Change that does not short-change the nation
Posted by Kit in Augustine Anthony on Saturday, 17 October 2009, 3:26 pm
By Augustine Anthony
The Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Menteri Besar(s) are prisoners of our archaic system of governance that will turn even the most honest man into a political beast. How sad, indeed.
The system of governance is akin to a vehicle. If you give Lewis Hamilton a 1965 Morris Minor do not expect him to win the Formula One race against our local hero who sits in the latest McLaren-Mercedes car but I am also mindful of the saying that if you give a trainer a horse he might train it to be a race horse but if he is given a mule, do not expect the coveted Kentucky Derby roses.
The politicians are screaming for change. Echoes of these screams for better race relations, a system free of corruption, a nation nurtured with sound education inculcating a knowledge based society and equal opportunities for all but sensitive enough to the welfare of the poor are some of the tantalizing themes often heard everywhere but a theme devoid of tenacity may never clear the path for a national illumination.
Read the rest of this entry »
Proton should respond to the shocking report from New Zealand where Proton Jumbuck turned in worst crash test ute performance and adjudged not fit for the road
Updated with video
The Proton management should respond to the shocking report from New Zealand where Proton Jumbuck turned in the worst crash test ute performance and adjudged not fit for the road.
The two-door Jumbuck utility vehicle (ute) was given dismal safety ratings by independent crash test organisation Ancap (Australasian New Car Assessment Programme) in New Zealand, awarded the lowest possible one-star rating after its performance in frontal offset and side impact crash tests.
Ancap scores vehicles from zero to five stars, depending on the safety features and protection of the driver and passengers.
The ute’s cabin was severely deformed in the 64km/h offset crash test. It offered poor head protection for the driver and passenger, and poor leg protection for the driver.
Read the rest of this entry »
Deepavali greetings – triumph of good over evil to ensure unity, equality, justice and harmony among Malaysians regardless of race or religion
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, nation building on Friday, 16 October 2009, 1:34 pm
Happy Deepavali to Hindu Malaysians and all Malaysians.
Deepavali is celebrated this year in the midst of the great fanfare of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan – which is in fact an admission of the failure of the 52-year nation building policy to create unity, equality, justice and harmony out of the diverse Malaysian citizenry, regardless of race, religion and culture.
This is the time for serious reflection how to go beyond sloganeering to end the disunity, discrimination and marginalization in Malaysia for the past half-century so that every Malaysian, regardless of race, religion or culture can find common pride as citizens of this country.
Makkal Sakti for the triumph of good over evil to ensure unity, equality, justice and harmony among Malaysians regardless of race, religion or culture.
Tee Keat clings on, Liow is No 2 and MCA heads for implosion
By Lee Wei Lian and Leslie Lau
The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai was appointed deputy president of MCA today after a heated central committee meeting that saw him at loggerheads with party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat who says he will now call for another EGM.
Ong also refused to resign as party president today despite losing a confidence vote last week.
The party president will now use his powers to call for another EGM to decide if the party should have fresh elections.
Read the rest of this entry »
Are Najib, Muhyiddin and Umno leaders prepared to pledge that they are “Malaysian first, Malay second” in keeping with the 1Malaysia slogan?
Posted by Kit in nation building, UMNO on Thursday, 15 October 2009, 3:50 pm
The 1Malaysia logo dominated the Umno General Assembly and 1Malaysia is clearly the fad of the day in the speeches of the Umno President, Umno Deputy President and the leaders of Umno Youth, Wanita Umno and Puteri Umno.
But are all the Umno leaders, including the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin really serious and fully committed to the 1Malaysia slogan as the overarching national philosophy in nation-building?
Without having to go into details, the first test of whether Najib, Muhyiddin and the Umno leaders are serious about 1Malaysia policy is whether they are prepared to set the example of being “Malaysian first, Malay second” for everyone to be Malaysian first and Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan or Iban second?
Although the proof of the pudding is in the eating, there is no need to get to the eating stage even.
Read the rest of this entry »
Is Malaysia a Racist Country
Posted by Kit in Hussein Hamid, nation building on Thursday, 15 October 2009, 10:36 am
| Is Malaysia a racist Country? | |
| YES | 455 (94%) |
| NO | 29 (5%) |
Vote on this poll
Votes so far: 484
Days left to vote: 1
With one day to go the above is the result of the Poll we had recently on steadyaku47. Number of Votes cast: 484. Of this number an overwhelming 94% were adamant that Malaysia is a racist country! Why do they think so?
Read the rest of this entry »
Will History be kind to Najib?
Posted by Kit in History, Hussein Hamid, Najib Razak, UMNO on Wednesday, 14 October 2009, 12:55 pm
Thirty years from now when Historians write about the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia – what will they write about The Most Honourable Najib Tun Razak? Will they write of your contributions in making Malaysia a land of equality and opportunity for its entire people or will they write of your part in hastening the demise of UMNO? Will history tell of your time as Prime Minister as being a time of revival and the getting of wisdom for UMNO or will it tell of how UMNO under your watch managed to sink deeper into the abyss of corruption, greed and deception started by Mahathir? What will the historians write?
First they will write of the forced resignation of Abdullah Badawi half way into his second term as Prime Minister. They will comment on the part that Mahathir played in the removal of the very man that he himself appointed as his Deputy earlier. There will be mention of Mahathir’s former two Deputies, Musa and Anwar that was removed by Mahathir and Mahathir’s relentless pursuit of Anwar through a Judiciary that did his biddings. Those who read what is written can make their own judgement of the circumstances that led to these events. Those with hindsight of past events will make their own judgement of Mahathir tenure as Prime Minister. But that is another story to tell.
Read the rest of this entry »
My question on RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal for first day of Parliament on Monday has been kicked off to seven weeks later to Dec 3
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Parliament, PKFZ on Wednesday, 14 October 2009, 11:27 am
My question on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal for the first day of the budget session of Parliament on Monday, 19th October 2009 has been kicked off to seven weeks later to December 3 at the tail-end of the meeting, as if the PKFZ scandal is a trivial and inconsequential matter.
DAP MP for Segambut, Lim Lip Eng, had also submitted a question on the PKFZ scandal for the first day of Parliament on Monday, and his question had also be knocked off to Dec. 1, 2009.
I had slated to ask the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Parliament on Monday “the outcome of 2007 Cabinet decision commissioning the Chief Secretary, Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department to look into various aspects of irregularities in the Port Klang Free Zone scandal, including unlawful issue of four Letters of Support”.
Why is the Prime Minister not ready to answer this question on Monday?
Read the rest of this entry »
Major cover up of RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal at work?
Posted by Kit in Parliament, PKFZ on Tuesday, 13 October 2009, 6:06 pm
I had posed a question on the “mother-of-all-scandals”, the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the first day of the budget meeting of Parliament beginning on Monday, 19th October 2009.
I have just been informed that this question had disappeared altogether from the list of oral questions for Monday’s meeting of Parliament.
Signs of major cover-up of the PKFZ scandal at work?
DAP MP for Segambut, Lim Lip Eng’s question on the PKFZ scandal has also disappeared from the forthcoming parliamentary list of questions.
This is the question on the PKFZ scandal which I had submitted: Read the rest of this entry »
The demise of KD Seri Inderapura
Posted by Kit in Defence, Hussein Hamid on Tuesday, 13 October 2009, 12:06 pm
From Friend in Navy
Through Hussein Hamid
Surprised? Shocked?
No I am not surprised because a ship sustained fire damage. Fire on board is indeed a normal thing. What I am surprised at is that it took a time-consuming eight-hours before the fire was brought under control! Eight hours! Surprised because the ability to fight and control any fire on board a Navy Vessel is ingrained and drummed into sailors on a daily basis. And I am shocked that despite this the destruction of KD Inderapura is so severe that the ship is categorized as ‘beyond economical repair’ (BER).
Read the rest of this entry »
Landslide victory or political immorality?
Posted by Kit in Azly Rahman, Corruption, Election on Tuesday, 13 October 2009, 9:26 am
By Azly Rahman
Isa Samad’s second coming – into Minangkabau politics – signifies the coming of a disturbing age of loosening morality. What does a landslide victory mean? Will we see a kingdom of peace on earth that the Minangkabau people inhabited? Will this “landslide victory” of an avalanche of postal votes establish another forty years of the reign of One Malaysia?
Let us look at the semiotics of Bagan Pinang – of the sign, signifier and the signified of this by-election that is telling Malaysians something about the shape of things to come.
The Negri Sembilan people have spoken. They have voted for corruption to reign. What does the victory say about hegemony and political immorality?
Thus spake the Minangkabaus
Read the rest of this entry »
PR rout in Bagan Pinang by-election – PR must go back to drawing board
Posted by Kit in Election, Pakatan Rakyat on Monday, 12 October 2009, 12:51 pm
Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad’s victory in the Bagan Pinang by-election was not unexpected, as in the by-election, Isa the candidate bulked larger than Barisan Nasional the party.
This is the cause for the comment that BN can win the battle in Bagan Pinang by-election but will lose the war in the country in the next general elections, for Isa’s victory despite his record of Umno money politics would be a clear and unmistakable message that Umno/BN could not be redeemed or reformed to play any meaningful role to cleanse the country of deep-rooted corruption.
What was unexpected was Isa’s 8,013-vote and thumping majority of 5,435 votes sweeping all the eight voting streams – the result of gross abuses of power, money politics as well as the postal ballot chicanery.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bagan Pinang by-election is another “no-winner” for Barisan Nasional for second consecutive day
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Najib Razak, UMNO on Sunday, 11 October 2009, 3:09 pm
The Bagan Pinang by-election is another “no winner” for Barisan Nasional (BN) for the second consecutive day after the MCA Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) yesterday which booted out the two MCA contenders, MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and the MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek.
If the BN candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad loses in the Bagan Pinang by-election or is returned with a smaller majority than the 2,333-vote won by the previous BN incumbent in the general elections last year, it is a clear defeat for Umno and BN as the by-election will be a mini-political tsunami by itself.
But even if Isa wins the Bagan Pinang by-election with a bigger majority than last year (and Isa is boasting about a 5,000-6,000 majority), it is an even bigger defeat for Umno and Barisan Nasional for it will be a loud, clear and unmistakable message to all Malaysians that Umno and BN are totally irredeemable and incapable of internal change and reform and there is choice or alternative whatsoever for Malaysians in the next general elections to sweep Umno and BN out of power in Putrajaya. Read the rest of this entry »
Three reasons why Najib should officially withdraw the 1Malaysia slogan from the Barisan Nasional Bagan Pinang by-election campaign before polling tomorrow
Posted by Kit in Election, Najib Razak on Saturday, 10 October 2009, 11:58 am
Election Commission has been taking down billboards and banners put up by Pakatan Rakyat in the Bagan Pinang by-election which offend their sensitivities – like those which castigate the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad for corruption because of his history of Umno money politics and the BN government for its record of injustices and gross abuses of power.
If any by-election campaign material should be taken down in Bagan Pinang by-election, it is the 1Malaysia billboards, banners and buntings ad nauseam flooding the constituency with giant portraits and slogans of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
There are at least three reasons why Najib should officially withdraw the 1Malaysia slogan from the BN Bagan Pinang by-election campaign before polling tomorrow.
Firstly, what 1Malaysia can the BN talk about in Bagan Pinang when there is even no 1Umno, 1MCA, 1MIC or 1BN?
Read the rest of this entry »
Najib does not disappoint
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, Tunku Abdul Aziz on Saturday, 10 October 2009, 11:58 am
By Tunku Aziz
Datuk Seri Najib Razak does not disappoint. He is true to his values whatever they might be. He upholds his principles with messianic zeal. His principles are of indeterminate provenance, but Najib is not known to worry himself to distraction over such small matters. He has made many of us happy. It has nothing to do with his 1 Malaysia vision that he seems incapable of articulating to save his life, let alone convincing Malaysians who have decided that half a century of untruths and specious, convoluted political and social arguments should be more than enough for even the most sanguine of them.
Najib has made us happy not because in a fit of mental aberration or misplaced exuberance he has added to his fantasy world the even a more preposterous 1 World vision that flashed across his mind. I bet it was a very brief moment in time. Najib has made us deliriously happy because he has just done something blatantly cynical to confirm what we have known all along about his attitude to corruption. Najib does not disappoint.
His choice of Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad as the BN candidate for the Bagan Pinang by-election has left absolutely no doubt in our minds about Najib’s real attitude to corruption. He, ever the pragmatic, suave man about town leader of a country already systematically mired in corruption, sees it as nothing more that a necessary evil. If you cannot fight it, join it.
Read the rest of this entry »
“Tipping Point”….DIN
Posted by Kit in Hussein Hamid, UMNO on Saturday, 10 October 2009, 9:37 am
“It will have an effect in the sense that the spirit of the machinery is very high and I feel that there will come a time, a tipping point, where you will see the realization of our members that UMNO has to change and will change and is in the process of changing”. DIN
That is what Din said yesterday after the opening of the University Tun Razak campus building at Capital Square. My friends there are two words in the above statement that we must take note of:
“TIPPING POINT” – it means the level of change at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.
UMNO is still talking about trying to reach their “tipping point”. We reached ours in the General Election of March 8th 2008. From that day we had the critical mass to ensure that the momentum towards change is self-sustaining and will, by itself, fuels further growth from within. Read the rest of this entry »
Pakatan Rakyat will seek registration as a coalition under the Societies Act
Posted by Kit in Pakatan Rakyat on Friday, 9 October 2009, 8:49 am
Pakatan Rakyat will seek registration as a coalition under the Societies Act 1966 with the stand taken by the Registrar of Societies Datuk Md Alias Kalil that the law requiring at least seven political parties to register as a society does not apply.
Section 2 of the Societies Act 1966 defines “society” as including
“any club, company, partnership, or association of seven or more persons whatever its nature or object, whether temporary or permanent, but does not include—
(a) any company registered under the provisions of any written law relating to companies for the time being in force in Malaysia;
(b) any company or association constituted under any written law;
(c) any trade union registered or required to be registered under the provisions of any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Malaysia;
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia’s loss of face past two years in being totally excluded from Top World 200 Universities retrieved somewhat with University of Malaya ranked No. 180 but still a long way to go
Congrats to University of Malaya (UM) for making a come-back in the THES-QS World Universities Rankings 2009 to be among the world’s top 200 universities – climbing 50 places from last year (No. 230) to rank No. 180 this year.
Malaysia’s loss of face in the past two years in being totally excluded from the Top World 200 Universities ranking has been retrieved somewhat with UM’s return to the Top World 200 Universities bracket but there is still a long way to go for Malaysian universities to establish their excellence and international competitiveness for at least six reasons:
-
This is still a far cry from UM’s previous rankings in the THES-QS Top World 200 Universities – 89th in 2004 and 169 in 2005, before falling to 192 in 2006 and out of the Top 200 bracket in the following two years (ranked 246 in 2007 and 230 in 2008).
-
In June 2005, at UM’s centennial celebrations, then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak challenged UM to raise its then 89th position among the world’s top 100 universities in the THES-QS ranking to 50 by the year 2020. After four years, UM had fallen 91 rankings although this is not as bad as falling 157 rankings in 2007. Is Najib’s challenge for UM to be among the world’s Top 50 universities “an impossible dream”?
Before 1MALAYSIA can be extended to 1World …
Posted by Kit in Dr. Chen Man Hin, Najib Razak, UMNO on Thursday, 8 October 2009, 1:03 pm
By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP Life Adviser
The announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recommending his concept of 1Malaysia to other countries to adopt a similar concept and his call for the creation of 1WORLD dream are both astounding and confusing.
Najib must be commended for his inspiration but unfortunately he is quite premature to do so, as back home in Malaysia, the concept of 1Malaysia is not a done thing yet.
In the first instance, his definition of 1Malaysia is unclear. The people want to know whether 1Malaysia means all citizens are equal, that all citizens have the same status of first-class Malaysians.
If it is so, then why is Umno propagating a policy of MALAY SUPREMACY. Umno claims that Malays are ketuanan Melayu (malay supremacy) while the others the Chinese, Indians and indigenous communities are second class.
Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysian Economic Democratisation – Extract 6
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, DAP, Economics, Finance on Thursday, 8 October 2009, 1:02 pm
(Extracts from DAP Alternative Budget 2010 launched on 7th October 2009)
9. Thrust II: Rakyat First – Restructuring and Reallocation
9.3 Unfair Public Contracts
The Malaysian economic landscape is littered with many one-sided contracts and concessions under which private entrepreneurs reap supernormal profits while the government or government-linked companies continue to bear considerable business risk. Major privatisation exercises were conducted and concessions granted in manners that were not open, accountable and transparent through public tenders.
An Unfair Public Contracts Act will be enacted and an independent public commission to be known as the Public Contracts Commission will be formed to review such lopsided concessions that are deemed to be against the public interest.
Constitutional and corporate lawyer Tommy Thomas if of the view that such an act will be constitutional as it will be similar in nature to the Land Acquisition Act 1960 which allows the government to take over any private land for public purpose, provided adequate compensation is paid.
Such legislation is not unique to Malaysia. Eminent domain (United of States of America), compulsory purchase (United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Australia) and expropriation (South Africa and Canada’s common law system) are examples of the inherent power of the state to seize or expropriate private property without the owners’s consent provided, of course, Read the rest of this entry »
