Category: DAP

The Malaysian Insider
Aug 09, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — DAP said today its position is that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam the official religion and that this is consistent with the views of the country’s first three leaders, as it came under a series of attacks from Umno-aligned religious scholars who have said it is haram for Muslims to back the opposition party because it is against an Islamic state.

The party’s parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang also pointed out what he called the hypocrisy of the attacks as Umno’s fellow Barisan Nasional (BN) partner MCA had been attacking the DAP for being a pawn of PAS and opening the door to the eventual implementation of Islamic law.

Earlier today the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leadership also jointly slammed Utusan Malaysia for stoking “religious conflict” after the Umno-owned paper ran a controversial report on its front page yesterday titled “Haram sokong DAP” (Forbidden to support DAP).

“The DAP stand that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as official religion is no different from that of first three Prime Ministers – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein,” Lim (picture) said in a statement today.

Utusan Malaysia has been spearheading reports to suggest DAP was anti-Malay and anti-Islam while the MCA has been slamming its main rival for Chinese votes as a party bent on selling out the interests of non-Muslims to benefit PAS and its aspirations to eventually set up an Islamic state. Continue reading “DAP says shares stand on Islam with first three PMs”

I am really astounded to see the UMNO newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, continuing with its inflammatory, incendiary and seditious front-page headline campaign for the second consecutive day on “Haram Sokong DAP” for it is proof that there are UMNO leaders who have thrown caution and discretion to the winds as they are really desperate about UMNO’s ability to win the next general election by free and fair means.

Although Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak proclaimed 1Malaysia as his signature policy to create a nation where every Malaysian would regard himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion, region and class second, UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders have tried their worst to divide Malaysians along race and religious lines.

MCA for instance had pulled out all stops to panic Malaysian Chinese to reject the DAP on the ground that the DAP is only a pawn of PAS, while UMNO had gone all out to urge Malay voters to reject PAS and PKR because both are stooges of DAP.

It is clear that these UMNO/BN lies, falsehoods and hypocrisies are not working, and Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, class, age or gender are rallying to the Pakatan Rakyat call for change to create an united, democratic, just, incorrupt, competitive, prosperous and progressive Malaysia that UMNO leaders have decided to plunge for the most divisive, incendiary and seditious racist and religious card with screaming front-page headlines for the second consecutive day in its “Haram Sokong DAP” campaign.
Continue reading “DAP stand that Malaysia is secular state with Islam as official religion is no different from that of first three Prime Ministers — Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein”

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 08, 2012

8 OGOS — Kali ini saya kembali menyebut satu isu yang pada saya sepatutnya menjadi satu isu basi dan tidak lagi diperbesarkan. Isunya ialah isu penyertaan saya dan beberapa orang Melayu dalam Parti Tindakan Demokratik, DAP.

Saya tahu ini merupakan isu yang tidak berapa laku lagi sekarang kerana orang ramai tahu yang momokan Umno dan penyokongnya dalam isu ini semakin hari semakin pudar dan sudah tidak diterima oleh rakyat yang ramai.

Saya tidak berminat untuk melayan momokan ini, tetapi terlalu ramai sahabat dan rakan-rakan yang menyokong saya menyertai DAP ini meminta saya menyebutnya sekali lagi, setidak-tidaknya buat kali terakhir. Mereka yang menyokong saya meliputi penyokong-penyokong saya dari seluruh negara dan ramai di antara mereka meminta saya menulisnya lagi.

“Penyokong Umno ini malas berfikir. You mesti beritahu mereka selalu, kalau tidak mereka lupa. Orang yang malas berfikir mesti diperingati selalu sebab mereka payah untuk memahami isu-isu penting ini. Mereka ini tidak pernah dilatih untuk berfikir sebaliknya dilatih untuk mengangguk sahaja,” kata beberapa orang yang menyokong saya menyertai DAP walaupun mereka ini hanya sekadar penyokong yang akan memberikan undi kepada DAP. Continue reading “Apa masalahnya kalau DAP menang bersama PAS, PKR?”

Anisah Shukry | August 8, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Analysts say that that the upcoming film’s depiction of the May 13 riots will spark unhappiness among the public and can be seen as a move to cow Malay voters.

PETALING JAYA: The government-backed film Tanda Putera is Barisan Nasional’s way of instilling fear into the hearts of the rakyat during the run-up to the country’s 13th general election, according to a political analyst.

The film was originally slated for release on Sept 13 but was now expected to reach cinemas in November following controversy over its depiction of the May 13, 1969 riots – an incident largely seen as a stain on Malaysia’s multiracial history.

“There are definitely political motives behind the movie, in terms of it being released near the general election,” political analyst Ong Kian Ming told FMT.

“One of the primary reasons for the release of the movie is that it is part of a larger picture involving fear-mongering – to create a sense of fear among the Malay community that if BN was to lose the next general election, it would lead to a repeat of the May 13 incident,” he said.

The race riots four decades ago had been sparked off by an election setback for the Malay-dominated ruling alliance. The riots lasted several weeks, with the death toll said to be 196.

But the USCI University lecturer stressed that Malaysians had largely moved on from the incident and it would have little impact on urban voters in particular. Continue reading “May 13 film: ‘Govt’s fear-mongering tool’”

It has been said that a tree is known by its fruit and a man by his deeds.

With the approaching 55th National Day/49th Malaysia Day celebrations, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should ponder why his 1Malaysia policy in the past three years, instead of creating a more united Malaysian nation, has borne bitter and even poisonous fruits worsening racial polarization and producing more heinous lies like the many May 13 falsehoods purveyed recently to undermine national unity.

None other than former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has said only in June that the next general election will centre on race as “Malaysia has become more racial than ever”!

As part of his 1Malaysia programme, Najib has raised an army of some 10,000 Umno/BN cybertroopers through a nation-wide series of 1Malaysia Social Media Conventions, not to spread the 1Malaysia message to be a Malaysian first and race, religion, region and socio-economic grouping second but to put into practice the Biro Tatanegara (BTN) and Utusan Malaysia credo to “spin” lies and even blatant lies as fact and truth.

We are beginning to see the dire results of the raising of Najib’s army of 10,000 Umno/BN cybertroopers – including the bitter and poisonous fruits inciting racial distrust and undermining national unity revolving around the government-funded film “Tanda Putra” on the May 13 riots in 1969, with these cybertroopers disseminating the wildest, baseless, reckless, irresponsible, despicable and defamatory allegations that I had provoked the May 13 riots in 1969 in the street processions, that I had killed Malays and even urinated at the flagpole of the Selangor Mentri Besar’s residence when I was never in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969. Continue reading “Najib’s 1Malaysia policy in past three years has borne bitter and even poisonous fruits worsening racial polarization and producing more heinous lies like the recent May 13 falsehoods to undermine national unity”

Yesterday, I categorically denied the preposterous claim which had appeared previously on the official Facebook page of the May 13 movie, Tanda Putra, that I had urinated on the flagpole in front of the then Selangor Mentri Besar’s residence during the May 13 riots in 1969.

The facebook had carried a photo portraying me being manhandled, with the caption:

“Lim Kit Siang telah kencing di bawah tiang bendera Selangor yang terpacak di rumah menteri besar Selangor ketika itu, Harun Idris, (Lim Kit Siang had urinated at the foot of the flagpole bearing the Selangor flag at the then Selangor MB’s Harun Idris’ house)”

The photo was posted in the album in the Facebook titled ‘Peristiwa-peristiwa yang dimuatkan di dalam filem ini’ (Events depicted in this movie).

Although the photo and caption have since been removed from the movie’s official page, Malaysiakini had captured a screenshot of the earlier posting.

I noted two very pertinent postings from the 69 comments since Malaysiakini reported my denial, viz:

RealSoldier witness513 its simply absurd to accuse LKS performing such despicable act because the flagpole is not freely accessable to the public as it is located within the compound of the MB’s house which is fenced and manned by a jaga. BY accident I was at the MB’s on that fateful day from 3.00am to 5.30am on 514 following rescue operations by the security forces.

FREE The picture of LKS being grabbed and manhandled by officers was taken at the Kota Kinabalu old airport terminal. Those officers in white-shirt uniforms were immigration officers when Harris Salleh ordered the deportation of LKS from Sabah. This writer was inside a plane and saw from the window LKS being put put in a wheelchair and wheeled to the plane for deportation back to KL.

Continue reading “Malaysians should do a Sherlock Holmes to find out the “who, when and what“ about the origin of the canard of “urination” at the flagpole of the Selangor Mentri Besar’s house provoking May 13 riots in 1969”

Despite his 1Malaysia signature slogan, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is continuing to allow his UMNO/Barisan Nasional election campaign machineries to disseminate downright lies and dangerous falsehoods calculated to incite racial hatred and undermine national unity with the approach of the 55th National Day and 49th Malaysia Day celebrations.

One of these “downright lies and dangerous falsehoods” flooding the UMNO/BN social media and exploited by the 10,000 UMNO/BN cybertroopers is that I had caused the May 13 riots in 1969 through shouting the most racist slogans in the streets of Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969.

Despite my firm denial of these wild and reckless allegations in my speech in Parliament on March 22, 2012, declaring that I was never in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13, 1969, these “downright lies and dangerous falsehoods” have continued to make their rounds in leaps and bounds in the cyberspace.

On 20th July 2012, Malaysiakini carried the following report “New May 13 movie courts controversy”: Continue reading “Tanda Putera’s “urination” episode – downright lie and dangerous falsehood”

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 03, 2012

3 OGOS — Pertuduhan terhadap Rafizi Ramli, pengarah strategi PKR, bersama bekas kakitangan Public Bank dua hari lepas masih menjadi bualan di mana-mana.

Tetapi itu sudah menjadi biasa apabila pilihanraya sudah mendatang, kerana itu adalah salah satu cara pihak yang memerintah untuk menakut-nakutkan sesiapa dari membuat pembongkaran lebih banyak lagi terhadap kepincangan sistem dan moral politik pihak Barisan Nasional pada hari ini.

Pihak BN tidak akan berhenti setakat itu sahaja. Ada berita dan tanda-tanda isu perkauman akan dimainkan oleh BN dengan lebih hebat lagi dalam masa yang terdekat ini. Saya diberitahu yang pihak tertentu yang menyokong BN, khususnya Umno, sedang bekerjasama dengan sebuah badan dan jabatan kerajaan untuk menerbitkan makalah dan buku-buku untuk memberikan tumpuan untuk mengaitkan Lim Kit Siang dalam trajedi 13 Mei 1969 dahulu.

Kita faham yang pihak BN sedang terdesak seperti orang yang sudah tersandar ke dinding dalam usaha mempertahankan kuasa. Menakut-nakutkan orang Melayu merupakan satu-satunya jalan yang tinggal bagi BN untuk memberikan perlindungan terhadap kuasa yang ada di tangan mereka.

Akhir-akhir ini ada kecenderungan pihak BN akan menumpukan politik perkauman dengan menjadikan Lim Kit Siang sebagai “punching bag” bagi mengelakkan rakyat khususnya orang melayu dari menyokong parti-parti pembangkang khususnya DAP. Continue reading “Umno terdesak sehingga hilang segala pertimbangan”

Today is a day of infamy for Malaysian journalism – with the UMNO publication Utusan Malaysia defending the indefensible instead of apologizing for being the foremost “Lies-paper” in Malaysia in the past three years under the premiership of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

At a forum on social media organized by Biro Tata Negara (BTN) of the Prime Minister’s Department and the 1Malaysia Social Media Convention secretariat, Utusan Malaysia’s deputy chief editor Mohd Zaini Hassan claimed that media practitioners are allowed to spin the facts to paint a “desired picture” to the reader and to launch a “gentlemanly attack” against the Opposition.

Claiming that there are three categories of “fact, spin and blatant lies”, Zaini purports to distance himself from “lies” but gives his approval to “spin”, saying: “Spin we can; no matter how we spin a certain fact to be biased in our favour, that’s okay.”

Zaini is insulting the intelligence of Malaysians in trying a “spin of all spins” attempting to pass off lies and blatant lies as mere “spin”!

Spin must clearly be delineated from lies and blatant lies. Spin occurs when facts are linked in a deceptive way that attempts to portray an individual or organization in the best or worst possible light.

But what Utusan had been most guilty off in the past three years is not just deception through “spinning” certain facts while omitting other facts, but the retailing of downright lies and falsehoods. Continue reading “Day of infamy for Malaysian journalism – Utusan Malaysia defending the indefensible instead of apologizing for being foremost “Lies-paper” in Malaysia”

By Ida Lim
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 14, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — In just one week, tens of thousands of Malaysians rallied around the DAP’s Tony Pua and donated RM143,256, nearly three-fourths of the RM200,000 in damages he owed water company Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) after losing a defamation lawsuit last month.

The opposition party had started an online campaign to raise RM100,000 to help the federal lawmaker pay the amount by July 16, but the financial support from the public was beyond expectation.

“As at 4pm 13/7/12 (Fri), the online donation campaign has raised RM143,256, a remarkable achievement of small contributions from tens of thousands of Malaysians in less than a week,” Pua wrote on his Facebook page this morning.

He also said that the party “will end the online fund-raiser today.”

Last month, Syabas had won a defamation suit against the DAP national publicity secretary, who was ordered to pay RM200,000 in damages besides costs and interests.

Although Pua has filed an appeal against the decision, he had said on micro-blogging site Twitter that Syabas wants him to pay the RM200,000 by July 16.

He has also said today that Syabas was seeking an additional RM80,000 in costs, but the amount is still under negotiations. Continue reading “Public gave RM143,000 towards Pua’s Syabas suit damages”

(Prepared closing remarks by DAP Secretary-General/Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the debate with MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek on “DAP & MCA: Whose Policies Benefit the Country More?” at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre on Sunday, July 8, 2012)

Since Merdeka, two million Malaysians have migrated overseas because they do not see a future for themselves and for Malaysia. It is time that we don’t live in our past that is filled with hatred and fear. We should look to the future filled with hope and harmony between all Malaysians.

 To put the past behind us, we must stop the politics of race and religion.

 To put the past behind us, we must end corruption.

 To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedoms.

 To put the past behind us, we must demand good governance and performance from our ministers. Continue reading “Choice is yours – let us change so we can have liberty and live with dignity”

(Opening speech by DAP Secretary-General/Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at the debate with MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek on “DAP & MCA: Whose Policies Benefit the Country More?” at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 2.30 pm)

CEO of ASLI Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, my learned opponent, ladies and gentlemen: Salam bersih kepada semua.

Kita berkumpul di sini untuk menentukan dasar parti manakah yang lebih boleh memberi manfaat kepada rakyat Malaysia. Seharusnya, satu perbahasan patut diadakan di antara Perdana Menteri, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak, dan Ketua Pembangkang, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Malangnya Perdana Menteri enggan berbahas dengan Anwar. Adakah Najib enggan berbahas dengan Anwar kerana beliau bimbang selepas perbahasan, rakyat akan membuat pernilaian bahawa Anwar lebih layak menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia?

In fact, MCA is not qualified to be here to discuss about policies because MCA does not decide, it is UMNO that decides. MCA claims to speak only for the Chinese, and yet only the Chinese in the Peninsula, and not the Chinese in Sabah and Sarawak. This is different from the DAP, that wants to speak for all Malaysians. DAP mahu bersuara untuk semua orang Malaysia: Melayu, Cina, India, Kadazan dan Iban, kerana kita semua rakyat Malaysia, bukan macam MCA, yang kononnya mahu mewakili orang Cina sahaja.

Mengapakah mesti kita terus dipecahbelahkan mengikut kaum dan agama? Inilah kejayaan terbesar UMNO. Mereka mahu kita takut satu sama lain supaya BN boleh terus merompak harta dan kekayaan Malaysia. Tengoklah skandal lembu dan kondo. Pak cik yang ternak lembu sepanjang masa tidak dapat pinjaman berjuta-juta ringgit, tapi keluarga menteri yang tak pernah ternak lembu boleh mendapat pinjaman 250 juta ringgit yang disalahgunakan untuk beli kondo pula. Jangan-jangan orang Singapura yang ada banyak kondo nak datang ke Malaysia belajar macam mana ternak lembu di kondo. Skandal PKFZ sebanyak 12.5 bilion ringgit telah melibatkan pemimpin tertinggi MCA tetapi ahli politik yang aktif tidak dibawa ke mahkamah. Semua skandal ini MCA tidak bersuara tetapi sokong buta sahaja. Kedudukan Malaysia telah jatuh dalam persepsi rasuah Transparency International daripada 37 dalam tahun 2003 kepada 60 tahun lepas (2011).

Kita harus bersatupadu sebagai anak Malaysia. Kalau kita terus dipecahbelahkan, hanya kroni-kroni dan orang-orang ataslah yang untung. Kalau kita bersatupadu, baru dapatlah kita semua menikmati hasil kejayaan ekonomi Malaysia.

Mengapakah hanya pemimpin Melayu yang boleh membela hak orang Melayu, hanya pemimpin Cina yang boleh membela hak orang Cina. Tibalah masanya untuk pemimpin-pemimpin membela hak semua rakyat Malaysia dan membantu satu sama lain. Continue reading “PR vs BN – future vs the past”

Dr Kamal Amzan
The Malaysian Insider

JULY 4 — Some say DAP is an ally of the PAP. Even if it is true, so what?

Yes, I am aware that PAP championed Malaysian Malaysia back in the 1960s, and was blamed for Singapore’s expulsion from the Federation of Malaysia. I also understand the politically correct term now is not Malaysian Malaysia, but instead a totally different, not straightforward meaning, not fully embraced concept of 1 Malaysia.

I am also very well aware that PAP led a Chinese-majority republic as opposed to an Umno-led majority Malay Malaysia.

Now, why is that a problem to us? Why did one newspaper dedicated its last weekly column to painting a racist picture of PAP, also insinuating a repeat of August 1965 in Penang?

Okay, first let us assume that PAP is racist and DAP is also racist by association, but which political party here isn’t? 1 Malaysia Barisan Nasional or the Muslim-Malay majority PAS who is bent on implementing hudud? Or perhaps MCA, MIC? Continue reading “Enough with the conspiracy theories”

Oleh Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
July 02, 2012

2 JULAI — Sesiapa pun, apabila dalam keadaan lemah dan tidak sihat akan mudah merasa miskin di jiwa dan memandang semua dikelilingnya dengan perasaan takut. Memang ramai orang takut kerana “creativity”nya sendiri. Dikampung-kampung hingga sampai masa kini masih ada yang takut kepada setengah pokok yang rimbun kerana kononnya pokok itu berhantu. Oleh kerana terlalu percaya yang pohon rimbun itu berhantu maka akhirnya hantu itu akan timbul.

Kita lupa yang jika kita masih berbentuk Muhamad (mim ha mim dal) tidak ada apa elemen yang lain boleh mengatasi kita. Tetapi apabila kita lemah maka yang tidak berhantu itu pun dianggapnya ada hantu. Hantu dan syaitan itu sebenarnya takut dan tidak akan dapat mengatasi kita kerana kita adalah makhluk yang secantik-cantik kejadian. Manusia itu lebih mulia dari malaikat tetapi oleh kerana ada manusia yang lemah jiwanya maka yang mereka tidak sepatutnya takut pun mereka akan takut.

Dalam politik pun begitu juga. Umno sekarang amat takut jika ditewaskan oleh pembangkang dalam pilihanraya untuk menguasai kerajaan persekutuan. Rasa takutnya begitu jelas dan menonjol sehinggakan media yang menyokongnya seperti Utusan Malaysia mencari jalan untuk membantu BN dengan menulis perkara-perkara yang berunsur menakut-nakutkan rakyat. Awang Selamat dalam tulisannya semalam menulis tentang PAP Singapura yang kononya berkait rapat dengan DAP. Continue reading “Awang Selamat terus menghasut”

Comment By Kee Thuan Chye
Free Malaysia Today
July 3, 2012

SINGAPORE’s ruling party, the People’s Action Party (PAP), is conniving the downfall of the Barisan Nasional government in Malaysia, and it’s doing it through its local proxy, the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

This is the most preposterous thing anyone has heard about what could happen at our upcoming 13th general election. The leaders of the PAP must be rolling on the floor with laughter.

That this piece of nonsense came out of Utusan Malaysia truly speaks badly of the Umno-owned newspaper. It is bandied about without any shred of evidence to support it. Instead, it comes with a wild allegation that the PAP has been waiting 48 years to achieve its “dream” in Peninsular Malaysia.

What “dream”? What would it benefit the PAP to see the fall of BN? And after that, what?

Whoever wrote that article (under the pseudonym of Awang Selamat) has no sense of logic. If Pakatan Rakyat wins the 13th general election, does it mean the DAP can invite the PAP to come into Peninsular Malaysia? It’s that easy, is it? The DAP’s coalition partners, PAS and PKR, would welcome the PAP with open arms? Continue reading “Awang Selamat gets an ‘F’”

Malaysiakini
Jul 1, 2012

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the police have once again failed to protect him from Perkasa activist, who often hound him in public.

Refering to the incident at the Teluk Bahang markets yesterday, Lim said the police took action too late, thus allowing Perkasa members to hurl projectiles at him.

“The inaction by the police probably emboldened a Perkasa member to suddenly charge up behind me and succeeded in brushing hard against me.

“I escaped injury. But if not for a PR local leader bravely dragging the Perkasa member away, I could have been injured,” said Lim in a press release today.

Lim said that while it was bad that the police failed to protect him, it was more disappointing that the police did not arrest the would-be assailant.

“Just imagine how harsh police reaction would have been if this had involved the Prime Minister and not the Chinese Pakatan Rakyat chief minister,” said Lim. Continue reading “Guan Eng: Cops failed to protect me from Perkasa”

by Subyky Latif
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 26, 2012

26 JUN — Jika Umno ada kejayaan besar dalam perjuangannya setakat ini ialah ia dapat menenamkan persepsi di kalangan orang Melayu yang tebal Umnonya bahawa DAP anti Islam.

Inilah yang dijaja di merata-rata oleh agen Umno sebagai usahanya menyekat kemaraan Pakatan Rakyat ke Putrajaya.

Dan antara dalih orang Melayu tidak berapa mahu PAS menggantikan Umno ialah kerana PAS berkawan dengan DAP. Ada pun momokan DAP itu anti Melayu mulai reda kerana mulai ada benih Umno — dua bekas ADUNnya — menyertai DAP.

Maka yang rancak disabut dalam perjumpaan Umno ialah DAP anti Islam.

Saya tidak berhajat untuk membela DAP, tetapi saya hendak tanya, adakah DAP itu sebagai sebuah parti politik dalam masyarakat yang ramai penduduk Islam begitu bodoh untuk menampilkan politik anti Islam? Continue reading “Anti Islam: DAP tidak bodoh”

By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 22, 2012
UPDATED @ 03:45:31 PM 22-06-2012

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — The Penang High Court today found Utusan Malaysia guilty of defaming Lim Guan Eng, the second such ruling in six months, and ordered the Umno daily to pay him RM200,000 in damages and RM20,000 in costs.

The Penang chief minister had claimed a March 12, 2008 article headlined “Tiada Lagi DEB (No More NEP)” in the Malay-language newspaper which said he would abolish the New Economic Policy was inaccurate.

The DAP secretary-general said he had merely said his administration would be free from the “cronyism, corruption and systematic inefficiency” stemming from the policy.

The Bagan MP claimed damages as the article implied that he was an “irresponsible and unworthy” leader. Continue reading “Guan Eng wins second defamation suit against Utusan”

— Jeyaseelan Anthony
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 05, 2012

JUNE 5 — The Sedition Act has reared its ugly head again. This time it is against Irene Fernandez and former Perak Mentri Besar, Datuk Seri Nizar Mohamed.

We have seen how the Sedition Act was used against Karpal Singh, a prominent lawyer and politician, when he was charged for insulting the Sultan of Perak for saying that His Majesty should not interfere with matters concerning the state and that he can be sued for doing so. Some may wonder what sedition is all about as the word sounds very serious and terrifying.

No doubt it is a serious and terrifying offence as one may be imprisoned for merely voicing out different views and opinions. Worst still one may even be branded as a criminal, not for committing crimes like theft and murder but by only having different views or opinions that may be interpreted as being anti-establishment by the powers that be.

The prime minister had announced recently that the Sedition Act will be reviewed. This article posits that the Sedition Act 1948 should not be reviewed but repealed. The question is why?

I say this because, any piece of legislation which imprisons people for holding different views and opinions is to say the least, draconian. Such a law should not be a part of any legal system. Continue reading “It’s time to repeal the Sedition Act”

Reuters/The Malaysian Insider
Jun 03, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — Ethnic Chinese voters, upset over policies that favour majority Malays, have become increasingly alienated from Malaysia’s ruling coalition, raising the risk of racial polarisation and a slowdown in the pace of reforms.

Support for Prime Minister Najib Razak among Chinese voters plunged to 37 per cent in May from 56 per cent in February, a survey by the independent Merdeka Center showed on Friday. It found 56 per cent of Chinese were dissatisfied with the government, compared to 30 per cent of Indians and 23 per cent of Malays.

Recent state and by-elections underline the trend. The main Chinese party allied with the ruling National Front coalition in eastern Sarawak state lost 13 of 19 seats it contested in local elections last year and the opposition won a by-election in the same state in 2010 largely thanks to Chinese backing.

The Southeast Asian nation’s 6.5 million ethnic Chinese turned heavily to the opposition in 2008 polls, handing the National Front, which has ruled uninterrupted since independence from Britain in 1957, its worst election showing.

Malaysia has seen ethnic Chinese voting with their feet, leaving the country for better prospects aboard including to neighbour and rival Singapore, in a troubling brain drain of talent and capital. “Malaysia needs talent to meet its goal of becoming a high-income country,” the World Bank noted in a report last year. “But the problem is that talent is leaving.”

With elections likely later this year, the government has failed to reverse the tide with voters such as Jack Gan, who complains he had to study much harder than his ethnic Malay peers to get into one of the country’s top universities. Continue reading “Government losing Chinese support, putting reforms at risk”