Malays are also deprived, say chambers of commerce

The Chinese are not the only ones asking for something, as even Malays find themselves deprived, said the Malay Chambers of Commerce Malaysia (MCCM).
"Ironically the Malay business community in particular has also voiced its frustration of being deprived of economic progress and receiving very little," said its president, Syed Ali Alattas.

"The question is, who is gaining the benefits?" he asked.

Syed Ali (left) claimed that Malays, especially the business community, are the victims of "heartless" and "dishonest" government agencies and government-linked companies (GLC) officials, and their failure to effectively implement government policies.
He said that the weaknesses and corruption among the officials led to failure of what are otherwise good policies.

“Government policies don’t work, they are good policies but implementation is weak...

“Corruption is also a major factor in the failure of policies like the New Economic Policy (NEP),” lamented the business leader.

He described how one GLC for example spent millions of ringgit to buy foreign real estate, but did not even spend a single sen to help Malay entrepreneurs.

To investigate who is actually getting the benefit from government contracts if the Chinese and Malays are not seeing neither head nor tail of it, MCCM is proposing the formation of a National Economic Reconciliation Council (NERC) to peruse the matter.

The NERC is to comprise of 30 members, 10 from MCCM, 10 from political parties and 10 from the business communities of other races.

Syed Ali also said that they want the government to reinstate the entrepreneur development ministry, to properly look after the welfare of local businessmen.

The ministry, he related, was formed from their proposal mulled in the MCCM’s fourth congress and they hope it will see the light of day again.

Asked if this economic reconciliation is part of the post-GE13 national reconciliation being promoted by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Syed Ali said that it was a purely business consideration.

He said that they shall leave politics to the politicians and as businessmen will worry about business matters, as when it comes to money, it is easier to unite people where the bottom line is concerned.

“In business if we disagree, we sit down (and discuss),” he reasoned.

Suara Rakyat Suara Keramat: Anwar Ibrahim's speech

28 Pakatan rally speakers to be probed for sedition

Taliban threaten election day suicide attacks in Pakistan

By Agence France-Presse

Topics: PPPThe Taliban have sent suicide bombers to mount election-day attacks on Pakistan’s historic polls, a militant commander said on Thursday, following a bloody campaign which has claimed more than 100 lives.

Saturday’s vote will be a democratic milestone in a country ruled for half its history by the military but the Pakistani Taliban have condemned it as un-Islamic.

They have directly threatened the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its main partners in the outgoing government, seriously restricting their ability to campaign, and staged a series of attacks during the campaign.

The insurgents’ leader Hakimullah Mehsud had personally ordered suicide bombings on polling day, said a Taliban commander in the northwest.

“The Taliban has dispatched several of fedayeen (suicide bombers) to carry attacks on election across Pakistan,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

AFP saw a copy of a letter apparently sent from Mehsud to Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, mapping out the plan for bombings.

“You take care of attacks in Punjab and Sindh. I will take care of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan,” it said in reference to Pakistan’s four provinces.

Attacks on politicians and political parties, most of them claimed by the Taliban, have already killed 113 people since mid-April, according to an AFP tally.

Pakistan has said it will deploy more than 600,000 security personnel on polling day.

A separate pamphlet distributed by a previously unknown group in the most notorious Taliban and Al-Qaeda-stronghold of North Waziristan has warned people of punishment if they allow women to vote.

The Taliban threats have cowed the PPP, which has run a leaderless campaign. Its chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — too young to stand — has not been seen in public.

In his absence former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and cricket legend Imran Khan have stolen the limelight. On Thursday, the last day of campaigning, they were competing to try to draw massive crowds at final rallies.

Sharif is a billionaire steel tycoon seeking a historic third term as prime minister.

The charismatic Khan is a sporting hero who has also sought to capitalise on a sympathy vote after fracturing vertebrae in a fall at a rally on Tuesday, and will address supporters from his hospital bed.

The election will mark the first time a civilian government has served a full term in the country and handed over to another through the ballot box. The outcome is considered wide open.

While Sharif is considered most likely to win, some believe the PPP can still emerge the second largest party thanks to a rural vote bank.

Despite his electrifying campaign, a question mark hangs over how well Khan will do, considering he won only one seat in 2002.

Sharif, head of the centre-right Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), will spend a busy day in his political heartland in the southern city of Lahore, said his media chief Tariq Azim.

“He will meet party officials during the day before addressing a rally in the Green Town area at 7:00 pm (1400 GMT), followed by two or three other meetings in different constituencies,” Azim told said.

Sharif will arrive at the 11th century Data Darbar sufi shrine at around 10:00 pm and address the final rally there. Another PML-N official said they were hoping to attract more than 100,000.

Khan will address the final rally for his centre-right Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in the capital Islamabad by live video link from his Lahore hospital bed.

Hospital staff have ordered the 60-year-old to remain immobile after he suffered fractured vertebrae and a broken rib on Tuesday when he fell from a lift raising him onto the stage at a rally in Lahore.

Taj Haider, a PPP leader in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, said party candidates would hold meetings in their respective constituencies but refrained from discussing Bilawal’s whereabouts.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which was a PPP ally in the previous coalition government and controls Karachi, said it was aggresively campaigning on social media because of the threats.

Campaigning ends officially at midnight, before the Muslim holy day Friday.

The election commission has warned that violations are punishable by disqualification and six months in prison.

Saudi women should not drive cars: female activist

Activist says women must get basic rights before they are allowed to drive

Rawda Al Yousif

A prominent Saudi female activist, who has often infuriated local liberals by her ideas, has joined male voices which oppose any decision to end a long-standing ban and allow women in the conservative Moslem Gulf Kingdom to drive cars.

Rawdah Al-Yousif said the Saudi society is not ready yet to accept the idea of women driving cars and slammed what she described as internal and external campaigns focusing on the driving issue in the world’s dominant oil exporter.

She said women in Saudi Arabia must first be given their basic rights, including jobs, free housing, health insurance and other needs.

“I find it very strange that all these campaigns focus on one issue: driving cars by women…these campaigns continue despite the clear response by the rulers of this country that any decision to allow women to drive cars is up to the community not to just 3000 people or to some articles in newspapers or online,” she said.

“I hope there will be no decision to allow women to drive at this stage because we have first to respect the wish of the people and the society…we must not impose any decision on people who have not been given their basic rights yet…women are also not ready yet to bear their responsibility and leave their homes at a time when news of blackmail against the women are widespread.”

In an interview with the Saudi Arabic language daily Almuwatin, Al Yousif said those who campaign for women to drive cars should focus instead on women who cannot find jobs or those who are blackmailed by property landlords.

“These issues which must be given attention before the driving issue…in my opinion, all such issues do not need emotional thinking but a neutral, rational approach…if I were in an official position, the first thing I would do is to find a home for women who support families and get them jobs that will ensure their dignity and work stability….women have the right to get all these things and also health insurance in their names as well as the right to get passports for their children and to be able to send their children on scholarships abroad without the need for approval by the father who has abandoned his duty towards his family for some reason.”

Al Yousuf has frequently been criticized by Saudi liberals over her views, some of which have been dubbed backward. She triggered more criticism following her recent campaign to keep the guardianship system which bans Saudi women from travelling abroad with prior consent by their guardians.

The campaign was called "My Guardian Knows What's Best For Me” and it involved sending letters to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in which women confirmed their full support for an Islamic approach in administering the Kingdom.

In remarks published on her social network pages, Al Yousif wrote about "her dismay at the efforts of some who have liberal demands that do not comply with Islamic law (Shariah) or with the Kingdom's traditions and customs."

Al-Yousif also pointed out that the campaign's mission is to promote the voices of Saudi women who reject the "ignorant and vexatious demands" of liberals to do away with the guardianship system.

MCA divided over joining BN government

In the aftermath of the greatest electoral defeat in its 64-year history, MCA is expected to undergo another round of intense infighting.
This could result in an extraordinary general assembly (EGM) to axe current president Dr Chua Soi Lek and overturn the party's decision not to join the government.

The resolution rejecting all government posts, from ministership to village heads should the party perform worse than it did the 2008 general election, was proposed by Soi Lek and endorsed by the party's 2011 and 2012 annual general meetings.

After the results were known on Sunday night, various MCA divisions controlled by Soi Lek's loyalists sent in their resignation letters to pull their representatives out of local councils.

Soi Lek (left) himself also announced he would resign as Penang port chairperson after meeting with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, but would continue his tenure as party president until the next party election, slated to be held within six months.

Those not aligned with Soi Lek's camp have launched movement dubbed "Save Party Committee 3.0" to oust him.

Committee chief Chuah Poh Khiang, who is also Titiwangsa MCA division chairperson, told Sin Chew Daily that the president was given an ultimatum to resign within this week.

The decision to reject all government posts, Chuah said, should be determined by the new leadership, after Soi Lek stepped down.

Past also throws hat in ring

Not only at grassroots level, it is said that differences over MCA's post-GE13 role in the BN also existed among the seven MCA MPs.

Deputy president Liow Tiong Lai (Bentong), Youth chief Wee Ka Siong (Ayer Hitam), Wee Jeck Seng (Tanjong Piai) and Ong Ka Chuan (Tanjung Malim) are said to have reservations over the decision not to join the government, while Khoo Soo Seang (Tebrau), Koh Nai Kwong (Alor Gajah) and Chua Tee Yong (Labis) support Soi Lek's decision.

The infighting may see a revival in the influence of former MCA president Ong Ka Ting in the party as Liow, Ka Siong and Jeck Seng were once his staunch supporters. Ka Chuan is his older brother.

Ka Chuan reportedly said DAP should consider joining BN to represent the Chinese, but if it refuses, then MCA should reconsider its decision not to accept government posts.

"MCA believed it would gain the support of the Chinese by raising the issue of not joining the government if the electoral results were worse than that of the 2008, but the results on May 5 proved that its move failed.

"Hence, should MCA pass a emergency resolution through its presidential council, central committee and general assembly to rescind the decision not to join the government?" today's issue of Sin Chew Daily quotes Chuah as saying.

He said although Najib could appoint leaders from Chinese associations and professionals to represent the community in the cabinet, they may not understand the demands of their community well.

Ka Chuan said the Chinese have the right to power sharing in the cabinet and that this could not be rejected by the MCA because of its electoral setback.

Associations also on dilemma's horns

The split over MCA's status in government has also become a cause for concern among Chinese associations.

Both the Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia (Huazong) and the Kedah Chinese Assembly Hall have urged the MCA, and Gerakan as well, to review their decisions, asking both parties to call for an EGM or central committee meetings as soon as possible.

Huazong deputy chairperson and Kedah Chinese Assembly Hall chairperson Cheng Lai Hock told Sin Chew Daily that the decision on government posts should be determined by all party members, not just by the president.

However, overturning MCA's previous decision, which has been endorsed not once but twice by party delegates at their general assemblies, may further degrade the party that has been rejected by Chinese voters.

This warning came from former MCA secretary-general Ting Chew Peh, who warned that the party would lose its credibility.

Ting told The Star that disciplinary action could be taken against party members going against the resolution adopted by the general assembly, MCA's highest decision-making body.

Those bent on taking up government positions, he added, could do so but must resign from the party first.

Current MCA secretary-general Kong Cho Ha, who was unhorsed by PKR in Lumut, today called on party members to stay calm and united.

He said the party would review the electoral results at its presidential council meeting on Saturday and members should not be quick to point fingers at certain leaders as this would tarnish the party's image and reputation.

Election 2013 results expose Dr M’s decline as a force

Dr Mahathir’s strong support base among the traditional, older Malay voters would likely be insufficient to win the votes for Barisan Nasional again. - File pix

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — Election 2013 has laid bare the declining influence of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a political force, an analysis of where and how he campaigned has shown.

The former prime minister campaigned incessantly but Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates whom he backed or shared his ideals - such as the controversial Zulkifli Noordin and Ibrahim Ali - all lost.

In Kedah - where his son Mukhriz is now Mentri Besar on the back of a BN victory - local politicians and observers have pointed out that voters gave PAS the boot because of poor governance by the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party.

Brand Mahathir did not win Kedah for BN, but it was rather a case of PAS losing the state, one senior Umno politician in Kedah told The Malaysian Insider.

Dr Mahathir’s attempt at painting the battle for Gelang Patah in Johor as a Malay versus Chinese battle also failed miserably.

Many analysts and BN politicians have said that his incessant playing of the race card for the Election 2013 campaign saw support for him deplete.

“He still has his niche group of supporters in the Malays, they wouldn’t simply demonise leaders whom they feel have been there for them long enough.
Abdul Rahman said Mahathir is not the PM of the day.
“But yes... at times, it may be true that his time is over. What he says, how he says it, may not have traction among the younger generation, in the urban areas. But let us not forget - he is not the PM of the day,” Sabah Umno secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan told The Malaysian Insider.

But other leaders were not so kind, believing the 87-year-old Dr Mahathir should finally enjoy his retirement and stay out of current day politics where they say he is fast growing irrelevant.

They said that in the age of social media politics, Dr Mahathir’s influence is waning quickly as Malaysians prefer the more liberal, moderate and inclusive brand of politics brought by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Dr Mahathir’s strong support base among the traditional, older Malay voters would likely be insufficient to win the votes for Barisan Nasional (BN) again.

They said that it would be the fast-growing urban, middle-class and young voters who will soon form a larger part of the electorate.

And going by the vote trend of Election 2013, it is this key demographic that BN must win over if it wants to return with an even stronger mandate in the next general election.

“I hope by looking at the analysis of the elections, he will realise that his time is over,” said Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

“He should leave the administration of this country to the new generation of politicians led by Najib.

“He has had his time and he has done tremendous things but his day in politics is over. Before he destroys his legacy, perhaps it is time to leave gracefully,” he added.

Election 2013 saw Dr Mahathir backing right-wing Muslim hardliners like Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali and vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Noordin but neither one emerged victor in their contest.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider recently, Shah Alam Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Nawawi M. Zin admitted that if Dr Mahathir had not campaigned in Shah Alam, BN may have earned more votes.
Rafidah agreed that the use of racism to win support should be rejected.
“On the whole, in the cities, I feel Dr Mahathir’s influence is no longer relevant as the issues he brings and his opinions do not really suit with the current generation, especially with his backing of Perkasa.

“Perhaps BN has to review this,” he said.

While his foes in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) made sure their leaders worked hard to eschew racism while on the hustings, it was race that dominated nearly all of Dr Mahathir’s speeches over the stretch of the 15-day campaign period.

He repeatedly singled out his long-time parliamentary foe Lim Kit Siang for leaving his seat in Ipoh Timor to contest the Chinese-majority Gelang Patah seat in Johor, calling the DAP veteran an “extremist racist” for allegedly attempting to sway the Chinese to hate the Malays.

“I will say it out as vocal as possible. Lim Kit Siang is a racist. Lim Kit Siang is a racist. Lim Kit Siang is an extremist racist,” he had said during a ceramah in Shah Alam three days before polling day.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insider recently, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, a veteran Umno leader who served under Dr Mahathir’s administration agreed that the use of racism to win support should be rejected.

Without singling out her ex-boss, the outspoken former Wanita Umno chief told The Malaysian Insider that racial diversity should be wielded as a strength and not a weapon to divide and rule.

“Gone are the days when we can become champions of a certain race. I never subscribe to it. We are Malaysians first and foremost.

“I am a Malaysian who happens to be Malay... but it is our Malaysian-ness that we carry proudly when we are out there,” she said.

Merdeka Center for Opinion Research director Ibrahim Suffian, however, noted that while Dr Mahathir’s methods had been rejected by the urban and middle-class electorate, the leader still commands a huge following among Umno’s traditional support base in rural, Malay Malaysia.
Wan Saiful insisted that Dr Mahathir should bow out from the political scene and make a graceful exit.
But he agreed the influence was not as far-reaching as Umno and Dr Mahathir himself may have estimated, noting that many Malay voters in these exteriors had also swung to the opposition.

“Voters are more discerning. They reject this brand of ethnic chauvinism,” he observed.

But Ibrahim said Dr Mahathir still has much influence within Umno, the BN lynchpin, a point that fellow political analyst Wan Saiful agreed with.

“I agree... but he is influential among only Umno members and when it comes to an election, what you need to do is not just to pursuade your own side,” he pointed out.

Wan Saiful insisted that Dr Mahathir should bow out from the political scene and make a graceful exit, saying this was necessary for the former prime minister to ensure his legacy as Malaysia’s ‘father of modernisation” is not marred by mistakes he may make today.

“Najib is the PM of today and Dr Mahathir is of yesterday. Najib has sensed the need to move into a different direction and this is what he is doing,” he said.

Agreeing, Ibrahim reminded of the vast changes in the flow of information in today’s political landscape, saying this had largely affected the results of Election 2013 and Dr Mahathir’s influence.

“There is that challenge because Dr Mahathir is used to running a country when there was no social media and the population was more easily controlled and was smaller.

“Today, you have a much younger generation who live in times when information is free-flowing. The environment has changed and with it, many of our leaders must change too,” he said.

‘CPO broke the law with his threat’

The PKR leader accuses Najib of using the police to divert attention from alleged election fraud.

PETALING JAYA: The police threat to use the Sedition Act against speakers at last night’s opposition rally is illegal, according to PKR vice president N Surendran.

“This is an unlawful, undemocratic and politically motivated threat,” he said in a media statement released today in reaction to a statement by Selangor police chief (CPO) Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah.

Surendran, who is a human rights lawyer, said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was “clearly” using Tun Hisan and Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ismail Omar to “divert attention from the massive electoral fraud and irregularities” allegedly carried out in the campaign and polling for the 13th general election.

He demanded that the authorities drop all sedition probes against Pakatan leaders who spoke at last night’s rally, which drew about 100,000 people to the Kelana Jaya stadium despite the bad weather and caused traffic gridlocks in surrounding areas.

He said it was “shocking” that the police were “once again” resorting to the “antiquated and undemocratic” Sedition Act 1948 in the light of Najib’s promise that it would be repealed.

“In July 2012, Najib promised the Malaysian public that the Sedition Act would be repealed,” he said.

“Najib has lied and misled the people by failing to do so. Worse, Najib continues to use this oppressive law to curb freedom of expression and democratic dissent.”

He warned the Selangor CPO that he was exposing himself to a charge of abuse of power in ordering the sedition probe and demanded that the IGP reveal “the full extent of the BN government’s involvement” in Tun Hisan’s decision.

He urged the police to maintain impartiality and professionalism in carrying out their duties.

“Why are the police wasting public resources monitoring opposition rally speeches? The police should be focusing on crime prevention and traffic control,” he said.

“During yesterday’s rally, traffic police failed to assist the public who attended. Was this done upon the BN government’s instruction?

“Those who undermine democracy must understand that they will eventually be brought to justice,”

Will Azmin’s move scuttle Anwar’s plan?

The question will remain if Azmin's decision – whatever it may be – is also a sideshow to keep BN distracted while Anwar gets defecting MPs to form the government.

PETALING JAYA: PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim has his hands full right now. In one hand he is fighting against Najib Tun Razak, Barisan Nasional and the Election Commission for ‘stealing’ the elections through fraudulent means.

On the other, he is said to be trying to pacify his most trusted aide Azmin Ali from not ditching the fight by walking out of PKR – all apparently because he (Azmin) is being overlooked again for the Selangor Menteri Besar’s post.

And most interestingly, on the third front, he is fighting against time to ensure he has enough BN members of parliament who are willing to jump ship so that Pakatan will have the numbers to form the government.

According to blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, Anwar is looking at “stealing a government” by having enough defectors to form a two thirds in the parliament!

First the Azmin saga.

For days now Azmin is said to be sulking over the reluctance shown by Anwar in naming him as the Selangor Menteri Besar, to replace Khalid Ibrahim.

Azmin is said to have the support of at least 17 out of the 22 divisions in Selangor, as well as the support of a number of party’s state representatives and PKR parliamentarians. But, the party leadership is believed to be in favour of Khalid for the top post. Likewise, both DAP and PAS have also indicated that they wanted Khalid to continue as the MB.

With this tiff going on, Azmin did himself no favour yesterday with a series to tweets which questioned the need for public rallies to protest against the election results. At one look, it appears as though the target of his ire is Anwar, who is the architect behind the rallies to protest against the “illegitimate BN government”. Azmin was the sole senior PKR leader who was absent at the rally in Kelana Jaya on Wednesday.

Anwar in fact is planning a nationwide series of public rallies to get the rakyat to support his call for the election results to be declared in his favour.

However by the time he starts his next rally, he may have lost his most trusted lieutenant – Azmin.

Azmin’s PC on Friday

Azmin is scheduled to hold a press conference on Friday morning, apperently to tell that he is quitting all party posts, as well as to stand down as the Gombak MP and the Bukit Antarabangsa state rep. He is however expected to remain as an ordinary PKR member.

Party sources said that his decision was made on Thursday following a meeting with the 17 PKR divisions who support him.

“He was in tears when he said that after being loyal to Anwar for more than 30 years, Anwar has decided not to support him as the Selangor MB,” said an insider who attended the meeting.

“He will resign from all posts but he will remain loyal to the party and Anwar,” said the insider.

Azmin too had said the exact words to Sinar Harian today: “I will not abandon this noble fight and will never betray the trust of the people who want change”.

FMT learnt that several senior PKR members had met Azmin to convince him to change his mind but he was adamant with his decision.

Another PKR elected rep said that there were at least 11 elected reps who were willing to “fight with Azmin”. The 17 divisions too, it seems, had told Azmin that they would stand by him.

However as a last ditch effort, the divisions had submitted an appeal to Anwar to seek his interference so that this matter can be solved amicably.

That means, Azmin being made the Selangor MB in place of Khalid. That would be a highly unpopular decision, and Anwar knows that, even if he bases it just on the support Khalid got from the 100,000 people at the PKR rally at Kelana Jaya.

Just a sideshow

This is not a distraction which Anwar and PKR need right now, especially when he is zeroing in to save the elections.

Raja Petra however claims that the rallies are just a sideshow to keep BN distracted as Anwar secretly negotiates with the BN members of parliament from Sabah and Sarawak.

“Pakatan needs at least 23 more parliamentary seats to form the federal government. 25 would be better. Then Pakatan Rakyat would have six more seats than Barisan Nasional.

“Anwar’s ‘war room’ masterminds are Dr Rahim Ghouse, Saifuddin Nasution, Johari Abdul and Azmin Ali. These are the people hatching all the plots and planning the strategies,” he wrote in his latest entry in his Malaysia-Today portal.

Raja Petra said that the horse-trading is now going on with Anwar making his offers “and Najib will have to counter-offer something better”.

“So we may yet see Anwar become the new prime minister if Najib cannot better Anwar’s offer and the members of parliament from Sabah and Sarawak crossover,” he wrote.

He added that for the plan to succeed, Anwar has to try to pacify Azmin to make sure he does not jump if he is not made the Menteri Besar of Selangor.

“If not then Anwar might as well abandon the negotiations because the crossovers from Sabah and Sarawak will be neutralised by Azmin and gang once they declare themselves ‘independents’,” said Raja Petra.

In this in context, Azmin’s press conference on Friday morning will be an interesting one to watch. However the question will remain if Azmin’s decision – whatever it may be – is also a sideshow to keep BN distracted while Anwar gets his MPs.

MIC polls long overdue

Party insiders claim that the party has been dragging its feet to call for its internal election, especially the presidential polls.

PETALING JAYA: The long overdue MIC presidential election must be held as soon as possible as the term of the current president has already expired, a party source revealed today.

The source, who declined to be named, told FMT that MIC held its presidential election in March, 2009 and four years have passed since.

“The MIC central working committee is silent on this. They can only hold party elections for other posts (deputy president, three vice-presidents and 25 central working committee members) after the presidential election. Before this the party must hold elections at the division level.

“It all came to a standstill due to the impending general election. The presidential election should have been held in 2012 but was postponed due to the general election. But no leader in the party is talking about the party election. The last party election was in 2009, one year after the 12th general election. Now, there is speculation that the polls would be pushed to next year.

“From then to now, no leader has come out and spoken about party polls. This is the problem in MIC. Everyone just wants to secure their position and sit on it forever. They do not give any thought to the wellbeing of the party,” said the source.

In the March 2009 presidential election, then party supremo S Samy Vellu retained the presidency for a record 11th consecutive term. He won the top post uncontested.

Under the party constitution, a presidential aspirant needs to obtain 50 nominations, with each nomination needing one proposer and five seconders, to be eligible to contest. All proposers and seconders must be branch chairmen.

The MIC president would be picked by about 3,700 branch chairmen nationwide in the event of a contest compared to other top national posts which are decided by some 1,500 divisional delegates who attend the party’s annual general assembly.

Samy Vellu, who was works minister before his defeat in the 2008 general election in his parliamentary constituency of Sungai Siput, had been at the helm of the largest Indian-based political party since 1979, when he became the acting president after the death of then president V Manikavasagam.

He stepped down in December, 2010 paving the way for current party chief G Palanivel to become MIC’s acting president.

Palani only acting president

“Palanivel’s presidency is now null and void. The last election was in March 2009 and the current term came to an end in March 2012. Even if the party’s central working committee extended the polls, it can only be delayed for a period of some 18 months after the expiry of the term. Even if this is done the presidential election must be held by September this year.

“So on technical grounds, Palanivel who is only acting president should call for fresh presidential election soon if he wants to stay on,” said the source.

A MIC central working committee member told FMT that the party’s highest decision making body only spoke about the presidential elections once or twice at its monthly meetings so far.

“The only time I remember is the committee decided to postpone the presidential and party elections after the general election… but after the elections can even mean next year,” he said.

Former MIC secretary general G Vadiveloo told FMT that the presidential election can only be postponed by the central working committee.

“It was supposed to be held in March this year but was postponed to June. I feel the presidential election should be held this year,” he said.

Proxy battle taking shape

Meanwhile, another proxy battle is taking shape in the party. Samy Vellu, who commands at least 45% support in the party, wants a new leader to replace Palanivel.

“Samy Vellu still commands good support in the party. He feels Palanivel has not done anything to improve the party. Samy Vellu has also picked another leader to take on Palanivel in the party election.

“Samy Vellu was pressured to leave after MIC only won three parliamentary and seven state seats. Now under Palanivel, the party just won one extra parliamentary seat but lost two more state seats. Is that improvement? Is the Malaysian Indian community turning its back on MIC and Barisan Nasional because of us? Sadly the answer to both these questions is a big ‘no’.

“The Indian community has come back, no doubt about that. A total 60% to 65% Indians voted for BN. This is because of Prime Minister (Najib Tun Razak) and not because of MIC or Palanivel,” said a MIC central working committee member.

He said MIC deputy president Dr S Subramaniam is the front runner for the party top post.

Subramaniam, who was the human resources minister prior to the polls, has proven himself to be a capable leader. He is also hailed as a hero after winning the Segamat parliamentary seat beating former MCA vice president and PKR Johor chief Chua Jui Meng.

It is an open secret in MIC that Samy Vellu was the one who brought Subramaniam into the party and rocketed him to national positions in no time.

It is also not clear when the party’s central working committee would meet next.

Police: Rally speakers may be charged

Selangor police chief Hisan Hamzah says he may pursue sedition charges against most of the 33 speakers at the rally.

KUALA LUMPUR: Police said Thursday that speakers at a mass rally led by Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to protest against alleged election fraud could face sedition charges.

The announcement was swiftly condemned by Anwar’s party as a “politically motivated threat” aimed at silencing opposition claims that last Sunday’s hard-fought elections were stolen by the ruling coalition.

Vowing to “never surrender” as he addressed a sea of supporters at a rally in a Kuala Lumpur suburb, Anwar late Wednesday announced that a series of protest gatherings would be held around the country.

During the rally attended by tens of thousands, dressed in black to protest at the election outcome, Anwar denounced the Barisan Nasional government of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak as “illegitimate”.

Selangor police chief Hisan Hamzah, told AFP he may pursue sedition charges against most of the 33 speakers at the rally. He would not confirm whether Anwar would be among them.

“This is a very serious offence,” he said, declining to give further details. Sedition carries a penalty of up to five year’s jail.

“This illegal police investigation is clearly intended to divert attention from the massive electoral fraud and irregularities that are being highlighted by Pakatan Rakyat,” a statement by Anwar’s party said.

Police had earlier threatened to arrest rally participants, but with tension high over the country’s closest-ever election result, no police were seen.

Anwar has battled Barisan since he was ousted from its top ranks in 1998 and jailed for six years on sex and corruption charges widely seen as trumped-up.

He called for another rally in Penang on Saturday, with more to follow around Malaysia.

- AFP

Race politics may stunt reforms

Najib's choices of cabinet members would be a crucial indication of whether his new government would try to appeal across ethnic groups or only to its Malay base.

By Stuart Grudgings

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s racially divisive election result has sparked a battle within the country’s ruling party that is likely to slow Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s drive to reform the economy and roll back policies favouring majority ethnic Malays.

Najib’s Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition retained power in Sunday’s election but the coalition lost the popular vote and turned in its worst-ever electoral performance as it was heavily abandoned by

the minority Chinese and rejected by many voters of all races in urban areas.

Najib was quick to blame the outcome on the swing by Chinese voters to the opposition alliance, putting a racial interpretation on the result that has struck a chord with traditionalists in his Umno.

Umno, which dominates Barisan, now faces a leadership election in October or November that is likely to be fought between traditional and reformist wings.

“The ideological lines have been drawn within Umno,” said Khairy Jamaluddin, a reformist who heads the party’s youth wing, in a posting on Twitter.

Any major reforms are likely to be postponed until the leadership is decided, although Najib has said he will push for national “reconciliation” and press ahead with a $444 billion economic masterplan aimed at attracting investment and doubling incomes by 2020.

Conservatives have blamed ethnic polarisation and Chinese “disloyalty” while reformists have urged Najib to expand steps to make Umno more inclusive beyond its base of poor, rural Malays.

Utusan Malaysia, a newspaper controlled by Umno, sought to portray Sunday’s election result in racial terms, with one headline saying: “What more do the Chinese want?”

Malaysia’s former and longest-serving prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a powerful figure in Umno, was quoted by local media as saying “ungrateful Chinese” and “greedy Malays” were to blame for the result.

“It may be the starting shot of what’s to come for Najib,” Oi Kee Beng, deputy director of Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said of conservative reactions to the result. “At the same time, I think he is their (Umno’s) best asset despite everything.”

Fraud

Najib also has to deal with a strong opposition that is claiming that Barisan won the election through fraud. On Wednesday, tens of thousands of opposition activists thronged a stadium on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur in response to a call from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“This is merely the beginning of the battle between the people and an illegitimate, corrupt and arrogant government,” Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, told the crowd, many of whom wore black to symbolise mourning.

Najib, the 59-year-old son of a former prime minister, had far higher approval ratings than his party in the run-up to the election and has few obviously strong rivals to replace him.

Taking power in 2009, he staked his fortunes on reforms aimed at spurring growth, increasing transparency and dismantling affirmative action policies.

But Najib’s ambitions have been curbed by conservative interests within Umno. He has failed to come up with major steps to roll back the ethnic privileges that are seen as having benefited an elite of well-connected Malays more than the poor majority.

The government does not provide an ethnic breakdown of the population, but Malays make up about 60 percent of the 28 million people, while Chinese comprise more than 25 percent. The

country also has a significant minority of ethnic Indians.

Barisan won 133 seats in the 222-member parliament, but only 47 percent of the popular vote, compared to the opposition’s 52 percent.

“The polarisation in this voting trend worries the government,” Najib said. “We are afraid that if this is allowed to continue, it will create tensions.”

But Barisan has also come in for criticism from younger voters for corruption and patronage politics that critics say have been the hallmark of its 56 years in power.

Wrong message

Liew Chin Tong, an opposition member of parliament from the southern state of Johor, said Najib appeared to be taking the wrong message from the election result.

“It was not just the Chinese who swung against Barisan Nasional. There were many young first-time and second-time voters who voted against the BN,” he told Reuters.

Najib now looks more vulnerable to traditionalists in his party who are opposed to his tentative steps to phase out the policies that favour ethnic Malays, introduced two years after traumatic race riots in 1969.

Those policies have been a pillar of Umno’s support but have been a prime cause of ethnic Chinese and Indian alienation and investors say they stunt growth and investment in Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy.

Najib’s efforts to roll back these policies and other politically sensitive reforms – such as the introduction of a consumption tax to reduce Malaysia’s dependence on oil revenues and lowering fuel and food subsidies to tackle a chronic budget deficit – could be put on the backburner for now.

“The outlook for direct investment will remain uncertain until it becomes clearer whether or not Najib’s reform-minded policies will continue,” HSBC economists said in a note after the result.

The opposition’s Liew said Najib’s choices of cabinet members in the coming days would be a crucial indication of whether his new government would try to appeal across ethnic groups or only to its Malay base.

“His comments on the Chinese is rhetoric,” Liew said. “What we need to see is who he will include in his cabinet. Will it be made up of Umno extremists or younger members from the middle ground? We also have to see if he will include the Chinese.”

Reuters

Post-GE13: Where do we go from here?

Praba Ganesan, The Malaysian Insider

Most Malaysians want Pakatan Rakyat to rule the country. Until the next general election, Barisan Nasional (BN) will have to stomach this fact. Your mission, as the people or better said — the boss of this land — is to remind BN at every possible interval that that’s the score, that’s the reality. Fifty-two per cent of Malaysians want Pakatan Rakyat to govern.

The big question therefore is when will PRU-14 happen?

But before all that can we all stand up and applaud each other? Smile at your fellow citizen with pride and thank them for having the conviction in our democracy. Thank them for the love they have in abundance and willing to share.

Eighty-four per cent turnout at a GE is just phenomenal even if the 93 per cent show-up in some voting rooms (saluran) does give the eerie feeling that even the dead are not quite dead in Malaysia.

You gorgeous — living — people stood in the rain and sun, waited for your right without compromise and said to BN that we will not cower, we will not waver, and left with the message etched on the walls of the centres we voted in, that if we have to we will show up again to vote. The time to ignore us is over.

I’m writing here at Stadium Kelana Jaya as an expectant crowd builds up in the rain to hear Anwar Ibrahim speak for the first time at a rally after the polls.

EC has to do a Houdini

The Election Commission (EC) does not have a leg to stand on anymore. The indelible ink was a lie. In 2008 they said the ink’s integrity was in doubt, so they did not use it. On Sunday, after eight years of debate, pleading, meetings, conventions and delegations, the EC showed that it truly don’t really care what so many citizens want, a free and fair election.

Millions of key witnesses can bear testimony that the EC tried to deceive the public about the ink being indelible. It all washed and it washed off quick.

And five days prior to election, on the day of early votes, hundreds bold enough to speak out and risk their lifespan as men and women in uniform said the ink failed.

The EC pooh-poohed them and insisted that it was just about shaking the bottle more. The sheer arrogance of just telling everyone off was and still remains an alarming statement on the state of free and fair elections here.

Second, the postal and early votes gave only 10 per cent support to Pakatan. Even in 2008 it was 20-30 per cent and this time Pakatan was promised that the process will be improved in order to include media and overseas voters, and less coercion on the men in uniform and their family members.

But in the end a record low was registered. How? Are we to think that with less coercion, and an overwhelming number of Malaysians abroad already saying openly that they voted Pakatan and critical media employees, nine out of 10 of them voted for BN?

And more and more horror stories will be arriving and the EC it appears to me is buying time, hoping that my countrymen cannot remember or just get distracted with their own lives to realise that the body given the job to protect their democratic rights went to do the exact opposite.

No explanation will do, and that the EC chief has not been sacked is proof that Najib Razak is not for free and fair elections.

He is prime minister, and the EC is under him not Parliament. He speaks of reconciliation, therefore he must back his statement by axing the man who failed the democratic needs of the people Najib governs now.

Time for Malaysian leadership, Najib.

 READ MORE HERE

Azmin Ali not giving in, says MB should not be "lame duck"

(The Star) - The next Mentri Besar of Selangor should not be a “lame duck” who allows himself to be led by others, said PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

The lame duck reference is seen as an indirect hit at Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim who has been endorsed by DAP and PAS for the top post.

In the past, Azmin has been reported to be upset at being overlooked for the mentri besar's post.

Speaking to reporters at the PKR headquarters after meeting Selangor PKR leaders, Azmin said Selangor should be led by someone decisive and with a clear vision, given that Pakatan Rakyat won the general election by an overwhelming majority of 40 seats against Barisan Nasional's 12 seats.

Azmin, re-elected as Gombak MP and Bukit Antrabangsa assemblyman in Sunday's polls, said he would “reveal all” about the state of affairs in the party at a press conference on Friday.

He intends to address the issue of nepotism in PKR and what happened during the Permatang Pauh by-election in 2008.

Malaysian Premier Seeks Unity With Plan to Bolster Economy

 

Mr. Najib, center, met with his ruling coalition in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia—Newly elected Prime Minister Najib Razak said he would press ahead with a multibillion-dollar modernization program for Malaysia's economy, adding that he hoped it would help reunite the Southeast Asian nation after the most fiercely contested election in its history.

Mr. Najib's National Front coalition secured around 60% of the seats in Sunday's ballot, but the vote was heavily split between Malaysia's thriving cities, which largely voted for opposition parties, and rural, mostly ethnic-Malay areas that threw their support behind Mr. Najib, the 59-year-old son of Malaysia's second prime minister.

Many of Malaysia's ethnic-Chinese minority, which makes up about a quarter of the population, also switched to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's People's Alliance, leaving Mr. Najib's coalition ruling the country with 47% of the popular vote, compared with 50% for its opposition rivals, who allege that electoral fraud swung the result against them. The remaining 3% represented votes for independent candidates or spoiled ballots.

In his first remarks to the international media following the election, Mr. Najib told The Wall Street Journal in an interview on Tuesday that expanding the size and scope of the country's economy would help draw support back to the National Front, which has run the country uninterrupted since independence from Britain in 1957.

"My next task is to harmonize the racial makeup of Malaysia," he said.

Mr. Najib had launched a series of economic and social overhauls before the election, rolling back parts of a decades-old affirmative-action program designed to raise incomes among the generally poorer ethnic-Malay majority. Now, he says, he aims to accelerate a $444 billion plan in public and private outlays to help increase local consumer spending and make Malaysia more competitive against wealthier rivals such as South Korea and Singapore.

"There are those who will expect a bit more because they voted for you, but you still have to keep things in balance," Mr. Najib said.

His spending program, known locally as the Economic Transformation Plan, is a bid to drag Malaysia out of the so-called middle-income trap, which forces many emerging economies to compete with each other in producing cheap exports instead of developing more-sophisticated, value-added products.

In previous interviews, Mr. Najib has talked widely on this theme, describing his goal to push Malaysia onto a higher-growth path as the main focus of his administration.

The plans include investing in new industries such as health care and strengthening its logistics and energy capabilities. Mr. Najib is also hoping for a further lift after earlier easing some race-based quotas and repealing a repressive colonial-era security law that allowed for detention without trial.

The British-educated aristocrat's approach is a more modest version of overhauls than those pushed on the campaign trail by Mr. Anwar, who is 65 years old and contesting what he said would be his last election. The prime minister's chief rival argued for a "big bang"-style transformation that would remove affirmative action and replace it with a more-inclusive welfare system, along with immediately freeing up the country's heavily state-influenced media.

Mr. Najib's election win buoyed financial markets, and the prime minister viewed their response as a stamp of approval for the direction he is trying to take the country. The benchmark stock index rose 1.4% to a record 1776.73 on Tuesday, after surging 3.4% on Monday, while Malaysia's ringgit currency gained 1.9% against the dollar in the first two trading days of the week.

"I was happy to see the market strengthen so much. The word is out that Malaysia is now on the 'buy' list," he said.

Still, many political analysts described Sunday's vote as polarizing, deepening many of the divisions that run through Malaysia, as the well as the gulf between those who have benefited from years of rapid growth, and those who have been left behind.

Some government controlled-newspapers harped on these differences Tuesday, with the daily Utusan Malaysia blaming ethnic-Chinese voters for abandoning the National Front and reducing its number of seats in the 222-member parliament to 133 from 140.

Tensions were stoked further as Mr. Anwar, the opposition leader, called for a mass rally at a sports stadium in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday evening, where he says he will provide evidence of electoral violations he says cost his opposition alliance the election.

Among other things, Mr. Anwar complained in an interview earlier Tuesday about National Front operatives allegedly flying in foreigners from nearby countries to vote in closely contested districts and discrepancies in the electoral rolls.

"We can't stand down. We must fight," Mr. Anwar said, adding that aims to file court cases and press election regulators to hold new ballots in dozens of disputed constituencies—a process that could take months if the regulators and courts choose to act on the opposition's complaints.

Mr. Najib dismissed Mr. Anwar's allegations, questioning the opposition's claims that 40,000 people with dubious voting credentials were moved by airplane into and around the country.

"That would take hundreds of planes. Where were they?" Mr. Najib asked.

He, did, however, acknowledge the divisions in the country suggested by the results of Sunday's election and emphasized the need to pursue polices that are fair and inclusive.

"We need to reach out to others," Mr. Najib said. "That's why I spoke about national reconciliation and moderation" after the election win, adding that once the drama of the elections and their aftermath have passed, the country would find a more even keel.

"We always do," he said.

Write to James Hookway at james.hookway@wsj.com

DAP Open To Suggestions On Chinese Representation In Government - Kit Siang

KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (Bernama) -- The DAP is open to suggestions on the need for Chinese representation in the government and will respond to them later, advisor Lim Kit Siang said here Thursday.

"There seems to be a lot of suggestions and proposals. We (will) give them time to come out with suggestions. We will wait and see," Lim told a press conference when asked to comment on calls for the DAP to join Barisan Nasional (BN) to ensure Chinese representation in the government.

Former information minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin yesterday said this would obviously be difficult for DAP and BN and their supporters, but needs to be done in the interest of harmony and political stability in the country.

MCA central executive committee member Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan in an interview with Sin Chew Daily yesterday said the DAP can represent the Chinese community's interest at federal government level.

In 13th general election (GE13), BN won 133 parliamentary seats out of the 222 at stake to again form the government with a simple majority, while Pakatan Rakyat took 89 seats.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who took his oath of office as Prime Minister before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Monday is short of Chinese candidates for his new Cabinet.

This is because BN component the MCA, which only won seven of the 37 parliamentary seats contested has decided to forgo Cabinet representation.

Meanwhile, Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn said the party will not follow the MCA by rejecting all government posts.

Gerakan won only one parliamentary seat and three state seats. It had contested in 11 parliamentary and 31 state seats nationwide.

The Kelana Jaya Stadium event (Video)