10MP fails to impress economists

By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: The 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) yesterday came under scrutiny of three economists who lauded its acknowledgment of the country's stumbling blocks but lamented its initiatives to tackle them.

At a dialogue jointly organised by the Malaysian Economic Association and the Faculty of Economics and Administration, Universiti Malaya, the trio cited a few initiatives that have set off alarm bells in their heads.

DAP chief economist, Tony Pua, called the plan “tired” and noted that it contains many similarities to past plans. His main concern, however, lay with the “shadow” of the New Economic Policy (NEP) which he said is cast over the 10MP.

“The NEP characteristic in the 10MP is the 30% Bumiputera quota, which, in fact, was left out of the New Economic Model (NEM),” he said. “The problem is not the quota itself but the danger that such a quota would prevent this community from moving ahead because it doesn't distinguish between the rich and poor Bumiputera.”

“If a needs-basis is used instead, then all poor Bumiputera are assured of assistance. But when you dilute it with a specific quota for one race, the other better-off races are able to get a larger chunk of government benefits.”

The PJ Utara MP noted that this contradiction also extends to the NEM in terms of the government's move to increase competitiveness, meritocracy, transparency and getting value for money from government projects.

He questioned whether a project will now be awarded based on the above-mentioned criteria or on fulfilling the 30% Bumiputera quota.

“This is a major dilemma that will play out throughout the next five years and affect out economic performance,” he said. “I see the 10MP mirroring the model of the late 1980s where many mega projects were launched which ultimately had to be bailed out by the government.”

“If we repeat the same cycle without implementing measures to ensure we get the best value for money from these projects, then we may face another crisis and this time the government may not have enough funds for a bailout. I've seen many mega projects and subsidies being awarded to big corporations this year and I don't see the change that the NEM is calling for. ”

“Our problem now is two-pronged. The first is implementing everything in the 10MP and the second is having the political will to enforce those changes. At this point, I'm worried that the latter is missing and I hope to be proven wrong for Malaysia's sake.”

Extremely tall order

Former executive director for the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research, Professor Mohammad Ariff, zeroed in on Malaysia's ambition of becoming a high-income nation. According to him, the 6% growth per annum outlined in the 10MP is an extremely tall order.

“The 10MP takes us on the path of achieving Vision 2020,” he said. “Vision 2020 envisaged that Malaysia would have a per capita income of US$20,000 by 2020 but the financial crisis hit and and the economy slowed. Today, we need at least a 7% growth rate to even reach the US$17,000 per capita income by 2020.”

“The 6% targeted growth means that investments must grow at 12.5% per annum. But during the Ninth Malaysia Plan, investment growth only stood at 2% so this is a huge leap and I'm not sure if it's possible.”

“Foreign direct investment (FDI) has only been growing at 1% per annum, which pales in comparison to China's 10% and Singapore's 9%,” he added. “Our FDI is practically crawling! It's a far cry from when we were recording 9.1% growth before the Asian financial crisis. Something is seriously wrong here and the 10MP should be addressing this.”

Prof Ariff also hit out at the government's fondness for throwing huge chunks of funds at the education sector in the hope of boosting it further. He bluntly stated that the main problem with the country's education system is the severe lack of quality teachers.

“In Malaysia, being a teacher is a 'last resort profession', which means there is no passion or interest,” he explained. “We have to start attracting the best brains into this profession the way China does. And it does that by offering very good monetary rewards. In China, being a teacher is first choice because it is the only profession that provides 100% of salary as pension. This motivates people. In Malaysia, we pay peanuts and so we get monkeys.”

Formidable challenge

For Professor Rajah Rasiah, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration, the allocation of subsidies presents a formidable challenge. He noted that the utility of money will be very high for the poor and very low or nil for the middle-income and the wealthy.

“The 10MP refers to providing equal opportunity, but does it really take that stand in its recommendation of mechanisms?” he asked. “Unfortunately, it doesn't”

He said that while the poor will be able to survive and enjoy basic needs, they will not be able to cross the poverty line and contribute to the country's economic growth.

“When these people are out of poverty, they are able to think productively and participate in the process of achieving Vision 2020,” he opined. “But what we currently have is a misallocation of subsidies. Subsidies that are meant for the poor are being enjoyed by everyone, both foreigners and locals. The treatment of social welfare here seems to be one that takes a penny-wise, pound-foolish approach rather than one that is dynamic.”

While he praised the 10MP for recognising the urgent need to quicken GDP growth, he also said that the plan needs greater depth and dynamism in terms of turning its 10 initiatives into reality.

Samy to do a number on Palanivel?

By RK Anand - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: Another controversy is taking shape in MIC over the formation of new Youth branches, which certain quarters claim could be the essential ingredient in a plot to oust deputy president G Palanivel.


Talk on the ground, said a source, is that the mission to form these branches is being spearheaded by MIC president S Samy Vellu's most trusted lieutenant, his son Vell Paari.

He said the plan to form the 1,000 new branches was being done on the pretext of expanding MIC's appeal to Indian youths and to give them a platform in the party.

However, he added, the real motive could be to end Palanivel's political career.Although the source claimed that all signs were pointing in the direction of Samy Vellu wanting vice-president Dr S Subramaniam to be his successor, the president himself had gone on record to state it is Palanivel who would succeed him when he steps down next September.

When Samy Vellu steps down, Palanivel would become acting president, but there is speculation that an early presidential election could be called in order to finish off Palanivel.

“Samy Vellu might just say that the branch chairmen have no confidence in Palanivel or something to that effect and form a presidential council to conduct an early poll for the top post. So the presidential election could be brought forward to September 2011.

“Samy Vellu would stress fairness, and that he would hand over the reins to the victor elected by the branch chairmen. This is where the new branches would come into play. It is the branch chairmen who would vote in the presidential election,” said the source.

'Palanivel, a threat to caste politics'

Asked why Samy Vellu would want to destroy his former press secretary, especially when he had openly backed him for the number two slot in the past, the source replied: “Caste”.

“Both Samy Vellu and Subramaniam are from the Devar caste. Although a minority in the party, the Devars want to continue their reign and they consider Palanivel as a threat to their domination.

“Palanivel would eliminate caste politics and open up the party to all regardless of their sub-ethnic backgrounds. He would also democratise the party and weak leaders who are not member-or- people-centric fear this,” he said.

In Selangor alone, the source said there would be 400 new branches and the state already has 939 branches.

“Samy Vellu's reasoning is that the new branches would force the old branches to work harder. But we don't need new branches, we need votes. We need to recruit youths who are actually voters.

“Furthermore, it is hard to believe that the Indian youths are still interested in MIC for the party to make up the numbers to form the 1,000 branches,” he added.

The source pointed out that the MIC constitution stipulates that a branch must have 120 members, but this was amended last year to allow Youth branches to be formed with only 60 members.

“A normal branch would have 22 office-bearers; in Youth branches, the number of office-bearers could be lower. While the office-bearers would be locals, the rest of the members is anyone's guess.

“It would take time for the Registrar of Societies to verify all the branches, and by then, the branches would be active and could vote in the party elections,” he said.

Top post -- It's all about the numbers

Calling it a “numbers game”, the source said of the current 4,500 MIC branches in the country, some 500 to 600 are controlled by former deputy president S Subramaniam.

“Palanivel has some 2,000 branches on his side while the rest are Samy Vellu's 'diehard' branches. Adding another 1,000 pro-Samy Vellu branches would drastically alter the equation in a presidential election.

“Naturally, the majority of votes would go for the man Samy Vellu is seen to be backing,” he said.

The source also claimed that the exisiting division chairmen were perturbed by the move to register new branches as it placed their positions in jeopardy as well.

“The division chairmen are not being notified about the new branches; it is all very cloak and dagger, and many feel that it is undemocratic.

“This would only stoke tension and create more fissures in MIC, which is struggling to find its footing after the last general election,” he said, casting doubts on the claim that MIC has 600,000 members.

“There are many 'dead people' on the membership roll. The party's membership dwindled after the last general election where scores of MIC members left to join opposition parties,” he added.

The source also asked why Samy Vellu was rushing to form these new branches if he is already on his way out, “unless there is an hidden agenda”.

Vell Paari: Conspiracy theories will always be there

Contacted later, Vell Paari rubbished this allegation, saying it was the work of those who cannot stand to see a strong and stable MIC.

“There is no such thing. If we don't form new branches, they say we are becoming irrelevant. When we form new branches, they call it a conspiracy. Conspiracy theories would always be there and we cannot be answering to all of them,” he told FMT.

The MIC central working committee member also clarified that not all the 1,000 branches would be Youth branches.

“As for targeting the youths, the critics claim they have deserted MIC. But when we bring them in by forming new branches, they call it a conspiracy. So what do we do?

“The fact is, MIC is regaining its strength and this has caused alarm among certain quarters. We have proven them wrong, so they have no choice but to cook up stories,” he said.

The CWC member also dimissed the speculation that Palanivel would be axed in favour of Subramaniam or the existence of any tension between his father and the number two man.

Vell Paari stressed that he too has nothing against Palanivel.

“During the last party election in 2006, I campaigned on the ground for him. I went on the warpath against (former deputy president) Subramaniam for him.

“The issue is simple. Some people have tried their level best to demolish this party, but they are surprised that MIC remains strong and stable. They cannot digest this,” he said, laughing off the matter.

Meanwhile, sources close to Palanivel told FMT that they have heard rumours of this alleged plot as well.

However, they said Palanivel would not go against the president because he feels indebted to him since it was Samy Vellu who showed him the ropes.

Of Jui Meng and Karpal: A blot on the Sultans, Umno and MCA

Johor Umno has denied it was one of the batu apis that instigated the Sultan to withdraw the two datuk titles awarded to Chinese leader Chua Jui Meng, while Palace officials have declined to give any explanation at all.

But coincidence or not, both the secretary of the Johor Council of Royal Court, Abdul Rahim Ramli, and Johor Umno information chief, Samsol Bahari Jamali, have made remarks that eerily echoed each other.

It is the prerogative of the Sultan to do so and the issue should not be politicized by anyone.

Were they reading from a script? Maybe, maybe not. One cannot help but wonder what MCA president Chua Soi Lek – who is widely believed to have been the other batu api – would have to say now!

Yet, does it really matter? Given the track record of the BN, would anyone really believe a word they say anymore?

Look at the Perak crisis and how they ruthlessly bulldozed white into black and black into white in true Malaysia Boleh fashion. But do what they will, the law of physics cannot be bent. For every action there is a reaction and what goes around comes around. And that could be why instead of a Malaysia Boleh we are now staring at the prospect of a Malaysia Bankrap!

Niat jahat

The good news though is that DAP chairman Karpal Singh managed to get the most ridiculous sedition charges ever contrived struck off by a surprisingly fair-minded High Court judge. Must be Karpal’s lucky day!

His case also involved royalty – the Perak Sultan, no less. Imagine the amount of time that Karpal – an MP as well as a state assemblyman – had to waste on the case. And all because some people including a reporter who did not under English well jumped to the conclusion that he had uttered seditious words at a press conference conducted in English.

Was the court case the fault of the reporter, whose English was so weak she did not know that ultra-vires does not mean to insult? No, but it is certainly the fault of the Attorney-General for not recognizing this fundamental flaw and insisting on taking the case to court. At the very least, it shows utter negligence and sheer shoddiness on his part. And at the worst, it reflects the shocking amount of evil intent or niat jahat in the BN system.

So why did the AG and his bosses do what they tried to do to Karpal? Were they trying to send a message of fear to scare Malaysians – especially the non-Malays – into not speaking up and not questioning what, how and why did the Sultan of Perak do what he did to Nizar Jamaluddin and his Pakatan Rakyat state government?

What goes around comes around

No wonder then that most Malaysians, including many Malays, no longer believe a word they read or a sound they hear anymore from the BN – whether Umno, MCA, MIC or their East Malaysian partners.Yes, the damage is done.

But for Jui Meng, he can walk away chin up and standing tall. His party, his community, those who know him and those whom he has helped throughout his long career are behind him.

He never intended not to return the titles to the Sultan as Umno's Samsol has suggested, he just wanted to know why. After all, is there any real value anymore in a datukship, a tan sri-ship or even a tun-ship for that matter?

But what has real currency though is his track record of service to the people and at 67, Jimmy Chua Jui Meng certainly doesn’t suffer from a weak resume.

http://malaysia-chronicle.blogspot.com/2010/06/of-jui-meng-and-karpal-questionmark-on.html

Dompok: Palm Oil Exports, Earnings To Be Better This Year

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's palm oil exports and earnings this year will be better than last year's due to growing demand for vegetable oil from countries like China, India and Russia.

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, said the three countries' economies were growing and their uptake of vegetable oils, including palm oil, would increase.

"The Chinese economy has never relented and it is still growing. Therefore, 2010 could be a better year for the palm oil industry," he told Bernama in an interview recently in Shanghai, China.

The minister was on a six-day working visit to Beijing and Shanghai from June 1-6 to promote palm oil, rubber and timber as well as to boost bilateral trade and investment ties.

Dompok said export volume of palm oil and related products in 2009 had not changed much compared with the previous year, but the earnings dropped because of the crude palm oil (CPO) prices.

"Hence, the export earnings this year could be much better than in 2009, supported by the CPO prices which stayed above the RM2,500 per tonne level," he said.

In 2009, exports of palm oil products declined by 24 per cent to RM49.59 billion from RM65.2 billion previously. The decline was due to lower average CPO prices of RM2,244 per tonne last year compared with RM2,859 in 2008.

Dompok and his wife, Puan Sri Diana Dompok, also visited the Malaysia Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

He said the expo was an ideal avenue to showcase Malaysian products and a source of information on the country's main commodity exports such as palm oil, rubber and timber.

Dompok said China was a big market for Malaysia, especially for palm oil.

"For instance, we are exporting more than four million tonnes a year and I think it will continue to be a market for us.

"The two countries are active because both have been enjoying a friendly and cordial bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1974," he said.

He gave an assurance to the Chinese consumers that the palm oil supply to China would be sustained despite the mandatory sales of biofuel starting next June as Malaysia has 1.6 million tonnes of palm oil stocks.

"The priority at the moment is given for food production. I think the amount of palm oil that we are going to produce will increase in future because we are working towards increase productivity.

"Also because some of the oil palm we have at the moment have not matured yet especially those in Sarawak. Once all these are matured, then we will see an increase in production," he said.

10th MALAYSIA PLAN:Land control is key for Orang Asli

The New Straits Times 
By Colin Nicholas

ON a macro level, there is no denying that there have been significant improvements in the lives of the Orang Asli since Merdeka.

But the handful of Orang Asli graduates, business people and professionals or the availability of modern infrastructure or social services in some areas do not reflect the greater situation of the 147,000 population.

The 10th Malaysia Plan recognises that 50 per cent of the 29,990 Orang Asli households are living below the poverty line. Of these, about 5,700 households (19 per cent) are considered to be hardcore poor.

In contrast, the national poverty rate is a commendable 3.8 per cent, with only 0.7 per cent being hardcore poor.

The 10MP envisages that the poverty level among the Orang Asli will be halved by 2013. Is this possible?

Yes, if we follow the advice of the prime minister and think out of the box and avoid the paralysis of repeating past mistakes.

Some have observed that the majority of the Orang Asli today are at a level of socioe-conomic development the rural Malays were at five decades ago. I agree.

I am also convinced that what worked for the Malays in the 1960s and 1970s would also work for the Orang Asli today.

Subsidies, quotas, increased and sustained infrastructure development, localised and holistic development strategies, low leakages and dedicated delivery -- all worked well for the Malays then.


Because of the clearly uneven playing field, a policy of meritocracy, for example, would not allow many deserving Orang Asli students to attain tertiary education. Positive discrimination, based on need and economic situation, would.

Also, if in the past landless Felda applicants needed eight to 10 acres of land to pull themselves out of poverty, surely "giving" the already landed Orang Asli two to six acres, as envisaged in the 10MP, would ensure that they remain in poverty.

The 10MP calls for the institutionalisation of externally managed agricultural development projects in all new Orang Asli development schemes. The Orang Asli are against this concept as it makes them mere shareholders with entitlements only to externally determined dividends, rather than as independent (and proud) smallholders who are rewarded fairly for their efforts.

In fact, research has shown that Orang Asli in externally-managed agricultural schemes account for the bulk of the Orang Asli poor.

The income disparity between an Orang Asli dividend-earner and a smallholder is very wide. At the peak of the high rubber and oil palm prices, for example, Orang Asli smallholders were getting between RM1,500 and RM3,000 a month while those in managed schemes only received, at most, RM450 a month.

It should be clear, therefore, that the key to Orang Asli development, the key to pulling half the Orang Asli population out of poverty, is the ownership, control and management of their traditional lands.

Dr Colin Nicholas is the coordinator for the Centre for Orang Asli Concerns

From the Rosmah NYT ad to Serbia, Nigeria & Angola

Still on the road, so pardon me if my posts are a little slipshod.
I wanted to highlight an article from some days back done by the Nutgraph with follow up work done on the New York Times ad for Rosmah.
They have done some really excellent investigative journalism, revealing some sketchy double talk by the New York Times, as well as connecting the institution that gave Rosmah her award to a lobbyist connected to the business and political interests of Serbia, Nigeria and Angola.
The sketchiness never ends!
I really recommend that you read the article in full for yourself.
I’d like to commend the Nutgraph for doing exactly the type of investigative journalism this country needs so badly. It’s really not that hard, just requires some passion and diligence – and this article demonstrates both. (wonder if they should’ve waited to collect more info before going to press though.
One thing did catch my eye:

Jones replied to Tichansky after reading Tichansky’s e-mail to The Nut Graph, and surprisingly copied us in an e-mail we received on 2 June, saying: “This is great. Thank you! Please send, and I’ll forward to Joh.”
It remains unclear who “Joh” is.

Hmmmm… Are you thinking who I’m thinking? Maybe we should do some digging.. :) Will let you know if we find anything :)

France and Uruguay goalless in Cape Town clash

(CNN) -- France and 10-man Uruguay played to a tame goalless draw in their Group A opener in Cape Town on Friday night.

Uruguay were forced to play the last 10 minutes a man light after Nicolas Lodeiro became the first man to be shown a red card at this year's World Cup.

Lodeiro, who had been booked earlier for kicking the ball away, received a second yellow and his marching orders for an ugly lunge at Bacary Sagna.

The result leaves all four teams in the group with one point apiece after hosts South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 in the tournament opener earlier in the day.

The best chance of the match fell to French striker Sidney Govou after six minutes but he glanced his shot wide after a run and cross by Franck Ribery left him with the goal at his mercy with the right touch.

Hosts South Africa denied in tournament opener

Uruguay's best two opportunities fell to former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan.

His curling shot in the first half was tipped away by French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris while midway through the second he volleyed wide from a central position.

France could find little inspiration and Chelsea's Nicolas Anelka was well marked in his first appearance in a World Cup match before being substituted by coach Raymond Domenech.

Barcelona star Thierry Henry and Chelsea's Florent Malouda, reportedly involved in a blazing row with Domenech on Thursday, were both introduced in the second half, but to little effect.

Tshabalala: Something to build on

His team may have been denied victory by a late Mexico equaliser but South Africa goalscorer Siphiwe Tshabalala insisted the tournament hosts' performance in an exciting 1-1 draw in the FIFA World Cup™'s Opening Match draw had provided an important morale boost.

"We are still in this competition," Tshabalala, who was voted Budweiser Man of the Match, told FIFA.com. "The good thing is, we can build from this performance today."

South Africa's next Group A assigment is against Uruguay at Loftus Stadium in Tshane/ Pretoria next Wednesday and Tshabalala added: "We are leaving Soccer City with our heads up. We now know that we can compete with some of the best players in the world. The most important thing was to get confidence, and I have a feeling that out of this result we got that confidence. We have to improve in some areas, but I’m sure we will use the next few days to work on those areas."
We are leaving Soccer City with our heads up. We now know that we can compete with some of the best players in the world.
Siphiwe Tshabalala

South Africa were put under pressure by a positive Mexico side in the first half but took the lead through Tshabala's emphatic strike ten minutes after the restart. It was a stunning goal to mark his 50th appearance for his country – and one Tshabala will never forget. "I think that one is very special, it probably ranks amongst the most important goals in my career."

After Rafael Marquez cancelled out Bafana Bafana's lead with ten minutes remaining, South Africa striker Katlego Mphela nearly grabbed all three points for the hosts but saw his strike strike the upright. Tshabalala added: "It was a very tough game for us, we played one of the best teams in the world. We could have won the match towards the end, but that's football. They have a lot of experienced players and they put us under a lot of pressure, but we managed to contain them. Obviously, we would have loved to win it, but we got a point, that is better than nothing."

In his post-match comments, Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira attributed his team's slow start in the match to stage fright. Tshabalala admitted that they took time to find their feet and adjust to the high tempo established by the Mexicans.

"It was a fast game, you could see from the first minute that Mexico wanted to play a quick game and that had us under pressure in the first few minutes," he said. "But we recovered in time. I think once the guys settled, we started to control possession and the game. We knew that we had to close them down quickly in order to be effective and we did just that."

Buah Pala: A false promise

Under NKEAs, KDN's role is to monitor foreign labour

Working poor need minimum wage

COMMENT Malaysia has been an economic success, with its GDP per capita annual income growing from about US$1,145 in 1970 to US$4,030 in 2000, at constant US$2,000 rates, according to the World Bank. This means a strong GDP growth rate of roughly seven percent every year for those three decades.

However, this growth has come from a low labour cost, which has allowed Malaysia to remain competitive globally. Malaysia's 2020 goal of becoming a high income developed nation means that we can no longer rely on cheap labour to give us a competitive edge.

Decades of subsidies have allowed employers to continue to suppress wages, resulting in the constant decline in the purchasing power of workers, based on their wages.

Furthermore, according to the New Economic Model (NEM), a hefty 40 percent of Malaysian households still earn less than RM1,500 a month, which is not enough to sustain a decent standard of living for a family. For these reasons, it is necessary for cheap labour to end, from both the economic and humanitarian points of view.

The NEM recognises that Malaysia needs to invest in new technology, training and skills and innovation in order to achieve the status of a high income economy and a higher standard of living.

A flexible and fairer minimum wage policy is complementary to this and is a more direct way to force Malaysian firms to modernise and invest as the NEM advises. This is explained later in the 'Implications' section.

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has proposed a national minimum wage of RM900 plus RM300 as cost of living allowance. This is a high minimum wage level as it is about 60 percent of the average wage.

Consequently, it is likely to result in high rates of non-compliance and job losses, and therefore have little positive effect on the objectives it sets out to achieve.

Tripartite wages councils needed

A national minimum wage also leaves no flexibility for employers to deal with the varying market conditions specific to each sector.

We call for tripartite Wages Councils for each low paying sector to determine a basic minimum wage through collective bargaining agreements between workers, employers and government representatives.

Agreements should be extended erga omnes (in relation to everyone) to all workers in that sector. In addition, state governments will be able to recommend a higher and fairer minimum wage than the basic rate set, which will help to take into account the different costs of living in each state.

The aim of minimum wage should be to protect the workers without unduly limiting the flexibility of employers to allow Malaysia to remain competitive at the global level.

Raises the standard of living

A minimum wage undoubtedly helps to improve the standard of living of the poorest Malaysians who need it the most. This fits in with the NEM and the goal of a high income country with a high standard of living and quality of life.

Encourages investment in technology and machinery

Malaysia's low labour cost has allowed employers to avoid investments in new technology and machinery. By increasing the cost of labour, capital becomes relatively less expensive and firms will seek opportunities to invest in labour-saving capital. This is a vital step towards modernisation and in the transformation into a developed country. It will also result in the training of workers to use such technology and therefore, the acquisition of higher level skills.

Encourages innovation and R&D

With higher labour costs, employers will be encouraged to innovate and seek new ways to carry out existing operational methods. With new methods come requirements for new skills and a higher skilled workforce. Innovation also has the advantage that it can be passed between firms, leading to higher overall efficiency and higher economic growth.

Promotes investment in training and skills development

In response to minimum wage, employers will seek to get more value from their employees. They will invest in training to ensure the skills of their workers develop and thus they become more productive. The acquisition of higher level skills is an essential process in becoming a high income country and is a key part of the NEM.

Improves productivity

With investment in technology, training and innovation, the productivity of workers will increase. It will also increase as employers pay more attention to increasing efficiency, reducing resource wastage and increasing work intensification.

Employees are also likely to increase their productivity through an increased motivation to work harder, as higher wages will make them feel more valued and increase work ethics as employers demand more return from the higher cost of employing workers.

Aligns private sector wages with public sector wages

Public sector workers are relatively well paid and have recently had a 35% increase in salary and a 100% increase in the cost of living allowance. With higher wages, many workers have been attracted to the public sector at a cost to the private sector, which is losing out in both quality and quantity of workers.

In order to reach the goal of being a developed nation by 2020, the NEM sees the private sector as the engine of growth. It is therefore vital for the private sector to encourage the workers back and an essential way to achieve this is a minimum wage policy.

Stimulates economic growth

An increase in wages means higher incomes, which in turn results in increased spending and generating demand for goods and services. This in turn will in turn increase the demand for labour.

Higher incomes also result in higher savings, which contributes to increased investment as resources saved by individuals and deposited in banks can be lent to businesses for investment. Both higher spending and saving will lead to higher economic growth.

Promotes foreign investment

A minimum wage that results in the increased training and skills of workers is likely to attract foreign investment to Malaysia as the cost of labour here will still be relatively cheaper than in the West, and yet higher skilled. Attracting foreign investment is another key objective of the NEM.

Aligns Malaysia with international standards

Malaysia is behind the international standard of having legislation or binding collective bargaining for minimum wage, which 90 percent of the countries currently have. Although Malaysia has minimum wage practised by a few sectors (catering, hotel, Penang stevedores, shop assistants and cinema workers), it is a recognised fact that these minimum wages are insufficient to provide a decent standard of living and are rarely updated to be of significance.

Existing collective bargaining agreements in sectors with trade unions also do not cover the majority of the lower paid working population. Therefore, a more comprehensive minimum wage policy is needed.

The impact on foreign workers is hard to predict. While a higher wage will attract more Malaysians to work, it may also attract more foreign workers if the minimum wage includes them. However, the exclusion of foreign workers from the minimum wage could lead to an increased demand for foreign labour by employers , as this would mean a lower labour cost than Malaysian workers.

If foreign workers are excluded from the minimum wage policy, it would need to be accompanied by some form of quota regulation, for example specifying that foreign workers should not make up more than 10% of an employer's workforce.

One of the main reasons foreign labour has flourished in Malaysia is because they do the work that the locals don't want to do - typically 3D or dirty, dangerous and demeaning work. Better health and safety regulations have to be put in place if Malaysians are to be encouraged to do such work. Making foreign labour more costly by making visas and work permits more expensive or compulsory will also help to lower the demand for foreign labour in the long run.

We believe the collective bargaining agreement is the best method for setting minimum wage as there is significant evidence from the International Labour Organisation, which has found it to be accurate in setting wages close to a worker's value.

Relate wages to workers' productivity

Collective bargaining has been found to closely relate workers' wages to their productivity and to improve the transmission between economic growth and the growth of wages. This means that workers' wages will be able to keep up with price increases and thus maintain their purchasing power.

Furthermore, centralised or coordinated bargaining is linked with lower overall wage disparity. This is why we call for national wages councils to set a basic rate for each sector.

As they are tripartite central bodies, they will take in to account the needs and interests of the government, employers and workers.

Collective bargaining benefits a broad spectrum of workers and includes working conditions such as hours of work and quality of employment, rather than just a legislative minimum wage. As collective bargaining reflects the needs of employers as well as employees, it allows firms to continue to be flexible under different market conditions and a changing global scene.

The main argument against minimum wage is that it will increase unemployment, as employers will reduce their demand for labour as labour costs increase. Several respected studies, including that by the International Labour Organisation and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), have found little or no significant unemployment effect from the implementation of a minimum wage.

We believe tripartite collective bargaining will ensure that minimum wage is set at an appropriate level so that employers will not find the increase in cost too significant and their demand for labour will not fall.

A minimum wage is necessary for Malaysia to become the high income economy it aspires to be. It encourages firms to stop relying on cheap labour and instead focus on innovation, technology and skills development, an essential process in modernisation and in becoming a developed nation.

Collective bargaining carried out by central bodies offers the best method of setting a minimum wage by reducing overall wage inequalities and linking wages to productivity and economic growth. State governments can recommend higher and fairer minimum wages for their respective states to reflect cost of living in different parts of Malaysia.

In order for Malaysia to reach developed country status, along with a minimum wage policy, it is also essential that government subsidies are reduced or removed and more flexibility is given to employers in hiring and firing. Furthermore, while a minimum wage does assist the poor, it only benefits the working poor, therefore a comprehensive safety net is needed to protect the poor in general and the out-of-work poor.

______________________________________________________________________________

KHAW VEON SZU is a political analyst and LINDSEY ALLWRIGHT is an intern with Sedar Institute. Opinions expressed in this article are the personal views of the writers and should not be attributed to any organisation they are connected with.

RM 230 Billion Tenth Malaysia Plan poor Malays orang asli, Iban, Kadazan and even Chinese New Villagers in special target groups. Urban and rural Indian poor specifically excluded UMNO segregation against Indians continue.

In the RM 230 Billion allocation in the 10^th Malaysia Plan the segregation oppression, suppression and regression against the Indians is set to continue for another five years under UMNO as follows-
(See Malay Mail headlines on 10/6/10)
1)      The per capita income is supposed to rise to RM 38,845 @ RM 3,237.00 per month by 2015.
HRP: This can only be a dream for the Indians when the Indian poor merely earn as low as RM 13.00 a day or RM 260.00 per month or some even lower than that. The  RM 260.00 per month monthly Indian poor Incomes and RM 3,237.00 per month Malay-sian incomes are poles apart.
2)      RM 500 Million to provide loans to workers and school leavers for training and skills upgrading

HRP: But the Indian petty traders will not get this loans. We have reported records of RM 2.00 per head UMNO allocation to train one Indian “entrepreneur”.
3)      Broadband penetration of 75 per cent by 2015.
HRP:          But poor Indian neighbourhoods segregated
4)      78,000 low – cost units for those earning less than RM 2,500 monthly salary
Affordable housing expended for urban and semi urban poor
HRP :  But when even the estate workers housing schemes announced by UMNO some twenty years ago has never been implemented because almost all the beneficiaries would have been Indians, this scheme is segregated to the Indians.
5)      Electricity for almost 100 per cent rural areas in Penisular and 99 per cent in Sabah and Sarawak.
Clean water to 99 per cent rural households in peninsular, 98 per cent in Sabah and 95 per cent in Sarawak
HRP:  But as even late as two months ago as reported in humanrightspartymalaysia.com even
the Escot Tamil school only then had received their water and electricity  supply and that too
because of the Hulu Selangor by elections.
6)      Entry age for schooling lowered from 6+ to 5+.

HRP: 42% of standard one pupils in Tamil schools cannot read and write at all because they
did not attend kindergarden because of poverty. Not conducive  homes and cannot afford
kindergarden (MO 10/3/2010 page 3).
HRP: Less than 10% of students in Tamil schools (SJKT) attend pre school now because of
poverty well below the targeted 87% pre schools students by 2012 under the National key
Result Area (NKRA) at the malay Chinese and Orang Asli, Kadazan and Iban schools.
(The Star 15/3/10 at page N 46).
7)      RM637 Million to build 197 new clinics in first half of 10MP
HRP: But almost zero such clinics are built in poor Indian neighbourhoods.
8)      RM 2.4 billion to upgrade police stations, living quarters  and improve career prospects for cops
HRP : With these billions Polis Raja Di Malaysia mindset is the order of the day. The police are still at full steam abusing their powers, falsely prosecuting innocent and poor Indians arbitrary arrest of Indians shooting dead Indians, Indians killed in police custody etc
9) Enhancing bumiputera
HRP –UMNO is forced to work with the Chinese who control about 70% of the Malaysian
economy.
But almost 99.9% of the Indians, however capable, industrious hardworking or qualified, they
are excluded from the national mainstream development of Malaysia under the cover of this
30% Bumiputera and Article 153 of the Federal Constitution cum Malay muslim supremacy.
10)    2.4 per cent yearly to create 1.4million jobs, mostly in services sector.
HRP :  But in the process of Malaysia aiming to become the top 5 developed nation status in
the 10^th Malaysia Plan the UMNO led Malay-sian government intends 70% of the Indian poor
to turn out, or become or remain uneducated and unskilled as security guards, garbage
pickers, factory workers, office boys, toilet cleaners, cleaners, general workers, jaga kereta
boys, bus, taxi and lorry drivers etc. Almost 99.9% of the business opportunities, petty trading,
and government stalls are denied to the Indians
11)    RM 50 Billion to continue the matching grants for training and skills upgrading of small and medium enterprise employees. RM 50 million to fund apprenticeships involving more than 8,000 students. RM 50 million to co sponsor employees to obtain industrial PhDs. RM 350 million allocated to continue programme of partial financial assistance for PhDs in local universities started in 2009.

HRP:  But the implementation and target group are 99.9% the malay muslims and to exclude
Especially the poor Indians.
12)    Reduced (Malay) POVERTY RATE FROM 3.8% TO 2% IN 2015.
HRP:  But the poverty rate of the Indians to be retained at 70% or above as there are no
specific implementation mechanisms to take Indians out of this 70% Indian poor group.
13)    Income support for single mothers, old folks and disabled.

HRP : But a cursory reading of the three Tamil press daily and lately highlighted in hrp –
org.my only revelas that the government’s billions and millions is designed by UMNO not to
reach the Indian poor.
14)    Indian poor not in Special Target group.
HRP:  UMNO is still beating around the bush by refusing to acknowledge that most of the 70%
Indian poor are poorer than the poor malay, orang asli, kadazan and Iban.. Even the Chinese
New Villagers are to be given financial assistance to renew land lease, upgrade homes and fund
business. But the Indian poor in the urban and rural areas have been excluded and segregated.
15)    181 Permata centres nationwide
HRP :  Zero in poor Indian neighbourhoods.
16) Pre – school enrolment to be increased from 87% to 92% in 2015.
HRP :  90% of Tamil school students do not go to kindergardens because of the poverty (The
Star 15/3/10 at page N46)
17)    Making quality of life core of urban projects.
HRP:  Poor Indians excluded and segregated so much so that the suicide rate among the poor
Indians is 600% higher than in the malay community
18)    197 new clinics costings RM 637 millions, 50 additional One Malaysia Clinics
HRP:  But all these clinics are never built in poor Indian neighbourhoods.
19)    161,000 new units public housing, 78,000 units low cost public housing, RM 500 Million Housing Maintenance Fund for public and private low cost houses.

HRP :  But thousands of Indians are so poor that they cannot even afford to pay the RM 124.00 per month low cost flat rentals let alone buying the aforesaid public houses.
20)    RM 4 Billion to help Malay muslim companies (BH 11/6/2010 at page B4)
HRP:  But the Indians are excluded and segregated 100% from this RM 4. 5 Billion.
Conclusion
In conclusion at the end of the year 2015 ie at the end of the Tenth Malaysia Plan the racist, religious extremist and supremacist UMNO led Malay-sian regime is going to yet again tell the Indians as they have been telling us in over the last 53 years that the Tenth Malaysia Plan was good Prime Minister Najib Razak was a good man and UMNO was good.
But, it was the implementation that was bad. And  there would go the Tenth Malaysia Plan and the 11^th Malay-sia Plan would similarly follow suit with greater rigour and vitality in excluding and segregating the Indians from the national mainstream development of Malaysia.
Only HRP’s Project 15/38 can save the Indians. We have to work hard in creating these 15 Parliament and 38 State Assembly Indian majority seats. The is the only way forward for especially the poor Indians in Malaysia.
P.Uthayakumar
 

Parliament Demo15/6/10: Beware police SB and Mandores hijacking.

15/6, Parlimen, 11 pagi. HINDRAF & HRP Petition kpd PM. Najib tuntut Biasiswa JPA, Matrikulasi, Universiti utk pelajar India. Pakai baju oren/ skaf oren. Awas SB Polis & Mandore cuba hijack. Dtg ramai2 & Sebarkan.

S.JAYATHAS. www.hrp-my.org.

SPM 13As’ denied University and scholarships: SMC mandore wayang kulit illusion in Tamil press. Curtains up ( See Malaysia Nanban 11/6/2010 at page 18 full page, Makkal Osai 11/6/2010 at page 3, Tamil Nesan 11/6/2010 at page 5)

UMNOs’ game plan with the SMC mandores just to divert attention away from the estimated 2,237 Indian students being denied University, Matriculation places and JPA, Petronas Shell, Mara, Khazanah, Tenaga, Telekom, 13 state Yayasan and scores of others scholarships.
Res Ipsa Loquiteour.  The facts speak for itself.
Karunai Nithi @ Compassionate Justice

UTM Board of directors has zero Indian in PM Najib Razak’s One Malay-sia!

 
See NST 11/6/10 at page Y 1.
S. Jayathas

Abolish STPM. One Exam One Matriculation in One Malaysia: Letter to P.M.

 

NO.6, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar,
59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03-2282 5241 Fax: 03-2282 5245 
Website: www.humanrightspartymalaysia.com
Your Reference :
In Reply : Misc/ June 2010
Date : 11/6/2010
YAB. Dato Seri Najib Razak
Prime Minister of Malaysia,
Blok Utama Bangunan Perdana Putra,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, Fax: 03-88883444
62502 Putrajaya E-Mail: najib@pmo.gov.my
Re:1) Submission of Memorandum on especially Indian top and high achieving SPM students denied JPA Scholarships, Matriculation and University places to Prime Minister at Parliament House on 15/6/2010 at 11.00a.m.
2) Abolish STPM. One Malaysia. One Exam. One Matriculation.
With reference to the above matter we wish to present our HRP and Hindraf Makkal Sakthi Memorandum to your goodself as follows:-
Date : 15/6/2010
Time : 11.00 am
Venue : Main Gate, Parliament
Should your goodself not be available kindly assign your Higher Education Minister, a Malay muslim Deputy Higher Education Minister or at the very least the Secretary General or Deputy Secretary General of the Higher Education Ministry as this public demands involves the implementation of National level Educational Rights according to Article 12 and Equal rights to higher education in particular also for the poor Indian students according to Article 8 of the Federal Constitution.
The poor Indian students in particular have been excluded and segregated from the national mainstream education policy of Malaysia for 41 long years by being largely denied JPA, Petronas, Shell, Mara, Khazanah, Tenaga, Telekom, 13 state Yayasan and scores of other government, corporations, Industries, Financial institutions and the other government, government linked companies and the private sector scholarships and study loans and also from Matriculation and Public University places nationwide.
In the circumstances we hereby call upon for the abolishment all together of STPM. One Malaysia should have only one pre University exam ie One Matriculation exam.
This presentation of our Memorandum is a peaceful gathering pursuant to Article 10 of the Federal Constitution and hereby ask for your assurance of safety for especially the affected students, parents and all HRP and Hindraf supporters present.
We also ask for a dialogue between all HRP and Hindraf Makkal Sakthi attendees with your goodselves on the aforesaid day inside Parliament house or at any other time and place at your goodselves earliest convenience.
Kindly revert to us accordingly. Your good office could also reach the undersigned directly at 013-3504711.
Thank You.
Your Faithfully,
_______________
P.Uthayakumar
Secretary General (pro tem)

62 police firearms missing. Used by police “partners in crime?

 
Among the missing guns are 36 automatic pistols, 51 revolvers and even two sub machine guns. How can a sub machine gun go missing. But in Malay-sia semua boleh!.
The Firearms Increased penalties Act (FIPA) carries the death penalty.
But in Malay-sia no policeman has ever been charged with FIPA Why? Why not? Are the Prime Minister Najib Razak Home Minister and the IGP ‘condoning police partners in crime but otherwise doing the usual drop in crime rate wayang kulit illusion?
The Attorney General is another main player by Omission in this Malay-sian police crime.
P. Uthayakumar

Two blind PKR Selangor Indian mandores and Anwar Ibrahim’s Menteri Besar denying Indian estate workers even water in Selangor.

Selangor state government’s false promise to Coalfeild estate workers. Their electricity  and water supply has been disconnected by the greedy Selangor State government  and their hand picked developers. These estate workers are today ending up drinking pond water in the estate.
How come these two MP and Exco Indian mandores could not even fulfill the Estate Workers Housing scheme. If they cannot deliver the terrace houses or secure places in the Felda, Felcra, Risda, Fama, Mardi etc like land schemes then their further stay in PKR is automatically falls in the same category of the MIC mandores.
As it stands after over two years of this PKR rule in Selangor these two PKR lead mandores only and merely seem to have taken over the previous 50 year old Indian mandore’s roles. And nothing more than that.
Karunai Nithi @ Compassionate Justice

Johor ruler revokes awards of polar adventurer, two others

 (The Malaysian Insider)KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — The Johor palace revealed today that the state Ruler has also revoked awards from polar adventurer Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir and two others, including his brother-in-law, apart from Datuk Chua Jui Meng.

Johor Council of Royal Court secretary Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli said today the Ruler had ordered the revocation of awards given to Sharifah Mazlina, Commander Shaftdean Lufty Rusland, who is married to the Sultan’s sister, Tunku Muna Najiah Sultan Iskandar, senior lawyer Hassan Yunos and Chua on June 4.

Abdul Rahim said the revocation of the awards from the state palace is the prerogative of the Ruler, adding the Ruler was above politics and said the issue should not be politicised.

However, he did not offer an explanation as to why the awards were revoked.

"There was no pressure from Umno or any political party, thus he (Chua) cannot put the blame on politics as politicians have no say in this matter," he said, adding the Ruler conferred the titles of Dato' Sri Paduka Mahkota Johor and Dato' Paduka Mahkota Johor based on three main criteria - loyalty, meticulous service and diligence.

He explained that the withdrawal of the titles were in line with the Sultan's right to exercise his power and right under Article 12 of the Statues and Ordinances of the Most Honourable Order and Article 7 (f) of the Second part of the Johor State Constitution 1895.

"After deliberating on reports against some Members of the Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Johor, the Johor Royal Council advised the Sultan to expel those involved and he has consented to the advice," he said.

"I cannot talk about the reasons as it is the Sultan's prerogative. However, these four must search their conscience and think about what they did wrong instead of blaming others," he said adding that Sharifah Mazlina and Hassan had already returned their medals.

He added that since royal awards were issued from 1886 until now, only 712 individuals have been given the awards and only 120 are still alive.

Abdul Rahim said he sent a letter dated June 4, 2010 on the revocation of the Johor royal awards to Chua's home in Damansara here and had called the politician on two occasions, June 8 and yesterday.

The former MCA leader and Health Minister, who is now a PKR supreme council member, was stripped of the Datuk Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor and Datuk Paduka Mahkota Johor titles effective that day.

Chua (picture top) said he has yet to receive official notification of the revocation but has been asked by telephone to return the awards which were given by Sultan Iskandar, who died earlier this year.

 Sharifah Mazlina (picture left) is the first Asian woman to complete the Pole-to-Pole mission between 2004 and 2007. In 2004, she became the first Asian woman to reach the South Pole and cross the Antarctica continent alone. She subsequently became the first Malaysian to reach the North Pole in 2007.
On December 30, 2004, the Johor-born succeeded to ski-sail solo 1,110 km across Antarctica in 22 days, 2 days shorter than the previous record-holder. She then left for Norway on April 3 2007 to start her next adventure, and reached the North Pole on April 17. She had been invited to join an international expedition to Greenland in 2011, an honour that's only given to those who have completed tours to both North and South Pole.

The 45-year-old Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) lecturer graduated with Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Universiti Putra Malaysia and a Masters’s Degree in Education (Psychology) from McGill University, Montreal, Canada. She received her Setia Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ) from the late Sultan Iskandar in 2006.

Shaftdean received the Seri Paduka Mahkota Johor (SPMJ) on August 20, 2009 and is an Royal Malaysian Navy tactical officer with Squadron 501.

The former chief instructor of the Naval Air Wing and Tunku Muna have four children - Putra Wan Iskandar ‘Abdu’r Rahman Uwais Siraj ud-din, Putri Wan Zanariah Imanina Munawarrah Nora Iskandariah and twins Putra Wan Muhammad Umayr Sharaf ud-din and Putri Wan Najiah Umayra Munawarrah.

Non-Muslims to contest under PAS banner

By Muda Mohd Noor - Free Malaysia Today

KOTA BARU: PAS will allow its non-Muslim candidates to use the party’s symbol in the 13th general election, president Abdul Hadi Awang said today.

He said PAS will only field non-Muslim candidates in areas where non-Muslims form the majority, and the seats will be identified later.

“What we are sure and it’s been decided is that our non-Muslim candidates will not contest in areas allocated to our Pakatan Rakyat partners, in particular PKR,” he told reporters after his opening address at the 56th PAS “muktamar” (assembly) here this morning.

“Non-Muslim candidates contesting on PAS ticket is not new. We did it in the last election too,” he said, adding that the criteria is that they must accept the party’s struggle and possess good character.

He said the decision to allow non-Muslim candidates to use the PAS symbol was in line with the party’s decision to upgrade the non-Muslim wing to the status of congress alongside its Youth and Women's wings.

“This year, the non-Muslim representatives are here as observers, next year they will become delegates at the party convention,” he added.

Hadi also explained that there was no need for PAS to amend its constitution to effect the upgrading of the non-Muslim wing.

Responding to a question on defections, he said: “Not a single PAS member has defected. We are confident none will, including our non-Muslim members.”

Asked about PAS' role in Pakatan, he said the party shared a collective voice.

He said the non-Muslims have begun to understand PAS, citing DAP’s efforts in the Kuala Terengganu by-election and PAS' support of DAP in the Sibu by-election.

Umno forced us to come out, says Hadi

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today

PAS MUKTAMAR KOTA BARU: PAS is forced to engage the Malays because Umno had failed to stay true to Islam, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said today.

“Umno thumps its chest and says it is the saviour of Malays and Islam but the truth is, Umno has failed miserably in saving the religion and the community,” he said in his keynote address at the 56th PAS “muktamar” (convention) here.

“It is Umno which has invited social and economic doom and disaster upon the community and country.

“Its arrogant and unjust actions have tainted the pure image of Islam. It is Umno which has forced us to come out and re-introduce Islam in its pure form and free the majority of Muslim Malays from Umno's deviant teachings and corrupt practices,” he told an audience of about 5,000 delegates, including foreign and local observers.

Also present were Pakatan Rakyat leaders Anwar Ibrahim (PKR), Lim Kit Siang (DAP) and leaders from Hamas (Palestine), Al Adakah (Maldives) and MILF (the Philippines).

Hadi also accused Umno of destroying the social and cultural harmony among the various races.

“Whatever we are experiencing in terms of social and economic crises is Umno’s doing.

“It has destroyed the goodwill among the race and it has squandered away the economy,” he said, adding that Umno had turned the national economy into an “operating capital” for its leaders.

Core principle

Hadi openly invited multi-ethnic Malaysia to empower PAS version of Islam. He said PAS chose “Islam is just and fair to all” as its theme for the convention because the party believed and upheld these core principles, which are reflected in its actions, unlike Umno.

He said PAS will strive to engage non-Muslims in discourse in support of its version of Islam.

In line with this aspiration, the party has upgraded its Non-Muslim Supporters Club to be at par with its Youth wing.

“We hope the wing will play its role effectively to attract and engage our non-Muslim brethren to know us better, and together, help us effect a change in Malaysia,” he said.

Hadi said PAS had successfully demolished the walls dividing Muslims and non-Muslims.

“We have managed to build bridges and our non-Muslim brothers are now supporting our struggle.

“This is the only way to solve problems and issues in a plural society. Islam, as understood and practised by PAS, will be fair to all,” he said.

He urged the non-Muslim supporters to introduce a framework of activities suitable to their capabilities and continue with their mission to strengthen their base.

He said the party’s leadership will continue to guide them on the concept and principles of the PAS struggle.

Younger generation

Hadi also urged the Youth wing to consolidate its strength and reach out to the younger generation of Malaysians, whom he said were losing their sense of value.

He said the Youth wing as the next generation of leaders must create an effective strategy to approach the young and empower them.

"Get close to them and guide the younger generation. Help them strengthen their spirit so that they can deal with the challenges ahead,” he said, adding that the youths must also move into areas where they can carry out their missionary work.

“Our youths must empower themselves with knowledge and truth to effect change.

“Your dynamism combined with the knowledge of the old leaders will help us face the challenges and responsibilities that lie ahead,” he said.

Women power

On the women’s wing, Hadi said the time had come for the party to acknowledge its role as equals in missionary and political activities.

He said this thinking was now essential because the social landscape in the country had changed, with the people now being attacked by all manner of thoughts and philosophies as a result of deviant politicians in power.

“It is time we recognised that women and men can be rostered to work side by side as long as it does not jeopardise their responsibilities at home.

“The women, too, must now be sent out to counter the deviant teaching and negative cultures that are infiltrating today’s homes,” he said.

He also urged the women members to formulate a medium- and long-term strategy so that their contributions for the struggle could be noted.

10MP injecting cash for KL 'ghost towns'

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: The DAP's chief economist Tony Pua said the plan to develop the Kuala Lumpur financial district as well as other grand construction projects within the area as outlined in the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) is a waste of taxpayers' money.

Pua, the Petaling Jaya Utara MP, said this in support of a report by OSK Research which was published in an online news portal that said such investment was likely to create a commercial property glut.

The report said that the redevelopment of Kampung Baru could destabilise the property market around the KLCC area which is already suffering from a high vacancy rate of 17%.

“The temptation to rush into developments without any regard to the supply-demand dynamics can be very hard to resist in economic boom times.

"It will destabilise the entire market and can be calamitous to all market players in the long run,” said the report.

It stated further that the area would suffer from an overabundance of empty office spaces amid an influx of existing but yet-to-come spaces in the coming few years.

"It is very possible that the area would suffer from a property glut... this is typical of the economic framework where the 10MP is relying on the construction factor to push the economy," Pua told FMT.

The "construction factor", meaning injecting money into the economy through infrastructure developments, cannot generate income on its own, said Pua.

"It must coincide with other initiatives or you will end up creating more office spaces but having no one picking them up," he added.

Crony economics ala Mahathir

The redevelopment of Kampung Baru (right), the KL Financial District and the Sungai Besi Airport were

unveiled under the 10MP by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Parliament yesterday.

Pua said the projects reflected Barisan Nasional's bankrupt economic ideas where economic stimulation heavily depended on pump-priming activities.

"This is like what happened under the administration of (then premier) Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It is a simple way of fishing out projects to crony companies."

The first-term MP said much of the promised transparency under Najib's New Economic Model was invalidated by the lack of government assurance that all mega-projects in the plan will be sourced via an open tender process.

Pua argued that the cash should be invested in improving the deplorable education system and industries that ensures healthy competition and economic progress.

As much as RM230 billion will be injected into privatisation-driven activities under the new five-year plan, Najib's first as prime minister.

The sixth premier is facing a stiff test to revive the ailing economy amid opposition to his mass liberalisation efforts by internal and external political foes.

What did I tell you? Bodoh sombong!

The problem, however, they told me, is that I write in English while the readers who had made police reports against me do not understand English that well. So, because of their poor command of English, they have misunderstood what I had written and thought that I had insulted Islam.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

DAP chairman Karpal Singh was cleared of sedition today without his defence being called.

The Bukit Gelugor MP was charged with sedition last year for saying the Sultan of Perak could be taken to court over the removal of Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin as the mentri besar.

The High Court here found the prosecution had failed to prove it had a case against him.

In his decision today, judge Azman Abdullah noted that the news reporters, key witnesses and police involved did not understand English and the meaning of sedition. -- The Malaysian Insider

*************************************************

No, today I am not going to write my usual long analysis or opinion piece about my trials and detentions. What I want to focus on today is the poor standard of English in Malaysia and how that resulted in me getting detained, arrested and charged many times.

I have, in fact, already written about this issue many times before. But maybe many thought that was merely my excuse in why I faced the wrong end of the law. Well, today, a judge acquitted Karpal Singh without his defence being called because, according to the judge, the news reporters, key witnesses and police involved did not understand English and the meaning of sedition.

And this is also what I faced.

During my Internal Security Act detention, the all-Malay seven-member interrogation team from the Special Branch went through all the articles I had written, one-by-one, to ‘prove’ to me that I had ‘insulted Islam’. My articles, of course, were all written in English.

I then re-read what I had written and translated each word into Bahasa Malaysia. I then asked them, based on the Bahasa Malaysia translation of what I had written, in what way had I insulted Islam. Only when I had translated my articles, word-by-word, into Bahasa Malaysia did these Special Branch officers understand what I had written.

This session took an entire day and at the end of the session they admitted that what I had written was actually not insulting to Islam at all. The problem, however, they told me, is that I write in English while the readers who had made police reports against me do not understand English that well. So, because of their poor command of English, they have misunderstood what I had written and thought that I had insulted Islam.

The solution to this, they told me, is that maybe I should write in Bahasa Malaysia instead of English.

I then asked them: do you mean I am being detained not because I had insulted Islam but because my Malay-educated readers do not understand English that well?

They just shrugged their shoulders and did not offer any response.

The same thing happened during my sedition trial. The police officer who had made a police report against me (yes, it was a police officer and not a member of the public who made a police report against me) was Superintendent Gan, the head of Interpol in Malaysia. You would expect that since he is head of Interpol then he would have en extremely high command of English.

In that police report which Superintendent Gan made, he marked seven paragraphs that he considered as 'seditious’. However, when my lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo, cross-examined him, it was revealed that he did not understand what I had written. He thought I had been seditious because he had interpreted what I had written according to his understanding of English. But when Gobind debated with him what I had written, Superintendent Gan could offer no reply. He was literally speechless.

On my Statutory Declaration, again, both the IGP and AG do not appear to understand English that well. If I had committed a crime of criminal defamation, as they say I had, then it would not have been against Rosmah Mansor but against the number two of the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence who I allege had told me what I had declared.

So, if they still want to charge me for criminal defamation, they should charge me for defaming the number two of the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence and not for defaming Rosmah. I had alleged that he had said all these things which I had stated in my Statutory Declaration. So it is him who I had defamed, if I truly had defamed anyone. I never defamed Rosmah. I defamed another person who I allege had said all these things about Rosmah.

Yes, since Malaysia’s education system was ‘reformed’, we have many people educated in Bahasa Malaysia who are pretending that they have a perfect command of English and are making fools of themselves. Dahlah bodoh, pura-pura pandai pulak. That, in Bahasa Malaysia, is called bodoh sombong!

Bangang!

Ibrahim Ali: I don't give a damn about MCA

By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali has scoffed at an earlier statement by MCA that Perkasa's racial espousals may have inadvertently contributed to the recent attack on a Selayang municipal councillor and his assistant.

“I don't give a damn about MCA,” he said. “It is just capitalising on this unfortunate incident to gain political mileage and portray themselves as champions of the Chinese. In fact, I would like to congratulate MCA for defending DAP since the Selayang councillor is a DAP member.”

Some 50 individuals, wearing T-shirts bearing the Perkasa logo, assaulted Lim Ching How and his assistant Mohd Zuhudi Ahmad on Wednesday because of a dispute over the issuance of a land use permit to a charity organisation.

Ibrahim said that a check within Perkasa has not revealed the alleged assailants to be among its members.

“Perkasa T-shirts are available to anyone,” he told FMT. “Perkasa doesn't condone violence nor allow its members to take part in violent activities. Violence is not our policy.”

When asked whether he is angry that Perkasa's name is being tarnished by outsiders, he said that such incidents should never happen in the first place. However, he questioned the motive behind the assault.

According to reports, the duo was attacked because the group was unhappy that a previous application for business by one of them on the same plot of land in Seri Gombak was rejected.

But Ibrahim alleged that there is more to it than that.

“This is hearsay but from what I understand, the permit was issued to the first company by the previous BN government,” he claimed.

“When Pakatan took over, the permit was transferred to the current company without any explanation. Why did it happen? This matter should also be investigated as part of the incident.”

An official from the Selayang Municipal Council said that the officer in charge was unavailable for comment.

Judicial Officers Warned To Continue To Hear Cases

PUTRAJAYA, June 11 (Bernama) -- Chief Justice of Malaysia Tun Zaki Tun Azmi Friday issued a stern warning to judicial officers that they continue to hear their cases even after getting their promotions and transfer to other courts.

He said he would revoke the promotion and transfer of officers found not to adhere to the directive.

"I receive information that there are a few judicial officers who no longer hear their cases after getting their promotion and transfer to other courts.

"These officers, I'll make sure their promotion or transfer order are revoked.

"I know who they are...otherwise, you will not be here to receive this award," he said at the Malaysian Federal Court excellent service award presentation here Friday.

The recipients included Kuala Lumpur High Court senior assistant registrar Tengku Amalin A'ishah Putri Sultan Ismail Petra, who is the Kelantan Sultan's daughter.

Zaki also said that he still received complaints on corruption involving staff of the judiciary and warned them that he would not sympathise with those found involved.

Zaki said that the Subordinate Courts Act would be amended to enhance the power of the Sessions Court and the Magistrate's Court to ensure cases could be disposed off faster and to create more senior posts.

"We are confident that the presence of more efficient courts will convince investors and the international community that we are serious in protecting investors," he added.

10MP: What about 40% emissions cut pledge?

This morning, the frontpage of the newspaper was all about Najib’s unveiling of the Tenth Malaysia Plan – but what about that all-important emissions cut pledge in Copenhagen?
Let’s see now – 52 “high-impact projects” including:

• seven highway projects (think lucrative toll concessions and the promotion of private vehicle ownership),
• massive property development all over the place,
• coal-fired plants (including the controversial one in Sabah?), and
• two aluminium smelters (to justify all those unnecessary dams?).

My question now, is how does all this jive with Najib’s announcement in Copenhagen last December that Malaysia had agreed to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by up to 40 per cent by the year 2020 (compared to 2005 levels), subject to assistance from developed countries.
With all these “high-impact projects”, will adoption of green technology alone be enough to secure the 40 per cent target by 2020?
Shouldn’t the 40 per cent pledge be one of the central planks of the New Economic Model and the Tenth Malaysia Plan? I haven’t heard any emphasis on emissions cuts, have you?
We seem to think our economic policies will have no impact on climate change, which we blissfully believe will not affect us.

“Riots” at detention center – detainees forced to the brink?

Last Sunday, The Star:

KUALA BERANG: Some 200 illegal immigrants from Vietnam and Myanmar went on a riot at the Ajil detention camp late last night.
It is believed that the immigrants had tried to torch the main administration building at the camp at around 9.15pm, sparking a melee.
It is also learnt that several of the immigrants were also injured during the incident and had been warded at the Hulu Terengganu Hospital.
Several teams of Federal Reserve Unit personnel in anti-riot gear were also rushed to the scene to quell the riot from their headquarters in Kuala Terengganu.
It is not known however if the authorities had used tear gas to quell the riots but at press time, the area was still being condorned off and the police were still manning roadblocks on the road leading towards the camp.
As at press time, no reason had been given for the riot and police officers were seen at the site still negotiating with the group inside.
In 2005, 131 Thai Muslims who were seeking temporary shelter from unrest in Southern Thailand were housed in Ajil camp.
While on July 1 last year, 700 Myanmar illegals had caused a ruckus at Semenyih camp.

To be fair, I don’t really know what happened.
I do know however, what kind of conditions exist in these detention camps, and I can’t say for sure whether I wouldn’t riot myself after a few weeks or months in one of them.
No one likes violence, and we should never be looking for reasons to justify it.
I suspect however, that the key to avoiding situations like this ‘riot’ is to make the living conditions at such camps MUCH more humane, or entirely revisit our approach to undocumented migrants.
The unimaginably cramped, dirty, unhygenic living conditions may be less different from concentration camps than we would like to think.
We can all relate to the nobility of the repressed in movies like Cool Hand Luke (recently on Astro), The Shawshank Redemption, Felon, and so on, but when similar things may be happening on our soil, the media likes to pain less than flattering pictures of ‘riots’ and ‘ruckuses’.
I could be wrong, but I think what happened in Kuala Berang is what would happen to any group of humans subject for such long, indeterminate periods of most brutal inhumanity.

Karpal acquitted of sedition charge

(Malaysiakini) Veteran opposition lawmaker Karpal Singh was today acquitted of sedition charges by the Kuala Lumpur High Court after the prosecution failed to prove a prima facie case.

He was freed of the charge without his defence being called.


Karpal (right) was charged with sedition over the contents of his Feb 6, 2009 press conference, where he said legal action could be instituted against the Perak sultan over his role in the state constitutional crisis earlier that year.

He was charged under section 4(1) (b) of the Sedition Act 1948 which carries a maximum sentence of RM5,000 fine or a jail term of three years or both if found guilty.


On March 17 last year, Karpal Singh claimed trial to a charge of uttering seditious words at his office, Tetuan Karpal Singh & Co, Jalan Pudu Lama between noon and 12.30pm on Feb 6.


He was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948 and faces a maximum fine of RM5,000 or three years' imprisonment, or both, if found guilty.

In his judgement, the recently promoted Judge Azman Abdullah said that Karpal's action did not amount to sedition as it falls under the exception provided by law.


"After scrutinizing the statements to the press , I find that they falls within the exception in Section 3(2)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948," he said.

Section 2 states that it is not seditious to "show that any Ruler has been misled or mistaken nor is it seditious to point out errors or defects in the government or constitution as established by the law.


The judge added that the prosecution had failed to prove the ingredient provided in section 3(1) under the Act which leads to the tendency to incite or to incite hate and disloyalty to the Ruler.

Judge Azman abrought up a few incidents from the press conference, to illustrate how Karpal's action clearly fell under the exception rules, citing the following two instances:


"In a video of the press conference, the accused said "But I'll make it very clear, I got nothing personal in this matter, this is a constitutional matter".

"Few provocative questions were asked the accused but in his answers, he did not take the opportunity to blow up the issue".

Representing Karpal were Jagdeep Singh, Param Cumaraswamy, Gobind Singh Deo, Teoh Lip Eng, Sangeet Kaur, M Manoharan, Ram Karpal and Ponmugan Ponnan.


The prosecutors comprised Noorin Badaruddin and Melissa Mohd Akhir while Rajpal Singh held the watching brief for the Bar Council.

Outside the court a jubilant DAP National Chairman was all smiles, thanking his lawyers, while reminding all present that he had always maintained his innocence.


"What I have said is in accordance with the law. I have always maintained it, nothing untoward or illegal from what I had said," the Bukit Gelugor MP told reporters outside court.


Asked if he had expected to be acquitted, he said that he had always thought there was nothing wrong with what he had said.


"Justice has prevailed" he added, after his wife Gurmit Kaur presented him with a colourful garland.


He said that the fact that he had been cleared showed that there was some truth in his statements.

"The message is quite clear, a ruler can be taken to court, that what I said is in line with the constitution," he added.


When asked if he is going to celebrate, he laughed and said that there had been lots of calls for it.

"The message is quite clear, a ruler can be taken to court, that what I said is in line with the constitution," he added.


When asked if he is going to celebrate, he laughed and said that there are a lot of calls for it.


"Of course we have must heed to those calls," he said smiling broadly.


His son Jagdeep chipped in, saying the court decision was indeed a fine birthday present for his father's 70th birthday which falls on the 28th of this month.


A total of 19 witnesses had testified in the trial, among them deputy director of RTM television news Roslan Ariffin, Malaysiakini journalist Lee Way Loon and Utusan Malaysia reporter Nizam Mohd Yatim.