Umno ‘welcomed’ to sue Penang on mosque polls

By
Susan Loone

Jun 17, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Penang state executive councillor for religious affairs Abdul Malik Abul Kassim has challenged groups protesting the elections to mosque committees in the state to sue the government.

Abdul Malik said the election would go on despite the fierce protests from Umno as the procedure was in compliance with Section 22(4) of the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP) enactment.

“So if anybody wants to challenge this, you are welcome,” said Abdul Malik, the assemblyperson for Batu Maung.

“Those who cannot accept improvements that benefit the people and the Muslim community surely cannot accept this change,” he added.

Several groups have shot down the new procedure under which mosque committee members would no longer be selected by the Penang Islamic Affairs Council (MAIPP) but elected directly by their congregations.

In the frontline of the protest is Umno, which has accused the DAP of interfering in the Islamic affairs of the state.

Umno also hit out at the state government for intending to split the Muslim community and allow politics to seep into the congregations.

MAIPP has also been strongly criticised for insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, with Umno and Muslim NGOs insisting that His Majesty’s approval of the new election system was necessary before implementation in the state.

However, Abdul Malik said NGOs aligned to Umno were trying to “exploit” the issue and by trying to drag the Agong into the matter, they hoped to make the Malays increasingly angry with the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

“Actually, only the selection format has changed,” he said adding that previously, mosque committees were selected just by the raising of hands, but now it would be done through voting of candidates offering themselves to serve.

Mosque committee members were all along picked without the views of the mosque congregations considered, said Abdul Malik, “but this time we ask them to suggest names for their own committees to MAIPP, which will then be endorsed by the king”.

No meddling from DAP

Abdul Malik said Umno had politicised the issue by slandering DAP, accusing the party of “interfering” in the administration of Muslim affairs.

He reiterated that the new procedure was solely the decision of MAIPP, without even an iota of meddling from any DAP leader.

“I am confident that the 4,485 people who offered themselves to fill 4,530 posts in 151 of the 200 mosques in the six districts of Penang intend to work together with the state government to uphold Islam,” he said.

The 151 mosque congregations that agreed to hold the elections will vote in their committees at their annual general meetings, while the remaining 34 will not hold elections at their AGMs.

A total of 59 main posts were unchallenged while eight mosque congregations did not submit their nomination forms.

Abdul Malik said it was clear that Muslims in Penang were ready for a change that would benefit their community.

“The ones not ready for change are Umno and Malay rights pressure group Perkasa, which are anti-change, because they have always been very rigid in their thinking,” he said.

“That is why they blindly protest against any change by anyone other than Umno… although at the end of the day, they will be copying the same thing,” he added.

He gave the example of Umno protesting against the PAS-led Kelantan government for introducing the five-day work week.

Umno had then accused the state government of being lazy and for reducing work productivity, he said.

“But not long after that, the federal government too implemented the five-day work week,” Abdul Malik added.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 June 2011, 9:43 am and is filed under
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What’s so “dirty” about Bersih 2.0 rally?

By
Mustafa K. Anuar

June 17, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 17 — We’ve heard it all. Dire warnings issued, threats yelled out, police reports filed, scathing commentaries published in incredulous and incredible news sheets. And all this prior to the planned Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9, 2011 in Kuala Lumpur.

If these “noises” were to be believed, our collective mind would be filled to the brim with mental pictures of Bersih participants, in the worrying words of Perkasa boss Ibrahim Ali, throwing stones and burning cars!

Why, these people might even go the whole hog and work themselves into a frenzy on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, wildly throwing Molotov cocktails into the tourist spots of, say, Bukit Bintang, storming the Parliament building, running amok and attacking whoever dare come their way.

Additionally, such wild and irresponsible behaviour, as this impression suggests, would have horrible consequences for members of the general public as it would hurt hard, for instance, the pockets of businesspeople, taxi drivers, and even hawkers, not to mention the immense traffic jam that would clog the busy streets of Kuala Lumpur. And, lo and behold, their rash and violent actions would be a dangerous threat to “national security.”

But is Bersih 2.0 really the wily monster that it has been made out to be? Are they really a motley people who desire is nothing but to behave unruly on the streets and cause riots along the way? Are they so politically mischievous that groups like Perkasa are prompted and compelled to call to jihad to protect “public security”?

The last time I checked, the first Bersih rally was relatively peaceful and successful in Kuala Lumpur. Bersih 2.0 is a civil society group, assures its chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan, which plans to organise a peaceful street demonstration with the aim of bringing to the attention of the general public a list of demands pertaining to the manner by which elections are held in the country.

By no stretch of the imagination can this primary objective be considered as being synonymous to breaking the law and pushing the country down a slope to anarchy and disrepute.

And the fact that the Bersih group holds dearly the notion of democracy and the right to expression and peaceful assembly explains why Ambiga respects the democratic right of other groups in the civil society, such as the right-wing Perkasa, to oppose her group in a peaceful fashion. In other words, Bersih has as much right as Perkasa to stage a peaceful demonstration in Kuala Lumpur, a right that is enshrined in the country’s constitution.

Besides, one would think – and hope – that the law enforcement agencies would see to it that the street demonstrations remain civil and peaceful and that possible emergence of agents provocateurs would be quelled. Additionally, traffic jams would be kept to the minimum by these agencies so as to lessen the inconvenience possibly faced by the KL road users.

And if it seems too risky a venture to have both parties jeering at each other at close range, then the police may want to direct them to opposite directions. Or, allow them to demonstrate on a different day to avoid verbal, and perhaps physical, confrontation.

For some strange twist of logic, Bersih 2.0 has also been accused by certain groups or individuals of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam. Again, this boggles the mind of morally upright and concerned Malaysians as the campaign that is being forged by Bersih 2.0 is aimed at gaining a universal appeal as shown below – and not one that promotes the interests of a certain ethnicity or faith against those of other communities.

A visit to the Bersih 2.0 website reveals, among other things, that their demands are to: (a) clean the electoral roll; (b) reform postal vote; (c) use indelible ink for voting; (d) have free and fair access to media; (e) to have minimum 21 days of campaign period; (f) strengthen public institutions such as the Election Commission, and the judiciary; (g) stop corruption; and (h) cease dirty politics.

In short, these are meant to ensure that the playing field is even to all and sundry, which should be in the interest and concern of all Malaysians, irrespective of ethnic and religious backgrounds, who treasure democracy, fairness, justice, transparency and accountability.

Surely these demands for electoral reform and justice are not against the true teachings of Islam and other revealed religions. If anything, the respective followers of these religions are enjoined to fight against material corruption and the corruption of public institutions in the long march towards strengthening democracy.

As if this isn’t enough to insult our intelligence, someone had put forward a suggestion that the forthcoming Bersih 2.0 rally be held in a stadium away from the attention and scrutiny of the larger society. To be sure, street demos are not meant to be confined to a closed area as we would musical concerts such as Lady Gaga’s, Justin Bieber’s and other forms of gigs.

Thus, when you think of the good things that Bersih 2.0 is helping to champion for the betterment of our society, you can’t help but suspect that the ugly depictions or premonitions of the forthcoming rally are merely desperate attempts by certain quarters to divert the attention of concerned Malaysians away from the vital issues of free and fair election, democracy, transparency, accountability and freedoms of expression and of assembly. Or, is the rumbling from the likes of Perkasa calculated to merely “offer” justification to the powers-that-be to stop the Bersih 2.0 rally from happening?

To reiterate, a free and fair election would go a long way towards strengthening democracy, the benefits of which can be gained by almost everyone, including the businesspeople, hawkers, taxi drivers, taxpayers etc.

Surely, it’s not dirty thinking on the part of concerned Malaysians to crave for a Bersih Malaysia!

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 June 2011, 9:36 am and is filed under
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Why the rift?

By
Nitya Kamalanathan

June 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 16 — I am currently a PhD student in the United Kingdom, my first time in England. When people ask me about Malaysia, I beam, telling them how wonderful our country is and our food!

Oh that is my favourite topic of discussion. We come from a country bursting with flavour, warmth, culture and diversity all of which have been the building blocks of the country.

The three representing races of Malaysia each have rich traditions and cultures, which have blended together to produce a Malaysian culture of which I am proud to say I am part.

I remember as a kid celebrating the lantern festival with my neighbours, buying little lanterns and watching them float away into the darkness of the night. I remember in school making ketupats for Hari Raya and hanging them around school and I remember for Deepavali having little girls dance bharata natyam in school, and sharing murukku and mixture with my friends.

As I grew older, I felt a rift between the respective groups. What caused this? I remember as a child being told by my parents that I am not to forget my heritage, my culture, where my ancestors are from. I was sent to classes to learn my native language and to learn classical singing.

All this was expected of me, to ensure I did not forget my nativity. In this rush to enforce remembrance of heritage, some parents, in my perception, have been distracted by the need to preserve their culture and have forgotten to show their children the importance of intermingling among the races.

I am sure a variety of factors exist causing this rift and dissecting each factor would probably be like working on another PhD thesis.

While having a little chat with my friends over here in my research area, one particular friend (a foreigner who lived in Malaysia for several years) mentioned how evident it was that the races are struggling to preserve their own individual identity.

This triggered a recollection of memories and encounters in the past which too made me wonder if being caught up in preserving one’s unique culture and traditions people have drifted from embracing the uniqueness of Malaysia and the rich diversity in cultures, traditions and ancestry.

I understand the pressing dilemma of culture dilution, and the striving to maintain each group’s uniqueness and identity. However does mingling with others dilute mine?

I have grown up with exposure to people of all walks of life and yet I enjoyed listening to my grandparents stories of their childhood and how things were then, I also enjoyed learning to sing classical songs and learn to read and write my mother tongue, but that never caused me to want to surround myself only with people of “my own kind”.

Personally, I have valued the time spent with my friends learning about their culture, traditions and experiencing the difference. Recently a string of my best friends got married; one was a fairytale Christian wedding, one was a dazzling Malay Nikah ceremony and the other a bright and colourful Indian wedding.

Each of them was beautiful and special in their own way and wearing different outfits according to the different ceremonies was exciting. We are so gifted to have the opportunity in Malaysia to experience such a variety of traditions that bring two people together.

Embracing the diversity of the cultures, tradition and their food has always been a delight to me, everyone has some good and some not so good to offer. At the end of the day we are all human and we all have some good and some not so good to offer.

Mingling with others and participating in their traditions has never threatened my own identity, as at the end of the day I am aware of who I am and who I want to be.

I was also told by someone I looked up to once, that a culture can best be defined in relation to other cultures.  It is the differences in cultures that make each culture perceptibly different, and therefore unique and individual.  So, experiencing the differences between your own and other cultures leads you to recognise the good and bad points of your own.

This shouldn’t, of course, mean that you are liable to reject or neglect your own cultural traditions. Globalisation has made us all “citizens of the world”, for better or worse.  This gives us all more opportunities to see other cultures, to compare them with our own and to share in their traditions.

At the same time we can appreciate our own culture and traditions more realistically, without having to abandon them.

So to all Malaysians like me, I say let’s celebrate the gift of diversity presented to us.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 June 2011, 1:10 pm and is filed under
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Yen Yen blames DAP for Facebook ‘distortion’

By
Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 16, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 — Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen blamed DAP for “distorting” facts on the tourism ministry’s RM1.8 million expenditure to develop six Facebook pages, insisting today  she did not contradict a detailed account of the costs.

Her deputy, James Dawos Mamit, had told Parliament that each Facebook page had cost RM293,072.

“My deputy minister had answered it very clearly… Facebook is free.

“The cost is for the integrated social media campaign, the DAP has taken the campaign and distorted it… I accuse him (Anthony Loke) of distortion,” she told reporters today.

The tourism minister said that so far RM250,000 had been spent on the campaign.

She said yesterday the RM1.8 million would cover the cost of six different campaigns over seven months, and included the cost of contests and advertising on Google and Facebook.

But Ng did not point out which part of her deputy’s speech which stated that the RM1.8 million was not used for the ministry’s Facebook page, despite repeated questioning by reporters.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today that the Cabinet would seek an explanation from her over the matter.

He said that if the tourism minister’s explanation was not satisfactory, the government might investigate the matter.

The government has been on a cost-cutting drive after complaints that it was not walking the talk of asking people to adjust their lifestyles to mitigate the effects of subsidy cuts for fuel, electricity and sugar in recent months.

DAP Youth chief Anthony Loke had said that unless Dr Ng explained the reason behind the “exorbitant” costs for the “social media branding” exercise, he would lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Citrawarna 1 Malaysia, the most popular page, has so far attracted 20,292 Facebook fans since it was launched on May 21.

The ministry had said that the RM1.8 million included costs for designing, flash programming and coding, testing and debugging, uploading and launching the application, system server deployment and campaign management.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 June 2011, 8:36 am and is filed under
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‘Umno Youth, Perkasa want to foil Bersih rally’

By
Athi Shankar

June 18, 2011  | Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: The planned Umno Youth and Perkasa rallies are meant to foil, frustrate and disrupt the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9, said DAP national chairman Karpal Singh today.

He called on the police to strictly ensure that all rallies were held in a orderly way without any untoward incidents.

The veteran politician hoped that participants of the three proposed rallies would be separated and prevented from abusing each other.

He said the police should be on high alert especially when a person like Perkasa leader Ibrahim Ali, who couldn’t possibly control and check his senses, was around.

“He is capable of doing anything to disrupt the Bersih rally,” the two-term Bukit Gelugor MP told a press conference during his constituency visit.

He argued that Umno Youth and Perkasa could have easily organised their rallies on another day if their intention was genuine.

“But they are obviously organising rallies on the same day and same venue to counter and frustrate the Bersih rally. It’s a deliberate attempt to foil Bersih,” he said.

The rallies would be held in the city centre.

Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of 62 NGOs, promoting democracy and free and fair elections.

Perkasa and 30 Malay-based NGOs had announced their plan to organise a similar rally to oppose the Bersih rally. Umno Youth had also decided to hold a gathering on the same day.

The movement plans to hand over a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to support the democracy system and the role and reforms carried out by the Election Commission (EC).

So far police had not issued permits for any of the rallies.

Police had already warned of strong action, including using preventive laws, against those participating in illegal rallies.

Call to use ISA ‘misplaced’

Bersih chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan said she would be writing to the Kuala Lumpur police chief on how rally organisers and police could work together to hold a peaceful rally.

Yesterday, the Malaysian Council of Ex-Elected Representatives (Mubarak) called on the police to use the Internal Security Act (ISA) against the Bersih 2.0 rally organisers.

Karpal, a former ISA detainee, said the threat to use preventive laws against Bersih rally participants “was misplaced.”

He recalled that the last Bersih rally in 2007 had set a precedent where the Putrajaya administration had allowed a similar rally.

He suggested that Barisan Nasional could be afraid of the Bersih 2.0 that like the 2007 rally, it would inspire another political uproar against the ruling coalition.

He said that leaders, members and supporters of Pakatan Rakyat, comprising PKR, DAP and PAS, would turn out in full force to support the Bersih 2.0 rally.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:23 pm and is filed under
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Anak Malaysia 2

By
M. Chua

June 18, 2011 | MalaysiaKini

JUNE 18 — Someone sent me an article by Kalimullah Hassan, which appeared in The Malaysian Insider last week.

The article was on his experiences in trying to be an “Anak Malaysia” and I found the subject to be interesting, especially for me, an Anak Malaysia currently living abroad.

I must confess I hardly read Malaysian newspapers these days and not even The Malaysia Insider or any other publication or news portal. Frankly, most news coming out of my homeland does not exactly fill me with joy.

So thank you for keeping me informed. If not, I probably go on with my daily routine scanning the South China Morning Post for some news from home, more often than not, hoping for some pleasant news for a change!

I started my third tour of Hong Kong about five years ago and, since then, have been traversing the world on business. But it’s Hong Kong where I spend more of my time.

This metropolitan has many Malaysians like me, probably too busy on a daily basis to pay too much attention to what is going on at home.

After all, I remember this famous quote by a Malaysian who had spent more than three decades abroad: “The world can live without Malaysia, but Malaysia cannot live without the world”.

By and large, many of us are still holding Malaysian passports. When asked why, a variety of reasons are given. Top of the list is family and friends; second is our wonderful variety of food; third, the slower pace of life (Golf for me); and finally the cheaper cost of living.

Strangely enough, better future or prospects is never a consideration.

This is indeed very disheartening.

For a start, most families today are a nucleus. Family ties will soon be cut off as soon as my generation passes on. Thanks to AirAsia and Skype, I stay connected with friends from home too.

I miss mee goreng mamak but am quite prepared to settle for a nice bowl of wan ton mee. Slower pace of life and cost of living are both subjects that Malaysia expats like to talk about but in the final analysis, it’s not really a major pull factor to get them to return home.

During the heat of 2008 financial crisis, I told my daughter the following:

“A man with a Kenyan father may become the next president of America. An Indian migrant at a young age was responsible for the TARP fund. “

The moral of the story to my children is you must be prepared to accept the realities of life that there are still discriminatory policies in your country of birth!

We can debate about Bangsa or Anak Malaysia. The truth is young people today don’t really think about borders or barriers. I am grateful of what Malaysia has offered my siblings and me.

My late father used to tell me the hardship he endured in China, and constantly reminded us the many opportunities Malaya, and later the independent Malaysia he was proud to belong to, had provided him.

My children are growing up in a world where opportunities are most times not determined by race, creed of religion. I can’t tell them hardship stories that my dad told me about China. Hence, his profound gratitude to his adopted home. Nor would my childhood stories in Malaysia convince them to have the same emotional ties that I have with my motherland, Malaysia!

I don’t know whether I can ever be happy not being a Malaysian. But, unfortunately, it appears, our children can.

Finally, I can only say that people like me — the Malaysian diaspora abroad — want to remain as Anak Malaysia. But I am not so sure about the younger generation. So long as they don’t have a sense of identity, of belonging or of home, I think the more relevant question to ask is how long more they will be Anak Malaysia.

* M. Chua is a senior executive of a multi-national based in Hong Kong.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:13 pm and is filed under
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Bersih rally: People’s will or just politics?

By
R. Shan

June 18, 2011 The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 18 — Much has been said of the Bersih rally by the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, to the horror of the ruling elites.

But the gist of its original objective has also been lost to the people and public. Both sides are using this event to maximise their purported need — from race, religion and anything that they can lay their hands on.

For a start, we love a battle when we are not a part of it, especially when there is someone else to fight it out for us. We are good only at scrapping in the cyber world.

Did you think seriously that the recent uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Syria and Jordan erupted because that we are so sound in the cyber world? When Internet penetration is less than 20 per cent in the region? Please, grow up.

You have a Manichean war of words between Umno, its mandores with their tails between their legs, and Pakatan Rakyat. Ostensibly, both parties are there for their own popularity rather than to serve the public.

Maybe I am just cynical in my direct approach, but besides this fair election campaign, there are also many pressing issues. Like our people who suffer daily; this does not receive such wide coverage unless and until it becomes a juicy subject to get sucked into.

It is not an ideal world, nor an ideal circumstance; yet, trust me, all these supporters within the cyber world and comment section will wither away as they have nothing to lose. And still, we expect the poor and neglected to fight our battles for us.

You may hate me, but this is the truth and reality. Obscured by the rancour is the plain fact that none of this is new. Do you at least agree on this?

If you want change, then understand that it does not occur in blogs or comments alone, but with the occasional field trip to overcome physical fear and experience what you actually can do to make this a better place to live.

The hidden consensus that we practise in the cyber world and comments is disengaged from the truth and reality of our fellow humans.

Our effort to counter this without real participation does nothing. You know how Hindraf galvanised this will, without fear or favour.

The rational assessment within us is not based on race, religion, colour, creed or politics but rather the needs of our fellow man and their basic requirements.

I have explained beyond the necessary and am sure you can figure it out from here on.

Should we support Bersih? Certainly we should, but not because we support PR’s glory hunting or Umno’s defiance.

Instead, support it for how we can contribute to the betterment of Malaysia — putting aside pride and purely for the sake of humanity.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:16 pm and is filed under
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BN strategy to muzzle PR reps and to punish Dayaks for NCR struggle in new Sarawak State Assembly?

The Barisan Nasional will be making a fatal political mistake if the new Sarawak State Assembly starts off next week on a wrong footing with a high-handed Barisan Nasional strategy to muzzle Pakatan Rakat representatives and to punish Dayaks for their Native Customary Rights (NCR) struggle.

Reports yesterday about the opening session of the 10th Sarawak State Assembly beginning on Monday are disturbing for if true, they point to an intransigent  Sarawak state government which refuses to acknowledge the wind of change blowing hard and strong in the state and the aspirations of Sarawakians for accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance.

There is yesterday’s report in Free Malaysia Today entitled
“Behave or face consequence, opposition reps warned”
, where strong language was used, for instance,  quoting second Finance Minister Datuk Wong Soon Koh as warning that the BN has 55 while the Opposition only 16 State Assembly members when uttering the threat: “We know how to deal with them”.

Sarawakians and Malaysians will remember that it was Wong who was responsible in the last State Assembly in orchestrating the suspension of more than half of the previous batch of eight opposition state assembly members on the most arbitrary and even the flimsiest of grounds.

Is Wong preparing to do the same again, to spearhead the abuse of the Barisan Nasional majority in the State Assembly with its 55-strong membership to suspend or expel PR State Assembly members, setting a new record not only in Sarawak but also in Malaysia in the total number of elected representatives to be driven out of the august chamber?

If so, Wong can only blame himself if Sarawakians and Malaysians blame him and attribute such unparliamentary actions to two factors – firstly, to serve only one man, the Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud (who re-appointed him as State Minister despite opposition of the SUPP leadership) rather than the people of Sarawak; and secondly, to avenge the SUPP general election rout in the “416” Sarawak state general elections by abusing the BN majority in the Assembly to drive out DAP State Assembly men and women from the State Assembly.

There is the second report yesterday by Malaysiakini entitled
 “Opposition to table motion on Taib’s alleged graft”
, which seemed to indicate that the motion by the Sarawak Opposition Leader, Wong Ho Leng, that Taib go on leave of absence as Sarawak Chief Minister until cleared by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of serious allegations of “grand corruption” might be disallowed not on its substantive merits but by technical or procedural foul-play.

Will the Barisan Nasional State Government insist on abusing its assembly majority to maintain the façade that serious allegations of grand corruption against Taib simply do not exist and are not allowed to be mentioned let alone questioned and made the subject of debates – when outside the State Assembly in Sarawak, the entire  country and the whole wide world these serious allegations about Taib’s “grand corruption” are creating waves?

This will only further undermine state, national and international confidence in the political status quo whether in Sarawak or Malaysia – for the message will then be very clear that only a root-and-branch political change can transform and save  Sarawak and Malaysia.

The third report about the forthcoming new Sarawak state assembly is equally disturbing, reported by Malaysiakini as
“Sarawak gov’t strikes back at NCR landowners”
.

The Land Development Minister James Masing is tabling the Land Custody and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011, which seeks to plug the loopholes in the LCDA (pilloried by the Dayak community as “Let’s Chase Dayak Away”) to nullify the historic NCR victory of the Dayak community in the Pantu land case in February this year.

James Masing and the Sarawak BN state government should be mindful that in the recent Sarawak state general election, there was a  7.2 per cent swing of the Dayak voters against the Barisan Nasional, which will turn into a tide if the hard-won gains by the Dayak community in the NCR struggle  in the courts are to be wiped out with a majority show of hands by Barisan Nasional State Assembly members in Petra Jaya on unacceptable amendments to NCR legislation.

Because of its highly sensitive nature and far-reaching consequences, James Masing should not proceed with tabling the LCDA Amendment Bill and instead initiate the fullest public discussion and consultation particularly with the Dayak community on the proper state response not only to the landmark Pantu land case but the whole gamut of the NCR issue.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 4:13 pm and is filed under
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Changing the world in our own little way

By
Aidil Rusli

June 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 18 — I’ve never been a voracious reader, though I think I do read quite a bit compared to the average Malaysian. What I do read though is mostly non-fiction stuff, especially articles or interviews where artists I admire talk about their creative process or motivations.

You see, even if I do think of myself as an artist, I’ve never been the cerebral type who can explain exactly why I do this or that with my art. So, it’s pretty fun and revealing to read about what other artists have to say about their creative process because sometimes what they say actually does explain or help me understand how my own creative process works.

So this week I was reading an article about the late Arthur Penn, an American film director who directed a slew of 60s and 70s classics like Bonnie & Clyde, Little Big Man and Night Moves, when I came across a very revealing answer that he gave in an interview in which he explained that an artist is “someone to whom the world appears to be intolerable in reality. So he puts it together into another order with an imaginative cohesion, which is one he can live with.”

Reading that particular sentence made me think about a lot of other film directors (and even music makers) to whom the definition can be applied. And when applied, it actually makes quite beautiful sense.

For example, the late, great Yasmin Ahmad often got criticised for making movies that do not reflect the reality in Malaysia. Personally I’ve always thought that it’s lovely of her to make movies about a Malaysia that she hopes we can be, wherein a muezzin can live next door to prostitutes and still be a cordial and good neighbour, and be kindly to (and actually pats) a three-legged dog on his way to Subuh prayers.

Her movies are basically her hopes and dreams for this country she calls home, and judging by how well received her movies have been and still are on home video (her movies are, alongside some of the P. Ramlee and classic Malay movies, probably the only Malay movies still in print even after the first or second printing of their DVDs have long sold out), those dreams of hers are being shared by quite a lot of us Malaysians as well.

I’m sure I’m not the only who agrees with her and finds it intolerable that there are supposedly “religious” people out there who have no sense of tolerance at all, even if Islam is a religion that bases and prides itself in tolerance.

A few weeks back I saw a French film called Of Gods And Men, directed by Xavier Beauvois, based on a true story about a group of Christian monks who lived in perfect harmony with Muslim villagers in Algeria, but who were then kidnapped from their monastery in Tibhirine and killed in 1996 during that country’s civil war.

I almost felt a lump in my throat during a scene where a Muslim rebel leader demanded that the Christian monks treat one of his men, which the monks refused because the medicine they had was meant for the villagers and in explaining his refusal, the monks’ leader asked the rebel leader “Do you know the Quran?” and cited a passage which says that the Christian faith is “closest in love” to Islam, after which the rebel leader respectfully leaves their monastery.

With another monk quoting Pascal, “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction”, it is quite clear that the film-makers find it intolerable how we tend to use religion to make enemies out of other people rather than be brothers in humanity.

Of course I’m not saying that an artist must have a “message” in his or her work. That would be a big mistake indeed as people react to what they think as intolerable in different ways. In fact, different people will find different things to be intolerable.

If, like me, you find artistic pretension (which some people may also call “lofty ambition”) to be quite intolerable, one of the ways we can put things together differently but coherently, in a way that we can live with, is to try and create our art without such artistic pretension, and revel in the power of simplicity and the ordinary. If you find simplicity to be intolerable, then of course you find value in technical virtuosity.

So even if I’ve never entertained lofty ideas about changing the world with my music, what Penn said made me realise we have also been trying to change the world. In our own little ways, of course.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:20 pm and is filed under
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For anti-Lynas residents, the time for talking is over

By
Shannon Teoh

June 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUANTAN, June 18 — After being bullied from making their stand before an international panel of experts earlier this month, residents opposed to a RM700 million rare earth plant have closed the door to the government.

Accusing the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration of making “a pathetic” show of engaging stakeholders, the Save Malaysia group spearheading the local movement against the project told The Malaysian Insider that it will focus on building public sentiment against the plant.

“The only way to get the government to act is with votes. So we will increase public pressure to indirectly force the government to act. No more direct engagement,” said chairman Tan Bun Teet.

Save Malaysia pulled out of its meeting with the panel reviewing Australian miner Lynas Corp’s project on June 2 citing security fears.

They were twice chased away by pro-Lynas demonstrators from the Hyatt Regency, where the International Atomic Energy Agency-led (IAEA) team was based. A community leader from Beserah was also assaulted by the same group.

The pro-Lynas demonstrators, who held up banners supporting the IAEA and Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, had also intimidated Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh and reporters over the two days that the nine-man panel was meeting local stakeholders.

Among the 100 or so men were three Umno assemblyman — state executive councillor Datuk Mohamad Sahfri Ab Aziz as well as Norolazali Sulaiman and Mohd Zaili Besar, Guai and Panching representatives respectively.

“On one hand, the government says it wants to engage stakeholders. On the other, it makes a mockery of the process when Umno-BN is behind these thugs and hooligans who are disrupting a peaceful gathering,” said Tan.

With the panel due to submit its recommendations to the government at the end of the month, Tan said that Save Malaysia would instead focus on activating local residents to the cause and adding signatures to a petition that PKR vice president Fuziah says is already touching 52,000 names.

A straw poll by The Malaysian Insider found 12 of 13 Kuantan residents wanted the plant scrapped with over two-thirds saying they will not vote for BN if it decided to approve the project.

Residents in Beserah — where the plant is located — calling themselves Badan Bertindak Anti-Rare Earth, will also adopt a similar strategy.

“I have no confidence that the government is willing to listen to our views. But the public will hear and then the government will take notice,” said chairman Andansura Rabu told The Malaysian Insider.

Save Malaysia also declined an offer from the government to reschedule its slot with the panel after the ruckus early this month.

“We did not even want this panel in the first place, but since they wanted to speak to stakeholders, we agreed to meet in Kuantan. But we know the government won’t act unless there is a political cost,” he added.

The government bowed to public pressure in April and put the project on ice pending the month-long review but Lynas still expects to begin operations in September.

Lynas Corp’s plans has faced mounting opposition due to fears of radiation pollution that has been linked to health problems such as birth defects and cancer.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:02 pm and is filed under
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Iban language: Pick the right candidates

FMT Staff

June 18, 2011  | Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: The Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) has chastised the authorities for its nonchalant approach to the Iban language.

SADIA chairman Edward Manggah said the Iban language was not like any other subject.

“The teachers must have the basics. You cannot just pick people randomly and make them teach,” he said in response to the latest controversy involving the selection of candidates for Bahasa Iban courses.

It was reported here that several qualified applicants for the Bahasa Iban Pendidikan Rendah (SK) course at teachers’ training institutes in the state had failed to secure a place.

These applicants alleged “unfair selection” saying that those who excelled in the Iban language at the SPM level were not absorbed into the programme while others who “did not take up the subject at the SPM level were accepted.”

Said an applicant: “Three of the chosen candidates from Belaga and Kapit did not take up the Iban language as a subject in SPM. I don’t know how they were selected.”

Yet another applicant demanded to know how the Education Ministry made its selection, saying it was time Iban leaders paid attention to the problem and rectifed the situation.

Said Manggah: “It looks like they just pick anyone to teach the subject… It is quite humiliating to the community that the authority is not looking at the language seriously.

“It gives one the impression that whoever created the post did not do it wholeheartedly.”

‘Have qualified interviewers’

Bahasa Iban was introduced as an SPM level subject in 2008.

Last year, the federal government approved the teaching of the Iban language as a subject in teachers’ training colleges and at the University Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in August.

Stressing the importance of ensuring only SPM-qualified applicants enter the colleges, a local longhouse chief, Jack Bidai, urged the ministry to conduct the selection process “professionally.”

He said the ministry must appoint a qualified panel of interviewers to ensure only the best candidates are offered seats to pursue the course.

“The candidates must have credit in the Iban language to be trained further, and later on, to teach the language in school,” said Bidai.

Meanwhile local daily the Borneo Post had contacted the Ex-Services Association Malaysia chairman in Kapit, Wilfred Billy, who speculated that “some other things” may have come into play in the selection process.

“It looks like the selected candidates are picked not because of their proficiency in the language but for some other thing perhaps.

“This is a grave mistake that needs to be rectified to ensure that only the best and qualified candidates are offered the course,” he said bearing in mind that these applicants will eventually teach the young Iban generation.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:26 pm and is filed under
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Isn’t a one-race civil service a form of apartheid?

By
Dr Boo Cheng Hau

June 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 18 — I remember once, as a young medical officer, I was boycotted by operating theatre staff when I wanted stern action taken against a staff nurse who went for a kenduri when she was supposed to scrub for a surgery.

An assistant nurse had to cover up for her delinquent senior. Both the nurses — the one who had absented herself and the one suddenly forced to relieve her duty — were Malay. The young patient lying on my operating table waiting to deliver her baby was Malay too. And also Malay, the anaesthetist and other operating theatre staff who gave me the cold shoulder after I remonstrated with the matron.

I had informed Matron right away after I found the young nurse shivering in fear because she was thrown into the deep end and unprepared to assist in a surgery. If I had expected disciplinary action to be taken, I was disappointed.

My colleagues who rallied around the race banner sadly failed to see that the patient (someone belonging to their own ethnic community) about to give birth deserved the best medical care.

What if it had been an emergency case where a life was at stake? Malays have to be made aware that an incompetent and one-race dominated civil service may not be beneficial to them and as the majority, they would be the ones ultimately most affected. With such experiences, you can understand why I resigned from the public health sector.

One of my Malay superiors urged me to “think about the service” but then again, if only the Malays themselves could think about how racism among civil servants has hindered their own progress.

1 Malay first and foremost

Malaysia has a “huge and largely ethnic Malay civil service, completely loyal to Umno, but increasingly incompetent” that is the biggest obstacle to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia. This was the view of former Economic Planning Unit deputy director-general K. Govindan, according to a leaked United States diplomatic cable.

The WikiLeaks that appeared in Malaysia Today on June 6 had the cable further quoting Govindan’s opinion that our civil service adopts “a very narrow worldview and will oppose, even refuse to implement, reforms perceived as damaging ethnic Malay interests, even if convinced of the long-run gains for Malaysia”.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has referred to the service as a “Malay administration”. He did not even bother to pass it off as a “Bumiputera administration” in which case it can be claimed by the non-Muslim natives of East Malaysia. Alas, the Orang Asli indigenous to the peninsula do not even figure in the equation.

Non Malays have been gradually cleansed from the public sector with only a few remaining now in crucial and inevitable sectors such as teaching in vernacular schools. The Orang Asli have been totally excluded.

Umno ultra nationalists defend majority-race dominance as justifiable opposed to the minority-race dominance previously in South Africa under apartheid. They’re pretending their systemic racism is not discernible to the rest of the world even if the minorities in Malaysia are resigned to this supremacist order of public affairs.

The public sector should reflect the country’s plural society or in other words, set the example and no longer display the same “ethnic imbalances” blamed on the divide-and-rule policy under British colonial rule.

Not a “reasonable” apportioning

Mahathir and his ultras claim their affirmative action differs from apartheid. Yet the end result of the affirmative or rather discriminative action is the monopoly of all aspects of socio-economic life by a single politically dominant ethnic majority. One example of the 1 Malay administration at work is the annual Public Service Department (JPA) scholarship disbursement where top non-Malay students appear to have been systematically sidelined.

Even though Article 8 (2) of the Federal Constitution states that all citizens are eligible if suitably qualified by educational standards to enter any branch of the public service, and there can be no discrimination on grounds of race, religion and the like, in reality, the Malay ultras have ignored this constitutional provision.

The public sector can declare that it is devoid of racial discrimination only if its staff composition reasonably reflects the ethnic composition of the country and its intake based primarily on merit. The competence, integrity and efficiency of personnel must take precedence over one’s skin colour and ancestral status.

In 1967, the Malays accounted for 68 per cent of all civil servants (Supian Ali and Mohd Zainuddin: p.162). Chinese accounted for 16 per cent and Indians 15 per cent. In 1968, Malays outnumbered non-Malays only in two (administrative services and legal services) out of nine public service areas, and accounted about half of the uniformed services manpower (Mohamed Suffian: p.297). Nonetheless, many top administrative jobs, legal officer and technical posts were held by the Chinese and Indians.

Under clause (2) of Article 153 in the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong acting on Cabinet advice to ensure the reservation for Malays and natives of Borneo a “reasonable proportion” of positions in the federal public service. The constitution also prohibits any deprivation of a person of any public office held by him; and public servants all races of all levels must be treated impartially (Mohamed Suffian: p.294).

The constitution compels that any preferential treatment must still be reasonable to all ethnic groups and merit take precedence. The implementation of preferential policies has to be transparent.

In 1978, the American court ruled in Regents of University of California v. Bakke that merit must take precedence over ethnicity in the implementation of affirmative action, and reverse racism as well as racial quotas are strictly forbidden.

Strictly speaking, racial quotas have been found by the courts to be unconstitutional and not regarded as affirmative action in the United States. Instead racial quotas were the main feature of apartheid in South Africa

Consequences of racial quotas

Shortly after Independence, there were about 40 per cent Indians in the Johor civil service. Today the 8,372-strong Johor civil service has witnessed the dwindling of Indians to a mere 1.39 per cent and Chinese to an even more miniscule 0.12 per cent (The Star, April 8, 2010).

All of the Johor leading administrative officers, including state secretaries, secretaries, directors of various state agencies, district officers and land officers and special administrators are Malays in a state where non-Malays account for almost half of the population. 1 Malay domination of the public service is prominent not only at the top administrative levels but also down to the general workers.

Is the absolute domination of the public service by the Malays to be deemed “reasonable” and constitutional?

XXL size govt and payroll

As we all know, the Malaysian public sector is bloated and we have the highest proportion of civil servants to population compared with our neighbours. In fact, we’re likely the world record holder!

Yet the civil service still keeps expanding. It keeps absorbing Malay graduates who would otherwise be [elsewise employed]. This will cause the Malay young generation to cling to the theory of Malay supremacy until the bubble bursts.

The public sector comprised 11.9 per cent of our total workforce in 1970, peaking at 15 per cent in 1981 but dropping to 12 per cent in 1991 after an aggressive privatisation programme launched in the mid-1980s (K.S. Jomo et al: p.65).

Like other totalitarian states in history such as the Third Reich of Nazi Germany, Umno needs a large number of Malay civil servants to control the populace through racism. Its state-sponsored Biro Tata Negara propagates Malay supremacy from top civil servants down to the grassroots.

BTN has successfully infused not only Malay supremacy but also Sinophobia and xenophobia among Malay civil servants. The British were perceived as the colonizers and Chinese subsequently became the new bogeymen after Independence as the counterfoil for instilling Malay “unity”.

Nonetheless, there are unintended consequences from the bloated number of Malay civil servants. Some of them living in urban areas take on second jobs — teachers give private tuition and sell insurance; nurses engage in direct sales; government office general workers work at petrol kiosks at night. But at least they are trying to augment their income through honest means.

Corruption among civil servants has even been justified as an acceptable way to “balance the income disparity” between the Chinese-dominated private sector and Malay-dominated public sector. The tragic thing about the whole issue is that corruption has not only victimised the non-Malay poor but has also denied the underprivileged Malays access to state resources.

The lack of promotion prospects has contributed to the phenomenon of many non Malays resigning from the public service besides deterring new prospective entrants from applying. The “kulitfication” (skin colour) ceiling and other preferences along racial lines comes at the expense of public administration efficiency. Inefficiency in the public sector has in turn adversely affected our national economic growth and the incomes of those who dominate the public sector.

There were preferential policies during the apartheid era to upgrade the living standards of politically dominant white Afrikaner minority among other better-off whites. But apartheid is an immoral regime because it degrades fellow countrymen and refuses to allow that all human beings are equals.

Such discriminative preferential policies are not “affirmative action”; they are immoral.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 10:45 pm and is filed under
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Johor oil terminal in rescue talks with investor, says contractor

By
Shannon Teoh

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 17, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — Asia Petroleum Hub (APH) is in talks with an investor to fully finance its troubled multibillion-dollar oil terminal in Johor, one of its main contractors said today.

Muhibbah Engineering Bhd said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia that APH “has identified an investor and was in negotiations with the investor to fully finance the completion of the APH hub project, including making due payments to contractors.”

Singapore Business Times (BT) had reported on Wednesday that financier CIMB Bank had placed APH under receivership over a RM1.4 billion three-year bridge loan granted in 2006.

APH drew down RM840 million for project costs but executives told BT that costs had escalated and APH was looking for investors for a further RM2 billion in new financing.

Muhibbah is one of the contractors for the petroleum hub and bunkering facility at the reclaimed island of Tanjung Bin with receivables for work and related costs amounting to RM 370.8 million at the end of last year.

Its share price sank by 20 per cent to RM1.52 yesterday following the report, its steepest drop in more than three years.

However, the shares recovered this morning and were last traded at RM1.60 with over 9 million shares done before trading was halted for one hour from 10.39am.

“As this is a oil and gas project with a secured business and the said investor due to finalise its financing transaction with APH, there are reasonable grounds to hold that the receivables are recoverable in due course,” Muhibbah said in its filing.

BT had reported that the move to put APH under receivership could spell the end for the development which was once billed as one of the world’s largest fully integrated terminals with a storage capacity of 924,000 cubic metres.

CIMB Research had said the worst case scenario for Muhibbah was that it would have to write down RM300 million owed by APH which could push it into losses for the 2011 financial year.

APH had awarded Muhibbah the contracts for marine piling and jetty works worth RM820 million.

The research house added however that APH is likely to negotiate for more time to resolve the matter and rope in a new investor.

The BT report also said that a tussle has emerged over the ownership of APH, involving its majority shareholder, private terminal operator KIC Oil and Gas, Malaysian tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, and an apparently Umno-linked company called Trek Perintis.

The report added that more than three years ago, the Cabinet decided that Seaport Terminal, a private company controlled by Syed Mokhtar should be allowed to take up a 35 per cent stake in the project but the tussle between Seaport and KIC has not as yet been resolved.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 7:46 am and is filed under
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Mosque polls: King’s name being used, says don

By
Hazlan Zakaria

Jun 18, 11 | MalaysiaKini

While the Agong has purview over Islamic matters in ruler-less states like Penang, renowned constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari fears that the Agong’s name is being used to criticise the Penang government’s policies.

“Only after Pakatan Rakyat took over Penang that suddenly the Agong became a significant figure.

“His name has been used to block any moves made by the state government,” the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) lecturer told Malaysiakini.

Abdul Aziz said that the proper procedure given by the provisions in the constitution is for the palace or the Agong’s private secretary to issue the statement pertaining to his position as head of religion, not any other party.

“Certainly not the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom, who is part of the government of the day.

“So he should keep quiet. Let the Agong do the job himself as provided for under the constitution, independent of the government, be it federal or state,” argued the law professor.

He also hit out at what he said is the “nonsensical” claim of Malay rights group Perkasa that it is not right to elect mosque committees.

“For one thing, there is no fatwa saying that it is forbidden in Islam,” said Abdul Aziz.

Furthermore, the don pointed out that Muslims, in Umno, PAS and PKR, have all been taking part in party elections.

“If it is un-Islamic the fatwa council would have issued an edict on the matter,” concluded the legal expert.

Mosque elections put off

The Penang Islamic Affairs Council’s (MAIPP) plan to hold local elections for nearly 200 mosque committees in the state was put off after Penang governor Abdul Rahman Abbas and MAIPP head Ellias Zakaria met with the Agong in Istana Negara yesterday.

The annual general meetings of the mosques planned for today and tomorrow, was postponed until further notice.

The plan had came under fire from Umno, Perkasa and Jamil Khir (right) soon after it was made public.

While Umno and Perkasa invoked the Agong’s name in their protest, some like Abdul Aziz believe that they are just making use of the paramount ruler’s name for their own political ends.

However, as Aziz Bari confirmed, it is the Agong’s prerogative to be consulted on matters that touch on Islamic affairs in rulers-less states like Penang.

A prerogative that the paramount ruler had apparently exercised yesterday in ordering the mosque elections to be “withheld”.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 3:07 pm and is filed under
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Muhyiddin says opposition using Bersih rally to topple BN

The Malaysian Insider

June 18, 2011

BEAUFORT, June 18 – The opposition is hiding behind the planned Bersih 2.0 rally with a plot to topple the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today.

The Umno deputy president (picture) said the opposition’s agenda was to create a momentum among the people to hate the government by raising various issues beyond the call for clean and fair elections.

“They are trying to use street demonstrations against the government to achieve their road to Putrajaya,’’ Muhyiddin told reporters after opening the annual meeting of Beaufort Umno.

The Bersih 2.0 electoral watchdog group has called for a rally in Kuala Lumpur on July 9 to demand the Election Commission (EC) clean the electoral roll, reform postal vote, use indelible ink, free and fair access to media and have a minimum 21 days campaign period.

The group which comprises opposition parties, non-governmental organisations and activists are also asking the government to strengthen public institutions, stop corruption and dirty politics.

But Muhyiddin pointed out that if the elections had not been free and fair, how could the opposition win so many parliamentary seats and four state governments in 2008.

“If it is not free and fair, how could they make electoral gains. If they win they keep quiet and if they lose they claim unfairness, why the double standards. I think their motive is a short cut to Putrajaya,” he said.

The three parties that later formed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) – PKR, DAP and PAS – won 82 federal seats and four more states in Election 2008 which saw BN losing its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time ever since becoming a coalition in 1974. That victory came after the first Bersih rally in 2007.

Umno and Malay rights group Perkasa have denounced the rally, saying it would lead to chaos,  have an impact on tourism and is a threat to national security. Several police reports have also been lodged against the rally.

Umno Youth has also announced it will hold its own rally against the Bersih rally, joining Perkasa which was the first group to counter the rally.

The police have said it will not issue permits for any rally on that day and will mount operations to prevent gatherings in the city.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 10:47 pm and is filed under
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Rais demonising citizens through Bersih, says Ambiga

By
Debra Chong

June 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan denied today all links between the recent spate of cyber attacks on government websites and her electoral reform group raised yesterday by Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, saying his conjecture is an attack on Malaysians.

A group of hackers calling themselves Anonymous mounted an attack on at least 200 websites last Thursday, saying they are against censorship of websites by the government.

“It’s a wholly unfounded, unreasonable, preposterous suggestion made by a Cabinet minister who should really know better than to make such wild accusations,” she told The Malaysian Insider.

She added that Rais’s comment was an attack not just on Bersih but on Malaysian citizens’ constitutional right to assemble peaceably.

“I am entirely surprised by the raving of a few members of the government against Bersih 2.0 and their attempts to demonise Bersih; and I view Rais Yatim’s comments as one of these attempts.

“I consider this an attack on the people and it is a shame they chose to do this rather than listen to the people,” the former Malaysian Bar president said.

Rais, who is the information, communication and culture minister, had linked yesterday the mass attacks on some 200 local websites to the upcoming Bersih rally on July 9 after Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili told reporters initial investigations showed 90 per cent of the hackers were based in Malaysia.

Rais further described the cyber attacks as politically-motivated and intended to disrupt the workings of the government, but did not provide details as to how the denial of service attacks were related to the July 9 rally that is pushing for electoral reforms.

“If, for example, a land authority website is hacked, then property transactions will be interrupted. The same goes for banking and others; these cyber attacks are strange and, sadly, politically motivated,” he said in a news conference.

Ambiga lamented the extreme reactions to the Bersih rally and advised Putrajaya to rethink their approach to civil society.

“In my view, responding to people by demonising and branding people is the wrong approach,” she said.

She added that the Najb administration could learn something from the Singapore government, which had emerged slightly bruised from its recent general election and said it would listen to voters.

“I was impressed with the standard of debate by all parties, including the opposition, where they discussed and debated policy rather than descending into filth,” Ambiga said.

“What Bersih wants is a higher standard of elections. We want clean elections. Now, is that too much to ask?” she asked.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin told an inaugural business forum between Malaysia and Africa earlier today that changing social expectations was among the challenges Putrajaya must address in its bid for Malaysia to become a developed nation by 2020.

“From an economic perspective, there are many lessons that one can learn from these events — strong anti-bribery laws must be enacted and implemented; enforcement of these laws must be done without fear or favour; engagement of civil society to tackle abuses of power; and encouraging open communication to promote accountability,” he said, referring to what has come to be termed the Arab Spring.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 5:36 pm and is filed under
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Some Saudi women challenge drive ban

By
Asma Alsharif

Reuters

Fri, Jun 17 2011

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) – Some Saudi women appeared to have answered a call over social media to challenge a ban on driving, posting accounts and pictures of themselves behind the wheel in the conservative Arab kingdom.

Groups such as “Women2Drive” and “Women’s Right to Drive in KSA” had called for a day of defiance, drawing more than 15,000 supporters on various Facebook groups.

“I drove with my husband, and a policeman stopped me and gave me a ticket, which stated that I was driving without a license,” Maha al-Gahtani, a resident of Riyadh, posted on Twitter along with a picture of a traffic ticket with her name.

“I was disappointed that I didn’t see any other women drivers,” she said. “I did it to get my rights.”

Besides a ban on driving, women in Saudi Arabia must have written approval from a male guardian — a father, husband, brother or son — to leave the country, work or even undergo certain medical operations.

Saudi Arabia is ruled by an absolute monarchy which applies an austere version of Sunni Islam. Religious police patrol the streets to ensure public segregation between men and women.

Two women, Shaima Osama and Manal Alsharif, were recently arrested for defying the driving ban, inspired by challenges to authority across the Arab world.

“I drove around my neighborhood with dad for 20 minutes,” Dima Ikhwan posted on her Twitter page on Friday.

One woman in Riyadh posted a video on YouTube showing herself driving soon after midnight, face veiled as she drove to a local supermarket undetected by police.

Reuters could not verify the women’s accounts and it was not possible to verify how many women had defied the ban.

Alsharif’s arrest last month after she posted a video on YouTube of herself driving appeared to have deterred other women. Released after 10 days in detention, Alsharif distanced herself from the campaign, saying the issue of women driving was best left to the authorities to handle.

“When Alsharif’s arrest happened many of the women were intimidated because they do not want to be arrested,” said Mariam Alawi, a Jeddah resident with a driving license from the United States who chose not participate in the campaign.

“I think the campaign to defy the driving ban will hinder the process of legalizing women driving in Saudi Arabia because it will just provoke the authorities,” Alawi said.

Activist Wajiha al-Huweider argued, however, that the movement would gain steam as more women defy the ban.

“It is not a one-day thing or a demonstration, it is the first day of a movement that will continue until we see a new law to allow women to drive,” Huweider said. “Maybe we will see more women in the coming days.”

(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Reed Stevenson and Alistair Lyon)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 June 2011, 7:42 pm and is filed under
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“Creativity cannot be quantified” – Malaysians must thank their lucky stars it only cost RM1.8m

R1.8 million six Facebook fiasco – Going by Chua Soi Lek’s
logic
, Malaysians must thank their lucky stars they had not been charged RM18 million or RM180 million as “creativity cannot be quantified”

Going by the logic of MCA President Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek, Malaysians must thank their lucky stars that they had not been charged RM18 million or RM180 million for six  Facebook pages to promote tourism to Malaysia although facebook pages are free as “creativity cannot be quantified”.

Chua’s logic is impeccable when he said it might cost nothing to start facebook but “maintenance had costs” particularly when he stressed that it is difficult to put a dollar figure to the creativity of the IT consultants used.

If Chua is right, did the Cabinet at its meeting on Friday recorded its appreciation for the acumen and services of the Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen for only billing RM1.8 million when it could be RM18 million or RM180 million for the “unquantifiable” consultancy fees to start the six free Facebook pages?

Why then are there reports of Cabinet unhappiness at its Friday meeting over the Tourism Ministry’s latest RM1.8 million Facebook fiasco to the extent that Ng Yen Yen had to issue a late-night statement on Friday insisting that the Cabinet had accepted her explanations?

However, the conspicuous silence of the other MCA and non-MCA Cabinet Ministers (including the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had earlier demanded that Ng explain to the Cabinet) had been so deafening that Chua Soi Lek had to come to her public defence – although Chua is not a member of the Cabinet!

What Chua did is not unexpected as he Is reciprocating Ng Yen Yen’s support for him when he was facing his great political crisis – but it does raise the question of propriety especially when Chua said he had asked Ng for Cabinet minutes of its Friday meeting on the RM1.8 million facebook fiasco.

Isn’t this a breach of Cabinet confidentiality and a violation of the Official Secrets Act for a Cabinet Minister to reveal Cabinet minutes without authority to a non-Cabinet member, even though he is MCA President?

But Chua is defending the indefensible! What creativity is Chua talking about?

Why don’t Chua ask Ng to invite those who started the “Curi Curi Wang Malaysia” to take over the “Cuti Cuti Malaysia” facebook as at 10 am today, there have been over 115,854 support  for “Curi Curi Wang Malaysia” Facebook though started in less than five days since last Tuesday evening or some three times the hits for the official Tourism Ministry Facebook “Cuti Cuti Malaysia” started in May.

Malaysians cannot accept Ng’s self-serving statement that she has got Cabinet endorsement for the RM1.8 million splurge on six Facebook pages especially as the Deputy Prime Minister has gone public demanding an explanation from her.

Either Muhyiddinh or the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself should declare to Malaysians whether the Cabinet fully backs Ng in the RM1.8 milion Facebook fiasco and if not, what the Cabinet is proposed as remedy to the extravagant and reckless expenditure of public funds at a time of economic austerity.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 June 2011, 10:11 am and is filed under
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“Smoking Gun” proof of Muhyiddin-Utusan conspiracy to subvert 1Malaysia concept

There is now the “smoking gun” proof of the conspiracy or complicity of Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the Umno official organ, Utusan Malaysia, to subvert the 1Malaysia concept and destabilise Malaysia to justify a Operation Lalang2 crackdown on civil liberties with mass ISA arrests to prolong Umno hegemony.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin made the preposterous claim in Sabah when opening the Beaufort UMNO general meeting that Pakatan Rakyat is hiding behind the planned Bersih 2.0 rally with a plot to topple the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) Goverment.

He alleged that the opposition’s agenda was to create a momentum among the people to hate the government by raising various issues beyond the call for clean and fair elections.

He warned: “They are trying to use street demonstrations against the government to achieve their road to Putrajaya,’’

Today, Utusan’s Sunday edition, Mingguan Malaysia warned that Pakatan Rakyat will use next month’s Bersih 2.0 rally to trigger an uprising similar to the popular protests which toppled Egypt’s Mubarak regime and now threatens governments in Libya, Syria and Yemen.

It alleged in its Maulana Arrif column that “those who intend to mass in the capital on July 9 to demand electoral reform have lost faith in democracy after realising they cannot win federal power through the ballot box”.

It warned: “Peace is no longer important to them. They want only to seize power and install their leader as Malaysia’s prime minister using whatever means possible.

“The enemies of Islam, both humans and syaitan-syaitan (devils), are working to aid them”

These allegations are as wild, irresponsible and reckless as the screaming front-page headline by Utusan Malaysia on 7th May 2011 raising the bogey of a DAP plot to create a Christian Malaysia – when there is no iota of evidence whatsoever and there has been no commensurate action against the perpetrators of such seditious and treasonous utterances after more than six weeks!

Pakatan Rakyat and its component parties of PKR, PAS and DAP are fully committed to the democratic process to bring about political change and the formation of a new federal government in Putrajaya via the ballot box and not by any extra-constitutional or undemocratic means.

It is UMNO and the UMNO leadership which must demonstrate its full commitment to the democratic process and unquestioned loyalty to the Malaysian constitution by declaring that they will fully accept the verdict of Malaysians through the ballot box – even if it means the end of Umno hegemony and Barisan Nasional rule with their replacement by a new Pakatan Rakyat federal government comprising PAS DAP and PKR in Putrajaya.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 June 2011, 4:22 pm and is filed under
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Bank Negara’s conditions tripping Abu Dhabi’s RHB sale

By
Jahabar Sadiq

Editor

The Malaysian Insider

Jun 19, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — Several new Bank Negara conditions are threatening the RM5.9 billion sale of a 25 per cent stake in RHB Capital Bhd between two Abu Dhabi sister firms, including the requirement that the new shareholder must support a possible merger with another Malaysian bank.

Two other puzzling requirements by the central bank is the request for Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) and new RHB shareholder Abu Dhabi investment fund Aabar Investments to adjust the sale price if the merger price is lower than the RM10.80 per share price agreed by both companies and the merger must not deviate too far from the market price so as to weaken the merged entity.

The Malaysian Insider understands that after the deal was signed on Friday, Bank Negara sent a series of harsh emails to to ADCB telling them to state the conditions imposed by the central bank in their press releases, which some bankers say is an aggresive and unusual intervention for such a matter.

The country’s two biggest banks — CIMB Group Holdings Bhd and Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) — have won separate Bank Negara approval to begin competing merger talks with Malaysia’s fourth biggest lender RHB Capital, triggering a takeover battle that may create Southeast Asia’s biggest bank. CIMB, led by by Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, is the front-runner for the deal.

“This should be a free market transaction. Why the need for the strange conditions,” a banker told The Malaysian Insider on condition of anonymity.

“Bank Negara should also allow the new shareholders to decide if they want to support a merger or not. We don’t need a nanny state in banking,” he added.

He pointed out that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak could come under attack from the market given that the administration has been advocating for a liberalised financial services market with minimum state supervision.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, witnessed the ADCB stake sale to Aabar on Friday with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, General Sheikh Mohammed Zayed Al-Nahyan, who was on a day visit to Kuala Lumpur.

But sources say Bank Negara has imposed the conditions as it does not want any of the competing banks to be weakened financially by the merger, the biggest in the country if RHB Capital’s main shareholder, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), decides to sell its 44 per cent stake.

The central bank is concerned by the RM10.80 per share purchase by Aabar Investments which is valued at 2.25 times price-to-book (PB) value although it is learnt that ADCB had received bids between 2.0 and 2.4 times PB when it conducted an open tender. But bankers say the sale is occurring during a boom, pointing out that CIMB itself purchased Southern Bank at 2.2 times PB in 2006 when the banking industry was weaker.

“We are talking big money here but if either CIMB or Maybank can’t afford to buy RHB, then they should stay out. This is what a free market is,” another banker familiar with the deal told The Malaysian Insider.

The Malaysian Insider understands that EPF officials will ask Putrajaya to ensure that the bidding process is fair and transparent, and without undue interference. Top EPF officials know that they will be attacked by opposition politicians and stakeholders if they do not get the best price for the merger.

More than 12 million local workers, Malaysians and foreigners, have accounts in EPF, the country’s largest pension fund that has always been criticised for low dividends despite rising income from its investments.

“EPF cannot compromise on this and be forced to sell at a low price just because it involves two other Malaysian investors, CIMB’s parent Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Maybank’s main shareholder Permodalan Nasional Berhad,” an investment source told The Malaysian Insider.

Analysts have said the RHB Capital takeover could be based on a price to book value of 2 to 2.5 times which will work out to between RM9.70 and RM12 per share. Based on RHB’s share base of 2.2 billion shares, any investor buying EPF’s entire stake would have to pay up to RM26.3 billion.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 June 2011, 8:39 am and is filed under
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Growing into my father’s son

By
Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

June 19, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

 JUNE 19 — A grunt, a shadow of a frown or dead silence. These things tell me whether or not Abah is upset with me.

All my life, I’ve known Abah to be a man of few words. A quiet, unassuming type, aunts and uncles call him, but a proud man nevertheless.

Take a walk into Abah’s study at home, or his office at work, and you’ll be greeted by an army of books, yellowed by time and dog-eared with overuse.

“His study is so messy, you won’t be able to find a place to sit, the study chair’s hidden beneath the maze of books!” was my mother’s oft-heard line whenever she entered Abah’s study when I was younger.

When I was a child, I’d remember that after hours of being carried, bathed and fed by mother, I’d walk slowly into his dimly-lit study.

Abah would always be there, white T-shirt and sarong, eyes glued to the screen. “Good night, abah,” my little voice squeaked, and he would return it with a hug.

Growing up, I always felt that there was a disconnection between me and Abah, sometimes to the extent that I wished he was more like my mother.

But at 25, I have come to realise that you have to learn to love and care for somebody for who and what they are, warts and all.

Abah may not have been the kind of father who would bring his son to football games, but he influenced my life in more ways than I’d care to admit.

Childhood memories of “father-son” bonding time include candlelight vigils, forums on media freedom, the importance of voting, worker’s rights, women’s rights, religious freedom.

Abah always told me that understanding the history of our country, knowing your rights, and respecting others were some of the most important points to grasp growing up.

And Abah, I know you care, because you never missed any of my articles, and will call me every time there’s a grammatical error!

smile

Happy Father’s Day, Abah. From your son.

* Shazwan Mustafa Kamal is a reporter with The Malaysian Insider.

Happy Father’s Day to All.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 June 2011, 9:59 am and is filed under
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Majlis pelancaran Misi Palestin: Mat Sabu tidak dibenar berpidato

By
Fazy Sahir

June 19, 2011  | Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Timbalan Presiden PAS Mohamad Sabu mendakwa pentadbiran Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak bertindak mengambil alih misi kemanusiaan rakyat Palestin dalam majlis yang dilancarkan malam tadi.

Ini berikutan beliau dan beberapa badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Pakatan Rakyat digugurkan dari menyertai majlis Pelancaran Pasukan Lifeline4Gaza (LL4G) Malaysia itu.

Mat Sabu yang dijadualkan menyampaikan pidato dalam majlis pelancaran itu malam tadi di Stadium Badminton Kuala Lumpur, Cheras telah digugurkan daripada berbuat demikian.

Beliau hanya diberitahu oleh pihak penganjur bahawa ucapannya dibatalkan awal pagi semalam dan membuat keputusan untuk tidak hadir dalam majlis tersebut.

Mat Sabu dijadual menghadiri program itu bagi menggantikan Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Isu Palestin isu bersama

“Sebenarnya, saya rasa amat gembira kerana dapat bersama Perdana Menteri dan NGO lain sebab isu Palestin adalah isu bersama dan kita perlu membela rakyat Palestin yang tertindas.

“Saya juga diberitahu akan berucap selama 10 minit bersama wakil NGO lain sebelum Perdana Menteri menyampaikan ucapan.

PAS memutuskan bahawa isu Palestin adalah isu bersama namun pada pagi kelmarin saya diberitahu ucapan saya dan NGO lain dibatalkan…..hanya Perdana Menteri yang akan berucap,” katanya pada sidang media di Ibu Pejabat PAS di sini hari ini.

Acara pidato yang sepatutnya menjadi sebahagian daripada pelancaran program itu yang turut menampilkan Mohamad dibatalkan, dipercayai mendapat tekanan Pejabat Perdana Menteri.

Selain Mohamad, Ketua Pemuda Umno Khairy Jamaluddin juga dijemput untuk menyampaikan pidato yang menyentuh isu Palestin.

Menurut Mat Sabu, beliau terkilan apabila mengetahui Umno bersama NGO, Aman Malaysia mengambil alih keseluruhan program itu.

Keadilan untuk rakyat Palestin

Beliau yang mesra dipanggil ‘Mat Sabu’ menyifatkan program sepatutnya menjadi platform menuntut keadilan bagi rakyat Palestin dan bukan bermotifkan politik.

“Kita tiada masalah sama ada berucap atau tidak tapi ada perkara yang tidak diingini apabila saya difahamkan program yang dianjurkan malam tadi seolah-olah diambil alih Umno dan Aman Malaysia.

“Kita mendapati seolah-olah Umno dan Aman Malaysia mahu memonopoli dan mengetepikan parti politik dan NGO pro pembangkang,” katanya.

Aman Malaysia adalah NGO di bawah Umno yang diwujudkan menghantar bantuan makanan dan barang keperluan ke negara-negara yang berdepan dengan bencana alam.

“Saya juga difahamkan beberapa NGO telah menarik diri daripada menyertai misi ini, Umno dan Aman Malaysia nak memonopoli dan ia sepatutnya tidak berlaku atas dasar bersama,” katanya.

“Program itu menjadi gerak Umno untuk membela rakyat Gaza dan Palestin, saya juga telah dihubungi Khalid Samad yang juga salah seorang peserta dan kini sedang membuat pertimbangan sama ada mahu

tarik diri atau tidak,” katanya.

Selain Khalid, Khairy dan 10 rakyat Malaysia lain termasuk dua wakil media akan menyertai misi itu.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 June 2011, 3:13 pm and is filed under
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Pemandu explains RM64 mil expenditure

Regina Lee | Jun 18, 11

Malaysiakini

The Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu), raising eyebrows with its RM63.9 million price tag, has pointed out that the expenditure pales in comparison to similar programmes undertaken by multi-national companies.

In a blog posting on the Economic Transformation Programme’s website yesterday, it said that out of the total amount covering communications and consultancy work, only RM27.5 million was expended on communications.

Out of which, RM15 million went to communications regarding the Government Transformation Programme while for the same purpose another RM12.5 million channelled to the Economic Transformation Programme.

But without providing a detailed breakdown, the statement said that they embraced “open days, exhibitions, speaker platforms and other targeted ground activities, media relations, advertising, digital campaigns, investor relations, production of videos, brochures and collaterals”.

“The total communication expenditure to-date is RM27.5 million over a duration of more than 18 months, covering two highly intensive and extensive transformation programmes incorporating six National Key Result Areas and 12 National Key Economic Areas,” said the statement.

After providing addition breakdowns, the statement added that the expenditure on communications meant that annually RM9 million went to each programme, already a steal compared to what large corporations devote for similar programmes.

“By comparison, (advertising expenditure) Adex 2010 indicates that large Malaysian corporations spend anything between RM80 to RM100 million on the execution of communications programmes similar in scope or smaller to that of Pemandu.

“To ensure we keep costs low, wherever possible, Pemandu works with media owners directly on advertising opportunities.

“We also employ cost-effective small to mid-sized local agencies and freelance resources, to complement our execution of communications programmes,” it added.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Koh Tsu Koon had told parliament on Wednesday of the amount, also stressing that it was far less than what the private sector would spend.

Under-staffed Pemandu needed consultants

As for the balance of RM36.9 million, Pemandu said that it went to 38 lab initiatives attended by 1,400 people over a period of six to eight weeks.

Insisting that not all of the funds went to consultants, the statement said that a portion was also allocated for ‘operating costs’ such as renting venues , food and beverages and logistics.

“In the beginning, we engaged consultants to assist Pemandu as we did not have the staff strength, the requisite skill sets or the luxury of time to run these labs.

“We hired consultants for their abilities to question the status quo and current practices, offer world-class best practices that Pemandu could emulate where applicable, offer analytical and technical expertise over a variety issues within the GTP and ETP focus areas.

“During this time, there were many opportunities to transfer technology and skills to better prepare the team in Pemandu to subsequently lead, facilitate and manage labs,” it said.

As a result, Pemandu said that they can now manage the labs internally with ‘minimal help’ from freelance resources.

Malaysiakini had reported previously that Pemandu’s birth was the result of RM66 million worth of consultation, with a major portion of it going to the American consultancy firm of McKinsey and Co at an estimated RM36 million.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 June 2011, 7:53 am and is filed under
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Perkasa, have your demo before or after 9 July — not on the same day!

Aliran Online

June 19, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JUNE 19 — The scheduled Walk for Democracy organised by Bersih 2.0 — the election watch dog comprising 62 NGOs — on 9 July 2011 is in keeping with the democratic tradition to highlight issues of concern. This democratic process is intended to draw the attention of the government to grievances that greatly bother the citizens of a country so that their grievances can be addressed. Their call is to conduct free and fair elections, which will legitimise election results and make them acceptable to all contestants.

Bersih had organised a similar gathering on 10 November 2007, which attracted close to 50000 participants in a peaceful attempt to demand ‘free and fair’ elections. One cannot help but be impressed by the disciplined and responsible conduct of the protesters then. They even cleared and cleaned the streets of all rubbish that littered the streets. They had traffic marshals to manage the crowd. They were that responsible.

Now, this proposed protest on 9 July can be expected to be orderly, disciplined and responsible. The protesters will be there representing a cause that would strengthen our democracy and make our elections meaningful. There is no reason for them to do anything stupid to jeopardise their cause by resorting to the ways of hooligans and hoodlums.

They would want to convince the authorities that peaceful gatherings are possible to drive home a message in a democratic manner. They would also want to safeguard their right to similar protests in the future — when necessary — by ensuring that no untoward incidents take place that would jeopardise their democratic space in the future.

Bersih 2.0 is headed by a reputable and admirable person with an impeccable character in the form of Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan, a former president of the Malaysian Bar Council and recipient of the International Women of Courage Award. Those associated with the Bersih 2.0 initiative are individuals of integrity who are determined to make this peaceful protest a meaningful act of democracy.

Aliran is very confident that the rally on 9 July will be a showcase of democracy that will demonstrate to the world that when gatherings such as this are organised by responsible, committed people for the good of the country, they can be peaceful, orderly and exemplary.

This is why it is difficult to understand why Perkasa is hell-bent on causing chaos and creating a ruckus by deliberately threatening to organise its counter demonstration in confrontation with Bersih 2.0 on the same day. Their intention is to wreck Bersih’s peaceful gathering and to create a situation of unrest and agitation. Their declared intention threatens the peace and security of the nation.

It is their political ruse to force the police to stop the Bersih 2.0 demonstration, which promises to bring in crowds never seen in the streets of Kuala Lumpur. It is their ploy not to allow this demonstration, which will show how widespread is the dissatisfaction of the people with the Election Commission, to take place.

Ibrahim Ali has declared, “If they go ahead with this demonstration, Perkasa has made a decision, and as its president, I will fight to the end. That means on that day, there will be a confrontation.” These are words of a trouble-maker and a rabble-rouser. He is no democrat and he has no respect for the rights of others. His mission is to stop the democratic exercise of those who believe in the rule of law. He is prepared to descend into lawlessness to create mischief and anarchy.

Aliran calls upon him to abandon his foolhardy action and behave responsibly in the interest of the nation. He should have his demonstration on a separate date if the intention is to show that he has a bigger drawing power to attract a greater crowd than what Bersih is capable of. Have your day on the street before or after the Bersih event — but not on the same day. We would even urge the police to give Perkasa their democratic space to gather and protest.

According to the Nobel laureate, Amartya Sen: “The heart of democracy beats only with the participation of all citizens in exercising their right — first for inclusion in the political agenda issues of concern to them and second in the process.”

As pointed out by him, democracy becomes dysfunctional when the rule of law is undermined.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 June 2011, 6:46 pm and is filed under
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