Archive for category Najib Razak
Bouquet of barbed wire for Dataran
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Mariam Mokhtar, Najib Razak, UMNO on Monday, 30 April 2012
Mariam Mokhtar | Apr 30, 2012
Malaysiakini
The irony of the Bersih 3.0 rally was that it was Ambiga Sreenevasan and not premier Najib Abdul Razak, who managed to unite the rakyat and give true meaning to his favourite slogan, ‘1Malaysia’.
Ambiga united all Malaysians. They had one goal. How it must have hurt Najib that she had more magnetism than he does.
If democracy in Malaysia is like a dead man, then Bersih 3.0 successfully resurrected him. It just remains for the rakyat to nurse the dying democracy back to good health.
It is doubtful that the PM or any other Umno politician, could have attracted the size of crowd that filtered into Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. It is inconceivable that they could have united Malaysians on a national and global scale. Umno just manages to divide the races. If Umno cannot see this, then it is either too obtuse or in denial. Read the rest of this entry »
Yes, Prime Minister, we need answers!
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak, Police on Monday, 30 April 2012
by Dr Hsu Dar Ren
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 30, 2012
APRIL 30 — Two days after Bersih 3.0, and after viewing many videos and photos on the Internet, I would like to pose a few questions to the authorities, specifically the prime minister, who missed a golden chance to walk his talk (and claim to be a reformist).
1. When was the decision to fire tear gas made? Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision or was it made much earlier?
2. Why was the phone scrambler being used at about 2pm (around which time, all of us at Masjid Jamek area were unable to send out messages and make calls) when the whole rally was still peaceful and looked more like a carnival?
Did the authorities already know by then that there would be violence and the use of the phone scrambler was to prevent any pictures and videos being sent out?
Was the failure on the part of the crowd to disperse due to the fact that Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan’s call to disperse not reaching those who were in other parts of the rally and who could not receive messages/calls on their phones?
3. Who were those who broke through the barrier at Dataran Merdeka? I was at the barrier area earlier and saw many lines of police standing right in front of the barrier. How could people break through the barrier if that was so? Many accounts told of the police suddenly leaving the barrier, and that led to some from the crowd (provocateurs) breaking through the barrier. Was that what led to the firing of tear gas?
4. Why the need to fire deep into the crowd when just some of them went over the barrier? Wouldn’t it be possible for the police to arrest those few that went over instead of firing tear gas and beating up many innocent people, including the media who were there to perform their duty? Read the rest of this entry »
Najib the biggest loser from Bersih 3.0
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak on Monday, 30 April 2012
by Koon Yew Yin
CPI
The Bersih 3.0 rally at Dataran Merdeka has thankfully passed without any major outbreaks of violence but there are recorded scenes which show how it could have so easily gone the other way.
A report by Aljazeera showed bloodied demonstrators and the unwarranted use of teargas and water cannons on sections of the crowd.
According to Harry Fawcett, the Aljazeera correspondent covering the event, the police were extremely heavy handed, kneeing and slapping some of the demonstrators who had broken through the barricades.
The police also busted the station’s television camera in an attempt to prevent their violent and unlawful acts from being filmed. The police also had the temerity to threaten and act harshly towards the reporters.
Forced to improvise by using Skype, Fawcett was still able to show ugly images of the country’s police and authorities which have been broadcast all over the world as well as uploaded on You Tube.
In an analysis of the aftermath, our respect and congratulations must go to the Bersih participants that congregated in Kuala Lumpur as well as in other major cities. The estimated 100,000 crowd were remarkably well behaved and acted with decorum and good sense.
It is a tribute to the political maturity of the enormous crowd converging on Dataran Merdeka from all over the country and of their commitment to peaceful political reform that they did not allow themselves to be provoked. Read the rest of this entry »
A general over a hesitant army
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak on Monday, 30 April 2012
— Ooi Kee Beng
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 30, 2012
APRIL 30 — And so the third Bersih rally has taken place. It cannot be understood in isolation from the political dynamics of the last few years.
The demonstration itself went well, with tens of thousands of Malaysians taking to the streets, many dressed in the yellow T-shirt that has come to signify the nationwide demand for electoral reforms.
No violence had occurred by the time the organisers, led by former Bar Council chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan, told demonstrators at around 2pm to disperse, having achieved the show of strength the movement had wished for to back its call to Prime Minister Najib Razak to ensure that the coming general election would be free and fair.
Exactly how violence between the riot police and demonstrators began is not clear. Rumours that agent provocateurs were responsible have been spreading.
Whatever the case, the huge April 28 demonstration poses a serious challenge to the Barisan Nasional government, especially since the event received big support from similar rallies held simultaneously throughout the country and by Malaysians in dozens of cities throughout the world. Read the rest of this entry »
Call on Najib to reverse course last-minute – direct Home Minister, police and DBKL to partner/facilitate successful and peaceful holding of the Bersih 3.0 “sit in” for clean elections at Dataran Merdeka tomorrow
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Najib Razak on Friday, 27 April 2012
The question all Malaysians and the world are asking is: What “Malaysia as world’s best democracy” is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak talking about when his government is so mortally afraid of Malaysians peacefully gathering at Dataran Merdeka for a two-hour “sit-in” calling for free, fair and clean elections?
The volte face by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein from the earlier position of Bersih 3.0 not being a national security problem to its becoming “a security issue”, the threat of police harassment and other actions including mass arrests tomorrow, the locking-down of Dataran Merdeka and the court order secured by the police barring Bersih 3.0 from the vicinity of Dataran Merdeka for four days, are not symptomatic of an administration brimming with confidence that “the era of the government knows best is over” and wants to usher in a political transformastion to make Malaysia “the best democracy in the world” but the very opposite.
If the Najib premiership had fully learnt from the lessons of the gross and disastrous mishandling of the Bersih 2.0 peaceful rally for free, fair and clean elections on July 9, 2011, which dealt body blows to Najib and Malaysia’s national and international image, the government would have facilitated the successful holding of the Bersih 3.0 peaceful “sit-in” protest at Dataran Merdeka tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »
Election spending risks credit downgrade, say S&P and Moody’s
Posted by Kit in Economics, Elections, Finance, Najib Razak on Thursday, 26 April 2012
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 26, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 — The federal government’s record spending binge ahead of elections expected within months may result in Malaysia’s first credit-rating downgrade in 15 years.
Bloomberg reported today that several top rating companies say Putrajaya must bring down its debt, the second highest in Asia at 53.8 per cent of GDP or face a ratings cut.
The international business wire cited Standard & Poor’s (S&P) analyst Takahira Ogawa as saying it “might have to think about” a potential cut in a few years unless the next government boosts revenue and reduce subsidies after polls.
It also reported that Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings also said Malaysia must cut its debt, which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects may climb to a 20-year high of 55.9 per cent this year, above the statutory 55 per cent ceiling.
A downgrade to Malaysia’s credit, rated as A- by S&P, would be its first since the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
The rating is the same as Botswana, which has a debt ratio of 16 per cent, while Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, is rated BB+ by S&P and has seen its debt fall to 25 per cent in 2011 from 95 per cent just after the crisis. Read the rest of this entry »
Begitu kata Mahathir …
Posted by Kit in DAP, Mahathir, Najib Razak, UMNO on Wednesday, 25 April 2012
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 24, 2012
24 APRIL — Memang sudah menjadi adat dan cara hidup semua bangsa dan agama mengenang jasa dan budi orang itu memang menjadi tuntutan. Hidup tidak mengenang budi “ibarat kacang lupakan kulit”. Itulah perbilangan Melayu yang semua orang tahu. Dan sememangnya orang Melayu mengenang jasa.
Hanya sekarang politik tidak dapat membezakan diantara siapa yang patut mengenang jasa dan siapa yang telah memakan jasa. Itulah sekarang menjadi tuntutan Najib apabila beliau melawat P. Pinang dua hari yang lepas. Najib seperti pemimpin Umno yang lain sentiasa menuntut orang Melayu dan rakyat untuk mengenangkan jasa Umno dan pemimpin-pemimpin besarnya yang telah lalu dan yang sedang berkuasa pada hari ini.
Katanya kita mesti ingat kepada jasa Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Dr Mahathir Mohamad serta Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Mereka ini semuanya berjasa kepada orang Melayu dan negara, kata Najib. Kata-kata Najib itu ada benarnya tetapi mengenang jasa itu biarlah bertempat dan kena pada orangnya serta tepat kepada sasaran dimana jasa itu dikenang. Kita tidak boleh mengenangkan jasa kepada mereka yang tidak berjasa seperti mereka yang telah membinasakan perjuangan dan tamaddun bangsa kita sendiri.
Saya berpendapat Dr Mahatnir sepatutnya mengenang budi parti yang telah mengangkat beliau ke mercu kekuasaan, tetapi Mahathir menggunakan kuasa hasil dari mengenang jasa orang Melayu dengan membinasakan parti itu pada suatu ketika dahulu. Jasa parti itu besar kepada beliau tetapi beliau tidak mengenangnya kerana beliau merasakan ahli-ahli Umno tidak lagi mahu lagi mengenang jasanya.
Beliau tidak mahu menerima yang ahli-ahli Umno sudah keberatan untuk memberikan jasa lagi kepada beliau kerana sebab-sebab yang kita dengar semasa ramai dari ahli-ahli Umno mahukan beliau dibersarakan setelah memberikan jasa yang begitu besar kepada beliau. Justru beliau telah membiarkan Umno itu mati walaupun kuasa yang diberikan rakyat kepada beliau boleh menyelamatkan parti itu dari terkubur. Read the rest of this entry »
Peaceful transition of power: Open letter to all political parties
Posted by Kit in Elections, Lim Teck Ghee, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 24 April 2012
by Dr Lim Teck Ghee
CPI
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
With the general election imminent, one key question remains yet unanswered: Will the Barisan Nasional respect the outcome of the polls and ensure a peaceful transition of power?
This is the sixty four thousand dollar sensitive question – unasked in our repressed mass media, largely unexplored by political analysts, never-to-be-publicly wondered but lurking in the mind of many concerned Malaysians.
One exception to the unwritten rule of never posing such a politically incorrect question took place in a private lunch talk organized by the Royal Selangor Club (RSC) for its members early this year. The January 12 event featuring Prime Minister Najib Razak as speaker had attracted an audience of more than 200.
An RSC member (who identified himself as the son of a former long-serving staff of Najib’s father, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein) asked the following towards the end of the talk:
“Mr Prime Minister, would you make the transition of the government for Pakatan a smooth one if the opposition wins the next general election?”
According to some of those present, after some hesitation the prime minister responded: “I do not have to answer that question” or words to that effect; following which he abruptly left, ostensibly for another function. Read the rest of this entry »
Testimonial siapa yang lebih baik? Tunku dan Hussein Onn atau yang lain-lain?
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Monday, 23 April 2012
—Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 23, 2012
23 APRIL — Semalam PM Najib di Pulau Pinang, negeri yang telah begitu maju dan telah pun menjadi negeri yang mendahului negeri-negeri lain dalam pelaburan pembuatan tahun lepas. Pulau Pinang diikuti rapat oleh Selangor dalam sektor yang sama dan kedua-duanya adalah negeri yang ditadbir oleh Pakatan Rakyat. Najib kali ini menjanjikan bulan dan bintang kepada negeri P. Pinang jika BN kembali memerintah negeri itu.
Janji pemimpin BN itu adalah janji dari parti yang telah jatuh ke dalam gaung dan kali ini ia memberikan janji kepada orang-orang yang telah mencampakkan BN ke dalam gaung itu. Lawatan ini adalah lawatan dalam siri kempen pilihanraya ke13 nanti dan Najib masih melagukan lagu-lagu lama yang sudah tidak masuk “carta lagu popular mingguan” lagi.
Lagunya yang dinyanyikan di Pulau Pinang semalam bertajuk “Ingat kepada jasa lama” dan “Jangan tinggal daku” yang telah dinyanyikan oleh pemimpin Umno setiap kali pilihanraya sampai. Lagu ini serupa seperti lagu “Selamat Hari Raya” nyanyian biduawanita negara Saloma. Lagu “Selamat Hari Raya” hanya berkumandang semasa kita menghampiri Hari Raya Puasa. Lagu-lagu ini datangnya bermusim. Bila habis Hari Raya hilanglah lagu selamat Hari Raya. Begitu jugalah lagu nyanyian Najib.
Tidak ada modal lain selain dari meminta rakyat dan orang Melayu khususnya untuk berterima kasih kepada BN dan mengenang jasa-jasa pemimpin-pemimpin terdahulu seperti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Dr Mahathir serta Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Najib menggunakan nama-nama pemimpin yang terdahulu sebagai “testimonial” untuk mendapatkan sokongan yang berterusan dari rakyat. Najib dan Umno pimpinannya sedang kepanasan kerana dalil-dalil yang jelas telah dilihat yang BN akan menghadapi pilihanraya yang paling getir dalam sejarah negara merdeka kita.
Tetapi Najib tidak pula nampak yang “testimonial” nama-nama pemimpin yang disebut beliau itu tidak boleh meyakinkan rakyat untuk menerimanya bulat-bulat. Setidak-tidaknya dua dari nama yang disebutnya itu tidak berada didalam Umno semasa mereka meninggal dunia. Tunku Abdul Rahman sehingga akhir hayat beliau tidak mahu menyertai Umno kerana parti itu tidak lagi mempunyai “attribute” sebagai parti yang mempunyai intregiriti untuk memerintah. Begitu juga Hussein Onn. Kedua-dua bekas pemimpin besar Umno ini tidak mahu menyertai Umno sama sekali. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno’s looming end
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Monday, 23 April 2012
— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 22, 2012
APRIL 22 — It is already happening. The people in the mainstream media and “mainstream new media” do not have a clue about what is happening. They are seeing ghosts at every corner. Umno is in total disarray. In desperate times, Umno resorts to desperate measures.
Umno knows the Malay mindset. They know Malays have this addiction to horror stories, sex and other bizarre tales. That is why readership of the Mastika Magazine far outstrips that of Utusan Malaysia. In Utusan Malaysia, only two pieces of news are true; (1) the Islamic prayer times and (2) 4-digit numbers. Can it be that more Malays now patronise the gaming shops? Everything else in Utusan is deceit.
So, now, they concentrate on the horror of horrors — all else will die with the demise of Umno. The hard truth is, if Umno dies, the ones who will suffer most will be the parasitic leeches and the anointed rent-seekers, the licensed rajahs, the ones given licences to plunder, and the corrupt politicians. It’s the end of civilisation, but it’s the end of the plundering civilisation as Umno knows it.
Let me hasten to comfort Malays and Malaysians; nobody dies if Umno goes under. Especially not the Malays. The tide and ebb of Malays do not absolutely depend on Umno. We progress through education and through our efforts. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Unwise for Umno to axe Najib after GE’
Posted by Kit in Elections, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak, UMNO on Sunday, 22 April 2012
Nigel Aw | Apr 21, 2012
Malaysiakini
Even if the BN wins the next general election but losses more seats, it would still be unwise for Umno to unseat Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as they did with his predecessor, says prominent author Barry Wain.
This, he said, is because the premier is popular among the people and the ruling coalition and government are dependent on his star power.
“In the event if Najib still wins the election but drops say a dozen seats, he could come under pressure, but it is difficult because Najib is personally popular.
“He is extremely popular, far more popular than Umno, the government and the BN.
“What they have going for them now in terms of electoral appeal is Najib,” Wain said at a talk organised by the Foreign Correspondents Club Malaysia (FCCM) in Kuala Lumpur. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib an opportunistic reformer, says author
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, UMNO on Sunday, 22 April 2012
Nigel Aw | Apr 21, 2012
Malaysiakini
Barry Wain, who in 2010 raised red flags at the Home Ministry with his book ‘Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times’, has described Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak reformer image as a selective one.
The journalist and author, while acknowledging that the current premier had given more substance to his reform agenda compared with his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, he had only instituted changes where the government’s position was not endangered, he said.
“Recognising his personal and political limits, Najib has become what I call a tactical or selective reformer, a less charitable description might be an opportunistic reformer,” said the Australian, who has lived in Asia for nearly 40 years.
“Skirting some of the areas most in need of reform, he is hoping he can make enough changes around the edges of certain policies, package them attractively and sell them to Malaysia to arrest Umno’s slide,” Wain told some 30 members of the Foreign Correspondence Club Malaysia (FCCM) at a talk in Kuala Lumpur last night. Read the rest of this entry »
Ambiga: ‘Whirlwind’ of law reforms pointless without clean polls
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Human Rights, ISA, Najib Razak, Parliament on Saturday, 21 April 2012
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 21, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — The sudden “whirlwind” of legislative reforms to the country’s restrictive laws has left Malaysians both elated and disappointed in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government ahead of the 13th general election, Bersih co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenavasan has said.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his team may have earned plus points for daring to slacken the government’s leash over civil freedom, a historical point in Malaysian politics, but the prime minister’s failed attempt at electoral reform had hurtled him back to square one, she said.
The vocal civil society leader added that although crucial restrictive legal provisions were removed in recent months, they were forced down the throats of Malaysians in a rushed manner, drawing suspicion over the government’s true motive for reform.
“To me, the speed at which new laws and amendments were suddenly being pushed through Parliament, without consideration at all for consultation and opposition viewpoints, I think, reeks of suspicion.
“All it shows is that the elections are close,” Ambiga told The Malaysian Insider recently.
“We are in a bit of a whirlwind, really, with these legislations being passed through in such a rushed manner.
“Some people say it’s a good thing… but to many, you (the government) are only doing this because of the elections.
“This how it would just enforce the insincerity of the government,” she said. Read the rest of this entry »
Is the Security Offences Bill constitutional?
Posted by Kit in Constitution, ISA, Najib Razak on Saturday, 21 April 2012
— Tommy Thomas
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 21, 2012
APRIL 21— Congratulations to Prime Minister Najib Razak who has single-handedly taken the necessary action to repeal the dreaded Internal Security Act, 1960 (“ISA”) : Clause 32 (1) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill 2012 expressly says so. It is fitting that 52 years after his late father, Tun Razak, moved the ISA Bill in Parliament, he goes into the history books as the leader who piloted its abolition. His achievement is all the greater because his zeal to make Malaysia a freer country does not seem to be shared by his Cabinet — which has been conspicuously silent — or by law enforcement agencies like the Attorney-General, Police and other bureaucracies.
The abolition of the ISA must be seen against the background of the revocation in October 2011 of the 4 Emergencies which have scarred the national psyche for nearly the entire duration of Malaysia’s nationhood since Merdeka. The result is much greater space and freedom for our people, and is welcome. Read the rest of this entry »
Call for repeal of PPPA as amendments to draconian press law are “baby steps” if Najib is serious about wanting Malaysia to be world’s best democracy
Posted by Kit in Media, Najib Razak, Parliament on Friday, 20 April 2012
We welcome the amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) to remove the annual licensing for newspapers as well as to provide for judicial review for the exercise of the Ministerial powers under the Act.
However, the manner in which the PPPA Amendment Bill is being rushed through Parliament, with very limited and inadequate debate in the early hours of the morning, the tabling of the Bill only on Wednesday and without any consultation with the concerned stakeholders, raise serious questions as how serious is the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in wanting to usher in a political transformation and make Malaysia the world’s “best democracy”.
The PPPA amendments are just “baby steps” if the Prime Minister is serious about Malaysia becoming the world’s “best democracy”. What we want is for the total repeal of the PPPA as there are adequate existing laws to deal with any press abuses.
Last month, the Prime Minister claimed that his three-year premiership had brought about more media freedom which has been acknowledged internationally. This is a most self-serving argument. Read the rest of this entry »
What a load of rubbish
Posted by Kit in ISA, Mahathir, Najib Razak on Monday, 16 April 2012
— Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 16, 2012
APRIL 16 — This is what we learnt today. We learnt that Najib Razak is in his element when making promises. He will sound like a true believer when you give him the floor, as they did in Parliament today.
He promised “more reforms”. I love it that he assumes that his replacement laws are reforms and that Idris Jala’s sleight of hand EPP, ETP and GTP qualify as real change.
He will do away with the Publishing and Printing Presses Act and amend the Sedition Act, he said, but left out a time frame. This is a superb tactic given that it is likely this is the last Parliament session before the polls!
Najib is a prime minister who will say anything and pretend to do something to win our votes. He said today that the era of the “government knows best” is over. Are you sure? Read the rest of this entry »
Dr M: Now a good time for polls
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak on Sunday, 15 April 2012
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 15, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak should call for a general election while he is confident of victory, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
The former prime minister also said that time was running out before Najib would be forced to hold national polls mandatorily.
“If we think we can win, we can call the election. If the people give us a good support, that’s the time to call the election,” Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying in a Bernama Online report.
“Even now, it looks good,” he continued. Read the rest of this entry »
Guan Eng: Minimum wage not enough to improve living standards
Posted by Kit in Education, Labour, Lim Guan Eng, Najib Razak on Saturday, 14 April 2012
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 14, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — Lim Guan Eng told Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today that his much-awaited minimum wage policy was insufficient to improve living standards without total reforms to the country’s economy, education and workforce policies.
The Penang Chief Minister said the new wage floor of RM1,100, to be announced this April 30, must come hand in hand with higher productivity jobs, increased female participation in the workforce and “accelerated structural reforms” to the economy aimed at reducing corruption and plucking leakages.
However, Lim added that although the new wage floor to be announced by Najib was purportedly due to opposition pressure, DAP would welcome the announcement.
Malaysians, he added, have “high expectations” of Najib.
“Malaysia is in sore need of structural economic reforms to make us more competitive, transparent, efficient as well as reduce leakages caused by wastage and corruption.
“Structural economic reforms such as open competitive tenders, full disclosure of contracts and personal assets of Ministers as well as a performance-based delivery system must carried out,” he said in his Tamil and Vaisakhi new year message today. Read the rest of this entry »
Who ‘owns’ Dataran Merdeka?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Hishammuddin, Najib Razak on Saturday, 14 April 2012
Jeswan Kaur | April 14, 2012
Free Malaysia Today
It is annoying how the ruling government is going in a roundabout manner to kill off the April 28 rally.
COMMENT
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz has curtly asked electoral watchdog Bersih 3.0 to obtain consent from the owners of Dataran Merdeka if it insists on using the site for its April 28 sit-in protest.
Now that is new. Who really “owns” Dataran Merdeka? And each time the federal government or big-wig corporate companies uses the square to organise events, do they too seek perrmission from the “owners”?
It is annoying how the ruling government is going in a roundabout manner to kill off the April 28 rally, sparing no effort in trying to wear down Bersih 3.0 which is not about to scout for another location.
Bersih 3.0 steering committee chairperson S Ambiga is determined to proceed with the sit-in protest at Dataran Merdeka due to its historical relevance to the people’s struggle for independence and a democratic Malaysia.
“We do not agree that there is a necessity to change the venue to other places,” she said in a statement.
Ambiga added: “We certainly do not see any reason why Dataran Merdeka is unsuitable in the light of the many events that have recently been held there, including 205th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Police [PDRM].”
But Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is unwilling to cooperate and instead wants Bersih 3.0 to be “sincere” and “realistic” and compromise on the location. Read the rest of this entry »
Repeal of ISA a hollow victory
Posted by Kit in Human Rights, ISA, Najib Razak on Friday, 13 April 2012
T Vicknaraj | Apr 12, 2012
Letters
Malaysiakini
The ambiance in Malaysia in April 2012 is both celebratory and festive due to the recent policy changes pertaining to Malaysian’s civil and political rights; and yet there is a strong sense of scepticism and mistrust at the ground level among the civil society movements, opposition politicians and the general population.
The general population’s feeling denotes a strong awareness that that this year possesses a crucial landmark in our nation’s history, as the concepts of participatory and parliamentary democracy are being negotiated and boundaries of civil and political rights are being rebranded, redesigned and rehashed in light of the impending general elections rumoured to be held in June 2012.
The stakeholders who are active in this negotiation for democracy are the political parties from both side of the divide, the ever growing civil society movements like Bersih, NGOs and the young adult population (gen X and Y), all of whom have a crucial say on how this political drama unfolds.
This mixed feelings and confused euphoria is justified. Read the rest of this entry »
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