Day: April 18, 2013

Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “T-Team” of 222 Parliamentary and 505 State Assembly candidates for the 13GE is as “transformational” as his T-Cabinet in the past four years which have been dismissed by Tun Dr. Mahathir as “half-past six” and former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin as “deadwood”.

What is the Report Card for Najib’s Transformation Agenda in the past four years?

It is a report card of red marks and failures, especially in Najib’s signature 1Malaysia Policy and National Key Result Areas (NKRA) objectives particularly in fighting corruption, reducing crime, uplifting educational standards and spur economic growth to build a competitive, prosperous and progressive future.

The biggest Najib “T-failure” is of course the utter hollowness and insincerity of Najib’s signature 1Malaysia policy to build a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian regards himself or herself as a Malaysian first and race, religion, region and socio-economic status second.

Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had openly repudiated Najib’s 1Malaysia Policy from the very beginning, declaring that he is “Malay first, Malaysian second”. Continue reading “17-Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Najib’s T-Team of 222 Parliamentary and 505 State Assembly candidates for the 13GE is as “transformational” as his T-Cabinet in the past four years which have been dismissed as “half-past six” by Mahathir and “deadwood” by Daim”

by Dr Ariffin Omar
Aliran

In an open letter, Ariffin Omar lists down the numerous problems plaguing the country and urges Malaysians to vote for change.

We are now at the crossroads of our destiny. The 13th General Elections that is slated to be held on 5 May will decide once and for all what future we are going to bequeath to our children and grandchildren.

We have lived for more than half a century under a regime which practices the politics of ethnic discrimination. In its wake this politics of apartheid has brought about corruption, mismanagement, cronyism and nepotism on a scale not seen in many countries. I have been told that as many as 3m Malaysians have left this nation for other countries in despair. Can we afford such a loss?

The Barisan Nasional, which had its origins as the Alliance Party, which then comprised of the United Malays National Organization, the Malayan Chinese Association and the Malayan Indian Congress, has brought this country to the brink of disaster. Continue reading “Why we must vote for change: An open letter”

The Sun Daily
Posted on 17 April 2013

KUALA LUMPUR (April 17, 2013): As political parties tie up the loose ends to their candidate line-ups for the 13th general election on May 5, the political battle taking shape in hot seats — Gelang Patah, Putrajaya and Lembah Pantai — are being keenly watched.

Billed the “battle royale” or “clash of the Titans”, the tussle for Gelang Patah (broken bracelet) parliamentary seat is a battle between political bigwigs — Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang –who is out to create a “political tsunami” in Johor, an Umno bastion.

Kit Siang, a political veteran, was reported to have said in Penang recently that he would not withdraw from contesting in Gelang Patah as he wanted the “political tsunami” created in the 2008 general election to be felt nationwide.

Prof Datuk Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak, who heads the Political, Security and International Affairs Cluster of the National Council of Professors, says Ghani’s service track record as the menteri besar and the people’s elected representative is a “good benchmark” to gauge the “best choice” for the rapidly-developing suburban seat.

“Ghani is the supremo and the architect of Johor’s impressive progress. He is also very popular among the electorate vis-a-vis Kit Siang, a relatively newcomer to Johor’s political scene.

“By far and large, the voters, including the Chinese community, appreciate what Ghani has done for Johor. Ghani is instrumental in developing Nusajaya and the Iskandar Malaysia economic corridor, besides being the person very familiar with Johor’s “nooks and corners” as opposed to Kit Siang,” he told Bernama.

Nusajaya, the Johor state government’s new administrative centre, encompasses the Southern Industrial and Logistics Clusters, medical hub and EduCity.

The BN’s Tan Ah Heng from MCA won the Gelang Patah seat in the 2008 general election by a comfortable 8,851-vote majority, trouncing Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) aspirant Zaliha Mustafa.

Mohamed Mustafa says Ghani’s prospects of retaining Gelang Patah for BN was bright albeit the keen tussle for the predominantly Chinese-majority seat. Fifty-four per cent of the electorate are Chinese. Continue reading “Battle royale brewing in Gelang Patah, Putrajaya hot seats”