The Ugly and Unsportsmanlike side of Malaysians

December 29, 2010

Suzuki Cup 2010 Finals: The Ugly and Unsportsmanlike side of Malaysians

by Syed Nadzri @www.nst.com.my

IT almost turned into a night of shame at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday, when sharp rays of light shot from laser pointers in the spectator stands disrupted play and almost caused the first leg of the Suzuki Cup football final between Malaysia and Indonesia to be abandoned.

And this is something those dim-witted fans responsible for that dumb act should know — they were not doing the Malaysian team any favours by trying to blind Indonesian goalkeeper Markus Harison with the laser pointers each time he was up against a set piece.

The offence, plus the discharge of firecrackers at one stage, seemed to have been forgotten and eclipsed by the euphoria of Malaysia’s 3-0 win. But it cannot be denied that the consequences of the fans’ misbehaviour could have been fatal to the team.

In fact, the match was on the brink of being abandoned when referee Toma Masaaki of Japan stopped play not long into the second half following repeated protests from the Indonesian bench over the laser nuisance.

And if the match had been abandoned then, Malaysia and FAM, its governing football association, would have landed in a lot of trouble, risking a ban and a hefty fine on top of having to concede the match to Indonesia.

To the fans who flashed the laser pointers, it was a stupid thing to do and you should have just stayed at home. Not only did it show the ugly and unsportsmanlike side of Malaysians, it could have turned the emphatic victory, which I thought the young Malaysian side fully deserved, into a hollow one. The Indonesians, I’m quite sure, will be quick to claim that the six-and-a-half-minute stoppage by the referee following the disruption had affected their concentration, thereupon causing them to concede the three goals which incidentally came not long after.

True enough, an Indonesian fan from Jakarta was on Twitter immediately after the final whistle, declaring that Malaysia had won the match through dirty tactics.

It must also be remembered that the Suzuki Cup Southeast Asian Nations final is, quite uncommonly, over two legs with the return leg due in Jakarta tomorrow (December  29, 2010). Malaysia is, therefore, still not the conclusive winner despite having a three-goal advantage.

So, we can definitely expect a hot and intimidating reception in Jakarta with the anticipated capacity crowd at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. They await the Malaysian team’s arrival and, at this stage, have not ruled out Indonesia overturning the deficit. After all, the team beat Malaysia 5-1 in the preliminary stage last month.

In sports, Jakarta has given Malaysia hostile reception on many occasions before. Remember the 1967 Thomas Cup final at the Senayan Indoor Stadium?

There was almost a riot when Malaysia took the lead. Play was halted on so many occasions when the crowd heckled the Malaysian team led by Teh Kew San and started flashing their camera bulbs when Malaysian players were about to receive a serve. In the end, the match was abandoned and Malaysia was declared winner with a 6-3 scoreline.

Sunday’s gaffe in Bukit Jalil almost came to that. But we all hope it will not happen again in Jakarta tomorrow in the spirit of sportsmanship. Still, the big questions remain about Sunday night: Why was security so lax? Why was no one hauled up when Indonesia first protested as early as in the first half?

The worst part was that firecrackers were also ignited and thrown towards the pitch in the heat of the incident.  We saw it happen in some of the Malaysia Cup matches earlier and though Sunday’s disturbance was not as bad as the one that erupted in the Selangor-Kelantan match recently, it should have been menacing enough to make FAM sit up and do something.

Maybe it was too difficult, if not logistically impossible, to frisk all 85,000 people at the turnstiles. But, at least, the presence of security men in all sections of the stands could have minimised the risk.

But in the final analysis, the ball is at the fans’ feet. If they come to see a good game, they should know better. Shout Malaysia Boleh by all means, but keep the firecrackers for the Merdeka celebrations and the laser pointer for your power-point presentations in the office.

“The Simpsons” in real life

December 29, 2010

Nuclear Power Plants in Malaysia: “The Simpsons” in real life

by Mariam Mokhtar@http://www.malaysiakini.com

If ‘1Malaysia’ were a TV series, it would be ‘The Simpsons‘. Reading about Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s desire to have nuclear power plants in Malaysia is like watching a replay of ‘The Simpsons‘, the series in real life.

In both – the country and the cartoon, government and large corporations are portrayed as callous entities that take advantage of the common worker and authority figures are seen in an unflattering light. Politicians are corrupt and the local police force is incompetent.

Religion is a recurring theme and in times of crisis, the family in ‘The Simpsons‘ turns to God, whilst in real-life Malaysia, politicians are not averse to using religion as a manipulative tool.

In Malaysia’s own version of ‘The Simpsons‘, Najib can only be Mr Burns, the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant who is attended to at all times by Waylon Smithers, his obedient and sycophantic aide, confidant and secret admirer.

Smithers has homosexual tendencies and enjoys an intimacy with power that most people will never experience. As I am not privy to the Najib administration or his household, I do not know who, in real-life could assume Smithers’ rôle.

Mr Burns cuts corners and endangers people’s lives. Najib is about to do that with his mad scheme of wanting two nuclear power plants for Malaysia even though he is aware of Malaysia’s poor track record of maintenance.

Our costly mistakes in the Defence Ministry (where a high level of technical expertise is critical) have shown that scant attention has been paid to contracts. Purchases of faulty or obsolete equipment, or non-existent items and the use of low-grade materials in construction and short-cuts in maintenance have resulted in wastage and death.

Just like Najib, Mr Burns is a stereotype of Corporate America. He has an unquenchable desire to increase his own wealth and power, coupled with a lack of concern for his workers, or for the safety and well-being of citizens of Springfield.

Springfield’s richest man built his atomic energy fortune from the ground up after inheriting his father’s atom-splitting factory. Najib built his career by piggy-backing on the reputation of his father, Malaysia’s second prime minister. Like Mr Burns, Najib has been able to control local elections and possess unparalleled power in the country.

Out of step with public opinion

Mr Burns’ state of mind is the subject of frequent jokes on the show. At times, he appears to be completely removed from reality. Looking at the NEM and various BN policies, it is obvious that Najib is also out of step with public opinion. Burns is unaware of the townspeople’s general dislike of him. Najib believes that his 69 percent popularity rating is a good sign.

Mr Burns is Springfield’s richest and most powerful citizen and he uses his power and wealth to do whatever he wants, usually without regard for the consequences and without interference from the authorities. Many will argue that the similarities between Najib and Mr Burns, are uncanny. Towns which have seen by-elections, like Sibu, can testify to Najib’s vote-buying.

Mr Burns spends his time in his office at the nuclear plant. Najib spends his time, when he is not on overseas trips, in Putrajaya. In Springfield, workers are monitored by closed circuit cameras. In Putrajaya, this is no different, where every corner spouts two, possibly more closed circuit cameras and is known to be Malaysia’s most ‘watched’ place.

President Truman thought Mr Burns to be the nation’s most trustworthy person and asked him to transport a specially-printed trillion-dollar bill to Europe as the USA’s contribution to the reconstruction of Europe. Similarly, Malaysians thought that its prime minister was the most trusted person and could only watch in vain as Najib frittered away the nation’s wealth with mega-projects, like the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka.

Burns resides in Burns Manor, a vast, ornate mansion on an immense estate. It is protected by a high wall, an electrified fence, and a pack of vicious attack dogs known as “The Hounds”. Najib lives in his official residence, the ostentatious Seri Perdana which is undergoing a RM65million refurbishment and is similarly well-protected.

Mr Burns routinely subjects Springfield and its residents to his abuse and, as a result, there is a general dislike of him throughout the town. On paper, we will be shown to have acquired the best and most expensive nuclear know-how. But the whole-world knows we are suckers.

What if we thought we were building a nuclear power that was built to specifications but because of Malaysia’s massive sub-contracting and Ali Baba schemes, we ended up with a nuclear facility that was inferior?

Shoddy quick-fix

What if the contract was not properly scrutinised and we found that we were liable for extra costs or maintenance? What if nuclear material went missing? What if terrorist organisations exploited our weakness? What if we invited the friendship of rogue nations because of their nuclear ambitions?

Those in government hardly care if the project fails or not. Those involved will have made their cut of the deal. We may think we are paying for the best when in fact, we are only paying for a shoddy quick-fix job engineered by Ali Baba companies. The disappearance of two jet engines is relatively minor when compared with a problem of nuclear proportions.

In ‘The Simpsons‘, Mr Burns has blackmailed and bribed various officials in Springfield, including the mayor and the nuclear safety inspectors.That is the scary bit. Will Najib or his administration also attempt to bribe the nuclear safety inspectors and thus endanger Malaysia?

Sadly, we do not have a loveable bungling Homer Simpson who will always manage to save the situation with his strokes of good luck.

No Substitute for the Truth

December 28, 2010

http://www.sun2surf.com

by Citizen-Nades (R. Nadeswaran)

TO the scores of journalists and wannabe investigative journalists, London’s City University is the place to hone their skills. It has the best facilities and academics to help one transform oneself from a good journalist to a great one where you meet some of the biggest names in journalism on campus. For those not so privileged to seek a basic degree or a post-graduate title, there is always the Summer School where the luminaries of writing skills, investigative processes, masters of undercover operations, overt and covert information gathering, get an overview at its annual sojourn over three days.

While the cameraman displaying his dummy water-bottle with a hidden camera may create the oohs and aahs at demonstrations and while IT experts show how easy it is to hack into an email account, nothing beats hearing from the men who have done it all.

Having been two of the few Malaysians (the other being Terence Fernandez) who have had the honour of attending two such courses, it’s always a pleasure remembering the words from the people who had mastered journalism to an art. Who could forget the forceful words of award-winning journalist, GV producer and director, John Pilger, who has held a candle for journalism in our part of the world.

“It is too easy for Western journalists to see humanity in terms of its usefulness to ‘our’ interests and to follow government agendas that ordain good and bad tyrants, worthy and unworthy victims and present ‘our’ policies as always benign when the opposite is usually true. It’s the journalist’s job, first of all, to look in the mirror of his own society,” he says adding that a journalist must be a guardian of the public memory

Who can ever forget Andrew Jennings, the award-winning journalist whose work on football corruption had compelled FIFA head honcho Sepp Blatter to ban him from all official functions? But Jennings has been chasing bad and crooked sports officials for three decades and his four books justify his claim that football is crooked from top to bottom. The passion keeps him continuing his pursuit for truth and in the process, a few scalps.

But Gavin MacFadyen, the visiting professor at the university encouraged all us scribes, despite the restrictions and the obstacles paved before us, to continue to persevere. When asked what skills and qualities were needed in aspiring reporters, he said: “It’s not so much (about) skills, it’s mania. If you’re a maniac and really suspicious and compulsive – you’re going to do well, you’ll get the skills.”

That was last year but MacFadyen has since made significant progress and made headlines and his images have made the TC clips worldwide as a great supporter of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks which made headlines over the past weeks and threatened to bring diplomacy to its knees.

MacFadyen was the man who sat with us foreign journalists, talking about passion, the need to push the envelope, the requirement that investigative journalism takes you to the edge and that there’s no substitute for the truth.

These days, he is unreachable, perhaps a choice which he opted for. He seems over-indulged and immersed with the Assange affair on which he makes no secret that he is committed to. His name may not appear on the front pages like socialite Jemima Khan whose ex-husband was Pakistani cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, but his whole-hearted commitment to free speech is something that should be admired.

Like Jennings, he makes no bones about addressing issues that affect society as whole, especially when it comes to something that they believe in. MacFadyen may now be impossible to reach for an interview, but as he taught us, perseverance always pays. As our search for the illusive interview continues, be assured that the readers of theSun will be the first to read about him, WikiLeaks and Assange. Wish me luck as I try and track him down while he may be having a quiet turkey dinner somewhere in the British Isles. In the meantime, Merry Christmas to all our readers.

R. Nadeswaran hopes to touch base with his former guru who has much more to tell the world which yearns for the unadulterated truth. Comments: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

Pakatan Selangor State Government: Don’t Act in an insecure manner

December 28, 2010

http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com

Message to Pakatan Selangor Government: Don’t Act in such an insecure manner

by Khoo Kay Peng

Academician and social activist, Wong Chin Huat, put this up on his Facebook:

‎1Malaysia is indeed political and unlawful to appear on billboard under current by-laws. Selangor should not back down on this but the solution should be to lift the ban on all political logos. Pakatan Rakyat should stand for more freedom rather than less. What’s wrong with political billboard? Selangor should have put up anti-ISA and water right billboards instead.

I totally agree with Wong’s observation. The Selangor government does not have to act in such an insecure manner. Conceptually, there is nothing wrong with the 1Malaysia slogan or logo. If it can be realised, it is actually good for the country.

However, it is a fact that slogan does not unite people, policies do. Until and unless the Barisan government amends/abolishes the race supremacy concept and race affirmative policy, there can never be real unity in the country.

It is simply asking the government to respect and accept the equal rights of all citizens regardless of race or creed. These rights are enshrined in the  Federal Constitution. Granted, the Federal Constitution did make exclusive provision for the special privileges for the Bumiputras but it was made in the context of their socio-economic status at the time when the constitution was drafted.

Even the NEP was a good policy. It had helped to alleviate many people out of poverty and create a larger pool of Malay-Bumi professionals and middle class.

Politics is the biggest evil. Race politics and self-interest had manipulated the policy and the special privileges into an imaginary “supreme” social status.

KPI Minister Koh Tsu Koon was wrong to say that 1Malaysia helps to unite people. It does not because slogan is just another slogan. What helps to unite people is enshrined in Koh’s party constitution – the promotion of non-racialism and non-racial politics. As much as Koh is working very hard to promote the 1Malaysia slogan, he did not show as much enthusiasm and conviction in helping to promote the non-racialism spirit which was the bulwark of Parti Gerakan.

Similarly, the Pakatan state government should not ban the use of 1Malaysia logo on business related billboards. Two wrongs do not make a right. When the Barisan government bans any mention of Rosmah, Altantuya, Najib or any sensitive public issues on the national media, cartoon books, online etc., the opposition front had accused the Barisan government of being undemocratic. Strangely, it is now behaving like the opposite side.

Several activists and observers had criticized the Pakatan coalition and leaders for being too cosy operating in the same political mould created by Barisan. Pakatan state governments did not implement anything drastic, different or attempt to change the governance model left behind by the Barisan government.

Cut away layers of populist policies implemented by these state governments reveal nothing but the old way of doing things. There is a serious lack of innovation, creativity and enthusiasm shown by these new state governments.

The way forward is to be more open, flexible and accommodate differing political views and opinions.

Pakatan should focus on creating the same or even bigger momentum compared to pre-2008 general elections if it hopes to topple the Barisan. To date, the coalition is facing too many conflicting forces within its own ranks. Even the civil society does not appear to give their full backing to the newly minted coalition unlike during the 2008 GE.

It is time for Pakatan leaders to perform a thorough health check. They should lose their arrogance, ignorance, complacency and lack of common sense.

Lessons from WikiLeaks

December 27, 2010

Lessons from WikiLeaks for Us in Malaysia

by AB Sulaiman*@http://www.malaysiakini.com

COMMENT: In the last few weeks, WikiLeaks has been the focus of the world’s attention. Founder Julian Assange has followed the principle that a government might have secrets but these are not to be used to cover abuses. Bad government is bad for the country; that seems to be his credo.

So he leaked out inter-governmental documents despite the ‘secret’ or other similar labels stamped on them. It looks like human rights, open democracy and light-speed push button communication offered by the Internet has combined in a new version of the perfect storm, wreaking havoc to secretive cross-border communications.

Thanks to WikiLeaks we are now able to taste not only more of the spice of the hot curry of international politics but also to know the ‘off the record so please do not quote me’ other people’s views of us.

Is WikiLeaks good or bad; is it morally sound, is it legally tenable? And should we embrace this new communication ‘medium’ with all gusto and enthusiasm? I am no expert on the question of the morality and legality of this issue. But I am of the view that WikiLeaks is decidedly good for the country.

My reasons are basic. I am in favour of the good old fashioned way of running a country, especially one like ours whose buzzword is ‘nation-building’.

First, there should be open democracy. This means that the government is run on the rule of law, on the check and balance between the executive, legislature and judiciary; on power belonging to the people; on the people enjoying their human rights; on the government managed on the platform of transparency, responsibility and accountability to us the people.

Second, the country must develop economic sustainability. The national resources should be managed properly so as to generate good and continuous returns; that markets must be developed.

Thirdly, the human resource must also be developed. The people must be educated, be knowledgeable; that they must be taught or acquire some skills, and that they be professional whenever they perform their economic roles.

Transparency all but gone

In the first two decades after Independence the country has seen a lot of these principles. But at present I see very little of them. So many things have been done behind the cloak of national interest and security. Transparency is all but gone.

Consider the following:

First, the government has this penchant for secrecy in conducting state affairs. To begin with when our ministers are sworn to office they have to take the oath to protect government secrets; not truth, the constitution, or the people’s interest like most other ministers in other democracies do.

Also, many government business transactions like the purchase of military equipment (remember the French Scorpene submarine purchase?) are done on a negotiated basis, citing ‘national security’ for it.

Even civilian affairs would be labeled as such, like the contract terms and conditions given to highway concessionaires. I say that if a harmless highway concessions contract is deemed secret then many thousands of other lesser cases would easily be labelled as one too.

Furthermore, other national transactions like the sale of MAS shares to Tajuddin Ramli that caused the national carrier RM8 billion loss, has been declared as done in the name of ‘national interest’.

What more, even the construction of Putrajaya costing horrible billions was a state secret, with the people not knowing anything about it until the project was well under way.

Invariably these closed-door negotiations, projects and developments were done in the name of ‘national security’ and ‘national interest’. This in turn suggests jacked up prices, deliveries below specifications, huge kickbacks, wastages and total disregard of any economic principles; of corruption at the highest levels and involving obscene amounts.

Second, I’d say that our government has this easy tendency to label its affairs and their supporting and recording documents as secret, thereby beyond the people’s reach for discussion.

Third, the government has this practice of dealing harshly with lawbreakers or whistleblowers. Once a case is classified as secret then there are numerous laws to ensure for it to remains so, like the Official Secrets Act and the Internal Security Act.

These Acts are specially designed to protect government secrets (but more ‘abuse’ to me) from being leaked to the people. They are there waiting to pounce on ‘lawbreakers’.

Over-using ‘secret’ label

With this government penchant, it does appear that our government has been over-using the ‘secret’ label, so as to make its activities beyond the reach of citizens: how can a citizen say anything at all without falling prey into the ISA/OSA net?

With all these in mind it is obvious that the elements of transparency, responsibility, accountability are heavily compromised, and hardly visible to the people. They receive sugar-coated information, half-truths, if not downright deceits and lies.

This is where WikiLeaks comes in handy.

The good news is we have enjoyed a fair version of it through the works of people like Raja Petra Kamarudin, the doyen of Malaysian blogosphere (exposing many subjects including the selling of state honours), Barry Wain with his book on Mahathir Mohamad ‘Malaysian Maverick’ and of late Kua Kia Soong’s series of articles (Malaysiakini dated Dec ember 11, 12, and 13, in turn excerpts from his book ‘Questioning Arms Spending in Malaysia: From Altantuya to Zikorsky’) on defence spending.

There are of course many others too numerous to mention. They have one common message: expose government lies and deception, go for truth.

Put together, I agree totally with Assange that a bad government is bad for our country. So, yes, we need a WikiLeaks exposure.

Another form of WikiLeaks Malaysian-style has also been with us in the recent past. This time they are in the form of official comments and behavior patterns. Malaysian politicians and officials are prone to saying things that are crude, racist and anti-national in nature. I’d quote just some of the familiar ones:

1. Hishammuddin Hussein wielding a kris in an UMNO General Assembly.

2. Najib Abdul Razak saying ‘1Malaysia’, but his deputy saying ‘I am Malay first, Malaysian second’.

3. A Malay government or official will say to a Malay crowd: we are dependent on government help so help the government to stay in power.

4. To a Malay leader e.g Najib speaking during a Barisan Nasional convention non-Malays are equals. In Parliament recently he said the NEP is still required.

5. Ibrahim Ali is more specific: he claims the non-Malays are there to rob Malays of their special ‘rights as enshrined in the constitution’.

6. Malay leaders have variously made the trite remarks that non-Malays are pendatang (immigrants), children of prostitutes, si sepet (the slit-eyed), si kaki botol (the boozer), the one wearing a dog leash. The connotation is that non-Malays are here not as full-pledged citizens but as guests – if you don’t like this country or how it is governed, then just take the next Air Asia flight back to the country of your origin.

Double-speak

With all these Orwellian Double-speak and shenanigans, I reiterate, yes WikiLeaks is a Godsend to the country. The following are a few lessons we can learn from it:

1. On the part of the government, keeping things secret from the people is not the best way of running a country. The government would miss a lot of good and solid inputs from the people. The people will get to know them anyway.

2. In a democracy the power they enjoy has been entrusted to them by the people. The first thing that they should do is to have a lot transparency when performing their duties as public servants. In other words, they must do their work with professionalism and integrity, with moral courage.

3. When the people get to know the government’s secrets through leaks, their trust in the government will shrink. The government must learn to respect the very people they govern. After all, political leaders are the people’s nominees in the seat of government, and civil servants are just that – the people’s servants.

4. On the part of the officials, yes, they too have to bear in mind that power is not a one-way principle. It carries with it the element of responsibility.

5. With transparency and responsibility they have to be accountable to the people who put them up there and pay their salaries.

6. On both their parts they have to be aware of the reality that government secrets are all too easy to expose. People are more aware of nasty goings on and can share information at the press of a button.

7. They therefore should develop a fear for such exposures, fear of his integrity and honour (call that ‘mertabat’), plus that of his ethnic origin (‘Malay’) being severely compromised.

In short, nation building is best done with an open democracy, a well-managed economy, and a people committed to contribute their best in the wealth creation of the country. This in turn reflects the need for the government to treat the people as equals. And do away with secrets.

At the present time public opinion says that we are terribly short of these three items. WikiLeaks should therefore be treated as an alarm bell by our leaders.

Should our present crop of political leaders and officials pay heed to their responsibilities as public servants, and perform their duties with transparency, professionalism and moral courage, they need not worry about WikiLeaks, or any leak at all. They will not be accused and be guilty of running a bad government.

They stand tall with an intact mertabat. And, I dare say the present frustrating rate of nation building might then get a catalytic push forward.

*AB SULAIMAN is an observer of human traits and foibles, especially within the context of religion and culture. As a liberal, he marvels at the way orthodoxy fights to maintain its credibility in a devilishly fast-changing world. He hopes to provide some understanding to the issues at hand and wherever possible, suggest some solutions. He holds a Bachelor in Social Sciences (Leicester, UK) and a Diploma in Public Administration, Universiti Malaya.

1Malaysia Concept and Selangor State Ban

December 27, 2010

Selangor Government is not afraid of 1Malaysia concept, says Faekah Husin

by Shazwan Mustafa Kamal@http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Selangor government is not afraid of the 1Malaysia concept as it is nothing but a propaganda tool by UMNO-Barisan Nasional (BN), Faekah Husin said today.

Faekah, who is political secretary to Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim defended the state’s recent decision in banning 1 Malaysia billboards, insisting that the slogan was just a political gimmick aimed at snaring voter support.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has, however ,defended himself over the issue, saying that 1 Malaysia was meant to foster unity, and had nothing to do with politics.

“This slogan in any form does not mean anything to us, let alone scare us. The state government’s resources will be aimed at instilling proper values, combating corruption and ensuring justice for all,” Faekah said in a statement today.

The political secretary questioned Najib’s claims, saying that if 1 Malaysia was apolitical, why was it not debated during the last Parliamentary session.

“If it is true that it (1 Malaysia ) is a unifying factor and not an UMNO-BN propaganda, why has this never been debated or brought up in Parliament? Why is it not included in Budget 2011 seeing as the costs for this ‘lovely’ slogan has gone above RM100 million?” she said.

Faekah claimed that the 1 Malaysia concept was only discussed in Parliament after Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahm alleged that APCO Worldwide that helped Najib coin the term.

“Even when it was finally brought up, what was it for? To punish the Opposition leader for speaking the truth. What’s evident is that the entire process of 1 Malaysia’s creation has been covered up, that’s why four Opposition MPs were suspended without a right to defend themselves,” said Faekah.

PKR had earlier linked 1 Malaysia to former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak’s One Israel campaign, saying both shared the same public relations consultants, APCO Worldwide. Najib had also denied that charge, saying it was his own idea.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was suspended for six months from Parliament last week for claiming the link which is politically sensitive as Malaysia does not have ties with Israel due to the Palestinian issue.

Anwar has now changed tack, saying his claims was not about One Israel but concerns over accountability and the contract with APCO, whom he claimed had worked with disreputable regimes across the world.

Faekah accused Najib’s 1 Malaysia of being meaningless as long as double standards still existed between UMNO-BN cronies and ordinary citizens.

“What is the meaning of 1 Malaysia if the Syabas CEO Tan Sri Rozali Ismail can earn RM425,000 a month but the company itself is in RM2.9 billion worth of debt?

“What about leaders who get RM534 million in commission for the acquisition of submarines? Or the RM12 billion loss in the PKFZ scandal?” added Faekah.

The Selangor government said earlier today that its state-wide ban on 1 Malaysia billboards was legitimate, but said that it only applied to business advertisements/billboards and not buntings for political functions.

State executive councillor Elizabeth Wong told The Malaysian Insider that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government fully backed Selangor housing and local government committee chief Ronnie Liu’s move in banning 1 Malaysia billboards.

According to her, the local by-laws on the ban had already been in place since 2007, stressing that it was “nothing new”. A few days ago, English daily The Star reported Liu remarking that 1 Malaysia billboards were a political message from the BN federal government and were not allowed under local by-laws.

DAP Advisor Lim Kit Siang has urged Selangor to rethink its 1 Malaysia billboards ban, to disprove BN’s claims that PR was afraid of the concept.