Congress marks the coming of age of the DAP

Ong Kian Ming

Malaysiakini

Dec 17, 2012

COMMENT

The recently concluded 16th DAP Congress held at the Penang International Sports Arena (Pisa) was my first as a DAP member. It was also my first time seeing a DAP national election up close. The following are some of my observations which may not have received the necessary attention in the media, whether mainstream or online.

DAP as a national party

With 2,576 delegates (an increase from 948 in 2008), 150,000 members (from 84,000) and 1,128 branches (from 311) and with representatives from all 13 states in Malaysia, this congress represented the coming of age of the DAP by firmly cementing its status as a national party and a significant political player on the national stage.

The 29 parliamentarians and 82 state representatives from 10 states and the Federal Territories makes DAP the 2nd largest political party in the country in terms of elected representatives. The capacity crowd at the congress venue, which included 700 observers, was the largest in party history.

With greater political influence comes greater scrutiny, which is probably why this congress was covered by approximately 100 members of the press core. And with this scrutiny, also came more discussion and headlines, including critiques against the DAP’s election system and the subsequent results.

In a sense, this kind of spotlight and scrutiny should be welcomed since it means that the party matters in the public’s eye and is an important part of the larger political landscape.

DAP’s election system

DAP uses an election system which differs from that of other political parties in Malaysia. Rather than featuring direct contests for the top posts in the party, the 20 top vote getting candidates are elected into the Central Executive Committee (CEC), with up to 10 additional members who can be co-opted.

After being voted in, the 20 top vote getting candidates will then allocate among themselves the various posts such as the national chairperson, the secretary-general, the national treasurer, the national organising secretary, the national publicity secretary, the international secretary, up to five national vice-chairpersons, and various deputy positions.

This system has been criticised as not being democratic since there are no direct contests whereby delegates can decide who specifically they want to lead the party. While this can theoretically happen, for example, the 20th vote getter being appointed as chairperson or secretary-general, this has, as far as I know, not happened before.

Furthermore, this ignores the many positive aspects of this election system, advantages which may escape the attention of the casual observer.

Firstly, it avoids the destructive internal struggles of direct contests. Battles for top positions in a political party are often winner-take-all affairs since there is usually just one winner. These contests often feature two candidates which usually translate into a party being split along two ‘camps’.

Mud-slinging and poison pen letters are part and parcel of such campaigns. It can even lead to a party fracturing as was experienced by Umno in the fight between Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in the 1987 party elections.

Such contests may be necessary when a party needs to select its candidate for a presidential elections or when the head of the party will hold the position of the prime minister. But in the context of the DAP, where the head of the party is not automatically entitled to any elected position, the need for such a contest is much less urgent.

Since there are 20 positions to fill, national elections do not have the typically ‘dog-eat-dog’ flavour that is more common in winner-take-all party elections. It is not so easy for someone to ‘kill off’ their political rivals since delegates can choose candidates from various rival ‘camps’.

For example, the more ‘independent’ minded and outspoken DAP leader who is also the Selangor speaker, Teng Chang Kim (right), regularly receives support from a majority of delegates including many whom also support the top party leaders.

Indeed, this election system actually encourages more interaction and ‘horse-trading’ between leaders and delegates in the various states. In straight fights, leaders and the members whom they ‘control’ usually have to choose one side or the other, but when there are 20 seats to fill, it is possible to field requests for support from different leaders within a party.

Secondly, this election system is actually friendlier towards minority groups compared to straight fights. States with a smaller number of delegates may not be able to have leaders from their states elected into national offices if it was a straight contest since representatives from states with larger delegations would have the natural advantage.

The non-Chinese, who are in the minority in the DAP, may not have such an easy time to win positions at the national level in direct contests. Under this election system, delegates would usually reserve at least one of their votes for a candidate from East Malaysia (and increasingly, one for Sarawak and one for Sabah) as well as at least one vote for a Malay candidate (although this was not the case for all delegates this time round). This system increases the chances for minority candidates to gain representation into the top leadership of the party.

In the 2009 party elections, for example, four Indian and one Malay candidate as well as one Sarawak candidate were among the top 20 vote getters.

Thirdly, this system builds consensus within the leadership since they have to come together to decide and allocate the various assigned posts. While there may be a minority who are not fully satisfied with their positions, there is usually consensus among the majority.

While this system is not perfect – no electoral system is – there is much to be said about its positive characteristics which may be lost amidst the current focus on who was and who was not among the top 20 vote getters in the recently concluded election.

Interpreting the results

The immediate reaction to the party election results has focused on the lack of Malay candidates among the top 20 vote getters. The highest Malay vote getter was Senator Ariffin Omar who placed in 37th position out of 63 candidates with 348, votes followed by Ahmad Ton (left) who came in 38th with 347 votes (Ahmad Ton came in 12th in the previous party election in 2008).

Only three Indian candidates made it to the top 20 (the casualty was Professor P Ramasamy). While it is somewhat regrettable that an insufficient number of delegates had the political maturity to vote in the long term strategic interest of the party, what has been ignored is the fact that delegates are ‘spoilt for choice’ in terms of the leaders to choose from.

The last elections were held in August 2008, just five months after the historic March 2008 general election. The newly elected representatives in the party had not had time to establish themselves yet.

In the more four years since that election, many of these newly elected representatives (as well as some of the more seasoned hands) have had many more opportunities to serve the party at the local and state levels and also to raise their profile nationally.

The result is that the leaders who have served the party at three levels – raising important issues in parliament and/or at the state legislature, speaking at and organising fund raising dinners to bolster party funds, and working hard during the by-elections especially the Sibu by-election as well as the Sarawak state elections – have seen their support increase within the party.

For example, Anthony Loke, who raised important issues in parliament and was part of the Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral reform and who also oversaw a successful transition in the Dapsy (DAP Youth) leadership, increased his position from 11th place to 4th.

Tony Pua (standing, left in photo), who has featured prominently at the national stage in terms of issues raised, and who has also worked the ceramah circuit tirelessly around the country and during the by-elections, went from 13th position to 8th. Teng Chang Kim established himself as a firm and even handed speaker of the Selangor state assembly as well as the chairperson of the Selcat, as well as a regular on the ceramah circuit.

Similarly, Liew Chin Tong and Teo Nie Ching, both first-time elected members of the new CEC, have had active records in parliament and played key roles in the 2011 Sarawak state elections in the Sibu and Sarikei areas respectively. The ever popular Nga Kor Ming, who draws thousands to his ceramahs, also saw his position rise from 16th to 11th.

Most of this takes place away from the public view but is common knowledge among DAP leaders as well as most of the delegates. This is perhaps one of the reasons why many of the delegates felt compelled to vote for the candidates who have done this sort of ground work rather than to cast their votes in a more ‘traditional’ sense in favor of minority candidates especially those whom they may not be familiar with.

Over time, with the right opportunities to raise their national profiles, it is very likely that candidates such as Senator Ariffin and Zairil Khir Johari would find themselves being voted into the top 20 in the next party elections (Both of them have been co-opted into the CEC).

This is not to say that there were no internal party ‘fights’ which caused some candidates to lose support. It is possible that the ‘godfather’ and ‘warlords’ tussle in Penang may have cost Professor Ramasamy some votes, causing him to fall out of the top 20. But there are multiple other reasons besides inter party rivalry which explain changes in the support levels of various candidates.

Teresa Kok, for example, who fell from 6th to 18th, used to occupy the unenviable position of national organising secretary who is responsible for matters such as the formation and organisation of branches as well as membership issues. Those leaders who experience problems in setting up new or reviving old branches will inevitably blame the national organising secretary, rightly or wrongly, which meant that Teresa took most of the flak for this unhappiness.

The overall results only saw three threecomers into the top 20 – Vincent Wu, Liew Chin Tong and Teo Nie Ching – but they were already CEC appointees after the 2008 party elections. Of the three who fell out of the CEC – Ahmad Ton, Prof Ramasamy and Tan Seng Giaw – two, Prof Rama and Tan Seng Giaw, were appointed into the new CEC.

Joining Prof Rama, Seng Giaw, Senator Ariffin and Zairil are Jimmy Wong and Edwin Bosi, both from Sabah, John Brian Anthony, who is from Sarawak and is the head of the Dayak Consultative Council (DCC),  Leong Ngah Ngah from Pahang, V Sikakumar, the former Perak speaker, and Thomas Su, also from Perak.

The 30-person CEC line-up has representatives from all the major communities in the country – Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dayak and Kadazan – representing the party’s aspiration to represent all communities in Malaysia. Although the ‘ideal’ mix of leaders (as well as members) is still far from being representative of the country, this lineup makes the party leadership one of the most representative in the country (the other being PKR).

Conclusion

The road towards remaking DAP into a more inclusive party needs to continue with the fielding of winnable and winning non-Chinese candidates including and especially Malay, Dayak and Kadazan candidates. Once these candidates have been elected into office, they would be in a better position to attract more non-Chinese members to join the party.

Baby steps were already taken when DAP fielded its first Dayak candidate in the 2011 Sarawak state elections. But major strides are expected and needed in the next general election.

ONG KIAN MING is DAP’s election strategist. He can be reached at
[email protected]

                This entry was posted on Monday, 17 December 2012, 8:16 pm and is filed under
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Umno and the burning down of 1Malaysia

Dr Lim Teck Ghee

CPI

14 December 2012

The Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has stated that his vision of 1Malaysia is intended to counter the growing national divide between Malaysians on race, religion and other sensitive socio-cultural issues. He has also argued that the aim of the vision is to strengthen national unity on the basis of inclusiveness – “this policy means that we’ll try to be as inclusive as possible, in a sense that we should have a government that is able to reach out to all communities”. (Interview with CNN, Talkasia, 1 Nov 2010)

Not only was this vision of 1Malaysia markedly absent from the recent Umno general assembly but the real driving force of the party – one completely at odds with 1Malaysia – emerged from the shadows during the singing of a song by Tokyo Umno Club representative Arif Yassir Zulkafli.

The lyrics of the song ‘Lagu Warisan’ can be seen to encapsulate the ideological leifmotif of Umno. It provided the emotional and psychological high point of the meeting and explains why the song left delegates in tears and in spontaneous rendition.

It also explains why the Umno mind and mentality has remained unchanged during the last 66 years of the party’s existence – insecure, envious, delusional, un-accepting of other Malaysians, and propagating a bankrupt doctrine of ‘Blood and Soil’ nationalism akin to that of the Nazis and fascists.

Blood and soil nationalism refers to an ideology that focuses on ethnicity based on two factors – descent and homeland. Readers interested in learning more about blood and soil nationalism can read the Wikipedia.

Anak Kecil main api

Terbakar hatinya yang sepi

Air mata darah bercampur keringat

Bumi dipijak milik orang

Nenek moyang kaya raya

Tergadai seluruh harta benda

Akibat sengketa sesamalah kita

Cinta lenyap di arus zaman ini

Indahnya bumi kita ini

Warisan berkurun lamanya

Hasil mengalir ke tangan yang lain

Pribumi merintih sendiri …

Melayukan gagah di nusantara.

The translated version in English reads:

A small child plays with fire

His desolate heart burns

Tears, blood and sweat (yet)

His land belongs to outsiders

His forefathers had abundance

Now his inheritance is mortgaged

The result of discord amongst ourselves

Love disappears in the modern tide

How beautiful is our land

Passed down from generation to generation

But the profits flow to other hands

The natives moan unheeded

Aren’t Malays the brave in the archipelago

Recommended references: For more on the translated lyrics, read Dr Azly Rahman
 HERE
as well as his article
‘A Malay view of Biro Tata Negara and Ketuanan Melayu’
Impact of Lagu Negara

The poisoning of Malay minds through the negative portrayals of non-Malay communities and depiction of the Malays as victims whose birthrights have been stolen by “immigrants” is continuing unabated.

For now, it has left the 1Malaysia concept in ashes.

The danger is that these sentiments contributing to a siege mentality can be so deeply embedded that they become impossible to deal with rationally. When inflamed by irresponsible parties, they can easily get out of control and can be the catalyst for violence.

One commentator of the Biro Tatanegara, the propaganda arm of Umno and the originator of this signature song of Malay ‘patriots’ yearning for a return to a Malay motherland free of pendatang, has written that

“[when] the moral codes are suspended and … a new moral code is substituted….the cry for defending one’s race or religion or country carries a new and sinister meaning. The perpetrators of ethnic violence hijack the mind and the feelings of its own race for their purpose of gaining or consolidating power…. Systematic, conscious and deliberate efforts are being made to create the Enemy in the public space in some of the mainstream media or government-sponsored programmes. The explicit or implicit ideology is so openly propagated that the normal revulsion against cruelty towards other human beings is alarmingly lacking.
(C.T. Wong, ‘BTN is hardly an innocent selling toothpaste’, December 17, 2009)

To the BTN, we must add a double-faced Umno mouthing the rhetoric of solidarity and inclusion when with non-Malay audiences, and fanning the flames of extremist racial emotions when addressing the Malay constituency.

Taking the fight to Umno

The line separating good and evil and truth and falsehood may appear contentious and complicated. However we should not run away from drawing this line, however difficult is the task.

Minimum proactive actions include speaking out and calling for the removal or neutralizing of those institutions and individuals guilty of sowing and escalating racial distrust (and religious disharmony), in particular that emanating from the ruling circles and the bureaucracy, especially from Umno ranks and the official print and electronic media, particularly Utusan Malaysia and TV3.

Leaders of the other Barisan Nasional component parties who have been silent, indifferent or impotent towards the escalation of the hate politics of race and religion must find their voices and put pressure on Umno towards genuine reform. Other key stake players such as PAS and Muslim NGOs must be more active in influencing Islamic elements towards more progressive positions that can counter the politics of racial envy and hate propagated by Umno.

Failure to respond to ‘Lagu Warisan’ and its supporters will see the country’s racial tensions and divisions escalate towards a breaking point, with the minorities very much on the defensive and the authorities either reluctant to intervene or to act in favour of the minority.

The rule of law becomes the tyranny of the majority; perpetrators of racial and religious hate and disunity feel that they can get away with irresponsible actions aimed at maintaining dominance or curbing dissent; and the country’s basic tolerance gives way to hardened and polarized positions on all sides, setting the stage for instability and social strife.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 17 December 2012, 7:38 am and is filed under
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UMNO/BN must renounce the tactics and ideology of extremist politics including Ketuanan Melayu and the four  hate politics of race, religion, lies and fear if they want to compete for the support of Middle Malaysia

The unity, solidarity and commitment of DAP and reaffirmation of the Middle Malaysia concept by the just-concluded 16th DAP National Congress in Penang have struck fear in UMNO/BN and  reverberated throughout the country, ringing alarm bells in UMNO/Barisan Nasional, as they realize that  the agenda has been set  for the crucial and critical battle in  the 13th General Elections in the next 100 days to decide for the first time in the nation’s 55-year history whether there shoud be a change of federal government  in Putrajay.

It jolted UMNO leaders including the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak into quick reaction, claiming that it was the Barisan Nasional and not the DAP that represents “Middle Malaysia”.

If Najib is confident that it is UMNO/BN which represents Middle Malaysia, and has overwhelming support of the four million middle ground voters in the 13 General Elections – the three million new voters and the one million swing voters from the 12GE in 2008 – Najib would have dissolved Parliament and the 13GE would have been held already.

Furthermore, Najib would not have to suffer the “To Be or Not To Be”  agony in the past two years to decide on the dissolution of Parliament (an agony which he is still undergoing despite Parliament having only some four months’ tenure before it is automatically dissolved under the Constitution on April 28, 2013) and the ignominy of being the longest unelected Prime Minister in Malaysia without his own mandate from the people.

The former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah was also awakened to describe the 16th DAP National Congress as an unhealthy phenomenon on the ground that it  showed that DAP is monopolised by a particular race.

But the most laughable comment  must go to the Gerakan President and former Penang Chief Minister, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon who described the non-election of any Malays in the DAP central executive committee as against the 1Malaysia spirit.

Both Abdullah and Tsu Koon seem to have forgotten that UMNO is an exclusively race-based party which has yet to open it doors to all Malaysians despite the proposal by founding Umno President Datuk Onn Jaffar more than 50 years ago that UMNO should be opened to all races.

Has Tsu Koon ever told Najib that UMNO is against the 1Malaysia spirit and policy and  should open its doors wide to all races?

In fact, dare Tsu Koon raise in Cabinet or the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council that the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is a bad example for Najib’s 1Malaysia policy as Muhyiddin had declared that he is “Malay first, Malaysian second”, and this open contempt and challenge to Najib’s 1Malaysia policy must be addressed and rectified without any further delay ?

DAP welcomes competition from Najib and UMNO/BN to compete with DAP for the support of Middle Malaysia, but before they could stake the claim for support of Middle Malaysia, UMNO/BN must renounce the tactics and ideology of extremist politics including Ketuanan Melayu and the four types of hate politics of race, religion, lies and fear.

Najib had dismally failed in his recent UMNO Presidential Address to represent Middle Malaysia, as his speech failed on three main grounds:

•	Firstly, it highlighted the fact that Najib’s 1Malaysia policy had never been endorsed by  the UMNO General Assembly in the past four years and no Umno general assembly had ever declared that Ketuanan Rakyat Malaysia and not Ketuanan Melayu is the overarching UMNO objective and mission.

•	Secondly, inability to demonstrate UMNO’s commitment  to support his declaration  to make Malaysia “the world’s best democracy” by giving firm assurance that UMNO will transfer power peacefully to Pakatan Rakyat if this is the voters’ verdict in the 13GE.

•	Thirdly, failure to touch even on the problem of corruption, when the problem of corruption under Najib is even worse than under the previous Prime Ministers, whether Tun Abdullah and Tun Mahathir, and a clean and incorrupt government is one of the pillars of a Middle Malaysia.

Is Najib prepared to battle with DAP for the hearts and minds of Middle Malaysia, by distancing himself  and castigating irresponsible and reckless UMNO political leaders who resort to the politics of fear warning about another May 13 like  Wanita Umno leader Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil or about “chaos” like Muhyiddin?

Dare Najib seek endorsement of the Cabinet as well as the highest decision-making bodies in Umno/BN for the 1Malaysia policy and the subordination of Ketuanan Melayu to Ketuanan Rakyat Malaysia?

I agree that the  failure at the 16th DAP National Congress to elect Malay candidates to the 20-seat CEC is a setback to the DAP cause to represent all Malaysians.

This is however not because the DAP is anti-Malay or anti-Islam, as the DAP had right from the beginning of DAP’s formation in nearly 47 years ago in 1966 committed itself to be a party for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region.

This is borne out by  the history of DAP’s first general elections in 1969 where  DAP fielded Malay candidates for both parliamentary and state assembly seats – getting two Malay candidates elected as state assemblymen in Perak and Negri Sembilan.

Over the decades, DAP had held firm to our multi-racial commitment and fielded Malay candidates for both parliamentary and state assembly seats, with several Malay leaders elected as State Assemblymen and the late Sdr. Ahmad Nor elected as MP for Bayan Baru in Penang.

It has always been an uphill task for the DAP to reach out to the Malays,  with the UMNO and its mainstream media carrying out a sustained campaign to poison the minds of the Malays and demonise the DAP as anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

DAP will not be, and have never been, anti-Malay or anti-Islam.

This is why the new DAP CEC has taken immediate action to co-opt  and appoint  Senator Dr. Ariffin Omar as DAP National Vice Chairman and Zairil Khir Johari as Deputy Publicity Secretary.

I will like to ask which Barisan Nasional party has Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan and Iban members in their central committees?  There is none, which shows that DAP is more inclusive than anyone of the 13 Barisan Nasional component parties, including UMNO.

We will persevere to reach out to the Malays as well as to all communities, although to date,  the politics of Malaysian solidarity, democracy and justice  as represented by DAP has taken a lower priority to the Malays  than  the politics of race as represented by UMNO and the politics of religion as represented by PAS.

Over the decades, more and more Malays have realised that what the UMNO propaganda mills have churned out against the DAP,  that it is an anti-Malay and anti-Islam party, are pure lies and falsehoods.

As a result, DAP is getting increasing Malay support not only from ordinary Malays, but also Malay voters.  This is what is frigthening UMNO and BN.

We will continue to improve ourselves and learn from our weakness and setbacks

to ensure that DAP can more effectively and successfully represent the interests of all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Orang Asli, Kadazans or Ibans.

This is why the DAP made history as the first Pan-Malaysian political party, with branches and political activities not only in all the states in Peninsular Malaysia but also in Sarawak and Sabah.

The 16th DAP National Congress is testimony of DAP’s unbowed commitment to grow, develop and expand  as an inclusive Malaysian party representing all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Orang Asli, Kadazans or Ibans; whether Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs or Taoists; and whether in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak for a Middle Malaysia.

If Pakatan Rakyat succeeds in the “Hundred Days to Putrajaya” campaign and forms the next Federal government say with 125 parliamentary seats (PKR 45, DAP 40 and PAS 40), the stage will be set for the fruition of a Middle Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 17 December 2012, 2:34 pm and is filed under
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DAP polls a bitter pill for rivals

By
Stanley Koh | December 18, 2012

Free Malaysia Today

In 1995, when DAP suffered the worst electoral defeat in its history, pundits and other soothsayers lost no time in predicting the demise of the then 30-year-old social-democratic party.

Even Lim Kit Siang could not hide the tinge of despair in his heart. “Reform or die,” he told his party.

As it turned out, the supremo’s call rang out clear and loud among the party faithful. A year later, at their national congress, delegates endorsed a thorough review of the party’s political strategies. This resulted, among other things, in the recruitment of some 800 young professionals to help carry out the political renewal.

That move has paid off, as has been evident in recent years. Only the deaf and blind would deny that new blood has helped improve DAP’s image and given it a new dynamism.

Its rivals, particularly MCA and Gerakan, must have been disappointed that last weekend’s CEC election went on so smoothly. Predictions that young Turks were plotting to overthrow veteran leaders turned out to be rumours after all.

The election result indicates how well the delegates realised that DAP needed a healthy mix of young and old leaders in order to be ready to do battle in what many believe will be the dirtiest general election in Malaysian history.

DAP, with its remarkable history of trials, tribulations and perseverance, is possibly the oldest opposition party in East Asia that has remained an opposition party.

But the tide may be changing, with more and more Malaysians showing weariness over the dominance of Barisan Nasional and eagerness to see a new regime take over.

Some pundits say the tide has in fact already turned, and it did so with the 2008 election result, when DAP, together with its Pakatan Rakyat allies, made unprecedented gains. That election result, they say, made Malaysians realise that a two-party system is possible as well as desirable.

BN’s fear

Indeed, the only way to interpret BN’s current strident rhetoric against DAP and its Pakatan partners is that it is a manifestation of fear. And the party most fearful of DAP is MCA, which is increasingly being perceived as a liability to its political master, Umno.

One may perhaps attribute the smoothness of the weekend’s CEC election partly to the delegates’ willingness to learn from MCA’s blunders, particularly in its perpetual internal conflicts and infamous leadership crises.

The MCA now lacks leadership credibility even if we speak of the second and third echelon leaders. The party is the victim of its own killing of veteran leaders, and its current leadership has transformed it into a party of ad hoc opportunistic politics, bereft of any dynamic vision.

Ironically, this was one of the classic accusations that former MCA leaders used to direct against the DAP leadership.

Those leaders must now be looking at DAP with plenty of envy. Its persistent calls for social justice, accountability, transparency and other values of good governance is in perfect harmony with the times and the aspirations of the young generation of voters.

Furthermore, the spirit of comradeship within the Pakatan Rakyat, especially among the younger generation of leaders, is brilliantly reminiscent of the fellowship displayed by the nation’s founding fathers, the leaders of the old Alliance.

Stanley Koh is a former head of MCA’s research unit. He is now a FMT columnist.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 18 December 2012, 4:09 pm and is filed under
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I do not know whether to laugh or to cry – the standard of English in Malaysia has really fallen to disgraceful and abysmal low after four decades of Umno/BN rule.

I really do not know whether to laugh or to cry – the standard of English in Malaysia has really fallen to a disgraceful and abysmal  low after four decades of Umno/BN rule.

Last week, Malaysia suffered national and international humiliation when the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study ( TIMSS) 2011 reports were released, as the nation’s ranking  in  eighth-grade   Maths fell from 20th in 2007 to 26th in 2011 while its ranking in Science fell by an even greater margin, from 21st in 2007 to 32nd in 2011. Our average Maths score fell from 474 in 2007 to 440 and our average Science score fell by an even greater degree from 471 in 2007 to 426 in 2011, both far below the international average for both subjects in TIMSS 2011.

What is even worse,  Malaysia also suffered the shame of being only one out of 6 countries out of 42 countries participating in the Maths study  and 45 countries participating in the Science study to see falls in both our Maths and Science scores and ranking! Most of the other countries either improved their scores and rankings or stayed at their previous levels.

But the poor attainments of our students in maths and science when compared to international student achievements is not the only bane of the Malaysian education system.

Another equally critical area where the Malaysian education system has failed miserably is the English subject, which was poignantly illustrated in the past 24 hours, placing me in the position of not knowing whether to laugh or to cry.

Yesterday, I issued a media statement where I said:

“I wish to apologise to the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the UMNO/BN leaders that I was elected into the DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) at the 16th DAP National Congress – and with the highest votes.”

I am really flabbergasted that there are Umno/BN leaders and supporters who took it literally to mean that I had realised the error of my “misconduct” and that I was belatedly admitting that Najib had been right.

It would be unthinkable that such a ludicrous situation in comprehension of the English language could happen in Malaysia 40 years ago!

Recently, we have a Mentri Besar whose comprehension of English is so dismal that he could “invent”” figurative language in English only known to himself –  when he talked about “cutting his ears” and “jumping into the river” in Pahang  if MCA should lose to DAP in Bentong in the 13 general elections.

Everybody who searched the internet could only find figures of speech like “cutting the nose to spite the face” and “jump into the lake” but no “cutting my ears” or  “jumping into the river”!

Of course, Malaysians will not forget about another Mentri Besar who claimed ignorance of English as to justify carrying RM1 million cash to Australia!

 Malaysia is  a land of multiple crises in good governance and nation-building, including multiple crisis in education.

Let us be serious about education, good governance and nation-building and stop making ourselves an international joke.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 18 December 2012, 2:54 pm and is filed under
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Hanya kroni yang tergugat dengan dasar ekonomi DAP yang telus dan bertanggungjawab.

Zairil Khir Johari | 18 Disember 2012

Penolong Setiusaha Publisiti Kebangsaan DAP

Dalam laporan akhbar Sinar Harian yang bertajuk “Izat: Ekonomi Melayu gugat jika DAP diberi kepercayaan” pada 17 Disember 2012, Presiden Persatuan Pedagang dan Pengusaha Melayu Malaysia (Perdasama), Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir telah dipetik sebagai berkata bahawa “sokongan orang Melayu terhadap DAP akan hanya menyebabkan ekonomi dan masa depan orang Melayu terumbang-ambing.”

Kenyataan Datuk Izat ini jelas dangkal, bermotif politik perkauman dan langsung tidak berasas. DAP adalah sebuah parti politik yang konsisten dalam pelaksanaan dasar tadbir urus yang cekap, bertanggungjawab dan telus, sepertimana yang dibuktikan oleh pentadbiran kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang selama hampir lima tahun ini. Keberkesanan tatakelola pentadbiran yang dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan Pulau Pinang telah pun mendapat pengiktirafan dan pengesahan daripada Laporan-laporan Ketua Audit Negara setiap tahun.

Bagaimanakah ciri-ciri ketelusan dan kebertanggungjawaban boleh menjadi ancaman kepada orang Melayu? Hipotesis yang kurang waras ini hanya digunakan oleh sesetengah pihak yang tidak mampu berdaya saing akibat kebergantungan mereka kepada sistem kroni dan amalan rasuah.

Sebagai contoh, setelah beberapa tahun perlaksanaan sistem tender terbuka yang diperkenalkan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Pulau Pinang, telah didapati bahawa lebih 70 peratus kontrak kerajaan negeri telah dianugerahkan secara telus dan terbuka kepada kontraktor-kontraktor Melayu yang berdaya saing. Ini lantang membuktikan bahawa kontraktor-kontraktor Melayu yang tulen telah diperkasakan dan tidak perlu lagi bergantung kepada “kabel politik”, seperti yang menjadi kelumrahan kerajaan BN terdahulu.

Nyata yang terancam adalah kroni UMNO dan BN dan bukannya pengusaha-pengusaha Melayu yang tulen dan kuat berusaha.

Dalam pada itu, dasar “Agenda Ekonomi Saksama” yang diusahakan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Pulau Pinang merupakan kerangka yang serba inklusif. Duit lebihan yang berjaya dikumpul melalui penjimatan dan keuntungan daripada dasar tender terbuka telah disalurkan kepada rakyat melalui program-program bantuan yang menyasarkan golongan-golongan seperti miskin tegar, warga emas, ibu tunggal, pelajar dan sebagainya. Malah, Pulau Pinang telah menjadi negeri pertama untuk membasmi kemiskinan tegar, dan menjelang akhir tahun 2013 bakal menjadi negeri pertama untuk membasmi kemiskinan sama sekali.

Adakah model pembangunan yang membantu golongan bawahan ini, khususnya yang miskin dan daif, boleh dianggap sebagai menggugatkan masyarakat Melayu?

Jauh daripada tergugat, dasar DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat yang dilaksanakan di Pulau Pinang telah memanfaatkan dan memartabatkan masyarakat Melayu, serta menjalinkan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang lebih sihat dan berdaya saing.

Sebenarnya, adalah UMNO dan BN yang telah menggagalkan dan menyeleweng rakyat, khususnya orang Melayu. Di manakah keadilannya apabila rakyat Melayu dan Bumiputera merupakan rakyat termiskin di negara kita sementara pemimpin-pemimpin UMNO dan BN dapat menikmati kekayaan yang luarbiasa, seperti Ketua Menteri Melaka yang baru-baru ini menjamu 130,000 orang tetamu untuk kenduri perkahwinan anaknya dan keluarga Ketua Menteri Sarawak yang didakwa mempunyai kekayaan berbilion-bilion ringgit?

Jelas, sokongan Melayu terhadap DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat akan membawa manfaat dan keuntungan kepada mereka, manakala sokongan berterusan kepada UMNO dan Barisan Nasional hanya akan menguntungkan kroni-kroni dan pemimpin-pemimpin yang rakus serta memastikan rakyat akan terus dibelenggu dalam jerat kemiskinan.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 4:49 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia’s grand old party

Syawal Hafriz
| 18 December 2012

The Malaysian Insider

DEC 18 — I think a party that has been around since 1946 can be considered “grand” and “old”.

This is the party that has led its multi-racial coalition, without fail, in winning all 12 general elections to date.

But things have changed. The party can no longer rely on its coalition partners as much as much as it did in the past. A majority of Chinese and Indian communities are no longer seeing the other coalition partners as being relevant in championing their causes — hence the ruling coalition was punished, and lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Perhaps this could explain the rise of “ultra” elements within the grand old party, namely hardliners who are taking the party to the far right of Malay dominance, who refuse to buy into the multi-racial 1 Malaysia concept put forth by the party leader, the prime minister himself.

They say when you are up against the wall, your true character will show.

A hardliner approach might be the key since Malays represent the majority — roughly 60 per cent of the population and estimated to reach 70 per cent by 2030. The party sought to increase its influence by appealing to the Malay population, given that its other coalition partners can no longer deliver the crucial votes.

However, numbers can be misleading. Face it — with the existence of alternative parties for Malays, taking a far-right approach may not guarantee those much-needed votes.

As we enter into the era of a two-party system, people are progressively freeing themselves from the traditional race and religious voting lines. Universal issues such as corruption and economic performance are becoming increasingly salient, and these are issues which know no political affiliation.

Party identification has also weakened among the youth. They cannot relate to the party’s past struggles as much as the older generation. As such, should the alternative appear to be a more viable choice for them they would not be hesitant to vote for a change in the status quo. The new wave of first-time voters coming in the next general election will play a significant role in deciding its outcome.

It is more important than ever for the grand old party to change in parallel to this fact so that it remains relevant in the political spectrum.

On the bright side, we have witnessed a pragmatic shift in the direction that its youth wing is taking. In the past, the party has been on the right side of the spectrum and its youth wing was on the extreme right.

That is no longer the case today. Instead of shouting for racial supremacy and playing the religion card, it is becoming more centrist in its approach and the discussion has been shaped to revolve around policies and issues concerning Malaysians as a whole. Initiatives such as Youth Lab and Job Fair, with an emphasis on young talent and tapping into their potential, signal a move towards more progressive politics in our country.

Additionally, though the party is beginning to embrace new media in connecting with people, it has to keep in mind that online presence alone is not enough, because the content is what will sway the middle-ground voters. Deploying cyber troopers who go overboard in attacking opposition without any intellectual content will cause more harm than good to the party.

Now, after implementing his socio-economic reforms, the prime minister must lead the efforts in reforming the grand old party. The party must prepare itself to face its toughest election yet. Some of the old guards must make way for new leaders.

The party leader has made it clear at the recent general assembly: “If you do not change, you will be changed.”

As the party is set to embark a new multi-racial approach, it must not lose sight of its struggle to champion the Malay cause. There is nothing wrong with being a Malay party leading a multi-racial coalition. Discussion concerning the fate of Malays can continue, but they should be conducted sensibly with proper decorum.

People want to see a display of intellectual leadership, together with commitment to uphold social justice.

There were many previous instances where the grand old party was predicted to come to an end. The first was in 1951 when its founding father left the party over a disagreement on party membership and formed a new party. It was also the case when there was a split within the party which led to the formation of an Islamist party.

The 1969 racial bloodshed also was said to be the end of the party. The same was also said following the 1987 party elections as well as the notable 1999 general election.

Yet the grand old party has made it through and survived all that. Now, it is entirely up to the party to reverse its declining fortunes and avoid a taste of defeat in the next general election.

It must stop relying on its glorious past, and instead regenerate and present itself as a party that is able to reach across issues of faith, culture and language, hence bridging these deep divisions in society. They must stay true to the tradition of fighting for the people. Only then it would be relevant again in the eyes of the people.

It is now or never, Umno.

Syawal Hafriz is a third-year Government & Economics undergraduate at LSE, and the former chairman of UKEC. He also writes for CEKU at http://www.ceku.org.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 4:52 pm and is filed under
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Muhyiddin’s got it all wrong

G Vinod | December 19, 2012

Free Malaysia Today

I did not attribute corruption to the Malays, says DAP senator Ariffin Omar.

PETALING JAYA: DAP Senator Ariffin Omar today denied claims that he had attributed corruption in the civil service to the fact that the institution is dominated by one race only.

“I did not make such statement. It’s pure slander. The reason why there are more Malays in the civil service is due to the fact that they form 60% of our population.

“All I did was to suggest that the civil service offer more opportunities to non Malays to join the institution,” said Ariffin.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin criticised Ariffin, 63, who was alleged to have attributed the monopoly of civil service by the Malays as a source of corruption.

“It’s stupid and utterly irresponsible.When we say DAP is a racist party, the party denies it but at the same time, they accuse Malays of being most corrupt,” said Muhyiddin.

DAP protects Malay interest

Clarifying the matter, Ariffin, who is also DAP vice chairman, said that it was the government of the day that is indulging in corrupt practises, not the civil service.

“This is proven by the recent international report that said that RM871 billion in illicit money had moved out of Malaysia in the last 10 years,” he said.

Global Financial Integrity, a US-based group, placed Malaysia in third ranking of the most illicit money being siphoned out of the country. China leads the list, followed by Mexico.

Arrin also debunked Muhyiddin’s claims that DAP was a racist party, saying DAP had conducted many programmes to attract more Malays to join the party.

“Just look at Penang. DAP protects the interest of Malays by taking care of their welfare. Rest assured that once Pakatan takes federal power, the Malays will see a brighter future,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 8:28 pm and is filed under
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Orang Melayu – Teruskan Bersatu diluar UMNO!

Ariff Sabri | 18 Disember 2012

sakmongkol.blogspot.com

Sungguh menghairan kita, perkara yang amat mudah tidak boleh difaham oleh UMNO dan pengikut nya. Orang Melayu yang diluar UMNO pun Melayu juga. Melayu, DAP, Melayu PAS dan Melayu PKR tidak kurang keMelayuan mereka dari Melayu UMNO. Yang UMNO hendak sombong dan angkuh mengakui bahawa yang Melayu itu hanya mereka sahaja, mengapa? Kerana mereka membela agama, bangsa dan tanah air?

Hang Jebat tidak kurang Melayu daripada Hang Tuah. Jebat hanya berpegang kepada prinsip raja adil raja disembah, raja zalim raja disanggah.Ini prinsip yang mudah difaham oleh mereka yang berakal waras.

Pemimpin UMNO kesana kemari bercerita mengenai wasatiyah dan maqasid shar-iyah, tapi ketawa bila orang kafir mempermainkan, mengejek dan mempersenda agama Islam. Ketua besar UMNO, parti Melayu yang terbesar memakai baju kami tentang hudud bersama sama dengan orang kafir. Ini tidak mengeherankan sangat kepada mereka yang tahu latar belakang ketua besar UMNO ini.

Pemimpin UMNO bersyarah kepada orang Melayu bawahan supaya berbelanja berjimat cermat dan berhemah, tapi gagal melakukan apa yang mereka nasihatkan. Isteri ada cincin RM74 juta , beg tangan RM300-400 ribu sebuah, jam tangan RM 600 ribu- orang yang serupa menasihati rakyat mengurus wang RM500 dengan berhemah.

Setalah 55 tahun kita merdeka, bangsa Melayu masih ketnggalan dalam ekonomi. 8.5juta orang Melayu hidup dengan pendapatan kurang dari RM1500sebulan. Sedangkan untuk melayakkan diri mendapat BR1M, pendapatan mesti tidak melebihi RM3000. Jika RM3 ribu adalah tahap kesusahan ekonomi, maka RM1500 itu apa? Pengemis seperti Dr Mahathir kata?

Kenapa kita mesti sambungkan khidmat UMNO yang telah menyebabkan orang Melayu sedemikian walaupun sudah 55 tahun memimpin negara? Sepatutrnya, UMNO mesti dihukum dan hukuman yang terbaik ialah menumbangkan UMNO dari memegang kuasa kerajaan.

Sebab walaupun pegang kuasa kerajaan, UMNO gagal membela orang Melayu. Setiap aras jentera kerajaan, dari peon pejabat sehingga raja2- semua nya Melayu. Jika semua aras kuasa dan jentera kerajaan orang Melayu yang pegang, mengapakah kedudukan orang Melayu masih ketinggalan? Jawapan nya ialah semua yang berkuasa itu lebih mementingkan diri mereka dari membela orang Melayu? UMNO tak tolong, bahkan menjahanamkan bangsa Melayu.

Ketika merdeka, luas tanah reseb Melayu ialah 3 juta hektar. Sehingga tahun2 1990an, UMNO jual tanah reseb Melayu hingga tingal 1.7 juta hektar. Besar kemungkinan hari ini tinggal 1 juta hektar sahaja. Siapa yang membeloti orang Melayu? Siapa yang pengkhianat?

Daripada RM54 billion atau RM54 ribu juta saham yang di peruntukkan untuk orang Melayu, habis RM 52 billion dijual untuk mendapat untung segera. Siapakah yang menjual itu semua? Tidak lain dan tidak bukan Melayu yang bergelar Tan Sri dan Dato Sri yakni mereka yang pegang kuasa. Mereka ini semua membeloti agenda mengangkat penguasaan Melayu , tapi orang Melayu masih tidak sedar bahawa UMNO telah belot kepada orang Melayu.

Sebab itu, 3.7 juta Melayu dari 5.7 juta telah tidak mengundi calun2 UMNO. Sesiapa lah penyokong UMNO yang memikirkan bahawa 3.7 juta orang Melayu tersebut menolak UMNO semata mata kerana protes, wajib pergi jumpa doctor untuk memerikasa kesihatan otak mereka.

Orang Melayu sudah pun bersatu. Hanyanya, lebih ramai Melayu bersatu diluar UMNO. UMNO kena faham perkara ini- orang Melayu memang suka bersatu tapi mereka enggan bersatu dengan parti yang zalim dan merosakkan orang Melayu.

Untuk menyedapkan hati, penyokong UMNO menyatakan ramai menolak UMNO kerana protes. Mengapa mereka mesti menolak UMNO hanya kerana protes? Berapa % dari pengundi yang menolak UMNO melakukan demikian kerana protes?

Kita tidak tahu. Tapi biasa nya, yang memprotes sikit jumlah nya. Mereka protes kerana tidak dapat habuan politik. Pengundi jenis ini memang mudah diterbalikkan. Mereka akan pulang kepangkuan UMNO. Kontraktr klas F yang gagal dapat kontrak, tapi kali ini dapat akan kembali kepada umno.

Hayunan undi( vote swing) kepada parti PR dalam tahun 2008 ialah secara purata nya, 12.2%.  berapa agaknya, peratusan undi protest dalam hayunan undi tersebut?

Kita mesti faham karakter undi. Undi yang berhijrah kerana dibayar atau disogok, mungkin akan kembali kepangkuan UMNO dan BN. yang menukar selera kerana keyakinan, keinsafan dan kepercayaan kepada seruan perjuangan bersifat lebih kukuh dan tidak mudah kembali. Sekarang, cuba kita hitung berapa % dari hayunan undi 12.2% itu kembali kepangkuan UMNO?

Andaikan 5%. Masih ada 7% hayunan undi kepada PR. Pada kadar hayunan undi 5%, UMNO hanya menang 98-106 kerusi. Kalau hayunan undi sebanyak 10%, BN hanya tinggal 68 kerusi.

Maka jika masih tinggal 7%, BN dan UMNO hanya akan menang antara 68-106 kerusi. Kalau kita ambil unjuran purata, maka UMNO/BN hanya menang 87 kerusi.

Maka kita biarkan pemimpin UMNO menyedapkan hati berfikiran bahawa orang Melayu akan kembali kepada UMNO dan biarlah mereka bermimpi mereka akan dapat 2/3 kerusi parlimen.

Jadi jangan kita syok sendiri menyakinkan diri kita, undi orang Melayu kembali kepada UMNO. Paling kuat kali ini, UMNO/BN hanya dapat 90 kerusi.

Dengan 90 kerusi Najib atau MUhyidin menjadi ketua pembangkang yang baru. Najib ketua pembangkang sehingga pemilihan UMNO dan selepas pemilihan UMNO, dia akan bersara.

Janganlah begitu yakin, undi orang melayu akan kembali kepada UMNO. UMNO nak mengaku sebagai jurubicara orang Melayu pun tidak ada asas. Hanya 40% orang melayu menyokong mereka.

Maka tolong faham signifikens perkara ini. orang Melayu bersatu, tapi mereka bersatu tanpa UMNO.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 4:43 pm and is filed under
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Pakatan Rakyat: berbeza tetapi bersatu

Aspan Alias | 16 Disember 2012

aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

Saya mendapat banyak pertanyaan tentang perbezaan di antara Karpal Singh dan PAS terutamanya setelah mendengar ucapan Karpal dalam kongress tahunan DAP yang sedang berlansung di Pulau Pinag sekarang ini.. Dalam ucapan beliau semalam, Karpal telah berlembut serta mengakui yang PAS merupakan rakan yang terkuat DAP dalam Pakatan Rakyat walaupun ada beberapa perkara yang berbeza di antara kedua-dua parti itu terutamanya tentang isu yang berkaitan dengan agama Islam dan hukum-hukumnya.

Mereka bertanyakan perkara ini kerana saya telah menyertai parti itu di dalam kongress yang sebelum ini pada 8hb Januari yang lalu. Oleh kerana pertanyaan itu datangnya bertalu-talu akhir-akhir ini maka saya merasakan saya perlu memberikan jawapan walaupun ia merupakan jawapan yang pendek sahaja.

Seperti MCA dan UMNO juga, maka DAP dan PAS tentulah mempunyai perbezaan di antara kedua-duanya. Kalau tidak ada perbezaan maka tidak mungkin wujud dua parti PAS dan DAP. Perbezaan itu memang satu hakikat dan tidak mungkin kedua-dua parti itu sama. Itulah sebabnya ada elemen permuafakatan di antara kedua-dua parti itu bersama PKR dalam apa yang di sebut sebagai Pakatan Rakyat.

Oleh kerana wujudnya perbezaan-perbezaan inilah maka timbul usaha permuafakatan yang kuat dengan matlamat yang kedua-duanya anggap sebagai matlamat yang baik. Jika tidak ada elemen perbezaan maka tidak mungkin ada permuafakatan. Begitu jugalah dalam BN atau pun Perikatan sebelumnya. MCA dan UMNO itu jauh perbezaannya. MCA hanya untuk bangsa Cina dan UMNO merupakan satu parti pada asalnya sebagai parti nasionalis Melayu yang sekarang sudah menjadi parti untuk tawkay-tawkay dan kroni pemimpin Melayu yang berkuasa.

Kedua-dua pihak samada dalam BN atau Pakatan Rakyat parti-parti yang menganggotai kedua-dua ‘coalition’ itu merupakan parti-parti yang berbeza. Maka wujud kerjasama di antara parti-parti yang menganggotai komponen BN dan PR itu. Dalam BN itu sendiri, khususnya UMNO itu sendiri berbeza dengan UMNO yang kita kenali dahulu. Sekarang UMNO itu untuk kepentingan gulungan eksklusif sedangkan UMNO sebelum ini adalah parti untuk orang Melayu yang ramai-ramai itu.

Walau bagaimana pun ada perbezaan di antara kerjasama Pakatan Rakayat (PR) dengan kerjasama di antara parti-parti dalam BN. Dalam perebutan mengambil hati dan jiwa rakyat yang mengundi, BN selalu memainkan kenyataan-kenyataan Karpal Singh terutamanya yang kadangkala berbeza di antara pemimpin PAS kerana masing-masing mempunyai perbezaan yang berbeza  itu.

Tetapi itulah sebenarnya cara yang baik: masing-masing mesti zahirkan perasaan walaupun ia menunjukan perbezaan. Masing-masing tegas dengan perjuangan masing-masing dan dalam keadaan itu mereka akan mencari jalan untuk mendapatkan jalan tengah yang bersesuaian dengan perjuangan kedua-dua parti yang berbeza itu. Itulah permuafakatan, berbeza tetapi bersatu dalam mencari matlamat yang baik bagi rakyat yang di pimpin oleh masing-masing parti tanpa menanggung perasaan masing-masing.

Tetapi di dalam BN pula sekarang ini tidak ada percanggahan yang ketara di antara kedua-dua parti UMNO dan MCA sedangkan mereka berbeza. Malahan perbezaan di antara UMNO/MCA adalah lebih besar dengan perbezaan PAS/DAP. Tetapi dalam BN ada pihak yang terpaksa menjadi pak turut dan sanggup maruah partinya dan agamanya di permainkan oleh rakan komponennya. Isu yang paling ketara ialah penghinaan terhadap Islam yang dilakukan oleh Chua Soi Lek di depan mata Najib sendiri semasa Perhimpunan Agung parti MCA baru-baru ini.

MCA tidak langsung memikirkan perasaan orang-orang Melayu Islam dan Najib pula terpaksa berdiam diri kerana bagi beliau menjaga kedudukan beliau dan kroni beliau itu adalah lebih penting dari mempertahankan agama beliau. CSL begitu bebas menghentam agama kita Islam ini tanpa mendapat reaksi dari Najib dan mana-mana pemimpin UMNO. Kalau begitu sikap pimpinan UMNO maka sudah tentulah tidak ada kenyataan-kenyataan yang bercanggah kerana UMNO membiarkan sahaja rakan kongsinya menghina bangsa dan agama sekendak hati mereka (MCA).

Tetapi dalam Pakatan Rakyat ada perbezaan pandangan tentang satu-satu isu khususnya tentang agama dan hukum-hukumnya. Pimpinan PAS dan DAP tidak menyorokkan perasaan mereka dan akan memberikan pandangan itu secara terbuka dan demokratik,. Dalam pada itu sentiasa mencari jalan kesederhanaan di antara mereka. Secara rasminya DAP telah mengakui yang parti itu menghormati agama Islam seperti mana Islam dan penganutnya menghormati agama-agama yang lain.

PAS pula menghormati DAP dan parti-parti lain dan akan melaksanakan hukum hudud atau apa-apa hukum yang di syariatkan oleh Tuhan dan Rasulnya untuk orang Islam sahaja. Dengan cara itu PAS tidak meninggalkan kehendak agama Islam tetapi bersama-sama dalam siasah dan bermuafakat bagi mencapai matlamat yang murni  itu menjaga kepentingan negara dan rakyat dalam erti kata yang sebenarnya.

Itulah saya sentiasa berkata yang kerjasama di antara parti-parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat adalah lebih meyakinkan dari kerjasama parti-parti yang berbeza dalam BN. Di dalam PR masing-masing akan mempertahankan nilai dan agama masing-masing di samping bekejasama sedangkan di dalam BN UMNO terpaksa berdiam diri dengan kutukan MCA terhadap bangsa Melayu dan agama suci kita semata-mata untuk mendapatkan undi bangsa Cina yang MCA sudah tidak dapat menguasai lagi.

UMNO terpaksa menjadi parti dayus semata-mata untuk kuasa walaupun agama dan bangsanya telah di hina dan di perlekehkan oleh MCA. Bagi UMNO, dayus pun dayuslah, asalkan mendapat kuasa sekali lagi dalam pilihanraya yang akan datang ini.

Itulah baiknya di sebelah Pakatan Rakyat. Masing-masing boleh menyatakan perbezaan secara terbuka tetapi tidak berpecah kerana masing-masing bersatu dan bermuafakat untuk mencapai matlamat yang satu iaitu untuk mengasuh rakyat untuk hidup saling kasih mengasihi di antara satu dengan yang lain.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 4:31 pm and is filed under
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Quo Vadis Malaysian education system?

For the past week, Malaysians have been waiting for comments from the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on the poor results of Malaysian students in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 but he has disappointed Malaysians.

Since the world-wide publication of the TIMSS 2011 results on December 11, Muhyiddin had commented on everything under the sun except on TIMSS 2011 results showing unchecked plunge in the standards of mathematics and science for Malaysian students as compared to other countries – powerful testimony that Muhyiddin is neither committed nor interested in his first duty as Education Minister.

Only eight months ago, Muhyiddin shocked Malaysians claiming that the Malaysian education system is better than advanced nations on the ground that  Malaysian youngsters are receiving better education than children in the United States, Britain and Germany.

But Muhyiddin’s claim has been debunked by TIMSS 2011, as in the test for eighth-grade students for mathematics, Malaysia is ranked No. 26  with a score of 440 out of 1,000, as compared to United States which is ranked No. 9 with a score of  509 while England is ranked No. 10 with a score of 507.  For science, Malaysia is ranked even  lower at No. 32 with a score of 426 as compared to England’s ranking of No. 9 with a score of 533 and United States’ 10th ranking with a score of 525.

Malaysia’s scores for both maths and science are below the international average, while the scores in both subjects for United States and England are above the international average.

What has Muhyiddin got to say about the TIMSS 2011 showing that in both maths and science attainments, Malaysian students lagged far behind both the United States and Britain although he had claimed that Malaysia provides a better education than these two countries?

In fact, in the TIMSS 2011, Malaysia lags behind Israel, Hungary, Slovenia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Armenia, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Lebanon in the maths test and trails behind Slovenia, Israel, Lithuania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Iran, Romania, UAE, Chile, Bahrain, Thailand, Jordan, Tunisia, Armenia and Saudi Arabia in the science study.

Even more serious than Malaysian students losing out to their contemporaries in the United States and Britain as well as a host of other countries which are not “advanced nations”  in the two critical subjects of maths and science is that Malaysia is providing  an increasingly more inferior education system than in the past.

In the four TIMSS 1999-2011, Malaysia is the country which suffered the biggest drop in scores among all participating countries for both maths and science : in  maths dropping by 79 points from 519 in 1999 to 440 in 2011; in science, dropping by 66 points from 492 in 1999 to 426 points in 2011.

Muhyiddin cannot remain silent for Malaysians are entitled to know why he is  unconcerned and indifferent to the atrocious TIMSS 2011 results for Malaysian students, which is an indictment of the Malaysian national education system as well as  the series of  UMNO/BN Education Ministers in the past– going back even to the period when the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak was the Education Minister from 1995-2000.

Muhyiddin should not indulge in the  “syok sendiri” syndrome claiming that  Malaysia has a better education system than “advanced nations” like United States, Britain and Germany, when we lagged behind many nations not in the “advanced” category.

Why is Muhyiddin ignoring the other fact to emerge from the series of TIMSS, that Malaysia is lagging far behind the top-performing countries or “power houses” in maths and science from Asia, namely Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.

There are even international studies which show that 15-year-olds in Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Shanghai are performing in international tests as though they have had three or more years of schooling than 15-year-olds in Malaysia.

Malaysians are entitled to ask: Quo Vadis, the Malaysian education system.

If this is not the first priority interest of Muhyiddin, he should ask the Prime Minister for a change of Ministerial portfolio so as not to continue to  jeopardise the future of new generation of Malaysians as well as the potential competitiveness and greatness of the nation.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 4:12 pm and is filed under
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Sesiapa pun boleh kata apa tentang DAP, BN wajar di jauhi

Aspan Alias | 17 Disember 2012

aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

Media perdana sekarang memainkan isu DAP parti chauvinis dan sebagainya. Media arus perdana memainkan isu DAP sebagai parti Cina kerana tidak ada seorang pun calon Melayu  yang bertanding memenangi walau satu kerusi pun. Hanya yang perlu kita ketahui yang DAP tidak seperti UMNO yang telah membentuk mentaliti ‘quota’ dalam mana Melayu mesti di berikan segala keistimewaan dalam semua hal kerana Melayu yang mempunyai negara ini.

Bangsa lain kononnya hanyalah bangsa yang menumpang sahaja sedangkan sekarang ini seorang kaum cina itu merupakan generasi ke empat berada di dalam negara ini. Bangsa Cina yang lahir sekarang ini tidak tahu pun yang mereka itu bukan bangsa Malaysia (seperti yang di katakan oleh pemimpin UMNO) kerana mereka lahir di sini. Mereka (kaum Cina) tidak ada negeri lain seperti juga orang Melayu yang tidak ada negeri lain selain dari Malaysia ini.

Itu sebabnya kita rakyat semua kaum ingin melakukan perubahan kerana jika tidak dilakukan perubahan itu satu-satunya negara yang kita ada ini akan hanyut di telan masa kerana tidak berkemampuan untuk wujud mngikut kehendak masa dan zamannya. Kita tidak ada negara lain dari negara ini. Bagi mereka yang telah mengaut kekayaan melalui kuasa yang ada kepada mereka boleh duduk dan mendiami negeri lain kerana mereka adalah kaum yang mewah dan boleh hidup dimana-mana sahaja hasil dari rompakan harta rakyat yang telah berlaku sebegitu lama tanpa had itu.

Baik DAP mahu pun PAS dan PKR, mereka mewakili semua kaum yang menuntut perubahan ini. Dalam usaha menuntut perubahan sememangnya satu usaha yang sangat susah tetapi apa pilihan yang ada kepada rakyat ini. Jika tidak di ubah rakyat negara kita sendiri akan berubah menjadi rakyat yang hina di sisi rakyat dan masyarakat antarabangsa yang sedang berubah mengikut kehendak zamannya.

Merata-rata di dunia ini rasuah sudah menjadi perkara yang jelek di sisi mereka. Itulah sebabnya banyak negara dalam dunia sekarang ini telah menolak parti-parti yang memerintah kerana tidak mahu lagi pimpinan yang rasuah. Hanya di negara ini sahaja pemimpin yang rasuah bercakap besar dan menjanjikan kehidupan yang baik di dunia dan akhirat.

Parti Liberal Demokrat Jepun telah di sungkurkan oleh rakyat negara itu kerana rasuah. LDP telah menjadi pembangkang dan baru-baru ini LDP telah kembali berkuasa setelah belajar dari pengalaman sendiri Setelah berubah semasa berada dipetak pembangkang di parlimennya beberapa tahun baru-baru ini LDP telah kembali memerintah setelah belajar betapa buruk dan hinanya rasuah yang mereka lakukan semasa memerintah selama 50 tahun dahulu.

Jika di Jepun rakyatnya boleh berubah tidak ada sebab kenapa kita tidak boleh melakukan perubahan itu. Jika LDP telah belajar yang rasuah itu buruk dan hina semasa dalam pembangkang dahulu, UMNO juga akan belajar perkara yang sama jika kita paksa UMNO belajar seperti pelajaran yang di lalui oleh LDP Jepun itu.

Parti Kongress India tersungkur di hadapan parti Jenata dahulu, kini Kongress India telah kembali berkuasa dengan kepimpinan yang lebih baik. Lama juga tempoh Kongress berada di pihak pembangkang tetapi akhirnya parti Kongress India telah belajar pengajaran yang baik dan kini kembali menerajui pimpinan negara yang mempunyai demokrasi yang terbesar di Asia ini.

DAP bersama dengan PAS serta PKR sedang memainkan peranan memberikan pelajaran kepada kepimpinan UMNO dengan memberikan pimpinan alternatif seperti apa yang di berikan oleh parti Janata kepada rakyat India dahulu. Rakyat terpaksa melakukan ini kerana itu sahaja yang boleh membuktikan kepada kepimpinan yang rasuah dan lalai itu yang rasuah dan menyalah gunakan kuasa itu adalah kerja hina di sisi masyarakat, apatah lagi di sisi agama suci kita.

Kesalahan rasuah yang keterlaluan ini tidak boleh di tutupi dengan BRIM. PRIM atau apa – apa yang ‘RIM’ yang lain. Masakan rakyat boleh terpikat dengan imbuhan-imbuhan yang di berikan sejemput itu berbanding dengan berkepuk-kepuk wang mereka (rakyat) yang telah di larikan oleh pimpinan kita untuk kepentingan mereka dan kroni serta keluarga mereka dengan tidak ada segan silu itu.

Isu Melayu kalah dalam pertandingan merebut CEC DAP menjadi isu oleh pimpinan BN termasuk oleh Perdana Menteri sendiri. Melayu baru hendak bertunas di dalam DAP dan dengan kehadiran beberapa orang Melayu dan Bumiputra yang di lantik untuk bersama-sama dalam CEC itu menunjukkan yang DAP serius dalam membawa parti itu menjadi parti ‘multi-racial’. MCA yang begitu lama usianya masih tidak ada seorang pun Melayu atau Bumiputra di dalamnya dan parti yang uzur itu merupakan parti yang sebenar-benarnya ‘chauvinistic’ dengan pandangan anti melayu dan Islam nya yang begitu mendalam.

Baik dari sudut mana pun kita pandang DAP itu ia tetap parti yang lebih ‘multiracial’ jika di bandingkan dengam MCA, rakan kongsi BN yang kedua terbesar itu. Oleh kerana saya belum lagi sampai usia keahlian saya selama 2 tahun maka saya tidak dapat untuk menawarkan apa-apa dalam pemilihan CEC baru-baru ini. Jika kalau perlembagaan parti itu sudah membolehkan saya bertanding saya akan menawarkan untuk bertanding dalam pemilihan itu.

Kita tidak boleh di buai oleh permainan media perdana sejak dua hari yang lepas kerana seperti biasa media perdana itu tugasnya sekarang ialah untuk memecah belahkan Pakatan Rakyat kerana pakatan rakyat memang sudah semakin hampir untuk menghampiri Putrajaya yang tidak mungkin mampu di pertahankan oleh BN sekarang ini.

Tetapi apa yang saya perkatakan ini hanya mengikut kemampuan kita berfikir kerana yang penentu terakhirnya tetap Tuhan yang Maha Kuasa. Itulah sebabnya setiap tindakan kita mesti di iringi dengan doa dan munajat kepada Tuhan kerana Tuhan sahaja yang akan memberikan keputusannya.

Tuhan terlah memberikan pesan dan kenyataan kepada kita, ‘apa yang ku berikan kepada mu itu, adalah yang terbaik bagi mu’. Kita terima sahaja apa-apa ketentuan Tuhan. Itu sebabnya Pakatan Rakyat jangan mengambil alih kerja Tuhan seperti yang dilakukan oleh BN. BN dan pimpinannya selalu berkata  “hanya BN dan UMNO sahaja yang boleh menentukan masa depan kamu semua. Kalau kamu pilih Pakatan Rakyat kamu semua termasuk agama kamu akan terhakis dan Melayu akan hilang di dunia ini”

Tetapi mereka (pimpinan BN) tidak menyedari Melayu telah mula hilang dunianya walaupun mereka (melayu) telah memerintah selama lebih dari 5 dekad. Jangan terpengaruh dengan ungkapan yang merugikan kita dari pimpinan BN kerana kita tidak boleh menerima kata-kata pimpinan yang fasik semata-mata untuk kebaikan kita semua.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 4:27 pm and is filed under
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The DAP Malays

Ariff Sabri | 16 December 2012

sakmongkol.blogspot.com

UMNO and its supporters are making cannon fodder of the unsuccessful attempts by 8  Malay DAP members to get placement in the 20-person  CEC. I wrote this article before the appointment of 2 Malays into the CEC.

Lt Colonel Rosli a former serviceman who is now practising as a lawyer in Seremban said it best. The next person sitting to me asked for my name, told him and he didn’t even know I was contesting. I wasn’t going to campaign to him there and then.

Which means, the unsuccessful bid for places in DAP’s CEC is more a case for being relative unknowns. Malay DAP leaders if they wish to get into the CEC must catch the attention and imagination of DAP delegates. Which means the Malays in DAP must earn their keep and keep their peace. Don’t go doing a Tunku Aziz stunt.

The worse thing any Malay DAP member or leader can do is to read what has just happened at the 16th DAP National Congress with an UMNO mindset. Yes, we shall continue to talk about UMNO- because UMNO stands in our way to form the next federal government. We must continue to expose the rotten system that UMNO leaders have built up and that has caused misery to this country, especially to Malays.

The UMNO mindset is that you deserve to get something just because you are UMNO. UMNO is built on the idea, which says you can get ahead by cutting corners, leveraging on politics, exploiting inherited status and so forth. The world does not operate on the terms of a world by which UMNO operates. The world moves on, driven by people’s abilities and on the basis on what they can contribute. That is NOT the UMNO mindset.

Applied to the present case of the absence of elected Malays DAP leaders- it means that you come into an organization with its own internal dynamics, expecting to be served, expecting to get ahead by way of cutting corners.  Recognition, respect and appreciation must now be earned instead of demanding into being accepted because of perceived stature.

All of us, not only Malays must now begin to think if we have not already done so, that we move on in life being assessed by (1) what we can do rather than who we are. That would depend on our abilities, resolve and single-mindedness. (2) We must believe that anyone and not just specific persons with specific surnames can do specific jobs. Today it’s Guan Eng who is SG. In a few years, maybe another person with a another surname, judged by his peers as having the qualities and abilities to do the job as SG will replace Guan Eng.

We must first of all congratulate all those who earned their places in the 20-person CEC.

Maybe I have missed out the news- but I have not heard any complaints yet from the Malaysian Indian candidates. More Indians offered themselves in the contest  but only Kulasegaran got in. if they did not grumble and got gruffly, Malay DAP members must learn from them one thing or two.

A few friends called to ask, did you lose in the DAP elections? I said I did not lose nor did I win. I did not contest. When the results were announced late evening, no Malay candidates won any place in the 20-strong central executive committee (CEC).

A total of eight Malay candidates contested for places in the 20-person CEC. These included Zairil Khir Johari ( CM Guan Eng’s polsec), Zulkifli Mohd Noor (216 votes), Senator Ariffin SM Omar (748), Johor DAP vice-chairman Ahmad Ton (347 votes), Pahang DAP deputy chairman Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji (121), Desa Manjung DAP branch chairman Solaiman Op Syed Ibrahim (98), Roseli Abdul Ghani (39) and Harun Ahmad (28).

The DAP leaders who won were:-

Lim Kit Siang

Lim Guan Eng

Karpal Singh

Chong Chieng Jeng

Loke Siew Fook

Vincent Vu

Tan Kok Wai

Gobind Singh Deo

Tony Pua

Teng Chang Khim

Fong Kui Lun

Nga Kor Ming

Chong Eng

Chow Kon Yeow

Liew Chin Tong

M Kulasegaran

Boo Cheng Hau

Teresa Kok

Teo Nie Ching

Ngeh Koo Ham

Many friends text  me saying the results were disappointing because not a single Malay candidate made it into the 20- person committee.  Why didn’t any of them get selected? Perhaps it’s the fault of the candidates and the delegates and also the DAP leadership.

How do we explain what happened? First let’s set aside one issue first. This is not an issue of the DAP leadership abandoning its agenda for inclusiveness.  But it has revealed some weaknesses in translating the agenda into practice.

It shows that the leadership hasn’t done sufficiently in its efforts to educate the delegates and DAP members of the importance of inclusiveness. Unless the DAP leadership has resigned itself to forever be an opposition party as opposed to a party that can be a partner in governing, then, the will not make efforts to cultivate Malay DAP members.

I was at the congress and listened to the speech given by party secretary general, Lim Guan Eng. It was a as a matter- of- factly speech which did not require enthralling the delegates with histrionics or banshee-like screaming. It would have been better if he had left out bashing the UMNO/BN government and talking like an opposition party at the periphery. He can speak as government now that PR has control of 4 states and will likely evict UMNO from the seat in Putrajaya.

I thought there was a little misreading of the mood of delegates. The majority of the delegates were not accustomed to adjusting their thinking after years of being perceived as Chinese chauvinists. It comes by as second nature if the majority of the delegates felt it wasn’t necessary to be inclusive. If this mood was read correctly, maybe secgen Lim Guan Eng could have applied some moderating influence.

This kind of thinking, conditioned over the years by the baneful influence of race-centric thinking could be have been moderated. The secgen missed the opportunity to apply some leavening influence in his speech. If the secgen had mentioned that in line with our agenda to evolve into a multiracial party for all Malaysians, he would very much liked it if delegates in the convention also reflect that agenda with their voting.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 19 December 2012, 4:36 pm and is filed under
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Latest GFI report on RM196.8 billion dirty money siphoned out of Malaysia in 2010 is the third warning of adverse international reports in the last month of the year that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” as far as Malaysia is concerned

The latest Global Financial Integrity (GFI) report on the astronomical RM196.8 billion in dirty money siphoned out of Malaysia in 2010, resulting in a mind-boggling total of RM871 billion in illegal capital flight from the country over the last 10 years (2001-2010), is the third warning of adverse international reports in the last month of the year that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” as far as Malaysia is concerned.

The GFI report marks a  trio of adverse international reports about Malaysia in the last month of this year to warn Malaysians why the time has come for  a change of Federal government in Putrajaya in the forthcoming 13th  General Elections.

There are still 11 days before the end of the month of December for the year 2012.  Will there be another adverse international report about Malaysia to make it a quartet of adverse international reports in the last month of this year?

The other two adverse international reports for Malaysia which were published this month are:

•	Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2012 – Despite a change of methodology for the TI CPI score and ranking, the ineluctable fact is that corruption under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from 2009-2012 is even worse than corruption under the previous five Prime Ministers, including Tun Abdullah and Tun Mahathir;

•	Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 which showed that Malaysia is losing out in the battle for the future, as the results highlight that Malaysia is suffering a twin educational crisis, with the Malaysian education system providing an increasingly inferior education over the years as well as Malaysian students losing out to their peers in other countries in the key critical subjects of mathematics and science which will determine whether Malaysia could succeed to transform itself into a competitive, innovative and high-income developed nation in the international arena.

The year 2012 is ending very poorly both for the country and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

There are not only this trio of adverse international reports for Malaysia in the last month of December 2012, but the country is increasingly haunted by the ghosts of past decades of corrupt, undemocratic and unjust governance.

Recently, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir made the unforgettable quote that it is better for the people to elect the devil they know rather than the angel whom they may not know.

What Mahathir had not reckoned with is that the ghosts of the past are increasingly taking centre-stage in Malaysian politics – not only the ghosts of the murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu; Teoh Beng Hock,  the victim of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC)  and the countless who were “murdered” while under police custody in police lockups like A. Kugan crying out for justice, but other “ghosts” of the past as well.

The recent explosive “confessions” by the carpet trader, Deepak Jaikishan on the Atantunya murder case; the public exchanges between the former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and the former Criminal Crime Investigation Department Director Datuk Ramli Yusof about the wrongs and abuses of power committed by the other; the public allegations of corruption and abuses of power made against the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail, are only some of the “skeletons” rattling in the national cupboard but  nobody expects the UMNO/BN administrations to get to the bottom to uncover their truths.

Only a change of Federal Government in Putrajaya in the 13GE in the next 100 days  can resolve and appease all the “ghosts” of the UMNO/BN administrations, particularly of the past three decades – including who was responsible for the murder of auditor Jalil Ibrahim in Hong Kong in the first mega-scandal of the Mahathir era, the RM2.5 billion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) scandal in the eighties.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 20 December 2012, 6:20 am and is filed under
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Perkasa Chief Insults the Malays

By Kee Thuan Chye

Malaysian Digest

 19 December 2012

To say that Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali has little between his ears because of his recent pronouncements is to say something too obvious. And yet one might be tempted to do it to dispel the misinformation he seems to be spreading.

His point about the Malays being unable to compete with the non-Malays because Islam forbids the former to participate in businesses involving gambling, liquor and entertainment outlets is, to put it mildly, moronic. And terribly misleading.

What’s more inexcusable is his statement that the Chinese will become a national security threat if they acquire more political and economic power. It could lead, he warned, to another bloody racial conflict like the May 13 riots. This, I have to say, insults not only the Chinese but the Malays as well.

But there’s surely more to Ibrahim’s antic than what’s on the surface. He has not been in politics this long to appear so simple-minded. His agenda was to strike terror into the hearts of voters. He was employing the scare tactics that Prime Minister Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional (BN) have been resorting to of late as the general election draws near. Coincidentally, at the Umno general assembly last month, Wanita Umno President Shahrizat Abdul Jalil also irresponsibly raised the bogey of May 13.

Ironically, such scare tactics betray a lack of self-confidence on the part of Najib and BN. Ibrahim must have caught on to it and sensed that BN may even lose the elections for the first time. But this does not exonerate him from saying things that are insulting, that could engender hatred. Based neither on fact nor reasoned argument.

After all, the industries that are considered haram to Muslims make up only a small percentage of the total economy. Why is he making a mountain of such a molehill?

He uses the inability of the Malays to make money from these business sectors as a reason for the Government to continue with affirmative action for them. Is that a sound argument?

Malays don’t need to rely on these sectors to succeed. Ibrahim only needs to look at Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary’s business empire to see how a Muslim can prosper bountifully without touching any of the haram industries. That would be enough to debunk his theory that the Muslims are economically disadvantaged.

More important, when Ibrahim talks about the economic situation of the Malays, why must he invariably compare it to that of the non-Malays? In order to draw the sinister conclusion that the latter are a threat?

That the Chinese are being insulted is obvious. I very much doubt the community has any intentions whatsoever of being a threat to anyone, especially their fellow citizens, so it’s not fair to consider them as such. If of late, they have been more vocal in agitating for their rights as Malaysians and calling for better governance for the good of the country, should that be considered threatening?

But what about the Malays? Why do I say that Ibrahim’s talk about another May 13 is insulting to the Malays as well?

Because he is implying that they will be envious of Chinese success. He is implying meanness in the hearts of Malays. He is implying that they cannot stand it when others achieve success and, as such, they will clash with them. He is insulting all self-respecting and peace-loving Malays.

May 13 did not happen because ordinary, responsible and peace-loving Malays decided to clash with non-Malays. It was orchestrated, as we now know. People in the ruling party whipped up sentiments to amok point. It was politically engineered, to bring down Tunku Abdul Rahman, the then prime minister.

In a sense, the Chinese were made scapegoats by the plotters, who capitalised on the theme of racial conflict to cover up their own ulterior ambitions.

Such riots don’t happen in Malaysia – at least not on such a major scale – without their being initiated by political beings. And a riot will be all the more powerful if the political beings engineering it also happen to be in power. If May 13 is going to happen again, it will have to be engineered by the people in power. Ordinary Malaysians will not fight without cause. We can be sure of that.

Ibrahim completely negates the decency and sense of responsibility of the Malay people.

He also disregards the prospect that the Malays themselves have the ability to succeed.

Why does he clamour for continued affirmative action? Is it not to perpetuate a cause that will serve his political enhancement? Is it not to pander to a market that will buy his rhetoric and vote him in again?

But is it a cause still relevant? Is it viable in today’s globalised world of which Malaysia is an integral part?

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad – who is, incidentally, Patron of Perkasa –  should be well aware of the answer even if he often says the opposite of what he knows. Recently, however, he said that affirmative action for the Malays would have to be phased out in the future. And he seemed to momentarily make sense … until he qualified it by adding, “but only when we are certain that the Malays can compete in the market” without “the crutches”.

With his selective memory these days, he has obviously forgotten he said something contrary to that in his interview with The Star in October 2004: “We have tried to tell them if you depend on subsidies, you are going to be very weak. But they don’t seem to understand. We tell them if you use crutches, you will not be able to stand up. Throw away the crutches, stand up straight because you still have the capacity.”

Unfortunately, Mahathir has reverted to being a great advocate of crutches. But the question is, how do “we” decide when the Malays will be ready to throw them away? What are the concrete criteria? When it is as arbitrary and unscientific as “when they are ready”, the issue can remain unresolved indefinitely.

At least, the New Economic Policy (NEP) had a quantified target – that of the Malays achieving 30 per cent share of the economy by 1990. But that year has come and gone and the affirmative action still continues. It has, in fact, now stretched to more than 40 years of implementation. Why are the Malays still not ready?

Perhaps they already are. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of switching mindsets to accept that one is ready for something. Moreover, some Malays will say, as Mahathir has pointed out, that they don’t need crutches. The proof of this is that millionaire Malays are buying multi-million ringgit houses (but they are still getting the 7 per cent discount – do millionaires deserve affirmative action?).

In any case, if we accept that the Malays are not ready, then who is to blame?

Who is responsible for getting the Malays ready? Isn’t it the Government? And who has formed the bulk of the Government all these decades? Isn’t it Umno?

So why has the Government, headed by Umno, the party for the Malays, not succeeded in getting the Malays ready after all these decades?

Doesn’t it mean that Umno has failed?

If Mahathir and his sidekicks, like Ibrahim Ali, still clamour for crutches, Umno must have failed. To all intents and purposes then, the party that claims to serve the interests of the race it represents has failed its own race.

So Ibrahim has no cause to deflect the issue onto the non-Malays, just as no one should make the Chinese scapegoats for May 13.

Mahathir is one to talk. It was under his watch that the NEP got extended when it should have expired. He would never acknowledge it but in 1990, he must have realised that, as the supreme leader of Umno then, he had failed to meet the target.

So what he says now is nothing but political posturing. It’s the same with Ibrahim. He, too, knows why he says the dumb things he says, because he can’t really be that dumb.

And because all this talk – by both men – is to serve a political cause rather than the people and the nation, their action is all the more insidious. And should be taken with huge doses of scepticism.

They may not know it but they have lost a lot of maruah (dignity) for pursuing this course.

Maruah being an important element of Malay culture, reasonable and self-respecting Malays would surely not want to lose it themselves.

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

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 20 December 2012, 12:22 am and is filed under
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Don’t see DAP congress with Umno mindset

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | December 21, 2012

Free Malaysia Today

The recent DAP polls showed that Malays in the party must earn their keep and keep their peace.

COMMENT

A total of eight Malay candidates contested for places in DAP’s central executive committee (CEC) last week. But no Malay candidates won any place.

Also, more Indians offered themselves in the contest but only M Kulasegaran got in.

I don’t hear them grumbling or getting gruffy. Perhaps the Malay DAP members must learn from them a thing or two.

Why didn’t any of the Malays get selected? Perhaps it’s the fault of the candidates and the delegates and also the DAP leadership.

But first let’s set aside one issue – viewing the results with an Umno mindset.

The worse thing any Malay DAP member or leader can do is to read what has just happened at the 16th DAP national congress with an Umno mindset.

And what is this Umno mindset? The Umno mindset is that you deserve to get something just because you are Umno.

Umno is built on the idea that you can get ahead by cutting corners, leveraging politics, exploiting inherited status and so forth.

But the world does not operate on these terms. The world moves on, driven by people’s abilities and on what they can contribute.

And this is typically NOT the Umno mindset.

DAP leadership’s weakness

In DAP, recognition, respect and appreciation must be earned irrespective of creed and stature.

All of us, not only Malays, must now begin to think if we have not already done so, that we move on in life being assessed by:

 •what we can do rather than who we are. That would depend on our abilities, resolve and single-mindedness; and

 •the belief that anyone and not just specific persons with specific surnames can do specific jobs. Today, it’s Lim Guan Eng who is the secretary-general. In a few years, it may be another person with a another surname, judged by his peers as having the qualities and abilities to do the job.

The DAP leadership has not abandoned its agenda for “inclusiveness”.

But what the results did reveal is that it has some weaknesses in translating this agenda into practice.

It showed that the leadership hasn’t done enough to educate the delegates and DAP members of the importance of inclusiveness.

I was at the congress and I listened to Lim’s matter-of-fact speech. There was no histrionics or banshee-like screaming.

But I thought there was a little misreading of the delegate’s mood. The majority of the delegates have been conditioned over the years by the baneful influence of race-centric thinking.

They are not accustomed to adjusting their thinking after years of being perceived as Chinese chauvinists.

If this mood was read correctly, maybe Lim could have applied some moderating influence by mentioning that he would like the delegates to reflect the party’s multiracial agenda in their voting.

The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman but has now joined DAP. He is a FMT columnist.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 21 December 2012, 1:49 pm and is filed under
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Don’t they know it is Christmas?

— Blue Christmas

The Malaysian Insider

Dec 21, 2012

DEC 21 —I just received a notice that the first school staff meeting in preparation for the 2013 school term would be held on December 24.

At first I let it pass and marked the date on my calendar and then I realised it would be Christmas Eve. That is the time when friends and family call on us, when the general mood is about looking back on a wonderful year and planning for an even more wonderful year ahead.

Took a second look at the schedule and it reads a meeting for every day after Christmas Day all the way to December 29. Now that’s the time when families get their children’s stuff ready for school — new shoes, bags, uniforms and water bottles. That is also the time when old friends come back to their hometowns to their aged parents and ask for forgiveness and blessings for a good year ahead. They take the extra time to bond with old classmates and the malls, restaurants and the teh tarik places get filled up with fun, joy and merriment.

Then it dawned on me that this holiday mood happens on Hari Raya Puasa, on Chinese New Year and on Deepavali and all my friends usually get this extended holidays either through annual leave and through the extra days taken by schools. So why is Christmas different?

Why this urgency to cram in all those meetings into the last week of the year, when really everyone else is on holiday and in the festive mood. Is it to give some kind of impression that while the world is on holiday, we sit in our dingy staff room, with knotted eyebrows sweating away on what needs to be done in the year ahead. Why this charade which goes against the grain of a nice, wholesome family environment?

It appears that we are more keen on showing that we are doing work than actually doing it. I see reams of paper on how implementation should be carried out and then totally screw up the actual implementation because those reams of paper were not prepared or checked with the actual implementers. And to add salt to the wound, we are then fed that cursed adage “If you fail to plan you plan to fail”. The cycle gets repeated ever so often.

Well folks, all this talk just makes me sick … and ah! … in line with another old Chinese proverb that crisis means danger on the one hand and opportunity on the other, I shall lean on the latter … I will be on MC! — aliran.com

                This entry was posted on Friday, 21 December 2012, 1:39 pm and is filed under
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Down to the wire

Malaysia’s elections

Banyan Asia

by R.C. | KUALA LUMPUR

The Economist

Dec 19th 2012

ALL year, it seems, Malaysia has been on a war footing. For elections, that is—and thankfully, rather than anything more martial. The country operates on a Westminster-style parliamentary system, so the prime ministers’ five-year term does not officially end until early next summer. Nonetheless, Najib Razak and his people have been talking up the chances of going to the polls before then pretty well continuously over the past 18 months or so, which keeps everyone guessing.

Now, with the end of the year in sight and no further announcements, it seems that Mr Najib will take this down to the wire. Given that he can only go to the country after Chinese New Year next February, most people expect him to plump for the latest date he can in the electoral calendar, which would be about late March or early April.

His supporters say, why rush? With a generally favourable economic outlook, tame state media and all the advantages of incumbency, there is no reason why Mr Najib can’t enjoy the rest of his term of office without worrying about the 13th general election. After all, he has a bit of history on his side, to put it mildly—the ruling political alliance, Barisan Nasional (BN), has never lost a general election since independence in 1957.

His critics, however, detect signs of nervousness about the outcome—mainly, the endless indecision about when to go to the polls. Indeed, all the evidence suggests that this will be the closest race in Malaysia’s history, even more so than the last general election in 2008. On that occasion, the BN lost its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time, thus losing its powers to make changes to the constitution. Just as bad, five of the 12 contested state legislatures were won by the opposition, compared with only one in the previous election. Mr Najib knows that to placate his hardline critics within the BN he has to not only win, but win big. They want the BN to claw back most of what the party lost last time. It’s a tall order.

With so much at stake, every vote counts…but only if every vote is counted. Democracy activists and other election-watchers are concerned that many of the criteria for a free and fair election have not been met by the government and the government-appointed Election Commission.

Over the past few years the campaign for open and fair elections has been led by Bersih (meaning “clean” in Malay), a loose coalition of civil-rights and human-rights NGOs and others.

The head of Bersih, Ambiga Sreenevasan, sounded gloomy last week about the prospects for this election. “It will be the dirtiest election we have seen for a long time”, she warned. She points to the more overt signs of this, such as “increasing political violence” (at political rallies, for example) and more subtle signs such as “constant reports of discrepancies on the electoral roll in west Malaysia.”

Having campaigned for very specific improvements to the conduct of elections, Ms Ambiga says that the authorities have take action only with respect to the proposal that voters be marked with indelible ink (and even then not entirely to her satisfaction). On everything else, such as the neglected right of all sides to enjoy equal access to the media, Ms Ambiga says that the electoral authorities “give me and Bersih no reason at all to believe that anything will change before the election”.

With official overseas election observers (apart from ASEAN) apparently considered unnecessary by the government, Bersih is setting up its own “citizens-observers’ campaign”. Mr Ambiga says that they need 30,000 observers, but expect to get only 10,000. Bersih will train them. They might soon be busy people

                This entry was posted on Friday, 21 December 2012, 6:10 am and is filed under
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