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Pas win with bigger majority in Manek Urai by-election will be a clear and unmistakable signal to Najib that his Hundred Day performance and goodies are just not good enough and people expect meaningful reforms in his next 100 Days

I just returned from Manek Urai in Kelantan where I attended the last Pakatan Rakyat ceramah at Kampong Perial last night, which saw a record ceramah crowd for the by-election campaign.

The prognosis is most favourable and a Pas win with bigger majority in Manek Urai by-election than the general elections last year will be a clear and unmistakable signal to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in two senses:

  • That together with the people in the West Coast in Peninsular Malaysia as demonstrated in the three by-elections after Najib became Prime Minister, i.e. Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambu and Penanti, the people in the East Coast stand as one in their solid support for Pakatan Rakyat in the nation-wide demand for political change; and
  • That Najib’s Hundred Day performance and goodies are just not good enough and people expect meaningful reforms in his next 100 Days.

The voters of Manek Urai have a historic mission tomorrow. In the 1978 general elections, when PAS was nearly smashed to smithereens by Umno winning only two State Assembly seats in Kelantan after Pas was thrown out of Barisan Nasional and a period of emergency rule, Manek Urai was one of the two.

In 1978, the voters of Manek Urai were the “saviours” of PAS but tomorrow, the voters of Manek Urai have the mission to be the “saviours” of Malaysia in paving the way for another historic political tsunami in the next general elections for the ending of Umno political hegemony and Barisan Nasional rule at the national level.

Continue reading “Pas win with bigger majority in Manek Urai by-election will be a clear and unmistakable signal to Najib that his Hundred Day performance and goodies are just not good enough and people expect meaningful reforms in his next 100 Days”

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Najib should not try to re-invent the wheel on KPIs for the police to reduce crime as all he needs to do is to use the 2005 Police Royal Commission Report to set the KPI benchmarks in the fight against crime

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should not try to re-invent the wheel on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the police to reduce crime as all he needs to do is to use the 2005 Police Royal Commission Report to set the KPI benchmarks in the fight against crime.

In his one-hour interview aired live on TV last night, Najib tried but failed to respond to criticism that he is not serious about combating crime, although he had listed it as the first of the six key areas he want his administration to focus on.

Najib claimed that with the six key result areas spelt out, the government would be more focused as the yardsticks had already been identified.

He added:

“For example, in reducing the crime rate, we have to identify exactly which sort of crime, and by how many per cent we want to reduce it.

“We have to set a high target, but not too high that it is unrealistic. If the target is too low, then the people would think the KPIs are meaningless.”

Former Chief Justice, Tun Mohammed Dzaiddin and Tun Hanif Omar (who were Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively) and the other 15 Commissioners of the Police Royal Commission set up by former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service Continue reading “Najib should not try to re-invent the wheel on KPIs for the police to reduce crime as all he needs to do is to use the 2005 Police Royal Commission Report to set the KPI benchmarks in the fight against crime”

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Cabinet’s decision on PPSMI last Wednesday is as disastrous as the Cabinet decision in 2002 to rush headlong into implementing PPSMI from Std. One for all national, Chinese and Tamil primary schools without any preparation or research whatsoever

The Cabinet decision last Wednesday on PPSMI (Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik – teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English) is as disastrous as the Cabinet decision in 2002 to rush headlong into implementing PPSMI from Std. One for all national, Chinese and Tamil primary schools without any preparation or research whatsoever.

Now, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in justifying the Cabinet’s latest decision on PPSMI has made the shocking revelation that before the PPSMI was launched six years ago, there had been neither discussion or approval by the Cabinet nor discussion with the parents.

Several current Ministers were in the 2002 Mahathir Cabinet, including the present Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, DPM Muhyiddin himself, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and Information, Communication and Culture Minister, Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, and they as well as the leaderships of Umno, MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and other Barisan Nasional component parties should all explain how they could permit such a far-reaching decision affecting the future generation of Malaysians to be taken in so haphazard and irresponsible a manner!

I agree that the Cabinet decision on PPSMI last Wednesday came as “a bombshell to many, especially those in the urban areas”.

Continue reading “Cabinet’s decision on PPSMI last Wednesday is as disastrous as the Cabinet decision in 2002 to rush headlong into implementing PPSMI from Std. One for all national, Chinese and Tamil primary schools without any preparation or research whatsoever”

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Hishammuddin should explain why he is supporting the renewal of Musa Hassan as IGP who had led a losing war against crime despite trebling of police allocations to RM8 billion in 9th Malaysia Plan as compared to 8MP

In his Hundred Day address yesterday, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak identified six key areas for his administration to focus on, viz: crime prevention, combating corruption, providing greater access to quality and affordable education, improving the quality of life for the poor, improving rural infrastructure and upgrading public transportation in the medium term.

It is shocking that after 100 days as Prime Minister, Najib as nothing whatsoever to say on two of the six key areas of his premiership, namely crime prevention and combating corruption, sending out the unmistakable message that they rate very low in his order of priorities and debunking the claim that they rank as the top two items of the six key areas for his administration to focus on.

Despite giving a “blank” message of what he intend to do about fighting crime, the Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan could join in the paeans of praise for the new Prime Minister, as Musa is quoted by New Sunday Times today, saying:

“The police have done their best to tackle crime in the country and we will not let up in our efforts. From January until now, crime has been reduced by four per cent. What’s important is to address street crime such as snatch thefts and wayside robberies.” Continue reading “Hishammuddin should explain why he is supporting the renewal of Musa Hassan as IGP who had led a losing war against crime despite trebling of police allocations to RM8 billion in 9th Malaysia Plan as compared to 8MP”

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Chaining The Children of the Poor

by M. Bakri Musa

The ancient Chinese bound the feet of their baby daughters so they would grow up with deformed tiny feet, thus limiting their mobility and participation in life outside the little world of their homes. These women would then be totally dependent on their men.

In rescinding the policy of teaching science and mathematics in English, the government is likewise binding the intellectual development of our children. They and future generations of Malaysians would grow up with warped intellect. They would then be totally dependent on the government, just as ancient Chinese women with tiny feet were on their men.

My friend and fellow commentator Azly Rahman has a more apt and colorful local metaphor; we are condemning future generations to the Pekan Rabu economy, capable only of selling pirated versions of Michael Jackson albums. That would be the extent of their entrepreneurial prowess and creative flair. They are only subsistence entrepreneurs and ‘copy cat’ creators.

Make no mistake about it. The government’s professed concerns for the poor and those from rural areas notwithstanding, reversing the current policy would adversely and disproportionately impact them. The rich and those in the cities have a ready escape; the rich through private English classes, urban children from the already high levels of English in their community. Continue reading “Chaining The Children of the Poor”

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Will Najib call for general elections in November this year if he could crank up his popularity rating to 80 to 85%?

I am quite intrigued by the following Sunday Star report “11 goodies at 11.11am on July 11” on Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Hundred Day Address as Prime Minister yesterday, viz:

KUALA LUMPUR: It was the Prime Minister’s 100th day in office but it was the number 11 that took prominence.

His first 100 days fell on July 11. He announced 11 people-friendly measures, starting his speech at 11.11am.

Two minutes before that, Najib was already on stage to deliver his speech.

He smiled when the master of ceremony politely called on him to hang on for a while because, said the MC in jest, the speech text had gone missing.

At exactly 11.11am, Najib started delivering his 50-minute speech.

It would appear that “11” is Najib’s favourite or even magic number, just as it is known that “13” is the favourite number of former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Continue reading “Will Najib call for general elections in November this year if he could crank up his popularity rating to 80 to 85%?”