Umar Mukhtar

Almost every politically-conscious Malay today is scratching his head. Does he ignore the elephant in the room in a desperate attempt to save the status quo of so-called Malay supremacy in national politics. Or should that supremacy be forfeited merely because certain individual leaders, now and previously, were lousy custodians of the Rakyat’s assets?

It is not necessarily a zero-sum situation as Malay racists would have us believe. Some of these people are actual racists, while some merely used racism as a means of creating a bogeyman in order to perpetuate institutionalised plunder.

The dilemma is when you cannot tolerate the apparent shenanigans yet you want a stable formula of political power-sharing, with the majority race anchoring the deal. Such is the racial politics we inherited. It is not like wanting your cake and eating it too, for Malay power is not necessarily synonymous with institutionalised plunder.

It follows that someone or some force inside either UMNO or the Malay opposition must work towards a solution where the zero-sum proposition is to be avoided. Alas, money talks and cements the present structural impediments in UMNO. Unless UMNO goes to PRU14 with a fresh outlook, it will remain the suffering paranoids’ choice of miserable existence

The opposition is also to be blamed. Little room is given for Malay opposition leaders to develop a Malay-centric philosophy which other races of the opposition can begin to subscribe to. It is almost as if to allow that would erode the essence of racial one-upmanship it rides on.

In reality, there will never be a non-indigenous-led federal government, de jure or de facto, the latter being DAP’s current choice. Get that through our thick skull. The only choice for the opposition is to befriend progressive Malays and give them space to be influential and not appear to be their patrons. Malays are naturally suspicious of that.

As for UMNO, its rebranding must also be substantive. There’s no substitute for intelligence, farsightedness and hard work – the very things which the present set-up lacks. How else can you explain the Papagomos, Rani Kulops, Jamal Ikan Bakars, Ali Tinjus and Raja Bomohs being able to take centre-stage as opinion leaders. There must be a dearth of good men on the gravy train.

The sad truth is if there’s no new development, the Malay will have no choice but to opt for the devil they know, just to avoid the rule of ‘Bintang Tiga’ as the bogeyman is now retro-packaged by the racists. the status quo continues. The present beneficiaries will laugh all the way to the bank, and the opposition elites will enjoy continuing the bitching while riding their Mercedes-Benz on their way home to their exclusive second-class citizens’ abodes.

Maybe that’s the way Malaysia is destined to be. Corrupt Malay elites working hand-in-hand inadvertently with their so-called rivals who enjoy the status quo just a much. The marginalised and the grass-root racists from all races dutifully continue scratching each other’s face in this soap-opera.

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Umar Mukhtar

A parliamentary vote of no-confidence is no small matter. DAP is right in that it should be tabled by the Opposition Leader herself and not some random MP that makes up the numbers. But it does make one wonder. If it is so important and involves cross-party collaboration, how come Pakatan Harapan has not met over it?

I guess DAP has not called for it yet. Until it does, nobody else is supposed to move. Meanwhile, DAP just plays to the gallery and milks the silly situation through the social media. After all, to propagate after losing the vote will be an anti-climax. But PKR did make a move and initiated an action. What upstart, some in DAP’s inner circle may say. Except that, being haphazardly led, PKR lost the forest for the trees. So a nondescript MP was asked to table the all-important vote. Surely it it was not his own idea!

How dare PKR take the lead. Top dog DAP must first set the tempo. Hence, the public reprimand. After the public dressing down by the DAP about playing marbles, a sheepish Opposition Leader then meekly said that she will comply, while the said MP with false bravado insisted that Lim Guan Eng is not his boss. He was understandably silent on whether LGE is his President’s boss.

Now the real tempo has inadvertently been set. The beat is – DAP is boss. Can you imagine PKR stepping on DAP’s toes? No Chinese votes! At least 15 PKR Parliamentary seats would be in jeopardy if that happens. Not to mention numerous state seats. PKR has no choice but to ‘kow-tim’.

Not satisfied with its setting of the opposition agenda, DAP then wants to set the tone of the opposition behaviour. So the Subang Jaya MP became the target. It seemed that in his best judgement he had agreed to some pressure from PKR supporters about some minor thing regarding the setting up of temporary stalls. DAP’s Tony Pua jumped at that as not appropriate decision-making behaviour. Followed by another dressing down about gangsters and what not.

It seems that in order to do the right thing, DAP must be consulted first. That’s the idea of these petty DAP protestations that are now emerging. DAP might not be bothered by mere internal party matters but Pakatan Harapan must move to the whims and fancies of the top dog, DAP. Kind of like UMNO leading Barisan Nasional with MCA, MIC and Gerakan led by the nose ring as mere chorus.

But UMNO represents the majority faction and DAP has only limited voter expansion, you would remark. That’s how much DAP has polished its skill in controlling desperadoes. Carrot and stick for these unfortunate few. Let them believe otherwise, but DAP is boss. Always.

That is not to say that it is all bad. Dishing out to them the regimentation that they are used to, like “Now, you listen to me!” may actually be welcomed. They may have gotten used to it and may have withdrawal symptoms without it.

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MP says it is best to wait for the Auditor-General's report before making comments about the troubled investment company.

(Free Malaysia Today) – Member of Parliament for Gua Musang Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has said it is too early for any quarters to comment on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

He said, such comments should only be made after the Auditor-General had completed his audit on 1MDB and when the report was out.

"I have said before that I would not be able to give my comments on 1MDB until I have seen the report by the Auditor-General.

"Other people can give their comments on 1MDB as they have the right to do so but for me, I think it is better to read the report first," he told reporters at the Parliament building here today.

The veteran Umno leader also stressed that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) should be allowed to do their investigations on the Finance Ministry-owned firm now that they have enough members once again.

"Let the PAC, who will have enough members after this, do their research and examine everything that has been submitted by the Auditor-General," Tengku Razaleigh added.

READ MORE HERE

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Datuk Huan Cheng Guan

Lim Guan Eng's recent speech at Oxford University, England last week deserves closer scrutiny.

No natural resources?

According to that speech,  LGE said Penang  is the second smallest state "with no natural resources but has progressed to achieve high-income economy status through good governance, rule of law, integrity in leadership and sheer human talent".

Many writers have acknowledged the scarcity of natural resources in Penang but to overgeneralize in such an absolute statement to declare Penang has NO natural resources at all is certainly wrong. Just last month, Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas said in his 77^th birthday speech that Penang does not have much natural resources (tinyurl.com/pxb3cg6).

Worse still, LGE's bizarre statement shows he does not read the reports from Invest Penang, especially the April 2015 report (tinyurl.com/q939yyo) which stated:

Table 1 estimates that althoughPenang's mining and quarrying sector registered the highest growth of  14.5%in 2014, the sector's share in Penang constituted merely less than one per cent of Penang's total GDP.

High-income hopes hobbled by the 30% depreciation in the ringgit?

LGE declared "that the precipitous drop in the value of the ringgit due to extraneous factors such as the 1MDB RM42 billion financial scandals on world currency markets, makes Penang technically not a high-income economy this year."

What Lim Guan Eng stated in Oxford is in sharp contrast with what was reported by "a state think-tank, Penang Institute headed by Dr Lim Kim Hwa from Cambridge University, that explores new ideas and how to make them work."

I quote from the Penang Economic Outlook – 2015 by Dr Lim Kim Hwa (tinyurl.com/pbvvbl7):

The external macro environment, in particular the crude oil price, the timing on the start of the rise in US interest rates and its ensuing impact on financial capital flows, will introduce higher volatility to Malaysia's economy, including the risk of twin deficits. Nevertheless, Penang is expected to continue to contribute trade surpluses in 2015 due to the weakening of the Ringgit, and the state budget is expected to remain in surplus.

LGE's pessimistic outlook contradicts what Invest Penang reported (tinyurl.com/q939yyo):

Penang's GDP has been growing over the last five years. Following the recent release of data on Malaysia's GDP growth for 2014 by Bank Negara Malaysia, the state GDP has improved to 5.9%, posting a  0.2 percentage point higher than that of the previous projection made in January 2015 (Figure 1).

RM1 billion to build affordable housing in the state?

In the Oxford speech, LGE announced that a public fund of RM1 billion had been set aside by his government to build affordable housing in the state and that the money was from an auction of a piece of land on the island via an open tender to the highest bidder.

According to LGE's  speech (tinyurl.com/qdfnavj) given at the Ground Breaking Ceremony for Public and Affordable Housing Scheme in Jalan SP Chelliah (March 17^th 2015):

"The state government has established the Public Housing Fund and Affordable Homes Fund, the largest by a state government in Malaysian history, worth RM 500 million to build 22,545 public housing units ( less than RM 72,500 ) and affordable housing units ( less than RM 400,000 )."

How can it be that in a 7-month span from March 17^th to October 16^th, the budget for affordable housing ballooned from RM500 million to RM 1 billion?

The Auditor General report in 2010 showed that Lim's administration failed to build even a single low-cost house since governing the state.

Penang tabled a RM992.82 million budget for 2015 with an estimated deficit of RM230.31 million, the fourth consecutive deficit budget for the state since 2011(tinyurl.com/omobwz6) with a 5.22% increase (RM44.04 million) in management expenditure this year. This was to increase funding to Penang Development Corporation for the affordable housing scheme and additional allocation to fund social programs.

Therefore, the figures and developments just do not make sense.

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(Oahang Daily Online) – Veteran Umno yang juga Ahli Parlimen Gua Musang, Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah menafikan dakwaan bahawa beliau akan menyokong usul undi tidak percaya yang dikemukakan terhadap Perdana Menteri.

Ketika ditanya mengenai perkara itu di lobi Parlimen pada Isnin, Tengku Razaleigh berkata beliau tiada kaitan dengan sekumpulan MP Barisan Nasional (BN) yang didakwa cuba menjatuhkan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak sebagai Perdana Menteri.

“Saya tiada kaitan dengan perkara itu. Saya tidak ada mata-mata dalam kumpulan itu, jadi bagaimana saya tahu apa yang mereka bincangkan?

“Marilah kita lihat apa yang mereka sedang rancang untuk lakukan. Saya yakin mereka ada idea sendiri. Namun, setakat apa yang saya tahu, saya tiada kaitan dengannya,” kata beliau.

Tengku Razaleigh turut berkata peluang usul undi tidak percaya itu untuk dikemukakan di Dewan Rakyat sangat tipis, melihat kepada fokus kini lebih tertumpu kepada perkara lain seperti Bajet 2016.

Ditanya mengenai harapan beliau terhadap Bajet 2016, Tengku Razaleigh berkata: “Ia sukar untuk diperkatakan. Kita tunggu sehingga 23 Oktober ini.”

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(Malay Mail Online) – Pakatan Harapan's planned motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will not likely be debated in the current parliamentary meeting, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said, citing procedures in the Standing Orders.

The Dewan Rakyat Speaker pointed out that Standing Orders 26 and 27 stipulate that a motion notice must be filed 14 days before a meeting convenes and not while it is in session.

"I want to remind Permatang Pauh, if she wants to go ahead with this motion and if the motion satisfies Standing Orders 26 and 27, even if its accepted, it will only be at the next sitting and not this sitting," Pandikar told the House today, referring to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Yesterday, Pakatan Harapan confirmed that Dr Wan Azizah will be filing a notice to Parliament on the no confidence motion against Najib some time this week.

The motion is to replace the previous one filed by PKR MP Hee Loy Sian. Hee's motion, which was filed over a week ago, is currently listed as the 27th item out of 28 in the motions for debate today.

Pandikar's statement to the House did not sit well with DAP's Seremban MP Anthony Loke.

Loke pointed out to the Speaker that Marang MP Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had previously filed his motion on hudud when Parliament was in session.

"Tan Sri Speaker, but previously, Marang had filed his motion when Parliament was in session and it was listed as part of the motions to be debated in Dewan Rakyat," he said.

Pandikar said he would take note of Loke's point before inviting the MPs to his chamber to discuss the no confidence motion.

Najib is currently facing pressure over the multi-billion ringgit 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy, which opposition MPs are using to seek the no confidence vote against him in Parliamenty.

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‘Don’t say I’m afraid of the government just because I don’t approve certain motions.’

(Free Malaysia Today) – Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia has demanded an apology from Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang for accusing him of abuse of power.

During yesterday's Dewan Rakyat session, Lim said Pandikar had abused his power to sabotage the Public Accounts Committee's probe into 1MDB affairs.

"Do not get me involved in your political agenda," Pandikar said today.

Lim was absent from this morning's session, but Pandikar told his colleagues to inform him of the demand for a retraction and apology. "Or else, there will be a motion presented soon," he said without elaborating.

On July 30, Pandikar announced that the PAC probe had been put on hold until the committee had a new chairman following the appointment of its previous chairman, Nur Jazlan Mohamed, as Deputy Home Minister.

During arguments on the issue yesterday, Pandikar, citing standing orders, said the PAC could not continue with its proceedings when the Chairman's post was vacant.

Lim disagreed and said Pandikar's decision had resulted in slowing down the probe into 1MDB.

READ MORE HERE

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(Agenda Daily) – Parti Gerakan gagal untuk memulakan petisyen mencabar undang-undang hudud di Kelantan di sisi Perlembagaan, selepas Mahkamah Persekutuan menolak hasrat parti tersebut.

Dalam keputusan mahkamah tertinggi Malaysia Hakim Datuk Zaharah Ibrahim membuat keputusan itu selepas berpuas hati dengan hujah yang dikemukakan oleh kedua-dua pihak.

Jelasnya undang-undang hudud hanya kepada mereka yang beragama Islam bagaimanapun tidak dinyatakan bahawa mereka (pemohon) adalah Muslim.

Menurutnya lagi, mahkamah juga tidak menemui sebarang keterangan yang menunjukkan undang-undang itu akan memberi kesan kepada mereka.

“Oleh itu, usul itu ditolak dengan tiada perintah tentang kos,” katanya.

Gerakan diwakili peguam Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, Lim Choon Kim dan David Yii Hee Kiet.

Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan diwakili Datuk Sulaiman Abdullah, Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan dan Shahidani Abd Aziz.

Tiga anggota Gerakan iaitu Tuan Mat Tuan Wil, Soh Hoon Lee dan Chung Mon Sie memfailkan notis usul pada 8 Mei lalu bagi memohon kebenaran Mahkamah Persekutuan untuk mencabar kesahihanKanun Jenayah Syariah (11) Kelantan1993 (Pindaan 2015) atau lebih dikenali sebagai hudud, di sisi Perlembagaan.

Dalam notis usul itu, mereka mendakwa Dewan Undangan Negeri Kelantan tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk menggubal undang-undang bagi menghukum perbuatan jenayah, yang boleh dihukum mengikut undang-undang Persekutuan.

Mereka mendakwa keputusan Dun meluluskan pindaan itu adalah tidak sah dan batal dan bercanggah dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan.

Pada 7 Mei, Mahkamah Tinggi menolak saman pemula mereka untuk mencabar Kanun Jenayah Syariah Kelantan di sisi perlembagaan, yang telah  dipinda dan diluluskan oleh Dewan Undangan Negeri Kelantan pada 19 Mac tahun ini untuk memasukkan undang-undang bagi menghukum perbuatan jenayah seperti curi, rompak dan rogol yang telahpun tersenarai dalam Senarai Undang-undang Persekutuan dan boleh dihukum di bawah undang-undang Persekutuan.

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The notorious singer-songwriter was made to sign a contract that he would keep politics out of his concert upon his arrival in Hong Kong

(Free Malaysia Today) – Organisers of a concert in Hong Kong have insisted singer-songwriter Wee Meng Chee, better known as Namewee sign a declaration that his concert tonight will contain no reference to the Malaysian or Chinese governments.

Taking to Facebook, Namewee, notorious for his harsh language when criticising the government in his material, posted a picture of the declaration and asked: "It's just one concert in Hong Kong, is it necessary…"

He also clarified that it was "the Hong Kong side which had me sign [the declaration]", a report on the South China Morning Post said.

The contents of the "declaration notice" read: To whom it may concern: With all due respect, I, Wee Meng Chee, hereby promise and declare that I will not make any comments or say anything about the Malaysian Government or Chinese Government during my visit to Hong Kong starting from 19/10/2015 to 20/10/2015.

Speaking to the Post, Henry Lau Tao-hung, concert and events manager, said he hoped that Namewee's decision to post the declaration on Facebook would not cause any misunderstanding with any party.

"I hope this won't create misunderstanding. We are not suppressing his (Namewee) freedom of speech, but we are cooperating with many units in Hong Kong and everyone feels sensitive and nervous (about how vocal the performer can be)".

READ MORE HERE

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Of course, I could be wrong. It could only be 250,000 Malaysians who died on Malaysian roads since Merdeka and not 300,000-350,000 as I have estimated. Nevertheless, whatever the real figure may be, it is still too high. And it is all because of corruption and inconsiderate Malaysian drivers.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There is a song from the album of the same name titled God has gone on holiday and initially I thought I would title this article 'Has God gone on holiday?'. However, knowing how many of you Muslims and Christians would be sensitive about such a title and will think that I am whacking your religion, I decided to change the title to the above instead.

Anyway, this article is in response to the news yesterday that the Terengganu State Government organised special prayers (solat hajat) regarding the 75 deaths on the new highway. In January this year, Terengganu opened its new highway, Lebuhraya Pantai Timur 2 (LPT2), and thus far 75 people have died on that highway, which is considered an extremely high number of deaths — hence the reason for the special prayers or solat hajat.

Loosely translated, hajat means need or wish. Based on the context of how the word hajat is used it can also mean intention or objective. Basically, solat hajat is the prayers you perform to call upon God or Allah for help in solving a problem, crisis or dilemma. Normally, people facing difficulties and whom needs God's help to overcome this difficulty would ask for help by performing solat hajat.

While I am not trying to belittle or make fun of the faith of Muslims who perform solat hajat as a means to seek God's help in overcoming a problem, is this really the way to go? I mean, if just praying is good enough, then PAS should organise solat hajat all over the country simultaneously and ask for God's help to defeat Barisan Nasional in the next general election. Surely then PAS would be the next federal government with Tok Guru Abdul Hadi Awang as Malaysia's new Prime Minister.

The sad reality is that, as the Christians would say, God helps those who help themselves. If you perform solat hajat and then jump off the Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers I am sure God is not going to arrange a soft landing for you. You are going to break every bone in your body the instant you hit the ground. If you do nothing but just leave it to God to solve all your problems your problems are not going to go away, never mind how strong your faith may be.

On a per capita basis, the mortality rate for traffic accidents in Malaysia is ten times what it is in the UK. Is this because 70 million Brits perform solat hajat every week? Or it is because in the UK you will never be given a driving licence unless you deserve one and also because the traffic laws are very strictly enforced (hence they are very strictly observed)?

No doubt there are some inconsiderate and rude people on the UK roads as well, most times young punks and/or non-whites. We even have cases of road-rage from time to time. Overall, however, most UK drivers are very considerate and do not put their lives and the lives of other road users at risk. In short, all these people are very civil while in Malaysia the road users are downright uncivilised.

We also have cameras everywhere. The UK is said to be the most wired country in the world. Nothing happens in the UK without big brother watching. My neighbour lost two cars last week and within 24 hours they arrested the thieves and recovered the cars, all because of the cameras.

So we never stop in a no-stopping zone because we will be caught on camera and the camera will send that information to a computer, which will then generate a summons that will be posted to our house. There is no human interaction. Everything is digitised and computerised. You cannot bribe a camera and computer to evade the fine.

In Malaysia, you go to the driving school not to learn how to drive but to learn how to pass your driving test. The driving school will then offer you two choices of fees. The normal fee just to learn how to pass your test and the more expensive fee that carries a guarantee you will pass your test. Many if not most choose the more expensive alternative that comes with a guarantee.

Guess why the second alternative, which comes with a guarantee, is more expensive. I once had a neighbour who passed her driving test but needed my wife's help to reverse her car out of the driveway. She could not drive even if her life depended on it and yet she passed her driving test.

In short, corruption kills. And since January this year 75 people have lost their lives on that new highway in Terengganu. By New Year's Eve 6,000-7,000 people would have lost their lives on the road all over Malaysia. That comes to about 20 people every day. And every year for the last many decades this trend has never changed. I do not see why it should change in the next few decades.

Can I safely assume that since Merdeka an estimated 300,000-350,000 people have died on Malaysian roads? I bet not a single of the 222 Members of Parliament even know the real figure. And they do not know not because the figures are not available — they are. They do not know because they do not care and are not concerned about the 300,000-350,000 Malaysians who died needlessly on Malaysian roads.

Of course, I could be wrong. It could only be 250,000 Malaysians who died on Malaysian roads since Merdeka and not 300,000-350,000 as I have estimated. Nevertheless, whatever the real figure may be, it is still too high. And it is all because of corruption and inconsiderate Malaysian drivers.

Malaysia is the 17th most dangerous country in the world in terms of road fatalities. The world average is 18 deaths per 100,000 people. In Malaysia it is 30 deaths per 100,000 people. The good news, though, is that you are six times more likely to die from a heart attack than in a traffic accident, so count your blessings.

Now tell me, how many of you reading this has not paid (or knows someone who has paid) for his or her driving licence? How many of you reading this has not paid (or knows someone who has paid) a bribe to escape a fine for a traffic offense? How many of you reading this has not jumped the queue, beaten a red light, 'squeezed in', 'cut' someone off, etc., ever in your life? How many of you reading this realise that by the time you finish reading this, another person or another few people will be lying dead on the road?

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MP “completely shocked and disappointed” that the MBPJ has reversed the decision to relocate the Deepavali Bazaar at Sungai Way village (SS9A).

(Free Malaysia Today) – Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua has assured residents at the Sungai Way village that the councillors, state assemblyman from DAP and himself will continue to do their very best to serve their interest and promote their well-being.

"We will remain steadfast and not compromise our integrity and principles by giving in to thuggery and cronyism," said Pua who is also DAP Selangor Chairman and the party's National Publicity Secretary.

"Certain people have now been duly rewarded by the Mayor for their thuggish behaviour."

He was expressing his "complete shock and disappointment" that Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) Mayor Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain has reversed the council's decision to relocate the Deepavali Bazaar at Sungai Way village (SS9A). "This seemingly trivial decision over the location of a Deepavali Bazaar sets a terrible precedent for MBPJ and the Selangor Government in the future," said Pua.

"Now, any disgruntled group that is not happy with MBPJ or the state's decision can resort to thuggery and crony politics with the right political party to get the decision reversed."

Pua noted that the abrupt about turn by the MBPJ comes after the Mayor himself issued statements on October 1 and 8 where he stated that "the new location was better as it was more spacious and has been the site of other markets including the Ramadan bazaar and pasar malam".

In effect, lamented Pua, MBPJ succumbed to the display of thuggery led by several PKR grassroot leaders, Kelana Jaya Deputy Chief, Saminathan Kitchan, the division secretary Murali Subramaniam, and several PKR councilors from other districts.

"The people saw on video how my visit to, and press conference at the bazaar at the proposed new location was disrupted by these thugs," said Pua.

"I had hoped that the PKR Selangor leadership would have done the right thing to rein in these rogue party grassroots leaders."

READ MORE HERE

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Parliamentary questions on the same subject will be grouped together.

(Free Malaysia Today) – Parliamentary questions regarding the RM2.6 billion donation to Prime Minister Najib Razak will be grouped together and answered at a date yet to be fixed.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman announced this today in a written reply to two questions directed at Najib yesterday.

Replying to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut) and Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan), Azalina said their questions would be answered along with other questions on the same subject "on a date to be fixed soon" during the current parliament session.

Lim asked Najib why the donation was channelled into his personal account, who had given the donation and how it had been used.

He also asked, "What is the real source of the US$993 million payment which was reported to have gone missing from 1MDB and where was the money channelled to?"

Guan Eng asked whether Najib had paid taxes on the donation and how much of it he still had with him.

He also asked for details of the bank account or accounts into which the money was deposited.

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(Malay Mail Online) – A Pakatan Harapan federal government would abolish toll collections on the North-South Expressways (PLUS), DAP said today.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said it was unnecessary to charge motorists any further to use the highway network as the cost of building it have been recovered.

"What I don’t understand why toll must be paid on the North-South highway and the first Penang bridge when the construction costs have been reimbursed.

"By right, no one should pay the toll. If there is a change in government, the new government would abolish the north south toll," he told reporters at a press conference at the Parliament lobby.

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(Malay Mail Online) – DAP today accused PAS of failing to take a firm position on the no confidence vote to be tabled against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Parliament, saying the party has so far issued "ambivalent and ambiguous" answers on the matter.

Asked to comment on the matter during a press conference at the Parliament lobby today, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng directed reporters to speak to PAS instead.

"I think the most important issue with this is where PAS stands. They have shown a very ambivalent and ambiguous attitude when it comes to this.

"The PAS president said wait and see. You need to ask the president what is their stand first," the Bagan MP said.

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The writer takes a sarcastic and satirical look on how the government can keep dissenters quiet

WH Cheng, Berita Daily

The Barisan Nasional government's growing intolerance towards criticism and opposition to its rule in the recent years has seen many individuals, critics, dissidents, commentators and opposition leaders being arrested, charged in the court and subsequently convicted.

By now, the government should realise that the current legal process of purging such criticisms and opposition actually takes a long time to "prove" the "wrongs" in order to convict the offenders.

As such, the question to be asked is this: Are your measures really good enough in stopping all those criticisms and opposition?

Will these individuals, critics, dissidents, commentators and opposition leaders stop doing so after they have been convicted, fined and jailed? Are these critics afraid of you after their prosecution?

The problem is that these people will keep on criticising and exposing all the irregularities in the government. And the government will only go back to square one by sending its men in blue to arrest and press charges against the critics.

By doing this, the government is only are wasting its time and efforts in purging its critics. BN should realise that its present methods will not get rid of the critics and opposition once and for all.

This writer’s suggestion is that since the government wishes to continue ruling this nation forever and demonstrate its all-powerful position so that the people will submit their total obedience towards the rule without questions, it would be better for the government to introduce capital punishment to totally silence the critics.

Capital punishment should be introduced into the security-related laws such as the Sedition Act, Communications and Multimedia Act, Police Act, Security Offences Special Measures Act (Sosma), Sections 124 of the Penal Code, Peaceful Assembly Act, Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) and Societies Act, to name a few.

Asides, the BN government should also consider amending the Societies Act to ban all opposition parties, civil societies and human rights NGOs, and only allow pro-BN political parties and NGOs to exist. Apart from that, the Companies Act must also be amended to ensure all companies and business entities subscribe to the BN government's demands and requirement.

To strengthen their grip on power, the BN government should also look into efforts to repeal the various provisions on citizen rights, legislation, general elections and judiciary system in the Federal Constitution in order to further legalise their absolute rule over the nation and to effectively carry out their "security responsibilities" against the population.

This will also allow the government to immediately put down any criticism and opposition to their rule at once, as well as to ensure stability, safety and security of the ruling coalition's elites, associates and family members.

By introducing the toughest and harshest ever penalty into the laws as the way of mandatory punishment over criticisms and opposition, the BN government will be able to ensure that the entire population meekly submits without questions.

In doing such, the BN government and its leaders would then enjoy the stability, prolong its rule over the nation in decades to come, enforce their total rights over the use of the government's treasury.

It can also continue to accept more "donations" from many more Arab businessmen or corporations and further increase their fame and fortunes.

This is the only option that you could take. You want an absolute rule with no interruption, criticism or any opposition that would jeopardise your quest in this "wonderful land" of yours, isn't it so?

Grab these every opportunity while still in power, or you will not be able see Putrajaya again come GE14.

WH Cheng is director of Inter-Research And Studies (IRAS)

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"Mengapa kamu mudah sangat murtad?"

Xifu Naser, Sinar Harian

Zamri Vinoth, Presiden Skuad Mubaligh dan juga seorang pendakwah yang berani berfikir luar kotak, telah menelefon saya, "Xifu, jom kita ke karnival besar yang dianjurkan oleh Church of Visitation di Seremban. Gereja yang paling tua sekali di sana. Lu takut pergi gerejakah?"

Cabaran Zamri Vinoth mengingatkan saya kembali kepada soalan-soalan daripada beberapa rakan yang lahir sebagai Muslim. "Xifu, saya boleh masuk gerejakah?" Tanya rakan saya yang ingin berdakwah.

"Mengapa tak boleh?" Saya tanya balik. Soalan tak semestinya dijawab dengan kenyataan. Soalan boleh juga dijawab dengan soalan!

"Kerana saya takut murtad." Rakan saya jawab dengan jujur. "Semasa saya masih kecil, budaya suruh saya tutup mata bila lalu gereja. Katanya takut saya terpengaruh, lalu termurtad! Salib ada kuasa."

"Mengapa kamu mudah sangat murtad?" Saya tanya ringkas sahaja tetapi soalan saya ini membuat rakan saya tergamam dan terdiam sambil berfikir.

Pernah juga seorang rakan lain tanya saya, "kalau minum Holy Water, saya boleh murtad tak?"

Saya jawab juga dengan soalan, "kalau saya bagi isteri kamu minum air yang dijampi dengan 30 juzuk al-Quran, rasanya dia akan ubah fikiran, lalu memberi sokongan penuh kepada kamu untuk kahwin lagi satu tak?"

Budaya pengajian agama kita menghadapi masalah mendayuskan umat Islam. Berapa ramaikah graduan pondok, madrasah yang mampu bersaing dalam masyarakat multikultural?

Mampukah mereka duduk dalam majlis ilmiah tentang falsafah John Locke atau Lao Tze, lalu berdiskusi secara kritis dengan penganut pelbagai agama dan ideologi? Mampukah mereka memelihara kebersihan tandas taraf lima bintang?

Mampukah mereka menjemput secara terus-terang rakan-rakan multikultural dengan mesej dakwah: "Peluklah Islam. Kalau ragu-ragu tentang al-Quran, kemukakan bantahan kamu berserta dengan kitab alternatif!"

Saya lihat graduan-graduan agama tidak memiliki daya berhujah yang mampu membawa Islam ke dunia multikultural. Puncanya bagi pendapat saya ialah masalah rohani yang penuh dengan fobia berinteraksi dengan budaya lain. Pelajar-pelajar hanya didedahkan dengan suasana monokultural sahaja.

Kalau sesiapa mencabarnya berhujah, mungkin yang akan tersembur keluar dari mulut ialah, "Lu balik Chinalah!"

Apabila Zamri Vinoth dan saya sampai ke Church of Visitation pada hari Maal Hijrah, kami dapati banyak institusi dakwah tidak hadir walaupun dijemput. Tiada sebab diberi pula.

Tapi yang peliknya, bila institusi ini buat program multikultural, sungguh beria mereka menjemput penganut-penganut Kristian untuk menghadiri majlis mereka di masjid!

Archbishop Katolik memberi ucaptama dalam karnival setelah Zamri Vinoth turut serta membaca doa dalam bahasa Arab di pentas! Archbishop membawa wacana menyeru kesatuan "bangsa manusia".

Untuk menghormati kehadiran pelbagai penganut agama, tiada seruan untuk percaya kepada Triniti. Hanya ditekankan nilai-nilai kemanusiaan sejagat.

Kami juga dibawa ke church tour sebagaimana Masjid Wilayah menganjurkan mosque tour. Gereja ini juga ada bangunan khas untuk sekolah agama Kristian.

Tetapi yang menariknya, saya diberitahu bahawa kursus bahasa Greek tidak diajar di sini walaupun Gospel yang paling awal ditemui ditulis dalam bahasa Greek.

Ini berlainan dengan madrasah. Bahasa Arab wajib ditawarkan kerana Islam memelihara keaslian bahasa al-Quran. Timbul persoalan adakah agama Kristian tidak mementingkan pemeliharaan bahasa asli Gospel?

Lawatan saya dan Skuad Mubaligh di gereja katolik yang tertua di Negeri Sembilan mentazkirahkan kembali saya tentang beberapa perkara dakwah. Kemesraan luar biasa yang ditonjolkan oleh pihak gereja dan kebersihannya patut dijadikan contoh. Masuk ke kawasan gereja ini seolah-olah masuk ke zon bebas perkauman dan bebas sampah.

Pada masa yang sama juga, saya bertambah menghargai keistimewaan Islam yang begitu menitikberatkan penjagaan bahasa Arab iaitu bahasa asal al-Quran. Tiada huruf diubah sejak zaman Nabi Muhammad SAW.

Faktor kesahihan atau authenticity adalah salah satu indikator utama, sama ada satu kitab agama itu benar-benar wahyu daripada Tuhan atau tidak.

Lawatan saya ke gereja pada hari Maal Hijrah berjaya melonjakkan iman saya pada hari itu. Alhamdulillah.

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An UMNO member continuously speaking up against the leader of his organisation, highlighting the wrongs carry much more value than doing the same under the Opposition’s banner.

Karamjit Gill

Unveiling of Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah as a new member of PKR is being hailed as a huge step forward for the Opposition. Saifuddin abandoned Barisan Nasional due to the alleged 1MDB scandal. Looking from a wider perspective will this move add leverage to the Opposition coalition?

Saifuddin is a former Member of Parliament from Temerloh and held the position of Deputy Higher Education Minister in the past. From the beginning Saifuddin was always regarded as the future of UMNO and BN due to his moderation and progressive nature both in thoughts and action. He was never shy of questioning the government openly when he felt things are not right. He even relinquished his position as a fellow of University Malaya following the controversial termination of Professor Datuk Dr Mohammad Redzuan Omar from UM. Urbanites looked at him differently compared to other UMNO members. Not many people have negative things to say about him.

With all the qualities loved by the urban, he still lost his Temerloh Parliamentary seat to a PAS candidate during the last general election. He even lost his UMNO Supreme Council Seat. He was rendered without a position within the party. A modern, progressive and intelligent Malay lost to an individual from a conservative party. In simple words, Saifuddin was rejected from the people of Temerloh. That is something important to ponder upon. Did he not perform his duties as a MP that he got booted out? Was he just too busy politicking rather than doing his job?

The Opposition coalition is filled with the 'so called' moderate and progressive type of people. How would the addition of another one of the same kind benefit the entire organisation? In order to secure a parliamentary seat Saifuddin would probably stand in an urban area where the support is with the Opposition. That would make absolutely no difference to the domination of the Opposition. The Opposition is already in control of all major cities.

Now in PKR, Saifuddin will continue to voice concerns about alleged foul play in the government. Will that make any difference? He has been doing that all along anyway but still lost. He is going to be another one of the fringe players in PKR.

Instead, I feel the Opposition should have coaxed Saifuddin to remain in UMNO. An UMNO member continuously speaking up against the leader of his organisation, highlighting the wrongs carry much more value than doing the same under the Opposition’s banner. If the sack from UMNO was imminent, it would sway to Saifuddin’s favour. Now, Saifuddin will only be looked up and hailed by the urbanites. He would be seen as another BN defector who has become out of favour and is utilising the 1MDB saga as a vehicle to remain relevant in politics. Perhaps joining the Opposition was the only way for him to obtain a seat in the next GE hence the jump.

The one advantage Saifuddin will have now is definitely more likes and positive comments on his social media page. More town folks applauding him with every statement he makes. It is worth realising that social media is not Malaysia and vice versa. It is just a small subset in the whole big bubble. Getting huge number of hits on social media ain’t going to win you Putrajaya.

I thought the Opposition would be smarter in handling Saifuddin. Make him stay in UMNO and be a menace from inside. To defeat BN, you need to cause unrest internally. PM Najib and Co knows this and are therefore on a cropping process. The change has to happen from within. The Opposition is weak today not because of BN but because of internal squabbles.

You can fight anything provided you are strong from the inside. But if you are weak internally, even a minor threat can defeat you effortlessly. Attempting to strike BN when they are strong is going to be a suicidal mission.

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When the air pollutant index (API) had breached the 'hazardous' 300 level, the authorities decided to change the 'emergency' level to 500.

Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser

Do Malaysians know how long we have been suffering from this never-ending smog pestilence that we are subjected to every year and the abject failure of the government to solve this problem? For your information, I wrote this article 'Lessons from the smog' on 1 October 1997 (Kua Kia Soong, 'Malaysian Critical Issues', SIRD 2002):

"If the ecological disasters of recent years have failed to shake Malaysians out of their complacency, the recent smog crisis will have succeeded in forcing them to take environmental protection seriously. While the authorities may try to put the blame totally on the Indonesian forest fires, we should be more concerned about the invisible gases created by industrial and vehicular pollution that are trapped in the smog.

Negligence through vested interests

Negligence on the part of the authorities is beyond question when the problem of air pollution in Malaysian cities has already existed since the Sixties. During the early Eighties, especially in the 1982 and 1983, the problem worsened and an 'Action Plan' was mooted in 1984. (Note the date!) But as soon as the smog cleared, the Government reverted to "business as usual".

At the time, the Environment Ministry admitted that local industrial pollution, vehicular emissions and open burning were contributing to the problem. In the early Nineties, Kuala Lumpur already stood at 14^th among the most polluted cities in the world. Our reputation further deteriorated when Emperor Hirohito could not fly to Ipoh during his scheduled visit to the country in 1991 because of the smog.

"The worst haze problem in Malaysian history", 1991 

It was in 1991, described as "the worst haze problem in Malaysian history", that a National Committee on Haze was set up. (Note the date!) The Environment Ministry announced "short and long-term awareness programmes" to prevent a recurrence of the problem. However, few if any measures were adopted as the Mahathir Government pursued its "economic miracle" of untrammeled growth.

Then in 1993, a Clean Air Action Plan was submitted to the Cabinet. Its recommendations were based on a commissioned study by the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) which cost RM10 million. The details of this plan were not made public but it was known that, among other recommendations, it called for:

–          Industry to switch to using natural gas;

–          Siting new factories in non-residential areas;

–          Vehicle manufacturers to meet emission standards by mandatory installation of catalytic converters.

The JICA study warned that air pollution in the Klang Valley would reach a critical level by 2005 if serious steps were not taken. Unfortunately for Malaysians, the Cabinet decided to shelve this Clean Air Action Plan. Going by local newspaper reports, it was clear that the Mahathir Cabinet had given in to the powerful vested interests in the motor industry, trade associations who were against these measures since this would have increased their costs.

It was totally hypocritical that the same people who could accept a better quality car fitted with catalytic converters for the foreign markets were prepared to settle for internationally sub-standard and polluting cars in the local market.

Even worse haze problem in 1994 

The smog pestilence in 1994 was even worse than that of 1991 when the air pollutants reached the 'unhealthy' level of 185 micrograms per cubic meter. (Note the date!) There were more reports by the Department of Environment (DOE) in 1995 and 1996 on the crisis and the need for "immediate action".

Besides the RM10 million study by JICA, other expensive studies were carried out, one by the University of Malaya, another by Australian consultants and yet another by the Danes. On 28 July 1997, the DOE was reported to have said that "a proposed two-year study by the DOE to tackle the haze by pinpointing its specific causes has yet to begin despite being mooted almost a year ago."

Lack of enforcement of laws 

Government inaction against industrial polluters has been evident in the lack of enforcement of environmental protection laws even during the thick of the 1997 smog crisis when I wrote this article. And when the air pollutant index (API) had breached the 'hazardous' 300 level, the authorities decided to change the 'emergency' level to 500. One can only assume that this was to protect the vested interests in industry that would have had to cease all air polluting operations if an emergency had been declared.

What about health & safety of workers? 

On this point, do we hear about protection of the health and safety of workers when the 'unhealthy' API level has been breached? Rightly, the schools have been closed in such exigencies but what about the workers? Has the government, the employers or the Occupational Safety & Health people said anything about 'Stop Work' for all workers working outdoors? Do the vested interests in the construction and other industries come before the health and safety of workers?

Industrial and plantation interests are the culprits 

Through the years since the smog crisis started in 1991, no coordinated action had been taken because powerful ASEAN industrial and plantation interests were involved in the forest clearing. That is why the pious indignation expressed by ASEAN governments today after the problem has got out of hand continues to ring hollow. At first, the official media had tried unsuccessfully to put the blame on small farmers and "shifting cultivators". At the time, the "43 Malaysian plantation companies" involved in the forest clearing in Indonesia were only exposed when the crisis had become too hot for the government to handle and they had to divert the people's wrath away from itself.

It is time the ASEAN peoples started making their governments accountable for their environment and human rights and not wait for disasters to strike time and time again.

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Where the hell did Zakaria get his law degree from? And he boasts about his 33 years in the MACC and yet he does not know something that a first year law student would know.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Well, as I had told you in my article, MACC will fire the second shot after BNM, MACC fired one shot today. And I say 'one shot' because expect more shots to come over the next two weeks.

Anyway, you can read what they said in the Malay Mail Online news report below.

The interesting thing, though, is that they got a recently retired MACC officer to do the talking when he no longer works for the MACC and, therefore, technically is not authorised to speak on behalf of the MACC or commit anything on behalf of the MACC.

I mean the MACC is not legally bound by what this man says because he no longer works for the MACC. So, not being bound by any rules, he can say what he likes and would technically not be breaking any of MACC's rules since he is no longer employed by the MACC.

And then if the MACC does not do what he says they are going to do, or he says they must do, the MACC would be seen as not doing its job. And if the MACC were seen as not doing its job that can only mean there is outside interference in an attempt to cover up a crime.

As I said in my earlier article, this is all about creating a certain perception so that facts no longer matter and only assumptions count.

Anyway, this man, Zakaria Jaafar, goes around and around giving us a lecture on the law that any first-year law student can tell you. The only part of this year one law lecture that was missing was the adage: innocent until proven guilty.

This part of his statement, though, beats it all: "According to what many have said, the receiver is the prime minister, but who is the giver? That's what we need to find out because the person will be the main witness, but his location overseas will surely prolong the investigation process."

A man of the law never says: "according to what many have said." That is very vague and is hearsay and is not admissible in court. Who said it and when was it said? Is that person or persons prepared to testify in court as to where he, she or they got that information from?

Where the hell did Zakaria get his law degree from? And he boasts about his 33 years in the MACC and yet he does not know something that a first year law student would know.

Zakaria then goes around and around talking about this, that and the other regarding the RM2.6 billion. Basically he expounds on the who, why, when, etc. But then the original issue is that the money came from 1MDB. Why does Zakaria not just say that the MACC has already confirmed that the money DID NOT come from 1MDB? Why all this drama and why take us halfway across the world just to say in the end that the money did not come from 1MDB without saying so?

And then Zakaria introduces the subject of SRC International Sdn Bhd, which he says used to be a subsidiary of 1MDB. Now this is where Zakaria tripped up and this is what may hang him in the end. So let us see if he continues to talk or whether he realises he may have opened his mouth too wide and now has a hook stuck in it.

**********************************

(Malay Mail Online) – The nature of the RM2.6 billion deposited into the prime minister's accounts cannot yet be classified as the investigation is ongoing, a retired Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) senior official said.

In an interview with the mStar news portal, former MACC deputy chief commissioner Datuk Seri Zakaria Jaafar said investigations must determine both the receiver and giver as well as any possible gratification involved before deciding on further action.

"According to what many have said, the receiver is the prime minister, but who is the giver? That's what we need to find out because the person will be the main witness, but his location overseas will surely prolong the investigation process," he was quoted saying by the portal.

Zakaria said the probe on the RM2.6 billion will hinge on the evidence provided by the giver of the funds, specifically what the money was intended for.

"But if the giver says the money is for the construction of surau (prayer rooms) or mosques but he also receive gratification from the aid, then only will there be elements of corruption," he said.

According to Zakaria, who had served 33 years in the MACC, bribes could take various forms such as donations, cash, positions, goods, sex or commissions.

Reportedly saying that the situation would be more difficult if those involved seek to keep it a secret, Zakaria also said that investigators have to trace the documents relating to the RM2.6 billion and find witnesses to verify these, on top of meeting the giver.

Zakaria said that accusations against MACC would not grow if the public understood the challenges it faced, asking them not to hurl allegations against the anti-graft body.

"The public say, just prosecute, what else to investigate, but how to prosecute, it's not easy, have to find documents, after that have to find people that will talk or witnesses because the document that is found cannot talk and we need verification from the relevant parties," he was quoted saying.

The MACC previously said the RM2.6 billion is a donation from an unnamed Middle Eastern source and affirmed that its probe into the amount as well as former 1Malaysia Development Bhd subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd is still ongoing.

The MACC has said it will ask Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to explain the RM2.6 billion figure, while the latter has previously denied taking public funds for personal gain.

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