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Jabu gets a tongue-lashing

Joseph Tawie | November 24, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

A landowner has accused the deputy chief minister of twisting the truth over a joint-venture project.

KUCHING: A native customary right (NCR) landowner gave Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang a verbal slap yesterday for twisting the truth and claiming that the government was supportive of native rights.

Declining to be named, the landowner said he and many others were present during the “Kanowit incident” in 1996 which Jabu had referred to at the State Legislative Assembly sitting yesterday.

“We were there in 1996. We know about the joint-venture (JV) concept. We were cheated of our rightful dividends,” he said in reference to Jabu’s accusation that DAP was the stumbling block to poverty eradication programmes among the rural community.

Jabu, during his debate on the state’s 2012 budget yesterday, revisited the 1996 Kanowit incident and recalled that some 20 to 30 DAP members had objected to the government’s NCR joint-venture poverty eradication programmes to assist rural Sarawakians.

“In 1966, about 1,500 landowners turned up for the launching of the NCR joint-venture concept at the Dewan Suarah Kanowit. We then saw some 20 to 30 DAP members climbed on stage to protest against the programme,” said Jabu.

He also pointed out that Machang assemblyman Gramong Juna and Land Development Minister James Masing were also witnesses to the incident. Continue reading “Jabu gets a tongue-lashing”

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The Dayak tea party

by June Rubis
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 10, 2012

SEPT 10 ― It must have been a beautiful day for an outdoor tea party in West Kalimantan. It is the early 1980s when Borneo’s forests are still comparatively lush although the forests would have to struggle to survive an onslaught of slash-&-burn for commercial rubber plantations and wide-scale logging.

In the meantime, all is serene along the banks of the Kapuas River where the Javanese and Sumatran wives of managers of a rubber plantation wait for their guests to arrive.

The guests were the wives of local Dayak tribesmen, who upon arrival, gathered up all the food, and left, leaving their shocked hostesses in their wake.

The managers dismissed this as part of the “strange and difficult culture” of the Dayaks, while ignoring the fact that this behaviour was aberrant in Dayak culture and thus was a political statement of conflicting economic and political interests.

The Dayaks of the area were facing the loss of their forests and subsequently source of food, due to the appropriation of traditional lands for the rubber plantation. There were reports that the Dayaks were unhappy with the compensation received.

An eye for an eye, albeit a small victory of appropriating the plantation’s food, in protest of unfair appropriation of their native lands, one might say. Continue reading “The Dayak tea party”

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And we call this Merdeka?

By Rom Nain | 2:46PM Sep 6, 2012
Malaysiakini

At the rate this regime is going about dealing with its citizens, it could quite easily turn out to be the most despised one for a long, long time. There’s just no finesse, no class, in the way it handles things.

Granted, it is arguably an extension of previous regimes, but, at least with the one led for a long time by that doctor, there was no pretence at being a democracy.

With this Najib Abdul Razak pack, there’s constant bleating, especially by its media apparatchiks, about rakyat didahulukan (people first) and the accompanying mantra of ‘transparency’, ‘transformation’ and, of course, ‘reform’.

But, as we have seen, time and time again the regime does the exact opposite, riding roughshod over the requests of its citizens, bludgeoning many aside in a desperate attempt to cling on to power without integrity, without dignity.
Continue reading “And we call this Merdeka?”

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PAGE responds to NST interview with Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister

By Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, PAGE Chairman | September 10, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

Sept 10 — We read with interest NST’s Sunday Interview with the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) “Improving quality in all areas of education” (9 Sep 2012) in particular the response given to the question on the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI).

It appears that the DPM is more afraid that his ministry is seen as flip-flopping on the policy than its impact on our children and their future.

Although PAGE had representatives in most state dialogue sessions there were also even more supporters of the policy who are in favour of it to continue as an option, to be exact 250,000 online.

No doubt English proficiency is important, learning the scientific and mathematical knowledge, in its lingua franca which is English, our second language, should be capitalised on and not discouraged, a basic management strategy.

By abolishing the policy, the DPM is preventing many of our children from learning the knowledge in a language they are most comfortable with, a belief UNESCO has always advocated.
Continue reading “PAGE responds to NST interview with Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister”

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Losing ground over FELDA

By Sakmongkol AK47 | September 10, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

SEPT 10 — What is happening to FELDA now, illustrates the state of our democracy under Umno. Settlers and employees got 200.6 million of the 2188.9 million shares to be sold.

The people representing the majority and overriding interest are the settlers and the employees. There are 112,635 settlers and 3835 employees. These represent directly the interest of FELDA people. They are the majority on whose backs and on whose name, this listing was supposed to be done for and benefits meant.

A question to FELDA people. Why get only 200.6 million out of the 2.188 billion shares offered and own the same from the 3.6482 billion of the enlarged share capital? That’s 5.5 per cent of the interest in FELDA. What Najib Razak and the government are doing to you is just cosmetics.
Continue reading “Losing ground over FELDA”

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Umno: Sumbat di sini, bocor di sana

By Aspan Alias | September 10, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

10 SEPT — “Ahli-ahli Umno yang didapati mensabotaj parti dalam pilihanraya nanti akan di singkirkan keahlian mereka. Mereka yang bekerja dan mengundi parti-parti pembangkang adalah mereka yang tidak setia dan Umno tidak memerlukan mereka”.

Itulah lebih kurang kata-kata Muhyiddin Yassin dua hari yang lepas semasa merasmikan perwakilan salah satu bahagian di Johor dua hari yang lepas..

Inilah sebenarnya masalah yang sedang dihadapi oleh Umno apabila menghadapi PRU yang akan datang. Masalah itu merupakan masalah yang terbesar yang Umno sedang hadapi dan jika Umno menumpukan mengkritik dan membidas DAP, PAS dan PKR, itu merupakan tumpuan dan “priority” yang salah yang dilakukan oleh Umno.

Parti-parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat itu hanyalah parti-parti yang halal dan bukannya menjadi kesalahan bagi sesiapa untuk mengundinya termasuklah ahli-ahli Umno sendiri seperti yang telah dilakukan oleh sebahagian besar ahli-ahli Umno dalam pilihanraya yang lalu.
Continue reading “Umno: Sumbat di sini, bocor di sana”

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The rise of political hooliganism must not be condoned

— The Malaysian Insider
Sep 09, 2012

SEPT 9 —The rise of what can only be described as political hooliganism in Malaysia must not be tolerated.

And as the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) must take the lead to condemn such behaviour as recent cases show that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians have been at the receiving end of such hooliganism.

A few months ago unidentified thugs threw rocks and eggs at a PKR ceramah in Kuala Lumpur, injuring a few members of the public.

It has become common for opposition politicians to face unruly gangs at rallies around the country.

Yesterday a bodyguard of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim allegedly waved his gun when confronted with a crowd of hooligans trying to block the opposition politician from attending a rally.

BN leaders and the authorities cannot just claim that they are not responsible for the hooliganism. Continue reading “The rise of political hooliganism must not be condoned”

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Police must serve to protect, not persecute

— The Malaysian Insider
Sep 09, 2012

SEPT 9 — It is commendable that police took swift action to detain a man who apparently waved a gun while chasing away youths who were blocking Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s entourage in the Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat function in Malacca yesterday.

No one should display their firearms just to invoke fear in public. And if that man, a bodyguard employed by Anwar, is liable for prosecution, so be it.

But what is more disturbing is how the event unfolded. That there are people out there who were blocking a road just so that people, including Anwar, cannot attend a function organised by PKR. And the police were there and did nothing. Continue reading “Police must serve to protect, not persecute”

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Review 18-Point Agreement to end Sarawak CLIB curses

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will lead the Federal Cabinet to Bintulu on September 16 to celebrate the 49th Malaysia Day.

I still remember that on the 51st Merdeka Day on 31st August 2008, I reiterated my call that Malaysia Day on September 16 should be declared a national public holiday, which would mean that Malaysia would have two National Days each year – August 31 as Merdeka Day to commemorate Malaya’s Independence in 1957 and September 16 as Malaysia Day to celebrate the formation of Malaysia with Sarawak and Sabah.

It was only in the following year that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced that Malaysia Day would be a national public holiday from 2010 – an example of the change DAP and Pakatan Rakyat can bring about although we are still in the Opposition, whether nationally or in Sarawak and Sabah.

After 49 years in Malaysia, Sarawak is afflicted with the curse of CLIB – corruption, Land (NCR) injustices, Infrastructure (backwardness) and Borneanisation (breach). Continue reading “Review 18-Point Agreement to end Sarawak CLIB curses”

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What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, Dr M

By P. Ramakrishnan
September 08, 2012 | The Malaysian Insider

SEPT 8 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s warning that the country may never see a Barisan Nasional (BN) government again if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is voted into Putrajaya, would provoke the response, “Good riddance to bad rubbish!” from many Malaysians who are totally fed up with BN rule.

After 55 years of BN rule, it is time to say, “Enough is enough! It’s time to go!!”

Dr Mahathir should stop whining that the federal opposition would do “everything possible” to stay in power forever if they were to form the next government.

What’s wrong with that, Tun?

Didn’t you do that, Tun, to stay in power forever? Why is it when you did “everything possible” to cling on to power, it was the proper thing to do but it is utterly wrong now for others to aspire to, as you did.

Didn’t you refuse our beloved Tunku Abdul Rahman, the honest Tun Hussein Onn, the fearless Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and others admission into Umno Baru so that you could remain in power forever without any opposition from within the party? Continue reading “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, Dr M”

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A test of will between Najib and Taib – “who will last longer politically?”

This is what I have just tweeted: “Bau became famous when Pandelela Rinong, a Bidayuh from Bau, won London Olympics bronze medal for diving. Next let Bau make history in 13th General Election for Pakatan Rakyat”.

Throughout the country, including Bau, Malaysians have been waiting impatiently for the 13th General Election for close to two years, with many expecting it to fall on 11.11.2011 or “11.11.11” in view of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s special preference for “11”.

However, one man is not ready – with one scandal after another, like the RM250 million “Cow Condo” scandal, or one P.R. (public relations) disaster after another like the Bersih 2.0 of July 9, 2011, Bersih 3.0 of April 28, 2012 and most lately the defection of two Barisan Nasional MPs in Sabah at the end of July which repeatedly caused Najib to vacillate and keep pushing off the GE date.

All this because of Najib’s pathological fear and total lack of confidence in his own ability to lead UMNO/BN to victory in Putrajaya in the 13th GE.

Now, all speculation of 13GE date is again focused on Najib’s favourite number of “11” – November this year, ranging from Nov 3 to Nov. 29. There seems to be greater credibility this time, as the de facto Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir has given his blessings for November general election although he had earlier warned of dire consequences to UMNO if the13th General Election was called before UMNO was ready. Continue reading “A test of will between Najib and Taib – “who will last longer politically?””

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Najib should fully accept the apologies of two teenagers bearing in mind “To Err is Human, To Forgive Divine”

I call on the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to fully accept the apologies tendered by the two 19-year-old teenagers Mohammad Ammar A Rahman and Ong Sing Yee as well as by their parents bearing in mind that “To err is human, To forgive divine” and to ask the Attorney-General to take their apologies into account.

Right from the beginning, I have made my position clear – I do not approve or condone Mohammad Ammar and Ong Sing Yee’s actions. What they have done is wrong and deplorable. Malaysians have a right to expect more civilised conduct in public life.

However Malaysians are rightly concerned at the Barisan Nasional government’s heavy-handedness and double standards in handling the matter.

For instance, why was it necessary to handcuff Ong as if she is a dangerous character when she had surrendered herself to the police, which itself is a clear acknowledgement on her part that what she had done was wrong and her preparedness to face the consequences. But is it right and proper for the police to treat her as if she is a hardened and dangerous criminal requiring her to be handcuffed, when Malaysians can see for themselves BN VIPs, including Ministers and former Ministers, treated with kid’s gloves although charged with grave crimes against the state and people? Continue reading “Najib should fully accept the apologies of two teenagers bearing in mind “To Err is Human, To Forgive Divine””

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PM’s ‘happiness’ plan conflicts with his ETP

By Pak Sako
September 07, 2012

SEPT 7 ― The prime minister proposes to measure national development based on both a “happiness index of the people” and per capita income. He correctly conceded that increases in the people’s income do not necessarily result in increases in their happiness.

But spoken rhetoric aside, his words need to be measured against what his government is implementing right now.

This can be done by referring to the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and its New Economic Model (NEM).

These are the government’s blueprint and flowchart for economic development in the near term.

Examining all thirteen chapters and 471 pages of the ETP handbook or “roadmap” obtained from its official website, nowhere are the words “happiness” and “happiness index” to be found. Continue reading “PM’s ‘happiness’ plan conflicts with his ETP”

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Kalau Dr M sokong Najib…

By Aspan Alias
September 08, 2012 | The Malaysian Insider

Cebisan fakta yang saya tulis tentang Umno sejak dua hari yang lepas, susah untuk Umno memahaminya. Dalam Umno hanya seorang sahaja ahli yang bekerja keras, iaitu Najib, Presidennya sekarang. Penjelajahan Najib keseluruh negara telah membelanjakan wang rakyat ratusan juta ringgit. Di sini Umno juga terlupa yang rakyat sedang memerhatikan tindakan pimpinan Umno dalam usaha mendapatkan mandat dalam PRU kali ini. Akhir-akhir ini Dr Mahthir sahaja yang keluar untuk menyokong Najib habis-habisan seorang sahabat saya berseloroh, “sokongan Mahathir itu ada makna tu!”

Dalam dua posting saya yang terdahulu, saya telah melepaskan apa yang ada tersimpan di dalam jiwa saya dan orang-orang yang sama pemikiran seperti saya memahaminya. Seperti biasa orang-orang Umno tidak akan faham sampai bila-bila.

Dalam keadaan yang tidak menentu Umno sendiri tidak dapat meyakinkan partinya sendiri yang mereka akan berjaya mengekalkan kuasa di Putrajaya. Dr Mahathir kali ini bekerja keras untuk mempertahankan Umno, parti yang beliau tubuhkan dan juga parti yang beliau sendiri mengakui sebagai sebuah pertubuhan yang telah busuk sampai ke ususnya. Continue reading “Kalau Dr M sokong Najib…”

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Challenge to Najib and Mahathir to make public commitment UMNO will peacefully effect transition of federal power after 13GE

I have just read online reports of what Tun Dr. Mahathir said earlier today, warning Malaysians that the country may never see a Barisan Nasional (BN) government again if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is voted into Putrajaya alleging that PR “would do everything possible to stay in power forever”.

The former Prime Minister who is confirming growing perceptions of Malaysians that he is “back in the saddle” as de facto Prime Minister, especially  with the present premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak proving to be the most vacillating PM in the nation’s history worse than his predecessor Tun Abdullah, is now indulging his favourite past time of fear mongering with both immunity and impunity.

This is not the first time Mahathir has made the wild and reckless allegation that if Pakatan Rakyat wins the federal government in the next 13th General Election, it will signify the end of democracy in Malaysia as PR would never allow any future elections where it would lose power in Putrajaya.

This is utter nonsense. Continue reading “Challenge to Najib and Mahathir to make public commitment UMNO will peacefully effect transition of federal power after 13GE”

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Will DAP dominate PR?

By Sakmongkol AK47
September 07, 2012 | The Malaysian Insider

SEPT 7 — A close Umno friend asked me this question: if PR takes over, wouldn’t it lead to DAP dominance over PR? Wouldn’t the Chinese be in control? Just take the example of Nizar when he became MB of Perak by courtesy of the DAP. He gave out land to the Chinese because the DAP must have pressured him to.

The DAP has become the favourite bogeyman that must be attacked from all possible angles. Lim Kit Siang was behind the May 13 incident, ignoring the records which showed that Kit Siang was in Sabah at that time. Lim Guan Eng, who was eight years old at that time, was also instrumental in creating the racial clashes. The DAP has never detached itself as a proxy to Singapore’s PAP. The list of wrongs is seemingly bottomless. And now, a spectre is haunting Malaysia. The DAP shall dominate a PR government.

I have long wanted to answer this anxiety. Apparently this is the propaganda being sold by Umno leaders all over the country. It’s simply called scare mongering. It indicates that Umno is scared. Barisan Nasional’s other component party members, which are essentially stooges of Umno, are now irrelevant. It has also shown that Umno now realises it can lose power.

Let us dispel the myths before we answer as to what Nizar has actually done. Continue reading “Will DAP dominate PR?”

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Failure of BN to honor points engraved in the Keningau Oath Stone

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to revisit the historic Keningau Oath Stone together with Dato Seri’ Wilfred Bumburing, the MP for Tuaran who had recently left the BN and aligned himself with the opposition. The Oath Stone was erected as a reminder of the guarantee of the Federal Government to honor the 20 point agreement made with Sabah before the formation of Malaysia. Almost 48 years later, it is evident from the DAP Sabah initiated Janji Ditepati Public Hearings, that the three main points engraved in the Keningau Oath Stone – guaranteeing freedom of religion, upholding land autonomy and protecting native customs and traditions – have been cast aside by the BN government.

Sabahans from all walks of life and backgrounds in Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Ranau, Tenom and Keningau have voiced out clearly and loudly, with their personal testimonies, that the rights of the Sabahans have not been upheld but have instead been abused and ignored in contravention to the spirit of the Keningau Oath Stone.

No less than Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, the former Sabah state secretary, has expressed doubt in the empty slogan that is Janji Ditepati when he said, during the Kota Kinabalu public hearing, that ‘the government is very long on eye catching slogans but very short on delivery’ akin to ‘lots of thunder and lightning but without the rain appearing.’ He is particularly well placed in making the statement that the BN government does not have the political will to solve the problem of ‘Pendatang Asing Tanpa Asing’ (PATI) as evidenced by successive half hearted and failed attempts over the past 25 years. One particularly egregious example of an empty promise was that made by Musa Aman, Chief Minister of Sabah, in 2006, to solve the problem of the illegal immigrants in Pulau Gaya which to date remains far from being solved. Continue reading “Failure of BN to honor points engraved in the Keningau Oath Stone”

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A different Merdeka this year

By Bridget Welsh
Sep 6, 2012 | Malaysiakini

Malaysians celebrated 55 years of independence on Aug 31. Most did so the usual Malaysian way – with family and friends, along with good food and great friendship.

Despite high levels of political anxiety, angst and uncertainty, there is much to celebrate. Malaysia is a great country, with a proud history and warm wonderful people.

I celebrated the event in Ipoh, where Perakians showed me the fine hospitality of good cheer and company. It is clearly evident that Malaysia’s finest assets are its people.

Najib and Muhyiddin at a rally to celebrate country’s 55th Independence Day in Bukit Jalil StadiumThis year’s Merdeka was markedly different, however. The event became highly politicised, as both sides of the political divide used the occasion to woo supporters. The use of government resources for logos, songs and political slogans and politicking during the official celebration with Umno-like political speeches does not reflect well on the governing coalition. Continue reading “A different Merdeka this year”

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Najib’s big dilemma: When to call the polls?

By Bridget Welsh
Sep 5, 2012 | Malaysiakini

Pundits continue to speculate on the election timing, with views ranging from Prime Minister Najib Razak making a surprise announcement to speculation that he will go the full term.

One thing is certain: The polls have to be held before the end of June next year. The person who appears most reluctant to hold the polls is Najib himself. He is now Malaysia’s longest serving prime minister without his own electoral mandate.

The pressure to call the polls and deliver a comfortable majority remains intense. Najib’s predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was forced to resign when he failed to win two-thirds of the parliamentary seats in the 2008 GE.

Based on fieldwork and polling, of the 222 seats up for grabs, 84 percent of them are “competitive” – and with the BN and the opposition having about the same number of “safe seats”. Continue reading “Najib’s big dilemma: When to call the polls?”

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Malaysia Day, RCIII, Oil Royalty – BN’s half-hearted promises

Keningau
5/9/2012: Lim Kit Siang and Wilfred Bumburing at the Keningau “Batu Sumpah” site – a reminder of the unfulfilled promise of honoring the 20 Points

Tweets @limkitsiang:

Sep 05, 11:55am
Sabah DAP’s “Janji Ditepati” Public Hearing in Tenom starts with Janji Diketepikan when police banned use of speaker system. Who is afraid?

Sep 05, 12:00pm
Najib said Umno/BN govt want 2make Msians “happy” but by forcing police 2disallow use of speaker system Umno/BN have made Tenom ppl unhappy

Sep 05, 12:10pm
Despite unreasonable undemocratic block @ Umno/BN behest, SabahDAP’s “Janji Ditepatikan” PublicHearing b4 capacity crowd Tenom great success

Sep 05, 12:19pm
Informed Tenom Public Hearing of my 1st twt 2Najib n my 5pt Open Cyber Msg 2four Sabah Ministers 2raise issue of RCIIISabah @ 2day’s Cabinet

Sep 05, 4:15pm
Full house @ Sabah DAP “Janji Ditepati” Public Hearing in Keningau. Sp guest speaker Wilfred Bumburing Tuaran MP who explained Y he quit BN

Sep 05, 4:32pm
B4 public hearing, I again visited Keningau “Batu Sumpah” with JimmyWong EdwinBosi Wilfred Bumburing MonggohOrow on religion land customs

Sep 05, 4:56pm
Gave 3 instances DAP PR have forced Umno/BN 2follow though half-hearted: 1) make 16/9 national public holiday although only since 2010 (1)

Sep 05, 5:01pm
2) RCIII Sabah though TOR unsatisfactory. No sign political will 2resolve issue “once n 4 all” with RCIII still in sleepmode after 7mths (2)

Sep 05, 5:07pm
3) Raise 5% oil royalty to 20%. Until lately Sabah CM opposed saying illogical 2increase royalty but now cos of PR pressure has changed tune (3)