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Will Guan Eng be arrested and charged for corruption in connection with his bungalow purchase to deflect growing national and international attention on Najib’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals?

Malaysia has become a most abnormal country out of sync with both national and international aspirations, trends and developments.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion twin mega scandals have become the top daily conversational topic of 30 million Malaysians in the warongs and coffee shops, but Members of Parliament cannot ask questions or get answers from Ministers on Najib’s twin mega scandals.

Najib’s twin mega scandals have also become the staple of international news.

Earlier tonight, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in its 45-minute “Four Corners” documentary, “State of Fear: Murder and Money in Malaysia”, revisited Najib’s twin mega scandals. Continue reading “Will Guan Eng be arrested and charged for corruption in connection with his bungalow purchase to deflect growing national and international attention on Najib’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals?”

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We deserve a Malaysia where Aminulrasyid, Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock and even Justice Singham do not become victims of injustices of an unfair and iniquitous system

The Save Malaysia People’s Congress in Shah Alam yesterday attended by some 2,000 people of all races, religions and political affiliations was a vote of confidence by the people of Malaysia in the future and salvation of Malaysia.

As I said at the beginning of my speech at the People’s Congress yesterday, the Tuns, Tan Sris, Datuk Seris, Datuks and ordinary men and women who gathered at the People’s Congress from various parties, NGOs as well as NGIs, are not “bad hats”, trouble makers, anti-national elements or traitors, but loyal and dedicated Malaysian patriots who love the country deeply and do not want Malaysia to hurtle down the slope of a failed and a rogue state.

Despite our differences – and there can be no greater differences between the former longest-serving Prime Minister for 22 years, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and myself spanning more than four decades – the 2,000 people who gathered in Shah Alam were united by one common noble and patriotic purpose, to save Malaysia, the country we love deeply and owe undivided loyalty, from continuing to be a land of injustices but could begin to fulfill the promises of the Malaysian Dream where Malaysia can punch above our weight in international community because of our accomplishments and achievements of various fields of human endeavor – political, economic, respect for human rights, good governance or nation building of a plural society of diverse races, languages, religions and cultures.

The events of the last few days have brought to the fore the tragic cases of 14-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah, V. Kugan and Teoh Beng Hock – the Shah Alam High Court award of RM414,000 as damages to the family of Aminulrasyid Amzah’s family for the unjustified police shooting and killing of the teenager in Shah Alam in April 2010, the death of former High Court judge V.T. Singham reminding Malaysians of his courageous judgement in the case of A. Kugan’s death in police custody, and the high-powered campaign to accuse and tar DAP Secretary-General and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng with the allegation of corruption for the RM2.8 million bungalow purchase, raising the question of the independence and professionalism of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in high-profile political cases. Continue reading “We deserve a Malaysia where Aminulrasyid, Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock and even Justice Singham do not become victims of injustices of an unfair and iniquitous system”

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Success of UMNO/BN strategists in distracting national attention from the second political event of the year – the March 27 Citizens’ Declaration “People’s Congress” in Shah Alam bridging racial, religious and political divides to Save Malaysia

Give credit where credit is due.

This is the first time that the expensive coterie of strategists and propagandists of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak have scored a bull’s-eye in their propaganda offensives as they had been firing blanks all these years.

Their success is to distract national attention from the second political event of the year – the March 27 Citizens’ Declaration “People’s Congress” in Shah Alam this evening, bridging racial, religious and political divides for Save Malaysia!

From the television time and pages of newspaper space in government and UMNO/BN owned or controlled printed media devoted to the issue in the past 10 days, one should be excused for thinking that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s purchase of RM2.8 million bungalow is the biggest scandal not only in Malaysia but in the world – one thousand times bigger than Najib Razak’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal, when RM2.6 billion is about 1,000 times more than RM2.8 million!

This is not to say that a RM2.8 million corruption scandal involving a DAP leader is acceptable or excusable, but so far there is nothing to show that Guan Eng has a case of corruption in the purchase of the RM2.8 million bungalow to answer. Continue reading “Success of UMNO/BN strategists in distracting national attention from the second political event of the year – the March 27 Citizens’ Declaration “People’s Congress” in Shah Alam bridging racial, religious and political divides to Save Malaysia”

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What is the whole fuss on the CM’s house about?

P Dev Anand Pillai
Malaysiakini
25 Mar 2016

Everyone seems to be asking Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to go on leave, the question is why should he if he has done no wrong? Since when do we have a law which forces the willing seller of a property to sell one’s property at market price? Who determines the market price?

We have the freedom to contract in this country and that is what most of those who wield power in Putrajaya do when it comes to the huge and luxurious properties that they have amassed in their list of properties that they own.

If the seller chooses to sell at a certain price which the Valuation Department of the Inland Revenue Board thinks is below the market rate determined by its valuers, then the Department values the property at the market rate and determines the stamp duty payable, although the purchase price is lower than the so-called market price.

The Valuation Department always takes the higher amount. Therefore if the property is actually valued at about RM6.5 million as the dissidents seem to accuse the purchaser of escaping, then there must a clear reason for this.

Are all the properties in the famed Taman Manggis that expensive? Continue reading “What is the whole fuss on the CM’s house about?”

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Those who calculate that DAP will disintegrate if Guan Eng and I are jailed cannot be more wrong or mistaken

Those who are calculating that if Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng and I could be jailed, DAP will disintegrate cannot be more wrong or mistaken.

DAP is not just about one or two persons, but represents the Malaysian Dream of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region for an united, clean, incorrupt, democratic, just, inclusive, competitive and prosperous plural Malaysia, where all Malaysians can hold their heads high and feel proud as Malaysian citizens because of our world-class achievements and accomplishments in every field of human endeavour.

In the past few years, Malaysians have fallen sharply in international esteem and respect, to the extent that Malaysia is getting to be synonymous with corruption and mega financial scandals in the world – thanks to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s infamous RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion twin mega scandals. Continue reading “Those who calculate that DAP will disintegrate if Guan Eng and I are jailed cannot be more wrong or mistaken”

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DAP is now the target of a systematic attack by UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers – starting with Guan Eng and me

Serdang Parliamentary constituency, of which Balakong is one of the three constituent state assembly seats, is the 98th Parliamentary constituency I am visiting since my six-month suspension from Parliament on Oct. 22, 2015 for demanding answers to the simple questions as to the source, the donor or donors, of the RM2.6 billion “donation” in Najib’s personal banking accounts before the 13th General Election in May 2013 and where the astronomical sums of monies have gone to.

I wanted public feedback whether Malaysians agree with me that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak must answer the teeming questions which multiply by the day about his RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals which are now the subject of separate investigations by seven other countries as well as landed the country with the new infamy of being among the world’s ten most corrupt nations.

However, in the past 10 days since the historic event in Kuala Lumpur on March 4 where 42 political and civil society leaders signed and proclaimed the Citizens’ Declaration to Save Malaysia, I have sought public feedback on a second issue in 18 of these 98 parliamentary constituencies I visited– whether the Malaysian public support the Citizens’ Declaration to Save Malaysia, and in particular my working with former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir to Save Malaysia despite our differences in the past, including his responsibility for my and Lim Guan Eng’s imprisonment.

However, since the past week, there is third issue grabbing public attention – allegation of corruption against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and insinuation in the government and UMNO/BN owned and controlled media that Guan Eng is like former Selangor Mentri Besar Khir Toyo.

There is no basis whatsoever in such a comparison. Continue reading “DAP is now the target of a systematic attack by UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and cybertroopers – starting with Guan Eng and me”

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PAS, oppose a corrupt and oppressive gov’t, not DAP

by Syerleena Abdul Rashid
Malaysiakini
24th March 2016

COMMENT It is most unsettling that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang would continue to demonise DAP in such an uncouth manner by using religion and race to push through his party’s far right wing agenda.

Given the present stream of hateful rhetoric out there, it is only inevitable and expected that some politicians much like Hadi would exploit the conservative political agenda that only reinforces Umno’s ‘divide and rule’ tactic.

Recently, through Utusan Malaysia, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had called for the unification of Malays to oppose opposition party DAP, whom according to him, “has bigger plans, more than just controlling the economy” – insinuating that the Muslim Malays in this country will suffer great oppression in the hands of a ‘Chinese chauvinist’ party.

As slanderous as it sounds, remarks like this verify the intricacies of fear mongering by unscrupulous political leaders and this is extremely harmful.

Malaysians must understand that proponents of conservative views necessitate rational discourse based on facts that are absolutely free from emotions and pious fervor. Malaysia is in fact a multicultural country where Islam and Malay rights are protected in our federal constitution. Continue reading “PAS, oppose a corrupt and oppressive gov’t, not DAP”

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Malaysians can contribute to the international dialogue among Muslim and social democrats to draw on the values and principles of Islam and social democracy to establish a common core agenda for a free, just and good society

DAP’s contribution in the beginning of this series of dialogues among Muslim and social democrats have its genesis in the fact-finding visit by DAP MPs to Jordan and Egypt in April, followed by a visit to Tunisia and Turkey in October, last year.

It stems from the belief that Malaysians can contribute to the international dialogue among among Muslim and social democrats to draw on the values and principles of Islam and social democracy to establish a common core agenda for a free, just and good society.

It is recorded that during Prophet Mohammad’s time, there were about 5,000 people in pre-Islam Mecca and the first batch of Muslims numbered 60 – 70 people.

In pre-islam Medina, there were about 15,000 people. The ratio during the War of Badr in 623 AD had been given as 313 Muslims and 1,100 non-Muslims.

Today, over 1,400 years later, Islam is the second largest religion in the world with some 1.6 billion adherents, and is set to become the world’s largest religion by 2070, ending two millenniums of Christian dominance.

The question which must challenge mankind down the ages is how they could contribute to the development of knowledge and wisdom when Muslims could grow from a few thousand followers to 1.6 billion adherents in 1,400 years. Continue reading “Malaysians can contribute to the international dialogue among Muslim and social democrats to draw on the values and principles of Islam and social democracy to establish a common core agenda for a free, just and good society”

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I will be charged under the Sedition Act in the new repression against dissent

Just now, the DAP “giant killer” in the 1969 general election, 84-year-old Chan Fu King, who as bus-conductor defeated the MCA Health Minister, Dr. Ng Kam Poh, told us how during his term as MP for Teluk Anson (1969 -1974), MCA leaders including the then MCA Youth leader Lee San Choon (who went on to become the MCA President) tried to induce and seduce him to defect from the DAP to the MCA.

I am reminded of DAP’s darkest days after the DAP won 13 parliamentary and 31 State Assembly seats in DAP’s first general election outing in 1969, a result we had not expected as we only sought a modest breakthrough in Parliament and various State Assemblies to gird ourselves for a battle for next two to three decades to create a more democratic, just and better Malaysia for all Malaysians.

DAP’s unexpected electoral success was made use of by some irresponsible politicians to create the May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur, and I myself was detained for the first time under the Internal Security Act when I returned to Subang from Kota Kinabalu, where I had gone over on May 13, 1969 itself to campaign for independent candidates in Sabah as polling in Sabah was scheduled to be held two weeks after the Peninsular Malaysia elections of May 10, 1969.
I remember vividly the prediction of the then Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Ismail, in 1972 that the DAP was “one foot in the grave”, forecasting an early end for the DAP.

Tun Ismail was not indulging in idle prediction, for looking back, it was clear that he was privy to a high-powered campaign to crush the DAP by a double pincer strategy to seduce DAP MPs and State Assemblymen to defect from DAP to MCA and Barisan Nasional, from a combination of money politics or intimation and politics of fear to use all the repressive powers at the command of the government.

As a result, during the first term of DAP in Parliament and the various State Assemblies after 1969, we suffered the worst attrition rate with some 30 to 40 per cent of DAP MPs and State Assemblymen finally succumbing either to the temptation of monetary and material inducements or the pressures of politics of fear and intimidation. Continue reading “I will be charged under the Sedition Act in the new repression against dissent”

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DAP@50 – the struggle continues

by Liew Chin Tong
Malaysiakini
18th March 2016

COMMENT | There was very little prospect of winning elections, not to mention running government, when Chen Man Hin and the first generation leaders formed the DAP, with Lim Kit Siang as the party’s sole full-time staff, on 18th March 1966.

As Lim Kit Siang puts it, the DAP had “no icon, no money (resources) and no gelombang (political waves).” The then closest rival competing for the same opposition space, Gerakan (founded in March 1968), boosted household names like former MCA president Lim Chong Eu, scholars Syed Hussein Alatas and Syed Naguib Alatas, well-known opposition MP Tan Chee Khoon, unionists V David and Yeoh Teck Chye, among its ranks.

Yet, the DAP perseveres, survives and prevails. Today, we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Democratic Action Party. Over those fifty years, there were plenty of memorable moments; probably more difficult moments than the easy ones. Continue reading “DAP@50 – the struggle continues”

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“Mo zhe shi tou gua he” is one approach of the Save Malaysia campaign launched by Citizens’ Declaration of March 4, 2016

Many questions have been asked following the 304 Citizens’ Declaration (March 4) signed and proclaimed by 45 political and civil society leaders, including the country’s longest-serving former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir, former Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former Cabinet Ministers and former UMNO stalwarts crossing the political divide in bringing together DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara leaders in their personal capacities.

Some of these questions include:

• Who will be the Prime Minister after Najib?

• Is Mahathir the puppet of Lim Kit Siang or Lim Kit Siang the puppet of Mahathir?

• Will Mahathir or Kit Siang benefit most from the Citizens’ Declaration?

• Will the Citizens’ Declaration be UMNO’s salvation?

• Is there a guarantee of success in the Citizens’ Declaration and Save Malaysia campaign?

There are no sure and clear answers to the teeming questions thrown up by the unprecedented and historic Citizens’ Declaration, but there are certain facts that should be put straight. Continue reading ““Mo zhe shi tou gua he” is one approach of the Save Malaysia campaign launched by Citizens’ Declaration of March 4, 2016″

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Thanks to 1987 Operation Lalang, half a dozen ISA detainees incarcerated for 14 -16 years got released or they might have become the world’s longest-held detainees because they were forgotten by the authorities

We gather tonight for “Tribute to ISA detainees”. The Internal Security Act (ISA) which had detained without trial over 10,000 people in its 51-year iniquitous history, including political leaders and literary giants like Ahmad Boestamam, Abu Bakar Al Bakir, Burhanudin Al-Helmy, Ishak Muhammad (Pak Sako), Aziz Ishak, Syed Husin Ali, Kassim Ahmad, Samad Ismail, Anwar Ibrahim, Karpal Singh, P. Patto, Mohamad Sabu, Lim Guan Eng, Dr. Tan Seng Giaw, Khalid Samad, Kamaruzaman Ismail, Nashir Hashim, Hishammudin Rais, Saari Sungib, Goh Kean Seng, and Lee Hai Chew.
I was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) twice, first time for 17 months in 1969 after my first election as Member of Parliament for Bandar Melaka and the May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur and second time, under Operation Lalang for 18 months.

Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng and I were among the first to be detained when the Operation Lalang dragnet was launched on Oct. 27, 1987, resulting in the arrest of 106 detainees from a whole spectrum of national life. Although the 49 persons formally detained under the ISA after the custodial detention and interrogation of 60 days were released in batches, Guan Eng and I were the last two to be released after 18 months of detention in April 1989.

I still remember that when I was transferred to Kamunting Detention Centre after being held for 60 days at the ISA Remand Centre in Batu, Kuala Lumpur, I was welcomed by half a dozen ISA detainees in another compound and who had obviously been incarcerated for quite some time.

I asked them how long they had been detained in Kamunting Detention Centre and I was shocked when I was told that they had been detained from 14 to 16 years. They had been languishing in the Kamunting Detention as they seemed to have been forgotten by the authorities. Continue reading “Thanks to 1987 Operation Lalang, half a dozen ISA detainees incarcerated for 14 -16 years got released or they might have become the world’s longest-held detainees because they were forgotten by the authorities”

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Greatest naivety for anyone to think that there are those among the 45 signatories of the Citizen’s Declaration to Save Malaysia who believed that the day after signing the Declaration, Najib would be removed as Prime Minister

It is the greatest naivety for anyone to think that there are those among the 45 signatories of the Citizen’s Declaration to Save Malaysia who believed that the day after the signing of the 304 Declaration on March 4, 2016 that Datuk Seri Najib Razak would be removed as Prime Minister.

The road to fundamental political changes in Malaysia is a long and arduous one, with the Citizen’s Declaration on March 4 only the first step.

Malaysia is in uncharted political waters and we can only take the political tests and challenges we have assumed with the signing and proclamation of the Citizen’s Declaration on March 4 one step at a time, fully putting national interests above all racial, religious, regional, party and individual interests.

As stated in the Citizen’s Declaration to Save Malaysia, the signatories are fully aware that leadership change must be accompanied by democratic and institutional changes or the country would be back to square one. Continue reading “Greatest naivety for anyone to think that there are those among the 45 signatories of the Citizen’s Declaration to Save Malaysia who believed that the day after signing the Declaration, Najib would be removed as Prime Minister”

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Sanusi: Instead of Kit Siang, Umno should be wary of Jho Low

Malaysiakini
11 March 2016

Umno veteran Sanusi Junid has hit out at some in Umno for demonising DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, arguing instead that the person who is more dangerous to Umno and the country is billionaire Low Taek Jho, popularly known as Jho Low.

Jho Low has been linked to the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion scandals which are threatening to tear Umno apart.

“The Chinese that we should abhor, is Chinese like that Jho Low… and the scoundrels that are his friends, those are the ones we should hate, but that is the person which is seen as a good person (by Umno).

“If he is asked to go before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), he wants that his testimony be kept secret. Cannot be revealed to the people, because it might show his bad side,” he lamented in an exclusive interview with Blogger Din Turtle.

Sanusi sarcastically pointed out that despite being opposed to Umno for many years, Lim has not done Umno and the people any harm, hinting that Jho Low has perhaps had a hand in worse things. Continue reading “Sanusi: Instead of Kit Siang, Umno should be wary of Jho Low”

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Mahathir And Anwar Vs Najib: How Will It End? – Analysis

By Yang Razali Kassim
RSIS
MARCH 9, 2016

Malaysia’s rambunctious politics has entered an even more unpredictable phase with political foes Mahathir Mohamad and jailed Anwar Ibrahim joining hands to unseat Prime Minister Najib Razak and push for systemic change. Where will all this lead?

The unthinkable is happening in Malaysian politics. It is triggered by the deepest political crisis the country has ever known, at the centre of which is Prime Minister Najib Razak. Forced by a common desire to end the turmoil by unseating Najib, two bitter foes – former premier Mahathir Mohammad and his jailed former deputy Anwar Ibrahim – have joined hands in what has long been thought an impossible alliance.

Aptly described as a sea-change in Malaysian politics, never before have such sworn enemies buried their hatchets for a common cause – and never before had that been a joint cause celebre to sack a sitting prime minister. By launching his rainbow “core group” of concerned citizens of various political stripes and leanings to “Save Malaysia”, Mahathir has once again thrust himself into the eye of the storm to redefine the political landscape. In the same vein, with Anwar in jail, all the disparate forces that have aligned themselves against Najib over the 1MDB investment fund scandal have finally found someone of stature to rally around in a marriage of convenience. It is ironic that the man who crushed the opposition while in power has remade himself in retirement as the de facto leader of what in essence is a citizens’ revolt. Continue reading “Mahathir And Anwar Vs Najib: How Will It End? – Analysis”

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Making our voices heard

Dyana Sofya
The Malay Mail Online
Wednesday March 9, 2016

MARCH 9 ― On March 4, 2016 we saw national leaders from both sides of the political divide, civil society and other influential figures sign the Citizens’ Declaration.

Perhaps Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad put it best when he said it was a meeting of “strange bedfellows.” Be that as it may, it was certainly a historic occasion for our country. Never have we witnessed political arch-nemeses, such as those who were present, coming together for a common political cause.

As I watched the events unfold “live” on my laptop screen, I had mixed feelings of amazement, trepidation and excitement. After all, those who had been jailed, exiled and prosecuted were now sitting together with the man who had caused them all the hardship.

But they did, not because they had suddenly forgotten and forgiven the man for his sins, but because they believed in the greater cause of saving Malaysia and her people.

Not everyone reacted the same way, of course. Some of my comrades, colleagues and friends felt betrayed and disappointed. I don’t blame them. Continue reading “Making our voices heard”

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Police should charge the trio for lodging false reports against me alleging that I had committed sedition against Yang di Pertuan Agong

Police should charge the trio for lodging false reports against me alleging that I had committed sedition against the Yang di Pertuan Agong, when I said that the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s speech at the opening of Parliament yesterday was prepared by the government.

According to Malaysiakini today, the trio who had lodged false police reports against me are Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz in Sentul, Mohd Shukry Roslan in Rawang, Mohammad Zahiddin at Wangsa Maju in Wangsa Maju.

The trio had criminal offences, particularly Section 182 of Penal Code which makes it an offence punishable with six months’ jail, or RM 2,000 fine or both, for “false information” in lodging a false report.

The police must act without fear or favour and initiate investigations against the trio for false reporting to demonstrate that the police are independent, impartial, efficient and professional in carrying out their police duties. Continue reading “Police should charge the trio for lodging false reports against me alleging that I had committed sedition against Yang di Pertuan Agong”

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A hasty coalition?

Emmanuel Joseph
The Malaysian Insider
8 March 2016

It is often said that in politics, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies. The Malaysian scenario is no different. Alliances, both long term (as is often the case with Barisan Nasional), and short term (as is often the case with the opposition), would often see friend turn foe turn friend again with each passing election.

But I believe, even as recent as a few days ago, no one would have been able to foresee old arch nemeses sitting and smiling at the same table, reaching an agreement to oust a newer “arch nemesis”.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the country’s former prime minister and long-time Umno president; his long-time Parliament duelling partner Lim Kit Siang; Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, whose party was ironically formed mainly to oust Dr Mahathir; his former rival in Kubang Pasu and current Parti Amanah Negara president, Mohamad Sabu; one of his strongest critics, Hishamuddin Rais; and 53 other leaders from Umno, Pakatan Harapan and various NGOs had signed a declaration seeking to remove the current Prime Minister alongside other demands for reforms. Continue reading “A hasty coalition?”

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Perjuangan 50 tahun DAP dan Lim Kit Siang

Thor Kah Hoong
The Malaysian Insider
6 March 2016

Ketua Parlimen DAP Lim Kit Siang berbual dengan THOR KAH HOONG, mengimbas kembali parti politik yang diterajuinya selama 50 tahun seiring dengan tempoh 5 dekad beliau sebagai seorang ahli politik, yang melihat banyak kenangan suka dan duka (termasuk pernah ditahan pihak berkuasa 3 kali), ketika pembangkang politik memusuhinya, meramalkan apa yang dijangka akan menjelang dan pendapatnya mengenai kemungkinan mencari titik persamaan dengan bekas musuh, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

TMI: Bila anda berminat dalam politik dan di mana ia mula berakar umbi?

Lim: Sejak zaman persekolahan saya. Continue reading “Perjuangan 50 tahun DAP dan Lim Kit Siang”

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50 years of a party and politician

BY THOR KAH HOONG
The Malaysian Insider
6 March 2016

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang looks back on 50 years of the political party he helms, in tandem with his five decades as a politician, the many ups and downs and ins (Lim was a guest of the authorities for three stretches), the time political opponents were after his blood, doing a bit of crystal-ball gazing at what’s looming, and his thoughts about finding common ground with a former nemesis, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

TMI: No better place to start than at the start. When did you become “politicised”, where was the beginning rooted?

Lim: Since my school days.

TMI: Your school days?

Lim: In the sense we were very interested in events – the school days of the 1950s lah, I was in secondary school 1955-59. Those were the times when, nationally and internationally, there were a lot of exciting developments… 1955 was the Bandung Conference, 1956 was the nationalisation of the Suez Canal and the Hungarian revolution, 1957 was our Merdeka, and in my class, there was a group who was tuned in to all these events.

I remember my last year in school, 1959, waiting for our Form Five results to come out, those days we had no IT to distract us, our only distraction was to cycle around town, to roam around.

We’d go to the deserted school at night, sit beside the longkang and yarn, and someone will say, “let’s go out into the world and form a political party”. Continue reading “50 years of a party and politician”