Archive for category UMNO
Malays are afraid of themselves
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Mariam Mokhtar, Muhyiddin Yassin, nation building, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Mariam Mokhtar | Feb 21, 11
Malaysiakini
The BTN or National Civics Bureau is divisive, racist and politically-motivated. Most people are aware of this except for BN politicians. Despite the serious allegations made about the BTN, their main coalition partners, MCA and MIC have not been effective in condemning the BTN.
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin denied claims that courses run by the BTN were a form of political indoctrination. He said, “BTN is to inculcate nationalism and unity among the people in line with the 1Malaysia concept”.
Talk of nationalism smacks of the supremacy of one race over the other races. If he had said that the mission of BTN was to promote patriotism, this would be more in line with the spirit of Malaysian unity.
After a media blitz on the BTN in late 2009, the cabinet decided that the BTN would be revamped as it had run counter to its aims of instilling a united Malaysia. When former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad disagreed, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz described him as racist.
Nevertheless, the task of revamping the BTN was given to Ahmad Maslan, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who is also the BTN chief. As is common with most BN politicians, he flip-flopped and said that he was not going to revamp the curriculum but would merely ‘upgrade’ it. Read the rest of this entry »
Guan Eng blames Umno for ‘misleading booklet’
Posted by Kit in Lim Guan Eng, Media, Penang Government, UMNO on Saturday, 5 February 2011
By Adib Zalkapli
The Malaysian Insider
February 05, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 — Lim Guan Eng denied today that his Penang administration was behind a tourism booklet which Umno claimed has challenged the early existence of the Malays in the island.
The Penang chief minister also demanded that the Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhammad Farid Saad to apologise within a week for blaming the state government had distributed the “My Balik Pulau” booklet.
“To make matter worse, the Pulau Betong assemblyman and Utusan Malaysia through its reports have attacked the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government accusing us of publishing material containing historically misleading facts and insulting the Malays when it was Umno and the federal government that should be made responsible,” said Lim in a statement.
In an Utusan Malaysia’s report on February 1, Farid reportedly accused the Penang state government of twisting historical facts in an attempt to mislead the younger generation.
The Malay daily said that the booklet was published by the Penang Arts Education Society and sponsored by the Penang Education Council, which Utusan Malaysia claimed to be an advisory body for the DAP’s state government.
On February 3, the Umno-owned daily carried another report calling the My Balik Pulau booklet as dangerous.
The report quoted Penang campus of Malaysian teachers institute alumni president Abdul Said Hussain who claimed that the booklet was aimed at convincing the Chinese that their ancestors were the first to settle in Balik Pulau and not the Malays.
Lim revealed today that among the sponsors for the tourism booklet were Farid’s resource centre and other Balik Pulau Umno leaders. Read the rest of this entry »
In Tenang, Malay votes won the day for BN
By Shannon Teoh
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 — More than half of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) 1,200-vote gain over PAS in Tenang was due to increased Malay support in the constituency, DAP statistics have shown.
Malays who had in 2008 voted against Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s stewardship of BN or abstained from the general election, came out to signal its support for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration.
The Malays make up about 49 per cent of the 14,753 voters in Tenang. Chinese account for over 38 per cent and Indians, 12 per cent.
Umno’s Azahar Ibrahim received 83.3 per cent of Malay votes, up four percentage points from Election 2008, said DAP publicity chief Tony Pua on Twitter earlier today.
A Malay turnout of 81 per cent yesterday, up two points from 2008, translated to a 700-vote increase.
BN’s 3,707-vote majority was also due to Chinese voters skipping yesterday’s by-election.
Although Normala Sudirman managed to hold on to PAS’s 64 per cent Chinese support from the 2008 general election, an 18-point fall in turnout resulted in another 300-vote gain for BN’s majority. Read the rest of this entry »
Muddy waters: Post-Tenang reflections
Posted by Kit in Elections, Islamic state, MCA, Pakatan Rakyat, PAS, UMNO on Monday, 31 January 2011
Bridget Welsh | Jan 31, 11 4:58pm
Malaysiakini
COMMENT
Malaysia’s 14th by-election since March 2008 scored another victory in the BN column, as they held onto their seat. This was expected, as it was home ground for Umno and the contest was purely about the winning majority.
Even with the lower voter turnout, Umno did well with a comfortable and higher majority of 3,707. Rather than provide a numerical assessment of the voting results, let me share some broader observations and tensions that arise from the Tenang campaign.
Despite the centrality of machinery and money, this election highlights the increasing challenges of engaging the diverse electorate in Malaysia. Arguably, the dynamics of the by-election in Johor muddy the waters, making the decisions about national electoral strategies and tactics even more complex.
Decision to proceed irresponsible
The most defining feature of this election was the weather. It was dreadful, and it negatively affected the polling. Watching voters drench themselves to vote, despite umbrellas, and wade in up to knee-high water to the polling station, made me question whether the by-election was worth the risks involved.
I remain deeply puzzled why this by-election was not postponed. I woke up the morning of the poll thinking that it might already be time for Noah’s Ark as the overnight downpour had already affected roads and submerged parts of the constituency. Read the rest of this entry »
With 10% increase of Chinese voter support for Pas/PR candidate in Tenang, will Chua Soi Lek have the political courage to tell UMNO the truth?
Posted by Kit in Election, MCA, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Monday, 31 January 2011
I had said at the close of the Tenang by-election campaign that Pakatan Rakyat would have cause to celebrate if it could achieve three of four aims – firstly, to debunk Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s boast of winning 5,000 majority in Tenang which he had described as a Barisan Nasional “fortress”; secondly, to slash the BN’s 2,492 majority won in the 2008 general election; and thirdly, to secure the votes of more than 55% of the Chinese electorate who voted for the PAS candidate in the 2008 general election.
The fourth aim is to win the Tenang by-election, which I had not considered as likely.
In the event, only two of three aims – debunking Muhyiddin’s boast of 5,000-vote majority and increasing Chinese voter support for the Pas/PR candidate from the previous 55% – were achieved in the by-election yesterday.
I have no doubt that all the three goals would have be achieved if not for the climatic disaster, resulting in incessant rain and heavy flooding aggravated by selective and discriminatory assistance given by various government agencies ferrying only Barisan Nasional voters to the polling stations. All this caused unprecedented low voter turnouts, especially in Chinese and Indian areas.
Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan decries selective assistance to voters
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng | Jan 30, 11 4:50pm
Malaysiakini
The day-long downpour in Tenang had caused flooding in many areas across this rural constituency in Johor, rendering several of the 12 polling stations inaccessible to voters.
Pakatan Rakyat complained that this had significantly reduced the turnout of Chinese voters, considered the ‘vote bank’ for the opposition.
Although police, army, the Civil Defence Department and various government agencies had been deployed to assist the voters to get to the polling stations, Pakatan leaders are upset that the assistance were not provided equally to all.
According to them, more transportation facilities were deployed in Felda areas, which are BN strongholds.
“Why are there no boats to ferry the voters in Labis town, which is also flooded, but Felda gets all the police and fire department boats?” asked DAP publicity chief Tony Pua in a tweet message.
BN secured 80 percent of votes in the three Felda settlements in Tenang in the 2008 general election.
“The failure to provide sufficient boats and trucks, and distribute them evenly across all polling districts will severely tilt the outcome of this by-election.
“The police and army should not just provide their assistance to selective areas because the flood is everywhere in the constituency.” he added when contacted by Malaysiakini. Read the rest of this entry »
Factors that will shape tomorrow’s outcome
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Islamic state, MCA, Pakatan Rakyat, PAS, UMNO on Sunday, 30 January 2011
Bridget Welsh | Jan 29, 11
Malaysiakini
ANALYSIS
In this semi-rural constituency, rain and floods have dampened the turnout at ceramah and made for a low-key campaign. Walkabouts and quiet face-to-face campaigning, sometimes backed by ‘gifts’, have been the norm, as the BN aims to reach the lofty target of 5,000 majority and Pakatan Rakyat fights hard to win ground in an area that is far outside of its usual base.
No question, political watchers are fatigued observing this 14th by-election since March 2008, and hearing the same old issues of money politics and racial politics shaping the outcome.
For some, the fight for a few thousand votes in the protracted struggle for power is a distraction and waste of money. With an estimated RM150 million cost for campaigns in this tiny constituency, it is no wonder that cynicism has set in nationally.
It is important to understand that the Tenang by-election – its campaign and political significance – symbolise an ongoing climate change in Malaysian politics that has evolved since Najib Razak came into office. As with climate change generally, we do not yet know the impact, but its immediate effects are significant.
The Tenang contest will affect future campaigns and political fortunes, even though the actual result will likely remain in the BN column. Below, I describe three broad transforming features tied to Tenang and point to a few key factors that will shape the contest in tomorrow’s outcome and the size of the majority. Read the rest of this entry »
Youths in BN T-shirts heckle Guan Eng
Posted by Kit in Election, Lim Guan Eng, UMNO on Wednesday, 26 January 2011
By Regina Lee and Kuek Ser Kuang Keng | Malaysiakini
The welcome given to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at two back-to-back functions in this small constituency of Tenang last night were poles apart.
While Lim was given a rousing welcome when he arrived for his first ceramah in Bandar Labis Tengah, it was a totally different scene in the night, in Felda Chemplak Barat.
As early as 5pm, reporters were told that Umno supporters would “demonstrate” against Pakatan Rakyat at the settlement around 8pm, when Lim was expected to arrive.
It was only around 9pm when about 30 youths wearing BN T-shirts gathered some 20 metres from the PAS ceramah venue.
Read the rest of this entry »
Can Malaysia graduate?
East Asia Forum
January 19th, 2011
Author: Hal Hill, ANU
Malaysia is one of the developing world’s great success stories. Few countries outside of East Asia can match its development record. Since its independence over 53 years ago per capita incomes have risen more than eight-fold, and absolute poverty has been all but eliminated.
But it currently faces three key, interrelated challenges, some generic to upper middle income developing countries, others specific to Malaysia itself.
The first, how to graduate to the rich-country club, has been clearly articulated by the country’s Prime Minister, Tun Najib: ‘We are now at a critical juncture, either to remain trapped in a middle-income group or advance to a high-income economy … We now have to shift to a new economic model based on innovation, creativity and high value added activities.’
The second, shared by some of its Southeast Asian neighbours, is the country’s slower development trajectory since the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. Even before the current global financial crisis, which it has navigated quite successfully, economic growth in the 2000’s was about two percentage points below that of the decade 1986-96.
Particularly worrisome is the slump in investment, which has been stuck at little more than 20 per cent of GDP since the late 1990s. This is 10-15 percentage points of GDP lower than the country’s historic ratio. With savings remaining buoyant, the country’s external position has been transformed dramatically. In 2002, the country had net liabilities equivalent to 35 per cent of GDP. By 2008, this had been transformed to net assets of 20 per cent of GDP. Put simply, Malaysians have been finding overseas investment increasingly attractive, while foreigners have been less attracted to Malaysia.
The third challenge relates to the development of high-quality institutions to underpin a modern market economy in a country that has experienced continuous one-party rule for over half a century. Malaysia’s ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) is in fact the world’s longest-serving governing party currently in power among all ‘quasi democracies’. Not surprisingly, elements of UMNO exhibit the problems of complacence and arrogance that one expects from entrenched one-party dominance. Read the rest of this entry »
When did Najib get the veto power as BN Chairman to veto parliamentary and state assembly candidates proposed by the other BN component parties?
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced in Kuching yesterday that he will exercise his rights as Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman to veto potential candidates to ensure only winnable ones become BN candidates in the next election.
It is public knowledge that all along, the final decision on the list of candidates rests with the presidents of the respective Barisan Nasional component parties, whether MCA, Gerakan, MIC, PPP or the Sarawak/Sabah component parties.
When did Najib get the veto power as BN Chairman to veto parliamentary and state assembly candidates proposed by BN component parties?
There is nothing in the Barisan Nasional constitution which confers on the BN Chairman the veto powers to reject the parliamentary or state assembly candidates proposed BN component parties.
If Najib can veto potential candidates proposed by Barisan Nasional component parties to ensure only winnable ones become BN candidates, can leaders of the other BN component parties veto proposed Umno candidates on similar ground of winnability in the next general election?
Read the rest of this entry »
Tenang by-election: Attempt to transfer husband for failing to ‘control wife’
By Kuek Ser Kuang Keng | MalaysiaKini
The Johor Education Department has attempted to transfer the husband of PAS’ Tenang candidate Normala Sudirman from Tenang to Johor Bahru on the ground that he cannot “control his wife”.
he sudden directive, which orders Normala’s husband Makrof Abd Mutalib to relocate to Johor Bahru within 24 hours, was however retracted after the couple (left) protested.
“The headmaster said it was because I can’t control my wife, referring to her political participation in PAS,” said Makrof Abd Mutalib, who has been teaching in a school in Tenang for the past 13 years.
Met at a PAS event to announce its candidate last night, Makrof told Malaysiakini that he received the transfer notice a few days ago when it was heavily speculated that his wife could contest the Jan 30 by-election for the state seat.
Read the rest of this entry »
The insidious pattern
Posted by Kit in nation building, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Sunday, 16 January 2011
Breaking Views
The Malaysian Insider
January 16, 2011
Since Election 2008, the racial and religious mercury has appeared to rise in Malaysia.
Little incidents of friction have sprouted here and there, testing inter-community ties and blotting the Malayan, and later, the Malaysian dream of Tunku Abdul Rahman and the Merdeka generation.
Fact is, there is an insidious pattern all over Malaysia, especially in states held by Pakatan Rakyat (PR), where little slights have exploded into full-blown crises that appear to require the deft touch of senior politicians to maintain calm and cool-headed thinking.
Name the issue, from Lim Guan Eng’s name in a prayer, relocation of temples, destruction of suraus and, the latest, where a surau allegedly had its speakers turned down after a complaint from an MCA man.
Many of these things were brought up, broadcasted, twisted and turned to major issues when the solutions could have been found within the communities themselves.
What is certain is that most are linked to either Umno or their allies, who manufacture racial or religious slights and then go on about how Malays/Muslims’ interests cannot be protected by PR. Read the rest of this entry »
Open Letter to Chua Soi Lek
Posted by Kit in Kee Thuan Chye, MCA, Najib Razak, nation building, UMNO on Wednesday, 12 January 2011
By Kee Thuan Chye
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Malaysiandigest.com
Dear Soi Lek,
You are a highly educated person and one with the ability to think. As such, you are probably aware that the welfare of this nation rests on more than just the MCA winning its share of seats at the next general election and remaining in the coalition that holds the power to decide the fate of Malaysia.
You are probably aware that the way forward for Malaysia is renouncing the way of the Barisan Nasional, led by Umno, falling back on an outdated decades-old formula. And that if you and the MCA continue to collude with the other parties in BN to retain power, you are subscribing to practices that could lead the nation to racial rifts and economic ruin.
Would you not agree with me that at this point in our history, as we stand at this crucial crossroads deciding which is the best path to take, national politics should no longer be race-based?
Read the rest of this entry »
Malay Rights v Special Position
Posted by Kit in Constitution, NEP, UMNO on Sunday, 9 January 2011
by Stanley Koh
Free Malaysia Today
January 9, 2011
COMMENT
“There are no Malay rights since our Constitution holds dear that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to equal protection of the law without discrimination on the basis of race and religion.”
That was what the late Ghazali Shafie said in a speech at the National Unity Convention in May 2001.
He continued: “What perhaps has come to be regarded as special rights is the special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak under Article 153 (of the Federal Constitution). The change from ‘position’ to ‘rights’ is frightening. Who did that, I wonder?
“In a plural society like ours, if the leadership was not bold and sincere enough to take corrective measures so that there would be a level playing field, then the situation would indeed be bleak and our society would be a playground for those who wish us ill.”
Born in Kuala Lipis, Ghazali was 88 at the time of his death in January 2010. He had a distinguished career in politics and government.
Many bigots, opportunists and self-serving leaders of today will probably dismiss those remarks on the New Economic Policy as just one man’s opinion. If they are ignorant of history, they may even question his authority.
If Ghazali were alive and facing these critics, he would probably reply in these words, which were part of the speech at the 2001 convention: Read the rest of this entry »
Kenapa Saya Memilih Roket
Sejak berita keahlian saya dalam DAP telah diumumkan oleh media massa selepas ucapan perbahasan saya semasa Konvensyen Pakatan Rakyat di Kepala Batas tempoh hari, soalan yang paling kerap diajukan kepada saya adalah: kenapa DAP?
Pada saya jawapannya amat mudah. Secara ikhtisar, saya telah memilih untuk menjulang perjuangan rakyat dalam kancah politik negara kita melalui Parti Tindakan Demokratik (DAP) sebagai satu kesinambungan pewarisan dan jasa arwah ayahanda saya kepada negara tercinta. Ada yang mungkin mengatakan bahawa tindakan sedemikian adalah satu percanggahan, sedangkan ayah saya dahulu bukan sekadar ahli biasa UMNO, malah seorang pengasas parti itu sejak tahun 1946 dan merupakan seorang pemimpin kanan yang pernah memegang jawatan Naib Presiden dan Setiausaha Agung. Malah, ada yang sudahpun mengecam perwatakan saya sebagai seorang pengkhianat bangsa atau ‘Melayu lupa diri’, kononnya saya ini ibarat kacang yang telah melupakan kulit dengan tindakan membelakangi sebuah parti yang sudah kian lama dianggap sebagai pembela bangsa.
Saya memang akur bahawa UMNO merupakan sebuah parti yang masyhur dan bersejarah, dan atas usaha dan pengorbanan pemimpin-pemimpin terdahulunya telahpun berjaya meraih kemerdekaan tanah air kita daripada penjajah British. Namun sejak kebelakangan ini, niat asal penubuhannya, atau raison d’être, untuk membebaskan negara dan memartabatkan bangsa sudahpun ternoda. Read the rest of this entry »
2011 – The Rise Of Pakatan Rakyat, The Imminent Fall Of Umno/BN
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Sunday, 2 January 2011
by Richard Loh
Let us Malaysians start the New Year with a Big Bang. May our New Year resolutions not be for self but for the country. We should resolve to be fully committed to voting in a new Federal Government at the next GE, one that will bring about the changes Malaysians have desired for so long.
It would appear that 2010 was a very good year for Najib, even though all he did was to plaster the whole country with slogans and rhetoric that benefited no one but his wife, foreign agents and cronies. Just imagine the millions or even billions wasted to promote them. And it is the rakyat’s money!
What comes out of Najib’s mouth sounds so hollow. You must have read in the Mainstream Media his various speeches in front of different communities. He paints a rosy picture to arouse the rakyat into believing that what he is ‘trying’ to do is for the ‘good’ of the country.
He talks about unity, equality, religious tolerance, Bangsa Malaysia but his actions contradict his preaching. He can still tolerate the racists Utusan, Perkasa and civil servants spreading racial hatred and religious intolerance. All these are living proof that Umno/BN have failed in their 54 years of administration and governing. Read the rest of this entry »
NUJ blames racist editors for Utusan’s circulation drop
By Adib Zalkapli
The Malaysian Insider
January 01, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 – National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president Hata Wahari blamed Utusan Malaysia editors and what he called their racial rhetoric for the daily’s declining sale.
He also called on the authorities to act against Utusan Malaysia editors for fanning racial sentiment in its reports.
“Utusan Malaysia which used to enjoy daily circulation of 350,000 has now become government’s propaganda tool in playing up racial issues and creating discord among the people of various races,” said Hata (picture) in a statement today.
“NUJ Malaysia also calls on the authorities to act against the chief editor and other editors of Utusan Malaysia for undermining racial harmony in the country,” he added.
Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) figures for the full year ended June 30, 2010 showed that Utusan Malaysia’s circulation dropped from 181,346 to 170,558, or a drop of 5.9 per cent.
“NUJ Malaysia hopes that the chief editor and editors of Utusan Malaysia will revert to the objectives of the newspaper during the early days of its publication,” said Hata who is also an Utusan Malaysia journalist. Read the rest of this entry »
Softening up students to Islam with History syllabus
Posted by Kit in Education, History, nation building, UMNO on Thursday, 30 December 2010
Commentary
Written by Centre for Policy Initiatives
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Whose history is the government pushing on our students and to what effect?
On Oct 23, Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that History will be made a must-pass subject for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia beginning 2013. This puts the subject on par with Bahasa Malaysia in its degree of importance.
The ministry will introduce a revised SPM History curriculum in 2017 as in that year the cohort which started Form One in 2013 would have reached Form Five. Fresh elements to be incorporated when the History syllabus begins its new cycle are ‘patriotism’, ‘citizenship’ and ‘the constitution’, which by extension implicates the so-called social contract.
Muhyiddin said the reason for the move to expand the History syllabus is so that patriotism can be instilled in Malaysian youths.
On Dec 16 – responding to objections raised by some quarters on his proposal – Muhyiddin guaranteed that the government does not have any “ulterior motives” and reiterated that the government in its decision “only want to introduce a history education to appreciate [patriotism] to help them [the Fifth Formers] become more patriotic”.
Is this the real agenda of Umno and the Ministry of Education bureaucrats and their support group of academics or is this another Umno political lie? Read the rest of this entry »
Utusan Malaysia has lost the plot
by Tony Pua
Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia has completely lost the plot with its daily extensive attacks against DAP and is the single largest hindrance to national unity
Never before in history has the DAP, a party Utusan Malaysia has previously regarded as irrelevant, become the object of obsession to the Umno-owned newspaper. In the last 3 of 4 days, the DAP made the front page of Utusan Malaysia with headlines like “Muslihat DAP”, “Guan Eng dikecam” and “Umat Islam perlu tolak DAP” on the 18, 20 and 21 December respectively.
Not only did the DAP and its leaders consistently make the frontpage, Utusan dedicated dozens of columns to DAP with titles such as “DAP perkudakan Anwar”, “DAP alat politik negara asing”, “DAP salur matlumat kepada Kuan Yew?”, “DAP gentar dengan 1Malaysia”, “DAP tiru strategi PAP”, “DAP yang sebenarnya memperalatkan 3R”, “DAP amal politik ala aparteid”, “Kebiadapan Guan Eng”, “Guan Eng semakin bersikap perkauman”, “Guan Eng perlu cermin diri” and more.
Read the rest of this entry »
Guan Eng defends ‘real Malaysians’ remark
Posted by Kit in DAP, Lim Guan Eng, Media, UMNO on Tuesday, 21 December 2010
By Yow Hong Chieh
December 21, 2010
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has denied questioning the citizenship of any Malaysians in his speech at the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) convention, as claimed by Umno politicians and its newspaper Utusan Malaysia.
Lim implied that his remarks were taken out of context, adding he had merely stressed that real Malaysians were ordinary, peace-loving people who upheld the principles of justice, truth and freedom, and placed importance on economic rights and a brighter future.
“It is clear that Utusan Malaysia and Penang Umno leaders like Dr Novandri Hasan Bari are once again… spreading lies by claiming that the Chief Minister wants to question the citizenship of Malaysians,” Lim’s office said in a short press statement.
Read the rest of this entry »
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