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Iskandar Development Region (IDR) Growth Area and the Delimitation Process

The Iskandar Development Region (IDR), which encompasses at least 6 parliament seats, has seen significant development over the past 5 years with new residential, industrial and commercial areas sprouting up.

As a result, the number of voters in these 6 parliament seats have also increased significantly. According to the latest delimitation exercise, all of the seats in the IDR have at least 95,000 voters with P162 Gelang Patah topping the table at 112,081 voters as of Quarter 1 2016 (See Table 1 below). Continue reading “Iskandar Development Region (IDR) Growth Area and the Delimitation Process”

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Question on everyone’s lips after the Ops Water in Sabah is why there is no Ops 1MDB by the MACC when it is the 1MDB scandal which had catapulted Malaysia to the infamous ranks of a “global kleptocracy”

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was quite mischievous when he sent a message to the Gerakan annual general assembly asking Gerakan to have the courage of its convictions, knowing that Gerakan has neither.

This was illustrated in yesterday’s Gerakan annual general assembly, which caught headlines for a very Trumpish speech by one of the delegates, making headlines for its sexist and misogynist imagery.

But what transfixed Malaysians and on everyone’s lips in the past few days were never raised at the neither-courage-nor-conviction Gerakan general assembly – why the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had no Ops 1MDB when it had an Ops Water in Sabah, which seized among other things, more than RM114 million in cash and accounts, 19.3 kg of gold jewellery worth about RM3.64 million, some 97 designer ladies handbags worth RM500,000, nine luxury vehicles and some 127 land titles from the Director and Deputy Director of Sabah Water Department for alleged abuse of power and corruption involving infrastructure projects worth RM3.3 billion.

The RM3.3 billion Ops Water scandal pale into insignificance when compared to the RM55 billion 1MDB scandal, and it is the latter which catapulted Malaysia into the infamous ranks of “global kleptocracy”, especially after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits on July 20 on the forfeiture of over US$1billion of assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds, and after several countries like Singapore and Switzerland had taken action against banks, financial institutions and their staff in their countries for being implicated in the international conspiracy on embezzlement and money-laundering of 1MDB funds.

More and more Malaysians have voiced their concern that the country is taking a wrong trajectory which is headed towards a failed state – a worry which was shared even by a leading Johoreian, former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam recently. Continue reading “Question on everyone’s lips after the Ops Water in Sabah is why there is no Ops 1MDB by the MACC when it is the 1MDB scandal which had catapulted Malaysia to the infamous ranks of a “global kleptocracy””

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One-to-one electoral contest is one of the two elements for an united Opposition to replace UMNO/BN in 14 GE – the other more important is a minimum common electoral programme

Everyone agrees with National Human Rights Society (HAKAM) Chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan who said at the 69th birthday celebration for jailed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim outside Sungai Buloh prison on Wednesday night that the best birthday present for Anwar would be a united opposition against UMNO/BN to face the 14th General Election.

A one-to-one electoral contest is one of the two elements for an united Opposition to replace UMNO/BN in 14GE – the other more important is a minimum common electoral programme.

Can we for instance replicate or improve on the Opposition’s performance of the 13th General Election on May 5, 2013 when the Opposition, then in the form and name of Pakatan Rakyat, won three state governments, polled 53% of the popular vote, and elected 89 Members of Parliament and 229 State Assembly men and women, excluding Sarawak?

As things stand today, assuming that the current political climate holds without any major changes, it would be naïve to assume that voters would simply revert back to their GE2013 voting habits if one-to-one fights can be guaranteed in the next general election.

Lets consider Selangor, using the results of the recent Sungai Besar by-election as a benchmark.
Continue reading “One-to-one electoral contest is one of the two elements for an united Opposition to replace UMNO/BN in 14 GE – the other more important is a minimum common electoral programme”

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Johor should take over the baton from Sarawak to be the vanguard for political change in Malaysia

At the mid-point of the 11th Sarawak state general election campaign on April 30, I warned that seven of the 13 seats carved out of the 12 State Assembly constituencies won by DAP in last general election were in “danger list” for the May 7 poll.

A week later, on Polling Day, I was proved right when DAP could only win seven of the 12 seats won five years ago.

DAP Sarawak fought the 11th Sarawak state general election with two objectives:

(I) to defend and win the 13 State Assembly seats carved out of the 12 DAP seats
won in the last general elections; and

(2) to achieve a breakthrough in the Dayak-dominated seats to expand DAP support from the urban areas.

I had hoped that DAP candidate Modi Bimol could win the Tasik Biru state assembly seat, and that was why I was in Tasek Biru on Nomination Day.

But the combined artillery and firepower of the Barisan Nasional national and state “heavyweights” including the Sarawak Chief Minister and the Malaysian Prime Minister who led a long queue of State and Federal VIPS to descend on the constituency with monetary offers and other goodies, succeeded in foiling Modi from the DAP election breakthrough. In the event, Modi lost by 1,288 votes.

I had right from the beginning of the election campaign acknowledged that the 11th Sarawak state general election was not about deciding who would be the Sarawak Chief Minister and who would form the Sarawak State Government as both these questions had already been decided on Nomination Day – i.e. Adenan Satem as Sarawak Chief Minister and Sarawak Barisan Nasional as the Sarawak State Government.

I even said that the goal of denying Adenan two-thirds state assembly majority would be quite impossible, as it would mean the Opposition collectively electing at least 28 State Assembly seats in Sarawak. Continue reading “Johor should take over the baton from Sarawak to be the vanguard for political change in Malaysia”

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The five government scandals this year which show that UMNO/BN Federal Government is utterly insensitive to the rights and concerns of all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region

This is the 43rd parliamentary constituency I am visiting as part of the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign since I was suspended from Parliament on Oct. 22, 2015 for six months – – not because I had stolen, robbed or killed anyone, but because as elected representatives, we have the right and obligation to demand full accountability from the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for his RM2.6 billion “donation” and the RM50 billion 1MDB twin mega scandals.

Although it will not be possible for me to visit all the 222 Parliamentary and 576 State Assembly constituencies in the country during the period of my six-month suspension from Parliament, I will try to visit more than 50 per cent of the 222 Parliamentary constituencies in the country by the time I am allowed to return to Parliament – with a strong and unmistakable mandate from Malaysians from all over the country, embracing all races, religions and regions in the country, to demand that Najib must fully account for the twin mega scandals.

Undoubtedly today, one of the greatest concerns in everyone’s minds, even to the Malay Rulers who even issued a rare joint statement on the 1MDB scandal on Oct. 6, are the two questions: where the RM2.6 billion “donation” in Najib’s personal banking accounts came from, and where they have gone to.

For six weeks during the budget parliamentary meeting, Najib and the Ministers had taken MPs from both sides of the House for a ride, giving the promise that the government would be completely forthcoming and answer all questions relating to the RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal on the last day of Parliament, only to renege on the last sitting of Parliament on Dec. 3 with a three-minute Ministerial Non-Statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi disclosing absolutely nothing at all.

Did Najib, Zahid or any government minister offer any apology or express any contrition to Members of Parliament and the nation for the government being caught so red-handed in breaking its promise and breaching its trust to Parliament and the country?

None at all. In fact, the Ministerial benches seem quite proud of such perfidy! Continue reading “The five government scandals this year which show that UMNO/BN Federal Government is utterly insensitive to the rights and concerns of all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region”

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How Najib could win the next election

– Murray Hunter
The Malaysian Insider
30 November 2015

With the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and RM2.6 billion ‘political donation’ crises looming and anti-Najib (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) forces aiming to remove him from office, there is one strategy open to the prime minister – a snap election, should he feel cornered.

This is a remote scenario, but one that is currently being drawn up now as a contingency in the Prime Minister’s Office.

The forces of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – who Najib fired as deputy prime minister – have largely been neutralized, as well as the opposition, primarily through botched votes of no confidence and the attempt to block a second budget reading.

No Barisan Nasional (BN) votes drifted over to the opposition, indicating that this group’s influence within Umno/BN is negligible. Continue reading “How Najib could win the next election”

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Kulai is the 28th Parliamentary and Senai the 30th State Assembly constituency I am visiting in the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign since my six-month suspension from Parliament

I thank the people of Senai State Assembly constituency in Kulai parliamentary seat for their support this morning.

Kulai is the 28th Parliamentary and Senai the 30th State Assembly constituency I am visiting in the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign since my six-month suspension from Parliament on Oct. 22 – not because I had stolen, robbed or killed anyone, but because as elected representatives, we have the right and obligation to speak up in Parliament and the State Assemblies without fear or favour to articulate the concerns of Malaysians.

Undoubtedly today, one of the greatest concerns in everyone’s minds, even to the Malay Rulers who issued a rare joint statement on the 1MDB scandal on Oct. 6, are the two questions: where the RM2.6 billion “donation” in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak personal banking accounts came from, and where they have gone to. Continue reading “Kulai is the 28th Parliamentary and Senai the 30th State Assembly constituency I am visiting in the “Solidarity with Lim Kit Siang & Mana RM2.6 billion?” nation-wide campaign since my six-month suspension from Parliament”

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Johor will head the list of states Pakatan Harapan aims to win and form State Government in the 14GE on the way to Putrajaya

The launching of Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH) in Gelang Patah parliamentary constituency a week after AMANAH’s official launch in Johor is a sign of AMANAH’s thrust and momentum in preparation for the next general elections which must be held in less than 30 months.

In the 14th General Election, Johor will the front-line state and Johor will head the list of states Pakatan Harapan aims to win and form the State Government on the way to Federal power in Putrajaya.

Until the 2008 General Election, Johor was the impregnable and invincible state of Umno/BN, so much so that UMNO/BN leaders boasted about making Johore a zero-Opposition state in the 12th GE in 2008.

However, the political landscape in Johor underwent a drastic and fundamental change in the 12th and 13th General Elections, and Johor politics will never be the same again as compared to the first five decades after Merdeka in 1957.

In the 13th GE in 2013, Pakatan Rakat comprising DAP, PKR and PAS achieved the “Great Leap” forward in Johor with PR representation in the Johor State Assembly tripled from six to 18 seats, one seat short of denying the BN its two-thirds majority in the Johor State Assembly.

If there was a fair and democratic “one man, one vote” delineation of constituencies, PR should have won another eight seats, i.e.26 out of a total of 56 State Assembly seat in Johore as PR secured 46% per cent of the total votes cast for the Johore State Assembly seats.

The Opposition parties are not asking for another trebling of State Assembly seats in the 14th GE, but only to double our seats from 18 to 36 seats, which will see the formation of a Pakatan Harapan state government in Johor. Continue reading “Johor will head the list of states Pakatan Harapan aims to win and form State Government in the 14GE on the way to Putrajaya”

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Congrats to Parti Amanah Negara for having 35,000 members in two-and-a-half months when DAP in our first 15 years have not reached this figure of membership

Firstly, let me congratulate Parti Amanah Negara for its launch in Johor, as part of the determined collective bid by Pakatan Harapan to make Johor the front-line state for political change in Malaysia in the run-up to the 14th General Election.

Parti Amanah Negara has made impressive political headway in less than three months of its launch, gaining some 35,000 members and Parti Amanah Negara Secretary-General Sdr. Anuar Tahir told me just now that he expects the party membership to reach 60,000 by the end of the year in about six weeks time.

This is a most impressive political progress for Parti Amanah Negara in such a short period of four months as DAP did not reach the membership of 35,000 in our first 15 years of political struggle, although we had contested in three general elections in 1969, 1974 and 1978 – winning 13 Parliamentary and 31 State Assembly seats in our first general election outing in 1969, when we secured 11.9 per cent of the popular vote. Continue reading “Congrats to Parti Amanah Negara for having 35,000 members in two-and-a-half months when DAP in our first 15 years have not reached this figure of membership”

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DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah leaders must get down to brass tacks to formulate and implement “Win Johor to win Putrajaya” blueprint as 14GE is only 48-56 months away

Congratulations for the launching of the Johor Parti Amanah Negara tonight are in order, for we are witnesses to history in the making.

The launch of Johor Parti Amanah tonight is a historic first step for Johor to be the engine head of the second phase of political change in Malaysia leading from the south to create an united and democratic Malaysia with good governance and socio-economic justice for all.

Just eight years ago, nobody would dare to think or dream that political change in Malaysia or Johor was possible.

In fact, the UMNO/BN leaders were so cocky and arrogant about the “untouchability” and “invincibility” of Johor as their “fixed deposit state” that their 2008 General Election campaign theme was to make Johor a “zero-Opposition” state.

The 12th and 13th General Elections in 2008 and 2013 have completely changed the picture and rewritten the electoral and political arithmetic in Johor and Malaysia, and the question is not “whether” but “when” the UMNO/BN coalition government will fall in Nusajaya and Putrajaya. Continue reading “DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah leaders must get down to brass tacks to formulate and implement “Win Johor to win Putrajaya” blueprint as 14GE is only 48-56 months away”

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Top priority should be given to blueprint to capture Johor in 14GE by the new Opposition coalition of DAP, PKR and PAN after the launch of PAN on Sept 16

For 56 years, Johor was the bastion and invincible “fixed deposit state” of UMNO/BN, to the extent that in the 2008 General Election campaign, the UMNO/BN leaders were so cocky as to put up the campaign theme of ensuring that Johor will be a “zero-Opposition” state.

The 13th General Election of May 5, 2013 had completely rewritten the electoral arithmetics in Johor with the then Pakatan Rakyat of DAP, PAS and PKR winning 18 State Assembly seats, one seat short of denying UMNO/Barisan Nasional two-thirds majority in the Johor State Assembly.

From a political backwaters’ state, Johor transformed overnight as the barometer of Malaysia’s political future and the new engine of political change in Malaysia.

Penang and Selangor spearheaded political change in the 12th GE in the 2008.

Johor must now take over this leadership responsibility as the engine of political change particularly for Pahang, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kedah, and Perak. Continue reading “Top priority should be given to blueprint to capture Johor in 14GE by the new Opposition coalition of DAP, PKR and PAN after the launch of PAN on Sept 16”

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Get used to us, opposition tells Umno in Pasir Gudang after fracas

by Shufiyan Shukur
The Malaysian Insider
16 July 2015

Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) have to get used to the opposition’s presence in Pasir Gudang, Johor, said DAP and PKR politicians who were recently on the receiving end of harassment by people said to be Umno members.

DAP and PKR leaders today returned to the “hornet’s nest” of Taman Megah Ria in Pasir Gudang to distribute Hari Raya hampers to the needy, and were blocked at one point by a disgruntled bystander.

This was near the scene of a fracas on July 5, which saw several opposition politicians roughed up while attending a DAP event called “Forum Kedai Kopi”.

The bystander today took exception to PKR members who were carrying party flags near Pasar Borneo and tried to block their way as they were walking towards a coffee shop to hold a press conference. Continue reading “Get used to us, opposition tells Umno in Pasir Gudang after fracas”

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Hopes for achievement of PR Common Policy Objectives without PR in 14GE is not impossible as UMNO/BN in self-confessed terminal stages from being in “wad biasa”, “wad kecemasan”, “ICU’ and “tanah kubur”

Today is special for two reasons.

Firstly, it is Duanwu Festival, which the Chinese celebrate with zongzi or dumpling. It commemorates the death of the poet and minister Qu Yuan 2,355 years ago in ancient state of Chu during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty, for his sacrifices in his principled stand against corruption and abuses of power.

Malaysia is today mired in the biggest financial scandal in the nation’s history, the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal, with new exposes almost everyday highlighting the lack of good governance, accountability and transparency in an administration which had at first boasted about National Transformation Programme and commitment to combat corruption and abuses of power in high political places.

The latest chapter in the 1MDB scandal is the Wall Street Journal expose yesterday alleging that the 1MDB funds running into billions of ringgit were used to bank-roll Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib’s 13th General Election campaign.

Najib’s extraordinary and ominous silence, coupled with the failure by the Prime Minister either to announce his readiness to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to undergo full investigation on the Wall Street Journal allegations or institution of legal suit against Wall Street Journal for defamation signify that Najib does not lead a Nothing2Hide administration as he seems to have a lot of things to hide.

If Qu Yuan had been alive today, he would be in the forefront against such government abuses regardless of the cost to his life and future. Continue reading “Hopes for achievement of PR Common Policy Objectives without PR in 14GE is not impossible as UMNO/BN in self-confessed terminal stages from being in “wad biasa”, “wad kecemasan”, “ICU’ and “tanah kubur””

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Post-PAS muktamar scenarios

— Liew Chin Tong
Malay Mail Online
June 7, 2015

JUNE 7 — I have been asked by the media to comment on DAP’s relations with PAS in Johor.

PAS muktamar’s 6th June 2015 approval of a motion to severe ties with DAP, as well as the PAS party polls on 4th June are two key events that set the scene for major realignments in Malaysian politics beyond PAS’ internal dynamics.

The agenda of PAS’ conservatives is to work with Umno with the aim of pushing for hudud legislation. In the mean time, in order to work with Umno and to push for hudud, ties with DAP needed to be severed. To win federal power is not a priority as the conservatives are prepared to accept Umno’s continous rule.

The progressives, who became a significant force in PAS after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking in 1998, aspire to defeat Umno and its associated racial politics. As it is realistic to expect PAS not to win enough seats on its own to form the federal government , cooperation with DAP via a consensus-based common policy platform is deemed the pragmatic route.

The defeat of the progressives and the motion to severe ties with DAP gives rise to new situations and scenarios. Continue reading “Post-PAS muktamar scenarios”

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“Cross” episode testimony of failure of over half-century of Malaysian nation-building

This is the sixth of my kopitiam ceramahs in five Johor State Assembly constituencies in the past three days to take the political pulse in the country by sharing with the people the latest political events in the country and to learn about their concerns about what is happening in the country.

Undoubtedly, the top issues of the day jostling for pole position include the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal; the 6% GST tax; the revolt of Dr. Mahathir calling for Najib’s resignation as PM; the two scandals in the administration of justice – the unanswered question as to who was the mastermind of the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu and the second jailing of Anwar Ibrahim; the Permatang Pauh by-election; the worst racial and religious polarization in the country as highlighted by the protest of a group of Malay residents at a sight of a cross in a Christian church in Taman Medan, Selangor and the future of Pakatan Rakyat.

The protest by a group of Malay residents at the sight of a cross on the ground that it was a threat to Malays and Islam is testimony of the failure of over half a century of Malaysian nation-building.

Such a reaction and protest would be quite unheard-of and even unthinkable in the first five decades of our nation-hood from Merdeka in 1957, but it seems to become quite commonplace and the norm in the country in the past five years, which is most ironical as it coincides with the period when the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is going the world as a globe-trotting salesman of his “Global Movement of Moderates”! Continue reading ““Cross” episode testimony of failure of over half-century of Malaysian nation-building”

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Pakatan Rakyat voters in five Johor state assembly constituencies have one common message – they would not support Pakatan Rakyat in 14GE if PAS reneges on PR Common Policy Framework and unilaterally pushes for hudud implementation

In the past three days, I visited five state assembly constituencies in Johore – Skudai, Nusajaya, Pengkalan Rinting, Johor Jaya and Stulang – and I received one common message from the voters who had voted for Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th General Elections in May 2013: that they would not support Pakatan Rakyat in the 14th General Election if PAS reneges on the PR Common Policy Framework and unilaterally pushes for hudud implementation.

One of the greatest electoral breakthroughs in the 13th General Election in 2013 was the end of Johor as the Barisan Nasional “fixed deposit” state, as Pakatan Rakyat won five Parliamentary and 18 State Assembly seats – which nobody, whether in BN or PR, would have expected before the May 5, 2013 general election.

In fact, Pakatan Rakyat won 45.8% of the total votes cast in Johor in the 13th General Election, an if the redelineation of the electoral constituencies had been fair and democratic, Pakatan Rakyat would have denied the Barisan Nasional two-thirds majority in the Johor State Assembly with at least 25 and not just 18 State Assembly seats. Continue reading “Pakatan Rakyat voters in five Johor state assembly constituencies have one common message – they would not support Pakatan Rakyat in 14GE if PAS reneges on PR Common Policy Framework and unilaterally pushes for hudud implementation”

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DOE limits controversial Johor Straits housing project over environmental concerns

BY JAHABAR SADIQ, EDITOR
The Malaysian Insider
5 January 2015

China developer Country Gardens Holdings can only develop less than 1,000 acres (405ha) or a quarter of its controversial 1,600 hectares Forest City project in the Johor Straits under new limits set by the Department of Environment (DOE).

The Malaysian Insider has learnt that the DOE has verbally informed Country Garden Pacificview Sdn Bhd (CGP), a joint-venture unit of Country Gardens Holdings Co Ltd, of the new limits after complaints from locals and the Singapore government over reclamation works in the narrow waterway between Malaysia and the island state.

“The DOE has decided to limit the project to the first phase and wait for a few years to see the impact before looking at future phases,” a source told The Malaysian Insider.

“The DOE is expected to send an official letter about its decision soon to relevant parties,” he added. Continue reading “DOE limits controversial Johor Straits housing project over environmental concerns”

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Umno seen losing grip on Johor bastion

by Yiswaree Palansamy
The Malay Mail Online
December 7, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — Johor may be the birthplace of Umno but its status as the Malay nationalist party’s fortress is increasingly under threat, according to political analysts and observers.

Growing urbanisation and rural migration have put Johor under the same conditions that led to Umno and Barisan Nasional’s hold loosen before it was eventually broken in states such as Selangor and, briefly, Perak.

“The trend in Johor is just the same as with other states, whereby the more urbanised it becomes, the more likely it is for the Malays in Johor to question the long term dependency on Umno and not stick to the idea of being loyal to a particular party,” Wan Saiful Wan Jan told the Malay Mail Online.

The chief executive of think tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs said, however, this decrease in blind loyalty to any particular party was necessary for a healthy democracy to flourish. Continue reading “Umno seen losing grip on Johor bastion”

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Najib must personally speak up and explain why he had reneged on two specific promises of “no toll charges for non-users of EDL” and “No toll for EDL” and whether future Prime Ministerial pledges are any more credible and believable!

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, failed big time in Johor Bahru on Tuesday when he tried to explain the rationale for the astronomical, unconscionable and unjust 480% causeway toll hike at the Johor causeway from August 1.

All he could say was that the decision to increase the Johor causeway toll at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building in JB was made after a two-year study following the government’s decision not to impose toll at the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL).

Wahid said toll collection at the EDL by its concessionaire, Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) was supposed to have started in 2012, and the government is paying the concessionaire RM11 million a month in compensation.

After a two-year study, it was decided that there was no requirement for the government to take over the EDL.

Wahid has not given any rationale or reason whatsoever to justify the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak breaking two public and solemn pledges to the people of Johor Bahru in 2012, viz “No toll charges for non-users of EDL” and “No toll for EDL”! Continue reading “Najib must personally speak up and explain why he had reneged on two specific promises of “no toll charges for non-users of EDL” and “No toll for EDL” and whether future Prime Ministerial pledges are any more credible and believable!”

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Putrajaya salah strategi isu kenaikan tol Tambak Johor: Bahagian 2

Nur Jazlan
The Malaysian Insider
8 August 2014

Kenyataan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Selasa lalu, mengenai kajian untuk menaikkan kadar tol Tambak Johor pada 1 Ogos, sudah dilakukan sejak dua tahun lalu bagi menampung kos pembinaan Lebuhraya Penyuraian Timur (EDL) sebenarnya, membuktikan betapa kerajaan terus ‘berahsia’ kepada rakyat.

Pada masa sama kenyataan menteri yang bertanggungjawab untuk Unit Perancang Ekonomi (EPU) itu mengesahkan segala telahan dan andaian rakyat Johor selatan sebelum ini, mengenai kenaikan kadar tol Tambak Johor adalah untuk menampung pembinaan EDL yang siap sepenuhnya pada 2012.

Bagaimanapun, timbul pula persoalan mengapa syarikat MRCB yang diberikan konsesi membina EDL tidak dibenarkan mengutip tol pada lebuh raya sepanjang 8 kilometer itu? Sedangkan menjadi amalan dalam konsesi lebuh raya di negara ini, syarikat yang membina lebuh raya boleh mengenakan tol kepada penggunanya. Continue reading “Putrajaya salah strategi isu kenaikan tol Tambak Johor: Bahagian 2”