WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama will convene a meeting of his top economic advisers on Wednesday, his first full day in office, as the incoming president immediately tries to put the financial crisis at the center of his agenda, senior aides said.
Barack Obama, here Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, plans high-profile moves on Wednesday.Three aides said Obama is planning an ambitious first week that will include several other high-profile moves: a Wednesday meeting with military brass to map out a change to the mission in Iraq, appointment of at least one envoy to deal quickly with the Mideast crisis and issuance of executive orders on issues ranging from the environment to the detainment of terror suspects.
As soon as Obama is sworn in Tuesday, vans will take senior staff from the Capitol to the White House to begin working, two Obama transition officials said.
Twenty senior staff have had their paperwork cleared to enter the White House on Tuesday. Some senior staff will stay behind to attend the traditional lunch with the new president, but then they'll get to work, even as the inaugural parade snakes around the city, the officials said.
The bulk of the executive orders are not likely to be issued Tuesday because the incoming administration, in the words of one top aide, "does not want to cloud the first day" by overshadowing the historic swearing-in of Obama as the first African-American president.
Aides instead are pointing to Wednesday as a key marker. Obama is planning to bring together his top economic advisers to map out how to step up his personal lobbying efforts to get Congress to pass his stimulus plan, which has a price tag of $825 billion.
"We have got to get an economic recovery and reinvestment plan in place quickly to turn the economy around," said one senior aide, citing the financial crisis as the top priority.
And on Wednesday, Obama also will meet with top military commanders to discuss the war in Iraq and move to begin implementing his campaign promise of removing all combat troops within 16 months, according to aides. The move is part of an effort to reassure Obama's liberal supporters that despite his heavy focus on the financial crisis, he will stay focused on changing the mission in Iraq, the stance that first propelled his presidential campaign at the grass-roots level.
The Obama aides also revealed the Mideast crisis has shot to the top of the immediate agenda. The aides said Obama has been pushing behind the scenes for quick, decisive action, overriding the advice of some aides who believe getting active instantly may raise unrealistic expectations for Mideast peace.
The aides said one option under serious consideration is naming at least one high-profile envoy this week to help dig into the long-term problems in the region beyond the crisis in Gaza, a move that Obama hinted at last week in an interview with USA Today.
On CNN's "State of the Union With John King" on Sunday, incoming senior White House adviser David Axelrod said the president-elect "has said repeatedly that he intends to engage early and aggressively with diplomacy all over the world and using the men and women, the professionals who are in place, who are great, and -- where appropriate -- special envoys."
Pressed on whether this meant moving to deal with the Mideast crisis as soon as Tuesday, Axelrod said, "I think that the events around the world demand that he act quickly, and I think you'll see him act quickly."
Aides said the incoming president also is mulling several high-profile executive orders that can change U.S. policy with the simple stroke of a pen, particularly major changes to the approach in the war on terror. In addition to an executive order closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, aides said the incoming president is considering another executive order that would specifically ban the use of torture on terror suspects.
CNN has learned that another option under consideration is an executive order raising fuel efficiency on automobiles, a move that would please environmentalists but put more pressure on the struggling U.S. auto industry.
For now, however, aides are being tight-lipped about which executive orders will be issued.
Incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told reporters Saturday that "there are a number of things we're looking at" based on campaign promises the president-elect made on domestic and foreign policy.
Meanwhile, aides said Obama is strongly considering an economic speech to a joint session of Congress just weeks after taking office to communicate directly with the American people that the financial crisis is likely to continue for a long time -- even if his economic recovery plan is passed into law during the first 100 days.
Aides are expecting the speech to be delivered the week of February 23, after Congress returns from the Presidents Day recess. Democratic leaders are aiming to get the economic recovery plan to Obama's desk for his signature before that recess.
Obama has been trying to downplay expectations for quick results from his stimulus plan in recent speeches, which could give him some political breathing space to try and let the plan work.
"We're going to have a tough year, 2009," Obama told CNN in an interview Friday.
"I don't think that any economist disputes that we're in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression," he said. "The good news is that we're getting a consensus around what needs to be done. We've got to have a bold, aggressive reinvestment in a recovery package. It's working its way through Congress. That's going to help create 3 to 4 million new jobs."
Aides said the speech to a joint session of Congress is part of a broader strategy by the incoming president to "engage with the public" about the financial crisis to try and build trust with the American people.
Najib: KT loss is a setback but does not change the political landscape
He also said that the opposition’s victory did not mean that its strength was growing nor did it portend a disastrous outing for the Barisan in the next general election.
Najib, 55, will be prime minister in March after the current incumbent Abdullah Ahmad Badawi steps down and, for his sake, we hope he is right.
On Saturday, Abdul Wahid Endut from the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) beat off Wan Farid Salleh from the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) by a majority of 2,631 votes. Wahid won a seat previously won by Umno by just 620 votes in a constituency that is almost 90 per cent ethnic Malay.
There are those, in Umno, who would argue that the contest was lost simply because Umno picked the wrong candidate – a person too closely identified with Abdullah and his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, two people who aren’t very popular right now. They will point at former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who also attacked Wan Farid for the same reasons. And, Dr Mahathir still wields considerable influence.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a former finance minister and an elder statesman of Umno, puts it starkly: “This was more than a referendum on the leadership,” he said in an immediate reaction to the results: “It was a test of the relevance of Umno in its present form. If Umno is no longer relevant to the Malays, the BN (Barisan Nasional or the National Front) formula is dead. The Chinese will have no reason to support MCA and so on. The power-sharing consensual bargain on which our political system has been based since Independence is broken.”
“We are in uncharted waters with no one at the wheel,” the prince concluded.
Hyperbole? Alarmist? Actually, Tengku Razaleigh has always been reasonably consistent. Immediately after the March 8 general election last year, he warned that if Umno did not fundamentally change its ways, its culture of political patronage, all the baggage of having been in power since 1957, it would be repudiated by young voters who were sickened by the excess, the hubris.
Najib should know this better than most. He previously stressed the importance of the contest and the importance of blunting the opposition’s momentum ahead of state elections in Sarawak which could be called this year.
Then, there is Umno’s own elections in March, where all posts from deputy president downwards will be contested. If the party elects new leaders who aren’t perceived to be clean, who are stridently chauvinistic, then the party that has governed this country for the longest time could be in trouble.
All it takes is perception. In short, Umno must not only change – it must
be seen to have changed. – Business Times Singapore
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 - Attempting to give him a taste of his own medicine, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has claimed former president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed to be the cause of Umno's current crisis.
The former prime minister has spent much of the past few years criticising his self-appointed successor Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, culminating in acid attacks for causing the Umno-dominated Barisan Nasional's (BN) setback in last year's general election.
Today, Hindraf chairman P Waytha Moorthy said that it was in fact Dr Mahathir who was the "architect" of "corruption, nepotism, prejudice and cronyism" to Umno.
Welcoming Pakatan Rakyat (PR)'s by-election victory in Kuala Terengganu as a sign that the public is disgusted with Umno, he said that the public has lost any faith in finding honest politicians within BN.
"With Mahathirism's tutelage, the whole Barisan National clan is out of touch with the reality and the needs of the public for governance that is based on equality and fairness for all Malaysians," Waytha said in a statement to the press.
He added that Dr Mahathir's leadership of Umno and BN saw it fail to serve competently and the governing coalition now lives on "past glories" in "blatant arrogance and ignorance" of the will of the people.
"The absence of these elements has prompted the will of change from the public to restore integrity in our basic institutions," he continued.
Waytha said that unless BN faces the reality and listens to the people on issues like abolition of the Internal Security Act and equality in socio-development, "it will be digging its own grave."
"Listening to Mahathir will only speed up the process."
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 – When the 2,000-plus Umno delegates meet here in March for the party’s annual assembly and elections, they will be confronted with two choices.
They can vote in as their new leaders the few younger, progressive candidates or at least those who are not tainted by corruption and scandal.
Or they can plump for the same chauvinistic and corrupt leaders who eschew reforms and feel that the party just needs to be united and the Malays, in particular, will automatically back it.
Those who are planning to vote in the latter group would do well to consider what happened over the weekend in Kuala Terengganu when Pas and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) overcame their own problems to score a convincing win over Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).
This was a more cohesive and united Umno campaign, especially when compared to the Permatang Pauh by-election, but despite having a party united behind the impending leadership of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, it lost.
“The trouble is Umno is perceived as an arrogant and corrupt party. There are very few Umno leaders who are not seen as tainted by scandal,” one Umno lawmaker told The Malaysian Insider. “That is something very difficult for us to accept or to shake off.”
While the choice for the next party president has already been made, Umno delegates still have a large field of candidates to choose from to fill the various party posts, from the deputy presidency downwards.
But signs so far suggest the delegates are still planning to cast their votes to the highest bidder.
Party insiders say large sums of money have been and are still being spent to attract votes, despite the best efforts of Umno’s top leadership in trying to curb vote-buying.
The Malaysian Insider understands a significant portion of funds meant for the Permatang Pauh and the Kuala Terengganu by-election were not utilised as some leaders holding the pursestrings had hoped to salt away the money for the party elections instead.
But if delegates vote for the kind of leadership perceived by the public to be corrupt and tainted by scandal, they will be perpetrating an image which has befallen the party and caused it to slowly but surely lose the support of ordinary Malaysians, as has been proven by its two electoral losses since its worst results ever in last March’s general election.
“They will be voting for the future of the party. So the question is, do they want the same old, or do they want some reforms,” said another senior Umno leader.
After the loss in Kuala Terengganu, the question of how Umno delegates vote will have an even more important bearing on whether voters, especially younger Malaysians, will support the party and BN.
A vote for reform could mean the party may have a fighting chance.
A vote for chauvinism and corruption may doom Umno, especially when confronted with the fact that, by the time the next general election is called, there could be between two and four million new voters deciding the political fate of the country.
Letters
by Jonathan Tan
It has now been 51 years since independence, and although it was predominantly a Malay Archipelago, immigrants who had to work the land during the British colonial era; by default became citizens after Malaya attained independence in 1957.
Much was promised. Equal rights to jobs, educational and business opportunities. But all this came to naught in 1969 when Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’ founding father, was unceremoniously sent into early retirement and hawks like Razak and Harun took over and used Malay special rights as their vehicle to build a corrupted society that saw the division between the have and have nots widen.
The process took a turn for the worse during the Mahathir era when he hand picked cronies to award contracts and kept privatized entities such as the Governments’ GLC’s in the government’s stables, obviating the very reason to privatize these entities.
Till this day, these organizations show neither discernible accountability nor transparency. The country bleeds like a wounded kancil.
The situation has become even more tenuous with the serious deterioration of educational standards, where instead of English, Malay was used as the medium of instruction in a multiracial ex-British colony of 300 years, further condemning the country’s young to an educational exposure far less then the previous generation had received all in the name of Malay nationalism and supremacy.
UMNO and Mahathir labeled Malaysia even Islamic with non-Malays forced to take Islamic studies at Universities. The 1957 dream was dead. For Malaysians were not equal neither in the eyes of the government nor the law. You can be a Muslim but you can never unMuslim yourself, so body snatching becomes a norm at funerals by overzealous religious authorities.
In 1957, the MIC and MCA were the designated community guardians to ensure minority rights were protected. But they did not only not protect their communities; they joined UMNO in pursuit of wealth many times for their own personal being at the expense of the rights of their communities.
As a Chinese or Indian Malaysian, you are now a second class citizen in this country born 51 years ago, left betrayed, unprotected and to fend for themselves on their own. Muslim Indonesians and Filipinos are made to feel welcome. Many get citizenships ostensibly to increase the Muslim majority.
But our guardians, MCA and MIC, still looked on squeezing it’s minorities virtually to leave this country. So that promise of 1957 was made to be broken. Or was it sabotaged along the way with the help of the MCA, MIC and later Gerakan.
Governance of the former Federated states had changed hands from our British colonial masters to UMNO. And no one was going to do anything about it.
Enter the Pakatan Rakyat. An inexperienced alternative composite of disparate parties who have significantly changed the political landscape. In the states of Penang, Perak and Selangor, they are beginning to show that even inexperienced administrators, given time may be able to deliver.
PAS on the hand appears fixated on relatively petty matters such as Islamic law when economy, education and health should be right on top of the agenda. But mathematically it is not possible for PAS to ever pass these laws.
Even, if they tried, the reassuring pronouncements of Karpal Singh has brought immense confidence to people like me , that in the event that PAS trys to pull a fast one, the DAP will pull out of the coalition causing the fragmentation and fall of the Federal government if they happen to form one.
This confidence far outstrips the current and ongoing blatant sell out of their communities by the MIC and MCA to UMNO, not that race based politics matter anymore.
Yes as a Chinese, I will vote in PAS anytime, anywhere in this country, because with the Pakatan Rakyat I can rest assured that the law as spelled out in our constitution will reign supreme, and pretenders like PAS will be stopped right in their tracks by the DAP unlike the shenanigans at the MIC and MCA who have now brought minorities to their knees by deceiving them of their rights by colluding with UMNO.
It was the British spy; Harold Philby who once said that “To betray you must first belong.” By belonging, the MCA, MIC and Gerakan have never hesitated for a minute to make full use of their belonging to betray and condemn their communities to a bleak and uncertain future.
JAN 19 - MIC presidential challenger Datuk M. Muthupalaniappan is to face the party's Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday for allegedly tarnishing the "good image" of the party and faces either suspension or expulsion, opening the way for incumbent Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu to be returned unopposed for a 10th term as president.
"It would be a sham victory and we will not accept it," a senior MIC leader said on condition of anonymity, expressing the feelings among the party grassroots.
Muthupalaniappan denies the charges and will not appear before the committee, which is headed by Samy Vellu henchman Tan Sri G. Vadivello, because his terms to have not been met.
Because he will not turn up to answer the charges, he could be summarily suspended or expelled.
Either way, Muthupalaniappan's spirited challenge to defeat Samy Vellu, who has been president since 1979, will be over.
"I had hoped for a clean, free and fair fight but this is not the case," Muthupalaniappan told the Malaysian Insider in an interview. "If it is a fair fight I would have won hands down as the grassroots mood is really hostile. Everybody is crying out for change."
"These are really difficult times for the MIC and the community and a free and fair election that gives MIC delegates an open chance to choose would have been really very good for the party and the Indian community," he said.
Muthupalaniappan, a former MIC vice-president, is charged with tarnishing the party's image in several press statements last month.
Muthupalaniappan had declared last month he would challenge Samy Vellu and had since been crisscrossing the country, canvassing for support and was receiving enthusiastic response, but the charges have completely derailed his campaign.
He needs 50 nominations from MIC's 4,000 branches to qualify and was confident he could garner three times that number.
Party insiders said the decision to punish Muthupalaniappan under the catch-all "tarnishing the image of the party" is really designed to stop him from continuing with his challenge.
Muthupalaniappan is charged with tarnishing the good name of the party by questioning election losses suffered by the MIC on March 8 last year, the sacking of party leaders and the opening of branches and closing of branches in an election year.
The charges were made in a letter dated Dec 23 and signed by Vadivello.
Muthupalaniappan replied, denying the charges, and had asked for full details of the complaint and identity of the complainant.
He had also requested the party's Central Working Committee or CWC set up an independent inquiry committee if at all the inquiry was to go ahead because Vadivello was not impartial and besides had taken part in the decision to charge him.
However Muthupalaniappan did not receive any replies but was instead ordered to appear on Tuesday to answer the charges and since he has decided not be appear because his terms were not met, he could be summarily suspended or sacked.
If he is suspended even for a short period, Muthupalaniappan cannot contest as chairman of his branch in Negri Sembilan when nationwide branch elections start from Feb 7.
"Consequently being not a branch chairman he is automatically disqualified from contest for the president's post in the MIC election," party insiders said.
"This is an indirect way to knock him off even before the election for president starts," they said. "This is a clear abuse of powers to stop a legitimate challenge."
"Samy Vellu should not do this. He should fight fair and defeat any challenger. This shows he is afraid he could be defeated," they said.
Despite the massive polls losses Samy Vellu, who has been president since 1979, is seeking re-election for a 10th term and hopes to win and continue as president for another three-year term.
However the mood among the party rank and file is hostile and party insiders said Muthupalaniappan would have easily qualified to challenge if he was not charged.
"Charging Muthupalaniappan sends the wrong signals to the party grassroots that Samy Vellu is still in control and critics who side with him would be severely punished," the insiders said.
Although it was earlier announced the presidential election would be held in March this year and a presidential election committee chaired by Penang MIC leader Datuk K. Vijayanathan was formed but up to now no date has been fixed for the election of a new president.
No other challenger besides Muthupalaniappan is likely as the two potential contestants - deputy-president Datuk G. Palanivel and former deputy president Datuk S.Subramaniam - don't want to upset the apple cart but want to wait for Samy Vellu to hand over to either one of them when the "time comes."
Samy Vellu is also cleverly playing them against each other dangling the big prize before them and ensuring that they don't, together with others, gang up against him.
With Muthupalaniappan out of the way the path is wide open for Samy Vellu to retain his post without any problem but that victory could be rejected by party members and the community as a "sham."
It would alienate MIC members and worsen the contempt for the party in the Indian community and any chance of a successful re-branding and return to respectability remains futile.
Fr Paulino Miranda, the parish priest of the Catholic Church of the Divine Mercy in Shah Alam, is among those who have been asked to appear in court on Thursday to be charged in connection with their participation in an Abolish ISA vigil/Bersih anniversary commemoration.
Paulino was among 23 arrested during the vigil on 9 November 2008 and later released on police bail the same night. Their bail was not extended when they reported at the police station on 24 November. But since last Friday, several of them including Miranda have received phone calls from the police informing them that they will be charged at the PJ Magistrates Court at 2.00pm on 22 January. Among those who received phone calls were a few vigil participants who were campaigning in the Kuala Terengganu by-election.
The authorities appear to be tightening the screws on those participating in the Abolish ISA vigils.
In Kuala Terengganu, I ran into Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng, who told me she had received a phone call from the police informing her that they want to record her statement in connection with her participation at one of the Penang Abolish ISA vigils.
The emcee for one of the Penang Abolish ISA vigils, Paula Khoo, is due to report to the police on the third day of Chinese New Year to find out what action, if any, police want to take. When she last reported to the police, they extended her police bail.
The weekly Abolish ISA Masses have resumed at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Penang. The first Mass of 2009 was held last Wednesday. Another Mass is expected to be held this Wednesday.
Malah ada juga suara yang mahukan Nizar segera meletakkan jawatan dan insaf akan tindakannya yang amat menyayat perasaan orang Melayu Perak khususnya dan Melayu lain amnya. Walaupun sering dikatakan bahawa sejarah ibarat pusingan roda yang membawa maksud sesuatu peristiwa itu akan berulang, para pemimpin Cina negara kita nampaknya mahu menidakkan perkara itu. Lantaran itulah, MCA dan Gerakan meminta semua pihak berhenti mengungkit soal sejarah kerana ia boleh mengakibatkan ketegangan kaum. Persoalannya, jika mengungkit-ungkit sejarah boleh menjadi punca ketegangan kaum, tidakkah pula mengambil tanah Melayu lebih awal mengundang ketegangan? Apabila mereka mengingatkan semua pihak agar tidak mengungkit kembali fakta sejarah, adakah mereka juga bermaksud untuk meminta Raja Nazrin atau mana-mana Raja Melayu agar 'tutup mulut'? Timbalan Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Ng Siew Lai yang meminta tindakan mengungkit itu amat penting dihentikan pada saat-saat negara menghadapi krisis ekonomi dan semua pihak hendaklah berfikiran terbuka serta berganding bahu mengukuhkan hubungfan muhibah. Setiausaha Agung MCA, Senator Wong Foon Meng pula memberitahu setiap anggota masyarakat di negara ini telah memainkan peranan masing=masing membangun dan memajukan negara. Oleh itu, katanya, sumbangan mereka tidak harus dipertikaikan, sebaliknya harus diiktiraf. Benar sangatlah kata kedua-dua tokoh politik berkenaan. Cuma, kita tertanya-tanya adakah mereka benar-benar mmemahmi erti pengiktirafan yang diperkatakan itu. Jika usaha mereka membangun dan memajukan tanah Melayu harus diberi iktiraf, pernahkah pula agaknya mereka memikirkan apakah iktiraf yang harus diberikan kepada orang Melayu yang bukan sahaja menjadi penduduk asal negara ini yang dipanggil sebagai Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, juga mempertahan dan memertabatkan negara ini. Sudahlah rezeki iaitu bidang ekonomi mereka 'pulun', tanah orang Melayu juga hendak disapu bersih. Secara pentadbirannya, mereka tidak kelihatan menyapu bersih tanah milik Melayu kerana kelulusan pajakan dari 99 tahun yang menjadi tradisi di seluruh negara dipanjangkan kepada kira-kira 12 generasi iaitu 999 tahun diputuskan oleh Ahli-ahli Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri. Benarlah seperti yang ditegaskan oleh Pemuda Pas negeri Perak bahawa keputusan itu bukan dibuat oleh Ir. Mohamad Nizar, tetapi oleh EXCO, jadi Menteri Besar harus dipertahankan dan tidak perlu meletak jawatan walaupun desakan datang secara bertalu-talu kerana gagal memertahankan hak orang Melayu, sebaliknya memberi keistimewaan kepada pemastautin di kampung-kampung baru. Barangkali, Pemuda Pas Perak serta sesiapa sahaja yang mempertahankan Nizar Jamaluddin tidak faham apa yang didesak. Nizar selaku ketua kepada kerajaann negeri Perak didesak kerana harus bertanggungjawab terhadap keputusan Exco itu, Orang ramai juga setuju bahawa langkah memberi pajakan 999 tahun itu bukanlah keputusan Nizar, tetapi apa yang amat mendukacitakan ialah kegagalan beliau 'mengawal' atau memimpin para ahli EXCOnya hingga mengakibatkan ada orang yang berputih mata sedang yang lain pula bertepuk tangan. Salah satu daripadanya untuk menarik diri dan keluar dari pakatan berkenaan. Taktik inilah yang agak digeruni dan mereka, iaitu para Menteri besar tiada mempunyai pilihan kecuali akur kepada desakan atau kata dua. Nampaknya, kini orang bukan Melayu bukan sahaja telah 'menguasai; orang Melayu, tetapi mereka sudah semakin berani dengan mengeluarkan kenyataan yang turut melibatkan raja-raja Melayu dengan memberi ingatan jangan mengungkit sejarah lama .-
Apabila Raja Muda Perak menyebut kembali pendirian Raja-raja Melayu menzahirkan teguran berkenaan dalam Mesyuarat Raja-raja Melayu pada 24 Mei 1950, tentulah Baginda tidak bermaksud untuk mencetuskan ketegangan kaum di negara ini.
Dengan usaha dan titik peluh dan adakalanya titisan air mata serta darah inilah menjadikan Malaya dan kemudiannya Malaysia sebqgqi tarikan untuk orang asing khususnya dari China dan India mencari rezeki di sini.
Gejala yang berlaku di negeri pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat ini bukanlah sesuatu yang asing. Walaupun Menteri Besarnya orang Melayu (kerana perlembagaan negeri menyatakan sedemikian), EXCOnya bercampur-campur dan mempunyai 'kuasa untuk tawar-menawar'. Jika tawar-menawar tidak menjadi kenyataan, kaedah lain boleh digunakan.
Tetapi kini kian terkenal manakala terpapar dimuka depan Suara Keadilan kisah janji kosong Dato’ Najib menjelang pilihanraya Permatang Pauh Ogos lalu. Kata penduduk, “100 ribu? Habuk pun tak dak!”
Jawab Najib sehari sebelum pilihanraya Kuala Terengganu “minggu depan”. Saya menambah:”inshaallah”.
Ketambatu menulis:
Tahniah kepada Calun Parlimen K. Terengganu, Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut, yang menang bergaya mengalahkan Calun UMNO, Wan Farid yang juga merupakan calun favourite Pak Lah di Terengganu.
Memang dari awal, sudah di jangka bahawa PAS akan memenangi pilihanraya ini. Namun sesungguhnya yang membimbangkan adalah penyelewengan yang mampu di buat oleh agen agen UMNO, polis dan SPR.
Saya percaya bahawa memang terdapat penipuan, cuma biar lah mereka pendam. Yang penting, kita dah menang dan pemantauan akan terus di buat untuk masa masa yang akan datang.
Apa yang saya tekankan disini adalah, betapa parti PAS sesungguhnya pandai mengambil hati para pengundi, rakyat dan blogger.
Terdahulu, TG Haji Hadi membuat kenyataan bahawa beliau akan merujuk kepada bloggers sebelum membuat keputusan siapa yang akan menjadi calun. Dan selepas menang, Husam Musa mengucapkan terima kaseh kepada blogger menerusi Sya Reformis, ahli Bloggernetwork.
Jika di imbau kembali rentetan kemenangan yang berlaku sejak pilihanraya umum ke 12 tahun lepas, saya masih tidak mendengar sebarang ucapan terima kasih dari Pemimpin PKR. Dari Syed Ali, YB YB mahupun Anwar dan juga Wan Azizah sendiri.
Selepas kemenangan PAS pada PRU12 lepas, ramai blogger yang datang ke KL untuk hadiri majlis makan malam dan kesyukuran. Ketika itu Menteri Besar Perak, DS Ir Nizar pun hadir.
Mungkin aku terlepas pandang, tapi rasanya tidak silap.
Adakah PKR rasa mereka menang kerana mereka itu hebat, atau mereka menang kerana faktor Anwar?
Saya rasa kemenangan yang tercapai adalah kerana orang terlalu benci pada UMNO. Dan kerana itu lah maka ramai YB YB di kalangan PKR yang kita tidak kenal tapi masih mampu menang. Akhirnya bila menjalankan tugas, sesungguhnya mereka tidak berkalibar. Lebih cakap dari buat dan ada yang sedang mengumpul projek untuk kaya dalam semusim pemerintahan.
Kerana itu, saya berharap agar, pemimpin PKR kena nilaikan diri anda, cermin dulu wajah dan berterima kaseh lah pada pengundi dan para blogger yang terus berusaha tanpa di bayar gaji.
Saya mungkin terkebelakang di dalam hal ini, tapi blogger yang senior nampaknya, ada yang hidup ala kadar dan kekadang miss soru. Siapa yang membela mereka? Tambah tambah lagi di dalam negeri yang bermenteri Besarkan pemimpin dari PKR.
Kalau lupa, ucap sekarang. Kalau tidak, tak mustahil diorang akan belasah mereka mereka ini di masa akan datang. Pesan saya, biar sombong tapi jangan bodoh. Biar bodoh tapi jangan sombong.
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Arakian, sekonyong-konyong ada yang kononnya menulis mewakili bloggers mengemis perhatian malah mengugut! Malangnya fakta meleset sekali.
Biasa saja kita dengan leteran, atau membebel. Tetapi sekadar maklumat agar tidak ada yang turut tersasul nanti. Dalam ucapan dan kenyataan saya salepas pilihanraya, ucapan Azizah selaku Presiden di Kongres yang lalu, kenyataan berkait penahanan Raja Petra dan sebagainya, dinyatakan sumbangan positif para blogger.
Alahai…
ANWAR IBRAHIM
ALOR SETAR, Jan 18- A formal Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Chief Ministers Council and Secretariat was established today to counter what they claimed is discrimination by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Speaking to the press this evening after meeting his fellow PR mentris besar, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said they were fed up of being left out by Abdullah, who only met with Barisan Nasional menteris besar.
“When MBs of all states meets during the Council of Rulers, we are excluded by the Prime Minister, who meets only BN MBs separately at the end.”
Lim said they were left with two options, to either go back to their states or wander the streets of the city they were in.
“We have been patient for nearly a year and as leaders who are democratically elected by the people we felt we had no choice but to form the council.”
The establishment of the new council was formally called the Mentaloon Declaration by Kedah MB Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak who hosted the meeting in Dewan Sri Mentaloon, which is at his official residence, here.
He said the council will be used to co-ordinate the activities of the five states and was necessary to reduce miscommunication between leaders.
“Many feel that we (PR Chief Ministers) are contradicting each other and through the council we hope to sit together and iron out our differences.”
Perak MB Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said the council will meet at least twice a year and will be chaired by the menteri besar hosting the event.
Selangor MB Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the Council was an opportunity for them to exchange ideas and learn from each other.
“It will also enable us to manage our states more effectively.”
Kelantan MB Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat was at the meeting earlier but did not attend the press conference.
The Kuala Terengganu by-election has lived up to its historic significance.
It has delivered two important messages.
Firstly, that the “308” political tsunami of the March general election last year is very much on course, confirming that the paradigm shift in Malaysian politics some ten months ago was no fluke shot but represented deep-seated and wide-ranging political aspirations of Malaysians.
Secondly, a dire warning to Umno and in particular Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is to be Prime Minister in ten weeks’ time of the far-reaching consequences if they refuse to heed the people’s call for change.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in his comment on the Kuala Terenggany by-election result has likened UMNO and BN to “a sinking ship” if their leaders remain in denial.
How many UMNO and BN leaders would dare to agree with Razaleigh when he warned:
“Money, machinery and incumbency could not trump the call for change. BN will lose, and will in the end lose everything, until we respond fully and sincerely…
“Actually this was more than a referendum on the leadership. It was a test of the relevance of UMNO in its present form. If UMNO is no longer relevant to the Malays, the BN formula is dead.”
The results of the Kuala Terengganu by-election will have to be studied in detail, in particular the impact of the hudud issue in the by-election.
OPENING SPEECH BY DATO’ AMBIGA SREENEVASAN| “RECOGNIZING the importance of accessibility to the physical, social, economic and cultural environment, to health and education and to information and communication, in enabling persons with disabilities to fully and effectively participate in society.” |
| “Recognizing the importance of accessibility to the physical, social, economic and cultural environment, to health and education and to information and communication, in enabling persons with disabilities to fully enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.“ |
| “necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.” |
| “necessary and appropriate modifications and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise of the quality of life and wellbeing on an equal basis with persons without disabilities; |
"Saya meminta Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi terus kekal sebagai Perdana Menteri dan meneruskan reformasi yang diperlukan seperti dalam bidang pilihan raya dan beberapa bidang lain." - Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS president
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should not be blamed for the Barisan Nasional (BN) defeat in the Kuala Terengganu by-election.
"Some voters did not support BN because they do not like the candidate," he said when asked to comment on polls where Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut from Pas beat BN's Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh by 2,631 votes yesterday.
Speaking to reporters after launching the Save Palestinians Campaign organised by the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs at the Bangsar Sports Complex here today, Dr Mahathir said the voters had to choose between the BN candidate and Pas' and they finally picked the Pas candidate.
"They also do not like Pas but they were forced to choose," he said.
Najib who is BN deputy chairman led the coalition's election machinery.
-- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- The result of the Kuala Terengganu by-election reflects the urgency for Barisan Nasional (BN) to carry out further reforms.
Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said the result amplified the need for BN to become a more cohesive and effective multiracial coalition to continue representing, serving and uniting the people.
He said that despite the disappointment, BN leaders should remain positive and move forward by re-doubling their efforts to realise the various reforms as promised.
"We must focus on re-building unity among the races, reducing the people's economic burden and re-assuring them of our deep commitment to ensuring fairness and justice for all," he said in a statement today.
-- BERNAMA
The upcoming inquest into the death of K. Sujatha, actress and former personal secretary to Vel Paari, the son of embattled MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, will be explosive and is likely to be politically damaging to both father and son.
The son is just emerging, politically, out of his father's shadow and is ambitious to carve out a political career for himself as his father departs from the political stage is imminent.
But the inquest, in which Vel Paari is expected to be a star witness, could possibly damage his political career.
A key question the Feb 13 inquest will determine is whether Sujatha was murdered, as alleged by some opposition politicians, or had committed suicide by consuming weed killer.
Either way questions would be raised during the inquest over how and why she died, why she was rushed from her apartment in Kuala Lumpur to the Klang hospital some 30km away and why her body was hurriedly cremated.
"This inquest is long overdue and I hope all these questions are answered," said Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam, the PKR leader who put the issue in the public arena and made a name for himself as a opposition firebrand and is a fierce critic of Samy Vellu, Vel Paari and former Sentul OCP ACP K.Kumaran over the handling of Sujatha's death.
Kumaran has since filed a multi- million dollar defamation suit against Manivasagam for alleging he covered up the case. Vel Paari has repeatedly denied any improper involvement in her death.
It has been widely speculated that Val Paari had a relationship with the actress when Sujatha worked as his private secretary at Maika Holdings where Paari, Samy Vellu's only son, is CEO.
The inquest at the Magistrates Court 2 in Jalan Duta will be before Coroner Mohd Faizi bin Abu.
Police extensively probed the case and questioned Paari at length but never made public their findings, which are likely to be revealed at the inquest.
The unresolved controversy surrounding her death was a key issue exploited by the opposition to discredit Samy Vellu, the MIC and consequently caused the BN the Indian votes in the general election.
Political analysts say it is significant that the inquest is being held now, nearly two years after her death, and at a time when Samy Vellu is mired in numerous controversies including his still unknown plans to hand over power of the party to a yet unnamed successor.
The inquest, MIC insiders said, will pile the pressure on Samy to hand over power sooner rather than later.
Sujatha, 29, died on June 25, 2007 at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang after she swallowed weed killer.
She is said to have confessed on her death bed to what had actually taken place at her apartment but that confession has also never been revealed.
Manikavasagam, who accused Kumaran of covering up the case, had claimed that he had proof of foul play linking Vel Paari to the case and lodged several police reports alleging the same.
But Paari denied any involvement. He was questioned at length by a special Bukit Aman team that took over the investigation from the Sentul police.
Manikavasagam has also asked the Bar Council to hold a watching brief at the inquest.
Alhamdulillah syukur ke hadrat Ilahi, Pakatan Rakyat berjaya menambah satu lagi kerusi di Dewan Rakyat, menjadikan jumlah keseluruhan sebanyak 83 kerusi.
Saya mengambil kesempatan ini untuk merakamkan setingi-tinggi penghargaan kepada para pengundi Kuala Terengganu kerana memilih calon PAS, YB Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut sebagai Ahli Parlimen Kuala Terengganu yang baru.
Tahniah dan syabas saya ucapkan buat Abdul Wahid serta seluruh jentera Pakatan Rakyat di Kuala Terengganu.
Saya percaya Abdul Wahid Endut akan melaksanakan tanggungjawabnya dengan sebaik mungkin, bukan sahaja kepada warga Kuala Terangganu, bahkan kepada rakyat Malaysia keseluruhannya.
Kemenangan beliau menjadi bukti bahawa rakyat sememangnya dahagakan perubahan.
Makanya hari ini kita menyaksikan di Kuala Terangganu, rakyat menuntut perubahan. Warga Kuala Terengganu melalui pilihanraya kecil ini telah memilih seorang calon yang mereka yakini akan dapat bersama rakan-rakan Pakatan Rakyat lainnya di Parlimen untuk merealisasikan agenda perubahan tersebut.
Kemenangan ini juga seharusnya menjadi pemangkin serta pencetus keazaman di kalangan pendokong Pakatan Rakyat untuk terus bekerja dengan lebih kuat, bukan untuk kita, akan tetapi untuk seluruh rakyat Malaysia. Moga Ketuanan Rakyat akhirnya menjadi kenyataan.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
KUALA TERENGGANU, Jan 17 — In a major boost for the Pakatan Rakyat, Pas won the Kuala Terengganu by-election tonight in convincing fashion, with its candidate Abdul Wahid Endut taking the parliamentary seat by a 2,631-vote majority over his closest rival, Barisan Nasional's Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Salleh.
With this win, the PR alliance increased its representation in Parliament to 82 seats, and while it does not significantly affect the balance of power, it provides the fledgling partnership of Pas, DAP and PKR a huge psychological advantage as it continues to try to destabilise and topple the BN government.
It is also the clearest sign yet that the PR alliance has not lost the support it obtained in the last general election, when it denied BN its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament.
BN's defeat in Kuala Terengganu is also a significant setback for Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who led the ruling coalition's campaign and who is set to take power as prime minister in March when Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi retires.
With this defeat, BN still has 137 seats in Parliament, with one independent and two from SAPP. PR parties make up the remaining 82 lawmakers.
Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman Abdul Wahid defeated Wan Ahmad by 32,883 to 30,252 votes. Independent Azharudin Adam lost his deposit after obtaining only 193 votes. In last year's general election, BN won the seat by a wafer-thin 628 votes.
The turnaround for Pas shows the party not only managed to win over the crucial Chinese votes, which went BN's way last year, but also managed to claw back significant numbers of Malay votes which it had conceded to the ruling coalition previously.
The loss will cause BN to do some soul searching as it is the second by-election it has lost since March 8.
A victory in Kuala Terengganu would have represented a recovery from March 8, and provided a fillip for Najib as he prepares to take power.
But instead, Pas's win is likely to solidify PR's alliance and provide what Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says will be renewed momentum to topple BN.
