Ngau Saloi Blog

BR1M is not the right Economic Solutions for the People

2012-01-21T17:15:00.002+08:00

One of my closest friend once said,"If BN can deliver RM500 annually for five years in a row without fail (until the next election) then I will give my vote to them. Meaning that, they are honest in helping the people. But if they only deliver once or twice and that only when the elections is near, then this is another desperate attempt to get the people's vote in the name of humanity and welfare. How can we fall to the same trap again and again."

Let's read another article concerning BR1M below and you be the judge....

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DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN

I feel it is rather amusing to read so many leaders calling for us not to politicize the RM500 BR1M handouts, some even going to the extend of warning people not to link it to any political motive, because the handouts are “the government’s sincere way of trying to assist the people in today’s difficult economic climate.” But the problem is, after so many BN leaders make this warning, we can’t help thinking this must be very political indeed! It is quite clear that their intention to warn us not to politicize the matter is their way of telling us that it is all actually political. Ironically, by warning us not to politicize the matter, they are the ones ending up politicizing it!

Or is it being done on purpose? It is a very subtle and clever way of telling us it is in fact all very political. After all it is hard for the government to be generous and not be appreciated, especially because the total amount to be disbursed is so huge it can sink a ship. But as Datuk Wences Anggang of UPKO confirmed it, it is very political with some ‘unnecessary’ questions being put on the application form, such as where does the applicant vote and if he or she is a registered voter.

The other day someone said that you can confirm whether your name is in the approved receivers’ list by checking the list at the UMNO or PBS offices! My immediate reaction was what does UMNO and PBS have anything to do with it if it is not political? Are UMNO and PBS taking advantage of getting support by also becoming a checking centres other than the district offices?

Of course we are thankful for these handouts. At least the people are now in a state of excitement about getting some real cash to help them overcome many difficulties. But many deserving people are not qualified to receive them, while many who make more than RM3,000 per month end up getting them. And what I am afraid is that a lot of the amounts received will be abused, with many recipients going for the quick fixes with “tiga sepuluh, aramai it is.” The government, eventually had decided to continue spoiling the people by directly giving them fish, as if all the efforts to teach them how to fish had failed. But then again BR1M is not a surprise if we remember that the government has been practicing this method of “helping the people” all the time – giving them house building materials, water tanks, food items such as rice and other forms of groceries. At one time this was called the government’s way of reducing poverty – give them some food items and they are not longer poor for a few days! How very creative! In the case of fishermen, they are given allowances of RM200 per month, and are allowed subsidized diesel, which is welcomed, but is it the best solution to their problems? The MP for Papar, Datuk Rosnah Shirlin on January 18, during the ceremony to roll out the allowances, said that hundreds of fishermen from Papar “will have fewer worries of not having enough to makes ends meet.” Does it mean the fishermen can’t even make RM200 per month to feed their families? If that’s the case, shouldn’t the government be helping them to switch to other economic activities?

This is the problem with a government which has no clear strategic plan for poverty eradication, neither a clear plan for economic development of the state. We may have failed to notice that all these years the villagers had actually been mostly left out to fend for themselves in the villages. They go on with their traditional way of life without any new way of increasing their income, to such an extent that when the YBs come bringing in handouts they grab at it all with a lot of gusto. And then they are insulted with speeches asking them to be thankful to the government!

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Are Workers getting too many Holidays?

2012-01-21T12:44:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year 2012 to all and Gong Xi Fa Chai to my Chinese friends.

In 5 weeks we are experiencing 3 public holidays, Christmas (25 Dec), New Year 2012 (1 Jan) and Chinese New Year (23 & 24 Jan). And yet, some employers still complaining that we as Malaysian are having too much holidays?

And the holidays are indeed have effected our productivity, is it true? Below is an article extracted from on the writers opinion on why the employers need to focus on productivity instead of Malaysians getting more holidays.

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Are workers getting too many holidays?

Question Time, The Star.
By P. GUNASEGARAM

Instead of griping about days off, employers should focus on improving productivity – and benefits.

ASK any person who employs other people and they will say their workers get too many days off and public holidays. Ask the workers and their answers will be exactly the opposite.

That was the scenario played out recently when employers and their associations clamoured for less public holidays while workers and their representatives demurred strongly.

Objectively, it is simply too much to expect public holidays to be reduced, especially when many private sector employers are remiss when it comes to giving workers decent pay and benefits, including leave. A few examples will illustrate this well.

Take the five-day working week. The Government has adopted this for some years now but there are many firms in Malaysia, particularly those which are Malaysian-owned, which do not practise this.

This is despite the fact that it is easy to make up the hours for a Saturday half day by working just half an hour to 45 minutes more on the other working days.

Why many private firms continue to do this when they can so easily make up for the hours lost is a mystery and just shows plain unwillingness to grant workers better benefits even when it costs the company nothing.

The number of public holidays in Malaysia is about 18, not counting state holidays which may account for one or two more. But those who don’t work a five-day week work 26 days more in a year.

The Government should just mandate a five-day week for everyone like it is done in many other countries.

Next, guess who is opposing vehemently a current proposal to raise the retirement age to 60 and which may be legislated this year if all goes well. Yes, private sector employers.

The life expectancy over the last half century has increased by over 20 years to 75 but the retirement age still stays at 55.

Many countries already have a retirement age of 65 and some don’t even have a retirement age and here we are baulking because of employer opposition.

Why is the private sector behaving like that? It wants to get rid of staff and get new ones at lower pay or retain the old ones on yearly contracts and with reduced benefits, saving costs.

The broader interest will be served by increasing the retirement age so that the useful lives of all citizens can be extended, they are better able to take care of their needs in older age and their accumulated knowledge and expertise used.

If we look at the way employers treat foreign workers, it is appalling to say the least.

The construction industry, for instance, is almost entirely dependent on foreign workers. Often they are paid a daily rate and they get no pay when there is no work. Is that any way to treat a worker?

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Message from a Concerned Citizen for 2012: Do the Right Thing

2011-12-28T08:15:00.000+08:00

By Dr Kamal Amzan, The Malaysian Insider

Dear YBs,

I hope that you are all in good health. I write to you as an ordinary Malaysian citizen who wants to see this country back in its glory.

I know it is hard to believe but we are not the only ones who determine the rise and fall of Malaysia. You too have a role to play. You are after all our “leaders”, no?

In the spirit of Christmas and New Year’s, I’ve decided to be a good citizen by helping to make your wish come true. I’m not exactly sure what they are, but people have been telling me that you really want to win the next general election.

I wanted to buy you reading materials as presents to improve your leadership skills, but as my purchasing power is small, and whatever’s left of my salary goes to paying your salaries, building bigger palaces, hiring expensive economic consultants, I was not able to buy so many books.

But in the spirit of a true blue Malaysian I’ve decided to write you a list of what we Malaysians want before the next general election. This is after all a win-win situation.

You grant our wishes, and we may just grant you yours.

Besides, I don’t think you keep books for company anymore.

1. Read more please

There is a reason why those who read more get better jobs. They make good, solid, well thought out and impressive statements. Have you listened to the statements your colleagues made in the last few weeks?

MCA, for instance, does not wish to allow Malaysians abroad to vote, questioning their loyalty and relevance to the future of Malaysia.

Is that how we measure loyalty these days? To be physically present in Malaysia? Does that mean the Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Indonesians here are more loyal than our citizens working, studying abroad?

Maybe we should make it compulsory for our YBs to sit for an IQ test before running for office?

2. Get rid of corruption

Perception is everything in politics. You may be squeaky clean but it doesn’t matter if the people believe otherwise. Please remove your Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers who appear to be corrupt.

It is guilty until proven innocent in public office. Can’t accept that? Well, you can always resign and let someone else take over.

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Empowering Malaysians

2011-12-27T09:33:00.002+08:00

Awang Abdillah, Free Malaysia Today

People-backed reforms are urgently needed to stop Malaysia from becoming a failed democracy.

In a true democratic country, the people hold the ultimate political power. Hence any display or exercise of such power in the open is only to reaffirm such rights.

The Bersih rally on Nov 10, 2007 and of Bersih 2.0 on July 9, 2011 successfully broke the barrier of fear and doubts among Malaysians – people’s power vis-a-vis the power of the Malaysian undemocratic government.

Led by S Ambiga, the lady champion of people’s power, Bersih proved to all Malaysians that the myth of the ‘Barisan Nasional power’ was false.

The coalition of NGOs moved Malaysians forward in terms of greater acceptance of open, liberal, freer politics though the fight for a fair and just electoral system in the country remains to be accomplished.

Though there may be little change to the present electoral system, however what is important is that the people are now able to accept such democratic changes as evidenced by the massive swing of votes to the opposition in the 2008 general election.

Even though the path taken by the movement is in direct collision with the repressive government, Bersih managed to successfully push the regime against the wall.

Bersih 2.0 must widen scope

The eight-point declaration by Bersih 2.0 to seek reforms on the electoral system is gaining support and momentum by the day.

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Misplaced priorities and rising food prices

2011-12-27T09:22:00.000+08:00

By John Brian Anthony, Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: Malaysia’s cost of living has risen steeply. Most basic food like rice, flour, cooking oil, sugar prices has shot up.

In Sarawak, we have land but are totally dependent on the importation of rice (Sarawak imports 70% of its rice consumption). Even fruits are imported from Australia and New Zealand.

So why are we not focused on trying to meet our basic needs? Do we not have enough land to plant rice?

We have enough land, more than enough land. Why then are we not planting enough rice, fruits and vegetables?

The answer is simple: The Barisan Nasional government does not want to allocate money to help farmers farm and cultivate fisheries activities.

Lets look at what technology the government has brought into Sarawak over the years to improve its agricultural production and increase the income of farmers. None.

The government has not allocated much money and has not introduced technology.

At one point the government even shut down the agriculture training centre out of fear that the natives would plant more and it would leave the government with lesser land to grab.

(Last year, the state government announced the reopening of these centre, but I fear the damage has been done).

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Change in Government, not Change of Government

2011-12-19T22:09:00.000+08:00

Raja Petra Kamarudin, Malaysia Today

Three days ago I completed my Oxford course, Philosophy of Religion. I will know in two weeks or so whether I passed or not. On 1 February 2012, my new course, Age of Revolution, will commence. This course is about the transformation and reformation (meaning: revolutions) in Europe from the period of the French Revolution to the First World War.

I have two textbooks to read, which I am already halfway through, and even before I start the course I can already see many parallels with what happened more than 200 years ago with what is happening today.

The article below, Talk to us, not talk at us, by Thomas L Friedman, which was published in the New Straits Times, makes interesting reading. This article also summarizes some of what I have read thus far.

Basically, (pre-empting what my course is going to reveal), many of these revolutions are bottom-up rather than top-down events. Another 1,000-page book I read a couple of months ago about the French and Russian Revolutions appear to reveal the same thing.

Furthermore, it revealed that revolutions are started by the masses and not by political leaders (and succeeds only when critical mass is reached) but are eventually hijacked by politicians. For example, Trotsky, Lenin, Stalin, etc., did not mastermind the revolution. They grabbed power once the revolution started. In fact, some of the so-called leaders were actually in exile outside Russia and came home to take over once the revolution succeeded in ousting the government (remember Khomeini as well?).

Another point would be about the transformation or reformation itself. What the people seek is change. And the route they chose is to change the government. But in the end they did not actually see change. Hence the title of my article today: Change in government, not change of government.

And that is what we should seek. We should learn from more than 200 years of history. And the lesson is: we may see a change of government but that does not mean we are going to see a change in government. This is what I normally call old wine in a new bottle.

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(Taib) Running Scared?

2011-12-18T12:40:00.000+08:00

Sarawak Report

For the first time in 30 years Abdul Taib Mahmud has cancelled the traditional press conference, normally held at the Wisma Bapa Malaysia after the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Even more astonishing, the journalists were barred from the building, as if they were unwanted intruders.

It is often such small, but extremely strange signs, that make us aware of developments that are seismic behind the scenes. Like when a beach suddenly bares before a tsunami or there is rumbling before an earthquake.

So what has made Taib act so out of character? What pressure is he under that he and his ministers have suddenly decided they dare not face what has for so long been their ’lapdog’ press?

The inescapable conclusion is that the evidence has now piled so high, that Taib suddenly realises that he can no longer brush aside the questions about his corruption and the squalid wealth of his family, both in Sarawak and abroad.

With the issue now making headlines in Malaysia and reaching the international news, even the controlled pressmen of Sarawak would not be able to avoid asking questions about it. And, by cancelling the press conference, it seems clear that Taib has no idea how to answer them.

It is a sign of fatal weakness at the heart of his regime that Taib no longers dares to face the press.

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An Open Letter from President of Malaysian Bar to all Members of Parliament

2011-11-29T16:49:00.001+08:00

28 November 2011

Dear Wakil Rakyat,

Open Letter to Wakil Rakyat on Peaceful Assembly Bill 42/2011

You may have heard that the Malaysian Bar opposes the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 (“PA 2011”) on the grounds that it imposes unreasonable and disproportionate fetters on the freedom of assembly that is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.

There are provisions in PA 2011 that are far more restrictive than the current law, such as the banning of “street protests” (assemblies in motion or processions) and the unlimited powers vested in the police to dictate the time, date, place and conduct of an assembly. There are also provisions in PA 2011 that are simply illogical. As an example, although police do not need to be notified of a religious assembly, such an assembly cannot be held at a place of worship. Furthermore, a person living within 50 metres of a kindergarten or school cannot hold an open house for a festival, a funeral procession or a wedding reception.

The Prime Minister, in his Malaysia Day speech on 15 September 2011, promised the Rakyat of the following:

I often opine that long gone is the era in which the government knows everything and claims monopoly over wisdom. . . .

The Government will also review section 27 of the Police Act 1967, taking into consideration Article 10 of the Federal Constitution regarding freedom of assembly and so as to be in line with international norms on the same matter. . . . (emphasis added)

Be confident that it is a strength and not a weakness for us to place our trust in the Malaysian people’s intelligence to make decisions that will shape the path of their own future. . . .

It is absolutely clear that the steps I just announced are none other than early initiatives of an organised and graceful political transformation. It stands as a crucial and much needed complement to the initiatives of economic transformation and public presentation which the government has outlined and implemented for over two years in the effort to pioneer a modern and progressive nation. . . .

In closing, I wish to emphasise that free of any suspicion and doubt, the Malaysia that we all dream of and are in the process of creating is a Malaysia that practices [sic] a functional and inclusive democracy where public peace and prosperity is preserved in accordance with the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and respect for basic human rights and individual rights.

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What Happen to Malaysia?

2011-11-25T19:02:00.001+08:00

Free Malaysia Today

How does one measure the success of a country? To the people, it is reflected in their overall standard of living.

Not every country is lucky enough to have a team of intelligent people whose passionate objectives drive them to make their country a better place to live – for everyone.

Singapore is one such country. Today this island republic has one of the highest standard of living in Southeast Asia.

When Tunku Abdul Rahman decided to expel Singapore from the Federation of Malaya leading to its independence on Aug 9, 1965, the world did not expect this tiny island republic with a population of 1.8 million then to stand tall as one of the original Four Asian Tigers, along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan 46 years later.

Which Malaysian could have imagined that some 46 years after the split, Singapore’s exchange rate to the ringgit would hit a dizzying rate of RM2.41 (as at Nov 11, 2011)?

The last time the Singapore dollar (SGD) was almost on part with the ringgit (RM) was in August 1972 when SGD 100 was equivalent to RM100.10.

For an average wage earner in Singapore, making SGD2,500 a month, going for a 10 days holiday to the US or Australia or Europe once a year is a relatively small matter.

Annoying issues

So what happened to Malaysia? In 1965 when Singapore was expelled, Malaysia had everything that the island republic glaringly lacked – ample land, a plethora of natural resources, an operating government, and 9.3 million people.

Unfortunately, in the 46 years that has come to past, Malaysia has been bogged down by a number of issues which are clearly distracting the government from doing what it is supposed to be doing.

The ruling government (Umno-Barisan Nasional) in Malaysia is debating whether education in English would be significantly beneficial to the rakyat.

The opposition PAS is vehement in wanting to forcibly implement the hudud laws and banning Elton John from performing in Malaysia because of his sexual orientation and the Obedient Wives Club’s proposition that Muslim women should be obedient and strive to approach sex with their hubbies not just on a physical level but on the higher spiritual realm.

Then there are also questions posed to DAP’s national chairman Karpal Singh by MCA’s leader Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Chua wants to know whether a non-Muslim should first convert to Islam if they wanted to be deputy prime minister should Pakatan become the ruling government.

These are just a handful of endless annoying issues which Umno has had to deal with on a daily basis.

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Who is Behind Oxford Business Group Report Sarawak Report 2011??

2011-11-20T18:37:00.001+08:00

Extracted from "More Big Boobs By Taib! – Expose" by Sarawak Report

Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and PM Najib Razak have been trumpeting their economic policies in the light of plaudits given by an outfit called the Oxford Business Group.

Explaining the significance of the praises lavished on Sarawak and Malaysia by the Oxford Busines Group, the Chief Minister’s own website claimed that the publication “provides in-depth detail on Sarawak’s current economic outlook and what the future holds for the state”.

However, the Editorial Director of these reports is none other than a former Editor of the UK’s most ridiculed porn rag, the Daily Sport, which closed earlier this year.

Peter Grimsditch was sacked 4 years after having launched the Sport for the UK ’Porn King’, David Sullivan in 1988. He was also sacked as Editor of another low-brow red top, the Daily Star, and is now based in the Middle East.

Another ‘boob’ by Taib?

The revelation raises question marks over the economic focus and expertise of the publication that are not satisfactorily answered by the qualifications of its predominantly youthful staff:

“They are mostly in their 20′s and they get posted for a couple of months to do the business”, explained one senior executive of a respected economic publication in the Middle East, where OBG have also started operating.

“It is basically what one calls an ‘Advertorial’. They write sympathetic positive stuff about the subject matter. The purpose is obvious, which is to give the best possible spin and encourage investment. The State will then quote the report”.

Oxford Business Group Report was launched with fanfare by Taib

Under these circumstances, the grand fanfare with which Taib personally launched the Oxford Business Group’s ‘Country Report’ on Sarawak in October at the Pullman Hotel, seems rather ridiculous. ‘The Report Sarawak’ was presented as if it was a respected and objective third-party analysis, giving the thumbs up to investors. In fact it was just a vanity publication, which he paid for out of state funds! We suggest investors should therefore also read this Sarawak Report to gain some balance!

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Missing The Large Hole

2011-11-18T17:26:00.001+08:00

Extracted from "Missing a large hole in Sarawak kitty" from Free Malaysia Today written by Joseph Entawie

How can the Auditor-General not see this annual big drilled hole in the state public accounts? This kind of criminal act is akin to bank robberies where a robber or gang of robbers would drill a big hole into the bank strong room to get the hard cash out.

Don’t tell me the investigating police officer cannot see the big hole!

The only deduction we can make is that the money, all those years, was channelled to the Chief Minister’s own private companies and later these funds were transferred overseas.

These public account malpractices are widely reported in the online media news portals which the Auditor-General cannot ignore but should check before making the final reports, which are not only improper but a scam and a crime.

For public accounting principles and rules, the most serious abuse of public funds is insider stealing/theft of public money .

The chief minister is literally stealing the public funds which should be the Auditor-General’s priority to investigate and expose.

If your investigation proves to be true, then your office should report to the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) accordingly.

I have never heard of any government allocation of funds of such a magnitude approved by a State Legislative Assembly only to be stolen later by politicians who control the government!

This kind of unique practice is only found in Sarawak.

These funds are taken out from the development funds, which is supposed to be for development projects for the people.

Our brothers at MACC are another kind who do not bother who steals what. Looks like the Auditor-General and MACC are two birds of the same feather.

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No Information on SCORE!

2011-11-17T18:04:00.001+08:00

Extract from posting "SCORE will turn Sarawak into another Sabah" Free Malaysia Today written by Joseph Entawie

Bian said that every day Sarawakians read news about SCORE, but todate nobody knows the actual details of the development plan including “what it is all about or what it involves”.

“There appears to be not much of transparency about this mega project. From reading news release and articles on SCORE, the project appears to focus on the manufacturing sector or secondary sector because it aims to use the power from the Bakun Dam,” he said.

He added that the secondary sector in 2006 accounted for 31.5% or RM13.24 billion of the state’s GDP, according to the 2009 yearbook of statistics.

“Based on these figures, I was informed that the projection for secondary GDP for 2025 is RM42 billion and this implies a compound growth rate of at least 10.3% since 2006.

“However, this is not happening. The historical yearly compound growth rate during the 2002-2007 period was only 3.35%.

“And according to the Chief Minister’s budget speech, the state economy is expected to record a favourable growth of 4.5% in 2011.

“Sarawak does not have the critical mass of skilled manpower to sustain such a high growth rate at 10.3%, because according to the 2009 yearbook of statistics, as of 2008, 33.7% of the labour force, more than 223,000 or 24%, is in the primary sector and less than 10% in the plant and machine, operator and assembler sector,” Bian said.

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The Buck Stops with Me (and You)!

2011-11-16T13:01:00.001+08:00

Free Malaysia Today

Has Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s GTP (Government Transformation Programme) gone to pot? This is the question one must ask when one reads the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report where it is obviously clear that the bad old ways are still continuing.

Prices of goods purchased are marked up tremendously and this outrageous practice shows no sign of stopping.

Year in, year out the Auditor-General’s Report only reports the malpractice but the report is a toothless tiger. All it does is report and make recommendations on how to stem the wastages and leakages but it has no power to enforce its recommendations.

For too long the system has enabled the malpractice to flourish. From the purchase of marine binoculars worth not more than RM1,940 but purchased at the price of RM56,350 to the purchase of horses and OPVs (Offshore Patrol Vehicles), the leakages just seem to abound.

Among the government departments and ministries which have been highlighted by the Auditor-General are the Education Ministry, Health Ministry, the Customs Department and the Inland Revenue Board (the last two departments come under the Finance Ministry and the finance minister is none other than the prime minister himself).

The GTP has so far failed in its role to transform the running, administration and procurement process in the government departments highlighted in the Auditor-General’s Report.

It makes one wonder whether there exists such a thing as standard operating procedure or a manual outlining the ministry’s procedures that must be adhered to. Is the GTP just a beautiful slogan with no substance?

The gargantuan purchase prices only serve to indicate that at least someone, if not the whole department, is sleeping on the job, to say the least.

Surely at least three open, transparent and competitive tenders must be called for before goods are purchased.

Who decides on which supplier to buy the goods from? Who approves the decision? Who approves the payment? There must be several levels of administration process to go through before the payment is approved and the goods are purchased.

And the fact that those department heads caught out by the Auditor-General have the audacity to say it is a “disciplinary problem” is certainly ridiculous. And to top it off, no names have been provided by the department heads. Is this a crime without criminals? This is a lame excuse by the culprits to be let off the hook as the crime could not be pinned on anyone.

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Electoral reforms and the quest for democracy in Malaysia: Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan

2011-11-15T17:43:00.003+08:00

Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan gives this lecture entitled 'Public Lecture Electoral reforms and the quest for democracy in Malaysia' at The Australian National University on 1 November 2011.

The BERSIH 2.0 rally of the 9th of July 2011 will forever be etched in the memory of Malaysians as a historic day. This was the day when around 50,000 Malaysians from all ethnic groups defied attempts by the government to prevent a demonstration. In this video, the speaker discusses the eight demands of BERSIH in the context of Malaysia's electoral system. She also explores the events leading up to July 9th as well its aftermath and significance. She also discusses whether the government's recent response in setting up a Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms and announced plans to repeal some oppressive legislation are reasons for hope.

Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan is a leading lawyer, human rights and rule of law activist in Malaysia. She served on the Malaysian Bar Council from 2002 until March 2010. She was its Chairman and President from March 2007 till March 2009. She presently heads Bersih 2.0, a citizen's movement for free and fair elections. She has served on the executive committee of the Women's Aid Organisation and is involved in the Bar Council Special Committee on the Orang Asli (indigenous persons) rights. Ambiga graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of Exeter, in 1979. She was called to the English Bar at Gray's Inn in 1980 and to the Malaysian Bar in 1982. She was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Laws (Hon LLD) from the University of Exeter in July 2011.She was a recipient of the U.S. Secretary of State "International Women of Courage" Award for 2009, and was conferred France's highest honour, the Chevalier de Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) on the 23rd of September, 2011.

Allocate more money for constituencies, not the YBs

2011-10-15T14:15:00.000+08:00

Paul Sir, The Borneo Post

DE FACTO Law Minister Datuk Nazri Abdul Aziz thought everyone wanted it.

So he recommended to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to include it in Budget 2012. The PM did.

However, Nazri later found out that certain opposition MPs did not agree with the hike in salary and allowances for parliamentarians, so he decided to withdraw the proposal. So the pay rise was scrapped.

As the minister announced his decision, he couldn’t help but take a dig at the opposing voices.

“Anwar, Azmin, Lim Guan Eng are wealthy men, but they are not taking into consideration their junior MPs who are struggling to pour petrol to visit their areas,” he said.

“I hope one day there will be time to increase the MPs’ salary and allowance because it’s desired by all MPs to better serve their constituents.”

Nazri also said that the opposition leaders who opposed the increments were bigwigs and, therefore, their opposition carried weight.

“Why should MPs who are serving the people pay rent out of their own pockets? I have been an MP for the past 16 years; I am a minister, I know what I am talking about,” he added.

Allow me to take a closer look at the minister’s remarks.

I suppose Nazri is somewhat correct to say that the few top leaders of Pakatan Rakyat are established politicians and hence, financially stable.

I would even venture to say that they probably do not depend on their salaries and allowances to finance their political career.

I have a businessman friend who was a former MP. His MP allowance (RM4,000 then) was used to pay his personal political secretary. He told me he never saw his allowance throughout his one term as a parliamentarian. What is RM4,000 to a successful businessman, anyway?

However, career politicians depend largely on their salaries and allowances to carry out their work as well as for personal survival. This is particularly true for the opposition lawmakers.

While government lawmakers are generally well taken care of, there are also the backbenchers who could do with the extra allowances to fulfil their duties and responsibilities to their constituents. Those elected in rural areas are particularly hard-pressed as travelling expenses to remote locations alone are already a burden.

For those appointed ministers or to national corporations or statutory bodies, they are able to cope well. But such posts are limited and only the lucky ones or those closest to the corridors of power are rewarded with such appointments. The rest are no better off than those in the opposition.

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Protect Our Pockets

2011-09-26T14:30:00.000+08:00

The Star

Smart consumerism education and a call for all Malaysians to commit to live within our means were among the six points in a resolution adopted at The Star's “Protect Our Pockets” round-table discussion.

The resolution, which will be presented to the Government before Budget 2012 on Oct 7, was received with a resounding aye' at Menara Star on Tuesday by about 50 members of the public, including those from various residents' associations, consumer organisations and members of the public.

Protect Our Pockets' is a campaign by The to highlight key issues faced by Malaysians in relation to the rising cost of living.

UNDILAH (Video Clip)

2011-09-26T12:52:00.001+08:00

The right to vote is the fundamental basis of your citizenship. It is also how we as citizens can determine the social, political and economic directions of Malaysia. So it is an important duty that has ramifications beyond our lifetimes and one that you must take seriously on behalf of not just yourself but your children and theirs. - Undilah

Scepticism over Malaysian PM's Reform Announcement

2011-09-20T09:39:00.002+08:00

Radio Australia

The civil rights reforms announced in Malaysia last week include not only repealing the notorious Internal Security Act, but also winding back the stiff licensing laws that have long controlled and censored the Malaysian media.

Some in Malaysia's mainstream media industry have praised Prime Minister Najib Razak's proposed removal of annual licensing for newspapers as heralding a "dawn of a new era".

But analysts remain sceptical about ushering in greater media freedoms, short of wholesale changes in the ownership of newspapers and television networks.

Reporter: Kean Wong

Speakers: Zaharom Nain, Nottingham University in Malaysia; Hata Wahari, former head of Malaysia's National Union of Journalists; Jahabar Sadiq, editor of Malaysian Insider

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WONG: At a time when Malaysia's mainstream media companies are struggling with double-digit percentage falls in audience and circulation figures, prime minister Najib's proposed liberalisation of media licensing laws has been warmly welcomed.

While licensed newspapers, television and radio are a billion-dollar business in middle-class Malaysia, the mainstream news media hasn't been able to compete with the free-wheeling, uncensored online world of feisty news and commentary sites, which have captured huge swathes of the urban audiences advertisers - and the government - are clamouring for.

It's a political problem for Mr Najib's ruling UMNO party, as the mainstream media's government-influenced news coverage loses credibility on the eve of what many expect will be keenly fought elections expected in the next few months.

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Forget ISA abolition, zero-in on Electoral Reform

2011-09-19T21:41:00.002+08:00

By Kim Quek, Malaysia Today

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s stunning announcement of his intention to repeal the abominable Internal Security Act (ISA) as well as the three archaic Proclamations of Emergency has brought much excitement to a country long struggling to rid itself of repressive rule.

Najib said in a much anticipated speech delivered on the “historic night” of Sept 15 (as he himself described) that the lifting of these repressive legislations was meant to meet the “aspiration of the people for a more open and dynamic democracy, …..so as to be at par with other democratic systems in the world”.

The immediate emotional impact of such a momentous announcement must be one of exhilaration and euphoria for many – we are now finally on the path to regain our long lost democracy!

But are we?

OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLE?

In the same breath as Najib announced the good news, he said new legislations will be enacted – an anti-terrorism act and a public order law - under the umbrella of Article 149 of the Federal Constitution to combat subversives and organized violence, so as to preserve public order and security.

But isn’t this the same umbrella Article 149 that gave birth to the detestable ISA?

Article 149, which is meant for national security, is the mother of repressive laws, as it enables parliament to brush aside fundamental human rights guaranteed under Part 2 of the Constitution to enact laws that grant the Executive sweeping power that includes detention without trial. The human rights so affected include those enshrined under Article 5 (life and liberty), Article 9 (freedom of movement), Article 10 (freedom of speech and assembly), etc.

Article 149 was written in such a way that it virtually gives the dominant party in parliament a blank cheque to write whatever autocratic law whenever it desires, as the grounds upon which such law can be enacted encompass a wide range of vague justifications – grounds such as any actual or threatened action that may cause citizens to fear organized violence, or to excite disaffection against government, or to promote ill-will among races, or prejudice the functioning of public service or supply, etc.

With such licence to create autocratic legislations, can Umno resist the temptation to fashion the new anti-terrorist laws after its repressive impulse for self-preservation? Considering Umno’s notorious record of contempt for the sanctity of law, as reflected in its cavalier attitude in amending the Constitution for political expediency – having made more than 600 amendments to the Constitution in the short period of the country’s independence – the answer must be an emphatic no.

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2011-09-17T09:30:00.000+08:00

Masterwordsmith Blog

While I applaud PM Najib's courage in announcing Malaysia’s broadest political reforms since independence in 1957 "to accommodate and realise a mature, modern and functioning democracy; to preserve public order, enhance civil liberty and maintain racial harmony", I cannot help but read between the lines of his promises for political reform. Most sincerely, I hope that our PM will ensure that he will see these new reforms come to pass and not to capitulate when right-wing pressure groups such as UMNO and Perkasa voice their objections.

Undoubtedly, the next GE is imminent as can be seen in the many populist moves taken by the PM such as:

The repeal of the Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960
The enactment of two new laws to safeguard peace and order
The reduction of the detention period which can only be extended by the courts, except in cases involving terrorism.
The lifting of three remaining emergency proclamations - Emergency 1969, Emergency 1966 (Sarawak) and Emergency 1977 (Kelantan).
The repeal of the Banishment Act 1959
The replacement of the annual licence renewal requirement for newspapers and publications by a one-off permit by reviewing the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
The review of the Restricted Residence Act 1933.
The move to allow greater freedom to assemble by reviewing Section 27 of the Police Act 1967 taking into consideration Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which guarantees every citizen with the right to freedom of speech and assembly

Note that the above changes would have to be tabled in Parliament. Earlier, the PM had also announced (despite our RM362billion debt) :

Bonus payments for civil servants despite our deficit
A cash payout for farmers
Affordable housing for low-income earners
and other favourable statements to hike his popularity ratings.

Consider the context of such 'positive' developments and then read between the lines before we celebrate. It is immature and foolhardy of Pakatan leaders to "have taken credit for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s decision to repeal the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) as well as several law reforms, saying the prime minister’s move was a direct rip-off from their Buku Jingga plans" (read this report). I am not saying their Buku Jingga is not a good idea but even without its existence, any sharp political strategist would have known what to do in the light of the existing political landscape whereby the status quo is losing support and popularity because of the rakyat's outrage over:

the removal of subsidies leading to the rising cost of living
the announcement that the GST is likely to be introduced after the next GE
the slow pace of political and electoral reforms, especially after Bersih 2.0
Bersih 2.0
the widening religious discontent starting from the 'Allah' controversy, the cow-head episodes, church burning, DUMC incident
debate over what is or what is NOT historical facts
corruption issues
the PKFZ scandal
the TBH case and Ahmad Sarbani
death in custody issues/cases including Kugan's death and many others
the recent Air Asia-MAS swap deal, imposition of new charges etc
the ETP issues
many $$$ issues that have dented the image of the government including the Scorpene submarines, RM 6billion patrol boats, 100 storey Warisan Merdeka, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas issue, Ng Yen Yen's RM1.8 million social media campaign or her RM3.25 million expenditure on overseas trips
and many other reports which have outraged the rakyat

The recent development is a successful ploy to deflect the rakyat's focus on real issues that concern each and every one of us. And the Opposition leaders are being led by their noses to follow the red herring trail thrown in their path!

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How has Fair Land Sarawak fared since Independence?

2011-09-17T08:03:00.000+08:00

The Borneo Post

A PROMINENT Sarawakian Lo Suan Hian wrote a very personal account of the ceremony on 16th September 1963 which was published in the Sarawak Gazette on 20th September 1963.

It was fair report. Fair in the decorations, the celebrations, the ceremonial uniforms, the grandstands.

Fair in the programme with proclamation of Malaysia, raising of national fl ags, playing of anthems.

Fair in giving credit to the two doctors who attended to the governor who felt faint during the ceremony.

Fair in giving an account of the police on duty to prevent any untoward happenings.

Yet, in the midst of all the fairness and beauty, Lo observed: One lady guest remarked it made her feel sad while a local man said the thought of the police having to face the crowd made his blood boil.

Today, as Malaysia marks her 48th birthday, The Borneo Post examines the path our ‘Fair Land’ Sarawak has travelled from its birth as an independent state, carved out of the Brunei Sultanate by White Rajahs, through to the dark years of Japanese occupation during the Second World War, a brief period of anti-cession struggle to maintain our independence before we became a colony of Britain, the birth pangs of a new nation Malaysia and on to what we are now.

We walk down memory lane with Sarawakians who had themselves – or their loved ones – gone through British colonial rule, the Japanese occupation, the communist insurgence and the process of the formation of Malaysia.

Recalled former State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Bujang Nor: The period leading up to the cession of Sarawak to Great Britain in 1946 was preceded by a tumultuous time, marked by intrigue, loyalty, greed, deception, politics and murder. Of Japanese occupation, veteran Sarawakian journalist Gabriel Tan wrote: The heaviest allied bombing by B17 flying fortresess was on June 4, 1945 over Sibu.

Many shophouses were destroyed. The new concrete flat-roof market was fl attened.

The number of people killed and wounded was never accounted for but it was in the dozens for sure.

There was a blackout that night after the bombing. The town was practically devoid of people, its eerie silence only broken by howling dogs.

There were many deaths, mostly reputable vendors, in the bombed out market which is now a car park. Today, Sibu has one of the best markets in Sarawak if not Malaysia.

A former communist cadre recalled: Following the Brunei Rebellion in 1962 when AM Azahari launched his attempt to overthrow the Brunei Sultanate, the British carried out large scale arrests of anti-colonisation and anti-Malaysia elements.

The ‘migration’ of the mostly Chinese youths to the Indonesian border was prompted by arrest orders issued by the British to round up suspected communists.

About 700-800 CCO members and supporters slipped across the Sarawak border into Indonesia where they received intensive training in guerilla warfare.

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Sabah and Sarawak: when will they become Malaysia’s real king makers?

2011-09-16T14:00:00.000+08:00

Hornbill Unleashed

Today is Malaysia Day, commemorating the 48 anniversary of Sarawak and Sabah independence through forming Malaysia with Singapore and the Malayan Federation.I purposely did not comment on it, since there are far more people nowadays talking about the meaning of this date. I have also stopped talking about the 20 point agreement signed in a joint memorandum 48 years ago.

We all know that Sarawak and Sabah have had a raw deal from 48 years of Malaysian independence. The thing to think about is how to reverse this trend.

Sarawak has 31 parliamentary seats and Sabah 25 parliamentary seats, which were all but swept by the BN in the 2008 general elections, Except one in Sarawak that is Bandar Kuching parliamentary seats. The Sarawak and Sabah state governments are also firmly in the hands of the state BN.

Given the new scenario in Peninsular Malaysia after the political tsunami last year, UMNO can continue to hold power in KL only because of the BN strength in these two eastern states. Sarawakians and Sabahans have found themselves as the king makers in federal politics for the first time in 48 years.

This is the perfect opportunity for the state governments of Sarawak and Sabah to renegotiate with the federal government for a great deal of the benefits that have been eroded throughout 48 years of independence. They should ask for the oil and gas royalties to be raised from 5% to 20% for instance.

But the Sarawak and Sabah state government will never do that, because they are controlled by the BN. As long as they give unqualified support to the federal BN and UMNO in parliament to ensure that the UMNO president will remain as the prime minister of Malaysia, these state BN leaders can do what they want with the states, and become fabulously rich in the process.

That is why the MACC has been involved with small people like Teoh Beng Hock, but they have left all those giant crocodiles and mammoth anacondas in Sarawak and Sabah untouched. As long as that happens, the MACC does not have any credibility in my book.

The PM Najib Tun Razak has called Sarawak and Sabah “fixed deposit” for the national BN. As anyone who knows anything about public or private finance will tell you, the minute a company or a person lives on his fixed deposit instead of his fresh income, it is like surviving by drinking one’s own blood. It is the beginning of the end.

In short, if the political masters of Sarawak and Sabah refuse to renegotiate a new deal for a new Malaysia, then it is up to Sarawakians and Sabahans to change their political masters at the poll in future parliamentary and state general elections.

This is at stake for the opposition parties at the coming elections. But are they up to the task, seeing that money politics still work in these two states, at least in the rural constituencies. Are they fully engaged with the task at hand? Are they conscious of the Herculean task placed upon their shoulders?

I wonder.

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Messing up with Merdeka date

2011-09-16T08:37:00.001+08:00

Free Malaysia Today

Is Aug 31 the independence day of Malaysia or Malaya? Referring to the former, which is what we have for so long been doing, has caused a lot of unhappiness among the people of East Malaysia, that is, Sabah and Sarawak.

As of 2010, the population of the two states stood at six million (3.5 million in Sabah and 2.5 million in Sarawak), representing roughly 20% of the population of Malaysia.

Historically, the term “Malaysia” came into being on Sept 16, 1963. Prior to that, this country was called “Malaya” which in the Philippine national language of Tagalog also means “free” or “freedom”.

This being so, the people of Sabah and Sarawak want Aug 31 to be addressed as the independence day of Malaya, not Malaysia.

The first prime minister of independent Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman, in 1961 mooted the idea of forming “Malaysia” which would comprise Brunei, Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, all of which had been British colonies.

Tunku’s reasoning was that this would allow the central government to combat and control communist activities, especially in Singapore.

Then there was also the fear that if Singapore achieved independence, it would become a base for Chinese chauvinists to threaten Malayan sovereignty. It was decided that to balance out the ethnic composition of the new nation, the other states, with their Malay and indigenous populations, would be included.

The objections raised by the people of Sabah and Sarawak in being included in the Aug 31 independence brings to mind the rejections then made by the political parties in Sarawak in merging with “Malaysia”.

Sabah’s community representatives also opposed the merger and so did the Parti Rakyat Brunei (PRB), albeit the Sultan of Brunei supporting the “marriage”. A revolt staged by PRB was seen as a threat to destabilise the new nation, hence the decision to leave Brunei out of Malaysia.

After a review of the Cobbold Commission’s findings, the British government appointed the Landsdowne Commission to draft a constitution for Malaysia. The constitution would essentially be the same as the 1957 constitution, the only difference being in the rewording. For instance, recognising the special position of the natives of the Borneo states plus granting Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore autonomy which was unavailable to other states of Malaya.

Post-negotiations in July 1963, it was agreed that Malaysia would come into being on Aug 31, 1963 consisting of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. The date was to coincide with the independence day of Malaya.

However, the Philippines and Indonesia fought against this development, with the latter claiming Malaysia represented a form of “neocolonialism” and the Philippines claiming Sabah as its territory, causing the formation of Malaysia to be delayed.

This situation led to an eight-member United Nations team being formed to re-ascertain whether Sabah and Sarawak truly wanted to be a part of Malaysia. Malaysia was formally established on Sept 16, 1963 comprising Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.

The above quick-take on how Malaya and Malaysia came to be forces the question of why then is Aug 31 referred to as the independence day of Malaysia, instead of Malaya?

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New Dam, same old Story

2011-09-04T19:30:00.000+08:00

The Star Online

With folk uprooted for the Bakun and Batang Ai dams yet to benefit from the electricity produced by the projects, one wonders how long the 20,000 people now sacrificing their ancestral land for the Baram dam will get theirs.

I DON’T really relish the thought of seeing another gigantic dam being built after spending the past 15 years watching the Bakun dam develop from start to finish.

It was exactly 15 years ago in August 1996 that the first dynamite hole was drilled into a mountain slope along a bank of Balui River to blast off the construction of three river diversion tunnels through the mountains — the first phase of the Bakun dam project.

I remember the day well. I was in the first batch of media personnel invited by Ekran Bhd (the developer) to visit the site.

Some 30 reporters, photographers and television crew members endured an arduous journey up the Rajang River and through the Balui River to the site earmarked for the 210m main dam wall.

It was a 12-hour boat ride from Sibu via Belaga, Song and Kapit, and we had to shoot up the Pelagus rapids, which at that time was a raging one. In 1996, there was no road from Bintulu to Bakun. The road was completed much later.

I still remember seeing the then Ekran Bhd chairman Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing smashing a bottle of champagne onto the hillslope after the blasting ceremony, an event witnessed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

During the ceremony, the VVIPs told the press that the project would deliver electricity to the rakyat and solve all their power woes.

They said the project would light up homes in urban and rural Sarawak and channel electricity via submarine cables across the South China Sea to the peninsula.

That was August 1996.

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Look East – to boost Racial Unity

2011-09-04T09:09:00.001+08:00

The Star Online

For the first time since 1963, we will celebrate National Day and Malaysia Day together. This should emphasise some points about our beloved country.

IT was just a year ago that Malaysia Day – Sept 16 – was celebrated as a public holiday to commemorate the date the country was formed.

In 2009, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that Sept 16 had been declared a public holiday and that from 2010, Malaysia Day would be celebrated with activities that would foster the 1Malaysia spirit.

This year, it is even more special: With divine intervention, National Day and Malaysia Day will be celebrated together for the first time.

This has been made possible by the fact that with Hari Raya Aidil Fitri falling on the last two days of August, it would not have been practical to hold the national day parade on the 31st.

A dual celebration would bring even greater meaning. It would also emphasise the point that there would have been no Federation of Malaysia if Sabah and Sarawak had not helped to form it on Sept 16, 1963.

Let’s get it right, Sabah and Sarawak did not join Malaysia, they helped to make Malaysia a reality.

Many young Malaysians in the peninsula wonder why they have to bring along their identity cards or passports when they travel to these two states or, worse, why they need to apply for work permits if they wish to work there.

This is a case of our history being badly taught in schools. Until today, our students are not properly told why these two states are different when it comes to control over their immigration, and their state administrative systems.

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A Quiet Merdeka Day

2011-09-03T21:00:00.000+08:00

DayakBaru.com

In Sarawak, Merdeka Day is a very quiet affair. Hardly can you see cars and houses flying the Malaysian flag except for Government offices and houses of Government Officers. Interestingly enough, the Government Officers house is usually very big and expansive which common sense will tell you that with the salary that they received they will never be able to live in such big expansive houses unless they are “on the take”.

New sense of urgency in Sarawak

Many people in Sarawak sense the hopelessness of the current BN Government.The cost of living is rising up almost to the point of out of control. The subsidies that benefited the general population are withdrawn but those that favor big business is kept. Look at Proton, they sell expansive car to Malaysian and the prices of petrol continue to rise. The Government explained that with the subsidy withdrawn more money would be available to build better infra-structure. For Sarawak, the experience is different. We are not getting better infra-structure and the State Ministers are saying that the federal government has not approved fund for Sarawak to upgrade its roads.

Good oil prices

The price of oil is rising and and therefor Malaysia Petronas should be earning more money. But then where is the money? The Economic Transformational Plan is not taking off and MAS, MRT etc are all stuck in controversy. It seems the BN Government is not able to hold on to the trust that is given by the people.

Weak and Untrustworthy Government

We feel cheated because the Prime Minister did not do “real” thing but focus on “silly” scheme like “Klinik 1 Malaysia”, “1 Malaysia Shopping outlets” etc. This Prime Minister wanted to spent so much money by giving away bonuses which is not important. This act of giving bonuses is an act of getting popularity in order to win the election. But important thing like balancing the intake into civil service, investing in new technology, human capital, managing rising cost of living is not properly addressed.

The Government play up racial and religious issues all with the objective of winning the election. In Sarawak we never felt so racially divided then today because of UMNO /BN politics. We Sarawakian felt so marginalize because the Malays from Malaya is taking our jobs. The racial policies take away our opportunities to get better education. The religious policies accused us of wrong doing by spreading the word of god. Even doing christian charity is accused of wrong doing by religious authority. Where is the appreciation of god”s good value?

The economic quota allocation is taken mostly by UMNO – who is the back bone of BN. The BN supporters of Sarawak think that they are progressive when infact they over indulged in “rent seeking” that is lobbying for Government business instead of actually expanding the economics cake of the country by opening new investment opportunities. Some are so proud of being able to indulged in corruption and abuse of power. BN Dayak politicians even think it is their rights to suppress other Dayak who do not share their political thinking.

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Malaysians unhappy with the Government, Politicians using Religion for Electoral Purposes

2011-09-03T09:02:00.001+08:00

Malaysia Today

The discontent arises principally from the perceived "corruption at all levels, from top to the lowest levels" and that is why "people in general are not satisfied."

For Fr Andrew Lawrence, SJ, there are no religious tensions in the country, but a feeling of "dissatisfaction" with the ruling class. The danger of an instrumental use of faith, to gain consensus in the electorate radical Muslim.

(AsiaNews)-There is a widespread "dissatisfaction" among citizens the with regard to how ruling class has governed the nation in recent years, this discontent "is not directly related to religion", but is the result of "daily issues that affect everyone", says Fr Andrew Lawrence SJ., Priest and former director of the Catholic Herald newspaper, speaking to AsiaNews from Malaysia. He says "there are no particular tensions" between Christians and Muslims in the country. However, some observers argue that religion could be exploited "for political purposes" in the coming general elections, to gain momentum among the Malaysian wing extremist.

Originally Malaysia’s 13th General Election was scheduled for 2013, but the election could be brought forward - there is still no official confirmation – to October or November this year. The political contest, analysts warn, could give way to anti-Christian rhetoric and the misuse of religion in political campaigning. Some pro-Islamic movements want proselytizing Christians to be punished, while extremist groups carry out raids on places of worship belonging to minorities. The last case occurred in early August, when Muslim fundamentalists attacked an evangelical house church because "conversions from Islam to Christianity were taking place."

Fr. Lawrence explains that at the moment, no particular tensions, but the developments in the coming weeks remain to be seen. "There is a widespread feeling of discontent - said the priest and journalist - the ways in which the nation was governed. But this is not directly related to the religious sphere, but rather the everyday problems that people face. " The decision to favour the ethnic Malay, majority in the country, has created resentment among other minority groups, a discontent that has invested in particular the National Front and the ruling coalition.

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Taib “Highly Corrupt” – Secret US Documents Put Pressure on FBI!

2011-09-02T20:39:00.000+08:00

Sarawak Report

Secret US Government documents have stood up Sarawak Report’s allegations about corruption in Sarawak.

A dossier of US Embassy dispatches to Washington, compiled by the Bruno Manser Foundation from the Wikileaks site, has now revealed that the United States Government has been well-informed about the extent of Taib Mahmud’s abuse of power in the state.

The revelations raise fresh questions about the judgement of America’s top law enforcement agency, the FBI, in choosing to house one of its key facilities in a building owned by the Chief Minister in the United States.

For example, one confidential cable from the US embassy in Malaysia to the State Department in Washington, dated 13 October 2006, noted that:

“Taib and his relatives are widely thought to extract a percentage from most major commercial contracts - including those for logging – awarded in the state. … Embassy sources outside the government uniformly characterize him as highly corrupt.” [Bruno Manser Foundation report]

In a further passage that will embarrass some of Taib’s key political cronies, including Alfred Jabu and James Masing, the report also says that a source had told the US embassy that Taib appointed “compliant local leaders” from various tribes into “financially rewarding” government positions as a means of stifling potential opposition.

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It Is Time to stop buying into a Lie

2011-09-01T07:30:00.002+08:00

Hornbill Unleashed

May I be honest?

I am sad. I am sad because I am told by my government that I must celebrate the Independence Day of my country on the 31st of August. But what is so wrong about this that it makes me sad?

Let me tell you. If you don’t like dry and boring history lessons, you can leave my blog now. But if you have ten minutes to spare, read on.

The Federated States of Malaya which comprised all the nine Sultanates, Malacca and Penang were given their independence by Great Britain on the 31st of August, 1957. The photo below records the historic event. It is the iconic image of Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaiming independence for Malaya. Yes, MALAYA. Not Sarawak, not Sabah, but MALAYA. And this date became known as MERDEKA DAY. For the Federated States of MALAYA. Then, six years later, Sarawak was given her independence. On the 22nd of July, 1963. Bet you didn’t know that the 22nd of July is an historic date for Sarawak, huh? Of course you wouldn’t. It has probably been wiped off the official history text books, or glossed over during history classes. But if you buy a copy of the Sarawak Government Almanac, it’s there in black and white. The British gave up Sarawak on the 22nd of July, 1963 and on that day we became an independent nation. A country all of our own. Our own flag, our own anthem and even our own money!

Then, fifty five days later, after the British granted her independence, Sarawak, together with Sabah, Singapore, and the Federated States of Malaya came together to form a new nation called MALAYSIA on the 16th of September. This date, the 16th of September, 1963, came to be known as MALAYSIA DAY because it was on this historic day that a brand new country was born in the world. (Singapore got ‘kicked out’ later but Malaysian history books politely claim she decided to withdraw from the new nation. Brunei was also involved in the discussions to form Malaysia but it too decided against the idea.)

However, gradually, Malaysia Day became forgotten through, I suspect, a subtle and systematic process of brainwashing on the part of the Barisan Nasional government. More and more emphasis was placed on Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day was ignored, its significance eroded and displaced by Merdeka Day. Merdeka Day became a public holiday, and the whole country began to get caught up in celebrations come every 31st August.

Young Sarawakian school children were, and still are taught to wave flags and jump for joy come 31st August because on this date Malaysia achieved her independence. Now if you have been paying attention, you will obviously have noticed that there is a factual error in the previous sentence. Malaysia DID NOT achieve her independence on the 31st of August, 1957 simply because Malaysia had not existed yet! It was only Malaya which achieved her independence on the 31st of August, 1957; Malaysia was only formed six years AFTER Malaya achieved independence.

The date 31st of August means very little to me as a Sarawakian and yet I am told by my government to honour this date on the basis that I am a citizen of Malaysia and therefore as a proud and loyal Malaysian, I should jump and shout for joy that Malayans received their independence on the 31st of August despite the fact that I am also a Sarawakian and this date has little significance to me. This date did not affect my beloved Sarawak in any way whatsoever and has never been part of its rich history, so what is there to celebrate or what memory is there to honour and cherish for a Sarawakian? Sarawak achieved her independence on the 22nd of July but the government does not give this date any due recognition. Instead, I am to celebrate a date which has more significance for my fellow Malaysians in West Malaysia. That is why I am sad.

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Selamat Menyambut Hari Merdeka

2011-08-31T07:58:00.005+08:00

From:

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiftiri to all Muslim Friends

2011-08-30T07:58:00.000+08:00

From:

Wikileaks: Sarawak: Opposition Adrift; Indigenous People Lack Services; Police Reject Criticsm

2011-08-29T18:43:00.000+08:00

Malaysia Today

Summary

1. (C) We met with political opposition leaders, human rights advocates and police during an October 2 visit to Sarawak's state capitol of Kuching. While the nationally active ethnic Chinese opposition party DAP performed well in the May 20 state assembly election, we found the party has not yet articulated its political priorities or legislative goals in Sarawak.

Through a combination of the governing coalition's media ownership and control, political and financial patronage, and the DAP's apparent lack of a coherent political agenda, the Barisan Nasional-affiliated governing coalition will likely remain in firm control of Sarawak.

With regard to protecting the rights of the state's most vulnerable citizens, one of the 16 commissioners from Malaysia's government-funded national human rights commission (Suhakam) condemned the state's "insufficient support" for impoverished, rural, indigenous persons. Echoing comments we have heard from other Suhakam commissioners, he said the government largely ignores Suhakam's recommendations.

The state's second highest ranking cop told us that police leaders remain vehemently opposed to the contents of last year's police commission report, and they see no need for establishment of an independent oversight body. He said the government has heavily criticized the police without providing the funding necessary to build a more effective police force. End Summary.

The Drifting Chinese Opposition

2. (C) In Sarawak's May 20 state assembly election, the ethnic Chinese party DAP increased its representation from one seat to six, thereby establishing itself as the main opposition party in the state's 71 seat assembly (ref A). We met with two of those DAP representatives, lawyers Chong Chieng Jen and Violet Yong.

Chong and Yong stated that during the run-up to the May 20 election, while the English-language media acted almost entirely as a mouthpiece for the state's long-governing National Front constituent parties, the Chinese-language media "provided a surprising amount of coverage" for opposition candidates.

They claimed the primary campaign issue among their constituents was "corruption by Chief Minister Taib and his cronies." Chong said over 1,500 postal votes were recorded in his district by military men posted outside Sarawak, and he claimed "about 99% of them voted against me."

When asked why the National Front coalition didn't simply increase the number of postal voters to ensure victory for its candidate, he stated, "They only have a limited total number of postal votes to apportion to the various electoral districts, and they simply misallocated."

3. (C) Chong and Yong said the Sarawak state assembly meets for only 16 days per year. They questioned the state government's ongoing RM300 million ($82 million) construction project to build a 27-storey state assembly building. The new structure will remain largely empty during the 349 days when the assembly is not in session.

They said Sarawak's Chief Minister Taib Mahmud ensured the construction contract was awarded to Cahaya Mata, a large holding company that is majority-owned by Taib's family. Upon being awarded the construction contract for RM300 million, Cahaya Mata hired a subcontracting firm to complete the construction for RM220 million; Cahaya Mata (and the Taib family) pocketed the RM80 million ($22 million) difference.

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The MAS Loss Discrepancy

2011-08-28T08:05:00.001+08:00

Raja Petra Kamarudin, Malaysia Today

Malaysia Today has written a series of articles (which have been republished a number of times) about what happened to Malaysia’s national airline, MAS, from 1994 to 2001.

Basically, the gist of the articles was that there were some criminal goings-on and shenanigans in MAS during the seven years that Tajudin Ramli was managing MAS, which resulted in massive losses for the airline company.

The Malaysian Insider also carried the story and Tajudin has since sued the online portal for reporting that MAS lost RM8 billion when it was in the hands of Tajudin.

(Read more here: Former MAS chairman sues news portal for RM200mil).

The pro-Umno blogs have pooh-poohed this story of the RM8 billion losses. They have even published the annual reports of the airline company to prove that the losses were not RM8 billion but only RM1 billion.

The investigation by the CCID of the Malaysian Police (PDRM), however, revealed a different figure. In fact, the Director of the CCID wrote to the Prime Minister to inform the PM of this matter and the figure quoted was RM8 billion.

This can only mean that someone is not telling the truth. If the losses were only RM1 billion, then the police must have been lying. And would the Malaysian police dare lie? Have we ever known it to lie?

Is the CCID of the Malaysian Police prepared to defend its reputation (if it has any left to defend) by standing by its reported RM8 billion losses? Or has the CCID been misleading us (which is what most Malaysians suspect of the police anyway)?

The CCID of the PDRM is the same department that investigated me and came to the conclusion that I had committed various crimes. I was not only arrested and made to face four charges. I was further detained without trial under the Internal Security Act.

Now, this is the novelty here. My detention without trial under the Internal Security Act was for the same so-called crimes that I had been charged with and for which I was facing trial. This means I was being punished twice for the same alleged crimes, which is wrong in law. You just cannot be punished twice for the same crime.

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Malaysia's 'Silent' Awakening

2011-08-21T15:49:00.002+08:00

Malaysia Today

“In spite of all the attacks, the intimidation, the fear, that the government has put in, from race to violence to chaos and all that, the people have actually decided that they want to come forward to join this rally,” Chin Abdullah continues. “No more being the silent majority. We are hoping that from here it will be a stepping stone towards a formation in the future of a more democratic movement in Malaysia.”

In early July, while eyes were on the unrest in the Middle East, another democratic movement was gathering momentum in Southeast Asia. Borne out of growing discontent with the ruling government, the people of Malaysia were experiencing their own awakening. Their movement for electoral reform, known as “Bersih” (meaning “clean” in the Malay language), reached critical mass on July 9, when an estimated 47,000 people took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur, demanding action against voter fraud, press freedom and an end to “dirty politics”—slander and incessant claims and counterclaims of supposed sexual misconduct. The rally provoked an unprecedented government crackdown, widely condemned by international human rights agencies, leading to the arrests of more than 1,600 people. Police action has continued, with people frequently detained for as little as wearing a yellow T-shirt—a symbol of support for the outlawed Bersih movement.

The reform movement has been growing since 2005, when a group of politicians and non-governmental organizations, dismayed at the level of fraud and corruption in the Malaysian political system, came together to form the Joint Action Committee for Electoral Reform. When the movement was revived in 2010 as the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, or Bersih 2.0—the now familiar moniker of the reform movement—the organizers made a strategic decision to exclude all political parties, including members of the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat. Bersih 2.0 emerged as nonpartisan, civil society movement to monitor progress towards electoral reform.

Without the involvement of political parties, organizers had to find other means to reach out to mobilize their supporters. “We planned all these roadshows at the nationwide level,” says Maria Chin Abdullah, whose organization EMPOWER serves as the secretariat for the Bersih 2.0 Coalition, which would “entail us going to various states to explain the fifteen demands we had and why we prioritized eight of them.” But the police took a harsh position against protestors. “Before we could even start our roadshow, they already arrested about thirty people,” Chin Abdullah explains.

With direct attempts to reach out to the public thwarted by the police, the movement took to social media. Facebook became the main source of information about the July 9 rally in Kuala Lumpur, and the Twitterverse lit up. A new generation, well-versed in the advantages of online activism and emboldened by the relative anonymity of social media, took courage from protestors across the Middle East and came forward to support the movement. On July 9, the number of Twitter users talking about the Bersih rally reached 19,188, according to the website Politweet. Both online and offline, many thousands of supporters wanted to make their voices heard despite the threat of the government’s harsh preventative laws like the notorious Internal Security Act (ISA), frequently and arbitrarily applied to suppress dissent.

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What is this Country coming to?

2011-08-21T11:10:00.001+08:00

Aliran

What is this country coming to? Many Malaysians are asking this question in view of the numerous actions taken by the police over the past week.

First, they arrested 30 Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members, including MP for Sungai Siput Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, and are now investigating them for resurrecting Communism and waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. While on their way to a Bersih roadshow in Penang, they were arrested in Kepala Batas and found to have in their possession T-shirts bearing faces of Chin Peng and Rashid Maidin. They have been remanded for seven days.

Communism? That’s crazy talk. The Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) is long dead and gone. Chin Peng and Rashid Maidin are geriatrics. The party disbanded in 1989 after signing a peace treaty with the Malaysian Government, and its members were allowed to reside in Malaysia if they chose to do so. After 22 years of its being defunct and virtually forgotten, why is Communism still a threat today?

And if it were – by some stretch of the imagination – are we to believe that this threat is manifest in these 30 PSM members among whom 14 are women, the oldest aged 64?

A friend of mine who was at the court in Penang when the 30 were brought in told me they were just “a motley crew” of people who didn’t look like they would carry a stick to fight, much less wage war against the Agong. “When I saw that, my faith in the system hit rock-bottom,” he said.

Kumar doesn’t deserve this

“And to see Jeyakumar in handcuffs was too much,” he added. “He alone is worth many of our people in power put together. Top scorer in exams, a doctor, a man who has dedicated his life to helping poor people – he doesn’t deserve this.”

Like my friend, I too knew Jeyakumar while at school. He was one year my junior at the Penang Free School, and I remember him well as a thoughtful, gentle person. He was soft-spoken, cerebral, and humble despite his well-to-do background.

I find it hard to believe that someone like him would wage war against the Agong. Only someone stupid or deranged would consider doing that. He might be a socialist, but that’s a far cry from being a Communist. Don’t the police and the Government know the difference? To all intents and purposes, he is probably someone who transcends labels and merely cares for the poor.

And why remand him and the others for a week? The High Court has since upheld this decision and said it is correct. Justice Zamani A Rahim said the case was serious. “It involves the security of the country, of everyone – you and me and our children.” These 30 people are so dangerous that they are a threat to us and our children?

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And the Winner Is?

2011-08-21T09:43:00.000+08:00

Master Word Smith

On Aug 9, MAS and AirAsia had entered into a collaboration agreement to establish a framework to explore the possibilities of mutual co-operation. With that Tune Air Sdn Bhd, jointly owned by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and Datuk Aziz Bakar, gets 20 per cent share of the national airline. Many have expressed their fears that the merger might lead to less competition and higher airfares to consumers.

On the surface, it can appear as if Tony Fernandes is the winner of this development since AirAsia is directly competing with MAS. During the times when MAS was in the red, AirAsia was reaping profits.

Will the share swap enable MAS to rise again as a premium airline? It is common knowledge that MAS has been in the red for the past few quarters. Was it necessary for Putrajaya to intervene to help MAS? In 2002, BinaFikir consultancy, then led by Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, (currently managing director of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, MAS’s ultimate main shareholder) had its books cleaned up in 2002 under the wide asset unbundling (WAU) exercise.

Since that WAU exercise, MAS had two rights issues, raking in RM1.6 billion in 2007 and RM2.67 billion in 2010 to fund its operations and fleet purchases.

In reality, there was a turnaround from 2006-2008. In December 2006, Datuk Seri Idris Jala and his management team joined MAS and took a few drastic measures including:

the sale of the iconic MAS building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur
the sale of the Four Seasons hotel in Langkawi
what about the London property?

Bear in mind that at that time, MAS had little other assets to sell. Earlier in 2003, it had already sold all its aircraft to Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) under the widespread asset unbundling (WAU) exercise.

If not for that move, MAS would have had cash flow problems. MAS at that time had little other assets to sell, having sold all its aircraft much earlier in 2003 to Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) under the widespread asset unbundling (WAU) exercise — way before Datuk Seri Idris came into the picture.

Eventually, the share price of MAS improved and some sang glorious songs praising Idris for helping MAS to turnaround.

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Do you know what we are fighting for?

2011-08-19T10:52:00.001+08:00

Raja Petra Kamarudin [Malaysia Today]

(New Straits Times) - The parliamentary select committee on electoral reforms will be headed by a minister with eight members of parliament, including from the opposition and an independent.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, said the formation of the committee was approved by the cabinet yesterday and a motion on it would be tabled at the next parliamentary session in October.

The committee will have five representatives from Barisan Nasional, three from the opposition and one independent.

Nazri said the cabinet also agreed to meet with the Election Commission soon to discuss the framework of the committee.

Read more: 9 to sit on polls panel http://www.nst.com.my/articles/9tositonpollspanel/Article/

*************************************

Probably 50,000 or so Malaysians came out for the BERSIH march on 9th July 2011. There were marches simultaneously organised all over the world in more than 30 cities. And the reason you marched is because you want to see electoral reforms.

But are you clear on exactly what type of reforms you would like to see? If you were asked to deliver a talk on electoral reforms would you know what to say? Well, maybe we can discuss that matter today.

1. The first issue would be regarding disenfranchised voters.

About one million or so Malaysians live outside Malaysia, according to what the Minister told Parliament. But most of these one million Malaysians can’t vote during the general elections.

If you were to look at Article 119 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia (below), you can see that there is a provision in the Constitution for overseas Malaysians to vote (or, if not so resident, is an absent voter). These overseas Malaysians would be regarded as ‘absent voter’.

So this is the first reform we need: to ensure the right of overseas Malaysians to vote.

2. Next would be the variance between seats.

Currently, the differential between Parliament seats is as low as 5,000 voters to as high as 125,000. This variance is too large. The variance should be not more than 20% plus-minus (or even 15% if possible, which would be better).

That means we need to set the ‘benchmark’ for each Parliament seat. For example, if the benchmark is fixed at 50,000 voters, then each Parliament seat should be between 40,000 to 60,000 voters (to achieve the 20% plus-minus variance).

For state seats the benchmark would, of course, be lower. If it is going to be 50,000 voters for Parliament seats, then for state seats it can be 20,000-25,000 voters.

Now, assuming we have a total of 15 million registered voters and the benchmark for Parliament seats is 50,000, this would mean we would have 300 Members of Parliament. If this is too many then the benchmark can be increased to 60,000 voters. Then the number of Members of Parliament would be reduced to 250 (from the current 222) -- or 65,000 voters if you want it to be reduced further to 230 Members of Parliament.

Anyway, this is for the committee to decide. The important thing, however, is that there must be a variance of 20% to 25%, plus-minus, between the Parliament seats. We can’t have one seat as low as 5,000 voters and another as high as 125,000 voters. This is just not on.

And if the state seats are half the number of voters for Parliament seats, then we will have two state seats in one Parliament constituency and twice the number of State Assemblypersons as there are Parliamentarians.

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Why the truth only now, George?

2011-08-19T06:50:00.000+08:00

Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: Sarawak United Peoples Party president George Chan’s ‘revealing’ statement that Barisan Nasional coalition does care about the Chinese was well received by the DAP.

Chan, a former deputy chief minister, said that ‘if DAP joined BN, it will be also useless like SUPP, MCA and Gerakan’ because BN does not care about the Chinese.

Chan, who lost his Piasau seat in the recent state election, was referring to an invitation by Nazri Aziz, the minister in the PM’s department for DAP to join the Barisan Nasional.

Nazri last week end urged DAP and PAS to join BN in an interview with Sin Jew Jit Poh.

Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jien said: “We have to thank George Chan for telling us the truth that even if DAP was to join BN, it will be useless as the BN does not take heed of the Chinese interest.

“The policy is that the BN does not take heed of what the Chinese want because they don’t care. Whoever joins BN, it is no use. That is the situation in BN.

“This is truth and George Chan’s honesty is appreaciated. But (unfortunately) it comes 15 years too late.”

Chong also chastised Chan and other members of the leadership for speaking the truth only after they had lost their seats and positions in the state Cabinet.

“Why are you telling us now? Why not 15 years ago when you were still the deputy chief minister?

“All this while, you have been telling the Chinese in Sarawak only in BN that you can achieve what the Chinese want. As the opposition you cannot do anything.

“But after you lost the election and your official post you are being truthful to the people. The reason is that there was a conflict of interest when you were inside.

“The only conclusion that we can draw now is that SUPP leaders only tells the people of Sarawak the truth when they lose the election and their official posts,” he said.

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The ETP, GTP and GDP

2011-08-16T06:28:00.001+08:00

Masterwordsmith

The official PEMANDU website says that PEMANDU is a unit under the Prime Minister's Department set up to manage and facilitate the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). PEMANDU Corporation, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) incorporated with the mandate to provide financial, recruitment and procurement services to PEMANDU, a company limited by guarantee under Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM). The following is the organizational chart of PEMANDU.

The GTP and ETP are governed by the Delivery Task Force (DTF) for the delivery of National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) and Steering Committee for the delivery of National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs). Both committees are chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia respectively.

The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) was devised in accordance with the principles of the famous 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now. In its entirety, the GTP is designed to provide all Malaysians access to improved public services irrespective of race, religion and region.

This site states that the objective of GTP is two-fold – first, to transform the government to be more effective in its delivery of services and accountable for outcomes that matter most to the Rakyat; and second, to move Malaysia forward to become an advanced, united, and just society with high standards of living for all. This is in line with the national mission of achieving Vision 2020 – for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation.

Under the GTP, six key priority areas have been identified where challenges within each area have been divided into short-term priorities and long-term issues. These areas of development are known as the National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) as below:

Reducing Crime
Fighting Corruption
Improving Student Outcomes
Raising Living Standards of Low-Income Households
Improving Rural Basic Infrastructure
Improving Urban Public Transport

You can download a copy of the GTP Annual Report AT THIS LINK.

On September 21, 2010, the Malaysian government launched the Economic Transformation Program (ETP) in an attempt to transform Malaysia into a high income economy by the year of 2020. The Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) an agency under the Prime Minister Department of Malaysia is managing this program with hopes to drive Malaysia into becoming a high income economy.

To that end, the program aims to improve Malaysia's Gross National Income (GNI) to US$523 billion by 2020 and per capita income from US$6,700 to at least US$15,000, meeting the World Bank's threshold for high income nation. However, to meet that objective, GNI must grow by 6% per annum.

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Why we need BERSIH 2.0 to clean up the SPR?

2011-07-24T21:42:00.000+08:00

Malaysia Today

At what % of the vote will BN secure 50% of the seats? Projecting the % Seats line back to the 50% level, we find that BN only need 39.4% of the popular vote.

This is not a very scientific analysis but if we plot the results of the election results over the past 50 years, we can see a very clear pattern. The results are skewed heavily towards BN (or its earlier form – The Alliance Party). Both are dominated by UMNO and UMNO used the SPR to distort the electoral process in their favour.

Consider the graph above. It is a plot of the parliamentary seats won by BN/Alliance vs the popular vote. In 1969, when the Alliance Party won 49.3% of the popular vote, they still managed to secure 66% of the seats. This is a glaring outcome of an unfair voting system. Above 50% of the vote, the advantage to BN became greater, so much so that in 2008, BN won 90.4% of the seats with only 63.9% of the votes.

At what % of the vote will BN secure 50% of the seats?

Projecting the % Seats line back to the 50% level, we find that BN only need 39.4% of the popular vote. In other words, even if the opposition parties were to win 60.6% of the vote, it is only a draw. By any measure, that’s a 2/3 majority. This is the accumulation of several factors - Clean the electoral roll, Reform postal vote, Use indelible ink, Free and fair access to media, Minimum 21 days campaign period, Strengthen public institutions, Stop corruption and , Stop dirty politics.

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In Malaysia, When in Doubt, Blame the Jews

2011-07-24T21:28:00.000+08:00

Malaysia Today

It's time for Malaysian leaders to grow up. Relying on big-lie Jewish conspiracies is no substitute for honest and transparent governance.

On July 9, 20,000 Malaysians gathered in Kuala Lumpur to demand more transparency in electoral laws in connection with next year's national elections.

Police unleashed tear gas and chemical-laced water on the demonstrators and temporarily detained nearly 1,700 of them. According to reports, authorities also detained six opposition activists without trial and accused them of trying to use the rally to spread communism. Police said they found T-shirts and other materials linked to communist figures.

Apparently, these measures didn't suffice for some of Malaysia's nervous ruling elite. The editors of Utusan Malaysia, owned by Prime Minister Najib Razak's United Malays National Organization ruling party (UMNO), defaulted to a time-tested maneuver: When in doubt, blame the Jews!

The Jews? Most citizens of the overwhelmingly Asian economic giant have never and will likely never meet a Jew in their lifetime. And yet the folks at Utusan Malaysia, which is influential among Muslims in rural areas who rely on government-linked media to shape their worldview, are apparently confident warnings about a "Jewish plot" would resonate in a land without Jews.

To understand why, you need only look at the track record of the man who dominated his nation for a quarter of a century, Malaysia's fourth prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir was credited with engineering Malaysia's rapid modernization and spectacular economic growth. He was a dominant political figure, winning five consecutive general elections. He also used his political clout and controversial laws to detain activists and political opponents.

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Do Away with Outdated Laws

2011-07-23T09:16:00.000+08:00

The Star

Malaysia has too many laws that allow for detention without trial, contravening basic principles of human rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.

THE phrase “the law is an ass” is attributed to Charles Dickens.

It originates from Oliver Twist after the character Mr Bumble is told: “The law supposes that your wife acts under your direction”.

What one of the foremost classical writers of English literature actually wrote was: “If the law supposes that, the law is an ass, an idiot.”

No, he wasn’t using grammar akin to the Manglish being taught in our schools today. It was just that the rules of the language were not quite defined during his era.

But as then as in now, many laws can be described as asinine. They have become meaningless through the passage of time but are still in force and have become subjects of ridicule.

In the United States for example, incestuous marriages are not deemed illegitimate in the southern state of Alabama.

Another law in Mississippi states that if one is a parent to two illegitimate children, he or she can be jailed for at least a month.

In New York, adultery is still a crime and one can be fined US$25 (RM75) for flirting.

It is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing body-hugging clothes but she can go topless in public, provided she is not doing it for any business.

In Denver, Colorado, the law states that dog catchers must notify dogs of impounding by posting for three consecutive days, a notice on a tree in the city park.

Apparently it is also unlawful to lend one’s vacuum cleaner to a next-door neighbour.

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Changing Scene of Sarawak Politics

2011-07-22T22:53:00.001+08:00

DayakBaru.com

The last State Election bring new political scenes into Sarawak. Pakatan Rakyat managed to built a strong foot hold in Sarawak with PKR winning 3 seats and DAP winning 12 seats. In the next election are we going to keep the same approach and strategy and expect to win the election and form the next government. I need you to think and give me feedback.

What is the implication?

BN begin to weaken through the defeat of SUPP in 12 out of 19 seats. A predominantly wealthy Chinese party was shored up by Dayak 4 seats in SUPP. Many attributed the Chinese vote swing to the Chinese dislikes for Taib who is known to be corrupted. But we forgot that beside Taib and his family members SUPP elite Chinese too are very rich. However not all Chinese are rich. We know there are poor Chinese too. Like wise, the rich Dayak and Malay are mostly from BN.

We are fighting to save Sarawak from all these corruption and power abused. What is our strategy and plan?

BN Sarawak do not need Chinese to form the government

This statement was widely reported in the press after SUPP try to put pressure on Taib before the State election. After the election, Taib appointed Wong Soon Koh to be a full Minister to keep the racial balance in the government. To me, it is more like making Taib look good as he Chief Minister of Sarawak with the support of all races. So what is Larry Sng doing – is it to balance the racial composition in the Government?

What role did the Dayak in SUPP played in bringing solution to Dayak? Did we hear or know of any SUPP effort to solve Dayak problems? SUPP financiers are more interested to grab the natural resources of Dayak for example their NCR land and forest. It is the Chinese “towkays” that are providing money to BN candidate to finance their election and buy the Dayak votes. PR in Dayak areas were beaten easily because money play a big part in winning Sarawak election.

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The political impact of Bersih 2.0

2011-07-20T22:22:00.000+08:00

Aliran

The repercussions of Bersih 2.0 will no doubt be profound. It has already been dubbed as Malaysia’s “Hibiscus Revolution”. The question that is now uppermost in the public imagination is whether the current government will also suffer a severe blow for its inept handling of the event.

Bersih started out in 2006 as a movement of civil society forces and political parties calling for clean and fair elections. Its demands for cleaning up the electoral rolls, reviewing postal votes, including allowing for voting from abroad, fair access to the media, the elimination of corrupt practices are nothing radical or revolutionary and yet the government’s resistance to it has allowed the opposition parties and those not in support of the present government to easily latch on to a ready-made platform for galvanising support.

Bersih’s first political rally on 10 November 2007 saw some 40,000 Malaysian streaming into the heart of Kuala Lumpur, setting a benchmark for peaceful political protest in Malaysia. On 9 July 2011 almost the same number of demonstrators were out in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, as estimated by the independent “politweet”, despite a ban on the rally and police roadblocks at every point of entry into KL. If the political impact of Bersih 1.0 on the general election of March 2008 is now axiomatic, would Bersih 2.0 have a similar impact on the next general election?

It is important to first understand the character of the rally itself. The outpouring of material on the social media and through social networking websites reached proportions which, in my view, have been unprecedented and have not stopped. At the point of writing, over 200000 facebookers have called on Premier Najib to resign. The webpage has picked up 20000 votes or more in one day.

The people who showed up at Bersih 2.0 came from a cross section of Malaysia’s multicultural society, with Malays and youth as the dominant groups. This spoke well for the continuation of the trajectory of Malaysia’s non-racialised “new politics”. The involvement of national literary laureate Samad Said who wrote a touching poem about Malaysia’s “wounded democracy” was highly inspiring to the would-be Bersih rallyers.

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Ngau Saloi Blog

BR1M is not the right Economic Solutions for the People

Are Workers getting too many Holidays?

Are workers getting too many holidays?

Question Time, The Star.By P. GUNASEGARAM

Message from a Concerned Citizen for 2012: Do the Right Thing

Empowering Malaysians

Misplaced priorities and rising food prices

Change in Government, not Change of Government

(Taib) Running Scared?

An Open Letter from President of Malaysian Bar to all Members of Parliament

What Happen to Malaysia?

Who is Behind Oxford Business Group Report Sarawak Report 2011??

Missing The Large Hole

No Information on SCORE!

The Buck Stops with Me (and You)!

Electoral reforms and the quest for democracy in Malaysia: Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan

Allocate more money for constituencies, not the YBs

Protect Our Pockets

UNDILAH (Video Clip)

Scepticism over Malaysian PM's Reform Announcement

Forget ISA abolition, zero-in on Electoral Reform

How has Fair Land Sarawak fared since Independence?

Sabah and Sarawak: when will they become Malaysia’s real king makers?

Messing up with Merdeka date

New Dam, same old Story

Look East – to boost Racial Unity

A Quiet Merdeka Day

Malaysians unhappy with the Government, Politicians using Religion for Electoral Purposes

Taib “Highly Corrupt” – Secret US Documents Put Pressure on FBI!

It Is Time to stop buying into a Lie

Selamat Menyambut Hari Merdeka

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiftiri to all Muslim Friends

Wikileaks: Sarawak: Opposition Adrift; Indigenous People Lack Services; Police Reject Criticsm

The MAS Loss Discrepancy

Malaysia's 'Silent' Awakening

What is this Country coming to?

And the Winner Is?

Do you know what we are fighting for?

Why the truth only now, George?

The ETP, GTP and GDP

Why we need BERSIH 2.0 to clean up the SPR?

In Malaysia, When in Doubt, Blame the Jews

Do Away with Outdated Laws

Changing Scene of Sarawak Politics

The political impact of Bersih 2.0

Question Time, The Star.
By P. GUNASEGARAM