How should we judge a government?

In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain

Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham

"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

GE 13: Overview

Link

Pakatan Rakyat:
The 3 component parties are contesting a total of 222 seats: PKR 99; PAS 72; DAP 51. It is interesting to note that PAS leads in having 64 seats contesting against Umno; PKR 55; and DAP only 1! The only one happens to be Gelang Patah, where Lim Kit Siang faces Abdul Ghani Othman.
PAS alone cannot introduce Hudud laws. DAP has limited influence, contesting  less than 25% of total seats.

Barisan Nasional:
Umno is contesting a total of 120 seats: 105 in West Malaysia; and 15 in Sabah. Theoretically, Umno on its own could form the government if it could win at least 112 seats.
Non-Malay component parties of BN are contesting a total of 60 seats in West Malaysia, making a total of 165 seats.
In Sabah, Non-Malay component parties are contesting 11 seats, and together with Umno's 15, make a total of 26 seats.
In Sarawak, PBB is contesting 14 while others are contesting 17, making a total of 31 seats.


It is clearer using graphics, courtesy of The Malaysian Insider:



Dr Rosli Khan: Johor: How they will vote


with a special detailed analysis on Gelang Patah where BN's Abdul Ghani Othman is pitted against DAP's Lim Kit Siang.

Excerpt:

"ANALYSIS Apr 29: The wind of change is blowing very strongly in Johor. It would not be a surprise if election results in Johor upset BN, as the coalition had always thought that Johor was a 'safe deposit' state.

It is true that in 2008, Johor voters generally did not swing much to PR, not as much when compared to Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah. ( * see below, my update from The Malay Mail figures)

But this coming GE13 is quite different for Johor. The situations at the ground level, at the moment, are changing very rapidly. PR rallies are not only well attended but they clearly demonstrate a partisan crowd, a clear support towards PR, a phenomenon that was not seen in 2008 or previous GEs. Perhaps, Johoreans love to take the lead in blowing the wind of change in this coming GE.

The moods and sentiments of the crowd in Johor, whether in Gelang Patah or Skudai, Batu Pahat or far away Pengerang, are very much consistent with the PR rally speakers. They are all shouting for ‘Ubah’ or ‘Ini Kalilah’.

Often, the spirited and eager crowd dictate the flow of the speech from the speakers, even jumping the gun, at times. Gone is their passive behaviour. The crowd in Johor are very vocal but firmly supportive and participative.

And they are not small in numbers either. The mixed crowd of Malays, Chinese and Indians seem very comfortable sitting or standing next to each other, listening to a mixed bag of PR politicians.

Obviously, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and former Johor MBs Muhyiddin Yassin and Abdul Ghani Othman have not been to any of these rallies. Otherwise, they would not have uttered those words and statements about racial frictions or possible riots between Chinese and Malays. "


"As an illustration on the approach and methodology adopted here, the seat of Gelang Patah is used and provided with all the details. There were a total of 78,676 voters in Gelang Patah in 2008.

The results of 2008 showed that BN won this seat by a majority of 8,851. But for this coming GE, there are 28,188 new voters giving a new total of 106,864 voters in this parliamentary constituency.

If it is assumed that the voters turn out for the new voters group is on the slightly higher side of the national average, which is about 75 per cent, then the additional number that would vote on 5th May would be about 22,550. Given that majority of the new voters would vote for PR, some estimates say about 70 per cent, while others claimed to be much higher (almost 80%), a ratio of new voters for each seat was calculated. However, a lower figure of 70% is adopted in here.

Therefore, out of the 22,550 new voters that would turn up to vote in Gelang Patah, the share for PR and BN (at 70:30 ratios) would be 16,912 and 6,765 respectively. This is indeed quite generous to PR but very consistent with the participating crowd commonly found at PR rallies almost throughout Johor.

Given that we assumed the 2008 voting pattern has not changed except in this particular case, a maximum 10% swing towards PR is allowed for in the calculation. Again, this assumption is due to the high profile of PR’s candidate, the response of the voters attending the rallies and on spot surveys and discussions.

In the case of Gelang Patah, BN would therefore obtain 30,370 (derived from 33,630 in 2008 minus 3,360, which represents 10% swing to PR), but plus 6,765 new voters, giving a grand total of 37,135 votes.

For PR, they are expected to obtain 28,139 (derived from 24,779 votes in 2008 plus a 10% swing votes of 3,360). Together with the new voters of 16,912, PR final tally would be about 45,000 votes. This means that for the seat of Gelang Patah, Sdr. Lim Kit Siang, will win with a majority of about 7,900 votes. This is the calculated prediction."

More:
http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php/headline/7129-johor-how-they-will-vote.html

* Figures taken from The Malay Mail, April 30, 'Glimpse into the Past':

Selangor: Pakatan % increased from 37.7% (2004) to 50.6% (2008);
Penang: Pakatan % increased from 35.8% (2004) to 61.4% (2008);
Perak: Pakatan % increased from 37.8% (2004) to 62.8% (2008);
Kedah: Pakatan % increased from 40.7% (2004) to 56.2% (2008);
Johor: Pakatan  % increased from 22.5% (2004) to ?       (2008?);
(Believe it or not, this is the only state without 2008 %!)


Link

Tun Dr Mahathir, a megalomaniac


Tun Dr Mahathir, our ex-PM for 22 years (1981-1993), seems to exhibit behaviour of a megalomaniac or a pathological egotist. Other definitions of a megalomaniac include:
1. A psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
2. An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions.

I am refering to this Malaysiakini report :

Detain me, drag me to court, Mahathir dares DAP
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/228486

and especially this part of his reported statement:

'Mahathir also alleged that PAS spiritual adviser and Kelantan Menteri Besar  Abdul Nik Aziz Nik Mat was a hypocrite since he had performed the Friday prayers at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque in Putrajaya, to garner votes.

"Earlier PAS had said they would auction off Putrajaya but now they (PAS) are not interested in auctioning off Putrajaya but more interested in conquering the administrative capital of the country... why not build an administrative centre like Putrajaya in Kelantan?" he asked.'

Earlier, he had also told off PAS candidate for Putrajaya, Husam Musa, for contesting there, as if Putrajaya is his. Surely, it is up to the voters to decide.

Besides having delusion of grandeur, Tun has the mindset that what he built belongs to him. If you questioned or criticised, then you should not use the buildings. He said that before, when referring to PM's official residence in Putrajaya, which was built at much inflated costs, hinting PR leaders should not use it because they were against it. It is unbelievable that a PM who had used so much public funds to build anything at unreasonably high costs could be so selfish. It was ironic that he did not get to use it for long. Anwar has hinted that he does not mind using his present home!

With the benefit of hindsight and more information as a result of the internet, I can safely say that past Petronas earnings which were unaccounted for can be found in the once tallest building in the world - Petronas Twin Towers (his crony, Ananda K made a pile for himself from the sale of land alone); and the ostentatious new capital of Malaysia, Putrajaya (to impress tourists); to name just two.

Tun was also mainly responsible for the illegal outflow of funds out of Malaysia which were mainly slush funds of corrupt ministers and other well-connected people. He ensured those who lived beyond their means were not investigated as routine like before, and OSA ensured much of the hanky panky were kept under wraps. The pliant enforcers would ensure that the messengers get into trouble instead of the culprits!

Many believe Tun's active role in campaigning for Umno, and even Perkasa this GE13 is because of his morbid fear of Anwar becoming PM. Again, we have witnessed his relentless persecution of Anwar, which was continued by his protege, Najib (at his behest presumably), and never ever would he say anything good of Anwar to this day, let alone an apology.

Update:


Husam hits back at Dr M, "Then you need to go back to Kedah!"

Apr 29: Responding to UMNO strongman Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s attack telling him to go back to Kelantan instead of contesting in Putrajaya, PAS candidate Husam Musa said by the same logic the former should also stay put in Kedah.
 “I come here not as a Kelantanese, but as a Malaysian,” Husam, who has been attracting rare support in Putrajaya, told a press conference yesterday.
“If I have to go back Kelantan, he needs to return to Kedah, (BN chairman) Najib (Razak) needs to go back Pahang. All should return to their hometowns, so no one will be left to contest here,” he added.
Husam pointed out that BN candidate for Putrajaya parliament seat Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was also not a local candidate.
“He feels he is local, but he is not. He is from Melaka, his house in Jalan Duta, and he has a house here. If I win tomorrow, I will rent a house here no problem,” he quipped.
UMNO's confidence in retaining Putrajaya appears to have taken a dip following indicators of an 'upset' favouring Husam.
The development prompted BN to rope in Mahathir in the campaign for Putrajay seat.
The 87-year old had belittled Husam for contesting in Putrajaya, and went on to slam his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim with sexual innuendos.

Source:
http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php/headline/7128-husam-hits-back-at-dr-m-qthen-you-need-to-go-back-to-kedahq.html

Link

P Ramakrishnan: Umno must pay the price in the next elections


"I have never felt as optimistic as I do today. Tonight’s forum has a great significance for me and for all those rooting for change. Five years ago, on this day, Malaysians shed their fear and stood up for their rights. As a result, we had the tsunami of 8 March 2008!

That tsunami would have brought about a change at the federal level as well if the GE12 had been free and fair. We were robbed of a well-deserved victory because the Barisan Nasional, the National Registration Department and the Election Commission colluded and plotted together to frustrate the aspirations of the people.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry set up to study the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah has revealed startling conspiracies to steal the election. Thousands upon thousands of MyKads were given to those who were not citizens with strict orders to vote for the BN. When a Prime Minister was part of this diabolical plot to pervert our democracy, it is appalling and truly disgusting.

Reeking with corruption

What was done was clearly an outright abuse of power. As you know, an abuse of power constitutes corruption. Corruption is criminal but this vile act of corruption is part and parcel of the BN government.

The BN is reeking with corruption but continues to be in power simply because the apparatus of government are under the thumb of the executive..."

More:
http://aliran.com/12741.html


About P Ramakrishnan:
P Ramakrishan, the long-serving former president of Aliran, has been granted a respite and now happily serves as an Aliran executive committee member. He has carried the flag for human rights and democracy for Aliran since its inception in 1977, when the term ‘human rights’ was considered something of a dirty word.




Link

Dr Goh Chee Leong, when asked by his students on how he will vote

One of my FB friends shares this...


'3 Questions I will ask myself when deciding who to vote for in GE 13
By Dr Goh Chee Leong

I was asked by my students as to how I was going to vote. I didn’t answer their question directly, but rather gave them 3 questions that would guide my decision.

1. Which party is more likely to fight corruption

In my opinion corruption is the number enemy in Malaysia. Corruption is the main reason why we’re not in the same economic league as Taiwan, Korea or Singapore. Trillions have been lost because of corruption and if we are to be competitive in the world we need a government that is serious about fighting corruption.

Currently it is just too difficult to run a business, to be a honest entrepreneur in this country. The corrupt system discourages true visionaries and innovators from entering the fray.

I dream of a Malaysia, where an honest person can be successful not because of the VVIPS they know, but because of the greatness of their ideas and their willingness to work hard.

As a voter ask yourself, which party is more serious about fighting corruption? Which party has a better track record when it comes to producing leaders that are clean rather than leaders that use their connections to make themselves and their families rich?

2. Which party is more likely to improve relations between races

It is clear that Malaysia has become more and more polarized and divided over these last 10 years. Leaders who are supposed to lead by example have instead used racial sentiments to make us afraid of one another.

Real unity comes from understanding and genuine compassion and kindness. It is not about empty slogans, campaigns and superficial events.

I dream of a Malaysia where my children can live hand in hand with other children of every race and nationality without having to feel inferior, or second class, or like unwelcome guest in their own country.

As a voter ask yourself; which party is really serious about encouraging unity among the races? When you attend rallies and campaign events; which events really embody the spirit of multiculturalism? On the other hand, which party purposely drives a wedge between the races because it serves their own political purpose? Which party bases membership on race and therefore perpetuates the divide between races? Which party uses slogans about unity but at the same time openly supports racist organizations that champion the superiority of one race over others?

I am sick and tired of slogans. I want to elect leaders that are willing to genuinely work across communities even though it may mean losing their political power base.

3. Which party is more likely to practice servant leadership
Many of our leaders have forgotten who’s the boss. They have forgotten that the rakyat are the boss. It is time that we remind them.

Too many of our leaders want power because it means having the power to operate above the law, making themselves rich and not having to experience all of the problems normal people experience everyday.

I want to elect leaders who fly economy class, rather than first class; who get stuck in traffic jams like the rest of us, rather than having special police convoys wherever they go.

As a voter ask yourself: which party is more likely to produce leaders who are genuine about serving the rakyat, and which party is more likely to produce leaders that are only interested in making themselves rich?'

Dr Goh Chee Leong is a well known Psychology lecturer at HELP University College.

Link

Silent majority as in Absent Voters can make a Big difference

I am refering to Malaysia-Finance Blogspot's post, Why we must vote
http://malaysiafinance.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-we-must-vote.html

which has the following extract from a list of BN's successful candidates in GE12:


I wish to highlight just a few who are caretaker ministers or deputy minister and are defending their respective parliamentary seats in GE13:

P 09 Alor Setar BN's Chor Chee Heung (Housing & Local Govt), Absent voters 15,751, Majority 184, Absent voters > Majority 15,567;
P 70 Kampar    BN's Lee Chee Leong (Deputy Home), Absent voters 20,831, Majority 2697, Absent voters > Majority 18,134;
P 74 Lumut       BN's Kong Cho Ha (Transport), Absent voters 16,833, Majority 298, Absent voters > Majority 16,535; and
P 75 Bagan Datok BN's Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Defence) Absent voters 10,256, Majority 2,692, Absent voters > Majority 7,564.

All these so-called heavyweight politicians are actually at the mercy of voters, especially those who did not exercise their right to vote. The combined total of absent voters in each constituency (based on previous GE results) shows they could have easily changed who should have been the winner.
Link

Monday, April 29, 2013

Dr Ariffin Omar: Why we must vote for change: An open letter


"We are now at the crossroads of our destiny. The 13th General Elections that is slated to be held on 5 May will decide once and for all what future we are going to bequeath to our children and grandchildren.

We have lived for more than half a century under a regime which practices the politics of ethnic discrimination. In its wake this politics of apartheid has brought about corruption, mismanagement, cronyism and nepotism on a scale not seen in many countries. I have been told that as many as 3m Malaysians have left this nation for other countries in despair. Can we afford such a loss?

The Barisan Nasional, which had its origins as the Alliance Party, which then comprised of the United Malays National Organization, the Malayan Chinese Association and the Malayan Indian Congress, has brought this country to the brink of disaster.

In playing its racist politics on the false claims that the underdeveloped and underprivileged Malays needed government aid through the New Economic Policy, the BN has misused and abused this policy to enrich certain individuals in Umno including their cronies and hangers-on. The rights and privileges of non-Malays as guaranteed in the Malaysian Constitution have been ignored.

The BN has systematically destroyed the institutions of state. The judiciary has been emasculated and rendered subservient to the interests of the BN. Malaysians must know that hardly anyone now believes in the independence of the judiciary. Foreign investors investing in Malaysia have demanded the right to have any legal matters arising from their business disputes to be heard either in Singapore, London or even in Hong Kong. What is the value of our judiciary?

The civil service is nothing but a pliant tool of the BN. The percentage of non-Malays serving in the civil service is negligible. Why? The BN, in particular Umno, has been consistent in making sure that it is monopolised by Malays and thus ensure that the BN’s interests and corruption are protected. Even the police force and the army are not spared from the policy of mainly recruiting Malays into the services at the expense of non-Malays who are more than willing to serve..."

More:
http://aliran.com/13054.html

Dr Ariffin Omar, an Aliran member, is a senator and former president of Aliran.

Link

Patronising and presumptuous BN

BN's mindset seems to be: we have given you all the goodies (BR1M, etc.) and we have reminded you by letters to vote for us. We now presume all voters in your family are BN supporters. This sign is to let others know how many supporters we have (presumed!)...


The sign actually reminds me of those put up by security firms. Some kind of protection racket?

Malik Imtiaz's Disquiet: We, the people


Excerpt:

"I wrote in February (“A heartfelt choice”) of the three primary issues, as I see them, that ought to determine our electoral choices: the rule of law, corruption, and social inclusiveness. I stand by that determination and reiterate that if we are truly concerned about the future of our young, then our choices must be made on the basis that any government we vote in ought have at the forefront of their policy framework measures that address these subjects."

"I think Malaysians need to remember that we have a harmonious society because we are a harmonious people. We have stability in spite of, and not because, of our political leaders. Even the most cursory look at the events of the last three decades would reveal a campaign of divide and rule on the part of those leaders, one intent on reminding us of, and playing up to, our differences. No matter how one dresses it up, the politics of race and religion is devastatingly divisive. And yet, we have managed to live together in peace, weathering potential points of crisis that were contrived to render the goodwill that continuous coexistence over generations nurtured. This is not only a point of pride; it is a deep source of confidence and inspiration. We are a resilient people and we must not forget that."

'In a recent article for Bloomberg, William Pesek argued “Malaysia needs to do more to get off the road to mediocrity”.  In explaining his position, Pesek very credibly argued that the nation’s biggest problem is complacency and that in being change resistant, the government has allowed “nations as diverse as China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to leapfrog us” to a point where Malaysia is now competing with them for “the same infrastructure dollars, factory projects, bond deals and stock issues.” Singapore, has in the meanwhile, he further asserts, “become the beneficiary of many of Malaysia’s best and brightest, who have emigrated in search of a more merit-based economy.” '

"True reform is not about to happen as long as the Barisan Nasional remains the way it is. In the aftermath of the 2008 General Election, there were rumblings from within that change was needed. Some five years later, the changes have largely been cosmetic. So much so that I think it is reasonable to conclude that the Barisan Nasional will not reform itself unless it is forced to. What Pesek suggests cannot be dismissed as the ramblings of a foreigner who knows nothing about the country. He has put in words what many of us think but are reluctant to say."

"I am not saying that the Pakatan Rakyat is the answer to all our problems. It too is saddled with its own difficulties and deficiencies. The premise of its campaign however points to systemic reform of a kind that indicates a potential start to the gargantuan task of righting the ship of state. Amongst them is a promise that the rule of law will be reinstated.

If nothing more, this offers a new way of looking at things and offers a more certain way to remove the Pakatan Rakyat from government when the time comes. And at the very least that offers us a chance at establishing the more conventional system of government that the founders of the Constitution envisaged and ridding ourselves of autocracy.

I think that is a choice worth making."

More:

Link

Gary Nair's speech, mainly in Hokien... hilarious if you can understand the dialect

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Seamless progression for V Sivakumar and Thomas Su, ex-ADUNs of Perak


This GE13, incumbent 3-term MP of Batu Gajah, Fong Po Kuan is not standing for re-election, making way for ex-ADUN of Tronoh, V Sivakumar, to stand instead. That the state constituency of Tronoh is one of 3 (the other 2 being Menglembu and Jelapang) within parliamentary constituency of Batu Gajah, means Sivakumar is already well known locally. That he was the Pakatan Speaker of Perak who was manhandled and dragged (while still in his official robe) in the process of BN's power grab, meant he is also well known nationally.

We have met him several times before the date of GE 13 was known, during his morning walkabouts. He is friendly and approachable. Now that he is standing for parliamentary seat, he has to cover Menglembu and Jelapang as well.

Sivakumar will be facing a locally unknown  BN MCA's  candidate, Loo Thin Tuck.

In the case of parliamentary seat of Ipoh Timur, DAP's advisor, Lim Kit Siang's move to Gelang Patah, Johor has created a vacuum. Fortunately, a 'heavy weight' is being replaced by another heavy weight in ex-ADUN of Pasir Pinji, Thomas Su Keong Siong. That Pasir Pinji, is part of Ipoh Timur means Thomas is already well known in this part of Ipoh, if not nationally, again thanks to the national publicity as a result of the infamous power grab. He was then an Exco member in the Pakatan state government.

Thomas will be facing BN MCA's Kathleen Wong Mei Yin, a relatively unknown, and a first-timer.

There were accusations against Lim Kit Siang for not looking after his constituents. But I can vouch for his presence in most gatherings, unless the people expect him to be looking after blocked drains and uncleared rubbish in their neighbourhood. Thomas Su and other ex-ADUNs within Ipoh Timur, like Wong Kah Woh (Canning) and Ong Boon Piow (Tebing Tinggi) had been great in solving problems locally. Both Wong and Ong are defending their seats.

Thomas's former state constituency of Pasir Pinji is contested by a first-timer, Howard Lee Chuan How. His opponent is better known BN MCA's Thong Fah Chong, a former MP of Ipoh Timur (he lost to Lim Kit Siang in 2008). Sivakumar's former Tronoh is also contested by newbie in Paul Yong Choo Kiong, whose opponent is MCA's Yip Sze Choy, who is better known locally because of his furniture business in BG.

My gut feeling tells me that the winds of change and the expected Perakians' eagerness to teach Najib a lesson for his power grab will see all the above Pakatan candidates through on May 5.

Link

News which caught my attention this Sunday

Front page of The Star has a big picture of Norman Fernandez (front page!) with a headline in red screaming, 'Johor shocker', with a picture of his friend's (FB?) posting titled, 'JOHOR CANNOT GAMBLE AND RISK ITS FUTURE WITH PAS - by NORMAN FERNANDEZ**'

Not again, I thought to myself, another opposition leader out to get cheap publicity. But it is another case of our newspapers' bias towards BN, so anybody's statement which could affect Pakatan will be played up. We have seen enough of this.

In Malaysian Digest, it was reported that Norman was calling voters to reject PAS National Information Chief, Suhaizan Kayat, for his earlier call banning Muslims from wishing Christiams, 'Merry Christmas'.

Meanwhile, in Malaysiakini, headline, 'Najib pooh-poohs Umcedel's survey results' is followed by 'Didn't Najib praise Umcedel before?' asks PKR'. Contradiction to suit himself.


Malaysiakini:

PUTRAJAYA Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says PAS Putrajaya candidate Husam Musa should first fix problems in Kelantan, where he is a caretaker exco member, before making his bid to be the federal administrative capital's elected representative.

"Until then, sit quietly in Kelantan. That is your place. Go fix your place and imitate Putrajaya's precincts. Build good offices and homes for the locals who work in the civil service.

"After you (Husam, left) prove your worth, then ask for the chance to work in Putrajaya, though not as prime minister. Bit by bit, you may earn your promotion," Mahathir said in Putrajaya last night at a campaign ceramah for BN's incumbent Putrajaya MP Tengku Adnan Mansor.

Malaysiakini:

12pm - Sarikei: Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Peter Chin tells the locals to vote for its candidate Ding Kuong Hiing for the sake of “development and parliamentarian allocations”.

"If Ding is defeated and DAP wins the seat, the annual allocation of RM1.5 million will be gone, you will get zero," he says in a ceramah next to Bintangor market, which attracts an over 300 crowd.

"How are you going to organise activities (without the funds)? You think about it," he said.

Chin further says only BN candidates can help the locals to build and fix roads, and ensure water and electricity supply, saying DAP has no chance in helping the local community.

Facebook:

Patrick Teoh:
"When BN politicians point a finger at Kelantan and say, "You've been in power for so long what have you done for the people of the state?" what they are actually saying is,"As long as we are in Putrajaya we can hold back a lot of things, funding for instance, which will screw all your efforts. Cos you got no money. Na na na na na!" Right or not? "

Malaysiakini via KiniTV
KiniTV News Video:

"Nurul Izzah responds to news report that Raja Nong Chik had warned Lembah Pantai voters that they would not have freshly-painted flats, fixed pipes or strata titles if he lost the contest for Lembah Pantai Parliamentary seat. She said Raja Nong Chik should not claim credit for fulfilling his duty as Federal Minister and DBKL's work. She instead challenged him to disclose his financial assets as well as to join her for a debate on mainstream media."

All said, BN (Buli Nasional to me) is still the same old, same old, and beyond redemption, which is why most voters will be trying their level best to do something about this on May 5.


Link

Hindraf co-founder Waythamoorthy's Janji akan dicapati?

Waythamoorthy seems to be the only one benefiting from his cooperation with BN's Najib, amid the usual publicity and fanfare, with his famous quote: "It doesn't matter whether Rama or Ravana rules, so long as Indians get a fair share of the money."  But could he speak for all? He was sacked by Hindraf instead, by his own brother!

Earlier, there was already suspicions about his secrecy over ROS approval as early as March 8. According to S. Jayathas (former Hindraf leader and information chief), 'Waytha went on hunger strike to get sympathy, kept ROS approval secret...'

More:

KLANG, April 27 — The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) had sacked chairman P. Waythamoorthy for endorsing Barisan Nasional (BN) in Election 2013, group co-founder P. Uthayakumar said today.
Uthayakumar said Indian voters, who make up a significant minority in nearly 60 federal seats, still backed the movement that he and his brother Waythamoorty led in a 2007 mass protest that slashed the community’s support for BN in Election 2008.
“The Indian masses still look up to us (the movement) because we have not sold ourselves to the devil,” Uthayakumar told reporters at a small Hindraf operations centre here today.
“While I went to jail, Waythamoorthy ran away to London. Today he runs away to BN,” he added, referring to his 18 months’ detention without trial after the Hindraf rally.
Uthayakumar accused his brother of deviating from Hindraf’s original struggle, saying that “BN cheats more, Pakatan cheats less”.
“Waythamoorthy hijacked Hindraf and pledged support to Barisan Nasional, which is against the founding principles of Hindraf,” said Uthayakumar.
“Do not vote for BN. Whether they want to vote for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is up to them, but Hindraf will not take responsibility for Pakatan’s non-delivery if they get to Putrajaya,” he added.
Waythamoorthy, who was reportedly formally recognised as Hindraf’s chairman by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) on March 8, signed a memorandum of understanding with the BN government last week to improve the economic position of the Indian community.
Earlier this year in a strategically-timed move, the Najib administration agreed to lift the ban on Hindraf in anticipation of the May 5 general election.
BN, however, fielded Perkasa vice-president Datuk Zulkifli Noordin in the Shah Alam federal seat for the May 5 polls despite the latter allegedly insulting the Hindu community in the past.
“Indians are upset with Zul Noordin being fielded as candidate,” said Uthayakumar today.
More:
GE13: Hindraf sacked Waythamoorthy...


Senior Pakatan leaders are not taking chances...


by contesting in both Parliamentary and State seats. This has the effect of doubling their chances of success, and in the event of Pakatan taking over Putrajaya, might pose a problem of choice to some in having to decide whether to become a federal minister or state chief minister or menteri besar, if not, at least a state exco member.

Though the main aim is to achieve success at federal level, the odds are heavily against Pakatan because of the unfair advantages of BN's incumbency and their shameless use of government funds, machinery and BN-controlled public institutions. But many people are still optimistic that what happened in 2008 could similarly happen in 2013, but in a much bigger way.

Leaders of DAP who are contesting in two constituencies:

Penang: Lim Guan Eng (DAP - Secretary-General): P 43 Bagan (defending) and N 23 Air Puteh (defending); caretaker Chief Minister of Penang;

Perak: Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP Perak Chief): P 68 Beruas (defending) and N 50 Sitiawan (defending);
Nga Kor Ming (DAP Youth Chief): P 60 Taiping (defending) and N 29 Kepayang (moved from N 38 Pantai Remis)

Perak is rather unusual in that Nizar Jamaluddin became MB for only 11 months, his tenure was unceremoniously ended by the power grab by BN.  Later he won a parliamentary by-election at P 59 Bukit Gantang as a result of his popularity ironically as victim of the BN conspiracy. For some reason, he is only allowed to contest a state seat (N 14 Changkat Jering, moved from N 51 Pasir Panjang), and he is expected to be MB of Perak again if Pakatan wins again.

Leaders of PKR who are contesting in two constituencies:

Selangor: Mohammed Azmin Ali (PKR - Deputy President): P 98 Gombak (defending) and N 19 Bukit Antarabangsa (defending);
Khalid Ibrahim (PKR - Treasurer-General): P 124 Bandar Tun Razak (defending) and N 46 Pelabuhan Kelang (moved from Ijok); caretaker Menteri Besar of Selangor;

I could be wrong, but I have yet to find other leaders of PKR contesting in both parliamentary and state seats. This could be due to a deliberate attempt at playing down the influence of Anwar since both father and daughter, Nurul Izzah, are contesting in parliamentary seats in Permatang Pauh, Penang and Lembah Pantai, Selangor respectively. There were calls for wife, Wan Azizah to contest a state seat in Selangor so that she could be Menteri Besar. But this might create accusations of nepotism and family dynasty.

DAP's Teresa Kok Suh Sim contested in two seats and won both P122 Seputeh (with highest majority) and N 30 Kinrara. But for some reasons, she was dropped from contesting a state seat. She was Selangor State Exco member. Many people feel she has been unfairly treated, considering her seniority, huge success as a winnable candidate and tireless efforts when DAP was struggling. But it could be due to inter-party arrangement, beyond the control of her own party leaders.

Leaders of PAS who are contesting in two constituencies:

Terengganu: Hadi Awang (PAS - President): P Marang (defending) and N 19 Ru Rendang;
Johor: Salahuddin Ayub (PAS - Vice-President): P 161 Pulai (moved from P 24 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan) and N 49 Nusajaya (first time contesting two seats); and
P 125 FT Putrajaya: Husam Musa (PAS - Vice-President) (first time contesting two seats; was MP of P 24 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan in 2004); and Kelantan: N 17 Salor (defending);

Despite scepticism, I believe Nurul could overcome the odds to defeat Raja Nong Chik in Lembah Pantai; Husam Musa could defeat Tengku Adnan in Putrajaya; and Lim Kit Siang could defeat Ghani Othman in Gelang Patah. These high-profile examples are just to show the winds of change could be blowing in favour of Pakatan.

Ordinary people are going out of the way to vote. Many believe this is the best chance for Pakatan to win... it is now or never. Ini kalilah.

They are willing to come back from overseas or have registered as postal voters; willing to travel from Singapore and Thailand; or willing to go back to their respective hometowns to vote. Someone's girlfriend actually persuaded him to go for training at Malaysiakini. She even bought train tickets for him and his siblings and cousin as soon as the election date was known. I still remember someone who felt left out because he did not register for the last GE, when he realised most of his friends were planning to return to Ipoh to vote. Perak fell to Pakatan as a result, which surprised even their leaders who seemed unprepared initially, for their new roles!

Link

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Good sense prevails to avoid contests between friendly parties

It is heartening to read the following news reports on how agreements were reached to prevent unnecessary 3-corner contests:

Apr 23: "PKR will relinquish its demands on three state seats in Terengganu while PAS will allow PKR to contest in Labuan, Sungai Acheh and Panti.
UPDATED
PETALING JAYA: PKR and PAS have resolved issues pertaining to seven overlapping seats for the general election.
Speaking at a press conference held at the party headquarters, PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim said that his party would relinquish its demand for the three state seats in Terengganu.
“PAS will retain the state seats of Bukit Besi, Seberang Takir and Kota Putera in Terengganu.
“In return, we will get the Labuan parliamentary seat and the state seats of Sungai Acheh in Penang and Panti in Johor,” he said.
During nomination on Saturday, PAS and PKR fielded their respective candidates in seven seats, ensuring a fight among the allies in Pakatan Rakyat."
More:
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/04/23/pas-pkr-settle-dispute-over-seven-seats/


Summary:
Terengganu
N2 - KOTA PUTERA: Adam Mat Said (PAS) vs Mohd Mahdi Musa (BN - UMNO)
Withdrawn: Mohamed Abdul Ghani Ibrahim (PKR)
N11 - SEBERANG TAKIR: Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman (BN - UMNO) vs Zakaria Dagang (PAS)
Withdrawn: Ahmad Nazri Mohd Yusof (PKR)
N25 - BUKIT BESI: Roslan Ismail (PAS) vs Roslee Daud(BN - UMNO)
Withdrawn: Mohd Shamsul Mat Amin (PKR)
P166 - LABUAN: Ibrahim Menudin (PKR) vs Rozman Isli (BN - UMNO)
Withdrawn: Hadnan Mohamad (PAS)
Johor
N34 - PANTI: Mohd Annuar Mohd Salleh (PKR) vs Baderi Dasuki (BN - UMNO)
Withdrawn: Azlisham Azahar (PAS)
Penang
N21 - SUNGAI ACHEH: Badrul Hisham Shaharin (PKR) vs Mahmud Zakaria (BN - UMNO)
Withdrawn: Mohd Yusni Mat Piah (PAS)


Apr 27: "PAS has finally backed down from contesting the Kota Damansara state seat after almost a week of posturing and negotiations with PKR and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).
"After negotiations, I am announcing that for the Kota Damansara state seat, we shall revert to the status quo as before nomination day.
“The seat is allocated to PKR," said PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali at party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
As such, he said, the candidate contesting under the PKR banner will be the official Pakatan Rakyat representative.
Incumbent rep PSM chief Mohd Nasir Hashim had earlier reached an agreement to contest the seat under the PKR ticket, until PAS sprang a last minute surprise by fielding its own candidate Razali Ismail on nomination day."
More:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/228197

Unresolved 3-corner contests (excluding Independents) include:

Selangor: Semenyih
PKR's Hamidi Hassan vs PSM's S Arutchelvan vs BN's Lee Ban Seng

Perak: Jelapang
DAP's Teh Hock Ke vs PSM's Sarasvathy Muthu vs BN's Mokan Subramaniam

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Photoshop Work: Pakatan camaraderie

With a bit of imagination, it can be fun to see the composition...

Introducing Nik Aziz, Lim Guan Eng, Anwar Ibrahim, Hannah Yeoh, Teo Nie Ching, Lim Kit Siang and Hadi Awang...


It must be greater fun for those in the original picture to laugh about it.
Link

Tun, here's 'nothing' to show you something

At a recent live interview on NTV7, when asked about what Pakatan has done, Tun Dr Mahathir said, 'Nothing...'

This is just one video, and I am sure there are loads out there, besides well written and referenced articles on what good Pakatan had brought to our nation, especially in the states under their administration. Besides, more transparency and accountability, a strong opposition had forced the BN government to carry out many things which the people could only hope for. In their desperation to cling to power, Najib had been distributing goodies to almost every segments of society, spending our money like his or BN's, and shamelessly asking voters to vote for BN to show their gratefulness, after receiving BR1M, for instance.

Selepas Tsunami (After the Tsunami) from Pusat KOMAS on Vimeo.
Link

Friday, April 26, 2013

The adoration of Tok Guru at Masjid Besi in Putrajaya - seeing is believing

Ku Nan should be worried come May 5.


More where that came from:
http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/2013/04/amazing-scenes-in-putrajaya-bila-tok.html

http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/tok-guru-nik-aziz-di-masjid-putrajaya.html

A friend commented that it is amazing how Kelantan could hold on to its 1-seat majority for the full term. Now we know why.
Link

Najib vs Anwar is essentially Umno vs the people?


Yet another comparison, this time by Hussein Abdul Hamid from Down Under.

"Let us have clarity on a few fundamentals.

We have had 55 years of government under UMNO. I say UMNO because to all intents and purposes UMNO is the dominant political entity within the Barisan Nasional and what UMNO wants, UMNO gets.

This will not happen within Pakatan Rakyat. No one and no party dominates the coalition. This is a coalition of three political parties that will govern by consensus. Not one party dominates, not one party dictates.

The issues that UMNO chooses to fight over in this 13th general election are race, religion and region. UMNO is for Malays. UMNO is defending Islam from the perceived missionary onslaught of the Christians! UMNO is desperate...okay lah let us call a spade a spade..Najib is desperate to maintain the States UMNO now has and win back those that they have lost in the 12th general elections. Anything else will mean that while there will still be a FLOM (Fat Lady of Malaysia) in his household. However that FLOM will no longer have a Prime Minister as her consort!

Membership in any Pakatan Rakyat coalition member party is open to all. Pakatan Rakyat will not make the defense of any religion or race to justify their asking the voters for a mandate to govern. If Pakatan Rakyat has any claim to any region or state within Malaysia it is based on its intent to continue the good that they have done in the States that they manage to include the States that they now do not."

"In 2009 this is what Najib has to say upon taking over as President of UMNO. It is all about what UMNO needs to do to itself to keep its grasp on political power- nothing for the Rakyat, nothing for our Nation, nothing for the Malays and nothing for Islam. It is all about UMNO, UMNO and UMNO again!

The litany of abuses and misuse of political power for personal gain under UMNO is acknowledged by all within UMNO. As Najib himself said: "Beri Salah. Tak beri Kalah!" Ask yourself what has been done by Najib since 2009 to make UMNO different?"

"Pakatan Rakyat's emphasis is on National Unity, good governance, common good and social justice for all. Since then Pakatan Rakyat has governed in four States - Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Kelantan. The 2011 Auditor-General’s report indicates good fiscal management by all four Pakatan Rakyat-controlled states with revenues improving. Enough said.

In Ceramah after Ceramah what Anwar and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders talk about is what Pakatan Rakyat will do for our people and for our nation. There is no need to fix Pakatan Rakyat...you do not fix anything that is not broken! "

"PAS has raised their relevance amongst the Malays. PAS able and politically savvy technocratic leaders have conducted themselves ably to harness broad Malay support against what UMNO has done in the name of Ketuanan Melayu and Islam.

But what of the Rakyat who are uninformed, poorly educated and ignorant?

Will the cash handouts, Barisan Nasional propaganda, coercion and threats influence who they will vote for?

This is a worrying factor for Pakatan Rakyat to consider. The same can be said of the possible votes from the Pendatangs, PDRM, the Armed Forces and collusion of the EC to favour Barisan Nasional....but even in these areas Pakatan Rakyat have been making inroads to turn the tide Pakatan Rakyat's way."

"In contrast Najib has choosen not to go head to head with Pakatan Rakyat on the Ceramahs trails. He does not have the stomach to do so. He knows that there will be too  many questions that will be asked of him that he will not be able to answer. It is one thing to talk to a captive audience of UMNO members in PWTC...another to stand in Batang Berjuntai and hope that the Mineral Water and Beras give aways will bring the crowd to your Ceramah and make them stay to listen to you."

"In the end it will really come to what happens on Election day. That we are at this juncture of our political history when this  UMNO led Barisan Nasional must think about defeat as a possible outcome, is already a victory for Pakatan Rakyat and for our people.

All will change after this election and surely all for the better!

Any party that wins government will have to face a strong opposition in Parliament - strong enough to keep the government bastards honest.  

Any party in Opposition knows that they will have an opportunity to take government at the next general election should the government of the day does not deliver on the aspirations of the people who voted them into power.

So as of today we are already on the path towards change! Let us now make change a reality and vote Pakatan Rakyat into government to make REAL CHANGE happen as of MONDAY the 6th of MAY 2013 - the day after we vote for that change in this 13th general election! It is possible! It is doable! Hidup Pakatan Rakyat."

More:
SIMPLY PUT...NAJIB IS NO ANWAR IBRAHIM.
http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/2013/04/simply-putnajib-is-no-anwar-ibrahim.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Steadyaku47+%28steadyaku47%29

I find this relevant... and the choice is up to the voters come May 5.


Link

Anwar Agent James Bond 007? Anwar Agent Ubah!

Who wants to be PM?


We all know that the coming GE13 is basically a contest between BN caretaker PM Najib Tun Razak and challenger from Pakatan Rakyat, Anwar Ibrahim who is expected to be PM if Pakatan wins.

Looking at the picture below, can you see how much the 6-year younger Najib looks older than Anwar? Najib is only going to be 60 this July and Anwar 66 the following month. 


Despite the huge and varied responsibilities of PM, there are no shortage of takers. Anyway, let's look at the race between them according to a survey...

According to a Malaysiakini report:

43pct back Anwar as PM, 39pct for Najib

"Anwar Ibrahim has a slight edge over Najib Abdul Razak as a prime ministerial candidate, according to a survey by Universiti Malaya's Democratic and Election Centre (Umcedel).

The survey, involving 1,407 respondents residing in Peninsular Malaysia in early April, indicated that 43 percent of voters believe Anwar was qualified to be prime minister while 24 percent of voters disagreed and the rest were unsure.

As for Najib, 39 percent of voters said he was qualified to be the prime minister, while 31 percent disagreed. Another 30 percent were unsure.

Interestingly, 54 percent of Malay respondents said Anwar was qualified to be prime minister while only 28 percent said the same for Najib.

Among first-time voters, 48 percent of respondents believed Anwar to be qualified as prime minister while 25 percent of respondents said the same for Najib.

Compared to Umcedel's last survey results in January, Najib's rating had dropped four points while Anwar and increased by one point.

In terms of Malay respondents, Najib's rating had dropped by 18 points while Anwar's rating had rose by nine points..."

More:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/228047

In case anyone wish to imagine what it's like to be Najib at breakfast time...


cakap cakap...breakfast with Najib!

"Now tell me this…if somehow you wake up this morning as Najib Tun Razak…yes the same Najib Tun Razak married to Rosmah Mansor….how will it be?

Now please do not start by insisting that there are better things to aspire to than to be sitting across Rosmah over breakfast! Let us get past Rosmah and on to the Nasi Lemak with the Udang Galah fried in sambal….then decaf Nescafe and then the Alphonso mangos from India….already things are getting a bit better …betul tak? Do what Najib do...focus on the mangos not on Rosmah!
Now what would you be thinking of first? How goes the election?

At the last count 61 (yes sixty one...enam puloh satu!) UMNO members has filed their nomination papers as independent candidates for the May 5 general election!

Thank God for the diapers you are wearing...or else you would have to be changing trousers every time you wet your trousers hearing of these worrying news! Ini belum cerita pasal Mahathir and Muhyiddin lagi....Jesus Christ with friends like them, who needs enemies!  

Now how goes the Ceramah? Despite all the bottles of mineral water, beras and other give aways at BN ceramahs all reports coming in from your people on the ground and Special Branch indicates and confirms that this Jelajah Pakatan Harapan Rakyat by DSAI is drawing in the crowds! Anwar's iternary is impressive.... "

More:
http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/2013/04/cakap-cakapbreakfast-with-najib.html

Link

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Imagine Michelle Yeoh as contestant in Malaysian Idol

With the forthcoming GE on May 5, let's put to the test whether her open support for Najib will help prevent Perak from falling back into Pakatan hands. She has every right to draw a line in the sands, so do we, to express our disgust at the way Najib engineered the power grab of Perak in 2009.



Yes indeed, Najib is such a great leader... in spending beyond our means...


1Malaysia indeed...


Her political leanings had always been BN... so I'm surprised about the fuss...


But without the support of grateful cronies and the pull of celebrities, a BN function can be pathetic...


Link

Reasons for supporting Anwar or Najib: you decide which is better


Antares Maitreya commented on freemalaysiatoday.com.

"From apathy, distrust & suspicion of Anwar Ibrahim when he decided to join Umno, my admiration began to grow when he had the guts to openly challenge Mahathir in 1997 & 1998. Over the years, watching how Anwar maintained his dignity and integrity despite the intense humiliation and suffering he was subjected to by the heavy-handed tyrant Dr M, admiration blossomed into amazement & profound respect. I began to view Anwar Ibrahim as my political proxy - the part of me who might have dreamed of a career in politics (the rest of me is unwilling to sacrifice my personal freedom to serve the nation, which is why I'm very glad somebody who shares my essential views of what this nation could be is now leading the charge against the corrupt & crumbling Umno/BN bastion). Thank you from the whole of my heart for taking on this Herculean effort, Anwar. It is my fervent desire to see you fulfill your destiny as Malaysia's 7th prime minister. I'm sure you will prove to be the best PM we've ever had."

To show his support he has this in his blog...

                                                    This stays up till we have a new government!

From FreeMalaysiaToday:

Why do you support Najib?
April 24, 2013
FMT LETTER: From Teh Chi-Chang, via e-mail

"I have been asking BN supporters this question in recent days. Their consistent answer has been, “What is the alternative?”. This goes all the way from lay supporters to the BN candidates themselves.

While doing my weekly marketing in SS2 on Sunday, I bumped into the BN candidate on her campaign rounds and asked her this very same, simple question. “Why do you support Najib?” I asked. “What is the alternative?” replied Ms Chew Hoong Ling, BN-MCA candidate for P106 PJ Utara.

Firstly, notice how negative the answer is. When we choose to follow a leader, it should be because of positive traits that we admire. But the BN supporters that I have met appear too sheepish to attach positive qualities to their leader, (caretaker) prime minister Najib. For example, they have never said, “I support Najib as my leader because he is charismatic, energetic, fair, visionary, honest, capable, transformative ….”
Indeed, Najib is a leader who condones political violence and, perhaps worst of all, practises divisive, communal politics and deliberately manipulates economic figures to deceive Malaysians. Consider just three points:

1 Firstly, Najib has never denounced vicious attacks on Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders and workers, which have left PR supporters bloodied and hospitalised. Neither did he chasten BN supporters who chanted death threats to PR leader Tian Chua.
2 Secondly, Najib ordered that ‘Tanda Putera’, a film that his own Cabinet has said can “cause conflict”, be screened to exclusive Malay audiences such as Felda settlers and university students. His slate of ‘winnable’ candidates includes characters like Zulkifli Nordin, Zulkifli has been hailed as a “transformation candidate” despite just last month belittling Hindu beliefs and calling our Malaysian-Indian compatriots by a pejorative term.
3 “Live” on national television last month, Najib falsely declared that the economy grew by 49% from 2009-11. The reality is that, in real ringgit terms, the economy has grown by less than 5% in each of the last two years. The so-called transformation led by Pemandu is really a façade of Perception Manipulation and Deception, as REFSA has analysed and revealed.

Why do you support a leader who does not denounce political violence? Why do you support a leader who does not have the confidence to expel the extremist, thuggish members of his party? Why do you support a leader who rewards chauvinists like Zulkifli Nordin? Can you trust a leader who lies on something as basic as economic growth numbers?

It is true that Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim is a political chameleon who has changed political allegiances often in his colourful career. But Anwar at least chooses one colour at a time, unlike Najib who preaches 1Malaysia on one hand and picks ‘winnable candidates’ like Zulkifli Nordin with the other. Anwar is scrutinised by the mainstream media everyday, unlike Najib, who has not admitted that he misled Malaysians on economic growth numbers.

So, dear BN supporters, the alternative, Anwar Ibrahim, is a leader who has his flaws. But he is a leader who leads with words and ideas, not violence; and a leader who leads with hope, not money, fears and lies. And most importantly, for all his flaws, real, perceived and manufactured, Anwar has never waved the keris around at political events during politically charged times, unlike Umno leaders such as Hishamuddin Hussein, and, allegedly, Najib himself."

The writer is executive director of REFSA (Research for Social Advancement)

Link

Padang Serai: this election, like others, is above communal ties


I do not know any of the three contestants in Padang Serai.

N Gobalakrishnan became famous when he was supporting Anwar's cause and PKR. But when he lost the expected VP post in PKR to N Surendran (who happens to be his present opponent besides MCA's Heng Seai Kie), he created enough trouble and was duly sacked from PKR.

This contest is mainly between PKR's Surendran and BN MCA's Heng Seai Kie, with Gobalakrishnan thrown in as spoiler. I heard much about Surendran from newspaper reports on the PKR cases which he acted for.

I do not know Heng, but I know despite the different spelling, we share the same surname in Chinese.  I can still remember my wife and others who asked, 'Who's this Heng Seai Kie?' when her name kept appearing in the papers and on tv, because of her post as Deputy Minister, after she was appointed a senator. She seemed to have appeared from nowhere and got much publicity.

In the past, Chinese would support Chinese candidates out of loyalty to race. Since Heng shares the same surname as me, it would have been expected of the Ongs, Wongs, Wangs and Hengs to vote in support of someone of the same surname. Ongs' clansmen association of the town would help to rally support for her. Not anymore. These days, race-based political parties are on the way out. It is unfortunate that Heng is associated with one, MCA, which in turn is associated with a bigger one, Umno. Through no fault of hers, she will be judged as a passive supporter of Umno-led BN's unfair policies and excesses.

Here is another example of different loyalties. Recently, at a dinner, a mother commented about who she will support in case her daughter's in-law will be contesting. (No mistake there, not daughter-in-law). She said she will vote according to party (DAP) and not the candidate (MCA)!

Having said all that, if I were a voter in Padang Serai, I will vote for Surendran because of his track record as a human rights lawyer. I will not vote Gobalakrishnan because he is typical of those who turned against the party, the likes of Zulkifli Nordin and Ezam Mohd Nor, for personal advantage. As for Heng, sorry, mainly because of MCA and indirectly, Umno.

I was inspired by the following article by V Vijay in Malaysia Chronicle:
BATTLE FOR PADANG SERAI: Gobala flailing, Surendran & Seai Kie go head to head!
http://malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=91721:battle-for-padang-serai-when-shakespeare-meets-mr-frog-ms-mca&Itemid=2

Link

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

According to Hussein Hamid, there is nothing great about Tun Dr Mahathir

I was at the computer with the television on and Dr Mahathir was being interviewed by Sheahnee Iman Lee on NTV7. I left it on just to listen to what Tun had to say and it was all critical of Pakatan Rakyat as expected. The problem with our mainstream media is that we have to listen to only one side of the political divide while the other side has no opportunity to refute. It always leave a viewer fuming with the unfair coverage and most people now avoid national news on television.

It was followed by Raymond Goh interviewing Chairman of Bank Muamalat who naturally spoke good of BN's financial responsibility and bankers wish for continuity in government and so on.

Just to counter the unfair BN monopoly of television coverage, I feel it necessary to continue with postings of what critics of BN had to say.

For Dr. Mahathir, I chose the following excerpt from Steadyaku47's  'SIR, YOU NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!'


'What defines greatness in a man?

"It's not what you take but what you leave behind that defines greatness.”
– Edward Gardner.

This man left us with debts measured in billions not millions!

This man left us with monuments of First World stature but failed miserably to prepare our then third world mentality to be ready for these iconic structures. When you bring a nation into an era that it is not ready for, you are being irresponsible!

If you cut corners and award projects to people who YOU think can do the job and they fail to do that job – you take responsibility!
If you do nothing about a leader that robs his own people blind –like Samy Velu did to the Indians – then you take responsibility.
If you take power away from the Sultans and empower UMNO with the same power  - and UMNO abused that power – you take responsibility
When you remove two of your deputies – and in so doing caused within UMNO factionalism that forever weakened UMNO and had one of these removed deputies, Anwar, to come back ten years later and inflict upon UMNO its biggest defeat.You take responsibity
When you take a dentist and make him MB of Selangor – and this MB then proceed to enrich himself excessively that finally culminated in the loss of Selangor to the opposition – then you take responsibility
When you take Oil Royalties from Trengganu and Kelantan because the people voted for the opposition, you take responsibility for the suffering of the people within that state who are now without the funds to develop the state.
When you use Petronas money and to bail out your son shipping company to the tune of hundreds of millions using our people’s money then you take responsibility for abusing the trust the people placed in you as the guardian of their money.

That a man of your previous stature would require me, a 65 year old man living in Melbourne to write this biting and hurtful article about you simply indicates the depth you have allowed yourself to sink to. This would not happened to the Mahathir that was PM for 22 years – who brooked no challenge to his rule for those 22 years! How things have changed!

You told us to look East. We looked East.
You told us to buy British last. We bought British last.
You told us to buy Proton we bought Proton – albeit with a little arm-twisting.

Possibly all these were relevant at that point in time. So Tun using that analogy, let me respectfully tell you this Tun. You are no longer relevant. You are no longer relevant in UMNO except to serve the selfish purpose of certain factions. You are no longer relevant to the Malays. You have done enough damage to us and we see thorough your deceptions. You are no longer relevant to the people in this country. We have all moved on and demand a more open and responsible government. We see through your duplicity and untruths.'

More:
http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/2013/04/sir-you-need-to-take-responsibility.html


Link

Let's not forget the infamous power grab of Perak by Najib


Perak state deserves my special attention simply because of the power grab engineered by Najib soon after assuming control of Umno Perak from Tajol Rosli in 2009. He managed to reverse the original slim majority of 31 to 28 from Pakatan to Barisan, by using a devious plan.

Briefly, with the benefit of hindsight, it was proven beyond doubt that Nasaruddin (ADUN Bota) pretended to join PKR amid much fanfare and rejoice by Pakatan folks. The idea was to bait PKR into the acceptability of a turncoat. Soon after, he jumped out to rejoin BN. Two PKR ADUNs (Behrang and Changkat Jering) who faced criminal charges (many believed they were entrapped earlier), and a DAP ADUN, Hee Yit Foong, were tempted (the former by promised dropping of charges and the latter by a large sum of money) to tip the balance at the State Assembly. It was not smooth sailing and involved long drawn litigation and the infamous locked-in, after dragging out of a sitting Speaker of the state assembly.

The sentiments then was such that had the Sultan of Perak dissolved the state assembly, Pakatan Rakyat would have won easily. Even a retired senior judge, NH Chan came out to voice his legal opinions critising the court decision in favour of BN, something unheard of before. A local tycoon, Koon Yew Yin wrote a cheque to DAP for Rm200,000 to help in funding legal fees and expenses. Later, he even gave Rm100,000 to PAS. In the past, such perceived unfair legal judgments were never openly voiced out by people who have retired, to avoid any problems from the authorities. These two distinguished gentlemen represent the feelings of the majority of the Perakians. Many could not wait for the GE to show their displeasure. Perhaps, this could be one of the reasons why PM Najib delayed his decision to dissolve Parliament until it became almost automatic by reason of its expiry.

Now that GE is fixed for May 5, Perakians await the day when they can prove to the powers that be that they have not forgotten nor forgiven Najib for his heinous act.

The 59 state seats which will be keenly watched by Perakians this coming GE are:

N01  Pengkalan Hulu: Abdullah Masnan (PKR) vs Aznel Ibrahim (BN - UMNO)
N02  Temenggor:  Mohd Supian Nordin (PKR) vs Salbiah Mohamed (BN - UMNO)
N03  Kenering: Mohamad Tarmizi Abdul Hamid (PKR) vs Mohd Tarmizi Idris (BN - UMNO)
N04  Kota Tampan: Saarani Mohamad (BN - UMNO) vs Zahrul Nizam Abdul Majid (PKR)
N05  Selama: Mohamad Daud Mohd Yusoff (BN - UMNO) vs Mohd Akmal Kamarudin (PAS)
N06  Kubu Gajah: Ahmad Hasbullah Alias (BN - UMNO) vs Mohd Nazri Din (PAS)
N07  Batu Kurau: Mohammad Fadzil Alias (PKR) vs Muhammad Amin Zakaria (BN - UMNO)
N08  Titi Serong: Abu Bakar Haji Hussian (PAS) vs Abu Bakar Mat Ali (BN - UMNO)
N09  Kuala Kurau: Abdul Yunus Jamahri (PKR)vs Mohd Salleh Mat Disa (BN - UMNO)
N10  Alor Pongsu: Rosli Ibrahim (PKR) vs Sham Mat Sahat (BN - UMNO) vs Shamsul Amir Ramly (IND)
N11  Gunong Semanggol: Mohd Zawawi Abu Hassan (PAS) vs Zulkarnain Ismail (BN - UMNO)
vs Halidi Wahab (IND)
N12 Selinsing: Husin Din (PAS) vs Sharudin Bin Ahmad (BN - UMNO)
N13 - Kuala Sepetang : Chua Yee Ling (PKR) vs Loh Swee Eng (BN - GERAKAN) vs Zainal Abidin Abd Rahman (BERJASA)
N 14 Changkat Jering: PAS's Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin vs BN's Rosli Husin vs IND Zulkefli Ibrahim
N 15 Trong: Dr. Zabri Abd. Wahid (BN) vs Norazli Musa (PAS)
N 16 Kamunting: Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid (BN) vs Mohd Fakhrudin Abdul Aziz (PAS)
N 17 Pokok Assam: Ho Cheng Wang (BN) vs Teh Kok Lim (DAP) vs Mohd Yusoff Abdul Hamid (Ind)
N 18 Aulong: Leow Thye Yih (DAP) vs Soo Key Ping (BN) vs Yew Tian Hoe (Ind)
N 19 Chenderoh: Zainun Mat Nor (BN) vs Mohamad Azalan Mohamad Radzi (PAS)
N 20 Lubok Merbau: Siti Salmah Mat Jusak (BN) vs Mohd Zainudin Mohd Yusof (PAS)
N 21 Lintang: Mohd Zolkafly Harun (BN) vs Ahmad Mazlan Othman (PAS)
N 22 Jalong: Loh Sze Yee (DAP) vs Liew Yew Aw (BN) vs S. Kalimuthu (Ind)
N 23 Manjoi: Asmuni Awi (PAS) vs Mohamad Ziad Mohd Zainal (BN)
N 24 Hulu Kinta: M.A Tinagaran A/l Arumugam (PKR) vs  Aminuddin Hanafiah (BN)  vs Sulaiman  Zakariya (Ind)
N 25 Canning: DAP's Wong Kah Woh vs BN's Ceylyn Tay Wei Lung
N 26 Tebing Tinggi: DAP's Ong Boon Piow vs BN's Khoo Boon Chuan
N 27 Pasir Pinji: DAP's Lee Chuan How vs BN's Thong Fah Chong
N 28 Bercham: DAP's Cheong Chee Khing vs BN's Lim Huey Shan vs IND Kalimuthu Ranggayah
N 29 Kepayang: DAP's Nga Kor Ming vs BN's Chang Kok Aun
N30 Buntong: S. Sivasubramaniam (DAP) vs C. Sivaraj (BN) vs Iruthiyam Sebastiar Anthonisamy (Ind) vs Mohd Basri Bin Shafie (Ind)
N 31 Jelapang: DAP's Teh Hock Ke vs BN's Mokan a/l Subramaniam vs PSM's Sarasvathy Muthu
N 32 Menglembu: DAP's  Lim Pek Har vs BN's Loo Gar Yen
N 33 Tronoh: DAP's Paul Yong Choo Kiong vs BN's Yip Sze Choy
N 34 Bukit Chandan: Maslin Sham Razman (BN) vs Fathmawaty Salim (PKR) vs Jahiddin Isa (Ind)
N 35 Manong: Mohamad Kamil Shafie (BN) vs  Jamil Dzulkarnain (PAS)
N 36 Pengkalan Baharu: Khairuddin Abd Malik (PAS) vs Abd Manaf Hashim (BN) vs Ahmad Nizam Ibrahim (Ind)
N 37 Pantai Remis: Wong May Ing (DAP) vs Koh Ser Yun (BN)
N 38 Belanja: Dr Najihatussalehah Ahmad (PAS) vs Mohd Nizar Zakaria (BN)
N 39 Bota: BN's Nasharuddin Hashim vs PKR's Zulkifli Ibrahim
N 40  Malim Nawar DAP's Leong Cheok Keng vs BN's Chang Gwo Chyang
N 41 Keranji: Chen Fook Chye (DAP) vs Daniel Wa Wai How (BN)
N 42 Tualang Sekah: Baldip Singh Santokh Singh (PKR) vs Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi (BN) vs Syed Mohamed Syed Ali (Ind)
N 43 Sungai Rapat: BN's Hamidah Osman vs PAS's Radzi Zainon vs IND Mior Azman Aminuddin Mior Aris
N 44 Simpang Pulai: Tan Kar Hing (PKR) vs Datuk Chang Kon You (BN)
N 45 Teja: Chang Lih Kang (PKR) vs Yew Sau Kham (BN)
N 46 Chenderiang: BN's Dr Mah Hang Soon vs PKR's Amani Williams-Hunt Abdullah
N 47 Ayer Kuning: Samsudin Abu Hassan (BN) vs Ahmad Razi Othman (PAS) vs M. Kathiravan (Ind)
N 48 Sungai Manik: Osman Abdul Rahman (PKR) vs Zainol Fadzi Paharudin (BN)
N 49 Kampong Gajah: Dr Ishak Saari (PAS) vs Abdullah Fauzi Ahmad Razali (BN)
N 50 Sitiawan: Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP) vs Ting Tai Fook (BN)
N 51 Pasir Panjang: Rohawati Abidin (PAS) vs Rashidi Ibrahim (BN) vs S. Vijayan (Ind)
N 52 Pangkor: Dr Zambry Abd Kadir (BN) vs Mohd Saifullah Mohd Zulkifli (PKR) vs Benard Parenpa (Ind)
N53 Rungkup:  Shahrul Zaman Yahya (BN) vs Mohd Misbahul Munir Masduki (PAS)
N54 Hutan Melintang: R. Supramaniam (BN) vs S. Kesavan (PKR) vs Azahari Abdullah (Berjasa)  vs Mat Sidi Hashim (Ind)
N 55 Pasir Bedamar: DAP's Terence Naidu vs BN PPP's M Kayveas
N 56 Changkat Jong: Mohd Azhar Jamaluddin (BN) vs Mohd Anuar Sudin (PAS) vs K. Suppan (Ind)
N 57 Sungkai: A. Sivanesan (DAP) vs  Goh Kim Swee (BN)
N 58 Slim: Mohd Khusairy Abdul Talib (BN) vs Aminuddin Zulkipli (PAS) vs R. Mosses (Ind)
N 59 Behrang: BN's Rusnah Kassim vs PKR's Abdul Hadi Abdul Khatab vs IND Kamal Badri Tak M. Zainudin vs IND Ramnaidu Suridemudu.

I have counted seat allocation as: PAS (22), PKR (19) and DAP (18).

Former Pakatan Menteri Besar, Nizar Jamaluddin, is contesting the state seat of Changkat Jering. He has been promised the same position if Pakatan regained Perak.

Dr. Zambry Abd. Kadir, the caretaker BN Menteri Besar is defending his state seat of Pangkor.

All three former Pakatan Rakyat state assemblypersons - Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang), Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang) and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering) - are not on the BN list, despite their 'important contributions' to Perak BN.

V Sivakumar, the Speaker who was forcibly dragged out of the Assembly and locked in a room while a BN Speaker took over his duties, is a candidate for Batu Gajah parliamentary seat. He will not be part of the state administration should Pakatan win this time.

Ngeh Koo Ham (Sitiawan) is also defending his parliamentary seat of Beruas and Nga Kor Ming (Kepayang) is defending his parliamentary seat of Taiping.

By the way, ex-MB Tajol Rosli (Pengkalan Hulu) and ex-Minister Rafidah Aziz (Kuala Kangsar) are not contesting in this GE.

Link

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

My take on Sim Tong Him and Jenice Lee


What an amazing coincidence!

At a Perak DAP state convention in Ipoh, both Sim Tong Him (from Malacca) and Jenice Lee (Selangor) were present to chair and observe the event respectively. Both faced disciplinary action for flouting party rules recently.

On nomination day (April 20), Sim who was selected to defend his Kota Melaka parliamentary seat, took it upon himself to be nominated as an independent candidate for a state seat at Kota Laksamana as well. It was shocking for someone of his experience as a lawmaker, to flout party rules on candidacy. His reason was supposed to be for the good of the party because he has no confidence in the candidate selected by party committee. But rules are rules which are supposed to be followed without exceptions. This called for disciplinary action which means he would be sacked as a result of this unbecoming behaviour.

Chairman, Karpal Singh gave him a chance to apologise within 24 hours. Sim then had a meeting with advisor, Lim Kit Siang, and thank goodness, he agreed to withdraw his nomination as an independent for Kota Laksamana. According to EC, his name will still appear on the ballot slip.

Had the party acted to sack Sim, DAP is likely to lose a winnable parliamentary candidate and we all know how important an MP is to Pakatan Rakyat, especially in this GE, when the main objective is to win at federal level.


P138 - KOTA MELAKA:  Sim Tong Him (DAP) vs Yee Kok Wah (BN - MCA)
N20 - KOTA LAKSAMANA: Chiw Tiang Chai (BN - PPP) vs Lai Keun Ban (DAP) vs Sim Tong Him (IND)


In the case of Jenice Lee Ying Ha, because she was not selected by the party, she took the initiative to be nominated as an independent candidate in Selangor's Teratai, being the incumbent ADUN. Similar to Sim's offence, she faced disciplinary action and the sack. Her reason for doing so was that in her opinion, she is the most winnable candidate and not the one selected by the party. She said she had the support of her constituents and that she did not want to let them down. For a one-time ADUN, for her not to follow party rules gave us the impression that she could not take no for an answer as far as her candidacy is concerned. That she offered to rejoin the party if she won as an independent was certainly unacceptable and would make a mockery of party rules.

Even at state level, ADUNs are just as important to party and coalition, in terms of forming a government. There is no reason to believe party selection committee would select candidates who are not winnable. Just like any contest where more candidates are vying for limited seats, there will be failures and disappointment. If incumbents have to be invariably selected until they lost in an election, then there will not be infusion of new and better candidates. I believe it is unwise of her to take on the party even if she thinks she is right. Even someone who is of very high calibre cannot expect to be successful in such confrontation.

What are her chances as an independent candidate? We shall see soon enough. Most voters vote according to party symbols. Only ardent supporters vote for their independent candidates. Many voters believe others would not vote for independents and that their votes would thus be wasted on them. However, the more popular she is, the more damage her candidacy would affect DAP candidate's chance of winning. No matter how good her intentions, her party disciplinary committee would not accept such indiscipline. (Ex-MP for Johor Bahru, Shahrir Samad, stood out as one who won as an independent candidate with big majority.)

N 22 Teratai: DAP's Tiew Way Keng vs BN's Liew Pok Boon vs IND Lee Ying Ha vs IND Chin Kok Keong vs IND Lim Ah Chai

Link

Tommy Thomas: Blunder by ROS a GE game changer


Excerpt:

"The letter dated April 17, 2013 from the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to the DAP was one of the worst pieces of partisan decision-making by BN controlled civil servants intended to cripple an opposition party on the eve of nomination day prior to general elections."

"But the critical decision of the ROS is found in the last sentence of the letter, stating that pending the resolution of this dispute, ROS, acting under Section 3A of the Act “does not recognise the office-bearers of DAP appointed by the CEC on Dec 15."

ROS’ letter had been copied to the EC
"The practical effect of this decision was catastrophic. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng (below) could no longer sign all the requisite documents for the nomination on April 20, of DAP’s 156 candidates for parliamentary and state seats.

Thus, DAP’s right to field these 156 candidates in its own name, and to campaign using its famous rocket symbol was called into question. The timing was as dastardly as the decision itself, since DAP only had 36 hours to decide its next course of action prior to nomination.

Any doubt that this was the sole intention of the ROS’ decision was removed when it is realised that their letter was copied to the Elections Commission (EC). When are letters from the ROS ordinarily copied to the EC?"

"In other words, the decision is ultra vires the Act. Even if DAP was minded to challenge ROS’s letter in court, the absolute lack of time to do so meant that this was neither a viable or practical option. As this was clearly a politically-motivated decision, DAP’s response had to be political.

Danger offers challenges and opportunities. DAP decided that instead of trusting either the EC or the ROS, it would accept the generous offer of PAS and PKR to stand on their tickets.

Hence, once again a decision of a BN-directed agency comes back to haunt BN - an own goal, if you will. It would be difficult to find a single Malaysian who will attribute the decision contained in the letter dated April 17 to have been independently made by ROS."

More:

Link

Love is in the air indeed!


Though BN has more than its fair share of news coverage, I make an exception with this MCA video clip, Love is in the air...





Even Zul Nordin has been forgiven! Kiss and make up...


The right hand on his neck is to make sure he gets it! I'm sure if a pretty girl were to plant this kiss there is no need for this neck grip.

Update:

MCA President watched the video clip and said, 'Not bad what.'

My friend Phoebe, like most of my friends in FB, thought otherwise...


I would agree with Dr. Chua Soi Lek's, 'Publicity is still publicity, whether good or bad.' In other words, the video clip is going to register lots of hits, just like 'Listen, listen, listen.'

Link