Hindraf:KENYATAAN AKHBAR

Per : Cabaran terbuka kepada TV3 dan Utusan dan Syed Hamid Albar - Dedahkan rakaman di Rumah terbuka dan gambar-gambar yang kononnya menunjukkan HINDRAF biadap.


HINDRAF mengutuk TV3 dan Utusan dan Menteri Dalam negeri Syed Hamid Albar yang hanya melemparkan tomahan dan tuduhan melulu dan tidak berasas terhadap niat baik, murni dan ikhlas penyokong HINDRAF yang menziarahi YAB Perdana Menteri di majlis Rumah terbuka sempena meraikan Hari Raya Aidilfitri.


Pada 22hb September 2008 suatu permintaan ikhlas telah dibuat untuk menziarahi YAB Perdana Menteri di pejabat beliau dan Setiausaha beliau mengesahkan YAB PM tiada bantahan atas permintaan tersebut. 

Seramai lebih 500 orang penyokong HINDRAF telah menghadiri majlis tersebut tetapi kurang daripada 50 penyokong dibenarkan bersalaman dengan YAB PM. Kami datang dengan niat ikhlas dengan semangat Maaf Zahir Batin disamping merayu supaya PM membebaskan semua tahanan ISA di hari mulia ini. 

TV3 dan Utusan dengan sengaja mengapi-apikan semangat perkauman dengan tujuan menimbulkan kebencian masyarakat Islam terhadap masyarakat India. Sekiranya benar tohamah tomahan mereka mengapa mereka tidak berani menayangkan gambar dan klip yang kononnya penyokong HINDRAF bersikap biadap dan kurang ajar. 

Disebaliknya kami mempunyai bukti kukuh yang menunjukkan yang YAB Perdana menteri , Timbalan beliau dan ramai lagi menteri-menteri kabinet yang senyum panjang dan menerima salamam penyokong Hindraf dengan hati terbuka dengan semangat maaf zahir dan batin.
  
 Memang benar disamping ucapan ikhlas tersebut penyokong Hindraf merayu agar semua tahanan ISA dibebaskan. Apakah rayuan ini boleh dianggap mencemar agama Islam? Motif Utusan dan TV3 mengapikan sentimen perkauman dan agama harus dikutuk oleh semua lapisan masyarakat Malaysia.

HINDARF membuat rayuan bagi semua tahanan ISA termasuk mereka yang dituduh kumpulan extremis dan pengganas Islam JI. HINDRAF mengambil kira kebajikan semua masyarakat apabila membuat rayuan tersebut kepada YAB PM. Tahanan kami cuma 5 orang tetapi ramai anak-anak Islam, isteri-isteri Islam, bapa dan Ibu Islam yang menyambut hari Raya tanpa anak, bapa dan suami terkasih mereka. Apakah niat murni HINDRAF ini harus diputar belitkan dengan tuduhan yang kami mengancam dan menghina Agama Islam??

Kami mencabar Utusan dan TV3 agar menayangkan rakaman mereka dengan segera bagi membuktikan tuduhan mereka atau sebaliknya meminta maaf kepada masyarakat berbilang kaum di Malaysia kerana menimbulkan ketegangan perpaduan. Yang anehnya berpuluh puluh lagi wartawan asing dan dalam negeri dengan krew TV mereka langsung tidak memaparkan atau menuduh HINDRAF biadap dalam laporan mereka. 

P.Waytha Moorthy

Pengerusi

HINDRAF 

Candle-light Vigil in PJ on 19th October

Venue: Padang in front of Amcorp Mall, next to A&W Restaurant, Petaling Jaya

Time: 8pm

Date: Sunday, 19th October, 2008

Come one, come all. Please bring along your own candles (red & yellow) & wear your RPK t-shirts. T-shirts will be available for sale on-site subject to stock availability. Let's show our support to RPK & family, and all of the ISA detainees.

Supporters of RPK & Malaysia-Today

Contradictions Plague Malaysia's Government

Minority ethnic parties in the ruling national coalition get restive

As the United Malays National Organisation's political power has continued to wane since Malaysia's March general election, Barisan Nasional component parties like the Malaysian Chinese Association, the Malaysia Indian Conference and Gerakan are caught in a secret dilemma - whether they should feel happy about this development.

Happy, because a weakened Umno would give these ethnic parties, which have long been subservient to Umno, the first opportunity in decades to make an attempt to regain their status as genuine partners in the ruling national coalition, thus giving them the hope of recouping some of the lost support in their respective communities. Or not happy, because a lame-duck Umno may result in the loss of power by the Barisan altogether to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat, resulting in the loss of governing status by these component parties.

Expressed crudely, a strong Umno is bad because it would make the party more arrogant, further alienating its scant remaining minority support. However, a weak Umno is also bad, because it will not provide the necessary pillar for its satellite ethnic parties to hang onto.

Therein lies a fundamental contradiction in the relationship between Umno and its parasitic partners. This contradiction, among others, could doom the Barisan to eventual disintegration due to the structural changes that have taken place in the political landscape. These changes are:

• Minority races no longer accept harsh racial discrimination and are becoming convinced that their respective ethnic parties have failed to protect their constitutional rights, having been hopelessly subjugated to Umno's hegemony.

• People of all races have come to realize that the coalition government has grossly mismanaged the country through corruption and inefficiency, and that UMNO has widely abused the affirmative New Economic Policy for corrupt self-enrichment of party leaders and their cronies.

• The majority of people of all races detest racial politics and yearn for restoration of democracy and the rule of law, which have been steadily whittled away in the past few decades.

• The people have accepted Pakatan Rakyat as a viable alternative to incumbent Barisan, as evidenced by the 50 percent of votes cast in Pakatan Rakyat's favor in the March election.


Paradigm Shift

After being subjected to the Barisan's absolute dominance for five decades, the paradigm shift represented by the above changes is spectacular, considering that the country is still under repressive rule. This political awakening would of course not have been possible if not for the rapid advent of the ICT revolution and relentless campaigning by Pakatan Rakyat. The beauty of this political process is that once the populace has become so enlightened, it appears to be irreversible. As time goes on, this enlightenment can only increase, as shown in the recent Permatang Pauh by-election that brought Anwar Ibrahim back to electoral politics and increased his party's number of seats against a strong effort by the Barisan.

The results of the by-election, as well as subsequent opinion poll, have shown that while Patakan Rakyat's support from all three main races has increased, that from the Chinese and Indian electorate has grown even more spectacularly. This is an important signal to the minority racial parties in the Barisan that their days are numbered, unless Umno can make drastic changes to its policy of racial hegemony and corrupt governance. But there is not the slightest evidence that Umno is moving in this direction, despite harsh admonition and even warning of defection by its racial partners.

In this respect, the present crop of MCA and Gerakan leaders, who have been belting out chivalrous rhetoric with the promise to tame the unbridled Umno in the run-up to their respective party elections, can only be described as indulging in mass deception - deceiving others while in a state of self-deception.

Indeed the contradiction in the Barisan is not confined to that arising from Umno's big bully role, as a coalition of racial parties such as the Barisan is inherently a flawed political structure. Such a structure is only politically acceptable as a temporary measure during the early stage of a newly independent nation which is made up of disparate races, when the notion of united nationhood has not taken root in the consciousness of the people.

That is why the former Alliance Party - consisting of Umno, MCA & MIC - which gained independence half a century ago for the then Malaya, was considered an appropriate political entity to lead the country into nationhood. However, as the country matured, such coalition of racial parties should long ago have evolved into multi-racial parties to pave the way for true national integration.

Racial Coalition Unacceptable

A coalition of ethnic parties cannot be accepted as a permanent solution because it is confrontational in nature among its partners. As each racial party champions the interests of its racial group, conflicts are bound to arise all the time which necessitate constant negotiation and compromise. And it is inevitable that every ethnic party within the coalition would look at another party as an adversary in addition as a partner. The potential for friction increases in direct proportion to the degree of disparities among the races, whether in the social or economic field.

So long as such a governing political structure continues to exist, friction and conflicts among the races will remain an omnipresent feature of government, thus posing an unacceptable stumbling block to racial integration and nation-building. Such a stumbling block becomes even more insurmountable if one ethnic party assumes hegemony and imposes discrimination against other racial groups.

Indeed, in the case of Malaysia, this stumbling block has become monstrous, as the dominant partner is not only dictatorial but has also become thoroughly corrupted, perpetuating its rule through abusing the country's institutions under the shield of repressive legislation. The devastation on nation-building is horrendous - worsening racial polarization, a deteriorating rule of law and an intractable economic morass, which has caused widespread hardships although the country in recent years has enjoyed unprecedented booming prices for primary commodities which are largely exported.

It is precisely due to public despair and disillusionment of such flawed political leadership of the Barisan that Pakatan Rakyat's politics of good governance and multi-racialism is welcome to bring new hope to the nation.

Heretical Ideologies

In fact, following the recent political tsunamis swept in by Pakatan Rakyat, the nation has become increasingly aware that Umno's prolonged hegemony has deceived the nation - until recently, that is, - into embracing dubious myths as golden formulae for nation-building. Chief among these are the adoption of a coalition of ethnic component parties as a permanent polity to rule the nation. The conversion of extra-constitutional racial privileges evolved from the political agenda of the New Economic Policy as birthright. These heretical ideologies have been the major root causes of the serious political and economic ailments that have plagued the nation.

There are good reasons why Umno leaders have perpetuated these myths. They are to ensure that, through divide and rule strategies, party leaders' political power and personal wealth can be permanently safeguarded.

The leaders of satellite racial parties in the coalition cannot escape responsibility, as without their willing abetment to provide the façade of multi-racialism, Umno's hegemony could not have been so perpetuated.

At this time when the nation is facing unprecedented political and economic turmoil that may make or break it, it is the responsibility of every member of Parliament, in whose hands the fate of the nation has been entrusted, to ponder deeply what he must do that will most benefit the people. Should he allow the nation to drift as it is for another five years until the next election is due, or should he promptly act to contribute towards making a decisive break from the past so as to open a new chapter of hope for the nation now, without going through the hazards of a prolong corrupt rule?

Kim Quek comments regularly on Malaysian political affairs.
- Asia Sentinel

'You respect us first Najib, not we you'

'It is appalling that a public figure like Najib should ask the people of Malaysia to ‘respect' politicians, when they are the ones who are the servants of the people.'

On Hindraf-bashing 'politically motivated'

Sree Sudheesh: Najib Abdul Razak has urged Malaysians to respect leaders ‘...as rude behaviour targeted at those in power could lead to economic losses and national instability'.

This is an obvious reference to some Hindraf supporters' decision not to greet the PM, his deputy and his cabinet ministers during the Hari Raya Open House at PWTC. Maybe Najib is already looking forward to his time as the most powerful man in Malaysia and envisaging adoring, doting followers kissing his hand as he walks by imperiously, as if often the case in our country.

It is appalling that a public figure like Najib should ask the people of Malaysia to ‘respect' politicians, when they are the ones who are the servants of the people. Their duty is to serve the rakyat, to take care of the people's concerns and to ensure this country develops and fulfils its inherent potential.

And yet we have people like Najib who seem to forget that the only reason they are in those chairs today is because of us. Malaysians respect and honour the royalty, our Agong and the Malay Rulers.

We do not have to bend over and kiss the feet of corrupt politicians who are often implicated in scandals, corruption and even murder cases.

The signs from Najib, who is on the brink of becoming the country's next PM, are ominous. Here is a person who is more concerned about the people being subservient to him than in honestly and sincerely serving the people, the rakyat.

Dear PM-to-be, please change your attitude now or you will face even more opposition from the rakyat than your predecessor ever dreamed of.

Please be a servant of the people, worthy of the honour of the chair of PM - the highest servant in Malaysia.

- Malaysiakini

Core Islamic values the key

KUALA LUMPUR: The basic Islamic values of justice, piety and compassion hold the key to resolving difficult issues relating to conversion, places of worship and inter-marriage, the prime minister said.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the hard work of understanding and living peacefully with other peoples and cultures was particularly relevant in Malaysia.

He said a research institution such as the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS), which he launched yesterday, would play a leading role in initiating novel approaches towards solving contemporary problems faced by the ummah.

In his speech to launch the IAIS at the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan) building yesterday, Abdullah said he hoped to receive immediate counsel on controversial issues that needed solutions.

These included conversions and complications that arose when couples of different faiths dissolved their marriage, he said.

Abdullah added that he did not want such issues to continue to plague the multi-ethnic and multi-religious society of Malaysia.

"I hope to get views from other stakeholders as well, before engaging with agencies responsible for Islamic administration, to find solutions that will prevent controversies similar to those that have surfaced over the last few years."

Abdullah said the best Islamic scholars would be based at the institute to dedicate themselves to research that would enrich and contribute to the Islamic intellectual tradition. He also expressed hope that IAIS would reduce the confusion about Islam Hadhari.

"I still feel that Islam Hadhari has been misunderstood by many, especially the academics."

He said that IAIS would be most effective through collaborative efforts, working closely with the government, private sector and non-governmental organisations.

"In particular, these efforts would deepen our understanding of the principles of Islam Hadhari and allow for more practical applications in areas such as government policy and execution.

"If the ummah wants to reclaim its role as a civilisational force for good, then we must begin by correcting the errors of knowledge that plague the Muslim intellectual and spiritual spheres.

"Only then can Muslims begin to return to their rightful place as the ummatan wasataa -- people of the middle path."

Abdullah said he would like to see Islam Hadhari as a struggle to find the path of moderation among universal ideals that tend to be taken for granted.

"If governments and societies abide closely by the principles of Islam Hadhari, we will find ourselves well on that righteous path."

He said the dismal state of the ummah could be traced to the persistent tendency among Muslims to be obsessed over minor sectarian issues and lose sight of the greater themes that unite them.

"This leads us into error and confusion and results in conflict, eventually leading to disunity among the ummah and the inevitable decline and fall of Muslim civilisation."

- nst

Bermulalah Perang terhadap Najib Razak

Bermulalah Perang terhadap Najib Razak

Posted by Super Admin

Pagi tadi ketika pulang dari Mahkamah Jalan Duta sekitar pukul 11 pagi, ternampak satu banner digantung yang berbunyi, “Rakyat Merayu kepada Pak Lah Agar Tidak Serah Malaysia Kepada Penjenayah”. Di banner tersebut terdapat gambar Altantuya Shaariibuu, Najib Razak dan Rosmah Mansor. Tanpa membuang masa, kereta pun dihentikan dan gambar diambil.Kebanyakkan kereta yang melalui jalan tersebut memperlahankan kenderaan untuk melihat banner tersebut. Selepas makan tengah hari saya keluar untuk membayar bil-bil. Dalam perjalanan pulang ketika melalui Jalan Bangsar pada pukul 2.00 petang berhampiran dengan simpang untuk ke pejabat NSTP, ternampak sebuah lagi banner yang mempunyai gambar Altantuya, Najib dan Rosmah. Di banner ini pula tertulis, “Najib Tun Razak Perdana Menteri Ke 6? Rasuah hampir satu billion dalam urusan pembelian peralatan pertahanan. Tuduh isteri pertama Tengku Puteri Zainah gila babi untuk kahwin dengan isteri orang. Membeli isteri orang untuk dikahwini. Punyai isteri yang tamak, boros dan queen control umpama Imelda Marcos. Misteri pembunuhan Altantuya. http://antinajib.blogspot.com Selamatkan Melayu” Banner yang kedua ini terdapat logo Umno dan digantung disebelah banner hari raya Umno Lembah Pantai. Semalam Pak Lah mengumumkan untuk tidak mempertahankan jawatan Presiden Umno dalam pemilihan parti tersebut Mac depan. Setakat ini Najib disebut sebagai penggantinya. Seperti yang dikatakan semalam, Najib “mungkin” menjadi penggantinya. Beliau menggunakan perkataan “mungkin” kerana Najib masih lagi perlu bertanding untuk merebut jawatan Presiden Umno. Setakat ini hanya Ku Li yang telah mengumumkan untuk mencabar jawatan Presiden Umno dalam pemilihan Umno nanti. Masih belum ada calon-calon lain yang berani. Namun ramai pihak belum yakin Ku Li akan dapat cukup pencalonan untuk merebut jawatan tersebut. Apa-apa pun perang dalaman Umno untuk merebut kekuasaan telah bermula. Yang peliknya, perang terhadap Najib bermula terlebih dahulu. Amin Iskandar

Pak Lah, could you take the garbage out as you leave, please?

The FIVE things the PM must do before he goes. After 5 years and zilch, the PM is suddenly talking to the Press h e r e about wanting to resolve so many things in the short time that he still has before he says goodbye.
I didn't want to say it but it's really pathetic. He should not try and achieve these things given such a short period because he would likely leave a mess that others would later have to clean up.

Pak Lah should read the rubbish his creation published in the NST today. Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan blames others for why the PM did not succeed in making the reforms. If he could not do it in the 5 years that he had, how the hell could he expect to do it in the six months or so he has left? Isn't that what Mr Kali is, in effect, telling his friend and master?

But at a time when his friends and advisers would abandon him, I am confident that there is still some fire left in the Prime Minister to do 5 things before March. If he succeeds in achieving these 5 things, he would be remembered as a savior of sorts.

1. Get the cronies and advisers out. Retire Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan from the NSTP. He has done nothing to endear Pak Lah to the people, especially to his party and in particular to the PM's predecessor. There are his other adviisers and hangers-on; they know who they are and should not wait for the axe to make them go. Abdullah's failures are due to the people who advised him and advised him wrongly. They have failed the PM and have no reason to stay.

2. Clean up the scandals of his time. There is time to at least initiate probes into the various business deals that have raised questions and doubts, starting with the Pantai Holdings and the purchase of ECM-Libra shares by his son-in-law. The latest deal involving Maybank's purchase of BII shares also involved the Finance Ministry. In between, we saw the ECM-Avenue Asset merger, the plantation merger that was supposed have given birth to a Synergy Drive but never did, the Scomi questions, the fuel price increase, and Oil-for-Food controversy. It is best for Pak Lah to explain these to us while he is still Prime Minister. Learn from Dr Mahathir: when you're down, they won't listen to you.

3. Put a closure to Islam Hadhari. Pak Lah started this idea; Pak Lah must find a good way to end it.

4. Order his son-in-law to leave the Umno Youth race. This is the biggest favour Pak Lah can do for Umno and Barisan Nasional at this very late stage. It will be a big favour he'll be doing for his beloved son-in-law. Khairy Jamaluddin has been blamed for much of Pak Lah's unpopularity and that's not a fantastic claim. Conduct a survey if Pak Lah does not want to take my word for it.

5. Apologize to the people of Johor for not being able to be with them during the Big Floods of 2006.-Rocky's bru

Koh: BN can become single multiracial part

By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon today urged Barisan Nasional parties to decide once and for all whether to turn the ruling coalition into a single multiracial party.

As it stands now, he said, all component party members can start turning their own parties multiracial by changing their names.

The “Malay” in Umno can become “Malaysian”, he said.

Similarly, MCA can become the Malaysian Citizens Alliance and MIC can be known as the Malaysian Integrated Congress.

The exodus begins as Kalimullah leaves NST

By Leslie Lau

Consultant Editor

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — One of Malaysia’s most well-known and often controversial media bosses, Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan, the deputy chairman of the New Straits Times Press (NSTP), has tendered his resignation from the company.

Known to be close to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, he becomes the first of a host of executives in Umno- and government-linked companies who are likely to be leaving in the next few months because of changes in Umno’s leadership.

The Edge Financial Daily, quoting sources, reported today that Kalimullah had submitted his resignation to the NSTP board on Sept 3.-themalaysianinsider

If accepted by the board, the resignation takes effect on Dec 31.

The newspaper said Kalimullah had expressed his desire to leave many times in the past, but it added that it was unclear if the resignation now is tied to Abdullah’s impending departure as Umno president.

Kalimullah joined NSTP in 2003 as its group editor-in-chief before relinquishing that post in 2006 to become deputy chairman.

During his tenure, he turned the New Straits Times from a broadsheet to a tabloid to try to arrest sliding sales.

But his tenure will be remembered more for the accusations levelled against him by critics of the Abdullah administration.

Former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad made Kalimullah a constant target of his attacks, claiming the newspaper had been used to silence him and other critics of Abdullah.

Other Umno leaders had also been upset with Kalimullah for a host of reasons, including the fact that he allowed the newspaper to break certain stories like the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s findings on the V.K. Lingam video, which some in government had hoped to suppress.

But ultimately, Kalimullah, like many of Abdullah’s close associates are being blamed for the ruling Barisan Nasional’s poor performance.

There remains a general consensus among many in Umno that the New Straits Times had not been used to promote Umno and BN adequately enough.

Besides Kalimullah, the NSTP had also recently announced the impending departure of its chief executive officer Datuk Syed Faisal Albar.

There are also likely to be changes within the next few months in other media companies linked to Umno like Media Prima, which operates all of the country’s free-to-air television channels.

With Datuk Seri Najib Razak looking like the front-runner to become the next Umno president, figures close to him are likely to be put in place in the Umno-linked media companies soon.

The cries of Sabahans

[Received the following email:

“Dear YB Lim,

“Kindly please assist to post the article below on your blog, this is written by one of my friends from Sandakan, it reflects the true situation we are facing in Sabah, and East Malaysia, do hope it can be done. I wish to remain anonymous.”

I read it and felt very ashamed as a Malaysian that after 45 years of Malaysia, there is still such an ocean of ignorance among West Malaysians about Sabah and Sarawak.

Barisan Nasional is not prepared to create a truly Malaysian nation where Sabahans and Sarawakians can fully feel that they are an integral part of the nation.

This is why BN has become quite irrelevant, not only to Sabahans and Sarawakians but to all Malaysian communities, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazan-Dusun-Muruts, Ibans, Orang Aslis.

Let Malaysians join hands as one people despite the obstacles and baggages of BN.- Kit]

As 916 (September the 16th) – the day where the change of Federal Government is rumoured could happen. I suddenly have the urge to say a few words for my beloved hometown and state – Sabah, the Land below the Wind.

I am not very good in writing, but I will try my best, to let our voices be heard throughout the world.

Many people assume that we Sabahans are a proud bunch of people, hence the name “Proud Sabahans”; I do admit, Sabahans generally do have a biased perceptions towards West Malaysians, me myself included. Although Sabah is the poorest state amongst all the 13 states in Malaysia, it’s not the fault of the peninsular people. (It’s the fault of the Federal Government), but the lack of understanding of West Malaysians towards us – East Malaysians, makes me feel ashamed of myself.

Because they - West Malaysians, they never really encountered what we as East Malaysians faced, nor do they understand the distresses we are in.

This is the story of one country, two different encounters, as fate would have it.

When I first arrived in West Malaysia, west Malaysians they asked me “Do you Sabahans really live on trees?”, while my sister was mistaken for a bumiputra although she is a Malaysian Chinese.

We are not rude; nor we still hunt; nor we still have tiger meat for food; neither do we sleep together with Orang Utans.

West Malaysians do not really quite know where do I come from, is it Sarawak? Is it Sabah? Hence they always refer us as originating from Sabah Sarawak, explanations after explanations, they still do not get it, and hence still, they assume, we are from Sabah Sarawak. But I do not refer those West Malaysians as coming from states like Kedah Kelantan; neither melakasembilan nor penangperlis.

I tried my best to introduce Sabah to my West Malaysian friends; over in Sabah we do have housing estates, markets, discos, jetties, and even Giant hypermarkets.

But in contradiction, although I live in a house with 4 walls and a roof, but we always have to face frequent blackouts, not to mention frequent water disruptions and rationing also, we do not even have a properly tarred road, compared to West Malaysia.

Once I was staying in West Malaysia, I was ticked off by my housemates for not flushing the toilet after urinating; he mentioned that it was very unhygienic of me.

When I heard of this, I was dumbfounded; do I need to flush every time after I finish using the toilet?

Then I realized, West Malaysia have endless water supply 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 60 minutes an hour, 60 seconds per minute.

Humph!!! Well, it’s my fault, my fault for bringing all the bad habits from Sabah to West Malaysia, in my hometown – Sandakan, Sabah, we have to put up with frequent water disruptions, my mother do not allow me to flush every time after I use the toilet !! We only have water supply twice a week, which is on Monday and Thursday; this is because my house is situated on top of a hill, for other low lying areas, they only got water supply at the most 3-4 times a week, this is the policy that is practiced way back in my hometown.

When I mentioned about my house toilet, you would be better prepared, it smells and stinks like there are no tomorrow, we only flush when the urine stench is really became unbearable, looking yellowish in colour, if we were to flush every time we finish using the toilet, then there will be no more water for us to bath.

Either you want to use the water to flush every time you finish using the toilet, or use the water to bath, you decide yourself. For those who bath and wash their hair twice a day, I really envy you guys, as we are only allowed to wash our hair on Monday and Thursday, the days when there are water supply coming in.

Talking about power supply in my hometown, on average in a month, we will be in total darkness for at least 72 hours; the highest record was no power supply for 8 hours a day for 1 whole week!! If there is no power disruption in Sabah, then it’s not Sabah, even the electricity company of Sabah, SESB confirms to this, where SESB stands for SABAH EVERYDAY SURE BLACKOUT. If there were no power supply for half an hour in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, tomorrow it will be the top news in the media, but for us Sabahans on the other side of Malaysia, being drenched in total darkness for few hours, causing traffics to go haywire, no one even bothered about us.

I still remember the first time I took my friends to visit my hometown, on the first night there was no power supply, so we sat in front of the house, gazing at the stars and the moon on the sky. If I were to say, standing outside my house, lifting up your finger and you may be able to touch the moon, where the moon is so bright that you can see your shadow, and you can even differentiate each and every sign of the zodiac, you have to believe me, because the air in my hometown is still unpolluted, pristine and fresh.

Anyway, with regards to the frequent disruption of water and electricity supply in Sabah, we have become acquainted with it, for more that 20 years that I have been living here, its still the same, things never changed for the better, we have learn not to resist and accept it as fate would have it.

This is us, Sabahans, always the simple, pure and innocent lot; we just grin and bear with it.

Hence the reasons why the Federal Government always likes to bully us Sabahans, they took away all our vast natural resources to develop Kuala Lumpur, sold away all our valuable timber logs, in exchange for high rise buildings in West Malaysia, sucked up Sabah’s petroleum, in order to built north-south expressways in West Malaysia.

Not to mention using Sabah’s orang utan in exchange with China’s panda, and have it keep in Zoo Negara in West Malaysia.

The Federal Government is so generous in donating monies to Sichuan, but aren’t capable of building better roads for Sabahans, it’s still the same after 45 years.

Sabah’s first flyover was recently completed, after being built for 8 years more, this make us Sabahans so happy and jumping with joy. That’s us, easily contented.

Sabah is a poor neglected state; she would weep if she were able to do so, each and every time, the government promised to solve the illegal immigrants issue plaguing the state, but the matter is still unsolved up until today, like the saying, to settle a matter by leaving it unsettled.

The illegal immigrants in Sabah has overwhelmed the local population at 1.7 million versus 1.5 million, and is increasing day by day, most of these illegal immigrants are from The Philippines and Indonesia, when last year it was briefly mentioned that The Philippines is interested in claming back Sabah, if a referendum were to be held, with the help of Filipinos residing in Sabah, we will be dead for sure, Philippines will be able to take Sabah back as theirs.

Needless to say, Sabah is not only without its frequent disruption of water and electricity supply, even job opportunities are hard to come by, causing all the youngsters to seek jobs in West Malaysia and other places.

Do you know that a bottle of yogurt that costs RM3.70 in West Malaysia cost Rm5.70 in Sabah, and all the magazines and newspapers in Sabah are more expensive if compared with West Malaysia? This is because all the goods have to be flown over from West Malaysia, where the courier charges will be included in the goods prices, therefore marking it up higher, the money that we earn are taxed by the Federal Government, these taxes that we pay are taken to develop Kuala Lumpur,

In Sabah there are still people that earn a meager RM200 per month, even worse off than those toilet cleaners in West Malaysia.

Everytime I am back in Sabah, wherever I looked went and looked around; I can only manage to find mostly schooling youngsters. There is nothing much these youngsters can do for those that prefer not to leave Sabah. Last year, a few of my friends decided that after graduation, they will stay in Sabah, no matter what happens, at that time I thought that they are very naïve, West Malaysia especially Kuala Lumpur is such a nice place, what’s the reason to stay back in Sabah? They replied in jest, “If nobody is willing to stay in Sabah, how do we expect Sabah to stand up”, what they said make me realized my mistakes, but what to do, none of the jobs in Sabah are suitable for me; I have no choice but to continue working in West Malaysia.

Last month, my cousin quit his job and went back to Sabah, out of curiosity, I asked him the reason for doing so, since the wages in Sabah is so low, it’s not worth it, I told him. He retorted back, saying “West Malaysia is not my home, sooner or later I will be going back to Sabah, the place where I belong, and I surely believe there are companies willing to employ me.” I felt ashamed, as previously I planned to reside and have a family in West Malaysia, but what my cousin say woke me up, although I am now residing in West Malaysia, I should have given words of encouragement for my beloved state – Sabah.

If the land of Sabah was and is properly developed, surely it will be amongst the top states in Malaysia, but everything was trampled on, ruined and went the other way!!

Hence the reasons why those who stepped on the soil of Sabah will be given an immigration slip by the Customs department, only allowing non Sabahans to stay in Sabah for not more than 90 days.

If Sabah were not to protect herself, I dare not dread to think of the consequences that may befall us, it will be too ghastly to look at.

Up till today, for West Malaysians, Sabah is shrouded in secrecy and far away from their sight. No one is willing to come to Sabah, as if it’s a different world comprising of humans of uncivilized nature, for those youngsters who are going to be send to Sabah to undergo their National Service, they wept like there are no tomorrow, its like they are about to enter hell.

Is Sabah heaven or hell? Come and have a look for yourself, until today, only tourists from Western and other countries are willing to come to Sabah, a state once deemed to be more prosperous than Kuala Lumpur, in search of its glorious pasts.

In West Malaysians, there are only 3 major races; in Sabah, there are 32 ethnic tribes, most West Malaysians do not know of these facts.

East Malaysia is the place where all the different races and tribes, of different faiths and religions, live harmoniously; this, probably West Malaysians do not know either.

In Sabah, it’s a norm for Muslims to eat in non-Muslims eateries, to dine in Chinese seafood restaurants, without fear and prejudice of being served with non halal foods; this is the kind of respect and trusts we have for each other. I don’t think this can be seen in West Malaysia, besides Kelantan, I would say.

Recently Giant hypermarkets make their presence known in Sabah; they are trying to control the Sabah supermarket segment, indirectly trying to control Sabah’s economy, but were rejected by Sabahans.

We in Sabah have our own newspapers; our own supermarkets, we do not need others to come in and reap our fruits of labour, all to be channeled back to West Malaysia!!

The country neglected East Malaysia - Sabah and Sarawak so much so that even 16th September 1963 was not recognized as the day Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak merged to form Malaysia. And out of nothing Malaysia boasted that Mount Kinabalu is the pride of all Malaysians.

Mount Kinabalu is the pride of Sabahans; the biggest flower in the world – Rafflesia is the pride of Sabahans, orang utans are also the pride of Sabahans; but we are not proud to be Malaysians.

Last but no least, as a Sabahan, I sincerely hope and pray that after 916, Sabah can gain back what she has lost all this while, for a better tomorrow for all Sabahans.

Hopefully the coming 16th September can be declared as the day, we East Malaysia – Sabah, Sarawak tohether with Malaya formed Malaysia! Dear Federal Government, please be fair to us!!

All the best Sabah!! I wish to see you grow; in the future, in the time to come!!

A TRUE SABAHAN

Abolish ISA candlelight vigil in Penang tonight

The Gabungan Mansuhkan ISA (Abolish ISA Movement) is holding another of its weekly candlelight vigils today at 9.00pm in front of Dewan Sri Pinang. Show your support for the call to abolish the ISA.

Explosion rocks Sri Lankan capital

The convoy was carrying a government minister [AFP] At least one person has been killed and three people injured in an explosion in a suburb of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, a police spokesman has said. The explosion occurred on Thursday near a Buddhist temple in Borelesgamuwa, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. Police believe the blast was a suicide attack targeting a vehicle convoy carrying Maithripala Sirisena, the country's agriculture minister, he said. Minelle Fernandez, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Colombo, said: "The government's media centre for national security has confirmed that the explosion took place a very short while ago." Sri Lanka has blamed previous attacks across the island on fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE, or Tamil Tigers, have been fighting for a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's ethic Tamils since 1972.-AlJazeera

Hindraf action may affect other open houses, says Syed Hamid

The Star, October 09 2008

JOHOR BARU: The Government has labelled as “very threatening” the recent action by Hindraf members at the open house hosted by the prime minister, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

He said the Government would, however, study public feedback on the matter before responding to calls for the Hindu Rights Action Force to be banned.

He said the group’s actions at the recent Hari Raya open house at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur could easily have become a danger to public order if the situation had erupted or if one of the members had been carrying something dangerous.

“Security cannot be taken for granted and we are worried about the prospect of other open houses being ambushed in this way.

“We are getting feedback before we decide on the next course of action,” Syed Hamid told The Star.

He declined to reveal what measures, if any, would be taken against the group or how long the Government would collect such feedback.

Syed Hamid, however, pointed out that the Government’s decision would not rest solely on the latest incident, but would encompass all that had transpired in the past with Hindraf.

“We can’t just react to one incident or action and there is no such thing as Hindraf as it is an unlawful society. It is not registered,” he said.

********

Action to be taken against Hindraf: Deputy Home Minister

KUALA TERENGGANU: Deputy Home Minister Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh said Thursday the Government will take action against the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) under the Societies Act 1966 for causing a disturbance during the Hari Raya function hosted by the Prime Minister and Muslim Cabinet ministers at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday.

He said action would be taken soon on Hindraf, its committee, and members, even though the organisation was not registered.

“Action will be taken. We have many alternatives. Under the Act, whether the organisation is legal or not, it is still an organisation. If it is not legal, action will be taken based on the provisions for an illegal organisation, unless if it is legal then action will be taken under the proper provisions,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Farid said this when asked to comment on calls by several quarters that action be taken against Hindraf for their ‘rudeness’ at the function on the first day of Hari Raya. Wan Ahmad Farid said the Government through the Home Ministry would not hesitate to take action against an illegal organisation as it had to follow the law.

”When it comes to the law, there must be no delay. Whatever action taken has to follow procedure and legal channels. What is clear in this matter is that whoever breaks the law must face action,” he said.

Wan Farid Ahmad, however, declined to state what action will be taken aginst Hindraf.

He said when action is taken, Hindraf cannot blame the Government, or allege that it had not been given opportunity to voice its views. - Bernama

MIC Sacks Division Leader

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- MIC has sacked its Bayan Baru division head, M. Nganana Sagaran, for acting against the interest of the party, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said today.

"After consulting deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel yesterday, we have decided to sack the division chief. He was found to have worked for the opposition in the run-up to the (March 8) general election.

"We have also received reliable information that the division leader was planning to jump to the opposition. This is unacceptable by the party and its leadership," he told Bernama.

He said the sacking was in accordance with the constitution and by-laws of the MIC, the largest Indian-based political party in the country.

He said the Bayan Baru division would now be overseen by the Penang MIC chief, Datuk K. Rajapathy.

"We are not surprised by the division leader's actions as we have suspected all this while that he was working with the Opposition.

"The MIC will not tolerate this. This should serve as a warning to other grassroot leaders in the party. We will initiate stern action against anyone found to have gone against the party's constitution and worked against the interests of the MIC and the Barisan Nasional," Samy Vellu
******
MIC To Participate In Singapore's Indian Diaspora Gathering

MIC To Participate In Singapore's Indian Diaspora Gathering

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- MIC President, Dato Seri S.Samy Vellu will be leading a team of party leaders to the first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conference in Singapore beginning tomorrow.

The two-day conference of ethnic Indians from all over the world, is modelled after Indias annual PBD, the MIC said in a statement here today.

It is organized by the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI), the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The business-focused conference in the island republic is aimed at reaching out to the Indian diaspora within the Asia-Pacific and beyond, and will be opened by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The MIC delegation will include Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, who is also MIC secretary-general.

He will speak on the topic of Youth and Education while Samy Vellu will speak on "Asia-Pacific: Towards a Dynamic Diaspora".

Hukum dan Maruah Jangan Tergadai

Maaf kepada rakan-rakan di Kelantan kerana saya terpaksa menangguhkan ketibaan di Kota Bharu. Jadual sambutan Eid ul Fitri Keadilan Kelantan di Tanah Merah dan Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang diwakili Naib Presiden saudara Azmin Ali.

Di mahkamah pada sebelah pagi, peguam saya Haji Sulaiman meneruskan hujah. Terasa mual dan jemu dengan sikap pendakwa, yang bertindak sebagai perkakas politik penguasa, menggadai hukum dan maruah sekian lama! Yang agak melegakan ialah kerana kesediaan hakim Komathy mendengar hujah dengan sabar dan memutuskan berdasarkan fakta dan hukum. Mahkamah ditangguh sehingga 30 Oktober nanti inshaallah.

Pada sebelah petangnya saya menaiki pesawat jam 7 petang untuk bersama dengan Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz dalam majlis ceramah umum di Kota Bharu.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

PM to look into conversion, other issues

©The Star PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hopes to find a solution to controversial issues such as religious conversions and inter-marriages before he leaves office next March. The Prime Minister said he does not think the problem is so difficult that “we cannot find solutions with an open mind” if there was an attitude of understanding the issues involved. “If we can all understand together the issues that can cause problems, then of course we can make sure from the beginning that such problems do not arise,” he said at a press conference Thursday after the launch of the Institute for Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS). Citing an example, he said when a non-Muslim man married a Muslim woman and did not tell his non-Muslim wife and kids about the conversion and marriage, problems were bound to crop up when he dies and both sides lay claim to the body. “The Muslim wife says he’s a Muslim and the non-Muslim wife says he’s non-Muslim,” he said, adding that to avoid such a problem the appropriate thing would be for the person converting to announce it to his non-Muslim wife. “At least just let her know,” he said. Abdullah said sometimes making things too easy could bring about problems and cause confusion, which in turn would bring about even more problems. He said when an individual religious problem is reported in the media, it then becomes the community’s problem, which is further complicated when it is a legal matter. “We cannot allow what is forbidden. Islam has things which are allowed and which are prohibited,” he said. Abdullah also said that sometimes even among Muslims, there were differences with more conservative groups believing that some matters should not be discussed as they were langgar aqidah (went against the faith). More liberal groups were of the opinion that such matters should be discussed, and this would often rile up the conservative group even more. “What is important is that we need to go back to understanding what the real issue is and with the spirit of moderation, I believe there are solutions,” he said. In his speech, Abdullah asked IAIS to give him “immediate counsel” on controversial issues that needed solutions as he did not want such issues to continue to plague Malaysia’s multiracial and multi-religious society. The Prime Minister also said he hoped to get views from other stakeholders before engaging with the agencies responsible for Islamic administration, to find solutions that would prevent similar controversies to those that had surfaced over the last few years. On Islam Hadhari (Civilisational Islam), which was introduced during Abdullah’s time, he believed his successor Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would carry on with the policy. “He (Najib) did mention yesterday (Wednesday) that Islam Hadhari would be one of the strategies for the development of the country that could be continued,” he added. On Muslims in the country apparently not being so keen on the Islam Hadhari concept, Abdullah said that it was not easy to spread such a concept in the first place, and it was even more difficult and complicated when it is viewed through the perspective of partisan politics. He was however confident that Islam Hadhari was something that was acceptable to a multiracial and multi-religious country like Malaysia, as it imbued universal principles such as truth, justice and good governance.

Anwar sodomy trial: Gag order on media lifted after 24 hours

©The Sun KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 9, 2008) : The sessions court today lifted a gag order preventing the media from reporting on the exhibits of an affidavit filed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in relation to the "black eye" incident in 1998. Judge S.M Komathy made the ruling after hearing submissions from both DPP Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden and defence lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah. (Yesterday, Komathy issued the order following the prosecution's application. Yusof told the court that the publication of the exhibits by media would damage the reputation of Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.) Komathy postponed hearing to Oct 31 after Sulaiman informed the court that Anwar needed to be in Parliament, starting Monday. When the case began in the morning, Sulaiman had urged the judge to revisit the gag order imposed on Wednesday. He submitted that the exhibits are part and parcel of an affidavit and they are interconnected and cannot be separated from the affidavit. He added that as the affidavit was read out in the court, it cannot be barred. He said the exhibit of Anwar's affidavit was filed in support of his application against the transfer of the case to the High Court. He said the public will wonder what the content of the document is that it is so important to keep it away from them (the public), adding thate the gag order deprives the Malaysian public of knowing what happened before the court. Meanwhile, Yusof contended that the exhibits of Anwar's affidavit on Sept 22 are inadmissible. He objected to, in particular, the articles from newspapers and the statement of claim by Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. Yusof submitted that Anwar can only deposit something that he knows in his personal knowledge. "If Anwar does not have personal knowledge, then it is inadmissible. Thus the newspaper articles should not form a part of the affidavit and should be inadmissible," he said. He said only when it is shown to the court that the exhibits are admissible, should the order to the media to bar the material from publication, be removed.

Raja Petra Sedition trial: 'It was not C4'

• RPK Sedition Trial: Elements in article 'untrue and made up' says cop ©The Star PETALING JAYA: The explosive used to blow up Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu was not C4, a Petaling Jaya Sessions Court heard on Thursday. Chief investigator in the Altantuya murder case, Supt Gan Tack Guan, 49, who is a complainant in the ongoing Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin sedition trial said this when grilled by the defence team on his findings over the Mongolian murder. Defence counsel Gobind Singh Deo said he needed to ask Supt Gan about Altantuya’s murder as it was related to the substance of the sedition charge against his client. Asked how Altantuya was murdered, Supt Gan said “If I am not wrong, one kind of plasticine explosive was used to blow up her body at an empty place at Puncak Alam”. “It was not C4 (a type of explosive),” Supt Gan, who is Interpol’s National Centre Bureau assistant director based at Bukit Aman, told the packed courtroom. Questioned further by Gobind Singh, Supt Gan said he did not know how the explosive was placed on the woman’s body before it was detonated. “I was together with (another investigating officer) Asst Supt Tonny (Lunggan)," he said, prompting Gobind Singh to retort that “you are a useless investigating officer”. It caused lead prosecutor DPP Ishak Mohd Yusof to interject that the lawyer should not humiliate their witness. Upon hearing this, Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayob said that her court should not be used to attack or criticise anyone. Gobind Singh then asked Supt Gan if Altantuya was still alive when the explosive substance was placed on her body, to which the fifth witness said he did not know. At this juncture, DPP Ishak said he wanted confirmation from the court over the line of questioning by the lawyer saying that several witnesses, including bomb expert, had called to testify in the murder trial. He said the prosecution was concerned as the Shah Alam High Court was set to deliver its decision on Altantuya murder trial on Oct 31. “It is our concern that such questions, if allowed, would be subjudice for the murder trial,” said the prosecutor on the fourth day trial yesterday. DPP Ishak said the defence should concentrate on finding out if the article posted online was seditious or not and not if Altantuya was blasted or strangled. Gobind Singh said he needed to query Supt Gan for his client’s defence as this witness had lodged a police report over the alleged seditious article. “How to do that if we cannot ask question. Then withdraw the charge against Raja Petra and let the Shah Alam High Court decide the murder trial, maybe it will be favourable to us,” he contended. Gobind Singh said he needed to establish the basic point that the murder has angered Malaysians who have expressed their opinions and views on the case. Lawyer J. Chandra said further that it was crucial for the court to note that the first information report was made by Supt Gan after he (witness) read the alleged article online, analysed its content and found that part of the article had been "concocted". “This (police) report was made on April 30 when the Altantuya trial was still going on in Shah Alam,” he said. Chandra contended that Section 3(2) (b) of the Sedition Act gave the defence the right to say that “the publication shall not be deemed to be seditious by reason only that it has a tendency to point out errors in the administration of justice,” he said. The judge then said she would make a ruling on the line of questioning related to Altantuya trial on Monday. Earlier, the defence team also questioned the prosecution about an appendix to the sedition charge saying that it was not similar to the actual seditious article posted online. Gobind Singh said the article did not have the alleged heading of "Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to Hell". Chandra said the attached content of the article in the charge sheet was actually a product of re-typing and the photograph of Raja Petra was “cut and paste” in the appendix. DPP Ishak said he needed time to “observe and consider the charge”. The judge set Monday for continuation of the hearing. At the outset of hearing yesterday, Supt Gan told DPP Ishak that he had read the seditious article twice on April 30. He said he lodged a police report over the article upon finding that several issues raised in the article were untrue and concocted. He said he lodged another police report after detecting a mistake about the date the article was posted online. Supt Gan said he was later called by investigating officer DSP Mahfuz Abdul Majid to record his statement to assist in the investigation over his police reports. He said DSP Mahfuz also printed a copy of the seditious article where he (Supt Gan) later highlighted four aspects which he felt were untrue. He confirmed that the article was posted by Raja Petra on April 25 based on the date that appeared in the posting. Questioned by Gobind Singh, he agreed that he did not look at the truth of the whole article as a complainant of the case.

End of the road for BN’s reforms?

Was Abdullah’s announcement that he would not be defending the Umno presidency due to the BN’s poor electoral performance? Or did it have more to do with flagging investor sentiment, which sparked a huge outflow of portfolio investments in the second quarter?

That was something I mulled over when writing this article for IPS:

It took exactly seven months after a severe general electoral setback for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to announce that he would not be defending the presidency of the dominant party in the ruling coalition in party polls next year.

The announcement, when it finally came Wednesday, appears to pave the way for his deputy Najib Razak to take over the helm of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) — and the premiership. UMNO had earlier postponed its party polls from December to March as part of a controversial transition plan between Abdullah and Najib.-anilnetto

RPK in high spirits as new faces show up (updated)

Blogger Whisperer sizes up the scene on Day Four of the RPK trial:

The crowd was more than usual this morning with many new faces adding to our undying support for RPK. Say or think what you like… there is something special about this crowd. They are there for one common cause and yeah, they are extremely sentimental about it too. That explains the daily atmosphere around the courthouse. And it is this sentiment that moves many to tears everyday. By all means, it certainly has nothing to do with sympathy here. Those who were present should understand what I mean here. All the gestures (big or small) come purely from the heart….

Nurul Izzah made her appearance with her small entourage today. She took time to mingle with us before she left. Over the past four days, we have had Lim Kit Siang, Ronnie Liu (daily basis), Anwar with Wan Azizah, and Teresa Kok gracing this hearing. I don’t remember meeting so many parliamentarian in such a short span in my entire life. Good change, eh?

Fellow blogger Antares of Magickriver made his way here from Kuala Kubu Baru. Indeed an honour to have him around. The Whisperer? Friend of Paula, he asked. Sharp mind he has there, I said to myself. This is what blogosphere and Raja Petra can bring us… The Sense of Oneness through One Common Cause.

Another interesting day. Well, at least it is for me. Read more here.

Blog reader Rakyat@Work chips in with this report:

Arrived 10.20am; the court had just reconvened five minutes earlier. As usual, the room was packed. Couldn’t get in. More people were present today and more new faces too. Great! Keep ‘em coming.

Those outside the court house had the opportunity to mingle with great minds like Din Merican and the faithful bloggers. These are real rakyat who are down-to-earth and a humble lot. A sense of euphoria was in the air as more and more people are turning up each day.

Inside the court house, each bench, which is meant for five people, is now occupied by seven. Half-way through, another group of people was asked to vacate the room because they were standing. Too bad. Anyway, many smaller groups are visible now, sharing and discussing what went on inside the room.

The hearing ended at about noon, unusually early. Habis, habis, hari ini. “That’s it for today?” I asked.

Ya, ya, came the joyous reply from those getting out of the room.

It’s a nice feeling this time around. Better get in to greet Pete and family, I thought. At this point, many were lining up inside the room to do the same. I was so tempted to take a picture, but let’s not abuse the law, right? So no pictures-lah.

Pete was in high spirits. The family support remains as strong as ever; so is the solidarity from supporters.

Okay, now to quckly get out and try to take pictures of RPK as he’s about to leave the room. What do you know: unable to take pictures because the van is parked behind the court house. All the journalists and photographers were clicking away just as the van turned out and began its journey to ‘?’

By then, groups of supporters with banners were there to say goodbye for yet another day. Though the van was tinted and RPK was blind-folded, we all understood it’s not important because by now, RPK and us are already communicating in spirit. RPK knows and we all know, we are family and we are bonded as one.

The crowd cheered and gave a standing ovation to RPK’s lawyers for doing a fine job. Marina was holding bunch of flowers from well wishers and some took the opportunity to have their photos taken with her.

Well, the day ended in high spirits. Yes, people, we shall prevail! Next court session on Monday, 13 October, 9.00am. Be there!! Get your T-shirts when you arrive. (P.S. I don’t earn commission, okay?) Just come as you are. Continue to show your support.-anilnetto

Wise Decision And A Class Act

by M. Bakri Musa

Prime Minister Abdullah’s decision to resign is wise. That decision is good for him, his party, and most of all, for our nation. I am certain it was not easy for him to reach that decision but in the end he did it, “guided by my conscience” and placing “the interests of the nation above all else.”

I applaud him, especially considering the intense last minute pleas by his many well-meaning supporters. It was a decision that was not expected by many, yours truly included. This is one instance where I am only too happy to acknowledge my misjudgment of the man.

Abdullah’s plaintive admission, “I know I’ve not been doing well; it’s time for someone else to take over,” must come only after the most difficult introspection. To admit to one’s limitations is never easy, especially for a leader, as there are always supplicants and subordinates who are only too willing to filter the harsh reality. Some leaders never get it at all. Saddam Hussein went to the gallows still believing that he was Allah’s gift to the Arabs.

I applaud Abdullah’s wise decision for another important reason. I never underestimate the potential multiplier effect of a single good decision. Properly seized upon, it will lead to many other positive consequences. Already judging from his resignation statement, Abdullah is now all the more committed to reforming the anti-corruption agency and the process of judicial appointments, among others.

Freed of the burden of his political future, and fully aware that these last few months could well determine his legacy, Abdullah will hopefully be more focused.
Dignified Statement

Abdullah ready set a standard of sorts in the dignified manner in which he announced his stepping down. He made sure that his cabinet colleagues and fellow leaders in the Barisan Nasional coalition hear of his decision first, in private, and directly from him.

When he made his statement, it was a formal affair, surrounded by his cabinet colleagues and fellow UMNO leaders. He also read from a prepared text; this was not the occasion to ad lib. His tone was proper; his body language and emotions displayed appropriate. He did not blame anyone, nor did he express regret. There was no hint of personal disappointment or a sense of being betrayed. Abdullah gave proper due to the serious occasion.

As well he should. The country has been good to him; he had the privilege of serving the highest office in the land, granted only to a lucky few.

The content of his announcement may have surprised many, but not its timing. There was no unexpected statement that would shock the audience and move them to public hysteria. Nor was there uncontrolled sobbing of his supporters, as the embarrassing public spectacle that accompanied Mahathir’s first announcement of his retirement.

When there are no public tears, then the question whether those displays of emotions are genuine does not arise. As we now know from subsequent events, those earlier hysterical displays of affection as shown by the likes of Rafidah Aziz during Mahathir’s announcement of his retirement were a fraud. Those histrionics were more for public consumption rather than genuine expressions from the heart.

In his resignation statement, Abdullah wisely avoided anointing his successor. He expressed only the hope that Najib would take over, and reemphasized that point in case it was missed. This was not a lukewarm endorsement for Najib or an attempt at getting even with him, rather Abdullah’s correct reading of our constitution.

The leadership of our land has to be earned. It is not your private heirloom to be passed on to a member of the next generation who strikes your fancy. Abdullah is correct in reminding everyone that Najib first has to win UMNO’s presidency.

Abdullah showed great wisdom, besides not being presumptuous, in not even hinting who Najib should pick as his deputy should he win UMNO’s presidency.

Abdullah’s Five Goals

To his credit Abdullah articulated five goals he wished to accomplish in the remaining few months of his tenure. I would be satisfied if he could accomplish two, or at most three. Apart from strengthening the Anti-Corruption Agency and setting up the Judicial Appointment Commission, Malaysians would be satisfied if he were to establish an effective social safety net.

Those three objectives are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, they are closely related. If we have a judicial system that has the respect and confidence of the people, that would go a long way towards reducing corruption. And by eradicating corruption, then we would have enough resources to devote to helping the needy. We have currently wonderful programs for the poor, at least they are on paper, but because of endemic corruption and abusive political patronage, those programs suffer through considerable leakages.

There is one major reform, supported by many in UMNO, that Abdullah could initiate. That is, remove the current onerous burden placed on challengers to senior party leaders. Instead, relax the rules such that anyone with the minimal number of nominations by individuals, not divisions, could compete. When no candidate could secure a majority vote, then have a run-off election between the top two vote getters.

Abdullah’s calls for a convention of his Barisan coalition parties “to improve inter-racial and inter-religious relations.” I respectfully suggest a more modest and readily achievable goal: focus on improving UMNO. Leave the coalition alone. A clean, strong and effective UMNO will mean an equally clean, strong and effective Barisan.

Such a simple and easily implemented reform initiative would effectively dent the corrosive powers of the party’s warlords that have created the cesspool of money politics. By removing this onerous nominating barrier, the divisional meetings currently underway this month would become mute, at least as far as nominating candidates are concerned. Perhaps then those meetings could become more meaningful with members using these opportunities to discuss substantive policy matters instead of trying to create camps around personalities. That would also elevate the deliberative levels of those meetings to the benefit of the members and UMNO.

Only by opening up the nominating process and encouraging as wide a field of candidates as possible, could UMNO attract and produce its own Barack Obama. All Malaysians, not just UMNO members, would then benefit.

Those four objectives, three for the nation and one for UMNO, are well within Abdullah’s reach. Focus on them, and Abdullah would be able to redeem his leadership. That would be a legacy worth striving for.

Anwar tidak terkejut Pak Lah berundur

Ketua pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini berkata beliau tidak terkejut dengan keputusan Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi untuk berundur sebagai Perdana Menteri tahun depan dan tidak mempertahankan jawatan Presiden Umno. "Beliau (Abdullah) telah membayangkan perkara itu sebelum ini dan jelas sekali, beliau menerima tekanan dalam UMNO. Saya tidak fikir beliau mampu terus bertahan dalam keadaan seperti itu. Ini bukan isu peribadi. Ia melibatkan sistem. "Ini bukan soal peribadi, soalnya ialah pemerintahan dan sistem sama ada peluang untuk membawa perubahan mengurus ekonomi dan keadaan gawat sekarang,soal rasuah dan penyalahgunaan kuasa, undang-undang yang keras, masalah perpaduan kaum," katanya kepada pemberita di Kompleks Mahkamah Jalan Duta. Bernama melaporkan, Anwar, 61, menghadiri prosiding kes liwat melibatkan dirinya di Mahkamah Sesyen bagi mendengar hujah pihak pembela dan pendakwa mengenai sah atau tidak sijil pemindahan yang ditandatangani Peguam Negara Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, yang sedang disiasat Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR). "Saya merayu kepada Abdullah ... agar sekurang-kurangnya melakukan perkara yang betul. Saya cadangkan, esok, bebaskan semua tahanan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA)," kata beliau. Lim: Pak Lah dipaksa berundur Sementara itu, Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng berkata Perdana Menteri dipaksa melepaskan jawatan tanpa kerelaannya, dan mengikut jangka masa yang bukan menjadi pilihannya. Bernama memetik beliau sebagai berkata, pengunduran secara tiba-tiba dan tidak sopan itu merupakan gambaran muram kedudukan politiknya yang lemah, yang mengakibatkan beliau kehilangan penghormatan oleh parti. "Berbeza daripada mantan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah dipaksa berundur," katanya dalam satu kenyataan semalam. Beliau berkata ironinya, orang ramai lebih menghormati Abdullah berbanding parti Umno, kerana beliau dilihat sebagai "orang yang memiliki hasrat yang baik, yang mungkin seorang daripada beberapa kerat pemimpin bersih yang masih tinggal dalam Umno". "Abdullah sepatutnya meninggalkan legasi dalam memerangi rasuah dengan mewujudkan tender terbuka dan mengambil tindakan terhadap pemimpin-pemimpin dalam Barisan Nasional (BN) dan Umno yang menyalahguna kuasa," tambahnya. Sudah terlambat Selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat Dewan Tertinggi BN di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra semalam, Abdullah mengumumkan yang beliau tidak akan mempertahankan jawatanya sebagai presiden Umno, dan akan meletak jawatan sebagai perdana menteri pada Mac tahun depan. Sementara itu Mursyidul Am PAS Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berpendapat tindakan perdana menteri itu sebagai "sesuatu yang sudah terlambat". "Kalau lepas (jawatan) pada Mac tahun depan, Perdana Menteri seperti rasa tidak bersalah, dan kalau bertanggungjawab pada parti atau negara sepatutnya letaklah jawatan sekarang," katanya kepada pemberita. Nik Aziz turut menyifatkan tindakan Abdullah sebagai tidak bijak dan telus kerana ia akan terus mengeruhkan suasana politik negara. Kerajaan Kedah pimpinan PAS puls berharap pengganti Abdullah nanti akan meneruskan hubungan mesra dengan kerajaan negeri. Menteri Besar yang juga Pesuruhjaya PAS Kedah, Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak berkata pihaknya akan berurusan dengan sesiapapun yang dilantik menjadi Perdana Menteri. Hubungan baik "Saya tidak mahu menjaga tepi kain orang dan perkara itu (keputusan Abdullah) adalah masalah Umno," katanya dan menambah, Kedah mempunyai hubungan baik dan mesra dengan kerajaan persekutuan, dan menganggap Abdullah sebagai pemimpin kerajaan yang menunjukkan contoh terbaik dalam hubungan antara Umno dan PAS. "Bagaimanapun jika sudah sampai masa bagi Abdullah meletak jawatan ia sepatutnya melakukannya kerana pemimpin datang dan pergi adalah perkara biasa," kata Azizan. Sementara itu, Penasihat DAP Lim Kit Siang berkata adalah sukar bagi Abdullah melaksanakan janji-janji beliau untuk melakukan pembaharuan, sebaik sahaja beliau mengumumkan rancangan pengundurannya semalam, berbanding ketika beliau memperolehi mandat besar pada pilihan raya Mac 2004. "Namun begitu tekad tersebut masih boleh dilaksanakan sekiranya Abdullah bersedia untuk melakukan sesuatu yang mustahil, dan menggunakan tempoh lima bulan sebagai Perdana Menteri untuk melaksanakan semua ikrar dan janji yang dibuatnya sejak lima tahun lepas," menurut beliau dalam satu kenyataan. Beliau berkata tindakan itu perlu dilaksanakan mulai mesyuarat kabinet hari ini, dan juga pada hari pertama Parlimen bersambung pada 13 Oktober ini, dan menurutnya ia adalah pengunduran terhormat bagi Perdana Menteri kelima itu. -Malaysiakini

Anwar: Malaysia still needs a change of government

By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphatically reiterated his stand that there must be a change of government for Malaysia to progress.

He noted that a change of leadership in Umno would have no effect.

"The problem is the system," he told reporters at the lobby of the Jalan Duta court complex when commenting on yesterday's Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting in which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi announced his decision not to defend his presidency in the March Umno elections.

It has been the norm for the leader of Umno to hold the position of prime minister. Abdullah's decision not to contest means he will be stepping down also as prime minister, paving the way for the next elected president to take over if BN remains in power.

Abdullah pledged to complete his promised reforms before leaving office next March.

Anwar was sceptical, however, of the outgoing prime minister, and expressed doubts that he would be able to fulfil in the next five months what he failed to do in the past five years.

"Are we expected to believe that he can?" he asked.

"If he does, well and good; good for him and good for the country," he quipped.

Asked if he thought Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is tipped to take over the reins, would be able to effect positive change in the government's policies on issues such as the independence of the judiciary and
economic management, he answered in the negative.

"With Najib... the answer is categorically no," he emphasised.

"Change must happen. A change in the leadership of the BN will have no effect," he added.

Anwar was in court today for a hearing on the Sodomy II charge. Following the adjournment of the court hearing to Oct 31, he elaborated on his statements made earlier in the afternoon.

First, he thanked the prime minister for all the good he had done in the past but regretted that his attempts to bring about reform in the past five years were unsuccessful.

Anwar sympathised with Abdullah and said he understood how heavy the burdens of the prime minister were but appealed to the latter to live up to his promises for reform in order to salvage his reputation.

"I give him the benefit of the doubt. "The reforms are popular with the public but not popular with his Umno ministers," Anwar said.

But he also stressed that Abdullah is still the prime minister and still held authority even if he was not going going to contest the presidency.

"What is there to worry about?" Anwar asked.

He especially bemoaned the lack of action on matters pertaining to judicial independence and media freedom and highlighted the ongoing trial of Malaysia Today editor Raja Petra Kamarudin.

"I appeal to the prime minister as a friend, even though he is going to retire, to at least do the right thing.

"Tomorrow, release those who have been detained under the ISA. Free the media; stop the racist campaigns made by his own Umno-controlled media," Anwar advised.

He also advised that Abdullah assume a "conciliatory attitude" towards the opposition and fulfil their request for a meeting with him, even though he had turned it down earlier.

"Do not listen to your deputy who believes that everything is correct, that the fundamentals of our economy are strong," he advocated, and added that Najib was the only finance minister in the world who still believes that to be true.

Sodomy II postponed to Oct 31

By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 - Sessions court judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah has lifted the media gag on the contents of nine "exhibits" referred to by the defence team in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's Sodomy II hearing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Yusof Zainal Abiden clarified that he had not asked the court to impose a total "gag order" on the media.

Instead, he had merely requested that the court instruct the press to temporarily refrain from revealing the information contained in documents referred to when Anwar filed his affidavit until the prosecution could submit their arguments.

When judge Komathy asked Yusof which documents he objected to, he said it was the newspaper reports from national news agency Bernama, local English daily New Straits Times and the International Herald Tribune.

The other documents were the two statements of claim filed by Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim who was the investigating officer handling Anwar's trial 10 years ago, and who recently sued the opposition leader for defamation.

Yusof contended that the documents included statements that needed to be sworn in court first and were not admissible at this stage even if they were already available in the public realm.

The judge ruled in favour of admitting the exhibits.

Defence counsel Sulaiman Abdullah then asked Judge Komathy for a postponement of today's hearing.

He said his client had to attend parliament from Monday onwards as he was the opposition leader and was only free on Fridays.

Judge Komathy then adjourned the hearing to 9am on Oct 31.-themalaysianinsider

Abdullah not worried about legacy

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi said today he does not care how people remember him after he quits in March, insisting his goal now is to speed up the economic and administrative reforms he started four years ago.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose term expires in 2013, announced Wednesday he will step down before time to prevent a split in his United Malays National Organisation party.

The party is facing its worst crisis in history after a dismal performance in a general election in March. Abdullah, who was blamed for the losses, initially resisted pressure from party members to resign but gave in when it became clear that he could be ousted during party leadership elections in March.

“I don’t think I need to talk about people remembering me,” Abdullah told reporters when asked if he was concerned about his legacy. “If they want to remember, they will remember. If they don’t, they don’t. I am not working with the view ... that I am doing this because people will remember me.”

Abdullah said he will not defend his position as Umno president in the party elections. Instead, the post will be contested by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is expected to win unopposed. The party’s president automatically becomes the prime minister.

Abdullah said his mission during the next five months is to continue with the reforms he started with much fanfare when he took office in late 2003. But his pledges to eradicate corruption, improve the bureaucracy and restore confidence in the judiciary have borne little fruit.

“I believe my mission is to provide dynamic movement to emphasize on development and human capital,” he said, adding that he wanted to improve educational standards, reduce the income gaps and establish a mechanism to resolve religious disputes that break out frequently in this multiethnic nation.

Abdullah said he also wants to provide more democratic space for divergent views to be heard openly.

His record on this is mixed. Although Abdullah is credited with allowing taboo subjects like race and religion to be discussed openly, his administration recently jailed a prominent anti-government blogger under a law that allows indefinite detention without trial.

The same law has been used to jail five ethnic Indian activists who led a massive anti-government protest last year.

Abdullah refused to say if he will take on any advisory role in the government after resigning, but said he will remain the chief of a party division in the northern state of Penang. - AP

One down: Now for Khairy

Dr Mahathir is now gunning for Khairy.

COMMENTARY

OCT 9 — Having witnessed the forced exit of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is now training his guns on his other nemesis: Khairy Jamaluddin.

His sarcastic comments on his blog about the PM’s son-in-law mark the beginning of what is likely to be a campaign to make sure that the latter fails in his attempt at becoming the Umno Youth leader, and becomes a political footnote.

There is an added impetus for Dr Mahathir to succeed – Khairy’s failure could clear the path for Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s rise up the ladder in Umno.

In the former prime minister’s eyes, Abdullah and Khairy have been responsible for dismantling parts of his legacy and encouraging many Malaysians to equate his tenure with the destruction of institutions such as the judiciary, and excesses in the system.

His anger against both of them has been stewing for more than four years. Indeed, several weeks after Abdullah took over as prime minister on Oct 31, 2003, Dr Mahathir started having second thoughts about his successor, complaining that the PM was scratching several mega projects conceived by him.

He was also upset that several initiatives announced by Abdullah – the move to rehabilitate the judiciary; improve the public delivery service; tackle corruption and shore up the country’s police force – appeared designed to put his years in office in unfavourable light.

Troubling to him also were reports that Abdullah’s special officers, especially Khairy, were lamenting that Dr Mahathir’s profligacy in his last 12 months in office has resulted in a depleted treasury.

The former prime minister and his circle of supporters could not accept that Abdullah – in their estimation a simpleton – could put together a reform agenda and put the brakes on spending. They believed that he was influenced by Khairy and other advisors, later to be called the Fourth Floor.

From then on, it only became a question of when. When would Dr Mahathir publicly attack Abdullah and Khairy?

He could not do so in 2004 because the PM had just led the Barisan Nasional to a resounding victory in the general elections and was very popular inside and outside Umno. Indeed, the size of the victory and the fact that some politicians were attributing it to the Abdullah factor created some resentment in the Mahathir camp.

Malacca Governor Tan Sri Khalil Yaakob seemingly innocent observation that 99 per cent of the victory was due to Abdullah did not go down well with Dr Mahathir. Two years later, the former prime minister still remembered that statement.

Khairy’s run at the number two position in Umno Youth and his election to the position unopposed in 2004 angered Dr Mahathir further. In a posting on his blog this week, Dr Mahathir wrote: “He won it uncontested. Apart from Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein, who gave other possible candidates a tongue lashing – telling them in no uncertain terms that they must not contest the position because it was reserved for the Prime Minister’s son-in-law, others suspected of having ambitions to contest for the post received phone calls from family members of the PM and other influential supporters not to do anything to spoil the ambition of this first-time Umno member, with absolutely no track record, from winning uncontested.’’

Like an open sore, the anger against Abdullah and Khairy festered. In 2006, sensing that Abdullah’s honeymoon was over and there was growing impatience among Malaysians over his indecisiveness, Dr Mahathir declared war on Abdullah, his family, Khairy, the Fourth Floor and anyone else who dared to defend the Prime Minister.

He accused the PM of nepotism and cronyism, alleged that he had abdicated decision-making to Khairy and his advisors and lashed out at him for stopping the project to build a crooked bridge to Singapore. This campaign ebbed and flowed over two years, depending on Dr Mahathir’s health, but it had a significant impact on Abdullah’s reputation and Khairy’s public image.

Abdullah’s supporters believed that if he led the BN to another strong victory in the general election in 2008, he would be able to silence Dr Mahathir for good. Conversely, they knew that if the Opposition made some gains on March 8, the PM would face calls for resignation from the former prime minister.

They were wrong. Dr Mahathir did not wait for the outcome of the polls to launch another volley. A few days before voting, he said that Malaysia needed a stronger opposition and questioned Abdullah’s fitness to lead. The loss of two-thirds majority in Parliament and four states to the Opposition gave Dr Mahathir and his supporters more ammunition and a much more receptive audience in Umno.

His calls for Abdullah’s resignation and framing the election results as the sole responsibility of the PM found strong support in a party stunned by the loss of territory and fearful of the resurgent Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Despite Abdullah’s efforts to stay in office until 2010, it became increasingly clear – especially after the loss of the Permatang Pauh by-election in August – that he had lost the support of many supreme council members. There was genuine fear that if Abdullah stayed in office, the Anwar-led Opposition would roll over the BN at the next polls.

There is genuine concern among Dr Mahathir and his supporters on what the return of Anwar would mean for them. In September, Dr Mahathir played his strongest card. He gave an ultimatum to Datuk Seri Najib Razak: continue supporting Abdullah as the leader and be prepared for your dirty linen to be washed in public.

That warning seemed to have some effect. A flurry of activity and meetings between Abdullah and Najib followed and it culminated in the March transition plan. Under this plan, Abdullah would remain in office until March but would not contest the Umno elections.

Abdullah’s fidelity to the plan yesterday marked a victory for Dr Mahathir and he was in no charitable mood. Asked by Bernama what Abdullah should do between now and March, he replied: “Shut up.’’

But shut up is something which the former prime minister will not do – not until he sees Khairy fall flat in his attempt to become Umno Youth chief. Revenge will only be complete when the man he despises – some say more than Abdullah – is forced to take a back seat in the party.

Will Dr Mahathir succeed? Possibly. But really, Khairy’s chances of becoming the leader of the Youth wing hinge more on what Najib does rather than what the former prime minister says. If Najib sends the signal that he wants the divisions to support Khairy, he will become the head of the Youth wing.

As it stands now, Najib is unlikely to endorse any candidate publicly, a move which will embolden Khairy’s enemies — including Dr Mahathir.