Month: May 2013

Aerie Rahman (Loyarburok)
The Malaysian Insider
May 23, 2013

MAY 23 — Despite it being Spring, London is chilly. Malaysia, so I hear, is extremely hot right now, with friends and family members telling me that the current heat wave is unparalleled to any we’ve had before.

Nevertheless, a chilling effect is haunting Malaysia. This kind of chilly feeling is unable to be insulated by thick clothing, a warm fire or a kiss from a mistress. It seeps into your cold black bones and relentlessly gnaws at them. This is the chill of sedition laws.

Adam Adli is not the victim of the chilling effect. He can continue to say what he wants to say because he’s got nothing to lose. He’s already charged of the act; he might even be a martyr. On the other hand, we, the unfortunate citizens of Malaysia are the victims of this effect, every single one of us.

Of course, by every single one of us, I must qualify that with the fact that not everyone who makes a ‘seditious’ statement is charged with sedition. Some people are exempted from being punished. Selective prosecution or cherry picking is something familiar to Malaysians. In fact, a certain daddy of the “gomo” persuasion would gladly attest to this. This is hypocrisy at its finest.

When a person is publicly muzzled from speaking, we shudder at the thought of us being in his position. What if I’m the one in prison for my anti-establishment rhetoric? What’ll happen to my family? My parents would be so disappointed, and so on. Continue reading “The chill of sedition laws”

— The Malaysian Insider
May 23, 2013

MAY 23 — Now that the dust has settled after GE13 and the Malaysian Cabinet has been named, it is time to test the pulse in the country and figure out what has changed and what has not changed.

What has changed?

● Umno and Barisan Nasional’s armour of invincibility and sense of confidence

Nothing punctures confidence and self-belief than the fact that most voters gave their support to Pakatan Rakyat. The official spin is that the Chinese betrayed BN but that party line suits a national leadership looking to absolve itself from any blame. Fact is that many Malaysians were unwilling to trade their precious vote for temporary gratification.

● Fear factor gone forever
There was a time when a police threat or a warning about a repeat of May 13 would have kept Malaysians indoors. Not anymore, it seems.

Thousands have defied threats to attend post-election rallies in Selangor, Penang, Johor, Kedah and have done so in an orderly manner. In fact, participants of different races have come away from these gatherings feeling as one. Continue reading “After GE13, what changed, and the status quo”

Di dalam pilihan raya umum yang baru diadakan pada 5 Mei, Barisan Nasional sudah tentu hilang majoriti dua pertiga di dalam Dewan Undangan Negeri Sabah sekiranya kita benar-benar ada sistem “satu orang, satu undi, satu nilai”.

Dengan 55.78 peratus daripada jumlah undi keseluruhan untuk 60 kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri Sabah, iaitu 427,890 undi, Barisan Nasional sepatutnya hanya berjaya mendapat 34 kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri bukannya memenangi 48 kerusi, iaitu 80% kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri.

Ketiga-tiga parti Pakatan Rakyat terdiri daripada PKR, DAP dan PAS yang bertanding di kesemua 60 kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri mendapat 248,185 undi atau 32.36% daripada jumlah undi keseluruhan, dan sepatutnya memenangi 20 kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri bukannya cuma 11 (iaitu 18.33% daripada 60 kerusi). Continue reading “Sekiranya wujud “satu orang, satu undi, satu nilai”, BN sudah hilang majoriti dua pertiga di Dewan Undangan Negeri Sabah”

by P Ramakrishnan
Aliran

Decent thinking Malaysians were justifiably shocked that a former judge of the Court of Appeals, Mohd Noor Abdullah, could have expressed views that are so abhorrently out of character for a judge.

There was no sobriety or sanity in his statement.

One would expect such incoherent utterings from the likes of extremists from Umno – not from a judge. But then, he reportedly has some connection with Umno and therefore it should not come as a surprise. Apparently, he is a member of Umno’s disciplinary committee. Continue reading “No sobriety or sanity in former judge’s statement”

In the recently held May 5 general elections, Barisan Nasional would have lost its two-thirds majority in the Sabah State Assembly if we really have a “one man, one vote, one value” system.

With 55.78 per cent of the total votes cast for the 60 Sabah State Assembly seats, i.e. 427,890 votes, Barisan Nasional should have only secured 34 State Assembly seats instead of winning 48 seats, which is 80% of the Sabah state assembly seats.

The three Pakatan Rakyat parties of PKR, DAP and PAS which contested all the 60 State Assembly seats secured 248,185 votes or 32.36% of the total votes cast, and which should won 20 State Assembly seats instead of just 11 (which is 18.33% of the 60 seats).

Star fielded 47 State Assembly candidates, winning one seat, and netted 5.63% of the votes cast while SAPP fielded 41 State Assembly seats, netting 28,305 votes or 3.69% ov the total votes cast, without winning a single seat.

Although a lively and strong Opposition presence has now been restored to the Sabah State Assembly after an absence of two decades, with 11 State Assemblymen (DAP 4 and PKR 7) from Pakatan Rakyat and one from Star, the May 5 general elections is an expensive lesson for the Opposition in Sabah, for the Barisan Nasional would have lost in another four parliamentary and eight state assembly seats if not for split votes among the Opposition candidates. Continue reading “If there is “one man, one vote, one value”, BN would have lost two-thirds majority in Sabah State Assembly”

– May Chee
The Malaysian Insider
May 22, 2013

MAY 22 – More than a hundred thousand have thronged a single rally and there was no untoward incident. Thirty at a candlelight vigil showing solidarity with a young and courageous Malaysian and it turned chaotic. So, when someone says we go to the streets to foment chaos, he hasn’t a clue or he’s plain lying through his teeth. I would say he had ill-intent. We all know very well that things only turn ugly when people with ill-intent send in their thugs to rough others up.

I have never been prouder of our fellow Malaysians, especially our youth than now, when we are going through some really trying times. There was a time when I was so afraid that our young would be so obsessed with the ills of consumerism that they would not learn how to love their fellowmen. I was so afraid that all they cared for was to deck themselves with branded stuff from top to toe, bling-a-ling away like a Christmas tree.

Now, I know better. I know there’s hope for Malaysia because our youth care. They do care for their fellow Malaysians, irrespective of creed and colour. They care so much that they have spent time and money, braved the scorching sun and pouring rain, teargas and chemical-laced water, too, to be in solidarity with fellow Malaysians. They care so much that they are asking now for a more active participation in the building of the future of their motherland, only because others have failed. Continue reading “We just love our motherland, is that so hard to grasp?”

The new Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar should be censured for wanting to play politics to please his political masters instead of focussing on his first duty to the people – to make Malaysians, tourists and investors safe from crime and the fear of crime.

I have just been informed that two police officers had questioned party adviser and founding DAP National Chairman Dr. Chen Man Hin for one hour and 15 minutes under Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code in connection with irresponsible and baseless allegations that the term “Malaysian Spring” which had been used by Dr. Chen in a private email last year was in connection with a conspiracy for violent and illegal overthrow of the elected government.

This is sheer nonsense and a pure waste of police resources, manpower and time when there are more important things for the police to do, as keeping Malaysians free from crime.

Two days ago the sister of the Deputy Prime Minister was victim of a house break-in in Petaling Jaya while the sister of the Inspector-General of Police was another victim of house break-in in Mantin. Continue reading “New IGP Khalid Abu Bakar should be censured for wanting to play politics to please his political masters instead of focussing on his first duty – to make Malaysians, tourists and investors safe from crime and the fear of crime”

— Yang Razali Kassim
The Malaysian Insider
May 20, 2013

MAY 20 — On the 44th anniversary of the May 13, 1969, racial riots that gave birth to it, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) displayed signs of being in existential angst.

Though it won the 13th general election on May 5 by securing the most parliamentary seats, BN lost the popular vote and failed to wrest back its two-thirds parliamentary majority in the face of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) strong showing.

While BN was relieved to have been returned to power, the results were a body blow that sent it into deep introspection. A significant upshot has been a proposal to transform itself from the current model of a coalition of communal parties into a single, merged multi-racial entity.

Significantly, too, this idea came from no less than the secretary-general of Umno, the party that is the lynchpin of BN and the epitome of Malaysia’s communal politics. Given his key position, Datuk Tengku Adnan Mansor could well be reflecting an internal debate now spilling into the open.

Other Umno leaders who have begun to publicly float such “radical” views in the wake of the 2013 general election (GE13) are Datuk Nazri Aziz and Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, both members of the Umno supreme council and the previous Cabinet. While Tengku Adnan and Nazri successfully defended their parliamentary seats, Saifuddin lost his despite being known for his reformist views. Continue reading “The de-racialisation of Barisan Nasional?”

— Jamil Maidan Flores
The Malaysian Insider
May 20, 2013

MAY 20 — After the 13th general election in Malaysia recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak grumbled about a “Chinese tsunami” that barged against his Barisan Nasional coalition, leaving it with only 47 per cent of the popular vote. Barisan Nasional has a Chinese component, the MCA, but the Chinese vote went heavily to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat, a three-party coalition led by former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Still, thanks to the gerrymandering of rural constituencies and to the huge perks of incumbency, Barisan Nasional won 133 of 222 parliamentary seats at stake and retained power. Najib remains prime minister.

So why is he grousing about a Chinese tsunami? I think it’s because he has felt a tectonic shift — in this case a tectonic shift in the political mood of Malaysia. It well may be that Malaysian politics will never be the same again. That doesn’t bode well for the Barisan Nasional, or for Najib himself.

Perhaps it’s a comeuppance. There were numerous reports of shenanigans attributed to the ruling coalition. Of flying voters. Of immigrants in Sabah who were given identity cards on condition they would vote for the ruling coalition. Of padded voters’ lists. Of people long dead who were able to vote. Of the Barisan Nasional campaign doling out a total of US$2.5 billion (RM7.5 billion) to poor voters, and resorting to other forms of subsidy schemes.

If these reports are true, and the evidence is piling up that they’re accurate, then there’s nothing that the local politicians of the Philippines, past masters of election fraud, can teach their Malaysian counterparts. However, to the credit of the Malaysian politicos, although there were some accounts of violence, there wasn’t a single shooting throughout the campaign. Continue reading “A tectonic shift”

BY CLARA CHOOI
The Malaysian Insider
May 21, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — Bersih 2.0’s “People’s Tribunal” may not have any legal standing but will serve as a “moral force” to publicly expose electoral fraud, said Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan when defending the polls watchdog’s final attempt at proving wrongdoing in the May 5 polls.

The renowned civil rights activist told The Malaysian Insider that Bersih 2.0 will soldier on with its plan to set up the tribunal which, she said, should be announced in two or three weeks’ time, despite earning condemnation from polls regulator Election Commission (EC).

“It is true that it is not set up under any law or statute. That is why it is called the People’s Tribunal,” she said.

“It will be an evidence-gathering tribunal and what we have is the moral force to prove what we have said before about fraud. That is its main aim — to gather evidence,” she added. Continue reading “Ambiga: Bersih’s ‘People’s Tribunal’ a ‘moral force’ to expose electoral fraud”

Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
May 20, 2013

When Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – the new home minister – told disgruntled opposition supporters that they should migrate if they were unhappy with the results of GE13, he had unwittingly confessed that Umno Baru has a hidden agenda.

This little-known plan is Umno Baru’s mass immigration policy and is a deliberate ploy fuelled by political self-interests. Asking people to emigrate will ensure that Malaysia is populated largely by Umno Baru-putras and selected foreigners.

Zahid reluctantly acknowledged that the rakyat was disappointed with the rigging of the polls, but at the same time, he revealed the fears of Umno Baru leaders. The cheating did not go as smoothly and secretly as they had intended.

Zahid possesses neither charisma nor intellect. His oft repeated line is for people to shape up or ship out. With each new political appointment, he stuns us with his ability to set new standards for boorish behaviour.

In 2008, he was appointed a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with a portfolio which included religious affairs and agencies like the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim). He caused controversy when he warned officers that they had to support the government’s policies, or leave.

When Abdullah resigned and Najib Abdul Razak took over in 2009, Zahid was made the defence minister. He invited criticism when he said that the low percentage of non-Malays in the armed forces showed that they lacked patriotism. Continue reading “Umno Baru’s hidden agenda”

by Aerie Rahman
The Malaysian Insider
MAY 20, 2013

Move aside Khairy Jamaluddin and Saifuddin Abdullah — we have a new poster boy for change within the Barisan National power structure. Not used to flamboyance and only recently baring the fangs of radicalism, Zahid Hamidi has sparked a debate on a new form of politics: migratory politics.

With his decree demanding that those who are unhappy with the current political system migrate to republican states, this man is a maverick. He is braving the tide by countering Najib Razak’s efforts to stem the pernicious brain drain beleaguering this nation. We need more mavericks within BN! Not mere “yes men” whose servitude are repulsive, but men with independent minds. Zahid fits the bill. This is a man to watch, Malaysia! Continue reading “The brilliance of Zahid Hamidi”

― Ahmad Mustapha Hassan
The Malaysian Insider
May 20, 2013

MAY 20 ― The general election has come but not gone. I wrote on March 15 that the 13th GE would be the most undemocratic and the dirtiest elections Malaysia would ever experience. I was not wrong at all.

Umno/BN used underhanded tactics to gain power and it was never the tsunami as uttered by the PM, who not only could not regain Selangor but also failed to obtain the two-thirds majority in Parliament that he had promised. It is a disgrace and the choice for any honourable leader is to resign. But he willingly got himself reappointed as the prime minister.

The number of seats won also dwindled and the worst part was to lose the popular vote. This is a shame beyond redemption.

And then he also had the audacity to blame the Chinese for the loss. This was most unpardonable. The shift away from Umno/BN was multi-ethnic in nature and furthermore, the young voters had lost confidence in this party that has held power for more than 50 years. The Umno/BN rule was mired in corruption, cronyism and maladministration.

To win in fair and democratic elections would have been most honourable. But to win using unfair means was most deplorable. Continue reading “GE 13 and the emergence of the enlightened Malays”

— Sumanto Al Qurtuby
The Malaysian Insider
May 20, 2013

MAY 20 — I paused my work upon hearing the gloomy news of the death of Asghar Ali Engineer, one of the world’s greatest scholars of Islam, last Tuesday, after a prolonged illness.

Born in 1939 in the town of Salumbar in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, Engineer was a prolific writer who authored more than 50 books, many of which have been translated into many languages — including Indonesian — and he wrote innumerable book chapters, journal articles and columns.

But there is more. Engineer was also a daring peace activist who had been at the vanguard of civil society movements against religious tyranny and radicalism. Also, he was a truly passionate liberal Muslim thinker whose ideas on Islamic theology of liberation, secular democracy, Islamic ethics of social justice, women’s rights, religious tolerance and pluralism, non-violence, peace building, communalism and secularism have shaped many scholars and activists around the globe.

Since Engineer’s writings cover broad issues and themes, it’s difficult to decide which aspects of his work are the most important. As the scientist Ram Puniyani has aptly pointed out, “there is a deeper integration in deferent facets of the work [Engineer’s].” Continue reading “Ashgar Ali Engineer: A life for peace”

New Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi asked today “what is there to fear” and said he is ready to face a censure motion in Parliament against him over his statement in Utusan Malaysia urging those who are not happy with the current electoral system to “migrate elsewhere”.

Is Zahid really not afraid of the censure motion against him?

If so, I challenge Zahid to get the agreement of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak for one full day to be reserved in the first week of the new 13th Parliament for a full debate on the censure motion against him and to announce this decision at the end of the first new Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

I do not expect any such announcement as it is not only Zahid who is afraid of the censure motion against him, Najib and all the other Cabinet Ministers are also worried and mortally afraid of the censure motion against Zahid.

This is because if there is a division and a full vote taken on the censure motion against Zahid, I will not be surprised if several of the 133 Barisan Nasional MPs would absent themselves from the division to dissociate and repudiate Zahid’s call on Malaysians who vote against BN in the 13GE and not happy with the current electoral system to “migrate elsewhere”. Continue reading “Zahid not afraid of censure motion against him? Then get PM’s agreement for one full day reserved in first week of new 13th Parliament to debate censure motion against him!”

by Allan CF Goh

The 13th General Elections results on May 5, 2013 have caused double disappointments, as both the contending coalitions, the Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional, have different reasons to be upset by them.

Pakatan Rakyat supporters are rightly outraged that the victory due to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat, as testified by the 51% popular vote for Pakatan Rakyat as compared to 47% popular vote for Barisan Nasional, have been snatched away from them because of the dirtiest general elections in the nation’s history.

Barisan Nasional leaders and strategists on the other hand are exasperated that their triple strategies of “Money Money Money”, “Lies Lies Lies” and “Fear Fear Fear” had failed to achieve their intended results, viz recapture of two-thirds parliamentary majority and regaining the state government in Selangor.

But what is of great concern to all thinking, rational and patriotic Malaysians is the unprecedented racist nastiness which have been allowed to surface and gain momentum in the two weeks after the 13th General Election results – initiated of all persons by Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself when he dismissed the 13GE results as a “Chinese tsunami” when it was a Malaysian and urban tsunami.
Continue reading “Najib should show immediate leadership to end the unprecedented racist nastiness arising from poor Umno/BN performance in 13GE or he would have reneged from his promise to be Prime Minister for all Malaysians”

P Gunasegaram
Malaysiakini
May 17, 2013

QUESTION TIME By now the cabinet has been appointed and while there are fresh faces, no one I have spoken to expects any drastic changes from the norm especially as Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is bound to face pressure from Umno delegates at the forthcoming Umno general assembly.

We seem to be going from one election to another and delaying much needed change accordingly. And as everyone knows by now, Umno delegates don’t at all represent the common voice of the Malays but posture to make it appear as if they do.

Thus it was that when Abdullah Ahmad Badawi got a massive mandate from the people in the 2004 elections, obtaining over 90 percent of parliamentary seats, he refrained from taking measures he promised because his advisers told him there will be a backlash from Umno delegates.

Ah, well, history repeats itself, especially when you don’t learn from it, and one can expect the pressures from within Umno to stop any push towards major change which will benefit the country as a whole without descending into the morass of race, religion and language.

For Pakatan Rakyat, very much still in opposition, the fight continues in earnest. But if it wants to wrest Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional, there are a number of things it has to do and its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim will have to bear these in mind.

Pakatan would have made much more headway in the elections just past if they had focused on even half of this. But no matter, there is always still time and it is necessary to build on the gains if Malaysians are to see the two-party system emerge.

To my mind, a two-party system emerges only when there has been at least one change of power. That has not happened yet and here is our list of 10 things that Anwar must do if he wants a fair chance of Pakatan forming the next government. Continue reading “10 things Anwar must do”

― Zaid Ibrahim
The Malaysian Insider
May 19, 2013

MAY 19 ― We know that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had little say in the naming of the new Cabinet. This wasn’t because he didn’t try. Indeed, he was rebuffed by the prime minister who suddenly felt strong and energised by his so-called new mandate after the election.

Barisan Nasional (BN) likened Datuk Seri Najib Razak to a rock star, and put posters of him in all constituencies during the campaign period as if he were the most popular politician to ever grace this country. Now he is continuing on the same path with his list of new ministers.

It matters little what Umno or the Barisan Nasional (BN) think because it’s a list who will keep him at the helm for the next five years.

This is why I think Dr Mahathir has lost his influence, or at least the will to fight back. He must be disappointed with this turn of events, for, in his 22 years in power, he never once dispensed with Umno or BN during a general election as if they didn’t matter.

He never traded on his personal popularity or put up posters of himself as Najib has gleefully done. To Dr Mahathir, it was always about Umno and the Barisan, and not the personality of individual leaders.

Dr Mahathir, despite being the hard man that he was, would never abandon the component parties. He was always loyal to his allies even if he knew some of them to be corrupt or were no longer useful to the coalition. Friendships mattered to Dr Mahathir. He did not use people and then forget them later.

It must be painful for him to see Najib embracing people like Datuk Paul Low and P. Waythamoorthy, whom Najib met just three weeks before election, practically abandoning the MCA and MIC who have been steadfastly loyal for over 55 years. This is not the Alliance or the Barisan spirit. This is a massive ego trip on a temporary high. Continue reading “Whither Dr M?”

― Kunjuraman Karuppan
The Malaysian Insider
May 19, 2013

MAY 19 ― The focus on Transparency International-Malaysia chief Datuk Paul Low’s appointment as a minister in the Najib Cabinet can only mean one thing ― that everyone is depending on him to ramp up the fight against corruption.

That includes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who picked Low to do the job despite a beefed-up Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the creation of corruption courts.

And this is where Low should know better than to say he is depending on the prime minister’s stature to enable him to fight corruption.

The truth is, Najib is depending on Low’s stature to show that his administration is serious about fighting corruption.

If that wasn’t the case, the prime minister would have chose Tunku Abdul Aziz, perhaps, to do the job. But the former TI-M chief seems more interested in riling up the DAP than leading the fight against graft. Continue reading “The low-down on fighting graft”