From Copenhagen to Sabah: 1Earth, 1Climate Change; 1Najib?

By Saves DK

From Copenhagen to Sabah – Does the threat of Climate Change ‘change’ according to Time Zones?

Dear Prime Minister Najib Razak,

Once again, we welcome your serious and determined efforts to reduce carbon emission to help halt global warming in the interests of our future generations.

Surely, the first important step to CUTTING (rather than increasing) carbon emission is to cancel the proposed coal power plant to be built in Felda Sahabat, Lahad Datu, which is very close to the various pristine, precious natural paradise of Darvel Bay, Coral Triangle Initiative, Tabin Wildlife Conservation area and so on, which make the East Coast of Sabah one of the remaining natural treasures of the world.

You have asked for our views “on what more we can do to ensure a greener Malaysia, so that we can learn from each other.” Great! Here are some. We do not dream that you would actually ‘learn’ from humble Sabahans like us, but we would be very grateful already if you could at least be consistent in your position on climate change and coal.
Continue reading “From Copenhagen to Sabah: 1Earth, 1Climate Change; 1Najib?”

Why nobody in government starting from Najib has ever talked about “zero tolerance for corruption” to demonstrate their seriousness about battling corruption?

I visited the public display of the various laboratories of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre, Petaling Jaya today.

I was pleasantly surprised that some of the concepts and objectives which I had espoused both in and out of Parliament have found their way into the initiatives proposed – which is a different matter about their implementation.

The laboratory on “Battling Corruption” referred to “zero tolerance for corruption” while the laboratory on “Fighting Crime” referred to battling the people’s “fear of crime”.

When I had advocated the former, it had elicited indifferent response while in the latter, there was negative reaction in the form of righteous denial there was ever the problem of the “fear of crime” among Malaysians in the country.

When visiting the various Key Performance Index (KPI) and National Key Results Area (NKRA) laboratories, the foremost question is whether there had been a real change of heart by the Barisan Nasional government, followed quickly by a flurry of other questions, such as:
Continue reading “Why nobody in government starting from Najib has ever talked about “zero tolerance for corruption” to demonstrate their seriousness about battling corruption?”

The postponement of the 1Malaysia NKRA concept will overshadow the public exhibition of the six NKRA initiatives tomorrow

Malaysian Insider reports that the Cabinet has failed to reach a consensus on the National Key Results Area (NKRA) initiatives for 1Malaysia to implement racial unity and national integration proposals, resulting in the postponement of the public preview of the 1Malaysia initiative which has been scheduled for the next two days along with the display of the six other NKRA programmes.

Because of the failure of reach a consensus at the special Cabinet retreat on Sunday, the only element that will be on display will be the general framework of the 1Malaysia concept.

As it is, the Cabinet’s irresolution and indecisive action over the divisive, racist and seditious Biro Tata Negara (BTN) indoctrination course would have overshadowed the public exhibition of the seven NKRA initiatives tomorrow.

The postponement of the 1Malaysia initiative in the public presentation of Najib’s 1Malaysia concept and the other six NKRAs will have the effect of being thunderous in its absence, raising in a most fundamental manner questions of whether Najib’s 1Malaysia concept and slogan really means anything serious or different to the people apart from publicity and propaganda.
Continue reading “The postponement of the 1Malaysia NKRA concept will overshadow the public exhibition of the six NKRA initiatives tomorrow”

Greatest disappointment that Najib failed to “walk the talk” with concrete action whether on recognition of Unified Examination Certificate or institutionalize government funding of Independent Chinese Secondary Schools

Yesterday, the Chinese press gave front page headline treatment to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s message for the 90th anniversary celebrations of the Chong Hwa Independent High School in Kuala Lumpur, but this has been replaced with deep disappointment and sadness that the Prime Minister has again failed to “walk the talk” like his “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” motto, his pledge to front-line transparency and to combat corruption.
 
Najib’s message for the Chong Hwa Independent High School 90th anniversary celebrations souvenir publication stands out as the best message ever given by any Prime Minister in the past five decades, crediting the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools as “important national assets” not only of the Chinese in Malaysia but of the country and extolling their contributions to nation building particularly in human resource development.
 
This has raised sky-high expectations that Najib would announce concrete actions to “walk the talk” of his message and it was a great disappointment all round that he attended the Chong Hwa Independent High School 90th anniversary dinner last night completely empty-handed.
  Continue reading “Greatest disappointment that Najib failed to “walk the talk” with concrete action whether on recognition of Unified Examination Certificate or institutionalize government funding of Independent Chinese Secondary Schools”

Najib should come out with clear-cut statement that 1Malaysia does not mean “Ketuanan Melayu” or “Malay supremacy” and declare that all Malaysians whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Kadazan or Iban are all co-owners of Malaysia

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has directed all his ministers to end the polemics on the divisive, racist and seditious Biro Tata Negara (BTN) courses.

He said he himself would evaluate BTN’s training modules and arrive at a decision on them later.

Shouldn’t the decision on the divisive, racist and seditious BTN indoctrination course be the collective decision of the Barisan Nasional leadership rather than the decision of one man, even if he is the Prime Minister?

This demonstrates an exacerbation of an already very unhealthy, undemocratic and dangerous concentration of power in the hands of the Prime Minister at the expense of the collective decision of the Cabinet and the Barisan Nasional parties.

Even putting aside for the moment the issue of the divisive, racist and seditious BTN indoctrination course which engenders racial hatred and illwill totally inimical to the nation-building objective to foster national unity and Malaysian consciousness, the issue of what Najib’s 1Malaysia really means cannot be evaded any longer.
Continue reading “Najib should come out with clear-cut statement that 1Malaysia does not mean “Ketuanan Melayu” or “Malay supremacy” and declare that all Malaysians whether Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli, Kadazan or Iban are all co-owners of Malaysia”

The most important of Najib’s seven KPIs, 1Malaysia, a dismal failure in the larger laboratory of Malaysia in past seven months

Tomorrow, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s seven-month-old Cabinet will gather for a third round to finalise programmes under the Key Performance Index (KPI) and National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) which are to be made public on Thursday and Friday.

In the past two months, seven laboratories had been set up to test out ideas and strategies in the six priority areas outlined in the NKRA – reducing crime, fighting corruption, widening access to affordable and quality education, raising the living standard of the poor, improving infrastructure in the rural areas and public transportation with the seventh the 1Malaysia lab focussed on ways to foster unity among the various races.

It is most tragic and the irony of ironies that in the seven months that Najib was proclaiming the 1Malaysia slogan and concept, national unity was the constant target of a most systematic and unscrupulous attacks, with one extremist, provocative and seditious statement and action followed by another, seriously aggravating racial and religious polarisation in plural Malaysia.
Continue reading “The most important of Najib’s seven KPIs, 1Malaysia, a dismal failure in the larger laboratory of Malaysia in past seven months”

Muhyiddin is chief Cabinet hawk siding with Mahathir against Nazri – ball in Najib’s court facing critical test for his 1Malaysia concept which is virtually in tatters

The Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has come out as the chief hawk in Cabinet to side with former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad against the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in the row over the divisive, racist and seditious Biro Tata Negara (BTN) indoctrination course and Umno as a racist party.

The ball is now in Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s court with Najib’s 1Malaysia concept facing a critical test.

Nazri is right in describing Mahathir as a racist in defending the divisive, racist and seditious BTN course and Mahathir is right in his response that Umno is a racist party.

The question is why Umno should continue to impose its racist ideology on the government and country and to turn BTN into an instrument to purvey its racist philosophy and pernicious doctrine, totally subversive of the Vision 2020 concept of Bangsa Malaysia as well as Najib’s 1Malaysia.
Continue reading “Muhyiddin is chief Cabinet hawk siding with Mahathir against Nazri – ball in Najib’s court facing critical test for his 1Malaysia concept which is virtually in tatters”

Some 630 Malaysians leave the country every day

A total of 304,358 Malaysians left the country between March last year and August this year for better education, career and business prospects, Deputy Foreign Minister A Kohilan Pillay told Parliament yesterday. This is a big leap from 139,696 Malaysians who migrated to other countries in 2007.

This works out to some 630 Malaysians leaving the country every day.

Can Malaysia afford such a continuing brain drain?

This is a big vote of no confidence not only in the Abdullah premiership but also in the present Najib administration. Continue reading “Some 630 Malaysians leave the country every day”

Najib and Cabinet should do what is right – honour the Hatyai Agreement and allow Chin Peng home to visit his hometown in Sitiawan

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should do what is right – honour the Hatyai Agreement and allow Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) leader Chin Peng home to visit his hometown in Sitiawan.

It reflects most adversely on the credibility and international standing of Malaysia for the Malaysian government to renege on its solemn commitments and undertakings in the Hatyai Agreement.

When the Hatyai Agreement was signed 20 years ago, both signatories agreed to move on and this is what the Malaysian government and country should do – allow Chin Peng home to visit his parents’ graves in Sitiawan.

Close down Biro Tata Negara if Najib is serious, sincere and genuine about the 1Malaysia concept

When he became Prime Minister seven months ago, Datuk Seri Najib Razak came out with the slogan of 1Malaysia.

It was an admission of the failure of 52-year nation-building to create a Malaysian citizenry forged by a common Malaysian consciousness and identity, transcending their ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic differences.

The Biro Tata Negara (BTN) is one important factor for this failure in Malaysian nation-building.

In Parliament in March this year, I read out an indignant email from a recent participant in BTN course, on how BTN operated as the propaganda arm of UMNO, pumping communal poison instead of spreading the message of national unity.

The complaints against the BTN included:

Their purpose is to convey THEIR Message to us but I think they are absolutely wrong. It made us more irritable towards BN government and make us more stronger to vote opposition.
Continue reading “Close down Biro Tata Negara if Najib is serious, sincere and genuine about the 1Malaysia concept”

Open Tender for all government procurements – most effective way to prevent corruption and ensure efficiency

by Dr. Chen Man Hin

Last year on August 5th the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was quoted as saying that open tender would be implemented for government procurements. This was a very encouraging statement and gave the impression that he really intended to institute reforms to bring about better governance. Was this the signal that things are changing?

Later, when he was anointed prime minister, he announced further reforms to launch off his “1 Malaysia, People First, Performance Now” concept. This was even more promising.

Unfortunately, the euphoria engendered so far has now vanished by the announcement in Parliament on Wednesday that MATRADE expo – the biggest and most comprehensive exhibition center – would be awarded to a private contractor NAZA TTDI through private negotiated deal. The government procurement was NOT given out by OPEN TENDER.

This is a shocking development and has unravelled all the attempts by Najib to initiate a series of reforms for better governance in a “1 Malaysia”. Continue reading “Open Tender for all government procurements – most effective way to prevent corruption and ensure efficiency”

Before telling the world the true Malaysian story, let Malaysians know the truth of what is happening in Malaysia – beginning with the story of Altantuya C4 murder

In his recent visit to New York, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Malaysia’s message of reforms and transformation needs to be told to foreign investors consistently or risk being overshadowed by countries like China and other emerging economies.

First things first. Najib should allow the true Malaysian story to be told to Malaysians first or the credibility of the Malaysian story to global investors by Najib’s spin doctors would come under a great discount.

In the era of instant communications, it is both imprudent and self-defeating to believe that it is possible to mislead global investors about what is happening in the country.
Continue reading “Before telling the world the true Malaysian story, let Malaysians know the truth of what is happening in Malaysia – beginning with the story of Altantuya C4 murder”

Najib should give iron-clad guarantee of personal safety of PI Bala to return to tell the truth of what he knows about C4 murder of Mongolian Altantuya

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should give iron-clad guarantee of the personal safety of private investigator P. Balasubramaniam for him to return to the country to tell the truth of what he knows about the C4 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

There is no other option to Najib to ensure national and international legitimacy as Malaysian Prime Minsiter following the five-part publication of Balasubramiam’s interview, where he named names as well as cited monetary figures explaining the background to the mystery of his Statutory Declaration One and Statutory Declaration Two contradicting each other within 24 hours and his subsequence disappearance with his family from Malaysia.
Continue reading “Najib should give iron-clad guarantee of personal safety of PI Bala to return to tell the truth of what he knows about C4 murder of Mongolian Altantuya”

Major blow for Najib premiership – Malaysia’s worst ranking and score in 15 years in Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2009

I asked in Parliament yesterday whether Malaysia is heading for the worst Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking and score in 15 years when TI CPI 2009 is announced in the next few days.

I had expected poor results for Malaysia both in CPI ranking and score, with Malaysia slipping further in ranking from No. 47 to may be No. 50 and to fall to the lowest CPI score ever of 4.8.

But my worst fears had been exceeded when the Berlin-based TI just announced that Malaysia had plunged nine places from last year’s 47th CPI ranking to 56th position while Malaysia CPI index score plunged to the lowest in 15 years to 4.5 when Malaysia’s previous worst scores below 5 were 4.8 in 2000 and 4.9 in 2002.

This is a national shame and major blow for Najib’s premiership
Continue reading “Major blow for Najib premiership – Malaysia’s worst ranking and score in 15 years in Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2009”

Who is lying – father (2nd PM Tun Razak) or son (6th PM Najib Razak)?

I asked in Parliament today – “Who is lying – father (second Prime Minister Tun Razak) or son (sixth Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak”?

This was during the committee stage debate on the Prime Minister’s Department on the 2010 budget in Parliament.

On 3rd November, while replying during question time, Najib told Parliament that from a legal aspect, states such as Kelantan and Trengganu are not entitled to oil royalties for petroleum produced “off-shore” – as they are only entitled to oil royalties if the petroleum is drilled from its water.

Najib said:

“The offshore oil operations in their waters are defined as an area not more than three nautical miles, which is measured starting from the low watermark or the shoreline of the state.
Continue reading “Who is lying – father (2nd PM Tun Razak) or son (6th PM Najib Razak)?”

Malaysia can help Asia lead the recovery of the world economy if it has a fully liberalised economy like China

Media Statement by Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life adviser in Seremban on 15th November 2009

WILL MALAYSIA PLAY A ROLE IN WHAT THE PUNDITS CALL ‘ASIA WILL LEAD THE RECOVERY OF THE WORLD ECONOMY’

It is becoming evident that while the economies in the West are trying very hard to revive their economies, and while America is still bogged down by failures of its banks – both big and small – China and India are having record GDP growths, followed by Indonesia and Vietnam.

This has prompted many economists to propose the trend that it is Asia that will show the way for recovery of not just the Asian economy but also the WORLD economy.

This conclusion was further emphasised only two days ago, at the GLOBAL LEADERS SERIES talk organised by the American Chambers of Commerce in Singapore, it was postulated that Asia will lead the recovery of the world, from recession.
Continue reading “Malaysia can help Asia lead the recovery of the world economy if it has a fully liberalised economy like China”

Prime Minister Najib requires superhuman effort to achieve high income status for the people of Malaysia

Media Statement by Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP Life Advisor in Seremban on 14th November 2009

To achieve high income status for the people of malaysia requeires a revolutionary policy and full support from the people.

PM Najib stated that his intention was to raise the present per capita income of US$7,000 to US$17,000 by the year 2020, assuming that the GDP increases on an average of 9% a year.

Later he revised his targets after realising that the targets were unrealistic. His new estimates were a 6% GDP growth annually and achieve per capita income US$13,000 in 2020.

What are the prospects of achieving a pci of US$13,000 by 2020? Dim.

Historically, it would be near impossible. In 1957 at independence, Malaysia enjoyed a pci of about US$500, the second highest in Asia after Japan. In 2008, Malaysia pci was US$7,000. It took 51 years to reach US$7,000. Year 2020 is 11 short years away to reach US$13,000, when it took 51 years to reach US$7,000.
Continue reading “Prime Minister Najib requires superhuman effort to achieve high income status for the people of Malaysia”

Premier Seeks His Mandate in Malaysia

By PATRICK BARTA | Wall Street Journal

SINGAPORE — The pace of social and economic reform in Malaysia is likely to slow over the coming months but the country remains committed to opening its heavily regulated economy to more competition in the long term, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Friday.

In a rare private interview, Mr. Najib said that steps he has taken since assuming power in April, including relaxing rules for foreign investment in business services and tourism, are “quite unprecedented” for Malaysia.

But more dramatic overhauls, including major restructuring of a race-based political system that reserves ownership of much of Malaysia’s economy for ethnic Malays, will likely have to wait.

“For the next few months, we want to deliver what we have promised” rather than focus on big new reforms, he said. Short-term efforts will include achieving “performance indicators” announced by the government this year to curb crime and improve government services and infrastructure — a program Mr. Najib hopes will further bolster the popularity of his government.
Continue reading “Premier Seeks His Mandate in Malaysia”

Neglect Sabah at your own peril, BN told

Two Sabah Barisan Nasional leaders issued the same warning about the heavy price that Barisan Nasional will have to pay for the continued neglect, discrimination and marginalisation of Sabah, but is the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak really listening?

These are extracts from Malaysiakini reports on the PBS and UPKO annual general meetings opened by Najib in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday:

(1) Neglect Sabah at your own peril, BN told
Joe Fernandez
Nov 10, 09

Former Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) hawk Bernard Giluk Dompok fears that if the Barisan Nasional may pay a heavy price if it continues to pay scant attention to important issues in Sabah.

He foresees the political tsunami that swept Peninsular Malaysia on March 8, 2008 being repeated in Sabah and Sarawak if local issues are not addressed urgently.

“It is not an easy task to identify the root causes of a problem,” said Dompok, who broke away from PBS in1994 to head United PasokMomogun KadazanDusunMurut Organisation (Upko).

Dompok, who is federal minister for plantation industries and commodities, is of the view that the more things seem to change in Sabah, the more they tend to remain the same. Continue reading “Neglect Sabah at your own peril, BN told”

1Malaysia: A victim of mental fatigue

By Tunku Aziz

Najib’s 1Malaysia propaganda campaign, now in full swing, has taken on the uncanny appearance of a blitzkrieg that would have the Fuehrer of the Third Reich double up in the Reichstag in uncontrollable ecstasy. It really is that funny. The single-minded mindless saturation bombardment of the media, at what financial cost we will never know, has already begun to show all the tell tale signs of mental fatigue and psychological rejection. I am told that it is not unlike the metal fatigue that put a premature end to the promising start of the world’s first commercial jetliner, the Comet operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation more than four decades ago. Perhaps there is a lesson the 1Malaysia strategists could learn from history about over indulgence. There can be too much of a good thing for their own good.

I have been asking our prime minister, as indeed many others, to venture beyond sloganeering and spell out in terms that are concise and clear what he has in mind when pontificating on what appears to thinking Malaysians to be nothing more than a party dogma being shoved down their throats as part of a ploy to regain the non-Bumi electoral support. If Najib really believes that voters are going to buy his half-baked1Malaysia cake as an article of faith- that is more form than substance, he should put it to the test by going back to the country for a fresh authority or mandate to govern. His legitimacy is in serious doubt. The UMNO process of succession is open to question.
Continue reading “1Malaysia: A victim of mental fatigue”