DAP’s blueprint for Indians is a copy of Hindraf’s

Is DAP's declaration for the Indians just intended to create an illusion of action substituting for real action, asks Hindraf advisor N Ganesan.
COMMENT

By N Ganesan

I am really sad to see DAP go this way. The so-called Gelang Patah Declaration of DAP is no more than a plagiarised version of Hindraf’s five-year blueprint document.

Eleven out of the 14 items in the DAP document are straight out from Hindraf’s blueprint.

The fact that its blueprint was revealed on the 21st day of P Waythamoorthy’s hunger strike indicates as though DAP was scurrying to cover its behind against charges of abandoning the cause of the Indian poor.

Not one of the DAP leaders had anything to say for all of 20 days about the endorsement of the Hindraf blueprint – which was the key demand of the hunger strike. On the 21st day –DAP pull this out of its sleeves, and within 24 hours.

Look at the timing of DAP’s declarations and actions for the Indian poor – just days before the general election. What was the party doing for all the five years up to now? No action in five years and then now a declaration.

The items in this declaration could easily have been carried out in the DAP Penang state government in all five years of its rule, but were not.

Housing for the marginalised: large and numerous developments in Penang have been approved in the last five years, but hardly any noticeable effort for the marginalised poor.

Alienate land for temples and burial grounds: land is a state matter; DAP could easily have done this in Penang in these last five years instead of talking about it after five full years in its declaration just before the next election. Did this realisation just come to the DAP or is this its standard modus operandus?

Provide land to Tamil primary schools: similarly with land for the Tamil schools. Worse here. Not only did the DAP government not grant land to the 23 partially aided Tamil schools in the state, requests for land for Tamil schools in Penang coming from the PIBGs (Parent-Teacher Associations) were ducked using a variety of techniques, were denied outright or the PIBGs were manipulated to avoid causing embarrassment to the state government with such requests.

So, it raises the question: is this declaration just intended to create an illusion of action substituting for real action?

The double speak game

The DAP leaders made a promise to the Kampung Buah Pala folks in 2008 in Penang and they totally reneged on their promise.

That is a precedent for the value of all their promises. This declaration is put forward as a promise.

I wonder how much commitment there is now to this promise. Whatever they did eventually for the Kampung Buah Pala folks, was because of the pressure that was brought to bear on them; it was not out of any obligations to their promises.

The Pakatan argument against the Hindraf’s blueprint has always been that it is race-based and not need-based.

May I ask “what based” is this Gelang Patah Declaration when 11 out of 14 items in it come from a “race-based” document.

This double speak is so typical of what we have been seeing lately in Pakatan.

If you have been following the story, the first Pakatan manifesto had zero election pledges addressing the problems of the Indian poor. Then after an uproar from the people, it included five items into the revised manifesto (the additional items also came from the Hindraf blueprint).

Then seeing that this was not cutting it enough, the number of items taken up has now gone up to 11.

In 2008, Pakatan hijacked the Hindraf rallying cry “Makkal Sakthi”. In 2013, it is now attempting to hijack Hindraf’s blueprint. It is shameful.

Is this all the intellectual capability the DAP can muster? Is copying the best it can do? It is so shameful for a national party to plagiarise. How much commitment can there be in any effort like this?

We are wondering why this Gelang Patah Declaration did not extend to include the most impactful intervention such as a Felda type of land allocated contract farming proposal. Why was this not copied out as well from Hindraf’s blueprint?

DAP supremo Karpal Singh on March 30 called on Anwar Ibrahim to endorse Hindraf’s blueprint. The next day, his son Gobind Singh was in Gelang Patah beside Lim Kit Siang to unveil this DAP blueprint. What circus is this?

April Fool’s plan

P Ramasamy, the Deputy Chief Minister ll of Penang, had said in a YouTube interview that there are not even 800 Indian members in DAP nationwide. That is about 0.04% of the total Indian population.

DAP clearly does not represent the Indians. It has no business putting out an April Fool’s plan like this to continue to deceive and fool the Indians in the country.

This Gelang Patah plan is not to empower Indians but to empower the Indian mandores in DAP.

Why was this plan not done at the Pakatan manifesto level? Why now come up with a DAP document and then get endorsement from the partners?

This sounds exactly like what Hindraf is attempting. This is DAP’s blueprint that has been endorsed, just sounds like Hindraf’s moves. Convenient to confuse the people with.

Is the Gelang Patah Declaration DAP’s declaration or is it Lim Kit Siang’s declaration – a political device to deceive the Indian people of Gelang Patah. Some 12% of the electorate of Gelang Patah, or 12,000 voters, are Indians.

Are the elements of this plan not covered in the Buku Jingga as we are repeatedly told or are you admitting that the Buku Jingga does not really address the problem and therefore it requires a special plan?

If that is the case, then all the arguments why the Hindraf blueprint cannot be endorsed by Pakatan are just not valid.

Our advice to DAP is to stop this kind of tomfoolery. No more April Fool’s gimmicks please. Rise to the challenge with some real stuff.

N Ganesan is Hindraf’s national advisor.

Demi Agama, Bangsa dan Tanah air

MELAYU MAHUKAN PERUBAHAN

DARI SERONOK JADI MARAH

Sudah tentu tajuk di atas menggembirakan pihak yang menyokong pembangkang. Keseronokan ini akan berubah apabila dikatakan majoriti orang Melayu yang mahukan perubahan ialah  mereka yang tinggal di Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Kelantan dan Selangor. Marah pula nampaknya yang tadi kelihatan seronok.

 

PERUBAHAN YANG BERLAKU

 

Perubahan yang dikehendaki oleh orang-orang Melayu, malahan yang bukan Melayu juga, bermula setelah kemenangan Barisan Nasional dalam PRU ke 11 pada tahun 2004. Prestasi kerajaan sejak kemenangan itu begitu meleset sehingga pengundi, termasuk ahli-ahli UMNO menunjukkan protes mereka menyebabkan kemelesetan prestasi BN dalam PRU ke 12 pada tahun 2008 apabila BN kalah di lima buah negeri dan banyak kerusi Parlimen dalam Wilayah Persekutuan dimenangi oleh pembangkang.

Sekitar setahun setelah memenangi dengan tipis PRU ke 12 ahli-ahli UMNO telah menyedarkan pemimpin tertinggi parti bahawa negara memerlukan perubahan di peringkat pucuk pimpinan kerajaan pusat. Maka berubahlah pucuk pimpinan kerajaan dengan bergantinya Perdana Menteri.

 

ALASAN MELESET PRESTASI

 

Penganalisa pihak dalaman parti UMNO mengetahui bahawa perubahan yang berlaku dalam PRU ke 12 ialah atas kehendak orang-orang Melayu sendiri, kerana melesetnya prestasi kerajaan. Pihak penganalisa yang pro Pakatan Rakyat pula ingin percaya bahawa pengundi menyokong dan menyetujui dengan program mereka, walau pun pemimpin mereka mengetahui sebab yang sebenarnya.

PERINGKAT AWAL PERUBAHAN

Di peringkat awal kerajaan pimpinan Dato' Seri Najib kelihatan seolah-olah programnya adalah tindakbalas ke atas janji-janji PR. Ejen-ejen PR telah berjaya menanamkan bibit sebab kegagalan dalam PRU ke 12 sebagai berpunca dari Dasar Ekonomi Baru. Bibit ini telah bermula subur apabila Model Ekonomi Baru diperkenalkan sebagai alternatif dan bukan lanjutan kepada hasrat dan cita-cita DEB. Lebih-lebih lagi apabila timbul dakwaan bahawa ada di antara ahli penggubal MEB ini tidak fasih di dalam Bahasa Melayu.

Oleh kerana perasaan takut banyak pemimpin Melayu, dari berbagai sektor, atas kemungkinan terkorbannya kepentingan Melayu dalam pembangunan negara maka rata-rata kita merasa gelisah sehingga NGO-NGO Melayu telah bersatu untuk menubuhkan MPM atau Majlis Perundingan Melayu. Oleh kerana MPM merupakan NGO yang non-politik maka PERKASA di bawah pimpinan aktivis Dato' Ibrahim Ali telah bergerak dengan agenda politik pro-Melayu yang jelas dan lantang. Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia (DPMM) dan PENAWAR ( dulu Pakku ) juga telah mengadakan kongres, konvensyen dan seminar untuk meleraikan kegelisahan yang timbul di hati para peserta. 

BERWAWASAN, TERSENDIRI DAN ORIGINAL

Setelah beberapa bulan berlalu jelas kelihatan, dengan terserlah, bahwa program kerajaan BN di bawah pimpinan Dato' Seri Najib adalah berwawasan, tersendiri dan original.

Begitu berkesan kegiatan Perdana Menteri sehingga seorang penulis chauvinis bernama Kee Thuan Chye telah mencetak buku keduanya yang bertajuk 'Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More!'. Buku pertamanya ialah 'No More Bullshit, Please, We're Malaysian'. Bagi beliau menolong Melayu untuk mengimbangi dengan bukan Melayu dalam bidang ekonomi ialah 'Bullshit' dan kerajaan kini nampaknya telah menghidupkan semula semangat DEB dengan pendekatan yang baru.

Yang paling ditakuti oleh pengarang yang merasa dirinya terpandai ialah sokongan Melayu yang sudah kembali kepada kerajaan.

SIKAP GOLONGAN SINIS

Rancangan BR1M adalah sesuatu yang sangat berkesan bagi masyarakat yang memerlukan. Bagi mereka yang lumayan pendapatannya pemberian kerajaan ini dianggap tidak betul, tetapi mereka ambil juga duit itu.

Pemberian wang tunai adalah relevan dan ianya lebih relevan bagi orang berpendapatan rendah dari membina jalan baru, kerana dengan wang tersebut seseorang itu boleh membeli apa yang diperlukan dan diminati, dikehendaki atau diperlukan.

Di waktu saya kecil di bangku sekolah rendah saya sering ke Pulau Pinang untuk beristirehat di rumah keluarga saya yang agak berada di musim cuti sekolah. Setiap kali saya ke Penang saya dibawa ke kedai kasut Bata di tepi Farmasi Tong Aik di Penang Road untuk membeli kasut kulit kerana emak saudara saya memikirkan saya perlu hidup lebih mewah dan belajar pakai kasut kulit.

Bila saya balik ke Yan kasut itu saya jual kerana saya lebih selesa dengan kasut getah dan kasut kulit pula tidak pernah dipakai oleh kanak-kanak sekolah.

Jika emak saudara saya memberi RM30-00 kepada saya ianya pasti lebih berharga daripada kasut kulit RM85-00 kerana saya boleh beli apa yang saya perlukan dengan RM30-00 seperti pensil dan kasut getah. Inilah BR1M bagi saya.

Baru-baru ini saya menerima panggilan telefon dari seorang kawan rapat saya menyatakan seorang pemandu teksi, yang teksinya dinaiki beliau, telah mengatakan bahawa semua pemberian lesen oleh kerajaan kepada pemandu teksi ialah disebabkan adanya tokoh pembangkang. Mereka lupa bahawa di waktu ketua pembangkang menjadi Menteri Kewangan beliau tidak pernah terfikir untuk memberi bantuan sebegini.

JANJI

Negeri-negeri di bawah pemerintahan Pakatan Rakyat pula jelas tidak mampu melaksanakan janji-janji yang mereka ketengahkan dalam pilihanraya. Protes ke atas kerajaan negeri Kedah (dengan balaknya), Pulau Pinang (dengan perumahannya), Selangor (dengan airnya) dan Kelantan (dengan tanahnya) datangnya dari rakyat negeri itu sendiri termasuk ahli dan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat yang tidak lagi mempercayai janji-janji pemimpin mereka.

Slogan ' Janji Ditepati ' yang diketengahkan oleh BN adalah garis pemisah antara BN dan Pakatan Rakyat yang memungkiri janji

 

PAKATAN YANG TIDAK SEPAKAT

 

Oleh kerana Pakatan Rakyat hanya satu pakatan, seperti kanak-kanak sekolah berpakat, dan tanpa janji dalam dasar yang konkrit, maka perubahan dasar berlaku dalam parti yang kononnya sepakatan tetapi sebenarnya berdiri sendiri. Pendirian yang jelas hanya pada DAP sebagai pembangkang, walau pun pemimpin mereka berkelahi sesama sendiri. PAS pula terpaksa tunduk kepada tekanan DAP bukan saja sampai mengambil tindakan yang memalu dan memesongkan, kerana terpaksa merubah dasar dari matlamat mewujudkan sebuah negara Islam kepada mewujudkan sebuah negara kebajikan tetapi terpaksa akur kepada DAP sehingga membolehkan penggunaan nama Allah untuk semua ugama walau pun bertentangan dengan pendirian Dewan Ulamanya sendiri.

Sudah tentu apabila pemimpin PAS terpaksa merobah pendirian pihak DAP mengetahui bahawa kompromi ini boleh diterima kerana jika impian mereka untuk memerintah berhasil maka Kabinet Pakatan Rakyat akan membolehkan penggunaan nama Allah oleh semua ugama kerana Dewan Ulama tidak ada dalam kabinet yang membuat keputusan itu. Pada waktu itu sebarang protes oleh Dewan Ulama tidak berguna lagi kerana kuasa yang sudah diperolehi sudah memperkuatkan pendirian 'kafir kharbi' itu dan boleh bertahan sehingga PRU ke 14. Pada waktu itu semuanya sudah terlambat.

Antara perubahan yang dijangka berlaku ialah di Kelantan. Di bawah ini diperturunkan sebuah karangan oleh bekas Timbalan Menteri yang pernah menjadi Setiausaha Khas kepada Tun Abdul Razak. Beliau adalah seorang tokoh yang perndapatnya perlu diberi perhatian. Beliau ialah Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad dan karangan ini telah disiarkan dalam akhbar Sinar Harian pada 6 Februari, 2013. Begini huraiannya:

TAN SRI ABDULLAH AHMAD

Suka duka, PRU-13 mengulangi sejarah politik sebelum peristiwa Mei 13, 1969: parti perkauman, pelampau Cina DAP secara solo cuba menggulingkan kerajaan perikatan Melayu, Cina dan India.

 

Sekarang, DAP bersekutu, berpakat seperti 2008, dengan Pas dan PKR mengepalai Pakatan mencuba bagi kali ketiga untuk menewaskan kerajaan pribumi, Cina dan India.

 

DAP sudah bijak, sedar Malaysia dapat dikuasainya hanya melalui proksi Melayu-Islam mereka. DAP akhirnya menerima hakikat Perdana Menteri mesti Melayu-Islam.

 

DAP, ikut tradisi konglomerat Cina dan antarabangsa, menerima pelantikan Melayu-Islam sebagai pengerusi tetapi kuasa mutlak tetap berada di tangan mereka.

 

Ramalan interim saya, BN menang dengan majoriti selesa. Apa pun performance dan kemenangan Umno kali ini lebih baik dan lebih besar. Walaupun matahari kembali menyinari Najib Tun Razak, kerajaan Umno dan BN, janganlah pula burung terbang dipipiskan lada.

 

Sudah kelihatan keyakinan Umno makin meningkat, seorang dua pemimpinnya terlalu optimis, menelah, mencongak BN akan menang 2/3.

 

Selepas tsunami politik 2008 kerajaan dan Umno di bawah kepimpinan Perdana Menteri Najib Tun Razak kelihatan telah pulih dan kini menikmati cahaya matahari; lebih segar.

 

Seperti kata Speaking, “It (Umno) is enjoying some patches of sunshine”. Najib bisa melihat ke hadapan dengan lebih yakin lagi. Namun cuaca di Kelantan, Selangor dan Pulau Pinang terus mendung; cuaca di Kedah cerah sedikit. Perak menjadi rebutan sengit.

 

Di lain negeri Umno/BN diduga terus memerintah.

 

Secara kebetulan dua kali saya balik ke Kelantan, Perdana Menteri dan Timbalan Perdana Menteri berada di sana, dan hinggap di hotel yang sama walaupun kami tidak terserempak.

 

Hanya saya nampak permaidani merah terbentang dari pintu masuk ke lif; di lobi hotel dan di luar hotel sesak dengan pelobi, penyokong dan ahli Umno, busybodies - majoriti berpakaian kemeja merah dan wanitanya blaus putih. Mereka ke hulu ke hilir atau duduk berkumpulan, berbisik antara satu sama lain.

 

Nampaknya, gembira bukan kepalang, menunggu pemimpin tertinggi mereka; ada cium tangan, ada menghulur sampul surat – memohon atau membuat petition!

 

Kerusi Parlimen 222, kawasan majoriti absolut Cina hanya 50 sahaja, bakinya adalah kawasan peribumi dan kawasan campuran. Medan pertempuran sengit  bertumpu dalam 172 kawasan ini. Dalam kawasan absolut majoriti Cina, DAP diduga menang mudah tetapi belum tentu lagi kerana orang Cina selalunya praktikal.

 

Mereka mungkin memberi DAP 30 hingga 40 kerusi, bakinya untuk calon Cina dari parti komponen BN. Takdirnya DAP sapu semua, itu satu tanda “konfrontasi” macam Indonesia-Malaysia pada 1963 bermula. Akhirnya Sukarno digulingkan oleh Angkatan Bersenjata Republik Indonesia yang diketuai Jeneral Suharto.

 

Pas, PKR mengepalai pertempuran di medan peribumi-Islam ini. Mereka berhasrat merampas minimum separuh kerusi itu, yakni 86. Lebih dari jumlah kerusi ketiga-tiga parti kini ada dalam Parlimen ke -12. Saya rasa berdasarkan laporan terkini, Pakatan tidak akan berjaya; andainya mereka sukses (40 + 86) mereka menang dengan kelebihan 30 kerusi! Kalau percaya propaganda Pakatan, perang sarafnya mereka akan TKOkan BN di federal dan negeri.

 

Jelas dapat dilihat dari lounge dan ruang santapan pagi Hotel Renaissance, Kota Baru gambar berwarna Najib dan bakal calon BN kawasan Parlimen Kota Baru Fahmi Salleh; senyum lebar terpapar di billboard dekat pintu masuk sekolah bercaption, “Tolong saya agar saya dapat membantu anda”, kurang lebih begitulah. Poster dan billboard serupa itu juga kelihatan di merata kawasan Kota Baru sudah berbulan-bulan lamanya. Mula-mula kelihatan bulan Jun tahun lepas. Nampaknya, poster dan billboard itu sudah pudar sedikit, tukarlah dengan poster dan billboard baru; kan dana banyak, sponsor pun ramai.

 

Di Tanah Merah dan Pasir Mas perang poster BN dan Pas (jarang kelihatan poster atau bendera PKR) telah bermula. Di Ketereh, Machang dan Pengkalan Chepa, perang iklan baru saja bermula. Saya belum lagi lihat pintu gerbang Pas atau BN tetapi pos kedua-dua parti ada di beberapa tempat.

 

Orang politik di Kelantan sudah demam kerana tidak sabar lagi menunggu PRU-13. Di Kelantan, pilihan raya adalah satu pesta, bukan saja menunaikan tugas sivik tetapi juga satu musim untuk bersosial dan berinteraksi secara bebas!

 

Pencabar Tok Guru Nik Aziz adalah menteri semenjak 1990an lagi, Mustapa Mohamed, menteri Kelantan paling lama bertahan. Mustapa dan Tok Guru kedua-duanya lemah lembut. Mustapa lebih muda. Saya kagum dengan Tok Guru, walaupun sudah berusia lapan dekad, inilah komen Speaking, “Tok Guru is 80 years old plus and he has spent the last 23 years working with, and competing against people who are generally much younger than him and he has beaten them all – walaupun Tok Guru sudah tua, dia telah menewaskan semua yang lebih muda darinya”.

 

Mustapa janganlah pandang ke belakang lagi, pandang ke depan, “onward and upward”. Janganlah terlampau gemar keluar negeri lagi. Berhentilah “makan angin”, duduklah di Kelantan kalau serius mahu ke depan, kalau mahu mendaki gunung politik yang lebih tinggi lagi.

 

ASAL JANGAN AGAH INSYA ALLAH BOLEH MENANG

Jika saya perlu tambah kepada pandangan Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad ini ialah untuk menasihati supaya pemimpin, khususnya 'winnable canndidate' di Kelantan hendaklah tidak agah.

 

 

BAHAYA MEMILIH PEMIMPIN YANG SALAH

 

Dalam persiapan menunggu PRU ke 13 banyaklah pemimpin-pemimpin dari semua parti berkempen untuk memenangkan calon mereka. Bagi parti DAP calon di kawasan yang besar peluang mendapat kemenangan pasti diletakkan calon dari kalangan keluarga pemimpin atau yang sama 'kharbi'nya dengan pemimpin mereka. Bagi PAS juga begitu; kalau yang Islam hendaklah yang tidak menyeru kepada perpaduan ummat Islam dan yang sudi menukar perjuangan dari menegakkan hukum hudud dan negara Islam kepada menegakkan negara kebajikan untuk menjayakan program seperti yang dilaksanakan oleh kementerian kebajikan masyarakat di satu masa dulu. PKR pula, yang banyak pemimpinnya pernah menjadi ahli dan pemimpin UMNO, mereka terima siapa saja yang ingin menentang UMNO, tetapi yang dirasakan tipis menang akan diperuntukkan kawasan yang 50/50. Bagi PKR pemikiran politik yang bertanding tidak dianggap perlu kerana yang dibenarkan berfikir hanyalah ketuanya.

 

Cara berkempen pula terserah kepada kepada kepakaran calon sendiri. Asal dapat memburukkan pihak UMNO dan BN kebenaran fakta tidak perlu difikirkan. Cari saja pegawai kerajaan, tentera dan polis yang kecewa waktu memegang jawatan supaya mereka dapat membalas dendamnya melalui saluran politik.

 

Pengundi hendaklah tidak lupa bahawa masa depan negara banyak bergantung pada barisan pemimpin kerajaan setelah selesai pilihanraya. Yang banyak berkempen tetapi tidak berperanan dalam pimpinan kerajaan tidak lagi berkuasa apabila selesai pilihanraya, kecualilah jika pemimpin itu didukung oleh struktur parti yang menyeluruh dan berfungsi.

 

Anwar Ibrahim, Karpal Singh, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Hadi Awang dan Mat Sabu akan mempengaruhi lebih dari 90% dari keputusan kerajaan. Mereka tidak ada ikatan yang jelas dari segi dasar perjuangan seperti yang ada pada Barisan Nasional. Yang jelas ialah ranting, cabang dan cawangan parti-parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat tidak bergungsi kerana barisan pimpinannya ditentukan oleh pemimpin belaka.

 

Bagaimana dengan hudud, negara Islam, Islam, Bahasa Melayu, Hak Melayu, demokrasi, LGBT, Pluralisma, Liberalisma, sikap terhadap Israel dan ancaman kepada Palestin dan lain-lain.  Apakah yang boleh dibuat oleh Dewan Ulama Pas apabila kabinet pakatan membenarkan penggunakaan Allah oleh semua ugama. Berdemonstrasi? Pemimpin pakatan lebih pakar dalam mengendalinya.

 

Sedangkan bagi rakyat di bawah kerajaan pimpinan Barisan Nasional mempunyai UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PBB dan lain-lain dengan pemimpin dan ahli yang ramai dalam cawangan dan bahagian masing-masing. Di samping itu ada juga Majlis Perundingan Melayu, Perkasa dan lain-lain NGO yang menyokong tetapi terus mengkritik kerajaan secara lantang apabila perlu. Kita lihat bagaimana pemimpin BN yang didapati tidak berkemampuan telah berjaya diturunkan setelah mencapai kemenangan dalam Pilihanraya ke 12. Jika ahli-ahli UMNO dan NGO di semua peringkat tidak hilang taringnya selepas BN memenangi pilihanraya sudah pasti rakyat berbilang kaum akan mempunyai peranan untuk membimbing kerajaan mereka.

 

Kita lihat sahaja bagaimana Perdana Menteri Najib telah memperkenalkan berbagai program khususnya program transformasi sebagai usaha untuk memenuhi kehendak rakyat. BR1M juga adalah akibat tuntutan rakyat.  

 

Tetapi rakyat tidak mahu usaha membela Israel sementara rakyat Palestin tertindas, rakyat tidak mahu kebebasan seks LGBT, rakyat tidak mahu Pluralisma agama yang menyamakan Islam dengan semua ugama lain, rakyat tidak mahu Liberalisma yang membolehkan saja apa yang dituntut oleh nafsu, rakyat tidak mahu hanya kebajikan tetapi ulama yang ikhlas dengan perjuangan, rakyat tidak mahukan huru-hara jika jurang perbezaan ekonomi antara kaum melebar tanpa sebarang program yang memberi harapan ke arah perbezaan yang lebih adil.

 

DIPECAT OLEH

PERDANA MENTERI YANG PALING MENGASIHINYA

 

Anwar Ibrahim tidak keluar dari UMNO; tetapi ianya dipecat oleh Perdana Menteri dari menjadi Timbalan Perdana Menteri kerana moralnya, dan pemecatan ini ialah dalam bidang kuasa Perdana Menteri sepertimana Tengku Abdul Rahman memecat menterinya yang popular Abdul Aziz Ishak kerana pendekatannya terhadap industri baja yang tidak disetujui oleh Perdana Menteri di waktu itu. Waktu dipecat dari Kabinet Anwar masih menjadi ahli UMNO. Tetapi, apabila beliau berusaha menggerakkan UMNO ke dalam masalahnya maka Majlis Tertinggi UMNO, dan bukan Perdana Menteri, telah memecat beliau setelah beliau diberi peluang membela diri dalam majlis mesyuarat. Pada waktu itu Anwar tidak dipenjarakan. Hanya setelah berlaku huru-hara jalanan maka barulah Anwar ditangkap dan dipenjarakan di bawah ISA. Beliau tidak didakwa di mahkamah untuk menjaga maruahnya dan kesilapannya tidak menjadi pengetahuan umum. Dakwaan di mahkamah hanya dilakukan apabila kawannya di waktu itu, Nallakaruppan, yang juga ditahan di bawah ISA telah membuat affidavit yang mengaitkan Anwar sehingga beliau juga terpaksa dibawa ke pengadilan sebagaimana juga Nallakaruppan. Anwar bernasib baik kerana ada Karpal Singh yang pandai membelanya. Tun Daim lebih mengetahui mengenai prestasi Anwar dalam jawatan-jawatan yang dipegangnya. Yang perlu ditanya bukan prestasinya tetapi sebab dianya dipecat.

 

PILIHLAH DENGAN BIJAK

 

Rakyat Malaysia hendaklah bijak memilih. Ratusan ribu rakyat Amerika, Palestin, Iraq dan Afghanistan telah terbunuh kerana rakyat Amerika Syarikat telah salah memilih Presiden mereka. Di bawah ini diturunkan satu perikan dari website:

http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/the_last_letter_20130318/

Kandungannya ialah sepucuk surat dari seorang bekas anggota tentera Amerika Syarikat kepada pemimpinnya, sebelum dia meninggal dunia.

 

The Last Letter - A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran

 

To: George W. Bush and Dick Cheney

 

From: Tomas Young

 

I write this letter on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans. I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq. I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives. I am one of those gravely wounded. I was paralyzed in an insurgent ambush in 2004 in Sadr City. My life is coming to an end. I am living under hospice care.

 

I write this letter on behalf of husbands and wives who have lost spouses, on behalf of children who have lost a parent, on behalf of the fathers and mothers who have lost sons and daughters and on behalf of those who care for the many thousands of my fellow veterans who have brain injuries. I write this letter on behalf of those veterans whose trauma and self-revulsion for what they have witnessed, endured and done in Iraq have led to suicide and on behalf of the active-duty soldiers and Marines who commit, on average, a suicide a day. I write this letter on behalf of the some 1 million Iraqi dead and on behalf of the countless Iraqi wounded. I write this letter on behalf of us all—the human detritus your war has left behind, those who will spend their lives in unending pain and grief.

 

I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. I write not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation and thirst for wealth and power. I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done. You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole.

 

Your positions of authority, your millions of dollars of personal wealth, your public relations consultants, your privilege and your power cannot mask the hollowness of your character. You sent us to fight and die in Iraq after you, Mr. Cheney, dodged the draft in Vietnam, and you, Mr. Bush, went AWOL from your National Guard unit. Your cowardice and selfishness were established decades ago. You were not willing to risk yourselves for our nation but you sent hundreds of thousands of young men and women to be sacrificed in a senseless war with no more thought than it takes to put out the garbage.

 

I joined the Army two days after the 9/11 attacks. I joined the Army because our country had been attacked. I wanted to strike back at those who had killed some 3,000 of my fellow citizens. I did not join the Army to go to Iraq, a country that had no part in the September 2001 attacks and did not pose a threat to its neighbors, much less to the United States. I did not join the Army to “liberate” Iraqis or to shut down mythical weapons-of-mass-destruction facilities or to implant what you cynically called “democracy” in Baghdad and the Middle East. I did not join the Army to rebuild Iraq, which at the time you told us could be paid for by Iraq’s oil revenues. Instead, this war has cost the United States over $3 trillion. I especially did not join the Army to carry out pre-emptive war. Pre-emptive war is illegal under international law. And as a soldier in Iraq I was, I now know, abetting your idiocy and your crimes. The Iraq War is the largest strategic blunder in U.S. history. It obliterated the balance of power in the Middle East. It installed a corrupt and brutal pro-Iranian government in Baghdad, one cemented in power through the use of torture, death squads and terror. And it has left Iran as the dominant force in the region. On every level—moral, strategic, military and economic—Iraq was a failure. And it was you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, who started this war. It is you who should pay the consequences.

 

I would not be writing this letter if I had been wounded fighting in Afghanistan against those forces that carried out the attacks of 9/11. Had I been wounded there I would still be miserable because of my physical deterioration and imminent death, but I would at least have the comfort of knowing that my injuries were a consequence of my own decision to defend the country I love. I would not have to lie in my bed, my body filled with painkillers, my life ebbing away, and deal with the fact that hundreds of thousands of human beings, including children, including myself, were sacrificed by you for little more than the greed of oil companies, for your alliance with the oil sheiks in Saudi Arabia, and your insane visions of empire.

 

I have, like many other disabled veterans, suffered from the inadequate and often inept care provided by the Veterans Administration. I have, like many other disabled veterans, come to realize that our mental and physical wounds are of no interest to you, perhaps of no interest to any politician. We were used. We were betrayed. And we have been abandoned. You, Mr. Bush, make much pretense of being a Christian. But isn’t lying a sin? Isn’t murder a sin? Aren’t theft and selfish ambition sins? I am not a Christian. But I believe in the Christian ideal. I believe that what you do to the least of your brothers you finally do to yourself, to your own soul.

 

My day of reckoning is upon me. Yours will come. I hope you will be put on trial. But mostly I hope, for your sakes, that you find the moral courage to face what you have done to me and to many, many others who deserved to live. I hope that before your time on earth ends, as mine is now ending, you will find the strength of character to stand before the American public and the world, and in particular the Iraqi people, and beg for forgiveness.

INILAH YANG DIKATAKAN MENYESAL DAHULU KEDAPATAN, MENYESAL KEMUDIAN APA GUNANYA.

SESAT DI HUJUNG JALAN BALIKLAH KE PANGKAL JALAN.

PILIHLAH DENGAN BIJAK DALAM PRU 13. PILIHLAH BARISAN NASIONAL.

Malaysian PM Najib to Dissolve Parliament?

Najib on the stump

UMNO mouthpiece New Straits Times speculates it will be tomorrow
After months of dithering, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is expected to dissolve Parliament tomorrow to prepare the country for national elections, according to the party-owned New Straits Times newspaper.

The cabinet was said to be meeting late today although no reason was given. If Parliament were dissolved tomorrow, the election date would probably be before April 27, the New Straits Times speculated. Parliament must dissolve automatically on April 30 if the prime minister lets it go to the full term.

If it isn't tomorrow, however, it has to be soon. The Barisan Nasional is being pushed into national elections by the dissolution of state governments that have run their full term. Negeri Sembilan's state assembly has already been dissolved automatically and Pahang, Johor and Selangor are not far behind. If the country is to hold simultaneous elections, Najib, however reluctant, must follow suit soon.

Najib and the United Malays National Organization, the country's biggest political party, are clearly running scared, political analysts in Kuala Lumpur say. The government has been handing out money on an unprecedented scale, for instance with the announcement yesterday that 4,000 workers for the national energy company Petronas would receive RM1,000 (US$323) bonuses "for their hard work."

Raises have gone to the military, the police, the civil service, the state-owned national telecoms company Telekom Malaysia, Permodolan Nasional Bhd, the government's sovereign fund, and staffs of several statutory bodies. Money has been poured into low-cost housing and other programs that particularly benefit ethnic Malays, the UMNO base.

Although there is a statutory limit on campaigning, both the opposition and the Barisan have been in no-holds-barred campaign mode for more than a year, with both sides charging the other with a long panoply of misdeeds - enough so that most of the vote has probably solidified by now and can only be turned liquid by the application of stupendous amounts of cash, which Najib is attempting to do.

"I expect (Pakatan Rakyat, the three-party opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim) to win," said one veteran independent political figure in a telephone interview. "But we have never seen money handed out like this in history. I do not know what kind of an impact it will have."' The ruling Barisan Nasional currently holds 137 of the 222 parliamentary seats facing election, while Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat holds 75. The other 10 are held by independents or splinter parties. Pakatan Rakyat continues to hold four of the five states it won in upset 2008 elections.

Under many of the traditional markers, the Barisan Nasional, which has held power since Malaysia became a nation, should be coasting home. The economy has defied global headwinds to post respectable 5.6 percent gross domestic product growth in 2012, with billions of dollars in new foreign and domestic investment pouring into the country, largely because of renewed confidence in Najib's Economic Transformation Program. The CPI remains relatively tame, at a 1.5 percent annual rise. The country is gerrymandered to the Barisan's definite advantage, taking only 50.27 percent of the vote in 2008 but winning nearly twice as many seats as the opposition.

The Barisan, however, appears almost guaranteed to lost at least 80 percent of the Chinese-majority and mixed seats, with the Malaysian Chinese Association, the second-biggest ethnic party in the Barisan, reeling from infighting and two massive scandals, one over the loss of billions of dollars in the construction of the Port Klang multimodal port facility west of Kuala Lumpur, and a second over the misappropriation of millions of dollars of a soft loan to develop a national halal cattle feedlot. The Chinese, who make up about 25 percent of the country, have also been put off by strident racism on the part of UMNO and splinter groups such as the Malay-nationalist Perkasa NGO.

On top of that, however, there is a palpable sense that UMNO is a tired, extensively corrupt political organization whose top cadres have profited from rent-seeking and sleaze, and that little of the country's riches have trickled down to the kampungs, the rural Malay villages that make up the backbone of UMNO's support. Nonetheless, Najib has been wooing them assiduously, handing out RM563 million to second-generation oil palm plantation settlers - almost all of them ethnic Malay or Indian - last November "as a promise fulfilled by the Barisan government," he said in an address in the suburban city of Shah Alam. Parti Islam se-Malaysia, the rural fundamentalist opposition party that has held sway along the upper eastern seacoast, has been attempting to make inroads into that vote.

Najib's popularity has been slipping as well, although it remains at levels most western politicians would kill for. The respected Merdeka Poll reported in February polling that his popularity had fallen from 63 to 61 percent. No new polls have been held since.

The question is what equation would allow Najib to continue in his job. His wife, Rosmah Mansor, is disliked by a large percentage of the urban population because of rumors of enormously expensive purchases of jewelry, handbags and clothing. Her former close friend, a carpet-seller and businessman named Deepak Jaikishan, has raised a furious campaign against her, alleging that she played an instrumental role in shepherding Perumal Balasubramaniam out of Malaysia in 2008 after the private detective delivered a sworn statement saying Najib had had an affair with Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian woman who was murdered in 2006 by two of Najib's bodyguards. Deepak later alleged that he had participated in RM4 billion worth of business dealings with her.

Last week, the former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, shocked party stalwarts by saying Najib might be forced to step down if UMNO does badly. Najib, according to the common wisdom, must do better than the 76 seats won for UMNO by his lackluster predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and must do better than the 137 the Barisan now holds in the Dewan Rakyat, or Parliament. Party insiders say Najib has been hearing footsteps for months from his vice premier, Muhyiddin Yassin, who is believed to be aligned with Mahathir.

The big question, political analysts say, is which way the 3 million new voters who have registered since the 2008 election, many of whom are disaffected by the continuing charges of corruption surrounding UMNO, will vote.. The conventional wisdom is that younger voters are more liberal and thus more likely to be aligned with the opposition.

Najib, however, has campaigned energetically for younger voters, seeking to act as hip as possible for a 59-year-old Oxonian economist. He has brought in the fantastically popular Korean pop star PSY for a rally in Penang and lured action movie star Jackie Chan to another event to press the flesh for Chinese voters.

Should the outcome be close, and should Najib be ousted either by the opposition or by the long knives of his own party, that raises several questions -- whether his elaborate Economic Transformation Program disappears with him. The country has long been stuck in the so-called middle-income trap, per capita incomes having fallen far behind those of neighboring Singapore. It also brings up the question whether - in the event Pakatan Rakyat were to win -- he would be indicted on charges of corruption over the purchase of billions of dollars of military hardware during his tenure as defense minister.

Prosecution of wrongdoers is mostly an alien concept, not only in Malaysia but across Southeast Asia. But Anwar, were he to actually take over as head of government, would have plenty of reason to go after him, since Najib appears to have been behind an attempt to snare Anwar on renewed charges of sexual perversion in the so-called Sodomy II trial that ended in acquittal a year ago - although government prosecutors have appealed that decision.

There is also the question of whether, if the election is close, there will be violence. The year-long election campaign has been marred with extremely harsh rhetoric and occasional flareups, particularly at the hands of the Malay supremacist organization Perkasa and its firebrand leader, Ibrahim Ali. Political analysts regularly invoke the events of July 1969, the closest election in Malaysian history, which resulted in race riots that took the lives of hundreds on both sides.

But, according to Zaid Ibrahim, the former Law Minister for UMNO and later a leader of Pakatan Rakayat before he fell out with Anwar, that was a confrontation between Chinese and Malays. Now there is a sizeable contingent of ethnic Malays in the opposition, first in PAS, and second in Anwar's own Parti Keadilan Rakyat, which is made up mostly of urban, moderate middle-class Malays. If he were to pull off a win, it would be because ethnic Malays have turned against UMNO in great numbers.

Parliament to be dissolved tomorrow?

The New Straits Times

STRONG HINT: Ministers told to prepare for photo session before Cabinet meeting

KUALA LUMPUR: Parliament is expected to be dissolved as early as tomorrow after the cabinet meeting in Putrajaya, paving the way for the 13th general election.Speculation is mounting following the distribution of letters by the Prime Minister's Office, requesting all cabinet ministers to attend the meeting in a dark lounge suit and red tie for a photography session.

If Parliament is dissolved tomorrow, nomination of candidates is likely to be held later next week, while polling day will fall on April 27 at the latest.

According to practice, the cabinet ministers will have a photo session with the prime minister and his deputy at the final meeting of the cabinet, followed by an announcement on the dissolution of parliament afterwards.

It is understood that the photo session would be done before tomorrow's cabinet meeting and Datuk Seri Najib Razak would subsequently hold a press conference to announce the dissolution of parliament.

Tradition dictates that the prime minister will first meet the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before the cabinet meeting to seek his consent to dissolve Parliament.

Several ministers contacted confirmed that they have received the letters, and did not discount the possibility that Najib would announce Parliament's dissolution after the meeting.

"I have received the letter. This could well be the final cabinet meeting for this term, as according to tradition, Parliament is dissolved after that," said one minister.

If parliament is dissolved tomorrow, it would mark a full four years to the date Najib first helmed the country after he was appointed as Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's successor in 2009.

The government's full five-year term will end on April 30, after which Parliament will automatically dissolve.

The Election Commission (EC) will then have 60 days to hold the election to set up a new government.

Last Thursday, the Negri Sembilan state legislative assembly was the first to automatically dissolve. It is now governed by a caretaker government.

Deputy EC chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said if Parliament is dissolved tomorrow, the EC would call for a special meeting as soon as possible to decide on basic matters such as the electoral roll, letters of appointment to election officers, as well as the dates for the nomination of candidates and polling day.

Chor Chee Heung has proven Mahathir and Daim right when they respectively condemned the present Cabinet Ministers as “half-past six” or “deadwood”

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin have one thing in common – they do not think very highly of the quality and calibre of the Ministers in post-Mahathir Cabinets.

Mahathir have dismissed the Cabinet as comprising “half-past six Ministers” while Daim only recently called for the removal of the “deadwood” from the Barisan Nasional’s Cabinet line-up, to which Mahathir gave “full-hearted” support, saying:

“I agree entirely. Lots of deadwood should be chopped down and thrown away and new trees grow.”

The MCA Vice President and Minister for Housing and Local Government, Datuk Chor Chee Heung came to Gelang Patah yesterday and provided ample proof that he fully deserves the contempt Mahathir and Daim reserved for the present Cabinet Ministers, dismissing them as “half-past six” and “deadwood” Ministers.

In Gelang Patah, Chor questioned my motive for contesting in Gelang Patah. He alleged that I was “hopping from one seat to another” because I was “greedy” for pensions, claiming that I would get separate pension entitlements if I moved from constituency to constituency.

I have been an MP for four states, namely Malacca, Selangor, Penang, Perak and am going to contest in Johore in Gelang Patah in the 13GE. Does this mean that I would be entitled to five pensions if I win in Gelang Patah?

I am astonished by Chor’s claim, as I never knew that I would be entitled to more than one parliamentary pension if I moved from one constituency to another.

This is of couse totally baseless and an entire concoction of Chor ignorance and folly.

Let me tell Chor that a Member of Parliament is only entitled to one parliamentary pension regardless of the number of constituencies he had represented in his life.

There is no such law which provides that an MP can get multiple pensions based on his moving from “constituency to constituency”.

No wonder MCA Ministers and Deputy Ministers command so little respect not only from Pakatan Rakyat ranks but also from UMNO and BN circles as well as in the civil service – when MCA Ministers could utter such garbage as Chor did in Gelang Patah yesterday.

The Malaysian Cabinet with so many “half-past six” and “deadwood” Ministers (to quote Mahathir and Daim) is a national and international disgrace to Malaysia, and is one important reason why there must be a change of tenant in Putrajaya in the 13GE, so that the country can not only get a new Federal Government, a new Prime Minister but also a new Cabinet of high-calibre, dedicated and honest Ministers.

Recently the MCA had escalated their vicious and baseless propaganda attacks against the DAP but the ferocity of these MCA assaults cannot hide the fact that the MCA is in the most parlous state in the party’s 64-year history, as never before in MCA history has a MCA President lost the right to decide whether he himself could contest in a general election.

At present, the MCA President must depend on the approval of the UMNO President whether he could contest as a BN candidate in the 13th general elections.

When the MCA President has to depend on the approval of the UMNO President on whether he could be allowed to be a BN candidate in the forthcoming general elections, who believes that the MCA Presicent and the MCA leadership under him are capable of being independent and courageous political leaders who will not compromise their principles and the interests of the public because they are beholden to UMNO pressures or demands?

(Speech from Lim Kit Siang when visiting Taman Bukit Indah, Pengkalan Rinting on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 10 am)

Four Years Of Najib's Leadership: People's Living Standard Improves, Economy Prospers

By Haslinda Zainal and Norfarhana Ahya Arip

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- The people's living standard and quality of life keeps improving while the country continues to prosper economically and remains financially healthy in the four years of government helmed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib, since assuming the leadership on April 3, 2009, has effected the 1Malaysia concept in a commitment towards the country's development in the interest of the people through a bold statement, 'People First, Performance Now'.

Malaysia's Vision 2020 target to become a high income developed nation could likely be achieved earlier, looking at the three-year Government Transformation Programme (GTP) which has already shown to impact headily on the country and people.

Success is reflected from the growth in the gross national income (GNI) per capita from US$257 in 1957 to US$9,970 last year.

Based on the GTP annual report presented by Najib last month, the poverty rate continues to decline from more than 60 per cent during pre-independence to 1.7 per cent in 2012.

The average monthly household income also rose from RM4,025 in 2009 to RM5,000 last year, enabling the purchasing power of Malaysians to rise almost two-fold that of the income per capita.

The national inflation rate was reportedly maintained at 1.2 per cent in December last year, which was among the lowest in the region.

Najib further introduced compassionate initiatives to ease the burden of the lower income group.

While tabling Budget 2012, he announced the 1Malaysia People's Assistance (BR1M) of RM500 to households earning a monthly income of RM3,000 and below, and this had benefited more than six million people.

He extended the assistance this year to include single individuals aged 21 and above, whose monthly income was not more than RM2,000, making them eligible to receive RM250 each.

While presenting the GTP annual report last month, Najib also announced that the BR1M would be continued as a yearly initiative.

Through the 1Malaysia Brand initiative, people had an alternative to purchase basic daily needs and services at 20 to 40 per cent lower than the market price.

Najib further introduced the 1Malaysia People's Market (KR1M), 1Malaysia People's Clinic, 1Malaysia Textile Shop, 1Malaysia People's Welfare Programme (Karisma) and 1Malaysia People's Menu, and more 1Malaysia Housing Projects (PR1MA).

The intrusion by armed militants from southern Philippines into Lahad Datu, Sabah put Najib to the test, with regard to the country's security and sovereignty.

He did not budge, warning out loud to the terrorists that Sabah perpetually belonged to Malaysia, and stood his ground against the offer of a ceasefire.

In foresight against similar intimidations in future, he announced the establishment of the Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (ESSZONE) covering 10 districts in Sabah to lend legal effect to the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM).

Najib dismissed spiteful conjectures that the bloodshed that claimed the lives of security fronliners in the Ops Daulat offensive was an Umno drama, stressing that the sacrifices by those who were slain in the assault should not be belittled and they should be honoured and remembered as heroes in their defence of the country.

He announced at the 13th Civil Service Premier Gathering (MAPPA XIII) at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre last month that the salary and rank structures of Malaysian Armed Forces and Royal Malaysian Police would be synchronised with that of the civil service, effective Jan 1, 2013.

This was in appreciation of the security forces' role in fighting and defending the country against its enemies.

Meanwhile, the Community Transformation Programme, Rural Transformation Centre (RTC) and Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) were established as strategic steps to develop local products, particularly rural.

The first RTC based on the concept 'one stop multi-services' was built in Gopeng, Perak and subsequently in Kelantan, Melaka and Pahang, while the first UTC was launched in Melaka, and a mini UTC in Sentul.

It is public knowledge that Parliament goes into automatic dissolution on April 30, and many are waiting for Najib to announce the dissolution to enable the 13th General Election to be held.

Najib, who will lead the Barisan Nasional (BN) for the first time, said he wanted to be given more time to ensure that the people would get to further enjoy the benefits from the policies and programmes implemented under the GTP.

He also desired a bigger majority for the BN and to redeem the losses in the 12th General Election in 2008 when the BN, for the first time, lost its two- thirds majority in Parliament, and the states, Kelantan, Kedah, Penang and Selangor to the opposition.

Najib, who was chosen as Selangor BN election director, will motivate BN component parties to put their whole strength in reclaiming the state.

The country will not see progress if the national economy was not stable, and in this regard, Najib introduced the Economic Transformation programme in late 2010.

Since the launch, the private investment growth has flourished three-fold, recording a rise of 22 per cent last year; this shows that the private sector plays a major role as the country's economic driver.

The national transformation agenda rose above its successes to strengthen Malaysia's position at the international level.

According to the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Report 2013, Malaysia is the 12th most business-friendly country in the world, besides being the top in access to credit facilities.

Malaysia is also the 14th most competitive country in the world, according to the Institute of Management Development in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2012/2013.

Globe Shopper Index by Economist Intelligence Unit showed Kuala Lumpur to be the second best shopping city in the Asia Pacific.

In the capital market, the Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index recorded the highest points at 1,688 on Dec 31, last year.

The global recognitions accorded to Malaysia are a testimony of the successes of the GTP and ETP initiatives since they were launched, and it showed that the country is on the right track.

Najib does not just make superficial policies that please the ear, he makes them happen.

Hunger strike is not the solution

By Dr Chris Anthony

After 22 days of fasting Hindraf leader Waythamoorthy finally was forced to end his hunger strike after he collapsed and had to be rushed to hospital.

The question in everybody's mind is whether his hunger strike achieved his intended objective.

I do not think hunger strikes in general will serve any purpose in our country today.

The Indians cannot afford to lose a leader like Waythamoorthy especially at this most critical time of the nation's history when Malaysians are about to rewrite its destiny, with the opportunity provided by the 13th general election.

Many of the Indians in pathetic states of poverty and severe socioeconomic problems need to be assisted to stand on their own feet as they are greatly debilitated after years of marginalisation and neglect by BN and MIC and to a certain extent by their own folly.

Not many of us may agree with the ways of Waythamoorthy and Hindraf to represent the Indians but we still need their services and their participation in national politics especially in Pakatan.

They have the much knowledge and experience of the Indian problems which may be invaluable in the formulation of long-term policies to uplift the Indian community.

I am sure well-meaning Malaysians of all races would join me in urging Waythamoorthy to quickly get back on his feet to continue his struggles peacefully with Pakatan leaders who offer the only hope for the Indian community after 55 years of miserable failure.

The Indian community needs the services of all right thinking citizens of Indian origin including, Waythamoorty in their struggle to improve their well-being and that of the country.

MP lying over Murugan statue, police must act

By Satees Muniandy

I am not surprised MP for Kulim Bandar Baru Zulkifli Noordin chose to lie in making his insincere apology for making those comments insulting Hindu religion, which caused many police reports to be lodged against him nationwide.

Zulkifli, according to the mainstream media reports, had apologised for making those comments “10 years ago, when he was in PAS”. I doubt Zulkifli’s statement, as in the video that he is making those insulting comments, Zulkifli is seen referring to the Murugan statue in Batu Caves as “Itu Murugan tongkat 14 tingkat” and “Tuhan Murugan yang pegang tongkat macam di Batu Caves tu”.

The Murugan statue in Batu Caves was only unveiled during Thaipusam in the year 2006, that is seven years ago. Ten years ago, there was no tallest Murugan statue at Batu Caves. So, it is very clear that Zulkifli is lying in his statement of apology. MIC might be satisfied with his insincere apology, but not the Indian-Hindu community in Malaysia.

This shows that this man has no sense of remorse and his apology was insincere. He merely wants to blame PAS for his own stupidity in making those insulting comments. I have been in Kelantan, a state where PAS has been ruling for more than 20 years now. I have seen how people of different religion are living peacefully in Kelantan. The Kelantan PAS-led government does not insult or infringe on the rights of the people of different faiths to practice their religion freely.

It is also notable that there are many Buddhist wats and Hindu temples throughout the state. I have never heard before that Menteri Besar Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat had insulted other religions and faiths. It is not the Islam that PAS believes in. It is the practice of extremists like Zul Noordin and Perkasa to insult other religions and faiths. So, Zulkifli should stop spewing lies against Pakatan Rakyat parties over his own mistake.

I urge the police to take action against Zulkifli immediately, since now he admitted making those insulting comments. A statement of insincere apology from Zulkifli does not change anything. If Zulkifli is not charged and punished for his seditious comment, it will create an impression and bad example, as though one can say anything as they wish and they will not be punished after they apologise.

If the police do not take any action against Zulkifli, it shows how unprofessional the force can be. We hope to see action taken against this individual.

---

SATEES MUNIANDY is assistant secretary, Penang DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy).

Mariam's hypocrisy on Waythamoorthy

 By Wong Mun Chee

I refer to an article titled 'Waytha's betrayal' by Mariam Mokthar in Malaysiakini.

Mariam, I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of whom you represent with your slant, which obviously does not define journalism as the fourth pillar of democracy like what we all used to enjoy with the late MGG Pillai.
How I wish he was around as he would have torn apart all prejudiced wannabe journalists like you.

I am stating this as my our own opinion and conviction as a fellow Malaysian irrespective of my origin, on the basis of fairness, in an objective manner rather than a subjective one, on the questions raised by you.

1. You appear to target the opposition, instead of focusing your ire on BN, whose policies corrupted the country and its institutions. Some people accuse you of prostituting yourself by approaching both parties. What have you to say about this?

Here you will instantly fail in any school of journalism. In the very first instance; you are supposed to be a carrier of facts and bipartisan opinions, not make assumptions in a yellow journalistic method.

You claim many things based on gossip, not facts that are determined or proven. You are trying to sow seeds for how you want the masses to see it, without any honesty. Factually neither party has come forward to address the prevailing issues for the Malaysian Indians.

2. For 56 years, BN continually broke its promises to the Indians. Do you like the Umno/BN style of governance? What is your view of Umno's corruption? Can you continue to claim to be principled when you enter into talks with BN?

You are talking about history; sure Indians were left to languish at the mercy of the coalitions and the ever willing voters who kept them there, until the rise of Hindraf.

How much better has it been with Pakatan state governments?

In Perak, nothing has changed for the Malaysian Indians. There were 110,000 land titles in 349 Rancangan Kampung Tersusun for Malay Muslims in Perak; 102,000 land titles in 134 Chinese New Villages in Perak; 10 acres to each and every Orang Asli in Perak; 1,000 acres of land and RM100 million for pig farming in Sepang, Selangor and more than 607 (Chinese) New Villages nationwide with 1.2 million villagers.
I can keep on going, just look at your latest Pakatan manifesto and the 14 point rescue plan by DAP after Hindraf de facto leader P Waythamoorthy's fast. Need I say more as to who is principled or who is not?

3. You were given your passport, safe passage into Malaysia via the Causeway and later, the ban on Hindraf was lifted. Some people allege that Hindraf had done a "deal" with Umno, perhaps, even with Mahathir, the former PM. Is there any substance to this allegation?

This statement clearly depicts how well versed you are with politics sitting in Zone 5 Harrow, London writing about politics in Malaysia. Do you think Umno is so stupid politically?

For God's sake they have been running the country for the last 56 years, do you think they are going to get brownie points amongst Malaysian Indians if they had stopped Waytha for the political advantage of the opposition? This is gutter journalism.
4. Is Hindraf trying to fill the vacuum left by the MIC?
Is DAP filling for MCA? Is PAS filling in for Umno? And PKR with their rejects filling the remaining blanks for Man God Anwar?
5. Hindraf started as a human rights organisation, but has morphed into a race-based political party. How is Malaysia to move forward and reject racial politics if you continue to play the race card? How are your policies better than Pakatan's?
Mariam, you must be really naïve, Hindraf started to put an end to the destruction of temples, forceful and policy based conversions, the statelessness of the displaced estate workers and encroachment of human rights that was ignored even by the opposition until they had the backing of Hindraf in GE12.

They have not morphed; it is you and those alike that have morphed with an artificial Malaysia first agenda.

I think your Pakatan manifesto speaks volume on this. Race cards will always be an issue in Malaysia because we are not homogenous countries like Korea, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan.

The only way to better a heterogeneous community like us is to stop talking rhetoric and unite to address the factual predicament of the Malaysian Indians.

6. You appear to be fighting racism with more racism. Not all Malays or bumiputeras benefit from the NEP. Many indigenous peoples from Sarawak are also stateless. Hindraf will look after the Indians, so what will Hindraf do for the poor people from the Malay, Chinese and other communities?
As a journalist, you should do more research instead of blowing the trumpet just because you found your opportunity after 2009.

The questions about Orang Asli, the Sarawak people, Malays and Chinese are pretty redundant as they are constitutionally protected and if they are not, have they approached Hindraf and have they said they won't help?

Who do you think assisted Anwar in having his Early Day Motion in London and exposure to the State Reform Party and United Borneo Front to obtain exposure in the UN? This is what I call lazy journalism.

7. Many people have been played out by Umno and Najib. What makes you think that they will honour their promises and keep their "janji ditepati" to you?
Well, what is the difference with Pakatan in the Kg Buah Pala issue? They made promises in videos including all the stalwarts in DAP and PKR before the GE12. You want evidence? See here.

8. Hindraf demanded 10 parliamentary and seven state seats for it to contest from Pakatan. Have you made a similar demand to BN?
Mariam? Obviously you have not even read the Hindraf blueprint but rather write on hearsay, spinning words at your whim. Thank you for the quality of your journalism skills.

9. Do you seriously think you will win the 17 parliamentary and state seat allocations you demanded from Pakatan? Is it wise to tell your followers to abstain from voting?

Mariam, aren't you at the height of it? You want answers; answers that are self-serving and not for the betterment of the community with your selective process.

If it was so easy, what was Pakatan doing until you needed Waytha to fast and go through a crash course for what the Malaysian Indian needs, like the 14 action plan initiated by DAP for Malaysian Indians.

10. Do you think BN is alarmed about the consequences of your hunger strike? Do you think you will make a significant impact on Malaysians? What are your real reasons for going on this strike? What do you seek to accomplish with this hunger strike? What will make you start eating again?
Mariam, you are getting emotional? It is for others to recognise the originality of the effort for a cause - not how we swing for the deprived ones as and when as it fits us individually - like for the patronage that one gets with Malaysiakini.

Dear Mariam, please understand; as a Malaysian I don't intend to deride you for your mendacious growls without any substance in superficially vindicating Waytha and his intentions.

I am responding as a fellow Malaysian irrespective of origin as I can see the truth in Waytha's path to highlight a truth and seek justice.
I wish you the best of luck, Mariam.

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Editor's note: Mariam Mokhtar is a regular columnist with Malaysiakini and not a journalist.

DAP's 14-point plan not good enough, says Hindraf

On DAP supremo Kit Siang/Pakatan Rakyat's proposed 14 point plan unveiled at Johor Baru yesterday:

(1) Though being granted birth certificates, identity cards and citizenship as in Point No 1(to an estimated 450,000 Indian poor) is their innate right and the very fundamental basic right of any Malaysian, we welcome the same in the spirit of a saying by Confucius that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".

(2) As for point No 2, on housing for displaced plantation workers, the same is very general and specifically without a time frame.
In any event this point is almost similar to the present Umno/BN's political rhetoric, unlike for example granting 80,000 PRIMA homes in the Klang Valley (Utusan Malaysia March 11, 2013 page 2) (to 99 percent Malay Muslims).
The five Pakatan states in the last five years have implemented zero percent in the estate workers housing scheme.

(3) We welcome the plan to ensure that all Tamil schools become fully funded and on par with Sekolah Kebangsaan.

But again this plan has already been unveiled by the Umno/BN political rhetoric i.e. minus the permanent land titles for all 523 Tamil schools and all in one go as a permanent solution.
This has never been implemented for all the 97, 28, 48 and 128 Tamil schools in Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Perak respectively.

(4) Point No 4 on skills training for Indian youths, the same segregates Indian youths from the 250,000 places in the 508 Giat Mara Colleges nationwide which takes in only 100 percent Malay Muslims.

Also to a lesser extent in all the community colleges, vocational and technical schools. Also in the 200,000 UITM places, 170,000 MRSM places and 14,000 IKM and KKTM places.

(5) Point No 5: We welcome raising the minimum wage to RM1,100.00 per month.

But Indian poor displaced plantation workers are still segregated from the 1,021,346 Felda, Felcra & Risda's 10 acre land ownership schemes.

Even a kacang putih or scrap metal licence or even a garbage collection contract has not been granted to any Indian poor in the five Pakatan states in the last five years to give effect to the RM5,000 average household income in Malaysia that was revealed by Prime Minister Najib Razak last month.

(6) Point No 6: Increasing the Indians in GLCs, local councils and public services is preached but never put into practice in the five Pakatan ruled states including Perak when it was under Pakatan for 11 months.

For a start our survey reveals that not even one office boy has ever been taken in the last five years in the Pakatan states. What more a CEO of any of the said states, or scores of GLCs or mayor of any local councils or city hall, district officer etc.

(7) Point No 7: No time limit has been set for alienating land for all Hindu temples and burial grounds.

For the record, 90 percent or 282 acres out of the 316 acres of land for non Muslim places of worship in Selangor were alienated to Chinese temples and only 6 percent to Hindu temples when it is 99 percent of Hindu temples that have been demolished arising out of being denied land titles!

Pakatan needs based? Multi-racial? And why should only Hindu temples be relocated out of especially prime land when no masjids, suraus, Chinese temples or churches are required to be relocated.

Yes, we welcome the relocating of Hindu temples like the PJS Kumaravel, JKR Klang and Muneswarar Port Klang Hindu temples in Selangor away from next to sewerage ponds (unheard of in any other part of the world) which have yet to be relocated in the five long years Pakatan has been ruling Selangor.

(8) Point No 8: Microcredit and financial schemes, businesses, [with no financial allocation and plans in the likes of Umno/BN RM2.46 billion Tekun loans increased from RM50,000.00 to RM100,000.00 and Mara loans double from RM500,000 to RM1 million each (for 99 percent) 241,350 Malays (Utusan March 4, 2013 at page 9) Mara, UDA, Teraju, 150,000 new trainee Malay entrepreneurs, seven thousand low rental Mara commercial lots (Utusan March 1, 2013 at page 10) etc, is akin to Umno/BN's current political propaganda].

(9) Point No 9: We welcome the IPCMC which Hindraf's predecessor Police Watch had been in the frontline that led to the formation of the Police Royal Commission in 2004.

(10) Point No 10: No government budget allocation or serious PNB ASN Mara-like blue chip-like schemes to increase the Indian equity.

(11) Point No 11: Instead of establishing a commission to address Indian social problems, only a clear policy statement in the Pakatan Rakyat Manifesto to end all forms of institutionalised racist government policies will deliver to the Indian poor.

(12) Point No 12: The policies to economically enable single mothers including house ownership schemes is again what Umno/BN is preaching but only 1% or so showpieces delivered.

The same again does not stipulate a budgetary allocation like for members of the armed forces in the Pakatan Rakyat manifesto.

(13) Point No 13: No mention of Maktab places Rendah Sains Mara, MCKK, Tengku Kursiah College and scores of science and secondary schools that segregate Indians.

(14) Point No 14: To get rid of discrimination is a very general term. It must specifically state that the Pakatan federal government policy/Pakatan Manifesto must give effect to Article 8 (equality) and Article 12 (non discrimination) of the federal constitution to eliminate all forms of institutionalised racial discrimination both in the government, GLCs, and also in the private sector as is being practiced in Singapore.

Conclusion

A policy statement in the Pakatan Rakyat Manifesto that in the first 100 days of Pakatan Rakyat coming to power, the United Nations Convention on the elimination of of all forms of racial discrimination and the formation of a royal commission to end all forms of institutional racial discrimination both by the government and in the private sectors that victimise especially the Indian poor, an anti-racial discrimination act with an anti racial discrimination commission with full investigation and prosecution powers along the lines of the RDA etc in the United Kingdom, non-racist policies as in Singapore and the implementation of the Hindraf 18 point demands, are the only way forward for the Indian poor.

DAP/Pakatan cannot be serious with this 14-point plan.

Otherwise this DAP/Pakatan Rakyat 14-point plan remains political rhetoric, if not a 13th general elections ploy and gimmick.

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P UTHAYAKUMAR is de facto leader of Hindraf.

Samy hits out at DAP's Indian blueprint

Former MIC president S Samy Vellu, who is said to be making a comeback in the 13th general election, has hit out at the opposition for taking a free ride on the Indian community with last minute concessions in a bid to solicit votes.

After disappearing from the local political arena for more than two years since his resignation as MIC president in December 2010, the veteran politician issued a statement yesterday, questioning ‘Gelang Patah Declaration', the 14-point plan announced by DAP on Sunday to alleviate the socio-economic status of Indian Malaysians.

Samy Vellu said the attempt by DAP in announcing the so-called blueprint for the Indian community clearly showed that as a whole, Pakatan Rakyat was not interested in the well-being of the Indians in the country.

"Why should only the DAP come out with a separate blueprint for the Indians when it should be a task for Pakatan? This shows that Pakatan is not sincere in helping the Indian community," he added in the statement released yesterday.

Samy Vellu said the fact that only DAP invented something out of thin air for the Indian community reflected on the double standards practised by the opposition pact.

DAP, he claimed, had all the while been seen as a Chinese-based party, but all of a sudden, it is seen as championing the Indian community instead.

"What happened to Pakatan's manifesto, which did not highlight anything for the Indians?" he asked.

Samy Vellu said DAP had realised that Pakatan was losing the support of the Indians and hence, had hatched a last minute attempt to win them over.

"This is not the right way. They have to be sincere in what they want to do for the Indians. Don't just come out with a last minute plan to woo the Indians. The so-called blueprint by DAP for the Indians did not receive the support of Pakatan leadership.

"If it had received the support from Pakatan leadership, why only (DAP parliamentary leader) Lim Kit Siang must announce the so-called blueprint? This shows that there is no sincerity within Pakatan leadership in helping the Indians," he said.

'Empty promises by Pakatan'

On the other hand, Samy Vellu stressed that BN under the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has rolled out a well-coordinated action plan for the Indian community, which is being implemented.

"We have seen the developments that have been brought by the prime minister for the Indian community, unlike Pakatan which just makes empty promises in a bid to get their votes.

"The Indian community will not fall for these kinds of tricks. The Indians have benefitted from the action plan of the BN government and they will continue to enjoy the benefits if they vote for BN in the coming election," he added.

After relinquishing his 31-year presidency in MIC, Samy Vellu was appointed by Najib in 2011 as Malaysia's special envoy on infrastructure to India and South Asia, which carries ministerial status.

He is now BN chairperson for Sungai Siput, the parliamentary constituency he held for eight consecutive terms until 2008 when he was defeated by Dr Michael Jeyakumar of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), by a wafer-thin 1,821 majority.

Tough issues in store for second PM-Hindraf meet

The next meeting between Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Hindraf will likely touch on the most contentious issues in the latter's blueprint to uplift the Indian Malaysian community.

"During the first meeting with the prime minister, we could see that there was a large gap on certain issues,”  Hindraf adviser N Ganesan toldMalaysiakini.

"So we will be getting discussions going on the matters that we know will be the major issues."

Other than saying that 24 points have been put forward to the premier, Ganesan declined to reveal which of these are the most contentious.

Due to the complexity of the issues, he said, it is taking time to set up the second meeting with the premier.

"It is being set up .. we are waiting for them (Prime Minister's Department) to tell us. We know it is going to be more than just the prime minister (being) involved," he said.

Ganesan said Hindraf is still unclear of the composition of the group but that the meeting will likely take place this week.

Hindraf had on March 25 held its first meeting with the premier and described it as "productive, but far from a resolution".

Ganesan acknowledged that Hindraf's demands are complex, which was why a multi-party group is being formed to look into the issues and, if necessary, be taken up to the prime minister.

He also acknowledged that DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh had called on Hindraf to return to the discussion table with Pakatan Rakyat when urging the movement's chief P Waythamoorthy to end his hunger strike.

However, he said DAP has sent mixed signals after unilaterally announcing its own blueprint for the community in the form of the Gelang Patah Declaration on March 31.

"We have not closed our doors, but after Karpal made the call, the very next day, Lim Kit Siang came up with DAP's own blueprint. So we don't understand what is really going on," he said.

‘Waytha discharged’

Waythamoorthy had been on hunger strike since March 10 to lobby Pakatan and BN to endorse the movement's blueprint.

He collapsed on March 31 and was admitted into hospital, subsequently ending his hunger strike.

"He was discharged last night and is now recovering at his home in Klang. There has been no permanent damage to his health. He is just weak from fasting," said Ganesan.

Asked what is next for Hindraf, Ganesan said the movement will soon declare its official stance on the 13th general election and continue its nationwide forum on its blueprint.

"We have been keeping our position ambivalent but after all the forums, we will confirm our specific position on the general election,” he said.

"When (this is announced) will depend on when Parliament dissolves but if Parliament dissolves late, then we may announce earlier.”

Najib had yesterday met Chinese education group Dong Zong but it was only able to raise one of its three demands due to time constraints.

Chairperson Yap Sin Tian had said the group did not get the good news it wants, but hopes for a resolution in subsequent meetings which the premier has promised.

The group has called for the recognition of the United Examination Certificate for entry into public universities.

Its other two demands are for more Chinese independent schools and a review of the National Education Blueprint.