Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has utter contempt for his successor Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, pouring scorn on Abdullah’s promises to push through reform before he steps down in March next year – particularly the bills to establish the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MCAC), reputedly patterned after Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), and the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).
Writing in his blog, Mahathir noted sarcastically that “after failing to implement any of the promises made in the 2004 or 2008 elections, it looks like nothing is being done either with regard to the promise to carry out a variety of so-called reforms” before Abdullah steps down as Prime Minister in March 2009.
It would appear that Mahathir is privy to information not generally known to the Malaysian public, that forces are at work to frustrate and roll back any reform legislation on anti-corruption and an independent judiciary which Abdullah had promised to present to Parliament next week.
I will not be surprised if Mahathir is hands-in-glove with these reactionary UMNO forces to undermine and even roll back any reform legislation to be proposed by Abdullah in Parliament next week.
Will Abdullah’s bills to establish MCAC and JAC run into opposition from UMNO Ministers and MPs themselves and would Abdullah have to depend on Pakatan Rakyat MPs to ensure that these Bills are enacted by Parliament despite their many weaknesses and drawbacks?
Although there are growing vibrations of intensifying criticisms and opposition by powerful Umno warlords against Abdullah’s reform legislation on anti-corruption and an independent judiciary, I do not think they are yet prepared for a public showdown with UMNO Ministers and MPs in open revolt by voting against the bills in Parliament.
However, there may be a high rate of absence of UMNO Ministers and MPs to illustrate their displeasure and demonstrate their opposition to the bills concerned.
If this is the case, what hope is there that the reform legislation would be implemented fully when Abdullah steps down as Prime Minister and is replaced by Datuk Seri Najib Razak?
Would the reform legislation become “dead ducks” the moment by are passed by Parliament, as with Abdullah stepping down as Prime Minister in three months’ time, will the new Umno top leadership be in the very forefront to roll back the proposals to give more bite to anti-corruption campaign and to restore the independence, impartiality and integrity of the judiciary?
As there are reports that major contenders for the top party posts in March Umno general assembly are strongly critical and even opposed to the reform legislation to be presented to Parliament, Najib, the three candidates for the Umno Deputy President and eight candidates for the Umno Vice President contests should individually declare their stand on the bills concerned and whether they are fully committed to support an all-out war against corruption and the restoration of an independent and impartial judiciary.
Let Najib, as well as the three Umno Deputy President candidates (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib) and the eight Umno Vice President candidates (Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad, Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jajis and Datuk Seri Rais Yatim) speak up on whether they endorse Abdullah on the MCAC and JAC bills and would help to rally support both inside and outside UMNO for the proposals.
(Speech 2 at the DAP Balakong Branch’s 1,700-people dinner at Balakong, Selangor on Saturday, 6th December 2008)
#1 by lee wee tak_ on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 12:30 pm
if UMNO post contenders as well as MPs are against a bill that can bring improvement in financial management of the country that can benefit the rakyat directly, then we can clearly assess the basic values that underlies the dominant political party in Malaysian
#2 by k1980 on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 12:43 pm
Dollah should had put that mamak king in Kamunting as far back as in 2003. Then he could be continue as PM until 2020.
#3 by monsterball on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 12:52 pm
Right minded Malaysians do not give two hoots what…who or why UMNO support or not support UMNO’s so call reform legislations.
Not one proposal is sincerely put out for Malaysians….but all dressed up to agree or disagree…put anyone in ISA….good news..all to win votes…never for good sincere management of the country…they are voted in ..to do.
That old hypocrite…Mahathir is a man with a sick sick brain. Not once what he said..did or act… or repent..to show good examples to young Malaysians.
He is so arrogant…so full of shit logics…with no shame at all.
He keeps blaming Dollah… with the hope…every Malaysian will forget his evil deeds done ..in his 22 years .we know..as the worst and most corrupted hypocrite PM…we ever had.
Yes…just read his blog……long list of posts…all blaming others with his usual sarcastic personality.
Like RPK said…if we want to get rid of corruptions and ISA..we must gt rid of UMNO.
So…..who cares what UMNO Supreme Council …..say…do or act…anymore.
#4 by w2008 on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 12:52 pm
Ask people to trust that mamak and his cronies, you can go to hell.
Because liars and corrupted people go to hell.
Right.
#5 by william62 on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 2:03 pm
YB Lim Kit Siang,
My suggestion is – PKR supports Pak Lah, let him be our PM for another 4 yrs, or get Pak Lah and his supporters from BN to join PR and be part of PR (many of the BN MPs are good men too!). Dont assept the bad BN MPs to join PKR of course, YB Lim and PKR knows who are the bad BN MP…….. this might be another alternative!
#6 by william62 on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 2:03 pm
error: accept
#7 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 3:32 pm
YB LKS: “I will not be surprised if Mahathir is hands-in-glove with these reactionary UMNO forces to undermine and even roll back any reform legislation to be proposed by Abdullah in Parliament next week.”
It is apparent this Tun M is tirelessly and endlessly using his screwed genius for evil….and his crooked connections to ‘destroy’ any last vestige of respectability left of AAB’s last days just as he thought AAB had done the same to his decadent legacy. I hope when it’s Anwar’s turn, he’ll do what is righteous and honourable and will strip Tun m of his Tunship in due time. 20 odd yrs of him and I think Malaysia ought to have had enough of this man to last an eternity and more!
#8 by HJ Angus on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 4:50 pm
The sad truth about Malaysia’s politics is that people take care of their own even if they are political foes.
Even TDM held various paying posts after retiring and I am sure AAB has similar arrangements in place after he goes.
There are so much goodies at the top that the leaders can afford to be generous.
After all, it is only your monies that get to be distributed!
#9 by kmchew on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 5:25 pm
If the Police and the Anti Corruption Agency are allowed to do their work honestly, fairly and independently, many in the BN and particularly Umno, will have to go to jail. Malaysia will be a safer place to live. Malaysia will sure prosper. I am sure tax payers are more than happy and willing to contribute towards building new jails to house the corrupted and dirty Umnoputras.
#10 by mifadzil on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 5:48 pm
This comment could be not direct to this article but I will glad to see DAP to reform their party so that more Malays or Muslims can join DAP without fear and prejudice . If this can be done, DAP have the integrity to talk about reform on other parties. The mother of obstacle for Malay or Muslim to join DAP is that the party is against Islamic state because prejudice about the concept and implementation. DAP is in state of denial about Malays or Muslims perception to them. Malays or Muslims another perception is that DAP is talking about equality for all Malaysians but implementation wise are more for struggling justice to non Malays or non Muslims. This could be fact or fiction but if this is fiction, fix it.
You can change this perception by recruiting Malays or Muslims to not just to be member of the party but also becomes leaders in their divisions, central committees and able to climb the top ladders. Why not if one of them become the chief of the party one day.
#11 by Loh on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 7:37 pm
///Even TDM held various paying posts after retiring and I am sure AAB has similar arrangements in place after he goes.///–HJ Angus
The former PMs do not need the pay that goes with the advisory positions. However, the positions make it legal for them to use the facilities of the organization, such as the private jets to take the family around the world. TDM dared AAB to take away that post in Petronas from him. I suppose Petronas can have more than one advisor. It is the number of private jets that may be a limiting factor.
Nobody in the UMNO lineup would want a reform. They want the same environment to continue to make their fight for party positions worthwhile. The investments are high.
AAB is using the reform to bargain for three more months of Airbus 320 enjoyment. If he had wanted reforms, he could have done so before the last election. He could even use it to justify the poor performance for himself that UMNO was not ready. As a lame duck President, he will have no support even for the bills to be presented in parliament. Other UMNO underlings will soon claim that the bills need further work. The same IPCMC stories need no rehearsal.
#12 by waterfrontcoolie on Sunday, 7 December 2008 - 11:35 pm
YB, after 22 years, there was no desire to change, why would HE want to change now? for the prosperity of his decendants??!!
His blog is clear about his intentions. As indicated earlier, it is clear that AAB was cornered into submission, essentially because he thought he still got time to accumulate. He could have appointed his OWN IGP, AG and so forth, but his SIL was too busy playing money politics even before he could pile his foundation to withstand the rumbling in UMNO.
Let’s be prepared for another 20 years of the same shit!
#13 by monsterball on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 12:46 am
My first message under moderation…which I thank LKS for protecting me.
I will simply say..who cares…what UMNO do or plan or say.
LKS have to put it out.
Malaysians do not care two hoots about UMNO anymore.
All we are waiting is the 13th election..to vote therm out.to get rid of ISA …race and religion politics…once and for all.
#14 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 7:11 am
I am not a fan of Rice but I will give her due credit wherever I think she makes sense. I’d do the same for Tun M albeit such occasions will be rare and far apart now that we are wiser to his ugly sratagems and modus operandi. All too often we can recognise Tun’s ‘udang sebalik batu’ genre of wisdom. The sad, sad fact is Tun M doesn’t come across as either genuinely sincere or even as a man of reasonable integrity. I think, in his heart of hearts, he would readily agree that his sincerity or integrity is far from unimpeachable. Unsurprisingly, our intentioons and deepest secrets are known to God and to ourselves.
Now, what makes many puke is that Tun’s morsels of wisdom often comes coated with veiled corruption. So they stink in due time…and the stink reaches the high heaven where the cries and groans of the people once under his yoke had long ago ascended to the throne of God and carefully entered into the records of the divine bookkeeper. All I can say is politicians beware: God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.
Anyway, Rice said she was “still really appalled at the inability of the international community to deal with tyrants.”
“We’re seeing it in Burma,” Rice said of the country in Southeast Asia now called Myanmar. “We are now seeing it, I think, in a very, very sad way in Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe should have gone a long time ago. And we can’t seem to mobilize the international will to do it.”
Whatever najib may say, I am almost absolutely sure he will be a mere pawn for another term by the tyrannical Tun M. Tun M has said so in no uncertain terms, only in different words: Najib is not good enough, bright enough or capable enough for the challenging decade ahead!
Oh, yes, I’d put Tun M a close fourth to Idi Amin, Myamar generals and Mugabe. Any detractors?
#15 by simon041155 on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 8:07 am
“Let Najib, as well as the three Umno Deputy President candidates (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib) and the eight Umno Vice President candidates (Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad, Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jajis and Datuk Seri Rais Yatim) speak up on whether they endorse Abdullah on the MCAC and JAC bills and would help to rally support both inside and outside UMNO for the proposals.”
Before they even endorse Abdullah on the MCAC and JAC bills, they should first declare outright whether they are for corruption or against corruption. If they are for corruption, why should they endorse the MCAC and JAC bills? But if they are against corruption, then they should come out with a better bill if they feel that the MCAC and JAC bills are not good enough. Isn’t it as simple as that?
When the heart is not willing and filled with greed, Man can always rationalize. Even ISA has been rationalized as trying to protect the individual that they are punishing. The word “hypocrite” is an understatement for a minister like Si Botak Head and the Parang Wielder!
#16 by Loh on Monday, 8 December 2008 - 10:40 pm
///The sad, sad fact is Tun M doesn’t come across as either genuinely sincere or even as a man of reasonable integrity.///
But TDM speaks his mind quite often. For example, he said that NEP was still needed when there are Malay drivers serving Chinese tycoons, during an interview programme with Aljazeera. Apparently, he did not object to Malay drivers serving Malays including NEWMalay like himself. Why does he object to having Malays driving for Chinese but not objecting to Malay drivers driving Malays? He is not suggesting that Malay bosses would pay Malay drivers higher wages. So to him the job of a driver is of low-caliber and so is not befitting Malays and is a disgrace to ketuanan melayu. He said that Malay drivers cannot call themselves tuan when they drive for Chinese. But it is alright for Malay drivers driving Malay bosses because like millions of other in Malaysia, they were born to serve the interests of the selected UMNOputras, the tuan besar who utize UMNO for their personal gains. Malays will be said to be ungrateful if they do not vote to put UMNOputras in power. In return for their votes, UMNO government would claim that the Malays are crutch-dependent nad hence would require NEP despite having been given five decades of spoon-feeding. With NEP, APs system and negotiated contracts will continue. That would make UMNOputras rich which would allow Malays to feel proud so that they become less jealous about the success of other communities. The need to ameliorate the feeling of jealousy among the Malays was the raison d’etres for NEP which was founded on the basis that jealousy was a legitimate reason for causing disturbance in the society through violent means.
TDM shows clearly that he was a racist beside the indication that he had never intended to honour the promise that the NEP would run for a period of 20 years when the target of 30% equity ownerships have been achieved by Malays. TDM made no mention about these criteria when commenting NEP extension.
TDM was willing to declare to the world that he was a racist, and he allowed the world to draw conclusion from what was left unsaid that he was a bully, and he wanted UMNO not to stop bullying other communities.
#17 by simon041155 on Tuesday, 9 December 2008 - 12:08 pm
“The sad, sad fact is Tun M doesn’t come across as either genuinely sincere or even as a man of reasonable integrity.”
Tun M is actually Tun Machiavelli. He speaks what benefits him most, while pretending to fight for the Malays. When the Chinese supported him in the 1999 General Election, he sang one tune and after forgetting, he sang another. Talk all his speeches and put them together, and you will see DoubleSpeak in action.
But I do agree with Mahathir that NEP is still needed because Malays generally are still below par, although the 30% target has been achieved long ago. Reason? Mahathir’ss three sons, Mukhriz, Mokhzani, and Mirzan, and her two daughters, Marina and Melinda, are conservatively estimated to be worth at least three billion ringgit. Among them, his three sons hold well over 200 company directorships and interests in an array of businesses, many of them publicly listed.
We need to surpass the world’s richest country before poverty among rural Malays can be eradicated.
#18 by Loh on Tuesday, 9 December 2008 - 2:46 pm
///Mahathir’ss three sons, Mukhriz, Mokhzani, and Mirzan, and her two daughters, Marina and Melinda, are conservatively estimated to be worth at least three billion ringgit.///
Not being the richest in the world, NEP role has not ended yet, so they think. But the Malays may want to choose other family to be the richest. That might be the actual role of UMNO party election.
#19 by taiking on Tuesday, 9 December 2008 - 6:35 pm
If NEP continued any longer, malays would be chauffering not only chinese but also indian and burmese and vietnamese and mat salleh. (Hei Zak the englishman, is your driver a malay too?) It does not bother me. The choice is umno’s. Smarter malays would naturally and on their own accord leave the NEP nest to join the mainstream for some real action, competition and challenges.
#20 by simon041155 on Tuesday, 9 December 2008 - 6:46 pm
Taiking says: “Smarter malays would naturally and on their own accord leave the NEP nest to join the mainstream for some real action, competition and challenges.”
This can be no doubt. A healthy man will always walk faster without crutches.
#21 by w2008 on Wednesday, 10 December 2008 - 7:31 am
Before indepedent, any muslim practise Malay custom are Malays.
So many indonesia immigrants from Sumatra are considered Malay.
Many immigrants indonesian enjoy the NEP? how you feel leh?