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Early polls better for economy, says MIER

By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 19, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — It would be better for the government to hold the general election as soon as possible since lingering uncertainty over the nation’s political future will hurt the economy, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) said today.

MIER executive director Dr Zakariah Abdul Rashid said private investors were currently holding back investments on concerns that government policies will change should the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN) fail to hold on to power.

He said private investment was the key component to propping up the economy this year as external demand slows, and urged the government to call for early polls to dispel investors’ wait-and-see attitude.

“If you ask me as an economist, I would rather see the problem solved once and for all. The earlier they settle the political problem, the better, so we can focus on the economy.

“Right now everything is still hanging. People are postponing because of the election so if they settle it once and for all and immediately, it would be better,” he told reporters here after presenting MIER’s economic outlook for 2011 and 2012. Continue reading “Early polls better for economy, says MIER”

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‘Anxieties engulfing BN camp’

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | January 19, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

Gemas, now infamous for the National Feedlot Centre and the double tracking railway project scandals, is poised to be the epicentre of another political tsunami.

COMMENT

Usually those who are pressing for an early election are those from within Umno itself and who think they will contest as candidates replacing the incumbents.

In Umno replacing incumbents is not difficult – just mobilize a few dissenting and envious voices to create the necessary ‘public’ opinion.

Elevate personal anecdotes and personal sob and frustrated stories and exploit those as generalizations.

Then package all the lies and present it to a nervous and insecure Umno division head.

Never mind if he was the Deputy Prime Minister then and now Prime Minister.

I was in Gemas for the Rapat Rakyat programme on Jan 15. Anwar Ibrahim was there.

I would estimate the crowd to have been around 10,000 people. The local guy standing next to me in the crowd confided that he had never seen such a big crowd before attending a political gathering. And he’s been staying in Gemas since the 60s.

Umno will of course trivialize this observation by saying the opposition has always attracted large crowds to their rallies. But in the end, the Barisan Nasional will win. Continue reading “‘Anxieties engulfing BN camp’”

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Najib should heed his own call “to make voice of moderation of louder” by declaring transformation of Utusan Malaysia into the Voice of Moderation

“Najib: Make voice of moderation louder” – this is yesterday’s front-page headline of UMNO-owned New Straits Times reporting on the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak opening speech of the inaugural International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates on Tuesday.

Najib should heed his own call “to make voice of moderation louder” by declaring the transformation of the UMNO-owned Utusan Malaysia into the Voice of Reason and Moderation, ceasing henceforth to be the Voice of Enmity, Malice, Unreason and Extremism which had caused the degeneration of Najib’s 33 months as Prime Minister into the country’s most divisive, divided and polarized times both in racial and religious terms as compared to the first 33 months of the country’s first five Prime Ministers – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah.

If Najib is not prepared to make his “voice of moderation louder” and make a commitment to transform Utusan Malaysia from being the Voice of Extremism to become the Voice of Moderation, then Malaysians are entitled to ask what is the real purpose of the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates which would have cost the government a fortune to host.

Najib would be guilty of not complying with his own prescription to the International Conference, i.e. that it is time for the masses to stand up and say to the extremists “with a single breath a firm and resounding no” – reducing the whole conference into an international joke and a farce! Continue reading “Najib should heed his own call “to make voice of moderation of louder” by declaring transformation of Utusan Malaysia into the Voice of Moderation”

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NFC RCI should also inquire into Najib’s role as Chairman of High-Impact Committee which approved project in 2006, why MACC and PAC so tardy in their investigations and unravel other NFC-like scandals littered in government

UMNO insiders are worried that the RM300 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC) “cattle condo” scandal may cost UMNO very dearly, causing it to lose more than 30 parliamentary seats in the general elections if this scandal is not handled and resolved in a quick and satisfactory manner.

This is why I do not expect the UMNO Wanita Chairman and Minister for Women, Family and Welfare Development, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to return to Cabinet at the end of her three-week leave (one week gone with two weeks left) on Feb. 3, 2012.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Datuk Seri Najib Razak has said that he had discussed with Shahrizat her decision to take three-weeks leave from her ministerial duties and that she was willing to be “investigated fully”.

Among the teeming questions in Malaysian minds about the RM300 million NFC “cattle condo” scandal is why it had taken Shahrizat six months to go on ministerial leave to enable full investigations into the NFC scandal to be conducted, as the Auditor-General’s 2010 report which highlighted the NFC “mess” was completed and made available to the Cabinet and all Ministries in early June last year. The Auditor-General’s 2010 Accounts Report was deliberately held back in Parliament until the last week of October. Continue reading “NFC RCI should also inquire into Najib’s role as Chairman of High-Impact Committee which approved project in 2006, why MACC and PAC so tardy in their investigations and unravel other NFC-like scandals littered in government”

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Make Gemas the epicentre of a political tsunami

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 16, 2012

JAN 16 — If the crowd at the Rapat Rakyat yesterday night in sleepy Gemas is an indication, Negri Sembilan will fall to the opposition at the next GE. It does not matter whether the elections are held in the next few months or later nearer a full five-year term. It will not make any difference on the outcome of the elections — Barisan Nasional will suffer massive losses and lose its mandate.

Those politically untutored, of course, will chide others who are wishing for an earlier election date. Usually those who are pressing for a quicker date are those from within Umno itself. Especially those who think they will contest as candidates replacing the incumbents.

In Umno, replacing incumbents is not difficult — just mobilise a few dissenting and envious voices to create the necessary “public” opinion. Elevate personal anecdotes and personal sob and frustrated stories and exploit those as generalizations. Then package all the lies and present it to a nervous and insecure division head. Never mind if he is the DPM then and now PM.

I would estimate the crowd yesterday to be around 10,000 people. The local guy next to me confided in me since staying in Gemas since the late 60s, this is the first time he sees this big a crowd attend a political gathering. Continue reading “Make Gemas the epicentre of a political tsunami”

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Opposition will devise plan to make country graft free

Himanshu Bhatt
The Sun
14 January 2012

ALOR SETAR (Jan 14, 2012): The Pakatan Rakyat will come up with an action plan to combat corruption, should they win the next general elections.

DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang said leaders of the three member parties – PKR, PAS and DAP – will discuss the matter and come with the plan prior the general elections, which must be held by April 2013.

“We will discuss the matter. And probably before the 13th general elections, we will come out with a proposal,” he at the PR’s 3rd annual convention at the Stadium Sultan Abdul Halim here.

“We want a graft free country,” he added in response to a query by guest speaker Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, who is also Bersih 2.0 chairman, Continue reading “Opposition will devise plan to make country graft free”

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Kit Siang dares Najib to respect GE results if Pakatan wins

Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 14, 2012

ALOR STAR, Jan 14 — Lim Kit Siang today challenged prime minister to promise that Barisan Nasional (BN) will respect the outcome of the next national polls and guarantee free and fair elections.

The DAP parliamentary leader also dared Datuk Seri Najib Razak to make good on his call for moderation by retracting the vow he made at the Umno general assembly two years ago to “defend Putrajaya with our bodies and broken bones”.

“This is not the voice of moderation, this is not the voice of moderation,” he told the PR convention here.

“We want the prime minister and all Umno leaders to declare that they will accept the decision in the 13th general election, even if Pakatan Rakyat forms government and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim becomes prime minister.” Continue reading “Kit Siang dares Najib to respect GE results if Pakatan wins”

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Malaysia Election Around the Corner?

Asia Sentinel
by Our Correspondent
Thursday, 12 January 2012

With Sodomy II out of the way, looks forward to March polls — maybe

With the Sodomy II trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim now out of the way, it is probably time to start thinking seriously about Malaysia’s 13th general election, which most observers — but not all — believe will be called in March, during school holidays when the classrooms are empty.

Despite euphoria on the part of the three-party opposition coalition, the end of the trial doesn’t mean that Anwar’s troubles are over. One political observer in Kuala Lumpur told Asia Sentinel that the United Malays National Organization, the lead party in the ruling national coalition, will probably do its best to discredit him in other ways. Continue reading “Malaysia Election Around the Corner?”

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Anwar free: And now for Malaysia

Dean Johns | Jan 11, 2012
Malaysiakini

Failing an appeal that may yet be made by the prosecution, Anwar Ibrahim is finally free of his latest spurious sodomy charge and the possibility of up to 20 years in jail.

And now, it’s time for the Malaysian people to win their freedom from 50-plus years – or the equivalent of more than two life sentences – of imprisonment and empoisonment by the rotten Umno/BN regime.

Though it could be argued that a great many Malaysians have nobody but themselves to blame for this punishing experience, having effectively held themselves captive by voting for their oppressors so repeatedly and for so long. Continue reading “Anwar free: And now for Malaysia”

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Anwar’s acquittal a victory for justice but not yet a triumph for the justice system

I had in my first response to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal from Sodomy II charges yesterday said that it was a victory for justice.

There was immediate response from detractors accusing me of double standards, alleging that I would regard the justice system as fair and just when Anwar is freed but the opposite if Anwar is imprisoned.

These detractors have got me wrong. Anwar’s acquittal was a victory for justice but not yet a triumph for the justice system.

Just as a swallow does not make a summer, the justice system in Malaysia has a very long way to go despite the Anwar Sodomy II acquittal to restore national and international confidence in its in efficiency, independence and integrity.

In acquitting Anwar, Judge Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah cited the possibility that the DNA samples were compromised and the lack of corroborative evidence. On these grounds alone, Anwar should never had been charged in this first place. Furthermore, Anwar’s defence should not have been called at the end of the prosecution case. Continue reading “Anwar’s acquittal a victory for justice but not yet a triumph for the justice system”

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2012 NY message – Year to make Malaysians proud of being a Malaysian and motivate Malaysians to achieve greatness

As if further reminders are needed, the closing month of the year have provided further proofs that the country has never been so polarised both on grounds of race and religion in the nation’s 54-year history than in the 32 months of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s premiership, viz:

  • The irresponsible incitement and exploitation of the 3R cards of race, religion and Malay Rulers at the UMNO General Assembly;

  • The Prime Minister’s pandering to the 3R rhetorics at the ensuing Perkida general assembly;

  • The extremist reaction to a moderate and reasoned appeal for a fair and even-handed interpretation of Article 153 made by the chairperson of National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) Reverend Eu Hong Seng at a Christmas hi-tea on Christmas eve; and

  • The unjustified response by Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to Reverend Eu’s speech at the national Christmas open house in Kajang on Dec. 26, warning against attempts to undermine the country’s unity “which the BN government has painstakingly built”.

Why has racial and religious polarisation in Malaysia worsened in the 32 months of Najib’s premiership when Najib had launched from April 2009 his signature policy and slogan of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now”, focussing on the core concepts of social cohension, unity in diversity and inclusiveness, social justice, excellence and integrity? Continue reading “2012 NY message – Year to make Malaysians proud of being a Malaysian and motivate Malaysians to achieve greatness”

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A change is gonna come

by Praba Ganesan
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 29, 2011

DEC 29 — An important time is arriving in Malaysia, and it does not matter if you are for it or not; that’s not material anymore. The growing fear is that the nation is about to enter this phase without a seat belt.

History students in the distant future will love 2011. When in doubt in a class history quiz, 2011 is, as they say in basketball, a high percentage shot (or guess in that situation). The world has plenty of discussion points from this year, with the death of Kim Jung-il tipping the year to epic proportion.

However for Malaysians, despite its share of watershed moments this year, 2012 will be the one that is monumental.

Two inevitable events in 2012 will dictate life in Malaysia for some time.

A general election and a court verdict. Continue reading “A change is gonna come”

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Barisan National’s early elections plan in disarray

by Dr Lim Teck Ghee
CPI
27 December 2011

Commentary

During the last few months, Prime Minister Najib Razak has been pulling out one pre-election carrot after another from his inexhaustible supply of goodies aimed at persuading the electorate to vote BN’s way in the coming general election (GE).

These range from indefinite postponement of the long delayed goods and services tax to financial grants and other handouts to Chinese, Tamil and Islamic religious schools as well as politically strategic groups including Felda settlers, Indian small entrepreneurs, low income communities, and imams and Kafa (religious) teachers.

Najib’s backroom boys must have been supremely confident that this mass saturation of money and handouts – so effective in past elections – would pave the way for a resounding victory as they plotted the timing of the next GE. Continue reading “Barisan National’s early elections plan in disarray”

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Election Commission gets rid of candidate objection period – a pre-emptive move to save PM Najib?

by Mat Zain bin Ibrahim
20 December 2011.

I refer to a report by Themalaysianinsider yesterday (19.12.2011) quoting YBhg Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, the EC Chairman, to have said, that there will be no more objection period for candidates in the next GE. The onus to check if a candidate is qualified, is now on the EC. Political parties that object to candidates they deem unqualified to contest which the EC has approved, must take the matter to court now,and not on the very morning of nomination day.

At a glance, the new ruling appears to be a sincere and generous handout from the EC in conjunction with the coming Christmas and New Year celebrations and for free, without the parties concerned having to ask or take to the streets to demand for it.

However at closer scrutiny, I am of the opinion that this is a preemptive move by the EC to thwart any objections against PM Najib’s nomination. For if there were, the Returning Officer (RO) concerned, based on the existing rules and procedures during objection period, would have no choice, but to reject PM Najib’s nomination form and disqualify him from contesting in this coming GE.

Firstly, the rakyat should be made aware that our PM has got himself embroiled in misquoting his own name either when affirming his affidavits on 21st and 23rd Sept 2011 or during the swearing-in ceremony as PM before YDP Agong on 3rd April 2009. Both have serious and far reaching legal implications, in as far as his full name is concerned.This includes but not limited to when he files his nomination papers to contest in the coming GE.

Upon discovery of this ‘embroilment’, I sent a written information to the IGP and extended a copy to the Minister of Home Affairs on 8.11.2011.A couple of case laws were cited to support my arguments.

Again on 8.12.2011, I penned an article specially focused on this matter and again sent copies to the IGP and the Minister.The full text of this article was published by Malaysiakini on 10.12.2011 and few other blogs.This article can still be found in Malaysiakini entitled: “Najib’s name game may cost him GE nomination” dated Dec 10,2011. Continue reading “Election Commission gets rid of candidate objection period – a pre-emptive move to save PM Najib?”

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Public spat between Karpal and Ramasamy resolved – DAP leadership to move forward as one united team to face the challenges of 13GE

(Joint Media Statement by DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng, DAP Life Advisor Dr. Chen Man Hin and DAP Parliamentary Leader, Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 15th December 2011)

On Tuesday, 13th December 2011, the DAP Central Executive Committee entrusted a three-man committee to resolve the differences between the DAP National Chairman Karpal Singh and DAP Penang Deputy Chairman and Penang Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. P. Ramasamy.

On Wednesday, 14th December 2011, Makkal Oosai Chief Editor M. Rajan issued a correction on its 28th Nov. 2011 news report, admitting its mistake and making clear that its 28th November 2011 report about DAP candidatures for the next general elections had not originated from Ramasamy and expressing sadness that its news report had been the cause of the public controversy between Karpal and Ramasamy.

Hoping that the differences could be resolved as soon as possible, the Makkal Oosai chief editor paid tribute to the leadership qualities of Karpal and Ramasamy and wrote:

“Untuk kita, Karpal Singh dan Professor Ramasamy adalah pemimpin yang terpenting. Karpal Singh adalah pejuang dalam barisan pembangkang yang amat disanjungi di negara kita. Beliau telah melalui banyak penderitaan dan dugaan. Beliau berpegang teguh kepada prinsip parti dan berjuang sehingga masuk ke penjara.

“Seperti itu juga, pemberian jawatan Timbalan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang kepada seorang India adalah sejarah dalam politik negara kita. Pada pilihanraya lepas, Professor Ramasamy telah memenangi DUN dan Parlimen di Penang dan menjadi Timbalan Ketua Menteri. Beliau juga memberikan khidmat yang baik kepada masyarakat India Pulau Pinang dengan jawatan sebagai Timbalan Ketua Menteri tersebut.” Continue reading “Public spat between Karpal and Ramasamy resolved – DAP leadership to move forward as one united team to face the challenges of 13GE”

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Glum economic outlook nudges Najib closer to polls

By Clara Chooi | December 14, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak may have to rush into elections within three months, analysts have predicted, due to a bleak economic outlook and a world backdrop that is more hostile towards “strongmen and corrupt establishments”.

“The economic dynamics will be most crucial in determining the election (timing), and the window is narrowing,” one analyst, Singapore Management University associate professor Bridget Welsh, told Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper in a report published today.

The article noted that Malaysia’s economy is expected to expand by just three per cent next year, according to Nomura International, well below this year’s targeted 4.7 per cent growth rate and the government’s five per cent forecast.

Others have also noted that Malaysia’s rising federal debt load and over-reliance on commodity exports could see the country’s economy hit the hardest among its Southeast Asian neighbours.
Continue reading “Glum economic outlook nudges Najib closer to polls”

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Christians used as ‘pawns’ for votes, say church leaders

By Clara Chooi | December 13, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 — Many Christians feel victimised and are convinced they are being used as political pawns to win Muslim votes in the next general election, a number of church leaders have said.

The church leaders told the New York Times in a report published today that there was generally a feeling of Christian-bashing among the community which makes up less than 10 per cent of the population and consists of most major denominations.

“I think Christians are generally feeling that there is kind of a Christian-bashing going on,” Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) vice-president Rev Thomas Philips told the newspaper.

The report pointed out that recent events had worsened religious tension here, particularly after the controversial August 3 raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya.
Continue reading “Christians used as ‘pawns’ for votes, say church leaders”

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Parallels between Russia and M’sia

By Mariam Mokhtar | Dec 12, 2011
Malaysiakini

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received the brunt of the wrath of former KGB spy and ex-president Vladimir Putin, when he blamed her for encouraging Russian street protests.

When BN cranks up its dirty tricks, will Clinton risk the fragile relationship of trade and investment with the Malaysian government by telling its people to take to the streets, as she did in Russia?

Premier Putin’s desire to return to power as president next year, with the United Russia party ‘winning’ the elections, reminds us of Umno wanting to prolong its 54 years of power. The parallels between Malaysia and Russia are too many to ignore.

With reports of ballot box-stuffing and ‘carousel voting’ fueling their anger, Russians took to the streets to protest. Carousel voting is when people are driven from polling-station to polling-station to vote time and time again.
Continue reading “Parallels between Russia and M’sia”

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Nationwide protests under way in Russia

Aljazeera
10 December 2011

Moscow rally against “poll fraud” by ruling party attracts tens of thousands, with protests in many other cities.Last Modified: 10

Protests in Russia are taking place against Vladimir Putin’s 12-year rule amid signs of swelling anger over a poll won by his ruling United Russia party with the alleged help of widescale fraud.

More than 20,000 people have already gathered on a square across the river from the Kremlin on Saturday, after receiving permission from the Kremlin for the event.

Authorities had detained about 1,600 activists over the past few days who had joined unsanctioned rallies against the December 4 vote.

The opposition is also organising rallies in at least 14 other major cities in a rare outpouring of mistrust in a system put in place by Putin when he first became president in 2000.

Protests have already begun elsewhere, with several hundred marching in Vladivostok, seven timezones to the east of Moscow.

A 30,000-strong demonstration would be the largest to hit the Russian capital in 20 years, in what some see as the first warning bell for the former foreign agent and his secretive inner circle of security chiefs. Continue reading “Nationwide protests under way in Russia”

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The oxymoronic world of Umno’s politics

by Edwin Yapp
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 07, 2011

DEC 7 — Oxymoron.

That’s the word that has been on my mind of late. Why? Because that’s exactly what we, Joe Public, are being fed on a daily basis.

Etymologically speaking, the word is derived from the fifth century Latin “oxymoron”, which in itself is derived from the ancient Greek to mean “sharp, dull,” according to Wikipedia. The noun describes “a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.”

And therein lies the connection — such is the frequency of contradictory ideas and terms used in today’s local political sphere that it’s almost as if our government has nothing else to worry about.

Case in point: The highly controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill passed last week in Parliament, and our Prime Minister’s declaration that the Bill is “revolutionary,” and that the amendments follow international norms. That’s oxymoronic.

Also, the war cries of one Umno leader last week that labelled those who support opposition parties as “bangsat” (bastards) and that a vote for DAP is a vote for the destruction of Islam. Hmm… that’s another one.

And finally the PM’s quote in his closing speech, “When I started 1 Malaysia, I did not say — let’s neglect the Malay agenda.”

I can go on, but I’m sure you get my drift. Continue reading “The oxymoronic world of Umno’s politics”