Archive for April 11th, 2011

Najib’s 1Malaysia campaign has been “transformed” into a 1T-Shirt 1-Tupperware Circus in two years

Since last night, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has not only abandoned his duties as Prime Minister of Malaysia for a consecutive period of six days, he has also instructed his whole Cabinet of Ministers to do the same and to camp in Sarawak for the state general elections until polling day on Saturday.

Clearly Najib has lost confidence in the ability of the Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud to secure the election results desired by the Prime Minister.

But this has another far-reaching national implication – transforming the Sarawak state general election from a state into a national contest, putting on the line the Barisan Nasional’s national policies and record as well as the Prime Minister’s programme, personal popularity and political reputation.

The two issues voters of Sarawak are being asked to decide on Saturday are: firstly, at the Sarawak level whether “Peh Moh” should go, not in two, three or five years’ time but on Saturday, April 16, 2011 itself; and at the national level, whether to end UMNO’s political hegemony in Malaysian politics to give way to the new politics of freedom, justice, accountability, transparency and good governance spearheaded by Pakatan Rakyat. Read the rest of this entry »

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Mad scramble for Tupperware mars PM’s do

By Andrew Ong

Chaos erupted at the MBKS indoor stadium last night immediately after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak left the rally venue as people jostled to get hold of goodie bags containing Tupperware brand containers.

As some 2,000 participants at the rally were streaming out of the stadium, hundreds crowded around part of the entrance, grabbing goodie bags that were being distributed.

The bags contained a poster of Najib and either a water tumbler or a small food container of Tupperware fame.

As the rush for goodies grew out of hand, workers were forced to relocate some of the boxes of goodies away from the entrance.

As soon as the boxes touched the floor, dozens of people, many of them elderly and children, ripped opened the boxes and carried with them whatever they could.
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BN troubled as Pakatan rally draws more support

By Clara Chooi

KUCHING, April 11 — Barisan Nasional (BN) was left red-faced last night when two separate rallies across the city featuring Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his arch-nemesis Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim drew vastly different crowd numbers.

The usually conservative Sarawak folk arrived in droves at Anwar’s rally in the Batu Kawah constituency just 30 minutes outside of the city, all clambering to listen to the opposition leader and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) bigwigs like DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

According to observers at least 8,000 were in attendance, causing a major two-hour traffic congestion on the roads leading to the ceramah venue.

Held at the same time in the same city, Najib’s 1 Malaysia meet-the-leaders session paled in comparison.
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On Ubah campaign trail (4)

Tweets @limkitsiang :-

For first time in 48-year history, Miri leads in forefront for political change in Sarawak’s 10th general elections http://bit.ly/gAYbww
Sunday, April 10, 2011 3:31 PM

Challenge 2 Najib – set up 5 RCIs on pressing issues of public importance http://bit.ly/icSvtQ
Sunday, April 10, 2011 7:09 PM

Who expects him 2admit he’s desperate? Or 2Swak loaded w goodies? http://bit.ly/gnpQ55 6 days in Swak not desperate move, Najib says (TMI)
Sunday, April 10, 2011 7:26 PM

Of course. Najib, Taib, BN in great danger! http://bit.ly/i3sEqO PM on 6-day S’wak blitz: BN in danger? (Mkini)
Sunday, April 10, 2011 7:29 PM
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Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #60

By M. Bakri Musa

Chapter 7: Enhancing Human Capital

Sharpening Malaysian Competitiveness

Ensuring that the citizens are healthy and well educated is the first step in turning them into productive and contributing members of society. The two are enabling conditions or prerequisites, but Malaysia needs to go beyond that to ensure that her citizens, and thus the nation, are competitive. The surest way for Malaysia to thrive with globalization and free trade would be if her citizens could produce goods and provide services at a better price and quality than anyone else.

There is no way to predict which individuals will be able to do something better (more competitive) than someone else. In feudal societies birth and social ranking determine one’s place in society and what one does. Children of nobility and royalty are born to rule others, while those of the warrior class will continue to become warriors, and children of peasants are fated to remain as peasants. This is not a design of nature, rather shaped by the social norms and culture. Were human societies like colonies of bees, yes, biology would then rule supreme. It is biology that determines whether individual bees would become the queen, drone, or worker bee.

In modern societies, it is the individuals who determine their own fate. Read the rest of this entry »

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