Thaipusam: Selangor MB’s stage upstaged by Najib’s stage

Having denied all hindu temples in Selangor state government land, this PKR Selangor Menteri Besar is so desperate for the crucial and critical Indian votes that he is prepared to erect a stage at Batu Caves just to fish for Indian votes. Justice Party? (Refer The Star 29/1/2010 at page N 18)

However this Selangor MB’s stage was upstaged by Najib’s stage. To us it does not matter whether Rama or Rawana rules as neither UMNO nor PKR, DAP or PAS offers a permanent and lasting solution in giving all hindu temples in Malaysia state government land and to put to an end to the indiscriminate hindu temple demolishments in Malaysia.

Our Indian minority and human rights struggle will continue irrespective of Najib or Anwar Ibrahim..

P. Uthayakumar

PM slams Pakatan for blame game over church attacks

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak lashed out today at Pakatan Rakyat for alleging that the arsonists involved in the Metro Tabernacle Church attack were Umno members.

Responding to a question from a reporter during a press conference after the Umno Supreme Council meeting, Najib appeared to be on the defensive as he dismissed the claims as merely another tactic by the opposition to win support.

“This point has already been answered by top Umno officials. This is what the opposition always does,” said Najib to a chorus of applause from Umno leaders present at the press conference.

The prime minister’s remarks comes amid accusations by some PR leaders claiming to have knowledge and evidence of Umno’s “hand” in the recent attack on the church which left its first floor completely gutted.

PKR vice-president Azmin Ali has claimed that at least four Umno members were involved in the arson attack on the Metro Tabernacle Church.

PAS’s HarakahDaily website quoted Azmin as saying that he was collecting evidence to back up his claims and would release it soon.

The Gombak MP had claimed that at least four of the eight remanded over the Jan 8 attack are Umno members from the Gombak and Ampang divisions, adding he would reveal the full names, Mykad numbers and Umno membership numbers of those involved as soon as possible.

“The opposition has to always blame Umno. This is their modus operandi (MO),” said Najib today in response to the claims.

Three dispatch riders were charged in the Sessions Court today for the recent firebombing of the Metro Tabernacle Church, and could face up to 20 years in prison.

The three were brothers Raja Muhammad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, 24; Raja Muhammad Idzham Raja Ibrahim, 22; and another 23-year-old, Azuwan Shah Ahmad.

They were charged under Section 436 of the Penal Code, for the offence of “mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy a building.”

All three claimed trial and the date of mention has been set for March 12.

A total of eight men had originally been detained in connection with the arson attack at the Metro Tabernacle Church here on Jan 8.

Besides the eight, police have also detained seven other men over the recent arson attempt at Taiping’s historic All Saints’ Church and the town’s Convent School.

The attacks are believed to be linked to the controversial “Allah” ruling that has riled many Muslims.

Four other men were also picked up for arson attempts on two mosques in Muar.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said this week he believed the attacks against churches, a temple and now mosques appeared to be aimed at sparking racial and religious strife.

Boar heads were reportedly found at two mosques near here, earlier this week, following the fire-bombing attacks and acts of vandalism against churches and a Sikh temple that had taken place in the wake of the “Allah” controversy.

These latest acts could be construed as attempts to escalate tensions and provoke unrest between Muslims and non-Muslims, as pigs are considered unhygienic in Islam and therefore their presence in the mosques were acts of desecration.

PM on charm offensive at Batu Caves

“The lights you see among the crowd, the railings were all contributions by the government,” said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in his speech to the massive crowds (pictured) gathered at Batu Caves. — Picture by Jack Ooi

By Neville Spykerman - The Malaysian Insider

BATU CAVES, Jan 29 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak went all out to win over Hindu devotees, and by extension voters from the Indian community, at Batu Caves tonight in his second visit to the temple since becoming Prime Minister.

“During my first visit on Aug 9 last year, I promised to return on Thaipusam as a mark of respect to the Indian Community,” said Najib in his remarks to the thousands of devotees and tourists gathered at the iconic temple grounds.

He also pointed out that he was accompanied tonight by members of his Cabinet and well as his wife, Datin Sri Rosmah Mansor, in an attempt to show the importance his administration places on the Indian community.

After being Barisan Nasional’s vote bank for years, many Indians voted abandoned it for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties in the last national polls.

Najib’s visit tonight climaxed with a spectacular fireworks display and he pointed out that both his late father Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and Tun Hussein Onn had also visited Batu Caves during Thaipusam and he was continuing this tradition.

The prime minister’s visit to Batu Caves tonight on the eve of Thaipusam is especially significant as BN needs to win over the Indian community, many of whom could be swing voters in tightly contested seats at the next general elections.

In his speech Najib reiterated his government’s commitment to his 1 Malaysia vision and reminded the crowd of the numerous contributions made to the Indian community including the funding of Tamil schools, training of Indian youths and even the upgrade of the Batu Caves temple.

He pointed out that the infrastructure at Batu Caves was in poor condition during his last visit and he had asked his Cabinet to allocate RM3.6million to upgrade facilities.

“The lights you see among the crowd, the railings were all contributions by the government.”

More importantly the Umno president acknowledged the nation’s diversity and pointed out that its pillar is respect other faiths.

This acknowledgement comes in the wake of the desecration of two Mosques and recent attacks on Churches and a temple, following a High Court ruling which sanctioned the use of word “Allah” by Christians.

The ruling has angered many Muslims.

Najib pointed out that even the Prophet Mohamed respected other faiths and true Islam forbade the desecration of places of worship.

He added that his government would uphold the true principles of Islam.

He said although there may be differences of opinion but it was important for Malaysians to appreciate and respect one and another.

Najib also spoke about his recent visit to India, where he was warmly welcomed by the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and revered Tamil Nadu Chief Minister “Kalaignar” M. Karunanidhi in Chennai, who Najib described tonight as an icon and legend.

“He told me he believes Indians are fairly treated in Malaysia,” said Najib, who added that he assured the Indian leaders that this would continue.

He added that he had to visit Tamil Nadu and Chennai because 85 per cent of Indians originate from there.

“I had to visit because it’s a recognition of the roots of Indians, in Malaysia.”

He pointed out that India was a great nation and civilization, with a long history of interactions with Malaysia and both nations were moving towards stronger economic ties.

Najib who arrived at 9.10pm was welcomed by temple president Datuk N.Nadarajah who in his speech labelled Najib “The Father of 1 Malaysia”.

There was a heavy police presence and red helmeted Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel were seen escorting him to the temple’s information complex where seats were prepared on the second floor.

With him on the visit were Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon.

Among the MIC leaders at the temple were president Datuk Seri Samy Vellu, Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam and Federal Territories Deputy Minister Datuk M.Saravanan

Also in attendance was Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar.

PAS panel suspends Khalid, only warns Hasan

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — The PAS disciplinary committee has suspended Shah Alam PAS chief Khalid Samad for six months from his party post for a public disagreement while only warning Selangor state commissioner Datuk Hasan Ali for questioning the state Pakatan Rakyat government.

Disciplinary chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (picture) said they found Khalid guilty for arguing with Hasan, adding the Shah Alam MP is banned making any statement related to the party.

“We found Khalid Samad guilty under section 75 of the party’s constitution and decided to suspend him from his party posts for six months.

“During that period he is banned from making statements that affect the good name of PAS and Pakatan Rakyat.

“And position he holds in the party including the party’s Shah Alam chief and also committee member of the party’s political bureau,” he told reporters at the party’s headquarters here.

Khalid, who is away in Saudi Arabia, has been informed of the decision and will return soon to appeal against the punishment. He is suspended as Shah Alam PAS chief and political bureau member.

“Oh okay. No problem. I can appeal when I get back,” he told HarakahDaily, the party website.

“What is important is that both were found guilty and I hope the state commissioner will not cause problems with Pakatan Rakyat Selangor,” Khalid told the website.

Tuan Ibrahim, who is also party vice president, also confirmed Hasan has been given a warning and banned from making statement affecting Pakatan Rakyat.

Hasan had earlier announced the disciplinary committee’s decision and blamed the media for sensationalising his case.

The conservative motivational speaker also asked the media to be fair to him.

Hasan and his former state deputy, Khalid Samad, were hauled up by their party for openly disputing and disagreeing with each other.

Tuan Ibrahim explained that Khalid was guilty because he made public of internal party problem through his statements and blog posts.

Khalid was also guilty of revealing the contents of the Selangor Pas liaison meeting.

Tuan Ibrahim added that Khalid received a harsher punishment because his actions affected the party directly.

“He (Khalid) even admitted the seriousness of his wrongdoing during the investigation.

“He had avenues to express his dissatisfaction but since he did not do so, he damaged the party,” he said.

He also said that Hasan was wrong to criticise the Selangor state watchdog, Selcat, in public.

“Even though he (Hasan) is not part of Selcat and Selcat is independent from the exco but we decided that Selcat was established by the state government and the exco approved the establishment the body before it was established by the state assembly.

“Therefore as an exco member, he should bring any matters related to Selcat during the exco meeting and not outside,” he said.

Both Khalid and Hasan have 30 days to appeal against their punishment.

Najib wants time to study Ku Li’s parliamentary caucus

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (picture) may have confirmed that he will lead a parliamentary caucus on the Kelantan oil royalty issue, but his party president has yet to agree or to comment on the matter.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak declined to comment on the Gua Musang MP’s recent stand that Kelantan is entitled a five per cent royalty for oil extracted off its waters, saying it was time to “re-examine the relationship between the states and the federal government”.

“We are studying the matter. I have not received any word from Tengku Razaleigh yet. Give us time to get a copy of his speech,” said Najib.

The Gua Musang MP had told a packed Stadium Sultan Mohamed IV in Kelantan last night that national oil firm Petronas was bound by law to give the money to states where oil is found, adding Kelantan was not interested in compassionate payments.

“Kelantan may be poor. But we are not beggars. We demand what is rightfully ours,” the Kelantan prince said to cheers and cries of “Allahu Akbar (God is great)” at last night’s gathering organised by the state government over the oil royalty issue.

However, Najib also stressed that party discipline must be maintained at all times.

“We have to stick to party discipline. We have to obey it in whatever situation we will discuss the matter.”

The PAS government demanded the oil royalty payment from Petronas last year, after the Statistics Department revealed that Kelantan, together with Sabah and Terengganu, had contributed 62.5 per cent of oil extracted in Malaysia.

The Barisan Nasional federal government has insisted that oil from the joint development area with Thailand is not part of Kelantan’s waters and has only offered RM20 million as “compassionate payment”.

But Razaleigh, the founding chairman of Petronas, disagreed with the government’s move, saying the formula for oil royalty was first agreed with Sarawak and later extended to all states.

The move has a precedent in Terengganu after the 1999 general elections, when PAS won the state, prompting the federal government to convert oil royalty payments to “compassionate payments” managed by a federal government department.

Terengganu had sued for its right and Putrajaya relented only after Barisan Nasional recaptured the state.

RPK Speaks His Mind - My Moral Compass

SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Guan Eng dictator? Good for Guan Eng

But Lim Guan Eng is nobody’s running dog. He is not in office to serve Umno’s interest, or the interest of ex-Umno people who no longer have any future in Umno and are now trying to build a new future in PKR.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

When the Umno Malays attack the Chinese from the opposition, they would normally use the word ‘Communist’. To the Umno Malays, any Chinese who opposes Umno is a Communist.

And this is what MP Zahrain Mohd Hashim from PKR called Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng from DAP -- ‘Communist-minded’.

But then, Zahrain is Umno. Okay, maybe now he is in PKR. But that was only very recently. For decades he was in Umno and, furthermore, he was one of the key people in Umno Penang who headed various very important government agencies in the state.

In short, in true Umno fashion, Zahrain was one of the Penang warlords -- and he was so for a great number of years. But Umno warlords, even ex-Umno warlords now in the opposition, no longer carry any weight in Penang. And this must be extremely unsettling for someone like Zahrain, who practically had the power of ‘life and death’ over Penang -- and now has no power to even change the curtains in his office without the approval of ‘dictator’ Lim Guan Eng.

Another thing that is even more upsetting for Umno, even ex-Umno people now in PKR, is that, during the days of the Gerakan state government, it was Umno that called the shots while the Gerakan Chief Minister was merely an Umno running dog and in office merely to serve Umno’s interest.

But Lim Guan Eng is nobody’s running dog. He is not in office to serve Umno’s interest, or the interest of ex-Umno people who no longer have any future in Umno and are now trying to build a new future in PKR.

The ex-Umno people in PKR, in particular those from Penang, will have to learn how to adjust to the new ‘culture’. During the Umno days it was the Chinese who sat on the throne while the Malays were the power behind the throne who manipulated Gerakan and the Chief Minister. All Umno had to do was tell the Chief Minister to jump and he would respond, “How high?"

Lim Guan Eng, however, has a mind of his own. He knows what needs to be done (after all, Penang is the best run state, according to the Auditor-General). He understands the old Umno culture, which invariably has been ‘imported’ into PKR. No one is going to pressure him or blackmail him. He will not allow himself to become a puppet Chief Minister like the Gerakan Chief Minister in the days when Umno was running Penang with Gerakan as its front.

So we lose some ex-Umno people in PKR who decide to go back to Umno because they are no longer warlords like they used to be. Well, so be it. Better they go now even if we see a Perak situation in the other states as well. Spring-cleaning in PKR (and DAP and PAS as well) is long overdue anyway.

I have just about had it with all these ex-Umno people like Hassan Ali, Zulkifli Noordin, Zahrain Mohd Hashim, and many more who have been nothing but a source of problems for PKR and Pakatan Rakyat. If I were to list down the names of people like Ruslan Kassim, Ezam Mohd Nor, Lokman Adam, Rozaid Abdul Rahman, Hanafiah Man, and all those many others who came from Umno into PKR, and then left PKR to rejoin Umno after causing so much problems, this article would probably run into 20 or 30 pages.

It is time we bite the bullet and purge the party, even if we have to use 'undemocratic' methods, or else this nonsense will never end. Maybe Lim Guan Eng can teach us some of his ‘undemocratic’ tactics that we can use in PKR to clean up the party.

***************************************************

Zahrain: Lim is a dictator

PENANG: Dissension within Pakatan Rakyat has spread and the simmering feud between DAP and PKR leaders broke into the open when Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim verbally attacked Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Describing the DAP secretary-general as a “dictator, a chauvinist and communist-minded”, Zahrain who is the former state PKR chairman, said Pakatan should stop compromising with the leader who is from Malacca as Lim had failed to deliver its general election promises.

Stressing that he was not attacking the DAP, Zahrain said Lim would become a liability to Pakatan in the state if he continued the way he was now.

“Lim does not like to be criticised. He is quick to label those who criticise him as Barisan Nasional agents,” he said. “Even his own party colleagues do not have a say the moment Lim makes up his mind.”

Zahrain said among the election promises that were not kept were the introduction of local council election and an open tender system.

“Lim may be reluctant to push for local council election because it will diminish his power if Penangites use that as an avenue to pass verdict on the state’s performance.

“He also promised an open tender system, but he has made the process worse by personally chairing the tender board,” he said, adding that there was better check and balance during Barisan’s rule.

He said when he criticised Lim for his dictatorial ways of managing the state, he was accused of being an Umno agent.

“I am certainly not an Umno agent. I just do not want to see Pakatan going against its promises,” he said. “It is a shame for Pakatan and its principles when projects are awarded based on who knows who.”

Zahrain said Lim was not suitable to be Penang Chief Minister because he was not a local and did not understand local sentiments.

“He has failed to bring in foreign investments despite travelling all over the world to attract investments,” he said.

“Voters are watching. Penangites are very particular about economic progress.”

Zahrain also questioned why a third of Lim’s speech during the Pakatan convention was in Mandarin.

“As a leader of the Pakatan, he should respect people of all races and speak in a language understood by all.”

The attack by Zahrain comes in the wake of the open defiance of Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin against party orders over the ‘Allah’ issue.

This led to a feud bet­ween Zulkifli and PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad when the former even lodged a police report against the PAS man.

Zulkifli even challenged his party disciplinary board which let him off with a slap on his wrist but this in turned angered PKR’s political bureau chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who had quit as an Umno member, minister and senator to join the party.

Zaid criticised the party for letting off Zulkifli lightly saying it was no more than a poor copy of Umno. - The Star

Guan Eng avoids war of words with Zahrain

Written by Regina William, The Edge

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng chose to remain mum on the outburst by Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Bayan Baru MP Datuk Zahrain Hashim against him.

A media report had quoted Zahrain calling Lim a dictator, chauvinist and communist-minded and accused Lim of sidelining the PKR in Penang.

He also described Lim as a liability to Pakatan Rakyat and said Lim had reneged on the election promises.

Instead of answering the allegations against him, Lim left the task to Deputy Chief Minister Dr Mansor Othman after officiating the Penang International Halal Expo.

Mansor, who took over Penang PKR from Zahrain during a reshuffle, however did not say much.

"The words were uncalled for and I regret his statement."

"That is certainly not the way to address our fellow partners in PR," he said and declined to elaborate further, adding a press conference would be called soon on the matter.

A website had also reported a few days ago that a top Penang PKR MP would quit to become a Barisan Nasional-friendly party or even join the new Parti Cinta Malaysia but when contacted via telephone, Zahrain refuted the report as utter rubbish.

He told The Edge Malaysia he still was performing his duties as a PKR MP and also as the president of the Football Association of Penang and said the online report was mere speculation.

This is not the first time that Zahrain has caused a furore.

Last year, he also accused the state government of sidelining PKR with minor portfolios in the state government and had demanded more representation from PKR in government-owned agencies.

Anwar: Najib wants me jailed quickly

(Free Malaysia Today) By Karl Malakunas

MANILA: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today accused the Najib regime of seeking to convict him quickly of sodomy as part of efforts to deflect attention against its own woes.

Anwar spoke out angrily after he lost his appeal for access to the government’s evidence against him in the sodomy trial, which is due to start this Tuesday and could see him jailed for 20 years.

"I’m shocked with the (government’s) impunity to go on with such a case despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary," Anwar told AFP on a short trip to the Philippines.

Anwar accused Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak of orchestrating efforts to have him convicted of sodomy, and said he feared the court could buckle under pressure from the government.

Asked if he thought he would win the case, Anwar said: "Yes, assuming the court agrees… to look at facts and the law. I’m confident of the facts.

"(But) I’m not too confident of the system because I think Najib is quite directly involved."

Anwar said the court case may be over in a matter of weeks.

"It seems they want to rush it… their political masters want a quick conviction."

Anwar insisted the government was seeking to jail him on sodomy charges only to eliminate his political challenge, as the Barisan Nasional was losing popularity amid corruption allegations and rising racial domestic tensions.

"I think Najib wants to deflect attention from the cases of corruption and the tensions that are brewing," he said.

In Kuala Lumpur, Anwar’s lawyer said his legal team would seek a review of Friday’s Federal Court ruling that barred him from having access to the prosecution’s evidence against him.

"The court ruled that the evidence that we were seeking did not fall within the ‘necessary and desirable’ category and turned down the appeal," lawyer Sankara Nair told AFP.

"It has far-reaching negative implications in Malaysian criminal law as it is a reversal of earlier positions in law allowing greater disclosure by the prosecutors so the accused can prepare his defence effectively."

Sankara said he would seek a stay of the trial, which is due to begin on Tuesday, to give time for Anwar’s legal team to push for an appeal to strike out the case completely.

Dear Mahathir

by Haris Ibrahim

Malaysianinsider reports that you had “defended the social contract, the so-called unwritten agreement between the Malays and the non-Malays during independence, by affirming that without the agreement, Malaysia would not have been formed”.

They quoted you :

“If there was no social contract, the terms and conditions of allowing citizenship to non-Malays would have not taken place. One million outsiders were given citizenships at the time.”

Now, this quote from you got me curious.

Let me tell you why.

I conferred with my aunt, who confirmed that my maternal great grandfather, Eliathamby, of whom I’ve written previously in a posting entitled “The land that my forefathers helped build”, would have left Ceylon and arrived in what is now West Malaysia, around 1870. He died well before the conclusion of that social contract that you spoke of, so my great grandfather would not have come within those ‘one million outsiders’ who acquired citizenship at the time of independence in 1957.

My maternal grandfather, Vellupillay T. Williams, never lived to see the formation of Malaya so he, too, did not make up the ‘one million outsiders’.

Enough of my family tree.

Let’s look at yours.

I got this from a blog, Malaysiana :

Perhaps, the most famous Malayalee to land in George Town was Iskandar Kutty, a merchant who married a Johor-Riau wife Siti Hawa Iskandar.

They became the proud parents of Alor Star’s top public school Sultan Abdul Hamid College’s founder-principal and Kedah’s royal educator Datuk Mohamad Iskandar.

Mohamad was the school teacher of Tunku Abdul Rahman.

He and his wife Datin Wan Tempawan Wan Hanafi from the Kedah Bendahara’s (Prime Minister’s) clan, were the proud parents of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s Father of Modernisation and fourth Prime Minister.

And this from Malaysia Today :

Born in December 20, 1925, Dr Mahathir hailed from the state of Kedah, at the capital of Alor Star, whose father was a school teacher. His father was Indian who migrated from Kerala, who married a malay lady and sold banana fritters during the second world war. His early education was through vernacular school and at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in the city.

My question, then, Doc, firstly, is whether your father was amongst the ‘one million outsiders’?

And when did you become ‘Malay’, Doc?

When did you move from being a son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala to a Malay?

Not that I care, but when?

Speaking of Malay, do you remember your “Malay Dilemma”, Doc?

Do you remember what you said about the problem of inbreeding amongst the Malay community, and that whole business of genes?

Back then, who had heard of this thing called DNA?

Who had ever imagined that science would one day make it possible for all of us to trace our genealogy?

Guess what, Doc?

It seems, based on all this new DNA scientific knowledge, that there’s no such thing as a Malay race.

It would seem that you’ve gone from being a son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala to a ‘does not exist’.

Just like that!

My cyber buddy, Michael Chick, has written extensively on this matter, in a three-parter in Malaysiakini. HERE, HERE, and HERE .

See what Michael writes in his final part : “The people Malaysians call ‘Malay’, are actually only a tiny sub-component of the much larger Austronesian group. And all Austronesians are the end-product of extensive inter-breeding between the Taiwanese and Dravidic Indians. All this has finally been irrefutably proven by independent DNA testings from world-class faculties”.

I’ve never been very good at all these sciences, Doc, but if you’re any better, and you think Michael’s cocked-up big time in his conclusions, why don’t you take him on?

Damn, I digress.

So when and how did you become Malay, Doc?

Because of the definition of ‘Malay’ in the Federal Constitution, Doc?

Article 160 (2)?

That right?

So, right up until the last moments before Tunku’s declaration of independence, you were the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala, and moments later

you were magically transformed into a Malay?

And is not the definition of Malay in Article 160(2) stated to be for the limited purpose where the word ‘Malay’ appears in the Constitution?

But really, Doc, I don’t give a toss whether you hold yourself out as Malay or the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala.

Whatever turns you on.

What pisses me off is this Bumi-non Bumi crap.

November 19th, last year, The Star reported on Najib’s balik kampung to Makassar in South Sulawesi. You can read the report HERE.

Courtesy of The Star

Najib is reported to have said : “I feel like I am returning to my roots,” and, when asked to comment on the possibility that some people might view the fact that he had roots here in a negative light, Najib said: “I am not apologetic about it. This is my family history and I am proud of it.”

According to the report, Najib said he was the direct descendant of Bugis royalty who migrated to Pahang in the 18th century.

Well, at least this Malaysian is not ashamed of his roots!

Now, you know that aunt I mentioned earlier?

You know her.

Aunty Rasammah.

I googled her name yesterday and this is what is written of her in Wikipedia.

“Rasammah Bhupalan, also known as Rasammah Naomi Navarednam or Mrs F.R. Bhupalan is a renowned Malaysian freedom fighter and social activist

Born in 1927, she has championed causes such as the anti-drug abuse movement, women’s rights, education and social justice causes.

Rasammah was one of the earliest women involved in the fight for Malaysian (then Malaya) independence. She joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the women’s wing of the Indian National Army, to fight the British. She served in Burma during World War II.

As founder president of the Women Teacher’s Union, she fought for equal pay for women teachers and tried to bring disparate teachers’ unions under an umbrella.

The former school principal was the first Asian representative of the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession for two successive terms. She was also very active in the National Council of Women’s Organisation (NCWO) and Pemadam.

She was a teacher in the Methodist Boys’ School, Kuala Lumpur from 1959 to 1964 and was the principal of the Methodist Girls School, Kuala Lumpur for 13 years from 1970 until she retired in 1982. On 11th November 2007, Mrs.Bhupalan was one of the few veteran teachers who were invited to attend MBSSKL’s 110th Anniversary Celebration Dinner. The dinner was specially organized to honour all the former and current teachers of the school”.

Quite frankly, I think the write-up in Wikipedia does little justice to all that Aunty Rasammah has done for this country. But that is another matter.

More importantly, Doc, why are you, the son of an Indian who migrated from Kerala, and Najib, the descendant of Bugis who migrated from Sulawesi, bumiputra, whilst Aunty Rasammah is not?

Malaysia’s Anwar Cites Rizal’s Heroism

From Manila Buletin
By Chito A. Chavez

Malaysian opposition leader and former deputy minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed belief Friday that a “vibrant democracy needs a vibrant opposition’’, and cited Filipino national hero Jose Rizal’s struggle against colonial rulers.

Addressing hundreds of participants in his Asian Renaissance grand lecture at the Malcolm Hall of the University of the Philippines, Ibrahim mentioned Rizal as one of the founding fathers of Asian Renaissance, noting the Filipino hero’s fight against abuses of Spanish leaders during his time.

To gain the freedom of righteous democracy, Ibrahim said present-day leaders, including the youth and students, in the Asian region should emulate Rizal to reap the fruits of what he started.

He said corruption, which is evident not only in the Philippines but also in other Asian countries, is not endemic to Asian culture. He expressed optimism that it can be stopped.

Ibrahim said that in the 1960s, Hong Kong has one of the most corrupt police forces in Asia but after 10 years, its law enforcement force became the most efficient in the region.

He attributed the turnaround of the Hong Kong police to legitimate and incorruptible leadership and professional personnel who believe in the true sense of democracy.

Ibrahim said the people in the Philippines enjoy more democratic privileges than the citizens of Malaysia, citing that Filipinos can voice their displeasure towards government officials or polices more freely.

As acting prime minister in 1991, Ibrahim introduced controversial but efficient anti-corrupt legislation in Malaysia with emphasis on social justice, poverty eradication, education and civil society.

His incorruptible ways and policies that went against Malaysia’s ruling party earned him the ire of his government’s leaders. He was incarcerated on trumped up charges, including sex-related offenses, before a biased court.

In the Philippines, Ibrahim said that men and women power are key essentials in assuring that the voice of the people are heard in the coming 2010 local polls.

He said the task of having a clean and honest election maybe tough and challenging but it remains attainable, with the people able to voice out their opinions, dissentions and objections to irregularities

Call on Najib to immediately abolish the practice of support letters for contracts to demonstrate his commitment to zero tolerance for corruption

by Lim Kit Siang

When I visited the Lab Open Day of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) in Sunway on 18th December last year, I raised the question about the government’s seriousness and commitment to declare an all-out war against corruption and asked why nobody in government, starting from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had ever talked about “zero tolerance for corruption”, and this question remains as valid today as seven weeks ago.

It is no use the GTP lab on “fighting corruption” referring to “zero tolerance for corruption” when nobody in government, from the Prime Minister downwards is prepared to embrace it.

The GTP Roadmap makes grandiloquent statements and proposals about fighting corruption but the political will to implement them are sorely lacking.

It proposes the gradual reduction of the “practice of support letters, which are used to exert undue influence on civil servants to circumvent standard policies and processes in obtaining contracts”.

It said:
“Often, these interventions do not necessarily originate from politicians themselves, but from vested individuals who use the support letters as leverage to negotiate with the Government.

We cannot accept its rationale that “it is difficult to change this practice overnight”, which is a question of whether there is the political will to make and implement the decision as not in line with the commitment to a “zero tolerance for corruption”.

I call on Najib to immediately abolish the practice of support letters for contracts to demonstrate his commitment to a policy of “zero tolerance for corruption” and to announce that all contracts would be awarded by open tender which would obviate the need for any support letters – a major cause for corruption.

The GTP Roadmap makes grandiloquent statements about tackling the scourge of “grand corruption” by politicians and senior civil servants, but its abysmal record of prosecution and conviction of political “sharks” as compared to “ikan bilis” for corruption does not inspire any confidence.

What credibility is there about GTP Roadmap proposal to address the problem of political funding, when there is thunderous silence about the serious allegation in Barry Wain’s “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times” about the mysterious funding of the Umno headquarters, the Putra World Trade Centre?

Wain had alleged that the PWTC was partly financed by the taxpayers, as the government “persuaded” state-owned banks to forgive a large chunk of the loans to finance the project.

Wain quoted former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin as saying that the banks had written off at least RM140 million in accumulated interests.

He referred to a confidential accountants’ report commissioned by Umno in 1985, which tagged PWTC at RM360 million, and stated that the sum was financed by loans of RM199.5 million from state-owned Bank Bumiputera Malaysia Bhd and RM64.9 million from Malayan Banking Bhd as they were then known.

Additionally, the accountants’ report states that as of March 1986, the Umno appointed company to construct the building, Khidmat Bersatu Sdn. Bhd, had only paid RM51,570 in interest.

If the funding of UMNO headquarters remains a mysterious, with no government having the political will to get to the truth to the serious allegation that Malaysian taxpayers had partly financed it, who will believe that the GTP Roadmap can clean up the problem of political funding to curb “grand corruption” in Malaysia?

Government Firm In Preserving Religious Hamony In Malaysia - PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak reiterated the government's stand to continue preserving religious harmony in Malaysia, in line with principles outlined by Islam.

He said Malaysia being a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, one of the principles that must be maintained and protected was respect for each other's religion.

"I want to stress here that respecting each other's religion is not only a key virtue that we must defend in this country, it is also one of the principles in Islam.

"Islam in its true form does not look down on other religions and neither does it allow Muslims desecrate houses of worship of non-Muslims. Islam in its true form calls for respect for other religions...that is the real Islam," he said in his speech in conjunction with the Thaipusam celebration at the Sri Subramaniyar temple in Batu Caves here, Friday night.

Also present were his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil, Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam and MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

Citing Prophet Muhammad as an example, Najib said, the prophet's example of always respecting people of other faiths served as a guiding principle of his administration in overcoming any problem involving racial and religious matters in the country.

Over a million Hindu devotees were present at the compound of Batu Caves to hear the prime minister extend his Thaipusam greetings.

In making the visit to Batu Caves for the celebration, Najib also made history by becoming only the second prime minister to do so. His father, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who was Malaysia's second prime minister, was the first when he made a visit to Batu Caves for the festival more than 30 years ago.

Najib, who was also honoured as "Bapa 1Malaysia" (Father of 1Malaysia) by Sri Maha Mariamman temple president Datuk R. Nadarajah tonight, said besides following in his father's footsteps, he was also fulfilling a pledge he made when attending a carnival there (Batu Caves) last August.

"When the invitation was extended to me to visit Batu Caves again at the function last August, I had given my pledge that I would come back here to join in the Thaipusam celebration as mark of respect to the Hindu community."

His said his presence with his wife, Cabinet members and other leaders of Barisan Nasional component parties, showed that the government always fulfilled its promises and celebrated the diversity of the people of Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Samy Vellu, when speaking at the same function, said Najib's presence at the celebration completed the meaning of the 1Malaysia slogan the prime minister had introduced, and in the process made him an icon of leadership for the various races in the country.

"The Indian community today dearly loves the Prime Minister who has been described by its members as a "Bapa 1Malaysia" icon," he said.

At the function, Najib and Rosmah were also presented silk cloth embroidered in gold thread that had been specially weaved in India and garlanded with flowers, the highest respect given by members of the Indian community to a leader.

Batu Caves: Selangor MB speaks from lorry - Anil Netto

Barred from setting up a stage, Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim nonetheless addressed a large Thaipusam crowd at Batu Caves late last night – from the back of a lorry, just like in the old days.

The view of the huge crowd from the lorry - Photo by an eyewitness

Selangor state government leaders took to the stage – actually, they were barred from setting up a stage – after Prime Minister Najib had left at around 11.15pm. (The PM, accompanied by his wife Rosmah and Cabinet members had arrived at 9.10pm and immediately launched into a charm offensive. Malaysian Insider report here.)

Not to be outdone, Khalid, his state exco members, and the Adun for Batu Caves, Amir Sari, then clambered onto a truck and spoke before a crowd of thousands near the viaduct not far from the main entrance to Batu Caves.

“When we got there this evening, we heard that the police had issued a warning that they would arrest us for illegal assembly if the planned stage was put up,” said a Selangor state exco member, when contacted. “But the local council came to our rescue and improvised with their enforcement truck.”

About 15 police personnel arrived while Khalid was addressing the crowd from the lorry but they were somewhat hindered by the crowd, according to the exco member. Selangor state exco member Dr Xavier Jayakumar then jumped down and negotiated with the police for “15 minutes more”.

This is the first time the Selangor state government is taking part in the celebration, with a tent at the site serving almost like a state government ‘open house’.

How you can get “Where is Justice” before it is banned!

by Nathaniel Tan

So, the latest:

We’ve gotten confirmations that the books are being held for ‘investigations’ to see if they may cause some breach of the peace :|

Yeah, I know :P

While this is going on, it is still perfectly legal to buy and sell the books. There are three ways you can currently help support the cause and get a book, before they possibly get pulled from the shelves:

1. Get one from your local major bookstore (I’ve previously seen them available in Popular, MPH, Borders, etc)

2. Order one online from Kinibooks.

3. (If you live within the Klang Valley) Place an order with whereisjustice@jelas.info, and we will do our best to get a copy to you at RM 30 (incl delivery costs), on a COD basis.

A lot of books have been in the news. SIS, I’m glad to report, managed to get its book ban overturned, K Arumugam today had his decision postponed, and Dr. Kua Kia Soong a while ago also successfully got his book on May 13 through censors.

As explained before, we took great pains to ensure that the book stuck to the facts, and provided a sense of objectivity while representing the spectrum of Malaysian opinions on the matter.

1FunnyMalaysia, which is also facing the same fate, represents an integral ability to laugh at ourselves while facing repression and injustice – so that’s also certainly worth a purchase.

All this has been possible no doubt through your continued support, so we hope you’ll stay tuned, spread the word, and get a copy if you can. Continued pressure is of the utmost importance.

Thank you!

Kugan press conference, Woman shot 5 times, Gunasegaran

by Nathaniel Tan

I attended a press conference with Kugan’s family and their lawyers this morning, and since there were so few press, I felt I should report a little on the proceedings.

By way of quick background, the family had some time ago successfully filed for a court order directing the police to return the samples taken from Kugan’s post-mortem.

The police eventually did, BUT it turns out that they

a) failed to return one particular sample, and

b) failed to freeze another sample accordingly, rendering it useless.

The lawyers are basically now saying that the police are in contempt of court, having possibly tampered with and destroyed evidence.

The situation really is getting out of hand. At another press conference yesterday, there was an attempt to publicise the case of an innocent woman who was shot five times by the police :P Apparently no press picked it up (more on that to come).

I also talked to another gentleman about the Gunasegaran death in custody, and I’m hoping to receive more info on the inquest proceedings that passed (and beginning again on March 8th :P ).

He spoke about how both Gunasegaran and Teoh Beng Hock died, but how there was almost no one at the former’s inquest except his sister.

On a slightly more positive note, he said that this was perhaps the first time in a death in custody case that there were eyewitnesses to the crime. Perhaps there may be the faint glimmer of hope for justice.

Fathers abduct own kids to foreign countries, authorities indifferent

Decision on banned Kg Medan book put off - Malaysiakini

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today postponed to Feb 12 its decision on the application for a judicial review by author K Arumugam over the government's move to ban his book.

The Tamil-language book, entitled March 8, is based on research and eyewitness accounts of the racial clashes which rocked Kampung Medan in 2001, leaving six dead and more than 90 injured.

Judge wants more info

One of Arumugam's counsels, Joanne Leong told reporters that the reason for the delay is that the judge Justice Mohamad Ariff Md Yusoff wanted further information before deciding.

"This is in light of the recent decision by the same judge who lifted the home minister's ban on another book 'Muslim Women and the Challenges of Islamic Extremism'," she said.

Because of the recent case development, Leong said the judge has given them more time to file for further submissions.

March 8 was among the 50 books banned by the authorities in 2007

Among others banned are the Indonesian translation of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species and Karen Armstrong's The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Three in the dock for church arson

The Metro Tabernacle church was firebombed and partially gutted.

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Three despatch riders were charged in the Sessions Court here today for the recent firebombing of the Metro Tabernacle Church, and could face up to 20 years in prison.

The three were brothers Raja Muhammad Faizal Raja Ibrahim, 24; Raja Muhammad Idzham Raja Ibrahim, 22; and another 23-year-old, Azuwan Shah Ahmad.

They were charged under Section 436 of the Penal Code, for the offence of “mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy a building.”

All three claimed trial and the date of mention has been set for March 12.

The three accused did not have legal representation. Bail was set at RM20,000 each.

The first accused, Muhammad Faizal, pleaded for leniency for his brother and him, claiming they could not afford to post the bail amount.

“I plead for the court to lower the bail amount. This is our first offence; we cannot afford RM20,000 bail,” he said.

However, Sessions Court judge Komathy Suppiah concurred with DPP Anslem Charles Fernandeez’s point that bail at that amount was fair given the public interest in the case.

A total of eight men had originally been detained in connection with the arson attack at the Metro Tabernacle Church here on Jan 8.

Another DPP, Lee Keng Fatt, would not reveal if or when the remaining suspects would be charged.

“I cannot say. We will have to wait and see,” said Lee.

Besides the eight, police have also detained seven other men over the recent arson attempt at Taiping’s historic All Saints’ Church and the town’s Convent School.

The attacks are believed to be linked to the controversial “Allah” ruling that has riled many Muslims.

Four other men were also picked up for arson attempts on two mosques in Muar.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said this week he believed the attacks against churches, a temple and now mosques appeared to be aimed at sparking racial and religious strife.

Boar heads were reportedly found at two mosques near here, earlier this week, following the fire-bombing attacks and acts of vandalism against churches and a Sikh temple had taken place in the wake of the “Allah” controversy.

These latest acts could be construed as attempts to escalate tensions and provoke unrest between Muslims and non-Muslims, as pigs are considered unhygienic in Islam and therefore their presence in the mosques were acts of desecration.

Muhyiddin: Umno key, not Perkasa

Perkasa has been increasingly vociferous of late. — file pic

UPDATED

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dispelled the notion today that Malay nationalist group, Perkasa, had become more influential than his party.

He said that NGOs like Perkasa had a role to play, but it is ultimately political parties that set the tone for the country.

“At this stage, certain quarters may see the role of NGOs as [getting] stronger, therefore it is seen that the NGO is more influential than a political party.

“But in the end, people will decide their future based on parties that will fight for their future. And it is not [the] NGOs that will stand for election,” he said

He also stressed that Umno remained the strongest of all the local political parties.

Perkasa, which began as a one man band after Election 2008, has been shaping up as a national pressure group to Umno that represents those seeking to defend the constitutional position of the Malays and the “social contract”.

For the past two months, the Perkasa national leadership has been going on road shows to officiate state level launches and to organise massive recruitment drives.

Muhyiddin further argued that that the role of NGOs could not be compared with that of the government.

“Don’t belittle the government; they are only NGOs. No NGO can be compared to what the government can achieve.

“The government is strong and the government is very clear in its direction,” he said.

He added that the government was now more open and people can evaluate its sincerity and commitment.

“We (Barisan Nasional) are clear (in our direction). We are committed, brave and ready.

“We want to ask, what is Pakatan Rakyat and the opposition state’s direction?” asked Muhyiddin.

Despite Muhyiddin’s strong words, Perkasa has grown in strength in recent times.

Yesterday, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he believes Perkasa was increasingly popular within the Malay community because Umno was being seen as incapable of protecting their rights.

But the former Umno president said his party was still stronger than Perkasa, which was led by Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali, a deputy minister during the former’s administration.

The ex-premier also affirmed that Perkasa’s popularity among the Malays was increasing because they represented a significant number of Malay opinions.

Go-ahead for Maika sale of Oriental Cap

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 — MIC’s troubled investment arm Maika Holdings has been given the green light by the government to proceed with the proposal to sell off one of their most profitable subsidiaries — Oriental Capital Assurance Berhad — to a government-linked company (GLC).

Sources told The Malaysian Insider that MIC leaders have had several meetings since last month, with a number of GLCs to finalise the deal.

Under the proposal forwarded by Maika Holdings, a GLC under Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) which operates insurance services was proposed as a suitor for Oriental Capital for a price of RM130 million.

At the same time, Maika Holdings has also filed a request in court to allow it to hold an annual general meeting, which has not been held since 2007.

The MIC investment arm is unable to repay its 66,400 shareholders who have invested RM106 million with it.

The proposed sale of Oriental Capital is part of the MIC’s plan to enable Maika to refund its shareholders.

“Yes, the prime minister has given his blessing to the proposal for a GLC to buy over Oriental Capital,” a source familiar with the deal told The Malaysian Insider.

Vell Paari, the CEO of Maika Holdings since 1999, declined to comment on the proposal.

But it is understood the proposal was put forward by Vell Paari’s father, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, during a meeting last September of the Special Cabinet Committee on the Development of the Indian Community chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The Malaysian Insider understands Najib subsequently instructed Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam to meet with various GLCs, including Khazanah Holdings, to look for a suitor for Oriental Capital.

“Datuk Subramaniam already had few meetings with [the] relevant agencies and we will have [a] meeting with Khazanah Holdings in coming weeks,” the source said.

“By getting a price of RM1.75 per share, Maika hopes to gather around RM130 million to settle with shareholders at the level of a minimum of RM1 per share, and also settle other dues.”

Oriental Capital had been profitable until 2006, when it suffered a loss of RM9.33 million.

Maika Holdings had proposed to sell Oriental Capital for RM1.75 per share, the level that was offered by engineering company Celcon to them two years ago. That sale never materialised due to objections from Koperasi Nesa Pelbagai Bhd, one of their main shareholders.

The MIC investment arm, set up to increase Malaysian Indian equity, also received bids from two other companies between 2007 and 2009 for a prices between RM1.50 to RM1.33 per share.

Oriental Capital is one of the few active subsidiaries of Maika Holdings. Other subsidiaries are Maika Corporate Services Sdn Bhd, Capital Oca Berhad, Maika Intellectual Resources Sdn Bhd and Golden Properties Sdn Bhd.

Maika Holdings was slapped with an injunction on Sept 24, 2007 to stop the implementation of resolutions passed at the annual general meeting that was scheduled for Aug 30 that year.

The main resolution affected by this injunction was the proposed sale of Oriental Capital Assurance Berhad.

The injunction was obtained by Koperasi Nesa Pelbagai Bhd, a company which has 625,000 shares in Maika and led by former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam.

Zahrain: Lim is a dictator

By Sira Habibu, The Star

Dissension within Pakatan Rakyat has spread and the simmering feud between DAP and PKR leaders broke into the open when Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim verbally attacked Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Describing the DAP secretary-general as a “dictator, a chauvinist and communist-minded”, Zahrain who is the former state PKR chairman, said Pakatan should stop compromising with the leader who is from Malacca as Lim had failed to deliver its general election promises.

Stressing that he was not attacking the DAP, Zahrain said Lim would become a liability to Pakatan in the state if he continued the way he was now.

“Lim does not like to be criticised. He is quick to label those who criticise him as Barisan Nasional agents,” he said. “Even his own party colleagues do not have a say the moment Lim makes up his mind.”

Zahrain said among the election promises that were not kept were the introduction of local council election and an open tender system.

“Lim may be reluctant to push for local council election because it will diminish his power if Penangites use that as an avenue to pass verdict on the state’s performance.

“He also promised an open tender system, but he has made the process worse by personally chairing the tender board,” he said, adding that there was better check and balance during Barisan’s rule.

He said when he criticised Lim for his dictatorial ways of managing the state, he was accused of being an Umno agent.

“I am certainly not an Umno agent. I just do not want to see Pakatan going against its promises,” he said. “It is a shame for Pakatan and its principles when projects are awarded based on who knows who.”

Zahrain said Lim was not suitable to be Penang Chief Minister because he was not a local and did not understand local sentiments.

“He has failed to bring in foreign investments despite travelling all over the world to attract investments,” he said.

“Voters are watching. Penangites are very particular about economic progress.”

Zahrain also questioned why a third of Lim’s speech during the Pakatan convention was in Mandarin.

“As a leader of the Pakatan, he should respect people of all races and speak in a language understood by all.”

The attack by Zahrain comes in the wake of the open defiance of Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin against party orders over the ‘Allah’ issue.

This led to a feud bet­ween Zulkifli and PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad when the former even lodged a police report against the PAS man.

Zulkifli even challenged his party disciplinary board which let him off with a slap on his wrist but this in turned angered PKR’s political bureau chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who had quit as an Umno member, minister and senator to join the party.

Zaid criticised the party for letting off Zulkifli lightly saying it was no more than a poor copy of Umno.

Three frogs and another Pandora's box

Since rumours, climaxed with a Malaysiakini report, surfaced of at least one 'sure' defection of a Penang PKR MP, analysts have started to work on the theory that BN is trying hard to engineer 8 or 9 defections to re-gain its 2/3 in the lower house.

By "Sun Line" in a Facebook Note.

I shall not dwell on possible state level defections in this Note as it would only distract from the bigger implications at federal level.

While the elusive 2/3 may be the holy grail, things can get pretty messy even if just *three* PKR reps jump ship.

Why?

Here's why: PKR has 30 seats, DAP 28, PAS 23. If 3 PKR frogs leap, DAP becomes the strongest seat-based party in the opposition.

By convention and tradition the party with the most seats in opposition gets the Opposition Leadership position. This, however, is not a legal requirement because, in law, anyone -- even Zul -- can be opposition leader as long as he/she has the majority support of those on the opposition benches.

DAP and the then Keadilan have set a precedent in the 1999-2004 term by supporting Pas for the post even though their combined numbers are more than PAS, at a time when DAP and Pas were publicly bitch-slapping each other over the Islamic state issue.

If 3 PKR reps jump, Anwar has no moral claims to the post. As he's not even PKR's president, it would be hard-pressed to politically and morally justify giving the position to a mere 'de facto' leader of the second biggest party in Pakatan.

If he gets to keep the job, opponents will have a field day cementing claims that Pakatan is all about Anwar.

DAP members and supporters would also demand the party stick to convention and tradition and lay claims to the opposition throne.

If the post goes to DAP, then another Pandora's box will be opened. Umno will use all its, and the govt's, resources to cement claims that DAP pulls the Malay strings in Pakatan.

Under present socio-political conditions it just takes three frogs to re-shape public perception and the political landscape.al

This is, in my opinion, Umno's immediate plan. Selangor is peanuts compared to just 3 PKR federal frogs jumping.

Maybe this explains why Anwar is still hugging his political errant child so tightly despite loud calls for him to sack that fella.

Is he, in effect, just hugging himself?

------------------------------

* Sun Line is a socio-political kaypochee on Facebook. His Note can be viewed at its source at http://www.facebook.com/notes/sun-line/three-frogs-and-another-pandoras-box/287914044016 .

Darah Rakyat : Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Ipoh Roadshow

By Haris Ibrahim,

Round about this time last year, Perakians were robbed of their most basic of fundamental rights.

The right of self-governance.

Government of the people, for the people, by the people.

Round about this time last year, democracy died in Perak.

Do Perakians desire self-governance?

Do they deserve self-governance, or do they now have the government they deserve?

Do Perakians have what it takes to resurrect democracy in their state?

The Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Roadshow and Forum goes to Ipoh on 6th February, 2010. We’d like to share our thoughts with our Perakian anak Bangsa Malaysia.

Should you attend?

Click on the image below to read what straits-mongrel has to say.

THE CURRENCY CRISIS PAST AND PRESENT

1. It is now more than 10 years since the currency crisis struck Malaysia. Much has been written about the crisis and the controls imposed by the Malaysian Government to stop the devaluation of the Ringgit.

2. A few of the articles tried to defend the Malaysian Government's action but mostly the blame for the crisis was attributed to the alleged failure of the financial and economic management of Malaysia. Practically no one has implicated the currency traders for the devaluation and the crisis. Even the writers who are friendly towards the Malaysian Government refuse to blame the currency traders.

3. Many are the reasons put forward by the writers to explain the crisis. It is alleged that the stock market boom contributed to the loss of confidence in the Malaysian economy and the Ringgit. Some blame the failure to rationalise and consolidate the banking systems. Others suggested that too much money had been channeled to the property sector. The other causes identified were the total loan-to-GDP ratio had increased; the rapid expansion of credit leading to deteriorating loan quality. Then the blame was put on companies assuming that the economy would forever be on the growth path. The two-tier regulatory system on banking introduced by Bank Negara and the failure to use the interest rate as a policy tool were also cited. Contagion i.e. infection from the financial disease which had affected Thailand was regarded as a major cause.

4. Some even blame a lack of democracy which triggered the financial crisis. And many more. But as mentioned above, no one placed the blame on the manipulation of the currency, by currency traders.

5. The fact that the chairman of the IMF, Michel Camdessus had enthusiastically praised Malaysia's management of its economy and finances, had praised the Central Bank (Bank Negara), for the healthy state of the Malaysian economy and finances just a few months before the crisis struck Malaysia which run counter to the negative remarks about Malaysia's economic management seem to be disregarded. The fact that after praising Malaysia for good management Michel Camdessus himself had about-faced and condemned Malaysia for bad management after the crisis occurred did not seem to strike these writers that the IMF was faulty in assessing the performance of a country's economy. And if the IMF is incapable than is it not likely that others too, including the rating agencies may not be capable of making good assessments and that they too are not the experts that they claim to be; and that in refusing to implicate the currency traders, these experts and the writers and analysts were themselves "in denial".

6. In the light of the meltdown and the collapse of the financial bubble which had struck the great democracies like the U.S., Britain, Germany and others, should not these analysts and writers realise how ridiculous it is to attribute the Asian Crisis to a lack of democracy.

7. The present crisis which is far more serious than the Asian crisis began in the great democracies of the world. One can almost say that it is democracy which caused the crisis and one can actually prove that elements of democracy are indeed to be blamed for the crisis.

8. This is because of the idea of less Government of Ronald Reagan and the advocacy of the free market, meaning free of Government regulation and oversight, a part of the concept of liberal democracy, which precipitated the current crisis.

9. Malaysia's democracy does not accept that the absence of Government supervision in a free market is a part of democracy. It is therefore free from the effects of the sub-prime loans by banks which gave the first indication that the economies of the great democracies were not as healthy as they make it out to be.

10. Democracy, particularly liberal democracy must therefore be a cause of the present crisis, and not the lack of democracy. If further proof is needed that a lack of democracy was not the cause of the Asian crisis, one only has to look at China. It hardly suffered from the Asian crisis and today it is economically and financially much more healthy than all the democracies of the world.

11. There may be some weaknesses in the administration and policies of the East Asian countries which contributed to the crisis of 1997 - 1998. But it is time that the role of the currency traders be thoroughly exposed so as to understand the true causes of the devaluation of the currencies and the serious crisis which followed.

The Situation Prior To The Crisis

12. The whole world acknowledged that in the decade before the crisis, i.e. in the period between 1987 and 1997, East Asia was booming. Certainly Malaysia was doing extremely well growing at an average rate of 8% p.a. continuously during that ten year period.

13. The Malaysian growth was not accidental. It was a result of the policies of the Government and the management of the economy and finances. National savings at 40% plus was the highest in the world and the reserves could sustain 4½ months of retained imports. The Ringgit was strong and steady - being valued at about 2.5 to 1 USD for most of the time.

14. Foreign borrowings were insignificant and the deficits in the budget and the trading accounts were small and manageable.

15. There was political stability, a factor that was appreciated by foreign investors who came in droves.

16. As I said no less a person than the head of the IMF, Michel Camdessus publicly stated in a speech on 17th June 1997 that "Malaysia is a good example of a country where the authorities are well aware of the challenges of managing the pressures that result from high growth and of maintaining a sound financial system amidst substantial capital flows and the booming property market......... The Malaysian authorities have also emphasized maintaining high standards of bank soundness".

17. Although Paul Krugman had commented that Malaysia faced the possibility of the growth rate slowing down in the mid-90s, there was no mention of any possibility of currency devaluation or of a crisis in the offing. Neither did the great rating agencies.

18. The situation in Malaysia was certainly not like that in Thailand where foreign debts were incurred by the business community due to the low interest rates as compared to the Thai rates. There was much money expanded on development of highrise buildings in Bangkok. A lot of new property development was taking place all over the country, financed by foreign loans.

The Thai Situation

19. The situation in Thailand could not but lead to a devaluation of the Thai baht. When it happened the Central Bank stepped in to shore up the exchange rate. But very quickly the bank found that it was unable to halt the decline in the value of the baht. It decided to stop intervention and to allow the baht to float. As soon as the baht was floated, speculators and those fearing devaluation sold the baht for USD. This caused the baht to devalue faster. As the baht continued to devalue foreign investors started to sell off their shares denominated in baht to avoid further devaluation. This caused another round of devaluation. It would seem that the devaluation of the baht would go on forever.

The Malaysian Situation

20. The Malaysian situation was not like that of Thailand. Growth in 1997 was still expected to remain high. There were few Malaysian borrowers of foreign currencies and there was no fear that servicing and repayment of the loans would require more Ringgit than was budgeted for.

21. Foreign direct investments were still coming in both for new industries and for the shares in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. All the other financial indicators remained healthy.

22. The Malaysian Government did not therefore anticipate any devaluation of the Ringgit. There was no reason why it should.

23. Then the press began to talk about contagion. It seems that the devaluation of the Baht would infect and drag down the Ringgit. This was worrisome as Thailand was a competitor in the export of various manufactured products. If a devalued Baht lowered the cost of production in Thailand, then to remain competitive, Malaysia may have to devalue the Ringgit.

24. But this was thought to be manageable. The Central Bank would go into the market to sell the Ringgit and keep its exchange rates down. The Malaysian industries would have to improve efficiency in order to remain competitive.

25. So confident was Malaysia that its finances would not be affected that it lent to Thailand one billion U.S. dollars to help it out. Even when the Ringgit started to depreciate a little Malaysia lent another billion U.S. dollars to Indonesia.

26. We believed that the financial problems of Thailand and Indonesia would be temporary. They would recover and there would be no problem for them to repay the loans.

The Financial Markets

27. The rich countries of the West had grown and prospered because of their industries i.e. the production of goods and the supply of services to their domestic market and to the world. Their cost was going up rapidly as the labour unions kept demanding for higher wages and expensive perks. But for as long as they remain the principal producers of the high-value goods and services, they could still sustain their production of goods and supply of services.

28. Then they discovered the poor countries with their cheap labour. Whenever they could they transferred their industries to these low labour cost countries in order to reduce cost and compete with the newly industrializing countries of East Asia. If whole industries could not be moved because of protest from their labour unions they would invest in the low labour cost countries for the production of simple parts and components. This way the European and American countries could compete with Japan and Korea.

29. But then the Japanese also did the same and they were able to remain highly competitive producing the same manufactured goods that were once monopolized by the Western countries. It was clear that the Japanese were going to displace most of the American and European manufactured goods in the world market.

30. Famous brands of American and European goods disappeared from the market altogether. The British gave up manufacturing cars, cameras, radios and televisions and other modern consumer products.

31. In America (the U.S.) well-known car makes were also disappearing. Well-known makes of radios, television, cameras, motorcycles and a whole range of branded goods also disappeared from the shelves.

32. In their places, including in Europe and America, all kinds of Japanese goods had made their appearance. Initially the Japanese goods were considered of inferior quality but soon it became clear that the quality had improved so much that they were superior to those of European and American make. In fact they exceeded the standards set by the west.

33. Thus when Japan started to export cars to the US, the US Government insisted that repair shops be set up everywhere. To their surprise these repair shops had hardly any business as the Japanese cars very seldom broke down.

34. When Honda exhibited their motorcycles in England, the British engineers were shocked to find that Honda engines were like the precision motors of high quality Swiss watches.

35. When later the South Koreans got into the act and they practically monopolised the construction industry in the world, the West saw the writings on the wall. There was no way for them to compete in the manufacture of goods, or to bid for the huge construction projects worldwide.

36. The financial market which had started in the 60s and 70s were not very attractive at first. But gradually the potentials were recognized and developed. New products were invented which gave ever increasing returns on investments.

37. Beginning with the sale of shares in order to raise money for capital, the smart players discovered that the buying and selling of shares could yield a lot of profits. The value of the shares were initially based on the profitability of the business.

38. But it became clear that the value would appreciate if there was demand. From then on the value of the shares became decoupled from the profitability of the enterprise. Demand or lack of demand determined the value of shares irrespective of the performance of the enterprise.

39. This led to the smart ones moving the share prices up and down by buying and selling. From this a short step led to the big players developing short selling.

Short selling

40. The actual shares became irrelevant. Simply by offering to buy or to sell shares not in the possession of the party who offered was enough to move share prices. So large numbers of shares (non-existent) would be sold to depress the price. Then when the price reached a sufficiently low level, they would be bought at the low price to deliver to buyers who had bought earlier when the prices were higher. A tidy profit was sure to be made this way, now termed short selling.

41. It was realised that the bigger the funds available the easier it was to move prices up and down. Individuals would not have enough funds and they run the risk of being countered by those with bigger funds. Nor could individuals borrow much in order to be a substantial player in the market.

42. And so companies were formed to manage funds invested by individuals or companies. With funds running into hundreds of millions, there was a greater capacity to manipulate share price.

43. But to be even bigger the fund managers borrowed from the banks. This is called leveraging on the invested funds.

44. The banks agreed to lend as much as 20 to 30 times the funds held by the investment companies or hedge funds so that their capacity to play the market would be greater.

45. With this an investor would benefit from the 20-30 times bigger funds borrowed by the hedge funds. Besides the huge investments by the fund managers almost guaranteed that they would make profits through actually influencing the price of the shares.

46. The investments by the hedge funds and their leveraging (borrowings) are mysterious. It seems that they need not report to the Government on their activities. Besides, by operating from offshore tax-free havens, they needed to submit reports to no one. Investors in hedge funds were thus able to make huge profits.

47. Once the idea of leveraging became known, the fund managers began to look into other possibilities of investing the huge loans they had access to.

48. The currency traders designed their operations in the same way. Leveraging by between 20-30 times the investors' money held by them, they were able to invest and make huge profits. Again they need not report to anyone. Again, by operating out of tax havens they found themselves free from oversight of their operations by any Government.

Western Banking System and Practices

49. The banks were able to lend huge amounts of money for these operations simply because in the Western banking system, banks are allowed to lend more money than they have by way of capital and other assets and the deposits held by them. Normally they would be prudent and lend only certain multiples of the money held by them. But because Governments often bail out banks when there is a run by the depositors, the banks were emboldened to lend as much as 30 times their assets. This means that very much more money could be lent by the banks than they actually have. The banks are in fact creating money out of thin air to lend to the funds.

50. With huge loans available from the banks, billions of dollars could be lent for mergers and acquisitions. Consultants and experts appeared who were able to advise on mergers and acquisitions, getting huge commissions from their services. Not having the billions of dollars to purchase the businesses was not a problem as banks could lend the money they had created.

51. Now mergers and acquisitions became a business in itself. Rumors of impending mergers or acquisitions were enough to push share prices up or down. No matter whether the shares appreciate or get devalued, speculators would make money. The actual businesses done by the companies involved were not important. The purchase price of the companies bear little reflection of their profitability.

52. Then a couple of crooks invented junk bonds. The shares of poorly performing companies were bought and all kinds of manipulations were made to make them look good. Mike Milken and Ivan Boesky were eventually jailed.

53. Another scheme was to buy up companies to dispose off their assets. Slater Walker Securities developed this scheme.

54. Given the power to literally create money out of thin air, the banks were on the lookout for more ways to lend money. The returns for the banks were based on prospects of a return on the loans given out. The bigger the loans, the better.

Banking Prudence Discarded

55. And so instead of prudently ensuring that the borrowers could pay the loans extended, the banks began to lend even to very high-risk people - the so-called sub-prime loans. The assumption was that even if a percentage of the loans turn bad, the earnings on the rest would cover the losses.

56. But in order to make sure, the banks insured the loans with insurance companies or sold them to secondary mortgage companies. The banks believed that they were well covered for the loans. The risks were being taken care of by the insurance and secondary mortgage companies. But when huge numbers of the loan became non-performing, the bubble burst.

57. Then came the credit cards. Devised in order to make spending money more convenient, the credit card industry grew tremendously. The cards very quickly displaced cash and cheques.

58. Individuals may carry numerous credit cards so that they would not know really whether they have enough in the banks to cover the cost of the purchases they make. This led to a consumer boom as more goods and services are paid with credit cards irrespective of the money in the banks owned by the comsumers.

59. For the banks, any expenditure above what the customer had with the banks would be regarded as loans. Unlike ordinary loans, the interest rates are very high - as much as 18% to 20%.

60. Such are the calculated earnings of the banks from the credit card loans that even if a percentage of the loans became non-performing the banks were confident that the earnings from the rest of the credit cards would cover up the losses.

61. From all these activities, from hedge funds to mergers and acquisitions, sub-prime loans, financing insurance and secondary mortgages, credit card loans, currency trading, huge wealth seems to have been made. The Western countries appeared to be growing as shown by their per capita incomes and GDP growth. It would seem that their abdication from the real business of producing goods and services had paid off rather handsomely. Certainly their people seem to be enjoying very high standards of living.

62. The failures in the financial market here and there were ignored or covered up. No one thought there was anything wrong with the systems and the financial products they had created.

63. Then came the sub-prime crisis. Apparently the non-performing loans to the housing sector were too many to be compensated by the successes. First the banks and then the insurance and mortgage companies were pulled down. The economy went into a state of crisis as bank failures affected the share markets. Share prices plunged and the hedge funds sustained huge losses. It should be remembered that just as the profits would be much bigger with the 20-30 times the investors' funds invested, the losses too would be that much greater. There was no way for the losses to be covered or the huge loans from the banks to be repaid. The hedge funds therefore collapsed, pulling down the lending banks with them.

64. Attempts by the Governments to bail out the financial institutions and companies have not really succeeded. If the economy was doing well then the banks and companies bailed out by the Government would be able to make some recovery. But it would take time because they would have to do prudent business and such business would be slow in giving a return. They can only recover quickly if they were allowed the abuses they had indulged in before. But obviously they shouldn't although there are some who believe they should be allowed to. As for the companies, the general contraction of the purchasing power of the people must reduce sales of their products and therefore their profits. Even if they recover they would not be as financially healthy as before.

65. The recent talk of recovery is therefore not based on reality. Actually it is to justify not doing anything with systems which in the past had been so lucrative. It would take another worldwide crisis before the west would consider dismantling their banking, monetary and financial systems.

66. The leaders of the West are still in a state of denial. What is more likely is that they are aware of how the financial market operations have brought about the crisis but are unwilling to do away with them because they have made so many of their investors rich and have contributed much to per capita and GDP growth in their countries.

67. And so we may see the crisis continue, albeit de-emphasised so as to sustain the financial market.

68. The real solution would be a return to real business i.e. the production of goods and services. But then the developed countries of the West would have to accept being somewhat poorer than the good old days.