Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi said today that his final mission is to cool racial and religious tensions in this multiethnic country, as he rushes through a raft of reforms in his last weeks in office.

“Since I am retiring earlier than I was planning to, (the reforms) have to be done very quickly,” said Abdullah, who will hand over power to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak in March.

He agreed to step down four years before the end of his term after facing a virtual rebellion from colleagues after the opposition made tremendous gains in March elections. The results robbed the ruling coalition of a two-thirds majority for the first time in four decades.

The opposition’s gains have been attributed to anger among ethnic Chinese and Indians who complain of discrimination in jobs, education and other areas by the Malay-dominated government. They say their religious rights have also become secondary to Islam. Malays, who are Muslims, form 60 per cent of the country’s 27 million people and control the government, the judiciary and the security forces.

He added that he was grappling with how to handle race relations and religious tensions.

“Muslims think from their own perspective. Non-Muslims think from their own perspective,” he said.

Critics say racial polarisation has increased since Abdullah took office in 2003.

“There has been a lack of leadership to bring divisive forces under control, which emboldened religious extremists,” said Democratic Action Party leader Lim Kit Siang.

Abdullah suggested he could establish an institution “where all communities” can take their grievances. The answer could also lie in new legislation, ostensibly clarifying gray areas in laws on religious disputes, he said.

Muslims are governed by Syariah laws in family and personal matters. Ethnic Chinese, Indian and other races come under civil courts. There is no clear-cut guidance on which court has greater authority when it comes to disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims, but civil courts have always allowed Syariah courts to adjudicate and verdicts generally favour Muslims.

“Some people (outside Malaysia) laugh at it and say ‘What the hell is it about?’ … but it’s not funny at all,” Abdullah said. “These are very, very serious issues.”

An anti-corruption bill introduced by Abdullah that would establish a powerful Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was passed today. Another one to create a committee to appoint senior judges to ensure judicial independence was passed yesterday.

But the opposition has refused to vote for the committee because it can only recommend the appointment of judges while final approval remains with the prime minister.

AP

The government denied any plan yesterday to shut down a Catholic newspaper accused of flouting publication rules by running articles deemed political and insulting to Islam.

The Herald, the main Roman Catholic weekly in the country, has received warnings over the past year that it could lose its publishing licence, which expires on Dec 31. All publications must renew their government licence every year.

The Rev. Lawrence Andrew, editor of the Herald, said the Home Ministry has not renewed the paper’s licence even though it submitted an application months ago, while in past years a licence was typically issued far in advance.

“If they want to delay it like that, it doesn’t give me any indication that it (the licence renewal) will happen,” Andrew said in a telephone interview.

Che Din Yusoh, an official with the Home Ministry’s publishing unit, however, said officials were merely bogged down with a large number of licence applications.

“We will issue it by the end of the month,” he told The Associated Press. “There is nothing to worry about.”

The Home Ministry sent a letter to the Herald’s publishers earlier this year warning that the newspaper had “committed offences” by highlighting Malaysian politics and current affairs instead of Christian issues for which it has been given a licence.

The ministry also accused the Herald of carrying an article that “could threaten public peace and national security” because it allegedly “denigrated Islamic teachings.”

The Herald has said, however, the article titled “America and Jihad — Where do they stand?” was not meant to insult Islam but was an analysis of circumstances following the Sept 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.

The publication is also currently embroiled in a court dispute with the government over a ban on the use of the word “Allah” as a Malay-language translation for “God.” The Herald has sought a court order to challenge the government’s ban on its use of the word. Hearings have not begun.

The government has said the use of the word could confuse Muslims, while the Herald insists “Allah” has been used for centuries to mean “God” in Malay.

The Herald’s problems underscore the tenuous position of minority religions amid a recent string of interfaith disputes. Many Christians, Buddhists and Hindus fear their rights are being undermined by government efforts to bolster the status of Islam, Malaysia’s official religion.

Ethnic Malay Muslims make up nearly two-thirds of Malaysia’s 27 million people. Dissatisfaction among minorities over the demolition of Hindu temples, court rulings about the right to leave Islam and other religious disputes contributed to the government’s poor performance in March elections.

AP

MALAYSIA’S prime minister has defended a new law aimed at promoting judicial independence even though it gives him the final say in appointing senior judges including the chief justice.

Malaysia’s Parliament passed the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill late on Wednesday, hours after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told The Associated Press in an interview that the legislation will rid the country’s judiciary of its ‘negative perception’.

The bill is a highlight of Mr Abdullah’s reforms programme, which he is pushing through before handing over power to his deputy Najib Razak in March. This week Parliament also passed a bill to set up a new anti-corruption agency.

‘Since I am retiring earlier than I was planning to do all these things have to be done very quickly,’ Mr Abdullah said in the interview, adding that the drive against corruption and creating ‘a judiciary of integrity’ were the cornerstones of his election campaign in 2004.

‘If that can be fulfilled that’s good enough. It doesn’t matter whether you do it in a hurry or not,’ he said.

The reputation of Malaysia’s judiciary has suffered from a series of scandals including a secretly taped video showing a lawyer allegedly brokering the appointment of senior judge in a telephone conversation with someone who was later appointed the chief justice.

At present the prime minister appoints the judges at his discretion without the need to justify his choice or consult others.

The recent appointment of a former ruling party lawyer as the chief justice has also triggered opposition criticism about the independence of the judiciary.

The Judicial Appointments Commission calls for setting up a nine-member panel of judicial and nonjudicial persons who would recommend to the prime minister a set of names for the job of senior judges.

However, the prime minister has the prerogative to reject the recommendations and ask for fresh names until he picks one that he thinks is a suitable candidate.

Mr Abdullah said the judicial commission will lend ‘more transparency’ to the system, insisting that no prime minister would misuse his power.

‘I am sure the prime minister will not do anything that will ultimately put him in bad light. His reputation will be at stake,’ he said.

Opposition leaders say the country cannot rely solely on the prime minister’s fear of sullying his reputation to have an independent judiciary. They say the prime minister should have no role at all in picking judges.

The new law ‘is totally unsatisfactory and unequal to the task to restore national and international confidence in the independence, impartiality and integrity of the Malaysian judiciary’, Mr Lim Kit Siang of the opposition Democratic Action Party said.

During the interview, Mr Abdullah also said his final mission before retiring is to cool racial and religious tensions in this multiethnic country at a time of a deepening financial crisis.

Mr Abdullah agreed to step down four years before the end of his term after facing a virtual rebellion from colleagues, shocked by the tremendous gains made by the opposition in March elections.

The results robbed the ruling coalition of a two-thirds majority for the first time in four decades.

It was attributed to anger among minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who complain of discrimination in jobs, education and other areas by the majority Malays who dominate the government. They say their religious rights have also become secondary to Islam.

AP

Malaysia’s leader said that national carmaker Proton, criticized for shoddy workmanship and poor after-sales service, should tie-up with a strong foreign partner in a joint venture to remain competitive.

The comments by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came amid news Wednesday that Proton has been sued by its former Chinese joint-venture partner, Goldstar Heavy Industrial Co. Ltd., for 1 billion yuan ($146 million) in compensation for breach of contract.

Abdullah indicated in an interview with The Associated Press that Proton should be willing to give majority control to a partner in a joint venture if necessary but refused to be drawn on specifics.

Asked if a foreign partner can hold a majority 51 percent stake, he said: “It doesn’t matter as long as Proton, the mother company, is entirely ours.”

“This (joint venture) is our investment in collaboration with another company. We will (find) what is the best arrangement which will be entirely commercial,” he said.

Pressured by dwindling sales and growing competition as Malaysia liberalizes its auto market, state-owned Proton began searching for a new foreign partner after Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp. bailed out as a major shareholder in 2004 due to its own financial problems.

Alliance talks with Germany’s Volkswagen AG and General Motors Corp. failed due to the government’s reluctance to cede control of Proton — seen as a national icon.

Abdullah declined to comment on speculation that Proton has revived alliance talks with Volkswagen, saying it’s up to Proton to find the best suitor before it reports to the government.

Some analysts have warned it will be tough for Proton to penetrate global markets or gain new technology without a strong foreign partner, particularly amid a global economic slump.

Proton improved its domestic market share to 33 percent so far this year, from 24 percent last year, after introducing several cheap models but its exports remained weak.

The company has said it aims to boost sales by selling within China through a tie-up with Jinhua Youngman Automobile Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

Proton said Wednesday it had terminated its contract with Goldstar after the Chinese firm failed to get a manufacturing license over a period of three years.

“Goldstar’s failure has frustrated Proton’s initiatives to get the joint venture to start producing cars in China,” the company said in a statement.

The termination of the contract led to the $146 million compensation suit filed by Goldstar in China last month.

Proton said it had begun arbitration proceedings against Goldstar and also obtained an anti-suit injunction in Singapore to prevent the Chinese firm from starting or continuing with any other court proceedings.

The recent legal suit by Goldstar is violating the agreed arbitration process and the anti-suit injunction, it said.

AP

Malaysia’s Proton sued by former Chinese partner: report

Malaysia’s Proton is being sued for 146 million dollars by China’s Goldstar Heavy Industrial over the collapse of their joint venture plan to build vehicles in China, a report said Wednesday.

The Star daily said Goldstar had started legal action in Guangdong province, seeking about 1.0 billion yuan in compensation over the failed venture.

The two companies were to have produced vehicles in a plant in Dongguan province, but Proton reportedly said Goldstar failed to obtain a licence for the joint venture.

Goldstar’s legal action contravenes “the agreed arbitration process”, the Malaysian firm told the daily, adding that arbitration had been due to be held in Singapore in March.

The Star said Proton had instead signed an agreement to partner with another Chinese firm, Jinhua Youngman Automobile Manufacturing, with a goal of selling 30,000 units of its GEN-2 model in China.

Proton has been trying to develop export markets as it suffers a steep decline in market share in Malaysia, where it has been outgunned by imports in a newly deregulated environment.

The automaker was formed 25 years ago as part of an ambitious national industrialisation plan, but it has suffered from a reputation for poor quality and unimaginative models.

AP

MALAYSIAN activists escorted by opposition MPs defied a police ban to cycle to parliament on Thursday and present a list of demands including the repeal of a tough security law.

But a band of 10 cyclists crossed the police line after opposition lawmakers intervened and said it was their democratic right to demand social and political reforms.

Scores of supporters wearing red T-shirts and carrying banners reading ‘Cyclists for Change’ shouted ‘Long live the people’ as the activists rode into the grounds of parliament.

Among their demands are the scrapping of security laws that allow for detention without trial, the introduction of a minimum monthly wage of 1,500 ringgit (429 dollars), lower food prices, and housing for the poor.

Some 130 activists including school children launched the cross-nation biking campaign on December 3, led by the ‘Coalition of Oppressed People’ (Jerit) which champions equality and human rights.

Two groups of protesters converged in the capital Kuala Lumpur, one which had travelled from northern Penang state, and another from southern Johor state which borders Singapore.

Police on Monday detained 57 participants including 28 children and teenagers in an attempt to end the cycling protest. They were later freed.

During the campaign, organisers said that their bicycles were set on fire by unknown individuals and stones thrown at the vehicle accompanying them.

‘The aim of this campaign is important. People are suffering. The government must address the problems which are real,’ said A. Kalishwaran, a 16-year-old participant who said he was held overnight by police.

Malaysia’s coalition government has faced unprecedented opposition over the past year, culminating in March general elections that produced its worst results in half a century.

AP

Jerit’s cry for better laws heard on last day of Parliament

The cyclists from the Oppressed People’s Network, better known by their Malay acronym Jerit (Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas), wanted the federal government to remove the Internal Security Act, set up a minimal wage law, stop privatising basic amenities and restore elections at the local government level.

They also demanded comfortable housing for squatters in the cities and better price control for goods.

The coalition of five groups representing youths, environmentalists, factory workers, estate workers, urban squatters and villagers failed to meet up with Abdullah.

But they managed to pass their demands to a proxy, Senator T. Murugiah and to each of the three parties in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

While Murugiah, a deputy minister in the PM’s Department, reportedly told Jerit national coordinator Kohila that the federal government would “look into it”, the PR MPs responded more actively.

Many turned up to escort the Jerit cyclists from the Parliament gate to an annexed hall behind Parliament House.

Some, including Mahfuz Omar (Pas-Pokok Sena), M. Manogaran (DAP-Teluk Intan) and Wee Choo Keong (PKR-Wangsa Maju), even rode alongside them.

Another Jerit coordinator, M. Sarasvathy, said with the laws and policies were even more important than ever considering the global economic slump.

It was only a matter of time before Malaysia was dragged into it, she noted.

How then will the people survive, the social activist questioned.

It had been a long and uphill task for Jerit to reach Parliament, both literally and metaphorically.

The coalition had banded together five years ago to pressure the federal government over the same issues.

They started their cycling campaign for change 16 days ago, from as far north as Alor Star in Kedah and Johor Baru, to the south.

Along the way, they claim they had been repeatedly harassed by the police force.

They had been stopped, arrested, and had their bicycles and cameras snatched away, said Ong Su Phin, a Jerit cyclist from Penang.

Pulling out a rather tatty slip of folded paper from his pocket, the young man said it was a bail sheet issued by the police in Rawang.

He said the police had taken away his bicycle as well as those belonging to the rest of the Jerit campaigners when they had stopped for an evening meal there five days ago.

When they reported to the police station nearby, those aged 18 and above were put in the lock-up and released only in the wee hours of the morning.

Each was issued a bail sheet, compelling them to report back to the station.

“I still don’t know what I did wrong,” Ong said, pointing to a blank spot on his bail sheet where the offence was to be listed.

the malaysian insider

Blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin’s sedition trial in the Sessions Court here became rather heated today when the prosecution’s fifth witness again failed to be present in court, forcing it to postpone hearing to February 10 next year.

Raja Petra’s counsel, Gobind Singh Deo, gave the prosecution a tongue-lashing when told the witness, DSP Gan Tack Guan (the complainant) was attending a course in Taiwan and would only be available after Dec 21.

Gan failed to be present the first time on Nov 10 because he was ill.

Gobind took to task Deputy Public Prosecutor Roslan Mat Noor over the matter claiming the prosecution was deliberately delaying the trial.

Gan was due to be cross-examined by the defence on both occasions (Nov 10 and today).

Judge Rozina Ayob then interceded and called for a short recess to the proceedings to enable Roslan to get all material information on why Gan could not be present today.

Roslan later said Gan’s office would fax the pertinent details to the court and asked for a two-week adjournment.

Raja Petra, 58, the editor of the Malaysia-Today news portal, is alleged to have published a seditious article entitled “Let’s Send the Altantuya Murderers to Hell” on his www.malaysia-today.net website on April 25. The offence was allleged to have been committed at his house in Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh.

He is charged under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948 which carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or three years jail or both, if convicted.

Earlier, the court had allowed the prosecution to amend the charge to include the title of the article in it and Raja Petra, when asked to enter a plea, pleaded innocent and castigated the prosecution for the alleged “games they were playing”.

BERNAMA

The congestion at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex in Bukit Chagar, Johor Baharu is not due to the absence of the crooked bridge after the project was cancelled.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad who said this, attributed the congestion to the haphazard entry and exit at the complex since the first day it was opened to the public.

“I feel the impact of its opening should have been envisaged and better preparations made to deal with the possibilities.

“If we don’t plan carefully and think that a walk-through or simulation is enough, problems may crop up and that’s what has happened at the CIQ complex,” Shahrir who is also Johor Baharu MP, said after the presentation of awards to fair-price shops, here, today.

He said if there was a need for a bridge in the area, it should be a straight bridge and should be seen as benefiting both Malaysia and Singapore.

Shahrir said he did not want to see a bridge project resulting in unreasonable demands or used as a bargaining tool between Singapore and Malaysia.

“The crooked bridge project was cancelled due to various demands made by Singapore, including the use of Malaysian airspace by Singapore’s air force and for Malaysia to supply sand to the island republic,” he said.

Shahrir said he preferred the building of a bridge that could connect and forge closer relations between two neighbouring countries.

– BERNAMA

Mobbed by commuters

MALAYSIAN police were called in on Thursday to keep crowds in check at the new Johor checkpoint as chaos reigned.
Thousands of Malaysian bus commuters pushed, shoved and beat on bus doors, trying to get a seat on a bus travelling to Singapore.

At the former Johor terminal, Singapore-bound commuters just walked through a single-storey facility to get to their buses.

The towering Sultan Iskandar complex however, has commuters climbing to the third storey for immigration clearance, a trip which takes about 10 minutes.

Immigration clearance takes less than a minute, but commuters hit a bottleneck when they get to the bus depot as there are not enough buses to move the number of commuters.

The option of walking across the Causeway, which was possible at the old terminal, has gone so more people rely on buses to cross over to Singapore.

Director of Johor State Immigration Mr Mohd Nasri Ishak also attributed the situation partly to the commuters’ lack of familiarity with the new complex and its system. Traffic congestion at the complex is also not helping the situation.

According to Malaysian news agency Bernama, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad attributed the congestion to the haphazard entry and exit points at the complex. ‘I feel the impact of its opening should have been envisaged and better preparations made to deal with the possibilities,’ he said.

‘If we don’t plan carefully and think that a walk-through or simulation is enough, problems may crop up and that’s what has happened at the CIQ complex.’

There are 48 bus lanes in the bus depot, 24 on each side with a mix of Malaysian and Singaporean bus services including SBS Transit bus services 160 and 170 that cross the Causeway.

While The Straits Times was at the complex’s bus depot yesterday morning from 6.45am to 9.45am, more than 300 people were waiting for SBS Transit bus services 160 and 170.

When the buses arrived, at 10 minute intervals, commuters chased them and as soon as the buses stopped, descended on the vehicles in swarms.

st

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reminded the people not to use blogging to undermine others but to be sensible and fair when writing. He said that while blogs should not be censored, irresponsibly written ones could hurt others.

“The blog gives you an opportunity to express yourselves in your own words and you will improve over time whenever you repeatedly write, you acquire better skills.

“In my eyes, blogging on the Internet would be an opportunity for people to learn how to write,” he said.

Tun Dr Mahathir penned his signature on his latest book based on his blog called, ’Chedet.com - Blogging to Unblock, and his illustrated biography entitled “Mahathir Mohamad: An Illustrated Biography” here today. He signed about 100 books at the function.

Nearly 9,000 copies of ’Chedet.com - Blogging to Unblock’ had been printed so far, with two reprints, since its launch on Sept 17. The book is priced at RM25 per copy.

Chedet.com - Blogging to Unblock, among others, touched on the judiciary, the conduct of the present government and snippets column.

Asked whether the electronic media would supercede the print media in importance, Tun Dr Mahathir said it all depended on a person’s writing skills and content.

“If you write rubbish and nonsense, no one will want to read,” he said.

On his memoirs, the former premier told the gathered crowd that he had been trying to finish it for the last six years but each time he thought it was completed, he felt dissatisfied and continued to make corrections.

“My typist feels extremely tired by now. So, honestly I don’t know when it’s going to come out,” he added.

nst

I feel totally outraged at the conspiracy of silence involving the government headed by the Health Minister, Datuk Liow Tiong Lai and even the media to play down the worst dengue epidemic in the country’s history which has to date claimed 100 lives and recorded over 45,000 dengue cases.

It came as a shock to me, as it must be to all Malaysians, that 100 lives have been lost to dengue in the first 50 weeks of this year.

No mainstream newspaper headlined or even reported this shocking news or that the country is facing the worst dengue epidemic in history, which has been confirmed by the latest dengue statistics by the Director, Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health, Datuk Dr. Hassan Abdul Rahman yesterday that dengue fever claimed two more victims last week, bringing the number of fatal cases in the country to 100.

Dr. Hassan did not give the latest total number of dengue cases in the country as on December 13, 2008 when they have also established a dubious new record of exceeding 45,000 cases – which is another shocker that the total number of dengue cases have crossed the 40,000 mark even before the full year is over.

Liow should explain why there is a conspiracy of silence to play down the worst dengue epidemic in the country when he should be spearheading a nation-wide anti-dengue public campaign to save lives by reducing avoidable deaths as well as mitigate considerable unnecessary sufferings?

Liow should end this conspiracy of silence by spearheading a nation-wide anti-dengue campaign as well as making public all the available facts and figures about the worst dengue epidemic confronting the country, with week-by-week data of dengue cases and fatalities, not only nationally but also on a state-by-state basis.

It has been reported that Malaysia has the first fatal case of Chikungunya, which was completely unheard of recently.

Again, no proper ministerial leadership had been provided by Liow to educate the Malaysian public about this emerging disease in the country.

It will be sad and tragic if the Health Minister of the country is only interested about Sime Darby Bhd’s takeover of the National Heart Institute but not concerned about maintaining high standards of public health in the country.

http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/12/19/100-dead-and-over-45000-dengue-cases-this-year-conspiracy-of-silence-outrageous/

Muslims intending to marry will have to undergo compulsory HIV screening in all the states in Peninsular Malaysia from next year.

He said the measure was in line with the government’s objective to reduce the incidence of HIV infection among women, which he added was on the rise.

“Next year, we will make it mandatory for all states to impose the HIV screening as part of the pre-marital course,” he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Aids, at Parliament House today.

Currently, a few states have made it mandatory for couples to undergo the HIV screening prior to getting married.

These states include Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor.

Meanwhile, he said the HIV infection rate in the country has dropped by half since 2003 while the number of recorded Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases had dropped from 6,756 in 2003 to 3,452 this year.

“We found that, based on the National Strategic Plan on AIDS, more concerted and focused efforts had contributed to the drop in the number of HIV infections annually,” he said.

Among the major contributors to the decrease in the number of cases was the the Harm Reduction Programme which would be continued to achieve the goverment’s goal of 11 cases per 100,000 population by 2015 compared with 12.8 cases per 100,000 population now, he said.

“Cumulatively, there are 83,527 HIV cases so far and of this, 14,317 are AIDS cases of which 12,425 people have died,” he said, adding that AIDS still posed a serious threat to the country.

“According to statistics of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Malaysia is categorised as a country with concentrated epidemic… meaning in certain, high risk groups. There are phenomena that can be related to concentrated epidemic,” he said.

However, the UNAIDS recognised Malaysia’s efforts in fighting AIDS by according it the status of country with high political will, he said.

Najib said today’s meeting also focused on high risk groups whereby the Health Minsitry would adopt the approach of getting close to these groups in efforts to reduce the number of AIDS cases.

He also expressed concern over the increase in HIV infections among women who contract the disease through normal sex, saying that their numbers rose from 5.02%in 1997 to 16.3% last year.

He also said that the Malaysian Islamic Department (Jakim) should play a more aggressive role to help reduce the number of HIV infections through drug addiction.

He said the meeting also proposed that the Malaysian AIDS Foundation be made a part of the Cabinet Committee on AIDS. Currently the council is a member of the technical committee chaired by the health Director-general.

– BERNAMA

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today a “mechanism” will be designed to handle issues related to the races and religions in the country.

He told a press conference in his office in Parliament proper attention must be given to such issues because they are sensitive and will create a lot of problems if not managed properly.

Asked how he will do it, Abdullah said “I will have to talk to a few people” and refused to disclose more.

It was reported that the proposed Race Relations Act, aimed at strengthening ties among the races, had been approved by the cabinet in September.

Abdullah also spoke on:

>> The economy

With the strong domestic economy and consumption, he is confident Malaysia’s growth rate for this year will exceed 5%.

“However, this does not mean that 2009 will be an easy year for the people. We must grow our strength on sectors which have the potential for growth, especially the services, tourism and Islamic banking as well as agriculture sector,” he said.

Abdullah said Malaysia must ensure sufficient food supply for the people. “In these difficult times, I want to have sufficient food supply. It is fine if we cannot buy new clothes, new cars or new cushions, we must have enough food for our people, which is very important,” he said.

“We want our people to feel safe from all sorts of threats.”

>> On the recently-passed Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Bill and Judiciary Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill

Abdullah said it was a matter of interpretation for those who questioned if the bills contradict with the Federal Constitution.

“We have studied them (the bills) thoroughly and consulted many quarters and the bills could still be tabled in the Parliament,” he said.

He hoped the people will understand the effort of the government in making the laws and support the laws.

>> On the Special Complaints Commission Bill

Abdullah said the bill, related to the creation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), will be tabled in the Parliament in February for second reading.

sun

Malaysia’s foreign minister on Friday praised an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush earlier this week, calling it retaliation for the invasion of Iraq.

“The best show of retaliation so far is the shoe throwing act by that remarkable reporter who gave President Bush his final farewell last week,” Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said at an event to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the United Nations.

“That shoe throwing episode, in my view is truly the best Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) to the leader who coined the phrase ‘axis of evil’ to denote Iran, Iraq and North Korea,” Rais said, according to the advance text of his speech.

Copies of the speech, entitled “The Importance of Peace and Harmony in multiracial Malaysia” were distributed to the media by his office.

TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi shot to fame when he called Bush a “dog” in Arabic at a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad last Sunday and threw both his shoes at Bush — a grave insult in the Arab world.

The incident, replayed again and again on television and the Internet around the world, has been widely condemned in diplomatic circles but the source of great mirth among many ordinary people in the Middle East and beyond.

Zaidi has even been hailed a hero by some commentators, with offers of employment and even proposals of marriage, but he faces criminal charges in Iraq for the attempted assault.

Zaidi was brought before an investigating judge on Tuesday and admitted “aggression against a president”, a crime that could incur a 15-year sentence, judicial officials said. He could face trial soon.

On Thursday, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said Zaidi had apologised for the incident.

“Zaidi said in his letter that his big ugly act cannot be excused,” Maliki’s media advisor said.

Mostly Muslim Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country of 27 million people, opposed the Iraq war but is an ally of the U.S. and won favour from Washington after it cracked down on Islamic militants after the 9/11 attacks.

Rais has twice been the country’s foreign minister and usually is known for more measured tones.

reuters

QANTAS may pursue Malaysia Airlines following the demise of the Australian carrier’s $8 billion merger plans with British Airways.

Qantas had wanted majority ownership in the deal, reflecting its bigger market value, but BA was not prepared to become a junior partner.

The two had been proposing a dual listed company that would keep both airlines as separate brands, with headquarters in both London and Sydney.

But the deal — which received a cool reception from analysts, the Australian Government and unions — faced a number of significant hurdles.

These included governance and the structure of the BA pension fund and its liabilities, currently put at $4 billion.

The airline’s management is also understood to have been split on the BA deal with those who supported it seeing the failed deal as a lost opportunity.

The end of merger talks leaves Qantas looking for a new partner in a climate where the opportunities could start to diminish as international aviation is liberalised.

Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation executive chairman Peter Harbison said Qantas would need to find a partner before it became marginalised in the push to consolidate. Mr Harbison said a deal with Malaysia Airlines, run by savvy ex-petroleum industry executive Idris Jala, appeared the most likely partnership option in Asia.

Qantas held unsuccessful exploratory talks with Malaysia earlier this year and executives say it does not have any active merger discussions on the cards at this stage. The Malaysians have since indicated they are still willing to talk.

“I think that could be quite an effective operation,” Mr Harbison said. “Really, get Jetstar installed there and you are well into Asia.

“But then again, you have still got to do the deal and Idris is no pushover.”

Mr Harbison said a merger with Singapore Airlines, often touted as a good match, was unlikely because of questions of control and potential competition issues.

He believed another possibility often raised, Cathay Pacific, was also unlikely, as were Thai Airways, Garuda, Philippine Airlines and the Chinese carriers.

However, he did not rule out a possible partnership with another European carrier or Japan Airlines in the longer term.

“They have certainly run the flag up the pole and because everybody at the moment is chasing around looking for dance partners before the music stops, it is an important activity to be involved in,” he said.

“You have to do something now or your options will be abbreviated.”

Sources close to Qantas also suggested Malaysia was the most likely match for the airline in this region.

theaustralian

There’s less than meets the eye to Prime Minister Badawi’s reform bills

In three days of intensive debates from December 15 to 17, the Barisan Nasional (BN), the nation’s ruling coalition, ran rough-shod over vehement objections from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat to get the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Judicial Appointments Commission bills approved. With that, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared victory for having finally fulfilled his promise to clean up the judicial system and wipe out corruption.

But the truth is the opposite of what the prime minister said had taken place. Instead of freeing the judiciary and the anti-corruption agency from the clutches of the executive, whose abusive manipulations of these institutions have been the root cause of the crisis of public confidence, the passing of these two bills has in fact legally formalized the executive’s hold on these institutions.

Take the judicial appointments legislation. The rationale was to restore independence to a system that has been critically maimed since a 1988 judicial crisis when top judges were unjustly sacked for political reasons and the constitution was amended to subject the judiciary to parliamentary authority. So the obvious solution to overcome this excessive executive interference in the judiciary is to transfer the power to appoint judges from the prime minister to an independent panel, as well as to reverse the amendment to free the judiciary from parliament’s jurisdiction.

But the bill to achieve these objectives was not accompanied by an amendment the constitution to reverse the power transfer. It continues to empower the prime minister to appoint and sack at will the majority of members of the commission the legislation creates, and to change at will the provisions of the bill by gazette notification within the first two years of its operation. Thus instead of relinquishing power, the prime minister has strengthened his hold on the system of judicial appointment.

Nor does the legislation contain enabling language to amend the constitution, meaning Malaysia has now two parallel systems that conflict and overlap each other. De facto law minister Nazri Aziz claims that the task of the appointments commission is merely to compile a list of candidates for the prime minister to choose from. Nazri’s explanation is tantamount to a confession that the appointments commission is merely a dispensable accessory to the prime minister’s decision-making process, as nothing in the bill binds the prime minister to choose the appointee from the list produced by the commission.

It is clear that the bill is unconstitutional and it not only defeats the purpose for which it is enacted but also worsens the judiciary’s present precarious position as an independent institution.

As for the anti-corruption legislation, is admittedly an improved version over the present act, having now a wider scope of operation under a more elaborate bureaucracy of new advisory and overseeing panels. However, it lacks crunching power where it counts and does not address the fundamental flaws that have always crippled this corruption buster. These flaws are:

a)The ACA lacks independence as it operates under the dictates of the prime minister’s department. As a result, the ACA has often been abused as henchmen to unjustly persecute opponents of the ruling party while showing no zeal to pursue corruption cases against the ruling elite.

b) The agency does not have prosecuting power, which is vested with the attorney general. The latter has been turned into an institution that famously practices selective prosecution, with successive AGs showing loyalty to the incumbent power, over-riding allegiance to the constitution and the country. And the present scandal-ridden attorney general, Gani Patail, who is himself under investigation for falsifying evidence in the persecution of Anwar Ibrahim 10 years ago, has proven to be no exception, having been seen as a major stopper to many a corruption investigation and prosecution against the ruling elite.

Regrettably, the MACC Bill does not provide remedies to any of these shortcomings. The newly created Special Committee on Corruption, which is made up of parliamentarians, is not determined by Parliament and reporting to Parliament, but instead selected at the discretion of the prime minister, and reporting to the prime minister.

So do the other four newly created bodies – Anti-Corruption Advisory Board, Special Operations Review Panel, Corruption Prevention and Consultative Council, and Complaints Committee - all beholden to the prime minister. So where is the independence so earnestly clamored for by the public for this corruption fighting body? And without independence, can we really expect MACC to declare war on the corruption that is evidently raging out of control now among the hierarchy of the ruling party?

Prosecuting power continues to stay with the attorney general. So how do we expect the legislation to overcome this final stumbling block to net the big fish, without transferring prosecuting power from the attorney general to the anti-corruption commission ? Out of the numerous cases of big-time corruption among the top hierarchy of the ruling coalition and its cronies, none has been successfully convicted in recent memory.

Immediately after passing these two “reform” bills, the prime minister expressed confidence that they would restore public confidence, thereby “increasing the country’s competitiveness and attracting investors to come.” Noting that “negative perceptions with the judiciary and the anti-corruption agency were very strong before this,” Badawi told Malaysiakini: “With the setting up of these commissions, we won’t have any corruption and even if there is, it will be very little.”

While giving credit to Badawi for at least admitting that our judiciary and anti-corruption efforts are in bad shape, his optimism over the effectiveness of these reform measures is at best naïve, and at worst dishonest and deceiving. In fact, even if these two bills had been properly drafted to address the present flaws of these institutions, there is still the question of integrity of the key office-holders who helm these institutions – the chief justice, attorney general, inspector general of police and director general of ACA. It is often said that one may have the best laws in the world, but if we have crooks to implement them, the good laws may come to nothing.

Corrupt political leadership does not attractive men of outstanding integrity; neither can it be expected to enact effective laws to maintain high integrity in government. That truism has practically reduced our options to only one - a change of political leadership. That is, if we are still serious about restoring the rule of law and the pursuit of excellence for the country.

Kim Quek comments regularly on Malaysian political affairs.

asia sentinel

Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth will table a working paper on “One Malaysia” at the BN Convention in February, which will also discuss several approaches to forging racial unity in Malaysia.

BN Youth deputy chairman Khairy Jamaluddin said BN Youth did not want the convention to be superficial, and that the working paper to be presented by MCA Youth chief and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong contained several proposals which involved changes to government policies.

“The critical issue is how to manage race relations and to find ways to diffuse the situation because of late, many quarters had raised issues which hurt the feelings of others,” he said after chairing a meeting of the BN Youth Working Committee, here, Friday.

Khairy said the meeting which was attended by representatives of all the BN component parties, managed to discuss some sensitive issues such as vernacular schools, mission schools, native customary rights land and religious conversion to be included in the BN Youth’s working paper for the convention.

“It was more a brainstorming session today and we will have two or three more discussions to fine-tune the proposals from each of the BN component party,” he said.

Today’s meeting also discussed strategies for the upcoming Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat by-election.

“The local BN Youth election machinery will be playing the more prominent role while the central election machinery will be supporting it to ensure smooth campaigning,” said Khairy.

– BERNAMA

Since medical care for serious diseases are not affordable even for the middle income group, the government should not handover the National Heart Institute (IJN) to the private sector, said MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel.

“Health care is a service and must be more than a business. We should continue to implement justice in health care,” said the former Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister in a statement here, Saturday.

Palanivel, in welcoming Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s move to defer the matter said the government should look at its principle of governance carefully and should not hand over its social responsibility to the private sector.

“I had been handling welfare work related to poor in the same ministry for more than eight years and was well aware of their plight and the difficulties they faced in obtaining financial assistance when they are diagnosed with serious diseases,” he said.

He said from April 2004 to January 2008, the ministry’s service centre had handled many problems and had obtained exemption for 133 cases totalling a sum of RM2,164,713.30.

“We referred the cases to the IJN Medical Welfare Officers who will perform the assessment and give exemptions on the spot. IJN officers sat as volunteers at my service centre, I am not certain whether the same level of cooperation would prevail if IJN was privatised,” he added.

Palanivel said the government should have the political will and social understanding and provide cost effective health care to the necessary cross-section of the Malaysian society.

“This can be done if the government studies the core strengths of the present health care systems and industry, both in the public and private sectors,” said Palanivel.

Dr Mahathir Glad IJN Not Privatised

The former prime minister said in the first place, he did not think the privatisation of the institute was a good idea since it “was a unique foundation” based on its good work todate.

“There has not been any complaint on the IJN. They have performed extremely well. Serving the rich and the poor. Everyone benefitted from IJN, including myself,” he told reporters after receiving RM150,000 from the foreign ministry, on behalf of the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War which he chairs.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim presented the cheque to Dr Mahathir at the Al-Bukhary Foundation here Friday.

He said the government should only privatise anything it owned, only if there was a good reason “but otherwise, it is not healthy.”

It was reported that Sime Darby had made a proposal to the government to acquire equity in IJN Holdings Sdn Bhd, the operator of IJN.

IJN is currently the leading medical heart centre in the region and is 99.99 per cent owned by the Finance Ministry.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced Friday that the deal had been postponed until an indepth review was undertaken by the relevant ministries.

On another note, Dr Mahathir said he was unable to reveal the list of Umno candidates involved in money politics, due to lack of proof.

“I have to study the allegations. There is a lot of heresay. They (delegates) can give me names but no concrete details like where, how much and all. We need brave people to come forward and reveal. Some complain but they are not brave enough to reveal the culprits,” he said.

Last month, Dr Mahathir, who is also former Umno president, had said he would reveal names of candidates involved in money politics in the run-up to the party election which is slated for March next year.

He said Umno, the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional, could come up with several committees or boards to curb money politics but it would be useless as there were no “brave witnesses willing to reveal details of the offence”.

“We need to get the culprits and it should be without any reasonable doubt. We don’t want an innocent party taking the blame,” added Dr Mahathir.

On another topic, he said there were instances where the Bar Council had indirectly lobbied for certain people to be appointed judges.

“Now, they are asking that they pick the judges. That can’t be because once those chosen by the Bar is made a judge, he or she would be directly indebted to the Bar Council and this may interfere in the disposal of justice,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has called on the government not to hastily rush into allowing the private sector to acquire stakes in IJN.

In welcoming the announcement over the postponement of Sime Darby Bhd’s proposed acquisition in IJN Holdings Sdn Bhd, the operator of IJN, MMA president Datuk Dr Khoo Kah Lin said the government should get feedback and views from the public and non-governmental organisations before making any decision.

“We are worried that when a private company takes over, the welfare of the poor will be ignored and they might not get health treatment at a lower rate.

“We are concerned because the bottom line in any commercial undertaking is to make profit as they are answerable to the shareholders…they cannot go and make a loss.

“IJN is the jewel for heart patients in this country…it is accessible to poor heart patients,” he told Bernama.

– BERNAMA

Zaid wants the government to stay faithful to the rule of law.

Zaid, 57, told The Straits Times early this month at his home within a golf resort in Petaling Jaya: “Everywhere I go, I’ve got free roti canai. I go up to the cashier’s and they say, ‘Oh, somebody’s paid for you’.”

He added, between chuckles: “In a funny way, that’s probably the easiest way for them to say ‘thank you’. It sort of reinforces your belief that you are on the right track.”

The right track, as he sees it, is urging the Malaysian government to be more open and transparent, and to stay faithful to the rule of law.

After the March 8 general election, in which the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition was dealt its worst results since 1969, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appointed Zaid as law minister. His task: to whip the country’s legal system into shape.

But on Sept 16, the anniversary of Malaysia’s founding in 1963, Zaid quit the Cabinet after the government detained three civilians under the Internal Security Act — without his knowledge.

Then, on Oct 31, Zaid spoke at a conference in Kuala Lumpur, where he said: “The Ketuanan Melayu model has failed. It has resulted in (the) waste of crucial resources, energy and time and has distracted (Malaysians) from the real issues confronting the country.”

Ketuanan Melayu means Malay supremacy, or the notion that the Malays should have special privileges because they are the country’s original inhabitants. Zaid’s remarks drew immediate condemnation from Umno’s rank and file, with calls for him to be ostracised.

The final straw, it seems, came when Zaid attended two opposition events last month. It prompted Umno’s supreme council to expel him for, as Abdullah put it, “going against the ethics of the party”.

In his interview with The Straits Times, Zaid looked dapper, albeit a little worse for wear, in a bright orange shirt and black blazer. That perhaps had less to do with his sacking from Umno than the 10-day-old ear infection he had been nursing.

He has vowed not to rejoin “the present Umno”, which he said practised double standards. He has, however, denied rumours that he would join the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

The son of Kelantanese farmers, Zaid became a member of Umno in 1985, then “got entangled” in politics so as to win back Kelantan after Umno lost all its seats in the state to the opposition Pas in 1990.

The former Scotch-tape salesman, who trained as a lawyer on a government scholarship, founded his law firm the same year he joined Umno, and made it Malaysia’s largest, with offices in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. He has since sold off his share in the firm. “I needed the money,” he said.

The father of three now wants to help groom tomorrow’s leaders. He set up My Future Foundation two months ago to build bonds among Malaysian youth through various artistic pursuits in the hope they will forge a Bangsa Malaysia.

When Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng invited Zaid to his DAP dinner in the state last month, it did occur to Zaid that accepting the invitation might get him into trouble with Umno.

He recalled: “Guan Eng has always been very polite, very nice to me. So I said, ‘Okay, I’ll come.’

“And then they asked me to say a few words. And I said, ‘Oh, no’. Of course, they were 99 per cent Chinese. But they were clapping and very happy. So I said a few words about Bangsa Malaysia, what I was trying to do with my foundation. I said, ‘I got no job. I want you to help me achieve this success’.

“It was just a five-minute speech.”

At that very dinner, he got a call from Datuk Salehuddin Hashim, secretary-general of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat, a component of PR. Salehuddin, who used to bunk with Zaid in Kuala Lumpur 35 years ago, invited the former law minister to PKR’s annual congress.

“I went, ‘Oh, shucks, I am at a DAP function. It’s not fair if I say ‘no’ to you’,” recalled Zaid.

So he said “yes”, heard PR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim speak at the PKR congress, and then left.

In hindsight, he was “obviously naïve” to have attended these opposition functions, Zaid said, although he had attended many Pas events when he was Umno’s Kota Baru division chief in 2004.

On Dec 2, two days after the PKR congress, Umno’s supreme council expelled him from the party. He learnt of his sacking via SMS.

But what rankles most with Zaid was that the party did not give him a chance to explain himself. “They didn’t even ask me, ‘Why did you go? What are you trying to prove?’”

Shrugging, he added: “This is a manifestation of Umno’s fascination with power.”

That fascination with power — from throwing its weight around in government to slamming political opponents such as Anwar — has put Umno out of touch with the times, Zaid said.

“It’s got the Malays thinking: ‘Hey, wait a minute. This is not a party that represents us’.”

Pas, in contrast, is much more egalitarian, he said. “We may not like its pronouncements on lipstick or on whether concerts should be held, but in dealing with people’s problems, they are more people-oriented.”

Thoughtful, witty and sanguine throughout this chat, Zaid bristled only when it was suggested he may have thrown in the towel on reform too soon by resigning as law minister

“No, no, no,” he said. “I felt that I couldn’t do it, either because of my personality or my way of doing things, or my outspokenness. Because a lot of people also criticised me. They said, ‘Zaid, you’re trying to do too many things in too short a time.’

“But I said ‘I only know how to do my way’ — in the sense that I’m not young, I’m quite experienced in life, I know there are certain things either you agree or you don’t agree.”

Among the biggest disagreements he had with his colleagues was one over the prospect of Umno having to abandon patronage politics so as to fight corruption effectively.

He said: “If I can give you this and that, if I want to keep that sort of system, then how do you fight corruption? It’s completely contradictory.”

Might prime minister-in-waiting Datuk Seri Najib Razak roll out the necessary reforms when he takes the helm in March next year?

Zaid’s view: “Najib’s favourite line now is ‘If you don’t change, they will change you’… I hope he will do that although I am quite sceptical he can.”

He mused: “I hope he will do the right thing on the big issues.”

What worried Zaid was that the majority in Umno were now hardliners, perhaps in reaction to Abdullah’s apparently weak and ineffectual leadership. They saw Malay supremacy as the most effectual stick to beat back any dissent against the government.

The problem with that approach, in Zaid’s view, is this: “You cannot have peace and stability by force. And if you don’t have peace and stability, then you don’t have the economic ability to be productive and competitive. And the world doesn’t deal with people like that anymore.”

He bemoaned the fact that over-confidence in the 1980s saw Umno veering from its early days of seeking consensus with the other races on major issues. “It was a simple formula of Umno being the major partner but always in consultation, always open to ideas, always able to keep the pieces together.

“Not by a show of power, or a show of strength, but by a show of magnanimity.”

Zaid on…

The problem with Umno today

“They see provocation, they see enemies everywhere.”

What his detractors say about him

“They say, ‘Ungrateful Malay, you benefited from the system and now you criticise it’ — you know, that sort of stuff. Some say I should not be a Malay. I don’t know how that is possible… But it doesn’t really hurt me that much.”

Being chummy with the opposition

“My problem is that I always don’t view politicians from the other side as enemies. They’re all my friends. (DAP veteran Lim) Kit Siang is my old friend and Anwar (Ibrahim) and everybody.”

Attending the opposition events that got him sacked

“I was merely being naive or being silly but they were my friends, what’s wrong with that?”

Being kept in the dark over the sudden detention of three civilians under the Internal Security Act in September

“I read about it in the papers. I thought that, as a minister, especially when you describe me as a Minister for Law, you know, it’s a bit embarrassing when I don’t know anything about it.”

How much Malaysia has lost out to Singapore

“I was in school in Johor Baru in 1967, and I’d go to Singapore on a bus over the weekend. Singapore was then a shanty town, of no significance. But today, it is the pride of the world. If they can do it, why can’t we?”

Why he thinks differently from most in Umno

“I did not join Umno when I was young, so I was not subject to much conditioning.”

Talk that prime minister-in-waiting Najib lacks fire in the belly

“Yes, exactly. He has never shown himself capable of enunciating something. He can sound good, but all prime ministers sound good at the beginning.”

Those who want a Malaysia for only Malays

“How do you benefit? In the first place, how do you let the Chinese go? Where do they go? Where do you send the Indians? Where do you send disgruntled Malays like me?”

Malaysia’s future

“I worry that we will become a Fiji or Zimbabwe, that we will be dominated by a certain group using the machinery of government to keep control.”

His future

“I came from very meagre beginnings, and if I end up as a meagre person, that’s okay, it’s just back to where I was.”

— Straits Times Singapore

Most of the documents used by Malaysia to make its case on Pulau Batu Putih at the International Court of Justice were produced by Singapore.

Chan made this revelation at the launch of the book Pedra Branca: The Road To The World Court.

He was quoted by the Straits Times as saying: “I am not sure whether the International Court of Justice realised that most of the documents used by Malaysia in her arguments against Singapore were produced by us.

“So, you can imagine our deep disappointment when it was alleged that Singapore had withheld from the court a letter which Malaysia believed would damage our case.”

He added: “The truth is that we had gone round the world looking for it for some 30 years without success.” (See also “Pedra Branca: Behind the scenes”)

In the foreword of the book, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that in 1992, he directed that Singapore hand over all its documents on the disputed area to Malaysia, “an unprecedented unilateral move”.

This move and other previously undisclosed facts about the Pedra Branca case are contained in the 190-page book on how both countries managed the dispute, which the ICJ resolved in May this year.

Pedra Branca, a football field-sized island at the eastern entrance of the Singapore Straits, was first occupied in 1847 by the British, who built Horsburgh Lighthouse there. Singapore later took over, and Malaysia staked its claim in 1979.

In May, the ICJ ruled that Pedra Branca belonged to Singapore, and that nearby Middle Rocks belonged to Malaysia.

Who owns a third maritime feature, South Ledge, is being worked out by the two countries. The ICJ says it belongs to the country in whose waters it sits.

The long journey to the ICJ resolution was highlighted by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar, who co-wrote the book with Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh.

In the book, both men noted how their involvement with the case began in 1978, when they were representing Singapore at the United Nations in Geneva. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent them an urgent telex, asking Jayakumar to go to London to locate certain documents on the island.

Both men went on to helm the team making Singapore’s case for Pedra Branca before the ICJ in The Hague in November last year, with CJ Chan, who was Attorney-General from 1992 to 2006.

The book recounts the twists and turns in the dispute and the behind-the-scenes manoeuvres taken to resolve it.

Jayakumar also noted that both sides agreed to third-party dispute settlement, now a key tenet of Singapore’s foreign policy in managing disputes.

Koh said they decided to write the book to distil the lessons they had learnt from the case — Singapore’s first at the ICJ — and share them with colleagues as well as the public.

Chan, in his speech, noted that Pedra Branca was “not an easy case by any standard”. The written pleadings alone of each side filled more than 2,600 pages.

“This is a case where history was part of the legal arguments, and law was part of the historical arguments,” he said.

“Ultimately, the majority of the court decided that Malaysia had history on its side, and Singapore had international law on its side, and this is expressed in the final disposition of the judgment.”

— Straits Times Singapore

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh has been named as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election.

This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak here Saturday.

The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Deputy Education Minister Datuk Razali Ismail on Nov 28.

- Bernama

DOMESTIC abuse cases in Malaysia have risen by 15 per cent since 2006, with the figures just the ‘tip of the iceberg’, according to reports on Sunday.

Criminal Investigation Department head Mohammad Bakri Zinin told the Star Daily that domestic violence cases rose to 3,445 in November this year compared to 3,756 last year and 3,264 in 2006.

‘I’m sure these figures are just the tip of the iceberg. Many more cases are not being reported to the police because it is so deeply embedded in our culture, making the problem almost invisible,’ he told the paper.

Last year, activists with the Malaysian Chinese Association, a political party within the ruling coalition, said they would show the faces of abused Malaysian women publicly to shame their husbands.

AFP

More suffering in silence

Mary (not her real name) was punched, kicked and not allowed to speak to her neighbours or make phone calls for years by her husband.

Mary was a housewife while her husband was a lawyer.

Mary’s plight worsened when her husband’s family members started beating her. One day, she was chased out of the house by her in-laws. Her two children, then aged 10 and 12, were barred from seeing her.

Mary has not seen her children since and believes that they are now in their 20s. She and her husband are divorced.

What is unsettling is that police statistics show that such abuse cases are on the rise.

Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Bakri Zinin said the number of domestic violence cases increased by 15 per cent last year with 3,756 incidents compared with 3,264 in 2006.

From January to November this year, police registered 3,445 cases compared with 3,407 in the same period last year.

“I’m sure these figures are just the tip of the iceberg. Many domestic violence cases are not reported.

“Most acts of violence not only go unpunished but are also tolerated in silence by the victims and the community,” said Bakri at a forum titled “The Role of Police in Domestic Violence and Custody Disputes from the Syariah and Civil Perspectives — Where Do We Draw the Line?” yesterday.

Some 194, or six per cent, of cases this year could not be prosecuted as the victims retracted their complaints.

“Some of the victims are financially dependent on their spouses. They are afraid of losing the family’s breadwinner if their husband is sent to jail.”

Bakri urged complainants to seek help and counselling at the Welfare Department before going to the police if their spouses verbally or emotionally abused them.

This is because police would only get involved in domestic conflicts if there was physical violence, he said.

A participant at the forum said police must play a more assertive role in handling domestic violence cases. She claimed that victims backed off because the authorities could not protect them.

Protect and Save the Children vice-president Vicky Alahakone said the police and the Welfare Department must play their roles effectively as victims did not get the support to end their torment.

nst

RTM1, which will be known as TV1, will be made a news and information channel in tandem with the restructuring of Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), effective Jan 1, Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said yesterday

The restructuring also involves RTM2, which will be known as TV2 and serve as the infotainment channel with programmes on entertainment, movies and dramas.

“The restructuring of the channels is an early move by RTM to have special channels for its television programmes, a practice that has become a trend in the broadcasting world.

“We are in the process of going digital and the restructuring is part of the preparations by RTM to become the best television station in the country,” he said when closing a management meeting of the Broadcasting Department here.

Shabery said TV1’s main feature, which other television stations in the country would not have, would be its “breaking news” segment to provide the latest news and information.

“During the recent landslide at Bukit Antarabangsa, RTM made a record when its rating for the 10am breaking-news segment jumped to more than 800,000 viewers, which is more than that of its Warta Perdana,” he added.

He said the ratings for other RTM programmes on that day also showed an increase in viewership.

“We believe Malaysians are a society which seeks information and if we can provide them with accurate information, as well as on-time and in-depth coverage, TV1 is capable of making them its viewers,” he added.

He said he believed TV2 could be a better channel and attract more viewership by having good infotainment programmes.

“Programmes on TV2 will not be disrupted because any live telecast to be carried out will be aired on TV1, and this will give more confidence to advertisers and viewers to continue to be with RTM. ”

nst

THE mood was one of caution at the first workshop held to encourage Malaysian overstayers in the UK to return home.

There were no speakers or microphones. The slide presentation had to be scrapped at the last minute as someone had passed the wrong cable to one of the speakers.

But the talk would proceed, minus the power point presentation.

At first glance, this looked like just another public meeting in the Charing Cross Library on the edge of London’s Chinatown.

One by one, the participants trickled in - some mums cradling babies, others with kids tagging along, and a few elderly couples.

A middle-aged woman was overhead muttering ‘hum cheng’ (a trap in Cantonese) while a man remarked in typical Penang Hokkien: ‘Ai liak lang bo?’ (Will they detain anyone?)

The mood was one of caution. Several were seen exchanging furtive glances every few moments, half expecting the police to come charging in any minute.

However, there were also some who appeared pretty relaxed. One took the opportunity to bottle-feed her baby while another gave her restless child a bun.

Of course, this was no illegal gathering. Neither was it an unauthorised meeting by a shady group with sinister motives.

Far from being a run-of-the-mill workshop, this was an extraordinary gathering of a motley bunch of 20-odd Malaysians who hailed from all over Britain.

An unusual pow-wow of sorts, it was probably the first workshop specifically for Malaysians whose visas had expired, were staying illegally in Britain or were asylum seekers.

Organised jointly by London’s Chinese Information and Advice Centre (CIAC) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), it was aimed at addressing issues faced by Malaysian overstayers.

The session could not have come at a better time, given a recent report that about 30,000 Malaysians are overstaying in Britain as well as the impending expiration of the UK’s six-month visa evaluation period on the country’s nationals.

Organising a workshop is one thing, though. But to get participants - particularly if they are illegal workers - is something else. For that reason, the public library was the ideal venue. Holding it at the Malaysian High Commission or IOM office would have been disastrous simply because no one would turn up.

But when CIAC’s Malaysian chairman Edmond Yeo introduced the first speaker - the High Commission’s immigration attache Zahari Abdul Aziz - an uneasy silence fell over the room. At that point, some were probably wondering whether they would be ’shopped’ by the Malaysian Government or referred to the British Home Office.

But it turned out that Mr Zahari was more than friendly. He went out of his way to put them at ease and gave an assurance that they would not be arrested and thrown into prison.

Like a teacher addressing his students on the first day of school, he started by wishing them ‘Selamat pagi’ (Good morning in Bahasa Malaysia) and asking whether they could understand him.

‘Boleh’ (can), came the enthusiastic reply as the audience warmed up to his disarming smile and friendly disposition.

Mr Zahari had the group in stitches when he said he would be talking in Bahasa Malaysia as ‘Nanti saya cakap orang putih, saya sendiri pun tak faham!’ (If I were to speak in English, I myself would not understand!)

On a more serious note, he urged them to spread the message to their family members, friends and colleagues that they could apply for emergency travel documents to return to Malaysia.

‘Do not be afraid to see me. We won’t prosecute you or impound your expired passports,’ he said, adding that the temporary passport costing 10 pounds (S$22) would be issued the same day.

However, he said, they could not apply for a new passport within two years. In cases of medical or exceptional reasons, they can appeal to the Immigration headquarters for a reprieve, he added.

Mr Zahari also said that those who had babies with their non-Malaysian partners in the UK could return home with the temporary passports to apply for Malaysian birth certificates.

‘Otherwise, their babies cannot obtain Malaysian citizenship as, being illegals, their marriages are not legalised in the UK,’ he said.

Mr Yeo described the attendance as fairly good for the first such meeting as many were apprehensive about ‘exposing themselves’.

‘But we managed to reach out to the Malaysian overstayers and gain their confidence to come forward,’ he said, adding that they planned to hold another workshop early next year.

Brothers Leong Kheng Onn and Kin Chen were among those who attended the workshop to gather information for their fellow countrymen who had overstayed for up to 10 years.

I’ve received calls from nearly 30 friends who asked me for assistance as they were afraid to turn up,’ said Mr Kheng Onn, who runs the Kerana Mu Malaysian restaurant in Windsor and a fleet of mobile kitchens. With Mr Zahari virtually opening his doors to Malaysian overstayers in Britain, there’s more reason for them to contact him for assistance to go home.

The Star/ANN

As the Barisan Nasional (BN) prepares for a crucial by-election next month, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has urged its component parties to stop lobbing accusations at one another.

‘We must do away with arguing in the newspapers, as we do not wish to see confrontations between component parties, or else we will all be losers,’ he said in an interview with Sin Chew Daily, the country’s biggest-selling Chinese newspaper.

Datuk Seri Abdullah said constant public sniping will embarrass the ruling coalition that has been in power for the last 50 years.

It has already coloured public perception at a time when the BN can ill afford it.

The BN will face a by-election in Kuala Terengganu next month, called after Umno MP Razali Ismail died last month. It has named Deputy Home Minister Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh as its candidate.

Parti Islam SeMalaysia is likely to name its candidate today.

The by-election is the second one after the March polls, which saw the BN suffering heavy losses. And its outcome is unpredictable, unlike the last by-election in Permatang Pauh in August where opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was the favourite and won by a landslide.

The upcoming by-election will be a test of the acceptability of BN.

Ironically, its current troubles are caused by attempts to win back voters. The various BN parties have become increasingly vocal and critical of one another to dispel the image of subservience to Umno.

The BN now appears to be a fractious coalition on the verge of falling apart. One component, Sabah Progressive Party, has left and the People’s Progressive Party is threatening to follow suit.

Mr Abdullah said that in a multiracial society like Malaysia, any freedom, especially freedom of speech, has its limits.

‘I must be like a father, summoning the people involved when such incidents take place, then talking to them and hoping that they can be careful with their words and actions in future. But most of the time, they blame the media for misquoting them,’ he said.

He, however, denied that he has lost control of Umno members, when asked about the controversy sparked several months ago by a Penang divisional leader, Mr Ahmad Ismail, who called the Chinese ’squatters’ and ‘immigrants’.

Mr Abdullah pointed out that other parties also made controversial remarks, including Gerakan women’s wing chief Tan Lian Hoe who allegedly spoke about the Malays being migrants. Other controversies included Malaysian Chinese Association deputy president Chua Soi Lek describing the concept of Malay supremacy as irrelevant and Umno Youth chief aspirant Mukhriz Mahathir calling for vernacular schools to be turned into national schools.

Mr Abdullah, who said his final mission before his retirement in March is to repair race relations, is unlikely to be able to bring about significant change in the short time.

Veteran opposition MP Lim Kit Siang said yesterday that Mr Abdullah had made ‘most sensible and commendable comments’ on nation-building in the interview.

‘The greatest pity is that he did not adopt them when he has the real power to influence the government and nation in his heyday as Prime Minister,’ he wrote in his blog.

The BN will hold a special convention - its first such meeting - in February to find ways to fix its weaknesses. Its Youth wing plans to table a working paper on measures to reduce racial and religious tensions. Its deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who is Mr Abdullah’s son-in-law, said the problems have to be tackled collectively.

‘We have to find a way where we do not comment on issues just to please the interests of our respective communities or members when we have to run for party elections. Often, these comments are made at the expense of the feelings of other component parties,’ he was quoted as saying in The New Straits Times yesterday.

st

Despite being badgered by some of his staunch supporters, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has ruled out reshuffling the Cabinet before he steps down in March.

Several Umno officials told The Malaysian Insider that some pressure has been exerted on Abdullah by his loyalists in the party to drop or demote some of his trenchant critics in the Cabinet or discard several ministers who have not performed well.

Others have bent his ears with suggestions to drop a couple of ministers who have not been amenable to dishing out contracts and projects as freely as before to Umno politicians.

At the same time, politicians who have been “loyal” to him have lobbied to be promoted to the Cabinet. It is understood that under the original transition plan where Abdullah was going to step down in 2010, he planned to overhaul his Cabinet line-up after the Umno elections.

When it became clear after the Permatang Pauh by-election defeat that he could not stay on for two years, he still mulled over the possibility of reshuffling the Cabinet.

His supporters are believed to have encouraged him to demote Minister of International Trade and Industry Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to a more junior position in the Cabinet, as a final act of displeasure for the latter’s very public campaign to force Abdullah’s resignation.

They also urged him to reward Umno politicians who stood by him through the years, and were steadfast in support after March 8 when the calls for his resignation reached fever pitch.

Privately, the PM seemed in favour of “freshening up” the Cabinet and
dropping some ministers who in his view had not done well, a couple of politicians who attended dinner with him over the last couple of months said.

But in recent weeks, he has indicated to supporters that as the incoming prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should have full say on any changes to the line-up of ministers.

He also indicated to several government officials that it would be considered petty if he carried out a Cabinet reshuffle just to “punish” ministers who were not on the same page with him.

This is not to say that he has forgotten Muhyiddin’s role in campaigning against him or the role of several ministers in whipping up the groundswell of opinion in the party against him, or aligning himself with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Sources told The Malaysian Insider that Abdullah’s relationship with Muhyiddin remains cool, despite efforts by the Johor politician to reach out to the PM and patch up a relationship that was once very close.

Still, the frosty ties between the party president and Muhyiddin is unlikely to alter the fact that the latter is the runaway favourite to win the deputy president’s position at the party elections in March.

the malaysian insider

A week after the opening of the Sultan Iskandar Building which houses the new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex, small traders in the city centre are moaning about a drop in business.

Businesses which dot the central town area around Jalan Wong Ah Fook and Jalan Ibrahim have been hit by the decrease in traffic coming their way as many motorists and pedestrians now head for the new CIQ complex, which is about 500 metres from the former CIQ complex at the Causeway .

The most affected are those selling magazines, newspapers and snacks. Most of their customers are people who cross the Causeway daily to work in Singapore.

Many workers face the prospect of shorter working hours.

Shopkeeper Mohamed Abu Bakar, 25, who works at a 24-hour magazine and snack shop near Jalan Wong Ah Fook, said his employer was planning to slash his opening hours by half and only operate during the day.

Sales at the Deen Company shop where he works have gone down by 70 per cent since last Tuesday’s opening of the new CIQ.

“Before this, most of our newspapers would be sold out by the end of the day. Now we have to bear the losses of unsold newspapers, magazines and canned drinks.

“If this situation continues, our shop will have to close at night.”

Abu Bakar said the shop would normally rake in up to RM5,000 a day, but it was down to about RM2,000 now.

J.A. Residence Hotel reception manager Kamaluddin Mohamadon said the number of motorists who passed through the town area had dropped.

The motorists and pedestrians who used to throng the area outside the hotel are also no longer there.

“Business is slow for many shops around the hotel.

“Many motorcyclists used to stop by on their way to work in Singapore. They would exchange their money for Singapore dollars and buy packet drinks here.”

Kamaluddin said the hotel was able to keep afloat because 50 per cent of its guests were regulars who continued to patronise its premises.

The hotel, which is barely 500m from the Causeway, relies heavily on Malaysian tour packages and tour groups from China.

Meanwhile, the flow of cars and pedestrians at the new CIQ complex was smooth yesterday afternoon.

The glitches reported during the first few days of operations have been overcome.

Bus passengers stream in and out of the JB Sentral building, which is connected to the new complex.

At 4pm yesterday, only the approach to Singapore was seen to be slightly congested near the republic’s CIQ complex in Woodlands.

The road to Johor Baru was clear.

The Sultan Iskandar building CIQ complex has 38 lanes for cars, 50 for motorcycles and 18 for long-distance buses.

nst

Malaysia government facing flak over issue even after privatisation plans were scrapped

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also Finance Minister, is taking the brunt of the criticism after he disclosed last week that the government did not object to the deal proposed by conglomerate Sime Darby.

The outcry that ensued, however, forced the Cabinet to ‘defer’ the plan to sell the popular National Heart Institute, known widely by its Malay initials IJN.

This only served to spark further criticism, with many now calling for the plan to be dropped. The government is treading carefully as it could become a controversial issue in a Terengganu by-election to be held on Jan 17.

The electoral contest is expected to be very close, and Umno is not assured of holding on to the constituency.

‘The plan (to sell the hospital) will likely resume after the by-election,’ opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim predicted on Saturday.

Sime Darby, a government-linked company, had proposed buying up to 51 per cent stake in IJN. The conglomerate had pledged not to raise medical fees, but many people did not believe this.

Malaysia’s best-known cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Yahya Awang, who helped set up the hospital in 1990, joined the debate by saying it should remain in government hands.

‘I am rather suspicious of the privatisation idea. It is not as if the hospital is not doing well,’ he was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper yesterday.

Even after the plan was shelved, accusing fingers continued to point in various directions as Malaysians sought to lay the blame on the people said to be behind the idea.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s son-in-law, Mr Khairy Jamaluddin, took a hit as he was spotted at the hospital on the day that the health minister announced the now-shelved deal.

The news of Mr Khairy’s presence made its rounds swiftly in gossip circles after it was highlighted by popular blogger Rockybru.

However, Mr Khairy explained in his blog yesterday that he was at IJN to meet Youth and Sports Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob who went there for a check-up.

Mr Khairy said any plan for IJN ‘cannot come at the expense of its role in serving the needs of civil servants, low-income individuals and families’.

He added: ‘Unfortunately, the blogger in question, who also disagreed with the proposed Sime Darby deal, found it fit to imply that my presence at IJN meant that I was somehow involved in all of this.’

Another blogger, former New Straits Times editor A. Kadir Jasin, asked if the privatisation would benefit Mr Najib’s banker brother Nazir Razak. Mr Nazir had organised the merger of Sime Darby with plantation companies Golden Hope and Kumpulan Guthrie.

‘Could the proposed sale of IJN to Sime Darby be Najib’s way of helping to prop up the (enlarged) Sime Darby, which is essentially the product of his brother’s market-making?’ Mr Kadir wrote in his blog yesterday.

He claimed that since the merger, Sime Darby became heavily dependent on palm oil, the prices of which have plummeted in recent months.

Mr Najib might have to respond soon if the opposition zooms in on the issue to win over Terengganu voters.

st

MALAYSIA will announce more measures in February to boost its economy, as falling tech sales and an expected rise in job cuts raise the spectre of a recession next year, an influential news website reported on Monday.

Malaysia has banked on strong Asian and domestic demand to shore up its economy but a deepening global slowdown is triggering doubts about how well it will weather the US-led economic crisis.

The Southeast Asian economy will unveil a series of measures next year and is ready to announce another multi-billion ringgit stimulus package if necessary, the Malaysian Insider said without citing sources.

An aide to Finance Minister Najib Razak said he was unaware of plans for an economic package.

The government has announced a 7 billion ringgit (S$2.94 billion) package to stabilise its economy.

Government data shows that 30,000 Malaysians have lost their jobs so far and the Human Resources Ministry - which expects a jump in unemployment in the first quarter of 2009 - has asked the cabinet for 100 million ringgit to retrain retrenched workers, the report said.

Government officials have been asked to come up with initiatives to help middle-level management who could lose their jobs by next year and find work for 120,000 new graduates, it said.

Falling demand for the country’s key tech exports is hitting the economy.

Western Digital , the world’s second-largest maker of computer disk drives, has shut its operations in Malaysia’s Sarawak state on Borneo island and laid off all its 1,500 employees.

Malaysia has forecast economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2009, the lowest in eight years.

‘We still think that Malaysia will avoid going into a recession next year but nothing is being discounted,’ the report said quoting an unnamed government official.

‘Much will depend on whether our trading partners sink further and the level of confidence in Malaysia.’

REUTERS

The fall of four more states - Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kedah - to the opposition during the March 8 general election was the regarded as a “political tsunami” for the Barisan Nasional (BN).

In SELANGOR, former corporate figure, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim became the menteri besar of the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government comprising Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), PAS and DAP.

BN’s downfall in Selangor, one of the most developed states in the country, was attributed to the disenchantment of the people towards the government over various issues especially irregularities in land matters.

The Chinese community also felt slighted over racist remarks by certain Umno leaders while the Indian community cried foul over demolition of Hindu temples.

The new Selangor state government faced a daunting task to honour its election promises.

However, it managed to provide 20 cubic metres of water free every month to Selangor residents from June, enjoyed only by consumers with individual water meters.

Former Selangor mentri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo chided the state government for its failure to reduce the quit rent of private properties by 20 per cent and that of commercial properties by 10 per cent.

He claimed that certain quarters had defaulted on the quit rent payment to register their protest.

Hardly had the issue died down, Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok filed two defamation suits against the Utusan Melayu Group over two articles published in the two newspapers under its stable on Sept 10 and Oct 12.

Calling them “highly defamatory”, the Selangor executive councillor claimed that the first article in Utusan Malaysia had resulted in her week-long detention last month under the Internal Security Act.

On Oct 12, Mingguan Malaysia published a short story titled “Politic Baru YB Josephine”, which Kok claimed referred either directly or by innuendo to her.

In Penang, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng took over as chief minister from Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon after the opposition whitewashed the BN in the state.

DAP won 19 of the 40 state seats, PKR nine, PAS one while the BN could only manage 11 seats.

In a show of strength, PKR won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election with a bigger majority on Aug 26 through PKR de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

It paved the way for him to return to Parliament following an absence of 10 years from political office and being appointed the opposition leader.

In September, the DAP-PKR government rejected the proposed RM25 billion Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) with Lim describing it “as good as dead.”

He said the developers had failed to submit planning plans as required by the state.

The state government also put up multi-lingual road signs in Georgetown despite protests from the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry claiming it was part of its efforts to promote tourism in the Unesco World Heritage site.

In July, Georgetown on the island was declared a World Heritage site along with Melaka by Unesco.

The construction of the planned 26km second Penang bridge linking Batu Maung on the island and Batu Kawan on the mainland is expected to be a catalyst for growth in Seberang Perai besides the island.

In Kedah, former Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid and former opposition leader Azizan Abdul Razak of PAS “swapped” positions.

The Sultan of Kedah, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, 82, celebrated his Golden Jubilee in July after 50 years successfully reigning the state.

Several districts in Kedah were hit by floods in September, during the Ramadan fasting month, forcing about 5,000 people to seek refuge at relief centres.

In PERAK, the DAP had initially protested against the appointment of Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin (now Datuk) of PAS as mentri besar as he represented only the third and smallest political party in the coalition.

Pas won six state seats while PKR seven and the DAP 18.

The state government’s decision to allow 149,000 people living in 349 planned and 134 new villages in Perak, with an appreciated land value of over RM1.5 billion, to apply for freehold titles has also created a controversy.

Senior executive councillor Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said the freehold titles were in perpetuity and not for 999 years as claimed by certain parties.

He claimed that the issuing of freehold titles to those living in planned and new villages was not against the National Land Code, as the state had consulted a former Court of Appeal judge and a panel of experienced lawyers on the matter before implementing the move

– BERNAMA

The Umno Disciplinary Board today refuted an allegation by the Association of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak) that the board dragged its feet over action against complaints of money politics and corruption in the party.

Board chairman Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail circulated to the media a six-page document containing the dates of meetings of the investigation panel, tribunal and appeals panel, and said the documentary evidence was proof that the board did not delay investigations.

He said the investigation panel met 39 times between Jan 29 and Dec 16 to look into cases involving 39 divisions, the tribunal met 10 times to hear the cases of 25 divisions, and the appeals panel met twice to hear the cases involving two divisions.

“You can see for yourselves from these statistics, and I refute the allegation of Mubarak. The disciplinary board members have even to be away from their homes for a day or two to look into these cases. And, they claim that we are not working.

“I feel hurt. It is easy for them to talk. The members of the disciplinary board are not young people. It is not easy for us to find (select) them. They have to be veterans, honest and dedicated in their service to the party and country,” he told reporters here.

Mubarak, in a statement last Friday, claimed that the delay of the disciplinary board in investigating the cases seemed to imply that the board wanted the complaints to be forgotten over time.

Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen said the board worked not only in Kuala Lumpur but also in the states because of the cost involved for the complainants and witnesses to travel to the party headquarters in the federal capital.

He also said that the board did not want complaints based on hearsay and had to ensure that every complaint was genuine and not evil-intended.

At the same time, the board also wanted to study the demeanour of the witness to determine the authenticity of the complaint, he added.

Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen said 11 new members had been appointed to the disciplinary board in the past week to expedite investigations and hearing of cases, bringing the total number of members to 25.

He said these new members were former judges, former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) personnel, former policemen and ex-servicemen.

On the allegation by Machang Member of Parliament Saifuddin Nasution Ismail of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) of the existence of money politics at the level of the Umno deputy presidency, Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen said only Umno members could lodge complaints on alleged irregularities in the party.

“It is up to him (if he wants to report to the ACA). I cannot advise him. He should know what to do,” he said.

– BERNAMA

He may have been successful in pushing through several important pieces of legislation but Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been an abject failure in persuading his ministers, deputy ministers and their family members to declare their assets.

A few days after the March 8 general elections, the prime minister, reeling from the serious setback suffered by the Barisan Nasional and aware that he needed to snatch the news cycle from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the resurgent Pakatan Rakyat, announced that all members of the Cabinet, deputy ministers must fill up asset declaration forms by the Anti-Corruption Agency.

Following this, the ACA announced that the information on asset declaration would be made available online so that members of public can scrutinize the information.

But sources have told the Malaysian Insider that the plan has faced stiff resistance from several ministers, who did not want the veil to be lifted on assets owned by family members.

A government official said: “There were strong objections from ministers who felt that it would be an invasion of privacy for the public to know what the financial worth of their spouses, brothers and sisters.

“Several of them were prepared to step down from the Cabinet rather than submit to this asset declaration.”

Faced with this wall of resistance, Abdullah backed off. As a result, this plan to make the government more transparent appears headed for nowhere.

To be sure, even the Pakatan Rakyat-run states have not been able to make good its promises of listing down assets owned by its elected representatives.

the malaysian insider

A FOREIGN syndicate has been using sob stories to con locals, especially those working in Singapore, into handing over cash and valuables in exchange for ‘winning lottery tickets’.

The syndicate, comprising Indonesians, have ripped off thousands of ringgits mainly from factory workers, odd job labourers, cleaners and even housewives nationwide.

A police source said in most cases, syndicate members would approach a victim telling stories of their relative being sick in the hospital and they needing cash for treatment.

‘The syndicate member will then show the victim the winning lottery tickets in exchange for jewellery and cash,’ the source said.

Police uncovered the syndicate’s activities when they arrested five Indonesians, aged between 30 and 40 years at a hotel in the city several days ago.

At least two of those arrested are women with one having a previous record, said the source.

The gang is said to be responsible for dozens of cases in the state this year with the latest victim being a factory worker in Singapore who was approached at a shopping complex here.

The source said the suspect claimed she needed money for a relative’s treatment and only had the winning lottery ticket worth almost RM90,000 (S$37,600).

The victim who initially refused to part with her money fell for the woman’s story that a foreigner was not allowed to collect the prize money and handed over jewellery and cash totalling RM5,000.

‘The victim only realised that she had been conned when she was told that the ticket was fake when collecting the prize money,’ said the police source, adding that the victim lodged a police report.

Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Zainud- din Yaakob confirmed the incidents.

The Star/ANN

Over 4,700 workers to be retrenched, says Subra

“My ministry will ensure that the workers get the compensation due to them.” he said after a dialogue with Malaysian Training Providers Berhad.
He said under the Employment (Termination And Lay-off Benefits) Regulations, workers would be compensated a part of their salary for each year of service.

For workers who have been with a company for two years or less, compensation would be 10 days of salary per year of work.

For those who clocked in between two and five years, it would be 15 days of salary per year and for those above five years, 20 days.

Dr Subramaniam said the Government would look into getting alternative employment for the workers or retrain them.

“So far, we have not held dialogues with these workers but we will be contacting them soon and setting up counselling sessions,” he said.

Dr Subramaniam said he was not sure whether the number of retrenched workers would increase but added that some things were beyond the Government’s control.

“However, we will ensure the retrenchment is done fairly,” he said.

He said any employer intending to retrench, lay off, offer voluntary separation schemes or reduce salaries would have to inform the ministry 30 days before such action is taken.

On foreign workers, Dr Subramaniam said the employment contract agreed between the employer and the worker had to be honoured and that the foreign worker would have to go back home if he or she was retrenched.

nst

Acknowledging that retrenchments and shrinking order books are beginning to blight Johor’s economy, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman stated that 2009 will see Iskandar Malaysia finally deliver on its promise.

In an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insider, Abdul Ghani explained that from the first quarter of next year, a substantial portion of the RM40.25 billion investment committed to Iskandar Malaysia will begin to materialise.

He said the reason that it has taken over two years since Iskandar Malaysia, the economic hub proposed for South Johor in 2006, was launched was because it took about 18 months for the federal government to work out the details of a support policy/incentive package for the hub.

“You have to remember, we are talking about an area three times the size of Singapore,” he said, referring to the complexity involved.

“We are just done with all the planning and the groundwork will start to manifest now,” he added.

Abdul Ghani, who is also Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) co-chairman, cited the example of the federal allocation of RM6.83 billion for Iskandar Malaysia under the 9th Malaysia Plan of which IRDA has only been allocated RM452.79 million so far.

As such, there is more to come for local entrepreneurs, with the imminent construction of the RM5 billion plant by Spanish steel giant Acerinox in Q1 2009.

This statement comes on the back of a report by The Malaysian Insider that small and medium enterprises in Johor were suffering from a drop in sales by 20 to 70 per cent and were getting frustrated at not having much direct involvement with Iskandar projects.

It has resulted in massive cuts to wage bills.

The Johor Baru Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry confirmed this, with its president Datuk Soh Poh Sheng describing to The Malaysian Insider the constant investor announcements by Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) as “thunder without rain.”

But Abdul Ghani has called for patience on two counts — that the economy has seen over seven good years and that the impact from two to three lean years would be softened as the Iskandar billions come into play.

Aides to the menteri besar acknowledge that the public-relations strategy behind Iskandar was not well-conceived.

“All this talk of billions gets people excited and they expect to see it happen immediately,” an official said.

In the interview, Abdul Ghani also admitted that unemployment would be a key issue once retrenchments begin in earnest next year.

With the rate of new entrants to the labour force growing and the added burden of retrenched workers, including those returning from Singapore, there is no guarantee that the jobs generated from Iskandar developments would keep the labour market on an even keel.

While there are still thousands of vacancies in Johor, Abdul Ghani acknowledged that it was sometimes a case of square pegs for round holes.

The fact that it was recently reported that Malaysia has 60,000 unemployed fresh graduates is a key indicator of this.

“Yes, this may result in social problems as well as a dip in consumer spending,” Abdul Ghani conceded, but said that it would depend on how drastic the depression would be versus the drive from Iskandar.

Local business associations are already predicting dire multiplier effects from a shrinking job market.

The fear is that a chain reaction will occur from tighter consumer spending as well as the setback to investor confidence due to a possible rise in crime.

Another issue brought up by Soh was the drastic drop in the price of commodities. Smallholders are seeing a drastic cut in margins as raw rubber now trades for RM1.05 per kg as opposed to a recent high of RM4.50 per kg.

The price of fresh fruit bunches of oil palm has also dropped from RM820 per ton to RM300. Soh estimates the average cost of production is RM250 per ton.

But the state government is confident that the materialising of Iskandar developments will stimulate local demand for raw materials even if export markets soften.

IRDA officials are confident that over the next two years, Johor will see more public works than any other state in Malaysia.

the malaysian insider

The government will take into consideration all aspects, including suitability and economic factors, on the proposal by the Melaka government to build a bridge across the Melaka Straits to link Malaysia and Indonesia.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak said he did not dismiss the possibility of the proposed bridge becoming a reality one day.

Opening the 9th Malay World Islamic World Convention here today, Najib who is also Finance Minister, was responding to Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam who urged that the bridge be built in the interest of economic development and the long-established relations between the two countries.

Mohd Ali had said that the proposed bridge, a distance of about 52km, was estimated to cost US$11 billion (RM$37 billion).

“I am suggesting that the Economic Planning Unit study the request for the bridge which could be funded through the Private Finance Initiative,” he said in his speech at the convention.

The proposal to link Malaysia and Indonesia had been made since the 1990’s before the idea was abandoned due to the 1997 regional economic crisis.

– BERNAMA

Malaysia is willing to offer help towards the advancement of Malays in countries where they are a minority, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak.

He said Malaysia could be a gateway for this through the Dunia Melayu Dunia Islam (DMDI, Malay World Musim World) Forum to help Malays in countries like in the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Cambodia, South Africa and southern Thailand.

“Of course the Malays in these countries must be realistic. They cannot expect us to support them in taking up arms for a revolution to establish Malay governments in them,” he said when opening the DMDI’s 9th convention at a hotel in Bandar Hilir here today.

Also present were Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

According to Najib, the DMDI could play constructive role in bringing about peace in southern Philippines and southern Thailand.

He said Malaysia had played an active role in southern Philippines towards ending the Moro conflict though the peace process there had encountered some obstacles lately.

He added that the DMDI should do all it could to portray Islam as an ideal religion which strived for the advancement of all peoples.

At the function, Mohd Ali, who is also DMDI president, presented Najib DMDI’s Mansyur Shah award which is a special recognition in honour of the Melaka empire during the reign of Sultan Mansyur Shah.

Over 500 participants from among others Malaysia, South Africa, the Philippines and Indonesia are participating the convention which ends tomorrow.

— Bernama

The people should reassess and strengthen the spirit of understanding among the communities which has been the basis of national unity, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In his Christmas message, Abdullah said Malaysians must play their roles to further enhance ties among the multiracial and multireligious people.

“It would be naive of us to think that forging unity is the sole responsibility of the Government,” he said.

He said the task of forging unity rested on the shoulders of every citizen and the goodwill among the races must constantly be renewed so that the country could tackle problems in a multiracial society.

Such efforts should go beyond building tolerance and holding celebrations and should strive for greater understanding and more solid and sincere mutual appreciation, he said.

He said that as Christians celebrate Christmas among family and friends, the people should not forget the less fortunate, especially the victims of the recent landslides and floods.

“As we celebrate Christmas, let us extend a helping hand to those in need,” he added.

PM Warns Umno Members Against Using KT By-election For Self-gain

Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has warned party members against using the opportunity of the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election next month to campaign to secure posts in the Umno elections in March.

“This is not the time (for that). It is important at this time for us to remember that we are contesting against the opposition parties, and we must be responsible in giving preference to securing victory for the party,” said the prime minister.

Abdullah spoke to Malaysian journalists at a news conference at the end of his four-day official visit to Iran on Wednesday.

“We surely do not want hordes of Umno members going to Kuala Terengganu to campaign to secure posts for themselves in the party’s supreme council and women’s, youth and puteri wings in the party elections in March,” he said when asked about the preparations of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in facing the by-election, nomination for which is on Jan 6 and polling on Jan 17.

Kuala Terengganu Umno Division chief Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Ismail, 46, has been named as the BN candidate for the by-election, which has been necessitated by the death of the member of parliament Datuk Razali Ismail, who was deputy minister of education, on Nov 28. Abdullah said he expected an intense by-election.

“We want a victory because the constituents had previously chosen a BN candidate. We want to win to serve the people, not for the sake of the joy of winning but to serve the people and to bring development,” he said.

In another development, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said he would leave it to the police to investigate the splashing of paint on his house in Kota Tinggi.

A similar stand was stated by Tenggara Member of Parliament Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique whose Tenggara MP’s office was splashed with red paint.

Both Syed Hamid and Halimah are in Abdullah’s delegation on the visit to Iran.

“I’m not worried because this is part of the risk we have (to face) but I hope it has nothing to do with Kota Tinggi politics,” said Syed Hamid.

Bernama.

Malaysia is willing to offer help towards the advancement of Malays in countries where they are a minority, said Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.

He said Malaysia could be the gateway for this through the Dunia Melayu Dunia Islam (DMDI), or Malay World Muslim World Forum, to help Malays in countries such as the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Cambodia, South Africa and in southern Thailand.

‘Of course the Malays in these countries must be realistic. They cannot expect us to support them in taking up arms for a revolution to establish Malay governments in them,’ he said when opening the forum’s 9th convention this week.

According to Datuk Seri Najib, the forum could help bring about peace in southern Philippines and southern Thailand.

He added that the DMDI should do all it could to portray Islam as an ideal religion which strived for the advancement of all people.

More than 500 participants from countries such as South Africa, the Philippines and Indonesia participated in the convention which ended yesterday.

BERNAMA

Perak chief’s remarks show ignorance, various groups say

Malaysian Positive Network (myPlus), a network of people living with HIV, said Mr Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s statement showed he was ’sadly not aware’ that those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus ‘could recover their health’.

It said that ‘of the almost 83,000 people diagnosed as HIV-positive in Malaysia, about 71,000 are still alive’.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said all Muslim couples would have to undergo mandatory HIV screening before they wed - a test that so far only applied in certain states.

He also suggested the measure should be expanded on a voluntary basis to non-Muslim couples.

But Mr Nizar went further on Monday to say that couples with HIV should not be allowed to marry at all or have children.

‘I think it is a gross error to allow somebody very sick like that, an HIV carrier, to marry,’ Mr Nizar, of the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), told the New Straits Times.

‘If there’s any breeding - sorry for having to use that word - the embryo will also carry the same virus. It’s very unjust to the child.’

But the commissioner of Malaysia’s human rights commission Suhakam, Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam, said Mr Nizar’s suggestion would amount to a violation of human rights.

Sisters in Islam programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi said Mr Nizar’s suggestion seemed to be in support of Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria who in 2005 had called for patients with HIV/Aids, along with those suffering from other infectious diseases like avian flu, to be quarantined on an island.

Human rights group Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez said: ‘It is inhumane. Why quarantine? HIV is not like cholera or dengue.’ She added that Mr Nizar lacked awareness about HIV and Aids.

Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism president Datuk A. Vaithilingam said he was disappointed with Mr Nizar’s statement.

But the council’s Selangor chairman Joseph Thambiah agreed that HIV victims should be quarantined, but only through persuasion, reported New Straits Times. He added that Aids was different from diseases such as diabetes and described it as a ’socially contemptuous disease’.

However, Pengasih drug rehabilitation centre president Mohd Yunus Pathi said separating people with and without HIV would not solve the problem.

Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn said Mr Nizar’s suggestion would only alienate HIV carriers from society and push them to be secretive about their condition rather than openly seek treatment, thus fuelling the spread of the disease.

Besides the debate sparked by Mr Nizar’s comments, the issue of compulsory pre-marital HIV testing has also sparked some concerns.

The Malaysian Aids Council’s president Adeeba Kamarulzaman said it would stigmatise the disease and make those at risk fearful of coming forward.

She added that the Islamic religious department’s involvement in the process made the situation worse, as a person’s HIV status would no longer be private.

But the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia’s director-general, Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz, defended the government’s move to make it compulsory for Muslim couples to undergo HIV testing before marriage.

‘We are not finding problems or increasing our workload,’ he said. ‘We consider the rights of people who could become victims through the actions of some who hide their status (of being HIV-positive).’

Nevertheless, Mr Wan Mohamad said the state religious authorities had not rejected any marriage application of those with HIV as long as both partners were aware of the condition.

He said that up to June this year, seven out of 46 candidates who were HIV-positive proceeded with their plans to get married, the NST reported.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

While his allies argue over hudud laws and fret over the wobbling economy in their five states, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has taken over as liaison chairman for both Sabah and Sarawak in Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) efforts widen its base and capture the Borneo states.

The opposition leader, who made a triumphant parliamentary comeback in August, is initially eyeing Sarawak in the next state elections due by 2011 as chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud faces increased opposition to his 27 years in power.

Sabah is a different proposition as the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is dominant with 57 of the 60 seats in the state assembly.

But consumed with garnering more support from both states, Anwar has been conspicuously silent about the controversy over implementing Islamic criminal Hudud laws that flared up again this week between Pas and DAP, and Pakatan Rakyat state governments’ efforts to mitigate the fallout from a growing global recession.

“Some things are out of his hand. Anwar will quietly handle Pas and DAP behind the scenes but the economy will take some work,” a Pakatan Rakyat source told The Malaysian Insider, adding the electoral pact had made suggestions in the budget debate.

The PKR supreme council met late Monday night but party president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is Anwar’s wife, only announcement was that Anwar has taken over as liaison chairman for Sabah and Sarawak, citing the appointment as proof of the party’s focus to struggle for the people from Perlis to Sarawak.

“The agenda to bring change in Sabah and Sarawak needs the support from all levels of society. Sarawak will have its state elections soon and Datuk Seri Anwar’s appointment as state liaison chairman for both states justify our concern for problems there and is significant in Pakatan Rakyat’s power transition to Putrajaya,” she said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The Pakatan Rakyat electoral pact, which groups PKR, Pas and DAP, has 81 out of the 222 seats in the federal parliament. BN has 137 seats while the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), which pulled out of BN in September, has two seats and one to Independent Datuk Ibrahim Ali. The Kuala Terengganu seat is vacant with the by-election on Jan 17.

PKR’s focus for the Borneo states has been apparent when Anwar predicted he could form capture Putrajaya by Malaysia Day with help from 30 federal lawmakers after Pakatan Rakyat made a historic upset in the March 8 General Elections where BN lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority and four more states to the opposition.

Since then, only SAPP has pulled out of the 14-member BN coalition but has chosen to remain independent in Parliament although its president Datuk Yong Teck Lee is close to the sacked deputy prime minister, who has yet to fulfil his prediction to unseat BN from power.

Anwar, in a posting at his weblog today, called the changes routine and said the state leadership in the party are merely coordinators in an effort to dispel notions of consolidating power for himself as “experienced leaders will be act as advisors at the national level while the new leadership will get exposure apart from introducing new approaches to attract new members”.

“Personally, I am not inclined to coordinate activities in Sabah and Sarawak. In fact, even Wilayah Persekutuan asked me to help but I feel that Tan Sri Khalid as Selangor Menteri Besar, is better there,” Anwar said, adding the appointments will be reviewed regularly.

He also said his offer to help both PKR state liaison committees has been announced before and he hoped to get support from all quarters in both states.

Apart from Anwar heading both Sabah and Sarawak, and Khalid leading Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan, the other state leaders are Datuk Fauzi Abdul Rahman (Pahang), Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Penang), Datuk Kamarul Baharin Abbas (Negri Sembilan), Ahmad Kassim (Kedah), Abdul Aziz Abdul Kadir (Kelantan), Johari Shafie (Perlis), Khalid Jaafar (Malacca), Dr Zaliha Mustaffa (Johor), Osman Abdul Rahman (Perak) and Wan Rahim Wan Hamzah (Terengganu).

the malaysian insider

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants to meet religious leaders to formulate a mechanism that can effectively resolve religious disputes.

“Religious leaders in the country should also emphasise on religious tolerance to ensure a peaceful life to the people,” he said in his address at a Christmas tea reception tea party hosted by the Christian Federation of Malaysia in Wisma Eagles in Subang Jaya today.

“If all of us love Malaysia, there will be something in common to all of us. If we love peace and value harmony, (we need to) ensure that whatever we say and do, we emphasise the importance of religious tolerance and freedom of worship in Malaysia. Everyone must make every effort to ensure that there is peace for the country to progress for us to share the prosperity,” he added.

Abdullah said he would like to see equitable distribution of quality opportunities to all Malaysians because it was only through the strategy of fairness that Malaysians “can live in peace to savour the country’s success”.

Towards this end, Abdullah said he would like like to meet all religious leaders again to come out with some ways or mechanisms that can be developed to ensure that “when problems or differences arise, there are ways to resolve disputes”.

“This mechanism is important and I know all of us have feelings on many things. The best for us to do now is to discuss ways to address all these feelings … feelings of unhappiness and marginalisation which Malaysians should not be feeling.

“We must ensure that all Malaysians have equal share and access to all the good the country can offer. Thank God that we are committed together and if we have one common objective, I am sure that we can succeed in overcoming all the differences,” he said.

Abdullah said the people must also teach themselves to live in peace and vow to God that they must do whatever to ensure that all Malaysians of different religions and ethnic backgrounds live in peace together.

“It is our duty to ensure that our children are raised without any sense of prejudice or ill feelings for one another. The differences in religions beliefs and faiths should not be a hindrance to develop friendship,,” he added.

sun

PM: Build bridges and reach out to one another

All Malaysians must re-examine and reinforce the common ground that had kept them together all this while, said the prime minister in his Christmas message.

“As individuals and members of broader communities, we must play our role in reaching across our racial or religious groups and constantly build bridges with one another from different backgrounds.”

Abdullah added that as a nation, Malaysians had often found strong common grounds upon which they had progressed and developed.

“As we become ever more integrated with the rest of the world and our socio-economic fabric becomes increasingly complex and sophisticated, the nature of our communities, too, will undoubtedly evolve.”

He said integration was not solely the government’s responsibility. “We cannot afford to think that unity is someone else’s responsibility.

“That which holds us together must be constantly renewed in order to overcome the challenges presented to our uniquely diverse society.”

Everyone — from the government to civil society, and all Malaysians — must work together to achieve this goal.

“These efforts must be built on and go beyond tolerance and celebrating festivities together towards a stage where we can truly understand and appreciate one another.”

Abdullah, who is also the defence minister, added as Malay-sian Christians celebrate Christmas with their loved ones “our thoughts should go out to the unfortunate and those who face hardship at this time, such as the many residents affected by the recent landslide and flood victims”.

“In the spirit of Christmas, let us all give, in our own way, towards easing the burden of those who truly need a helping hand.

“I would like to take this opportunity to wish my fellow Malaysians of the Christian faith a very happy Christmas.”

nst

PM: No more polarisation!

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called for polarisation to be eliminated.

“We must promise God that we must do whatever we can to ensure all Malaysians will live in peace together, and we must make every effort to ensure there is harmony.”

Abdullah said that future generations could only grow when there is peace and harmony.

“Then our children will have the chance to live a life that is peaceful and successful. It is our responsibility that their life will be one of fulfillment.

“They must also be brought up without any sense of prejudice or bad feelings to one another, and differences in religion should not be a hindrance for them to develop friendship,” Abdullah said.

Speaking at the Christian Federation of Malaysian Christmas open house here on Thursday, Abdullah said he was aware that there were many problems that needed to be addressed.

“I have been talking to various people on what we need to do to solve these problems.

“I hope we can achieve some of the efforts that we are making today to ensure that this country continues to be better for all of us in terms of the social environment,” he added.

Abdullah said in this context, he would like to work together with religious leaders to develop a mechanism that could be used to solve problems or differences when they arose.

“I also know we have feelings of unhappiness and feelings of being marginalised.

“Such feelings should not be felt by Malaysians and there should be no feelings of being marginalised or feelings of being unhappy due to not having access to good opportunities.”

Abdullah said it was the government’s responsibility to ensure that all Malaysians regardless of race or religion had equal and fair access to opportunities.

He also called on all religious leaders to preach and emphasise religious tolerance and support freedom of worship.

star

Science and Mathematics will continue to be taught in English in the new school term if there is no decision on the controversial policy before then.

Education officials met yesterday for a workshop to finalise a report on the policy, their first after the final roundtable on the issue was held in Putrajaya last Tuesday.

Education Ministry director-general Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said the policy would stay as it is unless Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein decided otherwise before pupils go back to school.

“If nothing comes up before that, then things will proceed as normal in the schools for the new term,” he told the New Straits Times.
Hishammuddin had already been given an oral briefing of the summary of the roundtable discussions on teaching Science and Mathematics in English, he said.

The minister is expected to deliberate on the matter after a detailed report is given to him by his officials, before he takes his case to the cabinet for a decision.

Officials confirmed that the first workshop discussing and summarising all the points and views of the five roundtables had been held, and there would probably be a few more until a report was ready.

Those against the policy and looking for a complete switch for the coming term will be disappointed, they said.

“It is not as simple as that. Even if we are looking at a complete reversal, it will not affect the pupils of this term. It would be impossible as we would have to prepare and co-ordinate the reversal nationwide,” an official said.

Conversely, if the cabinet decides that the policy should remain, the ministry would still have to plan their approach and implement changes for improvement.

It is understood that those in charge of preparing the report are trying to finish the task as soon as possible, but with the sensitivities and publicity surrounding the issue, are aiming to do a thorough and comprehensive job.

Last Tuesday, the fifth and the last roundtable was held with some 200 politicians, academicians and representatives of non-governmental organisations and parent-teacher associations to discuss the merits and demerits of teaching Science and Mathematics in English.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, who chaired the meeting with Alimuddin, had said that all views and concerns on whether the six-year-old policy would continue would be compiled and summarised and given to Hishammuddin.

The policy to use English to teach Science and Mathematics was implemented on January 2003. It was proposed to arrest the declining command of the language among students.

The policy drew criticism from various quarters demanding that schools should revert to teaching Science and Maths in Bahasa Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Pas Youth information chief Suhaizan Kaiat said despite protests by many quarters, the ministry had shown no inclination to revert the teaching of the two subjects to Bahasa Malaysia as before.

In a press statement, Suhaizan said individuals and organisations would have to act in a more aggressive manner to push their case forward, especially on behalf of those living in rural areas.

He also urged NGOs to stick to their stand and not to make a U-turn if they were pressured by the government.

nst

THE father of a slain Mongolian woman has asked a Malaysian court to question the attorney general for failing to appeal against the acquittal of a prime suspect who has top government connections, a lawyer said on Thursday.

Mr Abdul Razak Baginda, a close friend of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, was acquitted in October of abetting the slaying of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian interpreter who was shot in 2006.

Two police officers go on trial next month for allegedly carrying out the killing.

Mr Abdul Razak has admitted having an affair with the young interpreter before her killing. The prosecution said Abdul Razak wanted her out of the way because she harassed him for money after he ended their affair.

The case did not directly implicate the government, but Mr Abdul Razak’s acquittal bolstered criticism of the Malaysian judiciary’s independence.

Mr Shaariibuu Setev, the woman’s father, filed a plea on Wednesday asking a high court to examine the attorney-general’s decision not to appeal the decision, his lawyer Karpal Singh said.

Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail ‘was wrong in not appealing.

… There has been miscarriage of justice,’ Mr Singh told The Associated Press.

Mr Abdul Gani had until Nov 14 to file the appeal but decided not to, ensuring that Mr Abdul Razak would not be tried.

Mr Singh said Altantuya’s father asked the court to order Abdul Gani to seek an extension of the Nov 14 deadline and file an appeal. He also wants Mr Abdul Gani to be told to seek a fresh arrest warrant against Mr Abdul Razak.

The court has not set a date for hearing Shaariibuu Setev’s application.

– AP

The campaign to get the aborted crooked bridge to Singapore off the ground has started but Malaysia’s next Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak does not appear convinced about the project.

In the past few weeks, several supporters of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad — the promoter of the bridge plan — have urged the government to restart the controversial project. Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said that with the opening of the new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex, there was a pressing need for the new crossing to alleviate major congestion in Johor Baru.

He added that the bridge would support the Iskandar Malaysia development and enhance ties between Singapore and Malaysia.

Najib in an interview with The Edge noted that while there may be some individual views about the project there are legal ramifications to consider as well as the financial constraints facing the government.

In 2005, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that the plan to build the crooked bridge was being aborted. This decision angered Dr Mahathir, who said that Malaysia was behaving like “a half-past-six country with no guts.”

Stung by a volley of criticisms, the government took the unusual step of de-classifying confidential documents and going on a publicity blitz to explain to Malaysians why it cancelled the bridge project.

Among the reasons was advice by the Attorney-General’s Chambers which showed that Malaysia should not proceed to build a bridge unilaterally without complying with the country’s legal obligations.

This included Malaysia’s obligations under the Johor-Singapore water agreements of 1961 and 1962, the Wayleave Agreements and the Separation Agreement 1965.

The main obstacle to the crooked bridge was that it would involve the demolition of the Malaysian side of the Johor Causeway. The demolition would directly affect the water pipeline located inside the Johor Causeway and water pipelines straddling the Johor Causeway in which the ownership is vested with the Public Utilities Board of Singapore.

The AG’s Chambers said that under the 1961 and 1962 Johor-Singapore Water Agreements Malaysia is required to obtain approval of PUB in relation to the alteration of water pipelines.

Still, Dr Mahathir and his supporters believed that Abdullah aborted the bridge project because he was bent on damaging the former prime minister’s legacy. They are hopeful of the project being revived with the change of guard in Putrajaya in March.

the malaysian insider

The “Dewan Keadilan & Undang” of Negeri Sembilan” will meet at 3pm today to elect the new Yang Dipertuan Besar, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said.

He also said the state government had postponed or cancelled entertainment activities to mourn the demise of the Yang Dipertuan Besar Tuanku Ja’afar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman for 40 days from yesterday.

The Maal Hijrah celebration which was scheduled tomorrow had also been cancelled although several programmes had been planned, he said.

“I have asked all mosques and suraus in Negeri Sembilan to recite prayers and Surah Yaasin so that the Tuanku’s soul is blessed and placed among the obedient,” Mohamad said.

He said all government institutions must fly the state flag at half-mast and the private sector had been asked to do the same throughout the 40 days of mourning.

The loss of Tuanku Ja’afar who had sat on the throne for 41 years was intensely felt by the Negeri Sembilan government and all its people, he said.

“I felt very fortunate serving under His Highness for four years as Menteri Besar,” he said.

He said the Tuanku had been a great administrator, had held government posts and had always been concerned over the wellbeing of his subjects.

“Every Wednesday after the Executive Council meeting I would have an audience with the Tuanku and together we discussed developments in Negeri Sembilan and I also listened to his advice,” Mohamad said.

The public wishing to pay their last respects to the late Tuanku Ja’afar at Istana Besar Seri Menanti are required to wear black songkoks bearing a white band.

The Tuanku’s remains are laid in state in the Balairong Seri of Istana Besar Seri Menanti before the funeral which will be held after Asar prayers tomorrow.

Tuanku Ja’afar dies

He said Tuanku Ja’afar, who was the 10th Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1994 to 1999, was unwell and had complained of headache and discomfort at 8.10am.

“The hospital was contacted and two senior consultants, Datuk Dr Tarmizi Thayaparan and Datuk Dr K. Sree Raman, rushed to the Istana Hinggap here to attend to Tuanku,” he told a special news conference to announce the demise at the hospital’s VIP room.
Also present at the news conference were Negeri Sembilan police chief Datuk Osman Salleh, State Director of Health Dr Zainal Arifin Omar and members of the royal family.
Norzam said the two specialists arrived at Istana Hinggap at 8.25am and found Tuanku Ja’afar to be too weak but conscious and they advised that he be taken immediately to hospital.
“Tuanku was rushed to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and was administered emergency treatment.
“I wish to state here that Tuanku Ja’afar passed away at 11.45am at the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital,” he said.
Norzam said Tuanku Ja’afar’s remains would be taken to the Istana Besar Seri Menanti in Kuala Pilah for the lying-in-state ceremony before being laid to rest after the “asar” prayers on Monday.
He also said that this was to allow for the return of Tuanku Ja’afar’s children who were abroad.
Norzam said Tuanku Ja’afar’s remains would be placed in the Balairong Seri (Throne Room) of the Istana Besar Seri Menanti to enable members of the royalty, leaders and the public to pay their last respects.
He said the state had declared 40 days of mourning from today and all official government functions over the next seven days have been postponed.
“All government offices and buildings must fly the state flag at half-mast for the 40 days. During the mourning period, all male government employees must wear the songkok bearing a white band while the female employees are required to wear a white band on a sleeve.
“All entertainment outlets must also postpone all their activities over the next seven days from today,” he said.

nst

Anti-Corruption Agency officers are crying foul over the salaries they will be receiving when the agency becomes a commission in January.

The officers, who contacted the New Straits Times, want the PSD to revise the scheme before issuing letters of option to them. They have been given one month to sign up the option letter.

“It was reported in the newspapers that our salary would be 30 per cent higher than those of other civil servants as we had to be like judges, aloof in our social life by not mixing with the public to maintain objectivity.

“We were also told that our new salary would be on par if not better than the police, but the briefing indicated otherwise,” said an officer who has been with the ACA for more than 20 years.

The officers were told, among other things, that Grade 29 officers would be offered a basic salary of RM1,482.85 and RM3,246.48 when they reached the top of the scale.

“The maximum year between the basic salary and top of the scale is 22 years while the yearly increase is only RM80.17.”

Police officers in the same grade receive a basic salary of RM1,423.50 with a maximum of RM3,282.77. However, the maximum number of years getting to the top is only 18 years with a yearly increment of RM103.29.

For Grade 44 commission officers, their basic salary is RM3,377 and RM5,455.56 if they are on the top of the scale. “The maximum years to reach the top scale is 14 years with a yearly increase of RM148.47.

“Police officers under the same grade are paid a basic salary of RM4,344.76 and if they are on top of the scale they will receive RM5,601.24. However, the maximum number of years to reach the top is only nine years while the yearly increase is RM139.61.”

The ACA officers were told that the decision was made by the cabinet and that this would remain the government’s policy, the officer said.

This development would force ACA officers to opt for early retirement. “I am afraid that if this is not looked into by the government, brain drain will take place and this definitely will not augur well for the commission.”

The unattractive salary scheme would also discourage professionals and other experts from joining the commission, he said.

nst

A SENIOR opposition politician withdrew his statement that people with HIV should be banned from marriage, after he was criticised by Aids activists, a report said on Sunday.

However he also said that people with HIV should be housed in special isolated wards when in hospital and when marrying should be required to prove to their future spouse that they are receiving medical treatment.

Mr Nizar appeared to chance his stance after last week when he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper: ‘I think it is a gross error to allow somebody very sick like that, an HIV carrier, to marry.’ ‘If there’s any breeding - sorry for having to use that word - the embryo will also carry the same virus. It’s very unjust to the child,’ he was quoted as saying.

Deputy premier Najib Razak had earlier said that all Muslim couples would have to undergo mandatory HIV screening before they wed - a test so far only applied in certain states.

Irene Fernandez, director of the women’s group Tenaganita, said the government ’should not be making such choices for people’.

‘It is a screwed-up perspective. After so many years of HIV/AIDS education they (the government) come up with such views. This is very worrying,’ she said last week.

‘If a couple gets married and one partner is found to be HIV positive, does it mean they will have to divorce? This clearly does not make sense.’

Precise data are hard to obtain but according to United Nations figures, more than 82,500 Malaysians have been infected with the virus since records began in 1986 and around 80,000 are currently living with HIV/Aids.

The number of new HIV infections appears to be falling, however.

Last year 5,400 new cases were reported compared to 6,900 the year before, the health ministry says, a figure expected to have dropped further in 2008 to nearly 3,500.

At the same time, infections among married women through sex increased from five per cent of total cases in 1997 to 16 percent last year.

AFP

MALAYSIA is not expected to sink into recession and the government is ready to further pump-prime the economy if conditions worsen, a local newspaper quoted Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Najib Razak as saying.

Malaysia’s economy is forecast to grow 3.5 per cent next year, its slowest pace since 2001, from 5 per cent projected for 2008, according to government forecasts.

The government already announced this month an RM7 billion (S$2.94 billion) stimulus package.

The government has projected a budget deficit of 4.8 per cent for 2008, but Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), an influential think tank, said deficit could hit a five-year high of more than 5 per cent in the face of the global economic slowdown.

While falling crude oil prices would hit Malaysia, a net exporter of petroleum, the government hopes to boost federal revenue by selling state assets to government funds, such as the Employees Provident Fund, said Mr Najib.

‘We are looking into ways and means to have some latitude in terms of the government’s fiscal position should the external environment get any worse,’ the paper quoted Mr Najib as saying.

REUTERS

The Immigration Department blames the growing phenomenon of passport forgery on the popularity of Malaysia among immigrants.

To find an answer to this problem, his department is examining the process of issuing and renewing the Malaysian passport.

Immigration officers were going through the procedures set under the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) to determine if they were flawed.

“A consultant hired recently could not find any fault with our system,” he said.

Mahmood said the passport application and renewal process that took about two hours to complete did not contribute to the growing incidence of forgery.

“The quick application of passports is not the problem,” he said defending the department’s online database.

“We have a comprehensive and constantly updated online system that keeps track of those with criminal records, court orders, those under the suspects list and even those who have been declared bankrupt.

“As soon as the blacklisted person has his or her fingerprint scanned, a complete profile of the person would be made available to us.

“That said, it is entirely up to the government to decide if the process should take longer as practised in the United States, for instance. The application process there can take up to two weeks.”

Mahmood also said a proposal to reduce the cost of a passport would be submitted to the government by the end of the month.

“We currently have to undergo 35 security features that is very costly. We have so far concluded that five of these features are sufficient which would noticeably reduce the price.”

He declined to reveal how low the cost of a passport could be until further research on a new security feature is completed next week.

A passport now costs RM300.

nst

PAS has picked party state treasurer and five-term Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman Mohd Abdul Wahid Endot for the Kuala Terengganu by-election on Jan 17, a decision that put paid to earlier speculation.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, who made the announcement at the Stadium Negri in Batu Burok here this evening, said it had been difficult to choose the PAS candidate, as “all of those we had in mind were highly capable people”.

It was widely speculated that the PAS candidate would be a toss between the party’s state commissioner Datuk Mustafa Ali Wan Abdul Mutalib and Batu Buruk state assemblylman Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi. One news portal even ran a sources story saying it was Syed Azman who had been chosen.

Hadi told reporters later that Wahid was chosen because of his reputation as the Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman for five terms.

As a state executive councillor in charge of entrepreneur development and youths when PAS ruled Terengganu from 1999 to 2003, Wahid was able to draw voters from all walks of life including youths, he said.

“Our candidate has the experience as a people’s representative; has never lost in the past five general elections,” he said.

Wahid is Terengganu Pas treasurer and the party’s Kuala Terengganu chief. He holds a degree in marine science and fisheries from Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Wahid said he had many issues to be raised during the campaign but would not attack his opponent personally.

The Barisan Nasional candidate for the by-election, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, when asked on Wahid’s candicacy, said whoever his opponent, it would not change the coalition’s approach and principles to bring the message of development for the Kuala Terengganu people.

BN candidate regarded as underdog

He said this was because in the last general election, BN had only won one of the four state seats in the constituency.

“So, being the underdog, we have to work harder,” he told reporters after the presentation of awards to students who excelled in the 2008 UPSR and PMR examinations and school uniforms, bags and shoes for the 2009 school session organised by the Youth and Puteri wings of the Cheras Umno division, here, today.

However, he said, as the Kuala Terengganu Umno division chief who won the post unopposed recently, Wan Ahmad Farid was a suitable candidate for BN.

He believed that BN’s back-to-basic and house-to-house by-election campaign could help ensure victory for its candidate, besides its ability to respond clearly to the various allegations made by the opposition against BN.

Mohamed Khir said BN, however, also had an advantage after the failure of Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition pact, to form a government on Sept 16 as promised to its supporters.

“Today, Pakatan Rakyat may have felt cheated by (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim. The Anwar factor can be reduced in Kuala Terengganu as his popularity has gone down to below 40 per cent, according to a recent survey,” he said.

Besides that, he added, the transfer of power from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would also give new hope to the voters in Kuala Terengganu.

Mohamed Khir said PAS would meanwhile use religious issues to attack Umno but the party (Umno) could deal with this.

Asked about Umno’s stand in disallowing any of its candidates to use blogs to campaign, he said blogging should be encouraged as long as the blogs were not used to malign others but to share views.

“In fact, besides blogs, using voice mail and MMS should also be encouraged as these are new technology used by young people today. Preventing such usage will only go against the needs of our youths,” he said.

In KUALA TERENGGANU, Wan Ahmad Farid said all parties involved in the by-election should not simply accuse the Election Commission (EC) of not being transparent.

He said accusing the EC of being blind to the issue of phantom voters which was raised by PAS was also unfair because as an independent body, the EC had done its best in overseeing each general election and by-election.

“The issue of phantom voters has cropped up again. They (PAS) should be reminded that there is no big difference in the list of voters for the 1999 general election where PAS won in Terengganu and that for the 2004 and 2008 general election where BN won.

“The voters who ensured PAS’ victory in 1999 are the same who voted in BN in 2004 and 2008. Likewise, if phantom voters had caused PAS’ loss in 2004 and 2008, they were the same phantom voters who ensured PAS’ victory in 1999,” he said after visiting the Payang Market today.

He was responding to claims that the electoral roll used by the EC for the upcoming Kuala Terengganu by-election contained names of more than 70 voters who are over 100 years old, and deliberately listed by the EC to ensure victory for a certain party.

Wan Ahmad Farid said the EC needed to ensure that every registered voter was in the list although he or she was over 100 years old, and that the EC could not simply remove names.

“When the deaths have not been reported or there has been a technical error, the names will still be on the list. The EC cannot at will remove the voters’ names from the list although they had died as it needs proof.

“If their names are still there although they had died, it means there will be no votes from them for any of the candidates. Hence, this does not affect the election.

“We need to have an open mind and be able to accept defeat, and not blame everybody….the EC, police and phantom voters for the defeat. We should instead look at ourselves,” he added.

The EC itself had repeatedly denied the existence of phantom voters while the opposition had never backed their claim with proof.

The EC had fixed Jan 6 for nomination of candidates and Jan 17 for voting in the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Bernama

Anyone trying to look into the crystal ball for Malaysia 2009 will see a very murky picture. The political tumult caused by the March general election last year has yet to calm down. This year will see more upheavals, but against the backdrop of an increasingly gloomy economic environment.

Some experts have described 2008’s political convulsions as the birth pangs of a democracy or the start of a two-coalition system, but others see it as a downward spiral into chaos.

Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak is slated to take over as Prime Minister after the Umno general assembly in March. But there will be no honeymoon for him, as Malaysians have grown impatient with incessant politicking.

Najib’s honeymoon ended as soon as it became clear that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could no longer hold on to his position. Suddenly, the Deputy Premier found himself accused of corruption and alleged involvement in a murder case.

He has stoutly defended his innocence, but the attacks are unlikely to go away.

The early part of the year will see furious political activity as Umno enters its final leg of internal elections due in March.

Najib is unopposed for the president’s post, but one can expect fierce jockeying for other posts down the line.

The deputy president’s post, which will be a three-way fight, will be closely watched as the winner will become, by convention, Malaysia’s deputy premier.

The best-qualified candidate, International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, is not as popular in the party as his rivals for the post — Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Ali Rustam, and Rural and Regional Development Minister Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

He does not have their level of grassroots support but the party’s choice will signal whether it has its own interests or national interests at heart.

It will be seen as a signal of whether Umno has woken up to the need for an overhaul after voters abandoned the Barisan Nasional in last year’s election.

Months later, Umno members do not seem to recognise that the party’s deepening insularity, arrogance and disconnect from the ground have driven supporters away. It continues to shoot itself in the foot with unpopular policies such as the refusal to even review the controversial Internal Security Act and its members’ racist remarks and blunders.

The Umno elections will show whether the party wants more of the same or is willing to reform. Will they vote in the liberal voices of reform, or those who prefer to be insular? It matters because these leaders traditionally hold senior government posts.

While Najib is unopposed as party president, there is some speculation as to whether he could be prevented from becoming the Prime Minister. By convention, he should, but under Malaysia’s law, Abdullah can actually hang on.

This speculation persists, despite Abdullah’s repeated assurances that he is stepping down.

To quell such talk, Abdullah needs to set an exact date for the handover.

If and after he becomes Malaysia’s sixth prime minister, Najib will have to wrestle with huge challenges. He will need to unite Umno and soothe Malay fears, while fortifying an anaemic Barisan Nasional.

Both tasks, however, may not be mutually compatible. And the opposition will give him no room to breathe.

Although opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s credibility has been dented after he failed to topple the government as he threatened, he is not likely to give up.

He may have switched focus for now to Sarawak, which is due to call an election in 2011. But there is talk that the state government may want to hold it this year, and Anwar has been visiting the state regularly.

If elections are indeed held then, it will be the battle of the year.

But it will not be the first. That honour goes to Kuala Terengganu, which has called a by-election for Jan 17, after Umno MP Razali Ismail died last November.

It will pit Umno against Pas — a war for the hearts of the heartland Malays and for the Chinese who make up about 10 per cent of the voter base. It will be the first by-election where both sides are without an incumbent’s advantage.

Amid all these, the government has to attend to the economy. Growth may dip to as low as 0.5 per cent in 2009 from an expected 5 to 6 per cent in 2008, according to experts.

All macro-economic indicators are down, including commodity prices, manufacturing output and tourist arrivals, which make up the three biggest sectors of the economy.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, has announced a RM7 billion stimulus package to offset lower exports and consumer spending but experts have said it is inadequate.

New measures are expected to be announced early this year.

Najib has his work cut out for him, even before he becomes Prime Minister. — The Straits Times

Key dates to note

Jan 17: It is by-election day in Kuala Terengganu. This is Malaysia’s second by-election since the March 2008 general election, the first being in Permatang Pauh, Penang, which opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim won by a landslide. This time, however, it will be too close to call. Umno will be up against Pas. Umno won the seat the last time by a very tight margin.

February: The Barisan Nasional convention is the first such convention for the ruling coalition. It was proposed some time in the middle of last year, after the BN partners kept quarrelling among themselves as each of the 13 members sought to regain credibility with voters.

Mid-year: Pas elections. The party has been split into factions over differences on whether to work closer with Anwar. There is an old-school group that is wary of him, while some also prefer closer ties to Umno. The elections will determine whether the modernists or old-school faction will prevail. The sensitive issue of hudud, or the Islamic penal code, recently resurfaced after Pas senior leader Datuk Husam Musa was forced to take a stand on it. Pas maintains that hudud will be part of Malaysia’s law if it takes power, but this could spook its political partners.

No date fixed yet: Anwar’s sodomy trial. The case is still at the preliminary stage, but a full hearing is expected this year. If found guilty, Anwar could be sentenced to a long jail term that could severely dent his political comeback.

Malaysian insider

One of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s infuriating habits is his tendency to forgive and forget, charge his supporters.

Perhaps one day Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will fit snugly into the “forgive and forget category”. But not just yet.

They meet at the weekly Cabinet and Umno supreme council meetings and bump into each other in Parliament when the House is in session but there has been next to zero personal contact between the two men over the past few months.

The reason: Abdullah still cannot get past the cheerleading role that the Minister of International Trade and Industry played in whipping up ground sentiment in Umno against him after the March 8 elections and the alliance he forged with former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the campaign to force the PM out of office early.

Abdullah has so far not entertained requests from Muhyiddin for a four-eyes meeting, concerned that it could be misconstrued by party members as endorsement of the latter’s push for the deputy president position in Umno.

Muhyiddin is being challenged by Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Ali Rustam and Rural Development Minister Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, two politicians who have shown some measure of loyalty to the prime minister when he was being hammered for his weak leadership and role in the electoral debacle for Barisan Nasional.

Ironically, Abdullah always considered Muhyiddin one of his closest friends in government. And though he picked Datuk Seri Najib Razak as his deputy over Muhyiddin, he appointed the Johor politician to senior portfolios in the Cabinet, first as the Agriculture Minister and then as the Minister of International Trade and Industry.

He was surprised when word filtered back to him that Muhyiddin had used a Federal Territory Umno meeting in May to openly question his fitness to lead Umno and the country.

During that meeting, Muhyiddin said: “Pak Lah is my friend, but can he manage the current situation? He’s a good man, but the situation has changed. I am being sincere… We need to change, so that we don’t go down and down.”

Still, he refused to believe that Muhyiddin had teamed up with others including his nemesis Dr Mahathir to force him to hand over power to Najib sooner than the 2010 transition date. But slowly he began to see a trend of Muhyiddin getting more vocal and adopting some of the arguments which had been put in the public domain by Dr Mahathir.

He was grated when Muhyiddin began distancing himself from the 2010 transition plan despite endorsing the supreme council decision. During this time, Abdullah was encouraged by some Cabinet ministers and senior government officials to drop Muhyiddin from the Cabinet.

He declined to do so, either because he did not want to make Muhyiddin a martyr in Umno or because he did not want to open up another battlefront.

Following Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s stunning victory in Permatang Pauh in August, Muhyiddin increased his pressure on Abdullah to step down. By then also, more senior Umno politicians had become restless and concerned about the future of Umno should Abdullah remain in power till mid 2010.

Abdullah himself sensed that his grip on power was weakening and moved to protect his turf by offering Najib the powerful Finance portfolio.

The end came swiftly when several members of the supreme council, including Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, urged Abdullah not to defend the party presidency, saying that he had lost the ground.

Following this rebuff, Abdullah announced that he would step down after the party assembly in March. He believed that the groundswell against him had been manufactured by Muhyiddin and gang.

A senior party official told The Malaysian Insider: “I believe that one day Pak Lah will be able to forgive Muhyiddin but there is still bitterness over the betrayal, especially how he teamed up with Dr Mahathir.’’

On the flip side, Muhyiddin’s supporters argue that he was spot on in pushing for a quicker transition of power, noting that Umno seems to be more united now that the succession issue has been settled. Government lawmakers are more assured in Parliament and talk of cross overs has died down.

Also, they point out that though Muhyiddin was hoisted as the poster boy of the “force Abdullah out’’ movement, there were many senior Umno politicians who were saying in private what the Johor politician was willing to say on record.

Muhyiddin’s advocates say that he wants to meet Abdullah to clear the air and rebuild a friendship that was once solid.

That day of rapprochement could happen but ties between the two men will never be the same. Too much has happened between March 8 and now.

The rift in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition can no longer be concealed as there is bad blood between leaders of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, DAP and Pas, Umno liaison chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said yesterday.

He said cracks became visible when Kapar member of parliament S. Manikavasagam resigned as PKR Selangor deputy liaison chairman on Wednesday, citing his disappointment with state PR leaders.

Muhammad said the rift was not only between leaders of the three allies but also between Indian and Malay PKR leaders.

He said Manikavasagam’s resignation showed that the Selangor government failed to address the people’s problems as promised during the general election last March.

“The Indians who were once angry with the Barisan Nasional are now disappointed with the PKR leadership whose leaders did not go down to the grassroots to meet the people,” he said after a meeting with more than 50 Petaling Jaya Selatan leaders here.

Muhammad said it was different with the Barisan Nasional, where its leaders make time to meet the people and help solve their problems.

The people in Selangor, he said, were disillusioned with the PKR leadership who did not have the time to visit those who were affected by storms and floods.

“Their leaders have no time to look at damaged roofs, fire or flood. They only want to attend functions in hotels.”

He said this was the result of the PR’s lack of understanding of the dynamics of the state and country’s development.

“BN developed the state and the country from zero. We have a track record. They (PR) received a developed state, so they do not understand.

“If there’s a house on fire, for them it’s not their responsibility.”

Selangor Umno information chief Datuk Abdul Rahman Palil believed many PKR members would follow in Manika-vasagam’s footsteps as they were disappointed with the state government’s leadership

He said the culture of “threatening politics” in PR was apparent, citing Manika-vasagam’s action. He added that this reflected the values of PKR leaders.

nst

A Catholic newspaper in Malaysia has been ordered by the government to cease its Malay language edition until courts resolve a ban on the paper’s use of the word “Allah”, its editor said Thursday.

The Herald, circulated among the country’s 850,000 Catholics, nearly lost its publishing licence last year for using the word “Allah” as a translation for “God,” with authorities saying it should only be used by Muslims.

“The Constitution says Malay is the national language so why can’t we use the national language in Malaysia?” he told AFP.

He called the ban “unacceptable” and said he intended to take action.

Andrew said the ban did not make any sense because a large proportion of Catholics in Malaysia are Bumiputera who mainly speak Malay.

The term “Bumiputera”, or “Son of the soil”, refers to ethnic Muslim Malays and the indigenous inhabitants in peninsular Malaysia and on Borneo island who are mostly Christian.

“More than 50 percent of our congregation are Bumiputera and two of our bishops are Bumiputera,” he added.

The issue will be decided by the courts next month, while home ministry officials told the New Straits Times daily Thursday they will be monitoring the paper’s actions closely.

Religion and language are sensitive issues in multiracial Malaysia, which experienced deadly race riots in 1969.

About 60 percent of the nation’s 27 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims, who dominate the government. The rest of the population are mostly ethnic Chinese and Indians — practising Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism.

afp

MALAYSIA’S opposition on Friday lodged a bundle of graft allegations with the newly launched Anti-Corruption Commission, saying it would be a test of the body’s mettle.

‘We want to give an opportunity to the Anti-Corruption Commission to show it is different and that there is hope for the people,’ said Badrul Hisham Shaharin, a senior member of Keadilan which leads the opposition alliance.

The body, created as of January 1, replaces the much-criticised Anti-Corruption Agency, and is being promoted as having more independence and greater accountability.

However, critics say that the new commission will also be toothless unless it is given unrestricted power to prosecute corruption cases - currently the responsibility of the government.

‘The people are waiting to see if the ACC will act in the interests of the people or if the changes are just cosmetic,’ Mr Badrul told reporters after lodging three reports with the commission.

‘This is a test of the ACC to see if there is real reform and improvement or whether it is just rhetoric to get a bigger budget than the former ACA, but providing the same results in not being able to take action against big fish.’

He said that the first report involved cases where the ACA had found evidence of misdeeds by prominent figures and submitted them to the Attorney-General’s (AG) office for prosecution, but no action was ever taken.

‘Because of a hidden hand the cases were dropped,’ Mr Badrul said.

He said the second report contained evidence on ‘money politics’ within the ruling party, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), and the third alleged corruption among former top officers within the ACA.

The new commission is an initiative of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is trying to burnish his reform credentials before handing over to his deputy Najib Razak next March.

Mr Abdullah was forced to agree to stand down after the government was punished in general elections, partly over his failure to introduce promised reforms including cleaning up the police and the justice system.

The Barisan Nasional coalition, which has dominated Malaysian politics for half a century, lost control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats last March, in its worst-ever electoral performance.

AFP

Several Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives have come forward to refute claims that cracks are appearing in the coalition due to the open sparring by its members recently.

Selangor Umno liaison chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib had said that there were not merely problems between leaders of PKR, Pas and DAP but also strife between Indian and Malay PKR leaders.

He had added that Kapar MP S. Manikavasagams resignation as Selangor deputy liaison chairman on Wednesday was indicative of this.

This had been echoed by former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo.

“Open criticism within us is very common as we are very democratic,” said Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Maria Mahmud.

Dr Siti Maria, who is from Pas, said it might be difficult for some to understand this as it was not a common practice for them.

In Umno and Barisan Nasional they are not used to criticising their leadership or speaking up, so it may appear to be a problem for them, she added.

DAP member and Pandamaran assemblyman Ronnie Liu concurred and said Pakatan Rakyat did not repress anyone from speaking-up.

“Everyone is free to voice their differences and to speak-up,” said Liu dismissing claims of racial strife within the coalition.

He said that even though there might be some differences in opinion, all coalition members strove towards a common goal.

“The Pakatan Rakyat coalition members all share the common goal of serving everyone equally regardless of their race and even political affiliation,” said Liu.

PKR state exco member Dr Xavier Jayakumar also dismissed the allegations made by the Barisan leader.

They should not turn this into a racial issue between an Indian MP and a Malay Mentri Besar, said Dr Xavier.

PKR state assemblyman for Kota Anggerik and exco member Yaakob Sapari said it was untrue that Indians had a problem with PKR.

“I had a meeting with Indians in Puchong several days ago and they are fully backing the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, he said.

DAP’s state assemblyman for Skinchan Ng Suee Lim said the state’s opposition party was turning a small misunderstanding into a big problem.

“They are pouring fuel over fire. We may be a new coalition but we will not fall prey to Barisan’s political games, he added.

star

Run-up to K. Terengganu by-election: ‘Do not let rifts wreck Pakatan’s chances’

Its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said there were “one or two leaders whom we should be concerned about.

“I am certain PKR’s Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will ensure that there is greater discipline among leaders and members,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

He was responding to questions from reporters pertaining to a misunderstanding between some PKR and Pas leaders in Perak which could affect the opposition front’s chances in the by-election.

Lim, who is also Penang Chief Minister, said the DAP would lend its full support to Pas’ Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut who is also the party’s Wakaf Mempelam state assemblyman.

Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was reported as saying that the party’s choice was the best as Wahid was a highly-respected leader and well-known among constituents.

The by-election on Jan 17 is being held following the death of its MP Datuk Razali Ismail on Nov 28 last year.

nst

Malaysia is forcing backseat passengers to buckle up and is targeting dangerous drivers in an effort to reduce road deaths.

Come July 1, they can be fined up to RM2,000, jailed a maximum of one year, or both, under the Road Transport Act.

The JPJ said that in the New Year’s Day operation involving some 500 officers, Johor had the highest number of offenders, with 95 booked for not buckling up.

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), quoting a 1999 report by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said that in all crashes, rear seat belts cut fatalities by 44 per cent.

Miros also disclosed that in the first 11 months of last year, road accidents killed 5,976 people, almost matching the 2007 total of 6,282. The death rate was almost five times that of Sweden, the safest country by number of deaths, and higher than Japan, Australia and New Zealand in 2006.

Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, head of Miros, described Malaysia’s 10 million drivers as ‘offensive’ drivers who view driving as a competition.

Malaysian drivers are ‘absolutely useless’, said insurance lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu, who has practised for 27 years and has handled more than 5,000 accident cases.

‘Kids are not taught to respect property.’

In many Malaysian cars, babies sit on laps without restraints, rather than in child seats. Families of four or five can be seen without helmets on a moped. Buses and trucks drive almost nose-to-tail at speeds of 120kmh, and motorbikes weave through gridlocked roads. In the evenings, bikers, known in Malay as mat rempit, race and perform stunts illegally on public roads.

‘If people don’t get killed on the racing circuit, I don’t see why they should get killed on the roads,’ said Mr Suret Singh, director-general of the Malaysian Road Safety Department.

He is planning to install surveillance cameras, introduce dedicated lanes for mopeds as well as persuade more people to use public transport, as part of a ‘zero-fatality vision’.

Miros is working to reach a target of two deaths per 10,000 vehicles by 2010. Motorcycle deaths account for as much as 58 per cent of all victims killed on the roads, Dr Ahmad Farhan said.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, BLOOMBERG

With Singaporeans making up half of all holidaymakers to Malaysia, its Tourism Minister has set her sights firmly on the island even as she tries to buffer against the global tourism slump by boosting domestic travel.

In fact, to Datuk Azalina Othman Said, Singaporeans and Malaysians are “almost the same” — which is why Singaporeans are very much part of her government’s ongoing campaign to get Malaysians to travel within their country.

“What is most important are the similarities between Singaporean and Malaysian tourists — which is why we are launching the campaign (in Singapore),” said Azalina, who was in town yesterday for a two-day visit. She will call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in between launching an advertising blitz on Singapore trains, buses and cabs and lunch with Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S. Iswaran.

While official tourism figures for last month were not available, Azalina said tourism arrivals could possibly fall short of the 22.5-million target by some 500,000. Still, for the first 11 months, the number of Singaporean visitors grew by 4.4 per cent year-on-year to hit almost 10 million.

For the year ahead, Malaysia expects to draw 20 million visitors. And increased accessibility between Singapore and Malaysia will be high on the agenda this year, along with improving the service standards and quality of existing tourist attractions.

According to Azalina, bilateral discussions are under way for trains to ply between Tanjong Pagar railway station and Johor Baru. Currently, the train service only runs directly to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Bangkok.

A spokesperson for Singapore’s Transport Ministry said a working group has been tasked to examine ways to improve transport links, following an agreement between the two countries’ political leaders to facilitate cooperation on the Iskandar Development Region.

The spokesperson said: “One of the options being looked at is the possibility of rail connectivity between Singapore and Johor Baru through a Rapid Transit System Link. This study is still ongoing.”

Rail links aside, Azalina expects the growing popularity of budget airlines to bolster Malaysia’s latest tourism campaign.

“It does help (to increase) the number of tourists flying to small towns and cities that were less accessible before.”

The straight-talking politician recognises that it would be pointless to compete head-on with Singapore in terms of tourism offerings. She said: “When I started as Tourism Minister, one of the things I realised is that we must sell on what we have … the greenery, the mountains, the rivers … We have not been selling it right.”

The ongoing economic downturn has overshadowed the political turmoil in Malaysia, following the elections last year that saw the opposition making unprecendented gains by claiming control of five states.

Describing Malaysia as “very democratic”, Azalina said: “We allow the opposition to come in and they can have a lot of say. And I believe that having criticism from the opposition makes us much better.”

Malaysia is set for a political transition with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak poised to take over from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after the Umno general assembly in March. Azalina believes Najib’s appointment will ensure “the continuation of the policies” put in place by Abdullah and his predecessor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

She said: “There is a lot of hope for Malaysia … This is a man who will give a lot of positivity to Malaysians in the sense of us continuing with the policies that we have.”

TODAY

Malaysia may miss tourism target narrowly

Malaysia received 1.85 million visitors in November 2008, or 4.6 per cent more than a year earlier, says Tourism Malaysia.

Although the increase was slightly lower than the 4.8 per cent registered for the 11 months to end-November, during which 19.99 million tourists visited, December is traditionally a strong month. And it was boosted in 2008 by tourists skipping the Thai tropics for alternatives such as Malaysia following the week-long siege of Thailand’s airports in November by anti-government activists.

With only a month to go, Malaysia is still 2.5 million visitors short of its 2008 target. But a tourism boom over the past two months in places such as Penang could rapidly narrow the deficit and help the country hit its target of RM50 billion in tourism receipts.

If so, it would prove a pleasant surprise for tourism officials, who in August wanted the visitor arrival target revised down to 21.5 million. Attracting one million less visitors would have equated to 3.3 per cent growth, but an estimated RM2 billion shortfall in tourism receipts.

The peak year-end tourist season was heightened in 2008 by Bangkok’s political strife and the mass protests at Suvarnabhumi International and Don Muang airports, which left more than 300,000 travellers stranded in what turned out to be a public relations disaster.

Penang was one obvious beneficiary. Many of its hotels were fully booked or enjoyed occupancy of more than 90 per cent, compared with 80-plus per cent in normal times. According to hoteliers, many guests have expressed a desire to extend their stay until after Chinese New Year.

Penang also had a new drawcard this year — Unesco’s World Heritage award to its capital George Town, won in conjunction with Malacca.

The flurry of year-end visitors to Malaysia is also expected to have been boosted by the Malaysia Savings Sale 2008 — a 37-day shopping extravaganza stretching from last Nov 4 to tomorrow.

Singaporeans can be counted on to trawl Malaysia’s malls in a big way. In November 2008, Singapore maintained its position as Malaysia’s biggest visitor-generating market, with 963,261 people crossing over. Up to November, Singaporeans had made 9.97 million visits to Malaysia in 2008, up 4.4 per cent year on year. Malaysia’s next-biggest visitor-generating markets were Indonesia with 2.18 million and Thailand with 1.37 million.

The biggest increase in arrivals was from Iran with 55,727 (up 116 per cent) and Canada with 68,642 (up 62 per cent).

But unless Malaysia manages to attract new arrivals to replace those from shrinking markets, tourism could face more challenging times in 2009. November saw a near-40 per cent plunge in arrivals from South Korea and almost a third from Taiwan as the global economic slowdown bit deeper.

Business Times Singapore

LIKE hotels being rated with stars, roads nationwide in Malaysia would be rated according to its safety level and it is estimated that road accidents could be cut by 30 per cent.

Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat said the Road Safety Department and Malaysian Institute for Road Safety Research (Miros) under his ministry and the Works Department under Works Ministry have embarked on a joint-project to evaluate safety of roads in the country.

So far, the pilot project under International Road Assessment Programme (IRAP) has evaluated the safety level of 3,800km of roads last year.

‘The safety of the roads were identified like star ratings of hotel,” said Mr Ong.

He also said the pilot project has since been expanded to cover all road networks in the country when the outcome of the pilot project was found to be useful.

”We will have a complete inventory of the rating of the roads then,” said Mr Ong.

It is not known when the project, which started last year, will be completed.

Parameters of the rating for the safety level included the width of the road, road surface, signages, lightings and even the guardrail, Mr Ong said.

‘Road designs plays a big role to reduce road accidents,” Mr Ong said this to reporters after launching a road safety campaign in conjunction with The Super Home Ideas Exhibition and Exclusive Property and Investment Show held at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre on Saturday.

Also present at the event is Datuk Suret Singh, director-general of Road Safety Depatment.

Last year, more than five per cent of Malaysian roads (3,800km) were successfully evaluated for safety and this rating would pave the way for a scientific approach to safer roads and fewer accidents.

Under the IRAP carried out last year on mostly federal roads, it was found that more than 90 per cent of the 3,700km of roads surveyed scored two-stars and above out of five stars.

Statistics have shown that said 91 per cent of road fatalities occur on non-highway roads.

According to the Malaysian Institute for Road Safety Research (Miros), complacency in taking care of road infrastructure could now be avoided with this sort of evaluation method.

‘The roads would just deteriorate if we don’t take care of everything,’ said Miros director-general Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah.

Prof Ahmad Farhan added that having done the study, some of the roads would require upgrading works.

‘This is not to say that road conditions are the only factor when it comes to accidents, but the results will help us identify what needs improving to make safer roads.’

Prof Ahmad Farhan said the Works Department had their own plans but with the results, notes could be compared to coincide and prioritise upgrading works with their plans and IRAP findings.

‘We hope that we can stagger and prioritize so that the roads that require the most attention, that is, the blackspots, will be given attention first,’ Prof Ahmad Farhan said.

Malaysia is the first country in Asia to adopt IRAP and with the success of the pilot, Prof Ahmad Farhan said the second phase would be carried out soon.

The Star/ANN

Despite the rain, close to 100 members of the Indian community from around Malaysia turned up today in front of the PKR central headquarters in Merchant Square here to reinforce their support towards the party leadership.

The gathering was organised in an attempt to show PKR maintained the support of the Indians.

Holding up photos of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and huddling together behind banners proclaiming “Don’t twist our words”, “Our Leader: Anwar Ibrahim” and “Long live Pakatan Rakyat”, they sent out a strong message that the Indian community as a whole remained committed to the opposition front’s cause.

The supporters, young and old, men and women, were not only members of PKR but included those from the DAP, its sister party in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance as well as the Makkal Sakti movement, an offshoot of the now banned Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

They came from as far away as Johor and Kedah in answer to mobile text messages sent out by several PKR members asking them to gather in a show of solidarity.

For nearly two hours, they stood in the open-air parking lot rallying around several grassroot leaders who told them not to believe rumours of a widening split in PKR.

The opposition party’s shine had taken a bruising after an internal spat between its popular first-time MP for Kapar, S. Manikavasagam and the PKR-led Selangor government’s leaders had gone public and sown confusion and fear among the grassroots Indian community.

Manikavasagam has accused the PKR leadership of sidelining the Indian community, which had helped it win big in the 12th General Elections last year.

The gathering had also attracted the attention of a few non-Indians.

A Chinese software developer told The Malaysian Insider she was there because she supported PKR’s philosophy to protect the rights of all races.

The petite 25-year-old from Taiping disagreed with Manikavasagam’s view championing only the rights of the Indian minority.

Wishing to be known only as “EC”, she hoped Manikavasangam would be more patient and give the PKR state government time to help the marginalised communities.

the malaysian insider

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the political storm among the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners proved that the parties did not have a common policy to be able to govern the country.

“This is happening when they have not yet ruled the country. As the opposition pact, they seem to be going different ways,” said Najib when met by reporters, here, Saturday.

Najib said the PR parties tried to portray that everything was fine and perfect while actually they were struggling for different causes and different things.

“And in less than a year, the cracks in PR are already showing in terms of policy and stand on issues.

“They do not have a policy to show that they are a genuine pact. Each of the partner determines its policy. PAS has its own policy and so has the DAP and PKR. There’s no common policy to bind them. They’re just deceiving the people,” he added.

Najib hoped that the people, especially the voters in the Kuala Terengganu by-election, would be able to see the realities and make a rational decision.

On the by-election which will be held on Jan 17, he said the contest would be stiff but was confident that Barisan Nasional (BN) would emerge victorious.

“It’ll be tough but the BN has several advantages compared to its situation in the Permatang Pauh by-election (last August),” he said.

About the opposition which had started making personal attacks on the BN candidate, Najib said it was monotoring the situation.

“The election campaign has various stages and methods such as open ‘ceramah’ (public talks), group discussions, door-to-door and whispering campaign, which is more difficult to monitor. But we will look at all this and deal with it,” he said.

Earlier, Najib presented awards to 393 pupils who excelled in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah from schools in the Pekan parliamentary constituency.

– BERNAMA

Ringgit speculation abroad should be monitored so that Malaysia does not become a victim of opportunistic groups seeking to gain from the fall of the local currency, Datuk Muhammad Salleh Majid said today.

“Our economy is not in recession and our currency should not be lower than those of countries already in recession,” the former president of the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange told Bernama.

“The ringgit has reached as high as RM3.10 to the US dollar in April last year but now even with the American economy in recession, our currency has weakened to RM3.51,” Salleh said.

He said the ringgit, which strengthened at one stage to RM4.80 to the euro, has now declined to the RM5.06 level.

Salleh, who is a principal fellow with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Faculty of Economics and Management, said the ringgit has also dropped against the Singapore dollar to the RM2.44 level though the island republic was currently facing what it described as a technical recession.

“There are some who considered the ringgit’s decline to be good for our exports but in a situation of falling export volume, this does not help,” he said.

“In fact, we will face an increase in imports because the value of our ringgit has fallen,” he added.

He also noted that during the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, the ringgit was at the RM2.50 level to the US dollar and “there was no problem in selling our products at that time”.

On productivity, Salleh said that it was relatively simple to overcome the problem concerning loss of productivity.

He proposed that every worker, both in the public and private sectors, increase their working hours by an additional 10 minutes each.

“With an estimated two million workers, 20 million minutes can be added each day. If we set RM10 for each man-hour, then productivity is increased to RM3.3 million each daily, which works out to around RM60 million monthly and RM720 million annually,” he said.

Salleh also cited a study which showed that the productivity lost by Malaysians as a result of traffic jams amounted to two-and-a-half days each month.

“It’s not use talking about increasing productivity if we are able to only reduce a little the rest hour and tea break,” he said.

On the stock market, Salleh said those worried about the market uncertainties should expect the crisis to be only temporary.

“The shares of some companies have dropped due to market sentiment and not because of their performance. Such companies should be given the opportunity to buy when their shares are low so as to invest for the long term,” he said.

“Another way of looking at a crisis is to see it as an opportunity,” he added.

– BERNAMA

Bank Negara should investigate claims that funds from local banks are allegedly being siphoned off by fraudsters every month.

Najib, who is also the Finance Minister, said he did not have details on the matter.

“Currently, we should not speculate, let us investigate,” he said and refused to comment further. Najib was speaking after presenting rewards to the excellent Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination students in the Pekan parliamentary constituency yesterday.

According to a news report, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Senator T. Murugiah, had claimed on Friday that funds from 60 to 70 bank accounts were being siphoned off monthly, causing worry that insiders were in cahoots with the fraudsters.

Murugiah revealed that reports of “hijacked accounts” had been flooding the Public Complaints Bureau for more than two years.

He said banks should be held responsible on this matter and made to compensate victims for not safeguarding their funds.

He said there were recent reports of bank customers being duped into parting with their account numbers in response to text messages and emails telling them they had won cash.

Those targeted were told to submit their account numbers so that their winnings could be banked in.

Murugiah said it was also possible that bank employees had supplied the information on their customers.

On secondary schools, Najib said they needed to be upgraded in infrastructure with qualified teachers and other necessities to equal that of boarding schools.

He said this is because there was a limit on the number of students allowed or selected to study at boarding schools while the number of students who achieved excellent results had increased.

Najib cited Sekolah Menengah Seri Pekan which would be upgraded.

On another matter, Najib said the Government was optimistic in achieving Vision 2020 as planned.

bernama

Datuk Seri Najib Razik exhorted all Malaysians to work together for the advancement of the country.

“We can draw strength from each other. The colour of our skin or the size of our eyes does not matter.

“What is important is what’s in our heart and the willingness to work together,” he told a dinner organised by Chinese youth associations in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year.

The deputy prime minister also urged Malaysians to tap the strengths of each ethnic group for the benefit of the nation.

“Just because there are few Chinese in the army does not mean they are unpatriotic. They have their own contribution to society as business people and entrepreneurs.

“And because of the taxes they pay, the government has revenue and resources to transform Malaysia into what it is today.”

Najib called on the 3,000-odd guests at the function not to look at the differences of each community but to focus on the commonalities, strengths and common vision.

He also said politicians nowadays would have to talk less and listen more to the people, especially the young-er generation.

“To show our forefathers, who had the wisdom to choose the right path for the country, the young generation will have to carry the torch of the country into the 21st century.

“We can propel the country to vibrancy, peace and harmony if we work as one nation, one soul, one Malaysia.”

Present were Transport Minister and MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, BN Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.

Opposition is in a shambles, says Najib

He said Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Pas and DAP had always held fast to their own ideologies and would never compromise on the matter.

“They have tried to portray that everything is good in the coalition but after not even a year, we can see rifts among them.”

Asked whether the internal problems among opposition parties would affect the outcome of the Kuala Terengganu by-election, Najib said this had yet to be seen.

He hoped that the people of Kuala Terengganu would realise that the opposition parties were not united as they claimed to be.

“I hope voters will make a rational decision based on the performance of the candidates and the reality that the opposition is in a shambles.”

He said the opposition had been play-acting that they were in good terms to dupe the people.

“They have yet to take over the country but are already bickering among themselves.”

Najib said the Barisan Nasional was confident of victory in Kuala Terengganu as compared with the Permatang Pauh by-election last year due to several advantages.

“It’s a tough competition but we are confident of winning,” said Najib, who will visit the constituency tomorrow.

On claims that the opposition had used personal attacks on the BN candidate, Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, Najib said it would be easier to counter such a tactic if it was done openly in a ceramah.

“It would be difficult if they adopted the whispering campaign. The situation is being monitored and I will get a report on it next week.”

nst

In recent weeks, Malaysia’s mainstream media has been swamped with reports of rifts among politicians within its opposition coalition, the Pakatan Rakyat.

Opposition leaders do not deny that the coalition, consisting as it does of an ideologically diverse set of partners, is being distracted by issues ranging from bus terminal concessions in the central Selangor state to sensitive topics such as the implementation of Islamic laws.

But they insist that the tensions are being overplayed ahead of a crucial by-election in the north-eastern state of Terengganu in two weeks. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) will take on a candidate from Parti Islam SeMalaysia, or Pas, the country’s main Muslim opposition party and a key component of Pakatan Rakyat.

“There is no denying that we have some problems to deal with. We see them as issues over governance and all of this represents a learning curve (for the coalition),” said Sivarasa Rasiah, the vice-president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), another Pakatan component. “But any suggestion that the alliance is breaking down is very misplaced.”

There is widespread agreement in the coalition with Sivarasa’s view. In fact, the problems faced by the coalition, which controls five state governments, is no different from the dilemmas confronting the BN federal government.

In recent months, BN suffered a setback when the Sabah Progressive Party and its two elected parliamentarians defected from the ruling coalition.

The BN’s most senior partner, Umno, is grappling with serious infighting ahead of the party’s own elections in March and is facing increasing pressure from its non-Malay coalition partners over a range of issues, from religion to education.

But Pakatan Rakyat does not have the luxury of time. It must present itself as a capable alternative if it intends to topple BN in the next election which must be held before March 2013.

Many of the coalition’s own leaders acknowledge that unless a common platform for cooperation is hammered out quickly among the Pakatan parties, differences over race and religion and the competitive politics of patronage could badly hurt the coalition and cause divides that could be hard to bridge.

The raft of controversies sweeping Malaysia’s opposition alliance offers a glimpse into how this hodge-podge of political parties, which made unprecedented gains in the general election last March, is conducting itself in power. Its command of five state governments is turning into a test of how much change it will in fact bring to governance in Malaysia as a whole, were it to take over from BN at the federal level.

Consider the controversy over a new bus terminal in the port city of Klang in the opposition-led Selangor state.

The previous BN state government had awarded the developer of the terminal a 15-year concession to operate and manage the project.

But details of the concession agreement remain shrouded in secrecy, resulting in a war of words between the leaders of PKR, who are demanding greater transparency, and a few politicians from the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP), who say that there is no need to make the matter public since the contract cannot be rescinded.

In any case, the failure of Selangor chief minister Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to deal decisively with the issue has brought into the open other problems in the coalition, such as the dissatisfaction among the coalition’s ethnic Indian partners. They feel their interests have been neglected by Pakatan Rakyat’s leadership.

One Indian leader, the elected representative for Kapar in Selangor, Mr S. Manikavasagam, has threatened to resign if issues relating to his community’s welfare are not addressed. Manikavasagam, a longtime activist in the Indian community, draws most of his support from the Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf), a powerful Indian grassroots movement that strongly backed the Pakatan Rakyat in the last general elections.

His forceful and public demands for greater economic benefits for the community, including appointments for Indians to state-owned enterprises and local councils, illustrate how the opposition coalition, like the ruling BN, must grapple with the competitive ethnic politics that have long defined Malaysia.

But the feuding also reflects a problem peculiar to the Pakatan Rakyat. Activists like Mr Manikavasagam are unschooled in the art of compromise, without which government in a multiracial country like Malaysia is difficult. Pakatan’s leadership acknowledges that they need to establish clear policy positions so as to avoid such public spats.

That will be Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s key challenge in the coming months. Instead of courting potential defectors from BN in his bid to take over the federal government, the Pakatan Rakyat leader needs to redirect his attention to keeping the coalition intact. If he does not apply his skills of political conflict resolution, his own coalition will fracture.

ST

There was a mad scramble by reporters at the Works Ministry to view the toll concessionaire agreements made public for the first time on Monday.

On Friday, reporters had been given just a brief one hour to look at the toll agreements.

The toll concession agreements can now be viewed at the library of the Works Ministry but the public is not allowed to make copies of the documents yet.

Only five people are allowed in at any one time.

DAP MPs Tony Pua, Lim Lip Eng and Hannah Yeoh were also at the ministry to view the agreements signed between the toll operators and the government that includes details on how the toll rates are increased.

Highway Authority of Malaysia director-general Datuk Mohamad Razali Othman had said last week that copies could not be made because it needed the Order of the Yang di-Pertuan Agung under Section 3 of the Fees Act (1951) to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat and gazetted.

Section 3 of the Act states that the Yang di-Pertuan Agung may charge and prescribe fees and payments to be leviable in courts and public offices.

In a statement, Razali had said those who wished to view the documents had to fill in a form and were allowed access to the agreements for two hours at a time to give a chance to other applicants to view the concession agreements while cutting down the waiting period.

If they needed more time to review agreements of other toll concessionaires or need more time on one document, the applicants need to fill in a new form and wait for their turn again, he had said.

star

In central Pahang state, which is worst affected, the number of evacuees rose to 3,776 despite floodwaters receding in some districts, police told the official Bernama news agency.

Some 30,000 students in the state were unable to get to their schools for the first day of the academic year.

‘The Kelantan education department ordered all schools affected by the floods to close to prevent any mishaps,’ State Education Department director Mohd Ghazali Abdul Rahman told The Star newspaper.

A state flood operations room spokesman said Jalan Kota Baharu-Pantai Cahaya Bulan was under 0.35m of water and was still closed to light vehicles while Jalan Gua Musang-Lojing was closed to all traffic following a landslide.

Only two rivers - Sungai Kelantan in Kusial and Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang - were at the danger level while five were at the alert level and one registered normal reading.

In Terengganu, the floods in Kemaman worsened. A Terengganu Security Council spokesman said the number of flood evacuees rose to 445 on Monday morning.

A total of 11 flood relief centres had been opened in Kemaman and one in Setiu, he added.

AFP, BERNAMA

Floods update on Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan

KUANTAN: The floods have receded in three of the six affected districts in Pahang but the number of evacuees in the state have risen overnight from 2,921 to 3,776.

A spokesman of the Pahang police flood operations room said on Monday that Kuantan district continued to have the most number of evacuees, at 2,678. Pekan had 1,037 and Maran, 61.

“The evacuees in the Raub district were allowed to return to their homes at 5pm on Sunday while those in Cameron Highlands and Lipis were allowed to go home at 8pm,” he said.

He said Jalan Sungai Lembing, Kuantan at Km8 to Km12; Jalan Tanjung Lumpur, Pekan near Taman Kempadang Jaya; Km36 Jalan Gambang, Maran; Km28 Jalan Kampung Caru, at Sungai Caru bridge, Kuantan and Jalan Serengkam, Kampung Bak Bak, Maran, were still closed to all vehicles.

In KELANTAN, the number of flood evacuees rose from 623 Sunday to 783 Monday morning; Pasir Mas (537), Machang (111), Tanah Merah (68), Kota Baharu (45) and Kuala Krai (22).

A state flood operations room spokesman said Jalan Kota Baharu-Pantai Cahaya Bulan was under 0.35m of water and was still closed to light vehicles while Jalan Gua Musang-Lojing was closed to all traffic following a landslide at Km85.5.

Only two rivers - Sungai Kelantan in Kusial and Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang - were at the danger level while five were at the alert level and one registered normal reading.

In TERENGGANU, the floods in Kemaman worsened but Setiu registered an improvement.

A Terengganu Security Council spokesman said the number of flood evacuees rose to 445 this morning, from 349 yesterday, with 407 in Kemaman and 38 in Setiu.

A total of 11 flood relief centres had been opened in Kemaman and one in Setiu, he added.

Bernama

By The relocation of the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at the Causeway to the new Sultan Iskandar building at Bukit Chagar has turned the city centre, once a ‘gold mine’ for traders, into a nightmare.

They claimed that the opening of the RM1.3 billion complex on Dec 16 had caused a 50 percent drop in business as thousands of Malaysians who used to frequent the eating places were giving the place a miss.

“Since then, over 20 percent of the traders here had closed shop. More than 60 percent of the eating shops are expected to follow suit after the Chinese New Year,” restaurant owner Abdul Aziz Mohamad told Bernama here today.

Abdul Aziz who owned two 24-hour restaurants with monthly rental of RM16,000 each said the traders were facing high rental for the premises, once considered a ‘gold mine’, due to its strategic location.

Meldrum Walk stallholder Sim Tee Seng, 46, said business had been badly affected as Malaysians working in Singapore were no longer frequenting the eating outlets.

“I can only last until the Chinese New Year. If things do not change, the others and I will have to move elsewhere.”

Sim said his earnings had dropped from RM200 daily to only RM50 daily since the relocation of the CIQ to Bukit Chagar.

Trader Haja Maideen Mohamad Maideen, 71, proposed that the CIQ at the Causeway be reopened to allow pedestrians entering and leaving the Singapore as this would help boost business.

“The economic downturn and the CIQ relocation had hit traders like us really hard. We are just waiting to close shop,” he said.

A Bernama survey found that many restaurants, currency exchange booths and kiosks that used to sell newspapers, beverages and cigarettes were closed.

– BERNAMA

2009 will see the financial crisis impacting the real economy, with the only good news being that Malaysia is unlikely to slip into recession.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak has said that the government is prepared to step in with another financial boost if the situation deteriorates. This is apart from the RM7 billion (S$2.93 billion) spending package announced last year.

Since no government in the world seems worried about budget deficits right now, Najib’s pledge could well be necessary given that the country’s macro- economic indicators are all heading south.

Exports, industrial production and tourist arrivals are all in decline against a backdrop of increased capital flight as foreigners flee Malaysian assets.

Given the portents, it’s likely that the central bank will cut rates further, perhaps by as much as 100 basis points over the year. The gloomy economic outlook will be compounded by higher political temperatures.

In March, Najib, 55, is expected to become the new president of Umno and prime minister when incumbent Abdullah Ahmad Badawi steps down.

The new premier will take over in very trying times with a resurgent opposition and a political climate that seems beset with problems of race and religion.

He will have to balance championing Malay interests against governing multiracial Malaysia, and it isn’t at all clear if he can pull it off given the increasingly strident noises emanating from Umno vis-a-vis Malay rights.

More to the point, it isn’t clear if Umno really wants to reform itself from a narrow, sectarian party to a more inclusive one that caters – or seems to cater – to all Malaysians.

In his press interviews so far, Najib has made all the right noises about Umno having to “reinvent itself to stay relevant” or that the party “has to recognise that Malaysia is getting increasingly race blind”. But you wouldn’t know that from watching the party.

Perhaps the acid test will come in the party polls in March. Central to the party’s direction going forward is the battle for deputy president who, by convention, becomes deputy prime minister.

The most qualified candidate is obviously International Trade Minister Muhyiddin Yassin but his grassroots appeal isn’t as great as Ali Rustam, the chief minister of Malacca and even Mohamad Muhammad Taib, the Minister for Land and Regional Development.

In a bid to plug Muhyiddin, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad described the latter two candidates as “jokers” – but the joke could be on him. An outsider could just become Malaysia’s deputy premier if Umno doesn’t get its act together.

The elections will also decide the political future of Khairy Jamaluddin, Abdullah’s son- in-law, who is running for Umno Youth chief against two strong candidates – Dr Mahathir’s son Mukhriz and former Selangor chief minister Khir Toyo. And the talk is that Khir could be surging ahead.

Khairy is much maligned as the architect of his father-in- law’s political downfall but one suspects that he is more sinned against than sinner. It would be a pity if Umno throws out the baby with the bathwater.

bts

It will be a three-cornered fight for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat with three candidates having filed their papers on nomination day on Tuesday.

Ballots will be cast on Jan 17.

Wan Ahmad Farid, the former Deputy Home Minister, arrived at the nomination centre at the State Stadium here at about 8.50am, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Terengganu Mentri Besar Ahmad Said, MCA president Ong Tee Keat, Gerakan chief Dr Koh Tsu Koon, MIC’s S. Subramaniam and other Barisan leaders.

PAS’ Abdul Mohd arrived about 10mins later accompanied by party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders.

Independent candidate Isma Airfath was expected to file his papers but did not turn up, although another independent Azharuddin decided to.

The latter arrived at about 9.30am, but left not soon after. He was heard muttering that he could not file his nomination papers and was seen asking for the whereabouts of his sponsor and seconder. He was then seen re-entering the nomination hall about 10mins later and finally filed his papers.

Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) vice-president Harun Moahamad arrived at about 9.20am, but pulled out to make way for the PAS candidate.

Police had mounted roadblocks as early as 7am as tens of thousand supporters gathered for nomination day.

A police spokesman said about 30,000 Barisan Nasional supporters and 15,000 PAS supporters had gathered to begin their march to the nomination centre.

There are 80,229 voters in the constituency, of whom 2,036 are postal voters.

The nomination process started at 9am and closed at 10am.

The returning officer is expected to make an official announcement on the candidates by noon.

The by-election is being held following the sudden death of Barisan’s Datuk Razali Ismail on Nov 28.

The atmosphere at the nomination centre was relatively calm as only the candidates, their proposers and seconders and a group of not more than 150 supporters were allowed in. No untoward incidents have been reported thus far.

star

The carnival begins

A breakfast buffet of the state’s specialties – nasi dagang and a variety of rich kueh – were served to the crowds.

A brief kerfuffle broke out between the sexes over what to carry – umbrellas, or BN and Umno flags – during the march, which is expected to start at 9am.

Several rounds of the BN anthem are played to further raise the spirits of the crowd … which is already impossibly high.

It is noisy and packed and more festive than most New Year’s Eve celebrations … if not for the pervasive presence of police personnel all over the streets.

The road directly in front of the indoor stadium, which incidentally resembles a mall front, has been sectioned off. It looks like a DMZ.

The road after that, which is in front of the district clinic, is like a market.

Vendors there are selling T-shirts featuring Pas president Hadi and various merchandise. Sadly, there are no buyers.

Unlike the BN side of the divide, the air here is heavy with the sound of silence. Tension is high.

Then all of a sudden, the tension breaks. Shouts of “Allahu Akbar!” fill the air as a small band makes its way up the street.

A pair of weighing scales against dark blue is spotted on the shirt of the leading man. On the sidewalk a group of white capped men shout in Malay: “Just wait here!”

In the Sultan Muhamud Mosque, named after the King’s late father, locally known as the Ladang Mosque, vendors selling fried snacks and balloons wait for customers who don’t come.

Just after 9am, the Pas parade is on the move with more cries of “Allahu Akbar!” and “Lawan Tetap Lawan!”.

the malaysian insider

Posters of dead Mongolian woman are put up ahead of crucial test for DPM

Deputy Premier Najib has repeatedly denied having any involvement with the late Ms Altantuya.

The ghost of Altantuya Shaariibuu is being resurrected in this quiet seaside town as it gears up for a by-election, with the opposition aiming to put Deputy Premier Najib Razak on the defensive.

Posters of the dead Mongolian woman were pasted on traffic lights along the road from the airport to ensure that the stream of Umno VIPs arriving yesterday could not miss them.

Datuk Seri Najib, who arrived here yesterday morning, may have also seen them as he travelled that road into town.

The posters have since been taken down by the police.

The Deputy Premier, who is slated to become Malaysia’s prime minister in March, has been dogged by allegations of involvement with Ms Altantuya, 28, whose body was found blown up by explosives.

His close friend, Mr Abdul Razak Baginda, was charged with abetting her murder after their love affair went sour. He was recently acquitted.

Five Parti Keadilan Rakyat leaders were arrested by police for putting up the posters, youth wing chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin told The Straits Times.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar yesterday defended the police. ‘If they spread criminal defamation, the police should take action. In a democratic system, we should act with responsibility,’ he said.

The Altantuya debacle continues to haunt Mr Najib despite repeated denials of any involvement with her. Mr Abdul Razak had also said Mr Najib never met Ms Altantuya.

‘They want to discredit him because he’s leading the campaign,’ Mr Najib’s aide said.

The by-election campaign in Kuala Terengganu - called KT by many Malaysians - will kick off today after candidates register for the ballot. Polling is on Jan17.

Umno is fielding former deputy home minister Wan Ahmad Farid Salleh, 46, against Parti Islam SeMalaysia’s (PAS’) Abdul Wahid Endut, 52. Two independent candidates have also expressed interest.

The by-election, which was called after the Umno MP for KT died in November, is seen as a crucial one with high stakes.

It is a test of Mr Najib’s acceptability while the opposition hopes a victory will recharge their campaign to seize power.

Mr Najib is under pressure to defend the seat, which Umno managed to retain with only a slim majority in March last year with the help of Chinese voters who did not like the insularity of PAS in Terengganu.

A study by political analyst Ong Kian Ming showed that about 47per cent of Malays voted for Barisan Nasional (BN) in KT in March, while 64per cent of non-Malays voted BN.

If the seat is lost, Mr Najib will be blamed for being unable to fend off the opposition - the same accusation that resulted in Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi opting for early retirement.

‘Should BN lose, it will have a huge impact on Mr Najib,’ said political analyst Agus Yusoff.

Mr Najib said in an interview with Mingguan Malaysia, the Sunday edition of the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia newspaper: ‘The KT by-election is of great significance and importance to Umno and BN, and not just for Terengganu but for the nation.’

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad, however, deflected attention away from Mr Najib. He said yesterday that some people were trying to project it as a test for Mr Najib, but in reality, Mr Wan Farid was a ‘proxy’ of others.

Mr Wan Farid is known as an ally of Datuk Seri Abdullah and his unpopular son-in-law, Mr Khairy Jamaluddin.

Analysts do not believe that a loss will jeopardise Mr Najib’s chances of becoming prime minister, unless Umno turns against him.

ST

Five Detained For Putting Up Seditious Posters

Police detained five men, believed to be supporters of opposition parties, on suspicion of having put up seditious posters in Pulau Kambing here at about 5am Monday.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said the five would be investigated under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

He told reporters this at the Terengganu police headquarters here. Also present was Terengganu police chief, Datuk Mohd Shukri Dahlan.

Musa, however, declined to give more details on the case.

Speaking to reporters later at the same place, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar confirmed that one of the five detained was Terengganu Parti Keadilan Rakyat chief, Fariz Musa.

He added that all five were released on police bail after their statements were recorded.

– BERNAMA

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders campaigning in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election to be humble.

The Deputy Prime Minister said by being humble, the leaders would be able to win the people’s support to ensure victory for the BN candidate in the by-election.

“Don’t be boastful…(do not) move around in luxury cars and don’t be excessive (when meeting voters). Stick to the principle that we are servants of the people, that’s the key to BN success.

“That’s why I ask leaders who are going down to the ground to be people-friendly,” he said when launching the election machinery of the BN component parties for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election at the Islamic Civilisation Park, here.

Also present were Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, MIC vice-president Datuk S.Sothinathan and BN candidate Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh.

Najib, who is also BN deputy chairman, said the party chose “people-friendly” as its campaign theme because the concept could win the people’s heart.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the society in Kuala Terengganu was different from those in other towns because of their firm village tradition and culture.

He said the people in Kuala Terengganu were not looking for wealth or qualification of their leaders, but were more interested in their manners and decorum.

“When shaking hands, look at the face. That is why I remind our candidate to shake hands not only with the people at the door steps, but also those in the house and in the kitchen…shake hands with everybody.

“Let it be if he has to shake hands with up to 200,000 people, as long as we can win. This shaking of hands is not the culture of the town people, the elites, but that of the village people. That is our way of campaigning,” he added.

Najib said BN’s win in the by-election was crucial for the party and not for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, nor himself, the Terengganu Menteri Besar or the BN candidate.

– BERNAMA

It’s official – a three-way fight between BN’s Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Salleh, Abdul Wahid Endut of Pas and independent Azharuddin Mamat. There were four objections but all were rejected when the one-hour period ended at 11am today.

With that, the campaigning is on for the crucial Kuala Terengganu by-election that will decide the future of both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

For BN, this election is a must win to prove that the party has recovered from the March 8 political tsunami while PR has to show that it has not lost the momentum it has gained and that the alliance is still intact, while winning the hearts and minds of the Malay voters.

BN’s Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Salleh, clad in a blue baju Melayu, arrived at the nomination centre with deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak accompanied by other party leaders as soon as the returning officer Datuk Mat Razali Kassim announced the opening of the nomination period at 9am.

They had marched for about 200m from the Menteri Besar’s official residence, the Sri Iman, accompanied by thousands of supporters.

Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman Abdul Wahid Endut, whose selection as Pas’s candidate took nearly everyone by surprise, arrived at the state indoor stadium with an entourage almost equal in size to the BN’s.

The Kuala Terengganu Pas chief walked into the nomination centre at 9.15am accompanied by party president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang and state party chief Datuk Mustafa Ali.

BN supporters were allowed to group directly in front of the stadium while the PR group is being held back behind metal gates some 50 metres to the rear. The PR side have swarmed up like a tsunami.
While the BN side continues to sing old patriotic songs, the PR side are hoisting up giant Pas moon flags while chanting spiritedly: “Reformasi! Hidup Hidup Hidup Keadilan! Allahu Akbar! Undur BN!”

In a sign of solidarity, DAP leaders Ronnie Liu and Tan Kok Wai set aside their differences with the Islamist party over the controversial Hudud issue, by marching together with Abdul Wahid to the nomination centre together with PKR vice president Azmin Ali and information chief Tian Chua.

A third candidate has entered the fray – independent Azharuddin Mamat, 46, from KT.

However, it looks likely to be a straight fight between BN and Pas because the proposers and seconders for the other candidate have registered addresses that are not within the constituency.

A fourth aspiring candidate, Harun Abdul Rahman Mohamad , the Terengganu Akim chief, had arrived at the centre but left without filing his papers. Apparently, he had a change of heart about contesting.

While waiting for the clock to count down, on the street outside, both BN and PR supporters are beating out their war tattoo on the kompang.

The BN voices are still singing the same “Pahlawan” song while PR supporters have taken to singing “Chan Mali Chan” in addition to their chanting. Now their war cries have escalated to “BN tumbang” and “BN Hancur”.

Terengganu state police chief Datuk Mohd Shukir Dahlan told the press that nobody has been arrested yet although police had to push back some 400 people from a restricted area in the district clinic compound.

Minutes later, another small crowd of PR supporters broke back into the clinic compound prompting FRU staff to enter the fray.

Meanwhile, the number of PR supporters are now backed up all the way to the Batu Bersurat roundabout, some 2km away.

As it is, the crowd is packed shoulder to shoulder, two lanes wide and spilling over onto the sidewalks.

Latest estimates from police place crowd numbers from both sides at a total of 25,000.

the malaysian insider

A NEW shuttle train running from Singapore to a brand new shopping mall in Johor Baru appears to have gotten off to a bad start.
On its first day of operation on Monday, one of the trains heading from Danga City Mall to Singapore was delayed by about 1 1/2 hours, leaving passengers angry and frustrated.

It was more of the same on Tuesday when Singapore-bound passengers waiting to catch the 2.19pm train had to wait at the station in the Danga City Mall for over an hour.

Several other train services plying between the new seven-storey mega mall, one of JB’s biggest, have also been delayed by between 10 and 20 minutes.

The delays are said to be due to a landslide in Gemas - a small town in Negri Sembilan - which happened last Friday.

The trains on the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway between Malaysia and Singapore generally start from northern Malaysia with various services stopping at different towns along the way.

Passengers who were left waiting at the station in Danga City Mall were told by the ticketing agent for Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), that the delay was due to repairs and cleaning works on the train tracks because of the landslide.

The additional stop at the Danga City Mall was launched on Monday as a new service that links its Tanjong Pagar station in Singapore to the new mall.

ST

The choice of Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate is correct as he is capable of defending the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat in the Jan 17 by-election.

“He is a young leader with calibre borne out of the Umno Youth ranks and has our undivided support,” the Education Minister said at the nomination centre at Stadium Negeri here today.

Hishammuddin said the strong grassroots support for the Wan Ahmad Farid was evidenced by the large turnout by the Terengganu Umno Youth machinery at division and branch levels.

Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafizah Aziz said as a candidate representing the government, Wan Ahmad Farid could become the mediator between the people, state government and the federal government.

She reminded voters of Kuala Terengganu to choose wisely come polling day on Jan 17.

Umno vice president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam regarded Wan Ahmad Farid as the best candidate and could serve the Kuala Terengganu electorate well.

“He is a young and dilligent candidate who had proven his qualities as Kuala Terengganu Umno division chief and Deputy Home Minister.

“Voters should judge whether the PAS candidate who is also the Wakaf Mempelam State Assemblyman had served them well over the past five years,” he added.

– BERNAMA

Mukhriz endorses Wan Farid despite his father’s criticism

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir, in his latest attack against Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, called the former deputy minister, who resigned in order to contest the by-election, a proxy of the prime minister.

Mukhriz, who is here to campaign for Barisan Nasional (BN), said support for Wan Farid would ensure that Kuala Terengganu continues to be represented by a deputy minister.

“In March 2008 you decided to let BN run the state. I beg you to make the right decision by electing Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid. Rest assured that Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid and BN will continue to protect the people’s interests,” said Mukhriz before dozens of party workers and voters at Kampung Nibung near here.
When met afterwards, Mukhriz said he has indeed endorsed Wan Farid to contest the by-election.
“Yes, we have to. Of course personality is important but the party that he represents has a very excellent track record since independence. So we are working very hard to ensure that he wins this election,” he told reporters.

Mukhriz added that his decision to throw his support behind Wan Farid shows that he is independent of his father.

“This is another example that my father has his own opinion, I have my own opinion. It proves that I don’t have to listen to him, but of course I respect his views,” said the Jerlun MP.

He said that personally he thinks Wan Farid had done a very good job in Parliament, actively engaging with lawmakers from both sides.

the malaysian insider

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Barisan Nasional (BN) was ready to answer all issues raised by the opposition in the Jan 17 Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Najib said at present the opposition was under increasing pressure to use national issues and this showed that they were running out of local issues to raise.

“Possibly in this by-election, the focus will be on local issues. But if they raise national issues, BN is prepared to answer them,” he told reporters after the nomination of candidates for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat by-election at the State Stadium, here, today.

The by-election will see BN candidate Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh contesting against Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut from PAS and an independent candidate, Azharudin Mamat @ Adam.

It is being held following the death of incumbent Kuala Terengganu MP Datuk Razali Ismail on Nov 28 last year. In the 12th general election last March, Razali won with a majority of 628 votes.

Najib, who is also Umno deputy president, said the opposition’s action here in playing up the issue of murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu was totally irrelevant to the by-election.

“If they bring in this issue, it means they are bankrupt of issues…it has no connection at all with this by-election,” he said.

In a related development, Najib said BN would use a people-friendly approach with “BN Is People-Friendly” as the campaign theme, making the people the ruling coalition’s focus in the by-election.

“I am stressing this people-friendly concept as it reflects what BN is doing. Our target group is no other but the people. They are our prime concern in carrying out our projects and programmes,” he said.

On the BN by-election machinery, Najib said BN had specifically divided the tasks among its wings.

“We will work hard to inform all that the policy of serving the people is the best policy. The support shown by many people today is a positive beginning for us.

“However, we don’t want to be too confident as we don’t have a crystal ball. But we believe that we will win well. That is our target and we will do our best it achieve it,” he said.

On the issue played up by the opposition that the federal government would give generous allocations and carry out various projects whenever there was an election, Najib said the government was only fulfilling a responsibility as many requests would be made by the people in the run-up to the elections.

“As a government, we have a duty to serve the people. It’s just that we are more focused during this by-election, but other areas are also given attention,” he added.

– BERNAMA

Dr M: ‘Voices’ say that there is one too many airports in Malaysia

“We have three airports in and around the capital city Kuala Lumpur, one in Sungai Besi, one in Subang and one in Sepang. Sepang was designed for 125 million passengers a year,” he said referring to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Writing in his blog, Dr Mahathir alluded to the idea that news of a new LCCT less than two years after the one at KLIA was opened, was sheer madness by referring to “voices” he had been hearing.

“Right now the voices tell me we are handling only 25 million passengers. So we have capacity for another 100 million passengers more. But the voices said we will be building a new airport at Labu,” he stated.

“After thinking up about raising buffalos in Langkawi, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must be congratulated for yet another great idea,” he added to mock his successor.

He was referring to Buffalo Park Langkawi, said to be the current prime minister’s brainchild.

The government yesterday gave government-linked company (GLC) Sime Darby the go ahead to develop the LCCT.

Sime Darby and local budget airline AirAsia Bhd had proposed to jointly develop and operate the RM1.6 billion LCCT which will be known as KLIA-East@Labu although this estimate does not include the 3,000-acre tract of land where it would be constructed.

Dr Mahathir sarcastically remarked that “the building of the airport should stimulate the economy. Somebody can make quite a bit selling land.

A GLC will get the job and contract it out to some lucky bloke. There will be a whole lot of other contracts to look forward to. It could even help with the coming recession.”

Malaysia’s fourth prime minister, whose 22 year administration saw vast development in the country, also made jibes at the location of the project.

Referring to the constant “free flights” promotion by AirAsia and the cost of getting to the airport, he said that “the distance to Kuala Lumpur would be longer but of course it would be nearer than Seremban and other parts in Negri Sembilan. But that’s all right as you don’t pay any fare for the flights, only for the fares to the airport.”

“Maybe the Government can enlighten us why Sepang or even Subang is not suitable. Has the Sepang Formula One circuit taken up all the land so we cannot build any more facility in Sepang?” he said.

the malaysian insider

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim drew parallels tonight between the conflict in Gaza and what he called the sufferings of Malaysians as he hit the campaign trail at a mammoth rally attended by thousands here.

“The leadership is busy collecting wealth. While Israel is punishing the Palestinian people for choosing Hamas, it is no different from Umno punishing Malaysians for choosing the Pakatan Rakyat,” he told a ceramah here on the first day of campaigning for the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Thousands of local residents had gathered to listen to a star-studded Pakatan Rakyat (PR) rally here where besides Anwar, the DAP’s Lim Kit Siang and Pas president Hadi Awang were also among the top draws.
The flag-waving crowd cheered loudly during Anwar’s speech, punctuated with shouts of “Allahu Akbar”, which translates as “God is Great,” the standard clarion cry of the Pas faithful.

With a majority of Malaysia’s Muslims backing the Palestinian cause, Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza is having a major impact on domestic politics.

Political leaders from either side of the divide have been busy burnishing their Islamic credentials, and Anwar’s attack against Umno tonight will likely put BN on the defensive in the days to come.

The Kuala Terengganu by-election sees a three-way fight between BN’s Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Salleh, Abdul Wahid Endut of Pas and independent Azharuddin Mamat.

Setting the tone for the campaign, Anwar told the huge flag waving crowd gathered at a beach behind the Astaka shopping centre here that the problem with Umno was that it was corrupt and ignored the suffering of ordinary Malaysians.

Sticking to his Gaza theme, he said: “Umno, like Israel, does not recognise the chosen Hamas leadership.”

The Opposition Leader also spoke on the Hudud issue, and blamed “Umno and its controlled media” for fanning religious and racial hatred.

Pas vice-president Husam Musa’s recent remarks that his party would want to introduce Hudud, the strict Islamic code which prescribes amputation, stonning and whipping as punishment for criminal offences, had touched off criticisms from non-Muslim groups, including PR partners DAP.

While the Hudud issue has caused uneasiness in other parts of the country, it has little traction in the east coast states, where a huge majority of the population, are conservative Muslims.

Still, with a tight race anticipated, both the BN and PR campaigns are mindful of the need to secure the Chinese vote, which represents around 11 per cent of voters here.

the malaysian insider

THE Government is launching a ‘Buy Malaysian Goods’ campaign to boost domestic economic growth in the face of the global economic meltdown.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad said the campaign, to be launched on Jan 16, was to ensure local producers would not have to rely on export markets.

‘The main concern for the ministry is no longer inflation but to ensure the economic growth of local businesses,’ he said at the New Year gathering at his ministry here yesterday.

He said Malaysia could not escape the economic crisis that the Western countries were suffering.

‘We never expected that a country like Iceland would resort to the IMF for financial help and if Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc could go bust, we would definitely feel the heat too.’

He said the nationwide campaign was to encourage the buying of Malaysian-made goods so they could survive in the business world.

‘We might have overlooked some of the local products in the past but we do produce goods with high quality,’ he said.

Asked whether the quantity of imported products would be reduced following the launch of the campaign, Mr Shahrir said there was no plan to do so because Malaysian products could definitely compete with those from overseas.

On whether there would be another fuel price cut this month, he said: ‘There isn’t any big difference with the world crude price, which stood at US$41 per barrel at the end of December but we will continue to monitor the price every two weeks.’

THE STAR/ANN

Campaign to boycott US goods

The national campaign to boycott selected Jewish and American goods is being launched as a protest against the United States’ policies on anti-terrorism and Israel’s attacks on Palestine.

MMCA secretary general Datuk Dr Ma’amor Osman urged Malaysians, including non-Muslims, to support the campaign.

He also urged the government to stop using US currency and the people to boycott Hollywood movies and American music.

He said consumers should turn to local brands instead.

nst

MALAYSIA’S opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has renewed his vow to seize power from the ruling coalition, as the two sides lock horns for a key by-election.

Mr Anwar has laid low since failing to meet a self-imposed September 2008 deadline to unseat the Barisan Nasional government, after general elections that saw the coalition handed its worst results in half a century.

The opposition alliance is now hoping to reinvigorate itself with a win in the Jan 17 by-election in north-eastern Terengganu state, which is seen as a referendum on the political mood since the March 2008 national polls.

‘I want to say that we in the alliance are determined to topple the Barisan Nasional coalition,’ Mr Anwar said at an opposition rally here late Tuesday that drew some 10,000 supporters.

‘For a start, I will help our alliance candidate from PAS obtain a big victory,’ he said on the seafront of the state capital Kuala Terengganu.

Top figures in the alliance - Mr Anwar’s Keadilan as well as the Islamic party PAS and the Democratic Action Party that represents ethnic Chinese - stood shoulder-to-shoulder to dispel signs the partnership is under strain.

The partnership of three ideologically divided parties is intent on putting its differences aside for the by-election, which will be contested by PAS candidate Mohamad Abdul Wahid, 52.

The ruling party Umno (United Malays National Organisation) is fielding deputy home minister Wan Ahmad Farid, 46, for the vote, which will indicate whether it has lured back support since the general elections.

Mr Anwar had said he would topple the government by mid-September with the help of defecting lawmakers, after elections that saw the opposition gain five states and a third of parliamentary seats in unprecedented results.

But that deadline came and went and the promised mass defections from the Barisan Nasional never materialised.

His momentum stalled in October when Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agreed to stand down in March, defusing public anger at the government’s handling of the economy and failure to introduce promised reforms.

The government is now exploiting bickering within the opposition, but Mr Anwar said the alliance was united despite disagreements over issues such as a PAS call for the introduction of Islamic ‘hudud’ law including the stoning of adulterers.

AFP

Anwar admits Pakatan members have problems

“Ronnie Liu (of the DAP) may say Christianity is better, while I may say Islam is better but overall we agree on our common goal which is to govern this country better,” he told an audience of several thousand during a ceramah for the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Anwar said Pakatan Rakyat leaders have respect for each other and it was only Umno which was using the mass media to create confusion.

He said PAS can win the by-election as “the voters are intelligent enough to see Umno’s dirty tactics”.

On hudud laws, Anwar said Pakatan Rakyat has no intention to impose it on non-Muslims.

Opposition leaders such as DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat spoke at the rally near the beach front here.

Anwar also urged Pakatan Rakyat leaders to study the success of PAS in Kelantan under Nik Aziz who has led the state since 1990.

star

PKR secretary-general Datuk Salehuddin Hashim today brushed aside recent squabbles in the party, and said a common hatred for the Barisan Nasional (BN) and race politics, are the bond that is holding the party together.

He told The Malaysian Insider that the party’s 500,000 strong membership was steadily increasing and contrary to press reports, he denied PKR was plagued with problems.

Salehuddin said that there is tremendous interest in the party especially in Sabah and Sarawak, which has been identified as its new beach head.

“I tell you what qualifies as a plague; money politics in Umno and the subversion of public opinion by the government in power, using tactics not available to others.”

Salehuddin described recent controversies involving party leaders in Selangor and Perak as differences of opinions which were not a breach of discipline until it is expressed in bad faith.

“Then it will be dealt with in accordance to our constitution.”

Salehuddin said there was no problem with local elections to appoint village heads, by PKR’s national vice-president and Gopeng MP Dr Lee Boon Chye and Simpang Pulai state assemblyman Chang Ming Kai, in Perak recently.

He said the move was just an expression of preference in a political process.

Salehuddin said S.Manikavasagam may sound like a dissenting voice, but he said the Kapar MP has yet to raise the matter in a proper forum, in the party.

“Until he does, the only people wildly interested would be those who do not know how to reinvent their own organisation and therefore look forward to other parties cracking up.”

Salehuddin said the multi-racial party’s membership roughly reflect the racial demographics of Malaysia.

He rejected the description that PKR was a party of dissidents, with disgruntled politicians from other parties, and members with different ideologies.

“Dynamism and vibrancy is sometimes wrongly equated with that description.”

Sri Setia Assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad described PKR as a “Rainbow Coalition’ comprising various groups including common Malaysians, striving for change.

Nik Nazmi, who is also the political secretary to the Selangor Menteri Besar, said the party born in 1998 during the Reformasi movement, has evolved into the biggest opposition party in Parliament.

He said a broad spectrum of opinions are represented in the party and there are bound to be conflicts.

However he said the party had survived many challenges during its 10 year existence and differences of opinions between leaders are nothing new.

“Over the years, some leaders have left us but the party is still intact.”

PKR Information chief and Batu MP Tian Chua said recent press reports about friction in the party were blown out of proportion by the main stream media and manufactured as a diversion to the upcoming Kuala Terengganu by-election.

He said Manikavasagam’s dissatisfaction with the relocation of the Klang bus terminal, was ‘made’ into an Indian issue by the media, when the move would have affected all races.

He said differences of opinions within the party were healthy and part of the democratic process.

Pakatan MBs to meet as internal disputes continue

A coalition building retreat scheduled for this week where party leaders were expected to thrash out differences and set out a concrete framework for their political alliance has been postponed for PR to focus instead on the campaign for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat.

PR member parties will now use the by-election campaign as another test of how well they can cast aside deeply rooted differences to work together as a kind of unified coalition.

However, a gathering of its four menteris besar and Penang chief minister scheduled for Jan 18 and 19 will proceed.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua, a member of the joint PR secretariat, told The Malaysian Insider that the large-scale retreat was scheduled for this week itself.

Planned to be a “100-man” meet with equal representation from each of the three opposition parties, it has now been moved to March, although it could be brought forward to February pending a post-mortem on the by-election.

It would have been the perfect forum for leaders to thrash out issues which led to recent infighting concerning the Klang central bus station, local elections of village chiefs in Perak and the speculation surrounding the non-appointment as Ipoh mayor or deputy mayor of DAP’s Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran.

The Klang bus station issue had led to fierce arguments between Selangor PR leaders, with accusations of selling out to Barisan Nasional and a threat by Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam to quit PKR.

He instead resigned as the Selangor PKR deputy liaison chairman.

Going back further, there has been discomfort over the re-emergence of the conservative faction of Pas in advocating the control of alcohol sales and the implementation of hudud laws.

In November, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said that, among other things, the retreat would firm up policies in the administration of PR-ruled states.

The de facto PKR leader said that PR was progressing steadily and that state-level coalition secretariats were also being formed to ensure better cooperation within the tripartite coalition.

Policy matters in PR states will now take centrestage at the first meeting of the “Menteris Besar Council.”

Also a secretariat member, Pas secretary-general Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar had told The Malaysian Insider that the council had first been mooted immediately after the March 8 general election when the coalition claimed Kelantan, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor.

Another secretariat member, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, the Pas research chief, had cited examples such as Bumiputera equity and multilingual road signage when speaking to The Malaysian Insider as issues that need to be discussed even though “there are no problems but there must be a mutual agreement and understanding.”

According to Pua, inter-state issues such as water supply would also be touched upon in the meet.

“The council may not necessarily decide on matters immediately but at least the issues will be brought to the table to be weighed up by the respective states,” said the Petaling Jaya Utara MP.

“The aim is to streamline policies so that it is consistent between the different administrations,” he added.

the malaysia insider

SEVERAL Malay groups have threatened legal action against the Malaysian government after it missed the Dec 31 deadline set by them to stop teaching Mathematics and Science in English.

The Federation of Malay Writers Associations (Gapena) and other non-governmental Malay organisations are also planning a protest rally on Feb 15 dubbed ‘152 Rally’, named after the article in the Constitution that states Malay is the country’s official language, according to Malaysiakini online news.

Gapena’s second secretary Hashim Ismail said the decision was reached on Tuesday night after a three-hour meeting of 20 representatives of these groups. ‘We decided to give the government one last chance to explain itself up to then.’

Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong had previously said that responses and feedback from the public would have to be studied before the government arrived at the best decision.

Mr Hashim said next month’s rally will use coffins to represent ‘the death of the Malay language’.

The second stage of their protest will involve legal action, when all else has failed.

Another rally to pressure the government to change its stance has also been planned by the ‘Save Malay Language’ secretariat - comprising Malay NGOs and opposition parties. It plans to attract some 100,000 people for a rally in March to petition the Malaysian King to intervene in the matter.

st

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim flew home from Turkey on Tuesday, and headed straight for a beach in Kuala Terengganu.
He arrived late at night at the Tanjung beach, which was already covered by a sea of people, mostly men in skull caps.

Datuk Seri Anwar had come here to campaign for Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) candidate Abdul Wahid Endut, who is standing in the Kuala Terengganu by- election. Mr Wahid faces Umno candidate Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh and an independent.

The contest, scheduled for Jan 17, was called after the seat fell vacant last November following the death of Umno MP Razali Ismail.

The fight is such a close one that every factor counts, especially as the opposition has painted it as a step towards its goal to seize power.

One of the biggest headaches for the opposition is the recent public squabbling that showed up its lack of cohesion. This may turn off voters who see the quarrelling as a sign that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition is not ready to be in power.

Mr Anwar sought to dispel this perception by sharing the stage on the waterfront with Democratic Action Party (DAP) veteran Lim Kit Siang and PAS’ top leaders Hadi Awang and Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

He told the beach rally that the perception of opposition disunity was created by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and the media. He did not deny that there were differences but said they were manageable. ‘This is an Umno tactic, it is slander,’ he said at a press conference yesterday.

The most recent controversy was over the Islamic penal code or hudud, which prescribes punishments such as amputation of limbs for offences like robbery. Kelantan and Terengganu have hudud laws but neither has implemented them.

The issue resurfaced after PAS vice-president Husam Musa said the party will introduce hudud if it takes power, prompting a protest from its Chinese- based partner DAP.

Hudud is fast becoming the weakest link for the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, just like ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) is a bone of contention to Umno and its BN partners.

Mr Anwar yesterday attempted a middle-of-the-road response that supported neither PAS nor DAP. He said there was nothing wrong with Muslims wanting to discuss a parallel legal system that will apply only to Muslims.

‘We abide by our Constitution, but we should allow Muslims to articulate their views. I have no objections discussing it within Pakatan,’ he said.

The government’s stand is that hudud is contrary to Malaysia’s Constitution.

Playing down the differences, Mr Anwar said Pakatan remained united in aiming to topple the government. ‘I want to say that we in the alliance are determined to topple the Barisan Nasional coalition,’ he told the crowd at the beach rally, to cheers of Allahu Akbar (God is Great).

The opposition is hoping that a win in Kuala Terengganu will weaken Deputy Premier Najib Razak, who is leading the BN campaign. He is under pressure to defend the seat won by Umno by a tight majority in the March 2008 general election.

Analysts have suggested that PAS may have a slight edge because of its popular candidate - a five-term assemblyman for a state seat under the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat.

Mr Anwar said a Pakatan win will show that change is irreversible.

Asked if Datuk Seri Najib’s credibility would be hit if Umno loses, he said: ‘The assumption is that he has credibility. I don’t share that view.’

st

Despite the situation turning havoc because of the impending Kuala Terengganu by-election on Jan 17, the daily routine for a local Chinese man who is in his early 60s, here, has hardly changed.

In the morning, the man who only wanted to be called “Cikgu” (Teacher), goes about his teaching duty, and in the evening, spend hours chatting with friends at their favourite coffee shop in Jalan Sultan Sulaiman.

In his thick local dialect, Cikgu said: “Orang dok sibuk dengan pilihang raya kecik, dok bercerita calong mana molek, parti mana bagus. Ada kata hok ni bagus, orang laing pulok kata hok tu bagus.

“Saya senang saja, tengok calong tu buleh ganti tempat arwoh Datuk Razali ke dok?”

(”Everybody is busy with the (Kuala Terengganu) by-election. They are all talking about which candidate is good and which party is better. Some say this one is good and other say that one is better.

“For me, it is simple. I’ll just pick the one who can really take the place of the late Datuk Razali Ismail.”)

Although he can speak English fluently, the Maths teacher always take pride in using the local dialect when speaking with strangers.

“I was born here. My ancestors were also born here. We are Terengganuians. Why should we change? The Malays and the Chinese here are equal,” he said.

Commenting further on Razali, Cikgu said Razali was a caring person and had done much for teachers during his tenure as the State Education Director and later as the Member of Parliament for Kuala Terengganu.

“The late Datuk Razali was a good hard-working man. It will be hard to find a substitute,” he said.

Razali, who was appointed Deputy Education Minister after he won the parliamentary seat by a 628-vote majority in the March 8 general election, died on Nov 28.

He secured 32,562 votes, defeating Pas’ candidate Mohamed Sabu (31,934) and Independent candidate Maimun Yusof (689).

The by-election is seeing a three-cornered fight involving Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, Pas’ Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut and Independent candidate Azharudin Mamat@Adam.

The change in the country’s political landscape since the March general election has made it difficult to anticipate the outcome of the by-election. Rumour has it that the Chinese hold the determining votes.

Of the 80,229 voters eligible to vote on Jan 17, 10.89 per cent or 8,735 are Chinese and only 518 or 0.65 per cent are Indians.

The argument given by the “coffee shop political analyst” was simple - most Malay voters are Pas’ members because only 38 per cent or merely 26,747 of the total number of 70,834 Malay voters are Umno members.

Hence, to win the by-election, BN needs the votes from the Chinese and the fence-sitters.

Looking back at the March election where BN only won one of the four state seats in Kuala Terengganu, the argument might be true.

The BN only won the Bandar seat - a state constituency in which the majority are Chinese, while Pas took Wakaf Mempelam, Ladang and Batu Burok.

The Chinese in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia are unique because unlike their west coast counterparts, they mix well with the Malays and can converse in the local dialect. The Cikgu is a living proof.

Furthermore, a first-time visitor to Terengganu will also be amazed to find a signboard in Jawi at a Chinese-owned premises.

A political observer said differences hardly arose between the Chinese and Malays in Kuala Terengganu as they understood each other’s culture, customs and religion.

“They won’t like it if someone from a political party comes and try to point out their differences because it is not their way,” he said.

The owner of a shop who only wished to be known as Ah Keong said he would choose a leader who could represent all the people in Kuala Terengganu.

“We do not want an outsider to come here and make blind remarks about us. Our ancestors were local people here, why should we fight? We want to live, earn a living and raise our children in peace.

“We are living in a big town now. We have everything. Stop making promises. Whoever he is, what matters is that he will be there for us when we are facing problems and that he will listen to all of us,” Ah Keong said.

Cikgu and Ah Keong might not represent the Kuala Terengganu people, but they are definitely the voice of the voters.

– BERNAMA

Malaysia has given the United Nations Security Council an ultimatum to come up with a resolution to condemn Israel on its brutal aggression against Palestine.

Dr Rais said Malaysia’s call for the special session had been gaining support among the world community.

He said members of Asean had responded positively to the idea and hoped more countries would support the move so there would be an assertive effort to stop Israel’s aggression in Gaza.

Dr Rais said this in two separate press conferences here yesterday.

He said the ultimatum was necessary because one had to exhaust all avenues first before petitioning for a special General Assembly sitting.

“We were informed that the Security Council may produce a resolution to the Palestine issue.

“We will wait but if it fails, we will have a stronger platform to push for the convening of the General Assembly special session,” he said.

Dr Rais acknowledged that such a petition would not be “a breeze” because superpowers like the United States would use its influence to stop it.

“That is why special sessions are hardly convened but it is the overriding right of member countries to petition for one. And, that is what Malaysia intends to do,” he said.

On the growing support for Malaysia, Dr Rais said:

“I have received letters from my Indonesian counterpart Dr Hassan Wirajuda and also from Asean secretary-general Dr Surin Pitsuan.

“Both voiced their commitment and support to see an end to the violence.

“This is a positive indication that Malaysia’s views on the Israel-Pales- tine issue are accepted by many,”

On Monday, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has pushed for the special UN general assembly session. The Prime Minister had also critised the United States for not doing enough to halt the invasion and to veto the UN Security Council’s move to condemn Israel.

star

The politics is messier. Race relations are slumping. Religious conflicts are being played out publicly. Still, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim believes that Malaysia has a good future. The reason: the majority of Malaysians are sensible people and the results of Election 2008 show that the rakyat wants democracy.

The former de facto Law Minister said: “Ordinary people have more sense than their leaders sometimes. They know the value of co-operation, mutual respect and harmony. I believe the people have spoken out loudly and clearly.

“The future direction of the country is no longer going to be solely in the hands of the political masters. They have had enough of scandals, abuse of power, and poor administration.”

Speaking at a talk organised by the Insititute of South East Asian Studies in Singapore today, he disagreed with the school of thought led by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who argued that many Malaysians voted for the Opposition on March 8 as a protest against the Barisan Nasional.
“The people voted for the Opposition as a manifestation of their desire for a better country; for themselves, their families, their children, ” he said, adding that he was cheered by the results of the general elections.

Given what happened on March 8, he believed that Malaysia will prosper in a way that will benefit all including the Bumiputras; will see the rights and the dignity of all respected and protected; will witness compassion becoming the central consideration in the formulating of public policies.

“Finally, as a lawyer, I want to see justice and the rule of law re-established and flourishing. These are simple ambitions, I think. Given the results of the 8 March 2008 election, there is some hope that they will be fulfilled in my lifetime. The rakyat has shown that it wants democracy and all that it portends, ” said Zaid, who resigned from the government because he did not agree with the use of the Internal Security Act and could not accept the policies and resistance to change in Umno.

Zaid says half the Cabinet should be put out to pasture

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said that when Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak becomes the prime minister in March, he will have the option of assembling a younger and stronger Cabinet.

“To do so, he will have to disband half of the present crop of Ministers, who have in any event certainly passed their shelf life. There are many young leaders in Umno and the BN who are capable technocrats but, more importantly, they are not the typical Umno idealogues and are more moderate in their positions.”

“Khairy Jamaluddin is capable and has enough gumption to effect changes the new Government may need to effect. He could be a star in the future, if he is not buried or sidelined in March.
“And another young Umno leader is Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah - the present Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development.

“These are bright BN second liners and will make good Ministers, ” said the lawyer who was appointed a senator and made a minister by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after Barisan Nasional’s poor performance on March 8.

Zaid had a tough time in Cabinet and his desire to push through judicial reforms quickly was resisted by several Umno ministers.

He resigned from government after the Internal Security Act was used on a journalist and an opposition politician.

Speaking at a luncheon talk in Singapore, he said that in all probability, Najib will persist with the so-called “Umno tradition” of giving Cabinet posts to those who hold senior party positions.
He cautioned that it will be a fatal mistake for Umno and Barisan Nasional if Najib reversed some of the reforms started by Abdullah.

He noted that it was Abdullah who reintroduced integrity, good governance and judicial reform into Malaysia’s political lexicon.

“It took courage for Pak Lah to not only reintroduce them but to take steps towards giving them substance.

“The establishing of the Institute of Integrity, the Judicial Appointments Commission and the Anti Corruption Commission, all of which could have been better tailored to their purpose and declared aims, signalled the need for a massive change of direction - a paradigm shift, if you will
- in political governance.

“Will these efforts herald a new era in anti-corruption efforts as well as allow for more meaningful efforts to restore judicial independence and competence? Only Datuk Seri Najib can answer this, ” he said.

He noted that though Abdullah will be leaving the scene soon, he will leave behind an important legacy: a more open and critical society.
Sadly Islam Hadhari was sorely misunderstood, said Zaid.

“A good idea, aimed at promoting moderation and progressiveness in Islamic discourse, it did not take off principally for the effort having been handicapped by its promotion having been undertaken by traditional stakeholders like Jakim and other Umno leaders.

“They were sadly more interested in pursuing political ambitions and aims than realising the noble aspirations underlying the campaign.

“The League of Nations conceived by Harry Truman failed as an organisation, but the idea was too good to die with the organisation and today we have the United Nations.

“I hope the reforms Pak Lah gave life to will survive him, ” he added.

the malaysian insider

MALAYSIA will allow the Malay edition of a Catholic newspaper to resume publication, lifting a ban imposed for its use of the word ‘Allah’, an official said on Thursday - a move likely aimed at assuaging the anger of minorities in this Muslim-majority country.
The Herald, the country’s main Roman Catholic newspaper, will not be allowed to use ‘Allah’ as a translation for ‘God’, however, said Mr Che Din Yusoh, a senior official with the ministry’s publications control unit.

‘If they stop printing the word ‘Allah’, they can publish anytime,’ Mr Che Din told The Associated Press. ‘You can use another word. It’s permissible for us,’ he said, adding that the decision would be conveyed to the Herald by Friday.

The Home Ministry had ordered the Herald last week to stop printing its Malay edition for violating a 2007 ban on the use of the word ‘Allah’, except to refer to the Muslim God. The government says using the word could confuse Muslims, even though the newspaper is read almost exclusively by Christians.

The majority Malays, who form 60 per cent of the country’s 27 million people, are all Muslims, and speak and read the Malay language. Islam is the country’s official religion.

Malay is also spoken by many indigenous Christian tribes in Sabah and Sarawak states, who read the Herald’s Malay edition. The newspaper has continued to publish its English, Mandarin and Tamil editions.

The Herald has challenged the ban on ‘Allah’ in court, saying that the translation has been used for centuries and that the Arabic word is a common reference to God that predates Islam. It says the ban is unconstitutional and threatens the religious freedom of the minorities.

Until the court delivers a verdict, however, the newspaper is willing to stop using the word to avoid further confrontation, said the Reverend Lawrence Andrew, editor of the Herald.

‘We welcome this new view … giving us back the right to use our national language,’ he told the AP.

A court decision is not likely anytime soon.

The Herald has long been at odds with the government, which has accused it of overstepping its boundaries by commenting on politics and other sensitive issues.

Ethnic Chinese, Indians and other minorities, who are mainly Christians, Buddhists and Hindus, have been angered by sporadic demolition of Hindu temples, court rulings about the right to leave Islam and other religious disputes.

AP

Just two months before leaving office, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi finally called his trenchant critic Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad irrelevant as he defended his choice of candidate for the crucial Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Dr Mahathir, who has repudiated his anointed successor Abdullah, had called the Barisan Nasional’s candidate Datuk Wan Farid Salleh as a bad choice and a proxy of the prime minister, who hit the campaign trail today.

“Dr Mahathir can say anything he wants. He is irrelevant to us. We know what we are doing and we know what we want, we will continue to fight to defend the seat,” Abdullah said after meeting party workers involved in the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

The by-election, which is probably Abdullah’s last election campaign as the Prime Minister, is widely seen as a referendum on Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s leadership who is slated to succeed him in March.

But the selection of Wan Farid, who was his former political secretary, as the BN candidate is a reflection that Abdullah is still very much in control of Umno, the dominant party in the ruling coalition.

Earlier at the closed door meeting, the Prime Minister said he reminded party members that Wan Farid, a senator who was appointed deputy minister after the last general election, is a serious candidate for BN.

“I have told him that if you do not win, you will lose your senate seat and lose the deputy minister’s position and you cannot come back to me to be my political secretary,” Abdullah told reporters adding that Wan Farid was willing to risk his political career.

“When I first informed him, he replied that he is willing to be the BN’ candidate in Kuala Terengganu because he wants to serve the people in the constituency as he is also the division chief,” he added.

He also reiterated that only Wan Farid’s name was proposed by the state Umno, which proved that there was no internal bickering within the party.

The Umno president also reminded the party campaign machinery to remain stay focused on the by-election and not to be distracted by the party elections scheduled for March.

Abdullah also said BN component parties remain committed in ensuring Wan Farid’s victory on the Jan 17 polling day.

the malaysian insider

Dr M says that Wan Farid is a bad choice for KT

“The choice of the candidate is really very bad because people see him as a proxy to be used if Najib becomes prime minister,” the former prime minister said.

This condemnation of the BN candidate is seen as another swipe at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“The candidate was the prime minister’s choice because he was working with the prime minister,” he added.

Wan Ahmad, the former deputy home minister and member of the senate, who resigned both posts last Friday, will contest against Wakaf Mempelam state assemblyman Mohd Abdul Wahid Endut of PAS.

Even without Dr Mahathir’s remarks, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was expected to use his close links with Abdullah to attack him in the campaign.

This latest bombshell by Dr Mahathir could lead to a repeat of the March 8 general elections where his attacks on the government and calls for a stronger opposition were credited with helping the opposition to their biggest electoral gains ever.

Dr Mahathir’s attacks were widely perceived to be personal in nature, and a calculated strategy to force his successor from power.

The prime minister became a focus of Dr Mahathir’s attacks when he was blamed for the reversal of several of Dr Mahathir’s pet projects including the crooked bridge to Singapore and the decision by Proton to offload Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta for one euro.

Dr Mahathir, who is Proton’s advisor, had supported Proton’s purchase of MV Agusta and was bitterly opposed to its sale.

In the Permatang Pauh by-election last August, Dr Mahathir had predicted that the BN candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah would lose but with a reduced margin.

the malaysian insider

Any resolution passed by the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York tomorrow morning (about 5.30am Malaysian time) must ensure that Israel is forced out of Gaza, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

While thanking UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the convening of the Special Session which Malaysia and several other countries had urgently called for, Abdullah said the United States should also not oppose whatever resolution that would touch on Israel, which is on a military offensive in the Gaza Strip since Dec 27.

“We have proposed it (Special Session)…so as usual, Malaysia will be involved (in the resolutions),” he told reporters when asked about the UN General Assembly Special Session which Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim also touched on at the official opening of the Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations by Abdullah, here, today.

Abdullah said if the resolution on a ceasefire was passed, then Israel must withdraw from Gaza and not just set a condition for Hamas to stop its rocket attacks on Israel, which Tel Aviv claimed to be the reason for Israel’s military onslaught on Gaza that has so far killed over 700 Palestinians and injured another 3,100 or more.

“Israel must get out of Gaza, then only will there be a ceasefire,” he said.

Abdullah said he had not seen the resolutions to be tabled, but added that US stance was vital in resolving the crisis in Gaza because normally, Tel Aviv would wait for Washington’s reaction on issues involving Israel.

“If the US allows it, as had been indicated by Bush’s (US President George W.Bush) statement….Israel will start attacking. So, in this crisis, America’s role is very important. We hope the US will not veto the resolutions called for by other nations.”

Abdullah said Kuala Lumpur also did not want to see Palestine to continue to be divided with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on different sides.

He said Malaysia was committed to solving the issue of Palestine involving two countries (Palestine and Israel) which had their own boundaries and be recognised by the international community.

Abdullah also said that the Humanitarian Aid Fund for Palestine was relaunched today and he appealed to all Malaysians to contribute to the fund like in the past.

“Regardless of race or religion, we can contribute an amount within our means and all donations are tax-exempted,” he said.

On the Special Parliament Session on Palestine this Monday, Abdullah said he would start it by making a speech and supported by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, while the Opposition Leader would also make a speech with Rais winding up the speeches.

Meanwhile, Rais said the decision to hold the UN General Assembly Special Session showed the success of Malaysian diplomacy following the letter sent by Abdullah to Ban Ki-moon and by the leaders of other countries.

“The letter sent by the prime minister (to the UN Secretary-General) bore fruit. Now the UN has agreed to convene the session, which also means reviving the session that was held before on Resolution 377. So, there is not much difference (from the original request by Malaysia for an emergency session to stop Israel’s atrocities.” Rais said what was important would be the language used in the resolutions to be tabled, to reflect the international community’s pressure on Israel to stop its aggression and carnage in Gaza.

Rais hoped that Malaysia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Datuk Hamidon Ali would ensure that a number of important issues such as a ceasefire, monitoring system for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, as well as humanitarian aid be included in the resolutions.

According to him, Resolution 377 was on giving power to the UN General Assembly to meet, discuss and decide on the sovereignty of Palestine and “now there is a minor amendment to include Gaza”. “In the coming Special Session, the US cannot oppose the resolutions to be tabled like what it can do in the UN Security Council,” he said.

Earlier, in his speech, Rais read out the letter from Hamidon on the consensus to hold the Special Session.

Only Superpowers Can Resolve Palestine Conflict - Najib

The Deputy Prime Minister said it would also not stop Malaysia from calling for international intervention to bring an end to the middle east crisis.

He said Malaysia would continue to rally Islamic countries to condemn the actions of the Zionist regime and that this was no longer an Islamic issue but a humanitarian issue.

“In my opinion, only the world superpowers could ensure peace and stop the violence and terrorism committed by Israel. As long as the world superpowers take no action to stop them, they will continue to do as they please.

“Whatever it is, we must get the help of the world superpowers and insist that they stop Israel’s brutal actions,” said Najib after his courtesy call on the visiting Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri, at a hotel here.

Commenting on Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Zahid Hamidi’s suggestion on the establishment of an Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) peacekeeping force, he said it would not be recognised by Israel.

“They (OIC Peacekeeping Force) won’t be acknowledged by Israel. We don’t even have to look at OIC, even the UN Peacekeeping Force are not being acknowledged by them (Israel).

“This reflects their extreme stubbornness, greed, hunger for power and brutal arrogance. This is what we’re facing,” he said.

On the call to boycott Israeli products by many sympathetic Malaysians, Najib said that the country did not have any products from Israel due to lack of diplomatic ties.

Asked on the courtesy call, Najib hoped cooperation between Malaysia and Syria would be further enhanced especially since this was the first time a Syrian Prime Minister visited the country.

“The Syrian Prime Minister was impressed with developments in Malaysia. Malaysia could be an example to other Islamic countries,” he said.

bernama

HINDRAF chairman P. Waytha Moorthy’s call to the Indian government to impose trade sanctions on Malaysia will be raised in cabinet, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said he would brief the cabinet on the issue which was highlighted on the sidelines of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas by the leader of the banned organisation, now in self-imposed exile in London.

“This is so that the government can take suitable action to explain the true situation in Malaysia to the Indian government,” he said after attending the two-day conference of the worldwide Indian diaspora which has attracted 1,600 delegates from 46 nations.

On his part, the human resources minister said he had met Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi to explain the situation of Indians in Malaysia.

“They are committed to the good relations between both countries,” said Subramaniam, adding that before he left for India, he had told Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of possible efforts to tarnish Malaysia.

“The DPM left it to us to handle it the best way we should,” said Subramaniam, who is also the MIC secretary-general.

He said India knew the condition of Indians in Malaysia and would not act on the call by Waytha Moorthy who fled the country after four of his comrades in Hindraf were detained under the Internal Security Act in December 2007.

P. Uthayakumar (Waytha Moorthy’s elder brother), M. Manoharan, R. Kengatharan and V. Ganapathi Rao have been held at the Kamunting detention centre from Dec 13, 2007, under a two-year order issued by the Home Ministry.

Subramaniam was commenting on Waytha Moorthy’s call earlier in the day to the Indian government to impose trade sanctons against Malaysia, especially in not buying palm oil, as a form of “punishment” for the alleged ill-treatment of Indians here.

Waytha Moorthy, who had issued a booklet to journalists here entitled “Malaysian Indian Minority and Human Rights Violations Annual Report 2008″, said he wanted India to pressure Malaysia into releasing the four Hindraf leaders.

He had also said that he would try to meet Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi later this week to explain his call for trade sanctions against Malaysia.

“I am trying to arrange a meeting with Dr Manmohan Singh so that the Indian Government can help us to free the four ISA detainees by using trade sanctions against Malaysia,” he added.

Earlier, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Waytha Moorthy was “engaging in utter lies” by claiming that Malaysian Indians were being mistreated by the government.

“I am surprised that he has travelled 6,000 miles from London to drop a bombshell in India.

“His statement that 130,000 Malaysian Indians are stateless is an utter lie.”

Samy Vellu, who earlier presented a paper entitled “India as an Emerging Power: The Diaspora Factor”, said Waytha Moorthy was detached from the situation in Malaysia and out of touch with reality.

“His claim of ethnic cleansing in Malaysia is a lie. So is his claim that one Hindu temple is being destroyed daily.

“Everyone knows that no such things are happening.”

Samy Vellu said the Indian government was led by capable leaders who would not be convinced by Waytha Moorthy’s claims.

nst

DAP chairman Karpal Singh has lashed out at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for misleading Malaysians that there was no need to reject hudud as it would be applicable only to Muslims.

“This has been Pas’ stand from its inception as is clearly reflected by the statements by former and present leaders of Pas,” he said.

Karpal cited Pas spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s statement, “I cannot see why they (all Malaysians) cannot accept hudud laws which are no different from laws of the West”, as evidence of this.

“In the light of this statement, there is a fallacy in Anwar’s assertion that hudud would only be applicable to Muslims,” he said.

Karpal said the implementation of hudud could only happen if the country was turned into an Islamic state.

Anwar, the de facto leader of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, had said yesterday that the party will not reject outright Pas’ plan to implement the hudud, as it was solely for Muslims.

Karpal said Anwar was wrong on this score.

“For example, in Saudi Arabia, Islamic laws are applicable to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Foreigners committing offences in Saudi Arabia have been whipped in accordance with Islamic law.

“It is important for Anwar to know exactly what Pas intends to do in calling for the setting up of an Islamic state. Perhaps Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang should clear the air as to whether hudud laws are intended by Pas to be applicable to everyone in the event they succeed in setting up an Islamic state. In the public interest, he should do so.”

Karpal also cited a 1988 Supreme Court case where a five-man bench headed by then lord president Tun Salleh Abas said that the law in the country is still secular.

“It must follow from this judicial pronouncement that Malaysia is a secular state,” he said.

MCA’s Information and Communication Bureau chief Lee Wee Kiat also took Anwar to task for his on-the-fence stance.

“Anwar’s contradictory statements appear to be spoken to please different listeners. It still leaves the option of expanding syariah against non-Muslims open,” Lee said in a statement.

“In dismissing Karpal’s remarks… Anwar has proven that there are cracks in Pakatan Rakyat as to which type of legislation they would adopt,” he said.

Lee also asked DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang to fulfil his promise “of convincing Pas to give up the idea of an Islamic state and hudud… and not just criticise Pas through press statements”.

nst

Malaysia’s call for a special United Nations session to condemn Israel over its military aggression received a boost when the UN General Assembly (UNGA) agreed to hold the session today.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is encouraged with the latest development. He has called for sanctions against Israel for conducting military aggression and invading Gaza.

“We have to include more reasons as to why a particular country should be sanctioned. It is important moral issues, such as atrocities, must also be taken into account,” he said after launching the new campus of the Institute of Foreign Relations and Diplomacy here yesterday.

Asked what kind of sanctions should be imposed against Israel, Abdullah replied: “The UN will decide.”

According to officials, major elements in the draft resolution to be adopted called for unconditional ceasefire (including cessation of armed violence from Israel and the Palestine Hamas group) and opening of UN access into Gaza for humanitarian assistance.

However, any resolution adopted by the 192-member world body would not be legally binding.

Abdullah said Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza should also be considered. He said the continuing aggression by Israel would depend on the United States.

“Israel will normally wait for any signal from the Americans. The US plays an important role and I hope they will not pose any barrier to the resolution,” he said.

In his speech, the Prime Minister said the world would be a better place if ethics and morality were given due weight in the conduct of international relations.

“Perhaps the international community should include outrageous breaches of basic moral standards in the list which must be subjected to international sanctions,” he said.

Later in announcing the relaunch of the Palestine Humanitarian Fund, he called on all Malaysians to contribute.

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said from today and for the next three weeks, all donations collected during Friday prayers at mosques nationwide would be handed over to the State Islamic Religious Department to help the Palestinians in Gaza.

The donations will be brought to Kuala Lumpur before being handed over to the Foreign Ministry.

star

Objections over tender process could result in legal action against govt

THE administration of Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is facing a dilemma over an urgently needed water supply project in Malaysia.

This is due to behind-the-scenes wrangling over a disputed tender process that could result in legal action against the government and cause further delays to the project.

The Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Project involves building a 57km-long pipeline, 45km of which is underground, to channel water to Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley area.

The pipeline will supply an additional 2,259 million litres daily to Malaysia’s most densely populated area that previous reports said consumes some 3,050 million litres daily.

But there is a snag. Japan’s Taisei Corp and its Malaysian joint-venture partner HRA Teguh have raised objections to the government plan to award the RM1.4 billion ($584 million) project to a consortium led by Shimizu Corp.

Their objections were based on the grounds that the bidding process had been marred by irregularities, financial executives and government officials close to the situation said.

Taisei executives in Malaysia declined to comment.

But a senior financial executive who was authorised to speak to this newspaper said that should Kuala Lumpur proceed with the contract award, Taisei will seriously consider suing the project’s consultants and the government.

‘The companies are exploring all options, including obtaining a court order to halt all work on the project until this matter is resolved,’ said the executive.

A senior Malaysian official admitted that the Taisei-led joint venture has raised objections to the awarding of the contract, in particular over the government’s decision to ask the Shimizu-led consortium to amend its bid.

The bid calls on the government to compensate Shimizu in the event that the cost of constructing the tunnels exceeds original estimates should it encounter poor rock formations.

The Taisei joint venture’s ‘view is that the government can’t make variations to the bid after the award. But the government’s view is that these amendments aren’t out of the ordinary for a contract this large’, said the official.

Economic planners said that without the project, residents and businesses in the Klang Valley will face acute water shortages by next year.

The project was originally mooted in the late 1990s after the Malaysian government signed an agreement with Japan to secure funding for the construction of the infrastructure undertaking under Tokyo’s official development assistance programme.

But the project was stalled because of disagreements between Malaysia and Japan over covenants under the loan package, which required the recipient to award large portions of the project - in some cases as high as 80 per cent of contract work - to Japanese entities.

The plan was jump-started shortly after Datuk Seri Abdullah came to power in November 2003.

After a lengthy tender process, four groups, comprising foreign and local companies, were short-listed.

One group pulled out and the three remaining bids were opened last April.

According to those familiar with the tender, the Shimizu-led consortium submitted the lowest bid at RM1.31 billion, while the Taisei-led venture and Japan’s Kajima Corp bid RM1.46 billion and RM1.47 billion, respectively.

The executives said that the bids by Shimizu and Kajima were so-called ‘conditional bids’, because they were attached with conditions that the government would be required to compensate the contractors for additional costs incurred in constructing the tunnels as a result of poor soil conditions.

Sources said that the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which signed an agreement with Malaysia to fund the project, is in favour of the Shimizu-led group, which submitted the lowest bid.

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A half-full hall greeted the Prime Minister on his lightning visit here yesterday to brief electoral workers on the government’s campaign in the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

A couple of nights before that, Abdul Wahid Endut, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) candidate, was left addressing an empty car park while on his ceramah rounds.

There has been a distinct lack of energy among campaigners in what has been publicly spun as the make-or-break by-election for Malaysia.

The listlessness among the campaigners seems to stem from the selected candidates themselves.

Datuk Wan Farid Wan Salleh from the BN has been pegged as Idris Jusoh’s man.

Idris is the man in the middle of the Terengganu Umno leadership crisis with the state ruler last year, which eventually saw a relative unknown, Datuk Ahmad Said, promoted to be the new Menteri Besar.

The crisis may have been resolved, but there is still high tension between the two factions.

The Prime Minister addressing a half-empty hall when he went to brief campaign workers in KT. – Picture by Choo Choy May
Ahmad and his men have not forgiven Idris nor the latter’s side for the mess. While they have not actively sabotaged Wan Farid’s campaign, they have not given the candidate due co-operation either.

Quite clearly, they are more focused on shoring up support for their own positions within the party at its next elections in March.

Even Abdullah, the head of Umno and the BN, has openly admitted to the in-fighting at state level, which may have damaged Wan Farid’s and the BN’s chances of winning this seat irrevocably.

For PR’s Pas, it is a similar story.

The Islamist party is equally split down the middle between its top two leaders, which forced them both to compromise on the candidate for this by-election, with neither gaining any satisfaction from it.

Spiritual Advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat backs the Erdogan faction which is pro-Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; and party president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang backs the conservatives.

There are still rumblings from the grassroots who believe the party would have been better if its leaders had chosen either the Erdogan faction’s preferred nominee Mohammad “Mat” Sabu; or Mustafa Ali, the state party chief who is popular with the conservatives.

But it is not only the dispiritedness among the campaigners that is behind the lack of excitement on the ground.

It has been three days since the nomination of the candidates and the pace in Kuala Terengganu has yet to pick up speed.

The locals seem almost nonchalant about the whole affair. Except for the heavy presence of the police stationed at every intersection throughout the parliamentary constituency, things don’t look particularly different.

Few eateries open till late at night. Most Malay restaurateurs close shop at 6pm while their Chinese counterparts draw their shutters around 10pm.

Attendance at the PR ceramah by Abdul Wahid Endut was also dismal. – Picture by Choo Choy May
Fewer still are frequented by locals who want to gossip about how close the fight will be into the wee hours of the morning.

Most prefer to catch a good night’s sleep before they continue the daily grind of earning a living. Some told The Malaysian Insider that they are asleep by 9pm.

Most of the late-night clientele are made up of the press working late, or the campaign workers and police personnel getting off their shift duties.

It is business as usual in Kuala Terengganu.

Some of the locals say they are too busy working to attend any of the daily functions organised by the BN and the PR.

Others give the excuse that they are intimidated by the police who seem to be everywhere they turn their heads.

“Why are there so many police here? What have we done? Takutlah. Better I stay at home,” said one elderly Malay woman.

But several voters from the local Chinese community who form some 11 per cent of the population told The Malaysian Insider they have already made up their minds who they will vote for next week.

“I already know who to pangkah. Why so susah go out?” said one retiree who declined to give his name.

the malaysian insider

The Pas campaign for the key Kuala Terengganu vote is keeping Barisan Nasional (BN) on the defensive, forcing Umno candidate Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Salleh to deny he had, as division leader, sidelined the late Datuk Razali Ismail, whose death has forced this by-election.

“The fact remains that he was an MP and after the Umno delegates meeting where he did not win the vice chief post, I appointed him into the committee,” said the Kuala Terengganu Umno chief at a press conference here today.

The Pas campaign has been actively trying to exploit an apparent division between the supporters of Razali and Wan Farid, in an attempt to sway the late MP’s followers to vote for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) instead.

Wan Farid’s remarks today follows Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi’s plea the day before for party members to back the BN candidate, in an indication that all is not well in the campaign.

The BN candidate today gave a glowing account of Razali’s track record as a two term MP, pointing out that Razali had been active in the party’s division and had served the electorate well.

At the Kuala Terengganu Umno divisional elections last July, Razali ran for the vice chief post but lost to Wan Hisham Salleh, who is Wan Farid’s brother.
Razali’s defeat had caused uneasiness among his supporters in the party even after his death, and this issue has been exploited by Pas to get Umno members aligned to him to back the Pakatan Rakyat candidate Abdul Wahid Endut.

“It is not true to suggest in any way that Kuala Terengganu Umno had sidelined him. At the opening of the delegates’ meeting I made it clear that it was a family contest,” said Wan Farid.

“I feel happy that Pas keeps mentioning Datuk Razali, because if they really like him Mohamad Sabu shouldn’t have contested,” he added, referring to Pas’s candidate in the March general election.

However Wan Farid admitted that the former state education director had set a very high benchmark as a BN rep.

“I have never been an elected representative, so I don’t have a constituency. But I did set up a service centre since I became the division chief in 2004 to meet not only Umno members but also the people,” said Wan Farid.

“Most people do not know this but my office had always been in close communication with Datuk Razali’s office,” he said.

Pak Lah tries to convince Umno members to back Wan Farid

The Prime Minister, who is slated to leave office by the end of March, found himself trying to convince Umno members to support their own candidate.

“I have heard a lot of things said about our candidate. But what is unusual is that it is Umno members who have been saying things about him, but we have to defend our candidate,” said Abdullah to hundreds of Terengganu Umno Wanita leaders on Thursday night in an effort to convince the party that Wan Farid was not a bad choice.

Last night, he denied perceptions that the Kuala Terengganu Umno chief is arrogant.

“If he was arrogant he would not have been appointed my political secretary,” said Abdullah.

Wan Farid, who resigned as deputy minister to contest the by-election, will face Pas’s Abdul Wahid Endut and an independent, Azharudin Adam, in the January 17 vote.

The by-election, which was called following the death BN’s Datuk Razali Ismail in late November, is widely seen as a referendum on Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s leadership but the selection of Wan Farid as the candidate shows that Abdullah is still in control of the party.

Abdullah also reminded Wanita leaders to remain focussed on the by-election and not to be bogged down by the party election.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Umno president had to explain to party workers that Wan Farid was a serious candidate who had sacrificed a lot for the party with his resignation from the government and the Senate, a point which he repeated to the Wanita Umno leaders.

He then spoke at length about his last minute reform efforts where he managed to get the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission Bill and Judicial Appointment Commission Bill, which were initially opposed by the dominant party in BN, passed by Parliament.

He again denied that the reform laws were introduced in a hurry.

The Malaysian Insider

In a move that could backfire by drawing attention to discrimination against Chinese, Indian and other minorities in Malaysia, the country has claimed a role in the advancement of Malays in other lands.

The Malaysian deputy prime minister and heir apparent, Najib Razak, told an international Malay/Muslim audience recently that his government would work to help support them in countries from the Philippines and Singapore to Madagascar, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Najib’s remarks may draw the attention of China, India and other countries to what has hitherto been regarded by most outsiders as a domestic issue: Malaysia’s official economic and social preferences for Malays, and by extension Muslims, which disadvantage Malaysia’s non-Malay minorities, mostly Chinese and Indian. His statements are also sure to irritate Indonesia, Malaysia’s larger neighbor and fount of Malay culture.

The word “Malay” can mean a language that is native to east Sumatra, which became the lingua franca of trade in Southeast Asia and is now the official language of Indonesia and Malaysia. Or it can mean the relatively small, mostly Muslim, ethnic group of some 20 million straddling Malaysia, and parts of Indonesia and southern Thailand. Or it can mean the much wider Malay racial/linguistic group of more than 300 million people, about 60 percent Muslim, encompassing most of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia - plus many Madagascans and minorities in Vietnam and Cambodia.

In the 1960s there was talk of a loose Malay confederation encompassing Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. However, other issues obstructed this grand idea. For Malaysia in particular, religion has come to play a central role, identifying all Malays with Islam. This notion is viewed as dangerous by many people in Indonesia, which is 80 percent Muslim but is a secular state focused on national rather than religious identity.

Najib’s effort to include Madagascar in his speech was also contentious. Madagascar was first settled by people from the Indonesian archipelago long before Islam appeared. The Muslim minority in Madagascar has mostly Arab and Indian roots. As for the Malays of South Africa and Sri Lanka, though Muslim, their roots were mostly in Java and other parts of what was once Dutch-ruled Indonesia.

Malaysian pretensions could be dismissed as hot air. But official discrimination against non-Malays in the country was eventually going to attract criticism from human rights groups and other governments. It is hard to argue that the numerically dominant Malays, who control most of the political, judicial and bureaucratic levers of power and many of the country’s major corporations, need help. Yet Malaysia’s leadership continues to claim that the Malay race and religion would be threatened by removal of privileges.

Many Malays view these privileges as perpetuating a system of patronage that enriches the elite and makes the Malay poor dependent. Yet changing the system is difficult. While gains of the opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim in last year’s election offer some hope, it is naturally hard for the majority to vote away privileges - which is why India and China could become catalysts.

For decades China and India have stuck with the doctrine of noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries. But as their global role blossoms, attitudes are changing. China’s eye on the well-being of ethnic Chinese everywhere will increase as Chinese investment and tourism become more important to countries in Southeast Asia with significant Chinese minorities. Ethnic Chinese make up 25 percent of Malaysia’s population and are subject to formal discrimination. India has less potential influence, but Indian politicians have begun to listen to Hindu groups complaining about discrimination and destruction of their temples.

In practice, Malaysia is usually more tolerant than official policies and statements by politicians and clerics might suggest. The prime minister is married to a Eurasian who was born a Christian. Various royals have married non-Malays. However, mixed marriages have become rarer as barriers are strengthened by sectarian privileges allied to religious dogmatism.

So maybe the outside world could do Malaysia a favor by taking Najib at his word and speaking up in support of the minority’s reasonable request - equality for non-Malay Malaysians as well as for Malay minorities elsewhere.

iht

Squabble between top two men could split party further and stall reforms

THE rift in the leadership of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) - the second-biggest party in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition - appears to be widening as spats between its top two men intensified recently.

MCA president Ong Tee Keat fired the latest broadside over the weekend in a Sin Chew Daily column that was barely a veiled attack on his deputy Chua Soi Lek.

Although nobody was named, it was clear whom the MCA chief was referring to with references such as a ‘returning politician’.

Dr Chua, who was the former health minister, had resigned from all his government and party posts a year ago after he was exposed in a sex scandal video. He made a stunning comeback during the MCA election last October by clinching the No. 2 post.

In his column, Datuk Seri Ong chastised the person for ’showing no remorse despite committing immoral deeds, and instead blaming the political motives of others for videotaping his wrongdoings’. Mr Ong also likened him to disgraced Taiwanese ex-president Chen Shui-bian, who after being investigated on graft charges recently, had accused his predecessor Lee Teng-hui of similar embezzlement charges.

The MCA chief wrote that this Malaysian politician, like Chen, is ’someone who drags others down with him when in trouble’.

Dr Chua declined to comment on the column.

The two have been at loggerheads since they campaigned for the MCA elections, despite pledging to let bygones be bygones after the polls.

Mr Ong had referred to DrChua as ‘morally tainted’ while the latter criticised Mr Ong as a puppet candidate of the previous party leadership.

Despite winning the No. 2 party post, Dr Chua was not appointed to key positions but headed the party’s government policy monitoring bureau.

Analysts say the protracted squabble between the two men could further split an already fractured party and stall reforms planned after Chinese voters abandoned the party at the March general election last year.

In the past weeks, Dr Chua has stepped up his criticism of another MCA politician, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai, who is allied with Mr Ong.

In accusing Mr Liow of not doing enough to stop the spread of dengue and chikungunya epidemics in Malaysia, Dr Chua spoke as head of MCA’s government policy monitoring bureau.

But last week, the party announced that all bureau chiefs would need to seek prior endorsement from the presidential council before issuing press releases, in what was seen as a move to shut Dr Chua up.

Some may cheer this move, as it blunts what they feel is Dr Chua’s hidden personal agenda. But it could also deepen the rift between rival factions within the MCA. Dr Chua’s staunch supporters would interpret the directive as a gag order curbing his political freedom, Malaysiakini reported.

Quoting a party source, the news portal reported: ‘If the president has no confidence in the bureau chief, why appoint Chua in the first place? The president might as well direct all bureau chiefs to take instructions from him (Ong).’

In response to the report, Mr Ong on Thursday denied that the rule was targeted at anyone. ‘This is the spinners’ version. Someone wanted to spread rumours and confuse the people,’ he was quoted as saying by the Sun Daily.

On Wednesday, MCA secretary-general Wong Foon Meng said the directive was imposed so that views aired by the bureau chiefs and the party would be consistent.

Analysts said the directive and a recent reshuffle at the top management of the MCA-owned The Star were aimed at curbing DrChua’s influence.

The reshuffle at the English daily, which leads in circulation numbers, was seen as an attempt to reduce the hold of those close to former MCA president Ling Liong Sik, a strong supporter of Dr Chua.

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PAS, Umno seek to woo Chinese voters while not alienating the Malays

But the media focus so far has been on the Chinese voters, who comprise about 11 per cent of the total. This is because the Malay electorate is believed to be split between Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and Umno. PAS has a slight edge.

Nevertheless, the Malay parties are acutely aware that they cannot neglect the Malay votes. ‘Not at all,’ said PAS research centre chief Dzulkefly Ahmad, part of the party’s electoral strategy team.

This, he said, would be akin to the Malay saying that warns against chasing a dream, only to lose what is already in hand.

The by-election for Kuala Terengganu was called after its Umno MP died in November last year. PAS candidate Abdul Wahid Endut is up against Umno’s Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh and an independent. Polling is next Saturday.

It has been touted as a major test of support for either side. The Chinese vote will be crucial if the Malays are equally split. But if the Malay vote tips heavily to either side, the Chinese vote will be irrelevant.

Both sides are carrying out a delicately balanced campaign - to woo the Chinese while not alienating the Malays.

The strong emphasis on Chinese votes had been said to have made some Malay voters unhappy. In particular, opposition MP Lim Kit Siang’s statement that the Chinese are the kingmakers has upset some Malays. This implies that the Malays have to give in to Chinese wishes.

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad, in his blog two days ago, said PAS had forgone its principles. He picked on the issue of PAS allowing pig farming near Malay villages without taking into account Malay sensitivities. He also pointed out that PAS has been silent on its plans to introduce the Islamic penal code, or hudud.

‘All this shows that PAS is not a principled party, or sincere in promoting Islam. It is willing to bend backwards for political interests,’ Tun Dr Mahathir wrote.

While hudud is