Anwar Ibrahim

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Feb

Kenyataan Media Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim Berkenaan Isu Palestin – Israel

By Anwar Ibrahim 25 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Dunia Arab, Hebahan, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Pilihanraya and Politik

16hb Februari 2012

KEADILAN JUNJUNG ASPIRASI DAN HASRAT RAKYAT PALESTIN

Telah dihebahkan kenyataan saya dalam Asian Wall Street Journal, “I support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel,” (Saya menyokong segala usaha untuk melindungi keselamatan negara Israel) sedangkan kenyataan penuh selepas itu, “a step which he said remains contingent on Israel respecting the aspirations of Palestinians.”

(pendirian tersebut tertakluk kepada syarat bahawa Israel mesti menghormati aspirasi rakyat Palestin) tidak pula disiarkan sepenuhnya. Media, pimpinan UMNO dan Dato’ Seri Najib Razak berterusan menabur fitnah kononnya saya mengkhianati aspirasi rakyat Palestin

Kenyataan saya kepada Asian Wall Street Journal secara jelas meletakkan aspirasi rakyat Palestin yang mahukan keadilan, keamanan dan maruahnya dihormati sebagai syarat kepada tuntutan Israel agar keselamatannya dijamin .

Pendirian saya ternyata diterima pimpinan dunia Islam seumpama Kerajaan Arab Saudi seperti yang diungkapkan Menteri Luar nya, Putera Saud al Faisal bahawa:

“This [2002 Arab Peace Initiatve] is the way toward security.. Israel can’t keep the land and want security at the same time. It has to withdraw and give the Palestinians their rights. If Israel does that, the Arab states will put an end to the state of war. That will give Israel its security”.

Baru-baru ini Raja Abdullah dari Jordan juga mengulangi pendirian yang sama:

“The Palestinian right to statehood and their cry for justice and a homeland free of occupation remain the Arab people’s foremost cause. In Jordan, the “final-status” issues—including borders, refugees, security and Jerusalem—are at the heart of our priorities. This means making real the promise of a viable, independent, sovereign Palestinian state, as part of a two-state agreement that resolves all final-status issues and guarantees security for Israel.”

Makanya, persoalan tuntutan jaminan keselamatan Israel yang bersyaratkan kepada keadilan dan keamanan diberikan kepada rakyat Palestin bukanlah perkara baru. Sedangkan saya tuntas mendokong aspirasi rakyat Palestin sekian lama, bermula dari memimpin demonstrasi membantah keganasan Israel yang mendapat dokongan Amerika pada tahun 1973 di hadapan Kedutaan Amerika di Kuala Lumpur dan mewakili Malaysia pada tahun 1983 ke Persidangan PLO di Algiers setelah menerima undangan dari Yasser Arafat.

Pendirian saya tuntas menjunjung aspirasi rakyat Palestin yang mahukan keamanan, keadilan dan kehidupan yang bermaruah bertepatan dengan semangat yang disuarakan oleh Ismail Haniyeh, Perdana Menteri Palestin :

“If Israel withdraws to the ’67 borders, then we will establish a peace in stages.. Number one, we will establish a situation of stability and calm which will bring safety for our people – what (Hamas founder) Sheikh (Ahmed) Yassin called a long-term hudna (truce). If Israel declares that it will give the Palestinian people a state and give them back all their rights, then we are ready to recognise them”.

Saya hargai pandangan dan semangat sahabat-sahabat dari PAS, Majlis Syura PAS dan seluruh gerakan dakwah dan pertubuhan Islam yang berterusan membela nasib rakyat Palestin.

Ketetapan PAS yang menentang keras pencerobohan dan kezaliman Israel terhadap rakyat Palestin turut dikongsi oleh seluruh rakyat Malaysia. Saya memahami perbezaan pendirian PAS dengan KEADILAN. Parti Islam SeMalaysia berpendirian kewujudan negara Israel adalah haram dan mereka tidak berhasrat untuk mengadakan sebarang rundingan serta kerjasama dengan Israel.

Walaupun begitu Parti Keadilan Rakyat berkongsi hasrat dengan PAS untuk melihat tertegaknya sebuah negara Palestin yang merdeka, bebas dan makmur, yang juga merupakan hasrat seluruh rakyat Malaysia yang cintakan keamanan dan keadilan.

Ini berbeza dengan adu domba UMNO yang bermuka-muka dan mengambil kesempatan di atas sentimen kuat pro-Palestin di negara ini bagi matlamat politik sempit mereka. Tatkala media UMNO menyerang saya sebagai ejen Israel, Menteri Luar dari UMNO secara terbuka mengesahkan kewujudan Israel berdasarkan penyelesaian dua negara (two-state solution) di Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu .

Manakala saya dituding mengkhianati aspirasi rakyat Palestin, Menteri Pertahanan dari UMNO jugalah yang duduk berbincang dengan Menteri Pertahanan Israel pada tahun 2009 , walaupun perkara ini cuba dipadamkan. Namun rakyat tidak lupa bahawa pentadbiran Perdana Menteri bergegas melantik APCO yang turut diterajui Doron Bergerbest-Eilon, bekas Ketua Perlindungan dan Keselamatan, Agensi Keselamatan Israel dengan berpangkat Mejar Jeneral. Malah, mantan perdana menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yang terus menerus memfitnah saya pernah bertemu Perdana Menteri Israel dan menteri luarnya, Shimon Peres di Paris pada tahun 1994. Pada masa yang sama sesuatu yang tidak dapat dinafikan pimpinan UMNO bahawa Malaysia merupakan rakan dagang Israel ke 15 terbesar. Jumlah dagangan antara Malaysia dan Israel mencecah 667.6 juta Euro.

Sikap bermuka UMNO dalam isu Palestin bukanlah perkara baru, sebab itu saya jelas menyeru sahabat-sahabat dan rakyat

Malaysia supaya menumpukan tenaga membantu meringankan penderitaan saudara-saudara di Palestin.
Derita ini ditanggung setiap hari tatkala rakyat Palestin menyabung nyawa menyelamatkan diri dari serangan dan pendudukan tentera Israel. Ini kenyataan kehidupan seharian seorang rakyat Palestin yang harus kita insafi.

Saban hari, keperluan asas seperti air minuman, makanan, ubat-ubatan, simen untuk pembinaan dan pelbagai keperluan lain tidak dibenarkan masuk ke Gaza akibat sekatan Israel. Sengsaranya rakyat Palestin bila mana 80% dari mereka memerlukan bantuan makanan, 90% hidup dalam kemiskinan, lebih separuh daripada isirumah hanya makan sekali sehari dan lebih 60% kanak-kanak menghidap anemia dan kekurangan zat makanan.

Sebab itu saya yakin bahawa aspirasi rakyat Palestin yang mengambil kira kepayahan seharian mereka seperti yang disuarakan oleh pimpinan-pimpinan mereka wajib dijunjung dan dihargai. Semangat setiakawan rakyat Malaysia yang selari dengan aspirasi itu bukanlah satu pengkhianatan kepada perjuangan mereka, sebaliknya menjadi dokongan utama kepada usaha mewujudkan keamanan dan memberikan keadilan kepada rakyat Palestin.

Oleh kerana itu wajar buat kita memahami, menghargai dan menjunjung aspirasi rakyat Palestin yang disuarakan melalui dua pertubuhan utama tersebut. Sepertimana pertemuan saya baru-baru ini di Doha dengan Khalid Mashaal, sebelum termeterainya persetujuan bersama tersebut, saya ulangi dokongan saya buat perjuangan rakyat Palestin, Hamas dan Fatah. Manakala pengiktirafan negara Israel tertakluk selagi mana Israel menghormati kedaulatan wilayah dan keselamatan rakyat Palestin.

Justeru adalah mustahak untuk kita sedari suara rakyat Palestin mutakhir ini adalah melalui Hamas dan Fatah sebagaimana yang tertera dalam persetujuan bersama Hamas dan Fatah di Doha hari ini. Persetujuan tersebut antaranya mengungkapkan dokongan terhadap aspirasi rakyat Palestin, pengunduran tentera Israel dari tanah Arab, menghentikan keganasan dan memperakui kewujudan Palestin. Seandainya ini dihormati maka kewujudan Israel akan diiktiraf. Inilah juga semangat yang terkandung dalam kenyataan saya, “a step which he said remains contingent on Israel respecting the aspirations of Palestinians.” (pendirian tersebut tertakluk kepada syarat bahawa Israel mesti menghormati aspirasi rakyat Palestin).

ANWAR IBRAHIM
KETUA UMUM
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT

Feb

Teguran Nik Aziz sopan, berhemah – Anwar

By Anwar Ibrahim 5 Comments

Categories: Anwar, Demokrasi, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Mahkamah, Malaysia, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya and Politik

Harakah

Ketua Umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (gambar) menyifatkan teguran yang diutarakan oleh Mursyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat lebih sopan dan berhemah.

Malah beliau turut memberitahu teguran tersebut sangat berbeza dan perlu difahami.

“Teguran Nik Aziz sangat berbeza malah sopan dan kita kena faham, beliau kata kalau betul cakap tarik balik tetapi kalau tak benar saman sahaja.

“Ia berbeza dengan Unmo Barisan Nasional yang telah lempar fitnah serta menipu, kenapa mereka memadamkan kenyataan saya mengenai Palestin,” tegasnya.

Tambahnya lagi, Umno Barisan Nasional tidak menyiarkan sepenuhnya kenyataan beliau berhubung dengan Palestin tetapi hanya mengambil separuh sahaja yang mempunyai kenyataan berhubung Israel.

“Mereka sejak dulu lagi asyik fitnah, kenapa mereka tidak siarkan pertemuan mantan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed dengan Perdana Menteri Israel.

“Malah terdapat lagi menteri-menteri yang mengadakan pertemuan dengan pemimpin tertinggi Israel tetapi semua ini tidak disiarkan,” ujarnya pada sambutan Maulidru Rasul dan bicara tokoh anjuran Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya di Ibu Pejabat Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya, pagi ini.

Ketua Pembangkang itu turut memberitahu perkara ini timbul apabila sikap Umno yang tidak mengambil fakta yang penuh tetapi hanya mengolah kenyataan dalam sudut mereka sendiri.

Dalam satu kenyataan pada 13 Februari lepas, Nik Aziz yang juga Menteri Besar Kelantan, menggesa Anwar menarik balik kenyataannya yang dikatakan menyokong usaha melindungi keselamatan Israel sebagaimana yang disiarkan Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Malah Ketua Pembangkang itu turut digesa untuk mengambil tindakan undang-undang terhadap WSJ bagi membersihkan namanya jika apa yang disiarkan itu tidak benar.

Ekoran itu, Anwar akan mengadakan perjumpaan dengan Nik Aziz bagi menjelaskan isu Israel itu.

Feb

The Palestinians and the Arab Spring

By Anwar Ibrahim 5 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Dunia Arab, Hebahan, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen and Penerbitan

“The Palestinian right to statehood remains the Arab people’s foremost cause.”

From WSJ
By ABDULLAH BIN HUSSEIN

Amman

A year has passed since the Arab Spring began to change our region, showing the determination of Arab men and women, especially youth. But a key issue remains unresolved: peace between Palestinians and Israelis. This month, in Amman, the parties sat across the negotiating table for the first time in 16 months. What message will the United States now send to them and to the people of the region?

I’ve heard it said that with all the regional change and uncertainty, there’s no point in restarting talks right now. This “wait-and-see” argument joins a long line of false excuses for why the parties can’t get negotiating. A changing region doesn’t preclude a settlement, it demands one. It is now, not tomorrow, that a settlement can show that political processes of negotiation and agreement can deliver what people want. It is now, not next year, that young people, Arab and otherwise, need to see the U.S., Europe and the rest of the democratic world mean what they say about justice for all.

Make no mistake about it: The Palestinian right to statehood and their cry for justice and a homeland free of occupation remain the Arab people’s foremost cause. In Jordan, the “final-status” issues—including borders, refugees, security and Jerusalem—are at the heart of our priorities. This means making real the promise of a viable, independent, sovereign Palestinian state, as part of a two-state agreement that resolves all final-status issues and guarantees security for Israel.

The two-state solution is supported by the U.S. and the rest of the Quartet (the European Union, the United Nations and Russia), and it is at the core of the Arab Peace Initiative, adopted unanimously by the 2002 Arab Summit in Beirut. Ours was an unequivocal statement of the Arab world’s commitment to a neighborhood of peace and acceptance, opening the way to a comprehensive settlement that would end the conflict, meet the Palestinians’ right to freedom and statehood, and give Israel acceptance and security. This Initiative was endorsed by the entire Muslim world—57 countries—and remains a cornerstone for peacemaking in the Middle East.

Yes, substantive negotiations are difficult. But what is difficult today may be next to impossible if we fail this time. In three months, the Arab Peace Initiative will have been on the table for 10 whole years. Meantime, Israel has continued to build settlements, particularly in Jerusalem, a flash point for global concern. Threats to holy sites, or efforts to change the city’s character by driving out Arab Muslim and Christian Jerusalemites, could stop peace for decades to come.

This coming spring, a new government will take office in Egypt. Momentous events are unfolding in countries such as Syria. People are raising questions about how they will be governed, and there is a feeling that everything hangs in the balance. In this environment, settling the region’s central conflict, a crisis in East-West relations for more than three generations, will show that the outside world can and will help us as we build a more just and optimistic future. It will place more weight on the balance in favor of moderation everywhere. If we stop trying, we leave our fates too much to chance, and leave the field to the extremists.

What is frustrating is that the components of a final agreement have been addressed in numerous rounds of negotiations over two decades. Still the parties, and by extension all of us, are failing to cross the finish line. This month’s launch of exploratory talks in Amman can now lead to substantive negotiations—first on borders and security, to resolve the issue of settlements once and for all, and then on remaining final-status issues. The Quartet has set a timeline to wrap up an agreement by the end of 2012. But it can’t happen unless we all build the environment for success. U.S. support is pivotal.

Across the entire Arab world, people are demanding freedom, dignity and hope. In Jordan we have charted our course through an irreversible, inclusive and evolutionary process of political, social and economic reform. Regional peace must be part of this future—for Palestinians, for Israelis, for all. There have been too many failed attempts. Can we all do it this time?

Abdullah II is king of Jordan.

Feb

Siri Jelajah Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim ke Pekan, Pahang

By Anwar Ibrahim 0 Comments

Categories: Aktiviti, Anwar, Demokrasi, Hebahan, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Pilihanraya, Politik and Program

DEMI RAKYAT

17 Februari 2012 (Jumaat)
1) 5.00 ptg – Hi-Tea di Felda Bukit Damar, Lancang

2) 7.30 mlm – Makan Malam di Restoran New Horizon, Kuantan

3) 9.00 – 12.00 malam – Ceramah Perdana 1 – Parlimen Paya Besar
Lokasi : PASTI Mahkota Aman, Batu 11, Jalan Gambang, Kuantan

4) 9.00 – 12.00 malam – Ceramah Perdana 2 – Parlimen Pekan
Lokasi : Markaz PAS, Kampong Mengkasar, Pekan

5) Penceramah :
i) YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim
ii) YB Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad
iii) YBhg Dato’ Fauzi Abdul Rahman
iv) YBhg Ustaz Suhaimi Saad

Feb

Malaysia’s Opposition Leader Sees Early Elections

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

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

From VOA

Malaysian opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, says he expects the Malaysian government of Prime Minister Najib Razak to call early elections within months despite one more year for the government’s term in office to run. Anwar says the opposition is pegging its hopes of winning control of the government, for the first time in six decades, on policies promoting economic reforms.

Malaysia’s opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, is predicting Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will hold elections within months, well ahead of the end of the goverment’s full term in office in March, 2013.

Anwar, speaking to reporters in Bangkok, pointed to recently announced government income support programs as a sign the governing coalition parties were preparing the people for a national vote.

“I would assume that the elections are just around the corner. We had a discussion among the opposition coalition yesterday – most of them are not too convinced that the election will be very soon. But I told them – and I think it will be much sooner than later. But it’s tough for us because the campaign period will be one week – the shortest in the world,” he said.

Prime Minister Najib, who came to office in mid-term in 2009, has triggered this speculation of early elections in recent months.

Former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, has warned the ruling UMNO coalition to allow more time to boost support especially among the Chinese minority before holding elections.

Anwar said the opposition would be offering the people major economic reforms, including an end to programs that in the past led to affirmative action policies – known as the New Economic Policy – that provided the majority ethnic group, the Malays, with education, housing and employment preferences.

“So the [opposition] economic policy clearly states that we have to dismantle what we consider as obsolete race-based New Economic Policy to replace it with the Malaysian Economic Agenda which promotes growth, which has to bring back Malaysia into a growing vibrant economy, more competitive able to attract – as in attractive destination for investments,” he said.

Anwar said Malaysia had fallen behind on the regional economic ladder over the past 20 years as other countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and more recently the Philippines, captured a larger share of foreign investment, growth and competitiveness. He said if he won the election his government would also look to address corruption, assist the poor and the marginalized communities.

The governing United Malays National Organization – UMNO – which has led Malaysia since independence in 1957 has been facing increasing challenges from the opposition parties over recent years, especially in state elections.

Under Anwar the opposition made strong gains in national elections in 2008.

Anwar, a former finance minister under Prime Minister Mahathir, has faced a long political battle after he was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption in 1999 and another nine years for charges of sodomy.

But a federal court in 2004 quashed the second conviction and he was released. In January this year the Court again acquitted Anwar on a second sodomy charge. The Malaysian prosecutors are appealing the verdict.

Feb

Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim Swerves MidEast Minefield As Election Looms

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

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

From Forbes

Recently acquitted in a controversial sodomy trial, Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim is again in hot water, this time over remarks supportive of Israel, a no-no for many of his Muslim voters. Both his allies and enemies have demanded that he retract his comments to the Wall Street Journal. This is yet another distraction ahead of possible elections later this year. As a former deputy prime minister, Anwar knows a thing or two about campaigning. He knows that the vote could make or break his multiracial opposition coalition, which won five out of 13 states in 2008 but faces a tough climb to pull off a federal parliamentary majority. Speaking Tuesday night at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, Anwar said his coalition was anticipating a snap election in May or June. But his personal view was that it could come sooner. “I assume an election is just around the corner,” he said. He joked that he could read the mind of the ruling coalition. “I used to be one of them.”

Indeed, Anwar was a go-to guy for Western investors in the 1990s, before Malaysia’s miracle economy ran aground and bankers moved onto greener pastures. Ambitious Anwar was turfed out in 1998 by vengeful premier Mahathir Mohamad, who has used the latest controversy to smear Anwar as a trojan horse for Jewish and American interests. This is standard fare in Malaysia’s right-wing media, which hews closely to the government line and is either state-run or controlled by political parties. This is the same media in which the election campaign will be waged, though online news channels have replaced the mainstream media among wired youth. Yet television and radio remain popular in rural areas where key seats will be fought and won. “We’re talking about an election without any access to media,” Anwar complained.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who took power in 2009 and has struggled to revive Malaysia’s economic potential, has taken his own potshots at Anwar. Asked Tuesday about his policy on Malaysia’s lack of diplomatic relations with Israel, Anwar refused to answer directly, instead talking up reconciliation between Palestinian factions. “The legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people must be respected. To my mind, this has not happened.” Last month he told the WSJ, “I support all efforts to support the security of the state of Israel.” Yes, that was the line that got him in trouble. Now the spiritual leader of the conservative Muslim party in Anwar’s coalition has demanded that he either retract his statement or sue the WSJ. Anwar joked repeatedly during his talk about being a ‘Jewish agent’, raising his eyebrows at the apparent absurdity.

However, he omitted to mention that he had used the same smear against Najib in 2010 over the hiring of public relations firm APCO, which Anwar called an Israeli front. He was censured by a parliamentary committee for remarks made at a press conference concerning APCO’s work for Najib. To critics, this is classic Anwar: serving up one message for an international audience and another for his Malay-Muslim base. Yet the notion of Anwar as a Jewish agent is risible. As he pointed out, he flew to Bangkok after spending three days in Qatar where he met representatives of Hamas and Fatah, amongst others. As a former Muslim youth leader inspired by Islamic revolution in Iran, Anwar has his ‘brotherhood’ bona fides.

Coincidentally he spoke in Bangkok on the day when a group of Iranians detonated explosives in what Israel has called a failed terrorist plot against its diplomats. Southeast Asia may seem remote from the sectarian and geopolitical tensions of the Middle East, but its politics and security can’t be separated from the wider world. Should Israel bring the fight to Iran, more ripples can be expected. And more Malaysian politicking.

Feb

Cows And Condos Scandal Highlights Malaysia’s Faded Reforms

By Anwar Ibrahim 0 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Demokrasi, Ekonomi, Hebahan, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya and Politik

From Reuters

A scandal centred on cows and luxury condos raises the chances that Malaysian elections will be delayed and highlights Prime Minister Najib Razak’s stuttering efforts to reform the corruption-prone Southeast Asian nation.

“Cowgate,” as it has inevitably been dubbed, is providing rich fodder for the opposition as it digs up dirt on a publicly funded cattle-rearing project that it says was used as a personal fund for the family of one of Najib’s ministers.

It is not the first corruption scandal to hit Najib and his long-ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO), but the farmyard connection makes it a potentially damaging one because rural Malays – the bedrock of UMNO’s support – may relate to it more easily than to more obscure financial matters.

“The cow issue is God-given,” Zuraida Kamaruddin, the head of the women’s wing of the opposition People’s Justice Party, told Reuters following a speech at a recent rally, which she punctuated with the occasional “moo” for comic effect.

“This time we have real evidence that proves their mismanagement.”

The family of Women, Families and Communities Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil is accused of using 250 million ringgit ($83 million) in soft government loans meant to develop the cattle project to buy luxury apartments, expensive overseas trips and a Mercedes.

Meanwhile, the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project was found by the auditor-general to have done little to reach its initial goal of making the country 40 percent self-sufficient in beef production by 2010.

Najib last month froze the assets of the NFC, which is under investigation by Malaysia’s anti-corruption commission. With fresh allegations appearing almost daily on the country’s lively Internet news sites, the scandal adds to growing temptations for him to delay elections that must be called by April 2013.

The 58-year-old son of a former prime minister had been expected to call the polls around April, before a looming global slowdown risked hurting Malaysia’s trade-dependent economy.

But with the U.S. economy showing signs of recovery and the euro zone not yet imploding, he may feel he can wait and hope for the scandal to blow over while recent government handouts to poorer families take effect.

Gross domestic product figures out on Wednesday are expected to show Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy slowed in the last quarter of 2011 but still grew at a brisk annual pace of 5 percent.

The risk for Najib is that the scandal could balloon further or set off other allegations of graft, implicating other members of his government and giving a further boost to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar was acquitted on sodomy charges last month, leaving him free to campaign.

The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is expected to hold on to its parliamentary majority after historic gains by the opposition in 2008. But the NFC scandal adds to the difficulty Najib faces in recapturing the coalition’s once impregnable two-thirds majority and winning a mandate to keep up with his tentative reforms.

That could set off an internal power struggle, with many expecting Najib’s more conservative, less reform-minded deputy Muhyiddin Yassin to launch a bid for the UMNO leadership.

“There are people within UMNO who don’t want any change at all,” said a Kuala-Lumpur-based fund manager who asked not to be identified. “If Muhyiddin comes in … he’s an old fashioned sort of politician and the market won’t react well.”

FADING REFORMS

Malaysia, once mentioned in the same breath as South Korea and Singapore as an Asian “tiger” economy, has mostly disappointed since the region’s financial crisis of 1997 as it struggles to revamp an economy centred on commodities and low-end manufacturing. Corruption has worsened, with the country sliding to 60th in Transparency International’s global ranking of graft perceptions last year compared to 33rd in 2002.

Najib has reached out to Malaysia’s middle class as a reformer, promising to replace repressive security laws and wean the country off a race-based economic system that has alleviated poverty but increasingly stunted growth, fuelled corruption and turned off foreign investors.

But he has watered down or backtracked on many of his key pledges, encountering opposition from within UMNO and its network of corporate interests that benefit from the system of ethnic Malay privileges.

Najib announced a significant overhaul of the system in 2010 named the New Economic Model (NEM), most of which has not been implemented.

“The NEM is not only dead but has also been effectively buried under a new avalanche of preferential policies and contracts that run against the open, transparent and accountable system promised,” said Lim Teck Ghee, the director of Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Initiatives.

Cowgate is a gift for critics who say little has changed on Najib’s watch since 2009 other than the rhetoric.

In the first major red flag over its operations, the auditor-general said in a report last year that the NFC had failed to set up a network of satellite farms and produced less than half of its target of 8,000 head of cattle by 2010.

Whistleblowers, the opposition and Malaysia’s irreverent blogosphere then took up the baton. The opposition has cited accounting and property documents, the authenticity of which has not been disputed, showing that around 62 million ringgit was spent by family members on — among other things — several up-scale apartments in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, land and a $180,000 Mercedes.

The NFCorp company that runs the centre is undeniably a family affair, which critics say epitomizes the cozy relations between UMNO and well-connected families and businesses. Its chairman is Mohamad Salleh Ismail, Shahrizat’s husband, and all three of their children are directors.

Shahrizat has denied any personal wrongdoing and has filed a defamation suit against two opposition members, including Zuraida. Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh, Shahrizat’s son and NFCorp’s chief executive, has said the company was allowed to use the loan at its discretion and that the properties were bought to earn rental income.

Even some UMNO members are not convinced by the explanation, however, and have called on Shahrizat to quit. Influential former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has added his voice to calls for her dismissal.

“It looks ugly,” said Shahrir Abdul Samad, an UMNO member of parliament for the southern state of Johor and a former cabinet minister. “This was an opportunity for him (Najib) to show he could handle a crisis.”

Feb

Isu Palestin: Malaysia Berkiblat Amerika, Israel,

By Anwar Ibrahim 3 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Anwar, Demokrasi, Dunia Arab, Ekonomi, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Politik and Umno

Malaysiakini

Kerajaan BN tidak pernah memberi sokongan secara konsisten terhadap perjuangan Palestin tetapi sebaliknya dasar negara selama ini sebenarnya berkiblatkan dasar Amerika Syarikat dan Israel terhadap negara itu, kata Setiausaha Agung PKR, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Sehungan itu, beliau membidas Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, yang sebelum ini mendakwa ketua pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim “bersifat talam dua muka” kerana menyatakan sokongannya terhadap usaha-usaha melindungi keselamatan Israel.

“Apakah Najib perlu diingatkan bagaimana layanan kerajaan Malaysia terhadap pemimpin negara Palestin yang sah dipilih secara demokrasi pada pilihanraya 25 Jan 2006?” soalnya dalam satu kenyataan media, lewat malam tadi.

Sebagai dalilnya, Saifuddin Nasution berkata Malaysia pada Mei 2006 telah menjadi tuan rumah Persidangan Negara-negara Berkecuali (NAM) tetapi anehnya kehadiran Dr Mahmoud Al Zahar selaku Menteri Luar sah kerajaan Palestin yang dilantik oleh Perdana Menteri Ismail Haniyeh telah dibelakangkan.

Sebaliknya, menurut beliau Putrajaya mengiktiraf Farouk Qadummi iaitu bekas Menteri Luar Palestin (sewaktu kerajaan Fatah sebelum pilihan raya 25 Januari 2006). Malah, pada persidangan tersebut Qadummi dijemput berucap sebagai wakil rasmi kerajaan Palestin.

“Hal ini tidak sukar difahami kerana PM Ismail Haniyeh dan Dr Mahmoud ALZahar adalah pemimpin Palestin yang mewakili Hamas yang pada kacamata Amerika Syarikat dan Israel adalah satu kumpulan pengganas.

“Hakikat bahawa Hamas menang pilihanraya secara bebas dan demokratik tidak sama sekali mengubah pendirian Amerika Syarikat dan Israel terhadap Hamas yang telah berjaya membentuk kerajaan Palestin yang sah.

“Amerika Syarikat dan Israel tidak mengiktiraf kerajaan Palestin pimpinan Hamas. Adalah menjadi pengetahuan umum Amerika Syarikat dan Israel lebih bersikap lunak terhadap kumpulan Fatah yang tewas pilihanraya,” katanya.

Pulaukan NAM

Menurut Saifuddin Nasution lagi, Dr Zahar yang kecewa dengan layanan Malaysia kemudiannya memulau persidangan NAM tersebut.

Beliau kemudiannya menemui pimpinan PAS termasuk timbalan presiden ketika itu Nasaruddin Mat Isa. Dr Zahar turut mengutuk tindakan kerajaan BN itu kerana menjemput Qaddoumi dan menganggap keputusan itu sebagai sesuatu yang tidak dapat diterima oleh kerajaan Palestin.

Malahan, kata beliau, Nasaruddin pula kemudian mengeluarkan kenyataan mengecam kerajaan Malaysia sebagai ‘biadap’

“Insiden tersebut memberikan bukti jelas bagaimana tidak konsistennya dasar kerajaan Malaysia terhadap Palestin. Insiden ini menjadi bukti bahawa dasar luar Malaysia terhadap Palestin sebenarnya berkiblatkan dasar Amerika Syarikat dan Israel terhadap Palestin.

“Insiden ini mengesahkan Kerajaan Malaysia tidak dapat membezakan antara kerajaan sah yang dipilih oleh rakyat Palestin dengan pemimpin Palestin yang ditolak dan tewas dalam pilihan raya.

“Hanya kerana Amerika Syarikat dan Israel tidak mengiktiraf kerajaan Palestin pimpinan Hamas pada ketika itu maka Malaysia juga akur. Bukankah fakta ini dengan sendirinya menolak kenyataan Najib sebaliknya mengesahkan bahawa dasar kerajaan Malaysia terhadap Palestin sebenarnya tidak konsisten?” soalnya.

Najib semalam diminta mengulas kekecewaan dan kebimbangan Perdana Menteri Palestin Ismail Haniyeh yang disampaikan ketika pertemuannya dengan Nasharuddin, selaku Pengerusi Pentadbiran Yayasan al-Quds Malaysia di Kuwait, baru-baru ini berhubung kenyataan Anwar mengenai Israel itu.

Pendirian berbeza

Menurut beliau ketua umum PKR itu sering membuat pendirian berbeza terhadap pendengar yang berlainan dalam isu.

Anwar, sebelum ini pada wawancaranya dengan majalah Wall Street Journal (WSJ) dilaporkan berkata beliau menyokong usaha menjaga keselamatan Israel. Pada masa yang sama, pada wawancara itu, Anwar turut menegaskan bahawa kepentingan sah rakyat Palestin juga mesti dilindungi.

Kenyataannya itu mengundang rasa tidak senang pelbagai pihak termasuk Majlis Syura Ulama PAS yang juga selari dengan pendirian parti itu supaya tidak mengiktiraf negara Israel dan mahu Anwar menarik balik kenyataannya itu ataupun menyaman majalah itu jika laporan berkenaan adalah tidak benar.

Feb

Sheikh Yusof Al-Qardhawi Doakan Khas Kemenangan Kita, Kebangkitan Rakyat

By Anwar Ibrahim 2 Comments

Categories: Anwar, Audio, Demokrasi, Dunia Arab, Islam, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya, Politik, Program and Video

Feb

Sehari Bersama Anwar Ibrahim–Liputan Koran Tempo

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

Categories: Analisis, Antarabangsa, Anwar, Asia Tenggara, Demokrasi, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Penerbitan, Pilihanraya and Politik

Klik imej untuk besarkan keratan

Feb

Pakatan Desak SPR Batal Daftar 42,000 Pemilih Ragu

By Anwar Ibrahim 0 Comments

Categories: Analisis, Anwar, Audio, Demokrasi, Hebahan, Isu Semasa, KeADILan, Malaysia, Media, Pakatan Rakyat, Parlimen, Persidangan, Pilihanraya, Politik, Program, Umno and Video

Feb

Pakatan Wants ‘Project IC’ RCI to Cover Whole Nation

By Anwar Ibrahim 1 Comment

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

Malaysiakini

Just days before the Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is to announce the government’s decision on the proposal to establish a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah given citizenship and rights to vote, Pakatan Rakyat demanded that the RCI cover not just the land below the wind but the whole nation.

“We urge the government to establish (the RCI) immediately and don’t limit it to just Sabah because this is a national issue,” said PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim during a press conference at PKR headquarters after chairing the Pakatan leadership council meeting.

The opposition coalition also wanted the authorities to verify the citizenship and voting rights of those dubious voters before calling the next general election.

It was reported that Najib is expected to make the much-awaited announcement with regard to the federal cabinet’s decision on the RCI during his next visit to Sabah, slated for two days beginning on Feb 16.

According to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Maximus Ongkili, the recent cabinet meeting had discussed the issue in detail.

Perak Pakatan Demands Explanation Over Highway Contract

21/02/12 0 comments

The Malaysian Insider

Perak Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders cried foul today over the award of a lucrative RM2.2 billion highway contract to companies linked to former Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi and Umno lawyer Datuk Hafarizam Harun, two key figures in the Perak constitutional crisis of 2009.

They demanded both men and the Najib administration explain the award and yesterday’s allegation by controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin that the deal was Barisan Nasional’s (BN) gift for their help in toppling PR in the northern state.

“(Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib Razak and the Works Ministry must come out to refute this allegation with proof that they carried out an open tender process and the award was based on the firms’ proper qualifications, track record and expertise in the field.

“As an MP and the former mentri besar of Perak, I demand an explanation from the authorities… failing which, this allegation would hold true,” PAS’s Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin told The Malaysian Insider.

Nizar, who once led the Perak PR government, said the allegation was unsurprising as both men had been central figures during the year-long constitutional impasse that saw an endless series of legal suits mounted.

As an example, the Bukit Gantang MP said Hafarizam had even joined an Umno delegation to several Middle Eastern countries like Jordan, Syria and Egypt in a bid to justify the ruling party’s power grab on the point of law to Malaysian students there.

Nizar’s former colleague in the Perak PR government, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, shared his sentiment.

The Perak DAP chief charged that both Hafarizam and Zaki had already “compromised their principles” by allowing their political affiliations to interfere with their duties in the legal profession.

“With or without this allegation, these two have already soiled their careers,” he told The Malaysian Insider. Selanjutnya…

Najib Dinobatkan Juara Hipokrit Oleh Akhbar Unggul AS

20/02/12 4 comments

Malaysia Chronicle

Senyapnya Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak! Walaupun dunia menggeleng-gelengkan kepalanya ke atas skandal Media FBC, di mana pentadbiran beliau menggunakan wang pembayar cukai Malaysia untuk ‘membeli’ penyebutan nama yang menggalakkan di waktu perdana televisyen antarabangsa, Najib tidak didengar atau dilihat pun. Mungkin dia menyembunyikan kepalanya kerana malu tetapi menurut rekodnya yang lepas, PM Malaysia tidak mudah sesal atau rasa bersalah.

Dalam satu kenyataan yang disiarkan di laman web BBC, penyiar berkata “sebilangan kecil” program-program yang disiarkan di BBC World News antara Februari 2009 dan Julai 2011, tidak mengikuti peraturan dalaman yang bertujuan untuk melindungi integriti editorial.

“Peraturan-peraturan ini memastikan program adalah percuma, dan dilihat bebas dari tekanan komersial atau tekanan lain dari luar,” kata kenyataan tersebut.

Hubungan ekonomi

Walaupun jenis program yang berkaitan dengan Malaysia telah disebut tanpa butiran yang banyak, BBC menyatakan dengan jelas bahawa 8 daripada program-program ini mempunyai ‘hubungan ekonomi’ dengan kerajaan Malaysia.

Selepas banyak cacian awam daripada pihak pembangkang, Najib akhirnya mengaku kepada Parlimen bahawa ia telah membayar RM84 juta untuk FBC Media antara 2007 dan 2010 bagi ‘perkhidmatan perundingan, nasihat dan pengurusan kempen komunikasi’ untuk memperindah imej Malaysia. Selain daripada mengecat imej palsu memuji-muji dirinya, dokumentari itu juga menggambarkan industri minyak sawit Malaysia dan layanan orang asli sebagai amat memberangsangkan yang sebenarnya indah khabar dari rupa. Selanjutnya…

Semakan Audit Dapati Ramai Pengundi Yang Diragui

15/02/12 1 comment

Malaysiakini

Jawatankuasa Pilihan Parlimen (PSC) mengenai pembaharuan sistem pilihan raya di negara ini dimaklumkan bahawa semakan audit yang dijalankan ke atas daftar pemilih mendedahkan wujudnya jumlah amat besar pengundi yang meragukan.

Mimos Bhd, sebuah syarikat teknologi milik penuh kerajaan yang membuat semakan audit itu pada taklimatnya kepada PSC berkata terdapat kira-kira 200,000 pengundi yang mencurigakan.

Menurut ahli PSC Anthony Loke (kiri), taklimat telah diberikan oleh Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Mimos, Abdul Wahab Abdullah semasa mesyuarat dua jam, semalam.

Turut hadir semasa mesyuarat dan taklimat berkenaan adalah pengerusi PSC Datuk Seri Maximus Johnity Ongkili.

Loke berkata Mimos pada taklimatnya memberitahu pihaknya mengesan 820 kes di mana terdapat lebih daripada 100 pengundi yang menetap di alamat yang sama.

“Selain itu, kami mendapati 1,259 kes di mana antara 51-100 pengundi tinggal di alamat yang sama, 3,254 kes di mana terdapat antara 21-50 pengundi tinggal di alamat sama, dan 6,002 kes yang melibatkan antara 11 hingga 20 pengundi di rumah sama.

“Tempat-tempat ini termasuk kem tentera,” katanya kepada Malaysiakini.

Turut dipertikaikan adalah alamat yang mencurigakan di mana pengundi didaftar dengan alamat yang tidak lengkap ataupun tidak sah. Sebagai contoh, katanya: “Tiada alamat atau rumah 62, Lembah Pantai dan E6, Seputeh”. Selanjutnya…

Dr M Made The Judiciary Dependent on Politicians, Ex-Chief Justice

12/02/12 6 comments

The Malaysian Insider

The retired judge highlighted the amendment to Article 121 of the Federal Constitution, made during Dr Mahathir’s administration in the 1980s, which effectively clipped the judiciary’s wings for over two decades.

As a result of the amendment, the judicial powers of the courts were removed and they have only such judicial powers as Parliament gives,” Mohd Dzaiddin said, adding that it meant “Parliament is more superior than what the judiciary was.”

The man, who once headed the country’s courts, said the amendment was repugnant “because Parliament attempted to dictate to the judiciary that it only has judicial powers which Parliament itself says the judiciary has.”

He stressed: “This alters in my view in a very fundamental manner the basic structure of the Federal Constitution, from the concept of the independence of the judiciary to dependence of the judiciary on the executive for its judicial powers.”

Malaysia’s judiciary is not a tool to be used by the government for any kind of political expediency, Mohd Dzaiddin said.

“The judiciary should be completely independent both of the executive and the legislature,” the retired judge said in his keynote speech celebrating Tunku Abdul Rahman’s birthday and the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs’ (IDEAS) second anniversary at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Memorial today.

In 1988, then Lord President Tun Mohamed Salleh Abas was sacked by then-Prime Minister Dr Mahathir.

Mohd Dzaiddin said the incident was due to clashes in opinions between Dr Mahathir and Salleh over the roles of the two arms of government.

Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee also said the incident in 1988 should never be repeated.

“I think there is a recognition now by everybody, we must never go back to the days of ‘88, we must never allow a prime minister to sack judges just because he made a judicial pronouncement which was unfavourable to the government of the day, that must never ever happen again,” he said.

Lim said for commercial cases, Malaysia’s judiciary system was credible enough to handle cases from the region.

“But the ultimate test is of course when it comes to politically sensitive cases or religious cases and how our appellate courts deal with it.

“On that score, I still give them a minus because so far as religious cases go, the conversion cases, there is a fear by our appellate courts in having to make a decision. They keep postponing, the controversial cases just being postponed, then there is of course the Perak crisis,” he said.

On Wednesday, a three-man panel of judges in the Court of Appeal ruled that the rights and freedom of speech enshrined in the Federal Constitution are not absolute.

As a result, veteran DAP MP Karpal Singh’s statement at a press conference in 2009, that the Sultan of Perak could be sued, had crossed legal lines and amounted to sedition, the judges said.

“To be fair, we have very courageous judges who have awarded substantial damages against the government for wrongful detention. So to be fair there are those, in the words of Tun Dzaiddin, ‘silver lining out there’,” Lim said.

Umno So Corrupt Even Dr M Could Not Become Delegate Without Bribing, says ex-minister

10/02/12 1 comment

The Malaysian Insider

A former federal minister from Umno claimed today that party leaders used money to win party elections and this practice went to the very top.

Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir told a press conference that Umno must “stop and abolish the despicable and disgusting acts of bribery and corruption.”

“This includes the political corruption whereby one has to pay money to his own fellow party members to be elected to various posts in Umno, including the top posts.

“If you give, it’s wrong. If you don’t, you lose. So it becomes widely accepted culture, so even leaders in top positions have to do it if not you lose,” the former Umno supreme council member said.

He cited as an example influential former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was unable to be elected as a delegate to the party general assembly after ending his 22 years as Umno president.

“Dr Mahathir has shed tears in his opening address at the general assembly, begging leaders not to buy votes. Can you imagine later he could not even win as a delegate?” Abdul Kadir said, adding he has never used money to win positions in the party.

The former information minister made headlines last month when he accused the ruling coalition of handing out RM200 to RM1,000 to win previous elections but said he personally did not use the strategy known as “bomb”.

He also repeated today that BN should “stop the ugly and primitive practice of bribing the rakyat… whether directly or indirectly, in order to win elections.”

Abdul Kadir, who was also a former culture, arts and tourism minister, told reporters today that he has been told that Umno’s disciplinary committee has been asked to investigate his comments although he has not received any formal notice.

“There is no need to investigate me because I will be sending them the full texts of the said interviews which are not edited in any way,” he said.

He said in his defence that Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak and other leaders “have gone around the country shouting we must change, otherwise we will be changed.”

“The question is what are those bad habits that need to be change of which the rakyat is so angry about?”

Abdul Kadir is now treasurer of Kulim Bandar Baharu Umno and deputy president of non-partisan pro-unity NGO Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah).

Inevitable Defeat The Reason Why Najib Fears GE-13 And Keeps Delaying it

06/02/12 8 comments

Malaysia Chronicle

The next General Election, the 13th, is widely expected to be called on paper between May this year and April/May next year when the five-year term of the present Parliament ends. The five-year term of Parliament is calculated from the first day of the first sitting of the first Parliament for the term/tenure.

Once Parliament is dissolved, elections would have to be held within two months.

However, if Parliament is not dissolved within its five-year term, it stands automatically dissolved at the end of that term. In that case, elections would have to be called within six months. This factor might be playing on Malaysian Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak’s mind, desperate as he is to stretch out his term in office.

GE-13 can even be in second-half of 2013!

Najib seems to have come to the conclusion, albeit grudgingly, that there are no guarantees that he will be Prime Minister after GE 13. That may be the sole reason why his wife, Rosmah Majid, is forever off somewhere on shopping sprees if not hunting for a spot in exile at the expense of the people.

Whether Najib will be Opposition Leader and/or allowed to do so by his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin – rooting for a Mahathir dynasty — and Mahathir Mohamad himself is a RM 1.5 billion question.

Najib does not have a mandate of his own.

He continues to shamelessly ride on that obtained by his sacked predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in 2008. Mahathir was able to get rid of Badawi because the Umno Supreme Council members, corrupt beyond redemption, are in his pocket.

Najib should have obtained his own mandate by now but he fears, as he has never feared before in his cushy life so far, the prospect of testing the electoral waters on his own.

No Prime Minister has been that fearful in the history of the country. Najib just doesn’t have the guts to ignore Mahathir and his (Mahathir’s) Umno Supreme Council and call for the 13th GE and accept like a man whatever is in store for him. Neither has he the foresight to make a deal with the opposition alliance to accept his faction at least into their government-in-the-making and save the political dynasty built by his late father.

Too risky for BN to call GE-13 now

There are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies in politics, only permanent interests. That doesn’t mean the opposition alliance will accept Mahathir as well unless he agrees to flee the country for good and leave his ill-gotten gains behind.

There’s too much at stake to go for the GE 13 now and even go for it at all, not just for Najib who is not that big a factor, but Umno, the establishment and the entire system which stands at risks of being dismantled and many of its members incarcerated for very long stretches, if not for good.

This is one reason why the Prime Minister declared not so long ago that he can always do what his father, 2nd Prime Minister Abdul Razak, did in the wake of the searing race riots between the non-Malay communities and the Malay-speaking communities in Peninsular Malaysia in 1969. However, Najib was quick to add that he “would not do so”. But why mention it if he has no plans to do so? Was that a veiled threat to vote him back into power or else?

Najib was referring to the declaration of a state of emergency, the shutting down of Parliament, suspension of democracy, the shutting out of the political parties, and the setting up of the National Operations Council under Abdul Razak as Direction of Operations.

Abdul Razak also set up the National Consultative Council, with its members drawn from various walks of life but not the political parties, in lieu of the disbanded Parliament. He chaired the NCC.

Abdul Razak went on to form the Barisan Nasional, a concept which circumscribed the democratic process and denied the majority meaningful participation by endorsing elite power-sharing. The BN which was formed included the opposition parties which had made spectacular gains during the 1969 polls.

Emergency rule and forcing DAP to join BN

It will be a sheer miracle if Najib does not do what his father did in 1969/1970 considering his sudden morbid fear of going to the polls and especially with Mahathir breathing down his neck to achieve the impossible: get back the ruling Barisan Nasional’s (BN) coveted two-thirds majority in Parliament.

There are attempts being made to force the Dap to join the BN.

At the same time, Umno does not seem to reckon with the fact that its legislators will abandon Mahathir for good – notwithstanding his Big Black Book of Everyone’s Sins — and flee in droves to the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) after the 13th GE “in order to buy political protection and avoid a stint behind bars, if not bankruptcy and/or the prospect of being reduced suddenly to abject poverty”. Selanjutnya…

Dana KWSP Diguna Ibarat Wang Saku BN

03/02/12 2 comments

Malaysiakini

PKR hari ini menyelar tindakan kerajaan untuk menggunakan RM1.5 bilion daripada dana Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) bagi membantu mereka yang gagal mendapatkan pinjaman bank bagi membiayai pembelian rumah awam kos rendah.

“Malah bank-bank juga tidak bersedia memberi pinjaman. Apakah yang dilakukan oleh panel pelaburan KWSP?

“Mengapa wang KWSP yang digunakan sebagai wang saku BN?” soal naib presiden PKR Nurul Izzah Anwar (kanan) pada sidang media hari ini.

Sekurang-kurangnya empat bank telah diminta membantu menggubal draf perjanjian pembiayaan, kata Nurul Izzah sambil menyoal mengapa dana KWSP digunakan jika bank komersial sendiri tidak menganggap skim itu sebagai berdaya maju.

“Kita tidak mahu situasi seperti krisis pajak gadai subprima di Amerika Syarikat, di mana peminjam tidak dapat membayar ansuran mereka, jadi KWSP bukan bank (dalam kesusahan),” katanya, sambil mengingatkan bahawa dana KWSP juga telah digunakan untuk membiayai projek transit aliran ringan (LRT). Selanjutnya…

Debat Dituntut Dalam Islam Tapi Najib Elak Untuk Sorok ‘Sesuatu’

28/01/12 6 comments

Keadilan Daily

Budaya debat antara pemimpin selaras dengan tuntutan al-Quran dan menjadi tradisi kepimpinan silam tamadun dunia, kata Ketua Penerangan KEADILAN, Dr Muhammad Nur Manuty.

Sambil memetik Surah An-Nahl: 125, beliau berkata budaya itu lumrah ilmuan dan kepimpinan silam kerana kebenaran akan lebih terserlah dan pandangan baru dapat dicerna demi kepentingan negara dan rakyat.

“Lebih penting, rakyat diberi peluang menilai secara empirikal dan adil akan ketrampilan dan keikhlasan kepimpinan yang diberi amanah mengurus negara pada masa depan.

“Inilah demokrasi sebenar yang dituntut oleh rakyat,” katanya pada kenyataan media, hari ini.

Dr Muhammad Nur kesal dengan keengganan Datuk Seri Najib Razak menyahut seruan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim untuk berdebat secara terbuka mengenai isu politik, ekonomi dan kebajikan rakyat yang sedang hangat diperkata. Selanjutnya…

Dia Cakap 40 minit, Saya 20 Minit Sudah

28/01/12 9 comments

Harakah

“Dia boleh cakap 20 minit, saya 10 minit. Dia balas 20 minit dan saya jawab 10 minit.”

Itulah cadangan yang dikemukakan Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim kepada Perdana Menteri, Datuk Sri Najib Razak dalam cadangan debat antara mereka.

Namun sehingga kini Najib tidak memberikan sebarang kesanggupan untuk debat ini.

Ketua Penerangan Umno, Datuk Ahmad Maslan pula berkata, ia tidak perlu diadakan kerana ia budaya barat yang belum boleh diterima masyarakat negara ini.
Sebelum ini, badan penyelidikan, Merdeka Centre mencadangkan agar kedua-dua mereka berdebat.

Anwar Ibrahim mengalu-alukan idea berdebat dengan Najib sebagaimana disarankan oleh Merdeka Center berdasarkan penemuannya baru-baru ini.

Sehubungan itu kata Anwar, debat yang disyorkan wajar bagi menjawab persoalan-persoalan yang ditimbulkan terhadap Barisan Nasional (BN) dan Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Selanjutnya…

The Dragon Favours The Bold, PKR’s William Leong Tells Sabahans

27/01/12 1 comment

Malaysia Chronicle

My fellow Malaysians in the Land Below the Wind, A Happy New Year and Kong Hee Fa Cai.

This Chinese New Year will usher in the Water Dragon. The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. In ancient China, the dragon represents the emperor and power. Today, it is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. According to a Feng Shui master, the year of the dragon is traditionally associated with new beginnings and good fortune.

This year is the year of the Water Dragon. Water symbolizes the ocean. This is an element of power, force and strong energy. The Water Dragon could be the destructive force of nature such as tsunami or earthquake. It could also be the driving force for social, political and economic changes. The water dragon is also a symbol of intelligence, courage, generosity and charity. It is predicted for countries that will hold their presidential or general elections that there will be changes. This is a sign of the bold progress and reforms that the powerful water dragon will bring this lunar year. The Dragon favours the bold. So this year he who is bold and he who dares will win. This is the year for the bold to step forward and bring change.

Putrajaya is UMNO not Malaysians

Firstly, decisions made by the Federal Government more popularly referred to as “decisions of Kuala Lumpur” and now “Putrajaya” have been taken by the people of Sabah as being synonymous as that of people of Peninsula Malaysia. I want to say that this is not correct. The decisions of the Federal Government are not synonymous with the people of Peninsula Malaysia. They are in truth and in fact decisions of UMNO.

The Federal Government’s interest in pursuing the NEP and the promotion of elitist’s interest is not the aspirations of the people of Peninsula, at least not since March 8, 2008. In the 12th General Elections the majority of the people of Peninsula Malaysia rejected racial politics. They rejected the NEP. In the 12th General Elections, 52% of the people in the Peninsula voted for the multi-racial politics of Pakatan Rakyat. They voted for PR’s New Economic Agenda, they rejected the NEP. They wanted affirmative action based on needs not race.

The people in the Peninsular rejected UMNO and BN. Unfortunately and ironically, it was the people of Sabah and Sarawak that kept UMNO and BN in Putrajaya. The brave people of Sabah who changed their state government three times, who we in West Malaysia would be the ones who will lead the change voted for BN. What happen to the people in Sabah?

Looking Back at Sabah’s History

To answer the question, to see what will be Sabah’s future, I look back at Sabah’s past. Sabah’s history is marked by the people’s courage to vote for change. It is the only state that changed its state government three times. We, in Peninsula Malaysia have always admired the courage of the Sabah people in throwing out despots and corrupt governments. However, it is sad to note that despite the people’s valiant efforts, Sabah had fallen from being the second richest state after Selangor in the 1970’s to become the second poorest. With each change the forces that the Sabah people rejected rebounded and took a stronger hold on the government. I note three features that have constantly recurred:-

1) That the Sabah people is strong when they unite under a multi-racial party;

2) That the Sabah people is weak when the multi-racial party is broken up and political parties base on race take over;

3) That the Sabah people’s aspirations are thwarted by the Federal Government who used the Federal government’s power and machinery to remove state Government whose policies are not in accord with UMNO’s.

The Early Years

I wish to refer to some historical facts to illustrate my point on the Sabah people’s need for unity and how critical it is for Sabahans to reject racial politics.

Prior to the formation of these racial based political parties, Sabah had always been racially, culturally and religiously diverse. However, the people of Sabah had never seen themselves as racially or religiously divided. In Sabah many families have relatives who are Chinese, KDM, Malay, Muslims and Christians. Ethnicity was not a feature of Sabah politics. However, this changed in the early 1960’s. Prior to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur promoted the formation of an inter-ethnic alliance in Sabah. The Sabah Alliance was formed just before the first elections in April 1963. The Sabah Alliance consisted of UNKO, USNO and the Chinese parties later to become the Sabah Chinese Association (“SCA”) and later UPMO and SIC. Selanjutnya…

Apabila Hak Rakyat Malaysia Telah Diaibkan

25/01/12 3 comments

Detik Daily
Oleh Selena Tay

WALAUPUN dakwat kekal akan digunakan pada pilihan raya umum ke-13 (PRU13) ini, penipuan masih juga boleh berlaku. Berikut adalah kemungkinan bagaimana BN menang melalui penipuan.

1. Nama kita tidak berada dalam senarai daftar pengundi. Jika nama kita langsung tidak berada dalam senarai pada hari mengundi, maka kita langsung tidak boleh buat apa-apa.

2. Nama kita telah dipindahkan ke kawasan yang jauh:
Sebagai contoh jika kita tinggal di Shah Alam, alamat kad pengenalan kita di Shah Alam dan pada pilihan raya yang lepas kita mengundi di Shah Alam, dengan tiba-tiba kali ini nama kita telah dipindahkan ke Perlis tanpa pengetahuan kita pada hari kita pergi mengundi nanti. Adakah kita akan pergi ke Perlis untuk mengundi pada hari tersebut?

3. Percaturan secara strategik:

a. Pengundi Cina di Shah Alam dipindahkan ke Klang.

Apabila ini berlaku, Umno akan dapat kembali kerusi Parlimen Shah Alam daripada PAS (ahli parlimen kini Khalid Samad).

Kerusi Parlimen Klang biar dimenangi oleh DAP tak apalah asalkan Umno dapat kembali kerusi Parlimen Shah Alam. Pada masa ini kerusi Parlimen Klang dipegang oleh Charles Santiago daripada DAP.

b. Pengundi Cina di kerusi Parlimen Titiwangsa (dulu dimenangi Allahyarham Dr Lo’ Lo’ Ghazali) yang dipegang oleh PAS akan dipindahkah ke kerusi Parlimen Cheras yang dimiliki oleh DAP (Tan Kok Wai). Ini akan membolehkan Umno untuk dapat kembali kerusi Parlimen Titiwangsa.

Pemindahan pengundi Cina ke kawasan yang dimiliki oleh DAP sejak zaman Tok Kadok lagi tidak memberi apa-apa manfaat kepada DAP tetapi hanya memberikan DAP kemenangan dengan jurang yang amat besar sahaja, contohnya Teresa Kok daripada DAP menang di kerusi Parlimen Seputeh dengan jumlah lebihan undi sebanyak 36,000 – angka yang amat besar, malah jumlah lebihan undi yang banyak sekali di Malaysia pada pilihan raya yang lalu.

c. Kerusi Parlimen Batu yang merupakan sebuah kerusi Wilayah Persekutuan KL telah bertindih dengan kerusi Parlimen Selayang di Selangor untuk membolehkan pengundi Melayu mengundi di Batu. Pada masa kini, penyandang kerusi Parlimen Batu ialah Tian Chua daripada KeADILan.

4. Pertambahan pengundi secara mendadak:

a. Kerusi Dun (Dewan Undangan Negeri) Pelabuhan Klang, di mana penyandangnya ialah Badrul Hisham Abdullah (dulu KeADILan, sekarang Umno).

Di kerusi Dun ini terdapat pertambahan jumlah pengundi sebanyak 5,510 pada tahun lalu walaupun tiada kawasan perumahan baru di situ sejak pilihan raya yang lalu. Anggota Parlimen daripada DAP, Charles Santiago telah berhasrat untuk membuat bantahan mengenai perkara ini sebab kerusi Dun ini terletak dalam kawasan Parlimennya. Selanjutnya…

Malay Professionals Want Najib-Anwar Debate, Says Merdeka Center

25/01/12 6 comments

The Malaysian Insider

Many Malay professionals would like to see Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak debate Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on policy issues, the Merdeka Center said today.

The independent pollster told Sinar Harian its focus group discussions with Malay professionals showed they were keen on a debate where both leaders talked about larger issues affecting the country, not personal ones.

“There appears to be a change in what the people want. They want a new culture of debate rather than smear campaigns,” Merdeka Center director Ibrahim Suffian (picture) told the Malay-language daily.

The centre’s findings come just 10 days after Anwar challenged Najib to a public debate over national policies during his winding-up speech at the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) convention in Alor Star.

The PKR de facto leader had said that an open debate would let voters decide for themselves if the opposition pact’s plans for Malaysia had merit.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition has criticised PR’s alternative policies as populist and irresponsible.

It was the third such challenge issued by Anwar to Najib, who has so far declined to go toe-to-toe with the former deputy prime minister. Selanjutnya…

Naungan Politik BN Jadi Fokus Selepas Skandal Didedah

22/01/12 0 comments

The Malaysian Insider
Oleh Shannon Teoh

Pendedahan-pendedahan skandal kewangan yang melibatkan pemimpin tertinggi Umno kebelakangan ini menyaksikan naungan politik BN menjadi fokus pada tahun yang dijangka akan diadakan pilihan raya umum, demikian menurut pemerhati politik.

Sementara tuduhan terhadap penyalahgunaan dana RM250 juta Pusat Fidlot Nasional-yang dijalankan oleh keluarga Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil telah mendominasi tajuk utama sejak November, dan skandal-skandal lain dikaitkan dengan menteri Barisan Nasional (BN) turut menjadi perhatian umum.

Pemerhati politik memberitahu The Malaysian Insider bahawa terdapatnya hubungan antara politik dan perniagaan yang berkembang dengan penelitian masyarakat bahawa “skandal ini akan berkekalan.”

“Masyarakat akan bertanya sama ada kerajaan akan berkhidmat untuk kepentingan ahli politik atau kepada majoriti rakyat Malaysia yang bukannya ahli politik,” jelas Pengerusi Pusat Penyelidikan Polisi Awam, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam kepada The Malaysian Insider.

Presiden Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) Datuk Paul Low berkata, pemerhati melihat masyarakat mula berminat dalam isu rasuah kebelakangan ini, dengan kajian baru-baru ini menunjukkan 90 peratus rakyat Malaysia akan menggunakan peluang untuk melawan rasuah.

“Jelas menunjukkan masyarakat sekarang tidak akan melepaskan perkara itu dengan mudah. Skandal ini akan berkekalan,” katanya.

PKR telah berulangkali mengeluarkan tuduhan terhadap Ketua Wanita Umno dan keluarganya kerana didakwa telah menyalahgunakan dana projek penternakan lembu, termasuk hartanah dan tanah bernilai RM 27 juta yang tidak berkaitan dengan projek berkenaan.

Mereka turut mendesak Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom dikenakan tindakan terhadap dakwaan penyalahgunaan wang zakat untuk bayaran guaman bernilai RM63,650.

Blogger yang hanya dikenali nama samaran, TheWhistleblower711, turut menuduh bekas Menteri Pelancongan, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman dan Timbalan Menteri Kewangan Datuk Awang Adek Hussin masing-masing menerima RM300,000 RM100,000 daripada Pengarah Urusan Gerbang Perdana, Yahya Abd Jalil.

Namun begitu, kedua-dua menteri Umno terbabit menafikan dakwaan berkenaan; Azalina menyatakan bayaran tersebut merupakan untuk pembayaran jualan kereta klasik dan Adek Awang menjelaskan bayaran itu dibuat terhadap pelaksanaan program sosial di Bachok, yang mana beliau merupakan ketua cawangan. Selanjutnya…