Heavy rain did not hamper HINDRAF Thaipusam Charriot procession
Monday, 1 February 2010
Photos: Batu Caves Thaipusam ” HINDRAF Makkal Sakthi Special Chariot Procession “
Anwar reveals attempts to court PKR MPs
By Adib Zalkapli and Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian InsiderPETALING JAYA, Jan 31 - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today admitted that there were attempt to get PKR lawmakers to abandon the party by Chinese New Year, claiming that the move was made with the backing of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Anwar alleged that several MPs, including Indera Mahkota’s Azan Ismail and Yusmadi Yusof of Balik Pulau, have been contacted by a Parti Cinta Malaysia official Huan Cheng Guan and Malaysian Ambassador to the United States Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis, who urged them to leave PKR.
“Because they did not entertain, the amount of money was never discussed,” said Anwar after the PKR central committee meeting.
Both Azan and Yusmadi were at the four-hour meeting.
Anwar said he has yet to meet Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim, who is said to be leading a group of would-be defectors.
“I will only meet him next week but when I met him before the outburst I did not sense any unhappiness,” said Anwar.
Zahrain, who called Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng “dictator” and “communist-minded”, has been referred to the PKR disciplinary committee.
Azan Ismail
“I received the calls and messages immediately after my announcement last week,” he said.
Azan added that he did not know the person who called but alleged that he received short text messages from Jamaluddin.
“I didn’t know at first but later I found out it was him.”
He added that he never entertained the calls once he knew the conversation was heading towards an “offer” for him to leave PKR.
“I ended the calls because there would be no benefit to either them or me,” he said.
When a nobody is Umno Youth chief
The answer: Rumblings among his exco members about the “lack of direction” and his “leadership” skills grows louder by the day.
Question: What happens to an Umno Youth chief who suffers from the perception that he does not have a direct line to the Prime Minister?
Answer: Exco members aligned to his rivals push the view that he is incapable of furthering the interest of the movement.
Question: What happens to an Umno Youth chief who cannot match the right-wing rhetoric and posturing of more hardline Malay leaders in the party or non-governmental organisations?
Answer: He finds his fitness and ability to lead the wing being questioned by his enemies or their agents.
This is where Khairy Jamaluddin finds himself today. Several blogs and websites have reported that he is in danger of becoming a casualty of a mutiny by Umno exco members or is under seige from exco members unhappy with his leadership.
The Malaysian Insider understands that several exco members asked Khairy some tough questions over the past few days, several linked to his lukewarm ties with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and several about his inability to deliver the goods for wing members.
At this stage, there is little possibility of Khairy being forced out as youth chief. The reasons: he also has his supporters in the exco and the party does not have the appetite for another election.
But there is little doubt that this is an uncomfortable time for the son-in-law of former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. His statements condemning attacks on places of worship and his more moderate stance has put him at odds with the hawks in Umno.
Perhaps more disadvantageous for Khairy has been his inability to dish out contracts or largesse to his hungry men. His supporters have always felt that without a position in the administration and the absence of a protector in the shape of Najib, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin or other senior Umno officials, Khairy would be hard pressed to satisfy exco members and youth wing members who need cash payments or contracts to oil their operations.
An Umno Youth official told The Malaysian Insider: “A lot of exco members are hurting. They have spent funds on their political careers and need help financially. In such a situation, they expect their leader to be the benefactor.”
In Umno as in other political parties, only those with power are feared and revered. Unfortunately for Khairy, he is suffering from the perception that since he does have the ear of Najib or Muhyiddin, he is a leader without power. This perception has emboldened several of his exco members to take pot-shots at him and discredit his leadership publicly.
The attacks are likely to cease after Najib meets the Umno Youth exco next month. But this will only come as respite for the youth leader who does not have what his members respect: the power and the ability to dish out largesse.
Pakatan to activate disciplinary committee
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (left) speaking at Pakatan Rakyat’s Presidential Council meeting press conference today. — Picture by Jack Ooi
PETALING JAYA, Jan 31 — Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced today that Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) disciplinary committee has been asked to meet soon to address various issues affecting the three party coalition.
The move was announced after a PR presidential council meeting and was made amid various internal bickering among its leaders.
“We have asked that the disciplinary committee that was formed to convene as soon as possible to ensure smooth cooperation between PR leaders at every level and to handle other disciplinary matters,” said Anwar.
The Malaysian Insider understands that the PR disciplinary committee was formed after the beer dispute between two Selangor executive councillors, Datuk Hasan Ali of PAS and DAP’s Ronnie Liu, last year.
The committee consists of two senior leaders from each PR party.
Earlier today Anwar announced that Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim will join Zulkifli Noordin and Datuk Zaid Ibrahim to face the disciplinary committee.
Zahrain had called Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng “dictator” and “communist-minded”, while Zaid had criticised the party for not taking action against Zulkifli who lodged a police report against PAS MP Khalid Samad over the “Allah” row.
Zahrain is also said to be leading a group of would-be defectors from PKR to help Barisan Nasional (BN) regain its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Today’s two-hour PR presidential council meeting was also attended by PAS’s Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and DAP’s Lim Kit Siang.
Meanwhile Lim said he accepts PKR’s decision to refer Zahrain to the disciplinary committee.
“The incident in Penang is a great concern among the people, today’s meeting was a full and frank discussion and we fully respect PKR’s right to take disciplinary action,” Lim told reporters.
The DAP veteran had called for the formation of PR disciplinary committee soon after Zahrain’s outburst.
Anwar backs Guan Eng, Zahrain to face disciplinary action
PETALING JAYA, Jan 31 – PKR de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic) today took steps to paper over cracks in his Pakatan Rakyat coalition by declaring his support for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and sending his critic to be disciplined.
Anwar said Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, who called Lim a “dictator” and “communist-minded”, will join another PKR MP, Zulkifli Noordin, and Datuk Zaid Ibrahim to face the disciplinary committee.
“We reject and condemn his views on the Penang chief minister,” he said, adding that Zahrain’s attack was uncalled for.
The Oppositon Leader added that Zaid, who criticised the party leadership for not taking immediate action against Zulkifli, will also have to explain himself to the disciplinary committee.
“Some of us have called for immediate actions, but here in PKR and Pakatan, we have to adhere to the party constitution and allow due process to take place,” said Anwar, adding that he hoped that the committee would convene as soon as possible.
He also said The DAP-led Penang government had also given PKR a list contracts awarded by the state to dismiss Zahrain’s claim that the state government has been unfair in awarding contracts.
“It is not that we don’t like to be criticised, it is ok to criticise, but it is not right to attack Guan Eng calling him dictator, chauvinist, communist as he has always consulted others, sometimes he reviews his own decision, but at the end of the day, he is the Chief Minister,” said Anwar.
DAP leaders have responded to Zahrain claims saying that the former Umno man was unhappy as a company linked to him has failed to secure a government contract.
Zahrain is also said to be a leading a group of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs who intend to help Barisan Nasional (BN) regain its two-third majority. He denied the allegation.Pig head attack: At least 10 people give statements
SUBANG JAYA, Jan 31 — Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said at least 10 people had been called to give their statements to police over the dumping of four severed wild boar heads at two mosques in Petaling Jaya last week.
He said those who had their statements taken included members of the mosque committees. However, he declined to reveal their identities.
“Police are also looking at the recordings from the closed-circuit television cameras installed at the mosques and toll plazas nearby to trace the individuals responsible for dumping the boar heads at the mosques,” he said after launching the “Safe Balik Kampung, Safe Home” campaign, here, today.
He said police had some leads but they could not be divulged so as not to disturb the investigation.
Last Wednesday, two wild boar heads wrapped in plastic bags and a pail containing RM30 in RM1 dominations were dumped in the compound of the Jumhuriyah Mosque in Taman Datuk Haron, and two more boar heads and similar amount of money were also left at the Al-Imam Al-Tirmizi Mosque in Taman Sri Sentosa between 5am and 6am. The two mosques are about 2km away from each other.
On claims that police had deliberately disrupted an aid handing-over programme organised by the Selangor government in conjunction with the Thaipusam celebration in Batu Caves last Friday, Khalid once again refuted the allegation.
“What happened that day was that the police had to order the organisers to dismantle the stage which was set up right smack in the middle of the road as this would cause traffic congestion and public inconvenience, as well as risk their safety.
“Don’t twist the facts as we did not demolish anything. We just ordered them to dismantle the stage as the road area would also be used by the kavadi carriers and other devotees the next morning.”
“We did not prevent them from handing over the aid (to welfare bodies and Tamil schools in Selangor). But why didn’t the organisers discuss with the temple committee to hold the function in the temple area, which is more suitable for such an occasion?”
Asked on Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s purported intention to file a suit against the police for their alleged disruptive action, the state police chief said Abdul Khalid could go ahead with it, but the police had no political agenda and had only considered public order and safety that night.
“We received complaints from the public about the stage put up right in the middle of the road as they felt it would disturb their Thaipusam celebration,” he said.
Earlier, Khalid advised those who wish to return to their hometown or go out-station during the Chinese New Year holidays to fill the police notification form to facilitate monitoring and crime prevention. — Bernama
One month to decide Zulkifli and Zahrain's fate - Malaysiakini
The PKR disciplinary committee has given itself one month to decide on the actions which will be taken against two of its elected representative - Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim) and Zahrain Mohd Hashim (Bayan Baru).
However, he denied that the lenghty time frame meant that PKR was being lackadaisical, on the contrary he reiterated that the matter is being taken seriously.
Anwar also said PKR strongly rejected Zahrain's attack on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and regarded his outburst as a deplorable act.
He added: "The disciplinary committee had already convened its first meeting to discuss the matter. We listened to views (during the meeting) that desired stern and quick action.
"However, in PKR and Pakatan Rakyat we have rules as well as a party constitution, which we must follow.
The Permatang Pauh MP also revealed that there were complaints about Pakatan coordinator Zaid Ibrahim (above) for his criticisim of the leadership, and the disciplinary committee has begun investigations into the allegations against the former de-facto law minister.
'Umno enticing PKR reps'
Anwar also revealed that Umno is mounting a campaign to 'entice' several of PKR's parliamentarians, including Indera Mahkota MP Azan Ismail and Balik Pulau representative Yusmadi Yusof.
He said Umno's enticement initiative is being led by former minister Jamaludin Jarjis and Parti Cinta Malaysia leader Huan Cheng Guan.
"But because Azan did not entertain them, no mention was made about how many millions (he was being offered)," he added.
According to Anwar, Azan has been contacted by several times on his hand phone to entice him to leave the opposition party.
"The enticements, the plans to seize Selangor, to indict its MB Khalib Ibrahim, to buy over MPs and state assemblypersons are part of a plan to be carried out before the Chinese New Year, to take advantage of the two week lull during the festivities," said Anwar.
Met by Malaysiakini after the meeting, Azan confirmed the alleged 'enticement' but said that he will not make a report to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Committee (MACC) because he viewed it as just a "friendly" invitation.
Huan, meanwhile, refuted Anwar's claims and denied he had ever asked Zahrain and Yusmadi to join PCM.
He admitted that both of the Penang PKR' MPs are his 'good friends' and kept contact with each other to 'minum teh'.
As for Azan, Huan said this was the first time he had touched base with him just to ask about his welfare.
"Just because I'm in contact doesn't mean that I'm asking them to join PCM. Same applies when they call me. It doesn't mean they are asking to join PKR," said Huan.
'Umno supreme council can act against Ku Li'
Kelantan Umno liaison committee chairman Mustapa Mohamed said only the Umno Supreme Council could determine he action to be taken against Gua Musang division chief Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who had stated a stand contrary to the federal government's on the payment of oil royalty to Kelantan.
"It (the decision) is not within the jurisdiction of the Kelantan Umno. Only the Supreme Council can decide on the action to be taken against Tengku Razaleigh," he said.
compassionate fund.
Following that statement, Prime Minister and Umno president Najib Abdul Razak said the party leadership would scrutinise Tengku Razaleigh's speech made to a gathering at the Sultan Mohammed IV Stadium in Kota Baharu.
At a special meeting with the Pasir Puteh Umno Division in Pasir Puteh last night, Mustapa said the Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee would meet Najib to discuss and propose projects to be implemented for the people of Kelantan with the compassionate fund.
Mustapa had said recently that the federal government would provide RM20 million in compassionate fund to Kelantan, which was five per cent of the revenue from oil and gas production offshore Kelantan in 2008.
- Bernama
The government sends me a message
They wanted me to know that this is not a robbery. And they also left me a ‘message’. What this message means is not too clear at this stage but the knives and scissors they left all over the place appears to be telling me something, whatever that is.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, my senior in the Malay College Kuala Kangsar and a senior member of Umno’s Disciplinary Committee, wants me to return to Malaysia and, according to him, ‘be a man’. He promised me his eternal respect if I do that.
I cannot guarantee I will get his eternal respect if I do that. I can, however, guarantee I shall not be sleeping at home if I surface. I will either be living in the Sungai Buloh Prison -- while awaiting trial on most likely more than a dozen criminal charges that would include crimes of sedition (probably six different charges), criminal defamation (three charges), the Official Secrets Act (probably four of five different charges), the Multimedia Act, etc. -- or I will be living in the Kamunting Detention Center under ISA detention without trial.
We can safely assume that my many trials will take many, many years (especially when you include the appeal to the Appeal Court and Federal Court) and that I will be sitting in jail without bail while the whole process unfolds. Remember Irene Fernandez? Her trial took almost ten years.
So it really does not matter if in the end I win or lose my case. The sentence would probably be six months to 18 months for each charge. Even if I win my case I would still have spent many years in jail. And if I lose my case and get sentenced to jail I would walk out that same day because I would have already served my sentence anyway. And the remand I would suffer would be longer than the jail sentence.
In other words, it would be easier to plead guilty and get a shorter sentence than plead innocent and then win my case while spending an even longer period in jail.
Megat has guaranteed me a fair trial. He has also indicated that the government can guarantee my safety and that nothing will happen to me.
Megat may want to reconsider that offer. Last night, some people broke into my house in Sungai Buloh. They managed to disable the alarm system and break the door to get in.
But nothing was stolen, not even the box of coins. They ransacked my cupboards and went through all my documents. They were definitely looking for something (or wanted to leave something) and were not interested in stealing anything. My TV, DVD player, etc. were not touched. Neither were the other valuables in the house.
They wanted me to know that this is not a robbery. And they also left me a ‘message’. What this message means is not too clear at this stage but the knives and scissors they left all over the place appears to be telling me something, whatever that is.
I can imagine me sleeping in prison and my wife alone at home not knowing when they will come again to fulfil the ‘message’.
Thank you very much Megat but no thanks. Your people sent me a message last night. Knives and scissors placed all over the place probably mean something, though I am not sure exactly what. Or maybe a bomoh (witch doctor) was at work and this is the ‘charm’ that was planted in my house. That is a possibility. They can’t get me legally so they are trying to finish me off with black magic. Hmm…that’s a thought.
Anyway, to hell with your message, Megat. My message is better. Umno’s and Barisan Nasional’s days are numbered so enjoy these last days of your regime while you still can. The day we march into Putrajaya will be the day of reckoning. And I will make sure I make your people swallow those knives and scissors they left in my house last night.
Zahrain, Zulkifli and Zaid to face PKR disciplinary board
(Harakah Daily) - To avoid any accusations of bias or favoritism, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said PKR leaders Zaid Ibrahim and Zahrain Mohd Hashim would also have to appear before the party's disciplinary committee and face the music alongside their controversial colleague Zulkifli Noordin.
Anwar, who is also the PKR adviser, slammed Zahrain, the Bayan Baru MP, for his verbal attacks against DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guang.
“It is not that we don’t like to be criticized,” Anwar told a press conference on Sunday. “It is okay to criticise, but it is not right to attack Guan Eng calling him dictator, chauvinist, communist as he has always consulted others, sometimes he reviews his own decision, but at the end of the day, he is the Chief Minister.”
It is unclear if the disciplinary board, which is in the midst of probing Zulkifli for lodging a police report against PAS leader Khalid Samad, will meet all three men together or separately.
However, PKR insiders told Harakahdaily it is more likely the panel would review all three men separately.
Warning, suspension and the sack
Zaid is being hauled up for having publicly scolded the PKR leadership for not taking swifter and harsher action against Zulkifli. As his offence is the lightest amongst the trio, most expect him to be issued a warning letter.
“Some of us have called for immediate action, but here in PKR and Pakatan, we have to adhere to the party constitution and allow due process to take place,” Anwar explained.
However, Zahrain, the former Penang PKR chief, may even face suspension if he continues to keep challenging the Penang Pakatan administration and create negative publicity for the coalition
As for Zulkifli, who has given several press interviews in the past few days despite a gag order, it is possible he may face the sack.
“PKR members would be disappointed if the disciplinary panel did not deal with Zulkifli harshly. He has shown himself to be an Umno stooge,” a PKR source told Harakahdaily.
“His concern is not for Islam as he has made it out to be. Based on the things that he has revealed in the interviews that he has given to the Umno-controlled media, he only seems to be keen on currying favour with top Umno leaders.
Zulkifli had crossed swords with Khalid, the MP for Shah Alam, over the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims. He then lodged a police report against the PAS leader. That sparked anger from amongst his Pakatan colleagues, not least from his own PKR party, drawing calls from Zaid for his immediate sacking.
But instead of keeping his head down, Zulkifli has been getting bolder and creating fresh furore for the Pakatan by calling the DAP a chauvinistic party that wanted to turn Malaysia into a Chinese country. He also urged PKR and PAS to dump DAP and join hands with Umno instead.
Kit Siang: Pakatan is bleeding
(The Star) - The Pakatan Rakyat disciplinary committee must meet to restore public confidence in the discipline, commitment, cohesion and unity of the loose coalition, said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.
The subject of holding a Pakatan disciplinary committee had been on the agenda of its leadership council since last year, he said.
The internal haemorrhaging, he stressed, must end particularly when Umno and Barisan Nasional were intensifying their political offensive.
“This will be the challenge of the Pakatan leadership council when it meets tomorrow,” he said in his blog yesterday.
His latest posting on the issue came close on the heels of the latest attack against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng by former PKR state chief Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim. Zahrain, who is also Bayan Baru MP, had called Guan Eng who is DAP secretary-general and Lim’s son a dictator, a chauvinist and communist-minded leader who was unfit to lead the state.
Lim said Pakatan had won a renewal of public confidence and trust with the successful holding of its national convention in Shah Alam on Dec 19, last year.
“It had also demonstrated greater responsibility and maturity as compared to Umno and Barisan in the response to the “Allah” controversy.
“However, in a matter of days, these hard-won gains for Pakatan were largely undone not by the acts of our political adversaries but by the deeds of Pakatan standard-bearers,” he said.
He said as a result, there was now a new round of public questioning as to whether Pakatan could be trusted with the great responsibility of federal power in the next general election.
Tekad Mengharungi Gelombang Fitnah
Sekembalinya dari Manila semalam, saya berkesempatan mengunjungi ayahanda di kediamannya sebelum ke majlis anjuran ABIM yang dilansungkan di Kajang. Pertemuan ini sungguh bermakna kerana ianya dihadiri sahabat seperjuangan dekad 70an dan awal 80an dahulu dan disertai lapisan pimpinan muda yang bersemangat. Paduan generasi sebegini, inshaallah akan memantapkan lagi dakwah dan usaha ABIM menyampaikan mesej Islam yang sejagat.
Antara sahabat lama yang hadir ialah Sdr Siddiq Fadhil, Sdr Idris Jauzi, Ustaz Abdul Halim El Muhammady, Sdr Ridhuan Othman dan Sdr Muhd Nur Manuty. Alhamdulillah ukhuwwah di antara kami ternyata kukuh sungguhpun kadangkala ada perbezaan pendapat. Saya juga mengambil kesempatan, selain dari menghimbau pengalaman lalu dengan tokoh seperti almarhum Muhammad Natsir, Profesor Syed Naguib, almarhum Profesor Syed Hussein Alatas dan almarhum Profesor Ismail Raji Al Faruqi mengungkapkan kepentingan organisasi Islam untuk kekal relevan di zaman ini.
Demonstrasi Baling antara bukti kesejagatan mesej dakwah menuntut keadilan dan menumpaskan kezaliman. Ianya juga merupakan upaya yang melintasi sebarang sempadan fahaman serta kepercayaan. Saya juga terharu keperihatinan teman-teman terhadap fitnah yang ditohmahkan ke atas saya dan keluarga. Moga dengan berkat doa semua, inshaallah saya dan keluarga, dapat mengharungi ujian Allah SWT ini.
Fitnah yang dipintal membuktikan pimpinan umno-barisan nasional bersungguh-sungguh mahukan saya dihumban ke dalam penjara. Siang malam media yang dikongkong mengolah propaganda bertujuan merasuk minda dan nurani rakyat. Saya digambarkan kononnya takut berhadapan dengan mahkamah dan sengaja melengah-lengahkan perbicaraan.
Aduhai, janganlah kerana nak mengampu, integriti dan maruah diri digadaikan. Apa yang saya dan barisan peguam pembela lakukan adalah untuk menuntut keadilan dilaksanakan sepenuhnya. Kami menuntut satu proses perbicaraan yang adil serta bebas. Keengganan pihak pendakwa menyerahkan dokumen serta bukti sesuai dengan peruntukan seksyen 51A Kanun Acara Jenayah menzahirkan hasrat mereka untuk menjadikan perbicaraan ini umpama satu serangan hendap, sedangkan ini bersalahan dengan prinsip kedaulatan undang-undang yang menuntut agar kes ini dibicarakan secara adil.
Kelihatannya serangan bertali arus dan usaha memenjarakan saya bertujuan memporak perandakan Pakatan Rakyat. Namun mereka lupa, ikatan yang mengikat perjuangan Pakatan Rakyat berasaskan kemahuan dan cita-cita membawa Perubahan kepada negara ini.
Kita sedar di sebalik sogokan muluk-muluk oleh kerajaan yang diperintah umno-barisan nasional, negara sebenarnya berada di kedudukan yang tenat. Ekonomi tidak memperlihatkan keupayaan yang menyegarkan dan hubungan antara kaum meruncing. Harga barang semakin meningkat dan apa yang mampu dilakukan oleh pimpinan negara hanyalah menasihati rakyat agar cermat berbelanja serta menggesa kita untuk perihatin dengan saudara kita yang lain.
Akan tetapi persoalannya, apakah upaya pemimpin, ketika negara memerlukan pimpinan membawa rakyat keluar dari kemurungan? Jawapannya tidak ada! Tidak ada tindakan yang jitu, berkeyakinan dan imajinatif. Semuanya serba kaku.
Di sebalik tohmahan akan kelemahan muafakat ini, kita sudah berjaya melahirkan dokumen bermakna yang dikenal sebagai “Dasar Bersama Pakatan Rakyat.” Ianya dilakarkan selepas perdebatan dan perbincangan secara terus terang demi menggarap hala tuju negara. Proses bersejarah itu bahkan mematangkan serta memperkukuh kerjasama di antara kami. Yakinlah muafakat ini bukanlah satu ikatan rapuh bahkan mampu memimpin negara keluar dari kelesuan yang sekian lama menghinggapinya.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
PM Launches 1Malaysia Maintenance Fund With RM37.6 Million Allocation
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a RM37.6 million allocation for the 1Malaysia Maintenance Fund to finance the maintenance of the federal capital's low-cost homes, expecially flats, built by the private sector.
The federal government allocated RM20 million, Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Ministry RM5 million, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) RM10 million and the private sector RM2.6 million, Najib said when launching the Federal Territories Day celebrations, here Sunday night.
The simultaneous celebrations are for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.
Najib said the fund was for the maintenance of lifts, painting the buildings, repairs to the roofs and general repair works.
However, he added, the allocation for the maintenance of the low-cost houses and flats would be made with a matching grant from the government to the funds raised by the joint management bodies or management corporations of the housing schemes.
"We will work with the joint management corporations and fix the matching grant, for instance, if a management corporation raises RM100,000, then the government will add RM100,000.
"With this, the responsibility is jointly shouldered by the residents and government. If the residents contribute, they will play a role in ensuring continued proper maintenance of the low-cost houses or flats," he said.
The prime minister said if the financial assistance was given free, the residents would just wash off their hands and the maintenance efforts would not be sustained.
Najib also said that so far, the response to the sale of 44,000 public housing units (PPR) by the National Economic Action Council and public low-cost housing units (PPA) by DBKL had been encouraging as 25,000 units had been taken up.
The government had allocated RM250 million for maintenance of the PPR and PPA housing units and "our efforts will not stop here," he said. Najib said he would continue with the walkabout in Kuala Lumpur and planned to visit Kampung Baru to discuss the stalled development.
He was satisfied with the visits in Kuala Lumpur especially the facelift of Puduraya Bus Terminal where the waiting room was equipped with air-condition just like at airports.
"Our challenge is to develop Kuala Lumpur as a metropolitan to rival other cities and metropolitans," he said.
Federal Territories Day with the theme "1Wilayah Persekutuan Maju dan Sejahtera" at Dataran Merdeka opened with the cultural show "Senandung Budaya Wilayah Persekutuan."
It was followed by Konsert Ambang 1 Wilayah Persekutuan 2010 graced by local singers like Aishah, Datuk M.Daud Kilau, Bob and Mila.
Najib and Rosmah who arrived at 10.30pm at Menara Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) was met by Raja Nong Chik before taking the "Hop On Hop off" bus for the launch ceremony.
They were greeted on arrival with the Selamat Datang 1Malaysia dance followed by a trooping of Federal Territory flags, the song "Maju dan Sejahtera" and capped with a fireworks display.
LIVE: Pas gears up for Perak state elections - Anil Netto
Pas leaders have urged their youth divisions in Perak to be prepared to play a key role in the next state election.
Perak Pas Youth listen to calls for them to go all out in the next state election
Nizar rallies the youth – Photos by AA
1600: The event ends with the youths taking an oath to work hard to oppose Umno in the next state election.
1540: Mahfuz, a addressing the crowd of about a thousand, says the youths have an important role to play in transforming the nation. He knows the youth are enthusiastic for not only Perak but the whole of Malaysia to come under Pakatan in the next elections. The outcome of the next elections, however, will largely depend on the younger generation, the new voters.
1530: Nizar asks the crowd, who is responsible for the cow-head and the boar-head. He says people are not easily fooled, but warns them not to succumb to any provocation. He reads a Quran’ic verse about God who has created diverse tribes from male and female so that people can respect and get acquainted with one another.
Photo courtesy of Laman Rasmi Wartawan Reformasi.
Nizar rejects Umno’s “ketuanan Melayu” politics in favour of the “new politics of Malaysia”. The Pas youths are soaking it up.
He then leads the crowd with chants of “Bubar, bubar, bubar Dun Perak!”
1520: As Nizar speaks, a Perak-based journalist standing near me tells me knowingly that a snap election is a distinct possibility. Nizar, on the stage, rallies the crowd to oppose Umno.
1520: Nizar refers to how Umno has been using the Allah issue to stir communal sentiments. He laments that Pas had been maligned in the past as an extremist party – which made many of the non-Muslims reject Pas. But since 8 March 2008, he adds, many non-Muslims have been able to see Pas policies in practice and they are now more comfortable with the party.
1510: Nizar, referred to as “MB yang sah” takes to the stage, as youths at the back ask those in front to sit down so that they can get a better view. Nizar takes an immediate swipe at Umno for “betraying” the people’s interest.
Election fever is beginning to grip Perakians. The women folk are fanning themselves with folded sheets of paper to keep away the heat.
1500: About a thousand Pas supporters, mostly youths, are looking forward to speeches by Nizar, Mahfuz and others. I am seated in the field as the the speaker leads the crowd in cries of Takbir! No official announcement of any election date has been made, but that hasn’t stopped youths wearing their lime-green T-shirts with the words “Jentera Pilihanraya Pemuda Perak” on the back. The event is dubbed Himpunan Pemuda Pas Perak 2010 or “Hempap 2010″. Hempap indicates some sort of ‘wrestling match’; it is obvious that Perak Pas doesn’t want to be caught by sucker punch in case of a snap state election.
A teenager sitting on the field in front of me is also wearing a lime-coloured T-shirt. Beneath a small logo of Pas are the words “Orang Muda Geng Kita“.
1450:Greetings from an open field in Kubu Gajah, where representatives of Pas youth wings from all over Perak have gathered under a sweltering afternoon sun in the rustic rural setting of Selama, northern Perak near the border with Kedah.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Hindraf disclosing of accounts unprecedented
By Wong Mun Chee
How many, political parties, NGOs and voluntary organizations in Malaysia dared to publish their accounts as the real Hindraf has done. None that I am aware of.
This article alerts the DAP and the PR leaders to open their eyes and not be fooled by implants.
In your craze for Malaysian Indians support you seem to be easily fooled. We are more alert to “Saifuls” of this world.
The real force and support of the working class Malaysians of Indian ethnicity are massed behind Waythamoorthy and Unthaykumar leadership, leadership that is incorruptible and courageous, the same leadership of vision that provided the stimulus for the 308 sweep for the 5 states.
As YBH Lim stated in a early piece of posting, that in some States the Indian are the “King Makers “. It was proven correctly, and it was the real Hindraf Indians.
Vasanthakumar is Najib’s Indian force, a force that can be easily squeezed into public telephone booth. Don’t be fooled.
For security and efficiency the real Hindraf leadership is working discreetly behind the scene to bring about change in the next election. We do not stand and shout with hot air. Each one of you leaders will loose the grip on the Indian votes if you decide to throw you lot with people like Vasanthkumar .
The real Hindraf’s powerbase and pull factor with silent majority remains with Waytha and Uthaya, and is spread globally, from the UK o the USA to Australia to Indonesia to Singapore, wherever the Indians and fair minded people understand the power and deprivation of minorities.
You may recall how the previous Malaysian Home Minister attempted to clip the travel rights of Waytha by cancelling his passport and telling a blatant lies in Parliament. You would have not have not known that we harnessed our international support team to secure urgently unrestricted travel document from the British Home Ministry within days and put Albar to public shame as a liar. Now Waytha can travel anywhere at will. We are capable of doing many more things to right what was wronged over 57 years in our country with birthrights.
Through our discreet campaign we are grounding Samy Velu and mark our words he will be history very soon.
The purpose of this email is to alert you to be reconsider your alliance with Vasnathakumar and his kind, if you do want to gain the support of the silent majority of Malaysian Indians.
Please think about this, as these are not hollow words.
Robert KC
Australia.
Unknown WWI soldier buried as mass graves give up secrets
A coffin bearing the remains of an unknown soldier is carried to its final resting place
Saturday in Fromelles, France.
Saturday in Fromelles, France.
FROMELLES, France (CNN) -- An unknown World War I soldier was buried in Fromelles, France, on Saturday, the first of some 250 bodies recovered from a string of mass graves dating back to a bloody -- and largely pointless -- battle that claimed thousands of lives in a single night.
About 2,300 British and Australian troops were killed, and thousands more wounded, captured or left missing in action when they were ordered to charge into German machine guns on July 19, 1916.
Nearly a century later, the battle of Fromelles remains the deadliest 24-hour period in Australian military history, the country's minister for veterans affairs, Alan Griffin, said Saturday.
"The air was thick with bullets, swishing in a flat, criss-crossed lattice of death. Hundreds were mown down in the flicker of an eyelid," said British veterans minister Kevan Jones at the ceremony, citing survivor W.H. "Jimmy" Downing.
So many died that night that the British and Australians were unable to recover all their dead. German soldiers buried hundreds in mass graves.
The graves were rediscovered only in 2008, and last year the Commonwealth War Graves Commission took the lead on a project to recover and identify as many remains as possible.
The Commonwealth is an association of nations that once were part of the British Empire.
Excavations began in May 2009 and lasted until September. Meanwhile, a new cemetery, Pheasant Wood, was laid out near the site of the battle in northern France, near the Belgian border.
The soldier buried Saturday has not been identified, but DNA samples have been recovered from many of the bodies, often from the teeth, said Peter Jones, the DNA consultant on the project.
Some 800 people from Britain and Australia who think they may have a relative buried at Fromelles have provided DNA to try to help identify the bodies, he said.
But that's only half as many as the experts need, Jones added, since about 1,600 Commonwealth dead from the battle remain unaccounted for. The 250 bodies being buried at Pheasant Wood are among the 1,600.
DNA samples are not the only way to identify bodies, though, said Margaret Cox, the archaeological consultant to the project. About 6,200 personal artifacts were found alongside the bodies, which could help to identify them.
In addition to the expected military decorations, uniforms and buttons, Cox said, they include such heartbreaking items as a locket with a lock of hair, and a return ticket to Perth, Australia, left on the body of a soldier who never lived to use it.
Most of the remaining bodies will be buried over the next two months, with headstones being added starting in March for any victims who can be identified, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission said.
Those whose names cannot be determined will be marked by a headstone reading "Known unto God," the agency said.
The final body will be buried on July 19, the 94th anniversary of the battle.
Pheasant Wood is the first new cemetery to be built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in nearly 50 years, said spokesman Peter Francis, calling the mass graves "the largest military find since the end of the Second World War" in 1945.
The commission is a nonprofit organization that commemorates the dead of both world wars from the British Commonwealth. Founded in 1917, it maintains graves and memorials at 23,000 sites around the world.
Hindus celebrate Thaipusam amid Allah row - Malaysiakini
Indian Malaysians pierced themselves with hooks and skewers today as they celebrated Thaipusam, hailed as a show of religious freedom after a spate of attacks on places of worship.
Huge crowds of devotees converged on the Batu Caves temple, a spectacular limestone cavern on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur that is expected to draw some 1.5 million people over the annual three-day festival.
While some worshippers walked quietly and recited prayers, others went into a religious trance, chanting and whirling as supporters held them back by ropes tied onto the hooks placed in long rows down their backs.
"We are here to fulfil our vows and to pray for peace for our country," K Thana, a female devotee who carried a milk-pot offering, told AFP as she walked barefoot up to the temple with her mother.
"I have been doing this for more than five years and for this year, I don't think we are disturbed by the incidents that happened recently," said the 38-year-old bank officer, clad in a yellow costume symbolising purification.
Allah row
Places of worship in Malaysia have been pelted with Molotov cocktails, stones, paint and severed pig heads since a December court ruling that allowed non-Muslims to use the word 'Allah' as a translation for 'God'.
The incidents did not deter devotees and tourists from attending the Thaipusam festival, which is also celebrated in several other locations in mainly Muslim Malaysia.
About one in fourteen of Malaysia's 28 million population are ethnic Indians - mostly Hindus but also Christians and Sikhs.
"This is my first time at Thaipusam festival. This is a very colourful event that I have never experienced before," said Uberto Scotto, an Italian expatriate engineer.
"This is an example of tolerance among Malaysians," he said.
Lisa Wong, a Buddhist and mother of two, said she took her children every year to join her Hindu friends at the festival.
"I like this spirit and I want my children to understand the culture of different races in this country," said Wong, who wore a dot of holy red powder on her forehead.
Thaipusam commemorates the day when, according to Hindu mythology, Goddess Pavarthi gave her son Lord Muruga an invincible lance with which he destroyed evil demons.
Thaipusam hunger strike fails to excite - Malaysiakini
A hunger strike planned by the Movement for Sustaining SPM 12 Subjects to coincide with the Thaipusam celebrations today turned out to be a lame affair.
There were only about 10 people who fasted for seven hours, instead of the anticipated 200 earlier.
The coalition is led by its chairperson, A Thiruvenggadam.
They spent the time distributing their T-shirts. In addition the public bought about 120 car stickers at the Perumal temple, located close to Batu Caves railway station.
This was because the temple committee chairman R Nadarajah did not give them the go-ahead for the hunger strike.
T
hiruvenggadam (below) who spoke to Malaysiakini prior to carrying milk pots (pal kudam) up Batu Caves also said that their attempt to handover their protest memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak last night failed.
"There were 100 of us but we were blocked by the Federal Reserve Unit."
He also claimed that the premier had seen him and the rest of the coalition members last night but ignored them.
"Indians may have garlanded Najib yesterday but but they are still sensitive when it comes to the language issue," said Thiruvenggadam.
As they left for the top of Batu Caves with milk pots, quite a number in the crowd there had on the group's campaign shirts in a show of support.
"Of course, I support their cause," said shaven-headed B Gunaraj.
The coalition was born when a revision in government policy did not give full recognition for the examination results of vernacular subjects in awarding government scholarships for further studies.
There were only about 10 people who fasted for seven hours, instead of the anticipated 200 earlier.
The coalition is led by its chairperson, A Thiruvenggadam.
They spent the time distributing their T-shirts. In addition the public bought about 120 car stickers at the Perumal temple, located close to Batu Caves railway station.
This was because the temple committee chairman R Nadarajah did not give them the go-ahead for the hunger strike.
T
hiruvenggadam (below) who spoke to Malaysiakini prior to carrying milk pots (pal kudam) up Batu Caves also said that their attempt to handover their protest memorandum to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak last night failed."There were 100 of us but we were blocked by the Federal Reserve Unit."
He also claimed that the premier had seen him and the rest of the coalition members last night but ignored them.
"Indians may have garlanded Najib yesterday but but they are still sensitive when it comes to the language issue," said Thiruvenggadam.
As they left for the top of Batu Caves with milk pots, quite a number in the crowd there had on the group's campaign shirts in a show of support.
"Of course, I support their cause," said shaven-headed B Gunaraj.
The coalition was born when a revision in government policy did not give full recognition for the examination results of vernacular subjects in awarding government scholarships for further studies.
UMNO’s Wayang Kulit at Thaipusam, Batu Caves to fish for Indian votes without lifting a finger. No longer possible after 25th November 2007 HINDRAF Ra
All 3 Tamil dailies, The Star, NST headlines and also in Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia this morning and the radio and TV stations carried the wayang kulit best pictures and coverage of Najib at Batu Caves Thaipusam festival under the Home Ministry’s directions. How desperate?
But why didn’t Najib get to the point and announce land for all Hindu temples and crematoriums and Tamil Schools all in one go as opposed to the piecemeal peanut and wayang kulit paper politics announcements they make.
But just see the pictures below and watch the free ride Najib is trying to get and his attempt in trying to fish for Indian votes.
P.Uthayakumar
Dr M not surprised Khairy unpopular
Back in Dr Mahathir’s crosshairs. — file pic
By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today renewed his tirade against Khairy Jamaluddin, saying he was not surprised the Umno Youth leader was unpopular and openly wondered how the latter won the post.
The former party president has never seen eye-to-eye with Khairy, who not only won the youth wing’s top post against his son, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, but is also the son-in-law of his nemesis, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“It unimaginable that an Umno Youth leader was told not to campaign during an election because the party feared if he did, they would lose,” the former prime minister said in reference to the Bukit Gantang by-elections last year.
A blog has claimed that two-thirds of the Umno Youth executive council was ready to resign to pave the way for fresh polls and that there were calls for Khairy to resign.
Khairy’s deputy, Datuk Razali Ibrahim has publicly denied the blog’s claims.
Razali and Mukhriz are deputy ministers but Khairy was not given the traditional posting, similar to Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi when he was Umno youth chief during Dr Mahathir’s time in power.
Dr Mahathir persisted to cast aspersions against Khairy today, saying he did not know how Khairy could have won the Umno Youth chief post in the first place.
“They took seven hours to count 700 votes and that’s strange,” he said, alluding to the elections where both Mukhriz and Datuk Seri Khir Toyo lost to Khairy.
Dr Mahathir noted that Khairy won the deputy youth chief post unopposed in the previous party election because no one stood against him.
“That’s his way, and that’s why they can’t accept it,” he said.
The party’s longest-serving president, who founded Umno again after it was declared illegal in 1988, had always won unopposed, after putting in strict rules governing the eligibility to contest top party posts.
He retired in 2003 and handed over the party and prime minister’s post to Abdullah, but a public between the two then saw Dr Mahathir openly campaigning against his successor and son-in-law.
Dr Mahathir also quit Umno in May 2008 to protest Abdullah’s leadership, but rejoined a day after Datuk Seri Najib Razak was affirmed as party president.
Perkasa members pine for return of old Umno
Longing for the good old days. — Picture by Jack Ooi
By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider
AMPANG, Jan 30 — What started out as one man’s mission, Perkasa is fast gathering traction with sections of the Malay community who feel Umno was no longer championing their cause.
Ahmad Zaini Ismail, 40 has been an Umno member since the late 1980s, but six months ago, he became very active in the Malay nationalist movement, Perkasa, and was now its Perak chairman.
“I am still loyal to Umno, but circumstances have changed, so I need another platform to continue fighting for the Malays,” said Zaini, who was also an Umno branch chairman in Perak.
As a branch chief, Zaini was also part of the movement in Umno that sought to oust former prime minister Tun Abdullah Badawi after Election 2008.
Despite being led by Datuk Ibrahim Ali, an independent MP, Perkasa has also been able to attract many Umno leaders who were keen to ride on the movement’s popularity.
The Selangor Perkasa launch today was also attended by the Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Noh Omar. Several Umno Youth executive committee members were also seen mingling with the state Perkasa delegates.
Zaini said Umno was not doing enough to address the community’s problems, adding that this has resulted in loss of confidence to the party among the Malays. His concern was the lack of opportunities for rural Malays to improve their livelihood.
“During my time, scholarships [and] boarding schools were reserved for the poor, for the Malays from rural areas. Now [when] you go to UiTM, [or if] you go to some boarding schools, you see so many nice cars [there]. Are these people really entitled to be there?” asked Zaini, a son of rubber tapper in rural Perak and who studied in the United States on a government scholarship.
“Opportunities are now monopolised by the successful,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Zaini, like many in Perkasa, believe that the movement’s struggle reflects the original objectives behind the formation of Umno in 1946.
But some Perkasa leaders were motivated by what they referred to as “threats” to the Malay community and their Islamic faith.
Selangor Perkasa chairman, Abdullah Mansor, in his speech spoke at length on the insistence of church leaders over the use of the word “Allah” to refer to God in Malay, describing the move as a threat to Muslims.
He also slammed PAS’ Shah Alam MP, Khalid Samad, who defended the use of the word by non-Muslims.
“In Selangor, Khalid Samad is so vocal in defending their right to use the word ‘Allah’. From what I know, the Christians form only nine per cent of the population, why is he championing the minority?” said Abdullah.
Sabah Perkasa chief, Musli Oli said the position of the Malays has been in danger since Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad stepped down as the prime minister in 2003.
“The Malays only felt safe in [the] 22 years when Tun Dr Mahathir was the prime minister,” Musli told Selangor Perkasa delegates.
“Tun Mahathir was the man who saved the Malays in Sabah by bringing in Umno to Sabah on the Feb 22, 1991,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Perkasa chief, Abang Nasser Abang Hadari asked the Malays in the Peninsula to emulate the Malays in Sarawak for their ability to politically control the state despite being a minority group.
Lawyer ini macam cakap ke?
Hey, this is not a popularity contest. I am not trying to win a popularity contest here. I am trying to end the more than 50 years hegemony of Umno and bring change to Malaysia. And if I am the most hated man in Malaysia for trying this I do not care a damn.
NO HOLDS BARRRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Your 10 questions
Anybody with even a casual interest in corporate Malaysia would have heard of Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas. After all, he is chairman of four listed companies and a director of three others, all in a non-executive capacity. On top of that, he has long been president of both the Federation of Public Listed Companies and the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance. A lawyer by training, he is also a veteran Umno politician and sits on the party’s disciplinary board.
Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, Corporate personality answers...
Why did you publicly advise your former schoolmate, Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin of the Malaysia Today website to “come back and face the music” recently? – Paul Lee, Kuala Lumpur
He was a junior schoolmate at the fully residential Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK). He has made allegations, some of which are really grave allegations, but he has yet to prove these allegations according to accepted criteria for proof. Going abroad and hurling unsupported allegations from afar would not do him any good. Don’t make a mockery of the law. Come back and be responsible for your allegations like a man. We were brought up at school to be gentlemen. He should face the court with whatever facts and witnesses at his disposal and convince the court that he is right. Justice is a two-way traffic. He will earn our eternal respect and mine, most of all, if he is willing to do that!
(Read the other nine questions and answers here: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/30/business/5566395&sec=business)
******************************************
The above is one of the ten questions posed to Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas. You can read the other nine at the link above.
I want to respond to the one question that relates to me. I can, if you wish (and may even do that later), respond to all ten questions -- like I did recently to Shamsul Akmar of the New Straits Times. But then, considering how cheong hei I can be, this piece will probably run into so many pages. Therefore, let me talk about this one question and the answer Megat gave.
This is what Megat said: “…..but he has yet to prove these allegations according to accepted criteria for proof…..Come back and be responsible for your allegations like a man…..He should face the court with whatever facts and witnesses at his disposal and convince the court that he is right.…..He will earn our eternal respect and mine, most of all, if he is willing to do that!”
I think Megat just does not get it. Is he so naïve or just pretending to be stupid? As a lawyer, how can he talk that way? Lawyer ini macam cakap ke?
I have said this before and let me say it again. I do not need to prove anything. I have been arrested and charged and put on trial. It is the Prosecution that needs to prove my guilt. The onus is on them to offer the evidence and bring forward witnesses to prove my guilt. All I have to do is to raise reasonable doubt. And if I succeed in doing that, then the court MUST give me the benefit of the doubt and declare me innocent.
Megat never once walked into court to attend or witness my many days of hearings. If he did then he would probably have spoken more like lawyer and would not have made that very embarrassing statement, which reflects very badly on his abilities and qualities as a lawyer.
An accused person has the right to defend himself in any way he sees fit. Whether it is a brilliant or stupid defence is not for the court (and certainly not for the Prosecution) to decide and interfere in. But when the court blocks certain evidence from surfacing or certain witnesses from being called to testify, then the accused is being denied his right to a proper trial.
If the court wants to fuck around with me then why should I bother to layan (entertain) the court? I am telling the court and the government to go to hell. If they want to play fair then I will play ball. But if they fuck around with the legal system then I walk away.
What is so difficult for Megat to understand this? I am telling the court that if they fuck me then I will tell them to go fuck themselves. Megat can’t even get this through his thick head?
About the other remarks -- “come back and be responsible for your allegations like a man, he should face the court with whatever facts and witnesses at his disposal and convince the court that he is right, he will earn our eternal respect and mine, most of all, if he is willing to do that!” -- again, I think Megat is missing the plot here.
“What maketh a man?” as Shakespeare would probably say if Megat were to address this statement to him. Meekly walking into court without a fuss and bending over so that the court can screw you in the arse is a mark of a ‘man’? I would have imagined that his MCKK education would have made him smarter than that. I can only say that the MCKK education was wasted on him.
It appears we have different ideas about what being a man means. Megat’s idea of being a man is to subject yourself to persecution and perversion of justice. My idea of being a man is never to allow yourself to be screwed in the arse by anyone -- even the government of Malaysia and the Malaysian judicial system -- and if they try to, then turn your back on them, show them your arse, and tell them to go screw themselves.
Different strokes for different folks, as they say. So, being a man to Megat’s perspective is being a mouse as far as I am concerned. Being a man, to me, means the courage to say “No!” And that is what I am telling the Malaysian government and the Malaysian judicial system -- “No! No! No!”
Oh, and what makes Megat think I need to earn his or anyone’s 'eternal respect'? Does he think I am doing all this to make a name for myself? Seriously, I do not care one bit what Megat and any of the other Umno and Barisan Nasional people think of me. Their opinion of me does not matter one bit.
My objective is to try to bring down Barisan Nasional and Umno in any way possible. Barisan Nasional’s and Umno’s objective is to try to stay in power -- by hook or by crook, by fair means or foul. To Barisan Nasional and Umno, anything is fair game, even racism and religious strife. Just a few days ago, Jakim told hundreds of participants in its lecture that another May 13 is looming over the horizon. Umno is going round the country telling its members that there is soon going to be a ‘civil war’ in Malaysia.
Is Megat saying that Barisan Nasional and Umno are noble and honourable and I am not?
I really don’t care what people say about me and what they think about me as long as I can fight and beat Barisan Nasional and Umno at its own game.
Hey, this is not a popularity contest. I am not trying to win a popularity contest here. I am trying to end the more than 50 years hegemony of Umno and bring change to Malaysia. And if I am the most hated man in Malaysia for trying this I do not care a damn.
So, Megat, I really don’t care a damn what you and your Umno people think of me. Seriously, if you and Umno love me then there is something wrong here. That means I am not doing my job. Only when the entire government, Umno and Barisan Nasional hate me and wish to see me dead would that mean I have done my job.
That is my mission. And regard this as my mission and vision statement.
USM lecturer says PR losing direction
(Bernama) - The bickering among Pakatan Rakyat leaders and elected representatives of late are signs that the opposition pact is losing direction, a Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer said.
Dr P. Sivamurugan, a political science lecturer with USM, said opposition leaders are also increasingly becoming personal in airing their views and at time, even turning against their allies if they were not satisfied with certain issues.For instance, he said, Kedah DAP assemblyman Lee Guan Aik had once declared that he did not support the leadership of Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak following dissatisfaction with the policies implemented by the state government.
Several leaders are also at loggerheads including Kulim-Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) attacking Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad of PAS; Selangor executive councillor Datuk Dr Hassan Ali of PAS who once had a quarrel with Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim of PKR; and the latest, Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamad Hashim accusing Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of being a dictator.
“This shows that the opposition pact is in disarray as it does not have a stable policy to unite the leaders and because of that, we can see fragility in their relations,” he told Bernama.
Sivamurugan, however, said that there was also a possibility that the bickering was a diversionary tactic to divert the people’s attention from issues affecting their de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said that each time Anwar’s sodomy case was up for hearing in court, various issues would crop up in the opposition pact, and then Anwar would heroically emerge to cool things down.
Two days ago, Zahrain who is also the former Penang PKR chairman was quoted as saying that Lim was “a dictator, a chauvinist and communist-minded”.
Lim refused to answer the criticism and wanted PKR leaders themselves to reply to it — through his deputy Dr Mansor Osman, who expressed regret over Zahrain’s outburst.
Penang PAS deputy commissioner Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, when contacted, admitted that there were differences in opinion among Pakatan leaders.
“I will be lying if I say there are no problems in the Pakatan government administration but they should be resolved at the Pakatan Council meeting and not through the media,” he said.
He added that it was normal for leaders to have differences in opinion but he could not agree with Zahrain’s outburst in the media.
PKR confident Zahrain won’t quit
Chow went on to reveal that Zahrain was upset because Guan Eng had refused to endorse his decision last year, when as chairman of Island Golf Properties, he had wanted to award a tender for the privatized management of the Bukit Jambul Golf Club to a RM2 company.
Wong Choon Mei, Harakah Daily
PKR leaders have expressed confidence that Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Mohd Hashim will not quit their party nor instigate another 10 Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers to defect and give arch rival Umno-BN its much longed-for two-thirds parliamentary majority.“This is clearly another case of the Umno-controlled media trying to create the impression that Pakatan is on the verge of a breakup,” Tian Chua, PKR strategic director, told Harakahdaily.
“And their reason is obvious – to deflect attention from the horrifying shortcomings of Prime Minister Najib Razak and his cabinet over the Allah issue, the huge capital flight and economic mismanagement, as well as Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s upcoming sodomy trial that has already been slammed by world bodies.”
Indeed Tian may have hit the nail on the head. At an event in his Pekan constituency, Najib was quick to latch onto the “the political crisis faced by the opposition leaders”.
“It has reached such a serious stage that it reflected a loss of confidence in the policies and administration of the Penang government," the PM told reporters.“The situation has reached such a stage that a group of PKR leaders have issued statements which I consider to be a clear rejection of what is being done by the present leader.”
Yet on the same day, it was his own Umno-BN government that Amnesty International condemned for pushing through with a sodomy “show trial” against Anwar. The global watchdog warned that the sodomy charges were against the rules laid out by the UN Human Rights Commission in 1997 and that the latest federal court ruling disallowing Anwar access to key evidence was against UN specifications of what constituted a fair trial.
Too smart to leave
Nonetheless, it was on Thursday that Zahrain surprised even his own colleagues in Penang by calling Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng a dictator, a Chinese chauvinist and a communist. He also questioned why Guan Eng had delivered one-third of a recent speech in Mandarin.
Zahrain’s outburst, coming hot on the heels of another controversy sparked by by Kulim MP Zulkifli Noordin, was immediately seized on and played up by the Umno-controlled mainstream media. According to their latest speculation, Zahrain was poised to jump ship and take along with him at least another 10 Pakatan parliamentarians.
On the hot list of those most likely to be enticed by the former Penang PKR chief were Selangor PAS commissioner Hasan Ali and Zul Noordin.
“I don’t see Hasan Ali leaving PAS at all. As for Zahrain, he’s a very shrewd man. It is highly unlikely that he will quit PKR and forego all the perks that he is currently enjoying in Penang,” Tian said.
“This is something for him to sort out with Guan Eng. It may well be that he wants to pressure Guan Eng for something or other. If Zahrain really wanted to go, he would declare his departure suddenly – when the time and the numbers are right. Not like now, no need to make so much noise.”
Tian also confirmed that PKR would be holding a supreme council meeting on Sunday but denied it had been specially convened to discuss Zahrain. “It is our usual monthly meeting and there are no plans to discuss Zahrain as reported in some of the press,” Tian added.
Upset over a golf tender to a RM2 company
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Saturday, Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow blasted Zahrain for his harsh words towards Guan Eng, the DAP secretary-general.
“Zahrain should not try to provoke sentiments and attempt to break up Pakatan Rakyat in Penang by claiming that PKR has no say in the administration of the PR state government,” said Chow.
“How can Lim be a chauvinist when he went to jail and lost his parliamentary seat to defend a Malay girl who was detained even though she was a rape victim?”
Chow went on to reveal that Zahrain was upset because Guan Eng had refused to endorse his decision last year, when as chairman of Island Golf Properties, he had wanted to award a tender for the privatized management of the Bukit Jambul Golf Club to a RM2 company.
“As chairman of PDC, Lim had recommended that the Board of Directors over-rule Zahrain's award of the tender and called for a fresh re-tender,” Chow said. “The Board of Directors of PDC had accepted Lim’s recommendation that to give the tender of running the only golf club in Penang worth tens of millions of ringgit to a RM2 company would not comply with Penang’s CAT governance of Competency, Accountability and Transparency.
“Giving contracts to a RM 2 company would make a mockery of the change that Penangites voted for in the 2008 elections and make Penang Pakatan Rakyat no different from BN.”
Chow also rapped Zahrain for questioning why a third of Guan Engs speech during the first Pakatan Rakyat National convention on December 19 was in Mandarin.
“Clearly Zahrain was absent as Lim had spoken 85 per cent in Bahasa Malaysia with the remainder 15 per cent in English and Mandarin,” Chow said.
“But even if one third of Lim’s speech had been in Mandarin, is it a crime to speak in one own’s mother tongue? This extremist approach befits a typical Penang Umno leader and not a PKR or Pakatan Rakyat leader.”
PKR perlu kaji kerjasama dengan DAP
(Utusan Malaysia) - Ahli Parlimen Bayan Baru, Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim menggesa kepimpinan tertinggi Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) mengkaji semula kedudukan dan kerjasama parti itu dengan DAP di Pulau Pinang.
Menurutnya, setelah mendedahkan sikap Ketua Menteri, Lim Guan Eng sebagai pemimpin cauvinis, diktator dan berfikiran bahaya, kepimpinan tertinggi PKR perlu mengambil langkah terbaik demi kelangsungan parti itu.Beliau yang juga bekas Pengerusi PKR Pulau Pinang berkata, dasar yang dibawa Guan Eng sejak memerintah Pulau Pinang telah memberi masalah kepada pemimpin PKR di negeri itu yang kebanyakannya bertanggungjawab terhadap kawasan dan masyarakat Melayu.
‘‘Guan Eng kata dia khalifah, khalifah apa kalau gerai-gerai tanpa lesen milik peniaga Melayu ditarik balik dan premis mereka dirobohkan.
‘‘Tidak timbul persoalan mengenai tindakan saya seterusnya, cuma dengan pendedahan ini, saya serahkan kepada kepimpinan tertinggi PKR untuk mengkaji kedudukan PKR di Pulau Pinang,’’ katanya kepada Mingguan Malaysia di sini hari ini.
Exco Pemuda Umno desak Khairy letak jawatan
(Harakah Daily) - Mesyuarat Exco Pergerakan Pemuda Umno malam kelmarin kecoh ekoran terdapat desakan supaya ketuanya, Khairy Jamaluddin berundur untuk menyelamatkan pergerakan itu.
Harakahdaily difahamkan, punca utama desakan beberapa anggota Exco pergerakan itu kerana Khairy dilihat gagal menterjemahkan hala tuju Pemuda Umno Malaysia selari dengan kepimpinan Presiden parti yang juga Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.Seorang Exconya, Mohd Hishamuddin Yahaya dilaporkan membentangkan beberapa bukti yang menunjukkan kepimpinan pergerakan yang diterajui Khairy itu tidak berminat untuk membantu parti dan kerajaan menarik sokongan sebaliknya mengugut agar diberi jawatan.
Difahamkan, Hishamuddin mencadangkan dua usul sama ada Khairy meletakkan jawatan dan membenarkan Ketua Pemuda dipangku oleh Datuk Razali Ibrahim atau keseluruhan Exco meletakkan jawatan bagi membolehkan satu pemilihan baru dibuat secepat mungkin.
Sungguhpun mendapat sokongan tetapi tiada undian atau keputusan dicapai tetapi difahamkan dua pertiga Exco Pemuda bersedia meletakkan jawatan untuk pemilihan semula pergerakan itu jika selari dengan kehendak perlembagaan parti.
Mengikut Perkara 5.7 Perlembagaan Pergerakan Pemuda Umno, jika dua pertiga atau lebih bilangan Ahli-ahli Jawatankuasa Pemuda berhenti, maka jawatankuasa itu dianggap telah bubar dan Majlis Tertinggi bolehlah mengadakan Perhimpunan Khas Pemuda Umno Malaysia bagi menubuhkan semula Jawatankuasa Pemuda dan Majlis Tertinggi berkuasa menentukan tempoh perkhidmatan jawatankuasa yang baru dipilih itu.
Selain isu kemelut yang melanda beberapa Pemuda Umno negeri yang gagal ditangani oleh Khairy, beliau juga dianggap gagal apabila kursus Perdana Pemuda di Janda Baik hujung tahun lalu hanya dihadiri tidak sampai separuh ketua-ketua pemuda bahagian.
Kursus yang sepatutnya menjadi medan menunjukkan kekuatan kepimpinan Khairy untuk mendesak Perdana Menteri memberi jawatan kabinet akhirnya menjadi masalah besar kepadanya apabila hanya separuh jemputan sahaja yang hadir.
Pada mesyuarat malam kelmarin juga, beberapa Exco Pemuda turut mempersoalkan kegagalan Khairy menjadi suara pemuda dan menggerakkan jentera pemuda dalam banyak isu nasional yang sepatutnya dipergunakan bagi mengenakan tekanan ke atas Pakatan Rakyat.
Ada di kalangan mereka yang membangkitkan jika dahulu Khairy yang juga Ahli Parlimen Rembau berjanji mengorbankan harta benda untuk pergerakan Pemuda jika menang, tetapi setelah menang lain pula alasannya.
Disappointed Doctor
Letter
I am a medical doctor who was educated overseas and worked in Australia for several years and recently decided to return to Malaysia to serve the country.
As a professional working overseas I heard about the ‘Program bagi mengalakkan warganegara Malaysia yang berpakaran yang bekerja di luar negara pulang ke Malaysia’ and therefore applied for it. I was very disappointed when they rejected my application on the grounds that it was sent after I returned to Malaysia. Apparently it was meant to be sent whilst I was still in Australia.
I find this a very poor excuse given the fact that Malaysia is trying to lure back its citizens to work for them. It discourages professionals such as me from having to bear the burden to return but not have any perks or encouraging incentives. Furthermore, my parents bore my exorbitant medical tuition fees and I did not receive any governmental loans whatsoever. The “least” is something anyone would expect.
Besides that, it took me a great deal of an effort to locate the abovementioned application form which was hidden in the catacombic archives of one of the governmental websites. Talk about purposeful inconvenience or perhaps voluntary neglect.
I can see why many of my colleagues are hesitant to return and serve the government given the unimpressive, unattractive attitude and to top it off the obvious suboptimal remuneration and working conditions. Now, thankfully I still have the option to return to Australia and am reconsidering my intentions to continue here thanks to the above. Job well done in luring professionals back.
Disappointed DR.
No Plan For Inter-Faith Commission - Muhyiddin
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- The government has no plan to set up an Inter-faith Commission at the moment as the ongoing closed-door dialogues between religious groups are sufficient to address related issues, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.
He said the closed-door dialogues would enhance understanding and create a peaceful atmosphere as well as mutual respects among the country's multiracial population.
"We don't need an inter-faith commission. At the moment we don't feel that it is something necessary.
"But continuous dialogues among various religious groups -- representing Muslims and non-Muslims -- could be useful," he told reporters after attending a dialogue on idealism among the younger generation at Angkasapuri here on Saturday.
On the use of the word "Allah", Muhyiddin said closed-door discussions among religious organisations were ongoing and would continue.
"Sometimes it's better this way; this is a more dignified way as it doesn't involve any political interests. This is to find a meeting point, an understanding, and to create a peaceful atmosphere and mutual respect," he said.
At the event, Muhyiddin also held dialogues and explained the various issues affecting the country to students of University of Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Mara as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations.
Earlier, Muhyiddin launched his official website, My-Malaysia, which among others, contains his political and community activities, collection of speeches as well as news reports of his activities in and outside the country.
The interactive website can be accessed at http://www.my-malaysia.com.my.
"I'm launching this website as a platform for us to communicate. I hope you will take the opportunity to air your views on any issues," he said.
Muhyiddin said the website was also an effort to reach out to the younger generation by listening to their views as well as criticisms.
"The younger generation wants a government which practices transparency; in other words, explaining and answering issues raised by the people," he said.
He said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak himself was actively interacting with the masses through his 1Malaysia website and social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
Cabinet ministers were also encouraged to interact with the people through the social media, he said.
"I would like to remind the people, however, to use the social media wisely and to be cautious when criticising because although we might have differences in opinion, we should express our views in a civil way," he said.
Mahathir launches Selangor Perkasa - Anil Netto
1535: Mahathir is at the launching of Selangor Perkasa at the MPAJ Multi-purpose Hall in Hulu Kelang now.
Also with him is Megat Zulkarnain, the Gombak Umno Youth chief, according to a twitter message by an Umno Youth exco member.
Mahathir had said yesterday that the emergence of NGOs rooted in Islamic and Malay causes proves that the Malays now have less confidence in the political parties that are supposed to represent them. On 24 January, Perkasa launched its Pahang wing and days earlier, another wing in Malacca.
The Perkasa website reported:
Dengan mengambil contoh Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa), beliau (Mahathir) berkata, NGO itu dilihat sebagai antara yang paling berpengaruh di kalangan masyarakat Melayu kerana prinsip perjuangannya.
”Ada di kalangan masyarakat Melayu merasakan UMNO tidak lagi berupaya mempertahankan (kepentingan) mereka, jadi kita lihat kemunculan NGO seperti Perkasa.
”Walaupun mereka (Perkasa) aktif, namun (sebenarnya) UMNO masih lebih berpengaruh daripada NGO-NGO ini.”
Perkasa, which means ’strengthening’, is led by its pro-tem president, Ibrahim Ali.
Ibrahim has suggested that PKR MP Zullifli Nordin should emulate him and become an Independent MP so that “he can struggle for Islam without being bound by any party position”. Ibrahim reportedly said he would give way to Zulkifli so that he could struggle with Perkasa: “There are similarities in the struggle of Perkasa and Zulkifl in that both have no fear in defending religion, race and country.”
Perkasa, which is now being seen as a pressure group for Umno, has also taken a position against the use of the term “Allah” by non-Muslims. According to its website, among the groups that participated in a demonstration on 2 January outside the Federal Territory Mosque were the Perkasa wings from Perlis, Selangor and Perak; the Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia; and the Umno Overseas Alumni.
But Perkasa has also condemned the recent attacks against places of worship.
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