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Umno assembly – final chance for change missed

Dr Chris Anthony
Malaysiakini
Dec 3, 2012

The just concluded 66th Umno general assembly was the last opportunity for the party to convince the people of its willingness to change – a promise it made four years ago after its unprecedented losses at the March 8 election of 2008.

Unfortunately it appears that Umno had missed that opportunity going by the proceedings at the assembly, the last before 13th general election.

It was pathetic to see a party in power for 55 years, having led the fight for independence and developing the nation to a level to be admired by many, resorting to three misguided strategies to win the crucial 13th general election that is seen as a threat to unseat it.

They are:

1. Over-boasting of its experience in governance and achievements while failing to address all its glaring misdeeds.

2. Threatening of riots and unrest if it loses.

3. Opposition bashing and ridiculing the opposition as an unholy alliance, its inexperience in governing and unrealistic populist policies which will only lead the country to bankruptcy. Continue reading “Umno assembly – final chance for change missed”

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Can BN regain its supermajority?

by Tay Tian Yan
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 03, 2012

DEC 3 — Umno’s morale has been boosted after its general assembly and even its goal has changed.

Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak set retrieving two-thirds of parliamentary seats as the new goal. As the prime minister, he must have a certain degree of confidence to say so or he would have to face both internal and external pressure once he fails to achieve the goal.

Najib is very clear that he is just a “transition prime minister”, who received the regime directly from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. In other words, he has not received a formal mandate from the people.

To be a strong leader, he must lead his team and win the election. And he understands that if Barisan Nasional just barely wins, the regime will be inevitably unstable while his personal reputation will also be very low.

Abdullah’s experience showed that Umno needs a powerful regime instead of a simple majority ruling.

Umno’s demand is very clear, namely to win two-thirds of the parliamentary seats and retrieve Selangor. Only that will be called the true victory of Umno and the BN coalition. Continue reading “Can BN regain its supermajority?”

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When Najib says that a vote for DAP is a vote for oppression of Malays while Chua Soi Lek declares that it is a vote for oppression of Chinese, time has come to save Malaysia from such dishonest, deceitful, unprincipled and immoral UMNO/BN govt

In his winding-up speech at the 66th UMNO General Assembly on Saturday, the UMNO President and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak ended with the flourish urging UMNO members to work harder to convince the people to support Barisan Nasional as a vote for DAP is a vote for the oppression of the Malays.

But this is the exact opposite of what MCA leaders like the MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek is telling the Chinese up and down the country, that a vote for the DAP is a vote for the oppression of the Chinese.

It is clear that when Najib says that a vote for DAP is a vote for the oppression of the Malays while Chua Soi Lek declares that it is a vote for oppression of the Chinese, the time has come to save Malaysia from such dishonest, deceitful, unprincipled and immoral UMNO/Barisan Nasional government.

What credibility and legitimacy has a political coalition like Barisan Nasional, which is capable of such blatant deceit and dishonesty, plumbing the depths of lies and falsehoods to entrench itself in power, to dare claim that it has the credentials and moral high ground to continue to govern multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural Malaysia when it is in fact actively aggravating racial and religious polarisation in the country? Continue reading “When Najib says that a vote for DAP is a vote for oppression of Malays while Chua Soi Lek declares that it is a vote for oppression of Chinese, time has come to save Malaysia from such dishonest, deceitful, unprincipled and immoral UMNO/BN govt”

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Najib benar – apabila UMNO dan MCA tidak boleh bersetuju dengan isu asas, BN telah hilang moraliti dan legitimasi untuk memerintah Putrajaya

Dalam Ucapan Dasar Presiden UMNO pada Khamis lalu, Perdana Menteri dan Presiden UMNO Datuk Seri Najib Razak kembali kepada topik kitar semula yang mempersoal bagaimana Pakatan Rakyat yang terdiri daripada PKR, PAS dan DAP akan membentuk kerajaan perikatan kerana terdapat perbezaan pada isu asas yang memisahkan mereka.

Tentu Najib tahu walaupun PKR, PAS dan DAP mempunyai perberzaan ideologi, kami telah bersetuju untuk membentuk Pakatan Rakyat dan mengikat diri kami dengan Kerangka Dasar Bersama dan Buku Jingga untuk Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 dan PR akan dipandu oleh apa yang menyatukan kami dan bukannya apa yang memisahkan kami – akan tetapi itu adalah untuk kenyataan yang lain.

Apa yang ingin saya tunjukkan sekarang adalah Najib telah betul-betul menggambarkan apa yang menjadi punca masalah walaupun itu bukanlah niat beliau – sepertimana yang beliau dedahkan sebenarnya Barisan Nasional telah hilang moraliti dan legitimasi untuk mentadbir Malaysia yang berbilang kaum, berbilang bahasa, berbilang budaya dan berbilang agama apabila UMNO dan MCA tidak dapat bersepakat pada isu asas sama ada Melayu atau bukan Melayu yang akan kecundang sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat memenangi pilihan raya ke-13. Continue reading “Najib benar – apabila UMNO dan MCA tidak boleh bersetuju dengan isu asas, BN telah hilang moraliti dan legitimasi untuk memerintah Putrajaya”

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Umno Youth’s delusions

— Ahmad Ashraf
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 01, 2012

DEC 1 — When it comes to talk, very few can match Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin. After all, he used to host a talk show. And today, he displayed his prowess when saying Umno is winning the battle for the hearts and minds of Malaysian youth.

However, the country’s “richest unemployed young man,” as dubbed by Lim Kit Siang, is just talking up his achievements.

Is Umno popular among the young? Khairy says results of the recent campus elections reflects youth acceptance of Umno, where 18 out of 20 elections were won by the pro-government Pro-Aspirasi groups.

Well, the government-backed undergraduates won in elections where rules were stacked against those linked to opposition. In Universiti Malaya and the International Islamic University, where attempts to influence results failed, the pro-opposition candidates swept to power.

Care to explain that, Khairy? Continue reading “Umno Youth’s delusions”

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God, comedy and the Umno general assembly

Kee Thuan Chye
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 2, 2012

COMMENT

The Umno general assembly has often come across as reality comedy. Its ‘performers’ unwittingly amuse us with their unintentionally comic turns. This year, they didn’t disappoint.

Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, whose family is embroiled in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal that forced her not to renew her senatorship, says that for the upcoming general election, she is a winnable candidate. God help her.

Indeed, God was invoked on several occasions throughout the general assembly, sometimes for the sake of seeking his help.

President Najib Abdul Razak urged Umno members to pray hard to God in order to win the general election. “Let us pray so that with His blessings, we will continue to be the country’s ruling party,” he said.

The subtext of that smacked of a loss in confidence. Continue reading “God, comedy and the Umno general assembly”

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Greatest Najib disappointment at the 66th UMNO GA – failure to declare all-out war against corruption which is proof that UMNO incapable of change so long as it remains corrupted in the corridors of power

UMNO’s “war” 66th General Assembly has ended with UMNO leaders confident and euphoric, with the UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and other UMNO leaders declaring that UMNO will not only triumph in the next general elections, but will win back the two-thirds parliamentary majority as well as all the four Pakatan states including Kelantan and Penang.

However, “Man proposes, God disposes”.

The possibility of Barisan Nasional wresting back the four Pakatan Rakyat states of Penang, Kelantan, Selangor and Kedah or blocking Pakatan Rakyat from winning back Perak State Government cannot be dismissed completely.

At the national level, the 13GE is going to be a nail-biting finish, with the outcome a toss-up as it could go either way with Barisan Nasional returned to Federal power in Putrajaya or Pakatan Rakyat replacing BN as the new Malaysian government breaking UMNO political hegemony.

The 13GE will be faced with a new Malaysian political demography – with the majority of the 29 million population of today born after Malaysia Day, with nearly 70 per cent living in the urban areas, eighty per cent are under the age of 45 while half of our people under the age of 25.

Who wins Putrajaya in the 13GE will not be decided by the BN or PR hardcore but the middle ground voters, comprising some 30 per cent of the 13.1 million, i.e. 4 million, registered electorate. Continue reading “Greatest Najib disappointment at the 66th UMNO GA – failure to declare all-out war against corruption which is proof that UMNO incapable of change so long as it remains corrupted in the corridors of power”

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Najib is right – when UMNO and MCA cannot agree on the core issue whether Malays or non-Malays would be the losers if PR wins in 13GE, BN has lost the morality and legitimacy to rule in Putrajaya

In his UMNO Presidential Address on Thursday, the Prime Minister and UMNO President Datuk Seri Najib Razak returned to the oft-repeated UMNO theme asking how Pakatan Rakyat comprising PKR, PAS and DAP are going to form a coalition government because of the differences on the core issues separating them.

Surely Najib knows that although PKR, PAS and DAP have our ideological differences, we have agreed to form Pakatan Rakyat and committed ourselves to a Common Policy Framework and the Buku Jingga programme of action for the 13th General Election and PR will be guided by what unites us and not by what divides us – but that is for another statement.

What I want to point out now is that Najib had hit the nail on the head although this was not his intention – as he has exposed the fact that Barisan Nasional has lost the morality and legitimacy to govern multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious Malaysia when UMNO and MCA cannot agree on the core issue whether Malays or non-Malays would be the losers if Pakatan Rakyat wins the 13th general election. Continue reading “Najib is right – when UMNO and MCA cannot agree on the core issue whether Malays or non-Malays would be the losers if PR wins in 13GE, BN has lost the morality and legitimacy to rule in Putrajaya”

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BN will recapture all Pakatan states, win two-thirds majority, say Umno leaders

By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 01, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 — Umno is confident of wresting back all four Pakatan Rakyat-led (PR) states and even recapturing its two-thirds parliamentary majority in the coming polls, buoyed by a strong belief that the Najib government’s reformist measures have successfully impressed the Malaysian electorate.

Several leaders told The Malaysian Insider that Umno is now fully prepared to march to the battle lines, having struggled through four years of heavy transformation from the party’s administration to the mindsets of its over three million members.

Emerging fully charged after the second day of the party’s assembly here yesterday, the leaders wasted no breath in declaring that achieving two-thirds is no longer an aspiration for Umno but a comfortable reality.

“Of course,” Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said, when asked if the party was confident it would once again occupy two-thirds of Parliament’s 222 seats after the polls.

“I believe that we will win back two-thirds and we will get back at least all the four Pakatan states… including Kelantan and Penang,” he added. Kelantan has been in PAS’s hands since 1990. Continue reading “BN will recapture all Pakatan states, win two-thirds majority, say Umno leaders”

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RM40m Sabah Umno ‘donation’ is pittance, say Umno delegates

By Mohd Farhan Darwis and Leannza Chia
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 30, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — Several Umno members appeared today to dismiss the controversy over Sabah Umno’s RM40 million “political donation”, saying the sum was pittance compared to the millions the party dishes out during elections.

Arsit Sedi @ Sidik, a delegate from Sabah, even described the sum as “a very small dot” and revealed that in the Putatan constituency in his home state, Umno would have to spend up to RM6 million during the polls.

“RM40 million is a small sum, I don’t think it can even support the next election.

“The amount needed is very high, especially Sabah. If you are talking RM40 million, it is not enough to even move the election machinery.

“RM40 million is a very small dot only,” he told The Malaysian Insider when approached on the sidelines of Umno’s 66th general assembly here. Continue reading “RM40m Sabah Umno ‘donation’ is pittance, say Umno delegates”

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Shame on you, Shahrizat: You are a fear-monger

— P. Ramakrishnan
Aliran
Nov 30, 2012

NOV 30 — As a former minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil should have more sense to be responsible and appreciate the democratic process. Instead, she comes across as someone who is not prepared to accept the verdict of the people in a democratic election if that verdict went against Umno.

Is she planting the seeds of hatred in the minds of Umno members and instigating them to run amok and create havoc?

How does one view her statement when she said at the Wanita Umno assembly: “If we are no longer in power, we would lose political stability. Certainly, the Malays, the majority in this country, would be unsettled” (Malaysiakini, November 28).

“I am concerned and worried that this would bring racial tensions that could lead to a repeat of the May 13, 1969 tragedy.”

Is she threatening Malaysians that there will be a recurrence of the May 13, 1969 tragedy if Umno were to lose power? Why should that be so? Is she calling on Umno members to get ready to do the unthinkable if they were forced by the electorate to vacate Putrajaya? Continue reading “Shame on you, Shahrizat: You are a fear-monger”

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Malays not under threat, Umno is

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | November 30, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

There are 18 million Malays in this country and all the security forces plus every level of the government is Malay, so what threat is Najib Tun Razak talking about?

COMMENT

You can’t produce anything different from the same mould. As such, the idea which Malaysians must emulate is to change this government and move forward from there.

Let us all leave Najib Tun Razak and his pot of Mongolian alphabet goulash behind.

Change comes from a changed leadership and a new government.

Now, let us examine what Najib means when he says Malays must unite and Malay unity is no threat to others. Continue reading “Malays not under threat, Umno is”

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Najib’s omission of three paramount issues in his Umno presidential address confirms vital necessity of political change in 13GE to take Malaysia to next step of national development

No Malaysian is shocked that Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Umno Presidential Address to the 66th UMNO General Assembly this morning is a war-cry to UMNO leaders and members to “fight like Churchill” to defend UMNO political power in Putrajaya in the 13th General Elections which I expect to be held within four months by March next year.

No Malaysian is surprised that UMNO leaders at the various UMNO Assemblies are raising the warning that the defeat of UMNO in the 13GE would result in the Malays in the country losing their political power, although rational and level-headed Malaysians can immediately see the fallacy of this falsehood as it is the UMNO leaders and not the Malays who will lose political power with the Umno/BN Federal Government replaced by the Pakatan Rakyat coalition of PKR, PAS and DAP. Furthermore, this is in direct contradiction to MCA propaganda that it is the Chinese and non-Malays who will suffer further loss of their political, educational, socio-economic and citizenship rights when Pakatan Rakyat comes to power in Putrajaya.

Although Malaysians are outraged, it is also not completely outside their expectations that apart from exploiting the race and religious cards at the UMNO Assemblies, UMNO leaders are also try to stoke fear by playing the “May 13 card” – proof that UMNO leaders are under great “pressure” as they know in their heart of hearts that the 13GE could signal the end of UMNO hegemony in Putrajaya despite all the brave front put up by UMNO leaders that UMNO/BN are sure to be returned to power in the 13GE, even to regain its parliamentary two-thirds majority.

But what must have come as a surprise to Malaysians is the total lack of vision in Najib’s UMNO Presidential speech of what Malaysian nation he wants to build in the second half of the first century of the country’s nationhood – apart from the cliché of “high-income developed state”. Continue reading “Najib’s omission of three paramount issues in his Umno presidential address confirms vital necessity of political change in 13GE to take Malaysia to next step of national development”

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Education the key to a better Malaysia

— Hussaini Abdul Karim
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 26, 2012

NOV 26 — “Education is the most powerful weapon, we can use it to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela.

The country needs to change for the better and whoever leads the government that will be determined by the results of the coming 13th general election (GE13) must make change happen as soon as possible and not just continue with rhetoric only.

Given the political situation in the country now, and with the “help” of the Internet, regardless of whether it is spreading nuisance or pleasantries, I do not think it is possible for any coalition of political parties, either Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, or individual political parties to win by a two-thirds majority anymore.

Those days are already gone as hinted in the last general election when a political tsunami favouring the opposition happened. In the coming GE13, I think it is more realistic to believe that it will return results such as a simple majority, split votes or even a result that will culminate in a hung Parliament and there will be individuals who contest as independents or candidates who represent smaller political parties in selected constituencies to play the role of “kingmaker” after winning their respective contests in those constituencies.

It is therefore “smart” for all political parties to think about how to handle the many fence-sitters all over the country; their number is perhaps more than the total number of voters with set minds, who will determine the outcome of GE13. Continue reading “Education the key to a better Malaysia”

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Can MCA deliver for Najib?

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | November 27, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Is Najib lashing out at DAP because he’s frustrated with MCA’s inability to sustain Chinese support?

COMMENT

Why should any self-respecting Malay support Umno which stands idly by and endorses a party like the MCA?

MCA can no longer sustain Chinese support and Umno is absolutely disabled to help.

So it has come to this because all this while Umno has turned MCA into a party of honorary Malays. Now Umno reaps what it has sown.

The prospect of DAP supplanting and eliminating MCA altogether is the main reason why Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is attempting meek scare-mongering tactic.

But people are not buying whatever you say now, Mr PM. Continue reading “Can MCA deliver for Najib?”

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The Malaysian government is “broken” and that’s why it must be “fixed” in 13th GE

Over the weekend, in his speech to the state-sponsored NGO gathering “Himpunan Barisan 1Malaysia” at the Putra World Trade Centre, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said:

“Why fix it (the government) if it’s not broken? It’s not broken, far from it. Our country is the envy of many other nations.”

Both at the thousand-people Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat dinner in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday night and the People’s Green Assembly at Dataran Merdeka this morning at the conclusion of the historic 14-day 300-km Kuantan-Kuala Lumpur trek, I had posed the same question whether the “Malaysian government is broken and needs to be fixed?”, and the answer is a thunderous, powerful and united affirmative!

Fortunately, the Malaysian government has not broken down completely, all the more why it must be “fixed” immediately before it reaches a point of no return.

There is a long list why the Malaysian government is “broken” after 55 years of UMNO/BN rule and needs to be “fixed”, but I will only refer to the following instances: Continue reading “The Malaysian government is “broken” and that’s why it must be “fixed” in 13th GE”

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Will PR become the proverbial rabbit?

Dr. Hsu Dar Ren
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 23, 2012

NOV 23 — As the end of the year approaches, there is still no sign of any election being called. Now it looks like the general election (GE) will only be held after the automatic dissolution of our Parliament in late April 2013. Another possible date is perhaps March 2013.

Malaysia’s political landscape cannot be more different from that of the United States. Yet the recent presidential election there reinforces one important fact. That even if a person or a party cannot win the majority of the biggest ethnic group, the person or the party can still win the election by winning an overwhelming majority of the minorities.

President Barack Obama won because of the votes of the minorities. He carried almost 93 per cent of the African-American votes, over 70 per cent of the Asian and Hispanic votes, but got only 39 per cent of the votes of the White majority. In contrast, his opponent won the majority of the white votes at around 59 per cent but still lost the election.

Based on this, I think it is possible for Pakatan Rakyat to win the next general election in Malaysia, given that majority of the Chinese will vote for the opposition. What is needed is to make certain that the majority of Indian votes go to PR. Most of the Malay votes (my estimate is over 60 per cent) — the Malays form the biggest ethnic group in the country — will be for BN. Continue reading “Will PR become the proverbial rabbit?”

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Najib tidak boleh samakan buah epal dengan bacang

Aspan Alias
21 November 2012

Najib masih menyanyikan lagu lama dengan dendangan yang lama. Najib seorang yang sangat terdesak dan kata-kata nya pun sangat tidak bernilai sebagai satu ucapan pemimpin yang setimpal sebagai kata-kata dan ucapan seorang pemimpin kepada rakyat yang sedang dalam pencarian ini. Najib terpaksa menggunakan ‘testimonial’ orang lain untuk mendapat kepujian dan pengiktirafan dan tidak mampu menunjukkan ‘testimonial’ sendiri bagi meyakinkan rakyat.

Najib masih meminta rakyat memberikan sokongan kepada UMNO dan BN kerana memberikan sokongan kepada UMNO khususnya kepada beliau itu tidak akan menjejaskan pelan transformasi beliau yang telah beliau umumkan setiap bulan dan minggu itu. Jika memberikan sokongan kepada pihak lain ia akan menjejaskan pelan pembangunan dan kemajuan negara dan akan membantutkan usaha kerajaan pimpinan beliau untuk menjadikan negara ini sebagai negara yang berpendapatan tinggi dan sebuah negara maju menjelangnya tahun 2020 nanti.

Najib mengambil Amerika Syarikat (AS) sebagai contoh pandangannya itu. Rakyat AS telah memberikan ‘continuity’ kepada pentadbiran Barack Obama dari Demokrat dalam pilihanraya Presiden baru-baru ini dan rakyat Malaysia perlu mengikut contoh itu dan memberikan sambungan pentadbiran kepada Barisan Nasional. Mendengar ucapan beliau itu, ramai termasuk diri saya hampir jatuh dari kerusi kerana hendak menyamakan beliau sebagai Barack Obama dan beliau tidak nampak bagaimana AS telah melakukan perubahan acapkali dalam pilihanraya Presiden di negara itu. Continue reading “Najib tidak boleh samakan buah epal dengan bacang”

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In the final lap to 13GE, PR leaders should focus single-mindedly to win support of majority of Malaysians for PR Common Policy Programmme and not fall into Umno/BN “Divide and Rule” trap

In the final lap to the 13th General Elections, Pakatan Rakyat leaders should focus single-mindedly to win support of the majority of Malaysian voters for the Pakatan Rakyat Common Policy Programme and not fall into the Umno/barisan Nasional “Divide-and-Rule” trap.

Let us be guided by the Joint Statement of Pakatan Rakyat leaders when Pakatan Rakyat was formed in 2008 which reaffirmed the solidarity, commitment and consensus basis of PR to implement an agenda to develop the nation and create a prosperous society based on justice, freedom, democracy and good governance, irrespective of ethnicity, religion and culture.

The Joint Statement of PR leaders dated 12th April 2008, bearing the signatures of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Ismail, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and myself, states:

“The policies of Pakatan Rakyat are centred on objectives that have been agreed upon and accepted by the leaders of the three parties that are keADILan, DAP and PAS. Among these are to develop this country on the basiss of justice, create opportunities for all citizens to enjoy national prosperity and to accord priority to those who are poor and marginalized.
Continue reading “In the final lap to 13GE, PR leaders should focus single-mindedly to win support of majority of Malaysians for PR Common Policy Programmme and not fall into Umno/BN “Divide and Rule” trap”

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Two pre-conditions for Pakatan Rakyat to beat Umno/Barisan Nasional in the battle for Putrajaya in the 13GE

PAS President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said in his speech at the opening of the 58th PAS Muktamar this morning that PAS is prepared to take federal power with its Pakatan Rakyat allies.

Malaysians are at the crossroads in the 13th General Elections, to decide whether the country should have a new beginning by electing a new Pakatan Rakyat federal government in Putrajaya or whether the corruption, abuses of power, injustices and inequalities of the Umno/Barisan Nasional Government should continue to blight the future, hopes and aspirations of the people.

There are two pre-conditions if Pakatan Rakyat is to beat UMNO/Barisan Nasional in the battle for Putrajaya in the 13 General Elections.

The Pakatan Rakyat coalition of PAS, PKR and DAP must be able to show and convince Malaysians of two important differences with the Umno/Barisan Nasional coalition.

Firstly, that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition practices the politics of “Unite and Rule” as distinct from the traditional but divisive and destructive politics of “Divide and Rule” of UMNO/BN, polarizing instead of uniting Malaysians along racial and religious lines. Continue reading “Two pre-conditions for Pakatan Rakyat to beat Umno/Barisan Nasional in the battle for Putrajaya in the 13GE”