suburban development. The city planners did something unusual. Instead of planning every detail they merely drew up conceptual drawings. They began filling in the details as development progressed. Instead of building expensive sidewalks and pedestrian paths immediately as was the usual practice for example, the planners left empty spaces. A year after the residents had moved in, the natural pathways that they had chosen would become obvious and the city would then pave them. Thus it avoided paving sidewalks that would rarely be used.

            The lesson here is that we cannot always anticipate accurately everything; we must therefore be flexible and ready to modify our plans with changing conditions and on the feedback. In short, we should “plan for the unplanned.”

            I am skeptical of elaborate plans; the more detailed they are the more detached they would be from reality. I have never been impressed with Malaysia’s multitude of Five Year Plans. They have a faint Soviet odor about them. The Seventh Malaysia Plan that began in 1995 was quickly reduced to irrelevance by the economic crisis of 1997.

            It is naïve to think that every governmental activity could be forced into the same five-year time frame. Five years would be an eternity when dealing with Information Technology. On the other hand for education, a five-year span is too short. Policies on such an important issue as education must never be changed on a whim. The same is true of economic and trade policies. Investors want stability when making long-term investments. It would be smarter for each department or sector to have its own short- and long-term plans, with the time frame to be determined independently.

            Thus instead of a flurry of meetings consuming the entire government machinery to the exclusion of its regular work and responsibility, have few select committees or commissions to study and recommend what the long-term missions are in specific areas like trade and education, and then develop the short-term plans to reach or achieve those goals in steps.

            Having said that, I am still cautious and skeptical of central planning. The problem with Malays today is that our lives have been over-planned. We have been told to this and that, and then later reversed to that and this. In the end nothing works. We were told that our culture and values hinder us in the modern world, and then told to celebrate and hold high our heritage and ideals. We were told to ignore English and to use our Malay language instead, only to be later told on the importance of English. We are urged to pursue the sciences and yet we do not reward those who do take up the challenge. No wonder our people are confused. We have been yanked back and forth too many times.

            As I have never believed that a committee or planning commission can achieve anything meaningful, I set forth my own ideas with a view that they would be a starting point for a national dialogue. Over the long term Malaysia must commit to joining the global mainstream, and be an active and contributing participant. We must recognize the inevitability of globalization and the further spread of free enterprise.

            We must also recognize that these two trends would continue to evolve. A generation hence they will assume far different and better forms than what they are today. If we do not embrace them now, it would be that much more difficult to adjust later when we would inevitably be forced to join the mainstream.

            Additionally we should commit to the ideals of a civil and moral society, and strive to be one. By this I mean a society that values individual rights and freedom; is ruled by law and civil institutions, and respectful of the differences among us. Like globalization and free enterprise, the detailed form and shape of a civil society will continue to evolve, modified by time and culture, but the sooner we embrace the concept the better we will be. It should not surprise us to discover that the ideals of a civil society as envisioned by civil libertarians in the West are also very much the ideals celebrated in Islam.

            As a nation we are now closing in on our fifth decade. We have come a long away. We are a far different society today than we were a generation ago, in no small measure due to your enlightened leadership. The assumptions we have of ourselves then are no longer valid today, so too are our policies that were based on those assumptions. We need new strategies to meet fresh challenges.

            Without being presumptuous I suggest six specific areas we should concentrate on in preparing our citizens for this new reality.

            • Embrace the reality of globalization, free trade, and capitalism

            • Enhance the competitiveness of all Malaysians

            • Strengthen our laws and civil institutions

            • Buttress our social fabric and safety net

            • Optimize our natural attributes

            • Empower our people

            By committing to globalization we are sending a clear message not only to our citizens but also the world that Malaysia is now adopting international or universal standards. We no longer accept that being “good enough for Malaysia” is good enough. We are already doing many of these things. There is however, a significant difference in doing something grudgingly or because we have to, and doing it because we are committed to the ideals. It is all in the attitude, or as we say in our faith, the niat.

            Right from the very beginning Malaysia wisely eschewed socialism, although we have not shied away from massive state interventions in the private sector. Initially the rationale was to achieve social and racial equity, but like so many government initiatives, these programs have a life and momentum of their own. Thus even though they have proven to be not the most effective ways of addressing the problems as well as their massive price tags, nonetheless they have persisted and expanded though sheer momentum.

            You insist that the “commanding heights” and strategic sectors of the economy be under local or even public control, in the belief that they are too important to be left in the private sector or foreign hands. I disagree. I have no qualms were Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and our giant utility companies like Tenaga Nasional and Telekom Malaysia be controlled by foreigners.

            The job of our government should be to ensure that we have enough trained Malaysians to be their executives, professionals, and technicians. There is no point in MAS being government-owned if it is a drain on the Treasury or if its local managers are incompetent. Our precious and limited resources ought to be diverted away from owning these expensive companies and instead directed towards developing our most precious asset: our people. Once we have an abundance of trained and capable personnel then it would be easy for us to start our own local ventures. What you are now doing is putting the cart before the horse. That has never worked and never will.

            Your ambitious Multimedia Super Corridor project bogs down for lack of competent personnel. Your preoccupation with and frequent harping on the Bumiputra and non-Bumiputra rivalry is shortsighted and counter productive. We should make all Malaysians competitive. We should look upon each other not in terms of the Bumupitra and non-Bumiputra dichotomy, rather as potential clients, customers, and business partners. We would achieve this best under free enterprise. To a businessperson it does not matter where his profits come from: locally from his own kind or from foreigners.

Next:   Embracing Globalization

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 January 2012, 2:14 pm and is filed under
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Umno’s in trouble in Selangor

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | January 30, 2012

Free Malaysia Today

Contrary to survey ratings, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is not as popular as people are made to believe, says Daim Zainuddin.

COMMENT

In the pre-2008 general election days, Umno leaders castigated and demeaned former economic adviser Daim Zainuddin, claiming he was senile and past his shelf life, and that he was way-off with his political predictions.

Then came the shocking loss. As prophesied by Daim, Barisan Nasional lost five states and barely managed to retain its two-thirds majority.

Now every Umno leader regards Daim as the Oracle of Delphi. More so, if they can persuade him to give encouraging, if not forced, optimism of Umno’s prospects in the 13th general election.

Sadly they are not going to get that.

Two Saturdays ago, I sat down with Daim’s alter ego, whom I call the Oracle of Syed Putra.

Although I directed my questions to the Oracle and he gave answers, readers must assume they are directed to and answered by Daim himself.

I asked the Oracle his assessment of the current political situation and of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

His response was somewhat startling, to say the least.

He said Najib “has simply lost the plot” on how to run and manage this country.

What about those polls and ratings about Najib being popular?

The Oracle said, “Surveyors and those surveyed can be paid to elicit the politically correct statements. No big deal.”

‘Dr M in Selangor means trouble’

I asked if he knew that (former prime minister) Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) had gone to speak at a function in Shah Alam two weeks ago.

(Najib reportedly met 1,300 grassroots leaders of the Selangor BN in a closed-door gathering two weeks ago.)

He said he didn’t know but added that if indeed Mahathir had gone down to Selangor, then it was a “sign of bigger problems” in Selangor.

He said he heard that Mahathir told Umno people in Shah Alam vis-a-vis Selangor to accept any candidate selected by the top leadership even if the candidates have never been Umno members.

In which case Umno must be scrapping the barrel.

In an interview with The Star last November, on winnable candidates, Mahathir said he knew there “is resistance on the ground”, especially among many division warlords who think they are winnable.

According to him, very few will make way willingly for new candidates and that there will be sabotage.

“It can be done provided you lay the ground. You have to meet them, explain why it has to be a certain candidate. So far, I don’t see it (the groundwork),” he said.

Mahathir, more than anyone else, knows the ground.

The fact is no one in Umno is “winnable” enough and that is the profound indictment on the state of affairs and the quality of Umno leadership.

Loses in Sabah and Sarawak

I asked the Oracle if he could see the outcome of the next election. But he was somewhat subdued.

All he said, after a while, was that BN could lose 16 parliamentary seats in Sarawak and 12 in Sabah – eight of which will be from Umno.

“I was hoping the losses can be compensated by BN winning back Selangor and Kedah provided Umno is united…” But Umno is not united.

The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman, and now a DAP member. He is a FMT columnist.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 30 January 2012, 8:44 pm and is filed under
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