2011 October archive at Anwar Ibrahim

Archive for October, 2011

Oct

Rule Of The Gun

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

Categories: Agenda Baru, Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Mahkamah, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan and Umno

From The Nation
By Mowahid Hussain Shah

When Yasser Arafat addressed the UN General Assembly at Manhattan on November 13, 1974, he sounded a dire warning by stating: “I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter’s gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.” Well, in March 1975, the architect of the Islamic Conference, King Faisal, was slain and gun play again resumed, with greater ferocity.

The same year, on December 21, 1975, at Vienna, the OPEC meeting of oil ministers was attacked by Carlos (“the Jackal”) along with some Germans and other radicals. The OPEC oil cartel was seen as collaborationist. There was a wave then of idealism fused with radicalism. But now, radicalism has morphed into nihilism. A gripping French TV drama series, “Carlos”, details the revolutionary trajectory of a Venezuelan born to Marxist parents and fully immersed in the Palestinian issue.

Then, the Palestinian cause attracted radical youth across the world including, but not limited to, Latinos, Japanese and Germans, in striking contrast to the bright youth of today, whose ambitions are fixed on finance. Carlos is in a gaol in France, having converted to Islam.

Western elements, too, have proven equally lawless. According to Steven Shapiro, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union: “The response to 9/11 included torture, extraordinary rendition, prolonged detention without charges or trial and secret imprisonment.”

To counter so-called extremism with extremism means that the blood feud never ends. Self-evident are the long-term consequences of Mossadeq’s ouster by the Anglo-American combine in Iran (1953) and the execution in Egypt of Sayyid Qutb by Nasser in 1966. Now, there is a permanent breach.

Chronic challenges persist without a long-term vision to meet them. Instead, there is a misguided notion that slick salesmanship can surmount problematic policies. But, in reality, they cannot be separated from each other.

During the Muslim World’s moment of greatest need, erudite leaders with a strategic vision, like Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, are incarcerated on trumped-up charges, while scavengers are coronated. Anwar’s statement from the dock is a wake-up call for those inclined to bow before the chair. Instructive, too, was the plight of Algeria’s first President, Ahmed Ben Bella, now 92, who was ousted in June 1965, just before he was scheduled to convene a major Afro-Asian Summit Conference in Algiers. The spearhead of Algeria’s freedom struggle against France was imprisoned by post-independence Algeria for 15 years.

Those who promise political transformation do not always turn out to be the glittering catalysts of change as many hoped they would be. In substance, they are no different. Privileged classes do not voluntarily divest themselves of their privileges. They do so when they have no choice.

Electoral manoeuvring – the cardinal feature of so-called democracy – is inherently corruptive, brutal, and prone to unholy alliances. It fosters cynicism and is a mirror reflection of broader society, with its jealous intrigue, cold-blooded backstabbing, and use-and-discard approach. The just-released movie, The Ides of March, by George Clooney, depicts how political pragmatism erodes idealism.

There is no substitute for a vibrant and vigilant civil society.

Oct

We’ll Go Bankrupt If BN Wins, Not The Other Way Round: Jui Meng Tells DPM

By Anwar Ibrahim 7 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Anwar, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Pilihanraya, Politik, Program and Umno

Malaysia Chronicle

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has warned Malaysia will be bankrupt if the opposition wins the general election, but was immediately shot down by Pakatan Rakyat leaders, who pointed the 2019 bankruptcy came from with his own boss’s department.

“It is the silliest accusation. The cat is chasing its own tail,” PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Indeed, it was in May 2010 that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Jala first shocked the nation with a warning that Malaysia may fold up if it fails to slash subsidies and reduce debt.

“We do not want to end up like Greece with a total debt of EUR300 billion. Our deficit rose to record high of RM47 billion last year. If the government continues at the rate of 12 per cent per annum, Malaysia could go bankrupt in 2019 with total debts amounting to RM1,158 billion,” Star reported Idris as saying on May 27 last year.

Flexible memory bank?

But it looks like the 64-year-old DPM has a shorter memory than most.

Muhyiddin said the opposition was only good at making empty promises. He pointed out that when Prime Minister Najib Razak tabled the 2012 Budget, he had promised to retain the country’s deficit at 4.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product. Yet Pakatan de-facto chief Anwar Ibrahim made a mockery of it.

“The shadow budget by the opposition shows its expenditure, purportedly for the people, but it does not take into account the deficit. If the deficit goes up to 10 per cent, it means the country is not managed well,” Bernama reported Muhyiddin as saying a day ago.

Jui Meng rebuked Muhyiddin, accusing the Pagoh MP of talking through his hat.

“It is very clearly stated in the Pakatan’s Prosperity for All shadow budget that we do not want a deficit than of more than 4.4% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product,” said Jui Meng.

“But obviously, it must have missed Muhyiddin. Also, Najib’s Budget 2012 is already under heavy fire for overly high growth projections with no real ideas or details of where the money will come from. The only possibility is to introduce GST straight after GE-13. But before such a drastic measure, why not trim the fat within BN itself first, starting with Umno.”

Trim the fat

The Pakatan’s shadow Budget was unveiled on Tuesday, three days before Najib’s grandiose and record-size RM232 billion spending plan that was overly studded with “one-off” cash incentives.

The shadow Budget for 2012 is sized at RM220bil, and plans to cut the expenditure of the Prime Minister’s Department by RM10bil and re-distribute the allocation to the other ministries as part of its trimming plan for the bureaucracy. Money would be spent on the people, with emphasis on the needy groups, the Pakatan had promised.

This would include a RM1,000 bonus for senior citizens with annual incomes of less than RM18,000 each as well as for qualified housewives. Pakatan also proposed that the minimum wage be set at RM1,100, an annual allowance of RM1,000 to be given to mothers to encourage them to enter the workforce and re-imposing various taxes on luxury items like handbags and branded clothes.

It also promised to give “top-up payment” to hardcore poor households to ensure that their monthly income would reach RM550, increase welfare aid from RM300 presently to RM550 and reduce the use of consultancy services by the Government.

“We aim to reduce the deficit to a reasonable level so that public services are not disrupted,” Anwar had told reporters after the Budget launch on October 4.

Oct

Lawatan Kerja Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim Ke Istanbul,Turki

By Admin 10 Comments

Categories: Agenda Baru, Aktiviti, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Persidangan and Program

Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim telah menerima undangan khas ke Istanbul dari Perdana Menteri Turki Recep Tayyip Erdogan untuk menjadi tetamu khas kepada Perdana Menteri Turki.

Selain itu Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim juga akan menyertai mesyuarat International Institute of Islamic Thought atau lebih dikenali dengan singkatan IIIT,sebuah badan pemikir islam peringkat antarabangsa. Beliau yang ditemani oleh Dato Seri Wan Azizah akan berada disana selama 4 hari bermula dari 13 Oktober 2011 sehingga 16 Oktober 2011.

Pejabat Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Oct

Belanjawan 2012 Sahkan GST Akan Dilaksanakan Jika BN Menang PRU 13

By Anwar Ibrahim 4 Comments

Categories: Agenda Baru, Analisis, Anwar, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Hebahan, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Kewangan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Pilihanraya, Politik, Program and Umno

Angka-angka unjuran ekonomi yang terkini semakin menunjukkan bahawa ramalan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang digunakan Perdana Menteri di dalam Belanjawan 2012 adalah tidak realistik. Terbaru adalah unjuran yang dibuat Malaysian Institute of Economics Research (MIER) yang menurunkan unjuran pertumbuhan ekonomi bagi tahun 2011 kepada 4.6%.

Berdasarkan realiti ekonomi global, sasaran pertumbuhan 5% – 6% yang digunapakai adalah sukar untuk dicapai. Ini akan memberi kesan kepada jumlah pendapatan negara bagi tahun 2012 akibat kutipan cukai dan hasil lain yang berkurangan berikutan pertumbuhan ekonomi 2012 yang lebih perlahan.

Barisan Nasional perlu meminjam sekurang-kurangnya RM46 bilion untuk membiayai defisit Belanjawan 2012; itu pun jika ekonomi tumbuh pada kadar 5% – 6% bagi tahun 2012. Pada masa yang sama, keupayaan kerajaan mengeluarkan terbitan bon dan instrumen hutang baru dalam tahun 2012 adalah terbatas akibat had keberhutangan negara (debt ceiling) yang dihadkan kepada 55% daripada KDNK di bawah Akta Pinjaman (Tempatan) 1959 dan Akta Pendanaan Kerajaan 1983. Hutang negara sudah pun mencecah 53% dari KDNK berdasarkan angka rasmi Bank Negara Malaysia setakat Jun 2011, maka sebarang hutang baru sudah tentu bertentangan dengan undang-undang negara.

Saya berpendapat Perdana Menteri dan pentadbiran Barisan Nasional cukup arif dengan segala angka ekonomi dan had keberhutangan kerajaan di bawah kedua-dua akta tersebut. Saya juga yakin Perdana Menteri telah dinasihatkan bahawa ramalan pertumbuhan 5% – 6% yang digunapakai di dalam Belanjawan 2012 adalah tidak realistik.

Ini membawa kepada satu rumusan semata-mata.

Belanjawan 2012 yang berjumlah RM232 bilion pada ketika pendapatan negara tidak mampu menampungnya dan keupayaan berhutang kerajaan dihadkan mengesahkan niat Perdana Menteri untuk serta-merta melaksanakan Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan (GST) sekiranya Barisan Nasional kekal berkuasa selepas PRU13.

Ini adalah satu pertaruhan yang diambil oleh Perdana Menteri, dengan niat mengabui mata rakyat dan menawarkan gula-gula bermula dengan bayaran dalam Januari 2012 kelak tetapi akan dicukai kembali melalui GST selepas PRU13 kelak.

Oleh yang demikian, Biro Politik KEADILAN telah memutuskan semalam untuk bersama-sama dengan Pakatan Rakyat membawa isu GST kepada rakyat sebagai isu utama PRU13 bertujuan memastikan rakyat memahami bahawa “undi kepada BN bermakna undi melaksanakan GST”.

MOHD RAFIZI RAMLI
PENGARAH STRATEGI
13 OKTOBER 2011

Oct

Pelantikan Sdr Ahmad Thamrin Mohd Jaini Sebagai Pengerusi Majlis Pimpinan Negeri Sabah

By Anwar Ibrahim 0 Comments

Categories: Agenda Baru, Anwar, Hebahan, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Pilihanraya and Politik

KENYATAAN MEDIA
13 OKTOBER 2011

Sukacita ingin dimaklumkan bahawa sdr Ahmad Thamrin bin Mohd Jaini telah dilantik sebagai Pengerusi Majlis Pimpinan Negeri Sabah berkuatkuasa 12 Oktober 2011.

Perlantikan sdr Ahmad Thamrin, yang merupakan suatu keputusan penting bagi KEADILAN Sabah telah dibuat selepas proses rundingan dengan pimpinan-pimpinan KEADILAN SABAH diadakan dimana secara keseluruhannya, pimpinan KEADILAN Sabah bersetuju bahawa beliau merupakan calon yang terbaik untuk menerajui Parti KEADILAN Rakyat Sabah dalam terus mengembang dan menggembeling sokongan rakyat Sabah terhadap KEADILAN, serta dalam persediaan menghadapi Pilihanraya Umum Ke-13 nanti.

Saya ingin merakamkan ucapan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan dan terima kasih kepada semua Ketua-ketua Cabang KEADILAN Negeri Sabah serta kalangan anggota-anggota Parti KEADILAN Rakyat Sabah di atas sokongan dan kerjasama yang telah diberikan kepada Majlis Presiden Sabah yang saya pengerusikan dan saya yakin bahawa kerjasama dan sokongan yang lebih baik akan dapat diberikan kepada sdr Ahmad Thamrin.

Sehubungan dengan itu, saya ingin mengumumkan bahawa Majlis Presiden Sabah yang telah ditubuhkan untuk memimpin dan mentadbir KEADILAN Sabah sejak 27 Januari 2011 lalu, dengan ini dibubarkan.

Seterusnya, saya telah juga meminta sdr Ahmad Thamrin untuk segera memulakan rundingan di kalangan pimpinan KEADILAN Sabah bagi menyusun saf pimpinan negeri, yang saya yakin di bawah pimpinan sdr Ahmad Thamrin nanti akan terus berjaya mendapat sokongan dan kepercayaan dari rakyat Sabah dalam memperjuangkan hak dan keadilan yang sewajarnya menjadi milik rakyat Sabah sendiri, tetapi dikorbankan oleh keborosan dan ketamakan UMNO dan Barisan Nasional selama ini.

Sekian terima kasih.

DATO’ SERI DR WAN AZIZAH WAN ISMAIL
PRESIDEN
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT

Oct

Kemana Hilangnya Laporan Audit Negara

By Anwar Ibrahim 3 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Anwar, Catatan, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Kewangan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen and Umno

Keadilan Daily

Ahli-ahli parlimen Pakatan Rakyat hari ini mempersoal ketiadaan Laporan Audit Negara semasa perbentangan Belanjawan 2012 baru-baru ini.

Menurut Ahli Parlimen Sungai Petani, Datuk Johari Abdul, beliau ada menghubungi pegawai di Jabatan Audit Negara semalam, yang terkejut apabila dimaklumkan ahli parlimen belum dibekal laporan itu.

“Pegawai jabatan itu terkejut dan menyatakan Ketua Pengarah sendiri berpuas hati kerana laporan berkenaan kerana ia siap lebih awal (berbanding tahun) lalu dan lengkap.

“Ini yang kita hairan. Di manakah sangkutnya laporan itu? Adakah di Parlimen atau berada di tangan menteri tertentu?,” katanya yang menyifatkan laporan berkenaan penting kerana ia melibatkan wang rakyat, pada sidang media di lobi Parlimen di sini, hari ini.

Minggu lalu, Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mempersoalkan ketiadaan laporan Ketua Audit Negara dalam Belanjawan 2012 yang dikemukakan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, 7 Oktober lalu.

Anwar berkata, belanjawan tersebut juga dibentang tanpa meneliti laporan setengah tahun perbelanjaan dan prestasi kewangan negara sepertimana kebiasaan.

Mengulas isu sama, Ahli Parlimen Balik Pulau, Yusmadi Yusoff pada sidang media itu mendesak Speaker Dewan Rakyat bersikap tegas dan menggunakan kuasa supaya laporan itu sampai ke tangan ahli parlimen seberapa segera.

Beliau juga menyifatkan perbahasan pembentangan Belanjawan kali ini yang dianggap sebagai ibu segala perbahasan , tercemar berikutan ketiadaan laporan berkenaan lantaran tiada angka dan fakta terkini untuk dibahas.

“Adakah kerajaan Umno Barisan Nasional (BN) masih dihantui angka RM28 bilion rasuah yang didedah dalam Laporan Audit Negara tahun lalu,” sindir beliau.

Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena, Datuk Mahfuz Omar pula bercadang untuk membuat usul berkaitan laporan berkenaan pada Isnin ini yang akan disepakati dibawa salah seorang ahli parlimen dari Pakatan Rakyat.

Beliau juga hairan kerana sesetengah negeri termasuk Kelantan sudah menerima laporan audit negeri masing-masing sedangkan di peringkat Parlimen sebagai institusi tertinggi negara, ia belum diedar walaupun sesi perbahasan masuk hari keempat.

Oct

More Than Meets The Eye: Mahathir And Cronies Back In The News

By Anwar Ibrahim 5 Comments

Categories: Aktiviti, Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Catatan, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Kewangan, Mahkamah, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan and Umno

Malaysia Chronicle

Is it any surprise that a close crony to Mahathir Mohamad is making the news? It was merely a matter of time before news leaked out that all is not well for these businessmen, who became rich beyond imagination during the time when the authoritarian Mahathir was prime minister of Malaysia.

Ananda Krishnan, who has long been regarded in Malaysia as one of former premier Mahathir Mohamad’s closest cronies, has found himself in trouble in India. To many who have been watching the local economic scene where big business is often intertwined with politics, this is a deep irony.

Ananda and Maxis senior executive Ralph Marshal are now part of a probe by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation into claims that Dayandhi Maran, the country’s Minister of Telecommunications between February 2004 and May 2007, had been involved in criminal conspiracy, fraud and corruption in granting telecommunications licenses to operations that may include Maxis.

So we are left to wonder, if there is corruption to be weeded, why must it be a foreign agency that does the weeding? Why is the Malaysian authority last on the scene – if they get to the scene at all, that is. Remeber the 2010 fiasco in London where the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was ‘forbidden’ at the 11th hour to take down a statement from private investigator P Balasubramaniam with regards to the Altantuya murder and Scorpenes kickback case.

What a sharp contrast when the French financial police opened wide their doors for Bala, while the MACC slammed theirs tightly shut! And Bala’s information must have checked out quite well because the French authorities have given the green light for an investigative judge to hear the case, which should begin soon.

Arm-twisted

But the question remains, why is Malaysia so ‘reliant’ on utilizing foreign ‘help’ to conduct their menial tasks so much so that even investigating corruption cases must be sub-contracted to a foreign agency? Is the MACC afraid to investigate anything that has ties to Mahathir or the Umno elite?

Ultimately, most business ties in Malaysia leads back to Mahathir, mainly because he was in charge for such a long time from 1981 to 2003. And this may be the stumbling block for the MACC and any other agency investigating instances of corruption in large Malaysian firms. It is an old-boys network that is extremely hard to crack.

Malaysians can expect MACC to pretend not to hear or see what’s going on with the India’s Central Bureau of Investigation. It will surely turn a blind eye to investigating Ananda Krishnan as it has with other cronies of Mahathir Mohamad, including the likes of Tajudin Ramli or Tun Daim Zainuddin and even Tony Fernandes.

Perhaps the ill-repute of the Umno elite and their hold over the MACC is better known worldwide than they care to acknowledge. It is telling that Mumbai-based newspaper The Indian Express has reported that the Enforcement Directorate, which combats money laundering and foreign currency leakages, has stepped up investigations into Aircel, which is the Indian mobile phone operator that Ananda bought and for which he is being probed.

ED officials will send a letter rogatory, which is a formal request from a court to a foreign court, to Malaysia seeking legal assistance to question Ananda and Marshall. But surprise! surprise! The Malaysian judiciary is just as ‘independent’ as the MACC!

Shifting sands

It seems that AirAsia’s Tony too has discovered that the sweetest fountain of prosperity still belongs to Mahathir rather than to his successor Abdullah Badawi, or to Najib, the sitting PM. Having won public backing from Mahathir, the AirAsia boss has now distanced himself from Badawi and the latter’s circle, which includes son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, who had previously held great influence over the government.

This shows that Mahathir is still numero uno in both the corridors of power in Putrajaya as well as in corporate Malaysia, where some of the richest and most powerful business players owe their success to his direct intervention when he was still prime minister.

Sadly for Malaysia, Mahathir is not a democrat at heart, and this may be an understatement. Some of his actions in the past indicate an outright autocratic streak.

Over the years he resented institutional checks on his Executive powers and plotted to have them removed. He was ruthless with those who opposed him. As early as 1983, he unilaterally cut away many of the privileges belonging to the Royalty. He also made the Internal Security Act more severe on the pretext of preventing racial tensions, with more curbs on the media, used federal funds to force the politically ‘disobedient’ states to toe the line, interfered with the judiciary, and in 1988 sacked the Lord President for “gross misconduct”. In case that was not enough, Mahathir also sacked five more Supreme Court Judges for good measure.

Yet Mahathir was the most popular and most powerful leader in Malaysia during his time. It was as if the country was under a fog, with few daring enough to challenge and expose him. Mahathir became a power unto himself, brooking no intereference, not even from international bodies. Going against conventional wisdom and disregarding any public apprehension over the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Mahathir introduced currency controls and weathered the storm refusing advice from the IMF.

His affirmative action in Bumiputra policies did not evoke the bitterness that was experienced in other countries such as Indonesia. Perhaps he was lucky or maybe as president of UMNO, Mahathir wielded enough authority over the Malays to keep them in check. It looks like he is still an influential factor despite the passing years and Malaysia has seen two other prime ministers succeeding him.

Umno elite kiss and tell

Very notably, in recent months Mahathir has become more vocal about his dissatisfaction with Najib Razak, who is seen by many as a bungling prime minister and destined to lead the BN and Umno to defeat in the coming 13th general election.

Obviously, Najib will not take this lightly and surely more news concerning the wrongdoings of Mahathir and his cronies will see the light of day. Yes, this is another favourite ploy amongst the Umno warlords. They kiss and tell among themselves.

Such moves by the Najib camp in using bad press to gag a rival seems to have worked against Abdullah Badawi. Badawi was easily silenced after the news of efforts to bribe him in connection with a banknote contract surfaced. It followed soon after Badawi’s meeting with Ambiga Sreenevasan, the head of the outlawed Bersih rally for free and fair elections. But Mahathir is not Abdullah and will not be easily cowed with bad press.

So Malaysians can expect more headlines concerning Mahathir’s cronies to hit the news as he takes on Najib. And while all this is going on, Malaysia will remain in limbo as the world steps closer to an economic recession that even Mahathir admits will take a very long time to recover from. So for Ananda, there is some Dutch comfort, he won’t be alone in the global limelight for long.

Oct

Pakar Ekonomi: Belanjawan Kerajaan Persekutuan Banyak Kelemahan

By Anwar Ibrahim 4 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Anwar, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Kewangan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Program, Selangor, Sidenotes and Umno

Tv Selangor

Terdapat berbagai kelemahan belanjawan kerajaan persekutuan terutama membabitkan pembayaran sekali (one-off payments) seperti RM3,000 kepada sesetengah pegawai, kata Ketua Ekonomi Bank Islam Berhad Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajuddin.

Jelasnya, bayaran sekali bukan langkah penyelesaian yang bersifat kekal didalam menangani masalah ekonomi.

“Ia tidak diinstitusikan sebagai “safety-net mechanism” atau mekanisme jaringan keselamatan yang rakyat boleh bergantung harap,” katanya dalam rancangan “Terus Terang” di TV Selangor hari ini.

Di dalam belanjawannya kerajaan persekutuan antaranya memperuntukan bayaran khas RM3,000 kepada kakitangan Jabatan Hal Ehwal Khas (JASA) dan Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat (KEMAS) yang telah tamat kontrak.

Azrul berkata dari segi keseimbangan belanjawan, pembayaran sekali yang terlalu banyak akan meningkatkan perbelanjaan mengurus kerajaan sekaligus melambatkan lagi proses mengurangkan defisit fiskal negara. Continue reading ‘Pakar Ekonomi: Belanjawan Kerajaan Persekutuan Banyak Kelemahan’

Oct

Lebih 200 PATI Diberi IC Untuk Mengundi BN

By Anwar Ibrahim 13 Comments

Categories: Anwar, Demokrasi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya, Politik, Program, Sidenotes and Umno

Keadilan Daily

Kira-kira 260 Pendatang Tanpa Izin (PATI) yang dipercayai bakal dijadikan pengundi hantu oleh Umno, berjaya dikesan di sebuah resort di sini hari ini.

Sekumpulan PATI itu dibawa dengan 6 buah bas persiaran dari Johor ke Putrajaya untuk diberikan kad pengenalan segera.

Bagaimanapun, tindakan pantas Pemuda Pas berjaya menghalang tindakan yang dipercayai didalangi Umno-BN itu, sehingga memaksa mereka membatalkan rancangan tersebut.

Sehingga kini difahamkan kumpulan PATI tersebut masih dikurung di Istana Dugang Country Resort, Dengkil, tetapi 6 bas yang membawa mereka sudah bertolak balik ke Johor lebih kurang jam 1 petang tadi atas nasihat polis.

Lokasi yang dipercayai menjadi tempat simpanan PATI sebelum diberikan kad pengenalan segera Continue reading ‘Lebih 200 PATI Diberi IC Untuk Mengundi BN’

Oct

Kebebasan Ekonomi Malaysia Jatuh ke tangga 78

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

Categories: Analisis, Anwar, Ekonomi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Kewangan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Program, Sidenotes and Umno

Keadilan Daily

Malaysia jatuh di tangga ke 78 dari 141 negara dalam Senarai Indeks Kebebasan Ekonomi Sedunia, dalam laporan tahunan 2011 yang dikeluarkan Institut Hal Ehwal Demokrasi dan Ekonomi (IDEAS).

“Pada tahun lalu, Malaysia berada pada tangga ke 77. Tetapi tahun ini, kita jatuh satu tangga ke angka 78. Sebenarnya, kedudukan Continue reading ‘Kebebasan Ekonomi Malaysia Jatuh ke tangga 78′

Oct

MP: Kenapa Takut Hingga Hantar Pulang Peguam Perancis?

By Anwar Ibrahim 3 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Mahkamah, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Politik and Sidenotes

Malaysiakini

Ahli parlimen Batu, Tian Chua mempersoalkan tindakan kerajaan yang “seolah-olah begitu takut” dengan perbicaraaan satu kes rasuah di Perancis melibatkan komisyen pembelian kapal selam Scorpene.

Hinggakan, katanyha, kerajaan Malaysia telah menahan dan menghantar pulang seorang peguam Perancis yang menangani kes berkenaan ke negara asalnya Julai lalu.

Sedangkan, peguam William Bourdon hanya berada di negara ini untuk menghadiri satu majlis mengutip dana untuk membiaya perbicaraan kes tersebut.

“Saya tak tahu apa yang kerajaan takut sangat. Saya agak, sebagai seorang profesional, dia tidak akan dedahkan maklumat yang belum disahkan di mahkamah. Continue reading ‘MP: Kenapa Takut Hingga Hantar Pulang Peguam Perancis?’

Oct

Malaysia’s Old Economic Model

By Anwar Ibrahim 0 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Asia Tenggara, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Kewangan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan and Umno

From Wall Street Journal

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has unveiled a budget full of freebies designed to win over voters in the next general election, expected in the next six months. In the process, he is dashing expectations of economic reforms needed to promote growth.

This contrasts with the political reforms Mr. Najib announced last month. A promised overhaul of the country’s colonial-era legal code would guarantee political and civil freedoms long denied to Malaysians.

Mr. Najib seems to have thought of a handout for nearly everyone in 2012. The country’s 1.3 million civil servants will see salaries and pensions rise, in many cases by as much as 30%; households earning less than 3,000 ringgit ($960) a month will receive one-off payments of 500 ringgit; parents will find many school fees abolished or reduced. Then there are the taxi drivers who get fat tax exemptions.

Worse, the government has not taken the necessary steps to wean Malaysia off food and fuel subsidies. Mr. Najib earlier pledged to phase them out, since they have skewed consumption patterns and strained public finances for many years. He even likened subsidies to “opium” and made small but noteworthy cuts last year. He could have continued that rehab this year by incrementally raising regulated prices to bring them closer to market levels.

This combination of temporary handouts and tax breaks on one hand and welfare spending on the other doesn’t help Malaysia’s competitiveness. The export-dependent economy is already hurting from weak markets abroad and a rising cost of living at home—GDP growth fell below 5% in year-on-year terms for the last two quarters—and needs long-term incentives to invest and build a stronger domestic consumer market.

Yet Mr. Najib offered no permanent changes to the tax structure and no guide to reducing regulation and spending. The 2012 budget proposes a 9.4% hike in expenditure from the 2011 budget. And considering the government spent 13 billion ringgit ($4.16 billion) more than it budgeted in the past year, it could well prove more profligate.

To its credit, one small of area of reform the government has kept pushing is liberalization of foreign investment in services. In 2009, Mr. Najib dismantled a long-time restriction that benefited “sons of the soil.” Foreigners were earlier forced to jointly venture with Malays, the country’s ethnic majority, but they can now own 100% stakes in businesses in 27 sub-sectors. Friday’s budget extends that reform to 17 more sub-sectors such as medical and education services.

However, these are small industries that don’t hire many Malays. The government needs to tackle bigger reforms in industries like manufacturing, where regulations still give Malays dominance. In the same vein, the labor market suffers from entrenched affirmative-action policies. Mr. Najib has spoken of enacting radical changes when he presented a “New Economic Model” last year, but he keeps disappointing voters by failing to follow through.