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There can be no successful new economic model for Malaysia without a credible and meaningful new governance model

Over the weekend, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the government would announce the new economic model for the country within a month.

When Datuk Seri Najib Razak became the sixth Prime Minister in April last year, he announced that the government would introduce a new economic model for the country to ensure that Malaysia makes a quantum leap to escape the middle-income trap to become a high-income country through greater emphasis on innovation, creativity and competitiveness.

In May last year, the Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the new economic model would be announced in the second half of the year.

Why has this timeline for the new economic model been postponed until this year when according to Husni’s own admission, the country has already lost a decade in economic stagnation?
Continue reading “There can be no successful new economic model for Malaysia without a credible and meaningful new governance model”

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Najib should report to Parliament on March 15 on the outcome of the K-Economy Master Plan 2001-2010

Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday that the government would announce the new economic model for the country within a month.

One of the first announcements made by Datuk Seri Najib Razak when he became the sixth Prime Minister was that a new economic model for Malaysia would be introduced to ensure that Malaysia make a quantum leap to escape the middle-income trap to become a high-income country.

Najib said the new economic model would provide more emphasis on innovation and creativity to help workers increase their income. Continue reading “Najib should report to Parliament on March 15 on the outcome of the K-Economy Master Plan 2001-2010”

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Call on Najib to initiate a series of annual International Malaysian Diaspora Conference to coincide with the launch of Tenth Malaysia Plan in June

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is making his first five-day official visit to India next week from 19th to 23rd January.

There are many things Najib can learn from the Indian experience in government reform and transformation, one of which is the just-concluded ninth Pravasi Bharatiya Diswas (BPD-2010) in New Delhi – the annual jamboree of the Indian diaspora organized by the Indian Government to rope in the expertise, money and experience of the 25 million Indians abroad (or non-resident Indians).

Najib had said in Singapore in November that his government would make Malaysia a better place to live and work in to lure back its citizens residing abroad as well as attract global talents to the country.

He told a dinner he hosted for the Malaysian community in Singapore: “We will create more opportunities, more excitement and more buzz in Malaysia to attract the Malaysian diaspora and expatriates to the country.”
Continue reading “Call on Najib to initiate a series of annual International Malaysian Diaspora Conference to coincide with the launch of Tenth Malaysia Plan in June”

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Hishammuddin, don’t gloat as damage is not just door of a church, but the priceless religious harmony and national unity and billions of ringgit in lost investment, tourism and Malaysia as an international educational hub

The Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein should not gloat that “the situation is under control” when he said yesterday that “since last night there had been no serious incidents” and that “the only damage I was informed of is to the door of the church (Sidang Injil Borneo church in Seremban)”.

Hishammuddin should know that the damage to the country from the spate of church attacks and arsons in the past few days cannot be dismissed and reduced to just the door of a church, when the casualty is the priceless religious harmony and national unity in the country and the billions of ringgit in lost investments, tourism and Malaysia as an international educational hub with the country losing its place of distinction as a multi-religious country which had been able to maintain an incident-free record in inter-religious conflict.

In the past five days, Malaysia had been in the international news for all the wrong reasons.
Continue reading “Hishammuddin, don’t gloat as damage is not just door of a church, but the priceless religious harmony and national unity and billions of ringgit in lost investment, tourism and Malaysia as an international educational hub”

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Najib should do what Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman would have done instinctively in such a situation – to convene and preside over an inter-religious roundtable to end the religious dispute over the “Allah” controversy

At 9.43 am I received the following SMS from DAP MP for Rasah and Negri Sembilan State Assembly Opposition Leader Anthony Loke:

“Another church attack in Seremban. SIB Seremban church. Door was damaged. I am at the scene now.”

This was followed by other SMS from him on the latest dastardly and cowardly sacrilege, viz:

“The name of the church – Siding Injil Borneo. They have BM service. This is the church mentioned by Wong Chun Wai, the fastest growing church in Malaysia.”

“Idris Jala belongs to this church.”

“The church is located less than 1km from the Seremban IPD”
Continue reading “Najib should do what Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman would have done instinctively in such a situation – to convene and preside over an inter-religious roundtable to end the religious dispute over the “Allah” controversy”

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It Happened Under Your Watch, Najib!

By M. Bakri Musa

“Don’t point the fingers at UMNO or anyone else,” so declared an angry Najib Razak, responding to a question on last Friday’s bombing of a church. It was pathetic to see him react thus, a body language that bespoke of a sinister kid whose bag of malicious tricks finally exploded in his face.

Najib would like us to believe that those acts of arson were spontaneous combustion. What a pathetic attempt at extricating himself from the ugly and dangerous mess he helped create! His performance was more to convince himself, for he could not possibly convince us.

Here he was after pouring the gasoline feigning surprise when someone finally lit a match. It was Najib who only the day before the incident declared that “Muslim groups were free to protest and express their views about the ‘Allah’ issue.” Just in case that message did not register, he added that the authorities would not stop groups from gathering at mosques and protesting there. Najib’s cousin and Home Minister, Hishammuddin, echoed the same sentiments.
Continue reading “It Happened Under Your Watch, Najib!”

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Najib and Hishammuddin should apologise for their irresponsible, insensitive and maladroit handling of the “Allah” controversy

The announcement by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak of a RM500,000 allocation to the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati to help it to relocate to new premises in Batu Caves after experiencing the worst case of a series of church arson in the past few days is commendable and a step in the right direction but it cannot undo the grave damage whether to nation building or to Malaysia’s international reputation as the best location for foreign investment, tourism or educational opportunities.

The claim by Najib that his 1Malaysia slogan is not affected by the spate of church arson attacks only demonstrates the seriousness of the denial syndrome of the Najib premiership even before the end of his first year as Prime Minister.

When Najib visited New York end of November to attract American investors and boost trade and investment ties between Malaysia and the United States, he was dogged by Malaysia’s adverse international image, not only by our endemic crime rate but also controversies over moral policing and religious disputes.
Continue reading “Najib and Hishammuddin should apologise for their irresponsible, insensitive and maladroit handling of the “Allah” controversy”

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Najib 1 Malaysia fails once again

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life adviser

UMNO LED OPPOSITION TO THE USE OF ALLAH BY CHRISTIANS IN MALAYSIA, IS AGAINST WORLD MUSLIM OPINION AND WILL BACKFIRE ON THE PROMOTION OF 1 MALAYSIA REFORMS OF THE PRIME MINISTER.

PM Najib open support for UMNO’s retrogressive stand against the use of Allah by Christians, shows that his 1 Malaysia so called reforms for a multicultural society with religious freedom will once again fail to deliver his promises to the people.

Firstly, the majority of world muslims, including muslim Arabs, muslim Africans, muslim Indonesians, and muslim Malaysians have no problem with the use of Allah by christians living amidst them for centuries.

So why is the Home ministry objecting to the use of Allah by christians in Malaysia.
Continue reading “Najib 1 Malaysia fails once again”

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Call on Malaysians – including religious bodies, political parties, NGOs – not to take part in demonstrations over the “Allah” controversy to avoid the trap of irresponsible political desperadoes out to exploit, manipulate the politicize the issue

Just before I come on stage, I received the following SMS which I believe represents the views of Malaysians inside this Hall and outside in the country:

“UMNO, esp Najib & Hishammuddin must bear full responsibility for d churches burning incidents since they failed to address d Allah issue properly, allowing people to demonstrate, thus causing it to escalate & spin out of proportion”.

Let me ask you by a show of hands whether you agree with this SMS. (Almost unanimous spontaneous show of hands from the close to a thousand-people crowd in support of the SMS).

The year 2009 ended badly for Malaysia despite having a new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak with his new “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” slogan with setbacks on all the major priority KPIs and NKRAs, viz:
Continue reading “Call on Malaysians – including religious bodies, political parties, NGOs – not to take part in demonstrations over the “Allah” controversy to avoid the trap of irresponsible political desperadoes out to exploit, manipulate the politicize the issue”

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In just 9 months, Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan facing most critical test – all top political party leaders must condemn the spate of church attacks in the wake of the “Allah controversy” and ensure no further escalation

What many Malaysians had feared would happen and which the Prime Minister and Home Minister had discounted with their far-from-responsible stances – the exploitation of the “Allah” controversy by irresponsible and extremist elements – have unfortunately come to pass.

All top political party leaders should take a common stand to condemn in the strongest possible terms the spate of church attacks in the wake of the “Allah” controversy and ensure that there is no further escalation.

As Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should immediately impress on the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to take all urgent and necessary measures to protect the good name of the country or be held responsible for any undesirable consequences.

In just nine months, Najib’s 1Malaysia slogan is facing its most critical test as its very credibility is at stake.

Malaysia also cannot afford further adverse international publicity over the “Allah” controversy, which would only aggravate Malaysia’s declining international competitiveness if there is escalation of deplorable incidents by irresponsible and extremist elements like the spate of church attacks.

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Najib and Hishammuddin would fail as 1Malaysia leaders if they take the easy way out to court popularity in the “Allah” controversy

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein would fail as 1Malaysia leaders if they take the easy way out to court popularity in the “Allah” controversy and fail to effectively represent all ethnic and religious groups in the country.

Hishammuddin said yesterday that the government does not prohibit the people from expressing their views over the use of the word “Allah” by the Catholic weekly magazine Herald, but on the condition that their actions do not undermine national security.

Najib today defended Hishammuddin’s stand on plans by several organizations to stage a demonstration on Friday tomorrow to protest the use the word “Allah” by other religions.

Would Najib and Hishammuddin be so benign and tolerant if demonstrations are organized to support the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s Dec. 31 judgment that the Herald may use the term “Allah”?
Continue reading “Najib and Hishammuddin would fail as 1Malaysia leaders if they take the easy way out to court popularity in the “Allah” controversy”

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Nazri would have been arrested and charged for serious offences including contempt of court for saying what he said about the KL High Court judgment on the Allah issue if he is in Pakatan Rakyat

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz would have been arrested and charged for serious offences including contempt of court for saying what he said about the Kuala Lumpur High Court judgment on the Allah issue if he is in the Pakatan Rakyat.

Every informed observer, whether Malaysian or foreigner, would be struck by the sharp contrast in such treatment with the swift police action to investigate the Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng for sedition over his expression of the national sentiment about the death of Teoh Beng Hock at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam as being caused by murder as well as the unexceptional call by the DAP Selangor State Chairman and Selangor Executive Councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah on the police to stop its baseless investigation of Guan Eng.

I am not suggesting that Nazri should be arrested and charged in court for his statement about the judgment of High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan but to question how Malaysia is to restore national and international confidence in institutional competence, independence, professionalism and integrity – which is a major cause of Malaysia’s losing out in international competitiveness – if the key national institutions continue to behave in utter disregard of basic national standards and international benchmarks.
Continue reading “Nazri would have been arrested and charged for serious offences including contempt of court for saying what he said about the KL High Court judgment on the Allah issue if he is in Pakatan Rakyat”

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Have the two missing RM100 million F5 fighter jet engines ended up as scrap metal or sinkers for fishing? All the more why there must be a Royal Commission of Inquiry into rampant kleptocracy in Malaysia

The explanation by the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail on the two missing RM100 million F5 fighter engines have raised public incredulity and outrage to new heights, spawning even more questions, including:

Firstly, why have the police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers taken such an inordinately long time of over 16 months in the investigations into the two J85-GE-21 engines, which power the F5 fighters, which had been stolen from two RMAF facilities while some components from the same planes were also unaccounted for?

All that Gani can say now is that police had completed its investigations “to a large extent” and that he would announce “very soon” the decision on the next course of action against those involved in the thefts.
Continue reading “Have the two missing RM100 million F5 fighter jet engines ended up as scrap metal or sinkers for fishing? All the more why there must be a Royal Commission of Inquiry into rampant kleptocracy in Malaysia”

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Are police reports by police/MACC against Guan Eng, Ean Yong, Dr. Pornthip and Suara Keadilan part of a high-level sinister design/conspiracy to clamp down and strike out at fair comments on important national issues?

On Christmas Eve, the Selangor Police lodged a police report of sedition against DAP Secretary-General and Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, for his speech at the Pakatan Rakyat national convention in Shah Alam on December 19 expressing national sentiments that the mysterious death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam was a case of murder.

Three days later, the Selangor Chief Police Officer Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar alleged that the DAP Selangor Chairman and Selangor State Executive Councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah had “intimidated” the police in “directing” the police to stop their investigation of Guan Eng – when all that Ean Yong had done was to call on the police to stop their baseless investigation.

Yesterday, two MACC officers, Mohd Yusoff and Raub Ghani, lodged police reports against Suara Keadilan for an article in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat newspaper “which confirmed as murder the death of Teoh” as well as against Thai pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan for “leaking” the information to unauthorised people the forensic report of the second post-mortem on Teoh on Nov. 22.

In the Top News of 2009 for the various media, Teoh Beng Hock invariably topped the list for his tragic death at the MACC headquarters last July.
Continue reading “Are police reports by police/MACC against Guan Eng, Ean Yong, Dr. Pornthip and Suara Keadilan part of a high-level sinister design/conspiracy to clamp down and strike out at fair comments on important national issues?”

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Two days to read Maverick Mahathir and 58 days to decide whether it jeopardizes national security and public safety – what KPI/NKRA and “Performance Now”?

Last Saturday, Home Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Fuad Abdul Aziz denied that Barry Wain’s biography, “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times” is being put through any additional scrutiny by the Home Ministry.

He said it was being withheld to undergo the normal process for any foreign publication, to ensure that its contents would not jeopardize national security and public safety.

The ministry has 60 days from the time it was submitted to decide if the book should be allowed to be distributed in the country.

Nobody believes that Wain’s biography of Mahathir is lying in a mountainous pile of foreign publications waiting to be read for decision to be taken whether to release or censor it.

Wain’s book would have been read voraciously by those responsible for the subject-matter in the Home Ministry within a day or at most two days – which means we are having a situation where the book is read in two days but withheld for the next 58 days to decide whether the book should be allowed into the bookshops in the country or banned for jeopardizing national security or public safety!
Continue reading “Two days to read Maverick Mahathir and 58 days to decide whether it jeopardizes national security and public safety – what KPI/NKRA and “Performance Now”?”

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After nine months, “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” has proved to be mere publicity and propaganda puff of Najib premiership with no meaningful change or consequence to the lives of Malaysians

Malaysians enter the new year of 2010 with Datuk Seri Najib Razak completing three-quarters of his first year as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

After nine months, “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” has proved to be mere publicity and propaganda puff of the Najib premiership with no meaningful change or consequence to the lives of Malaysians.

Are Malaysians of diverse races, religions and regions more united as one Malaysian people or even more divided than ever?

Do Malaysians feel safer from the endemic tide of crime which had deprived them of the two fundamental freedoms of any citizen in any civilized society – to be free from crime and the fear of crime?

Is Malaysia becoming a country where accountability, transparency and integrity are not just slogans but taken seriously by the government with the political will to take action against the “sharks” and not just “ikan bilis”?
Continue reading “After nine months, “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” has proved to be mere publicity and propaganda puff of Najib premiership with no meaningful change or consequence to the lives of Malaysians”

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Najib rejects royal commission to probe Dr M

Dec 29, 09 7:42pm
Malaysiakini

Prime Minister Najib Razak said there was no need for a royal commission of inquiry to look into allegations hurled at former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the book ‘Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times’ authored by Barry Wain.

“There is always this call for a royal commission, everything you want royal commission, but (this) is not appropriate to call for a royal commission just because somebody has written a book.

“What is important for us is to look forward to the future. Each prime minister has made a lot of contribution, otherwise we wouldn’t be what we are today, Malaysia will not be a successful nation and regarded as a role model if all the PMs in the past had not made their contribution,” he said.

On Dec 21, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang in his blog had urged Najib to set up a royal commission to probe the allegations contained in the book, which among others had claimed that Mahathir had squandered up to RM100 billion during his 22 years as prime minister. Continue reading “Najib rejects royal commission to probe Dr M”

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Interesting Quotes By Najib In 2009

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 (Bernama) — The year 2009 has opened a new chapter for Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who took over the country’s leadership in April.

As the new prime minister, every speech, directive and comment made has claimed attention from the masses. Below are some of the interesting quotes by the prime minister this year.

  1. I urge us to rise to the challenge of building a 1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now. (April 3: On assuming office as the sixth prime minister)

  2. BN will keep the promises and we will deliver them. We will do away with the practice of announcing “instant noodle” projects during elections. If certain projects would benefit the people and we had promised that to them or committed on them in the elections, we will definitely implement them. (April 5: Commenting on the Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang and Batang Ai by-elections results)

    3. Continue reading “Interesting Quotes By Najib In 2009”

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What a way to end 2009 – the missing RM50 million RMAF jet engines which exposes high-level thievery, government topsy-turvydom and sheer lack of professionalism in defence, police and Attorney-General’s Chambers casting long shadow on Najib’s GTP

What a way to end 2009 and the first uncompleted year of the new Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak – two missing RM50 million RMAF jet engines which exposes high-level thievery, government topsy-turvydom and sheer lack of professionalism in defence, police and Attorney-General’s Chambers, casting a long shadow on Najib’s Government Transformation Programme (GTP).

Many questions cry out for answer on the scandal of the missing jet engines as they are not an unobtrusive object that could be easily squirrelled away, with each explanatory statement by the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the air force and the police raising more questions.

Najib gave the assurance that action would be taken against those responsible for the missing Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) jet engines – the powerplants to the F-5E Tiger II fighter and RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance jets – saying: “Let us investigate. Whoever is in the wrong will be held responsible.”

Why is the Prime Minister still talking in the future tense, when the action for the missing RMAF jet engines took place in May last year, and RMAF had lodged a report with the police on Aug 4 last year?
Continue reading “What a way to end 2009 – the missing RM50 million RMAF jet engines which exposes high-level thievery, government topsy-turvydom and sheer lack of professionalism in defence, police and Attorney-General’s Chambers casting long shadow on Najib’s GTP”

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Najib should set up Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate whether Mahathir had “wasted or burned up” RM100 billion on grandiose projects and corruption in his 22 years as Prime Minister

Why is the government of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, holding up for more than three weeks the release of 800 copies of a new biography of former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad by former Asian Wall Street Journal managing editor Barry Wain?

There can be no doubt that Mahathir and Najib would have already read the biography, “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times”.

Is either of them objecting to the release of Wain’s biography of Mahathir and want it banned like Mahathir’s “Malay Dilemma” when it was first published in 1970? This will be the irony of ironies.

Both should know that the year 2009, very soon to become 2010, in this Internet era and age of information and communications technology is very different from four decades ago in 1970 and any ban or censorship of Wain’s new biography will make it even more popular among Malaysians.
Continue reading “Najib should set up Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate whether Mahathir had “wasted or burned up” RM100 billion on grandiose projects and corruption in his 22 years as Prime Minister”