Selangor PKR Menteri Besar and Exco Xavier cheating Indians.

As if it is not enough that the MIC has cheated the Indians for 53 long years on behalf of their UMNO tuans, now this PKR Selangor Exco mandore has taken over the reigns from MIC.

All the ten points in his supposed “achievement” list (read cheating the Indians) in collaboration with his tuan ex UMNO Selangor Menteri Besar are mere PPP or peanuts political promises and perceptions to the point of by advertising the same in a leading Tamil daily which even the MIC has not done. (MN 25/9/2010 page 9) as follows:-

1) 95 places of worship supposedly being granted land. Dr Xavier Jayakumar and his tuan Menteri Besar has refused to make public the list of the said hindu temples.

2) One hindu temple supposedly given RM300,000.00 but all the rest of the 2,540 hindu temples in Selangor (TN 12/9/10 at page 1) are denied land vis a vis a wholesome and permanent solution to hindu temples (And similarly also for Tamil schools, hindu cemetaries and Indian villages). And this ex UMNO tuan Menteri Besar has 100% powers to grant land to all hindu temples in Selangor. But he won’t. Why?

3) Kosong RM400,000.00 supposedly granted to Tamil schools but no evidence of the same filtering down to the Tamil schools. But similarly as above all 98 Tamil schools in Selangor has been denied land by PKR which would entitle them to qualify as fully aided Tamil schools by the Federal government.

4) This mandore Dr.Xavier Jayakumar has also listed the creation of 45 PKR Indian sub JKKK mandores to perfect the mandorist arrangements with his tuans in PKR.

5) He supposedly sets up “one’ kindergarten for poor Indians. But why not kindergartens in all 98 Tamil schools in Selangor.

6) UPSR top tamil schools pupils recognized. But he cannot even get his tuan to build one MRSM College in Selangor to cater for all the 817 7As’ scoring Tamil school children to at least undo the injustices committed by UMNO.

7) Wayang Kulit getting Birth Certificates but has refused to set up a Secretariat at the Selangor State Secretariat with 100 full time staff to solve all the 40,000 Indian children in Selangor alone who were denied their birth certificates.

8) Sri Murugan temple being recognized by the Federal government – This Dr Xavier can go and tell this to the marines. We need not say more .

9) Kosong RM10 Million for Indian youths skills training but refused to secure any and every Indian youth a place in all the 209 Giatmara Skills Training Colleges. (BH 19/7/10 at page 4)

10) Kosong RM20 Million Micro credit for Indian youths but we are yet to hear of a single Indian youth in Selangor who has received a single cent.

We are prepared to concede if the full student list, full hindu temple list, full Tamil school list and the list of all the aforesaid 10 categories items aforesaid is posted in the website of the Selangor state government.

End PKR Indian mandors and PKR mandorism.

____________

S.Jayathas

(Information Chief)

Human Rights Party Malaysia

Najib Islamaphobia begins with NRD racist and religious supremacy agenda.

The NRD office rejects on the slightest technicality birth certificates for up to even the sixth generation Malaysian born Indians, which will destroy a child’s whole life by denying him or her all the facilities of health and education which is a right enshrined in the costitution.

On the pretext that the six children of Maruthayee not having witnesses, their applications for Birth Certificates were rejected right at the Counter of the National Registration Department (NRD) headquarters in Penang.

Section 5 of the Child Act specifically states:-

5 (1) The following persons shall be qualified to give information concerning a birth, that is to say:

Father of the child

Mother of the child

The occupier of the house in which the child was, to the knowledge of the occupier, born;

Any person present at the birth.

Any person having charge of the child; and

Any of the person having personal knowledge of the birth.

6 Registrar to record particulars

6 (2) A Registrar may before recording the birth or death, put questions to the informant to satisfy himself of the occurrence of the birth or death.

But this UMNO racist and religious supremacist regime arbitrarily and blatantly rejects the application of these six innocent children in direct contravention of Section 7 of the U.N Convention which provides the child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationally and as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents. It is birth right.

States Parties shall ensure the implementation of these rights in accordance with their national law and their obligations under the relevant international instruments in this field, in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless.

The UMNO NRD officers are so gross especially when two of Maruthayee’s (mother) children have birth certificates. Plus the mother has a birth certificate and Identity Card. But the father is in jail because of some poverty related crime or no crime at all but is forced to plead guilty and serves jail sentence.

It is about time UMNO follows Article 14 of the Federal Constitution (citizenship by operation of law) and issue these six, and thousands of other Indian children their rightful and innate birth certificates.

Even for this innate birth certificates UMNO expects the poor Indians to beg them.

UMNO’s One Malay-sia today stands as the world’s most racist and religious extremist regime.

Rights Not Mercy

P. Uthayakumar

Samy Vellu lays red carpet for own exit

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is working to ensure his lasting legacy and has set off on a nationwide charm offensive, even as the curtain begins to fall on his three-decade long tenure as the party’s president.

A new and glowing book; a grand 10,000-attendee dinner on December 18 at the Mines Convention Centre, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak possibly in attendance; and an expected new posting as Special Envoy for South Asia are among the highlights of the grand sent off.

“It will be a night to remember,” an MIC leader said. “The book is about the ‘Legend of Samy Vellu’.”

If it all goes well even a Tunship may be in the offing, MIC sources added.

In his rounds around the country — he has so far covered Perak, Kedah, Penang and Perlis — Samy Vellu has hinted at his exit but has stopped short of providing a firm date.

“That date, I will announce before I leave,” he says leaving MIC members — both supporters and detractors — guessing.

His last day has been variously speculated to be either December 31 or January 15.

Samy Vellu has cleverly used the news of his exit as bait during his tour, but ultimately keeps the actual day close to his chest.

“I am leaving but [when, I won’t] tell,” he said delegates in Perak last week. “But this is the last time I am meeting you all as party president.”

In Kedah a few days later, he said the same thing. “I am leaving and Palanivel will take over. But the date, I will announce later,” he told the attendees.

While some of his diehard supporters are hoping he leaves later rather than sooner — mainly because they can enjoy the perks and stand to inherit power in the party — the new team preparing to take over is hoping for the long-serving president to expedite his exit.

During his tour, Samy Vellu, 74, said he will hand the reins to his deputy, Datuk G. Palanivel, who will be the acting president until when an election is held to decide a permanent successor.

Samy Vellu himself was acting president from 1979 when he took over after president Tan Sri V. Manicavasagam died, until 1981, when he was elected president without contest in a deal that saw his rival Datuk S. Subramaniam elected as deputy, also uncontested.

This time, it is a tussle between Palanivel and vice president Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, who is expected inherit most of Samy Vellu’s supporters after his departure.

In an ironic twist, Subramaniam’s supporters are expected to back Palanivel if the former does not contest for the president’s post.

Party elections are, however, not the priority now.

Najib is determined not to let the MIC stalwart’s departure trigger infighting for his vacant spot.

“His (Najib’s) priority is to get the party ready to face the voters and not see another round of in fighting in the MIC,” said a senior MIC leader.

“The priority is to cross [the next general election],” he said. “We need time to prepare the party, heal the wounds and face the voters in a new and vigorous way.”

Having populated the Central Working Committee and the party’s various wings with his allies and supporters, a retired Samy Vellu still is expected to wield influence on the MIC while officially heading the party’s education ventures, which will come under an umbrella body owned by the MIC, but with him as chairman.

As a South Asian Special envoy, he stands to be given an office in Putrajaya along with possibly a ministerial rank. He may also be involved with securing construction contracts — his expertise — for Malaysian companies in the region.

Slower growth to stymie budget deficit cut plans

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Malaysia’s plan to cut its budget deficit by almost half over the next five years will be hampered if the economy expands at a slower pace than expected, a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit says.

The government aims to improve the nation’s fiscal balance from 5.3 per cent to 2.8 per cent by 2015, on the assumption that real GDP growth will register an average of six per cent per year.

“Owing to our projections for real GDP growth, which are lower than the government’s forecasts, the budget deficit is expected to remain wider than 3 per cent throughout 2010-14,” the Economist Intelligence Unit country report for October said.

However, the report was confident that Malaysia will have “some success” in making large cuts in operating expenditure, despite predicting GDP growth of 4.9 per cent a year.

Malaysia’s budget deficit hit a more than 20-year high of 7.4 per cent of GDP in 2009 after the government pumped in RM67 billion of stimulus to help the economy weather the global downturn.

The Economist Intelligence Unit report also expects Malaysia to focus on widening the tax base and restructuring subsidies to lessen impact on low-income groups, as part of the country’s fiscal reform efforts.

“A widening of the tax base is expected to be achieved through the introduction of a goods and services tax (GST), although this is likely to be hampered by complaints from households and businesses,” it said.

The plan met strong public opposition when mooted, which forced the government to delay tabling the GST bill to Parliament in March as originally intended.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin was forced to assure the public in June that the government had no intention of raising GST from the proposed 4 per cent to 10 per cent over the next 10 years, amid fears of a tax hike.

The replacement of the existing sales and services tax (SST) with GST — expected to bring in RM8.8 billion — is part of measures to reduce Malaysia’s dependence on oil revenue, which accounts for almost half of government income.

Man gets 25 years for stabbing girlfriend 36 times

SHAH ALAM: The High Court here sentenced an electrical goods coordinator to 25 years in jail for killing his girlfriend by stabbing her 36 times with a knife, after she decided to break off their relationship.

The accused G Selvaraaj, 26, was sentenced after admitting to killing M Indra Devi, 22, at 47, Jalan Sungai Kapar Indah 9, Taman Sungai Kapar Indah, Kapar, Klang, near here between 3.30am and 4.30am on Jan 6, 2008.

Judge Mohtarudin Baki ordered the accused to serve the sentence from the day of his arrest on Jan 6, 2008.

In his judgment, Mohtarudin said the accused was lucky because Selvaraaj who was initially charged with murder was offered an alternative charge by the prosecution.

According to the facts of the case, Indra was able to call the police after seeing the accused, who was drunk, trying to break into the house.

After breaking into the house and stabbing the victim, the accused had tried to stab himself with a screw driver but his attempt was averted by the police who arrived at the scene before arresting him.

The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Kamal Roslan while the accused was represented by K Renuka Devi.

Post-mortem reports revealed that the victim had died due to bleeding caused by repeated stab wounds to the chest, neck and body.

- Bernama

GAS: We caused his head to roll

By G Vinod - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: The Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) movement has claimed credit for hastening the MIC president's exit from power.

In a text message to FMT, GAS coordinator V Mugilan said: “GAS has successfully pressured the party president to relinquish his position before his own retirement plan.”

He was responding to Samy Vellu's announcement today that he would relinquish his post next January and pave the way for his deputy G Palanivel to take over.

Mugilan, the former MIC Youth deputy chief, had formed GAS after he was booted out of the party by the president for openly asking the latter to step down.

Two others, former MIC Central Working Committee members KP Samy and G Kumar Ammaan, joined GAS after they were axed for backing Mugilan.

Meanwhile, Mugilan said the “victory” (Samy Vellu's exit) did not belong to GAS alone, but also the Indian community.

He also revaled that GAS would organise a dinner to “celebrate” Samy Vellu's retirement.

Leave the assets alone
Kumar, who also expressed joy over the latest development, however cautioned the outgoing president about MIC's assets.

“Samy Vellu should leave party assets such as MIED (Maju Institute Of Education Development) with MIC as it belongs to the party,” he said.

In May, Samy Vellu had claimed that MIED was not part of MIC, drawing flak from GAS coordinators that produced documents signed in 1983 by then prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad proving otherwise.

Kumar said if Samy Vellu kept his word about stepping down in January, it would provide a boost for Barisan Nasional in terms of winning back Indian support.

“In addition, I believe Palanivel will be able to take MIC to greater heights as he has enough experience and capabilities to do so,” he added.

Azmin in 'phone plot to topple Khalid'

By Teoh El Sen - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: A former PKR supreme council member today revealed the recording of a telephone conversation that allegedly exposes a "political conspiracy" to topple Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim by his rival Azmin Ali.

Party veteran and a founding member Ng Lum Yong, who likened his exposé to the "Lingam-gate" scandal, urged the party leadership to form a special committee to investigate the recording.
[Listen to the conversation here]

"Ten days ago, I received a CD through an anonymous sender through the mail," he said.

The CD contained a recording of the telephone conversation between the two men of about 10- minute duration.

"In the coversation, Ramlan (Abu Bakar), the Reformis' president, who led the 'nude squad' protest in front of the Selangor Menteri Besar's office, had said that he was assigned by Azmin to bring down Khalid," said Ng, who added he recognised Ramlan's voice but not the other individual on the other line.

"Ramlan also admitted to the individual that he was promised a reward in the form of a lot in a night market from Azmin," Ng told a press conference.

"He also said that Azmin had provided him documents on Khalid's corruption for the purpose of bringing down Khalid.”

Ng said the conversation in the CD showed that Azmin has long planned for Khalid's downfall.

"I want to ask Azmin: what is his purpose of using Ramlan to launch a campaign against Khalid when the latter is also a PKR member and Selangor Menteri Besar?"

'No ill-intentions'

Ng, however, said that he had no ill-intentions, adding that the purpose of releasing the recording to the public is to clear the air for the party's sake.

"I am still a party member and I love the party. I do not want to destroy the party. We have sacrificed so much in the past 10 years," said Ng, who was a candidate in the Tanjung Malim seat previously but had turned down the chance to contest in Wangsa Maju in 2008.

He said the fact that he had helped in the campaign in Wangsa Maju (where Wee Choo Keong is now MP) when he could have been the candidate, showed he was not power hungry.

"I am not controversial or gila kuasa (power hungry). I am here on my own accord and I'm not forced or paid by anyone," he said.

He said his reason for coming out (with the CD phone conversation) was that he wanted the party to clear the names of his friends (including Azmin and Khalid) by highlighting the issue before the recording is widely spread.

"Yesterday, Syed Husin Ali SMSed me and asked me to stop this press conference. But I feel that I need to continue. I do not accuse anyone of anything. I just want to seek verification and I want the party to be serious" he said. FMT also learnt that he had similar calls from vice-president Lee Boon Chye and strategic directior Tian Chua.

Ng added that he would also attempt to personally verify from Ramlan as well as others on the recording.

He also said though he supported direct elections, he was extremely sad at the current PKR election proceedings.

"This is not a family party. It is our party. I'd like to ask Anwar (Ibrahim), who he meant by Trojan horses in the party? Please reveal this to us"

Samy to quit in January

By FMT Staff

FULL REPORT KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president S Samy Vellu said he would relinquish his post next January and pave the way for his deputy G Palanivel to take over.

"Today, I am officially announcing my decision to step down and pass the leadership to my deputy in January next year," he said.
Samy Vellu was speaking to reporters after chairing the MIC Central Working Committee meeting at the party headquarters here.

The 74-year-old politician, who had helmed the party for three decades, said that he had announced his decision to the CWC earlier.

Previously, speculation was rife that Samy Vellu had come under pressure from Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to step down.

However, Samy Vellu was re-elected as president unopposed and his line-up also triumphed at the party polls despite Najib having signalled the need for change in his opening speech at the MIC AGM.

Observers had attributed this to the veteran's cult-like status in the party, which was unshakeable by external forces.

In the 2008 general election, Samy Vellu and MIC were dealt a devastating blow, which saw all its top office bearers, including the president, losing their seats.

Since then, the president had focused his efforts on rebuilding and re-branding the party.
"I will announce the specific date later," he said.

He added that his resignation could take place before or after he attended the ninth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi where he would be discussing opportunities for Malaysian contractors to be involved in the building of infrastructure in India.
Nothing to do with GAS
Samy Vellu also said that his decision to quit early was not due to pressure from any group.

"The pressure group (GAS) came after the recent Hulu Selangor by-election. However, I did already mention about my resignation to the prime minister, Najib Tun Razak before that by-election," he said.

When asked about post-retirement plans, Samy Vellu said he would be concentrating on enhancing the relationship between India and Malaysia in terms of infrastructure.

"There is urgency in India's infrastructure development requirements, and there is a lot of opportunity for Malaysian contractors. I want to give them the push and make use of the development programmes India is implementing," he said.

MIC vice-president and Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam said the change in party leadership was normal and Samy Vellu himself had told members about his intention before, and only the date was not specified.

"So, he has announced it today. I hope the leadership transition will be smoother and hope he will always be there to advise the new leadership," he told reporters.
Palanivel: No comment for now
Palanivel was also present during the press conference, seated next to the outgoing chief, but declined to comment. He said he will respond to this development at a later date.

In May this year, during the Federal Territory MIC convention, Samy Vellu had said that he would step down "seven to eight months" before his term ends in March 2012.

Samy Vellu, who won unopposed as party president in September last year for the record 11th term, said his resignation before completion of his term would give the new leader a chance to take over the presidency and give him ample time to prepare for the next general election.

"If I wait for another two years, I don't think it's good, because we want to have the new leader for the election who will have his own policies and his own word of order and I think it will be better in order to prepare for the election," he said.

Samy Vellu, who lost in the 2008 general election, said he would leave the party completely afterwards and would not disturb the new leadership.

PAS will not be over-confident in Galas

By Fazy Sahir - Free Malaysia Today,

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS is ready to face the Galas by-election, but it told its troops: don't be over-confident of retaining the Kelantan state assembly seat.

Its vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said party members and election workers should not be over-confident in ensuring the seat stayed in the hands of PAS since the Barisan Nasional would inevitably mount a strong challenge.

The Galas state seat, which has about 10,000 voters, fell vacant following the death of incumbent Che Hashim Sulaima of cancer on Sept 27. He won the seat, under the Gua Musang parliamentary constituency, with a slim 646-vote majority at the 2008 general election.

The Gua Musang parliamentary consituency,  won by the BN in the general election two years ago, has two other state seats, namely Nenggeri and Paloh, and both are in the hands of the BN.

"PAS takes this (winning the by-election) as a big challenge. Our machinery needs to be ever prepared and not be over-confident. PAS needs to strengthen its commitment in retaining the seat. The challenge for PAS would be to overcome this challlenge smartly, " Salahuddin told a press conference at the party headquarters here today.

Is Muhyiddin running away?

Asked if the appoinment of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the BN director for the by-election would pose a problem, he said:"I do not have a problem with Ku Li."

The BN, departing from its norm, has appointed Razaleigh, who is also Gua Musang MP, as its by-election director. The BN by-election director is usually the deputy prime minister.

Salahuddin said he would not question Razaleigh's involvement in the polls, but it was puzzling as to why Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin avoided the task of leading the BN campaign, where dates for nomination and polling are yet to be fixed.

"All the time the deputy prime minister leads the BN in by-elections. But why is he (Muhyiddin) running away this time? Why is Umno departing from its norm for the Galas by-election?" asked Salahuddin, who is also Kubang Kerian MP.
The Election Commission meanwhile today said that it would meet on Oct 6 to determine the nomination and polling dates.

Riches to rags: Umno has ruined Sabah

By Queville To - Free Malaysia Today

BEAUFORT: Former state finance minister Mohd Noor Mansoor has lashed out at Umno for impoverishing Sabah after it spread its wings to the state.

In a strongly worded speech in the pro-Barisan Nasional hinterlands, the former Berjaya Party leader accused the peninsula-based party of mismanaging a once rich state to one of the poorest in the country.

Speaking to a large gathering during the annual general meeting of six Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) committees, he warned that Umno was introducing communal politics into the state to ensure its grip through a divide and rule policy.

“Sabah was once one of the richest states in Malaysia when the state was ruled by political parties from Sabah such as Usno, Berjaya and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

“Umno impoverished Sabah when it came to this state. Sabah is rich in resources such as oil and gas, (but) it became poor because of Umno,” he told SAPP members and their supporters from Bongawan, Membakut, Klias, Kuala Penyu, Lumadan and Sindumin, over the weekend.

Solution is political autonomy

Mohd Noor lamented that after 14 years of BN rule, problems such as the booming population of illegal immigrants, grabbing of native lands by plantations, shortage of power supply and poor infrastructure continued to plague the state.

He said this was despite of all the promises to resolve the problems and announcements of huge allocations for Sabah by the federal leadership, from time to time.

The solution, he told the gathering, is through ensuring political autonomy through a party that is from Sabah that does not have to kow-tow to leaders in the peninsula as Umno leaders in the state now have to.

Only then, he said, Kuala Lumpur would not interfere in local affairs and a Sabah-based party would be able to govern the state smoothly.

Don’t you just hate it when someone says: I told you so?

The Third Force has become a reality in the UK. Who ever thought the LDP would garner 30% of the votes even though they won only 10% of the seats? And none of the two major parties -- Labour and Conservative -- could form the new government without the involvement of the Third Force, LDP.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I told Zaid Ibrahim a long time ago: don’t join PKR. This was when he was still in Umno and not even made a Cabinet Minister yet. I asked him to lead a Third Force, a ‘balance’ between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat.

Zaid said even if we create a Third Force we would still need a political party platform. Fine, I replied, then join DAP and bring a group of Malay professionals, civil society movement and NGO activists, Bloggers, and so on, with him into DAP -- maybe a core group of 30 or so people not yet committed to any political party.

“Why DAP? Why not PKR?” Zaid asked. And I gave him my reasons why DAP and not PKR.

Not long after that Zaid was made a Minister and I thought that that was the end of the story. Then Zaid resigned as a Minister and, again, I broached the subject. This time I proposed that if he does not want to join DAP, and since I do not agree that he joins PKR, then maybe he can form a new party to ‘house’ this Third Force.

Zaid was skeptical about the idea. He said that a lot of time and money would be required to get a new party established. The short cut would be to latch on to an existing party. We told him we did not like that idea but agreed to let the matter rest.

Now, we can tell Zaid: I told you so! We did not think PKR was suitable for him. He is too ‘independent’, does not have the ‘discipline to kowtow’ to what he does not believe in, will not be able to tolerate the nonsense in PKR (and we know there is a lot of nonsense in PKR), and is a ‘loose cannon’, just like the rest of us, and will always shoot at anything that moves -- friend or foe.

My final word to Zaid is this. Get out of PKR. Forget about contesting the party elections. Leave and come help us lead the Third Force. Let the Third Force make an electoral pact with any of the 20 or so political parties from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat that may be prepared to make an electoral pact with us.

And if none are prepared to make an electoral pact with our Third Force then we shall contest the general election in three-corner fights even if we lose or lose our deposit.

Winning or losing the general election is not the issue. The issue is to offer the voters an alternative choice in the event they find both Barisan Nasional as well as Pakatan Rakyat unsuitable choices.

Let us call this Third Force Barisan Rakyat. It is neither Barisan Nasional nor Pakatan Rakyat. It is the alternative to both.

The Third Force has become a reality in the UK. Who ever thought the LDP would garner 30% of the votes even though they won only 10% of the seats? And none of the two major parties -- Labour and Conservative -- could form the new government without the involvement of the Third Force, LDP.

This is not that easy to realise in Malaysia, of course, because, in Malaysia, politics is all about money and the Third Force will not have that kind of money. But do not underestimate the intelligence of the Malaysian voter. If enough Malaysians are committed to a Third Force we might yet be surprised.

This may not happen this coming general election. It may take time to see a Third Force with enough clout to force both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to agree to political reforms, which is going to be the agenda of the Third Force.

Heck, it took a long time for it to happen in the UK. 30 years, in fact, after 17 years of Conservative and 13 years of Labour. But finally it did happen. And, in time, it will happen in Malaysia as well.

But we must be prepared for the long haul. There are going to be no short cuts. We can plant the seed now. But we may not be around to see the fruits of our labour.

So be it!

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

It’s Zaid vs PKR, as criticisms mount

(The Malaysian Insider) - The gulf between PKR deputy presidential hopeful Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and the party leadership appears to be widening, with vice president Lee Boon Chye today rubbishing the former lawyer’s “bewildering” claim that PKR tried to stop him from contesting.

Newcomer Zaid cuts a lonely figure as senior party figures continue to slam the former Umno man for also alleging that underhanded tactics were being used to discredit him following his candidancy announcement.

“No one has prevented Zaid from contesting and campaigning for any post including the presidency,” Lee said in a statement.

In an interview with Mingguan Malaysia on Sunday, Zaid had alleged that he was being prevented from contesting for the deputy president post.

The former de facto law minister said that a party like PKR, which claimed to be democratic, should ensure that those who were qualified to contest were given a chance to do so.

“Even though we may love Azmin or Anwar, it shouldn’t be to the extent where orders are issued not to nominate me,” he had said.

Lee said Zaid’s “unkind insinuations” that other PKR leaders, such as chief strategist Chua Tian Chang and N. Gobalakrishnan, had also been prevented from contesting were equally untrue.

He pointed out that Chua had won the Batu division chief post and Gobalakrishnan was still vying for the same post at Padang Serai.

Lee also questioned Zaid’s motive in choosing to air his grievances publicly to the press — citing his interview with Mingguan Malaysia, the weekend edition of Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia — and urged the PKR Federal Territory chief to go through regular party channels instead.

“He should stop playing the victim to gain sympathy at the expense of the party,” the Gopeng MP said.

Lee added that he was “perplexed” by Zaid’s claim that PKR was blocking his reform agenda as the party was always trying to enhance its reform-based policies, and challenged him to explain the agenda.

“Zaid should also reveal the so called ‘reform agenda’ and proceed to advocate them through the usual decision making process rather than providing sound bites to the press,” he said.

Lee pointedly reminded Zaid to focus on the “real adversary”, Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno, even in the midst of PKR’s intense party election.

The hotly contested fight for deputy presidency — largely between Zaid and vice president Azmin Ali — has revealed deep divisions within PKR and thrown the party’s commitment to direct elections into sharp focus.

Azmin, who is also Selangor chief, is believed to be PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s preferred choice, while Zaid is said to be popular with East Malaysian and non-Malay members.

The party leadership, however, has warned of “Trojan horses” in PKR — thought to be a veiled reference to Zaid — intent on using the direct election to take over the party.

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

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

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

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

THE 4 Es : WHAT THE NEM (ETP) NEEDS

The main thrust of the 4E formula is to 'Build Capacity' for productivity, innovation and sustainability through a one-time massive government investment similar in effort to the US Space Project, in education, research and development, political reforms and effective policies.

By Nurul Izzah Anwar, MP Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur

I wish to outline my big picture impression of how to make the NEM (ETP) a success for all Malaysians as part of my continuing constructive engagement initiative.

I had written two articles on ETP, the first ’15 Questions on ETP’ and the second ‘Fantasy or fallacy: ETP 6% annual growth rate calculations?’

It was said by some observers that the opposition only critiques without offering any alternative solutions to the ETP in particular.

However, all if not most of the ideas presented here have already been suggested, and I only wish to repeat them for the purpose of outlining the necessary steps to make NEM a reality.

I hope that this ‘big picture’ commentary with suggested actions will be considered seriously and explained by the government in the upcoming 2011 Budget announcement in Parliament.

As a footnote, the ETP Part 2 was conveniently announced publicly on 21 September, which is one day after the 20 September dateline for Parliamentary questions submissions.

The Critique

Returning to my articles on the ETP, the response received from the public in support or otherwise of the position I presented is most welcomed in the spirit of free speech in a democracy. This debate is a healthy development, albeit mostly through the alternative media.

The main points to my ETP articles and the various responses can be summed up as follows:

The ETP is a huge economic development or transformation plan that has its merits.

However, the numbers and various acronyms must not be a deterrent from discussing economics especially on its impact on all stakeholders.

The possible inconsistencies and accuracy of GDP growth projections was revealed when the PM last year, at an internationally attended multimedia super corridor event, claimed he was misquoted on his announcement of the 9% annual growth target for the next 10 years of being actually 6%. Even a prominent local research house alluded to an 8% growth rate.

Some have said that if real GDP growth is 6% annually, it will only take us to the target of US$17,000 nominal GNI per head if Malaysia's population grows at a 1 per cent compound rate a year for the next ten years. However, from 2000-2010, population grew by an estimated 1.86% (Dept of Statistics). If population grows at this faster rate instead of 1% over the next decade, then real GDP growth would also have be faster by this difference.

Also, the GDP growth projections didn’t include if any, the plans related to requiring a quality workforce by increasing government spending and investments in education and research and development capacity building.

It appears that most of the EPPs and BOs were proposed by specific companies such as the RM43 billion MRT project proposed by Gamuda-MMC. The question is, will the proposed project be awarded to the proposer or open for competitive international bidding? If this is not clarified, than the EPPs and BOs would only be a self-serving exercise for certain businesses.

To illustrate this point, would Pemandu be interested in my RM500 billion atmospheric dome proposal covering Kuala Lumpur against climate change or as a friend suggested a scaled down RM50 billion eco-project utilizing gigantic fans to blow existing pollution to our neighbouring countries?

As the proposer, all I need is an official award letter and a parliament act to set a price on the atmosphere along with a government guarantee letter to help me raise the needed DDI and FDI funds. My RM500 billion dome would increase GNI substantially and become a center of excellence as we would be the first in the world to do it. Isn’t this truly innovative? So let all Malaysians submit their innovative proposals to Pemandu for consideration, which can be named RPP (Rakyat Proposed Projects).

Furthermore, if most companies perceive that they do not have a fair chance to compete relative to favoured companies and with a lack of transparency, then this will have an adverse impact on investor confidence. For example, can we have more details on the 1Malaysia Development Fund to know if this exercise to acquire public assets is in the public interest?

The proven track record of not achieving the previous Malaysian Plans is also troubling. For example, 8th Malaysian Plan target of 7.5% growth only achieved an average 4.5% growth while the 9th Malaysian Plan target of 6% growth as of date is at an average 4.2%. This brings our past 10 year historical average growth to less than 5%.

The need to expand participation for national consultation should not be limited to various ‘laboratories’ involving big business, professionals and civil service inputs. The ordinary rakyat especially the rural and urban poor, youth, workers and civil society were not sufficiently engaged on the ground. Some may be intimidated let alone can afford to attend these public participation events or ‘Open Days’ in conference halls.

The widening income inequality and limited higher education opportunities, which is a contributing factor to widening the gap must be addressed adequately. Economic policies may have reduced the absolute poverty rate but they have also worsened the distribution of income. Thus, the bottom 40% of all households accounts for 15% or less of household income while the top 20% of households account for 50% or more.[1] Sabah, Sarawak and East Coast states bear a disproportionate number of hardcore poor, poor and low-income households.

The most fundamental determinant of any competitive economic plan, which is innovation, requires freedom. How are we free to be creative when our national cartoonist is arrested for humoring us?

Rushing to conclude a matter of national importance just to meet the 2020 year milestone and changing big plans introduced previously such as economic corridors, that are later repackaged by new Prime Ministers only adds to the inconsistent policy making culture (some say flip-flopping) that undermines confidence in the plan’s success.

The plan appears to works backwards from developed country status to high-income status in 2020. This is the source of the problem, silly as it sounds. The impact of this is not only to make the targets "costly, confusing and convoluted" but also conjectural.

Even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently alluded to the possible failure to achieve Vision 2020’s objectives, which is the premise for the NEM timeline.

Overall, there is much room for improvement in making the ETP viable, realistic and sustainable. And to do that, I now shall outline some suggestions in the form of a formula.

Formula for NEM (ETP) Success

I am providing a ‘4E’ formula to keep in line with the many acronyms introduced by the government recently. To be fair I find acronyms useful as mental markers to organize the numerous concepts needed to frame a big idea such as the NEM.

The ‘4E’ formula to make NEM a success is; Education + Empowerment + Efficiencies = Economic Growth (NEM).

The main thrust of the 4E formula is to 'Build Capacity' for productivity, innovation and sustainability through a one-time massive government investment similar in effort to the US Space Project, in education, research and development, political reforms and effective policies.

And on balance with the need for huge investments, we also need to reduce waste through efficiencies and transparency so that every ringgit invested in 'Capacity Building' provides the highest returns for the benefit of all Malaysians

First E: Education

The NEM already stated the need for at least 3.3 million quality workforce. This includes for more than half to be first degree and diploma holders.

To produce quality workforce requires quality education.

Before I proceed, I would like to note that the recent announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister who is also the Education Minister that vocational education will be revamped is commendable.

The suggested actions to be taken are:

Depoliticize Education

The Deputy Prime Minister’s recent statement of his inability to take action on the case of the two principals for racist remarks due to administrative procedures may have an unintended consequence of reaffirming the separation between politicians and the civil service.

It is hoped that this ‘depolitisation principle’ includes all government ministries and to a certain extent also to the judiciary and other institutions. I hope it is not selectively applied for political expediency only.

Removing the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) will add towards improving the innovation culture and quality standards of tertiary education to meet NEM objectives profoundly.

· Pre-school, Primary And Secondary School Enhancements:

Offer Pre-school education to all Malaysian children

The current education NKRA achievement where 54,569 children have benefited from 1,358 pre-school classes is a step in the right direction.

However, it should be accelerated to cover all children numbering at least 1.5 million for three pre-school age group cohorts.

Enhance teaching capacity

- Hire more teachers and assistant teachers by 50%

- Upgrade teacher qualification and professionalism

- Increase salaries by 50%

Enhance school curriculum

Move towards a critical and creative thinking approach including for examination questions.

Increase School Hours

Adding 45 minutes daily can increase academic achievement significantly.

Single session schooling

Build more new schools and additional classrooms in existing schools. Also continue to fully equip them with ICT infrastructure.

· Tertiary Education Quality, Accessibility and Affordability

In summary the following should be considered for tertiary education excellence:

-Greater Autonomy

-Massive Phd Programs for Academic Staff

-Increase Research and Development capacity

-Increase Salaries

-Hire Foreign Academic Staff Talent

-Introduce Ranking System

-Convert PTPTN loans to scholarships

-Provide more scholarships and subsidies

All these actions would require political will and increased public financing to succeed.

The political will to depoliticise and democratize education along with repealing the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) will signal the government’s sincerity and commitment to make the NEM a true success for all rather than just for a few Malaysians.

From a public finance perspective, even if the above measures add another 4.5% to the government’s 4.5% average education spending for a total 9% of GDP annually for the next 10 years, this will indicate to the people and the international community of our determination to meet the NEM objectives.

As a possible source of funds, I had proposed earlier that 30% of Petronas annual profit be a mandated contribution to a National Education Fund. This also would include implementing an NEP Bumiputera Equity Redistribution Plan (Quota – in a –Quota) where 25% of current Bumiputera equity ownership of both publicly listed or privately held companies be sold at par-value (which is the official equity ownership calculation criteria) to the same National Education Fund entity.

Second E: Empowerment

One of the most if not the most important key success factor for NEM’s success is innovation. And innovation needs freedom. Freedom can only come from empowering society.

To empower society, I had suggested that we need to add a fifth pillar to the national transformation agenda which is already based on four pillars of 1Malaysia, GTP (Government Transformation Plan), ETP (Economic Transformation Plan) and 10th Malaysia Plan, to be called the PRP (Political Reformation Plan).

PRP includes repealing all anti-democratic laws, respecting separation of powers, reforming national elections and restoring local government elections, returning the judiciary’s and other state institution’s independence, fighting corruption, ensuring a free media and by abiding to the true meaning of our constitution.

By doing so, I am sure that the international community specifically the foreign investors will find it attractive to return and contribute more than the 25% FDI needed to finance the ETP.

Third E: Efficiencies

There are three efficiencies that must be considered to make NEM successful.

They are Government Service Efficiency, Market Efficiency and Social Security Efficiency.

* Government Service Efficiency

The current Government Transformation Plan (GTP) already addresses this matter to a certain extent.

However, I hope that the initial trend of depoliticising the civil service inadvertently introduced by the Deputy Prime Minister in regards to the two principal racist remark affair shall be a permanent feature to transform the government as planned.

I would also suggest that more talented Malaysians be recruited into the civil service by making it more attractive with market-rate salary and benefits. I believe quality should be the main consideration as we already have quantity with a huge civil service.

We also need a significant and empowered technocracy (i.e. professionals with specialized skills just as in Singapore, Taiwan and Korea.) There is no point in developing our human capital development to a very high level in these areas if they are not then placed in senior decision-making management and administration positions. It is possible to make bureaucrats out of technocrats but not the other way around. They must be empowered, evaluated and promoted based on achievements and track record.

Another important factor that will improve government efficiency and accountability is to return the Local Government Elections immediately. This third tier of government will provide a faster response by the government in delivering services for the real needs of the ratepayers.

* Market Efficiency

Information or rather the quality of information is necessary for market efficiency.

This would include timely, accurate and consistent information on policy, events and plans.

One of the ways that information is reliable is to allow for a free media.

Therefore, as a step forward, I hope the government will allow more permits for daily newspapers to be approved including my own permit for Utusan Rakyat.

Structural distortions by favorable policy and selective benefits to certain sectors, economic leakages, corruption, opaque procurement practices and inconsistency policy statements will never make NEM a success for all stakeholders.

* Social Security Efficiency

The households who live below the poverty line must be assured of equitable assistance from the government. This includes targeted subsidies for essential goods and services such as health and education.

As a first step it is necessary to review the Poverty Line Income (PLI) which should be RM1,886 rather than the government’s PLI average of RM800 per household . This would ensure existing policies and programmes are realigned accordingly to provide an effective safety net for the people.

Another step is to implement a living wage of at least RM1,500 per month.

And to ensure affordable living expenses, the government must enforce anti-monopoly laws across all sectors combined with fighting corruption and white collar crime that add cost to prices for consumers.

Fourth E: Economic Growth

I fail to see how Education, Empowerment and Efficiencies with the suggested actions are not crucial contributing factors for Economic Growth.

The absence of policies, funding and political will to implement these factors will only add to the current skepticism in the NEM initiative.

I hope that our economist and policy makers will add to this discussion with more details.

I also hope that a more constructive debate on these factors will take place with all stakeholders especially in the next Parliament sitting.

Furthermore, I would even dare to suggest that implementing the ‘4E’ formula will definitely benefit the current government’s standing and make the opposition more competitive for votes.

This is a price I believe the people and even the opposition should be willing to pay for a better Malaysia.

The cost of doing the right thing is nothing compared to the cost of a failed NEM plan leading to a failed nation.

[1] Richard Leete, "Malaysia: From Kampung to Twin Towers", p. 169

In Response to Zaid Ibrahim’s Recent Public Criticisms of KEADILAN And its Election

KEADILAN views with bewilderment Zaid Ibrahim’s recent incessant complaints to the press about the party and the ongoing party election, including an exclusive interview with Utusan Malaysia which he had once called a Gestapo paper. Has he forgotten that he was once the subject of Utusan’s dirty smear campaign during the Hulu Selangor by-election? Has he also forgotten Utusan’s relentless and vicious attacks against Pakatan Rakyat which caused Pakatan Rakyat to dismiss the newspaper?

Zaid has also made unkind insinuations that certain leaders including Tian Chua and Gobalakrishnan had been prevented from contesting for divisional posts when they were in fact free to contest and campaign as they like. As a matter of fact, Tian Chua won the divisional chief post of Batu while Gobalakrishnan is contesting for divisional chief post at Padang Serai.

Likewise, no one has prevented Zaid from contesting and campaigning for any post including the Presidency.

We find it astonishing that he has frequently compared KEADILAN to UMNO when there is just no comparison as KEADILAN stands for everything UMNO does not. He should stop playing the victim to gain sympathy at the expense of the party.

Instead of complaining publicly on the election and undermining the party,

he should observe the proper organisational procedure by forwarding the details to the Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Pusat (JPP), rather than making sweeping statements of underhand tactics and conspiracy.

We are also perplexed by Zaid’s assertions that the party is blocking his “reform agenda” when party decisions are always collectively made to enhance the party’s progressive and reform-based policies. Zaid should also reveal the so called “reform agenda” and proceed to advocate them through the usual decision making process rather than providing sound bites to the press.

As the KEADILAN Chief for the Federal Territory and also a member of both the Central Leadership Council and Political Bureau, Zaid is at the apex of the party decision making process. He certainly has more than the usual opportunity to express his views. Zaid should also acknowledge that he is part of the party leadership and he cannot avoid the inherent collective responsibility and must respect the party’s decision making process.

KEADILAN wishes to advise him to relook at what KEADILAN has achieved as an agent for reform in this country including the landmark direct party election which has empowered individual party members with equal voting right, irrespective of their positions in the party – a testimony of our commitment towards reform.

In the midst of intense party election, let us not forget who are our real adversary – UMNO/BN, and we are confident that KEADILAN can only emerge stronger after the landmark party election.

Lee Boon Chye
Vice President Keadilan

——–

Kenyataan Media
Membalas kritikan terbaru Zaid Ibrahim terhadap Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) dan pemilihan parti
30 September 2010

KEADILAN kebingungan dengan keluhan Zaid Ibrahim yang tidak habis-habis kepada pihak akhbar tentang parti dan pemilihan parti yang sedang berlangsung, termasuklah wawancara eksklusif dengan Utusan Malaysia yang pernah disebut beliau sebagai akhbar Gestapo.

Apakah beliau lupa bahawa dirinya merupakan subjek kempen kotor Utusan, selama pilihanraya kecil Hulu Selangor dulu? Apakah beliau lupa serangan bertubi-tubi Utusan terhadap Pakatan Rakyat yang menyebabkan Pakatan tidak mengendahkan akhbar tersebut?

Zaid turut membuat sindiran kasar bahawa sesetengah pemimpin termasuk Tian Chua dan Gobalakrishnan telah dihalang daripada bertanding jawatan cabang KEADILAN, bilamana mereka bebas bertanding dan berkempen sesuka mereka. Hakikatnya, Tian Chua telah menang jawatang ketua cabang di Batu dan Gobalakrishnan pula akan bertanding untuk jawatan ketua cabang di Padang Serai. Demikian juga, tiada siapa yang mencegah Zaid untuk tidak mencalonkan diri beliau bagi apa jua jawatan, termasuklah jawatan Presiden Parti.

Selanjutnya, kita juga hairan bahawa beliau seringkali membandingkan KEADILAN dengan UMNO. Walhal tidak ada tolok bandingnya apabila KEADILAN mengemukakan segala pendirian-pendirian yang tidak dipegang UMNO. Beliau mesti berhenti melakonkan watak “mangsa” untuk meraih simpati dengan cara menjejaskan parti.

Daripada mengeluh secara terbuka tentang pemilihan dan merosakkan parti, beliau seharusnya membuat aduan kepada Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Pusat (JPP) bersama perincian yang tepat dari membuat kenyataan meluru berlakunya konspirasi dan taktik curang.

Kita juga bingung dengan kenyataan Zaid bahawa parti ini menghalang “agenda reformasinya” sedangkan keputusan parti selalu dibuat secara kolektif bagi menambah dasar-dasar parti yang progresif dan berteraskan reformasi. Zaid seharusnya mengemukakan “agenda reformasi” beliau tersebut dan patut membentangkannya menerusi pembuatan keputusan parti yang biasa dari memberi petikan-petikan ringkas kepada media massa.

Sebagai ketua KEADILAN Wilayah Persekutuan, dan juga sebagai ahli kepada Majlis pimpinan pusat (MPP) dan Biro Politik, Zaid berada di peringkat tertinggi proses pembuatan keputusan parti. Maka beliau mempunyai lebih dari peluang biasa untuk memberi pandangan beliau. Zaid harus mengakui bahawa beliau sebahagian daripada kepimpinan parti. Maka, beliau tidak dapat mengelakkan daripada tanggungjawab bersama yang termaktub itu dan mestilah menghormati pembuatan keputusan parti.

Keadilan ingin menasihati beliau untuk menilai semula apa yang telah dicapai oleh sebagai agen reformasi di Negara ini termasuk termasuklah pemilihan parti yang menempa sejarah ini yang telah memberi kuasa mengundi yang sama kepada setiap anggota parti tanpa mengira jawatan mereka dan ini merupakan bukti komitmen kami terhadap reformasi.

Dalam ketika kesengitan pemilihan parti, janganlah kita lupa siapa lawan kita yang sebenarnya – UMNO/BN. Dan kami yakin bahawa KEADILAN hanya akan menjadi lebih kuat selepas pemilihan parti yang bersejarah ini.

Dikeluarkan oleh:

Lee Boon Chye
Naib Presiden
KEADILAN

Najib's Pastoral Picture of Malaysia

(Asia Sentinel) Despite the prime minister's speech to the UN, his country is facing serious racial tension

Malaysia's Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, made an eloquent speech to the United Nations earlier this week, telling the assembled body that, among other things, Malaysia "is a multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and democratic society that has benefited from the positive interaction and synergy between the various communities. Mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship co-exist in harmony. Although Islam is the official religion, we honor other religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism – by making their religious and cultural celebrations as national holidays and celebrate them as national events. It is this equilibrium that leads to moderation or wasatiyyah in the Islamic tradition of mutual justice."

That picture of Malaysia, thought to have been crafted by the giant US public relations firm APCO Worldwide for delivery in New York, is badly frayed, however. Many people in Kuala Lumpur say racial tension is higher than it has been since 1987, when former Prime Minister Mahathir cracked down in the so-called Operation Lalang and threw lots of top opposition politicians in jail under the Internal Security Act, which allows in effect for indefinite detention without trial.

Political events since the 2008 general election have led to ever-rising tension, particularly between Malays and Chinese although there have been strains in the Indian community as well. It is unclear today how far down into the society that racial bitterness extends. On many occasions, the two races have worked together to attempt to calm racial tensions. Last year, when unknown vandals firebombed a Christian church in a Kuala Lumpur suburb, urban Malays went to the church to attempt to calm anger.

Najib's attempts to unify his country are facing deep problems, many of them caused by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has taken on the question of special rights for the Malay majority and played a major role in the development of a Malay superiority NGO called Perkasa, whose fiery leader, Ibrahim Ali, has been perceived as a Mahathir ally although he is an independent legislator.

"Perkasa's vocal spokesmen Ibrahim and Mahathir seem hell bent – through such vociferous bickering – to stop Prime Minister Najib Razak from implementing his New Economic Model which is supposed to liberalise the economy from the clutches of the economically stifling, much corrupted and skewed New Economic Policy that heavily plays on 'Malay rights," wrote Raja Petra Kamarudin, the editor of the influential blog Malaysia Today.

The Sept. 27 death of another lawmaker, Parti Islam se-Malaysia state assemblyman Che Hashim Sulaima, will kick off the 12th by-election since the 2008 electoral surprise that gave the opposition control of four states and shocked the ruling Barisan Nasional. The United Malays National Organisation is expected to pull out all the stops in going after the Kelantan seat. With the Islamic fundamentalist PAS in the unanticipated role of positioning itself as a moderate party seeking to attract non-Malay votes, it remains to be seen if UMNO will attempt to appeal to voters by emphasizing Malay superiority.

Mahathir has been fanning the flames of unrest by his continuing demand for the continuation of special treatment for Malays, a cause he has espoused ever since the publication of his book, The Malay Dilemma. In that book, Mahathir argued that because Malays were rural and backward and because the economy was controlled by urban Chinese, they needed special treatment. After disastrous racial riots in July of 1969, the government agreed with Mahathir and created the New Economic Policy, in affect an affirmative action program for a majority race. For 40 years, they have been given that special treatment but they have advanced relatively little vis-à-vis the Chinese. Today, social scientists argue that affirmative action to help the Malays has been a crutch that has cushioned their lives and kept them from healthy competition.

But changing that policy is messing with a powder keg. Rallies against changing it have drawn thousands of angry Malays. Mahathir fanned the flames considerably by lending his public support to a Malay superiority rally in Terengganu on May 13, the anniversary of the 1969 race riots that took hundreds of lives. The octogenarian former leader has not broken with Najib, partly out of his loyalty to Najib's father, who reinstated him in politics after he was expelled from UMNO following publication of his book. But he continues to demand special treatment for Malays. In his blog, Che Det, on August 30, he wrote that the leader of the Chinese Economic Congress was racist for calling for a meritocratic society.

"It is racial because he was advocating taking away the protection afforded by the NEP and quotas from the bumiputeras (native Malays) and not from any other race," Mahathir wrote. "I am not proud of the protection afforded the bumiputera. It implies weakness. I don't think Malays and other bumiputera like to think that they are inferior in any way. But the reality is that in Malaysia the bumiputeras need new skills and a new culture even. These cannot be had by them in a mere 20 years. The original planners of the NEP were too optimistic."

Najib hired the US public relations firm APCO to come up with a US$40 million program to seek to pull the races together as well as to seek to burnish his own image overseas, tarnished as it has been by a long series of scandals. The program, called 1Malaysia, is considered by most people to have failed.

Despite the fact that the special rights have become a millstone around their neck instead of moving them into a higher income bracket. Especially, critics say, it has created a rentier class of so-called "Umnoputras" who skim off contracts through government–linked companies to enrich themselves and that little of the benefit trickles down to the rank and file

When Najib took office in April 2009, he started seeking to modify the program, called the New Economic Policy. That has led to continuing tension. In May, some 1,500 members of the Malay Consultative Council, a group of 76 Malay-rights organizations, summarily rejected Najib's plans to replace it with what the premier called his New Economic Model.

At the forefront of the protest against Najib's plans has been Ibrahim Ali, who has not only threatened non-Malays but launched a series of attacks on moderates. Among other things, Ibrahim has sought to have top officials including Chua Soi Lek, the president of the Malaysian Chinese Association – the second biggest component of the Barisan Nasional after the United Malays National Organisation – arrested for sedition, basically for talking back at him. He has demanded also that shariah laws be amended to prohibit non-Muslims from entering mosques and prayer rooms – which they have done traditionally. He has also demanded that Nurul Izzah Anwar, an MP and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, be jailed as well after Nurul accused Mahathir of inciting racial animosities.

Would Najib dare to revamp his Cabinet to ensure that only Ministers who publicly declare undivided loyalty to the 1Malaysia concept to build a nation where every Malaysian regard himself/herself as Malaysian first race second have a place in government?

By Lim Kit Siang,

The weak-kneed Cabinet decision on the latest anti-1Malaysia offence of the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) is a great disappointment and shame and the greatest disservice to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept.

In the first place, why was the announcement of the Cabinet decision to ask the Chief Secretary to investigate the latest racist remarks of a Biro Tata Negara (BTN) official made by the MIC Minister for Human Resources Dr. S. Subramaniam and not by the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who had chaired the Cabinet meeting during Najib’s absence?

Is it because the controversy over BTN’s latest offence against Najib’s 1Malaysia concept is regarded as a trivial matter not serious enough to warrant the personal attention and concern of the Deputy Prime Minister?

Secondly, the juxtaposition of the pronouncement by the Gerakan President and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon on the same day, warning against over-reaction in race disputes, seems to be a message on behalf of Umno leaders not to take too seriously the latest infraction of the BTN – serving only to undermine public confidence that much is to be expected of the Cabinet decision, especially bearing in mind the 48-day government inaction over the two school principals for their incendiary, racist and insensitive statements against students in school.

In fact, Tsu Koon seems to be speaking the same language as Perkasa which has claimed an overreaction with the issue “blown out of proportion” over the racist and derogatory remarks of BTN deputy director Hamim Hussain at a closed-door Umno Puteri meeting in referring to the Chinese and Indian communities as “Si Mata Sepet” (squinty-eyed) and “Si Kaki Botol” (alcoholics) respectively.

Thirdly, in failing to consider whether BTN should be dissolved, Cabinet has done a great disservice to 1Malaysia concept propounded by Najib.

This is not the first time that the BTN has proven that it is not fit to be an agency entrusted with the responsibility to instill patriotism among civil servants and undergraduates as it has emerged as the greatest enemy to Najib’s 1Malaysia policy by propounding the narrow and unconstitutional concepts of Malay supremacy, holding to the highly biased, prejudiced and jaundiced view that non-Malays are “kaum pendatang” whose loyalty to Malaysia are to be doubted.

In fact, one could say without fear of contradiction that the greatest concentration of racists in government are to be found in the BTN, and this is why the failure of any government action against the BTN is an immediate reflection on the hollowness of Najib’s recent declaration of “zero tolerance for racism” just before National Day and his United Nations speech calling on the moderates in the world to unite against the extremists!

It is evident that Najib’s Cabinet is incapable of upholding and defending the Prime Minister’s 1Malaysia slogan and policy.

Would Najib dare to revamp his Cabinet to ensure that only Ministers who dare to publicly declare undivided loyalty to the 1Malaysia concept to build a Malaysian nation where every Malaysian would regard himself or herself as Malaysian first and race second would have a place in government?

Bad Impact On People If BN Loses Power, Says Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has reminded the people that the country's development programmes and people's welfare will be adversely affected if the Barisan Nasional (BN) government loses the power to rule.

Therefore, he said, the people must use wisely their voting power in the elections.

"We should remind ourselves that 'if the calamansi loses its fragrance' (taken from rocker Ramli Sarip's song rendered earlier at the function)...if we lose our power, even noble projects can be rejected outright.

"Let's not allow history to repeat itself (referring to the result of the 2008 general election). We have the choice to change," he said in his address at a dinner function organised by the Poverty Eradication Foundation (YBK), here, Thursday night.

Najib also expressed regret over the rejection by the Selangor government of YBK's plan to build a Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus in Serendah.

"My dream is to see the YBK site to still be developed even if the project is not a UiTM campus. It can be developed to help the poor. But this can materialise if Selangor is ruled again by BN," he said.

Najib also said that the government had never and would not neglect the poor and less fortunate despite its focus on many transformation programmes like the National Key Result Areas, New Economic Model and the Tenth Malaysia Plan.

"We are always studying what is being done...in every government endeavour, we will not forget to include the poor and less fortunate.

"There is no other government in the world which has done what the Malaysian government had, is doing or will be doing," he said.

Siasat paderi hina Islam di bawah Kanun Keseksaan

Utusan Malaysia 

KUALA LUMPUR 29 Sept. – Majlis Peguam menggesa pihak berkuasa menyiasat segera kes seorang paderi yang didakwa menyampaikan ceramah menghina Islam di sebuah gereja di Kuching, Sarawak, baru-baru ini.

Presidennya, Ragunath Kesavan berkata, jika siasatan terhadap kes tersebut dilengah-lengahkan, ia bakal menimbulkan perasaan tidak puas hati di kalangan umat Islam.

Jelas beliau, pendakwaan di mahkamah juga perlu disegerakan sekiranya terbukti paderi terbabit bersalah agar semua berpuas hati dengan tindakan yang dilakukan pihak berkuasa.

‘‘Dalam kes tersebut, Majlis Peguam berpendapat bahawa penggunaan Akta Hasutan adalah tidak relevan kerana akta berkenaan dilihat tidak objektif.

‘‘Justeru, tindakan harus dilakukan dengan mengguna pakai peruntukan Kanun Keseksaan Seksyen 298 iaitu mengeluarkan perkataan dengan sengaja untuk mengguris hati orang dalam sesuatu agama.

‘‘Seksyen 298A iaitu menyebabkan rasa tidak damai, perpecahan dan rasa tidak senang hati, prejudis kerana alasan agama juga boleh dikenakan. Kedua-dua seksyen itu lebih spesifik berbanding Akta Hasutan. Oleh itu, pihak berkuasa perlu melakukan siasatan dengan segera,’’ katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Kelmarin, Menteri Dalam Negeri, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein memberitahu, pihak polis telah diarah bekerjasama dengan Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) untuk menyiasat tindakan paderi berkenaan yang didakwa menyampaikan ceramah menghina Islam.

Beliau berkata, ceramah yang dimuat naik ke dalam lama web YouTube itu merupakan satu tindakan biadab dan boleh menggugat keharmonian negara.

Hishamuddin yang berang dengan perbuatan itu seterusnya meminta PDRM merujuk kepada pejabat Peguam Negara bagi merangka tindakan yang boleh diambil terhadap paderi terbabit.

Akhbar baru-baru ini melaporkan pendedahan Presiden Penaja Perikatan Blogger Muslim (MBA), Zainol Abideen mengenai tindakan seorang paderi, Benjamin Stephen yang didakwa menghina agama Islam dan Rasulullah ketika menyampaikan ceramah di sebuah gereja di Kuching.

Mengulas lanjut, Ragunath berkata, dalam dakwaan membabitkan paderi itu, kes 12 individu yang didakwa membawa dan memijak kepala lembu serta menyertai perhimpunan haram membantah pembinaan sebuah kuil di hadapan Bangunan Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, 28 Ogos tahun lalu boleh dijadikan rujukan.

Dalam kes berkenaan, jelasnya, kesemua tertuduh didakwa mengikut Seksyen 298 Kanun Keseksaan yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara sehingga setahun atau denda atau kedua-duanya sekali jika sabit kesalahan.

Beliau kemudiannya menyelar tindakan paderi itu yang dilihat tidak wajar dilakukan dalam keharmonian yang dikecapi di negara ini.

‘‘Niat dia (paderi) pun tidak baik. Perkara sebegini, mengutuk agama orang lain, tidak seharusnya berlaku di Malaysia,’’ tambahnya.

Najib flip flop terdesak tarik pelabur

SHAH ALAM 30 Sept : Ahli Majlis Pimpinan Pusat PKR, Badrul Hisham Shaharin, atau CheGuBard menyifatkan Perdana Menteri, Najib Razak sebagai terdesak, sehingga terpaksa membuat kenyataan yang mengeliru dan melucukan di luar negara, dalam usahanya untuk menarik pelabur masuk ke negara ini.

CheGuBard mengulas laporan Bernama mengenai lawatan Najib ke Amerika Syarikat bagi promosi dan dialog Program Transformasi Ekonomi, bersama Majlis Hubungan Luar (CFR), sebuah kumpulan pemikir dan hal ehwal luar terkemuka di New York.

Dalam usahanya memenangi hati pelabur luar, Najib ketika menjawab soalan wartawan pada sidang media di sana berkata, kerajaan Malaysia tidak pernah menentang Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sambil berkata, salah seorang kakitangan kakitangan Anwar lah yang memfailkan satu laporan terhadap beliau.

"Satu dunia tahu tentang kenyataan Najib di televisyen. Hari pertama dia kata, dia tidak ada kena mengena dan tidak kenal dengan Saiful Bukhari. Hari kedua, dia kata Saiful datang untuk minta biasiswa. Hari ketiga dia kata, Saiful datang kerumahnya menemui dia dan isterinya dan mengadu diliwat.

"Bukan sahaja rakyat Malaysia yang tahu tentang perkara ini, tapi seluruh dunia tahu tentangnya. Kini, Najib sendiri yang terpaksa menjawab isu ini, dan kelihatan rejim ini sangat tertekan," kata CheGuBard, menyebut Saiful Bukhari Azlan sebagai kakitangan yang dimaksudkan oleh Najib.

Terdahulu,usahawan Britain Sir Richard Branson dilaporkan sebagai berkata, kes liwat membabitkan Ketua Pembangkang yang sedang berlangsung kini memberi kesan ke atas Malaysia.

Branson pada 27 September itu juga berkata, kes liwat itu sekaligus mematahkan semangat pelabur yang mahu melabur di negara ini.

Mengambil kira prinsip itu, CheGuBard mendakwa, Barisan Nasional tidak punya pilihan, selain dari terus mempergunakan jentera kerajaan untuk berdepan dengan Anwar.

CheGuBard berkata, selain dari isu fitnah kedua yang dilontar terhadap Anwar, antara perkara yang mempengaruhi pertimbangan pelabur untuk datang ke sesebuah negara adalah suasana pasaran semasa, ketelusan pentadbiran, sistem mahkamah dan jaminan keadilan.

"Jika kita gagal memberikan jaminan dan gagal memberikan keadilan, ini akan menyebabkan para pelabur semakin lari. Ini bukanlah disebabkan oleh kita (rakyat Malaysia), tetapi kerana rejim yang mempergunakan seluruh jentera kerajaan termasuk mahkamah demi mengekalkan kuasa," jelas

CheGuBard menambah, pelabur hanya akan melabur di negara di mana wujud suasana yang kondusif, terjamin dan selamat, namun perkara ini gagal dilaksanakan di Malaysia.

"Persoalannya, Najib sendiri tidak mempunyai kepakaran dalam bidang ekonomi dan pasukannya juga sangat lemah. Kita kena ingat sebelum ini, Najib pernah beberapa kali membuat kenyataan yang dilihat cuba menipu rakyat Malaysia mengenai kedudukan ekonomi di negara ini.

Perkasa 'warriors' getting weirder by the minute

'Can someone enlighten me as to who is actually disrupting racial harmony here? If candlelight vigils are seditious, then what do you call this?'

Perkasa declares 'war' against Namewee

BTN: It's time the Malays bangkit (rise) and declare 'war' against Perkasa as they are really damaging the name of the Malay race. The bigots in Perkasa acted just like hooligans and the biggest joke was calling Namewee a coward for not coming out to meet 50 over morons from Perkasa who claimed to be Malay warriors.

I'm no fan of Namewee but I believe in this situation he acted wiser than these 'Malay warriors'. Mind you, when you have those bigots from Perkasa isolated and not in group, then you will see the real face of a coward.

Dood: Under normal circumstances, the police would have acted against Perkasa for trying to intimidate, threaten and harass someone (who, I might add, has not been found guilty of anything).

If anyone else had done this, or if some people had done the same thing to any Perkasa or Umno/BN member, those people would have been hauled up by the cops already. But of course, practising double standards appear to be the norm for our police. This is the Malaysian way.

Logic: Can someone enlighten me as to who is actually disrupting racial harmony here? Or did Perkasa's youth chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah mean Perkasa's harmony? They're a bunch of goons who are the ones actually stirring racial tensions and courting danger by torching pictures and now they want to be hulubalang (warriors) with the full consent of the police?

If candlelight vigils are seditious, then what do you call this?

Albert: Perkasa has declared 'war' against Namewee, while its youth chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah said its members are ready to act as Malay warriors.

This is a sure and dangerous sign of potential violence. Yet, the police have remained passive so far to ensure 'public security'. If Perkasa can form 'Malay warriors', what if the minority races do the same?

This Arman fellow is bringing shame to his ancestors by calling himself and his friends 'warriors' when they're just a group of delinquent Malays going after one individual.

Anonymous: The fact that these Perkasa idiots have the time and energy to tail Namewee throughout his tour speaks volumes about their purposes in life. Can't they do something more productive like find a job instead of huffing and puffing around like mindless tin kosong?

Kee Thuan Chye: Perkasa accuses Namewee of "disrupting racial harmony". What about when Perkasa says and does things that disrupt racial harmony?

Just calling themselves 'hulubalang Melayu' is already a blatant act of disrupting racial harmony. Why 'Melayu'? Even if they merely called themselves 'hulubalang', that would already be saying they were out to fight. 'Melayu' makes it racial. This is intensified by their further calling themselves 'panglima perang'. And 'perang', we know, means war.

Judging from this alone, we can see that Perkasa is obviously an irrational group driven by emotions. They called Namewee a coward for not coming out on Tuesday night because they "just wanted to talk".

If they just wanted to talk, why did they burn Namewee's posters? Is that the preamble to talking? Who's being stupid here?

Croniq: This is getting weirder by the minute. A group of racists going after a racist for being racist by being racist.

Md Imraz Ikhbal: So Namewee's music video disrupts racial harmony but what about Siti Inshah Mansor's racist insults against the non-Malays? Or do different standards apply, depending on whether racist slurs are targeted at Perkasa's race or at the non-Malays?

By the way, is my comment here seditious as well now that I am condemning the hypocrisy and double-standards of the ultra-Malays? Or do I also need to draw some cartoons to qualify being apprehended for police questioning in this 'democratic' land of 1Malaysia?

Mob1900: This is a ploy to throw Namewee into lock-up. You know the drill - Namewee will be charged for "causing disharmony among the races" while Perkasa goes on rampaging and is spared from any offences. Remember Teresa Kok and the Sin Chew Daily reporter's case in 2008?

Can't C Injustice: Hey, Arman Azha, don't lie. Who is the real coward? It was a 50-against-1 situation - so unfair. If you are as brave as you claim, then have a one-to-one debate with Namewee.

And, who is hiding behind who? You and your gang are hiding behind Umno and the police. You're the real bully and coward.

Anonymous: Wow, with the police and all the government agencies in their corner, the Perkasa goons challenge Namewee to a fight. Warriors, konon.

Li Ting Rui: Did anybody see 'warriors' in that Perkasa group? I saw many hooligans there. Warriors do not threaten the minority and the outnumbered. They protect the majority from threatening the minority. Warriors do not burn pictures of a person. Have you seen real warriors throughout history behave in this manner?

Did Mahatma Gandhi burn the photo of the Queen of England?
Lim Chong Leong: What Perkasa is doing amounts to criminal intimidation. Where is this new IGP (inspector-general of police)? What is the police doing? Why are they allowed to hold gatherings without permits? Perkasa members should be arrested for interfering with Namewee's constitutional freedom.

Audrey Teow: When you are burning pictures of someone, it obviously does not give the impression that you merely want to 'talk'.

Official: Terror plot included possible attacks in 5 European countries

(CNN) -- A potential terror plot may have involved synchronized attacks in several countries with "at least a dozen" people taking part, a law enforcement official said Wednesday.

Earlier, a German counterterrorism source said that a man captured in Afghanistan had tipped off investigators to a potential "Mumbai-style" plot in Europe.

Mumbai, the financial hub of India, was the site of a three-day terror attack two years ago that left more than 160 people dead. Ten men launched the carefully planned assault, targeting prominent sites such as the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, the Oberoi-Trident hotels, the historic Victoria Terminus train station and a Jewish cultural center.

The intelligence gathered so far, the law enforcement official said, indicated that sites in the United Kingdom, France and Germany as well as Italy and Belgium may have been targets in the potential plot.

Investigators believe al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden signed off on a European attack plan, a separate law enforcement source said. But U.S. and international officials say they have seen no sign of an imminent attack.

U.S. officials said the alleged plot has no U.S. component -- at least none that has been found. One official stressed that the plot is serious and credible but that the intelligence available lacked specificity: no who, where or how.

Some names of "known operational planners" are possibly connected with the plot, but there is "no precise insight" into who may be planning an attack, the official said. Soft targets such as hotels and economic targets are of particular concern, but there is "no precise" intelligence on the mode of attack, said the official.

Another official said there are different threads coming from different places, and it's not clear how or even if they will come together. The European countries involved -- primarily Germany, France and Britain -- are tackling the perceived threats as they see fit, the official said.

The "threat has certainly caught our attention" and that of our allies, the official said. Although no "U.S. dimension" to the plot has been uncovered, the official said, the "U.S. is only a seven-hour plane ride away" from Europe.

The potential plot is one reason for a dramatic increase in the number of missile strikes by unmanned drones against terrorist targets in Pakistan, according to a U.S. official.

The number of suspected U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan jumped to 20 this month -- more than in any previous month and twice the monthly average, according to a CNN estimate based on information from Pakistani officials.

A federal law enforcement official in the United States, meanwhile, said "the volume seems to be turned up" on the threat information coming out of Europe.

The intelligence indicates there is interest in using people with Western passports in an attack, that official said. The official said the potential operatives may be a mix of Europeans and others, possibly including North Africans, Pakistanis, Turks, Uzbeks and Tajiks.

There is concern about an "active shooter" scenario that would create as many casualties and as much chaos as possible in a short period of time. The Mumbai attacks showed how effective this kind of an attack can be in drawing attention.

Eiffel Tower evacuated after bomb threat

Economic institutions in Europe, including banks and stock exchanges, could be possible targets, according to the federal law enforcement source.

The man who described a potential attack, Ahmed Sidiqi, was detained in Kabul, Afghanistan, in July and transferred to U.S. custody, the German official said.

Sidiqi, a German of Afghan descent, attended the same Hamburg mosque as Mohammad Atta -- a leader of the September 11 attacks on the United States -- and was part of Atta's circle, the official said.

The man in custody has "revealed details about the terror plot," said the official, who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media.

Germany's Interior Ministry said Wednesday that authorities are aware of recent published reports about planned terror attacks in Europe and are analyzing the intelligence information.

"Presently this has produced no concrete indications of directly imminent attacks in Germany. The current accounts do not lead to a change in [our] assessment of danger," the ministry said.

Janet Napolitano, the U.S. secretary of homeland security, declined to say Wednesday whether there was concrete information about a plan to attack the United States.

"There are constantly threats of all types that we need to be able to be proactive against, and be proactive even when there aren't specific threats," she told CNN's "American Morning."

Sidiqi, the man who was captured, traveled with several other Germans from Hamburg, Germany, to the Afghan-Pakistan border area in 2009, where he joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an extremist group allied with al Qaeda, German intelligence officials said.

One he was captured, Sidiqi "started to talk a lot" and detailed a "Mumbai-style" attack in Europe, the German official said.

Sidiqi is from Hamburg, where he worked for a cleaning company at the Hamburg international airport, the German official said.

He attended the Masjid Taiba mosque, formerly known as the Al-Quds mosque, in Hamburg, which became known as the meeting place of those behind the September 11 attacks.

Hamburg shut down the mosque this year, not long after Sidiqi's capture.

U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper would not talk about a plot Tuesday evening.

"We are not going to comment on specific intelligence, as doing so threatens to undermine intelligence operations that are critical to protecting the U.S. and our allies," he said. "As we have repeatedly said, we know al Qaeda wants to attack Europe and the United States."

The German government is increasingly concerned about the number of Germans becoming jihadists. According to a senior German counterterrorism source, about 200 individuals have traveled to train with jihadist groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region since the September 11 attacks.

The potential plot against Europe is apparently one reason for the increase in attacks by unmanned aerial drones in Pakistan.

"We would be remiss not to try to take action to thwart what might be underway in Europe," the official said, though the official emphasized it was not the sole factor.

U.S. officials say they are taking advantage of what they call "precise intelligence."

Most of the drone attacks this year have been focused on North Waziristan, a mountainous area bordering Afghanistan where Pakistani security forces have little control. That has continued to be the pattern this month.

Napolitano declined to comment on the increase in drone attacks.

But acknowledging the spike, one U.S. official said: "Our operational tempo has been up for a while now, we have good information driving it, and given the stakes involved, we hope to keep the pressure on as long as we can."

According to the official, the mix of threats remains the same. It comes from groups like the Haqqani network, al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistan Taliban. The threats they pose are "all deadly," said the official.

Pakistani officials say many recent strikes have been aimed at compounds in or around the town of Miramshah, a stronghold of the Haqqani network.

Western intelligence officials have long regarded the Haqqanis as one of the most dangerous terror groups and have linked them to several attacks in Kabul.

Intelligence analysts point to other reasons for the escalated drone attacks.

Those include better information from sources in the border area and better surveillance technology, including the growing use of spy balloons fitted with high-powered cameras.

In addition, the rising number of drone strikes is designed to deprive the Afghan Taliban of "strategic depth," as the Obama administration's campaign to defeat the insurgency enters a crucial phase, and to tighten the noose on the senior al Qaeda leadership.

Pakistani officials say one strike last weekend killed Sheikh Mohammad Fateh al Masri, described as the group's senior operational commander.