Month: October 2010

I walked out of Dewan Rakyat in disgust this morning.

I had stood up to ask a supplementary question for the first oral question which was on the New Economic Model, but the Deputy Speaker, Datuk Ronald Kiandee, who was in the chair, refused to call me.

The question on the New Economic Model was posed by the UMNO MP for Maran, Datuk Haji Ismail bin Hj Abdul Muttalib who asked the Prime Minister “to state the guarantee that in carrying out the New Economic Model it is effective and will achieve the objective set out to make Malaysia a high income nation and at the same time spur the economy and the programmes planned for implementation”.

The answer was given by the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk S. K. Devamany.

If I had the opportunity to pose the supplementary question, I would have observed that on the second day of the 34-day of the budget Parliament, the absence of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak or anyone of the many Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department to answer this question shows that the Barisan Nasional government is neither really seriously nor fully committed whether to Najib’s 1Malaysia concept, New Economic Model or Parliament.
Continue reading “Why after more than half a year, not a single Cabinet Minister dare to rebut the communal extremists and state that the New Economic Model is not against Article 153 of Constitution?”

By Martin Jalleh

Gerakan’s president Koh Tsu Koon continues to preen and strut around on the political stage like a peacock, and ignores the protruding truth that he looks more like a turkey whom Umno will turn into a stew one day.

Tsu Koon, described by his critics, especially during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Penang, as Umno’s lap-dog with his tail between his legs, appeared recently at a Penang Gerakan extraordinary general meeting (EGM) which he initially insisted he would avoid.

The EGM was meant to push for a motion of no-confidence against Penang chief Teng Hock Nan, whom many members feel have been hibernating like a hedgehog since Gerakan lost all its seats in Penang in the last general elections.

Tsu Koon turned up to cast his vote for his close ally who had a close call, prompting many to wonder whether it was time to “close shop”! The slim majority was a slap in the face for the more-mouse-than-man president, who naively expected everyone to “close ranks”.
Continue reading “Gerakan’s “Animal Farm””

By Azly Rahman

Come Malaysia’s general election No 13, how lucky will we be to have the entire nation bold enough to experiment with radical changes, a mega-trend, a paradigm shift, and the will to even replace the blue ocean in which sharks and piranhas battle against each other in a seemingly calm sea of change?

So – are Malaysians ready with a global positioning system that will leave behind that ancient regime calloused with the will to use religion, ethnicity, and race to cling on to power fast waning? As the Malaysian election approaches, people are talking about ‘the new politics’, ‘sustainable capitalism’, ‘new economic model’, ‘radical multiculturalism’, ‘politics of moderation’.

What are these? Are they merely another set of rhetoric, or are they signifiers to a new world of Malaysian political-economic realism? After fifty years of a Rostowian and Friedmanian developmentalist agenda – that we adopt and have a difficult time understanding, and yet we imitate – we are faced with a brand new old question: where do we go from here?
Continue reading “Malaysia’s GPS for General Election-13”

By Rahmah Ghazali
Free Malaysia Today
Mon, 11 Oct 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: Some issues are political potatoes too hot to handle or so it seems when the Dewan Rakyat got down to business today.

The wealth of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, Perkasa, Biro Tata Negara (BTN) and 1Malaysia concept were all brought up but were never debated.

When the bell rang for the session to begin, 16 Opposition MPs, mostly from the DAP, and an Independent MP, stood up to protest that their questions were thrown out. They claimed the questions on these “hot” issues were rejected “without any apparent reason”.

The ball started rolling when outspoken veteran leader Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) said that his question, asking Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to state his stand whether he is a “Malaysian first or a Malay first” was rejected.

“Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had once said he was a Malay first and Malaysian second, while Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said he is a Malaysian first and a Malay second.

“I don’t understand why my question was rejected. Why give special protection to the prime minister? Can I get an explanation from the Speaker?” he asked.

His colleague, Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor), also suffered the same fate when his question on “racist” BTN (National Civics Bureau) was not entertained by Najib.

“I asked the prime minister why, after 18 months since 1Malaysia was introduced, a senior civil servant has failed to embrace the unity concept?” he asked, apparently referring to BTN assistant director Hamim Husin. Continue reading “Questions thrown out, opposition MPs cry foul”

By Adib Zalkapli
The Malaysian Insider
October 11, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 — Questions on Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s wealth and the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia were among 28 questions from 17 opposition MPs rejected today.

Two DAP MPs from Sarawak, Wong Ho Leng and Chong Chieng Jen, had earlier asked the government to explain if the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has started investigating allegations on Taib’s property ownership overseas, as published on an anonymous website.

“My question is valid. I want to know if an investigation has started because of the report on the website,” said Chong when protesting the Parliament’s decision to reject the question.

“Why was the question rejected? Are we afraid of the CM?” he added. Continue reading “Parliament rejects questions on Utusan, Sarawak”

by Koon Yew Yin
Centre for Policy Initiatives
Monday, 11 October 2010

I refer to the article ‘Transparency in MRT Planning’ by Risen Jayaseelan which appeared in a major newspaper recently on Oct 5. The purpose of my writing this piece is to forewarn the public and the government that the way this proposed project is being considered by the government is basically wrong and may well end up with taxpayers having to pay a much higher toll rate than justifiable.

This warning is not only for the MRT project but for all 131 projects that are being envisaged under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which is supposed to transform Malaysia into a high-income nation.

Basically I see no change at all in the current procurement procedure which has been used before in large concessions. The results of the evaluation and bidding procedure for mega projects such as the current MRT, the power provided by IPPs, toll roads, and the Selangor water supply have seen the consumers being forced to pay unreasonable rates because the bidding and tender process has been riddled with opportunities for rent-seeking, corruption and wastage.

Besides, cheaper and more efficient alternatives have not been fully considered by the Government. Continue reading “New mega project: Mega question mark over procurement”

by Joseph Sipalan
Malaysiakini
Oct 11, 10

PARLIAMENT

Opposition MPs were up in arms today as the August House rejected 28 questions from 17 Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians, forcing speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia to promise he will look into their complaints as soon as possible.

Right after the end of question time, Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) (right) cited the standing orders to ask why his question, asking Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak if he is a Malay or Malaysian first, was rejected.

Karpal said a letter he received from the speaker’s office which said his question was rejected on the grounds that he was asking for the premier’s opinion and was a hypothetical question.

“The deputy Prime Minister had said he was a Malay first and Malaysian second, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri (Aziz) said he was a Malaysian first and Malay second.

“… I am not asking for his opinion. I am asking for him to state his stand as prime minister. Why this special protection for the prime minister?,” he said. Continue reading “Opposition bench queries rejection of questions”

My urgent motion in Parliament to debate the controversy of the two racist school principals in Johore and Kedah who made racial slurs against students in schools was rejected by the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia on the ground that he had been informed that the Education Ministry and the Public Services Department had begun initiating disciplinary action against the duo.

However, Pandikar Amin was unable to enlighten Parliament what form of disciplinary action was being initiated by the Education Ministry and the PSD.

The inability of the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to lay this issue to rest after nearly two months since its first occurrence by convincing Malaysians that proper and commensurate disciplinary actions had been taken against these two errant principals stands out as a sore point highlighting the lack of commitment and even loyalty of the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister to the Prime Minister’s “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” policy.

This has now become even more serious as Muhyiddin has been delegated the task by Najib to ensure the success of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP). This was revealed by Muhyiddin himself when speaking in Melbourne yesterday – disclosing that the Prime Minister had handed to him the responsibility to ensure the success of the GTP through various initiatives in the National Key Results Area (NKRA). Continue reading “Racist slurs by two school principals – impotence/irrelevance of MCA/Gerakan/MIC Ministers highlighted”

By Tunku Abdul Aziz

Perak DAP leaders must try, if they possibly can, to subordinate their personal ambitions and put the interests of the party above all else. The unseemly internal squabbling over local leadership is already causing considerable damage to the reputation of the DAP which has earned for itself, over the years in the face of great odds, enormous goodwill and credibility. Do you think it fair to put all the hard work and personal sacrifices of thousands of party members at risk to satisfy your craving for personal glory and power?

What has happened to the declaration of high-minded devotion to duty in the public interest? DAP does not exist in isolation. It is a vital part of the nation’s social, political and economic mosaic in a vibrant tangle of races, cultures and religions. We have as a party derived legitimacy from our consistency of purpose for the greatest good of the people of Malaysia. It is the height of lunacy to jeopardise what we have achieved so far and the party’s future prospects by greed-driven, irresponsible, behaviour.
Continue reading “A plea for sanity over Perak DAP crisis”

My question related to the Sosilawati mass murders in Banting has been placed as number four for tomorrow’s question time in Parliament.

The question I had submitted reads:

To ask Home Minister to list the date/nature of police reports lodged against the lawyer brothers in Banting suspected responsible for the Sosilawati mass murders, reasons for police inaction which have gravely undermined public confidence in police professionalism and latest actions on these police reports.

Tuan Lim Kit Siang [Ipoh Timur] minta Menteri Dalam Negeri menyatakan tarikh/jenis laporan-laporan polis yang dibuat terhadao adik-beradik peguam yang disyaki terlibat dalam pembunuhan beramai-ramai Dato Sosilawati di Banting, serta tindakan terkini terhadap laporan-laporan polis berkenaan.

I find that two of my questions submitted for the budget parliamentary meeting had been rejected, viz: Continue reading “Question related to Sosilawati mass murders placed fourth in tomorrow’s question time in Parliament”

By Yow Hong ChiehThe Malaysian Insider
ANALYSIS
Oct 9, 2010

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will lead the Barisan Nasional (BN) bid to recapture the Galas state seat in the November 4 by-election, campaigning for a party that has sidelined him over the years.

The Kelantan prince has not minced his words with Umno, with his latest battle centred on oil royalty payments for his home state.

The PAS state government has taken the matter to court and Tengku Razaleigh said today it would be sub-judice to mention it, when he accepted the task of leading the BN election campaign.

He will finalise the campaign details on Monday with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his opponent for the Umno presidency.

In campaigning for Umno, the politician popularly known as Ku Li will have to live down his various speeches and quotes on issues that are at odds with the party. Continue reading “Will Ku Li’s words get in the way in Galas?”

I have given notice to Parliament Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin for an emergency debate in Parliament on Monday on the 57-day government inaction on racial slurs by two headmasters against students in school which make a mockery of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s international calls for moderates against extremists and his “zero tolerance for racism” and 1Malaysia policy.

The motion I have sent to the Speaker under Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders 18(2) reads:

“Bahawa Dewan mengizinkan YB Lim Kit Siang, Ahli Parlimen Ipoh Timor untuk menangguhkan Dewan mengikut Peraturan Mesyuarat 18(1) untuk merundingkan perkara tertentu berkenaan kepentingan orang ramai yang berkehendaki disegerakan, iaitu dua orang guru besar dari Kulai, Johor dan Bukit Selambau, Kedah yang melafazkan kata-kata racis dan menghina terhadap pelajar-pelajar mereka di sekolah dalam bulan Ogos tahun ini, sehingga kini tidak dikutuk atau diambil tindakan displin sekeras-kerasnya oleh pihak yang berkenaan selaras dengan semangat 1Malaysia. Continue reading “Notice for urgent parliamentary debate on racial slurs by school headmasters”

By M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 5: Understanding Globalization

Foreign Investments in the Third World

Countries like Malaysia that were once colonized are rightly sensitive about their independence. Thus they tend to look upon foreigners, including investors, with suspicion. The typical Third World initial experience with foreign investors had been with companies of imperial powers. These companies were concerned primarily with plantations and extractive industries. In Malaysia they were involved in rubber plantations and tin mining. The exploitative nature of such investments was quite obvious. Rubber, tin, and other precious commodities were exported to Britain where they were turned into high-value manufactured goods and then sold back in Malaysia and elsewhere at exorbitant prices. Meanwhile the rubber tappers and tin miners were paid pittance for their efforts. The bulk of the profits were kept in Britain with little if any repatriated to Malaysia. No wonder such investments became easy targets for the nationalists.

Even though those early investments were clearly lopsided and exploitative (asymmetric, to use a modern phrase), nonetheless Malaysia benefited immensely. First, the country would never have known that it was capable of growing rubber had the British not started the plantations. Rubber is not indigenous to the country; the British brought the seedlings from South America via London’s Kew Gardens.
Continue reading “Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #35”

by NH Chan
Centre for Policy Initiatives
06 October 2010

Human nature is such that there are two kinds of human behaviour when it comes to charity – the pretentious and the altruistic donor. I have always doubted the sincerity of those who give to charity by proclaiming it under the flashbulbs of press photographers. In these amusing photo ops, you see the donors posing with an enormous mock cheque to emphasize the size of the donation. If you’re truly charitable, why not dispense with the fanfare and write the amount on a normal cheque?

Having said this, I can now tell you about the truly altruistic gesture of philanthropist Koon Yew Yin. He made an offer of RM30 million, quite gratuitously, for the building of hostels for University Tunku Abdul Raman (Utar) students in Kampar.

Ever since the university was founded, its students have had to find their own accommodation outside campus. In many cases, they have to pay exorbitant rents far beyond the means of poor or even middle- class students.

The generosity of Koon was brought to my attention by the unflattering headline ‘Tycoon wanted seat on council’ in theSun (Sept 3, 2010). The article’s sub-headline was ‘Koon also wanted Utar residential village named after him, says MCA division chief’.

The MCA division chief in question, Ipoh Timur’s Thong Fah Chong, had said Koon’s requests were not acceptable as they had “exceeded the university’s jurisdiction and [could be] deemed an interference in the management of the university”. Thong added that hostels could not be named at one’s whim and fancy.

In his immediate response, Koon countered that although it was correct that while the facility was to be named after him, what he had specified was that the hostel blocks should be named after the fundamental rights such as Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Freedom, or the qualities of integrity such as honesty, justice, etc.

Koon also categorically denied he had ever requested a seat on the Utar council, clarifying instead that he had agreed to Utar’s counter-proposal for a task force to oversee the construction of the hostels.

He said his requests, including for a seven-man task force (four from Utar and three to be nominated by him) to oversee the construction of the hostels, and for all construction contracts exceeding RM10,000 to be open to competitive tenders, were to ensure everything was done in the interest of the students. He said it was not meant to interfere with the management of the university. Continue reading “Why should MCA interfere with Utar?”

At the Eighth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 8) in Brussels on Tuesday, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak reiterated his call for a global movement of moderates from all faiths to play a dominant role in a world threatened by extremism.

This was an expansion of his call he made last month at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in which he urged nations to reclaim the centre from extremists.

At the end of his six-day visit to the United Nations and the United States, Najib was uplifted by the positive response to his call and he told the accompanying Malaysian media that Malaysia’s profile had been enhanced, particularly in the West.

I was in Melbourne when Najib made the international call for global moderation, not only making it the theme in his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly but also publicly commending United States President Barack Obama for the latter’s “courageous public position” in dealing with Islamophobia in condemning the proposed burning of the Quran by a Florida pastor and urging Obama “to galvanise the moderates, bring in the non-governmental organizations and social movements

I immediately came out with a statement urging the Prime Minister on his return home to lead a national campaign to galvanise moderates in Malaysia against the rise of extremism, whether racial bigotry or religious intolerance, which would be fully in line with his own declaration of “Zero tolerance for racism” made just before National Day on August 31. Continue reading “Najib should give local content to his call for a global movement of moderates against extremists”

By Kee Thuan Chye

I TOTALLY agree with most of what Prime Minister Najib Razak recently said at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, especially about the attempts in some parts of the world to demonize Islam and spread Islamophobia.

I find it alarming to see so many e-mails and videos being circulated warning people of the dangers of Islam and propagating the fear that, with the Muslims multiplying at the current rate, they would one day outnumber people of other faiths and take over the world.

This kind of fear propagation reminds me of that practiced by Mahathir Mohamad when he warned Malays that they would lose power to the non-Malays, especially if Pakatan Rakyat takes over the government. It’s destructive.

It appals me that even Malaysians are instrumental in spreading Islamophobia by forwarding these e-mails. When I get one, I often reply to the sender to tell them not to disseminate such hatred. I tell them this problem has arisen because of misunderstanding of history, and that these e-mails don’t tell the other side of the story, which is the plight of Muslims who have suffered because of the historical events fashioned by imperialists. Continue reading “Anti-Extremism Begins at Home”

On Sunday morning, I had sent the following sms to Perak DAP State Chairman, Ngeh Koo Ham and Perak DAP Deputy State Chairman M. Kulasegeran:

“Lets face it. What happened last 36 hrs have caused enormous damage to DAP leaders involved, DAP, PR – only question is who suffer more damage – which is utter madness. Its massive ‘lose-lose’ formula without any redeeming ‘win-win’ element at all. Public opprobrium all round. Nobody can hold head high. Decisive action needed.”

Ngeh and Kula have since issued apologies for the Perak DAP leadership crisis and have pledged to resolve party differences internally.

I urge all Perak DAP leaders, branches, members and supporters to rally behind Ngeh and Kula on an unity ticket to restore the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak and to help Pakatan Rakyat to take over Putrajaya in the next general elections. Continue reading “Perak DAP leaders, branches, members and supporters should rally behind Ngeh and Kula”

By K Temoc | Letters

I refer to the article titled Behind Perkasa’s pig obsession by your columnist Helen Ang. While I find it interesting I must take issue with her on two points, both related to DAP. Firstly (excuse the pun) it’s about her criticism of Lim Kit Siang’s ‘Malaysian First’.

She made a motherhood statement that the Malaysian First-ers hate to be called ‘pendatang’ and don’t like to be told ‘balik Cina’, but one that lacks relevance because really, which Chinese does?

Then she argued that though Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah has Chinese skin tone and Chinese facial features, no one has told him to ‘balik Cina’. And the reason is of course that Ridhuan is a Malay-speaking Muslim, ipso facto the ‘balik Cina’ jeer does not apply to him as he belongs here.

Then her logic plummeted when she averred that for Malaysian First-ers to avoid the ‘balik Cina’ gibe, they should emulate Ridhuan who is the model Malaysian First-er. She also quoted a blogger (I believe to be Shuzheng) who also argued that Malaysian First requires doing a Ridhuan Tee. Shuzheng argued that if a Chinese, like Ridhuan, no longer possesses Chinese characteristics, then nobody can ask him/her to ‘balik Cina’.
Continue reading “‘… I am proud of my ethnicity …’”

Asia Sentinel | Correspondent
Despite the prime minister’s speech to the UN, his country is facing serious racial tension

Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, made an eloquent speech to the United Nations earlier this week, telling the assembled body that, among other things, Malaysia “is a multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and democratic society that has benefited from the positive interaction and synergy between the various communities. Mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship co-exist in harmony.
“Although Islam is the official religion, we honor other religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism – by making their religious and cultural celebrations as national holidays and celebrate them as national events. It is this equilibrium that leads to moderation or wasatiyyah in the Islamic tradition of mutual justice.”

That picture of Malaysia, thought to have been crafted by the giant US public relations firm APCO Worldwide for delivery in New York, is badly frayed, however. Many people in Kuala Lumpur say racial tension is higher than it has been since 1987, when former Prime Minister Mahathir cracked down in the so-called Operation Lalang and threw lots of top opposition politicians in jail under the Internal Security Act, which allows in effect for indefinite detention without trial.
Continue reading “Najib’s Pastoral Picture of Malaysia”

by Anwar Ibrahim

First and foremost, there is essentially no problem in terms of compatibility, not a foundational problem at least that would make it impossible for a country with a majority of Muslims to be governed according to the requirements of a constitutional democracy. In other words, the notion of Islam being diametrically opposed to democracy and its principles is a fallacy.

Islam enjoins the faithful to uphold equality, justice, and human dignity. If violence and terror are being spread by Muslims in the name of Islam then it is an aberration reflective of such people and the focus should rightly be on the underlying causes of such actions, not Islam. Blaming Islam won’t solve the problem as long as the underlying causes are not addressed and resolved.

But detractors say that Islam not only condones but urges the faithful to commit acts of violence in the name of jihad. This is nonsense. But they cite chapter and verse to support this view. Yes, but it is only by extreme distorting of the textual interpretation. On the contrary, the truth is that Islam prohibits violence and terror by virtue of the principles of moderation and the protection of life, limb and property.

This is subsumed under the doctrine of the maqasid al-Shari’ah, a most crucial and significant tool for the progress of Muslim societies, a tool which unfortunately has been much ignored. By virtue of this doctrine for example, jihad is a call to the faithful to fulfill the tenets of the religion by doing good and averting evil, establishing justice, promoting charity and helping the weak and the marginalized. It is not a battle cry for war, let alone one to justify mayhem and murder. Above all, jihad enjoins Muslims to maintain peace and harmony and safeguard the sanctity of life and property. These are ideals completely in consonance with the dictates of democracy. Continue reading “Why Islam And Democracy Are Destined to Coincide”