Angry social network users are lambasting a second video depicting animal abuse by a Malaysian which is now available for worldwide view online.
PETALING JAYA: Are Malaysians turning into sociopaths with little or no concern for man and beast?
Are we so tormented that we need to kick, hit, stomp, slap and abuse not just people but also helpless animals to assert our “superiority” and vent frustration at how the world treats us?
Shocking as it is, we have had two videos uploaded on public domain in just as many months depicting abuse of animals by Malaysians.
The latest video circulating the Internet and which has also incurred the wrath of netizens shows a man beating cats to death.
Uploaded on Facebook, the five-minute-long video shows a Chinese man in his 20s abusing a litter of cats with his umbrella.
Entitled “Happened in Malaysia – Serdang, captured by CCTV”, the video was first hosted on “Bincang”, a local Internet forum.
In the clip, a man is first seen threatening a lone kitten in an alley. He then swings his umbrella behind a wall, striking another kitten in the process.
Without mercy, the man hits the first kitten again. An older cat, presumably its mother, rushes to its rescue.
The assailant chases the mother away before hitting the kitten again. This time he gives it a hard kick before chasing it out of the camera’s view.
A few seconds later, the man turns his attention to another kitten behind the wall, whacking it with his umbrella.
Again the kitten’s mother tries to intervene but the man chases her away. The kitten then falls helplessly to the roadside, only to be whacked at again and again.
Eventually, the man grabs the kitten’s lifeless body and drops it into the alley. He stamps on it twice, before walking away.
Forty seconds later, he is seen kicking the kitten’s corpse out of the camera’s view.
Face censored
Sporting a cap and wearing Crocs, the man does not appear to look like a local shopkeeper.
It is believed that the video was taken through a security camera’s feed. The lettering “CH04″ is seen in the lower middle portion of the video.
The man also seems to be aware of the camera, and is seen looking at it after stamping on the kitten’s body. His face, however, was censored.
Predictably, the man’s actions were heavily condemned by the online community.
“I don’t understand how some people can be so cruel and heartless. This idiot must have some mental dysfunction,” said Facebook user Debbie Tan.
Enraged cat lover Nora Aziz said: “Stupid man. If you have kids one day, (I hope) wild cats will do the same thing to them.”
Other users also bemoaned the possible lack of police action against the kitten abuser.
“What we lack is enforcement,” said Facebook user, Adelene Wee.
“But that doesn’t mean we take matters in our own hands. We can fight for their rights and not condone such cruelty, but we can raise awareness,” she said.
Second video of its kind
The video is the second of its kind to appear over the Internet in recent months.
In January, a video of a man teaching a toy poodle tricks through abuse spread over Facebook. The abuser, also Chinese, was seen beating his dog into standing up straight.
Despite widespread online and offline condemnation, no known action has been taken against him.
Sekiranya satu perkataan perlu diubah, maka tidak perlu panel bebas.
PETALING JAYA: Walaupun Panel Bebas Mengkaji Pindaan Novel Interlok sudah diberi amanah melaksanakan tugas mencadangkan pindaan terhadap novel kontroversi itu, masyarakat umum masih melahirkan kebimbangan.
Perkara ini amat nyata melalui pelbagai komen di portal berita, rangkaian sosial Facebook dan blog. Analisis di FMT semalam turut mendapat reaksi pembaca.
Orang ramai bimbang bahawa Kementerian Pelajaran mungkin hanya melakukan pindaan yang terlalu minimum terhadap novel edisi murid itu yang dijadikan teks Komponen Sastera (Komsas) bagi subjek Bahasa Malaysia Tingkatan Lima di Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur dan Putrajaya.
“Kalau hanya perkataan ‘paria’ mahu diubah, kerja itu sepatutnya sudah dibuat sejak kontroversi ini mula-mula timbul.
“Tidak perlulah membazir masa dan tenaga melantik satu panel khas kalau hanya mahu tukar satu perkataan,” kata seorang pemuda yang ditemui penulis.
Katanya, penggunaan istilah ‘paria’ dalam novel Interlok edisi murid menjadi pencetus kemarahan kerana menyentuh sensitiviti dan menghina kaum India.
“Melalui pelbagai dialog, forum serta tulisan di portal berita dan blog, sudah terbukti bahawa ada terlalu banyak kelemahan dalam novel itu. Sudah terlewat untuk mengabui mata rakyat dengan hanya menukar perkataan ‘paria’ sahaja,” katanya.
Beberapa individu yang ditemui berkongsi pandangan yang sama, iaitu bahawa terdapat terlalu banyak perkara menyentuh sensitiviti kaum, menghina masyarakat, kesilapan fakta dan kesalahan bahasa dalam novel itu.
“Kalau semua kesilapan itu ditukar, tentu seluruh novel akan berubah. Jadi, lebih baik tukar sahaja novel itu dengan novel lain untuk dijadikan teks Komsas di sekolah,” kata seorang mahasiswa institusi pengajian tinggi awam.
Menurutnya, pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) Melayu dan persatuan penulis seperti Gabungan Persekutuan Penulis Nasional (Gapena) dan Persatuan Penulis Nasional (Pena) tidak mengizinkan walau hanya satu perkataan di dalam novel itu ditukar.
“Wakil Gapena sendiri ada dalam panel bebas itu. Sasterawan Negara, Datuk Abdullah Hussain juga tidak mahu karyanya diubah.
“Jadi, saya tidak fikir panel bebas ini boleh bebas melakukan pindaan dalam erti kata sebenar terhadap begitu banyak kesalahan fakta dalam novel itu,” katanya.
Amending the offending passages in the controversial book is nothing short of insulting the author, says NIAT.
KUALA LUMPUR: The National Interlok Action Team (NIAT) says that the independent panel tasked with amending contentious passages in Interlok would not make much of an impact.
Its chairman, Thasleem Mohamad, told a press conference today that “there is nothing much to edit” when asked why NIAT did not wait for the revised version of the book from the panel.
The panel was formed on Feb 16 after talks between Indian and Malay NGOs over the controversial Form 5 book ended in a deadlock.
NIAT committee member Bala Tharmalingam, meanwhile, said that editing the book will also be deemed as an insult to the author, Abdullah Hussein.
He added that amending the passages in the book will also not change the storyline, the moral of the story and the racial stereotyping.
Thasleem, however, said NIAT had confidence in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and that the latter would come up with a judicious decision.
“We have full faith that in the interest of 1Malaysia, the prime minister will remove the book,” Thasleem said, adding that NIAT submitted a 30-page report on the matter to Najib yesterday.
He also said NIAT would hold a peaceful rally with police permit next month if the Education Ministry failed to resolve the issue.
A million copies of the 30-page report would also be distributed if the novel is not revoked.
Efforts by NIAT to cooperate with the Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) and allied coordinating committee of Islamic NGOs to oppose the usage of Interlok are also underway.
Thasleem also urged Muslims on the panel to view the book from a Muslim perspective and quoted verses from Surah Al-Hujurut and Surah Al-Akraf which forbids anyone from insulting another.
The blogger turns down an invitation to lunch at the Australian Parliament House in honor of Najib.
KUALA LUMPUR: Blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin has turned down an invitation to lunch at the Australian Parliament House in honour of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
The blogger, one of Najib’s fiercest critics in cyberspace, was invited today by Australian MP, Michael Danby.
On March 21, Raja Petra would be appearing before the Australian foreign affairs sub-committee to conduct a briefing on the human rights situation in Malaysia.
The blogger was also expected to urge Australia to send observers for the upcoming Sarawak state election and general election.
Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah was expected to attend the briefing as well.
During his discussion with Danby, the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) chairman also touched on Anwar’s sodomy trial and the problem of rising racism and religious intolerance in Malaysia.
Freedom of speech cuts both ways
In another development, Raja Petra, in his latest blog posting, had urged opposition supporters to be more tolerant of criticism.
Condemning the condemnation of those critical of the opposition, he said that freedom of speech cuts both ways but lamented that opposition supporters do not seem to understand this.
“To them, freedom of speech merely means to criticise the government,” he said, pointing out that those who offered unfavourable views were often regarded as turncoats and Trojan horses.
“This is a very primitive and immature thinking. You cannot ask for freedom to criticise the government but do not wish anyone to criticise you,” he said.
1. Was I rewriting history when I said that Peninsular Malaysia is historically Semenanjung Tanah Melayu? If Mr Gan Ping Sieu (MCA Vice President) cares to read the history of this peninsular, he would know that officially the Malayan Union was replaced by Persekutuan Tanah Melayu. The English name "Federation of Malaya" was not official. I ought to know because I lived through this period.
2. But when the federation was enlarged to include Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak, the Malays, led by the Tunku agreed to the name "Malaysia" for the enlarged federation. Historically therefore the Malays agreed to the renaming of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu. But historically the peninsular was Tanah Melayu, made up of Malay States ruled by their rulers, the Malay Sultans. All agreements with the British were made by the Malay Sultans of the Malay States of the Peninsular. Malaya or Malaysia never entered into agreements with the British simply because they did not exist as sovereign states.
3. These are the facts of history. I was speaking about the origins of Malaysia. Can we say the origin of Malaysia was Malaysia. Historically there was no Malaysia.
4. I talked about this in response to certain people who claim that the Malays are as much immigrants as the Chinese and Indians.
5. Some Malays are obviously descended from people who came to the Malay Peninsular from the Indonesian islands, India and the Arabian Peninsular.
6. Having come here they were assimilated after they identified themselves completely with the Malays by adopting the Malay language, their customs and traditions and by being Muslims.
7. This is a common phenomenon. In America, Australia, Latin America, the later immigrants accepted the languages of their adopted country as their mother tongue as well as the culture.
8. After doing this they no longer think of themselves as being of their original country. They are Americans, Australians and Argentinians period. We don't hear them claiming to be German Americans, Portuguese Australians or Italian Argentinians, even though they or their ancestors came from these countries.
9. Malays are Malays and it is mischievous to suggest that when asked about their race they would say they are Bugis or Javanese. It is only if they are asked where their ancestors came from that they would say Celebes or Java. Otherwise they are just Malays.
10. If you ask me I would reply that I am a Malay. I would not say I am a Malay or Malaysian of ethnic Indian origin. My mother tongue and home language is Malay, my culture and tradition is Malay and I am a Muslim. The constitution defines a Malay as a person who habitually speaks Malay, practices Malay custom and tradition and is a Muslim.
11. However I am told that IC cards in Singapore ignore Malays and state that the person is Bugis or Javanese. The intention is clear; to kill the Malay identity and create the impression that they are foreign immigrants.
12. Malays are caught in a dilemma. When challenged by the opposition on any racial issue, they are unable to respond because if they do then they would be accused of being racist even by members of the Barisan Nasional. When they do not reply then UMNO in particular would lose Malay support for not defending them. This will lead to UMNO being rejected by them. The Chinese have openly declared that they will not support Barisan Nasional. (read here)
13. Without Malay support and deprived of Chinese support UMNO would lose. Barisan Nasional would also lose.
14. Preventing Malays from defending themselves is not much different from supporting the opposition. When I rebut the anti-Malay racism of the opposition I am only trying to ensure that at least the Malays would support Barisan Nasional. I am no racist. Those who support racist statements by the opposition are the real racists.
15. For almost 52 years the Alliance and Barisan Nasional coalitions had worked well together. The prosperity that we enjoy during those years is the result of inter-racial cooperation through the Barisan Nasional.
16. In multiracial Malaysia no one can have everything that they consider they are entitled to - neither the Malays, nor the Chinese nor the Indians nor the different tribal groups in Sabah and Sarawak. The moment anyone demands that he be given everything that he thinks he is entitled to then there can be no inter-racial cooperation. Without inter-racial cooperation this country would go to the dogs.
17. We have read the fable of the thief who shouted "thief"! The racists are the same. They shout racist at others to distract from their own racism.
(Asia Sentinel)What did the cabinet know, and when did they know it?
The arrest earlier this week of Chan Kong Choy, a former Malaysian Transport minister and top Malaysian Chinese Association leader, for his alleged role in the multi-billion dollar Port Klang Free Trade scandal that arose in 2007, poses serious problems for the Malaysian government.
That is because, whatever the dimensions of the scandal, Malaysia's cabinet itself, according to a secret June 22, 2007 memorandum, retroactively approved the legality of billions of ringgit in supposedly illegal loans for the increased cost of development at the port.
If potential loan defaults are included, the attempt to turn the Port Klang seaport 60 km. east of Kuala Lumpur into a national multimodal transshipment center would dwarf all previous Malaysian scandals, with a likely cost of RM12.45 billion (US$4.106 billion at current exchange rates).
Chan is the second MCA official to be charged. The first was Ling Liong Sik, the 68-year old former MCA president who retired in 2003. Four other lesser individuals have been arrested as well. But since the loan guarantees were actually approved by the full cabinet, complete with approval by the country's attorney general, Abdul Ghani Patail, that confronts Najib Tun Razak, the prime minister, with an unappetizing list of choices given his public rhetoric about cleaning out corruption in his party and government.
One of those choices is how to explain the participation of the cabinet in a clearly illegal action. Another is how to prosecute Chan without Chan relating the involvement of a wide range of other politicians – or whether he and Ling, among others, will be prosecuted effectively. Presumably Chan and Ling could both cite the secret cabinet document showing approval of the loan guarantees in their defense.
As an indication of the lack of zeal to prosecute previous major cases, an longtime observer in Kuala Lumpur pointed to the corruption trial of Eric Chia Eng Hock, a tycoon and crony of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who picked Chia to run the country's ill-starred Perwaja Steel project, which ultimately lost U$800 million. Chia was arrested in 2004 and charged with dishonestly authorizing payment of RM76.4 million (US$25.2 million at current exchange rates) to a Japanese enterprise called NKK Corp. through a nonexistent Hong Kong company called Frilsham Enterprises.
The arrest of Chia, the first prominent person to be charged with corruption after Abdullah Ahmad Badawi succeeded Mahathir as prime minister, was regarded initially as a sign that Malaysia was finally starting to clean up its politicized and corruption-riddled court system. But after a marathon investigation and the presentation of evidence, a trial judge ruled that the prosecution had failed to put on a case and Chia, then 71, was acquitted without having to put on a defense.
Likewise, Abdul Razak Baginda, a crony of the current prime minister, was acquitted without having to put on a case despite considerable evidence of his complicity in the execution murder of the 28-year-old Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, Razak's jilted lover and a central figure in a massive corruption case involving the sale of French submarines to the Malaysian navy when Najib Tun Razak was defense minister.
There have been other cases as well, including that of V K Lingam, a well-connected lawyer who was caught in an eight-minute videotape with Ahmad Fairuz, then the country's third-ranking judge, in which the two discussed the fixing of judicial appointments at Mahathir's behest. A royal commission appointed to investigate the judicial system concluded that the country's courts had been subject to widespread fixing of judicial appointments, with Mahathir's connivance, that corrupted decisions at the behest of ranking politicians. However, no action was ever taken against either Lingam or Mahathir.
It isn't just that the courts are corrupt, a longtime Malaysian observer told Asia Sentinel. Perhaps a bigger problem is that after Mahathir politicized the courts and the law enforcement agencies during his 22-year reign, the, the police and prosecutors lost the skills and abilities to adequately prosecute or adjudicate cases.
The Port Klang case dates back to 2007. It has now been hanging fire since late 2009. Despite considerable evidence of widespread involvement by a range of politicians from the United Malays National Organization, the country's leading ethnically-based political party as well as the MCA that was uncovered by the Public Accounts Committee, little action has taken place.
Asia Sentinel obtained the 2007 cabinet memo in translation as the scandal grew. It is marked "Rahsia" or "Secret." Since cabinet documents come under Malaysia's stiff Official Security Act, passed in 1972, which allows for imprisonment up to 14 years for violating the statute. Some websites which first put up the memo took it down.
"To finance development projects, bonds issued by Special Purpose Companies (Special Purpose Vehicle) which was created by [Kuala Dimensi, the entity given authority over the project]," the cabinet memo says. "The bonds have been given AAA rating and attracted the attention of many investors. It is because the previous YB Minister of Transport [Ling] issued a letter of support saying the government will at all times ensure that the Port Klang Authority will meet all its obligations according to the duration and number of loans set."
The memorandum indicates that the cabinet knew most of the details about the vast cost overruns, giving a detailed description of the overages on Kuala Dimensi's part, which catapulted from RM1.088 billion (US$343.05 million) RM4.63 billion during the course of the project.
A series of cabinet meetings had been held since 1999 to consider the implementation of the project, especially in terms of land acquisition issues and financial allocations, the memo continues.
"The Ministry of Finance and the Department of the Attorney General have raised concerns about the financial need to be borne by the government and the status of land prices and land ownership issues involved with the project. On October 2, 2002, the cabinet agreed to the purchase of land in Klang for PKFZ after having been informed that the project is viable without government financial assistance and legal issues of land had been settled. A review by the Department of the Attorney General regarding the issue of land acquisition was also presented."
After a lengthy description of the situation, the report concludes: "The Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister and the Ministry of Transport have no objection to the proposed retrospective approval for the increased cost of development projects PKFZ, Pulau Indah, Selangor and the provision of soft loans to the Port Klang Authority and the government guarantee in relation to the issuance of bonds by Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Ltd."
Significantly, the legality of the retroactive guarantee appears to have been approved by the attorney general, Abdul Ghani Patail: "The Department of the Attorney General has no such objections to the proposed terms of paragraph 19 of the Memorandum."
Ultimately, the guarantee of the RM4.63 billion led to potential liability to the Malaysian government of nearly triple that amount if the Port Klang Authority defaults – which a report to the port authority's directors said is inevitable because the port can't generate enough revenue to meet the obligations.
"Retrospective approval by the government would allow [Port Klang Authority] to remain actively involved in the development of the PKFZ," the report says. "PKA as a government statutory body cannot be left to become insolvent and the government guarantee should be given to maintain the confidence of investors on the bonds issued. Payment obligations to KDSB will start this year in monthly installments of RM510 million and additional allocation should be prepared for 2008 until 2010."
The assertion by the MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek that there was no reason to apologise for the two top MCA leaders who were Transport Ministers, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy as whatever happened was the personal conduct of the leaders concerned and his strident denial that “MCA is a cheating party” have raised eyebrows nation-wide, even in Barisan Nasional parties including his own MCA!
Firstly, let me clarify that I had not asked Chua as MCA President to apologise over Ling and Chan on the ground that they were guilty of “grand corruption” as their trials have not even started – and I go along with the legal maxim that a person is innocent unless found guilty by the courts.
I had however asked Chua whether as MCA President he would apologise to Umno, Barisan Nasional and all Malaysians for producing a MCA President and MCA Deputy President who are charged in court for corruption in the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal based on Chua’s own comments as published by the Star on Tuesday (1.3.11), viz:
Dr Chua said anyone who had committed an offence in the eyes of the Attorney-General’s Chamber should face the music.
“This shows that the Government is fair because it doesn’t just go after the small fish but also the big fish,” he said.
Since Chua as MCA President fully supported the Attorney-General’s prosecution of the two top MCA leaders for corruption in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal, isn’t his next logical and responsible action (regardless of the outcome of the trials) should be to make a national apology for a MCA President and MCA Deputy President being charged for corruption in the PKFZ scandal when they were Transport Ministers?
Chua yesterday made another three more contributions to Malaysia’s lexicon of Political “Quotable Quotes”. On Monday, Chua had said that the charges against Chan will not affect the MCA.
Chua’s three new “Quotable Quotes” contributions are:
• MCA is not a cheating party.
• Corruption charges against Ling and Chan concerned their personal conduct.
• No need to apologise.
Let me comment on Chua’s latest three “Quotable Quotes”.
Firstly, on Chan’s assertion that MCA is not “a cheating party”: the MCA President is not the most qualified person to give such an answer, which should come from the Malaysian Chinese whom the MCA claims to represent as well as the Malaysian people.
Secondly, on the pathetic attempt to dissociate Ling and Chan from MCA for their corruption charges by claiming that they concerned their “personal conduct”, the simple retort from ordinary Malaysians is whether Ling and Chan would have become Transport Ministers in their “personal capacities”!
Thirdly, is Chua speaking for himself or is he speaking on behalf of the entire MCA Central Committee that there is no need for an official MCA apology for producing a President and a Deputy President who have been charged for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal – when no personalities from the other Barisan Nasional parties have been charged?
I do not think Chua can really speak on behalf of all MCA leaders and all levels of the MCA membership when he made the infamous quotes of “Charges against Chan will not affect MCA”, “Charges against Ling and Chan are their personal conduct” and “No Need to Apologise”, as I believe there are still many MCA members of honour and integrity in their rank-and-file.
If Datuk Ong Tee Keat is still MCA President, for instance, I think he would tender such a national apology on behalf of MCA to Umno, Barisan Nasional and the Malaysian public if asked to do so without qualification whatsoever.
May be, Chua should convene an emergency MCA General Assembly to allow the MCA delegates to decide whether MCA should tender a public and national apology to Malaysians for producing a MCA President and Deputy President who betrayed public trust and are charged for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal!
TEMERLOH, 3 Mac (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom has described as preposterous PAS' claim that voters who supported the party would be promised heaven while those who backed Barisan Nasional would face the God's wrath.
"We always pray and hope that they (PAS) will repent and return to the true teachings of Islam," he told reporters during his campaign trail in Felda Jengka 23 near here Thursday night.
Jamil Khir also joined Jengka 23 settlers at a tahlil worship and Yasin recitation before speaking at a ceramah in Jengka 25.
He said second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein left a legacy to the people, including Felda which had given a future to the poor from all over the country.
"Decades of planning have enabled the forest to be cleared for Felda settlers to move in and toil the land. The land scheme had made a big impact on settlers as they get together to enjoy a good life here (Felda)," said Jamil Khir.
He said Razak's vision would be continued by his son, Datuk Seri Najib, who was inspired by
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan aircraft bombed a section of eastern Libya on Wednesday as leader Moammar Gadhafi tried to retake control of an area seized by rebel forces.
A CNN crew saw the aircraft drop two bombs near al-Brega, a town in the east with key oil and natural gas facilities.
Later, a military aircraft dropped a third bomb. People on the ground shot and threw whatever they could at the aircraft, then fled.
After one of the attacks, people carrying stretchers were seen running to the site of the bombing.
Fighting also raged on the ground, as Gadhafi's forces tried to take control of a university in al-Brega.
A doctor told CNN there were four dead and 23 wounded at his hospital in the area, all victims of gunshot wounds.
Residents of the town said the rebels maintained control of al-Brega, repelling Libyan ground forces.
Earlier Wednesday, military aircraft bombed military camps on the outskirts of the town of Ajdabiya, a tribal leader said.
The tribal leader, who did not want to be identified for safety reasons, said youths in Ajdabiya were massing and heading toward the conflict area to help defend the town, which has been in the control of rebel forces in recent days. Some military bases in eastern Libya have fallen into the hands of rebels as more members of the military have abandoned Gadhafi's regime and joined the opposition.
The bombings could support calls for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent such attacks. The United States has said all options are on the table. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said imposing a no-fly zone would be "an extraordinarily complex operation."
Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Wednesday that, while Libyans are not asking for foreign troops on the ground, they need "the tools to prevent the slaughter of innocents on Libyan streets, and I believe that the global community cannot be on the sidelines while airplanes are allowed to bomb and strafe. A no-fly zone is not a long-term proposition, assuming the outcome is what all desire, and I believe that we ought to be ready to implement it as necessary."
The Arab League met Wednesday to consider a resolution rejecting foreign military intervention in Libya, where protesters have been demonstrating for weeks, calling for more freedoms and for the longtime ruler to step down.
"We perceive what happened and what is happening is an internal affair that is decided by the people and their governments," the Arab League said in a statement.
As Gadhafi's forces launched their attacks, the 68-year-old leader warned that "thousands and thousands of people will be killed" if the United States or NATO "intervene in our country."
In another of his trademark, rambling speeches carried live on state television, Gadhafi continued to claim that there are no peaceful Libyan protests, only al Qaeda-backed efforts to tear the country apart. He blamed the problems on former prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who were released to Libya and then freed by Libyan authorities after they pledged to reform. He said they turned out to be members of al Qaeda sleeper cells -- but insisted that his country is "stopping al Qaeda from flourishing" and preventing Osama bin Laden from moving into North Africa.
Gadhafi, who has ruled Libya for more than 41 years, also denied having any assets besides "history, the people, the glory -- not the American dollars or the oil."
The speech lasted about 2-1/2 hours. He also spoke Wednesday with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, according to the Venezuelan Ministry of Popular Power.
Later, several thousand people, including many young men and women, took part in a pro-Gadhafi rally in Tripoli's Green Square.
Some residents of the capital have told CNN they want to protest Gadhafi but fear being killed by his forces. And some have said Gadhafi forces have dragged residents into the streets and forced them to take part in rallies praising the leader.
A spokesman for the Libyan government, Musa Ibrahim, told CNN that assertions of widespread military attacks on peaceful demonstrators are wrong. "This is an armed rebellion, with people going around attacking police stations, army offices, getting a hold of guns and attacking," he said.
He said the government had supported the initial peaceful protests, but said al Qaeda supporters have hijacked that movement "and they are leading the country into chaos."
Asked for evidence, he said, "We have captured dozens of these people, we have figures, we have interviews, we are willing and prepared to take these people and show them on international media."
But numerous witnesses have described indiscriminate killings and attacks.
The International Criminal Court announced it is opening an investigation into Libya. "Following a preliminary examination of available information, the prosecutor has reached the conclusion that an investigation is warranted," the court said in a statement.
The court said it is focusing on what it considers "the most serious crimes of concern to the international community." No possible charges or violations were listed in the statement.
The conflict between Gadhafi's government and opponents, in its third week, followed protests in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia that ousted those countries' leaders.
International efforts to persuade him to follow the message of protesters and step down have also ratcheted up.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday to suspend Libya from its seat on the 47-member chamber Human Rights Council. It was the first time the assembly had suspended a member of the council.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the General Assembly that he welcomed the decision and urged the international community to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Libya. "The world has spoken with one voice," he said. "We demand an immediate end to the violence toward civilians and full respect for their fundamental human rights, including those of peaceful assembly and free speech."
He added that reports from the ground "are sobering," with deaths and ongoing repression.
"Arms depots and arsenals have reportedly been opened to gangs who terrorize communities. There are reports that government forces have fired indiscriminately on peaceful protesters and bombed the military bases in the east of the country," Ban said.
"The death toll from nearly two weeks of violence is unknown, but likely to exceed 1,000," with thousands more wounded, he added, using the same fatality figure he had used Friday.
Libya's ambassador to the United States estimated Monday that the death toll was about 2,000.
Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the leader's 38-year-old son who has spoken on behalf of the regime during the protests, told CNN Tuesday that his talks with the opposition were in "chaos" because the opposition is divided, with no clear leaders.
U.S. officials made similar comments about the opposition. A U.S. official who wanted to remain anonymous because the official was not authorized to speak on the record said it is "unclear who the leaders in the opposition are and that makes it difficult" for the United States to provide assistance.
The capital city of Tripoli remained under the control of Gadhafi's rule, though opposition forces have taken control of the eastern city of Benghazi and a number of other cities.
The U.N. refugee agency reported that nearly 150,000 people had crossed Libya's borders into Egypt and Tunisia, and thousands more were arriving hourly at the borders.
Ban called for immediate action by the international community. "Time is of the essence," he said. "Thousands of lives are at stake."
CNN's Ben Wedeman, Salma Abdelaziz, Arwa Damon, Nic Robertson, Ivan Watson, Eve Bower, Jim Boulden, Frederik Pleitgen, Richard Roth, Jack Maddox, Whitney Hurst and Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report
KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — The rise in postal voters in Perak is due to increased awareness of the voting right, including sign ups from those married to uniformed personnel, says the Election Commission (EC) as it sought dispel doubt over the figures.
EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar told The Malaysian Insider that more people — including those married to armed forces and police personnel — now knew they qualified to be registered as absent voters, which give them the right to cast their ballots through the post.
“I presume that if there is an increase in the number of postal voters as alleged, the wives of armed forces personnel and police personnel decided to register with their husbands. That is one possibility,” he said yesterday.
Wan Ahmad was responding to claims that the rise in postal votes signalled the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition was moving to strengthen its position in marginal seats there for the coming national polls, expected to be called this year ahead of its 2013 deadline.
He said national figures for registered postal voters from the armed forces were about 134,000, and for the police force, about 80,000 at the last count. The nation’s security forces are largely seen as reliable vote banks for the BN.
He added that he was not sure of the exact figures for Perak and needed to speak with the state director before he could comment further on the rise.
The BN had lost the silver state in the 2008 polls but regained it 11 months later after three state lawmakers from the fledgling Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact switched loyalties.
PKR raised the alarm yesterday after noting the number of postal voters had shot up by 5,669 and 1,102 in the state constituencies of Pangkor and Kamunting respectively.
Perak PKR assemblyman Chan Ming Kai noted that although Pangkor — which was won by Perak Mentri Besar, Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir — had grown by over 5,000 votes, the Lumut parliamentary constituency, in which it sits, was won by the MCA’s Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha by a margin of only 298 votes out of the 55,930 votes cast.
Kamunting, meanwhile, was won by Umno’s Mohamad Zahir Abdul Khalid with a 555-vote margin over his PAS opponent.
The opposition party urged the EC to check that the number of armed forces personnel stationed in the area matched the jump in postal voter registration.
The EC will be holding its monthly meeting today and is expected to release the updated electoral roll based on the registration of the fourth quarter of last year.
Citing election regulations, Wan Ahmad explained that armed forces and police personnel are automatically put on the electoral roll for postal votes; and that their spouses had the right to do so.
He observed there were a many armed forces bases in Perak, and pointed to the large naval base in Lumut as an example.
“They are given a choice. They can choose to register as ordinary voters or be counted as an absent voter and vote through the post, so long as they fulfil the requirements under the law,” he said.
He said it was likely that the spouses of armed forces and police personnel had been persuaded by their husbands or wives to opt for postal voting because of the convenience.
However, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, better known as Bersih 2.0, challenged that view. “I disagree with Datuk Wan Ahmad’s statement,” its chairman, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan (picture), told The Malaysian Insider.
Like PKR, she said the rise in Perak’s postal voters was suspicious and urged the EC to exercise its discretion in registering applications as the whole process was open to abuse.
“The whole system is in a mess. It goes against the whole spirit of postal voting,” she said.
“It does not make sense if a person who could be present at the polling stations on polling day to cast their ballots should be allowed to be a postal voter,” she added.
But Wan Ahmad said the EC was not empowered to reject registering any if the person meets the criteria as laid down in section 2(a) of the Elections (Registration of Electors) Regulations 2002 and section 3 of the Elections (Postal Voting) Regulations 2003.
Doing so would mean denying a citizen his right to vote as laid down in Article 119 Federal Constitution, he stressed.
“If a person is qualified under the syarat, we do not reject. Our job is to make sure there is no duplication of voters to prevent fraud.
“We do not deny the right of a person to be registered as a postal voter,” he said repeatedly.
Wan Ahmad also said EC has no power to automatically strike off the names of retired or inactive armed forces and police personnel from the postal roll because of the way the regulations are structured.
“Once a person retires from the armed forces or the police and has got his MyKad back, then he can go to any post office or EC counter or anywhere else to register himself as an ordinary voter,” he said.
He explained that it was because the law required voters be registered for voting based on the address recorded in their identity cards.
The EC cannot assume the retired serviceman would choose to settle down at the same address he had voted in previously.
“This is their right,” Wan Ahmad maintained.
He said the EC’s idea to make the postal voting process more transparent by stationing its officers in the armed forces’ bases was still being worked out.
He described it as a lengthy process as the EC needed to calculate the number of camps nationwide, as well as figure out the logistics to get to each camp location and the number of election officers to dispatch.
Ummi challenged Anwar and Azmin to sue her. — Picture by Jack OoiJASIN, March 3 — Taking no chances to keep the Merlimau seat, Umno brought in Ummi Hafilda Ali to the stumps last night where she resumed her campaign against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and her elder brother Azmin.
She was a key witness in Anwar’s first sodomy trial and has largely dropped out of sight until recently when Azmin won the PKR deputy presidency.
“Many false allegations have been made against me for the past 13 years. This is why I feel that it is necessary for me to come forward to clear my name.
“I am also here to clear the name of our statesman, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former police chief Musa Hassan,” she said to a crowd of about 100 supporters ahead of this weekend's vote.
Ummi pledged that she will not stop until the downfall of Anwar, calling him an anti-Christ.
“This is because Anwar Ibrahim is very dangerous and we should not allow him to sell our country to the Jews,” she said.
She repeated her claims that Anwar was sexually involved with Azmin’s wife, Shamsidar Taharin.
Ummi also showed alleged certificates of over RM20 million worth of shares owned by Shamsidar.
“If I am lying, then I dare Shamsidar, Anwar and Azmin to sue to me,” she said.
Prior to Election 2008, Ummi was active in addressing Umno-organised rallies where she related her experience in exposing Anwar’s alleged sexual misconduct to Dr Mahathir.
“When Tun Dr Mahathir asked me if I was willing to appear as a witness. I remember replying to him that I would for my race, country and religion,” she recounted.
Anwar was later convicted for abuse of power and sodomy and was released in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned by the Federal Court, but is currently on trial for allegedly sodomising his former aide in 2008.
Ummi resurfaced recently when an interview with her appeared on the front page of Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia last year where she urged Azmin to repent.
“I would like to declare tonight that I am willing to lose a brother rather than destroy the 27 million of our people,” she said.
Ummi has said that she plans to file several lawsuits against Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders for allegedly defaming her and for attempting to cover up Anwar’s alleged crime.
She said she has been in discussion with her lawyer to sue Anwar, his lawyer Karpal Singh, PAS central committee member Mohamad Sabu and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail.
CAP asks authorities to put a stop to daily spraying in Seberang Perai Utara.
TASEK GELUGOR: For about a year now, residents of Kampung Selamat and Taman Selamat in Seberang Perai Utara have been complaining of persistent headaches, coughs and breathing problems.
The culprit, according to the Consumer Association of Penang (CAP), is a company that has been testing its pesticides on a vegetable plot in the area.
“They conduct the spraying daily,” CAP president SM Mohamed Idris said in a press statement today.
He called on the Health Department and the Agriculture Department to put a stop to the testing.
“The problem started about a year ago, after an unidentified company started using a vegetable growing spot in the area as a trial plot to test its pesticides,” he said.
“The area gets polluted as the pesticides go airborne.” He said the residents, unable to tolerate their suffering anymore, recently decided to complain through CAP.
“Even food stall owners and road users are threatened by this indiscriminate spraying,” he said.
“If the problem persists, the pollution will cause even more serious health complications to the residents and untold problems to the air and the area’s irrigation system.”
The officer in charge of the Penang Health Department was not available for comment.
In an attempt to emulate the democratic revolution in Egypt that was sparked by a Facebook campaign, a group of Burmese activists operating inside the country have set up a Facebook page dubbed "Just Do It Against Military Dictatorship."
The social networking campaign denounces the country's military dictatorship, calls for Burmese military chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe and his family to leave the country and urges the army to join with the people.
The campaign began on Feb. 13–just two days after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned from office under pressure from protesters.
The Facebook page, now known simply as "JD," has prompted the distribution of anti-government material in a number of places across Burma and raised security levels in Rangoon.
"We are not daydreaming," said an activist in Rangoon who said he was a JD supporter. "No dictator can resist a popular movement, we know."
The campaign has now received the support of over 1,000 activists in Burma, according to one of the organizers who declined to be named due to personal safety concerns.
The organizer told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that JD supporters have distributed anti-government pamphlets in Mandalay, Burma's second largest city, and in Taunggyi Township in Shan State.
He said that a poster dropped at the main railway station in Mandalay reads: "Get Out! Than Shwe."
On Wednesday, JD supporters distributing pamphlets in Zay Cho market–the largest in Mandalay – had to flee when police arrived.
In addition, a professor from Taunggyi University reportedly informed the authorities about the distribution of anti-government pamphlets in Shan State, but no one was arrested.
Facebook is the second most popular site after Gmail among the estimated 400,000 Internet users inside Burma. Twitter, the micro-blogging website, is banned in the country.
Due to the limited access to the Internet for many people inside Burma, it remains uncertain how much further the Facebook campaign can go. But the Burmese authorities, notorious for brutal repression against any form of dissent, have apparently heightened security in Rangoon.
Rangoon residents said they saw anti-riot police trucks driving around the city center on Wednesday morning, although this is not unusual and there is no confirmed link between the security measures and the Facebook campaign.
The Burmese state-run media made no mention of the protests in North Africa and private journals were restricted in reporting the news.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said that the Burmese people were closely following the protests in Libya. In comparing Libya and Burma, Suu Kyi told the Voice of America that past protests in Burma faced brutal crackdowns from the army, whereas some army units in Libya split and joined with protesters.
"In Burma, I don't think there was any noticeable divisions with regards to the policies of the military," Suu Kyi said.
This first appeared in The Irrawaddy, which has a content-sharing agreement with Asia Sentinel
PETALING JAYA (March 2, 2011): Ethnicity is important, but it is not all that matters, and it is time we stopped being a race-obsessed nation, said the 1Malaysia Foundation today.
Its trustees, led by chairman Prof Dr Chandra Muzaffar, have called for the removal of racial status on forms wherever it is unnecessary, or when ethnicity has no bearing on a particular situation.
"Why is it necessary for hire purchase agreements, application for bank loans, or public examination registration forms to have a column identifying racial status?" said Chandra at a press conference today.
If ethnic statistics are vital for nation-building purposes, then the usage is justified, he said, citing examples of increasing non-Malay participation in civil service, the police or armed forces, or when strengthening the role of certain races in the private sector.
Still, there are many areas where race continues to be emphasised unnecessarily.
"Look at the way we refer to each other, always by race first. Surely that is not that important," he said, adding that doing so is an obstacle to achieving unity.
Board of Trustees member Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said he believed having to identify race in forms is regressive to the goal of unity.
"It is my hope that following this call from the foundation, all the public and private agencies will review the forms they issue as a positive step to contribute to national unity."
The foundation has engaged in discussions with various banking institutions in the country in this matter, and response has been positive.
"Many have agreed to not make racial status a mandatory field, and soon they will remove it completely," said Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, who is also a trustee of the foundation.
However, the declaration of religion in forms is still needed in situations where differences in religious practice bears significance.
"This should not be misunderstood," said trustee Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, adding that this has nothing to do with politics or religion.
"It is about doing away with our narrow, obsessed-with-race mindset," he said.
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan aircraft bombed a section of eastern Libya on Wednesday as leader Moammar Gadhafi tried to take back control of an area seized by the opposition.
A CNN crew saw the aircraft drop two bombs in the area of al-Brega, a town in the east with key oil and natural gas facilities.
Later, a military aircraft dropped a third bomb. People on the ground shot and threw whatever they could at the aircraft, then fled.
It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties in the bombings.
Fighting also raged on the ground, as Gadhafi's forces tried to take control of a university in al-Brega.
A doctor at one hospital in the area told CNN there were four dead and 23 wounded at his hospital, all having suffered gunshot wounds.
Residents of the town said the rebels managed to maintain control of al-Brega and drive Libyan ground forces out.
Earlier Wednesday, military aircraft bombed military camps on the outskirts of the town of Ajdabiya, a tribal leader said.
The tribal leader, who did not want to be identified for safety reasons, said youth in Ajdabiya were amassing and heading toward the conflict area to help defend the town, which has been in the control of opposition forces in recent days. Some military bases in eastern Libya have fallen into the hands of protesters as more members of the military have abandoned Gadhafi's regime and joined demonstrations.
The aerial bombings could support calls by some in the opposition for the United States and international groups, such as the United Nations, to impose a no-fly zone over the country, preventing Gadhafi from using aerial attacks. The United States has said all options are on the table. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said imposing a no-fly zone would be "an extraordinarily complex operation."
Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Wednesday that while Libyans are not asking for foreign troops on the ground, they need "the tools to prevent the slaughter of innocents on Libyan streets, and I believe that the global community cannot be on the sidelines while airplanes are allowed to bomb and strafe. A no-fly zone is not a long-term proposition, assuming the outcome is what all desire, and I believe that we ought to be ready to implement it as necessary."
The Arab League met Wednesday to consider a resolution rejecting foreign military intervention in Libya, where protesters have been demonstrating for weeks, calling for more freedoms and for the longtime ruler to step down.
"We perceive what happened and what is happening is an internal affair that is decided by the people and their governments," the Arab League said in a statement.
As Gadhafi's forces launched their aerial attacks, the 68-year-old leader warned that "thousands and thousands of people will be killed" if the United States or NATO "intervene in our country."
In another of his trademark lengthy, rambling speeches carried on state television, Gadhafi continued to claim that there are no peaceful Libyan protests, only al Qaeda-backed efforts to tear the country apart. He blamed the problems on former prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who were released to Libya and then freed by Libyan authorities after they pledged to reform. He said they turned out to be members of al Qaeda sleeper cells -- but insisted that his country is "stopping al Qaeda from flourishing," and preventing Osama bin Laden from moving into North Africa.
Gadhafi, who has ruled Libya for more than 41 years, also denied having any assets besides "history, the people, the glory -- not the American dollars or the oil."
The speech lasted about 2 1/2 hours.
While Gadhafi has denied using violence against peaceful protesters, numerous witnesses have described indiscriminate killings and attacks by Gadhafi's forces.
The International Criminal Court announced it is opening an investigation into Libya. "Following a preliminary examination of available information, the prosecutor has reached the conclusion that an investigation is warranted," the court said in a statement.
The court said it is focusing on what it considers "the most serious crimes of concern to the international community." No possible charges or violations were listed in the statement.
The conflict between Gadhafi's government and protesters is in its third week. It followed protests in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia that successfully ousted their leaders.
International efforts to persuade him to follow the message of protesters and step down have also ratcheted up.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday to suspend Libya from its seat on the 47-member chamber Human Rights Council. It was the first time the assembly had suspended a member of the council.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the General Assembly that he welcomed the decision and urged the international community to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Libya. "The world has spoken with one voice," he said. "We demand an immediate end to the violence toward civilians and full respect for their fundamental human rights, including those of peaceful assembly and free speech."
He added that reports from the ground "are sobering," with deaths and ongoing repression.
"Arms depots and arsenals have reportedly been opened to gangs who terrorize communities. There are reports that government forces have fired indiscriminately on peaceful protesters and bombed the military bases in the east of the country," Ban said.
"The death toll from nearly two weeks of violence is unknown, but likely to exceed 1,000," with thousands more wounded, he added, using the same fatality figure he had used Friday.
Libya's ambassador to the United States estimated Monday that the death toll was about 2,000.
Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the leader's 38-year-old son who has spoken on behalf of the regime during the protests, told CNN his talks with the opposition were in "chaos" because the opposition is divided, with no clear leaders.
U.S. officials made similar comments about the opposition. A U.S. official who wanted to remain anonymous because the official was not authorized to speak on the record said it is "unclear who the leaders in the opposition are and that makes it difficult" for the United States to provide assistance.
The capital city of Tripoli remained under the control of Gadhafi's rule, though opposition forces have taken control of the eastern city of Benghazi and other cities amid deadly unrest.
The U.N. refugee agency reported that nearly 150,000 people had crossed Libya's borders into Egypt and Tunisia, and thousands more were arriving hourly at the borders.
Ban called for immediate action by the international community. "Time is of the essence," he said. "Thousands of lives are at stake."
CNN's Ben Wedeman, Salma Abdelaziz, Arwa Damon, Nic Robertson, Ivan Watson, Eve Bower, Jim Boulden, Frederik Pleitgen, Richard Roth, Jack Maddox, Whitney Hurst and Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report.
(see Malaysiakini.com)
Six more Human Rights Party (HRP) members were charged in the Ipoh magistrate’s court today with participating in an illegal organisation.
The six are Perak HRP chief P Ramesh, vice-president S Nagroon, Taiping coordinator K Sivakumar, and three other members, R Mohan, S Jayakumar and V Lingam.
They are alleged to have committed the offence under Section 43 of the Societies Act 1996 while partipating in an HRP-organised convoy at Jelapang, Ipoh on Feb 13.
The six accused were represented by lawyer Augustine Anthony.
Yesterday, five HRP leaders and members were also charged with the same offence at the Selayang magistrate’s court, but they refused to post bail set at RM2,500.
The five are HRP vice-president K Tamil Selvam, information chief S Jayathas, K Navakrishna, T Periasamy and S Loshna Rau.
When contacted by Malaysiakini, HRP secretary-general P Uthayakumar said that all the six charged in Ipoh were released on RM2,000 bail each. Uthayakumar (left) further said that he was disappointed with the arrests and charges against HRP members.
He claimed that at 6.30am this morning, several police officers were waiting outside Lingam’s house in Ipoh. “This is a form of intimidation and harassment by them (the police),” he claimed.
Uthayakumar also mentioned that lawyers’ fees and bail charges are being paid from the HRP’s funds.
“We received contributions of close to RM100,000 from members of the public who supported the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), back in 2007. So we will be using those funds to clear up these bills,” he added.
On Feb 13, 59 HRP members and supporters in Selangor, Perak and Kuala Lumpur were arrested as police came down hard on their nationwide convoys to protest against the novel ‘Interlok‘, which is used in secondary schools.
A controversy arose following the ministry’s decision to use the novel, written by national laureate Abdullah Hussein, as a literature textbook, with several parties claiming that it contains words deemed sensitive to the Indian community.
Indian NGOs decry the book’s description of Indians in Malaysia as being from the lower caste, among other racial stereotypes.
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Malaysia is likely to head to the polls in 2011 with Prime Minister Najib Razak hoping for fresh impetus to pursue promised reforms after falling short of investor expectations.
The National Front coalition that has ruled this Southeast Asian country for 53 years was hit by record losses in national elections two years ago. Strong wins in recent local elections and a recovering economy have opened a window for Najib to call early elections, though he does not have to hold one until 2013.
Najib has delivered measures such as granting new bank licenses and cutting the fiscal deficit. But he has shied away from big subsidy cuts and tax reforms and softened an earlier promise to reform controversial preferential equity ownership rules for the majority ethnic Malays.
Disappointed investors are increasingly opting for faster reforming neighbours such as Indonesia. Analysts expect Najib may be willing to push through reforms after the next general election, but only if he manages to win a strong mandate.
POLITICAL CONFLICT
Political tensions spiked after the last general election in 2008. The National Front lost in five of Malaysia's 13 states and ceded its two-thirds majority in parliament to an opposition led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The People's Alliance opposition is however beginning to show signs that it is losing momentum, defeated in two recent by-elections amid a rift in Anwar's own party.
Doubts are growing about whether the opposition is able to mount a serious threat to the status quo but even if they just hold their ground Najib would still be in trouble.
Najib needs to regain the ruling coalition's two-thirds control of parliament and win at least two of the five states it lost to stamp his mark on power.
Any less and he would come under pressure from Malay activist groups opposed to some of his economic reforms, and from within his own United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party that anchors the National Front.
The political uncertainties since 2008 have weighed on foreign investment but hot money has flowed into the Malaysian bond market this year, reversing investment outflows and pushing the ringgit currency to 13 year highs against the dollar.
What to watch:
-- A Jan 22 by-election in UMNO's stronghold state of Johor bordering Singapore. The ruling coalition is widely expected to win but a narrow victory could cast doubts on the strength of its support level ahead of the next general election.
-- State-wide elections in the Borneo state of Sarawak, expected by April. Unhappiness among minority ethnic Chinese in the ruling coalition's bastion state could lead to a loss of its two-thirds majority in the state legislature. This would embolden the opposition, weaken Najib's position and lead to a likely delay in the timing of the national polls.
-- Concurrent versus separate polls. The possibility that country's four opposition-run states would run their own state polls separately from national elections could prolong political tensions.
-- Minorities. Many of Malaysia's mainly ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities abandoned the government in the 2008 elections due to increasing concerns of marginalisation, hollowing out the ruling coalition's smaller parties. Many remain weak and unable to regain momentum.
-- Election signals. Najib will begin a nationwide tour in January to ready his party and coalition for polls. The timing of the polls will also depend on the results of the Sarawak elections.
-- Younger voters. Both the opposition and government are actively wooing a large and growing number of first time voters whose political allegiances are not fixed and who could end up deciding the outcome.
-- Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial. Charged in 2008 for sodomising a former male aide, Anwar claims the case is a political conspiracy by the government. A verdict is likely sometime in 2011. A guilty verdict would anger Anwar's supporters and could escalate political tensions sharply in the country, leading to a pullout of foreign money from stocks, bonds and the ringgit. But with limited foreign portfolio investment in Malaysia, the impact will be muted.
ECONOMIC REFORM
Najib has pledged to reform a decades-old affirmative action policy favouring Malays with economic privileges such as business and replace it with a "New Economic Model" to promote greater economic competition.
Investors complain that abuse of the policy spawned a patronage-ridden economy, making Malaysia less attractive to investors than neighbouring states.
Najib has rolled back elements of the policy, axing a rule that firms must offer stakes to Malays, but his plans face growing opposition from conservative Malay rights groups supported by many within UMNO.
Najib cut Malaysia's fiscal deficit from a 20-year high of 7 percent of gross domestic product in 2009 to 5.6 percent in 2010 and has promised to lower it to 5.4 percent in 2011.
What to watch:
-- The phased rollout of the New Economic Model, and how far Najib will accommodate conservative Malay pressure groups.
-- The introduction of a Goods and Services Tax, which has been postponed twice. The government says it remains committed to introducing the tax with an initial rate of four percent.
-- Continuing roll-out of details of the "Economic Transformation Programme" (ETP), an ambitious plan aiming to attract $444 billion worth of investment in the next 10 years in order to double the country's national income.
-- A rise in crude oil prices above $100 a barrel will add pressure to the government to cut fuel subsidies further, risking a political backlash that could hurt the ruling coalition's aims of securing a strong election win.
RACE AND RELIGION
Race and religion have always been explosive issues in Malaysian politics. Najib took power pledging a more inclusive approach to ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, but some in his UMNO party are casting this approach aside in a bid to woo conservative Malays.
The caning of three women under strict Islamic laws in February for having illicit sex is viewed as the government's increasing adoption of a stronger Islamic agenda, and this has worried some investors.
A heated row over the use of the word "Allah" by Catholics, which sparked attacks on religious establishments, is also threatening to prolong minority unhappiness with the government.
What to watch:
-- Efforts to resolve religious disputes. The government set up an interfaith committee to promote religious harmony and is trying to reach an out of court settlement with the Borneo Evangelical Church over the "Allah" dispute.
-- If the government tries to woo Muslim voters with conservative policies, investors may be spooked.
-- A severe worsening of tensions could raise the spectre of sectarian unrest, but this is not regarded as likely for now.
CORRUPTION
Malaysia used to be regarded as one of the region's more reliable countries, but perceptions of worsening corruption and a lack of judicial independence have damaged investment. Malaysia was ranked a record-low 56th position in anti-corruption body Transparency International's global ranking in 2009 and remained in the same spot in 2010.
What to watch:
-- Government efforts to deal with a scandal over a port trade zone close to Kuala Lumpur that exposed links between politics and business. False government guarantees given when the bonds were sold have triggered concerns among holders of $1 billion of bonds that they might not be repaid.
Last year, Najib promised to prosecute any wrongdoing with regards to the port project and this move could be an at
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They are not doing this with East- timor delegates but it is just piece of low class mentality that they want to show other. This country will appear as Pakistan , Sudan and Somalia one day.
PETALING JAYA: Are Malaysians turning into sociopaths with little or no concern for man and beast?
(Asia Sentinel)What did the cabinet know, and when did they know it?
“I disagree with Datuk Wan Ahmad’s statement,” its chairman, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan (picture), told The Malaysian Insider.
Uthayakumar (left) further said that he was disappointed with the arrests and charges against HRP members.