Civil servants must be learn to be more polite

From Alfanso ,

I’m Malaysian working overseas and now and again I’ll come back home. My last trip home was on Jan 8, 2013, to settle some documentation problems. I went to the Road Transport Department office in Seremban, and was disappointed with the service.

I was there about 11am and it took me more than an hour to do my transaction. I was told to go to another floor when I asked to see an officer.

There were more than 10 counters downstairs but only half were productive albeit at a snail’s pace, while others were chit chatting among themselves and even selling products.

Once upstairs, I approached a lady at Counter 28 (if I’m not mistaken), who told me, ‘kejap’. I asked her, ‘how long’, she replied brusquely, ‘sabarlah’.

Is this what the Malaysian government calls Budi Bahasa? The slogan at the RTD office reads Mesra, Cekap, Telus, but there was no mesra and cekap at all in this office.

Another sad thing I became aware of is not one could speak decent English. What an embrassement. I don’t how they deal with foreigners who can’t converse in English at all.

I read that statistics of Chinese and Indians applying for government jobs has risen, but I only saw three of them and all were counter clerks.

How many applied is not the crucial, but how many have been recruited matters. How many are in higher positions in the government is the essential matter.

Will this upcoming 13th General Election will bring a drastic change to this situation of employment in government of recruiting Indians and Chinese?

Or it will be like a prolonged cancer without a cure? Janji akan ditepati or Janji akan tinggal capati?

I have two cousins and many friends who hold degree qualifications and they are fed up due to their failure to secure jobs commensurate with their qualifications in government.

Civil servants must be more polite or in the other words please be more“Berbudi Bahasa” . Take up courses to be more polite and learn to converse in basic English.

Don’t become like a frog under the well, look at other countries in the world and learn how they greet and respect people and customers.

Hope I will see truly a 1Malaysia staff in government offices with more Indians and Chinese in the rank of officers and more English literate staff who will learn to be polite.

Poster boy Najib’s dilemma

The prime minister appears to be more of a public relations product, where each word and action is orchestrated through a team of marketing experts.
COMMENT

Strolling along the toys section in a shopping mall is always exciting.

The numerous complex contraptions that sit on the shelves are mind-boggling. Then there is the familiar sight of action figures, which never fail to bring back childhood memories.

Growing up in a middle-income household during the 1980s, action figures were one of those things that left me salivating with desire and my father sweating over the price tags.

As I inspected the various action figures, heroes and villains alike, which were available now, I wondered how come there were none of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

Given the numerous public relations misadventures that the dim minds in Putrajaya were conjuring, would it come as a surprise if Ken and Barbie-like versions of the First Couple were made available?

Perhaps there might even be accessories like a doll house of Sri Perdana as well as miniature plastic replicas of submarines, diamond rings, C4 explosives, carpets and the charred limbs of a Mongolian
woman.

A Gangnam blow for Najib

In his most recent public relations disaster, a red-faced Najib discovered that not all who pranced about to South Korean rapper Psy’s music would tap their hooves to Barisan Nasional’s tune.

Dressing him in a Chinese traditional outfit and having him speak Mandarin for the Lunar New Year also drew ridicule because such gimmicks reveal his desperation.

It prompted one observer to remark that if it did not transgress the tenets of Islam, Najib would have even carried a kavadi during the recent Thaipusam festival, complete with limes painted with the
1Malaysia logo fastened to his back with hooks.

Attempting to win the hearts and minds of the Chinese voters is a futile exercise for the prime minister and his comrades in MCA.

A MCA strategist confided in this writer that it would be a miracle if BN managed to secure even 35% of the community’s votes in the coming polls and this despite all the horror tales about PAS.

Najib and his advisers remain oblivious to the fact that Malaysians are no longer seduced by colourful billboards, neon lights that envelope the length and breadth of a building and horse dancing.

The prime minister appears to be more of a public relations product than someone who is made of flesh and blood, where each word and deed is orchestrated through a team of marketing experts. He gives the impression of being a marionette.

The poster boy of BN had become the most exploited face in Malaysia, plastered along street corners, hawker stalls, bus stops and lamp-posts.

Unfortunately for Najib, he had inherited a battered vessel sailing through a storm and he appears to lack the substance and the support to survive the ordeal. It is a simple case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

In the past, the average Malaysian mind was not exposed to concepts such as good governance, freedom of expression, human rights and so forth. It was an era where ruling politicians were lords and the rest were serfs. The lords knew best and their actions were not to be scrutinised.

Then the Internet came and changed the rules of the game. The advent of the social media made it worse for the lords.

Armed with Tablets and Smartphones, the average Malaysian is now fed with a staple diet of the alleged misdeeds of ruling politicians that range from cows dwelling in luxurious condominiums to murder.

And it is to these voters that Najib is once again attempting to peddle BN, imploring them to put their faith in him and the coalition for another five years.

Decepticon vs Decepticon

The prime minister has been marketed as a Transformer but to a great number of people, he is a Decepticon.

To the more discerning Malaysian, the next general election is an epic battle not between Autobots and Deceptions but rather between Decepticons themselves, as those in the opposition have much to
account for as well.

The difference is that the opposition Decepticons promise change and instil hope whereas the ruling Decepticons resist change and instil dread. The former had not been tested at the federal level while the latter had failed the test for a record 12 times in a row.

Furthermore, Najib’s pledges of transformation and the incestuous amplification of his 1Malaysia slogan ring hollow and come across as insincere efforts to woo a well-informed electorate who had realised that it is them and not politicians who were the lords.

His reluctance to put a leash on rabid politicians like Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Ibrahim Ali whose rants were similar to that of Joseph Goebbels, the chief propagandist of the Third Reich, suggest that Najib is weak or that Umno tacitly agrees with the incendiary remarks that threaten to reduce the prime minister’s 1Malaysia to ashes.

Anwar Ibrahim once disclosed that boldness is not one of Najib’s greatest traits and even BN leaders whisper behind closed doors that their leader prefers to be safe – which could be a polite substitute for the word cowardice.

His refusal to accept the opposition leader’s repeated challenge to a public debate is another glaring example of the prime minister’s lack of gumption.

A warning for false messiahs

Najib claims that he wants to right the wrongs of the past and BN leaders never tire of reminding the people of how the prime minister had been magnanimous enough to apologise for the errors of his predecessors.

However, Najib is not the messiah who fell from the heavens to lead Malaysians out of the political dark ages. He had been a part of this system since his 20s and it is imbued in his veins. His father
was the second prime minister and his uncle, the third.

At the age of 25, he was appointed a deputy minister, at 29, a menteri besar and at 32, a full minister. Since then, he had held various ministerial portfolios, during which there was not a single squeak of protest over the so-called wrongs which, by virtue of his positions, he helped perpetuate.

Until becoming prime minister, there had been no significant contributions from this man towards the betterment of this nation and its citizens. He is an aristocrat who parachuted into the top
leadership due to his lineage and therefore requires a battalion of advisers to help him understand the pulse of the common man.

One wonders if the outcome of the 2008 general election had been different and if the opposition was crushed, would Najib still be the same person burning with the same ideals.

And the same applies to Anwar should he not have been sacked, beaten, humiliated and imprisoned. He is no messiah either.

But voting out the incumbent government is not about empowering the opposition or putting our faith in political prophets. It is about sending a stern signal to all politicians and false messiahs to
deliver or be delivered out.

As for Najib, the end seems imminent, be it through external or internal forces. To his credit, he had tried but it is too late.

'Najib is a weak leader with bad advisers'

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim drove home a single message at his ceramah in Penang last night - that premier Najib Abdul Razak is a "weak leader surrounded by bad advisers".
Backing his claim, he noted that Najib has failed to speak up on many issues that have affected the interests and rights of Malaysians.
This included the threat by Malay rights group Perkasa to burn the Malay-language Bible which contains the word 'Allah', much to the alarm of Christians.
Anwar scolded Umno for keeping mum, also asking: “... Did Najib ever tell them not to do it? Was there even one word from Najib to say this is wrong? What's wrong with you?
"Are you a PM who can only bring Psy (to perform in Penang)? A PM must lead, and must make difficult decisions.
"If I am given the mandate to lead, I do not care if you are Malay, Chinese, Indian, or Dayak. If you are extreme, I will say ‘No, this country is our country and all Malaysians have a right to this land’."
He was addressing some 2,000 people at a Chinese New Year cum fundraising dinner in Balik Pulau, organised by Abdul Halim Hussein, who is also Penang speaker.
The event featured the Yassin Brothers who belted two songs - Reformasi and Perjuangan.
Deputy Chief Minister I and state PKR chief Mansor Othman, state DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow and Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff were also present.
Anwar’s day-long visit to Penang had included attendance at a tea party in Nibong Tebal, maghrib prayers at the Pantai Jerejak mosque, Chinese New Year celebrations in Batu Maung and Balik Pulau, and a ceramah in Bayan Baru that drew some 1,000 people in spite of the rain.
Anwar also said that Najib was "weak and afraid" for failing to castigate former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had suggested that Bersih co-leader Ambiga Sreenevasan's citizenship’s be revoked by amending the federal constitution.

"Mahathir was also asked about the royal commission of inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah who were issued MyKad, but he blamed the (first) prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman for giving citizenship to Chinese and Indians," said Anwar.
"Did Najib ever say anything to that? Do you think you have a PM who has the courage to defend other races and tell Mahathir that he is wrong? Did he ever say anything?
"Did he ever tell Mahathir that Chinese and Indians are citizens, their children our children? He never said a word - he is afraid."
Salute to Penangites
Anwar also referred to the Penang BN Chinese New Year open house on Monday where Korean pop idol Psy had performed his top hit ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’.
He poked fun at Najib who had continued to ask the crowd if they are ready for BN when they had shouted a resounding "No".
"For politicians, if you are with the people, you can read the situation. If you ask whether people support BN and they say No, you (must) quickly change the subject," Anwar joked, drawing laughter and cheers.
"I suppose the (Penang) BN (leaders) told him that the coalition has regain support in Penang, and that most people hate Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. So, when he heard the crowd say ‘No’, he thought he heard a ‘Yes’ ... it is quite pitiful.”
Anwar said he was in Miri when told about this, and that people there had told him how "great and brave" Penangites were to give Najib a piece of their mind.
"If it was MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek who had asked the question, I can understand the response but this is the PM!,” he added.
“I told them, I am a Penangite. It is not so much that they are brave, but Penangites are smart people, I salute them!”

Insiden Felda Sungai Tengi, polis terlibat?

France: 54% of French people believe “too much liberty” has been given to Muslims in their country

Muslim problems in France never end. Monthly riots, weekly arsons, daily rapes and assaults. The ideology of Mohammed is seen on a daily basis. Women cannot walk in peace in French cities anymore from muslim stalking. The Muslim crime wave, like elsewhere, is massive in comparison to their total percentage. Deja vu. It’s the same wherever you go in Europe where Muslims have been allowed.

A recent poll showed that 32% of French people share the ideas of the “far-right” National Front party. 54% of French people felt the French government had been allowed to give too much freedom to Muslims to force Islam on their society. Although Muslim problems have been festering and growing in the country ever since Charles de Galles invited a free flow of Muslim immigrants into the country with a Euro-Arab collaboration treaty in 1973. The current day attitude is ignored to the actual problems and are instead largely been blamed on the the influence of Marine Le Pen, who succeeded her father as leader two years ago and revamped the image of her party. But that doesn’t mean that traditionally Socialist France is ready to vote for her.

Anyone opposing Islamisation of society is immediately demonized. The “Islamic intolerance” in France that Muslims complaint about is no more a miracle than anywhere else: Muslim immigrants own behavior and their massive violent crime record. In France a massive 70% of the entire country’s prison population are – Muslim.

Marine Le Pen: ‘Integration is the Anglo-Saxon system adopted in Great Britain’

Pakistan: How Terrorists Kill Shia Muslims? Phone Calls That Often Lead to Murder

 Although he gets a phone call threatening his life every other day, the man maintains the composure of someone from a military background.

“You are a Shia, an infidel. Your doom is nearing,” says an ominous voice from the other end of the phone.

Initially, he thought it was a joke. “I would simply laugh it off. “Oh really, so I am an infidel. Let’s meet up”,” he would say to the caller, but the threats just would not stop.

However, it was only when he came face to face with physical evidence of the danger to his life, he started to take matters seriously. As the man made his way to the parking lot of his workplace — the Jinnah International Airport — a piece of paper pasted on his car’s windshield caught his eye.

“You Shias are infidels. Pakistan is the land of pure. We will clean this land of infidels. Your death is near,” read a note that was allegedly signed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), one of the country’s most feared militant outfits.

In a smaller font on the A-4 sized paper was printed “Kill, Kill Shia, Kill”.

As a retired air commodore, the victim here had dealt with crime in the past. He read the paper, showed it to a colleague, and wrapped it in a plastic bag to save the fingerprints. Next he contacted the airport security. “I was told this was a cognizable offense, and I should register an FIR.”

The incident took place on December 14, 2012, and an FIR was registered with the Airport Police Station in January 2013. It was numbered 1/2013. The wrapped piece of paper was submitted to the police; as was the number used to deliver the threatening phone calls.

Days passed without any solid investigation from the law enforcers. “It could be a sectarian attack or a personal enmity,” said the investigation officer, Mohammad Tayyab, who till now has been able to trace nothing but the fact that the calls come from a wireless phone.

But a trend seems to be emerging. This victim was forced to cancel a scheduled meeting with The News after he heard some tragic news.

“A relative has been shot dead. I have to run to his funeral,” was the reason he gave. The relative was Ali Hyder, the president of the United Private School Management and principal of the Lal Qila Grammar School in North Karachi.

Months before he was shot dead outside his school, he too received threatening phone calls and text messages. “We will kill you,” the person on the phone would say.

His wife maintains he informed the Sir Syed Town Police Station about the threats, but the law enforcers refused to protect him.

“We too hide in our house after our duty ends. What can we do? The city is brimming with killers”, they said.”

The last message Ali Hyder showed his wife read “till when can you escape from our clutches?”
“The police came after he passed away. They registered an FIR. What good is it now? I’m a widow and my three children orphans,” said a pacified wife speaking on the phone, almost as if she was expecting death.

She maintains her husband was just another person caught in the spree of sectarian violence rampant in the city.

Earlier in July, a senior Intelligence Bureau officer Qamar Raza — also from the Shia sect — was shot dead outside his house. In November, his son was shot dead inside his apartment compound. Two men came on foot, shook hands with him and fired nine bullets into his stomach. A day before the incident, he too received a phone call. “So you think you can escape our clutches for long?”

So what does a man do who knows his death is near and the state has failed to protect him? He prays in solitude for fear of being recognised as an outsider, looks over his shoulder when he walks, eyes every other man with suspicion and requests the DIG for security. That is what the victim here does. “It could be anyone,” he smiles helplessly.

Man held for flashing obscene gesture to Permaisuri Agong

The suspect was believed to have flashed the obscene hand gesture when the car carrying Tuanku Hajah Haminah passed by at the airport. – File pic

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 12 – Police arrested a man believed to have flashing an obscene hand gesture to Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah in an incident at the Bayan Lepas International Airport here yesterday.

Barat Daya police chief Supt Hatta Md Zin said in the 12.30pm incident, the 29-year-old suspect was believed to have flashed the obscene hand gesture when the car carrying Tuanku Hajah Haminah passed by at the airport.

“It is learnt that the suspect’s father was sending the suspect to the airport and that they were having an argument. Maybe the suspect was angry with his father and made the obscene hand sign.

“Coincidentally, the car carrying Raja Permaisuri Agong passed by and one of the officials saw the suspect’s gesture and arrested him,” Hatta said when contacted here today.

He said the suspect had been remanded until Feb 14 to facilitate further investigation under Section 294 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum three months’ jail upon conviction.

Meanwhile, Penang branch of Kerabat Pusaka Merong Wangsa Association of Malaysia today lodged a report about the incident at the Barat Daya police headquarters here.

Its chairman, Azhar Abdul Majid, the act of flashing an obscene hand gesture to Raja Permaisuri Agong was indeed rude.

“We want the police investigate the incident and bring those involved to justice,” he said, adding that they also hoped that the police would take stern action against the suspect to prevent recurrence of the incident.
 – Bernama

Thousands throng ‘Psy’ open house

Psy sent the crowd to ultimate frenzy as his world famous “Gangnam” was played at full blast. He performed it again following popular request from his fans.

GEORGE TOWN: Thousands thronged to state Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year open house in Han Chiang College here today.

But they were definitely flocking in to watch South Korean sensation Psy’s live performance on his global hit “Opah Gangnam Style”, nothing more.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was the guest-of-honour at the function, attended by many BN leaders, including Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor, former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, federal minister Koh Tsu Koon and BN state chief Teng Chang Yeow.

The crowd feasted on varieties of dishes available in abundance and waited patiently for hours from as early as 9.30am to watch Psy’s performance.

Psy, who arrived in Penang at 7.10am after a 20-hour flight from Brazil after another live performance before two million people at the Salvador Carnival on Friday, duly arrived on the stage just after 12 noon before the cheering frantic crowd.

He sent the crowd to ultimate frenzy as his world famous “Gangnam” was played at full blast.

The crowd got near hysterical with his troupe three-minute sensational live performance.

It was exquisite that even caught their eyes and ears of VVIPs. He performed it again following popular request from his fans.

This time most fans were sang and danced with his “Gangnam” rhythm.

The crowd dispersed instantly but joyfully after Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, ended his grand performance.

Prior to Psy performance, premier Najib announced a vote-catcher in his speech when he told the Chinese-dominated crowd that the BN government would upgrade Han Chiang from its current college status to university college rank.

He also reiterated his promises to build at 20,000 affordable houses and implement monorail system in Penang, claiming that he frequently heard Penangites’ constant moaning on lack of affordable houses and growing traffic congestion in the state.

He promised that his BN federal government would carry out projects to improve public transportation and traffic dispersal system in Penang.

“Everywhere I listen to Penang people complaining about housing and traffic.

“They want houses that they can afford.

“I promise that BN will deliver,” Najib told the crowd, adding that BN would always uphold its motto “janji ditepati” (promises fulfilled).

Don’t create trouble, Pakatan told

The opposition should not get too emotional if it loses in the 13th general election, says Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

HUTAN MELINTANG: Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Pakatan Rakyat should be rational and not get too emotional if it loses in the upcoming 13th general election.

He said Barisan Nasional or the opposition should accept the reality if either of them loses in the elections as the decision would be made by the people (voters).

“If BN wins the 13th general election, the opposition needs to support the decision and if the opposition wins, we [BN] will support that. Don’t create trouble…. (as) our country is peaceful,” he said after attending the Bagan Datoh MCA division Chinese New Year celebration, here, today.

Ahmad Zahid was asked by reporters to comment on the fear that the opposition would create trouble if it loses in the upcoming election.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his latest posting titled “Janji Anwar” (Anwar’s Promise) on his blog www.chedet.cc warned that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s statement on organising a la Arab Spring demonstrations if the opposition loses in the election should be taken
seriously due to his obsession with becoming prime minister.

“I don’t believe they [opposition] will resort to doing an ‘Arab Spring’ in this country. I think they are rational leaders,” said Ahmad Zahid, who is also Defence Minister.

“The police are responsible to take action if trouble breaks out after the upcoming general election,” he added.

- Bernama

Dr Pornthip says no to Sugumaran autopsy for ‘personal reasons’

 

Dr Pornthip’s sudden about-turn came just shortly after Serdang Hospital has finally agreed to the autopsy. – File pic

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — In a sudden turn of events, Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand today declined the invitation by PKR lawyers to perform a second autopsy on C. Sugumaran, the security guard who recently died allegedly due to police brutality.

According to lawyer N. Surendran, the famed director of Thailand’s Central Institute of Forensic Science emailed him earlier today to say that she was “unable to do the autopsy for personal reasons”.

Dr Pornthip’s sudden about-turn came just shortly after PKR lawyers emailed a press statement to media organisations here, saying the Serdang Hospital has finally agreed to the autopsy and Dr Pornthip’s team is due to arrive in Malaysia on February 20.

“But now, Sugumaran’s family will have to look for other alternatives,” Surendran said.

In his earlier joint media statement with fellow PKR lawyer Latheefa Koya, the duo had said that due to public pressure, the Serdang Hospital had agreed to the second autopsy and would even ensure all necessary equipment and facilities would be available.

Earlier, the health authorities had agreed to the second autopsy, despite insisting earlier that there must be a written permission from the police or a court order.

When contacted, the police had then declined to say if they would give permission.

Dr Pornthip is the same forensic pathologist who observed Teoh Beng Hock’s second post-mortem and testified at a royal inquiry that foul play was likely involved in the DAP aide’s mysterious death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s Selangor headquarters in 2009.

She is well known in Thailand for clashing with the authorities, especially for alleging police killings during then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s anti-drug campaign in 2003.

Surendran had earlier confirmed that Dr Pornthip had agreed to perform a second post-mortem on Sugumaran.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has ordered a forensic report on Sugumaran after the latter’s death was raised at a Cabinet meeting.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai was directed to oversee the forensic report after MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, who is also a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, had raised the security guard’s death during the Cabinet meeting. Several witnesses who saw Sugumaran collapse on a street near his home in Batu 12, Hulu Langat on January 23 have accused the policemen who arrested him of beating up the man, together with the help of a mob, after he was handcuffed.

The police have denied the allegations, pointing out that the initial post-mortem by Serdang Hospital showed that Sugumaran had died of a heart attack.

Sugumaran’s death joins a list of other alleged police killings like the custodial deaths of Chang Chin Te earlier this year as well as A. Kugan and R. Gunasegaran in 2009; the deadly police shooting of 14-year-old schoolboy Aminulrasyid Amzah in 2010; and various other fatal police shootings in the past two years.

A United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention 2010 visit to Malaysian prisons and detention centres reported in 2011 that between 2003 and 2007, “over 1,500 people died while being held by authorities.”

The Bar Council, civil society groups and several politicians from both sides of the divide have called for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to reform the police force since 2006.

Former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan also called for an independent body to oversee police conduct, although he preferred an alternative to the IPCMC.

Mat Sabu: 'Arab Spring' mungkin berlaku jika PRU13 diseleweng

(Sinar Harian) - Timbalan Presiden Pas, Mohamad Sabu menegaskan, 'Arab Spring' hanya akan berlaku di negara ini jika pilihan raya umum dicemari dengan penipuan pihak-pihak berkepentingan sehingga menimbulkan kemarahan rakyat.

Katanya, keadaan itu tidak mungkin berlaku hanya kerana mana-mana parti politik yang bertanding itu tewas dan tidak berpuas hati dengan keputusan pilihan raya.

“Arab Spring itu berlaku kalau berlaku penipuan dalam pilihan raya, tak ada demokrasi, bukan soal kalah, kita dah banyak kali kalah, tak ada masalah, tak ada pun turun ke jalan raya.

"... Pas sendiri dah banyak kali bertanding dan kalah dalam pilihan raya, tapi kita tak turun jalan pun,” katanya yang dihubungi Sinar Harian Online, hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian mengulas lanjut kenyataan bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Musa Hassan kelmarin yang percaya 'Arab Spring' boleh berlaku di negara ini sekiranya pihak yang kalah pilihan raya umum akan datang tidak puas hati dengan keputusannya.

Pandangan itu diberi susulan kenyataan bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad minggu lalu.

Kata Musa, pihak yang kalah akan menggunakan penyokong-penyokong mereka untuk membuat huru-hara dan rusuhan bagi menjatuhkan kerajaan sebagaimana berlaku di Asia Barat.

Dr Mahathir and his mouth — Greg War

FEB 12 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad seems to think that Malaysians are still intellectually backward and unable to read. In today’s Malaysia where one has access to immediate news from the Internet, the rakyat are not easily fooled.

Still, some of his public statements have been downright shocking, leaving the rakyat revolted in disbelief and protest. Every time he opens his mouth these days he seems either to spew out venom or spew out lies and hatred. He is a man of 88 but he has not lost any of his vengeful leanings.

Even after retirement, Dr Mahathir’s speeches have continued to stink of racism and his thoughts seem bizarre for an experienced former head of government. Is he sensationalising just to grab the headlines from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak or is he rooting for someone else?

Dr Mahathir conned three generations of Malaysians and kept them in check with his various laws to silence them. One would imagine that after having governed the country for 22 years and having enriched many around him, he would be content to rest on his laurels (sic) and spend some quality time with his grandchildren.

But no. One of his latest targets was the venerable Bapa Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Readers will perhaps remember Dr Mahathir’s poison letter against Tunku for which Dr Mahathir was kicked out of Umno. Dr Mahathir never forgot that. Lately when Dr Mahathir was implicated in the Project IC scandal he said Tunku had done something even worse. He blamed Tunku for granting citizenship to Indians and Chinese at the advent of independence. Later he implicated his favourite bogeyman, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, saying that it was Anwar who was responsible for the whole of Project IC.

When everyone, including some from the BN, were condemning Ibrahim Ali for advocating the burning of bibles containing the word “Allah”, Dr M came to Ibrahim’s defence, stating that the Perkasa leader did not mean any malice in his call but was only saying that since those books were supposedly banned, it was all right to burn them.

His latest vitriol is against Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan. Reportedly, he said the government needs to amend the constitution if it wants to strip off the citizenship of lawyers, such as Bersih co-chair Ambiga, who go against the government. Therefore the people must vote in the BN with a two-thirds majority. Desperate election stunt?

The rakyat are not swallowing meekly all that Dr Mahathir is spewing out. One only has to read the online media comments of readers to understand how fed up and tired we have become of his inane rants, both in his blog as well as in the media. Even the son of one his staunch supporters — S. Vell Paari, MIC strategist and son of Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu — let out a tirade against Dr Mahathir. But Dr Mahathir seems to go on and on and on like a broken record. — aliran.com

* Greg War is an Aliran member based in Penang.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Cop wins damages over unlawful detention

The Star
By QISHIN TARIQ

KUALA LUMPUR: For nearly 10 years, Kpl S. Selvakumar had been in and out of court – and even moved from cell to cell ­– to fight against his detention over a robbery charge.

Yesterday, it all came to a happy ending with the High Court awarding him damages of nearly RM1mil for over 800 days of unlawful detention.

“I am overjoyed with this decision after more than nine years of going to court,” the jubilant policeman told reporters after senior assistant registrar Catherin Nicholas handed the ruling.

Nicholas awarded him RM779,000 in damages and an additional RM200,000 for aggravated and exemplary damages.

The ordeal for Kpl Selvakumar, now 33, started on Feb 16, 2003 after he was detained by the Ipoh police for allegedly being involved in a robbery at an electronics factory in Seremban.

Between July 24 and Sept 8, 2004, he was moved from various police stations – including in Shah Alam, Malacca and Johor – in what seemed to be a police “road show” for the purpose of detaining him.

On Nov 5, 2004, he was served a detention order and sent to the Simpang Renggam detention centre in Johor for two years.

However, Kpl Selvakumar filed a habeas corpus application at the Johor Baru High Court which, on Oct 24, 2005, declared his detention was not valid and ordered his immediate release.

He was, instead, re-arrested by the Kluang police and, on March 29, 2006, served a second detention order on the same charge as the first time he was detained, then taken again to Simpang Renggam for a seven-month detention.

On Oct 28, 2006, he was released after he succeeded in an originating summons to challenge a restriction order.

On Nov 11 of that year, he was taken back into employment with the police force.

Nicholas held that Kpl Selvakumar had proven his claim that he had been detained in mala fide (bad faith) without any basis.

She found his re-arrest and detention in March 2006, which was based on the same facts as his previous detention order, was not proper, baseless and an abuse of power.

25,500 PR1MA Units For Johor At Over 20 Per Cent Discount - Najib

KULAIJAYA, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Tuesday announced the building of 25,500 affordable housing units in the Iskandar Malaysia region, here, under the Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) scheme.

Najib said the project, carried out in collaboration with PR1MA Berhad and five private housing development companies, would be completed within three years.

He said the market price of each unit was RM250,000, but through the public-private sector partnership in the form of funds from the government, the project could be expedited with the houses to be sold at below the market price.

"The original market price offered by the developer was RM250,000 but through facilitation by the government, the price would be 199,000 only.

"This is a big discount of RM51,000 or over 20 per cent through the contribution of funds from the government," he said at the drawing of lots for the Nusantara PR1MA affordable housing units at Dewan Raya, Bandar Putra, here.

Also present were Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and PR1MA Berhad chairman Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis.

Najib said 15,500 units of the PR1MA houses would be built with five private housing developers, namely Iskandar Waterfront Holdings Sdn Bhd in Danga Bay, Plentong and Masai, Casa Grey City Sdn Bhd in Tebrau, Larkin and Plentong, Aturan Prisma Sdn Bhd in Larkin, Cahaya Bumimas Sdn Bhd in Bandar Layangkasa, Pasir Gudang, and Tentu Canggih Holdings Sdn with PIJ Property Sdn Bhd in Plentong.

The projects will be carried out with the state government's subsidiary company, Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor Sdn Bhd as the owner of the land.

PR1MA Berhad will build another 10,000 units of affordable houses on 80 hectares of government land in Tampoi.

Najib said a responsible government would not only implement high-impact projects, but also projects and programmes that were much needed by the people such as the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia and PR1MA.

"We know the 'rakyat' need comfortable, quality and affordable houses. That is why the three factors were given as prerequisites to PR1MA Berhad in providing housing for the people.

"With PR1MA, we can take creative measures to meet the people's housing requirements within a short time," he said.

The prime minister also said that the drawing of lots like done today could ensure transparency and avoid favouritism in allotting the PR1M housing units.

The Nusantara PR1MA is a joint project between Denia Development Sdn Bhd and UEM Land Bhd, as the owner of the land, while PR1MA Berhad facilitated the funding through the Public-Private Partnership Unit (UKAS).

Meanwhile, Jamaluddin said facilities such as shops, clinics, playgrounds and houses of worship would be built at each PR1MA project area.

He said all the PR1MA housing would be maintained by the agency compared to other housing projects which had to do self-maintenance.

Anwar and Pak Lah not in on Project IC, says ex-honcho

A former mastermind in the Project IC debacle during the late 1980s and early 1990s, said PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi were never involved in the operation.

Mat Swadi Awi, a former Bank Pertanian Malaysia manager based in Kota Kinabalu during the mid 1980s, recounted to Harakah Daily today his role in Project IC with the late Usno president, Datu Mustapha Datu Harun.

In the interview, Mat Swadi, who claims to be a Pak Lah loyalist, laid out his involvement in the whole affair and maintained the involvement of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the whole affair, and admitted being the mastermind to bring Umno to Sabah and remove Usno from the map.

“Anwar is not involved in Project IC as everyone in Umno knows that Anwar is not ‘bedfellows’ with (Mahathir’s right hand man) the late Megat Junid Megat Ayub (right) and Abdul Aziz Shamsudin.

“Furthermore, Mustapha was also hurt with Anwar, so how could he (Anwar) have been involved in Project IC. I do not fault Anwar for wanting to drag Abdullah into the whole affair with the royal commission of inquiry, and this is probably to get back at Mahathir.

“Abdullah, on the other hand, did not need such projects to raise his name. Everyone knew Abdullah would never do such things as he comes from a religious family,” said Mat Swadi.

Mat Swadi (left), who has however not been called as a witness at the present RCI, related that his earlier involvement during the 1980s was to help Usno and Mustapha regain power from PBS, and he was in the inner circle of Mustapha to achieve this objective.
He added that an increase in 20,000 voters was registered and distributed in areas which were focussed on by Usno, and he related how he had met with Megat Junid at Mustapha’s residence in Petaling Jaya.

“I also had dealings with the army and police, where we worked closely with them and I was introduced to the Election Commission secretary, Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman,” he said.

Project IC continues in peninsula

Mat Swadi said that Mahathir wanted to make sure that PBS fell following its threats that the state would leave the federation, and in that he put his support on Usno to do this.

However, all efforts were in vain when Mahathir orchestrated Umno’s move into Sabah, where the former premier appointed Mustapha’s deputy in Usno, Sakaran Dandai, to head the state Umno liaison committee.

“In 1994, while visiting Mustapha at the hospital, he confided to me that it was Mahathir’s hidden long-term plan to bring Umno into Sabah. Mustapha disbanded Usno on Mahathir’s advice with the hope of being appointed as Sabah Umno liason chief. Instead, Sakaran, who is Shafie Apdal’s uncle, was appointed. 

“With tears flowing, and a weak body, Mustapha (left) told me that it was as if Umno had put a sword to his head, when Mahathir appointed Sakaran to head Umno whereas he was still alive,” said the former bank manager.

He added that the Project IC continues in peninsula Malaysia, where in Johor, Indonesians had been given citizenship and blue identity cards and were briefed to ensure Umno-BN wins. 

“Threats were also made that if the (Indonesians) do not vote for Umno-BN, the Election Commission (EC) would detect their votes and then their citizenship would be revoked. What is surprising is that while the Indonesian votes are sought, at the same time they are being sidelined with actions being taken against them.

“The Indonesians who have become Malaysian citizens should know that they are being used by Umno. They should reject Umno in this coming election,” he said.

Mat Swadi said the post-Abdullah era had seen Umno losing its direction and objective, as the party had deviated from its original cause.  

Mahathir and his Malay dilemma redux

"Saya tak mengharapkan pahlawan. Orang tak selalu baik, benar, berani. Tapi saya mengkagumi tindakan yang baik, benar, berani, biarpun sebentar." - Goenawan Mohamad (Pagi dan Hal-Hal yang Dipungut Kembali)


COMMENT The truth is I enjoy writing about former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. His lies and distortions reveal far more about the Malaysian psyche than anything said by the rest of the political elite (BN and Pakatan Rakyat) in this country.Mahathir's latest threat about needing a two-thirds majority to amend the constitution to kick out Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga (right) is not merely a threat against Ambiga but against anyone who dares threaten the Umno status quo.

It shows anyone what Umno has in store for those who have the temerity to exercise their democratic rights or should that be, fight for their democratic rights. However, why the need to strip recalcitrant Malaysians of their citizenship? Anyone who has read the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) would have discovered that it is just as pernicious as the ISA. Cold Storage not good enough any more?

The arrest and subsequent charging of Yazid Sufaat and others on terrorism charges reeks of some sort of Pax Americana conspiracy.
Understand now that I am not accusing the government of anything (yet) but really, with the release of Yazid from ISA detention and now these arrests, the firebrand with all his Malaysiakini interviews, seems like a government asset. So much for accusing de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of being a US plant.

Anyone who has read the Wikileaks exposes on Malaysia would understand that the spooks from Langley would consider many within the ruling Umno elite as the puppets most susceptible to their charms, not to mention those from across the causeway.

I, for one, will be eagerly waiting for what this trial will reveal with the knowledge that security experience brings that what is not revealed is just as vital as that which is.

Of course being the sneaky racist that he is, Mahathir (left) throws in the usual canard that "Malay laziness" is the downfall of the community and their hegemony is sustained by the non-Malays - read Chinese.

His reference to Uganda is rather queer, since the Indian diaspora there was kicked out unceremoniously, but I suppose with the Indian Muslim support that Umno enjoys, the old manipulator was merely paying respects to a community that has far more influence in Umno than the fisherfolks and padi farmers that Umno claims to represent.

"The Malays themselves then gave away their economic power by letting non-Malays control trade and related activities," he gravelly intones.

Actually what is accurate is: "The Malays themselves gave away their economic power by letting Umno, with the sycophancy of a plutocracy of non-Malays, control trade and related activities... and these sycophants, with the exception of the MIC, did a far better job of protecting non-Malay interest then Umno did with the Malays, which is why the Chinese community or a certain significant majority of it can throw their support behind a certain section of a disenfranchised Malay community attempting a change of leadership."

Malay community's diverse past
Much has been written about the feudalistic nature of Malay society to explain Umno dominance but of course, the subaltern histories of the Malay community have been expunged from the public record.

What are lost are the narratives of those Malays who opposed their Malay rulers when they were "giving away" Malay land to the British. We forget that PAS for an extremely long time has been using religious dogma to fight "Umno secularism".

What is lost and what Umno fears are remnants of a Malay polychromatic past, which emblems like flags and literature are slowing resurfacing which reminds the Malay community of their diverse past.
How this lost past is slowing being reintroduced into the community and influencing the Malay community is beyond the scope of this piece and perhaps beyond my ability to articulate.

The Malay community is fractured but merely claiming that Pakatan is duping those Malays in the opposition is the dumbest form of Umno propaganda. Mahathir's old canards, which perhaps could have galvanised Malay support en masse in the past, are all but over.

Signs are evident even to those who practice their dark sorcery in the corridors of Putrajaya that a certain segment of the Malay community is immune to the spells of Umno.

There are obvious signs we can point to. Anwar's rallying cry that Umno has betrayed the Malay community through incompetence and corruption.
PAS' Islamic agenda as a panacea to Umno's moral degradation of the Malay community.
The economic deprivation that a certain section of the Malay community which translates into skepticism of Umno and eventually into the arms of the opposition.

In addition, let us not forget that the Umno Baru that Mahathir spawned, is merely the symbol of the schism within the Malay Umno community.
Its effects have trickled down to the rank and file which over the years, racial politics, the concept of Malayness and a whole host of other issues have been conflated in what was in essence a power struggle between the warlords in Umno.
But it has now has been embraced into the greater oppositional Malay struggle.

I used to think that these newly created constitutional Malays would prove to be Umno's undoing because amongst other things,  a fight for resources between "authentic Malays" and these ‘bumiputera barus', would eventually come to a head with the native and interlopers within their own ranks, battling it out for the soul of the community.

However, a long-time Indonesian comrade offered an alternative explanation after he took offence at my jibe that Umno had created a fifth column of his countrymen in this country.
He felt that the influx of new blood into the Malay community comes with new ideas that are not predisposed to the Umno way of thinking.

A quiet rebellion
As it is anecdotally speaking, I see far more rhetoric against the concepts of Ketuanan Melayu amongst a certain section of the Malay community and a quiet rebellion against the feudalistic nature of their community.

I have no idea if this is the result of the influx of "new ideas" but having lived amongst their Javanese brethren, ideas which are slowly taking shape here have deep roots in principles already established there.

When Mahathir goes on about the Malay community needing its crutches, what he forgets is that by its dereliction of duty - no, this is incorrect - by an agenda to fossilise the Malay mind, those crutches were only provided to a certain section of the Malay community.

Many were left out in the cold and for those who were not, they realised too late that those crutches did not give them any advantage over the non-Malays but were in fact chains that shackled them to Umno soil. While the non-Malays progressed and could adapt anywhere in the world, the Malays were left with a compromised educational system (for instance) that only seemed to work in this country.

For those Malays who support the opposition and who no doubt were the ones left out in the cold, the idea of the ‘advantages' that the idea of Ketuanan Rakyat bring is a far more powerful draw than the weak record of Umno rule.

After all, with the racist groupings of the alternative front, what they hope for is a Malay leadership, which would take care of their interests and who cares if it is done under a multiracial/cultural cloaking device.

The truth has always been that the only dilemma in the Malay community is the one former PM Mahathir Mohamad created.

---

S THAYAPARAN is Commander (rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy.