Day: March 4, 2013

The thuggish behaviour and disruption of the 4,000-people DAP UBAH Dream Truck ceramah in Teluk Intan by some 20 flag-waving UMNO/BN activists last night is the latest proof that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has no intention, commitment or will to honour Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M)’s Election Integrity Pact on clean, free and fair 13th general elections which he signed with such fanfare on Feb. 20.

All the four principles which Najib swore to uphold in the TI-M Election Integrity Pledge were all violated in the thuggish disruption of the DAP UBAH ceramah by Umno/BN activists, resulting in an half-hour sit-down public protest by the people of Teluk Intan at the impotence and failure of the police to uphold law and order when confronted by some 20 disrupters enjoying high-powered backing, namely:

• Truth, integrity, ethical conduct and accountability;

• Uphold and give priority to the interests of the rakyat as a whole;

• Good governance and transparency; and

• Compliance with all the applicable laws and regulations of Malaysia.

If Prime Minister can blatantly violate ethics, morals and the laws of the land after signing the endorsement of the Election Integrity Pledge, more and more Malaysians will come to learn that Najib and the UMNO/BN leadership are not to be believed or trusted at all – not only what they say, but what they had appended their signatures to! Continue reading “38-Day Countdown to 13GE – Thuggish disruption of 4,000-people DAP UBAH Dream Truck ceramah in Teluk Intan latest proof that Najib has no intention to honour TI-M’s Election Integrity Pact on clean, free and fair 13GE”

Outlets from Huffington Post to National Review carried pieces financed by the Malaysian government. An international campaign against Anwar Ibrahim.

By Rosie Gray | March 1, 2013 at 12:35pm EST
BuzzFeed

A range of mainstream American publications printed paid propaganda for the government of Malaysia, much of it focused on the campaign against a pro-democracy figure there.

The payments to conservative American opinion writers — whose work appeared in outlets from the Huffington Post and San Francisco Examiner to the Washington Times to National Review and RedState — emerged in a filing this week to the Department of Justice. The filing under the Foreign Agent Registration Act outlines a campaign spanning May 2008 to April 2011 and led by Joshua Trevino, a conservative pundit, who received $389,724.70 under the contract and paid smaller sums to a series of conservative writers.

Trevino lost his column at the Guardian last year after allegations that his relationship with Malaysian business interests wasn’t being disclosed in columns dealing with Malaysia. Trevino told Politico in 2011 that “I was never on any ‘Malaysian entity’s payroll,’ and I resent your assumption that I was.”

According to Trevino’s belated federal filing, the interests paying Trevino were in fact the government of Malaysia, “its ruling party, or interests closely aligned with either.” The Malaysian government has been accused of multiple human rights abuses and restricting the press and personal freedoms. Anwar, the opposition leader, has faced prosecution for sodomy, a prosecution widely denounced in the West, which Trevino defended as more “nuanced” than American observers realized. The government for which Trevino worked also attacked Anwar for saying positive things about Israel; Trevino has argued that Anwar is not the pro-democracy figure he appears.
Continue reading “Covert Malaysian Campaign Touched A Wide Range Of American Media”

Kenyataan media pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat

Setiap pimpinan mana-mana negara sekalipun bertanggungjawab mempertahan kedaulatan wilayah negara, keselamatan rakyat dan anggota pasukan keselamatan.

Kegagalan mempertahankan kedaulatan negara dan keselamatan rakyat merupakan satu pengkhianatan serta menodai amanah rakyat. Justeru Pakatan Rakyat berhasrat mengingatkan pimpinan negara agar tegas mempertahankan kedaulatan wilayah negara dan tidak alpa memastikan keselamatan setiap rakyat Malaysia, terutamanya di Sabah ekoran dari insiden pencerobohan sekumpulan bersenjata warga asing di sekitar Lahad Datu serta Semporna. Setiap inci tanah Sabah dan keselamatan rakyatnya wajib dipertahankan.

Pencerobohan di Lahad Datu telah mengorbankan dua nyawa perwira negara manakala insiden terbaru di Semporna pula mengorbankan enam nyawa perwira negara. Kita merakamkan ucapan takziah buat keluarga mereka dan rakyat Sabah serta berdoa moga roh mereka dicucuri rahmat.

Pakatan Rakyat juga mengajak seluruh rakyat Malaysia untuk tetap teguh mendokong pasukan keselamatan, samada dari pihak polis atau tentera. Kita berdoa moga mereka kekal selamat serta bersemangat mempertahankan negara dan rakyat Malaysia dari ancaman penceroboh.
Continue reading “Dato’ Seri Najib Razak sewajarnya menumpukan usaha memastikan kedaulatan wilayah negara, keselamatan rakyat Sabah dan anggota pasukan keselamatan”

Lahad Datu Statement from Pakatan Leadership

Any leader of any country must defend his nation’s sovereignty and the security of his people.

Failing to do so is a grave betrayal of the people’s trust in its government. Therefore, Pakatan Rakyat urges the present national leadership to do that which is required of them, to defend our land and never to compromise the safety of each and every Malaysian, and the test of those principles is ongoing in and around Sabah’s Lahad Datu and Semporna with the escalating violence brought by armed foreigners.

In Lahad Datu two of members of our security forces have lost their lives, while the latest acts in Semporna have claimed six of our men in uniform. We express our sincere condolences to these men’s families and may God bless them for they have given the highest sacrifice for a grateful nation.

Pakatan Rakyat calls on all Malaysians to show unreserved support to our security forces, both the police and military. And pray that they remain safe while defending our nation and its people from harm.

Pakatan realises the recent incidents in Sabah raise concern and fear, but we urge the public to remain calm and not to act rashly and hurt their fellow countrymen.
Continue reading “The Federal Government should now priortise on guarenteeing our territorial integrity and security”

The position of Barisan Nasional (BN) has always been to insist that Malaysia is a democracy on the basis that we have regular elections and that opposition politicians are elected to the legislature, be it in the federal parliament or the state legislatures. Since the 2008 general elections, BN politicians have used the example of the opposition winning control of an additional four state legislatures in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor as additional ‘proof’ that Malaysia is indeed a democracy.

This kind of simplistic thinking and arguments from the BN exemplifies the root of the problem faced by our country. We set our own ‘benchmarks’ and then proceed to congratulate ourselves by giving patting ourselves on our backs when we have ‘achieved’ them.

Democracy is not ‘merely’ about elections

While we are not like North Korea or China where opposition political parties and elections are not allowed, all reasonable and rationale people would agree with the proposition that we are nowhere near being a full-fledged democracy like the United Kingdom or the United States or more recent additions to the ranks of democratic countries such as South Korea and even Indonesia.

Democracy is not merely about elections. It is much more than that. It must include the protection of civil liberties and political rights. There must be guarantees for many important freedoms which are crucial for the functioning of democracy not just in its form but more importantly, in its substance. This would include protection for the freedom of the press and freedom to assemble freely. This would include proper checks and balances in the system such as parliamentary oversight and executive accountability. This would include having an independent civil service and independent government agencies such as the Election Commission, the Attorney General’s Chamber and the Anti-Corruption Agency as well as an independent judiciary. Unfortunately, the BN have overlooked all these other crucial components of democracy. Some politicians have even remarked that if the electorate doesn’t like the ‘rules of the game’ set by the BN, they can always vote the BN out. This, of course, totally ignores the fact that the electoral playing field is grossly skewed in favor of the BN through undemocratic means that have been institutionalized in the 56 year rule of the current regime.
Continue reading ““Democracy” in Malaysia – Neither Free nor Fair”

Dikala rakyat Malaysia masih berkabung untuk kematian dua wira negara, komando polis Insp Zulkifli Mamat 29 dan Sabaruddin Daud 46 yang terbunuh di dalam insiden tembak menembak dengan penceroboh bersenjata Sulu di Kampung Tanduo Lahad Datu pada pagi Jumaat, tiga lagi komando cedera, negara dikejutkan lagi pagi ini dengan berita bahawa terdapat dua lagi polis maut di Semporna malam semalam.

Rakyat Malaysia bangun pagi ini dengan berita sedih bahawa “Polis terbunuh bertempur dengan militan Filipino di Semporna” tetapi menjelang tengah hari, pihak polis mengesagkan terdapat dua pegawai polis yang terbunuh di dalam serang hendap di Kampung Seri Jaya Siminul, sebuah perkampungan atas air, di Semporna pada sekitar 6.30 petang semalam – dan yang ketiga sedang bertarung nyawa di hopistal awam di Semporna.

Namun yang lebih buruk bakal terjadi, apabila rakyat Malaysia mendapati berita sidang akhbar bersama pertama oleh polis dan tentera di Felda Sahabat Residence, Lahad Datu selepas tiga minggu stand-off dengan penceroboh bersentaja Sulu di Kampung Toudou, seperti yang digambarkan di dalam laporan Malaysiakini:

• Lima anggota polis terbunuh di Semporna, kata IGP
• IGP: Lebih ramai penceroboh mendarat di Sabah
• Panglima ATM kata penceroboh ada kemahiran

Turut dilaporkan terdapat satu lagi pendaratan oleh penceroboh di Kunak. Continue reading “Pengiraan Detik 39 Hari ke PRU13: Cadangan agar ditubuhkan majlis semua pihak untuk membantu menguruskan krisis Sabah dan menyeru Najib untuk membuat lawatan segera ke Sabah”

Pengerusi Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) Paul Low telah mengakui bahawa Ikrar Integriti Pilihan Raya (EIP) yang ditandatangani oleh Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak minggu lepas tidak terikat dengan undang-undang.

Bagaimanapun, TI-M akan mempertanggungjawabkan mereka yang menanda tangan, termasuklah Najib, dengan mendedahkan kesalahan mereka pada lama sesawang dan media sosial seperti Facebook danTwitter untuk memberikan tekanan kepada mereka yang melanggar ikrar.

Saya berterima kasih kepada Paul Low kerana berterus-terang mengakui bahawa tiada cara menguatkuasakan melalui undang-undang tanda tangan EIP Najib akan tetapi apa yang sepatutnya membuatkan TI-M terganggu adalah kurangnya moral, etika dan kemampuan meyakinkan kerena strategi “memalukan mereka yang melanggar ikrar secara atas talian” tidak mungkin menggentarkan hati keras mereka yang melanggar ikrar.

Inilah sebabnya mengapa Najib boleh menjadi pelanggar EIP TI-M bersiri dalam tempoh 15 hari Tahun Baru Cina, termasuklah contoh berikut: Continue reading “Pengiraan Detik 40 Hari ke PRU13 – Rakyat Malaysia dijemput untuk memberikan pandangan mereka sama ada saya perlu menandatangani Ikrar Integriti Pilihan Raya TI-M selepas ditandatangani Najib”

By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor
The Malaysian Insider
Mar 04, 2013

COMMENTARY March 4 — There comes a time when Malaysians must unite and fight a common enemy, not bicker and blame each other over what is going wrong. That time is now for Sabah.

We need to support our policemen and troops facing Filipino militants who wish to lay claim over a land whose people decided to form Malaysia 50 years ago with Malaya and Sarawak.

We need to make sure the sacrifice of eight fallen policemen was not in vain, that their widows and children know their husband or father’s death has helped keep Malaysia intact and free.

We need to see what our priorities are now, to end the bloodshed and standoff in Sabah with Filipino militants who have broken our territorial integrity and laws.

We need to get our peace and security back. We stand united or we fall divided. Pure and simple.

The time for investigating what went wrong with our defence of Sabah will come. The time for apportioning blame and reveal the traitors will come.

Right now, we need our politicians to stop blaming each other and accusing each other of instigating this incursion. Such talk is not constructive and will not help our security forces do their job. Continue reading “Time to unite to fight a common enemy, not bicker”

— Willy Gomes
The Malaysian Insider
Mar 03, 2013

MARCH 3 — You are off the hook, Syed Hamid Albar. You are no longer the worst home minister Malaysia has had. And for that you can thank your fellow politician from Johor, Hishammuddin Hussein.

Syed Hamid, you will forever be remembered as the minister who ordered the arrest of a journalist under the ISA for her own protection! You also ignited the Allah debate by not allowing the Malay section of the Herald to use the word Allah.

Bravo!

But you have nothing on Hishammuddin. The man is clueless about everything. He looks like a tourist in Lahad Datu and actually thinks that it is reassuring for Malaysians to hear that he will not leave Sabah until the incursion situation has been resolved.

Can someone get him out of there and allow the police or army to handle this grave situation? His handling of the incursion has been a joke as have the portrayal of the Sulu fighters. Continue reading “The worst home minister”

— Erna Mahyuni
The Malaysian Insider
March 03, 2013

MARCH 3 — Living on a knife’s edge: that was the Sabahan reality for the last two weeks.

While Putrajaya played at diplomacy and our home minister mugged for the cameras, many Sabahans were left angry and confused.

There are intruders on our doorstep! Why are they not being chased out?

Do not believe the rumours, Putrajaya said.

We are hoping for a peaceful resolution, Putrajaya said.

And now, good men are dead. Continue reading “Now will you listen to Sabah?”

by Glenda M. Gloria
http://www.rappler.com
03/03/2013

Is it possible to understand Muslim Mindanao without looking at Malaysia? Perhaps not. This stern neighbor has played its hands rather wisely: feeding a Filipino rebellion on one hand, and helping end it on the other.

Sabah has been home to thousands of Muslims who once fought for independence under the Marcos dictatorship. It was their refuge when the military continued to pummel them with bombs and bullets in Mindanao. Sabah was always part of their real — and imagined — community. Before colonizers carved out superficial boundaries in that part of the world, the Muslims of Sabah, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu were one community that freely traded goods with each other, paid unhampered visits to one another, and spoke the same language. The imperious Sultanate of Sulu reigned over these islands.

Thus while Manila has consistently put the Sabah claim on the back burner, the reality is that to many Filipinos, Sabah has long been theirs. They grew up on the island, got married there, raised their kids, and put up businesses. An estimated 65,000 Filipinos carry passports as “political refugees” in Sabah. In the capital city of Kota Kinabalu, I once asked a former member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) why he had chosen to live there. “It’s our land. These are my brothers,” he said. They call themselves “Suluks” not Filipinos.

At the height of the MNLF’s secessionist campaign in the 1970s and 1980s, Muslim rebels sought refuge in Sabah. In Sabah they mapped out plans to bring down the Marcos military to its knees. In its lush jungles they trained young recruits in guerrilla warfare. While Nur Misuari toured the Middle East to raise funds for his movement, his young commanders held clandestine meetings in Sabah to plot the war against Marcos.

Which begs the question, why would Malaysia tolerate this when it could not even put up with a ragtag group of old guards now holed up in Lahad Datu?

The answer partly lies not in Sabah or Sulu or Tawi-Tawi but in another place that keeps the dark secrets of a bungled special operation to invade Sabah: Corregidor Island. Continue reading “Sabah, Merdeka and Aquino”