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Idris Jala: Why must I be Malaysian first?

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 01, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 – Datuk Seri Idris Jala said today that nationality, race and religion are of equal importance when determining an individual’s true Malaysian identity.

As such, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the “Malaysian first, Malay next” dilemma should not arise as being Malaysian as well as Malay are different matters and are both important.

“I get upset with people stuck with this whole Malaysian first dilemma. Why must I be Malaysian first and Malay second?” he said when dissecting the 1 Malaysia concept during his keynote address at an intercultural dialogue this afternoon.

The Sarawakian Christian minister, who served as mediator between the religious community and the government during the Alkitab bibles row last year, said race, nationality and religion contribute equally to a person’s identity and should not be placed in a contest against one another.

He added that by insisting that the “Malaysian” tag should supercede others, it was tantamount to saying that the hand is more important than the leg or vice-versa.

“My name is Idris, that is my name, my identity. Kelabit is the tribe I was born in.

“I belong to a group called the Orang Ulu. I am Sarawakian, I am Malaysian, I am Asian.

“They are all individual identities that are equally as important – you cannot say one is more important than another,” he said. Continue reading “Idris Jala: Why must I be Malaysian first?”

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PR MPs will remind Najib in March Parliament to honour his solemn undertaking to leave “no stone unturned” to find out the truth about Beng Hock’s death or face the censure of voters

For more than 30 months since his murder at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters at Shah Alam on July 16, 2009, justice have been denied to Teoh Beng Hock.

Despite an inquest, an exhumation, a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) and solemn undertaking by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to Teoh Beng Hock’s family that “no stone would be left unturned”, the full frightening story of the causes and circumstances for Beng Hock’s murder at MACC Headquarters have still to be told and full justice given to Beng Hock and family.

The Coroner Muntapha Abas in Beng Hock’s inquest had ruled out suicide but had returned an open verdict as there was insufficient evidence to prove that his death was a homicide.

The James Foong RCI came out with a finding overturning the verdict of the Inquest ruling out suicide – concluding that Beng Hock was “driven to commit suicide by the aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation”.

This is most unacceptable finding as it was not based on any evidence but completely a leap in speculation by the RCI. Continue reading “PR MPs will remind Najib in March Parliament to honour his solemn undertaking to leave “no stone unturned” to find out the truth about Beng Hock’s death or face the censure of voters”

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Hassan Ali talking as if he got more than a screw loose in his head – impossible to get angry and outraged but only feelings of great pity at the gibberish pouring out from him

Expelled PAS member and former Selangor state exco member Datuk Hassan Ali must have shocked his “masters” when he made the wildest and most preposterous of allegations in the first stop of his nationwide roadshow in Bangi yesterday, alleging that “once they take over Putrajaya”, DAP will merge Malaysia with Singapore into a republic and abolish Article 153 of the Federal Constitution and do away with Islamic enactments.

One should get outraged and incensed at lies and falsehoods, but when they are so far-fetched with Hassan Ali talking as if he has got more than a screw loose in his head, it is impossible to get angry and outraged but only feelings of great pity at the gibberish pouring out from him.

It is clearly an utter waste of time to try to reason with such a deranged person.

DAP however reserves the right to take all necessary legal action against such defamatory falsehoods, whether from Hassan personally or others spreading his defamatory falsehoods. Continue reading “Hassan Ali talking as if he got more than a screw loose in his head – impossible to get angry and outraged but only feelings of great pity at the gibberish pouring out from him”

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Rebranding Rela into BN’s vanguard

— Bob Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 31, 2012

JAN 31 — Under the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), Rela is to be rebranded as part of a police “omnipresence.” But its massive build-up has raised suspicions that it may instead become Barisan Nasional’s (BN) vanguard or even an additional vote bank.

“When the chips are down, Rela will be with this government to defend the country. Do not cause havoc in this country because the 2.8 million Rela members will not stand idly by and watch the country descend into chaos,” he thundered to the noisy approval from a crowd of 30,000 Rela members gathered in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

Najib Razak seems at variance with his minister in charge of the GTP, Idris Jala. The GTP roadmap for combating crime requires Rela to help police keep “omnipresence” in 50 identified crime hot spots in the Kuala Lumur, Selangor, Johor and Penang.

But Najib talks about using Rela as a vanguard or vigilante when Umno or BN’s chips are down, and he wants Rela to contain demonstrators out to create public disorder. Continue reading “Rebranding Rela into BN’s vanguard”

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PM – when will Beng Hock’s case be given due attention?

by Teoh Lee Lan
(Sister of The Late Teoh Beng Hock)
18th January 2012

It’s already 2012, could the PM please tell us when the Beng Hock case will be given due attention?

We, the family of Teoh Beng Hock, will be in Putrajaya at 9 a.m., 2 February 2012 for a Court of Appeal decision on the Teoh Beng Hock case judicial review.

In 2012 we are about to usher in the third Chinese New Year without Beng Hock and with the truth nowhere in sight.

We should like to ask: What actually happened on 16 July 2009 at the scene of Beng Hock’s death? Why have the various doubts we raised gone unanswered?

For the past few years, we have asked such questions not once, not twice, but more than a thousand times at the courts, in the media, and at various forums, but every time silence was the answer. Continue reading “PM – when will Beng Hock’s case be given due attention?”

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Breaking up wealth concentration in Malaysia

— Dr Lim Teck Ghee
The Malaysian Insider

FEB 1 — The past year has seen the government and the opposition unveil their respective economic reform policies. Even if these reform policies and their attendant programmes are implemented they will not be able to resolve the country’s economic problems. This is because the policies advocated by both sides of the political divide are merely palliative. They do not address the root or fundamental cause of the problem of structural deformation of the country’s economy.

How has this deformation come about? What are its characteristics? And what can be done to bring about a reversal or correction of the deformation so that we have a really transformed economic system that can live up to its full potential?

First we need to recognise that wealth in any country — and Malaysia is no exception — is created by economic activity engaged in by individuals or enterprises that bring profits or gains to the entrepreneur. Much of this wealth creation and subsequent accumulation is legitimate. It is based on material reward arising from work (or gift) and is socially and ethically acceptable. It comes from risk-taking and from the social utility and superiority of the products and services generated by the individual or enterprise.

Wealth generated and accumulated by individuals through legitimate means and conforming to the norms of justice and fairness is not only desirable but beneficial to society and the economy.

But what about wealth that is created or amassed by less than legitimate or illegitimate or illegal means? Is it a minor or non-issue and do we just ignore it as is the case with the Barisan Nasional government? Continue reading “Breaking up wealth concentration in Malaysia”

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Malaysia: Why do I care?

— Clive Kessler
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 01, 2012

FEB 1 — Part 1: The personal quest

Now back in Sydney yet again, after two more months in Malaysia, I sigh from both exhaustion and relief.

Exhaustion, since as I age I find it ever more punishing physically just to get around Kuala Lumpur and keep up with things there.

… And relief. Relief since I am here at home spared the daily onslaught of anguish and stress that is my lot there, as I contemplate Malaysia’s future and prospects “from within”: from the midst, or at the least from my vantage point close on the sidelines, of the nation’s current travails.

I enjoy here, in short, some of the pleasure of a little distance from it all, some blissful detachment.

But it is a guilty pleasure, an enjoyment that makes me feel uneasy. Why?

As I now think, from afar, about how exercised and agitated and concerned I become about Malaysia’s current situation and trajectory — especially as I contemplate Malaysia’s current situation and prospects from “inside” or “close up” there — I pose a challenge to myself. A basic question. Continue reading “Malaysia: Why do I care?”

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Beginning of a shift in racial politics

Jan 31, 2012
YOURSAY
Malaysiakini

‘What is happening today is a revolt against corruption, and by extension revolt against Umno. It is not about race.’

The fracturing of the Malay community

Cala: S Thayaparan’s argument is surprisingly simple – that Umno due to its various weaknesses is slowly and steadily losing its grip on the Malays and thus giving rise to a fragmented Malay community.

The future, as seen by the writer is in DAP given its multi-ethnic stance and hopefully it will over the years allow “a reformed Malay-majority DAP” to work with other partners within the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

In theory, the argument makes sense because in this case number matters. To be effective and be counted, DAP needs Malay memberships.

In practice, however, it is a painfully long process to anyone who wishes to boot out the corrupted and unrepentant regime quickly.

While waiting for more enlightened Malays to join DAP, the better way is to work closely with PKR and PAS as the latter two share similar political aspiration. Continue reading “Beginning of a shift in racial politics”