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With formation of Parti Amanah Negara and Pakatan Harapan, Malaysians can now hope again for political change in next general election after the roller-coaster ride of high hopes and virtual despair in the two years since the 13th GE

Malaysians can now hope again for political change in next general election after the roller-coaster ride of high hopes and virtual despair in the two years since the 13th GE in May 2013.

The 13GE in May 2013 was the highest water-mark of hopes of Malaysians for political change and the end of UMNO rule since Merdeka in 1957 and the beginning of a new Pakatan Rakyat Federal Government with a new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Although Pakatan Rakyat comprising DAP, PKR and PAS won the majority of 53% of the popular votes, Najib continued as the first minority Prime Minister when the UMNO/BN coalition won 60 per cent of the parliamentary seats with only 47% of the popular votes.

The two years after the nation-wide disappointment at missing the opportunity for political change in Putrajaya on 13GE Polling Day on 5th May 3013 because of gerrymandering and unfair, unjust and undemocratic redelineation of parliamentary constituencies can be likened to a roller-coaster ride by Malaysians of high hopes for political change and virtual despair that such political change is possible because of an increasingly divided Pakatan Rakyat.

After the 13 general election, Pakatan Rakyat existed only in name – as PAS decided to renege on its commitment to adhere to the Pakatan Rakyat Common Policy Framework as well as the Pakatan Rakyat operational principle of consensus.

In retrospect, if Pakatan Rakyat had captured the majority of the parliamentary seats and the mandate to form the Federal Government in Putrajaya in the 13th General Election, Pakatan Rakyat would have been confronted with it first crisis even before the Pakatan Rakyat Federal Government was formed, as the PAS President had refused to accept Anwar Ibrahim as the Prime Minister candidate.

With the history of the PAS President refusing not only to accept Anwar as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, but also the PKR President Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the Mentri Besar of Selangor, as well as his decision to renege from th PR Common Policy Framework particularly on the hudud and local government election issues, what is the basis to hope that there could be a revival of Pakatan Rakyat co-operation and unity? Continue reading “With formation of Parti Amanah Negara and Pakatan Harapan, Malaysians can now hope again for political change in next general election after the roller-coaster ride of high hopes and virtual despair in the two years since the 13th GE”

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The meaning of Nancy Shukri’s answer on 1MDB probe is that there will be no outcome on 1MDB investigations so long as Najib is the Prime Minister of Malaysia

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri has given a very convoluted reply to the parliamentary question on the progress of the Special Task Force to investigate into the 1MDB.

Saying that the Special Task Force is still investigating the 1MDB, Nancy said there is no time frame set for the investigations as there are many witnesses and documents to obtain, some of which are overseas.

She said the probe will be completed after the statements of all witnesses are recorded and all related documents obtained.

Once it is done, the report will be tabled to Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali for further action.

Does any MP or anyone for that matter really understand what Nancy is actually trying to say in her convoluted reply?

The long and short of Nancy’s convoluted reply is that there will be no outcome on the 1MDB probe, so long as Najib is the Prime Minister of Malaysia – and make no mistake, this applies to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as well, which explains the three-month derailment of continued PAC investigation into 1MDB in August, my six-month suspension from Parliament and the new PAC Chairman, Datuk Hasan Arifin’s disarmingly frank admission that he had to “cari makan” when asked why Najib was not called as a star witness in the PAC probe into 1MDB. Continue reading “The meaning of Nancy Shukri’s answer on 1MDB probe is that there will be no outcome on 1MDB investigations so long as Najib is the Prime Minister of Malaysia”

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Despatching UMNO to Opposition benches in 14GE will be doing both UMNO and nation a great favour as it will not only promote healthy growth and development of democracy in Malaysia but will give UMNO the chance for reform and regeneration

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Malaysia last week, in the company of other ASEAN, Asian and Pacific leaders like President Xi Jingping of China, President Barack Obama of the United States, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia for the ASEAN and Post-ASEAN Summits.

Modi is the fifth Prime Minister of India resulting from a change of government through the ballot box in a general election.

The first time India had a change of government through the ballot box was in the sixth Indian general election in 1977 when the Indian Congress which had ruled India for 30 years was voted out of office, replaced by an Opposition coalition headed by Morarji Desai of Janata party.

Indian Congress under Indira Gandhi won back federal power in the seventh Indian general election in 1980 but BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leading an Opposition coalition captured New Delhi in the 11th to 13th Indian General Elections from 1996 – 1999.

Indian Congress leading a coalition of parties won back the Indian Federal Government in the 14th and 15th General Elections in 2004 and 2008 under Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister.

The last change of government through the ballot box was in the 16th Indian General Election in 2014 with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.

This means that in 63 years in sixteen General Elections, there had been five changes of government between the Indian Congress and Opposition coalitions.

In comparison, Malaysia has held 13 General Elections in 56 years but there has not been a single change of Federal Government in Putrajaya form the UMNO-led coalition, which makes Malaysian democracy as a most abnormal one. Continue reading “Despatching UMNO to Opposition benches in 14GE will be doing both UMNO and nation a great favour as it will not only promote healthy growth and development of democracy in Malaysia but will give UMNO the chance for reform and regeneration”

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Najib’s political headache

Arnold Puyok, UNIMAS
East Asia Forum
26 November 2015

These are tiring times for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Najib has so far managed to stay in power despite the flurry of attacks on his leadership. Political debacles have almost cost Najib his prime ministership and the popularity of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN). Facing the prospect of losing the people’s mandate in the 2018 general election, Najib is racing against time to regain public confidence.

Earlier in 2015, an expose revealed a controversial 2.6 billion ringgit (US$700 million) ‘donation’ into Najib’s personal account. This was initially attributed to Najib siphoning funds from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysia’s state-owned development company. Najib appeared on television to answer questions from critics and gave point-by-point rebuttals to the 1MDB controversy.

But these have failed to assuage public dissatisfaction. Some critics still believe that Najib siphoned public funds from the 1MDB — even though that allegation has not been proven in court or by independent audit firms. Najib is now left with the CEO of the 1MDB Arul Kanda to address the misconception toward the 1MDB and to implement a rationalisation plan in order to reduce its debt. Continue reading “Najib’s political headache”

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The Rapid Rejection of Post-UMNO Datuk Onn

M. Bakri Musa
www.bakrimusa.com
30th November 2015

Datuk Onn was a brilliant strategist and farsighted leader. Indeed he was so far ahead that he left his simple village followers behind.

In 1951, just five years after he established and led UMNO, he quit the presidency of his young struggling party and left in a huff. The issue was over admitting non-Malays into UMNO. On the surface this would seem to be a liberal move to engage non-Malays in the political process and to make the party race-blind. Indeed many contemporary commentators are effusive in their praise of the man for his supposed foresight in thinking beyond communal lines and racial identity.

I have a different take; I see his move as the earliest expression of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Hegemony). Onn saw his move as a means to establish Malay control on the political process by co-opting non-Malays, in particular the Chinese, into his Malay party. The reason was obvious. A year or two earlier the Chinese community under the leadership of the staunchly anti-communist Tan Cheng Lock had formed the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA). To Onn, it would be much easier to “control” the Chinese politically if they were to be co-opted within UMNO than if they were to have their own separate party. Onn feared that the newly-formed MCA would not only be a formidable power but also be on par with UMNO in the anticipated negotiations for independence. Continue reading “The Rapid Rejection of Post-UMNO Datuk Onn”

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Pakatan has failed?

— Steven Sim
Malay Mail Online
Friday November 27, 2015

NOVEMBER 27 — My dear friends,

Forget which Pakatan for now. But let’s talk about the opposition and our coalition for all its worth.

I always say that I see the world in many shades — and really that makes me unsuited for politics. It is much easier to present a monochrome world, an either-or proposition, a yes-or-no question. Simply because these are… simpler.

So that I look at social media today, many people are whacking Pakatan for failing, I feel that there are more shades to the situation than the ones presented. Continue reading “Pakatan has failed?”

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Nurul Izzah’s fate is sealed when Najib spoke in Pekan to condemn her action as an “offensive act”

PKR Vice President and MP for Lembah Pantai Nurul Izzah Anwar’s fate is sealed when the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak spoke in Pekan today to condemn her action as an offensive act and likened it to “a disrespect to the security forces’ struggle to defend the country, for which 10 of them were killed” in the Lahad Datuk intrusion by Sulu terrorist two years ago.

In the eye of the national and international storm over the RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals for the past few months, Najib has nothing to offer to end these two scandals which have wreaked many times more damage to Malaysia’s national and international reputation than Nurul’s visit to Manila, but Najib has been comparatively quick to pass judgment on Nurul.

I agree with PKR President and Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail that Nurul had intended no slight to Sabahans or the security personnel who perished in the Lahad Datuk intrusion, and her act could not by any stretch of imagination be categorized as consorting with the nation’s enemies or as an act of disloyalty or treachery.

Unfortunately, the incident had been overblown to serve the political interests of Najib and the UMNO/BN Government which are desperately looking for issues to distract public attention from the buckets of political and economic scandals plaguing the Najib government. Continue reading “Nurul Izzah’s fate is sealed when Najib spoke in Pekan to condemn her action as an “offensive act””

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Even MCA Ministers and leaders have forgotten the national contributions of past MCA Presidents like Tun Tan Siew Sin

MCA leaders are protesting that MCA’s contributions to nation-building like the formation of Malaysia had been sidelined in history textbooks.

MCA Deputy President and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Dr. Wee Ka Siong complained about the case in the SJKC Year Six history textbook where MCA’s contribution towards the formation of Malaysia, in particular that of late Wong Pow Nee, the first Chief Minister of Penang, was not mentioned at all despite the his contribution as a member of the Cobbold Commission which recommended positively on the establishment of Malaysia in 1963.

Page 10 and 11 of the textbook showed various Malaysian leaders like UMNO’s Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Razak, two leaders from Sabah namely Tun Fuad and Tun Mustapha and three from Sarawak, Stephen Kalong Ningkan, Temenggong Jugah and Ong Kee Hui, and even Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, as “founders” of Malaysia but no mention of any MCA leader.

There was not only no mention of Wong Pow Nee, but also omission of the MCA President Tun Tan Siew Sin.

But Wee only complained about the omission of Wong Pow Nee but not about the omission of Tan Siew Sin – which shows that the present batch of MCA leaders including those who have become Ministers have forgotten the contributions of past MCA Presidents like Tun Tan Siew Sin.

How can Wee and the MCA leaders complain that the services of past MCA leaders had been sidelined or forgotten when they themselves have sidelined or forgotten the contributions of past MCA Presidents like Tun Tan Siew Sin? Continue reading “Even MCA Ministers and leaders have forgotten the national contributions of past MCA Presidents like Tun Tan Siew Sin”

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Malaysians can now hope again for political change in next general election after the roller-coaster ride of high hopes and virtual despair in the two years since the 13th GE

Endau made history tonight, firstly, with Endau joining the national mainstream of Malaysians demanding that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak must answer the question uppermost in everyone’s mind, regardless of race, religion, region (whether urban or rural areas, whether in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah or Sarawak) or even party politics.

Secondly, the establishment of the protem committee of the new DAP branch in Endau and the strong presence of Parti Amanah Negara which is in the process of forming a branch in Endau – and I welcome in particular the four AMANAH and Pakatan Harapan stalwarts who are here tonight: Professor Madya Dr. Sulaiman Mohd Nor, representing the Johor AMANAH Chairman; IR Hj Khairudin Abdul Rahim, Johor AMANAH Secretary; Prof. Madya Hj Hamidon Musa representing Pakatan Harapan Mersing and Sdr. Fadli Ramli of Rompin Pakatan Harapan.

Mersing (with the two State Assembly seats of Endau and Tenggaroh) is the 30th Parliamentary constituency I am visiting since my outrageous suspension from Parliament on Oct. 22 to spread the word that Najib can suspend one Lim Kit Siang from Parliament for six months, but this will only seed tens and hundreds of thousands, even millions of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics, to stand up to declare that they are also Lim Kit Siang in demanding full accounting of “Mana RM2.6 billion?” and the RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals.
Continue reading “Malaysians can now hope again for political change in next general election after the roller-coaster ride of high hopes and virtual despair in the two years since the 13th GE”

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At last, despite his advanced years even Mahathir is learning the basic principle of a developed democratic system that a two-coalition system better than any one-party rule

I have been involved in Malaysian politics for 50 years since the end of November 1965 not to “cari makan” for myself, as mentioned by the new Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Datuk Hasan Arifin, but to join forces with like-minded Malaysians to achieve an united, harmonious, democratic, just and prosperous nation which can a model and showcase to the world of a successful multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-lingual nation-building.

There are three episodes which highlight the ups-and-downs and the trials and tribulations of this 50-year political struggle for democracy, justice and an united Malaysian nation.

Firstly, there was an occasion in the seventies when a powerful UMNO Minister stood up in Parliament to interrupt my speech on the political, economic, good governance and nation-building failures of the UMNO-led government and told me haughtily that if I did not like Umno/BN government policies, I could leave the country to a foreign land. Without hesitation, I immediately responded by telling this Minister that if he did not like to hear what I had said, which represented the voice of the electorate who had elected me into Parliament, he could leave the country himself! That shut him up. A lesson in democracy as well as in Malaysian nation-building. Continue reading “At last, despite his advanced years even Mahathir is learning the basic principle of a developed democratic system that a two-coalition system better than any one-party rule”

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Kulai is the 28th Parliamentary and Senai the 30th State Assembly constituency I am visiting in the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign since my six-month suspension from Parliament

I thank the people of Senai State Assembly constituency in Kulai parliamentary seat for their support this morning.

Kulai is the 28th Parliamentary and Senai the 30th State Assembly constituency I am visiting in the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign since my six-month suspension from Parliament on Oct. 22 – not because I had stolen, robbed or killed anyone, but because as elected representatives, we have the right and obligation to speak up in Parliament and the State Assemblies without fear or favour to articulate the concerns of Malaysians.

Undoubtedly today, one of the greatest concerns in everyone’s minds, even to the Malay Rulers who issued a rare joint statement on the 1MDB scandal on Oct. 6, are the two questions: where the RM2.6 billion “donation” in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak personal banking accounts came from, and where they have gone to. Continue reading “Kulai is the 28th Parliamentary and Senai the 30th State Assembly constituency I am visiting in the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign since my six-month suspension from Parliament”

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Three million UMNO members and 21,000 UMNO branches must place “Save the country” as top national agenda as the UMNO President and leadership have lost national purpose and bearings

Malaysia is in unchartered waters.

We have a minority government which won only 47% of the popular vote in the 13th General Election but 60% of the parliamentary seats, allowing Datuk Seri Najib Razak to continue as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia though a minority Prime Minister for the first time in Malaysia.

For the first time in the nation’s history, the leadership structure and institutions in the country have never been so fractured, not only in the public services as in the civil service and the major agencies like the Police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara, the Attorney-General’s Chambers but also in UMNO and Barisan Nasional ruling coalition.

Never before in the nation’s history, as the country been plagued by so many national crisis at the same time – political, economic, good governance and nation-building.

Never before has the country been inundated by such twin mega scandals – the RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM50 billion 1MDB – which have become the subject of investigations by at least seven foreign countries, viz. United Kingdom, Switzerland, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States. Continue reading “Three million UMNO members and 21,000 UMNO branches must place “Save the country” as top national agenda as the UMNO President and leadership have lost national purpose and bearings”

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As IGP and AG have rubbished Charles Morais’ statutory declaration, an independent international inquiry into killing of Kevin Morais provides a golden opportunity to clear Malaysian government’s good name and integrity which have been dragged into the mud by recent scandals

As the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and the new Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali have rubbished the shocking revelations in the statutory declaration by Charles Morais in connection with the murder of his brother and Deputy Public Prosecutor Kevin Morais, a golden opportunity opens up to clear the Malaysian government’s good name and integrity which had been dragged into the mud by recent scandals.

If there is no basis whatsoever to the shocking allegations in Charles’ statutory declaration in connection with the equally shocking murder of Kevin, an independent international inquiry into the killing of Kevin would clear and go a long way to rehabilitate Malaysia’s good name and integrity, especially in the important areas of law enforcement and the upholding of the rule of law.

It is trite to say that Malaysians have lost confidence and trust in the credibility and even legitimacy of any local investigations into “high profile” cases – whether involving the police and the Inspector-General of Police, the new Attorney-General (bearing in mind the circumstances of his sudden appointment on 24-hour notice job-switch from a Federal Court judgeship and the sacking of the Tan Sri Gani Patail as Attorney-General) or worst of all, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, now bearing all the “crosses” of his ever-ballooning twin mega scandals.

This is why at the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” DAP ceramah at Prai, Penang last night, I had called for a new, full and independent international inquiry into Kevin’s murder, following Charles’ statutory declaration. Continue reading “As IGP and AG have rubbished Charles Morais’ statutory declaration, an independent international inquiry into killing of Kevin Morais provides a golden opportunity to clear Malaysian government’s good name and integrity which have been dragged into the mud by recent scandals”

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Abdul Azeez should return to Baling to publicly apologise for his “balik tongsan” and other offensive remarks in Parliament or he should be voted out in 14GE as betraying the trust of the Baling electorate

The UMNO Member of Parliament for Baling, Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahman made Baling infamous in Parliament when he betrayed the trust of the voters of Baling by making offensive remarks against other races and other MPs, like his derogatory “balik tongsan” remark in Parliament early this month.

Only those who have a narrow, extremist and intolerant mindset, completely at odds with the inclusive 1Malaysia policy, could regard the Chinese or any other ethnic group as inherently “disloyal” to Malaysia, and be so irresponsible as to flippantly hurl the derogatory term “balik tongsan” against the Malaysian Chinese, which was as good as telling them to “return to mainland China”.

Abdul Azeez made the remark in Parliament against DAP MP for Kota Kinabalu, Jimmy Wong, during the committee stage of the 2016 Budget debate on the Home Ministry, causing outrage among right-thinking Members of Parliament and Malaysians.

Although Abdul Azeez, as a result of the protest by the DAP parliamentary whip, Anthony Loke (Seremban), was forced to retract the offensive and derogatory term “balik tongsan” in Parliament, he was never remorseful for his most unMalaysian conduct for he never apologised for it.

Abdul Azeez should return to Baling to publicly apologise for his “balik tongsan” and other offensive remarks in Parliament or he should be voted out in 14GE as betraying the trust of the Baling electorate.

All genuine Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, must be offended by Abdul Azeez’s “balik tongsan” remark, for it shows the utter failure of Malaysian nation-building when an UMNO Member of Parliament could make such offensive and derogatory remark against other races in the country. Continue reading “Abdul Azeez should return to Baling to publicly apologise for his “balik tongsan” and other offensive remarks in Parliament or he should be voted out in 14GE as betraying the trust of the Baling electorate”

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Let 2015 be another historic milestone in Baling, marking not only the formation of DAP and AMANAH in Baling, but the beginning of the Pakatan Harapan campaign to win Kedah state government in 14GE

DAP State Chairman and Assemblyman for Derga, Sdr. Tan Kok Yew just now regaled us about the three historic milestones of Baling, viz:

*the 1956 Baling Peace talks featuring Tunku Abdul Rahman, David Marshall and Chin Peng;

*the 1974 Baling hunger strike by peasants protesting against poverty, featuring Anwar Ibrahim and resulting in his detention under the Internal Security Act;

*the 1985 tragic Memali Incident which left 18 dead.

Let us make 2015 a fourth historic milestone for Baling, for it is in this year that two political parties were formed in Baling – Parti Amanah Negara and DAP.

Even more significant, let the formation of Parti Amanah Negara and DAP in Baling in 2015, together with the establishment of Pakatan Harapan, mark the beginning of the Pakatan Harapan campaign to win the Kedah state government in the 14th General Election which must be be held within 30 months in 2018. Continue reading “Let 2015 be another historic milestone in Baling, marking not only the formation of DAP and AMANAH in Baling, but the beginning of the Pakatan Harapan campaign to win Kedah state government in 14GE”

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Is Pandikar’s agreement with Azalina’s privileges motion against Nurul Izzah the Speaker’s quid pro quo for the earlier agreement of Minister in PM’s Office to the Speaker’s proposal to suspend me from Parliament for six months?

The UMNO/BN coalition should stop abusing its simple majority in Parliament and withdraw the privileges motion against Nurul Izzah Anwar unless it could accept an amendment to also refer the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to the Committee of Privileges for the photograph which appeared in the social media last month of Najib’s handshake with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the United Nations.

Clearly, after suspending me from Parliament for six months, the UMNO/BN coalition is now targetting a second victim for eviction from Parliament – the PKR Vice President and Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah.

Why did the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia agree with the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Azalina Othman Said and gave her special exemption of not having to give seven days’ notice for her privileges motion against Nurul?

This is against all parliamentary tradition, convention and practices – as well as violate Standing Order 27 (3) which states:

“Except as provided in Standing Order 43 and in paragraph (5) of Standing Order 86 and 26(1), not less than fourteen days’ notice of any motion shall be given unless it is in the name of a Minister, in which case seven days’ notice or, if Tuan Yang di-Pertua is satisfied upon representation to him by a Minister that the public interest requires that a motion should be debated as soon as possible, one day’s notice shall be sufficient.”

Azalina’s motion clearly requires the requisite seven days’ notice stipulated for motions in the name of a Minister.

Can the Speaker Pandikar explain what is the “public interest” that Azalina had pleaded to justify her motion being exempted from the requisite seven-day notice for Ministerial motions or is it just Pandikar’s quid pro quo to Azalina, agreeing to Azalina’s privileges motion against Nurul Izzah in return for Azalina’s earlier agreement as Minister in PM’s Office to the Speaker’s proposal to suspend me from Parliament for six months? Continue reading “Is Pandikar’s agreement with Azalina’s privileges motion against Nurul Izzah the Speaker’s quid pro quo for the earlier agreement of Minister in PM’s Office to the Speaker’s proposal to suspend me from Parliament for six months?”

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Call for an international investigation into the murder of DPP Kevin Morais following the shock statutory declaration by his brother Charles who raised many disturbing questions

Next week is the last week of the 25-day parliamentary budget meeting, and there are no signs that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak will come clean and give a full and satisfactory accounting of his twin mega scandals in the last four days of the six-week parliamentary meeting from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3.

Those who had hoped that the RM2.6 billion “donation” and RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals, now that the ASEAN and Post-ASEAN Summits with the largest-ever gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders in Kuala Lumpur in recent times had been held without any mishap, will somehow disappear or fade away by the time the UMNO General Assemblies are held from Dec. 8 to 12, 2015 cannot be more wrong.

Firstly, Najib’s twin mega scandals had haunted and hounded the ASEAN and Post-ASEAN Summits in Kuala Lumpur last weekend.

There is no doubt that Najib’s twin mega scandals featured prominently in their own internal briefings of every ASEAN and Asian-Pacific leader who was in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend, receiving their personal attention even though not a single one of the ASEAN and Asian-Pacific leaders would have committed the diplomatic faux pax of breathing a word of Najib’s twin mega scandals in public.

This was why one commentator entitled a round-up of the ASEAN Summit with the heading: “ASEAN summit tarnished by Malaysian corruption scandal involving PM”. Continue reading “Call for an international investigation into the murder of DPP Kevin Morais following the shock statutory declaration by his brother Charles who raised many disturbing questions”

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Azalina’s motion against Nurul a gross abuse of parliamentary majority and will open the floodgates for majoritarian oppression of the minority in Parliament which should not have been allowed by the Speaker in the first place

It is shocking and outrageous that a motion in the name of the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Azalina Othman Said against the PKR MP for Lembah Pantai Nurul Izzah Anwar has appeared in today’s Dewan Rakyat Order Paper, clearly in violation of Standing Order 27 (3) which states:

“Except as provided in Standing Order 43 and in paragraph (5) of Standing Order 86 and 26(1), not less than fourteen days’ notice of any motion shall be given unless it is in the name of a Minister, in which case seven days’ notice or, if Tuan Yang di-Pertua is satisfied upon representation to him by a Minister that the public interest requires that a motion should be debated as soon as possible, one day’s notice shall be sufficient.”

Azalina’s motion clearly does not have the requisite seven days’ notice stipulated for motions in the name of a Minister.

Is the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia satisfied upon Azalina’s representation that one day’s notice is sufficient, as “public interest” requires that the motion should be debated as soon as possible?
Continue reading “Azalina’s motion against Nurul a gross abuse of parliamentary majority and will open the floodgates for majoritarian oppression of the minority in Parliament which should not have been allowed by the Speaker in the first place”

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Has Hishammuddin’s warning that UMNO is suffering from denial syndrome and losing trust come too late?

UMNO Vice President Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today that UMNO cannot continue with it denial syndrome as it is now facing an erosion of trust and must find ways to stay relevant.

He said that UMNO must “clearly, courageously and sincerely” admit that UMNO is facing a test of trust as the new generation of Malays do not feel the sentimental connection with the party and they no longer feel like UMNO is addressing issues that concerned them.

Has Hishammuddin’s realization and warning that UMNO is suffering from denial syndrome and losing trust come too late? Continue reading “Has Hishammuddin’s warning that UMNO is suffering from denial syndrome and losing trust come too late?”

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ISIS Women and Enforcers in Syria Recount Collaboration, Anguish and Escape

By AZADEH MOAVENINOV
New York Times
Nov 21, 2015

SOUTHERN TURKEY — Dua had only been working for two months with the Khansaa Brigade, the all-female morality police of the Islamic State, when her friends were brought to the station to be whipped.

The police had hauled in two women she had known since childhood, a mother and her teenage daughter, both distraught. Their abayas, flowing black robes, had been deemed too form-fitting.

When the mother saw Dua, she rushed over and begged her to intercede. The room felt stuffy as Dua weighed what to do.

“Their abayas really were very tight. I told her it was their own fault; they had come out wearing the wrong thing,” she said. “They were unhappy with that.”

Dua sat back down and watched as the other officers took the women into a back room to be whipped. When they removed their face-concealing niqabs, her friends were also found to be wearing makeup. It was 20 lashes for the abaya offense, five for the makeup, and another five for not being meek enough when detained.

The three Syrian women interviewed for this article, all former members of the Islamic State morality police who escaped to Turkey this year, met with a reporter in a southern Turkish city for hours of interviews, together and separately, over the course of two multiday visits. Continue reading “ISIS Women and Enforcers in Syria Recount Collaboration, Anguish and Escape”