for Malaysia
Perak Pakatan Rakyat Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is to have audience with the Sultan of Perak to seek the dissolution of the Perak State Assembly and to hold state election.
Returning to the voters of Perak to seek a clear-cut mandate for the government of the state is the most honourable and democratic manner to end the political crisis in the state.
Can Datuk Seri Najib Razak emulate Barack Obama to embody change and inspire Malaysians with the same hope of a “dream come true” as Obama has been able to evoke from the American people as witnessed in the inauguration of the 44th United States President yesterday?
This is the natural question to ask following Najib’s acknowledgement that Obama won election as the first African American president of the United States because he pushed for and embodied change.
Can Najib’s warning that Umno and Barisan Nasional must change or perish in the next general election be taken seriously, when he had just spearheaded the Barisan Nasional’s Kuala Terengganu “buy-election” campaign where money politics and electoral corruption had reigned supreme? Continue reading “Can Najib emulate Obama to embody change?”
“Cuepacs: Nizar doesn’t know what he’s saying” – New Straits Times today reported the Cuepacs president Omar Othman denying that civil servants had contributed to Pas’ victory in Saturday’s Kuala Terengganu by-election.
The NST reported:
He (Omar) said public services employees, both those serving the federal and state governments, fully supported the Barisan Nasional and Umno leadership.
He was commenting on a claim by Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.
“Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin claimed government staff serving the federal and state governments sympathised with and supported Pas,” Omar said yesterday.
“He also said they had become more daring to vote for Pas in the by-election despite being threatened or forced.
“This is a big lie by a man who knows nothing about the public services or its system.
“The more than 1.2 million civil servants in this country have been loyal and supportive of the government. There is no doubt about that.”
He said civil servants appreciated what the government had been doing for them all these years.
“They know who has been fighting for their welfare and paying their salaries to enable them to feed and support their family. Leave them alone,” Omar said.
Does Omar know what he is saying? Continue reading “Does Cuepacs’ Omar know what he’s saying?”
The Kuala Terengganu by-election has lived up to its historic significance.
It has delivered two important messages.
Firstly, that the “308” political tsunami of the March general election last year is very much on course, confirming that the paradigm shift in Malaysian politics some ten months ago was no fluke shot but represented deep-seated and wide-ranging political aspirations of Malaysians.
Secondly, a dire warning to Umno and in particular Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is to be Prime Minister in ten weeks’ time of the far-reaching consequences if they refuse to heed the people’s call for change.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in his comment on the Kuala Terenggany by-election result has likened UMNO and BN to “a sinking ship” if their leaders remain in denial.
How many UMNO and BN leaders would dare to agree with Razaleigh when he warned:
“Money, machinery and incumbency could not trump the call for change. BN will lose, and will in the end lose everything, until we respond fully and sincerely…
“Actually this was more than a referendum on the leadership. It was a test of the relevance of UMNO in its present form. If UMNO is no longer relevant to the Malays, the BN formula is dead.”
by Ong Kian Ming
Jan 17, 09 8:01am
Malaysiakini
There is this phenomenon in the United States called Monday Morning Quarterback.
It describes a person who says that he or she always knew what the outcome of the Sunday football games was going to be and proceeds to give an explanation for why the game resulted in the eventual result. In other words, this person is passing judgment from a position of hindsight, which is always 20/20.
I could easily play this game in regard to the upcoming Terengganu by-election. It would be far too easy for me to list down, on Sunday, reasons as to why PAS won the by-election and at the same time, to have ready an alternative list of reasons as to why the BN/Umno managed to win the same by-election in case of an upset.
It is however a far harder and much riskier endeavour to predict who is going to win, and by what margin, before the fact. Continue reading “‘PAS to win by 7,000 majority’”
The great challenge in the Kuala Terengganu by-election on January 17 is for the 80,229 voters of Kuala Terengganu to send a clear and unmistakable message of a national “sky change” in the next general election as UMNO and the Barisan Nasional have not learnt the lessons of the March 8 political tsunami in the past 10 months.
Malaysians were promised after the March general election, which ended UMNO political hegemony, the BN two-thirds parliamentary majority and five Pakatan Rakyat state governments in Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan that the UMNO-Barisan Nasional coalition had heard loud and clear the message of the people in the ballot box and that there would be radical reforms in the country but very little had been accomplished in the past 10 months.
It is clear that the Umno and Barisan Nasional coalition do not have the political will and commitment to bring about far-reaching changes that can transform Malaysia from a country with first-world infrastructure with third-world mentality into one with a first-world infrastructure and first-world mentality.
In fact, Malaysia is not only losing out in the international competitiveness race, straggling behind one country after another, we are in the danger of becoming a third world country with third world mentality. Continue reading “KT voters – send a clear and unmistakable message of a national “sky change” in next general election”
The police in Kuala Terengganu by-election campaign should not apply double standards and should treat Datuk Seri Najib Razak as one of the party leaders in town for the by-election and not as a Deputy Prime Minister or Prime Minister-elect.
At a time when the retiring Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is trying to give new life to his National Integrity Plan and anti-corruption efforts in his last three months in office, the way the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election is conducted will be a test as to whether his national integrity efforts and the newly-minted Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have any real meaning.
For instance, would the police in Kuala Terengganu treat Najib at par with other party leaders, whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, for the duration of the by-election, as there is no business for a Deputy Prime Minister to be campaigning in Kuala Terengganu in his official capacity.
Najib is in Kuala Terengganu as UMNO Deputy President and Barisan Nasional Deputy Chairman and not as Deputy Prime Minister, and this distinction must be scrupulously observed not only by the police and all relevant government departments but also by Najib himself!
Najib should dispense with the horde of police outriders during his visit to Kuala Terengganu to show that he is not abusing his powers and be an example to all other Ministers and VIPs – that they should not misuse scarce police personnel and resources in having to provide outriders and escorts. Continue reading “KT by-election – Najib not campaigning as DPM and police should not apply double-standards”
DAP National Deputy Chairman Dr. Tan Seng Giaw, who was at the Kuala Terengganu stadium last night representing DAP, was as surprised as anyone when it was announced that the PAS candidate for the forthcoming by-election is four-term Wakaf Mempelam State Assemblyman, Abdul Wahid Endut and not anyone of the two leading contenders, Batu Buruk assemblyman Dr. Syed Azman Nawawi and PAS Terengganu chief Datuk Mustapha Ali.
The Kuala Terengganu by-election on January 17, the second parliamentary by-election after the March general election last year is no less important than the Permatang Pauh by-election four months ago, which saw the triumphant return of the Pakatan Rakyat leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Parliament after an unjust enforced absence for a decade.
The Kuala Terengganu by-election is a crucial and critical one as it will have a major influence on whether the changes started by the March 8 political tsunami last year should be pressed on or be blocked and even reversed.
Continue reading “KT by-election – post-March political tsunami changes to continue or be blocked and even reversed”
The news of the sudden death of Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail just now is most shocking and I would like to convey to his family my deepest condolences for the loss of a sober-minded and even-handed Malaysian.
Razali had always impressed me with his rationality as he is a rare Umno MP who is not only well-read and very passionate about education and life-long learning but would have no truck with ultra sentiments and unparliamentary antics and outbursts.
There is going to be a major by-election with the vacancy arising from the death of Razali.
DAP will go all out to work for Mat Sabu’s return to Parliament, as the PAS National Vice President lost narrowly to Razali in the 2008 general election in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary constituency by a razor-edge 628 votes.
Razali secured 32,562 votes, Sabu 31,934 votes while independent candidate Maimun Yusuf polled 685 votes.
(Speech2 at the DAP Penang 13,000-People Victory Dinner at Han Chiang School on Friday, 28th November 2008)
Will Datuk Seri Najib Razak call a snap general election at the end of next year or early 2010 to get a full mandate and legitimacy as the sixth Prime Minister and to put behind him all the many serious allegations now hounding and haunting him?
This is an option Najib will have to give serious consideration when he takes over as the sixth Prime Minister next March.
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dissolved Parliament in March 2004 four months after taking over the premiership while Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad dissolved Parliament in March 1982 eight months after becoming the fourth Prime Minister, both scoring landslide victories in the “first flush” of a new Prime Minister with the 2004 general election victory the most unprecedented.
Will Najib take a leaf from Abdullah and Mahathir and plan for an early snap general election when he takes over as Prime Minister next March, whether end of next year or early 2010?
This is the first strategic decision Najib has to make as Prime Minister, whether to craft a national euphoria when he assumes the premiership and go for early polls whether end-2009 or early 2010 or complete the bulk of the 12th Parliamentary term to hold the 13th general election in 2011 or 2012.
Najib and his core advisers must now be weighing the pros and cons of having early snap polls.
Continue reading “Snap election end 2009/early 2010 with RAHMAN prophecy?”
| Income:- | |||
| Walk-in Donation – | |||
| Ipoh Timur Centre | 30,073.20 | ||
| Canning Centre | 16,469.10 | ||
| Tebing Tinggi Centre | 759.00 | ||
| Pasir Pinji Centre | 3,538.80 | ||
| Online Donation | 4,105.00 | ||
| Ceramah Collections | 142,647.90 | ||
| Total: | 197,593.00 | ||
| Expenses:- | |||
| Rental — Hall & Centres | 4,900.00 | ||
| Operation Centres set-up & maintenance | 23,050.14 | ||
| Ceramah set-up | 19,876.21 | ||
| Logistic | 8,182.00 | ||
| Postering — materials & labour | 31,255.95 | ||
| Voting day — food & stationary | 2,571.27 | ||
| Thanksgiving — dinner & gifts | 13,761.50 | ||
| Service Centres — set-up/renovations* | 26,000.00 | ||
| Total: | 129,597.07 | ||
| **Balance | 67,995.93 | ||
* Pasir Pinji RM8,000, Canning RM8,000, Tebing Tinggi RM10,000
** The balance fund will be kept for future activities/next election in Ipoh Timur.
Permatang Pauh by-election – history in the making. Anwar’s majority should be a few thousands more than azizah’s majority – in the 16,000 region.
[ sys admin – we are moving into strip down mode to cope with the increased load on the server ]
Together with other Pakatan Rakyat MPs, DAP MP for Batu Gajah
Fong Po Kuan grilled Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for the RM2.4 million indelible ink scandal by the Election Commission in the 12th general election.
Po Kuan has blogged about her spunky scrutiny-in-progress, as evident from the two video clips here.
This parliamentary episode is reported by New Straits Times parliamentary report:
Spunky Scrutiny – Part 1 :
Spunky Scrutiny – Part 2 :
Continue reading “Indelible ink scandal – spunky scrutiny-in-progress by Po Kuan”
It is almost two months since the March 8 political tsunami of the 2008 general election which saw the end of Barisan Nasional’s unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority and the loss of state government in five states – Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan.
More than two weeks after the March 8 political tsunami, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi admitted that the result of the elections was a strong message that he “had not moved fast enough in pushing through with the reforms that he had promised to undertake’ when he was given an unprecedented mandate in the 2004 general election winning 91% of the parliamentary seats.
Abdullah said: “I thank the Malaysian people for the message. Point made and point taken.”
It was a sign of the Prime Minister grappling with the serious problem of denial but it was not assuring enough as he had missed the whole point of the March 8 electoral verdict – not that he “had not moved fast enough” in reforms he had pledged more than four years ago, but that he had hardly moved at all apart from reform sloganeering and periodically paying lip service to them.
Have Abdullah and his Cabinet now got the full message of Malaysians in the March 8 political tsunami? Continue reading “Belated genuine reforms or just sloganeering?”
The Lee Kah Choon saga is an opportunity lost for Malaysian leaders to emulate the Malaysian voters in the March 8 “political tsunami” to rise above race, religion and political differences to work single-mindedly for the good of the people, state and country.
In the last Parliament, in keeping with the perverse notion of “Support Barisan Nasional, right or wrong”, a new rule was formulated for all Barisan Nasional MPs that they cannot support Opposition motions whether right or wrong and cannot vote according to their conscience but must toe the party line.
As a result, the then Chairman of the Barisan Nasional BackBenchers Club, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad (now Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister) was forced in May 2006 to resign from his post to avoid disciplinary action against him for speaking up in favour of my privilege motion in Parliament to refer the then MP for Jasin, Mohd Said Yusuf to the Committee of Privileges over the impropriety of an MP asking the Customs and Excise Department to “close one eye” in a case involving the import of sawn timber in Malacca.
It was in disgust at such obtuse and petty-minded mentality where individual and party interests were placed above parliamentary, public and national interests that the Malaysian voters rose as one to teach the Barisan Nasional a salutary lesson in the March 8 “political tsunami”, depriving the BN of its hitherto unbroken two-thirds majority in Parliament and power in five states. Continue reading “Lee Kah Choon saga – opportunity lost for BN leaders after March 8 “political tsunami””
Leaders of DAP, PKR and PAS met in Petaling Jaya today and took the logical next step of the March 8 political tsunami – proposing the establishment of a new front of the three political parties to be tentatively known as PAKATAN RAKYAT.
A joint statement issued after the meeting reads:
The leaders of KeADILan, DAP and PAS met today in furtherance of the meeting held on the 18th of March 2008.
Today’s meeting was attended by, among others, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, YB Lim Kit Siang, YB Dato’ Seri Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang and YB Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
In today’s meeting, we have proposed to consolidate the cooperation between the three parties under the name “PAKATAN RAKYAT”. This name has been proposed pending confirmation by the respective parties.
Pakatan Rakyat pledges to uphold the rights and interests of all Malaysians, regardless of religion or race, as enshrined in the Constitution.
With the results of the recent elections, the state governments of Kelantan, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak and Selangor will be known as Pakatan Rakyat state governments. The policies of these governments will be conducted in accordance with the policies of Pakatan Rakyat. Continue reading “Pakatan Rakyat – logical next step of March 8 political tsunami”
One of the major breakthroughs of the March 8 political tsunami was the transformation of “Makkal Sakti” from a call for the end of the long-standing marginalization of the Malaysian Indians into a rallying and symbolic cry by all Malaysians to end all forms of marginalization against any Malaysian or group, regardless of race or religion.
It is distressing therefore that despite assurances by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that he has heard the voice of Malaysians on March 8 for change, actions taken by the second Abdullah administration have proved otherwise – in particular the statement by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar refusing to release newly-elected Selangor DAP State Assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah and four other Hindraf leaders, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar from Internal Security Act (ISA) detention.
A pressing agenda for 82 MPs and 196 State Assembly members from DAP, PKR and PAS in Malaysia is to work out a common strategy for the immediate and unconditional release of the five Hindraf leaders from ISA detention and to ensure that the second Abdullah government understand the meaning of “Makkal Sakti”.
(Speech at the DAP Bukit Glugor general election thanksgiving dinner to celebrate re-election victory of Karpal Singh as MP for Bukit Glugor at Long Say Building, Burmah Road, Penang on Saturday, 29th March 2008)
The refusal of the Home Minister, Datuk Syed Hamid Albar to release newly-elected Selangor DAP State Assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah and four other Hindraf leaders, P. Uthayakumar, V. Ganabatirau, R. Kenghadharan and T. Vasantha Kumar from Internal Security Act (ISA) detention should bring Malaysians back to reality – that the second Abdullah administration has not really heard the voice of the people in the March 8 political tsunami for change towards a more democratic, accountable, just and progressive Malaysian society.
Hamid’s explanation is completely unacceptable. He said: “We cannot simply react to political parties’ calls. We have to give priority to public safety and peace and will give due consideration only if there is no threat to national security.”
This is because the ISA detention of the five Hindraf leaders last December – purportedly linking them with “terrorist organizations” which have proved to be completely baseless – was the result of calls by Barisan Nasional component parties, particularly Umno and MIC, and had nothing whatsoever to do with national security.
Having myself being detained twice for a total of 35 months under the ISA, I can vouch that ISA detentions had been used as political instruments to suppress dissent which have no relationship whatsoever with national security – and the ISA detention of the five Hindraf leaders fall directly under this category! Continue reading “ISA release of Hindraf 5 – first post-March 8 test for MCA, MIC, Gerakan”
by Dr. Chen Man Hin
MARCH 8TH 2008 was a defining day for Malaysia. The voting results clearly sent out messages by the voters.
The first message indicated that the people want
A NEW MALAYSIA WITH GOOD GOVERNANCE AND A NEW SOCIETY OF RACIAL EQUALITY, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM WITH EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN EDUCATION , EMPLOYMENT AND IMBUED WITH A VISION TO TURN MALAYSIA TO BE A LIBERAL MODERN GLOBAL NATION.
Since March 8th there has been a noticeable difference in society. The people are happier and more optimistic because they feel that change is in the air. They see the changes happening.
The political map has changed. There are now five new states under opposition rule, This is the beginning of a two party system of government, as in advanced countries like Australia, Canada and USA. it is accepted practice in these countries to have states controlled by opposition parties.
The new opposition states have immediately implemented new populist policies like stopping waste of public funds, simple lifestyle for chief minister and mentris besar, ban on application of land by elected DAP MPs and SAs, weeding out corruption.and an amnesty of fines for humble traders and hawkers.
THE SECOND MESSAGE message which is fundamental and show a radical change in the thinking of Malaysians on politics. Continue reading “A New Malaysia”
The second Abdullah Cabinet is a disappointment all round with no signs from its first meeting yesterday that it will be reformist and get cracking to make up for the past four years of broken pledges of reform.
Even the promise of judicial reform which was the rationale for the surprise appointment of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim as the de facto Law Minister to undertake judicial and legal reforms to restore national and international confidence in the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary after two decades of ravages of the cardinal principles of a truly independent judiciary and just rule of law has come up against a stonewall.
Zaid’s proposal that the government should apologise to the victims of the 1988 judicial crisis, which many have regarded as grossly inadequate to address the series of judicial crisis of confidence in the past two decades, could not find support in the Cabinet yesterday, with Zaid making the revealing comment after saying that he had presented his view that the government should apologise to Tun Salleh Abas, Datuk George Seah and the late Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawanteh:
“Well, I am afraid the view has yet to be considered.
“There are many people who are more experienced and who are wiser than me. So we have to wait.”
What Zaid meant is clear and simple – he has not received any support in the Cabinet to take the first step for meaningful judicial reforms, to rectify the wrongs and injustices which had caused the plunge of Malaysia’s judicial system from internationally-acknowledged as world-class two decades ago to its parlous state today. Continue reading “Second Abdullah Cabinet – no signs of “Point made and point taken””