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Tri-election breaking news

Breaking news : BN winning in Batang Ai

7.50pm Batang Ai OFFICIAL RESULTS

BN’s Malcolm Mussem Lamoh (3,907 votes) has beaten PKR’s Jawah Gerang (2,053). The majority is 1,854.

Update 2
Unofficial results – at 5.50 pm., BN majority in Batang Ai widens to 1,609 votes

Already 21 streams counted out of 25 polling streams.

BN 2901
PKR 1430
Majority 1415
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Najib Cabinet – can it pass the test of being clean and the slogan of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”?

The country is inundated with rumous and speculations about the first Najib Cabinet which may be unveiled tomorrow.

According to one report, as many as 10 Umno Cabinet Ministers may be dropped and among those named in this category are Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, who has already tendered his resignation, and Second Finance Minister Datuk Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Tourism Minister Datuk Azalina Othman, Energy, Water and communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique, Rural and Regional Development Minister Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Nordin and Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Chik.

The Najib Cabinet is expected to be leaner than the Abdullah Cabinet.

MCA is reported to be demanding that a new post of a Chinese Deputy Prime Minister be created while MIC wants to have a second Cabinet appointment.

The first Abdullah Cabinet appointed after the Barisan Nasional landslide general election victory in March 2004 was a great disappointment – laying the seeds of the failure and downfall of the Abdullah premiership. Continue reading “Najib Cabinet – can it pass the test of being clean and the slogan of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.”?”

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The “Democracy Tree” DVD that the Police finds offensive

This is the “Democracy Tree” video for which DAP Perak State Assemblyman for Tebing Tinggi, Ong Boon Piaw was arrested by the police on Sunday, 29th March 2009 purportedly in violation of the Film Censorship Act 2002 for “manufacturing, circulating, distributing, displaying” a DVD without first getting a B certificate from the Film Censorship Board.

Boon Piaw, who is out on police bail, will know on April 13 what the authorities propose to do in the case.

In his speech at the MPI-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards 2008/Malaysian Media Nite 2009 yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak called for a “free, vibrant and informed media empowered to report without fear of consequence and holding governments and public official accountable”.
Continue reading “The “Democracy Tree” DVD that the Police finds offensive”

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Mahathir – the Empress Dowager of Prime Minister Najib

The Bukit Gantang by-election has shaped into a battle between one Mentri Besar vs two Prime Ministers.

The Mentri Besar is Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, the popular and legitimate Perak MB and not the illegitimate usurper Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Ranged against him are the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who had orchestrated the unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab in Perak and plunged the “silver state” into a political and constitutional stalemate in the past two months and the former Prime Minister of 22 years, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

I had described Mahathir as swiftly taking his place as the eminence grise in the Najib premiership with the quick repudiation of whatever there is of the Abdullah legacy in Umno and the fifth premiership in the country.

For Mahathir’s role in the national affairs of state under Prime Minister Najib, there are blog visitors who prefer to summon up the image of Empress Dowager Cixi, who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, ruling over China for 48 years from her husband’s death in 1861 to her own death in 1908. Continue reading “Mahathir – the Empress Dowager of Prime Minister Najib”

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Principled governance the only way forward for Najib

by Tunku Abdul Aziz
Malaysian Insider
April 6, 2009

Every head of government, whether elected or not that I know of, begins his or her term of office by making some dramatic gesture or other. In a repressive regime such as ours, releasing political prisoners and other prisoners of conscience from detention camps in which they have no business being incarcerated in the first place, is de rigueur.

For a leader such as Tun Mahathir Mohamad, adopting this practice as a public demonstration of his overflowing compassion for the people of Malaysia was certainly not out of character.

The resultant public euphoria went as fast as it came when hundreds were later detained under the ISA in the Operation Lalang crackdown. I am naturally disappointed that Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has allowed himself to freefall into the pits of cynicism by announcing the release of the ISA detainees days before the by-elections; one each in Kedah, Perak and Sarawak.

You, Najib, have missed a great opportunity to show us that you are different! Continue reading “Principled governance the only way forward for Najib”

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What’s wrong with non-Muslims quoting Quranic verses?

by Azly Rahman
April 05, 2009

I read the following troubling Malaysiakini newsstory. It happened in Malaysia:

‘Belittling Islam’ – police report against DAP leader

by Jimadie Shah Othman | Apr 5, 09 11:52am | Malaysiakini

A police report has been filed against Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming for allegedly belittling Islam during a ceramah in the campaign for Tuesday’s Bukit Gantang parliamentary by-election.

The report was filed by Malay Unity Action Front president Osman Abu Bakar at the Taiping district police headquarters this evening.

According to him, Nga – who is also the Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyperson – made the disputed remarks during a ceramah in Changkat Jering two days ago, the contents of which were also published on Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s blog.

In his report, Osman accused the DAP leader of belittling Islam by reciting Quranic verses from the Surah Al-A’ raf for campaign purposes. Furthermore, he said the holy verses were recited improperly. Continue reading “What’s wrong with non-Muslims quoting Quranic verses?”