Day: May 29, 2014

(Media Statement in Teluk Intan on Thursday, May 29, 2014)

The 10-day Teluk Intan by-election campaign since Nomination Day on May 19 has produced many firsts in the history of by-elections in Malaysia – like the most sexist attacks, most political bloopers including blatant political gangsterism against a woman candidate, most lies and calumnies and the most number of UMNO Ministers and deputy Ministers to appear at a by-election not contested by an UMNO candidate.

The baseless, vicious and slanderous attacks on the DAP/PR candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud were just gross and simply unimaginable, highlighting the total lack of chilvary of male political leaders in UMNO/BN but also the pettiness of women UMNO/BN political leaders who also indulged in such personal attacks on Dyana, and the failure and cowardice of all women UMNO/BN politicians who dare not raise a single protest against such sexist attacks on Dyana.

From the dastardly posting of fake swim-suit photogragh of Dyana (actually of Filipino actress Pauleen Luna) first on social media and then distributed in the Malay kampongs including a mosque in the constituency; the “lip-stick” fantasy of UMNO Housing Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan; the puerile attacks by the Home Minister, Datuk Zahid Hamidi; the boast by the Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan that his wife or the wife of Deputy Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman would win in a beauty contest against Dyana; Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s obsession with Dyana’s different clothes; the UMNO/BN leadership have been stripped completely naked as belonging to a shockingly low-class political genre.

Neither the UMNO/BN leadership nor the BN candidate for Teluk Intan, Datuk Mah Siew Keong, wanted to engage Dyana in a debate on the national political issues highlighted in her manifesto, as they only wanted to unleash a systematic and unethical campaign of character assassination and personal attacks to break her political will and fighting spirit, hoping that she will fly the “white flag” of surrender even before polling day of May 31. Continue reading “Teluk Intan by-election has created many firsts – most sexist attacks, most bloopers, most lies and calumnies and most number of UMNO Ministers and Deputy Ministers to appear for a candidate who is not from UMNO”

MAY 29, 2014 | TMI

Almost three months after flight MH370 went missing, there is still no sign of what happened to the plane which was carrying 239 people on a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

When ping signals were detected in the Indian Ocean in April, hopes rose that they were emanating from the aircraft’s black box flight recorders, and the search intensified in their vicinity.

Yet a sophisticated mini-sub searching the ocean floor near the sounds has found no sign of the plane and some experts now believe they did not come from the jet.

Here are answers to some key questions:

Q: Are the ‘pings’ from MH370?

A: It cannot be ruled out, but international consensus is now that the series of acoustic transmissions at the heart of the Indian Ocean search did not come from MH370’s black box, according to a senior US Navy official. Continue reading “Answers to key questions on the MH370 mystery”

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 29th May 2014)

Three reports today on the missing MH 370 Boeing 777, entering into its 82nd today, have completely shot into smithereens the authority and credibility of the Malaysian government, which have never fallen to such a low depth internationally in our nation’s 57-year history.

The three reports today are:

1. CNN report entitled “Four pings no longer believed from MH370’s black box, says US official”;

2. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) write-up that the raw satellite data and other documents released by Malaysian and Australian authorities in a 45-page official report on MH 370 lacks details on explaining where the plane could have gone down.

3. The statement today by the Australian authorities whose retired Australian air marshal Angus Houston heads the Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre (JACC) responsible for the largest and longest multi-national air, sea and sub-sea search for MH 370, declaring they are ending the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean as they have come to the conclusion after deepsea hunts using a drone submersible have not been able to detect any trace of aircraft debris in more than 850 square kilometres of the ocean floor in the area. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has accordingly advised that the search in the vicinity of the acoustic detections can now be considered complete and in its professional judgment, the area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH 370.

These three reports are at odds with the announcement by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, at a sudden 10 pm media conference on March 24 that MH 370 “ended its journey” in the southern Indian Ocean, an announcement which I had described in Parliament the next day as an attempt to bring about “a closure without closure” to the families and relatives of the 239 passengers and crew members – as not a single piece of wreckage or debris had been found, which continued to be the case for the next 66 days. Continue reading “Credibility of Malaysian government at stake if Najib does not present White Paper on MH370 disaster followed by full-scale parliamentary debate on June 9”

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 29th May 2014)

I have no doubt that my old friend, Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik would have voted for Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud as Member of Parliament for Teluk Intan if he is a voter in the Teluk Intan by-election on Saturday, May 31, as there are no signs that the present UMNO/Barisan Nastional (BN) have the political will either for reform or to launch an all-out war against corruption, cronyism and abuses of power to win over the young generation of Malaysians.

Sabbaruddin has just been sacked as Bank Rakyat Chairman by the Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism Datuk Seri Hasan Malek because Sabbarruddin and the bank’s board of directors refused to comply with the Minister’s directive to approve the settlement of a RM32 million loan without calculation of any interest, but on a 120 post-dated cheques to be cashed in by the bank over a 10-year period.

Today, Sabbaruddin warned that Barisan will lose Putrajaya in the 14th general election (GE14) if young voters remain unimpressed with the coalition and its handling of issues such as corruption and transparency.

He said the younger generation was no longer stupid, and Umno and BN were in for an unprecedented nightmare should Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his administration carry on without any meaningful reforms. Continue reading “Former UMNO Minister and just sacked Bank Rakyat chairman Sabbaruddin Chik would have voted for Dyana Sofya if he is a voter in Teluk Intan as there are no signs that Umno/BN have the political will either for reform or to launch an all-out war against corruption and abuses of power and win over young Malaysians”

YourSay
Malaysiakini
May 29, 2014

YOURSAY ‘Gerakan, don’t push your luck too far. It may backfire on you.’

Gerakan calls Dyana ‘liar’ on Perkasa issue

Basically: You are running for election, Mah Siew Keong, so whatever BN does in your campaign is your business. Unless you are saying you are not in charge. Which is evident, and we have always known that.

And that means even if you do get elected and is given a ministership, you will still not be in charge. That would be simply a waste of the Teluk Intan seat.

As for Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, if she wanted to measure up to Mah’s ‘experience’ and worth, she’ll need to add some ‘longkangs’ and buildings into her manifesto.

I guess she’s too new and naive to think cost of living and good governance matters to voters. Continue reading “Liar – Gerakan pot calling DAP kettle black”

Iskandar Dzulkarnain | May 29, 2014
Free Malaysia Today

In this satirical piece, the writer nails home some home truths in a humourous way.

COMMENT

Dyana SofyaThe antics of Umno Youth who seemed to act like organised thugs in the storming of the Penang State Assembly should not be blamed on Umno and BN for no apparent reason.

Neither should they be blamed for the manifestation of unmitigated gangsterism, racism, hooliganism, foul language, threats, destruction of property, the baying for blood, sexism, fake photographs, rowdiness and mob violence by motorbike gangs plaguing the current Teluk Intan by-election campaign.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has issued a statement that BN does not condone violence or sabotage. Umno is very neutral since it not contesting any seats and therefore have no reason whatsoever to cause any ruckus. More likely the outbreak of violence should be attributed to Independents or sympathetic BN supporters.

Unlike DAP who wants to conquer every seat, Umno is more ‘inclusive’ to allow other coalition parties and even Independents a fighting chance to contest.
Is it a wonder why more and more NGO’s, Independents and other mosquito parties are starting to support BN? Continue reading “Beware of Princess Dyana”

The Malay Mail Online
MAY 29, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Raw satellite data and other documents released by Malaysian and Australian authorities failed to explain key assumptions investigators used to establish search zones in the Indian Ocean for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The report comes as a US Navy official said on CNN that the four acoustic pings at the centre of the search for the missing plane which disappeared on March 8, are no longer believed to be from the aircraft’s black boxes.

“We do not understand the report. We need an expert to explain it to us,” said Sahril Shaari, a cousin of Muhammad Razahan Zamani, who was on the flight, told the Wall Street Journal.

Released earlier this week, the 45 pages of satellite data were provided to the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) by satellite firm Inmarsat.

The WSJ report pointed out that there were some glaring omissions. Continue reading “WSJ: MH370 report lacks details in explaining where plane could have gone down”

Aerie Rahman
The Malay Mail Online
MAY 29, 2014

MAY 29 — It seems that nothing can stop Dyana Sofya’s meteoric rise. The cynic could cast aspersions that she is merely a DAP token. After all, the DAP is a predominantly Chinese party which has been trying to shake off this description.

The DAP needs to widen its support base in order to hold real power and not rely on the atavistic PAS or the fractious PKR. Dyana is Malay, young and from the affirmative action university, UiTM. It all fits the bill for the cosmetic change that DAP appears to desire.

But look deeper and one can see that Dyana’s story is something that most post-NEP Malaysians can relate to and identify with. And that makes her worth more tokens than one can spend at Genting. Continue reading “Malaysia is ready for Dyana”

— Bob Teoh
The Malay Mail Online
MAY 29, 2014

MAY 29 — In many ways the Teluk Intan by-election is a dry run for the next general elections due as early as three years from now or even sooner. The tipping point probably depends on how well social media is used to engage the electorate. This will re-define politics where the electoral demographics is shifting to a more youthful and social media savvy profile.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of the non-fiction best seller “Tipping point – How little things can make a big difference (2000),” points out that one dramatic moment when everything can change all at once is called the Tipping Point. His says there are three characteristics for this to happen, one, contagiousness; two, the fact that little causes can have big effects; and three, that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment.

Social media featured prominently in the 2008 general elections (GE12). There was no tipping point to bring about a regime change. But the ruling coalition lost its crucial two-third majority in parliament that has allowed it to amend the constitution at will since independence. Barisan Nasional (BN) also lost five states out of 13 -Penang, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan. It eventually recovered Perak under questionable circumstances. Nonetheless, BN’s loss was unprecedented and the cutting edge was undoubtedly the social media campaign engaged by both the opposition coalition and civil society groups that were seeking a regime change.

Its popular vote was reduced to such a level that the then incumbent Prime Minister Pak Lah was forced put of office rather ungracefully by factional infighting within Umno, the dominant party in the coalition. In came the new Prime Minister Najib Razak only with a party mandate.

Najib had declared that GE13 would be the country’s first “social media elections.” Barisan Nasional lost the popular vote but managed to win 133 or 60 percent of the parliamentary seats under a highly skewed electoral system. Continue reading “Social media driving Teluk Intan polls”

Ahmad Fadli KC
Malaysiakini
May 28, 2014

TELUK INTAN With the clock ticking down for polling day on Saturday, it was supposed to be a feather in BN’s cap: scores of DAP members would cross over to the ruling coalition.

Or so the media was told.

But what transpired in Teluk Intan late last night was something different from the script.

And some DAP members were bewildered when they found out the real reason behind the event.

One such person was 46-year-old taxi driver S Shantini.

Not being informed about the purpose of the event, Shantini was shocked when it was announced that she was one of 150 former DAP members who now support BN. Continue reading “Bizarre twists at DAP members joining BN bash”

YourSay
Malaysiakini
May 29, 2014

YOURSAY ‘Is there anything wrong with different posters of Dyana?’

Mukhriz puzzled by Dyana’s many looks

Fair Play: Truthfully, I didn’t even know how many “faces” DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud has until Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir pointed it out.

But then, I am not him and never paid much attention to her ‘looks’ but only see her as a right-thinking Malaysian who could make a difference for our children’s future.

Multi Racial: I totally agree with Mukhriz. We have to vote leaders who are consistent and who do not speak different things to different audiences, like many BN leaders, particularly our PM and deputy PM.

So far I cannot see any inconsistency in Dyana. Her photos with different dressing and different images are fine. Nothing wrong with her to have different posters, some dressed in modern garb and some wearing a headscarf. At least, it represents her real personality. Continue reading “Teluk Intan is all about character assassination”

The Malaysian Insider
May 29, 2014

Four acoustic transmissions that have been the focus of the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 are no longer believed to have come from the plane’s black box, a US official said today.

The US Navy’s deputy director of ocean engineering Michael Dean told CNN there was now broad agreement that they came from some other man-made source unrelated to the jet that disappeared on March 8 carrying 239 people.

Speaking to CNN, Dean said that if the pings had come from the recorders, searchers would have found them. Continue reading “Four pings no longer believed to be from MH370’s black box, says US official”

by Md Izwan
The Malaysian Insider
May 29, 2014

Barisan Nasional (BN) will lose Putrajaya in the 14th general election (GE14) if young voters remain unimpressed with the coalition and its handling of issues such as corruption and transparency, warns former Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik.

He said the younger generation was no longer stupid, and Umno and BN were in for an unprecedented nightmare should Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his administration carry on without any meaningful reforms.

“In the next general election, I am worried that if we do nothing, we will face bigger problems… most of the Generation Y are not with us,” Sabbaruddin told The Malaysian Insider.

The Election Commission (EC) said in 2013 that 70% of the estimated 4.2 million unregistered voters were between the ages of 21 and 40. Some 450,000 Malaysians turn 21 each year, the eligible voting age in the country.

Sabbaruddin did not rule out the possibility that BN would lose half the seats it managed to cling to in last year’s general election, which already saw the ruling coalition lose the popular vote in its worst polls showing in history. Continue reading “GE14 lost if Barisan still fails to impress young voters, warns Sabbaruddin Chik”

by Muzliza Mustafa
The Malaysian Insider
May 28, 2014

The families of MH370 passengers have reacted with scepticism to raw tracking data released by the global satellite company Inmarsat yesterday on the missing jetliner, saying the fact that the data was not in its original format has raised suspicions that it may have been edited and manipulated.

Lokman Mustafa, whose sister was on board the plane, said although he appreciated Inmarsat’s move to publish the data, he could not help wondering why the British satellite company decided to publish it with an explanation and analysis instead of raw computer pages.

“The satellite company has extracted crucial lines from the logs and published it with an explanation and analysis. In addition, they have not published the raw computer pages and this raises the question ‘why not?’ Continue reading “Families frustrated over delayed MH370 tracking data, question its authenticity”

— Lim Guan Eng
The Malay Mail Online
May 28, 2014

MAY 28 — BN and UMNO conducts the Teluk Intan by-election in the same manner they run the country, by appealing to your worst fears and ugliness with lies, curses and hate. By trying to smear the character of our young lady candidate Dyana Syofa and even her mother, BN and UMNO have lost the mandate to rule and right to represent the people of Teluk Intan.

BN knows only how to preach hate because this is the only justification for their corruption and abuse of power. BN knows only how to appeal to your fears to cover up their mismanagement of the economy leading to the Barang Naik problems of price hikes in petrol, sugar, electricity and even motor insurance premiums as well as Goods and Services Tax(GST).

Instead of 1 Malaysia, it is 1 MDB where tens of billions ringgit of our money are put at risk in investments to benefit cronies. Instead of dealing with the sufferings caused by price rises, Malaysians are told to eat kangkong. Instead of incomes not rising, more foreign workers are brought in. Instead of defending Malaysians, Tenaga Nasional Bhd is promoted with tariff hikes to increase their profits and share prices.

We can overcome your problems if we win Putrajaya. We have shown what we can do in Penang and we can do better nationally. Just as we have done in Penang, we can help senior citizens, single mothers, university students, the disabled, non-working mothers, taxi drivers, fishermen, shortage of dialysis treatment and fix our schools to improve their educational standards. Continue reading “Protecting your hopes, securing our future”