Sorry, what is “1Malaysia”

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8343626.stm

The Malaysian government has refused to release 10,000 Bibles which it seized because they contained the word Allah to refer to God.

The government, which is dominated by Muslim Malays, claims that the word Allah is Islamic and that its use in Bibles could upset Muslims.

The Roman Catholic Church is challenging the ban in court.

Religion has become highly sensitive in Malaysia, where about two-thirds of the population is Muslim.

Religious minorities have accused the government of undermining their rights.

The government has impounded Bibles before, intercepting 5,000 in March as they were imported from Indonesia.

Church officials say that although the word Allah originated in Arabic, Malays have used it for centuries to refer generally to God, and Arabic-speaking Christians used it before Islam was founded.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia said the religious freedom guaranteed by the Malaysian constitution was meaningless if people were denied Bibles which used their own language.

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Mr. PM, explain to us what do you mean by “1Malaysia” please……do you mean “1religion” as well???…..

 

What is 1Malaysia??

Link: http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/39244-umno-losing-faith-in-barisan-partners

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — Umno’s patience and confidence with the current power-sharing agreement with its partners in Barisan Nasional is wearing thin, judging by sentiments expressed during a closed-door retreat in Janda Baik.

During this rare three-day gathering of Umno divisions, which ended yesterday, a common refrain heard was that Umno should be less generous in giving up Malay-majority seats to representatives of MCA, MIC, Gerakan and other component parties.

The general view among division chiefs was that the component parties were much weaker than Umno and would not be able to swing votes from the non-Malays or the Malays.

In contrast, a strong Umno was better placed to win in Malay-majority seats.

The Malaysian Insider understands that party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak and senior party officials who attended the retreat — aimed at boosting the morale of grassroots leaders — were non-committal on the request for Umno to be less charitable in seat allocation with BN component parties.

If they do agree, it would represent a major departure from the power-sharing agreement that has been the hallmark of the BN coalition, and could be the death knell of MCA, MIC, PPP and Gerakan — political parties which have been allowed to field candidates in Malay-majority seats across Peninsular Malaysia.

Several Umno officials who attended the retreat told The Malaysian Insider that the most important consideration should be to field a candidate who can enhance the possibility of victory at the next general election.

“If a seat has 55 or 60 per cent Malay voters, it makes sense to field an Umno candidate. In the last election, we gave seats in Perak and Selangor to other parties and they were not able to deliver.

“These parties still have internal issues and will not be able to deliver the votes from the non-Malays. So it will be better if an Umno candidate is fielded to try and get the maximum possible support from Malay voters,” said an official, who requested anonymity due to the retreat being a closed-door affair.

During the retreat, officials were also in agreement that Umno’s/BN’s fortunes rested on the ruling party strengthening its standing among Malay voters — a backhanded acknowledgment that it was not pinning much hopes on getting support from non-Malays at the next general election.

This sentiment is consistent with the growing right-wing tendencies that party officials have exhibited in recent months.

There was little substantive discussion on how the party can reach out to Chinese and Indians who Umno officials have alienated in recent months.

Still, the mood during the retreat was one of optimism with Kelantan Umno declaring that it would be able to snare the state from PAS at the next polls. PAS has been helming the state since 1990 but Umno officials from Kelantan believe that the momentum is swinging their way.

Also confident was Perak’s Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir. Beneficiary of a power grab, he was certain that Umno/BN would be able to hold on to the state.

Less hopeful about their future prospects were Umno representatives from Penang and Selangor.

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I’m sorry, Mr. PM. What is 1Malaysia? What is “bangsa” and “negara”? Satu bangsa dan satu negara. 1Malaysia???…..

 

Too racey la….

Link: http://themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/36129-race-card-proves-dicey-in-permatang-pasir

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — As the dust settles on Malaysia’s eighth by-election — predictably won by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat — it’s become apparent that the prevailing trend has prevailed again.

The Permatang Pasir by-election in Penang was won decisively on Tuesday by PAS, making it a clean sweep of seven by-election wins in Peninsular Malaysia for the opposition alliance since last year’s general election. A by-election in Sarawak was won by Barisan Nasional.

PAS candidate Mohd Salleh Man, 52, defeated Umno’s Rohaizat Othman, 38, in Permatang Pasir, where the seat fell vacant after the incumbent, a PAS assemblyman, died of a heart attack last month.

An analysis of the voting results indicated again that race or religious rhetoric is a dicey strategy for electoral success.

Analyst Ibrahim Suffian, whose Merdeka Centre does independent polling, said studies have shown that such rhetoric may swing a small percentage of Malay voters, but alienate a far larger number of non-Malay voters.

“It does not help to win substantial Malay votes, but it repels others,” he said.

The Permatang Pasir by-election reflected this. Of the 20,000 voters, 72 per cent are Malays, 26 per cent Chinese, almost 2 per cent Indians, and the rest are classified as others.

The PAS candidate took 65 per cent of the total votes, just slightly lower than the 66 per cent in last year’s general election.

A look at the racial breakdown showed that PAS’ share of Malay votes fell by 3 percentage points, but its Chinese support rose by 6 percentage points.

Political analyst Ong Kian Ming said PAS’s Malay support fell from 65 to 62 per cent, but its share of Chinese votes went up from 71 to 77 per cent.

Analysts agree that the ratcheting up of Malay rhetoric had sent the Chinese votes fleeing from Umno. In recent weeks, the Umno-linked Utusan Malaysia newspaper had repeatedly called on the Malays to rise up as they were losing political power.

The death in custody of opposition aide Teoh Beng Hock also stirred anger.

Ibrahim said some of Umno’s rallies during the Permatang Pasir by-election were strong on race rhetoric. He noted that as a result, Umno had won some of the older Malay voters.

But significantly, the Chinese had disregarded recent PAS-led measures to enforce Islamic laws more strictly in Selangor. Clearly, the Chinese see PAS as a more moderate party than Umno.

“Umno has cemented its position in public perception as the more extreme,” said Ong.

Going by the eight by-elections, analysts believe that parties which occupy the middle ground in public perception have the best chance of winning seats.

This is because the Malay swing vote tends to be very limited. Ibrahim said the Malay core vote base for PAS and Umno is fairly entrenched.

It’s unclear which direction PAS will take now. The party is split between those who want to stick to a multiracial platform, and those who want a stronger Islamic agenda. This struggle has yet to be resolved. Some within PAS will see the Permatang Pasir win as “a vote for a moderate stance, but some may interpret it as an approval for an Islamic agenda”, said Ibrahim. — The Straits Times

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Please practice what you have been talking, Mr. BN…..You are losing your grounds…

 

Come ON, what is this…

Link: http://www.malaysiainsider.com/index.php/business/33536-epf-to-loan-rm5b-to-prokhas

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — A government agency which is administrating two schemes under the first economic stimulus package is in talks with the employees’ pension fund for a RM5 billion loan, a business daily said.

The Malaysian Reserve, citing an unidentifed source today, said the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) was ready to fund the loan at an undisclosed rate to Prokhas, the government-owned special purpose vehicle.

The source added that Prokhas was also looking at other financing options including government bonds, private debt securities or a term loan that may give more competitive rates.

Malaysia announced its first stimulus package of RM60 billion in March to shore up the export-reliant economy against the global economic crisis.

Prokhas manages two schemes under the package and was allocated 5 billion ringgit each, known as Working Capital Guarantee Scheme and the Industry Restructuring Loan Scheme, which is under the Ministry of Finance.

EPF’s talks with Prokhas may draw some criticism, as loans to government agencies and corporations have in the past been called bailouts for poorly performing local companies by critics and the resurgent opposition.

In 2008, the government said it would transfer RM5 billion from the EPF to state owned fundmanager Valuecap to be invested in undervalued Malaysian stocks. — Reuters

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Where will be our money invested?? How much is the interest will be charged?? If interest is being charged, do we get the benefits from it?? Why EPF has the authority to loan our money to the borrowers without our consent??

This is absolutely nonsense….

 

What is this??

Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/32875-dr-m-says-the-chinese-are-the-real-masters-of-the-country

Dr M says the Chinese are the real masters of the country

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — In what appeared to be a veiled criticism of the prime minister’s economic reforms, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad played the race card in a posting on his blog yesterday by claiming that non-Malays, and particularly the Chinese, were the real masters of the country.

While he did not name the prime minister, Mahathir put up a stout defence of the NEP with well-worn arguments in what appeared to be an expression of concern over the current administration’s economic liberalisation policies.

“Because they (the Malays) are willing to share their country with other races, the race from the older civilisation of more than 4,000 years and who are more successful, as such today whatever they have now is also being taken away from them,” he wrote in what appeared to be a reference to the Chinese community.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has announced reforms to the capital markets, taking away the 30 per cent Bumiputera requirement, sparking concerns among some Malays that government protection for them was being taken away.

The prime minister also announced recently the setting up of a merit-based scholarship programme in what was seen as an attempt to appease the non-Malay communities who have been complaining of unfair distribution of aid for top students.

But Mahathir argued in his latest blog post that 39 years after the NEP was introduced, the Bumiputera share of the corporate pie remained at just 20 per cent while the Chinese share stood at 50 per cent even though they consisted of just 26 per cent of the population.

“The Bumiputera property holdings are only 15 per cent while the rest are held by non-Bumiputeras because urban property is worth more than rural property.

“Non-Malay leaders who put themselves in the shoes of the Malays, if they are honest, will feel the disappointment of the Malays in seeing nearly all business and industry in the hands of the non-Malays.”

Those who lived in high-end housing estates were mostly non-Malays, he said while claiming that a significant number of Malays lived in squatter houses.

The latest remarks by Dr Mahathir, who still commands significant support among Umno members, could potentially stoke nationalist sentiments against Najib’s reforms.

In defending the NEP, Mahathir is also signalling once again his displeasure with some of Najib’s policy directions.

Last week, Mahathir criticised the government for reversing his policy of teaching science and mathematics in English.

In his latest comments, the fiery former PM said the NEP was not introduced by force, or by seizing assets, but was even amended many times when there were non-Malay objections.

He pointed out, in oft-heard arguments made by Malay nationalists, that the Malays had gave non-Malays voting rights and citizenship during independence.

“At that time the official name for the country was the Federation of Malay States (Semenanjung Tanah Melayu) but when it was joined with Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak it became Malaysia.

“With that, the identity of the Malays in their own country was lost,” he said.

Mahathir anticipated that “with this article I am sure to be branded a racist by the non-Malay racists”.

“But if they are willing to accept the truth they can compare the sacrifices of the Malays who are the original owners of this land with their sacrifices for the interests of the country.”

He argued that the way forward for peace and progress was for the distribution of wealth in the country to be fair even if unequal.

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What is this, Dr. M??? If you are going to know, people will refer to you as racist, then why you are publishing this article??..

Until today, we have different facts and historical archeologist finding as to who was the person to step into this land…Why someone still refer themselves as “bumiputera”??…

Any hope for this land….

 

Worst is yet to come???

Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/business/29581-worst-is-yet-to-come-says-imf-head

LONDON, June 15 — The head of the IMF questioned today any debate about when to roll back stimulus spending, saying the world economy had yet to weather the worst of a recession that claimed a record number of European jobs.

The 16-country euro zone lost a record 1.22 million jobs in the first quarter, official data showed. Employment during the first quarter fell 1.2 per cent year-on-year, the deepest annual drop since measurements started in 1995.

Even if some form of economic recovery is not far off, analysts say unemployment will climb for many months to come.

Underlining the fragile state of the global economy, an influential economist said China would not see a rapid rebound and South Korea’s finance minister said its economy was still sliding, although the pace had slowed.

But in southern Italy, Group of Eight (G8) finance ministers meeting at the weekend described their economies in the most positive terms since the collapse of US bank Lehman Brothers nine months ago heightened the world’s worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

“Their (G8) stance is that we are beginning to see some green shoots but nevertheless we have to be cautious,” International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said during a visit to Kazakhstan. “The large part of the worst is not yet behind us.”

Pressure has been building in the G8, particularly from fiscally conservative nations such as Germany and Canada, for plans to wind down stimulus as soon as it is no longer needed.

But ministers in Lecce differed over how quickly to start rolling back state spending plans and hiking interest rates.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner indicated the United States was unlikely to tighten policy soon, saying: “It is too early to shift toward policy restraint.”

Most experts do not expect major tightening of fiscal and monetary policy in the developed world before next year. According to media, France is headed in the opposite direction.

Paris plans to pump an extra €3.5 billion (RM17.2 billion) into stimulus measures earmarked for 2010 and is preparing to increase its public budget deficit forecast for 2009, Les Echos newspaper reported yesterday.
FRAGILE

Li Yang, a former adviser to the People’s Bank of China, said he expected China’s recovery to be “W-shaped” — meaning that growth will falter once fiscal and monetary stimulus wears off, before regaining momentum.

“China should not count on a turnaround of external demand to bring about its recovery,” Li, director of the finance institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted by the Shanghai Securities News as saying.

In Britain, a leading business group said the country would pull out of recession earlier than previously forecast, but that a sustained recovery was not assured.

South Korean Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun said it was too early to consider reversing stimulus policies.

“The economy is certainly still sliding, although the pace of decline is slowing,” he said. “Let me make it clear that we are not at the stage for a change in the aggressive fiscal stimulus and financial easing policy stance.” Aviation leaders attended the Paris Air Show today expecting only crumbs of new business to bolster an industry hurt by the crisis, which has cast doubt on the ability of airlines to pay for the roughly US$800 billion (RM2.8 trillion) of planes on order.

“It is out of the hands of Airbus and Boeing and in the hands of the travelling public, who are voting with their feet and not getting on planes or buying tickets,” said Richard Aboulafia, vice president at US aerospace and defence consultancy Teal Group.
SHARES SLIDE

Shares fell with some market players saying the cautious tone from the G8 gathering had prompted investors to cut back their bets on riskier assets.

European shares shed 1.6 per cent today, tracking losses in Asia. Tokyo’s Nikkei closed 1 per cent lower.

The European benchmark index is up 35.9 per cent from the lifetime low it hit on March 9, as investors have become less gloomy on the prospects for economic recovery.

“We’ve verified that markets have bottomed out but we have yet to see what sort of form the recovery will take and we need clear proof that it will continue,” said Masayoshi Okamoto, head of trading at Jujiya Securities. — Reuters

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Pray hard or Work hard…or Pray Smart or Work Smart…

 

A letter from someone who showed concern…

Link: http://www.themicahmandate.org/2009/04/i-called-it-truth-and-reconciliation/

Mr Prime Minister-to-be,

Allow me to speak directly to you about this country and nation you are about to lead. It is a highly fragmented, disillusioned, disoriented and distracted nation. Can you really make the difference in setting us in the right direction?

The RM60 billion stimulus package is a good initiative, but where is the detail and are Umno cronies still the conduit? Your achieving leadership within Umno is good progress, but who is your real constituency?

Dishing out goodies to Umno branch leaders may help society, but what about the Ibans who are losing their custodial lands or the Orang Asli in your home state who are yet to see development and so-called progress?

The Kadazans and Ibans have been using Bahasa Indonesia-translated bibles before their merdeka to join Malaysia in 1963; are we now saying the Indonesians do not know their theology and that our East Malaysian brothers and sisters were wrong to choose Malaysia?

I worked with your father from 1972 to 1975 in the Implementation, Coordination and Development Administration Unit (ICDAU) of the PM’s Department. I met you when you were with the Petroleum Development Unit.

Your father worked hard to improve the conditions of the Malays in Malaysia; and he will always be the ‘Father of Malay Development’. He created Mara, Felda, Felcra and FOA among others, almost all to serve only the Malays. But he did not fail other Malaysians.

Today, the organisation you lead is parodied as meaning ‘U Must Never Object’. Malaysians, however, say that we need an ‘Us Malaysians Now Organisation’ to lead us. Do you get it? Do you realise the real state of the nation?

Mr Prime Minister-to-be, please reflect on the State of the Nation and give us your assessment in your first Prime Ministerial Address. Give us your agenda in moving us forward. I agree with you that we need to become 1Malaysia, just like on the name of your blog.

But what is the second priority? Allow me to give my three senses premised on my 32 years of public service.

Nation’s singular priority

First, we need to recapture our sense of the ‘we’. There cannot be a first class and second class citizenship. When our first PM-to-be led his team to England, we got independence only because they spoke the ‘we’ language. Today we do not and may even look like we cannot. Therefore national unity should be your first and singular priority. It is the roof of the house you seek to build. If a roof leaks, all tenants will get wet!

Second, unite for what? I believe the Bangsa Malaysia agenda captured the imagination of Malaysians when it was launched; but over the last two decades or so, leadership of the nation has neglected that agenda for the wrong reasons of political expediency in other areas . The Rukunegara is still able to unite but it must remain true to the spirit of all those national principles.

The issue of ‘unite for what’ also raises the issue of ‘how?’At ICDAU, one of our priorities was your father’s New Economic Policy (NEP). When launched, it was pristine and pure; that motivated me to reject a private sector job offer. We worked for two clear, comprehensive, and mutually exclusive priorities. Both were designed to help the nation achieve national unity.

Priority One was to eradicate poverty regardless of race or geographic location. Why have we not done this even after almost 46 years of nation-building? Why are there still the very poor in Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis? Why is there massive under-development among the Iban, Kadazan and the Orang Asli? Are they not all, to some degree, also, Orang Asal?

And what about the Nyonya-Baba and Portuguese communities of Malacca? Are they not also asal residents? Why have we become so skewed in our thinking that ‘poverty eradication’ does not include other Malaysians? Are you really going to be the prime minister of all Malaysians?

Priority Two was to restructure society to reflect the plural composition of Malaysia. How then did the NEP become only Umno’s agenda for Malay supremacy in the economic sphere?

No right-thinking Malaysian would question the primacy of the Malay race, but primacy surely does not equal supremacy, does it?

Mr Prime Minister-to-be, you have one chance to get it right. The Tunku and your Dad did it right, when they could. Dr Mahathir Mohamad tried but greed overtook his followers; Pak Lah tried but Umno decided not to work with him but instead wanted him to work for them. You too have one chance but only history and providence really knows how you will fare.

I have three pieces of advice. Work for truth. Do what is right, in the right way for the right reasons. I call this Theory R. You cannot go wrong with this method.

But think it through because there are many issues that need resolution, including the Altantuya Shaariibuu case. You have denied all involvement with her – now please meet her father and convince him that you are innocent.

Truth respects no one; because truth belongs to God. Truth will prevail, even if she takes 100 years to make her point. Once there is truth, reconciliation can begin.

When reconciliation begins, forgiveness can start, and when the process of forgiveness starts, we can all begin to see things more clearly. Then we can all humble ourselves before a Holy God and acknowledge our mere humanity and frailty.

To my mind there is only one way forward for our nation – forward. We cannot afford to either look back or move backward. We can only pray we each remain faithful. May God Bless Malaysia!

K.J. John
March 31, 2009

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Worth to read this letter. I took few minutes and I found the letter very comprehensive. This is what  I called “a true Bangsa Malaysia” who called changes within, not without.

 

Wow…

Link: http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2009/03/18/if-truth-be-told-najib-cant-be-pm/#more-2824

Zaid Ibrahim
Mar 18, 09

(Speech by former law minister Zaid Ibrahim at the Royal Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur)

This is the second time I have been invited to address a Rotary Club. Thank you for the honour. Given the times we live in, perhaps it might be appropriate for me to speak about the leadership transition that has been foisted upon us Malaysians.

I say ‘foisted’ because neither me nor anyone in this room had any role or say in the choice of the person who will lead Malaysia next. We were mere bystanders in a political chess game. And yet the transition is a subject of great consequence to the nation, one I would say is of great national interest.

Leadership is definitive; the individual who assumes the mantle of leadership of this nation, whomever that may be, is one who for better or worse will leave his mark on us. His will be the hand who guides us to greater success, or possibly gut-wrenching disaster.

Save for the dawn of Merdeka, never in the history of this country has the choice of prime minister been so crucial: Malaysia is in crisis. We are facing tremendous economic challenges with unavoidably harsh socio-political consequences. Our much undermined democracy is once again being assailed by those who would prefer a more autocratic form of governance.

Our public institutions are hollowed out caricatures, unable to distinguish vested party interests from national ones, unable to offer the man in the street refuge from the powerful and connected.

Our social fabric that took us from colony to an independent nation and on through the obstacles of nation building has reached a point where it sometimes feel like we are hanging on by a thread. This is the Malaysia we live in.

PM’s resignation ill-fated

This is the Malaysia which Abdullah Ahmad Badawi leaves behind. Our prime minister will resign later this month – an ill-fated decision. I say ill-fated not because he has been a great prime minister and we would lose irreplaceable leadership, that is regrettably not the case as all things said and done, Abdullah could have done much more for Malaysia.

Rather, I say that his resignation is ill-fated because his departure will expose the country to forces which may take us down the road of perdition faster than ever. Much has been said of Pak Lah being a weak leader. However, what his critics have not adequately addressed are the consequences of replacing him as prime minister with the anticipated incoming president of Umno, Najib (Abdul) Razak.

It is an undeniable truth that the average Malaysian is anxious about the anticipated transition. Many would prefer it did not happen.

There are two reasons why this is so. The first has to do with the reasoning underlying Umno’s demand for the transition itself. The second has to do with Najib personally.

We must recall that after the 2008 general election – a great success for the nation but a fiasco for Umno – one of the chief complaints by the powers-that-be within Umno was that Abdullah’s feeble leadership led to the concept of Ketuanan Melayu being challenged and ultimately undermined.

His critics also lashed out at him for the latitude given to civil society, a move which they believed weakened a key aspect of Umno’s political leverage. It followed in Umno’s mind that in order to regain lost ground, it was necessary to reassert its ideology with greater strength.

There was nostalgia for Mahathir’s heavy-handed style of leadership and a return to the times when the party cowed many into subservience and submission.The conservatives in Umno yearned for a return to Mahathirism, hoping that it would become a cornerstone of the leadership transition plan. There has been much speculation and punditry on whether a return to the Mahathir era would be good for Malaysia.

Difference between then and now

Let me offer some of my own insight to this debate. The major difference between then and now is this: in most instances, Mahathir was harsh and dictatorial if he believed it was good for the country. But an authoritarian style of government under anyone else would be dictated by the need for self preservation and very little about the country’s interest.

The evidence is all around us. After March 8, (2008) when the prime minister ceased being the home minister, the threats of reprisal have escalated and a climate of fear re-cultivated. The detention of Raja Petra Kamarudin, Teresa Kok and Tan Hoong Cheng exemplify this turn for the worse, this appetite to use the sledgehammer.

The shameful power grab in Perak and wanton disregard for public opinion over how BN wrested control of the silver state make many people shudder at the prospect of a return to the dark days. If that was not depressing enough, we have had to bear witness to the police and the newly-minted Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) displaying their allegiance and support to the BN when all we needed and craved for were honest brokers.

It stands to reason that in the mind of the average Malaysian, having suffered a significant loss last March, Umno is on a rampage to regain what it lost by any method available and the man who is expected to lead it to victory is the man who succeeds Abdullah: Najib (Abdul) Razak.

A prime minister must have the confidence of the majority of the rakyat. In order for this to be the case, his integrity must be beyond question; not only must he be such a person character, he must be seen to be such a person. The office of prime minister is one of great trust, he who holds that office cradles the nation in his palms.

For this to be the case, there cannot be anything in the mind of the greater public that, correctly or otherwise, associates him with matters of criminality, wrongful action, improper conduct or abuses of power. In short, he must be beyond reproach in his dealings both official and private.

Without intending any accusation, it is regrettable that in the collective mind of the rakyat, Najib is not such a person. If a referendum were to be conducted on the subject or if the prime minister was to be elected directly by the rakyat, I do not think Najib would succeed. The reason for this is obvious: the rakyat has doubts, fuelled by the unanswered allegations against him and his unwillingness to confront these allegations.

It is not a mere trifle in the minds of the rakyat that despite a direct challenge from a member of parliament in the august House recently, the deputy prime minister remained silent, not even denying the implicit accusation made against him and demanding that it be repeated outside the chamber in the tried and tested method of refutation employed by parliamentarians throughout the world.

It has not assisted the cause of the incoming prime minister that the MP concerned was suspended for a year on a motion tabled by a fellow minister without the member having been afforded an opportunity to defend his position.

Evidence of SMS text-messages

Consider this. Commissions were paid to an agent for the procurement of submarines through the Defence Ministry, Najib (then) being the defence minister. It is unthinkable that he had no knowledge that the agent was his adviser and aide, Abdul Razak Baginda. The commission paid out was exceedingly large, in excess of RM400 million.

The defence minister was dutybound to direct enquiries to see if there had been any impropriety in the way the contracts were awarded when news of the commission surfaced; after all the price of the submarines would be considerably lower without the need for such commissions.

Taxpayers, you and I, have paid for those submarines at a price that in all probability factored in the commission. Taxpayers are yet to be told of an inquiry let alone the result of such an inquiry.
Consider the Altantuya Shaariibuu affair. A young woman was brutally murdered, her corpse destroyed by explosives.

These explosives are not the usual type of explosives, yet no inquiry was held to determine how they were available to these killers. Those accused of her murder are police officers serving in the Unit Tindakan Khas, a highly specialised unit who amongst other things serve as bodyguards to the prime minister and the deputy prime minister.

Amidst evidence that the accused were employed to protect the PM and the DPM, they were directed to (Abdul) Razak Baginda through the aide of the deputy prime minister. Amongst other things, we have heard of the senior investigating officer admitting that the deputy prime minister was an important witness and yet no statement was taken.

It is not unreasonable to think that this is irregular, more so when evidence of SMS text-messages from the deputy prime minister concerning material matters have surfaced. The text-messages cannot be ignored, proverbially swept under the carpet.

Even if they do not establish – or are not capable of establishing – any culpability on the part of Najib, these issues must be addressed.

The air must be cleared, it is thick with accusations and doubts which can only undermine the office of the prime minister if he were to assume it. The deputy prime minister’s cause has not been aided by the fact that charges were preferred against (Abdul) Razak Baginda only after public outcry, the manner in which the prosecution was conducted and the decision of the High Court acquitting (Abdul) Razak Baginda not having been appealed.

Power grab an unmitigated disaster

The Perak affair was an unmitigated disaster for the nation. It is no secret that Najib led the charge there and is still overseeing matters.

In the minds of Malaysians, Perak is synonymous with the deputy prime minister. They now equate him with the high-handed tactics that were employed to seize power, tactics that included the disappearances of the three crucial assemblypersons and the blockading of the legislative assembly by the police.

In doing so, they equate the DPM with the hijacking of democracy, the only persons saying otherwise being those persons who have associations with Umno. In their minds, no responsible leader would allow for the undermining of the institutions of state and the constitution of this nation.

They ask, rightly so, whether this is the kind of leadership that Malaysians can expect from Najib when he becomes the prime minister.

With all of this, and more, how are we not to feel anxious? How are we to sleep peacefully at night? I know that I cannot. The situation is desperate and the air is pregnant with tension. We need the state of affairs to be resolved in a way that is in the best interests of the nation and the rakyat.

To an extent, this is a matter for the Barisan Nasional. I urge its members to put politics aside and think things through. We all want a better future, a safer and more prosperous life for our children, all of them, a Malaysia where our children can reach for the stars with the certainty that there is nothing to stop them from being the Malaysians they want to be.

Let the king be kingmaker

I do not believe that the Barisan Nasional will do what is necessary. Politics has a tendency of making those who embrace it cynical. The answer lies elsewhere, with His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

In this case, His Majesty plays the role of ‘kingmaker’. The discretion to appoint the prime minister who succeeds Abdullah lies with His Majesty. Though His Majesty is required under the constitution to appoint the person who commands the confidence of the majority of the members of parliament, it is a matter for His Majesty’s judgment.
Never before has such a heavy burden being laid on His Majesty to make a brave and correct choice.

For King and country, I urge His Majesty to take into consideration the prerequisites to appointment and the concerns of the rakyat. There is no constitutional obligation on His Majesty to appoint the president of Umno as the prime minister. There are still well qualified members of parliament from Umno who can be appointed PM to bring us back from the brink.

Malaysia needs someone who the rakyat can throw their weight behind without reservation. Someone they can trust and respect. Someone who has no scandal to distract him and thereby gain respect from the international community.

These are difficult times and be prepared for worst times to visit us. Malaysia needs a leader who will unite the country in the face of the adversity. Divided, we are weak. I am loath to say it, but for the reasons I have set out am compelled to say that Najib will most certainly divide us and in doing so, will nudge us closer to the edge.

Some of you may say that all efforts to promote the national interest are at this stage an exercise in futility. If truth be told, I am tempted to slip into cynical hopelessness too. I am fighting the temptation to give up for one simple reason: Malaysia and all that it represents. This is a blessed country, a country too valuable for us to turn our backs on.

 

B.T.H liao

Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/20311-selangor-bans-indonesian-song-containing-allah-

SHAH ALAM, March 13 – The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) has now banned the Indonesian song ‘Allah Peduli’ (Allah Cares) because of the word Allah in its lyrics.

MAIS chairman Datuk Mohamad Adzib Mohd Isa said today the song by Indonesian singer Agnes Monica used the word ‘Allah’ when referring to Jesus Christ and anyone found playing the song can be fined up to RM1,000 under the Non-Muslim Religious Enactment 1988.

Mohamad Adzib said the word “Allah” was repeatedly used in the song and the lyrics ended with words “Tak akan pernah dibiarkannya ku bergumul sendiri sebab Allah Yeses ku mengerti.”

He said under the enactment, action can be taken against non-Muslims for using ‘Allah’ to describe their God.This latest move comes just a day after MAIS threatened legal action against the Bar Council for conducting two online polls on the usage of  ‘Allah’ for non-Muslims, under the same enactment .

It was reported that the council was consulting their legal advisers on the appropriate action to take against the Bar Council.

Mohamad Adzib said the ban is in place to prevent Muslims from being confused.

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Do you understand? I can’t understand. Why you guys create this kind of fuss? Hello, Mr “Officers”…Do you need to go to all churches in Selangor and stop them or summon them or ban them? Freedom of religion, what is the definition or how it can be interpreted? Anyone, please explain to me.  Does this issue got anything to do with “insecurity”?

 

Take a look

Link: http://www.khalidsamad.com/2009/03/ismu-allah.html

Guys, take a look of how MP from PAS “exposite” the name of “Allah”. I think it’s a good article for non-Muslim to refer.