Posted on

Pakatan invites PM to roundtable talk on Israeli attacks

By Clara Chooi | The Malaysian Insider | June 01, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has invited Datuk Seri Najib Razak and all parties across the political divide for a roundtable talk this Friday to jointly condemning Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla.

PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today issued the invitation to the prime minister, all Barisan Nasional and PR parties and all Islamic and non-Islamic NGOs to attend the talk, set to be held in Kampung Baru at 11.30am on Friday.

“We need to take a more serious stand in this issue and condemn this continuing violence,” he said after attending the PR secretariat meeting at the PKR headquarters here today.

Anwar added that following the roundtable talks, all invited parties would then march to the US embassy and submit a memorandum on behalf of all Malaysians, calling for an end to the violence.
Continue reading “Pakatan invites PM to roundtable talk on Israeli attacks”

Posted on

Kit Siang: A cabinet chock-full of senators

Kit Siang: A cabinet chock-full of senators
Malaysiakini | Jun 1, 10 7:59pm

Pakatan Rakyat leaders slammed Prime Minister Najib Razak for “setting the dubious record” of leading a cabinet with the most unelected representatives.

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang challenged the Najib to compel the new senators-turned-deputy ministers to stand for elections to prove their level of support.

“Ask these new senators to stand for election so that they have the mandate of the people,” he told reporters after the Pakatan Rakyat supreme council meeting in Petaling Jaya today.

“We will have more by-elections and it will be good for the people, as in Sibu where the (federal government) poured tens of millions of ringgit and the PM visited twice in 10 days,” he said tongue-in-cheek.
Continue reading “Kit Siang: A cabinet chock-full of senators”

Posted on

No Kaamatan promotion at airports — Kit Siang

By Chok Sim Yee | The Borneo Post

KOTA KINABALU: Pesta Kaamatan (Harvest Festival) is one of the highlights in the Sabah annual calendar of events, but sadly, not much effort has been made to promote the cultural event, even at the main gateways to the state — the airports.

At least this was what Democratic Action Party (DAP) advisor Lim Kit Siang noticed when he arrived yesterday.

Claiming that there was not much effort done by the federal government to recognise and promote Pesta Kaamatan, he said this defeats the whole meaning of the 1Malaysia concept, which was the brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“Pesta Kaamatan is the most important celebration in Sabah but sadly, I do not see any Pesta Kaamatan-related decorations when I arrived at the airport,” he said, pointing out that it was the best place to promote the event as it is the first place to welcome incoming tourists, be it domestic or foreign.

He also questioned why Najib could not even spare some time to attend such an important programme.
Continue reading “No Kaamatan promotion at airports — Kit Siang”

Posted on

Malaysians are now at the crossroads – an advanced high-income country in 2020 or a bankrupt nation in 2019

Malaysians are now at the crossroads and must choose to take the road towards an advanced high-income country in 2020 or a bankrupt nation in 2019.

The New Economic Model (NEM) launched by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on March 30 promised a new development path encompassing economic, social and government transformation to catapult Malaysia from two-decade-long middle income trap to become an advanced high-income nation by 2020.

The NEM is however predicated on one basic assumption – the existence of “political will and leadership to break the logjam of resistance by vested interest groups and preparing the rakyat to support deep-seated changes in policy directions”.

One alternative to a high-income advanced nation with inclusiveness and sustainability by 2020 is the spectre of a bankrupt nation by 2019 so vividly spelt out by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Idris Jala, last Thursday.
Continue reading “Malaysians are now at the crossroads – an advanced high-income country in 2020 or a bankrupt nation in 2019”

Posted on

Tackling Subsidies And Their Myriad Manifestations

By M. Bakri Musa

Idris Jala, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and PEMANDU CEO, has yet to convince his cabinet colleagues, in particular the Prime Minister, of the need to reduce subsidies specifically and government spending generally. He has to do that first before taking his Subsidy Rationalization Lab road show to the rest of the country.

Responding to the first “Open House,” Prime Minister Najib indicated that he would “leave it to the people to decide on whether they [the subsidies] should be maintained or abolished.” In doing so he abrogated his leadership on a critical economic issue. He is following instead of leading public opinion; a wet-finger-in-the-air type of leader.

While I do not share Idris Jala’s dire prediction of Malaysia becoming bankrupt in nine years – nations, unlike corporations and individuals, cannot do that – nonetheless the grim picture he painted is not far from the likely reality. His likening Malaysia’s future to today’s Greece may or not be valid but there are enough useful lessons from the current Greek tragedy.
Continue reading “Tackling Subsidies And Their Myriad Manifestations”