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We know this man, Mahathir

― Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 25, 2012

AUG 25 ― He says that the Barisan Nasional is the devil that Malaysians know and we should stick with this devil because the Opposition is the devil we don’t know.

But we do know the Opposition. We know that DAP/PAS/PKR politicians don’t always stand on the same page; they make mistakes and say really dumb things and may even be arrogant. And not all their populist ideas will be good for Malaysia; some may be downright stupid.

We also know that they don’t have a Dr Mahathir Mohamad in their midst and that is always an advantage. He is the devil we know and have to put up with for more than two decades and now it does seem that, Mahathir is still running the country. And offering unsolicited rubbish as advice. Continue reading “We know this man, Mahathir”

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Stop 114A and stop these mistakes

— Michael Yap (loyarburok.com)
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 25, 2012

AUG 25 — I must admit that when the Evidence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012 was given royal assent, it infuriated me so much that our new laws of Malaysia are nothing better than what we have had for the past 50 years. When every statute book of ours is filled with laws that are draconian, that respect no rule of law, that are harsh and cruel in punishment; and that work unfairly against the individual, the 2012 Act is certainly outrageous to the extent that no right-thinking Malaysian would ever believe what the law minister has professed to be the “legitimate aim” of the Act.

I too joined the Internet blackout day on August 14, and appreciated the fact that I was not alone, for thousands and millions of my peers echoed the same concerns on that very same day. It was — to me and to all Malaysians — a successful step in our battle against section 114A! It was truly momentous to see a united front in our cyberspace at that point.

However, having said that, it is alarming to see that not every Malaysian who opposed (and supported) section 114A are getting their facts (and contents) right. It is meaningless to see section 114A being repealed (or upheld) when the masses do not really understand what they are opposing (or supporting). Developments since August 14 have been vibrant as there are many more statements on the section being made by various stakeholders, plus increasing media reports over the subject matter, and not to mention the volume of comments on Facebook and Twitter.

I might not be well informed either on the issue of how many Malaysians truly understand the nature of section 114A and why we oppose it; there is neither empirical evidence nor statistics to reflect that. Perhaps those misinformed are just a minority or maybe I have inadvertently exaggerated such a phenomenon. But these are some of the errors that “might” be perceived amongst fellow Malaysians: Continue reading “Stop 114A and stop these mistakes”

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Is dishonest doctoring of crime statistics the answer to the three-year mystery why Malaysians suffer increasing fear of crime in the midst of official claim of drastic fall in crime rate?

At last, Malaysians appear to have got the answer to the three-year mystery why Malaysians suffer increasing fear of crime in the midst of official claim of drastic fall in crime rate.

This came in the form of an email from a righteous and patriotic police officer with more than 30 years in service, which I received on Tuesday, 21st August, during the last day of my four-day 500-km visit to Sabah interior.

The email, under the subject “Crime Statistics – Let the truth be told”, had also been sent to other receipients and has since been published widely on news portals and websites.

In the email, the police officer who said he wished to remain anonymous, wrote:

“The police and Pemandu have feigned ignorance about the crime statistics manipulation. The figures dished out does not reflect the actual crime situation. How the figures were doctored is explained in the attached article. In fact the police and Pemandu knows about the manipulation but unable to undo the wrong.

“The public’s fear is justified. The police are in the wrong track of tackling crime.”

Continue reading “Is dishonest doctoring of crime statistics the answer to the three-year mystery why Malaysians suffer increasing fear of crime in the midst of official claim of drastic fall in crime rate?”

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Another education ‘plan’?

Rom Nain
Malaysiakini
Aug 24, 2012

Tucked away on the inside pages of the Malaysian mainstream newspapers, far from the celebratory, feel-good stories of Hari Raya celebration, Umno politicians’ ‘open houses’ – largely paid for by us sucker taxpayers, I’m sure – and generally stories of gluttony and good cheer, was a report on the launch of yet another regime ‘plan’ or ‘blueprint’.

You may be forgiven for having missed this. After all, apart from being distracted by the Eid celebrations, by now many of us surely must be facing ‘transformation fatigue’ or ‘blueprint exhaustion’ after almost four years of clichés about change yet being really offered much of a muchness, more of the same.

But, nonetheless, what’s this latest lark, err plan?

Well, it’s the ‘education blueprint’, a purportedly massive – not to mention ambitious and, certainly potentially mucho expensive – undertaking to transform (S..t! There’s that darn word again) the Malaysian education system over the next 13 years. Continue reading “Another education ‘plan’?”

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Claims of doctored crime statistics need swift answers

― Koon Yew Yin
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 24, 2012

AUG 24 ― Crime is an issue of great concern to everyone in the country. This is why it is necessary for the authorities to respond as soon as possible to the whistle-blowing letter from a police officer of over 30 years experience and his allegations of the doctoring of the official statistics. The longer the delay, the greater will be the impression that a cover up is taking place.

This disclosure of massaging and manipulation of the official statistics has been the hottest news over the internet media in the last few days and it has now been picked up by the opposition politicians.

To ensure that it does not become a political football and to preserve whatever trust and respect that the public has for the Barisan Nasional government’s statistics, especially related to the Government Transformation Programme, I would like to provide some advice to the Najib administration. Continue reading “Claims of doctored crime statistics need swift answers”

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Defections raise Anwar election chances

By Anil Netto
Asia Times
August 24, 2012

PENANG – The defection of two key ruling coalition parliamentarians to the political opposition has shifted Malaysia’s pre-election equation and highlighted the importance of the crucial swing states of Sabah and Sarawak in what is expected to be a neck and neck contest.

Historically a “fixed deposit” of votes for the Barisan Nasional (BN), the coalition that has ruled the country consecutively since independence from colonial rule, Sabah and Sarawak are expected to play a prominent role in the coming general election pitting Prime Minister Najib Razak versus opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

BN won 140 of 222 federal parliament seats at the 2008 elections, a result that saw the Pakatan Rakyat opposition win control of five of 13 federal states. After the recent defections, BN holds 20 of 25 federal parliament seats allocated to Sabah and 29 of 31 in Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

If the recent defections signal a gathering trend away from BN, as some political analysts suggest, the two states have the potential to swing the next general election in favor of the opposition. The present parliamentary term expires in April 2013 and general elections must be held by October, although Najib has the prerogative of calling a snap election at any time. Continue reading “Defections raise Anwar election chances”

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Apakah hajat Dr M yang belum kesampaian itu?

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 24, 2012

24 OGOS — Dr Mahathir Mohamad berkata rakyat tidak sepatutnya percaya kepada janji-janji pembangkang khususnya terhadap Anwar Ibrahim, Ketua Pembangkang.

Pandangan itu adalah pandangan beliau dan beliau berhak untuk memberikan pandangan terhadap sesiapa seperti juga saya mempunyai pandangan yang sama terhadap beliau (Dr Mahathir). Ini negara demokrasi dan sesiapa pun boleh dipercayai atau sebaliknya oleh sesiapa juga.

Dr Mahathir sememangnya kita tahu yang beliau tidak mahu langsung sesiapa untuk mempercayai Anwar, seteru politik terbesar beliau. Dr Mahathir mahukan semua orang bersama-sama memusuhi musuh beliau.

Tidak mungkin Dr Mahathir mempunyai pandangan yang baik terhadap Anwar. Kalau Dr Mahathir bercakap perkara baik tentang Anwar itu merupakan tanda-tanda yang jelas yang dunia ini akan kiamat tidak lama lagi.

Tetapi banyak pihak lain yang tidak percaya terhadap Dr Mahathir. Mereka tidak percaya terhadap Dr Mahathir pun bukannya tidak bersebab. Malahan salah satu dari sebab kenapa Umno secara deras ditinggalkan oleh orang Melayu adalah kerana Dr Mahathir.

Orang Melayu tidak meninggalkan Umno tanpa sebab. Tidak munasabah Umno yang begitu lama berkuasa dengan tiba-tiba ditinggalkan rakyat begitu sahaja. “There must be a cause for a cause…” kata seorang sahabat saya. Continue reading “Apakah hajat Dr M yang belum kesampaian itu?”