PKR renegades met Najib, Rosmah before quitting

KUALA LUMPUR: Almost all the state councillors and members of parliament who resigned from PKR had met with the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak or his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor prior to their exit, according to PKR vice- president Datuk Syed Husin Ali.

He said it was also well-known that these renegades had financial problems and were being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

"Undeniably, there were also some problems with the state government and party leadership. But almost all of them met Najib or Rosmah before they quit the party," he said.

Syed Husin was refering to a recent spate of resignations by PKR MPs and assemblymen over what most claimed were poor leadership.

The latest to quit the party were from Nibong Tebal parliamentarian Tan Tee Beng and former PKR secretary-general Datuk Salehudin Hashim.

Salehudin told FMT yesterday that he resigned because he was unhappy with the party's management style. He said: "I have been with PKR since the beginning and am among the senior leaders. But they treat me like an ordinary staff."

In regard to this, Syed Husin said: "I do not know and I do not intend to find out what role Salehuddin is playing. He has denied allegations by some that he is behind the actions of parliamentarians who left the party, and I tend to believe him. "

Syed Husin said Salehuddin had served the party well as organising secretary and secretary-general, but his services were not free.

"There’s a misconception that the party received Salehuddin’s services for free. I wish to put the record straight that he agreed to accept RM9,000 a month remuneration, although earlier he requested for US$3,000 monthly. The sum was not paid by the party but by a supporter," he said.

Syed Husin said Salehudin's anger towards the party leadership climaxed when his “application” to be CEO of Syarikat Perangsang, which carries a monthly emolument of more than RM50,000, was rejected.

"This was before he resigned as secretary-general. Now he is speculating that about 10 more MPs will leave the party. He can speculate all he wants. Only time will tell whether he is right or wrong, " he added.

He believed the information is unfounded and part of a baseless psychological war against the party.

MACC must probe Najib, Rosmah over RM50m defections

Wong Choon Mei, Harakah Daily

PKR leaders have called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate red-hot speculation that Prime Minister Najib Razak had given his cousin a juicy Independent Power Plant contract so that they could finance the defections of at least ten Pakatan Rakyat federal lawmakers into the Umno-BN.

“These are very serious allegations involving the very top leadership of the country. Malaysia’s reputation has been badly shaken by the Anwar sodomy trial and the Teoh Beng Hock case,” PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin told Harakahdaily.

“Therefore the MACC must take action not only to redeem itself but to protect what is left of Malaysia’s good name. Don’t let Najib and Rosmah make a laughing stock of our country once again. Remember what happened to private investigator P Balasubramaniam and the Altantuya murder. The authorities must have the courage to investigate independently and immediately.”

RPK spills the beans once again

On Tuesday, a day after Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s PKR party was rocked by a string of defections from recalcitrant leaders, top blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin exposed how it was done.

“When Anwar Ibrahim said that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor are behind the latest wave of crossovers he was actually not wrong,” Raja Petra wrote in his posting entitled ‘Why two-thirds is crucial’.

“The man behind this ‘shopping spree’ to buy the opposition Members of Parliament is Hamdan, Najib’s cousin, who was given the Kudat IPP as the ‘cash cow’ to finance the shopping spree

“Of course, the Kudat IPP comes with a ‘commission’ of RM50 million. And this RM50 million is to be used to pay off the opposition Members of Parliament as an inducement to cross over.”

Never-ending tale of corruption

Indeed, Raja Petra’s shocking disclosure is but the latest in the never-ending Malaysian tale of corruption and abuse of power. Across the nation, the people have been stunned by the spate of revelations from both sides of the political divide that only underscored how graft and dishonesty have become a way of life to the ruling elite.

Out of disgust and frustration, a prominent Umno veteran leader had even tipped off his opposition counterparts, warning them that he had personally seen former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim meeting with Najib prior to the defections. Salehuddin is widely regarded as being the ringleader of the defectors.

“It is difficult for me to understand if there are no other circumstances, knowing that the Najib-Rosmah strategy is to try to buy people as much as possible,” Anwar had told reporters on Monday.

"This cannot be allowed to go unchecked forever. Malaysians must make a stand and demand immediate change starting with the MACC. They must fulfil their duty of protecting the public and not top Umno leaders," PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Harakahdaily.

All you need is money

So far, two federal lawmakers – Bayan Baru’s Zahrain Mohd Hashim and Nibong Tebal’s Tan Tee Beng – have succumbed to the lures allegedly thrown out by the first couple. Two other problematic MPs are expected to follow suit – Kulim Bandar Bharu’s Zulkifli Noordin and Wangsa Maju’s Wee Choo Keong.

“It is actually the taxpayers’ money that is financing all these crossovers,” Raja Petra said. "Tan (Tee Beng) from Penang was paid only RM2 million. It is not much but he has gambling debts up to his eyeballs and the loan sharks or along are camped outside his house so he has no choice but to accept this figure.

“Wee Choo Keong’s problem is more complicating. It involves two mistresses and one who has just given birth and Umno has threatened to expose this scandal. He also has this RM35 million legal problem with Ambank and if this can be settled ‘out of court’ then Wee will certainly become another ‘independent’ Member of Parliament.”

The BN needs 148 seats for a two-thirds majority. With support of the three independents, it will get there with just another eight defectors. A two-thirds majority is not just a psychological booster, but is also necessary for smooth passage of the next redrawing of electoral constituencies that will begin next year.

“All it takes is money and Barisan Nasional will get back its two-thirds majority in Parliament whereby the next gerrymandering exercise can be launched," Raja Petra warned.

"Then it does not matter whether the opposition will win 60 per cent of the popular votes come the next election. Barisan Nasional will still be in power and with a two-thirds majority on top of that."

'PKR in dire need of strong No 2'

By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysian Today

The situation in the problem-plagued PKR would be diffirent if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had selected a deputy with a strong personality, said an academic today.

According to Monash University Malaysia's political scientist Prof James Chin, a formidable deputy would be able to impose discipline in the party and keep the people clear on the issue of succession.

“He appointed a very weak second leader in Syed Husin Ali. Right now all the discipline (issues) have to go through Anwar's hand and right now he can't decide. He's too focused on the (sodomy) trial to think of anything else. Husin wants to do a lot of things but he's weak,” he told FMT.

In a similar vein, Univeristi Sains Malaysia's Sivamurugan Pandian suggested that Anwar should step aside for the time being and hand over the reins to a strong leader to set the house in order.

“Perhaps Anwar should make way for another equally strong political leader like (Pakatan Rakyat troubleshooter) Zaid Ibrahim to reorganise, restructure, rebuild and rejuvenate PKR,” he said, underscoring the importance for the top leadership of PKR and Pakatan Rakyat to be decisive in adressing and arresting the rot immediately.

Just like Chin, Sivamurugan believes that the ongoing sodomy trial could have distracted the opposition leader, therefore diverting his focus from party matters.

“Many Malaysians, especially party-less voters, think that the multiracial PKR set-up is the vital link within Pakatan. But the recent resignations could affect their confidence on PKR to lead Pakatan to a federal victory in the next general election. Those who quit are frustrated politicians who appear to be victims of internal bickering,” he said.

'Manipulated from the outside'

Chin believes that more would quit the party and this would not come as a surprise.

“This situation is very much expected. People forget that PKR and the other two (PAS and DAP) never expected to do so well in the general election. So any Tom, Dick and Harry were pushed forward as candidates. When you win a lot of new members and you don't have the structure to deal with them, you can expect turbulence. And because it (Keadilan) merged with PRM, they have additional members so this is part of the growing pains,” he said.

“PKR is also being manipulated from outside. It is being pushed by Umno and Barisan Nasional to create a crisis situation internally. The idea is for the ruling coalition to portray the opposition as not viable. It's a psychological trap and PKR has fallen right into it, but PKR couldn't help it. People can expect more turbulence and defections right up until the next elections which will take place nine months from now,” he added.

Noting that the current crisis does not bode well for PKR and Pakatan because “people don't like internal feuds”, Chin cited Gerakan as an example, saying that the party was riddled with infighting and this led to a dismal showing in the last elections.

“The Malaysian electorate does not like petty fights, they see it as very childish,” he added.

However, Chin noted that not all hope is lost as the next general election would present PKR with a good opportunity to select new and credible candidates.

“The good news for PKR is that people would realise that these defections are only issues of housekeeping. They would not punish PKR for that. They would realise that all these people who have left were never meant to be leaders. What the people would punish PKR for is its performance in Selangor so it has to be prepared for that,” he said.

Good news and bad news

Bridget Welsh, an associate professor in political science at the Singapore Management University, felt that it is somewhat of a yin and yang experience for PKR.

“The good news is that it allows PKR the opportunity to form a good sense of cohesion as people who are not with the programme are leaving. This would allow the party to consolidate and lead from a much more cohesive message and stand.

“The bad news is that it would present a disunited image to the public and show that PKR consists of people who are not committed to the party and its cause. The defections clearly come from those who are not loyal to opposition issues. But this is something that PKR has faced from the very beginning since the Perak controversy. The question they need to ask is can all their members be trusted,” she said.

Pointing out that PKR is “very young and grew very fast”, Welsh said: “All that's happening now are teething problems as they try to find their ground. They have expanded very fast as people were given positions very quickly.”

Urging the party to focus less on Anwar's leadership in order to find its own foundation, the political scientist said the opposition leader is facing serious challenges not just from BN and Umno but also from within.

“He is trying to bring together people with very different outlooks. Many of the defectors are those who were previously with BN. They are already frogs so it's a small wonder that they are jumping now. I suggest that the party resolve its internal divisions. In the short term, you will see more reconfiguration of people in positions. In the long term, the party will learn from mistakes and choose candidates that are more loyal.

“PKR will be able to withstand this crisis but only if they don't let personality issues take precedence over changing and transforming system,” she added.

Resorting to a wildlife analogy, Universiti Malaya's Prof Dr Azmi Sharom said those who have quit are mostly ex-Umno members, “and its very hard for a leopard to change its spots.”

The current crisis, he added, is a good thing because it allows PKR to separate the wheat from the chaff but it is also important for the party to get its act together and convince the voters that such a situation would not recur.

“The public is fickle. They don't see the bigger picture, just the small things. And they want miracles immediately. This situation is exactly the kind of thing that would push fence-sitters to the other side. PKR is going to have a tough time convincing the public that this won't happen again because they don't have access to the mainstream media. They have to get their message through in different ways and they can't ride on the same message that they did in 2008. The public has heard that already,” he said.

As for Anwar, he said the opposition leader's charisma should not be underestimated but for sustainability, PKR has to be something that people look to as a group and not as a single individual.

“People didn't vote for (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Abdul Razak), they voted for BN. Pakatan has to be the lingua franca of politics if it wants to surge ahead,” he stressed.

Nah, the show must go on - Harris Ibrahim

Moderator’s note : I’m probably going to get whacked for this one, but that’s never stopped me before.

_____________________________________________

It would be interesting to know the proportion of police reports of alleged sex-related crimes that get NFA’ed ( no further action ) and those that culminate in charges being preferred against the alleged sex offender.

It would also be interesting to know the average number of police man-hours that are invested in investigating police reports of alleged sex-related crimes.

Take a police report of rape.

As I understand it, if there has been such a lapse of time between the alleged rape and the lodging of the report, so that the medical examination turns up little forensic evidence to corroborate the complaint, such a case will most likely be NFA’ed.

Now, what if the report is made very close in time to the alleged rape and the medical examination establishes that there is no evidence of penetration?

NFA?

Or in such a case, does the investigating officer say, “Oh, go on, let’s probe a little further and see what gives”?

And, as I’ve always understood, in these sort of cases, given the stigma attached to the nature of the allegation, both for the complainant and the alleged perpetrator, from the time a report is made, right through the investigations and until a formal charge is preferred in court after the investigation satisfies the prosecutors that a charge is warranted, the identity of both the complainant and the alleged perpetrator is kept under wraps.

And even after the charge is preferred in court, the complainant’s identity remains withheld.

Saiful’s complaint, it would seem, departed from the norm, in this regard.

Only two parties knew of Saiful’s police report at the time the report was made.

Saiful and the police.

One of these two leaked the fact of the police report to the media the very day that the report was lodged.

This leak is the first hint of the conspiracy that Anwar and his team of lawyers keep harping about.

The time spent in investigating Saiful’s complaint, if significantly more than the average number of man-hours expanded by the police in investigating other sex-related offences generally, and, more specifically, other reports alleging sodomy, may also be indicative of a ‘get him’ state of mind rather than a ‘just another case’ attitude on the part of the investigating team, lending further credence to the allegation of conspiracy.

Like many of you, I, too, think there is substance in the allegation of conspiracy.

Not just for the two reasons I have mentioned here.

Many, many more.

The former Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Paul Martin has also joined the chorus of many foreigners in castigating this latest charge against Anwar as being politically motivated and calling for the same to be dropped. You can read his rationale HERE.

I, however, do not agree that the charge be dropped.

The trial, in my view, must go on.

Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution stipulates that “All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law”.

Apply this provision to the matter at hand.

There is an accuser and an accused.

Saiful and Anwar.

Both are equal before the law.

And both are equally entitled to the protection of the law.

Saiful, upon lodging his police report, was entitled to the fullest due process in having that complaint investigated.

The police say they did a thorough investigation.

The AG’s Chambers, having studied the investigation papers, have preferred the charge against Anwar.

No NFA.

The imputation of this is that the investigation has borne evidence that warrants a charge.

In fact, the prosecution, in its opening statement, has alluded to semen samples that will prove its case.

Anwar has claimed trial.

Anwar is disputing the prosecution’s contention.

Anwar alleges a conspiracy in the preferring of these charges.

The conspiracy allegation imputes complicity between the police, the AG’s chambers and even the complainant.

Anwar has gone further.

He implicates the prime minster in this conspiracy.

Both the prosecution and the defence have made serious allegations.

The stage has been set.

Both sides have assembled their respective expert witnesses.

The arbiter, one Justice Zabidin Mohd Diah, who took an oath to uphold, defend and preserve the Constitution and to discharge his judicial duties to the best of his ability, will pronounce Anwar’s innocence or guilt.

And in that process, he may either vindicate or condemn Anwar’s alleged conspiracy theory.

Have not things gone too far to now drop the charge, as urged by so many?

I think there are three reasons why the trial must go on.

First, to now pull the plug on the trial would, in my view, be to do a great injustice to Anwar.

In a post entitled “Look justice in the eye and say ‘Yes, try me’, or forever hold your peace”, I wrote :

“One of the worst things that could happen to someone, especially a very public figure, is to be made the subject of public speculation of some great misdeed, and yet not be afforded the forum to vindicate oneself.

…Unless you were in fact implicated in this horrible crime, in which case you would be grateful for the ‘NFA’. In fact, you would probably pay big time to have the matter ‘NFA’ed.

If, however, you were clean as a whistle and were being maligned by certain individuals with a hidden agenda and these individuals appeared to be successfully spinning your guilt in public space, you would want to be prosecuted so that you would have the very public forum of the courts to clear your name”.

This, of course, pre-supposes an unquestioning and well-founded public confidence in our courts and the system of administration if justice.

Which, sadly, is not the case.

Second, to drop the charges now would also be unfair to Saiful.

He is the complainant. His complaint has been investigated. Based on that investigation, a charge has been preferred. He is entitled to have his day in court.

Due process demands it.

In truth, this trial is no longer about Anwar or Saiful.

It is our system of administration of justice that is on trial.

And we, the rakyat, must sit in judgment of that system.

We will watch the evidence of the prosecution as it unfolds.

We will watch as defence counsel tests and challenges the evidence of the prosecution.

We will watch as the defence proffers evidence, if any, to support its conspiracy allegation.

And we will scrutinise every adjudication of Justice Zabidin on that evidence.

That system of administration of justice, established under the Constitution, represents the collective duty and responsibility of us, the rakyat, owed both to Saiful and Anwar, to see that justice is done in this matter.

Should we judge that system to have failed either one, we must recognise the collective failure of this generation and those before us of failing to defend that system when the judiciary came under attack in 1987 – 1988, when appointments to the bench were confined to men and women who could be compromised and who no longer dispensed justice, but dispensed with the same, and when the office of the Attorney General, increasingly, was reserved for the spineless and those devoid of integrity and conscience.

Family wants ban on book lifted

Daily Express | Sunday, February 28, 2010

Kota Kinabalu: The family of the late Datuk Peter J. Mojuntin Saturday expressed appreciation to efforts by individuals and politicians through various channels to call for the lifting of the ban on the book “The Golden Son of the Kadazan”.

“My family appreciates every single one of those efforts,” said his eldest son, Donald Mojuntin, who is now a State Assistant Finance Minister and Moyog Assemblyman.

“However what we, as a family, will not condone is any effort to politicise the matter. Datuk Peter J. Mojuntin has done his part in our continuing efforts in the development of the people, State and the country,” he said.

He said as a member of Datuk Peter J. Mojuntin’s family, he wanted the ban lifted.

“Our family’s view on the matter is that ‘The Golden Son of the Kadazan’ was written to honour the man. A man of the people whom we love, respect and are very proud of.

“In his relatively short life, he inspired so many and achieved so much. For recognising that and writing the book, we appreciate Bernard Santa Maria.

In my family’s opinion there is nothing controversial about the book that will affect peace and order in the country,” he said.

Mojuntin said the book was a short biography that shows a glimpse of the man that his father was. He quoted the author’s words:

“He (Peter Mojuntin) was a man of high principles, deeply seated in his religious beliefs. No position was rewarding if justice, equality and freedom, were denied to his people, his state and his country”.

In this respect, Mojuntin said it was not necessary for the matter to be politicised.

“His life was sacrificed along with Tun Fuad Stephens, Datuk Salleh Sulong, Chong Thian Voon and Darius Binion. They have been laid to rest.

“Let them rest in peace. Let his life and the lives of Tun Fuad and the other leaders who were victims of the ‘Triple 6 Tragedy’ become a source of positive inspiration.

“Fuad, Peter and the others fought for the rights of the rakyat with selfless devotion. They served the rakyat because they loved them.

Let each of their stories be told but not for political reasons but for historical and inspirational reasons,” he said.

“The family fervently hopes that one day everyone would be given the chance to share, to a certain extent, the life of Datuk Peter J. Mojuntin, the kampung boy, the man and the leader through the biography,” he added.

DAP Secretary-General, Lim Kit Siang had, on Friday, called on the people of Sabah, especially the KDM community, to voice support for lifting the ban on the book.

Lim, who was here to attend several Chinese New Year open houses, questioned whether the banning of the book had something to do with the fact that the author was a DAP leader.

RPK's son bailed out by blogger

Malaysia Aims To Be Among Top Five Largest Furniture Exporters In The World

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has target to be among the top five largest furniture exporters in the world, said Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

He said Malaysia was ranked 10th last year and had exported to more than 160 countries.

"The main export destinations for our furniture is the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Canada, the United Arabs Emirates and India," he said at the launch of the Malaysia International Furniture Fair (MIFF) 2010 here on Tuesday.

He also said the industry was a major contributor to the economy with more than 1,800 furniture companies in the country.

"Last year, the MIFF generated sales of US$710 million and hope this year, the number can be surpassed," he added.

Meanwhile, at a press conference, MIFF Sdn Bhd Managing Director Datuk Tan Chin Huat said the projected sales for this year was US$750 million.

The MIFF 2010 is being held over five days, starting today at three venues, namely the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) and the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre.

More than 500 Malaysian and international exhibitors are participating in the Fair with more than 20,000 visitors expected to visit it.

1,000 students protest at Labuan water shortage - Anil Netto

Some 1,000 students have protested at the persistent water shortages at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah campus in Labuan.

Photo: UMS Labuan website

It was the first picket in the history of Labuan, reports Bernama, which said the water problems were due to a “dry spell”.

Armed with placards and posters, they gathered at the university campus about 14km from Labuan town as early as 9am, and demanded water – as the police were on standby.

During the noisy picket, lectures were temporarily halted.

Speaking to Bernama, UMSKAL student representatives council vice-president Heryanto Hasanudin said they had submitted a memorandum to the university’s student affairs department before the picket.

According to the memorandum, the students want Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khalid Nordin to visit UMSKAL and check the situation first-hand; a consistent and clean water supply and temporary closure of the university until the water woes are solved.

PKR quitters and the need for all to improve

By Nathaniel Tan,

This comes a little late, but my longer thoughts on the recent quitters are up on TMI.

I had a nice lunch with some relatives, and had a conversation with an uncle about public perception.

He seemed to feel that people really aren’t falling for this whole PKR/Pakatan is falling apart, and oddly enough, even if they did, there was still no way they were gonna vote BN. I especially liked his comments that people are easily disgusted with these attempts to get people to quit Pakatan instead of working to improve the government.

This is obviously heartening on one level.

That said, I firmly don’t believe it’s an excuse for complacency.

I disagree with much of what these recent quitters have said, and as I said in my article, I’m firmly behind the ideas of Reformasi and staying focused on kicking BN out.

But I hope we’re not waiting for a major catastrophe before we look ourselves in the mirror and ask whether or not an internal Reformasi is required.

I reckon there’s plenty of space for consolidation and improvement. Certain issues should not be left to fester, and perhaps more dynamic and bold leadership would really help bring people together and represent a united movement that is ever ready to rise above petty individual vendettas.

I know it’s not easy, and I’m not trying to preach to those who have been willing to take up burdens I myself have not. I would completely disagree with any reports that the party is in disarray or any nonsense like that.

It’s just that no party is perfect. The difference between the good and the bad is that the former is more eager to take every opportunity to improve, whereas the latter will procrastinate and rot.

I do hope leaders are open to innovation and some internal change. I don’t think doing things the way we always have will be living up to the hopes of the rakyat. We will continue to vote Pakatan, but not shirk from urging them to be better. We can be more, we should be more.

Thousands still without food, water in parts of quake-hit Chile

Concepcion, Chile (CNN) -- A tale of two Chiles began to emerge late Monday, with life starting to return to normal in Santiago, Chile, and northern parts of the country, while other areas struggled with lack of food and water and looters roaming the streets.

Nearly three days after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake, rescuers in the hardest-hit areas, including the city of Concepcion, Chile, and the Maule and Bio Bio regions, scrambled to reach possible survivors. Looting broke out as thousands of residents in southern and central Chile remained without food, water, electricity, gas and other basic services.

"The situation there is quite precarious," U.S. Ambassador Paul Simons said at an afternoon teleconference from Santiago. He described the damage as "major, major devastation."

More than 700 bodies have been retrieved, and officials say the toll could climb.

Massive swaths of the area were leveled in Saturday's quake, with buildings toppled into ruin and roads made unpassable with gaping fissures. Cars were tossed about like in a children's toy set.

Stores have been looted and one was set on fire Monday in Concepcion, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the afternoon sky. Military officials said a curfew in the city, Chile's second most important and densely populated municipality, would be in effect from 8 p.m. Monday to noon Tuesday.

Looting and vandalism has been reported in the city, and many residents set up roadblocks at neighborhood entrances and patrolled the streets. Many in the ad hoc security committees carried sticks or clubs and some had attached knives to the tips of their weapons.

The military must provide security throughout the town, one woman said in an interview with CNN Chile, CNN's partner network in the nation.

"We don't want to spend one more night in the darkness and in fear," said Jacqueline Van Rysselberge. "We are no longer hungry, we are so scared."

Officials said they were sending more soldiers into Concepcion.

While security was a concern in Concepcion, most of the fatalities occurred in the nearby city of Maule, where 544 of the 723 reported deaths occurred.

In Maule a sewer system collapsed, several water towers were close to toppling and people in many communities lacked basic services, the National Emergency Office said Sunday.

See scenes of devastation from the quake

It was a different situation in Santiago, the nation's capital, where electricity and water services were restored to much of the city and many residents could use their cell phones and other conveniences. About 90 percent of the city's stores were open, Simons said.

"Santiago has returned to normal fairly quickly," the ambassador said.

In the quake's immediate aftermath, more than 1.5 million people had been without power in and around Santiago, according to Chile's National Emergency Office.

Rescuers from Santiago, recently returned from a stint in quake-ravaged Haiti, worked through the day to free people who could be trapped in a 15-story building in Concepcion, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) from the earthquake's epicenter.

Fire commander Juan Carlos Subercaseaux confirmed Monday that three people were trapped in the collapsed building, according to CNN Chile. Rescuers said they heard banging and yelling from an apartment, CNN Chile reported.

Impact Your World: How you can help

Authorities believe 40 or 50 people could be inside the building, but do not know whether they are alive. Video on CNN Chile showed a woman's body being removed from the building's seventh floor Monday afternoon.

Six hospitals in Chile collapsed and another two were severely damaged in the earthquake, the World Health Organization said, adding there's a shortage of health care personnel.

The Chilean air force has set up four field hospitals, each holding up to 60 patients. WHO on Monday called on other countries in the region to send field hospitals and generators to help.

The rescue-and-recovery work unfolded as Chile's defense minister blamed the navy for not issuing a tsunami warning after Saturday's earthquake rocked the South American country.

A large wave crashed into the Chilean islands of Juan Fernandez, killing at least eight people and leaving another eight missing, the Chilean emergency office said. Waves also caused damage along the coast of the Chilean mainland.

A warning could have allowed villagers on the coast to flee to higher ground.

"The truth even if it hurts [is that] a division of the navy made a mistake," Defense Minister Francisco Vidal told reporters.

After the quake struck early Saturday morning, President Michelle Bachelet said a tsunami was unlikely.

Dozens of countries posted tsunami warnings, and Chilean authorities later realized the large waves that slammed their country's coastal areas were generated by the earthquake.

"What we saw ... is a tsunami," Vidal said.

The navy has an emergency system under which captains in each port may issue warnings when sea levels begin to rise, even when the navy doesn't issue a warning. Those port captains eventually sounded the alarm, warning residents to flee.

All 300 American and Chilean employees at the U.S. Embassy are safe, Simons said.

There were no reports of any American fatalities or serious injuries, he said, but efforts to locate and contact thousands of Americans living and working in the country continued.

Calling the quake an "unthinkable disaster," Bachelet said a state of catastrophe in the worst-hit regions would continue, allowing for the restoration of order and speedy distribution of aid.

The government hopes to resume normal commercial air service soon, Bachelet said in remarks the Chilean government published on its Web site.

Authorities also were working to prevent the possible spread of disease, she said.

"Earthquakes or tsunamis like those that we have had cause a great quantity of diseases," Bachelet said.

"We're facing an emergency without parallel in the history of Chile. The passage of time has demonstrated that we're facing a catastrophe of unforeseen intensity, one that caused damages that are going to require immense, united efforts from all sectors of the country -- private and public," Bachelet said.

As desperate residents in Concepcion scrounged for water and supplies inside empty and damaged supermarkets Sunday, authorities used tear gas and water cannons to disperse people in some areas.

Bachelet said the government and the country's major supermarkets had reached an agreement under which the stores will give away basic foods to those affected by the quake.

Chile has received offers of international aid and will accept the help that it needs, Bachelet said.

The nation's ambassador to the United States, Jose Goni, listed Chile's top priorities Monday afternoon.

"After a detailed assessment of the situation," Goni said, "the Chilean government has requested aid from the U.S. government consisting essentially of field hospitals, power generators, water-purification plants, rescue teams, medical crews, tents, satellite telephones, temporary infrastructure for people in need and dialysis autonomous systems."

The United Nations said Monday that Chile had requested international assistance and indicated it is ready to help.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Santiago on Tuesday on a previously scheduled trip through Latin America. She originally was scheduled to arrive Monday.

Saturday's earthquake is tied for the fifth-strongest since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Another 8.8 quake struck off the coast of Ecuador in 1906.

Stronger earthquakes occurred in Kamchatka, in northeastern Russia, in 1952 (magnitude 9); off the west coast of northern Sumatra in 2004 (magnitude 9.1); at Prince William Sound, Alaska, in 1964 (magnitude 9.4); and just south of Concepcion, Chile, not far from the epicenter of Saturday's quake, in 1960 (magnitude 9.5).

Why Haiti's less powerful quake was a bigger killer

More than 90 aftershocks have been recorded since Saturday, ranging from 4.9 to 6.9 in magnitude. A 6.2-magnitude aftershock was recorded near the earthquake's epicenter Sunday.

Bachelet said Saturday that about 2 million people had been affected in some way, but she did not elaborate. The Chilean Red Cross reported that about 500,000 homes sustained considerable damage.

President-elect Sebastian Piñera sought to rally spirits in nationally televised remarks Sunday night, announcing a reconstruction plan called "Up With Chile."

"We will raise Chile," Piñera said. "It's not going to be a short task. It's not going to be easy. It will require a lot of effort, a lot of resources, and a lot of time."

Law students take their activism online

Kit Siang backs Anwar to remain Opposition Leader

By Clara Chooi - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Lim Kit Siang has pledged support for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to remain as Parliamentary Opposition Leader and Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) choice for prime minister even if the number of PKR representatives falls below that of the DAP.

The DAP stalwart said that despite the recent defections of two PKR MPs, he did not expect Pakatan Rakyat’s cohesion to be affected.

“I think there is no change in Pakatan and the PKR despite the present developments,” he told The Malaysian Insider this morning.

Lim brushed off talk about Anwar’s position as the Opposition Leader being affected by weakening support for his leadership.

“I will not even talk about that,” said Lim.

PAS lawmakers today issued a rare joint statement supporting the leadership of an embattled Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has seen several lawmakers and former leaders deserting his party in the past few weeks.

The statement signed by all 23 PAS MPs and three Senators stated that they would continue to carry out the people’s trust given in Election 2008 to bring changes and reforms over injustice, poverty and human rights violations to establish a government founded on religious and moral principles.

It also came about after Anwar, who is de facto PKR and the Pakatan Rakyat opposition pact, tweeted that he had no issues with DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang taking over as Opposition Leader if more PKR lawmakers walk out of his party.

PKR now has 29 MPs after Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim (Bayan Baru) and Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) quit in the past two weeks.

There has been speculation that Anwar would be asked to resign as Parliamentary Opposition Leader if more PKR lawmakers quit but both PAS and DAP leaders have privately assured him they preferred he remain in the post.

“Opposn Leader:no problem for ybKit to tak over fr me. We work as a team unlike Umno!” Anwar tweeted in his Twitter microblogging website last night, referring to the Ipoh Timur MP, and using short forms common in tweets.

Anwar, who is facing a second sodomy charge in a decade, has said he was prepared to give way to other leaders.

Lim told The Malaysian Insider that even if there were more defections from PKR, Anwar would remain as Parliamentary Opposition Leader.

“His position remains unaffected and the DAP will continue to support Anwar as the Opposition Leader and as the Prime Minister-designate,” he said.

Perak Pakatan disregards Ganesan’s assembly notice

By Clara Chooi - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Perak’s Pakatan Rakyat 28 assemblymen will not comply with the notice for the March 30 state assembly meeting sent out by Datuk R. Ganesan as they do not recognise him as the state speaker,

This decision comes in spite of their promise to act as a strong opposition following the Feb 9 Federal Court ruling that Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir is the rightful Perak Mentri Besar.

Former mentri besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin told The Malaysian Insider this morning that while he respected his ouster as the rightful state chief, Pakatan still maintained that Ganesan was not the rightful Speaker of the House.

“He is just an alien from the jungles of Sungkai,” he said, referring to the former Sungkai assemblyman.

Nizar added in view of this, Pakatan representatives would not attend the assembly sitting unless it was called by DAP’s V. Sivakumar.

“We will otherwise not comply with any instruction given by Ganesan. If we were to be present in this assembly sitting, it would only be if we receive assembly notices from sivakumar and not Ganesan,” he insisted.

Nizar explained their decison was due to Ganesan’s violation of Article 36A of the Perak Constitution by failing to resign as a practising lawyer after three months of his appointment as the Speaker.

Sivakumar concurred this but said that no decision had been made as yet on whether he would be sending out notices of his own.

He admitted that the Pakatan are presently caught in a Catch-22 situation if they were to issue their own notices of assembly, the sitting would be yet manother chaotic one and look as if the Pakatan was reneging on its promise to play nice.

On the other hand, if they attend the assembly without issuing a notice of their own, it could mean conceding to Ganesan as the Speaker.

“We will make our decision soon. But yes, we still maintain that Ganesan is not the Speaker,” he said.

Notices had been sent out to all assemblymen yesterday, informing them that the next assembly sitting would convened on March 30.

Meanwhile, Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said that the most important thing now was for the High Court to quickly give a date to hear Sivakumar’s suit against the Election Commission (EC) for failing to hold by-elections in three constituencies in Perak last year —

Changkat Jering, Behrang and Jelapang.

On Oct 22 last year, High Court Justice Lau Bee Lan granted leave to Sivakumar, three Pakatan assemblymen and three voters to challenge the EC’s decision, on grounds that they had a prima facie case against the respondent.

The suit called for the EC to hold the by-elections for the assemblymen for the three constituencies — Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu and Hee Yit Foong — as they had submitted resignation letters to the then rightful Speaker, Sivakumar.

“The decision by Justice Lau was made four months ago and there is still no hearing date. This is obviously very biased of the courts,” Ngeh told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.

He added that the case was important to the Pakatan for if the courts decide to compel the EC to hold by-elections in the three constituencies, it would mean that the appointment of Ganesan during the May 7 sitting last year was invalid.

“It was Hee who took over proceedings as the Deputy Speaker of the House at the time but if she is no longer an assemblyman, then it means she should not have even been inside the House at the time,” said Ngeh.

Ngeh also said that on the possibility of Pakatan appointing an opposition leader for the assembly, he would concede the post to Nizar.

He agreed that by convention, the post would be given to the party holding the most number of sits in the assembly.

“But we in Perak Pakatan are very close so we do not think that way. I think Nizar is fully capable,” he said.

Nizar, however, is of the position that a DAP assemblyman should hold the position as they hold more seats.

The DAP has 17 seats while PAS has six and PKR has five. The Perak assembly has 59 state seats.

Both Pakatan and Barisan have 28 seats while the remaining three are three Barisan-friendly Independents.

PAS lawmakers back embattled Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — PAS lawmakers today issued a rare joint statement supporting the leadership of an embattled Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has seen several lawmakers and former leaders deserting his PKR in the past few weeks.

The statement signed by all 23 PAS MPs and three Senators stated they would continue to carry out the people’s trust given in Election 2008 to bring changes and reforms over injustice, poverty and discriminatory human rights to a government founded on religious and moral principles.

It also came about after Anwar, who is de facto PKR and the Pakatan Rakyat opposition pact, tweeted that he had no issues with DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang taking over as Opposition Leader if more PKR lawmakers walk out of his party.

PKR now has 29 MPs after Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim (Bayan Baru) and Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) quit in the past two weeks.

“We regret the action taken by several Pakatan Rakyat MPs who have chosen to abandon the principles of our struggles,” the PAS statement said.

The MPs who signed were Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (Marang) (picture, left), Ustaz Nasharudin Mat Isa (Bachok), Salahuddin Ayub (Kubang Kerian), Datuk’ Mahfuz Omar (Pokok Sena) (picture, centre), Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman (Pengkalan Chepa), Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli (Kuala Krai), Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar (Tumpat), Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohd Ghazali (Titiwangsa), Puan Siti Zailah Mohd

Yusof (Rantau Panjang), Dr Siti Mariah Mahmood (Kota Raja), Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (Kuala Selangor), Ustaz Taib Azamuddin Md Taib (Baling), Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (Hulu Langat), Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin (Bukit Gantang), Datuk’ Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah (Kota Bharu), Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut (Kuala Terengganu), Ustaz Muhammad Husin (Pasir Puteh), Khalid Samad (Shah Alam), Che Uda Che Nik (Sik), Ustaz Firdaus Jaafar (Jerai), Ustaz Mohd Nasir Zakaria (Padang Terap), Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Parit Buntar) and Datuk Dr Mohd Hayati Othman (Pendang)

The three Senators who signed the statement were Muhammad Yusof Husin (Kedah), Ahmad Rosli Ibrahim (Kelantan) and Mumtaz Md Nawi (Kelantan).

“We are confident of the struggles and leadership of the Pakatan Rakyat parties and will further our efforts among the people and in the Dewan Rakyat which starts March 15,” the statement added.

The PAS lawmakers also took the opportunity to ask the people oppose the ruling Barisan Nasional government’s new proposals to raise petrol prices and essential goods apart from the proposed Good and Services Tax (GST).

“We also want to state our full support to the leadership of the Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” they said.

There has been speculation that Anwar would be asked to resign as opposition leader in the parliament if more PKR lawmakers quit but both PAS and DAP leaders have privately assured him they preferred he remain in the post.

Anwar, who is facing a second sodomy charge in a decade, has said he was prepared to give way to other leaders.

“Opposn Leader:no problem for ybKit to tak over fr me. We work as a team unlike Umno!” Anwar tweeted in his Twitter microblogging website last night, referring to the Ipoh Timur MP, and using short forms common in tweets.

The Pakatan Rakyat now has 80 MPs in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat against Barisan Nasional’s 137. There are now three Independent MPs and two from SAPP, which quit the ruling coalition in September 2008.

Former PKR secretary-general Datuk Salehuddin Hashim has speculated that up to 10 lawmakers will quit the party in coming weeks, adding they will remain independent and not support Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat.

Zaid questions defectors’ reasons for leaving party

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — PKR Supreme Council member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has rubbished the reasons given by defectors for quitting the party.

When contacted by The Malaysian Insider, Zaid said the reasons ex-PKR members like Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng (picture, right) gave for leaving the party needed to be analysed.

“Whether the reasons for them leaving the party were legitimate or not, we will look into them as a party. Look, PKR and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim are not perfect. If you leave because you are disgruntled and unhappy, there’s nothing that we can do,” said Zaid.

He stressed that if party members had a problem or issues that needed to be addressed, the solution would be to discuss the problems, not “leave the party.”

He also used himself as an example where he did not always fully agree with the party’s stand on some matters.

“I still have my own views on how the party handles some matters. I may not fully agree, but I use the various avenues provided by the party to make my point.”

When asked whether the rising emergence of independent MPs like Tan and another PKR defector, Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim, would pave the way for a viable third force in Parliament, Zaid laughed and dismissed the possibility.

He said that even though they claimed that they were independent MPs, they will not play the neutral ground when the time comes.

“They are not independent, they are independent in name only. They will eventually support Barisan National. Look at the Perak frogs. Obviously the independent MPs will become Barisan-friendly, why else would they leave Pakatan?” questioned Zaid.

Tan is the latest departure by a PKR Federal lawmaker, following Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim’s recent decision to also leave PKR.

Ex-Penang deputy chief minister Mohd Fairus Khairuddin also quit the party on Sunday night for Umno while ex-PKR secretary-general Datuk Salehuddin Hashim confirmed he quit two weeks ago.

PKR now has 29 MPS in Parliament, this latest round of defections has reduced Pakatan Rakyat’s bench to only 80 lawmakers against Barisan’s 137.

The other two allies in Pakatan are DAP with 28 MPs and PAS with 23.

However, Zaid remained optimistic about PKR’s political future.

“There is not going to be a mass exodus from PKR. We are stronger now, stronger in terms of support from the people who voted for Pakatan.

“If people want to leave, good riddance if the reasons are not genuine,” he said.

Ex-PKR lawmaker says more will quit soon

By Clara Chooi - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — A former PKR lawmaker fuelled speculation that more will quit Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s party, saying this included MPs and state assemblymen.

The lawmaker, among five who left PKR since Election 2008, told The Malaysian Insider last night that “future defectors” had called him for advice.

“They wanted to know what it was like and they wanted my advice. They wanted to find out what I had faced,” he said on condition of anonymity.

In the past two weeks, Penang MPs Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim (Bayan Baru) and Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) had walked out of PKR citing dissatisfaction with the leadership, party and ally, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

The two outspoken MPs were the most high-profile resignations followed by that of former PKR secretary-general Datuk Salehuddin Hashim and ex-Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Mohd Fairus Khairuddin.

The former PKR lawmaker revealed that the number of those walking out of PKR was larger than many expected, adding it was not planned as a group but as individuals.

“Each have their individual grievances and reasons on why they want to leave from PKR. I understand their positions — the decision is not an easy one to make.

“But it is not like a planned move for all to leave, like what people think. For example, person A does not know that person B wants to leave too,” he said.

He added that he could not reveal the names of those who want to leave as that would not be fair to them.

The lawmaker also rebutted claims that the defectors were being bought over by the ruling Barisan Nasional federal government, stressing that they had genuine reasons for wanting to leave.

“When they called me, they never once asked me how much I had gotten from Barisan for leaving,” he said.

Instead, the lawmaker revealed that the general consensus was that most were unhappy with the direction that the party was heading and had lost confidence in its leadership.

“I cannot say exactly that they all blame (party de facto leader Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim entirely, but they all feel that PKR has lost its way and lost its very basic ideals.

“They all believed in PKR’s struggles and ideologies and they still do but it looks like at the present moment, these struggles have become very individualistic and personal,” he said.

He noted that some also believed that the PKR was not a strong enough voice in the Pakatan Rakyat.

“It is either Anwar has failed to give good advice to the other Pakatan parties or that the other Pakatan parties refuse to listen to his advice,” said the lawmaker.

He added that over the past few months, he had been contacted by many lawmakers, both MPs and state assemblymen alike, all voicing their individual frustrations in the party.

“Some have problems with their respective division leaders or state leaders or the general party leadership too,” he said.

He told The Malaysian Insider that the defections would come soon but would not happen en bloc.

“It will be one at a time. You wait and see,” he said.

The defections of the two Penang MPs have triggered speculation that another 10 MPs and several other assemblymen would follow suit.

BN moves closer to two-thirds majority

The BN needs 148 seats for a two-thirds majority. With support of the three independents, it will get there with just another eight defectors. A two-thirds majority is not just a psychological booster, but is also necessary for smooth passage of the next redrawing of electoral constituencies that will begin next year.

The Straits Times

DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) was hit yesterday by a flurry of resignations by ex-loyalists, including an MP from Penang.

Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng said he was becoming an independent because there was no longer any avenue for dissent in the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

'I have been told not to openly criticise party leaders. This is not what PKR used to stand for - accountability and justice,' he said at a press conference.

Former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim also confirmed yesterday that he was quitting the party. He does not hold an elected seat.

Speaking at the same press conference, he said he believed that more lawmakers will leave in coming days. 'It may be more than 10. But they won't all jump at once, they will go in ones and twos,' he said, blaming the party for favouring new members and sidelining loyalists.

Mr Tan is the second MP to quit PKR in a month, after Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Hashim left in a huff following a quarrel with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Datuk Seri Zahrain is also from Penang.

Rais Says Government Will Not Check Info Flow On Internet

(Bernama) -- Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said last night the government would not impose any restriction on the flow of information on the Internet but hoped that the people would be guided by religious and cultural values in deriving benefit from the cyber world.

He said the government could enforce the maximum restriction through legislation to check the negative elements spread through the new media, especially the Internet.

However, it would not resort to such measures, similar to the proposal by China to use the so-called “Green Dam” censorware on all personal computers, he said.

“We have not done anything like that. We only ask that we use our religious and cultural values for our good. Besides, I admit that enforcement of the laws under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 will be to the maximum,” he said.

Rais said this on the “Soal Jawab” interview programme aired live tonight over TV3.

The minister was interviewed by Media Prima Group Editor (News and Current Affairs) of TV7, TV8, TV9 and Radio Networks, Datuk Manja Ismail.

He said the ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) were carrying out certain exercises before enforcing the relevant laws.

Rais said the people should not blindly accept anything published by the new media.

“We are building a civilisation, a culture. We have our way in our country, Singapore have their own way, and Thailand theirs.

“We now have Facebook, Twitter. We are not angry. What are our values with regard to our participation in Facebook? How are those in Europe and the United States assaulting us subtly? Don’t we think about that?

“How do we handle our children who spend more time on Facebook than on their studies, on religious education? What I am saying is that the Internet is not our invention. We have to be cautious. Take the good, leave the bad,” he said.

Rais said every individual must have duty of care when publishing on the Internet and in speech so as not to undermine national security.

“Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (provides for) an individual to have duty of care when writing in blogs, and in speech, so as to ensure that the nation’s security is unharmed.

“The act has existed since 1998. Some 113 cases have come up. The Attorney General’s Chambers is acting on them. Twelve cases are being prepared and action will be taken. Rais said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had agreed for a special officer from the Attorney General’s Chambers to look into the adequacy of existing laws.

Asked about the use of Facebook by several leaders to interact with the people, Rais said: “In such matters, we are using it for the country’s benefit. But there are people who publish to criticise. We have to be patient because this is a section of the Internet world which has survived on controversies.”

Ekonomi Negara Sudah Pulih?

Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, AJK PAS Pusat.

Pengumuman dibuat oleh YAB PM DS Najib beberapa hari lalu bahawa ekonomi telah pulih tentunya merupakan satu berita gembira. Dalam suku terakhir tahun 2009, ekonomi mencatat pertumbuhan sebanyak 4.5%, meskipun mengalami penguncupan sebelumnya; penguncupan tiga suku sebelumnya, iaitu 6.2% pada suku pertama, 3.9% pada suku kedua dan 1.2% pada suku ke tiga.

Bagi tahun 2009, ekonomi negara mencatat penguncupan sebanyak 1.7%, iaitu lebih rendah daripada penguncupan 3% yang diunjurkan sebelum ini. Untuk pengetahuan umum, pertumbuhan adalah sebanyak 4.6% dalam tahun 2008. Ekonomi telah pulih tegas Najib dan pimpinan kerajaan seperti Menteri Besar Pahang yang kurang arif tentang ekonomi lantas menyebutkan bahawa ini semua adalah kerana kebijaksanaan Najib mengurus ekonomi negara.

Penulis tidak suka untuk menganggu keseronokan dan euporia ini. Rakyat telah lama terhempit dengan pelbagai penderitaan hidup. Mereka mahukan satu suntikan harapan. Najib pula sangat berhajat untuk membuktikan bahawa beliaulah penyebab pemulihan ekonomi ini dan dialah harapan untuk rakyat.

Malangnya penulis terpaksa berterus terang bahawa Najib tersilap dalam membuat rumusan bahawa ekonomi telah pulih, kecuali dalam erti yang terlalu ‘teknikal’. Lebih silap lagi ketika dia dan pimpinan Umno/BN menyangka bahawa dialah pencetus dan pemangkin kesemua ini.

Yang layak disebut Najib hanyalah bahawa ekonomi tumbuh pada 4.5% dalam suku keempat 2009 dan keseluruhan 2009 mencatat penguncupan pada paras 1.7%, iaitu lebih baik dari penguncupan 3% yang dijangkakan. Ada pun sebab utama pertumbuhan 4.5% yang dicapai tidaklah kerana apa jua langkah ajaib dan keberkesanan pendekatan Najib mengurus ekonomi kecuali kerana permintaan global pada suku akhir 2009 sememang meningkat dan ini disaksikan di semua negara.

Meletakkan punca utama kerana suntikan rangsangan fiskal seperti didakwa Najib agak tidak tepat kerana dari jumlah RM 67 bilion yang diperuntukkan dalam dua pakej rangsangan fiskal itu, sehingga akhir September 2009, hanya RM8.2bilion sahaja yang dibelanjakan (ms 3, Dalam Laporan Ekonomi Kementerian Kewangan Malaysia 2009/2010).

Najib mutakhir ini pula mendakwa telah membelanjakan RM17bilion dari pakej tersebut, dengan jumlah bayaran setakat ini sebanyak RM13.9bilion. Puratanya sebanyak RM1bilion disuntik sebulan dakwa beliau dalam 13 bulan lalu.

Dengan mengambil kira kesan berganda kegiataan ekonomi akibatnya, mungkin ada kesannya sedikit terhadap pertumbuhan KDNK dalam sebuah ekonomi yang KDNKnya ialah anggaran RM700bilion. Penulis boleh akui.

Namun pertumbuhan 4.9% suku akhir 2009, tegasnya adalah akibat permintaan global yang semakin pulih dan kesemua negara-negara Asean seperti Indonesia, Vietnam dan Singapura mengalami pertumbuhan yang lebih baik dan rancak lagi. Ini tidak termasuk China dan India yang mengalami pertumbuhan yang lebih mantap.

Pun begitu, apakah dengan pertumbuhan 4.5% dalam suku akhir 2009 lalu maka kerajaan BN di bawah Najib ini mampu berkokok seluruh kampung yang ekonomi telah ‘pulih’? Tambahan pula kalau seperti didakwa mereka bahawa ini adalah hasil suntikan pakej rangsangan kerajaan kerana kaedah rangsangan adalah kaedah ’pump-priming’ atau ’mengepam’ ekonomi. Ia adalah tidak mapan, tidak lestari atau ’sustainable’ dan bersifat jangka pendek.

Tidak ada yang boleh di sorak atau diberikan tepukan gemuruh akibat ’kejayaan’ pertumbuhan ini! Pemulihan sebenar ekonomi perlu menggarap beberapa persoalan asas yang bersifat fundamental dan struktural yang telah mengakibat ekonomi negara, seperti diakui oleh Menteri Kewangan kedua-2 sebagai mengalami satu dekad ’kebekuan’ atau ’stagnation’.

Paling asas adalah menangani persoalan struktural yang telah terperangkap dalam satu model ekonomi berpendapatan rendah, berprestasi rendah di segi nilai tambah yang rendah dan produktiviti yang juga rendah. Bagaimanakah kerajaan mampu menjana ekonomi berpendapatan tinggi yang memilikki kegiatan ekonomi bernilai tambah tinggi sekaligus menghasilkan produktiviti yang tinggi?

Itu adalah model ekonomi yang dihajati negara untuk keluar dari perangkap modal lama. Ia tentunya perlu menggarap kegiatan bidang selain dari ekonomi seperti pendidikan dan latihan yang menghasilkan warga kerja dan buruh berkemahiran tinggi (supply-side economics) bersekali dengan mencapai pertumbuhan mapan dan lebihan bajet yang mampu dilaburkan bagi memacu pertumbuhan seterusnya.

Pemulihan ekonomi secara jangka-panjang dan mapan adalah jawapan kepada permasalahan ekonomi negara. Pastinya ’pemulihan’ atau ’recovery’ tidak hanya sekadar merujuk kepada perbandingan angka pertumbuhan dalam dua suku. Itu ’pulih’ secara ’teknikal’ sahaja.

Tambahan kalau ekonomi masih di belenggu dengan segala kegiatan yang tidak menghasilkan dayasaing atau ’competitiveness’ dengan polisi yang mengutamakan kroni, perlindungan industri yang tidak berdaya maju, monopoli, pemberian subsidi pada sasaran yang salah, pengurusan timpang yang tiris dan bocor yang sarat dengan amalan rasuah.

Kedua, kenaikan lebihan dagangan luar (external trade surplus) pada tahun 2009 sebanyak RM118.35bilion tidak diikuti dengan peningkatan sejajar simpanan asing (foreign reserve). Simpanan asing pada tahun 2009 menokok hanya USD5 bilion pada jumlah USD96.7bilion pada tahun Dis 2009 dari USD91.5bilion pada tahun Dis 2008.

Pakar-pakar ekonomi amat runsing dengan ketidaksejajaran atau kesenjangan ini yang sekaligus memaparkan bahawa di sana terdapat aliran keluar dana lebih banyak dari kemasukan dana ke dalam negara. Bank Negara Malaysia juga turut runsing dengan fenomena ini yang sekaligus mengisyaratkan ’kehilangan keyakinan’ pelabur terhadap ekonomi negara.

Dengan ekonomi yang telah sekian lama dipacu oleh perbelajaan kerajaan atau faktor ”G” dalam formula KDNK/GDP yakni KDNK= C + G + I + (X-M), di mana C- adalah Perbelanjaan (awam), G – perbelanjaan kerajaan, I – pelaburan swasta (luar dan dalam) dan (X-M) atau (Ekpsot – Impot), ia telah mengakibatkan defisit belanjawaan selama 13 tahun dan ke paras 7.4% bahkan ada yang menyebutkan sebagai 8% tahun 2009.

Justeru itu kerajaan tidak lagi mampu melakukan ’pengepaman’ atau ’pump-priming’ dalam menjana pertumbuhan. Hutang kerajaan Persekutuan tahun 2009 adalah ke tahap RM362,520bilion atau bersamaan 55.2% KDNK, berbanding RM306,437bilion pada 2008. Faktor ”G” tidak lagi mampu digunakan untuk menjana pertumbuhan KDNK.

”I” seperti dalam KDNK ialah pelaburan swasta samada dari sumber luar atau asing dan tempatan. Sumbangan pelaburan swasta di negara kini hanya pada paras 10% berbanding lebih dari 30% dalam tahun 90an. Hakikat ini mesti diakui oleh kerajaan BN sekarang ini.

Kehilangan dayasaing negara telah meletakkan negara bukan sahaja gagal mengamit pelaburan asing langsung (FDI) bahkan sebaliknya mengalami aliran keluar dana tempatan sebanyak RM9.14bilion pada tahun 2007, RM26bilion pada tahun 2008 dan RM14.6bilion untuk 9 bulan dalam tahun 2009.

Fenomena pengaliran keluar dana tidak boleh lagi dihujjahkan sebagai pelabur tempatan mahu menyambut seruan menjadi pelabur global. Ketika kerajaan tidak lagi mampu memacu pertumbuhan dengan ”G” kerana melebarkan defisit, maka ”I” diperlukan. Namun ”I” tidak mampu memacu pertumbuhan kerana pelaburan swasta tidak dapat dijana. Kelembapannya akan menjejaskan penjanaan kerja, pelaburan dalam kegiatan ekonomi bernilai tinggi untuk merancakkan pencapaian ke arah ekonomi berpendapatan tinggi dan akhirnya pertumbuhan yang mapan.

Sementara itu model ekonomi negara yang bergantung kepada pendapatan sumber minyak dan gas sudah tidak lagi wajar dan tidak mapan (sustainable) kerana telah ke paras 45% dari seluruh pendapatan negara.

Akhir sekali, andainya inflasi terus meningkat kerana antara lainya, kenaikan cukai, seumpama kesan GST, penarikan subsidi seumpama bahan bakar, kenaikan tarif utiliti seperti elektrik, maka rakyat akan terus kehilangan kuasa membeli. Dengan itu peningkatan ‘C’ atau perbelanjaan akan turut terjejas.

Kesan ini akan menjejas ‘demand side’ atau permintaan. Sedikit sebanyak faktor ’C’ atau perbelanjaan inilah, yang telah membantu peningkatan pertumbuan dalam suku akhir 2009. Namun sayugia dingatkan bahawa ‘gaji sebenar’ atau ‘real wages’ buruh atau ‘labour’ di negara ini hanya mengalami peningkatan sebanyak 2.6% mengikut Bank Dunia dalam 1994-2007. Dengan kata lain faktor ’C’, akibat dari ’gaji sebenar’ dan gaji ’boleh berbelanja’ (disposable income) yang tidak meningkat, akan mengekang pertumbuhan yang lebih rancak.

Kita beraleh kepada faktor (X-M) atau Ekspot tolak Impot. Lebihan dagangan telah penulis sebutkan di atas. Sememangnya kita adalah sebuah negara yang bergantung kepada ekspot. Itu tidak salah. Dan inilah juga yang memacu pertumbuhan dalam suku akhir tahun lalu ini secara signifikan. Tetapi sebaliknya pula, selama manakah produk-produk negara boleh terus berdayasaing, kalau kita terperangkap dengan nilai-tambah yang rendah dengan pelaburan swasta (I) serta ekonomi domestik mandom dan lembap?

Fikirkan. Mampukah kita melonjakkan dayasaing negara atau ‘competitiveness’ dalam mendepani persaingan global yang semakin sengit dan getir?

Kesemua penghujjahan dan senario ini membuktikan bahawa ekonomi negara belum pulih dalam erti yang sebenarnya. Sedarlah wahai semua! Kesedaran adalah titik bermula perubahan dan reformasi tulen.

PROTON'S PROGRESS

1. Since the appointment of Dato Nazmi Salleh as the chairman a lot of improvements have been shown by Proton. It is once again making money. More Proton cars are appearing on the streets, particularly the new Saga, the Persona and the Exora.

2. I was invited to see the new F1 car being developed by Dato Seri Tony Fernandes and Dato Kamaruddin Meranun at the facilities they had acquired in Norwich, England. I had promised to sit in and start the engine of this car if it could be built in the short time they had before the first F1 race in Bahrain in March. I was pleasantly surprised that by the time I arrived on February 22, not only could I sit in the racer and start the engine but the car itself had been undergoing trial races in Spain. They had brought back the car for me to sit in and start the engine. The next day they were to take the car back to Spain for further speed trials.

3. I was glad to see quite a number of Proton engineers working on the production and assembly of the car.

4. The British people were very excited that once again a Lotus car would be in the F1 race. The three drivers were optimistic. The two foreign drivers, Jarno Trulli and Hekki Kovalainen, were very experienced. Fairuz Fauzi our Malaysian driver was the first to test-drive the car in Spain. I hope he would get a chance to drive in the actual race. I wish them the best of luck.

5. My next stop was the Lotus factory where the Elise and Evora sports cars were being produced. Lotus had not done well and was losing money. But the new CEO, Dany Bahar has put new life into the management bringing in experienced people from well-known racing teams and sports car producers.

6. New sports cars were being designed and they looked as good as the Ferraris and the Aston Martins. I test drove a turbo-charged Proton Exora, an electric Tesla which Lotus was building for an American company and the Lotus Evora.

7. A lot of Proton engineers were working with Lotus engineers contributing to the development of Lotus cars.

8. The next day I flew to Turin, Italy to see the lubricant plant which had been bought by Petronas. It was again heartening to see Malaysians among the top executives of the company.

9. The final stop was the design firm of Giugiaro together with Proton which were designing a new small car and a redesigned Persona for Proton. Some 20 Malaysian designers and engineers were working on these projects together with the Italians.

10. It may be remembered that one of the objectives of going into the automotive industry was to develop Malaysia's engineering capability. Seeing all these Malaysians in the development of sophisticated automotive designing and engineering work seems to indicate that we have largely acquired engineering design, development and production to put us on the road to becoming a developed country.

11. Some people said that the price of cars in Malaysia is very high because the Government is protecting Proton. Actually the high price is due to the Government's attempt to discourage petrol guzzling big cars. Whether there is Proton or not Malaysians will pay a high price for their cars. Cheap cars will lead to even worse jams than now.

12. Most people started to own cars only after Proton cars were produced. Such was the increase in the usage of cars that in one 10-year period, Proton cars contributed 18 billion Ringgit towards Government revenue. Considering that the total Government investment was only RM480 million Ringgit in 1984-85, the returns on the investment must be considered very high. The people as a whole must benefit from Government expenditure of this large sum of money.

13. Besides, Proton supports about 300,000 workers, vendors and their families. It produces almost 200,000 cars yearly. If we import foreign cars at RM25,000 per car, the outflow of money would add up to approximately RM5,000,000,000 or five billion Ringgit. Even after deducting some component imports the amount saved in foreign exchange is huge.

14. At one stage there were rumours of an attempt to practically bankrupt Proton so as to sell it off cheaply. This was what happened to Agusta. Proton has assets which the buyers can develop profitably. But I am glad that these are just rumours and no one talks about it anymore. If a person looks at the whole picture he will appreciate that Proton is too valuable an asset to sell for RM4.

Apa Hal Salehuddin Hashim?

KENYATAAN MEDIA
UNTUK EDARAN SEGERA
Tarikh: 2 Mac 2010

APA HAL SALEHUDDIN HASHIM?

Saya tidak tahu dan tidak ingin tahu apakah peranan yang dimainkan oleh bekas Setiausaha Agung KEADILAN, Datuk Salehuddin Hashim. Beliau menafikan tuduhan sesetengah pihak bahawa beliaulah di belakang tindakan Anggota Parlimen (AP) yang keluar Parti dan saya mempercayainya.

Orang sudah tahu semua ADUN dan AP yang keluar mempunyai masalah kewangan ataupun masalah disiasat oleh SPRM. Namun tidak dinafikan ada juga masalah pribadi dengan pimpinan parti atau kerajaan negeri. Boleh dikatakan semuanya menemui PM Najib Razak dan ada kalanya isteri beliau, Rosmah Mansor, sebelum bertindak keluar.

Saya sentiasa berpendapat bahawa apabila daki sudah dibersihkan, kulit akan lebih menarik dan badan lebih sihat. Kita harus jangan lupa bahawa dalam sejarah permulaannya PAS, DAP dan bahkan UMNO menghadapi masalah Presiden, Setiausaha Agung dan pemimpin lain mereka berhenti. Akhirnya semua parti muncul lebih kuat.

Salehuddin telah memberikan khidmat baik kepada KEADILAN selama kira-kira enam tahun, tiga tahun sebagai Setiausaha Pengelola dan tiga lagi sebagai Setiausaha Agung. Biro Politik telah mencatatkan terima kasih atas jasanya.

Ada anggapan kononnya Parti mendapat khidmat Salehuddin secara percuma. Saya ingin merakamkan yang sebenar, iaitu Salehuddin bersetuju dibayar RM9,000 sebulan, walaupun asalnya beliau meminta US3,000 sebulan. Bayaran ini dibuat bukan oleh Parti tetapi oleh salah seorang penyokong.

Saya memang tahu selama beliau berkhidmat dengan baik, sikap Salehuddin terhadap Parti, terutama pimpinannya, sering turun naik. Akan tetapi kemarahan beliau memuncak apabila “permohonannya” untuk menjadi CEO Syarikat Perangsang, yang membawa gaji lebih dari RM50,000 sebulan, ditolak tidak lama sebelum beliau meletakkan jawatan.

Kini Salehuddin meramalkan kira-kira 10 orang lagi AP akan keluar Parti. Biarkanlah Salehuddin dengan ramalannya dan hanya masa saja yang akan membuktikan sama ada ramalan itu akan terbukti tepat atau tidak. Namun, dengan maklumat yang ada pada saya, saya percaya ini hanya sebagai tuduhan melulu bersifat perang urat saraf yang tidak mempunyai asas kukuh.

DR. SYED HUSIN ALI
Timbalan Presiden, KEADILAN

The politics of disaster aid

thenutgraph.com

Food donated by an aid organisation being delivered to a remote location in Haiti
following the earthquake in January 2010 (Pic by DVIDSHUB @ Flickr)

ON 13 Jan 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti, killing thousands instantaneously. Then on 20 Jan, a 6.1-magnitude aftershock rocked Haiti once again. There are conflicting reports, but it can be assumed that more than 200,000 lives were lost as a result of the earthquake and its aftermath. That number matches the 2004 Asian tsunami death toll.

As with the 2004 tsunami, the outpouring of public sympathy for Haiti was instantaneous. The US, haunted by the spectre of former President George W Bush's incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina, committed massive aid to Haiti. Yet, within 24 hours of the first earthquake, the FBI had to release a fraud alert warning the public of sham donation appeals. The bureau appealed to internet users to "apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests".

Yet another earthquake has struck, this time in Chile on 27 Feb, and aid is bound to start flowing that way, too. So, exactly what due diligence was the FBI referring to? What sort of critical examination can the public apply when donating to help relieve an epic natural disaster?

Good hearts vs logistical challenges

Malaysians tend to be very sympathetic towards natural disaster survivors, says Mercy Malaysia president Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus. This has been true of both the Haiti earthquake and the Asian tsunami, he says.

"We've received calls from groups wanting to donate money to help the survivors of the [Haiti] earthquake," he tells The Nut Graph in an e-mail interview. "All we did was hold a press conference [in early February], informing the public that we were collecting money for Haiti." He added that people were also taking the initiative to organise their own events to raise funds.

The question, however, is if this public generosity translates into actual help for those who suffer most.

Dr Faizal providing assistance in Sri Lanka in 2003 (Courtesy of Ahmad Faizal Perdaus)

"It's common for global generosity to face logistical challenges following a natural disaster," says Jason Smith, Asia and Pacific communications head for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

"Very often the infrastructure in impacted countries is destroyed, and movement of donations from outside countries to the people who need them is slowed," he tells The Nut Graph in a telephone interview.

Smith says what compounds this problem is that most countries do not believe big disasters will hit them. Therefore, they do not put in place legal systems or infrastructures to handle large volumes of international aid.

"For example, governments need to decide in advance to give tax and import exceptions to humanitarian relief teams. Often, governments do not think about this before a disaster strikes. And then, disaster strikes," he says.

Other infrastructural issues

Natural disasters also have a more devastating impact on the most vulnerable societies, says Anni Natasha Azmi, fund development manager for Force of Nature Aid Foundation, referring to countries in which even existing infrastructures are undeveloped.

She tells The Nut Graph in a telephone interview that these infrastructures include democratic institutions that respect human rights and encourage transparency and accountability.

This point is important, because the extent of Haiti's devastation was not just due to the earthquake's intensity. It was also due to Haiti's extreme poverty — resulting in weak physical infrastructures and homes — which is in turn a direct result of decades of US-sponsored dictatorship. After all, a 1989 earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area was of almost the same magnitude as Haiti's but killed only 63 people. And Chile was hit by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake — 500 times more powerful than Haiti's — yet its death toll at press time is in the hundreds, not hundreds of thousands.

A similar outcome to Haiti's, because of sociopolitical factors, can be said of the Asian tsunami. Back then, Aceh was in the grip of a guerrilla war against military rule, while Sri Lanka was still reeling from a decades-old civil war.

A Sumatran village in the aftermath of the tsunami of 2004 (Public domain / Wiki commons)

Therefore, it is important for donors to understand that when a natural disaster hits countries like this, the survivors have multiple crises to deal with. And urgent disaster response and relief will only take up the first three months of aid efforts. After that, long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts need to kick in, and this could take years depending on the severity of the aftermath.

Essential information

So what do donors — both individual and corporate — need to know in order to make sure their money reaches the people who need it most?

Anni says they need to understand firstly that their donations will probably overwhelm the affected country's bureaucracy.

Anni (Courtesy of Anni
Natasha Azmi) "It's also better to give to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who know the culture on the ground and how things are done," she says.

Smith agrees, and says one of the IFRC's system's strengths is that their national societies work directly with communities, and are thus seen as credible partners in the response process. Anni cautions that this might not always be the case — some big international NGOs have been known not to partner with local NGOs in relief efforts.

Smith (Courtesy of Jason
Smith) "Donors should also demand to know exactly where their ringgit goes to, and the relevant NGOs must come up with detailed reports on how the donations have been spent," she adds. For example, she says Force of Nature publishes these details on all the projects it funds on its website.

Dr Faizal also says Mercy Malaysia is one of the few NGOs in Malaysia that publishes its audited accounts every year in the major newspapers.

He says Mercy Malaysia is now certified with the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP International), the humanitarian sector's first international self-regulatory body. HAP International certifies members that comply with its standards, thus assuring disaster survivors, staff, volunteers, host authorities and donors that the agency will deliver the best humanitarian service possible in each situation.

Above all, Anni says that although there will be overwhelming donations in a natural disaster's immediate aftermath, affected countries will continue to need long-term aid.

"A natural disaster does not only wipe out lives, but also institutions and livelihoods. These take a long time to rebuild," she says.

Anwar Ibrahim will continue as Parliamentary Opposition Leader even if PKR MPs number less than DAP’s 28 MPs

A Malaysian Insider journalist has just drawn my attention to a tweet by Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday that he has no problem in my taking over from him.

I was also asked whether the DAP would rally behind Anwar.

My response was that the question of DAP rallying behind Anwar does not arise, as we are solidly in support of his leadership in Pakatan Rakyat, as Parliamentary Opposition Leader and as Prime Minister-designate in the Pakatan Rakyat plan to wrest power from Umno and Barisan Nasional in the next general elections.

As far as the DAP is concerned, Anwar continues as Parliamentary Opposition Leader even if PKR Members of Parliament number less than DAP’s 28 MPs.

All keen followers of the Malaysian political scene see what is happening in PKR as a long-needed self-cleansing process which, however painful and agonizing, is necessary to restore public confidence in the credibility and viability of PKR and Pakatan Rakyat.

I contributed to Zul’s victory & I’m sorry

By Nomad Muslim | The Malaysian Insider

MARCH 2 — Dear Editor, I would appreciate if you publish this long but terribly important letter on Zulkifli Nordin, Umno, the Malays and the tragic state Malaysia finds itself in today. Thank you and may Allah (sw) bless you.

The letter:

I did contribute to Zulkifli’s victory and I’m sorry dear Malaysians

I’m a Muslim student in Malaysia from an African non-Muslim country. I have been here for a while to know much about this country.

Although I’m in the science stream, I follow the Malaysian political scene with fervour. In fact, foreign students particularly Muslims follow Malaysia’s sorry state with disgust and shock.

A nation we thought we could be proud of and sell to others including our countries, but unfortunately hell-bent on proving that God’s Grace can be a curse.

As Malaysia prepared for the now historic March 08 elections, we did whatever we could in our own simple ways of contributing to the Pakatan (later formed of course) groups particularly PAS and PKR.

Either we encouraged our Malay brethren whom we knew were registered to go and vote or at least help in disseminating the PAS and PKR political platforms and popularize their candidates. One such candidate was Nulkifli Nordin, a Reformasi stalwart.

Reading his blog then which was started in Feb 2008 was interesting. What a shameful metamorphosis indeed! In case he deletes it, we have captured it for posterity and Allah (sw) knows much more. Now here comes what I did.

On March 02, 6 days before the poll, as I went through Malaysian blogs, I came across damaging information against the UMNO candidate for KULIM Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir published in the blog of former DAP MP James Wong, who linked to a statement issued by The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH).

The statement was carried by The Merdeka Review and it was in Chinese. I immediately alerted Zulkifli through email and a comment left at his blog. I also sent him the link to Lim Kit Siang’s reaction to what Abdul Azizi has done by threatening to burn down the KLSCAH in 2000.

By then, the people who were visiting his blog were very small in number. He was desperately popularizing his blog through Malaysia-Today, Harris Ibrahim and Zorro blogs which are of course very popular. But my information will change a lot. As I left the comment in his blog, I requested that his not publish my comment but act on its message. He heeded my call. To him, I was just a concerned “Malaysian” who was fighting with him (or for him?) to secure him a victory against Umno.

Zulkifli Nordin thanked me and on the same date that I alerted him published the KLSCAH information plus Lim Kit Siang’s press statement on Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir’s antics. Using the photo provided by Merdeka Review, he added: Tolak budaya samseng and then wrote: (We thank you wanyama for alerting us on this news….).

Wanyama was the fake name I used to sign in. The reaction was swift. That particular entry was published in Malaysia today. I personally linked it to Harris Ibrahim’s blog and Zorro’s too through commenting in their blogs. 20 people including me commented on the entry and I wrote: “Well, I’m the one who rang the alarm bell. Mr Zulkifli, this is a big chance to awaken the Chineese. It should be printed today and made sure every Chinese voter gets it. It is politics of honesty, accountability, responsibility and good manners. UMNO samsengs have no such qualities no wonder they are threatening people with fire. How can such people be made MPs? Kulim voters, be they Chinese, Malays or Indian, reject samseng.”

Zulkifli who was struggling with the Chinese vote got a golden chance to awaken the Chinese in Kulim and distributed thousands of flyers over this “Extremist” UMNO man (to use his own words…how days change). This also proved fatal to UMNO. Desperate to defeat him, UMNO was distributing demonic CDs against Anwar Ibrahim in Kulim and Zulkifli was campaigning on the premise that he was a Reformasi man and that he was DSAI’s lawyer. Rather than continuing on its demonic spree against DSAI, UMNO in Kulim was put on the defensive and by March 06, it was clear that Zul was headed for an emphatic history.

UMNO tried to disqualify him 2 days to the polling date on the premise that he didn’t submit his Account Statement and he lodged a police report against the Returning Officer and also sent a scathing letter to The Star for publishing a report titled: “Question mark over Zulkifli” and demanded that it publishes his press statement. Later the EC clarified that he was eligible to contest. Note that UMNO wanted to act against him only after his chances of winning became clear and didn’t object to his candidacy on the nomination day as usual.

Then the DAY came and Zul went on to win the Kulim seat. His ranted against the evil, corrupt, extremist and disgraceful Umno (his words) and the people listened and voted for him. One day after the victory, a Mahathirist commentator who used the pen name: arb_ok wrote: “Assalamualaikum YB, Congratulations on your recent election as the people’s representative. On behalf of my friends from KL who went back all the way to Kulim just to vote you, we sincerely hope that you shall carry your new responsibilities to the fullest.

Please remember not to take the voters for granted. The Kulim folks are no longer awed by the BN. I personally hope that despite you winning on Keadilan ticket, you shall not pursue the cause of DSAI as he is a gone case. Please remember to serve the Kulim folks well and you shall be rewarded handsomely.

And I must let you know that my vote went to the candidate and not the party. I despise Keadilan for their struggle on Anwar. Largely the Kulim folks are not fond of Anwar but we were simply sick of the PM and his advisers.

Selamat berkhidmat. Wassalam and syabas YB.”

I responded to this rabid Mahathirist and defended Anwar, Zul and PKR as a “Malaysian” and I wrote:

“Dear arb_ok

Ass.wr.wb

Your understanding is warped and your intellectual poverty is immense and heartrending that it needs attention. Let me address the issues that you have raised one by one.

1. You congratulated the new YB on his victory which is right. Then you went on to claim credit on behalf of your friends in KL. Well, you need to show the evidence that there were friends of yours who authorized you to speak on their behalf. I myself is from KL and went to vote in Kulim for Noordin. You said the new YB should carry his duties well since Kulim voters are no longer awed by BN. Agreed! But it is Malaysia which also is not awed by BN and its pussyfooters.

2. Then you addressed the new YB saying that he shouldn’t pursue the cause of DSAI since he is a gone case. It is here that I’m very interested in. first of all, what’s DSAI’s cause and who determines that cause? Secondly, how did you know that he was gone? Using which barometer? By what law, by what justice? Your calculation that you voted for the candidate but hates his party unearths your buffoonery since at the end of the day a candidate is voted on the basis of the ideals and manifestos of his/her party. Moreover, if Noordin is good, then it means the party that fielded him must have been good in the sense that it looked for the good people.

3. You wrote: “I despise Keadilan for their struggle on Anwar.” I must say that your hatred to Anwar the person has rendered you a buffoon beyond salvation point. This is because KeADILan is a party made of diverse people with diverse background driven by one goal: a better Malaysia. The fact that Anwar is part of that mass movement or party shouldn’t confuse you my dear. Yes, I can see you hate Anwar but Anwar even is not aware of your existence, so it will be civil and informed not to nag others about him as you are desperately doing here. Furthermore, the fact that KeADILan was formed after Anwar was jailed doesn’t make it an Anwar party. In any way, a party is borne at a given moment due to a certain political, economical or national cause at a given moment too, and therefore KeADILan’s birth at the height of the political assassination of DSAI doesn’t make the party bereft of any idea or its multifarious supporters and winners a hapless bunch of people wallowing in intellectual penury.

4. You said Kulim people are not fond of Anwar. Hehehe Which Kulim people are you talking about? It is just like how you said on behalf of KL friends. Mah! You are so cheap and condescending my dear. Your view and atavistic rage against Anwar can’t be said to be that of Kulim or its people. I’m sorry to inform you that Kulim is not you. Kulim has thousands of people with different ideas, perceptions, beliefs and orientations, therefore, your childish rants that the people of Kulim are anti-Anwar as if you are the Kulim itself makes your argument utterly naïve and ludicrous. Just say, as far as I’m concerned, ok? Thanks, wassalam.”

One may ask why all this trouble, well, we did all this to support the change and Malaysia’s prospect for a better tomorrow. We support the Islam of Tok Guru Nik Aziz (note I say Nik Aziz and not Ustadh Hadi) and the leadership of DSAI and now Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. We did this in order to support the people we thought were conscientious enough to understand that there is a crying need for a new paradigm in this nation and the salvation of this outwardly glamorous nation but deeply rotten inside. We did this because we have seen how rotten the system is, how failed Malaysia is becoming and how defeatist culture and inherent opportunism is becoming the accepted norm.

In 2006, a friend from another country was arrested in Kedah while he was going to Thailand. He was informed that his visa had expired the previous day by the Kedah Immigration and then he was detained. A relative of his requested me to accompany him to Alor Star to visit the man. I did. What I saw was shocking. Rather than putting the man through due process, the Immigration men demanded RM10,000. And when we informed them that his case has already being taken to court, a lawyer from UiTM who was working with the Immigration men said this to me: “all this will be solved. Both the prosecutor and the judge are known to me and he will be released immediately provided you pay the amount”, and then he gave me his account number.

He was a treacherous man selling his motherland. He is a product of a corrupt system that’s hailed as a success. We wanted the likes of Zulkifli to do something for Kedah, Malaysia and all those who love this nation. And those petty Umnoputras who rant against the world for demanding a fair tribal for DSAI, it is because even poor foreign students know how corrupt Malaysia’s judiciary is. We are witness to it and the world knows much than you can imagine.

Like would a Malay(sian) student in the US would in all probability support Obama, or the same student in India would do a dig for the Congress, the overwhelming majority of foreign Muslim students in Malaysia unequivocally support Anwar Ibrahim. Make no mistake about it and we aren’t stupid about it. We also salute beloved Tok Guru Nik Aziz whose courage and fatigue represent the spirit of the nation. And we also salute the always urbane and truly patriotic Ku li. For me and many others, these three men (plus many others in the trenches) are the real patriots. A patriot is the one who demands the best of his/her nation, not a vile, tribal posturing, knife (keris) waving buffoon who can’t express himself in an intelligent way. These three men also have been victims of the system and they are ones who can only correct it.

For us, Zul was part of the true patriots. The man who accused his UMNO rival of extremism became its ugly and unacceptable face. There was no intellectual input from him on any issue, a typical Ibrahim Ali, only younger. The fact that Ibrahim Ali is a vile character who can bad mouth others isn’t a sign of patriotism and neither would his empty tribal rhetoric take the Malays to a new frontier. I have been observing Zul, and I must say I feel sorry that I did little to help him win an argument against a rival whom he embraces today betraying the men and women who struggled with him all along. May be the Arab saying that revolution eats its children is true.

In fact, the Malays are very strange people if not the strangest on earth. Say, if you work together and you disagree, they will become your enemies and even do unimaginable things to you simply because you parted ways. Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.

They will also go to your “original” enemies simply to spite you but it is they who spiting their own souls and dignity. You can say they are a people who cut off their noses to spite their faces. Ya Allah! Take former PKR Secretary General Dato Salehuddin Hashim for example. The fact that he has had few disagreements with (may be) some PKR leaders, today, he wants to destroy the party! That’s his way of his struggle and reformasi. Reading his statements in the Malaysian Insider and The Edge yesterday reminded me of the Quranic verse: “And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong [by] taking your oaths as [means of] deceit between you because one community is more plentiful [in number or wealth] than another community. Allah only tries you thereby. And He will surely make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that over which you used to differ.” (16: 92)

When Malaysian MPs were going to Korea two weeks ago, I was at KLIA leaving for my country-South Africa. As I waited for my flight and roamed the airport, I saw PKR MPs Zuraidah Kamaruddin and Kapar MP M. Manickavasagam, PAS MPs like Dr Hatta Ramli and Dr. Lo’lo Ghazali and some UMNO MPs. Zul was the loudest and the most uncouth. Wearing a tight jeans and a T-Shirt (infidel clothes I guess), he never even greeted the Pakatan MPs. He stuck with UMNO MPs and you could see him haughtily laughing from around the corner. Loudly speaking on the phone, you could think he was excited for flying. I almost wanted to talk to him, but some UMNO MPs guarded him and I was fearful knowing that I’m a foreigner even if a Muslim.

Definitely he was a trapped man, and a perfidious character devoid of God’s fear. I want to say this to Zul, dishonesty and betrayal of ideals and friends is not part of serving Islam. And Islam is not served by attacking private premises, bad mouthing others, tribalising its universal message and turning it into a base political tool. Islam is more than that my dear! One way of serving Islam is respecting your friends and comrades even if they are non-Muslims let alone Muslims and disagreements in ideas and ideologies in Islam is a mercy. If certain PKR leaders take a position and you take another, that’s a mercy unto you all. Don’t force others to take your position and don’t humiliate others and be conscious of God in Whose Court you shall answer alone. Your intentions should be for Him and remember God wants us to prove that we love Him by loving humanity.

Zul today wants PAS and PKR to severe ties with DAP but he thought it fit that he should use DAP support to win. He saw it fit to use Lim Kit Siang’s statement against his UMNO rival to get the overwhelming Chinese vote and today he talks as if UMNO gave him the seat. Any person with an iota of intelligence will tell you that Lim Kit Siang is more pro-Islam and Malay today than he was on March 07, 2008. Rather than capitalizing on that; and bringing the nation together and giving the Malays dignity and bringing to an end this heartrending mentality of: “we are sensitive people, (you mean others aren’t?), we will ran amok. We are weak, we need eternal crutches”, Zul is going back, back on anything good.

If he was a visionary leader, he would have understood that neither UMNO nor the current mentality will sustain the Malays. He would have taken his people to a new frontier much as they may hate it because a great leader takes his people where they DON’T want but aught to be while a leader (UMNO type) takes his people where they WANT. (Responding to base reactions, empty rhetoric and visionless politics devoid of God’s fear and based on brutal tactics).

Allah (sw) has been good to you Malays in many ways. He made you Muslims, He brought the Chinese and Indians to this country, if you doubt their benefit and contributions, ask others. Ask us! After Islam, the presence of the Chinese and Indians in this country is the greatest grace Allah (sw) has bestowed upon you Malays. He gave you a beautiful, an abundant nation. He gave you meek people who accept second class status and never demand much-the Sabah and the Sarawak Bumis. He gave you resources and a strategic place to call home. Rather than glorifying God and taking care of this nation, you cry daily, whine daily, threaten others daily, refuse to ask yourselves critical questions. Blame others, shame yourselves by repeatedly saying ‘we are weak, we are sensitive’ and defame Islam by using it as a tribal bomoh culture rather than a universal message.

You cry our “Allah”, since when did Allah become your tribal god? Please explains to us Muslims from the four corners of the earth why “Allah” is yours for example? You are not more Muslims than us. Are you? So tell us why? You won’t respond and if you do, it will be along the usual lines: “Our people will be confused.” All that you know is to say: our people are weak, our people are sensitive, our people are easily confused, and our people can easily run amok”. Is that’s how you prove your intelligence? Is that’s how you want others to respect you? Is that’s how you want Muslims in other countries to take your case and explain it to others? Is this is how you want to be viewed globally? My dear brethren, my dear Malays…till when? For us Muslims in other parts of the world, we know why! Unfortunately the people who are responsible for this tragic state are the same people who are leading you today and you never even stop for a moment to ask: where are we heading. May be you will wake up when you have already fallen to the pit!

Islam is not for Muslims alone. Non-Muslims can use Islam against us if they feel we aren’t being true to what we purport to believe in. If the Chinese and Indians say NEP is un-Islamic, that’s true. The Prophet (pbuh) would have decreed the same today. The Prophet (pbuh) would have issued a decree saying the poor Chinese and Indians should be given aid too. But a typical UMNO-Zulikifli type would respond: “We are sensitive, hak kita, ini bumi kita…we will use the keris… we will run amok…May 13” There won’t be a single intelligent response. An Islamic input, a humanist input, an economical input. It will be the same Ibrahim Ali and May 13 rhetoric. Not only you shame yourselves, you do that to those who love you because of Islam.

There is a crying need for the Malays to wake up and realize that business can’t be as usual. That protests don’t build a powerful community. They need to realize that Islam is for all and that UMNO’s tribal posturing will harm them more others and that the world isn’t waiting for them. You are being overtaken by all and sundry while you rant and rave, stuck in your own created quagmire. The Ibrahim Alis, demonic Utusan-undoubtedly Malaysia’s face of evil-, the Puad Zarkashis, The Alhabshees, BTN, and opportunist, inherently dishonest turncoats who can be bought for few Ringgits won’t help you in becoming a better people and a nation.

A man who can’t show your capability, but rather trades in your anguish, a man who sacrifices your future for political expediency, a man who doesn’t share with you the latest economic figures, research out, etc but sings a tribal song to you in order to inflame you and arouse your base emotions is not the one who will make you prosper and succeed in the Two World. You need intelligent leadership, a God fearing leadership, an honest leadership, true Malay leadership. You need Ku Li, Nik Aziz and DSAI. Allahuma Fashhad (O God be the witness).

“And that ears (that should hear the tale and) retain its memory should bear its (lessons) in remembrance.” Holy Qur’an 69: 13)