Archive for October, 2017
Call for a Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights whose terms of reference would include reviewing the ban of over 1,600 books in the past 40 years
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, Islam, Pakatan Harapan on Tuesday, 31 October 2017
It is an honour and privilege to be here to take part in the dialogue on “Maju Malaysia: Buku Sumber Kebijaksanaan atau Penggugat Keharmonian?” at Summit USJ Mall organized at the initiative of the Office of Hannah Yeoh, Selangor State Assembly Speaker and to have such a distinguished panelists of discussants, namely Pak Samad Said, Dr. Ahmad Farouk Musa, Art Harun and Al-Mustaqeem Mahmud Radhi.
Recently, there had been a spate of bans on books and publications, but the most shocking was the ban in July on the book produced by G25 titled “Breaking the Silence: Voices of Moderation ― Islam in a Constitutional Democracy” in a country founded on the principles of moderation, tolerance, openness and inclusivity and whose Prime Minister has gone to the United Nations General Assembly three times since 2010 to sell his international initiative of a Global Movement of Moderates, which has proved to be neither global, a movement nor moderate.
Early this month, the government banned the latest work of Malaysian cartoonist Junar, whose book “Sapuman: Man of Steal”, making a mockery of Malaysia’s commitment to human rights and freedom of expression. This follows earlier bans on Zunar’s other cartoon books – Gedung Kartun, 1 Funny Malaysia, Isu Dalam Kartun (Vol 1, 2, 3), Conspiracy to Imprison Anwar, Perak Darul Kartun and Pirates of Carry-BN. Zunar’s Ros in Kangkongland and other titles are also investigated under the Sedition Act.
Malaysia also banned the international best-seller “Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty” published in United States in 2011, just after an unpleasantly-enforced end to a lecture tour by Turkish author Mustapha Akyol, who suddenly found himself a “persona non grata” by the religious authorities in Malaysia, subjected to harassment and detention. Read the rest of this entry »
A Pakatran Harapan Government in Putrajaya will prove in five years that it is better than UMNO/BN government for all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli or the voters can re-elect a UMNO/BN government in 15GE
Posted by Kit in Elections, Pakatan Harapan on Monday, 30 October 2017
What in a nutshell is the reason why there must be a change of government in Putrajaya in the next 14th General Election?
Has Malaysia fulfilled our Merdeka Dream 1957 and Malaysia Dream 1963 to be a shining example to the world of an united, successful, harmonious, democratic, progressive and prosperous plural society of diverse races, religions, languages and cultures?
We have not, as we are wracked by growing extremism, intolerance and bigotry resulting in the worst racial and religious polarization in the nation’s history, with more and more Malaysians, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, questioning the violations of the bedrock principles of the Malaysian constitution and nation-building.
What is worse, we have become a global kleptocracy – and this is the first time in the 14 general elections in 60 years of the nation’s history that electorate is being presented starkly with the choice: “Sayangi Malaysia, Hapuskan kleptokrasi”. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib cannot take the moral high ground to claim his 2018 Budget is the best budget in the nation’s 60 history as the “mother of all budgets” when it dared not address the most basic moral question in governance, the 1MDB scandal and Malaysia’s infamy as a global kleptocracy during Najib’s premiership
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Corruption, Najib Razak on Saturday, 28 October 2017
The Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, cannot take the moral high ground to claim that his 2018 Budget which he presented to Parliament yesterday is the best in the nation‘s 60-year history as the “mother of all budgets” when it dared not address the most basic moral question in governance, the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal and Malaysia’s infamy and ignominy as a global kleptocracy during Najib’s premiership.
For five years, Najib had studiously avoided the issue of the 1MDB scandal and Malaysia’s infamy and ignominy as a global kleptocracy in his annual budget speech in Parliament, but three days before his 2018 Budget presentation in Parliament yesterday, he came out with a 81-paragraph statement ringing praise for his financial and economic stewardship of the country. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib cannot be more wrong in boasting that the 2018 is the “mother of all budgets” – it is the “mother of all hypocritical budgets” when he dared not even address the 1MDB “mother of all scandals” which transformed Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocrcacy
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Friday, 27 October 2017
I am very disappointed.
Throughout the nearly three-hour budget presentation by the Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, I did not hear the single reference to the interntional multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal which had overnight transformed Malaysia into a global kleptocracy.
How can Najib boast that the 2018 Budget which he had presented is the “Mother of All Budgets” – that no other budget “during the last 22 years or the past 60 years of our own nation” had never been crafted so well – when he dare not even mention address the 1MDB “mother of all scandals” which transformed Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocracy!
I am shocked that Najib should claim that he is even better than his father, Tun Razak who had presented a budget as Finance Minister.
Read the rest of this entry »
30th Anniversary of Ops Lalang mass arrests – call on Malaysians to unite to save democracy, the rule of law, human rights and to eradicate corruption and kleptocracy
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, ISA on Friday, 27 October 2017
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Operation Lalang which brought about the darkest days for democracy and human rights.
There was not only the arrest of 106 Malaysians, including opposition leaders – 16 of whom were from the DAP, including MPs and State Assemblymen – trade unionists, social activists, environmentalists, Chinese educationists and religious workers, there was also the wholesale attacks on press freedom with the closure of three newspapers, the assault on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law and the series of undemocratic legislation which caused a tectonic shift in the Malaysian political landscape, subordinating the legislative and judicial branches to the Executive.
Operation Lalang in 1987 brought the fragile plant of Malaysian democracy to the brink of ruin and disaster. Read the rest of this entry »
30th Anniversary of Ops Lalang mass arrests – call on Malaysians to unite to save democracy, the rule of law, human rights and to eradicate corruption and kleptocracy
Posted by Kit in Corruption, democracy, Human Rights on Friday, 27 October 2017
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Operation Lalang which brought about the darkest days for democracy and human rights.
There was not only the arrest of 106 Malaysians, including opposition leaders – 16 of whom were from the DAP, including MPs and State Assemblymen – trade unionists, social activists, environmentalists, Chinese educationists and religious workers, there was also the wholesale attacks on press freedom with the closure of three newspapers, the assault on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law and the series of undemocratic legislation which caused a tectonic shift in the Malaysian political landscape, subordinating the legislative and judicial branches to the Executive.
Operation Lalang in 1987 brought the fragile plant of Malaysian democracy to the brink of ruin and disaster.
But Malaysian resilience, the spirit and love for freedom, justice and the nation, did not wilt or capitulate but sprang back not only to recover lost ground and to achieve new democratic breakthroughs as in the 13th General Election when 52% of popular vote sought the first change of national government but the people were denied the fruits of democratic victory because of undemocratic gerrymandering of parliamentary constituencies. Read the rest of this entry »
Call on Najib to start his belated defence of international multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal which transformed Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocracy in his 2018 Budget speech
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Friday, 27 October 2017
Three days before his 2018 Budget speech, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak suddenly issued a 81-paragraph blog on “My Economic Vision for Malaysia” which is remarkable for its attempt for the first time to white-wash the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal by explaining away the colossal theft and misappropriation of tens of billions of ringgit of public funds as a mere 1MDB “share of problems” which “we long ago revamped the management to correct the mistakes and bring it back to financial health”.
This is not a worthy or acceptable response to the international strictures that Malaysia has become a “global kleptocracy” as a result of the 1MDB scandal, which is the core of the kleptocratic litigation instituted by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to forfeit US$1.7 billion 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland, and which are now suspended pending criminal investigations by the United States authorities, as well as for the various financial and criminal actions and investigations by over half a dozen countries, including Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, the United Kingdom and Australia in connection with the 1MDB scandal.
Lest it be forgotten, the Malay Rulers’ on October 6, 2015 issued a rare joint statement and called on the Government to complete the investigation related to 1MDB as soon as possible and take “the appropriate stern action” against all found to be implicated. Read the rest of this entry »
I will return Saudi Arabia to moderate Islam, says crown prince
Posted by Kit in International, Islam on Thursday, 26 October 2017
Martin Chulov in Riyadh
Guardian
Tuesday 24 October 2017
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has vowed to return the country to “moderate Islam” and asked for global support to transform the hardline kingdom into an open society that empowers citizens and lures investors.
In an interview with the Guardian, the powerful heir to the Saudi throne said the ultra-conservative state had been “not normal” for the past 30 years, blaming rigid doctrines that have governed society in a reaction to the Iranian revolution, which successive leaders “didn’t know how to deal with”.
Expanding on comments he made at an investment conference at which he announced the launch of an ambitious $500bn (£381bn) independent economic zone straddling Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, Prince Mohammed said: “We are a G20 country. One of the biggest world economies. We’re in the middle of three continents. Changing Saudi Arabia for the better means helping the region and changing the world. So this is what we are trying to do here. And we hope we get support from everyone.
“What happened in the last 30 years is not Saudi Arabia. What happened in the region in the last 30 years is not the Middle East. After the Iranian revolution in 1979, people wanted to copy this model in different countries, one of them is Saudi Arabia. We didn’t know how to deal with it. And the problem spread all over the world. Now is the time to get rid of it.” Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysians must unite to defend the bedrock constitutional and nation-building principles of openness, tolerance, moderation and inclusivity if Malaysia is to succeed and prosper as a nation
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Indians, nation building on Thursday, 26 October 2017
I was struck by a foreign news report that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had pledged a return to a moderate past and looked forward to a technology-driven future.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, the Saudi Crown Prince said:
“We are returning to what we were before — a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world.
“We will not spend the next 30 years of our lives dealing with destructive ideas. We will destroy them today.”
The crown prince addressed an audience of thousands of global investors and dignitaries who visited the Saudi capital to hear first-hand how the country’s society and economy are being transformed.
He said: “Saudi Arabia was not like this before 1979. We want to go back to what we were, the moderate Islam that’s open to all religions. We want to live a normal life.”
Although the Saudi kingdom still has a long way to go in order to represent moderate Islam and become an open society, this is in stark contrast to some Malaysians who want to take the country towards an extremist direction, completely at odds with the country’s bedrock constitutional and nation-building principles of openness, tolerance, moderation and inclusivity. Read the rest of this entry »
If 1MDB is a “national savior”, including saving Malaysia RM200 billion over the next 20 years on power agreements, then stop the clampdown and allow a full debate on 1MDB in Parliament!
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Wednesday, 25 October 2017
Friday Oct. 27, 2017 is a watershed day for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, as he will be tabling the 2018 Budget as his “ultra weapon” for winning the 14th General Election.
Today, as a prelude to his 2018 Budget on Friday, Najib released his “My Economic Vision for Malaysia”, where he boasted about his accomplishments and achievements in his more than seven years as Prime Minister.
What will history and future generations remember about Najib’s premiership? Read the rest of this entry »
Lesson from first day of Parliament – no way the 1MDB scandal can be swept under the carpet as it will continue to haunt and hound Malaysia until there is full accountability releasing the country from the infamy of a global kleptocracy
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Tuesday, 24 October 2017
The lesson from the first day of the 25-day Budget 2018 parliamentary meeting is that there is no way the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal can be swept under the carpet as it will continue to haunt and hound Malaysia until there is full accountability releasing the country from the infamy of a global kleptocracy.
Parliament can pretend that the 1MDB scandal has ceased to exist, rejecting questions from Members of Parliament relating to the 1MDB scandal and Malaysia as a global kleptocracy and stopping MPs from demanding accountability for the 1MDB scandal from the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers, with Ministers having to undergo political acrobatics and contortions like the one performed by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi yesterday both during and after Question Time on the 1MDB scandal, particularly with reference to the whereabouts of major 1MDB scandal mastermind, Jho Low, but the monstrous 1MDB scandal will not go away. Read the rest of this entry »
Anifah’s verbal pyrotechnics hide a terribly weak case and reinforces why he must explain reasons for Malaysia’s diplomatic setback in losing 50 votes in UN failing to get elected to UNHRC
Posted by Kit in International on Monday, 23 October 2017
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman’s verbal pyrotechnics hide a terribly weak case and reinforces the case why he must explain the reasons for Malaysia’s diplomatic setback in losing 50 votes in the United Nations failing to get elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the new year.
In accordance with paragraph 7 of General Assembly resolution 60/251 the UNHRC shall consist of 47 Member States, which shall be elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.
The membership shall be based on equitable geographical distribution, and seats shall be distributed as follows among regional groups: Read the rest of this entry »
14th General Election a choice between UMNO/BN recapturing two-thirds parliamentary majority or UMNO/BN defeat and new Pakatan Harapan Federal Government in Putrajaya to reset nation-building policies to save Malaysia
In the pre-general election meeting with Barisan Nasional co-ordinators yesterday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he wants the Barisan Nasional to achieve a two-thirds majority in Parliament in the forthcoming 14th General Election.
The choice for Malaysians in the 14th General Election is a very clear-cut and obvious one – for UMNO/BN to win big and even recapture two-thirds parliamentary majority or to defeat the UMNO/BN coalition to have a new Pakatan Harapan Federal Government in Putrajaya to re-set nation-building policies to save Malaysia and clear and cleanse the country of the international infamy and ignominy of a “global kleptocracy”. Read the rest of this entry »
If not Dzulkifli, who ordered the MACC to arrest Shafie Apdal and 10 other Warisan leaders?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Najib Razak, Sabah, UMNO on Saturday, 21 October 2017
I had not expected my retort to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner, Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, to take effect so fast.
On 28th September, I had replied to Dzulkifli who said a day earlier that people were watching me to judge my commitment and seriousness towards fighting corruption and abuse of power.
I observed that I had been watched by the people for the 52 years I had been involved in politics, and reminded Dzulkifli that the people were watching him whether he will be the head of the world’s first “kleptocratic” anti-corruption agency.
I never expected that the people’s “watch” on the MACC Chief Commissioner would within a month become a supreme test, which caused Dzulkifli to disappear from the public limelight in past 12 days except for a highly problematic statement four days ago, although he was dominating the public limelight almost on a daily basis previously.
Let us focus on the four-day remand of the Parti Warisan Sabah president, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal on his 60th birthday, in connection with MACC investigations into alleged misappropriation of at least RM1.5 billion in rural development funds intended for Sabah and the MACC arrest of Shafie’s two younger brothers and a number of other Warisan leaders. Read the rest of this entry »
Anifah should explain why Malaysia’s international reputation and human rights standing plunged so precipitately under Najib’s premiership as to lose 50 votes as compared to 2010 resulting in defeat for election to UN Human Rights Council
Posted by Kit in Corruption, International on Friday, 20 October 2017
The so-called “rebuttal” of the Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Anifah Aman to the statement by the DAP MP for Kluang, Liew Chin Tong, asking for an explanation why Malaysia lost its bid for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council could be dismissed just as all “bluff and bluster signifying nothing”, as it completely failed to address Chin Tong’s question which is asked by all thinking Malaysians.
It is in fact another sad example of the atrocious English of Malaysia’s Cabinet Ministers.
Anifah should explain why Malaysia’s international reputation and human rights standing plunged so precipitately under Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s premiership as to lose 50 votes when compared to Malaysia’s second attempt to be elected to the UN Human Rights Council in 2010, when Malaysia secured 179 votes as compared to the measly 129 votes this time. Read the rest of this entry »
Even more shocking than KJ’s aide giving the Malaysiakini report the boot is…
The Malaysiakini report “KJ’s aide gives M’kini the boot” is most shocking, but I find a greater shock when I read the report.
The Malaysiakini reporter was asked to leave a Youth and Sports Ministry event in Putrajaya today, and the person who gave the marching orders was the Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s aide, who had solicited questions from reporters before a press conference.
Following this, the aide returned to the reporters’ desk and asked the Malaysiakini reporter to leave the venue.
The aide said: “I apologise. YB does not want to answer questions from Malaysiakini, nor are you allowed to be here.
“I have to ask you to leave. I apologise.”
This was indeed most shocking, and doubly shocking is that it should come from Khairy Jamaluddin, the UMNO/Barisan Nasional’s icon for the Malaysian youths of today, representing the new hopes of the young generation for fresh air, openness, tolerance, freedom and justice – someone who had wanted to be Prime Minister before he was 40 years old!
But what was trebly shocking was the following paragraph in the Malaysiakini report:
“The practice of press secretaries or aides approaching reporters for questions before press conferences by government officials is not unusual in Malaysia.” Read the rest of this entry »
Have the “kleptocratic chickens coming home to roost” caused Malaysia’s defeat for election to UN Human Rights Council?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Human Rights on Thursday, 19 October 2017
Malaysia suffers ignominy in the latest defeat for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council, being the only country to lose out as there were 16 countries vying for the 15 seats, and even more pertinent, the only country to lose out among the five countries which competed for the four Human Rights Council seats allocated to Asia-Pacific region.
It is a terrible setback for Malaysia’s human rights record that the country should lose out to countries which are regarded as definitely greater human rights offenders than Malaysia, like Pakistan, Qatar and Afghanistan in the region or countries like Congo and Angola in the world.
This is Malaysia’s third bid for a seat on the council after two stints, from 2006 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2013. Read the rest of this entry »
MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT 370: THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES
BY EDOUARD MORTON
South China Morning Post
15 OCT 2017
Suicide, hijack … aliens?
The mystery surrounding flight MH370 has stirred up endless conspiracy theories from armchair investigators, aviation enthusiasts and industry experts.
PILOT SUICIDE
One of the earliest theories to surface following the plane’s disappearance was that Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shad deliberately steered the aircraft into the ocean. Leaked Malaysian police documents, first reported by New York magazine, alleged the pilot had flown a similar ‘suicide route’ on a home flight simulator. Media pounced on the idea the pilot was heartbroken. Malaysian police dismissed the theory. Read the rest of this entry »
MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT 370 SEARCH: WHY GIVE HOPE WHEN THERE WAS NONE?
BY FLORENCE DE CHANGY
South China Morning Post
14 OCT 2017
After three years, Australia finds one certitude in its search for the airliner – it was not where authorities were so adamant it would be. One could be forgiven for seeing only an exercise in media management
It has been three years and seven months since flight MH370 vanished in the heart of a quiet night above the South China Sea. The Boeing 777 had been travelling northeast from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, where it was scheduled to land at 6.30am on March 8, when the co-pilot signed off from Malaysian airspace with the now infamous words “Good night, Malaysia 370”.
That was the last ever heard from the 239 people on board, 153 of whom were Chinese, and the last time the whereabouts of the doomed flight can be calculated with any real certainty. After 10 days of frenzied media speculation, in which the Malaysian authorities’ complete (and embarrassing) lack of knowledge of the flight’s location was broadcast across the world, Australia took the lead role in the search. That move was heralded at the time as “the pros” taking over – a confidence that in hindsight can be seen as completely misplaced given Australia’s aviation watchdog closed its investigation last week, not an inch closer to the truth. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib doesn’t have GE14 in the bag
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Wednesday, 18 October 2017
MARZUKI MOHAMAD
New Mandala
18 OCT, 2017
Malaysia’s 14th general election (or GE14) looms large. Some pundits predict that the election will be held sometime between November 2017 and March 2018. This is supposedly the best window for Prime Minister Najib Razak to lead Barisan Nasional (BN) to another victory.
But calling for a general election amid allegations of an epic financial scandal involving the prime minister himself is not an easy task. The 1MDB scandal, the subject of investigations in six countries, has badly affected Najib’s popularity. What the Prime Minister badly needs is a real feel-good factor that will overcome all these misfortunes. But this will be hard to come by. Read the rest of this entry »
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