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Malaysia Needs to Get Off the Road to Mediocrity

By William Pesek | April 22, 2013 10:00 PM EDT
Bloomberg

In his bid for re-election, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has dispensed with all shame. Vote for me, he has essentially declared, or Malaysia will suffer “catastrophic ruin” and an “Arab Winter” of the kind that has undone economies from Egypt to Libya.

Both warnings are ludicrous — signs of how worried Najib’s National Front coalition is of losing power for the first time since 1957. They speak to the desperation of a government that has come to serve itself, not Malaysia’s 29 million people. And they are emblematic of a leader whose talk of bold change hasn’t been matched by action.

Najib’s claim is this: Giving the opposition, led by former Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim, a chance to lead on May 5 would reverse all the gains Malaysia has made since the 2008 financial crisis. The economy would crater, stocks and the currency would plunge, and chaos would reign.

Change through the ballot box in a democracy should never be disruptive or chaotic, and rhetoric suggesting otherwise is disingenuous. Najib likes to say: “The time has come for Malaysians to make a decision.” Actually, the time has come for Malaysia’s government to grow up.
Continue reading “Malaysia Needs to Get Off the Road to Mediocrity”

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Vote to ensure a better Malaysia

Press statement of Group of Concerned Citizens on the General Election
CPI ASIA

We are a group of Malaysians from diverse ethnicities, religions and backgrounds including military, academic, business, professional and the not-for-profit sector. We have been drawn together by our love for our country and our concern that this general election may see further setbacks in our aspiration for a better society.

Malaysians need a better government and good governance, especially in these tumultuous times of heightened racial discord and religious hatred and extremism.

If we succeed, we can be a modest example for the rest of the world in the way we tackle our racial and religious differences and in our resolve and actions to ensure social justice and the fair distribution of the wealth of our land.

Past governments and politicians have too often failed us by abusing the public treasury for private gain, by concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few, and by debasing our democratic rights. For some years now, we have been one of the top countries in the world in terms of illicit outflows of money. According to Global Financial Integrity, the total 10-year estimate of financial outflow for Malaysia was RM871.4 billion for 2000-2010. No country in the world can afford such a high level of capital flight.
Continue reading “Vote to ensure a better Malaysia”

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Still uphill for Johor Malay vote, admit Pakatan leaders

BY IDA LIM, MOHD FARHAN DARWIS AND DEBRA CHONG
APRIL 22, 2013
The Malaysian Insider

JOHOR BARU, April 22 — While Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders on their campaign trail have been feted like rock stars in the Chinese-majority areas across Johor, the muted response from the Malay-dominant neighbourhoods shows the opposition has a long and uphill road to victory in the May 5 polls.

Several PR leaders have acknowledged so.

“I’m seeing positive signs but Ghani still has the advantage,” DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang told The Malaysian Insider last night after wrapping up a night ceramah in Pulai Perdana, a fringe Malay residential neighbourhood chock-a-block with car service workshops.

The 72-year-old Gelang Patah MP candidate is up against four-term Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman in the parliamentary constituency where Chinese make up 52 per cent, while Malays and Indians account for 34 per cent and 12 per cent of the registered voters there.
Continue reading “Still uphill for Johor Malay vote, admit Pakatan leaders”

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In cyberspace, a daughter remembers ‘mother, hero’

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — On Saturday, Ong Ai Sam, 52, fended off two robbers in a desperate bid to buy her daughter time to escape. She succeeded, but paid for it with her life.

This is the message her daughter wishes she could hear.

My mother, my hero

I remember. I remember everything.

A few months ago in English class, my teacher asked us to write about the person who we admire. I wrote about my mum. A month ago for my English March Test paper, the topic I wrote about was “My Hero”. I wrote about my mum. During my test, I had writer’s block so I simply wrote out everything i knew about my mum: her childhood, achievements, etc. My mum is my hero. She always has been, she always will be.

20th April 2013.

Mama left early in the morning for some event her Kiwanis Club’s K-Kids had planned. She came back home with lunch for me and Milo ais. I remember grumbling to her because I didn’t want to follow my parents jungle trekking. I did anyway. We had to set up a trail for my father’s running group so mama was carrying a bag with just plain paper in it. I remember grumbling to my mum as we went up and down the hills of Gasing. She told me we’d be out soon. After two hours of trekking in the jungle, we finally hit the road. It was the road in Gasing leading up to the temple. We decided to walk back down to the car.
Continue reading “In cyberspace, a daughter remembers ‘mother, hero’”

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Pakatan sees state model guiding path to power

Stuart Grudgings, Reuters
8:50AM Apr 22, 2013

Lim Guan Eng, the hyperactive caretaker chief minister of Malaysia.s Penang state, is not the type to miss a good photo-opportunity, so there were plenty of witnesses when he handed over the keys to his government Mercedes ahead of a May 5 general election.

Integrity is a central battle cry for Malaysia’s disparate three-party Pakatan Rakyat opposition as it pursues its best chance of ending 56 years of rule by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

“The official cars should not be misused for our own personal use,” Lim, a 52-year-old ethnic Chinese, told reporters as his administration shifted to caretaker status this month. “This is the integrity held by the state administration.”

Five years after the opposition took control of four state governments, northwestern Penang will be Exhibit A in its case that it can make South-East Asia’s third-largest economy cleaner and more competitive.
Continue reading “Pakatan sees state model guiding path to power”

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Najib defends Zul Noordin as champion of Indian issues

BY BOO SU-LYN
The Malaysian Insider
APRIL 22, 2013

SHAH ALAM, April 22 – Datuk Seri Najib Razak described Datuk Zulkifli Noordin today as a champion of Indian issues in Shah Alam where the Perkasa vice-president is contesting in Election 2013.

The BN chairman’s defence of the controversial Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate comes even as MIC leader S. Vell Paari warned the ruling coalition recently that the Malay rights leader would cost BN Selangor in the May 5 polls.

“I’ve spoken to quite a number of Indians and they’re supporting him,” said the caretaker prime minister in a press conference at the Concorde Hotel here today. Continue reading “Najib defends Zul Noordin as champion of Indian issues”

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On Malaysia’s debts and ‘growth at all cost’

by Pak Sako
Centre for Policy Initiatives

I refer to the article in The Malaysian Insider/New Mandala on reducing Malaysia’s debt burden by Nurhisham Hussein, an economist with Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad and former employee of Permodalan Nasional Berhad.

It is encouraging to have him participate in this national conversation on Malaysian debt.

Close to 20 prominent Malaysian academics, comprising economists and political scientists, had earlier urged the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to state the steps for remedying the worrying situation of Malaysia’s finances (see ‘Academics call upon Barisan and Pakatan to declare policy positions on national finance and debt‘, Centre for Policy Initiatives, 8 April 2013). Continue reading “On Malaysia’s debts and ‘growth at all cost’”

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The Fight Of 505

By Allan CF Goh

This epic date is about right
Fighting against bedeviled might.
It is the fight of the life’s light,
Against dark shadows of the night.
It’s the fight of the good Rama,
Against the evil Ravana.
Reject evil as our karma,
And defend the worthwhile dharma.

This day we oppose racism,
And all acts of extremism,
That divide fraternalism.
Poll for real nationalism.
Come this General Election,
Eliminate the corruptions,
And all their soulless corrosion,
That breed foul discrimination.
Continue reading “The Fight Of 505”

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This is an election to determine whether rakyat Malaysia will vote for a sustainable future for our children or a sustainable corrupt BN government?

Earth Day is an occasion to remind us that our mother nature is deteriorating over the last few decades, natural resources has been robbed off by corrupt government and their cronies that brought pollution, deforestation and degradation that hampered the livelihoods of people.

During the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2009, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that Malaysia has agreed to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40% by 2020 compared with 2005 levels, however, polluted industry that has been rejected by other developed countries such as Lynas rare earth refinery plants are allowed to operate in Kuantan and given 12-year tax exemption.

BN is also pursuing constructions of giant petrochemical hub in Pengerang, giant aluminium smelter plant in Sarawak, two nuclear plants in the country, BN government has clearly proven that it is pursuing economic development at all cost at the expense of the environment and people’s health.

If BN continues to run the country, Malaysia will never achieve a sustainable, low carbon and resource efficient future. Only a Pakatan Rakyat that pledge to make Malaysia a cleaner, greener, safer and healthier place to live will reject rare earth plants and nuclear plants to ensure our future generation can live in a better world.

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13 Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Johor as the fulcrum of political change in Malaysia and let “Johor Leads” be the new slogan for all Johoreans in the new politics of the future struggling to be born in the 13GE, moving from the politics of the past based on race politics, corruption and mass abuses of power

On the third day of the 13GE, I want to sound a clarion call to all Johoreans for Johor to be the fulcrum of political change in Malaysia and let “Johor Leads” be the new slogan for all Johoreans in the new Malaysian politics of the future struggling to be born in the 13GE, moving from the politics of the past based on race politics, corruption and mass abuses of power.

In the past month, the people of Johor had the exhilarating experience of being the cynosure of the whole nation.

For the past 56 years, Johor had been the political backwaters, with the people of Johor following great political events and breakthroughs in other states, particularly in the north, Penang and Kelantan, as well as in Kedah, Perak and Selangor, while great political changes have passed Johor by and excluded Johoreans.

This state of affairs has now been completely transformed.

For the past month, beginning with the Battle of Gelang Patah, as the prelude to the Battle of Johor and the Battle of Malaysia in the 13GE, Gelang Patah and Johor have captured the imagination of Johoreans as well as Malaysians.

For the first time in the nation’s 56-year history, Johoreans are making political history and instead of Johoreans following political developments in other parts of Malaysia, it is Malaysians all over the country following with increasing excitement the daily political developments in Gelang Patah and Johor.

The time has come in the 13GE for the political transformation of Malaysian politics with Johor as the fulcrum of new politics of Malaysia with all Johoreans rallying to the battlecry of “Johor Leads”. Continue reading “13 Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – Johor as the fulcrum of political change in Malaysia and let “Johor Leads” be the new slogan for all Johoreans in the new politics of the future struggling to be born in the 13GE, moving from the politics of the past based on race politics, corruption and mass abuses of power”

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A question for MCA

by Ravinder Singh
The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 21 — PM Najib has firmly stated that BN members who are contesting as independents will receive their walking certificates on Monday. I suppose any party would do the same for insubordination or betraying the party. Nothing wrong with this line of action for maintaining party discipline.

But why is he mum and dumb as to what action will be taken against a BN candidate approved by him who deliberately did not file his nomination papers although he was at the nomination centre? This candidate stood by and watched Ibrahim Ali file his. Isn’t this another act of insubordination? Or was some drama being acted out? This was a history making incident as never has such a thing happened before — the BN withdrawing so an independent can have a straight fight with an opposition candidate. The independent must be a very powerful person for this to happen, for him to intimidate the ruling party to surrender to him. Continue reading “A question for MCA”

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Deciding Who To Vote For In the Next Election

by M. Bakri Musa

Downstream Analysis: Pakatan Victory Best Outcome
(Third of Four Parts)

The best outcome would be a decisive Pakatan victory. This is the only way to effect much-needed change, specifically to end the current culture of corruption, cronyism and rent-seeking that is enmeshed and fast becoming the fabric of our – specifically Malay – society. Again addressing those under the sway of Perkasa and Ketuanan Melayu, Malays will never advance until we get rid of this destructive culture, of which UMNO is the prime enabler.

I am heartened that more than half of PKR’s candidates are new, with a substantial number of young faces. We can only bring about change with new personnel. Najib considers recycled and rethreads as fresh. How can he ever hope to transform the country with the same tired, tainted, and tattered team? It is significant that he has resurrected Isa Samad, the character suspended from UMNO a few years ago for “money politics!” Truly scraping the very bottom of the barrel! Rest assured that tainted characters like him will be in Najib’s cabinet. Continue reading “Deciding Who To Vote For In the Next Election”

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Looking forward to a gentleman’s fight in Johor

Pauline Wong
The Sun Daily
Posted on 21 April 2013

JOHOR BARU (April 21, 2013): The state of Johor is without a doubt, the state where all eyes are drawn – whether from the Barisan Nasional side, or from the Pakatan Rakyat.

Big names from the opposition have been parachuted to this southern state of Malaysia, where they hope that the 1.5 million voters here will cast ballots in their favour.

For the Barisan Nasional, the pressure is on to retain power in this birthplace of Umno, and they are more determined than ever to keep Johor in their grasp.

Even with so much at stake, the battle for Johor has taken off in a gentlemanly fashion, with fierce rivals going so far as to praise each other. Continue reading “Looking forward to a gentleman’s fight in Johor”

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New BN, Umno faces but same old mindset

By Fikry Osman | APRIL 16, 2013
The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 16 — Barisan Nasional (BN) is putting out a refreshed and reshuffled list of candidates for the 13th general election, with a third new faces for Parliament and 49 per cent for the seats in 12 states.

Does it even matter if 100 per cent are new? Do the candidates matter more than the parties or coalition and the manifesto they put out days ago?

One has to understand something about BN and Umno. Their people subscribe to the same ideology and chauvinism as the old people they are replacing in the May 5 general election.

Is Rais Yatim’s replacement going to have an enlightened media policy or is he still going to offer a 10-minute slot to the opposition? What do you think?

All these new Umno candidates are products of the party mindset and thinking, the same thinking that gave us the Ibrahim Ali and Ridhuan Tee who blight our landscape.
Continue reading “New BN, Umno faces but same old mindset”

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In Kit Siang, Pakatan gets unexpected boost to leap over Johor’s Malay wall

BY DEBRA CHONG, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | APRIL 21, 2013
The Malaysian Insider

JOHOR BARU, April 21 — As Lim Kit Siang captured the imagination of Johor’s Chinese at last night’s rally here, it was also clear that he meant to help warm the Umno birthplace’s Malay population towards Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in Election 2013.

Unlike some states to the north, the opposition parties have been repeatedly thwarted from gaining more than a toehold in Malaysia’s southernmost state.

“The Malay parties in the opposition have a tougher time trying to get support from the Malay community in Johor, so Kit Siang’s presence in southern Johor especially has tilted the situation,” said Ibrahim Suffian, the executive director of political research house Merdeka Center.

Johor’s resistance towards PAS and PKR, Ibrahim said, was historical. The highly-independent state had been used to running things its own way for a long time as it was among the last to be incorporated into colonial British rule.

It had built up a strong religious wall that did not give room for PR’s Islamist partner, PAS, to grow since Johor’s Islamic schools are well-funded and are state-run. In addition, PAS was seen as a northern influence, Ibrahim said.

But in the five years since Election 2008, a perceptible change has been felt in Johor.
Continue reading “In Kit Siang, Pakatan gets unexpected boost to leap over Johor’s Malay wall”

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Pengundi-pengundi perlu berhati-hati dengan kempen fitnah cybertroopers pro-UMNO/BN yang memburukkan DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat

Pengundi-pengundi perlu berhati-hati dengan kempen fitnah cybertroopers pro-UMNO/BN yang memburukkan DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat. Ini adalah kerana kempen rasmi pilihanraya umum ke-13 sudah pun bermula. DAP bersama PAS dan PKR yang membentuk Pakatan Rakyat telah memulakan kempen secara bersih, adil dan telus. Ini adalah prinsip bersama kami ke arah membentuk Malaysia baru yang bebas dari rasuah, salah guna kuasa dan penyelewengan.

Saya sedar ada kempen-kempen kotor yang terus dilakukan oleh pihak-pihak tertentu, terutamanya oleh cybertroopers pro-UMNO/BN, yang menyebarkan fitnah dan pembohongan. Ini adalah kempen yang tidak sihat dan bersifat hasutan.

Namun, walaupun golongan ini terus memfitnah dan menyebarkan berta palsu, saya bersama DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat tidak akan putus asa untuk terus berkempen dengan cara yang baik dan terhormat sebagaimana yang kami telah lakukan sejak beberapa dekad yang lalu.

Saya harap rakyat Malaysia, terutamanya orang Melayu, tidak mudah terpengaruh dengan fitnah dan pembohongan, sama ada yang disebarkan melalui internet atau melalui ceramah. Fitnah amat berbahaya kerana ia boleh menimbulkan ketegangan antara kaum di negara ini.

DAP telah difitnah sebagai perti perkauman, parti cauvinis, parti anti-Islam dan sebagainya. Semua ini tidak benar dan bohong belaka. DAP adalah parti politik yang sah yang menghormati Perlembagaan Persekutuan. DAP menolak segala bentuk politik perkauman dan diskriminasi kaum, agama dan gender.
Continue reading “Pengundi-pengundi perlu berhati-hati dengan kempen fitnah cybertroopers pro-UMNO/BN yang memburukkan DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat”

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14 Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – My chances in Gelang Patah have risen as a result of use of Rocket symbol but still an adverse 45:55 in favour of Ghani

The 13GE has proved to be the most historic of all general elections in the nation’s history, chalking up several new records on Nomination Day yesterday in including:

  • No parliamentary or state seat returned unopposed – first time in history;

  • A total of 1,900 candidates contesting parliamentary and state seats, highest ever;

  • 270 independents contesting, highest in history;

  • 132 parliamentary and 320 state seats see straight fights;

  • 90-multi-cornered fights for parliamentary seats and 185 for state seats;

  • A seven-cornered fight in a parliamentary and state state seat; and

  • There are 1,732 male and 168 female candidates contesting.

But the most historic dimension of the 13GE is that for the first time in the nation’s 56-year history, there could be a democratic transition of power with the establishment of a new Pakatan Rakyat federal government in Putrajaya, ending the 56-year rule of Umno/BN with Datuk Sdri Najib Razak as the last Umno/BN Prime Minister as predicted by the RAHMAN prophecy.

The first day of the 13GE has also highlighted certain political realities in Malaysian politics of 2013: Continue reading “14 Day Countdown to 13GE Polling Day – My chances in Gelang Patah have risen as a result of use of Rocket symbol but still an adverse 45:55 in favour of Ghani”