Archive for category Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Option 6 for Abdullah – Be a courageous reformist PM in his last six months in at least 10 areas which will be a lasting legacy for future Malaysians
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Monday, 29 September 2008
Tonight, let us explore another option open to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, faced with an ultimatum by the Umno Supreme Council’s “926” emergency meeting that he abandon his mid-June 2010 power-transition plan and to relinquish his posts as Umno President and Prime Minister in March next year = his decision to be announced before the start of the Umno division meetings on October 9.
This may be described as his sixth option as I had last night referred to five options he would have to mull over in the next 12 days.
If Abdullah is not prepared to take on the Umno warlords by contesting for the Umno President’s post, be a lameduck Prime Minister for the next 12 months, immediately resign as Prime Minister, advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament to hold new general election or co-operate with Pakatan Rakyat to establish a new federal government, there is one more option open to him. Read the rest of this entry »
Ousting of Abdullah as PM by next March – let MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP, Sabah/Sarawak BN parties take a stand
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Gerakan, MCA, UMNO on Monday, 29 September 2008
In his speech to the Federal Territory (FT) Gerakan Wanita and Youth delegates conference yesterday, Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon rightly called for a meeting of the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council to discuss the candidacy for the Umno President.
Koh said that although Umno party elections and post allocations are internal Umno matters, as Umno is the backbone of Barisan Nasional and the UMNO President is the Prime Minister, there is a need for the Barisan Nasional component parties to participate in the discussion and to give input on this issue in order for a consensus to be reached.
I commend Koh for giving a correct analysis on what should be the respective positions of the other Barisan Nasional component parties vis-à-vis the power struggle in Umno.
This is not an interference in the Umno internal party affairs, as Malaysians as a whole have an equal stake and interest as to who will become the Umno President as he will also be the Prime Minister so long as the federal government comes from the Umno-hegemonised Barisan Nasional.
The position taken by Koh should be the position for all other BN component parties, whether Gerakan, MCA, MIC, SUPP or other BN parties from Sabah/Sarawak. Read the rest of this entry »
Over 60% of grassroots in Gerakan, MCA, MIC and over 80% of members of Sabah/Sarawak parties want to quit BN
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Gerakan, MCA, UMNO on Monday, 29 September 2008
The front-page headline in the evening edition of tomorrow’s Chinese newspapers is the speech by the Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon that at least 60 per cent of the grassroots in Gerakan want the party to leave Barisan Nasional (BN) to be “relieved of the heavy emotional burden of BN”.
Speaking at the opening of the Federal Territory (FT) Gerakan Wanita and Youth delegates conference this morning, Koh said the Gerakan Central Committee would undertake a more objective and rational analysis of the “quit BN” sentiments in the party.
I dare say without much fear of contradiction that if given the opportunity to voice out, it is not just over 60 per cent of the grassroots in Gerakan but also over 60 per cent of the membership in MCA and MIC would want their parties to leave Barisan Nasional – and the percentage will be even higher for many Barisan Nasional component parties in Sabah and Sarawak, easily exceeding 80%.
This is because the UMNOputra leadership, despite the major blow suffered by UMNO political hegemony in the March 8 general election by a multi-racial and multi-religious Pakatan Rakyat, has proved to be utterly insensitive, blind and deaf to the legitimate aspirations of all Malaysians, including ordinary Malays. Read the rest of this entry »
2 more options, increasing to 5, open to Abdullah to mull over his political future
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, UMNO on Sunday, 28 September 2008
The month of September has given birth to two momentous dates – first “916” and then “926”.
“916” signifies political “sky-change”. Its importance does not lie in whether the change in federal power takes place on Sept. 16 but in the sea-change in the political mindset, attitudes and expectations of Malaysians about power change.
Six months ago, the Barisan Nasional was so monolithic and impregnable that it was unthinkable and impossible to envisage that it could be toppled from the federal government level.
In the past six months however, the dream and possibility of change of federal power have spread like a prarie fire among Malaysians that it is no exaggeration to say that today the overwhelmingly majority of Malaysians believe that change of federal power is possible while a clear majority would want such a change to take effect immediately.
This is what is most important about the “916” magic – not whether the “skychange” took place on September 16, 2008 (which it did not) but that the political moment in Malaysia has arrived when change of federal power is no more an impossible dream but has become a practical possibility and it is only a matter of time when this “skychange” transforms the political landscape in the country.
When the “916 skychange” takes place remains a very immediate political agenda in Malaysia – whether 1016, 1116, 1216 or in an early 13th general election. Read the rest of this entry »
Abdullah’s premiership de facto ended yesterday (26.9.08)
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, UMNO on Saturday, 27 September 2008
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s premiership de facto ended yesterday, September 26, 2008 – 54 months after scoring the most stunning landslide electoral victory for any Prime Minister in the nation’s 51-year history.
How far and how fast Abdullah has fallen!
All the Umno heavyweights are now engaged in a marionette play – how to plunge the dagger into Abdullah’s back without blood being seen to be drawn or better still even camouflaging from the Malaysian public the act of dagger-stabbing altogether.
Although Abdullah claimed that it would be his decision, “whether to contest or not” the post of Umno President, there could be no doubt that if Abdullah departs from the script and fails to announce by before October 9 that he would not be offering himself as a candidate as Umno President, the marionette play would be abandoned and the dagger-stabbing would be a very public and bloody one.
Even the sweet-sounding praises by Umno leaders yesterday over the scuttling of Abdullah’s original mid-2010 power-transition plan and the postponement of the Umno general assembly from December to March next year sounded rather ominous if Abdullah ignores the unmistakable signal that he should not dilly-dally any more in making his exit. Read the rest of this entry »
Abdullah’s mid-2010 transition plan scuttled – can he salvage his premiership when the writing is on the wall?
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, UMNO on Friday, 26 September 2008
The fifth Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is now on his last leg. He has at most six months. The end could come even faster, in a matter of weeks.
A coup d’etat was staged at this morning’s emergency UMNO Supreme Council meeting, where Abdullah’s mid-2010 power-transition plan was scuttled for good.
Although Abdullah declared after the meeting that he had not decided whether to defend the Umno President’s post in March next year, asserting that “The decision is mine, you can go on guessing”, these are empty brave words as the writing is clearly on the wall of another Prime Minister and Umno President being forced out of office.
Can Abdullah salvage his premiership to leave behind some honourable legacy to future generations?
Emergency Umno Supreme Council meeting – for the sake of Abdullah or Malaysia?
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Anwar Ibrahim, UMNO on Friday, 26 September 2008
Today’s emergency UMNO Supreme Council meeting, second in a week, exposes Umno in a white-heat crisis to Malaysians.
There were all sorts of rumours last week, including the quite “unbelievable” one (which I mentioned in my blog) that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had been given up to Sept. 26 to step down as Prime Minister – although nobody was able to explain why Sept. 26 as the deadline for at least a clear-cut announcement of his retirement intention rather than the more believable Oct. 9.
But as they say, there is no smoke without fire! This explains the emergency Umno Supreme Council meeting today.
The full effects of the political tsunami of the March 8 general election, which dealt a fatal blow to Umno political hegemony, destroyed the hitherto unchallenged Barisan Nasional mould of race and money politics, and gave heart to Malaysians that there is hope after all for Malaysia to fulfill her great potential and promise of human, intellectual and natural resources, end and reverse the costly brain-drain, taking her rightful place in the global community – have still to be played out.
These are the pains, trials and tribulations of Malaysia becoming a more normal country after 51 years of nationhood so that Malaysia can truly join the ranks of the fully-developed nations. Read the rest of this entry »
Terrible price being paid by Malaysians for Abdullah’s failure to establish IPCMC
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Crime, Police on Thursday, 25 September 2008
Two ghastly news within 24 hours –the robbery-cum-murder of Thor Joo Lee, wife of former Penang State Assemblyman for Bukit Tambun, Lai Chew Hock at her Tambun Indah house in Penang and the robbery of Datin Chang Lee Lee, wife of former Penang Exco and Pulau Tikus Assemblyman Datuk Dr. Teng Hock Nan in her Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman house in Penang.
These two cases of robbery (and one murder) of the wife of two former Penang Assemblymen are horrible reminders of the terrible costs being paid by Malaysians for the failure by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to heed the important recommendation of the Police Royal Commission to establish the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to create an efficient, professional and world-class police service to keep crime low in the country.
As a result, it has become an important factor why Malaysia is losing out in the international competiveness stakes to other countries in attracting foreign investment as low crime, personal safety and security of property always rank as one of the top considerations for any foreign investor in the important decision-making process whether to invest in a country or not.
I have no doubt that Malaysia would have broken the back of the worsening crime problem if the IPCMC had been fully accepted and started functioning from May 2006 as recommended by the Royal Police Commission, making Malaysia a safe haven not only for Malaysian citizens, but also for investors and tourists.
Abdullah has failed as Home Minister for eight years from 2001-2008 as he presided over a worsening crime situation in the country with Malaysians, investors and tourists unable to feel safe whether in the streets, public places or in the privacy of their homes.
The current Home Minister, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar is also heading for another dismal failure as a Home Minister as he has not been able to inspire public confidence that his No. 1 responsibility is to reverse the rising tide of the crime index in the past decade to make Malaysia a safe country for her citizens, investors and tourists. Read the rest of this entry »
Abdullah ultimate failure in battle against corruption – Malaysia’s worst ranking in 14 years of TI CPI (No. 47)
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Corruption on Wednesday, 24 September 2008
It is another day of shame for Malaysia when the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2008 was unveiled, with the country placed at No. 47th position, its worst ranking in 14 years since the introduction of the annual TI CPI ranking in 1995.
It is also the ultimate failure of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s campaign against corruption, which he promised to place at the very top of his agenda when he became the fifth Prime Minister five years ago –a campaign rich in paying lip service but doomed to failure as it lacked the political will to produce results.
It is most ironic and tragic that one man who will feel most vindicated by the TI CPI 2008 is former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
Abdullah had promised that his campaign against corruption will be one area which will distinguish the difference of his premiership from that of his predecessor. It was his promise to bring in a refreshing wind of change after 22 years of “cronyism, corruption and nepotism” (KKN) of Mahathir administration that created the unprecedented Barisan Nasional landslide electoral victory in the 2004 general election.
However, in just a year after the 2004 general election, Mahathir was able to adopt a “holier than thou” attitude towards the Abdullah premiership by publicly warning in May 2005 that corruption under Abdullah for a little over a year was even worse than under him for 22 years, that “corruption might be getting to a point of no return”, becoming “a culture in Malaysia with corruption almost at the ‘above the table’ level” and “more and more people no longer trying to hide the fact that they were corrupt”.
The TI CPI 2008 has proved Mahathir right in his adverse judgment on the Abdullah administration on its dismal performance in the battle against corruption.
What a sad and tragic end reminding one of the Shakespearean quote in Macbeth: “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Read the rest of this entry »
Pak Lah Desecrating Ramadan
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Bakri Musa, Human Rights, Raja Petra Kamaruddin on Wednesday, 24 September 2008
by M. Bakri Musa
When President Nixon ordered the bombing of Hanoi during Christmas of 1972, I knew then that his fate was sealed. I am not a Christian, but living in the West I am very much aware of the spiritual significance of Christmas. As such I found Nixon’s action, coming from a self-professed Christian who regularly had Billy Graham pray with him in the White House, abominable beyond comprehension.
A Just God would not let such a barbaric action go unpunished. Sure enough, a few months later the Watergate scandal broke out that would ultimately lead to Nixon’s resigning under threat of impeachment. This was less than two years after he won a landslide re-election victory.
As a Muslim I feel profoundly the spirituality of Ramadan. It was the month that Allah first revealed the Quran to His Last Messenger, Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w. That was a measure of His generosity upon us. It is said that the gates to Heaven are wide open, and to Hell closed shut, during this season, again reflecting His mercifulness during this blessed month.
We are expected to reciprocate this divine gift by being generous to our fellow beings. Ramadan is thus a season to be charitable, to be forgiving of each other and the seeking of forgiveness from others. All faiths have such a special period in their calendar when their followers are expected to be extra generous to and tolerant of their fellow human beings.
Imagine my horror, shared by many, when Prime Minister Abdullah, the self-declared Imam of Islam Hadhari, chose this particular month to incarcerate Raja Petra Kamarudin and others under the draconian Internal Security Act that allows for detention without trial, or even the filing of charges.
I would have expected the reverse. That is, during Ramadan the Prime Minister would grant amnesty to deserving prisoners as a gesture of the government’s generosity and charity of spirit.
I have yet to see this happen in Malaysia, or any other Muslim country for that matter. Instead we have the odious act of the police bundling up Raja Petra and others into prison, right in front of their families. Where in the Quran or the sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., did Imam Abdullah find the justification for such a cruel act? Where is the spirit of generosity or sense of forgiveness demanded from each of us by our faith during this holy month?
As a Muslim Abdullah will be paying his zakat fitr (tithe) this Ramadan, and come Hari Raya he will be generous with his duit raya to the children calling upon the gates of Sri Perdana. That is the extent of his understanding of the concept of charity and generosity called for in our faith: simplistic, ritualistic, and materialistic. Those he jailed under the ISA or the millions made miserable through escalating living costs as a consequence of his economic policies never enter his heart. Read the rest of this entry »
Abdullah fights for his political life – will Najib “sink or swim” with him?
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, UMNO on Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has decided to fight for his political life.
The question is who will be the protagonists in the looming “battle royal” in UMNO – and what are the stakes involved.
Will the protagonists in the Umno Presidential battle be Abdullah vs Najib, or will Najib “sink or swim” with Abdullah in a Abdullah-Najib battle against the rest?
What are the stakes involved? This question would be obtuse or even stupid in the past five decades when whoever is Umno President is automatically the Prime Minister.
But this is no more the case after the two political tsunamis in the past six months – the first in the general election of March 8 and second in the Permatang Pauh by-election on August 26.
As a result, the battle to be the Umno President at the end of the year is no more automatically about who is to be the next Prime Minister but probably the next Parliamentary Opposition Leader.
Although Umno Information Chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib Monday yesterday slammed as “opportunists” those who leaked information on matters discussed in the party’s supreme council meeting (which includes Muhammad himself), the facts remain uncontradicted that at last Thursday’s Umno Supreme Council meeting, Abdullah was pressured to have a quicker exit plan and not wait until mid-2010 according to his earlier power transition plan with Najib. Read the rest of this entry »
With seismic events afoot, who do you believe?
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Politics, UMNO on Sunday, 21 September 2008
(1) KUALA LUMPUR: An English daily’s report that certain Umno Supreme Council members had asked Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to speed up the transition plan at their meeting on Thursday was inaccurate, Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday.
(2) In Shah Alam, Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Mu-hammed Taib said members who supported the call for Abdullah to speed up the transition of power to his deputy were not supporting the Pakatan Rakyat’s moves to wrest control of the Federal Government.
One of the two Umno leaders-cum-Ministers is telling a lie. Which one?
The marvel is that these gems of contradictions appear in the same report in Star today, “Hishammuddin: English daily’s report inaccurate”.
Hishammuddin was referring to Star’s front-page report yesterday “Pak Lah under pressure to exit” by Joceline Tan, viz: Read the rest of this entry »
Abdullah should convene 929 Emergency Parliament unless his days as PM are numbered after Umno’s “918”
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Anwar Ibrahim, Pakatan Rakyat on Saturday, 20 September 2008
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should reconsider his rejection of the request by the Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for an emergency session of Parliament to debate a “no confidence” motion latest by Tuesday, September 23.
He should table Anwar’s request at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to secure Cabinet approval to convene an emergency Parliament to end the six-month political impasse – resulting in the deepening and aggravation of the multiple crisis of confidence whether political, economic, nation-building, international competitiveness or good governance – by getting the country moving forward again with a clear-cut parliamentary vote as to who has the parliamentary majority to govern Malaysia.
Abdullah has said that Anwar’s ”916” plan to secure the support of the majority of the 222 MPs to move the country forward to address and overcome the manifold crisis and challenges confronting Malaysia is “a mirage” and “a lie”.
But the actions of the Barisan Nasional government belie these claims, whether it be the sodomy II charge against Anwar, the last-minute panicky “blur blur” agricultural study tour to Taiwan to sequester some 50 MPs from any possible defection, the spate of ISA arrests particularly against DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok – all point to a government unsure of its parliamentary majority and even raising the question whether it is a government in its last throes?
If Abdullah is convinced and confident that he still has the support of the majority of the 222 MPs, why is he running away from the opportunity to prove Anwar wrong by convening the emergency Parliament session for a clear-cut vote to be taken on Anwar’s “no confidence” motion? Read the rest of this entry »
Abdullah should give public assurance that Anwar will not be detained under ISA
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Anwar Ibrahim, Human Rights, Pakatan Rakyat on Thursday, 18 September 2008
The uncharacteristically stern and harsh allegation by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday that the Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is a threat to the national security and economy who wanted to “destroy the country and exploit the people’s trust and tarnish the country’s image abroad” had sparked speculation that the stage is being set for a Operation Lalang 2 crackdown and Anwar’s arrest under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
All right-thinking Malaysians must deplore in the strongest terms the veiled threat by Abdullah that Anwar would be arbitrarily and undemocratically silenced as the allegation that Anwar is a threat to national security and economy is a most ludicrous and preposterous one.
I have been twice detained under the ISA, once in 1969 and the second time in 1987, becoming the guest of His Majesty’s Government for a total of 35 months – and on both occasions, I was accused of being “a threat to national security”!
All the 16 DAP MPs and leaders detained in the 1987 Operation Lalang dragnet under the ISA were all accused of being threats to national security – but these are all baseless catch-all allegations just to justify the abuse of the ISA to silence critics and dissent.
We were threats to the political security of the Barisan Nasional leaders but it is the democratic and citizenship right of every Malaysian to challenge the political credibility, legitimacy and authority of the ruling government through the democratic process or we should not claim that Malaysia practises parliamentary democracy.
Such democratic challenges do not become threats to national security just because those in power are in fear of losing the perks of office and power.
Anwar Ibrahim can be accused of posing a grave threat to the political security of Abdullah and the other Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders with his “916 sky-change” plan, but he cannot under any stretch of imagination be accused of being a threat to national security and economy. Read the rest of this entry »
Call for fresh general election now
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Politics, Sabah on Thursday, 18 September 2008
The Borneo Post
September 17, 2008
Editorial
OUR political troubles aren’t over. And, we may be in for an even longer crisis that could lead into political chaos and adverse instability in our fragile multi-ethnic nation.We need a solution, an acceptable, near perfect and more lasting political solution; not one that could solve a problem but create a new nightmare at a time when political and economic difficulties and uncertainties are looming large over us and threatening to make life even more difficult for everyone — from the wage earner to the businessmen and investors and families striving to make ends meet throughout our diverse land.
Superfluous to say that it is imperative we fix our political problems using a more acceptable method that borders on democratic values which is more reflective of the wishes of the majority.
The current unprecedented political crisis that has given rise to a near political mess, does not seem to want to go away with no acceptable solution in sight. Not even if some BN MPs were to defect and cross over to Pakatan Rakyat (motivated by personal reasons, political reasons or promises of money and positions) to allow de facto opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to form the next federal government and become the new prime minister of the many ethnic communities thirsting for good governance.
Anxious Malaysians are witnessing an unacceptable situation where the incumbent prime minister, seemingly unpopular with his economic policies and actions, yet stays embattled with forces within his own party and ruling BN coalition. Read the rest of this entry »
Zaid’s resignation “last nail in the coffin” of Abdullah’s repeat of reform pledges after March 8 “political tsunami”
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Corruption, Judiciary, PKFZ, Police on Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Senator Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s announcement this morning that his decision to resign as Minister in the Prime Minister’s DepAartment is final despite being advised by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to reconsider the move is the “last nail in the coffin” of Abdullah’s repeat of reform pledges after the March 8 “political tsunami”.
It is clear that the detentions of DAP MP for Seputeh and Selangor Senior Exco Teresa Kok and Raja Petra Kamaruddin under the nefarious and iniquitous Internal Security Act (ISA) were the last straw causing Zaid to submit his resignation after a six-month stint in the Cabinet, making him the only Minister in the nation’s history to resign on a matter of principle.
When Zaid was surprisingly appointed by Abdullah to be a Minister after the Barisan Nasional debacle in the March general election, it was clear that Zaid had a special agenda – to retrieve Abdullah’s credibility and legitimacy as a Reform Prime Minister by carrying out reforms in the important sectors of the judiciary, the police and anti-corruption.
Zaid’s resignation is an admission that Abdullah’s repeat pledge of the reform programme after the March political tsunami has come to the end of the road, that: Read the rest of this entry »
No national-level celebration of Malaysia Day 2008 – PM and Cabinet apology warranted
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, nation building, Sabah on Wednesday, 17 September 2008
The first item of business in the Cabinet meeting tomorrow should be an apology from the Prime Minister and the Cabinet for no national-level celebration of Malaysia Day 2008 today, September 16, to commemorate the day 45 years ago when Malaysia was born.
If Pakatan Rakyat could celebrate May Day with a 20,000-people rally at the Kelana Jaya Stadium last night, when the Pakatan Rakyat is still the Opposition at the national level, there can be no acceptable reason why unlike in previous years, the Barisan Nasional federal government has failed to organise nation-wide celebration on September 16 today as Malaysia Day this year.
There is no more eloquent reminder to Malaysians, particularly the people of Sabah and Sarawak, than the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s failure to hold nation-wide celebrations for Malaysia Day this year, that Sabah and Sarawak have yet to be fully accepted and recognised as an integral part of Malaysian nation-building and developmental process.
After the March 8 “political tsunami”, it belatedly dawned on the Prime Minister as well as on Barisan Nasional politicians in Sabah and Sarawak that the BN MPs in the two states occupy a strategic “kingmaker” role determining the survival of Umno hegemony and Barisan Nasional federal government.
The Barisan Nasional suffered a severe thrashing in the March 8 general election, winning 140 seats against the Pakatan Rakyat’s 82. However, 54 of these BN parliamentary seats come from Sabah and Sarawak – Sabah 24 and Sarawak 30.
Without these 54 BN MPs from Sabah and Sarawak, BN would be reduced to 86 seats out of 222 MPs in Parliament, evicting the BN from Putrajaya and into the Opposition.
But what is the use of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak flying almost every week from the federal capital to Sabah and Sarawak when this unprecedented strategic “kingmaker” role of BN MPs from Sabah and Sarawak dawned after the March 8 “political tsunami”, promising new billion-ringgit development allocations and plum offices to Sabah and Sarawak politicians, if the federal government is not prepared to accord proper respect and recognition to September 16 every year as Malaysia Day! Read the rest of this entry »
ISA for RPK and show-cause letters to three newspapers while 3-year Umno suspension for Ahmad Ismail – is this the Abdullah justice and rule of law?
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Human Rights, ISA, Post-2008 general election on Friday, 12 September 2008
The detention of blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the show-cause letters to three newspapers, Sin Chew Daily, the Sun and Suara Keadilan why action should not be taken against them over their news coverage on a number of political issues must be condemned by all Malaysians concerned about human rights and democracy.
These actions make a mockery of the claims of the Abdullah administration to usher in a more open and democratic society under a just rule of law.
It shows the administration’s utter cynicism and Machiavellian politics in unblocking RPK’s news portal Malaysia Today after a two-week censorship only to arrest RPK under the ISA in less than 24 hours.
The unblocking of Malaysia Today was made to demonstrate the country’s commitment and allegiance to the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees to the world of no Internet censorship but it is just naive for the government to think that the world can be fooled by such subterfuge – as by detaining RPK and taking him out of public circulation, the Malaysian Government has effectively blocked off Malaysia Today and violated the “no internet censorship” Bill of Guarantee!
The detention of RPK had only deepened the multiple crisis of confidence besetting the Abdullah premiership.
RPK just arrested under ISA
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Announcement, Human Rights, ISA, Police, Post-2008 general election on Friday, 12 September 2008
The police have just taken Raja Petra Kamarudin from his house in Sg Buloh under the Internal Security Act.
Seems to be the beginning of a crack down.
Whether 916, 1016, 1116 or in an early 13th general election, time has come for new federal government
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 12 September 2008
Will there be any “916” political transformation setting in motion the changes to bring about a Pakatan Rakyat federal government, ending Umno political hegemony and Barisan Nasional federal power?
This is the question uppermost in the minds of all Malaysians – and the reason for the farce of some 50 BN MPs forced to suffer daily media humiliation, Malaysian and Taiwan, in pursuing a “mong-cha-cha” (“blur, blur”) agricultural study trip to Taiwan just to foil the “916” political transformation.
However, whether the political transformation takes place in four days’ on 916, or 1016, 1116 or in an early 13th general election is a secondary question to the important fact that the Malaysian political mould has been completely recast and it is only a matter of time that a transition of federal power is effected.
What is most significant about “916” is not whether federal power will change hands from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat in four days’ time, but in the sea-change in the political attitude of Malaysians as compared to six months ago before the March 8 general election. Read the rest of this entry »
-
You are currently browsing the archives for the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi category.
