Malaysia will need to improve its performance in education

 — Tunku Munawirah Putra

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 09, 2012

APRIL 9 — Our deputy prime minister/minister of education announced that the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Competitive Index (GCI) report 2011-2012 for Malaysia ranks the quality of our education system at No. 14 out of 142 countries. Malaysia should be proud of this accomplishment which is above many developed countries including the United Kingdom, the US and Germany.

We really should give ourselves a pat on the back for being ranked at par with these First World nations. But instead, many have voiced their concern over the misrepresentation or misinterpretation of the data by the minister. Many are not amused but aghast.

The WEF CGI report has, for three decades, been perceived as the world’s most respected assessment of national competitiveness, by leading business executives around the world. The control sample is based on the opinion of 87 senior-level management in the business community in Malaysia. It is a snapshot of what they believe is true and they believe that Malaysia has one of the best education systems in the world.

Therefore, their opinion is credible and the report is not for dispute. The information is to be helpful for business communities to evaluate the viability of Malaysia as a global player in the corporate world, and specifically to serve the needs of this niche group only.

To put the WEF opinion poll into better perspective, the respondents would have belonged to the top echelons of the business community. It can be safe to assume that they are among the elite — high income, highly educated and living in the urban areas, specifically Kuala Lumpur, with their children in private and international schools and a plan for overseas tertiary education thereafter.

Therefore, to be ranked 14th would have highly likely been based on the quality of private and international education, and not the overall level of the Malaysian education system as a whole. The choices of good private and international schools are plentiful and thanks to the relaxation on local students’ enrolment, these schools are available in every high-income housing area, making such schools very accessible to this group.

To determine overall students’ performance and the education system as a whole, the international standardised test, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS) for Malaysia, would be a more accurate determinant of the current state of affairs in education.

The number of students assessed in Malaysia for PISA 2010 is 4,999 and TIMSS 2007 is 4,466. Cognizance and modesty would point us to evaluate our entire education internationally via PISA and TIMSS. Unfortunately, the reality is that we performed below average in both tests.

One would err to interpret the WEF GCI Education ranking report in isolation without considering the control environment of the sample and generalising that it represents the whole education system when it clearly does not. The WEF CGI shows a true picture of only a cross section of the population whilst PISA and TIMSS covers a wider spectrum.

At least now, nationally, we have been apprised of our ability to compare the level of education available to the wealthy minority versus what is available to the less fortunate majority. This goes to show that we have the capability to provide quality education locally and we should strive hard and work towards that benchmark.

Without doubt, these private and international schools offer mathematics and science in English. We wonder what the opinion would be if the following question was asked: “How likely are you to send your children to schools which offer science and mathematics in English?”

* Tunku Munawirah Putra is the honorary secretary of PAGE Malaysia.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 9 April 2012, 5:15 pm and is filed under
Education
,
Muhyiddin Yassin
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Our schools are better than those in the USA, UK, and Germany?

— Wan Saiful Wan Jan

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 09, 2012

APRIL 9 — In his speech closing the National Higher Education Carnival 2012 on March 31, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin claimed that Malaysia was ranked 14th globally for the quality of our education system.

He added that this means our younger generation is receiving a better quality of education compared to those in America, the United Kingdom and Germany.

The ranking that Muhyiddin, who is also the education minister, quoted was from the Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 published by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It is just one of 111 indicators — each of which can individually be turned into rankings — that the WEF used to calculate our country’s competitiveness.

In fact, the ranking is not for the overall quality of our education system. Rather, we were 14th globally only for our higher education and training. We scored lower for primary education, at number 21.

Muhyiddin’s blunder was to be too selective in choosing what to quote from this 500-page document. As a result, his speech gave the wrong impression to the public, and created a field day for his critics.

Unsurprisingly, critics jumped on this rare blunder. The simplest criticism is, if our education system is really that good, then why does the government spend millions every year to send students to the very countries Muhyiddin said are inferior to us? Shouldn’t we be having an influx of students from America, the UK and Germany instead?

But even if we were to follow Muhyiddin’s selectiveness, the rankings that WEF gave Malaysia for our primary education as well as higher education and training are very telling of the state of our education institutions today. To understand why I say that, allow me to explain how the data collection was done for this report.

The WEF did not collect the data themselves. Instead they work through local partner institutes. In Malaysia, these are the Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) and the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC). The report states that these two organisations were chosen, among others, because “of their capacity to reach out to leading business executives.”

They surveyed 87 “leading business executives”. This is a rather small sample size. However, we have to acknowledge that this is a global survey and the total global sample size is actually very big. The WEF surveyed over 15,000 respondents from 142 economies between January and June 2011.

After some editing, which is normal in any survey, a total of 13,395 surveys were retained, giving an average of 98 respondents per country, while the median country sample size is 89 responses. So Malaysia’s 87 respondents is comparable to other countries. But the sample size is a rather technical issue that I do not wish to debate at this juncture.

What really attracted my attention was the fact that these 87 respondents gave Malaysia relatively respectable scores for our primary education and higher education and training. I mean, number 21 and 14, respectively, out of 142 countries is really not that bad.

It would be very interesting if we can study the demographics of these respondents. Unfortunately such data is not made public. But I suspect the respondents are not vegetable sellers at the Tamu Bintulu market or taxi drivers in Kaki Bukit. I bet most of them have never set foot to schools in Titi Gajah or Triang. They probably have never even heard of these places. If we were to ask the opinions of villagers from these places — and it is a shame that nobody seems interested in their views — I doubt they share the respondents’ sentiment.

The reason for that is, it is more likely that these “leading business executives” are urbanites living in relatively wealthier townships. It is also more likely that their children go to either some of the better and more affluent government schools, if not the private schools that are beyond the reach of the vast majority of Malaysians.

It is therefore not surprising that they would rank their experience of the Malaysian education system quite highly. And it is also not surprising that the ranking seems to be detached from the day-to-day realities faced by the lay public.

Thus Muhyiddin’s statement actually highlights a serious concern in our education system. It shows that there is a gap between the institutions attended by the wealthier “leading business executives” and the common people. Muhyiddin has inadvertently highlighted the increasingly wide education inequity gap between the haves and the have-nots.

I am very happy that the 87 “leading business executives” surveyed for this report feel that Malaysia’s education system is good. Clearly some of our public schools, and perhaps many of our private schools, as well as the higher education institutions these executives send their children to are globally competitive. We should be proud of what these institutions have achieved, and we must create a policy environment that will allow them to flourish further.

But the question is, how do we help government schools in rural areas catch up? How do we ensure children in Ajil and Sipitang have the same life chances as those in Damansara Heights and Sri Hartamas? How do we make the public universities in Perlis and Kelantan comparable to the Malaysian campuses of Monash and Nottingham?

These are the million-dollar questions and I don’t claim to have an answer immediately. But I do know that the ranking that Muhyiddin quoted implies a worrying education inequity — i.e. children from wealthier families continue to enjoy better quality education while the rest in our society do not have such access.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) is currently undertaking a national review of our education system. They have put together a truly committed and passionate team to conduct this gargantuan task. This team must now ensure they reach out to the poor and underprivileged as part of the consultation process.

If they only capture the views of the wealthy and articulate urbanites, their data will be highly skewed towards the views of one demographic group. The MoE officials tasked with the review process must avoid the blunder of being selective. They must find ways to listen to the voices of the poor and the low-income group so that their findings are truly holistic.

* Wan Saiful Wan Jan is chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (www.IDEAS.org.my). This article first appeared in The Edge on April 9, 2012.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 9 April 2012, 4:33 pm and is filed under
Education
,
Muhyiddin Yassin
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Reforming Education. Part Three: Fixing Kampong Schools

By
M. Bakri Musa

Third of Six Parts: Extending the School Day and Year

In the first essay I suggested enhancing the English fluency of kampong students through increasing the number of hours devoted to the subject and the number of subjects taught in that language, introducing English immersion classes, and even bringing back the colonial-era English schools. The second essay dealt with recruiting teachers, as with those retired ones trained under the old all-English system, native English-speaking spouses of Malaysians and expatriates, and recruiting from abroad. This essay focuses on kampong schools.

Finland demonstrates the crucial importance of having professional, well-trained teachers. That is only one part of the solution. Provide these teachers with superior school facilities, as those Finns are doing, and only then can we expect miracles from our students. Today we provide kampong pupils with neither, and we expect miracles from them. When they do not deliver, as you would expect, they would be blamed and left to shoulder the presumed deficiencies of our race and culture.

What a terrible burden we impose upon our fragile young!

The first and immediate issue is the deplorable physical conditions of kampong schools. Many are unsafe, from roofs collapsing to unhygienic canteens. At first glace this is purely an engineering and public health issue respectively. Meaning, get competent engineers and builders to design and build structurally safe schools, and have public health inspectors to check regularly on the canteens.

Like everything else in Malaysia however, the corrosive effect of political corruption intrudes everywhere, even and especially on school contracts. The roof contractors and canteen operators are at the end of a very long line, after the economic parasites that are the corrupt politicians have had their fill. Then we wonder at why our school children are burnt to death from unsafe hostels. There is no money left for a sprinkler system or fire alarm.

It is a complex and systemic problem, and school contracts are only a small and not even the most lucrative part. So do not expect remedies any time soon, certainly not from the government as these corrupt politicians are it.

Fortunately in Malaysia the various professional bodies still retain some semblance of autonomy. One solution would be for them to hold those professionals accountable. When roofs collapse for example, the engineers and architects responsible should be hauled before their respective professional boards to be disciplined. Revoke a few professional licenses and that would send a clear and effective message. It would not stop political corruption but at least that would keep our professionals honest and, well, professional. The Watergate scandal of the Nixon era saw a number of lawyers disbarred, with salutary effect on the others.

A more direct and practical solution would be to stop entirely the building of schools and focus instead on having classrooms, specifically factory-built modular units. Put a few of these together, and with additional units for administration, teachers’ lounge, and multipurpose use, and you have a school. The only local tender left would be to prepare the site to put these units, grade the school field, and pave the driveway. The monetary value of such tenders would be so small as not to interest the local political warlords.

With portable generators these units could be air-conditioned and equipped with satellite dishes. Then those children would no longer be disadvantaged, at least with respect to digital connectivity.

Put these modular units under shady trees and you lessen considerably the cooling bill. With cool classrooms you could extend the school day and year. Those students would rather remain in class rather than be out in the heat of the day. I would use the afternoon for fine arts as with music lessons, “prep” time, and sports so that when these students leave for home it would be only to play with their friends, and to sleep. All their school work, and more, had been done at school.

I would lengthen the school year from the current 180 to 210-220 days, to match the Japanese. This is one area to “Look East.” I would also provide lunches and mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks to ensure that the pupils would get adequate nutrition. Besides, it would hard to educate a hungry kid.

Next to nutrition is health. You cannot educate a child who is unhealthy, and you cannot keep a child healthy who is uneducated. During my primary school days in the early 1950s, there was a dental clinic at my school and we had regular checkups. Indian and African school children are today regularly de-wormed. That is one intervention that contributes most to their improved school performance and reduced absenteeism.

Worm infestation was endemic during my youth as kampong kids were essentially kaki ayam (barefooted) at home and in school. Today with a better economy, they wear shoes. However, now with frequent floods, worm infestation may again be a major factor. We need solid data for if indeed this is a major problem, it can be readily and cheaply remedied.

I would enrich the curriculum with music lessons and singing classes. That would boost the pupils’ confidence and spill over to their academic performance. This has been demonstrated in rural Venezuela with its highly effective El Sistema program, and has been successfully replicated in inner-city schools of New York. Singing is also the best way to learn another language. I learned English through singing Baa Baa Black Sheep, as well as taking part in debates, speeches and class plays. Those activities would not and could not be readily tested at the end of the year, but they contribute immensely to learning.

Kampong schools are also small; we should exploit that advantage and not let it be a liability or be an excuse for not doing anything. For one, the teachers would get to know the students and their families well. Learning and other problems could be spotted earlier and effective interventions instituted sooner. Rest assured that there would be no bullying or other anti-social behaviors as they would be spotted much earlier before they could get out of hand. America’s Small School Movement championed by Deborah Meier is premised precisely on these proven advantages.

There are definite challenges to small schools however, especially when they are scattered in rural areas. Again here we can learn much from America, especially with the experiences of Midwestern rural states. Consider the availability of teachers especially in such areas as music and special education. One solution is “clustering” where a group of four or five nearby schools would share a teacher.

Another would be the virtual classroom where you could have one room specially wired so students could be connected digitally to a teacher elsewhere. Technology can greatly alleviate many of the problems associated with the isolation of rural schools.

Malaysia has a definite advantage in that even though our rural schools are scattered, they are not as widely spread out as in America; thus travel or transportation would not pose a major problem. Malaysia also does not have America’s problem of declining enrollment in its rural schools. In fact it is increasing, which makes solving these problems even more pressing.

For those who think that my proposals as unduly expensive, consider the price for not providing our kampong children with superior education. That will effectively trap them in perpetual poverty, with dire consequences not only for them but also for the rest of Malaysia. A large component to the Bumiputra/non-Bumiputra gaps in educational achievement, as reflected in the recently released SPM results, is the consequence of this urban/rural divide.

In responding to these and other myriad problems, Minister of Education Muhyddin could not venture beyond the banalities. I wish he and his officers would tackle head on the specific issues raised here. You do not need to convene yet another expensive commission or blue ribbon committee. God knows, we already have plenty of those already. The problems are obvious; so too are the remedies. With some political resolve and concentration of effort, plus a wee bit of intelligence and imagination, you would go a long way in ameliorating these problems.

Next: Part Four: Enhancing Our Residential Schools

                This entry was posted on Monday, 9 April 2012, 10:37 am and is filed under
Bakri Musa
,
Education
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Sejuk rasanya hati mendengar kata Najib, tapi …

— Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 09, 2012

9 APRIL — “Dua perkara yang terpenting untuk diingati oleh pemimpin, pertamanya jangan bersikap sombong, dan jangan tidak tepati janji”, kata PM Najib di Temerloh semalam. Saya dan sesiapa juga bersetuju dengan ungkapan Najib itu, baik kawan dan lawan dalam politik. Kata-kata itu memang satu nasihat dan peringatan yang baik kepada semua. Bak kata anak-anak muda sekarang “gua caya lu Najib”.

Tetapi itulah diantara sebab kenapa Umno dimarahi dan dipersoalkan oleh rakyat. “Attribute” pemimpin Umno adalah kesombongan mereka serta sikap tidak menepati janji. Dan dalam artikel ini kita boleh tambah lagi apa-apa yang melekat sebagai stigma yang tidak dapat dipisahkan dari parti pemerintah itu. Apa yang dinasihati Najib itu, itu lah yang ada kepada Umno.

Umno begitu sombong kepada rakyat dengan mengugut rakyat supaya jangan tinggalkan Umno kerana jika Umno ditinggalkan, mereka tidak akan dapat menentukan nasib yang baik untuk rakyat yang ramai. Hanya Umno sahaja yang boleh mempastikan kehidupan yang baik untuk rakyat dan “there is no life without Umno”. Kepercayaan yang segala-galanya adalah dari Tuhan Semesta Alam tidak dipakai lagi. Mereka telah cuba mengalihkan keyakinan ramai yang, “there is life without Umno” dan “there is life after Umno”.

Justru, sikap Umno yang cuba mengambilalih kerja Tuhan itulah yang menyebabkan rakyat bertambah jemu terutamanya kepada mereka yang berfikir dan diselarikan dengan keimanan didalam diri mereka. Umno hanyalah sebuah parti yang dipergunakan akhir-akhir ini (sejak tiga dekad yang lalu) hanya untuk membina kesombongan dan ke egoan pemimpin-pemimpin yang menerajui parti itu.

Janji-janjinya untuk membela bangsanya tidak pernah diberikan tumpuan. Jika benar Umno menunaikan janji-janjinya, kenapa Melayu masih berada ditahap ini walaupun Umno telah menerajui kepimpinan negara sejak merdeka sehinggalah ke hari ini? Janji-janji untuk membela bangsanya semakin menghampakan apabila hak keistimewaan orang Melayu dan Bumiputera itu hanya diambil kesempatan oleh hanya segelintiran Melayu yang istimewa sahaja. Mereka tidak membela Bumiputera dan mereka hanya memberikan pembelaan kepada putra-putra semata-mata.

Yang “bumi” tidak dapat pembelaan dan apabila bumi yang rata-rata masih miskin ini diambil kesempatan diatas kesusahan mereka dengan membeli sokongan dengan harga RM500 sahaja sekali dalam lima tahun. Maka beraturlah ribuan “bumi” yang fakir dan lapar untuk menerima RM500 dari pemimpin-pemimpin Umno.dan pemberian sebanyak itu dipaparkan kepada dunia melaluii media massa perdana untuk menunjukkan yang rakyat mereka boleh dijadikan sebagai peminta sedekah dimata masyarakat sehingga keperingkat antarabangsa.

Segala daging batang pinangnya dibolot oleh “putra-putra” mereka sahaja. “Putra-putra” ini adalah dari keluarga pemimpin sahaja. Lepas bapa pindah pula kuasa kepada putra-putra mereka. Nasihat Najib dan pimpinan yang lain di Temerloh itu sepatutnya di arahkan kepada mereka sendiri. Pemimpin sepatutnya membela Bumiputera, bukannya hanya membela putra-putra semata-mata. Jangan ditinggalkan “Bumi-bumi” melata ditepian masyarakat yang dikuasai oleh “putra-putra” sahaja. Kerajaan dan pimpinan mesti membela Bumi-bumi bersama dengan putra-putra yang sudah kaya raya melalui jalan halal dan haram itu.

Tetapi, benarkah rakyat hanya marah terhadap pemimpin yang sombong dan mungkir janji sahaja? Tidak kah pemimpin-pemimpin yang berkuasa hari ini tidak diyakini oleh rakyat kerana banyak isu lain? Isu yang utama yang berhadapan dengan pimpinan Umno dan BN hari ini ialah isu rasuah yang berada dalam lingkungan RM ratusan billion dan sekarang sudah ada bukti yang angka itu sudah mencecah sehingga RM.1.3 trillion sejak sepuluh tahun lalu?

Rakyat marah-marah kerana rasuah yang berlaku disetiap peringkat pentadbiran, dari peringkat Persekutuan sehingga keperingkat daerah dan berlaku diseluruh negara. Di peringkat daerah para pentadbir berlumba-lumba dengan rakyat biasa untuk merebut peluang kehidupan melalui jalan yang tidak dibenarkan oleh undang-undang dan moral. Pegawai-pegawai diperingkat daerah ramai yang mendaftarkan syarikat diatas nama anak atau isteri untuk merebut peluang yang sepatutnya untuk rakyat yang mereka tadbir.

Siapa diantara pemimpin yang memantau keadaan ini? Jawapannya tidak ada. Gejala rasuah ini telah diabaikan sejak sekian lama dan sampai ketahap rakyat sudah tidak lagi dapat menerimanya. Sekarang ini gejala rasuah yang sangat mengerikan ini sudah tidak dapat dikawal lagi kerana hampir semua yang berada dalam kuasa hari ini terlibat secara “direct” atau “indirect” dalam kegiatan hina ini.

Budaya ini telah menjalar ke segenap lapisan kepimpinan sehinggakan ramai diantara mereka menjawab kritikan seperti yang kita buat terhadap mereka dengan berkata, “kalau kau berkuasa pun kau akan belasah juga”. Mereka menyamakan sikap kita dengan sikap mereka kerana mereka sudah percaya yang rasuah besar itu adalah budaya kepimpinan hari ini.

Bagi kumpulan ini rasuah itu adalah kemestian bagi sesiapa yang memerintah kerana semasa mereka yang sudah mula berfikir dalam kehidupan sudah melihat rasuah ini dihadapan mata mereka sendiri. Tetapi mereka tidak sedar yang negeri-negeri kepimpinan PR telah membuktikan yang rasuah itu boleh ditangani.

Di Pulau Pinang contohnya kontraktor tidak payah menggunakan “cable” politik untuk mendapatkan kerja kontrak. Kontraktor-kontraktor hanya memerlukan “Internet cable” sahaja kerana semua sebutharga dilakukan “online”. Dengan cara ini kos sesuatu kontrak itu akan menjadi rendah kerana elemen kos pembayaran komisyen sudah tidak ada dalam didalam sebutharga mereka itu.

Tidak ada kronisma dan tidak ada rasuah dan kepada sesiapa yang tidak mempunyai “connection” politik pun boleh bersama-sama berpeluang mendapatkan kerja-kerja yang sebelum ini hanya diperolehi oleh sekumpulan kecil orang-orang istimewa sahaja. Bagi kerajaan P. Pinang dan Selangor serta kerajaan PR yang lain, semua rakyat itu adalah istimewa belaka.

Dengan acara itu tidak akan adalah situasi dalam mana kos yang diperuntukkan untuk membeli peralatan senjata yang bernilai RM5 billion dinaikkan kapada RM9 billion kerana hendak memasukkan elemen komisyen kepada mereka yang berkuasa didalam pembelian peralatan senjata dan perang negara kita.

Bayangkan jika BN tidak lagi berkuasa maka peluang untuk membenteras jenis rasuah yang begitu sistematik yang dilakukan oleh pemimpin hari ini akan dihapuskan. Wang yang digunakan untuk rasuah sekarang ini, sebaliknya akan dapat digunakan oleh PR untuk kesejahteraan rakyat. Jumlahnya bukannya kecil… tetapi berbillion-billion ringgit. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Monday, 9 April 2012, 3:43 pm and is filed under
Corruption
,
Najib Razak
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


400,000 dubious voters may decide 35 seats, GE winner, says polls analyst

By Shannon Teoh

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 10, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 — Over 400,000 dubious voters are on the electoral roll, enough to swing 35 federal seats either way and decide if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) can capture Putrajaya or Barisan Nasional (BN) reclaim its customary two-thirds supermajority in Parliament, according to a polls analysis.

Independent political analyst Ong Kian Ming said his Malaysian Electoral Roll Analysis Project (MERAP) found some 100,000 problematic names and combined with other previously highlighted issues, would “easily amount to over 400,000 dubious voters.”

Cleaning up the electoral roll is a key demand by the opposition and activist groups although BN say PR’s five-state victory in Election 2008 is proof there is no irregularity.

Ong told The Malaysian Insider this is likely “just the tip of the iceberg” as there may be other discrepancies that have not yet been uncovered by various parties who have combed through the gazette of over 12 million voters.

“If you divide 400,000 between 222 federal seats, it would average to about 1,800 voters. This is enough to potentially decide 35 seats,” he said, referring to the seats that had slim victories for either coalition.

“If voter sentiment is the same as 2008, then this can add the 30 seats PR needs to form federal government or the eight more BN needs to regain two-thirds,” said the political analyst.

The ruling BN only took 140 seats, losing its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament in Election 2008 as well as four state governments and Kelantan, which has remained in PAS hands for 20 over years. A coalition needs 112 MPs to gain a simple majority and 148 to win two-thirds.

Ong’s project traced over 100,000 voters with one of these 10 issues — above 85 years old, gender inconsistent with identity card (IC), same name and similar birth date, born overseas, Klang Valley voters who do not have house addresses, postal voters with regular ICs, spouses of police who are postal voters, spouses of army and police voters who have the same gender, army and police voters above retirement age and army and police postal voters who are above recruitment age.

But, he said, this did not include other problems such as dozens and even thousands of voters registered at the same address and 42,000 voters whose ICs could not be found in the National Registration Department’s (NRD) database.

Ong also said there was a high concentration of dubious voters in Selangor, the country’s wealthiest state which Datuk Seri Najib Razak has pledged to take back “at all cost.”

He said the electoral roll from the last quarter of 2011 showed the number of voters in Selangor had increased by over 340,000 or 21.8 per cent to more than 1.9 million voters since the 2008 general election compared to a national average of 16.3 per cent.

He singled out the marginal seat of Hulu Selangor as experiencing an increase of 17,000 voters, or a whopping 27.1 per cent since the March 2008 general election.

The credibility of the electoral roll has been widely questioned since a Parliamentary Select Committee was set up late last year to look into electoral improvements.

The panel completed its six-month tenure and submitted its findings to Parliament last week but the opposition and civil society have criticised it for lacking specific recommendations on how to clean up the voter register.

Electoral reform movement Bersih then announced it would hold a third rally for free and fair elections on April 28.

Prime Minister Najib had announced the formation of the bipartisan polls committee in August 2011, after being condemned in the international press for his administration’s clampdown on Bersih’s July 9 rally last year which drew tens of thousands to the streets of the capital.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 10 April 2012, 8:24 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Elections
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Jalan ke syurga penuh dengan onak dan duri

— Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 09, 2012

9 APRIL — Rakyat khususnya orang Melayu sudah sampai masanya untuk berfikir jauh diluar kotak. Sampai masanya rakyat memilih untuk memulakan pembetulan dengan merubah keadaan negara dari mula.

“We have to start anew”. Cara berfikir yang usang patut dibuang kerana kita orang Melayu yang sudah kononnya dibela oleh parti Melayu, Umno selama 54 tahun tidak berdaya untuk membantu bangsanya duduk sama rendah dan berdiri sama tinggi dengan bangsa lain walaupun perlembagaan telah memperuntukkan keistimewaan untuk orang Melayu.

Jika selama 54 tahun Umno gagal menaikkan taraf “competitiveness” orang Melayu, apa pula alasan pimpinan kita untuk meminta orang Melayu untuk terus menyokong Umno dalam pilihanraya yang akan tiba ini. Peluang untuk mendapat hasil yang sama juga adalah besar… walhasil balik asal.

Kalau kita berikan mandat lagi kepada Umno keadaan Melayu akan lebih teruk lagi. Yang pasti akan berterusan dan berkesinambungan ialah bertambahnya gejala rasuah dan menyalahgunakan kuasa akan bertambah besar lagi.

Kita tidak boleh lagi memberikan harapan kepada Umno kerana jika selama lebih lima dekad parti itu telah gagal masakan kali ini dengan kepimpinan yang lebih tidak senonoh ini akan memperbaiki keadaan orang Melayu. Umno dan kegagalan adalah dua perkataan yang sinonim. Umno itu kegagalan, kegagalan itu adalah Umno. Jangan malu-malu untuk mengakuinya.

Lagi satu “attribute” Umno itu ialah ia sinonim dengan rasuah. Saya selalu berkata “Umno dan rasuah itu adalah ibarat aur dengan tebing… saling menyandar diantara satu dengan lain. Umno tidak boleh hidup tanpa rasuah dan rasuah tidak akan berkembang tanpa Umno”.

Maka Umno, kegagalan dan rasuah itu adalah “attribute” penting sebagai cara pengenalan parti itu. Masakan parti ini boleh diyakini setelah membuktikan kegagalan setelah mendapat mandat selama 54 tahun.

Saya agak ramai kenalan dikalangan OKU-OKU (orang kuat Umno) kerana kehadiran saya dalam Umno itu mencecah empat dekad lamanya. Hanya saya tidak begitu bergaul dengan pemimpin-pemimpin besar kerana saya ini tidak sama dengan “wave length” mereka, tetapi saya tidak putus-putus berhubung dan dihubungi ramai pemimpin-pemimpin kecil-kecilan parti ini.

Mereka juga bersetuju yang Umno itu sudah hilang segala plot untuk mentadbir sebuah negara demokrasi seperti negara kita. Mereka bukan tidak mahu berubah tetapi mereka tidak tahu bagaimana hendak berubah.

Setakat ini mereka hanya tahu untuk mendapat undi dan mentadbir, tetapi apa yang hendak ditadbir atau apa yang perlu dilakukan untuk mengisi keperluan negara ini mereka sudah tidak berdaya lagi. Kerana apa mereka jadi begini? Jawapannya ialah kerana mereka tidak dapat menanggalkan budaya memikirkan kehidupan mereka secara peribadi.

Jika pemimpin tidak dapat memberikan tumpuan terhadap fungsi siasah mereka, maka tidak mungkin mereka dapat menggubal dasar-dasar baru untuk kepentingan negara. Mereka menjadi lesu kerana mereka enggan dan tidak berani berfikir diluar kotak.

Rakyat sudah berfikir dalam ruang lingkup yang luas tetapi Umno masih lagi tidak berubah dan pemikiran Umno tidak berkembang mengikut perkembangan masa dan waktunya. Itulah sebabnya Umno dan penyokong tegarnya sentiasa menyalahkan orang lain apabila rakyat mempersoalkan mereka disisi siasah negara kita ini. Umno tidak pernah menyalahkan diri sendiri.

Perbuatan Umno selalu membuatkan orang marah, tetapi bila orang marah mereka melakukan berbagai fitnah melalui media massa yang diketuai oleh Utusan dan TV3. Mereka tidak memahami kenapa orang ramai marah tetapi bertindak untuk melakukan tekanan terhadap mereka yang mengkritik mereka.

Kalau begitu keadaannya, apakah lagi alasan untuk mempertahankan parti ini? Isu yang kita semua dengar setiap hari ialah isu mengenang budi dan membalas budi, satu isu yang sudah luntur kerana itulah isu yang diperbesarkan sejak negara merdeka dahulu. Umno mahukan orang ramai membalas budi dengan menyokong mereka melakukan rasuah dan menyalahgunakan kuasa.

Bagi Umno mereka mesti disokong walaupun melakukan berbagai-bagai kemungkaran politik dan ekonomi terhadap rakyat dan negaranya. Rupa-rupanya Umno mengharapkan rakyat memberikan sokongan walaupun mereka tidak lagi memperjuangakan bangsanya lagi… semata-mata kerana budi lama.

Yang kita tahu yang berbudi itu ialah Umno yang telah ditewaskan oleh Dr Mahathir Mohamad dahulu. Umno lama dahulu ditubuhkan diatas premis kesatuan dan penyatuan rakyat, sebaliknya Umno yang baru ini diwujudkan diatas perpecahan orang Melayu khususnya ahli-ahli Umno itu.

Oleh kerana pemimpin-pemimpin dan ahli-ahli Umno tidak mengubah partinya kita meminta semua orang Melayu melakukan perubahan ini. Kita boleh melakukannya. Dalam pilihanraya 2008 dahulu jumlah pengundi Melayu adalah 5.5 juta dan dari jumlah ini hanya dua juta sahaja orang Melayu memberikan undi kepada calon-calon Melayu, lebih dari 3 juta Melayu telah menolak Umno tanpa segan silu.

Dan daripada jumlah itu 1.5 juta ahli Umno telah memilih untuk mengundi parti-parti alternatif. Asas untuk memberikan waktu berihat kepada Umno memang sudah ada dengan jumlah ahlinya yang ramai yang telah mengundi pembangkang. Tidak ada sebab kenapa mereka tidak boleh lakukan sekali lagi bagi memberikan impak besar terhadap kumpulan perasuah tegar ini.

Selamatkan harta benda rakyat yang masih terbaki sedikit sebanyak itu. Mereka yang telah menyapu bersih harta rakyat itu tidak akan bertanggungjawab kepada tindakan mereka. Yang akan sengsara adalah generasi kita yang akan datang. Menyelamatkan generasi kita merupakan fardhu kifayah besar dan itu adalah tuntutan agama kita juga.

Tetapi kita harus menerima hakikat yang usaha untuk melakukan kebaikkan merupakan satu usaha yang perlu melalui kepayahan. Kata seorang ulamak yang muktabar, “jalan ke syurga itu berliku-liku dan penuh ranjau dan onak dan jalan ke neraka itu pula penuh dengan roti dan keju yang teramat enak rasanya”.

Kepada semua yang insaf, marilah kita berjuang walaupun terpaksa melalui segala onak dan duri itu, kerana penghujung perjuangan itu adalah adalah kebahgiaan kepada rakyat dan negara. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 10 April 2012, 8:44 am and is filed under
Corruption
,
Elections
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Not surprising that Bersih 3.0 is allowed to go on

— Pak Man

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 10, 2012

APRIL 10 — Are you surprised that the Najib government has agreed to allow the Bersih 3.0 sit-in to go on? I am not. You shouldn’t either.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his aides have learnt their lesson from Bersih 2.0. They have also instructed their pro-government newspaper editors in the mainstream media to treat Bersih 3.0 differently from Bersih 2.0. That it is not a security threat that Bersih 2.0 was deemed by the security agencies.

Bersih 2.0 on July 9 was a seen as a security threat at the same level as Tahrir Square. That explains why Kuala Lumpur was locked down with phalanxes of policemen ringing the city. Police said only 5,000 turned up but they held nearly 1,700 people. How’s that for efficiency and effectiveness?

Despite all that, the Najib government’s handling of Bersih 2.0 was seen as a failure. He flip-flopped on giving them a stadium. He allowed his security advisors to get the upper hand but not this time. Najib cannot afford the fallout that Bersih 2.0 generated back then.

The repercussions even went as far as England where Najib visited a week after Bersih 2.0. The Anglophile prime minister was the first ever Malaysian leader to be boo-ed by Malaysians abroad. In a twist of events, this week British prime minister David Cameron visits Kuala Lumpur. I hope he will reinforce the need for Najib to ease off on Bersih 3.0.

Because he can’t have advisers like Jalil Hamid, who is now the NST chief editor, to demonise the Bersih participants and activists.

Do you remember what he said in the leaked letter? Let me refresh you in the note titled “GUIDANCE ON KEY ISSUES No 8/2011”.

“By most accounts, the Bersih 2.0 protest on July 9 could turn out to be massive and will certainly go beyond issues of fair and free elections. With over 100 political, NGO and right groups could be joining the “March for Democracy”, we expect them to champion a slew of issues ranging from inflation to Teoh Beng Hock and Lynas. The protest, if not countered, could undermine the government, the economy and national security. This note sets out the policy guidance and the do’s and don’ts in managing the issue,” he wrote.

Jalil then recommended the following  as “the process of mind-conditioning will continue in the run-up to July 9”.

The process included, among others, to “discredit the organisation and itts key leaders. Bersih is neither registered with ROS nor ROC. It is NOT an election watchdog but a group of politicians and politically inclined individuals who lack credibility.”

He also said the government should “label the rally as “perhimpunan haram” or “illegal assembly”, and that the people behind Bersih are trouble shooters and going against the Constitution and the law to gain political mileage” and “that they are just a front for the opposition.”

There are also references to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was allegedly using Bersih 2.0 to shift attention from his “legal and moral woes” and to remind people about his “Sept 16 bluff”.

Jalil also said the process was also to “create anxiety that Bersih is working for the interests of foreign elements, who are out to destabilise the country” and “that Bersih is not bersih (clean) after all as it is an illegal group out to create havoc”.

You don’t see this today, do you? Those advisors are gone and Najib has learnt his lesson. He set up a parliamentary select committee (PSC) after that and they have submitted 22 recommendations with four more left behind.

Najib is allowing Bersih 3.0 because the elections are near. He wants to be seen as a democratic leader.Who can allow dissent that even Pak Lah or Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wouldn’t dream of doing.

Because he needs to win the general elections and remain as prime minister and Umno president. If that wasn’t the case, Bersih 3.0 will end up like Bersih 2.0. Call Najib’s bluff. Sit in on April 28 to show you want a better Malaysia free from electoral fraud. Don’t sit in and allow Malaysia to rot.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 10 April 2012, 5:32 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Elections
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


When Malay silence is not golden

Mariam Mokhtar | Apr 9, 2012

Malaysiakini

The average human brain weighs about 3 lbs and is 80 percent water. When Einstein’s brain was set aside for research, people were surprised that it was not unusually large. Perhaps, we have to remind ourselves that it is not size that matters, but what we do with our brain that really counts.

If there was an opportunity to dissect Malay brains, and separate the brains of extremist Malay/Muslims from the moderate Malays, would we find any differences in the pathological specimens?

Would the extremist brains be abnormally heavy because they were weighted down by the condition known as Ketuanan Melayu? Would the moderate brains show lesions on the lobes which govern speech?

It is a simple question, but no one has been able to answer it: where are the moderate, smart Malays who should speak up about issues which affect all Malaysians?

I pose the question because extremist Malays appear to dominate the affairs of Malaysia. Are the moderates consumed by apathy? Are they afraid of drawing attention? A few may think they are not articulate, or that their views do not matter. Perhaps, the moderates are content to carry on as we have done for the past 54 years; hence their silence.

If they are as disgruntled as the rest of the nation, they must speak out now because their opinions would send a clear message to Umno, that enough is enough.

Last week, Perkasa Youth announced that Muslims should boycott the Bersih 3.0 rally for clean and fair elections on April 28. This extremist NGO insulted Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan and called her the “anti-Christ for Muslims” and a “traitor” to the nation. They continued their diatribe by ridiculing the national laureate A Samad Said.

The divisive war-cry ‘untuk agama, bangsa dan negara’ often used by Umno and their support groups do not seem to perturb the moderate Malays.

Umno will never accept that they do not represent all Malays. Umno fears Malays with a mind of their own. The sedition law, the Internal Security Act and police reports are used against the very few Malays who dare criticise the government. Not because they are “a threat to national security” but because Umno’s existence is threatened.

Using stealth tactics, the Malay is told that his education and the democracy he lives in, are the “best in the world”. Which Malay wants to be accused of besmirching national pride?

Without Malay support, Umno is nothing. Without Umno, MCA and MIC are doomed. Their collective effort has to be to convince the Malay, that Umno is best, even if it means cheating at the 13th general election to continue the BN dictatorship.

Why so timid?

If it were possible to praise Umno, then it is for their brainwashing. Apart from our Malay minds, Umno also controls the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and makes it act in its interests.

Muslim men will recall that in the 1970s, the Friday khutbah (sermons) were apolitical and covered moral issues reminding the congregation of their religious obligations and community duty.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad, when the premier, changed all that. Mosques have since lost their independence and sermons rarely cover immediate community issues. Nowadays, Friday sermons have to be sanctioned by the religious authority and are a euphemism for Umno political speeches.

Will anyone dare walk out in protest? No. If they did, their Friday prayers are deemed ‘incomplete’. There is little point praying at a different mosque because all mosques will have a similar political message. If this was Indonesia, the congregation would have walked out and sought out other mosques. Why are Malays in Malaysia so timid?

azlanIf Malays are so proud to wear their religion on their sleeve, why do they not demand that the sermons cover corruption issues?

When a Florida preacher threatened to burn the Quran we demanded retribution. When we dragged the head of a cow through the streets or confiscated several thousand copies of the Bible before defacing them, we weren’t even aware of the hypocrisy.

To encourage conversion to Islam, several thousand ringgit are rewarded to the religious person who can convert and marry an Orang Asli woman. He is also given perks like a 4WD and housing. Yet, we are outraged when Malays dine with non-Malays and discuss charitable works. Umno feels insecure when Muslims socialise with non-Muslims.

Last Friday, a police study on rape in Sarawak found that over half the victims were school students. Over 70 percent of the rape victims were Malay and over 40 percent of the rapists were Malay.

The Muslims have seen a rise in religious teaching and strict adherence to faith in their day-to-day living. Foreign music groups and dance troupes face strict religious guidelines. If the results of the police study on rape are anything to go by, increased religion has not made the slightest impact on the Malay psyche.

It is alleged that in Peninsular Malaysia, the highest incidence of incest, underage sex, unmarried mothers, abandoned wives and abandoned babies are from the Malay community. Why are the moderates not questioning this?

When a Malay man takes on a trophy wife as his second, third or fourth acquisition, he quashes any criticism of his actions by saying that it is his right under Islam. He ignores the conditions imposed for polygamy, one of them being that he must have sufficient income to support all his wives equally.

The Malay woman is afraid of complaining because she fears being replaced. Her role as a wife has been reduced to a throw-away commodity. The Malay men who frown on polygamy remain silent on such issues.

new economic policy nepWhen the NEP was first introduced, many Malay lives were transformed. This is no longer true. The new middle-class Malays keep quiet about the abuse of the NEP. They are trapped in their own secure world, fearing they might lose it. They are too selfish to help poorer Malays and the other non-Malays.

The backward Malay mind should stop blaming the non-Malays and other faiths of undermining their existence. If corruption was controlled and cronyism was eliminated, there would be more money for everyone.

Lives would be enhanced. Infrastructure would be improved. Education, medical and community services would be available for all. What is so difficult for the Malay mind to see that and voice it out loud, now? Before it is too late.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real-speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 10 April 2012, 8:14 am and is filed under
Mariam Mokhtar
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Allah sentiasa bersama dengan orang zuhud

— Aspan Alias

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 11, 2012

11 APRIL — Saya sedang melalui pengalaman baru dan pengalaman ini sangat berharga bagi saya. Pengalaman yang saya maksudkan ialah mengenali lebih dekat lagi sikap Melayu Umno.

Rupa-rupanya masih banyak yang saya kurang faham tentang ahli-ahli Umno walaupun saya berada didalam parti itu selama 40 tahun. Agaknya saya tidak memahami pemikiran diluar kotak kerana saya terlalu taksub kepada Umno itu semasa saya berada didalamnya.

Saya hanya memahami dengan lebih dekat lagi sikap dan pemikiran mereka sejak saya mengambil keputusan menyertai Parti Tindakan Demokratik, parti momokan Umno sejak 46 tahun yang lalu. DAP itu komunis, DAP itu chauvinistik, DAP itu anti Melayu dan anti Islam dan DAP itu segala-galanya yang buruk. Segala “superlatives” buruk diberikan kepada DAP.

Yang menjaga Islam itu hanya Umno. Yang berjuang untuk Melayu itu hanyalah Umno, yang mempertahankan agama itu Umno , yang anti komunis itu Umno dan semua yang baik dan syumul itu Umno.

Mereka seolah-olah mengaku mereka sahaja yang akan masuk syurga dan saya yang masuk DAP ini akan menjadi ahli neraka. Tetapi kumpulan ini tidaklah ramai. Sebagaimana yang saya telah tulis dahulu penyertaan saya dalam DAP mandapat sokongan ramai orang Melayu juga.

Tetapi yang saya hendak komen ini adalah untuk memberi respon kepada segelintiran orang Melayu Islam yang menyatakan yang saya ini telah menjual bangsa dan agama kerana menyertai DAP. Apa yang saya jualkan pun saya tidak tahu, kerana saya tidak menjual agama saya dan bangsa saya. Malahan salah satu sebab saya menyertai DAP itu ialah kerana pada hakikatnya Umno lah menjualkan bangsa dan agamanya.

Umno hanya kekal dengan menterbiahkan syariat semata-mata. Mereka hanya menumpukan kepada hukum hakam agama sahaja. Tetapi hukum hakam itu sendiri diubahnya. Islam menegah umat melakukan rasuah.

Islam menganggap perasuah itu serupa orang yang memakan daging saudaranya sendiri. Tetapi rasuah itulah yang dilakukannya dan ia merupakan pertentangan yang “head-on” terhadap agama Islam yang dilaungkannya. Selepas makan rasuah mereka bercakap tentang Melayu masuk DAP itu sebagai penjual agamanya.

Saya bukan orang yang pandai tentang agama tetapi saya mengakui yang agama islam itu merupakan addin, atau apa yang kita fahami sebagai cara hidup. Perwakilan Umno diperhimpunan agong parti itu setiap tahun bercakap pasal addin ini, tetapi mereka tidak pernah mengaddinkan agama anutan mereka.

Segala syariat dan rukun yang perlu kita sempurnakan itu ialah untuk mengasaskan umat mengaddinkan agamanya. Maksudnya hidup jangan bertentangan dengan syariatnya, dan kehidupan mesti melakukan amal makruf nahi mungkar.

Tetapi Umno melakukan perkara yang terbalik. Mereka melakukan “amal mungkar nahi makruf”. Mereka selalu melakukan yang mungkar dan tidak melakukan yang makruf. Rasuah itu kerja mungkar. Menggunakan kuasa secara salah itu mungkar. Menambah harga belian barangan dan alat senjata untuk mendapat komisyen melalui “consultant-consultant kangkong” itu mungkar. Menggunakan wang rakyat untuk membiayai kenduri pertunangan anak itu mungkar. Membotakkan hutan untuk menebang balak sehingga licin itu mungkar, membunuh orang itu mungkar, mengambil wang rakyat untuk selamatkan perniagaan anak itu mungkar, mengaibkan orang lain itu mungkar,dan banyak lagi kerja mungkar dilakukan oleh Umno dan BN.

Tetapi kumpulan kecil ini menuduh saya menjualkan agama saya dan bangsa saya kerana menyertai DAP. Saya yang tahu, yang saya tidak kurang Islam saya dan tidak kurang Melayu saya setelah menyertai DAP.

Elok kita kaji dan fahami apa itu addin Islam. Islam itu merupakan agama yang mempunyai nilai yang “universal” dan nilai “universal” itu adalah suci kerana Islam itu suci. Nilai-nilai Islam itu dipraktikkan oleh banyak kerajaan yang pemimpinnya tidak beragama Islam. Di England pemimpin-pemimpinnya melaksanakan nilai-nilai Islam dalam pentadbirannya. Pentadbiran negara itu tinggi nilai Islamnya dan mereka mengaddinkan cara Islam.

Etika kepimpinanya tinggi. Blunkard, menteri dalam negerinya, telah mengambil tindakan meletakkan jawatan kerana satu kesalahan etika kepimpinan yang bernilai Islam itu. Beliau telah mempercepatkan permohonan teman wanitanya untuk mendapatkan permit kerja untuk “amah”nya.

Apabila diketahui umum beliau meletakkan jawatan semata-mata mempercepatkan permohonan teman wanita beliau itu. Mereka bukannya orang Islam tetapi mereka pula yang mengaddinkan Islam. Itu menunjukkan yang Islam itu merupakan nilai “universal” yang baik dan suci.

Bandingkan dengan negara kita yang pemimpin-pemimpinnya melaungkan Islam ini. Apa yang saya sebutkan dalam para awal tadi membuktikan kita hanya pandai bercakap tentang Islam tetapi tidak berdaya untuk mengaddinkan Islam itu.

Menteri-menteri kita yang beragama Islam, tidak kira yang masih muda atau yang sudah tua ganyut masih mencari dan memompong harta rakyat tanpa segan silu. Setelah bersara masih lagi mencari peluang menggunakan pengaruh, nama dan gelaran untuk mengambil kesempatan untuk kepentingan peribadi.

Semua harta kekayaan negara hanya untuk segelintiran kroni sahaja. Syed Mokhtar, contohnya, dibentuk dan dibantu untuk membolot semua perniagaan di laut, di udara dan di bumi. Pemimpin Umno yang besar-besar takut kepada kapitalis yang terbentuk menggunakan kemudahan yang sepatutnya diperolehi oleh rakyat yang ramai.

Sebaliknya orang Melayu yang sepatutnya mendapat apa yang telah ditandatangani secara rasmi mengikut undang-undang dinafikan hak mereka. Rakyat Kelantan sehingga hari ini tidak mendapat royalti minyak seperti yang dipersetujui dalam perjanjian “vestine” yang ditanda-tangani pada 27 Mei 1975 yang lalu.

Semua rakyat Kelantan yang rata-rata orang Melayu dibohongi kerana mereka (Umno) supaya rakyat Kelantan menyokong Umno. Islam kah ini? Kata islam itu adalah addin, kenapa tidak diaddinkan Islam itu? Kata rakyat didahulukan pencapaian diutamakan. Mana dia semuanya itu?

Pemimpin-pemimpin Umno hanya pandai bercakap tentang addin, tetapi tidak mahu melaksanakan addin itu. Bercakap itu berbelit-belit dan bercabang-cabang lidah mereka. Kalau hendak diikutkan hati mahu rasanya kita meminta supaya pemimpin-pemimpin Umno membuka mulut mereka lebar-lebar supaya kita nampak apa jenis lidah yang ada di dalam mulut mereka itu… lidah manusia atau pun lidah biawak?

Sekarang sampai saya menjawab tuduhan terhadap saya yang saya telah menjualkan agama dan bangsa saya. Sekarang siapa yang sebenarnya menjual agama dan bangsanya? Saya atau pemimpin-pemimpin Umno, yang besar dan yang kecil, yang muda dan yang tua ganyut itu?

Yang penting bagi saya ialah, apabila kita beragama akhirnya kita mesti kuat untuk mengaddinkan agama itu. Kita wajar bersama kerajaan yang mampu mengaddinkan pentadbiran dengan nilai-nilai yang dituntut agama.

Setelah jemu menunggu satu kerajaan yang mengaddinkan agamanya tidak kunyung sampai, maka saya tidak lagi mahu bersama parti yang telah menjual agamanya dan bangsanya seperti Umno itu. Saya mengambil tindakan keluar untuk mencari kerajaan yang mengaddinkan Islam itu.

Di dalam Umno agama dan bangsa itu hanyalah bahan retorik mereka semata-mata tetapi apa yang mereka lakukan setelah mendapat kuasa semuanya melakukan perkara-perkara yang bertentangan dengan addin Islam itu… rasuah sana rasuah sini… Di atas rasuah di bawah pun rasuah.

Dimanakah nilai dan addin Islam itu berada? Ia berada di Kelantan, Kedah, Pulau Pinang dan Selangor, kerajaan pimpinan Khalid Ibrahim. Di Pulau Pinang rasuah terlalu minima. Begitu juga di Selangor. Di Selangor pimpinan Khalid Ibrahim pasti tidak akan ada rasuah seperti rasuah PKFZ yang mencecah angka sehingga RM12 billion. Itu baru satu projek. Banyak lagi contoh-contoh jika kita mahu buktikan. Agama sentiasa dilacurkan dan diabaikan.

Tetapi Umno kini menyampah pula bila pihak lain berjaya mengaddinkan Islam itu kerana mereka hanya mengaku sebagai parti dan pejuang Islam selama ini tetapi tidak berjaya hendak menjadikan Islam itu sebagi addin.

Malahan cara Umno dan penyokongnya memilih untuk menghina orang lain, mencarut dengan kata-kata kotor yang layaknya untuk orang kafir sahaja. Umno yang mengakui sebagai Islam juga perlu memahami yang rasuah itu adalah kerja kafir kerana ia bertentangan dengan Islam.

Apa-apa kejayaan yang terbukti mampu dilakukan oleh kerajaan PR dinafikan. Pemimpin-pemimpin dan penyokong tegar Umno selalunya tidak akan dapat mematahkan debatan pihak alternatif, justru mereka memilih untuk mencarut dan mereka menunjukkan kekosongan didalam benak mereka.

Akhirnya wajar kita semua memikirkan siapa kita disisi Tuhan dan agama. Jangan senang-senang menuduh orang lain menjual Islam dan bangsanya. Buatlah “instrospeksi” terhadap diri masing-masing sebelum mengkafirkan orang lain.

Bertawajjuh lah kepada Rasul dan bertawassul lah kepada Allah secara intensif. Insyallah Tuhan tetap bersama kita. Tuhan akan tetap bersama sesiapa yang zuhud, tidak kira seseorang itu menjadi ahli parti Liberal Democrat Britain, ahli parti Demokrat Amerika Syarikat , atau ahli DAP Malaysia dan parti KIMMA Malaysia.

Dosa yang tidak terampun ialah mendua dan mensyirikan tuhan. Itulah sebabnya saya tenang sahaja apabila meninggalkan Umno dan menyertai DAP kerana yang saya tinggalkan itu adalah parti politik yang hampir usang, bukannya meninggalkan tuhan.

Tak tahu pula saya meninggalkan Umno satu tindakan syirik. Setahu saya ia bukannya tindakan syirik tetapi tindakan yang dituntut. — aspanaliasnet.blogspot.com

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 6:24 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Economics
,
Islam
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Bersih 3.0 is unnecessary …

— Stephen Ng

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 10, 2012

APRIL 10 — Bersih 3.0 is unnecessary. I wish to qualify my statement, after reading Home Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein’s response to Bersih 3.0 in Parliament today.

Hishammuddin said that the Bersih 3.0 rally can proceed in the spirit of the new Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

It is good that the minister has finally learnt that if the government continues to fight civil society, it will spell the doom of Barisan National. Already the coalition has been in power for far too long — any ordinary person, upon reaching 55, would have gone into retirement.

One scandal after another has been uncovered by the Pakatan, thanks to people like Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and Mat Sabu, but there are more questions than answers to these scandals. Billions of ringgit have gone into a blackhole.

The Bank Bumiputra scandal, the Perwaja scandal, the PKFZ scandal, the NFC scandal, the “copgate” scandal, the “Amangate” scandal, scandals involving Taib Mahmud (CM of Sarawak), the inhumane death of Altantuya, the missing jet engines, Lynas issue, Project IC in Sabah (and what appears to be happening also in Peninsular Malaysia with the 6P programme) — the list goes on.

As reported by college lecturer Dr Ong Kian Ming, another 100,000 dubious voters have been discovered in the electoral roll, on top of the other ones reported by political parties. Totalling up, it is a whopping figure of 400,000 dubious voters detected in the existing electoral roll. Ong is quoted saying: “This could be just the tip of the iceberg.” Even MIMOS, as an independent party, had uncovered some 200,000 dubious voters.

The current election machinery, since the gerrymandering done by former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is skewed towards helping Barisan Nasional retain a simple majority without any difficulty.

During the GE 12 in 2008, it took only 18 per cent of the voters to help BN remain in power in Putrajaya. These voters in small parliamentary seats are the kingmakers because they determine the future of the country, delivering more than 112 seats to BN. Despite public pressure, the redelineation of constituencies has not been carried out to address the imbalance in the number of voters per constituency.

Unless there is a 100 per cent voter turnout on polling day, where the young and old alike are taking their votes seriously, it would be impossible to topple the BN government. This is what the rakyat has to understand the reason, why Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Datuk A. Samad Said, co-chairpersons of Bersih 2.0, called for the sit-down protest.

I urge the Bersih 3.0 steering committee to go beyond the sit-down protest. The participants in Bersih 3.0 should be encourage to attend voter education provided by civil society groups such as Tindak Malaysia and equip themselves to serve as election watchdogs on polling day. They should come ready with both video and still cameras to capture anything that could later be used as evidence to show that cheating has taken place.

At this juncture, it is unlikely that the present government under Najib, and the Election Commission in particular, will voluntarily clean up the electoral roll with the help of independent representatives from the Bersih steering committee. In the first place, the Election Commission continues to operate as though the call by the Bersih steering committee to resign did not exist.

Najib, knowing that he has to depend on the EC to win the coming general election, has chosen to remain silent, but his silence is not golden. In fact, his silence and the flip flop way he handled Bersih 2.0 are a clear indication of his weakness as a leader. He has at best shown himself to be untrustworthy and trying to confuse the rakyat over his real motives. The Jalan Sultan MRT controversy is a good example.

Najib no longer talks about his favourite slogan, “People first.” If he had remained true to his words, Bersih 3.0 would not be necessary. I repeat, Bersih 3.0 is unnecessary IF the government under Prime Minister Najib Razak is listening to the voice of the rakyat, as spelt out by the Bersih 3.0 steering committee.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 3:46 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Elections
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


BN’s Cold War siege mentality is omnipresent

— Liew Chin Tong

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 11, 2012

APRIL 11 — Public attention yesterday was focused on the introduction of the new Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill 2012 (SOSM), tabled to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA). However, few noticed the simultaneous tabling of amendments to the Penal Code, Evidence Act and Criminal Procedure Code to vest an unholy axis of power in a government that will only lead to a ticking time bomb for all freedom-loving Malaysians.

Most disturbingly, the amendments to the Penal Code portrayed a government operating under a Cold War siege mentality, giving the authorities near martial law powers. In particular:

1) The new Section 124B of the Penal Code creates an offence known as “activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy”, punishable by twenty years imprisonment. Flimsily defined in the new Section 130A as “an activity carried out by a person or a group of persons designed to overthrow or undermine parliamentary democracy by violent or unconstitutional means”, this section opens the backdoor for questionable convictions that could violate human rights if used by an irresponsible government.

Furthermore, under Section 124C, an attempt to commit an “activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy” is punishable by fifteen years imprisonment. Fears of abuse of process are raised when a mere attempt to commit the crime is meted out such a heavy punishment.

2) Media freedom and freedom of information are under threat with the introduction of Sections 124D, 124E and 124F, which make it a crime to print, sell, possess, or import “documents and publications detrimental to parliamentary democracy”.

Again, with a sketchy definition and a high penalty (up to fifteen years for printing), the section is rife for opportunities to be abused for government clampdown on literature deemed undesirable by the ruling party.

3) It is disturbing to note the definition of “sensitive information” under the new Section 130A (i) is so broad to encompass any document, information, or material, “whether or not it is classified as ‘Top Secret’, ‘Secret’, ‘Confidential’, or ‘Restricted’”.

This must be read together with Part IV of the new SOSM, which introduces special procedures relating to sensitive information. It provides for in camera hearing in a trial involving sensitive information. Under Section 8 (8) of the SOSM, decisions of the court under these procedures are non-appealable. This would allow the government to keep sensitive information out of the public eye, not even accessible to the media.

I also note with concern that portions or elements of the Internal Security Act were smuggled into the Penal Code with the new amendments yesterday.

For instance:

1) The words “counsels violent disobedience to the law or any lawful order” in the new Section 124H of the Penal Code are hauntingly similar to the definition of “subversive document” in Section 29 (3)(b) of the just repealed Internal Security Act.

2) The mention of the terms “counselling disobedience to the law thereof or to any lawful order therein” are chillingly reminiscent of the definition of “terrorist” in Section 2 of the ISA.

Public confidence in the government is shaken when oppressive laws are repealed with much fanfare, only to be replaced with equally — if not more — abhorrent legislation that offends the spirit of legal reform.

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s quadruple barrage of ticking time bombs is a rude awakening to Malaysians that the Barisan Nasional government has no intention of real change.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 6:50 pm and is filed under
Human Rights
,
ISA
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Changed or unchanged?

By Lim Mun Fah

(Translated by Soong Phui Jee)

Sin Chew Daily

2012-04-10

13th general election

Opinion

Last year, DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang listed Johor as one of the front-line states. Since then, Johor seems to have become a decisive battlefield between the ruling and alternative coalitions.

Heads of the BN and the Pakatan Rakyat, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have recently paid frequent visits to Johor. Najib, in particular, has visited the state for three times in two months.

Looking into the election history, Johor had never been a major battlefield as in the past 12 general elections, it had never been the cup of tea for the opposition. Johor received only slight impacts from major political events, including the Reformasi movement and the 2008 general election.

Times have, after all, changed. After learning a lesson from the 2008 political tsunami, the BN no longer dares to take it lightly even if Pakatan Rakyat’s declaration to seize Johor is only a rave.

Johor is a big state with 26 parliamentary seats and 56 state seats. In the 2008 general election, the Johor BN lost only one parliamentary seat and 6 state seats. It has contributed a lot in keeping the BN in power.

It seems like a strong fortress for the BN. Subtly, it is also a “life-saving state” for the MCA, the Gerakan and the MIC. Seven of the 15 parliamentary seats and 12 of the 35 state seats of the MCA are in Johor. As for the Gerakan, one of its two parliamentary seats and 2 of its four state seats are in Johor. Similar to the MIC, one of its three parliamentary seats and four of its seven state seats are in Johor.

The three BN component parties have been relying heavily on Johor. In other words, if anything happens to Johor in the next general election, it could affect the overall situation and hit the BN’s regime. It might be one of the reasons explaining the Prime Minister’s frequent visits to the state.

However, Johor Bahru member of Parliament Datuk Sharir Samad optimistically forecast that the situation in the 2008 general election would not repeat in the state and instead, the BN has a higher chance of winning compared to the previous election. It is because more Malays in Johor are supporting the BN while Chinese voters have not shown much change in their voting tendency.

Has Sharir been over optimistic? I don’t want to jump to the conclusion. However, I would like to remind him that it is not true to say that there is not much change in the voting tendency of the Chinese. It is better for the BN to be cautious or it might caught in an unexpected dilemma!

Of course, not many people, including Pakatan Rakyat grassroots leaders, are confident that the Johor Pakatan Rakyat does really have the strength to take over the state.

All in all, the people wish for a change and politics is capricious. It is useless to talk so much and the only way to victory would be to convince voters to vote for you!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 4:11 pm and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
,
Elections
,
Johore
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Criticism grows over ISA replacement’s threat to basic rights

By Shannon Teoh

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 11, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 — Putrajaya’s law to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA) has met with growing criticism over claims that it persists in denying basic liberties, just hours after being tabled in Parliament.

Global civil liberties watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement this morning the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill 2012 will “open the door to a range of future abuses” if it is passed, as expected, by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

DAP lawyer Gobind Singh Deo also added to criticism by his counterparts from the Bar Council who said yesterday the Bill must be reviewed as “counter-terrorism laws… must not usurp the very rights and freedoms that the terrorists themselves are threatening.”

HRW’s deputy Asia director Phil Robertson criticised the provision for a 28-day detention without judicial review and added that the delay of 48 hours before a suspect has access to a lawyer “encourages abusive interrogations.”

“The Malaysian government is putting to rest the long-derided ISA, but it is also setting the stage for future abuses,” he said.

Robertson added that the proposed law would allow police to make an arrest without a warrant if the officer merely “has reason to believe” that the person may be a security threat, and gives police broad powers to conduct searches and intercept communications without a warrant.

Gobind, who is also Puchong MP, noted that the police have “total unsupervised control over a suspect” during the 28-day detention and there is no good reason why a suspect cannot be brought before a judge during this time to ensure there is no physical or mental abuse on him.

The DAP central committee member also pointed out the Bill seeks to reintroduce the concept of confessions, which “has been done away with in most criminal trials as many accused have complained that statements were extracted from them during detention by improper means.”

“So, to revert back to an outdated practice would be highly questionable, especially where there will be no access to court during the first 28 days of detention during which time severe pressure would be brought to bear upon a suspect.

“What we have is essentially a trade-off. Take away ministerial power to detain without trial for two years and introduce new rules making it easier to secure convictions for offences carrying the heaviest of penalties,” he said.

The ISA replacement law was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, removing the government’s option to detain individuals without trial and providing a maximum detention of 28 days for investigation purposes.

Under the ISA, an individual believed to have committed a security offence can be detained for up to two years without trial, on orders from the home minister.

The Bill seeks to provide for “special measures” relating to security offences for the purpose of maintaining public order and security and for connected matters.

The new law also notably states that no individual can be arrested solely for his political belief or any political activity, as promised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last year when announcing a raft of reforms aimed at increasing civil liberties.

But the Bill, the first of two laws that will replace the ISA, still allows the police to arrest and detain “any person whom he has reason to believe to be involved in security offences” without warrant for 24 hours for investigation.

This led the Malaysian Bar to call for a review of the law which allows a summary of evidence to build a case, as opposed to the evidence itself and gives police power to detain for 28 days and intercept communications without judicial oversight.

“The radical departure from the ordinary rules of evidence may negatively impact on the accused’s right to a fair trial,” Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee said in a statement.

He also noted the Bill’s definition of security offences under Section 3 was “too wide” and urged the government to use a more precise one, as can be found in the UN Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 2:48 pm and is filed under
Human Rights
,
ISA
,
Parliament
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


New leads require reopening of Altantuya murder case

Mat Zain Ibrahim | Apr 11, 2012

Malaysiakini

COMMENT

May I make reference to several reports on the statements made by Dr Setev Shaaribuu who is here in Malaysia searching for justice for his murdered daughter, Altantuya.

Kindly allow me to offer my comments on the subject matter.

I reiterate my previous statements that were made public, that there has been a great deal of hanky panky, manipulation and concealment of material evidence, in the handling of the Altantuya murder trial, led by none other than Gani Patail the AG himself.

Gani Patail’s refusal to put to test both P Balasubramaniam’s statutory declarations (SDs) made on July 3 and 4, 2008 against his own evidence in court, and/or against Abdul Razak Baginda’s very own affidavit affirmed in January 2007, and Razak’s oral evidence during the trial, was clearly a deliberate act of concealment and/or suppression of material evidence from being produced before the judge in Altantuya’s murder trial.

Furthermore, the presiding judge did not make any decision on anybody when Bala made public his SDs.

Clearly Gani Patail’s omissions required by propriety, was with the specific intention to facilitate Razak Baginda’s acquittal and discharge from the abetment charge faced by Razak.

Under these circumstances, Gani Patail’s refusal to file an appeal against Razak’s acquittal should be viewed as an abuse of power and not within his discretionary boundary.

Gani Patail’s intentional omissions can be turned into his commission of various inter-related criminal offences under the Penal Code.

Unfavourable circumstances

Over and above that, Gani’s actions and/or inactions have caused both the accused in the Altantuya murder, Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar, to be denied their right to a fair trial when they were put in unfavourable circumstances to state their defence after Razak was acquitted and discharged through the courtesy of the AG himself.

The world could see that both Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar were fighting a losing battle when Bala’s SD was not challenged.

Only Gani Patail can pretend he did not know what was forthcoming.

The recent public statements made by Altantuya’s father especially on the purpose why the late Altantuya travelled to Malaysia ,and the people she intended to meet, must be viewed not only seriously, but very seriously (my emphasis) by the police – certainly not by the AG.

The revelations by Shaaribuu must be considered as new leads that warrant the investigation into the murder case be revisited at least to establish the motive or motives behind Altantuya’s murder.

Murder without motive is certainly not found in the police dictionary or in the Standing Orders that I know of.

Right to fair trail

Apart from the above comments, I still maintain and emphasise my call that Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar deserve to be retried before another judge to ensure that they be given their rights to a fair trial which they have been clearly deprived of by Gani Patail.

If the AG can swiftly act to entertain the request made by Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s father for Saiful to be given justice, whatever the word means to them, then there is no reason at all not to entertain the wishes by many for the police to reopen the investigation.

altantuya trial 160707 azilah

At least accord Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar the same privileges the police have given to others. An example is the Batang Kali massacre case which was reopened in 1993 after 45 years.

For your benefit, I have written a personal appeal to the Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak vide my letter dated July 12, 2011 and copied to the IGP personally, providing the PM with details, arguments as well as case precedents, to support my insistence that both Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar deserved to be given a retrial.

That appeal letter of mine is exactly nine months old. It was written well before the Copgate issue surfaced or Sharizat’s Cowgate or Tajuddin Ramli’s out of court settlement issues and certainly nothing to do with its written judgement which was delivered only last month, nor was it to coincide with Shariibuu’s visit.

If PM Najib cares for the welfare of Saiful Bukhari,Razak Baginda,Sharizat and Tajuddin only and does not have any space left for his own security details then at least Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar can be rest assured that there are still some old and haggard policemen out here who care.

MAT ZAIN IBRAHIM is former Kuala Lumpur CID (Criminal Investigation Department) chief.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 2:27 pm and is filed under
Crime
,
Law & Order
,
Najib Razak
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


One-third of seats in four states enough to win, says Kit Siang

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 11, 2012

PETALING JAYA, April 11  — Victories in a third of the parliamentary seats from Sabah, Sarawak, Johor and Pahang will guarantee that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) takes the next general election, Lim Kit Siang has said.

The DAP parliamentary leader stressed that it was crucial for the federal opposition to make an impact in these states, which have long been considered Umno-Barisan Nasional (BN) strongholds.

“Sabah, Sarawak, Johor and Pahang all make up 99 parliamentary seats. If we can win one-third of each state’s parliamentary seats, we would have approximately 33 seats.

“If we then add that to the 82 seats we have now, we will have passed our majority mark and (be) on our way to Putrajaya,” Lim told attendees at a DAP fundraiser last night.

The Ipoh Timor MP pointed out that in the last Sarawak parliamentary election, PR had only won one seat in the state. The pact also took just two seats in Pahang.

PKR contested 97 federal seats in 2008, while PAS and the DAP ran in 66 and 47, respectively.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had said in September last year that the party aims to win 60 federal seats in a general election expected soon.

This was after vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said in July the party wanted to contest 80 federal seats.

Umno has declared it can win back PKR-held seats as the PR lynchpin is seen as the weakest link in the opposition pact.

Election 2008 saw PKR become the largest opposition party in Parliament with a total of 31 MPs after BN suffered its worst performance at the polls ever, ceding five state governments and 82 parliamentary seats.

But it failed to defend Hulu Selangor in a by-election and lost a further six MPs who decided to become independent, allowing the DAP to become the biggest opposition party in Parliament with 28 MPs.

PAS, despite being the largest PR party in terms of membership, had the smallest representation in Parliament, with only 23 MPs after the polls.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 10:37 am and is filed under
Elections
,
Pakatan Rakyat
,
Sabah
,
Sarawak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Umno: Dari Pendita Zaaba ke Pendita Syed Putera

— Sakmongkol AK47

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 11, 2012

11 APRIL — Pada 7 April, saya berjumpa dengan Oracle Syed Putera atau dalam bahasa Melayu kita boleh sebut sebagai Pendita dari Syed Putera.

Kali ini nasib saya baik. Saya di jemput masuk untuk berjumpa bukan sahaja dengan Sang Pendita Syed Putera tapi juga dengan tokoh halimunan, Tun Daim Zainudin.

Dahulu di pinggirkan oleh Umno, sekarang di cari cari untuk memberi jampi serapah penguat semangat.

Tun Daim jadi macam bomoh besar menggantikan swami ji atau bomoh dari Indonesia yang selalu di rujuk oleh pimpinan tertingi Umno.

Bomoh tak bomoh, macam mana ya, Najib sang general tanpa soldadu. Soldadu nya soldadu upahan, pengikut nya, pengikut bayaran.

Wah, memang nasib saya baik pada hari itu. malam nanti, saya akan berceramah di markas Tarbiyyah PAS , Taman Melewar. Ada modal mahu cakap.

Sang Pendita: You boleh tanya direct segala kemusykilan dari Tun sendiri. Dia baru pulang dari Tokyo. He went there after memberi temu ramah Utusan Meracau dan beberapa akhbar Cina yang lain. Isnin ini Tun akan ke Afrika untuk suatu tempoh yang agak panjang. Tun kata dia mahu jumpa Sakmongkol yang sudah masuk DAP itu. Kami semua ketawa.

Sakmongkol: Saya tukar wadah Tun, bukan tukar aqidah. Orang Umno hari ini, kalau agama boleh mereka jual, sudah lama mereka lakukan. Tanah, bangunan, saham, akhirnya lembu pun mereka balun.

Funny Tun that you are going to Africa. Our country is becoming what Africa was 30 years ago. Kita ada menteri bawak lari orang dan puukul setengah mati.

Kita ada anak menteri dulu di kata menembak seorang rakan dan kini suruh bodyguard pukul orang. Tanpa membuang masa saya pun bertanya dari Tun kontradiksi antara memberi markah A++ kepada Najib dan pandangan yang selalu disampaikan kepada saya melalui Sang Pendita bahawa Najib has lost the plot on how to run the country.

TDZ: Tidak ada kontradiksi. No contradiction. He got A++ dari segi membuat pengumuman berentetan pengumuman. Dia sudah perfect the art of doing everything and accomplishing nothing. You ke yang kata, much thunder, no rain? My take is BN is comfortable with Johore, Pahang and Melaka sahaja, ulangi Tun.

Sakmongkol: Tapi Johor is in trouble too, Tun. Ghani has intimated to some Umno confidantes that he fears that up to 9 parliamentary seats will be lost. And up to 16 DUN seats are going to the other side. Ong Kar Ting pun ada menggalakkan orang kuat DAP bertanding di Kulai, sure menang kata nya. Ini bereti Ong Ka Ting pun tidak yakin dia boleh mengekalkan kerusi parlimen nya.

Tun Daim kelihatan terkejut dengan pemakluman saya.

TDZ: Hmm, Ghani didepan kita kata semua ok. Tapi saya ingat mungkin ada kebenaran jugak, the seats now held by MCA are good as gone. Areas with a sizeable number of Chinese voters are also in danger. In Segamat unless BN can create another flood like the last time, the seat will also be yilek. No floods means, BN boats cannot carry only BN voters and also cannot begin counting votes on military and police lorries.

Sakmongkol: Biasalah lah Tun kata saya. Orang Umno ingat Allah pun ahli Umno. Sebab itu mereka yakin Tuhan hanya mendengar doa mereka. Doa rakyat yang sengsara lagi mujarab Tun.

Dan saya dengar doa mereka ialah supaya BN bungkus kali ini dan Umno jadi parti pembangkang. Saya pun Tun, mahu bantu najib untuk kalah supaya dengan kekalahan Umno, bolehlah dia lakukan transformasi yang di laung laungkan.

You know, all the rats will desert the sinking ship. Unfortunately, Tun, Najib says he is a driver and not a ship’s captain. Most likely he will also jump ship.

Sampai sini dahulu perbualan saya dengan Tun Daim. Lain kali kita sambung.

Mari kita bincang mengenai pembohongan pimpinan Umno. Kita fikirkan pandangan seorang lagi Pendita — the original Pendita bangsa Melayu — Zaaba.

Dalam tahun 1927, iaitu pada 16 haribulan bulan Mac dalam majallah Al Ikhwan, pendita pertama Melayu iaitu Zaaba menulis tentang sebab musabab Melayu bernasib malang.

Adat kebiasaan dan keadaan hidup yang dasyat yang telah di tanggung oleh datuk nenek mereka pada zaman sebelum kedatangan British, dan oleh sebab adat kebiasaan yang telah jadi pusaka itulah hingga perkataan pun tiada kita dapati dalam bahasa Melayu bagi menamai kebanyakan daripada sifat-sifat kemuliaan perangai. Apa makusd Zaaba?

Maksud Pendita Zaaba ialah orang Melayu tidak ada sifat kemuliaan perangai yang menjadikan mereka bangsa yang robust dan rugged dan mempunyai minda tangkas untuk memajukan diri. Atau dalam bahasa yang mudah, orang Melayu mewarisi perangai captive mind atau jiwa hamba.

Dan pada bulan April 1927 dalam Majallah Al Ikhwan Pendita Zaaba menyambung menulis… dan ini yang menjadikan mereka waris kepada beberapa tabiat perangai dan kebiasaan yang lemah dan rendah yang telah menjadi lazim pada zaman nenek moyang dahulu kala itu, beratus ratus tahun lama nya mereka telah di perabdikan dan kena picit dan perah dan ramas di tangan pemerintah-pemerintah yang pada zaman dahulu itu, iaitu pemerintah-pemerintah dari bangsa mereka sendiri…

Saya macam ingat Zaaba menulis mengenai parti Umno yang mahu mengembalikan orang Melayu ke zaman dulu kala dimana orang Melayu kena picit, perah dan ramas dan mengabidkan fikiran orang Melayu. Inilah sifat dan perangai rendah Umno.

Inilah yang di lakukan oleh Umno hari ini yang tersangat cemas dan ketakutan, mengembalikan orang Melayu kepada zaman gelap dengan cerita cerita seram mengenai ancaman terhadap mereka.

Inilah pembohongan besar Umno keatas orang Melayu yang bertujuan untuk memicit, meramas dan memerah jiwa orang Melayu supaya orang Melayu terus di perabdikan.

Kita jangan sekali kali lupa bahawa Najib, is at heart a feudal person. His objective is to keep the Malays in servitude under Umno hegemony. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de plume of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. He was Pulau Manis assemblyman (2004-2008).

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 6:41 pm and is filed under
DAP
,
Elections
,
UMNO
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


WSJ: Najib ‘barely keeping up’ with political reform demands

By Yow Hong Chieh

The Malaysian Insider

Apr 11, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11— Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is “barely keeping up” with reform demands despite promising to lead Malaysia into an era of fair political competition, the Wall Street Journal said today.

The influential daily said in an editorial today that while the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill tabled yesterday represented “real progress”, it was still “too broad” and could be abused for political purposes.

It also noted that the Bill was only one of two laws meant to replace the Internal Security Act (ISA) and that a second Bill on racial hate laws that could prove to be even more contentious had yet to be tabled in Parliament.

“Since affirmative action policies favouring the Malay majority are a major political issue, will politicians be detained during key periods for criticising them or organising peaceful demonstrations?” the paper said.

“Mr Najib could have shown more sincerity and avoided these problems if he had allowed public consultation on the ISA reforms. Instead he has tabled this bill with the clear intention of passing it as quickly as possible.”

The WSJ also cited opposition claims that while the Najib administration had shied away from using the ISA in recent years, it had still used the Sedition Act against political opponents.

The prime minister’s introduction of the Peaceful Assembly Act and amendments to the Police Act to allow public assembly was also “only a slight improvement” on balance, it pointed out.

“Mr Najib raised expectations last year when he promised to lead Malaysia into a new era of free and fair political competition. So far he is barely keeping up with society’s demands for change,” the paper said.

“He deserves credit for overcoming resistance from the reactionary wing of Umno and dragging the party into the modern era. The voters will soon have a chance to decide whether they trust Mr Najib enough to give him a mandate to do more, or whether the opposition should take his reforms to fruition.”

The ISA replacement law was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, removing the government’s option to detain without trial and providing a maximum detention of 28 days for investigation purposes.

Under the ISA, an individual believed to have committed a security offence can be detained for up to two years without trial, on orders from the home minister.

The Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill, tabled for first reading by de facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, states that “all security offences shall be tried by the High Court”.

The Bill seeks to provide for “special measures” relating to security offences for the purpose of maintaining public order and security, and for connected matters.

The new law also notably states that no individual can be arrested solely for his political belief or any political activity, as promised by Najib in September last year when he announced a raft of reforms aimed at increasing civil liberties.

But the Bill, the first of two laws that will replace the ISA, still allows the police to arrest and detain “any person whom he has reason to believe to be involved in security offences” without warrant for 24 hours for investigation.

The Malaysian Bar has criticised the Bill for its wide definition of security offences and its “radical departure” from ordinary rules of evidence, which may negatively impact on the right of an accused to a fair trial.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 11 April 2012, 8:18 pm and is filed under
Human Rights
,
ISA
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Why I’ll be at the Bersih 3.0 sit-in

KJ John | Apr 10, 2012

Malaysiakini

Prime ministers make promises. Prime ministers sell to the nation the future into which they want to lead the country. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has in fact promised and set us on a different route, with an improved trajectory through his leadership.

Usually, if such change is begun at the centre, even if the change is just one degree, it is enough to facilitate a large change down the line. Therefore, when he made his first promise, and when I believed he was serious, I wrote, ‘Right direction, slow speed!’ in Micah Mandate of April 20, 2009.

Therefore, as part and parcel of ordinary citizens who are seeking improved governance of this democracy we call Malaysia, which my friend AB Shamsul still calls “a state but not yet a nation,” I will be at the sit-in so that the PM will fulfil the promises he made about many things, but most importantly for this general election (GE); the promise of clean and fair elections.

I did march with Bersih 2.0, but clean elections cannot be done without a valid and above-board voter list. Bersih’s primary objection is now about a corrupted voter list; and, it is not even yet about the weighted size of different constituencies.

Furthermore, as a public servant who has worked closely with those issuing the new identity card (MyKad) and working with the research group behind the original design, but fully aware of the technical capabilities and weaknesses of the 64k chip embedded in the new MyKad, I find their so-called inability to clean up the list absolutely unacceptable.

To prove my point I would like to name my counterpart in the MyKad project who made the MyKad into the only Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) success story to date. The media should therefore invite Azizan Ayob to give a complete briefing on why such checking and cleaning-up of the list can be done quite easily with our current sophisticated and integrated system.

At the time he was the director-general (DG), there was no integrated capability, but today even banks are connected to the National Registration Department (NRD) database. He was in fact the director-general of the NRD who made both the MyKad and the MyKid happen; a first in the world and a global success story.

I realise that I may be even embarrassing him a little, but to me it is all about truth and revealing the truth of this simple, straightforward but technical matter. It is totally unacceptable that such “backdoor gerrymandering of the list of registered voters can happen when we already have a chip-based ID card,” for which we have already spent millions to develop an almost fool-proof authentication system.

Even IRIS, the public-listed company which makes these cards, can just as easily verify such a simple and straightforward truth. I also call upon them to deny or disagree with me publicly, if needed.

Perkasa Youth chief’s indefensible thesis

Bersih 3.0 is a totally NGO-driven group of individuals and groups who can now speak with one voice and our leaders are both Ambiga Sreenevasan and A Samad Said (Pak Samad). They speak in unison and were designed to appeal to all groups without making Bersih 2.0++ an ethnic-based or partisan movement. Behind them are many more individuals and members of all shades and colours who are all Malaysians First and foremost, and quite unapologetically.

Therefore, I find it personally very offensive that the Perkasa Youth chief has uttered the words, “anti-Christ for Muslims” and a “traitor” to the nation against our leaders. For one, he cannot be much of a Muslim if he does not both understand and believe that Jesus the Christ will return for the second judgment.

Therefore, by ‘prophesying’ about Ambiga without either knowledge or substance, he makes a fool of both himself and abuses other Muslims by abusing Muslim theology appreciation.

Finally, it must be a weak person who has to resort to such theological ideas and ideals to support his false and indefensible thesis about a grassroots leadership movement.

So, let me reiterate: Bersih 3.0 is a Malaysians First movement of citizens and civil society activists to improve the performance of our democratic system in Malaysia. It may or may not have the support of particular political parties, but that simply means that they choose to be part of this movement of the people of Malaysia for improved, clean and fair elections which we believe will also lead to improved governance of this nation.

Therefore, Perkasa’s reputation of making and branding everything with a racial or ethnic overtone convoluted with a religious brush is not appreciated or supported here. Bersih 3.0, much like Himpunan Hijau, is a group of Malaysians, and, yes, supported by Malaysians overseas, and other international supporters, but with a focused goal of improving governance of this nation so that ordinary citizens of Malaysia can experience an improved quality of lived life.

Bersih 3.0 is only a means; the goal is improved governance of this nation. This time it is also a sit-in so that we can dispense with water-cannons and red trucks. Please keep them at bay, somewhere nearby if you insist, but do not use every excuse to use them all in the name of protecting citizens and consumers.

It is also designed for a Saturday afternoon so that few offices are open and most Malaysians are at home resting; other than the thousand who want to show their cry ‘enuf is enuf;’ to say that we can change the 54 years of abuse of power and much mis-governance.

Reigniting the passion of our Founding Father

Finally, the reason we want to hold it in the Dataran Merdeka is because that is how we want to “reignite the passion of our Founding Father of the nation and his call for a single united Bangsa Malaysia” born out of Merdeka being celebrated at that very spot. Yearly and regularly, this location is used for all kinds of public purposes and therefore we do not see a reason to go anywhere else.

In fact we would like to invite all ordinary Malaysians who want to see improved governance of this nation through free, clean and fair elections to join us. We are only helping Malaysia’s transition into a more mature democracy and strengthening our system of general elections which will soon go into the 13th one. Surely the 13th can be lucky for Malaysians; we can pray for this.

2012 is also a very auspicious year in many senses. Without going into the Mayan prediction, I would like to recognise that on Sept 15, 2012, Malaysia will end our 49th year of existence as a united and commonly shared vision of a nation. On the next day, or Malaysia Day, many younger Bansga Malaysians who were born on Sept 16, 1963 or later will actually turn and begin living their 50th year of existence.

If one is in the public service it means you have nine more years of full and public service, because on the last day of the 59th year you will have to compulsorily retire. Then the next day is your 60th year, and therefore the 1st day of your retirement.

May God bless Malaysia.

——————————————————————————–

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]
 with any feedback or views.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 12 April 2012, 12:19 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Elections
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.