Archive for 2012
No need for Mahathir to fear he will end up like Gadaffi or Mubarak. I do not even want to see him in jail but he must not block full investigations into the host of financial and political scandals under his 22 years as PM
It is quite unworthy and dishonourable for Tun Dr. Mahathir to imply in his blog “My Fears” yesterday that I am “inspired by what happened to Gadaffi and Mubarak” and that I would “love” to see him “dragged to the courts and sentenced to death or to at least a life sentence” and “Maybe like Gadaffi I would be murdered”!
I do not know whether Mahathir is becoming a victim of a very fevered imagination, to the extent that he could imagine and blog that I would want him to end up like Gadaffi or Mubarak.
Nothing is furthest from my mind but I forgive Mahathir these wild and preposterous imaginings.
Mahathir started his blog yesterday: “ Lim Kit Siang is reported to have said that I am working hard to ensure the Opposition will not win because I am afraid when the Opposition Government is in place, it will act against all my ‘misdeeds’ when I was Prime Minister.” Read the rest of this entry »
BN takut garam, botol mineral
Lim Kit Siang [ Ipoh Timur ] minta PERDANA MENTERI menyatakan bukti dakwaan beliau bahawa perhimpunan Bersih 3.0 adalah satu cubaan rampasan kuasa oleh pihak Pembangkang untuk menjatuhkan Kerajaan.
Lim Kit Siang [ Ipoh Timur ] to ask the PRIME MINISTER to state the evidence for his claim that Bersih 3.0 assembly was a coup attempt by the opposition to topple the Government.
Remove Moral Studies from the SPM
CPIASIA
Foreword by CPI
A group of concerned parents are making a representation to Suhakam with regard to many longstanding complaints about Moral Studies taught in upper secondary school.
For many years now, the exam format of this subject has been so rigid that students are forced to strictly memorize 36 ‘values’ and definitions. They are then required to regurgitate word for word what they’ve memorized when sitting the SPM paper.
Such a method of testing morality is best suited to training parrots and appears to be designed by monkeys. Who are these monkeys that have been instrumental in designing the examination and how have they been allowed to get away with their monkey business for so long?
Any youth who has been educated to think critically might well ask, why 36 values, and why not 35 or 37? Who defines these ‘values’? Why must definitions drafted by some textbook writers be so stringent that not a word is to be changed? Even the 10 Commandments handed down by God from atop Mount Sinai allow more flexibility in their wording.
Read the rest of this entry »
Any Minister who dare to ask Cabinet tomorrow to openly apologise for the PM’s wild and baseless allegation that Bersih 3.0 was a coup attempt by Opposition to topple government?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak, Parliament, Police on Thursday, 14 June 2012
Now that the Barisan Nasional government, through the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s reply in Parliament yesterday, had as good as confessed that there is not even an iota of evidence to substantiate the wild and reckless allegation of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Gua Musang on May 4 that the Bersih 3.0 rally was a coup attempt by the Pakatan Rakyat opposition to topple the government by force on April 28, the Barisan Nasional Ministers must place this topic on top of the Cabinet agenda tomorrow.
The Cabinet Ministers must come to the rescue of the Prime Minister to save his face by assuming collective responsibility and make an open apology on behalf of the Prime Minister to the hundreds of thousands of Malaysians who took part peacefully and patriotically in the Bersih 3.0 rally and the 28 million Malaysians for this wild, reckless and baseless allegation about the Bersih 3.0 rally being a coup attempt by the Opposition to topple the government by force on April 28.
The question Malaysians want to know is whether there is any Minister, whether from UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, Sabah or Sarawak who dare to ask the Cabinet tomorrow to openly apologise for the Prime Minister’s wild, reckless and baseless allegation that Bersih 3.0 was a coup attempt by the opposition to topple the government by force on April 28.
Or will the former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir be proven right that the Cabinet Ministers are no better than “half-past six” Ministers? Read the rest of this entry »
Secret now out – allegation that Bersih 3.0 rally a coup attempt by PR to topple government completely baseless but Najib government afraid of “salt and water bottles” for fear of having lost support of the people
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak, Police on Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Question No. 4 during Question Time in Parliament today was the star attraction of the day as I had asked the Prime Minister to substantiate his allegation more than a month ago that Bersih 3.0 rally was a coup attempt by the Opposition to overthrow the government.
MPs from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat were expecting some “shocking” revelations to substantiate the very serious allegation by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Gua Musang on 4th May and which had the immediate support of three former Inspectors-General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar, Tan Sri Rahim Noor and Tan Sri Musa Hassan that the Bersih 3.0 rally was a coup d’etat attempt by Pakatan Rakyat to overthrow the Najib government on April 28 itself!
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who replied on behalf of Najib, was however a total disappointment as he could not give even an iota of evidence to substantiate Najib’s allegation and went completely off tangent into a tirade against Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat.
Nazri is entitled to his jaundiced views about Bersih 3.0 and Pakatan Rakyat but they do not constitute evidence that the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 was a coup attempt by Pakatan Rakyat to topple the Barisan Nasional government by force on April 28.
As I countered Nazri during my supplementary question, is the Najib government so weak that “salt and water bottles” (which was all that some of the peaceful Bersih 3.0 protestors were armed that day to defend themselves against any police tear gas and chemically-laced water cannons) could even topple it? Read the rest of this entry »
AG robs police of authority with CPC amendments
Posted by Kit in Crime, Law & Order, Police on Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Hafiz Yatim
Malaysiakini
Jun 12, 2012
EXCLUSIVE Several high-profile criminal cases could well have been swept under the carpet on the instruction of the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
This follows claims that amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) five years ago have strengthened the attorney-general’s position in police investigations as his office can, at any time, demand the investigation papers of a case even if it has not been completed.
As a result, the AG’s Chambers can at times be seen as influencing the direction of police investigations, something that has never before happened in the force.
Former Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Mat Zain Ibrahim, who raised this controversial matter, said the amendments to the CPC passed by Parliament in 2006 and enacted since 2007, have resulted in the police force losing some of its independent investigation powers. Read the rest of this entry »
Let’s ban ‘em all!
Posted by Kit in Articles, Human Rights on Tuesday, 12 June 2012
— Art Harun
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 12, 2012
JUNE 12 — I quite like the way people in authority attempt to solve various problems in Malaysia.
A long time ago, safety helmets were made compulsory for every motorcyclist and pillion rider. Thereafter, some smarty-pants wore helmets with visors to rob banks. Although I was still in school at that time, I remember the so-called solution which our authority came up with to solve that problem. They simply banned helmets with visors. Problem solved, right?
Many years ago there were concerns over deaths caused by accidents involving water-scooters on Penang beaches. Of course, before everybody could finish saying “water-scooters”, I remember some hot-shots proposed that water-scooters be banned. Fortunately that did not happen.
Baby dumping? Oh well, that’s easy. Ban, among others, Valentine’s Day celebration. Read the rest of this entry »
Takut-takut Mohamad bermimpi di siang hari
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 12, 2012
12 JUN — Saya telah dihubungi oleh beberapa pemimpin Umno Baru di Negeri Sembilan dan meminta saya membuka Free Malaysia Today kerana ada berita hangat yang akan saya temui. Bila saya bertanya apa beritanya dia menjawab, “Baco lah bang. Ado coghito Mad Hasan nak botanding di Paroi. Nak tumpaskan PAS terus bang” katanya.
Setelah sampai ke rumah saya pun membelek-belek apa kah benar cerita yang di katakan oleh AJK Bahagian Umno itu. Benar, ada berita tentang kecenderungan MB Negeri Sembilan untuk bertanding di DUN Paroi untuk menentang YB Taufek yang kini ahli Legislatif Negeri Sembilan mewakili DUN Paroi itu.
Sebenarnya saya percaya apa yang di tulis oleh FMT itu. Kalau berita itu datangnya dari Utusan, kita terpaksa berfikir panjang untuk mempastikan berita itu benar atau pun tidak Ini adalah kerana akhbar milik Umno itu belum lagi berjaya menulis berita-berita yang benar.
Akhbar milik Umno itu tidak “professional” dan tugasnya hanyalah untuk memecah belahkan pihak-pihak yang hendak bersatu. Akhbar itu tidak sedar yang semua rakyat kini mahu bersatu, tetapi diluar Umno dan BN. Read the rest of this entry »
Muhyiddin is just being honest
Posted by Kit in Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday, 11 June 2012
By Rama Ramanathan | June 11, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 11 — Tomorrow my wife and I leave Malaysia so that I can take up a short-term assignment abroad. As I said in my last post, we struggle over whether, as citizens, we are doing the right thing. We are after all Malaysians. We don’t think of any other country as our home. Politicians in no other countries care about our votes.
After I paid a few hundred US dollars, India recognised me as a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) — this means I don’t need a visa to enter India. But this is only in order to encourage me to transfer funds to India, which I have not done. I don’t have voting rights in India. Why should I? I care more about Malaysia than I do about India!
I do have voting rights in Malaysia, and I am disappointed that the 13th general election in Malaysia will likely occur while I’m away. Fortunately, my member of Parliament is not Umno-BN, and it seems likely the seat will remain with the opposition even without the help of the votes of my wife and myself. But, with all the shenanigans the Election Commission and Umno-BN are practising, we can’t be too sure.
The Malaysian Insider reported that Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister, said the opposition is “skilful at spinning” and at using social media tools.
Read the rest of this entry »
How Malaysia’s Leader Is Damaging His Reformist Reputation
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Najib Razak on Monday, 11 June 2012
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has styled himself a reformer, but his government’s prosecution of protesters shows he still has a long way to go.
By Robert Horn
Time
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak appears determined to give himself a political black eye. On June 13, government prosecutors will haul into court 10 leaders of Bersih, a coalition of civil society groups campaigning to clean up the country’s corrupt elections commission. The government is demanding damages for destruction to public property during a clash between Bersih demonstrators and police in Kuala Lumpur on April 28. At least 100,000 people marched for clean elections in the Malaysian capital that day, while tens of thousands more joined protests in 11 other cities across the country and 80 cities around the world. Whether or not the government wins compensation in court, however, no amount of money will undo the damage it is inflicting upon its own reputation by pursuing the case.
The April 28 demonstrations were a stunning show of discontent in a country where protests are rarely tolerated. In half a century, Malaysia has advanced from a poor British colony with a plantation economy to an ambitious, middle-income nation with science parks, cybercities and skyscrapers. But in a trade-off typical of Asia, the Barisan National coalition, which has ruled the country since independence in 1957, curtails civil liberties and keeps a tight rein on political opposition in exchange for delivering prosperity. That governing model, however, contains the seeds of its own decay. Malaysia’s successful development “translates into a better-educated electorate who have more sophisticated demands and expectations,” political scientist Prof. Farish Noor tells TIME.
Read the rest of this entry »
The big PTPTN blunder
Posted by Kit in Education, Elections, Muhyiddin Yassin, UMNO on Sunday, 10 June 2012
— Stephen Ng
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 10, 2012
JUNE 10 — I have been following the news about the PTPTN, and had previously written about it as well.
The latest development by the minister of higher education, Khaled Nordin, is one of the worst of Umno’s political games.
From the shared script with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the victims were apparently the students and their parents.
This ploy did not take into consideration the younger generation of Malaysians who cannot afford the higher education under the present Barisan Nasional regime.
To play on their sentiments is something that most Malaysians will not forgive.
Sometimes, silence is golden. In this case, it only became worse when Khaled Nordin had the cheek to say that the freeze on PTPTN loans to Selangor-owned tertiary education institutions “was sparked by the Selangor government’s failure to find a permanent solution for providing free education.” Read the rest of this entry »
Anti-Taib deejay says safe, will stay in Sarawak to fight for change
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 09, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — The radio host for Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) who went missing on May 31, has finally announced he is safe after fears he was abducted in Miri due to his criticism of Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s administration in the state.
Peter John Jaban, had entered a Proton Saga along with three unidentified men after landing in Miri from Kota Kinabalu under mysterious circumstances with friends, family and colleagues left unaware of his whereabouts for the past 10 days.
But the presenter for RFS said in a statement today “I am safer here than in any other country.”
“I’ve decided that my future is here. I was born here and I intend to remain here. There is so much work to be done especially with crucial elections just round the corner.
“This is our chance is to bring about real change in Sarawak politics. My struggle for Sarawak will continue where it’s needed most,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »
Muhyiddin has confirmed that the greatest threat to Najib’s signature 1Malaysia policy is the “Malay first, Malaysian second” DPM
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Sunday, 10 June 2012
Tan Sri Muhyiddinm Yassin has confirmed that the greatest threat to Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s signature 1Malaysia policy is his “Malay first, Malaysian second” Deputy Prime Minister.
In his speech yesterday, Muhyiddin said Malaysians cannot refute the fact that the future of the nation depended on the unity of the Malays and Muslims, who formed the majority.
Muhyiddin said if the Muslims split due to differences in politics or other fundamental issues related to religion, then it would be difficult to achieve peace and unity for the nation as a whole.
Muhyiddin is wrong as forming a greater majority than Malays and Muslims in the country are Malaysians regardless of religious faiths. Read the rest of this entry »
Jangan tunjukkan sangat sikap ‘inferiority’ itu
Posted by Kit in Education, Elections, Pakatan Rakyat on Sunday, 10 June 2012
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 10, 2012
10 JUN — Sampai bila pemimpin-pemimpin kerajaan (BN) hendak berperang dengan rakyat? Perbalahan tentang isu PTPTN berlarutan sehinggakan TS Muhyiddin dan Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi telah bertindak untuk menjadikan mahasiswa Universiti Selangor (UNISEL) mangsa pertembungan diantara kerajaan dan PR dengan melakukan tindakan yang paling bodoh (maaf kerana menggunakan istilah bodoh) yang dipamerkan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin setinggi Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri yang bertanggungjawab terhadap pendidikan tinggi negara.
Kalau kita amati secara halus ramai pemimpin yang pandai-pandai telah menjadi bodoh apabila menjadi pemimpin Umno Baru. Terlalu jelas yang pimpinan tertinggi Umno Baru yang mengaku untuk mendahului rakyat tidak mampu untuk mempertahankan janji-janji untuk menjadi pemimpin yang ‘magnanimous’ sepenuhnya jika dimandatkan oleh rakyat lagi sekali.
Membekukan permohonan pelajar UNISEL untuk mendapatkan PTPTN ini menunjukkan yang pemimpin-pemimpin yang terlibat sesungguhnya tidak mempunyai daya kepimpinan yang sejajar dengan cita-cita untuk menjadi pemimpin negara yang berangan-angan untuk menjadikan negara ini sebagai negara maju. Kemajuan negara bermula dengan kemajuan cara berfikir dan tindakan yang setanding dengan pemikiran pemimpin negara maju yang demokratik. Read the rest of this entry »
Schoolboy antics over PTPTN
Posted by Kit in Education, Elections, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Saturday, 9 June 2012
— The Malaysian Insider
Jun 09, 2012
JUNE 9 — Are schoolboys in charge of education in Malaysia? It sure seems that way when Putrajaya’s education czars decide to sulk and pull back scholarships for those studying in Selangor’s Universiti Selangor (Unisel) this past week.
Only to flip flop, be wishy-washy, do a volte-face and overturn that emotional decision a day later. Is that how a government runs things? Aren’t these ministers — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin — an embarrassment to Datuk Seri Najib Razak?
They can’t even be gracious and admit their mistake. Take Khaled’s statement that Unisel’s appeal for National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) loans to be restored showed that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) could not deliver its promise of free education.
Is that how a Barisan Nasional (BN) minister behaves? Use state facilities to prove a point? And let students seeking a better future be at his whim and fancy? Read the rest of this entry »
Contest of credibility before Malaysia’s elections
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Elections, Najib Razak, NEM on Saturday, 9 June 2012
by Shankaran Nambiar
East Asia Forum
June 8th, 2012
Credibility is a prized asset for any government, and with general elections fast approaching in Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak is no exception to this rule.
Najib has an onerous task ahead of him because the Barisan Nasional coalition, which he heads, won only 140 out of 222 lower house seats in the last election in 2008. This simple majority of 63.5 per cent was the coalition’s worst performance since Malaysian independence in 1957.
Najib’s leadership qualities will be severely tested this time around, but he is well aware of the daunting challenge ahead. In fact, his awareness of the problems on the ground might be his strongest suit. So far, it has enabled him to take the first steps toward repairing the damage the Barisan Nasional suffered over the years since the 2008 debacle.
Two notable efforts in this direction were the launching of the New Economic Model and the 1Malaysia concept, both in 2010. These campaigns show that Najib understands that addressing issues relating to inclusiveness and governance are key to winning the upcoming 13th general elections by a convincing margin. Read the rest of this entry »
Correcting the civil service racial imbalance
Posted by Kit in Lim Teck Ghee, public service on Saturday, 9 June 2012
Dr Lim Teck Ghee
CPI
Can the government promise that all young Malaysians will be given fair treatment, and racial or regional discrimination will not be tolerated in order to encourage non-Malay recruitment into the civil service?
Once more the government appears to be clueless and befuddled as to why the non-Malay young do not want to take up civil service jobs. Once more, there will be a taskforce and a high-level committee at work to produce yet another report on how to attract non-Malays to join the service.
Once more the almost obligatory letters are appearing in the mainstream papers applauding the government (in this case) the Public Service Commission new chairman for his bold initiative in proposing a study “to nail down…the reasons for the poor number of applications from non-Bumiputeras for public and civil service jobs”. Read the rest of this entry »
Gruesome reminders of failure of Najib premiership in one of its most important tasks – to reduce crime and eradicate the fear of crime
The bloody mugging of Bersih steering committee member Wong Chin Huat while jogging near his home in Section 18, Petaling Jaya this morning, and the serious case of Bandar Kinrara, Puchong teacher Teoh Soo Kim, 51, fighting for her life after she suffered severe head injuries and lost consciousness in an abduction on Wednesday are gruesome reminders to Malaysians that the Najib administration has failed in one of its most important tasks – to reduce crime and to eradicate the fear of crime among Malaysians.
It is no use the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the CEO of Pemandu and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Idris Jala boasting about Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and National Key Result Areas (NKRA) successes, such as claiming that the overall crime index for 2011 had dropped by 11.1%, while street crime decreased significantly by 39.7% compared with 35% in 2010 – and a marked improvement from the 15% reduction in street crime set under the NKRA in 2010 – when Malaysians still do not feel safe from the fear of crime whether in the privacy of their homes, or outside in the streets and public places.
The mobilisation of over 14,00 police personnel on April 28 to deal with the peaceful Bersih 3.0 rally, and the continued demonisation of 200,000 Malaysians regardless of race, religion, class, region, age or gender who had gathered peacefully for a common national cause for a clean election have made the failure of the Najib government to reduce crime and eradicate the fear of crime among Malaysians in the urban areas even more unacceptable. Read the rest of this entry »
“Malaysia has fallen off the investment map”
Extract from book review of Ruchi Sharma’s “Breakout Nations: In pursuit of the next economic miracles” by John Loh published in StarBizWeek today
In his chapter on Malaysia, Sharma has a more stark prognosis.
“Malaysia’s economy slowed dramatically after the Asian crisis,” he writes, adding, “There is a widespread sense in Kuala Lumpur that the economy has been growing because of extensive government spending and fortunate circumstances rising global commodity prices have been a huge boost to its rubber and palm oil exports not from smart choices.”
The dramatic reforms taking place in Indonesia, Sharma argues, have “no parallel” in Malaysia, putting it at risk of sliding backward.
Malaysia, he points out, is the only Asian country where FDI is declining as at the last quarter of 2011, it was flowing out at a rate of 2.5% of GDP.
Sharma also tells SBW that the country is obsessed with central planning and grand schemes, but has often fallen short on execution. Read the rest of this entry »
Kereta tua selalu rosak, elok kita tukar kereta baru
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 08, 2012
8 JUN — Saya akan bertolak ke Utara untuk memenuhi jemputan berceramah malam ini dan besok. Sebelum saya berangkat ke sana saya perturunkan sedikit komen tentang pengumuman TS Muhy dua hari yang lepas.
Tan Sri Muhy berkata berkemungkinan beberapa pemberian dalam bentuk tunai kepada rakyat akan dilakukan sebelum pilihanraya ini untuk menampung kos barangan yang tinggi dan meringankan beban rakyat yang miskin. Kemiskinan memangnya menjadi umpan untuk BN dan Umno Baru untuk berkuasa dan kemiskinan rakyat inilah yang membuatkan rakyat yang sentiasa berharap kepada kerajaan. Khabarnya lagi RM10 billion akan dibelanjakan untuk BR1M kali ini.
Tidak lama lagi akan kita saksikan rakyat beratur lagi untuk mendapatkan bantuan itu, yang akan dibahagi-bahagikan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin Umno Baru di setiap pelusuk negara kita. Entah mana Umno Baru mandapatkan wang sebesar ini tidak pula diketahui. Jika wang ini datangnya dari kantung rakyat (wang rakyat), wang itu sepatutnya dibahagi-bahagikan oleh penjawat awam dan dalam konteks ini ia sepatutnya diberikan oleh pegawai-pegawai daerah, bukannya oleh ahli-ahli politik. Read the rest of this entry »
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