Archive for category Najib Razak

Mahal sungguh nak ‘maintain’ Umno ini

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 30, 2012

30 JAN — Masalah yang dihadapi oleh parti pemerintah sekarang ini ialah perpecahan dalaman yang berlaku dari atas sehingga ke bawah. Perpecahan yang sangat serius ini bukan kepalang besarnya. Beberapa minggu lalu di Shah Alam Dr Mahathir Mohamad telah menyeru ahli-ahli Umno supaya menyokong calon Umno walaupun yang diturunkan oleh parti itu bukannya seorang ahli Umno.

Seruan Dr Mahathir ini sangat besar maknanya kepada seseorang yang berpolitik. Ia bermakna Umno memang sedang berada di dalam keadaan tenat sehinggakan ada tempat-tempat dan kawasan yang tidak ada seorang pun ahli Umno yang layak untuk diturunkan sebagai calon yang mendapat sokongan yang menyeluruh.

Dr Mahathir pula nampaknya sudah berubah lagi. Kali ini beliau menyokong parti, tidak seperti dalam PRU yang lalu di mana beliau meyokong calon dan tidak parti. Tetapi itu adalah tindakan yang tidak mengejutkan ramai sebab Dr Mahathir adalah seorang yang sentiasa “flip-flop” dalam perjuangan beliau.

Jadi benarlah pandangan saya selama ini yang Umno memang tidak ada kepimpinan di kalangan ahli-ahlinya. Jika seorang pemimpin yang digelar sebagai negarawan oleh penyokong-penyokong setianya itu, boleh menzahirkan kata-kata seruan seperti itu maka sah Umno memang sedang menghadapi masalah yang bertindih-tindih yang tidak dapat diselesaikan walaupun PRU akan diadakan tidak lama lagi. Read the rest of this entry »

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Umno’s in trouble in Selangor

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | January 30, 2012
Free Malaysia Today

Contrary to survey ratings, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is not as popular as people are made to believe, says Daim Zainuddin.

COMMENT

In the pre-2008 general election days, Umno leaders castigated and demeaned former economic adviser Daim Zainuddin, claiming he was senile and past his shelf life, and that he was way-off with his political predictions.

Then came the shocking loss. As prophesied by Daim, Barisan Nasional lost five states and barely managed to retain its two-thirds majority.

Now every Umno leader regards Daim as the Oracle of Delphi. More so, if they can persuade him to give encouraging, if not forced, optimism of Umno’s prospects in the 13th general election.

Sadly they are not going to get that.

Two Saturdays ago, I sat down with Daim’s alter ego, whom I call the Oracle of Syed Putra.

Although I directed my questions to the Oracle and he gave answers, readers must assume they are directed to and answered by Daim himself.

I asked the Oracle his assessment of the current political situation and of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

His response was somewhat startling, to say the least.

He said Najib “has simply lost the plot” on how to run and manage this country.

What about those polls and ratings about Najib being popular?

The Oracle said, “Surveyors and those surveyed can be paid to elicit the politically correct statements. No big deal.” Read the rest of this entry »

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RELA – PM Najib’s final line of defence?

Mohd Arshad Raji
Retirerd army officer

PM Najib says that there are 2.8 million RELA (Paramilitary People’s Volunteer Corps) in the country (Malaysia Chronicles, Saturday 28 Jan). That is a much bloated figure that far outmatched the collective strength of the Armed Forces and the Police put together. From my reading, there are only 500,000 odd Rela members.

Now, how and where did PM Najib pluck this number from? Does he not know what it takes to maintain such a large force? I think this figure even doubles that of the Indian Army. If indeed there are 2.8 million RELA members, then we don’t really need the Armed Forces and the Police…….. Just disband them and let the RELA take over the defence and security of the country. And with that kind of number, there wouldn’t be any more thieves, murderers and illegals in this country. Everything will be safe and sound, and it may cause some concern to all the neighbouring regional states.

And what really scares me was when PM Najib said that “when the chips are down, RELA will be with this government to defend the country”. What ‘chips’ is he referring to, and what is the threat that the government is trying to defend……external or internal security threat or a political threat from the opposition. Read the rest of this entry »

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Muhyiddin failed two Najibbian tests – 1. As a “moderate” 2. as loyal supporter of “1Malaysia” signature policy

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin failed two Najibbian tests – firstly as a “moderate” and secondly, as a loyal supporter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “1Malaysia” signature policy.

Muhyiddin flunked both these two tests when he gave a most racist, extremist and panicky reaction to the recent entry of Malays who are Malaysian patriots and fighters for freedom and justice into the DAP – like former UMNO Pahang State Assemblyman (Pulau Manis) Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz who is more wellknown in blogosphere as Sakmongkol 47, veteran Negeri Sembilan Umno member Aspan Alias, former National Union of Journalist President Hata Wahari, and two young UiTM law graduates Fairuz Azhan Amirruddin 25 and Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud 24.

Muhyiddin warned Malays not to allow themselves “to fall into the trap being carefully laid for them by the DAP”, posing the rhetorical question: “After so long, suddenly they want to recruit Malays. Who knows what for?”

He went on as the stereotypical racist and extremist, alleging that “the DAP had never even once stood up for the rights of the Malays”.

This is the latest lie and falsehood against the DAP by UMNO leaders and mouthpieces.

But Muhyiddin cannot be more wrong, which is a terrible reflection of his racist and extremist mentality and outlook. Read the rest of this entry »

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New PR government in Putrajaya will establish RCI into the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was very quick and abrupt yesterday in rejecting my call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM336.64 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal, eager to pronounce the idea as “dead as a dodo”.

Malaysians everywhere are asking who is Muhyiddin to reject the call for a RCI into the “cattle condo” scandal when Muhyiddin himself, as the Agriculture and Agro-based Minister who approved the controversial project back in 2006, would himself be one of the subjects and personalities of any RCI investigation?

It smacks of conflict of interest on Muhyiddin’s part and he should exclude himself from any decision-making as to whether there should be a RCI into the cattle condo scandal, instead of being so gung-ho in opposing the proposal.

It is downright disgraceful that the RM336.64 million cattle condo scandal had dragged out publicly for three months like a soap opera without any satisfactory conclusion – which is a most telling indictment of the lack of political will of the Najib administration to declare effective and meaningful war on corruption and be an example of an open, accountable and transparent governance as promised in the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP).

If the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is unable to satisfactorily handle the RM336.64 million cattle condo scandal after three months, who believe that he has the political will to lead an all-out war against corruption which cost the country RM28 billion a year or address the problem of over a trillion-ringgit outflow of illicit capital overseas in a decade from 2000 to 2009 because of corruption and other financial malpractices? Read the rest of this entry »

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World leaders: Creatures of God or the Devil?

— John Inbaraj
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 28, 2012

JAN 28 — Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah. When Dr Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister, he walked in with this slogan. However, in the 22 years he held power, he systematically destroyed every legacy the British and our founding fathers (excluding Abdul Razak) had stood for and built steadfastly.

In fact, Dr Mahathir even destroyed Umno, and history will forever record that the Umno of Onn Jaffar was declared illegal during the Mahathir administration!

When Abdullah Badawi took over he saw the need to introduce Gemilang, Terbilang dan Cemerlang. Many saw Abdullah as a good man but that did not last long.

From out of nowhere, Khairy Jamaluddin arrived on the scene.

Scomi, a company linked to Abdullah’s son, was born and gained many contracts.

Then a Patrick Lim suddenly became a big player in the business world. A huge plot of prime land in Penang was almost acquired by an associate company of Equine Sdn Bhd under the guise of setting up the Penang Global City Centre (PGCC).

Thankfully Penang fell to the opposition. Alas, not long after, Abdullah was booted out tactically — perhaps by those close to Dr Mahathir’s manipulative hand.

Then came the wizard of acronyms, Najib Razak (indeed Dr Mahathir had a massive hand in having him nominated as the DPM and eventually PM) with the power-packed slogan, “People First, Performance Now”. Read the rest of this entry »

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Najib is made Optimus Prime by Michael’s Decepticons

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 27, 2012

JAN 27 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak was crowned the “Father of Moderation and Transformation” by the World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF), which said the prime minister’s “fair and just leadership” had benefited the Chinese community “tremendously”. WCEF chairman Datuk Michael Yeoh said in his speech at the conferment ceremony today.

This was the major news item of the day. WCEF is a gathering of Chinese hongs and towkays eager to seek business favours from the PM. How does Michael Yeoh come by his assessment?

Among others, Yeoh praised Najib’s 1 Malaysia platform, his administration’s decision to increase allocation to Chinese schools and the introduction of tax exemptions for churches and temples, saying the initiatives were proof of the prime minister’s commitment to “fairness and justice”.

Fuyoh! I had to pinch myself. Never have I heard such outpouring of boot-licking averments which Michael sought to prove by stating the material I placed in italics above.

Let me steal the thunder from Michael’s shameless sycophantic offerings. Read the rest of this entry »

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Judiciary far from truly independent

— Ronald Benjamin
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 27, 2012

JAN 27 — Since Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal, political commentators and prominent intellectuals have made statements that the judiciary has shown independence. Prime Minister Najib Razak has said that the High Court decision is testimony that he has not interfered with the judiciary. Is the PM implying there was indeed interference before?

Is our judicial system built on such shaky grounds that it has to depend on the goodwill of a prime minister in office for its independence? While it is true recent cases such as the judgment on the Universities and University Colleges Act and the conviction of a prominent state politician have suggested the independence of the courts, these rare decisions do not make the judiciary independent.

One of the greatest truths in any meaningful reforms is the ability to dig deep beyond the surface to discover the root cause of the judicial rot and accepting the widespread perception that interference of judiciary may have occurred. The culprits must be nailed and remedial solutions must be found. Atonement must be shown for past mistakes, and we can then look forward to a lasting solution that would allow us to leap forward into a new era.

This requires honesty and truth seeking. Has our judiciary undertaken such soul searching in its quest to become truly independent? Some commentators have argued that over the years the judiciary has shown independence by taking action against both government leaders and opposition politicians and this by itself shows independence. But this argument is simplistic because the judicial process is not merely based on the judgment in a given case. The details of the process of justice itself, whether it meets the standards of natural justice and its ability to adhere to the supreme objective law of the constitution, are other major considerations. This is where the Malaysian judiciary system appears to have failed compared with other countries with a more well developed and independent judiciary. Read the rest of this entry »

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Why patriotic Malaysians must unite as one and in loud and clear voice demand for a RCI into the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal

Four things are clear.

First, that there is something very rotten about the RM336.64 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal – what with a RM250 million soft loan at 2% interest to promote cattle production used to buy two units of luxury condominiums in Kuala Lumpur and another condominium in Singapore, purchase of land in Precinct 10 Putrajaya, close to a million ringgit expenditures on overseas trips and extraordinarily high salaries for the family members of Datuk Seri Shahrizat, Minister for Women, Family and Community Development.

Second, that very high-level personalities are involved whether in the scandal or in the decision-making process resulting in the scandal, and that the personalities who must clear themselves include not only Shahrizat but also the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was then Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on High Impact Projects which approved the NFC project in 2006, Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was then the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries, Datuk Seri Nor Omar, current Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries, even the former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah as well as the entire former Cabinet before the 12th General Elections on March 8, 2008.

Third, the initial reactions of the various authorities unanimously trying to avoid touching the NFC/NF Corp scandal with a “barge pole”, although the Auditor-General, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang signed off the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 on 8th July 2011 with copies sent to the various relevant authorities, including the Cabinet – which probably explains the irresponsible inactions for more than six months, the delayed presentation of the Auditor-General’s Report in Parliament on October 25 when it should have been tabled in Parliament more than three weeks earlier on the first day of the Budget Parliament on 3rd October; the initial five-month refusal of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the scandal; the refusal of the Public Accounts Committee Chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid to allow the PAC to conduct immediate and urgent investigations into the scandal although the PAC may cease to exist any time with the imminent dissolution of Parliament for the 13th General Elections and the continued refusal of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to agree to a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the scandal. Read the rest of this entry »

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Najib and Muhyiddin should not be ignorant and contemptuous of Constitution and the law by exploiting the 3R cards of race, religion and Raja Melayu against DAP

Last Saturday, when two young Malay professionals from Perak both of whom UiTM law graduates, Fairuz Azhan and Dyana Sofia announced joining the DAP, close on the heels of similar announcements by Hata Wahari, former President of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and two wellknown bloggers Mohd Arif Sabri or known as Sokmongkok AK47 on the blogosphere and Aspan Alias, UMNO Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin was sufficiently upset at Malays joining DAP as to come out with a public statement.

In the coming weeks, when more Malays, both young and old, join DAP in the struggle for a united, just, democratic and competitive Malaysia for all Malaysians, the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would be the next persons to be upset and shocked.

Let me inform the UMNO leaders that this is the tide of the times and no force in the world can stop more Malays joining up with other Malaysians from other ethnicities in DAP to build a common destiny as Malaysian citizens for future generations of Malaysians.

DAP has right from the beginning of our formation 46 years ago committed to the cause for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region – the forerunner of the 1Malaysia policy promulgated by Najib when he became Prime Minister but which could not secure unanimous and unconditional support of his Cabinet and Barisan Nasional leadership after 33 months. Read the rest of this entry »

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Upshot of attacks on Anwar, ABU

Mariam Mokhtar | Jan 23, 2012
Malaysiakini

This is not an auspicious start to the Year of the Dragon for the PM. The person who controls events in Malaysia and who will undoubtedly shape its future, is one effete man called Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is wrong to think he leads the country.

Malaysians thought that after 9 January, the nation would move on, but their dream was shortlived. Only in Malaysia would the government and its institutions, like the judiciary, be preoccupied with Saiful’s posterior, just as his face will always be associated with Sodomy II.

So now, instead of the nation concentrating on a way forward, of improving our lives, of revitalising the economy and of making sure our politicians do the work we elected them for, we are trapped in Sodomy II, Scene 2. Read the rest of this entry »

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Malaysia ‘falls far short’ on rights vows

AFP/Herald Sun
January 22, 2012

MALAYSIA has fallen “far short” of upholding its pledges to allow civil liberties ahead of elections widely expected to be held soon, Human Rights Watch says.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has promised to grant greater civil rights by revising or abolishing several security laws, including the Internal Security Act which allows for detention without trial of those deemed security threats.

But activists and opposition leaders have dismissed his vows as ploys to regain at fresh polls expected this year votes lost in the last general election, where Najib’s Barisan Nasional had its most narrow ever win.

Human Rights Watch said on Sunday in its annual world report that the South-East Asian nation had last year “arbitrarily” detained critics, broken up a peaceful march for electoral reforms and replaced restrictions on free assembly “with even more draconian controls”.

“Malaysia’s leaders are fooling themselves by thinking they can backtrack on public promises to respect the rights to demonstrate peacefully and criticise the government without fear,” the group’s deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson, said in a release. Read the rest of this entry »

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Top five topics of all Malaysians during the Dragon Chinese New Year holidays

What will be the top five topics of all Malaysians during the Dragon Chinese New Year holidays?

I will pick the following five:

(1) The Attorney-General’s appeal against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal in the Sodomy2 charge by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, expressing the determination of the top UMNO leaders to want to see Anwar in jail.

(2) The Court of Appeal decision to overturn the Kuala Lumpur High Court decision to acquit and discharge DAP National Chairman Karpal Singh on the sedition charge relating to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic coup d’etat against the Pakatan Rakyat Perak state government.

Both these incidents have killed off public hopes that Malaysia is firmly set on the road to restoration of national and international confidence in our justice system, with a just rule of law and truly independent judiciary.

The only inescapable conclusion is that Malaysia can only begin to seriously undo the ravages against the doctrine of separation of powers especially between the Executive and the Judiciary in the past 24 years years stemming from the arbitrary sacking of the then Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and two Supreme Court judges Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawanteh and Datuk George Seah in 1988. Read the rest of this entry »

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Pengisytiharaan harta

— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 21, 2012

21 JAN — Sekarang isu pengisytiharan harta oleh ahli Jemaah Kabinet menjadi bahan perbincangan rakyat ramai di mana-mana. Belum pun habis dengungan saranan yang anjurkan oleh DAP serta MACC, Nazri Aziz, seorang menteri kanan kerajaan negara, dengan pantas tidak bersetuju dengan cadangan itu.

Nazri memberikan alasan yang jika dilakukan pengisytiharan harta itu ia akan merbahayakan keselamatan individu itu. Apa bahayanya saya pun tidak tahu melainkan Nazri didapati mempunyai harta yang bertimbun secara haram.

Nazri bersetuju jika pengisytiharan harta itu hanya dibuat kepada Perdana Menteri sahaja. Lain-lain perkataan Nazri hanya sanggup memberitahu PM sahaja berapa jumlah harta beliau sejak menjadi menteri ini.

Selangor telah mengambil tindakan mengisytiharkan harta ahli Exconya dua tahun lepas dan Pulau Pinang telah mengambil tindakan mengisytiharkan harta ahli majlis mesyuarat kerajaannya dan boleh dilihat melalui internet oleh semua rakyat. Contoh-contoh baik yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat ini patut diikuti oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional di peringkat persekutuan dan negeri-negeri yang ditadbirnya. Read the rest of this entry »

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On changing horses midstream and the man who can walk on water

— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 21, 2012

JAN 21 — The prime minister told the people not to change horses midstream. So we asked, don’t we change even if the horse is limping and is running on three legs? In endurance races, riders change horses in order to arrive at the destination. Malaysians should be pragmatic when it comes to deciding their future.

Midstream for Barisan Nasional and Umno is already over 50 years. Since 1955, when the first elections took place until now, from Perikatan to BN, we have had more than 50 years of BN rule. What do we have?

We have development, for sure, but are also damaged by rampant corruption, utter disregard for the rule of law, abuses of all kinds, political manipulations, deception and lies and gross mismanagement of the economy. To all that, the PM says, we don’t change? If we don’t, we shall have another 50 years of unchecked corruption, emasculation of the judiciary, thugs running the legal institutions, abuses and gross mismanagement.

At another point in his speech, the PM says we don’t know whether the opposition knows what to do if they come into power. We don’t know whether, under Pakatan Rakyatwe, we can achieve developed status by 2020 with the fabled per capita income of US$15,000.

Of course Pakatan knows what to do. In the short years since they came into power, direct investments have been highest in Pakatan led states of Penang, Selangor and Kedah. These states have achieved balanced budgets without doing arithmetic tricks.

In Penang, which is led by a non-Muslim, grants to Islamic religious institutions have reached RM30 million a year. Compare that to Negri Sembilan, which is led by a good Muslim, where the grant is only RM 12 million a year. How is that possible? Because the state coffers have been managed better in one state than in the other managed by BN and Umno. Read the rest of this entry »

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Rosmah’s ‘shopping spree’ hits Aussie paper

Malaysiakini
Jan 21, 2012

The big spending habits of another member of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s family caught the attention of the Australian media again today – this time in Sydney.

In the ‘Private Sydney’ section of the Australian daily Sydney Morning Herald, columnist Andrew Horney called Rosmah the “first lady of shopping”, allegedly for spending A$100,000 (RM325,000) at a Sydney boutique.

Quoting Sydney designer Carl Kapp, the columnist reported that Kapp’s “biggest customer” had spent the astounding amount during a “private holiday” there “a little more than a fortnight ago”.

According to the column, Rosmah and Najib had during the holiday stayed at the A$20,000 (RM65,100) a night penthouse (right) at the newly-minted five-star Darling Hotel. Read the rest of this entry »

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Anwar verdict: What Najib now faces

— Yang Razali Kassim
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 20, 2012

JAN 20 — Last July, Prime Minister Najib Razak and Indonesian Muslim leader Amien Rais had a private meeting in a third country to chat about the case of Anwar Ibrahim. Amien, who is close to Anwar, apparently had expressed brotherly concern to Najib about how the political conflict within the Malay leadership was undermining the credibility of Malaysia as a country the Muslim world looked up to.

Amien intimated whether Najib could withdraw the charge. Najib, predictably, told Amien he could not do as asked as he had no power over the judiciary. Besides, Najib said, the case had nothing to do with him.

Six months later, on January 9, the High Court stunned Malaysians by acquitting and discharging Anwar of the charge of sodomy. The surprise verdict lent support to Najib’s assertion about the independence of the judiciary. Indeed, at face value, the court’s verdict to acquit Anwar is a setback to Najib’s political position.

A free Anwar would certainly be a grave threat to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. It had indeed been widely thought a foregone conclusion that Anwar would be found guilty and put away before the coming general election — reflecting the Malaysian public’s generally low confidence in the judiciary.

So what does the verdict mean for Malaysian politics? Read the rest of this entry »

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Let Muhyiddin reveal his true colours, whether he is an extremist, a moderate or an extremist camouflaging as a moderate?

By inviting Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin to officiate the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has destroyed whatever credibility he might have salvaged by hosting the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates.

As a result, it is legitimately asked whether the so-called International Conference on Global Movement on Moderates is actually a camouflage by extremists to try to gloss over their “extremism”, whether directly and through aid, abet and condonation of voices of hate, unreason and all forms of extremism, whether ethnic or religious in recent times.

Najib had already raised grave questions about the bona fides in hosting the International Conference on Global Movement on Moderates when he refused to clean his own slate of “extremism” not only of the past, but even those committed in his 33 months as Prime Minister – as in refusing to retract his extremist speech at the 2010 UMNO General Assembly threatening “crushed bodies, lives lost” to defend UMNO from losing power in the 13th General Election or in allowing or condoning Utusan Malaysia, the official newspaper of UMNO, becoming the chief protagonist of the voices of extremism, whether unreason, hate, enmity, lies and incitement causing the worst polarisation of Malaysia in both racial and religious terms in the nation’s history.
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Can Umno Change or Cows Fly?

By Kee Thuan Chye

UMNO is beyond redemption. At its general assembly in December, the message it sent out was suspicion of others and hatred for them, and a desperate desire to win the next general election.

Its president, Najib Razak, once again proved what many of us have long suspected – that he is a dissembler. He exposed the ultimate lie behind his 1Malaysia slogan by saying things that would divide the races rather than bring them together. He set the trend for delegates at the assembly to harp on the threats to Umno from other races. It was disgraceful coming from the prime minister of the country. It was supremely irresponsible.

Worse, two days after the assembly ended, he appealed to the right-wing NGO Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Pekida) for support. This has to be the final nail in the 1Malaysia coffin.

To cap it all, Umno showed its partiality to cronyism by defending Wanita leader Shahrizat Abdul Jalil over the scandal surrounding her family’s business, the National Feedlot Corporation. One or two colleagues called for her to step down, but the overwhelming majority stood by her and castigated the Opposition for exposing the scandal.

This begs the question: Can Umno change? As the major party in the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, can it truly stand up for other races as well, and work for their well-being? Can it stay clear of corrupt practices? Can it stop dishing out favours and projects to party leaders and their cronies? Can it save Malaysia from financial meltdown or will it rather bleed our coffers dry? Read the rest of this entry »

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The last days of Umno are beginning

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP life advisor

UMNO shows no signs of genuine reforms despite claims by PM Najib that UMNO is on the reform road as shown by the verdict of freedom for Anwar over the Sodomy 2 conspiracy. If there are no signs of reforms than UMNO will collapse in time, similar to what happened to the Soviet Union which collapsed in 1990.

Like Najib, Mikail Gorbachev tried to save Russia with his policies of ‘glasnost and perestroika’ but these failed to save Soviet Russia, because he could not introduce democracy and economic restructuring as there was no policies or infrastructure to modernise Russia.

Najib is also claiming that he has great plans to reform the country, ever since he introduced his 1 Malaysia program. However, all he had to deliver are just promises. Nothing concrete he promised to cut down corruption, but every day corruption is the rule in government departments, judiciary and the police. Events have overtaken Najib and there is no way he could reverse the corruption cancer pervading the country.
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