Day: March 29, 2013

Yesterday, when visiting Taman Damai Jaya in Gelang Patah, I spoke about the meaning of the Battle of Gelang Patah.

I stressed that the Battle of Gelang Patah is not my personal battle on whether I can be re-elected to Parliament.

If this is the case, I should stay back in Ipoh Timor which I had won with a majority of over 21,000 votes in the 2008 general elections, instead of going for a very high-risk contest in Gelang Patah which was won by the MCA/BN candidate with a majority of over 8,000 votes in 2008 and a humoungous majority of 31,666 votes in 2004.

In Gelang Patah I could very well lose but I am prepared to take the risk.

This is because the Battle of Gelang Patah is not so much about the victory or defeat of an individual or the gains or losses of individual parties, but whether Johore can become a “kingmaker” in the 13GE to spark a political tsunami in the country from the south and cross the South China Sea to effect the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat. Continue reading “Second Objective of Battle of Gelang Patah – Target 19 of the 26 Parliamentary and 30 of the 56 State Assembly seats in Johore”

By Emily Neil
New Statesman
28 March 2013

Xi Jinping makes problems for luxury goods.

A more unusual, but strong, market force is at work in China: an anti-corruption drive led by the new president, Xi Jinping. The giving of expensive luxury items to government officials has been a standard part of bureaucratic and business life in China, and has contributed in part to the dramatic growth in revenues and profits for multinational luxury goods companies operating in the country. Mr Xi however has swept in with a determination to stamp out showy bureaucracy and waste, and high end restaurants have suffered as official banquets have been cancelled and luxury local liquor makers have seen demand drop significantly.

All this will send a shiver through Scotch whisky makers, as well as other luxury goods companies in the UK and Europe. The most recent evidence comes from Pernod Ricard, owner of the Chivas Regal brand, which has seen sales of its Scotch whisky fall by a double digit rate [2] over the critical Chinese New Year period. Continue reading “China’s anti-corruption drive is really hitting Scottish Whisky”

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has chalked up another dubious record in his political career – as for the second time, he has shown utter contempt for important, delicate and sensitive Federal-State relationships by trampling on the sanctity of State Constitutions in his utter disregard for the state’s autonomy, rights, powers and prerogatives entrenched in the State Constitutions.

The first time Najib violated the sanctity of a state constitution was in February 2009 when he orchestrated an undemocratic, illegal, unethical and unconstitutional grab for power in Perak and ousted the Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin and the democratically-elected Pakatan Rakyat Perak executive council and government from office.

As a result, Najib’s recent signature of Transparency International-Malaysia’s Election Integrity Pledge is regarded as a political farce totally lacking in meaning and commitment, even in destroying in the process the credibility, authority and legitimacy of TI-M’s Election Integrity Pledge altogether.

The second time Najib had violated the sanctity of State Constitutions happened on Wednesday midnight when he forced the Negri Sembilan State Assembly to run out of time and which had to be dissolved automatically with the Negri Sembilan Yang di Pertuan Besar, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, the Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and the Speaker, Datuk Razak Mansor completely in the dark on the issue. Continue reading “13-Day Countdown to 13GE – In forcing the Negri Sembilan to be dissolved “automatically” on Wednesday midnight, Najib has unconstitutionally hijacked the powers of the Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar and even the Yang di Pertuan Besar on dissolution of State Assembly”

by Martin Jalleh

P Ramakrishnan
Immediate past president, now Aliran executive committee member
27 March 2013

Malaysians were rudely shocked to learn that the High Court in Shah Alam put itself in a straitjacket and refused to see the glaring injustice that was clearly highlighted by Klang MP Charles Santiago in a suit that was decided on 14 March 2013.

Mr Santiago wanted the Court to review the principal and supplementary electoral rolls for his parliamentary constituency.

It was very disappointing that Judge Vernon Ong said that the Court was bound by Section 9A of the Elections Act 1958 and cannot review a gazetted electoral roll, literally throwing to the wind the conventional wisdom that “where there is a malady the Court will provide a remedy” – even if it has to use its inherent powers.

The Judge further noted that the Court could not compel the Election Commission (EC) to respond to the queries of the MP as there was no provision in the Act for it to do so. While it may be true that there is no such provision, what is far more important is whether there is specifically any provision in the Act prohibiting the EC from responding?

Why was this logical point entirely overlooked by the Court? If the Court was the bastion of justice as provided by the inherent powers of providing a remedy for a malady, it would have been the natural consequence to fall back on this logic. But surprisingly, this was not the case.

While it may be true that the Court was bound by Section 9A of the Election Act, shouldn’t the Court invoking its overview functions have also looked into the legality of this section?

Is it constitutional? Is it constitutional to perpetuate a wrong in spite of fraud, probably even of a criminal nature, that were clearly established by Mr Santiago? Continue reading “Court turns a blind eye to justice”

― Fikry Osman
The Malaysian Insider
March 28, 2013

MARCH 28 ― The Negri Sembilan state assembly ran out of time and all the mentri besar could do is say that his is now the caretaker state government.

What kind of leadership is this? As the state’s chief executive, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan should have had the scrotal gumption to dissolve the legislature and notify the Election Commission (EC).

It would be up to them to decide the timing for polls, whether to hold it first or wait for the other assemblies and Parliament to also be dissolved.

Instead, he waited until time ran out and reportedly said, “There has to be a caretaker government because we will have to pay wages and look into other matters during the period… without a caretaker government, there will be anarchy.”

That is stating the obvious. Of course there is a caretaker government until the polls are held, whether he dissolves it or it is done automatically.

He should have just gone ahead and done it himself instead of looking like a clueless politician waiting for further orders from Putrajaya. Continue reading “Time starting to run out for BN”

The Malaysian Insider
March 28, 2013

MARCH 28 ― They say ignorance is bliss. And Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon says the Cabinet interfaith committee has deliberately avoided censuring those who spark religious tension in order to prevent giving them further publicity.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for unity and performance management said such people would only say “more and more” if the interfaith committee castigated them.

“Very often, ignoring is the best,” he said. “After one day, no more news… We better focus on promoting harmony.”

He has a point there except this strategy has failed miserably. These people are not used to being ignored by anyone and have become more brazen as days go by.

Look at what has happened this year. Malay rights group Perkasa urged Muslims last January to burn Malay-language bibles that contain the word “Allah” and other religious Arabic script.

Columnist Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah allegedly disparaged the Hindu community in an article published in Malay-language daily Sinar Harian on February 18.

All this just a few years after a group of men dragged a cow’s head in Shah Alam to protest a Hindu temple. Cows are sacred in Hinduism, something which almost every Malaysian knows. Continue reading “Ignorance isn’t bliss when it comes to bigots”

by Koh Jun Lin
Malaysiakini
Mar 28, 2013

Private screenings of the controversial film on the May 13, 1969 racial riots, Tanda Putera are allowed because the cabinet decision to postpone its screening is restricted to public screenings only.

“There have been some private screenings for people to make some judgments and decisions.

“As long as there is no public screening, for that is the decision that was made by the cabinet,” Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Koh Tsu Koon said today.

Asked why was this allowed despite charges that the film was racially divisive, the de facto unity minister questioned such a charge.

“I don’t know how many screenings there have been, but has it led to racial strife? I don’t know. You better check the facts before reporting on that,” Koh told reporters.

Information Minister Rais Yatim had previously said that Tanda Putera’s premier has been deferred because of ‘inappropriate’ scenes in the film. Continue reading “Koh defends private screenings of Tanda Putera”