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BR1M=BN’S money politics

by Jeswan Kaur
Free Malaysia Today
March 19, 2012

Where did the government obtain the additional funds for the programme as only RM1.8 billion was allocated in the budget approved last year?

COMMENT

A meagre RM500 packaged under the guise of Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) might not do the trick in influencing the country’s voters to sway in favour of Barisan Nasional. The alm was nothing more than a trickery, conceived by the federal government to make sure the people’s nambikei or trust is bought at the cheapest price possible.

To hypothesise that the BN government is prihatin or sensitive towards the high cost of living plaguing the rakyat would be wrong; if BN was bona fide in its concern, its chairman and Prime Minister Najb Tun Razak would have more prudent with his monthly electricity and water bills, both amounting to RM160,000 and RM66,000 respectively.

Likewise, if Najib was sincere in wanting to assist the people, he would not have used money from the national purse to finance his daughter’s engagement ceremonies, as claimed by opposition PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli. Continue reading “BR1M=BN’S money politics”

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DAP to stay out of Lynas PSC

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Mar 19, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 — The DAP will abstain from participating in the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on the Lynas issue, its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said today, calling the panel a “sham”.

He charged that the PSC, expected to be proposed in Parliament tomorrow, was the Najib administration’s way of legitimising the controversial Lynas Corporation plant, which activists claim would be an environmental hazard.

“DAP will not participate in a sham PSC which serves to deliver a ‘fait accompli’ by endorsing the Lynas plant and forcing public acceptance without any due regard for safety, environmental and health concerns,” Lim said in a media statement here. Continue reading “DAP to stay out of Lynas PSC”

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Similar Scandals, Different Treatment

By M. Bakri Musa

To assert that the Malaysian mass media is nothing more than propaganda arm of the ruling Barisan coalition is no revelation. The personnel in the mainstream dailies, the national news agency Bernama, and the government broadcasting channel RTM are less journalists and editors, more political hacks and spinmeisters. They are, to borrow National Laureate Samad Ismail’s word, the carma (contraction for cari makan, seeking a livelihood) variety.

Less appreciated is the fact that they are hired hands not of the Barisan government but of whatever faction in it that is currently dominant, or trying to be so. Thus one can surmise the tensions and the dynamics of the current swing of the political pendulum within Barisan, specifically UMNO, from perusing the headlines. Perusing is exactly the right word, for there is nothing much worth reading in those dailies.

Consider the contrasting treatment in the mainstream media of the two currently unfolding financial scandals. The first is the National Feedlot Corporation mess (“cow-gate”) that is now ensnaring the husband and family of Women’s Minister Shahrizat Jalil; it had also led to her resignation from her cabinet post. The other is the nearly half-a-million ringgit engagement party for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s daughter and an equally expensive birthday bash for himself that he allegedly tried to on to Treasury, and thus the taxpayers.
Continue reading “Similar Scandals, Different Treatment”

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Show BN the door

— Gomen Man
The Malaysian Insider
Mar 18, 2012

MARCH 18 — We should punish Umno/Barisan Nasional for their arrogance and must pay heed every time their politicians show their arrogance and let other Malaysians know about it.

And it is even more imperative that we act decisively when those who portray their arrogance and deign to lecture us are anything but role models. Just listen to Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin.

Today, the PM says that his government’s reforms will fail if states under the Opposition are not back in the BN fold. What a sham.

Look, his so-called reforms are dead, and have been for some time. Fearful of losing his party warlords, there have not been any open tenders, or move to push Malaysia up the income level, or more transparency in government procurement. Continue reading “Show BN the door”

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Malaysia – through the eyes of a patriot

Lynn D’Cruz | Mar 18, 2012
Malaysiakini

As one flicks through the early pages of Kee Thuan Chye’s second yet profoundly articulate book ‘No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians’, one cannot help but stare in wonder at the last two names in the dedication.

Soraya Sunitra Kee Xiang Yin and Jebat Arjuna Kee Jia Liang fly off the pages like a flag in the wind.

One knows instantly that beyond it’s ability to provoke change, this is a book by a true patriot. A patriot who believes that Malaysia is worth fighting for.

To the reader’s delight a whole chapter is dedicated to explaining the names of his children leaves the message “I am Malaysian first, Chinese second,” resonating deeply with the reader. Continue reading “Malaysia – through the eyes of a patriot”

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Penang shining, thanks to Guan Eng

Free Malaysia Today
March 18, 2012

Penang CM Lim Guan Eng gets a good mark for his manner of governing the state.

By Dan Martin
AFP

GEORGETOWN: Former political detainee Lim Guan Eng wasted no time leaving his mark on Penang after the brash opposition politician won power in the Malaysian state in 2008 general election.

He quickly balanced the books of the former British colonial outpost, which were stained red after a half-century under the control of Malaysia’s authoritarian ruling coalition.

He has virtually eliminated its debt, launched a campaign to halt official corruption, and has, by most accounts, injected new vigour and efficiency into the government of the important economic hub.

Today, Penang — a colorful mix of colonial architecture, pre-war Chinese shophouses, tropical beaches and high-tech factories — is on the up, as property values soar and foreign investment rolls in.

With potentially pivotal new elections expected to be called within months, Lim — a 51-year-old ethnic Chinese former banker with slicked-back hair and a wide chin — says the implications of his record are clear. Continue reading “Penang shining, thanks to Guan Eng”