Archive for February 22nd, 2013

Has the Defence Minister Gone AWOL?

By Martin Jalleh

Lahad Datu Standoff 2013

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When is Najib going to put aside his daily campaigning for 13GE and pay regular visits to meet with people in Lahad Datu to ensure quick resolution of the stand-off with Sulu intruders entering its third week

I welcome the visit of the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and his Cabinet entourage to Felda Sahabat 16 in Lahad Datu yesterday to get first-hand view of the stand-off between the Malaysian security forces and the self-proclaimed Royal Army of Sulu.

This is one of the objectives of my visit to Felda Sahabat 16 in Lahat Datuk two days ago, together with the Sabah DAP elected representatives, including DAP Sabah State Chairman and Sabah State Assemblyman for Sri Tanjong, Jimmy Wong Sze Phing, State Vice Chairman Frederick Fung, State Secretary Dr. Edwin Bosi, State Publicity Secretary Chan Foong Hin, MP for Kota Kinabalu Hiew King Cheu, DAP National Assistant Organising Secretary, Vincent Wu.

Our visit to Lahad Datu on Feb. 20 has the following objectives:

  • fact-finding mission to ascertain the actual situation on the ground with regard to the standoff;
  • to understand the concerns and anxieties of the local population;
  • show solidarity with the people in Lahad Datuk affected by the stand-off; and
  • send clear and categorical message to the Federal and Sabah state governments, in particular the Prime Minister and the Sabah Chief Minister, to give priority to the stand-off to ensure a speedy resolution because of the manifold problems it has created for the Sabah people.

I am glad that we have achieved this objective as far as the Sabah state government is concerned, for immediately on the following day of our visit, the Sabah Chief Minister and his Cabinet entourage had visited Felda Sahabat 16 to get a briefing at the General Operations Force (GOF) security post there. Read the rest of this entry »

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48-Day Countdown to 13GE: Najib is heading towards setting a third record as Malaysian Prime Minister in order to avoid a fourth record as the last UMNO/BN Prime Minister fulfilling the “RAHMAN” prophecy

The 12th Parliament is supposed to be dissolved today for the 13th General Elections to be held, with nomination on March 16 and Polling on March 30.

But February 22 has come and will go without any dissolution of Parliament, with the speculation on the critical dates of dissolution shifted to between March 15 – 21 with polling in the first or second week of April (with the bets on the second week so that many out-of-state Chinese voters would not cast their votes as they are not expected to return to their hometowns after returning in the first week for the annual Qing Ming festival or All Souls’ Day which falls on April 5).

I was first informed of the February 22 dissolution of Parliament on January 9 after a high-level meeting of the Prime Minister’s political strategists in Putrajaya on the same day, and in the ensuing five weeks, it became an increasingly speculated date to become the “hottest” date for dissolution for the 13GE.
But clearly with one blunder after another, Datuk Seri Najib Razak just lack the confidence to be ready for the 13th General Elections and to be able to pass the Mahathir test formulatedf by the former Prime Minister on January 31 this year.

It was at the 15th Malaysia Strategic Outlook Conference that the former and longest-serving Prime Minister who has emerged to be the real power behind the UMNO throne publicly formulated the “Mahathir test” for Najib in the 13GE – that it is not good enough for Najib just to win and that he should step down and give way to Deputy UMNO President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister if UMNO/Barisan Nasional only scores a slim majority in the 13th GE, without regaining a comfortable two-thirds parliamentary majority for Barisan Nasional.

But until the Chinese New Year on February 10, with the multi-million ringgit Psy and Gangnam Style coup for Penang BN CNY on February 11, Najib was still supremely confident that he was ready for February 22 dissolution of Parliament.

This Psy and Gangnam coup however proved to be a dud and counter-productive, as the Psy Appearance in Penang was not only a failure, its adverse repercussions were nation-wide as illustrated by the lukewarm response Najib received when he tried to make history as the first Prime Minister to attend the Dong Zong Chinese New Year Open House six days after the Psy Effect. Read the rest of this entry »

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Come Election Day

By Allan CF Goh

Come Election Day

If this election
Sees the racists’ foul return,
Blame ourselves for that,
For the nation’s tragic turn.
Let’s walk with heads high,
Clean up the nation’s fester;
Show the whole wide world,
Malaysians can do better!
Malaysia is us: Read the rest of this entry »

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Tanda Putera a double-edged sword

By Carrie Rina | 12:13PM Feb 21, 2013
Malaysiakini

FILM REVIEW Despite the cabinet deciding against airing the controversial Tanda Putera film until after the next general election, the leader of the same cabinet, Najib Abdul Razak, appears keen on showing it to selected segments of the Malaysian populace.

The reason is likely that the film is a double-edged sword, serving as an effective propaganda tool for one community – but which may well offend the other communities.

While both the Malays and Chinese are depicted in the film as turning on each other during the May 13 riots, the Chinese were often characterised as the aggressors.

The film opens with a group of Chinese, who appear to be Communist sympathisers, attacking a party worker, abd calling for the 1969 general election to be boycotted.

The victim was later revealed to be an Umno member, for news flash with the headline: ‘Umno party worker killed’ is shown.
Read the rest of this entry »

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After the gamble with the Chinese, Najib deals the racial card!

By Martin Jalleh

After the gamble with the Chinese, Najib deals the racial card!

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