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Losing ground over FELDA

By Sakmongkol AK47 | September 10, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

SEPT 10 — What is happening to FELDA now, illustrates the state of our democracy under Umno. Settlers and employees got 200.6 million of the 2188.9 million shares to be sold.

The people representing the majority and overriding interest are the settlers and the employees. There are 112,635 settlers and 3835 employees. These represent directly the interest of FELDA people. They are the majority on whose backs and on whose name, this listing was supposed to be done for and benefits meant.

A question to FELDA people. Why get only 200.6 million out of the 2.188 billion shares offered and own the same from the 3.6482 billion of the enlarged share capital? That’s 5.5 per cent of the interest in FELDA. What Najib Razak and the government are doing to you is just cosmetics.
Continue reading “Losing ground over FELDA”

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Umno: Sumbat di sini, bocor di sana

By Aspan Alias | September 10, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

10 SEPT — “Ahli-ahli Umno yang didapati mensabotaj parti dalam pilihanraya nanti akan di singkirkan keahlian mereka. Mereka yang bekerja dan mengundi parti-parti pembangkang adalah mereka yang tidak setia dan Umno tidak memerlukan mereka”.

Itulah lebih kurang kata-kata Muhyiddin Yassin dua hari yang lepas semasa merasmikan perwakilan salah satu bahagian di Johor dua hari yang lepas..

Inilah sebenarnya masalah yang sedang dihadapi oleh Umno apabila menghadapi PRU yang akan datang. Masalah itu merupakan masalah yang terbesar yang Umno sedang hadapi dan jika Umno menumpukan mengkritik dan membidas DAP, PAS dan PKR, itu merupakan tumpuan dan “priority” yang salah yang dilakukan oleh Umno.

Parti-parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat itu hanyalah parti-parti yang halal dan bukannya menjadi kesalahan bagi sesiapa untuk mengundinya termasuklah ahli-ahli Umno sendiri seperti yang telah dilakukan oleh sebahagian besar ahli-ahli Umno dalam pilihanraya yang lalu.
Continue reading “Umno: Sumbat di sini, bocor di sana”

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Cocky BN needs to repent

Jeswan Kaur | September 3, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Before fingers are pointed at Pakatan for doing a bad job, it will do BN good to take a good look at itself and realise how how bad a track record it has.

COMMENT

Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the country’s former longest-serving prime minister, wants the rakyat to vote for Barisan Nasional come the 13th general election. His reason is that the federal government under the Barisan Nasional was all ears and had changed many laws and policies to bring a better future for the people.

Thanks but no thanks, Mahathir; had BN been listening, there would have been no reason for the “Bersih” saga to take place.

If all was well at the polls, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections or Bersih, would not have taken to the streets, not one or twice but thrice.

And did the BN government listen then? No!

Why then must the rakyat vote BN back into power, if all BN does is to “monopolise” its existence and hoodwink the people into believing that it cares? Continue reading “Cocky BN needs to repent”

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Choosing sides

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 03, 2012

SEPT 3 —Malaysians will indeed have to choose. Stand on the side of the oppressors or the oppressed. Support the deceiver or the deceived. Support the corrupt and endorse the looting and the pillage of this country. All done in the name of Agama, Bangsa dan Negara. Everything is justifiable because the perpetrators are Malays and forgetting the victims are in the majority also Malays. Pardon the government in shortchanging the FELDA settlers, giving them a measly 2.5 per cent of the FGVH shares while the bulk of the shares are hijacked by people who have no connection at all with FELDA. Pardon Umno because even though it allocates 2.5 per cent to settlers and 3 per cent to FELDA employees, all is done in the name of the Malays.

Ignore the fact that the LCCT is going to cost close to RM6 billion instead of RM500 million if facilities for a low-cost airline are built northwards of the current KLIA instead of agreeing that the facilities be built on soft ground as proposed by the MAB? Are people in the MAB making hay while the sun shines?

We keep quiet because it’s done by the current government which fights for Agama, Bangsa dan Negara.

Then, does that mean the agama of Umno endorses corruption, pillage and looting? Does that also mean that bangsa permits Umno to do all the transgressions? And does that mean agama and bangsa of the Malays excuse the murder of a Mongolian because she is after all just a prostitute? And finally because it is done in the name and on behalf of negara which Umno claims absolute ownership of, all of the above are excusable?

The recent spate of advertisements where various people say I chose Malaysia and I choose to vote are nothing more than the vilest self-serving propaganda. They are also self-congratulating. They seem to suggest that those who support the government choose to show the support through the voting process and those who do not appear to be shown as people who want to change government through undemocratic means. Continue reading “Choosing sides”

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Change of national flag Jalur Gemilang never a Pakatan Rakyat agenda and never discussed or raised in any PR meeting

When the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday personally led three senior UMNO Ministers to attack the Pakatan Rakyat with the canard that PR wanted to replace the national flag Jalur Gemilang, it was more than anything else a reflection of their sense of desperation about UMNO/Barisan Nasional prospects in the impending 13th General Election than respect for the truth.

I do not believe that with all the police and intelligence resources at their command, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein could be unaware that there is completely no basis whatsoever in the canard that Pakatan Rakyat wanted to change the national flag.

The change of the national flag is never a Pakatan Rakyat agenda and has never been discussed or raised in any Pakatan Rakyat meeting.

This was why I had yesterday twittered in response to the allegation that PR wanted to change the national flag:

“Never came across such scatter-brained idea before. UMNO/BN dirty-tricks dept very busy”

Continue reading “Change of national flag Jalur Gemilang never a Pakatan Rakyat agenda and never discussed or raised in any PR meeting”

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Najib did not conduct himself as Prime Minister for all Malaysians when he divided the people on Merdeka Day and urged Malaysians to “defend independence” against Pakatan Rakyat

Datuk Seri Najib Razak did not conduct himself as Prime Minister for all Malaysians when he divided the people on Merdeka Day and urged Malaysians to “defend independence” against Pakatan Rakyat.

In his closing speech at the “Merdeka 55: Janji ditepati” gathering at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last night, Najib called on the audience “to defend the nation’s independence from enemies and the opposition alike”. (Malaysiakini/The Malaysian Insider)

He said:

“Ladies and gentlemen, remember that independence only knocks once for any nation. Let us close ranks and defend our independence with a solid front, at every corner and at any time.

“Even more so when enemies and the opposition are trying to bring chaos into the situation.”

This the final and ultimate proof that the 55th Merdeka Day celebrations had been hijacked by UMNO/Barisan Nasional as part of their desperate gambit to hang on to power in the impending 13th General Election – which had been evident when the UMNO/BN election theme of “Janji Ditepati” had been imported lock, stock and barrel to be elevated as the 55th Merdeka Day/49th Malay Day theme. Continue reading “Najib did not conduct himself as Prime Minister for all Malaysians when he divided the people on Merdeka Day and urged Malaysians to “defend independence” against Pakatan Rakyat”

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PAS dan Umno, hudud dan perlaksanaan: Realiti semasa

— Pak Sako
CPI
Aug 31, 2012

Mahathir Mohamad telah mempelawa PAS untuk melaksanakan hukum hudud di bawah payung Barisan Nasional (BN).

Nyata bahawa pelawaan ini cuma sebuah taktik politik yang kecil.

Namun begitu, satu pertimbangan yang ringkas boleh dilakukan mengenai kemungkinan PAS bersekutu dengan Umno, sama ada untuk tujuan melaksanakan hukum hudud atau untuk sebarang sebab yang lain.

Kesimpulannya perpaduan atau kerjasama seperti itu tidak realistik dan ditakdirkan gagal kerana tiga faktor yang fundamental. Continue reading “PAS dan Umno, hudud dan perlaksanaan: Realiti semasa”

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BN: Stop creating illusionary fear

— CL Tang
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 26, 2012

AUG 26 — Day in day out, Umno and MCA have been frightening the people with their doomsday scenario should Pakatan Rakyat wrestle power from their clutches.

MCA leaders keep harping to the Chinese electorate that a vote for DAP is a vote for PAS. Should Pakatan come to power, MCA suggests, rather ludicrously that DAP will bow down to PAS’ demands for the implementation of hudud law.

Never mind that PAS would not have the numbers to push this through parliament since their Pakatan partners, DAP and PKR, would never accede to it. In fact, PAS would have to rely on the other sole dominant Muslim political party, Umno, to have any chance of making hudud law a reality. Can MCA President Chua Soi Lek secure a promise from big brother Umno that it will never consider such a political alliance? If it is not able to do so, then it should refrain from lambasting DAP for its alleged subservience to PAS, when MCA dare not even stand up to Umno when it is being bullied. More importantly, MCA must stop using the threat of hudud law as its main political weapon against DAP, as it raises unnecessary fear and unease among the main races in Malaysia.

Umno leaders have been painting a picture of apocalypse should Pakatan win power. “Don’t take Malaysia’s peace and harmony for granted”, they exclaim over and over again, suggesting that Malaysia’s stability and race relations are so fragile that a change of power in a fair election could throw the entire country into chaos and mayhem. The May 13th incident is being cited again and again. Continue reading “BN: Stop creating illusionary fear”

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Apakah hajat Dr M yang belum kesampaian itu?

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 24, 2012

24 OGOS — Dr Mahathir Mohamad berkata rakyat tidak sepatutnya percaya kepada janji-janji pembangkang khususnya terhadap Anwar Ibrahim, Ketua Pembangkang.

Pandangan itu adalah pandangan beliau dan beliau berhak untuk memberikan pandangan terhadap sesiapa seperti juga saya mempunyai pandangan yang sama terhadap beliau (Dr Mahathir). Ini negara demokrasi dan sesiapa pun boleh dipercayai atau sebaliknya oleh sesiapa juga.

Dr Mahathir sememangnya kita tahu yang beliau tidak mahu langsung sesiapa untuk mempercayai Anwar, seteru politik terbesar beliau. Dr Mahathir mahukan semua orang bersama-sama memusuhi musuh beliau.

Tidak mungkin Dr Mahathir mempunyai pandangan yang baik terhadap Anwar. Kalau Dr Mahathir bercakap perkara baik tentang Anwar itu merupakan tanda-tanda yang jelas yang dunia ini akan kiamat tidak lama lagi.

Tetapi banyak pihak lain yang tidak percaya terhadap Dr Mahathir. Mereka tidak percaya terhadap Dr Mahathir pun bukannya tidak bersebab. Malahan salah satu dari sebab kenapa Umno secara deras ditinggalkan oleh orang Melayu adalah kerana Dr Mahathir.

Orang Melayu tidak meninggalkan Umno tanpa sebab. Tidak munasabah Umno yang begitu lama berkuasa dengan tiba-tiba ditinggalkan rakyat begitu sahaja. “There must be a cause for a cause…” kata seorang sahabat saya. Continue reading “Apakah hajat Dr M yang belum kesampaian itu?”

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Johor MB expects to lose nine seats

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | August 23, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Johor has always been touted as the bastion of Umno, but one wonders if it really is so, given the inroads the opposition made in 2008.

In the 2008 general election, there was a 14% swing to the opposition. What has happened to that swing? It is increasing and getting stronger.

And this has got the menteri besar worried, intimating to his Umno division heads in one meeting that he expects at least nine parliamentary seats and up to 16 state seats to fall to the opposition in the 13th general election.

That means he has not discounted fully the swing to the opposition.

He has acknowledged that, at best, with all the efforts and the bribery that Umno has carried out, the party has only managed to claim back some 5%.
Continue reading “Johor MB expects to lose nine seats”

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Coretan rengkas dari Pahang

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 21, 2012

21 OGOS — Saya berada di Pahang beberapa hari raya ini. Disamping beraya, perbualan tetap berkisar pada politik. Kegilaan apa yang melanda Pahang?

Berapa kerusi pembangkang boleh menang? Mereka bertanya saya. Saya kata nanti dahulu. Saya akan tulis artikel khusus untuk Pahang. Kali ini Pahang akan hilang lebih banyak kerusi DUN dan kerusi parlimen. Hampir semua pemimpin MCA akan kecundang. Taruhlah siapa pun.

Pemimpin Umno masih lagi menyandarkan optimism kepada kaji selidik mereka. Tapi bolehkah hasil kajiselidik ini dipercayai? Semua orang tahu, kaji selidik Umno ditambah 30%. Ertinya, kajiselidik Umno hanya 70% tepat. Dalam bahasa mudah, jika kajiselidik Umno kata dia akan menang 100 kerusi parlimen, mereka akan menang 70 kerusi. Itu pun jumlah kerusi yang Umno akan menang kali ini.

Kenapa Najib lambat buat pilihanraya? Ramai orang lupa saya lama menjadi AJK Umno bahagian Pekan dan jadi ketua penerangan Umno bahagian. Najib lambat kerana dia tidak yakin dengan hasil kajian ejensi-ejensi yang diupah kerajaan. Kecuali dia sudah yakin, baharulah dia akan buat pilihanraya. Takkan kita lupa, Najib ini bukan nya orang berani. Continue reading “Coretan rengkas dari Pahang”

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‘Tanda Putera’ itu ‘tanda Umno terdesak’

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 17, 2012

17 OGOS — “Tanda Putera” merupakan filem yang dipergunakan oleh Barisan Nasional lebih-lebih lagi Umno untuk “discredit” Lim Kit Siang dan ini merupakan tindakan “desperate” pihak BN dalam menunggu pilihanraya yang paling mencabar dalam sejarah negara ini.

Isu perkauman dan agama diperbesarkan oleh pihak Umno kerana itu sahaja yang mereka rasakan boleh menyekat peningkatan pengaruh DAP dalam kancah politik tanahair. DAP sudah diterima oleh sebahagian orang Melayu sebagai parti yang mampu membawa kebaikan kepada negara bersama-sama dengan PAS dan PKR.

Tohmahan dan tuduhan palsu ke atas LKS itu merupakan jalan yang terakhir untuk BN mengelakkan diri daripada terjatuh tersungkur di hadapan mata rakyat kerana momokan terhadap parti itu sejak lebih empat dekad lalu sudah secara deras tidak diterima lagi oleh ramai orang Melayu. Continue reading “‘Tanda Putera’ itu ‘tanda Umno terdesak’”

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Kit Siang and May 13

By Ahmad Mustapha Hassan | August 21, 2012
The Malaysian Insider

AUG 21 — Allow me to explain about the above controversy.

I was there on that fateful day as an executive member of Umno Youth. The gathering was organised by Selangor Umno Youth whose leader was Harun Idris and the secretary then was Ahmad Razali Ali.

The whole area was dominated by Umno Youth members and no non-Malay could ever enter the place. That being the case, it was impossible for Lim Kit Siang to be there and did what he was purportedly accused of. If he did, he would have been killed by the mob.

In fact the first killing that I witnessed was outside the gate, on the road. A young coffeeshop boy, about 13 or 14 in age, was slaughtered by the mob and his body kicked into the drain running by the road. He was an innocent boy trying to earn some pocket money.

I mentioned the May 13 incident in my book “The Unmaking of Malaysia”.

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‘DAP’s haram’ accuser ‘rewarded’ RM2m?

By Teoh El Sen | August 17, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: A religious teacher who last week labelled DAP as haram (forbidden) to Muslims has apparently received a RM2 million cheque for his school from the government.

Abdullah Sa’amah, the founder of Pondok Geting (Pondok An Najmiah) in Tumpat, was photographed receiving a mock cheque for the amount from Umno supreme council member Mustapa Mohamed.

Mustapa, the International Trade and Industry Minister and Jeli MP, on Tuesday uploaded a photo of the handing-over ceremony on Facebook.

In the caption, Mustapa explained that he was “visiting pondok Hj Abdullah to hand over a contribution of RM2 million. Four months ago, Muhyidding Yassin visited and promised help”.
Continue reading “‘DAP’s haram’ accuser ‘rewarded’ RM2m?”

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The mark of princes… or pretenders?

By Rom Nain | 1:56PM Aug 16, 2012
Malaysiakini

Prominent, though not necessarily cerdik, Malaysians evidently love to make inane comments. And in public at that. It’s, like, become a national pastime.

Politicians do it all the time. And since the mainstream Malaysian media of the press and television virtually only provide coverage of BN politicians, it often seems as though it’s only BN politicians, invariably from Umno, who were born with foot in mouth disease.

Or were trained as performing berok.

That’s the small price you pay, I guess for not providing non-BN politicians and members of civil society access to the media that everybody knows you own.

But while BN politicians seem to have a monopoly on making stupid public statements, once in a while we do get others, often their apparatchiks, elbowing their way in, equally anxious to make utter ninnies of themselves.
Continue reading “The mark of princes… or pretenders?”

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‘Tanda Putera’ doesn’t unite but divides

— The Malaysian Insider
Aug 15, 2012

AUG 15 — The jury is already out on “Tanda Putera” even before the Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba film has hit the silver screen.

From the little scraps of information gleaned from one preview, the script, Shuhaimi herself and chatter within the crew, the movie presents one view of the May 13, 1969 race riot.

A view that is not shared by many, especially those who feel it is an inaccurate portrayal of events on that blood-spilled day in Kuala Lumpur.

And just like the riot, the movie has become divisive, not unifying. Continue reading “‘Tanda Putera’ doesn’t unite but divides”

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When was Malaysia’s destiny hijacked?

Stanley Koh | August 14, 2012
FMT

Why does a debate on patriotism, deriving from the Greek word, ‘patriarch’ meaning ‘fatherland’ can easily shake, rattle and roll human reactions?

COMMENT

The uncertainty about this nation’s future is not just leadership styles and differences in governance that may be changed but allegiances and loyalties on both sides of the political divide.

Naturally, August brings about the seasonal topic of “patriotism” like the seasonal Malaysian fruit king, durian, making its odour and thorny presence felt at the right time. Nobody is immune.

But time has also given “patriotism” many meanings to different people even as unscrupulous politicians use the definition in their rhetoric to gain favourable political mileage.

The concept of “loyalty and patriotism” to the nation has always been a touchy issue particularly in the formative years of the nation, before and after independence.

It reared its ugly head occasionally when rank and file Umno leaders at the party’s annual general assemblies belittled and questioned the loyalty and patriotism of non-Bumiputera communities, labelling them as “pendatang” or migrants despite generations being born here.

Why does a debate on patriotism, deriving from the Greek word, “patriarch” meaning “fatherland” can easily shake, rattle and roll human reactions?

Is it just a feeling of being Malaysian in a manner that either you love it or leave it type of sentiment? Does it apply to those Malaysians who are often critical of their government but yet love this country not necessarily in a blind or unquestionable way?

Or does it mean that if you see something wrong with your country or your government but not do anything about it – makes you qualified as a patriot? Continue reading “When was Malaysia’s destiny hijacked?”

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‘Childish, extreme’ to stop Muslim backing for DAP

Malaysiakini | 3:15PM Aug 14, 2012

Perlis mufti Juanda Jaya has described Islamic teacher Abdullah Sa’amah’s claim that it is haram for Muslims to support DAP as “strange”, “extreme”, “childish” and “outdated”.

In an email interview, Juanda said such views should not be taken seriously because they are not reflective of Islamic teachings, and are not in line with the federal constitution and democracy.

“Thus, those who highlight and give room to such extreme and anti-democratic views, and who are inclined towards causing arguments in a peaceful country like Malaysia, have an attitude that is very disappointing,” he said.

Juanda was replying questions on whether Abdullah’s comments have any basis and if these could have any impact on society.

He said Malaysia is a plural society and Muslims should vote for those who fulfil the needs of Islam and who can bring stability to the country.
Continue reading “‘Childish, extreme’ to stop Muslim backing for DAP”

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Piss off, Tanda Putera filmmakers!

By P Ramakrishnan | 12 August 2012
Aliran

It is a wonder how the makers of the film, Tanda Putera, raked up an incident in our history that had never been documented or talked about. In fact, such an incident never even took place!

Yet, the producer-director, Shuhaimi Baba, claims that the events depicted in the movie are based on established truth. “My team and I did a lot of research, such as studying documented materials and photographs, to make sure the scenes were backed by historical facts,” she asserted on 4 August 2012.

But where was it documented and by whom that Lim Kit Siang had urinated on the flagpole (in the compound of) the Selangor Menteri Besar’s residence while at the same time shouting a racial slur? Which photographer captured this alleged despicable act being committed?

We need to ask some simple questions:

  • Can anyone just wander into the Menteri Besar’s residence, pee on the flagpole and quietly walk away?

  • Isn’t the Meneri Besar’s residence gated and guarded?

  • If this incident had actually taken place, why hadn’t anyone mentioned it over the last 43 years? Was it classified under the OSA?

  • If Kit Siang had committed this unmentionable act, wouldn’t they have finished him off politically long ago? He wouldn’t have survived this alleged sordid episode! No sane person would have supported him!

  • How could this incident have taken place when Kit Siang had irrevocably established the fact that he was not in Kuala Lumpur on 11–13 May 1969?

  • Was Kit Siang a delinquent or educationally subnormal or mentally deranged to have committed this shameful act?

  • Knowing Kit Siang, would anyone believe that he would be that foolhardy to commit this insane act?

Continue reading “Piss off, Tanda Putera filmmakers!”