Anasir Lunturkan Semangat Perjuangan PKR…

Dari Merdeka Review

“Kita terus menerbitkan Suara, walaupun cara ini melanggar undang-undang. Kita terus mengedarkan Suara walaupun banyak pengedar yang diugut. Kita tidak ada pilihan lain. Pihak berkuasa menuduh kita melanggar undang-undang. Akan tetapi, dengan menafikan hak kita untuk bersuara, sebagaimana yang dijanjikan oleh Perlembagaan Persekutuan, Kerajaan sebenarnya menggalakkan kita melakukan aktiviti di luar undang-undang. Ini tuntutan masa dan keadaan.” — Dipetik daripada ucapan perasmian Syed Husin Ali, selaku Timbalan Presiden dalam Kongres Nasional Tahunan AMK dan Wanita PKR, pada 1 September 2006.

Suara Keadilan, lidah rasmi PKR selepas penggabungan antara Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) dengan Parti KeADILan Nasional, tidak memperolehi permit sejak terbitan sulungnya pada Jun 2005. Bagaimanapun, terbitan diteruskan biarpun berdepan dengan tekanan dan ugutan dari Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN).

Seandainya diimbas, ia mungkin detik saat yang paling sukar untuk PKR, dengan hanya tinggal seorang ahli parlimen, iaitu Presidennya, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail setelah dibadai “gelombang biru” dalam PRU ke-11. Namun demikian, semangat perjuangan pimpinan dan anggotanya menjadi obor yang menerangkan kesuraman ini.

Ia tidak terhenti setakat pada ucapan Syed Husin Ali, atau seruan Ketua Penerangan ketika itu, Tian Chua semasa sesi penggulungan perbahasan dalam Kongres Nasional Tahunan, untuk berdemonstrasi menuntut hak penerbitan lidah parti. Kata-kata diterjemahkan kepada tindakan, apabila pimpinan dan anggota PKR turun gelanggang untuk berkumpul di bawah pejabat SUHAKAM pada 24 November 2006.

Protes hangat-hangat ayam?

Adegan tersebut tidak kelihatan lagi, biarpun PKR kini ditimpa nasib yang sama – permit Suara Keadilan tidak diperbaharui. Tindakan protes agak hangat sebermulanya, apabila PKR mengambil langkah untuk menerbitkan lidah partinya dalam bentuk edisi tidak berkala, bermula dengan Keadilan (12 Julai 2010), Obor Keadilan (19 Julai 2010), Sinar Keadilan (26 Julai 2010), Utusan Keadilan (2 Ogos 2010), Berita Keadilan (9 Ogos 2010) dan kemudiannya berhenti di Metro Keadilan (16 Ogos 2010).

“Saya rasa ini sedang diperjuangkan…” Syed Husin Ali, Timbalan Presiden PKR cuba mempertahankan partinya, dalam satu wawancara bersama MerdekaReview, yang diadakan di pejabatnya, semalam.

Jawapan beliau ditemukan dengan soalan susulan, “Tetapi mengapa ia diberhentikan?”

“Ada perubahan dalam Suara Keadilan…” Beliau akhirnya mengakur, menceritakan bagaimana organ parti ini diambil alih oleh “golongan yang dianggap profesional”, dari tangan “orang yang bersemangat tetapi dianggap tidak profesional”.

Pengambil-alihan ini berlaku selepas tsunami politik, apabila PKR dilambung dengan harapan tinggi daripada rakyat. Babak ini menyaksikan bagaimana Zunar, Ketua Pengarang dengan kakitangannya dalam Suara Keadilan, terpaksa memberi laluan kepada pasukan editorial baru.

“Test (ujian) yang pertama ialah golongan profesional ini, misalnya kali pertama, dua tahun lalu, (Suara Keadilan) dihentikan, (selepas tsunami), sudah dihentikan. Suara Keadilan tak ada permit, mereka berundur. Yang profesional takut.”

Syed Husin Ali (gambar kiri) menyambung, “Dan saya kata waktu itu, keluarkan (terbitkan), buat atas nama saya. Dan mereka teruskan. Tapi yang meneruskan ialah golongan yang bersemangat dan berani itu. Tetapi, apabila golongan yang profesional ini mengambil alih, walaupun saya katakan nama permit tu nama saya, saya ambil tanggungjawab, tapi mereka kurang berani.”

Profesional tetapi tak berani?

Di sini ia memperlihatkan satu perubahan dalam sikap, yang berlaku di kalangan anggota mahupun pimpinan parti. Syed Husin Ali mengakuinya, “Tapi, itu tak bererti terus mengalah begitu sahaja. Sebab sekarang, salah satu sebab, golongan profesional ini dia memikirkan soal kewangan, untung-rugi, kan? Dan bila tak ada wang, dia tak berani nak keluarkan.”

Apakah fenomena ini membimbangkan Timbalan Presiden, yang bakal berundur? “Ada, ada kemungkinannya nilai-nilai kebendaan dan kewangan mendominasi dalam parti. Kebimbangan itu ada. Ini bukan masalah parti. Ini masalah seluruh masyarakat. Seluruh dunia. Dan sangat susah untuk kita menongkah arus… Orang yang bodoh-bodoh macam saya sahaja…”

Beliau ketawa bersama wartawan, untuk jawapan yang tidak perlu dijelaskan lagi. Tetapi, bukankah ia satu sindiran yang sinis, apabila PKR mampu mengharungi rintangan ini pada zaman yang paling sukar buat partinya, tetapi kini dengan segala syarat atau kelebihan yang ada, misalnya kuasa kerajaan negeri, bilangan wakil rakyat yang bertambah, ia pula senang mengalah?

Syed Husin Ali terpaksa mengakuinya, sambil meluahkan apa yang terpendam, “Ini satu fenomena yang kurang baik, kerana lebih sibuk sekarang ini dengan soal-soal kerajaan, dengan soal jadi wakil rakyat, dengan soal jadi ADUN, daripada memikirkan kerja-kerja dan sumbangan terhadap rakyat.”

Melihat kepada senario ini, mungkin ada yang menganggap teguran ahli politik veteran ini masih diperlukan dalam PKR. Tetapi, secara terus-terang beliau berkata, “Walaupun saya berada di situ, ataupun tak ada di situ, perkara ini akan berlaku…”

Peranan Soh Chee Wen

Jelas, sesuatu yang “tidak kena” berlaku dalam PKR itu sendiri. Kemasukan “golongan yang dianggap profesional, tetapi tidak bersemangat” ke dalam parti selepas tsunami politik pada tahun 2008, harus diteliti. Wartawan seterusnya menyebut nama “Soh Chee Wen”, yang dibangkitkan oleh Zaid Ibrahim secara terbuka baru-baru ini dalam kenyataannya…

Soalannnya berbunyi, “Sejauh manakah peranan Soh Chee Wen (gambar kanan) dalam parti?”

“Sekarang tak ada,” jawab Syed Husin Ali.

“Dulu ada?” tanya wartawan.

“Dulu ada, dari segi kewangan…” Syed Husin Ali jelas teragu-ragu, mungkin dikhuatiri sama ada dirinya membongkar rahsia parti, yang sebenarnya sudah menjadi rahsia terbuka.

“Sekarang tak ada. Sekarang tidak boleh lagi.” Apabila wartawan mendesak, beliau dengan lantas menjawab, “Saya tidak tahu”. Bagaimanapun, akhirnya beliau memberi bayangan, “Baca Free Malaysia Today, kaji siapa di belakangnya… Adakah ia menganggap parti sebagai kawan, atau lawan?”

Namun, jelas Syed Husin Ali terusik dengan kenyataan Zaid Ibrahim, Pengerusi Majlis Pimpinan PKR Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, yang mempersoalkan, bukankah Soh Chee Wen sahabat Anwar? ?Siapakah ‘”Musuh Parti” dalam PKR??

“Saya akan kata, satu waktu dulu…” Syed Husin Ali menjelaskan, “Anwar (gambar kanan) pun sahabat baik dengan ramai orang yang telah keluar daripada parti. Sama ada anggota parlimen, ataupun orang yang pernah aktif dalam parti. Tetapi bila mengambil satu sikap yang tertentu, takkan boleh katakan mereka tu bekerjasama ataupun sepandangan.”

“Sudah berubah, sudah berubah…” Demikianlah yang diulangi oleh ahli politik yang berusia 74 tahun ini. Beliau menambah, perhubungan antara orang dengan keadaan sentiasa berubah dalam politik, sehingga orang mengatakan “tiada yang tetap dalam politik”.

“Maka tak usahlah dibangkitkan bahawa hubungan mereka yang baik seketika dahulu, apabila keadaan sudah berubah sekarang,” kata Syed Husin Ali.

Soh Chee Wen dikatakan memainkan peranan yang aktif seketika dahulu di ibu pejabat PKR. Bagaimanapun, beliau kini telah meninggalkan pejabatnya, kebetulan tidak lama selepas bekas Setiausaha Agung, Salehuddin Hashim meletak jawatan.

Soh Chee Wen, bekas pemimpin yang berkecimpung di antara dunia politik dan korporat, terkenal sebagai orang kanan Ling Liong Sik ketika Ling menerajui pimpinan MCA. Namun, hubungan Soh Chee Wen dengan Ling Liong Sik menjadi tegang semasa kemelut ekonomi pada tahun 1997, malah Soh melarikan diri ke luar negara setelah disabit dengan tuduhan jenayah komersial.

“Dana sumbangan” merupakan sesuatu yang lumrah dalam operasi parti politik. Dalam dunia realiti, udang tetap akan bersembunyi di sebalik batu. Dana sumbangan tidak datang secara percuma…

“Ada, ” Syed Husin Ali cuba menafikan, menjelaskan bahawa “ada yang menderma dan tidak begitu demanding (permintaan yang banyak)”. Beliau menambah, tanpa merujuk kepada siapa-siapa, “Dia (penyumbang dana politik) tidak boleh menggunakan wang sebagai leverage (pengaruh) untuk menentukan dasar.”

“Mana-mana parti politik tidak akan keberatan untuk menerima sumbangan yang ikhlas, tetapi bukan dikenakan syarat, misalnya siapa yang hendak diangkat (menjadi pimpinan), rancangan apa yang dijalankan, atau dasar apa yang perlu dilaksanakan…” tegas beliau.

Sementara mengalu-alukan sokongan kebendaan dan moral, Syed Husin Ali berterus-terang, “Sebenarnya parti tidak seharusnya bergantung kepada orang-orang tertentu. Sama ada dari segi kewangan ataupun dari segi organisasi. Ataupun dari segi politik. Tak boleh. Bahkan parti tak boleh bergantung hanya pada Anwar.”

“Parti harus bergantung kepada organisasi, dasar dan sebagainya…” tegas Syed husin Ali. (Bahagian pertama, bersambung)

*Wawancara ini dijalankan oleh Lim Hong Siang dan Wong Shu Qi dari MerdekaReview, di pejabat Timbalan Presiden PKR, Syed Husin Ali pada 16 September 2010.

Call for RCI into why no action had been taken on earlier police reports as far back as 2005 against the lawyer brothers linked to the mass murders of Sosilawati and 3 others

By Lim Kit Siang,

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon said yesterday that “All quarters should work together in making the 1 Malaysia concept and the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) a success instead of creating controversial issues which will not do any good to the country’s development”. (Malaysian Insider)

He said what was more important now was for all quarters to pay attention to improve the country’s economy and offer better service to the people, both in the urban and rural areas.

“If there are views or criticisms, the criticisms should be something constructive and positive and not something that could create disharmony among the parties.

As example he cited: “For example, a crime should not be linked to a racial issue because it will not do any good to anybody.”

The Umno newspaper, Utusan Malaysia has been most guilty of being negative, destructive and even downright irresponsible, mischievous and malicious in its campaign to undermine national unity and harmony in the country.

It is most deplorable that Utusan Malaysia had tried to politicise and racialise the heinous, gruesome and despicable mass murders of Datuk Sosilawai Lawiya and three others in Banting for its ignoble objectives, publishing the defamatory insinuation and double lies on Sept. 16 that DAP was siding with the mass murderers and had been silent on the mass murders either because the “Datuk” killer was DAP member or DAP “fights for the rights of a certain race only”.

In actual fact, DAP had come out with an unreserved condemnation of the mass murders of Datuk Sosilawati and three others when such terrible crimes came to light on Sept. 12, and in my first press conference in Kota Kinabalu on Sept. 15 on my return to Malaysia from the Shanghai World Expo, I had also denounced in the strongest possible terms the heinous, gruesome crimes of the mass murders of Sosilawati and three others.

What is the use of Tsu Koon preaching about 1Malaysia when he dared not denounce the gutter journalism practised by Utusan Malaysia?

I join the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in congratulating the police for their efficiency in solving the mass murders of Datuk Sosilawati and three others.
The Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin is on public record as saying that the police have established a strong case against the two lawyer brothers and six others over the murder of the cosmetic millionaire and her three associates, and expect to submit their report on the murders to the Attorney-General’s Chambers in the coming week.

Malaysians regardless of race, religion or political affiliation demands speedy justice to be meted out to the mass murderers who should not expect any mercy for their horrific crimes.

With the police halting evidence gathering at the farm in Ladang Gadong where the murders allegedly took place and Sungai Panchau where their bodies were believed to have been burnt and dumped, the time has come for the authorities to address the other public concern arising from the mass murders of Sosilawati and the three others.

This is the shocking police inaction over numerous police reports lodged against the two lawyer brothers linked to the Sosilawati mass murders going as far back as 2005, involving fraud, criminal breach of trust, missing persons and murder, and the public concern that Sosilawati and the three other victims would still be alive today if the police had acted efficiently and professionally on these police reports.

In yesterday’s Star, Comm Mohd Bakri was asked whether an internal investigation would be conducted on the lack of action on previous missing person reports before the high-profile murder of Sosilawati emerged, and he replied: “Let us focus on the murders first.”

With the police finalising their reports to the Attorney-General on the Sosilawati mass murders, focus must now return to the question whether Sosilawati and the three others would still be alive today if the police had acted efficiently and professionally on the spate of serious police reports against the two lawyer brothers and why there had been no police action to protect the public since the first police report against the lawyer brothers was lodged five years ago in 2005.

There can be no denial that the efficiency of the police action in solving the Sosilawati mass murders cannot undo the grave damage to the country’s investment climate caused by adverse national and international media reports of how serious and rampant crimes had been allowed to go unchecked – with foreign media reports speculating that up to 20 people both local and foreign could have been killed and their bodies dumped into a river based on 300 bone fragments recovered in Sungai Panchau.

An internal police investigation is completely inadequate, unsatisfactory and unacceptable to restore both public and investor confidence and I call for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to establish why no action had been taken on earlier police reports dating as far back as 2005 against the lawyer brothers linked to the mass murders of Datuk Sosilawati and three others.

(Media comments after the launching of the DAP Pasir Pinji Service Centre Foodfair at Tou Mou Temple, Ipoh on Sunday, 19th September 2010 at 9 am)

Gerakan Determined To Regain Lost Seats

MELAKA, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Gerakan has the confidence and resoluteness to regain the seats it lost to the opposition in the last general election.

Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the party was working very hard and was mobilising the party machinery to achieve this goal.

"We have decided that we have the confidence and determination to win," he told reporters after opening the Melaka Gerakan general meeting, here.

Dr Koh said this when asked to comment on the suggestion by Penang Umno liaison chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that Gerakan handed over the seats it contested in the last general election to the other Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties if it was not confident of winning.

Ahmad Zahid was reported to have said that such a move was appropriate because it would be pointless for the party to contest in the general election if it did not make adequate preparation to contest.

Dr Koh said the party would continue to work hard and collaborate with other BN component parties to ensure victory.

PM fully supports inter-faith efforts in Malaysia

The Star 

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants Malaysia to remain a peaceful nation where the spirit of unity is strong and steadfast among the races.

The Prime Minister said the setting up of the Inter-faith Relations Working Committee – aimed at promoting understanding and harmony – was in line with the 1Malaysia concept to enhance further unity among Malaysians.

Committee co-ordinator Datuk Ilani Isahak said this was what the Prime Minister relayed to members of the Inter-faith Relations Working Committee during a meeting at his office on Tuesday.

“The Prime Minister said there should be more meetings like the one we had. He also said the committee is a mechanism that can help resolve related issues and problems,” Ilani said yesterday.

The committee was established in February to promote inter-religious understanding and harmony.

Among those who attended the 45-minute session with the Prime Minister were Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon and Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom as well as representatives from the Islamic Development Department, Institute of Islamic Understanding, Allied Co-ordinating Committee of Islamic NGOs (Accin), Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), Interfaith Spiritual Fellowship, and Fatwa Management and Research Institute.

Ilani said Najib would also be hosting a gathering with leaders of religious bodies on Wednesday.

MCCBCHST president Rev Dr Thomas Philips said the meeting was a manifestation of Najib’s commitment to further improve unity among the society based on the 1Malaysia spirit.

Accin representative Zaid Kamarudin said the body supported the positive approach which the committee had embarked on to promote understanding and harmony among Malaysians.

“We must continue such efforts for the good of all and find ways to help strengthen the family institution and tackle social issues. Accin is committed to help ensure all these efforts and objectives are successful,” he said.

School still without a principal?

By Anil Netto,

From what I hear, the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Putra Secondary School in Johor has been without a principal on duty for over a month.

School principal Siti Inshah Mansor has been away since 16 August after she was alleged to have uttered racist remarks to pupils.


The school is now being administered by a senior assistant, according to the parent of one of the pupils at the school. On 23 August, this notice appeared on the Kulai District Education Department’s website.

On 3 September, the Star reported that the Public Services Department was going through a six-inch-thick report (six inches?!) submitted by the Education Ministry. If there was a case, the disciplinary committee would deliberate and a show cause letter issued to the principal, who would be given the opportunity to defend herself.

How slowly things are moving in this case. One way or another, the authorities will have to reveal – and reveal soon – what action they are taking. Malaysians are watching.

Kes Sosilawati: Pekida berkabung

1 Malaysia a ‘work in regress’, say PR leaders, analysts

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 – Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders and analysts today denounced the 1 Malaysia policy as a “work in regress”, citing the rise in racial extremism and Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s refusal to defend the concept against Perkasa.

Yesterday, the prime minister stressed that the 1 Malaysia concept was not a failure but merely a “work in progress”.

“It (1 Malaysia) is a work in regress,” DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang (picture) told The Malaysian Insider today.

“If it is a work in progress, we must see tangible steps in that direction, but we are seeing the reverse. During the last 18 months, we have seen a rise in extremism and he (Najib) himself has admitted it,” he added.

Najib said recently that he was saddened by the rising tide of extremism in the country, including racism, but did not pinpoint the strident Malay right wing group, Perkasa.

DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said that Najib’s 1 Malaysia concept would “forever be a work-in-progress” if the premier failed to defend the policy against the likes of Perkasa.

“Najib may describe his 1 Malaysia as a work in progress, but if he is not even willing to defend it openly against organisations like Perkasa that trample all over it, then it’ll just forever be a work-in-progress. No difference from ‘failure’,” said Pua.

Perkasa stepped up the pressure on Najib today to explain his 1Malaysia concept clearly as failure to do so could result in Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) being rejected.

The Malay group said that the 1 Malaysia concept was misunderstood by certain non-Malay communities who perceived the policy as an initiative to create racial equality in sharing the economic pie.

Perkasa had stressed earlier that the 1 Malaysia concept must be founded on Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which states the special position of the Bumiputeras and allows the government to set quotas for educational institutions, government jobs and permits.

Najib said yesterday, however, that the misuse of Article 153 could spiral into “sensitive” issues and hurt racial groups.

Pua dismissed Najib’s remarks as a pointless statement that failed to improve people’s understanding of the 1 Malaysia policy.

“There’s no point just saying there’s misuse when his men in Umno and Perkasa don’t see any misuse, and worse is not getting any lead from him on what is the right definition,” said Pua.

“What is the issue with (Article) 153 that has been misused? Why doesn’t Najib ‘correct’ the view and put an end to the abuse?” asked the Petaling Jaya Utara MP.

The 1 Malaysia policy has been decried by critics as a hollow slogan amid escalating racial tension, notably racially-tinged incidents involving two allegedly racist school principals and the furore surrounding a Chinese MP’s visit to a surau.

Najib’s weeks-long silence on racial issues like that of the school principals has earned him much flak from the public and the opposition who accused him of being like his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar characterised Najib’s 1 Malaysia policy as a construction project whose progress was “too slow”.

“It is like a construction project. Work is in progress but progress is slow. Even though he (Najib) said it’s not a failure, he is slow,” said Mahfuz.

The Pokok Sena MP blamed Umno as the reason behind the spike in racially-tinged incidents, like the controversy surrounding Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching’s visit to a surau in her constituency to deliver aid.

“Racial elements are the agendas of Umno,” said Mahfuz.

Umno leaders have slammed Teo for making a speech at Surau Al-Huda in Kajang while Perkasa called for a ban against non-Muslims from entering mosques or suraus.

Political analysts echoed the views of PR leaders and said that the 1 Malaysia policy would remain a work in progress unless Najib made a strong stand against groups like Perkasa.

“It will continue to be a work in progress unless he (Najib) gets some guts. You have got to show conviction that you believe in your policy,” said political observer Azmi Sharom.

“One of the ways to show conviction is by opposing strongly the people who don’t agree with your policy. Not coming out against Perkasa honestly and openly shows that Najib is not serious about 1 Malaysia,” added the law lecturer.

Political analyst Dr Lim Teck Ghee went a step further and blamed government policies as the reason behind worsening race relations in the country.

“The new rhetoric sounds good, but most people are not only cynical but also point to government policies as the main cause of division and disunity,” said Lim.

Although he acknowledged that the results of the 1 Malaysia policy could not be seen overnight, Lim said that the government, under the rule of BN throughout Malaysia’s history, has had more than half a century to foster racial harmony.

“Of course, 1Malaysia cannot come about overnight but the Government has had more than 50 years to make it work - and now it is asking for more time - perhaps another 50 years?” asked Lim.

“The admission that 1Malaysia is a work in progress should not be used as an excuse for going slow in implementing the concept based on universal values and norms of justice, equality and basic rights and freedom,” he said.

Malaysia tidak lagi digemari pelabur, kata Anwar

Oleh Staf FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia tidak digemari para pelabur di rantau Asia Pasifik dan ini telah menerbit kebimbangan ketua pembangkang dan penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat Anwar Ibrahim akan kedudukan ekonomi negara dibawah Perdana Menteri Najib Tun Razak.

Anwar berkata laporan Bank of America Merill Lynch berkaitan pasaran negara begitu membimbangkan kerana menurut laporan tersebut Malaysia
kini antara negara yang tidak digemari para pelabur di Asia Pasifik selepas bank tersebut meninjau pandangan pengurus dana.

"Sungguhpun kerajaan cuba memberi gambaran yang serba indah, hakikatnya Malaysia jatuh dua anak tangga dari kedudukan sebelum ini iaitu di tangga ke 10, dan kini di kedudukan tercorot."

"Pastinya berita ini menerbitkan rasa bimbang saya berhubung kedudukan ekonomi semasa negara tatkala kononnya pentadbiran Najib akan mengemukakan satu kebijakan ekonomi yang diwar warkan bertujuan menarik minat pelabur," kata Anwar dalam  kenyataan media di sini, hari ini.
Katanya kerajaan Najib perlu memberi perhatian kepada beberapa perkara pokok dan diantaranya adalah pandangan para pelabur yang melihat Malaysia sudah tidak mampu bersaing dengan negara jiran yang begitu bertenaga maju ke hadapan seperti Indonesia.

"Tetangga kita itu menurut tinjauan Forum Ekonomi Dunia (World Economic Forum) pula telah melonjak 10 anak tangga ke kedudukan 44 dari 139 negara," kata beliau, yang pada suatu ketika pernah menjawat jawatan timbalan perdana menteri dan menteri kewangan.

Sangsi MEB mampu pulih ekonomi

Berikutan perkembangan sebegini, Anwar sangsi perincian Model Ekonomi Baru yang bakal diumumkan Najib mampu memulihkan ekonomi negara yang lembap ini.

Kata Anwar hasrat kerajaan untuk menjana pelaburan bernilai RM2.2 trillion dalam  masa 10 tahun, yang mana 92% dari jumlah tersebut datangnya dari pelaburan swasta, pastinya menimbulkan kemusykilan tatkala para pelabur bertindak menjauhi pasaran kita.

"Pemerintah harus sedar, kebijakan ekonomi yang menafikan perkara dasar serta gagal memberi keutamaan untuk melakukan perubahan terhadap sistem yang curang pastinya dipandang sepi."

"Secara tuntas saya tegaskan, para pelabur memberi keutamaan terhadap sistem keadilan yang bersih, iklim yang tidak rasuah dan culas serta kepimpinan negara yang meyakinkan."

"Pembentangan serta perincian dasar ekonomi namun menafikan perkara yang mendasar tersebut hanya akan disambut dingin. Malangnya hakikat
ini terus dinafikan elit pemerintah walau rakyat jelatalah yang menderita menahan beban," kata Anwar.

PKR polls: Illegals in Sabah, late drama in Pahang

By FMT Staff

UPDATED 7.55PM KOTA KINABALU: Several PKR leaders vying for divisional posts in Sabah have resorted to using illegal immigrants to win.

"It is quite rampant in Sabah. Many contestants who have no chance of winning are bringing in illegals to vote for them," a local leader told FMT.

He added that in the Kudat division, the main contender Mursalin Tanjul, believed to be aligned to PKR vice- president Azmin Ali, brought with him 800 “new members” for voting today.

"They all had temporary MyKads with them," said the local leader.

He claimed that the contenders who have little support in Sabah were using illegals as a way to break the stronghold held by PKR vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan in the state.

Jeffrey has thrown his support behind PKR leader Zaid Ibrahim for the deputy's post. Azmin is also vying for the post.

"Azmin's boys are trying to use whatever ways possible to come to power in Sabah," said another local leader close to Jeffrey.
Incumbent's membership vanishes
He said that underhand tactics were also used at the Silam division where the incumbent division youth chief Johan Abdul had his party membership mysteriously missing, thus disabling him from contesting.

He is being challenged by an Azmin man, Johani Abdul Halim.

“What's strange is that Johan is not only an incumbent but is also a well-known local leader. He had no problems in submitting his nomination papers but now suddenly, he is not even a member,” said the leader.

Meanwhile, FMT learnt that almost all Sabah divisions have nominated Zaid to contest for the deputy's post. In some divisions, he garnered a large number of votes to soundly beat Azmin in getting the nod.

“He seemed to have done better that what was anticipated. We are pleasantly surprised by this. We will have to continue working hard,” said an insider from Zaid's team.

Jeffrey and Nurul Izzah Anwar meanwhile were the favourites amongst the Sabah divisions for the vice-president's posts.
Chaos at Indera Mahkota, Raub
While illegal immigrants were making news in divisional polls in Sabah, there was another type of issue which cropped up at Indera Mahkota and Raub divisions, both in Pahang.

Both the divisions first had appeared to have given the nod for Zaid, albeit by razor-thin margins, over Azmin.

However things took a new twist with the arrival of “party members” after the counting of votes had been completed, to turn the tide to favour Azmin.

“At the end, with the voting of these late, late-comers, Azmin won the nominations from these two divisions. We are curious on how the party's election monitoring team could allow for such a thing to happen,” observers told FMT.

It is uncertain if Zaid's team will be lodging an official complaint over the issue.

“He should lodge a complaint. It was a close fight in these two divisions but Zaid won them legitimately. The late-comers should not have been allowed to vote,” added the observers.

Zaid however faced no such troubles in winning the nod from the Jerantut division and at least seven divisions in Sabah.

Azmin on the other hand won the nomination from Tanah Merah, Kelantan. Party's polling observers told FMT that Azmin also won nominations from Silam and Kudat.

Besides Zaid and Azmin, one other person obtained a nomination today for the deputy's post - Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh getting the support of the Cameron Highlands division.

Seventeen divisions have nominated Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to retain the president's post while the Arau division in Perlis had nominated party advisor Anwar Ibrahim for the top post despite him saying that he wasn't interested in contesting.

Candidates need only two nominations to qualify to contest.

Perkasa not like Hindraf, claims Umno leader

(Malaysiakini) Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said right-wing group Perkasa was merely championing the people's rights as spelt out in the constitution.

"In my view, Perkasa is not being provocative or encouraging people to hate each other unlike the outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf)," he said when met by reporters at his Aidilfitri open house at Dewan Senggarang in Batu Pahat.

Mohd Puad (right), who is also an Umno supreme council member, added that matters related to Perkasa were made political issues but close associations between political parties and extreme organisations like Dong Zhong did not merit the same treatment.

Meanwhile, in Ipoh, Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the government practises a policy of inclusivenes towards all NGOs including Perkasa. 

He said his ministry was ever willing to hear feedback from NGOs so long as they did not touch on sensitivities of any race in the country.

"The government does want any conflict wih any NGO including Perkasa especially where inputs towards the formulation of the NEM, Economic Transformation and annual budgets are concerned," he told reporters after presenting aid to 15 families whose houses were damaged in a storm in Bandar Baru Putra today. 

Mahathir to officiate Perkasa event

He said this when asked to comment about the prime minister's statement yesterday that Umno wanted to avoid conflicts with any NGO including the right-wing Perkasa. 

In Kota Bharu, Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali said his NGO was not involved in politics but was only voicing out the people rights as provided for by the constitution.

"I wish to reiterate here that we are not a political party and are also not supporting any party including Umno but are championing the people's rights under the constitution," he told reporters after holding a briefing session for the machinery organising a people's gathering here on Sept 25.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is scheduled to grace it.

- Bernama

Karpal: DAP should adopt one candidate-one seat policy

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: The DAP national chairman Karpal Singh wants his party to adopt a “one candidate-one seat” electoral formula in the next general election, with one exception. The exception is to allow the Penang chief minister to contest both the state and parliament seats to safeguard public and state interests.

Karpal said DAP should do away with its 44-year-old practice of fielding certain candidates to contest both federal and state seats in the polls.

This, he said, would allow more capable and qualified party members to join in the national electoral fray.

Since being an officially registered party in 1966, DAP has always fielded candidates to contest both federal and state seats up to the last general election.

Karpal explained that the dearth of talented, capable and qualified candidates was the main reason for DAP to allow candidates to contest both seats in the past.

“But it is no more the case now,” he told a press conference in Taman Tun Sardon during a visit to his Bukit Gelugor parliamentary constituency.

He said the influx of new members, who were attracted by the party's growing strength and popularity, has given the DAP several choices to pick its candidates for the next general election.

"Currently, the party has members who are qualified, capable and dynamic enough to contest elections," said Karpal, who himself is no stranger to the double-seat party electoral formula.

He was a Jelutong MP and Bukit Gelugor assemblyman between 1978 and 1986.

In subsequent elections, besides continuing to be Jelutong MP, he also contested and lost state seats of Sungai Pinang (1990), Padang Kota (1995) and Datuk Keramat (1999).

A direct voice

Said Karpal: “The time has come for the DAP to stop the practice and adopt the one man-one seat policy.

“The only exception would be to allow the chief minister to contest both seats.”

He added that the exception was necessary to allow a chief minister to represent the people of Penang in parliament.

”A chief minister would be a direct voice for the people of Penang in parliament,” he said.

He will raise the matter at the next party central executive committee meeting to be held probably early next month.

DAP currently has seven MPs doubling up as state representatives.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is the Bagan MP and Air Putih state representative. He is also the party secretary-general.

Besides him, Deputy Chief Minister P Ramasamy is the Batu Kawan MP and Prai assemblyman while Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow represents Tanjung parliamentary and Padang Kota state constituencies.

Other DAP stalwarts wearing double hats are Beruas MP and Sitiawan assemblyman Ngeh Koo Ham; Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyman Nga Kor Ming, both from Perak; Seputeh MP and Kinrara state representative Teresa Kok Suh Sim from Selangor; and Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen from Sarawak.

Automatic registration
Karpal said he would also prefer other Pakatan Rakyat allies – PKR and PAS – to adopt the same one man-one seat election policy.

Karpal also wants the Election Offences Act 1954 to be amended to allow automatic registration of voters, enforce compulsory voting for all citizens and lower the current voting age limit of 21 to 18.

He will propose these amendments during parliamentary debate on Budget 2011, which is scheduled to be tabled by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Najib Tun Razak on Oct 15.

He wants the federal government to make the amendments before the next general election, which he forecast could be held together with the Sarawak state election after Chinese New Year next year.

Karpal said the automatic registration and compulsory voting would uphold the rights and responsibilities of citizens, while a voting age limit of 18 would standardise the country’s democratic process in line with the Age of Majority Act 1971.

Section Two of the Age of Majority Act states that minority of all males and females shall cease and determine within Malaysia at the age of 18 years and every such male and female attaining that age shall be of the age of majority.

“The compulsory voting shall be enforced with a severe penalty for the offenders,” said Karpal.

On the next general election, he said although Pakatan states need not hold state elections simultaneously with the parliamentary polls, it would be politically logical and realistic to do so.

He said simultaneous state elections in Pakatan-ruled Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Kelantan could neutralise Barisan Nasional election machinery’s focus and emphasis.

“Logically and realistically, it would boost Pakatan’s electoral chances,” he said.

Pit-stop for Pantai Remis seafood

On the Food Trail with Tiberius Kerk
MONTHS before I headed up north for a holiday, a Penangite dutifully gave me the GPS co-ordinates for Ng Chin Boon Seafood Restaurant in Pantai Remis, Perak.
I recall my initial reaction was “why do I want to visit a desolate place like that”. The last time I heard the name Pantai Remis was when my dad said he loved the place for its solitude and tranquillity.

Anyway, I was back on the North-South Expressway (NSE) heading back to Kuala Lumpur after a week-long vacation in good old Penang when my thoughts suddenly switched to Pantai Remis.

No harm making a detour, I thought. My family who heard I suggested the place gave it their whole-hearted approval. They all seemed to get hungry every three hours.

I fished out my Garmin GPS unit and logged on to Ng Chin Boon Seafood. What I thought would be a 20-minute detour from the NSE turned out to be a 40-minute drive.

I had forgotten that Perak is a big state. Along the half-forgotten route to Pantai Remis, I came across road signs indicating Kampung Acheh, Kampung Koh, Kampung Tebok Yan, Kampung Mangsa Ribut and Kampung Sungai Batu.

One could easily retire in this place, breathe in the fresh air, eat lots of ulam and live up to 90 years old. But we city slickers prefer to live life on the fast lane, eat recklessly, sleep late and die early half the time.

While I was soaking in the greenery of the surroundings, I kept one eye on the GPS. When the “Finish Flag” popped up on the GPS, I kept driving because I couldn’t believe that little lane was the right turn.

Then I “gostan” (reverse gear) and spotted that little sign that says “Ng Chin Boon”. For heaven’s sake, I thought, why do they put up such a tiny sign. I had forgotten that this is a very small town.

A dirt road led me to almost nowhere as I slowed to a crawl. A man in a singlet gave me that basketball coach’s “time out” sign (horizontal elbow with the other hand forming a T-sign).

Teochew clan
Thirty seconds later, I found out he wasn’t telling me to stop and relax but he was actually indicating that it was a dead-end. But being a dodo from a bigger town I had misinterpreted his signal.

It turned out he was the proprietor of the Ng Chin Boon Seafood Restaurant. Where’s the sign, everybody in the car asked.

Well, in Pantai Remis apparently, they advertised their place on the main road because all the locals can catch the drift except us, not-so-smart city folks.

We found out very quickly that the restaurant owners were from the Teochew clan. My wife knew because she is half Teochew. Teochew food is not exactly nyonya which we preferred but we were literally in the boondocks, so we decided to let it slide.

I also wanted to report back to my KL colleague about his “hot” tip-off. After some half-intelligent verbal sparring, we narrowed it down to four dishes.

While the cook was busy in the kitchen, we were entertained by a loud speaker blaring out music from the early 70s. The songs and music kept reminding me of my hometown and my mum because I have heard it all before from Rediffusion Malaysia, back in those nostalgic days when music CDS and DVDs were non-existent.

Where did they get all those songs, I half-uttered to myself. It was like being pushed back on to memory lane, except I was no longer 10 years old.

The dishes soon came, not to our surprise because we were only the second table of customers. It wasn’t that time of the day when the place was overflowing with clientele.

The prawn fritters looked inviting and scrumptious. The fishball and foo-chuk soup wasn’t appealing but it was different nevertheless.

In contrast to those two dishes was the curry fish which looked absolutely great. The fourth dish was crab meat with slices of cucumber.

A thumb-up

If you are not Teochew, you may not like the food at this seafood restaurant but I wasn’t the only one hungry at 3pm, so we all ate hurriedly and silently.

It was that time of the day when even two dogs present were tired.

There was no proper decorum to observe in a place like this. Regular customers sat with their legs folded in a lotus position and some of them were in singlets.

The food received a one thumb-up from us. It wasn’t the best we had tasted. Perhaps we caught the kitchen chef on the wrong day or at wrong time of the day.

Normally, it was during the evenings that places like this come alive. That was when you will find more than two cooks in the kitchen and maybe four woks ablaze with fresh ingredients on the boil.

Pantai Remis is located not so far away from Sitiawan where the Foochow people hold sway. It is a coastal town. Hence, seafood is expected to be fresh and bountiful.

The town emerged in the 1940s. The town probably got its name from a grayish shell which could be easily crushed. It is called “Remis”.

If you can find Pantai Remis, you will be within viewing distance of the Bruas River. It is said that the ancient Hindu kingdom of Gangga Negara’s port was located nearby. But that’s another story, one that doesn’t involve food.

If you have nothing better to do while driving on the NSE one fine day, you may want to pay a courtesy call on Pantai Remis. You may just catch something that I have missed.

Pekida- Tahniah PDRM

SEE MORE PICTURES HERE

Dear Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim

In July 2010, the Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru (Penang), Dato' Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, held a press conference and informed the media about the contents of my e-mail. He briefed the media in great detail about what he had found in my e-mail account.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Dear Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim,

I refer to today's news item by Bernama (MCMC no slacker in acting against Internet abusers) where you were quoted as having said: "We have taken action, are taking action and will take action against the offenders.”

I would like to bring to your attention that a year ago today my e-mail was compromised. I discovered that my password does not work and suspected that my account may have been hacked.

I suspected this because earlier my raja.petra.kamarudin@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it e-mail account had also been hacked and since then I am no longer able to access it. That first hacking coincided with the time the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) came to my house to confiscate my computer so I can only assume that the hacking was the work of the Malaysian police.

Anyway, on this second occasion last year, I contacted Jeanie Santoso of Google Singapore who so kindly contacted her head office in the United States to get my password changed. Within 24 hours I managed to take back control of my e-mail account.

I suspected, however, whoever had taken control of my e-mail account over those 24 hours must have printed out all my e-mail communications and my suspicion was proven two months ago.

In July 2010, the Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru (Penang), Dato' Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, held a press conference and informed the media about the contents of my e-mail. He briefed the media in great detail about what he had found in my e-mail account.

I can only assume that either Zahrain Mohamed Hashim is behind the hacking of my e-mail account or he is working in concert with those who are behind the hacking. Either way he is somehow involved.

I would be grateful if you could get MCMC to take action against Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, as what you said they would do. I take it that as a Cabinet Minister you are aware that the hacking of someone’s e-mail account and calling a press conference to announce to the world the contents of that e-mail is a crime. By taking action against Zahrain Mohamed Hashim this would prove that you are serious about this matter and that the government is not just taking action against those perceived as anti-Umno while pro-Umno people are immune from prosecution.

I realise it is not in the interest of the Malaysian government if it is made known that a Malaysian Member of Parliament is working with certain parties or is heading an operation to hack the e-mail accounts of Malaysians. This is almost like the infamous American Watergate scandal although this ‘breaking in’ was not physical as much as it is cyber.

Nevertheless, I am sure that some laws have been broken and that we can and should do something about it. The fact that Zahrain Mohamed Hashim has admitted his act and that the Malaysian mainstream newspapers carried the news of his press conference plus that of his admission/confession that he has access to my e-mail account and knows what is in it makes it easy for the government to prove its case against him.

I look forward to your advice and guidance on this matter if you wish to pursue this matter. Below are links to the press conference where Zahrain Mohamed Hashim admitted he has details of what is in my e-mail account.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Raja Petra Kamarudin

ADDENDUM

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/15/nation/6669111&sec=nation

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/42394-zahrain-furnishes-proof-rpks-sponsors-london

http://www.malaysiandigest.com/news/36-local/5433-zahrain-furnishes-proof-on-raja-petras-sponsors-in-london

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/42561-khairy-wants-police-investigate-pkr

http://freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/pakatan-rakyat/7437-zahrain-exposes-pkr-raja-petra-link

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MCMC no slacker in acting against Internet abusers: Rais

(Bernama) -- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is no slacker in taking action against those who abuse the Internet, Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said today.

"We have taken action, are taking action and will take action against the offenders.”

"But we need to be very cautious as the cyber world is very complicated," he told the media after launching the second Kampung WiFi (kg WiFi) network at Rh Guntol, Nanga Bekiok, in Merurun here.

"What the public does not know is that there are many things which we do confidentially... that we do not air out. But MCMC has done its job well," he said.

Dr Rais said that for instance 13 cases had been forwarded to the Attorney-General's Chambers, of which six had been made known to the public.

They involved belittling the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the sultans of Perak and Johor, despising other religions, instigation, spreading lies, phishing, and making sensitive racial sentiments.

"It is for the Attorney-General's Chambers to make the final decision," he said.

Dr Rais said some 503 websites were being looked at by the MCMC for various offences.

He said efforts were being made to improve enforcement units in terms of acquiring more computer forensics experts, training and relevant equipment.

"All investigations will be based on the new approach of using computer science and knowledge," he said.

What’s the common factor in all of these? UMNO!!!!!!

By Haris Ibrahim,

I am informed that at the close of the Raub and the Indera Mahkota PKR division meets today, after counting up the votes, the nomination for deputy president went to Zaid.
A recount was then requested.
Lo and behold!
A new winner!
Azmin Ali!
Reminiscent of Najib’s famous win in Pekan in the 1999 general election.
And Mahathir snatching victory from Kuli in the UMNO elections in 1986.
With UMNOites, all things are possible.

Dr M’s nightmare : Who runs Malaysia? Najib or Singapore?

By Haris Ibrahim,

On 18th June, last year, Andrew Ong of Malaysiakini asked, in relation to the just concluded 8-day visit by Lee Kuan Yew to Malaysia :  Just why did the senior statesman need a one-to-one meeting with the first lady?
Why, indeed?
A little under two years before Kuan Yew met Rosmah, one P. Balasubramaniam, the private investigator who had been employed by Razak Baginda to help try and make his ‘Altantuya nightmare’ go away,  swore and made public a statutory declaration.
In paragraph 25.1 of that declaration he stated : “During this discussion and in an attempt to persuade me to continue my employment with him, Abdul Razak Baginda informed me that he had been introduced to Aminah by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a diamond exhibition in Singapore”.
On 24th May, this year, Malaysiakini reported a statement jointly issued by Najib and Singapore premier Lee Hsien Loong announcing “a plan to jointly redevelop prime chunks of real estate in the city-state as part of efforts to settle issues dating back to their separation“, which included the relocation of a railway station from in Tanjung Pagar in downtown Singapore to the border with Malaysia by 2011.
Issues pending since the separation being now settled in double quick time?
The Pakatan leaders have roundly condemned the Tanjung Pagar deal.
Mahfuz Omar said the deal was the work of traitors.
“The decisions were made by officials who are agents of Singapore and Brunei. This is dangerous as they may rise to higher posts and present an even greater danger to the nation” ,  Malaysiakini reports Mahfuz as warning.
Another Malaysiakini report quoted Anwar as saying that he was “worried that the understanding agreed to by Najib was made and announced in a rush without a proper study although the matter involved national interests and sovereignty and which goes contrary to the position of Najib’s administration previously”.
Dr M’s take on the deal when it was first announced?
“I don’t know what the agreement is about”, Malaysiakini reports.
Dr M’s take now?
My sources in UMNO tell me that Dr M’s conclusions to Andrew Ong’s poser above have led to a decision among the chief of the UMNO warlords that Najib’s days in the driving seat are numbered.

26 Makkal Sakti CC members resign for fresh polls

Twenty-six Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party Central Committee (CC) members have resigned to pave the way for fresh party polls on Sept 25, party secretary-general Kannan Ramasamy said today.
He said the number was more than the two-third majority required under the party constitution for fresh polls to be held. The CC has 31 members.

"The mass resignations to hold the elections were necessary to solve the party's ongoing leadership crisis and prevent it from losing the support of the people.

"Makkal Sakti is running out of time and we cannot prolong this crisis
(further). If we prolong the crisis, it will have a negative effect on Makkal Sakti's image. As such, I believe elections can actually solve the whole issue," he told a news conference at the party headquarters in Shah Alam.

Kannan said the CC members resigned on their own accord and not due to any pressure.

The Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party has been rocked by internal conflict since the end of last year, with one faction, aligned to president RS Thanenthiran, and the other, to deputy president A Vathemurthy, expelling each of the leaders and taking their woes to the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

The party was launched by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on Oct 10 last year and is seen as a catalyst to regain declining grassroots Indian support for the BN.

Some 400 delegates are eligible to elect the president, deputy president, secretary general, treasurer, three vice presidents and 25 CC members at the party's extraordinary and annual general meeting on Sept 25 to be held at the Dewan KR Soma, Wisma Tun Sambanthan, Jalan Kg Attap, Kuala Lumpur.

Kannan said he had invited BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to open the meeting.

- Bernama

Indian Film Enthiran To Hit World Screen On Oct 1

CHENNAI, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The much-awaited South Indian thriller 'Enthiran' is all set for its world release on Oct 1, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

About 2,250 prints of the movie starring superstar Rajnikant will hit screens in various foreign countries including the US, UK, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia besides India.

A total of 300 prints are reserved exclusively for foreign theatres, industry sources said.

The date of the movie's release was declared officially on Friday.

'Enthiran' is one of the most hyped movies in the Indian film industry in the last two years. The expectations began when the renowned hit-maker Shankar declared his new project.

Even minute details of the movie including the dressing and hair style of Rajnikant had caught media attention during the various stages of the production.

The movie is expected to be a mega world hit as other movies of Rajnikant who is fondly referred to as 'Style Mannan' by his admirers. Rajnikant's fans worldwide have already begun their preparations to make the movie yet another blockbuster.

The presence of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the heroine and the thrilling scores by Oscar-winning music maestro A R Rahman have further enhanced the expectations.

"The unique graphic techniques used in the movie will compete with any world film," a source close to the 'Sun Pictures', the producers of 'Enthiran', said.

The censor board had given the movie a U-certificate and not even a single scene was cut from the final print, he said.

Under the banner of Sun Pictures, a division of the Marans-held media conglomerate Sun TV Network, the film is produced by Kalanidhi Maran.

The movie will be released as 'Robort' in Hindi and 'Robo' in Telugu, sources said.

Arrests amid pope's visit to London

 


As a sex abuse scandal rocked the Roman Catholic Church, what did Pope Benedict XVI -- then a cardinal and Vatican official -- know, and when? Watch the investigation "What the Pope Knew," September 25 & 26 at 8 p.m. ET on CNN U.S. and on September 25 at 7 p.m. CET and September 26 at 8 a.m. HK on CNN International.

London, England (CNN) -- Investigators in Britain arrested six men on suspicion of terrorism Friday and reviewed security arrangements for Pope Benedict XVI's trip there, authorities said.

Some news reports said the arrests involved a potential threat to the pope, who was in London on Friday, but the Metropolitan Police declined to say whether the case was directly linked to the pontiff's visit.

Police said they were satisfied the pope's security plan remains "appropriate," and the pope's itinerary did not change.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the pope and his representatives were not particularly worried about the arrests.

"The police have already said that the information they have until now collected demonstrated there is no need to change anything about the program of the pope and the security," Lombardi told reporters in London.

He said he believed the police had simply taken "normal precautionary measures," and everyone remained calm.

"The pope is happy with the trip until now, and we can go on with the same joy as until now," Lombardi said.

Five suspects arrested earlier in the day are street cleaners in Westminster, the borough of London that includes Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and many of the city's tourist attractions, the Westminster City Council said.

They work for one of Westminster's contractors, Veolia Environmental Services, the council said.

It said all staff are subject to checks to make sure they are eligible to work in England, referencing questions about the men's nationality.

The men arrested appeared to be Algerian, a high-ranking source familiar with the investigation said, adding that some or all of them were probably in the country illegally.

The men were arrested around 5:45 a.m. at a business on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, police said.

The men are ages 26, 27, 36, 40 and 50, and were taken to a central London police station to be interviewed by detectives.

A sixth man, 29, was arrested later in the day by counterterrorism detectives investigating the possible plot against the pope, Scotland Yard said.

The men were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, which allows police to hold them without charge for 28 days.

Searches were being carried out at a business in central London and at residential locations in north and east London, police said.

Searches of the men's homes have not turned up any terrorism-related paraphernalia such as bomb-making materials, the source said.

"Today's arrests were made after police received information," police said. "Following initial inquiries by detectives a decision was made to arrest the five men."

Police added there was no change to the threat level in the United Kingdom as a result of the arrests.

The arrests came on the second day of the pope's four-day trip to Britain, and on his first full day in the capital.

After holding an event in south London with Catholic schoolchildren and educators, then meeting with religious leaders, the pope met the archbishop of Canterbury -- the leader of the Anglican Church -- at his London residence of Lambeth Palace. It is the first time a pope has ever visited Lambeth Palace, and the visit marked a bridge between the two faiths.

"Part of what's at stake here is history," said John Allen, CNN's senior vatican analyst. "This is a schism between Roman Catholicism and the Anglican Communion that dates to the English reformation in the 16th century."

Pope Benedict and Archbishop Rowan Williams are friends, Allen said, but they have long-standing problems to deal with in the relationship between their churches. The Anglican Church has adopted fairly liberal policies on things like female priests, female bishops, and blessing gay marriages, much to the disapproval of the Catholic Church.

Earlier this year, many Anglicans objected when Benedict created new structures to welcome disaffected Anglicans into the Catholic fold.

"It is not my intention today to speak of the difficulties that the ecumenical path has encountered and continues to encounter," the pope said at Lambeth Palace, acknowledging the problems. "Rather, I wish to join you in giving thanks for the deep friendship that has grown between us and for the remarkable progress that has been made in so many areas of dialogue."

Stressing, however, the firm stance of the Vatican, the pope then said, "We recognize that the church is called to be inclusive, yet never at the expense of Christian truth."

The pope also spoke to members of the British Parliament at London's historic Westminster Hall.

It was there in 1535 that Thomas More, a Catholic, was convicted of treason and sentenced to death for refusing to accept King Henry VIII's marriage annulment and repudiate the pope after Henry broke with the Vatican and created the Anglican Church. The pope paused at the spot where More was condemned.

The pope told the legislators that the central questions in More's trial were still presenting themselves in "ever-changing terms as new social conditions emerge."

"I would suggest that the world of reason and the world of faith -- the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief -- need one another and should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilization," he said. "Religion, in other words, is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation."

Later, at nearby Westminster Abbey, an Anglican church, the pope prayed alongside the archbishop of Canterbury at the tomb of Edward the Confessor, the English king who built the abbey and was buried there after his death in 1066.

He spoke once again about the commitment to unity among Christian churches while noting the obstacles.

"We know that the friendships we have forged, the dialogue which we have begun and the hope which guides us will provide strength and direction as we persevere on our common journey," he said. "At the same time, with evangelical realism, we must also recognize the challenges which confront us, not only along the path of Christian unity, but also in our task of proclaiming Christ in our day."

Thursday, Benedict said the Roman Catholic Church has not been vigilant enough or fast enough in responding to the problem of sexual abuse by priests.

"These revelations were for me a shock and a great sadness. It is difficult to understand how this perversion of the priestly ministry was possible," he told reporters aboard his plane to Scotland. "How a man who has done this and said this (in his priestly vows) can fall into this perversion is difficult to understand."

He added, "It is also a great sadness that the authorities of the church were not sufficiently vigilant and insufficiently quick and decisive in taking the necessary measures."

British people feel overwhelmingly that the pope has not done enough to punish priests who abuse children, according to a ComRes poll for CNN released as Benedict arrived in the country. Three out of four British people -- and two out of three Catholics in the country -- say he should do more to punish abusive clergy.

Thursday, tens of thousands turned out to hear the pope preach in Glasgow, Scotland, with members of the faithful describing it as a "happy day" and calling it a "great honor" that he had come.

Benedict started his visit in Edinburgh, where he held a meeting with the queen and greeted thousands who turned out to see him on the streets of the Scottish city.

Though a pope has visited Britain once before -- Pope John Paul II in 1982 -- this is considered the first state visit by a pope to Britain because it comes at the invitation of the queen, not the Catholic Church, as was the case 28 years ago.

CNN's Richard Greene, Laura Perez Maestro, Andy Carey and Antonia Mortensen in London, England, and Kathleen Johnston in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report.

Penan power and a press conference that wasn't

COMMENT Trouble was brewing in 1990 in the jungle of Sebatu near Long Ajeng, Ulu Baram in Sarawak. Penans from 15 villages had put up a long-standing blockade in their attempt to stop loggers from entering their area. A blockade is a simple collection of branches laid across the path of a jungle road to prevent timber trucks from entering.

Eventually, the state police decided to take action. They sent in 300 members of the much-feared Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and tore down the blockade by force, while arresting the people on site.

The protesting Penans were taken utterly by surprise and they were shocked by the sudden show of violence on the part of the FRU.

They ran helter skelter through the jungle in great confusion. In the pandemonium that followed, a four-year-old Penan boy was overcome by one of the tear-gas bombs hurled into the midst of the Penans and he later died from the effects from the gas.

With the FRU and police personnel occupying their Long Ajeng settlement, many families left Long Ajeng to take refuge in other Penan settlements. It was on one of these desperate journeys that a 12-year-old Penan girl was raped by a uniformed intruder, according to Penan villagers.

When some NGO members from abroad brought these crimes to my attention in 1993, I decided to take the matter to the law. I sent my personal aide, See Chee How, into the Upper Baram area to get a first-hand, eyewitness account of what had happened in the deep jungle.

Chee How reported to me the violent actions of the FRU, together with details of the death of the young boy and the rape of the 12-year-old girl.

But my attempts to report the matter to the police failed, because the police in Miri were lukewarm in their response and did not treat the report seriously. That was when I decided to lodge a police report in Bandar Kuching central police station.

It was a logistic nightmare, but finally we overcame all kinds of difficulties in communications and transport. A group of 20 Penan village chiefs representing 15 Penan villages finally arrived in Kuching city.

Close knit community

The next morning, I took these village chiefs (tuai rumah) to the central police station in Kuching. A police inspector had been contacted and was waiting for us, and he was the very picture of hospitality and courtesy.

The visitors were offered hot drinks and cakes, and invited to sit down at a big table. After we sat down and exchanged pleasantries, a police officer was assigned to record the villagers' statements. The action of the police, in this instance, was exemplary.
In the afternoon, the Penan chiefs called for a press conference. They trooped into my small office at Green Road in Kuching. The office was crowded with eager members of the local press.

That was when I noticed something unique as we entered my office; the Penans always walk in single file, there in my office in the city, and anywhere they go in the jungle. They keep together and depend on one another.

That was my first time meeting the Penan villagers face to face. Much as I had heard of their shyness, they were articulate and outspoken in voicing their long-standing problems with the authorities, in their jungle home. They were a gentle people and slightly shorter in stature than town folk.

I could not detect a single fat person among them. They were all fit, their bodies hard as nails, thanks to the long years of living in the wild and depending only on their personal resources for survival. I was told that the nomadic Penans' most prized possessions are their loyal hunting dogs, on which their existence depended.

I was taken aback by another unique practice of the Penans. In their communal traditions, they share everything in their lives together. They do not have a concept of a spokesperson.

Every time a question was raised by the reporters, the question would go through the ring of Penans one by one, with murmured consultations, until finally one answer emerged at the end of the discussion. The press conference took a great deal of time for this, but I was very impressed by the democratic practice of their communal living.

There was some degree of excitement among the reporters at the end of the press conference; some were busy taking pictures, while a film crew recorded the proceedings.

Muted press

The next day when the newspapers were delivered to my office, not a single picture of the Penans appeared in the press. That was how it was in those days: any news of the Penans was systematically blacked out.

Fortunately, the news of the Penans' visit to Kuching was leaked out to the international press. That was the time when reports about the Penans had become big news with the international media, shortly after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June, 1992.

During their visit to Kuching, the delegation of Penans also took the opportunity to lobby their cause with the government.

They sent a delegation of representatives to visit the chief minister's office; they also met with officers from the education and medical departments and a representative from the State Cabinet Committee on Penan Affairs, under the aegis of Minister Abang Johari Abang Openg.

A day or two later, they returned to their villages. All in all, despite efforts to suppress the news of their suffering, it had been a successful trip for the Penans.

This was how one of the most highly publicised actions taken by the Baram Penans came about. Unfortunately, in 1995, I fell ill and had to retire from active politics. But thanks to the Internet, the struggle of the Penans has never lost steam and has gained more momentum in the last two decades.

Meanwhile, See Chee How (right) and his team of lawyers have picked up the Penan cause where we left off. They have kept up public interest regarding the plight of the Penans with even greater urgency and effectiveness. Today, the problem of the Penans and native people fighting for their rights to their land is one of the hottest issues on the Sarawak political stage.

Next week, I shall reproduce in full the 1993 police reports lodged on the deaths of the four-year-old Penan boy and a Penan man at the blockades, and the rape of the 12-year-old Penan girl.

Batu Arang Special: A step back in time

Perkasa tells Najib to explain his 1 Malaysia or face rejection

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — Malay rights group Perkasa today demanded a clearer explanation from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on his 1 Malaysia concept as failure to do so could result in Umno and Barisan Nasional being rejected.

Najib defended his 1 Malaysia policy yesterday, claiming that it was not a failure but a “work in progress”.

“Perkasa is very worried that if there are not enough efforts to explain the 1 Malaysia concept, it will cause certain communities to reject Umno and BN (Barisan Nasional),” Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali told The Malaysian Insider today, in a thinly-veiled reference to Malay conservatives.

“Perkasa has feedback from the Malay grassroots that this concept is still confusing,” he added.

Syed Hassan said some non-Malay communities perceived the 1 Malaysia policy as an initiative to create racial equality in sharing the economic pie where no particular race was prioritised.

“Among some non-Muslim communities, Perkasa finds that they believe the 1 Malaysia policy is an effort to equalise all races in terms of sharing the nation’s wealth and no race is given special treatment. All races are considered the same,” said Syed Hassan.

He pointed out that the 1 Malaysia concept must be based on the Federal Constitution.

“Perkasa accepts the 1 Malaysia concept that was stressed by the prime minister in Parliament not too long ago that it is based on the Federal Constitution,” said Syed Hassan.

Perkasa had said earlier that the policy was being twisted by some to claim racial equality, stressing instead that the 1 Malaysia concept must be founded on Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which states the special position of the Bumiputeras and allows the government to set quotas for educational institutions, government jobs and permits.

Najib said yesterday, however, that the misuse of Article 153 could spiral into “sensitive” issues and hurt racial groups.

He also urged all individuals and institutions in the country to conduct a “1 Malaysia test” before making rash moves that could create racial tension.

The test required the individual to ask himself, “How does my stand on ethnic-based issues impact each community? Will it improve harmony or cause hatred towards my own race? Can it lead to an improved relationship between the races and improve national unity on a whole, or will it do otherwise?”

The 1 Malaysia policy has been decried by critics as a hollow slogan amid escalating racial tension, notably racially-tinged incidents involving two allegedly racist school principals and the furore surrounding a Chinese MP’s visit to a surau.

Najib’s weeks-long silence on racial issues like that of the school principals has earned him much flak from the public and the opposition who accused him of being like his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Yesterday, Najib reiterated his stand that his administration would continue affirmative action but would redefine the policies to make it fairer, more transparent and market-friendly.

Perkasa, however, has lobbied against attempts by the Najib administration to implement more inclusive economic reforms in a bid to increase the country’s competitiveness that has suffered because of affirmative action policies.

Using the Malay rights platform, Perkasa has opposed any proposal to remove Bumiputera quotas and has even taken MCA leaders to task for making such proposals. - The Malaysian Insider

Najib does not want to snub us, says Perkasa

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 —Perkasa claimed today that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stand against Umno stirring conflict with non-governmental organisations indicates his reluctance to snub the Malay rights group.

Najib said yesterday that the ruling party did not want to be in conflict with any NGO despite the recent move by Umno leaders to distance the party from Perkasa.

“It does not mean that the prime minister agrees with all of Perkasa’s demands, but he clearly feels that distancing Umno from Perkasa is not the right move,” Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali told The Malaysian Insider today.

“Perkasa believes that Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) will always take into account the demands and views of Perkasa and other NGOs,” he said.

Najib, however, has played down Perkasa’s significance as a pressure group and said that Perkasa was just like any other NGO.

Syed Hassan pointed out that there was no reason for BN to alienate a registered NGO like Perkasa as the ruling coalition has listened to the views of an unregistered NGO like Hindraf.

“If the BN government takes into account the voice of an unregistered NGO like Hindraf, why can’t a valid NGO like Perkasa be approached?” he asked.

Syed Hassan also stressed that there were no special ties between Umno and Perkasa.

The opposition has accused the ruling party of using Perkasa to restore Malay votes that were feared to be lost among conservatives who felt that the Najib administration was pandering to the non-Malay communities.

Recently, however, leaders aligned to Najib have begun the process of distancing the party from Perkasa to halt the erosion of non-Malay support for the ruling coalition.

Using the Malay rights platform, Perkasa has denounced Najib’s economic reforms despite his assurances that such reforms would not be at the expense of Bumiputeras.

Perkasa, backed by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has opposed any attempt to roll back the Bumiputera quotas associated with affirmative action policies.

“Perkasa is very thankful for the prime minister’s statement,” said Syed Hassan.

He also expressed hope that the Prime Minister’s statement would not be twisted by certain parties to accuse him and Umno of having hidden agendas.

The Perkasa secretary-general pointed out that alienating NGOs was tantamount to alienating the people as members of NGOs are Malaysians.

“Those who are members of NGOs are Malaysians. So, to alienate NGOs is to alienate the people,” added Syed Hassan. - The Malaysian Insider

Sabah, Sarawak losing points to KL

FMT ALERT KOTA KINABALU: Several PKR leaders vying for divisional posts have resorted to using illegal immigrants to win.
"It is quite rampant in Sabah. Many contestants who have no chance of winning are bringing in illegals to vote for them," a local leader told FMT.

He added that in the Kudat division, the main contender, believed to be aligned to PKR vice- president Azmin Ali, brought with him 800 “new members” for voting today.

"They all had temporary MyKads with them," said the local leader.

He claimed that the contenders who have little support in Sabah were using illegals as a way to break the stronghold held by PKR vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan in the state.

Jeffrey has thrown his support behind PKR leader Zaid Ibrahim for the deputy's post. Azmin is also vying for the post.

"Azmin's boys are trying to use whatever ways possible to come to power in Sabah," said another local leader close to Jeffrey.
MORE TO FOLLOW

'Malaysians mad about power'

By Patrick Lee - Free Malaysia Today,

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are power-crazy. The prospect of power means everything for them. That's the conclusion of political observers and an organisational study.
“(Malaysia) is a society that worships political power,” said Professor James Chin of Monash University.

“Everyone wants to have power, because when they have power, they can do whatever they want.”

Chin said this after being asked on Malaysia's high Power Distance Index (PDI) ratings, which were gleaned from a study done by Dutch organisational sociologist Geert Hofstede.

According to Hofstede's website, in a study covering over 50 countries, Malaysia and Slovakia both reigned as the world PDI champions with a score of 104 each.

In comparison, Malaysia's immediate neighbours Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore were rated at 78, 64 and 74 respectively.

High PDI scores included countries such as those in the Arab world, Russia, China and the Philippines. Democratic countries such as Japan, Australia and Canada were among those with lower PDI results.
Higher PDI ratings not only showed examples of unfair power distribution, but also revealed that a society's leaders and their followers allowed these practices to continue.

The study also argued that people in countries with high PDI ratings tended to display their rank openly, and had accepted class divisions within society as the norm.

Whatever the boss says, goes

When asked if Malaysia's PDI ratings were surprising, Centre for Policy Initiatives director Lim Teck Ghee said, "I expected Malaysia to have higher scores than longer established democratic states.”

“But I did not expect Malaysia to be ranked behind China, Mexico and the Philippines.”

Unlike Lim, Chin appeared nonchalant about the readings. “It just reinforces what we know about the problem,” he said.

“The idea of a hierarchy is very strict in Malaysia. So whatever the boss says, goes.”

Lim told FMT that cultures with small PDI scores were not only more democratic in nature, but its people also tended to relate to each other as equals.

"In these societies, there are strong institutions that foster equality," he told FMT. "Ordinary people see the right to criticise those in power as their inherent right."

Lim said that Malaysia's high PDI rating allowed ordinary citizens to accept power that was either autocratic or paternalistic.

"This has been the political and cultural baggage that we have inherited," he said, adding that the ratings were also influenced by ideologies built around "constitutional" positions.

"So long as there are such ideological positions at work, there will be elite groups that see unequal power relations as the norm and seek to preserve it for their own interests."

"We may be a democratic society in name," Lim said. "But in Malaysia the tolerance and acceptance of inequality is even higher than in many less democratic societies."

Fear of Kampung Buah Pala II haunts villagers

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: Kampung Melayu Tanjung Tokong residents here are having sleepless nights. They have their reason: the “ghost” of Kampung Buah Pala is haunting them.
Like Kampung Buah Pala, the residents of Kampung Melayu Tanjung Tokong fear that their historical village will also be demolished.

And they want the state government to form a special task force immediately to address and resolve all issues pertaining to their village before allowing redevelopment project on the site.

In making this call, Tanjung Tokong Villagers Association chairman Mohd Salleh Yahaya slammed Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's administration for “doing very little” in resolving the outstanding issues faced by the village, especially on the preservation of heritage.

The state government has recently issued a stop-work order on the redevelopment of Tanjung Tokong undertaken by the Urban Development Authority (UDA).

Acknowledging this though, Salleh, however, is upset that the state government had been silent over the pressing issue since.
He claimed the state government had left it to UDA and the villagers to resolve the issue among themselves.

He said UDA has now seized the opportunity to split the villagers by making many “dubious” offers of compensation to them.

Claiming that some have been influenced by UDA's offers, he said most villagers were still united to preserve their village.

“By right, the state government should have formed a special task force to resolve the problems. The task force could become a middle man between UDA and the villagers,” Salleh said.

Howerver, the state government has always claimed that it was powerless to stop UDA from evicting the villagers, flattening the site and carrying out its development scheme.

Posh condo project

Kampung Melayu Tanjung Tokong currently occupies 24 acres of land on which stand 300 houses, 30 of them built illegally.
Part of the original village site had already been rebuilt by UDA into flats for ethnic Malay low income group.

Salleh alleged that UDA has also embarked on a posh commercial condominium project on a nearby reclaimed coastal site allotted by the previous Barisan Nasional state government.

The association has called on both the federal and state governments to set aside part of the village site as heritage Malay village.

Historians say Kampung Melayu Tanjung Tokong is the oldest Malay fishing village in Penang, and several civic groups have accused the UDA of wanting to wipe it off the map and build in its place modern residential and commercial complexes.

However, due to lukewarm response by both governments, Kampung Tanjung Tokong residents fear that the village would end up like Kampung Buah Pala, the Indian enclave in Penang that was demolished last year.

It was Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s late father, Abdul Razak Hussein, who, as the coutnry's second prime minister, launched the scheme to restructure, redevelop and upgrade the village under UDA in 1972.

The idea was to create a Malay settlement in George Town.

However, UDA subsequently decided to relocate some of the villagers. In 2008, it declared the remaining villagers as squatters.

Money matters
Last year, the Kampung Melayu Villagers Association, which has about 500 members, collected some 3,000 signatures nationwide and submitted memorandums to Putrajaya and the state government seeking their intervention to save the village.

Salleh wants the Najib government to walk the talk on the 1Malaysia concept with “swift and decisive intervention” to save their village from extinction.

He accused UDA of being interested only in money matters, saying the federal body was focusing now on achieving its corporate goals, and not restructuring, redeveloping and upgrading the place as an urban ethnic Malay village enclave in George Town.

He also accused the state government of being pro-developer.

“We are losing our rights over our land even though we are the descendants of the original natives of Penang.

"This is due to UDA's statutory declaration and lack of incisive action from the federal and state governments.

"The demolition of Kampung Buah Pala and now our village shows that both governments lack people-orientated policies,” Salleh said.

One-school system is the key

KUALA LUMPUR: A single school system is the answer to the quest for unity, but only if teachers go the extra mile to encourage students of various races to interact with one another.

That was the collective opinion of participants at the 1Malaysia Foundation's conference on "Living in a Multi-Ethnic Society" at the Securities Commission yesterday.

The session, which was moderated by foundation trustee and AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, had participants discussing what helps and what hinders the unity of Malaysians.


"Most are for a one-school system but Chinese and Indian parents continue to send their children to vernacular schools because there are teachers who sabotage the success of national schools, such as making racist remarks which are being highlighted by the press," said Fernandes.

"We should create a school that focuses on nurturing the strengths of all races. People are in favour of having a one-school system but how sure can they be that certain races won't be victimised?"

Participants also lamented that concentrations of specific races in residential areas also contributed to certain schools having a lack of students from other communities.


A panel consisting of television hosts Azura Zainal and Daphne Iking, and businessman Anas Zubedy, moderated by foundation trustee Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, agreed that inter-racial mixing had been limited by a lack of effort.

"Teachers and parents are not doing enough to get children to mix with one another.

"There should be a special class for students to learn about each other's culture, and teachers and parents should lead by example in teaching children about acceptance and unity," said Azura.


On the role of the media in uniting people, Azura said television shows did not address the issue of unity among youths.

"It's always about singing and dancing competitions. Why not have a junior version of the Oprah Winfrey Show where youths can talk about their ideas on unity and experiences in school?"

Iking said filmmakers and producers should not assume that the masses were turned off by serious subjects.

1Malaysia Foundation trustee and 8TV chief executive officer Ahmad Izham Omar said negative perceptions of races took root before one even entered school.

"It's not really the schools or the media but what happens between the ages of zero and 12. It's about what parents say to their children.

"It's easy to talk about unity to people who already believe in 1Malaysia. It's harder to bring it to the masses who don't."

Anas said it was sad that there were Malaysians who did not appreciate the diversity of the nation's people. "There are people who pay and fly far to hear the sounds of temple drums, the azan and Chinese opera while there are those who curse whenever they hear these things."

Read more: One-school system is the key http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/3sin/Article/#ixzz0zrfxUVDK

YB Nurul Izzah states her position on the party elections

I make this statement to indicate my official position on the Parti KEADILAN Rakyat elections.

I am happy that KEADILAN is going through direct elections, which is a true reflection of our national election process.

Our 400,000 members is a microcosm of the 11 million Malaysian registered voters whose aspirations are expressed in the mandate given to elected leaders through a fair and free election process.

The entire nation is watching on how we conduct our party’s democratic process, as it would be an indicator of how we will govern the nation once given the opportunity.

Therefore, I call upon all candidates to demonstrate their leadership and responsibility in ensuring that party elections become an example for the nation.

A true democratic process welcomes divergent views and a contest of ideas between candidates.

A healthy election happens when we evaluate the ideas presented instead of focusing exclusively on a candidate’s personality.

Let us hear about ideas and solutions from the candidates on how to move the nation forward.

Let us not make the mistake of looking at the messenger only without reflecting on the message.
Let it be about substance not mere form.

Once we have all passed through the rigors and excitement of campaigning, we should close ranks and stand united with our newly elected leaders to bring change and build a better Malaysia.

Let the party elections become a party-building exercise for our members and national confidence-building effort for all Malaysians. - Haris Ibrahim

Kerajaan Gagal Menarik Minat Pelabur

Laporan Bank of America Merill Lynch berkaitan pasaran negara begitu membimbangkan. Menurut laporan tersebut Malaysia kini antara negara yang tidak digemari para pelabur di Asia Pasifik selepas bank tersebut meninjau pandangan pengurus dana. Sungguhpun kerajaan cuba memberi gambaran yang serba indah, hakikatnya Malaysia jatuh dua anak tangga dari kedudukan sebelum ini iaitu di tangga ke 10, dan kini di kedudukan tercorot. Pastinya berita ini menerbitkan rasa bimbang saya berhubung kedudukan ekonomi semasa negara tatkala kononnya pentadbiran Dato’ Sri Najib akan mengemukakan satu kebijakan ekonomi yang diwar warkan bertujuan menarik minat pelabur.

Beberapa perkara mustahak yang sewajarnya diberi perhatian adalah pandangan para pelabur yang melihat Malaysia sudah tidak mampu bersaing dengan negara jiran yang begitu bertenaga maju ke hadapan seperti Indonesia. Tetangga kita itu menurut tinjauan Forum Ekonomi Dunia(World Economic Forum) pula telah melonjak 10 anak tangga ke kedudukan 44 dari 139 negara. Berikutan perkembangan sebeginilah kita sangsi perincian Model Ekonomi Baru yang bakal diumumkan perdana menteri mampu memulihkan ekonomi negara yang lembap ini. Hasrat kerajaan untuk menjana pelaburan bernilai RM 2.2 trillion dalam masa 10 tahun, yang mana 92% dari jumlah tersebut datangnya dari pelaburan swasta, pastinya menimbulkan kemusykilan tatkala para pelabur bertindak menjauhi pasaran kita.

Pemerintah harus sedar, kebijakan ekonomi yang menafikan perkara dasar serta gagal memberi keutamaan untuk melakukan perubahan terhadap sistem yang curang pastinya dipandang sepi. Secara tuntas saya tegaskan, para pelabur memberi keutamaan terhadap sistem keadilan yang bersih, iklim yang tidak rasuah dan culas serta kepimpinan negara yang meyakinkan. Pembentangan serta perincian dasar ekonomi namun menafikan perkara yang mendasar tersebut hanya akan disambut dingin. Malangnya hakikat ini terus dinafikan elit pemerintah walau rakyat jelatalah yang menderita menahan beban.

ANWAR IBRAHIM