It is unfortunate that seasoned politicians are repeating the mistakes of BN - the denial syndrome and believing their own lies. They have demonised Hindraf as extremist, just as Umno…
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Pakatan Indian leader´s lies
It is unfortunate that seasoned politicians are repeating the mistakes of BN - the denial syndrome and believing their own lies. They have demonised Hindraf as extremist, just as Umno…
Decent Muslim neighbor found as a notorious robber. Hindu cop succumbed brutal Islamic razor before arresting him finally.
Brutally injured Hindu Cop Jayanta Poddar by an Islamist’s Razor
Bengal a Breeding nest of Bangladeshi Muslims. Disguised Bangladeshi Criminal caught in the remote of West Bengal in a joint…
Brutally injured Hindu Cop Jayanta Poddar by an Islamist’s Razor
Bengal a Breeding nest of Bangladeshi Muslims. Disguised Bangladeshi Criminal caught in the remote of West Bengal in a joint operation of Mumbai and Bengal Police.
Upananda Brahmachari | Kolkata | 09 March 2013:: Kudos to Bengal Police, Intelligence and BSF
deployed here also. A criminal of murder case from Satkhira, Bangladesh can take a hide in this land of West Bengal safely after crossing the International border. He can make a disguise of such profession of umbrella-maker, jari-craftsman, auto-rickshaw or taxi-driver or even a goldsmith. He can marry here at least two Hindu girls along with other three Muslim girls (actually all concubines) making six children if different places in West Bengal and Maharashtra. He can safely build up here his own underworld to kill Hindu business men and to rob off Hindu Wealth. He can make a good connection with the fundamentalists of the area for Jihadi operations. Even he may have been put as an agent of ISI, DGFI or GIP to challenge the Indian Democracy as a recruiter of Indian Mujahideen, but noting else to be a concern unless it is noticed by Mumbai Police to send us an alert to trace out such a notorious man residing with us as an innocent neighbor. Yes, such a revelation has come up in the day light.
A notorious Muslim criminal, originally hailed from Bangladesh, wanted in Mumbai on multiple counts of armed robbery slashed the throat of a policeman who had gone to nab him en route while fleeing from his in-laws’ village, where he was leading a double life as a bus driver.
The Sub-inspector Jayanta Poddar of Bishnupur Police Station (South 24 Pgs, WB) bore the brunt of Jainal Sardar’s attack. He suffered injuries on his throat and hands with at least 20 injury of knife or razor, but is now out of danger and released from in a Kolkata hospital.
Jainal was wanted by the Mumbai police for his involvement in eight to 10 armed robberies in Mumbai, where he used to live in the guise of a jari-sharee-maker.
Bishnupur police sub-inspector got his throat and hands slashed by a notorious Mumbai criminal who had carried out armed robbery at 8 to 10 houses in Mumbai where he lives in the guise of a jari-artisan.
With the Mumbai cops hot on his heels, he decided to flee the city and took refuge in Bishnupur’s Madhya Chandipur village. Here, he got himself a completely new identity: he married a local woman and found employment as a bus driver. Local sources said he was known to be a decent person. An another change in the safest Land of Change.
On Sunday night, a four-member team from the Mumbai police reached Bishnupur police station with definite information about Jainal’s whereabouts. On the basis of the tip-off, the Bishnupur cops, accompanied by their Mumbai counterparts, carried out a raid early on Monday (8th March 2013) at Madhya Chandipur village.
When the police team knocked on the door of the house in which they believed that Jainal was hiding, was actually vacated by the criminals on basis of an apprehended raids.
Warned by the situation, Sub-inspector Jayanta Poddar tightened the situation to nab the fleeing criminals and started check on every suspected vehicles on roads on Baruipur-Amtala route and connectors.
But, the moment he noticed a small vehicle near Amtala Four Point Crossing with three persons in a condition to face off seeing the police cops, Poddar rushed to them. In a challenging situation Poddar held Jainal’s neck in a vice-like grip. Jainal then whipped out a razor and started slashing Poddar’s throat as Poddar struggled to wriggle out of his clutches. Two constables who also tried to pin Jainal down suffered razor injuries to their hands.
Finally, the collective effort managed to pin Jainal down. He was arrested and taken to Bishnupur police station before production in court for transit remand. The operation was finished by 11 am all right.
Mumbai police sources said Jainal was a notorious criminal who operated in the Wankhede and Santacruz area where he targeted wealthy families for conducting armed robberies at night. During the day, he remained a humble zari artisan-cum-trader.
He suffered a massive setback when two of his henchmen were caught by the Mumbai cops. Interrogating them, the cops came to know that he was the mastermind of the armed robberies. He fled Mumbai because he understood that his arrest was imminent.
“Here, he was known as a decent person. First he started running autos at Amtala-Mograhat route. Later he graduated to mini-bus. He used to drive a mini-bus. No one knows whether Jainal committed crime in Bishnupur area.
The profusely bleeding sub-inspector was rushed to Amtala Gramin Hospital but was later shifted to Calcutta Medical Research Institute, where doctors said he was now out of danger and released afterwards.
Smt. Sonali Guha, the local MLA and the Deputy Speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly met an injured Sub Inspector of Police and praised the heroic role of Sri Jayanta Poddar. We are also firmly appreciate the exemplary courage and irresponsibility shown by Sri Poddar. We also pray for his speedy healing of wounds made by an disguised Islamist.
Those who are thinking this most vulnerable to the process of social amity and communal harmony, we would like to say something more.
- What is the actual origin of this man Jainal Molla @ Jainal Sardar @ Jainal Mistri?
- When did Jainal infiltrate from Bangladesh through what route?
- In his past eight years how many spouse Jainal managed to make his hideout in West Bengal and Maharashtra?
- How many times Jainal was seen near the vicinity of a High Commission near Park Circus as a gardener and why?
- How many Jainals are residing in the rural and urban areas as ‘decent’ persons to plunder the fate of innocent citizens and obviously a security threat?
- Which authority helped Jainal to make all Indian documents like Voter ID, Ration Cards etc.? Or whose fault?
- What is the status of penetration of foreign spy agencies like ISI, DGFI, GIP in the Muslim areas of West Bengal like Peertala (Amtala), Magrahat, Sangrampur, Lalpur, Baneswarpur, Akra, Nungi, Garden Reach, Metiabruz, Khidderpur, Rajabazar etc. and specially in entire Murshidabad, Malda, North 24 Pgs, Central & Southern South 24 Pgs and the whole border line of West Bengal to accomplish a Jihad in real time?
- How many Financial Agencies (Cheat Funds) are getting foreign money through ISI, DGFI, GIP to run their manifold activities in the name on Mosque and Madrasha Welfare aiming to a resurgent Islamic Force in Eastern India considering Kolkata as a citadel of ‘Change’ Jihad?
This is a great embarrassment to answer all these. But there is nothing to be a meek to surrender before an Islamist of a Arabic faith or a Crusader of a European connection. Proud to be a Hindusthani and a Bharatiya as you like and thrash out all these Jainals or their supporters Jaichandi Hindus in politics. And obviously, alerting the apprehending Jihad is not a sin while it is transmitted to save the lives of peace-loving people. But, Jihad cannot be terminated in empty hands.
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Bangladesh
Pak Taliban vows to implement Islamic laws in the country
A blast orchestrated by the Pakistan Taliban. Agencies.
Islamabad: With a little more than a month to go for Pakistan’s general election, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakimullah Mehsud has described democracy…
A blast orchestrated by the Pakistan Taliban. Agencies.
Islamabad: With a little more than a month to go for Pakistan’s general election, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Hakimullah Mehsud has described democracy as a system of ”kafirs” (non-believers) and vowed to wage jihad to implement Islamic law in the country.
In a video message issued today, Mehsud said the Taliban want the enforcement of Shariah or Islamic law in Pakistan. Geo News channel quoted Mehsud as saying that he does not favour democracy.
The Taliban chief claimed that “kafirs” want to divide Muslims in the name of democracy. The Taliban want an Islamic nation and “Allah’s system”
in Pakistan, he said.
Shariah will be implemented through jihad and a time would come when there would be a caliphate, Mehsud claimed. He further claimed that the Pakistan government and the US were hatching conspiracies to make Muslims fight among themselves.
The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had earlier warned that its fighters would target the election rallies of the Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
The Taliban has carried out several attacks targeting the ANP and its leaders. Pakistan will go to the polls on May 11 to choose new national and provincial assemblies, marking the first democratic transition in the country’s 66-year history.
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Pakistan
Hundreds of Christians, Ahmadis and Shias take to the streets in Jakarta for religious freedom
by Mathias HariyadiAt least 300 people marched through the streets of the capital, ending their protest in front of Parliament. They shouted slogans, prayed and sang the national anthem.…
by Mathias HariyadiAt least 300 people marched through the streets of the capital, ending their protest in front of Parliament. They shouted slogans, prayed and sang the national anthem. Protestant clergyman says their message was for the authorities, including President Yudhoyono, which are not doing anything about it. Protest is a reaction to recent anti-minority attacks.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Seals on Protestant Churches, threats to Catholics during Holy Week, the closure of mosques and institutions belonging to the Ahmadi sect are but a few of the big and small examples of marginalisation minorities endure every day. In order to raise awareness among the public and foreign media on the frequent violations of the rights of religious minorities, hundreds of Christians, Ahmadis and Shia Muslims marched yesterday through the streets of Jakarta. They called on the much criticised government to take swift and effective action to ensure full religious freedom and equal rights for all of Indonesia's citizens as guaranteed by the constitution and the country's founding principles of Pancasila. The archipelago is the world's most populous (and predominantly Sunni) Muslim nation.
The 300 protesters who met yesterday in the streets of the capital shouted slogans and prayed together, each according to his or her faith. After that, they sang the national anthem and marched towards the People's Representative Council (House of Representative) building.
In the past, members of the Yasmin Church (YC) and the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HBKP) had chosen for their protest another symbolically charged site, the official residence of the President,.
Rev Simanjutak, leader of the HKBP community, welcomed the interfaith march. It sends a clear message to the authorities, which are not paying attention to the issue. In his criticism, the Protestant clergyman does not spare President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who has done nothing "to prevent attacks by extremist groups."
An activist institution, the Setara Institute, has provided evidence of the seriousness of the situation, documenting at least 264 cases of attacks and episodes of direct or indirect violence against religious minorities.
Although it formally guarantees the constitutional principle of religious freedom, Indonesia is increasingly the scene of attacks and violence against minorities.
In Aceh province, the only one in the country ruled by Sharia or Islamic law, and in many other places, a more radical and extreme visions of the Muslim religion is taking root in people's lives.
In addition, some rules, such as the infamous Izin Mendirikan Bangunan or building permit, are used to prevent the building of non-Muslim places of worship or to have them closed down and sealed.
In its response, the government has accused some minority leaders of using the permit issue to turn an administrative question into a political-religious one.
In particular, on several occasions Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali attacked the YC and HKBP for casting a bad light on the government and the country in foreign media.
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Indonesia
BN or Pakatan? Decide now, Waytha told
Former Hindraf leaders and activists have today demanded the movement's
chief, P Waythamoorthy, to declare his allegiance in the upcoming
general election.
Flanked by the movement's old-time activists, former Hindraf…
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Flanked by the movement's old-time activists, former Hindraf…
Former Hindraf leaders and activists have today demanded the movement's
chief, P Waythamoorthy, to declare his allegiance in the upcoming
general election.
Flanked by the movement's old-time activists, former Hindraf information chief S Jayathas (left) said Waythamoorthy must decide within 48 hours.
"Don't let the people be confused; this is the future of the Indian community, don't play poker with the Indian community," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
The group is upset that Waythamoorthy had met with then Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak last month over the movement's blueprint to uplift the Indian community.
"How (could) Waythamoorthy call for Indians to trust and support BN simply (if) Najib Abdul Razak signs their blueprint just weeks before the 13th general election?
"It is shocking that even though BN abandoned and persecuted the Indian community for 56 years, Waythamoorthy's Hindraf faction is prepared to throw their support behind BN," he said.
Hindraf had also engaged Pakatan Rakyat previously, but talks broke down after PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim (right) declined to endorse the movement's blueprint, insisting that they had already been incorporated into the Buku Jingga on a non-racial platform.
Jayathas - who is currently with PKR - noted that even now, BN had not shown that it was willing to change or reform from its old ways.
"Death in custody victim C Sugumar's body remains in the Serdang Hospital morgue because Umno's Najib barred (pathologist Dr) Pornthip (Rojanasunan) from coming to Malaysia to carry out the second post-mortem.
"Neither have they taken action against (Kulim-Bandar Baru MP) Zulkifli Noordin for insulting the Hindu religion and all Indian Malaysians," he said.
'Not voting is wrong'
He stressed that Waythamoorthy's call for Indians not to vote if neither BN nor Pakatan supported their blueprint, was equally unacceptable.
"If the Indians do not vote, it will only benefit BN.
It will become like Sri Lanka when (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam chief) V Prabhakaran told Tamils not to vote, and when (Sri Lankan president) Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power, he wiped them out," he added.
Jayathas
said Hindraf belonged to the entire Indian community, and Waythamoorthy
should not unilaterally steer it in the direction of Umno.
"We call on Waythamoorthy's Hindraf faction to heed the sentiments and aspirations of ordinary Hindraf supporters throughout the country, and the Indian community in general.
"We give notice to Waythamoorthy that he must renounce BN and work to defeat BN in the 13th general election," he said.
Another faction of Hindraf, led by P Uthayakumar under the banner of the Human Rights Party, is planning to contest in the GE13.
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Flanked by the movement's old-time activists, former Hindraf information chief S Jayathas (left) said Waythamoorthy must decide within 48 hours."Don't let the people be confused; this is the future of the Indian community, don't play poker with the Indian community," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
The group is upset that Waythamoorthy had met with then Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak last month over the movement's blueprint to uplift the Indian community.
"How (could) Waythamoorthy call for Indians to trust and support BN simply (if) Najib Abdul Razak signs their blueprint just weeks before the 13th general election?
"It is shocking that even though BN abandoned and persecuted the Indian community for 56 years, Waythamoorthy's Hindraf faction is prepared to throw their support behind BN," he said.
Hindraf had also engaged Pakatan Rakyat previously, but talks broke down after PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim (right) declined to endorse the movement's blueprint, insisting that they had already been incorporated into the Buku Jingga on a non-racial platform.Jayathas - who is currently with PKR - noted that even now, BN had not shown that it was willing to change or reform from its old ways.
"Death in custody victim C Sugumar's body remains in the Serdang Hospital morgue because Umno's Najib barred (pathologist Dr) Pornthip (Rojanasunan) from coming to Malaysia to carry out the second post-mortem.
"Neither have they taken action against (Kulim-Bandar Baru MP) Zulkifli Noordin for insulting the Hindu religion and all Indian Malaysians," he said.
'Not voting is wrong'
He stressed that Waythamoorthy's call for Indians not to vote if neither BN nor Pakatan supported their blueprint, was equally unacceptable.
"If the Indians do not vote, it will only benefit BN.
It will become like Sri Lanka when (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam chief) V Prabhakaran told Tamils not to vote, and when (Sri Lankan president) Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power, he wiped them out," he added.
Jayathas
said Hindraf belonged to the entire Indian community, and Waythamoorthy
should not unilaterally steer it in the direction of Umno."We call on Waythamoorthy's Hindraf faction to heed the sentiments and aspirations of ordinary Hindraf supporters throughout the country, and the Indian community in general.
"We give notice to Waythamoorthy that he must renounce BN and work to defeat BN in the 13th general election," he said.
Another faction of Hindraf, led by P Uthayakumar under the banner of the Human Rights Party, is planning to contest in the GE13.
PKR urges reopening probe into Altantuya's death
PKR…
PKR vice-president Tian Chua said this following a statement by former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan that there is sufficient evidence to recommence a probe into the case yesterday.
“Now many people who were directly involved in the case have admitted to new evidence,” Tian Chua (left in photo) said during a press conference today.Musa Hassan’s statement follows statements made by Bala himself that his first SD, the one that implicated caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor in Altantuya’s death, was true.
After Bala’s death from a sudden heart attack last month, his lawyer Americk Sidhu told the Bar AGM that renowned lawyer Cecil Abraham had personally admitted to drafting Bala’s second SD, which claims the first SD was made under duress, under Najib’s orders.
Carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan also said that there were attempts to bribe Bala over SD2.
However, attorney-general Gani Patail had remained coy about reopening investigations into Altantuya’s death.
“There are serious consequence to the AG not saying anything,” Tian Chua said, stressing there was enough prima facie evidence to kick-start another probe.
Meanwhile, Tian Chua laughed off Sabah State Affairs and Research secretary Dr Moktar Ajam’s statement that the former was banned from entering Sabah on Sunday for Tian Chua’s “own safety”, as his statements had sparked anger among Sabahans.
“This is ridiculous. It's like putting someone under ISA for their own safety,” he quipped.
“They might do this do opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as well, because reportedly many Sabahans are unhappy with him,” he said.
PKR’s Johari Abdul, on the other hand, demanded that the government clarify whether the armed forces’ Kor Risik arm is doing political intelligence work for the government.
This follows claims by retired armed forces general Ghafir Abdul Hamid that the armed forces intelligence arm had been doing political intelligence over the past decade.
Labels:
PKR
Seat issue: Discontent grows against Palani
While seat distribution in MIC nears its completion, there is growing discontent against the party chief G Palanivel.
PETALING JAYA: MIC has finally confirmed that it will contest nine parliamentary…
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PETALING JAYA: MIC has finally confirmed that it will contest nine parliamentary…
While seat distribution in MIC nears its completion, there is growing discontent against the party chief G Palanivel.
PETALING JAYA: MIC has finally confirmed that it will contest nine parliamentary and 19 state assembly seats in the upcoming 13th general election, maintaining its status quo on the Barisan Nasional seat allocation.
However, party sources claimed that while the largest Indian-based party in the country has managed to secure all the seats it contested at the last elections under the BN banner, a few state seats are causing problems for president G Palanivel.
A party source claimed Palanivel’s decision to field a 61-year-old MIC veteran as the BN candidate in the Hutan Melintang, Perak, state assembly constituency has ruffled feathers in the division.
“He [Palanivel] is really a peculiar man. When other component party leaders are looking for new blood, the MIC president goes for an unknown veteran leader as his choice. The discontent against Palanivel is growing and may peak after nomination day,” he said.
Sources reveal that the party supremo wanted to field Melintang Maju branch chairman Dr M Appalanaidu as the candidate for the seat after the Perak BN leadership rejected state MIC deputy chairman R Ganesan.
Palanivel, from the start, had insisted on wanting to give the seat to Ganesan, knowing well that Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir was not in favour of the move.
“The party may lose the seat again to PKR. The state BN does not want Ganesan to contest as he is known to carry excess baggage. This will definitely be used by the opposition in campaigns if he contests the seat,” said the source.
Hutan Melintang, located near Teluk Intan, has about 21,000 registered voters. In the 2008 general election, PKR’s S Kesavan defeated S Thangasvari of MIC by a 1,721 vote margin.
The party source also claimed that Palanivel is having problems in several other state seats. His decision to swap some seats with other BN component parties has riled up grassroots leaders and members alike.
“We in Perak are curious as to why Palanivel agreed to swap the state assembly seats when the chances of winning these new seats are slimmer than the original seats,” the source questioned.
He said MIC’s possible three “new” seats as a result of seat swapping – Buntong, Jalong and Tronoh – were all DAP strongholds.
“We are really confused with Palanivel’s winning formula… How can it be a winning formula if all your seats are in tough constituencies. The party stands a better chance of winning back its old seats,” he added.
In the last election, MIC lost all four state seats – Hutan Melintang, Behrang, Pasir Panjang and Sungkai – it contested in Perak.
Confused president
Meanwhile, a party central working committee(CWC) member said Palanivel is “confused” with the candidate selection process.
“He is having a hard time choosing candidates especially for state seats. Even the CWC is not clear on who the state seat candidates would be,” he added.
MIC’s 19 state seats come from Perak and Johor (four each), Selangor (three), Kedah, Penang and Negeri Sembilan (two each) and Malacca and Pahang (one each).
“From Kedah to Johor, almost every state has a candidate problem,” said the source.
According to the source, the MIC president was having difficulty in choosing candidates for seats like Lunas in Kedah, Perai (Penang), Hutan Melintang (Perak), Port Dickson (Negeri Sembilan), Permas and Tenggaroh (both in Johor) and Sabai (Pahang).
“All the seats have more than two names in the candidates list. He has to choose the right candidate who would make an impact among voters. It is a do or die not only for the party but also the president,” said the source.
It is learnt that Palanivel’s choice of candidates for the above seats had been shot down by respective state BN leaderships.
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PETALING JAYA: MIC has finally confirmed that it will contest nine parliamentary and 19 state assembly seats in the upcoming 13th general election, maintaining its status quo on the Barisan Nasional seat allocation.However, party sources claimed that while the largest Indian-based party in the country has managed to secure all the seats it contested at the last elections under the BN banner, a few state seats are causing problems for president G Palanivel.
A party source claimed Palanivel’s decision to field a 61-year-old MIC veteran as the BN candidate in the Hutan Melintang, Perak, state assembly constituency has ruffled feathers in the division.
“He [Palanivel] is really a peculiar man. When other component party leaders are looking for new blood, the MIC president goes for an unknown veteran leader as his choice. The discontent against Palanivel is growing and may peak after nomination day,” he said.
Sources reveal that the party supremo wanted to field Melintang Maju branch chairman Dr M Appalanaidu as the candidate for the seat after the Perak BN leadership rejected state MIC deputy chairman R Ganesan.
Palanivel, from the start, had insisted on wanting to give the seat to Ganesan, knowing well that Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir was not in favour of the move.
“The party may lose the seat again to PKR. The state BN does not want Ganesan to contest as he is known to carry excess baggage. This will definitely be used by the opposition in campaigns if he contests the seat,” said the source.
Hutan Melintang, located near Teluk Intan, has about 21,000 registered voters. In the 2008 general election, PKR’s S Kesavan defeated S Thangasvari of MIC by a 1,721 vote margin.
The party source also claimed that Palanivel is having problems in several other state seats. His decision to swap some seats with other BN component parties has riled up grassroots leaders and members alike.
“We in Perak are curious as to why Palanivel agreed to swap the state assembly seats when the chances of winning these new seats are slimmer than the original seats,” the source questioned.
He said MIC’s possible three “new” seats as a result of seat swapping – Buntong, Jalong and Tronoh – were all DAP strongholds.
“We are really confused with Palanivel’s winning formula… How can it be a winning formula if all your seats are in tough constituencies. The party stands a better chance of winning back its old seats,” he added.
In the last election, MIC lost all four state seats – Hutan Melintang, Behrang, Pasir Panjang and Sungkai – it contested in Perak.
Confused president
Meanwhile, a party central working committee(CWC) member said Palanivel is “confused” with the candidate selection process.
“He is having a hard time choosing candidates especially for state seats. Even the CWC is not clear on who the state seat candidates would be,” he added.
MIC’s 19 state seats come from Perak and Johor (four each), Selangor (three), Kedah, Penang and Negeri Sembilan (two each) and Malacca and Pahang (one each).
“From Kedah to Johor, almost every state has a candidate problem,” said the source.
According to the source, the MIC president was having difficulty in choosing candidates for seats like Lunas in Kedah, Perai (Penang), Hutan Melintang (Perak), Port Dickson (Negeri Sembilan), Permas and Tenggaroh (both in Johor) and Sabai (Pahang).
“All the seats have more than two names in the candidates list. He has to choose the right candidate who would make an impact among voters. It is a do or die not only for the party but also the president,” said the source.
It is learnt that Palanivel’s choice of candidates for the above seats had been shot down by respective state BN leaderships.
Labels:
MIC
Hindraf blames PAS for tearing down banners
Hindraf says that by condoning this act, the Pakatan state government does not practise what it preaches.
PETALING JAYA: Hindraf has blamed Pakatan Rakyat and PAS for tearing down its…
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PETALING JAYA: Hindraf has blamed Pakatan Rakyat and PAS for tearing down its…
Hindraf says that by condoning this act, the Pakatan state government does not practise what it preaches.
PETALING JAYA: Hindraf has blamed Pakatan Rakyat and PAS for tearing down its banners tagged “Send 1st Hindraf MP to Parliament Kota Raja and Sri Andalas – P Uthayakumar”.
Hindraf Youth Chief S Thiagarajan in a statement today said they have received numerous angry telephone calls from supporters in Kota Raja, Sri Andalas and Sri Muda.
“All the telephone calls were about PAS supporters tearing down Hindraf banners at the Sri Muda roundabout and about another 15 such banners being taken down,” he said.
“We experienced a similar predicament during the Hindraf February and the 22/4/12 Hindraf rally held at Chetty Padang in Klang,” he added.
Thiagarajan claimed that their de-facto leader P Uthayakumar’s formal letters to the Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and to the Klang Municipal Council have been ignored.
“We don’t see any Pakatan or Barisan Nasional banners similarly removed. So much for the Pakatan state government’s Freedom of Information Act 2012,” he said.
He also said that it’s even more disappointing when Pakatan’s top leadership such as the Selangor State Commissioner Abdul Rani Othman and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad condone such an act.
“FMT had carried a news yesterday where PAS/Pakatan top leadership has knowledge of these activities, yet showed support for it instead of stopping them,” he said.
“We hereby call upon PAS and Pakatan to stop using their Indian mandors against Hindraf as Umno-BN had been using MIC mandors to cheat the Indian poor.
“We also call upon PAS, Pakatan supporters, the Selangor state government and the Municipal Council of Klang and the Shah Alam City Council not to take down our banners ,” he added.
Thiagarajan claimed that Hincraf is the obvious underdogs forced to battle both Pakatan and BN giants to represent the most vulnerable minority in Malaysia.
“Please do not hurt us any further. In a healthy democracy, let the best man win,” he said.
“On our part, we undertake not to destroy PAS and Pakatan banners. We also wish the Pakatan candidates all the best in the Kota Raja and Sri Andalas constituencies,” he added.
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PETALING JAYA: Hindraf has blamed Pakatan Rakyat and PAS for tearing down its banners tagged “Send 1st Hindraf MP to Parliament Kota Raja and Sri Andalas – P Uthayakumar”.Hindraf Youth Chief S Thiagarajan in a statement today said they have received numerous angry telephone calls from supporters in Kota Raja, Sri Andalas and Sri Muda.
“All the telephone calls were about PAS supporters tearing down Hindraf banners at the Sri Muda roundabout and about another 15 such banners being taken down,” he said.
“We experienced a similar predicament during the Hindraf February and the 22/4/12 Hindraf rally held at Chetty Padang in Klang,” he added.
Thiagarajan claimed that their de-facto leader P Uthayakumar’s formal letters to the Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and to the Klang Municipal Council have been ignored.
“We don’t see any Pakatan or Barisan Nasional banners similarly removed. So much for the Pakatan state government’s Freedom of Information Act 2012,” he said.
He also said that it’s even more disappointing when Pakatan’s top leadership such as the Selangor State Commissioner Abdul Rani Othman and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad condone such an act.
“FMT had carried a news yesterday where PAS/Pakatan top leadership has knowledge of these activities, yet showed support for it instead of stopping them,” he said.
“We hereby call upon PAS and Pakatan to stop using their Indian mandors against Hindraf as Umno-BN had been using MIC mandors to cheat the Indian poor.
“We also call upon PAS, Pakatan supporters, the Selangor state government and the Municipal Council of Klang and the Shah Alam City Council not to take down our banners ,” he added.
Thiagarajan claimed that Hincraf is the obvious underdogs forced to battle both Pakatan and BN giants to represent the most vulnerable minority in Malaysia.
“Please do not hurt us any further. In a healthy democracy, let the best man win,” he said.
“On our part, we undertake not to destroy PAS and Pakatan banners. We also wish the Pakatan candidates all the best in the Kota Raja and Sri Andalas constituencies,” he added.
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PAS,
uthaya HRP
Waytha told to denounce BN or quit Hindraf
Some members of the movement are upset over their leader’s apparent support of the ruling regime.
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Hindraf members today told the movement’s leader, P Waythamoorthy,…
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KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Hindraf members today told the movement’s leader, P Waythamoorthy,…
Some members of the movement are upset over their leader’s apparent support of the ruling regime.
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Hindraf members today told the movement’s leader, P Waythamoorthy, to resign or withdraw his alleged support for Barisan Nasional.
Their spokesman, S Jayathas, told a press conference here that Waythamoorthy had “clearly shown” he was throwing his support behind BN in telling Indians in Gelang Patah not to vote for Lim Kit Siang as punishment for DAP’s “towkay” mentality.
“He now has 48 hours to decide if he is going ahead to support BN,” said Jayathas in the presence of about two dozen people claiming to be grassroots members of the Hindu rights movement.
He said his group had not decided what to do if Waythamoorthy failed to respond in 48 hours, but added: “He is more than welcome to leave Hindraf if he insists on supporting BN.”
Jayathas is a former information chief of Hindraf. He is now a PKR member.
He also said the Waythamoorthy faction of Hindraf had been distributing a CD recording telling Indian voters to boycott the election.
“How come the Election Commission and police are not taking action against a man who has asked the people not to vote?” he said. “This is clearly against the law.”
A lawyer who declined to be named told FMT that Jayathas was probably right in saying that Waythamoorthy was breaking the law. Quoting Article 119 of the Federal Constitution and Section 9a of the Elections Act, he said it would be unlawful to interfere with a citizen’s right to vote.
Jayathas said Waythamoorthy should be working towards Hindraf’s goals instead of creating confusion in the minds of Indian voters.
Jayathas and other members of his group said they were confident that Pakatan Rakyat was still amenable to negotiating with Hindraf on its demand for policies aimed at improving the lot of Malaysian Indians.
“Why should we go to BN when we can still negotiate with PR?” Jayathas said. “We have been against BN all this while. Why this sudden change?
“Waythamoorthy has never met us and continues to make decisions for Hindraf and the Indians within his faction of the movement. This has to stop.”
Hindraf’s coordinator for Kuala Lumpur, N Shanmugam, alleged that several members of Waythamoorthy’s faction had been kicked out of that clique for questioning his recent statements and actions.
“We are not his enemies,” Shanmugam said. “He is one of us. He should have worked together with our other four leaders.
“Instead, he is splitting the Indian voters.
“Hindraf has never supported Umno or BN and we will never vote for them.
“We have been deprived of our rights for far too long and we are not going to change our mind just because they accept our blueprint on the eve of elections.”
Jayathas said an Indian boycott of the election would give BN the advantage.
“This was what happened in Sri Lanka when the Tamil Tiger chief asked all Tamils not to vote,” he said. “In the end, they were all wiped out.
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KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Hindraf members today told the movement’s leader, P Waythamoorthy, to resign or withdraw his alleged support for Barisan Nasional.Their spokesman, S Jayathas, told a press conference here that Waythamoorthy had “clearly shown” he was throwing his support behind BN in telling Indians in Gelang Patah not to vote for Lim Kit Siang as punishment for DAP’s “towkay” mentality.
“He now has 48 hours to decide if he is going ahead to support BN,” said Jayathas in the presence of about two dozen people claiming to be grassroots members of the Hindu rights movement.
He said his group had not decided what to do if Waythamoorthy failed to respond in 48 hours, but added: “He is more than welcome to leave Hindraf if he insists on supporting BN.”
Jayathas is a former information chief of Hindraf. He is now a PKR member.
He also said the Waythamoorthy faction of Hindraf had been distributing a CD recording telling Indian voters to boycott the election.
“How come the Election Commission and police are not taking action against a man who has asked the people not to vote?” he said. “This is clearly against the law.”
A lawyer who declined to be named told FMT that Jayathas was probably right in saying that Waythamoorthy was breaking the law. Quoting Article 119 of the Federal Constitution and Section 9a of the Elections Act, he said it would be unlawful to interfere with a citizen’s right to vote.Jayathas said Waythamoorthy should be working towards Hindraf’s goals instead of creating confusion in the minds of Indian voters.
Jayathas and other members of his group said they were confident that Pakatan Rakyat was still amenable to negotiating with Hindraf on its demand for policies aimed at improving the lot of Malaysian Indians.
“Why should we go to BN when we can still negotiate with PR?” Jayathas said. “We have been against BN all this while. Why this sudden change?
“Waythamoorthy has never met us and continues to make decisions for Hindraf and the Indians within his faction of the movement. This has to stop.”
Hindraf’s coordinator for Kuala Lumpur, N Shanmugam, alleged that several members of Waythamoorthy’s faction had been kicked out of that clique for questioning his recent statements and actions.
“We are not his enemies,” Shanmugam said. “He is one of us. He should have worked together with our other four leaders.
“Instead, he is splitting the Indian voters.“Hindraf has never supported Umno or BN and we will never vote for them.
“We have been deprived of our rights for far too long and we are not going to change our mind just because they accept our blueprint on the eve of elections.”
Jayathas said an Indian boycott of the election would give BN the advantage.
“This was what happened in Sri Lanka when the Tamil Tiger chief asked all Tamils not to vote,” he said. “In the end, they were all wiped out.
Seremban MP won’t defend seat
DAP is likely to field at least four new faces in Negeri Sembilan to replace its incumbents who are opting out for personal reasons.
SEREMBAN: Seremban MP, John Fernandez, will…
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SEREMBAN: Seremban MP, John Fernandez, will…
DAP is likely to field at least four new faces in Negeri Sembilan to replace its incumbents who are opting out for personal reasons.
SEREMBAN: Seremban MP, John Fernandez, will not be defending his parliamentary seat in the coming 13th general election (GE).
His announcement today ends weeks of speculation among Pakatan Rakyat supporters here on whether or not he will be dropped.
The 72-year-old lawyer-cum-politician said he needed a rest and wanted to spend time with his family.
“Apart from being an MP, I am also a lawyer and have to do both jobs at the same time.
“This means I have limited time to spend with people [rakyat] and family.
“Taking all this into consideration, I have decided to pave the way for a much younger candidate in Seremban for the coming 13th general election,” Fernandez told FMT today.
Fernandez said that although he was no longer in the run, he will continue to help DAP and Pakatan Rakyat in whatever capacity he can to help the coalition form the next federal government.
Fernandez said DAP Youth chief, Teo Kok Seong, will stand in Seremban for the coming GE.
But he added that the final decision rests with the DAP leadership, who will be announcing the line-up very soon.
Teo Kok Seong is a one-term state assemblymen for Bahau.
Apart from Fernandez, DAP’s Rahang assemblymen MK Arumugam has also decided not to stand for the election due to illness.
Mambau assemblywoman, Wong May May, has also decided to quit politics citing family commitments.
As such, DAP is likely to field at least four new faces in Negeri Sembilan to replace Fernandez, Arumugam, Wong and Teo (who will be shifted to Seremban parliamentary seat).
Umno women join PAS
In another development, 36 Negeri Sembilan Umno members quit their party to join PAS last Sunday.
The members were from Ayer Hitam branch in the Jelebu parliamentary constituency.
Jelebu PAS deputy chief, Nor Anif Selamat, said majority of them were Wanita Umno members. He said this augured well for PAS and Pakatan in Jelebu.
PAS will field candidates for Jelebu parliamentary seat, and Klawang and Sungai Lui state seats.
Umno has, however, denied the exit of its members.
Said former Umno Sungai Lui assemblyman Zainal Abidin Hassan: “It is not true.
“I challenge PAS to prove by providing the Umno membership name and number of the said Wanita Umno members.
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SEREMBAN: Seremban MP, John Fernandez, will not be defending his parliamentary seat in the coming 13th general election (GE).His announcement today ends weeks of speculation among Pakatan Rakyat supporters here on whether or not he will be dropped.
The 72-year-old lawyer-cum-politician said he needed a rest and wanted to spend time with his family.
“Apart from being an MP, I am also a lawyer and have to do both jobs at the same time.
“This means I have limited time to spend with people [rakyat] and family.
“Taking all this into consideration, I have decided to pave the way for a much younger candidate in Seremban for the coming 13th general election,” Fernandez told FMT today.
Fernandez said that although he was no longer in the run, he will continue to help DAP and Pakatan Rakyat in whatever capacity he can to help the coalition form the next federal government.
Fernandez said DAP Youth chief, Teo Kok Seong, will stand in Seremban for the coming GE.
But he added that the final decision rests with the DAP leadership, who will be announcing the line-up very soon.
Teo Kok Seong is a one-term state assemblymen for Bahau.
Apart from Fernandez, DAP’s Rahang assemblymen MK Arumugam has also decided not to stand for the election due to illness.
Mambau assemblywoman, Wong May May, has also decided to quit politics citing family commitments.
As such, DAP is likely to field at least four new faces in Negeri Sembilan to replace Fernandez, Arumugam, Wong and Teo (who will be shifted to Seremban parliamentary seat).
Umno women join PAS
In another development, 36 Negeri Sembilan Umno members quit their party to join PAS last Sunday.
The members were from Ayer Hitam branch in the Jelebu parliamentary constituency.
Jelebu PAS deputy chief, Nor Anif Selamat, said majority of them were Wanita Umno members. He said this augured well for PAS and Pakatan in Jelebu.PAS will field candidates for Jelebu parliamentary seat, and Klawang and Sungai Lui state seats.
Umno has, however, denied the exit of its members.
Said former Umno Sungai Lui assemblyman Zainal Abidin Hassan: “It is not true.
“I challenge PAS to prove by providing the Umno membership name and number of the said Wanita Umno members.
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DAP
Kissinger cables: ‘Chauvinist’ Dr Mahathir disliked by non-Malay community
“The small, predominantly Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP) has expressed some concern over Mahathir’s past record but has not openly opposed his selection. Other Chinese parties or politicians have either…“The small, predominantly Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP) has expressed some concern over Mahathir’s past record but has not openly opposed his selection. Other Chinese parties or politicians have either not commented or have welcomed Mahathir’s appointment in a pro forma manner.”Zurairi AR, TMI
The US Embassy in Malaysia expressed its surprise over Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s appointment as deputy prime minister back in 1976, in a series of recently declassified US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks yesterday.
According to the cables from Henry Kissinger’s run as US Secretary of State, the embassy considered the then education minister as a “Malay chauvinist” despite admiring his modern outlook on politics.
“Mahathir has a reputation as an extremely capable man ... and is considered to have a relatively clean record on corruption,” said Francis T. Underhill Jr, the ambassador posted between 1973 and 1977, in his confidential analysis of Malaysia’s then new Cabinet.
After Tun Abdul Razak Hussein died in 1975, the ailing Tun Hussein Onn was forced to choose a successor in the form of a deputy prime minister between three preferred candidates — Dr Mahathir, former Malacca chief minister the late Tun Ghafar Baba, and Kelantan businessman from a royal lineage Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
The three Umno men were elected vice-presidents at the party’s general assembly, and Razak ran the risk of displeasing Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj if he chose Dr Mahathir, who had previously been expelled from Umno for criticising the first prime minister.
According to the cables, Razak also considered the late Tun Ghazali Shafie despite his loss in the Umno vice-presidency race because of Dr Mahathir’s reputation as a Malay chauvinist and apathy felt by some in the Chinese community towards the minister.
“So far, the Chinese reaction of Mahathir’s nomination has been, if not enthusiastic, at least not characterised by vehement opposition,” Underhill noted.
“The small, predominantly Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP) has expressed some concern over Mahathir’s past record but has not openly opposed his selection. Other Chinese parties or politicians have either not commented or have welcomed Mahathir’s appointment in a pro forma manner.”
The embassy had expressed its admiration for Dr Mahathir when he was appointed as education minister two years before, as noted in another confidential analysis.
“On domestic side, appointment of Dr Mahathir bin Mohamed as Education Minister, very apt in view of Mahathir’s intellectual abilities and good reputation as administrator and moderniser, was note-worthy but non-Malay community is likely to consider him a Malay chauvinist (undeservedly in embassy’s view).
“Mahathir’s appointment was however tempered by designation of MCA secretary-general Chan Siang Sun as deputy minister,” Underhill wrote.
Dr Mahathir has been a vocal supporter of Malay rights since his early days in politics, where he wrote a letter calling on Tunku Abdul Rahman to resign for failing to uphold Malay rights.
He also wrote a book called “The Malay Dilemma” in 1970, where he espoused affirmative action to enable Malays to compete with the more economically-dominant Chinese.
Affirmative action became a recurring theme in the administration of Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister as Dr Mahathir continued the New Economic Policy (NEP) with the National Development Policy (NDP) in 1990.
He continues to be a vocal Malay rights advocate after leaving office, and currently serves as the patron and adviser for Malay supremacy group Perkasa.
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Tun.Mahathir
Racial politics still relevant, says former IGP
Zurairi AR, TMITan Sri Musa Hassan endorsed racial politics last night, arguing that race-based component parties in Barisan Nasional (BN) are still relevant in preventing conflicts.
The former Inspector-General…
Zurairi AR, TMITan Sri Musa Hassan endorsed racial politics last night, arguing that race-based component parties in Barisan Nasional (BN) are still relevant in preventing conflicts.
The former Inspector-General of Police also criticised political parties that, he said, claimed to be multiracial, but would still harp on the rights of a certain race.
“For me, political parties based on races are still relevant. Because we need to together share power to take care of our country’s peace,” Musa said at a forum here organised by anti-PKR NGO Gagasan Anti Penyelewengan Selangor (GAPS).
“There is no need for us to listen to people who say that it is now irrelevant.”
According to Musa, race-based parties are important in representing the races so that conflicts such as the May 13 incident can be solved quickly.
“If not, we will be like the Arab countries, we will keep on fighting without end,” he added.
The former top cop has been vocal on issues regarding Malaysia’s peace and security as he criticised the current police force under IGP Tan Sri Ismail Omar.
In February, he had also warned that an “Arab Spring” can happen here if losing parties in the general election are dissatisfied with the result.
“I am confident that the losing parties will use their supporters to create chaos to topple the government just like what happened in the Middle East.
“Political parties must restrain themselves and behave appropriately starting now,” Musa said.
The forum last night on the Lahad Datu armed conflict was also critical of the Arab Spring and non-violent resistance.
A documentary played before the forum started depicted scenes of various people’s uprising rallies around the world, and accused them of being sponsored by foreign elements to sow discord in various countries.
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IGP
Why Are Uthaya and Hindraf Helping the Enemy?
COMMENTARY
People who want to see change at the upcoming 13th general election and the end of Barisan Nasional (BN) rule are angry with P. Uthayakumar…
COMMENTARY
People who want to see change at the upcoming 13th general election and the end of Barisan Nasional (BN) rule are angry with P. Uthayakumar and his Human Rights Party (HRP) for declaring their intention to stand in Selangor seats currently held by Pakatan Rakyat.
They see this as a betrayal. Standing in these seats as independents (because HRP’s application for registration has been rejected by the Registrar of Societies), HRP members will create three-cornered fights that will bring advantage to BN. Why Uthayakumar and his party would do this to help BN is shocking to many.
After all, this is the same BN that treated them like pariahs when Hindraf, of which they were a part, held its mammoth rally in November 2007. Despite its being a peaceful demonstration, with numerous participants carrying pictures of Mahatma Gandhi to emphasise that, the BN-led government unleashed tear gas and water cannons on them. A total of 136 demonstrators were arrested.
Uthayakumar himself was hauled to Kamunting as a detainee without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). So were a few other Hindraf leaders. Hindraf was unjustly accused of being linked to the Sri Lankan terrorist group Tamil Tigers. It was even outlawed by the Government – until just last January.
An irate pro-change citizen has this to say: “I am terribly angry. I remember when they were in Kamunting, we defied the police and held candlelight vigils praying for them to be released. We even contributed cash to their families. All that has been so quickly forgotten.”
Putting two and two together, observers have come up with the theory that BN may have wooed over Uthayakumar and his ilk the way it has been wooing the Indian community as a whole.
BN Chairman Najib Razak, in order to win Indian votes, has been throwing out cash and goodies of all sorts to the Indian community under the pretext of helping them. Observers believe he could be doing the same for the political groups, like HRP and the Makkal Sakthi Party headed by another ex-Hindraf leader, R.S. Thanenthiran, who was given a datukship soon after his party aligned itself with BN.
Obviously, there is nothing Najib would wish for more than to also win Selangor back for BN. He knows that winning Putrajaya would not be complete without that much-coveted state in the bag as well, and his job as Umno president and therefore prime minister could well depend on that if BN doesn’t win by a two-thirds majority.
Not surprisingly, therefore, he made himself the Selangor BN chief. And going by his track record of stealing Perak back from Pakatan in 2008, one can expect him to pull off any kind of tactic, including unsavoury ones, to steal a march on Pakatan again – in Selangor this time.
The word going around now is that some Indians are planning to vote for the third candidate standing in all seats nationwide, not just in Selangor. This will definitely split the Opposition votes. Their reason for doing this is that they want to protest against Pakatan for not accepting Hindraf’s blueprint to benefit the Indians.
This is not quite fair. Pakatan met with Hindraf Chairman P. Waythamoorthy to discuss the blueprint and has not rejected it. As of Feb 18, 2013, Pakatan’s leaders said they were still attempting to translate the blueprint into “implementable policies and amendments to the law”.
On the other hand, BN has not accepted the blueprint either. So why should this former enemy of Hindraf be suddenly favoured?
Furthermore, the DAP, one of the main parties in the Pakatan coalition, has announced a 14-point plan billed the “Gelang Patah Declaration” specifically addressing the socio-economic needs of the Indians.
However, Hindraf advisor N. Ganesan chooses to see it as a “plagiarised version” of Hindraf’s blueprint. He says it incorporates 11 of Hindraf’s proposals, and questions the sincerity behind the declaration.
One would think that the DAP’s incorporation of Hindraf’s proposals would be seen as a positive move, but apparently Hindraf is also playing political games. It is holding out for a better deal from BN after having met with Najib on March 25. Ganesan has revealed that he is now awaiting a second formal meeting to take place, and he thinks it will be soon.
In criticising the DAP’s Declaration, Ganesan now brings up all the grouses Hindraf has against the DAP dating back five years, and even accuses it of coming out with a race-based declaration when all this while it has been arguing along needs-based lines!
When Pakatan, which advocates rejecting race-based policy-making, did not specifically address Indian needs in its election manifesto, choosing instead to address the poor and the marginalised as a generic entity, it was accused of neglecting the Indians. Now when the DAP goes the way of attending to Indian needs, it is accused of “doublespeak”.
The Indians deserve better leaders who are genuinely concerned about their cause, not those who play politics or have personal agendas of their own. As it is, with all this game-playing, the signals being sent out are confusing the community.
It is highly unlikely that BN will accept Hindraf’s blueprint because one of its conditions is that whoever takes charge of Putrajaya after the general election must appoint Hindraf to administer a new ministry dealing with minority affairs. No coalition would be asinine enough to agree to such a condition. Such a thing is unheard-of, and the consequences of implementing it could be disastrous.
Perhaps it’s time Hindraf’s leaders – and Uthayakumar as well – came to terms with reality and decided what would be best not just for the Indians but for the country as a whole. Going with BN is not the better way for a better Malaysia, and they are smart enough to know that. Indeed, if BN were to accept Hindraf’s blueprint, Uthayakumar, Ganesan and Waythamoorthy should be prepared after the elections for a nasty surprise!
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the bestselling book No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians, and the latest volume, Ask for No Bullshit, Get Some More!
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Hindraf,
uthaya HRP
Malaysian Police Ready Two Election Plans
The boys say they can handle it
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One if Anwar wins, the other if Najib does
For the first time ever, according to sources in Kuala Lumpur, the…
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The boys say they can handle it
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One if Anwar wins, the other if Najib does
For the first time ever, according to sources in Kuala Lumpur, the Royal Police have formulated two contingency plans for the night of Malaysia's 13th general election, expected to be on April 27 or after.
The first, a source said, is "how to whisk the Prime Minister from the Putra World Trade Center where the Barisan Nasional is holding its election night celebration, back to Sri Perdana, the Prime Minister's residence, safely in the event that the Barisan Nasional loses, or if there is trouble." The second, the source said, is how to bring Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim from his home to the palace to be sworn in if the opposition were to win.
Implicit in both of those plans are questions whether there will be violence started by the losing side.
Both plans are unprecedented because there has never been a time in the 57-year history of the country when anybody thought the opposition might actually win. It still may not. But the fact that the plans are in place is an indication that even the police think the election is too close to call.
A call to ACP Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf, the assistant director of management for public relations at the national police headquarters at Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur, to ask about the plans went unanswered.
"How it will pan out is something else - whether Anwar is allowed to be sworn in if he wins, etc." a source told Asia Sentinel. "But the fact that they have these contingency plans in place would suggest that despite the confidence shown by Najib and UMNO leaders, it is going to be a very close race."
Other sources say that the mood inside the "war room," or election headquarters at the United Malays National Organization is brimming with confidence. "I don't know why," an independent source said. "They must know something."
Both the Barisan Nasional, or national ruling coalition, and Pakatan Rakyat, the three-party opposition coalition, have been campaigning feverishly for months. However, a number of factors are strongly in favor of the Barisan, particularly in the way the districts are laid out. The below chart of previous elections, prepared by Greg Lopez for the New Mandala website, based at the Australian National University's College of Asia, shows that since the country became a nation, the Barisan's popular vote has always run well below the number of seats it captured in Parliament.
Even though it only won 50.14 percent of the votes in the 2008 national election to the opposition's 46.41 percent, the Barisan managed to retain 63.1 percent of the seats against only 36.9 percent for the opposition. In 1969, the year that disaster struck in the form of murderous race riots, the Barisan actually gained only 49.3 percent of the popular vote against 50.7 percent for the opposition, but it still won 66 percent of the parliamentary seats against 34 percent for the opposition.
The districts haven't been reapportioned. So in order for the opposition to actually take control of the Parliament, it probably must win a substantially larger number of the votes.
Source: Greg Lopez, New Mandala
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Against that, and against an undeniably healthy economy that is delivering 5.6 percent economic growth, the Barisan is faced with the outright collapse of the component parties, the Malaysian Chinese Association, Gerakan, and the Malaysian Indian Congress, which most observers believe won't get more than a handful of sets in Parliament, and which means that UMNO will probably end up governing the country by itself.
The two opposing sides expect to closely split the 165 parliamentary seats in Peninsular Malaysia. The two East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan control 57 of the total 222 seats. The common wisdom is that if the two sides are deadlocked in Peninsular Malaysia, the two states hold the key to the future for both opposition and Barisan. Both of the current governments are believed to be in control of enough votes to win their respective statehouses.
Most political observers believe that given the shifting loyalties in the two states, the parties will be open to the blandishments of the competing Barisan and Pakatan in the form of promises of Increased royalties from oil and timber, and increased development for both states, which are the poorest in the country, for whichever side the two choose.
But in the past few days that has been complicated by renewed allegations of huge scandals on the part of both chief ministers, Abdul Taib Mahmud of Sarawak and Musa Hasan in Sabah. An NGO, Global Witness, staged a filmed sting on Taib's representatives in which it was alleged that the Sarawak chief received billions of ringgit in kickbacks over timber and land deals that have denuded the North Borneo state. Musa as well has been named as having deposited millions of ringgit in Swiss banks through nominees.
That raises the question whether Anwar and his three component parties, who have campaigned for years on a reform platform, can actually do business with the two scandal-scarred ministers and their parties in the wake of the election.
The Barisan also faces the headwinds of some truly massive scandals which have been the focus of widespread reporting in the indefatigable internet press, which largely forms the opposition press, since the mainstream media is owned by all three of the major political parties.
Two of those scandals have resulted in trials that continue at the moment, including corruption in the construction of the Port Klang multimodal port, which could cost as much as RM12.45 billion if the port is forced to default on all of its loans, which appears possible.
Ling Liong Sik, the longtime former head of the MCA, is on trial in a Kuala Lumpur Courtroom now over the affair. In another case, which has gained the name "Cattlegate," in which the husband of the former head of the women's wing of the party, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, then Malaysia's minister for women, family and community development, has been accused of misusing huge amounts of money from a loan to set up the National Feedlot Corporation, a scandal-plagued scheme to slaughter as many as 60,000 cattle annually but fell far short of that goal.
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General Election 13th
"The favor has to be returned one day and the time is now, GE 13"
Millions meant nothing to them when they can easily recoup billions just as fast.
Presenting Psy at a Chinese New Year function in Penang recently was a great success that…
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Presenting Psy at a Chinese New Year function in Penang recently was a great success that…
Millions meant nothing to them when they can easily recoup billions just as fast.
Presenting Psy at a Chinese New Year function in Penang recently was a great success that brought joys to Penangnites but a total disaster for umno perkasa bn.
Millions were spent on Psy and it failed miserably to gain any traction for Najib. Are they disheartened, of course YES, what a great shame they faced but not a bit saddened on the humongous sum of money spent because they have a mountain support from behind, Hokkien call it 'Aw Soew'.
The failure of Psy does not stop them from trying to bring more cheers to Penangnites and shame to umno perkasa bn.
Businessmen sleeping with the devil and making billions of evil dollars are very afraid that the devil may have to be kicked out of power at the federal level where their billions came from.
They can deny however they want, claiming that they are doing charity works by bringing in more celebrities to Penang.
The first question that came to mind is, why we never heard of their charitable hearts all those long years but now?
Secondly, why at the time when GE 13 campaigning is at its height?
Umno perkasa bn is fighting the air, hitting at emptiness and totally going no where and depleting their resources very fast.
The time to call in the favor is now whereby those businessmen have make billions through connections with them.
Penangnites, you are very lucky that you voted in Pakatan Rakyat in the 12th GE without which you will not get to see Psy or the coming celebrities on the 20th April.
They can splashed their millions on the pretext of charity works, free foods, free goodies etc but that does not mean we have to vote in the party that these businessmen are aligned with.
We are voting in a government that is truly working together and for the rakyat. A government that can share the wealth with the rakyat and not only to a few businessmen.
Penang Pakatan Rakayat state government have shown their ability to govern with the CAT system of management in the five years mandate given to them.
We must not allow umno perkasa bn with the help of billionaire tycoons to recapture Penang just because of their ability to bring in celebrities to disrupt the ongoing GE 13 campaigning.
They have no policies to show or tell you during the GE 13 campaigning period hence they are trying to stop you from going to Pakatan Rakyat ceramahs by bringing in the celebrities that you love.
Go, have fun and enjoy with the celebrities, sign autograph, have pictures taken with them, eat and take whatever are given but the most important thing that you must not forget is VOTE DAP, PAS or PKR to ensure that Penang does not fall into the hands of the corrupt, racist and arrogant umno perkasa bn again.
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Presenting Psy at a Chinese New Year function in Penang recently was a great success that brought joys to Penangnites but a total disaster for umno perkasa bn.
Millions were spent on Psy and it failed miserably to gain any traction for Najib. Are they disheartened, of course YES, what a great shame they faced but not a bit saddened on the humongous sum of money spent because they have a mountain support from behind, Hokkien call it 'Aw Soew'.
The failure of Psy does not stop them from trying to bring more cheers to Penangnites and shame to umno perkasa bn.
Businessmen sleeping with the devil and making billions of evil dollars are very afraid that the devil may have to be kicked out of power at the federal level where their billions came from.
They can deny however they want, claiming that they are doing charity works by bringing in more celebrities to Penang.
The first question that came to mind is, why we never heard of their charitable hearts all those long years but now?
Secondly, why at the time when GE 13 campaigning is at its height?
Umno perkasa bn is fighting the air, hitting at emptiness and totally going no where and depleting their resources very fast.
The time to call in the favor is now whereby those businessmen have make billions through connections with them.
Penangnites, you are very lucky that you voted in Pakatan Rakyat in the 12th GE without which you will not get to see Psy or the coming celebrities on the 20th April.
They can splashed their millions on the pretext of charity works, free foods, free goodies etc but that does not mean we have to vote in the party that these businessmen are aligned with.
We are voting in a government that is truly working together and for the rakyat. A government that can share the wealth with the rakyat and not only to a few businessmen.
Penang Pakatan Rakayat state government have shown their ability to govern with the CAT system of management in the five years mandate given to them.
We must not allow umno perkasa bn with the help of billionaire tycoons to recapture Penang just because of their ability to bring in celebrities to disrupt the ongoing GE 13 campaigning.
They have no policies to show or tell you during the GE 13 campaigning period hence they are trying to stop you from going to Pakatan Rakyat ceramahs by bringing in the celebrities that you love.
Go, have fun and enjoy with the celebrities, sign autograph, have pictures taken with them, eat and take whatever are given but the most important thing that you must not forget is VOTE DAP, PAS or PKR to ensure that Penang does not fall into the hands of the corrupt, racist and arrogant umno perkasa bn again.
Labels:
General Election 13th
BN Government With Fresh Mandate Can Generate More Wealth For People - Najib
IPOH, April 9 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
said today a Barisan Nasional (BN) government with a fresh mandate would
be able to generate more wealth…
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IPOH, April 9 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
said today a Barisan Nasional (BN) government with a fresh mandate would
be able to generate more wealth for distribution among the various
communities in the country.
He said the BN, through its philosophy of moderation and power-sharing and representing the various communities, had ensured that the people lived in peace and harmony and there was intensive economic growth.
"The best is yet to come. We have delivered so much. With a strong mandate we can even do better in the future. I promise you that.
"I have asked myself what else the Chinese want? They want security; they want harmony. What else do they want? They want a government that is fair and just," he said at a luncheon with representatives of Perak non-governmental organisations at the Tow Boh Keong Temple hall, here.
Najib said all these would be fulfilled if the BN was given a bigger mandate in the coming general election.
The prime minister said the moderation practised by the BN was also key to the survival and success of the country.
"Imagine having a party that comprises people whose philosophy and ideology are at opposite goals or extremes. Do you think that they can form a viable government?
"The answer is they are not likely to be able to form a stable and viable government. That is why as Malaysians we must reject extremism.
"If you believe in moderation, support the BN," he said.
Najib said that over the past 55 years, the BN government had proven that it could ensure a stable developing Malaysia and that the national transformation agenda implemented over the past four years had brought changes and progress to the country.
Najib said various initiatives had been launched for the well-being of the people and this had been executed with the cooperation of the BN federal and state governments.
"There is much more that we can do in the future. The opposition pact has only fulfilled 15 per cent of the promises it had made during the general election in 2008.
"As such, I would like to propose that the name Pakatan Rakyat be changed to Pakatan 15 Per Cent because that is only what they have done," he said.
Najib said the BN government had brought about plenty of changes and the people should place their trust in the BN to bring about a better future for them.
"We are not a populist government. We do everything for the people and we know how to generate wealth for the country. If we generate more wealth, the wealth will be channelled to the people," he said.
The prime minister reminded the people that no country in the world could give everything free to the people.
"If it can be done, other countries would have done it," he said, and reminded the people against falling for the empty promises of the opposition.
▲
He said the BN, through its philosophy of moderation and power-sharing and representing the various communities, had ensured that the people lived in peace and harmony and there was intensive economic growth.
"The best is yet to come. We have delivered so much. With a strong mandate we can even do better in the future. I promise you that.
"I have asked myself what else the Chinese want? They want security; they want harmony. What else do they want? They want a government that is fair and just," he said at a luncheon with representatives of Perak non-governmental organisations at the Tow Boh Keong Temple hall, here.
Najib said all these would be fulfilled if the BN was given a bigger mandate in the coming general election.
The prime minister said the moderation practised by the BN was also key to the survival and success of the country.
"Imagine having a party that comprises people whose philosophy and ideology are at opposite goals or extremes. Do you think that they can form a viable government?
"The answer is they are not likely to be able to form a stable and viable government. That is why as Malaysians we must reject extremism.
"If you believe in moderation, support the BN," he said.
Najib said that over the past 55 years, the BN government had proven that it could ensure a stable developing Malaysia and that the national transformation agenda implemented over the past four years had brought changes and progress to the country.
Najib said various initiatives had been launched for the well-being of the people and this had been executed with the cooperation of the BN federal and state governments.
"There is much more that we can do in the future. The opposition pact has only fulfilled 15 per cent of the promises it had made during the general election in 2008.
"As such, I would like to propose that the name Pakatan Rakyat be changed to Pakatan 15 Per Cent because that is only what they have done," he said.
Najib said the BN government had brought about plenty of changes and the people should place their trust in the BN to bring about a better future for them.
"We are not a populist government. We do everything for the people and we know how to generate wealth for the country. If we generate more wealth, the wealth will be channelled to the people," he said.
The prime minister reminded the people that no country in the world could give everything free to the people.
"If it can be done, other countries would have done it," he said, and reminded the people against falling for the empty promises of the opposition.
Najib sets up Malaysian poll thriller
By Anil Netto
PENANG - Malaysians are gearing up for what are expected to be the most closely contested general elections in the country's history. Prime Minister Najib Razak announced…
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PENANG - Malaysians are gearing up for what are expected to be the most closely contested general elections in the country's history. Prime Minister Najib Razak announced…
By Anil Netto
PENANG - Malaysians are gearing up for what are expected to be the most closely contested general elections in the country's history. Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the dissolution of parliament on April 3, ending nearly two years of speculation over when the polls would be held. The Election Commission meets this week to set a date for polls, which must be held within 60 days.
Najib's earlier reluctance to call an election likely reflects his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition's hesitation faced with the resurgent challenge of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition coalition. Parliament's current five-year term expires on April 28; no previous premier has ever dissolved the legislature so close to the end of its term.
Some political analysts believe the opposition is poised to make historic gains, or even win the election outright. PR won five of 13 national states at the 2008 general election, notching nearly 47% of the popular vote for federal level parliamentary seats. The result denied the BN a two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to change the constitutional and represented the BN's worst yet electoral showing.
The then prime minister Abdullah Badawi took responsibility for the slippage and handed the premiership to Najib the following year. Najib, who has not yet faced the electorate as BN's leader, has fared well in opinion surveys, despite a significant erosion in public perceptions of the wider BN coalition and its associated politicians. A Merdeka Center poll from February showed that popular support for the ruling coalition had fallen below 50%.
Najib has governed under the heavy shadow of former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled with an iron fist for two decades from 1981-2003 and publicly sparred with Badawi during his tenure. Despite certain reforms, including abolishment of the notorious Internal Security Act (only to have it replaced by a new security law that also allows detention without trial), Najib's administration is viewed by many as carrying much of the legacy of Mahathir's old order, characterized by corruption, patronage and environmental destruction.
At the same time, Najib has notably shied from public debates with PR leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was famously sacked as finance minister and later imprisoned on corruption and sodomy charges under Mahathir after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.
In the wake of the opposition's 2008 electoral gains, Anwar vowed to bring down the BN government through parliamentary defections that never materialized. He faced down new charges of sodomy - a criminal offense in predominantly Muslim Malaysia - that many analysts believed were politically motivated to drain his coalition's political momentum.
Najib has warned that voting for the opposition would represent a step backward for economic reform and that a PR-led government would subvert the US$400 billion Economic Transformation Program (ETP) his government launched in 2010. The policy aims to lift Malaysia to high-income nation status by 2020.
Officials have pointed to rising household incomes, up from 4,025 ringgit (US$1,315) per month in 2009 to 5,000 last year, as indication of the policy's early success. Those income gains have been padded by a series of government hand-outs, including pay hikes and other financial perks for civil servants and employees of government-linked companies and agencies, that critics have said are tantamount to vote-buying.
Higher household incomes, opposition critics argue, mask the net economic pinch of faster-rising costs of living, including inflation in the prices of basic foods, education, health care and rental properties. They argue that the ETP policy is ultimately unsustainable and has wholly failed to address the still yawning income gap between rich and poor.
Over the weekend, Najib promised a raft of new handouts if elected, including direct cash payments to unmarried Malaysians of voting age, reduced car prices and a 20% reduction in Internet service charges. He also promised a pan-Borneo highway project to match the one on offer by the PR.
For its part, the PR has vowed to scrap the New Economic Policy, a race-based affirmative action program to uplift the economic position of the majority Malays and other indigenous groups known as bumiputras, long championed by the BN. The NEP expired in 1990 but its race-based philosophy has continued to underpin BN's economic policies.
Minority ethnic groups, including Chinese, who make up 25% of the population, and Indians, who represent around 7%, believe the policy has purposely discriminated against them. Only 34% of the Chinese population now supports the BN, according to the Merdeka Center poll. The PR has said it will replace the NEP with a non-ethnic, needs-based approach that will broadly assist the poor, including many bumiputras.
The PR has targeted the BN's history of official corruption and political favoritism, promising a more clean-hands approach to governance. By plugging corruption and leakages and reducing gas subsidies to independent power producers, the PR promises to save 46 billion ringgit lost each year to leakage.
This money saved, the coalition says, would be used to raise oil royalty payments to the oil-producing states where many of the poor in Malaysia live to 20% from the current 5%. The PR also wants to abolish highway tolls and study loans while providing free education and more affordable housing.
Despite these campaign promises, the PR is no shoo-in to win. ''It is going to be very hotly contested but hopefully we can go for a change,'' said Abdul Rahman Kasim, information chief for PR's PAS party in Penang state's Tasik Gelugor division. ''But it is very unpredictable… They are told if they vote for other parties they will lose [ethnic] Malay supremacy.'' The Islamic party PAS is one of PR's three component parties, the other two being Anwar's People's Justice Party and the Democratic Action Party.
Undecided youth
While some in the PR are optimistic that voters, particularly in urban areas, who have access to alternative sources of information on the internet will favor their candidates, others are more guarded about how rural Malaysians who are not online will vote. Significantly, BN controls state-owned media that effectively reaches a wide cross-section of the grass roots population with its pro-government propaganda.
Najib himself has said this will be the first general election heavily contested on social media. It will also be largely determined by the youth vote. Polls show that 22% of Malaysia's 13 million voters are below the age of 30. While some have concluded that social media-savvy first-time voters will choose the PR, many of them remain influenced by state-run education system that touts the BN's historical accomplishments.
A National Youth Survey in 2012 conducted by the Asia Foundation, a US-based non-partisan organization, found that ''the majority of youth are positive about Malaysia's trajectory, with 58% stating Malaysia is moving in the right direction.'' The survey of 2,100 youths across the country also found that Najib enjoyed an 81% level of confidence, with 46% expressing a ''high'' level of confidence in his leadership.
The same survey found that although Internet usage for information seeking among youth has risen to 48% last year from 7% in 2007, the number of youth watching television daily has jumped to 74% in 2012 from 52% in 2007. Television, which is heavily government-controlled and monitored, remains the most trusted media among the young while the internet is the least trusted medium, according to the Asia Foundation survey.
In many ways, the general election will come down to a competition between what political scientist Francis Loh has termed ''new politics'' versus ''old politics''. The new politics in Malaysia is championed by those who wish to promote genuine social, economic and democratic reforms and cut across barriers of race and religion. The old politics is perhaps best exemplified by those associated with former premier Mahathir, under whose patronage Malay ethno-nationalist groups used divisive issues of race and religion to maintain political control.
Analysts are already fixated on the key BN stronghold states of Sarawak and Sabah in North Borneo and Johor and Pahang in the peninsula. Accusations of corruption against the BN leadership in Sarawak and Sabah could dent the BN's prospects, some analysts predict. PR leaders, meanwhile, are training their sights on Pahang, traditionally a BN stronghold recently hit by environmental concerns over a rare-earth refinery and gold-mining operations using cyanide.
If the BN scrapes through in the nationwide polls, Najib's own position in the United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO) party that leads the BN could come under pressure as his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, waits in the wings. Political analyst Wong Chin Huat, a steering committee member of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, a civil society coalition, has said: ''A vote for BN in 2013 is a vote for Muhyiddin, not Najib, just like a vote for BN in 2008 was a vote for Najib, not Abdullah.''
The country will go to the polls amid concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. A Royal Commission of Inquiry into allegations that citizenship papers and cards were given to foreigners in Sabah to allow them to vote has been postponed. There is thus widespread concern in opposition circles about a significant increase in the number of registered voters in potential swing state constituencies.
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, or Bersih, has already highlighted perceived irregularities in the electoral rolls and has called on the public to serve as independent election observers. Tens of thousands more will be watching and reporting on the polls over social media. If the results are perceived as compromised, as they have been in the past, social media could fuel an unprecedented grassroots response.
Anil Netto is a Penang-based writer.
▲
PENANG - Malaysians are gearing up for what are expected to be the most closely contested general elections in the country's history. Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the dissolution of parliament on April 3, ending nearly two years of speculation over when the polls would be held. The Election Commission meets this week to set a date for polls, which must be held within 60 days.
Najib's earlier reluctance to call an election likely reflects his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition's hesitation faced with the resurgent challenge of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition coalition. Parliament's current five-year term expires on April 28; no previous premier has ever dissolved the legislature so close to the end of its term.
Some political analysts believe the opposition is poised to make historic gains, or even win the election outright. PR won five of 13 national states at the 2008 general election, notching nearly 47% of the popular vote for federal level parliamentary seats. The result denied the BN a two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to change the constitutional and represented the BN's worst yet electoral showing.
The then prime minister Abdullah Badawi took responsibility for the slippage and handed the premiership to Najib the following year. Najib, who has not yet faced the electorate as BN's leader, has fared well in opinion surveys, despite a significant erosion in public perceptions of the wider BN coalition and its associated politicians. A Merdeka Center poll from February showed that popular support for the ruling coalition had fallen below 50%.
Najib has governed under the heavy shadow of former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled with an iron fist for two decades from 1981-2003 and publicly sparred with Badawi during his tenure. Despite certain reforms, including abolishment of the notorious Internal Security Act (only to have it replaced by a new security law that also allows detention without trial), Najib's administration is viewed by many as carrying much of the legacy of Mahathir's old order, characterized by corruption, patronage and environmental destruction.
At the same time, Najib has notably shied from public debates with PR leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was famously sacked as finance minister and later imprisoned on corruption and sodomy charges under Mahathir after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.
In the wake of the opposition's 2008 electoral gains, Anwar vowed to bring down the BN government through parliamentary defections that never materialized. He faced down new charges of sodomy - a criminal offense in predominantly Muslim Malaysia - that many analysts believed were politically motivated to drain his coalition's political momentum.
Najib has warned that voting for the opposition would represent a step backward for economic reform and that a PR-led government would subvert the US$400 billion Economic Transformation Program (ETP) his government launched in 2010. The policy aims to lift Malaysia to high-income nation status by 2020.
Officials have pointed to rising household incomes, up from 4,025 ringgit (US$1,315) per month in 2009 to 5,000 last year, as indication of the policy's early success. Those income gains have been padded by a series of government hand-outs, including pay hikes and other financial perks for civil servants and employees of government-linked companies and agencies, that critics have said are tantamount to vote-buying.
Higher household incomes, opposition critics argue, mask the net economic pinch of faster-rising costs of living, including inflation in the prices of basic foods, education, health care and rental properties. They argue that the ETP policy is ultimately unsustainable and has wholly failed to address the still yawning income gap between rich and poor.
Over the weekend, Najib promised a raft of new handouts if elected, including direct cash payments to unmarried Malaysians of voting age, reduced car prices and a 20% reduction in Internet service charges. He also promised a pan-Borneo highway project to match the one on offer by the PR.
For its part, the PR has vowed to scrap the New Economic Policy, a race-based affirmative action program to uplift the economic position of the majority Malays and other indigenous groups known as bumiputras, long championed by the BN. The NEP expired in 1990 but its race-based philosophy has continued to underpin BN's economic policies.
Minority ethnic groups, including Chinese, who make up 25% of the population, and Indians, who represent around 7%, believe the policy has purposely discriminated against them. Only 34% of the Chinese population now supports the BN, according to the Merdeka Center poll. The PR has said it will replace the NEP with a non-ethnic, needs-based approach that will broadly assist the poor, including many bumiputras.
The PR has targeted the BN's history of official corruption and political favoritism, promising a more clean-hands approach to governance. By plugging corruption and leakages and reducing gas subsidies to independent power producers, the PR promises to save 46 billion ringgit lost each year to leakage.
This money saved, the coalition says, would be used to raise oil royalty payments to the oil-producing states where many of the poor in Malaysia live to 20% from the current 5%. The PR also wants to abolish highway tolls and study loans while providing free education and more affordable housing.
Despite these campaign promises, the PR is no shoo-in to win. ''It is going to be very hotly contested but hopefully we can go for a change,'' said Abdul Rahman Kasim, information chief for PR's PAS party in Penang state's Tasik Gelugor division. ''But it is very unpredictable… They are told if they vote for other parties they will lose [ethnic] Malay supremacy.'' The Islamic party PAS is one of PR's three component parties, the other two being Anwar's People's Justice Party and the Democratic Action Party.
Undecided youth
While some in the PR are optimistic that voters, particularly in urban areas, who have access to alternative sources of information on the internet will favor their candidates, others are more guarded about how rural Malaysians who are not online will vote. Significantly, BN controls state-owned media that effectively reaches a wide cross-section of the grass roots population with its pro-government propaganda.
Najib himself has said this will be the first general election heavily contested on social media. It will also be largely determined by the youth vote. Polls show that 22% of Malaysia's 13 million voters are below the age of 30. While some have concluded that social media-savvy first-time voters will choose the PR, many of them remain influenced by state-run education system that touts the BN's historical accomplishments.
A National Youth Survey in 2012 conducted by the Asia Foundation, a US-based non-partisan organization, found that ''the majority of youth are positive about Malaysia's trajectory, with 58% stating Malaysia is moving in the right direction.'' The survey of 2,100 youths across the country also found that Najib enjoyed an 81% level of confidence, with 46% expressing a ''high'' level of confidence in his leadership.
The same survey found that although Internet usage for information seeking among youth has risen to 48% last year from 7% in 2007, the number of youth watching television daily has jumped to 74% in 2012 from 52% in 2007. Television, which is heavily government-controlled and monitored, remains the most trusted media among the young while the internet is the least trusted medium, according to the Asia Foundation survey.
In many ways, the general election will come down to a competition between what political scientist Francis Loh has termed ''new politics'' versus ''old politics''. The new politics in Malaysia is championed by those who wish to promote genuine social, economic and democratic reforms and cut across barriers of race and religion. The old politics is perhaps best exemplified by those associated with former premier Mahathir, under whose patronage Malay ethno-nationalist groups used divisive issues of race and religion to maintain political control.
Analysts are already fixated on the key BN stronghold states of Sarawak and Sabah in North Borneo and Johor and Pahang in the peninsula. Accusations of corruption against the BN leadership in Sarawak and Sabah could dent the BN's prospects, some analysts predict. PR leaders, meanwhile, are training their sights on Pahang, traditionally a BN stronghold recently hit by environmental concerns over a rare-earth refinery and gold-mining operations using cyanide.
If the BN scrapes through in the nationwide polls, Najib's own position in the United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO) party that leads the BN could come under pressure as his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, waits in the wings. Political analyst Wong Chin Huat, a steering committee member of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, a civil society coalition, has said: ''A vote for BN in 2013 is a vote for Muhyiddin, not Najib, just like a vote for BN in 2008 was a vote for Najib, not Abdullah.''
The country will go to the polls amid concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. A Royal Commission of Inquiry into allegations that citizenship papers and cards were given to foreigners in Sabah to allow them to vote has been postponed. There is thus widespread concern in opposition circles about a significant increase in the number of registered voters in potential swing state constituencies.
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, or Bersih, has already highlighted perceived irregularities in the electoral rolls and has called on the public to serve as independent election observers. Tens of thousands more will be watching and reporting on the polls over social media. If the results are perceived as compromised, as they have been in the past, social media could fuel an unprecedented grassroots response.
Anil Netto is a Penang-based writer.
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