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You will hear me roar

— Dyana Sofya
The Malay Mail Online
May 15, 2014

MAY 15 — My mother was active in politics. As her kids, my brothers and I were exposed to politics at a very young age. We would frequently meet our politician uncles and aunts during dinners, teh tarik sessions, Hari Raya open houses and birthday parties. Some of them made it to ministerial posts in later years, while some were not as lucky.

Growing up observing my mother taught me many, many things. With the good came also the bad. I soon learned that politics was a dog eat dog world which required one to have nerves of steel and skin as thick as oak before one could even begin to participate.

My older brothers in particular saw what my mother endured. They read the books she brought home from work. They saw the dirty games and Machiavellian tactics that my mother had to put up with in the name of “perjuangan.” For the party. For the country.

They also saw how she was betrayed by her own comrades and best friends for the sake of position and power. As a result, they have sworn themselves off from the world of politics.

It all began in the late 1980s, when my mother was a UMNO worker. She had loyally served the party for years, but all her sacrifice and hard work counted for nothing when the newly constituted UMNO Baru of Dr Mahathir decided not to rehire staff that had been inclined towards the “Team B” of his opponent, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, during the 1987 UMNO election.

At the time, she was just about to return to work after maternity leave.

She had just given birth to me. Continue reading “You will hear me roar”

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Would Liow and MCA leaders take a stand and list instances of UMNO violation of BN policy and consensus on hudud at the BN Supreme Council meeting tomorrow?

MCA should end its politics of perfidy and hypocrisy sending out different messages on hudud, one in the Chinese media and another for the non-Chinese media, to mislead the Malaysian Chinese and the UMNO leaders.
Today’s media gives two such examples.

First, the big splash in the Chinese media today of the statement by the MCA Secretary-General Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan declaring the MCA’s opposition to the joint technical committee on hudud comprising the Barisan Nasional Federal Government and the PAS Kelantan State Government which was proposed by the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on 28th April 2014.

But this news was completely blacked out in the MCA newspaper, the Star and the non-Chinese media.

Second, the news report in the Chinese media quoting the Wanita MCA Chairman, Datuk Heng Seai Kie demanding that the Barisan Nasional Whip Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin take stern disciplinary action against two UMNO Ministers, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom and the Minister for International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mustapha Mohammad for breaching Barisan Nasional policy, consensus and discipline in supporting PAS implementation of hudud. Continue reading “Would Liow and MCA leaders take a stand and list instances of UMNO violation of BN policy and consensus on hudud at the BN Supreme Council meeting tomorrow?”

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Some observations about the Terengganu drama

The Malaysian Insider
May 14, 2014

What was supposed to be a quick change of leadership in Terengganu has now blown into a full crisis for Barisan Nasional (BN), which could still lose the oil-rich state to their political foes unless all Umno assemblymen pledge loyalty to the state government.

Here are some observations of the last two days when Datuk Seri Ahmad Said’s (pic) resignation letter as menteri besar snowballed into him and two other Umno state lawmakers quitting the party. One is said to have returned to the fold.

1) Najib is weak

Let’s be honest. If Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was strong and if he was feared in his own party, Ahmad Said and the other state assemblymen would think many times before holding Umno/BN to ransom.

But as it stands today, he is viewed as weak by everyone, from the motormouths at Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) to royal households throughout the country.

They know that Najib is indecisive, unable to use the powers of incumbency to exert control and seemingly incapable of sparking a feel-good feeling about his administration across Malaysia.

The end result: even a small-time local politician named Ahmad Said can thumb his nose at Najib. Continue reading “Some observations about the Terengganu drama”

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Will Liow advise Muhyiddin not to be “held to ransom” by the Terengganu trio who have resigned as UMNO Assemblymen, plunging the state into a constitutional crisis?

I could not have agreed more with the MCA President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai who had advised UMNO Terengganu Assemblymen that they must “put people first, instead of their personal interests”.

It is very clear what Liow was trying to say when commenting on the former Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said and two UMNO Assemblymen quitting the party to become independents after attending a Wesak celebration at Wisma Buddhist in Kuala Lumpur today.

Liow said: “The state government cannot be held at ransom. The purpose of us running for elections is to serve the people and we must ensure that the state government continues to do so.”

He hoped that the Barisan Nasional government would take immediate action to stabilise the situation in Terengganu.

The question is whether Liow would “walk the talk”. Continue reading “Will Liow advise Muhyiddin not to be “held to ransom” by the Terengganu trio who have resigned as UMNO Assemblymen, plunging the state into a constitutional crisis?”

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One year after GE13, lost in sea of politicking

Bridget Welsh
Malaysiakini
May 5, 2014

COMMENT Today marks the one year anniversary of the historic 13th general election. This election was pivotal in the country’s history as the incumbent BN coalition held onto power, with the opposition calls for ‘change’ unfulfilled.

Scholars have highlighted the fundamental shifts in the power of Umno, the imbalance of the opposition parties, the rise in influence and political awakenings of East Malaysia and the electoral irregularities, among many profound structural changes.

In other ordinary ways, Malaysian politics has also changed, with greater cynicism, insecurities and anger more prominent in public life. This is across the political divide. News reports feature troubling reports of increased racial tensions, political polarisation and continued shortcomings in governance.

This article highlights some of the ongoing dynamics in contemporary Malaysian political life, which are both worrying and offer promise ahead. Continue reading “One year after GE13, lost in sea of politicking”

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MCA should requisition for an emergency BN Supreme Council meeting for a policy decision to be taken on hudud as 11 or even 12 of the 13 component BN parties would oppose any hudud implementation

The Barisan Nasional BackBenchers Club (BNBBC) comprising Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament have sprung a surprise on its website, lambasting MCA and advising MCA leaders that they “should not spew nonsense or act as a hero as if trying to show the Chinese community that it fights for them” over the controversial hudud issue.

In an anonymous opinion piece on the BNBBC portal, MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong was called “rude” for suggesting yesterday that the party will consider its membership in the ruling coalition should Umno continue to support hudud.

The BNBBC stand is a surprise as the question that is inevitably asked is whether it represents the views of all 133 BN MPs, i.e. 88 from UMNO, 14 from PBB, 7 from MCA, 6 from Sarawak People’s Party (PRS), 4 each from MIC, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Parti Demokratik Progresif Sarawak (SPDB); 3 from UPKO; 1 each from Gerakan, SUPP and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) or just the views of the 88 UMNO MPs.

If the BNBBC anonymous opinion piece does not represent the consensus views of all the BN MPs, will the seven MCA MPs ask the BNBBC portal to publish an open retraction and apology? Continue reading “MCA should requisition for an emergency BN Supreme Council meeting for a policy decision to be taken on hudud as 11 or even 12 of the 13 component BN parties would oppose any hudud implementation”

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Wee Ka Siong has finally asked the right question although he is still quite blur about the answer – that MCA cannot say “No” to UMNO because of the latter’s hegemony in Barisan Nasional while DAP and PAS can say “No” to each other as Pakatan Rakyat is a coalition of equals

MCA Deputy President, Datuk Dr. Wee Ka Siong has finally asked the right question although he is still quite blur about the answer.
Yesterday, Wee posed the question to me why I dare not say “No” to PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang but want MCA to say “No” to UMNO on the issue of hudud.

The answer which Wee is too blind to see or accept is that MCA cannot say “No” to UMNO because of UMNO’s hegemony in Barisan Nasional while DAP and PAS can say “No” to each other as Pakatan Rakyat is a coalition of equals.

Wee must belong to the infinitesimally small group of Malaysian politicians who do not know that the DAP has said “No” to Hadi and the PAS leaders about implementation of hudud as it is against the secular Malaysian Constitution and inappropriate for a modern, multi-racial and multi-religious nation like Malaysia.

This is why hudud is not part of the Pakatan Rakyat agenda or common policy platform, and is only the policy programme of PAS and which could undermine or even destroy the Pakatan Rakyat coalition if this agenda is pursued in utter disregard of the sensitivities, principles and objectives of the other Pakatan Rakyat parties. Continue reading “Wee Ka Siong has finally asked the right question although he is still quite blur about the answer – that MCA cannot say “No” to UMNO because of the latter’s hegemony in Barisan Nasional while DAP and PAS can say “No” to each other as Pakatan Rakyat is a coalition of equals”

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Perjuangan mendiang Karpal Singh vs perjuangan Umno dan BN

Nur Jazlan
The Malaysian Insider
April 22, 2014

Pertama sekali saya ingin mengucapkan takziah kepada keluarga mendiang bekas Pengerusi DAP, Ahli Parlimen Bukit Gelugor dan peguam terkenal, mendiang Karpal Singh terutamanya anak mendiang, Gobind Singh Deo yang juga Ahli Parlimen Puchong, atas kematian bapanya dalam kemalangan tragis pada awal pagi Jumaat lalu.

Sesungguhnya, mungkin ini kali pertama majlis pengebumian seorang tokoh pembangkang menerima penghormatan tertinggi daripada sebuah negeri dan kematian mendiang Karpal Singh diratapi bukan sahaja ahli keluarganya, rakan-rakan atau ahli DAP tetapi juga seluruh rakyat Malaysia.
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Walaupun tidak mengenali mendiang Karpal Singh yang turut dikenali dengan gelaran ‘Tiger of Jelutong’ secara peribadi, tetapi saya amat kagum dengan kesungguhan serta perjuangan beliau yang tidak berbelah bahagi dalam sistem perundangan negara serta kancah politik negara.

Secara tidak langsung, perjuangan politik mendiang Karpal Singh selama 40 tahun lebih kurang sama dengan arwah ayahanda saya, Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat atau Tok Mat dan mereka juga adalah rakan ketika sama-sama menjadi Ahli Dewan Rakyat bermula sekitar tahun 70-an.

Jika ada yang beranggapan bahawa dengan pemergian mendiang Karpal Singh buat selama-lamanya akan mengubah hala tuju perjuangan parti DAP, saya tidak yakin ia akan berlaku memandangkan parti itu berada dalam ‘kelasnya’ tersendiri dalam kancah politik negara yang begitu mencabar. Continue reading “Perjuangan mendiang Karpal Singh vs perjuangan Umno dan BN”

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DAP is not MCA 2.0

Wan Hamidi Hamid
The Malaysian Insider
April 08, 2014

Wan Hamidi is a veteran journalist who has a penchant for rock music.

DAP, or Democratic Action Party, is still seen by many as a political organisation with a lot of Chinese leaders and members. Therefore, it is often perceived as a Chinese party.

However, the real Chinese party in Malaysia is MCA or the Malaysian Chinese Association. Only Chinese join this party, and it is only interested in serving the Chinese community, although in practice it is more about the interest of the Chinese Malaysian capitalists and their government cronies.

Due to its Chinese characteristics, MCA is not an organisation for all Malaysians. It is only limited to the Chinese community who represent less than 25% of the country’s population.

By its minority nature, MCA is usually bullied by its de facto leader in the Barisan Nasional coalition – Umno – an ethnic Malay party claiming to represent most of the 60% of Malaysian population.

Umno was originally a Malay nationalist party formed in the 1940s but has transformed itself into some sort of a supremacist party of today – although there are some leaders and members who are not too happy with its current insular tendency. Continue reading “DAP is not MCA 2.0”

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UMNO/BN cyber war unit has spawned the world’s craziest cybertroopers and NGOs who continue to make fictitious and nonsensical claims …

The UMNO/BN cyber war unit has spawned the world’s craziest cybertroopers and NGOs who continue to make fictitious and nonsensical claims like the DAP aiming to recruit 10 million Red Bean Army cybertroopers by 14GE, paying them each Rm3,000 a month or a monthly budget of RM30 billion.

For one whole year, this will be an unthinkable budget of RM360 billion just to feed 10 million so-called “Red Bean Army” cybertroopers!

Only the craziest of the crazies will believe such nonsense, yet this could be seriously stated in a press conference last Tuesday by various UMNO/BN NGO cybertroopers led by Abdul Rani Kulup Abdullah, President of Martabat Jalinan Muhibbah Malaysia (MJMM) and other NGOs like Ikatan Rakyat Insan Muslims Malaysia and Pertubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin (PMSP), claiming that DAP is now paying RM3,000 each to 800 cybertroopers in the so-called Red Bean Army (RBA), and that DAP has targeted recruiting 10 million cybertroopers in time for the 14th General Elections. Continue reading “UMNO/BN cyber war unit has spawned the world’s craziest cybertroopers and NGOs who continue to make fictitious and nonsensical claims …”

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Kajang is on the way to Putrajaya

– Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
February 27, 2014

Why has Anwar’s decision to contest in Kajang caused so much upheaval inside the BN camp? More so in Umno? This is just a DUN seat. As Muhyidin says, when Anwar wins, at the most he can only be MB. Najib is still the PM.

Yes, why?

Umno says it’s protecting the people of Selangor. From what? Mahathir says no one is safe if Anwar is MB.

Hmmm – maybe. Perhaps there’s some truth in what Mahathir said. I did feel shivers down my spine when I participate in a talk with Anwar especially with my back facing him. Haha. I must remember to wear an iron chastity belt the next time. Umno people – please remember that too.

No one who has stolen from the state, no one who is corrupt, and no one who has emptied the treasury will be safe. My own uneasiness dissipates when I think that no treasury, no money is safe when Umno people are around. No public works are safe with Umno people around. These are dangerous people to be around, these Umno people. Continue reading “Kajang is on the way to Putrajaya”

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In deriding Anwar, Daim shows Umno fear of losing Putrajaya sooner than later

The Malaysian Insider
February 26, 2014

So why is Tun Daim Zainuddin quaking?

Make no mistake, the former finance minister is worried. Worried enough that he keeps talking incessantly about Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Publicly, he dismisses the PKR de facto leader as a publicity hound, a man who craves the limelight and loves the next headline.

Publicly, he runs the opposition leader down as someone who has never been able to solve any problem.

Publicly, he says that Anwar’s move to contest a by-election in Kajang is a complete waste of public funds.

Apparently Daim’s fixation with Anwar continues in private discussions but behind closed doors, the tone is less dismissive, less condescending. Continue reading “In deriding Anwar, Daim shows Umno fear of losing Putrajaya sooner than later”

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After ‘race’, they will come for your privileges, Utusan editor tells Malays

The Malay Mail Online
February 26, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — A minister’s suggestion to remove “race” from official forms was the first step to convince Malays to surrender their Bumiputera benefits and other privileges afforded to the community, an Utusan Malaysia editor wrote today.

Alleging that the call by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup last week was the result of pressure from rights groups, Datuk Zaini Hassan warned the Malays that the efforts were opposition-driven to erode the community’s rights.

“Already there are voices that dare question the origins of the Malays. They claim that Malays are immigrants, just as they are immigrants. That we are all the same,” he wrote in an editorial piece titled “Orang Melayu sudah tidak peduli dengan bangsa sendiri?” (Malays no longer care for their own race?).

In it, he drew parallels between Kurup’s suggestion and the efforts by the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs (Comango) that was heading local human rights efforts in the recent Universal Periodic Review (UPR) under the auspices of the United Nations last year. Continue reading “After ‘race’, they will come for your privileges, Utusan editor tells Malays”

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Kajang and the Anwar-Mahathir showdown

– Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
February 25, 2014

When Anwar Ibrahim announces he wants to contest in Kajang, the whole country erupted into a fit. Most affected is the BN side. They don’t know what to do and say. So they shoot at each other.

Ahmad Maslan, the 3.85 CGPA-man, announced that Umno will use Anwar’s sex issue as the main issue. I am sure at the very moment, Kajang inhabitants wake up in the morning to find packages containing various CDs on Anwar’s sexual encounters enclosed. That’s how Umno educate Malays.

Even Dr Mahathir has entered the fray; first by saying that Anwar is only fit to become the menteri besar. As usual his initial response developed into the typical Mahathir vitriol on his onetime protégé turned nemesis.

The whole political saga involving Anwar which sets the country into political turmoil was created in the first place by Mahathir. That is why Mahathir is attacking Anwar. Mahathir knows Anwar will eventually win. So he tries to delay the inevitable. Continue reading “Kajang and the Anwar-Mahathir showdown”

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Anwar Ibrahim has to be put away; otherwise, Umno is doomed!

by P Ramakrishnan
Aliran
21 February 2014

What is important in any hearing is fairness to the accused. But certain judges don’t seem to be very bothered about this principle, says P Ramakrishnan.

The survival of Umno in the forthcoming GE14 is hanging by a thread. By all counts, it may be the end of the road for the party that has dominated Malaysian politics for more than half a century.

Umno is aware of this. And that is why it is desperately trying to put Anwar Ibrahim away to save its skin. A free Anwar will sound the death-knell for Umno.

Politically it may not succeed in its attempt to do away with Anwar because his influence is wide and far-reaching. He is seen by the majority of Malaysians as the only hope of toppling Umno from its power base – which will pave the way for an alternative government.

All the lies that Umno has concocted against Anwar have not made any impact on the people. This approach has been tried since 1998 – to tarnish his reputation and smear his image – but every attempt failed miserably. People have wised up to the tricks and manipulations resorted to by Umno at every opportunity and during elections, but such ploys have had no effect to benefit Umno.

Moreover, the people are aware that Umno is no longer the sole mouth-piece for the Malays. Pas and Keadilan are equally capable of representing the Malays far more effectively when compared to Umno. To add to their headache, the Malays are even turning to the DAP and supporting their candidates. Clearly, it is a losing battle for Umno. Continue reading “Anwar Ibrahim has to be put away; otherwise, Umno is doomed!”

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The enemy of the people

– Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
February 18, 2014

I will come back to the Kajang topic soon. It is now becoming more interesting as Zaid Ibrahim is entering the race.

At the moment, I want to share some thoughts on a topic that has been at the back of my mind for some time.

It is Umno’s perversion of the idea of nationalism and the “Umnonisation” of Islam. The danger is this. If left unchecked, Umno will confer upon itself the right as final arbiter on who is a Malaysian or not Malaysian and eventually who is Islamic, less Islamic and so forth. In a bizarre twist, Umno has totally outflanked PAS in portraying itself as the religious zealots bent on “talibanisation” of Muslims in Malaysia and eventually over all Malaysians.

We are all in danger. The country is crumbling under a fainéant leader. His madmen are on the loose. Umno’s nationalism. Continue reading “The enemy of the people”

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The Election Commission Chairman and members should convene special meeting to consider collective resignation as they have lost the most important ingredient of their appointment , i.e. “enjoy public confidence”

The Election Commission (EC) should have a proper sense of priorities instead of being led by the nose according to the dictates and wishes of the powers-that-be.

The latest example of the Election Commission failing to have a proper sense of its constitutional proprieties is the statement by the Election Commission Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Yusuf that the EC is mulling to introduce harsher penalties against elected representatives who abuse the electoral process through unjustified resignations.

He said: “We need to curb the abuse of the electoral process…they (elected reps) should not resign at their whims and fancies.

“One must be aware of the hefty costs involved in holding a by-election”.

In 1997, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mahathir Mohamad created not one but two by-elections, when he handpicked the then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk (now Tan Sri) Abu Hassan Omar to be the Selangor Mentri Besar after the then Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib was forced to resign following two charges in the Australian court over his failure to declare cash equivalent of RM2.4 million while leaving Brisbane International Airport in December 1996. Continue reading “The Election Commission Chairman and members should convene special meeting to consider collective resignation as they have lost the most important ingredient of their appointment , i.e. “enjoy public confidence””

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Why Teresa Kok’s video is ‘insulting to Islam’

Al Hafar
Malaysiakini
Feb 14, 2014

Before Einstein, everyone thought light travelled in a straight line, but the mad genius came up with the theory that light could actually bend.

Our ever-ingenious Umno has come up with the same reality-bending formula that explodes previous sane assumptions. And their mathematical flair explains why Teresa Kok’s innocuous Chinese New Year video is deemed insulting to the Malays, the royalty and Islam. Indeed it is. One only needs to get a crash course in Umno logic, which is far more mind-bending than anything Einstein ever thought up.

To put it simply for us simple-minded ordinary non-politician folk, Umno is the sole defender of the 3 Rs – Race, royalthy and religion. Therefore, anything that insults Umno, by mathematical equation, equals an insult to the 3 Rs. Sounds complex? Well, get a fake doctorate and study the theory of Umno relativity and you will better understand the logic.

This is why Kok’s video is deemed an insult of the highest order. It pokes fun at Umno, hence it is equivalent to poking fun at Malays and even the royalty. Even when it pokes fun at the Chinese, the targets are Umno-linked Chinese, which means they are poking fun at Umno, which means… get the hang of it? Continue reading “Why Teresa Kok’s video is ‘insulting to Islam’”

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The Saga of the Big Slap

By Kee Thuan Chye
Yahoo! News
13th Feb. 2014

It all started with a slap threat.

A Muslim group took exception to a satirical video produced by an Opposition MP who also appeared as a talk show host interviewing panelists played by actors, so they held a street protest and offered a RM1,200 reward to anyone who would slap the MP and show proof of having done it.

The group alleged that through the video, the MP and her fellow party leaders had insulted the Government, the King, Islam and Malay dignity, but those who had seen the video swore there was nothing of that in it.

Political observers said the group was mad for inciting violence. They called on the police to take action against the extremists.

The home minister, however, said there was no need for that. He said offering money to slap someone was not a threat. He said, “If they had issued a death threat, then it would be a threat. Slapping is not.”

Political observers believed that he responded this way because he was probably abused a lot as a child, and likely by his mother. So he was now getting his own back at society, and especially women.

One observer said the minister needed to have his IQ tested, because any person with just an average IQ could have seen that the threat on the MP was indeed a threat. Continue reading “The Saga of the Big Slap”

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The conduct of Umno leaders

– Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
February 12, 2014

In an earlier article, I have mentioned a bit about the late Tun Dr Ismail. Some people cannot accept the comparison saying there’s no need to drag in Tun Ismail in the issue in question. Or saying Tun Ismail’s time was history.

Of course the personal attacks against me continue. I am after all a running dog of the “da PIGs” and my tokongs are the Lim Family. These diatribes and vitriol are of no consequence to me. I, a Malay and a Muslim and a rightful citizen of Malaysia find no contradiction being in the DAP. We can all coexist because we are united and resolute in struggling and fighting for a just, equitable and fair society through the instrument of the democratic process. I hope this can be sufficiently understood by people with sufficient intelligence.

People are free to believe in Umno and what it struggles for. We are likewise free not to believe in Umno.

We reject violence and unconstitutional approach to changing government. That is the basis which unites Malaysians who want to be in the DAP. I find it laughable the call from some Malays that they enter DAP to get into the CEC or get some posts. If they join DAP to get these, then don’t join. Let only those with similar convictions join. Continue reading “The conduct of Umno leaders”