Day: December 13, 2012

The UMNO/Barisan Nasional propagandists have been working overtime to forecast various doomsday scenarios for DAP, Pakatan Rakyat and the country in the run-up to the 13th general elections, as for instance, warning of a repetition of May 13 racial clashes, chaos and even Malaysia becoming bankrupt and be like Greece in three years if UMNO/Barisan Nasional is replaced by Pakatan Rakyat in Putrajaya.

It is almost five years since the Pakatan Rakyat formed the state governments in Penang, Selangor and Kedah and over 22 years since PAS captured the Kelantan state government. Have there been May 13 racial clashes in the Pakatan Rakyat states or have they gone bankrupt?

If Pakatan Rakyat rule is such a disaster, Datuk Seri Najib Razak would not have to undergo the two-year agony of repeatedly postponing the date for the 13th general elections because of his lack of confidence that UMNO/BN would get a renewed mandate to continue to govern Malaysia.

There would also have been no need for Najib to resort to undemocratic and unconstitutional means to mount an illegal coup d’etat to grab power from the duly-elected Pakatan Rakyat state government in Perak in February 2009, a result which the people of Perak are determined to reverse by restoring Perak state to Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general elections.

The UMNO/BN leaders and propagandists must be told in no uncertain terms to stop their various false doomsday scenarios for the people and the country if they truly love Malaysia.

Just as Kelantan had not gone bankrupt after more than 22 years of PAS rule and Penang, Selangor and Kedah have not gone bankrupt after nearly five years of Pakatan Rakyat state governments, but in fact chalking up a better record than Barisan Nasional both in good governance and promoting the people’s welfare, Malaysia will not become bankrupt after three years.

On the contrary, under PR governance, Malaysia will be set on a new growth path to lead to greater prosperity and justice for all Malaysians for the country, not only because of an end to corruption, cronyism and abuses of power but because Malaysia will be governed by leaders whose first priority is the best interests of all Malaysians and the country rather than of themselves and their cronies. Continue reading “1st task of “100 Days to Putrajaya” Campaign – prove UMNO/BN prophets of doom wrong with ringing/powerful endorsement by 16th DAP NC for Karpal-Guan Eng leadership to lead DAP in the PR battle for Putrajaya in 13GE”

— Elizabeth Gimbad
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 13, 2012

DEC 13 — One of my first field trips as a researcher was to a small kampung in Sabah. I was new to the job and after a day of shadowing more experienced colleagues, they decided that I was ready strike out on my own and dropped me off in front of a rickety house on the edge of the village.

As I stood at the bottom of the stairs, a 14-year-old boy with a toddler in his arms came out to greet me, followed by a bevy of younger children. When I asked him for his parents, he hesitated: “They are not around. Shall I get my aunt for you?”

Sabah has the highest incidence of poverty in Malaysia. According to the latest statistics, the poverty rate has dropped from 23 per cent in 2004 to 19.2 per cent in 2009. However, this means that one out of five people in Sabah is still living below the poverty line. The national average for poverty in Malaysia is 3.8 per cent.

In Sabah, households with a combined monthly income below RM1,050 are identified as poor; while the absolute poor have a monthly income of less than RM630. This is higher than the poverty line set for Peninsular Malaysia which is below RM760 a month — it has to be remembered though that the high cost of living is much higher in Sabah compared to Peninsular Malaysia. Continue reading “Rethinking poverty in Sabah”

At the end of the recently concluded UMNO General Assembly, Prime Minister and UMNO President Datuk Seri Najib Razak rightly warned his UMNO base not to repeat Republic presidential candidate, Mitt Romeny’s mistake, to over rely on older, white voters to win the elections. Similarly, UMNO should not be overly dependent on the rural Malays to win the upcoming Malaysian general election at the expense of ignoring the growing urban multiracial middle class.

Najib is right in pointing out Romney’s mistake. Romney won a majority of the white vote against Obama – 59% to 39% – but he failed to even break 30% of any of the minority groups. Predictably, he lost the African American vote – 6% to 93% – but he also lost the Latino vote – 27% to 71% – and the Asian American vote – 26% to 73% – by significant margins.

Romney won a majority of the votes of those aged 65 and above – 56% to 44% – but lost in the 30-44 age group – 45% to 52% – as well as in the 18-29 age group – 37% to 60%. Among the ideological moderates, Obama defeated Romney by 56% to 41%.

Romney was treading old ground here. The same results, more or less, were achieved by McCain in the 2008 presidential elections. McCain won a majority of the white vote against Obama – 55% to 43% but lost the African American vote – 4% to 95% – , the Latino vote – 31% to 67% – and the Asian America vote – 35% to 63%. He won 53% of the voters aged above 65 (against Obama’s 45%) but lost in the 30-44 age group – 52% to 46% – and lost the 18 to 29 age group by a landslide – 32% to 66%. Among the ideological moderates, Obama defeated McCain 60% to 39%.

Both Republican candidates had to appeal to their ‘base’ of conservative, mostly white and old voters in order to win their respective primary elections. As a result both could not broaden their appeal to reach out to a sufficient number of moderate voters including many minorities in order to win the American Presidency.

Sadly, Najib’s advice is likely to fall on deaf ears within his own party. Continue reading “Pakatan Rakyat must avoid repeating the mistakes of the Republicans who lost the US presidency twice because they lost sight of the Middle Ground”