We (Hindraf) were the very first batch to ever leave PKR, (then PKN) way back in 1999, as PKR had no place for the Indian poor.
Since then and in the last twelve years PKR has championed almost zero Indian issues let alone seriously address state level Indian poor problems in Selangor. And the same with DAP and PAS in Penang and Kedah.
The Party President and PKR Supremo Anwar Ibrahim’s wife in her speech had announced the setting up of a special task force to research issues affecting the Malay community and that would also look into widening the party’s support base. Among the issues that are being looked into are the state and future of Felda plantations, improving the skills of civil servants, and Islamic property management. “I guarantee that the teams which will be made up by various races will be tasked (with their own responsibilities), as the “malay” issues aren’t exclusive to the Malays only. It is a responsibility that will be undertaken by all the leaders.
HYPERLINK Special Task Force
(Malaysiakini.com 29/5/2010)
This has been UMNO’s racist and supremacist policy in over the last 53 years, ie., the majority and the minorities are to focus on the malay muslim majority’s issues. In return the Malays are never to speak up for the Indian poor.
PKR, DAP and PAS, a la UMNO, creates their powerless and toothless Indian DCM II, Exco, MP, Adun and even JKKK Indian mandores to do the usual wayang kulit illusion in place of resolving the real Indian poor problems.
How is PKR going to be any different from UMNO when they get to Putrajaya? Similarly how are DAP and PAS going to be any different?
But then this is multi-racialism a la PKR, DAP and PAS like UMNO’s One Malay-sia that we are asked to believe in!
For the year 2010 Maybank’s profit is expected to be about RM 4 Billion.
To start off with an Indian however capable or qualified will never get to become the Chief Executive Officer of Mayban.k Indians will also similarly be excluded from the top twenty positions, and Executive and Managerial positions.
PNB with 8.9 million malay muslim shareholders own a controlling interest in Maybank.
1) PNB equity from RM540 million in 1981 rose to RM76.7 billion in 2008 today. PNB is
the world’s largest and most successful unit trust with ownership spread among 8.9 Million Malay shareholders, and an increase of 10 times from 840,000 shareholders in 1981. PNB today controls Maybank, Sime Darby, MIDF, Island and Peninsula, UMW Holdings to name a few. Since 1981, RM60 billion was paid out to 8.9 Million Malay shareholders at an average of RM6,741 per shareholder (NST 21/04/2008 page2).
2) Unlike Maika UMNO on the contrary tasked professionals under a government instituted body for PNB. Had UMNO done the very same PNB style strategy for MAIKA Holdings, 80% of these 66,459 poor Indians would have come out of their lower income status and perhaps moved up to at least the lower income group. But because of UMNO’s Malay muslim racist and supremacist agenda by design, these 66,459 low income Indians have now most likely slipped from the lower income group to poverty level, if not the hardcore poverty level.
UMNO would never accord shares in for example Maybank to Maika Holdings for the Indians to also share the Maybank’s RM 4 billion yearly profits and wealth of the country. Who speaks for the Indians? PKR? DAP? PAS? Elite Indians? NGOs’? Bloggers?
The writing on the wall has been and is all along since it’s inception very clear that Parti Keadilan Rakyat, an UMNO splinter party, is a malay muslim party though it tries to put on a multi-racial mask. Ab Initio PKN (the predecessor of PKR has been a Malay muslim party and never meant to be a multi racial party.
Realising this the very first batch of members leaving PKR way back in 1999 were a far sighted group of Indians.
In her article Battle for malay ground, Zubaidah Abu Bakar wrote, “A task force to address malay issues is on the drawing board”, as announced by party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in her speech at the sixth PKR congress in Kota Baru on Friday.
Then, there is also a plan by the PKR Youth to organize its inaugural Malay congress to dissect Malay issues and gauge PKR’s support from the Malay electorate, although it is uncertain whether the plan will take off. (NST 1/6/2010 at page 15).
The Tamil Nesan today, 1/6/10 at page 1, reported the ex-PKR Bukit Selambau State Assemblyman V.Arumugam and Alor Setar PKR delegate to the PKR Annual General Meeting at Kota Baru over the weekend as having said that the PKR General Assembly deliberated at length on Malay problems but zero on Indian issues. No opportunity or slot was given to discuss Indian problems but the Assembly only focused on getting to Putrajaya. Arumugam said PKR did not discuss why the Indian voters in Hulu Selangor seemed to have moved back to B. N.
G. Rajendran questioned why the Pakatan Rakyat states of Kedah, Penang and Selangor had not addressed the Indian problems.
From the above it is plain and obvious that PKR:-
1) Is not a multi-racial party but like the MIC in B.N only have show piece Indian mandores to reflect the Indian face.
2) The PKR Malay leadership has not and will not seriously champion and neither is it interest in problems of the marginalised poor.
3) Since the 1999 scenario the is no hope even for the PKR Malay leadership championing Indian poor issues. We have to accept this reality and more forward.
4) All that PKR, DAP and PAS want are the Indian votes and never their problems, however critical, deserving or needs based it may be. This is because PKR, DAP and PAS knows that the Indians have been cheated by UMNO/BN for 53 long years and have no alternative and no other choice and would be forced to vote forPakatan Rakyat at the next general elections.
HRP is the only way forward. As PKR, DAP, PAS, NGOs’ alternative media, the Indian elite and Indian journalists have abandoned the Indian poor, the hard political reality is that the Indians have to end up fighting their own battle. And the political vehicle is HRP through it’s Project 15/38.
KUALA LUMPUR: There was no joy for seven students who scored straight As in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia last year, because they claimed they have been denied access to pursue tertiary education.
Feeling despondent, they brought their case to the Human Rights Party (HRP), which has issued an ultimatum to the government:
“Help them or we will do something the country has not seen before.”
HRP national coordinator W Sambulingam gave the Higher Education Ministry three days to come up with a solution.
“The government must get back to these students in three days. It must come up with an answer on how to accommodate them into the education system.
“If not, we will do something Malaysia has not seen before,” he said today, adding that he will reveal the next course of action after the deadline ends.
Sambulingam said some of the students, who have graduated from Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM), had their applications to pursue tertiary studies turned down “without any reasons”.
He added that most of the parents of the students are low-income earners who cannot afford to send their children to private colleges.
According to him, this is only the tip of the iceberg. “I have received many calls from parents all over the country, who claim that their children who have also scored straight As in their SPM last year have been denied access to pursue tertiary education.
“These students are all high achievers whereas we understand that their Malay friends who scored less than 5As have been accepted to do matriculation (for entry into public universities) and even granted scholarships.
“Because of this, we are forced to make the assumption that Indians are indeed sidelined from the mainstream of society,” said Sambulingam.
He also said that it is meaningless to have public examinations if the “best of the best” do not get a place in a university.
“These students who scored straight As have worked and sacrificed a lot. What is the point of having examination if the government does not sponsor the best brains for tertiary studies?” he said.
Frustrated students speak up
One of the students, T Menaga, 18, who graduated from MRSM, Pasir Salak, with 8As, said she is forced to take up Sijil Tinggi Penilaian Malaysia (STPM) after her application to pursue tertiary education and scholarship was turned down.
She claimed that her Malay friends, who did not perform well and even had failed in some of the subjects, have been accepted to do matriculation studies.
“If I take up STPM, the exam will be tougher… But then again, I have no choice now but to do STPM,” said Menaga, whose ambition is to become a doctor.
Another 8As student, G Thirunyanam, of Sek Men Keb Kepong, said he was disappointed to learn that his application for a Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship was rejected last Friday.
“I was a school prefect and active in co-curricular activities. My parents are government servants. So why did the PSD turn down my application for scholarship? How can I motivate my younger sister? She might think that it is pointless to work hard if she ends up like me,” he said.
For B Muhesh Rao, of Sek Men Keb Hillcrest, Gombak, his 10As will not carry any weight.
“I did not get a PSD scholarship or a chance to do matriculation although I attended a PSD interview.”
Likewise, 18-year-old S Thisyamathi felt that scoring 11As is all a waste of time.
“I went to the Higher Education Ministry and the officials there told me I have to compete with 8,500 students who are more qualified than me. What does it mean? I got 11As!” said Thisyamathi of Sek Men Keb Raja Mahadi, Klang.
By M Kumaran
KUALA LUMPUR: The Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) movement, which held its first gathering here on Sunday, needs to woo MIC branch chairmen and party divisional delegates, not the Indian community.
Tamil Nesan 01062010
Tamil Nesan
The campaign, spearheaded by former MIC Youth deputy chief V Mugilan, should leave the community out of the picture as the aim of GAS is to oust a party leader and not someone elected by the community. "Samy Vellu was elected democratically by MIC members. Gathering some 5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 people just does not serve the purpose.
“Naturally, the party president must be removed using the democratic process, which is either through elections or a motion of no confidence," a political analyst, who did not want to be named, told FMT.
He said if GAS was true to its cause, then it should "attack" the 4,500 MIC branch chairmen, who would vote if there was a contest for the party's top post.
Failing this, they only need to get some 300 branches to come out in the open and ask for the president to step down.
This would carry more weight than gathering people who had been sacked from the party like what happened last Sunday, the analyst added. Push for an EGM
He said an alternative would be to mount a silent campaign among the party's central working committee (CWC) members who can table a motion for an extraordinary general assembly (EGM), with the aim of passing a no-confidence motion against the long serving MIC chief.
The analyst said the party constitution also allows CWC members, based on a majority vote, to call for fresh presidential election, whereby a new party head could be elected.
He said the signature campaign and various other methods proposed by GAS leaders would have minimal impact on Samy Vellu and "from the looks of it, they are more interested in tarnishing his image than removing him as president".
The GAS gathering began after the sacking of three CWC members -- Mugilan, KP Samy and G Kumar Amman -- and Petaling Jaya Selatan division chief V Subramaniam popularly known as Barat Maniam.
Samy Vellu sacked the four grassroots leaders for asking him to step down earlier than September, 2011, a date proposed by the president.
Subsequently, Samy Vellu also relieved party secretray-general S Murugesan from his duties after the latter held a press conference to say that he did not agree with the sacking of the four leaders. Sandal backfires The political analyst also said the incident where a man had hit Samy Vellu's picture with a sandal, photographed and published in all newspapers, had also "backfired" on the movement.
"Whatever said and done, the Indian community does not see this in good light. The community is rich in culture and tradition. When you see someone using a sandal to hit the photograph of a 74-year-old man, automatically the sympathy swings,” he added.
There are murmurs in the community that while it was right to call for the resignation of Samy Vellu, who had served as president since 1979, it must, however, be done with some decorum without having to disgrace the leader.
"Yes, the community prefers that he goes. But they do not like to see him disgraced. This is the culture. Do not disgrace your elders,” he said. Is MIC relevant?
Another point raised is, is the community really perturbed by what is happening in the party, or is MIC and its leaders -- past, present and future -- simply not relevant?
Apart from pockets of Indians being active players in the tussle, the majority is silent.
"Yes, the community is watching... but is not doing anything because it does not want to do anything. It feels very detached from the party. This begs another question: is the party losing its relevance? I feel it (losing its relevance) had started just before the 2008 general election.
"At that time the party wanted to reinvent itself to be more relevant to the Indian community, but this has not happened and the community continues to stray further from MIC," the political analyst added.
He said GAS needs to work out a "workable and practical" plan to oust the battle-hardened Samy Vellu.
SUNGAI PETANI: Kedah MIC Youth chief Thiaggu @ Thiagarajan Letchumanan, 33, today relinquished the post that he had held for eight months, citing disenchantment with the leadership of state MIC liaison chairman S Ananthan.
He claimed that his efforts to discuss with the national leadership several matters which needed immediate action had met a dead end.
He cited seven reasons for his resignation, the main one being his loss of confidence in the leadership of Ananthan who he claimed had interfered in the affairs of the Kedah MIC Youth, including sabotaging its meetings.
He, however, told a news conference here that he would not abandon the MIC's struggle because the party was the only platform that could be trusted to fight for the Indian community.
Asked whether his resignation was linked to the actions of parties challenging party president S Samy Vellu to step down, he said there should be a clean-up of leaders whom the people did not like at all levels.
In KULIM, Ananthan described Thiagarajan's resignation as appropriate and timely.
In a statement sent via the an SMS, Ananthan said the move taken by Thiagarajan after being appointed to the post for eight months clearly showed that he had created various conflicts within the divisional Youth chiefs in Kedah.
"Thiagarajan did not get the support of the Youth chiefs and this made it easier for the state MIC to find a more suitable Youth leader in view of the latest development in the party," he said.
Ananthan said he regretted the move by Thiagarajan in making a press statement criticising Samy Vellu's leadership.
UPDATED PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak today announced a cabinet reshuffle which saw former MCA president Ong Tee Keat being dropped and Deputy Finance Minister Chor Chee Heung being made a full minister.
The reshuffle also saw the appointment of two members of Parliament and four senators as deputy ministers.
The prime minister, in a statement, announced the appointment of Chor as Housing and Local Government Minister, replacing Kong Cho Ha who switched portfolio to the Transport Ministry.
Kong, who is also MCA secretary-general, takes over from Ong who lost to Dr Chua Soi Lek in the MCA elections in March. Also dropped was Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Wee Jeck Seng.
Ong and Wee were the only two dropped from the new "expanded" cabinet.
There were also two vacancies available from the resignation of Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister and former Wanita MCA chief Chew Mei Fun and the death of Deputy Transport Minister Robert Lau last month. Three from MCA, additional post for MIC
Today's reshuffle sees the appoinment of six new faces, four of whom are senators. The cabinet changes will be effective from June 4.
Of the six new faces, three are from MCA – party president Chua's son and Labis MP Chua Tee Yong, and party vice-presidents Senator Donald Lim and Gan Ping Sieu, to reflect the changes in the party leadership following its polls in March.
MIC also has an additional face in the government, on top of a minister and two deputy ministers, with the appointment of party deputy president G Palanivel as a deputy minister.
PPP vice-president Senator Maglin Dennis D’Cruz has also been roped into the cabinet as a deputy minister, along with Serian MP Richard Riot Jaem.
The reshuffle also saw four deputy ministers switching portfolios.
They are Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Minister Rohani Abdul Karim who takes over as Deputy Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister; Deputy Home Minister Jelaing Mersat (Deputy Transport Minister); Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Chee Leong (Deputy Home Minister) and Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister Senator Heng Seai Kie (Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister).
Najib said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Zainal Abidin had given his consent to the appointments and the swearing-in would be held at Istana negara at 3.30pm on Friday.
Tuanku Mizan had also consented to the appointment of Lim, D'Cruz and Gan as senators effective today. They will be sworn in as soon as possible. List of new ministers and deputies
Kong Cho Ha: Transport Minister (previous post: Housing and Local Government Minister)
Chor Chee Heung: Housing and Local Government Minister (previous post: Deputy Finance Minister)
Rohani Abdul Karim: Deputy Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister (previous post: Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister)
Jelaing Mersat: Deputy Transport Minister (previous post: Deputy Home Minister)
Lee Chee Leong: Deputy Home Minister (previous post: Deputy Foreign Minister)
Senator Heng Seai Kie: Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister (previous post: Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister)
Senator G Palanivel: Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister
Richard Riot Jaem (Serian MP): Deputy Foreign Minister
Chua Tee Yong (Labis MP): Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister
Senator Donald Lim Siang Chai: Deputy Finance Minister
Senator Maglin Dennis D'Cruz: Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister
Senator Gan Ping Sieu: Deputy Youth and Sports Minister.
By Rahmah Ghazali VIDEO INSIDE KUALA LUMPUR: Some 500 people protested in front of the United States embassy here over the attack launched by Israeli commandos on humanitarian aid ship Mavi Marmara, which resulted in at least 19 deaths.
During the protest, a Palestinian attempted to slit his throat with a penknife but was stopped by the police. He was then arrested and taken to the police station.
The man, identified as Moin Mohamed Habib, had earlier removed his shirt and tore his pants. He then swallowed a razor blade.
He was part of a group of Palestinians, most of whom were students, who joined the two separate protests this morning. The emotionally-charged group also set fire to a photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [watch video]
The protests were organised by Malay pressure group Perkasa and Lifeline For Gaza respectively. Several Islamic NGOs such as Abim and JIM also joined in.
Memorandums were also submitted to the US embassy, urging President Barack Obama to take action against Israel. The crowd dispersed at about 11.25am. A small team of about 50 light strike force police personnel were present at the scene. PM given 48 hours
Following these protests, another one was mounted by Pakatan Rakyat, also outside the US embassy.
Pakatan leaders gave Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak 48 hours to call for an emergency Parliament sitting to condemn the Israeli government. [read here]
Also this morning, Barisan Nasional Youth submitted a protest note to the United Nations office here.
Led by Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, the protesters numbering about 50, shouted “Hancur Israel” (Destroy Israel) and set fire to an Israeli flag.
They demanded that UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon take harsh action against Israel. [read here]
Mavi Marmara was in a convoy of six vessels bound for Gaza to deliver aid to the 100,000 Palestinians still without shelter.
The Israeli navy stopped the ships ferrying 700 people and 10,000 tonnes of supplies on international waters and forced them into the Israeli port of Ashdod, killing and injuring scores in the process, and provoking a diplomatic crisis.
It has been reported that six Malaysians were onboard Mavi Marmara, including two journalists from private television Astro Awani.
The other six, including two TV3 journalists, were on Rachel Corrie, which today reportedly pressed on to the Gaza strip despite warnings from Israel.
Many statements are coming out of the mouths of various Umno people who are either ignorant of legal/constitutional issues or are merely faking ignorance. Maybe I can explain the many issues and rebut what the mainstream media has been wrongly reporting. And the issues are not as complicating as they make them appear to be.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Many Umno division leaders, some who are Members of Parliament, Senators, and/or Deputy Ministers/Ministers, do not appear to understand the law or the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. So that they do not continue to make fools of themselves, maybe I can enlighten them on how it works.
No, I am not a lawyer, in particular not a constitutional lawyer. It is just that I have a brain and I am not scared of using it. I always say: you need a brain to be a lawyer, but you do not need to be a lawyer to have a brain.
So here goes.
Issue number 1
Under Section 13 of the Criminal Procedure Code, it is a criminal offence to withhold information if you have knowledge/information that a crime has been committed. If you withhold any information you can be arrested and charged under Section 202 of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of six months jail upon conviction.
Now, I was reliably informed that Lt. Kol. Azmi, the number two in the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence, is aware that a certain crime had been committed. Under normal circumstances I would be required to lodge a police report. However, since I did not have first-hand information of this matter (not a witness to the crime) and therefore since this is merely hearsay (second-hand information) at best, it was decided that I make a Statutory Declaration instead (I sought legal advice on this).
I then signed a Statutory Declaration that laid out what I had been told. I added in that Statutory Declaration that I urge the authorities to investigate this matter to ascertain the truthfulness or otherwise of this allegation by Lt. Kol. Azmi.
By law, I am required to reveal what I had been told. And since this is a very senior man in the Military Intelligence, then what I was informed may be true. Nevertheless, it is up to the authorities to take up the matter and determine the truthfulness (or otherwise) of Lt. Kol. Azmi’s allegation.
Instead of doing that, they decided to charge me for criminal defamation. They were not interested in Lt. Kol. Azmi -- the source of the information -- even after I had revealed his name during my Internal Security Act detention.
In fact, the Special Branch officer in charge of my interrogation, Datuk Zambri Ahmad, admitted that he personally knows Lt. Kol. Azmi. But still he did not talk to Lt. Kol. Azmi. He just commented that maybe I was fed false information with an aim to fix me up. Datuk Zambri came to his conclusion without investigating the matter further to ascertain the truthfulness of the allegation.
Now, on the charge itself, I can’t be charged for criminal defamation unless my so-called crime was against a government official. And the wife of a politician is not a government official. Even if the person is a government official, but someone what the law would declare as ‘on a frolic of his/her own’, the criminal defamation charge would also not apply.
Therefore, the charge was defective and this was pointed out to the court. But the Prosecution refused to withdraw or amend the charge. The fact that under this charge even if I told the truth I would still be guilty and would be sent to jail adds another element to it: mala fide. And this too was pointed out to the court.
And that was why I refused to enter a plea and which the court insisted would be taken as a ‘not guilty’ plea even though I protested and shouted at the judge that this was not what I pleaded.
I was prepared to answer to a charge of signing a false Statutory Declaration if they think I had lied. But I refuse to answer to a defective charge with elements of mala fide.
That is the long and short of it.
Issue number 2
Article 4 (1). This Constitution is the supreme law of the Federation and any law passed after Merdeka Day which is inconsistent with this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.
This Article of the Constitution means that any laws that Parliament passes after Merdeka that violates or contradicts the Constitution are null and void. The Internal Security Act would be one such law but since it was passed as an ‘emergency law’ during the Malayan Emergency, then this makes the law valid.
The question, however, is that since the Emergency (war with the Communist Party of Malaya) and the Konfrantasi (with Indonesia) have both ended with the signing of peace treaties, should the Emergency not therefore be lifted? And if it should, then how can Malaysia retain emergency laws like the Internal Security Act?
Will the Emergency continue in Malaysia until the end of time and in that same spirit emergency laws that violate the Constitution continue to operate?
Issue number 3
Article 7 (1). No person shall be punished for an act or omission which was not punishable by law when it was done or made, and no person shall suffer greater punishment for an offence than was prescribed by law at the time it was committed.
Article 7 (2). A person who has been acquitted or convicted of an offence shall not be tried again for the same offence except where the conviction or acquittal has been quashed and a retrial ordered by a court superior to that by which he was acquitted or convicted.
This is my main bone of contention.
I was punished with detention without trial under the Internal Security Act for what I wrote/signed in 2008. In 2001, when I was detained under the Internal Security Act (also for what I had written), they dropped the sedition and other charges against me (they even returned my computer which they confiscated when they closed the file on me). And it was explained that I no longer faced any charges because I had already been punished under the Internal Security Act for those same crimes.
In 2008, they punished me under the Internal Security Act and also brought me to trial for the same crimes.
The Constitution says I can’t be punished twice for the same crime. The government, however, is punishing me twice for the same crime.
Issue number 4
Article 8 (1). All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.
I was punished because I was alleged to have made a seditious statement against the wife of the then Deputy Prime Minister. It is seditious only because she happens to be the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister.
The Constitution, however, says we are both equal before the law. I, therefore, can’t be punished just because someone happens to be the wife of someone important. But in my case this is what happened.
Issue number 5
Article 8 (3). There shall be no discrimination in favour of any person on the ground that he is a subject of the Ruler of the State.
I slotted this in merely to show that even though I am a ‘certified’ subject of the Ruler of Selangor I still could face punishment if I commit a crime. And I accept that as long as it follows the law and the Constitution and not otherwise.
Issue number 6
Article 9 (1). No citizen shall be banished or excluded from the Federation.
This means I cant be banished (meaning my citizenship is withdrawn) just because I oppose the government (like how many Umno people want the government to do).
Only by pursuing meritocracy and improving the country's competitiveness can we get to become a high-income country. And when the majority of Malays can share the fruit of our economic success, even a goreng pisang peddler can look forward to much improved income.
By TAY TIAN YAN, Sin Chew Daily
Translated by DOMINIC LOH
Ibrahim Ali is a type of Malay that places a very high emphasis on himself.
He dismissed Amirsham Abdul Aziz as a traitor of the Malay, because the New Economic Model (NEM) he proposed had betrayed the Malay race.
He said genuine Malays would never turn their back against the New Economic Policy (NEP).
Based on his reasoning, if the government were to go ahead with the New Economic Model, the relevant leaders would no longer qualify as Malays.
In the end, there is only one Malay in this world.
Ibrahim Ali.
Oh yes, plus a handful of other people like Mahathir.
The Malays in these people's eyes are living in a unique space insulated from the outside world, where there are no tests for survival nor challenges.
So long as they confine themselves to this solitary capsule, they are most definitely safe and blessed.
These people believe that their wealth had been pre-destined, not created, and they therefore are entitled to 67% of the national wealth based on the percentage of bumiputras in this country.
Such allocation theory once existed in the communist world, but then how much could be proportioned when a communist state goes bust?
If this country became cash-strapped some day, how much could these people get even if they could claim the entire economic cake?
Ibrahim Ali did not think about this, or he simply rejected the thinking of this issue.
Amirsham is the NEAC chairman. I was there when he was briefing the media about the NEM.
He, too, is a Malay, a whole lot more good-looking and gentleman-like compared to that Ibrahim Ali.
He admitted that the decades-long implementation of NEP had drastically eroded the country's competitiveness.
He told everyone Malaysia had no other options but to transform itself.
The NEM does not define a bumiputra quota, for it is an outdated notion. The bumi quota has failed to help the Malays grow, making them feel complacent and dejected instead, besides exhausting the nation's vast resources.
Only by pursuing meritocracy and improving the country's competitiveness can we get to become a high-income country. And when the majority of Malays can share the fruit of our economic success, even a goreng pisang peddler can look forward to much improved income.
Amirsham is not a politician by training. He is a banking professional who pursues nothing but truth.
He does not speak in a fanciful and inciting manner, but has provided all the necessary evidences to prove his point.
You can say he has done this for the sake of Malaysia, and the Malays.
He belongs to that type of Malay whom I hold in very high regard.
When he proposed the NEM to the prime minister, he said admittingly that this was the furthest his authority could stretch.
In other words, whether the government will accept and implement his proposals will have to be decided by the government itself.
And Ibrahim Ali said in front of Najib that the NEP was drawn up by his late father Tun Abdul Razak, and he was in no position to compromise or give it up.
Najib responded that the NEM was only an economist's proposal, not the government's ultimate stand, and that the government was still consulting the Malays' views.
Indeed, Najib should lend his ears to the Malays... but to people like Ibrahim Ali, or Amirsham?
While no one should overlook the views of the Malays, the views of Malaysians should be more paramount.
1. Some people in Malaysia particularly those involved with the stock markets seem keen to legalise what is called "short selling". Basically short selling is about selling shares or currencies or other assets that the seller does not have with the expectation that the sale would push the prices down. Once the price is down the seller would then buy to deliver to the earlier buyers he had sold to at a higher price.
2. Short selling is not speculation. It is manipulation of the market with almost certain success to be had. Other investors or buyers would lose money as they would be left holding the devalued shares or money or whatever.
3. Malaysia had banned short selling in the past. We regarded it as unfair and damaging to genuine investors.
4. I read in the Financial Times of 24th May that "Europe plans ban on naked short selling". Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor has unilaterally banned "naked shorting of Eurozone sovereign debt instruments and shares of 10 German banks". This has caused a "financial turmoil" meaning the short sellers are unhappy that they cannot manipulate the market anymore. Merkel asked how people can sell something they don't have.
5. The Europeans and the Americans are still hoping to keep all the "financial products" which they must know are what precipitated the current crisis. They are still refusing to review, modify or discard the monetary, banking and financial systems that they had devised and which they abused in order to get rich quick.
6. If we in Malaysia or other developing countries were to have this state of mind, then they would say that we are in a state of denial. And some locals will also echo their words.
7. I have no say in the Government but I think Governments should take note that not copying the West is not a sure recipe for failure.
8. In fact we should not consult Western people in the running of our country. They don't know our situation and their advice would not be good for us.
9. And we should note that even when they know a lot about the affairs of their own countries, they often bungle things. It is they who messed up the world's finances.
10. We are not always right of course. But I think we know our situation better than foreign consultants. We know our situation and the character of our prople. What may be good for the West may not necessarily be goof for us. Besides we know now that the very developed west can make very many horrible mistakes.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has invited Datuk Seri Najib Razak and all parties across the political divide for a roundtable talk this Friday to jointly condemning Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla.
PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today issued the invitation to the prime minister, all Barisan Nasional and PR parties and all Islamic and non-Islamic NGOs to attend the talk, set to be held in Kampung Baru at 11.30am on Friday.
“We need to take a more serious stand in this issue and condemn this continuing violence,” he said after attending the PR secretariat meeting at the PKR headquarters here today.
Anwar added that following the roundtable talks, all invited parties would then march to the US embassy and submit a memorandum on behalf of all Malaysians, calling for an end to the violence.
“For this, we have also decided to invite the prime minister to join us in this special meeting,” he said.
He said PR parties had also jointly agreed to urge for an emergency parliamentary session to be held on Friday or latest by Sunday to allow all parties to give its united stand on the issue.
“We want Parliament to hold this special session so that we can speak out in one voice,” he said.
Anwar said it was in PR’s opinion that Israel’s “conceit and rage” had stemmed from the US government’s continuing support of the Zionist regime.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Tuesday announced a cabinet reshuffle which saw former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat being dropped and Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung being made a full minister.
The reshuffle also saw the appointment of two members of Parliament and four senators as deputy ministers.
The prime minister, in a statement to Bernama, announced the appointment of Chor as Housing and Local Government Minister, replacing Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha who switched portfolio to the Transport Ministry.
Kong, who is also MCA secretary-general, takes over from Ong who lost to Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek in the MCA elections in March.
Also dropped was Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Wee Jeck Seng.
Najib also announced the appointment of Serian MP Datuk Richard Riot Jaem as Deputy Foreign Minister and Labis MP Chua Tee Yong, who is Dr Chua's son, as Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister.
Four senators were appointed deputy ministers. They are MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel (Plantation Industries and Commodities), MCA vice-president Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai (Finance); People's Progressive Party (PPP) vice-president Datuk Maglin Dennis D'Cruz (Information Communication and Culture) and Gan Ping Shou@Gan Ping Sieu (Youth and Sports).
Four deputy ministers switched portfolios. They are Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim who takes over as Deputy Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister; Deputy Home Minister Jelaing Mersat (Deputy Transport Minister); Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong (Deputy Home Minister) and Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister Senator Heng Seai Kie (Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister).
Najib said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Zainal Abidin had given his consent to the appointments and the swearing-in would be held at Istana negara at 3.30pm on Friday.
Tuanku Mizan had also consented to the appointment of Lim, D'Cruz and Gan as senators effective today.
The Malaysian Bar strongly denounces Israel’s brutal attack yesterday on the fleet of ships carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza.
Such flagrant hostility is deplorable, particularly as it was perpetrated in a deliberate and unprovoked assault on a peaceful initiative, and in international waters. It seems evident that the degree of force employed was excessive and unwarranted, given the nature of this nonviolent humanitarian effort involving civilians. The aggression is offensive, and unacceptable.
This vicious attack is but a symptom of the longstanding and bitter conflict in the region that has resulted in crimes against humanity, as innumerable atrocities have been committed upon the people of Palestine. To resolve the discord, the wider issues must be addressed urgently. Israel and the international community must recognise the democratically-elected Hamas Government. The pitiless, inhumane and counterproductive blockade of Gaza must be lifted. Any long-term and comprehensive solution must be founded on Israel’s complete withdrawal from the occupied territories, the dismantling of all settlements and the right of the displaced Palestinian people to return safely to their homeland.
The Malaysian Bar calls on the international community, particularly the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the European Union, to act urgently to curb Israel’s blatant violations of international law. These nations must not continue to condone the severe and recurring acts of state terrorism carried out by Israel. It is outrageous that governments that quickly and naturally take the moral high ground on many other matters fail utterly and miserably on the issue of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.
The American Government’s unconditional support of the Israeli regime – manifested in its abject failure to act decisively and objectively and its practice of double standards in Israel and the Middle East – is the greatest failure of US foreign policy.
We are deeply concerned about the welfare of all those on the affected ship, including our fellow citizens, and sincerely hope for good news. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the attack.
Sambutan hangat masyarakat terhadap karya kreatif kartun dan penulisan humor alternatif mengkritik penyelewengan dan salah guna kuasa pemerintah mendorong Zunar, kartunis politik tanahair menerbitkan buku terbaru Isu Dalam Kartun vol 3. Di bawah syarikatnya Sepakat Efektif Sdn Bhd, Zunar bersama barisan kartunis dan penulis tanahair menggegarkan lagi dunia politik tanahair dengan isu-isu terkini yang menjadi bualan hangat rakyat Malaysia di semua peringkat.
Istimewanya, jumlah karyawan yang menyumbang semakin bertambah. Selain daripada karyawan yang biasa menyumbang, ada kartunis muda yang masih baru turut berkarya dan juga kartunis veteran terkenal seperti Rossem.
Keluaran kali ini memfokuskan isu utama tentang kepincangan ‘sandiwara’ perbicaraan mahkamah kes liwat Anwar Ibrahim. Dari muka surat 3 hingga 15, “Sendawara Mahkamah” garapan Zunar dan ilustrasi oleh Enot, Jonos dan Art membongkar konspirasi ini sejak mula ia dirancangkan bagaimana laporan polis yang dibuat oleh Saiful Bukhari berbeza dengan pendakwaan di mahkamah.
Laporan polis Saiful menyatakan ia diliwat tanpa kerelaan sedangkan Anwar didakwa di bawah seksyen ‘diliwat dengan rela’. Berbagai peristiwa lucu di dalam mahkamah dibongkar dalam bentuk kartun untuk mendedahkan kepada rakyat yang tidak tahu apa sebenarnya berlaku.
Dimuatkan kisah bagaimana hakim tidak membenarkan pihak peguam Anwar mendapatkan senarai saksi, Saiful menyatakan dia tidak dapat melihat punggungnya sendiri dan bermacam-macam lagi perkara ‘lucu’ tetapi benar.
Isu Apco turut menjadi topik kritikan. Ada lukisan kartunis Art yang menggambarkan tentera zionis sedang membelasah rakyat Palestin dan pada masa yang sama pemimpin Malaysia menuangkan wang ke dalam beg tentera tersebut. Kartunis Jonos mengkritik kerajaan Malaysia yang meniru konsep 1 Israel dalam 1Malaysianya.
Isu Dalam Kartun Vol 3 juga mengetengahkan isu keganasan polis yang kerap bertindak keras dan mengancam keselamatan rakyat. Tragedi adik Aminul Rasyid ditembak polis dipuisikan Abdullah Jones dan ditegur oleh seniman Pyanhabib dalam kolum “racau”nya.
Begitu juga kartunis Enot dengan cerita “Sarjan Kamis dan mertua”, kartunis Haili pula mencuit dalam kartunnya bagaimana seorang ibu berpesan kepada anaknya berhati-hati ketika memandu, jangan lupa pakai talipinggang keledar dan “jaket kalis peluru”.
Penipuan dalam pilihanraya adalah isu yang tidak pernah mati. Keluaran kali ini juga membongkar beberapa strategi tipu yang dilakukan kerajaan dengan menggunakan SPR sebagai kuda tunggangan melakukan penipuan untuk memenangkan tuan mereka. Jenis-jenis pengundi hantu dan bagaimana mereka bekerja telah dibongkar dalam bentuk kartun.
Di dalam isu ini juga turut dimuatkan perbandingan di antara negara luar dan negara kita dalam konteks mengendalikan pilihanraya secara adil. Ketika badan penganjur pilihanraya negara lain cuba memberikan erti demokrasi yang telus, SPR di Malaysia bersungguh-sungguh menjadi pecacai bagi memastikan kerajaan BN terus berkuasa.
Selain itu, isu-isu seperti katak menjadi senatak (senator katak), isu larangan berpolitik dalam masjid, isu rakyat tolak ‘rasuah gula-gula’ Najib dalam pilihanraya kecil Sibu turut disentuh dengan pedas dan kritis.
Selain kartunis Zunar sebagai kartunis dan ketua editor, Isu Dalam Kartun vol 3 juga menampilkan kartunis seperti Ronasina (editor/ kartunis), Jonos, Enot, Haili, Art, Oly, Nur, Abdullah Jones, Ubilepih, Madsein, Warih dan lain-lain serta penulis kritis seperti Hishamuddin Rais, Pyanhabib, Pusparos, Benludin dan Fared Ayam.
Harga RM10 senaskah. Dapatkan di pasaran atau secara online di cartoonkafe.com atau hubungi Saufi, Koordinator SAMM 0172344849 juga boleh diperolehi perbagai cenderamata yang menggunakan tema satira politik yang dikartunkan.
Some 300 Pakatan elected reps and supporters have gathered outside the US embassy at noon to protest at the Israeli attack on the humanitarian aid flotilla heading for Gaza. It is the fourth protest today.
Photo credit: Sim Tze Tzin
Pakatan MPs are demanding that Najib summons Parliament within 48 hours to debate the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla. The situation warrants immediate action, they say.
They condemn the Israeli aggression and demand that Najib terminates the Apco contract within 48 hours.
Earlier protests this morning by Perkasa (along with Malay-based NGOs) and Lifeline For Gaza at separate locations in front of the US embassy, drew several hundred people.
Meanwhile, several dozen BN Youth submitted a protest memo at Wisma UN in Jln Dungun. Strange that the BN group didn’t go to the US embassy. Didn’t want to rock Najib’s relations with Obama?
It was only just after midnight last night that Najib tweeted, “Just made a hard hitting statement against the Israeli govt for their heartless attack against the humanitarian convoy. I am so angry.”
Tell that to Apco as well.
Quick facts: 80 per cent of the people of Gaza rely on humanitarian aid; 45 per cent are unemployed.
FMT ALERT KUALA LUMPUR: About 500 people protested in front of the United States embassy here against the action of Israeli commandos yesterday in attacking humanitarian aid ship Mavi Marmara which resulted in at least 19 deaths.
A protestor, believed to be a Palestinian, also attempted to slit his throat with a pen knife but this was stopped by the police. He was then arrested and taken to the police station.
The man, Moin Mohamed Habib, had earlier removed his shirt and tore his pants. He then swallowed a razor blade.
He was part of a group of Palestinians, most of whom who were students, who had joined in the protest this morning. They appeared emotional by the killings and set fire to a photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protest was organised separately by Malay nationalist movement Perkasa and Lifeline For Gaza, the organisation which had sent humanitarian aid to Gaza, and joined by several well-known Malay-based NGOs, including Abim and JIM.
Both the protest organisers submitted memorandums to the US embassy to urge American president Barack Obama to take action against US' close ally Israel. They then dispersed at about 11.25am.
A small team of about 50 light strike force police personnel were on standby to monitor the situation. The morning protest was followed by one organised by Pakatan Rakyat, also at the US embassy. Pakatan leaders give Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak 48 hours to call for an emergency Parliament sitting to condemn the Israeli government.
Also this morning the Barisan Nasional Youth wing submitted a protest note to the United Nations office here to protest against the Israeli action.
Led by Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, the protestors numbering about 50 shouted “Hancur, Hancur, Hancur Israel” and set fire to an Israeli flag.
They want UN secretary-general Ban Ki Moon to take harsh action against Israel.
Mavi Marmara was in a convoy of six vessels bound for Gaza to deliver aid to the 100,000 Palestinians still without shelter. The Israeli navy stopped six ships ferrying 700 people and 10,000 tonnes of supplies and forced them into the Israeli port of Ashdod, killing and injuring scores in the process, and provoking a diplomatic crisis.
By Patrick Lee and Ken Vin Lek - Free Malaysia Today,
FMT FOCUS PETALING JAYA: The illegal sand-mining issue in Selangor has kicked up a storm, with many ducking for cover in the aftermath of its expose by Kapar MP S Manickavasagam.
While state-owned company in charge of sand-mining operations in Selangor, Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB), has been largely silent on the issue, several have come out to pass the buck.
One of them is Selayang MP William Leong, who has been blamed by the residents of Kampung Orang Asli Hulu Kuang for not taking appropriate action to stop the sand mining.
Leong shed some light on the matter in an interview with FMT, and came to the defence of the land office.
“The land office can only send enforcement agents from time to time. When they go, they (the illegal operators) stop their sand-mining operations,” he said.
Leong said that it was the responsibility of KSSB to take possession of these sites and prevent illegal operations from taking place.
“The onus is on KSSB to quickly take possession and control the situation by appointing contractors,” he added.
“It's like putting a saucer of milk there and you don’t watch it. [The] land office [has] limited resources [and] cannot guard all the areas.
“In Kuang and Kundang, the people there are very upset and they have held demonstrations to protest these activities. It is causing security concerns.”
Leong said KSSB is “inefficient” and if it does not take responsibility, "we have to rethink how the entire sand business is managed in Selangor”. 'Difficult to catch them red-handed'
Selangor state exco Yaakob Sapari, however, defended KSSB and instead laid the blame squarely on the land office.
“KSSB is responsible for the operations (giving out the licences). The group (that should be) in charge of cracking down on illegal operations is the land office.”
When asked if he was involved in organising any crackdowns, Sapari was evasive and told FMT to “go publish the story”.
Arfa'eza Aziz, press secretary to the Selangor menteri besar, said the state relied on the district office to act against illegal sand-mining operations.
“Whenever we get a complaint through the public complaints bureau, be it from the media or the public, we would refer it to the local council,” he said.
Arfa'eza, however, admitted that the follow-ups to complaints made on illegal sand-mining operations were a problem, especially where enforcement was concerned.
“Enforcement also involves the environment and irrigation departments and not only the local council. It's quite difficult to catch them red-handed.
“The enforcement officers very rarely catch them on the spot. When we go after the illegal operators, they run and leave their excavators behind,” he added.
Due to logistical problems, the officers are sometimes unable to seize the excavators and have had to settle on confiscating the engines.
Arfa'eza also denied allegations that Hajiman Ibrahim, the Selangor MB's brother, was also involved in the illegal operations.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said last night it was time for MIC president S Samy Vellu to retire."Samy, it's time to go," he said.
"In my (era of) leadership, almost everybody has retired," Mahathir added, "even me."
"He is the only one left," he told reporters after watching the "Mulan & Mushu" theatre performance here last night.
Mahathir said Samy Vellu had set the record for being the longest-serving leader of a political party in the country.
He was asked to comment on the latest development in the party in the wake of the sacking of MIC secretary-general S Murugessan for demanding explanation over the removal of four party members who called for Samy Vellu's immediate resignation. - Bernama
MALACCA: The historical Batu Berendam Airport, upgraded at a cost of RM190 million and now renamed Melaka Airport, seems to have not met its objective of attracting major airlines.
Officially launched in February this year by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, the airport has yet to live up to its fullest capacity despite the fanfare prior to the start of the upgrading exercise in 2008.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes had then proclaimed that his carrier will start operating from the new international airport by end of the same year.
Malacca state exco for Transport, Information and Consumerism R Perumal said the cause of the setback in the arrivals of major airlines is the delays in getting certain approvals.
“The international airlines are still working on getting permission from their countries to operate here and we are still in talks with the transport ministry to settle certain issues,” he said.
Perumal added that as of now, the airport is servicing Indonesian carrier Riau Airlines, which is operating daily, covering the Malacca-to-Pekan Baru route.
“Firefly will start its charter flight operations on a weekly basis soon while another Indonesian carrier Lion Airlines will start at the end of June, covering Padang, Pekan Baru and Malacca,” he said Perumal said when the upgraded airport was officially launched, it was about 90% complete. The entire renovation had just been completed. Ready to operate at full capacity
Perumal dismissed suggestions that the airport has been idle since its launch.
“We had about 6.8 million local and foreign tourists coming in through this airport last year itself. A flying academy is using the facility as well.
“As far as the state government and the airport are concerned, we are ready to operate the facility at its full capacity,” he said.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd's managing director Bashir Ahmed gave an assurance that the airport will offer better services and facility to its users. AirAsia, in an official statement, said that despite recognising Melaka Airport as a potential tourist and medical tourism hub, it does not have plans to operate from the facility for now.
“We have to consider many factors like operational facilities, transfer of assets, required workforce, route planning and other important features relating to flight operations and ground services,” it said.
Melaka Airport and particularly its control tower bear historical significance as it was the very same tower which guided the plane of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister, to land from London on Feb 20, 1956, after talks on independence.
It was in Malacca that Tunku announced the date for the independence of then Malaya from the United Kingdom.
By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today
SHAH ALAM: A prominent businessman has lodged a police report over a 'dubious' court judgment ordering him and his partner to pay a timber company RM848.14 million.
Hamid Man, 67, and his partner Abu Bakar Rahmat, 48, also filed a summons at the High Court here yesterday to set aside the above-mentioned judgment.
The duo claimed Judicial Commissioner Zaleha Yusof did not pronounce such a judgment when she struck off their defence on April 9.
Hamid and Abu Bakar, directors of a timber logging company, Anjakan Wawasan Sdn Bhd (AWSB), were defendants in a RM848.14 million suit brought by Kaohsiung Timber Products (KTP) Sdn Bhd.
KTP had filed the suit against Hamid and Abu Bakar, claiming the duo had sabotaged the company from getting an approval order by the Pahang government to supply raw acacia wood.
Hamid said that the plaintiff’s lawyers Majdah Muda and Azlinda Baroni of Messrs Azlinda Baroni & Co and had sent him a copy of the court judgment through mail on May 25.
However, his lawyer,Vadivu Perumal, later told him that the judge had made only the order on April 9 but no judgment was delivered.
Hamid said that the judgement, dated May 11, among others, ordered that he and Abu Bakar pay KTP:
RM748,144,000 in general damages and future loss of income; and
RM100,000,000 in specific damages, aggravated damages and exemplary damages.
A seven-day deadline for the payment to be made expired yesterday (May 31). A deviation from court procedures
According to Hamid, as told to him by his lawyer who attended court on April 9, their defence was struck off and they were asked to pay only RM1,500 in costs.
Hamid wants the police to investigate how Messrs Azlinda Baroni & Co, representing KTP, could obtain a sealed court judgment said to be made by Zaleha on April 9.
The sealed copy of the judgment served on the two showed that it was signed by High Court senior assistant registrar Sri Pracha Nanthini Balabedha on May 13.
Hamid’s lawyer Mohd Haaziq Pillay said: “We are applying for a stay. We were not told of any application made for an assessment of damages for this so-called judgment.”
Haaziq said when the plaintiff’s lawyers Azlinda Baroni and Majdah Muda sought a judgment, they were told by Zaleha to make a formal application.
Haaziq also claimed that plaintiff’s lawyers had met with the court staff at the registrar’s office with regards to the case without informing anyone from the defendant’s side.
“This is highly improper as a defendant’s lawyer must be informed of any date set, in line with the Rules of the High Court, 1980," he said.
"This judgment is void and should be set aside as, among other things, it deviated from court procedures.”
The case has been set for mention on June 11.
It was widely reported on April 9 this year, Judicial Commissioner Zaleha Yusof had in chambers ordered Hamid and Abu Bakar to pay RM848,144,000 to the plaintiff.
Haaziq added the matter was wrongly reported by certain media after the defence was struck off on April 9.
(TMI) KUALA LUMPUR : Asas Serba Sdn Bhd is hoping to present their plans to acquire the nation’s toll concessions before the Cabinet tomorrow to get the government’s backing, sources say.
Asas Serba is proposing to take all of the nation’s 23 toll road concessions private for RM50 billion and in exchange is promising to give a 20 per cent discount on toll rates as well as no further rate increases.
But the unsolicited proposal has not seen much traction within the Najib administration, government sources say.
When contacted, Asas Serba director Ibrahim Bidin didn’t deny that it aims to present their case before the Cabinet at its weekly Wednesday meeting. Such papers are normally submitted through the Finance Ministry or the Economic Planning Unit within the Prime Minister’s Department.
“No confirmation yet,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
In contrast to Asas Serba’s RM50 billion bid, government think tank Pemandu, as part of its subsidy rationalisation exercise, estimated that it will cost the government RM383 billion to nationalise the 23 toll concessions.
Asked about the difference between Pemandu and Asas Serba estimates, Bidin said that Pemandu’s figure appeared high but declined to elaborate as he hadn’t seen how it was derived.
Ibrahim said that Asas Serba has yet to appoint a financial advisor but has engaged a strategic consultant.
“The moment the government says that they want to see the final proposal then we will appoint a merchant banker,” he said. “I heard that the government is favourable to us.”
Local research house OSK Research said in a report that the Asas Serba bid to acquire toll concessions from a combination of public and private sector entities is complex and gaining approval from shareholders will be “daunting”.
Asas Serba has not approached the toll concessionaires directly but Ibrahim said that they will do so if the government gives them the “green light”. READ MORE HERE.
There is so much talk about lack of human capital, about brain loss to other countries,about becoming a high income country. The short sighted policies of the UMNO Government to deny outstanding students work in the opposite direction to these laments. It works not only to keep the Indians out of the intellectual development process of the country, but against the interests of all the peoples of this country as a whole – regardless of race.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzfUr1ZH4Kc
It is not the physical resources which makes a country great. They are necessary but never sufficient. Look around in the world. What makes great countries are its people. Countries like Japan, S. Korea, Singapore have little or no natural resources, but they do extremely well and above all else because of their human resource development, and retention policies and programs. They have outstanding and appropriate policies for the continuous development of the peoples of their nations.
This attempt by UMNO to deny brilliant Indian students due places for Pre-University programs, for courses of their choice, for scholarships and for places in the easier matriculation Pre-U stream all smack of nothing more than basic racist policies, aimed at maintaining the UMNOputras in their position of privilege. The UMNOputras are playing a very shortsighetd zero sum game.
In the name of being the protectors of the majority community in the country, this UMNO regime is doing every one in this country great harm, by stunting the development of the young in the country. When we stunt the growth of a significant section of the bright students, we lose a lot more than is recognized. In countries like the US, the rule is to allow in the best students from all over the world into their post graduate programs, and then to give them employment after they graduate, and give them permanent resident status in a year or two and keep them permanently in the US. That is one of the ways by which they work at being great.
What is happening in our country is quite the opposite. True progress will not come from simplistic sloganeering. It only comes from concrete and visionary policies. It is in times like these and in situations like these where the slogans of those in power are tested for their truth. So the slogans of 1Malaysia are just that, slogans, and income for the PR firms who conceived this illusion-creating campaign and for all the advertising firms that make money out of these campaigns – nothing more.
Catch them young, deny them opportunities, stunt the growth of the Indian youth in 1Malaysia and then talk about making Malaysia truly Asia, making Malaysia a high income nation, and then some more talk about attracting and retaining talent in the country – but what talent you have, you squander ….
Idris Jala, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and PEMANDU CEO, has yet to convince his cabinet colleagues, in particular the Prime Minister, of the need to reduce subsidies specifically and government spending generally. He has to do that first before taking his Subsidy Rationalization Lab road show to the rest of the country.
Responding to the first “Open House,” Prime Minister Najib indicated that he would “leave it to the people to decide on whether they [the subsidies] should be maintained or abolished.” In doing so he abrogated his leadership on a critical economic issue. He is following instead of leading public opinion; a wet-finger-in-the-air type of leader.
While I do not share Idris Jala’s dire prediction of Malaysia becoming bankrupt in nine years – nations, unlike corporations and individuals, cannot do that – nonetheless the grim picture he painted is not far from the likely reality. His likening Malaysia’s future to today’s Greece may or not be valid but there are enough useful lessons from the current Greek tragedy.
Greece is not bankrupt, nor will it ever be; the Greeks are suffering because of economic mismanagement by their leaders. Subsidy for the poor or for essential goods was only a minor part of the mess. The Greeks were borrowing beyond their capacity to pay; they borrowed just to keep their bloated government afloat.
The other pertinent lesson is that even when faced with a catastrophe, people who have long enjoyed subsidies and special privileges would not readily give those up. This is true of the Greeks (the ugly mass demonstrations and strikes there attest to that) as well as others. Americans long used to generous subsidies for their home mortgages and health insurances would severely punish their leaders at election time should they dare even touch either issue. And America has a deficit much worse (twice as bad, as a percentage of GDP) than Malaysia.
As a reminder, the current global economic turmoil was triggered by the American expansion of its housing subsidy through “sub-prime mortgages.” Again, this was facilitated primarily through two government-sponsored (and thus subsidized) corporations, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. It was done with the best of intentions, making housing affordable to the poor.
Those factors notwithstanding, in the many deliberations on the current economic crisis, I have yet to hear an American leader or economist suggest doing away or even trimming the housing subsidy. And America does not lack for wise leaders or smart economists!
So if Idris Jala or anyone thinks that Malaysians would readily give up their subsidies, he is blind to the universal precept of human behavior. Likewise with special privileges, which after all are subsidies manifested differently; so do not expect Bumiputras to give that up easily either.
Choosing An Easy Target
Idris Jala showed the frightening and unsustainable trend of rising debt and increasing deficits. There are only two ways out: increase revenue through economic growth, and reduce spending, or more accurately, curtail expenditures that do not contribute to economic growth. As any businessman knows, you sometimes have to spend money to generate money.
I wish Idris Jala had concentrated only on those two central themes. Instead he focused on ending subsidies, specifically on petroleum and essential food items. Thus he is being portrayed as targeting the poor, and not without good reasons. That distracts him. It is easy and tempting to prey on the poor; though large in numbers they lack economic and political clout.
Of the record RM74B spent on subsidies in 2009, about 57 percent were on social services; 33, fuel and energy; 7, infrastructures; and 3, foods. As for the beneficiaries, only 2 percent were farmers, fishermen, and the poor.
Those subsidies on social services and infrastructures could be viewed as investments as they could potentially enhance our human and physical capital, and thus the nation’s productive capacity. Even here we could increase the efficiency by plugging the leakages.
Ending subsidies for foods would address only a tiny part of the problem (3 percent). Besides, the per capita consumption of such staples among the poor is comparable to or only minimally less than the rich, but the poor has to expend proportionately more of their income.
Idris purported to show that Malaysians enjoy the cheapest price in the region, with cooking oil costing only RM3.30 as compared to RM8.70 in Singapore. In making that comparison, Idris used the exchange rate instead of the purchasing power parity (ppp) or the Economist’s Big Mac Index. Had either been used, the price differential would be less impressive. I do not know whether Idris is disingenuous, trying to mislead, or being intellectually dishonest in using the exchange rate.
Idris proposes mitigating measures to help the poor. That would inevitably require massive administrative machinery, thus consuming whatever savings being generated. For the amount involved, it would be preferable as well as politically wise to leave things where there are, except for sugar. I would remove its subsidy not for economic but public health reasons. With rampant obesity and diabetes, any initiative that would lower sugar consumption would be good. Likewise I would hike taxes on alcohol, tobacco and gambling, but not high enough to stimulate a thriving contraband industry.
Petroleum however is different; its per-capita consumption among the rich is considerably higher. Consequently, its subsidy disproportionately benefits the rich. Again here Idris proposes cash rebates to motorcycle and small car owners. Another bureaucracy!
I am for ending petroleum subsidy, phased in slowly to minimize dislocations since it is such a crucial fuel literally and figuratively in a modern economy. However, instead of cash rebates I would eliminate taxes on buses, taxis and other conveyances to transport passengers. That would effectively half the price of a Proton to be used as a taxi, making it easier for owner-operators.
I would subsidize season tickets for bus and rail to ease the burden on commuters, as Canada is doing. Vancouver has a per capita income many times that of Malaysia, yet its car-ownership figure is considerably lower. Consequently the air in that city is not polluted with car exhaust, and the streets a pleasure to stroll. Singapore uses differential toll rates and efficient mass transit to discourage city driving.
Ending subsidy on petroleum would save not only money but also the environment. Focusing only on petroleum and sparing food subsidies (except sugar) would also make the exercise an easier sell. Besides, petroleum subsidy is massive, while food subsidies are small change in comparison, and evoke considerable emotional response. It is just not worth expending political capital and risking public wrath for the promised minuscule returns.
Hidden Subsidies
Idris should not stop with the obvious and massive petroleum subsidy. He should pursue other equally expensive and rapidly growing but hidden ones. They are pernicious precisely because they are not overt; the public is not apprised of the costs. There are no available figures to be put on fancy graphs and pie charts for your Power Point presentation.
One is the preferential awarding of contracts to Bumiputras. However noble the objective may be, unless we know what the added costs are, we cannot begin a cost-benefit analysis or assess the program’s efficacy. Few would quibble with the extra 5 or 10 percent to have a contract awarded to a Bumiputra in the name of social equity and correcting past inequities, but many would grumble if that figure were to balloon beyond 30 percent.
It is customary that contracts below a certain amount be awarded exclusively to Bumiputras. Even if the added costs were only 10 percent each (a very conservative estimate!), in the aggregate they would impose a considerable burden on the government. I suggest that Idris’s “lab” do a study on this.
Then there are the overt as well as hidden subsidies to the myriad GLCs. Many are perennial “corporate welfare bums,” forever hooked on government bailouts. The Malaysian corporate scene is littered with the carcasses of the likes of Bank Bumiputra. Again I challenge Idris to analyze that!
Such studies would require much thought and wise analysis; they cannot be done by posing simplistic questions via SMS.
The only difference between the recipients of cooking oil subsidy versus those preferred Bumiputra contractors and “corporate welfare bums” like Bank Bumiputra is that the former are weak while the latter, powerful.
If Idris Jala had been diligent and fearless in analyzing the twin problems of ballooning deficits and increasing spending, he would begin with the obvious and massive petroleum subsidy, then flush out the hidden subsidies represented by non-competitive bids of government contracts, and then get rid those money-losing GLCs. That would definitely make a dent on our deficit and spending problem. That would also invigorate our economy, thereby enhancing the revenue side.
He does not need a road show for that; all he has to do is convince his colleagues in the cabinet, beginning with the Prime Minister.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 (Bernama) -- MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel on Tuesday refuted a claim in a newspaper report that he had "mysteriously disappeared."
"For your information, my party leaders and branch chairmen and members know I have been going on the ground, not merely attending state conventions but also meeting grassroot leaders.
"I take my politics seriously. I have stated my stand on all party issues clearly, including my loyalty to the MIC and the president (Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu). On the matter of the sacking of the MIC leaders, I have also discussed my opinions directly with the president.
"These are party matters and where transparency is required I have made public the necessary issues but where confidentiality is required, I have also respected the decision," he said in his blog this morning.
A newspaper report today quoted a veteran leader, who did not want to be named, as calling on Palanivel to come out in the open to state his stand on the party president's retirement plan, saying that his silence did not augur well for the party as he would be the man to suceed Samy Vellu.
Palanivel, who has been named as the successor after the MIC president's proposed departure from active politics in Sept 2011, said he would not compromise on party procedure but would "make public what concerns the public."
He said the party leaders and members were well informed of his actions and plans through party communication lines.
"I have never been one to jump onto a public bandwagon for publicity and make mileage of conflicts and crisis. One does not have to be busy in the newspapers to express his views.
"I am travelling from one MIC division to another in Selangor to explain the current political situation. Yesterday, I was in Puchong, the other day, Gombak, and in the next few days I will be visiting some other divisions," he added.
The former deputy Women, Family and Community Development minister also said that he had been attending the MIC state conventions and the last statement that he had issued to the media was very recent.
"So where is the mysterious disappearence. We have always been supporting the president and fighting all the party battles with him and for him. Anyway, keeping silent and calm is a very difficult job, especially when you are the second in command.
"As for the president, he is well qualified to handle all eventualities and is not craving for support. He knows the stand of all his supporters and loyalists," added Palanivel.
Conflicting reports of what happened emerged from the military and the activists riding in the flotilla.
The Israeli government said that when commandos landed on the ships, they were attacked with sticks, knives and hit with gunfire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the soldiers had no choice but to defend themselves.
“They had to defend themselves, defend their lives, or they would have been killed,” he said.
The army said five soldiers were injured in the raid, including two who were shot with pistols seized from Israeli forces.
:| So you expect us to believe that these super elite, maximally trained, crack Israeli commandos boarded a hippie ship, had their pistols stolen, and then were fired at?
Who were on these flotillas anyway? Jackie Chan? Robot ninjas? Geez.
I’m more inclined to this version myself, from the same article:
But an Al-Jazeera reporter said Israel fired upon one of the ships before boarding, and that the ship’s captain was wounded.
Adam Shapiro, a member of the Free Gaza movement, a Pro-Palestinian group that helped organize the flotilla, said the Israeli military video may have started after soldiers opened fire. Organizers of the flotilla also had a live feed broadcasted online.
“The Israelis have not indicated at what point in time they are showing their soldiers being hit. We know from our own live feed … that the initial soldiers who came aboard the ship opened fire immediately upon coming on the ship, and by the time anybody picked up a club there was already one dead, many injured.”
He also said activists aboard the ships had only been trained in non-violent resistance.
“We have to prepare them to face Israeli soldiers who will use violence against them,” he said.
Netanyahu seems to be going into ‘defending the indefensible’ mode (perhaps he is getting bad PR advice, ahem).
Note that the whole incident occurred in international waters, making it totally unjustifiable not only in moral, but also legal terms.
Our thoughts with all those on the Flotilla, and especially in the protests today, the Malaysians who stand with them.
(CNN) -- The international community on Monday condemned an Israeli naval commando raid on a flotilla carrying aid for Palestinians in Gaza, leaving 9 people dead.
Israel claimed it was defending itself, with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) saying the soldiers' lives were in danger after they were attacked with "severe physical violence, including live fire, weapons, knives and clubs."
The Free Gaza Movement, one of the organizers of the aid, said that Israeli commandos dropped from a helicopter onto the deck of one of the ships early Monday and "immediately opened fire on unarmed civilians."
A senior Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in an independent account cleared by military censors, said Israeli troops were planning to deal with peace activists on a Gaza-bound flotilla, "not to fight."
The military official said most of the nine deaths were Turks. Twenty people were wounded. Seven Israeli soldiers were also wounded, one seriously.
All six boats in the flotilla were boarded according to the IDF but only one, the Mavi Mamara, offered resistance; the other five surrendered peacefully, the military said.
White House spokesman Bill Burton said the United States "deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy."
On Monday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled Tuesday's scheduled meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, according to Israeli government officials.
World reaction
The United Nations Security Council began an emergency meeting at 1 p.m. ET Monday on the incident.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday he was "shocked by reports of killing of people in boats carrying supplies to Gaza. I condemn the violence and Israel must explain."
The Spanish and French governments called the action "disproportionate." The Italian foreign minister asked the European Union to investigate, and several nations, including Greece and Sweden, were summoning their Israeli ambassadors.
An indignant Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel, canceled three planned military exercises with the Israeli military and called home its youth national football team, which had two games scheduled in Israel, said Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Chile, but will return after meeting with the Chilean president, Arinc said. The chief of the Turkish military was cutting short a trip to Egypt. The Turkish foreign minister, in Venezuela, was calling the United Nations Security Council to an emergency meeting, Arinc said.
"This operation will leave a bloody stain on the history of humanity," Arinc said. A Turkish group, the Humanitarian Relief Foundation or IHH, was one of the organizers of the flotilla, but people from various nations were aboard.
In a statement, Bahrain called it a "barbaric attack" on the part of Israel.
Israeli military gives version of flotilla incident
The British Foreign Minister William Hague said: "We have consistently advised against attempting to access Gaza in this way, because of the risks involved. But at the same time, there is a clear need for Israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations."
The flotilla was being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod, according to IDF.
Fifteen of the people captured were transferred to an Israeli prison in Beer Sheva, a spokesman for the Israeli Prison authority said Monday.
The Free Gaza Movement, one of the groups sponsoring the flotilla, disputed Israel's claim of violence by people aboard the ships.
"At about 4:30 am, Israeli commandos dropped from a helicopter onto deck of Turkish ship, immediately opened fire on unarmed civilians," said a post on the group's Twitter page.
Video aired on CNN sister network CNN Turk showed soldiers abseiling onto the deck of a ship from a helicopter above. The boarding of the ships took place more than 70 nautical miles outside Israeli territorial waters, according to IHH.
The Turkish foreign ministry said the incident "might cause irreversible consequences" in the nation's relationship with Israel.
"Israel has once again clearly demonstrated that it does not value human lives and peaceful initiatives through targeting innocent civilians," the statement said. "We strongly condemn these inhuman acts of Israel."
Meanwhile, a protest that began outside the Israeli embassy in Istanbul on Sunday continued into Monday. Although largely peaceful, police did use water cannons at one point to keep demonstrators at bay. Israel issued a "serious travel warning" for Israelis visiting Turkey. Those planning to travel to Turkey were asked to postpone their trip, while those in Turkey were advised to stay indoors.
The Israeli PM office has issues a serious travel warning for Israeli travelers visiting Turkey. The warning calls Israelis who are about to travel into Turkey to postpone their trip and for Israelis in Turkey to remain indoors and avoid presence in the city centers.
In Gaza, where the flotilla was headed, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called for global support of the Palestinian cause.
"The Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla is an ugly crime and against international law and this reflects the nature of the criminal Israeli occupation," Zuhri said. "We call upon the free world Arab and Muslim world to stand in support and help and support the international activists who have been subjected to killing in the middle of the sea."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for three days of mourning in the Palestinian territories to honor the lives lost.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev accused the leaders of the flotilla of looking for a fight.
"They wanted to make a political statement. They wanted violence," according to Regev, who said Israel wanted a peaceful interception of the ships trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. "They are directly responsible for the violence and the deaths that occurred."
The convoy of boats approached Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade and had been shadowed by three Israeli warships. Free Gaza had reported Sunday that they had been contacted by the Israeli navy.
The boats left European ports in a consolidated protest organized by two pro-Palestinian groups to deliver tons of food and other aid to Gaza to break a blockade imposed by Israel in 2007.
The maritime convoys were organized by both the Free Gaza Movement and the IHH, a humanitarian relief foundation affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood religious group.
Israel said Sunday that Western and Turkish authorities have accused IHH of having "working relations" with different terrorist organizations.
They are not doing this with East- timor delegates but it is just piece of low class mentality that they want to show other. This country will appear as Pakistan , Sudan and Somalia one day.
"Samy Vellu was elected democratically by MIC members. Gathering some 5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 people just does not serve the purpose.
The political analyst also said the incident where a man had hit Samy Vellu's picture with a sandal, photographed and published in all newspapers, had also "backfired" on the movement.
The Malaysian Bar strongly denounces Israel’s brutal attack yesterday on the fleet of ships carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza.
FMT ALERT
The morning protest was followed by one organised by Pakatan Rakyat, also at the US embassy. Pakatan leaders give Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak 48 hours to call for an emergency Parliament sitting to condemn the Israeli government.
By G Vinod - Free Malaysia Today,
Perumal said when the upgraded airport was officially launched, it was about 90% complete. The entire renovation had just been completed.
AirAsia, in an official statement, said that despite recognising Melaka Airport as a potential tourist and medical tourism hub, it does not have plans to operate from the facility for now.
