34-Day Countdown to 13GE – Call on Malaysians to complete “unfinished business” of “308 political tsunami” five years ago by electing a new Malaysian Government and new Prime Minister in Putrajaya in 13GE

Today is a double anniversary – the fifth anniversary of the peaceful and democratic uprising of Malaysians which has now entered into the Malaysian political folklore as the “308 political tsunami” of the 12th general elections on March 8, 2008 and the 36th International Women’s Day after the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 8 as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace.

Both have one theme in common – empowerment and enfranchisement of the Malaysian citizenry in the former and women as a whole internationally in the latter.

On the occasion of this “308” double anniversary, I wish to make two calls.

Firstly, to call on Malaysians to complete the “unfinished business” of 308 “political tsunami” five years ago by electing a new Malaysian Government  and a new Prime Minister in Putrajaya in the 13th General Elections.

Before “308” five years ago, nobody dared to hope or think that the Malaysian political landscape could undergo a paradigm shift through the peaceful and democratic process  that the prospect of a new  Federal Government and a new Prime Minister for the first time in five decades of the nation’s history is  dreamable,  possible, do-able and achievable!

Two days before the historic “political tsunami” of March 8, 2008, I gave the following statement at a media conference when campaigning in the Ipoh Timor parliamentary constituency:

“Tomorrow is the last day for campaigning before the country goes to polls for the 12th general election on Saturday, March 8, 2008.

“Will March 8, 2008 usher a paradigm shift in the Malaysian political landscape by stripping the Barisan Nasional of its unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority and deal a fatal blow to UMNO political hegemony?

“It is a tall order just to deny the Barisan Nasional two-thirds parliamentary majority on Saturday, for the DAP, PKN and PAS will each have to win at least 25 seats to ensure that the BN is defeated in at least 75 parliamentary seats, the ‘magic figure’ to end  BN’s two-third parliamentary majority and UMNO political hegemony history in Malaysia.

“A strong and powerful wind of change is blowing in the land, as evidenced by the mammoth ceramah crowds, enthusiastic responses and generous donations of Malaysians in the various states – with crowds of several thousands to more than 10,000 in the ceramahs I attended in the past three days, covering Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Perak, with mammoth ceramah crowds also reported in Penang.

“The question is whether the wind of change rising up in the land will be strong and powerful enough on March 8 to make it a day of history and a day of destiny for Malaysia.

“The Barisan Nasional leadership had launched the general election campaign with a very cocky and arrogant start, with the Selangor, Malacca and Johore Barisan Nasional leaders declaring that they want to make their states ‘zero-opposition’ states to recent panicky signs in certain BN quarters at the strong and powerful wind of change blowing in the land – causing Barisan Nasional propagandists to resort to the dirty politics of fear, intimidation and blackmail as making May 13 threats.

“Let me advice all BN leaders and candidates: Grow up and accept the ups and downs of the democratic process and stop being spoiled brats when at most the Barisan Nasional is losing two-thirds parliamentary majority and not losing power.

“It is not going to be easy to deprive the Barisan Nasional of its two-thirds majority in Parliament by defeating the BN in at least 75 seats, but it is a goal which is definitely possible and achievable on March 8.

“Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir does not see the BN losing its two-thirds majority on 8th March, as he has predicted that the BN would win between 70 to 75 per cent of the parliamentary seats in the 12th general election as compared to BN victory in over 90 per cent of the parliamentary seats in the 2004 general election.”

“308” five years ago has become “a day of history” and “a day of destiny”, toppling UMNO/BN in five states in  Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan as well as denying them their unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority.

Now, the next task is at hand – to complete the “unfinished business” of the “308 political tsunami” five years ago!

There are those who say that there is no way for Umno/BN to be ousted from Putrajaya  in the 13GE.

History and the  “308” political tsunami five years ago are the best rejoinders.

History has shown that no political groupings can rule forever. In fact, they are often their own enemies arising from Lord Acton’s axiom: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

There is also nothing utopian or  impossible in the hopes and dreams of Malaysians for the  start of a new day in democracy and nation-building in Malaysia with a new Malaysian Government and a new Prime Minister once  patriotic Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, are prepared to unite as one and set their minds, hearts and wills to this  common national endeavour.

I believe that the overwhelming majority of ordinary Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Orang Asli, Kadazans or Ibans,  are capable of rising up to the occasion to complete the “unfinished business” of the “308 political tsunami” five years ago.

We must however be realistic and fully conscious that this is an uphill and herculean task –  a challenge and a task not for those weak in spirit, mind and soul but only for patriotic and redoubtable Malaysians who are prepared to put the interests of the nation and future generations before self, whether it be personal comforts or benefits.

It has been postulated that there must be at least a 6% swing of voters after the 2008 general elections in favour of Pakatan Rakyat if PR  is to succeed in winning the simple majority of the 222 parliamentary seats in the 13GE.

This is a large swing as it must come on the back of the 2008 swing against the Barisan Nasional, as illustrated by  the overall swing to and against and BN in past general elections:

1995 – 11.8% swing to BN due to Dr. M’s liberalization policies

1999 – 8.7% swing to opposition due to Anwar factor

2004 – 7.4% swing to BN due to new PM Badawi

2008 – 10.7% swing to opposition due to tsunami.

In the 13GE, the three “fixed deposit states” of Sabah, Sarawak and Johore hold the keys to Putrajaya.

In the 2008 General Elections, PR won 82 parliamentary seats while BN won 140 seats. If  in the 13GE, PR can win at least 40% of the total of 83 parliamentary seats in these three states, i.e. 33 out of a total of 83 seats in Johore, Sabah and Sarawak, PR would have exceeded the magic number of 112 for a simple  majority of the 222 parliamentary seats.

However, PR can only win with a good and comfortable majority if we can win at least 125 parliamentary seats (i.e. a majority of 28) in 13GE, comprising say 45 seats for PKR and 40 seats each for DAP and PAS.

The question is whether PR can win another 10 – 12 parliamentary seats from Barisan Nasional’s total of 140 seats won in 2008 in Peninsular Malaysia, (excluding Johore where BN won 25 parliamentary seats), comprising:

Perlis – 		3

Kedah – 		4

Kelantan –		2

Terengganu –          7

Penang – 		2

Perak – 	         13

Pahang – 	         12

Selangor – 		5

Wilayah

Persekutuan –	 2 (include Labuan)

Negri Sembilan – 	5

Melaka – 		5

Total – 	       60

PR’s challenge and targets to reach Putrajaya in the 13 GE are threefold:

(i)	to retain the 82 parliamentary seats won in 2008;

(ii)	to win at least 33 seats from the three “fixed deposit states” of Johor, Sabah and Sarawak; and

(iii)	to win 10 to 12 additional parliamentary seats from the crop of 60 BN parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia (excluding Johor).

Secondly,
 to call on women voters in Malaysia to make the 13GE a highwater mark for gender equality and empowerment of women in Malaysia to improve their social, educational, economic and political status.

Malaysia is ranked lowly in the global context with regard to gender equality and women empowerment as tracked by the World Economic Forum’s 2011 Global Gender Gap Index.

Malaysia’s overall Global Gender Gap Index (GGPI) ranking, which is made up of three criteria firstly economic participation and opportunity; secondly, health and survival; thirdly, political empowerment, is a lowly No.97 out of 135 countries, worse than Philippines (8), South Africa (14), Cuba (20), Mozambique (26), Argentina (28), Sri Lanka (31), Nambibia (32), Guyana (38), Kyrgyz Republic (44), Kazakhstan (49), Thailand (60), Botswana (66), Bangladesh (69), Brunei (76), Albania (78), Armenia (84) and Indonesia (90).

Malaysia’s ranking in terms of women’s representation in government is the worst of all three criteria, ranked 115, behind Sri Lanka (7), Bangladesh (11), Philippines (16), India (19), China (57), Indonesia (61), Vietnam (76), Cambodia (78), Singapore (83) and Thailand (97).

Since the launch of the Pakatan Rakyat’s Women Agenda last September, another Asian country has achieved the breakthrough of having a woman as head of state/government, namely the new South Korean President Park

Geun-hye – joining other countries who have had woman head of state or government like Indira Gandhi of India, Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, Corazaon Aquino of Philippines, Megawarti Sukarnoputri of Indonesia, Yingluck Shinawatra of Thailand, Sheikh Hasina of Banglasdesh and Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka.

But no women have risen to the top in Malaysia, whether at the federal or state levels, as no woman have ever been Mentri Besar or Chief Minister.

What we have is the opposite – the Cabinet post of Minister for Women usurped  by none other than the Prime Minister himself, or is this a ruse for Datin Seri Paduka Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the Prime Minister, to be the de facto Women Minister from behind the scenes without any elected mandate of her own?

A PR victory in the 13GE will set the stage not only for the country to target for Malaysia to be included in the top 50 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index but also for Malaysian women to be appointed to the highest echelons of political leadership and public appointments, including top offices like Chief Secretary, Lord President, Parliament Speaker, Attorney-General or heads of key national institutions like the Election Commission, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, etc.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 8 March 2013, 11:47 am and is filed under
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BN must be destroyed

Dean Johns

Malaysiakini

Mar 6, 2013

I’ve expressed this obvious message in so many ways over the years – in attempts to spice it up with variety – all to no apparent avail thus far, that it strikes me that I should try mindless repetition for a change.

This will be terribly tedious for us all of course, but the possible gain could be well worth our collective pain. Because repetition of the patently, blatantly obvious has worked a treat in the past.

Most famously, as history recalls, for Cato the Elder, who in the years between 175 and 146BC bored his fellow ancient Romans witless by ending his every speech in the senate with the statement that “Carthage must be destroyed”.

Four words that for years rendered Cato a figure of fun. But finally taken seriously and given force by the Roman sword, they proved to be a death sentence to the dreaded Carthage.

Thus my hopes for the similar success of my mantra for the foreseeable future, or at least until Malaysia’s endlessly-awaited 13th general election: BN must be destroyed.

Admittedly, BN is not a foreign threat to Malaysia as Carthage was to Rome. But this criminal coalition is arguably as dangerous to the future of the Malaysia and Malaysians as any external enemy might be.

For more than 50 years, and especially in the past 30, BN has been an insidious, creeping evil attacking and infesting Malaysia by stealth.

Steadily stealing as much of the nation’s land, oil, timber, corporate wealth and hard cash as it can get away with, and simultaneously robbing Malaysians of all possible forms of defence or redress.

BN may not be an invader, but it is certainly an all-pervader. It has systematically colonised and co-opted the civil services at every level from federal to local with its own relatives, cronies, sycophants and place-seekers.

Perverting the system of justice

It has flooded the country with foreign workers to ensure cheap, sweated – if not slave labour – for its captive economy, and secretly handed-out citizenships to illegal immigrants selected as most likely to show their gratitude in the form of votes.

And simultaneously the regime has robbed Malaysians of their proper protections in the face of such assaults on their rights and property by subverting the forces of law and order, perverting the system of justice, corrupting the electoral commission and turning the people’s last hope of protection, the mass media, into its own pack of propagandising ‘prostitutes’.

BN must be destroyed. As of course someday it certainly will be, just as Carthage was over 2,000 years ago by its destroyer, Rome, centuries later.

But BN won’t last for 500 years, despite its desperate attempts to emulate Roman emperors’ ‘bread-and-circuses’ method of control of their subjects with 1Malaysia-styled 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) and sandiwaras.

In fact, 50+ years look to be pretty much BN’s limit. Most Malaysians with any brains are utterly scornful of the regime’s efforts to forgive the plundering of countless billions of their cash and resources in return for ‘gifts’ of trifling sums of hush-money.

And the sandiwaras intended to amuse and divert the populace seem to be alienating more of the masses than they impress. Throwing Christians to the lions seemed to have been a big hit with ancient Romans for a while, but BN’s threats to burn Christian Bibles seem to have gone down like a lead balloon.

As have many former entertainments that BN has arranged for the diversion and instruction of the public, like the shooting and C4-dismemberment of Altantuya Shaariibuu, the throwing of Teoh Beng Hock out of a window of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) building, and the deaths of dozens of ‘suspects’ in police shoot-outs and custody.

Similarly, while displays of armed combat to the death were reportedly highly popular back in ancient Rome’s Coliseum, the Malaysian people are apparently giving the thumbs-down to the gladiatorial contest that BN has been staging between its commandoes and police and a band of insurgents from the Southern Philippines in Sabah.

Considerable suspicions cast over BN

It has not only resulted in the considerable loss of lives, but has cast considerable suspicions over the BN regime’s grip on the national security that it claims as its forte, the usefulness or otherwise of its armed forces, grossly over-priced weapons acquisitions, and its innocence of involvement in Muslim uprisings in the southern Philippines and Thailand.

But perhaps the most telling casualty of this long-running and still ongoing saga has been any shred of credibility that the BN regime might have retained.

The regime first claimed that two Malaysian casualties had been caused by mortar fire, then changed the story to shooting.

But even then the powers that be couldn’t get their stories straight, with Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (right) explaining that gunfire had begun when the insurgents tried to make a rush to break through their surrounding cordon, and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak claiming that the Malaysians casualties had been tricked into presenting themselves as targets by the other side’s waving of a white flag of truce.

Meanwhile, BN’s original assertion via Hishammuddin that the insurgents were not terrorists but fellow Muslims, which struck most of us as quite amazingly oxymoronic, has now morphed into the accusation that Anwar Ibrahim is behind the whole thing.

BN mouthpiece ‘news’ media, including Bernama, Utusan Malaysia, Star Online and TV3 have reported Najib as having urged the intelligence authorities to “probe claims that the opposition had instigated the heir of the Sulu Sultanate to reclaim Sabah”.

This allegation was reportedly based on a claim that Anwar recently met with the leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, Nur Misuari. But embarrassingly for Najib, Misuari recently stated in an interview with the Philippines’ Davao Today that Najib is his friend and a cousin of his grand-nephew.

Thus adding weight to what many of us suspect – that far from Anwar and the opposition, it is actually BN that is using the incursion to destabilise Sabah, either for the purpose of postponing the coming general election, or declaring a state of emergency in line with Najib’s stated strategy to retain power even at the cost of broken bodies and lost lives.

In short, this is yet another sign that it’s way past time for Malaysians to put an end to this rotten regime’s reign of robbery, terror and error. Or as old Cato would put it if he were alive today, BN must be destroyed.

DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he coaches and mentors writers and authors and practises as a writing therapist. Published books of his columns for Malaysiakini include ‘Mad about Malaysia’, ‘Even Madder about Malaysia’, ‘Missing Malaysia’, ‘1Malaysia.con’ and ‘Malaysia Mania’.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 8 March 2013, 6:43 am and is filed under
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Intrusion confusion – A farcical invasion of Borneo gets serious, and nasty

The Economist

Mar 9th 2013

FIGHTER aircraft gave covering fire as Malaysian troops mounted what their government hoped would be the final assault on a coastal village in the Malaysian state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo, on March 5th. Their mission was to end a three-week-old incursion by scores of Filipinos, some armed, who call themselves the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu. But the intruders slipped away.

The intruders had occupied the village to stake a claim to Sabah by the man they recognise as the sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, whose forebears once held sway over parts of Borneo and of what is now the Philippines, but who himself is a Filipino citizen living in Manila. After the assault, the sultan called for a ceasefire, but told his followers to stay put. If the Malaysian government thought the assault would end the incursion, it was mistaken. Its mistake is one of a series which threatens to turn what originally had the air of a quaint historical pageant played out with live ammunition into a real guerrilla war.

The Philippine government made the first mistake three years ago, by mislaying a letter from the sultanate asking it to take into account the claim to Sabah in peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a rebel group that had been fighting for independence for Muslim areas in the south of the mainly Christian Philippines. Previous governments had pressed the sultan’s claim. More recent governments have let it lie dormant, not least because Malaysia is the broker of peace between the government and the MILF. A preliminary peace agreement signed last year makes no mention of the claim. The sultan was slighted.

The sultan made the next mistake, by thinking that by seizing the Sabah village of Tanduo, he could make the Malaysian government take him seriously and negotiate. The sultan’s claim is legally plausible: Malaysia pays the royal house of Sulu a token rent for Sabah. But the idea that Malaysia would turn one of its constituent states over to a foreigner is just fanciful. The Philippines government has also ordered the sultan to withdraw his followers.

On March 1st shooting broke out in Tanduo. It is not clear who fired first, but 12 intruders and two Malaysian policemen were killed. A day later, in fighting elsewhere in Sabah between the security forces and armed men described by the Malaysian authorities as Filipinos, six policemen and six gunmen were killed.

This snapped the patience of the Malaysian government, and the assault on Tanduo began. The security forces said they had killed 13 intruders, and suffered no casualties themselves. As The Economist went to press, the sultan’s followers were still at large. An official of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), another Philippine Muslim rebel group, which made peace in 1996 but was never disarmed, said many of its fighters, acting independently, were on the way to Sabah as reinforcements. A Malaysian police officer described the Filipino gunmen as adept at guerrilla tactics. The Malaysian government may now look at the 800,000 Filipinos living and working in Sabah and wonder whose side they are on.

It will also wonder how the stand-off will affect a keenly contested general election due by the end of June. Some think Sabah is where the poll will be won or lost. The government has dropped dark hints of the involvement of a Malaysian opposition leader in the invasion. But, if the mess worsens, it might lose votes itself.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 8 March 2013, 7:11 am and is filed under
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M’sian Armed Forces versus Sulu gunmen in Sabah: Lessons for S’pore

By David Boey

AsiaOne

Thursday, Mar 07, 2013

The writer, a former defence correspondent for the Straits Times, maintains Senang Diri , a blog about Singapore defence matters ( http://kementah.blogspot.sg/).

SINGAPORE – A week ago, Malaysia’s defence information officers were busy ramping up publicity for the Malaysian Army’s 80th Anniversary celebrations – a happy occasion that culminated in a massive show of force by Tentera Darat Malaysia (Malaysian Army) in Port Dickson.

After a weekend on duty, their pace of work increased dramatically with real operations in the East Malaysian state of Sabah. Ongoing operations by Malaysian security forces against Filipino gunmen in Lahad Datu, Sabah, mean that it will be sometime yet before information officers from Cawangan Perhubungan Awam (Public Relations Department) at Kementerian Pertahanan (Kementah, the Malaysian Ministry of Defence) can enjoy a restful weekend.

The exposure to real operations in Sabah will reward Kementah’s information officers with firsthand experience managing hearts and minds operations during an unfolding operation that has international dimensions.

Add in the timing of the operation, which was triggered during the run-up to the Malaysian General Elections, and the information officers entrusted to handle media operations will get a chance to learn invaluable lessons in calibrating domestic political considerations during an unfolding operation other than war (OOTW).

While it is early days yet before defence observers can compile a credible blow by blow account of the assault, here are some preliminary thoughts on the situation:

1. Malaysia’s mainstream broadcast media, RTM, worked commendably fast in producing the clip with rousing martial music and TV footage aired at the end of Tuesday night’s news bulletin that cavassed support for Malaysia’s Fallen Heroes.

This is the type of psychological defence response that the Malaysians are good at, having picked up valuable lessons from the British during the Emergency years.

2. The casual attitude to personal protection equipment by Malaysian soldiers and General Operations Force field police has been noted by defence observers.

During the three-week long standoff against a force which claims has 200 gunmen and even after blood was shed, Malaysians deployed for security duty do not seem to care much for their personal protection.

* Body armour is rarely seen. When worn by some officers, the body armour appears to be of the soft body armour type which is not designed to withstand full metal jacket projectiles discharged from firearms or mortar rounds.

* Headgear in the form of ballistic helmets is almost never worn. And let’s not even go into protective eyewear like goggles.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 8 March 2013, 5:36 am and is filed under
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Revoking citizenship status for who?

— The Malaysian Insider

Mar 07, 2013

MARCH 7 — While the country’s attention has been focused on the military offensive to get rid of Sulu gunmen in Sabah’s east coast, Umno-controlled media TV3 and its sister stations are highlighting demands calling for politician Chua Tian Chang’s citizenship to be reviewed and revoked.

Demanding citizenship to be revoked is now new in Malaysia. Other groups have asked the same for Bersih co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan for her call for electoral reforms.

Now the PKR vice-president, popularly known as Tian Chua, is the latest to get that treatment for allegedly questioning who is behind the Lahad Datu standoff and violence.

This comes at a time when both sides say the issue should not be politicised as security forces need to focus on getting rid of the Filipino militants who want to claim Sabah in the name of the Sulu sultanate.

Now what if the shoe is on the other foot? Will TV3 report it and devote 15 minutes of airtime to cover such events?

Have they covered testimony of Umno officials involved in Project IC — the citizenship-for-votes caper now being investigated by a royal commission of inquiry (RCI)?

The RCI hearings had revealed two names, former ministers Tan Sri Aziz Shamsuddin and the late Tan Sri Megat Junid Ayob as being involved in the scandal.

Yet, no one in authority or mainstream media has questioned such actions or whether it is treason, and citizenship be reviewed. Or that the citizenship given to illegals be revoked immediately as about one-third of the Sabah population are said to be illegal immigrants.

Why the double standards? Because it is politics and we are now in the run-up to Election 2013.

What if there is full media freedom and independent television stations question Umno officials and their right to citizenship? Would news then be about who has a right to be a citizen rather than the issues of the day, good governance, corruption and justice in Malaysia?

Malaysia needs honest reporting, not the blatantly one-sided reporting that will just disgust viewers and make them hate the owners of TV3. That’s the policy blowback that such reporting creates in Malaysia.

The days of feeding such trash to ignorant Malaysians are over. The citizens now have options for news, be it local television or foreign news programming. And the Internet.

Malaysia needs to focus on getting peace back in Sabah, not this gutter journalism and political sniping. Leave that to the politicians. Have some self-respect as journalists for once.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 8 March 2013, 6:26 am and is filed under
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Sabah east coast limping back to life

Azman Habu | March 7, 2013

Free Malaysia Today

The general consensus is that the situation in Lahad Datu is safe because Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is visiting.

LAHAD DATU: Life is creeping back into this east coast seaside town a week after the shock invasion and subsequent assault on an armed group of Filipino invaders who took over a remote village there.

The first signs that residents here are cautiously getting back to their routine, was when parents started dropping off their children at schools that reopened today in the town area after closing last Friday.

Only schools in town area are open. Those outside the town and near the conflict area of the Felda plantations remain closed.

“Schools are opened today but many student did not come to class probably because their parents are still unsure of the situation,” a resident said today.

Shops and businesses have also started to slowly reopen over the last few days and the daily traffic congestion on roads leading into the town areas that was habitual before the crisis broke has resumed.

“It looks like its back to almost normal but people are cautious and still uneasy,” said a parent hurriedly dropping off his child at school this morning.

The man who only gave his name as Kassim, said that it was a relief that they could get back to their normal lives after the tension of the last few weeks.

“It’s not the same as before. We will always be anxious as this is not something we can forget easily,” he said.

Services at hotels in the town are back to normal after hoteliers reported that many of their staff such as housekeepers and receptionists had not reported for work for a few days leaving guests to manage on their own.

The ubiquitous sight of illegal cigarette vendors squatting on the pavements was another indication that life is edging back to normal.

They were among the first to know of the oncoming “invasion” by an armed group from the Philippines and had tipped off many to be on their guard prior to the Feb 12 takeover of Kampung Tanduo in Tungku, about 160 km from here.

Optimism with Najib’s visit

Fatima, a 16-year-old who peddles contraband cigarettes by a road corner was among them. She returned on Sunday despite the tension as she said she had to make a living no matter what.

Squatters living in the seaside shanty towns that harbour thousands of illegal immigrants who had also fled their homes have also returned.

There were no obvious signs of enhanced security such as uniformed police patrols in the town or close to the schools. But there was a sense of weariness among those going about their business and buses full of security personnel were seen traveling in and out of town.

It is the same in Semporna where a bloody shootout took place on Saturday where several Malaysian policemen were killed and their bodies reportedly mutilated.

The markets are re-opened in both towns and shoppers could be seen buying vegetables, fish and other fresh foodstuff which they had run out of over the last week.

The marketplace in both towns as well as in Kunak where the odd Pakistani-run stall can be seen selling more upscale goods, is dominated by legal and illegal Filipinos of Suluk and Tausug descent. They sell vegetables and the days catch brought in by fishing boats and other household items.

Another boost for the people living in the east coast is news that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is due to visit Lahad Datu and perhaps Semporna.

“He wouldn’t be coming if the situation here is not safe,” said a Semporna resident who requested anonymity.

Security operation are continuing in the vicinity of Kg Tanduo where several of the armed group who are unaccounted for are said to be hiding after Tuesday’s assault on the village by Malaysian troops and police.

Meanwhile Bernama reported that elections in the areas effected by the Sulu invaders can only be postponed if a curfew is declared according to the Election Commission.

                This entry was posted on Friday, 8 March 2013, 6:50 am and is filed under
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33-Day Countdown to 13GE – Will Najib dissolve Parliament on 11th March at 11.11 am?

Two days ago, I was asked whether the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak would dissolve Parliament on 11th March at 11.11 am.

This reminds me of the “Six Ones” forecast two years ago, that Najib  could dissolve Parliament on Nov. 11, 2011, which will have “6 1s”, as “11” is Najib’s favourite or even magic number.

But the “Six Ones” of “11.11.11”  have come and gone,  the years 2011 and 2012 have ended,  and beginning today, the 12th Parliament has exceeded its natural life of five years making Najib in the eyes of many Malaysians an ‘illegitimate” Prime Minister, especially as Najib is the longest unelected Prime Minister without a mandate of his own for close to four long years!

Malaysia has made world history and gone into the Guinness Book of Records  as a country which has been on general election-mode for close to four years since Najib replaced Tun Abdullah as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia on 3rd April 2009.

But Najib is still afraid to dissolve Parliament to face the electorate although he has only earned for himself a breathing space of another 49 days before the present Parliament is automatically dissolved on April 27 under the Constitution, without the need for the Prime Minister to ask the Yang di Pertuan Agong for a formal dissolution!

Najib has only himself to blame if he is generally regarded as an “illegitimate” Prime Minister who at best should be Caretaker Prime Minister leading a Caretaker Cabinet which should not make any major or substantive decisions whether concerning policy, appointments, contractual obligations or abuse and misuse of the public service, whether personnel, resources and public funds without consultation with the Opposition.

Last night, when launching the Malaysian Wasatiyyah Institute, Najib called on both Muslims and non-Muslims in Malaysia to embrace the concept and spirit of wasatiyyah (moderation) and make it the main thrust and direction of the country to ensure the nation’s prosperity and well-being.

Najib is becoming quite accomplished as an exponent of “irony of ironies”, publicly endorsing concepts which he had neither the intention nor the political will to put into actual practice.

I need only give three examples:

•	His signature 1Malaysia Policy four years ago for every Malaysian to regard himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion and geography second – which was immediately repudiated by his Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and up to now has never been officially endorsed whether by his Cabinet, UMNO Supreme Council or BN Supreme Council.

•	His profession to make Malaysia “the best democracy in the world” but his signal refusal to ensure that the 13th general elections is nationally and internationally regarded as clean, free and fair.

•	His signature of Transparency International-Malaysia’s Election Integrity Pledge although Malaysia under his premiership is most corrupt when compared to the other previous five Prime Ministers, regardless of what criteria is used. Although Najib signed the Election Integrity Pledge, he  and Umno/BN leaders had no qualms to immediately  violate it, up and down the country, to this day.

•	What credibility or legitimacy is there in Najib’s advocacy of wasatiyyah and the establishment of the Malaysian Wasatiyyah Institute when in the past four years the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) in the Prime Minister’s Department had a RM300 million budget to be an ethnic hate machine to incite racial hatred and animosity and create more racists than Malaysian nationalists – totally contrary and inimical to the concept and spirit of wasatiyyah?

Can Najib explain what “wasatiyyah” is he preaching when during the recent Chinese New Year, he and his government could violate the concept and spirit of wasatiyyah as in the following instances:

1. Espousing extremism and falsehood when he declared in Kuala Terengganu on Feb. 23 that  “a vote for DAP is a vote for the oppression of Muslims”;

2. His  racist, divisive and extremist  directive to exclusively screen the May 13 film, Tanda Putera, to 3,000 Felda settlers although the Cabinet decided last November that the film was “inappropriate” to be screened because of “bias” in the portrayal of May 13 riots in 1969; and

3. Barring of a non-Malay reporter from an English daily from covering a programme organised by the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) in Penang yesterday while Malay reporters were allowed in.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 9 March 2013, 2:35 pm and is filed under
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Debunk the Five Big Lies of UMNO/BN 13GE Campaign

Tonight, on the fifth anniversary of the “308 political tsunami” of March 8, 2008,  I want to debunk the five Big Lies of the Umno/Barisan Nasional 13th General Elections campaign.

Lie No. 1
– that Malaysia will be bankrupt in five, three or even two years’ time (depending on which Umno/BN leader is telling the lie)  if Pakatan Rakyat forms the Federal Government after the 13 GE.

Only a person with a very low IQ will make or believe such a lie.

Have the state governments of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan which are  run by Pakatan Rakyat gone bankrupt after five years in the case of Penang, Selangor and Kedah and for over 22 years in the case of Kelantan?

If Pakatan  Rakyat succeeds in the journey to Putrajaya in the 13GE, we want to be the Federal Government not just for one term, but also to be able to continue to get the national mandate to govern Malaysia in the 14th, 15th and future general elections.

The fastest way to end Pakatan Rakyat’s mandate to govern Malaysia is to lead the country to bankruptcy and economic ruin and this is the last thing that a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will do.

In fact, a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will prove that we can govern Malaysia better than Umno/Barisan Nasional, leading the country to new heights in national unity and harmony, good governance, international competitiveness and economic prosperity.

Lie No. 2
 – that the Malays and the Chinese will be oppressed and marginalized. To the Malay electorate, UMNO leaders warned that if Pakatan Rakyat governs Malaysia, the Malays will suffer as the DAP will be the dominant party and PAS is only a puppet and stooge of DAP; while to the Chinese crowd, MCA and the other BN component parties warned that the Chinese will be the  real victims as  the DAP is a “eunuch” to  PAS as DAP leaders would not dare to speak up or stand up to the PAS leaders who will be the real powers of a Pakatan Rakyat government.

This double falsehood typifies the hypocrisy, dishonesty and total lack of ethics of the Umno/BN leadership who could spread different and even conflicting lies to different audiences – trying to incite racial hatred and distrust by arousing baseless fears among the Malays and non-Malays that they will be oppressed by the other communities.

Lie No. 3
 – the Malays warned that a vote for PR is a vote for DAP and the oppression of the Muslims as DAP wants to establish a Christian state; while the Chinese and non-Muslims warned that a vote for PR is a vote for PAS and the amputation of their limbs with the introduction of hudud and establishment of an Islamic State.

Lie No. 4
 – that there will be another May 13 riots and racial conflagration if Pakatan Rakyat wins in the 13GE, particularly with the  specific warning that Malays will lose their political rights if Umno is defeated.  This is a downright lie as it is only the UMNO leaders and their cronies, and not the ordinary Malays, who will lose their political rights if UMNO loses, as replacing UMNO in the corridors of power will be the Pakatan Rakyat representing all races, religions and regions in the country.

In and out of Parliament, I had challenged the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to declare that UMNO/BN leaders will accept the verdict of the electorate and will effect a peaceful and democratic transition of power from BN to PR if this is the result of the 13GE, but Najib has been conspicuously silent on this issue up to now although he claims to want to make Malaysia “the best democracy in the world”.

Umno/BN leaders are showing their utter lack of responsibility, ethics and even patriotism by spreading these three lies about the 3Rs on race, religion and riots.

A Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya is committed to  demonstrate that all races and religions in Malaysia stand to benefit, as it will be a better government than Umno/BN to promote and safeguard the rights and welfare of all races, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Orang Asli, Kadazans and Ibans, with full freedom of religion as enshrined in the Malaysian  Constitution.

Lie No. 5
 – that Pakatan Rakyat is “sama-sama” like Umno/BN, particularly with regard to corruption and abuses of power.  One of the first tasks of a  PR government in Putrajaya is to show it is not “sama-sama” like the UMNO/BN government, which has presided over worsening corruption, cronyism, financial scandals, abuses of power and the subversion of the independence, professionalism and integrity of the national key institutions in the country.

Let all patriotic Malaysians who want a peaceful democratic change in Malaysia in the 13GE ala-South Korea Spring in 1997 and not ala-Arab Spring help to debunk these five Big Lies so as not to allow UMNO/BN leaders and propagandists to continue to mislead and bamboozle the Malaysian voters after five decades.

(Speech at DAP Kepong Anniversary Dinner at Taman Menjalara, Kepong on Friday, 8th March 2013)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 9 March 2013, 10:09 am and is filed under
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Gift or Nightmare for Najib?

By Kee Thuan Chye

MSN Malaysia

7th March 2013

The ongoing Sabah crisis could turn out to be the gift Prime Minister Najib Razak was hoping for to help his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to victory at the impending general election, which he has yet to call, or a ticking bomb instead.

In rejecting the ceasefire proposed by the Sulu Sultan whose followers landed in Lahad Datu more than three weeks ago to reclaim Sabah as their ancestral homeland, Najib has scored much-needed positive points. Already, even his detractors have expressed support for his stand. They now declare that for once, he is saying something “sensible”, that they are agreeing with him “for the first time”.

Some, however, are saying this is “the only right thing” he has done during the whole crisis. Nonetheless, if he manages to pull off a decisive victory over the intruders, votes, especially from fence-sitters, might actually drop to BN.

But Najib has to do it before the general election has to be held, the absolute last date for which is June 28. If the crisis is not resolved before the general election, his ineffectiveness as prime minister would be exposed. He needs to win the conflict decisively, like Margaret Thatcher won the Falklands War in 1982 and went on to resuscitate her flagging popularity at the UK general election the following year.

On that score, if there was indeed a conspiracy to stage the Sabah crisis as a gamble on the part of either BN or the Opposition, Pakatan Rakyat, to influence the election outcome, it would seem to have favoured BN more than it would have Pakatan. There’s nothing like a war – or, in this case, armed conflict – to unite the people behind the Government against the common enemy. And victory would bring it even greater rewards.

On the other hand, however, the discerning ones among the electorate are aware that this is only the first time throughout the crisis that Najib is talking tough. Prior to this, his administration had approached the crisis in a manner that Malaysians found to be surprisingly too gingerly. The police instead of the army were entrusted with dealing with the situation, and talk in the form of diplomatic negotiations with the intruders rather than action to evict them characterised the first two weeks of the crisis. It was only when the intruders reportedly started shooting on March 1 that the Government was riled into action. But it cost the lives of eight Malaysian police officers that might have been saved if the Government had taken the offensive first.

This is something Najib and his government have to answer for. But more significantly, and going beyond just this crisis, is the larger reality that Sabahans are now clearly paying for the sins of the much-touted Project IC or Project M (named after ex-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad), which opened the gates for illegal immigrants, thousands of them from the same Tausug community as the Sulu intruders, to become Malaysian citizens.

This has become the biggest issue in Sabah and the focus of the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate it. What the current crisis has invoked are the ghosts of Project IC and their potential to haunt the genuine Sabahans for a long time to come. The future for the latter will be filled with the possibility of threat arising from further aggressive forays by the Tausugs, kin of the Suluks who have now settled in Sabah as citizens.

Given this terrible uncertainty, genuine Sabahans might face the dilemma of whether to continue supporting the ruling party that has brought this upon them or to vote it out of power. If they choose the latter course, the crisis might turn out to be a nightmare for Najib instead.

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians, and the latest volume, Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 9 March 2013, 3:11 pm and is filed under
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32-Day Countdown to 13GE –Najib should declare whether he going to fully serve out the next 48 days as  the longest unelected Prime Minister (4 years and 23 days) until Parliament is automatically dissolved on April 27  or announce the date for Parliament’s dissolution for 13GE

At the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat Government’s fifth anniversary rally at Shah Alam last night, I said that from March 9, Malaysia does not have a legitimate Prime Minister as Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the following reasons:

•	he still dare not dissolve Parliament to hold the 13th general elections although he has already become the country’s longest unelected Prime Minister without a mandate of his own.

•	he has put the country on an election-mode for four years, deserving an entry into the  Guinness Book of Records as there is no other country whose head of government had been on a campaign footing for such a long time. In fact, it can be truly said that Najib’s  one and only job since becoming Prime Minister on April 4, 2009 is to campaign to be an elected Prime Minister in the  long-awaited 13GE.

•	the expiry of the five-year natural life of the 12th Parliament which was elected on 8th March 2008.

Nobody is suggesting that Najib is an unlawful or unconstitutional Prime Minister but his legitimacy as Prime Minister has unquestionably  been put in grave doubt – a plight never suffered by the five previous Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah.

Is the legitimacy of the Penang Chief Minister and the Mentri-Mentri Besar of Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan also affected?

Not at all, because all of them, like the heads of the other state governments, had an elected mandate from the voters in the 2008 general elections,  which is not the case with Najib.

Furthermore, the dissolution of the Pakatan Rakyat-run state governments of Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Kelantan, like the other state governments (except Sarawak) hinges on the dissolution of Parliament.

With Parliament and all the state legislatures (except Sarawak) entering into the final lap of their constitutional existence with the expiry of their five-year natural life, arguments seem to be more in favour of simultaneous instead of separate parliamentary/state assembly elections in view of time constraints and problems of logistics in  conducting elections.

Najib should not avoid the issue of legitimacy of his premiership and there are two measures which he can take, viz:

•	Publicly declare acceptance of the concept and principles of Caretaker Prime Minister leading a Caretaker Cabinet which should not make any major or substantive decisions whether concerning policy, appointments, contractual obligations or abuse and misuse of the public service, whether personnel, resources and public funds without consultation with the Opposition until formation of new government after the 13GE; and

•	Publicly declare  whether he going to fully serve out the next 48 days as  the longest unelected Prime Minister (4 years and 23 days) until Parliament is automatically dissolved on April 27 or announce the date for Parliament’s dissolution for 13GE.

After procrastinating for four long years whether “To Dissolve or Not to Dissolve”, Najib has only 48 days to decide or the decision will made for him n with the automatic dissolution of Parliament on April 27 as provided by the Constitution.

Surely Najib cannot be so indecisive that he needs to procrastinate further.

He owes the nation and all Malaysians a duty to end the four-year election uncertainties by stating here and now the date of Parliament’s dissolution if it is going to be earlier than April 27.

Or is this a decision which is too difficult for Najib to make?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 10 March 2013, 2:23 pm and is filed under
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BN government has again made history by funding a racist film on May 13 riots,  “Tanda Putera”,  but screening it  like an anti-national underground movie only to selected audience

The UMNO/Barisan Nasional government of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has chalked up another dubious record – spending RM4.8 million of taxpayers’ money to fund a racist film on May 13 riots, Tanda Putera, but screening it like an anti-national underground movie only to selected audience.

On Feb 18, on Najib’s directive, some 3,000 Felda settlers were treated to a closed-door screening of “Tanda Putera” at the Putra World Trade Centre at a function officiated by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The press was excluded.

Last night, the film was privately shown to a group of 600 students in an “invite-only” screening at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIA).

The media was banned from the screening. A The Malaysian Insider  reporter was turned away from attending the 9pm screening last night, “which appeared to be tightly guarded by security personnel”.

One security guard told The Malaysian Insider that the event was “invite-only” and was strictly meant for students, stressing that the media was not permitted to attend the screening.

Najib should explain why he had overridden the Cabinet decision last November that the film was not appropriate to be screened in public because of its biased and racist portrayal of the Malay 13 riots,  which is a total negation  of  the spirit and concept of the 1Malaysia policy espoused by him when he took his oath of office as Prime Minister four years ago!

What is shocking and deplorable is the “inducement” for the selected 600 students to the “private screening” – the  award of “Star Points” for UIA’s participatory merit point system while it is compulsory for Police Undergraduate Voluntary Corps and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Unit.

Last year, it was bruited by Umno/BN  cybertroopers that I was featured and defamed  in the film with the lie and falsehood that I had caused the May 13 riots in 1969 by shouting the most racist slogans and urinating on the flagpole outside the Selangor Mentri Besar’s residence. This was a total figment of the imagination as I was never in  Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969.

It has now been reported that although I was not featured in the final version of the  film,  there is a  scene of “a group of Chinese youths” allegedly urinating on the flag pole outside the Selangor Mentri Besar’s residence – which is a most  irresponsible and  despicable lie bordering on incitement of racial hatred criminally incendiary and seditious!

Can Najib explain how he could advocate  1Malaysia concept and yet give his blessings to the lies and falsehoods in “Tanda Putera”, even to the extent of vetoing his Cabinet’s decision that it was inappropriate to be screened because of its biased and racial portrayal of May 13 riots.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 10 March 2013, 5:19 pm and is filed under
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Making the choice

— LTF

The Malaysian Insider

Mar 09, 2013

MARCH 9 — March 8, 2008 was a watershed in Malaysian politics where for the first time in general election history, the incumbent government, Barisan Nasional, was seriously challenged by the “so-called” loose coalition that comprised the DAP, PKR and PAS. At that time, even the term “Pakatan Rakyat” was not even coined yet. I remembered vividly the scenario after the election where I sat at home with my family waiting for the results to channel in.

I was working in Penang at that time and I was particularly interested with the results there as there had been strong attendances in the opposition’s ceramahs before the 12th GE. When the results started to trickled in, it was such a surprise when many of the “big guns” from BN had to eat humble pie with the notable casualties including the former MIC president, the then Wanita Umno chief and even known MCA strongholds all over the peninsula.

Many predicted a time of uncertainty as the opposition garnered five states, namely Penang, Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah and Perak. But, as time went by, the worries of uncertainty were unfounded and certain PR states were actually better governed than before.

Today is March 9, 2013. The incumbent government has yet to call for the 13th general election although a slew of handouts, “people-friendly” goodies being distributed to the rakyat. Many would wonder “why the delay?” as normally, the rakyat would be more than happy to vote for the incumbent government after the distribution of the goodies.

I would actually like to invite the people to objectively think about the 13th GE. Personally for me, it’s not really important ‘who’ we are voting for. Of course, the political parties will be going all out to woo all of us to vote for them.

That’s the basic rules of elections. You campaign, you promise the “moon and earth” to ensure majority of the people vote for you. If more people vote for you than your opponent, you win! Plain simple!

However, I believe there are bigger issues at hand! Which government after GE13 will implement better policies that will benefit the rakyat as a whole? There is pending need to review our current education system where is seriously heading down the drain. It baffles me that until today in year 2013, we are still not able to decide whether our younger generation study in English or Bahasa Malaysia. While English is universally known as the “business” and “communication” language’, and I for one, support it as the medium of instruction in schools, it is the “flip flopping” that is doing more harm to the students.

Imagine a student had to study science in English for two years, then switch back to BM for three years, and then switch back again to English for the remainder of his/her high school years. We will actually be creating a batch of students who will be “neither here nor there”. In this ever-competitive world, our young generation cannot afford to be “neither here nor there”!

I believe people who are in management positions especially in the private sector can attest to the current standard of our graduates. Hence, the fundamental issues needs to be solved by whichever party that comes in to govern after GE13.

Besides education, there is a need for more transparency and good governance from the government of the day. The rakyat now is no longer oblivious to “misused of funds”, “rampant acts of corruption” and “blatant nepotism and cronyism”. While information was not easily available in the past, it is the total opposite now. While we still read the mainstream papers and listen to the news on TV, we are not so gullible to believe completely on what’s been reported in these media.

Most people would actually look for news online and do an intellectual comparison on which source is more accurate. In most cases, I, for that matter get even angrier when news are distorted or “conveniently misquoted” in the mainstream media.

I will not be advocating which party we should vote for in this article. It is up to the individual to actually decide which party has the credentials to govern our beloved Malaysia well. In my career, I have worked in Penang, KL, Malacca and now, Sabah. And recently, I have been lucky enough to visit a few European countries for vacation. Believe me, nothing beats home and home is Malaysia. While it’s always an eye opener to visit other countries, I still have faith in Malaysia.

Let’s all hope and pray for a better Malaysia. I shall end my piece with a famous quote from John Dalberg-Acton, “Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”. Let’s ponder over it, shall we?

Malaysia Tanahairku!

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 10 March 2013, 6:49 pm and is filed under
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Spending your money to lie to you

 — Abdul Samad Sulaiman

The Malaysian Insider

Mar 09, 2013

MARCH 9 — How would you react if someone used your money to put together a plan to deceive you? I repeat used your money.

Well, that is what the Najib administration did when it paid millions of ringgit in taxpayers’ money to right-wing bloggers in the United States to write articles damaging to Anwar Ibrahim on sites such as Huffington Post, etc. Essentially, the government used OUR money to plant fictitious reports about the opposition leader.

There is something very disturbing when leaders who swear to respect law and order and whom we hope would have the moral spine to navigate this country on the path of what is right would agree to promoting falsehood and slander. And use government funds at that!

But for me even more upsetting is the fact that this tactic of funding the factory of lies and deceit is happening on our shores and now targetted at the Malaysian audience — you and me.

What government would stoop so low and use taxpayers’ funds to pay bloggers, cybertroopers, set up websites such as The Choice and Malaysian Review and lie to its own people? Can we trust a government, which has embraced lies and deceit, with governing with integrity?

Many of us have been receiving “articles” directly through our emails, written by “eunice the, etc”. A couple of days ago, a “Steve Roads” wrote an “article”, quoting Philippine intelligence sources, alleging that Anwar Ibrahim was behind the Sultan of Sulu’s invaders.

For good measure, the article was accompanied by a Philippine Inquirer logo, giving the impression this was an Inquirer article.

It appears that the government believes that controlling the Internet means dumping fake articles written by fake writers. Isn’t it enough that we have to put up with the fiction written by the mainstream media (Utusan Malaysia’s 100 per cent record of losing all defamation suits shows that I am not overstating the claim) that we have to be sent fictional reports on the Internet.

But that this government chooses this approach to propaganda speaks volumes of the morality of the people at the top. How can we trust these people when they don’t trust us to make a good choice on who should govern Malaysia based on facts?

And really grating is that my money and yours is being given to intellectually-challenged and morally-bankrupt cybertroopers to spin.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 10 March 2013, 8:20 am and is filed under
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Star and MCA’s total distortion of my tribute to the eight policemen who died as national heroes in Lahad Datu and Semporna in shoot-outs with Sulu gunmen

My attention has been drawn to today’s Sunday Star report
“MCA defends RM2,000 aid to families of slain cops”
, which is a total distortion of my tribute to the eight policemen who died as national heroes in Lahad Datu and Semporna in the shoot-outs with Sulu gunmen.

Star quoted the MCA national organising secretary Datuk Tee Siew Kong accusing me of “a ploy to politicise the fatalities” and that I was “out to discredit the services and responsibilities of the uniformed personnel killed while protecting our nation”.

This is utter nonsense.

I stand by my unqualified tribute to the eight police commandos for their highest act of patriotic duty in giving their lives in the defence of national sovereignty and security of the people.

I also stand by  my conviction that these eight police commandoes should not have died if the security forces had been given a free hand to professionally handle the Sabah Sulu crisis, but I do not want at this stage to get into an argument about the role of irresponsible politicians whether for their treason in creating grave security problems in Sabah or for their inept leadership which posed grave threat to life and limb of security forces personnel.

When the Sabah security situation has settled down, can Malaysians expect MCA leaders to support action against political leaders who are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” pretending to be the people’s leaders but committed treason to create a grave security situation in Sabah or through their inefficient leadership exposed security forces personnel to unnecessary danger?

I had in Senai on Wednesday referred to the announcement by the MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek that MCA would donate RM16,000 to the families of the eight security personnel killed in the Sulu attacks and the MCA pledge to donate RM2,000 for every security personnel killed in the Sabah crisis.

I did not criticise the RM16,000 donation to the eight bereaved families, but I felt offended at the talk of RM2,000 for every security personnel killed, as if expecting more security personnel to be killed in Sabah as well as the deplorable attitude as if  money could solve all problems.

The correct attitude would be to ensure that there should not be any more loss of lives among our security personnel in Sabah.

This was why the Pakatan Rakyat Leadership Council had called for a special meeting of Parliament to achieve a situation where there would not be any further loss of lives among our security personnel in Sabah but this is a proposal none of the four MCA Ministers had supported in the Cabinet that morning.

That was why I criticised the MCA leadership. Was I wrong?

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 10 March 2013, 6:16 pm and is filed under
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31-Day Countdown to 13GE –Special meeting of Parliament more urgent to condemn cruel, inhuman and barbaric killing of Malaysian policemen by Sulu gunmen and unanimous  call to Philippines Government to officially drop all claims to Sabah

Malaysians are shocked, disgusted and outraged by the cruel, inhuman and barbaric killing of Malaysian policemen by Sulu gunmen in Semporna as revealed by the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Ipoh yesterday – sadistic acts like the mutilation of bodies with the ripping of eyes, decapitating heads and cutting up bodies.

Most shocking of all was Zahid’s revelation that some of the fallen heroes in Semporna had their fingers cut off when still alive.

These are completely unacceptable conduct even in war-time and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all Malaysians as well as the international community although Zahid said it was possible that the killers were under the influence of drugs or were using black magic as a reason for their brutality.

The eight policemen killed in the shoot-outs with Sulu gunmen in Lahad Datu and Semporna are national heroes who had given their lives in the defence of national sovereignty and security of the people of Sabah, and they deserve to be remembered as national heroes with the nation bearing full responsibility for the welfare of their surviving  family and children, including life-long education to university level for all the children of the fallen heroes.

Zahid’s shocking revelations of the cruel, bestial and uncivilized killing of the policemen in Semporna by Sulu gunmen reinforces the urgency and need to call a special meeting of Parliament which should pass an unanimous resolution by all MPs, regardless of political party, race or religion at least on five subjects, viz:

•	Give full support to the Federal Government to take all necessary measures to protect the national sovereignty and the security of the people of Sabah and security forces stationed in the state;

•	Pay tribute to the eight fallen heroes from the police forces in the shoot-outs with Sulu gunmen in Lahad Datu and Semporna;

•	Set up a special foundation to look after the welfare of their surviving family and children, including life-long education to university level for the children of the fallen heroes;

•	Condemn in the strongest possible terms the cruel, inhuman, uncivilized and barbaric killing of the fallen heroes in Semporna by Sulu gunmen and to invoke national and international censure of such bestial conduct to bring to justice the inhuman killers; and

•	Call on Philippines Government to demonstrate ASEAN spirit and solidarity by  officially dropping all claims to Sabah.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 11:19 am and is filed under
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An oath of office

by KJ John

Malaysiakini

Mar 5, 2013

Wikipedia defines an oath of office as:

An oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organisations. Such oaths are often required by the laws of the state, religious body, or other organization before the person may actually exercise the powers of the office or any religious body.

It may be administered at an inauguration, coronation, enthronement, or other ceremony connected with the taking up of office itself, or it may be administered privately. In some cases it may be administered privately and then repeated during a public ceremony.

Some oaths of office are a statement of loyalty to a constitution or other legal text or to a person or other office-holder (e.g., an oath to support the constitution of the state, or of loyalty to the king). Under the laws of a state it may be considered treason or a high crime to betray a sworn oath of office.

Any oath of office is also usually a position of legitimate authority assigned, ascribed, or appointed, upon a qualified person to hold some public office.

Usually, to assume the office there is a ceremonial procedure for the assumption of the formal office and consequent title. Often, before the actual assumption of the new role and responsibility, the incumbent must take the oath of office. The oath is a proper symbolism for officially assuming the new appointment in public.

Mistakes in oaths of office

US president Barack ObamaThe US president has to take that oath of office, and in fact at his first inauguration, President Obama (right) had to repeat it privately, as he had not followed the exact wording, in the first and formal one the first time. In the case of the popes of the Catholic Church, it appears that the last two incumbents, including the current one, did not take read the actual oath of office. There has been many questions and debate about why this was so.

In the case of PM Najib Abdul Razak, it appears that the prime minister did not follow the exact wording of the oath of office, as it is recorded and made requisite. Malaysiakini carried a story wherein they quote a situation where in the former KL CID Chief Mat Zain Ibrahim “pointed out this discrepancy in one of his open letters to solicitor-general Idrus Harun today, following Najib’s oath-taking ceremony held on April 3, 2009, to become the sixth PM of the country.”

The report by Malaysiakini does give the exact wording of the oath of office of the prime minister as contained in the Schedule 6 of the federal constitution. But Mat Zain’s argument is that in his actual oath of office, the prime minister’s rendering was actually changed, altered, or removed for seven words contained in the Oath of Office.

Mat Zain argued: “The changes in words and structure are not in the federal constitution and this raises questions as such changes are not recognised by the constitution which is the highest document in the country.”

He further argued: “The question remains whether Najib’s oath to be the prime minister and vouch of secrecy is valid when he uses a different name from that in his identity card as the name is different from the oath which he took and recognised by the federal constitution.”

Is not such an oath of office sacrosanct?

If one goes by the letter of the law, much like in the case of the American president’s case, a private, nonetheless official re-reading or restating of the oath was deemed necessary and important; as part and parcel of the protocol of good traditions and some symbolism which is considered sacrosanct.

But in the case of the pope, especially in the case of the last two, it appears that the actual reading of the oath of office was deemed not as critical as the selection and election by the conclave of cardinals is the official process. A choice made is formal and official. No official oath of office was a necessary condition.

Now, what about in our case? Can the Malaysian PM or the office he seeks to assume, change some words or phrases as they feel like, when the federal constitution has already clearly dictated and spelled out the nature of that statement?

Let me push this question a little more and press the envelope on this. Can, for example, a new Yang di-Pertuan Agong change the tradition of his coronation as his office or officers would like him to?

Or, can a new prime minister, for example, reword the oath of office and say other things than what is already clearly recorded in the federal constitution?

This is an important point related to what we consider to be the rule of law in Malaysia. Therefore I agree with Mat Zain that it cannot be the right or responsibility of the incoming prime minister to change the words and phrases already defined and constrained by the constitution.

Such wilful and illegitimate “modifications” are what maybe has caused us to slip down the slippery slope of corruption and abuse of power in Malaysia? For example, could that not be why the amendments related to Article 121 (1A) has artificially created an equality between Syariah and Civil Laws in Malaysia today? Unless we learn to respect the laws of the nation-state as contained and crafted in our document of destiny, we are doomed into wilful corruption and abuse of the founding and history of this nation-state.

KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with. Write to him at
[email protected]
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                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 8:47 am and is filed under
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Can the EC be trusted?

By Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 10:41 am and is filed under
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LKS: Debunking the 5 Big Lies of Umno/MB

By Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 10:37 am and is filed under
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M’sia Scores A First in Movie Ratings

By Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 5:39 pm and is filed under
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Najib has delivered — An illegitimate Premiership!

By Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 10:44 am and is filed under
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So… is it a war, are they terrorists?

by Martin Jalleh

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 10:52 am and is filed under
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Suaris Interview: The Future of Malays #7

by Bakri Musa

Suaris Interview:  The Future of Malays #7:  Touching on the economy, while to date Malays have made some progress nonetheless the new generation considers that insignificant. They demand a bigger share of the cake, at least 30 percent. How can we achieve this target?

[The original appeared in www.suaris.wordpress.com on February 27, 2013

MBM:  To begin with, which mortal has declared that Malays are entitled to 30 percent? In which verse is it so written? Why 30 and not 60 or 20? Queried thus, it is obvious that the figure 30 percent is only the figment of someone’s imagination, or more correctly, fantasy. Whether we control 20 or 60 percent of the economy would depend entirely on our efforts and initiatives, not based on some written parchment.

             I agree that our achievement thus far, and not just in economics, is far from satisfactory. It is in fact pathetic when you consider that UMNO, meaning Malays, have been ruling the country for over half a century. Whom can we blame – leaders or citizens?

            Economic development depends of us, individually and as a society, having and running successful enterprises. A successful enterprise requires three essential capitals. Most are familiar with only financial capital – money. More important, and we do not emphasize enough, are human and social capitals. We provide literally billions in financial capital, but because we ignore the other two, our enterprises often fail or do not succeed well.

            When I began my private practice in America, I did not have any money but because of the value of my human capital was high (being a surgical specialist), I had no difficulty borrowing from the bank. That reflects the primacy of human over financial capital. When your human capital is high, financial capital is not an issue.

            The bank was not shy in lending me money even though I was a recent immigrant to America and had no friends or family to guarantee the loan. That reflects the high quality of America’s social capital. The bank had faith in the system that I had received my medical credentials legitimately and not through corrupt or nefarious means. Consequently it had confidence in my competence and thus potential success as a private practitioner.

            Had America’s social capital been low and I could obtain my license through corrupt means or through a degree mill (there was a time in America in the not-too-distant past when that was possible), there would be no assurance that I would be competent. My patients too would sooner or later discover that I was a fraud or a physician in name only.

            If American society has low social capital, the banks would not readily grant loans especially to a recent immigrant (pendatang as it were), non-white person (not an American Bumiputra, to put in Malaysian perspective), or someone who shares the religion as Osama bin Ladin. I might not repay the loan on the basis that interest payment is sinful!

            Compare America’s social capital to Malaysia’s, especially Malays’. Could a competent Malay engineer who is a member of PAS get a loan from Bank Islam or land a contract with the UMNO government?

            Jamaluddin Jarjis, former Malaysian Ambassador to United States, related how he had difficulty securing a loan from local banks to start his engineering consultancy firm in the 1970s even though he had a PhD in engineering from McGill, an elite university. Now that he is an UMNO strong man, they line up not only to lend but also give him money! That reflects the low quality of our social capital.

            A few years ago a student at a leading American university had her scholarship withdrawn because her father was active in PAS. Again, that reflects our low social capital! A society with high social capital values the individual’s talent and ability; a society with low social capital values who and not what he knows.

            The problem of financial capital is readily solvable; not so with human and social capitals. If we do not elevate the value of Malay human and social capitals, there is no hope for us regardless how generous the quotas or lucrative the contracts we reserve for ourselves. We could kiss goodbye the 30 percent goal, or even the 20 percent!

            To enhance our social capital, we must separate as far as possible the incestuous relationship between politics and economics. Granted, we cannot fully divorce the two as they are inextricably linked, but politics in Malaysia generally and Malay society specifically interferes with or more correctly poisons the other sectors especially economic.

            Our academics are less scholars and intellectuals, more UMNO activists. Peruse their resume and intellectual output. No wonder they are caricatured as Professor Kangkong (pseudo scholars). The tragic consequence is not just the plummeting of the quality of our universities but a whole generation of young Malaysians are wasted.

            If we do not have qualified local or Malay experts, don’t hesitate in getting foreigners. Even America has many foreign professors. In all my school years in the 1950s I had only one Malay teacher (other than those teaching me Malay). Likewise at university, as I studied abroad. Yet I did not feel in anyway deprived academically or felt less Malay. Nor was my education inadequate or that I have fallen under the sway of foreigners.

            I care only the competent and diligent to teach our students. There is no pride if they were taught by incompetent or less diligent Malay professors. Where is the pride of being operated by a Malay surgeon if you have to suffer the consequences of his inadequate skills? What pride is there if a Malay engineer were to design our bridges but there is more water flowing over than underneath them?

            A society with high social capital values the expertise and talent of the individual, not his race, tribe or political views.

            Consider the many government-sponsored enterprises like FELDA aimed at helping Malays. I would expect such entities to be led by competent individuals with at least an MBA and vast corporate or private sector experience, not discredited politicians and retired civil servants. Isa Samad, FELDA’s head, has zero private sector experience; he could not even run a roadside coffee stall. What is his legacy after leading Negri Sembilan for decades?

            To enhance our social capital we must value the competent and industrious regardless of their political sympathies (UMNO or PAS), religious preferences (hijab wearers or fond of gowns and jeans), or the singers they admire (Ito or Siti). We must also not be tolerant of those who are corrupt, incompetent or have repeatedly abused our trust in them no matter how much they praise us, or bribe us with our own (taxpayers’) money.

            In short, a society with high social capital practices meritocracy. I purposely avoided using that term as it is so often confused with or limited to mean only paper qualifications and test scores. Its true scope is much broader.

            On another front, a society with high social capital saves diligently and is not wasteful. The act of savings goes beyond simply putting money in the bank and being prudent. It reflects an ability to think and plan for the future. Those who do so are more likely to thrive. A society with high savings rate has ample “capital formation” to finance economic development, as exemplified by the Japanese and South Koreans.

            When Datuk Onn and Za’aba talked about “correcting” Malays, they meant that even though they were not aware of the concept of social capital. There is nothing wrong with Malay society; we need only enhance our social and human capitals.

            If one has high human capital but lives in a society with low social capital, one could always migrate to where the social capital is high. Every year thousands of Chinese, Indians and Europeans leave their native land to do exactly that.

            The quality of human capital is dependent on health and education. The first is obvious; if you sickly, you are not likely to be productive. The second is related to enhancing citizens’ skills, ingenuity and diligence. Consider Proton; while manufacturing cars it could also train mechanics. Once the value of their human capital is enhanced, then only provide them with the necessary financial capital so they could open their own workshops. Do so and within a few years we would see Ahmad Auto Repairs and Mahmud Motorworks mushrooming in Malaysian towns. Who gets the franchise to operate Petronas stations at present? Politicians who have no idea the difference between struts and carburetors!

            Likewise with contracts for canteens in schools and public buildings; those should be given to graduates of MARA catering programs. Once they have completed their training (thus have enhanced human capital), only then provide them with the financial capital and contracts. Once they are successful as canteen operators they would expand into their own restaurants and catering services.

            Every year the government gives out for free valuable state land. Who gets them? UMNO operatives who are loath to get their fingernails dirty. Why not give those land to agricultural graduates of UPM?

            Enhance our human and social capitals; the two are far more crucial than financial capital. If we ignore developing our human and social capitals we might as well kiss goodbye our 30 percent goal. Any other pursuits are but fantasy.

Cont’d.:  Suaris Interview. The Future of Malays # 8: You have written much on improving our education. Is the present system capable of preparing Malays for the future? If not what should be done to improve, replace and overcome those deficiencies?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 3:26 pm and is filed under
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The best way to produce competitive Bumiputera contractors

by Koon Yew Yin

I recently published an article with the title, “Room for Competitive Bumiputera Companies – A Wasteful National Mission”.  My intention was to support Petronas Chairman Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas who is under fire from the Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) for allegedly marginalizing Bumiputera companies and favouring more competitive foreign companies.

In fact MTEM has conveniently forgotten that in 2010 and 2011 alone, Petronas awarded a huge sum of about Rm 74 billion worth of contracts to Bumiputera controlled companies.  Apparently this is not enough for MTEM which has called for Tan Sri Shamsul and the board members of Petronas to resign. MTEM expects to get most of the contracts irrespective of whether they are competent to undertake the contracts.

This politicking against Petronas – a national company with all Malaysians as stakeholders – is certainly not good for our economy. I wish to emphasize that Petronas is not a Malay company and Malay cronies of UMNO should not expect hand outs and contracts as if we are still living in the NEP era.

It is time that all Malay business enterprises and individuals grow up and realize they have to become competitive if they wish to survive in the business world.  Nowhere in the real world is there preferential treatment for Bumiputera or any other ‘putera’!

Continuously giving out contracts to Bumiputeras as MTEM is calling for – without competitive tenders – will make them more inefficient and result in poor quality work.  At the end of the day, it will be all Malaysians who will have to bear the collapse of a crony-driven and Malay-oriented Petronas if it loses its standing in the global market.

Giving out contracts without a full tender process is akin to corruption. Why a closed tender or Bumiputra favouring policy has to be pursued by Petronas needs to be openly justified by MTEM rather than swept under the carpet and hidden by the veil of threats.

The best way to produce efficient and competitive Bumiputera contractors

I would like to share my experiences in the contracting industry with Bumiputera contractors so that they can understand why they have failed and what needs to be done by the government to correct this situation.

Most difficult huddle is to submit the cheapest tender

Firstly, it is necessary to warn that contracting is a difficult business although it is so easy to register as a contractor in Malaysia. It is not well known that there are more failures and bankruptcies in contracting than in any other business. Another little known fact is that almost all construction projects are
NOT
 completed within the original scheduled time. This explains why one can often see uncompleted or abandoned projects.

A key point to note is that contractors – under an open tender system – always have to produce good work at the cheapest price.

In order to submit the cheapest tender, the contractor must be very optimistic in all his assumptions. He must assume that he will not encounter any cash flow difficulties and that he will always get his progress payments on time.

He must also assume that he will not encounter any difficulty in getting all the required materials to avoid any delay and also that there are ample workers for him to choose.

Furthermore, he must also assume that he will not meet any inclement weather or other adverse factor during construction. Invariably, some of these assumptions will be proven wrong, thus delaying completion. Often, the infrastructure will cost more to complete than provided for in the contract.

The importance of teamwork

Teamwork is important in all business endeavours. It is more so in the contracting business. Every contractor must realise that his success is not going to be determined by his own knowledge or abilities. It is determined by his ability to develop a great team. His co-workers will help determine the level of his success.

Every efficient contractor must have a reliable team comprising managers, sub-contractors, material suppliers, foremen and skilled workers. All the team players must cooperate with one another. Their main goal must be saving cost. If they cannot complete the contract within the tender price, all of them will be affected.

Construction material pricing

There was no material price escalation clause in the conditions of contract before I became the Secretary General of the Master Builders Association. During the unprecedented oil crisis, building material prices shot through the roof. As a result, many contractors could not complete their contracts for schools and other projects. After several appeals the Public Works Department (PWD), now known as Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) and Tengku Razaleigh, the Finance Minister then, eventually allowed cement and steel for price variation reimbursement.

This was only a partial solution as hundreds of other items were excluded.

Without a protective price fluctuation clause for the other items, contractors are exposed to risk. Invariably, most materials would increase in price due to inflation. Contractors require many years of experience to anticipate such price changes and to make provisions for them whilst at the same time not overpricing their tenders and losing the bid.

No two contracts are exactly the same

Construction of a building is always akin to making a prototype. The process is much more difficult than manufacturing any product where there is repetition. In the construction of buildings or other engineering works, there is very little repetitive work. Every construction site is different.

On top of this, there may also be inexperienced supervisory staff that can create a lot of difficulties for the contractors. Invariably, by the time all parties get used to the routine, the scheduled time is over.

Financing

Most contractors do not have sufficient capital to finance their undertakings.

Contractors generally do not have fixed assets like most manufacturers. Unfortunately, banks do not accept moving assets as collateral for a loan. Without bank financing, contractors will find it more difficult to undertake their business.

Beginning at the bottom: key to success

I have provided some insight into why contracting is not a business that is as easy or profitable as it is commonly perceived.

There are other factors explaining why or how some of the most successful tycoons associated with the construction industry have managed to get to where they are. Perhaps the main one is learning by starting at the bottom. For example, Lim Goh Tong of Genting began his working career as a scrap iron dealer and a contractor; and Yeoh Tiong Lay of YTL Corp. started off as a small general contractor.

Generally, Bumiputeras are not interested in managing small businesses and earning small profits. Because of the NEP, many have hopes of securing concessions for big deals. There are relatively few Bumiputeras involved in small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).

More Bumiputeras should start by becoming traders for building materials. The business skill they can learn from these humble beginnings will carry them a long way. I am sure some of them will eventually become good contractors if they learn the trade at the bottom.

Importance of skilled workers.

There are so few Bumiputera construction foremen, carpenters and other skilled workers. If you were to go into any construction site, you would see the truth of what I am saying. How many Malay carpenters have you seen in KL?

Without skilled Bumiputera workers, it would be more difficult for Bumiputera contractors to succeed. More Bumiputeras should be encouraged to work as apprentices in the construction industry.

Conclusion: Half-baked contractors are not in our national interest

Contracting is one of the most difficult businesses and it takes a long time to produce competent contractors.

It is dangerous to quickly produce half-baked ones as they will soon find themselves in financial difficulties and require bailouts. The bankruptcy record shows that many debtors are Bumiputera contractors unable to pay back the loans given by government-controlled financial institutions.

The government must change its policies which have proven unworkable. There is no urgency in producing more Bumiputera contractors as many of the key industries e.g. the banks, toll roads, water, electricity, plantations, commodities, etc are already under the control of Bumiputeras.

Our government must not be narrowly communalistic and should make use of all the groups, irrespective of race, that are more efficient in the contracting business.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 11:01 am and is filed under
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We reap what we sow

– Hsu Dar Ren

The Malaysian Insider

Mar 10, 2013

MARCH 10 – The west has a saying that ‘we reap what we sow’. Although I am not a Christian, I believe that this is mentioned in the Holy Book too ( Galatians 6:7 – Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap).

In the East, the Chinese has a saying that “if we plant melon, we get melons; if we plant bean, we get beans”. The Indians believe in karma which is basically a law of cause and effect; the same as we reap what we sow. Buddhists too believe in Karma; we are what we are today because of our past deeds.

The problems that we are facing in Malaysia can actually be attributed to our past deeds.

As the nation progresses, we have built more and more infrastructure. Some are even world class and very impressive. But as a former Prime Minister had once lamented: we have first class infrastructure but third class maintenance. We literally let things rot.

We have also formulated more and more rules and laws as the society becomes more sophisticated. Which is theoretically good if these law s are actively enforced.

The problem with us is that just like we do not maintain properly what we have built, we do not enforce laws and rules strictly and uniformly. We often see double standard in enforcement. Sometimes there are just no enforcement and you know why.

This was not so just after Independence.

When I was a young boy, my father had a Austin A40 car which was of course the pride of the house as at that time, few people owned cars. He was very careful at traffic junctions. I remember he telling me that in any junction with “stop-look-go” sign, the car had to come to a complete stop behind the white line drawn on the road. If the car has not stopped completely, even if there was no traffic, a person would be liable to be fined. If the car stopped but over the white line, the driver would be fined too. He was once fined just for that when his car’s front wheels went over slightly the white line.

The law was so strictly enforced at that time that some of the weeping children would stop crying immediately when mothers telling them that police was coming if they didn’t stop .

But things started to change and we became more and more lax in enforcement. I suspect this might even be correlated and proportional to the increasing trend of corrupt practices. Some probably have to do with our ‘tidak-apa’ attitude.

We have strict immigration checkpoints at all international airports. We have strict immigration check point at the causeway and second link with Singapore. Law abiding citizens or foreigners would have to wait patiently to cross these checkpoints.

Contrast this to certain border areas like Sabah, or even Northern part of Peninsular, where the border is so porous that many illegals have taken advantage of these porous borders to come and go as they wish. What is the points of having strict checking at some points and no checking at others?

We have done nothing when someone clearly has violated the law when he threatened to burn the Bibles. We have been quick to pounce on those who have no connections when they uttered things which are much milder and less provoking and inflammatory. We have even arrested an innocent journalist under the previous ISA ‘for her protection’.

We have seen people breaking traffic rules with no action taken. We have seen foreign workers setting up stores to do businesses when they have no right to do so. We have so many illegals in the country that we encounter them everywhere we go.

We have people who are not qualified for citizenship but were given citizenship freely for political reasons. On the other hand, we have genuine cases of those who are born here and stay here all their lives but still have their citizenship application rejected every time they apply.

Because of selective and lack of enforcement, corruption practices have become common and pervasive. We have lost excellence in every field.

The incident of Sabah would not have happened if we have strictly enforced immigration laws.

I hope the Sabah incident would serve as an eye opener and wakeup call for the power-that-be. Malaysia needs to have better enforcement of the hundreds of laws and rules that we have passed and implemented.

For Malaysia to achieve a First World Status, we need a complete overhaul of the system and the mindsets.

We need change, real change not cosmetic ones, to move forward!

                This entry was posted on Monday, 11 March 2013, 8:40 am and is filed under
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