Archive for category Elections
75-Day Countdown to 13GE – Will UMNO/BN leaders who really believe that BN will regain two-thirds majority in 13GE stand up?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Crime, Elections, Hishammuddin, Najib Razak, UMNO on Saturday, 26 January 2013
“BN parties say will regain two-thirds majority in Election 2013” is the lead story of The Malaysian Insider yesterday, reporting that BN leaders are confident BN will win with a two-thirds parliamentary majority in 13GE.
However, only one UMNO leader, its propaganda chief, Datuk Ahmad Maslan, has gone on public record to declare that “BN will win two-thirds majority, better than 2008”.
No other UMNO/BN leader is quoted as having such confidence, including MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung, the MCA leader cited in the report.
Reason for Ahmad’s confidence?
Strangely enough, it is Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s record to battle corruption and reduce crime, among other things.
It is no surprise that as the UMNO propaganda chief, Ahmad tried to decry the latest opinion poll survey by the University of Malaya Centre of Democracy and Election (Umcedel) which showed that 78 per cent of those polled said that integrity and abuse of power by BN leaders would affect voters’ support in the 13GE.
But what beggars imagination is that the UMNO/BN leadership could feel proud and cocky about the Najib administration’s four-year record on combating corruption and reducing crime, when these two agendas are among the biggest failures of Najib’s Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) in the past four years, raising the question whether the Najib administration is rooted in reality or living in a make-believe world of its own. Read the rest of this entry »
RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah – reflections
by Tan Sri Simon Sipaun
Proham Chairman
More than 20 years ago when I was still a civil servant, a gentleman came to see me. At the time he had just retired. He was a Sabahan and the substantive holder of the post of Director of the National Registration Department in Sabah. However he was never given the opportunity to function as a director. Instead he was posted to Semenanjung. He was neither a Malay nor a Muslim. He told me that genuine identity cards were prepared in the headquarters and brought to Sabah to be given to Muslim illegal immigrants. There was a special unit to handle this.
It is people like him who should be of interest to the on-going RCI in its effort to establish the real truth concerning the illegal immigrant issue. Genuine Sabahans are keen to know the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
It is appropriate that the RCI has requested ex-civil servants who had first-hand experience and knowledge from inside the relevant government departments and agencies to appear before it. I hope that people from Sabah who have done research, written books and articles on the issues and problems associated with illegal immigrants will also be invited to testify. Some of them have also been detained under the ISA. The information disclosed by witnesses so far is quite shocking but not surprising.
It is shocking because the government appears to be uncaring towards Malaysians living in Sabah preferring non-citizens over citizens. It is not surprising because it is what the people of Sabah had suspected all along. I note some of the ex-civil servants who had testified had been detained under the ISA yet they were only carrying out the directives of their political masters. Why were they detained unless, of course, they were made the unfortunate scapegoats? Read the rest of this entry »
76-Day Countdown to 13GE – Support for the clean-up of judicial corruption in the past 25 years, including re-opening of the 33-page allegations in 1996 by Malaysia’s first judicial whistle-blower involving 112 allegations against 12 judges
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Judiciary on Friday, 25 January 2013
I fully support the call by three former Court of Appeal judges for the re-opening of old cases of graft allegations against judges, including the 33-page complaint by Malaysia’s first judicial whistleblower in 1996 involving 112 allegations of corruption, abuses of power and misconduct against 12 judges, because witnesses might be prepared to come forward now.
The trio, Tan Sri V.C. George, Datuk Shaik Daud Ismail and Datuk K.C. Vohrah are right when they said that the public was not satisfied that previous allegations had been properly looked into.
In fact, following the testimonies in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the V.K.Lingam Video Clip (2007-2008), I had reiterated in Parliament what I had raised in Parliament in 1996, calling for full investigations into the 112 allegations of judicial corruption, abuses of power and misconduct against 12 judges which had been made by a sitting High Court judge at the time, Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid Syed Abdullah Idid.
This is because the testimony at the Lingam Video Clip Royal Commission of Inquiry about bribery and corruption of judges, including the then Chief Justice, reminded Malaysians, especially political leaders, MPs, judges and lawyers of the notorious “Ides of March” speech in 1996, when the then Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah shocked Malaysians with the revelation of a “33-page poison-pen letter” which made 112 allegations of corruption, abuses of power and misconduct against 12 judges at the Conference of Judges in Kuching in March 1996. Read the rest of this entry »
Pengiraan Detik 77 Hari ke PRU13 – Senjata terakhir untuk menyelamatkan perikatan UMNO/BN daripada dihantar ke bangku Pembangkang ialah dengan mewujudkan perpecahan di dalam Pakatan Rakyat dengan memisahkan PAS dan DAP
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, DAP, Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 25 January 2013
Senjata terakhir untuk menyelamatkan perikatan UMNO/BN daripada dihantar ke bangku Pembangkang ialah dengan mewujudkan perpecahan di dalam Pakatan Rakyat dengan memisahkan PAS dan DAP
Tindakan itu mencerminkan tahap terdesaknya pemimpin, propagandis dan tukang putar UMNO/BN mengenangkan peluang mereka untuk mempertahankan Putrajaya dalam PRU13 yang semakin hampir sehingga keterdesakkan itu terpapar di dalam harapan dan strategi mereka.
Salah seorang tukang putar media UMNO/BN semalam menganjurkan bahawa “Pakatan parties may go own way”, berdasarkan andaian “Dengan peluang menawan Putrajaya semakin tipis, PAS dan DAP mungkin mahu merampas negeri yang mereka suka”.
Beliau menyatakan:
“IS there a case to be made that DAP and Pas may be privately ditching the idea of taking over Putrajaya and are preparing themselves to keep the spoils of March 2008 instead?
Read the rest of this entry »
Pengiraan Detik 78 Hari ke PRU13 – UMNO/BN akan menghidangkan “Penipuan, penipuan dan banyak lagi penipuan” menjelang PRU13 tetapi rakyat Malaysia janganlah dialihkan perhatian daripada Isu Penting Reformasi dan Pembaharuan Nasional dalam PRU13
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, DAP, Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 25 January 2013
Tiada tanda penyesalan atau keinsafan pada pemimpin, propagandis dan media perdana UMNO/BN dalam menghujani parti-parti dan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat dengan penipuan dan pembohongan, tanpa sedikit pun rasa hormat kepada kesengsaraan dan kesedihan keluarga yang berpunca daripada kesakitan dan kesukaran seperti yang terjadi pada Pengerusi DAP Sarawak dan Ahli Parlimen Sibu Wong Ho Leng, isterinya Irene Change dan lima anak mereka.
Benar-benar keji dan hina apabila walaupun Irene tidak pernah diwawancara atau merungut tentang parti dan pemimpin parti, namun sebuah kenyataan palsu telah diterbitkan kononnya mengatakan beliau bertindak menyelar parti dan pemimpin parti sebagai tidak berhati perut berkenaan rawatan “tumor otak” Ho Leng, malah mendakwa Ho Leng mengumpul RM10 juta belanja pilihan raya tetapi Cuma RM4 juta yang dibelanjakan sementara RM6 juta dirampas oleh DAP Sarawak dan ibupejabat DAP.
Seperti yang telah Ho Leng katakan berkenaan kenyataan yang palsu dan rekaan berkenaan Irene, “tiada satu ayat pun yang benar”, dakwaan RM10 juta itu pula sama seperti dakwaan tidak munasabah bahawa DAP membelanjakan RM1.3 juta untuk menghasilkan video klip Gangnam baru-baru ini, semuanya rekaan semata-mata.
UMNO/BN akan menghidangkan “Penipuan, penipuan dan banyak lagi penipuan” dengan menjelangnya PRU13 tetapi rakyat Malaysia, termasuklah pemimpin, ahli dan penyokong DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat, jangan dialih perhatian daripada Isu Penting Reformasi dan Pembaharuan Nasional dalam pilihan raya umum ke-13, memandangkan kini Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak sukar untuk menangguh lagi pilihan raya ke suatu waktu yang tidak pasti. Read the rest of this entry »
77-Day Countdown to 13GE – The last weapon to save UMNO/BN coalition from being sent to Opposition benches is to force a split in Pakatan Rakyat by driving apart PAS and DAP
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, DAP, Elections, Najib Razak on Thursday, 24 January 2013
The last weapon to save UMNO/Barisan Nasional coalition from being sent to the Opposition benches in Parliament in the 13th general elections is to force a split in Pakatan Rakyat by driving apart PAS and DAP.
It is a reflection of the degree of desperation of UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and spin doctors about their prospects of retaining Putrajaya in the 13GE which is looming ever nearer that they have revealed their hand by publicly putting in black-and-white their hope and strategy.
One of the chief UMNO/BN media spin doctors yesterday postulated that “Pakatan parties may go own way”, on the ground that “With chances of capturing Putrajaya slim, Pas and DAP may want to just wrest the states they fancy”.
He fancied:
“IS there a case to be made that DAP and Pas may be privately ditching the idea of taking over Putrajaya and are preparing themselves to keep the spoils of March 2008 instead? Read the rest of this entry »
78-Day Countdown to 13GE – UMNO/BN will dish out “Lies, lies and more lies” with approach of 13GE but Malaysians must not be distracted from the Big Issues of National Reform and Renewal in 13GE
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, DAP, Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat on Wednesday, 23 January 2013
There is no sense of remorse or contrition by UMNO/BN leaders, propagandists and their mainstream mass media (MSM) at the deluge of lies, falsehoods and invectives directed at Pakatan Rakyat parties and leaders, without regard for the most basic human decencies to respect family sufferings and sorrows because of private pain and hardships as in the case of Sarawak DAP Chairman and MP for Sibu Wong Ho Leng, his wife Irene Chang and their five children.
It is really despicable and contemptible that although Irene never gave any interview or complained against the party or party leader, a totally false and fictitious account had been published quoting her as castigating the party and party leaders as “heartless” over Ho Leng’s “brain tumour” treatment, even claiming that Ho Leng collected RM10 million for election expenses but only RM4 million were spent while RM6 million were hijacked by DAP Sarawak and DAP Hq.
As Ho Leng has said about the totally false and fictitious account about Irene complaint, “there is not even one sentence in there which is true”, the RM10 million allegation like the equally preposterous claim that the DAP spent RM1.3 million to produce the recent Gangnam video, are complete fabrications.
UMNO/BN will dish out “Lies, lies and more lies” with approach of 13GE but Malaysians, including DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders, members and supporters, must not be distracted from the Big Issues of National Reform and Renewal in the 13th general elections, now that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has come up against the wall against any indefinite postponement of the polls. Read the rest of this entry »
Nation’s destiny in our hands
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Corruption, Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat on Wednesday, 23 January 2013
KJ John
Malaysiakini
Jan 22, 2013
In an earlier column I had postulated that the nation may be moving in the right direction after the last general election, but I had questioned whether we were moving at the right speed.
I still believe that Najib Abdul Razak has tried his absolute best to move our ‘Titanic’ in the right direction, but unfortunately his own team has been his worst enemy to date.
Even Dr Mahathir Mohamad plays wayang kulit with Najib, although in less public ways than he did with Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Actually, the opposition and NGOs have been better friends to him. At least they do not seem to shoot him below the belt, other than to highlight the unfortunate legacies that already surround and continue to haunt him.
Therefore I do think it is time to give the other side a chance regardless of how many uncertainties there in our minds and hearts. Yes, maybe we have to even let things slide a bit more before they can really improve. What other choice do we have as a people who have been told to “listen, listen, listen” for almost 54 years. Read the rest of this entry »
Pride comes before destruction
by Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Jan 21, 2013
According to one Sabahan, there is so much crime in Sabah that squatter houses, too, have grilles on the doors and windows, and that these cost more than the houses themselves.
For four decades, ordinary Sahabans have been angered by illegal immigration and the social and economic problems associated with it, such as a shortage of housing, a lack of employment and educational opportunities, high levels of crime and massive overcrowding.
Despite the limited terms of reference of the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) ordered by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the RCI has revealed disturbing aspects of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s bid to remain in power. Soon, the RCI will be overshadowed by the side-show that Mahathir may have helped arrange.
The star-performer is the self-styled motivational guru Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin (right). One wonders if Zohra has replaced the virgin queen, Ummi Hafilda Ali, who used to come to Mahathir’s aid and helped distract the rakyat with golden showers and salacious revelations.
There was once a time when the government would detain reporters and send them to Kamunting, ostensibly for their own safety. Zohra was denied this privilege because Najib has abolished the ISA. Last week, Zohra bowed to overwhelming pressure and heeded police advice to cancel her seminar on ‘How to Make Your First Million’.
I can give you the gist of the RM200 seminar. It is an open secret that the first million is easy to make; join Umno, then claw your way to the top by backstabbing and badmouthing everyone who stands in your way.
There are tell-tale signs that that you have “made it” and joined the Umno elite. In the election canvassing that takes place every five years, Umno delivers bags of rice to the masses, but the Umno elite receive Birkin bags.
Households that qualify are given a one-off payment of RM500 (and possibly another RM500 if the situation demands it) but the elite get several million ringgit in hard cash, stuffed in suitcases.
The poor may get a discount on their smartphones, but the elite are given the contracts to sell the phones.
The rakyat may be given tins of powdered milk as freebies during canvassing, but elite members are given millions of ringgit to buy a few cows and many luxury condominiums. Read the rest of this entry »
Pengiraan Detik 79 Hari ke PRU13 – Ke dasar tanpa etika dan lubang mana lagi yang pemimpin UMNO/BN dan media perdana mereka akan gali sebelum PRU13?
Semalam, saya telah meminta agar diakhiri politik penipuan dan pembohongan menjelang Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13, yang akan diadakan paling lewat sekitar 156 hari lagi pada 27 Jun, akan tetapi dijangkakan akan berlangsung kurang daripada 70 hari.
Saya merujuk kepada kalahnya lidah rasmi UMNO, Utusan Malaysia di dalam saman fitnah, kali ini kepada Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, mendapat teguran daripada Hakim V.T. Singham yang mendapati Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd dan ketua editornya Abdul Aziz Ishak bersalah merosakkan reputasi Anwar dan mendedahkan dirinya kepada cemuhan.
Di dalam penghakimannya, Singham menekankan bahawa wartawan dan editor perlu berhati-hati dengana apa yang mereka tulis supaya tidak memasukkan komen yang mungkin menimbulkan keraguan kepada seseorang.
Hakim berkata: “Akhbar sepatutnya tidak mempunyai kuasa yang lebih besar dalam menarik perhatian atau mengelirukan fikiran rakyat apabila dibandingkan dengan reputasi individu.
“Adalah penting bagi wartawan, editor dan penerbit mengambil langkah berhati-hati sebelum sebarang artikel yang cenderung merosakkan reputasi individu diterbitkan. Rencana sebarangan yang mengandungi sindiran atau tohmahan tanpa pengesahan hendaklah dielakkan.”
Akan tetapi nasihat hakim tidak mempunyai sebarang kesan kepada media perdana UMNO/BN dan begitu juga permintaan saya agar diakhiri segala politik penipuan dan pembohongan , terutamanya media perdana UMNO/Barisan Nasional sepatutnya memelihara peraturan dan etika kewartawanan dan berhenti menjadi “Akhbar Tipu”.
Ini ditunjukkan oleh satu lagi penipuan dan pembohongan melampau media perdana UMNO/BN hari ini – kali ini New Straits Times dan laporan palsunya bertajuk “Wife of ailing MP angry at DAP” (ms. 6) yang tidak lain hanyalah penipuan tanpa secubit pun kebenaran.
Memetik daripada satu lagi portal berita yang jahat, NST mendakwa Irene Chang, isteri kepada Ahli Parlimen DAP Sibu dan Pengerusi DAP Sarawak Wong Ho Leng, “dikatakan mengkritik parti kerana gagal memberikan bantuan kewangan kepada suaminya, yang menghidap tumor otak” malahan memetiknya sebagai berkata “kepimpinan parti tidak berhati perut” dan memarahi Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng. Read the rest of this entry »
79-Day Countdown to 13GE – What unethical depths and bottomless pits are going to be plumbed by UMNO/BN leaders and their mainstream media (MSM) before the 13GE?
Yesterday, I made a plea for an end to the politics of lies and falsehoods in the run-up to the 13th General Elections, which must be held latest in 156 days by June 27, but is expected to be held in less than 70 days.
I was referring to the latest defamation suit lost by UMNO mouthpiece, Utusan Malaysia, this time to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, earning a rebuke by the judge, Justice V.T. Singham who found Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd and its chief editor Abdul Aziz Ishak as guilty of damaging Anwar’s reputation and exposing him to ridicule and scorn.
In his judgment, Singham stressed that journalists and editors should be careful with what they write so as not to include comment, which may impugn somebody.
The judge said: “The press should have no greater power in impressing or misleading the minds of the people when compared to the reputation of an individual.
“It is essential that journalists, editors and publishers should take great care before any article which tends to harm the reputation of an individual is published. Reckless articles that contain insinuation or imputation without verification are to be avoided.”
But the judge’s advice had no effect whatsoever on the UMNO/BN mainstream media and neither my plea for an end to the dishonest politics of lies and falsehoods, and in particular that the UMNO/Barisan Nasional mainstream media (MSM) should observe the most rudimentary canons of journalistic ethics and to stop being ‘Lies-Papers”.
This was shown by another egregious lie and falsehood by the UMNO/BN mainstream media today – this time by New Straits Times in its false report headlined “Wife of ailing MP angry at DAP”, (p.6) which was nothing but a pack of lies without an ounce of truth. Read the rest of this entry »
12 years later…the Election Commission continues to hibernate!
Posted by Kit in Elections, Martin Jalleh on Sunday, 20 January 2013
By Martin Jalleh
The true colours of Dr M
Posted by Kit in Elections, Mahathir, Parliament on Sunday, 20 January 2013
— Uncle Nick
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 20, 2013
JAN 20 — Finally, the true colours of our esteemed Dr M are revealed.
At a recent forum, Dr M was reported to have touted his idea of what a strong government is and is not. He was quoted to have said that a strong government must be brave to use force and that being liberal is a weakness. He attributed the loss of the two thirds majority by the BN government to the lack of confidence the citizens had towards the then BN leadership.
He also lamented the fact that the power of the BN government is being destroyed because of weak leadership. The fact is that the source of power of a government lies with the citizens, not with a political party. No political party has hereditary rights to govern – 55 years in government notwithstanding. When it comes to the power to govern, the citizens giveth and the citizens taketh. The citizens rightly have the expectation that the power so giveth must be exercised for the citizens’ betterment. Most of all, the power must be exercise wisely, or the citizens have every right to taketh it away.
Of course, government leaders have to be daring. But daring to do what is the big question. Surely it is not daring to do things that are unjust, not accountable, fraudulent or downright criminal. When they do that, they no longer deserve the confidence of the citizens and with it, the right to govern.
Dr M seemed to suggest that the current government leadership is afraid of its people. Frankly, I’d rather have a government that is ‘afraid’ of its people than one that rides roughshod over its people. As long as a government has the strength of its conviction to do the right things by its people and be accountable for its action, fear does not come into the equation. Read the rest of this entry »
No one to speak up for the Tunku
– The Malaysian Insider
Jan 19, 2013
JAN 19 – It is a measure of how far Umno/MCA/MIC have fallen that not one of its members has leapt to the defence of Tunku Abdul Rahman in the wake of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s self-serving statement on the award of a million citizenships in the early days of Malaya.
Even a primary student can see that there is an ocean of difference between the award of citizenship by the Tunku Abdul Rahman and the insidious manner in which senior members of the Mahathir administration in the 1990s gave ICs to illegals in Sabah so that they could vote in the state elections and pervert the electoral system.
Tunku Abdul Rahman did not give citizenships to Chinese and Indians under the counter. It was an open exercise and it was not done to circumvent any election.
But just listen to the treason at play in Sabah since the 1990s to keep Barisan Nasional (BN) in power and dilute the position of the Kadazandusuns. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno is rotten to the core – it seems!
By P. Ramakrishnan
Aliran
18th January 2013
The cat is out of the bag – at last! Tun Mahathir and all his cohorts from his era cannot plead ignorance or amnesia. It is out in the open how they cheated and stole elections to remain in power.
Shamelessly they plotted and subverted the democratic process in their greed to remain in power. What they did is tantamount to treason.
They stole our elections and cheated our voters. They made a mockery of our elections and the democratic process consciously and deliberately.
To think that this diabolical scheme was hatched by people from the Prime Minister’s Department, the Home Ministry, the National Registration Department, the Election Commission, etc. It clearly establishes the fact that there was massive official fraud to ensure the two thirds majority, win the election and fool the public that the Barisan Nasional came into power through legitimate means.
To think that two of the then PM’s closest confidantes – Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin, Mahathir’s political secretary, and Megat Junid Megat Ayub, the deputy home minister under Mahathir – were actively involved in cheating and stealing elections exposes the very possibility that one can remain as prime minister in Malaysia not only for 22 years but forever! Read the rest of this entry »
Pengiraan Detik 84 Hari ke PRU13: Mahathir patut selamanya tutup mulut sekiranya beliau tidak bersedia untuk secara sukarela tampil di hadapan RCIII Sabah untuk membersihkan tuduhan bahawa beliau adalah pengkhianat dengan memberikan Kad Pengenalan dan hak mengundi kepada pendatang asing semata-mata untuk mempertahankan kuasa politik UMNO
Timbalan Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Azmin Ali telah memanggil mantan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad pengkhianat negara berikutan pendedahan di Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja Pendatang Tanpa Izin (RCIII) berkenaan perancangan “kewarganegaraan untuk undian” di Sabah sekitar tahun sembilan puluhan.
Semalam, beberapa bekas pegawai Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) memberitahu RCI di Kota Kinabalu bahawa mereka diarahkan bagi memudahcara pendatang tanpa izin untuk mengundi ketika 1990-an dan membantu menaikkan kerajaan negeri yang mesra BN.
Operasi ini termasuklah antaranya mengeluarkan resit kad pengenalan (KP) pengundi yang sememangnya wujud kepada pendatang tanpa izin untuk mengeluarkan kad pengenalan biru kepada pendatang tanpa izin yang tidak layak – juga dikenali sebagai Projek IC atau Projek M yang mana “M” bermaksud Mahathir.
Dua orang paling rapat dan orang kanan Mahathir ketika itu telah dilibatkan oleh saksi di hadapan RCI dalam penipuan kewarganegaraan-untuk-undian di Sabah – Megat Junid Megat Ayub, Timbalan Menteri Dalam Negeri Mahathir, yang juga Menteri Dalam Negeri serta Aziz Shamsuddin, setiausaha politik Mahathir. Megat Junid kemudiannya menjadi Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Kepenggunaan sementara Aziz Shamsuddin kemudiannya menyertai Kabinet sebagai Menteri Kemajuan Luar Bandar Dan Wilayah. Read the rest of this entry »
Why I will vote Pakatan
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Education, Elections, NEP, Pakatan Rakyat on Thursday, 17 January 2013
by KJ John
Malaysiakini
Jan 15, 2013
In 2007, I wrote a column entitled, ‘Why I will not vote for BN’. No one then really took me seriously, although I was told that MCA circulated that column during the MCA central committee meeting. Even later, a representative of the then chief secretary told me, but after the fact, that the man was not too happy with my column either.
My retort: Well, he could have easily called me to understand my reasons and explanations, if he was interested to listen. If they could listen, then the government maybe could have addressed those reasons well before the general election. Finally, PM Najib Abdul Razak is trying, but is it too late?
This time around, allow me to state positively why I have no choice but to still vote for Pakatan Rakyat again. I will record three reasons in this column. Neither is this because I love BN any less, it is just that given our real choices and options, the unknown angel is better than that of the known devil.
My first reason is the ‘Allah’ issue and how it has been so badly handled by the BN government, and why they need to better understand the real issues about the true and real etymology of the ‘Allah’ word. My good friend and fellow writer to Malaysiakini, Bob Teoh, has documented the core issues quite well for all those interested to know the truths about this word. His book is entitled, Allah: More than just a Word.
I will not explain all the reasons involved here, which the High Court judgment by Lau Bee Lan has argued rather well. Citizens should read this judgment before talking about this issue. Read the rest of this entry »
84-Day Countdown to 13GE: Mahathir should forever shut up if he is not prepared to volunteer to appear before the Sabah RCIII to clear allegations that he is traitor for giving ICs and voting rights to foreigners just to shore up UMNO’s political power
The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Deputy President, Azmin Ali has called former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad a traitor to the country following revelations at the Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants (RCIII) of “citizenship-for-votes” schemes in Sabah in the nineties.
Yesterday, several former National Registration Department (NRD) officers told the RCI in Kota Kinabalu that they were instructed to facilitate immigrants to vote during the 1990s and help install a BN-friendly state government.
These operations ranged from issuing identity card (IC) receipts of existing voters to immigrants to issuing blue identity cards to unqualified immigrants – also known as Project IC or Project M where “M” stood for Mahathir.
Two of Mahathir’s closest confidantes and right-hand men at the time have been implicated by witnesses before the RCI in the citizenship-for-votes scam in Sabah – the late Megat Junid Megat Ayub, Deputy Home Minister to Mahathir, who was also Home Minister and Aziz Shamsuddin, Mahathir political secretary. Megat Junid went on to become Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs while Aziz Shamsuddin later joined the Cabinet as Minister of Rural and Regional Development. Read the rest of this entry »
LKS: KL112 – Many Historic Firsts
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Corruption, Elections, Martin Jalleh, nation building, Pakatan Rakyat on Thursday, 17 January 2013
By Martin Jalleh
Pengiraan Detik 85 Hari ke PRU13: Najib – Listen, Listen, Listen!
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Elections, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Thursday, 17 January 2013
Fenomena terbaru di internet apabila klip video teguran “Listen, listen, listen!” seorang aktivis 1Malaysia, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen kepada pelajar tahun dua undang-undang Bawani KS tersebar luas mencerminkan dua kegagalan dasar paling penting Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak sepanjang empat tahun menjadi perdana menteri:
- Pertama, program “transformasinya”, sama ada kerajaan, ekonomi, politik, pendidikan atau sosial yang semuanya bersandarkan prinsip ”Era kerajaan tahu semua telah berlalu”.
- Kedua, dasar 1Malaysia beliau untuk mewujudkan Malaysia yang mana rakyatnya melihat diri mereka rakyat Malaysia dahulu kemudian barulah kaum, agama, tempat atau latar belakang ekonomi.
Sekiranya pelbagai program transformasi Najib berharap untuk berjaya, ia haruslah bersandarkan komunikasi dan dialog dua hala antara pemerintah dengan yang diperintah dan bukannya “Listen, listen, listen!” secara satu hala dipaksakan ke atas yang diperintah oleh pemerintah.
Najib dan kerajaan UMNO/BN bersedia untuk “Listen, listen, listen”?
Jelas sekali tidak. Jika benar bersedia untuk mendengar pastinya Ketua Ekonomi Bank Islam, Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin pasti tidak akan digantung berikutan laporan media berkenaan pembentangannya di Regional Outlook Forum Singapura Khamis lepas yang meramalkan kemenangan tipis Pakatan Rakyat dalam pilihan raya ke-13. Read the rest of this entry »