Govt not serious about judicial reforms

How does the Barisan National Govt which suffered a titanic defeat in the recent concluded 12thGen. Election seek to initiate Judicial reforms when it cannot even bring a proper closure to the 1988 judicial crisis over the sacking of Tun Salleh Abas as Lord President and Datuk George Seah and the late Tan sri wan Sulaiman Pawanteh as Supreme court Judges.?
If Prime Minister Abdullah refusal to apologise remain steadfast then it is unlikely there will be any significant judicial reforms.Abdullah's stand is indeed perplexing.
The Judicial crisis of 1988 happened duringMahathir's tenure and he was the prime mover for the formation of the tribunal to dismiss the Lord president.If Abdullah had agreed to the apology he would have shown his genuine resolve to reform the judiciary.The fall guy would be Mahathir and he would have everything to gain and little to lose.But to refuse the apology would merely cast a serious aspersion on his statement that he would aggressively pursue reforms.Once again this unusual decision by Abdullah has brought serious doubts as to his leadership qualities.

Mahathir's Secret Agenda.

As an elderly respected former Prime
Minister of our country he has certainly overstep the
boundaries of a Statesman who should spend the
twilight of his retirement away from the limelight of
the current political turmoil.
The former Premier has once again exhibited
his sturborn,recalcitrant character of imposing his
views and thoughts to members of his once UMNO party.
This Grand old man of Malaysian politics should
have been aware that the present political turmoil was
the result of his legacy which his successor inherited
from him.
Therefore for every finger he points at the P.M
there is ten fingers pointing at him.
Ahmad Badawi could have been the greatest Prime
Minister Malaysia ever had if only he had grasp the
opportunities Mahathir presented to him.Mahathir's 22
years legacy left every institution in the country
either tainted or in tatters.All Badawi had to do was
exposed,dismantled and reform the institutions that
bear the
hallmark of Mahathir's tainted past and he would have
won another mandate similar to the 2004 election.
But instead he fumbled,stumbled and slept his way
past the revealing corrupt Mahathir's legacy.And
instead of formulating remedial strategy to overcome
them he chose to ignore them with impunity.
The litany of issues that confronted him was met
with his typical 'elegant silent'It was not a
deliberate strategy but a truthful admission of his
incompetency.
Mahahtir did not make a mistake in choosing his
successor.He knew very well Badawi's capabilities but
still chosed him because he would have a fool to
compare with his own legacy.After all it was his
choice to dismiss two illustrous candidate, Musa and
Annuar who could perhaps pose a challenge to his own
legacy.

Barisan Govt up to Old tricks again.

The latest news that the B.N controlled federal govt will by-pass Pakatan Rakyat State govts in allocating federal funds is a tell-tale sign that the incumbent govt has not moved away from their old habits.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister Dept, Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum had the gall to say that 'So far we have found that the mechanism used in Trengganu is the most suitable for these states'.I would have thought that the lesson learned in Trengganu that led to the change in the Menteri besar would still be fresh in every one's mind . yet we have here a smart Deputy minister trying to coral the 'wang Ehsan ' money meant for state development to a one similar what Idris did to the 'wang Ehsan' money in Trengganu.
Perhaps he had in mind another Monsoon cup along the coast of Port Klang with a budget of $300 million.
If this is not another way of channelling State developement funds for crony sponsored projects then I dont know what it is.
Looks like old habits die hard. Contracts for mega projects will be given out via federal funds to UMNO cronies thus by-passing opposition controlled States of Pakatan Rakyat.And why not.? They have been doing it in Kelantan and Trengganu and now they will extend it to the other Pakatan Rakyat States.Looks like the good times are coming back again.

Mahathir's Secret Agenda

As an elderly respected former Prime Minister of our country he has certainly overstep the boundaries of a Statesman who should spend the twilight of his retirement away from the limelight of the current political turmoil.
The former Premier has once again exhibited his stubborn,recalcitrant character of imposing his views and thoughts to members of his once UMNO party.
This Grand old man of Malaysian politics should have been aware that the present political turmoil was the result of his legacy which his successor inherited from him.
Therefore for every finger he points at the P.M there is ten fingers pointing at him.
Ahmad Badawi could have been the greatest Prime Minister Malaysia ever had if only he had grasp the opportunities Mahathir presented to him.Mahathir's 22 years legacy left every institution in the country either tainted or in tatters.All Badawi had to do was exposed,dismantled and reform the institutions that bear the hallmark of Mahathir's tainted past and he would have won another mandate similar to the 2004 election.
But instead he fumbled,stumbled and slept his way past the revealing corrupt Mahathir's legacy.And instead of formulating remedial strategy to overcome them he chose to ignore them with impunity.
The litany of issues that confronted him was met with his typical 'elegant silent'It was not a deliberate strategy but a truthful admission of his incompetency.
Mahahtir did not make a mistake in choosing his successor.He knew very well Badawi's capabilities but still choosed him because he would have a fool to compare with his own legacy.After all it was his choice to dismiss two illustrous candidate, Musa and Annuar who could perhaps pose a challenge to his own legacy.

UMNO's Route To Political Oblivion.

Why do Umno and the rest of the Barisan National component parties need to 'engage an independent body to conduct a post-mortem on their performance in the recent general election'? Were they so removed from the rakyat that they were not aware of the swelling discontentment that was swirling amongst the ordinary folk?
No wonder the political tsunami that swept across the nation with five states going to the opposition was a complete unexpected shock to Umno and the BN parties. You don’t need an expert in political science to tell you what actually caused the failure of the Barisan Nasional parties.
The principal cause of the BN failure can be attributed to the leaders in Umno. They were under the delusion that they had the majority support of the Malay populace. To a certain extent this was true before the advent of PAS and now PKR.
However failure to realise that the political landscape had changed led Umno leaders to formulate policies that antagonised the non-Malays. The non-Malays were maginalised in practically every aspect of the Umno-dominated government policies.
This marginalisation led to the loss of support for other race-based BN parties like MCA, MIC and Gerakan. In addition, the BN component parties were cowed to such an extent that religious and educational issues affecting the community did not find a voice and they were unable to articulate their grievances.
Umno’s mistake was its failure to grasp the current political reality. Umno today cannot claim to be a legitimate representative of all the Malays. With the birth of PAS and now PKR, Umno at best can claim to have the support of only 30% of the Malay community.
In fact, it was reported in the main stream media that Umno's Malay support in the recent election amounted to only 29.6%. The reality of today’s political landscape clearly demonstrates that for any of the three parties - Umno, PAS and PKR - to succeed, it is vital for them to obtain the support of the non-Malays.
They were, in fact, the king-makers of the last election. As long as Malay support is divided amongst the three parties namely Umno, PAS and PKR, the fate of each of them will continue to remain in the hands of the non-Malays.
Therefore if Umno continues to plod along with its old racist and pro-Umnoputra NEP policies thinking that it will garner Malay support but in fact eroding its non-Malay support, it will most likely end up as a political dinosaur in the next general election

Annuar Ibrahim will be the next P.M

Come rain, shine or thunderstorm, the writing is on the wall.Barring a great collapse of the Barisan Rakyat coalition of PAS.PKR and DAP the next Prime Minister will be Annuar Ibrahim.Events in the past week in Penang, Perak and Selangor have confirmed what most voters have already known when they went to vote on the 8th of March.After 50 years of entrenched habits it is unlikely UMNO and their Barisan Component Parties will ever change.
.P.M without hesitation rebuke new Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng for wanting to do away with the abused NEP policy of helping the elite UMNOPUTRAs.
P.M does not even know that NEP in its present form was not even supported by the malays and that was hammered home by Annuar in many of his ceramahs.So if P.M cannot even convince the malays the need for the NEP then what are the chances for UMNO and B.N to win back the lost votes in the 8th march election?
If P.M thinks that by putting old wine in new bottles he will be able to win back the voters who deserted the B.N in droves, then he will be sadly dsiappointed.The old strategy of yesteryear by relying on the racial card to gain the support of the malays no longer works.The old proverb that you can fool some people some of the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time has come back to haunt UMNO and their component parties.
In the three states of Penang, Perak and Selangor we witnessed UMNO sore losers gathering at an illegal assembly to protest over the abused NEP policy which had benefitted the UMNO cronies.But in all the three states we saw only UMNO leaders demonstrating for the continuation of a policy that had benefitted them.We didnt see any PAS or PKR malays protesting the rebranding of the NEP?WHY? Because for the simple reason that NEP did not reach them.More so because they were not even UMNO members.
Why cant P.M even see the futility of an NEP policy that benefitted only the rich of one race to a more acceptable NEP policy of benefitting all the poor irrespective of race?Is not he a P.M of all Malaysians or is he just a P.M of one race?
After 50 years of independence, the people are tired of the divisive policies of the B.N and their component parties.The people have spoken through the ballot box that they want a united Malaysian community where every race have an equal stake under the Malaysian sun.The 12th General Election have shown that they are prepared to vote across racial barriers to achieve this.
If P.M and UMNO's reinvention is to continue churning out the same old policies and barking the same old racial tune,then we can safely hail the new chief, Annuar Ibrahim, as the next Prime minister of Malaysia.

Annuar should contest by-election and become M.B for Selangor.

The opposition capture of the Selangor State is an important milestone for an alternative govt to replace the 50 years of administration of the Barisan National Party.
Many, including the opposition did not expect such a prize windfall.DAP alone could not have accomplished the feat and neither could PAS and PKR achieved such success if not for the fact that there was complete trust and cooperation among the three parties.
Despite the absence of a pact between DAP and PAS there was obvious mutual benefit in the voting pattern.The chinese on this occassion had no qualms voting for PAS and vice versa there were malay votes cast for DAP in their respective areas contested.This indirectly translated in malay votes for DAP and chinese votes for PAS.That perhaps explain the good results for both parties in mixed areas where chinese and malay voters were contesting with B.N candidates.
Similarly in areas where the chinese and malays were miniorities their votes cast for DAP and PAS respectively made the difference. Having accomplished the task of taking the Selangor State it is of vital importance that a new transparent way of administering the govt should be prioritised.In this regard the best person to initiate such a task would be DSAI.
His years spent in many of the portfolios as a minister would put him in goodstead to introduce reforms that would be a departure from the previous administration.
For a start he has advised the incoming state assemblymen not to indulge in wasteful expenditure for renovations and the purchase of new cars for wakil rakyat use.This is a refreshing start and if other similar measures can be introduced the rakyat can immediately see some tangible change.
For DSAI to be an M.B there needs to be a bye-election and one of the DUN has to make way for him.It will be a sacrifice for the person concerned but it will be a worthwhile sacrifice when we consider that the success or failure of Selangor under the opposition will determine the future survival of the three opposition parties.For the moment they have achieved an important milestone in capturing the five states but whether their success can be perpetuated in the next election will depends on the success or failure in the governance of the five states.

New Opposition state Govts has to do a good Job.

For the opposition parties of DAP, PAS, and PKR winning the 12th General election was the easy part.Now the hard part is to be able to foster a united group of politicians to govern the newly captured states of Penang, kedah, Perak and Selangor.
Governing Penang would posed no problem for the newly elected DAP members.It happened to Gerakan when they took over the govt in 1969.So it will be a smooth transition except it will have to govern as an opposition as opposed to Gerakan when it later became part of the Barisan National.
However this will not be the case for Kedah,Perak and Selangor.These three states will for the first time in their history come under a new administration.The early test will come in their consensus to select their respective Menteri besar.
Kedah present no problem because of PAS comfortable majority.Selangor should also posed no problem by virtue of PKR's slim majority.But in Perak it does have some hiccups.DAP with eleven state seats has the major number of seats while PKR has seven and PAS has six.But Perak's state constitution only provides for a muslim Menteri Besar unless the Sultan decides to waive the requirement as allowed in the constitution.This option is unlikely to be exercised in view of the political landscape of the state.
Any attempt to push for a chinese Menteri Besar would be foolish and invite a political backlash from the 28 Barisan national mainly malay representative.
A happy and acceptable compromise would be to appoint a malay candidate as the Menteri Besar from either PKR or PAS and for DAP to have a Deputy Menteri Besar.In addition to this DAP can be compensated by having more exco representative than PKR and PAS
Forging a coalition among the three almost divergent political parties would be a formidable task but the difficult part would be to translate their respective ideas into a viable entity.For this only time can tell and they will have to prove their mettle within five years or face a quick exit.

Penangites Must vote opposition to Deny 2/3 majority

Penang voters must discard their emotionalbaggage when they vote on 8th March.Emotional tieswith illustrous candidates like Koh Tsu Koon,Teng HockNan, and Chia kwang Chye must be totally discarded.If at all, Penang voters should not give any votes to these three Gerakan members.To show their dissatisfaction we should even let them lose their deposit.
Penang voters must by now be aware that any vote for Gerakan or MCA is a vote for UMNO and a vote forUMNO is to invite a continuity of the scandals of corruption that has plagued our nation.
Penang voters must discard the mentality that we need Gerakan and MCA wakil rakyats to represent our chinese interest in state legislature and Parliament.For the umpteenth years that Gerakan andMCA have represented us have they articulated our rights and grievances?The answer is an emphatic 'No'.
We dont need wakil rakyats to look after our drains and roads anymore. What we are more concern is the erosion of our rights under the constitution.The right to vernacular education and the right to build more of such schools if the need arises.The right to freedom of religion and worship and to ensure that we are not force to seek justice in a Syariah courts when as non-muslims our recourse is to the civil courts.
We hold dear these sacred fundamental rights as guaranteed under the constitution and we want our elected representatives to articulate and protect these rights.We no longer feel confident that Gerakan and MCA can perform that role as long as they are in the B.N.
Therefore Penangites should no longer have any reservations about voting in opposition to protect our rights.We have given Gerakan and MCA many years and many terms in Penang and they have been a dismal failure.If they had done their duty faithfully, we would not have faced this unprecedented erosion of ourrights.
On 8th march,Penangites should forget their past ties with Gerakan and MCA.I think it was an MCA President that says when a fish is rotten we have to cut off the head first.On election day voters should ensure that we vote out, Koh Tsu Koon, Teng Hock Nan and Chia Kwang Chye.Dont let your emotional ties cloud your judgement.No battles was ever won without any sacrifice and now is the time we have to plead withPenangites to make that supreme sacrifice.

Ballot Box the way to break Nepotism.

I refer to the Malaysiakini report The rising sons, daughter and son-in-law.
When an elected representative who no longer commands the respect of the electorate insists on staying on, the only recourse is to show him the way out is through the ballot box. Many of our current politicians view their elected position as a sure ticket to make easy money.
They lack the passion and idealism of serving the country and its people. Instead they are guided by the greed and power their elected positions will bring to them and their families. Many of them unashamedly go to the extent of even promoting their children or close relatives to take over their place as if it is their birthright to occupy that position forever.
This is especially true in the BN component parties of Umno MCA and Gerakan. In Umno we have examples of Najib Razak, taking over his father's place and now the prime minister’s son-in-law Khairy Jamalludin is waiting in the wings of Umno Youth. Don’t forget Hishammuddin Hussein Onn.
In MCA, we have Ling Liong Sik's son who incidently became a millionaire by the age of 27. Then there is the current MCA president Ong Ka Ting whose brother Ka Chuan is waiting to contest again despite losing twice in the previous elections. In Gerakan we have the son of the party advisor Lim Keng Yaik who will be contesting in the coming election.
It would seem perfectly alright if the children and relatives of these politicians are capable and secure their position based on merit even though in most cases it would be a leg-up for them if their father was or is in a position of power and influence.
However if their position is merely through the auspices of their father's influence, perhaps then, voters will have to exercise their discretion to vote them out.
In the same vein, even a prime minister who has lost a lot of his influence may not want to retire voluntary. Sadly, the truth is that ordinary human beings, when suddenly given extraordinary powers, are the last person on earth who will willingly relinquish their positions on their own accord.
Since it will be an exercise in futility to persuade such people to retire gracefully, the only recourse is to vote them out in the coming election. Once we strip the aura of glamour and power which we ordained upon them, they once again become become mere mortals like every one of us.
And like the proverbial cowboy it will be an opportune moment for them to ride into the sunset of their fading careers.

Hisham's failure:vernacular School enrolment Proof.

I refer to the letters Hisham a failure as education minister and National schools turning into Islamic schools.
The first letter is a statement of fact. Not only was he a poor exemplary role model as the head of the Education Ministry but he was also an abject failure in his position as a minister. Brandishing the keris to politicise his cause in full view of his audience cannot be construed as a refined leader with exemplary qualities. At best he can be labelled as a rebel with a dubious political agenda.
Statistics don’t usually tell a lie. Some 95% of Chinese and Indian students are enrolled in vernacular schools. The stark reality is that a miniscule 5% of the non-Malays are in the government’s sekolah kebangsaan. Of course, this trend did not happen overnight. But when Hisham took over the Education Ministry, the trend was already patently evident.
Yet during his term, what did he do to address this lop-sided enrolment of non-Malays in vernacular schools? The Education Minister should be aware of the repercussions of having a racially polarised education system which in the long term, would have serious ramifications for nation-building.
In the 1960s, when I attended a national school, it was the school of choice for Chinese, Malays and Indians. Vernacular schools had such poor enrolment that many of them had to close on their own volition.
But then the national school I attended then was different from the ones today. In every national schools then there was a good mixture of Chinese, Indian and Malay teachers. Besides the few Mat Salleh headmasters, there was also a good spread of Chinese, Indian and Malay headmasters too.
There was a total absence of religious rituals. No such thing as doa selamat or whatever prayers during school hours. We left religion at home.
The sad part is that Hisham does not know the reason for the decline in the enrolment of non- Malays in the national schools today. Instead, he tried to introduce mother-tongue language in the national schools thinking this was what the non-Malays wanted.
However, that is not addressing the real problem. Yes, the real problem refers to the second letter’s topic, ‘National schools turning into Islamic schools’.If the Education Minister had kept his eyes opened wide, he would have read numerous complaints of parents expressing their concern and anger at the slow Islamisation creeping within the corridors of the national schools.
Somehow, national schools have been infiltrated by religious zealots out to preach Islam and many do not hesitate to impose their religious rituals on non-Malays. Some schools even go overboard in prescribing the mode of school uniforms to be worn including the tudung.
All the above, probably escapes the attention of the minister or alternatively he may have condoned
the various religious impositions. The proof is already there for him to see. Vernacular schools are full to the brim and what is perhaps even astonishing is that there are about 60,000 Malay students scrambling for places in the Chinese vernacular schools.
That in itself is an indictment of his abject failure as an Education Minister.

Just Vote Opposition to deny B.N 2/3 Majority

I would like to refer to the Malaysiakini article ‘Finally a chance to wrest Penang.’
In this article, Ronald Quay seems to contradict himself.His caption seems to suggest there is a good chance of the opposition wresting Penang from B.N and yet in the same breathe predicted that’B.N will still win the General Elections ,hands down’What is perhaps galling is his statement that’the Barisan national is still the best party to govern Malaysia today’.
If Ronald is so confident that his theory of opposition contesting the State seats as oppose to contesting the parliamentary seat is workable then there should not be any reason for B.N winning ‘hands down’.
What the people of Penang should do is not try to play God. Trying to be smart by voting B.N for state seats while voting for opposition in Parliament may not always turn up as planned.
For the country as a whole B.N will end up with a massive majority in parliament and in the other state seats.This is by virtue of the strong rural support which have traditionally supported UMNO irrespective of rain or shine.
Therefore it should be the goal of every urban voter to vote for opposition in order to counter the strong rural vote for B.N.Only with this strategy of voting can there be a possibilty of denying B.N a 2/3 majority in state and Federal seats.
I certainly dont agree with the writer’s statement that’the Barisan National is still the best party to govern Malaysia.’On what basis is he making the statement.?I can only conclude that he is not aware of what transpired during Mahathir’s 22 yearstenure and what happened during the current P.M’s 4 years of administration.
Every aspect of B.N’s last 26 years tenure has been nothing short of failure.Corruption is rife, the Police dept is in shamble, the Judiciary is tainted, the civil service is a disgrace,foreign investors are avoiding us like a plague.If not for our oil and thegood export price of oil palm we would have followed ZimBahwee’s path to economic destruction.
Even in matters of race and religion the govt has not handled it with care and sensitivity.This has resulted in further alienating the various races which if not properly addressed would have dire consequences in the future.So please do tell me what is the record of B.N’s governance that has so impressed the writer that made him conclude that’ B.N is the best party to govern Malaysia.’?
We inherited a good system of governance from the British during the colonial era and most of these institutions were already in place after Merdeka. So there is no reason why another party albeit an opposition party cannot continue to govern without any difficulty.With better accountabilty and transparency maybe the new party would do a better job.So please dont listen to the B.N leaders saying that the opposition has no experience in governing the country.We will never know if we dont give them a chance. Do we?

B.N flouting Election offences Act with Impunity

The Election Commission cannot be perceived to be neutral if it continues to ignore the infringements of the BN government. On the first occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak implied that the government had to restrain the Kampong Baru Malays from coming out to demonstrate in response to the Hindraf demonstration.
His subtle hint was that such a response would have caused another May 13 incident. On the second occasion, during a meeting with MIC division chairpersons, Najib threatened the Indians not to vote against the government. Both occasions were tantamount to exerting undue influence on the electorate and is in contravention of Election Offences Act 1954, Part 3 Section 9(1).
In addition to the above two offences, a third offence was committed at the launch of the state-level
Chinese New Year open house in Kota Bharu when Najib presented RM1.3 million as a ‘special donation’ to 17 Chinese schools. It was reported that the amount was a ‘special BN allocation for Chinese schools’.
Meanwhile, in Ipoh, a fourth offence was committed by the prime minister when ne announced that ‘farmers located at New Villages in Jeram, Kuala Bikam, Kanthan in Chemor, Malim Nawar in Kampar and Kampong Coldstream will be allowed to lease some 2,850ha for 30 years at an annual rental of RM200 for every 0.4ha’.
The third and fourth offences are in contravention of Section 10 of Election Offences Act 1954 which relates to bribery. All the above offences committed were published in the mainstream media and are in direct violation of the act .The public prosecutor should not hesitate to initiate action.
The Election Commission cannot profess its impartiality if it cannot act without fear or
favour. Its role as a neutral referee in the conduct of an election can only be credible if it can prosecute those who have breached the Election Offence Act of 1954 irrespective of their status.
If it cannot carry out its duty as prescribed under the act, then it becomes apparent why NGOs such as Bersih have been calling for electoral reforms.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE RAT

WISHING ALL MY FRIENDS A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS CHINESE NEW YEAR.

Malaysians should expect a change for the better.

Malaysians should not accept what the govt say in the media as gospel truth.Of late we hear DPM Najib say that the opposition is not capable of administering the country.This is not only misleading but a blatant lie.
The present govt have shown that it is not capable of properly governing this nation.The last 22 years of Mahathir’s tenure and 4 years of Pak Lah’s administration have seen the country degenerating towards a failed state.
The litany of failures in the various govt department is shocking.The Police Dept is in dire straits with crime surging to unprecedented heights. The Judiciary is not only tainted with dubious appointments but it has practically lost theconfidence of the people.
Religious conflict arising from conversion of non-muslims and the practice of ‘body snatching’ of muslim converts have stretched racial tolerance to breaking point.
In addition the govt has wantonly wasted public funds in compensation for the crooked bridge and the Broga incinerator project. The PKFTZ cost the govt a few billion of tax payers money which was siphoned off by UMNO cronies.
The Defence Ministry headed by our DPM, Najib saw fit to purchase inferior quality Sukhoi air planes from Russia and Scorpene Submarines from France. All these dubious purchases were done through the front companies of his close friend Razak Baginda who is now charged with the Mongolian model’s murder.
Are the above catalogue of failures what Najib would call a success of the B.N govt?
Surely an opposition govt given the same opportunity could not have fared worse than this.
A regime change can only offer a refreshing start to a new era of governance which can only be better. It has the benefit of learning from B.N’s mistake and this hindsight experience should enable the opposition to make a better alternative government for the people.

Election Chairman should Retire.

The present constitution provides specifically for the Election chairman to retire at the age of 65.Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman has reached the age of retirement on 31st december,2007.Therefore in accordance with the constitution the EC chairperson should just retire gracefully and let some one else replace him.
What defies logic is for the govt to pursue a most unusual course of action to amend the constitution to extend the retirement age to 66 thus allowing the EC chairperson to extend his tenure for another year
\ The constitution is a sacred document which should not be frivously altered or amended merely for the express purpose of extending the tenure of the election Chairman.The constitution of a country is a living document that should not be manipulated to suit the whims and fancy of the incumbent govt in power.
To amend the constituition in order to retain the EC chairperson for the express purpose of presiding over the impending election conceal a sinster motive of the govt which cannot be construed as honourable.
Why is the govt so adamant in wanting to extend the tenure of Abdul Rashid so that he could preside over the impending election?Even if the reason for the govt to retain him is perfectly legitimate the very act of amending the constitution to extend his tenure would undoubtedly cast aspersion on the impartiality of his role in the election.
His public statement that " no other regime is capable of running the country " is further evidence that his impartiality is questionable.
The disappearance of 140 ballot boxes in the Ijok election should be of some concern and consequence, but the election chairperson dismissed it as inconsequential.How could it be?If each ballot box were to contain a mere 500 electoral votes, the total 140 ballot boxes would have a massive 7000 votes.A figure that could easily sway and swing the result in favour of the opposition party.
Examples of such irregularity has prompted the
birth of Bersih to seek electoral reforms that will eventually ensure a free and fair election.
Many of the outstanding issues such as postal votes, dead people appearing in the electoral rolls,gerrymandering,equal access to media for campaigning and a host of other electoral issues have not been addressed by the current EC chairperson.How could there be free and fair elections when all these electoral reforms have not been implemented to the satisfaction of all parties?
Since Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman has not carried out reforms in these controversial issues and the govt has not displayed any urgency in pressing for changes in those areas, perhaps it would be timely that a new independent person be appointed to the post of the EC chairperson.
For that to happen Abdul Abdul Rahman should gracefully exit and opt for retirement rather than seek an extension of his tenure.

Najib, You are wrong.

Yes the tide is turning in Kelantan but certainly not in favour of BN but for PAS. As a kelantanese I can safely tell Najib the true current political situation in Kelantan. How could Zubaidah Abu Bakar speculate in the 6th Jan.2008 NST that “there are many in Kelantan who want to see a change of government”?
This is farthest from the truth. The Malay psyche in Kelantan is vastly different from the psyche of Malays from the other states. The Malays in Kelantan are astute when it comes to politics. That explains why it is the only Malay state where the opposition party other than UMNO has ruled for a substantial period since Merdeka.
During BN’s tenure, pork sellers in the Chinese market were harrassed daily. They were confined to a small inconspicous space where pork could be sold hidden from public view. There was conditional and restricted time when pork could be sold. When PAS took over the government in 1990, they improved the Chinese market and pork was sold without any restrictions. In short they were not harrassed.
Again, during BN’s tenure, Chinese could not buy houses built on Malay reservation land. Since most of the land come under the purview of Malay reservation, most Kelantanese Chinese could not own a home. But all these changed when PAS came to power.
Under the able DUN of Kota Bharu, Dato Annuar Tan, 30% of houses built on Malay reservation land were allocated for sale to the Kelantan Chinese.
Any doubts where the Chinese loyalty lies can easily be dispelled by visiting the Chinese enclave in Jalan Kebun Sultan. Ask any Chinese business community there and they will brazenly tell you that they will vote for PAS. Yes the Chinese votes in Kelantan are solidly behind PAS.
It is also a fact that the Chinese miniority’s vote in Kelantan are insignificant and confined to only few seats where their votes are crucial for victory or loss. But in a state where a lot of seats are won and lost by a handful of votes this becomes immensely important where in the final analysis the fate of the government could merely depend on the margin of one or two seats.
The Malays in Kelantan were generous in giving Pak Lah a resounding victory in 2004. But this was partly due to PAS over-zealous Islamic reforms which persuaded the Malays to vote for Pak Lah’s Islam Hadhari. Further they were captivated by Pak Lah’s assurance of tackling corruption which was beginning to be rampant in all branches of the government. But alas, Pak Lah was a disappointment. Instead he took it as an opportunity for his relatives and family to plunder the nation’s wealth by giving contracts to his son and son-in law.
There is a saying among the Malays in Kelantan that UMNO can fool the Malays in the other states with their rhetoric of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ but they cannot fool the Malays in Kelantan. They are aware that BN has introduced many programmes and development projects.
According to Datuk Annuar Musa “RM2 billion worth of projects are flowing into the state”. But the local malays will ask you who are the beneficiaries of these projects? Yes, its the UMNO cronies and the UMNO connected politicians who will secure all the major contracts.
Of late, the sprinkling of Indians are also behind PAS not due to Hindraf’s effort but because of the awareness that it was under PAS rule that a prominent land in Jalan Hamzah was approved for the Hindus to build a temple when the same approval was rejected by BN four times before.
Because of centuries of close proximity of Kelantan to Thailand and the close rapport between the Chinese and the Kelantanese Malays, the local Malays are not only intelligent and well-versed in commerce but they are very conversant with local and federal politics. This perhaps explain why UMNO with their brand of politics can never fool the Kelantan Malays.
In the coming general election BN will not only lose in Kelantan it will lose as badly as in 1990. This is not only a fact, it is a promise.

EPF needs to explain why it discontinued the $1.4 Billion claim against its six former executives.

EPF has an obligation to explain to its contributors why it has discontinued the suit filed in 2005 against Rashid Hussain and five former top executives.
A writ of summons to the value of RM1.4 billion was filed against the six by RHB Capital, RHB Securities Sdn Bhd and RHB Equities Sdn Bhd at the Kuala Lumpur High Court sometime in 2005.
The six former top executives were sued” for breach of fiduciary duties, breach of trust,breach ofcontracts of employment/or negligence in relation to certain margin financial facilities granted by RHB Equities during their tenure as Directors and/or Officers of RHB capital, RHB Securities and RHB Equities.”
The suit was filed by major shareholder Utama Banking Group in 2005 and during the course of the trial evidence adduced seems to indicate a clear breach of fiduciary duties. Dubious huge loans for margin financing was given without any collateral and proper approval.
Surely such obvious dereliction of duty should eventually bring to book those responsible for the loan fiasco.The loan claimed in the suit was not a paltry sum but for a mind boggling sum of RM1.4 billion.
Despite public opposition to the pension funds acquisition of the RHB group, and despite Rashid Hussain’s total debts of RM3.5 billion ringgit which included a bond repayment of RM265 million due in June 2007, EPF proceeded to acquire the entire parent firm for RM3.9 billion ringgit including warrants and convertible loan notes. At the same time the fund also made an offer of RM8.75 billion ringgit bid for RHB Capital at RM4.80 per share.
What perhaps remain a mystery was why EPF did not accept Kuwait Finance offer of RM2.19 ringgit (compared to EPF offer of RM1.80) for each Rashid Hussain share and RM7.35 (compared to RM4.80 offered by EPF) for each RHB Capital share? Why was it so adamant in acquiring a loss and heavily indebted entity when a better offer was on the table?
What EPF needs to explain to the EPF contributors is why after having acquired control ofthe RHB group it has decided to discontinue the much publicised RM$1.4 billion claim.
The fundamental question remains as to why was EPF so generous in foregoing what seems like a legitimate claim of RM1.4 billion claim against the six former top executives of RHB? Was there any covert attempt to conceal the main purpose of EPF’s acquisition of the RHB group? Was EPF used as a vehicle to acquire the equity of the RHB group with the intention of discontuing the civil suit against the six defendants?
All these perplexing questions need to be answered so that confidence can be restored to the pension fund.

Who are the Opportunists?

The Council of Former People’s Representative (Mubarak) President Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang described the Hindraf leaders as “opportunists and traitors to their race and country.” He further added that these people were extremists and that they should rightly be detained under the ISA.
Referring to his assertion, I would like the former Mubarak to carefully reflect on past history and see who are the opportunists.
After May 1969, with the introduction of the NEP, the Malay bumiputras were the sole beneficiary of govt policies. However somewhere along the course of implementation the NEP was hijacked by the UMNO elite Malays who only seek to enrich themselves and their cronies.
Based on such factual events how could the former Mubarak President condemned the Hindraf supporters as opportunists?Rightly the real opportunists were the UMNO elite Malays.
As regards his statement that they were extremists, can the former Mubarak president defined the term ‘extremists’ in order to justify his claim. Does his definition include people who participated in a peaceful assembly to articulate their grievances construed as extremists?
Yes, he could refer to the unfortunate terminology ‘ethnic cleansing’ used in the memorandum submitted to the Queen as extremist. But hello, what about UMNO unshealthing their keris and threatening the Chinese? What about the former Chief Minister Rahim Thamy chik’s utterance that the Malays would take out their parangs if the non-Malays challenge Malay supremacy?
Are they no more seditious and extremist?
It is really pathetic that people like Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang who had enjoyed the fruits of NEP should now find it plausible to hurl untruthful accusations that it was the Hindraf supporters who were opportunists when in actual fact he and the UMNO elites were the opportunists.
How could Abu Zahar equate articulating one’s cause as being traitor to race and country? By his implication, the Hindraf supporters should just remain silent and accept their discrimination and marginalisation so that they will not be traitor to their race and country.
With such perverted logic so prevalent amongst the UMNO top echelon it is no wonder how a peaceful assembly of disdvantaged people could be construed as terrorists.