Part 2
Part 3
Kerajaan Negeri Selangor akan menyerahkan cek sumbangan sebanyak RM10,000 kepada keluarga mendiang A. Kugan (yang di bunuh dalam tahanan Polis) . Masa dan Tempat :
Tarikh : Khamis 02 April 2009
Waktu : 12.30 Tengahari
Tempat : Rumah Keluarga Mendiang
104, Rumah PKNS, Batu 15, Jalan Semenyih,
43000 KAJANG.
Keperihatian Kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat amat di hargai.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi met the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin for nearly an hour this morning to discuss the power transition.
Abdullah submitted his letter of resignation as prime minister to the King during the meeting at Istana Negara.
“It is up to the King whether he accepts my resignation,” Pak Lah told reporters gathered outside the palace gates after his audience with the King.
It is understood that the King has now asked for a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Najib is expected to be sworn in tomorrow at 10am as Malaysia’s sixth prime minister.
SUNGAI PETANI, April 2 — Opposition speakers continue to creatively work around the Home Ministry ban on mentioning Altantuya Shaariibuu at their election ceramahs with Lim Kit Siang last night proving that most people were aware of the Mongolian beauty.
The DAP stalwart questioned the suitability of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister merely by asking the Bukit Selambau crowd "Who? From where?" when bringing up the Umno president's alleged links to her murder.
The crowd got their answers right on both counts.
Two nights ago when opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim began his triple by-elections campaign here, he showed the breadth of topics he could address in attacking Barisan Nasional by bringing up a different deceased — that of suspected car thief A. Kugan in police custody.
Lim last night highlighted the sheer ludicrity of banning the mention of a name and "that of a non-citizen," calling it undemocratic.
He said the Altantuya murder, without mentioning her name, coupled with allegations of abuse of power including an RM500 million commission in the government purchase of submarines, raised doubts over Najib's impending premiership in "35 hours".
"There are question marks over his suitability, integrity, credibility and legitimacy. Never has there been such doubts over a prime minister," he said.
"Everybody knows about this," he said, using his query to the crowd as evidence of how wide the speculation had spread.
The Ipoh Timur MP admitted that he was disappointed that outgoing prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was stepping down as he had promised and failed to deliver extensive democratic reforms before stepping down.He said that it was imperative for voters in Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang and Batang Ai to send a message to Najib to make him prove his innocence in these scandals and his credibility in carrying out the reforms demanded by the people.
The Home Ministry issued tough guidelines to parties contesting the by-elections to refrain from talking about Altantuya, the Perak Sultan's decisions in switching state government, race and religious issues in ceramahs.
The opposition has called the ban unfair and undemocratic, vowing to defy it in its campaigns.
On the eve of 3rd April 2009, let us take a trip down memory lane and recap what Balasubramaniam a/l Perumal said on 1st July 2008. I spent six hours with him the day he signed his Statutory Declaration and I can confirm he did not sign it under duress. In fact, he was quite disappointed that my SD had come out a couple of weeks earlier, so that made his SD the second instead of the first. He said he would have liked his to be the first.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Politics enters turbulent waters as prime minister retires
By Jonathan Manthorpe
Vancouver Sun
March 30, 2009
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is known as a courteous gentleman, ill-fitted for the brutal and violent world of his country’s politics.
But even the tolerant and spiritual Abdullah could not resist a kick at the pack of snapping hyenas around him when he retired last week after nearly six years as everyone’s fall guy.
Unless, he warned, the United Malays National organization (UMNO), the party that has dominated government since independence from Britain in 1957, stops silencing its critics, jailing its opponents and discriminating against minorities, it is on the fast track to political oblivion.
It was a harsh judgement, but a just and alarming one for a country which until recently has been seen as one of the great economic and political success stories of Southeast Asia.
Despite its oil wealth and highly educated middle class, Malaysia has been hit harder than many by the global recession. Exports are down by one third and the economy is expected to shrink by at least five per cent this year.
But the more troubling aspect long-term, that Abdullah pointed to in his farewell speech, is the apparent crumbling of the political culture.
Abdullah took over the leadership of UMNO and became prime minister of the Barisan Nasional governing coalition in 2003 at a time when the country appeared ready for some political calm after a couple of decades under the intemperate and stern discipline of Mahathir Mohammed.
But it swiftly became apparent that it took a man of Mahathir’s authoritarian instincts to control the feral beasts that inhabit the Malaysian political jungle.
Abdullah was just too nice for the job. Last year the voters gave the UMNO-led coalition its worst election results in over half a century, and Abdullah’s departure was only a matter of time.
He has been replaced as UMNO leader by his deputy Najib Razak, who will formerly take over as prime minister this week.
Najib comes to power laden with a mess of political baggage that illustrates Abdullah’s warning about UMNO being out of touch with the voters.
Najib has been accused of corruption, especially allegations around a deal to buy French submarines when he was defence minister.
He denies those charges, but they won’t go away, in large part because of the current trial over the murder of a Mongolian former Parisian model, Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Shaariibuu was the mistress of Najib’s main policy adviser Abdul Razak Baginda and she appears to have acted as a translator during negotiations over the submarine deal.
Shaariibuu was killed in October 2006 and her body destroyed by military explosives. Prosecutors allege she was killed by two of the bodyguards of Najib’s wife, and, to the incredulity of opposition politicians, Baginda has already been found not guilty of involvement in the murder.
Independent media in Malaysia allege Shaariibuu was killed because she demanded a share of the $155 million US “commission” paid to a company linked to her paramour, Baginda, by the French.
The court is due to deliver its verdict on the two bodyguards next week.
Making sure the message gets across in Batang Ai - Photos by a Sarawakian
Scene from Lubok Antu
In Batang Ai and Lubok Antu, oil palm plantations are mainly under Salcra (which is Sarawak’s equivalent to Felcra, except that its record is poorer).
For an analysis of the low dividends paid to the participants of Salcra’s oil palm land development schemes, go here.
Seharusnya kita terkesan dengan keluhan tuai Rumah Panjang Nanga Kesit betapa mereka, meski pun menyokong kerajaan dipinggirkan sepanjang pemerintahan BN selama berpuluh tahun. Jelas, wujud ketempangan dari sudut dasar pentadbiran kerajaan negeri sedia ada.
Semalam, salepas berjemaah Maghrib di Masjid Kampung Melayu, Lubok Antu, saya dijamu dengan hidangan istimewa talapia Iban di Bedok Cafe.
Sebelum itu, kami berkunjung ka Rumah Panjang Nanga Kesit dan disambut olih Tuai Rumah Jampang. Acara dimeriahkan dengan persembahan tarian pahlawan Iban.
Turut serta bersama saya ialah pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat negeri Sarawak antaranya YB Gabriel Adit, YB Dominique Ng, YB Chiu Chee Seng dan juga calun kerusi Dun Batang Ai, saudara Jawah Gerang.
Saya menerangkan perihal tanah adat dan hasil bumi Sarawak yang dimanipulasi oleh BN sehingga mengenepikan hak rakyat dan membandingkan pencapaian ekonomi negeri Selangor yang kini diterajui oleh Pakatan Rakyat.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Chief secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan said that the king has consented to the swearing-in of Najib, which will be held in Istana Negara at 10am.
:(
But wait! Rocky:
Then, a few minutes ago, the national news agency sent this bulletin to all its subscribers:
[NEWS] NOTE TO EDITORS: APRIL 1
Please ignore item slugged “Agong-Najib” as the office of the Chief Secretary of the Government has said that it had issued the statement prematurely.– BERNAMA
A ray of hope shines through the skies!
Could it be that Najib and his unholy gang have been trying to pre-empt the DYMM Agong, and make arrangements presumptively in an attempt to corner the Agong?
As I was driving home tonight, thinking about the bleakness that lies ahead - the misfortune dawn might bring.. I started to wonder whether I could have done more to try and keep it from happening.
It’s quite an effective strategy on BN’s part to try and engineer this transition while many of us are so focused on the by-elections.
In truth, what happens over the next two days is of supreme importance. Almost everything hangs in the balance.
The angle I felt that maybe we should have played up more is the wave of repressions that might follow Najib’s ascension.
Already his police are firing tear gas and water cannons at us; already they are trying to control what we can and can’t say; already Najib has usurped democracy; already the integrity of the judiciary is reaching new lows; already they have clamped down on press freedom.
Waiting for what’s next is like waiting for the executioner’s axe to fall.
If there is any sign at all tomorrow, any glimmer of hope, I will try to write something longer. It is long overdue, and my fault for not really understanding the gravity before, forgive me.
May tomorrow bring better tidings; whatever comes, I hope we’ll all be ready to do our part.
Update: So Najib also came and went, and?….. “smiled and waved to reporters.” Also, “It’s a matter for Tuanku,” Bernama reported Abdullah as saying. Vague, vague, vague… Aaargh!
Aaargh! The suspense!
Abdullah left the palace this morning without speaking to the press.
What does that mean??
No idea.
The mainstream press, on the other hand, still seems to be working overtime in insisting that Najib will be sworn in tomorrow.
We remain hopeful that DYMM YDP Agong remains above such manipulations and upholds the finest traditions of a compassionate and learned monarch.
Hopefully, we will be saved from rule by repression.
Meanwhile, this strange controversy surrounding the Chief Secretary remains. Observe this (now un-retracted?) piece in Bernama:
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has given his consent for Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be sworn in as prime minister at 10am on Friday, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said.
In a statement issued here Wednesday night, he said Tuanku Mizan had also consented to grant an audience to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib at 10am tomorrow for Abdullah to relinquish the post and seek consent to appoint Najib as the new prime minister.
Tuanku Mizan gave his consent at an audience with Abdullah before the cabinet meeting this morning.
The King had given his consent for Najib to be presented his letter of appointment as prime minister and to take his oath of office, loyalty and confidentiality at Istana Negara at 10am on Friday, the statement said.
?! Did Abdullah really have an audience with Tuanku before the Cabinet meeting yesterday?
If this turns out in any way to be a fabrication, that should be the end of Sidek Hassan’s career.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at Istana Negara today to hand over the letter relinquishing the post of prime minister and to seek consent to appoint Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as his successor.
S. Manikavasagam, MP Kapar joined with S .Manikumar today ar Bukit Selambau. Immediately upon arrival at Sg Lalang around 6 pm we stopped at Taman Desa Aman where flight of PKR Members joined with me visiting house to house.
Later at Taman Desa Aman Operation room, Manikavasagam met PKR Bukit Selambau by Election Candidate S Manikumar whom eagerly awaiting his arrival to boost up the campaign.
There after , when and visited an operation room at Kongsi Enam , Bukit Lembu inside palm oil plantation. Guided them to organise Group Talk while we will assist to provide with DVD of BN’s Marginalisation of Malaysian Indian last 50 over years and other materials to support.
Basically, the voters receiving well our explanations. Well it’s about 2.20am in morning , if time permits I will write tomorrow some of my points why BN or it’s Crony shouldn’t win Bukit Selambau.
PUTRAJAYA , April 1 - In his final public address before his expected swearing in as prime minister on Friday, Datuk Seri Najib Razak gave a hopeful glimpse into his administration today when he said that the new thrust of his government will be One Malaysia, or 1Malaysia as it is also known.
1Malaysia, which Najib has mentioned several times the past few days, emphasises national unity and in his speech at the ceremony to disburse funds to Tamil schools today, Najib sounded remarkably like a reformer for race relations as well as a reconciliator.
He said that two things were key in the 1Malaysia concept - mutual respect and trust among the different races in Malaysia.
"Mutual respect is not just tolerance," he said.
"That is just the bare minimum. Mutual respect means you have embraced unity in diversity. And secondly, we must trust one another. But trust is not something gained overnight. But if done conciously over time, it will eventually happen.
"Once trust is developed, Malaysia will be the sum total of all races. We will not be moving as separate communities but as one Malaysia and we will be stronger. It will be a new Malaysia because we'll change our mindset because we trust and respect each other. I hope all will join me to bring Malaysia to greater heights."
The words will be warmly received by those advocating a united and less racially divided Malaysia but at the same time will be regarded among sceptics as mere hype similar to what they heard five years before.
Then, freshly installed prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had promised to be the leader for all Malaysians, igniting hopes that a new era in race relations was at hand.
In the years following that promise, non-Malays became severely disappointed with Abdullah's ineffectiveness in reigning in the more right-wing voices within his party and decided to withdraw their support in the general elections last year.
And judging by the strident delegate speeches that characterised the recently concluded Umno party general assembly, Najib, which a Merdeka Centre survey says is coming into office with low public expectations, especially among the non-Malays, will face similar challenges in achieving his vision of 1Malaysia and winning back non-Malay support.
The son of the nation's second prime minister, however, says he is aware that the some parties expect him to act in an authoritarian manner and protested against being pre-judged before coming into office.
"Give me a chance. I will reform and I will make changes," he had told reporters in a press conference at the close of the Umno general assembly.
"I am aware that the people expect me to do certain things. Please judge me by my actions. My actions will come in due course."
He has made a few encouraging overtures following the Umno assembly.
He paid a visit to the nation's largest Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily and reached out to the Indian community by disbursing RM80 million in stimulus packages and other government funds for Tamil schools today and at the same time announced the approval of RM20 million in training funds for Indian youths.
Najib has denied that the disbursement of funds were timed to coincide with the by-elections.
"This is the actual giving out, but the announcement (of the allocations) was made much earlier even before we knew about the by-elections," said Najib.
Najib has also declined to disclose specifics about the implementation of 1Malaysia, asking the media to wait for Friday when he promises to reveal how it will be translated into programmes and policies as well as his vision for the economy, politics and the direction of the government.
By Deborah Loh
thenutgraph
THE Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat can be considered a mini-Malaysia as its racial population breakdown reflects the country's ethnic composition. With 63.5% Malay Malaysian and 35% non-Malay Malaysians voters in the constituency, what happens here could well reflect the national sentiment.
Expect a bitter fight between the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for the Malay Malaysian votes, especially with emotive issues in the wake of the BN's power grab of the state government. With the ongoing Perak constitutional crisis, Malay Malaysian voters will be tested on the things they hold dear: royalty and race.
The 35% non-Malay Malaysian voters are widely expected to remain with the opposition, but given the current economic gloom, they may also be tempted into voting for the stability and experience of the BN federal government.
As such, the by-election to be held on 7 April can be seen as a referendum on the state of the nation and the issues that have dominated national thinking in the past year since the PR's rise to power.
Constitutional crisis
Perak's constitutional crisis is unprecedented and will definitely colour the by-election campaign. Reason could likely give way to emotion, especially when the facts and legal arguments are not easily understood.
Ibrahim Suffian Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research director Ibrahim Suffian says the lack of clear explanations on the constitution to the grassroots and the many suits filed on the matter may not help voters make an informed choice.
He also feels voters are split on the BN's takeover. Some feel no wrong was done since party-hopping is legal. Others have lingering doubts as to whether the deserting and defecting assemblypersons from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the DAP did so freely or under inducement.
"The average voter may not fully understand the constitutional and legal arguments of the crisis, but people still have a sense of fairness. It will depend on how the rival political parties articulate the matter, and whether their justifications are acceptable to voters," Ibrahim said in a phone interview with The Nut Graph.
PAS expects its embattled Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to be painted as guilty of treason against the Perak Sultan. Nizar, who is also Pasir Panjang assemblyperson, has been chosen as the PR's candidate to go against the BN's Ismail Safian.
Expect Umno Youth under its newly elected chief Khairy Jamaluddin to launch a repeat of its protests against PAS, such as during the Ipoh rally in February where Khairy called for Nizar to be banished from the state.
Nizar's political secretary, Misbahul Munir Masduki, says the party will explain that no treason was committed, given that Nizar had acted constitutionally as MB in seeking the Sultan's consent to dissolve the state assembly.
The other controversial matter is Nizar's refusal to step down as MB at the sultan's request, but Misbahul notes that there is no provision in the state constitution for the ruler to sack the MB.
A recent police ruling barring all campaigners from questioning the decision of the Perak Sultan, among other things, as a condition for issuing permits for ceramah appears geared to pre-empt PR attempts to explain their stand on the constitutional crisis.
Police monitoring PAS and PKR supporters on nomination day on 29 March (Pic by Raj Kumar, courtesy of theSun)
Conflating royalty with race
An unfortunate dimension in the defence of royalty is to depict Malay welfare as being under threat if the sultan can be questioned.
Tagged to this line of thinking is that Perak under the PR had been DAP-dominated, since the Chinese-based party holds the most seats in the state assembly.
"People are angry. People don't believe PAS as their PR government has not done much for Malay [Malaysians] in the last 12 months since they came to power," says Trong assemblyperson Datuk Rosli Hussin, who is also the Bukit Gantang Umno division chief.
Trong was the only BN state seat in the Bukit Gantang parliamentary constituency. The other two, Kuala Sepetang and Changkat Jering, were both won by PKR until Changkat Jering assemblyperson Mohd Osman Jailu declared himself an independent in February and gave his support to the BN.
Rosli feels that Malay Malaysian sentiment for BN in the coming by-election will be stronger, especially so in Trong, where Malay Malaysians who are largely farmers and fisherfolk have long depended on federal government subsidies for diesel and fertiliser.
PAS's Nizar on his campaign trail in the fishing village of Kuala Sepetang (Pic by Raj Kumar, courtesy of theSun)
Ibrahim observes the tendency of rural Malay Malaysians to distrust the DAP, and expects Umno to harp on the PR state government's failure to put Malay Malaysian interests ahead of other communities.
It would be a potent formula if Umno can make Malay Malaysians feel that their welfare is under threat, and that their protector the sultan is also under threat, Misbahul notes.
Non-Malay Malaysian voters
The question facing non-Malay Malaysian voters will be whether a BN state government can be fair to minority groups, given that the MCA has only one seat and the MIC none.
The vote is a parliamentary one, and the issue of "treason against the sultan" will not carry weight with Chinese Malaysian voters, who comprise 27.1%, says former Bukit Gantang MP Datuk Tan Lian Hoe from (corrected) Gerakan.
Tan Lian Hoe "We'll highlight other grouses, such as the lack of development in Bukit Gantang, and show that only a BN MP can deliver. The Chinese villages there did not get any land titles," said Tan, who is now the MP for Grik.
However, Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming, who is the PR state exco, says land titles were in the process of being approved when the BN takeover happened.
Nga said the BN should clearly state whether it intends to continue issuing freehold titles to new villages and not suppress the issue during the by-election campaign.
Test of new national leaders
Following its recent polls, Umno will have to manage any discontent spilling over from losers in order to conduct a united campaign.
PAS's Misbahul is hopeful that the infighting Umno is infamous for will be the BN's undoing in Bukit Gantang.
But the PR would do well to prepare for an all-out battle by the BN under a new national leadership elected at the Umno elections. New party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak will not want a blot on his rise to the highest office with a failed by-election after defeats in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu in the past year.
New Umno leaders will also want to prove their mettle to party members and the rest of Malaysia.
As for the PR, having been unable to force a state-wide election to resolve Perak's constitutional crisis, winning Bukit Gantang would be a moral victory.
Given the high stakes on both sides, and despite two other concurrent by-elections in Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai, the battle for Bukit Gantang will be a no-holds barred contest.What do foreign investors face when they come to Malaysia? How do they overcome the government bureaucracy and the many rules imposed on foreign investors? Imagine this typical scene in a government department when a movie producer tries to get approval to shoot a documentary in Malaysia.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Excuse me, but I’m wondering if you could help me.
Tengok itu. (The officer points to a sign on the wall that says: GUNAKAN BAHASA MALAYSIA).
I’m sorry. I don’t understand.
Mesti guna Bahasa Malaysia.
I’m sorry, but I’m an American. I don’t understand the local language.
Must use Bahasa Malaysia. Not American language. I cannot speak American.
But we don’t have an American language. We speak English.
Oh. Why don’t you get your Bumiputera partner to come if you cannot speak Bahasa Malaysia?
I don’t have a Bumiputera partner.
How can? All foreign companies that do business in Malaysia must have Bumiputera partner.
But we are not doing business in Malaysia. We do business in America. I am here to find out how to get a permit to shoot a documentary in Malaysia. We are a movie company.
Oh. You want to make a movie in Malaysia. Very good. Malaysia has plenty of history and culture. Good place to make a movie. You must show the Twin Towers and the Penang Bridge and the Iskandar Development Region in your movie.
No, it is not that kind of documentary. We are making a documentary about the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Aiyah! Cannot mention that name. That name banned.
Banned?
Yes. Government ban anyone mentioning the name Altantuya.
Oh. Then how do we address that?
I don’t know her address. Maybe you ask the Mongolian Embassy.
No, I don’t mean her address. How do we solve the problem of her name?
Altantuya Shaariibuu can’t be used. But you can use Aminah Abdullah. That name not banned by government.
Okay then. I want to make a documentary about the brutal murder of Aminah Abdullah.
That one okay. Government can approve. But you must also show the Twin Towers and the Penang Bridge and the Iskandar Development Region in your movie.
But those have nothing to do with the documentary. The documentary is about the murder of Altan…..
Ah, ah, ah….
Sorry, I mean Aminah Abdullah.
Why you can’t also show the Twin Towers and the Penang Bridge and the Iskandar Development Region in your movie?
Okay, maybe I can show some clips of the Twin Towers and the Penang Bridge and the Iskandar Development Region in the documentary.
Good. But must show the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur okay? Cannot show in Melaka like that Sean Connery movie, Entrapment. Our PM was very angry. He said the foreigners distort the truth.
Okay. The Twin Towers will be shown in KL.
And also the Penang Bridge and the Iskandar Development Region.
Okay, I will also show the Penang Bridge and the Iskandar Development Region in KL.
No, the Penang Bridge is in Penang and the Iskandar Development Region is in Johor.
Okay, I will take note of that.
And what about the songs?
Songs?
Yes, must show some local songs.
But this is a documentary about the murder of Al…….
Ah, ah, ah.
……Aminah Abdullah.
But can still show some local songs even if the story is about a murder. You must show Siti Nurhaliza singing. At least two songs.
Okay, we shall show City what’s her name….
Siti Nurhaliza.
……City Nurlaziha singing……
Nurhaliza.
Nurhaliza singing two songs.
Good, good. And what about Umno history?
Umno history?
Yes, must show Umno history and how Umno fought for Merdeka from the British.
But what’s that got to do with the murder?
You must show Umno history and how Umno fought for Merdeka. If not government can’t approve.
Okay, I shall show the Umno history and how Umno fought for….fought for….
Merdeka.
….Merdeka from the British.
Good. And don’t forget to also include the new PM’s speech.
New PM’s speech?
Yes, Najib Tun Razak.
What has his speech got to do with the movie?
Must show. Must show new PM declare he never met that Mongolian woman.
You mean Aminah Abdullah?
No, PM just said he never met that Mongolian woman. He never mention any name. Must show that speech in the movie.
Okay, we will show that as well. Do I take it if I agree to all those terms I can get permission from the Malaysian government to shoot the documentary in Malaysia?
You got Bumiputera partner?
No.
Must have Bumiputera partner. See list here. You must choose one Bumiputera partner from this list.
Okay, I will choose a Bumiputera partner from this list.
And must give 70% contract to local Bumiputera companies.
I don’t understand. What contracts?
70% of your work must be done by Bumiputera companies.
But we don’t need local participation. We shall be bringing our entire crew from the States.
But make sure not from Pakatan states. That one government can’t approve.
Pakatan states?
Yes. Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan.
No, I mean our entire crew will be brought in from the United States of America.
Cannot. Must have 70% local. Only 30% from America.
Okay, I will try to squeeze that requirement in.
And which state you want Datuk?
Excuse me. I don’t get that.
You make movie about Malaysia you can get Datuk. Which state you want? Can choose.
Oh, I don’t think I’m interested in Datuk, whatever that is.
Aiyah, people pay RM250,000 for Datuk. Why you don’t want? You make movie on Malaysia can get Datuk free. No need pay RM250,000.
Okay, throw in the Datuk for free then.
Okay, we will arrange Melaka Datuk for you. Where you shoot the movie?
In Selangor.
Aiyah, Selangor cannot. That is Pakatan state. Choose another state.
But the murder happened in Selangor so we need to shoot the documentary where the murder happened.
Selangor cannot. If Pakatan state, government cannot approve. You shoot in Melaka. Melaka very historical.
Okay, okay, we’ll go along with what you want. Is there anything else I need to know?
When you launch movie the First Lady must be invited.
The Queen?
No, not Queen. Rosmah Mansor.
Will she come to the premier?
Of course. If Shahrukh Khan go, she will go.
But Shahrukh Khan is not in the documentary.
Why not? He is very popular in Malaysia and First Lady like him. He also got Melaka Datuk like you. Must show him in movie.
Look, can I come back to you on that? We shall have to decide whether we still want to shoot this documentary in Malaysia.
No problem. When you already decide you come again to see me. We welcome all movie companies to Malaysia and will extend our cooperation and help you. Foreigners always welcome in Malaysia.
Article 43 (2) (a) of the Federal Constitution provides that “the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall first appoint as Perdana Menteri to preside over the Cabinet a member of the House of Representatives who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House”.
Two observations on this provision.
First, the power in the appointment of the Prime Minister is the exclusive purview of the Agong and turns on His Majesty having ascertained to his satisfaction that the one to be appointed commands the confidence of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat.
Second, the exercie of this power presupposes that there is then no sitting Prime Minister.
The day before yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that ‘Ministers and their deputies have today received invitations to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new prime minister in Istana Negara on Friday’.
Malaysiakini reproduced the following sms that was making its rounds yesterday and reportedly received by a deputy minister.
‘Istiadat pengurniaan surat cara perlantikan dan istiadat mengangkat sumpah jawatan dan setia serta sumpah simpan rahsia oleh YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib sebagai PM
Yesterday, a Bernama report, carried by most of the MSM and by the Malaysianinsider, had it that the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, announced today that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had given his consent for Najib to be sworn in as prime minister at 10am o this coming Friday.
This announcement, in effect, meant that His Majesty had consented to exercise his powers under Article 43(2)(a) this Feiday and appoint Najib PM.
It also meant that His Majesty had duly satisfied himself that Najib was likely to command the confidence of the majority.
It would, in my view, also suggest that Pak Lah had duly informed His Majesty of his intention to resign from the office of PM.
Yet, at 5.43pm yesterday, Malaysikini reported that Pak Lah will only be tendering his resignation to His Majesty later today and then quoted Najib, who is scheduled to accompany Pak Lah to that meeting, as saying that “the PM will invite me to accompany him to have an audience with the king and subject to the king’s consent, then Friday will be the (swearing-in) ceremony”.
In other words, the Agong has n0t as yet been given a letter of resignation by Pak Lah nor has His Majesty consented to Najib’s appointment.
This, now, is confirmed by Tan Sri Mohd Sidek, who has clarified that hi s statement was issued prematurely. Read about this at Rocky’s.
What does prematurely mean?
Agong had consented but I was not authorised to announce?
Or Agong had not as yet consented?
And if the Agong had not as yet consented, who gave the instructions to send out the invitations for the swearing-in ceremony?
And why?
Hidden hands try to force a royal one, fearing that which they wish to see may not come to pass?
Is that not derhaka?
Confirmed – there is going to be no 100-day political honeymoon for Datuk Seri Najib Razak when he takes over as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.
The outrageous, arbitrary, high-handed and indefensible ban on mention of the C4 murder victim, Mongolian woman Altantuya Shariibuu in the three by-elections of Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai has shattered whatever political honeymoon Najib might have enjoyed as the new Prime Minister – however shortened and truncated from the conventional first 100 days normally extended to all new office holders.
Even before his ascension as the next Prime Minister, Najib is already blamed for quickly transforming the political atmosphere in the country – from a sunny one five years five months ago when Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over the premiership, promising an era of openness, greater democracy, accountability and integrity (unfortunately remaining unfulfilled) to an increasingly gloomy and darkening political landscape day-by-day with the impending Najib takeover, coupled with grave concerns about his suitability, integrity and legitimacy as Prime Minister.
At the media conference at the end of the Umno General Assembly where he was elected Umno President uncontested, in response to a press question about concerns that he would crack down on media and civil liberties, Najib said:
“Why did you form such a judgment about me? This is not fair. You are pre-judging me even before I take office. Please judge me by my actions. Give me the chance to take office.”
Although Najib has not officially taken over as the new Prime Minister, he had effectively exercised the powers of the Prime Minister in the past two months, with Abdullah increasingly a PM only in name but not in fact.
This was why it was Najib and not Abdullah who was blamed for the spate of repression in the past two months, whether the unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab in Perak orchestrated by Najib; the DAP National Chairman Karpal Singh charged in court with sedition; the one-year suspension of DAP MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo without parliamentary pay and privileges; the three-month suspension of Harakah and Suara Keadilan; Police and MACC harassing the Perak State Assembly Speaker and Perak State Assembly members; the arrest of DAP Perak State Assemblyman for Tebing Tinggi Ong Boon Piaw for producing the “Democracy Tree” DVD; and now the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hamid Albar’s ban on bringing up the Altantuya case and Perak Sultan decision on the Perak constitutional crisis in the three by-elections.
However, Najib and Hamid could not have made a bigger mistake – for by banning the mention of “Altantuya Shariibuu” in the three by-elections, they have created a hurricane of outrage which is giving the serious allegations hounding and haunting Najib about his role in the murder case of the Mongolian woman even greater publicity, currency and potency.
If the enemies of Najib want to find a way to further electrify the issue by securing an even higher national and international profile to the serious allegations about Najib’s role in the Altantuya Sharriibuu C4 murder case, it will be difficult to think of another more successful gambit as to impose a police ban to prohibit and outlaw any mention of “Altantuya Shariibuu” – as public outrage at the ban will guarantee that it become a really incandescent issue!
The Maju Institute of Educational Development today refuted claims by former MIC Youth chief S. A. Vigneswaran that it can only provide scholarship and not study loans.
2330: Greetings from Bukit Selambau! Reached here at 9.45pm via the Sungai Petani North exit of the North-South Highway. For the second night running, a police check-point had been set up immediately after the toll booth.
Arrived at a nasi kandar restaurant, only to see some activity outside, where a small crowd of curious onlookers had gathered. Turns out it was the former Jerai PKR chief, B Kalaivanar, giving a speech in the open-air just outside the restaurant.
Kalaivanar said he did not belong to the PKR nor the BN, but was an “NGO”. I didn’t quite catch what he was saying as he was about to leave but from what I understand, he seemed in favour of the BN now. Moments after he left with his small entourage, a silver police CID car arrived. Too late.
Apparently, there is still some unhappiness among the Indian PKR party workers at the choice of political greenhorn S Manikumar being selected as the PKR candidate, but some of them appear to be putting it behind them and looking at the big picture.
While there may be unhappiness among party workers, the situation on the ground appears to be different. Speaking to citizen journalists who have been talking to folks here, I gathered that out of half a dozen people they randomly selected from the old Bukit Selambau town for interviews, all of them appeared to favour Pakatan. Another small sample conducted a couple of weeks ago revealed a similar result.
Kit Siang is in town tonight giving a ceramah in the old Bukit Selambau town to about 100 people. A journalist who was there told me the crowd appeared receptive. Samy Vellu is also still in the area and the reception he has been getting, I am told, is less positive.
“Coincidentally”, I am also told that the folks from the EPU are in town processing applications for Tekun loans - basically RM3,000 loans for small-scale businesses at 4% p.a. interest, with hardly any collateral. These have been opened to young Tamil entrepreneurs. These loans comes under the purview of the Ministry of Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development. Meals were also being served to applicants.
Anwar addresses a crowd of about 5,000 last night, just before introducing the candidate, a somewhat shy S Manikumar, whose voice was already hoarse from campaigning.
At one point, Manikumar thanked Anwar for the “mandate” in selecting him, to which Anwar prompted him by saying that it should be the people from whom he should be seeking a mandate.
Anwar was at pains to point out that Manikumar would not just represent the Indian community but all the voters in Bukit Selambau.
By Neville Spykerman
PUTRAJAYA, April 1 - In his last Cabinet meeting today, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi told his ministers to back Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the new prime minister. He also requested the Cabinet and Najib to continue with the policies he had initiated in his five-and-a-half-years as prime minister. But he promised the Cabinet not to interfere in the running of the next administration.
Former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and his entourage spent almost RM1 million on a one-week official trip to France and Morocco in 2004.
The expenditure list included a visit to the Paris Disneyland and a four-day transit stopover at Dubai.
This was revealed by an inquiry being conducted by the state’s Special Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) today.
Among the other revelations in the overseas trip which took place from Dec 17 to 24, 2004 were:
All the expenses were covered by state investment arm Perbadanan Nasional Selangor Berhad (PNSB).
These details were revealed by PNSB chief executive officer Khairiyah Abu Hassan at the inquiry today.
Chief secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan said that the king has consented to the swearing-in of Najib, which will be held in Istana Negara at 10am.
:(
But wait! Rocky:
Then, a few minutes ago, the national news agency sent this bulletin to all its subscribers:
[NEWS] NOTE TO EDITORS: APRIL 1
Please ignore item slugged “Agong-Najib” as the office of the Chief Secretary of the Government has said that it had issued the statement prematurely.– BERNAMA
A ray of hope shines through the skies!
Could it be that Najib and his unholy gang have been trying to pre-empt the DYMM Agong, and make arrangements presumptively in an attempt to corner the Agong?
As I was driving home tonight, thinking about the bleakness that lies ahead - the misfortune dawn might bring.. I started to wonder whether I could have done more to try and keep it from happening.
It’s quite an effective strategy on BN’s part to try and engineer this transition while many of us are so focused on the by-elections.
In truth, what happens over the next two days is of supreme importance. Almost everything hangs in the balance.
The angle I felt that maybe we should have played up more is the wave of repressions that might follow Najib’s ascension.
Already his police are firing tear gas and water cannons at us; already they are trying to control what we can and can’t say; already Najib has usurped democracy; already the integrity of the judiciary is reaching new lows; already they have clamped down on press freedom.
Waiting for what’s next is like waiting for the executioner’s axe to fall.
If there is any sign at all tomorrow, any glimmer of hope, I will try to write something longer. It is long overdue, and my fault for not really understanding the gravity before, forgive me.
May tomorrow bring better tidings; whatever comes, I hope we’ll all be ready to do our part.
SUNGAI PETANI, April 1 (Bernama) -- After promising to lower fuel prices if he could form the government after the last general election last year, Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has now vowed to free Hindraf detainees.
PUTRAJAYA, April 1 (Bernama) -- The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin has given his consent for Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be sworn in as prime minister at 10am on Friday, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said.