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Muhyiddin pledges RM100,000 to BN MPs as economy bites

The Malaysian Insider | July 28, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — The government will approve an immediate RM100,000 grant for constituencies after Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers complained to ministers on Monday that the administration’s focus on big-ticket projects in the Klang Valley would not help the coalition in the next general election.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (picture) had promised the MPs the RM100,000 meant for constituency projects during his meeting with 100 BN federal lawmakers on Monday night.

The sum is expected to be dispersed in time for the Hari Raya Puasa holiday.

Lawmakers had told Muhyiddin and other ministers at the dinner meeting that the government must ensure more funds trickle down to their constituencies instead of concentrating on big-ticket projects like the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) construction in Kuala Lumpur if the ruling coalition wants to receive a strong mandate in the next general election.
Continue reading “Muhyiddin pledges RM100,000 to BN MPs as economy bites”

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BN MPs want more funds ahead of polls

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal | July 28, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers have told coalition leaders that the government must ensure more funds trickle down to their constituencies instead of concentrating on big-ticket projects like the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) construction in Kuala Lumpur if the ruling coalition wants to receive a strong mandate in the next general election.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the matter was raised during a meeting on Monday night between 100 BN federal lawmakers and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The lawmakers argued that if Putrajaya could set aside funds for the MRT project, a similar amount should be given to generate economic benefits in more constituencies.
Continue reading “BN MPs want more funds ahead of polls”

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For BN, a call to arms

By G. Manimaran, Bahasa Malaysia Editor | July 27, 2011
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — As speculation rises over the likely date of the next general election, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin rounded up over 100 Barisan Nasional lawmakers on Monday night and told them to work as if the “polls could be held at the end of the week”.

“The deputy prime minister did not give any indication except to tell us to be ready at all times, to assume as if the polls could be held at the end of the week… that was the only indication, nothing else,” one MP told The Malaysian Insider.

The first-term MP added that Muhyiddin also urged all representatives gathered for the annual meeting to make preparations as though they were already facing the polls.
Continue reading “For BN, a call to arms”

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Najib, ministers to distribute flags for Merdeka month

Malaysiakini | Jul 20, 11

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and cabinet ministers will distribute Jalur Gemilang to the public in conjunction with the upcoming independence month celebration.

Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said the flag distribution would be carried out at KL Sentral after the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

“The prime minister and cabinet ministers will take a ride on the ERL from here to KL Sentral,” he told reporters in Putrajaya.

Earlier, Rais accompanied Muhyiddin who were shown the batik shirt to be worn by cabinet ministers at the launch of the flag-raising campaign.
Continue reading “Najib, ministers to distribute flags for Merdeka month”

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Open Letter – Cabinet should end the “madness” unleashed in past week

The Prime Minister,
Deputy Prime Minister,
Cabinet Ministers.

Cabinet should end the “madness” unleashed in past week with police required to arrest those wearing the Bersih 2.0 T-shirt, yellow virtually becoming a colour of crime and “Bersih” a dirty word

I am writing this short Open Letter to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and all Ministers to ask the Cabinet at its meeting this morning to end the “madness” unleashed in the past week with the police required to act unlawfully to arrest those wearing the Bersih 2.0 T-shirt, yellow virtually becoming a colour of crime and “Bersih” a dirty word.
Continue reading “Open Letter – Cabinet should end the “madness” unleashed in past week”

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Muhyiddin insists Bersih political, threat to security

By Melissa Chi
June 25, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has deemed the July 9 Bersih rally as politically-motivated and a threat to national security as well as the country’s reputation.

Apart from calling in the organisers for questioning next week, police also insist they will not issue permits for at least three rallies planned on the day. Continue reading “Muhyiddin insists Bersih political, threat to security”

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10 Days in May (33)

Tweets @limkitsiang:-

Who is greatest threat/wrecker of Najib’s 1Msia concept? No 1 outside. From very bosom of Umno eg its organ UtusanMsia w 1Melayu agnst 1Msia

Utusan’s anti Najib 1Msia campaign has full support from Umno old guards headed by UMNO No.2 Muhyiddin. Is Utusan loyal 2Najib or Muhyiddin?

Wld Utusan dare 2b so irresponsible as 2publish seditious/treasonous Christian Msia bogey if Utusan editor not assured of immunity/impunity?

Who assured Utusan of immunity/impunity 4seditious/treasonous ChristianMsia bogey? Y has Utusan editor thrown all journalstic canons 2winds? Continue reading “10 Days in May (33)”

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Muhyiddin is shaping up to be the worst DPM and Umno Deputy President in history – completely no class or standard!

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is shaping up to be the worst Deputy Prime Minister and Umno Deputy President in history.

I would not yet say that he is destined to be the nation’s worst Education Minister although he is undoubtedly leading the pack in a more competitive field.

I had thought that the “creative conspiracy” by the Defence Minister and Umno vice president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi where he allegedly “exposes DAP’s plan to name Malay candidates in general election” takes the cake for being the most silly political statement of the year.

But I was wrong, for within 48 hours, Muhyiddin dislodged Zahid in making the silliest political statement of the year! Continue reading “Muhyiddin is shaping up to be the worst DPM and Umno Deputy President in history – completely no class or standard!”

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Divide and rule

By Elijah M | May 07, 2011

This is Umno’s strategy to remain in power in Malaysia: make the Malays feel like the Chinese and Christian communities are threatening their hold on power and position of Islam.

They need the Malays to come out in force at the coming elections and vote for Umno candidates in a big way. But in their calculation for that to happen, they must have an imaginary enemy for the Malays/Muslims.

Given than the Chinese have generally deserted the corrupt and self-serving MCA and Gerakan and by extension, BN, they qualify as a prime bogeyman. They are portrayed as slavish supporters of Chinese-based DAP and harbour ambitions of taking over political power from the Malays.

Now the Christians following their support for Pakatan Rakyat in the Sarawak and their refusal to be submissive to a government which has molested their religious rights are also being lumped by Utusan Malaysia and pro-Umno bloggers as enemies of Islam in Malaysia.
Continue reading “Divide and rule”

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When even Chinese PM could give full praise to Najib’s 1Malaysia concept, when will DPM Muhyiddin give unreserved support to PM’s signature policy, declare that he is “Malaysian first, Malay second” and repudiate Utusan Melayu’s “1Melayu” call?

One of the headlines in today’s New Straits Times coverage of the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit to Malaysia reads: “Chinese prime minister all praise for Najib’s 1Malaysia”, reporting that Wen Jiabao was “full of praise for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for coming up with the 1Malaysia concept” when meeting Malaysian Chinese businessmen in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

This report immediately triggers the question:

When even the Chinese Prime Minister could give full praise to Najib’s 1Malaysia concept, when will Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin give unreserved support to the Prime Minister’s signature policy, declare that he is “Malaysian first, Malay second” and repudiate Utusan Malaysia’s “1Melayu” call?

The declared objectives of 1Malaysia concept are indeed most laudable and praiseworthy – to create a more vibrant, more productive and more competitive Malaysian nation “where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society”.
Continue reading “When even Chinese PM could give full praise to Najib’s 1Malaysia concept, when will DPM Muhyiddin give unreserved support to PM’s signature policy, declare that he is “Malaysian first, Malay second” and repudiate Utusan Melayu’s “1Melayu” call?”

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Why Muhyiddin’s education system sucks!

During the Sarawak state general election campaign, both the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin promised to consider the return of the teaching of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) and that the government would study the possibility of using two mediums of instruction for teaching science and maths.

Has the Cabinet set in motion the return of PPSMI and the use of two mediums of instruction for teaching science and maths or is this just an empty campaign ploy for the Sarawak state elections?

Instead Muhyiddin as the Education Minister has brought forward the abolition of PPSMI by one year, from 2012 to 2011, catching parents and students by surprise.

Is he going to give the parents the option to decide whether to revert back to PPSMI for this year until a decision is taken whether the Cabinet is going to adopt two mediums of instruction for teaching science and maths?

The Barisan Nasional’s education system sucks basically for two reasons:

Firstly, failing to produce internationally-recognised a high-quality education system from primary to secondary and tertiary level which could meet the country’s aspirations to be a globally competitive nation with a creative workforce; and

Secondly, failing to be a major instrument of the Malaysian nation-building process. Continue reading “Why Muhyiddin’s education system sucks!”

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Utusan Malaysia is not the Malay voice but the voice of Muhyiddin against Najib

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has sprung to the quick defence of Utusan Malaysia, the Umno official organ and the national daily which enjoys “unlawful” immunity and impunity for blatant offences whether against the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Sedition Act or other laws in the land.

In response to public condemnation of Utusan’s incessant stoking of communal hatred and tensions, the latest being its call for a “1Melayu, 1Bumi” movement, Muhyiddin declared that Utusan Malaysia is the “voice and desire of the Malay community and also Malaysians in general”.

Muhyiddin is a picture of total absurdity in claiming that Utusan Malaysia is the “voice and desire” of Malaysians in general, when it does not even qualify to be the voice of the Malays. Continue reading “Utusan Malaysia is not the Malay voice but the voice of Muhyiddin against Najib”

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On Ubah campaign trail (5)

Tweets @limkitsiang:

Deepest condolence 4bereaved family on death of SabahAir Bell206 helicopter pilot Capt Sahimi Razali.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 11:08 AM

What investigations into SabahAir helicopter mishap n death of Capt Sahimi n what other actions being taken by civil aviation authorities?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 11:27 AM

@bongkersz now in bintangor will be in sarikei/sibu 2nite n sri aman tmr
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 12:54 PM

Meradong ppl ask Y Muhyiddin cannot come from Sibu by car 30mins-ride or heli mishap wld not have occurred n capt sahimi wld still be living
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 1:33 PM
Continue reading “On Ubah campaign trail (5)”

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Interlok: Your God in capital letter, my god in lower case

By Iraiputtiran

Open letter to Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin

You, Sir, are becoming a complete embarrassment to this country. If Interlok has given anyone an opportunity to prove anything at all, then probably it has given you the best chance to expose your Umno NEP intellectuality.

From the very beginning, the issue with Interlok has been very clear. It was a case of an unsuitable book and wrongly chosen without a thorough analysis. Or otherwise, it was deliberately chosen with the ill-intention of poisoning innocent young minds in schools with the venomous agenda of Umno racism and Umno supremacy.

The book – which Indians were the first to object to (infuriated as they are by the vilification of their community from the demeaning portrayal of Indian characters throughout the novel) – is also being rejected by non-Indians, who have begun to see the inappropriateness of the book as a major public exam material.
Continue reading “Interlok: Your God in capital letter, my god in lower case”

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Interlok: Time to Make a Stand

by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee | CPI

As the drama over the Interlok textbook issue continues to unfold, it is important for Malaysians to understand the context and the stakes involved, and to make a stand.

There are some defenders of the book who have argued that withdrawing or even just editing it will rob Malaysian writers of their artistic freedom and integrity. To these people, I would like to say “hello, where have you been” – Interlok has already been edited twice, in 2005 for Edisi Pelajar and in 2010 for Edisi Murid. Its literary integrity was already compromised by the shedding of some 85 pages even before this latest controversy.

In fact, copyright for the edition distributed free to schools no longer belongs even to Abdullah Hussain but to Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Hence Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s statement that his ministry “will ensure that any amendments made will not affect the storyline of the novel and the noble message that the author wants to convey” is nothing short of whitewash. According to reports, Muhyiddin is not permitting anything beyond deletion of the word ‘pariah’.
Continue reading “Interlok: Time to Make a Stand”

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Malays are afraid of themselves

Mariam Mokhtar | Feb 21, 11
Malaysiakini

The BTN or National Civics Bureau is divisive, racist and politically-motivated. Most people are aware of this except for BN politicians. Despite the serious allegations made about the BTN, their main coalition partners, MCA and MIC have not been effective in condemning the BTN.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin denied claims that courses run by the BTN were a form of political indoctrination. He said, “BTN is to inculcate nationalism and unity among the people in line with the 1Malaysia concept”.

Talk of nationalism smacks of the supremacy of one race over the other races. If he had said that the mission of BTN was to promote patriotism, this would be more in line with the spirit of Malaysian unity.

After a media blitz on the BTN in late 2009, the cabinet decided that the BTN would be revamped as it had run counter to its aims of instilling a united Malaysia. When former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad disagreed, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz described him as racist.

Nevertheless, the task of revamping the BTN was given to Ahmad Maslan, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who is also the BTN chief. As is common with most BN politicians, he flip-flopped and said that he was not going to revamp the curriculum but would merely ‘upgrade’ it. Continue reading “Malays are afraid of themselves”

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Present NEM for formal adoption by Parliament next month if Muhyiddin’s denial that it had been “watered down” is to have any credibility

The New Economic Model (NEM) should be presented to Parliament next month for formal adoption if Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s denial that it had been “watered down” is to have any credibility.

In fact, the revelation by National Economic Advisory Council member Datuk Dr. Zainal Aznam Mohd Yusuf on Tuesday that the NEM had been “watered down” due to pressure by Perkasa and other right-wing groups had not come as a surprise, as it merely confirmed what had been obvious to many.

The theme of my speech in Parliament on the Tenth Malaysia Plan on 21st June last year (less than three months after the official launching of the NEM by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak), was “Tenth Malaysia Plan: Long live NEP – RIP NEM”:

“The Prime Minister unveiled the New Economic Model on 30th March and presented the Tenth Malaysia Plan in Parliament on 10th June. A sea-change took place in the intervening two months, with Najib retreating from his national transformation programme when he succumbed to pressures from extremist groups making baseless and incendiary claims such as that the Malays are under siege and that the Chinese would take over the economy and country.

“As a result, instead of the first policy operationalisation of the NEM, the Tenth Malaysia Plan is a funeral requiem for the NEM. Continue reading “Present NEM for formal adoption by Parliament next month if Muhyiddin’s denial that it had been “watered down” is to have any credibility”

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‘Beng Hock and Interlok will not derail BN’s target’

by Regina Lee
Malaysiakini
Jan 22, 11

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is unfazed by the opposition’s attempts to raise the issues of Teoh Beng Hock’s death and the controversial textbook ‘Interlok’ at the Jan 30 by-election in Tenang.

Muhyiddin said he is confident that it will not dent the BN’s efforts to regain the 5,000-vote majority it had at the 2004 general election.

The BN’s by-election commander-in-chief said the opposition would be hard pressed in finding real issues during the contest, and would thus resort to spreading lies.

“There are not many issues in Tenang. The land demands by the second generation of Felda settlers is being considered by the government,” said Muhyiddin during a press conference after this morning’s nominations.

“In any by-election, there will always be new issues repeatedly played up by the opposition. They will look for one or create one that includes lies and slander.

“Although I don’t think it will effect us but we cannot keep quiet. If they make false statements, we will have to explain ourselves, lest the voters believe them,” he said when asked about Teoh Beng Hock and the novel ‘Interlok’. Continue reading “‘Beng Hock and Interlok will not derail BN’s target’”

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A government out of step with public opinion

by Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysia Chronicle
27th December 2010

When Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim revealed that eighty-four percent of Malaysians understood the 1Malaysia concept, would it be safe to say that Deputy Prime minister Muyiddin Yassin is in the 16 percent group?

Earlier, Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak said that the 1Malaysia concept described how the ‘spirit of togetherness and the ability to rise above political differences’ were important for continued peace and stability in the country.

He said, “Although some might like to think it (1Malaysia) is for political purposes, it is actually for nation-building.”

Would he care to tell us how much he has spent on all the 1Malaysia posters, advertisements, billboards, badges and other paraphernalia where 1Malaysia has been plastered around the countryside?

Instead of spending millions on frivolous projects, why not spend that money on its people? The nation could do with improved healthcare, better infrastructure, quality teachers and schools. At a time like Christmas, several hundreds if not thousands of Malaysians roam the streets because they are destitute. Money could be channeled away from the promotion of 1Malaysia, and be used for a good cause to help these homeless people.

If 1Malaysia has to be continually drummed into us, then it says a lot about Najib’s leadership. Continue reading “A government out of step with public opinion”

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Najib is denying the undeniable when he claimed his 1Malaysia slogan is not political

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is denying the undeniable when he claimed that his 1Malaysia concept is not political but a tool to foster unity among the different communities for nation-building.

Najib cannot deny that in the 20 months since the introduction of Najib’s “1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now” slogan, instead of giving Malaysians a new sense of being Malaysian, the reverse has taken place.

As a result, the brain drain of talented Malaysians regardless of race has again returned to the fore, despite the proposed establishment of a Talent Corporation to attract the best brains in the world to Malaysia.

In the past 20 months, despite Najib’s 1Malaysia concept to create a Malaysia where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second, there had been an unprecedented rhetoric of irresponsible politicking, racist extremism and religious bigotry.

The year could not have ended on a worse note for 1Malaysia when even Malaysia’s religious pluralism came under attack as if it is something anti-national, un-Malaysian and a great liability when the country’s racial, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity are the nation’s greatest assets and keys as to whether Malaysia can achieve inclusive, sustainable high-income developed nation status. Continue reading “Najib is denying the undeniable when he claimed his 1Malaysia slogan is not political”