Pakatan needs 7pct vote swing to win Putrajaya
Posted by Kit in Elections, Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 5 April 2013, 11:57 am
By Chong Zhemin | 10:33AM Apr 4, 2013
Malaysiakini
The 13th general election will be the first election in history where Malaysians go to polls knowing that they have a chance to vote for a regime change.
There are three possible outcomes for the coming election:
Scenario 1 – BN regains two-thirds majority
Scenario 2 – Slight gain for Pakatan Rakyat
Scenario 3 – Pakatan wins the election
Scenario 1 – Low possibility
For BN to regain two-thirds majority, BN would need to swing 1.5 percent of Pakatan voters in 2008.
Read the rest of this entry »
6-Days to 13GE – Idris Jala’s 12 clear signs of success – April Fool’s Day Message of Illusions
Datuk Seri Idris Jala in his article entitled 12 Clear Signs of Success has the chutzpah to make the claim that he believes in numbers and that their proper use and measurement does not result in lies.
It is rather laughable that having staked out this position, he proceeds to use fabricated numerical data in a brazen manner to make claims that do not have a basis and the assertions being made deviate from the truth.
However, he is not alone in spewing false and spurious numbers to befuddle the public. This has indeed been the season in which the nation has been treated to a recitation of false numbers to telltales of success and to make promises and paint mirages.
Pemandu has led the way and carved a niche for itself as the propaganda arm of the Government; and Datuk Idris is now a purveyor of twisted facts to cover up the failings of the Government.
The BN effort started with the Prime Minister claiming in the course of his March 23rd televised interview that per Capita GNI had grown by 49 percentage – and according to him the fastest ever in global terms – between 2009 and 2012.
This audacious claim, despite being challenged, was repeated by Pemandu in its Annual Report.
When further challenged, Datuk Idris was forced into issuing a “correction” citing a figure of 41 percent, further repeated in his article.
Read the rest of this entry »
What has Najib done for the Indians during his premiership, Samy?
Posted by Kit in Elections, MIC, Najib Razak on Friday, 5 April 2013, 11:08 am
By Martin Jalleh
‘President’ Najib has failed
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Friday, 5 April 2013, 10:35 am
By Gobind Rudra
April 4, 2013
COMMENT
As grotesque as it was, Najib sought desperately to adopt the Obama image of a change agent.
Najib Tun Razak has kept to his chosen self-image of a presidential prime minister by calling for a general election only after completing a full four years in office.
In fairnesss, he might even be allowed a measure of self-congratulation, for having stayed the course and completing his “term”, even if it is only in his imagination that his four years as PM can be compared to the fixed four-year term of the US president, and only in his own imagination could he be compared to Barack Obama.
With his image handlers, he has worked hard at projecting himself in the Obama mould — even down to the solecisms of his swearing-in and the King’s proclamation of dissolution and his frenetic adoption of new media savviness and online cool.
His projection of himself in the image as Obama, as absurd as it may seem, could be seen as early as June 2009 when the US president made the semi-obligatory phone call, engineered by the State Department, to the newly-appointed prime minister. Najib recorded it thus in his blog:
“It was our first conversation with each other as Heads of State and we exchanged congratulatory wishes on our respective appointments.” Read the rest of this entry »
When a Syiok turns into a Slap for Soi Lek!
Posted by Kit in Elections, MCA, Najib Razak, UMNO on Friday, 5 April 2013, 10:19 am
By Martin Jalleh
Might as well dissolve MACC after Taib snub
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Najib Razak, Sarawak on Friday, 5 April 2013, 7:45 am
– The Malaysian Insider
April 04, 2013
APRIL 4 – Naughty seems to be the byword in Sarawak.
The long-serving state chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud used that word today to describe the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) for its investigations into alleged graft in timber land awards.
“They don’t deserve my cooperation because they have been naughty… and they have not been honest,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. Read the rest of this entry »
Taib says Global Witness video expose was ‘sneaky’
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Sarawak on Friday, 5 April 2013, 7:23 am
By Zurairi AR
The Malaysian Insider
April 05, 2013
KUCHING, April 5 — Tan Sri Taib Mahmud has challenged Global Witness to debate him on the issue of illegal land deals in Sarawak, and accused the international environmental activist group of having a hidden agenda by visiting Malaysia’s biggest state in a “sneaky way”.
He has also suggested links between Global Witness and opposition parties.
“The timing is too much to ignore … I think there is a link between them and the opposition,” said the long-serving Sarawak chief minister, who noted the release of a video showing how illegal land deals are allegedly brokered in the state happened just before with Election 2013 which will be held soon.
Global Witness’ accusations against him were also the result of second-hand information obtained from the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), Taib said in a video interview uploaded online yesterday.
He invited the international activists to observe the real situation in Sarawak themselves as he trumpeted the state’s many achievements in preserving its forests.
“Global Witness should … not (be) hiding behind some picked up second-hand tales from a fellow NGO,” Taib told the Malaysian Observer (MobTV) channel, referring to environmental and human rights group BMF. Read the rest of this entry »
7-Day Countdown to 13GE: MCA President most red-faced with dissolution of Parliament yesterday after he had told the world some 12 hours earlier that he felt “syok” Najib had confided in him that there was “plenty more time before GE13”
The MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek must be the most red-faced man in Malaysia yesterday with the dissolution of Parliament as some 12 hours earlier, he had told the world that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had confided in him that there was “plenty more time before GE13”
Trying to impress MCA leaders and members as well as outsiders of his “intimate relationship” with the Prime Minister, he told party members at the launch of the 1,000-day MCA report card that he met Najib for the third round of meetings to finalise the list of election candidates on Monday and asked him how long more he had to provide new names for the candidates list.
Chua said Najib told him “there was still a lot more time”.
Chua said: “I don’t understand what he meant but I feel syok (good) that there is a lot more time.” (Malaysiakini)
I do not know whether Chua still feel syok or “soiled” with the dissolution of Parliament yesterday, as the whole episode shows the MCA President is suffering from a serious dual ailment of gullibility and denial complex.
Without privilege of access to the Prime Minister, I had told reporters in Gelang Patah on Tuesday that dissolution of Parliament on the next day of Wednesday was eminently likely for four reasons: the cancellation of Najib’s Umrah trip, the fourth anniversary of Najib’s premiership, Wednesday being Cabinet meeting when the Prime Minister would have a weekly audience with the Yang di Pertuan Agong and the announcement that the Barisan Nasional election manifesto would be made public on Saturday on April 6, an event which is normally held after dissolution of Parliament.
Read the rest of this entry »
Open Letter to Tengku Razaleigh: Time to Take a Bold Stand
by Koon Yew Yin
As the election date draws nearer, it is important that all politicians wishing to take part should make known to the public what they stand for.
Among our political leaders, there are few that have earned the respect of Malaysians in the same way that Tengku Razaleigh has. Through his actions he has struck many as a man of honour, decency, good sense and ability. These qualities – not superhuman virtues – are the ones needed at the helm of the nation to guide us through this difficult time of racial and religious extremism, and unquenched opportunism and power craze.
On what Tengku Razaleigh stands for, there is little or no doubt. However, given his marginalization in the mainstream media, many Malaysians may not be aware of his political philosophy. This philosophy which I heard him elaborate on in Ipoh in 2012 could serve as the template for the nation’s political development. It has served as the template for my book, Malaysia: Road Map for Achieving Vision 2020. Read the rest of this entry »
GE13 Set to Be a Titanic Clash
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Parliament on Wednesday, 3 April 2013, 10:17 pm
By Kee Thuan Chye
MalaysianDigest.com
Parliament has been dissolved, paving the way for the much-awaited 13th general election.
Finally, Prime Minister Najib Razak made the call on April 3, which marked the fourth anniversary of his premiership, after much hesitation that had provoked much speculation that he was afraid of the election outcome.
Indeed, a week prior to the dissolution, he embarked on his famous “I help you, you help me” routine of giving cash bonuses or salary increments to a spectrum of people, including the civil service (which is 1.4 million-strong), the army, the police, and the staff of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), Telekom Malaysia, Petronas and seven statutory bodies.
This incensed level-headed Malaysians who saw it as a blatant form of vote-buying, but it appears that Najib must be desperate to resort to such a desperate measure. Read the rest of this entry »
8-Day Countdown to GE13: Reasons to vote out every single one of the 30 Cabinet Ministers who were with Prime Minister Najib this morning when the announcement for the dissolution of Parliament was made
After months of speculation and waiting, Prime Minister Najib finally dissolved Parliament this morning in a live broadcast to the nation in the presence of his entire Cabinet.
Since Najib has already set a string of new records in Malaysian history including by presiding over the longest-serving administration in the country without an electoral mandate and allowing the Negeri Sembilan state assembly to automatically dissolve, I put forward to the Malaysian voters to help Najib set another record of being the first BN Prime Minister that will lose an election in the upcoming 13th general election.
To help Najib along, I give reasons for Malaysian voters to vote out every single Cabinet Minister who was with Najib this morning, if they are selected to run as a candidate.
1. Chor Chee Heung, Minister of Housing and Local Government, MP of Alor Setar
- Vote him out for making the ludicrous statement that that I was hopping from one constituency to another in order to obtain more than one pension when in reality, an MP is only entitled to ONE pension regardless of the number of constituencies has represented in his life.
- Vote him out for not declaring the huge conflict of interest when he was both Port Klang Authority (PKA) chairman as well as a non-independent director of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd’s sister company, Wijaya, for a period of 4 months.
2. Idris Jala, CEO of Pemandu and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Senator
- For performance deception and the massaging of statistics in order to show that the ETP and GTP have ‘achieved’ their stated KPIs to mask their total failure to transform the government or the economy
3. Jamil Khir bin Baharom (B), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Senator Read the rest of this entry »
Najib’s pledge to respect people’s decision on transition of power, whether federal or state, commendable but it must be backed with deeds and not just empty slogans
Posted by Kit in Elections, Najib Razak, Parliament on Wednesday, 3 April 2013, 8:57 pm
The pledge by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak of a peaceful transition of power in the 13th General Elections, whether at the federal or state level, is most commendable.
I had many times in the past four years , both inside and ouside Parliament, asked Najib to make the public commitment that if Umno/Barisan Nasional loses the mandate to form the federal government in Putrajaya, he and UMNO/BN would accept the verdict of the electorate and would assume responsibility to ensure peaceful transition of power from the BN to Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya.
Until today, however, Najib had evaded the subject.
Although Najib’s public commitment is very late in the making, it is better late than never and this is why I commend him for his pledge “to respect democracy” and “to respect the voice of the rakyat”.
Pakatan Rakyat on our part makes a similar commitment to respect the voice of the people in the 13th General Elections and peaceful transition of power, whether at federal or state level.
However, such commitments must be sincere and serious and must be backed up with deeds and not just be empty slogans, and this is why all political parties and leaders must act in conformity with their public commitments and pledges. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan continues fielding heavyweights in Johor
Posted by Kit in Elections, Johore, Pakatan Rakyat, PKR on Wednesday, 3 April 2013, 11:21 am
Malaysiakini | 11:54PM Apr 2, 2013
The flurry of heavyweights from the Pakatan Rakyat camp contesting parliamentary seats in Johor continued as former army chief Gen (Rtd) Md Hashim Hussein was announced as PKR’s candidate for the Johor Baru parliamentary seat tonight.
Read the rest of this entry »
More and more like Election Omission than Election Commission!
By Martin Jalleh
GE13 Malaysia – Sonia Randhawa
Posted by Kit in Crime, Elections, Pakatan Rakyat, Police on Wednesday, 3 April 2013, 8:03 am
By Greg Lopez
New Mandala
3 April 2013
Sonia Randhawa
1. What do you think will be the most important issue that the new government must address?
Whoever wins the next election there will be an urgent need to rebuild democratic institutions, whose credibility is being questioned by an increasing number of Malaysians, increasingly vocal. Should Barisan Nasional win, this will be a doubly urgent task – there seems to be a growing belief among Pakatan supporters that the only thing that will keep BN in power is fixing the election. I don’t agree with this conclusion, but it undermines BN’s legitimacy as a government from the outset. The two most urgent institutions in need of reform to ensure ongoing peace in the country are the police and the Election Commission. The police force needs urgent reform, given the perception of rising crime, the perception of police corruption and the inability of the force to engage in internal reform. The Election Commission will also need to be overhauled to ensure public support of the democratic process in Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
Dear MCA: Self praise is no recommendation
– Honest Man
The Malaysian Insider
April 02, 2013
APRIL 2 – If there was a prize for the most unintentionally funny as well as pathetic political party around, MCA would score top marks and take the blue ribbon.
It was reported in The Malaysian Insider today that the MCA had issued itself a “report card” and gave itself top marks.
The MCA is also said to be using this as a major plank in its Election 2013 campaign.
If having a president with a sex scandal past is not bad enough, the issuing of this report card will finally prove to the public that the MCA is a party with zero ideas and even less shame.
To Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and his party strategists here’s a little nugget of knowledge which you may have missed when you were in school.
Self praise is no praise at all.
Actually for your benefit, the correct idiom is self praise is no recommendation. Read the rest of this entry »
No action again and again …
Posted by Kit in Elections, Law & Order, nation building, Religion on Wednesday, 3 April 2013, 7:25 am
2 April 2013
R. Nadeswaran
The Sun Daily
THE images on television were horrific. Smoke billowing from the embers in a village in Myanmar and a mob burning down a branch of the iconic Fashion Bug chain in Sri Lanka. These are the results of religious bigotry. Groups calling themselves “religious” have succeeded in manipulating and contradicting the tenets in every religion – moderation and non-violence.
Common sense should remind us that fanatical organisations and individuals have no place in society and religion, when used as a tool for political expedience, the results could be persuasive. In Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks are leading right-wing groups against the Muslims while in Myanmar, a group called 969 is leading the onslaught against the Rohingyas.
Islamophobia and any other forms of religious chauvinism and extremism have no place in modern society. Fortunately for right-thinking Malaysians, we can confidently affirm that acceptance and understanding of each other’s religion has been a major factor in bringing about a strife-free country.
But occasionally, a handful break that confidence by making utterances that are totally deplorable, unacceptable and above all nauseating. Read the rest of this entry »
Come Election Day
by Allan CF Goh
Election is for folks
To make meaningful choice;
To choose moral people
To represent our voice.
It’s time to elect folks
Of good integrity,
To helm the government,
With perfect propriety.
This is to prevent chaos,
As well as corruption;
To safeguard civil rights
And their slow erosion.
Elected officials
Serve with people’s consent;
They are public servants,
To make good our dissent. Read the rest of this entry »
Chor Chee Heung has proven Mahathir and Daim right when they respectively condemned the present Cabinet Ministers as “half-past six” or “deadwood”
Posted by Kit in Elections, MCA, Parliament on Tuesday, 2 April 2013, 5:45 pm
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin have one thing in common – they do not think very highly of the quality and calibre of the Ministers in post-Mahathir Cabinets.
Mahathir have dismissed the Cabinet as comprising “half-past six Ministers” while Daim only recently called for the removal of the “deadwood” from the Barisan Nasional’s Cabinet line-up, to which Mahathir gave “full-hearted” support, saying:
“I agree entirely. Lots of deadwood should be chopped down and thrown away and new trees grow.”
The MCA Vice President and Minister for Housing and Local Government, Datuk Chor Chee Heung came to Gelang Patah yesterday and provided ample proof that he fully deserves the contempt Mahathir and Daim reserved for the present Cabinet Ministers, dismissing them as “half-past six” and “deadwood” Ministers.
In Gelang Patah, Chor questioned my motive for contesting in Gelang Patah. He alleged that I was “hopping from one seat to another” because I was “greedy” for pensions, claiming that I would get separate pension entitlements if I moved from constituency to constituency.
I have been an MP for four states, namely Malacca, Selangor, Penang, Perak and am going to contest in Johore in Gelang Patah in the 13GE. Does this mean that I would be entitled to five pensions if I win in Gelang Patah? Read the rest of this entry »
9-day Countdown to 13GE – Pakatan Rakyat promises Accountable and Transparent, Sustainable and People-Friendly and Equitable Development for the people of Johor if voted in as the Federal as well as State government
Yesterday, I gave three reasons why Johoreans will vote in record numbers for Pakatan Rakyat in the upcoming 13th general elections. Today, I give three reasons why Johoreans need to vote in a Pakatan government not just at the federal level but also at the state level as well.
Firstly, Johoreans must vote in a Pakatan federal and state government to ensure that Accountable and Transparent Development takes place in the state of Johor.
Southern Johor is the site of three mega projects that are in various stages of development namely, the Khazanah owned Iskandar Development Region (IDR) outside Johor Bahru, the Petronas owned Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang and the Benalec owned Tanjung Piai Maritime Industrial Park project in Tanjung Piai.
Billions of ringgit have already been poured into Iskandar and billions more of are expected to be poured into the other two mega projects.
These projects require the approval of not just the federal government but also the state government especially when it comes to land acquisition, reclamation and development.
Without the presence of a Pakatan government at the State as well as Federal government, the people of Johor will suffer the same fate as the people in Penang and Selangor before the 2008 general election.
In other words, land will be sold at below market prices to politically connected parties without any benefit to the average Johorean. Read the rest of this entry »
