Tunku Aziz’s exit from DAP
Posted by Kit in Articles, DAP, Tunku Abdul Aziz, UMNO on Saturday, 19 May 2012, 10:53 am
By Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
May 19, 2012
MAY 19 — It offends UMNO that Malays choose to join DAP. Why does the action of Malays joining another legitimate political party which is not UMNO, induce that feeling? It springs from arrogance and political xenophobia. UMNO is the chauvinist party that sees people who reject it ( for whatever reasons they choose) as a betrayal to UMNO. That is what offends UMNO actually. They can’t understand why people can be `disloyal’ to UMNO. UMNO expects Malays to be loyal to it- but what principles and values does it offer that can sustain the much desired loyalty?
UMNO arrogantly believes that an UMNO Malay is the only Malay. So it offends UMNO to see Malays abandon UMNO as though, the Malay has converted into another race. UMNO is fast adopting the Hassan Aqidah Ali mentality.
Next it offends UMNO not being able to see an exodus of other Malays from DAP. Suddenly UMNO has credited Tunku Aziz with some extraordinary attributes that must without fail, encourage other Malays to leave DAP. Alas, Tunku Abdul Aziz is alone. UMNO’s hope that Tunku Aziz’s action can serve as the catalyst prompting other Malays in DAP to do likewise crumbles. Indeed, Tunku Aziz’s action reinforces the determination of Malays who joined DAP to stay put despite his U-turn. Read the rest of this entry »
Is the Bar Council playing politics?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Law & Order on Saturday, 19 May 2012, 2:06 am
— Rueban Balasubramaniam
The Malaysian Insider
May 18, 2012
MAY 18 — The Malaysian government has recently criticized the Malaysian Bar Council for playing politics in reaction to the Bar’s resolution that the police had used excessive force against demonstrators at the recent Bersih rally.
The government argues that the Bar is not being “impartial” in its assessment of governmental action. It alleges that the Bar is now operating effectively operating as a political opposition party.
The objection that the Bar is playing politics is not new. Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has in the past recorded this critique of the Bar. Indeed, he has joined in the government’s response to the Bar’s recent resolution about police conduct during the Bersih rally.
This line of criticism of the Bar displays a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of the Bar as articulate defenders of the ideal of the rule of law and democracy.
To start with the rule of law, it is an ideal that is widely contrasted with arbitrary power. A commitment to the rule of law requires that before a government can claim that its actions are legally and politically legitimate, it must show that its actions accord with a sound interpretation of relevant laws. Read the rest of this entry »
Why the PM should scuttle the coming FGVH IPO
Posted by Kit in Felda, Lim Teck Ghee on Saturday, 19 May 2012, 1:54 am
— Lim Teck Ghee
The Malaysian Insider
May 18, 2012
MAY 18 — Prime Minister Najib Razak last week announced a “windfall” of RM15,000 to each Felda settler family.
The planned payout is to come from the initial public offering of the Felda Global Ventures Holding (FGVH). As part of the IPO of FGVH, Felda will be disposing 1.21 billion of its current FGVH shares at RM4.65 each, and from which Felda stands to make RM5.62 billion if these are fully taken up.
Among the targeted anchor investors are Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) and other national and Bumiputera funds.
Ahead of the share sale to be held by June, Felda settlers have been given an assurance by Najib that the listing would yield profits. He had also lashed out at those opposed to the scheme, saying that they are merely trying “to confuse” the people.
At this stage it is not clear yet who is trying to confuse the settlers or other Malaysians since the planned IPO is a highly complicated transaction whose full details have not been thoroughly unravelled and evaluated by professional market analysts. This is because many analysts are fearful that they may antagonize the government and end up on the wrong side of the authorities.
Felda accounts for around 18 per cent of the country’s total palm oil output. The idea behind FGVH is to turn this newly created corporate entity into a “global conglomerate”. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno berslogan, Pakatan Rakyat melaksanakannya
Posted by Kit in Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, UMNO on Friday, 18 May 2012, 8:05 pm
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
May 18, 2012
18 MEI — Slogan-slogan politik bercambah-cambah dan slogan-slogan itu bertukar apabila bertukar kepimpinan sehinggakan kita sudah kenyang dengan slogan-slogan itu. Slogan selalunya diperkenalkan oleh seseorang pemimpin itu untuk membezakan “brand” kepimpinan masing-masing. Selalunya ia akan diwar-warkan yang dibawah pimpinannya keadaan itu berbeza dari keadaan yang lazim dialami rakyat dizaman kepimpinan sebelumnya.
Berslogan mula bercambah sejak kepimpinan Dr Mahathir Mohamad sahaja. Apabila Mahathir mengambil alih rakyat telah cuba di dakyahkan sebagai zaman yang amat berbeza dengan pimpinan sebelum beliau. Gandingan beliau dengan Musa Hitam digambarkan sebagai pimpinan yang sangat berbeza dengan kepimpinan sebelumnya kerana bermula dari beliau zaman itu bermulalah zaman kepimpinan negara diterajui oleh orang biasa. Maka pimpinan itu telah dipanggil sebagai kepimpinan 2M (Mahathir-Musa)
Pimpinan 2M terbengkalai dengan perletakkan jawatan Musa sebagai Timbalan Perdana Menteri pada Februari 1986. Perletakkan jawatan Musa telah akhirnya membawa kepada pertandingan besar dalam Umno pada tahun berikutnya 1987 diantara TR/Musa dan Mahathir /Ghaffar.
Apabila Mahathir mula-mula mengambil alih, maka terciptalah slogan “Bersih, cekap dan amanah”. Tetapi slogan ini hanya tinggal slogan kerana semasa itu tidak ada yang bersihnya, tidak ada kecekapan dan jauh sekali untuk melihat amanahnya. Zaman ini lah bermulanya rasuah yang begitu hebat dan budaya itu terus diwarisi oleh kepimpinan Pak Lah dan pimpinan DS Najib sekarang ini. Read the rest of this entry »
Support for Ambiga’s proposal for the calling off of the “thosai” plan outside Deputy IGP’s house to initiate a virtuous circle to restore decency and civility to politics and public life
The break-in attempt at the office of Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan in Damansara this morning is a matter of grave concern to rational and decent Malaysians, although full details of the attempted break-in have still to come in.
Rational and decent Malaysians want a return to the decency and civility of politics and public life, instead of growing desensitization to sense, sensibility and sensitivities as happened recently, for instance in the Perkasa “funeral rite” in front of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s house in Penang, the setting up of a burger stall in front of Ambiga’s house at Bukit Damansara and the disgraceful and deplorable “butt” dance by a group of armed forces veteran in front of Ambiga’s house.
For this reason, I support Ambiga’s proposal, as reported in Free Malaysia Today, asking the NGO, WargaAMAN, to reconsider its decision to set up a thosai stall outside Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar’s house on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »
Time to restore decency and civility to politics and public life
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Lim Guan Eng, Najib Razak, Politics on Thursday, 17 May 2012, 5:18 pm
When the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib spoke about “uncivilized enemies” who will lead Malaysia to ruin at the UMNO anniversary gathering at the Bukit Jalil Stadium last Friday, Malaysians immediately thought of two “uncivilized” acts which occurred only the day before – the Perkasa “funeral rite” in front of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s house in Penang and the setting up of a burger stall in front of the house of Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan’s house at Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.
Since then there had been a third “uncivilized” act which had never happened before in Malaysian politics and public life in the nation’s 54-year history – the utterly insensitive and deplorable “butt” dance by a group of armed forces veteran in front of Ambiga’s house two days ago, with the promise of more and bigger “uncivilized” actions to come!
What is most shocking is that these “uncivilised” actions had at first the approval and support of important personalities in government – especially the Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar and some Ministers who asked what was wrong with setting up a beef burger stall in front of Ambiga’s house. Read the rest of this entry »
Slippery slope to lawlessness
— Aliran
The Malaysian Insider
May 17, 2012
MAY 17 — Aliran is shocked by Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar’s glib reaction to the May 10 protest by Malaysian Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Alliance (Iklas) members outside Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan’s home.
“What offence? If you want to sit in front of her house without disrupting other people, there is no offence,” he states without a trace of human understanding.
“Which privacy? They didn’t enter her house, they were in public space,” he maintains without an inkling of the dangerous situation created by these trouble-makers intent on causing mischief outside Ambiga’s house.
Such comments coming from the No. 2 man in the police force no less encourage lawlessness and open the flood gates to mischief-makers, hooligans and thugs to go on a rampage. His comments are unacceptable and unbecoming of a police officer of his rank who is entrusted with the peace and harmony of this country founded on the supremacy of the Federal Constitution.
Already, spurred on by his comments, another bigger rally involving 500 traders has been planned for May 24. Read the rest of this entry »
Let us not forget free and fair elections
— Galvin Wong
The Malaysian Insider
May 17, 2012
MAY 17 — The last two weeks have been filled with events that have displayed violence, disrespect and the true character of politics. On April 28, we experienced Bersih 3.0, the biggest protest in our country’s history that started off on a good note but quickly degraded into an event of confusion and violence. The days that followed were filled with allegations and blame shifting from all parties involved. After that came the burger selling and bum exercise incidents in front of Ambiga Sreenevasan’s house. And just two days ago, DAP vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim ended a dispute he had with the party by resigning on national TV.
I write this article today not to talk about these incidents, but to remind us that all these incidents have stemmed from one issue we all fought for in July last year and in April this year — free and fair elections.
Our focus and the pressure placed on the government have both diminished and shifted away due to the many other incidents that have happened. One reason I feel the Election Commission has not done much since 2007 is because we failed to place constant pressure on them. The public scrutiny on their work came in waves, the 2007, 2011 and this year’s waves. After they weathered the short storm during these years, they went on in a business-as-usual mode, only succeeding in fulfilling ONE Bersih demand — the use of indelible ink. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP believes Malay appeal still sound without Tunku Aziz
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
May 17, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Despite their initial shock at Tunku Aziz Tunku Ibrahim’s resignation, DAP leaders believe his sudden departure would not affect the party’s appeal to the Malay electorate.
DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke told The Malaysian Insider that the DAP has been successful so far in its quest to encourage more Malay participation within its ranks, including the recruitment and grooming of more leaders from the community.
Loke said the DAP would have to live by Tunku Aziz’s quitting and respected his decision.
“Even though there will be a small setback, the party’s momentum will not be affected, even when it comes to reaching out to Malay members,” he said when contacted.
The Rasah MP pointed out that when Tunku Aziz decided to withdraw from seeking a reappointment of his senatorship, the latter was replaced by another Malay leader — Prof Dr Ariffin Omar, a 63-year-old academician who lectures at the National Defence University of Malaysia.
“We have more Malay participation now. And even though he left, his replacement is also a Malay leader of great prominence.
“And there will be many other Malay leaders to emerge in the future,” Loke said. Read the rest of this entry »
Lowest of the low in journalism
Eric Loo | May 14, 2012
Malaysiakini
‘Oh Carol, I’m a bloody fool; darling I love you, so you treat me cool.’ That was what I thought I heard from the radio. That was how, as a kid, I sang Neil Sedaka’s 60s hit until I checked out the lyrics in an old musty songbook.
Oh, journo, you’re a bloody fool when you sing your political master’s tune without a bother to check the original script. And, bloody guttered is your paper when it falsifies, fabricates and intentionally misrepresents to peddle a political message.
Just like Utusan Malaysia in its May 1 article, and repeated the next day in New Straits Times (NST), which turned an Australian senator, Nick Xenophon, into a xenophobe. NST retracted and contritely apologised after the senator, with hearty support from Malaysians, threatened to sue for defamation. Utusan apologised on May 12.
Utusan’s and NST’s falsification of Xenophon’s speech delivered in the Australian parliament on Nov 17, 2009 marks the lowest of the low in journalism standards. Any educated sceptical reporter will ask “Did I hear it right?”
As in real life, always assume that there are alternative views. Each ‘fact’ can always be countered if you research and talk to different sources. Any reporter with a modicum sense of accuracy and fairness will know to cross-check with the original source the veracity of controversial political statements. It doesn’t take much effort these days to Google search.
Sure, journalists are not infallible. Lapses in ethical practice and news judgment happen due to the short news cycle and thus the rush to judgment, misattribution of sources, misquoting, and, in the Malaysian newsroom culture, editors slanting the news on cue by the authorities.
Errors happen often because journalists deal with human sources who see the world through tinted glasses. But, as ‘professionals’, journalists are duty bound to check and verify. Failing which are reports that are based on assumptions, generalisations and biases exacerbated by a lack of context. Read the rest of this entry »
Rise against feudal Umno
Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | May 17, 2012
Free Malaysia Today
Malays today unite for causes and for ideals that are beyond what our prime minister and Umno can muster.
COMMENT
Umno thinks Malays are a herd of cows which they can herd into submission. How do my criticisms on what Umno has done to Malays constitute a reason for Malay disunity?
In addition, there are the usual invectives about my joining the DAP, which has caused Malay disunity. Please don’t try to impose your condescending views on me.
I am not less Malay than you.
Let me tell you now that Malay unity is not the monopoly of Umno nor does Umno own the rights to Malay unity.
Malays unite for causes and for ideals beyond what Umno can muster. The main cause of Malay disunity is Umno’s culture of enslaving the minds of Malays.
It’s a feudal party infusing the feudal mentality into the Malays. A Malay is a Malay only when he is an Umno Malay.
Very sorry, most of us don’t subscribe to this moronic redundancy. Umno candidates got two million out of the 5.7 million Malay votes in 2008. Read the rest of this entry »
Tunku Aziz – lets move on in our separate but still common destiny to create a clean Malaysia which upholds integrity, human rights and the just rule of law
Posted by Kit in DAP, Tunku Abdul Aziz on Wednesday, 16 May 2012, 5:47 pm
I would have been the first to welcome any change of mind by Tunku Abdul Aziz about his resignation as DAP National Vice Chairman and DAP member but I fully respect his decision if his mind is set on resignation.
Over the decades, I have known Tunku Aziz as a man of principle and integrity and my views have not changed one dot, as Tunku Aziz would have known in our three recent meetings, twice at his house and the third time in Parliament.
If a parting of ways with his resignation from the party is unavoidable, let it be as gentlemanly as possible with the minimum of rancor and acrimony. Let us move on in our separate but still common destiny to create a new and clean Malaysia which upholds integrity, human rights and the just rule of law with an equal place under Malaysian sun for every Malaysian. Read the rest of this entry »
A free press is essential to democracy
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Human Rights, Media on Wednesday, 16 May 2012, 5:42 pm
— Dennis Ignatius
The Malaysian Insider
May 16, 2012
MAY 16 — Marina Mahathir, one of our nation’s most inspiring figures, recently wrote how her article in The Star was spiked for fear of incurring the wrath of the powers that be.
As a columnist for the same newspaper myself, I understand Marina’s angst.
Recently, I submitted an article about democracy in Myanmar. It ran on Monday, May 7. One line was, however, deleted. In referring to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s promise to support the transformation process in that country, I said, “We may not have much to teach them about democracy but we can help in other ways.”
It seemed such a small thing but even such references are now deemed too sensitive.
I thought it was really ironic that here I was writing about democracy in Myanmar, long considered a dictatorship, while being censored in a country that is assumed to be a democracy.
The last article I wrote in response to bizarre allegations in the national press that American and Zionist groups were plotting regime change in Malaysia was spiked with no explanations given. Read the rest of this entry »
Guan Eng declines to counter-attack Tunku Aziz
Posted by Kit in Bersih, DAP, Lim Guan Eng, Zairil Khir Johari on Wednesday, 16 May 2012, 3:40 pm
Malaysiakini
May 16, 2012
Despite the personal attacks launched by former senator and DAP vice-chairperson Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has chosen not to retaliate.
Lim, in a press statement, said that he had received Tunku’s resignation letter from the DAP yesterday, and has attempted to contact the latter since he announced his departure on a programme on ntv7 on Monday, but failed.
“I do not wish to exchange personal attacks with Tunku but wish to put on record the party’s appreciation for his contribution for the four years he has been the DAP’s national vice-chief,” he said.
“Let time decide who is on the side of truth,” added the DAP secretary-general. Read the rest of this entry »
Tak payah guna kepala, sekarang guna punggung pula
— Aspan Alias
The Malaysian Insider
May 16, 2012
16 MEI — Saya berasa geli hati dengan gelagat Umno yang kian hari kian memalukan. Pagi semalam sekumpulan penyokong parti itu telah berbaris dihadapan kediaman Ambiga Sreenevasan, Pengerusi Bersih, dengan menonggeng dan menunjukkan bontot kepada rumah Ambiga.
Umno sudah menjadi parti lawak dan telah benar-benar jatuh martabatnya dengan sikap yang ditunjukkan oleh penyokong tegarnya itu.
Kemasukkan saya kedalam DAP dahulu disambut oleh seorang dua sebagai tindakan politik bangkrap. Tetapi sebenarnya apa yang berlaku semalam itu merupakan betul-betul politik bangkrap yang tidak ada tolok bandingnya.
Nampaknya politik Umno ini tidak lagi boleh lari dari bontot dan punggung, sejak 14 tahun yang lalu. Sudah tidak terlarat untuk membesarkan isu bontot dan punggung Saiful Bukhari, sekarang mereka memanjangkan lagi perjuangan berlandaskan kepada bontot dan punggung.
Dalam kesemua 213 negara yang berkerajaan di dunia ini, Malaysialah yang parti pemerintahnya mempertahankan kuasa dengan menggunakan bontot dan punggung dan ini amat memalukan. Saya tidak tahu bagaimana kah perasaan mereka-mereka ini semasa melakukan kerja keji ini. Read the rest of this entry »
Burgers and butts incidents reflect on nation’s leaders
JD Lovrenciear | May 15, 2012
Malaysiakini
Do you laugh or do you lose sleep? Do you cry or do you spit venom?
Indeed the antics staged by the followers of their political patrons clearly indicate that the very party leadership of these stooges who are into burger protests and butt protests in front of the revered Bersih co-chair Ambiga Sreenevasan’s residence, are just as helpless and hopeless, while their followers degrade their reputations even further.
Instead of issuing a stern warning against BN sympathisers for rolling politics in the slime, they allow them to carry on their disgusting and uncouth antics in front of Bersih’s leader. Read the rest of this entry »
Mooning, Malaysia’s ultimate defence
— Jaleel Hameed
The Malaysian Insider
May 15, 2012
MAY 15 — All hail our army veterans. They only need their bottoms to defend the country from its enemies.
Today, I read in The Malaysian Insider that 10 retired soldiers “exercised” their bums this morning outside Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan’s Bukit Damansara home against the April 28 Bersih rally.
The members of the Malay Armed Forces Veterans Association (PVTM) did their “butt exercises” to protest against the Bersih chief for being an “enemy” of the nation, reports the news portal.
“We Armed Forces veterans have the right to protest against an ‘enemy’ who tried to smear the nation’s name,” said PVTM president Datuk Mohd Ali Baharom.
Of course, sir. Much obliged that despite your retirement, you are brave enough to take up arms to drop your pants in the face of the enemy.
As they say, if you can’t use your head, use your bottom. Well played, sir. Read the rest of this entry »
FGVH listing: The game the crooks play
Posted by Kit in Felda, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 15 May 2012, 7:00 pm
— Sakmongkol AK47
The Malaysian Insider
May 15, 2012
MAY 15 — Readers who are interested in reading more vigorous analyses on FGVH are advised to read The Pirates of Putrajaya in the English language here and in Bahasa Malaysia here. I am offering a less rigorous analysis here as I feel not as competent as the Pirate in technical matters.
Here is what irks me and I hope it does others too. FELDA settlers have given nothing but each FELDA household is promised and given RM15,000 each. For what? In return for a promise to vote UMNO and BN in the next elections? And a gnome of the FELDA chairman says it’s not corruption. The RM15,000 must be called as what it really is: the price of each settler as seen by the PM. It’s bloody corruption.
If not, how do you explain why the PM gives out the 15,000? Does he do it for purely philanthropic reasons? Read the rest of this entry »
DAP Is big enough for Tunku Aziz to remain as National Vice-Chair
Posted by Kit in Bersih, DAP, Lim Guan Eng, Tunku Abdul Aziz on Tuesday, 15 May 2012, 2:11 pm
by Lim Guan Eng
DAP Secretary-General
When announcing his resignation from DAP, Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim cited “irreconcilable differences” with the party leadership in dissenting with DAP’s official position to support Bersih 3.0 to conduct a peaceful sit-in protest in Dataran Merdeka to press for clean, free and fair elections.
DAP is big enough for Tunku Abdul Aziz to remain as National Vice-Chair and accomodate his” irreconciliable differences” with the DAP on Bersih’s quest to conduct a sit-in protest in Dataran Merdeka to press for clean elections
Malaysiakini reported Tunku Abdul Aziz as saying his open disagreement with DAP made Tunku himself choose not to be re-nominated as a senator for Penang when his term expired on 30 May 2012, and stated that he was not sacked from his Dewan Negara’s post by DAP.
Tunku Aziz had also suggested to the party leadership that DAP should subject him to the “same disciplinary procedure as any other party member” for his dissent. As disciplinary action from DAP was not forthcoming he had decided to resign from the DAP to avoid further embarrassment.
I would like to express my sadness at Tunku’s announcement. DAP believes in freedom of speech and that every member and leader has a right to differ. I don’t agree that any disciplinary action should be taken against Tunku for differing with the party on Bersih’s right to do the sit-in protest in Dataran Merdeka. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih through an 18-year-old’s eyes
An A-levels student details his experiences and the lessons learnt during the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally.
By B Anand
Free Malaysia Today
May 15, 2012
COMMENT
Admittedly, this article might be a bit overdue, however it was mainly due to the fact that I’ve been bogged down with my upcoming A-levels. As I sat in front of my laptop the night before, watching the crowds assemble near Dataran, I was still mulling over whether or not I should attend.
A part of me posed the following questions: What if I get hurt, gassed or sprayed? What if I get arrested by the police? Was it wise to take such a risk right before such an important exam?
However, I also thought to myself: As a future law student, shouldn’t it be my duty to defend our right to protest? And more importantly, if ever I was forced to join the Malaysian diaspora, would I ever be able to forgive myself for not having tried fighting for my rights first?
In the end,regardless of the risks it posed, I felt that it was my duty to attend. Being 18, I am not yet eligible to vote; however I had always believed in the Bersih cause, as a clean and fair electoral system is the only way in which we could obtain a government that truly represented the interests of the people.
In addition to the above, I was also dumbfounded by the illogical reactions of certain quarters to the rally. And so, with vinegar soaked masks, swimming googles, earplugs, legal aid numbers saved on my phone, a towel, water and some food in my bag – I left the comfort of my home, ready for whatever might come. A part of me was excited to become a part of national history, however I would also be lying to say that I wasn’t nervous and expecting the worst. Read the rest of this entry »
