Day: December 14, 2012

The PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli returned from his second trip to Hong Kong and meeting with its Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) with the news that the possibility is high that Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman could be charged with money laundering by the Hong Kong authorities following the submission of “new evidence” related to Musa’s alleged logging commissions.

Last week, it was disclosed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Operations Review Panel had requested the Attorney-General to review its decision on the RM40 million allegedly channeled from timber trader Michael Chia to Musa.

The question is why the MACC could not act independently and professionally, and on its own re-open investigations into the scandal of the RM40 million “political donation to Sabah Umno” in the light of “new evidence”, especially with many questions left answered, including:

Whether the RM40 million cash in Singapore currency, which Sabah timber trader Michael Chia had in his luggage before boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur at the Hong Kong International Airport on August 14, 2008 and was impounded by the Hong Kong for three years but which had to be released when the Malaysian authorities refused to co-operate with ICAC on the case, was “dirty money” derived from corruption and/or illegal logging activities in Sabah which had to be smuggled or laundered back into Malaysia. Continue reading “Why can’t MACC re-open investigations into the scandal of the RM40 million “political donation to Sabah Umno” in the light of new evidence instead of asking the AG to review his decision on the case?”

The 16th DAP National Congress the next two days is the focus of national attention for more reasons than one, viz:

• It is the last national conference this year for any political party in Malaysia;

• In fact, it is the last national conference for any political party before the 13th General Elections which would be held in the next 100 days;

• DAP is the only political party in the country which dares to hold party elections on the eve of impending general elections, as all other political parties have postponed their party elections until after the elections;

• Will the DAP emerge stronger or weaker after the 16th DAP National Congress;

• Will Pakatan Rakyat and the cause for “UBAH” to effect political change in Malaysia all the way to Putrajaya be strengthened or weakened?

In the past month, Pakatan Rakyat suffered a serious setback when the four million middle-ground voters who will be the arbiter as to whether it is the Pakatan Rakyat or the Barisan Nasional which will appoint the Prime Minister and form the government in Putrajaya after the 13GE developed doubts and hesitations as to whether Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, PAS and DAP are fully committed to the PR Common Policy Framework and Buku Jingga common platforms.

This is a salutary lesson to all the component Pakatan Rakyat parties that in the “hot-house atmosphere” which will further intensify with the approach of the long-awaited 13th General Elections, that they must always be conscious that every statement and action not only of the national leaders but of the other echeleons can have an impact many times larger than ordinary times when exploited and distorted by unscrupulous and unprincipled political propagandists with their biased mainstream media.

The Kelantan gender-segregation ruling affecting non-Muslim hair salons is a case in point where on the one and same issue, DAP is accused of being “subservient” to PAS while PAS is accused of compromising to “appease” the DAP. Continue reading “16th DAPNC – sound the call to arms for a PR government in Putrajaya with 125 PR seats in Parliament with distribution of 45:40:40 seats respectively for PKR, PAS and DAP”

— The Malaysian Insider
Dec 13, 2012

DEC 13 — In the past 24 hours, some of you and definitely The Malaysian Insider have been inundated with emails from a number of names like Imran Sulaiman, Ranesa Jegatheesa and Malaysian Indian over the PKR protest for Indians who are purportedly stateless in Malaysia.

These emails are spam.

They are a waste of time and definitely a waste of money if someone is being paid to churn them out and send them to all and sundry.

It shows how much political parties and even governments go to great lengths to get their views across to each and every one of us Malaysians ahead of the general election.

But it is a pain. Continue reading “Spamming Malaysia”

by Azly Rahman
Malaysiakini
Dec 13, 2012

The refusal to teach Mathematics and Science in English is not just an ideological position but an idiotic one as well.

It is an attempt to self-fulfil a prophecy that the rural children, especially the Malays, cannot be challenged and must continue to be given easy passes through social promotion.

The refusal to acknowledge that English is currently a language of scientific progress, more than Bahasa Melayu, is an example of hypocrisy in dealing with success on the part of our policymakers and Malay language nationalists.

Based on spurious research findings headed by a teacher training university, sanctioned by other public universities, the government has erred in its decision that will not only impact the future of Malaysian children in a continually globalised world, where English is the lingua franca.

And this will open up avenues for the establishment of classes of schools, increasing the demand for the setting up of private schools that will emphasise the English language as a language of instruction and a rigorous curriculum that will prepare students for a competitive world. Continue reading “Just teach them in English!”