‘Another May 13 only if orchestrated’
Anisah Shukry | August 23, 2012
Free Malaysia Today
While decades of socio-economic advances have lessened the likelihood of another racial riot, analysts say the threat of racial riots, although small, still exists.
PETALING JAYA: The threat of another May 13 incident is minimal but real, political analysts said, pointing fingers at “right-wing groups” they claim would be eager to instigate such riots.
On May 13, 1969, violence broke out between the Malays and the Chinese, sparked off by an election setback for the Malay-dominated ruling alliance. The riots lasted several weeks, with the death toll said to be 196.
Politicians often raise the tragic incident to cow Malaysians into maintaining the status quo – one that had seen the ruling government in power for 55 years.
But while analysts did not rule out the possibility of another racial riot, they said it would only occur if manufactured by certain quarters.
“The threat of May 13 repeating itself is real but only if there are people manipulating the incident,” Prof James Chin of Monash University told FMT.
“It is not likely to happen spontaneously,” he stressed, adding that unlike other countries, violence was not inherent in Malaysia’s political culture. Read the rest of this entry »
Ideology and debt: A reply to Dr Mahathir
— Pak Sako
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 23, 2012
AUG 23 — In his blog post “Change” (August 22, 2012), former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad criticised the socialist ideology.
He then claimed that “Malaysia has no ideology”.
This is not accurate.
It can be strongly argued that the Malaysian government after 1980 followed the “neoliberalism” ideology, a pro-business ideology.
This economic ideology was aggressively promoted around the world at the start of the 1980s by two pro-business world leaders: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (elected 1979) and American President Ronald Reagan (elected 1981). Read the rest of this entry »
Can University of Malaya leapfrog in QS World University Rankings 2012 to be released in 20 days’ time to restore her previous place as one of the world’s top 100 universities before 2015?
Posted by Kit in Education, university on Thursday, 23 August 2012, 6:47 pm
At the University of Malaya’s centennial celebrations in June 2005, the then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak threw the challenge to University of Malaya to raise its 89th position among the world’s top 100 universities in THES-QS (Times Higher Education Supplement-Quacquarelli Symonds) ranking in 2004 to 50 by the year 2020.
Instead of accepting Najib’s challenge with incremental improvement of its THES ranking, the premier university went into a free fall when in 2005 and 2006 it fell to 169th and 192nd ranking respectively, and in the following two years in 2007 and 2008, fell out of the 200 Top Universities ranking altogether.
In 2009, University of Malaya made a comeback to the 200 Top Universities Ranking when it was placed No. 180, but in 2010 it again fell out of the 200 Top Universities list when it dropped to 207th placing.
For the 2011 QS Top 200 Universities Ranking, University of Malaya returned to the Top 200 Universities Ranking, being placed at No. 167.
In the THES-QS World University Rankings 2009, University of Malaya leapfrogged 50 places from No. 230 placing in 2008 to No. 180 in 2009; while in the 2011 QS World University Ranking, University of Malaya leapt 40 places from No. 207 in 2010 to No. 167 in 2011.
The QS World University Rankings 2012 will be released in 20 days’ time. Can University of Malaya make another leapfrog as in 2009 and 2011 to seriously restore her place as one of the world’s top 100 universities by before 2015? Read the rest of this entry »
Johor MB expects to lose nine seats
Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | August 23, 2012
Free Malaysia Today
Johor has always been touted as the bastion of Umno, but one wonders if it really is so, given the inroads the opposition made in 2008.
In the 2008 general election, there was a 14% swing to the opposition. What has happened to that swing? It is increasing and getting stronger.
And this has got the menteri besar worried, intimating to his Umno division heads in one meeting that he expects at least nine parliamentary seats and up to 16 state seats to fall to the opposition in the 13th general election.
That means he has not discounted fully the swing to the opposition.
He has acknowledged that, at best, with all the efforts and the bribery that Umno has carried out, the party has only managed to claim back some 5%.
Read the rest of this entry »
Global economic slowdown and political uncertainty in Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Economics, Elections, Najib Razak on Thursday, 23 August 2012, 12:25 pm
Shankaran Nambiar, Kuala Lumpur | August 15th, 2012
East Asia Forum
The world is on the brink of an economic crisis and the consequences are likely to be dire.
The current state of the global economy presents multiple challenges to Malaysia. While the effects will first be felt within the economic sphere, they will also have a significant impact on domestic politics. This will add to the prevailing state of political uncertainty.
Some of Malaysia’s key trading partners are already struggling economically. The crisis rocking the euro zone has received a considerable amount of analysis, but the economic situation in other countries also merits attention.
The performance of the US economy is a concern for Malaysia. US GDP, which saw growth of 3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011, decreased to 1.9 per cent growth in the first quarter of 2012. Growth in the US hardly recovered, but whatever recovery it had achieved now appears shaky. Analysts put the forecast for US growth at 1–1.5 per cent for 2012. Some have raised the probability of a recession to 50 per cent. The unemployment rate has not budged from 8.2 per cent, as the increase in employment opportunities has not kept pace with population growth.
Read the rest of this entry »
Coretan rengkas dari Pahang
Posted by Kit in DAP, Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Wednesday, 22 August 2012, 10:43 pm
— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 21, 2012
21 OGOS — Saya berada di Pahang beberapa hari raya ini. Disamping beraya, perbualan tetap berkisar pada politik. Kegilaan apa yang melanda Pahang?
Berapa kerusi pembangkang boleh menang? Mereka bertanya saya. Saya kata nanti dahulu. Saya akan tulis artikel khusus untuk Pahang. Kali ini Pahang akan hilang lebih banyak kerusi DUN dan kerusi parlimen. Hampir semua pemimpin MCA akan kecundang. Taruhlah siapa pun.
Pemimpin Umno masih lagi menyandarkan optimism kepada kaji selidik mereka. Tapi bolehkah hasil kajiselidik ini dipercayai? Semua orang tahu, kaji selidik Umno ditambah 30%. Ertinya, kajiselidik Umno hanya 70% tepat. Dalam bahasa mudah, jika kajiselidik Umno kata dia akan menang 100 kerusi parlimen, mereka akan menang 70 kerusi. Itu pun jumlah kerusi yang Umno akan menang kali ini.
Kenapa Najib lambat buat pilihanraya? Ramai orang lupa saya lama menjadi AJK Umno bahagian Pekan dan jadi ketua penerangan Umno bahagian. Najib lambat kerana dia tidak yakin dengan hasil kajian ejensi-ejensi yang diupah kerajaan. Kecuali dia sudah yakin, baharulah dia akan buat pilihanraya. Takkan kita lupa, Najib ini bukan nya orang berani. Read the rest of this entry »
Are inflammatory religious remarks now fair game?
— Pak Sako
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 21, 2012
AUG 21 — Statements made by Mahathir Mohamad after a mosque function in Kedah as recorded by Sinar Harian (‘Hudud boleh dilaksana jika Pas sertai Umno’, August 17, 2012), if true, would constitute an unprecedented rebuff of the culture of religious respectfulness by any Malaysian politician of that reputation.
The report cites him as saying that:
• PAS should leave Pakatan Rakyat as soon as possible because they embrace “infidels” who evidently reject hudud. (“Pas harus keluar dari PR secepat mungkin kerana mereka saling berpelukan dengan orang kafir yang secara nyata menolak hudud.”);
• PAS will not be able to implement hudud as long as they are with a political party that does not recognise that “Islam is a superior religion.” (“Selagi Pas bersama parti yang tidak mengakui Islam adalah agama unggul, hukum hudud tidak dapat di laksanakan.”).
The first remark uses a derogatory term that no self-respecting Muslim Malaysian would cast in referring to his non-Muslim brothers and sisters, political differences notwithstanding. The second remark implies that all other religions are inferior to Islam.
Both are insensitive and divisive. They ought to have no place in our multi-religious political discourse. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Tanda Putera’ itu ‘tanda Umno terdesak’
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
Aug 17, 2012
17 OGOS — “Tanda Putera” merupakan filem yang dipergunakan oleh Barisan Nasional lebih-lebih lagi Umno untuk “discredit” Lim Kit Siang dan ini merupakan tindakan “desperate” pihak BN dalam menunggu pilihanraya yang paling mencabar dalam sejarah negara ini.
Isu perkauman dan agama diperbesarkan oleh pihak Umno kerana itu sahaja yang mereka rasakan boleh menyekat peningkatan pengaruh DAP dalam kancah politik tanahair. DAP sudah diterima oleh sebahagian orang Melayu sebagai parti yang mampu membawa kebaikan kepada negara bersama-sama dengan PAS dan PKR.
Tohmahan dan tuduhan palsu ke atas LKS itu merupakan jalan yang terakhir untuk BN mengelakkan diri daripada terjatuh tersungkur di hadapan mata rakyat kerana momokan terhadap parti itu sejak lebih empat dekad lalu sudah secara deras tidak diterima lagi oleh ramai orang Melayu. Read the rest of this entry »
Crime Statistics – Let the truth be told!
By Sumun Osram
A policeman who wish to remain anonymous
Is the crime rate down? Yes, relying on the statistics provided by the Police and Pemandu. Is that a true reflection of the crime situation? The answer is certainly a big ‘NO’.
Crime is basically divided into two categories. One is ‘Index Crime’ and the other is ‘Non-Index Crime’. The statistics made available by the police are only those cases which come under the ‘index crime’ category. ‘Index crime’ is defined as crime which is reported with sufficient regularity and with sufficient significance to be meaningful as an index to the crime situation. Essentially, it means the index is the yardstick to gauge the crime situation of a given place, the District, State or the whole country. The index crime statistics will show whether the crime has increased, decreased or moving constantly.
‘Non-index crime’ on the other hand is considered as cases minor in nature and does not occur with such rampancy to warrant its inclusion into the crime statistics or as a benchmark to determine the crime situation.
‘Index crime’ consists of two categories. One is ‘Violent Crime’ and the other is ‘Property Crime’. ‘Violent Crime’ comprises of murder; rape; armed robbery with accomplice; robbery with accomplice; armed robbery; robbery; and causing hurt. Meanwhile ‘property crime’ comprises of theft; car theft; motorcycle theft; heavy vehicle theft; snatch theft; and burglary. These are the crimes used as statistics to portray the crime situation.
In 2009, the Government came up with the ‘Government Transformation Program’ (GTP) and ‘crime’ was amongst the ‘National Key Result Area’ (NKRA). The Key Performance Index (KPI) set for the police on the 27 July 2009 under the NKRA was to reduce crime by 20%.
That tall order to reduce crime by 20% was a dilemma for the police. The police knew that the demand is idealistic but not feasible to be achieved. Any criminologist will tell that crime is the product of socio-economic factors and the police being a part of the criminal justice system cannot alone tackle this issue.
However, in upholding the dignity and image, the police succumbed to the political pressure in agreeing to achieve the targeted KPI set under the NKRA. With the prevailing policing standard and practice the police may be able to contain the crime situation to a certain extent, but to reduce it by 20% is absolutely a feat impossible. So, in desperate times, desperate measures are taken. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP to hold “Janji DiTepati” public hearings throughout Sabah on whether Barisan Nasional promises to people of Sabah have been fulfilled or broken
Together with DAP MP for Segambut Lim Lip Eng, and accompanied by Sabah DAP leaders headed by DAP Sabah Chairman and State Assemblyman for Sri Tanjong, Jimmy Wong Tze Phin, Sabah State Vice Chairman Edward Muji, Sabah State Secretary Dr. Edwin Bosi, Sabah State Organising Secretary Jeffrey Kumin, Sabah State Publicity Secretary Chan Foong Hin and DAP MP for Kota Kinabalu Dr. Hiew King Cheu, I have just completed a four-day 500-km visit to Sabah, covering Kota Marudu, Tip of Borneo, Kg Bavang Jamal, Kudat, Kg Masangkong Matunggong, Ranau, Penampang, Tawau and Sandakan.
The trip, planned as a DAP political reach-out programme to northern Sabah interior as well as visit to Tawau and Sandakan, turned out to be a “Janji Ditepati” study tour – or to be more accurate, a “Janji Tidak Ditepati” (JTD) study tour, as everywhere, we were told of the complaints and disappointments of Sabahans at the broken promises and pledges by the Barisan Nasional governments, both Federal and State.
As I said to the Karamunting ceramah capacity crowd in Sandakan last night, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should establish a “Janji Ditepati” Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) in Sabah or lead Federal and Sabah State Ministers in public hearings in the 23 Sabah districts to hear the views of the people of Sabah whether the Barisan Nasional had fulfilled or broken its various promises in Sabah.
Read the rest of this entry »
Questions abound over RCI
FMT Staff | August 22, 2012
Free Malaysia Today
KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah state secretary Simon Sipaun has again sounded the alert that the federal government is hoodwinking Sabahans into believing the current government is serious about solving Sabah’s long-standing illegal immigrant problem.
He accused the federal government of having an agenda in allowing illegal immigrants to settle in the state.
Sipaun served as chairman of the Sabah Public Service Commission, was vice-chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, member of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Advisory Board, and a founding member of Demokrasi Sabah (DESAH).
“The mother of all problems in Sabah is the presence of unusually large population of illegal immigrants. By my estimation, they have already outnumbered the local Malaysians who are living in Sabah.
Read the rest of this entry »
‘Sabahans can select next PM’
By Azman Habu | August 22, 2012
Free Malaysia Today
TAWAU: DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang has encouraged Sabahans to embrace the chance to chart a new direction for Malaysia by taking the opportunity in the coming general election to dictate who would be the prime minister of the country.
Speaking at the Pakatan Rakyat Hari Raya open house in Tawau, Lim said the chance for Sabahans to determine their future was at hand and they should not waste it.
“With the current federal government shaken and unsure, Sabahans can determine their path and determine who will head Putrajaya,” he told the huge crowd that turned up at the open house held at a hotel here yesterday.
Lim said that in the past, Sabahans had only voted for their assemblymen or Members of Parliament without having the chance to choose the nation’s prime minister
Read the rest of this entry »
Tweets from Sabah (4) – 20% oil royalty and Janji Ditepati public hearings
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Oil, Sabah on Wednesday, 22 August 2012, 10:58 am
Tweets @limkitsiang:
My 4day 500km visit of Sabah (KotaMarudu TipOfBorneo Kudat Matunggong Ranau Penampang Tawau Sandakan) w MP LimLipEng eye-opener 4JTD by BN
Aug 21, 5:50pm
Suggested in Tawau PM Najib conduct daily “Janji Ditepati” dialogues in 23 Sabah districts from 1-16 Sept 2hear views Sabah’s 49yrs in Msia
Aug 21, 5:55pm
Dare Najib hold daily “Janji Ditepati” dialogues in Sabah? Of cos not as he will b drowned with “Janji Tidak Ditepati” grouses by Sbh ppl!
Aug 21, 8:08pm
Capacity crowd @ DAP Karamunting ceramah – increasingly powerful popular support 4change. The longer delay in 13GE greater pressure 4UBAH
Aug 22, 6:29am
Time 2chk Sandakan decline n restoration of its former glory. Once “Little Hong Kong”, Sandakan has degraded 2 become “Little Philippines”.
Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang and May 13
By Ahmad Mustapha Hassan | August 21, 2012
The Malaysian Insider
AUG 21 — Allow me to explain about the above controversy.
I was there on that fateful day as an executive member of Umno Youth. The gathering was organised by Selangor Umno Youth whose leader was Harun Idris and the secretary then was Ahmad Razali Ali.
The whole area was dominated by Umno Youth members and no non-Malay could ever enter the place. That being the case, it was impossible for Lim Kit Siang to be there and did what he was purportedly accused of. If he did, he would have been killed by the mob.
In fact the first killing that I witnessed was outside the gate, on the road. A young coffeeshop boy, about 13 or 14 in age, was slaughtered by the mob and his body kicked into the drain running by the road. He was an innocent boy trying to earn some pocket money.
I mentioned the May 13 incident in my book “The Unmaking of Malaysia”.
On YouTube, Kit Siang opens up about Malaysia’s darkest chapter
Posted by Kit in nation building, Personal on Tuesday, 21 August 2012, 4:08 pm
The Malaysian Insider | August 19, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Claiming to have been maligned in the mainstream media and by pro-Umno bloggers over the film “Tanda Putera”, the DAP’s parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has taken to YouTube to recount his version of events surrounding the bloody racial riots of May 13, 1969 — one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history that is still shrouded in secrecy.
In the past few weeks, Lim Kit Siang’s political enemies have accused him of instigating the May 13 riots that took place 43 years ago after hype over local filmmaker Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba’s latest movie — a historical portrayal of Malaysia’s first two prime ministers amid the racial bloodbath — went into overdrive.
A photograph posted on the film’s Facebook page and its controversial caption painted Lim — then a budding politician in the DAP — as being arrested for desecrating the national flag by urinating on it, triggering an outcry from the Ipoh-Timor federal lawmaker and his colleagues in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition pact.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tweets from Sabah (3) – Janji Tidak Ditepati
Tweets @limkitsiang:
Arr Tawau from KK continue Hari Raya visits. Tonite @ Sandakan DAP talk in Karamunting.Wind of change blowing strong/hard “Land Below Wind”
Aug 21, 12:23am
In Ranau at least 3 cases of Janji Tidak Ditepati (JTD) – 1st case, abandoned toxic wasteland left behind by Mamut Copper Mine (MCM).
Aug 21, 12:36am
MCM earned export revenue abt RM3.4b in 24yr ops (75-99) 4Jap Aussie Msian owners 4copper (also gold silver) but left toxic legacy 4Sabahans
Aug 21, 1:09am
MCM open-cast mine generated abt 250 million tonnes (Mt) overburden n wasterock dumped @ 4main dump near mine pit n some 150 Mt of tailings
Read the rest of this entry »
Tweets from Sabah 2
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Sabah on Monday, 20 August 2012, 11:52 am
Tweets @limkitsiang
Aug 20, 2:04am
My Sabah interior trip proves 2b a Debunk “Janji Ditepati” tour – with every stop producing evidence Umno/BN Govt failed 2fulfill promises
Aug 20, 2:13am
Firstly in initial trip 2KotaMarudu, atrocious stretch of Ulu Kukut road which qualifies 2b described as worst in Msia 4 easily some 7years
Read the rest of this entry »
Tweets from Sabah
Tweets @limkitsiang
Aug 19, 10:43am
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir Batin. Semoga semua rakyat bergembira di hari yg mulia ini, berbahagia dgn kehidupan yg lebih cerah
Aug 18, 3:51pm
Otw to Kota Marudu but never come across worse road conditions than long Kukut/Mantanau stretch! Real shame – road to Fed Minister’s constituency
Aug 18, 4:09pm
Trip to Kota Marudu was homecoming for Sabah DAP Chmn Sri Tanjung State Assemblyman Jimmy Wong who was born here n spent his first 16 years
Aug 19, 12:15am
Attended Kg Bavang Jamal Kudat ceramah Shocked to hear water pipes installed since 1986 but without water for 26 years – real electioneer rip-off
Read the rest of this entry »
Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2012 Message: Rendezvous with greatness
Posted by Kit in Islam, nation building, Personal on Saturday, 18 August 2012, 11:25 am
I wish all Muslims in Malaysia Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
On this auspicious occasion, non-Muslims join their Muslim compatriots in Malaysia to make this important Islamic calender a national celebration.
With the 55th Merdeka Day/49th Malaysia Day around the corner, this is a fit occasion for all Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, class, age or sex to reaffirm our common national identity and destiny to build a nation strongly founded on the principles of democracy, justice, soliidarity, integrity and good governance.
Malaysians are bound together to a common future – either all Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, class, age or sex unite to forge a progreesive and prosperous future for all Malaysians, or we will all suffer from man-made weaknesses and divisions which will prevent the country from fully exploiting her human and natural resources.
Let all patriotic Malaysians answer the call of the times – to work to achieve Malaysia’s rendezvous with greatness as a people and nation.
Putting ‘Tanda Putera’ in its place
Posted by Kit in Media, nation building on Friday, 17 August 2012, 9:47 pm
— The Malaysian Insider
Aug 17, 2012
AUG 17 — Freedom of expression. That really is the right of all people. Be it the “Tanda Putera” movie producers or the public, the ones who will eventually watch the controversial film this November.
So, all Malaysians who feel that “Tanda Putera” is a) a political gimmick b) a potentially divisive movie funded by the government c) a skewed take on an event owned by all Malaysians should boycott the movie.
Just as the movie producers say that it is their right to make the movie, it is the right of every Malaysian to rebuff what they feel is politics masquerading as arts.
Yet, if there is anyone at fault, it must be those who financed the RM4.8 million movie, i.e. the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) and Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC).
One wonders if Finas and MDeC will finance other movies that have alternate takes on the May 13 riots. Read the rest of this entry »
