Cops widen probe on Adam

May 19, 2013

Prime Minister Najib: Listen to Voices of  Student Dissent

The Voice of Student Dissent

COMMENT: Elections are over but young citizen activists who are unhappy with the results are back to show their dissatisfaction with the outcome by attending rallies organized by the Opposition in large numbers. They are defying orders from the Police not to attend these gatherings which have been declared illegal by the Police.

They see injustice and want to change so that they are free to choose a government through free and fair elections. This movement for change cannot be suppressed because people like Adam Ali and his friends and associates in various universities and other educational institutions are driven by democratic ideals, not by money or fear tactics. Like their counterparts in Indonesia at the close of the Suharto era, they choose democracy and freedom.

His friends were feeding him food while his hands were handcuffed when he was brought to his place in Bangsar this evening.

Their demands are simple; they want a legitimate government, not one that retains power by massive electoral fraud. They want the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of our Election Commission to step down; like BERSIH, they seek electoral reforms, and they want the EC itself to be revamped and made independent. not an appendage of the Prime Minister’s Department.

Will the Najib administration engage them civilly? Obviously not, since the symbol of student protest, Adam Ali, is under detention and faces the prospect of imprisonment of up to 20 years under the penal code.

Here is the opportunity for the government to crack down on Malaysian dissidents. We have a new Minister of Home Affairs and Inspector-General of Police and his Deputy (above). They are keen to show that they are tough and intolerant of dissent. They will not hesitate to use whatever means available to them to deal with student  protests and political dissent led by the Opposition.

In truth, high handed methods will only acerbate, not alleviate tensions since these student activists are intelligent and reasonable people.

What the Home Affairs Minister and his Inspector-General of Police need to do is to have dialogue with them. It is very much in the power of the Minister of Home Affairs and the Inspector-General to defuse the mounting tension by releasing Adam Ali from detention and by allowing peaceful protests to go on.

At the same time, the Najib administration should address the issue of electoral reform and the demands of BERSIH for free and fair elections. It should also ask for the resignation of the Election Commission Chairman and his Deputy to facilitate change. –Din Merican

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Cops widen probe on Adam

by Ram Anand@http://www.malaysiakini.com

Student activist Adam Adli, who was arrested yesterday, is also being probed under Section 124 (B) of the Penal Code in addition to being investigated under the Section 4 of the Sedition Act.

His lawyer Eric Paulsen said that the police had told a magistrate this morning that Adam is also being investigated for participating in an act “detrimental to parliamentary democracy”, which is now a crime based on a newly amended provision under the Penal Code which came into effect late last year.

Paulsen said that this provision under the Penal Code was “too general”.  Adam is investigated for the remarks he made during a public forum at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) on May 13, where he, alongside several other activists, urged the people to stage a massive street protest against electoral fraud.

Investigations are also based on a report by Free Malaysia Today, quoting rally organisers telling the forum that they will use the rally to “topple the government”.  This means Adam could face up to 20 years in jail if he is found guilty under the Penal Code.

After a day, no statements taken
 
Magistrate Muzlinda Mohd had ordered for Adam to be remanded for five days due to the nature of the alleged offence, Paulsen told Malaysiakini.

The 24-year-old Adam, best known for being suspended for three semesters by University Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) for lowering a flag bearing Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s image in front of the UMNO headquarters two years ago, was arrested in Bangsar Utama at 3pm yesterday.

At the time of writing, the Police have yet to record his statement, which according to Paulsen, suggests that the arrest was an act of punishment.

“It has been more than 24 hours, and he has yet to have his statement taken,” Paulsen said, saying that Adam is still in a lock-up at the Jinjang Police station.

Paulsen, who is representing Adam along with Latheefa Koya, said that they are unhappy with the remand period and will file an objection tomorrow. He also said that Adam’s arrest and subsequent investigation signals lack of tolerance for dissent by the Najib administration.

Getting into the Cabinet the Waytha Way: Just Go on Hunger Strike

May 19, 2013

COMMENT: This is the new politics of Malaysia. One way to be in the Malaysian cabinet is to do it the Waytha Way.By putting your life on the line and compromising your health, you get the attention of the Prime Minister. And presto, you find your way to  Putrajaya. You become a senator and almost simultaneously you get to be a Deputy Minister. You do not have to be a candidate in an election. One of a kind.I can’t blame James Masing and the Sarawakians especially the Dayaks for getting upset. They delivered GE-13 to UMNO-BN but are marginalised when it came to be in the seat of government in Putrajaya.

The other way is to use a NGO like Transparency International via its Malaysian Chapter, make a lot of noise about good governance, corruption  and abuse of power. Having achieved some prominence in civil society as champion, you will be invited by the Prime Minister to be in the Cabinet as a Minister. Then immediately after your appointment, you speak to the media like Malaysiakini and the Malaysian Insider and then tell us and the rest of the world that you are  actually powerless to do anything about the things you stood up for and need to use the stature of the Prime Minister accomplish your duties as Transparency Minister.

Which way is better? Obviously, the Paul Low Way is better and smarter than the politics of Waythamoorthy. Tell me how not to be cynical about politics and Malaysian politicians.–Din Merican

by Terence Netto@http://www.malaysiakini.com

DAP National Vice-Chairperson M Kulasegaran joined in the lambasting of Hindraf Chief P Waythamoorthy whose appointment as Deputy Minister in the cabinet of Najib Abdul Razak drew broadsides from critics.

“This is probably the first time in the history of political protests that you have a leader who has fasted to get into the cabinet of a government infamous for its neglect of the cause that prompted the fast in the first place,” cracked the re-elected MP for Ipoh Barat.

“At least if he got into the cabinet at minister level, there’s something there. But he’s got in as a deputy minister. All of us know a deputy minister does not attend cabinet meetings and has no impact on policy,” opined Kulasegaran (left).

Waythamoorthy was appointed a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, presumably to handle matters covered by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between UMNO and BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and the HINDRAF leader days before the general election.

These matters generally relate to the alleviation of the plight of Indian plantation workers, the resolution of statelessness among Indians, and the provision of equal education and job opportunities to Indians.

These issues were part of a six-point blueprint for the Indian poor for which HINDRAF sought to obtain the endorsement of Pakatan Rakyat in return for the movement’s backing for the opposition coalition at the general election.

When negotiations reached a deadlock, partly over the Hindraf demand that Pakatan cede seven parliamentary and 10 state seats to the movement to contest at the polls, HINDRAF, with Waythamoorthy commencing a fast to draw moral support, opened a channel of discussion with BN.

Three days before polling on May 5, HINDRAF and BN inked a deal in which Najib pledged ameliorative action on four of the six demands in HINDRAF’s blueprint.

The dropped demands were for an end to Police brutality and custodial deaths, and a halt to institutionalised racism.

‘Hindraf goes easy with BN’

Commenting on the dropped demands, Kulasegaran, who has had his fair share of the demeaning epithet – “mandore” – HINDRAF regularly hurled at Indians seen to be compliant with the reigning political order that discriminates against minorities, said:

“Isn’t it time Waythamoorthy explains why the two demands in their six-point blueprint were dropped in the MOU HINDRAF signed with PM Najib?”

“HINDRAF pressed Pakatan hard in negotiations but they seemed to have gone easy with the BN, not demanding for seats to contest and shedding two demands that are critical for the alleviation of the plight of the Indian poor,” declared Kulasegaran.

He said the MOU between HINDRAF and BN was signed only days before the general election, “and so perhaps there was not enough time to explain why the two demands were dropped.”

“But now that the election is over, I think the public is entitled to know why the two demands were dropped. If no explanation is given, people are likely to conclude that the primary motive for the deal was to enable some individuals to advance their personal career interests more than the collective interests of the Indian poor,” asserted the DAP legislator.

Our Senators should be elected, not nominated

May 19, 2013

COMMENT: There is nothing wrong for us to have a bicameral Parliament. A Unicameral one is not a panacea for our legislative branch. The quality of our representative in our Dewan Rakyat too is questionable, if you use the quality of debate in that august House as a yardstick. Furthermore, the Executive Branch does not take Dewan Rakyat seriously. It is, therefore, the duty of political parties  on both sides to choose candidates of high quality so that voters can elect the best to represent them in Dewan Rakyat. 

Parliament Malaysia–The Seat of Democracy

It is true that as presently constituted the Senate is not effective. Both UMNO-BN and Pakatan Rakyat use it a means to reward politicians who have been discredited, or rejected by the voters. We can change it so that senators are elected by the people and the powers of the Senate should be enlarged so that it can truly act as  a check and balance mechanism in our legislature.

If we wish to reform it, then we should look at how the US Senate operates. In the US, the Senate is a powerful institution to keep the Executive Branch in check. Let us amend our constitution so that senators are elected by the people, and give the Senate added powers to counterbalance the all powerful Executive Branch.–Din Merican

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Abolish the Dewan Negara ( Senate), says Karpal Singh

by Josephine Jalleh@http://www.thestar.com.my

DAP National Chairman Karpal Singh said the Senate should be abolished as it does not serve any purpose.The Bukit Gelugor MP said having the Dewan Rakyat was good enough.

“The Federal constitution should be amended to abolish the Dewan Negara.A unicameral parliament, with a single legislative chamber, as is the position in Singapore, would be best suited in the public interest,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

“The Dewan Rakyat is supreme as it comprises members directly elected by the people and, therefore, stands on high moral ground,” he said.He added that the Senate only encourages those who have been rejected by the people or others to be brought into Parliament through the “back door”.

He cited the inclusion of Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Datuk Seri Idris Jala, Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, P. Waythamoorthy, Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan Jaganathan and Datuk Paduka Ahmad Bashar Md Hanipah in the new Cabinet of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“Any Cabinet worth its name must, of necessity, include personalities of integrity and high public standing and that assessment can only be brought through direct election by the people and not by appointment,” said Karpal.

The Dewan Negara currently consists of 70 Senators.

Transparency Minister is not quite transparent

May 18, 2013

COMMENT: Dato’ Paul Low started on the wrong foot by giving interviews to Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider before even assuming his ministerial duties. From these interviews, we know that we cannot expect much from him in terms of fighting corruption and abuse of power. This is because he faces insurmountable institutional obstacles designed to protect entrenched vested interests.I am sure he knows what he would be up against in advance.

He also claims to be an expert on good governance, transparency and corruption but those who know him including his colleagues in Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) may have a different view of him as a Minister.

I know him to be a very pleasant, soft spoken, competent and successful business person and acknowledge his considerable contributions to the work of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers and TI-M, but after watching to his 25 minute Kini TV interview, I felt that he should not have accepted to the PM’s invitation to join the Cabinet.

Dato Low would, in my view, be more effective as President, Transparency International–Malaysia and civil society advocate against corruption and abuse of power. In his ministerial role he said he will have to depend on the Prime Minister’s stature to get the job done. That is an open admission that he will be not able to operate effectively. If so, why did he accept to the invitation to be in the Cabinet?–Din Merican

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http://www.malaysiakini.com

May 18, 2013

Transparency Minister fails the first test

MP Tony Puh SPEAKS :In all honesty, I did not have high hopes for the appointment of Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) chairperson Paul Low as a new cabinet minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in bringing about significant increase in transparency and reduction in corruption by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

However, I had hoped that I would be proven wrong.I had hoped to see a newly appointed “transparency minister”, who even if he were to fail in ending corruption, cronyism and abuse of power in the BN government, would go down fighting for the cause while on the job.

However, his interviews with the media yesterday, with The Malaysian Insider and Malaysiakini have left me utterly and completely disappointed.

He said that his job was only to make proposals on changes to government systems, procedures and processes to reduce opportunities for corruption, as well as to strengthen integrity and good governance practices.

Responding to calls for a crackdown on corruption, however, he said has no power on the matter and does not control any government agencies and “will help influence public policies where necessary to reduce corruption, including taking suggestions from MACC.”

He has also told the Singapore Straits Times “I am changing a culture and that cannot be done overnight.” Paul Low must realise that he is being appointed as a full Minister, and not some paid consultant to the government.

Bare your teeth, Minister urged

If he as a Minister, has no powers or is not willing to put his foot down to fight corruption and abuse of power, then who will? Have our cabinet appointments been reduced to pretty flower vases offering just “proposals… procedures and processes”?

As transparency Minister that Malaysians are going to look up to, Paul Low must stand up against corruption, cronyism and abuse of power and not succumb to the political shackles of his office.

Paul Low cannot just tell Malaysians that MACC has the power to investigate Taib Mahmud for alleged corruption even if the latter refuses his cooperation. Malaysians already know that.

What Malaysians want to see is for our new transparency minister to show his teeth and tell the prime minister in no uncertain terms that the government cannot have a chief minister so tainted by corruption and countless abuse of power.

Singing same old song

Malaysians want Paul Low to openly ask why the MACC has failed to investigate Taib Mahmud (right)  who has accumulated excessive amounts of wealth reputed to be in the region of RM45 billion, as estimated by the Bruno Manser Fund.

What hurts the most is for the President of Transparency International to openly defend the refusal by BN ministers to disclose their personal wealth using the same tired and unacceptable excuses sung by these same ministers to date.

Paul Low said that “if you tell the public your kid is worth RM20 million, you put your children at security risk, it’s not fair” and hence “it was sufficient for ministers to declare their assets to the Prime Minister.”

Firstly, if even the children of ministers are not safe under the close protection of the Royal Malaysian Police, what chance does the ordinary Malaysians have in avoiding crime?  Secondly, and more importantly, aren’t the integrity and honesty of cabinet members paramount to ensuring a corrupt-free nation?

And if the child of the minister is indeed worth RM20 million, don’t Malaysians have a right to ask where the money come from given that a minister’s pay will never generate that amount of wealth?

Not BN bag carrier, please

What’s more, if the Pakatan Rakyat state executive councillors of Penang and Selangor can publicly disclose their assets, why can’t the BN Ministers do the same, unless they have something dirty to hide?

Paul Low’s appointment to the cabinet was perhaps the only “bright spark” in the “same old” list.However the spark is being quickly doused before the fire has had a chance to flare up. He  needs to be the champion for fighting corruption and cronyism in the cabinet, and not become the bag carrier and make-up artist for Najib and his merry men.

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TONY PUA is Media DAP national publicity secretary and Petaling Jaya Utara MP.

A Constitutional Farce and an Inauspicious Start for Premier Najib

May 18, 2013

COMMENT: When do you things in a hurry, you are bound to overlook procedures and ignore past practices. But this “oversight” is more serious than that. The appointments of Wahid and Paul Low as Ministers and Loga and Ahmad Bashah as Deputy Ministers are in violation of Article 43 (1) (b) and Article 43A(1) of the Federal Constitution. Unless they are formally sworn in as Senators, they cannot take up their ministerial posts.

One would have thought that the Attorney-General would have been consulted before these appointments were made. Of course, our public officials think that this “glitch” is a technical issue that can be easily rectified by swearing them in as members of Dewan Negara. In truth, a violation is a violation.

What an inauspicious start for the Prime Minister. Perhaps, the Chief Secretary to the Government, Dr Ali Hamsa, should take rap for failing to ensure that all ministerial appointments as in this instance comply with the provisions of our constitution. His job is to ensure that our Prime Minister is  NOT put in a very awkward position.

Dr Ali should know that Government is serious business. Maybe, Caesar’s wife can teach him a thing or two about good housekeeping. Always do the right thing. –Din Merican

by Lim Kit Siang

What a constitutional farce – Paul Low and Abdul Wahid Omar not legally Ministers and Waytha, Loga and Ahmad Bashah not legally Deputy Ministers as they have not been sworn in as Senators

It is neither a good omen nor a good start for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s post-13GE Cabinet.

Already Najib’s new Cabinet labours under a cloud of legitimacy for the simple reason that Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Prime Ministership is under a cloud of legitimacy – not only because Najib and Barisan Nasional got 47% popular vote as compared to Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat’s 51% popular vote, but also because the 13GE was the most unfair and dirtiest general elections in the nation’s history.

If the 13th GE had been clean, free and fair, with a level playing field for both coalitions, Anwar and PR would not only have an increased popular vote over 60 per cent or even exceeding 65 per cent, but would also have won a majority of the 222 parliamentary seats in the country.

There are 10 Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, the PM, DPM and eight Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, more than the four Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department in the last Cabinet.

Now, Najib’s post-13GE Cabinet has also become a farce and even a joke as it has two illegal Ministers and three illegal Deputy Ministers although they have gone through an unlawful oath-taking ceremony before the Yang di Pertuan Agong on May 17, 2013.

It is sad and shocking that the Prime Minister’s Department and the various government departments involved have become so careless, negligent and remiss that the fullest compliance with the proper laws, regulations, proprieties and protocols have been ignored or even violated – which should never have happened in a 56-year-old parliamentary democracy under six Prime Ministers.

Even the Transparency International-Malaysia Election Integrity Pledge signed by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on February 20 to comply and observe four principles of good governance had been disregarded, the four principles being:

• Truth, integrity, ethical conduct and accountability, including not accepting or giving bribes or being involved in corrupt practices in any way;

• Upholding and giving priority to the interests of the rakyat as a whole;

• Good governance and transparency; and

• Compliance with all the applicable laws and regulations of Malaysia.

It cannot be more ironical that Paul Low, President of TI-M who witnessed Najib’s signing of the Election Integrity Pledge is himself party to the violation of the Pledge on his appointment as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Yesterday, after the swearing-in ceremony for Ministers and Deputy Ministers before the Yang di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah at Istana Negara, Najib convened a two-hour Cabinet session at the Cabinet Room in Putrajaya.

However, a dark cloud hanged over both proceedings – as up to the present moment, Datuk Paul Low and Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar (both Prime Minister’s Department) are not legally Ministers and Waytha Moorthy (PM’s Office), Dr. J. Loga Bala Mohan (Federal Territories) and Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah (Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism) are not legally Deputy Ministers as they have not been sworn in as Senators.

Was the two-hour first Cabinet meeting yesterday tainted by illegality because of the attendance of two illegal Ministers, Paul Low and Abdul Wahid.

Today, Paul Low is already giving interviews as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, which he is not entitled to, as his Ministerial appointment can only take effect when he is sworn in as Senator – which is very clear from Article 43 (1) (b) in the case of Ministers and Article 43A(1) in the case of Deputy Ministers.

I am given to understand that up to now, there has been no swearing in of the five for them to take up the two Ministerial and three Deputy Ministerial appointments.

We have illegal voters….and now we have illegal Ministers

Is there going to be a “rushed” midnight swearing-in of the five as Senators? Najib should explain how such a glaring breach of the Constitution and the law as well as causing embarrassment to the Yang di Pertuan Agong in producing such a farce of Cabinet-making could happen.

What a disappointment, Mr Low

May 17, 2013

COMMENT: This is a letdown, Mr. Low. You have given up your cherished cause of fighting corruption and promoting good governance so soon. You know you cannot rely on the Prime Minister’s stature to get your job done. You must work with the MACC, the A-G Chambers and the Police in implementing existing laws to fight this national scourge.

If you think that your job is to “make proposals on changes to government systems, procedures and processes to reduce opportunities for corruption, as well as to strengthen integrity and good governance practices,” then I are of the view that you would be duplicating the work of MAMPU and PERMANDU. You should remain in Transparency International-Malaysian Chapter, where you have access to good staff, and expertise from Transparency International headquartered in Berlin . At TI-M, you can act independently. By being in the Cabinet, you have been checkmated by politicians in power.  And you are beginning to sound like one of them.

I only hope you will not suffer the same fate as Zaid Ibrahim who had to resign from the Badawi Cabinet when he failed to make any headway in reforming the Judiciary and abolishing the Internal Security Act.–Din Merican

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May 17, 2013

Paul Low to rely on Prime Minister’s Stature to fight Corruption

by Boo Su-Lyn@http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Datuk Paul Low said today he was hoping to rely on the Prime Minister’s stature to enable him to fight corruption, admitting that he has no enforcement powers.

The newly-minted minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who used to helm graft watchdog Transparency-International Malaysia (TI-M), said that his job was only to make proposals on changes to government systems, procedures and processes to reduce opportunities for corruption, as well as to strengthen integrity and good governance practices.

“If I’m a lame duck, other alternatives will be lame duck. What do you do? No need to try?” said Low in an interview with The Malaysian Insider today.

It’s very easy to be critical…what is the other alternative? Shout from outside? From TI, be an armchair critic? I cannot do it alone…I’m a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. That gives me stature,” he added.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said yesterday that Low would be judged on his achievements in eradicating corruption, noting that the latter would be a “lame duck minister” if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak did not implement tangible reforms.

Pua pointed out that Low would be scrutinised on his ability to ensure that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will continue to investigate Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud despite the latter’s refusal to co-operate with the anti-graft body, to ensure transparency in government contracts, and to ensure that ministers and deputy ministers publicly declare their assets.

Low stressed today that the MACC was independent as it reported to a parliamentary select committee, and not to the Prime Minister’s Department.

“I would think they’re independent because they’re governed by a review panel. They must just uphold the rule of law; nobody gets impunity. If the law is not adequate enough for them to nab the people, then you amend the law,” said the 67-year-old.

He added that the MACC did not need Taib’s “permission” to investigate him on shady land deals in Sarawak exposed by international environmental group Global Witness last March.

“They can go to whatever office that is involved and demand for files or documents, with or without the person’s permission,” said Low.

He also said that investigations should be initiated if ministers were found to be living beyond their means, but noted that it was sufficient for ministers to declare their assets to the prime minister and to the MACC.

“If you tell the public your kid is worth RM20 million, you put your children at security risk, it’s not fair,” said Low.

Low added that he would be heading a public complaints bureau on a range of grouses, besides corruption, that would be channeled to the right agencies and, if necessary, to the Prime Minister.

“Only through him, we have powers in terms of allocating resources and to engage other ministries to get better governance,” said Low, referring to Najib.

“There must be strong political will. Otherwise, people do not see you walk the talk or that you exercise double standards. The government would lose credibility even further,” added the Accountant by training.

He also stressed that all government procurement contracts should generally be awarded through open tenders, unless there were specific reasons to award them through closed negotiations.

“This is the toughest decision I’ve made. It’s an area, to be frank, that my success will depend not only on myself, but people working with me and the people I need to support me in terms of resources, and who are working alongside to provide necessary expertise and the necessary political will,” he added.

Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking has been sliding for the past few years; though Malaysia improved in 2012 to be the 54th least country in the world, the international index still placed Malaysia below African countries like Rwanda (50) and Botswana (30).

But Low expressed hope that government agencies would soon accept that they could not “continue with old ways”.

“We have to convince them that if it’s general policy, they should follow….People want a clean government,” said Low, who has served on various government agencies like the National Economic Action Council and Malaysian Industrial Development Authority.

Singapore’s The Straits Times newspaper reported Low today as saying: “I am changing a culture and that cannot be done overnight”.

GE-13 is Neither Free nor Fair

May 17, 2013

Bishop Paul Tan and I agree: GE-13 is Neither Free nor Fair

Bishop Paul Tan and I  have no problem in agreeing that GE-13 is “anything but free and fair”. We are not in the business of political hedging, preferring to state our views as clearly we can. No mincing of words for fear of incurring the displeasure of the powers that be.In fact, we owe it to our government to tell them the truth, however unpleasant that maybe.

As Malaysians who are concerned about freedom, democracy, and justice, we support BERSIH. We are with Ambiga and her civil society friends and are very pro-electoral reform. BERSIH must continue its work.

Having stated my position on free and fair election, I accept the appointment of Prime Minister Najib and his Cabinet by our beloved King. His Majesty has acted in the best interest of our country by accepting the election results. Consequently, countries with whom we have diplomatic relations have accepted the new Government.

The Opposition, however, is free to contest the election results in our country’s courts. In the meantime, the business of government must begin in earnest since uncertainty is bad for our economy and our morale.

The new Najib Government should deal the following issues with a great sense of urgency:

• Fight Corruption and racism.
• Free the media.
• Manage the economy and deal with the serious budget deficit and the mounting national debt.
• Promote a merit based system of government.
• Restore Judicial Independence.
• Revamp the Education System.

– Din Merican

Bishop: Polls anything but free and fair

RK Anand | http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

Bishop Paul Tan explains that while he abstains from partisan politics, he supports electoral watchdog Bersih in its cause for free and fair polls.

INTERVIEW

PETALING JAYA: An outspoken Catholic cleric has cast aspersion on the 13th general election with regard to the battle for Putrajaya being clean and fair.

Bishop Paul Tan said this in reference to the report of the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS).

“IDEAS and CPPS have done an interim report. In it, there is this conclusion: ‘GE13 was only partially free and not fair’. I find it difficult to believe that the report could conclude this…

“But when it concluded ‘only partially free’ for the three reasons given that

Malaysians want a competent and efficient institutions.

are fraught with irregularities as reported in the said report, the people involved are not objective,” he said.

“From the multiple examples of irregularities arrived in the report, permit me to use a stronger phrase than that of IDEAS and CPPS: GE13 is anything but transparently ‘free and fair’,” he added.

The Bishop, who heads the Malacca and Johor diocese, conceded that he could be wrong but stressed that he was morally obliged to speak out at this time because of the immorality practiced before and during GE13.

“If I didn’t speak up, I would have to answer to my God and my Church,” he said.

Tan said while he obeyed the Catholic Church’s teaching that clerics must not take sides in partisan politics, he noted that the church also taught that clerics must speak out against immoralities and against all that go against human rights.

“As a religious person in my role as bishop, I am in a dilemma vis-a-vis to what extent should I allow a certain degree of immorality or infringement against human rights to go on unpunished before denouncing them publicly,” he added.

For a long time, Tan said, there had not been sufficient action taken against immorality in its widest sense, especially corruption.

“Some attempts have been made by related government departments to deal with the matter. In ‘grosso modo’, it has not been effective. Only a few small fish have been caught, the big fish was left untouched.

“The consequence of this ‘laissez faire’ lifestyle is that it has produced massive corruption, cheating and immoral manipulation of the people to garner votes for one’s political party. Unfortunately, this cuts across the boundaries of all parties. The degree lies in the extent of corruption,” he added.

‘Are we not ashamed?’

The Bishop also noted that the most obvious example was the lavish manner in which the Najib administration threw cash to get votes.

“Where is our country going? Are cheating and corruption condoned as part of our Malaysian culture? Are we not ashamed of our country being an immoral society? We must all reflect and examine our consciences. What sort of nation do we want our country to be, moral or immoral? Undoubtedly, all will want a ‘moral country’.But what sort of morality do we want? It is here that the degree of permissiveness comes into play. To what extent can we tolerate it before stringent action is taken to punish the unscrupulous?” he said.

Condemning money politics, Tan said even if it was considered “legalised corruption”, it does not exonerate the guilt of the ones involved.

“Corruption is corruption, even if one was to dress it up like a queen. A toilet remains a toilet, even if one gives it the beautiful terms of ‘comfort room’ or ‘powder room’,” he added.

The Bishop explained that while he abstained from partisan politics, he supported electoral watchdog BERSIH in its cause for free and fair polls.“Any rational and moral person will support it,” he said.

UMNO is strong, only Barisan Nasional is weak

May  17, 2013

by http://www.themalaysianinsider.com(05-14-13)

The results of the recent general election show that UMNO is as strong as ever despite Barisan Nasional losing the popular vote, according to a Straits Times report today.

Writing in the Singapore daily, James Chin (left), a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), argued that many Malaysians are misreading the situation and think that UMNO is weak.

He said UMNO today is as strong as it was in 1971, adding that it is BN that is dying, not UMNO.

“The Malay heartland, all in rural areas, backed UMNO and that is why it increased its number of parliamentary seats and why there is an UMNO-alone government in Kuala Lumpur today,” he wrote. In his article, he gave a rundown of the evolution of UMNO from its formation in 1946 under various leaders including Datuk Onn Jaafar, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and how the party has changed over the years.

Chin wrote that the flaw in Dr Mahathir’s Malay state building was the scourge of money politics. “With so much money flowing out of the government into selected UMNO elite, the competition became so intense that the only way to get support was to ‘buy’ support.”

He said money politics in UMNO was tolerated because it did not contradict Malay or Islamic dominance of the system. As long as the money did not threaten UMNO or Ketuanan Melayu, it was seen as a necessary evil for the functioning of UMNO.

Chin also wrote that despite losing the two-thirds parliamentary majority in the 2008 general election, UMNO failed to tackle the corruption issue or move to the middle ground. It cared only about control over Malay minds and control of the federal government.

He argued that reforms undertaken after 2009 were mainly cosmetic and in the economic arena; real political reforms did not take place and that is why the urban polity rejected UMNO this year.

“For example, on the issue of Ketuanan Melayu, rather than deal with it, the party simply ‘subcontracted’ the work to PERKASA, a Malay right-wing organisation established after 2008.”

He said the urban public did not buy the argument that UMNO had reformed when PERKASA’s President and Deputy President became BN candidates this year. It became clear that UMNO would not change its political leanings.

Chin said it has become increasingly clear in the past two decades that UMNO is now BN and BN is UMNO. UMNO accounts for just less than half of Cabinet ministers. In Parliament, the overwhelming bloc within BN is always UMNO. In 2008, UMNO won 79 seats out of BN’s 140. This year, UMNO won 88 out of BN’s 133 seats. In percentage terms, this translates to 56 per cent and 66 per cent respectively.

“Today after 56 years of independence, UMNO still controls the rural Malay mind. Yes, it is true UMNO has lost control over large sections of the Malay community in urban areas. Under Malaysia’s electoral system, it is the rural seats that decide the federal government, not urban seats. Urban seats account for less than a quarter of Malaysia’s 222 parliamentary seats while about 150 seats are Malay/Bumiputera-majority seats,” he wrote.

Chin argued that UMNO is unlikely to reform in time for the 14th GE, and does not need to. “As long as the first-past-the-post system continues to allot disproportionate weight to rural voters, all UMNO has to do is to keep the fire of Ketuanan Melayu and Ketuanan Islam burning brightly in rural Malaysia,” he said.

‘GE-13 exposed elements of PKR being a US puppet’

May 16, 2013

Ruhanie Ahmad, trying to make a political comeback?

‘GE13 exposed elements of PKR being a US puppet’

by Aidila Razak@http://www.malaysiakini.com

The 13th general election has elements fitting the hypothesis that Pakatan Rakyat, or PKR in particular, is a foreign stooge working to change the regime for the benefit of the United States of America.

However, whether PKR is indeed on the US payroll to do its bidding can only be confirmed by the party itself.This is the argument put forth by blogger Ruhanie Ahmad (left) at a forum in Universiti Malaya today that discussed the way forward for the BN and Pakatan after GE13.

According to Ruhanie, who authors the socio-political blog Kuda Kepang, geo-political readings would make US interference not entirely surprising.

He told a packed lecture hall at the main campus in Petaling Jaya that this was because the US has been sore with Malaysia for blocking its control of the Malacca Straits.

“If they can control (the Malacca Straits), they can transport energy from the Middle East to East Asia.Control of sources of energy and transportation routes will make the US the ultimate superpower,” said Ruhanie, who is a doctorate candidate in geo-politics and security studies.

Malaysia’s Prime Ministers from Dr Mahathir Mohamad to Najib Abdul Razak have been clear that no global superpower will have a stake in the maintenance of the straits.

This makes Malaysia the last elusive jigsaw piece in the US bid to control the Southeast Asia maritime channels, after successfully forging agreements with the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

“I see the 13th general election as the climax to an attempt by a superpower to put its proxy against the ruling government. That is my initial assumption. Is it true?” asked the former BN backbencher.

Ruhanie said question marks over foreign influence also extended to NGOs such as electoral reform group Bersih, which has admitted to receiving funding from US sources.

He said that this argument was also put forward by “authentic” sources like socio-political portal Global Research writer Tony Cartalucci, who said that Wall Street was disappointed that its “proxy” lost in the Malaysian election.

“For the BN, this election exposes two security problems – national security and societal security – and this must be corrected by the BN as a government’s role is to safeguard security.”

Hypothesis failed peer review?

However, Ruhanie’s views were challenged by members of the audience, made up largely of post-graduate students and doctorate candidates.

One doctorate candidate from Akademi Tentera Malaysia Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (ATMA-UTM) – who stood up during the question-and-answer session – even went as far as saying that if he were Ruhanie’s supervisor, he would not give the former MP a passing mark.

“As a doctorate candidate, what framework did you use to come to that conclusion?

“The Global Research writer Cartalucci had also written that the Lahad Datu intruders were part of the Free Syria army, which is absolutely absurd,” the UTM student said.

To this, Ruhanie replied that he did not make a conclusion, but merely raised a hypothesis for further study.

“My hypothesis is based on the new classical realm… that everything that happens in a country is a causal effect of something else that happens outside the country,” he said.

Another postgraduate student also asked how was it that supporters of BERSIH and Pakatan have to often fork out their own expenses to attend events if the two groups were so flushed with cash.

However, the former Parit Sulong MP did not respond to this.To another question, Ruhanie admitted that he had been very supportive of BERSIH in 2007, but “the objectives and perceptions were different then”.

“The first BERSIH is not the same as the second and third BERSIH (rallies),” he said, admitting that he was also very critical of the Abdullah Administration, but that he was okay with the Najib Administration.

Also on the panel were Merdeka Centre Director Ibrahim Suffian and Keevan Sivarajah (left), who coordinated the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) election observation mission.

In response to Ruhanie, both started their presentations by admitting that they are foreign funded.

Ibrahim said he received US$60,000 in foreign grants, while Keevan said the entire election observation mission was funded by foreign missions and most controversially, by the George Soros-funded Open Society Institute.

“We wrote to the Pakatan and BN governments, as well as the Prime Minister’s Department for funding, but no one wrote back,” Ibrahim said.

Although not taking Ruhanie head on, Ibrahim said one needed to truly question if funding of US$60,000 for Merdeka Centre and US$20,000 for BERSIH was as big a security threat as the thousands of foreigners flooding Sabah, as was revealed to the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants.

Malaysian Cabinet formed but legitimacy crisis continues

May 15, 2013

Malaysian Cabinet formed but legitimacy crisis continues

By Anil Netto

PENANG – Large crowds have turned out in protests in major cities on peninsular Malaysia in response to a general election marred by allegations of irregularities and vote-buying. As the protests spread across the country, the Opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat’s challenge has the potential to destabilize Prime Minister Najib Razak’s new government.

Despite winning less than half of the national vote, BN now controls 10 out of 13 federal states due to its careful carving of constituencies.

In the central state of Selangor, some 100,000 thronged a stadium in the first major protest three days after the May 5 polls. Thousands more attended a simultaneous protest at the Rusila Mosque in Terengganu on the peninsula’s east coast. These were followed by another large turnout of close to 100,000 at another stadium, in the northern state of Penang, on May 11.

On Sunday night, some 30,000 crammed into the streets of Ipoh, the capital of the state of Perak, for yet another rally. More rallies are expected this week, including in Johor Bahru in the south and Kuantan on the east coast of the peninsula. Smaller groups of Malaysians have congregated in cities abroad, including in Melbourne, Taiwan, and Singapore.

At all the rallies participants have dressed in black to symbolize a democracy “blackout”. The de facto Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leader Anwar Ibrahim and other coalition politicians have made several rousing speeches decrying fraud and irregularities at the polls. They have also made their case with international audiences, including in interviews with big global broadcasters.

In a campaign that highlighted rampant corruption and cronyism in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, the PR won almost 51% of the popular vote at the polls. But with constituencies gerrymandered to favor less-populated rural areas traditionally held by BN, PR won only 40% of parliament’s 222 seats. (BN captured 133 parliamentary seats to the PR’s 89.)

PR retained the state governments of Penang and Selangor, both developed states that it has governed since 2008, and the rural east coast state of Kelantan and lost narrowly in the northern state of Kedah.

Despite winning less than half of the national vote, BN now controls 10 out of 13 federal states due to its careful carving of constituencies. In Perak state, which PR captured in 2008 only to lose power after a few of its elected representatives defected, the BN won only 43% of the popular vote but still captured the state assembly, winning 31 state seats to the PR’s 28.

Subramaniam Pillay, a steering committee member of the civil society Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH), notes that the last time constituencies were redrawn was in 2003, and that only a simple majority in parliament and the state assemblies is required to redraw electoral boundaries – though a two thirds majority is required to increase the number of seats.

PR’s three component parties are expected to challenge the results in some 30 parliamentary constituencies where the BN won with small majorities. They have 21 days from the date the results are officially gazetted later this month to submit court petitions.

They could also file more general suits relating to vote-buying and constitutional issues related to the conduct of a caretaker government. Bersih, which has staged massive street rallies in the past against BN’s perceived manipulation of the electoral system in its favor, has said it would set up a “People Tribunal” to investigate the allegations of fraud and irregularities.

Najib, for his part, claimed a “Chinese tsunami” (a reference to the ethnic Chinese who represent 25% of the population) voted down BN candidates in many urban areas. Utusan Malaysia, owned by Najib’s United Malays National Organization (UMNO) party, took the cue with a headline splashed on its front and back pages asking “What more do the Chinese want?”.

BN’s insistence on viewing the country’s fast-changing political landscape through a race-tinted lens is consistent with its old style of politics, which is theoretically based on power-sharing among race-based political parties in BN but in reality is dominated by the ethnic Malay-led UMNO.

The contrast with the PR’s self-proclaimed “new politics” could not be more pronounced. Multi-ethnic demonstrators have said they represent a “Malaysian tsunami” that wants good governance, clean and fair elections and an end to corruption, and an end to the BN’s practice of exploiting ethnic divisions.

“Some commentators here have missed the whole point: we are not saying the opposition will take over the government or whether the elections results can be verified and fraud detected,” said Jeremiah Liang, who left a comment on a blog. “No. The real change is that the people of Malaysia, from all races and mostly urban, starting with Selangor and then to other states, are saying to the incumbent government: You have lost the people’s mandate to lead and to govern.”

The Police have responded by threatening to investigate 28 speakers at recent rallies for sedition, an offense, punishable by imprisonment, that the BN has long used to stifle criticism of its rule. The organizers of the various rallies will also be investigated for allegedly violating the Peaceful Assembly Act, which requires they give 10 days notice to the police before staging rallies. Should the government make mass arrests, the situation could tilt towards instability, some analysts believe.

To what extent election fraud, including allegations of voting buying in the crucial North Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak, can be proven with sufficient evidence to overturn the results remains questionable. PR parties will face significant constraints to scrutiny in interior and difficult-to-access rural areas long controlled by BN politicians.

However, in one significant expose, the social reform group Aliran found people lining up for payments ranging from 150-200 ringgit (US$50-67) over the weekend in a few nondescript locations based on vouchers received before polling day. Some of those lining up for payments but who didn’t receive cash were told they would only receive payment if the BN candidate in their area won.

Others says the real source of fraud lies in the integrity of the electoral rolls. The BN’s granting of identity cards or citizenship documents to migrants in Sabah that allow them to vote had been the subject of a royal commission of inquiry but was postponed ahead of the election.

The Election Commission, meanwhile, has received flak for using indelible ink that disappears with mild scrubbing. With 260,000 military and police personnel eligible for early voting five days before official polling, the issue has raised concerns that BN-loyal security officials may have voted more than once.

The PR’s focus on electoral irregularities and gerrymandering may mask somewhat the coalition’s failure to deliver its clean governance message in grass roots rural areas. Many of the rural voters receive their news from television, radio and newspapers tightly controlled by the BN-led federal government, while few have access to more independent Internet-based news.

If PR did get its message across, it may not have resonated with rural voters as it did with urban ones. For instance, its pledges to reduce highway tolls, provide free higher education and usher in good governance lacked popular resonance in remote areas of Sabah and Sarawak where direct BN populist hand-outs maintained voter loyalty.

Among rural voters and some urban voters there were no doubt concerns that they would lose out if the BN’s affirmative action policies were replaced by the PR’s promise of more meritocracy in the distribution of state funds. While PR had indicated it would adopt a more needs-based – rather than race-based – approach, old insecurities remain.

Other weaknesses in the PR campaign included disputes over seat allocations among component parties that led to several multi-cornered contests that split votes in pro-PR areas. The late selection of PR candidates also gave them little time to familiarize themselves with the area and electorate in Malaysia’s short campaign period.

Despite these weaknesses, Anwar has announced plans to hold more rallies. While it still seems unlikely these will morph any time soon into a larger Arab Spring-like movement that overturns the result, the rallies and the allegations add to the pressure on Najib, who is clearly struggling to come to terms with the erosion of BN popular support.

Anil Netto is a Penang-based writer.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/SEA-01-150513.html

Prime Minister Najib’s Cabinet, 2013

May 15, 2013

One can be relieved that despite controversies surrounding UMNO-Barisan Nasional victory in GE-13, Prime Minister Najib has finally a Cabinet of his own. He can now proceed to honour his election pledges and continue his transformation agenda. He has taken more than a week to announce his Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Political Secretaries. The delay was due to efforts to persuade MCA and Gerakan to join his Cabinet.

His Cabinet line up is (see below):-

Malaysiakini reports (May 15, 2013):

Quote: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak unveiled his “transformation cabinet” this evening, which included a P Waythamoorthy (below) of Hindraf as a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

It also included UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin who was overlooked in the last cabinet – he is tapped as sports and youth minister.

No one from MCA and Gerakan has been included in the new cabinet. However, Najib said that the door is still open to MCA participation if the party amends its decision not to participate in the cabinet.

Another surprise was the appointment of Transparency International-Malaysia President Paul Low (below) as Minister in Prime Minister’s Department.

Maybank Berhad Chief Executive Officer Abdul Wahid Omar was roped in as a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, and most probably will be in charge of Economic Planning Unit.

However, Najib did not name the responsibilities of the six Ministers in his department, an increase of one compared to his previous cabinet.

The Transport Ministry is understood to be the Ministry allocated for MCA, which will be helmed by Hishammuddin Hussein. Another new face in the cabinet is Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who has been named local government and housing Minister.

This cabinet also sees a merger between the education and higher education ministries.

Najib unveiled his cabinet at his office at 5pm. The announcement, Najib’s first official action as head of government following the May 5 general election, was telecast live by local TV channels.

Najib had earlier submitted the cabinet list to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and said his Majesty had given his approval to his cabinet list.

“I believe this is a balanced cabinet. It’s a balance between the experienced, technocrats and young leaders,” he said. As for MCA’s resolution not to take up government positions, Najib said that MCA has to amend its resolution before it can participate in the cabinet.

“If they re-consider later, we have a ministry post ready for them,” he said, referring to the Transport Ministry.

Najib’s new cabinet is heavily dominated by UMNO with 20 ministers, while PBB (Sarawak) has 4, MIC, 2, PRS (Sarawak), PBRS, PBS and UPKO (Sabah), 1. Three ministers, all of whom are in the PM’s Department, have no party affiliation. Unquote.

Tunku Abdul Aziz– Ethics Advisor to the Cabinet

I personally had expected that Tunku Abdul Aziz (right) would be a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. He is well qualified to join the transformation team given his wide experience on issues of governance, ethics and corruption. He was the man who started Transparency International-Malaysian Chapter.

Tunku Aziz was also Ethics Advisor to Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the United Nations. It is unfortunate that Tunku Aziz is not chosen.He would be well suited to be in charge of Ethics Office in the Prime Minister’s Department.

However, we can take comfort that Dato Paul Low of Transparency International-Malaysia Chapter and formerly with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers has joined the Cabinet as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. Let us hope Dato Low will be able to help Dato Seri Idris Jala in fighting corruption and abuse of power in public administration.

Tengku Razaleigh for National Reconciliation

Najib should have tapped the expertise of Gua Musang’s Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. The Kelantan Prince would be ideal to promote national unity and bring about national reconciliation after a very hot contested and divisive election. He has access to key personalities in the political Opposition and can serve as the link between Government and the Opposition.

Obviously, the Prime Minister has other ideas. Perhaps both Khairy Jamaluddin at the Sports Ministry and Shabery Cheek at Communications and Multimedia can probably play that role through sports and multimedia communication.  This would mean that both Khairy and Shabery would have to complement each other.

Overall, I think that the Prime Minister has been able to make the best use of talent available to him. I wish him and his Cabinet all the best. Remember Accountability first and now. –Din Merican

______________________________

The new cabinet, by party and in numbers

8:39PM May 15, 2013www.malaysiakini.com

Non-BN Ministers and Deputy Ministers:
Idris Jala (Sarawakian, no party affiliation, retained)
Paul Low (Transparency International-Malaysia president, new)
Abdul Wahid Omar (Maybank chief executive officer, new)
P Waythamoorthy (disputed Hindraf chief, deputy minister)

Ministers in previous cabinet dropped:
(Excluding MCA and candidates who lost or did not contest GE13)
Shaziman Abu Mansor
Noh Omar
Koh Tsu Koon, Minister in PM’s Department

Gender composition:
Two women ministers out of 35 ministerial posts and four women Deputy ministers out of 26 Deputy ministerial posts. In total, six women out of 61 posts. In the last cabinet announced in June 2010, there were also two women ministers and three deputy ministers.

East Malaysia and Peninsula composition:
Ministers:
East Malaysia: 13 (Sarawak 8, Sabah 5) – (6 in last cabinet, Sabah 4; Sarawak 2)
Peninsula: 22 – (25 in last cabinet)
Total: 35 – (31 in last cabinet)

Deputy Ministers:
East Malaysia: 8 (Sabah 4; Sarawak 4)
Peninsula: 18
Total: 26

The highest number of Ministers from Sabah and Sarawak:
1) Joseph Kurup (Sabah/PBRS) – Prime Minister’s Department
2) Joseph Entulu (Sarawak/PRS) – Prime Minister’s Department
3) Nancy Shukry (Sarawak/PBB) – Prime Minister’s Department
4) Idris Jala (Sarawak/Senator) – Prime Minister’s Department
5) Anifah Aman (Sabah/Umno) – Foreign Affairs
6) Fadilah Yusof (Sarawak/PBB) – Works
7) Richard Riot (Sarawak/SUPP) – Human Resources
8) Ewon Ebin (Sabah/Upko) – Science, Technology and Innovation
9) Maximus Ongkili (Sarawak/PBS) – Energy, Green Technology and Water
10) Douglas Uggah (Sarawak/PBB) – Plantation Industries and Commodities
11)Rohani Karim (Sarawak/PBB) – Women, Family and Community Development
12) Shafie Apdal (Sabah/Umno) – Rural and Regional Development
13) Abdul Rahman Dahlan (Sabah/Umno) – Housing and Urban Well-being

Party breakdown of Ministers:
UMNO: 21 (same as last cabinet)
PBB: 4 (1)
MIC: 2 (2)
PBS : 1 (1)
PBRS: 1 (0)
PRS: 1 (0)
Upko: 1 (1)
SUPP: 1 (1)
Non-BN: 4 (1)
Total: 35 (31)

Party breakdown of Deputy Ministers:
Umno: 17
MIC: 2
PBB: 3
PRS: 1
Hindraf (NGO): 1
PBS: 1
PPP: 1
Total: 26

Chinese and Indian representatives:
Chinese: 2 (1 Minister and 1 Deputy Minister; down from 6 ministers and 10 Deputy Ministers in last cabinet)
Indian: 6 (2 Ministers and 4 Deputy Ministers; the same as in the previous cabinet)

Malaysia’s Democracy Crisis-2013

May 15, 2013

by Justin Lim@http://www.nst.com.my

‘SILENT’ MAJORITY: In GE13, seven million eligible voters decided that democracy is not worth the effort

WITH the immediate dust of the 13th General Election having settled, life has resumed, for most, and many have written extensively and reflected critically on the significance of this election.

There is no doubt that this historic election has captivated the hearts, minds and the imaginations of many for what the future holds for us Malaysians as individuals, communities and the nation.

One issue that has escaped the attention of most is the existence of a “silent” majority of the electorate. These are eligible voters whom, although eligible, did not register to vote.

On the surface, their inactivity appears to be harmless, easily passed off as fence-sitters and almost oblivious to the political atmosphere. Delving deeper, however, shows that it is no trivial matter.

The number of votes garnered by both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan are approximately five million voters each, sizeable by any account. Consider, however, the size of this silent majority.

In mid-2011, four million voters that are eligible did not register. By 2012, these voters have grown to an estimated five million, despite the numerous countrywide registration campaigns held. However, a record breaking 2.2 million did register, which is certainly commendable.

But let us imagine that voting was made compulsory for all and that our ballots were initially, by default, crossed on a hypothetical I-Don’t-Care-Enough Party, whereby turning up on election day is the only way to reselect our candidates of choice. The no-show of these five million will, by default, choose the I-Don’t-Care-Enough Party.

This party is now in the same league as BN and Pakatan!With the additional two million who registered but did not turn up on election day — also choosing the I-Don’t-Care-Enough Party by default as a result — this party is now the real winner of GE13 with a popular vote of seven million voters!

But this I-Don’t-Care-Enough Party is an oxymoron; they are simply indifferent, interested but not committed, silent or unwilling to engage in the issues at hand. In other words, apathy and spectatorism is now the true Malaysian ideology.

Although this hypothetical scenario seems too far-fetched, it does not change the fact that these seven million strong are, unfortunately, the real majority of this election. In GE13, four out of ten eligible voters have decided that democracy is not worth the effort.

The study of economics is the study of how rational human beings — the extent of our understanding of rationality, actual or perceived, is debatable — make decisions.A cast vote is a decision made; an uncast vote is also a decision made.

The lack of engagement in the simplest form of democracy — representation through elections — though certainly not free from contamination — by such a sizeable portion of eligible voters is a crisis of democracy by any standards.

Certainly there are other countries, either Asian or Western, rich or poor, which have regressed in a similar manner. But our Voting-Age-Population (VAP) turnout of less than 60 per cent — ratio of those who voted to all eligible — is the lowest among our ASEAN neighbours, according to International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

And yet we boast of a historic election when seven million, which is also a record number, cast invisible ballots on election day.

As Malaysia still struggles to free itself from its colonial past, race, religion and class-based identity, and moves towards a nation based on shared values, it needs the engagement from all Malaysians and not just a passionate few to bring the country forward. Getting our hands dirty in the process is necessary.

History describes all too well that vice is not found in passionate and sincere patriotism, but in the lack of moderation which can only be tempered with the engagement by all quarters: the majority and minorities, the urban and rural, the have and have-nots, the zealous and of course the spectators in the process of building, or rebuilding a nation.

Pakatan Rakyat’s Task is Momentous

May 15, 2013

by Selena Tay@http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

It cannot be denied that Barisan Nasional has won the 13th general election at all costs. And it also cannot be denied that they have obtained less than 50% of the popular vote. When all is said and done, this simply shows that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is not that popular after all.

While Pakatan Rakyat will be filing election petitions to challenge the results of between 25 to 29 parliamentary seats, the results of the 13th general election at this point in time is definitely valid until the legal process takes its course.

Therefore the Pakatan MPs must now focus on the work of being the Opposition in Parliament. Their first task of course will be to bring up important issues in the new parliamentary session which will be held either end of this month or early June.

One of these issues of course will be the crime rate. People are being killed due to snatch thefts and violent shootings and these have been reported in the mainstream papers. Numerous other incidents of crime go unreported, especially the house break-ins in neighbourhoods and residential areas.

Another issue that should be brought up by the Pakatan MPs is the one-sided reporting practiced by the mainstream media. Not only before the 13th general election but also after the polls have been concluded. The mainstream media is still set in its ways in attacking Pakatan Rakyat.

DAP especially has been singled out to bear the blame for causing the so-called ‘Chinese tsunami’ when in fact many Chinese had also voted for PAS candidates.

Perak PAS strategist, Ustaz Idris Ahmad has vowed to bring up in Parliament the issue of lopsided mainstream media reporting and BN’s brand of divisive politics.

Said Idris, “Labelling the 13th general election as a ‘Chinese tsunami’ is BN’s Machiavellian method of staying in power at all costs because they have no wholesome ideas that can benefit the rakyat.” Idris also criticised the National Civics Bureau (BTN) for implanting malicious slanders against Pakatan in the minds of the civil servants.

“Even I myself won in the parliamentary seat of Bukit Gantang with the help of the Chinese voters. The Chinese only reject BN, not reject Malay,” stressed Idris who also mentioned that UMNO constantly tells the rural Malays that DAP is anti-Islam while at the same time instructing the mainstream media to blank out MCA’s insults on Islam, especially when it comes to MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s remarks that ‘Islam impedes economic progress’.

Idris noted that there is absolutely no proof that DAP’s Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng is a racist. Guan Eng had in fact increased the allocation for the Islamic religious schools and the salary of the religious teachers when he took over the post in 2008.

“In actual fact, UMNO is covering up for its own weaknesses by blaming others. And that is why Malays who can think and who are informed will reject UMNO. Malays need to think out the answer to this question: ‘Who is oppressing the people of Kelantan, the majority of whom are Malays?’. The Malays who can answer this question correctly will definitely reject UMNO,” remarked Idris.

Malicious Journalism

Malicious journalism which incites racial sentiments and misleads people is an evil practice that does nothing to enhance nation-building. In addition to that, there is also wrongful reporting by the mainstream press and Malaysian government paid journalists and analysts (youtube above).

A local English daily on May 13, 2013 reported that PAS candidate Wan Aishah Wan Ariffin who contested the Parliament seat of Jempol in Negeri Sembilan against BN’s Isa Samad had lost her deposit.

For the record, Isa obtained 31,109 votes while Wan Aishah got 22,495 votes. This shows clearly that she did not lose her deposit as only those who failed to obtain more than 1/8 of the total votes will lose their deposits. (For a parliament seat, the deposit is RM10,000.)

Idris took pains to stress that there has to be a fair election system and this is an issue that must certainly be raised in parliament. He brought up the example of Perak wherein for the state seats, Pakatan had obtained 625,710 (54.8%) votes while BN’s vote count was 506,947 (44.4%) and yet BN gets to form the state government!

There were three state seats in which Pakatan lost by a slim majority and they are Lubuk Merbau (53 votes), Manjoi (132 votes) and Manong (231 votes). In Manjoi, the loss was due to the postal votes wherein there should be no more postal votes in the this general election.

“The worst and most ironic thing is that the votes for the postal voting which took place earlier were counted only after all the ordinary votes have been tallied up and this issue definitely needs to be looked into for the umpteenth time and properly addressed,” said Idris.

For the parliamentary seats in Perak, Pakatan obtained 590,344 votes (51.7%) while BN obtained 546,451 votes (47.8%).

At the end of the day, BN has done many evil, malicious and wrongful deeds. All these shenanigans mentioned above and those not mentioned only go to show that all right-thinking citizens have a momentous task ahead to bring this nation forward by strengthening the bonds of racial unity.

We need perseverance, fortitude and wisdom in the struggle to make this nation great.

Selena Tay is a DAP member and a FMT columnist.

Najib New Cabinet will be named on May 15

May 15, 2013

by Jahabar Sadiq (05-14-13)
Editor, The Malaysian Insider

The new Cabinet to be announced tomorrow (May 15) will have a familiar look and loaded with UMNO lawmakers, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak having one eye on this year’s party polls.

One likely to make a comeback is Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor, the Barisan Nasional (BN) and UMNO Secretary-General who gained notoriety several years ago for allegedly fixing judicial appointments during the Mahathir era.

Also on the shortlist is Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh (left), the former Terengganu Mentri Besar who together with Tengku Adnan is a member of the BN war room that planned the coalition’s Election 2013 campaign.

Another member of the war room, Rompin MP Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis, could also be rewarded with a Cabinet post, sources said today. But they said that no losers in the general election will be appointed to the Cabinet through appointments as a federal senator.

The Cabinet list is being scrutinised with interest on expectations that they have to be in line with Najib’s drive for reforms after getting his own mandate in the May 5 general elections.

There has been speculation that he would also opt for newer and younger faces to push his reform agenda outlined under the BN manifesto and various socio-economic initiatives since he took power in 2009.

The names of two state companies chiefs, Malayan Banking Bhd Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar and Khazanah Nasional Berhad’s Managing Director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar (right) have also been bandied about but there is strong sentiment in Putrajaya that by virtue of winning 88 federal seats, UMNO must be rewarded.

One polarising figure in the discussion for a Cabinet position is UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin with strong push back from the Mahathir camp, arguing that his baggage from the Abdullah years will be a liability.

In his corner is Najib who believes that Khairy, who tripled his majority from 5,746 votes in Election 2008 to 18,357 in this year’s polls, will be important in tackling social media and coming up with strategies to win the young.

One tricky move is whether to remove Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as the Home Minister or retain the UMNO Vice-President in that post. An online poll by The Malaysian Insider today showed that out of nearly 18,000 respondents, 97 per cent were against him to remain as Home Minister.

The other two UMNO Vice Presidents, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datu kSeri Shafie Apdal, are expected to keep their Cabinet posts as Defence and Rural Development ministers respectively.

It is also understood that Kelantan UMNO chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed is expected to keep his post as International Trade and Industry Minister.

State news agency Bernama reported today that Najib is scheduled to have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah at Istana Negara at noon tomorrow to get approval for his new Cabinet line-up.

According to the statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Department today, the King has agreed that ceremony to present letters of appointment, as well as for the appointed ministers and deputy ministers to take the oath of office, loyalty and secrecy be held at the palace at 9.30am on Thursday.

The Malaysian Insider also learnt that Sungai Besar MP Datuk Noriah Kasnon is expected to fill the post of women, family and community development minister after her stint there as the deputy minister since last year.

Bernama had earlier reported that several new faces from Sabah and Sarawak could fill vacancies caused by MCA and Gerakan’s decision not to accept any Cabinet posts following their drubbing in the May 5 general elections.

Among the names mentioned are Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) Deputy President Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, 52, who is Bintulu MP and ex-chairman of the BN Backbenchers Club.

Other than Tiong, two MPs from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), namely Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin, 57, (Batu Sapi) and Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching @ Mary Yap Ken Jin, 62, (Tawau), are also speculated will be new faces in the Cabinet.

Khalid Ibrahim: Menteri Besar of Selangor for a Second Term

May 14, 2013

by Terence Netto@http://www.malaysiakini.com

COMMENT: After a little more than a week of wrangling over who from PKR is to be Selangor Menteri Besar, incumbent Khalid Ibrahim took the oath of office as the state’s CEO today.

When it comes to power relations in Malaysian politics, incumbency confers enormous advantages – just ask the BN if you doubt that.

The propulsion of incumbency and a track record that has more plusses than minuses have pushed the former Permodalan Nasional Bhd CEO to commence his second term as MB of the richest state in the country. But Khalid would damage his credentials if he does not take heed of critics’ objections to him.

The nub of the case against extending his tenure made out by challenger Azmin Mohd Ali (right in photo), the Selangor PKR chief who caused a tempest in a teacup by doing so, was that Khalid takes a long time to make decisions on investment proposals because of a disinclination to delegate responsibility.

He doesn’t trust anyone enough to delegate and so micromanages, which often means he does not have enough time to respond quickly enough to business proposals. This causes frustration among local investors keen to get going on their propositions but the MB remains unimpressed with the businessmen whom he has not known from before his time as MB.

Between nerve and courage

When you have been a successful CEO of a big government-linked corporation like PNB, it must take an enormous amount to disturb your sangfroid even if you are sufficiently aware you are now tending a field whose essential character is much different to a corporation.

The corporate man looks at the work culture in his place and the bottom line and then decides if he is doing well or not; the political one has not only to look to ethics and sustainability, he has also to manage people’s expectations – a thing that’s far too elusive to pin down.

It’s like the difference between nerve and courage, about which it is easy to be confused. Nerve is what you need to jump out from a four-storey building when there is no other escape from a fire; courage is when you go back for a friend.

A similar difference obtains between corporate managerial and political panache. Khalid lacks the latter which is why Selangor PKR stalwarts are driven to distraction by his lack of appreciation for their needs.

Khalid (left), having had a fairly smooth ride up the corporate ladder in plantation group Guthrie and in PNB, has not really had a spell in the wilderness of want such as signal members of Selangor PKR have had between the start of the reformasi struggle in 1998 and partial success in the Oopposition Pakatan Rakyat’s victory in Selangor at the 2008 general election.

Party politics is also about jobs, opportunities and rewards, which a corporate man may find it difficult to appreciate. The latter is apt to think he has made it on his own steam; therefore he does not need patrons and, worse still, parasites.

Party politics, however, is also about patronage, networking and IOUs which can come due at awkward times. Someone inured to years in the wilderness would know these realities instinctively and will comport himself, when installed in power, in such manner that he knows the right mix of patronage, rewards and opportunities that will keep a ravening horde at bay.

Understandably, corporate types would consider such exertions vexatious but skilled political ones revel at this game.

New Political Secretary

In his second term as MB, Khalid would have to acquire some of this skill if he is to appease stalwarts among the PKR cohorts in Selangor and from outside the state who live in the Klang Valley and dabble in business there.

He would clear a formidable obstacle in the way of his responsiveness to this claque if he eases out Faekah Husin (right), his political secretary who hasn’t a clue that the placation of this group is a political necessity.

Assuming that Khalid, because of his corporatist past is not good at this game, one must assume that he would have the dexterity to make sure he has a political secretary who would supply his lack.

Unfortunately, Faekah exacerbates rather than lubricates Khalid’s shortfall. Now, his continued occupation of the MB post is dependant on he getting a new political secretary. He is said to appreciate the need for a new one but is against easing out the current one with anything less than refined methods.

If extended to his not inconsiderable virtues as Selangor MB, which have seen the state accumulate reserves of RM2.6 billion from a position of debt inherited from the previous BN government’s profligacy, Khalid would easily become the state’s most accomplished Chief Minister by the end of his second term.

No change is possible in UMNO, thanks to Dr. Mahathir

May 14, 2013

by Zaid Ibrahim

I have never seen as many vile and seditious statements invading the public sphere as I have in this past week. We’ve had Utusan Malaysia provoking the Chinese for rejecting the Barisan Nasional and UMNO leaders labeling non-UMNO Malays as greedy and easily misled.

An academic suggested the abolishment of vernacular schools to encourage unity among the races and an old and pro-BN “historian” said that the Chinese are not actually keen on unity. To cap it off, a retired Court of Appeal judge (right) practically made a call for “restoring” Malay rights and dignity by whatever means.

I never realised that retired judges are also involved in part-time politics, although I believe this case to be a serious aberration.  In the meantime, have we heard anything from the Prime Minister expressing regret for these statements? Perhaps a promise to take some action to stop this dangerous game of provocation? None whatsoever; in fact, he defended Utusan by saying Chinese newspapers are playing the same game.

Is this the kind of Prime Minister we want? Certainly not. I have been very patient with him, as have so many Malaysians.

We have always given him extra room to breathe because we thought he was surrounded by the worse ultras in UMNO. We allowed him to dabble in “double speak” because we thought it was necessary for him to maintain his equilibrium as UMNO President.

Najib has to go

But enough is enough. This man has to go. He is afraid to do the right thing for the country. His 1Malaysia is a sham. I blame him for allowing this mad, racist frenzy to pander to UMNO delegates so he can retain power at the party elections at the end of the year.

His conduct is inexcusable. If he wants to deal with a challenge from his No 2, he need not appear to be more Malay than Muhyuddin.  There is no need to unleash the keris and Utusan or to get all these half-baked Malay leaders to spout hate.

His mentor Dr Mahathir has given him all the ammunition he needs. UMNO is the only political party in the world where a Supreme Council decision can override any provision in its own Constitution (hard to believe but it’s true).

Even the Chinese Communist party does not have this provision. So all the Prime Minister has to do is get the Supreme Council to pass a resolution prohibiting any challenge to his position.

With his men intact in the Supreme Council (both elected and appointed by him), there would be no contest for the party presidency. Even if this resolution is “flawed” it could not be challenged in court. Dr Mahathir has made sure of that. With the amendment to the Federal Constitution and the Societies Act, the Court no longer has any power of judicial review of decisions made by political societies.

So why engage in this song-and-dance that can irreparably damage racial and religious harmony in the country, when all you want is another five years at the helm? UMNO delegates are easily managed if their leader has the means to address their concerns. They are not terribly difficult to deal with.  Just ask Dr Mahathir.  So please, spare innocent Malaysians your UMNO gamesmanship—we want peace and harmony, not hate politics.

A Lesson from Keynes for our Government

May 14, 2013

Keynes

In the long run, we’ll live to 300 and work

May 10th 2013, 22:12 by W.W. | HOUSTON

JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES’S contention that “in the long-run, we’re all dead”, is hard to dispute. Niall Ferguson, a professor of history at Harvard, raised hackles recently by suggesting that Keynes’s seeming indifference to the welfare of future generations had something to do with the fact that he was childless and gay.

As it happens, Keynes wasn’t at all unconcerned with the long run and was actually making a point about the danger of economic theorems that encouraged governments to believe that short-run economic interventions, such as goosing the money supply during a downturn, are futile. Keynes’s keen interest in futurity is on full display in his famous essay, “Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren“, in which the economic conditions of the long run is probed with great insight.

As Ezra Klein points out, Keynes was impressively prescient about the extent of future economic growth, but less so when considering how we would respond to plenitude. Keynes saw the possibility that we would simply consume more, but he speculated hopefully that we would use our wealth to enjoy meaningful leisure, and that

the love of money as a possession — as distinguished from the love of money as a means to the enjoyments and realities of life — will be recognised for what it is, a somewhat disgusting morbidity, one of those semi-criminal, semi-pathological propensities which one hands over with a shudder to the specialists in mental disease.

That is to say, in the long run, before they’re dead, our grandchildren will be gentle persons of leisure disgusted by the work of getting and spending. Alas, we are not.

Keynes’s mistake, according to Mr Klein, is that he failed to see that

Humanity’s true nature evolved around the economic problem and, with the economic problem solved, it has simply applied itself to a simulacrum of the economic problem.

In the United States, the economic problem that organizes many of our lives is not that we don’t have enough. It’s that we don’t have quite as much as those who have more. That’s an economic problem that, almost by definition, can never be solved.

Another way to put this is that scarcity is a relative notion, and thus can never be overcome. It’s a good point, though I have different complaints with Keynes’s forecast.

First, Keynes is too myopic about the definition of “the long run”. That the living ever dwell at the frontier of time seems to encourage a fallacious sense that the hour is getting late. That the end is nigh is deep in the DNA of Christian Western culture. Friedrich Hegel and Francis Fukuyama spotted the end of history just ahead of them. “Latter Day Saints” hoard potable water and canned goods in their cellars.

Environmentalists tout a sort-of pagan eschatology. Yet, for all we know, this is the morning of humanity, and the modern era of economic growth was but a light breakfast. Suppose that in 50 years a great breakthrough extends the average lifespan by hundreds of years.

Our grandchildren will look upon the present age of so-called abundance as the end of the original human era, during which a terrible and absolute scarcity of time prevailed. It’s really not at all clear that even the richest of us is that much less poor than our hunter-gatherer forebears. If the hour is early, it may be that we are poorly prepared to understand what it would even mean to solve “the economic problem”, the problem of scarcity.

My second complaint is that Keynes’s assumption about the superiority of leisured pursuits is dogmatic rather than reasoned. Though Keynes saw quite clearly that the English aristocratic class seldom made the best use of its leisure, it’s hard not to see his bias against commerce and consumption as a vestige of aristocratic ideology about the inherent degradation of market activity.

The idealisation of bohemian artistic and intellectual life, and the dogma of its superiority over the bourgeois commercial life, that prevailed among Keynes’ Bloomsbury friends, and prevails still among artists and intellectuals, is a remarkably sturdy remnant of our feudal legacy. No doubt the persistence of economic striving has more than a little to do with humanity’s deep-seated anxieties about relative position, as Mr Klein suggests.

Perhaps if we felt no need to keep up with the Joneses and Mendozas and Patels, it would not be the case that so many of us sincerely like working, like earning, like buying, and find a great deal of meaning in it. Perhaps if we had no positional impulse, we’d find luxurious stretches of leisure time less intolerably enervating.

Perhaps. It seems simpler and less question-begging to say that we keep on working long hours and buying lots of stuff because, whatever the ultimate cause, we take less satisfaction in the occupations of non-commercial leisure.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/05/keynes