Cabinet’s greatest tribute to Adenan legacy is to uphold both word and spirit of Malaysian Constitution, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and Rukunegara principles of an incorruptible, secular and harmonious multi-racial and multi-religious nation

The greatest tribute that the Federal Cabinet could pay to the Adenan Satem legacy is to uphold both the word and spirit of the Malaysian Constitution, the Malaysian Agreement 1963 and the Rukunegara principles of an incorruptible, secular and harmonious multi-racial and multi-religious nation.

I call on the Cabinet at its meeting next  Wednesday to take concrete steps to uphold both the word and spirit of the Malaysian Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the Rukunegara principles to establish an incorruptible, secular and harmonious multi-racial and multi-religious nation, for it is precisely because we have deviated from the bedrock principles enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and Rukunegara that the country has lost its way and entrapped in a swamp of political, economic and  nation-building scandals.

Instead of building greater unity among the diverse races, religions, languages and cultures which have made Malaysia their home, we have allowed irresponsible and reckless people to create even greater disunity by aggravating  racial and religious polarisation in the country.

The Cabinet can give effect to the Adenan legacy by returning to the founding  nation-building principles of establishing a secular and harmonious multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia by endorsing the Pensiangan Formula, a creative and constructive response  to address the political and constitutional stalemate created by PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill motion.

The Pensiangan Formula, which is  a reaffirmation of the nation-building principles laid down in the Malaysian Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and Rukunegara, will  involve the establishment of an all-party Parliamentary Select Committee to study and make proposals as to how to strengthen inter-religious relations in the country which had come under great stress and strains, as well as to study the proposal made by Hadi in his private member’s bill.

The Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Mustapha Mohamad said that Adenan had raised the bar when it came to integrity and governance.

This is all the more reason why the Cabinet next Wednesday should  consider how it could give effect to the Adenan legacy on integrity and governance, as Malaysia is in a grave crisis over both issues.

Transparency International has announced that it will release its Corruption Perception Index 2016 on 25th January.  I dread what is in store for Malaysia in the TI CPI 2016 and hope that Malaysia’s ranking and score will not plunge to the lowest level in the 22-year series of TI CPI.

(Speech at the Perak DAP leadership Retreat at Brinchang on Friday, 13th January 2017 at 9 am)

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Congrats to Abang Johari as the new Sarawak Chief Minister and seven areas of Adenan legacy  that should be upheld and fulfilled  by both Sarawak state and federal governments

Firstly, let me congratulate Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg on his appointment as the new Sarawak Chief Minister.

He has a tall order to uphold and fulfill the Adenan legacy in at least seven areas viz:

1.
 Devolution,  decentralisation  and restoration of  powers from Putrajaya to the Sarawak government
 not only in keeping with Malaysia Agreement 1963 but also in line with universal developments  and trends on devolution and decentralisation of powers and jurisdictions.

2. Increase of Sarawak’s oil and gas royalty from the current amount of five per cent to 20 per cent
 to maximise the benefit Sarawak can get from its resources, whether forests, waterways, environment or minerals especially oil and gas.

3. Restoration of previous Sarawakian and Malaysian proficiency of English.

Less than three months before his death, Adenan said the Sarawak state government would support the formation of English-medium mission and private schools that prioritise education in the world’s lingua franca.

He said the Sarawak state government recognised the need for uniformity that the national education policy is set to achieve, but uniformity should not be at the expense   of excellence or competitiveness.

He said: “We want to ensure that the education system that we aspire to achieve produces graduates meeting the current needs of the industries as well as the ability to speak a good command of English.”

Indeed, the lack of English proficiency has become a national malady.  A recent survey revealed that one in four graduates remains unemployed six months after graduation and the main reason for this, say 64 percent of employers in the same survey, is the graduates’ poor command of English.

4. Recognition of United Examinations Certificate (UEC) – not only by Sarawak State Government but also Federal Government.

Adenan had declared that he is “baffled” why Malaysia is the only country that does not recognise UEC, when the qualification from Chinese Independent Schools was recognised by many countries and the top universities in the world.

The Federal Government should heed Adenan’s warning that if Malaysia continues to refuse to recognise the UEC,  oher countries which recognised UEC would “pinch” Malaysians with such qualifications and Malaysia would lose these “talents” to other countries.

Adenan had rightly asked: “Many non-Chinese parents are sending their children to study in Chinese schools too. So, how can we deny these students the opportunities in the country?”

Adenan had rightly said that the Malaysian Government’s policy on UEC was a contradiction in terms. “The government invites foreign students to study here. They want to turn the country into an educational hub and centre of excellence. Why not allow UEC holders to enter local universities? It’s stupid not to allow them to do so.”

5. Resolution of Native Customary Rights (NCR) controversy.
 One of the last public news about Adenan was the statement by the Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah that Adenan was willing to listen to the Dayak communities of Sarawak to find solutions to native customary rights (NCR) claims over “pemakai menoa” (communal land or territorial domain) and “pulau galau” (forest reserves).

One solution will be for the Sarawak state legislative assembly under the new Sarawak Chief Minister to make the necessary amendments to the Sarawak Land Code to resolve the problem created by the recent Federal Court’s ruling on Dec. 20 that “pemakai menoa” and “pulau galau” had no force of law in Sarawak.

6. Integrity and Governance.
 The Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Mustapha Mohamad said that Adenan had raised the bar when it came to integrity and governance.

This is all the more reason why the Cabinet next Wednesday should  consider how it could give effect to the Adenan legacy on integrity and governance, as Malaysia is in a grave crisis over both issues.

Transparency International has announced that it will release its Corruption Perception Index 2016 on 25th January.  I dread what is in store for Malaysia in the TI CPI 2016 and hope that Malaysia’s ranking and score will not plunge to their lowest levels in the 22-year series of TI CPI.

7. Endorsement of Pensiangan Formula to restore inter-racial and inter-religious harmony in Malaysia and Sarawak.
 A great concern to Adenan was the undermining of inter-racial and inter-religious relations in Sarawak and Malaysia in recent decades. This came about because of deviation from  the Malaysian Constitution, the Malaysian Agreement 1963 and the Rukunegara principles for Malaysia as an secular and harmonious multi-racial and multi-religious nation.

It is precisely because we have deviated from the bedrock principles enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and Rukunegara that the country has lost its way and entrapped in a swamp of political, economic and  nation-building scandals.

Instead of building greater unity among the diverse races, religions, languages and cultures which have made Malaysia their home, we have allowed irresponsible and reckless people to create even greater disunity by aggravating  racial and religious polarisation in the country.

Both the Federal and the new Sarawak state cabinet which would be formed next week should endorse the Pensiangan Formula, a creative and constructive response  to address the political and constitutional stalemate created by PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill motion.

The Pensiangan Formula, which is  a reaffirmation of the nation-building principles laid down in the Malaysian Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and Rukunegara, will  involve the establishment of an all-party Parliamentary Select Committee to study and make proposals as to how to strengthen inter-religious relations in the country which had come under great stress and strains, as well as to study the proposal made by Hadi in his private member’s bill.

(Media Conference Statement after the Chinese New Year “distribution of Mandarin oranges” walkabout at Taman University Market, Skudai on Saturday, 14th January 2017 at 10 am)

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Reforming and rethinking public universities in Malaysia

Professor Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi

UCSI University

	The purpose of this short writing is to help the Ministry of Higher Education reform and rethink public universities to answer some of the problems that educational bodies and the public has raised.

Firstly, there was a scathing report that said the budget for Malaysian public universities in the last few years have been on par with other developed nation but its performance in research output, employability and enrolment leaves much to be desired. Secondly, the Ministry is facing criticism to justify its massive budget cuts.

The Ministry’s weak response on university’s over dependence on public funding is at best confusing. My answer to these problems is to reexamine the role of public university and make it more relevant to our own social and economic development.

In case one has not noticed, our social fabric is in a complete shambles with racial tensions, religious bigotry and extremism, crime, health issues, drug addiction, institutional failures and mistrust and many others. Not one in many of these issues do I find any serious attention by local academics.

If we can reinstate the primary role of universities to be part and parcel directly in social development, at least we can settle 75% of our problems. We would not need any silly ranking by some dubious body to tell us whether we have addressed the issues plaguing our country. We could see ourselves how we are doing.

At the moment I don’t even remember reading any book by our eminent professors about any issue plaguing our country. If we concentrate for the next ten years at least on redirecting the research and publication efforts of the universities then the small allocated budget can be adequate to fund real issues of the day and let the academics follow through by educating the public through media articles, books for the masses and public talks as a new criteria for their promotion exercises.

I am extremely sure Malaysian philanthropists and corporate entities would now dump much financial support if they can see the direct fruits of these endeavours.

At the moment, public university academics are ordered to publish High Impact journals overseas to chase the elusive rankings but their effort has been like yang dikejar tak dapat dan yang dikendung berciciran.  Then again there is the effort of dumping millions of ringgit in some glamorous research area that we have no hope to compete at the global scenario just to proclaim our illusory sense of achievement as the Malay saying goes menang sorak kampong tergadai.

Thus, in order to reinvent the role and direction of the public universities, I wish to remind our university leadership what I think a university is supposed to do in its fundamental sense.

Let us focus firstly on the idea of what a university should be. However before that, we have to look at what a ‘university’ is supposed to mean as opposed to a college or a trade school.

As I understand, a college and trade school are tasked to produce graduates with a minimal skill and knowledge to run the machines of industry and its accompanying administrative functions. We do not talk about controversial or long hair discourses that affect the nation or mankind. These diploma and degree graduates go out to assist architects, engineers, doctors and many professionals to run around completing the tasks given to them.

But a university is vastly a different entity. It is supposed to be the cooking pot of ideas…the more controversial the better. It is very funny to find a case when an application to be a professor at local public universities was rejected entirely based solely on the fact that the candidate was a controversial figure criticizing government buildings and policies on education as well as the advocate of a liberal and progressive Islam!

Fantastic! I would like to remind these professors and Vice chancellors that history is filled with controversial ideas that changed humanity. Think of Galileo, Darwin and someone close to these Muslim administrators…the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The Prophet was hounded, exiled and punished severely for disrupting the age old tradition of worshipping many gods with his highly controversial idea of worshipping a single and an invisible god.

It is also funny to find the oldest university in Malaysia physically closing its gates and physically disrupting the flow of electricity when a renowned Malaysian politician was invited by students to deliver a lecture. For 27 years that I had worked at a public university down south, I have never heard a single controversial discourse or lecture. I had to go out of the university to attend forums by NGOs and other organizations to feed my thirst for knowledge and the truth.

In the last two decades it seems that in public universities, conformity and mediocrity gets you promoted to professors and eventually the vice chancellorship. Controversy gets you an early retirement package (which is sometimes not so bad), a terminated contract (which is not so good) or worst, a disciplinary action (you lose your pension and so, a terrible consequence).

In my almost three decades at this public university down under, I was always jealous of the vibrant and controversial discourses taking place at UM, UIAM or at UKM. Now that I have retired and am no longer in the exile of the southernmost part of the peninsular, these sterling institutions are now mere shadows of themselves.

However, I am lucky because Nottingham University Malaysia and Sunway University almost regularly hold inspiring talks and forums especially those co-organised by the Islamic Renaissance Front, the very young idealistic group called KMU or Komuniti Muslim Universal, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs IDEAS, and the Penang Institute.

I fill my weekends with these spiritual and intellectual foods of the mind. Public universities seem to be holding forums condemning gays and lesbians, verbally attacking Christian groups, encouraging Malay supremacy attitudes and at one university, the panelists were leisurely discussing when and how to kill their fellow citizens in a kafir harbi forum! I would have added ‘A Discourse of Malay Black Magic’ at a northern university but thankfully, that was cancelled!

Apparently, at public universities, students should just concentrate on becoming architects, engineers, doctors and lawyers and let the issues of the nation and mankind be handled by those who are wise and invested with powers…the Ministers and the PM. Apparently also the architecture and administration of public universities in Malaysia are curiously similar or even identical to the running and design of a ‘sekolah asrama penuh’ (boarding school) with gates, guards and everything.

At the boarding schools, the children are protected from the dangerous elements of the world and are imprisoned monastically to do nothing but study and get 8 or 16 As. At the university, graduates are protected from unauthorized and, of course, controversial ideas or personalities so that they can study monastically without these terrible interruptions about who they are in society and what their roles should be in nation building.

So… the first reform I wish to suggest is that the university leadership should read a few books on the history of universities and that controversial ideas are the order of the day…not the exception! In the internet era, closing gates and disrupting electricity to prevent controversial talks and ideas should never be repeated ever again. The ‘maruah’ of public universities in the world was never as low as the incident at UM.

Now, some people are still unconvinced. To them controversy brings chaos and chaos is not good for learning. One must have order in society and controversy is the antithesis of peace.

To these people, I would recommend them to visit the dedicated studios of architecture schools just a week before the submission deadline. The chaos of life and untidy conditions of these studios are the incubation setting necessary to produce the fine drawings, models and computer simulations of creative architectural works. There is no short cut to meaningful and creative design solutions.

Whenever and wherever I visit any university, I look for the tell tale signs of messiness of students presence in corridors and squares. If I find them then I know it is a good university but if I find well kept lawns and clean corridors signs prohibiting students to do this and that, then I know the level of creativity at that university.

My memory of the lowest point of my academic career was when the Dean of our faculty came in and shouted at the entire group of graduating architecture students whilst the examination panels were seated for the end-of-sixth year design thesis presentation. What did the Dean shout about? To make sure that the vast multipurpose hall be spick and span clean after the examination event. I have always known that university administrators care more about their titles, car parks and buildings then students or academics.

Now, let us focus on to the graduates. What kind of graduates should the university produce? I have a completely different set of values or characteristics for graduates then I think most parents and university administrators have. I think most parents still thinks that the university is the place to get a job to earn an income.

Well, we should show these parents the unemployment figures especially among the science stream. I was told even medical students find difficulty in getting an internship placement these days. (However, architecture is still okay!)

One funny thing is that it is these same parents who lament on the deteriorating state of our society and blames the ruling party fully for this situation. Whenever I have a chance in a forum, I would shock the audience by naming these parents as the number one culprit that has destroyed the social fabric of this country.

Why? Well, it was they who cared only that their sons and daughters become architects, lawyers and doctors and never cared about anything else! In secondary school, not once did they ever ask their children whether they have friends of other races and never did they demand the schools to have programs that call for racial understanding and tolerance. All these parents want are extra tuition classes and workshops for their children to score As. Well, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for…you might just get it!

Now, on the part of the university administrators I think they just want graduates that do not support the opposition parties and just become dutiful engineers, architects, lawyers and doctors as soon as possible. I have never read anywhere in the Ministry’s practice to encourage such behavior but our university leadership is so weak and uncertain of their own worth that they think their path to personal glory is related to such attitude.

To me, a university graduate must have four important values and or characteristics. Firstly, a university graduate must be able to appreciate other cultures and faiths then his or her own. The graduate must not be a ‘katak di bawah tempurung’ person who thinks his or her own culture is the best and others are not as good.

Graduates must be tolerant and understanding citizens of a multi-cultural and multi-faith society as well as global citizens that have more diversity. How can these graduates be a contributive member of a multi-national corporation, institution or community if he or she was taught that the ‘other’ is a kafir or dirty or too stupid for words?  I have talked to many students of a particular ethnic group and I can tell you that these graduates have become bigots through their exposure to our primary, secondary and tertiary education system. Not their fault.

Secondly, graduates must have the characteristic of questioning any and all ‘authority’. College or trade school students do not have to question authority as they are trained as helpers. But university graduates who are going to be professional architects, engineers, doctors and lawyers must be imbued with the spirit of questioning some or all aspects of authority.

At the PhD level, one must question everything…every word, term, phrase, concept, ideas, rules, laws, institutions. Questioning is necessary to deconstruct knowledge and reconstruct them back into something that make sense. Questioning does not necessarily mean rebelling or rejecting. One may question and finally return back to status quo. No problem there. But in human history, civilization and experience, questioning would lead to the thesis-antithesis spiral of progress. It is through questioning that new ideas and concepts arise. It is also through questioning that one’s faith in religious beliefs or national conscience be strengthened and produce a high personal resolve or consciousness. In the West, questioning leads to luminaries like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Michio Kaku.

Here, in Malaysia, questioning authorities get you suspended for one semester or expulsion for ‘tarnishing the image of the university’. I am deeply sorry to say that out of the few ridiculous rules in the public universities that I have come across, this ‘tarnishing the image’ takes the whole cake.

Gandhi went to prisons so many times that I have lost count, did that tarnish his British education? Mandela spent almost a third of his life in prison, did that tarnish his university? Mahathir was hailed high, spat on, then raised even higher and now spat on again, did that tarnish the good name of the university he went to? This rule against tarnishing the good name of an institution of learning is totally demeaning to a university.

A university is a cooking pot. It’s back side is always black and dirty from the fires of cooking, but its empty vessel hold the most aromatic dish prepared. The best university has the most number of  good and well meaning ‘controversial’ personalities (except Ridhuan Tee) attempting to do good to others and always stepping on established traditions, rules and norms. Again, the VC should read history books and look at the history of ideas.

Thirdly, the university graduate must have the values of ‘perjuangan’. Perjuangan means a crusade or strife or struggle to change things in society. When a graduate appreciate something bigger than himself or herself, he or she would start to question things and then come to an understanding or position. With that position and understanding the urge to do something to change inevitably follows.

To me, this is the core of creativity. Creativity comes when a problem is clearly defined.  This value was once the trait of university graduates in the sixties and seventies but of late it is virtually no longer in existence.

In the recent crack down on so called ‘student activism’ only a mere handful was apprehended. I was hoping it would be in the hundreds or thousands but it was just a handful. Mediocrity has successfully set in amongst graduates in public universities after the successful campaign of the Akta University against student participatory activities in political issues.

It boggles my mind every time a VC says that students should not be political when the university is full of students with voting age. Perhaps we should raise the voting age to 45 years old then perhaps these statement by the VCs are valid. Has the election commission raised the voting age to 45? No? Well please tell me what the devil are the VC of public university saying?

The graduates are the leaders of our country in the very near future and they are not allowed to express their concerns on their own future? What nonsense is this? Sometimes I think that political nepotism is slowly but surely creeping in our society where the sons and daughters of politicians, however stupid they may be, are groomed for leadership and university graduates are mere slaves of industry and administrative machinery. This is democratic-feudalism. Why democratic? This is because we are allowed to choose only between the stupid and the even more stupid political candidates.

Fourth and last, is a trait that I have just learned from my friend who is an architect. In my questions about education and creativity, he went on and on about the graduates having to know his or herself. Graduates must explore, understand and appreciate their story lines from the early grandparents to where they are now. Only with the knowledge of the historical self can anyone have the conviction and confidence to strike out into the unknown future. My friend talked about his parents, neighbours friends, teachers, lecturers, clients, leaders all of different ethinicity and faiths but all converging in his journey of becoming a man, an architect and a citizen of this nation. His message was that everything that we went through are spices that make us who we are and that this nation was built on the foundation of the differences of cultures and faiths but common in the conviction that only together we can swim against the tide of extremism, bigotry and human indifference.

When I reflect upon his statement and look back at the many private conversations with my own students, I find much wisdom in the idea of knowing one’s personal history. As I look back at our education curriculum, this aspect is sorely missing. Well of course, you may say, there is the History and Geography subjects. Now in tertiary education we have the TITAS subject. However when I glance at all the textbooks, they have been slanted to give a particular self serving interest of one particular group of people. That won’t do.

At UTM, we once had an obligatory course called Measured Drawing. The innocent purpose was to document old buildings before they were destroyed and also to learn about construction and a little bit of history and culture. Groups of students of different races had to stay for one month at the vicinity of these houses and this had accidently produced a social result that was unexpectedly pleasing. Chinese and Indians students became anak angkat of Malay traditional families.

I think such ventures into the cultural past should be practiced by all the courses in order to bring the graduates to be rooted in the past. As of now, graduates float in cultural limbo, their eyes set on the discipline of a profession promising to bring them material wealth but a complete poverty of the soul.

For martial arts enthusiasts, in order to throw the first punch or the first kick, both feet must be firmly planted in a solid stance. So, too, our nation’s future lies precariously at the brink of soulless and history-less graduates streaming out the gates of institutional mediocrity and ignorance.

Now we come to the academics. What ideally should be their roles? There are three levels of promotions basically in a university; a Lecturer, an Associate Professor and a Professor. There are of course other grades in between and within the post itself but that is basically it.

The main role of the Lecturer is the teaching of specific subjects usually for an undergraduate degree course or a masters course. The Lecturer must strive to teach the subject in the best method possible to impart the required knowledge. There is also an element of inspiring and questioning at this level that should be encouraged to the students. The Lecturer spends almost 80 percent of his or her time perfecting this teaching responsibility by developing tools of learning like books, manuals and instructional videos. The other 20 percent of the Lecturer’s time should be devoted to some writing and research of moderate quality and number.

The Associate Professor is a post meant for Lecturers who have conducted meaningful research and produced publications that his or her peers have acknowledged the expertise. The Associate Professor must have supervised PhD level students and teach one undergraduate subject to impart his or her expertise to the course. The Associate Professor should also be involved with some public speaking activities as well as media writing to impart some of this knowledge to the public. The Associate Professors should have books expounding the boundaries of his or her expertise to the doctoral students and academics.

The Professor is tasked with three equally important roles. The first role is to supervise doctoral candidates with young Associate Professors or Lecturers to deepen and widen fields of knowledge. Publication of papers would be a priority in this activity as well as the training and molding of the next generation of scholars.

The second role is to form centers of knowledge at the level of national institutes so as the groundwork for knowledge generation and dissemination is assured when the professor leaves the university or retires. The institute would be the bustle of activities with discourses, forums, seminars and talks to inspire and gather scholars as well as the public and those concerned to be made aware of the impact to society at large.

The third important role is to be out there in the public through membership or chairmanship of government committees, NGOs and other organization to ensure that the knowledge generated gets converted into policies and ideas or activities that would change the direction of the nation and changes the perception and behavior of society. This requires many media writings and interviews as well as public lectures to various levels of society. Professors should also be invited to special Parliamentary sessions to lecture on their fields and its impact on society.

I have asked a few of my friends who are intelligent and well read MPs about research in some areas and they cannot name any of the research centres in public universities. How can MPs make good decisions when the latest findings in research are not available? The writing of books about the complex knowledge into readable materials for public consumption is a must for a democratic nation that relies on the ordinary citizen for votes and elections of officials to steer the country.

Professor Dr. Stephen Hawkins is a household name as with Professor Michiu Kaku as they have written books for laymen to understand the structure of the cosmos. Although there exists a thousand professors in Malaysia only a handful have written significant books that the layman can understand. The appointment of professors without his or her work being made to be understood by the general populace is a travesty to the real meaning of academia.

The professor should be the conscience of the nation by advising and even criticizing the political leadership in issues of his or her expertise without fear or favor. In Malaysia, that would be a tall order indeed when professors of public universities are more inclined to support whatever policies or decision that the government of the day takes. Since the Council of Professors has become part of the Prime Minister’s machinery, this development gives the thinking citizenry little to respect or trust in the consciences of these academics.

The promotion exercise of academics should not be based, as in the present, purely on a numbers game. In the present system it is how many papers, what kind of numerical value of impact and how much and how many research grants can be secured. This phenomenon has given rise to three important issues.

Firstly, researches who have discovered new and important information seldom spend any time at all following through their discoveries and turn them into important policies or educational material that would help change society. They are always in a hurry to produce more and more papers and so they would start off new researches with new partners in order to get the numbers up.

Secondly, it has given rise to the academics swapping names on papers that they have no clue to the research areas and directions. Once I knew of a lecturer who averages three papers a year but when she joined a large research group her papers jumped to 25 papers the following year!

Finally, this number game takes out the seriousness of peer referees who would be able to evaluate the contributions of an academic at the knowledge level and at the societal impact level. Although referees are still used, their importance pales in comparison to the numbers inputted into the computer before any academic can apply to be considered for promotion. Presently, all academics must ask the permission of the computers before applying for promotion!

The appointment of Associate Professors must include an interview session with not only the VC and DVC but also with at least two or three members of the profession or field outside of the university that does not answer to the VC. For the appointment of the Professor, a few important members of the public must be there to ask questions on how the candidates performance measure against the impact of his or her knowledge to society.

The ideal Vice Chancellor should be a visionary manager to ensure that each faculty and academics get the financial and infrastructure to generate, disseminate and develop knowledge. The VC should stand as tall as the Deans of each faculty as an aid to each Dean’s vision for that particular field of knowledge.

Each faculty, to me, should have their own think tank or Board of Advisors that would consists of professionals, academics and members of the society in order to ensure that the knowledge generated is appropriate and useful for the development of the nation and people. The board along with the VC shall decide the nominees of Deanship because it is the Dean who shall lead each faculty into new discovery or use of knowledge.

Presently, in Malaysia, Deans are nothing more than glorified clerks counting student numbers and other administrative stuff in excel sheets. Ideally it is the Dean who should forge ahead to make partners with other institutions to help develop the staff as well as the students and recruit new and dynamic academics to the faculty.

The Deans are also the important figures in society to answer issues plaguing the nation that lies within his or her expert areas. Have anyone ever heard a Dean respond to any issue in this country? Hardly any. Thus, the Deans should be the movers and shakers of academia, not the VC. No one should really care much about the VC, he or she should just be a manager listening to the Deans. Not so in Malaysia. The VC is King, Emperor and Lord of all he or she sees in the campus. His or her word is law. This Kingship element of the VC should stop immediately. Academia is a horizontal relationship of organization, not a vertical one like a feudal court.

I would therefore strongly suggest the following reform agenda for our public university. First and foremost is to remind every VC, Deans and academic that a public university belongs to and is accountable to the public, not just to a particular Ministry. For the appointment of the VCs, Deans and Professors, there must be some public representation in the committee that has no conflict of interest with the university or the ministry. The committee members from the public need not have a PhD but a strong sense to social commitment.

I would strongly advice that each faculty have their own board of advisors which act also as a think tank group to help channel part of the research activities of the faculty. The members must include citizens who have the potential of contributing to that particular field even though he or she does not possess a doctoral degree. The VC of universities must listen seriously to the Dean and the Board of Advisors to the faculty in matters of academic expansion, new courses and promotion criteria for the academics.

I would suggest that universities spend at least half of their activities and prove that their presence have made significant changes in society through their research, publication, public talks and seminars. The seminars which I have attended draw only the presenters as participants and none from the public at large. That won’t do.

At the end of every year, each VC along with the Deans must present to a room full of journalists, MP and ADUN where and how his or her university have contributed to the development of the society and nation in the important respects of safety, health, social and religious harmony, economy and environmental sustainability. If some researcher have discovered a massive black hole somewhere, well and fine but that is not a priority to us in this country at the moment. Research funding of more than a million RM must face a public inquiry as to its relevance and effectiveness as well as contribution to our society.

University students must be given the freedom to be active in any social or political events and organization. They must do so in a peaceful, academic and well mannered way. There is no tolerance whatsoever to such name calling as ‘Cina Babi’ that could earn these students direct expulsion from the university.

Students must also be made to involve in activities like the UTM Measured Drawing where they would discover roots of their own families as well as the cultures and beliefs of other races. No university student should graduate without spending at least a month in a family environment of a different race. Money should also be spent to take students to developed nation for at least two weeks for them to measure our country’s state of affairs with that of others directly as well as immerse themselves with a foreign culture to enrich their appreciation as  global citizens.

Finally, I hope that the above suggestion can be taken up by the Ministry to reform and rethink the roles and responsibilities of our precious public universities. Let the universities, once again, be the beacon of hope for our nation and not a gravy train for selfish academics to carve their financial niche and social status. I have always said in many writings and forums as well as speeches that to me, the university is the test of the First Nation. If our graduates cannot learn to work and respect one another and have the innate feeling to change society for the better, than we, as a nation, have lost our hold to the future.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 14 January 2017, 7:32 am and is filed under
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The entire mega Cabinet of 36 Ministers should resign collectively on Wednesday if it is not prepared to come to grips with the roiling international 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal and appoint a Royal Commission of Inquiry on 1MDB scandal

In his 2016 New Year message more than  a year ago on 31st December 2015, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told Malaysians that his RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation twin mega scandals had been resolved and were no more issues.

Najib could not be more wrong as the Malaysian government and people continue to be haunted and hounded by the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal.

In the past 12 months, Malaysia went from the third “worst corruption scandal of 2015” by international website foreignpolicy.com in the last week of 2015, to second worst example of global corruption by Time magazine in March last year, second place in the index of crony capitalism by the Economist’s ranking in May, and full-blown “global kleptocracy” when in July, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed the largest kleptocratic lawsuits to forfeit US$1 billion of 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from US$3.5 billion international 1MDB kleptocratic embezzlement and money-laundering scandal.

There has been no let-up of the incessant international battery and assault of Malaysia’s  credibility and reputation in the new year of 2017.

A quick search of the Malaysiakini online media website will show some 100 news reports related to the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal in the first 14 days of the year, an ominous warning that the 1MDB scandal will haunt and hound Malaysia to an even greater extent in 2017 than in 2016 or even 2015.

The country has been spared the worst floods in the East Coast as happened from 15th December 2014 to 3rd January 2015, affecting more than 200,000 people and claiming 21 lives, but the country has been flooded instead with endless bad news as a result of the 1MDB scandal.

The Australian Federal Police have  now joined the international bandwagon of investigations into the international 1MDB money-laundering scandal and  there has been a “gutting” of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) with the winding down of the MACC Special Operations Division (Bahagian Operasi Khas or BOK) and the early retirement by its former Special Operations Division director, Bahri Mohd Zin, because of dissatisfaction with the MACC’s investigations into the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the SRC International scandal and why the SRC International case was never brought to court.

The message is very clear: the MACC can arrest and prosecute more “ikan bilis” but it should leave the “ikan yus” alone.  China can catch and imprison “tigers” while Indonesia net the “crocodiles” in their anti-corruption campaigns, but Malaysia cannot go on a spree against “sharks”!

When Najib spoke at the  firstly monthly assembly of the Prime Minister’s Department in the new year and spoke about the recent MACC arrests and reminded civil servants against wastage, there was an unprecedented degree of cynicism and skepticism both among the general populace and the public servants.

I will be surprised if 99% of the civil servants whether at the PM’s  Department monthly assembly or at large were not thinking of three things, Malaysia’s ill-repute as global kleptocracy, 1MDB and “MO1” when they heard or learnt of  Najib’s speech for  staring in their faces was  the Prime Minister’s egregious failure to “walk the talk” on the issues of integrity, governance and the war against corruption and in particular his failure to explain the two mega financial scandals of the RM2.6 billion donation and RM42 million from SRC International Sdn. Bhd, the former subsidiary of 1MDB, found in his personal bank account and what he did with the money.

Since then, adverse 1MDB news, both on the national and international front, have increased by leaps and bounds.

In Singapore, Swiss national Jens Fred Sturzenegger became the fourth banker to be convicted, fined and jailed for money-laundering crimes related to the 1MDB scandal.

A former branch manager of Falcon Private Bank in Singapore, Sturzenegger was jailed for 28 weeks and fined S$128,000 on January 11 after pleading guilty to six of 16 charges, which included failing to report potentially criminal transactions involving “astronomical amounts” and for lying to the authorities in order to protect the financial interests of Malaysian billionaire, Jho Low, who received “substanial sums” from 1MDB.

A new facet and twist had in fact opened up in the hydra-headed multi-tiered international 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal as a result of the Singapore trial, revealing that Jho Low had used a different name in his financial dealings involving 1MDB funds – that the oft-mentioned “Eric Tan Kim Loong” was in fact an alias for Low.

According to the Singapore case,  Sturzeneggar had been in communication with the email address,
[email protected]
, but later discovered that he was actually corresponding with Low.

When the two met, the Malaysian-born billionaire revealed that he used the name Eric Tan on some occasions for “security” purposes.

The Singapore case established that four Falcon Private Bank accounts were held by companies controlled by Low using the alias “Eric Tan Kim Loong” and that Sturzeneggar had tried to conceal this fact.

Does “Eric Tan Kim Loong” exist as a person or  operate as a separate and distinct individual from Jho Low?

It is to the eternal shame of Parliament and the UMNO General Assembly they had failed to defend the country’s honour and reputation in failing to rebut and refute the ignominy and infamy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy” or to purge and cleanse Malaysia of such international infamy and ignominy.

I do not believe that  the first four Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak,  Tun Hussein and Tun Mahathir would  have stood idly by  and done nothing if Malaysia had been regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy during their premiership.

In fact, I believe that the fifth Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah would also have acted to defend the honour and reputation of Malaysia if the country is defamed world-wide as a global kleptocracy.

There is no option that Malaysia must stand up in the world stage to purge and cleanse Malaysia’s of the infamy and ignominy of being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy if we are true and loyal to the nation-building principles as laid down in the Malaysian Constitution, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the five Rukunegkara principles of Belief in God; Loyalty to King and Country; Upholding the Constitution; Rule of Law and Good Behaviour and Morality and the five Rukunegara objectives to (I) achieve a greater Malaysian unity; (2) maintain a democratic way of life; (3) create a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared; (4) ensure a liberal approach to our rich and diverse cultural traditions; and (5) build a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology.

With the latest ominous development on the 1MDB front, threatening to make 2017 an even worse year than 2016 or 2015, the entire mega Cabinet of 36 Ministers should resign collectively on Wednesday if it is not prepared to come to grips with the roiling international 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal and appoint a Royal Commission of Inquiry on 1MDB scandal.

It the Cabinet and the present Federal Government are not prepared to save Malaysia from the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy, then only ordinary Malaysians can save Malaysia in the 14 General Election.

This must be the pre-condition for an effective opposition coalition in Malaysia  –  agreement on a minimal common objective to save Malaysia from ending up like Zimbabwe as a kleptocracy, Argentina as a failed state and North Korea as an autocratic state where the citizens have lost their basic democratic rights.

There are those in the opposition who do not see anything wrong with Malaysia being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”, who want proof that “MO1” mentioned 36 times in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) kleptocratic lawsuit to forfeit over US$1 billion 1MDB-linked assets is the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak or want evidence about the multi-billion dollar 1MDB global financial scandal.

Malaysians should have no truck with such “sheep in wolves’ clothing”!

(Media Conference Statement after the “Distribute Mandarin Oranges” Chinese New Year walkabout at Johor Jaya and Stulang constituencies in  Johor Baru)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 15 January 2017, 9:20 am and is filed under
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4-Decade Wait Ends As Mukim Bunga Raya Gets Water Via Impian Sabah

By
THE BORNEOTODAY TEAM
 | January 16, 2017

A water spray to launch the gravity feed system and for all that hard effort put in by the community, volunteers and DAP members as well as generous Malaysians. Now 200 households in a Keningau Mukim has piped water, all for RM256,000.

KENINGAU – Mukim Bunga Raya is located only 15km away from this bustling interior town, yet the villagers here had never enjoyed basic water supply from the government over past 40 years.

For over four generations, the villagers of five kampung that make up the Mukim weathered and suffered through unending periods of water shortages, supply disruption and prolonged dry spells.

Which is a crying shame for the local lawmaker for about the same period of time is none other than Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan – once chief minister and now the current deputy chief minister cum Infrastructure Development Minister, and still is, its Member of Parliament (since 1986).

 Looks like he didn’t do anything.

The peoples’ desire for treated water was brought to the attention of the relevant government agencies and even their elected representative, Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, but nothing was ever done.

“I am ashamed and saddened,” said Stephen Wong, DAP Sabah chairman. “Pairin had failed to justify the people’s mandate given to him. He had failed his responsibility and job miserably.”

On Saturday, Wong together with several DAP lawmakers and leaders were in this village to witness the launching of the gravity-fed water system in Keningau which was completed last month.

It was another Impian Sabah project done by DAP and volunteers from across the country.

Named after Mukim Bunga Raya in Keningau, it is the biggest water project undertaken by Impian Sabah; with a total main pipe length of about 20km. This project benefits over 200 households from 5 villages – Melidang, Naaba, Kodop, Bunga Raya and Tonobon.

The first phase took about a month to complete; from October to November 2016. This included civil works which covered the construction of the water intake area and installation of four storage tanks.

Villagers and volunteers put skills and expertise together to ensure clean water reaches their houses.

Some 200 rolls of polypipes were also distributed to three different points. 14 volunteers from all over Malaysia joined in for this phase of work, spending a week from November 6 till 13 helping to complete the work with the kampung folks.

The volunteers helped pull and lay the pipes for the first 12km of the connection main pipeline from the water source to the villages. This was followed by another 8km of pipeline network within the five villages.

From the end November to early December Phase 2 took place where the remaining pipes were connected to each house. Water is now connected from from the source at the Crocker Range Forest to the storage tanks before finally flowing to the village houses.

Wong said the Sabah Water Department scandal whereby some 60 per cent or 2 billion of the 3.3 billion ringgit federal allocation was siphoned and pocketed by corrupted officers was the main cause behind Sabah’s water woes.

The allocations were for rural water projects but because of greed and corruption, many Sabahans who live in rural area are still unable enjoy treated water supply.

Satisfaction on the faces of some of those involved after the project was completed last December.

He urged the villagers to spread the message across the communities that change must take place in order to make everyone enjoy the most basic necessities such as water, electricity, road and education and medical service.

He said that even though DAP is not the government in both state and federal level, but this initiative shows that DAP is sincere, hardworking and the most reliable party to help Sabahans and all Malaysians to tackle poverty.

Wong added the DAP want Malaysians to enjoy equality and justice, and to ensure that the rich resources in Sabah should be given back and distributed fairly to the people, and not a handful of cronies and corrupted officers.

On hand at the launching was DAP National Publicity Secretary-cum-MP for Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua, the man who was behind Impian Sabah.

Tony Pua, in white t-shirt on the right, was instrumental in getting this Impian Sabah water project off the ground. The Petaling Jaya Utara MP helped raised part of the much needed funds.

Others present included DAP Sabah Advisor cum MP for Kota Kinabalu Jimmy Wong, DAP Sabah Deputy Chairman cum ADUN for Kapayan Dr Edwin Bosi, ADUN for Sri Tanjung, Chan Foong Hin, and witnessed by Publicity Secretary Phoong Jin Zhe, Organizing Secretary Henry Shim and Assistant Secretary Tan Lee Fatt.

During the launching ceremony, Wong who is also Sandakan MP congratulated all volunteers and local villagers for their joint efforts to make this project successfully launched.

He said it was a great effort and success by Impian Sabah team to help the people in need especially those who live in rural areas in Sabah.

The Bunga Raya gravity-fed water system in Keningau was completed in December 2016 at a cost of RM256,072.56 raised from contributions by Malaysians and DAP members.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 16 January 2017, 5:16 pm and is filed under
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My hopes and dreams for 2017

Dyana Sofya

Malay Mail Online

January 14, 2017

JANUARY 14 — Happy New Year! Since we are still in the month of January, it is probably not too late for me to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. I can’t help believing that 2017 can only bring much hope after what seems to be an awful 2016.

The last year was an eventful one for me, not just because I completed my Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy but because I also made great friends from all over the world.

It helped that my college, the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, has such incredible diversity. Although I enjoyed my break from politics while pursuing my studies, I am also glad to be back in Malaysia just as our political alignments suffered a groundbreaking shift.

When Pakatan Rakyat broke up, many Malaysians (certainly more than half who voted in the last general election) felt their hopes shattered. Infighting gripped the coalition partners, all of whom appeared to be more interested in criticising each other rather than the BN regime.

This led to widespread dissatisfaction as fence-sitters began to feel that while the current government is not ideal, the alternative — the opposition — was not ready to govern.

This worked well for the long-ruling regime, because not only did they spark the split within the opposition, they benefited tremendously as attention was diverted away from the multiple scandals afflicting the government.

Realising this, the opposition began to regroup and Pakatan Harapan was formed with the establishment of PAS splinter party Amanah. While it created a glimmer of hope, most Malaysians remained unconvinced.

And then came Bersatu, the newest kid on the block, though it is led by arguably the oldest kid of all — former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Drawing its membership and leadership predominantly from Umno, it threatens to split the ruling party. If this happens, then an interesting outcome awaits at the next general election.

However, despite all the criticism and uncertainty revolving around the loose coalition of Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu, I do find hope in three very unlikely personalities. Three giant statesmen with brilliant minds and political fortitude that is unrivalled, joining together for the first time to create the Malaysian dream coalition — Lim Kit Siang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Tun himself.

Previously bitter enemies, now enjoined in political solidarity, who can argue against this super combination of talent, wisdom and experience adding up to over 100 years between the three of them. Can this leadership line-up succeed in attracting Malaysians?

As a member of the opposition youth movement, I personally cannot help feeling excited by this incredible turn of events. It is truly a moment of historical significance when these three veteran leaders, and many others down the line, are able to bury the hatchet for the sole objective of saving our country. If they can’t do it, no one else can.

One might think that I am biased due to my political affiliations. However, it is inconceivable for anyone to do otherwise when quite literally the entire world shares the same opinion.

In many ways, 2016 saw the death of common sense. The question is, what does 2017 have in store? Will we continue to see the expansion of post-truth politics and the rise of Trumpism in Malaysia? Well, the answer is really up to us.

No one can shape Malaysia more than us Malaysians. It is up to us to educate our brethren, to share good values, to ignore the politics of hate and bigotry, and to overcome those who wish to divide us. It is also up to us to open the eyes of our neighbours, to tell them that good governance leads to better government, and better government leads to better living for all Malaysians.

We cannot rely solely on our politicians to do the campaigning. Everyone must join in. If it takes a village to raise a child, then it will take a whole country, alongside our veteran statesmen Kit Siang, Anwar and Mahathir, to save Malaysia. This is one of my hopes and dreams for 2017.

The opposition needs clear direction, concrete ideas and titanic support to live up to its name as the Pakatan Harapan–Bersatu, the united hope coalition. But the opposition can only do so much. The hope and unity in its name rests on the hopes and unity of the rakyat.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 16 January 2017, 11:24 am and is filed under
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One of the first things a new Federal Government in Putrajaya replacing the UMNO/BN  will do after the 14GE will be to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to “chase down every penny from 1MDB”

At the official launch of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in Shah Alam last night, PPBM Chairman Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said PPBM would “chase down every penny from 1MDB”.

I have no doubt that one of the first things a new Federal Government in Putrajaya replacing the UMNO/BN will do after the 14th General Election will be to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to “chase down every penny from 1MDB”.

In fact, if we have a Cabinet which is patriotic and protective of the good name of Malaysia, the top priority of the agenda of the next Cabinet meeting on Wednesday should be on how to purge and clear the country of the infamy and ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a “global kleptocracy”.

I said in Parliament that a kleptocracy is a government of 3Ps – Pencuri, Perompak and Penyamun.

I do not believe that any patriotic and proud Malaysian would stand idly by and do nothing when the country is defamed worldwide as a “global kleptocracy”!

I also do not believe that the first four Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein and Tun Mahathir would have stood idly by and done nothing if Malaysia had been defamed and  regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy during their premiership.

Even  the fifth Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah would also have acted to defend the honour and reputation of Malaysia if the country is defamed world-wide as a global kleptocracy!

Why then has the Cabinet done nothing in the past three years to put the ghost of 1MDB  scandal to rest,  instead allowing  the country to be battered, haunted and hounded by the issue, which has aggravated the host of political, economic and nation-building crisis of confidence confronting the country?

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and UMNO leadership may have their own reason to sweep the 1MDB scandal “under the carpet”, but why have the Ministers from MCA, Gerakan, MIC and Sabah and Sarawak component parties of Barisan Nasional also sealed their lips on the 1MDB  issue – and dared not breathe a word of the mega financial scandal in Cabinet and government?

In  a statement yesterday entitled “Unity is easy when you are subservient”,  Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) pointed out:

“Barisan Nasional today has become a coalition of many irrelevant parties dictated by one supreme overlord. They are no longer equals. The big brother is free to entertain or ignore other minions as they wish.

“For example, when Chinese schools were having difficulty to access their funding recently, Liow (Tiong Lai – MCA President) was only able to say that he will ‘follow up’ with the Prime Minister on this issue.”.

He observed:

“Of course the MCA may eventually get the money but the rule remains, namely, MCA can beg but they must obey. If they disagree with a decision, all they can do is just ‘insist’ and ‘follow up’. The relationship in Barisan Nasional is more like a master and a servant, not a relationship between equals.”

Wan Saiful had hit the nail on the head about the “reality” of the fictitious Barisan Nasional “coalition” and the real  “subvervient” role of MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the other BN component parties, whether Sarawak or Sabah.

The international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal is another example of such “master-servant” relationship between UMNO and the other Barisan Nasional component parties, as there is no other way to explain why none of the  15 non-UMNO Ministers in the 35-member Cabinet dared to  make a squeak to question in Cabinet about the 1MDB scandal in the past three years over a matter which had brought so much shame, dishonour and humiliation to Malaysians for the nation to be regarded worldwide as a “global kleptocracy”.

Can anyone of the Ministers from  MCA, Gerakan, MIC  or Sabah/Sarawak BN component parties explain the “thunderous silence” on the 1MDB scandal in the Cabinet for the past three years, apart from Wan  Saiful’s “master-and-servant” explanation of Najib’s Cabinet?

I expect these 15 non-UMNO Ministers to dig their heads deeper in the sand so that they need not answer this question!

A third instance of such “master-servant” relationship is the UMNO’s arbitrary and unilateral announcement that the BN Federal government will take over PAS President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill, without any consensus either from the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council or the Cabinet.

In the process, the UMNO leadership has only shown utter contempt for the other Barisan Nasional Ministers  and the BN Supreme Council.

Dare Ministers from  MCA, Gerakan, MIC and Sarawak/Sabah BN component parties present the Pensiangan Formula to address the political and constitutional stalemate created by UMNO’s arbitrary and unilateral support for Hadi’s private members bill, where the BN Federal Government would not take over Hadi’s private member’s bill but an all-party Parliamentary Select Committee would be set up in the March meeting of Parliament to study and make  recommendations on how to strengthen inter-religious relations and harmony in Malaysia, including  study of  Hadi’s proposed private member’s bill?

(Speech at the Balik Pulau DAP 50th Anniversary Dinner in Penang on Sunday, 15th January 2016 at 9 pm)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 16 January 2017, 8:45 am and is filed under
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WHY PRESIDENT TRUMP IS BAD FOR FREEDOM … IN MALAYSIA

BY SHERIDAN MAHAVERA

South China Morning Post

15 JAN 2017

Civil activists in the country enjoyed US support under Obama, but the incoming president’s anti-China stance may require him to turn a blind eye to Najib’s domestic agenda

After eight years with an influential friend in the White House, Malaysian civil society groups are bracing for the worst when Donald Trump takes over on January 20.

During outgoing President Barack Obama’s two terms, human rights advocates, democracy groups and anti-corruption activists had cultivated warm relations with US officials in Kuala Lumpur, even meeting the 44th US president on his visit to the capital last year – the first by any sitting US president.

In that time, Washington’s tacit support for their causes had been a crucial morale booster during a period of regular clampdowns by the administration of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who himself was eager to curry favour with the US leader.

But now they fear a shift in US priorities by a Trump administration that is likely to view Malaysian civil liberties as of relatively low diplomatic priority. Or even worse, that a US, which no longer champions democracy and human rights, might provide moral cover for Najib to further suppress freedoms.

Friendlier relations with Malaysia had been prized by Obama, who saw them as playing into his “pivot to Asia” strategy and aggressive promotion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). But Trump has indicated he will scrap both policies, throwing the relationship into question.

Under Obama, the US had taken a nuanced approach to Malaysia, with Washington engaging with Malaysian activists critical of Najib even as the two heads of state cultivated a personal relationship. Najib even boasted of playing golf with Obama in 2014 and of riding in his limousine, ‘the Beast’, in 2015.

Indeed, it was the personal connection between Obama and Najib that made Washington’s support of Malaysian activists and opposition parties so significant, said Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist at the Penang Institute.

“Obama’s emphasis on democracy and human rights boosted the morale of civil society because it gave them the sense they were not alone,” Wong said.

Fresh clampdown on Malaysian activists reveals Najib’s ‘failed governance’, critics say

Meanwhile, Obama’s support also helped to highlight the work of activists, said Cynthia Gabriel, of the Coalition to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4).

During Obama’s time in office, two prominent activists and government critics – the lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan and the transgender rights advocate Nisha Ayub – received the US International Women of Courage award in 2009 and 2015 respectively.

A spokesperson for transgender rights group Justice for Sisters said Nisha’s award had increased the visibility of transgender persons.

“It was very encouraging for activists and LGBT persons to see our colleague and the collective advocacy being recognised by different countries, including the US. You have to celebrate the little victories to keep you going,” the spokesperson said.

The US embassy in Kuala Lumpur had also repeatedly noted its concern at the trial of former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim – a trial Anwar’s supporters said was motivated by political reasons. Anwar was charged in 2008 with sodomising a male aide and, after his original acquittal was overturned by higher courts, is now serving a five-year prison term.

The US administration’s statements regarding the case along with its informal meetings with his family did not keep Anwar out of jail, but its actions did help to keep “the case alive in the international spotlight”, according to one of Anwar’s lawyers, Sivarasa Rasiah.

But whether a Trump-led administration would go to as much trouble is unclear. Activists fear Trump will turn a blind eye to Najib’s domestic transgressions in order to secure Malaysian support for his anti-China strategy.

“If Trump backs Najib all the way in order to isolate China, then Najib can be doubly safe,” Wong, of the Penang Institute, said.

Why Malaysian PM Najib Razak is playing the race card

Najib has been accused of links to a corruption scandal at 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund where, according to a civil suit by the US Department of Justice, US$1 billion was siphoned off to buy luxury properties and artwork. While Najib has denied any wrongdoing, his former associate Low Teck Jhow and stepson Riza Aziz are named in the suit.

Najib responded to the suit by intensifying Malaysia’s ties to China, leading a major investment mission to Beijing where he secured infrastructure deals worth 143.64 billion ringgit (HK$249 billion).

Although the US justice system is considered more independent than Malaysia’s, Wong said there was a suspicion that Trump’s administration could delay the suit if doing so was politically expedient.

“Although Obama prioritised geopolitical considerations, he still paid attention to human rights and democracy, and Najib would still be pressured. This is unlikely with Trump,” Wong said.

C4’s Gabriel said Trump’s divisive election campaign, which was criticised for preying on fears of foreigners and Muslims, did not bode well for Malaysia.

“If Trump rolls back civil liberties and stops talking about them on the international stage, then this will be bad for civil society,” Gabriel said. “If he does that, Malaysian leaders will say ‘look, now the US is following our example and limiting civil liberties, so we were right’. I hope Trump proves me wrong, but this is my fear.” ■■

                This entry was posted on Monday, 16 January 2017, 7:21 pm and is filed under
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DAP forms Felda parliamentary bureau to support DAP MPs to champion the cause of Felda settlers to ensure that they are not the latest victims of injustices of a bungling and kleptocratic government

DAP has formed a Felda parliamentary bureau to support DAP MPs to champion the cause of Felda settlers to ensure that they are not the latest victims of injustices or a bungling and kleptocratic government.

The appointment of Datuk Shahrir Samad as the new Felda Chairman has not alleviated the concerns and even worries of the Felda settlers that their legitimate rights and interests are properly safeguarded and protected.

In fact, it is the height of irony that Shahrir’s appointment as Felda Chairman had led to more turbulence in the stock market with talk that Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV) may be taken private, presenting the deep chasm between the lucrative promise when FGV was listed at an IPO price of RM4.55 in 2012 and its doldrum RM1.70 range at present.

Felda and its associates collectively own the biggest stake in FGV at 36.69 percent.

Shahrir should learn to be more circumspect in his statements and not to “rock the boat” with his speculative talk of the possibility of taking FGV private, without any study being made.

Before the new Chairman could assure Felda settlers about various controversies, including Felda’s controversial purchase of a 37 percent stake in Indonesian plantation firm Eagle High Plantations, which critics, including CIMB chairperson Nazir Abdul Razak, said was overpriced, new controversies have arisen including reports that Felda is selling part of its stake in Maybank to raise up to RM280 million.

Felda  settlers are the majority voters in at least 54 of the 222 seats in Parliament, and has helped bring the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition to power in every election since independence in 1957.

Things may be heading for a change unless the grievances and complaints of the Felda settlers could be given satisfactory answers by the government.

The DAP Felda parliamentary bureau comprise:

Chairman: Datuk Mohamad Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz (MP for Raub)

Deputy Chairman: Tony Pua Kiam Wee (MP for PJ Utara)

Vice Chairman: Kasthuri Patto (MP for Batu Kawan); Tengku Zulpuri Puji (Pahang Assemblyman for Mentakab); Lee Kee Hiong (Selangor Assemblywoman for Kuala Kubu Baru)

Secretary – Dyana Sofya

Members: A. Sivanesan, Terence Naidu, Young Syefura Othman, Cheong Siow Foon, Bakar Ismail, Shifa Nurul, Mazir Ibrahim, A. Ramakrishnan, S. Veerapan, Leong Yu Man, Ahmad Rizal Selamat, Irene Tan and Mohd Syafi’i Mazlan.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 17 January 2017, 6:53 pm and is filed under
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Generation of “false news” and “big lies” about DAP by UMNO leaders and cybertroopers an index of their growing desperation about   loss of credibility and public support because of rampant corruption, economic crisis and worsening racial and religious polarisation

It is ironic but true – the generation of “false news” and “big lies” about the DAP by UMNO leaders and cybertroopers are not a reflection of confidence and hope, but the contrary, an index of their growing desperation about  loss of credibility and public support because of rampant corruption, economic crisis and worsening racial and religious polarization – particularly among the Malays in the country.

Just before I came to this dialogue, I was reading about the latest UMNO cybertrooper attack on me – ridiculing the statement by the Deputy Amanah Youth Leader Faiz Fadzil “yang berkata DAP yang hanya bertanding di 51 daripada 222 kerusi Parlimen tidak mampu menerajui kepimpinan negara jika pembangkang menang dalam pilihan raya umum ke 14” by twisting what I said on 31st December that “I expect DAP to double the number of Parliamentary and State Assembly constituencies to be contested in the 14GE as compared to 13GE”.

Yes I did say about expecting the DAP to “double” the number of parliamentary and state assembly seats to be contested in the 14GE, but I was not talking about Malaysia as a whole but specifically about Sabah state, where  DAP contested in four parliamentary and eight state assembly seats in the 13GE.

A person who is honest, sincere, pious and God-fearing would not have twisted what I said, for it was very clear that I was referring to  doubling the seats contested in Sabah and not Malaysia-wide, unless the UMNP cybertrooper has a very low IQ – but this is the quality of UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers attacking the DAP who  have to be liars to tell downright lies and falsehoods about DAP leaders which cannot stand scrutiny  or challenge at all!

I have been in politics for 51 years.

I have never operated underground. The country’s Special Branch, which is one of the best of its kind in the world, having been trained by the British and which had the unique distinction of being the only intelligence apparatus in the world to have beaten the communists in a war for the “hearts and minds” of the people, knows that my political struggle is an open book as I had never engaged in any below-ground subterranean activities.

I do not think there is another political leader in Malaysia who had been so demonized in the past half a century, maligned and defamed as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers.

I have written and spoken almost daily in the past 51 years of my political struggle for an united, democratic and more just Malaysia, and every word is on public record.

Assuming an average of some 600 words a day – and it is not unusual for my speeches in Parliament in my first three decades in Parliament from the seventies to the nineties to range from 8,000 to 10,000 words in major debates, whether budget, the royal address or important bills – I would have spoken or written some 10 million words in my political life for the past 51 years.

The inability of UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers to find any proof from the more than 10 million words I had written or spoken in the past 51 years of my political struggle to substantiate their allegation that I am anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers is the most powerful proof of their politics of hate, falsehood and fake news!

It is overwhelming evidence to prove two things:

• Firstly, that they were indulging in utter lies and falsehood to demonise me as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-Malay Rulers; and

• Secondly, that it is the UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers who are guilty of the most irresponsible and immoral gutter of politics of lies, hate and bigotry.

After the 2008 General Elections, where for the first time the UMNO/BN coalition lost two-thirds parliamentary majority, UMNO leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers concocted two new allegations against me which were never made in the previous four decades of my political activities from 1969 to 2008 – that I had caused the May 13 riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 as well as being a “communist”, and UMNO even sponsored a  film based on these two allegations?

Why was the allegations that I had caused the May 13 riots in Kuala Lumpur in 1969 and a communist not made against me for 40 years from 1969 to 2008, but only after the “political tsunami” of 2008 General Election?

All sorts of allegations were hurled against the DAP after the 2008 “political tsunami” – including wanting make Malaysia a Christian state, when I am not a Christian myself and may be only 15% of DAP members are Christians!

The Amanah Federal Territory Chairman, Dr. Mohd Hatta, MP for Kuala Krai, reminded us just now that the concoction of false news and lies against the Opposition is not something new.

It had a long history, and he mentioned about the great lie a quarter of a century ago in 1990 when the Gerakan concocted the lie about the so-called DAP-PAS secret meeting in Jakarta, and although I was accused of leading DAP in such secrets talks, a check with my passport would show that I had not visited even Jakarta by 1990!

DAP is an open book and we have nothing to hide.

In my 51 years in politics, I had never nursed any anti-Malay or anti-Islam  idea or thought for I always believe that Malaysia’s greatest strength is our diversity from the confluence of the various races, languages, cultures, religions and civilizations in Malaysia.

Malaysia has the ingredients and the potential to be among the  best in the world, if Malaysians of diverse races, religions, language and cultures could co-operate and unite to compete with the rest of the world, instead of turning inwards to compete and quarrel internally with each other.

DAP leaders, like all leaders of political parties, have our failings and weaknesses, but I dare to ask which political party has produced a leader who has crossed the racial and religious divide and is prepared to sacrifice his or her personal liberty, going to jail and even lose the qualification as MP and the right to stand for elections to defend the honour of an underaged girl from another race and religion like Lim Guan Eng had done?

There is no such example from  any UMNO or Barisan Nasional leader in the past 60 years!

Pribumi Bersatu National Vice President Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari told us just now that the greatest task facing Malaysians in the run-up to the 14th General Election is to save Malaysia from becoming a kleptocracy, a failed state and a rogue state.

In his 2016 New Year message more than  a year ago on 31st December 2015, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told Malaysians that his RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation twin mega scandals had been resolved and were no more issues.

Najib could not be more wrong as the Malaysian government and people continue to be haunted and hounded by the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal.

Just type “1MDB” in the search engine of Malaysiakini, you will find some 110 news reports or articles related to the 1MDB scandal in the first 14 days of 2017.

Clearly, the 1MDB scandal will haunt and hound Malaysia, batter  and assault the sense of self-worth and honour of Malaysians,  to an even greater extent in 2017 than in 2016 or even 2015.

If the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Parliament are not prepared to save Malaysia from the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy – which I said in Parliament a a rule by 3Ps, Pencuri, Perompak and Penyamun – then only Malaysian voters regardless of race, religion or region can save Malaysia from a global kleptocracy in the 14th General Election.

This is one of the common partriotic objectives and challenges which bind Pakatan Harapan of DAP, PKR and Amanah plus Pribumi Bersatu – to cleanse and purge Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of a “global kleptocracy”, so that Malaysians can hold their heads high as proud Malaysians all over the world!

[Speech at a Pakatan Harapan Plus Pribumi Bersatu dialogue in Gombak together with Dr. Mohd Hatta (Amanah) and Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari (Pribumi Bersatu) on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 9 pm]

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 17 January 2017, 9:07 am and is filed under
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Jet, mansions figure in $232 million foreign trust case to be heard in Auckland court

Matt Nippert, business investigations journalist.

New Zealand Herald

Jan 18, 2017

An Auckland courtroom will on Friday become a battleground over Manhattan penthouses and a private jet amid allegations that they are the proceeds of a globe-spanning mega-fraud.

The High Court at Auckland is set down to hear a request from relatives of controversial Malaysian financier Jho Low who oppose the seizure of assets worth $230 million alleged by the United States Department of Justice to be the proceeds of crime.

US court filings said the relatives are beneficiaries of a number of New Zealand trusts that are claimed to directly own a number assets caught up the probe of a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund known as 1MDB.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in July when the DoJ first filed its seizure claims that $5 billion had been misappropriated from the Malaysian state with payments by 1MDB diverted into private Swiss bank accounts and then laundered into artwork, Hollywood films and real estate.

“We are seeking to forfeit and recover funds that were intended to grow the Malaysian economy and support the Malaysian people. Instead, they were stolen, laundered through American financial institutions and used to enrich a few officials and their associates,” she said.

Financier Low is one of three individuals named in the DoJ action as receiving the proceeds of the alleged fraud. The others are a Hollywood producer and step-son of Malaysia’s current Prime Minister, and a former government official from the United Arab Emirates.

Before his legal troubles Low had a reputation as an international playboy, having been photographed partying with the likes of Paris Hilton and Leonardo DiCaprio and sailing the world on a superyacht named Equanimity.

Low and the other pair named in proceedings have denied wrongdoing. The DoJ action is civil in nature, but international media reports say criminal probes into the affair are ongoing in both the United States and Switzerland.

The New Zealand connection only came to light several weeks ago when relatives of Low complained in US courts that trustees were not challenging the seizure orders.

Filings from their lawyers said they wished to ask the New Zealand High Court to appoint someone who was willing take on the DoJ.

The US filings say some current trustees were concerned that failing to oppose their replacement raised the possibility they might fall foul of US laws criminalising money-laundering.

The High Court at Auckland confirmed a defended hearing involving the parties was set down for Friday morning.

The filings claim a number of New Zealand trusts, with names as varied as Elephant Sun and Stars Tower, were the direct owners of assets including a Bombardier private jet, a hotel in Beverly Hills and a $55m Los Angeles mansion formerly owned by Fantasy Island actor Ricardo Montalban.

New York real estate owned by the New Zealand trusts includes two Manhattan apartments, including a $43m penthouse in the Time Warner Centre formerly owned by celebrity couple Beyonce and Jay-Z.

The DoJ have claimed these assets are collectively worth more than $230m.

According to Companies Office filings, the New Zealand trusts in question were established and directed by staff of Auckland law firm Cone Marshall, and also used the local trust specialists’ Stanley Street office as a mailing address.

Cone Marshall principal Geoffrey Cone declined to comment on the case outside of noting his firm acted on behalf of a Swiss-based trust group and that he had no direct contact with beneficiaries.

“This is a matter concerning the Rothschild Group and Rothschild Trust New Zealand for which we provide local director and office services,” he said.

Barrister Pravir Tesiram, acting for Rothschild, said he had nothing to say about Friday’s hearing or the wider 1MDB case. “I can’t comment on that. And, as a matter of practice, we don’t comment on client matters anyway,” he said.

Questions sent to Rothschild’s in Zurich were also met with “no comment”. “This is because we are unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” a spokeswoman said.

Relatives of the Low family could not be reached for comment.

The 1MDB scandal has generated headlines worldwide since breaking over the past year.

Other assets caught up in the DoJ action, but not owned by New Zealand trusts, and alleged to have been funded or purchased with fraud include a $1b Manhattan hotel, a large slice of record label EMI’s back catalogue, Monet and Van Gogh paintings, and rights to the film Wolf of Wall Street.

The Wolf of Wall Street, starred Leonardo DiCaprio in a based on the true story of a white-collar criminal. A DoJ official said at the time the complaint was laid that the subject material was deeply ironic: “This is a case where life imitated art.”

Case rekindles trusts debate

The appearance of New Zealand trusts in the 1MDB affair threatens to re-ignite controversy over our foreign trust industry.

The release last April of the Panama Papers, a large-scale leak of previously secret company and trust data maintained by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, had thrust New Zealand’s role in the international finance scene into the spotlight.

A subsequent government inquiry, headed by John Shewan, had proposed tighter regulation and more transparency for the foreign trust industry but concluded there was “no direct evidence of illicit funds being hidden in New Zealand foreign trusts”.

The Labour and Green parties both said the 1MDB developments – disclosing control of $230m in alleged proceeds of crime by foreign trusts which will this week be contested in an Auckland courtroom – meant Shewan’s conclusions should be revised.

Labour leader Andrew Little said the appearance of New Zealand in the 1MDB affair risked our international reputation and showed Shewan’s conclusions were “naive”.

“We’ve got to be moving swiftly on this,” he said.

Green Party co-leader James Shaw said: “This demonstrates National’s …. resistance to regulate so New Zealand’s squeaky-clean corruption-free brand can be protected,” he said.

Revenue Minister Judith Collins in a statement stood by the Shewan report. “The Inquiry also considered it reasonable to conclude that there are cases where foreign trusts are being [abused] … Taking this into account, the Inquiry made recommendations to substantially increase the disclosure rules.”

She said the government adopted all recommendations made by Shewan and the resulting Bill was currently before Parliament and expected to pass its third reading in March.

– NZ Herald

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 18 January 2017, 6:54 pm and is filed under
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Mustapha not speaking the truth or in his true self when he said Malaysia must “move on” from 1MDB scandal when the  law in Malaysia is neither taking its course nor the authorities in Malaysia allowed to go after those responsible for creating the international money-laundering scandal

The Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Mustapha Mohamad had discovered that wherever he went, even at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he would be pursued, hounded and haunted by the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal which would not leave him in peace.

Mustapha is as wrong as the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who declared in his 2016 New Year Message on Dec. 31, 2015 that his RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation twin mega scandals had been resolved and were no  more issues when the International Trade and Industry Minister said Malaysia must “move on” from the 1MDB scandal.

AFP quoted Mustapha saying “We’ve learned many lessons and we are moving forward” from the scandal, and said:

“Essentially we have to move on and we have confidence that a number of issues that came to limelight as a result of 1MDB will at some point, be behind us.

“We have the authorities to go after those responsible for creating the mess. The law is taking its course.”

Mustapha is not speaking his true self as he should know more than anybody else that it is not true that the Najib government had “learnt many lessons” from the 1MDB scandal and that    “the law is taking its course” and that the “authorities” are going after “those responsible for creating the mess”.

Mustapha’s statement in Davos needs an important qualification as the  law in Malaysia is not taking its course, and the authorities in Malaysia are not going after “those creating the mess”.

 Mustapha need only ask his former Ministerial colleague, the former Second Finance Minister and one time Cabinet spokesman for the 1MDB scandal – Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah if he needs  confirmation, as this is why Husni was himself asking questions in Parliament as a backbencher  about the 1MDB scandal despite a spell as Cabinet spokesman for 1MDB.

The important qualification to Mustapha’s statement is that  it is the international law on the multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal which is taking its course and that it is  the “international authorities” including foreign countries and jurisdictions like the United States, Switzerland and Singapore which  are going after “those responsible for creating the mess”!

There is not a single person in Malaysia who is facing any peril or consequences, as a result of the actions taken by the authorities for  the colossal  abuses of power,  embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering which made the 1MDB the largest kleptocratic scandal in the world!

The Malaysian government seems to be setting its face against the whole world – with Putrajaya claiming innocence while the rest of the world had adjudged Malaysia guilty of the biggest kleptocratic money-laundering scandal in the world!

The “issues that came to limelight” as a result of 1MDB scandal came from international sources, and not from  investigations by the Malaysian authorities, and will not be “behind us”, until and unless there is full accountability and transparency – for example, Najib has still to find the courage to step forward to own up that he is “Malaysian Official 1” (MO1), and explain the teeming vexing and perplexing questions about the 1MDB scandal which caused Malaysia to be regarded worldwide as a “global kleptocracy”!

1MDB scandal will never  “behind us” so long as Malaysia is regarded as a “global kleptocracy” and nobody  can claim that that 1MDB scandal is “behind us” unless Malaysia cleanses and purges the ignominy or infamy of a global kleptocracy.

In fact, the year 2017 promises to be a worse year than 2016 or 2015 in terms of adverse international image and publicity for Malaysia – all because of the galloping 1MDB scandal.

Type “1MDB” into the Google search engine, and 255,000 search results appears in 0.42 seconds. Type “1MDB” into the Malaysiakini search engine, and some 200 reports and articles appear just for the 17 days of January, 2017.

How can Malaysia “move on” from the 1MDB scandal in such circumstances?

Malaysia must come to grips with  the 1MDB scandal to ensure that it ceases to   haunt and hound the nation and 30 million Malaysians.

The 36 Ministers in Cabinet should come to grips with the roiling  1MDB scandal and appoint a Royal Commission of Inquiry to chase down every sen from 1MDB and save Malaysia from the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy.

If the Najib Government and Cabinet are not prepared to do the above, then only ordinary Malaysians can save Malaysia in the 14 General Election.

This must be the pre-condition for an effective opposition coalition in Malaysia – agreement on a minimal common objective to save Malaysia from ending up like Zimbabwe as a kleptocracy, Argentina as a failed state and North Korea as an autocratic state where the citizens have lost their basic democratic rights.

There are those in the opposition who do not see anything wrong with Malaysia being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”, who want proof that “MO1” mentioned 36 times in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) kleptocratic lawsuit to forfeit over US$1 billion 1MDB-linked assets is the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak or want evidence about the multi-billion dollar 1MDB global financial scandal.

Malaysians should have no truck with such “sheep in wolves’ clothing”!

(Media Statement in Ipoh on Wednesday, 18th January 2016)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 18 January 2017, 3:11 pm and is filed under
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