Malaysia’s independent radios jammed, sites hit by cyberattacks
The Malaysian Insider | APRIL 07, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 – Two independent radios, Radio Free Sarawak and Radio Free Malaysia, have been jammed in Malaysia and their web sites inaccessible due to cyberattacks, says its founder.
The two stations broadcast from London on short-wave frequencies and are available online through their websites and online database Soundcloud.
“There have been attempts at broadcast interference on both radio stations by jamming from different parts of the world over the past few days. These have had limited success so far and we have been working on tracing the perpetrators,” founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini.
Coordinated cyberattacks on their respective web sites were recorded all yesterday; they “came from all over, it appears, but mainly from the US and Malaysia, and our servers had to close down”, she added.
The Sarawak Report web site, the first launched by Rewcastle-Brown, similarly came under attack but was holding out.
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Soi Lek declined facing Kit Siang, Ghani a possibility, say BN sources
BY JAHABAR SADIQ
EDITOR
APRIL 08, 2013
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek was asked to face Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah but the MCA president declined the offer, leaving Barisan Nasional (BN) to consider its choices for the hottest battle in Umno’s home state, say ruling coalition sources.
The Malaysian Insider understands the MCA is pushing for caretaker Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman to fight the DAP adviser but an unsettled Malay ground and pro-opposition Chinese voters could scuttle those plans.
“Some in the BN war room thought it would be a titanic fight and that Dr Chua is strong enough to face Kit but the MCA president said no,” a BN source told The Malaysian Insider, referring to the veteran opposition leader by his moniker Kit.
“Now other choices are being considered as the final list must be ready by Tuesday,” the source added.
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Courage Rises Up Again and Again
Posted by Kit in nation building on Monday, 8 April 2013, 8:27 am
By Thomas Fann
www.newmalaysia.org
Have you ever been confronted by a menacing snarling dog who is ready to pounce on you? And for the briefest of moment, both of you glared into each other’s eyes. In your heart you felt sure the dog will sink his teeth into you and you would be his lunch.
But then something arises in you, a courage you never knew you had, and with your eyes fixed unflinchingly on his eyes, you lunge forward towards the dog and… lo and behold, he turned around and ran off with his tail tucked between his legs. Seizing the moment for complete victory, you gave chase, shouting after the terrified beast. Hurray, you have become top dog in your neighbourhood.
Nice thought but I doubt if many of us have had such stories to tell because most of the time we just make sure we don’t ever have to come face to face with such a snarling dog. We would “elak” or avoid such a confrontation by making a detour if we know that the neighbourhood bully dog is lying there.
This article is not about dogs but about fear and courage. Fear is a very human emotion and a necessary one to keep us safe and alive. But when fear becomes the dominant emotion in our life, it paralyses us from doing what is right.
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Who To Vote For In the Next Election
Posted by Kit in Bakri Musa, Elections on Monday, 8 April 2013, 8:13 am
By M. Bakri Musa
www.bakrimusa.com
Elections A System for Checks and Balances
[First of Four Parts]
When he dissolved Parliament on April 3, 2013, to make way for a general election, Prime Minister Najib advised us to “think and ponder appropriately” before casting our votes.
We can practice two mental exercises to help us “think and ponder appropriately.” One, imagine the best and worse possible consequences of our vote, that is, perform a “downstream analysis” of our decision. Two, reflect on the greater role of election as an effective bulwark against abuse of power by those in authority.
I will discuss the broader role of elections first. Subsequent essays will be a downstream analysis of the only three possible outcomes to this election: Barisan Nasional returning to power; Pakatan Rakyat to prevail; and a “hung” parliament.
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Defeating the people’s will
by Aliran on 7 April 2013
Tota urges the people of Perak to teach the BN a lesson at the polls for subverting the will of the people expressed in the last general election.
In the GE12 held in 2008, the people of Perak voted for a Pakatan Rakyat state government. The Umno-dominated BN decided to use dirty politics to subvert the people’s choice.
Many evil forces – BN, led by Najib, the state secretary, the police, parasites with power, and immoral and unscrupulous political frogs – conspired, connived and colluded to steal the rightfully elected government allegedly through bribery and corruption.
GE13 will be held soon. As a patriotic Malaysian, I see the people of Perak placed in a unique position to ensure once and for all no politician or party would again dare to defeat the people’s will through crooked means. Such an opportunity does not come often to a state to make history. Vote every BN candidate out. Better still ensure everyone of them loses his/her deposit!
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4-Day Countdown to 13GE – Call for ushering of new politics in Malaysia of good governance in 13GE and the beginning of the end of politics of race which had haunted the country for 56 years
When launching the Barisan Nasional election manifesto for the 13th General Elections at the carefully orchestrated rally of 15,000 Barisan Nasional supporters at the Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur last night, Datuk Seri Najib Razak posed the question: Who do you trust to lead Malaysia? BN chief Najib Razak, PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim or PAS President Hadi Awang?
As expected, the BN crowd of 15,000 roared back: ”Najib”.
When I posed the question whether the people trust Najib or Anwar as the Prime Minister at the DAP Taman Molek ceramah at Johore Jaya close to midnight, the response from the thousands of Malaysians who have spent more than four hours at the DAP ceramah was a spontaneous, ringing, categorical and thunderous support for Anwar and not Najib!
I believe that the spontaneous response of the Malaysian public at the DAP Taman Molek ceramah last night is more reflective of the real mood and aspirations of ordinary Malaysians in the country than the synthetic and even mercenary response of the BN rent-a-crowd gathering at Bukit Jalil Stadium last night.
Although Najib expressed glee and satisfaction at the positive answer from the 15,000-strong BN crowd at Bukit Jalil Stadium last night, I do not think it had fully removed the hurt and humiliation he suffered when tens of thousands of people at the Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year Open House in Penang shouted in unison three times each that they were “Ready” for the South Korean global K-pop star, Psy, but “No, No, No” and therefore “Not Ready” for the Barisan Nasional!
In the past 54 days, the cries that Malaysians were “ready” for Psy but “No, No, No” for Barisan Nasional had reveberrated throughout the country almost every night of Pakatan Rakyat gatherings, and it is no exaggeration to say that some 500,000 Malaysians would have taken part in this unique “public opinion” poll of saying “No, No, No” to Barisan Nasional since the second day of the Chinese New Year on Feb. 11. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno and its lackey Perkasa
By Ali Kadir | APRIL 06, 2013
The Malaysian Insider
APRIL 6 — How nice? Ibrahim Ali says that he will drop bombshells on Pakatan Rakyat’s leaders and shock the nation.
And what is he waiting for: the go-ahead from none other than Prime Minister Najib Razak.
So now the Umno gang can drop all the wayang and confirm what the rest of Malaysia have known all along: that Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa are just an extension of Umno, a nauseating and disgusting extension of a politics which has outsourced its dirty work.
But then again, nothing should shock us anymore.
This is a political party and NGO nexus which has brought us political violence on a scale never before seen in Malaysia; a partnership that has promoted racism and chauvinism like never before and political strategies rooted in the bowel thinking.
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BN Manifesto aka Gua Tolong Lu, Lu Tong Gua Money-presto!
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak on Sunday, 7 April 2013, 12:30 pm
By Martin Jalleh
BN’s GE13 “Money-Presto”!
Posted by Kit in Elections, Martin Jalleh, Najib Razak, UMNO on Sunday, 7 April 2013, 12:20 pm
By Martin Jalleh
In uncharted waters
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Sunday, 7 April 2013, 10:22 am
By Clive Kessler | APRIL 07, 2013
The Malaysian Insider
APRIL 7 ― We are in uncharted political waters.
Parliament has been dissolved, already days ago, but the election has yet to be called.
The dates for nomination of candidates and for “going to the polls” to vote have yet to be declared.
The nation now finds itself stalled. It can do nothing but wait. We are caught in a strange interlude, a moment of suspended political animation.
And we are already in new political territory.
Where exactly we are, and what the political “lie of the land” is, remain unclear.
Read the rest of this entry »
Talking to the Malays
— Zaid Ibrahim
The Malaysian Insider
April 06, 2013
APRIL 6 — So at last we are going to have a general election after all. The months of waiting have taken its toll on most people, but it’s important that they continue to have energy and spirit and to work hard to make this GE a meaningful one.
This week I want to talk to the Malays. They form the biggest block of voters and to them I say, this is your chance to have a new government. A new government will enable you to make a comparison with the one we have now. You have been told time and again that no one besides Umno/BN can govern and protect you, but wouldn’t it be better for you to try to find out for yourself? How can we know if Pakatan would be worse than Umno if we do not give them a chance?
You have to be brave and not let others bully you with fear and intimidation. The opposition parties have more Malays than BN so they will not harm you. They have worked hard and deserve a chance. For all you know, you may get better schools, better teachers for your children (as they may devote more time to teaching than politicking) and better security from the police and the army. Even your household income may improve as there will be more for the government to share with less corrupt leaders at the helm.
You will not lose if you vote for the opposition. If the opposition gets stronger because of your support but BN still wins, then you will get more cash handouts than they had promised. Money and projects have only been given to you because the opposition was strong — if the opposition had been weak, you wouldn’t have gotten the BR1M 1.0 and BR1M 2.0. It makes sense to vote for the opposition if you want more from the BN. Learn to value your votes to improve your livelihood. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia needs more Ibrahim Alis, says Dr M
by Koh Jun Lin
Malaysiakini
Apr 6, 2013
The country would be saved if there were more people like Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, said former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The patron of the Malay supremacist group said this today when endorsing Ibrahim to contest the Pasir Mas parliamentary seat under BN’s ticket.
“This is repayment, because in BN we repay good deeds… God willing if he is made a candidate, I would go to Pasir Mas to campaign.
“Perkasa is no small ‘party’, it has 400,000 members. It is probably bigger than PAS, but is not greedy.
“If there are many people like Ibrahim, this country is saved,” he said amid the cheers of a 3,000-strong audience.
Mahathir was speaking at Perkasa’s ‘Save Selangor Rally’ today held on a waterlogged field in Shah Alam. Read the rest of this entry »
5-Day Countdown to 13GE – Dr. Mahathir, Najib and the BN have abandoned and forgotten Vision 2020
Posted by Kit in Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak, UMNO on Saturday, 6 April 2013, 7:42 pm
As we approach the historic 13th general elections, Malaysians must make a crucial decision between choosing for a better, brighter future under Pakatan or to continue to suffer the broken promises offered by the Barisan Nasional (BN).
There is no better reminder to Malaysians of BN’s broken promises than the total and abject failure of its leaders to remember, much less to seek to live out, the lofty ideals put forth by Malaysia’s longest serving Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir in his Vision 2020.
Indeed, the person must guilty of totally abandoning the nine challenges in Vision 2020 is none other than Dr. Mahathir himself.
Over the past few months, Dr Mahathir has outdone himself by going around the country to create unnecessary, unproven and unsubstantiated fears about the future of this country under Pakatan Rakyat.
In fact, he has been campaigning more aggressively for the BN than even Prime Minister Najib!
By doing so, Dr. Mahathir has shown that the BN is incapable of leading Malaysia to the objectives set out by himself in Vision 2020.
In fact, the BN administration led by Najib, has failed to live up to each of the 9 challenges of Vision 2020 during his 4-year term as Prime Minister.
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Call on everyone of Najib’s outgoing Cabinet Ministers to declare whether they or their family members own off-shore companies
Posted by Kit in Crime, Najib Razak, UMNO on Saturday, 6 April 2013, 7:31 pm
Following the exclusive report by Malaysiakini yesterday that top Malaysian politicians, their family members and well-heeled associates are among those owning secretive offshore companies in Singapore and the British Virgin Islands, I call on every member of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s outgoing Cabinet Ministers to declare whether they or their family members own off-shore companies.
From files obtained by the Washington-based International Confederation of Investigative Journalist (ICIJ) and examined by Malaysiakini, more than 1,500 Malaysians own offshore companies in Singapore as well as the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
Politicians and political operatives who own offshore companies include former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s son Mirzan, Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin and Michael Chia, the alleged ‘bagman’ for Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman.
In an “exclusive” yesterday, Malaysiakini reported:
“The ICIJ list comprises a curious mix of Forbes-listed tycoons, parliamentarians, retired politicians, civil servants and their spouses, members of royal families, famous and infamous businesspeople, underworld kingpins and even former beauty queens.
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TV3 and other TV station should cancel live coverage of Najib’s presentation of BN Manifesto tonight unless similar facililities are also extended to Pakatan Rakyat election manifesto
Posted by Kit in Elections, Good Governance, Media, Najib Razak on Saturday, 6 April 2013, 5:31 pm
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will unveil the Barisan Nasional (BN) election manifesto in a speech at 8.30 pm tonight, which is to be broadcast live by TV3 and other TV stations.
This is a gross abuse of power and the latest in the long list of violations of the Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M)’s Election Integrity Pledge to conduct free, fair and clean elections which Najib signed with such fanfare some 45 days ago.
If the Barisan Nasional election manifesto is to be given live coverage over TV3 and other TV stations, similar facilities should also be extended to the Pakatan Rakyat’s election manifesto.
TV3 and other TV stations should cancel the live coverage of Najib’s presentation of BN Manifesto tonight unless they are prepared to offer similar facilities to the Pakatan Rakyat election manifesto. Read the rest of this entry »
A Smiling Bully
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Law & Order, Najib Razak, UMNO on Saturday, 6 April 2013, 4:30 pm
By Thomas Fann
www.newmalaysia.org
Walking towards a Pakatan rally at Kampung Melayu Dato Sulaiman Menteri in Johor Bahru, I could hear loud music coming from the open area where the ceramah was suppose to be. Initially I thought it was the pre-rally entertainment to amuse those who came earlier but as I got closer I could see UMNO and BN flags waving from where the mega sound system was, just 40 metres from the Pakatan truck which acted as the mobile stage.
Around 30 of these flag waving UMNO supporters were hurling verbal abuses and taunting the crowd of several thousands that night who came to hear what Anwar, Kit Siang, Guan Eng and other Pakatan leaders have to say.
Scores of police personnel had to act as human barricades to separate this small group of hostile supporters from the larger crowd who to their credit was peaceful and not provoked. Rock music and UMNO songs blasted non-stop for more than 4 hours for the whole duration of the ceramah.
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EC puts up drama of disappointment over poor overseas voters’ response — a result of its very own doing!
Posted by Kit in Elections, Martin Jalleh on Saturday, 6 April 2013, 4:13 pm
By Martin Jalleh
In Dr M, BN has a de facto campaigner-in-chief
Posted by Kit in Elections, Mahathir, Najib Razak, UMNO on Saturday, 6 April 2013, 6:01 am
By Debra Chong
The Malaysian Insider
April 05, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Ten years after leaving office, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and some of his old Cabinet colleagues have emerged in recent weeks as the face of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) campaign to return to power in Election 2013.
The 87-year-old Dr Mahathir has become a de facto campaigner-in-chief, going on the stump with the vigour of a much younger man as BN faces what is seen as its stiffest challenge ever from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact.
As Election 2013 moves into overdrive, Dr Mahathir has been the most visible face of the ruling coalition – apart from Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – criss-crossing the country expounding on BN’s power-sharing formula to drum up support for Team Najib.
The former prime minister who served for 22 years has been hitting the campaign trail hard in the past few weeks to bat for Najib, the son of his former political patron Tun Razak Hussein, in a way he never had for Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who succeeded him in October 2003, as he urged Malaysians to vote in the BN if they wanted continued stability and prosperity. Read the rest of this entry »
GE13: MCA doesn’t rule out possibility that Ghani may contest Gelang Patah
The Star
Published: Friday April 5, 2013 MYT 11:26:00 AM
Updated: Friday April 5, 2013 MYT 12:18:05 PM
JOHOR BARU: The MCA does not eliminate the possibility of Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman (pic) coming down to Gelang Patah to contest in the 13th general election.
However, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said Friday that there has yet to be a decision on the matter.
“There will be a discussion among the Barisan Nasional component leaders soon but what is important is that Barisan wins,” he said in a press conference after meeting with voters at the Taman Ungku Tun Aminah market in Skudai here Friday.
Dr Chua said that they want a candidate with a good track record and “Abdul Ghani has a proven track record as a Mentri Besar who is accepted by all races.”
Taib has delivered a coup de grace to Najib’s pretensions of elevating “fighting corruption” as top agenda of his transformation programme when Taib is not only mightier than MACC but also the Prime Minister
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Najib Razak, Sarawak on Friday, 5 April 2013, 12:43 pm
The photograph of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak flamboyantly signing the Transparency International-Malaysia (TIM) “Election Integrity Pledge” on February 20 flanked by UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders, with the Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, the bete’ noire of international anti-corruption campaigns, glaring malevolently from the back and the MCA President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek in a somnabulant pose, will go down as one of the most unforgettable pics of the 13th General Elections.
This is because nobody, including the TIM President Paul Low, seated importantly on Najib’s left and who could not suppress a cynical sneer, really believed Najib and his Umno/BN Ministers and colleagues have even an ounce of sincerity in wanting to eradicate grand corruption and gross abuses of power in the country.
It was just a meaningless public relations exercise scripted by Najib’s political consultants and image-builders to score political points in the 13GE, destroying in the process all credibility and legitimacy of TIM’s Election Integrity Pledge.
How can Najib for instance convince Malaysians that he is now a “convert” in the fight against corruption and abuses of power when Malaysia in the past four years is most corrupt in the nation’s 56-year history when compared to the previous five Prime Ministers, whether Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir or Tun Abdullah – as testified by the annual Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) since 1995 well as by the perceptions of all Malaysians down the 56 years of the nation’s history.
In fact, Najib proceeded to violate one item after another of the TI-M Election Integrity Pledge (EIP) before the ink of his signature was dry, chalking quite a catalogue of violations in the 44 days since his signature of the TI-M Election Integrity Pledge which made a total mockery of the four principles of the TI-M EIP, viz: Read the rest of this entry »
