Why some civil servants reject BN

A former senior civil servant responds to Khairy Jamaluddin's question.

FMT

PETALING JAYA: It’s their sense of duty to the nation that makes some civil servants refuse to vote for Barisan Nasional, according to Ramon Navaratnam, a former secretary-general of the Transport Ministry.

He said this was not a new phenomenon, but added, “This trend could be gathering momentum.”

Navaratnam was responding to a question that Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin raised in a recent TV interview.

“The minister rightly suggests a study of this serious phenomenon,” he said in a letter to FMT. “But I could readily respond to the minister.

“Civil servants are permanent employees who generally have a dedicated and professional pride to serve God, King, Country and the Rakyat, with a long term perspective and a sense of service. On the contrary, most politicians tend to look forward mostly on a short term basis, until the next election.

“Hence the more committed civil servants tend to have more serious concerns with the growing scourges of corruption, wastage, politically motivated projects and programmes and poor management practices and cronyism, etc. Hence civil servants react unfavourably to what many politicians preach as they notice the difference between the practice and the preaching. They witness first-hand how many politicians often make generous promises, but fail to deliver.”

However, he added, it would be incumbent upon civil servants to obey government decisions.

“Civil servants, regardless of their political affiliations, must faithfully implement government decisions once they are made, without fear or favour. They should also not distort policies through dubious practices and act as Little Napoleons. Those who sabotage government policies should be severely dealt with for all to see and for the people to respect the government itself.”

He called on the government of the day to respect the political views and preferences of civil servants and not politicise the civil service “for its own long-term survival” and to work for the sake of “sustainable national stability, progress and the people’s well being”.

Bold appeal

Navaratnam, who is currently the Chairman of the ASLI Centre for Public Policy Studies, praised Khairy for speaking of the “need to respect the political views of civil servants”.

“I am sure the 1.4 million civil servants in our country will welcome this unique and bold appeal from a serving minister to protect the dignity and integrity of the whole public service,” he said.

“It is essential that the civil service, particularly at the most senior levels, should be free and independent of partisan politics. While they may have their own political and party affiliations, they however cannot and should not bring to bear their political preferences on their policy advice and in the implementation of public policies.

“They should not indulge in petty party politics. Neither should they be subject to political pressures, to do the bidding of politicians without regard to the national and public interest.

“Unfortunately, there has been some tendency to encourage civil servants to be loyal to the political parties that form the government, in order that civil servants be regarded as ‘loyal civil servants’. This should not be the case, as indicated by the Sports Minister, quite sportingly.

“A civil servant can be a loyal public servant and yet not be a political party member or supporter of the ruling government. However some political leaders do not see this subtle difference. They privately label some civil servants as disloyal if they are members or supporters of opposition political parties. They can lose out on promotions and favoured postings if they are deemed to be non-government party members or supporters. This is an unhealthy attitude which has and can erode the independence and integrity of the national institutions, like the civil service, the police and even the judiciary and other bodies.

“Thus, I agree with the minister that no civil servant should be forced to support the political party that the government represents. If and when this happens, the morale and self-respect and dignity of the civil service could be adversely affected.

“This loss of morale can be reflected in the poor performance and inefficiency in the civil service. Worse still, it can cause the decline and even the downfall of the government apparatus and institutions. So please don`t politicise the civil service.”

Fewer than half Malaysians trust the government, study shows

(Malay Mail Online) – Malaysians grew more suspicious of Putrajaya this year with just 45 per cent saying they trust their government, a study has revealed.

Malaysia’s neighbours in Indonesia and Singapore, however, recorded higher trust levels in their government, the study by global public relations firm Edelman showed, with 72 per cent of those polled in the former nation saying they trust their government while 70 per cent in the latter said they felt the same about theirs.

But, the 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer released yesterday also revealed that Malaysians were not alone in how they felt towards their leaders, noting the same trend in other countries around the world.

“There has been a startling decrease in trust across all institutions driven by the unpredictable and unimaginable events of 2014,” Edelman president and CEO Richard Edelman said in a statement.

“The spread of Ebola in West Africa; the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, plus two subsequent air disasters; the arrests of top Chinese government officials; the foreign exchange rate rigging by six global banks; and numerous data breaches, most recently at Sony Pictures by a sovereign nation, have shaken confidence,” he added.

The vanishing of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370, which carried 239 people on board, in March last year saw contradictory statements being issued by Malaysian authorities.

Questions were also raised on why the Malaysian military failed to report its sighting of the commercial plane on radar when it deviated from its Beijing-bound flight path and flew across the Malaysian peninsula.

According to the Edelman study, Malaysians’ trust in the government dropped nine percentage points from 54 per cent last year to 45 per cent this year.

The study said the government remained the least trusted institution globally for the fourth year running, with trust levels below 50 per cent in 19 out of 27 countries.

The Edelman study also showed Malaysians having lower trust this year in three other institutions measured — media (46 per cent), business (67 per cent) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (67 per cent).

Malaysians’ trust in the media have dropped even more, by 13 percentage points from 59 per cent in 2014 to 46 per cent this year.

Edelman’s survey of 27 countries also showed increasing trust in online search engines at 64 per cent this year, along with deteriorating trust in traditional media at 62 per cent this year for general news.

The study further showed online searches as the first source for general information, breaking news and for validating breaking news on business.

According to the study, the millennials trust digital media more at 72 per cent, compared to 64 per cent for traditional media.

Malaysians’ trust in NGOs dipped slightly from 75 per cent last year to 67 per cent this year, while their trust in business dropped from 72 per cent in 2014 to 67 per cent this year.

Malaysians’ average trust in the institutions of government, media, business and NGOs declined from 65 per cent last year to 56 per cent this year.

The Edelman survey sampled 27,000 respondents from the general population and 6,000 people from the informed public in 27 countries, including the US, Australia, China and Sweden, among others.

Has Zahid Hamidi been caught red-handed telling another lie?

By Lim Kit Siang Blog

I applaud the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein for his prompt response and clarification that he had never written a letter stating support for any individual to the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) now or during his time as Home Minister.

Hishammuddin was asked about this today, as I had issued a statement last Friday asking previous Home Ministers, in particular Zahid’s predecessor Hishammuddin as well as former occupants of this key post like Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Datuk Azmi Khalid to “speak up and clear themselves and to put the record straight” whether they had also written clarification letters to FBI has Zahid had done.

This was because Zahid had made the astonishing claim in his statement last Thursday when trying to exonerate himself from any wrong in his infamous letter to the FBI vouching for the character of alleged gambling kingpin Paul Phua, standing trial in Las Vegas, Nevada for illegal gambling, that previous Home Ministers before him had also written such clarification letters.

Has Zahid been caught red-handed telling a lie, unfairly, unjustly and dishonourably implicating other Ministers whether of this administration or previous regimes?

To be frank, I never believed that previous Home Ministers had behaved like Zahid, writing unilaterally to the FBI, without the knowledge or the police or the Inspector-General of Police at the time, contradicting earlier police reports to the FBI, as well as without the knowledge or clearance from the Foreign Ministry.

This would be the conduct of a disgraceful and shambolic government, with Ministers acting in so indisciplined, wild and arbitrary fashion, betraying and disgracing the national trust imposed on them in their appointment as Home Ministers in the Cabinet.
It is pertinent to note that Zahid used the plural of “Home Ministers” and not the singular, which means more than one, of his predecessors who had penned letters like what he had done.

Hishammuddin has denied.l What about the others – Hamid Albar, Mohd Radzai, Azmi Khalid? Probably, we should go further back which will rope in Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Tun Mahathir Mohamad as previous Home Ministers?

Zahid had already told untruths about the Cabinet having approved his infamous letter to the FBI, as Wisma Putra had clarified the Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Anifah Musa’s statement that the Cabinet only “heard” and not “accepted” Zahid’s explanation.
Zahid should be reminded of the axiom that if a person tells a lie, he would have to tell a thousand lies to cover up the original line – which seems to be the dilemma Zahid has put himself in.

Be that as it may, national interests demand that the whole truth about Zahid’s infamous letter to FBI to vouch for the character of the alleged gambling kingpin must be fully revealed, or Zahid should expect to be impaled on the issue in the March meeting of Parliament.

Najib told to sack half of his ministers

The Federal Cabinet is as disastrous as the floods, says Umno critic.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Cabinet has proven to be a disaster, a popular blogger and Umno critic has declared.

In his latest blog entry, Shahbudin Husin notes that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has had to order holidaying ministers to return immediately to take part in handling the crisis brought on by heavy flooding in the East Coast.

They should have been sensitive enough to cut short their overseas vacation at the first sign of a crisis and without having to be told, he says.

“That they need to be summoned back like ducks that have forgotten their nests is as much a disaster as the floods and the loss of flights MH370 and MH17,” he writes.

He says the ministers, some of whom he names, apparently do not care that Najib needs them not only to assist in managing the flood crisis, but also to help improve the battered image of his administration.

“Only by dismissing at least half of the ministers and replacing them with trustworthy new faces will it be even possible for Najib to bring back a little shine to himself, Umno and BN so that they can maintain their power,” he says.

“If he’s still reluctant to throw them out, he, together with these useless ministers, should prepare to pack up and go.”

He says it is disastrous that Malaysia is saddled with ministers who do not seem to understand that their primary task is to serve the people.

He notes that it was only on the second day of his return that Najib directed the ministers to cut short their holidays “in London, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai and China”. This was probably after he realised that only a handful of ministers were in the country, he adds.

Shahbudin says the errant ministers include those eyeing the Prime Minister’s position, such as Umno vice presidents Zahid Hamidi, Shafie Abdal and Hishammuddin Hussein.

“Similarly,” he adds, “Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who is considered by some to be the second echelon candidate for the Prime Minister’s position, has also disappeared without a trace to the extent that posters proclaiming his absence are strewn across social media.”

He says there are only a handful of ministers in the country and it’s the same faces who are struggling to help flood victims in the various states.

Umno, BN Must Be Seen As Symbols Of Nation's Future - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 (Bernama) -- Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) must be seen as entities which symbolise the nation's future, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib, who is also Umno president, said Umno and BN must also be seen as modern, progressive, inclusive and just, which had not strayed from the original struggles.

"Justice is a principle of Islam...everything that we do, its thrust is justice. Being just to Muslims and at the same time, to non-Muslims, too," he said in a special interview with the newspaper, Mingguan Malaysia which was published today.

In the interview published in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly 2014, Najib said there was an erosion of values in the party, arising from a generational change.

He said where previously, the Malays were materially poor but rich in spirit, today they were wealthy but poor in the spirit for struggle.

"If we do not revive this spirit, it will be difficult for us to mobilise Umno as a political party which is dynamic and has an image which can convince the people," he was quoted as saying in the report.

The prime minister said leaders of the component parties should also carry out a transformation in their parties to get the people's support.

"They should also transform their parties, and at least in the MCA, there is a new leadership which is ready to move in that direction," he said in the interview.

'Why not say Chinese are 'rich' due to BN?'

 

Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek has questioned Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari for saying the BN is responsible for the plight of Penang’s poor Malays.

Instead, he questioned why Zairil did not say that the state’s Chinese are ‘rich’ due to BN’s previous administration.

As such, the Kemaman MP said the statement by Zairil  was biased and racist in nature.

“Why say the problem of the Malays in Penang was inherited from BN’s administration? Why didn’t he (Zairil, left) say that the success of the Chinese was from BN’s success?

“But I know that he will say that the Chinese are successful because they are good and smart and that the Malays are the way they are because the government is at fault.

“His statement shows how shallow he is and the statement was biased and racist,” Shabery told a press conference today.

He asserted that individuals like Zairil only "hide" behind organisations which are “racist without racism” as they claim they are not racist, yet there are racist elements in the policies they champion.

“These kind of people hide behind meritocracy but are actually racist. ‘Racist without racism’ is something that needs to be scrutinised as it happens everywhere."

Shabery last week was quoted by Umno Online, as saying that a "particular state" was hiding behind the policy of meritocracy in order to subtly discriminate Malays.

Zairil in his response, said the Pakatan government in Penang does not purely promote meritocratic policies but also needs-based policies.

Stop BN blame game, Guan Eng told

Penang Umno says the Penang CM should be man enough to accept some blame that PR has failed to rectify the island’s many issues.

FMT

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Umno today said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should stop blaming the previous Barisan Nasional administration whenever controversial issues popped-up pertaining to state governance.

Its chief Zainal Abidin Osman said Lim could not go on hiding behind a “blame game on BN” since Pakatan Rakyat had been governing the state for six years already.

He pointed out that Penangites rejected BN in the past two general elections as punishment of the previous administration’s mistakes.

Saying Penangites had now given PR the mandate to govern the state, it was unprofessional of Lim to continue using BN as a shield to fend off criticisms and escape responsibility and accountability.

He also accused Lim of not being man enough to admit his administration’s own shortcomings.

Zainal, who is also the state BN deputy chairman, pointed out that prior to the 2008 general election, DAP and PKR had heavily criticised the previous BN administration on 12 major issues and rallied the people to change the state government.

However he said that from BN’s observation, the issues “not only remained unresolved but had become worse.”

Among the issues were graft, cronyism, flooding and a host of other issues like housing, hillside development, traffic congestion and high parking rates among others.

At the state party liaison committee meeting that Zainal was charing today, Penang Umno also decided to fully back the state government’s application to the federal government to upgrade Penang Island’s status from current municipality to city.

“A city status for Penang Island would bring more benefits to all,” said Zainal.

Gerakan wants BN to act on 'extremist' members

Gerakan has urged all BN parties to follow its lead to suspend any member who makes 'extremist' remarks at annual general assemblies.

He said BN parties must do so following Gerakan's immediate action of suspending Johor delegate Tan Lai Soon for calling Malays 'pendatang' (immigrant) at the party's AGM last weekend.

"We have to take action immediately especially since Gerakan does not want to see any leaders from other BN component parties making racist or extreme remarks during their annual general meetings.

"We will urge party leaders to take immediate action on its members who make such remarks," Gerakan secretary-general Liang Teck Meng said at press conference today.

Liang (left) was speaking in general terms, but the only major BN party yet to hold its AGM is Umno.

Earlier a proposal was made at a division level Umno AGM for the abolition of vernacular schools to be discussed at the national general meeting. This prompted an outcry including from Gerakan.

While debating the Gerakan president’s policy speech on Sunday, Tan said: "Let me make the positions of Malaysians clear: Malays, Chinese and Indians were all pendatang, except the Orang Asli, Sabahans and Sarawakians, who are the original bumiputera."

The following day, Gerakan issued him a show-cause letter, urging him to explain his position within 14 days, failing which, he will be expelled from the party.

Zero tolerance

Under pressure from its members unhappy over the suspension, Liang today said the move was in line with the party constitution.

Liang explained that it was only natural for a member to be suspended pending investigation by the party's central working committee.

He also reiterated that Tan's (below) remarks were wholly against they party's stand.

"I want to stress that no race should be labelled as pendatang. What Tan said goes against the party's stand," said Liang in a press conference today.

He also recalled the case of then Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Ahmad Ismail who called the Chinese 'pendatang' in 2008.

"Penang Gerakan Youth wanted to leave BN over his statement. As a result, he was suspended for three years over his remarks."

Asked if this breaches Tan's freedom of speech, Liang argued that even the Parliament has its standing orders.

He also said he is "surprised" that the DAP, which promotes multiculturalism, supports Tan's remark.

“I cannot tolerate it and I feel offended if they want to claim everyone is pendatang," he said.

If only Putrajaya’s words ever come true

If only...

* Words count for something in Malaysia, then the cloud of pessimism that envelopes the country would long be gone.

But words have a hollow sound here, especially when they emanate from higher the political ladder.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak rightly said that political leaders must lead the way with moderation. And then came the letdown.

He said Barisan Nasional and Umno leaders rejected all forms of extremism. Really? Is Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi still a member of Umno? What about Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin?

What about the collection of Umno division chiefs who have pressured the authorities to use the Sedition Act as a dragnet to silence legitimate dissent in "moderate" Malaysia?

Extremism takes many forms. Some extremists use explosives to make a point, others use race and religion to divide and rule, and cling to power.

If BN and Umno truly believed that Malaysia is a multiracial and multi-religious country, then it would not provide coverage for the likes of Perkasa, Isma and the increasing number of small but incendiary government-friendly NGOs.

If BN, Umno and Najib truly rejected extremism, then it would not use some cockamamie reason not to haul up someone who threatened to burn the holy book of another religion.

Words must count for something whether the venue is the United Nations, the Gerakan AGM or a ceramah in a kampung.

If only...

* Gerakan would grow some spine, it would not be skirting with irrelevance across Malaysia. Their delegates today roared in approval at PM Najib's speech and a couple of their leaders grumbled about the caustic remarks and racist tones in social media.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. Nothing. Datuk Nicol David did not become a world champion by sitting around doing nothing. Malaysia did not become football also-rans by chance.

The heady cocktail of incompetence, lack of grassroots development and the weak mental strength of our football players have all contributed to the disgrace on the pitch.

Similarly, the angry comments by Facebook users, on Twitter and other social media platforms did not happen by chance.

It is the result of a slow boil over a laundry list of issues, from endemic corruption to plunder of the country's resources, world-class joke of an education system, hollowing out of once-trusted institutions and hopeless politicians.

Malaysians are frustrated over the direction the country has been going for some time now.

They feel a need to vent, to shout and be heard. They would love if their elected representatives could feel the pulse of the nation and carry the message of despair to Putrajaya.

Instead, they have apologists for a decrepit and depraved system.

Instead, they have politicians more interested in keeping their YB status, having a bodyguard, a driver and all the perks of public office. – October 19, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/if-only-putrajayas-words-ever-come-true#sthash.SAS7mzSY.dpuf

MP BN ditertawa bangkit 'kereta perisai' Lim

PAS Ulama Told To Advise Members Against Slandering BN

Tan Sri Muhyiddin YassinTUMPAT, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- Ulama or religious scholars in PAS have been told to advise their party members to cease slandering the government and the Barisan Nasional (BN) which have proven themselves by developing the nation according to the Islamic model.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said PAS did not stop slandering the government which has done much for the people when PAS itself has not done anything especially for Kelantan residents.

"I am asking PAS to stop the defamation against the government and BN for the sake of the people. Enough is enough with the slander.

"I am telling religious scholars in PAS to advise party members to stop defaming BN and the government," he said when giving a talk at the Pengkalan Kubor BN community Service Centre here Friday night.

Also present was BN Pengkalan Kubor by-election machinery director Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

Muhyiddin, who is BN deputy chairman, said among the biggest slander by PAS was that the federal government did not pay petroleum royalty amounting to RM12 billion to Kelantan.

"This defamation is one big lie. Even though this issue should not be raised as the matter is still with the court but we have to explain as the royalty issue was being used by PAS in its campaign and talks," he said.

Muhyiddin said BN was actually not worried with the issue played by PAS especially in this by-election as the issue used by PAS is not true.

He said PAS had to resort to slandering about royalty solely to influence voters to garner votes in the by-election.

"Some may believe what PAS said and as such we are forced to defend ourselves to explain the truth," he said.

He said PAS needed to look at the success of the country especially in Islamic banking which received global recognition.

"Another example is how Tabung Haji manages pilgrimage to Makkah which was participated by PAS members themselves to fulfil their pilgrimage," he said.

According to him, the ability of the country to achieve 6.4 per cent growth was far better than many countries, he said.

Muhyiddin called on Pengkalan Kubor voters to think wisely on who actually developed the constituency all this while if it is not the federal government.

"Look at PAS which is good in making promises such as building highways and others and they remain good at such empty promises.

"We at the federal government would not dare to make such promises if there were no funds but the PAS government can make empty promises with impunity," he said.

The by-election is a three-cornerned fight between Mat Razi Mat Ail of BN, Wan Rosdi Wan Ibrahim of PAS and independent candidate Izat Bukhari Ismail Bukhari.

It is being held following the death of incumbent Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar of BN on Aug 20.

In the 13th general election, Noor Zahidi defeated PKR candidate Saharun Ibrahim and Izat Bukhary (Independent) with a 1,736 vote majority.

BN is still under the colonial yoke

After 57 years of independence the country has not moved forward but backwards.

The irony seems to be lost on the BN government that on the day we celebrated 57 years of independence, it was using pre-independence laws that had been concocted by the old colonial power to defeat the anti-colonial struggle, especially the Malayan workers’ movement.

These laws include the Societies Ordinance that is being used against the PPS in Penang, and the Sedition Act used against elected members of Parliament and even a “moderate” senior academic!

The Societies Ordinance goes as far back as 1889 when the British colonial power enacted the law to deal with a radical working class as well as an anti-colonial nationalist movement.

The Ordinance was used to register and deregister unions at the behest of the colonial power during the turn of the century when the Malayan working class was being progressively unionised.

An example was the Pineapple Cutters Association which was registered in 1908 but was deregistered in 1913. (Hua Wu Yin, “Class & Communalism in Malaysia”, Zed Press, London, 1984:84)

During the strikes by estate workers just after the Second World War, the United Planting Association of Malaya urged the colonial government to enforce the pre-war Societies Ordinance in order to control the unions.

Then as the struggle by the workers and anti-colonial forces gathered strength against the Federation of Malaya proposals in 1948, the colonial authorities enforced the registration of all unions under the restrictive 1940 Societies Ordinance.

Among the clauses of the Act, government employees were not allowed to join unions of non-government employees, an obvious attempt to divide the workers’ movement. The Societies Ordinance was again used by the colonial power to deal with the Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions which was leading the unions in the country during the 1940s.

Through its recent actions against NGOs and community groups, the Malaysian government has violated the right to freedom of association by regulations requiring that any society comprising seven or more people be registered by the Registrar of Societies.

As in colonial times, the home affairs minister has absolute discretion to declare a society unlawful if he believes it would prejudice the “security of Malaysia” or “public order or morality.” The Registrar of Societies may refuse or cancel the registration of a society on similar grounds.

In 2012, at least six government agencies were ordered to investigate Suaram to see if we had illegally circumvented registration. We were accused of being “foreign agents” and even suspected of money laundering. However, after six months of exhaustive investigation by those agencies, such accusations were proven groundless.

Today, while the country is feeling increasingly insecure with the failure of the security forces to maintain law and order, the Home Minister and the ROS have misplaced their priorities by deciding to use colonial methods on the PPS in Penang and threatened to do the same with PAS’ Unit Amal.

Likewise, the most recent charging of MPs and even a “moderate” academic under the colonial “Sedition Act” is an affront to the Merdeka spirit. Starting from the sentencing of Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar to 30 months jail for allegedly publishing seditious material in 2007, this shows bad faith by the Najib government when the prime minister had already pledged to repeal the Orwellian Sedition Act just before the 13th general election.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak himself had been quoted as saying that the Sedition Act represented a “bygone era” and would be replaced with a new law to prevent incitement of religious or racial hatred in an effort to protect civil liberties:

“We mark another step forward in Malaysia’s development. The new National Harmony Act will balance the right of freedom of expression as enshrined in the Constitution, while at the same time ensuring that all races and religions are protected,” Najib said not too long ago.”

Sedition laws in most Commonwealth countries have been repealed because they have been seen as an infringement on freedom of speech and a tool of colonial political persecution. More fundamentally, a truly independent post-colonial nation tries its best to discard all the repressive apparatus of the shameful colonial era.

The recent arrests of politicians and an academic puts us back at least 50 years into the dark colonial period. And just when I was about to join the Movement of Moderates, they go and charge one of my favourite moderate heroes for sedition. Maybe we are in the era of zombies for, as Frantz Fanon warned us in the Wretched of the Earth:

“Zombies, believe me, are more terrifying than colonialists.”

Kua Kia Soong is a Suaram adviser

Muhyiddin: BN Selangor will back Khalid

BN will support Khalid "without any conditions".

PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional Selangor will back Khalid Ibrahim in the event of a no-confidence motion being tabled in the state assembly.

A Bernama report quotes BN deputy chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin as saying that BN supports Khalid “without any conditions”.

He also said that BN’s Selangor assemblypersons will vote for Khalid if a vote of no confidence is called against the Menteri Besar (MB).

BN has 12 assemblypersons in the Selangor legislative assembly. To command majority support, Khalid will need all 15 PAS assemblypersons to back him.

Meanwhile PKR and DAP are questioning Khalid’s claim that he had the confidence of the majority of the assemblymen.

In a joint statement today, PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and DAP Selangor chief Tony Pua said Khalid should call an emergency sitting of the state assembly for a vote of confidence to prove that he indeed had the support of PAS and Umno assemblymen.

Earlier today Khalid said the Sultan of Selangor has consented to him continuing as MB as he still commanded support of the majority of assemblymen.

‘Component parties can stay or leave BN’

Umno MPs say it is not necessary to discuss hudud with non-Muslim parties as they do not know anything about the Islamic law.

PETALING JAYA: MCA’s call for action to be taken against two ministers for their support on hudud did not go down well with Umno MPs. One MP rejected outright the need to discuss hudud with non-Muslim BN component parties.

“As Muslims, we cannot go against hudud. Umno does not reject hudud.”

“We also cannot blindly support PAS as we want to know whether PAS intends to add their own interpretation of hudud,” said Kinabatangan MP, Bung Mokhtar Radin.

“MCA’s call for action to be taken against the Minister in Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs, Jamil Khir Baharom and the International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed is not right,” he added.

Bung said that it was not necessary for Umno to consult BN component parties when the party has already decided to go ahead with the formation of a national technical committee.

“What’s the point of consulting with non-Muslim component parties when they know nothing about hudud apart from the chopping-off of hands?” he said.

Decision made without consultation

Yesterday, MCA Wanita chief Heng Saie Kie had called for action to be taken against the two ministers who had declared their support forhudud implementation, the Islamic criminal penal code, in Kelantan.

“I strongly urge the BN whip to take disciplinary action against the cabinet ministers and they should be directed to leave the joint technical committee, with Kelantan PAS government, immediately.

“It is disappointing when two BN Cabinet ministers had not only expressed their support towards PAS’ Hudud Bill but also announced their participation in the technical committee to review the implementation of hudud law in Kelantan,” Heng had said in a press statement.

She revealed that the decision to form the national technical committee on hudud had been made unilaterally and without consulting BN component parties.

At the beginning of this year, Jamil had announced that the federal government would support any state government wanting to implement hudud law.

Following this, PAS-led Kelantan government announced its intention to implement the law in the state and was supported by Kelantan Umno led by Mustapa.

The state government wants to table two Private Member Bills that would provide for the establishment of a Syariah Special Court and a Syariah Special Appeals Court.

The Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 is also expected to be amended. Both bills are slated to be tabled in September.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had proposed the formation of a national technical committee on hudud.

In the latest development, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu recently announced that the party would postpone their plans in Kelantan, pending the outcome of the national technical committee’s findings.

It doesn’t concern the Chinese

The Padang Besar MP Zahidi Zainul Abidin has also echoed Bung Mokhtar’s views over the issue.

“MCA has no right to comment on Umno’s role on matters concerning hudud laws. Hudud is not a matter that concerns the Chinese,” he said.

In response to Heng’s claim that it was not right for the national technical committee to be formed without the consensus of BN component parties, Zahidi said that “MCA should perhaps rethink their membership in BN”.

“If they want, they can decide whether or not to remain in BN,” he said.

Najib Reminds People Against Changing Government Arbitrarily

KUANTAN, April 10 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Thursday reminded the people against moving to arbitrarily change the government of today.

He said the government of today had proven that it could implement the change and development that the people desired.

"Let's not change the government (of today) just because we want a change; more importantly, we want change and progress. Why must we change if the (Barisan Nasional) party can fulfil and implement the change and progress?" he said at the presentation of land titles for the Seri Damai Collective Land Scheme near Kuantan.

Najib said there was a possibility that what the people hoped for could not be fulfilled if they were to go for the change.

"We must know the ultimate outcome," he said.

Najib, who is the MP for Pekan, said many countries where the government had been overthrown by the people did not achieve the desired outcome.

He said the people should maintain their trust in the government of today to help realise the government's mission to make the country a developed nation by 2020.

At the event, the prime minister handed out land titles to 167 participants. Each individual received a 0.4-hectare plot.

The Seri Damai scheme was initiated in November 1985 along with 36 other schemes in the Kuantan district.

Will Pakatan save Barisan for the next 10 years?

If historical pattern of Umno’s revivals after 1990 and 1999 can be of any guide for the future, Umno is now deprived of its first favourable condition: policy or leadership change.

Wong Chin Huat, Fz.com

MANY people will celebrate this coming Saturday as the 6th anniversary of the 2008 Political Celebration.

For Malaysians who want regime change, March 8 is the most commemorative date on the calendar because it gives them hope, or in the words of writer Kee Thuan Chye, it was “the day Malaysia woke up.”

March 8 six years ago was the day the Opposition parties, for the first time after 1969, denied the ruling coalition its customary two-thirds, and first time ever, rule a host of five states. It was the day many Malaysians discovered that their votes actually could make a difference.

But the very reason why March 8 is so widely commemorated by Pakatan Rakyat and Civil Society is also really because they cannot celebrate May 5, the day that is supposed to end Umno’s 59/51 years rule of Malaya/Malaysia.

In other words, every celebration of the greatness of March 8 is an unspoken mourning over the failure of May 5.

So, how many more years will the Malaysia democrats celebrate most grandly the March 8 near-miss because they cannot celebrate regime change?

How did Umno/BN rebound from near-misses?

The answer may lie with Pakatan Rakyat: PKR, PAS and DAP.

Lest we forget, 2008 was not the first time Umno and BN escaped their defeat. In fact, it was the third, after the 1990 and 1999 abortive attempts. Each time, Umno and BN bounced back stronger than before.

In both the 1990 and 1999 episodes, three things happened: change – of policy or leadership – in BN; break-up of the opposition coalition; and, seat increase and constituency redelineation.


1. Change in BN Policy/Leadership

Conventionally, the First-Past-The-Post electoral system forces political parties to win the middle ground voters. Hence, electoral set-backs will often lead to change of policy or leadership to restore a party’s popularity or voters’ confidence on it.

BN followed this rule in 1990 when the opposition won 47% of votes, and some 70% support amongst Chinese voters. But it managed to secure majority of Malay voters west of Banjaran Titiwangsa because Tengku Razaleigh wore a Kadazan traditional headgear with a crucifix-like pattern. That became the evidence he sold out the Malay-Muslims to Kadazan-Catholics.

To win back the Chinese voters, within four months from election, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad dished out Vision 2020 and introduced cultural and educational liberalisation, which paved way for significant increase in Chinese support of BN for the next three elections.

In 1999, BN secured the support of the Chinese who were largely afraid of another 1969-style post-election riot as well as an Islamic State should PAS come to power. But the Malays were polarised by Mahathir, whose sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was seen by many Malays as tyrannical and un-Malay.

To save Umno, Dr Mahathir retired on November 2003. In March 2004, his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called a fresh poll and won a 91% parliamentary majority.


2. Break-up of Opposition Coalition

Umno/BN’s revival requires the Opposition coalitions to break-up so that middle-ground voters can be convinced that Umno/BN is the only electable party to run the country.

Some misunderstood that the opposition parties were more disunited than the BN parties. The actual fact is that coalitions are much built by the benefits and prospects of staying in power.

That’s why Umno schisms in both episodes would lead to formation of opposition coalitions which were respectively led by Razaleigh’s S46 and Anwar’s Keadilan.

When the opposition coalitions lost the elections without even denying BN’s two-third majority, the incentives to hold the opposition parties together disappeared.

After 1990, PAS pushed Hudud Law in Kelantan, S46 became more Malay nationalistic, and DAP soon quitted the opposition pact. And PAS and S46 too fought in Kelantan before Razaleigh’s troop rejoined Umno.

After 1999, PAS pushed Hudud Law in Terengganu, while PKR with Anwar in jail couldn’t do much, not long after the 911 Incident, DAP again called it quit.

And of course, disarrayed oppositions made BN naturally appealing, especially after policy and leadership changes respectively.


3. Seat Increase and Constituency Redelineation

While the above two factors are well-known, few realise the BN’s rebound was amplified by seat increase and constituency redelineation in the Peninsula that happened before the next election.

The 1994 redelineation was packaged with an increase of 12 seats in Peninsula, leading to a net of six more seats allocated for Umno to contest.

While Mahathir’s BN was no doubt way more popular in 1995 than in 1990, DAP and PAS were shortchanged in the Peninsula by constituency redelineation.

In 1990, DAP won 20 seats (then 15.15% of the Peninsula’s total) with 18.04% of votes, yielding a vote value of 84%. To get the concept of vote value, think of vote analogously as a bank note, DAP could only get RM 0.84 worth of goods with a RM1 note.

By 1995, its vote share dropped by about one third to 12.13%, but its seat dropped sharply to only 8 (now 5.56%), yielding a vote value of 46%. In other words, the value of a DAP vote was almost halved.

Similarly, despite a slight increase of vote share from 7.79% to 8.45%, PAS found itself still winning only seven seats in a larger pool. The value of a vote for PAS dropped from 68% to 58%.

Abdullah’s 91% parliamentary landslide in 2004 was BN’s largest since Independence but his vote share, 63.85%, was only the second highest. Mahathir bagged the highest vote share of 65.16% in 1995 but only 84.38% of seats.

How did Abdullah do better than his predecessor? Again, his magic is in seat increase and constituency redelineation.

The Election Commission under Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman helped him with an increase of 26 seats in the Peninsula and Sabah (including Labuan) in 2003.

In 1995, Mahathir’s BN won 65.27% of votes in these two regions, which was translated into 82.42% of their total seats, yielding a vote value of 126%. By 2004, Abdullah’s BN won 90.05% of seats with 63.72% of votes, yielding a vote value of 1.41.

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Court throws out polls petitions against Zahid

The New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi retained his Bagan Datoh constituency when the Election Court yesterday dismissed election petitions by PKR candidate Madhi Hasan and voter Azmi Sulaiman.

Judge Datuk Hasnah Mohammed Hashim ruled that the court agreed with the preliminary objection raised by Zahid that the petitioners' allegations of electoral corruption against him were not supported by sufficient facts.

"There cannot be mere conjecture. The petitioners must be able to state the facts (supporting the allegations) clearly."

Hasnah cited the example of Madhi failing to prove that there was a nexus between Zahid and one R. Supramaniam, who allegedly gave RM100 and five bags of rice to influence a Bagan Datoh voter named Mustofa Saifudin.

In prior proceedings, Madhi had argued that the illegal practice by Supramaniam, who he alleged was Zahid's agent, took place on April 19 last year, a day before nomination day.

On Azmi's allegation that Zahid gave money and rice to 24,000 Barisan Nasional party workers to ensure his electoral victory, Hasnah said Azmi had failed to identify any of the party workers involved.

After Hasnah dismissed both petitions, she ordered Madhi and Azmi to each pay RM25,000 in costs to Zahid.

Madhi said he would discuss with his lawyer on whether to file an appeal.

Putrajaya condoning racial and religious tension, says Ambiga

 

The Church of Assumption at Lebuah Farquhar, Penang, where a Molotov cocktail bomb exploded at its compound on Monday morning. A former Bar Council chief says the Najib administration should take a firmer stand against those inciting racial and religious tension in the country. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain – January 29, 2014.

Putrajaya is condoning the raging racial and religious tension in the country, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said last night, hitting out at the prime minister for not taking firm action to stop those inciting hatred among Malaysians.

The former co-chairman of electoral reform group Bersih 2.0 said Datuk Seri Najib Razak , together with the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, have the power to stop the escalating tension.

"This situation between the races is being condoned by the leadership. That's my inference because as far as I am concerned, you can stop it and if you don't, you are condoning it," she said at a forum organised by DAP in Kuala Lumpur.

Criticising Najib, who had called on Malaysians to remain calm after a month of high tension, Ambiga said he should have taken firmer action by warning those who incited religious and racial tension that they would face the full brunt of the law.

Najib and his government, the former Bar Council chief said, should set the tone and standards and make a firm stand of zero tolerance towards those who incited racism and hatred.

"That's what he should say instead of asking people to 'keep calm'. That's nonsense."

The senior lawyer expressed concern over Putrajaya's lack of decisiveness in dealing with those who stoked racial and religious tension, saying this had emboldened irresponsible groups.

"These groups have become bolder because they know they are beyond the law, they can say or do anything they want and nobody touches them.

"That's what I am concerned about and it is created by the country’s leadership,” she told a crowd of about 50 at the DAP headquarters.

As such, Ambiga welcomed Pakatan Rakyat's offer to Barisan Nasional for a bipartisan dialogue to cool down the current temperature, but noted if the talks failed to take off, then the opposition pact should hold a special meeting and invite the public to participate and give their views.

"Let them set the agenda for the country and show leadership because we have a leadership void and someone has to fill it."

She said there was nothing to lose if the government accepted the offer, noting that instead, it would show that there was leadership in the country.

"There is nothing to be afraid of, nothing's wrong with talking and listening, that's what makes a fine leader."

Ambiga called on Malaysians to take a stand and say "in the strongest term" that they did not tolerate any provocative acts.

"Speak up! If you do not speak up against it, then you condone it. You are part of it, you are encouraging it."

Veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, who was also at the forum, said he was afraid of another May 13, 1969 racial riots, not because he had experienced it, but because he did not want to see the country in ruins.

"Everyone will suffer and the country will go down the drain. So yes, I am afraid of May 13 and I am not ashamed to admit it," he said, adding that no one benefited if the country was in an upheaval.

Tension reached a high when two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the compound of the Church of the Assumption in Lebuh Farquhar, Penang, two days ago.

One of the bombs exploded while the other fell on the grass and did not explode in the incident which occurred early Monday morning.

Initial police investigation revealed two men on a motorcycle committed the crime.

The day before, a number of banners, which read "Allah is Great, Jesus is the son of Allah", were hung outside five churches in Penang – the Victory Lutheran Church, St John Britto Catholic Church, the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the Church of the Assumption on the island and the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Butterworth.

The churches have denied they put up the banners and have lodged police reports over the matter.

Tension between Muslims and Christians has been on a high since 2009, after the Home Ministry banned the Catholic weekly Herald from using the word “Allah” in its Bahasa Malaysia section.

In 2010, several churches nationwide and a Catholic school were attacked at the height of the “Allah” controversy, following the High Court's ruling which overturned the ministry's ban on the use of the word “Allah” by the Herald.

The Metro Tabernacle church in Kuala Lumpur suffered the worst damage after arsonists torched its premises in Desa Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, leaving its ground floor destroyed.

The church subsequently moved to a new building in Batu Caves.

In August 2010, the Sessions Court found siblings Raja Muhammad Faizal Raja Ibrahim and Raja Muhammad Idzham Raja Ibrahim guilty of the arson attack. – January 29, 2014.

Why BN’s losing support – by Dr M

(FMT) The former PM blames liberalism, saying it goes against “fair sharing” of power and wealth.

PETALING JAYA: Support for the Barisan Nasional (BN) started going downhill after the 2004 election, when it began bowing to popular demand to adopt a more liberal attitude in politics and economics, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

“In other words, the idea of fair sharing of political power and economic wealth between the different races was terminated,” he wrote in a blog article.

“But in the 2008 elections it was manifestly clear that the BN had lost popularity instead. It scored less than two-thirds for the first time since 1969, gaining only 140 of the 222 seats.

“The pro-sharing Malays were dismayed but despite changing their leader, they found that the trend towards liberalisation remained.

“The belief of the new leadership was that Chinese support would come back if the sharing policies of the NEP were not implemented. Despite obviously rejecting the sharing principle, support for the BN did not return.”

He said DAP dangled before the Chinese the possibility of having both political and economic dominance and this was deemed possible because the Malays had split into three parties and each one of them needed Chinese support in order to win.

“The Chinese had the deciding vote and were in a position to give victory only to those who believe in throwing out the sharing concept.

“The slogan coined ‘Ini kalilah’ was used to indicate that political power could be wrested from the BN and the opposition would form the next government. This opposition government would discard the sharing principle.

“Many non-Malay supporters of the BN component parties were convinced that by withdrawing their support the BN would lose and so would the idea of sharing political and economic power between the races.”

Dr Mahathir said BN managed to scrape through with a reduced majority principally through the support of Malays and other indigenous peoples.

He said race relations in Malaysia were now “tense as never before” and he blamed liberalisation and a weakened government.

“The people show no respect for the government,” he added.

“Malaysians by and large are not violent people. But for how long can Malaysia remain stable in the face of persistent violation of the good understanding and the sharing of power between the races.

“Malaysian, be they Malays, Chinese, Indians or natives of Sabah and Sarawak, must banish from their minds the idea of racial dominance. This country must be shared and shared fair by all the races.”

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia was multiracial in the true sense of the word with Malaysians retaining their identification with their countries of origin or where their forebears came from.

“In no other country with a large number of citizens of foreign origin do we see this retention of previous identities,” he said.

Cordial Ties Between Federal And State Governments Important For Development

JOHOR BAHARU, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said cordial relations between the federal and state governments is crucial for national economic development.

He said Iskandar Malaysia was the best example where the cordial relations between the federal government and the Johor state government had benefited both parties.

"Iskandar Malaysia had so far attracted accumulated investments valued at RM131 billion of which 45 per cent had been realised.

"This is the result of the close relationship that had been established between the federal and state governments. Following infrastructural expenditure of RM8 billion, we managed to attract RM131 billion in investments with 554,000 job opportunities being created since 2006 until today," he said.

He said this in his speech at the dinner, 'Bingkisan Medini' and the official closing of the Annual Programme of the Malaysian BN Elected Representatives Wives 2013/2014, here Saturday night.

The dinner, held at the residence of the Johor Menteri Besar, was also attended by the president of the Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers Charitable Organisation (Bakti), who is also the prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman.

Also present were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin and wife, Datin Seri Rosni Omar in her capacity as president of the Welfare Organisation of the Wives of Johor State Assemblymen (Juita).

Meanwhile, Najib said that the wives formed the pillar of strength for the BN elected representatives and they played a role as the antidote to their emotions and sentiments.

"There are many who support us intellectually, but the antidote to our feelings and emotions, who support and understand us so that we can become effective elected representatives are our wives.

"If you (elected representatives) are a happy and satisfied individual, then you will be happy to serve the rakyat," he said.

Meanwhile in her speech, Rosmah said that the annual championship programme had succeeded in achieving its objectives especially in forming a consensus and instilling cordial sentiments.

She also praised the quality of the championship which had improved each year.

The four-day championship was participated by 560 competitors from 14 contingents who competed in badminton and bowling.