Media interviews: Nurul backs Zaid but urges caution

By Stephanie Sta Maria and Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR: Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is at odds with her father regarding PKR deputy presidential hopeful Zaid Ibrahim.

Anwar Ibrahim, the PKR supremo, had warned party leaders not to engage Umno-linked media but Zaid had stressed that he would not hesitate to talk to all media organisations.

However, Nurul said she agreed with Zaid and she could understand where the former Umno law minister was coming from.

"I can rationalise Zaid's statement because we cannot espouse freedom of media and then take an extreme position with certain media," she told FMT.

However, Nurul stressed on the need for caution when speaking to the media, especially those owned or linked to Umno.

"What we need to do is exercise caution, practice constructive engagement and be very careful to ensure that our words are not manipulated. We cannot boycott a particular media no matter how unfair or bigoted they are," she said.

Zaid had recently given interviews to both Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times, launching veiled attacks against, what some observers have dubbed as, the “Anwar-Azmin cartel”.

Azmin is Zaid's main rival in the contest for deputy presidency and touted as Anwar's preferred choice for the number two slot.

Zaid, who joined PKR last year, had consistently cried foul over alleged attempts to undermine his deputy presidency bid.

'Umno culture' in PKR

In the interview with Utusan's weekend edition, Zaid had lashed out at the party leadership, saying that “Umno culture” was emerging in PKR.

However, Nurul felt that Zaid had crossed the line with this remark.

"I didn't see Zaid exercising caution when he said that an Umno culture was emerging.

"I am very careful with all media especially the mainstream ones and always provide my statements in writing wherever possible," said the first-term MP.

PKR's attempt to become the country's political trendsetter by introducing a direct election system and the escalating battle for the No 2 post have exposed its weaknesses and created deep fissures.

The contest for deputy presidency is expected to be a three-cornered fight with vice-president Mustaffa Kamil Ayub also vying for the post.

Orang Asli : We voted for BN but we are called ‘penumpang’

The Malaysian Bar Council has condemned the recent harassment by police and Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) on Orang Asli at Kampung Sebir in Negeri Sembilan. 

According to Bar Council President Ragunath Kesavan (second from left), a police officer from the Seremban 2 police station had questioned Tok Batin of Kampung Sebir regarding their customary meeting, two days prior to the scheduled event on September 30.

Ragunath said that the police officer requested Tok Batin to provide a written notification of the meeting to the police in order to obtain approval from the police to formally hold the customary meeting.

He then added that on September 30 itself, JHEOA and the police again visited the village and harassed the villagers for not obtaining a permit to conduct their meeting.

"This is the first time in the history of Malaysia that the police have told villagers that they need a permit to hold their own village meeting," Ragunath told the media at a press conference today.

"We have been holding our customary meeting for so many centuries and so many generations. Why suddenly do we need to apply for a permit?" Network of Orang Asli Villages founder Tijah Yok Chopil (pic right) asked.

"Why are the Orang Asli treated like this? Where is Najib's 1Malaysia? We are also very unhappy about the proposed amendments to the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954," she added.

"There is also the issue of illegal quarry and illegal logging activities in our villages but the police are not doing anything about that. Instead, they come and harass us about a permit," Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Negeri Sembilan (JKOANS) committee member Zurdi Baharu (pic left) said in frustration.

According to Zurdi, the state Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan and also the state police chief Datuk Osman Salleh have yet to take any action against the illegal quarry activities that has been going on for 15 years.

"We also lodged 5 reports about the illegal logging activities but the police just ignored us."
Zurdi's family had the greatest scare of their lives when a large stone from the quarry landed on their house, nearly crushing his child in the process.

"We are sick of the trespassing, abuse and degradation by the government and the authorities. They only protect the corporate," he said in disgust.

Bar Council Orang Asli Committee Chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan had called the recent actions of the authorities an 'evidence of the paternalistic attitude' of the government towards the Orang Asli community.

"They (government) are nervous about the proposed amendments to the Orang Asli act. The government is giving away a few acres but taking away hundreds of acres from them. They know that Orang Asli are also against the amendments. Memos have been submitted to the government but there is still no response from the authorities," she added.
Ambiga opined that the harassment was to prevent the Orang Asli from meeting and discussing about how the government was fleecing them.

"Otherwise, why won't the government release a copy of the bill for debate? Are they going to table the amendments last minute and pass it as a legislation without considering feedback from all stakeholders?" asked Ambiga who also questioned the government's deafening silence on the matter.

"The Orang Asli community of 18 diverse tribes numbering 150,000 in Peninsular have been continually harassed and their rights denied. They are the 'one community' that has suffered the most under the Barisan Nasional government," Ragunath added.

Tijah then referred several other incidents that were clear signs of the government's bullying of the Orang Asli people.

"After 53 years of Merdeka, do you all know that the water supply to my village of 3,000 people is one small pipe not bigger than a finger (holding out her thumb) and the pipe runs across a pig sty?" she told a roomful of stunned reporters.

"Then there is this Orang Asli by the name of Panjang Tangkak who has been arrested 4 times for selling produce from his own palm oil estate!" she said.

"The government took away his estate comprising tens of acres and then gave him back only a few acres. Then they did not pay him back the dividends that were promised in the agreement. How is he going to survive if he doesn't sell the produce?

Then they arrest him for selling the produce, claiming it belongs to state property. How can the government say that they 'give him land' and then arrest him for selling product from his own land?" said Tijah who also questioned the logic for such arrests.

Meanwhile, Langkap Kessu from Kampung Belihoi, situated between Mantin and Seremban trunk roads, told K4M that the government wants to take away the ancestral land and then divide it into small pieces to give back to the Orang Asli.

"Is this just, under the law? asked Langkap when questioning the legality of the government's claim that all land belonged to the state.

"How can they (BN government) repay our votes with such treachery? We voted for them. Why didn't they protect us."

According to Reh Binjan, another Tok Batin from Kampung Lumut, Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan, he was appalled at a speech by Lenggeng state assemblyman Mustafa Salim during a Hari Raya open house that the state owns all the land and that there was no ancestral land.

Mustafa was alleged to have said that the Orang Asli did not fight the war, therefore forfeiting their rights to lay claim to the 'ancestral land'.

Mustafa then allegedly labeled Orang Asli as 'penumpang' (squatters).

"Our ancestors were here even before Malaya was formed. This is even before Malaysia gaining independence. How can he call us penumpang? We are all very sick of the way the government is mistreating us."

Immigrants and Emigrants - Facts and Figures *updated*

by masterwordsmith  

 

The Star reported HERE today that more than 25,000 Malaysian citizenship applications have been processed by the National Registration Department over the last three years, following efforts by the Government to expedite the matter.



Note the following facts and figures from that report:

1. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said a total of 29,667 applications have been submitted to the department since 2007, and of these, some 4,000 were pending a decision.

He said that the department has set a benchmark of settling the remaining 4,000 applications by the end of this year.

2, He said a special task force set up by ministry, comprising 60 officers, helped resolved a backlog of 32,927 applications from 1997 to 2006.

3. Some 15,000 applications were received by the department as of October this year, which will be processed by 2011, he added.

To sum up:

1997 to 2006 (ten years inclusive) : a backlog of 32 927 applications

2007 to 2010 : 29, 667 applications in three years

2010 (as of October 2010) : 15 000 applications

4. Abu Seman said there was an increase in the number of citizenship applications in recent years, mainly from those from neighbouring countries, due to Malaysia's stability and economic growth.

Is it realistic to make such a statement? What he said does not seem to jell with the following facts and figures from The Malaysian Insider HERE :

1. About 700,000 Malaysians are currently living abroad, with half of them in Singapore, while the rest can be found mostly in Australia, Britain and the United States.

2. An Australian immigration agency in Perth with offices in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor has reportedly said that the number of Malaysians enquiring about moving to Australia had spiked by 80 per cent since 2008.

3. Many Malaysians living abroad, however, have reportedly cited racial tension and affirmative action policies among their concerns about returning to their homeland.

If that is the case, why would 15 000 people from neighbouring countries want to apply to be a Malaysian citizen when:

a) there is reluctance to change some affirmative action policies to enable meritocracy to lure the diaspora to return

b) About 80 per cent of the country’s workforce has only secondary school education thereby leading to the lack of skilled labour in Malaysia which deters more high-technology industries from coming to Malaysia.

c) London School of Economics and Political Science economics professor Danny Quah had pointed out that brain drain has had a huge impact on Malaysia’s economic and industrial development for the past decade or longer.

d) Malaysia’s growth rate dropped to an average of 5.5 per cent a year from 2000 to 2008, from an average of about 9 per cent a year from 1991 to 1997.

e) The country is also facing uncertain economic prospects with average GDP growth in the next five years projected to be just shy of the six per cent target Najib had set.

f) Foreign direct investment plunged a record 81 per cent last year and the World Bank has warned that a lack of human capital is a “critical constraint in Malaysia’s ambition to become a high-income economy.”

g) The number of Malaysian migrants rose by more than 100-fold in a 45-year period, from 9,576 Malaysians in 1960 to 1,489,168 Malaysians in 2005, according to the World Bank.

h) Malaysian migrants with tertiary education living in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, numbered at 102,321 in the year 2000.

i) Deputy Foreign Minister Senator A. Kohilan Pillay said recently that 304,358 Malaysians had migrated from March 2008 till August 2009 compared with 139,696 Malaysians in 2007.

That is an increase of 217.87%!!!

If the outlook is really rosy, why would 304, 358 Malaysians have migrated from March '08 till August '09????

Why would those 15 000 people apply on the basis of Malaysia's stability and economic growth which are being questioned by MANY quarters?

So something does not sound right, does it? The pieces of the puzzle just do not fall into place at all!
____________________________
Updated @ 12.05 am, October 6th
I did more sleuthing and discovered a few interesting facts:

Look at the birth rate of Malaysia as taken from THIS LINK.

Check out the death rate of Malaysia AT THIS LINK.

The population growth rate of Malaysia can be seen HERE.

Net migration rate is available for 178 countries at THIS LINK but not for Malaysia. Mind you - the source of information is the CIA World Factbook.

THIS SITE confirms that net migration rate for Malaysia is NOT AVAILABLE.

Why?

Strangely, this site shows that the population trend in Malaysia in on an increasing trend and is slightly over 27 million in 2008.

Compare this chart with the tables in the earlier links. Judge for yourself. I am sure the statistics are available but how come the net migration rate is unavailable and who come the population pattern is on the increase in the light of the statistics for birth rate, death rate and the absence of net migration rate for the country?

Just who are leaving and WHO ARE COMING IN???? Can someone kindly explain the demographic pattern??

Check out the statistics shown AT THIS SITE which is the Department of Statistics of Malaysia which tells us that the population of Malaysia in 2010 is 28.25 whilst it was 27.9 in 2009.

The 3rd Force – Realities

A wish is empty if it does not possess any chance of achievement. I sincerely wish that there is a 3rd force in Malaysian politics, but the reality is that the opposition as a loose grouping is still disorganized, undisciplined, weak, fractious and quarrelsome. As one MT commenter said – there is no 2nd force, let alone a 3rd force. And as RPK himself says – PR seems quite capable of shooting itself in the foot.

By batsman

There is always a wish and the obstacles to achieving that wish. It is like Murphy’s Law (if there is anything that can go wrong, it will) or Newton’s 3rd Law. Resistance is real in real life. If there is anything that will snag or block the way, it will happen. It is a nuisance to our wishes but is nonetheless necessary for life. That is why life is a struggle. Idealists may not like it, but it is a fact of life. Often if such facts of life are ignored, great disasters or “accidents” await. So it was and will always be for all the great idealistic movements in history.

In the face of it, a 3rd force in Malaysian politics is extremely desirable. Without it, Malaysia looks doomed to be ravaged by predators and vultures without any hindrance. Civil society will not have any strength or even any conscience. There will be no one to stop the rapists and the police will probably look the other way if the rapist possesses wealth and influence. Worse still, the MACC may even blame the victim or charge the victim for attempted seduction of the rapist. This is one of the nastier facts of life and it creates a very strong wish for civil society to control the excesses, corruption and abuses of

power.

Unfortunately a wish is empty if it does not possess any chance of achievement. I sincerely wish that there is a 3rd force in Malaysian politics, but the reality is that the opposition as a loose grouping is still disorganized, undisciplined, weak, fractious and quarrelsome. As one MT commenter said – there is no 2nd force, let alone a 3rd force. And as RPK himself says – PR seems quite capable of shooting itself in the foot.

Introduce an organized or “organizing” start-up 3rd force at this stage and the opposition becomes even more disunited.

The current political environment in Malaysia is characterized by suppression and dirty tricks. While this will motivate some very strong individuals to fight against such injustices, such individuals will still be in the minority.

The environment has to be changed into a more positive one where there is succor and encouragement in a very material sense (not just moral or verbal) before the movement for justice can grow more vigorously.

My argument is that the 2nd force needs to establish its strength and thence introduce greater checks and balances first such that the material conditions for an organized 3rd force to thrive may become reality. Only then may a 3rd force of mature and civilized civil society be openly organized into protecting hard won real (not paper) civil liberties. In the meantime, all strength must be concentrated into boosting the 2nd force. Let the 3rd force just live in our hearts for now.

After all, Britain got its political 3rd force only after many starts and retreats and only after many years of struggle. If not for the damage done by Bush, Blair, Wall Street and High Street, the Brits may yet still be wallowing pitifully in comfort and schadenfreude of the US’s shadow.

You may not agree with me, but I think the LDP is a child of Blair and Brown just as Osama is a child of US foreign policy and Bush.

In our case, the wish for a 3rd force may be a child of Azmin and Zaid, or later on still a child of DAP and PAS, but I think it is a premature child.

There is another scenario in which a 3rd force may become a viable start-up – that is PR not only shoots itself in the foot but becomes permanently crippled and hopeless for a difficult fight. Until this happens, make threats and explore possibilities if you wish, but let us not harbor unachievable wishes.

The benefit of being Malay first

by Jacqueline Ann Surin | The Nut Graph

ARE you Malay first? Or Malaysian first? That is the current rhetoric in some parts of our political landscape and is spurring some Malaysians to engage in a contest over what it means to be Malaysian.
For certain the question is not a new one. The DAP has for the longest time been brandishing the motto of “Bangsa Malaysia” in an attempt to dismantle the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s race-based politics. DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, for one, is nowhere close to letting up on this issue. He has demanded repeatedly for, especially, Umno politicians to declare if they are Malaysian or Malay first.
And while Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin seemingly failed the test question, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz recently scored some points by declaring he was “Malaysian first and Malay next”. But is the question really about which should come first? Why does it seem to matter so much? And which of the two labels — one about race and the other about citizenship — is more profoundly important to us as Malaysian citizens?
Asset vs liability
If there’s anything that we’ve learnt from our series of Found in Malaysia interviews, it’s that our identities are far more complex than, first, the British colonialists and now, the BN government would like us to believe.

Chef Wan (Pic by Roland Tanglao @ Flickr)

Just read some of the stories from the Malay Malaysian personalities we’ve featured. Chef Wan has Japanese and Indonesian ancestry in him, national squash player Mohd Azlan Iskandar is European, Indian, Malay and Chinese all in one, and Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz who is featured exclusively in the Found in Malaysia book is, in her own words, of pendatang stock since her ancestors were from Sumatera.
And so, one wonders why someone like the deputy prime minister, who is also Umno deputy president, feels compelled to respond to Lim’s challenge by making his Malay identity more important than, in this instance, his national identity. Why was it not possible for Muhyiddin to have replied that he was both Malay and Malaysian with neither one identity being more important? After all, our racial identities are far more complex than the tightly contained boxes we are expected to tick.
But this isn’t just about Muhyiddin although what our deputy prime minister, who is also education minister, says has implications on politics in Malaysia. It is about a larger issue of why being Malay to some is far more critical in Malaysia than placing equal or more importance on being Malaysian.

Najib Razak

This is where I find a commentary by Deputy Education Minister Dr Puad Zarkashi and the remarks by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at the end of September at the United Nations rather disingenuous. Our racial diversity, we are told, is an asset, not a liability, that is cherished.
These claims, however, belie the fact that it is really far more advantageous to be a Malay citizen than a non-Malay citizen in Malaysia. From quotas for education and housing to promotions in the civil service to becoming prime minister, it cannot be denied that the system in place clearly favours Malays over non-Malays primarily on the basis of race.
And so if it’s clear that there are two classes of citizens in Malaysia — Malays and non-Malays — it is only logical to expect the growing incidence of name-calling of non-Malay Malaysians whether in political rallies, Biro Tatanegara programmes or in schools. In order to maintain the paradigm of ketuanan Melayu that is repeatedly used to justify continued Malay privileges and dominance, one must not ever admit that regardless of race, we are, as citizens, all actually the same and hence deserving of equal opportunities and treatment.

Puad (© parlimen.gov.my)

No surprise then that the likes of Muhyiddin are not about to declare they are Malaysian first. Similarly, that would also explain just why Puad, who is an Umno supreme council member, would so quickly label the likes of Nazri as suffering from “Malayphobia”. Those who declare themselves as Malaysian first, Malay second, are dangerous because they are violating the constitution and Umno’s raison d’etre, charged Puad.
Herein lies the weak link to the BN’s claim that it believes in the vision of 1Malaysia. How can citizens believe that the government, especially Umno, cherishes our diversity if it consistently favours one racial group of citizens over others?
Any attempt to reframe the equation so that all of us are the same — from a citizenship point of view — would of course be seen as a threat. After all, such thinking could just dangerously lead to changing the equation of privilege and superiority to one of equality.
Inclusive instead of exclusive

Nazri Aziz

And that’s why Nazri‘s remarks made him such an instant hero in some circles. No matter the actual motivation for his remarks, this is what I suspect many people heard him say. That it was more important to him to belong to a group of people (“Malaysians”) where everyone was the same than it was to belong to another group of people (“Malays”) who enjoy exclusive privileges at the expense of others.
For many Malaysians, including me, saying “I am Malaysian first” is not about denying the cultural heritage of our respective ethnic groups. It is about reclaiming an identity that is inclusive instead of exclusive. It is about contesting the equation of Malay privilege so that no citizen needs to feel disadvantaged because of their race.
For certain, our identities are not one or the other, and cannot be limited to just race or nationality. Class, gender, sexuality, and religion are other aspects of identity that have been sidelined in this debate about being Malaysian. Indeed, depending on context, one aspect of our identity may be far more important than another with no contradiction at all to who we are. When Malaysians are overseas for example, it’s the most natural thing to say, “I’m Malaysian” instead of “I’m Malay/Chinese/Indian/etc”.
Still, if Umno politicians, or any other politician for that matter, want us to believe that 1Malaysia is for real, they best start talking and acting in ways that demonstrate they believe in an equation of inclusivity instead of exclusivity. The sum result, after all, is in the proof.

Will Aung San Suu Kyi be Freed at Last?

(Asia Sentinel) Burma's democracy icon is due to be released from house arrest after November elections

Unnamed official sources in Burma have recently said that Aung San Suu Kyi will be released from house arrest on Nov. 13, when her current period of detention is due to expire. But is the Burmese regime really planning to free the detained Nobel Peace Prize winner? The answer to this question very much depends on one person: Senior General Than Shwe.

If Suu Kyi is released in November, it will not be before next month's election. Pro-regime parties are expected to engineer a victory in the polls, which raises further questions about how Suu Kyi will respond to this situation if she is allowed to leave her home.

For the regime's paramount leader, this is the crucial issue. He regards Suu Kyi as a potential threat to national security, and if he believes that she will continue to challenge his rule after she is freed, he will almost certainly find some pretext to extend her detention indefinitely.

The people of Burma would rejoice at news of Suu Kyi's release, but they also know better than to allow it to raise their hopes or expectations. Their response would most likely be one of cautious optimism.

The most important thing people will be watching for is whether Suu Kyi will be allowed to travel. When she was released in 1995, she and her fellow National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders were not allowed to travel outside of Rangoon. Every time they tried to, they were followed and harassed by intelligence agents. In May 2003, junta leaders including Than Shwe were allegedly involved in giving a green light to an attack on her convoy that left many of her supporters dead.

People will also be very interested to know what Suu Kyi's strategy and future role will be. She will face a new political scene on the ground. Some of her closest allies and colleagues will not be around. Many have resigned from politics or passed away, while many others remain in Burma's gulag. Some—notably Dr Than Nyein and Khin Maung Swe—have deserted her disbanded party and formed a new party to contest in the election.

So what will her next move be? It is unlikely that she will resume her famous weekly "democracy speeches" at her compound gate at 54 University Avenue.

Some sources close to her suggested that she and her colleagues could become more involved in social and humanitarian work, particularly in the fields of education and poverty eradication. If she moves in that direction, the regime leaders who see her as direct political threat will be less intimidated and threatened.

But even here, she may find herself coming under attack from figures close to the regime who in recent years have moved to occupy the potentially lucrative "humanitarian space" being created by international aid groups eager to expand their presence in Burma. Indeed, some of these groups may be the first to pounce on her if they find her position on Western sanctions endangers their prospects for greater cooperation with the Burmese authorities.

Critics of Suu Kyi also say that her repeated calls for dialogue with the regime have fallen on deaf ears because she has no stick with which to force her adversaries to come to the negotiating table.

Some dissidents say that Suu Kyi does not possess the qualities that made her father, independence hero Gen Aung San, so effective in his struggle against the British. Many feel that she is not decisive enough and that she lacks the political astuteness that is needed to defeat the generals. After 22 years of nonviolent struggle under Suu Kyi's leadership, Burmese are increasingly inclined to believe that the transition to genuine democracy will have to be a bloody one.

It remains to be seen how the NLD's decision not to contest this year's election will affect Suu Kyi's ability to reach out to the generals. Although her party has been disbanded as a consequence of this decision, she herself remains enormously popular, both at home and abroad. This could give her some leverage, although past experience suggests it will be limited.

In November 2007, shortly after the regime brutally crushed the monk-led Saffron Revolution, Suu Kyi attempted to make a fresh start by issuing a statement through then UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

In her message, she stressed that she was seeking the path of dialogue and not the "devastation" and confrontation that Than Shwe accused her of. However, her words had little impact on the stubborn general.

The only sign of any softening of Than Shwe's position came after Suu Kyi was sentenced to three years imprisonment last year following a bizarre episode involving an American man who swam to her home. Soon after her sentence was announced, Home Minister Maung Oo entered the courtroom to read a special order from Than Shwe stating that, as Suu Kyi is the daughter of national hero Gen Aung San, her sentence should be reduced to 18 months.

That was 17 months ago. Now that she is due to be released, it is still unclear if Than Shwe has decided yet whether she was worthy of his mercy. If he does allow her to go free, however, it will most likely be based on a careful political calculation, rather than any feelings of magnanimity toward his nemesis.

Many will be watching to see how both sides deal with this situation. If Suu Kyi is released, expect to hear the West, the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations all claim their share of the credit. But don't expect any real progress.

If the international community wants to do something truly useful, it should demand not only Suu Kyis' release, but also that of the more than 2,000 other political prisoners, including more than 200 monks and nuns, still behind bars. Anything short of that will be meaningless in terms of moving Burma as a whole toward genuine freedom.

Aung Zaw is the founder and editor of the Irrawaddy Magazine, with which Asia Sentinel has a content-sharing agreement. He can be reached at aungzaw@irrawaddy.org.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Will 8th Cabinet meeting tomorrow still end up empty-handed with no disciplinary action against the two principals who made racial/religious slurs against students in school despite 1st incident occurring 55 days ago?

by Lim Kit Siang,

The question many Malaysians are asking is whether the eighth Cabinet meeting tomorrow will still end up empty-handed with no disciplinary action against the two principals, one in Johore and the other in Kedah, who made racial and religious slurs against students in schools despite the first incident occurring 55 days ago on August 12.

Another case of disgraceful conduct by public servants was discussed by the Cabinet last Wednesday – the derogatory, offensive and insensitive reference to the Chinese and Indian communities as “Si Mata Sepet” (“Squinty-eyed”) and “Si Kaki Botol” (“Alcoholics”) by the National Civics Bureau (BTN) deputy director Hamin Husin at a closed-door Puteri Umno function – but there was no satisfactory outcome although the open mockery of the Prime Minister’s 1Malaysia policy by public servants further undermined Najib’s authority, credibility and legitimacy.

The Cabinet meekly asked the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan to investigate the racist remarks by Hamim, who have meanwhile received the endorsement of Perkasa to lodge a police report under the tutelage of Perkasa.

Where does the Cabinet come in on this. Do the Ministers have any leadership role? Or are they completely impotent and irrelevant!

The Najib Cabinet risks being regarded as the Cabinet-joke in the nation’s history under six Prime Ministers – with a Deputy Prime Minister who openly repudiated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept by declaring that he is Malay first and Malaysian second; a KPI Minister who cannot pass the KPI in his own political party, denounced by his President-predecessor and party adviser as “an ostrich” who ran away from problems; and Cabinet Ministers most of whom dare not take a clear-cut stand whether on 1Malaysia or New Economic Model, the two signature policies of the Prime Minister.

All Malaysians await the outcome of tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting – whether there is going to be more procrastination and “tai chi” over the gross indiscipline of the two errant school principals and the BTN deputy director in openly flouting Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.

I am waiting for the outcome of the Cabinet tomorrow to decide whether to move an emergency motion in Parliament on Monday to demand an urgent debate on these two issues.

Azmin kata Doktor Mahathir 'pemimpin tersungkur'

Banyak orang kutuk Dr. Mahathir tetapi tiba - tiba ketika rasmi Mesyuarat Agong Tahunan Cabang Gombak, YB Azmin Ali menggunakan perkataan 'permimpin tersungkur' sebagai sindiran kepada Tun Dr. Mahathir dan sindiran itu tiba - tiba menjadi gamat sehingga Timbalan Perdana Menteri sendiri turut memberikan komen.

Tak tahu mengapa adakah kerana ketika komen tersebut dilontar Dr. Mahathir sedang sakit di hospital luar negara atau kerana mereka begitu sensitif kerana komen tersebut datangnya dari seorang yang dulunya anak angkat keluarga Dr. Mahathir yang dijadikan setiausaha kepada Anwar Ibrahim.

Cuma kalau oleh kerana Dr. Mahathir di hospital dan sakit maka dia tak boleh 'dikomen' apa bezanya dengan ramai pemimpin yang sakit tetapi terus menerima serangan politik. Anwar Ibrahim sebelum ini keluar masuk hospital tetapi adakah ada pemimpin regim yang menyatakan simpati dengan mengistihar letak senjata sehingga Anwar sihat. Bukan setakat terus diserang malah ada ketika Anwar juga disekat dari menerima rawatan sewajarnya. Adakah Anwar langsung tiada jasa pada negara ?

Kedua jika kerana Azmin ialah anak angkat keluarga Tun Dr Mahathir sehingga menjadikan semua sensitif maka seharusnya ada juga yang sensitif apabila ada yang dalam politik dinaikkan malah diberikan tangga politik oleh Anwar tetapi digunakan oleh regim untuk menyerang Anwar semula.

Azmin bukan mengutuk dengan serangan kerana kejadian Tun masuk hospital tetapi dia menegaskan dalam ucapan dan selepas itu ketika bertemu wartawan dengan menyatakan kenyataan 'pemimpin tersungkur' tersebut beerti seorang yang pernah naik dengan imej (retorik) membina negara dan membina nilai perpaduan tetapi sebaliknya akhir-akhir ini Tun Mahathir sendiri bertindak sebaliknya dengan mendokong Perkasa yang jelas berusaha memecah belahkan rakyat negara dengan membakar api perkauman.

Bagi che'GuBard Azmin tidak perlu mohon maaf tetapi mencabar media arus perdana memberikan ruang supaya Azmin menjelaskan kenyataan beliau.

Doa kepada Tun Dr. Mahathir supaya terus sihat dan kuat untuk melihat sendiri kejatuhan regim Bn.

Gerakan and PKR

Gerakan might as well close shop after 42 years of existence. Almost like Samy Vellu who has rejected the post of MIC adviser, former Gerakan president Lim Keng Yaik has quit as adviser. They are abandoning their sinking ships.

In reality, Gerakan lost its navigational bearings long before it struck an iceberg. Its idealistic multi-ethnic politics has long been subsumed under the racial politicking banner of the BN and Umno in particular. Self interest and jostling for the spoils of power and position assumed greater importance.

Gerakan needs to account for so many issues. Its failure to deal with Umno on an equal footing looms large. Think of how the right to reclaim land in Penang was given to big property developers in exchange for peanuts; examine the roots of the Buah Pala fiasco (carried through to its inevitable conclusion under the present administration); look at grief surrounding the eviction of low-income communities from the inner city with the lifting of rent control. Reflect on the general neglect of Penang.

And who can forget the monumental scandal over the PGCC/Penang Turf Club deals that sealed Gerakan/BN’s fate in Penang? I remember attending a meeting of activists with CM Koh Tsu Koon over PGCC during the last days of his administration when they tried to persuade him to put his foot down against the project. Instead, he acted like he was in the dark over the PGCC – like ‘buat don’t know‘ about the humongous scale of the project.

Gerakan’s lack of traffic planning, its failure to protect green spaces and vegetable farms (the loss of which has driven up food prices in the state), the polluted seas and dirty rivers, and the Komtar eyesore are testament to the party’s failure to practice sustainable development. Instead it made Penang heavily reliant on foreign investment-driven GDP growth – making us more vulnerable to global shocks. The prevention of mass unemployment and the provision of affordable housing in places like Seberang Jaya and Bayan Baru were a couple of its saving graces.

But looking back at the run-up to the 2008 general election, it is laughable to recall how the Gerakan folks were unable to see the earth opening up from under their feet. Imagine, they were arguing over who should be the next chief minister when the entire party was about to be dumped at the polls in Penang – the result of a wave of public anger and revulsion over failed leadership.

Now, as vultures circle overhead the writhing carcass in its throes that is Gerakan today, the ludicrous fighting over positions continues. But what are they fighting for, when the party is about to vanish into the mists of history? To use the sinking ship metaphor again, imagine the Titanic sinking and its officers still fighting to become captain as the ship takes in water! Like MCA, MIC, and of course Umno, Gerakan has shown that it is incapable of reforming itself. They have not learned a thing from the GE2008 debacle.

Which brings us to PKR. PKR, like Gerakan, was born in the idealism of multi-ethnic politics – in PKR’s case during the heady days of reformasi.

But since then, we have seen a string of PKR politicians betraying the aspirations of the rakyat by their katak politics, factionalism and ambition.

Some PKR leaders appear to behave more like ex-Umno/MCA/MIC politicians. But then again, that’s not surprising because many of them ARE ex-Umno/MCA/MIC politicians! In fact, PKR is in danger of becoming BN Lite.

Instead of serving the rakyat and struggling for social justice, human rights and democracy on the basis of people-centred policies, we see an unseemly scramble among ambitious politicians, sensing that they could perhaps clinch federal power, seeking to quickly climb the party hierarchy. We see a party election campaign devoid of any serious debate on policy issues and ideology.

From what we see in PKR and Gerakan today, there is one thing we can learn. Never rely completely on politicians to see through our aspirations for a more socially just Malaysia. If we do leave it to the politicians, we are going to be seriously disappointed and disillusioned. We need to play our part through a constant participation in the larger democratic process.

How many times we have heard this: in the next election we must go all out and vote and make a difference.

Big mistake. Why wait five years for the next election before you try and make a difference? Make your voices heard – now. Do something – write, speak, campaign, castigate racist politicians, speak out against corruption, lobby for policy and legal reforms, join a voluntary or civil organisation, read, discuss, debate, reflect. Do it 365 days a year. Small ripples of change will gradually spread across the country. Never rely 100 per cent on politicians and political parties, no matter how progressive they might seem – for their compromises, betrayals, and disgusting ambition will invariably disappoint us.

Think of the great women and men down the ages – how many of them were prime minister and presidents? Not many right? That’s because the realpolitik and compromises left many promising political leaders neither here nor there; ultimately many of them grew beholden to powerful political and business interests rather than serving the people’s interest.

Before the elections, these factions refer to themselves as Team Rakyat, Generasi Reformasi, and people-centric. After the elections, we shouldn’t be surprised if they become Team Developer, Team Kroni, and Team Korporat.

So let’s work together to bring about the change we desire. - Anil Netto

DPM: RPK's threat indicates waning confidence in PKR

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the threat by self-exiled blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin to pull out from backing Pakatan Rakyat showed how the opposition pact's leadership ability, especially that of PKR, was being perceived.

He said it also indicated waning confidence of party members and supporters in PKR's leadership.

"I've also read the reports in the blogs (on Raja Petra's statement)... questioning the party's leadership and criticising it for not practising what it preaches and for failing to deliver the promises made," he said after launching the National Language Month 2010 programme in Ipoh today.

Muhyiddin, who is also BN deputy chairperson, said this was not a new development as a numher of PKR founders and top leaders had even quit the party.

He said more and more PKR members at the higher as well as the grassroot level had realised the wrong choice they made and left the party.

"They had lost confidence... we hope the people will learn from this and think carefully," he said.

According to The Malaysian Insider news portal, Raja Petra (right), also known as RPK, said Pakatan had yet to fulfil its election manifesto despite being in power in several states for more than two-and-a-half years.

He expressed his unhappiness over this at a dialogue session with Malaysians in London last Saturday, with his long-time ally and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim also present.

RPK also threatened to pull out support for Pakatan in the upcoming Galas state seat by-election for its failure to deliver the promises made during the March 2008 general election.

Gerakan needs to be more aggressive

Asked on the DAP leadership crisis in Perak, Muhyiddin said he left it to the people's wisdom to judge from what was happening.

On Gerakan advisor Dr Lim Keng Yaik's decision to quit the post yesterday out of frustration over current party president Koh Tsu Koon's leadership style and failure to resolve several issues, Muhyiddin said the party leadership needed to be more aggressive in dealing with various arising issues.

"The initiative to resolve the issues should come from Gerakan itself and there is no need for outside interference," he said when asked whether the BN leadership would try to be the go-between to help solve the problems in Gerakan.

"If there is outside interference, some people may think Gerakan is weak. We should respect their (Gerakan leaders) decision."

He said BN also respected Dr Lim's decision as he was a long-time and experienced leader.

On MIC president S Samy Vellu's refusal to accept an advisory post after he steps down in January, Muhyiddin said his decision should also be respected as Samy Vellu might have confidence in the new leadership.

Asked on the reminder by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, for all quarters not to question the position of the rulers, and Malay special rights and privileges as stipulated in the Federal Constitution, Muhyiddin said all should take note.

He said the reminder by the Johor Sultan and several other sultans before this mirrored the rulers' feelings on the issues.

- Bernama

Tsu Koon calls Keng Yaik’s outburst a ‘misunderstanding’

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon moved into damage control mode today, claiming that his party adviser Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik’s sudden resignation could have been due to a mere “misunderstanding”.

The embattled president defended his handling of the ongoing crisis in Gerakan’s stronghold of Penang, pointing out that Dr Lim himself had given him the impression that he would have a free hand in the matter.

This, he claimed, was the very reason why he had not sought the veteran leader’s advice.

“Although Tun Dr Lim and I had talked about the Penang situation before, he indicated he would leave it to me and the present leadership to seek solutions.

“Hence, I had not contacted him directly after the EGM (extraordinary general meeting) move came into the open on September 15. This might have led to some misunderstanding,” said Koh in a statement today.

Dr Lim dropped a bombshell on the party yesterday with his sudden announcement during a press conference after the Wawasan Open University convocation ceremony here that he would quit his post as adviser.

In explaining his shocking decision, the Cabinet veteran expressed disappointment in the leadership method of his protege and accused Koh of refusing to get involved in conflicts for fear of offending others.

In a direct reference to the ongoing crisis in Penang Gerakan, Dr Lim had likened Koh to an ostrich, noting that his attitude of speaking no evil and burying his head in the sand had led to many problems in the party.

A group of members in Penang Gerakan, who call themselves the “voice of the grassroots”, recently embarked on a signature campaign to call for the EGM where they plan to move a no-confidence motion against their state chief Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan.

After collecting more than 60 signatures, the group successfully summoned the EGM, which is to be held this Sunday at 10.30am.

Koh however has been seen as being too nonchalant about the crisis affecting the party’s stronghold of Penang, where he was once chief minister, and was further criticised by Dr Lim when he announced that he would not attend the EGM but would instead attend the MCA’s annual general meeting, slotted for the same day.

Koh however defended his apparent lack of response on the crisis today, claiming that he had been actively monitoring and exploring possible solutions to the EGM, either directly with certain key leaders, or indirectly through other leaders at various levels.

“Of course, such a process has taken time,” he said.

He also pointed out that he had, all this times, emphasised that differences should be settled within the party channels, and that the EGM should be avoided as far as possible.

“However, if those who had signed the EGM petition insist on their democratic rights, then the democratic process has to go on smoothly.

“But all must accept the outcome and close ranks, as I have even openly pleaded at the party’s Penang state delegates conference on September 26,” said Koh.

He added that his main concern was in trying to preserve the party’s solidarity, especially in its Penang base, as well as the dignity of its many important leaders.

“It was my fervent hope that with or without the EGM, party leaders in Penang will come together quickly and focus on serving the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Koh acknowledged that the party had received Dr Lim’s resignation after 4pm yesterday and was now in the process of consulting the rest of Gerakan’s central leadership.

“Tun Dr Lim was regarded as the adviser to the whole party and not just to me personally,” he said.

The Malaysian Insider understands that an emergency central working committee meeting has been summoned at 8pm today at Gerakan’s headquarters here to discuss the latest developments.

Zaid Ibrahim says will not boycott Umno papers

Zaid: Even if I knew who they belong to, we still need to respect the duty of the reporter.

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — PKR deputy presidential hopeful Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has chosen to ignore his party’s de facto leader Datuk Anwar Ibrahim’s warning to bypass Umno-owned media.

The Federal Territory PKR chief reportedly said today that he would not “boycott” any media seen to be attacking the party or its coalition Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) leadership.

“It does not matter who owns Karangkraf or Utusan,” said Zaid in an interview with Sinar Harian today.

“No other newspaper has attacked me more than Utusan, but when I was invited by Utusan, I did not say boycott them,” he added.

Zaid has been interviewed by both Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and the New Straits Times daily in recent weeks, complaining that powerful forces in the party were against his tilt for the party’s No 2 post vacated by incumbent Senator Dr Syed Husin Ali.

Several party leaders had lashed out at the former de facto law minister for claiming in a Mingguan Malaysia interview his candidacy was being blocked. In the weekend edition of the Utusan Malaysia Zaid insinuated supporters of Anwar and Azmin Ali, his main competition, are complicit in the hurdles he is facing.

The interview was awkward for PKR especially with Anwar asking party election candidates not to leverage Umno media to attack its own ranks.

Today, Zaid stressed that it did not matter who owned the media.

“I do not ask who owns The Star or the NST (News Straits Times),” said Zaid.

“Even if I knew who they belong to, we still need to respect the duty of the reporter,” he said, adding that he would answer any question he was posed with.

The PKR supreme council member said that Anwar’s prohibition about using Umno-controlled media could have stemmed from the paper’s relentless attacks against him.

“I think that this could be because he (Anwar) has been slammed a lot by Utusan. So, he thinks that the Umno-owned paper is the real enemy that cannot speak the truth,” said Zaid.

“I am not sure. You will have to ask him yourself,” he added.

This is the second time Anwar has chastised Zaid’s campaign indirectly after refuting Zaid’s claim that an “Umno culture” was emerging in the party and warning PKR members of possible “Trojan horses” within the party.

Today, the lawyer by training pointed out that the attacks against him did not matter as the responsibility of the media was to their readers and not to him.

“If Sinar Harian wants to lash out at me tomorrow but praises me next week, I do not care because in the media world, your responsibility is not to me but to all the readers of Sinar Harian,” said Zaid.

“They need to know the truth,” he added.

The hotly contested fight for deputy presidency which has also seen current vice president Mustaffa Kamil Ayub throwing his hat into the ring, has revealed deep divisions within PKR and thrown the party’s commitment to direct elections into sharp focus.

Azmin, who is also Selangor chief, is believed to be Anwar’s preferred choice, while Zaid is said to be popular with East Malaysian and non-Malay members in the country’s largest multi-racial political party. Zaid joined the party last year after Umno kicked him out for being seen with opposition leaders.

PKR amended its constitution last year to give one member one vote in direct elections.

Last month, some 400,000 PKR members began voting for divisional leaders and the 25 members of the central leadership council, including president, deputy president and four vice presidents.

The party’s 218 divisions will hold two separate meetings, one for the annual general meeting and election of divisional leaders, and a second to vote for national leaders.

The divisions will vote for national leaders on weekends, from October 29 to November 21.

Stop creating tension, PKR tells Perkasa

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today,

PETALING JAYA: PKR deputy president contender Mustaffa Kamil Ayub today warned Perkasa against creating tension between the deputy presidency candidates.

Yesterday, Perkasa Youth chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah urged all PKR members to reject Azmin Ali's candidacy as deputy president, and channel their support and votes to Mustaffa Kamil.

Arman Azha claimed that 35% of Perkasa's members are from PKR. Mustaffa Kamil said this was unlikely as PKR strongly rejected the antics of Perkasa.

"I, representing the party leadership, urge all grassroots members to reject the extreme racial politics fanned by Perkasa," Mustaffa Kamil said at a press conference here today.

Calling Perkasa a "chauvanistic" and "extreme" organisation, he said it was possible that Perkasa was just trying to create animosity between the candidates.

"This has also created some interest in my candidacy and I have to explain my stand. What is the motive of Perkasa in issuing the statement that supported me and rejected the other two contenders?" asked Mustaffa Kamil.

He questioned why the organisation could make such a statement when it was not a PKR entity either now or in the future.

He said he believed that behind Perkasa, led by Ibrahim Ali, there were several other leaders including Dr Mahathr Mohamad and (deputy Umno president) Muhyiddin Yassin who are working to destroy the unity of the rakyat that PKR has worked hard to foster.

"We should not compromise on condemning the racial fires being stoked by Perkasa and Umno. We also should not fall for the malicious statement of Perkasa," he said, adding that PKR was a party that fought for all races.

He said he received numerous calls questioning why Perkasa openly supported him.

"I don't want to be misunderstood. I don't want to be seen as being okay with Perkasa."

Room for improvement

Mustaffa Kamil said if Arman Azha was angered that Azmin had criticised Mahathir's administration, he should realise that the whole PKR leadership, including himself, was also angered by the accusation Mahathir made against Anwar Ibrahim 12 years ago (in the first sodomy case).

On the various reported inconsistencies in the party election, he said that direct elections was a good system but PKR has room for improvement.

"No other party has done such a thing in the name of democracy. As this is something new for a new party, we must accept that some problems will crop up. But overall, it's a good system."

On the impending Galas by-election, Mustaffa Kamil said PKR would support any candidate chosen by PAS.

He added that the opposition has a good chance of winning.

"The people will vote for Pakatan Rakyat because BN had not fulfilled its promises in Manik Urai and also they will vent their anger on the federal government over the the oil royalty issue," he said, adding that the political bureau of PKR will meet tomorrow.

Apdal: Galas best handled by Ku Li

By Patrick Lee - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is the right man to handle the Galas by-election, Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal said today.

Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat had said that asking Razaleigh to contest in the Galas by-election was undermining the latter's credibility.

"PAS is in a state of confusion," said Shafie, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister.

"Razaleigh is not only a respected leader in Gua Musang, but also in the whole country," he said at the Hari Raya celebrations at Mara headquarters here.

Fondly known as Ku Li, Razaleigh has been the country's longest-running MP, having lead Gua Musang since 1969.

Apdal said that since Razaleigh had proven himself to be capable in both domestic and international affairs, it had made him the right man for the job.
He also confirmed that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had already contacted Razaleigh, who is in Northern Ireland, regarding his appointment as election director.

"It is an honour (for Muhyiddin) to give (Razaleigh) that sort of responsibility," Apdal said, adding that Galas also fell under Razaleigh's jurisdiction.

However, Apdal did not mention if Razaleigh had accepted the post to lead BN's election machinery in Galas.

"Razaleigh is an Umno member and he's been struggling for the party as well," he said, adding that it was up to Razaleigh to make the decision.

"Don't leave it to Nik Aziz to make the decision for him," he said.

Teo's surau visit: 'Police probe a comedy'

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today,

PETALING JAYA: The police investigation into Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching's controversial surau visit has been called a "complete comedy" that flew in the face of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's 1Malaysia concept.

Teo's DAP colleague and lawyer Gobind Singh Deo told FMT today the authorities were sending a signal that anyone who went to a place of worship risked being prosecuted.

"That just goes against what 1Malaysia is supposed to stand for. What she (Teo) did was obviously geared towards fostering greater relationship and understanding of religions," said Gobind, who is Puchong MP.

But what vexed Gobind more was that the police could not even tell Teo and himself what sort of offences Teo were being investigated for.

"When I asked them, they simply said a police report was lodged against Teo. But they could not answer me why they were asking for Teo's statement. If a complaint or police report doesn't form the basis of any criminal charge, the police shouldn't look to her for answers. That's 'fishing' for a case, which isn't allowed," said Gobind.

He added that the police should not even be investigating this (report).

"Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code says that a person need not answer questions which incriminate them, but in this case, how do you know what incriminates if you don't know what your offence is?" asked Gobind.

He said police would ordinarily call witnesses after they have weighed a police report and gauged if it fell under any criminal offence, not the other way around.

"If there were no offences, they shouldn't be calling people just to 'understand what happened'," said Gobind.

Politically motivated exercise
Teo herself was puzzled by the police action, calling it a politically motivated exercise.

"I am unhappy because day in and day out, people from my constituency tell me that police have not taken action on their reports, even when they could identify the suspects who sometimes even stay in the same area," said Teo.

"But now they've called me here when they do not even have a case against me," she added.

"Is this a criminal offence? This is ridiculous. Most likely they had received instructions from their 'superiors' from Umno," she said.

Teo said she had even asked the police: "If I had made a police report against Najib for visiting a museum, would you call him up?"

"Of course not. As far as I know, visiting some place is not a crime," she said.

On Saturday, she was grilled for more than an hour by Kajang district police. They asked her whether she had permission to visit the surau and what she wore and what she said in a speech.

Issue over-hyped
Teo was also asked if she knew that her behaviour has caused disharmony in society and whether she was aware that she had provoked a community.

"As a citizen, I have done my part in giving the police full support. It's up to them to charge me,” she said, adding that the whole issue has been over-hyped.

"Is it because I am Chinese? But I'm definitely sure that it's because I am from DAP, because they (police) were trying so hard to claim that we are anti-Islam," she said.

Teo hoped that the whole issue could yield something fruitful for Malaysia.

"There is a debate going on in the Muslim community about this. In the US, Najib said there is Islamophobia and we cannot deny that it's also here in Malaysia.

“The conclusion and reaction from the Muslim community would affect the non-Muslims. We should take an inclusive rather than an exclusive approach. I hope that we can achieve more unity at the end of the day."

Teo said that from a Christian point of view, a place of worship should welcome anyone of any faith as it was a chance for anyone to know more about a particular religion.

Teo’s visit to Surau Al-Huda in Kajang on Aug 22 to present Ramadan aid came under fire when it was reported in Utusan Malaysia. The paper published a photograph of her delivering a speech in the prayer hall without covering her hair, causing uproar from groups such as Umno and Perkasa.

It was also alleged that Teo committed another offence by delivering a tazkirah (sermon) during her visit, which Teo had denied.

However, Pakatan Rakyat leaders including PAS spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat have come out in Teo’s defence, saying there was nothing wrong in Islam for a non-Muslim to enter a surau or a mosque. They said even the National Fatwa Council allowed non-Muslims to be present inside the mosque.

Teo had been warned by MAIS (Selangor Islamic Religious Council) not to repeat her action and she has since apologised to the Sultan of Selangor.

Brief chronology:

Aug 22: Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching entered the prayer area of the Surau Al-Huda, Kajang, to present a RM1,000 contribution and also gave a speech with her head uncovered.

Aug 27: A picture of Teo standing in front of the praying room without a headscarf was published in Utusan Malaysia, sparking outcry from Muslims from various groups. MAIS chairman Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa reportedly said Teo’s action had angered the Sultan of Selangor, who ordered immediate action against the management of the surau. MAIS took over the  management of the surau with immediate effect.

Aug 28: Teo said she was disappointed that the matter had been blown out of proportion.

Aug 28: Teo openly apologised to the Sultan of Selangor, who was reportedly angered by her actions. "I welcome all reminders and advice from all quarters and will do my utmost to carry out my duties more carefully so as not to create any discomfort, conflict or misunderstanding among Muslims in the future," she said.

Aug 29: PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat defended Teo, saying that what the MP did was the best way to get to know Muslims better. ''There is nothing wrong for a non-Muslim woman to speak in a surau as long as she is decently dressed," he reportedly said.

Aug 29: Wira Perkasa Youth chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah failed to send a letter and a RM1,000 contribution to the committee members of the surau so that the surau can return Teo's contribution.

Sept 21: Harakah reported that Teo had to put up with twitter posts from individuals linked to MCA, that smacked of sexual harassment as well as being spiced with Islamophobic messages. One post from a self-admitted MCA cybertrooper "MCAJB" said: “Date me, for i wont ask u to wear a tudung, or rape u without it .”

Sept 1: Teo received a letter from the MAIS barring her from entering any prayer hall in surau or mosques without permission.The letter stated that the Sultan of Selangor has directed that non-Muslims were not allowed to enter the prayer hall without approval from MAIS. “The letter said that after an investigation was conducted, MAIS found that I had indeed entered the surau,” Teo said. She was told not to repeat such action.

Sept 5: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said Teo violated the National Fatwa Council’s decree when she entered the prayer hall of Surau Al-Huda. The fatwa, issued last March, stated that non-Muslims must get permission from the mosque and be appropriately attired before entering the mosque.

Oct 2: Police took Teoh's statement over the surau incident at the Kajang district police headquarters. She was accompanied by Selangor DAP chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo. Teo, who maintained that she had not committed any offence, said police informed her they were not out to prosecute her but to know what actually happened.

Samy's exit will herald a 'cabinet' crisis

By JK Jayan - Free Malaysia Today

COMMENT If everything goes as planned, MIC president S Samy Vellu will hand over the reins to his deputy G Palanivel in January. But there could be one issue which might trigger a crisis – who should be the sole cabinet minister to represent the party?
Currently, that honour is with vice-president Dr S Subramaniam.

However, if MIC is to be rebuilt and repositioned to face the next general election, then it is clear that the incoming president should also be made a cabinet minister to establish himself as a credible and powerful leader respected by the party and the Indian community.

In recent months there was intense talk among MIC’s rank and file that Samy Vellu may call for an early presidential election to oust Palanivel and that Subramaniam will be the candidate to replace Palanivel.

Adding fuel to the speculation, Subramaniam began a nationwide tour under the guise of “meet the people sessions” organising large-scale gatherings to help Indians under the government task force.

Through these gatherings organised at the MIC divisional level, Subramaniam also met MIC branch chairmen, who are the voters in a presidential election.

MIC sources said Palanivel’s faction is worried that if Subramaniam continues as cabinet minister after January, he will be able to build a strong power base to mount a challenge for the presidency. The presidential election must be called by February 2012.

One observed noted: “It was okay for Subramaniam to be cabinet minister with Samy Vellu as president. Subramaniam was obedient to Samy Vellu and reported everything to Samy Vellu.”

“But Palanivel will only be an acting president and needs to strengthen himself. With their relationship already strained, it is not safe for Palanivel to let Subramaniam continue as minister,” he added.

One solution, said the observer, was for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to heed the long-time call to have two Indian representatives in the cabinet and appoint Palanivel as well.

“If that is not possible, then Palanivel should move in to become the sole cabinet minister to strengthen himself within the party and community. That will also put a check on Subramaniam.

“If he is not the cabinet minister anymore, then he can forget about challenging Palanivel. He doesn’t have that much ground support in MIC. His only strength is being a minister,” he added.

Will there be an acting deputy president?

There is also another debate brewing in the party which may create further rifts between Palanivel and Subramaniam. Will the latter be appointed as acting deputy president?

In an interview with TV3 a few months ago, Samy Vellu said he will hand over the leadership to Palanivel and Subramaniam will be appointed as the acting deputy president.

However, MIC sources said Samy Vellu had jumped the gun since this was something which Palanivel must decide as acting president and not Samy Vellu, the outgoing president.

There is also a legal poser. When Samy Vellu resigns as president, Palanivel only becomes an acting president but still continues as deputy president as he is elected for a period of three years until the party elections are held in 2012.

Therefore the question of a vacancy in the position of deputy president does not arise. The relevant clause 53 in the MIC constitution reads as follows: “In the event of the post of deputy president falling vacant, the president may in consultation with the central working committee appoint an acting deputy president from among the vice-presidents for the rest of the term.”

Despite the legal uncertainty, there is also another plausible reason why Palanivel may not appoint Subramaniam as the acting deputy president. Such an appointment will automatically make Subramaniam the de facto No 2 in the party, giving him additional political strength to mount a challenge against Palanivel in 2012.

One Palanivel supporter said Palanivel is likely to keep the post of acting deputy president vacant and let the MIC delegates decide for themselves during the 2012 party elections as to who should be the rightful number two.

If Palanivel picks this option, it will create further animosity between him and Subramaniam's camp. Palanivel will be seen as by-passing Subramaniam despite a pointer by his mentor Samy Vellu.

History repeats itself

However, Palanivel will not be first MIC president to make such a decision.

In 1976, when MIC deputy president Athi Nahappan died, there was tremendous pressure on president S Manickavasagam to appoint Samy Vellu as the acting deputy president as he was then serving as the first vice-president having won with the highest votes in the 1975 party elections.

Manickavasagam refused to appoint an acting deputy president and this plunged the party into a leadership tussle. Eventually that led to a contest for the coveted deputy president’s post in 1977 between Samy Vellu and (former deputy president) S Subramaniam. Samy Vellu won the contest with a 26-vote majority.

When Manickavasagam died in 1979, there was pressure on Samy Vellu to appoint Subramaniam as the acting deputy president as he was then the first vice-president. In the 1979 party election, Subramaniam won the vice- president’s post with the highest number of votes among the vice- presidential candidates.

However, Samy Vellu refused to make such an appointment citing Manickavasagam who had set the precedent in 1976 by not making such an appointment. That led to a political fight between Samy Vellu and Subramaniam and in May 1981 both entered into a truce and Subramaniam, in the party elections held in the same year, was elected unanimously as the deputy president.

Now history repeats itself!

JK Jayan is an observer on Malaysian politics and a freelance writer.

Kitingan: Controversial campaign 'a step towards political maturity'

By Luke Rintod - Free Malaysia Today,

KOTA KINABALU: PKR vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan has praised the intense campaigning in the party's polls here as well as in peninsular as 'a step towards political maturity.
'"Stiff competition for elected positions is good for PKR. This indicates the rising popularity of PKR.

"We in PKR do not condone nor promote any kind of violence and it is not our culture to do so, but when you have a popular party like PKR, everyone wants to be part of it," he said defending the freewheeling PKR polls.

The chaotic party elections in Sabah grabbed attention here and became topic of discussion among locals with one local newspaper carrying critical views of the affair.

On Sunday a local veteran politician, Fred Edwin Lojingki, 69, blamed PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim for what he called "bad political cultures being promoted in the party", while at the same time taking to task Sabah politicians who were silent on the politicking.

Responding to Lojingki, Kitingan admitted that campaigning could lead to intense scrutiny by supporters of candidates which could at times get out of hand.

He said this was especially so as this is the first time PKR held its direct voting where all members are eligible to vote.

In Malaysia, PKR is the first political party to have successfully amended its constitution to allow the landmark 'one-member, one-vote' system, replacing the old way of a representative or a delegate system of electing party leaders.

Lawyer wins in Penampang

"We in PKR will learn a lot from this experience and are confident of improving the process as we move into the future.

"The public should look at recent happening as a positive development, and as a new opening for a political culture of empowering the members to directly elect their own leaders.

"As long as they don't break the law we should keep an open mind. In time, this new political culture of empowering members will reach political maturity for both leaders and members," Kitingan said.

Meanwhile in the tussle for the top post for Penampang division yesterday, lawyer Darrel Iking won by a 90 vote majority. He polled 325 votes beating three other contenders namely Brett Chua (235 votes), Roland Chia (199) and Innocent Makajil (19).

Innocent however had earlier withdrawn from the poll amidst allegation of irregularities and had lodged a police report.

Raja Petra threatens to withdraw support for Pakatan

(The Star) Self-exiled blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin has threatened to pull out from backing Pakatan Rakyat in the upcoming Galas by-election as he claimed the Opposition had failed to deliver on promises made during the March 2008 general election.

Raja Petra, a supporter of Pakatan Rakyat, made the statement in front of his long-time ally and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at a dialogue session with Malaysians in London on Saturday.

He was reported by an online news portal to have expressed his unhappiness that Pakatan had yet to perform despite being in power in several states for more than two-and-a-half years.

“We have given Pakatan two-and-a-half years but not a single reform has been implemented. Some can be done immediately, some two years, some in 20 years.

“At least let us see some, then we will be quite happy and we will continue to support Pakatan in every by-election and general election,” he said.

Anwar responded by insisting that the Opposition’s hands were tied as much of the power to implement reforms was centralised in the Federal Government.

Yes, we want him to get well and come home, but not to serve the country. To serve time.

“When Mahathir is unwell and is admitted to hospital, all Malaysians are praying for his speedy recovery and his return home to serve the country in his capacity as a former prime minister” – Muhyiddin, sucking up to Kutty, as reported in Malaysiakini.

Will Muhyiddin return to Treasury his salaries and allowances as Federal Minister for past 15 years so as not to be associated with forbidden money?

By Lim Lit Siang,

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Umno Ministers should decide at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow whether they will return their salaries and allowances to Treasury as they do not want to be associated with gambling money.

Ten days ago on September 25, Bernama carried the following report:

MUAR, Saturday 25 September 2010 (Bernama) — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to answer allegations made by Umno Youth on the state government’s financial source to fund its poverty eradication programmes.

Muhyiddin said Muslims would not want to be associated should gambling money were used for the programmes.

“We want an answer from Lim. If the money is from a forbidden source, Muslims will have no part in it,” he told reporters after launching a Pagoh education excellence programme at the Dewan Sri Pekembar, here.

Muhyiddin was asked on a news report today quoting Umno Youth as claiming that funds from gambling activities were used to finance poverty eradication programmes in Penang.


In line with Muhyiddin’s declaration that Muslims do not want to be associated with money from “a forbidden source”, the Deputy Prime Minister should set an example and declare that he will not only return his salary and allowances to Treasury, but will return all his salaries and allowances as Federal Minister for the past 15 years since 1995.

Muhyiddin’s past Cabinet portfolios were Minister of Youth and Sports (1995–1999), Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (1999–2004), Minister of Agriculture (2004–2008) and Minister of International Trade and Industry (2008–2009) before becoming deputy prime minister and education minister in April 2009.
Can Muhyiddin compute and declare how much salaries and allowances he would have to return to the Treasury as Federal Minister in the past 15 years because they come from the Federal Government Consolidated Fund which includes gambling tax.

In the recent June meeting of Parliament, DAP MP for Rasah Anthony Loke had asked the Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak whether revenue from gambling was separated from the Consolidated Fund; the mechanism to manage the gambling revenue; its uses and what percentage was channelled to deal with social woes resulting from gambling activities.

This was Najib’s reply:

“At this time, revenue from gambling activities are categorized as government revenue. Based on Article 97 of the Federal Constitution and Financial Procedure Act 1957 (revised in 1972) all taxation or revenue received by the federal government will be credited into the Consolidated Fund.

“The Consolidated Fund comprises three main accounts, the Consolidated Account, the Consolidated Trust Account and the Consolidated Loans Account.

“All revenue from payment of taxes are put into the Consolidated Account like all other government revenue and is used for purposes of management spending and national development.”

In reply to another question from Loke, the Deputy Finance Minister Senator Awang Adek disclosed that the gambling tax collected by the Barisan Nasional federal government last year amounted to RM2.3 billion, and that the figure included taxes from the casino in Genting Highlands and from revenue of numbers forecasting such as Magnum and Sports Toto.

As Muhyiddin said that Muslims do not want to be associated with money from “a forbidden source”, and part of the expenditure for national management and development including paying the salaries and allowances of Cabinet Ministers is sourced from gambling revenue, the Deputy Prime Minister must be consistent and return all his salaries and allowances as Cabinet Minister going back to 15 years to the Treasury.

It is most unfortunate that instead of advising Penang Umno not to resort to irresponsible politicking, as falsely accusing the Penang government of using gambling money to pay RM100 annually to senior citizens in the state aged above 60 years, Muhyiddin acted in a most irresponsible manner in aiding and abetting Penang UMNO’s “political desperado” tactics.

Nazri moves to distance BTN from rep’s remarks

The Malaysian Insider 
by Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz defended the National Civics Bureau (BTN) today from charges of promoting racism, after a representative from the bureau was recently reported as having uttered racial slurs against the country’s Chinese and Indian communities.

Nazri said that the “racist” remarks reportedly made by BTN assistant director Hamim Husain did not reflect the courses conducted by the government agency.

“There are no modules in BTN which promotes racism. We have to look at what’s the issue here. In this case, it’s not the module which is an issue, it’s the personnel,” said Nazri in response to whether the courses run by BTN should be revamped.

The minister in the Prime Minister’s department stressed that action should be targeted against any individuals found making “irresponsible” remarks.

“These were remarks made by an irresponsible individual, therefore action should be taken against him,” Nazri told reporters today.

The Padang Rengas MP maintained that the Najib administration does not endorse any racist remarks, even if they were made by civil servants.

“The Cabinet, in its meeting last week, had already issued stern reminders to civil servants that no racist remarks will be tolerated.

“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself said during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly that the moderates must come forward... this was not only meant on an international level, but also in the context of our country,” added Nazri.

Hamim has since lodged a police report against The Malaysian Insider, claiming that his words had been “misinterpreted” and that his reported remarks were made in the confines of a private function.

On this, Nazri said it was Hamim’s prerogative to lodge a police report.

“Anyone can make a police report. Maybe he feels injustice has been done towards him... maybe he wants to defend himself. Whatever it is, action will be taken once investigations are completed,” said the minister.

Last week, Hamim, during a closed-door Puteri Umno function, referred to the Chinese and Indian communities as “Si Mata Sepet” and “Si Botol” respectively when asking Puteri Umno members to approach the non-Malays for votes.

“The ‘si mata sepet’ that has never gone to a mosque or surau only has one vote. The ‘si botol’ that only knows how to go up to Batu Caves up and down only has one vote,” Hamim told the closed-door gathering, as reported in The Malaysian Insider.

The Cabinet, disappointed with Hamim’s remarks, has instructed the Chief Secretary to investigate the BTN official.

The BTN, a state agency tasked with running courses on patriotism for civil servants and undergraduates, had come under fire last year for ostensibly promoting racism.

The Najib administration had then promised a revamp of BTN’s courses following a widespread public outcry.