Month: August 2011

By Yow Hong Chieh
August 02, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 — The Malay Contractors Association of Malaysia’s (PKMM) Penang branch has defended the state’s open tender system as fair and warned Penang MCA to stop politicising contracts awarded to Bumiputeras there.

Acting Penang PKMM chief Datuk Izham Merican today condemned what he said was Penang MCA’s “ignorance” for failing to understand that open tenders allowed the state government to select the best and most competitively priced contractors, regardless of race. Continue reading “Malay contractors call MCA racist, defend Penang government”

— Douglas Tan
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 02, 2011

AUG 2 — Over the past few months, we have all seen the steep decline of our Prime Minister. From calling on youth to “defend Putrajaya” as though the nation is expecting an invasion to being unable to back up his own 1 Malaysia policy when asked by a student at a recent Malaysian Student Leader’s Summit.

It truly seems that Najib is unable to do anything right at the moment. First he outright attacks the Opposition parties claiming that they would destroy this nation and that Barisan Nasional is the shining light to guide the nation forward. To ask the youth to help defend Putrajaya against the Opposition is nothing short of pretentious, as though UMNO/BN has the divine right to govern this country infinitum.

This was quickly followed by Bersih 2.0, where he exposed himself as a lame duck leader. Instead of assuming a non-partisan role and showing true leadership, he aligned himself more as Umno president than the Prime Minister of Malaysia by demonising the coalition as an “illegal organisation” and stooping so low to the extent of roping in mosque ceramah’s to spread their propaganda of the so-called “perhimpunan haram”. Continue reading “End of the rope for Najib”

The Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) Six, including the MP for Sungai Siput Dr. Michael Jeyakumar, who were released on Friday after 27 days of detention under the obsolete 1969 Emergency Ordinance after a week’s remand under the Penal Code for “waging war against the Agong”, have been informed that they will be charged in Butterworth tomorrow with “possessing subversive material”.

The Attorney-General, Tan Sri Gani Patail should drop the charges against the PSM6.

They must release that the public reaction is whether the Police and the Najib administration have not made enough spectacles of themselves both nationally and internationally in their gross and disastrous mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally and the EO6 detention. Continue reading “Drop the charges against the PSM6 – as if Police/Najib administration have not made enough spectacle of themselves in disastrous mishandling of the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally and EO6 detention”

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 02, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 — Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir laments Umno’s present disdain for dissent and open debate, charging it as a “regression” from the eras of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and Tun Abdul Razak.

The former Umno minister and supreme council member told The Malaysian Insider he was “worried” about the Malay party’s current political culture, saying it starkly contrasted with the Najib administration’s push for transparency and openness.

“Unfortunately things have changed a lot within Umno since the times of the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn. Back then there was a lot of freedom to voice out our opinions, a lot of room for dissent and open debate..

“But now you don’t have that kind of environment,” Abdul Kadir told The Malaysian Insider, citing the current circumstances has pushed him to join Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) where he can voice out issues that could not within his own party. Continue reading “Dissent no longer allowed in Umno, says Abdul Kadir”

Oon Yeoh | Jul 28, 11 2:31pm
Malaysiakini

I read with amusement that news portals were not included in the media consultative council, mooted to be jointly-headed by Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

Instead of having Malaysiakini, Malaysian Insider and Free Malaysia Today – all very popular news sites – as representatives of new media, the government proposal included Blog House, a bloggers’ association.

This is not surprising as the government still obviously thinks of new media as consisting of blogs. Continue reading “‘Diamlah’ wake-up call for Najib”

By Sakmongkol AK47 | August 01, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

AUG 1 — If Palanivel is the deeply religious person everyone seems to think and has any moral compunction, he will decline the offer of a cabinet post. But as everyone knows, these MIC leaders have too much of the mandore-quotient to let this opportunity go.

Surely, we will be told that in the name of service to the nation, Palanivel will accept the gratuitous offer for a cabinet post. Why not? It comes with the prestige and the chance to coast along giving the appearance of being hardworking.

What has Palinivel offered? He didn’t win any parliamentary seat. His contribution to Hulu Selangor when he was MP there nearly cost the BN the seat last time. We all heard the folks in Hulu Selangor lambasting him for not being seen in the constituency. He was the invisible man.
Continue reading “Palanivel, Cabinet numbers and Parkinson’s laws”

By Aspan Alias | August 01, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

1 OGOS — Dalam situasi politik yang begitu kusut pada hari ini, apa yang perlu bagi negara ialah untuk mempunyai pemimpin yang penuh dengan “wisdom” politik yang berpijak di atas alam yang nyata. Ucapan bergegar-gegar tidak lagi menjadi alat penyatu sesuatu kaum dan di antara kaum di negara yang berbilang bangsa, agama dan budaya ini.

Pemimpin yang dikatakan pemimpin yang mempunyai “wisdom” itu adalah pemimpin yang tidak lagi bercakap hingga pecah anak tekak, tetapi pemimpin yang faham keadaan sebenarnya yang melanda negara. Apabila pemimpin itu faham keadaan sebenarnya maka adalah mudah bagi pemimpin itu untuk mencari kaedah penyelesaiannya mengikut kehendak semua orang dan kaum-kaum.

Tentulah di dalam membuat keputusan untuk di gubal dan di laksanakan itu ianya pasti ada pengorbanan dari semua pihak seperti kaum-kaum yang ada, pemimpin-pemimpin serta mereka yang bakal memberikan kepimpinan bagi penyelesaian itu.
Continue reading “Kita kembali ke barisan permulaan”

By Syed Mu’az Syed Putra | August 01, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — The family of ex-soldier Baharuddin Ahmad, the sole Bersih 2.0 marcher who died on July 9, filed a notice at the High Court here today demanding an inquest to investigate the circumstances leading to his death.

At a press conference later, Baharuddin’s widow Rosni Melan said the notice was filed as the police had refused to initiate special investigation proceedings to probe her husband’s death, despite the seven-day deadline she had issued last month. The deadline expired on July 26.

“Today, I directed my lawyer to file the notice demanding an inquest to investigate my husband’s death as soon as possible.

“My purpose is sincere. I accept God’s will but my family and I need to know how he died… who and which party was responsible and to what extent is that responsibility,” she said.
Continue reading “Dead Bersih marcher’s kin demand inquest”

By Clara Chooi | August 01, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 1 — Lim Guan Eng today denied accusations that the Penang Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government has never launched affordable housing projects for the poor, revealing that a total of 11,596 medium- and low-cost units have been approved since 2008.

“Since taking over the administration in 2008, the state government has approved the construction of 11,596 medium- and low-cost homes, and this immediately refutes the statement that the state has never built affordable housing for the people,” he said in a statement.

The Penang chief minister said the initiatives were a mix of state government and private-funded housing projects involving housing units worth an estimated RM42,000 (low cost) each or RM72,500 (medium cost).

Of the 11,596 units, he said, 8,175 (2,612 low-cost and 5,563 medium-cost) units were built by private developers while the government and its agencies constructed 3,421 (1,194 low-cost and 2,227 medium-cost) units.
Continue reading “Guan Eng: Penang approved 11,596 affordable homes since 2008”

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said that UMNO must reform or it would be reformed.

From recent events, it is crystal clear that Umno and Barisan Nasional are incapable of reform and must be reformed by the people effecting a change of federal government from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat in the next general elections.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced the MIC President G. Palanivel as his second Indian Cabinet Minister implementing his notorious philosophy spelt out in the Sibu by-election of “Gua tolong lu, lu tolong gua” – when the duty of any responsible government must be to serve all needy Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or political beliefs.

It is this cynical philosophy where essential public services are treated as a barter trade between the government and the people which is the root cause of the host of abuses of power and corruption afflicting the country destroying our national unity and international competitiveness.
Continue reading “13th General Elections may be held as early as October/November and all Malaysians must grasp the possibility for the first time in nation’s history for change of government in Putrajaya”

by Joseph Tawie
Free Malaysia Today

A senior lecturer in Unimas describes Sarawak DAP’s move to establish a Dayak think-tank as a ‘concrete and pragmatic’ approach in winning over Dayak support.

KUCHING: The failure of Dayak leaders to highlight the Dayak community’s problems in Parliament and in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly has been described as a key reason for the opposition DAP’s bid to form the Dayak Consultative Council (DCC).

According to DCC head John Brian, Dayak leaders in Barisan Nasional had proven to be ineffective.

He said the ruling BN having been in power for almost 50 years was less responsive to the voices of the people when compared to the DAP.

He described DAP as a more ‘progressive and democratic” party which can see issues from another perspective.
Continue reading “BN-Dayak leaders’ failure a boost for DAP”

by Malaysiakini readers

‘Kit Siang, how many Malaysian politicians are like you? You are a Malaysian hero, and don’t let them tell you otherwise.’

Kit Siang: Five days, I was in darkness

Ferdtan: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way” – quoted by American author John C Maxwell.

You have shown us the way since May 1969 when you took over the helm of DAP, knowing pretty well of the risk involved: in fact, you did; you were detained under ISA immediately after.

The opposition then was a lonely journey, but you trundled on, inspiring many along the way. Your ‘never say die’ is your greatest forte, inspite of your many setbacks that you suffered.
Continue reading “Kit Siang – a rare breed of a politician”

By Malaysiakini

MIC President G Palanivel has made “dubious history” in being the first cabinet minister to obtain the post not by merit, but in a “most blatant ‘I help you, you help me’ barter” arrangement, said Lim Kit Siang.

Responding in a statement today on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s announcement of Palanivel’s ministership at MIC’s 65th AGM in Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) yesterday, the DAP veteran was scathing in what he called “the most cynical cabinet appointment ever made in Malaysian history under six prime ministers”

The DAP advisor and Ipoh Timor MP also pointed out that while Najib had cited his father Abdul Razak having two Indian minister, the difference, said Lim, could not be more different.

“In Razak’s time in 1976, MIC was in a position of strength but today in 2011 MIC is in position of unprecedented weakness,” said Lim.
Continue reading “DAP: Palanivel first ‘you help me, I help you’ minister”

by Bakri Musa

Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life

Reform in Islam

The Quest For Answers

Present-day Muslims look askance at the sorry state in which the vast majority of our ummah live. Muslim nations, even those well endowed by Allah with abundant rich natural resources, live in abject poverty. Human rights abuses are the norm in many Islamic countries. As painfully noted by Abdullahi An-Naim, the vast majority of Muslims live at a superficial level of both Islam and modern civilization. Although we claim adherence to Islam and exhibit apparent commitment to its ritualistic formalities, we fail to appreciate and live up to its moral and spiritual essence. Likewise most Muslims benefit from modern civilization but have little appreciation of the values and ways of thinking that underlie and sustain those technologies and institutions. Further, many Muslims’ understanding of Western civilization is often reduced to the gaudy simplistic images propagated by Hollywood, and the seamier aspects highlighted by Muslim fundamentalists eager to denigrate the West. Continue reading “Malaysia in the Era of Globalization # 76”

by Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 31, 2011

JULY 31 — I have watched from afar how the prime minister and his administration have squirmed and twisted and justified their handling of Bersih 2.0 and shown their reluctance to discuss meaningful electoral reform.

Very little has surprised me about an administration that is bereft of principle and function on the basis of spin and half-truths. It is quite obvious that the government believed that it could kill off Bersih by tough action and threats of intimidation.

When this did not happen, Najib tried a different tack: that the government was reasonable but Bersih was bent on causing havoc on the streets. His administration also spread the word that if the electoral system was skewed, there is no way the Opposition could have snared five states.

Today, while speaking to student leaders, Najib added to the spin, saying that if the government really controlled the Election Commission, it could have easily won Kelantan in 2004 where a few seats were lost by a few votes. Continue reading “Jangan temberanglah, Najib”

By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 01, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) could lose Perak and Negri Sembilan in the next general elections, according to results of a recent dry run. Unless component parties put popular faces and ensure the grassroots machinery garner support from voters.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the Umno election dry run also showed that the BN fortress of Johor could see up to 15 out of the 56 state seats go to their political opponents Pakatan Rakyat (PR), something unheard before Election 2008 when the ruling coalition lost six seats. Continue reading “Polls dry run shows BN can lose Perak, Negri Sembilan”