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Seeking a new formula to unite Malaysia’s diversity

Ooi Kee Beng
The Straits Times
AUG 26, 2016

The issue of Bangsa Johor (Johor nationality) made national news again on Wednesday, when former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed was asked about it at a forum on relations between the federal government and state governments.

Asked about Johor’s separation from Malaysia, a national concern fanned by provocative comments made by Johor’s Crown Prince, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, Tun Dr Mahathir replied that such a separation would encourage “unhealthy” feelings of superiority and harm the unity of the federation.

The issue of “Bangsa Johor” is hugely interesting on several levels. It acts as a reminder that despite the centralised nature of Malaysian governance, the country was sewn together in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s as a federation. This was clearly reflected in the country’s 1957 Constitution. Continue reading “Seeking a new formula to unite Malaysia’s diversity”

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Patto’s Malaysian Dream is the Dream of all Patriotic Malaysians

DAP MP for Batu Kawan, Kasthuri Patto, wrote a touching article on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the death of her father, P. Patto, one of the giants in the pantheon of Malaysian leaders in the half-century history of the DAP.

Patto was never just an Indian leader as he was always a Malaysian leader.

He dedicated his life not for an Indian Malaysia, definitely not a Chinese Malaysia, but a Malaysian Malaysia where every Malaysian, regardless of whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban; Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Taoist is proud to be a Malaysian first and last. Continue reading “Patto’s Malaysian Dream is the Dream of all Patriotic Malaysians”

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Three cries for Malaysia – that in run-up to the 53rd Malaysia Day and 59th National Day celebrations, a state mufti could classify non-Muslim Malaysians as “kafir harbi” who could be slain

I cry for Malaysia – firstly, that in the run-up to the 53rd Malaysia Day on Sept. 16 and 59th National Day celebrations on August 31, a state mufti could classify non-Muslims Malaysians as “kafir harbi” who could be slain.

I further cry for Malaysia that the state mufti’s statement was made a day after the Islamic State IS) released a new propaganda video where a Malaysian identified as Mohd Rafi Udin from Negri Sembilan warned that there would be “no peace” for police personnel in the Bukit Aman headquarters, and urged IS supporters in Malaysia to employ whatever means necessary to kill non-believers – “Kill them wherever you meet them…if you have a car, hit them…Use your weapon and knives to stab them in the chest”.

The state mufti’s statement has prompted the reaction, “Daesh is already in Malaysia”, among many Malaysians.

My third cry for Malaysia is that the mufti’s statement was made as part of a high-level UMNO/BN political conspiracy after the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections to incite hatred and animosity among the diverse races and religions to accummulate political capital, spearheaded by the UMNO propaganda mouthpiece, Utusan Malaysia, as if there is no rule of law in Malaysia and in utter contempt of six decades of nation-building efforts. Continue reading “Three cries for Malaysia – that in run-up to the 53rd Malaysia Day and 59th National Day celebrations, a state mufti could classify non-Muslim Malaysians as “kafir harbi” who could be slain”

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Has the end-game however protracted of the nation’s first global financial scandal – RM50-55 billion 1MDB scandal – begun with the two-pronged crackdown by the Swiss and Singapore authorities?

Has the end-game, however protracted, of the nation’s first global financial scandal – the RM50-55 billion 1MDB scandal – begun with the two-pronged crackdown by the
Swiss and Singapore authorities yesterday?

The two-pronged crackdown involved the closure of the Singapore branch of BSI, the commencement of criminal proceedings against the bank by the Swiss authorities over “money laundering and corruption” offences relating to suspected embezzlement of US$4 billion from 1MDB and the liquidation of the 143-year-old Swiss bank.

In Malaysia, however, all that the government investment arm 1MDB could say in a statement is that “it had not been contacted by any foreign lawful authority on matters relating to the company”.

Nothing could be more surreal than this response from 1MDB – suggesting that while over half a dozen countries are not only investigating, but beginning to commence criminal proceedings, against institutions and individuals for money laundering and embezzlement of 1MDB funds of at least US$4 billion, 1MDB as the company directly involved, is claiming that there had been no such embezzlement at all!

1MDB is creating world history as a company which is the subject of investigation by half a dozen foreign countries involving multi-billion ringgit money-laundering and global corruption but which is strenuously denied by both the company and its government.

Has there been any such a case, where a company is being investigated for multi-billion ringgit money laundering and global corruption by half a dozen foreign countries, but which is strenuously denied by the company affected and its government?

On this score, we must be the first in the world. Continue reading “Has the end-game however protracted of the nation’s first global financial scandal – RM50-55 billion 1MDB scandal – begun with the two-pronged crackdown by the Swiss and Singapore authorities?”

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The Malaysia that could be

Michael Vatikiotis
Straits Times
May 15, 2016

Shortly after I arrived in Kuala Lumpur in 1991 as newly appointed bureau chief for the Far Eastern Economic Review, I was introduced to a Malaysian journalist then working here for The Straits Times in Singapore. We worked in a country well known for its disdain for the foreign media; and we were particular targets because our publications were deemed by the government to be biased against or even hostile to Malaysia.

Partly because of the common challenges we faced, but perhaps mostly because we enjoyed eating nasi kandar and roti canai at street- side stalls in Kuala Lumpur or on the many outstation reporting trips we took together, we became good friends.

A quarter of a century later, my close friend Kalimullah Hassan is no longer a journalist – neither am I. Our beloved profession has been much affected by the decline of advertising revenues and the rise of social media. But Kali, as all his friends know him, remains as passionate and concerned about his country as he was when we drove for long hours around rural constituencies in out-of-the-way parts of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu covering by-elections.

So when I read his newly published collection of columns and recollections, many of those earnest discussions and arguments we had over steaming cups of teh tarik in the 1990s came flooding back to me. There is his great pride in Malaysia’s ethnic diversity, his deep concern about the divisive racist rhetoric of contested politics and the corrosive impact of patronage and corruption in high places.
Continue reading “The Malaysia that could be”

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Battle of Sarawak in the 11th Sarawak State General Election is the Battle for Malaysia for future generations in Sarawak as well as rest of the country

The Battle for Sarawak in the 11th Sarawak State General Election with the dissolution of the Sarawak State Assembly on April 11 is the Battle for Malaysia for future generations, in Sarawak as well as rest of the country.

Never before have the Sarawak state general election been so important in the 53-year history of Sarawak, for what happens on Sarawak polling day is not just about Sarawak, about how big a majority Chief Minister Datuk Adenan Satem will have in the new State Assembly, but even more important, how it will affect Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s tenure as sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia and his ability to deflect or to continue to disregard the national and international furore over his RM55 billion 1MDB and RM4.2 billion “donation” twin mega scandals.

In fact it is no exaggeration to say that the forthcoming Sarawak State General Elections is even more important to Najib than to Adenan in determining the fate of the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

This is the reason for Najib’s cryptic remark in Kuching yesterday that he was fighting fit for the crucial Sarawak state general election, with the symbolic reference of his choosing between two T-shirt sizes – XL and XXL. Continue reading “Battle of Sarawak in the 11th Sarawak State General Election is the Battle for Malaysia for future generations in Sarawak as well as rest of the country”

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Razaleigh is wrong to say Save Malaysia Citizens’ Declaration is unconstitutional when it is in fact seeking a return to the fundamental principles of the Merdeka Constitution 1957 and Malaysia Constitution 1963 on democracy, rule of law, fundamental liberties and doctrine of separation of powers

UMNO veteran leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is wrong when he said that the Save Malaysia Citizens’ Declaration first signed by 42 political and civil society leaders in Kuala Lumpur on March 4, 2016, including former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir and former Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, was unconstitutional or contemplated unconstitutional action.

Nothing could be further from the truth as it is in fact seeking a return to the fundamental principles of the Merdeka Constitution 1957 and Malaysia Constitution 1963 on democracy, rule of law, fundamental liberties and doctrine of separation of powers. Continue reading “Razaleigh is wrong to say Save Malaysia Citizens’ Declaration is unconstitutional when it is in fact seeking a return to the fundamental principles of the Merdeka Constitution 1957 and Malaysia Constitution 1963 on democracy, rule of law, fundamental liberties and doctrine of separation of powers”

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Malaysia dalam bahaya, Baju Merah jangan buang masa

oleh Edry Faizal Eddy Yusof
31 Mac 2016
Roketkini.com

Tengah hari tadi, kumpulan yang menggelarkan diri mereka Gerakan Baju Merah 1Malaysia yang diketuai Ali Tinju telah datang ke Ibupejabat DAP untuk menyerahkan satu memorandum. Saya telah diamanahkan menerima memorandum itu mewakili Ibupejabat DAP dan parti.

Melihat pertemuan ini merupakan peluang untuk mengajak pihak Gerakan Baju Merah agar melakukan sesuatu yang manfaatnya jauh lebih besar demi kebaikan rakyat kebanyakan, saya membawa bersama saya satu memorandum untuk diserahkan kepada Gerakan Baju Merah melalui Ali Tinju.

Memorandum saya itu bertujuan mengajak Gerakan Baju Merah untuk melihat permasalahan negara ini dari sudut pandang yang lebih luas. Selain memahami bahaya yang sedang mengancam negara ini.

Di bawah adalah kandungan memorandum saya itu: Continue reading “Malaysia dalam bahaya, Baju Merah jangan buang masa”

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Muafakat Selamatkan Malaysia must go back to the fundamentals of the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and 1963 Malaysia Constitution to ensure democratic and institutional reforms especially just rule of law and truly independent judiciary

The launching of the nation-wide Pakatan Harapan “Muafakat Selamatkan Malaysia” campaign tonight is line with the historic Citizens’ Declaration on March 4, 2016 to Save Malaysia by demanding the resignation for Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister and the carrying out of meaningful democratic and institutional reforms to stop Malaysia from hurtling down the slope of a failed and rogue state.

The Save Malaysia campaign must go back to the fundamentals of the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Constitution to ensure democratic and institutional reforms especially to ensure a just rule of law and a truly independent judiciary.

The Save Malaysia campaign can only succeed if Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, are prepared to take a common national patriotic stand to oppose rampant corruption, massive abuses of power, undemocratic practices and widespread socio-economic injustices in the country.

For this reason, all Malaysians, whether in the component parties of DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara in Pakatan Harapan, or the 3.5 million UMNO members and one million PAS members, should come together on a common national platform to ensure that Malaysia becomes a world-class nation respected by the international community because of our accomplishments and achievements in various fields of human endeavor – political, economic, respect for human rights, good governance or nation building of a plural society of diverse races, languages, religions and cultures – not because we have become among the world’s top ten countries in corruption. Continue reading “Muafakat Selamatkan Malaysia must go back to the fundamentals of the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and 1963 Malaysia Constitution to ensure democratic and institutional reforms especially just rule of law and truly independent judiciary”

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Najib Critics Roll Out ‘Save Malaysia’ Campaign Against Premier

Anuradha Raghu/Manirajan Ramasamy
Bloomberg
March 27, 2016

Malaysian opposition politicians and leading critics of Prime Minister Najib Razak unveiled a fresh campaign aimed at ousting him, after months of attacks over a funding scandal failed to substantially dent his support.

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad and ex-deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin were among those who addressed more than 2,000 people at a convention center in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, with each of the 18 speakers conveying the same message: Najib must go now.

“The wait for two years for the next general elections is too long,” Mahathir said. “Our situation is very bad. We need to recover quickly and two years will be too late.”

Najib is facing his biggest political crisis since coming to power seven years ago as questions linger over $681 million which appeared in his accounts before the last election in 2013, funds the attorney-general said were a donation from the Saudi royal family. Mahathir, the country’s longest serving leader who governed until 2003, has waged a public campaign for months to get Najib out of office. Continue reading “Najib Critics Roll Out ‘Save Malaysia’ Campaign Against Premier”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Citizens’ Declaration is “work in progress” by patriotic Malaysians to Save Malaysia and it is going to be long, grueling and arduous task which can only succeed with support from overwhelming majority of Malaysians transcending race, religion, region or politics

After 27 years of imprisonment at Robbens Island, Pollsmoor and Victor Verster Prisons, Nelson Mandela emerged from 10,000 days of incarceration urging that “all those of us who are hostages of the past must transform ourselves into new men and women who shall be fitting instruments for the creation of the glorious new South Africa which is possible and necessary to realise”.

These words by Nelson Mandela bear pondering and reflection by Malaysians at this juncture of Malaysia’s national development.

Hishammuddin Rais said he had been talking for a year about the need for a United Front to combine all forces to bring about changes in the country.

I myself have been talking for over two years about the need to Save Malaysia, and in March last year, I had zeroed on the need for a Save Malaysia Coalition to bridge the racial, religious, regional and political divides in the country.

The ideas about the need to Save Malaysia have been in the air for quite some time, for the country had been in serious straits after the 13th General Elections, with increasing complexity and intensity in the multitude of political, economic, good governance and nation-building crises building up in the country. Continue reading “Citizens’ Declaration is “work in progress” by patriotic Malaysians to Save Malaysia and it is going to be long, grueling and arduous task which can only succeed with support from overwhelming majority of Malaysians transcending race, religion, region or politics”

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Invitation to MCA Ministers and Deputy Ministers to the People’s Congress on Save Malaysia Citizen Declaration in Shah Alam on Sunday to demonstrate their patriotism and love for Malaysia

Simpalek New Village has a special place in Malaysian political electoral history, because it was in Simpalek during the Raub by-election in May 1983, that a MCA Deputy Minister had a misstep and fell into a drain, but he tried to exploit it to political advantage by accusing the DAP of instigating DAP members and supporters to push him the drain.

But there were photographs on record to show that nobody pushed the Deputy Minister into the drain.

After the ‘longkang’ incident, the Deputy Minjster went around Raub limping on a tongkat, except that he forgot which foot should be injured, and he was photographed limping on a different foot when going in and coming out of Simpalek new village MCA premises.

The MCA Deputy Minister’s falling into a drain and limping around on the foot which was supposed to be injured in the fall became the laughing stock in the by-election.

The DAP victory in the Raub by-election, which was one of the triple by-election victories after the Kepayang state assembly by-election in Perak and the Seremban parliamentary by-election in 18 months after the 1982 General Election marked the revival of DAP after a disastrous electoral performance in the first five general elections under Mahathir’s 22-year premiership which had used the gleaming slogan of ABC, “amanah, bersih and cekap”.

Now, the fourth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir is on the same page with 44 other political and civil society leaders who collectively signed and proclaimed the Citizens’ Declaration to Save Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on March 4, 2016 to demand removal of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the Prime Minister and for meaningful democratic and institutional reforms. Continue reading “Invitation to MCA Ministers and Deputy Ministers to the People’s Congress on Save Malaysia Citizen Declaration in Shah Alam on Sunday to demonstrate their patriotism and love for Malaysia”

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Let “Save Malaysia” be the uniting objective and vision of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics to stop Malaysia hurtling down the slippery slope towards a failed and a rogue state

On 4th March 2016, an unprecedented and historic event took place in Kuala Lumpur – the signing and proclamation of the Citizens’ Declaration to Save Malaysia by 45 political and civil society leaders which bridged the political divide for the first time in 59 years of the nation’s history.

The Citizens’ Declaration called for the resignation of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister for having embroiled Malaysia in the 1MDB scandal, the worst mega scandal in the nation’s history, and plunging the country to be among the world’s worst countries in corruption.

For eight long months, Najib had not only refused to sue international news publications that have made serious allegations of corruption against him involving the 1MDB scandal, he had also undermined full and independent investigation into the twin mega scandals which include the RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal, as well as subverted the independence, professionalism and integrity of national institutions which include the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Bank Negara, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Police.

Even more important, the Citizens’ Declaration recognized that the multiple crisis afflicting Malaysia is not just because of an individual but a systemic one, which is why it also called for “democratic and institutional reforms” to restore the important principle of the separation of powers among the executive, legislature and judiciary to ensure the independence, credibility, professionalism and integrity of national institutions.

I have visited 97 parliamentary constituencies since my six-month suspension from Parliament on Oct. 22, 2015 for demanding answers to the simple questions as to the source, the donor or donors, of the RM2.6 billion “donation” in Najib’s personal banking accounts before the 13th General Election in May 2013 and where the astronomical sums have gone to.

I wanted public feedback whether Malaysians agree that the Prime Minister should stop his tactics of procrastination and denial but should answer directly the teeming questions asked by the public and the world about Najib’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals.

In the past two weeks since March 4, in the 17 parliamentary constituencies in Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis and Pahang, I had also sought public feedback on the historic national development on March 4, the Citizens’ Declaration to Save Malaysia. Continue reading “Let “Save Malaysia” be the uniting objective and vision of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics to stop Malaysia hurtling down the slippery slope towards a failed and a rogue state”

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DAP@50 – the struggle continues

by Liew Chin Tong
Malaysiakini
18th March 2016

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

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

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

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‘Save Malaysia’ campaign to oust Najib brings political foes together

By Melissa Goh
Malaysia Bureau Chief
Channel NewsAsia
16 Mar 2016

Political enemies in Malaysia have banded together in a campaign led by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to oust Prime Minister Najib Razak.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, the man who has been leading a year-long campaign to oust Prime Minister Najib Razak, has called for a referendum on Mr Najib’s leadership.

In the campaign, political enemies came together in early March to sign a declaration calling for the removal of Mr Najib, in what they claimed was nothing less than an attempt to save the country from becoming a failed state.

The group included Lim Kit Siang, a former political prisoner from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and civil rights activists who have blamed Dr Mahathir for many of the perceived faults in the nation’s political system. Even Dr Mahathir’s former deputy Anwar Ibrahim, whom he fired and jailed, offered an olive branch from behind bars.

“What Dr Mahathir may be trying to get at in the Citizens’ Declaration and in working with Kit Siang and the DAP and other groups, is to prepare the ground for the next general elections. Mahathir’s support for DAP and the new grouping perhaps could be important in terms of mobilising rural Malay support,” explained Michael Yeoh, executive director of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute. Continue reading “‘Save Malaysia’ campaign to oust Najib brings political foes together”

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Not business as usual in Malaysia

by Bridget Welsh
New Mandala
17 March 2016

Malaysian politics is entering new and rough terrain, writes Bridget Welsh. And the longer Najib stays in power the worse the country will be.

The formation of an alliance of former foes this month marks a turning point in Malaysia’s contemporary political history.

The Citizen’s Declaration opposing premier Najib Tun Razak through peaceful means and calling for political reform was signed by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and leaders of the 1999 reformasi movement who opposed his leadership, other senior leaders in the dominant party UMNO, civil society activists who mobilised the masses to protest the party’s rule, and long-standing traditional political party antagonists.

To get these men and women to sit down together reflected the depth of concern among prominent Malaysians, who opted to put their country’s future before its political past. At issue was not just the scandals plaguing the country, but its declining economic fortunes, exacerbated by declining revenues from oil and gas and poor governance.

In response, the government has intensified a crackdown on international and Malaysia’s media, strengthened the government’s relationship with conservative elements in the Islamist party PAS, and to portrayed the Declaration as a conspiracy to topple the government — measures that have only deepened the ongoing crisis of confidence with Najib Tun Razak.

In contrast to the cool portrayal of ‘business as usual’, Malaysian politics is entering new and rough terrain. The democratic slide will continue, as Najib fights growing opposition to and disappointment in his leadership. Continue reading “Not business as usual in Malaysia”

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Sasterawan Negara sifatkan BN yang tidak peduli undang-undang sebagai kerajaan “haram”

oleh Fatih Hassan Nordin & Hafiz Zainuddin
Roketkini
16 Mac 2016

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 MAC: Sasterawan Negara, A. Samad Said, menyifatkan usaha gabunganraya Selamatkan Malaysia untuk menumbangkan Datuk Seri Najib Razak daripada tampuk kuasa negara adalah wajar ekoran daripada penglibatan Perdana Menteri dalam pelbagai skandal mega.

Beliau yang mesra dengan panggilan Pak Samad berkata, Najib bukan sahaja menyebabkan dunia mengenali Malaysia melalui imej buruk, malah imej dalam negara juga sudah kotor, termasuk perbuatan melanggar undang-undang dengan berbelanja berbilion ringgit dalam pilihanraya umum yang lalu.

Justeru, beliau menganggap kerajaan yang ditubuhkan oleh Barisan Nasional selepas PRU13 adalah tidak mengikut laras undang-undang, dan menyifatkan kerajaan kini sebagai sebuah “kerajaan haram”. Continue reading “Sasterawan Negara sifatkan BN yang tidak peduli undang-undang sebagai kerajaan “haram””

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Aktivis seni budaya sokong Deklarasi Rakyat

oleh Fatih Hassan Nordin & Hafiz Zainuddin
Rocketkini
16 Mac 2016

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 MAC: Usaha menyelamatkan Malaysia daripada menjadi sebuah negara gagal bukan sahaja tugas ahli politik dan aktivis, ia juga melibatkan golongan budayawan dan aktivis seni.

Budayawan, Che Samsudin Othman yang juga lebih mesra dipanggil Dinsman, berkata penglibatan golongan seni dan budaya itu dalam gerakan politik di negara ini semakin mengecil sejak era 1990-an.

Sehubungan itu, beliau menyeru supaya budayawan dan aktivis seni menyatakan sokongan terhadap gerakan rakyat dengan menandatangani Deklarasi Rakyat, yang antaranya menuntut pengunduran Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dari tampuk pemerintahan.

“Saya tidak aktif dalam mana-mana parti politik, tetapi saya aktif dalam seni budaya. Apabila saudara Lim Kit Siang meminta supaya saya ikut serta (tandatangan Deklarasi Rakyat), saya bersetuju,” katanya dalam satu majlis tandatangan Deklarasi Rakyat di Ibu Pejabat DAP di sini, hari ini. Continue reading “Aktivis seni budaya sokong Deklarasi Rakyat”

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Development of a common core agenda to Save Malaysia to check the rot in the country and create a clean, democratic, incorruptible, inclusive government of excellence which upholds constitutionalism, rule of law and human rights

Whether March 4, 2016 goes down in Malaysian history as a historic watershed in the politics and nation-building in Malaysia will depend on whether the Citizens’ Declaration signed by 45 political and civil society leaders, including former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir, former Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former Cabinet Ministers, as well as Opposition and civil society leaders bridging the political divide calling for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s removal as Prime Minister of Malaysia as well as for democratic and institutional reforms gets the support of the majority of Malaysians.

Today’s gathering of distinguished personalities endorsing the Save Malaysia Citizens’ Declaration is a further step in developing a momentum to create national awareness of the urgent and imperative need for Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, politics, to stand as one Malaysian people to cure the country of the great sickness which has caused the nation to fail in achieving the great promises we aspired when the nation attained Merdeka 59 years ago with our rich human talents and natural resources.

Because of my six-month suspension from Parliament, I had the opportunity of visiting so far 92 parliamentary constituencies to take the pulse of the people on Najib’s twin mega scandals, and in the past two weeks, public reaction to the Save Malaysia Citizens’ Declaration.

Last week, I visited 12 parliamentary constituencies in Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis i.e. Ketereh, Machang, Tanah Merah, Tumpat and Kota Bahru in Kelantan; Sungai Patani, Merbok, Kuala Kedah, Alor Setar in Kedah and Padang Besar, Arau and Kangar in Perlis and I find that by and large, the Citizens’ Declaration resonates with the people’s deepest aspirations because all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics love this country and want to be able to be proud of Malaysia to secure world recognition and appreciation of our achievements.

We do not want to become one of the world’s most corrupt countries with our football ranking as No. 171 in the world, when in the early decades of the nation, we are one of the great football nations in Asia. Continue reading “Development of a common core agenda to Save Malaysia to check the rot in the country and create a clean, democratic, incorruptible, inclusive government of excellence which upholds constitutionalism, rule of law and human rights”