August 31st Merdeka Day to Sept 16 Malaysia Day – “bumper harvest” of bad news for Malaysia

Never before in the nation’s history has the country been buffeted by such a “bumper harvest” of bad news in the 17 days between Merdeka Day on August 31 and Malaysia  Day on September 16.

This plethora of bad news for Malaysia cannot be more detrimental to Malaysia’s ability to escape from her decades-long “middle-income trap” and the terrible fate of a bankrupt nation in 2019 by undertaking a national transformation to achieve an inclusive and sustainable high-income developed nation in 2020.

Today for instance, there are two such bad news.

First is today’s Malaysian Insider story “
Investors shun Malaysia for neighbours
” which reports:

“Malaysia is now the “least favoured market” in Asia Pacific for investors after nearly doubling its underweight rating from last month, according to a recent Bank of America Merrill Lynch report.

“The country slipped two spots — from 10th place to dead last — in the investment bank’s latest Fund Managers Survey, even as the Najib administration prepares to unveil ambitious economic reforms meant to boost investor confidence.

“The report appears to be the latest indictment of Malaysia’s inability to compete with rival regional markets. In the past decade, the once roaring Asian Tiger has seen its dominant position as an investment destination in Southeast Asia crumble even as neighbouring countries push to the fore.

“A survey last week by the World Economic Forum (WEF) of 139 nations showed that Malaysia had slipped two places in global competitiveness rankings to 26th in the past year, while Indonesia surged 10 places to 44th…

“Elsewhere in the region, China remained the favourite market by far despite an uncertain global outlook. A net 11 per cent of investors expect China’s economy to strengthen, up from -39 per cent in July, according to Merrill Lynch.

“Indonesia, slightly underweight last month, jumped to second place on an overweight call, edging out Hong Kong in the process. New Zealand, Taiwan, South Korea
and India remained neutral
.”

The second bad news is the release today of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010-11, regarded as the  gold standard in international university performance comparisons, which confirmed the QS World University Rankings 2010 released a week ago that Malaysia’s premier university, University of Malaya, has fallen off the world Top 200 Universities Ranking.

University of Malaya fell from 180th to 207th ranking in the QS World University Rankings 2010 but  it is not known what placing University of Malaya has fallen to in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010-11.

The top 10 universities ranked by
Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010-11
 are:

Harvard – US

California Institute of Technology – US

Massachusetts Institute of TeCochnology – US

Stanford – US

Princeton – US

Cambridge – UK

Oxford – UK

University of California Berkeley – US

Imperial College – UK

Yale – US

Twenty-seven Asian universities are emplaced in the latest THES ranking led by University of Hong Kong (21), Tokyo (26), Pohang University of Science and Technology (28), National University of Singapore (34)  and Peking University (37).

The plethora of bad news in the past 17 days from Merdeka Day on August 31 to Malaysia Day September 16 could be discerned from the following headlines or headings:

September 15 – Najib saddened by rise of extremism in Malaysia (Malaysiakini)

September 15 –  “Sabahans losing patience over 20 Points – Maijol” (Borneo Post)

September 14 – ANALYSIS – Malaysia “top-down” reforms set to disappoint (Reuters)

September 14 – Utusan champions Dr M’s views in campaign for Perkasa (Malaysian Insider)

September 12 – Sosilawati and three others brutally murdered and burnt (Malaysiankini)

September 10 – M’sia Today ‘blocked to stop release of documents’ (Malaysiakini)

September 9 – Global competitiveness: M’sia goes down further (Malaysiakini)

September 9 – Malaysian universities falling out of top 200 universities in QS World University Rankings 2010 latest proof that Najib’s NEM are just empty words lacking political will and leadership necessary to effect Malaysia’s economic transformation (blog.limkitsiang.com)

September 4 – Why double standards against Namewee, questioned for over 10 hours, for his anti-racist outburst as compared to treatment for the two errant school principals? (blog.limkitsiang.com)

September 4 – Teo says surau row nadir in her life (Malaysian Insider)

September 3 – Hishamuddin should not act both as prosecutor and judge to pass judgment that Nurul Izzah had committed the offence of sedition, dictating and usurping the powers of the Police, AG’s Chambers and judiciary (blog.limkitsiang.com)

September 3 – Rising racism, 53 years on  -David KL Quek (Malaysiakini)

September 1 – Mahathir is the major obstacle to Najib’s 1Malaysia and National Transformation Agenda (blog.limkitsiang.com)

August 31 – Why Police investigating Wee Meng Chee for sedition when there is nothing seditious in his latest 3-minute rap against the Kulai secondary school principal for making racist slurs against students? (blog.limkitsiang.com)

August 30 – The ultimate Malaysian debate: Malaysia or Malaysaja? – Nurul Izzah Anwar (Malaysian Insider)

August 30 – Quo Vadis Malaysia 18 months after Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan? (blog.limkitsiang.com)

What is the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak going to do with such a “bumper harvest” of bad news for Malaysia?

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 September 2010, 6:09 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #32

By
M. Bakri Mus
a

Chapter 5:  Understanding Globalization

There is no doubt that globalization is an idea whose time has come….[But] the fact that [it] has come…does not mean we should sit by and watch as the predators destroy us.

—Mahathir bin Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia

 The one dominant force shaping the world today is globalization.  That is, the increasing integration of markets, economies, infrastructures, and other institutions into one world standard.  As a consequence, there is increasingly free movement of goods, capital, services, and ideas across borders.

            Globalization, observes the World Bank, is not just an economic phenomenon.  While the accounting of benefits and costs of globalization depends very much on one’s perspective, there is no question that it is a relentless and inevitable tidal wave.  And like any tidal wave, one is more likely to survive and even thrive, if prepared.  A non-swimmer will be swept away and drowned, but a skillful surfer will exhilaratingly ride the crest.

             The choice then is simply whether you should prepare yourself to be a skillful surfer if not at least a passable swimmer, or let yourself be swept by the tidal flow.  Stopping the flood is not one of your options.

             While many clamor to join this global mainstream, just as many resist.  Globalization is enthusiastically embraced by those steeped in the ways of the new economy and modern technology.  Its detractors include such “America first” advocates as Pat Buchanan, as well as the Mahathir’s of the Third World.  Such bewildering alliances and confluences reflect the complexity of this phenomenon.

             One of the reasons for these diverse coalitions is that globalization is perceived differently by the various constituents both in the West and in the developing world.  To American factory workers, it means the loss of their jobs to such places as China and Mexico; to their executives, an opportunity to reduce costs of production.  Third World leaders view globalization as surrendering their nation’s sovereignty to multinational corporations; those citizens meanwhile look forward to the job opportunities afforded by these foreign companies.  Such conflicting perceptions are understandable as there is no consensus what globalization actually means.  That notwithstanding, there is at least a general agreement on what globalization is not.

What Globalization Is Not

Globalization does not mean a single all-powerful world government along the line of a vastly expanded United Nations issuing edicts from New York to remote corners of the world.  This is a particular paranoia of American right wing groups who are forever on the look out for black UN helicopters ready to take over their country.  Similarly, globalization is not another form of regional cooperation in the fashion of a strengthened Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).  Nor is it a political and economic entity along the lines of the European Union or a common market like Nafta (North American Free Trade Agreement).

             Globalization will not mean the decline or end of the nation-state, as some exuberant advocates proclaim and some nationalistic leaders like Mahathir fear.  As Peter Drucker, the management guru and respected futurist noted, it will be a greatly changed nation-state that will survive globalization.  In particular, totalitarian states that have a tight stranglehold on their citizens will have difficulty maintaining their grip.  With the free flow of ideas and information across borders, the state’s propaganda machinery would be effectively neutralized.  [Author’s updated note:  We are certainly seeing this in Malaysia where the government-controlled mainstream media are losing their credibility and the accompanying rise of independent blogs.]

             Globalization will definitely result in major changes in the power relations between and within nations.  This can be disorientating to those comfortable with or dependent on the status quo.

             Globalization does not mean a decrease in international regulations and rules.  This would disappoint those advocates for a minimalist government,  On the contrary, in many cases there will be increased rules with respect to human and labor rights, pollution and environmental laws, and international crimes, as the various national agencies will get increasingly coordinated with those across their borders.  Thus polluters in Indonesia for example, will face the wrath of not only their countrymen but also neighboring countries.  Environmental groups like Greenpeace are now forging global alliances that transcend national and political boundaries.

             Lastly, to those who fear that the universe would be turned into a dull monotonous cultural landscape filled with the Madonnas, Michael Jacksons, and other icons and artifacts of the McWorld, globalization will not mean cultural homogenization.  The fear of globalization being just another form of Western hegemony or neocolonialism is simply delusional.  On the contrary, globalization provides a much-needed leveling of the playing field and gives small fringe cultural groups hitherto isolated in their remote villages or ashram an avenue to expand its influence worldwide.

             It is significant that through globalization, the 13th Century Persian poet Jallaludin Al-Rumi is now the most widely read in America.  Similarly Sufism, which once was relegated to the margins of Islam and presented to the world only at exotic cultural festivals, is now fast becoming chic in the West.  The public library in my small California town now carries at least a dozen books on the subject.  And they are always being signed out!  The Internet enables Sufism to reach a much wider audience globally.

             As more nations adopt and benefit from globalization, the present cultural, economic, and other dominations of the West would gradually be eroded.  For example, once China becomes prosperous, it too will contribute its share of talent onto the world stage to challenge the supremacy now enjoyed by Americans.  Further, once China has the market power comparable to America, manufacturers and marketers will cater to the Chinese tastes and market.  And then by sheer momentum, that taste or trend will become universal.  The reason America now enjoys supremacy (at least in popular consumer taste) is purely the consequence of it being the largest and most lucrative market.  Producers and manufacturers everywhere cater to it.  Thus by sheer mass dynamics, the American taste and style become universal.

 Next:   Earlier Forms Of Globalization

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 September 2010, 8:58 am and is filed under
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Najib’s job as Prime Minister is not just to express sadness at rise of extremism but to provide leadership to stamp out racial bigotry and religious extremism especially when they come from UMNO and allied or outsourced groups

In his Malaysia Day message, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak expressed strong opposition at the rise of extremism which is a stumbling block in the nation’s progress.

He said he is “saddened” that despite living in an independent multi-cultural nation, there are still those who cannot tolerate, much less accept the benefits of a diverse society and reject the 1Malaysia concept and policy propounded by him since becoming Prime Minister in April last year.

Najib’s job as Prime Minister is not just to express sadness at the rise of extremism but to provide leadership to stamp out racial bigotry and religious extremism especially when they come from UMNO and allied or outsourced groups.

There can be no question that the rhetoric of race and religion had reached an unprecedented level in the past 17 months since he took over the helm of federal government, and what compounded the problem was that the racial bigotry and religious extremism were all coming from one direction – UMNO and its allied or outsourced groups, raising the fundamental question whether Najib has the political will and leadership to stand up and be counted to stamp out extremism coming from his own camps.

Who for instance is the most prominent antagonist of Najib’s 1Malaysia policy if not his Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin?

The objective of Najib’s 1Malaysia is to build a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian regards himself or herself as Malaysian first and race second – but Muhyiddin had publicly declared that he is Malay first and Malaysian second.

As result, despite my challenge in Parliament,  there is not a single Barisan Nasional Minister in Parliament who dared to contradict Muhyiddin  by declaring that he or she is a Malaysian first and race second.

With the strongest opposition to his 1Malaysia policy coming from within his own camps and even in Cabinet, is Najib prepared to take a stand that there is no place in his Cabinet for any Minister or Deputy Prime Minister who is not prepared to declare that he or she is Malaysian first and Malay second?

What Malaysians are seeing is the colonial tactics of “Divide and Rule” of the races in the country  taken over by Umno and acquiesced by the other subservient Barisan Nasional component parties being practised at the most opportunistic and irresponsible degree.

In contrast, Pakatan Rakyat formed by PKR, PAS and DAP is offering a completely different formula of nation-building and governance based on  “Unite and Rule” – to unite the various races, religions, cultures and regions in the country as one national identity to fulfill Malaysia’s potential for greatness which we have lost along the way in the past five decades of Barisan Nasional stewardship.

This is the significance of the official launching of the Pakatan Rakyat Sabah secretariat tonight with some 1,500 Sabahans as witnesses to history in the making – to embrace and endorse the Pakatan Rakyat’s “Unite and Rule” to govern and Sabah Malaysia in rejection of Umno/BN’s discredited formula of “Divide and Rule” which ultimately benefitted only a handful from the various racial groups and their cronies.

[
Speech at the Malam Pakatan Rakyat organized by Sabah DAP at Putra Seafood Restaurant, Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday,15th September 2010
]

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 16 September 2010, 9:00 am and is filed under
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Najib should seriously implement 20-Points Agreement on Borneonisation by setting target to fill at least half of 59 Federal departments in Sabah with Sabahans as heads before the next Malaysia Day on September 16, 2011

Sabahans are disappointed that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has come to Sabah completely empty-handed for the first Malaysia Day national public holiday in 47 years.

This makes a complete mockery of the belated recognition of the importance and significance of September 16 as Malaysia Day in the history of Malaysian nation-building process, which involves the  rightful place of Sabahans and Sarawakians in the Malaysian scheme of things.

If not for People’s Power as represented by the emergence of   Pakatan Rakyat, Malaysia Day on September 16 would not have been declared a national public holiday by the Prime Minister even after 47 years!

This is why the people of Sabah and Sarawak do not want to see the declaration of Malaysia Day as a national public holiday as a mere political ploy but want it to symbolize a belated recognition by and wake-up call for  the Federal Government after 47 years to take seriously and address full-heartedly the frustrations, grievances and alienations suffered by Sabahans and Sarawakians for three generations at not being given full and fair treatment as Malaysian  citizens – by removing once and for all the nagging  sense felt by  Sabahans and Sarawakians that they are not accorded recognition and rights as first-class citizens of Malaysia.

This is why Sabahans and Sarawakians expect more than having Malaysia Day declared as a national public holiday – why Sabahans expect Najib to come to Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan on the occasion of Malaysia Day to announce concrete  measures how the Barisan Nasional Federal  Government proposes to begin to address and resolve their 47-year-old grievances, frustrations and disaffections at not  being given fair and proper treatment under the Malaysian sun.

For a start, how does Najib propose to fully implement the Twenty-Point Agreement which was the “magna carta” for Sabah in 1963  to join hands with Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore to establish the new nation and federation of Malaysia.

Yesterday, the Sabah press carried headlines like “Sabahans losing patience over 20 Points – Maijol”, quoting United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) vice president Senator Datuk Maijol Mahap declaring that “Sabahans are fed up with the Federal Government’s failure to fulfill what have been promised in the 20 Points Agreement”.

Maijol said: “Even after 47 years of being part of Malaysia, they are still waiting for the time when the 20 Points Agreement will be fully fulfilled.”

The minimum Sabahans had expected from Najib on his visit to Sabah to celebrate Malaysia Day as the first national public holiday is an acknowledgement and commitment by him as Prime Minister to fully implement the 20 Points Agreement.

This was also why at my arrival media conference in Kota Kinabalu yesterday morning and at the historic  launching of Pakatan Rakyat Sabah last night, I had recommended to the Prime Minister the idea of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Twenty Points Agreement to assess their success, shortfalls and failures so that all the 20 Points can be fully implemented.

Unfortunately, my proposal has been ignored and the hopes of Sabahans and Sarawakians that their 47-year-old grievances and discontents will at last be addressed have been dashed with Najib coming to Sabah completely empty-handed.

Najib should make immediate  amends for this serious omission by tabling the full  implementation of the 20 Points Agreement as the first item of business at the Cabinet meeting next Wednesday, putting on the Cabinet agenda the proposal for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 20 Points Agreement.

One of the Twenty Points Agreement referred to a “proper Ministerial system in North Borneo”.

This commitment for a “proper Ministerial system” in the 1963 Twenty Points (the  Great Charter of Sabah) had clearly been violated in the past 47 years or we would have seen a fair distribution of the state’s wealth and resources among Sabahans and not the abnormality firstly of Sabah which started as one of the richest states in Malaysia deteriorating to be one of the poorest states after 47 years; and secondly, the emergence of a coterie of new rich revolving around the Chief Minister or ex-Chief Ministers and ex-state ministers and their cronies while the overwhelming majority of Sabahans remain poor.

Let the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 20 Points conduct a full and comprehensive investigation into nearly five decades of misrule, corruption and gross abuse of power in the state which negated and nullified the pledge of the Sabah Magna Carta for “a proper Ministerial system” in Sabah.

Another Twenty-Point pledge is Borneaisation, which stipulated: “Borneanisation of the public service should proceed as quickly as possible.”

What has the Barisan Nasional Federal Government to show for “Borneanisation” of the public service in Sabah after 47 years?

I understand that out of 59 Federal departments, only five are headed by Sabahans. Over 80 per cent of school heads in the education department in Sabah are filled by officers from Peninsular Malaysia, which is clearly against the spirit and letter of the Twenty-Points on Borneanisation after 47 years.

I call on Najib to seriously and immediately  implement  the Twenty-Point Agreement on Borneonisation by setting the  target to fill at least half of 59 Federal departments in Sabah with Sabahans as heads before the next Malaysia Day  on  September 16, 2011.

Najib should table this target at the Cabinet meeting next Wednesday to demonstrate that his administration is serious in wanting to address the 47-year grievances, frustrations and discontents of Sabahans and Sarawakians – making the first Malaysia Day as a national public holiday really worthwhile and meaningful.

(Speech at Malam Pakatan Rakykat Beaufort organized by DAP Beaufort on Thursday, 16th September 2010 at 10 pm)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 September 2010, 3:49 pm and is filed under
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The knockout punch Najib failed to deliver

Wong Choon Mei

Malaysia Chronicle

Friday, September 17, 2010

The much longed-for recognition for Malaysia Day finally came in the form of a public holiday for the entire nation, but it failed to do anything to shore up the political position or the popularity of Prime Minister Najib Razak and his BN coalition.

And for this Najib has to take the blame. Not only has he been hiding behind glitzy public relations that do nothing but burn a hole in taxpayers’ pockets, even his Malaysia Day message was laughed at by the people for perceived cowardice. For while the 57-year old Najib disavowed ‘extremism’ in his speech, he took great care to do it as vaguely as possible so that no one knew what he was talking about or was referring to. Intentional or not, the end result was that no one took him seriously. And that is serious.

Because September 16 could have delivered so much for him and the BN. It could have been their knockout punch to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

In 2008, Anwar had promised Malaysians to topple the BN federal government but his complex plan went awry. Unsurprisingly, for months after that, Anwar was mercilessly attacked for being a Mr Talk-A-Lot.

When Najib came to power months later in April 2009, he grandly proclaimed a holiday for Malaysia Day. If he had worked hard, done his job, delivered the reforms he promised, then on September 16, 2010, he could have proudly and justifiably showed the country the difference between him and Anwar.

But sad to say, all that Malaysians saw on Thursday was another public relations show from Najib.

Making use of racial and religious-bigotry

More than a year has passed, but Najib leader has little or even zero to show for it. In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was voted into the world’s top 10 most respected leaders by Newsweek last month alongside Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah who had urged Muslims “to embrace the spirit of tolerance, moderation and balance.”

By contrast, no mention was made of Najib at all and unsurprisingly the Umno-aligned newspapers and online portals went on a desperate binge to avoid comparison with the Singapore leader. But that doesn’t mean Najib hasn’t hit the international headlines at all. He has – but for the wrong issues and reasons.

In January 2010, thanks to a Najib-sanctioned move to protest the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims, Malaysia became notorious for a spate of attacks against churches. It became associated with the words “rising religious intolerance”.

Even so, did Najib stop to take stock of what he should do as the prime minister of a multiracial country of 28 million people? It appears not, because from this incident was born Perkasa – an Umno splinter group that champions Malay rights in what may say is an extreme way. Last week, a picture of Perkasa’s emotion-choked leaders with arms raised and brandishing daggers was flashed around the world – putting off even more investors and further denting the country’s image.

The feedback from the majority of Malaysians and investors may have been the reason why Najib ‘disavowed’ extremism in his Malaysia Day message, but his obvious refusal to be clear about it confirms suspicion that this may be just another public relations exercise.

Final lap – national plunder

Now, in the final lap to the next General Election, public focus is shifting to national wealth and how to prevent unprecedented large-scale plunder by the ruling elite, who might be tempted to make a final grab as the chances of the Pakatan wresting power grow stronger by the day.

Topmost on the list of those being scrutinized – not just by the Pakatan but also civil society leaders, the people themselves and even his own political foes within the BN – is of course Najib himself due to his scandal-plagued record and the power he holds due to his office.

From Malaysia’s purchase of two overly-priced Scorpene submarines to alleged involvement in the latest rash of corporate wheeling-and-dealing over mega-projects such as the national railway and the Iskandar economic zones, Najib may find himself under the spotlight. Just like Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, whose alleged graft has been splashed out in online magazine Sarawak Report.

No wonder then that Najib has ordered Internet regulator MCMC to crack down on websites and blogs. No wonder too that he has beefed up his public relations team with highly paid staff – all at taxpayers’ expense and for the purpose of ‘un-spining’ the allegations about his ‘secret’ business deals.

So September 16 should not come and go for nothing. For Anwar and his Pakatan, it should have added to their vigor because they know now that after more than a year, their rivals in BN have not been able to narrow the gap at all.

Sadly for Najib and BN, the majority view is still very much that they have done nothing in the past 18 months other than experiment with dangerous racial and religious political games. Not a single measure has been taken to stem corruption, unless the high-profile arrest of Ling Liong Sik is counted as one.

Instead, the politicians of the day are still busily ferreting gold for themselves – possibly as much as they can before they get thrown out either in 2011 or 2012.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 September 2010, 8:48 pm and is filed under
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Waiting for promises made three generations ago

By
Leon Donald

SRI AMAN, Sept 16 — As we celebrate Malaysia Day, my thoughts roll back to my 95-year-old grandfather in Sri Aman.

He has shared many a story with me on how his grandmother brought him to Kuching to meet the Rajah in court, reminisce on the hardship during the Japanese occupation and then continue on the tragedies he had to go through during the early days of Malaysia during the Confrontation and Communist insurrection.

Then he would tell me about the hardship of campaigning with his cousin, the Paramount Chief of the Ibans, the late Tun Jugah anak Barieng, trying to convince the Ibans to agree to the formation of Malaysia.

He must be wondering the same as I, why only now, the government declares a public holiday on September 16?

Malaysia was formed 47 years ago, not 53 years mind you as Umno would lead us to believe, and only now there is an urgency to recognize the date.

For the past 47 years, we in Sarawak and Sabah have seen this auspicious date pass by without any fanfare.

Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Ghazali Shafie used to visit Sarawak frequently in the early ‘60s to convince the indigenous people to join and support the formation of the federation of Malaysia.

Strong were their convictions that by agreeing to join Malaysia, the indigenous people would be living a better life.

We — the indigenous people of Sarawak and Sabah are generally categorised as Bumiputera, clustered together with the Malays — however, nowadays I am sad that when leaders in the government, including the prime minister, address the various races in the country, only the Malays, Chinese and Indians are mentioned.

I am always upset when I have to fill forms at government offices. The official myopia regarding the indigenous races of Sarawak is also apparent in a number of forms where applicants have to tick one of the four boxes to identify the racial group they belong to: Malay, Chinese, Indian and Lain-lain.

Is this what we the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak been reduced to: lain-lain and fourth class citizens?

What hope do we from Sarawak and Sabah have in securing government employment if our ethnic identities and names have been omitted from the official records?

Is this present government going to do anything about this?

Will this current administration advocate some form of affirmative action that will help us, the minority in Sarawak and Sabah.

Back then, before the formation of Malaysia, promises were made and study trips were done for the leaders from Sarawak and Sabah, showing them the villages in the Peninsular that had piped water and electricity, promising these developments will all be done in the rural areas once we form Malaysia.

It was these promises that prompted our leaders to campaign vigorously to the people in Sarawak and Sabah to agree to support the formation of Malaysia to the Cobbold Commission and the United Nations Fact Finding Team.

Now we are going into the implementation of the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Many of the leaders that campaigned for the formation of Malaysia have died without seeing piped water, proper roads and electricity reaching their villages and longhouses.

My own longhouse here is without electricity and piped water. I hope I do not have to die first before these developments reach my longhouse.

*
Leon Donald is a Sarawak DAP member and plans run for the Sri Aman seat in the upcoming state elections
.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 17 September 2010, 9:53 am and is filed under
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1Malaysia not “work in progress” but “work in regress” if Najib proves to be new Mr. Flip-Flop as PM overshadowing his predecessor Abdullah

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday defended his 1Malaysia concept, claiming that it had not failed but merely a “work in progress”.

He admitted that the concept could not become a “full realization” today but would do so eventually with the help of all segments of society.

Najib’s 1Malaysia concept is not “work in progress” but “work in regress”, especially if  he proves to be a new Mr. Flip-Flop as Prime Minister, putting the former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to shame.

In back-pedalling from Umno’s recent decision to disentangle and distance itself from Perkasa as announced by Umno Secretary-General Datuk Sri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor only a week ago, Najib has exuded negative vibrations and sent out the negative message that he is not prepared to be the  leader for all groups and component parties in Barisan Nasional let alone be the Prime Minister for all Malaysians.

Nobody is expecting the impossible of “a full realization today” of the 1Malaysia concept but it is disingenuous and even dishonest to claim that his 1Malaysia concept is “work in progress” when he himself lamented in his Malaysia Day message at the rising tide of extremism in his 18 months of premiership with unprecedented outpouring of the rhetoric of race and religion unseen in the first 18 months of all the first Prime Ministers of Malaysia – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah!

And what has made this “rising tide of extremism” in the first 18 months of Najib’s premiership even more unhealthy and undesirable is that they emanate primarily from the ranks of Umno and allied or outsourced groups!

Five days before  the August 31 Merdeka Day, Najib broke his long two-week silence to declare a “zero tolerance” policy towards racism and pledged immediate action against those found to have made racial slurs – but this has been  followed by more than two weeks of inaction against two school principals who had made unacceptable racial and religious slurs against students in their schools!

This is not the stuff to inspire confidence in his political will and commitment to achieve the goal of 1Malaysia “to make Malaysia more vibrant, more productive and more competitive – and ultimately a greater nation: a nation where, it is hoped, every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society”.
(1Government Transformation Programme Roadmap: p11)

Najib has come out with a “patriotic litmus test” to determine the political attitudes of those aspiring to positions of authority, questioning a person on his or her priorities in achieving greater unity and harmony among Malaysians, viz:

•	“One has to ask whether his actions would affect people of other races and religions.

•	“Would you be promoting harmony and unity or inciting hatred towards your race?

•	“Could your actions lead to better understanding among people of different races, or the contrary?”

If Najib put his Cabinet and the leadership of all the Barisan Nasional component parties to such a 1Malaysia litmus test for their words and deeds in the past 18 months, how many of them will pass?

Utusan Malaysia, the Umno mouthpiece, will not only fail  these tests but  will be among the most egregious offenders, breaching these three tests on a daily basis.

In fact, Utusan  has reached a new low as illustrated by its irresponsible and contemptible attempt to racialise and politicise the heinous and gruesome mass murders of Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others against the DAP  when it has nothing to do whatsoever with DAP.

Utusan Malaysia is guilty of double lies against DAP  as none of the suspect killers were DAP members let alone DAP life-members, but also because DAP had condemned the heinous and gruesome mass killings right from the beginning.

When news broke on Sept. 12 of the horrific mass murders of Datuk Sosilawati, DAP Secretary-General and Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, who was in Shanghai tweeted his “shock”, condemned the  quadruple murders as “ghastly” and extended condolences to the families of the victims of the “horrible tragedy” of the mass murders.

I was also in Shanghai for the World Expo. In my first press conference and public statement on my return from Shanghai, made in Kota Kinabalu on Sept. 15, I condemned in the strongest possible terms the heinous, gruesome crimes of the mass murders of Sosilawati.

Yet Utusan Malaysia could publish  such garbage the next day on Sept. 16 to insinuate that the DAP is siding with the mass murderers and had been silent on the mass murders either because the “Datuk” killer is DAP member or DAP “fights for the rights of a certain race only”.

I have a video recording of my press conference in Kota Kinabalu on Sept. 15 condemning the mass murders of Datuk Sosiloawati and three others but I do not think the Utusan Malaysia editors would dare to ask to view them.

Coming back to Najib’s 1Malaysia test. Najib should do something simpler – ask his Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and all his Ministers at next Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting whether they are prepared to be Malaysians first and race second as a first step to show their support and loyalty to his 1Malaysia concept, and if not, to tell them that they have no place in his Cabinet and government if his 1Malaysia concept is not to be taken as an empty and meaningless slogan!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 September 2010, 2:45 pm and is filed under
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Do we fear Perkasa? — Art Harun

by
Art Harun

Breaking Views

Malaysian Insider

September 17, 2010

SEPT 17 — I refer to a post at Rocky’s Bru titled
“The irrational fear of Perkasa”
.

Perkasa.

What does that name evoke? Fear? Unlikely.

To me and many others, that name is almost comical and tragic at the same time, quite in the same mould as Roberto Benigni’s “Life is beautiful,” only that the later was poignant and sorrowful, rather than tragic.

Perkasa is comical in the way it — through its leader, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, and its various extras whose names I do not even care to remember — went around calling people who do not agree with its views names. YB Khairy Jamaluddin knows about this well. Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz also knows about this very well.

Whenever Perkasa’s views are opposed or criticised, Perkasa has been unable to counter such opposition or criticism. When Perkasa cannot rebut another’s opinion, what would it do? Yes, it will attack the person who expresses the opinion rather than the opinion itself.

And so, Khairy Jamaludin was a “stupid”, “crazy”, “feeble-minded” and a “confused child”. According to Datuk Ibrahim Ali. And not to mention “mentally ill.”

Just look at one full sentence by Datuk Ibrahim Ali about YB Khairy, “This is the talk of a stupid, brainless person. He is talking like a crazy person.”

Then, who could forget the “s***, s***, s***” Al-Jazeera interview? In full view of an international audience, Perkasa’s real ugly, uncouth, unrefined and even uncivilised nature revealed itself. It was comical.

And it is tragic. It is tragic because the international community may think — and I am sure they do think — that Malaysians in general are as uncouth as these Perkasa creatures. And that, my friends, is an insult to Malaysia and to all Malaysians.

It is also an insult to the prime minister because, as I am told, he has a voracious appetite for knowledge and is an avid reader. And what an insult would be to the prime minister if the international community thinks that Malaysians are generally uncouth because of that Al-Jazeera interview with Datuk Ibrahim Ali.

Ah, let’s not forget about all the police reports.

That Perkasa is only able to shout and scream slogans and misleading statements about rights which do not exist is exemplified by its inability to accept YB Nurul Izzah’s polite, but firm, invitation to debate on the purview of Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

Perkasa’s response — and no less than Minister Datuk Seri Sharizat Jalil’s response (I am addressing her as a Minister in a loose sense) — to YB Nurul Izzah’s clear articulation on the subject matter was taken right from the first line of the first Chapter of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s guidelines to a  discourse, namely, twist and hijack the issue.

This they did by saying YB Nurul Izzah had “challenged” Article 153. When, in fact, she did nothing of that sort.

By twisting — and thereby, hijacking — the real issue, they hoped to make YB Nurul look bad. To challenge Article 153 would make YB Nurul anti-Malay “rights” and, therefore, anti-Malay. How convenient.

This tactic has been employed so many times. Ustaz Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, the former Perlis mufti, of course, is branded as a “Wahabbi” and therefore anti-Islam. Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is, of course, an “alcoholic” and therefore is unfit. Haris Ibrahim is a “liberal-secularist” and, therefore, he is also anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-whatever.

What YB Nurul was trying to do was to set out the REAL provisions of Article 153. She never challenged it. To challenge it would mean she was asking that that article ought to be repealed or amended. But she was not doing that.

Since she “challenged” Article 153, according to these real smart people, she has committed an offence. The standard offence nowadays is, of course, the dreaded “S” offence. No, it’s not sodomy. It is sedition.

And so Perkasa had to lodge a police report against YB Nurul. And then they would take pictures of themselves while holding the police report.

That’s the standard operating procedure.

The new IGP should come down hard on this kind of police reports. It wastes the police’s time and the tax payers’ money. The police have many other more important things to do. Like investigating murders, corruption, breaches of trust, drug trafficking and taking care of the traffic during the festivities. Not to spend time on all these totally moronic police reports.

But then again, that’s Perkasa. Nothing more and nothing less.

And now, YB KJ, Minister Nazri, Minister Khalid and Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, the secretary general of Umno, have come out to distance Umno from Perkasa. These are big people. Not some cikus from Umno. Can we take it, then, that Umno now does not want to be associated with — and is not associated with — Perkasa?

I think we can make that conclusion.

Well at least I will make that conclusion, personally.

The prime minister wants change. He wants to transform Malaysia and the Malays in general. He wants the Malays to stop being spoon-fed, and to promote meritocracy. Of course he is not doing away with affirmative action just yet, because he recognises the needs for such actions.

However, I believe the prime minister wants to change the way the affirmative action is being implemented. He wants to introduce a semblance of accountability to it. A certain level of defined methodology rooted in meritocracy.

But I also believe he is facing a revolt from within his own party about what he wants to do, particularly the way he wants to redefine the affirmative action and its methodology. Sometimes, the perception is that even his own deputy is against him on this.

And of course we have Dr Mahathir, who is dead against the prime minister’s well-intented moves. And Perkasa — like Dr Mahathir — is also dead against it. In fact, personally, it is my perception that Perkasa is just echoing Dr Mahathir.

No, not echoing. Parroting him. Yes, that’s more apt.

So, it is high time that Umno, as a party, puts a stop to these insidious counter-movements against its own president, who happens to be our prime minister. He needs full support of Umno for this much needed — if a bit radical to the Malays — change which he intends to introduce. And he also needs support from the Barisan Nasional component parties.

This support has not been forthcoming. MCA is too lame to do anything. MIC is mired in internal problems. As for the others, I do not even know their names to begin with.

The statements by YB KJ and gang wouldn’t have come at a better time for the prime minister.

However, I note with a bit of puzzlement, that no such statement has been forthcoming from the likes of Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Husseun, Datuk Seri Shafie Afdal, the Wanita Umno chief, Datuk Seri Rais Yatim and other top leaders of Umno.

And so it makes me wonder what Umno’s official stand on Perkasa is.

But one thing is clear.

To many, Perkasa is not feared. Let alone irrationally feared.

What is feared is what Perkasa and its ilk represent.

And I don’t think there is any need for me to spell out what they represent.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 September 2010, 10:42 am and is filed under
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Judiciary fails to protect minority rights: Sri Ram

by
Hazlan Zakaria

Malaysiakini

Sep 16, 10

Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram said today that the judiciary has failed in its duty to defend minority rights.

Since the executive branch is elected by the majority, and as such it represents the rights of the majority, Sri Ram argued that the judicial branch has the duty to protect the rights of the minority.

“It is the judiciary which must fulfill this task,” said the former judge in his speech at the National Conference on Integrity in Kuala Lumpur today.

Sri Ram told the 350-strong audience that if the question was asked on whether the judiciary has performed its duty, the answer he said would be an “emphatic no!”.

According to him, this was because the judiciary has become so “executive-minded” that the judges have become creatures of the government.

“The judiciary is so anxious to help the executive… And when you bend the law to help the executive, this results in ridiculous decisions,” contended Sri Ram.

He cited examples of the courts reversing decisions through the Federal Court to accommodate the wishes of the federal government.

Sri Ram believed that such interference by the executive was clearly a breach of the doctrine of separation of powers.

The powers to convict and sentence are exclusive to the judiciary and Sri Ram said this role should not be usurped by the executive.

1988 judicial crisis

But more worryingly, Sri Ram contends, is that this failure to protect the rights of the minorities bodes more future ill for Malaysia for the judiciary also holds another higher duty.

“It is up to the judiciary to preserve our constitution,” he said.

“And when and if it fails in that function, then the state has failed,” warned Sri Ram, who retired from the judiciary in February this year.

He indicated that the failure of Malaysia as a state may indeed be imminent given the deteriorating condition of the judiciary since the 1988 crisis, which saw the sacking of a number of Malaysia’s top judges.

Sri Ram had the distinction of being plucked from private law practice and appointed straight into the Court of Appeals.

He however was stuck in the appellate court for 15 years, with a number of judges who are more junior than him being promoted to Federal Court.

It wasn’t until 2009, months before he was due to retired, that he was named a Federal Court judge.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 September 2010, 4:27 pm and is filed under
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MUSA: Last Sermon on Bukit Aman

by
Tunku Abdul Aziz

15 September 2010

I squirmed. All of a sudden a wave of nausea of tsunami proportions swept over me  as I munched my buttered toast while reading a news report in the NST (Sept. 9) that IGP Musa Hassan’s parting wish was that Ismail Omar, his deceptively docile successor, would “emulate him in bringing about changes to the force and lifting its integrity.”

My breakfast to which I had looked forward with great anticipation came to an abrupt end; it became quite unpalatable and totally indigestible. A more insincere and hypocritical load of rubbish would be difficult to imagine, especially coming as it did from the man who confessed, so I was reminded, at the Anwar Ibrahim show trial some years ago that he would not hesitate to tell a lie if ordered to do so by his superiors. We deserved, I suppose, to have Musa set loose amongst us, the unsuspecting long suffering public, as the country’s Inspector-General of Police because we have done nothing, or very little, to stop the general rot in our country.

For Musa, his promotion to the post of IGP was a well-deserved reward for his “turning” operations and for being economical with the truth.  Musa was denounced as an unreliable witness in a Sabah law court, a euphemism, if there ever was one, for a hostile witness. In truth, we must not be too hard on the poor man because it is quite possible that “truth” was not in the lexicon of ethics as far as he was concerned.

I thought it odd, to say the least, that he who was literally shown the door had the gall to ask his successor to “emulate” him. Did he really believe that he was worthy of emulation?  I should think it the height of arrogance for me, for example, if I were to suggest that anyone should emulate me. Why should they? People emulate you because there is something in you, or about you, that they admire. Emulation is not product money can buy, unlike bare faced flattery or lies which seem to get you everywhere.

It is, I suppose, the measure of the man’s limited grasp of life’s vicissitudes that he continued to harbour the delusion until the end, in spite of the open contempt and disdain shown by the general public during his stewardship of the PDRM, that he was about to make a triumphant exit under a decorated arch with flags and pennants fluttering in the breeze and trumpets blaring.

There is, of course, no accounting for one’s pattern of behaviour in response to particular circumstances. Musa would never in a thousand years admit that he had left a force that is hopelessly demoralised. Ismail Omar has inherited a broken down institution that needs strong, principled and visionary leadership. Ismail Omar’s will be a thankless job. He must quickly wipe out all the negative traces of the Musa years if confidence in the PDRM is to have a ghost of a chance of being restored.

The Government that spent millions to set up the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police in 2004 must take charge and have all the 125 recommendations implemented. Abdullah Badawi as prime minister not only, in the opinion of the overwhelming majority of Malaysians, slept on the job but also showed no inclination even in rare moments of wakefulness to deal effectively with Musa who, in rejecting the IPCMC, (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission) declared that if the IPCMC was forced on the police, they would to a man revolt. It was a threat of the most virulent and seditious nature and yet Abdullah Badawi took it all lying down, no pun intended, as if the threat to revolt against an elected government, however the election was conducted, was a normal part of police practice and response in the circumstances.

This naturally led, not surprisingly, to aspersions being cast on Badawi’s integrity. There were suggestions doing the rounds that there was a series of complicated connections that bonded Abdullah Badawi and Musa Hassan. According to many, it was an uneasy close relationship based on mutual survival, bordering on the criminal.

The IPCMC is central to the process of transforming the police force into the police service in which the focus is on service in the public interest rather than concentrating solely on the Police Act. This is a vital mechanism for ensuring that members of the public are protected from police brutality and human rights abuse. On the other side of the coin, the police too will be protected against unfair allegations of illegal acts.

IPCMC if properly constituted will bring about a change in public/police relations which have broken down almost beyond repair. It is not often realised and appreciated that the police work under great pressure and are exposed to great danger, and tend to forget that they are no more than civilians in uniform sworn to protect life and property. They must operate within the law. The police, from experience in many developed countries, need to be protected against themselves and this is where a mechanism such as the IPCMC is vitally important for the development of fair and honourable relations between the police and members of the public.

The government must put in train without delay the implementation of the IPCMC to bring PDRM in line with universally proven best policing practice as part of its much touted governance reform programme. For once, do not let the tail wag the dog as Badawi did to the detriment of effective policing in a multi-racial environment.

(Member of the 2004 Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 September 2010, 9:58 am and is filed under
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Sabah, Sarawak losing points to KL

By
K Pragalath

FreeMalaysiaToday

COMMENT

Malaysia is 47 years old through the unification of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963. (Singapore was separated from Malaysia in 1965.)

The Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu-Kuching relationship must be relooked because of the imbalance between the centre and the periphery.

Most importantly, the 20-Point Agreement has been largely ignored in making the Malaysia that we have today.

Initial attempts by Sabah first chief minister Fuad Stephens to do so resulted in him being made Australian High Commissioner.

As a result, there were regressions from Sabah’s 20-Point Agreement and Sarawak’s 18-Point Agreement as seen in the “Allah” controversy and the ban on the Malay language Bible.

Both agreements on religion state that there should be no state religion for Sabah and Sarawak.

The “Borneonisation” of the public service as agreed to in the deal has also been violated. Over the years, more public servants from the peninsula were transferred to Sabah to fill in the void.

What development?

Unfortunately, an ignorant Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri recently stated that Sabahans in the interiors should be grateful as Sabah’s inclusion in Malaysia had ensured development in the state.

Using development as a bait is wrong because “development is the one term most used by politicians to cheat the people” (quoted from a Malayalam movie).

If development had indeed been provided, why is the road network in both states still bad? My brethren from both Sabah and Sarawak can attest to the fact that Sabah and Sarawak are two decades backwards compared to Peninsular Malaysia.

What development is Rahim speaking about when my brethren over there are still having difficulties to complete 11 years of education?

Contrary to Rahim’s statement, Kuala Lumpur has gained more than Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in the 47-year-old relationship.

The most recent evidence was Barisan Nasional’s slim majority in the 2008 general election, which was only made possible because of the safe deposit votes from Sabah and Sarawak.

In addition, the Mahathir administration should be “thanked” for initiating the IC project that created BN voters out of illegal immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines

To address the imbalance, more autonomy should be accorded to Sabah and Sarawak. It can be initiated by increasing the petroleum royalty from the current 5% to 20%.

Secession by both Sabah and Sarawak is out of the question as it violates the agreement

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 18 September 2010, 11:24 am and is filed under
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Ku Nan now denies BN leaders snubbed Perkasa

The Malaysian Insider

By
Boo Su-Lyn

September 19, 2010

Kuala Lumpur – Tengku Adnan denies that his BN counterparts have agreed to distance the ruling coalition from Perkasa. – file picKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has now denied that his Barisan Nasional (BN) colleagues agreed to keep the ruling coalition from Perkasa as it was eroding their support.

His denial came shortly after Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s statement yesterday that Umno did not want to stir conflict with any non-governmental organisation (NGO), despite the recent move by Umno leaders, including himself, to rebuff the Malay rights group.

“When we had a meeting with BN secretaries-general, we never talked even a little bit that we wanted to distance ourselves from anybody,” Tengku Adnan told The Malaysian Insider today.

“Our policy is to be close with everybody. We should even go and approach opposition members and explain what our policies are because they are misguided,” the BN secretary-general added.

Earlier, Tengku Adnan reportedly said his BN counterparts had agreed that distancing the ruling coalition from Perkasa was the best way forward to halt the erosion of non-Malay support for BN.

He had also told them that Umno would not back the strident Malay rights group or Ibrahim in the next general election.

Tengku Adnan however denied stating that BN had to distance itself from Perkasa. He pointed out that he merely said the Malay group has tried to undermine the coalition’s chances in the next general election by sabotaging the racial harmony between BN component parties.

“I never said we have to distance ourselves from Perkasa. I just said Perkasa is trying to jeopardise BN’s position for the next general election by destroying the racial harmonious position between my component parties,” said Tengku Adnan.

The Umno secretary-general went a step further and said that he had never asked party members to sever ties with Perkasa, accusing its president Datuk Ibrahim Ali of blowing the issue out of proportion.

“I didn’t even ask members of Umno to relinquish their relationship with Perkasa. It was totally blown out of proportion by Ibrahim Ali,” said Tengku Adnan.

Perkasa claims to have a membership base of 300,000, of whom 80 per cent are said to be Umno members.

He however, was quick to deny that his statement today was a reversal of his earlier stand against Perkasa.

“I am not backing down from what I said about Perkasa,” he said, adding that he was referring to his remarks about Umno not supporting Perkasa in the next general election.

Tengku Adnan also reiterated Najib’s statement and said that the Malay ruling party should not distance itself from any NGO, but should instead approach them to educate them on BN policies.

“I agree with Najib. Umno shouldn’t distance themselves from all NGOs. We should engage with any NGOs, not only Perkasa. We should engage ourselves with them until they understand what we are trying to do,” said Tengku Adnan.

He added that Umno needed to explain the 1 Malaysia concept particularly to Perkasa as they did not seem to understand the policy.

“With Perkasa, we need to explain what our 1 Malaysia concept is all about. I don’t believe in what Perkasa is fighting for because they don’t understand what the 1 Malaysia concept is all about,” he said.

Perkasa stepped up the pressure on Najib yesterday to explain his 1 Malaysia concept clearly as failure to do so could result in Umno and BN being rejected, following Najib’s statement on Friday that the policy was a “work in progress”.

The Malay group said that the 1 Malaysia concept was misunderstood by certain non-Malay communities who perceived the policy as an initiative to create racial equality in sharing the economic pie.

Perkasa had stressed earlier that the 1 Malaysia concept must be founded on Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which states the special position of the Bumiputeras and allows the government to set quotas for educational institutions, government jobs and permits.

Tengku Adnan also said that the 1 Malaysia policy was not about equality as the welfare of poor people across racial groups had to be taken into account.

“1 Malaysia is not about equality. You need to look at the poor Malays, poor Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans and Muruts. How do we help them? How do we ensure they can earn a living in the country? That is what 1 Malaysia is all about,” he said.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders and analysts today denounced the 1 Malaysia policy as a “work in regress”, citing the rise in racial extremism and Najib’s refusal to defend the concept against Perkasa.

Recently, there has been a spike in racially-tinged incidents, such as two school principals allegedly spouting racist slurs and the furore surrounding a Chinese MP’s visit to a surau.

Najib’s weeks-long silence on racial issues like that of the school principals has earned him much flak from the public and the opposition who accused him of being like his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

#      #     #     #      #     #     #     #     #     #     #     #      #     #     #     #     #

1 Malaysia a ‘work in regress’, say PR leaders, analysts

By
Boo Su-Lyn

The Malaysian Insider

18th September 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 – Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders and analysts today denounced the 1 Malaysia policy as a “work in regress”, citing the rise in racial extremism and Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s refusal to defend the concept against Perkasa.

Yesterday, the prime minister stressed that the 1 Malaysia concept was not a failure but merely a “work in progress”.

“It (1 Malaysia) is a work in regress,” DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang (picture) told The Malaysian Insider today.

“If it is a work in progress, we must see tangible steps in that direction, but we are seeing the reverse. During the last 18 months, we have seen a rise in extremism and he (Najib) himself has admitted it,” he added.

Najib said recently that he was saddened by the rising tide of extremism in the country, including racism, but did not pinpoint the strident Malay right wing group, Perkasa.

DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said that Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept would “forever be a work-in-progress” if the premier failed to defend the policy against the likes of Perkasa.

“Najib may describe his 1 Malaysia as a work in progress, but if he is not even willing to defend it openly against organisations like Perkasa that trample all over it, then it’ll just forever be a work-in-progress. No difference from ‘failure’,” said Pua.

Perkasa stepped up the pressure on Najib today to explain his 1Malaysia concept clearly as failure to do so could result in Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) being rejected.

The Malay group said that the 1 Malaysia concept was misunderstood by certain non-Malay communities who perceived the policy as an initiative to create racial equality in sharing the economic pie.

Perkasa had stressed earlier that the 1 Malaysia concept must be founded on Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which states the special position of the Bumiputeras and allows the government to set quotas for educational institutions, government jobs and permits.

Najib said yesterday, however, that the misuse of Article 153 could spiral into “sensitive” issues and hurt racial groups.

Pua dismissed Najib’s remarks as a pointless statement that failed to improve people’s understanding of the 1 Malaysia policy.

“There’s no point just saying there’s misuse when his men in Umno and Perkasa don’t see any misuse, and worse is not getting any lead from him on what is the right definition,” said Pua.

“What is the issue with (Article) 153 that has been misused? Why doesn’t Najib ‘correct’ the view and put an end to the abuse?” asked the Petaling Jaya Utara MP.

The 1 Malaysia policy has been decried by critics as a hollow slogan amid escalating racial tension, notably racially-tinged incidents involving two allegedly racist school principals and the furore surrounding a Chinese MP’s visit to a surau.

Najib’s weeks-long silence on racial issues like that of the school principals has earned him much flak from the public and the opposition who accused him of being like his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar characterised Najib’s 1 Malaysia policy as a construction project whose progress was “too slow”.

“It is like a construction project. Work is in progress but progress is slow. Even though he (Najib) said it’s not a failure, he is slow,” said Mahfuz.

The Pokok Sena MP blamed Umno as the reason behind the spike in racially-tinged incidents, like the controversy surrounding Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching’s visit to a surau in her constituency to deliver aid.

“Racial elements are the agendas of Umno,” said Mahfuz.

Umno leaders have slammed Teo for making a speech at Surau Al-Huda in Kajang  while Perkasa called for a ban against non-Muslims from entering mosques or suraus.

Political analysts echoed the views of PR leaders and said that the 1 Malaysia policy would remain a work in progress unless Najib made a strong stand against groups like Perkasa.

“It will continue to be a work in progress unless he (Najib) gets some guts. You have got to show conviction that you believe in your policy,” said political observer Azmi Sharom.

“One of the ways to show conviction is by opposing strongly the people who don’t agree with your policy. Not coming out against Perkasa honestly and openly shows that Najib is not serious about 1 Malaysia,” added the law lecturer.

Political analyst Dr Lim Teck Ghee went a step further and blamed government policies as the reason behind worsening race relations in the country.

“The new rhetoric sounds good, but most people are not only cynical but also point to government policies as the main cause of division and disunity,” said Lim.

Although he acknowledged that the results of the 1 Malaysia policy could not be seen overnight, Lim said that the government, under the rule of BN throughout Malaysia’s history, has had more than half a century to foster racial harmony.

“Of course, 1Malaysia cannot come about overnight but the Government has had more than 50 years to make it work – and now it is asking for more time – perhaps another 50 years?” asked Lim.

“The admission that 1Malaysia is a work in progress should not be used as an excuse for going slow in implementing the concept based on universal values and norms of justice, equality and basic rights and freedom,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 September 2010, 6:26 am and is filed under
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Call for RCI into why no action had been taken on earlier police reports as far back as 2005 against the lawyer brothers linked to the mass murders of Sosilawati and 3 others

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon said yesterday that “All quarters should work together in making the 1 Malaysia concept and the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) a success instead of creating controversial issues which will not do any good to the country’s development”.
(Malaysian Insider)

He said what was more important now was for all quarters to pay attention to improve the country’s economy and offer better service to the people, both in the urban and rural areas.

“If there are views or criticisms, the criticisms should be something constructive and positive and not something that could create disharmony among the parties.

As example he cited: “For example, a crime should not be linked to a racial issue because it will not do any good to anybody.”

The Umno newspaper, Utusan Malaysia has been most guilty of being negative, destructive and even downright irresponsible, mischievous and malicious in its campaign to undermine national unity and harmony in the country.

It is most deplorable that Utusan Malaysia had tried to politicise and racialise the heinous, gruesome and despicable mass murders of Datuk Sosilawai Lawiya and three others  in Banting for its ignoble objectives, publishing the defamatory insinuation and double lies on Sept. 16 that  DAP was siding with the mass murderers and had been silent on the mass murders either because the “Datuk” killer was DAP member or DAP “fights for the rights of a certain race only”.

In actual fact, DAP had come out with an unreserved condemnation of the mass murders of Datuk Sosilawati and three others when such terrible crimes came to light on Sept. 12, and in my first press conference in Kota Kinabalu on Sept. 15 on my return to Malaysia from the Shanghai World Expo, I had also denounced in the strongest possible terms the heinous, gruesome crimes of the mass murders of Sosilawati and three others.

What is  the use of Tsu Koon preaching about 1Malaysia when he dared not denounce  the gutter journalism practised by Utusan Malaysia?

I join the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in congratulating the police for their efficiency in solving the mass murders of Datuk Sosilawati and three others.

The Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin is on public record as saying that the police have established a strong case against the two lawyer brothers and six others over the murder of the cosmetic millionaire and her three associates, and expect to submit their report on the murders to the Attorney-General’s Chambers in the coming week.

Malaysians regardless of race, religion or political affiliation demands speedy justice to be meted out to the mass murderers who should not expect any mercy for their horrific crimes.

With the police halting evidence gathering at the farm in Ladang Gadong where the murders allegedly took place and Sungai Panchau where their bodies were believed to have been burnt and dumped, the time has come for the authorities to address the other public concern arising from the mass murders of Sosilawati and the three others.

This is the shocking police inaction over numerous police reports lodged against the two lawyer brothers linked to the Sosilawati mass murders going as far back as 2005, involving fraud, criminal breach of trust, missing persons and murder, and the public concern that Sosilawati and the three other victims would still be alive today if the police had acted efficiently and professionally on these police reports.

In yesterday’s Star, Comm Mohd Bakri was asked whether an internal investigation would be conducted on the lack of action on previous missing person reports before the high-profile murder of Sosilawati emerged, and he replied: “Let us focus on the murders first.”

With the police finalising their reports to the Attorney-General on the Sosilawati mass murders, focus must now return to the question whether Sosilawati and the three others would still be alive today if the police had acted efficiently and professionally on the spate of serious police reports against the two lawyer brothers and why there had been no police action to protect the public since the first police report against the lawyer brothers was lodged five years ago in 2005.

There can be no denial that the efficiency of the police action in solving the Sosilawati mass murders cannot undo the grave damage to the country’s investment climate caused by adverse national and international media reports of how serious and rampant crimes had been allowed to go unchecked – with foreign media reports speculating that up to 20 people both local and foreign could have been killed and their bodies dumped into a river based on 300 bone fragments recovered in Sungai Panchau.

An internal police investigation is completely inadequate,  unsatisfactory and unacceptable to restore both public and investor confidence and I call for the  establishment of  a  Royal Commission of Inquiry to establish  why no action had been taken on  earlier police reports dating as far back as 2005 against the lawyer brothers linked to the mass murders of Datuk Sosilawati and three others.

(Media comments after the launching of the DAP Pasir Pinji Service Centre Foodfair at Tou Mou Temple, Ipoh on Sunday, 19th September 2010 at 9 am)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 September 2010, 6:32 pm and is filed under
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Fill half with Sabahans: DAP

Daily Express

Published on: Sunday, September 19, 2010

Kota Kinabalu: The Federal Government should seriously implement the 20-Point Agreement on Borneonisation by setting a target to fill at least half the 59 Federal departments in Sabah with Sabahans as heads before the next Malaysia Day celebration on September 16, 2011, said DAP Adviser Lim Kit Siang.

“(Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib should table this target at the Cabinet meeting next Wednesday to demonstrate that his administration is serious in wanting to address the 47-year grievances, frustrations and discontent of Sabahans and Sarawakians – making the first Malaysia Day as a national public holiday really worthwhile and meaningful,” he said.

He said Sabahans are disappointed that Najib came to Sabah completely empty-handed for the first Malaysia Day national public holiday in 47 years.

Speaking at the Malam Pakatan Rakyat gathering cum dinner held in Beaufort, Thursday, Lim further contended that if not for People’s Power as represented by the emergence of Pakatan Rakyat, Malaysia Day on September 16 would not have been declared a national public holiday by the Prime Minister even after 47 years.

He said that this was why the people of Sabah and Sarawak do not want to see the declaration of Malaysia Day as a national public holiday as a mere political ploy.

“But they want it to symbolise a belated recognition by and wake-up call for the Federal Government after 47 years to take seriously and address full-heartedly the frustrations, grievances and alienations suffered by Sabahans and Sarawakians for three generations at not being given full and fair treatment as Malaysian citizens – by removing once and for all the nagging sense felt by Sabahans and Sarawakians that they are not accorded recognition and rights as first-class citizens of Malaysia,” he said.

“This is why Sabahans and Sarawakians expect more than having Malaysia Day declared as a national public holiday – why Sabahans expect Najib to come to Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan on the occasion of Malaysia Day to announce concrete measures how the Barisan Nasional Federal Government proposes to begin to address and resolve their 47-year-old grievances, frustrations and disaffections at not being given fair and proper treatment under the Malaysian sun.

“For a start, how does Najib propose to fully implement the Twenty-Point Agreement which was the “magna carta” for Sabah in 1963 to join hands with Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore to establish the new nation and federation of Malaysia?” he asked.

Lim said this was especially significant citing there has been repeated calls by United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organisation (Upko), a component party of the Sabah Barisan Nasional, urging the Federal Government to fulfill what have been promised in the 20 Points Agreement.

He then highlighted that one of the Twenty Points Agreement referred to a “proper Ministerial system in North Borneo” had been violated in the past 47 years.

“Otherwise we would have seen a fair distribution of the state’s wealth and resources among Sabahans and not the abnormality firstly, of Sabah which started as one of the richest states in Malaysia deteriorating to be one of the poorest states after 47 years;

“And secondly, the emergence of a coterie of new rich revolving around the Ministers and ex-state ministers and their cronies while the overwhelming majority of Sabahans remain poor,” he contended.

He reiterated that a Royal Commission of Inquiry should be established to look into the 20-Point Agreement and to conduct a full and comprehensive investigation into nearly five decades of misrule, corruption and gross abuse of power in the state which negated and nullified the pledge of the Sabah Magna Carta for “a proper Ministerial system” in Sabah.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 September 2010, 11:05 pm and is filed under
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Malaysia’s religious problems: The way forward

by
Pak Sako

Centre for Policy Initiatives

Saturday, 18 September 2010 15:06

“You are my brother and I love you. I love you worshipping in your church, kneeling in your temple, and praying in your mosque. You and I and all are children of one religion, for the varied paths of religion are but the fingers of the loving hand of the Supreme Being, extended to all, offering completeness of spirit to all, anxious to receive all.

“I love you for your Truth, derived from your knowledge; that Truth which I cannot see because of my ignorance. But I respect it as a divine thing, for it is the deed of the spirit. Your Truth shall meet my Truth in the coming world and blend together like the fragrance of flowers and becoming one whole and eternal Truth, perpetuating and living in the eternity of Love and Beauty.”

— Kahlil Gibran, A Tear And A Smile (1914)

Religious pluralism is a cornerstone for achieving harmony in societies with people of varied faiths. Yet in multi-religious Malaysia politicians shy away from discussing religious pluralism. It is difficult to get straight answers about their stand on or commitment to it.

Take for example the recently concluded panel discussion on ‘National Unity through Religion, Law and Shared Values’ at UCSI University in KL. It is unclear whether religious pluralism or religious bigotry were fruitfully discussed. The contents of the discussion are not made public enough. It can be gleaned from news reports that there were barely satisfactory answers to barely satisfactory questions.

What is conspicuous is that there is an excruciating lack of focus on the heart of the issue.

Here I refocus attention on what really matters.

Good values and spirituality should be the essence, not religion per se

If a religious position is to be taken by any political party or any citizen that is founded on respect for religious beliefs and support for the freedom to practice any religion (or none at all), then this position should encourage living a life guided by a universal set of shared moral values and one containing aspects of the spiritual, whatever the religious or non-religious route taken. It follows that religion is a means towards these larger goals. This awareness is cardinal. Unity is achieved as a result of these common goals, not by having or propagating any particular religion.

What we should first abandon is the ambition to create a state of “one mankind under one religion”. We should not harbour false and childish hopes that only through one religion for all can we get people to step onto the expressway of righteousness and practice moral values, or that only thus can we lead everyone to the promised land of God-realisation, as if it is our duty and right. Such an aspiration is but a certain road to perdition.

Instead, we should be enlightened and courageous enough to consider accepting that people can take many valid paths towards goals of spirituality and right living.

We should be enlightened and courageous enough to consider admitting that no religion or belief system has a monopoly of or is exclusively privy to these moral values or “steps to the ultimate blessings of God or heaven”.

We should awaken to the fact that moral values and spiritual teachings are not exhaustively found in any one religion. The teachings of one religion can be instructive to adherents of another religion and vice versa.

We should be able to say that the choice of religion is a personal one; that in line with the right to freely practice one’s religion as one shall practice it, religion and religious practices should not be imposed upon any individual such as by the authorities or the state, or by a society that has been so conditioned by state policy that it passively imposes religion upon its own members.

Should there be a public demand for religious guidance or for places of worship, then this shall be provided. In no uncertain terms should this be seen to imply consent for the imposition of religion or its practices by a righteous authority.

These are among the things that the so-called religious democrats should be forthright about, but are not.

This is what we should be striving for if we believe in a Malaysia that is just, free and harmoniously multi-religious, but are not.

There are serious obstacles to these that we are reluctant to come to terms with, but must.

Religious chauvinism as a disease to eradicate

These specific obstacles are almost never clearly enunciated. Here they are:

•	The desire amongst members of society to preach their religions as better or superior alternatives to the religions or belief systems of others and thereby to seek to convert others to their own religion

•	The related belief that non-believers are lowly, of unequal standing or blessing and their religions inadequate and contemptible

•	The refusal or inability to approve the values or truths contained in other religions or belief systems regardless of their merit

•	The related fear that this might shake one’s faith in one’s religion, or render one’s religion comparatively less glorious, or disadvantage one’s religion in the competition for religious propagation

•	The myopia of “only one brotherhood through one way of God” that prevents the acceptance of all religious adherents under an umbrella of one humanity in which other belief systems are acknowledged as valid.

This condition and process, which can for brevity be termed religious chauvinism, is the eye of the storm in all the religions tensions and misunderstandings we have witnessed in Malaysia.

The mentality described is widespread and fairly entrenched. The psychology of insecurity and the politics shaping it are interesting and worthy of separate examination.

But the implication is unequivocal. It clashes with the hopes of building a Malaysian society that is genuinely accepting (not merely “tolerant”) of a diversity of religions and cultures.

It means that lasting peace and unity amongst our people is to remain out of our reach so long as this is left to get out of control.

What remains to be done and a challenge to the politicians

It is for the preceding reasons that this matter must be urgently addressed. If a united Malaysia is in our interest, then an honest, open and peaceable national dialogue on this must commence. It should involve the issues mentioned here and others, such as religious propagation, its targets and the ethics of its methods.

Relegating religious talks of understanding to practically useless and toothless inter-faith panels behind closed doors is a cowardly act of evasion. Understanding and consensus must emerge from the majority — the entirety of Malaysians.

We should also cease deceiving ourselves with superficial multi-cultural and multi-religious images and slogans that are purpose-crafted for international consumption or national celebrations. This lulls us into inaction.

To dodge discussion by offering excuses (e.g., “Malaysians are not ready for this”) is an unacceptable denial of reality and maturity. To delay further is to permit more, avoidable conflicts. It is to shirk from the shared responsibility of nation-building.

We need to stop the factors that perpetuate religious chauvinism, remedy existing attitudes and inculcate multi-culturalism and multi-religiousness as the definite Malaysian way.

In view of this, to the politicians and policymakers of UMNO, MCA, PAS, PKR and DAP I put the following question:

Do you have the guts, will and conviction (i) to discuss the issue of religious pluralism and bigotry clearly and openly; (ii) to establish multi-culturalism and religious pluralism as a prime policy and encourage it amongst your supporters and colleagues within your political parties; and (iii) to act decisively to correct the problem of religious chauvinism and prejudice such as those highlighted here?

“You are my brother and I love you. I love you worshipping in your church, kneeling in your temple, and praying in your mosque. You and I and all are children of one religion, for the varied paths of religion are but the fingers of the loving hand of the Supreme Being, extended to all, offering completeness of spirit to all, anxious to receive all.”

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 September 2010, 5:51 am and is filed under
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Najib’s failure to stand up and be counted to condemn extremism and extremists especially from his own camp will be the undoing of his 1Malaysia concept

Malaysians are witnessing the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, performing one of his biggest flip-flops in his 18 months at the helm of the country’s administration.

Najib’s  attempt to distance or disentangle Umno from Perkasa did not last more than a week from the announcement of the Umno Secretary-General  that Perkasa was eroding non-Malay support for Barisan Nasional to Najib’s Malaysia Day message expressing sadness at the rise of extremism in his 18 months as Prime Minister.

Most ironically, Najib chose the Yayasan 1Malaysia seminar themed
“Living In a Multi-Ethnic Society”
 in Kuala Lumpur after the Malaysia Day celebrations in Sabah to perform the flip-flop –  refusing to name Perkasa as the worst culprit responsible for the rise of extremism and scaring away foreign investors.

This is now followed by Tengku Adnan’s  flip-flop today denying that the Barisan Nasional parties had agreed to keep a distance from Perkasa.

If Barisan Nasional parties had never agreed top keep a distance from Perkasa, are MCA and Gerakan national leaders to “eat their words” for publicly welcoming such a decision?

Just as an example, Bernama had on Sept. 11 quoted Gerakan President and Minister for 1Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon  hailing Umno’s move to distance from Perkasa as reflecting “the liberal and moderate stand of Barisan Nasional component parties towards all races”.

What has Tsu Koon got to say with the backtracking by Tengku Adnan and denial that there is going to be any such Umno distancing or disentangling from Perkasa?

Yesterday, Tsu Koon said “all quarters should work together in making the 1 Malaysia concept and the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) a success instead of creating controversial issues which will not do any good to the country’s development”.

Just like the Prime Minister, Tsu Koon as the 1Malaysia Minister dare not take the bull by the horns and draw a line in the sand against the rise of racial bigotry and religious extremism mostly emanating from Umno and allied or outsourced organizations.

Najib, Tsu Koon and all the Barisan Nasional leaders should not be under any illusion and must realize that the failure of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet to stand up and be counted to condemn extremism and extremists especially from his UMNO and allied or outsourced organisations will be the undoing of Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.

On September 10, I was in Shanghai for the World Expo together with Perak DAP State Assemblymen Thomas Su (Pasir Pinji) and Wong Kah Woh (Canning) and what was most impressive was the single-mindedness, unity of purpose  and dynamism of the Chinese to take the spectacular achievements of the Chinese economy to a new height, surging past the Japanese economy to be the world’s second economic power to overtake  that of the United States in the next two to three decades.

What concerned the Chinese was how China could compete internationally in contrast to the obsessive pre-occupation in Malaysia, which is the competition between bumiputras and non-bumiputras, Malays vs non-Malays regardless of how detrimental this is to the larger national and global challenge of Malaysia competing with the rest of the world and becoming an inclusive and sustainable high-income developed nation by 2020.

I met Malaysians who are working in China who are highly skilled, most talented and top professionals. I understand that the Malaysian diaspora in China is in the region of 100,000.

This pool of Malaysian disapora of talent  and skills in China is Malaysia’s loss and China’s gain.  Most of the Malaysians working in China I met would have Malaysia as their first choice to work but they have to go overseas for their talents, skills and expertise to get proper recognition.

What has Najib done in the past 18 months to bring home  the Malaysian diaspora whether from China and elsewhere?

The answer is not only a sad “No” despite all the big talk about 1Malaysia, New Economic Model, Government Transformation Programme and Tenth Malaysia Plan but a further exodus of brain drain because of the failure of the Najib administration to take a stand against extremism and full commitment towards an open, accountable,  competitive and just economy.

(Speech at the launching of the DAP Pasir Pinji service centre foodfair at Tou Mou Kong, Ipoh on Sunday, 19th September 2010 at 8.45 am)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 September 2010, 1:14 pm and is filed under
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Sosilawati murders – incompetence or corruption?

Letters

by
Charles Tojo

Malaysiakini

Sep 17, 10

I refer to the horrific murders of Malaysia ‘s cosmetic queen, Sosilawati Lawiya and three of her colleagues in a not so remote farm outside Banting.

These murders could have been avoided if our police force had been more professional. Clearly the police took a tidak apa attitude or were ‘in it’ in all previous deaths/disappearances. The number of ‘missing persons’ reports all linked to these lawyers emerging all of a sudden out of the blue is testimony to this.

Do you know where this lawyer’s office? Its right across the police station’s reception counter, hardly 50 meters away. And do you know where he stays? In Taman Cempaka, also right across the police station. That their ‘farm’ at Taman Endah was conveniently located only a stone throw’s away from the Hindu disposition site for the cremated ashes of the dead could explain why some of the dead have disappeared without a trace. How very convenient. Kill the victims, cremate them and throw the ashes together with the rest of the Hindu dead at Morib’s established beach site location. A slick morbid operation indeed, if everything is proven true.

It is inconceivable that the police were oblivious to all their wrongdoings, especially since we now have at least two complainants coming forward, a wife of a Chennai businessman who disappeared after meeting the lawyers a year ago, and a local mechanic who had his wife slashed to death at Taman Cempaka itself with the mechanic himself ending up in the lock-up instead of both the lawyers being thrown in the slammer after a financial deal had gone wrong. This scenario looks more like a 1 Corrupted Malaysia Boleh story.

Banting police first came into notoriety when they were part of a local casino outfit in February 2004 at a house-cum-casino in Taman Emas resulting in almost the entire police force there being transferred out, some to places as far as Sarawak and Limbang after wives of the ‘casino’s’ male clients went public. And today, the Banting police station and the quarters are immense for only one reason. The Banting area is notorious for past and present criminals and massive smuggling of goods and human beings because of its long coastline and shallow waters which make it ideal as a landing spot for smugglers and illegal immigrants.

The police have their hands full, yes. Apart from this, Banting was used previously as a location spot for criminals to be buang negeri, essentially restricted movements to only the locality of Banting. Banting further gained notoriety when a young Chinese Datuk, a well-known smuggler and ah long was shot dead at the Sakura restaurant in Jalan Imbi, KL by hitmen. The two crooked lawyers may have taken advantage of the chaotic situation to buy off certain police officers.

And on Raya day, Malaysia was presented with a rude shock. Sosilawati and 3 innocent people were brutally murdered apparently during the Ramadan. If the police had been even half as efficient before, these animals would have been sent to the gallows earlier. Even Botak Chin is beginning to look like an angel compared to these lawyers.

As the daily shocking revelations take place pertaining to these murders, one thing that bothers many people here is – who were the other farmhands who had the courage to slaughter the victims and cremate them. Were these farmhands foreigners courtesy of Ng Yen Yen’s VOA (Visa on Arrival) programme to artificially boost tourist numbers? As it is well-known now, many Indian ‘tourists’ who acquired VOAs have now disappeared into Malaysian territory.

I do hope some of these fellows were not involved in these murders, for if they were, Ng Yen Yen surely has a lot to answer for compromising national security in exchange for increased tourist numbers.

The British Raj utilised 100,000 British Officers to maintain law and order in an India comprising of 350 million people. Malaysia with 100,000 police officers should be able to maintain order in a nation of only 28 million people if they focus on their jobs assuming immigration officers play their part as well. Our police should not be side-tracked to be used in policing political party gatherings and ferrying VIPs.

As for criminals such as ah long, smugglers and now even lawyers – there is only one way to reduce criminal intentions – an education system that inculcates proper values and an economy that thrives. That essentially is the government’s duty. And the longer they tinker around trying to right our atrocious education system, the more criminals Malaysia will have because, judging from reports, our own schools appear to be the breeding grounds for future gangsters, criminals, murderers and killer lawyers.

With these murders, Malaysia ‘s international image is in tatters. Investors are already branding this country as unsafe. The new IGP, unlike his predecessor, should not let the police force be pushed around by political parties but instead mould them into a professional outfit so that incidents of this nature do not ever happen in this country again.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 19 September 2010, 8:17 am and is filed under
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