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How graft, racial-religious politicking killed Malaysia’s economy

By Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

In 2019, Malaysia would be 62 years old. If that is all it takes – just 62 years – for a nation to go bankrupt, then it only shows how grossly mismanaged the country has been.

Of the six prime ministers who have led Malaysia since 1957, the leader who must take the greatest blame for the sorry state the economy is now in is Mahathir Mohamad, whose 22-year rule alone accounts for nearly half of the nation’s post-independence history.

Thanks to his chase for mega projects, political opportunists and cronies were able to benefit from massive overpricing in almost all of the major deals that framed his career. From the North-South Expressway to Perwaja Steel, 1st Silicon to Proton, Bakun Dam to PKFZ, few of his projects have not ended up requiring some form of bailout from taxpayers at one time or another.

Continue reading “How graft, racial-religious politicking killed Malaysia’s economy”

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The consequences of sleeping with the enemy

by Mariam Mokhtar

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s comments about both Umno and PAS using religion to dominate the Malays and influence their vote, is a bit too little, too late. For decades, he, like previous MCA leaders, pandered to the wishes of Umno. Now that PAS has teamed up with DAP and PKR to become a credible opposition party, it is Dr. Chua who must contemplate his standing in his community and evaluate the worth of his party’s friendship with Umno.

Dr. Chua’s hypocritical attack on PAS is ill-judged and offensive. PAS have always been consistent in its Islamic roots but when it morphed into a modern Islamist party, it created panic in Umno.

He should direct his vitriol at Umno only, for it jumped onto the religious bandwagon, to appear more conservative than PAS so as to lure Malay voters.

Perhaps it is Dr. Chua who has been caught on the hop, just as in his previous indiscretion?

Dr. Chua urged the Chinese community to think about the impact if PAS were to rule at the federal level. He said, “Do not be too optimistic that if PAS comes to power, the country will be free from corruption and other problems”.

This is a bit rich coming from him. Is this an attempt to suck up to Prime Minister Najib, to Umno or to his own party and community? Was he as voluble complaining about the excesses, in previous years? Continue reading “The consequences of sleeping with the enemy”

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DAP chides Chua’s negative portrayal of Muslim nations

by Susan Loone | Aug 7, 10 11:57am

Malaysiakini

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has today rubbished the views of MCA chief Dr Chua Soi Lek, who has portrayed Muslim countries as “poor, backward and corrupt”.

Lim (right in photo) urged Chua to learn more about the history of Islamic civilisation, whose global empires had not only contributed breathtaking art and architecture, but also the introduction of numbers, algebra and astronomy.

“Muslim countries are suffering from the same problem suffered by India and China previously.

“Only when India and China were free, independent and not dominated by imperialist powers, that they were able to realise their potential and take their place in the world stage as economic powers,” he said at International Integrity Conference 2010 today in Penang.

“I believe that Muslim nations can also recapture their past glories if they were allowed to be similarly unshackled like India and China,” he added. Continue reading “DAP chides Chua’s negative portrayal of Muslim nations”

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Biggest flaw in Soi Lek’s new-fangled theory is whether he would back down from it when pressured by UMNO

The main objective of MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek’s new-fangled theory that Malaysia had been trapped for a decade as a middle-income nation because of “non-progressive” competition between UMNO and PAS is to pass-the-buck and disclaim MCA responsibility for the deplorable state of the Malaysian nation 53 years after Merdeka to the extent that one Cabinet Minister had warned that Malaysia could go backrupt in the year 2019!

However, the biggest flaw for Chua’s new-fangled theory is whether he would back down from it when pressured by UMNO!

In the first place, Malaysia had been stuck in a middle-income nation trap for some two decades and not just the past 10 years – as admitted by the New Economic Model that since becoming an upper-middle income country in 1992, Malaysia has largely stayed where it is.

Can this be solely explained by the competition between Umno and PAS in using religion to strengthen their influence resulting in “non-progressive policies”? Continue reading “Biggest flaw in Soi Lek’s new-fangled theory is whether he would back down from it when pressured by UMNO”

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Kee Thuan Chye unmasked

by Jee Wan
Malaysiakini
Aug 6, 10

Kee Thuan Chye , a stubbornly patriotic writer, journalist, editor,playwright, and occasional actor, allows a peep into what makes him tick and what does not, particularly where big brother is concerned.

Jee Wan:Firstly, congratulations on the upcoming new edition of ‘March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up’. What started your involvement in politics?

Kee:Thanks. It may actually turn out to be a new book called ‘March 8: Time for Real Change’.

My political awakening occurred right after I graduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia when I personally suffered the effects of the New Economic Policy (NEP). I wanted to pursue my Masters but I wasn’t able to afford it unless I could get a tutor’s position. I applied, but didn’t get it – even though I was top in my class. It was given to someone else. So I had to go out and work.

Eventually, I was hired by The National Echo as literary editor. Part of my duties included writing editorials. During that time, I was able to write quite scathingly about political matters.

I remember one of my editorials criticised Mahathir Mohamad for warning that Malaysia would “shoot” the Vietnamese boat people if they tried to land on our shores. He later insisted that he said “shoo”, but I could already see then what kind of a guy we were dealing with.

I became more politically sensitised when I moved from Penang to Kuala Lumpur in the late 1970s, from The National Echo to the New Straits Times. In the capital, I began to see more sharply the contradictions in our society.

At the time, the social re-engineering that had come into place after 1969 was beginning to show its effects. They became more pronounced in the early 1980s when Mahathir Mohamad became Prime Minister.

Working at the NST made me see more clearly that things were going towards an authoritarian direction. I got numerous memos from my editor-in-chief for trying to push the parameters and opening up public discourse on ‘sensitive’ issues.

The most pressing issue then was race and how it had been politicised to divide the people. Mahathir was also showing signs of being increasingly dictatorial; he would tolerate no criticism of him in the media.

What I couldn’t express through the newspaper I eventually expressed in a play. Entitled ‘1984 Here and Now’; it spoke out frankly against Big Brother and institutionalised racial discrimination. It played to full houses in 1985 because it brought up issues of the day that people were afraid to discuss publicly. Those who came were surprised that it had obtained a permit to be staged.

I have since gone on to write more political plays. One of them, ‘The Big Purge’, brazenly satirises Mahathir (left) and Operation Lalang. Continue reading “Kee Thuan Chye unmasked”

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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #26

By M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 4: Modern Model States

The Celtic Tiger (Cont’d)

Liberalization went beyond the economic sphere. It was Lemass’s political genius to use old-style nationalism, an inherent part of the Irish character, to forge progressive changes. A considerable part of that change involved a marked curtailment in the role of the Church both in the affairs of the state and in the lives of individuals. Thus birth control and sale of oral contraceptives were legalized in1979, despite severe opposition from the Church.

With the widespread use of birth control and the increasing participation of women in the workforce, Ireland’s former dizzyingly high birthrate declined substantially. The large unruly brood of yore is now replaced by one considerably smaller, but much better clothed, housed, and educated.
Continue reading “Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #26”

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Whose credit? Not MCA’s, of course

By Thomas Lee

The cabinet decision to allow school heads to decide on the setting-up of non-Muslim religious societies in schools, without the need to obtain approval of the state education director, is certainly welcome.

The decision, however, should not be taken as something magnanimous on the part of the federal government for according this “concession” to the non-Muslim community.

The fact is that it is not something to be considered as a concession or a privilege given by the federal government, but a fundamental right provided for in Article 11 of the Malaysian Federal Constitution and enshined in the human rights covenants and conventions of the United Nations.

Hence, the federal government, in particularly the Education Minister, should apologise to the non-Muslim students for unilaterally restricting and depriving them over the years of their fundamental human and constitutional right and freedom to practice their religious faiths, through the unwarranted and unjustified action of the Little Napoleons in the Education Ministry.
Continue reading “Whose credit? Not MCA’s, of course”

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Who decided on the Cabinet gag order yesterday on any public discussion of “Allah” controversy?

Who decided on the Cabinet gag order on any public discussion of the “Allah” controversy announced by the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin after the Cabinet meeting yesterday?

Was it with the full support of the four MCA Ministers and all other non-Muslim Cabinet Ministers – or did they express and register their protest and objection?

Malaysians had been told that the Cabinet operates on the principle of consensus – which means that if there is one Minister objecting, a decision on a new policy or measure would not be taken by the Cabinet.

If so, if the four MCA Ministers had spoken out against the gag order and asked the Cabinet to consider resolving the long-protracted “Allah” controversy by deciding that the Home Ministry should withdraw its appeal against the Lau Bee Lan judgment in the Kuala Lumpur High Court in January this year
Continue reading “Who decided on the Cabinet gag order yesterday on any public discussion of “Allah” controversy?”

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Sime Darby to report biggest ever loss

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — One-time Malaysian icon, the 100-year-old Sime Darby Berhad, appears to be in a downward spiral as it faces huge losses again after the last one 13 years ago, with top officials being taken off from several units.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the government conglomerate will next month announce that potential full-year net loss could top RM2 billion — and go as high as RM2.5 billion. Most of the losses are down to ill-advised investments in the energy and utilities sector in Qatar as well as tardy business practices in the development of the Bakun dam in Sarawak.

The last time Sime Darby saw red on its balance sheets came after the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, when a plunge in the stock market and a sharp depreciation of the ringgit led its financial arm, Sime Bank, to post a RM1.6 billion loss — the largest in Malaysian banking history — for the six months to December 1997. The conglomerate went on to post a six-month loss of RM676.2 million and closed the 1998 financial year with a net loss of RM540.9 million.
Continue reading “Sime Darby to report biggest ever loss”

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The Malays in Singapore – no crutch mentality

(Speech by Berita Harian Singapore editor Guntor Sadali, at the Berita Harian Singapore Achiever of the Year Awards ceremony on July 28, 2010)

It is a fact known to all that Malays in Singapore are a minority.

However this minority is quite different from other minorities in the world.

Similarly, to some, Singapore is just a red dot in this vast Asian region.

But it is no ordinary red dot.

It is a grave mistake to equate size with ability, just as it is wrong to assume that being small and in the minority is to be weak and insignificant.

The recent World Cup proved this. While Spain may be the world champion, it was minnow Switzerland that became the only country in the tournament that was able to defeat Spain.

Forty-five years have passed since Singapore left Malaysia, yet every now and then we still hear non-complimentary comments from across the Causeway about the Malay community here. Continue reading “The Malays in Singapore – no crutch mentality”

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Is this Muhyiddin’s 1Malaysia?

Pakatan elected reps kept out of S’gor schools

Christine Chan
Malaysiakini
Aug 4, 10

A circular that allows specified BN leaders to attend events organised by Selangor schools but keeps out those from Pakatan Rakyat, has been criticised as an example of double standards.

The circular dated Feb 16, 2009 states that the education minister has appointed 57 leaders from Selangor Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan to represent him at these events in the state.

Signed by the principal secretary to the minister, the circular was sent to the director of the Selangor Education Department.

It also states that the BN representatives have each been issued a certificate of appointment, copies of which were attached to the circular with a full list of names and posts held in the respective political parties.

When contacted, Hannah Yeoh, the DAP state assemblyperson for Subang Jaya said that – by implication – school authorities have to get the minister’s permission to invite Pakatan representatives.

“(When the schools ask for permission), it is never given,” she claimed. Continue reading “Is this Muhyiddin’s 1Malaysia?”

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Malaysia’s Opposition on Trial

Anwar Ibrahim could be headed to prison again on trumped up charges. We urge the U.S. government to speak out on his behalf.
By AL GORE AND PAUL WOLFOWITZ | Wall Street Journal

We come from opposite sides of the political spectrum and disagree about a great many things. However, one issue that brings us together is the case of Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia who is now leader of the political opposition in that country.

Mr. Anwar has been charged under very dubious circumstances with sodomy, a criminal offense under Malaysian law. If convicted, he faces a possible 20-year sentence—effectively life in prison for a man of 63. His trial, scheduled to resume next week, threatens not just Mr. Anwar but all those in Malaysia who have struggled for a freer and more democratic nation. It is also important for the rest of the world, because it casts a troubling shadow over the future of a nation that should be a model for other Muslim countries.?
Continue reading “Malaysia’s Opposition on Trial”

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I disagree, chief secretary!

By KJ John

fter the spat between Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Nik Ali Mat Yunus – the federal officer posted to Penang as state development officer (SDO) – the chief secretary to the government concluded: “If he (Nik Ali) was accused with all kinds of untruths and criticised repeatedly, he too, has his dignity. If he did not reply, then people would say that he is guilty. So, it was proper that a clarification was given.”

I disagree with your judgment, Sir!

The word ‘dignity’ is a very expensive word in human sociology and psychology and cannot be treated lightly. Much like the word ‘integrity,’ it cannot and should not be abused by all and sundry. In fact, when I proposed the ‘dignity in the workplace’ hypothesis, the first and biggest challenge was defining the concept as applied and used at the workplace.
Continue reading “I disagree, chief secretary!”

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Are the police sabotaging the BN?

By P. Ramakrishnan
Tuesday, 03 August 2010 20:28

Sunday, 1 August 2010, marked the 50th Anniversary of the ISA. It was a milestone that had to be observed by every caring Malaysian. It was an occasion that deserved to be commemorated.

This evil Act has been with us for 50 years serving as a convenient and useful political tool to keep the ruling elite in power. For 50 years, this Act has terrorised innocent people. Some 10,000 people lost their freedom because they were detained under the ISA which gives them no recourse to the courts.

Their detention is at the pleasure of the Minister of Home Affairs. He is legally empowered to detain any Malaysian indefinitely by simply extending their detention orders every two years. No court of law can question the Minister’s detention orders. As long as he is of the opinion that an individual is a threat to national security, he can order the detention.
Continue reading “Are the police sabotaging the BN?”

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MCA, stand firm or close shop

By Thomas Lee
MySinChew.com

The arrogance of Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in giving a stern warning on Monday 3 August 2010 to the MCA over the “Allah” issue simply cannot be stomached and tolerated.

If the MCA has any dignity and integrity, it should not allow itself to be so severely rebuked and dictated to publicly by an “equal” partner in the Barisan Nasional coalition.

The MCA is right in standing up for the right of the non-Muslim community to be allowed to freely practise and express their religious faiths using any word they deem fit in Bahasa Malaysia, which is their national language.

The MCA is absolutely right to ask the federal government, of which it is purportedly an essential component, to rescind the ban on non-Muslims using of the word “Allah”, after Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein expressed regrets over the decision to ban its use by his predecessor. Continue reading “MCA, stand firm or close shop”

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Najib should explain why after 16 months of his 1Malaysia slogan, Malaysians are even more divided with even the former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir declaring that he is confused and does not know the meaning of 1Malaysia?

I do not agree with the former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad who criticized the Najib administration’s 1Malaysia slogan, claiming that the concept needed further “explanation” to prevent it from interpreted differently by various races.

But Mahathir is right that Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan which he introduced after he took office in April last year had failed to unite Malaysians as a whole.

This is not because the 1Malaysia slogan is vague or Najib failed to provide an explanation or definition of what his slogan means.

An official definition of 1Malaysia was given by the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme Roadmap released by the government in January this year, which states:
“The goal of 1Malaysia is to make Malaysia more vibrant, more productive and more competitive – and ultimately a greater nation: a nation where, it is hoped, every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society.”
Continue reading “Najib should explain why after 16 months of his 1Malaysia slogan, Malaysians are even more divided with even the former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir declaring that he is confused and does not know the meaning of 1Malaysia?”

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Will the 4 MCA Ministers ignore Muhyiddin’s most improper/unwarranted “stern warning” and raise at Cabinet tomorrow issue of Home Ministry withdrawing its appeal on “Allah” controversy?

The Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Umno President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had acted completely out of turn in issuing a most improper and unwarranted “stern warning” to MCA to accept the decision of the government and should not trigger another debate on the word “Allah”.

Does this mean that the MCA leadership, despite having four Ministers in Cabinet, are not allowed to raise in tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting a proposal to ask the Ministers to take a policy decision to withdraw the Home Ministry’s appeal against the Lau Bee Lan judgment of the Kuala Lumpur High Court in January which allowed the Catholic Church to use the word “Allah” in the Bahasa Malaysia section of its publication, Herald?

Such a proposal in tomorrow’s Cabinet would be most timely, appropriate and fully in accord with the national interests in view of the admission by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein that his predecessor Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar should not have banned the word “Allah” from being used by the Catholic Church.

Are there two classes of Ministers – those who can raise issues in Cabinet and ask for policy decisions to be made or reviewed and the lower class of Ministers who cannot raise issues which are regarded as “sensitive” by the first class of Ministers?
Continue reading “Will the 4 MCA Ministers ignore Muhyiddin’s most improper/unwarranted “stern warning” and raise at Cabinet tomorrow issue of Home Ministry withdrawing its appeal on “Allah” controversy?”

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Guan Eng says ‘confused’ man harassed him over federal project

By Yoges Palaniappan | The Malaysian Insider

GEORGE TOWN, August 3 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the man who harassed him in Komtar yesterday “appeared confused and needed help”.

Relating the incident, Lim said he was approached by a man in his 60s in the drivers’ room at the building’s second floor last night.

“We were talking as usual when he suddenly raised his voice and then he rapped hard on my shoulder,” he told reporters at a press conference in his office.

“When I asked him why he did that, he accused me of implementing anti-Malay policies. He said the state government had chased village folks out of Kampung Tanjung Tokong,” he said.

“I sat him down and explained to him that the development in the village was not brought by us [state government], but UDA as a federal government project. He then appeared very confused and hit the sofa angrily many, many times,” he added.
Continue reading “Guan Eng says ‘confused’ man harassed him over federal project”

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Penang open tender spree shows up Putrajaya

By Lee Wei Lian | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — The Penang government’s open tender spree in the past few months could put the federal government in a bad light as both strive to show the public that they stand for transparency and excellence.

While both have initiated efforts to make procurement more transparent to the public, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Penang government seems to have taken the lead with a stream of open tenders announcements for its big ticket items while the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government has appeared very slow off the mark.

Among landmark projects that were tendered out by the Penang state government include the multi-billion 100 acre Bayan Mutiara township project, the restoration of Fort Cornwallis, restoration of Crag Hotel, management of the Penang International Sports Arena and the Penang Hill facelift. Upcoming tenders include that for the Pulau Jerejak tourist development project.

In the case of the Bayan Mutiara project, the Penang government seems to have taken a leaf out of the Singapore playbook and has opened the tender to international bidders in an attempt to build an “iconic, prestigious and sustainable” development.
Continue reading “Penang open tender spree shows up Putrajaya”